fK 
 
 CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 MAR— ^98?^p 
 
 OCTT* 
 
 -WBL 
 
 J 
 
 ^ 
 
 a.\974 M 
 
 5i 
 
 DE&l^ S feSs^ft 
 
 PRINTED IN U 5. 
 
 PK 3741 C H 6E5 "iSse "" """» 
 
The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023032331 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS 
 
 Jfroin tbe Sansfetft 
 
 BEING THE 
 
 HITOPADESA 
 
 TRANSLATED. By 
 
 CHARLES WILKINS 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HENRY MORLEY 
 
 LL.D., PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH LITERATURE AT v 
 
 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 
 LONDON 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS 
 
 BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL 
 NEW JORK; 9 LAFAYETTE PLACE 
 
 1886 
 
?K 
 
 
 MORLEY'S UNIVERSAL LIBRARY. 
 
 10. 
 ii. 
 
 12. 
 
 13- 
 
 14. 
 
 IS- 
 16. 
 
 17- 
 18. 
 19. 
 
 Sheridan's Plays. 
 PUys from Moliere. By 
 
 English Dramatists. 
 Marlowe's Faustus and 
 
 Goethe's Faust. 
 
 Chronicle of the Cid. • 
 Rabelais' Gargantuasmd the 
 
 Heroic Deeds 0/ Pantagi net. 
 The Prince. By MACiHlA- 
 
 velli. 
 Bacon's Essays. 
 Defoe's Journal of / the 
 
 Piague Year. 
 Locke on Civil Government 
 
 and Filmei's "Patriarcha." 
 Butler's Analogy of Religion, 
 Dryden's Virgil. 
 Scotfs Demonology and 
 
 Witchcraft. 
 Herrick's Hesperides. 
 Coleridge's Table-Talk. 
 Boccaccio's Decameron. 
 Sterne's Tristram Shandy. 
 Chapman's Homers Iliad. 
 Mcdiayal Tales. 
 
 Voltaire's Candide, and 
 1 Johnson's Rasselas. 
 
 20. Plays and Poems. By Ben 
 
 Jonson. 
 
 21. Leviathan. By Thomas 
 
 HOBBBS. 
 
 22. Hudibras. By Samuel 
 
 Butler. 
 
 23. Ideal Commonwealths. 
 
 24. Cavendish's Life of IVolsey. 
 25 & 26. Don Quixote. In 
 
 Two Volumes. 
 
 27. Burlesque Plays and Poems. 
 
 28. Dante's Divine Comedy. 
 
 Longfellow's Translation. - 
 
 29. Goldsmith's Vicar of Wake- 
 Jield, Plays, and Poems. 
 Fables and Proverbs from 
 
 the Sanskrit. (Ilitopadesa?) 
 Charles Lamb's Essays of 
 
 Elia. 
 
 The History of Thomas 
 
 EUtvood. 
 
 Emerson's Essays, Src. 
 Southeys Life if Nelson. 
 De Quinay's Confessions 
 
 of an Opium-Eater, <&»r. 
 Stories of Ireland. By Mi-s 
 
 Edgeworth. 
 Aristophanes 
 
 3°- 
 31. 
 
 32- 
 
 33- 
 
 34- 
 35- 
 
 36. 
 
 37- 
 
 ' Marvels of clear type and general neatness."— Daily Telegraph, 
 
 GrCLtyW 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In the family of languages to which English belongs, the. Indo- 
 European Family, Sanskrit is eldest brother. The parent 
 language was spoken in a remote prehistoric time by a people 
 living somewhere about the five rivers of the Punjaub. By 
 migrations of that people westward there were afterwards 
 established all the nations of the Iranian, Slavonic, Celtic, 
 Teutonic and Classical stocks. The parent language, Aryan, 
 has itself long since been lost ; but its words,' subjected to regular 
 varieties of change, have passed into many lands. Additions 
 have been many, but those words of which the roots are common 
 to.us all, bear witness to the common origin of the chief nations 
 of Europe, and to their brotherhood with races now in India. 
 
 Descendants of that remote prehistoric Aryan people, who re- 
 mained in India and were less remote, but also prehistoric; spoke 
 Sanskrit. They left in their own tongue sacred books, by which 
 Sanskrit was established as a classical language. It was cultivated 
 by the religious orders and used, as the language in which all 
 high religious teaching was enshrined. Thus its grammar was 
 studied and preserved, and the language itself, first born of the old 
 Aryan, has been maintained in its purity until this day. As the 
 vernacular speech of a living people, applied to all their common 
 daily wants, Sanskrit has not been used within the memory of 
 man, but in some parts of India the vernacular does not differ 
 from it very greatly. 
 
 The oldest Sanskrit books are at the fountain-head of European 
 literature. These are the four Vedas, regarded as the source of 
 all other Sastras or sacred books. The Vedas are written in 
 an" Iambic measure of eight syllables, and the earliest of them 
 have been assigned by Sir William Jones to a date as early as 
 1 500 years before Christ. The word Veda means knowledge, but 
 though names of authors of the several parts were preserved, 
 the whole was taken to mean inspired knowledge, "the self- 
 evident word proceeding out of, the mouth of God, this is the 
 Veda." The first of the Vedas, called Rig from a word meaning 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 praise, expresses the relations . between man and God. The 
 second, called Yajur, from a word meaning- worship, contains 
 instructions upon ceremonial. The third, called Sama, from a 
 word signifying a prayer arranged for singing, contains pie'ces 
 arranged as chants. Atharva, the fourth Veda, less ancient than 
 the rest, contains forms of imprecation, prayers, hymns, and fifty- 
 two theological treatises called Upanishads. Atharvan is referred 
 to in it as a king appointed by Brahma to protect inferior beings. 
 There are also detached Upanishads which are regarded as of 
 less authority than the fifty-two contained in the Atharva- 
 Veda. The Upanishads, or argumentative parts of the Vedas, 
 are j-egarded as forming the Jnana, or philosophical part of the 
 sacred books, and theological argument is based on these; -the 
 parts devoted to pure teaching of the religious system, its 
 customs, sacrifices, ceremonies, form the Brahmanas ; and the 
 prayers and hymns in each Veda constitute its Sanhita. Thus, 
 with regard to this matter the Vedas are said to contain Brah- 
 manas, Jnana and Sanhita. The Brahmanas recognize a three- 
 fold Veda, not reckoning the fourth, and derive the third from 
 the first, the Rig- Veda, which teaches that there is one only 
 supreme God, a pure spirit dwelling in eternal rest and silence, 
 who is All, and in All. He is the supreme Brahma, who created 
 the world by three manifestations drawn from himself, and 
 named- Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, originally united in one essence, 
 so that " the great One " became known as one Person and three 
 gods. Brahma represents Creation, Vishnu Preservation, and 
 Siva Destruction. Of Vishnu, the Preserver, there have been 
 nine Avatars or Incarnations, the first six were in the golden 
 age of the world, the seventh was as Rama, the eighth as 
 Krishna, the ninth as Buddha. The tenth, in which he will 
 appear as a white horse, is yet awaited. In his last Avatar, as 
 Buddha, Vishnu promoted scepticism to the end that the giants, 
 wanting faith, might cease to obtain by prayer the powers that 
 they misapplied. 
 
 The time during which the Vedas were produced extended 
 -over centuries, with periodic changes of style, and has been 
 divided into four periods, the last of which, from 600 to 
 200 B.C., was the period of Sutra literature. Sutra means a 
 string, and stands for a literature of short sayings strung to- 
 gether, by teachers who studied brevity, and of whom it was 
 said, in their own proverbial way, that an author rejoiceth in the 
 economizing of half a short vowel as much as in the birth of a 
 son. 
 
 There were drawn from the four Vedas four Upa- Vedas. One 
 was on Medicine from the Rig- Veda ; one on Music from the 
 Sama- Veda ; one on Arms and Implements of War, from the 
 Yajur-Veda ; and one on sixty-four Mechanical Arts, from the 
 Atharva-Veda. The Upa- Vedas are now lost. 
 
INTRODUCTION y 
 
 Also there were six Vedangas, or limbs of the Veda, treating 
 severallyof six sciences needed for interpretation of the sacred 
 books. They were Pronunciation, Grammar, Prosody, Expla- 
 nation of difficult' words or phrases, Religious Ceremonial, and 
 Astrology. To these were added four Upangas or additional 
 limbs ; History (the Purana) ; Logic (the Nyaya) ; Moral Philo r 
 sophy (the Mimansa) ; and Jurisprudence (the Dharma-Sastra). 
 
 The earliest of these sacred writings, in their earliest periodi 
 were preserved only by oral tradition. They continued to live 
 in the persons of men of the sacred caste, and thus different 
 texts or versions of the Vedas, known as Sakhas, were preserved 
 in different Charanas or schools of the Brahmans, who pre- 
 served the books in memory. A name for a Brahman settlement 
 was a Parishad. It was said that "four or even three able men 
 from among the Brahmans in a village who know the Veda and 
 keep the sacrificial fire, form a Parishad." Members of different 
 Parishads might be associated in one school or Charana. 
 
 Of the Law Books, or Dharma-Sastras, the most ancient and 
 most famous is that known as the "Institutes of Manu," first 
 translated into English by Sir William Jones '■ Manu was fabled 
 to be the son of Brahma, to have preserved the Vedas from 
 destruction in the Hindoo deluge, and to have given in that 
 Book of Laws an abstract of their contents. 
 
 The Indians had also six Darsanas, or systems of philosophy, 
 all seeking the highest good in eternal happiness, and all accept- 
 ing the authority of the Vedas but interpreting thefil variously. 
 The six systems are essentially three. One, the Nyaya, brings 
 knowledge in through the fiver channels of the senses ; one, the 
 Sankhya, looks to the emotions, and seeks the sources of 
 pleasure, pain, and the neutral state of indifference, in which 
 states alone it holds external nature to consist; one, the 
 Vedantin, seeks" only to determine what Is or Is Not. Besides the 
 philosophy of the Darsanas, there were the teachings of several 
 sects ; among which the most important in their influence on 
 thought was that of the Buddhists, chief opponents of the 
 Brahmans. Their founder, Buddha Sakya Muni, began his 
 teaching at an uncertain "date, but it prevailed in India and 
 Ceylon in the third century before Christ, and was introduced 
 into China A.D. 61. Though the Brahmans finally prevailed in 
 India, the Buddhists held their own in Ceylon, Burmah and 
 China. They denied the existence of the One First Cause 
 represented by the Brahma who gave forth Brahmi, Vishnu and 
 Siva to create, preserve, destroy ; One who is All in All, and 
 of whom all forms of divinity— Indra, the Heavens with his 
 thunderbolt and thousand eyes ; Surya, the sun ; Agni, fire ; 
 Pavana, wind ; Varuna, ocean— are manifestations. Not less 
 were the elements of human life and death such manifestations 
 of the God in all, — Ganasa, wisdom, perfecter of work ; Lakshmi, 
 
8 ' INTRODUCTION. 
 
 goddess of prosperity, formed by the churning of the sea ; Saras- 
 wati, goddess of learning; and Yama, judge of the dead. ' 
 
 Epic and dramatic poetry form also a part of Sanskrit litera- 
 ture: The two great Sanskrit epics are the Ramayana, or 
 Adventures of Rama (one of the incarnations of Vishnu), and 
 the Maha-bharata ; both of them less ancient than the Vedas, 
 but both so old that, like the Vedas, they were long preserved 
 by oral tradition before they were committed to writing. The 
 Maha-bharata is Mn eighteen books, containing altogether 
 220,600 lines, and is a collection of national legends. Jn old 
 Indian legend there were two dynasties of the north; those of 
 the Sun, those of the Moon. Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, • 
 was of the line of the Sun ; Bharata, the hero of the chief story 
 in the Maha-bharata, was of the line of the Moon. 
 
 The Bhagavad-Gita is an episode in the Maha-bharata, a 
 divine song in the form of a calm dialogue on eighteen subjects 
 held between Krishna, the eighth Avatar of Vishnu, and his- 
 pupil Arjuna, while tumult of battle raged around them. 
 
 The great dramatis! in Sanskrit literature was Kalidasa, 
 author of the Sakuntala. The oldest known collection of_ 
 Fables is the Pancha-Tantra, a collection into Five Tantras or 
 sections, which is represented by the book now in the reader's 
 hand, The- Hitopadesa, or Friendly Instructor, in four books. 
 The purpose of its interwoven fables and maxims was to present, 
 in a way likely to win and keep attention, a system of good 
 counsel for right training of a prince in all the chief affairs of 
 life. It comes to us from a far place- and time as a manual of 
 worldly wisdom, inspired throughout by the religion of its place 
 and time. There are, in fact, so far as concern the great forces 
 of Nature, but accidental differences between the cities of men 
 or the ant-hills of to-day and yesterday. When allowance has 
 been made for some real progress in civilization, as in the 
 recognition of the place of women in society, every fable in the 
 Hitopadesa can still be applied to human character ; every 
 maxim quoted from the wise men of two or three thousand 
 years ago, when parted from the local accidents of form, might 
 find its time for being quoted now in church, at home, or upon 
 'Change. 
 
 H. M. 
 
 September, 1885. 
 
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 The following-translation, begun and completed this 
 summer during a temporary residence at Bath, is a 
 faithful portrait of a beautiful work, which in the 
 opinions of many learned men, natives and Europeans, 
 with whom I had the honour to converse upon the 
 subject before I left Bengal, is the Sanskrit original 
 of those celebrated fables, which after passing through 
 most of the Oriental languages, ancient and modern, 
 with various alterations to accommodate them to 
 the taste and genius of those for whose benefit, or 
 amusement they were designed, and under different 
 appellations, at length were introduced to the know- 
 ledge of the European world with a title importing 
 them to have been originally written by Pilpay, or 
 Bidpai, an ancient Brahman ; two names of which, 
 as far as my inquiries have extended, the Brahmans 
 of the present times are totally ignorant. Sir 
 William Jones, whose surprising talents are ever 
 employed in seeking fresh sources of knowledge, and 
 promoting their cultivation, in an elegant discourse 
 delivered by him the 26th of February, 1786, 
 
lo TRANStAroivs PREFACE. 
 
 since my return from India, at a meeting of the 
 Society for inquiring into the History, civil and 
 natural, the Antiquities, Arts, Sciences, and Literature 
 of Asia, ekpresses his sentiments upon this subject 
 in the following words : — 
 
 "Their (the Hindoos) ' Niti-Sastra, or System of 
 Ethics, is yet preserved, and the fables of Vishnu- 
 Serma, whom we ridiculously call Pilpay, are the 
 most beautiful, if not the most ancient, collection of 
 Apologues in the world. They were first translated 
 from the Sanskrit in the sixth century, by Buzer- 
 chumihr, or "bright as the sun," the chief physician, and 
 afterwards the Vizier of the great Amlshirwan, and 
 are extant under various names in more than twenty 
 languages, but their original title is Hitopadesa, or 
 "amicable instruction ;" and as the very existence of 
 iEsop, whom the Arabs believe to have been an 
 Abyssinian, appears rather doubtful, I am not disin- 
 clined to suppose that the first moral fables which 
 appeared in Europe were of Indian or Ethiopian 
 origin." 
 
 Granting the Hitopadesa be the work it is supposed 
 to be, to save the learned reader the trouble of re- 
 ferring to other books to trace its history, I have 
 here brought all I have collected upon the subject 
 under one view. 
 
 The learned Fraser, in his catalogue of Oriental 
 manuscripts, under the article Ayar Danish, speaks 
 
TRANSLATORS PREFACE. II 
 
 thus j» " The ancient Brahmins of India, after a 
 great deal of time and labour, compiled a treatise 
 (which they called Kurtuk. Dumnik*) in which 
 were inserted the choicest treasures of wisdom, and 
 the perfectest rules for governing a people. This 
 book. they presented to their Rajahs, who kept it 
 with the greatest secrecy and care. About the time 
 of Mahommed's birth, or the latter end of the sixth 
 century, Noishervan the Just, who then reigned in 
 Persia, discovered a great inclination to see that book : 
 for which purpose one Bufzuvia, a physician, who 
 had a surprising talent in learning several languages, 
 particularly the Sanskrit, was introduced to him as 
 the properest person to be employed to get a copy 
 thereof. He went to India ; where, after some years' 
 stay, and great trouble, he procured it. It was trans- 
 lated into the Pehluvi language by him, and Buzr- 
 jumehr the Vizier. Noishervan ever after, and all his 
 successors, the Persian kings, had this book in high 
 esteem, and took the greatest care to keep it secret 
 At last Abu Jaffer Mansour zu Nikky, who was the 
 second Khaliff of the Abassi reign, by great search 
 got a copy thereof in the Pehluvi language, and 
 ordered Iman Hossan Abdal Mokaffa, who was 
 the most learned of the age, to translate it into 
 Arabic. This prince ever after made it his guide, 
 
 * The Karattaka and Damahaka of the following work.' 
 
12 TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. , 
 
 and not only in affairs relating to the government, 
 but in private life also. 
 
 "In the year 380 of the Hegira, Sultan' Mahmud 
 Ghazi put it into verse. And afterwards, injth'e year 
 515, by order of Bheram Shah ben Massaud, that 
 which Abdal Mokaffa had translated was retranslated 
 into Persic, by Abul Mala Nasser Allah Mustofi ; 
 and this is that Kulila Dumna which is now extant. 
 As this latter had too many Arabic verses and obsolete 
 phrases in it, Molana AH ben Hossein Vaez, at the 
 request of Emir Soheli, keeper of the seals to 
 Sultan Hossein Mirza, put it into a more modern 
 style, and gave it the title of Anuar Soheli. 
 
 "In the year 1002, the Great Moghol Jalal o' 
 Din Mahommed Akbar ordered his. own secretary 
 and vizier, the learned Abul FazI, to illustrate the 
 obscure passages, abridge the long digressions, and 
 put it into such a style as would be most familiar to 
 all capacities ; which he accordingly did, and gave 
 it the name of Ayar Danish, or the Criterion of 
 Wisdom." 
 
 From other sources I have drawn the following 
 conclusions : — That in the year 1709, the Kulila 
 Dumna, the Persian version of Abul Mala Nasser 
 Allah Mustofi made in the 5 1 5th year of the Hegira, 
 was translated into French with the title of " Les 
 Conseils et les Maximes de Pilpay, Philosophe Indien, 
 sur les divers Etats de la Vie." This edition re- 
 
TRANSLATORS PREFACE. 13 
 
 sembles the Hitopadesa more than any other I 
 have seen, and is evidently the immediate original 
 of the English " Instructive and entertaining Fables 
 of Pilpay, an ancient Indian Philosopher/' which in 
 1775 had gone through five editions. 
 
 The Anuar Soheli above mentioned, about the 
 year 1540 was rendered into the Turkish language; 
 and the translator is said to have bestowed twenty 
 years' labour upon it. In the year 1724, this edition 
 M. Galland began to translate into French, and the 
 four first chapters were then published ; but in the 
 year 1778 M. Cardonne completed the work in three 
 volumes, giving it the name of " Contes et Fables 
 Indiennes de Bidpai et de Lokman ; traduites d'Ali 
 Tchelebi-ben Saleh auteur Turk." 
 
 If the Hitopadesa of Vishnu-Serma be, as we 
 have every reason to conclude, the prototype of the 
 several compositions which have been mentioned, its 
 age is tolerably ascertained to be upwards of eleven 
 hundred years. Few Sanskrit books bear either 
 the name of the real author or the date of the year 
 in which they were written ; and it is to circum- 
 stantial evidence we must generally trust for the 
 proof of either. 
 
 , In executing this work I have scrupulously adhered 
 to the text ; and I have preferred drawing a picture of 
 which it may be said — " I can suppose it a strong like- 
 ness, although I am unacquainted with the original," 
 
T4 TRANS LA TOR'S PRE FA CE. 
 
 to a flattering portrait, where characteristic features, 
 because not altogether consonant to European taste, 
 must Jiave been sacrificed to the harmony of com- 
 position. 
 
 CHARLES WILKINS. 
 
 Queen's Square, Bloomsbury, 
 ut November, 1787. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Author's Introduction 
 
 PAGE 
 
 '7 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ACQUISITION OF A FRIEND. 
 
 FABLE 
 
 I. The stpry of the pigeons, the crow, the mouse, the tortoise, 
 
 and the deer 
 
 II. The traveller and the tiger 
 
 III. The deer, the jackal, and the crow . 
 
 IV. The blind jackal, the cat, and the birds ". 
 V. The history of Hiranyaka the mouse 
 
 VI. The old man and his young wife 
 VII. The huntsman, the deer, the boar, the serpent, and the 
 
 jackal 
 
 VIII. The Rajah's son and the merchant's wife . 
 IX. The jackal and' the elephant 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE SEPARATION OF A FAVOURITE.^ 
 I. The story of tne bull, the two jackals, and the lion . , 99 
 
 II. The ape and the wedge 107 
 
 JII. The thief, the ass, and the dog 108 
 
 IV. The lion, the mouse, and the cat . . . . .124. 
 
 V. The poor woman and thebell „ 127 
 
 VI. The adventures of Kandarpaketu, comprising the story ct 
 
 the cowkeeper, the barber, and their wives; and the 
 history of the merchant whose avarice occasioned the 
 loss of all his wealth . . . . . . 134 
 
16 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 FABLE PAGE 
 
 VII. The farmer's wife and her two gallants . . . .140 
 
 VIII. The crow, the gdlden chain, and the black serpent . . 142 
 
 IX. The lion and the rabbit '43 
 
 X. The partridges and the sea '5 2 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OF DISPUTING. 
 
 I. The history of the geese and the peacocks 
 
 II. The birds and the monkeys 
 
 III. The ass dressed in a tiger's skin 
 
 IV. The elephants and the rabbits 
 V. The goose and the crow . 
 
 VI. The Varttaka and the crow 
 VII. The wheelwright and his .wife 
 VIII. The blue jackal 
 
 IX. The man who sacrificed his own son 
 X. The barber who killed a beggar 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 OF MAKING PEACE. 
 I.- Continuation of the history of the geese and the peacocks 
 
 II. The tortoise and the two geese 
 
 III. The three fish 
 
 IV. The merchant and his artful Wife .... 
 V. The boobies and weasel 
 
 VI. The mouse and the hermit 
 
 VII. The booby and the crab 
 
 VIII. The Brahman who brake the pots and pans 
 
 IX. The two giants 
 
 X. The Brahman and his goat 
 
 XI. The camel, the crow, the tiger, and the jackal . 
 XII. The old serpent and the frogs ..... 
 XIII. The Brahman and his weasel 
 
 168 
 171 
 173 
 i7S 
 181 
 182 
 183 
 193 
 205 
 212 
 
 227 
 228 
 229 
 230 
 232 
 236 
 237 
 240 
 242 
 251 
 
 253 
 257 
 266 
 
The Hitopadesa: 
 
 FABLES AND PROVERBS. 
 
 AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Reverence to Ganes ! * 
 Reverence to Saraswatee ! t 
 
 ' MAY the completion, through the mercy of 
 Dhoorjatee,t on whose head is planted a crescent 
 among the frothy streams of Janhavee,§ be for the 
 edification of the worthy ! 
 
 * The god of prudence and policy. 
 
 t The goddess of harmony and the aits. 
 
 X One of the titles of Seeva, the Deity in his destroying quality. 
 The word s'gnifies, he who weareth his hair bound about hi: head in the 
 form of, a tiara, as it is now worn by those penitents who are known in 
 India by the name of Yogees or Sanyasees. 
 
 § A name of the river Ganga, or the Ganges,- as it is erroneously 
 called. This river is supposed to flow from the hair of Seeva. The 
 truth seems to be, that Seeva is the name of Ihe mountain in which is 
 the source of that river ; for amongst other epiihets usually given to 
 that Deity, is found that of- Geereesa, Lord of mountains ; and his 
 consort is commonly called Doorga, a place of difficult access, and 
 Parvatee, a patronymic formed from pdrvata, a mountain. 
 
1 8 THE HITOPADESA t 
 
 'This work, entitled Hitopadesa,* affordeth 
 elegance in the Sanskrit t idioms, in every part 
 variety of language, and inculcateth the doctrine of 
 prudence and policy. 
 
 ' The wise man should study the acquisition of 
 science and riches,. as if he were not subject to sick- 
 ness and death ; but to the duties of religion he 
 should attend, as if death had seized him by the 
 hair. 
 
 'Knowledge produceth humility; from humility 
 proceedeth worthiness ; from worthiness riches are 
 acquired ; from riches religion,! and thence happi- 
 ness. ' 
 
 'Of all things knowledge is esteemed the most 
 precious treasure ; because of its incapacity to be 
 stolen, to be given away, or ever to be consumed. 
 
 ' Knowledge introduceth a man to acquaintance ; 
 and, as the humble stream to the ocean, so doth it 
 conduct him into the hard-acquired presence of the 
 prince, whence fortune floweth. 
 
 * A compound of hita, health, welfare, ufa, a preposition, implying 
 proximity, and desa signifying a sAoiving or pointitig. The common 
 acceptation of the word is useful, or beneficial, instruction. 
 
 + The learned language of the Brahmans is so called. It is a com- 
 pound of san (the m of sam being, by rule, changed to «, before a 
 dental s ; as the m of the Latin com before the same letter in the word 
 construction), a preposition signifying completion, and skriia (for kritci), 
 done, made, finished. 
 
 X According to our mode of thinking this seems odd ; but where 
 religion consists in sacrifices, and other expensive ceiemonies, a poor 
 man hath but a sad chance of providing for his future happiness. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. , 19 
 
 * There are two species of knowledge in use : the 
 "knowledge of arms, and the knowledge of books. 
 The first is the scoff of the wise, whilst the last is for 
 ever honoured. 
 
 ' As the impressions made upon a new vessel are 
 not easily to be effaced, so here youth are taught . 
 prudence through the allurement of fable.' 
 
 This work is divided under four heads : — The 
 Acquisition of a Friend. The Separation of a 
 Favourite. Of Disputing. Of making Peace. And 
 it is, chiefly, drawn and written from the Tantra and 
 other Sastras.* 
 
 On the banks of the river Bhageeratheet there is a 
 remarkable city called Pataneeputra'4 where there 
 was formerly a Rajah, endued with every noble 
 quality, whose name was Sudarsana.§ One day he 
 heard the two following verses, as they were re- 
 peating by some one : 
 
 * The translator has reason to suppose that these words extend only 
 
 to the maxims, which are, in the original, in verse, and are known to be 
 
 quotations from other authors ; particularly from the Mahabharat, the 
 
 Smreetee-sastra of Manoo, the Geeta,_and, as the author himself says, 
 
 _the Tantra-sastra. 
 
 + The river Ganges. 
 
 J An ancient name for the city which ft now called Patna.- 
 
 § All the proper names throughout this work are, like this, signifi- 
 cant. They have an awkward appearance when translated, which is 
 the reason so few have been rendered into English. The names of per- 
 sons irj India are, to this day, all significant, and, for the most part, 
 derived from the Sanskrit. 
 
2b s - THE H1T0PADESA ; 
 
 ' He who is not possessed of such a book as will 
 dispel many doubts, point out hidden treasures, and 
 is, as it were, a mirror of all things, is even an 
 ignorant man. 
 
 'Youth, abundant wealth, high birth, and inex- 
 perience, are, each of them, the source of ruin. 
 What then must be the fate of him in whom all four 
 are combined ? ' 
 
 The Rajah had no sooner heard these lines than 
 he began to consider, with an afflicted heart, the 
 situation of his sons, who were yet unacquainted with 
 books, and wandering in the paths of error. 
 
 ' What benefit is there in a son who is neither 
 learned nor virtuous ! Or, of what use is a sightless 
 eye ? Such an eye is but pain ! ' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' He is truly born, by whose birth his generation 
 is exalted ; or else, who is there in this transitory 
 life, who being dead, is not born again ? ' * 
 
 So it is said : 
 
 ' Of the child unborn, the dead, and the fool, the 
 two first, and not the last, are the least to be 
 lamented ; for the two first cause but a transient 
 sorrow, whilst the last is an eternal plague,' 
 
 * The reader,, in this and similar passages, will not fail to recollect 
 lliat it is a Hindoo who speaks, fully persuaded of the metempsychosis. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 21 
 
 Again : 
 
 'One child of genius is a blessing; not so even a 
 hundred fools. A single moon dispelleth darkness 
 better than a host of stars. 
 
 'The child of him, whose transgressions are 
 expiated by penances performed at places of holy 
 pilgrimage, should be obedient, prosperous, virtuous, 
 and happy.' 
 
 And it is said also : 
 
 'An influx of riches, and constant health; a wife 
 who is dear to one, and one who is of kind and 
 gentle speech ; a child who is obedient, and useful 
 knowledge, are, my son, the six pleasures of life. 
 
 'A father who xontracteth debts is an enemy, and 
 a mother false to her bed ; a beautiful wife is an 
 enemy; an ignorant son is an enemy. 
 
 ' Learning to the inexperienced is a poison ; eating 
 upon a full stomach is a poison ; the society of the 
 vulgar is a poison ; a young wife to an old man is a 
 poison. 
 
 'A man is respected, even for the merits of his 
 son. Let the cane* of the bow be ever so clean, 
 deficient in other qualities, what will it do ? ' 
 
 * In the original the word which is translated cane (vangs) signifies, 
 
 not only a bamboo, of which they make their, bows, but also a race or 
 
 '^family. The Hindoo authors are but too apt to play upon words, and 
 
 are always happy to apply a term that has two meanings diametrically 
 
 opposite, which is, very often, exceedingly perplexing to a translator. 
 
22 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 Alas ! my son, that so many nights have sweetly 
 passed away, and thou art still untaught ; wherefore, 
 in the society of the learned, thou sinkest like an ox 
 in the mire. 
 
 Then how shall these my sons be now rendered 
 accomplished ? when it is said, 
 
 'The age, the actions, the wealth, the knowledge, 
 and even the death, of every one is determined in his 
 mother's womb. 
 
 'The determined fate of all beings, let them be 
 ever so great, inevitably happeneth. Nakedness is the 
 fate of N.eelakant,* and of Harif sleeping on a great 
 serpent. 
 
 ' What is not to be, that is not to be ; if it be to 
 
 * One of the titles of Seeva. 
 
 f Hari is one of the titles of Vishnu, the Deity in his preserving 
 quality. Nearly opposite Sultan-gunge, a considerable town in the 
 province of Bahar in the East Indies, ' there stands a rock of granite, 
 forming a small island in themjdst of the Ganges, known to Europeans 
 by the name of the rock of Jchangueery, which is highly worthy of the 
 traveller's notice for a vast number of images earned in relief upon 
 every part of its surface. Amongst the rest there is Hari, of a gigantic 
 size, recumbent upon a coiled serpent, whose heads, which are nume- 
 rous, the aitfst has contrived to spread into a kind of canopy over the 
 sleeping god ; and from each of its mouths issues a forked tongue, 
 seeming to threaten instant death to any whom rashness might prompt 
 to disturb him. The whole figure lies almost clear of the block on 
 which it is hewn. It is finely imagined, and executed with great skill. 
 The Hindoos are taught to believe, that at the end of every kalpa (crea- 
 tion or formation), all things are absorbed in the Deity, and that in the 
 interval of another creation he reposeth himself upon the serpent saia. 
 (duration), who is also called ananta (endless). The allegory is too 
 plain to require any further explanation. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 23 
 
 come to pass, it cannot be otherwise. This reasoning 
 is an antidote. Why doth not the afflicted drink 
 of it ? ' 
 
 But such are the idle sentiments of certain men 
 who admit not of works ; for, 
 
 'Whilst a man confideth in providence, he should 
 not slacken his own exertions ; for without labour he 
 is unworthy to obtain the oil from the seed. 
 
 'Fortune attendeth that lion amongst men who 
 exerteth himself. They are weak men who declare 
 fate the sole cause. 
 
 ' Subdue fate, and exert human strength to the 
 utmost of your power ; and if, when pains have been 
 taken, success attend not, in whom is the blame ? 
 
 ' As the chariot will not move upon a single 
 wheel ; even so fate succeedeth not without human 
 exertion. 
 
 'It is said, fate Js nothing but the deeds com- 
 mitted in a former state of existence ; wherefore, it 
 behoveth a man vigilantly to exert the powers he is 
 possessed of.* 
 
 'As the potter formeth the lump of clay into what- 
 
 * To enable the reader to comprehend this verse, and many similar 
 passages, it is necessary to inform him that many of the Hindoos be- 
 lieve this to be a place of rewards and punishments, as well as of pro- 
 bation. Thus good and bad luck are the fruit of good and evil deeds 
 committed in a former life. To prevent the latter in a future life, it 
 behoveth a man, &c. 
 
24 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 ever shape he liketh, even so may a man regulate his 
 own actions.'* 
 
 Again : 
 
 'Although, in the story of the crow and talf fruit, 
 one was seen to have found a treasure before him, 
 fate of itself did not present it : some exertion was 
 still expected. 
 
 ' Good fortune k the offspring of our endeavours, 
 although there be nothing sweeter than ease. The 
 deer are not wont to precipitate themselves into the 
 mouth of the sleeping lion. 
 
 ' The boy who hath been exercised under his 
 parents' care, attaineth the state of an accomplished 
 man ; but the child becometh not a Pandit whilst in 
 the state he dropped from the womb. 
 
 ' That mother is an enemy, and that father a foe, 
 by whom not having been instructed, their son shineth 
 not in the assembly ; but appeareth there, like a 
 booby among geese. J 
 
 * This verse is connected with that which precedes it, and seems to 
 imply, that we have it in our power to secure prosperity in a future 
 birth. 
 
 f The translator never saw the story alluded to. Probably it is some 
 fable, where a foolish crow expected the fruit here mentioned, and which 
 is that of the fan palmira, should come to him, rather than that he who 
 saw it at a distance, should exert himself to possess it. 
 
 J The bird here called a booby (in the original vaia), is of the stork 
 species, and the emblem of stupidity, as the goose is of eloquence and 
 •tiegance, amongst the Hindoo poets. Saraswati, their goddess of 
 Harmony, has her goose, as Minerva her owl. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. ' 25 
 
 ' Men deficient in learning shine not, although they 
 may be possessed of youth and beauty, and of a noble 
 race. They are like the flower Kinsuk, destitute of 
 fragrance. \ 
 
 'A fool, too, may shine in the assembly, dressed in 
 fine garments ; but the fool shineth no longer than he 
 holdeth his tongue.' 
 
 The Rajah having thus meditated for a while, con- 
 vened a council of Pandits, whom he addressed in the 
 following words : — " Ye learned men, attend ! Is 
 there a man to be found who shall, by precepts drawn 
 from Neeti-Sastras,* be able to perfect the birth of my 
 s.6ns, who are yet uninformed, and constantly wander- 
 ing in the paths of error ? For, 
 
 'As a piece of glass, from the vicinity of gold, 
 acquireth the colour of a topaz ; so a fool may derive 
 some consequence from the presence of a wise man.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' The mind is depraved by the society of the low ; 
 it riseth to equality with equals ; and to distinction 
 with, the distinguished.'" 
 
 Of this assembly there was a great Pandit by name 
 Vishnu-Sarma,t well versed in the principles of all 
 
 * Systems of morality and policy. 
 
 + Pandit is an honorary title given to learned Brahmans. A doctor 
 of the Hindoo laws. A Hindoo philosopher. It is not easy to detep 
 mine whether Vishnu-Sarma was really the author, or only the com- 
 
26 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 the Neeti-Sastras, as it were another Vrihaspati,* who 
 replied : — " These young princes, O mighty Rajah ! 
 being the offsprings of an illustrious race, are capable 
 of being instructed in the Neeti-Sastras ; but 
 
 ' Labour, bestowed on nothing, is fruitless : with 
 infinite pains a booby will not, presently, talk like a 
 parrot. 
 
 ' In a noble race, levity without virtue is seldom 
 found. In a mine of rubies, when shall we find 
 pieces of glass ? ' 
 
 Wherefore, I will engage, that in the space of six 
 months, I will render thy sons well acquainted with 
 the doctrines of the Neeti-Sastras." 
 
 The Rajah then respectfully said : 
 
 " Even a reptile, when attached to a flower, may 
 mount upon the head of the holy ; even a stone, 
 when set up and consecrated by the great, attaineth 
 divinity. 
 
 For it is said, 
 
 'As a thing on the eastern mountains shineth by 
 the presence of the sun ; so one of humble birth, 
 even, may be enlightened by the allurements of good 
 books. 
 
 piler of these fables ; but it is worthy of dbsemtion that the Brahmans 
 themselves know nothing of Pilpay, to whom, we are told, the Persians 
 attribute them, 
 * The preceptor of the good spirits, and the planet Jupiter. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. , 27 
 
 'Men of good or evil birth may be possessed of 
 
 good qualities ; but, falling into bad company, they 
 
 become vicious. Rivers flow with sweet waters ; but, 
 
 having joined the ocean, they become undrink- 
 
 * able.' 
 
 Then be thou an example to these, my sons, for 
 the acquisition of virtue." Having said this, he 
 respectfully delivered his sons into the charge of 
 Vishnu-Sarma ; and that learned Pandit, soon after, 
 seized the opportunity, when they were, for amuse- 
 ment, sitting together upon the terrace of their 
 father's palace, to introduce his advice to the young 
 - princes in the following lines : 
 
 ' Learning to a man is a name superior to beauty ; 
 learning is better than hidden treasure. Learning is 
 a companion on a journey to a strange country ; 
 learning is strength inexhaustible. Learning is the 
 source of renown, and the fountain of victory in the 
 senate. Learning is a superior sight ; learning is a 
 livelihood ; and a man in this world without learning 
 is as a beast of the field. 
 
 'A country deprived of the Ganges is smitten; a 
 family without learning is smitten ; a woman without 
 a child is smitten ; a sacrifice without the Brahman's 
 rights is smitten. 
 
 ' Wise men pa*s their time in amusements drawn 
 
28 THE HITOPADESA .- 
 
 from the works of the poets ; whilst fools squander 
 theirs in useless pursuits, sloth, or riot.' 
 
 " For your amusement, therefore," said he, " I am 
 going to relate some curious stories of a crow, a. 
 tortoise, and other animals.'" 
 
( 29 J 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ACQUISITION OF A FRIEND. 
 
 Vishnu-Sarma then told the young princes to 
 attend, and said, — The present subject to be discussed 
 is, " The Acquisition of a Friend ; " to which these 
 following lines are an introduction : 
 
 Wise and sincere friends, although poor and desti- 
 tute of implements, may speedily effect our purposes ; as 
 in the instances' of the crow, the tortoise, the deer, and 
 the mouse. 
 
 The young princes demanded how this was ; and 
 Vishnu-Sarma related as follows : 
 
 FABLE I. 
 
 On the banks of the river Godavaree there was a 
 Salmalee* tree, to whose spreading branches birds of 
 various species were wont to flock from every quarter, 
 to roost. Early one morning, when darkness was 
 dispersing, and the moon, whose emblem is the flower 
 Kumudini-nayaka,t was reclining upon the summit 
 
 * The silk cotton tree, commonly called seemal. 
 t A species of lotus which blossoms only in the night. 
 
30 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 of the mountain Charama, a certain crow, whose 
 name was Laghupatanaka,* being awake, chanced to 
 espy a fowlerxoming that way, who appeared to him 
 an another angel of death. Having regarded him, 
 and considered for a moment, he said to himself,— 
 This unwelcome visit happeneth to day very early, 
 and I know not what may be the consequence. So, 
 pondering upon what he saw, he was seized with a 
 panic, and flew out of the way ; for, 
 
 .-' A thousand occasions for sorrow, and a hundred 
 for fear, day by day assail the fool ; not so the wise 
 man.' 
 
 Yet it is said that men of the world must absolutely 
 act according to these lines : 
 
 ' Every time we rise, great fear is to be appre- 
 hended j for, to-day, of death, sickness, and sorrow, 
 who knoweth which may fall upon us ? ' 
 
 The fowler, having first strewed some rice upon 
 the ground, spread his nets ; and whilst this was 
 transacting, it happened that Chitra-greeva f t the 
 chief of a flock of pigeons, was in the air flying about 
 with his attendants. He saw the grains of rice upon 
 the ground ; and perceiving that his flock showed an 
 inclination to partake of them, he addressed them 
 thus :— Beware, my friends ! Whence, think you, 
 
 » Light-flier. -f Motley-neck. 
 
Fables and pnoVEkSs. 31 
 
 should rice be produced in a place like this, void of 
 inhabitants ? Let this, therefore, be investigated ; 
 for I conceive no good can come of it, lest we should 
 .experience a fate similar to what is mentioned in the 
 following lines : 
 
 A traveller, through lust of gold, being plunged into 
 an inextricable mire; is killed and devoured by an old 
 tiger. 
 
 How did this happen ? demanded the pigeons, and 
 their chief related as follows' : 
 
 FABLE II. 
 
 As I was travelling on the southern road, once 
 upon a time, I saw.an old tiger seated upon the bank 
 of a large river, with a bunch of kusa* grass in his 
 paw, calling out to every one who passed, — Ho ! ho ! 
 .traveller, take this golden bracelet. But every one 
 was afraid to approach him to receive it. At length, 
 however, a certain traveller, tempted by avarice, re- 
 garded it as an instance of good fortune; but, said 
 he,' in this there is. personal danger, !n which we are 
 not warranted to proceed. 
 
 ' Confidence should not be put in rivers ; in 
 
 * A species of grass esteemed sacred by the Brahmans, and used in 
 most of their religious ceremonies. The lion in this fable is made to 
 hold it in his paw, to appear like a devotee; and to beget confidence. ■ 
 
32 THE HITOPADESA i 
 
 animals which have claws or horns; in men with 
 weapons in their hands ; "nor in women ; nor in those 
 of royal birth. 
 
 ' It Is not good to pass by that we dislike, even to 
 gain that which we like; for the water of life be- 
 cometh mortal when mixed with a poison.' 
 Yet, said he, there is risk in every undertaking, for 
 the acquisition of wealth. Hence, it is said, 
 
 ' No man beholdejh. prosperity who doth not 
 encounter danger; but having encountered danger, if 
 he surviveth, he beholdeth it.* 
 
 This I have considered, and now let me ask thee 
 plainly, where is thy gold ? But stop, tigers eat men, 
 and the opinion of the world is hard to be defeated ; 
 for, 
 
 ' The people, mere followers of one another, hold 
 up a Brahman who is a cow-killer, as example in our 
 religion.' * 
 
 I too, replied the tiger, have read religious books. 
 Hear what they say, 
 
 ' In granting and in refusing, in joy and in sorrow, 
 in liking and in disliking, good men, because of their 
 own likeness, show mercy unto all things which have 
 life. 
 
 * This semence undoubtedly alludes to some vulgar facts at the time 
 well understood. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 33 
 
 'As their own lives are most dear to them, so also- 
 are those of all creatures. Good men, because of 
 their own likeness, show mercy unto all things which 
 have life. 
 
 ' A man, because of his own likeness, should learn 
 this saying :— As rain to the parched field, so is 
 meat to one oppressed with hunger. 
 
 'Charity is to be given to the poor, and is fruitful. 
 
 joy of the house of Pandu.' * 
 
 The traveller then asked him, where was the 
 bracelet ; and the tiger having held out his paw, 
 showed it to him and said, — Look at it, it is a golden 
 bracelet. How shall 1 place confidence in thee ? said 
 the traveller ; and the tiger replied, — Formerly, in 
 the days of my youth, I was of a very wicked dispo- 
 sition, and as a punishment for the many men and 
 cattle I had murdered, my numerous children died, 
 
 and I was also deprived of my wife ; so, at present, 
 
 
 
 1 am destitute of relations. This being the case, I 
 
 was advised, by a certain religious person, to practise 
 charity and other religious duties ; I am now grown 
 extremely devout. I perform ablutions regularly, 
 and am charitable. Why then am I not worthy of 
 confidence ? 
 
 * This hemistich, and the preceding three verses, seem to belong to 
 the Mahabharata, and to be addressed to Arjoon, one of the five sons of 
 Pandu. 
 
 B 
 
34 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 ' The study of what is ordained,* charity, morti- 
 fications of the flesh, and sacrifices ; fortitude, for- 
 giveness, rectitude, and modesty, form the true way, 
 and are recorded the eightfold division of our duty. 
 
 'Of these, the first class, consisting of four, is 
 attended to for the sake of hereafter ; and the latter" 
 class of four, presideth in every great mind.' 
 
 So far, you see, continued the tiger, I have an 
 interest in wishing to give away, to some one, this 
 golden bracelet from off my own wrist ; and as thou 
 appearest to be rather a poor man, I prefer giving it 
 to thee ; according to this saying : 
 
 ' Make choice of the poor, O son of Kuntee,f and 
 bestow not thy gifts on others. Medicine is to be 
 administered to the sick ; for of what benefit is 
 physic to those who are in health ? ' 
 
 And thus : 
 
 - * The gift which is to be given, should be given 
 gratuitously; in time, in place, and to a proper 
 object ; and such a gift is recorded a righteous gift.' 
 Then go, and having purified +, thyself in this 
 
 * The study of the divine law. 
 
 t Kuntee is the name of the mother of three of the five sons of 
 Paudu. Probably this address is to Arjoon, the youngest of those ■ 
 three. 
 
 $ The Hindoos not only wash themselves after any impure" action 
 but also before divine worship, and the. receipt of any extraordinary 
 benefit. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 35 
 
 stream, take the golden bracelet. — The traveller no 
 sooner begins to enter- the river to purify himself, 
 than he sticks fast in the mud, and is unable to 
 escape. The tiger told him he would help him out; 
 -and creeping softly towards him, the poor traveller 
 is seized, and instantly exclaims to himself, — Alas f 
 the_career of my heart is cut short by fate ! 
 
 'The natural disposition of every animal con- 
 ^quereth, and- presideth over his qualifications ; for 
 from that nature he passeth not, either for qualifica- 
 tions or ornamental accomplishments. 
 
 '' He readeth not the Dharma-Sastra,* — is this the 
 "Cause; or doth he not study the Vedas ? t In this 
 matter the natural disposition of his wicked spirit pre- 
 vaileth, even as the milk of the cow is by nature ^weet.f 
 
 ' What is done for those who have not their 
 passions in subjection, is like washing the elephant.§ 
 Service rendered to the unfortunate is, for the most 
 part, like knowledge without practice.' 
 
 I did not well in that I placed confidence in one of 
 ' such evil disposition ; for it is said, 
 
 * - Books containing men's moral and religious duties, as enjoined by 
 the divine law. 
 
 t The- word ved, or veda, signifies knowledge or science. The sacred 
 Writings of the Hindoos are so distinguished, of which there are four 
 books. _ 
 
 t The greatest part of this verse, in the original, is so obliterated 
 that the translator is by no means certain that he has given the mean- 
 ing of his author. 
 -.- g "Washing the blackamoor white. 
 
 B 2 
 
36 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 ' The natural, and no other qualities should be ex- 
 amined ; for the natural qualities pass overall others, 
 and mount upon the head.' 
 
 But whilst the unfortunate traveller was thus 
 meditating on his fate, he was devoured by the 
 tiger. I have said, therefore, " Through the lust of a 
 bracelet," &c, and hence also, it is at no time proper 
 to undertake anything without examination ; as in 
 the following saying : 
 
 'Well-digested food, a well-discerning child, a 
 well-governed wife, a prince well served, a speech 
 well considered, and an action well weighed, are not, 
 even in very long time, attended by disagreeable 
 consequences.' 
 
 One of the pigeons, wno was of a haughty spirit, 
 having heard what had been said, exclaimed, — Ha ! 
 what is this ? Is it not said, 
 
 ' In times of necessity the words of the wise are 
 worthy to be observed ; by whose determination we 
 may freely engage in all things, even in eating* 
 
 'All things upon the face of the earth, our meat 
 and our drink, bear cause of suspicion ; then how is 
 forbearance to be exercised, and life to be supported ? ' 
 
 Again it is said, 
 
 * There is nothing a Hindoo is so scrupulous about as his eating. 
 Even the menial servants of Europeans, who are the very refuse of the 
 people, would rather starve than eat or drink after their masters. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 37 
 
 'These six — the peevish, the niggard, the dis- 
 satisfied, the passionate, the suspicious, and those 
 who live upon others' means — are for ever unhappy.' 
 
 So having heard these words, the whole flock flew 
 down upon the grain. 
 
 'Those, even, who possess very many Sastras, are 
 learned in the Vedas, and are the dispeilers of doubt, 
 experience trouble, when their reason is blinded by 
 avarice. 
 
 'From covetousness proceedeth ill-nature, and of 
 ill-nature is born stubbornness ; from stubbornness 
 is created a delusion of reason,* and that delusion is 
 the cause of sin. 
 
 ' The birth of a golden deer is impossible ; never- 
 theless Ram longed for the chase.t In times of 
 misfortune, men's understandings even are sullied.' 
 
 At length they were all, in consequence of their 
 covetousness, confined by the threads of the net ; and 
 they presently began to lay the blame upon him, by 
 whose advice they had descended. So it is said, 
 ' A man should not strive to precede his fellows ; 
 
 * To this delusion of reason, which in the original is expressed by a 
 single word (mohd) some Hindoo philosophers attribute all natural 
 images which are presented to the mind through the medium of the 
 (Senses ; for, say they, remove this veil of ignorance, and it will be found 
 that matter is a mere phantom. 
 
 + This passage seems to relate to some adventure in the wars of Ram 
 against Ravan, the tyrant 1 of Ceylon, which are the subject of a beauti- 
 ful poem, called the " Ramayana." 
 
3 8; The hitopadesA i 
 
 for, should the work succeed, the booty is equal, and 
 if it fail, the leader is punished.' 
 
 Chitra-greeva hearing their reproaches, said, It is 
 hot his fault. It is said, 
 
 'To those who are fallen into misfortunes, what 
 was a blessing becometh an evil : to a child in con- 
 finement, its mother's knee is a binding post. 
 
 'He who hath the resolution to extricate one from 
 his misfortunes, who is fallen into difficulties by 
 another's fault, is a Pandit ; not he who hesitateth ' 
 about the means he should employ for the deliverance 
 of the distressed.' 
 
 Hesitation, in times of misfortune, is the mark of a 
 coward ; wherefore, depend upon resolution, and let a 
 remedy be thought of; according to these lines : 
 
 ' Fortitude in adversity, and moderation in pros- 
 perity ; eloquence in the senate, and courage in the 
 field; great glory in renown, and labour in study; are 
 the natural perfections of great minds.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 '.There are here six faults, which a man ought- 
 to avoid : The desire of riches, drowsiness, sloth, 
 idleness, tediousness, fear, and anger.' 
 
 Let this be done immediately: Let us all, with, one 
 accord, take up the net and fly away with it ; accord- 
 ing to these lines : 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 3? 
 
 'Combination is best for men, either with their 
 own tribe or with strangers ; for -even a grain of rice 
 groweth not when divided from its husk. 
 
 'A combination even of small -things serveth an 
 occasion. An intoxicated elephant may be bound with 
 a few straws, when formed into a rope.' 
 
 Having considered this, the pigeons, with one accord, 
 took up the net, and flew away with it. Presently the 
 fowler, seeing the robbers of his net at a great 
 distance, pursued them ; and, as he ran, these were 
 his thoughts : 
 
 'These travellers of the air have combined to rob 
 me of my net ; but when they shall fall down, they 
 will come into my power.' 
 
 But soon finding they had passed the confines of his 
 sight, the poor fowler turned back from the pursuit. 
 
 The pigeons now demanded what was to be done ; 
 and N Chitra-greeva replied, 
 
 ' A mother is a friend, and a father is a friend ; but 
 both these are from nature kind ; but there are others 
 who aire benevolent from casual motives.' 
 
 Our friend Hiranyaka,* the noble mouse, lives upon 
 the banks of the Gandakee.f He may be able to 
 gnaw our snare asunder with his teeth. Having con- 
 
 - . * Wealthy. 
 
 t A river which empties itself into the Ganges near Patna. 
 
40 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 sidered this proposal, they all flew to the residence of 
 Hiranyaka, who, from his constant dread of the 
 crows, Had made himself, a hole with a hundred 
 outlets, wherein he remained secured, according to 
 this verse : 
 
 ' There was an old mouse, well read in the Neeti- 
 Sastras, who, before the approach of danger, kept 
 himself within a hole with a hundred doors.' 
 
 He was startled with fear at the descent of the 
 pigeons, and stood silent ; upon which Chitra-greeva 
 called out, — Friend Hiranyaka ! what, wilt thou not 
 speak to us ? And Hiranyaka, upon recollecting 
 his voice, slipped out of his hole, and exclaimed,' — O 
 how happy I am, that my dear friend Chitra-greeva 
 is arrived ! 
 
 ' There is not in life a man more happy than he 
 who hath a friend to converse with, a friend to live 
 with, and a friend to embrace.' 
 
 But when he saw that they were confined in a net, he 
 stood amazed for a moment, and demanded what it 
 meant. Chitra-greeva replied,— What else, my friend, 
 can it be, but the effect of the evil committed in' a 
 prior existence? Seeing thou art endued with great, 
 wisdom, what was the Use q{ thy question ? For is it 
 not said, 
 
 Whatsoever cqmeth to pass, either good or evil,- 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 41 
 
 is the consequence of a man's own actions", and 
 descendeth from the power of the Supreme Ruler. 
 
 ' Sickness, sorrow, and distress ; bonds and pun- 
 ishment to corporeal beings, are fruit of the tree of 
 of their own transgressions.' 
 
 Hiranyaka having heard these words, quickly ran 
 to gnaw asunder the cords by which Chitra-greeva 
 was confined. Not so, my friend, said Chitra-greeva, 
 until thou hast cut asunder the bonds of these who 
 are.under my protection. Hiranyaka then said, I am 
 weak, my friend, and my teeth are but delicate ; how 
 then am I able to bite open the snares which entangle 
 them ? As long as my teeth shall not break, so long 
 will I gnaw thy snares ; and afterwards, if it should 
 be in my power, I will divide the cords which con- 
 fine the rest. Let it, be as I say, replied Chitra- 
 greeva; and to the utmost of thy power try ,to 
 subdue their bonds firit. 
 
 Those, said the mouse, who are acquainted with 
 the rules of prudence, do not approve, that for the 
 preservation of those who are under our protection, 
 we should abandon ourselves. 
 
 ' A man should keep his riches against accidents, 
 and with his riches he should save his family ; but he 
 should, on all occasions, save^ himself, both with his 
 family and his riches. 
 
 ' Our lives are for the purposes of religion, labour, 
 
42. THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 love, and salvation.* If these are destroyed, what 
 is not lost ? If these are preserved* what is not 
 preserved ? ' 
 
 This may be so, replied. Chitra-greeva ; but I am 
 not, by any means, able to suffer the afflictions of 
 those who are here under my protection. 
 
 'A wise man should relinquish both his wealth 
 and his life for another. All is to be surrendered for 
 a just man, when he is reduced to the brink of 
 destruction.' 
 
 Here is another unparalleled argument : 
 
 'In birth, substance, and quality, they are like 
 " unto me ; say then, what will ever be the fruit of my 
 superiority?' 
 
 Again : 
 
 'Without misfortune, they will not forsake me; 
 then I will protect these who have taken sanctuary 
 with me, even with the loss of my life. 
 
 'Why dost thou hesitate over this perishable body 
 composed of flesh, bone, and excrements ? O my 
 friend, support my reputation ! ' 
 
 Another : 
 
 ' If constancy is to be obtained' by inconstancy, 
 
 * Union with the universal spirit of God, and a final exemption from 
 mortal birth. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 43 
 
 purity by impurity, leputation by the body, then, 
 what is there which may not be obtained ? 
 
 ' The difference between the body and the qualities 
 is infinite. The body is a thing to be destroyed in a 
 moment, whilst the qualities * endure to the end of 
 the creation.' 
 
 Hiranyaka having been attentive to what had been 
 spoken, and being exceedingly pleased, exclaimed, — 
 Nobly ! nobly ! my friend. By such generosity to 
 those who are under thy protection, thou art worthy 
 to be elevated to the, supreme command over, the 
 regions of the three worlds t Having said this, Hiran- 
 yaka" gnawed asunder their bonds ; and when he had 
 addressed himself to all in respectful compliments of 
 congratulation, he said, — Friend Chitra-greeva, always 
 when you see a net, suspect great harm will come 
 of it ; and learn not to think meanly of yourself. 
 But, alas ! 
 
 'A bird who seeth her prey before her, even at 
 the distance of a hundred yojan,| perceiveth not, 
 if her time be come, the snares which are laid to 
 entrap her. ■ , 
 
 , * The Hindoos believe organized matter to be governed by three 
 principles, which they terra satwa, raja, and tama. The first inspires 
 truth, the second passion, and the third sin. 
 
 * Celestial, terrestrial, and infernal regions. 
 
 % A land measure of about eight English miles. 
 
44 THE HITOPADESA -. ' 
 
 ' When I behold in eclipses * the distress of the 
 moon and the author of day; elephants and serpents 
 in confinement, and the worthy in indigence ; alas ! 
 in my mind, destiny is all-powerful. 
 
 ' Birds meet their fate whilst sporting in the air, 
 and fishes, by artful means, are destroyed from the 
 JDottomless waters of the ocean. 
 
 ' When laws are ill-enforced, where are their good 
 morals ? To whom is the mere glare of the fire a 
 virtue ? Time t is trouble,- and the author of destruc- 
 tion ; he seizeth even from afar.' 
 
 The mouse having taught this, and performed the 
 duties of hospitality, Chitra-greeva took his leave, and 
 with his flock departed for that country his inclination 
 led him to ; and Hiranyaka retired into his,hole. 
 
 The crow, Laghu-patanaka, having been a spectator 
 of all which had passed, now presently appeared and 
 called out — What ho ! Hiranyaka ! Thou art worthy 
 to be praised, to be adored, 1 and to be a place of 
 refuge, throughout the three regions of the world ! 
 
 'Behold how many pigeons, his friends, even 
 hundreds, have been delivered by the friendship of a 
 mouse ! ' 
 
 In consequence of this, I too am anxious to form a 
 
 * The vulgat opinion of the Hindoos is, that these phenomena are 
 produced by a large serpent, or dragon, seizing the sun and moon. 
 
 t Time is constantly personified by the Hindoo poets, and made the 
 universal agent of death and destruction. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 45 
 
 friendly acquaintance with thee. Then favour me with 
 thy friendship. Hiranyaka having heard him, called 
 out from the inside of his hole,— Who art thou ? and he 
 replied, I am a crow, and my name is Laghu-patanaka. 
 Hiranyaka, upon hearing who he was, laughing said, — 
 Having seen thy complexion, like broken anjan ,* a 
 beetle, a wild . ox, a buffalo, or a woman's hair, what 
 friendship can I have with thee ? 
 
 'The wise man is united with that in this life 
 with which it is proper he should be united. I am 
 bread, thou art the eater. How then can harmony 
 exist between us ? ' 
 
 As may be seen in a certain story, of which the 
 following verse is the introduction : 
 
 Harmony between the food and the feeder is the fore- 
 runner of misfortune. — A deer, through the artifice of a 
 jackal, is caught in a snare, but is preserved by a croiv. 
 
 How did this happen ? demanded Laghu-patanaka ; 
 and the mouse, Hiranyaka, related as follows ; 
 
 FABLE III. 
 IN Magadha-desaf there is a forest called Cham- 
 pakavatee, and under the branches of one of the 
 
 '* Crude antimony, and sometimes lead ore, of which they make a 
 collyrium. These comparisons have a ridiculous appearance in Eng- 
 lish ; but the Hindoos prefer the use of nonsense in their abuse, to 
 curses and blasphemy. 
 
 t The country about the city of Gya was anciently so called. 
 
46 THE HITOPADESA > 
 
 champaka* trees there dwelt, in great good fellow- 
 ship, a deer and a crow. One day, as the deer, who 
 was plump and fat, was freely roaming about the 
 woods, he was spied by a certain jackal, who having 
 examined him, said to himself,-^-Ah ! with what ex- 
 quisite pleasure could I feast upon his flesh ! — Be it 
 so ; -but first let me remove all suspicion. So having 
 thus resolved, he advanced towards him, and said, — 
 Peace be with thee, friend! Who art thou? said 
 the deer. I am Kshudrabudhee,f the jackal, said he ; 
 and being without relations, I dwell here in this 
 forest, as it were, like one dead ; but now that I have 
 fallen in with a true friend, I am no longer destitute 
 of connections, and am again entered into the land of 
 the living ; and henceforward it shall be my duty to 
 attend thy steps. 
 
 Accordingly, as soon as the sun had retired to .the 
 western mountain, the jackal followed the deer to 
 his place of residence, beneath the branches of the 
 champaka tree, where with him lived also his friend 
 the crow, whose name was Su-budhee.J Upon seeing 
 him, the crow said, Who is this second? and the" 
 deer replied* It is a jackal, who is come here desirous 
 of our friendship. Friend, said the crow, it is not 
 
 * A tree which bears a beautiful yellow flower of a very powerful 
 and agreeable scent, known to Europeans by the name of Champak. 
 + Law-minded, mean-spirited, bad-hearted. 
 % Well-judging, good-hearted. 
 
FABLES AND- PROVERBS. 47 
 
 proper to place confidence in one who cometh with- 
 out any apparent cause. It is not well done, for it is 
 said : 
 
 To one whose family and prof ession are unknown, one 
 should not give residence: the jackal Jarad-gava_ was 
 killed through the fault of a cat. 
 
 How was this? said they; and the crow related 
 as follows : 
 
 FABLE IV. 
 
 On the banks of the river Bhageerathee, and upon 
 the mountain Greedhra-koota, there is a large par- 
 kattee tree, in the hollow of whose trunk there dwelt 
 a jackal, by name Jarad-gava, who, by some accident, 
 was grown blind, and for whose support the different 
 birds, who rOosted upon the branches of the same 
 tree, were wont to contribute a trifle from their own 
 stores, by which he existed. It so fell out, that one 
 . day a certain cat, by name Deerga-karna,* came 
 there to prey upon the young birds, whom perceiving, 
 the little nestlings were greatly terrified, and began 
 to be very clamorous ; and their cries being heard by 
 Jarad-gava, he asked who was coming. The cat 
 Deerga-karna, too, seeing the jackal, began to be 
 alarmed, and so cried to himself,— Oh ! I shall cer- 
 tainly be killed, for now that I am in his sight, it will 
 
 * Long-ear. 
 
48 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 not be in my power to escape ! However, let what 
 will be the consequence, I will approach him. So 
 having thus resolved, he went up to the jackal, and 
 said, — Master, I salute thee ! Who art thou ? de- 
 manded the jackal. Said he, I am a cat. Ah! 
 wicked animal, cried the jackal, get thee at a 
 distance; for, if thou dost not, I will put thee to 
 death. Hear me for a moment, replied puss, and then 
 determine whether I merit either to be punished or 
 to be killed. 
 
 ' What, is any one, simply by birth, to be punished 
 or applauded ? When his deeds have been scruti- 
 nized, he may, indeed, be either praiseworthy or 
 punishable. 
 
 ' Men are the same as other animals, in eating,- 
 sleeping, fearing, and propagation. Reason, alone, 
 is man's superior distinction. Deprived of reason, he 
 is upon an equality with the brutes.' 
 
 The jackal after this desired the cat to give some 
 account of himself, and he complied in the following 
 words : — I am, said he, in the constant habit of per- 
 forming ablutions on the side of this river ; I never 
 eat flesh, and I lead that mode of life which is called 
 Brahma-charya.* So, as thou art distinguished' 
 amongst those of thy own species noted for skill in 
 
 * Forsaking aU worldly concerns to lead a godly life. 
 
TABLES AND PROVERBS. 49 
 
 religious matters, as a repository of confidence ; and 
 as the birds here are always speaking before me in 
 praise of thy good qualities, I am come to hear from 
 thy mouth,, who art so old in wisdom, the duties of 
 religion. Thou, master, art acquainted with the 
 customs of life ; but these young birds, who are in 
 ignorance, would fain drive me, who am a stranger, 
 away. The duties of a housekeeper* are thus 
 enjoined : 
 
 ' Hospitality is commanded to be exercised, even 
 " towards an enemy, when he cometh to thine house. 
 The tree dolh not withdraw its shade, even from the 
 wood-c,utter.' 
 
 And if there be no bread, the stranger should be 
 entertained with kind words, and whatever can be 
 spared, as in these lines : 
 
 ' Some straw, a room, water, and in the fourth 
 place, gentle words. These things are never to be 
 refused in good men's houses.' 
 
 And in another verse it is said : 
 
 * The Hindoo divines ordain four modes of life, which are thus 
 denominated : — Brahma-charya, Graha-stka, Vana-prastha, Sannyasa. 
 The followers of the first mode live in society, but are not allowed any 
 
 ' of its pleasures. Those of the second are the housekeepers, who are 
 enjoined hospitality and every social duty. The third mode is retire- 
 ment from society into the wilderness, as the term imports. And the 
 
 -fourth a total forsaking of all worldly things. Those whoprefer the 
 latter mode are, for the most part, wanderers. In the - Dharattta-Sastra 
 of Manoo the particular duties of each are very fully treated of. 
 
50 THE HITOPADESA 
 
 'The stranger, who turneth away from a house 
 with disappointed hopes, leaveth there his own 
 offences, and departeth, taking with him all the good 
 actions of the owner.' * 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Firet is the superior of the Brahmans, the Brah- 
 man is the superior of the tribes,? and the husband is 
 the only superior of women ; but the stranger is the 
 superior of all. 
 
 ' Good men extend their pity, even unto the most 
 despicable animals. The moon doth not withhold 
 the light, even from the cottage of a Chandala.' § 
 
 To all this the jackal replied, — Cats have a taste for 
 animal food, and above is the residence of the young 
 birds : it is on this account I speak to thee. The 
 cat having touched her two ears, and then the 
 
 * This doctrine is strongly inculcated in every Hindoo system of 
 morality," and, seemingly, with a very powerful effect ; for a beggar is 
 never seen to turn away from a door in India with disappointed hopes. 
 
 + This element, in ancient times, seems to have been universally 
 deified. The Hindoos are enjoined by those laws they esteem of divine 
 origin, at a certain period to light up a fire, which must be produced 
 by the friction of two pieces of wood of a particular species, and to 
 keep it up as long as they live. With this fire all their sacrifices are 
 ■burnt, their nuptial altar flames, and, finally, the funeral pile is" kindled. 
 
 t These tribes were, originally, only four : the Brahman (divines), 
 Kshetrees (nobles and" military), Visyas (cultivators of the land, herds- 
 men, merchants, and mechanics), and Soodras (menial servants). 
 
 § An outcast. Qne of the very lowest order in society, employed in 
 all the dirty offices for the four superior tribes. _ 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 51 
 
 ground,* exclaimed, — I who have read books upon 
 the duties of religion, and am freed from inordinate 
 desires, have forsaken such an evil practice ; and, 
 indeed, even amongst those 'who dispute with one 
 another about the authority of the Sastras, there are 
 many by whom this sentence, "Not to kill is a su- 
 preme duty," is altogether approved ; as in this verse : 
 
 ' Those who have forsaken the killing of all ; those 
 who are helpmates to all ; those who are a sanctuary 
 'to all ; those men are in the way to heaven.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' There is one friend, even Religion,t whoattendeth 
 even in death ; whilst all" things else go to decay 
 with the body. 
 
 'Behold the difference between the one who 
 eateth flesh, and he to whom it belonged ! The first 
 hath a momentary enjoyment, whilst the latter is 
 deprived of existence ! ' 
 
 So it is said, 
 
 'A fellow- creature should be spared, even by this 
 analogy : the pain which a man suffereth when he is 
 at the point of death.' 
 
 Hear this also : 
 
 ' Who would commit so great a crime against a 
 
 * A very expressive way of declaring abhorrence, 
 t The original word (dharma) includes every moral and religious 
 duty. 
 
52 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 poor animal, who is fed only by"the herbs which 
 grow wild in the woods, and whose belly is burnt up 
 with hunger ? ' 
 
 The cat by these means having satisfied him, he 
 remained in the hollow of the tree with the jackal, 
 £>nd passed the time in amusing conversation ; and 
 the jackal told the young birds that they had no 
 occasion to go out of the way. — After this, when - 
 many days had passed, it was discovered- that the cat 
 had, by degree?, drawn the little birds down into the 
 hollow of the tree, and there devoured them ; but 
 when he found inquiry was about to be made by those 
 whose young ones had been eaten, he slipped out of 
 the hole and made his escape. In the meantime, 
 the bones of the young ones having been discovered 
 in the hollow of the tree by the birds, who had been 
 searching here and there, they concluded that their 
 little ones had been devoured by the jackal, and so, 
 being joined by other birds, they put him to death. 
 Wherefore I say, — " To one whose family and profes- 
 sion are unknown," &c. ' 
 
 The jackal having heard all this, replied in anger, — 
 Hear,me,.thou fool ! The first time thou wast seen 
 by the deer, thy family and profession were un- 
 known. How is it, then, that your mutual kindness 
 and attention grow higher and higher ? 
 
 'Is this one of ns, or is he a stranger? Such is the 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 53 
 
 enumeration of the ungenerous ; but to those by whom 
 liberality is practised, the whole world is but as one 
 family.' 
 
 Wherefore, I say, be thou my acquaintance in the 
 same manner the deer is. What is the use of all 
 these replies? observed the deer. Let us dwell 
 together, and spend our time happily in agreeable 
 conversation. 
 
 ' There is no one the friend of another ; there is no 
 one the enemy of another': friends, as well as enemies, 
 are ereated through our transactions.' 
 
 So, at length, the crow said, — Let it be so. 
 
 Early in the morning they used to go abroad to 
 those parts they liked best. One day the jackal said 
 to the deer, in great secrecy, — In a particular part of 
 this wood, my friend, there is a field full of corn, to 
 which I .will conduct thee ; and which being per- 
 formed accordingly, the deer used to go there every 
 day to feed upon the corn ; but, in time, this being 
 discovered by the master of the field, he laid snares 
 for him. After this, the deer coming there again, and 
 being confined in the snares, thus reasoned to him- 
 self: Who but a friend can deliver me from these 
 snares of the huntsman, so like the snares of death ? 
 In the meantime, the jackal, having arrived at the 
 spot, stopped short, and began to consider what he 
 should do. So far, said he, my scheme has succeeded, 
 
54 THE HITOPADESA ; 
 
 and by means of these deceitful snares, my wishes; 
 will be accomplished in great abundance ; -for when 
 he is cut up, I shall get his bones all covered with 
 flesh and Hood. The deer was exceedingly glad to 
 see him, and called out to him,— Friend jackal, pray 
 gnaw my bonds asunder, and speedily deliver me! 
 
 ' A friend may be known in adversity, a hero in 
 battle, an honest man in a loan, a wife when riches 
 are spent, and a relation in trouble.' 
 
 The jackal eyed the deer in his confinement again 
 and again, and considered whether the knots were 
 secure. These snares, my friend, observed he, are 
 made of leather thongs, and it being Sunday, how can 
 I touch them with my teeth?* But, if it will suit 
 thee, my friend, early in the morning I will do what- 
 ever may be thy wish. So having made this proposal, 
 he went on one side, and laying himself down, re- 
 mained silent. 
 
 In the meantime the crow, Subuddhi, finding the 
 deer did not come home, had gone about in search of 
 him. At length he found him in this condition, upon 
 which he exclaimed, — What, my friend, is this the 
 promise ! Is this the fruit of the word of a friend ! 
 
 * Good Hindoos esteem all animal substances unclean ; but, the 
 question is, why the jackal was scrupulous about touching them of a 
 Sunday; unless it was out of respect to the God of day, after whom it 
 is called. 
 
FA BL ES AND PRO VERBS. 5 5 
 
 * He who doth not hearken to the voice of a friend 
 and well-wisher in adversity, is the delight of his 
 enemies.' 
 
 But where is that jackal 2 added the crow. Alas ! 
 said the deer, he is here anxiously waiting for my 
 flesh! My friend, observed the crow, I foretold this 
 from the beginning. 
 
 'I am not to blame: he was not a subject for 
 confidence. From the cruel, even the virtuous have 
 cause for apprehension.' 
 
 Saying this, he heaved a deep sigh, and cried, O 
 deceitful wretch ! what hath been brought to pass by 
 thee, thou agent of wickedness ! 
 
 'How hard- is disappointment in this world, to 
 such as have been deluded by fair words ; to those 
 who by pretended services have been seduced into 
 the power of their enemies ; to the hopeful ; to those 
 who have faith, and to expectants ! 
 
 ' A man should forsake such a friend as speaketh 
 kindly to his face, and behind his back defeateth his 
 designs. He is like a pot of poison with a surface of 
 milk. 
 
 ' O goddess Vasudha ! * How supportest thou 
 that 'treacherous man, who exerciseth his wickedness 
 upon his innocent and confidential companion !' 
 
 * The earth. 
 
.56 THE HITOPADESA? 
 
 Is not this, continued the crow, the character of 
 bad men ? 
 
 ' A man should not form any acquaintance nor 
 enter into any amusements, with one of an evil 
 character. A piece of charcoal, if it be hot, burnet'i ; 
 and if cold, it blackeneth the hand. 
 
 ' Although one of an evil character speak kindly, 
 that is no motive for his being trusted. The serpent 
 is ornamented with a gem,* but is he not to be 
 dreaded ? 
 
 'Before one's face, he falleth at one's feet; behind, 
 he biteth the flesh of one's back. In one's ear, 
 doth he not softly hum his tune with wondrous art ! 
 And when he findeth a hole, fearless, he boldly 
 entereth. Thus doth the gnat t perform the actions 
 of a deceitful man.' 
 
 About this time the owner of the field was" seen 
 coming, with a staff in his hand, and his eyes red 
 with anger. So the crow, having considered what, 
 was to be done, said, — Friend deer, feign thyself 
 dead, and stay quiet till I make a noise, and then get 
 up and run away as fast as thou canst. The deer 
 
 * It is a vulgar notion in India that in the heads of some species of 
 serpents precious stones are found. 
 
 t The word in the original, signifies a mosquito, which, as far as the 
 translator has carried his observations since his return to his native 
 country, is no ways different from the common English gnat, except 
 that it makes a louder noise, and is more venomous. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 57 
 
 was now perceived by the master of the. field, whose 
 eyes sparkled with joy; but upon his approaching 
 nearer, and thinking him dead, he exclaimed, — Ha ! 
 thou art dead. of thyself from confinement, art thou? 
 and having said so, he be^an to employ himself in 
 collecting and bundling up his snares ; and upon his 
 moving to a little distance, the deer hearing the voice 
 of the crow, started up in great disorder, and ran 
 away. The master of the field, upon seeing this, 
 flung his staff at him, which, by chance, struck the 
 jackal, and so he was killed, and not the deer. It is 
 said, that 
 
 'A man reapeth the fruit of any extraordinary 
 good or bad action in the space of three years, three 
 months, three fortnights,* or three days. 
 
 'Wherefore I repeat, " Harmony between the food 
 and the feeder," &c.' 
 
 To all this the crow replied : 
 
 ' In eating thee, I should not enjoy a plenteous 
 meal. But, like Chitra-greeva, I live but in thy life. 
 
 ' Even amongst brutes, confidence is perceived in 
 
 those, in whose every action there is innocence. The 
 
 innate dispbsition of the good doth not vary from the 
 
 principles of integrity. 
 
 * The Hindoos have divided their lunar month into what they de- 
 nominate the soobla-paksha-, and the 1 kreeshna-paksha, that is, the light 
 side and the dark side (of the moon) ; the former commences with the 
 new moon, and the latter with the full. 
 
j8 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 ' The mind of a good man doth not alter, even 
 when he is in distress : the waters of the ocean are 
 not to be heated by a torch of straw.' 
 
 But, friend crow, observed the mouse . Hiranyaka, 
 thou art an unsteady and inconstant animal, and one's 
 affections should, on no account, be placed on such a 
 character ; as is declared in these lines : 
 
 ' A cat, a buffalo, a ram, a crow, and a man of 
 weak judgment are excluded from confidence : it is 
 not expedient to put any trust in them.' 
 
 Besides, thou art on the side of our enemies, and 
 on this head they say, 
 
 'A man should not enter into alliance with his 
 enemy, even with the tightest bonds of union. Water 
 made ever so hot, will still quench fire.' 
 
 And again : 
 
 'That is not possible which is impossible. That 
 which is possible is ever possible. A cart moveth not 
 upon the waters, nor a boat upon dry ground.' 
 
 I have heard every book upon these subjects, said 
 the crow Laghu-patanaka, nevertheless my mind is 
 impressed with this idea, that I must absolutely form 
 a friendly acquaintance with thee ; but if I should • * 
 fail, after our separation I shall destroy myself. It 
 is said, that those of evil character are like an earthen 
 pot— easy to be broken, but hard to be re-united ; 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. " 59 
 
 and that those of a good character resemble a vessel 
 of gold, which, though difficult to be broken, may 
 . easily be joined again. It is said, 
 
 ' Metals unite from fluxility ; birds and beasts 
 from motives of convenience ; fools from fear and 
 stupidity ; and just men at sight 
 
 V Although friendship between good men be inter- 
 rupted, still their principles remain unaltered. The 
 stalk of the lotus may be broken, and the fibres 
 remain connected. 
 
 'The qualities of a- Mend should be, sincerity, 
 liberality, bravery, constancy in joy and sorrow, recti- 
 tude, attachment, veracity.' 
 
 Whom, then, but thyself shall I find endued with 
 all these ? 
 
 Upon hearing this, Hifanyaka slipped out of his 
 hole, and said, — Well, by the immortal water of thy 
 .words, I have even ventured out ; for it is said, 
 
 'Nor bathing with cool water, nor a necklace of 
 pearls* nor anointing with sanders,t yieldeth such 
 comfort to the body oppressed with heat, as the 
 language of a good man, cheerfully uttered, doth to 
 
 * Strings of beads formed of various materials are universally worn 
 about -the neck in India, by men, women, and children. 
 
 + The Hindoos never wash in the Ganges, but they mark themselves 
 on the forehead, across the arms, and upon the breast, with a kind of 
 pigment made of the white species of sanders; or sandal wood, mixed 
 with water, which they suffer to dry on. 
 
60 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 the mind. To be surrounded with a good connection 
 is, amongst men of fair character, equal to the charm 
 of attraction.' * 
 
 And in another place : 
 
 ' Betraying a secret, insolicitude, severity, insensi- 
 bility, anger, want of veracity, gaming : all these are 
 faults in a friend/ 
 
 But of all these faults -in due order, not one is to be 
 found in thee. It is said, 
 
 ' Eloquence, and veracity of speech, are to be dis- 
 covered by conversation ; the being inimical with 
 inconstancy or unsteadiness, may be perceived at 
 sight. 
 
 ' The friendship of those who are of a pure and 
 gentle disposition, acteth one way ; and that of those 
 whose hearts are affected with hollowness and deceit, 
 another.' 
 
 Then, as long as we both shall live, so long let this 
 our friendship be_nourished, like that which existed 
 between Rama and Sugreeva.t 
 
 So Hiranyaka having promised his friendship, 
 and entertained the crow with such provisions as he 
 
 * What the nature of the charm alluded to may be, the translator is • 
 at a loss to explain; 
 
 t A baboon celebrated in the " Ramayan," or history of Ram, as his 
 faithful friend and ally, in his wars against Ravana, the tyrant of 
 Ceylon. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 61 
 
 had, retired into his hole ; and the crow also retired 
 to his usual place of abode. 
 
 From that time there existed a mutual friendship be- 
 tween them. Day after day passed away in making 
 presents to one another of provisions, and the like; 
 in reciprocal inquiries after each other's health, and 
 in amusing conversation. One day the crow said to 
 the mouse, — Friend Hiranyaka, provisions are very 
 difficult to be procured in this place, wherefore I am 
 about to abandon it, to repair to some other. 
 Hiranyaka replied, 
 
 ' Teeth, hair, nails, and the human species, prosper 
 not when separated from their place. A wise man 
 being informed of this, should not totally forsake his 
 native home.' 
 
 : Friend, observed the crow, this is the sentiment of 
 weak men ; for it is said, 
 
 ' Wise men, lions, and elephants, quit one place 
 and go to another ; whilst crows, weak men, and the 
 deer species, meet death in the same place.' 
 
 Then, whither shall we go ? demanded Hiranyaka. 
 They say, 
 
 'A wise man moveth with one- foot, and standeth 
 fast with the other. A man should not -quit one 
 place until he hath fixed upon another.' 
 
 Said the crow : There is 'a place well thought of. 
 
62 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 Where is it ? replied the mouse ; and the crow; 
 replied, — In Dandakaranya there is a river celebrated 
 by the name Karpooragow, where there resides my. 
 friend, by many years accumulated kindness, a 
 tortoise of innate virtue, whose name is Manthara. 
 It is said, 
 
 'In giving advice to another, the experience of 
 every one may be beneficial ; but in religion, the 
 proper example of some one of a very exalted mind.' 
 
 He will treat us, added the crow, with a variety of 
 choice fish. Hiranyaka then said, — If I stay here, 
 what shall I do ? It is said, 
 
 'A man should abandon that country, wherein 
 there is neither respect, nor employment, nor con- 
 nections, nor the advancement of science.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 'A man should not reside in a place, wherein these 
 five things are not to be found : wealthy inhabitants, 
 Brahmans learned in the Vedas, a rajah,* a river, and, 
 in the fifth place, a physician.' 
 
 * la the ancient Hindoo government, before the Mussulman Con- 
 quest, which seems to have been feudal, this title was granted by the 
 superior lord, who was styled Maha-Rajah (great Rajah), or Adheeswara 
 (superior lord), to the chiefs of the Kshetree or military tribe only, as 
 a reward for merit, or as an appendage of office, with the ceremony of 
 sprinkling consecrated water upon the- head ; but at present iheJirmdH 
 of the king of Delhi is, but too often, issued to ennoble collectors of 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS, 63 
 
 So .conduct me there also, added the mouse. 
 
 The crow accordingly set off with his friend, and 
 as they amused the time by conversing upon a variety 
 of pleasing subjects, they arrived with ease upon the 
 'banks of the river. They were perceived at a con- 
 siderable distance by the tortoise Manthara. He rose 
 to receive them, and having first performed the duties 
 of hospitality to Laghu-patanaka, he next extended 
 them to Hiranyaka ; according to these lines : 
 
 "'Whether a child, or ah old man, or a youth, be 
 come to thy house, he is to be treated with respect ; 
 for of all men, thy guest is the superior. 
 
 ' Fire is the superior of the Brahmans, the Brah- 
 man is the superior of the tribes, and the husband is 
 the" only superior of women ; but the stranger is the 1 
 superior of all. 
 
 ' Whether he who is come to thy house be of the 
 highest or even of the lowest rank in society, he is 
 worthy to be treated with due respect; for of all men 
 "thy guest is the superior.' 
 
 Friend, said the crow to the tortoise, pray pay 
 attention to this stranger ; for he is the very axis of 
 ■those who are famed for virtuous -deeds. His name 
 is Hiranyaka/the prince of mice, to celebrate whose 
 
 revenue, and wretches of the lowest class, destitute of every merit but 
 that of immense wealth. The term is derived from a root signifying 
 to appear with splendour. 
 
64 ' THE HIT0PADES4 : 
 
 great qualities, the chief of serpents* may sometimes 
 have occasion to employ a second thousand tongues. 
 Having said this, he related the story of the pigeon 
 Chitra-greeva. The tortoise Manthara, haying made re- 
 spectful inquiries after his health, said to the mouse, — 
 Be pleased to inform me of thy motives for quitting > 
 thy own uninhabited wilds ; and Hiranyaka replied", 
 I will recount them. 
 
 FABLE V. 
 
 Be it known, said he, that there is a city called 
 Champakavatee, where many mendicants are wont to 
 resort. Amongst the rest there was one whose name 
 was Choorakarna.f This mendicant, having placed the 
 dish containing what was left of the alms he collected 
 upon a forked stick fixed in the wall, used to go to 
 sleep, whilst I, every day, contrived to jump from a 
 distance and devour the hoard. At length, one day 
 his friend, another mendicant, whose name was 
 Veenakarna, came in, and whilst he was engaged with 
 him talking over various subjects, Choorakarna, in 
 order to frighten me away, struck the! ground with a 
 piece of bamboo. This being observed by Veenakarna, 
 he said, — What, at present, thou art inattentive to my 
 
 * The serpent Sesh or Ananta. Employing the emblem or eternity 
 with a thousand tongues in the character of Fame, is not ill imagined, 
 t Ring-ear. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 65 
 
 story, and employed about something else? It is 
 said, 
 
 ' A pleasant countenance, and a mien without 
 pride ; great attention to what is said, and sweetness 
 of speech ; a great degree of kindness, and the appear- 
 ance of awe ; are always tokens of a man's attach- 
 ment.' 
 
 So. 
 
 ' Giving unwillingly, rendering void what he did 
 before, disrespectful behaviour, unkind actions, prais- 
 ing others, and, by the assistance of tales, calumniating 
 behind one's back, are the signs' of one who is not 
 attached.' 
 
 To all this Choorakarna replied, — I am not inatten-- 
 tive to thy story. Behold what it is ! This mouse is 
 my plunderer. He is for ever devouring the meat I get 
 by begging, out of that dish. Upon this, Veenakarna 
 having examined the forked stick in the wall, said, — 
 What, is it this little weak-looking mouse who con- 
 trives to jump so very far? There must be some 
 reason to account for this ; as in the subject of 
 these lines.: 
 
 Without an apparent cause, a young woman by force 
 draweth an old man to her, and kisseth him. When a 
 husband is embraced without affection, there must be 
 some reason. for it.- 
 
 c 
 
66 "THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 Choorakarna having -demanded what this meant, 
 Veenakarna related the following story : 
 
 FABLE VI. 
 In the country which is called Gowr,* there is a city, 
 by name Kowsamvee, where dwelt Chandana-dama, a 
 merchant of immense wealth. When in the last stage 
 of life, his understanding being blinded by desire, 
 by the glare of his riches he obtained for his wife 
 Leelavatee,f the daughter of another merchant. She 
 was youthful, and, as it were, the victorious banner of 
 Makaraketu,t the god of love ; so her aged partner 
 was ill calculated'to be agreeable to her; for, 
 
 ' As the hearts of those who are pinched with cold, 
 delight not in the rays of the moon ; nor of those 
 who are oppressed with heat, in the beams of the 
 sun ; so the heart of a woman delighteth not in a 
 husband stricken in years/ 
 
 Again : 
 
 ■ What name shall we give to the passions of men, 
 when their hairs are turned grey ; since women, with 
 their hearts fixed on others, regard them as a nauseous 
 drug ?' 
 
 * The ancient city of Gowr, which is now in ruins, was the capital of 
 a province of the same name, now included in that of Bengal. 
 
 f Sportive, wanton. 
 
 t One of the titles of the Hindoo Cupid, who is commonly called 
 Kama-deva, the god of love. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 67 
 
 But her old husband was Exceedingly fond of her ; 
 according to these sayings : 
 
 ' The lust of wealth, and the hope of life, are ever 
 ,of importance to man ; but a youthful wife to an old 
 man is dearer than life itself.' 
 
 Nevertheless, Leelavatee, through the intoxication 
 of youth, attached herself to a certain merchant's son. 
 
 ' Too much liberty whilst resident in her father's 
 house, attending festive processions, appearing in 
 company in the presence of men contrary to pro- 
 priety, the same in byways, and associating with 
 women of bad character, are the immediate destruc- 
 tion of innate morals. Sporting with their husbands' 
 infirmities, too, is to women the cause of ruin,' 
 
 Again ; 
 
 'Drinking, keeping bad company, staying away 
 from her husband, gadding about, slothfulness, and 
 living at another's house, are six things injurious to a 
 woman. 
 
 ' Women, at all times, have been inconstant ; even 
 amongst the celestials, we are told. Happy is the 
 portion of those men whose wives are guarded from 
 error ! 
 
 ' Women's virtue is founded upon a modest coun- 
 tenance, precise t>ehayiour, rectitude, and the want of 
 sUitors/ 
 
 c 2 
 
68 THE HITOPADESA ; 
 
 They say, 
 
 ' Woman is like a pot of oil, and man a burning 
 coal. A wise man will not put the oil and the fire* 
 together. 
 
 ' In infancy the father should guard her, in youth 
 her husband should guard her, and in old age her 
 children should guard her ; for, at no time, is. a 
 woman proper to be trusted with liberty.' 
 
 One day, as she was carelessly sitting with the 
 merchant's son, in agreeable conversation, upon a 
 sofa white as camphire, and fringed with strings of 
 gems, having unexpectedly discovered her husband 
 coming towards them, she rose, up in a great hurry, 
 seized him by the hair, and eagerly embracing, began 
 to kiss him ; whilst the gallant found means to escape. 
 But one who saw this understood her motive, and 
 Leelav^atee was corrected by" a hidden rod.* 
 
 'Every book of knowledge which is known to 
 Usana, or to Vrihaspati, is by nature planted in the 
 understanding of women.' 
 
 Upon the whole, I say, " Without a cause a young 
 woman," &c. And hence there must be some hidden 
 cause for the extraordinary strength of this mouse. 
 He considered for a moment, and at- length deter- 
 mined that the reason must be in a hoard of wealth : 
 for, 
 
 * That is, she was obliged to silence the woman with hush money. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 69 
 
 ' In this world the wealthy are, every one, every- 
 where, and at all times, powerful. Riches are the 
 foundation of preferment, and an introduction to the 
 prince.' 
 
 Having said this, a spade was brought, and my 
 hole being dug open by that mendicant, the- hoard 
 which I had been accumulating for many years was 
 carried away ! After this, day by day, my strength 
 decreased, and having little power to exert myself, I 
 was unable to procure even sufficient to support life ; 
 and in this condition, as I was fearfully and feebly 
 skulking about, I was observed by Choorakarna, upon 
 which he repeated the following lines : 
 
 ' With wealth all are powerful ; from wealth a man 
 is esteemed learned. Behold this wicked mouse !' see 
 how he is reduced to the natural level of his species ! 
 
 ' Deprived of riches, all the actions of a man of little 
 judgment disappear, like trifling streams in the sum- 
 mer's heat.' 
 
 And again : 
 
 ' He who hath riches hath friends ; he who hath 
 riches hath relations ; he who hath defies is a man of 
 consequence in the world ; he who hath riches is 
 esteemed a learned man. 
 
 '_The house of the childless is empty; and so is 
 the heart of him who hath no wife. The mind of a 
 
70 , THE HITOPADKSA : 
 
 fool is empty ; and everything is empty, where there;' 
 is- poverty.' 
 
 They say also, 
 
 ' " Those faculties are not injured." This is a mere 
 saying. " That judgment is unimpaired." That also 
 is but an expression ; for the moment a man is de- 
 prived of the comfort" of riches, he is quite another. , 
 Is not this curious ? ' 
 
 Having heard all this, I looked about me, and re- 
 solved that it would not, by any means, be proper for 
 me to stay there : neither, by-the-by, is it proper 
 that I should communicate my affairs to others ; for, 
 
 'A wise man should not make known the loss of 
 fortune, any malpractices in his house; his being 
 cheated, nor his having been disgraced.' 
 
 They say, likewise, 
 
 'When the frowns 6f fortune are excessive, and 
 human endeavours are exerted in vain ; where, but in 
 the wilderness, can comfort be found for a poor man 
 of sensibility ? 
 
 ' A man of nice feelings willingly encountereth 
 death, rather than submit to poverty. A fire meeteth- 
 extinction, before it will yield to be cold.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' The fate of a man of feeling is, like that of a tuft 
 
FABLES AND PRO VERBS. 7 1 
 
 of flowers, twofold : he may either mount upon the 
 head of all, or go to decay in the wilderness.' 
 
 To live despised is reprobated exceedingly. Hence, 
 
 ' It is better that the (funeral) fire should be blown 
 up by the breath of life* of a man deprived of riches, 
 than that he should be solicited by the poor, when 
 destitute of the means of relief.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' From poverty a man cometh to shame ; and- being 
 overwhelmed with disgrace, he is totally deprived of 
 power. Without power he is oppressed, and from 
 oppression cometh grief. Loaded with grief, he be- 
 cometh melancholy ; and impaired by melancholy, 
 he is forsaken by reason ; and with the loss of reason, 
 he goeth to destruction. Alas ! the want of riches 
 is the foundation of every misfortune. 5 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' It is better to~guard silence, than that the words 
 which are uttered should be untrue. It is better to 
 be nothing, than to seduce the wife of another. It is 
 better to abandon life, than to delight in cruel con- 
 versation. It is better to live by begging one's 
 bread, than td gratify the mouth at the expense of 
 others.' » 
 
 - * Death itself is preferable to the want of the means of affording 
 relief to those in distress. 
 
72 v THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 Want maketh even servitude honourable ; light, total 
 darkness; beauty, deformity; and even the words of 
 Hari, with a hundred good qualities, crimes. What 
 then, shall I nourish myself with another's cake ? 
 This would be to open a, second door to death. 
 For, 
 
 ' When a man is in indigence, picking herbs is his 
 philosophy ;* the enjoyment of his wife his only com- 
 merce, and vassalage his food.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Death is life to him who is subject to sickness, - 
 who hath been long an exile, who liveth upon an- 
 other's bread, or sleepeth under another's roof; for 
 death easeth him of all his pain.' 
 
 Having considered all this, I have again, through 
 covetousness, made up my mind to accept of some of 
 thy provisions. But it is said, 
 
 ' With covetousness reason departeth : covetous- 
 ness engendereth avarice ; and the man- who is 
 tormented with avarice experienceth pain, both here 
 and hereafter.' 
 
 Hence, after I had been struck with the broken piece 
 of bamboo by Veenakarna, I began to consider, that 
 
 * There is no word in the Sanskrit which answers exactly to this 
 term The original is panditya, an abstract formed from pandit. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 73 
 
 the covetous were unhappy, and assuredly their own 
 enemy. It is said, 
 
 ' He whose mind is at ease is possessed of all 
 riches. Is it not the same to one whose foot is enclosed 
 in a shoe, as. if the whole surface of the earth were 
 covered with leather ? ' 
 
 Again : 
 
 f Where have they, who are running here and there 
 in search of riches, such happiness as those placid 
 spirits enjoy, who are gratified at the immortal 
 fountain of happiness ? 
 
 ' AlLhath' been read; all hath been heard, and all 
 hath been followed by him, who having put hope 
 behind him, dependeth not upon expectation. 
 
 ' Fortunate is the life of that man, by whom the 
 door of the noble hath not been attended ; by whom 
 the pain of sep 1 ration "hath not been experienced ; 
 and by whom the voice of an eunuch* hath not been 
 heard.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 'To one, O Narada.t borne away by the thirst of 
 gain, a hundred Yojana appear not far ; even after 
 he hath the treasure in his hand.' 
 
 * How greatly do the tastes of nations differ ! 
 
 + Ore of the seven wise men, to whom is attributed the invention of 
 the musical instrument called veena. 
 
74 ■ THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 It is good, then, to be entirely separated far from the 
 usual occasions of life. 
 
 'What is religion? Compassion for all things 
 which have life. What is happiness ? To animals- 
 in this world, health. What is kindness ?. A principle 
 in the good. What is philosophy ? An entire separa- 
 tion from the world.' 
 
 It is said, 
 
 ' A man may forsake one person to save a family ; 
 he may desert a whole family for the sake of a village; 
 and sacrifice a village for the safety of the community ; 
 but for himself he -may abandon the whole world.' 
 
 But, 
 
 ' To those who seek employment, it is esteemed a 
 favour to be an appendage only of a great man's 
 station. The serpent Vasukee * is contented to feed 
 on air, whilst hanging to the neck of Hara.t 
 
 ' It is, either water without labour, or sweet bread 
 attended by fear and danger. I have examined this ; 
 and I plainly see, that is happiness wherein there is 
 ease.' 
 
 So, having considered all this, I am come to an 
 uninhabited wilderness ; for, 
 
 * The serpent employed in churning, the ocean for the water of life. 
 
 t One of the titles of Seeva, the destroying power of the deity, who 
 is represented with a large snake about his neck by way of necklace ; a 
 proper ornament for the God of Terrors. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 75 
 
 ' It is better to dwell in a forest haunted by 
 tigers and lions, the trees our habitation, flowers, 
 fruits and water for food, the grass for a bed, and the 
 bark of the trees' for garments, than to live amongst 
 relations, after the loss of wealth.' 
 
 Wherefore, as long as the stock of virtue acquired 
 by birth shall last,? I will, with this true friend, be 
 attached to thee by kind services ; and by this single 
 virtuous act, I may obtain that place in heaven which 
 is consecrated to friendship.t They say, 
 
 ' Of the poisonous tree, the world, two species of 
 fruit are produced, sweet as the water of life : poetry, 
 whose taste is like the immortal juice, and the society 
 of good men.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Society, faith in Kesava,i and immerging in the 
 waters of the Ganges, may be esteemed three very 
 essential things in this transitory_ world. 
 
 ' Riches are as the dust of the feet, youth like the 
 rapidity of a river flowing down a hill, manhood like 
 
 * This sentence is agreeable to the notion, that the joys o£ heaven 
 are to last for a period measured by our good actions in this life. 
 
 t The Hindoo divines have divided heaven into different regions 
 which they call lok. Thus there is the pitri-M, or region of fathers, 
 and the matri-lok, or region of mothers ; but there is no region allotted 
 for old maids and bachelors ; these are obliged to renew their youth in 
 this life, and try their luck once more. 
 
 ± One of the names of Vishnu in his incarnation of Kreeshna. 
 
?5 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 a drop of water, transient and unsteady ;* and 
 human life like froth. He who doth not perform the 
 duties of religion, with a steady mind, to open the 
 bars* of Heaven's gate, will, hereafter, when smitten 
 with sorrow, and bent down with old age, burn with 
 the fire of contrition.' 
 
 To v all this the tortoise Manthara replied, — Sir. your 
 fault was this : you laid up too large a stock. It is 
 said, 
 
 ■ ' Giving away is the instrument for accumulated 
 treasures : it is like a bucket for the distribution of 
 the waters deposited in the bowels of a well. 
 
 ' He who, in opposition to his own happiness, 
 delighteth in the accumulation of riches, carrieth 
 burthens for others, and is the vehicle of trouble.' 
 
 Another : 
 
 ' If we are rich with the riches of which we neither 
 give nor enjoy, we are rich with the riches which are 
 buried in the caverns of the earth. 
 
 ' Without enjoyment, the wealth of the miser is the 
 same to him as if it were another's. But when it is 
 
 * A drop of water upon a leaf of the lotus, must be understood ; 
 agreeable to the foHowing hemistich engraved on a copper-plate bearing 
 date fifty-six years before the Christian era, and which, about the year 
 17S1, was sent from India as a present to Lord Mansfield : 
 
 " Riches and the life of man are transient as drops of water upon a 
 e'af'of the lotus."— Translated by C. W. 1781. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 77 
 
 said of a man, " he hath so much," it is with difficulty 
 he can be induced to part with it.' 
 
 They say, 
 
 ' The wealth of the miser goeth neither to the 
 celestials,* nor to the Brahmans, nor to his kindred, 
 nor to himself; but to the fire, the thief, and the 
 magistrate.' 
 
 And, 
 
 ' He who eateth by measure, whilst his treasure is 
 buried low in the ground, is preparing for a journey 
 to a mansion below.' t 
 
 So, 
 
 ' Giving with kind words, knowledge without pride, 
 heroism accompanied by clemency, and wealth with 
 liberality, are four excellences hard to be found.' 
 
 It is said, 
 
 A hoard should always be made ; but not too great a 
 hoard. A jackal, through the fault of hoarding too 
 much, wps killed by a bow. 
 
 How was this ? demanded Hiranyaka ; and Man- 
 thara related the following story : 
 
 * In sacrifices and other expensive ceremonies, 
 t The Hindoos place their hell, which seems to be but for a tem- 
 porary punishment, in the bowels of the earth. 
 
78 THEHITOPADESA: 
 
 FABLE VII. 
 
 A CERTAIN huntsman, by name Bhirava, an inhabi- ; 
 tant of Kalyana-kattaka,* being fond of flesh, once 
 upon a time went to hunt in the forests of the 
 Vindhya / mountains,! and having killed a deer, as he 
 was carrying him away, he chanced to see a wild boar 
 of a formidable appearance. So laying the deer upon 
 the ground, he wounded the boar with an arrow ; but, 
 upon his approaching him, the horrid animal set up a 
 roar dreadful as the thunder of the clouds, and 
 wounding him in the groin, he fell like a tree cut off 
 by the axe. At the same time, a serpent, of that 
 species which is called Ajagara, pressed by hunger 
 and wandering about, rose up and bit the boar, who 
 instantly fell helpless upon him, and remained upon 
 the spot. For, 
 
 'The body having encountered some efficient 
 cause, water, fire, poison, the sword, hunger, sickness, 
 or a fall from an eminence, is forsaken by the vital 
 spirits.' 
 
 In the meantime, a jackal, by name Deergha-rava,^: 
 prowling about in search of prey, discovered the deer, 
 the huntsman, and the boar ; and having observed 
 
 * Probably an ancient name for the province we call Cattack. 
 t That chain which is seen about Chunar-ghur. 
 1 Long-cry. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 79 
 
 them, he said to himself, — Here is a fine feast pre- 
 pared for me. 
 
 -As, to corporeal beings, unthought-of troubles 
 ' arrive ; so,_in like manner, do blessings make their 
 appearance. In this, I think providence hath ex- 
 tended them farther than usual.' 
 
 Be it so, as long as with their flesh I shall have food 
 -to eat. The man will last me for a whole month, and 
 the deer and the boar for two more ; then the serpent' 
 will serve me a day; and let me taste the bow-string 
 too. But, in the first place, let me try that which is 
 the least savoury. Suppose, then, I eat this catgut 
 line which is fastened to the bow : saying so, he drew 
 near to eat it ; but the instant he had bit the gut in 
 two, his belly was ripped open by the spring of the 
 bow ; and he was reduced to the state of the five 
 elements.* I say, therefore, "A hoard," &c. 
 
 'That I esteem wealth which is given to the worthy, 
 and what is, day by day, enjoyed ; the rest is a reserve 
 for one knoweth not whom.' 
 
 Then, at present, what is the purport of this excessive 
 use of the force of "words to exemplify ? 
 
 ' Men of philosophic minds do not long for what is 
 not attainable, and are not willing to lament what is 
 
 * Earth, air, fire, water, aridether. 
 
So THE HITOPADESA .• 
 
 lost ; neither are they wont to be embarrassed in times 
 of calamity. 
 
 'Those who have even studied good books, may 
 still be fools. That man is learned who reduceth his 
 learning to practice. That medicine is'well imagined _ 
 which doth, more than nominally, restore the health 
 of the afflicted. 
 
 ' The precepts of philosophy effect not the least 
 benefit to one confirmed in fear. To a blind man, of 
 what use is a lamp, although it be burning in his 
 hand ? ' 
 
 After all, added the tortoise, it is best to be satis- 
 fied in this region ofgood and evil destiny. 
 
 I cannot agree to that, replied Hiranyaka ; for, 
 
 ' To a hero of a sound mind, what is his own, and 
 what a foreign country ? Wherever he halteth, that 
 place is acquired by the splendour of his arms. H« 
 quencheth his thirst with the blood of the royal 
 elephant, even in the forest which the lion teareth up 
 with his teeth, and his claws the weapons of his feet.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 * As frogs to the pool, as birds to a lake full of 
 water ; so doth every species of wealth necessarily 
 flow to the hands of him who exerteth himself.' 
 
 They say, 
 
 ' When pleasure is arrived, it is worthy of atten- 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 3i 
 
 tioh ; when trouble presenteth itself, the 1 same. Pains 
 and pleasures have their revolutions like a wheel ! ' 
 Again : 
 
 ' Lakshmee * herself attendeth a man in search of 
 a residence, who is endued with resolution, of noble 
 -principles, acquainted with the rules of. action, , un- 
 tainted with lawless pleasures, brave, a judge - of 
 merit, and of steady friendship.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' A wise man, even destitute of riches, enjoyeth 
 elevated and very honourable stations ; whilst the 
 Wretch, endowed with wealth, acquireth the post of 
 disgrace. 
 
 ' 0n«, although not possessed of a mine of gold, 
 may find the offspring of his own nature, "that noble 
 ardour, which hath for its object the accomplishment 
 .of the whole assemblage of virtues.' 
 
 Hear this, my friend, replied the tortoise : 
 
 'What, though thou wert rich and of high 'esteem, 
 dost thou yield to sorrow, because of thy loss, of 
 fortune ? The risings and sinkings of human affairs 
 are like those of a ball which is thrown by the hand.' 
 
 Observe, 
 
 'The shadow of a cloud, the satisfaction of the, 
 
 * The goddess of good fortune. 
 
82 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 vulgar, new corn, women, youth, and riches, are to be/ 
 enjoyed but for a short time.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Man should not be over-anxious for a subsistence, 
 for it is provided by the Creator. The infant- no 
 sooner droppeth from the womb, than the breasts of 
 the mother begin to stream.' 
 
 My friend : 
 
 ' He, by whom the geese were formed white, 
 parrots are stained green, and peacocks painted of 
 various hues — even He will provide for their support.' 
 
 Attend also, my friend, to these secrets of the wise 
 men : 
 
 ' How are riches the means of happiness ? In 
 acquiring they create trouble, in their loss they 
 occasion sorrow, and they are the cause of endless 
 divisions amongst kindred ! 
 
 ' It were a blessing, for the sake of virtue, if he 
 who hath a lust of gain were deprived -of desire. 
 Where there is a splashing of dirt, it is good not to 
 meddle, and to keep far away. 
 
 ' As meat is devoured by the birds in the air, by 
 the beasts in the field, and by the fishes in the 
 waters ; so, in every situation, there is plenty. 
 
 ' The rich man hath cause of fear, from the 
 magistrate, from water, from fire, from the robber, 
 
Fables and proverbs. 83 
 
 not less from his own people, even as from death the 
 living. 
 
 ' In this life of many troubles, what pain is greater 
 than this ? — desire without ability, when that desire 
 turneth not away ! 
 
 ' Man should consider this : That riches are not 
 easily acquired ; when acquired, they are with 
 difficulty" preserved ; and that the loss of what hath 
 been acquired is like death.' 
 
 So also : 
 
 'Were the thirst of gain entirely forsaken, who 
 would be poor ? Who would be rich ? If way were 
 given to it, slavery would stand upon the head. 
 
 ' Whatever a man should long for, from that his 
 inclination turneth away. He whose inclination 
 turneth away from an object, may be said to have 
 obtained it. 5 
 
 But why so much upon this subject ? Let us beguile 
 the time together in amusing conversation. 
 
 ' Men who are acquainted with their own nature, 
 pass their days, until the period of death, in gladness, 
 free from anger, in the enjoyment of the present 
 moment, unmindful of the world, and free from ap- 
 prehension.' 
 . Again : 
 
 ' The life of an animal, until the hour of his death, 
 
84 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 passeth away in disciplines, in elevations and depres- > 
 sions, in unions and separations.' 
 
 O ! thou art a worthy person, Manthara, observed 
 the crow ; a place of confidence, and a being for 
 protection ! 
 
 ' The good are always ready to be the upholders 
 of the good in their misfortunes. Elephants even are 
 wont to bear the burthens of elephants who have 
 sunk in the mire.' 
 
 So, 
 
 ' The virtuous delight in the virtuous ; but he who 
 is destitute of the practice of virtue, delighteth not in 
 the virtuous. The bee retireth from the forest to the 
 lotus, whilst the frog is destitute of a shelter.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 'He is one in this world worthy to be praised of 
 mankind, he is a great and a good man, from whom 
 the needy, or those who come for protection, go not 
 away with disappointed hopes, and discontented coun- 
 tenances.' 
 
 In this manner did they pass their time ; and, con- 
 tented with their particular food, they dwelt happily 
 together. 
 
 After a while, one day a certain deer, by name 
 
 -Vichitranga, who had been alarmed by some one, 
 
 came there with his heart panting with fear, and was 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. Sj 
 
 joined by the rest ; but as they expected that he was 
 pursued by something which had been the cause of 
 "his apprehensions, Manthara went into the water, the 
 mouse into a hole, and the crow flew to the top of a 
 tree. Laghu-patanaka looked on all sides; and being 
 satisfied respecting their fears, they alL. joined com- 
 pany again. Health ! friend deer, said the tortoise, 
 thbu art welcome. Mayst thou find provisions to thy 
 heart's desire in this situation ! May this forest never 
 be rendered the property of a master ! 
 
 To this the deer Chitranga replied, — I was alarmed- 
 by -a huntsman, and I am come to you for protec- 
 tion. 
 
 ' It is declared by the wise men, that the crime of 
 -him who shall forsake one who, through want or 
 danger, may come to him for protection, is the same 
 as the murder of a Brahman.' 
 
 And I wish also to cultivate a friendship with you. 
 Sir, said the mouse, your friendship with us is accom- 
 plished without much trouble ; for, 
 
 'Friends are said to be of four distinctions : one's 
 own offspring, a connection, one descended from the 
 same genealogical series, and one whom we may 
 have preserved from misfortunes.' 
 So let us dwell together, added the mouse, without 
 distinction. 
 
 The deer, upon hearing this, was rendered happy 
 
86 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 He ate of what was his usual food', and having drank 
 some water, he laid himself down in the shade of a 
 tree which grew in the stream. 
 
 ' Well water, the shade of a Batta tree,* a swarthy 
 woman, and a brick House, should be warm in the. 
 cold, and cool in the hot season.' 
 
 Friend deer, said the tortoise Mantliara, by 
 whom wert thou alarmed ? What, are there hunts- 
 men coming to this desolate forest ? There is some 
 very important news, said the deer, which I will 
 communicate. In the country which is called Ka- 
 linga t there is a prince whose name is Rukman 7 
 gada.J He is just returned from his conquests of, 
 the countries about him, and his anger being alto- 
 gether appeased, he has taken up his residence upon 
 the banks of the river Chandra-bhaga. To-morrow 
 early he has resolved to come to fish in the river 
 Karphoora. This I overheard from the mouth of 
 one of the sportsmen. Having investigated this 
 affair, so much to be dreaded, let the necessary 
 means be pursued for our safety. The tortoise upon 
 hearing these words fearfully ex-claimed, — I will flee 
 to the water for protection ! The crow and the 
 
 * The Banian tree. 
 
 + Probably the ancient name of a district on the coast of Coro- 
 mandel. 
 J Golden elephant. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 87 
 
 deer said, — Be it so. The mouse Hiranyaka con- 
 sidered for a moment, and said, 
 
 ' When Manthara shall be in the water, it will be 
 good for him. -It appeareth to me improper that he 
 should be found crawling upon dry ground.' 
 
 They say, 
 
 ' The strength of aquatic animals is the waters ; 
 _of those vyho dwell in towns, a castle ; of foot-soldiers, 
 their own ground ; of princes, an obedient army. 5 
 
 But, friend Laghu-patanaka, I hope by this advice, 
 he will not suffer the regret experienced by a certain 
 merchant* 
 
 How was this ? said they ;— and Hiranyaka re- 
 counted as follows,: 
 
 FABLE VIII. 
 
 IN the country of Kanya-kubja there was a Rajah, 
 ,_whpse name was Veera-sena,t by Whom his royal 
 son, by name Tunga-vala,t had been appointed 
 Yuva-rajah§ over the city of Veera-pura. He was 
 young and possessed of great riches. Once upon a 
 time, as he was walking about his own city, he took 
 
 * The verse which usually introduces the fable, being in this place 
 very defeciive, is omitted. 
 
 f Whose troops are brave. 
 
 J From tunga, fierce, and vala, strength. 
 
 § Literally Young Rajah. The title formerly borne by the heir 
 apparent. 
 
88 THE BITOPADESA : 
 
 notice of a certain merchant's wife, who was in the 
 very prime of youth, and so beautiful, that ^he was, 
 as it were, the standard of conquest of Makara-ketu. 
 She also, whose name was Lavanyavatee,* having 
 observed him, her breast was rent in pieces by the 
 destructive arrows of the god of love, and she gladly- 
 became of one mind with him. It is said, 
 
 ' Unto women no man is to be found disagreeable, 
 no one agreeable. They may be compared to a heifer 
 on the pla ; n, that still longeth for fresh grass. 
 
 ' Infidelity, violence, deceit, envy, extreme avari- 
 ciousness, a total want of good qualities, with im- 
 purity, are the innate faults of womankind.' t 
 
 The young Rajah being returned to his palace, 
 with a heart quite occupied with love, sent a female 
 messenger to her, to whose words having attended, 
 Lavanyavatee made such a reply as was calculated , 
 to deceive. Said she, — I am faithful to my husband, 
 and I am not accustomed even to touch another 
 man ; for, 
 
 ' She is not worthy to be called a wife, in whom 
 the husband delighteth not. The husband is the 
 
 * Beautiful. 
 
 + The fair reader will please to observe that this fevere judgment 
 of the sex was probably written by one under a vow of perpetual 
 celibacy. * 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 89 
 
 asylum of women ; and of his honour the fire beareth 
 testimony. * 
 
 'The beauty of the Kokilat is his voice; the 
 beauty of a wife is constancy to her husband ; the 
 beauty of the ill-favoured is science ; the beauty of 
 the penitent is patience. 
 
 ' She is a wife who is clever in the house ; she is 
 a wife who is fruitful in children ; she is a wife who is 
 the soul of her husband ; she is a wife who is obedient 
 to her husband.' 
 
 And according to this doctrine, I make it a rule to 
 do ' whatever the lord of my life directs, without 
 examination. To this the messenger replied, — It 
 is right ; and Lavanyavatee observed, that it was 
 even so. 
 
 The messenger having heard the whole of what 
 Lavanyavatee had to say, reported it to Tungavala, 
 who observed that he would invite her with that dear 
 husband of hers, and, in his presence, pay her great 
 attention and respect. To this the messenger re- 
 plied, — This is impracticable. Let art be used ; for 
 it is said, 
 
 * This sentence alludes to the ordeal by fire, which is practised, even 
 at this time, in India. 
 
 t A black bird, very common in India, which sings in the night, and 
 whose notes are as various and melodious as the nightingale's, but much 
 louder. * ■ 
 
go THE HtTOPADESA .- 
 
 That which cannot be effected by force may be 
 achieved by cunning. An elephant was killed by a 
 jackal, by going over a swampy place. 
 
 How was this ? demanded the Rajah's son. And 
 the messenger related the following story : 
 
 FABLE IX. 
 
 In the forest Brahmaranya there was an elephant, 
 whose name was Karphooratilaka,* who having been 
 observed by the jackals, they all determined, that if 
 he could by any stratagem be killed, he would be 
 four months provisions for them all. One of them, 
 who was exceedingly viciously- inclined, and by 
 nature treacherous, declared, that he would engage, 
 by the strength of his own judgment, to effect his 
 death. Some time after, this deceitful wretch went 
 up to the elephant, and having saluted him, said, — 
 Godlike sir ! Condescend to grant me an audience. 
 Who art thou ? demanded the elephant, and whence . 
 comest thou ? My name, replied he, is Kshudra- 
 -buddhi,t a jackal, sent into thy presence by all the 
 inhabitants of the forest, assembled for that purpose, 
 to represent, that as it is not expedient to reside in 
 so large a forest as this, without a chief, your High- 
 
 . . * Marked with white spots. 
 
 1- Low-minded, mean-spirited, bad-hearted. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 91 
 
 - ness, endued with all the cardinal virtues, hath been 
 selected to be anointed Rajah of the woods. 
 
 It is said, 
 
 ' He who, by walking for ever in the ways of those ' 
 who are preferred, is exceedingly pure, of a noble 
 mind, virtuous and just, and experienced- in the rules 
 of policy, is worthy to be chosen master of the 
 earth.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 'The lord of the land, like the clouds, is the 
 reservoir of the people ; for when the clouds fail, do 
 they not find succour in their king 1 ' 
 
 But, 
 
 'In this world, which is subject to the power of 
 One above, a man of good principles is hard to be 
 found living in a country for the most part governed 
 by the use of the rod. 
 
 ' From the dread of the rod, like a woman of good 
 repute unto her husband, he will repair for protection 
 even unto the weak or unfortunate ; to the sick, or to 
 the poor.' 
 
 Then, that we may not lose the lucky moment, 
 continued the jackal, be pleased to follow quickly. 
 Saying this, he cocked his tail and went away. The 
 elephant, whose reason was perverted by the lust of_ 
 
9 2 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 power, took the same road as the jackal, and followed 
 him so exactly that, at length, he stuck fast in a great 
 mire. O my friend ! cried the elephant, what is to be 
 done in this disaster ? I am sinking in a deep mire ! 
 The jackal laughed, and said, — Please your divine 
 Highness, take hold of my tail with your trunk, and 
 get out ! This is the fruit of those words which thou 
 didst place confidence in. 
 
 They say, 
 
 'As often as thou shalt be deprived of the society 
 of the good, so often shalt thou fall into the company 
 of knaves.' 
 
 After a few days, the elephant dying for want of 
 food, his flesh was devoured by the jackals. I say, 
 therefore, "That .which cannot be effected by force," &c. 
 
 The young Rajah, by the advice of his messenger, 
 sent for the husband of Lavanyavatee, and having 
 treated him with great marks of attention, took him 
 into his service, and employed him in the most 
 confidential affairs. One day, when the young Rajah 
 had bathed and anointed himself, and was clothed in 
 robes of gold, he said to the husband, — Charudanta, I 
 am going to give a feast to the. goddess Gowree,* 
 
 * Gowree is one of the names of the consort of Seeva ; but as the 
 same word means a young woman (literally, a fair one), it will agree 
 better with the context, if the reader will be so good as to substitute, 
 to the young woman, instead of to the goddess Gowree. 
 
FABLES ANp PROVERBS. 93 
 
 which will last for a month, and this evening it shall 
 commence. Go then, and, just before night, bring to 
 me a young maiden of singular beauty ; and When she 
 hath been presented, she shall have due respect paid, 
 to her, according to what is ordained. Charudanta 
 did as he was commanded, and brought to his master 
 such a young woman as he had described ; and having 
 delivered her, he privately resolved to find out how 
 she was treated. The young Rajah, Tungavala, caused 
 the young woman to sit down upon a rich sofa ; and 
 
 "having entertained her with costly presents of cloth 
 and garments, and given her a keepsake, he, that 
 instant, sent her to her own house. Charudanta 
 Tiaving been a spectator of all which had passed, said 
 to "himself, — This is a man of strict principles, who 
 regardeth the woman of another as his own mother. 
 So after that, through the confidence created by this 
 
 .: stratagem, his mind being biassed by the lust of gain, 
 he fetched his own wife and presented her ; and the 
 young Rajah upon beholding Lavanyavatee, the 
 delight of his heart, exclaimed, — Dear Lavanyavatee ! 
 whither art thou going? Saying this, he got up 
 from his. seat, and, quite forgetful who was present, 
 began to embrace her ; whilst Charudanta, the mise- 
 rable husband, stood gazing at her, motionless as a 
 statue. And thus was a fooj, by his own contrivance, 
 plunged into the greatest distress. Now, I fear lest a 
 similar fate should befall thee, concluded the mouse. 
 
94 THE HJTOPADESA > 
 
 Manthara having attended to what had been said 
 by the mouse, in great fear cried out, — My friends,' 
 I must go for security into the water. Saying this, 
 he marched away, and Hiranyaka and the rest 
 followed him ; but they had not gone .far, before 
 Manthara was seized by a certain sportsman, who ' 
 chanced to be hunting about in that forest, and who, 
 finding himself hungry and fatigued, immediately 
 fastened his game to the end of his bow, and turned 
 his face towards home. The deer, the craw, and 
 the mouse were exceedingly sorry for this event ; 
 and Hiranyaka expressed his lamentations in these 
 lines ; 
 
 ' Before I have attained the end of- one trouble, 
 boundless as the great ocean, still a second is ready 
 to succeed ! How many misfortunes come upon me 
 for my faults ! 
 
 'A friend, who is so by nature, is the gift of pro- 
 vidence. Such unfeigned friendship is not extin- 
 guished, even in misfortunes. 
 
 ' Men have not that confidence in their mothers, in 
 their wives, sisters, brothers, nor in their own off- 
 springs, as in one who is a friend in principle.' 
 
 In this manner having lamented the fate of the 
 tortoise, the mouse continued, crying out, — Oh ! how 
 hard is my fate ! in the following words : 
 
 ' By me have been experienced, even here, as 
 
EAGLES AND PROVERBS. 95 
 
 the fruits of the state of existence, in some cer- 
 tain birth, the good and evil shut up in time, which 
 are the seekings of the offsprings of our own 
 works. * 
 
 ' The body is compounded with disorders, the 
 state of opulence with calamities, advantages with 
 disadvantages ! Thus everything is produced with 
 a companion who shall destroy it.' 
 
 Having again pondered for a while, he' ex- 
 claimed, 
 
 ' By whom was constructed that jewel of a word, 
 the monosyllable Friend, that dispeller of fear, the 
 
 * This verse is written in a kind of measure which they call eendra- 
 vaj'ra (the lightning of the God of the heavens). The curious may not 
 dislike to see it in its original form ; from which, and the verbal transla- 
 tion, he may judge of Sanskrit composition in general, and find an 
 excuse for the quaintness of the translation in some parts : - 
 
 swa-karma-santana-veecheshteetauee 
 mvn-work-offspring- seekings 
 kala-'ntara-'vreetta-soobha-'soobhanee 
 time-within-shut-good-not-good 
 e^hi-'va dreeshtanee mayi-va tanee 
 here ei'en seen by me even those 
 janma-'ntaranee-'va dasa-'phalanee 
 birth-within as it were stage of life fruits. 
 
 The first and second lines contain but one compound word each ; for 
 there is no sign of either case, gender, or number, till you get to the 
 end, where there is the termination of the plural number in the neuter. 
 ■ This manner of writing, which is very common, is called samasa (throw- 
 ing or placing together), and is a most happy mode for the Brah'mans, 
 who are the interpreters of the law. 
 
96 The hitopadesa .■ 
 
 harbinger of grief, and the confidential repository, of 
 our joys ? ' 
 
 But, 
 
 ' A friend who is a pleasing collyrium to the eyes, 
 the delight of the heart, and a vessel in which may 
 be deposited both joy and sorrow, is hard to be found 
 by a friend. 
 
 'All other friends, tainted with the lust of gain,, 
 are everywhere to be found in times of prosperity y 
 and adversity is their touchstone.' 
 
 Hiranyaka having in this manner greatly lamented 
 the fate of his friend, said to the deer Chitranga and 
 the crow, — Let our efforts be exerted for the deliver- 
 ance of Manthara, before the hunter departs from 
 the forest. Let us, said they, be instructed in what we 
 should do. Let Chitranga go near the water, said 
 Hiranyaka, and feign himself senseless and dead, 
 and let the crow appear as if he were pecking at 
 him ; when the hunter, spying a deer, and longing 
 to taste of his flesh, will be overjoyed, and so laying 
 the tortoise upon the ground, will run to secure 
 him. In the meantime I will gnaw asunder the 
 cords by which Manthara is confined. The deer and 
 the crow did as they were instructed immediately. 
 The hunter being thirsty/ laid the tortoise upon the 
 ground, and having drank some water, sat down in 
 the shade of a tree, when he discovered the deer in 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 97 
 
 the situation above described. He concluded that he 
 had been killed by some sportsman, and pleased 
 with his good fortune, went towards .him with a knife 
 in his hand. In the meantime Hiranyaka contrived 
 to loosen the cords by which Manthara was held ; 
 who finding himself at liberty made haste into the 
 water ; whilst the deer seeing the huntsman approach- 
 ing, started up and ran away. The huntsman then 
 turned back, and repairing to the foot of the tree, 
 and not finding the tortoise there, he began to 
 reflect in this manner, — I have been served right, 
 said he, for not having been more circumspect. 
 
 "' He who forsaketh a certainty, and attendeth to 
 an uncertainty, loseth both the certainty and the 
 uncertainty together.' 
 
 So, having said this, he returned home dis- 
 appointed by his own folly ; and the tortoise with 
 the rest remained together in mutual happiness. 
 
 The Rajah's sons then said, — We have all been 
 greatly entertained ; and now is completed what we 
 first wished for. May every other of your Highness's 
 inclinations, replied Vishnu-Sarma k be accomplished 
 like this ! 
 
 ' May you, ye good ! find friends in this world }/ 
 May Lakshmee be for ever to be found ! May 
 princes, resting upon their, particular duty, govern 
 and protect the earth ! 
 
 D 
 
98 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 'May the conduct of those who act well 
 afford pleasure to the mind ! By words alone 
 no one is groat. May he on .whose diadem is 
 a crescent,* cause prosperity to the people of the 
 earth ! ' 
 
 * Seeva, the god of good and evil destiny, who is represented with a 
 crescent in the front of his crown. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 99 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE SEPARATION OF A FAVOURITE. 
 
 Having, sir, said the young princes, heard The 
 Acquisition of a Friend, we are now anxious to be 
 informed of what respects The Separation of a 
 Favourite. 
 
 Attend then, answered Vishnu-Sarma, and you 
 shall hear concerning the Separation of a Favourite, 
 of which these lines are an introduction : 
 
 In a certain forest there subsisted a great and in* 
 creasing friendship between a lion and a bull, which 
 is destroyed by a cruel and very envious jackal. 
 
 How was this ? demanded the Rajah's sons ; and 
 Vishnu-Sarma related the following story : 
 
 FABLE I. 
 
 On the southern road is a city, by name Ratna- 
 vatee,* where used to dwell a merchant's son, who 
 
 * Rich in precious things, Probably the name was made for the 
 occasion. 
 
 D 2 
 
ioo THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 was called Varddhamana,* though possessed of abun- 
 dant wealth, seeing others his relations very rich, his 
 resolution was that his own greatness should still be 
 increased. They say, 
 
 ' Greatness doth not approach him who is for ever 
 looking down ; and all those who are looking high 
 are growing poor.'t 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Even a man who hath murdered a Brahman is 
 respectable, if he hath abundant wealth. He maybe 
 of a race like that of the moon.J still, if he be without 
 riches, he will be despised. 
 
 ' Lakshmee, as a young woman likes not an old hus- 
 band, doth not like to take unto her one without 
 energy, the idle, him who trusteth in fate alone, or the 
 man who is become destitute by his own extravagance. 
 
 1 Idleness, the worship of women, the being afflicted 
 with disorder, a foolish partiality for one's own native 
 place, discontentedness, and timidity, are six obstruc- 
 tions to greatness.' 
 
 * Growing great, rich, or opulent. This is the true name of that city 
 and province in Bengal, which we commonly call Burdwan. 
 
 + Whether this be the literal meaning of the author, the translator 
 is not certain ; if it be, he is at a loss to interpret it to his own 
 satisfaction. [Neither elated nor dejected, look straight at the work 
 before you. — H. M.] 
 
 $ The Hindoo genealogists mention two races from which (hey boast 
 descent: the Soorya-bangs, and the Chandra-vangs ; that is, the race of 
 the sun, and the race of the moon. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 101 
 
 It is also said, 
 
 ' A man should try to obtain what he hath not ; 
 having obtained it he should keep it with care ; what 
 hath been preserved he should increase, and being in- 
 creased he should give it away at places of holy 
 visitation. 
 
 ' He whose days are passed away without giving 
 or enjoying, puffing like the bellows of a blacksmith, 
 liveth but by breathing.' 
 
 From the endeavours of one who longeth for what 
 he hath not got, resulteth the acquisition. Property 
 which hath been acquired, not being taken care of, 
 wasteth of itself. Riches which are not recruited, 
 like a collyrium,* by ever so small an expenditure, 
 are in time reduced to nothing ; if they are not ap- 
 propriated, they are useless. 
 
 'What hath he to do with wealth, who neither 
 giveth nor enjoyeth ? What hath he to do with 
 strength, who doth not exert it against the foe ? 
 JWhat hath he do with the holy law, who doth not 
 practise virtue ? What hath he to do with a soul, 
 who doth not keep his passions in subjection ? ' 
 
 Again : 
 
 * Crude antimony, and sometimes lead ore, ground to an impalpable 
 powder, which the people of India put into their eyes by means of a 
 polished wire dipped therein. They fancy it clears the sight, andf 
 increases the lustre of the eye. „ 
 
lo2 THE HltOPADESA .- 
 
 ' Having beheld the decrease of a collyrium, and 
 the collected heap of the white ant,* a man should 
 spend his days, which are not to be retarded, in acts 
 of charity and the study of virtue. 
 
 ' By the fall of drops of water, by degrees, a pot is 
 filled. Let this be an example for the acquisition of 
 all knowledge, virtue, and riches.' 
 
 These were the cogitations of the merchant ; who 
 accordingly took two bulls, the one called Sang- 
 jeevaka,t the other Nandana,! and having yoked them 
 to a cart loaded with sundry precious articles, de- 
 parted for Kasmeera,§ for the purpose of trade. 
 
 For, 
 
 ' What is too great a load for those who have 
 strength ? What is distance to the indefatigable ? 
 What is a foreign country to those who have science ? 
 Who is a stranger to those who have the habit of 
 speaking kindly ? ' 
 
 As they were going over the mountain which is 
 called Sudurga, li Sang-jeevaka fell down and brake 
 his knee ; seeing which, Varddhamana meditated in 
 this manner : 
 
 * These destructive insects raise cones of cemented earth of an 
 astonishing magnitude . They are frequently seen in Bengal eight or ten 
 feet high, and of a proportionate bulk. 
 
 + Living together, alluding to his being yoked. 
 
 t Rejoicing. 
 
 § The province of Cashmere. 
 
 | Of vcy difficult ascent. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 103 
 
 ' One acquainted with men and manners may 
 exercise his endeavours here and there ; but, after 
 all, the fruit will be whatever is in the will of provi- 
 dence.' 
 
 But, 
 
 ' Hesitation should be abandoned as the opponent 
 of every action ; whence, having forsaken hesitation, 
 let success attend the performance.' 
 
 Having thus determined, Varddhamana quitting 
 Sang-jeevaka, pursued his journey ; and the poor 
 bull by resting his whole weight upon three feet con- 
 trived to get up ; for, 
 
 'The destined age of every one defendeth the 
 vitals of one plunged into the water, fallen from a 
 precipice, or bitten by a serpent.' 
 
 In a few days, by feeding well upon what was 
 most agreeable to him, he grew plump and full of 
 spirits ; and as he wandered about through the tracks 
 of the forest, he made a great bellowing. In this 
 same forest there resided Pingalaka,* a lion, in the 
 full enjoyment of the pleasures of a dominion 
 acquired by the strength of his own arm; for it 
 is said, 
 
 ' There is no ceremony of anointing, or inaugura- 
 tion, performed by the other animals upon the lion. 
 
 * A word expressive of the colour of a Hon. 
 
104 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 To be head of the beasts is the natural right of him 
 who subdueth the kingdom by his prowess.' 
 
 One day, the lion being thirsty, went to the river- 
 side to drink of its waters ; when, hearing the bellow- 
 ing of -Sang-jeevaka, a kind of noise he had never 
 heard before, and which to him appeared as dreadful 
 as the unseasonable roaring of a cloud,* he turned 
 away without drinking, and went back to his abode 
 trembling with fear ; where he stood silently medi- 
 tating what it could be. In this situation the Rajah 
 having been discovered by two jackals of his council, 
 Karattaka and Damanaka,t the latter said to the 
 former, — How is this, my friend, that the lion, 
 although thirsty, has not drunk his usual draught, 
 and stays at home so dull and dejected ? Friend 
 Damanaka, replied Karattaka, in my opinion we 
 ought not to serve this same Rajah any longer; and 
 that being the case, for what purpose should we 
 
 * A few years since there happened one of these unseasonable claps 
 of thunder, without the least warning, from a single cloud that had by 
 no means the appearance of one of those which threaten thunder. The 
 lightning being attracted by the obelisk erected in Calcutta to the 
 memory of those who suffered in the black hole, its shaft was greatly 
 damaged, and a large slab of marble, on which was the inscription, 
 burst from the iron clamps which held it to the brickwork, and 
 shattered to pieces. 
 
 t These are the original names which the Persians, and, after them, 
 the Europeans have corrupted into Kalila and Damna. The former 
 may signify one who Iweth a reproachful life, and the latter, one who 
 chastisrth, correctelh, tameth. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 105 
 
 investigate his motions, when we have served him so 
 many years and experienced nothing but trouble ? 
 
 ' See what is done in serving by those slaves who 
 are covetous of wealth ! And see also what liberty 
 the body is deprived of by those fools ! ' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Those who are the dependents of another suffer 
 cold, and wind, and heat, and fatigue ! A wise man 
 with a portion of it could do penance and be happy. 
 
 ' So faV life is worth having : to possess a liveli- 
 hood without constraint ; for if those who dwell under 
 the authority of others live, pray w'.:o are the dead ? 
 
 '■Work, go, fall, rise, speak, be silent! In this 
 manner do the rich sport with those needy men, who 
 are held by the grip of dependence ! 
 
 ' Fools for the sake of gain dress themselves, and 
 dress themselves to become the implements of 
 others ! ' 
 
 Here is another very particular picture of a 
 servant : 
 
 ' He humbleth himself to be exalted ; for a living 
 he expendeth his vitals ; he suffereth pain to acquire 
 ease. Who is there so great a fool, as he who 
 serveth ? 
 
 ' If he is silent, he is stupid ; if rich in words, an 
 empty prattler ; by patiently submitting, he is a 
 
106 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 coward ; and if he will not suffer patiently, for the 
 most part, he is not preferred. 
 
 ' Seen on one side, he is, undoubtedly, sitting 
 down ; and if standing at a distance, he is not to be 
 found. The duties of servitude are extremely pro- 
 found, and impracticable, even to Yogees.' * 
 
 What thou proposest, my friend, said Damanaka, 
 is by no means to be put in practice. 
 
 ' How ! are not the mighty lords to be diligently 
 served by thee, who, without delay, gladly fulfil the 
 desires of the heart ? 
 
 ' When do those without employ enjoy those ele- 
 vated stations distinguished by the Chamara,t the 
 white umbrella spread upon a lofty pole, the horse," 
 the elephant, and the splendid litter ? ' % 
 
 Notwithstanding all this, observed Karattaka, what 
 have we to do with this affair ? § One should always 
 avoid meddling with other folks' business. See what 
 is said upon this occasion : 
 
 The man who will have to do in matters with which 
 
 * Such as by severe acts of penance, and a total abstraction, fancy 
 themselves in unity with the Supreme Being. 
 
 t A kind of whisk made of the tail of a particular species of cow, 
 and sometimes of peacocks' feathers, finely ornamented, used to chase 
 the flies away. In the vulgar dialect of Hindostan this instrument is 
 called ckcrwry, which seems to be a corruption of the Sanskrit term. 
 
 X The palanquin, properly falkee. 
 
 § The lion's returning from the river without drinking. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. to? 
 
 he hath no business, may be repulsed and sleep upon he 
 ground ; like the ape w/10 drew out the wedge. 
 
 How was that? demanded, Damanaka ; and he 
 related the following story : 
 
 FABLE II. 
 
 In the country which is called Magadha,* Subha- 
 danta, a man of the Kayastha tribe, t had begun to 
 build a theatre for an entertainment. One of the 
 carpenters having with his saw cut some way through 
 a piece of timber, put a wedge into the slit. A troop 
 of apes coming that way in search of their usual 
 food, one of them, as if directed by the wand of 
 Time, took hold of that wedge with his two hands, 
 and sitting down, his lower parts hung within the 
 slit. At length, from the natural giddiness of his 
 species, with great difficulty he drew out the wedge, 
 so that the boards closing, what was between them 
 was entirely destroyed, and he deprived of his life. 
 Wherefore, I say, 
 
 The man who will, &c. 
 
 For all this, said Damanaka, the concerns of the 
 
 * Probably the ancient name of south Bahar. 
 
 + The scribes, commonly called kayts, of which class are most of 
 those employed by the English, and other Europeans, in India, as 
 writers and accountants, under the titles Sircar, Bannian, Cranny, &c-, 
 and they are particularly famous for grand and expensive entertainments 
 in honour of their divinities, which are generally given in temporary 
 theatres of sufficient capacity to contain many hundred spectators. 
 
io8 THE HTTOPADESA : 
 
 master should certainly be looked into, even by the 
 servant. The prime minister, observed Karattaka, 
 being employed in the superintendence of all affairs, 
 let him do it. An inferior should, on no occasion, 
 interfere with the department of another ; for, 
 
 He zvho shall meddle with the department of another, 
 out of zeal for the welfare of his master, may repent ; 
 like the ass who was punished for braying. 
 
 Damanaka inquired how that happened ; and 
 Karattaka recounted the following story : 
 
 FABLE III. 
 
 At Varanasee * there lived . a washerman, t whose 
 name was Karphoora-patta.+ Once upon a time, 
 having spent the evening until it was very late in the 
 agreeable company of a young woman, he went to 
 bed fatigued, and slept soundly. In the meantime, a 
 thief got in with an intention to rob the house. In 
 the court there were an ass and a dog. The ass 
 said to the dog, upon hearing the thief, — This is 
 fhy business ; then why dost thou not get up, and by 
 barking contrive to rouse thy master? What hast 
 
 * The city we call Benares, which is a corruption of the former. It 
 is a compound of two words denoting the two rivulets which bound that 
 ancient city. 
 
 + Washing is seldom performed by women in India, except as help- 
 mates to their husbands. 
 • 1 White-cloth. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 109 
 
 thou to do with my department ? replied the dog. 
 Thou knowest full well how I watch and guard this 
 house, and yet this master of ours doth not consider 
 my merit ; and I am evsn stinted in my allowance 
 of provisions. Now, masters in general, without spy- 
 ing some fault in their servants, are not wont to 
 shorten their allowance. Hear me, barbarian ! * ex- 
 claimed the ass. The dog species, from their nature, 
 are not to be touched. But learn once more what 
 is the duty of a servant : 
 
 'Is he a servant, is he a friend, who hesitateth at 
 the time of action ? Should the business be ruined, 
 could it be occasioned by a servant, or by a friend ? ' 
 
 The dog replied, — Hear me for a moment: 
 
 'Is he a master who, at a proper season, doth not 
 consider his servants ? Are not they who keep ser* 
 vants on all occasions to cherish them ? ' 
 
 Do they not also say, 
 
 ' Dependents should have no interrupters in their 
 meals, in their amusements, in the execution of their 
 duty, in their religious ceremonies, nor in doing good 
 for the sake of virtue.' 
 
 The ass in a rage exclaimed, — Villain ! thou neg- 
 lectest thy master's business. Be it so ; but it is my 
 duty to do something that shall wake him ; for, 
 
 * The original word is barbara. This is curious. 
 
no THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 'The sun should be worshipped on the back, the 
 god of fire on the belly, a master in every way, and 
 the world above without deceit.' 
 
 Having repeated these lines, he began to make 
 a -great noise by braying; so that the washerman 
 was alarmed ; but, although exceedingly drowsy, he 
 got up and gave the ass a good beating with a 
 large stick. I repeat, therefore, " He who shall 
 meddle," &c. 
 
 Observe : Our employment is searching for game ; 
 then let us attend to our proper business. But now I 
 have considered, I think there is not any occasion 
 for our doing that to-day ; for there is plenty of 
 provisions for us, and some to spare. 
 
 Damanaka, displeased at this observation, ex- 
 claimed, — What ! Dost thou serve his Highness, the 
 Rajah, merely for the sake of food ? This is very 
 unwise ; as is declared in these lines : 
 
 ' By the wise the patronage of princes is sought to 
 gain the assistance of friends, as well as aid against, 
 the treachery of enemies ; for, who doth not simply 
 fill his belly ? ' 
 
 They say, 
 
 ' Let him live, in whom living many live. Doth 
 not even the booby fill his belly with his bill ? ' 
 
 Observe : 
 
* I 
 
 FABLES AND PROVERBS. m 
 
 'What man with five Poorans* is reduced to ser- 
 vitude ?- Who upon a parallel with riches is not found 
 by riches ? t 
 
 'Mankind being by birth upon an equality, the 
 state of servitude is reproachful. He who is not the 
 first of his species, is counted among those who are 
 dependents.' 
 
 It is said also, 
 
 ' The difference which is between horses, elephants, 
 and vehicles ; wood, stone, and cloth ; women, men, 
 and water, is a very great difference.' 
 
 For, 
 
 'A dog having found a bone with a few sinews 
 sticking about it, dirty, loathsome, and without a bit 
 of meat upon it, is rendered exceedingly happy, 
 although it be not sufficient to satisfy his hunger/ 
 
 Whilst, 
 
 ' The lion permitteth the jackal to come near and 
 escape, and killeth the elephant. Every man, although 
 reduced to distress, longeth for fruit suitable to his 
 strength.' 
 
 * The term pooran (literally ancient) is given to such Hindoo books 
 as treat of creation in general, with the particular genealogy, and 
 history of their gods and herbes of antiquity. But why the number/ft'? 
 is chosen in this place is not easily to be explained. 
 
 t Which seems to signify, 1 wht may not acquire wealth if he exerts 
 himself? 
 
1 1 2 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 Observe the difference in the behaviour of him who 
 serveth, and of him who is served : 
 
 ' Shaking the tail, falling down at the feet, and, 
 prostrated upon the ground, looking up at his face 
 and stomach : all this the dog performeth to his master 
 who feedeth him. But the noble elephant looketh 
 boldly, and eateth not, unless he liketh, with a 
 hundred kind entreaties.' 
 
 But, 
 
 'That life, although it endure but for a moment, 
 which is celebrated by mankind, as being attended 
 by knowledge, valour, and renown, is, by those who 
 know it, alone distinguished by the name of life. A 
 crow liveth a long time, and a raven eateth.' 
 
 For, 
 
 ' How is that brute-like man distinguished from a 
 beast, whose understanding is void of the power to 
 discriminate between good and evil, who is destitute 
 of the many benefits of the sacred records, and whose 
 only inclination is the filling of his belly ? ' 
 
 But what have we, interrupted Karattaka, to do 
 with these reflections ; we, who are of little power, and 
 not the principal ? In a very short interval of time 
 a minister may enjoy the principal station, or the 
 reverse, replied Damanaka ; for, they say, 
 
 'No one is, by nature, noble, respected of any one, 
 
FABLES AND- PRO VERBS. 1 1 3 
 
 nor a wretch. His own actions conduct him either to 
 wretchedness, or to the reverse,' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' As by repeated efforts, a stone is mounted upon 
 the summit of a hill, and instantly thrown down ; so 
 may we ourselves, by our virtues and our vices, be 
 elevated and cast down.' 
 
 But after all, observed Karattaka, what is it thou 
 art speaking of? The curious story, replied 
 Damanaka, of his Highness Pingalaka's returning 
 without drinking, and staying at home. What ! 
 demanded Karattaka, art thou acquainted with it ? 
 Is there anything, said Damanaka, unknown to a 
 wise man ? It is said, 
 
 'A declared meaning is comprehended even by 
 brutes : horses and elephants understand when they 
 are told ; but a wise man findeth out even what is 
 not declared. The advantage to be derived from 
 our senses is to conceive what is only signified by 
 another.' 
 
 Then, I will now, through the opportunity given 
 by his fears, turn the fault to my own advantage, 
 with the superiority of wisdom ; for, 
 
 ' He is a wise man who knoweth, that his words 
 should be suited to ' the occasion, his love to the , 
 worthiness of the object, and his anger according to 
 his strength.' 
 
H4. THE HITOPADESA .- 
 
 Friend, said Karattaka, thou art unacquainted with 
 the ways of service. _ 
 
 ' He who entereth uncalled for, unquestioned 
 speaketh much, and regardeth himself with satisfaction, 
 to his prince appeareth one of a weak judgment.' 
 
 How am I therein ignorant of the ways of service, 
 demanded Damanaka ; for, 
 
 ' Is there anything of its own nature beautiful or 
 not beautiful ? The beauty of a thing is even that 
 by which it shineth.* 
 
 'One of a sound judgment having pursued a man 
 with those very qualities of which he is possessed, 
 may presently lead him into his power.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Upon hearing, " Who is here ?" he should answer, 
 " I ! — please to command." And he should execute the 
 orders of his sovereign to the best of his abilities.' 
 
 It is said, 
 
 ' Disobedience of orders to the sovereign, and 
 disrespect to the Brahmans, is death without, the 
 application of a knife.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' He who is steady in trifling matters, wise, like a 
 
 * This passage seems-to imply, that beauty should be estimated by 
 good qualities, rather than by outward show." 
 
FABLES AND -PRO VERBS. 1 1 5 
 
 shadow constantly in attendance, and who being 
 ordered may not hesitate, is a proper person to dwell 
 in the court of a prince.' 
 
 Sometimes, observed Karattaka, thy master is dis- 
 pleased with thee for thy unseasonable intrusions. 
 It is true, replied Damanaka; nevertheless, atten- 
 dants must, unavoidably, make their appearance. 
 They say, 
 
 'The non-commencement of anything, from the 
 fear of offence, is the mark of a weak man. Who, 
 brother, leaveth off eating entirely, from the dread 
 of indigestion?' 
 
 Observe : 
 
 'The sovereign serveth the man who is near him, 
 although destitute of learning, of no family, or with- 
 out acquaintance. Princes often, like women and 
 vines, twine about him who sitteth by his side.' * 
 
 Well, said Karattaka, if thou go there, what wilt 
 thou say to his Highness? Attend, replied Dama- 
 naka: First of all I will find out whether he is 
 attached to me, or not attached. What signs, 
 demanded Karattaka, are there of such a discovery ? 
 I will tell thee, said Damanaka ; the signs of attach- 
 ment are, 
 
 * This seems to argue that princes are apt to serve sycophants, and 
 the panders of their pleasures, in preference to good and learned men. 
 
1 1 6 THE HITOPADE&A : 
 
 'Joy at discovering at a distance, great attention 
 and respect in inquiries, commending qualifications 
 in absence, and remembering in those things which 
 are favourites. 
 
 ' Such knowledge of attachment, even in a servant, 
 is an addition to one's happiness. The marks of 
 attachment, even to a fault, are an accumulation of 
 virtues. 
 
 'A wise man may also discover these signs in those 
 servants who are not attached : squandering of time 
 in idleness, increasing of hopes, and destroying the 
 fruit.'* 
 
 When I have made this discovery, I will declare what 
 my purpose shall be. Karattaka then said, — Not- 
 withstanding this, it doth not behove thee to speak 
 until thou hast found a proper opportunity. For, 
 
 ' Even Vrihaspati,t should he utter words unseason- 
 ably, would incur contempt for his understanding, 
 and eternal disgrace.' 
 
 Do not be alarmed, my friend, cried Damanaka, I 
 shall not speak unseasonably ; for, 
 
 ' In misfortune, in error, and when the time ap- 
 pointed for certain affairs is about to elapse, a 
 
 * Disappointing. 
 
 t Amongst other titles given to this divinity, is that of Master of 
 Language. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 117 
 
 servant, who hath his master's welfare at heart, 
 ought to speak unasked.' 
 
 Indeed, if I were not to give my counsel whenever 
 I find an occasion, my office of counsellor would be 
 useless. 
 
 'The qualification by which a man earneth his 
 bread, and for which he is celebrated in the world, 
 should be nourished and improved.'* 1 
 
 Then, peace be with thee ! for know that I am 
 going, concluded Damanaka. And may success 
 attend thy design ! replied Karattaka. 
 
 Damanaka, accordingly, repaired into the presence 
 of Pingalaka, with hesitation, as it were ; but as he 
 was discovered by the Rajah at some distance, he 
 entered with great marks of respect, and having per- 
 formed that mode of prostration which is called 
 Ashttangapata,t he drew near ; and the lion, stroking 
 him with his right paw, the toes of which were dis- 
 tinguished by ornaments, accosted him in the follow- 
 ing words, which were preceded by a great many 
 compliments : It is long since I have seen you, sir ! 
 
 Damanaka replied : I have not the least occasion 
 to attend your divine feet ; nevertheless, a servant 
 
 * This verse was translated partly from conjecture, the original being 
 defective in several words. 
 
 + This expression literally means falling down with eight members, 
 which is the most humble and respectful mode of approaching a great 
 personage in India. 
 
1 18 THE HJTOPADESA : 
 
 should indispensably attend the presence at proper 
 times ; and thence it is that I am now here. - 
 
 ' Those who are penetrated with the. timid princi- 
 ples of their instructors, despise the speeches of those, 
 when approaching the presence of the sovereign, by 
 whom, in warsj Surabhi,* of ponderous form and tall, 
 the earth everlastingly to be adored, hath been 
 pierced by the fall of a hundred weapons.' 
 
 Another poet says : 
 
 ' The man whose heart is tainted with fear, al- 
 though profuse of speech, in the presence of the king, 
 amongst learned men, or in the company of women 
 well inclined for a husband, is a coward.' 
 
 There is a use for the most trifling implements ; as 
 is mentioned in these lines : 
 
 ' Sovereigns, O prince, have occasion even for 
 straws, and things to rub the teeth, or pick the ears ; 
 but how much more for an able speaker, and a 
 dexterous obviator of difficulties ? ' 
 
 Perhaps my noble master suspects, that being 
 oppressed with years, my understanding is lost ; for, 
 
 'Those who are possessed of good or bad qualities 
 are not sensible of it themselves. The good traveller 
 
 * This name is also given to the cow of plenty, and this is the first 
 time the translator has seen it applied to the earth ; but the earth may 
 well be called the cow of plenty. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 119 
 
 doth not perceive that the Kastoorika* hath any 
 enjoyment of her precious perfume.' 
 
 Nevertheless,, 
 
 ' Although a gem may tumble at the feet, and a 
 piece of glass be worn upon the head, yet, at the 
 season of buying and selling, glass is glass, and gems 
 are gems. 
 
 ' It should not be suspected of a man, whose life 
 hath been spent in noble deeds, that his reason is lost, 
 when he is only involved in trouble. A fire may be 
 overturned, but its flame will never descend.' 
 
 Please your divine Highness, the master should 
 conduct himself with distinction ; for, 
 
 ' When the master passeth over all alike, without 
 distinction, then the endeavours of those who are 
 capable of exertion are entirely lost. 
 
 ' There are, O Rajah, three degrees amongst man- 
 kind : the highest, the lowest, and the middling ; and 
 accordingly, they should be engaged in three degrees 
 of employment. 
 
 ' Servants and houses should be suited to the 
 situation. A gem should not be placed at the feet. 
 The same is to be understood of an able man.' 
 
 Thus : 
 
 ' If a gem be discovered at the feet, which is 
 
 * The musk deer. 
 
120 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 worthy to be worn in an ornament of gold, and it 
 doth not complain,* and it doth not also appear with 
 splendour, he who placed it there is to be spoken to.' 
 
 Observe : 
 
 "'This is a man of judgment, and attached; and 
 this a giddy fellow, and undisciplined." The chief, 
 who knoweth how to judge of servants in, this 
 manner, is well served.' 
 
 They say : 
 
 ' A horse, a weapon, a book, a Veena.t a speech, 
 and a man or woman, are, or are not, to be employed, 
 when their merits have been examined.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' What is to be done With a faithful servant who is 
 without ability ; or with an able man who is an oppo- 
 nent ? It doth not behove thee, O Rajah, to despise 
 either the one or the other.' 
 
 For, 
 
 'The attendants of a prince, because of his dis- 
 
 * In this expression the allegory seems to be carried too far. 
 
 f.An instrument of the string kind, very much esteemed in India. 
 It is constructed of a long piece of wood upon which a number of 
 steel strings are strained, and which serves also for the finger-board, it 
 being furnished with frets almost from one extremity to the other, with 
 each end fixed horizontally upon the pole (if the expression be allowed) 
 of a large pumpkin, or an oblate sphere of wood hollowed for the 
 purpose. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 321 
 
 respect, grow thoughtless ; and by that example men 
 of judgment forbear to go near him. 
 
 ' When a kingdom is forsaken by its wise men, the 
 administration ceaseth to be efficacious ; and for want 
 of good regulations, the whole nation sinketh without 
 power to resist' 
 
 Again : 
 
 'Mankind are for ever wont to respect him who 
 is respected by the prince ; for he who is in disgrace 
 with the sovereign is disrepected by all. 
 
 'What wise men have declared proper, may be 
 received even from a child. When the sun is invisible, 
 how useful is the appearance of the lamp ! ' 
 
 We are your faithful servants, attached to your 
 Highness's feet ; and we have no other place of 
 refuge. 
 
 It is good, replied Pingalaka ; but what of all this, 
 Damanaka ? Thou hast been for a long time our 
 head Mantri-putra ; * whither, then, hast thou been 
 wandering in pursuit of vulgar sayings ? Thou art 
 now even prime minister. 
 
 Damanaka then said. — May it please your divinity, 
 I am about to propose a question : What was the 
 reason your Highness, when oppressed with thirst, 
 
 * The literal meaning of this term is Counsellor-sen ; but the con- 
 text leads one to conclude, that the lion means to say, he has teen a 
 long time the principal of those who are inferior to the prime minister. 
 
122 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 refused to drink, and now remains at home in a state 
 of amazement ? 
 
 It is well spokenj answered Eingalaka. How 
 pleasant it is to repose a secret in a place of con- 
 fidence ! I am about to tell thee. Attend ! Know 
 that this forest is infested by some beast, before un- 
 known to us ; wherefore it behoveth us to abandon it. 
 Hast thou not heard a strange loud noise? To 
 judge by his voice, the strength of this monster must 
 be excessive ! 
 
 Please your divinity, replied Damanaka, there is 
 indeed great cause for apprehension. We too have 
 heard the voice ; but he is unworthy to be a minister 
 who, in the first instance, adviseth either to quit the 
 field or to fight. Besides, your Highness has now an 
 opportunity to experience the use of your servants ; 
 for, 
 
 ' By the touchstone of misfortune a man discovereth 
 the quality of wife, relations, and servants ; and of his 
 own strength and judgment,.' 
 
 It is good, replied the lion ; but I am prevented 
 by my great apprehensions. 
 
 Damanaka having considered what he should do, 
 at length said, — What ! dost thou speak to us about 
 a total abdication of the enjoyment of thy dominions? 
 I tell your Highness plainly, that as long as I live, I 
 shall not be afraid ; but it is necessary that the minds 
 
pables and pro verbs, in 
 
 of Karattaka and the rest should be pacified also ; for 
 in times of necessity, it is difficult to assemble people 
 together. 
 
 After that Karattaka and Damanaka together, 
 having received their sovereign's gracious commis- 
 sion, promised to defeat the threatened danger, and 
 departed accordingly. 
 
 As they were going along, Karattaka said to 
 Damanaka,— Is the cause of apprehension possible 
 to be defeated, or not possible ? Till this has been 
 determined, why did we, in promising to apply a 
 remedy, accept of this great appointment ? For it 
 is said, that no one, unless he hath the power to 
 perform, should accept of any one's commission, and, 
 in particular, that of a king. 
 
 Observe, 
 
 'He is all-glorious, on whose pleasure fortune 
 waiteth, in whose valour victory, and in whose anger 
 death. 
 
 ' The sovereign, although but a child, is not to be 
 despised, but to be respected as a man ; or as a 
 mighty divinity, who presideth in human form.' 
 
 Damanaka, laughing,. said, — Hold thy peace, friend j 
 I am acquainted with the cause of this fear : it is 
 only the bellowing of a bull, our proper food> as well 
 as that of the lion. If this be the case, observed 
 Karattaka, why were not his Highness's fears instantly 
 
124 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 appeased ? If, replied Damanaka, they had been 
 satisfied immediately, how would this great commis- 
 sion have been obtained ? They say, 
 
 The master slionld never be rendered free from appre- 
 hension by his servants ; for a servant having quieted 
 the fears of his master may experience the fate of 
 Dadhikarna.* 
 
 How was that ? demanded Karattaka ; and Dama- 
 naka related the following story: 
 
 FABLE IV. 
 
 Upon the mountain Arbuda-sikhara, there was a 
 lion, whose name was Mahavikrama,t the tips of 
 whose mane a mouse was wont to gnaw, as he slept 
 in his den. The noble beast, having discovered that 
 his hair was bitten, was very much displeased ; and 
 as he was unable to catch the offender, who always 
 slipped into his hole, he meditated what was best to 
 be done ; and having resolved, said he, 
 
 ' Whoso hath a trifling enemy, who is not to be 
 overcome by dint of valour, should employ against 
 him a force of his own likeness.' 
 
 With a review of this saying, the lion repaired to 
 the village, and by means of a piece of meat thrown 
 
 * Whose ears are the colour of curds : white-ear. 
 t Great courage. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 125 
 
 into his hole, with some difficulty caught a cat, 
 whose name was Dadhikarna. He carried him home, 
 and the mouse for some time not venturing out for 
 fear, the lion remained with his hair unnipped. At 
 length, however, the mouse was so oppressed with 
 hunger, that creeping about, he was caught and de- 
 voured by the cat. The lion now no longer hearing 
 the noise of the mouse, thought he had no further 
 occasion for the services of the cat, and so began to 
 be sparing of his allowance ; and, in consequence, 
 poor puss pined away and died for want. Wherefore, 
 I say, — " The master should never be rendered," &c. 
 
 After this Damanaka and Karattaka advanced to- 
 wards the bull Sang-jeevaka; and Karattaka seated 
 himself in state at the foot of a tree, whilst Dama- , 
 naka addressed the bull in these words, — Friend 
 bull, said he, he who is sitting there is appointed 
 General for the protection of these forests, by Rajah 
 Pingalaka. Then Karattaka gravely said, — Come 
 here directly, or else retire at a distance from these 
 woods, otherwise the fruits of thy disobedience .will 
 be painful. The poor bull, ignorant of the affairs of 
 the country he was in, fearfully advanced towards 
 Karattaka, and made him a profound reverence. It 
 is said, 
 
 'Wisdom .s of more consequence than strength. 
 The want of it is a state of misery. The Din- 
 
126 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 dima* proclaimeth this, sounding, " The miserable are 
 defeated." 
 
 Sang-jeevaka, with a loud voice, said, — What, O 
 General, am I to do ? And Karattaka replied, — If it 
 be thy wish to remain in these forests, bow down to 
 the dust of his Highness's feet. Give me thy word, 
 that there is no danger, said Sang-jeevaka, and upon 
 those terms I am ready to go. These suspicions, 
 observed Karattaka, are unnecessary ; for, 
 
 'The tempest never rooteth up the grass, which is 
 feeble, humble, and shooteth not up on high ; but 
 exerteth its power even to distress the lofty trees ; 
 for the great use not their might, but upon the 
 great.' 
 
 Saying thi&, leaving Sang-jeevaka at a little, dis- 
 tance, they repaired unto the presence of the lion, by 
 whom having been received with attention, they made 
 their reverence, and sat down ; and the Rajah was 
 well pleased. — Know, your Highness, said Damanaka, 
 we have seen this animal, and he is humbled ; never- 
 theless, he is of amazing strength ! According to 
 your divine commands, he is desirous of visiting your 
 Highness's feet, wherefore, arm yourself, and let him 
 draw near ; for, 
 
 * A small drum which it is supposed Seeva, the destroying angel, 
 will sound on the last day, when all things shall be dissolved. 
 
FABLES AND FRO VERBS. 127 
 
 'The bank is penetrated by the waters, although 
 protected by a charm ; friendship is broken by mali- 
 ciousness, and a coward is to be overcome by words 
 alone.' 
 
 By this it is seen that one should not be alarmed 
 at a mere sound ; for, it is said, 
 
 It is not proper to be alarmed at a mere sound, when 
 the cause of that sound is unknoivn. A poor woman 
 obtaineth consequence for discovering the cause of a 
 sound. 
 
 The lion asked how that was ; and Damanaka 
 recounted -the following story : 
 
 FABLE V. 
 
 Between the mountains Sree-parvata there is a 
 city called Brahma-puree,* the inhabitants of which 
 used to believe, that a certain giant, whom they called 
 Ghantta-karna,t infested one of the adjacent hills. 
 The fact was thus : A thief, as he was running away 
 with a bell he had stolen, was overcome and devoured 
 by a tiger ; and the bell falling from his hand having 
 been picked up by some monkeys, every now and 
 then" they used to ring it. Now the people of the 
 
 * There are many places in India called by this name, which signifies 
 the city of God. 
 t Beu-ear. 
 
128 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 town finding that a man had been killed there, and 
 at the same time hearing the bell, used to declare, 
 that the giant Ghantta-karna being enraged, was 
 devouring a man, and ringing his bell ; so that the 
 city was abandoned by all the principal inhabitants. 
 At length, however, a certain poor woman having 
 considered the subject, discovered that the bell was 
 rung by the monkeys. She accordingly went to the 
 Rajah, and said, — If, divine sir, I may expect a very 
 great reward, I will engage to silence this Ghantta- 
 karna. The Rajah was exceedingly well pleased, and 
 gave her some money. So having displayed her 
 consequence to the priesthood of the country, to 
 the leaders of the army, and to all the rest of 
 the people, she provided such fruits as she con- 
 ceived the monkeys were fond of, and went into 
 the wood; where strewing them about, they pre- 
 sently quitted the bell, and attached themselves 
 to the fruit. The poor woman, in the mean- 
 time, took away the bell, and repaired to the city ; 
 where she became an object of adoration to its 
 inhabitants. Wherefore, I say, 
 
 // is not proper to be afraid of a mere sound, &c, . 
 
 Having concluded his story, Damanaka and 
 Karattaka brought Sangjee-vaka, and introduced him 
 to the lion ; after whieh the bull resided in that forest 
 >n great good fellowship. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 129 
 
 Some time after, a brother of the lion's, whose name 
 was Stabdha-karna,* coming to see him, Pihgalaka 
 having entertained him, they went forth to hunt for 
 prey. Upon their return, Sang-jeevaka asked the 
 lion what was become of the flesh of the deer which - 
 had been killed that day ; and the Rajah told him 
 that Damanaka and Karattaka knew. Let it be 
 understood, said Sang-jeevaka, whether there is or is 
 not any. There is not, then, replied the lion, laugh- 
 ing. What ! said Sang-jeevaka, has so much flesh 
 been eaten by those two ? i Eaten, wasted, and given 
 away, answered the lion ; and this is what happens 
 every day. How are such things transacted, de- 
 manded the bull, without the knowledge of your 
 Highness ? Why not ? said the lion. Because it is 
 not proper, observed the bull : for it is said, 
 
 ' A servant should never do anything of himself, 
 without having informed the sovereign his master ; 
 except it be what he may do to prevent a misfor- 
 tune.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' The minister should be like a Kaniandalu,t in 
 which there is deposited a vast collection. Of what 
 use to a sovereign is a -poor idle fool, or a mere 
 empty hull ? 
 
 * Stiff-ear. 
 + A dish which beggars collect their alms in. 
 
j 3 o THE HITOPADESA .- 
 
 For , 
 
 'He is the best minister who enricheth the State 
 but a Kakinee.* The treasury is the vitals of him 
 who hath a treasury.! The animal spirits are not 
 the vitals of princes. 
 
 ' For a. man -will not arrive at the state of being 
 respected by" any other means. When a man is 
 destitute of riches, he is sometimes forsaken, even by, 
 his wife, and how much more by others ! ' 
 
 What great evils these are also in a State ! 
 
 Observe : 
 
 ' Great expenditures, and the want of inspection ; 
 so, unlawful accumulation, plundering, and a distant 
 situation,* are called the evils of the treasury. 
 
 'The rich man spendeth like Visravana,§ who 
 squanderethj according to his inclinations, his income 
 immediately, without regard to its amount.' 
 
 v Stabdha-karna, the Rajah's brother, having at- 
 tended to these words of the bull, declared his 
 sentiments as follows : 
 
 Hear me, brother ; it is my opinion that these two, 
 JCarattaka and Damanaka, being employed in the 
 
 * A small coin of the value of twenty cowries (small shells). 
 + A sovereign. 
 
 % It means probably, that when princes are absent from the seat of 
 government, their officers are apt to be too prodigal of their treasure. 
 § One of the titles of the Hindoo god of riches. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. z 3 i 
 
 superintendence of the affairs of peace and war, are 
 improper persons to preside at the head of the 
 treasury. I will just repeat what I myself have heard 
 upon the subject of persons to be employed. 
 Attend then : 
 
 ' A priest, a soldier, and a relation, are not proper 
 to be employed at the head of affairs. The priest, 
 even when the object for which he was engaged hath 
 been completed, refuseth to resign. 
 
 ' If a soldier be employed in an affair, he directly 
 showeth his sword ; and the relation, presuming upon 
 his relationship, swalloweth up all the profits. 
 
 ' If an old servant be appointed, he will be fearless, 
 even in the commission of crimes ; and, in despite of 
 his master, he may quit his service without reproof. 5 
 
 ' One who hath been useful, in offending, payeth 
 no attention to his offence. He maketh his services 
 a standard, under which to plunder and destroy. 
 
 ' What minister is inattentive amongst riches ? 
 The man forceth himself to be attached ; and from 
 intimacy * he is for ever sure to behave with insolence 
 and contempt. 
 
 ' A minister is always incorrigible, when he shall 
 be grown too great. It is a maxim of those who are 
 esteemed perfect, that abundance is the perverter of 
 reason. 
 
 * Or, from acquaintance, 
 
 E 2 
 
132 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 ' The man who thinketh of nothing but the acqui- 
 sition of wealth, always devoureth the whole without 
 reserve. The "eagle and the vulture may serve a 
 prince as examples of such a minister, 
 
 'Not taking the advantages which are found,* 
 concealing the expenditure of things, inattention, 
 want of judgment, and the being addicted to 
 pleasures, are all faults in a minister. 
 
 ' The collection of the revenues is the business of 
 the officers ; but a constant circumspection, the pay- 
 ment of stipends, and of the return for labour, are the 
 duties of the sovereign. 
 
 ' Until they are pressed, they will not disgorge 
 the royal treasures they have embezzled ; for the 
 officers of revenue, for the most part, are a corrupt 
 class. 
 
 'And the compulsive power of the sovereigns of 
 the earth should be exerted -repeatedly upon their 
 officers; for will a piece of cloth, by being once 
 squeezed, yield up all the water it may have im- 
 bibed ? ' 
 
 The whole of this advice, concluded the lion's 
 brother, should be put in practice, as often as there 
 is found occasion. 
 
 ' The Rajah then said, — It is even so, that these 
 two are not always ready to obey my commands. 
 
 * Not collecting the king's revenues. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 133 
 
 And that, replied his brother, is at no time becoming 
 in them : for, 
 
 'A sovereign should not forgive those who dis- 
 obey his commands, although they were his sons. 
 Especially if it be to the hurt of the revenue, or 
 relative to anything he may have fixed his heart 
 upon.' 
 
 Particularly as it is declared, 
 
 ' The Rajah should, like a father, protect his sub- 
 jects from robbers, from the officers of government, 
 from the common enemy, from the royal favourites, 
 and from his own avarice.' 
 
 Brother, continued he, let my advice be followed: 
 We have made our meal for to-day. Then let the 
 bull, Sang-jeevaka, who eats nothing but grass and 
 corn, be appointed to superintend the provisions. 
 
 After that, he being appointed accordingly, the 
 lion and the bull passed their time together in great, 
 mutual kindness. But the two jackals, upon ex- 
 periencing a relaxation in serving out the, provisions 
 to the officers and dependents, began to consult 
 together what was to be done. It is an evil of our 
 own seeking, said Damanaka, and it is not proper 
 to lament about a misfortune of one's own making. 
 
 I, for having touched Swarna-rekha ; * the barber's 
 
 * Marked with lines of gold. There is some degree of mystery in 
 this verse, which will vanish upon reading the fable. 
 
134 THE HITOPADESA : , 
 
 wife, for having bound herself ; the merchant, for 
 having attempted to steal a jewel : all these suffered for 
 their own faults. 
 
 How was this ? demanded Karattaka ; and Dama- 
 naka related the following stories : 
 
 FABLE VI. 
 
 In the city which is called Kanchana-pura* there was 
 a Rajah, whose name was Veera-vikrama.t Once 
 upon a time, as his chief officer of justice was con- 
 ducting a certain barber to the place of execution, one 
 Kandarpa-ketu, who was a traveller, accompanied by 
 a merchant, taking him by the skirt of his garment, 
 cried out, — This man is not guilty ! How so ! said 
 the king's officers ; not guilty, sayest thou ? Hear 
 me ! said he, and he immediately began to repeat 
 these lines : — " Having touched Swarna-rekha," &c. 
 What does this mean ? demanded the officers ; and 
 the traveller recounted the following adventure : 
 
 The king of Singhala-dweepa,J whose name is 
 Jeemoota-ketu,§ hath a son called Kandarpa-ketu, || 
 and I am he. One day a boatman, who attended 
 in the pleasure gardens, told me that, on the fourth 
 
 * The golden city. 
 
 + Possessing the courage of a hero. 
 
 % The island of Ceylon. 
 
 § Jetmoota signifies a cloud, and ketu a flag. 
 
 || One of the titles of the Hindoo Cupid. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 135 
 
 day of, the moon, there was to be seen in the sea, 
 which was near, under what had the appearance of 
 the Kalpa-taru, or tree of thought, seated upon a 
 silver sofa, ornamented with a fringe of precious gems, 
 a certain nymph playing upon a Veena, as it were 
 the goddess Lakshmee.* At the proper time I sent 
 for the boatman, and getting into the boat, set sail 
 for the appointed place ; and there I beheld a damsel, 
 with only one half of her body appearing above the 
 surface of the water. In short, attracted by the 
 beautifulness of her appearance, I gave a jump with 
 intention to catch her; but failing, I laid hold of a 
 branch of the tree of thought, and was immediately 
 transported to her golden palace ; where I found her 
 waiting in an apartment of gold, seated upon a bed of 
 the same materials, attended by Vidya-dharees.f I 
 no sooner saw her, than, spying me at a distance, she 
 addressed me with respect, and offered to be my 
 bride, to which I consented with my eyes ; and we 
 were immediately united by that mode of marriage 
 which is called Gandharva-vivaha.j Her name was 
 
 * The goddess of good fortune. But as Saraswatee is more pro- 
 perly the goddess of harmony, it is apprehended her-name should here 
 be substituted for that of Lakshmee, which probably is a mistake of the 
 copyist, who, in general, is very ignorant, and often unacquainted with 
 «very part of the language but the character. 
 
 t .Literally, female holders of science. They are always represented 
 as beautiful attendants, and are said to be of divine origin. 
 
 % This kind of marriage requires nothing but ,,the consent of the 
 parties, and in ancient times was lawful. 
 
136 ■ THE HITOPAXIESA : 
 
 Ratna-manjaree,* and she was the daughter of 
 Kandarpa-kelee,+ the king of the Vidya-dhara.^: One 
 day, as we were in private together, she said, — Hus- 
 band, thou mayest enjoy everything which is here 
 according to thy wish, except it be the beautiful 
 Swarna-rekha, a certain Vidya-dharee, who is not to 
 be touched of any one. Some time after this, at an 
 entertainment, being in a merry mood, I was tempted 
 to touch her, and for my presumption she spurned 
 me with the sole of her foot ; after which I found 
 myself in this country ; and, at length, travelling about 
 in great distress, I chanced to discover this city, and 
 having wandered about all day, I went to sleep at the 
 house of a certain cowkeeper. This man, too, per- 
 ceiving the season for the commission of crimes § was 
 approaching, prudently quitted the conversation of 
 his friends, and came home, where he found his wife 
 planning evil with another woman. So, having given 
 her a good beating, he made her fast to a post, and 
 went to sleep. _ About midnight, the other woman, 
 who was the barber's wife, returning, said to the cow- 
 keeper's wife, — Such a one, burning with the fire of 
 separation, is ready to die for thee. Go, then, to 
 speak to him, and return quickly ; and in the mean- 
 
 * A string of jewels, 
 t The sport of love. 
 t The plural of Vidya-dhara, ia the masculine gender. 
 
 § Night. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 137. 
 
 time I will bind myself to the post, and stay till thou 
 shalt come back. Things having been thus managed, 
 it so fell out that the cowkeeper waked. Why dost thou 
 not now go to see thy gallant, my dear ? said he ; to 
 which no answer being made, he continued, saying,- - 
 Pray who has taught thee to be so proud, that thou 
 wilt not deign to give me an answer ? and, saying this, 
 he got up in a great rage, cut off her nose, and lay 
 himself down to sleep again. After a while, the cow- 
 keeper's wife returning, asked her neighbour what 
 news. What news ! said she ; look in my face, and see 
 what news ! The cowkeeper's wife now takes her 
 place, and binds herself to the post as before ; and the 
 barber's took up her nose and repaired to her own 
 house. In the morning early, when the barber was 
 hunting about for his razor case, his wife said, — Here 
 is a razor, putting one into his hand ; but as it did not 
 chance to please him, he threw it in a passion upon 
 the ground ; upon which his wife seized the occasion 
 to cry out, — Oh ! without the least provocation, he 
 hath cut off my nose ! And away she went to the 
 officer of justice. 
 
 In the meantime, the cowkeeper's wife, being 
 questioned by her husband, exclaimed, — Who, guilty 
 wretch, thinkest thou, is able to disfigure one so 
 innocent as I ? The eight guardians of the universe* 
 are acquainted with all my actions ! Is it not said, 
 * Eight deities supposed to guard eight points of the heavens. 
 
138 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 ' The sun and moon, fire and air, heaven, earth, 
 and water ; the heart, and conscience ; day and 
 night, with morning and evening ; justice and all, 
 are witnesses of a man's actions ? ' 
 
 Then, let this be the trial of my innocence : 
 
 ' Ye mighty angels who guard the universe ! ' 
 if I am an innocent wife, let this my countenance 
 remain no longer without a nose ! ' 
 
 Now, said she, look at my face ! Accordingly, her 
 husband, having brought a light, examined her face ; 
 and when he beheld that it was free from any 
 appearance of having been wounded, he fell down at 
 her feet, and, with a joyful heart, released her from 
 her confinement, and put her into bed. And now I 
 have laid before you all this, I cannot help meditating 
 upon the circumstance of the barber's wife having" 
 bound herself ; but, 
 
 'Every book of knowledge which is known to 
 Usana,* or to Vrihaspati, is by nature in the 
 understandings of women. 
 
 ' Honey dwelleth upon a woman's speech ; but in 
 her breast there is nothing but poison.' 
 
 Now attend to the history of the merchant : He 
 left his own house, and after an absence of twelve 
 
 » The planet Venus, and the tutor of the evil spirits. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 139' 
 
 years, he returned to this city, having brought with 
 him, from Manasotkantha,* a great many jewels, and 
 went to sleep at a house. The mistress of the house 
 had made a wooden image of a certain spirit, on 
 whose head she had placed a valuable gem. This 
 being told to the merchant, instigated by avarice, he 
 got up in the middle of the night ; but just as he 
 had put his hand to the jewel, he was caught 
 between the arms of the image, which were hung 
 by wires, and squeezed, very closely, so that he cried 
 out with pain. The mistress of the house got up 
 immediately. Ho, ho ! master merchant ! Thou 
 art come from Manasotkantha ! Then deliver all thy 
 jewels, or else thou wilt not be released from thy 
 present confinement. In short, he was helpless, and 
 so sent for all his treasures, and made an offering of 
 them for his enlargement ; since which, having been 
 thus plundered of all his wealth, he has joined our 
 party of pilgrims. 
 
 The traveller having thus concluded the story of 
 the merchant, the officers of justice released the poor 
 barber. I repeat, therefore, — " I for having touched 
 the damsel Swarna-rekha," &c. Now, continued 
 Damanaka, as this also is an evil of our own seeking, 
 it does not become us to grieve about it. And- 
 having considered for a moment, he added, — Friend, 
 
 * Probably the mines of Golconda, 
 
140 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 the friendship which subsists between them was 
 brought about by me ; and, by me, that friendship 
 may be dissolved ; for, 
 
 ' Skilful men make falsehood look like truth ; and 
 those acquainted with the painter's art, make an even 
 surface appear uneven.' 
 
 The understanding which, upon unexpected occur- 
 rences, remaineth unaffected, may pass through the 
 greatest difficulties ; like the farmer's wife with /ter 
 two gallants. 
 
 How was that ? demanded Karattaka ; and 
 Damanaka recounted the following story : 
 
 FABLE VII. 
 
 At a place called Dwaravatee * a certain farmer had 
 a beautiful wife, who used to keep company with the 
 son of the magistrate of the place ; according to 
 these sayings : 
 
 'The fire is never satisfied with the addition of 
 fuel, the ocean with the influx of rivers, the angel of 
 death with the mortality of all things which have 
 life, nor a beautiful woman with the conquest of all 
 mankind ! 
 
 'Women are never to be rendered faithful and 
 
 * One of the names of the place commonly called Dwaraka. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 141 
 
 obedient ; no, not by gifts, nor by honours, nor by 
 sincerity, nor by services, nor by severity, nor by 
 precepts ! 
 
 ' Women will presently forsake a husband, who is 
 possessed of every good quality ; reputable, comely, 
 good, obsequious, rich, and generous, to steal to the 
 company of some wretch, who is destitute of every 
 accomplishment and virtue ! ' 
 
 One day, as she stood playing with the magistrate's 
 son, she happened to see his father coming towards 
 them ; upon which, hiding the young man in the 
 barn, she began to amuse herself with the justice 
 himself. In the meantime, however, the husband ' 
 making his appearance, she hastily told the magis- 
 trate to take a stick in his hand, and depart in a 
 hurry, and with his eyes flaming, as it were, with 
 anger. This being done accordingly, the farmer came 
 up to his wife, and asked her what had occasioned the 
 justice to be there in such a passion. Why, said the 
 artful woman, you must know, that, for some cause or 
 other, he is angry with his son, who flying here for 
 protection" I hid him in the barn ; but the father 
 coming, and' not finding him, is gone away in a rage. 
 Saying this, she conducted her young gallant from 
 the barn, and introduced him to her husband ; 
 according to this saying : 
 
 ' What women eat, we are told, is twofold ; their 
 
142 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 .cunning fourfold; their perseverance sixfold; and 
 their passions eightfold.'* 
 
 Wherefore, I repeat, — "The understanding," &c. 
 
 Be it so, replied Karattaka ; but how will it be 
 possible to dissolve the ingrafted friendship which sub- 
 sists between them ? Some artifice must be thought" 
 of, replied Damanaka, according to this saying s 
 
 That may be effected by stratagem, which could not 
 be effected by strength- A female crow, by means of- 
 a golden chain, caused the death of a black serpent. 
 
 How was this brought about ? demanded Karat- 
 taka ; and Damanaka told the following story : 
 
 FABLE VIII. 
 
 The female companion of a crow resided in a certain 
 tree, where she had young ones ; but they were all 
 devoured by a black serpent, who- concealed himself 
 in the hollow of its trunk. Now, finding herself 
 breeding again, she said to her mate, — My dear, let 
 us abandon this tree ; for we shall never be able to 
 raise any of our offsprings, because of that vile black 
 serpent ; for, you know, 
 
 ' A bad wife, a false friend, servants who give pert 
 
 * This may be the case in India, to which the observation is con- 
 fined. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 143 
 
 answers, and living in a house infested by serpents, 
 is death, as it were, inevitable.' 
 
 My dear, replied the crow; thou shalt have no 
 further cause to be alarmed. I have pardoned his 
 offence again and again; but this time he shall be 
 prevented. How, husband, said the female, wilt thou 
 be able to contend with one so powerful ? Never 
 fear, answered her mate : 
 
 He who hath sense hath strength. Where hath he 
 strength zvho wanteth judgment? See how a lion, when 
 intoxicated with anger, was overcome by a rabbit. 
 
 How was that ? demanded the female ; and the 
 crow related the following tale : 
 
 FABLE IX. 
 
 UPON the mountain Mandara,* there lived a lion, 
 whose name was Durganta,t who was perpetually 
 "complying with the ordinance for animal immola- 
 tion ; % so that, at length, all the different species 
 assembled, and, in a body, represented, that as by his 
 present mode of proceeding, the forest would be 
 cleared all at once; if it pleased his Highness, they 
 would, each of them in his turn, provide him an 
 animal for his daily food ; and the lion gave his con- 
 
 * A fabulous mountain. 
 
 + Hard-to-go-near. 
 
 % The Hindoos still offer kids, and young buffaloes in their sacrifices. 
 
144 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 sent accordingly. So every beast delivered his stipu- 
 lated provision, till at length, it coming to the rabbit's 
 turn, he began to meditate in this manner :— Policy 
 should be practised by him who would save his life ; 
 and I myself shall lose mine, if I do not take care. 
 Suppose I lead him after another lion ? Who knows 
 how that may turn out for me ? Then I will approach 
 him slowly, as if fatigued. The lion, by this time, 
 began to be very hungry ; so, seeing the rabbit coining 
 towards him, he called out in a great passion, — What 
 is the reason thou comest so late? Please your High- 
 ness, said- the rabbit, as I was coming along, I was 
 forcibly detained by another of your species ; but 
 having given him my word, that I would return im- 
 mediately, I came here to represent it to your High- 
 ness. Go quickly, said the lion in a rage, and show 
 me where this vile wretch may be found ! Accord- 
 ingly, the rabbit conducted the Iron to the brink of a 
 deep well, where being arrived, — There, said the 
 rabbit, look down and behold him ; at the same time 
 he pointed to the reflected image of the lion in the 
 water ; who, swelling with pride and resentment, 
 leaped into the well, as he thought, upon his ad- 
 versary ; and thus put an end to his life. I repeat, 
 therefore, " He who hath sense," &c. 
 
 I have attended, said the female, to all this ; and 
 how, do as thou shouldst do in this matter. Every 
 day, observed the crow, the king's son comes to 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 145 
 
 bathe in the adjacent river. I mean to take away a 
 golden chain he wears, when he shall take it off, and 
 to put it into the hole where the serpent is ; and 
 when those who shall be employed to hunt after it 
 shall search for it in the hollow of the tree, and shall 
 see a black serpent, they will presently destroy it. 
 Some time after, when the king's son was bathing in 
 the river, the crow executed his plan ; and the people 
 sent to look after the golden chain found it in the 
 hole, and killed the serpent. Wherefore, I say, " That 
 may be effected by stratagem," &c. If it be so, replied 
 Karattaka, go, and may thy ways be prosperous ! 
 
 Damanaka, accordingly, went into the presence of 
 Pingalaka ; and having respectfully " bowed, he ad- 
 dressed him in these words : — Please your Highness, 
 I am come upon an extraordinary piece of intelli- 
 gence, which, in my opinion, is not auspicious ; for, 
 
 ' He who hath another's welfare at heart should, 
 in cases of calamity, erring from the right path, or 
 when time and opportunity are passing away, declare 
 his wholesome counsel^ even unasked.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' The sovereign being a vessel for the distribution 
 of happiness, and not for the execution of affairs, the 
 minister who shall bring ruin upon the business of the 
 State is a criminal.' * 
 
 * Literally, is tainted with evil. 
 
I 4 6 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 They say, also, speaking of ministers : 
 
 ' Cutting off the head, or forsaking life, is better 
 than negligence, from the wicked lust of obtaining 
 the station of the master.' 
 
 The" lion then graciously asked him, what it was, 
 that he wished to represent ; and Damanaka re- 
 plied,-^-Please your Highness, this same Sang-jeevaka 
 is not such a faithful servant to thet, but that he can 
 speak disrespectfully of thy three powers in my 
 presence ; and I know he has even an inclination for 
 the sovereignty. Upon hearing these words, the lion 
 was greatly alarmed, and remained in silent astonish- 
 ment; whilst Damanaka continued thus : — Your High- 
 ness, in dismissing all your ministers, and appointing 
 this bull to the superintendence of all^ affairs, has com- 
 mitted a great error. It is said, 
 
 'When both the sovereign and the minister are 
 very highly exalted, Sree* standeth tottering with 
 both her legs. That female, by nature, being unable 
 to support so great a load, is obliged to forsake one 
 of the two.' 
 
 And again : 
 
 ' When a ruler of the earth maketh one man the 
 prime and only minister of his dominions, and weakly 
 confideth in him, he becometh intoxicated with power, 
 
 * One of the names of Lakshmee, the goddess of good fortune. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 147 
 
 and is banished for negligence. The desire of liberty 
 naketh an impression in the breast of him who hath 
 been expelled ; and at length, with that wish of 
 liberty, he meditateth the death of his sovereign/ 
 
 They say> 
 
 ' It is best to tear up by the roots, a rotten tooth, 
 a faithless servant, and a wicked minister.' 
 
 And that, 
 
 'The sovereign who shall make fortune depend 
 upon the minister, will, upon an emergent occasion, 
 be at a loss, like a blind man without a guide.' 
 
 Particularly as, 
 
 ' A minister who is grown too great is never to be 
 corrected ; and men who are esteemed perfect have 
 declared that exaltation is an intoxicater of the 
 mind.' 
 
 The bull proceedeth in every affair according to his 
 own inclinations ; and your Highness knows what is 
 said upon such an occasion : 
 
 ' There is not that man in the world _who doth not 
 long for fortune ; and who doth not look at another's 
 wife, if beautiful and young, with a degree of desire 
 to possess her/ 
 
 The lion having considered for a moment, replied, — 
 'Tis well ; but provided it be as thou representest, 
 
143 THE HITOPADESA r 
 
 still I have a great regard for Sang-jeevak.a ; and 
 observe, that 
 
 ' He who is dear to one, is dear even in the very 
 commission of a fault. When the materials of a 
 house are burnt, upon whose fire falleth disgrace ? ' 
 
 Please your Highness, said Damanaka, that even 
 should not be ; but it is true, that 
 
 'The man on whom the sovereign placeth an 
 extraordinary degree of regard is the favourite of 
 fortune; whether he be a son, a minister, or a 
 stranger.' 
 
 And please to observe, 
 
 ' To the unkind the ruin of the worthy bringeth 
 delight. Fortune delighteth to be where there is a 
 babbler and a listener.' * 
 
 And thus a primitive servant is neglected, and a 
 stranger promoted. They say, 
 
 ' A prince should not, because of the offence of an 
 old servant, entertain a stranger, lest, between them, 
 dissensions be created in the State.' 
 
 ■ Thy words, exclaimed the lion, fill me with 
 astonishment ! Didst thou not thyself quiet my 
 apprehensions, and present him to me ? How then, 
 now he is promoted, can he meditate evil ? 
 
 * Or, inhere there is an eloquent speaker, and one learned in the divine 
 law; for the same words will bear either interpretation. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 149 
 
 Please your Highness, said Damanaka, 
 
 'The wicked, even whilst receiving favours, incline 
 to their natural dispositions, as a dog's tail, after 
 every art of anointing and chafing, to its natural bend. 
 
 ' A, cur's tail may be warmed, and pressed, and 
 bound round with ligatures, and, after a twelve years' 
 labour bestowed upon it, still it will return to its 
 natural form.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' In gratifying the wishes of men of vicious princi- 
 ples, when shall we find improvement, happiness, and 
 purity? If the tree be poisonous, the fruit is un- 
 wholesome, although sprinkled with the water of im- 
 mortality.' 
 
 Wherefore, I say, 
 
 ' He who doth not wish another's ruin, should, even 
 unasked, speak to him for his good. This is a 
 supreme duty, and the contrary is the opinion of bad 
 men.' 
 
 For it is declared, 
 
 'He is kind, who guardeth another from mis- 
 fortune ; that is an action, which is free from im- 
 purity ; she is a woman, who can command herself ,\ 
 he is a worthy person, who is much respected by 
 good men ; he is a minister, who doth not behave 
 with insolence and pride ; he is happy, who is for- 
 
ISO THE H1T0PADESA: 
 
 saken by his passions ; that is friendship, which is 
 not feigned ; he is a man, who doth not suffer his 
 members and faculties to give him uneasiness.' * 
 
 But if when all the inconveniences respecting Sang T 
 jeevaka have been pointed out, your Highness does 
 not abandon him, there is no blame in your servant. 
 It is said, 
 
 'When a prince is attached to his inclinations, he 
 neither counteth the business which should be done, 
 nor his own benefit. He proceedeth at, liberty, 
 wherever his passions lead him, like an intoxicated 
 elephant. At length, when puffed up with pride, he 
 falleth into a profound melancholy, he throweth the 
 blame upon his servants, and doth not discover ■ his 
 own misconduct.' 
 
 To all this the lion observed,; — 'Tis said, 
 
 ' One should not lift the rod against our enemies 
 upon the private information of another ; but having, 
 by ourselves, made inquiry, we may either punish or 
 commend.' 
 
 They say also, 
 
 'To seize and punish, before due investigation, 
 may tend to our own destruction. It is like rashly 
 forcing one's hand into the mouth of a serpent.' 
 
 * The original of this long verse is written in a kind of measure called 
 sardoolaveekretrteta, consisting of four lines of nineteen syllables each. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 151 
 
 It speaks plainly ; nevertheless, shall proclamation 
 be made that Sang-jeevaka is guilty of death ? 
 
 Damanaka, a little confounded at this, replied,— 
 Please your Highness, not so by any means ; for by 
 such procedure a breach is produced in our secret 
 council ; and they say, 
 
 ' Having sown the seed of secrecy, it should be 
 properly guarded, and not in the least broken ; for 
 being broken, it will not prosper.' 
 
 But, 
 
 ' Time drinketh up the essence of every great and 
 noble action, which ought to be performed, and is 
 delayed in the execution.' 
 
 This being the case, what hath been begun should 
 certainly be prosecuted with the utmost vigour ; for, 
 
 ' The resolutions of counsel are like a timid warrior, 
 who, although attended by all his troops, beareth not 
 to stand long, for fear of being defeated by the enemy.' 
 
 But after all, if when his offence shall be proved, he 
 should be pardoned, and still retained, it will be 
 exceedingly improper ; for, 
 
 ' He who wisheth to keep a friend after he hath 
 once offended,, receiveth death, as the Aswataree the 
 belly.* 
 
 * The translator must confess he is ignorant of what this alludes to. 
 The aswataree is a kind of serpent. 
 
r5 2 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 ' When a bad man is employed near one, whatever 
 he doeth is unprofitable. The Sakunee and the 
 Sakata* may here serve a prince for emblems of such 
 an one.' 
 
 Let me understand, said the lion, what it is he 
 may be able to do against us ; and Damanaka 
 replied in.the following lines : 
 
 Not knowing the nature of a titan's connections, how 
 shall we discover what he is able to do t The sea was 
 once got the better of by a simple partridge.^ 
 
 How was that ? demanded the lion ; and Dama- 
 naka related the following story : 
 
 FABLE X. 
 
 Once upon a time, a female partridge, who resided 
 upon the sea-shore, finding herself pregnant, said to 
 her mate, — My dear, pray let a private place be 
 sought convenient for me to be brought to bed in. Is 
 not this where we are a proper place for that purpose ? 
 demanded the partridge. No, replied the female, 
 because it is frequently overflowed by the tide. 
 What! exclaimed the male, am I so much less 
 powerful than the sea, that I should suffer myself to 
 be insulted, even in my own house ? My dear ! 
 
 * The former signifies a vulture, and the latter is a bird unknown to 
 the translator, and not described in any of his nomenclatures. 
 
 t In the fables attributed to Pilpay this bird is called Gerandi. The 
 name in Sanskrit is Teeteebha. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 153 
 
 replied the female, laughing, there is a great difference 
 between thee and the sea ; otherwise, 
 
 ' He whose understanding can discern what is, and 
 judge what should or should not be applied to 
 prevent misfortune, never sinketh under difficulties.' 
 
 After this, however, and in obedience to the com- 
 mands of her mate, she laid her eggs in the same 
 place ; and the sea, to try the power of the partridge, 
 came and carried them off in triumph ; whereupon, the 
 poor female, overwhelmed with affliction, said to her 
 husband, — O master of my heart, what a misfortune 
 has befallen us ! The sea has stolen all my eggs ! 
 My dear, replied the partridge, do not be alarmed ; 
 but wait and see what I am capable of doing. So, 
 upon saying this, he assembled all the other birds, 
 and having informed them of what had happened, 
 one of them said, — We are not powerful enough to 
 contend with the mighty ocean ; but I recommend, 
 that at a proper time we should go in a body, and 
 represent the affair to the eagle,* who will ease us of 
 our troubles. Having considered this proposal, they 
 all repaired into the presence of the king of birds, 
 and laid their grievance before him ; who, having 
 heard it, considered for a moment what he should 
 do :— I will, said he to himself, state the case to the 
 
 * In the original Garootwanta, the bird of Vishnu, otherwise called 
 Garoora. 
 
154 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 great and mighty lord, Narayana, the author of crea- 
 tion, preservation, and destruction * and he will wipe 
 away our sorrows. Accordingly, the eagle, attended 
 by the rest of the birds, addressed their comprint to 
 Narayana, saying, — O Lord ! Even whilst thou art 
 master, the sea hath dared thus to overwhelm us! 
 The deity having considered their complaint, com- 
 manded the ocean to surrender the eggs ; and the 
 king of waters placed the high decree upon his 
 crown, and delivered up the eggs accordingly; and. 
 the birds having gained what they wanted, returned 
 thanks, and retired to their own abodes. I repeat, 
 therefore, "Not knowing," &c. 
 
 'The enemy who' commenceth hostilities, without 
 having considered the transgression of the law, 
 meeteth a defeat, like the sea from the partridge.' 
 
 How shall we discover, said the lion, when the bull 
 is maliciously inclined ? Your Highness, replied 
 Damanaka, will know when you shall behold him 
 coming, with those weapons the tips of his horns 
 pointed towards you, looking as if alarmed. Having 
 said this, he went where Sang-jeevaka was ; and being 
 in sight of him, he advanced by slow degrees, and 
 made himself appear as if agitated by something.. 
 
 * Though this attribute more particularly belongs to Seeva, yet it is 
 common to allow the same powers to each of the three persons of the 
 Hindoo trinity, Brahma, Vishnu (or Narayana), and Seeva, seeing 
 they mean but. one God, Brahm or Brahma, 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 155 
 
 Health and happiness attend thee ! said Sang-jeevaka, 
 with great marks of politeness. Alas! replied 
 Damanaka, where is there any happiness*- for those- 
 who are in a state of dependence ? For, 
 
 ' The fortunes of those who serve princes are in the 
 power of others ; their minds are never at ease ; and 
 they have no confidence even in their own lives ! ' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Who, having obtained riches, is not proud ? 
 From whose misfortunes do the luxurious become so ? 
 Whose heart hath not been tormented by women ? 
 Or who is dear to a king ? Who is there not within 
 the arms of time? What beggar ever arriveth at 
 consequence ? Or what man who hath fallen into 
 the snares of the wicked hath escaped in peace ? ' 
 
 Pray, friend, said the bull, inform me what all -this 
 means ! Oh ! my friend, replied he, what shall I say, 
 . but that I am very unfortunate ! 
 
 ' I am now like one plunged in a deep water 
 calling out for help, who findeth many things hang- 
 ing down to assist him, which he neither quitteth nor 
 taketh hold of. 
 
 ' Confidence in the prince, all at once, ruineth one 
 friend or other ! What shall I dp ? Whither shall 
 I go ? I am fallen into a sea of trouble ! ' 
 
 Having said this, he heaved a deep sigh, and sat 
 
156 THE HIT0P4DESA : 
 
 down ; then Sang-jeevaka desired him to relate, 
 more fully, the cause of his uneasiness ; and Dama- 
 naka with great show of secrecy said, — Although it 
 be highly improper to abuse the confidence of one's 
 sovereign, yet, as it was at our instance thou earnest, , 
 it behoveth me, as I hope for welfare myself here- 
 after, to inform thee of what concerns thy own wel- 
 fare. Attend then : — His Highness is very much 
 enraged against thee, and has declared in private, 
 that he will have Sang-jeevaka killed ; and that he 
 will treat his attendants with his flesh. The bull, 
 upon hearing this, became very sorrowful ; whilst the 
 artful Damanaka cried, — It is in vain to be melan- 
 choly ; rather let something be pursued suitable to 
 the occasion. Sang-jeevaka was thoughtful for a 
 moment, and then calmly said,— These lines are 
 uttered from a pious mouth : 
 
 ' Unworthy to be found by bad men, sovereigns, 
 for the most part, are cherishers of the undeserving. 
 Riches are attendants of the miser ; and the heavens - 
 rain plenteously upon the mountains ! ' 
 
 What is my own opinion ? I know not ! nor is this 
 an affair to be discovered. 
 
 ' The unfortunate man who possesseth splendour 
 from the glory of him on whom he dependeth, will 
 find it as fatal as a foul collyrium put into the eye by 
 the hand of imprudence.' 
 
FA BLES AND PRO VERBS. 1 5 7 
 
 But when I reflect, how hard is the sentence which 
 hath been pronounced against me ! 
 
 'The king hath been courted with unremitting 
 pains ; why then is he not pleased ? Herein is the 
 wonder ! This too is a circumstance before unparal- 
 leled : one whilst he is served is about to be an 
 enemy ! ' 
 
 Then, this may be deemed something inexplicable ;> 
 but, 
 
 'The man who, having* discovered some unfavour- 
 able token, giveth way to his passions, will certainly 
 fail in the pursuit of it. How shall one give satisfac- 
 tion to him whose mind is displeased without a 
 cause ? ' 
 
 Have I offended the king by taking grain ; or are 
 princes apt to become enemies without sufficient 
 cause ? 
 
 Damanaka replied, — Thus it is ! Hear me : 
 
 ' Some are discontented, even with the assistance 
 of the whole body of able men ; whilst others are 
 pleased when offences are committed in their sight. 
 The duties of servitude are exceedingly profound : 
 they are impracticable, even to those who are in the 
 habit of doing penance ; because those who are not 
 servants for one thing alone, must submit to be 
 directed by the eye at the sovereign's will.' 
 
158 ' THE HITOPADESA .- 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Virtues amongst those who know what virtues are, 
 are virtues ; but when they meet with a subject 
 destitute of good qualities itself, they become faults.* 
 Rivers flow with sweet waters ; but having joined the 
 ocean, they become undrinkable. 
 
 'A hundred good actions are lost upon the un- 
 worthy ; a hundred fine speeches are lost upon the 
 ignorant ; a hundred good qualities are lost amongst 
 men who are destitute of good qualities ; a hundred 
 times speaking is lost upon those who are not inclined 
 to converse ; a hundred understandings are lost upon 
 the insensible.' f 
 
 It is true, replied the bull, that 
 
 ' Serpents are found upon the sanders tree ; in the 
 waters the lotus flowers with alligators ; and in the 
 midst of full enjoyment those who dispute about the 
 
 quality.' + 
 
 Away then with uninterrupted happiness ! 
 
 ' If the deserts were made liquid, and the waters 
 
 * Does so much of this verse mean that good qualities are lost upon 
 bad men : are despised by them, or that virtue is corrupted by bad 
 company ? 
 
 + It is hard to determine what the author intended by this sentence, 
 unless by the word rendered understandings he meant wise Judgments, 
 sens/Me observations. 
 
 \ By the context this should mean, that we find cause to complain, 
 even in the midst of fruition, there being no such thing as perfect hap- 
 piness. 
 
PA-BLES ANb PROVERBS. 159 
 
 rendered solid; I ask if the former might not be 
 passed in boats, and the latter be called dry land.* 
 
 ' He who serveth an unreasonable man, acteth as 
 much in vain, as he who soundeth a trumpet in the 
 ears of the deaf, or presenteth a mirror to the blind. 
 
 ' The root is infested by serpents, the flowers by 
 bees, the branches by monkeys, and the leaves by 
 insects ; in short, there is not a sanders tree which is 
 not surrounded by the vilest impurities. 'J 
 
 Our master, observed Damanaka, is one of those 
 who carry honey in their speech, and poison in their 
 hearts ; according to this description : 
 
 ' He holdeth out his hands at a distance ;§ he 
 appeareth with a wet eye ; he relinquisheth one half 
 of his seat ; he is fond of close embracing ; his words 
 in conversing are kind and gentle ; he bestoweth 
 compliments ; his inside is naught but poison, whilst 
 without he is covered with sweets ; and he is rich in 
 extreme deceit. What name is there for this before 
 unheard-of mimic art, which is inculcated by wicked 
 men ?' 
 
 It is said, 
 
 * This verse, as connected with that which immediately precedes itj 
 seems to imply that unsullied happiness must not be expected till thd 
 order of nature be reversed. 
 
 t The Hindoos seem to have been long acquainted with the art of 
 Constructing mirrors of polished plates of steel. 
 
 J This verse seems to have been misplaced. 
 
 § In the attitude of invitation ; joined, with the palms upwards. 
 
160 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 ' The boat was invented upon crossing pieces of 
 water which were difficult to pass ; the lamp, upon 
 the approach of darkness ; the fan, upon a defect of 
 wind ; and injuries, to gratify the pride of men 
 blinded by intoxication ! In short, there is not any- 
 thing in the world, wherein the idea of invention was 
 not suggested by Providence.* But, in my opinion, 
 Providence itself would fail in its endeavours to 
 prevent what passeth in the minds of wicked men.' t 
 
 How hard it is, exclaimed Sang-jeevaka, that this 
 poor feeder upon grass and grain, should be an object 
 worthy to be ruined by a lion ! 
 
 ' The disputes of two of equal strength and fortune 
 are worthy of attention ; but not of two, the one great, 
 the other humble. 
 
 ' What animal, being athirst, from its clearness 
 willingly attempteth to enter the sun when standing 
 upon the summit of the western mountains? The 
 bee flyeth to the lotus. :J 
 
 * The original word is ambiguous, and might, with equal propriety, 
 have been interpreted by the term chance. 
 
 t The length of this verse in English, when compared with its 
 original, is twofold, the latter containing only four lines of nineteen 
 syllables each ; but as it is hardly possible to express the same idea clearly 
 in our language with fewer words, this remark may serve to show that 
 the Sanskrit cannot be rendered intelligible in the dialects of Europe, 
 but by a periphrasis. 
 
 t This verse is rather darkly expressed. As connected with what 
 precedes it, it may argue that, in general, animals though ever so much 
 pressed by their passions or appetites, are not wont to attack such as 
 are stronger than themselves. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 161 
 
 " Exulting with the rage of madness he springeth 
 upon the noble elephant-; or else, having quitted him 
 without pity, he is engaged by his people amongst 
 vagabonds.* 
 
 ' The tree is broken down by the abundance of its 
 fruit, and walking groweth tiresome to Sikhandis.t 
 
 ' The minister is like a beast of burthen, who is led 
 by sweet words. Good qualities in a virtuous person, 
 for the most part, are his enemies.! 
 
 ' Princes, in general, alas ! turn away their faces 
 from a man endued with good qualities. Women, 
 too, often delight in those who are fond of delight. 
 This is a false position, that virtue leadeth to the 
 society of men ; for mankind, generally, do not 
 reckon this a noble principle.' § 
 
 It is well ! continued Sang-jeevaka, addressing him- 
 self to Damanaka, this poor attendant is of no esteem 
 with the Rajah ! 
 
 * This verse is deficient in the original. The meaning of it, as far 
 as one can judge from what remains, seems to be that tyrants are either 
 engaged in cruel wars, or else, under the influence of parasites, spend- 
 ing their time at home in idle pleasures, which is but too common with 
 the princes of Hindostan. 
 
 + This word probably signifies peacocks. The intention of the verse 
 seems to be this, — that wealth and greatness are frequently the ruin of 
 those who possess them. The peacock is famous for running fast, but 
 his superior agility soon fatigues him. 
 
 J From the latter part of this verse the former should signify that 
 the minister who yieldeth to the opinion of his sovereign, though desti- 
 tute of every good quality, is the most likely to be a favourite. 
 
 § This verse, in the original, is full of blunders. The translator 
 thinks his version is according to the author's meaning. 
 
ifo THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 ' It is better that the vulture should be followed by 
 geese, as ministers and attendants ; than that the 
 goose should be pursued by the birds of prey which 
 attend the offerings made to the manes of the dead. 
 An attendant being angry may use even a hundred 
 harsh expressions ; but a virtuous man is not to be 
 deprived of any of his good qualities by his feeble 
 assistants.' * 
 
 The bull having again considered a while, con- 
 tinued saying, — I know not by what fault of mine the 
 Rajah has been injured, that he should be at 
 variance with me! It is best therefore to be for ever 
 jealous of a prince. 
 
 ' If ever the mind of a king, which is like a bracelet 
 of solid crystal, is injured by his minister, who is the 
 artist that can repair it ? t 
 
 ' A thunderbolt, and the power of kings, are both 
 dreadful ! But the former expendeth- its fury at once, 
 whilst the latter is constantly falling upon our heads.' 
 
 Having pondered for a while, he said to Damanaka, 
 —It behoveth thee, my dear friend, to afford me such 
 
 * The first period ending with the word <kad, as applicable to the 
 subject, seems to imply that the poor bull, who was the lion's minister, 
 being by nature much weaker than he, his master had no real cause to 
 be apprehensive of danger from him. This makes a distinct verse in 
 the original, and was joined to the next period, which is also « com- 
 plete verse, by mistake. 
 
 + Does the author of this verse mean that offended princes are not 
 easily pacified ? 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. , 163 
 
 advice on this fatal occasion, as the nature of the 
 case seems to demand. What hath been the practice 
 of many, flourisheth in misfortune. Although it be 
 as thou observest, replied Damanaka, yet those ac- 
 quainted with the rules of prudence say, — " The loss 
 of one's own life," &c* May this happen to me, 
 exclaimed Sang-jeevaka, in the field of battle ; for 
 death would, in my mind, be preferable to the im- 
 putation of fear. At present that doctrine f is not 
 suitable. 
 
 ' Or dying, he obtaineth heaven ; or having killed 
 his enemy, the enjoyments of life. Both these hard- 
 to-be-acquired blessings are the rights of heroes. 
 
 'As out of battle death "is certain, and in the field 
 life doubtful, the learned call it " the only time of 
 .battle." t 
 
 ' When out of battle he beholdeth no happiness for 
 himself, the wise man embraceth death fighting the 
 foe. 
 
 ' In victory he obtaineth fortune, and in death 
 celestial beauty. Seeing that our bodies are so very 
 fragile, why should we hesitate about dying in the 
 battle ? ' 
 
 Let me clearly understand, my friend, how I am to 
 discover when he is determined to put me to death. 
 
 * A partial quotation of some well-known maxim. 
 
 f Probably the doctrine laid down }n the above partial quotation. 
 
 J Dying sword in hand, 
 
 F 2 
 
164 THE HITOPADESA r 
 
 When the Rajah shall cock his tail, lift up bis paws, 
 and look at thee with his mouth open, replied 
 Damanaka, then will be the time for thee also to 
 display thy prowess. 
 
 'Strong even without vigour, who may not ex- 
 perience the situation of being defeated ? Observe 
 how fearlessly people put their feet upon a heap of 
 ashes ! ' 
 
 But it is necessary that everything be conducted with 
 the greatest privacy. Having said this, Damanaka 
 went to join Karattaka ; who asked him what was 
 effected. Why, replied the former, a reciprocal 
 breach hath been effected between the two. What 
 doubt of it ? cried Karattaka ; for they say, 
 
 ' What a name is relation amongst wicked men ? 
 Who will not be angry when over and above soli- 
 cited ? Who groweth satisfied with riches ? Who, 
 being attentive, may not be learned ? ' 
 
 Likewise : 
 
 ' A man is rendered miserable by artful people, 
 and prosperous from the greatness of his soul. What, 
 doth not a troop of villains act, like the fire (whose 
 epithet is destroyer df that which is intrusted to 
 him?)' 
 
 After this Damanaka went to the lion, and cried 
 out,— Please your Highness, that vessel of iniquity is 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 165 
 
 coming ! Prepnre thyself, and let him approach ! 
 Having said this, he caused the lion to put himself in 
 the attitude before described ; and Sang-jeevaka 
 being arrived, upon seeing the lion with his counte- 
 nance thus altered, began himself to display a cor- 
 responding show of defiance. At length there ensued 
 a furious battle, in which the poor bull having been 
 killed by the lion, the latter overcome with fatigue, 
 and standing, as it were, full of affliction, exclaimed, — 
 Alas ! what a cruel action have I been guilty of ! 
 
 ' If the dominion be enjoyed by others, he himself 
 is the vessel which containeth the fault. Should a 
 prince transgress the law, he is like the lion after the 
 murder of the elephant.* 
 
 ' The loss of territory, or of a wise and virtuous 
 servant, is a great loss. The loss of servants is 
 death to sovereigns, and the loss of empire ; for 
 servants are not easily to be found.' t 
 
 What novelty is this ? cried Damanaka. It is very 
 unusual for one to lament having put a faithless 
 .enemy to death ; and indeed it is very improper to 
 do so. 
 
 ' Or father, or if a brother ; br son, or if a friend, 
 
 * The translator must confess he is ignorant of what this sentence 
 alludes to. 
 
 + That is, good servants. 
 
1 66 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 be a conspirator against his life, he should be put to 
 death by a prince who wisheth his own welfare. 
 
 ' One acquainted with the principles of justice and 
 political interest, should neither be hastily severe; 
 nor ever ready to pardon, although money be in the 
 hand. It is proper to swallow mercy. 
 
 ' It is a virtue in hermits to forgive their enemies, 
 as well as their friends ; but it is a fault in princes to 
 show clemency towards those who are guilty. 
 
 ' There is no other but one expiation for him who, 
 from pride and the lust of power, shall wish for his 
 master's station, and that is death ! 
 
 'A meek-hearted prince, a Brahman who eateth 
 of all things alike,* an unruly wife, a bad-principled 
 companion, an unfaithful servant, and a presumptuous 
 superintendent, should all be put away : they are 
 not worthy to be tried seven times.' 
 
 But the following lines give a very particular 
 picture of the behaviour of princes : 
 
 ' The conduct of princes, like a fine harlot, is of 
 many colours : true and false ; harsh and gentle ; 
 cruel and merciful ; niggardly and generous ; ex- 
 travagant in expense, and solicitous of the influx of 
 abundant wealth and treasure.' 
 
 * Although the Brahmans are by no means confined to a vegetable 
 diet, as is generally supposed, still, like the Jews and Mussulmans, they 
 are forbidden to taste of many kinds of flesh and fish. 
 
FABL&S AND PROVERBS. xfy 
 
 The lion having been thus composed by the arts of 
 Damanaka, at length recovered his natural temper of 
 mind, and seated himself on his throne ; and 
 Damanaka, with his heart full of exultation, having 
 wished victory to the mighty king, and happiness to _ 
 all the world, lived ever after according to his wish. 
 
 Vishnu-Sarma, having thus concluded his second 
 head, The Separation of a Favourite, gave notice to 
 the young princes ; who declaring they were well 
 pleased with it, he gave them his blessing and 
 repeated the following lines : 
 
 -'May such a breach between friends happen but 
 in the house of your enemies ! May traitors, day by 
 day, be led by Time to their destruction ! , May the 
 people be perpetual possessors of abundance, and all 
 the blessings of life! And may youth for ever find 
 amusement here in this pleasant garden of fable ! 
 
168 THE HITOPADESA , 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OF DISPUTING., 
 
 The time set apart for hearing these stories being 
 arrived, the young princes reminded Vishnu-Sarma 
 in these words : — Worthy sir ! As we are the sons of 
 a prince, it will afford us very great amusement to 
 hear what relates to Disputing. And Vishnu-Sarma 
 replied, — If it will give you pleasure, I will proceed to 
 recount what is connected with that head, to which 
 the following verse is the introduction : 
 
 In a quarrel between the geese and the peacocks, in 
 which is displayed equal valour ; the geese, having 
 trusted them, are betrayed by the crows who were in the 
 camp of the enemy. 
 
 How was this ? demanded the young princes ^ and 
 Vishnu-Sarma related as follows : 
 
 FABLE I. 
 In Karpura-dweepa * there is a famous lake which 
 
 * Karpoora signifies camphire, gold, and a particular tree commonly 
 called plas ; and dweepa, an island. The translator is ignorant of the 
 
 situation. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 169 
 
 is distinguished by the name of the Padma-nilaya;* 
 where used to reside a royal goose, whose title was 
 Hiranya-Garbha.f and who had been appointed their 
 king by all the birds who are wont to frequent the 
 waters. 
 
 ' If there were no king, the people would thence be 
 entirely ruined ; they would be here like a boat in the 
 water without a pilot. ' 
 
 ' The king protecteth the people ; and they support 
 the greatness of their sovereign. But protection is 
 better than greatness ; for the one cannot exist with- 
 out the other.' 
 
 One day as the royal goose was sitting upon a bed 
 of lotus flowers finely spread, surrounded by his 
 attendants, there arrived from some distant country 
 a certain booby, whose name was Deergha-mukha, 
 who, having made his obeisance, drew near. Deergha- 
 mukha ! said the king, thou art lately come 
 from foreign countries : pray inform me what news. 
 Please your Highness, replied the booby, I have some 
 very important news, anxious to relate which I made 
 haste to come here. In Jambu-dweepa,t there is a 
 
 * Lotus-habitation. 
 
 + Gold-belly. 
 
 % The habitable part of the earth, according to the ancient Hindoo 
 geographers. Almost every preceding author has declared that this 
 name is derived from two words, the former signifying a jackal, and the 
 latter an island or continent, into which error they have been, led by the 
 
I/O THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 mountain called Vindhya, where reigns Chitra- 
 varna,*' a peacock, who is there king of the winged 
 tribes. As I was walking one day over a place where 
 the grass and underwood had been burnt down, I was 
 discovered by some of his attendants who were pass^ 
 ing by ; and upon their asking who I was, and 
 whence I came, I replied, that I came from Karpura- 
 dweepa, that I was an attendant of the royal goose, 
 king Hiranya-Garbha, and that I came there out of 
 curiosity to see foreign countries. They then asked 
 me which of these two countries I thought the best ; 
 and I said, — O what a question is this ! There is a 
 vast difference between them : Karpura-dweepa is a 
 heaven of a place ! Then what do you do in such a 
 barren country as this ? Come away, and accompany 
 me into our country. But upon hearing me talk" in 
 this manner, they seemed to be very much displeased. 
 They say, 
 
 ' A draught of milk to serpents doth nothing but 
 increase their poison. Good counsel bestowed upon 
 fools doth rather provoke, than satisfy them. 
 
 affinity of the word Jamboo to Jambooka, this last signifying a jackal ; 
 but the truth, according to the authority of Sanskrit dictionaries and 
 a definition found in an original work treating of that country, is that 
 Jamboo is the name of a tree which bears a fruit commonly called 
 zamin or jamin in Hindostan. The Hindoo poets have imagined that 
 in the centre of this dweepa (island or continent) there was a tree of that 
 species of an amazing size, whence it derived the name of Jamboo- 
 dweepa. ? 
 
 * Motley-colour, , 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 171 
 
 A wise man is worthy to be advised; but an ignorant 
 one never* Certain . birds, having given advice to a 
 troop of monkeys, have their nests torn to pieces, and are 
 obliged to fly away. 
 
 The royal goose demanded to know, how that was ; 
 and the booby repeated the following story : 
 
 FABLE II. 
 
 On the banks of the river Narmada.t upon a neigh- 
 bouring mountain, there was a large Salmalee tree, 
 wherein certain birds were wont to build their nests 
 and reside, even during the season of the rains. One 
 day, the sky being overcast with a troop of thick 
 dark clouds, there fell a shower of rain in very large 
 streams. The birds seeing a troop of monkeys at 
 the foot of the tree, all wet, and shivering with cold, 
 called out to them, — ; Ho, monkeys ! why don't you 
 invent something to protect you from the rain ? 
 
 'We build ourselves nests with straws collected 
 with nothing else but our bills. How is this, that 
 you, who are blessed with hands and feet, yield to 
 such sufferings ? ' 
 
 * When the learned Pandit, under whom the translator studied the 
 Sanskrit language at their holy city of Benares, used to be reproached 
 by other Brahmans for communicating the key of their divine mysteries 
 to foreigners, he constantly silenced them by repeating this hemistich 
 in the original. 
 
 + A river which empties itself into the Gulf of Cambay, commonly 
 called the Narbada. 
 
172 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 The monkeys hearing this, and understanding it as 
 a kind of reproach, were exceedingly irritated, and 
 said amongst themselves, — Those birds there, sitting 
 comfortably out of the wind within their warm nests, 
 are laughing at us ! So let them, as long as the 
 shower may last. In short, as soon as the rain sub- 
 sided, the whole troop of them mounted into the tree, 
 where tearing all the nests to pieces, the eggs fell 
 upon the ground and were broken. I say, therefore, 
 " A wise man is worthy to be advised," &c. 
 
 WelL said the royal goose, what did the birds say 
 after they had heard this story ? Why, please your 
 Highness, they were in. a great passion, and asked, 
 who made that same goose a king ! In answer to 
 which, I too, in the anger which such a question 
 created, cried, — By whom was this same peacock 
 made a king ? and, upon my saying this, they tried 
 to kill me, and in return, I displayed no little valour. 
 
 ' An occasional dress to a man is as forgiveness 
 and modesty to a woman. Courage when surrounded 
 is like being captive amongst men endued with 
 clemency.' * 
 
 The royal goose smiling at this, said, 
 
 'A man who, having well compared his own 
 strength or weakness with that of others, after all, 
 
 * This verse wants precision, but the intention is clearly this : that 
 an assumed character may sometimes serve one, instead of a real one. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. - 173 
 
 doth not know the difference, is easily overcome by 
 his enemies.' 
 
 A fool is always discovered if he stayeth too long ; 
 like the ass dressed in a tiger 's skin, from his voice. 
 
 How was this ? said the booby ; and the royal 
 goose related the following tale : 
 
 FABLE III. 
 
 At Hastinapura* there lived a certain dyer, whose 
 name was Vilasa.f He had a jackass who was grown 
 exceedingly weak by carrying burdens too great for 
 his strength, and, as it were, almost at the point of 
 death. In this condition the dyer dressed him up in 
 a tiger's skin, and let him loose in a field of corn ; 
 so that the people belonging to the field having 
 . observed him at a distance, ran away with the idea 
 of its being a real tiger. After a while, however, a 
 man whose business was to watch the field, having 
 dressed himself in a kind of armour made of an ass's 
 skin, and furnished himself with a bow and arrows, 
 ventured to approach him ; and the supposed tiger, 
 who was now grown plump and fat, spying him at a 
 little distance, and thinking it was a female of his 
 own species, began to welcome her by setting up a 
 loud braying, and immediately trotting up before her. 
 
 * The ancient name of the city of Delhi. 
 t Artful. 
 
1 74 THE HI TOPADESA : 
 
 . But the man having discovered from his voice what 
 he really was, the poor ass was soon overcome for 
 his love. I say, therefore, "A fool is always dis- 
 covered," &c. 
 
 After that, said the booby, the birds called out to 
 me, — Rascal ! vile booby ! Dost thou dare speak thus 
 slightingly of our sovereign ? This is not to be 
 suffered by us presently ! And, saying this, they 
 began to attack me with their bills, and to brave me 
 in this manner : — Observe, thou stupid animal ! thy 
 goose is always a soft spiritless creature; although 
 he is by no means so very mild in the government of 
 his dominions ; but he is incapable of possessing as 
 much wealth as would lie in the palm of one's hand ; 
 how then shall he command the universe ? As for 
 thyself, thou art like an angry frog ; but he is thy 
 superior. Hear this : 
 
 'A large tree, which yieldeth both fruit and shade, 
 is highly to be esteemed ; but if Providence, per- 
 chance, may have denied it fruit, by whom is its 
 shade refused ? ' * 
 
 And, that 
 
 ' Court should not be paid to the indigent ; but to 
 him on whom there is great dependence. The 
 
 * This verse, which is certainly a beautiful one, as quoted by the 
 subjects of the peacock, can only be applicable to him. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 175 
 
 elephant obtained the title of Varunee from his 
 carrying water in his trunk. For, 
 
 'Even the greatest are reduced to littleness, and 
 those of abundant qualities to insignificance, by the 
 properties of that by which they are opposed ; like 
 the royal elephant in the mirror.' 
 
 Besides, 
 
 Great things may be effected by wise counsel, when a 
 sovereign etiemy may -be too powerful. Certain rabbits 
 were enabled to live in comfort, through the policy of one 
 of their brethren. 
 
 I asked them how this was ? And the birds related 
 as follows : 
 
 FABLE IV. 
 
 ONCE upon a time, for want of rain in due season, 
 a troop of elephants being greatly distressed for 
 water, addressed their chief in these words : — What 
 resource have we, except in that hollow sinking 
 ground inhabited by those little animals! but de- 
 prived of that too, whither, sir, blinded as it were, 
 -shall we go ? What shall we do ? Upon hearing 
 ' their complaints, their chief, after travelling with them 
 a great way, discovered a fountain of clear water. 
 But as many- rabbits who happened to be in their 
 
 * A derivation from Varuna,. the Hindoo Neptune. 
 
176 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 burrows were crushed to death under the feet of so 
 many elephants trampling over their warren ; at 
 length, one of them, who was called Silee-Mukha,* 
 reflected in this manner: — This troop of elephants, 
 oppressed with thirst, will. be coming here every day 
 to drink, and, at length, our whole . race will be 
 destroyed ! But an old buck, whose name was 
 Vijaya,f said to him, — Brother, don't be uneasy ; for 
 I am going to prevent what thou dreadest. Saying 
 which, he set off to try how he could oppose them ; 
 but as he went along, he began to consider how he 
 should approach so formidable a troop ; for, observed 
 he, they say, 
 
 ' An elephant killeth even by touching, a serpent 
 even by smelling, a king even by ruling, and a wicked 
 man by laughing at one.' 
 
 Wherefore, I will mount the summit of a rock to 
 address the head of the troop. This being put in 
 execution accordingly, the chief elephant asked him 
 who he was, and whence he came. I am, he replied, 
 an ambassador sent here by the god Chandra.! 
 Declare the purport of thy commission, said the 
 elephant. Sir, replied the rabbit, as 
 
 * This name seems to imply a blockhead. 
 t Victory. 
 
 X The moon, which is esteemed of the masculine gender by the 
 Hindoos. 
 
FABLES AND. PROVERBS. 177 
 
 - ' Ambassadors, even when the weapons of war are 
 lifted up, speak not otherwise than for the benefit of 
 their State ; and although they speak boldly accord- 
 ing as it is their advantage, they are not to be put 
 to death.' 
 
 Then I will declare what are the commands of the 
 god Chandra. He bade me say, that in driving 
 away, and destroying the rabbits who are appointed 
 to guard the fountain which is consecrated to that 
 deity, you have done ill ; for, said he, they are my 
 guards, and it is notorious that the figure of a rabbit 
 is my emblem* 
 
 The head elephant, upon hearing this being greatly 
 alarmed, declared that they had offended through 
 ignorance, and would never go to the fountain again. 
 If this be your resolution, said the ambassador, go 
 
 * The Hindoo poets have imagined the moon as a deity sitting in a 
 splendid chariot drawn by two antelopes, holding in his right hand a 
 rabbit. This reminds the translator of what he must ever mention 
 with extreme regret. He brought with him from India a large collec- 
 tion of Hindoo idols, amongst which was that of the moon above 
 described. They were moulded under his own inspection from a set 
 of paintings lent him for that purpose, and cast in metal, and of course 
 cost him a great deal of money. They were exceedingly well packed, 
 and arrived safe at the Custom-house, whence they were removed to one 
 of the Company's warehouses, where they were exposed to public sale | 
 but having been bought in by the proprietor's directions and carried to 
 his house for the greater security in a coach, upon opening the box 
 which contained them, to his inexpressible grief and mortification, he 
 discovered that they had all been taken out of the cotton in which they 
 had been packed, and treated sa rudely that not a figure had escaped 
 without the loss of some of its members. 
 
178 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 this once, and make your submissions before the 
 deity himself, whom you will see in the fountain, 
 quite agitated with anger; and when you have 
 pacified him, you may depart. — Accordingly, as soon 
 as it was night, the ambassador Vijaya having con- 
 ducted the chief of the elephants to the fountain, 
 there showed him the image of the moon, trembling, 
 as it were, upon the smooth surface of the water; 
 and when he had made him bow down to it, in token 
 of submission*, he said, — Please your divinity ! What 
 hath been done having been done through ignorance, 
 I pray thee pardon them ! and upon saying this, he 
 caused the elephant to depart. I repeat, therefore, 
 " Great things may be effected," &c. 
 
 After that, continued the booby, I ventured to say, 
 that our king too was powerful and valiant, upon 
 which they laid hold of me with their beaks ; and, 
 asking me what business I had in their country, they 
 carried me before their chief Chitra-varna ; and when 
 they had showed me to him, bowing to their king, 
 they said, — Please your Highness, let this guilty 
 booby be confined ; for he dares, even whilst he is 
 travelling in our land, to treat with contempt your 
 royal feet ! The king, in anger, demanded to know 
 whence I came ; and they informed him, that I was 
 the servant of the goose Hiranya-garbha, and that I 
 came from Karpura-dweepa. — After that, the min- 
 ister, who was a vulture, asked me who was the ' 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 179 
 
 prime minister in this country, and I told him, a 
 Chakra-vaka,* whose name was Know-all.f You 
 esteem him, replied the vulture, because he is your 
 countryman ; they say, indeed, 
 
 'A king should engage for his minister one who is > 
 a native -of his own country; pure in all his ways, 
 and cleanly in his dress ; not one who is an outcast, 
 addicted to idle pleasures, or too fond of women ; 
 but one of good repute, who is well versed in the 
 rules of disputation, is of a firm mind, and expert in 
 raising a revenue.' \ 
 
 A parrot next spoke, and observed, that as 
 Karpura-dweepa was comprehended in Jambu- 
 dweepa, the authority of his Majesty's feet certainly 
 extended over that country also : to which the king 
 of the birds replied, — Thus it is ! 
 
 ' Sovereigns, the libidinous, and children, with 
 madmen, and such as are made vain by riches, are 
 over-anxious for what is not attainable, and how 
 much more so, for what is to be procured ! ' 
 
 Upon this, I said, — But that too large a govern- 
 ment do not prosper, our sovereign has a territorial 
 right, even over Jambu-dweepa. — Let it be declared 
 
 * A species of goose commonly called Brahmanee-goose. The 
 Hindoos use no grease to their wheels. 
 t In the original Sarva-gna. 
 J Literally, an upraiser of wealth. 
 
i8o- THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 how, said the parrot, and where he will give proofs of 
 it ! And I replied, — In battle ! At this their king 
 laughing, said, — Go to thy master, and tell him to be 
 well prepared ; and upon that, I desired him to send 
 his own ambassador also. Who shall go ? said the 
 king ; for an embassy, such a person is required as is 
 described in these lines : 
 
 ' An ambassador should be a trusty servant, endued 
 with good qualifications, pure in his principles, clever, 
 agreeable, unaddicted to fruitless pleasures, patient, 
 and, with all, a Brahman* who is well acquainted 
 with the moral and religious customs of strangers, 
 and the nature of opposition.' 
 
 Although there are many such to be found, still a 
 Brahman is to be preferred ; for, 
 
 ' He acteth according to the pleasure of his em- 
 ployer ; he seeketh not wealth, and doth not with- 
 draw himself from the presence of his lord, even in 
 the hour of misfortune.' 
 
 This being the case, let the parrot go. Go, parrot, 
 added the king, along with this person ; and, upon 
 thy arrival, make known our will. It shall be accord- 
 ing to your Highness's commands, replied the parrot ; 
 
 * This title has not hitherto been explained. As written in Sanskrit, 
 it should be Bralimana ; but, as before observed, the final short a is 
 often dropped in repeating proper names in another language. It is a 
 derivative from Brahma, the Supreme Being ; godly, divine, a divine. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. iSr 
 
 but this booby is a vile animal, and I am not used to 
 go anywhere with a person of bad character. They 
 say, 
 
 ' A villain is sure to commit some evil action, and 
 he succeedeth amongst good men. Seeta was seized 
 by Ravana.* The ocean may have bonds.' t 
 
 It is not proper either to stay, or to go anywhere, 
 along with an evil-disposed person. A goose suffered 
 for staying with a crow, and a Varttaka % for going 
 with him. 
 
 How was this ? demanded the king ; and the parrot 
 recounted the following story : 
 
 FABLE V. 
 
 ' On a private road in Oojjayinee § there was a large 
 Pippala tree, [| where lived together a goose and a 
 crow. Once upon a time, in the cold season, a 
 traveller came there, and having placed his bow and 
 his arrows safe away under the tree, he went to sleep. 
 A few minutes, after, the shade of the, tree passed 
 away from his face, and presently it was covered by 
 the scorching rays of the sun ; upon seeing which, the 
 
 * Seeta was the wife of the god Ram, and Ravana the tyrant of 
 Ceylon, 
 t The ocean is bound or confined by the dry land. 
 % Probably a sparrow. 
 § The ancient city commonly called Ugein. 
 || The Indian poplar, commonly called Peepul. 
 
1 82 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 goose, who was in the tree, expanded his wings, and 
 again a shadow was formed as before. A little while 
 after, in the enjoyment of a sound nap, the man 
 happening to open his mouth, the crow muted into 
 it, and flew out of the way. But the man waking, 
 and seeing the goose upon the tree, concluded that it 
 was he ; so, being in a passion, he took his bow, and 
 with an arrow drawn home to his ear, shot him dead 
 upon the spot. I say, therefore, " It is not proper 
 to stay," &c. I will now relate the history of the 
 Varttaka, continued the parrot. 
 
 FABLE VI. 
 
 Once upon a time, all the birds of the air went in a 
 body upon a pilgrimage to the seaside in honour of 
 the eagle ; and amongst the rest, the crow went 
 accompanied by a Varttaka. As they flew along, 
 the crow repeatedly stole and ate of some curds out 
 of a pot which a farmer was carrying upon his head ; 
 but as soon as the man put the pot upon the ground, 
 and saw the crow and the Varttaka together in the 
 air, the former, being guilty, flew out of the way ; but 
 the latter, being but slow of flight, was caught and 
 instantly killed. I say, therefore, " It is not proper 
 either to stay, or to go," &c. 
 
 I then said, — Brother parrot, what is the reason 
 thou railest thus against me ? I esteem thee, never- 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 183 
 
 theless, as the feet of his Highness ! Be it so, replied 
 the parrot ; but, 
 
 ' When sincere and beloved friends are courted by 
 those of bad character, it createth in me as much 
 dread, as the sight of flowers out of season. 5 
 
 Thy being a rascal is made evident to me from thy 
 conversation ; for if there should be any falling out 
 between our two masters, thy tongue will be the 
 cause. 
 
 Observe : 
 
 A fool' will rejoice and be happy, even when offences 
 are committed before his eyes. A certain wheelwright 
 put his own wife zvith her gallant upon his head. 
 
 How was , that ? said the king ; and the parrot 
 related the following story : 
 
 FABLE VII. 
 
 IN Sree-nagara* there lived a wheelwright, whose 
 name was Dull-wit ; f who, though he believed his 
 wife was false, had never, with his own eyes, seen 
 her with her gallant. So he pretended that he was 
 going out of town, but after he had gone a- little way, 
 he returned home, and privately hid himself under 
 the sofa. In the meantime, the gallant, supposing 
 
 * Literally, the fortunate city. An ancient name of the city of 
 Patna. 
 + In Sanskrit, Manda-mati, 
 
1 84 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 the wheelwright was actually gone out of town, made 
 his appearance ; and, soon after, sat by the wife upon 
 the sofa ; where they began to converse without 
 restraint. But just now, from the feel of something ■ 
 touching the under part of the sofa, she concluded 
 that her husband was beneath, and so was a little 
 disconcerted ; upon which her friend said, — What 
 is the reason thou dost not enjoy the present 
 moment free from care ? Thou appearest as if thou 
 wert alarmed at something ! Alas ! replied the art- 
 ful woman, he who is the lord of my life is gone 
 abroad to-day ; wherefore the city, though ever so 
 full of inhabitants, to me appeareth a mere desert ! 
 Then is thy wheelwright, said the gallant, a subject 
 worthy of all this tenderness ? he who calls thee vile ? 
 Villain ! exclaimed she, what is this thou sayest ? 
 Hear me! 
 
 'She is a virtuous woman, who, when spoken 
 harshly to, and viewed with angry eyes, appeareth 
 before her husband with a mild and placid counte- 
 nance. 
 
 ' The regions of eternal happiness are provided for 
 those women, who love their husbands the same in a 
 wilderness as in a city ; be he a saint, or be he a 
 sinner. 
 
 ' A husband is a woman's first ornament, although 
 himself be unadorned : but when she is without one, 
 be she ornamented, she is not adorned.' 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 185 
 
 Thou art very fine, to be sure, and hast the appear- 
 ance of a figure made up of garlands and flowers. 
 Pray, do people ever worship thee ? * My husband, 
 if he chooses, can sell me to the gods, or give me to 
 the Brahmans ; t but what of that ? 
 
 ' I live in him living, and in him, my beloved, will 
 I live when , dead ; for upon his death, to die after 
 him is my firm resolve.' 
 
 For, 
 
 ' The woman who followeth her husband % may 
 remain in heaven for a million and a half of years, or 
 for as many as there are hairs upon the body. 
 
 'As the snake- catcher by force draweth up the 
 serpent from its hole ; so, having taken her husband, 
 she is to be raised into heaven.§ 
 
 ' Him should she attend whilst living, and him 
 should she sleep with when dead, to whom her father 
 
 * As they are wont to do their idols, when adorned with garlands, 
 and scented with sanders. 
 
 t By the laws of Manoo the Brahmans are allowed to marry three 
 wives, one from each of the first three tribes. But this sentence cannot 
 allude to that ; it should rather seem to refer to the nara-medha, or 
 human sacrifice, not uncommon in the earlier ages. It is not easy to 
 conceive for what other purpose this good woman could be sold to the 
 gods, or gji/en to the Brahmans. 
 
 X The womai. who .voluntarily burnetii herself upon the funeral pile 
 with the dead corpse of her husband ; which is very common, on the 
 banks~bf the Ganges, at this day. 
 
 § The meaning of this verse seems to be simply this, that the woman 
 who followeth her husband in death will necessarily be raised into 
 heaven. 
 
186 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 may have given, her, or her brother according to her 
 father's will.' * 
 
 The foolish wheelwright, upon hearing all these 
 fine speeches, said to himself, — O what a lucky fellow 
 I am, to possess a wife who can speak of me with 
 such tender love and affection ! and, saying this, he 
 rose with the sofa and its contents, and began to 
 dance for joy. I repeat, therefore, " A fool," &c. 
 
 After this, continued the booby, as soon as the 
 king had paid me the usual compliments, I was dis- 
 missed, and the parrot is coming behind. And now 
 that I have apprised your Highness of all this, let 
 that which is most proper be pursued. What ! 
 exclaimed the minister Chakra-vaka, the king's affairs 
 have been forwarded, to the utmost of his abilities, 
 by a booby, who happened to travel into a foreign 
 country ! But, please your Highness, he has acted 
 according to his nature. 
 
 ' One may give him a hundred instances from Holy 
 Writ, that he should not dispute ; still, it is the 
 character of a fool to make a disturbance without a 
 cause.' 
 
 Have done with these reproachful sayings'f'said 
 the royal goose, and attend to what has been re- 
 
 * The laws of Manoo have given the father full authority over his 
 daughters with respect to marriage. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 187 
 
 ported. Please your Highness, replied the minister, 
 I will speak to you in private ; for, 
 
 'Those who aie aware of it can interpret the mind 
 from the changes of the eyes and other members ; 
 and even by the report of shape and complexion.' 
 
 And upon this, the rest withdrawing, the king and 
 his minister were left by themselves. I think, said 
 the minister, that this has been brought about by a 
 spy sent by some officer of our government.* They 
 say, 
 
 ' A sick man is the best subject for a physician, 
 and an active emissary for the_ officers of govern- 
 ment ; fools are the support of the learned, and a 
 man of secrecy suits a king.' 
 
 - Let the cause alone, said the king ; at present it 
 should be determined what ought to be done ; then 
 say. First, please your Hig'hness, replied the minister, 
 - let a spy be sent, and then we shall learn the situa- 
 tion of the country, with its strength and weakness ; 
 for they say, 
 
 ' A prince should have a spy to observe what is 
 necessary, and what is unnecessary, to be done in his 
 own, as well as in his enemy's country. He is the 
 king's eye ; and he who hath him not is blind.' 
 
 * Does he mean that some officer of their government had sent the 
 booby, of his own authority, on purpose to pick a quarrel with the 
 subjects of the peacock? 
 
1 88 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 And let him take a second person with him, in whom 
 he can confide ; whom he shall send back, "well dis- 
 guised, charged with such secrets as are worthy to be 
 communicated ; whilst he himself remains upon the 
 spot 
 
 ' He should command his emissaries to go dis- 
 guised in company with those penitents, who travel 
 with beards under pretence of studying in the courts 
 of temples, and places of holy visitation.' * 
 
 The emissary we send should be one who will go 
 about privately, and who will pass through land and 
 water ; and I know of no one, except the booby, who 
 is endued with both these requisites ; wherefore, let 
 him be appointed. In the meantime, let all the in- 
 habitants keep within our castle ; and, till the mes- 
 senger return, let profound secrecy be pursued ; for, 
 
 'The deliberations of council are discovered if 
 heard by six ears, as well as any private information; 
 wherefore, a king should entrust his counsels only to 
 himself and a second person. 
 
 ' The injury which is done to princes, from their 
 counsels being discovered, are not to be repaired, say 
 those who are acquainted with the rules of policy.' 
 
 Well, said the king, now I have found such an 
 
 * Spies and private messengers, at this day, are generally disguised 
 as pilgrims or mendicants, which characters are sacred in every part of 
 India. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 189 
 
 excellent emissary, what next ? Your Highness, re- 
 plied the minister, hath but to enter the field of 
 battle, and victory will follow. 
 
 They were now interrupted by the entrance of one 
 of the guards, who informed them, that there was a 
 parrot waiting at the gate, just come from Jambu- 
 dweepa. The king looked at the minister, and the 
 minister said, — Lead him into a separate apartment, 
 and some time hence he may be admitted. Accord- 
 ing to the commands of his Highness ! said the guard ; 
 upon which he went away, taking the parrot with 
 him. 
 
 So, said the king, Discord is arriyed, and is in 
 attendance ! Yes, please your Highness, replied the 
 minister ; but discord is not necessity.* 
 
 ' Is he a minister, or a counsellor, who, upon the 
 first alarm, and without due consideration, adviseth 
 his sovereign either to commence hostilities, or to 
 quit his ground ? 
 
 'A wise man may strive to conquer, but he should 
 never fight ■ because victory, it is observed, cannot be 
 constant to both the combatants. 
 
 ' A man should never display his bravery who id 
 unprepared for battle ; nor bear the marks of de- 
 fiance, until he hath experienced the abilities of his 
 enemy. 
 
 * This expression is fully explained by the ver:e which follows it. 
 
190 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 ' Not more easily is a house* supported by man- 
 kind with a prop, than great achievements from 
 trifling means. This is the great fruit of councils.' 
 
 But when we perceive that we are threatened with 
 war, let preparations be made ; for, 
 
 ' The field is fruitful from having been cultivated in 
 due season. It is the same with political measures ; 
 but these too advance slowly, not instantly, to 
 maturity. 
 
 ' When the quality of bravery is near, a great 
 man's terrors are at a distance. In the hour of mis- 
 fortune such a great man overcometh bravery. 
 
 'Great warmth, at first, is the certain ruin of every 
 great achievement. Doth not water, although ever 
 so cool, moisten the earth ? ' 
 
 Besides, an' please your Highness, king Chitra-varna 
 is very strong ; and, 
 
 ' There is no ordinance obliging us to fight those 
 who are stronger than ourselves. Such fighting, as 
 it were, with an elephant, is the same as men's fight- 
 ing against rocks. 
 
 ' He is a fool who turneth upon his opponent, 
 before he hath found a proper opportunity. The 
 efforts of him, who contendeth with one stronger 
 
 * The original is greeva, the neck, whieh the translator has presumed 
 a mistake ioigrceha, a house. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 191 
 
 than himself, are as feeble as the exertions of an 
 insect's wings. 
 
 'A prudent soldier, keeping within his tortoise-like 
 shelter,* may, indeed, sustain the force of arms ; and 
 when occasion may suit, he may sally forth like an 
 enraged serpent.' 
 
 Please your Highness, attend to this : 
 
 , ' One who is master of ever so little art may be 
 able, on a great occasion, to root up trees with as 
 much ease, as the current of a river the reeds and 
 grass.' 
 
 Then let this ambassador, the parrot, be detained and 
 amused, until we shall have put our fortifications in 
 good condition. 
 
 'A single bowman standing upon the battlements 
 fighteth a hundred ; and a hundred, ten thousand : 
 wherefore, a castle is to be preferred. 
 
 ' What sovereign, whose country is furnished with 
 strongholds, is subject to defeat ? The prince of a 
 country, without strongholds, is as a man who is an 
 outcast of his tribe. 
 
 'He should build a castle with a large ditch and 
 lofty battlements, and furnish it with machines for 
 raising-water ; and its situation should be in a wood 
 upon a hill, and where there are springs of fresh 
 water. 
 
 * Figuratively, a castie or fortress. 
 
192 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 ' It should be spacious, but very uneven ; and sup- 
 plied with large store of liquor, grain, and money ; 
 and with gates and sally-ports ; for these are the 
 seven treasures of a castle.' * 
 
 Who, demanded the king, should be appointed to 
 prepare our castle ? The minister replied, 
 
 ' Every one should be employed in that business 
 he is best acquainted with. One who hath had no 
 experience in civil affairs, although he may be a good- 
 soldier, would be at a loss in business of that kind.' 
 
 Then let the Sarasa t be called, concluded the 
 minister. This being done accordingly, and the 
 Sarasa arrived, the king gave him encouragement, 
 and told him to put the castle in good order. The 
 Sarasa, bowing, replied, — Please your Highness, the 
 castle has lately been well examined. There is a 
 large reservoir in it, in the centre there is an island, 
 in which it is proper that there should be a store of 
 grain laid up. 
 
 ' A store of grain, O king ! is the best of stores. 
 A gem cast into the mouth will not support life. 
 ' Of all sapid things, salt being esteemed the first, 
 
 * This and the preceding verse form a tolerable picture of a Hindoo 
 fort. 
 
 t That beautiful tall bird of the stork species, commonly called a 
 Syras. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 193 
 
 some should be laid in ; for without it the beard is 
 bedaubed.' * 
 
 Go then, said the king, and attend to what is 
 necessary to be done. Just now a doorkeeper came 
 in, and said, — Please your Highness, one Cloud- 
 colour,f a crow, is just arrived from Singhala- 
 dweepa,i who, with his attendants, desires to behold 
 the foot of your Highness. A crow, said the king, is 
 a wise bird, and a great observer of things ; and that 
 being the case, let him be received. He is so, replied 
 the minister ; but a crow is a land bird, and con- 
 sequently of a different party to us ; how then can 
 he be received in contempt of our own party ? It is 
 said, 
 
 Tliefool who forsaketh his own party, and delighteth 
 to dwell with the opposite side, may be killed by them ; 
 as was the case with the blue jackal. 
 
 How was this ? demanded the king ; " and the 
 minister related as follows : 
 
 FABLE VIII. 
 
 A CERTAIN jackal, as he was roaming about the 
 borders of a town, just as his inclinations led him, fell 
 
 * This is probably some vulgar saying, which is not always founded 
 upon truth. 
 + In the original, mrglia-varna. 
 % The island of Ceylon, 
 
 G 
 
194 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 into a dyer's vat ;* but being unable to get out, in 
 tfie morning he feigned himself dead. At length, 
 the master of the vat, which was filled with indigo, 
 came, and seeing a jackal lying with hislegs upper- 
 most, his eyes closed, and his teeth bare, concluded 
 that he was dead, and so, taking him out, he carried 
 him a good way from the town, and there left him. 
 The sly animal instantly got up, and ran into the 
 woods ; when, observing that his coat was turned 
 blue, he meditated in this manner : — I am now of the 
 finest colour ! what great exaltation may I not bring 
 about for myself ? Saying this, he called a number . 
 of jackals together, and addressed them in the follow- 
 ing words, — Know that I have lately been sprinkled t 
 king of the forests, by the hands of the goddess" her- 
 self who presides over these woods, with a water 
 drawn from a variety of choice herbs, Observe my 
 colour, and henceforward let every business be 
 transacted according to my orders. The rest of the 
 jackals, seeing him of such a fine complexion, pros-" 
 trated themselves before him, and said, — According 
 as your Highness commands ! By this step he made 
 himself honoured by his own relations, and so gained 
 the supreme power over those of his own species, as 
 well as all the other inhabitants of the forests. But 
 
 * A dyer's vat, in Hindostan, is a large pan sunk in the ground, 
 often in the little court before the dyer's house, 
 t The Hindoos use holy water instead of oil. 
 
Fables and proverbs. 19$ 
 
 after a while, finding himself surrounded by a lev6e 
 of the first quality, such as the tiger and the like, he 
 began to look down upon his relations; and, at 
 length, he kept them at a distance. A certain old 
 jackal perceiving that his brethren were very much 
 cast down at this behaviour, cried, — Do not despair ! 
 If it continue thus,, this imprudent friend of ourswill 
 -force us to be revenged. Let me alone to contrive 
 his dowfall. The lion, and the rest who pay him 
 court, are taken by his outward appearance; and 
 they obey him as their king, because they are not 
 aware- that he is nothing but a jackal : do something 
 then by which he may be found out. Let this plan 
 be pursued : Assemble all of you in a body about 
 the close of the evening,* and set up one general 
 howl in his hearing ; and I'll warrant you, the natural 
 disposition of his species will incline him to join in 
 the- cry ; for, 
 
 ' Whatever may be the natural propensity of any 
 one, is very hard to be overcome. If a dog were 
 made king, would he not gnaw his shoe straps ? ' 
 
 And thus, the tiger discovering that he is nothing 
 but a jackal, will presently put him to death. In 
 short, concluded the minister, the plan was executed, 
 
 * The jackals seldom make their appearance- till after sunset, when 
 they sally forth in large troops, and " font retentir l'air de leurs aboye- 
 mens," as the compiler of "Description Historique et GeographiquS 
 de l'Inde," expresses it. Tome i. p. 37. 
 
 G 2 
 
ig6 THE HITOPADESA t 
 
 and the event was just as it had been foretold. They 
 say, 
 
 'An intimate enemy is acquainted with everything 
 Which relateth to one : our blemishes, our hearts, and 
 our degree of courage.' 
 
 I repeat, therefore, " The fool," &c. 
 
 Although it be thus, replied the king, still as he is 
 come a great way, let him appear ; for such is the 
 resolution of inquiries made respecting whom we 
 ought to entertain. — Please your Highness, said the 
 minister, the spy is despatched, and the castle is put 
 in complete order, wherefore the parrot should receive 
 assurances of our pacific disposition, and be permitted 
 to depart. But, 
 
 ' As it is possible that the revolutions of council 
 may be defeated by the designs of a sharp ambas- 
 sador, a sovereign should always regard him as a spy.' 
 
 After this a council was formed, and both the 
 parrot and the crow were desired to attend. The 
 parrot, with a slight inclination of his head, seated 
 himself upon a stool which was presented to him, and 
 then delivered his commission in the following words : 
 —Sir, the most illustrious Maha-rajah* Chitra-varna 
 commandeth thee, Hiranya-garbha, if thou hast any 
 
 * Literally, great Rajah. A title in these days by no means confined 
 to men of royal or even noble extraction. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 197 
 
 occasion for life or fortune, instantly to repair into 
 his presence, and prostrate thyself at his feet ; or else, 
 to think of retiring to live in some other country ! 
 The king, in anger, exclaimed, — Ha ! have we no one 
 about us ? The crow, Cloud-colour, instantly rose 
 up and cried out, — Give but the word, and I will kill 
 this infamous parrot ! In the meantime, the minister, 
 who was engaged in pacifying the king, repeated 
 these lines : 
 
 ' That is not a council, wherein there are no sages ; 
 they are not sages, who do not declare men's duty ; 
 that is not a duty, in which there is not virtue ; and 
 that is not virtue from which fear approacheth us.' 
 
 The law speaks thus : but, moreover, this parrot is a 
 Brahman ; and they say also, 
 
 'An ambassador, although he be a barbarian, is 
 not to be put to death ; for he is only the mouth of 
 his master : no, not even when the weapons of war 
 are lifted up; and how much less, if he be a Brah- 
 man! 
 
 ' An ambassador never payeth any regard either to 
 his own inferiority, or others' ' superiority ; but under 
 the decree of fate, that he is not punishable> he 
 speaketh without reserve.' 
 
 Upon hearing these maxims, both the king and the 
 crow were pacified ; and the parrot got up and went 
 away. But upon a motion of the, minister's, things 
 
198 ' THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 having been/ explained to him, he was brought back, 
 and dismissed with presents of golden ornaments, 
 rich dresses, and the like. 
 
 The parrot" returned to the Vindhya mountains, 
 where paying his respects to Chitra-varna his own 
 sovereign, the king no sooner perceived him, than he 
 called out, — Well, parrot, what intelligence hast thou 
 brought me ? What sort of a country is it ? Please 
 your Highness, replied the parrot, the sum of my in- 
 telligence is this, — Let preparations be made for war ! 
 As to the country, it is a portion of the heavenly 
 regions ; then how is it possible to describe it ? The 
 peacock king, upon hearing this, sent for his chiefs, 
 and sat down to consult with them. On the subject 
 of the war, said the king, which is presently to be 
 entered into, advise what is proper to be done ; for, 
 again I say,-war is absolutely resolved upon. They 
 say, 
 
 'Brahmans are ruined when discontented, like 
 sovereigns when contented. Modesty is ruin to a 
 harlot, and immodesty to women of good repute.' 
 
 Amongst the rest, there was a vulture whose name 
 was Far-see,* who arose and said, — Please your High- 
 ness, Fate would not be idle in fighting with thee j 
 for, 
 
 ' When sons, with friends and attendants, are firmly 
 * In the original, doora-darsce. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 199 
 
 attached, and in opposition to the enemy, then war 
 may be commenced.' 
 
 Let my minister observe what I am about to order, 
 said the king ; let the services of these my officers be 
 engaged by an advance of a part of their pay ; and 
 then let the soothsayer * be called, and let him fix 
 upon a lucky moment t for us to begin our march. 
 Yet, please your Highness, observed the minister, it 
 is not proper to march rashly ; for they say, 
 
 ' Those fools who rashly, and without investigation, 
 rush upon the forces of the enemy, will doubtlessly 
 be embraced with the edges of their swords.' 
 
 Minister, replied the king, thou shouldst not en- 
 deavour to break the force of my ardour. Tell me 
 rather how one who wishes for conquest advanceth 
 into the country of the enemy. Please your High- 
 ness,, said the minister, this subject too if pursued 
 may yield fruit ; for they say, 
 
 'What is the use of advice given to a sovereign 
 according to the authority of books, if it be not fol- 
 lowed? A patient will never recover his health 
 merely from the description of a medicine.' 
 
 * The Hindoos oir the present age do not undertake any affair o£ 
 consequence without consulting their astrologers, who are always 
 Brahmans. 
 
 + The lucky and unlucky days are generally pointed out in their 
 almanacs, but as these are always written in Sanskrit, none but the 
 Brahmans can explain them, 
 
200 THE HITQPADESA : 
 
 But as the commands of majesty are not to be 
 neglected, I will proceed to repeat what I have heard 
 upon the subject of war. Please to attend, your 
 Highness : 
 
 ' Troops, with everything which can make them for- 
 midable, should be stationed upon the rivers, upon 
 the mountains, in the woods, in the strongholds, and 
 wherever else there is danger. 
 
 ' The Adhyaksha* should march before, accom- 
 panied by the bravest men ; in the centre the" 
 seraglio, t the swamee,t the treasure chest, the maga- 
 zines of provisions, and everything else which may 
 be valuable. 
 
 ' On each flank the hor.se, on the two flanks of the 
 horse the chariots,§ on the two flanks of the chariots 
 the elephants, and on the two flanks of the elephants 
 the foot.ll 
 
 ' In the rear should march the Sena-pati^f occasion- 
 ally encouraging such as seem to be melancholy. 
 
 * Literally, overseer. Probably an officer like our quartermaster- 
 general. 
 
 t The original word is kalatmm, which signifies either wives or a 
 place of safety. 
 
 t This word in the common acceptation means master; but in this 
 place, probably, either the prince, or his commander-in-chief. 
 
 § Although these are disused in battle at present, they are constantly 
 mentioned in their ancient books, as a necessary part of an army. 
 
 || The horse, chariots, elephants, and foot, are, in Sanskrit, called 
 the four members of an army. 
 
 If Literally, army-mast r; a genc;al. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 201 
 
 And the king should take the field accompanied by 
 his counsellors and choicest heroes. 
 
 'The uneven ground, swampy places, and hills, 
 should be cleared by the elephants; the plains by 
 the horse, the rivers by boats, and the foot should be 
 employed everywhere. 
 
 ' Upon the arrival of the rains it is best to march 
 with elephants only, they say ; but at other times, 
 with all the four distinction of troops. 
 
 ' Amongst hills, and in narrow passes, it is proper 
 that the chief should be guarded by some of his best 
 troops ; and the same when he is asleep, with watch- 
 ful care. 
 
 ' The army should strive to destroy, and distress 
 the enemy by rolling stones down from the tops of 
 steep places ; * and as soon as they enter the enemy's 
 country, the Attavikat should be formed before. 
 
 ' Wherever the chief is, there should the treasure 
 chest be ; for without treasure there is no superiority. 
 And some of it should be distributed amongst the 
 principal officers ; for who will not fight for one who 
 giveth freely ? 
 
 'Man is not a servant for the man, but for the 
 thing. A chief's consequence, or insignificance, de- 
 pendeth upon his having wealth, or no wealth. 
 
 * It is common to see stones, formed round for this purpose, placed 
 upon the parapets of Hindoo fortresses, at this day. 
 '+ These seem to have been hatchet-men or pioneers. 
 
202 THE HITOPADESA .• 
 
 'The troops should fight without breaking; and 
 they should defend one another. Whatever military- 
 stores there may be should be put in the centre of 
 the ranks. 
 
 '■ And when the chief hath given check to the 
 enemy, he should endeavour to distress the country. 
 Upon level ground he should fight with chariots and 
 his horse ; and in places overflowed with water, either 
 with boats or elephants. 
 
 4 Amongst trees and bushes he should fight with 
 bows and arrows ; and upon open ground, with 
 sword and shield. And he should always endeavour 
 to destroy, or render useless, the enemy's straw, corri, 
 water, and firewood. 
 
 ' He should destroy likewise their reservoirs, their 
 ramparts, and their ditches and trenches. The 
 chief's elephants should be the first in the army, and 
 not disordered. 
 
 'They say, he who fighteth with elephants and 
 camels, fighteth, as it were, with his own arms. The 
 horse is the strength of the army. The horse is as' a 
 moving bulwark. 
 
 ' Wherefore, the chief who hath most horse in a land 
 fight is victorious. Those who fight mounted on 
 horses are hard to be defeated, even by the hosts of 
 heaven; for let the enemy be at ever so great a 
 distance, they are, as it were, in their hands. 
 
 * The chief employment for the foot is fighting, 
 
• FABLES AND. PROVERBS, 203 
 
 guarding the whole army, and clearing the roads 
 about. 
 
 ' The best kind of troops are declared to be those 
 who are naturally brave, skilled in the exercise of 
 arms, attached, .inured to fatigue, renowned, and 
 soldier-like. 
 
 ' Men, O prince, do not fight so well in this world, 
 even for very large pecuniary rewards, as for honours 
 bestowed by their commander. 
 
 ' A small army consisting of chosen troops is far 
 better than a vast body chiefly composed of rabble; 
 for when the bad give way, the good are inevitably 
 broken in consequence. 
 
 ' He who wisheth for victory should endeavour to 
 harass the enemy without distressing his own troops. 
 An enemy's army which has been harassed for a 
 long time, may be easily defeated. 
 
 ' There is not a better counsellor than a competitor, 
 for the overthrow of an enemy; wherefore great 
 pains should be taken to raise such a claimant. 
 
 ' Having entered into a confederacy with some one 
 amongst the chief's sons, or with pne of his principal 
 counsellors, at length, it will be proper, with a firm 
 resolution, to provoke him to fight. 
 
 'And when a chief shall have given him an over- 
 throw by means of his nearest friends, he may put his 
 enemy to death.' * 
 
 * This verse is defective in the original. 
 
2Q4 THE HITOPADESA v 
 
 What is the use of saying so much upon the^ 
 subject ? said the king, interrupting him : 
 
 ' One's own exaltation is another's tribulation, and 
 both, they say, is policy. Having granted this, our 
 fine language is contradicted by our actions.'* 
 
 The minister, smiling at this, replied, — It is en- 
 tirely so ; but, 
 
 ' One is lofty, powerful, and a villain ; whilst 
 another is guided and restrained by moral laws. 
 When shall we find the same superiority in light and 
 darkness ? ' t ' 
 
 At length the king got up and resolved to march 
 at the time appointed by his astrologer; but just 
 now the Purohita + met him, accompanied by a spy, 
 and told him, that king Chitra-varna was almost 
 arrived, and that at present he was near the Malaya 
 mountains ; that the construction of a castle was 
 instantly to be resolved, for the vulture was a very 
 wise minister ; and that from the tenor of his con- 
 versation there wasreason to believe, that he had a 
 spy even then within the castle. To all this the 
 minister replied, that if there was a spy, it could be 
 no one but the crow, whom they had entertained. 
 
 * Morality forbids us to advance our fortunes at the expense of 
 others ; but policy pays no attention to this injunction. 
 + Good and evil. 
 % Spiritual guide. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 205 
 
 That can never be, replied the king ; for if he had 
 been so, how came it to pass that he showed such 
 readiness to punish the parrot ? And besides, war 
 was not resolved till very lately upon the return of 
 their ambassador the parrot. Nevertheless, answered 
 the minister, it is proper to suspect one who came to 
 us as he did. True, replied the king, provided he be 
 guilty of any improper action ; but, 
 
 ' A stranger, if well-disposed, is a friend ; but a 
 friend, if ill-disposed towards one, is a stranger. A 
 distemper, although generated in the body, is 
 malignant; .whilst a drug produced in the woods 
 proveth salutary.' 
 
 ; King Subhraka had a servant, by name Veera-vara, 
 who in a very short time offered up his own son. 
 
 How was that ? said the minister ; and the king 
 related the following tale : 
 
 FABLE IX. 
 
 In former days I used to amuse myself with a certain 
 female of my own species, whose name was Karpoora- 
 manjaree,* and who was the daughter of the royal 
 gander Karpoora-keli, in a pleasure lake belonging to 
 king Subhraka. One day a young man, whose name 
 was Veera-vara,' and who proved to be a Rajah- 
 
 * White pearl. 
 
206 THE HITOPADESA , 
 
 putra * come from some distant country, presented 
 himself before the porter who stood at the king's 
 gate, and addressed him in the following words : — I 
 am a soldier in search of employment ; pray procure 
 me a sight of the king. The porter went to his 
 master, and, bowing, told him that there was a soldier 
 at the gate, just arrived from some distant country, 
 who said his name was Veera-vara ; and the king 
 commanded him to be introduced. Accordingly, the 
 porter conducted the stranger into the presence of his 
 master ; to whom, respectfully bowing, he addressed 
 himself as follows : — Sir, if thou hast any occasion 
 for my service, let my pay be fixed. The king asked 
 him, how much ? and he replied, four hundred 
 suvamas t a day. What weapons hast thou ? de- 
 manded the king. My two arms, replied the soldier, 
 and my sword, which makes a third. This will not 
 do, concluded the king; upon which the soldier 
 bowed, and took his leave. The minister happening 
 to be present, said, — Please your Highness, give him 
 four days' pay, and learn what sort of a man he is, 
 and what assistance he can be of. According to the 
 minister's advice, the man being called back, they 
 gave him Tamboola.J and four days' pay in advance ; 
 
 * Literally, the son of a Rajah. A warlike tribe, commonly called 
 Rajpoots. 
 
 t Gold coins. 
 
 % The betel leaf ; but, in this place, the whole composition com- 
 monly called pawn by the natives of Bengal, and betel by the Euro- 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 207 
 
 to the expenditure of which the king very privately 
 attended, and found that he gave one moiety to the 
 gods and the Brahmans, one-fourth to the poor, and 
 spent the remainder in food and amusements ; and 
 that after performing these several praiseworthy 
 actions, he attended sword in hand at the king's gate 
 day and night, and never went to his lodgings without 
 his master's express permission. 
 
 On the fourteenth night of what is called the dark 
 side of the moon, the king heard a noise like one 
 bitterly crying, upon which he called out to know 
 who was waiting at the door, and his faithful Veera- 
 vara answering that he was there, he ordered . him to 
 ' pursue the crying which they heard ; so, saying, I 
 obey your Highness's commands, away he ran. In 
 the meantime, the king reflected in this manner : — I 
 have done wrong to send this soldier away by himself 
 in such a dark cloudy night. I will even go too and 
 see what is the matter. So saying, he took his sword, 
 and thus followed till he got without the city ; and 
 presently after he saw the soldier with a female 
 endued with perfect youth and beauty, and richly 
 attired, who' was weeping. Who art thou, and why 
 dost thou weep ? demanded Veera-vara. I am, said 
 the -female, the goddess Sree,* the fortune of king 
 
 peans, must be understood ; which, every one knows, is given in India 
 by a superior as an inviolable token of friendship, favour, and pro- 
 tection. 
 
 * The goddess of good fortune. 
 
208 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 Subhraka's dominions, who hath long dwelt happily 
 under the shadow of his wings ; but, alas ! I am now 
 about to flee to some other place of refuge. What, 
 O goddess, said the soldier, will induce thee to tarry 
 still longer here ? If, replied the goddess, thou wilt 
 offer up thy own son Sakti-vara, who is distinguished 
 by two-and-thirty marks,* to the goddess who pre- 
 sideth over the welfare of all nature,t then will I 
 remain here for a much longer period of time ; and 
 saying this, she vanished from his sight. 
 
 Veera-vara now went home, and called up his son 
 and his wife, who were both asleep ; who having risen 
 accordingly, he related to them everything which had 
 passed with the goddess. His son, the moment he 
 had concluded, exclaimed in a transport of joy, — O 
 how fortunate I am, who can thus \>e the means of 
 preserving my sovereign and his dominions ! Then, 
 O father, what occasion is there for any further 
 hesitation or delay ; since the assistance of this body 
 is at all times ready upon such an occasion as this ? 
 For they say, 
 
 ' A good man should forsake wealth, and even life 
 itself, for another. It is good to sacrifice one's self 
 
 * What these are the translator is unable to explain. 
 
 t This long epithet is expressed, in the original, in two words, sarva 
 mattgala, which is one of the titles of Bhavanee, the consort of Seeva. 
 In her destructive quality she is called Kalee (a name derived from 
 Kala, time), and it was to her, under this image, that human sacrifices " 
 were wont to be offered, to avert any threatened evil. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 209 
 
 for a holy person upon the approach of his destruc- 
 tion.' 
 
 This simple saying belongs particularly to our 
 tribe ;* then if I am not permitted to do so, by what 
 other act will the preservation of the prosperity of 
 this great country be secured ? Having considered 
 , this proposal, they all went to the temple of the 
 goddess ; and when they had worshipped her image, 
 the father Veera-vara addressed her in these words : — 
 0, goddess ! let Subhraka our sovereign be prosperous ! 
 and let this victim be accepted ! Saying which, he 
 cut off his son's head. Thus, said he to himself, have 
 1 earned the wages which I received from my 
 sovereign ; and now let me pay the forfeit of my 
 son's life ! and instantly he cut off his own head. 
 His wife too, overpowered with grief for her husband 
 and son, followed their example. The king, filled 
 with astonrshment at the scene before him, said to 
 himself : 
 
 ' Such little animals as myself come into life, and 
 die away without end ; but there never has been, nor 
 ever will be, in this world one like unto him ! ' 
 
 Oh, I can have no further enjoyment of these my 
 dominions ! Saying this, he lifted up his sword to 
 cut off his head also ; but on the instant, she on 
 whom dependeth the happiness of all, making herself 
 
 * To the tribe of Rajah-putia, or soldiers. 
 
2io - THE HITOPADESA ; 
 
 evident under human form, seized him by the hand, - 
 and said,— My son, forbear this rashness ! At present 
 thy kingdom is not subdued !* The king prostrated 
 himself before her, and said,— O goddess \ of what 
 use to me is dominion, or even life ? If thou hast 
 any compassion for me,' O let Veera-vara, with his 
 family, be restored to life; or if it be not thy will,' 
 permit me to pursue the path wherein I was found by 
 thee ! The goddess replied, — I am well pleased with 
 this thy noble generosity and tenderness ; then go 
 thy ways, and prosper ; and let this man, his wife, 
 and son, all rise up and live ! The king rendered 
 thanks, and returned unobserved to an apartment of 
 his palace to sleep. Veera-vara too being restored to 
 life, together with his wife and son, he conducted 
 them home. 
 
 Veera-vara being again on guard at the king's 
 door, and being questioned by him respecting the 
 person who was heard crying, replied, that upon her 
 being seen she became invisible, and that there were 
 no further tidings of her.t The king was exceedingly 
 well pleased at this, and said within himself, — What a 
 praiseworthy man he was, repeating these lines : 
 
 , r '-He should speak kindly, without meanness; he 
 
 * The goddess Sree hath not yet forsaken thy dominions. 
 
 t From the tenor of this period, it should seem, that the king, •when 
 he followed Veera-vara, did not go near enough to observe all that 
 passed with the.goddess Sree. 
 
„ FABLES AND PROVERBS. 211 
 
 should be valiant, without boasting ; he should be 
 generous, shedding his bounty into the dish of the 
 worthy ■ he should be resolute, but not harsh.' 
 
 This is the character of a great man ! In this there 
 is all ! 
 
 In the morning early the king assembled a, special 
 council; and when he had publicly proclaimed the 
 proceedings of the night, he bestowed the govern- 
 ment of Karnatta * upon his generous deliverer. 
 After this, concluded the royal goose, must every one 
 who cometh unasked be a villain? The truth is, 
 there are three sorts amongst such too : good, bad 
 and indifferent. 
 
 The minister replied, 
 
 'Is he a minister who, in obedience to his 
 sovereign's pleasure, payeth attention to what should 
 not be done, as if it were proper to be done ? It is 
 better that the heart of the master should suffer pain, 
 than that he should be ruined by doing that which 
 ought not to be done.' 
 
 Hear this, please your Highness : 
 
 The good which hath been gained by one will also be 
 gained by me. But the barber who wished for wealth, 
 having through his infatuation killed a beggar, is put to 
 death himself. 
 
 * The country we call Carnatic. 
 
212 THE HITOPADESA -. 
 
 How came that about ? said the king ; and the 
 minister related the following story : 
 
 FABLE X. 
 In the country of Ayodhya * there was a man, by 
 name Choora-mani.t who, being exceedingly anxious- 
 for the acquisition of wealth, offered up his prayers 
 with great fervour, to him in whose diadem is a 
 crescent; J and at length, one night, when he had 
 been purified of his sins, that deity appeared to him 
 in his sleep, and addressed him in "these words : — In 
 the morning early, having shaved thyself, stand out 
 of sight with a stick in thy hand ; and when thou 
 shalt see a beggar coming into the yard, thou wilt 
 beat him with thy stick without mercy ; for the said 
 beggar will have with him a pot of gold, which may 
 serve to make thee as happy as thou canst wish for 
 the rest of thy life. The instructions of the god 
 were followed, and success attended ; but the whole 
 transaction having been observed by the barber, who 
 came to shave the man, said to himself, — Ho, ho! 
 this is the way to get money, is it ? Why then may 
 not I do the same ? From that moment the barber 
 used every day to conceal himself with a large stick 
 in his hand, waiting for the coming of a beggar ; and 
 
 * The province of Oude. 
 
 t Crown-jewel. 
 
 t One of the titles of Seeva. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 213 
 
 at length, when one came, he beat him so unmerci- 
 fully, that he died ; and the consequence was, that 
 the barber was put to death by the officers of justice 
 for the crime. I say, therefore, " The good," &c. 
 
 The king, replied, 
 
 ' How is a stranger to be found out. by the repeti- 
 tion of a parcel of old stories, whether he be one who 
 hath no motive, or a friend, or one who would betray 
 one's confidence ? ' 
 
 Let the crow alone, and let us pursue what we have 
 to do. Chitra-varna is now in the neighbourhood of 
 Malaya. What is to be done ? The minister- re- 
 plied, — 'Tis true he is come, ; but I have heard from 
 the mouth of a trusty spy, that Chitra-varna hath 
 treated the wise counsels of that great minister the 
 vulture with contempt ; and therefore the fool may 
 be defeated ; for they say, 
 
 ' The enemy who is either avaricious, subject -to 
 passion, unruly, treacherous, violent, fearful, unsteady, 
 or a fool, is easily to be defeated, we are told.' 
 
 Then, before he shall have given orders to invest our 
 castle, let the Sarasa and other generals be sent out 
 upon the rivers, into the woods, upon the mountains, 
 and through the passes, to destroy his forces. They 
 say, 
 
 ' If an enemy's army be -fatigued by a long march, 
 
214 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 confined by, rivers, hills, or forests; terrified by the 
 apprehension of dreadful fires * distressed by hunger, 
 thirst, and the like ; 
 
 ' With their best provisions spoilt, afflicted with 
 pestilenqe and famine, not steady, not numerous, 
 embarrassed by rains and winds ; 
 
 ' Incommoded by dirt, dust, or water, or destitute 
 of good quarters ; a prince may defeat it, and under 
 any circumstances like these. 
 
 ' Or if an enemy be found sleeping in the day, 
 from the great .fatigue of* watching for fear of a 
 surprise, thus overpowered for want of rest, one may 
 at all times easily defeat him.' 
 
 Wherefore, let these generals march against the 
 forces of that impetuous peacock, and fight them, 
 either by day or night, as they may find it most 
 expedient. 
 
 This advice being executed accordingly, the army 
 of Chitra-varna was overthrown, and a great many of 
 its principal leaders fell in the battle. Chitra-varna 
 was exceedingly cast down at this event, and said to 
 his minister the vulture, — Has this happened through 
 neglect ; or have I been wanting in conduct ? 
 
 ' Never before now was empire gained, thus to be 
 
 * The armies of the native princes of India, who are seldom provided 
 with tents, often screen themselves from the inclemencies of the weather 
 with temporary coverings of reeds or rushes, and their cantonments are 
 generally made of mats and straw. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 215 
 
 lost ! The want of prudence destroyeth fortune, even 
 as sickness the greatest beauty. 
 
 ' One who is expert gaineth fortune ; he who eateth 
 but what is wholesome, health; and the healthy, 
 ease; the diligent, the end of knowledge; and he 
 who is well disciplined, virtue, profit, and reputation.' 
 
 The vulture replied, — Please your Highness, 
 
 ' A king, although he be not himself experienced, 
 - may, if he has one old in wisdom about him, deprive 
 another of his good fortune ; like a tree which 
 groweth by the water's side. 
 
 ' Drinking, women, hunting, gaming, fondness for 
 dress, harshness of speech, and severity, are great 
 blemishes in a prince. 
 
 'Riches and prosperity are not possible to be 
 acquired by such as pursue power with sudden 
 violence, nor by those whose minds are at a loss for 
 the means ; for fortune dwelleth in good conduct and 
 noble resolution. 
 
 ' Betel * is pungent, bitter, spicy,t and sweet ; it is 
 alkaline and astringent ; it expelleth wind, destroyeth 
 phlegm, killeth worms, and subdueth bad smells ; it 
 beautffieth the mouth, $ removeth impurities, and 
 
 * In the Sanskrit, Tambula. The composition of what Europeans 
 call betel is too generally known to require a note. 
 
 t This word was substituted by the translator in the room of or>3 
 which seemed to him an error in the original. 
 
 + Stains it red. 
 
2i6 THE HlTOPADESA: 
 
 kindleth the fire of love. Betel, my friend, possesseth 
 these thirteen qualities, hardly to be found, even in 
 the regions of heaven.' * 
 
 But, continued the vulture, your Highness, trusting 
 to your own strength and courage, and from mere 
 rashness, paid no attention to the counsels I laid 
 before you, and treated me with harshness of speech. 
 
 ' Upon what minister do not the errors of conduct 
 fall ? What sore arm is not fretted by a garment of 
 hair?t Whom doth not fortune make proud? 
 Whom doth not death destroy ? To whom do not 
 the things which women do, give cause of great 
 uneasiness ? 
 
 ' A brave man destroyeth his enemies, be they ever 
 so great ; even as prudence overcometh misfortune, 
 an enlightened understanding grief, the sun darkness, 
 and sorrow happiness.' 
 
 But, at that time, I said within myself, — This my 
 master is certainly destitute of wisdom, or else he 
 would be guided by my counsels ; for they say, 
 
 ' What will the wise precepts of books do for him 
 
 * The translator is of opinion this accurate description of the qualities 
 and properties of betel has no business in this place. [Betel stands 
 metaphorically for good counsel .— H. M.] 
 
 + When, are not the poor oppressed ? or, doth not one misfortune 
 bring on another ? 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 217 
 
 who is destitute of natural wisdom ? What will a 
 mirror do for him who hath no eyes ? ' 
 
 And, for these reasons, I remained silent. — The king, 
 upon hearing this, jpining his hands, said, — I agree 
 that the fault was all my own. But, in our present 
 distress, thou shouldst instruct me how I shall be able 
 to retreat, with the few troops I have left, to the 
 Vindhya mountains. The minister now resolved, 
 within his own mind, that he ought to be reconciled 
 to his master, recollecting this saying : 
 
 ' Anger should always be restrained in the presence 
 of the gods, before one's master, sovereign, or a 
 Brahman ; in a cowhouse ; * and not less where 
 there are children, and aged or sick people.' 
 
 Do not be alarmed ! said he to the king, smiling as 
 he spoke ; be comforted ! They say, 
 
 ' The wisdom of ministers shineth most upon the 
 breaqh of concord, and when affairs are fallen into 
 confusion. In peace, who is not wise ? 
 
 ' If fools undertake ever so little, they willingly be- 
 come independent; whilst those who perform great 
 "actions, and are men of wisdom and experience, 
 remain attached.' 
 
 This being the case, when by thy valour thou shalt 
 
 * Probably from the danger of being tossed, rather than out of respect 
 •to those holy animals. 
 
2i8 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 have penetrated the castle of the enemy, I will, 
 without delay, conduct thee, together with honour; 
 glory, and thy army, safe back to the Vindhya 
 mountains.. How shall this be accomplished, said 
 the peacock king, with so small a force ? Please 
 your Highness, replied the vulture, the whole shall 
 come to pass. But as the opposite of dilatoriness is 
 a quality absolutely necessary for a conqueror to 
 ensure success, let instant orders Be given for the 
 blockade of the enemy's castle. 
 
 Soon after this resolution, a spy came to the royal 
 goose Hiranya-garbha, and told him that the peacock 
 king, by the advice of the vulture his minister, small 
 as his army was, had resolved to march and block up 
 the castle gates. What is to be done now ? said the 
 king. Let our army, replied the minister, be divided 
 into good and bad, and let presents be made to the 
 whole, according to their deserts, of money, cloth, 
 and the like ; for it is said, 
 
 ' Fortune never forsaketh the prince who standeth. 
 with an open hand in the squares and public places. 
 A trifle, thus acquired, is esteemed far above a 
 thousand pieces of gold found by chance in the road. 
 
 'A prince should beat an extraordinary expense 
 on eight occasions : at a sacrifice, at a wedding, in 
 times of distress, after the overthrow of an enemy, in 
 any meritorious work, in entertaining friends, upon 
 
FABLES AMD PROVERBS. 219 
 
 women who are dear to him, and in relieving relations 
 who are in want. 
 
 ' A fool, from the dread of ever so trifling expense, 
 ruineth everything he undertaketh. What wise man 
 would, from extreme scrupulousness, entirely forsake 
 a clean pot ?' * 
 
 How, demanded the king ; is it proper to be ex-, 
 travagant on any occasion, when they say, — "A man 
 should keep his riches against accidents," &c. ? 
 How can one who is fortunate, said the minister, 
 meet with accidents ? Because fortune sometimes 
 leaves one, replied the king. Hoarded treasure, 
 observed the minister, is often lost ; then away with 
 parsimony, and let thy brave soldiers be distinguished 
 by gifts and honours. 
 
 'Those who have been preferred, and are well 
 contented ; such as are regardless of life, and have 
 been proved ; with those of noble birth, who have 
 been treated with marks of distinction; will, all of 
 them, be victorious over the forces of the enemy. 
 
 ' A trifling force, consisting of only five hundred 
 heroes, who are good soldiers, well experienced in 
 the art of war, and resolute, when formed into a com- 
 pact body, will beat a whole army of their enemies. 
 
 'The greatest qualities for a prince are, veracity, 
 
 * Hindoos generally boil their food in earthen pots, which they ne*er 
 use a- second time. 
 
220 THE HLTOPADESA-. 
 
 courage, and generosity. If a sovereign be destitute 
 of these, he will certainly acquire the s,tate of being 
 talked of with contempt.' 
 
 Ministers, likewise, should be distinguished and pro- 
 moted ; for, 
 
 'He should be employed in affairs of life and 
 fortune, with whom is our protection, and with whom 
 is confided our income and expense/ * 
 
 For, 
 
 'The prince who hath for his advisers, knaves, 
 women, children, or fools, neglecteth the purification 
 of imprudence, and is overwhelmed in the hour of 
 necessity.' 
 
 Observe, your Highness, that 
 
 ' The earth is bountiful unto him who hath neither 
 extreme joy nor anger in his breast, who hath a 
 treasure with but little expense, and who hath 
 servants who are always vigilant. 
 
 'A prince who is well furnished with treasures, and 
 other means, should never neglect or despise his 
 ministers.' 
 
 For, 
 
 ' When a king, blinded by his rashness, is about to 
 
 * This verse, in the original, is so full of errors and consequent 
 obscurity, that nothing but the context could have discovered the 
 meaning. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 221 
 
 be overwhelmed in the ocean of his affairs, a friendly 
 minister stretcheth out his hand from the dry land to 
 assist him,' 
 
 Just now the crow Cloud-colour came in, and, 
 bowing, cried,— Please your Highness, look ponder ! 
 The enemy is at the gate anxious for battle. But 
 issue your commands, and I will sally forth and 
 display my prowess, by which action I shall pay the 
 debt I owe your Highness ! Not so, not so ! replied 
 Know-all ; it is by no means proper to go forth to 
 fight ; if it were, there would have been no occasion 
 for our taking shelter in the castle. 
 
 ' The alligator, matchless as he is, when he quitteth 
 the water, is without power. Were even the lion to 
 forsake the forests, he would doubtless be upon a 
 level with the jackal.' 
 
 Please your Highness, said the crow, go yourself, and 
 see the battle. 
 
 ' A king having advanced his forces, should fight, 
 Overlooking them ; for who will not truly act the lion 
 when his master standeth over him ? ' / 
 
 - After this, they all marched to the castle gate, and 
 fought a great battle. In the meantime Chitra-varna, 
 the peacock king, addressed his minister to fulfil his 
 •promise immediately, who replied, — Attend, please 
 your Highness : 
 
222 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 ' A fortification is declared to be weak, when it ' is 
 unable to hold out a long time, is extremely small, 
 and very much exposed ; or when commanded by a 
 weak and unfortunate officer.' 
 
 But seeing that is not the case here, 
 
 'There are four ways to take a fort, which are. 
 these: creating divisions, long blockading, surprise, 
 and storming.' 
 
 At present, only let the battle be maintained to the 
 utmost of our power, concluded the vulture. 
 
 Early in the morning, even before the sun was up, 
 when the battle had commenced at all the four gates 
 of the castle, the crow, who was in the inside, contrived 
 to set fire to every house. There was now a confused 
 rumour that the enemy had got possession ; hearing 
 which, and, at the same time, seeing a vast number 
 of houses in flames, the troops of the royal goose, 
 with all the private inhabitants, fled to the waters for 
 security ; according to this saying : 
 
 ' Whatever hath been well consulted and wefl 
 resolved, whether it be to fight well, or to run away 
 well, should be carried into execution in due season, 
 without any further examination.' 
 
 The king having been thus abandoned by all but 
 the Sarasa, and being by nature a slow walker, was 
 made prisoner by the cock, who was the peacock's 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 223 
 
 general ; upon which he addressed the Sarasa in these 
 words : — General Sarasa, when I shall be no more, thou 
 must not destroy thyself; but as thou hast it still in 
 thy power to make thy escape, then go upon the 
 waters, and, with the will of the Omniscient, place 
 Choora-karna my son upon the throne. O my royal 
 " master, replied the Sarasa, do not talk thus, for it is 
 more than I can bear. May the king still triumph 
 over his enemies as long as the sun and moon shall 
 last ! I will again assume the command of the castle, 
 and then let the foe enter besmeared with my 
 blood ! 
 
 ' A master is hard to be found, who is patient, 
 generous, and a judge of merit; or a servant, who is 
 honest, clever, and attached.' 
 
 Attend to this, please your Highness: If after having 
 quitted the field of battle there were no fear of death, 
 it would be proper to go hence; but is not death 
 inevitable to all things ? Besides, it would tarnish my 
 reputation to quit thee now. 
 
 * In this world, raised up for our purification, and to 
 -prevent our wandering in the regions below,* the 
 resolution to sacrifice one's own life to the safety of 
 another is attained by the practice of virtue.' 
 
 • The original word ;s veechee, which only means a particular division 
 ofthose regions. 
 
224 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 i 
 
 Besides, thou art the sovereign and master, who is 
 always to be guarded and protected. 
 
 ' When Prakriti is forsaken by her lord, great as - 
 she is, she, doth not survive it.* When life hath taken 
 its departure, though Dhanwantari t be the physician, 
 what can he do ? 
 
 f In the sovereign the whole world openeth and 
 shutteth its eyes. Thus the lotus of the waters, upon 
 the rising of the sun, reviveth upon his revival. 
 
 ' The sovereign, the minister, territory, strongholds, . 
 treasure, forces, and friends, are the members of 
 government ; also the nobles, and the order of citizens.' 
 
 But, of all these, the sovereign is the principal mem- 
 ber. Here the cock flew upon the royal goose, and 
 began to wound him with his bill and claws ; but the 
 Sarasa scteened his master under his own body; and 
 although he himself was torn almost to pieces by the 
 cock's beak and spurs, he still covered him till he got 
 him safe into the water. Immediately after, the v 
 Sarasa pecked the cock to death ; but at last, being 
 attacked by a large party of birds, he lost his own 
 life. Chitra-varna, the peacock king, now enters the 
 
 * To understand how this verse is applicable to the subject, it is 
 necessary the reader be informed, that by the word Prakriti (here 
 signifying thai from which all things are made : Principle, — Nature per- 
 sonified as a beautiful female — the Hindoo Eve), is meant the principal 
 m en, the nobility. 
 
 + The yEsculapius of the Hindoos. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS 225 
 
 castle, and having plundered it of everything that had 
 been left in it, he marched out again, saluted by his 
 followers with shouts of victory ! 
 The young princes now said to the Vishnu-Sarma, 
 In our opinions, the Sarasa, in having thus pre- 
 served his master, at the expense of his own life, 
 was the most virtuous bird in the army. 
 
 ' Cows bring forth young, all of the same shape as 
 their parents ; but few produce a king of the herd 
 whose horns stroke his shoulders.' * 
 
 May the exalted being, replied Vishnu-Sarma, 
 who, of his own accord, purchaseth the regions of 
 happiness with his own body, enjoy them, and be 
 attended by Vidhya-dharees. They say, 
 
 'Such brave men as shed their blood in battle in 
 their sovereign's cause, and such men as are faithful 
 and grateful to their masters, are those who go to 
 , heaven.t 
 
 'Whenever a hero is killed, surrounded by the 
 enemy, he obtaineth for himself those regions which 
 are without decay; provided he doth not show 
 cowardice.' 
 
 You have now, sirs, heard everything which re- 
 lates to Disputing, concluded Vishnu-Sarma. We 
 
 * Having long horns. 
 
 + For a time measured by their virtues. 
 
 H 
 
226 THE HITOPADESA; 
 
 have, replied the young princes, and are exceedingly 
 well pleased. May that which follows, said Vishhu- 
 Sarma, produce the same effect. 
 
 ' May no possessor of the earth ever have occasion 
 to dispute with elephants, horses, and foot soldiers ! 
 May his enemies, defeated by the cleansing counsels 
 of policy, take shelter in the caverns of the moun- 
 tains ! ' 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 227 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OF MAKING PEACE. 
 
 ' Now, said the young princes, please to inform us of 
 what relates to Making Peace. Attend then, replied 
 Vishnu-Sarma ; this is the introduction to it : 
 
 At the conclusion jf a great battle, in which the troops 
 of both kings have suffered, a treaty is presently brought 
 about by the two ministers, flie Vulture and the Chakra- 
 vaka. 
 
 How was this ? demanded the young princes ; and 
 Vishnu-Sarma related as follows ; 
 
 FABLE I. 
 
 The royal goose, after his escape, asked who it wis 
 that set fire to the castle ; whether one of the enemy 
 or some of their own party? and his minister, Ghakra- 
 vaka s replied, — Please your Highness, that unneces- 
 sary connection of yours, the e'row Gloud-colourj 
 together with his attendants, is no longer to be seen 3 
 wherefore, I conclude that it was contrived by hirrii 
 The king, after a few moments' consideration 
 
 H 2 
 
228 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 exclaimed, — It is even so ! It is my own evil 
 seeking ! 
 
 ' The fault shall be for ever his, and no more the 
 minister's, by whom I believe our affairs, so well 
 designed for our own advantage, were ruined.' ■ 
 
 They say, replied the minister, 
 
 ' The man who meeting with the rugged paths of 
 life, doth not know that they are evils of his own 
 seeking,* is no philosopher. 
 
 He who doth not pay due regard to the advice of such 
 friends as have his welfare at heart, may suffer for it ; 
 like the foolish tortoise, who fell from a piece of wood 
 and was killed. 
 
 How was this ? demanded the king ; and his 
 minister related the following story : 
 
 FABLE II. 
 
 In Magadha-desa t there is a large piece of water 
 which is distinguished by the appellation Phullot- 
 pala,f where lived together for a long time two 
 geese ; and they had a tortoise for their friend, who 
 dwelt with them. Some fishermen coming that way, 
 gaid to themselves, — To-morrow early we must con- 
 
 * By the vices of a former life. 
 
 t The ancient name of the country about Gya. 
 
 % Relating to the production of aquatic flowers. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 229 
 
 trive to catch some turtle, and other fish. This 
 having been overheard by the tortoise, he said, — My 
 friends, " you have heard the conversation of these 
 fishermen, then what do you think I had best do ? 
 The two geese replied, — We shall know by-and-by 
 what is fit to be done. Not so ! what is conceived 
 proper, that should be done immediately. 
 
 These two, Fate-not-come, and Wit-against-it-when- 
 come, both of them happily flourish; whilst W hat-will-be 
 • loseth his life. 
 
 How was that ? demanded the two geese ; and the 
 tortoise related the following story : 
 
 FABLE III. 
 
 Formerly, in this very piece of water, when the 
 same danger threatened them as now threatens' us, 
 it was foreseen by three fish. One of them, whose 
 name was Fate-not- come,* said, — I will sink deep in 
 the water for security ; and, spying so, down he went. 
 The second, who ■ was called Wit-against-it-when- 
 come,t said, — In an affair which is about to come to 
 pass, one should not proceed without an authority ; 
 now it is said, 
 
 * In the original, andgata-vidhata. It was necessary to translate the 
 names, to save the spirit of the fable. 
 + In Sanskrit, fratyutpanna-mati. 
 
230 Tftg HtTOPADESA: 
 
 He is a wise man who can conquer an accident when 
 it happeneth. A merchants wife charged her gallant 
 with theft, before her husband's face. 
 
 The third fish, who was called What-will-be,* asked 
 him how that was ; and the second fish related as 
 follows : 
 
 FABLE IV. 
 
 At Vikrama-pura t there lived a merchant, whose 
 name was Samudra-doota.j and his wife, who was 
 called Ratna-prabha,§ was always amusing herself 
 with one or other of the servants ; according to these 
 sayings : 
 
 They do not carry their observations so far as to 
 examine limbs and features ; for, whether handsome 
 or ugly, it is all the same to thenv provided he be 
 a man.' 
 
 Again, 
 
 ' Unto women no man is found disagreeable,' &c. 
 
 In another place they say, 
 
 ' A sacred law which hath been ever so well con- 
 sidered, is still to be reconsidered ; a king who hath 
 been satisfied is still to be apprehended ; a young 
 
 * In the original, yad-bhavishya. 
 
 t The city of victory. A common name of places* 
 
 * Ambassador of the sea. 
 § Gem-splendour. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 231 
 
 woman, although in our arms, is altogether to be 
 suspected. What satisfaction then can there be in 
 the sacred law, in princes, or in women ? ' 
 
 One day it so fell out, that being seen by her husband 
 kissing one of the young men of the house, she ran 
 instantly towards him and cried, — My dear, this 
 servant must be exceedingly distressed for food, for 
 he has been eating some camphire which I had 
 brought home for thy use ; and even now I have 
 smelt to him, and find his breath scented with it ! 
 
 It is truly said, 
 
 ' What women eat is twofold ; their cunning four- 
 fold,' &c. 
 
 The servant, upon hearing the woman accuse him 
 thus, appeared to be offended, and exclaimed, — What 
 man can stay in a place with such a mistress as this, 
 who is every minute smelling the servants' mouths ? 
 Saying which he went away ; but his master sent for. 
 him back, and, with some difficulty, pacified him, and 
 induced him to stay. I say, therefore, "He is a 
 wise man," &c. To this What-will-be replied,— -That 
 is not to be which- is not to-be, &c. 
 
 Early in the morning Wit-against-it-when-come, 
 being caught in a net, feigned himself dead, and 
 remained quiet ; but he was no sooner thrown out 
 of the net, than he sprang into deep water, and thus 
 made his escape; whilst What-will-be was taken by 
 
232 THE HITOPADESA .- 
 
 the fishermen, and so lost his life. I repeat, there- 
 fore, "These two, Fate-not- come," &c. 
 
 Then, concluded the tortoise, let it be contrived 
 how I am to get to another lake. Where, demanded 
 the two geese, will be the advantage of thy going to 
 another place ? Pray, replied the tortoise, only con- 
 trive the means, and I will go through the air along 
 with you. How, said the geese, are we to contrive 
 the means ? Why, observed the tortoise, you must 
 get a piece of wood, and take each of you one end 
 of it in your beaks, from which I can suspend myself 
 by my mouth, whilst you carry me along by the 
 force of your wings. This contrivance will thus do, 
 replied the geese ; but, 
 
 One who is wise, in contriving the means, should 
 consider the consequence. Some foolish boobies' young 
 ones were devoured by a weasel * before their faces. 
 
 How did that happen ? demanded the tortoise ; 
 and one of the geese related as follows : 
 
 FABLE V. 
 
 In the north there is a mountain called Gridhra- 
 kootta, near which, on the banks of the Reva,f there 
 
 * In the original, nakoola (in Hindostanee, nawl or noul). A saga- 
 cious little animal, not bigger than a rat, noted for attacking and killing 
 the most venomous serpents, after which it always runs into the thick 
 grass, as it is supposed, in search of an antidote. 
 
 + Perhaps the proper name of the river we call the Rauvee which 
 runs into the Indus. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 233. 
 
 used to be many boobies in a certain tree ; and at 
 the foot of the same tree a serpent lived in his hoie, , 
 who used to devour the young boobies. An old bird 
 hearing the lamentations of the afflicted boobies for 
 the loss of their little ones, addressed them in these 
 words : You should do thus : — Get some fish, and 
 draw them along upon the ground from the hole of a 
 weasel, as far as the serpent's hole, where you will 
 leave them. Presently, the weasels, attracted by the 
 scent of food, will go to the serpent's hole, and thus he 
 is certainly to be discovered, and, from there being a 
 natural enmity between them, thus to be destroyed. 
 The plan was accordingly executed, and the serpent 
 was discovered and eaten by the weasels, as they were 
 hunting about the hollows of the tree for the fish ; 
 but soon after, the cries of the young boobies being 
 heard by them, they mounted the tree and devoured 
 them also. We repeat, therefore, said the two geese, 
 "One who is wise, in contriving the means," &c. The 
 people seeing us carrying thee along will cry out, — 
 What a curious sight ! Upon hearing which, if thou 
 makest any reply, thou wilt certainly lose thy life ; 
 wherefore, upon all accounts, it is best to stay where 
 we are. I will not speak a word, said the tortoise J 
 what, do you take me for a fool ? 
 
 In the manner described, at length the geese took 
 up the tortoise, and flew away with him, hanging to 
 the piece of wood; and presently, being'discovered 
 
234 THE HITOPADESA: 
 
 in that situation by some cowkeepers in the fields, 
 they pursued them, crying out, — When he falls down, 
 we will dress him and eat him upon the spot. No, 
 said one of them, let us carry him home ! Upon hear- 
 ing which, the tortoise fell into a passion, to think 
 how they intended to dispose of him ; and whilst he 
 opened his mouth to say, — You shall eat dust first ! 
 down he dropped, and was presently put an end to 
 by those herdsmen. I therefore repeat, " He who 
 doth not pay a due regard to the advice," &c, con- 
 cluded the minister. 
 
 ' We should always guard our speech ; for from 
 speaking ruin often ensueth ; as in the downfall 
 of the tortoise, who was being carried along by two 
 geese.' 
 
 The booby, who had formerly been sent as a spy, 
 having returned, addressed the royal goose in these 
 words : — Please your Highness, at the very beginning 
 I represented that it was necessary instantly to clear 
 the castle ; but that not having been done, this is the 
 fruit of your neglect; and I have learnt that the 
 burning of the castle was effected by the crow Cloud- 
 colour, who had been employed for that purpose by 
 the enemy's minister the vulture. The king, sighing, 
 said, 
 
 ' He who placeth confidence in ail enemy, either 
 from inclination or necessity, awaketh from his 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 235 
 
 delusion, like one who hath fallen from the top of a 
 tree in his sleep ! ' 
 
 And when Cloud-colour, continued the spy, had 
 effected the burning of the castle, he went to king 
 Chitra-varna ; who being well satisfied .with what he 
 had done, said, — Let this Cloud-colour be appointed 
 governor of Karpura-dweepa ; for, it is said, 
 
 'One should not forget the labours of a servant 
 who hath performed his duty \ but should encourage 
 him with rewards, with our hearts, with our speech, 
 and with our eyes,' 
 
 Then the vulture, who is the prime minister, con- 
 tinued the spy, said, — Please your Highness, let some 
 station be given to him inferior to that of the prin- 
 cipal one ; for, 
 
 ' How is it possible to punish one who hath been 
 raised to a superior station ? The assistance, O king, 
 which is rendered to those of low degree, is like 
 endeavouring to please bears.' 
 
 A low -person should never be placed in the station 
 of the great. 
 
 One of low degree having obtained a worthy station, 
 seeketh to destroy his master; like the mouse, who, 
 ^having been raised to the state of a tiger, went to kill 
 the hermit. 
 
235 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 How was that ? said the peacock king ; and the 
 minister related the following story : 
 
 FABLE VI. 
 
 IN a forest of the prophet Gowtama,* which is dedi- 
 cated to acts of penitential mortifications, there was a 
 hermit, whose name was Maha-tapa. One day seeing 
 a young mouse fall from the mouth of a crow near 
 his hermitage, out of compassion he took it up, and 
 reared it with broken particles of rice. He now 
 observed that the cat was seeking to destroy it ; so, 
 by the sacred powers of a saint, he metamorphosed 
 his mouse into a cat j but his cat being afraid of his 
 dog, he changed her into a dog ; and the dog being 
 terrified at the tiger, at length he was transformed 
 into a tiger. The holy man now regarded the tiger 
 as no ways superior to his mouse. But the people 
 who came to visit the hermit, used to tell one another 
 that the tiger which they saw there had been made so 
 by the power of the saint, from a mouse ; and this 
 being overheard by the tiger, he was very uneasy, and 
 said to himself, — As long as this hermit is alive, the 
 disgraceful story of my former state will be brought 
 
 * The declared author of a metaphysical work in the Sanskrit lan- 
 guage, called Nyaya-darsana, the first volume -of which is said to have 
 been deposited in the British Museum. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 237 
 
 to my ears ; saying which, he went to kill his pro- 
 tector; but as the holy man penetrated his design 
 with his supernatural eye, he reduced him to his 
 former state of a mouse. I repeat, therefore, " One of 
 low degree," &c. Please to attend to this also, said 
 the minister : 
 
 A certain booby after having devoured fish of every 
 size and quality, at length is killed from his attempting 
 a crab out of mere gluttony. 
 
 How was that ? demanded Chitra-varna ; and his 
 minister related the following story : 
 
 FABLE VII. 
 
 IN the country of Malava there is a lake distinguished 
 by the name of Padma-garbha, where lived an old 
 booby, who, being deprived of his former abilities, 
 stood and feigned to appear like one who was troubled 
 in mind ; in which situation being observed by a crab 
 at a distance, the latter asked him why he stood there, 
 and did not look for food. You know, replied the 
 booby, that fish is what I live upon ; and I know for 
 certain that fishermen are coming to catch them all ; 
 for, as I was looking about the skirts of the next 
 village, I overheard the conversation of some water- 
 men upon that subject ; so this being the case, I have 
 lost my appetite with reflecting that, when our food is 
 
238 THE HITOPADESA i 
 
 gone, death will soon follow. This being overheard 
 by all the fish, they observed to one another that it 
 was proper to look out for assistance whilst they had 
 time ; and, said they, let us ask the booby himself 
 what is best to be done ; for, 
 
 ' One may better form a connection with an enemy 
 who will render one assistance, than with a friend who 
 would do one an injury. These two should rather be 
 distinguished according to the good or injury they do 
 to one.' 
 
 Accordingly, the fish accosted the booby, and said, 
 — Pray, master booby, tell us what means can be 
 devised for our safety upon this occasion ? There is 
 one way to be safe, replied the artful booby, and that 
 is, going to another pond, whither I am willing to 
 transport you. The fish, in the greatness of their 
 fears, consented to this proposal, and their treacherous 
 deliverer devoured them all one by one as he took 
 them out of the water. At length, the crab asked him 
 to take him also ; and the booby, although he had 
 never before had any inclination to taste one of his. 
 species, took him up with great marks of respect, and 
 carried him ashore ; when the crab seeing the ground 
 covered with the bones of the fish which the booby 
 had destroyed, cried to herself, — Alas, how unfor- 
 tunate ! I shall certainly be killed too, unless I can 
 contrive some means of escaping. Let me try 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 239 
 
 immediately what the occasion requires. They 
 say, 
 
 ' In times of danger it is proper to be alarmed until 
 danger be near at hand ; but when we perceive that 
 danger is near, one should oppose it as if one were 
 not afraid. 
 
 ' When one attacked beholdeth no safety for him- 
 self, if he be a wise man, he will die fighting with 
 his foe.' 
 
 It is also said, that 
 
 " As out of battle death is certain," &c. 
 
 The crab having come to this resolution,, he seized 
 
 the opportunity, when the booby stretched out his 
 
 neck to devour him, to tear open his throat with the 
 
 - pincers of his claws. Wherefore I repeat, " A certain 
 
 booby," &c. 
 
 Attend, said the peacock king, to what I have been 
 thinking of : — That if Cloud-colour be left governor 
 here, all the choice things which Karpura-dweepa 
 produces may be sent to us to enjoy in great luxury, 
 when we shall be returned to the Vindhya mountains. 
 The minister, laughing, at the king's proposal,, 
 replied, — Please your Highness, 
 
 He who rejoiceth over an unaccomplished design, may 
 meet with disgrace ; like the Brahman who brake the 
 pots and pans. 
 
2 4 o THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 How did that happen ? demanded the king ; and 
 the minister related the following story : 
 
 FABLE VIII. 
 In the city of Devee-kotta* there was a Brahman 
 whose name was Deva-Sarma.t One lucky evening 
 he found a curious dish,i which he took with him into 
 a potter's warehouse full of earthenware, and throw- 
 ing himself upon a bed which happened to be there,§ 
 it being night, he began to express his thoughts upon 
 the occasion in this^ manner : — If I dispose of this 
 dish, I shall get ten fCapardakas || for it; and with 
 that sum I may purchase many pots and pans, the 
 sale of which Will increase my capital so much, that 
 I shall be able to lay in a large stock of cloth and 
 the like ; which having disposed of at a great advance, 
 I shall have accumulated a fortune of a lac^ of money. 
 With this I will marry four wives ; and of these I 
 will amuse myself with her who may prove the 
 handsomest. This will create jealousy; so when 
 the rival wives shall be quarrelling, then will I, over- 
 whelmed with anger, hurl my stick at them, thus ! 
 Saying which, he flung his walking-stick out of his 
 
 * The city of the goddess. Its situation is forgotten. 
 
 t The peace of God. 
 
 X In the original, Saktubhuk-sarava, a dish to eat tarts. 
 
 § It is very common to see a small bedstead in the shops in India. 
 
 || Ten cowries. 
 
 % In Sanskrit, laksha. One hundred thousand (rupees). 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 241 
 
 hand with such force, that he not only brake his 
 curious dish, but destroyed many of the pots and 
 pans in the shop ; the master of which hearing the 
 noise, came in, and discovering the cause, disgraced 
 the Brahman, and turned him out of doors.* I have 
 said, therefore, concluded the minister, " He who 
 rejoiceth," &c. 
 
 At the conclusion of this story the king took the 
 vulture aside,, and desired him to point out what he 
 ought to do ; and the minister replied, 
 
 ' The conductors of princes intoxicated with power, 
 as well as of wounded or restive elephants, get nothing 
 but disgrace !' 
 
 Please your Highness, continued he, the castle hath 
 been destroyed by us in the pride of strength ; or 
 rather, was it not by a stratagem dictated by your own 
 glory ? No, replied the king, it was thy own scheme. 
 If my advice were to be followed, said the minister, 
 we should now return to our own country ; for upon 
 the return of the rainy season, should we have to fight 
 the enemy again, with an equal force, in their own 
 country, we shall find it extremely difficult to retreat 
 home if we should have occasion. Then, for the sake 
 of peace and glory, treat with the enemy, and let us 
 depart. We have taken their castle, and gained 
 renown. This is the extent of my opinion. 
 
 * According to the original, turned him out of the shop. 
 
242 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 ' He is the companion of a, prince, who, placing his 
 duty before him, payeth no regard to his master's 
 likings or dislikings, and tells him unwelcome truths. 
 
 ' When victory in the battle is doubtful, one should 
 wish to treat, even with an equal. One should not 
 hesitate ; for thus Vrihaspati hath declared. 
 
 ' Who, except a child, would place his friends, his 
 army, his kingdom, himself, and his reputation, in the 
 doubtful balance of a battle?' 
 
 Besides, 
 
 Sometimes the overthrow of both Jtappeneth ; for were 
 not Sunda and Upasunda, two giants of equal strength, 
 killed by one another ? 
 
 How was that? said the king; and the vulture 
 related the following story : 
 
 FABLE IX. 
 
 In former times there were two giants, the one called 
 Sunda, and the other Upasunda, who wishing to con- 
 quer the three regions of the universe by the great 
 exertions of their bodies, for a long time petitioned 
 the deity with the crescent on his head to be pro- 
 pitious to their design. The god, pleased with their 
 prayers, told them to ask a boon ; but as the goddess 
 Siraswatce* had the control of these two of dreadful 
 
 * The goddess of speech, harmony, and the arts. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 243 
 
 forms, both their original wish and design were 
 changed, and at length they said, — If the disposer of 
 fortune be pleased with our prayers, give us, O 
 Supreme Being, Parvatee thy own consort ! Accord- 
 ingly, the deity, although displeased at the request, 
 from the absolute necessity of granting boons and 
 from a kind of infatuation,* gave them Parvatee. 
 
 Having obtained her, they were presently inflamed 
 by the beauty of her person, and. eager for the ruin 
 of the mother of the universe jf for they were in- 
 volved in the darkness of sin. But as they were 
 jealous of one another, they resolved to call upon 
 some man of authority to determine which she 
 should belong to ; and instantly the deity, her lord, 
 stood before them under the disguise of a venerable 
 Brahman. We have obtained this female, said they, 
 as a boon, and wish thee to determine which of us 
 she should belong to. The Brahman replied, 
 
 ' A Brahman is respectable because he is of a tribe 
 the first in rank, a KshatriyaJ for strength, and a 
 Visya § if he be possessed of wealth and grain/ 
 
 Now, seeing you two are of the second, or military 
 order> your duty is fighting. These words made a 
 due impression upon their minds; they fell upon 
 
 * In the original, moorhata, the state of being foolish. - ( 
 
 t An epithet of the goddess Parvatee.. 
 
 J The second of the four grand tribes ; a soldier. 
 
 g One of the third order in society ; a merchant. 
 
. 244- THE HITORADESA : 
 
 each other, but as they were equal in strength and 
 courage, they died at the same instant from the 
 blows they received from each other. I say, there- 
 fore, one should be inclined to treat even wkh one 
 of equal force, concluded the vulture. Hast thou 
 not told me this before? said the king. What, 
 said the minister, did your Highness then compre- 
 hend the fuir extent of what I said? According 
 to my opinion, this is not a proper time for the 
 renewal of hostilities. King Hiranya-garbha is en- 
 dued with those qualities which' render him a proper 
 person to treat with, and not to quarrel with. They 
 say, 
 
 ' There are seven descriptions with which it is 
 deemed proper to form an alliance : men of veracity ; 
 men of family ; men of justice and virtue ; men of low 
 degree, sometimes ; such as are heads of a great 
 fraternity ; such as are powerful ; and those who have 
 been successful in many battles. 
 
 ' He who formeth a connection with an honest man, 
 from his love of truth, will not suffer thereby. And 
 the man of family, it is very certain, will not be 
 guilty of an unworthy action, even in the defence 
 of life. 
 
 'To the strictly just and virtuous person, every- 
 thing is annexed. The virtuous man, from his justice 
 and the affection he hath for mankind, is the dispeller 
 of sorrow and pain. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 245* 
 
 ' It is expedient to form connections even with one 
 of low degree, upon the approach of our own de- 
 struction, and when, without his protection, a worthy 
 person might be ruined. 
 
 ' He who is the head of a confederacy of brothers, 
 from their compactness, is as difficult to be rooted 
 out as a bamboo* surrounded by impenetrable 
 thorns. 
 
 ' There is no ordinance for our contending with the 
 strong : the clouds never pass against the wind. 
 
 ' From" the glory of him who hath been victorious 
 in many battles, as from the glory of the son of 
 Jarnadagnee,t all, at all times, and everywhere, is 
 enjoyed. 
 
 ' Seeing he who hath been victorious in many 
 battles meeteth not death, his enemies are captivated 
 by his glory.' 
 
 Then I repeat, that the royal goose, being endued 
 with many of these qualities, is worthy to be treated 
 with. The minister now orders the booby to go to 
 the enemy's camp, and to return with what further 
 intelligence he could pick up. 
 
 I now wish thee, said the peacock king, to inform 
 me how many there are with whom it may be im- 
 
 * In Sansfcrit, vangsa. They grow in clumps, and often so closely 
 connected by their own knotted branches, that it is wiih great difficulty 
 they can be separated. 
 
 + The father of that Ram who U said to have destroyed, in several 
 battles, all the males of the military order. 
 
246 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 proper to enter into an alliance; and the vulture .. 
 minister replied, — I am about to tell your Highness, 
 repeating the following verses : 
 
 ' The young, the old, the long afflicted, and such'as 
 have been excommunicated by their tribe; the fearful, 
 and those whose followers are timid ; the covetous, 
 ani those whose followers are covetous ; 
 
 ' Those whose principal officers are void of attach- 
 ment, he who possesseth too much power in affairs, 
 one who in his counsels is of many opinions, and he 
 who speaketh disrespectfully of the gods or the 
 Brahmans ; 
 
 ' He who is naturally unfortunate, and he who is 
 always consulting fate; one afflicted with famine 
 and pestilence, ar.d he who possesseth a disorderly 
 army; 
 
 ' One who doth not stay in his own country, one 
 who is beset with many enemies, he who hath an army 
 out of time,* and one who hath departed from the 
 true religion: these make twenty descriptions of 
 persons, 
 
 ' With whom it is not proper to enter into alliance, 
 and whom one should do- nothing but check ; for if 
 such as these go to war, they presently fall into the 
 power of their enemies. 
 
 ' If he be a child, his people are not ready to fight, 
 
 * Out of season, or when there is no occasion for an army. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 247 
 
 because of the insignificance of his nature, and the 
 inability of an infant to pay the reward or punish, for 
 fighting or not fighting 
 
 'Be he one oppressed with age, or with some tedious 
 infirmity, deprived of the power of exertion, he is 
 inevitably- overcome of himself. 
 
 ' He who hath been expelled by all his kindred is 
 easily to be defeated ; for his relations too, out of 
 respect for themselves, are ready to destroy him. 
 
 ' Be he a coward, he himself will flee to avoid the 
 battle ; and if his troops are dastards, they will forsake 
 him in the field. 
 
 ' The followers of the covetous refuse to fight, 
 because- there is no distribution of the spoils ; and 
 where the attendants are so, they mutiny for pay, and 
 murder their leaders.- 
 
 ' If the principal officers are. not attached, their 
 chief is forsaken by them in the midst of the battle ; 
 and if he be one who hath too much power in affairs, 
 he expecteth superior attention. 
 
 ' He who in his counsels is of many minds, is 
 hateful to his ministers ; and because of the unsteadi- 
 ness of his mind, he is neglected by them in his 
 necessary affairs. 
 
 'As religion is always most powerful, so he who 
 despiseth the gods or a Brahman, of himself goelh to 
 naught; and so doth he who is smitten by fate. 
 
 ' Those who first study fate, and say, — Fate is the 
 
248 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 only cause of fortune and misfortune, terrify, them- 
 selves. 
 
 ' He who is surrounded by famine and pestilence, 
 of himself yieldeth ; and he who hath a disorderly 
 army, hath no power to fight. 
 
 ' Orte who is out of his own country is defeated by 
 a very trifling enemy : the smallest alligator in his 
 own element gripeth the largest elephant. 
 
 ' He who hath many enemies is like a pigeon 
 among kites : whatever way he turneth, he is en- 
 countered by misfortune. 
 
 ' If he be one who marcheth his army out of 
 season, he is destroyed by fighting against the 
 weather. He will suffer like the crow, who, venturing 
 out at midnight, had his eyes picked out by an owl. 
 
 ' One should, on no account, enter into any con- 
 nection with one who hath departed from the faith ; 
 for, although he be bound by treaty, he will, because 
 of his own unrighteousness, break his engagement.' 
 
 In addition to all this, continued the minister, I 
 shall remind your Highness of the following par- 
 ticulars: Uniting, disputing, halting, marching, sur- 
 rendering, separating, are denominated the "six 
 modes." * For the commencement of an expedition 
 the necessaries are, men, stores, treasure, time, and 
 place ; the possession of which is proper, as a pro- 
 
 * In the original, shadgoona. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 249 
 
 tection against misfortune, as well as for the accom- 
 plishment of a design : they are called " the secret of 
 five members."* Pacifying, giving, dividing, pun- 
 ishing, are distinguished by the appellation of " the 
 four means." f Resolution, authority, good counsel, 
 are denoted "the-three powers." % Those sovereigns 
 who attend to all these things are always victorious ; 
 for, they say, 
 
 ' The success which is to be acquired by those who 
 are acquainted with the rules of policy and prudence, 
 is not to be gained by the price of abandoning life ; 
 for such knowledge causeth irresolution to fly from 
 the body. » 1 
 
 ' He is always possessed of riches, whose followers 
 are well attached, whose spies are concealed, and 
 whose counsels are kept private ; and he who doth 
 not speak with unkindness to his fellow-creatures, 
 may govern the whole world to the extremities of the 1 
 ocean.' 
 
 But please your Highness, continued the minister, 
 although peace has been proposed by that great 
 statesman the vulture, still his master will net consent 
 to it, because of his recent success. Then let this be 
 done: The "king of Singhala-dweepa,§ the Sarasa 
 
 * Panchango-manlra. 
 
 t Of concluding a war, is understood. In Sanskrit, Cbatwara-upaya. 
 
 J Traya-sakti. 
 
 § Ceylon. 
 
250 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 Mahabala* is our friend ; let him raise a disturbance 
 in Jambu-dweepa, the enemy's country. 
 
 'A- wise man having practised great secrecy, 
 marching with a well-composed army, may alarm an 
 opponent ; and he who is alarmed will make peace 
 with him with whom he hath been af variance.'t 
 
 The royal goose having consented to this proposal, 
 one Vichitra a booby was dispatched to Singhaja- 
 dweepa with a very private letter.J 
 
 In the meantime the spy returning from the 
 peacock's camp, said,^Please your Highness, attend 
 to what I have to inform you of. The vulture 
 minister said to the peacock king,— Although Cloud- 
 colour the crow was so long in the enemy's castle, 
 what if he doth or doth not know whether the royal 
 goose, Hiranya-garbha, be possessed of those quali^ 
 ties which are necessary towards our treating with 
 him ? After this, continued the spy, the peacock 
 king having called Cloud-colour before him, asked 
 him what sort of a character that same royal goose, 
 Hiranya-garbha, was, and what sort of minister he 
 had. To this the crow replied, — Please your High- 
 ness, Hiranya-garbha is as noble as king Yudhi- 
 
 * Great-strength. 
 
 t There is such a play upon words in the original of this verse, that 
 the translation is but a faint resemblance. 
 
 t The original expression seems to favour the idea of their being 
 acquainted with the art of writing in cypher. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 251 
 
 sKtira,* and a person of great sincerity ; and as to 
 his master, his likeness is nowhere to be discovered. 
 If he be as' thou hast described him, observed the 
 king, how was it that he was deceived by thee ? 
 
 The crow replied, 
 
 ' What great ingenuity is there in deceiving him 
 whose confidence one hath gained ? Is the term 
 manhood his who mounteth upon the bed, and 
 destroyeth those that are asleep ? ' 
 
 Attend, please your Highness, — 1 was discovered by 
 the minister from the beginning ; but the king his 
 master, being himself one in whom the greatest con- 
 fidence may be placed, was easily imposed upon by 
 me ; according to the following saying : 
 
 He who, judging by what passeth in his own breast, 
 believeth a knave to be a person of veracity, is deceived ; 
 as the Brahman was concerning his goat 
 
 Pray how was that ? demanded the king ; and 
 the spy told the following story : 
 
 FABLE X. 
 In the forest of the prophet Gowtama a certain 
 Brahman, having determined to make an offering, 
 went to a neighbouring village and purchased a 
 
 * Firm in battle. The name of a king who reigned over Hindostan 
 upwards of four thousand years ago. 
 
252 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 goat * which having thrown across his shoulder, he 
 turned towards home. As he was travelling along, 
 he was perceived by three thieves. If, said they, we 
 could by some artifice get the goat From that man, it 
 would be a great proof of our address. Saying this, 
 they agreed upon their stratagem, and executed it 
 in this manner : They stationed themselves before 
 the Brahman, and sat down under the trees ,in the. 
 road which led to his habitation, till he should come 
 up to them. Soon after, he was accosted by one of 
 them in this manner :— Is not that a dog ? Brahman, 
 what is the reason thou carriest it upon thy shoulder ? 
 The Brahman replied, — No, it is not a dog ; it is a 
 goat, which I have purchased to make an offering of. 
 About a mile further on he met another of them, 
 who repeating the same question, he took the goat 
 from his shoulder, and putting it upon the ground, 
 examined it again and again ; and at length, replac- 
 ing it upon his shoulder, he went on, quite staggered 
 as it were. 
 
 The minds even of good men are staggered by the 
 arguments of tlie wicked ; but those who place confidence 
 in them may suffer by it ; like the camel Chitra-vama. 
 
 The king asked how that was ; and the spy told 
 him the following story : 
 
 * In the English translation of the fables falsely attributed to Pilpay, 
 p. 206, it i3 a fine fat sheep ; which, by-the-by, is an animal never 
 sacrificed by the Hindoos. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 253 
 
 FABLE XI. 
 
 In a certain forest there was a lion whose name was 
 Madotkatta,* and he had three attendants ; a crow, a 
 tiger, and a jackal. One day, as these three were 
 roaming about, they met with a camel. They asked 
 him whence he came, and whither he was travelling ; 
 and after he had given an account of himself, they 
 introduced him to the lion ; who, having given him 
 assurances of protection, and determined that he 
 should be called Chitra-varna, retained him in his 
 service. Some time after, when the lion was out of 
 order, his attendants were exceedingly at a loss for 
 provisions, , because for some time it had rained vio- 
 lently. So the crow, the tiger, and the jackal, agreed 
 amongst themselves to contrive some way for the lion 
 to kill the camel ; for, said they, what is that thorn- 
 eater t to us ? Our master, observed the tiger, having 
 given him assurances of safety, and taken him under 
 his protection, then how can this be brought about ?- 
 To which the crow replies, — At such a time as this, 
 when our master's health is upon the decline for w,ant 
 of food, he will not scruple to commit a sin ; for they 
 say, 
 
 ' A mother, when oppressed with hunger, will 
 
 * From mada, courage, vigour, mettle, and ootkatta, fierce, 
 t Camels are fond of browsing upon thorny plants. 
 
254 ?HE HITOPADSsA : 
 
 abandon her own offspring ; a female serpent, when 
 distressed for food, will devour her own eggs. What 
 crimes will they not commit who are pinched with 
 hunger ! Men pining for food become destitute of 
 pity and compassion. 
 
 'Those who are intoxicated either with liquor or 
 pleasure, the lazy, the passionate, the hungry, the 
 covetous, the fearful, the hasty, and libertines-, have- 
 no knowledge of justice.' 
 
 This being proved to the satisfaction of all parties, 
 away they went to the lion; who, the moment he 
 saw them, demanded if they had brought him any- 
 thing to eat. The crow replied, — Sir, with all our 
 endeavours, we have not been able to procure the 
 smallest trifle. Then what means are there now left 
 for my support? cried the lion. Sir, replied the 
 crow, from your refusing the food which you have in 
 your power, we are all like to perish. What is there 
 here for me to eat ? eagerly demanded the lion. The 
 camel ! replied the crow, whispering it in the lion's ear. 
 The noble beast at this proposal, touching the ground, 
 and then his two ears, in abhorrence, exclaimed, — 
 Having, at our first interview, given him assurances 
 of my protection, how can he now be treated thus ? 
 They say, 
 
 ' Nor the gift of cattle, nor the gift of land, nor the" 
 gift of bread, nor the gift of milk, is to be compared 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 255 
 
 with that which men call the greatest of all gifts : 
 the gift of assurance from injury ! ' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' He who hath defended one who had claimed his 
 protection, receiveth the full reward which is the fruit 
 of an Aswa-medha sacrifice,* rendered more worthy 
 by the addition of everything which is estimable ! ' 
 
 The crow replied, — Under these circumstances it is 
 not proper that your Highness should put him to 
 death ; but suppose we so contrive, that he shall con- 
 sent to offer his own body ? The lion hearing this, 
 remained silent ; but the crow, finding an opportunity, 
 made a pretence to carry all his friends and the camel 
 before him ; when he addressed him in this man- 
 ner : — Please your Highness, as we can find nothing 
 for you to eat, rather than my master shall fast, let 
 him satisfy his hunger with all the flesh upon my 
 poor body \ for, 
 
 ' When nature is forsaken by her lord, be she ever 
 so great, she doth not survive. Although Dhanwan- 
 tari be the physician, when life is departed, what can 
 he do ? 
 
 'All honours and endowments have their founda- 
 tions in the sovereign ; but although trees have their 
 
 * The sacrifice of the horse, in ancient times performed by a king at 
 the conclusion of a great war in which he had been victorious. 
 
256 THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 roots, their being fruitful dependeth upon man's 
 exertion/ 
 
 The lion nobly replied, — It is better to abandon 
 life entirely, than to proceed in such an act as this ! 
 The jackal next offered himself; but the lion 
 generously refusing, the tiger said. Live, O master, 
 by my body ! This never can be proper ! said the 
 noble beast ; and, last of all, the camel, in whom was 
 created the fullest confidence, offered himself as the 
 rest had done ; and instantly the tiger tore open his 
 sides ; and being thus cruelly murdered, he was de- 
 voured by them all. I say, therefore, " The minds 
 even of good men," &c. 
 
 At length, said the spy, concluding the story of 
 the three thieves, the Brahman having heard the 
 third thief, like the former two, insist upon it, that he 
 had a dog upon his shoulder, was convinced that it 
 was a dog; and so, leaving his goat behind him, 
 which the thieves presently took away and made a 
 feast of, the good man washed himself* and went 
 home. Whence, I say, " He who, judging by what 
 passeth in his own breast," &c. 
 
 Cloud-colour, said the peacock king to the crow, 
 thou wert a long time amongst the enemy, — pray • 
 how are their orders executed ? Please your High- 
 ness, replied the crow, what is there not done by 
 
 * Because he had touched what he supposed a dog, which is esteemed 
 an unclean animal. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 2 $ l 7 
 
 servants - who have their master's affairs at heart, or 
 from a power derived from one's own necessities ? 
 
 ' Do not men, O king, bear burning wood upon 
 their heads ; and the force of rivers, simply by wash- 
 ing their roots, sweep trees away ? ' 
 
 When a wise man findeth an occasion, he may bear 
 away his enemy upon his shoulder, as it were; just like 
 the old serpent who killed the frogs. 
 
 How did that happen? said the peacock . king ; 
 and the crow related the following story : 
 
 FABLE XII. 
 
 THERE was an old serpent, by name Manda-visarpa,* 
 who, because of his great age, being unable to seek 
 food for himself, threw himself down the bank, of 
 a pond, where he remained, till a certain frog seeing 
 him at a distance, asked him what was the reason he 
 did not hunt about for food ? Leave me ! cried the 
 serpent, what occasion hast thou to inquire into the 
 story of such an unfortunate wretch as I ? The frog, 
 who was not a little pleased to find his enemy in 
 distress, desired him, by all means, to make him 
 acquainted with the cause of his trouble. You must 
 know, then, said the serpent, that here in the town of 
 Brahma-pura, the son of one Kowndinya a Brahman, 
 
 * Slow-glide. 
 
258 - THE H1T0PADESA -. 
 
 in the twentieth year of his age, and endued with 
 every virtue and accomplishment, by the will of fate, 
 was some time since bitten by cruel me ! His father 
 beholding his beloved son Shuseela, for that was his 
 name, lying dead, fell mad for grief, and rolled him- 
 self upon the ground. In the meantime, the people 
 of the city, his kindred, friends, and connections, all 
 came and sat down upon the spot where he lay. 
 They say, 
 
 'He is a friend who attendeth one at a feast, in 
 affliction, in famine, in disputing with an enemy, at 
 the king's gate,* and in the cemetery.' t 
 
 Amongst the rest, there was a certain pilgrim, whose 
 name was Kapila, J by whom the father of- the 
 youth was thus addressed, — Art thou deprived of 
 reason, Kowndinya, that thou thus lamentest the 
 dead ? Hear me ! 
 
 ' Where are those sovereigns of the world, with all 
 their numerous armies and splendid equipage, of 
 whose departure the earth, even now, beareth testi- 
 mony ? 
 
 ' In the body is concealed its decay, prosperity is 
 
 * Figuratively, when in confinement. 
 
 + The original word conveys the idea of a place by a river's side, 
 where those whose lives are despaired of are earned and attended till 
 dead, and where, at length, their bodies are burnt to ashes. 
 
 % The real name of one of their ancient saints, from whose works 
 (probably the following verses are quoted; 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS: 259 
 
 succeeded by adversity, and our meetings are soon 
 followed by separations. Thus everything in nature 
 is produced with that which will destroy it ! 
 
 ' Is not this body seen to waste, perceptibly, 
 away ? Is not its gradual consumption plainly 
 to be discovered, as of water standing in a. crude 
 vessel ? 
 
 ' Youth and beauty, riches and stores of worldly 
 goods, with the society of those we love, and even life 
 itself, are all of short duration \ Then let not the 
 wise man therein be fascinated. 
 
 ' As two planks floating on the surface of the 
 mighty receptacle of the waters, meet, and having 
 met, are, separated for ever ; so do beings in this life 
 come together, and presently are parted. 
 
 ' Upon the reduction of a body composed of five 
 dements to those five principles, and each of those 
 elements to its own womb, what cause is there for 
 lamentation ? * 
 
 'As many tender connections as the animal man 
 formeth for himself, so many thorns of sorrow are 
 there ingrafted in his heart. 
 
 ' This is not a place for any one long to cohabit 
 with another ; nay, not even with his own body : then 
 how can he expect it with another ? 
 
 'The dissolution of a body foretelleth a new birth : 
 
 * The five elements mentioned in this verse are, fire, air, water; earth, 
 and a subtile matter they call akas, 
 
 I 3 
 
26o „ THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 thus the coming of death, which is not to be passed 1 
 over, is as the entrance into Hfe.* 
 
 ' The dissolution of the delightful connections we 
 form- with those we love, is as dreadful as the total 
 change to those who are become incurably blind. 
 
 ' But as brooks run on to join their rivers, and do 
 not turn back ; so the days and nights seize mortals' 
 lives, and proceed eternally. 
 
 'The society of the "good, which contributeth so 
 much to the relish of happiness in this world, is 
 joined in the yoke of troubles, because its end is 
 separation. 
 
 ' Hence it is, that the wise avoid the acquaintance 
 of good men ; for there is no remedy for the mind 
 afflicted with the sorrow of separation. 
 
 ' Many noble and pious works were performed by 
 Sagara and other ancient kings ; but, alas ! both they 
 and their works are gone to decay. 
 
 'When he hath considered, and reconsidered, that 
 severe punishment death, all the endeavours of the 
 wit of man become as lax as skins of leather sprinkled 
 by the rain ! 
 
 ' Every hero of the human race, from the first night 
 of his residence in the womb, day by day approacheth 
 death.' 
 
 Then pay no attention to this world, continued the 
 
 * Regeneration in the literal sense. 
 
FABLES. AND PROVERBS. 261 
 
 good pilgrim ; for sorrow is a proof of ignorance. 
 Observe, 
 
 ' If separation be the cause, and ignorance be riot 
 the cause, how is it, that after days have passed away, 
 sorrow is changed into childishness ? ' 
 
 Wherefore, compose thy troubled mind, and dispel 
 all thought of grief ; for they' say, 
 
 ' Not to think is the grand remedy, when our chil- 
 dren are untimely born,* and against those weapons 
 of deep sorrow, which penetrate the heart.' 
 
 The afflicted Kowndinya, roused by these words, 
 got up as it were from a trance, and cried, — Since it 
 he so, enough of dwelling in the hell of houses ! I 
 will presently retire into the wilderness ! t Hold, my 
 son, replied the benevolent Kapila. 
 
 'Those who yield to their passions will experience 
 evils, even in the, wilderness. To restrain the five 
 organs of perception, even in a house, is doing pen- 
 ance. The habitation of him whose passions are well 
 regulated, and who proceedeth but in such actions as 
 are irreproachable, is as the wilderness of penitence.' 
 
 * A Hindoo's hopes of happiness after death greatly depend upon 
 his having children to perform the ceremonies of the Sradha (offering 
 cakes to the manes of their ancestors), by which he is taught to expect , 
 his soul will be released from the torments of Naraka. 
 
 t It is very common; at this time, for men to quit their wives and 
 families, and all worldly concerns, to lead a godly life in some retired . 
 place, or else, to wander about the country as beggars. 
 
263" THE HITQPADESA : 
 
 For they say, 
 
 'The afflicted even should practise the duties, of 
 religion, whatever mode of life they may choose, and 
 wherever their abode may be ; and our conduct should 
 be equal unto all beings ; for distinctions are not 
 authorized by religion.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Those, who eat but to support life, who wed but 
 for the sake of progeny, and who speak but to declare 
 the truth, surmount difficulties.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' Suppose thyself a river and a holy pilgrimage in 
 the land of Bharata,* of which truth is the water, 
 good actions the banks, and compassion the current ; 
 
 * This word is a derivative from Bharata, one of their most ancient 
 kings ; and it is the only name formerly used by the natives themselves 
 for the countries we include in the term India ; for both the appellation 
 Hindoo for the people, and Hindostan for the country, now generally 
 used by natives and foreigners, were probably given them by their 
 neighbours the Persians. The river improperly called the Indus is 
 quite out of the question, either as giving a name to the country, as 
 many have imagined, or borrowing one from it, according to the opinion 
 of the late Alexander Dow, Esq., in the dissertation prefixed to his 
 " History of Hindostan," p. 31, who in the same page asserts, 
 that " the Hindoos are so called from Ifldoo or Hindoo, which in the 
 Shanscrita language signifies the moon." It is true that eendoo\& one of 
 the names of the moon, but not hindoo. Let it suffice that there are no 
 such words as Hindoo or Hindostan in the Sanskrit language. In 
 Persian we find Hind for the country, and Hindoo for the people. The 
 proper name of the river we call the Indus, as written in Sanskrit 
 characters, is Seendhoo, which, by the vulgar, is pronounced Seendh. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 263 
 
 and then, O son of Pandu * Wash thyself therein, for 
 the inward soul is not to be purified by common 
 water.' 
 
 And thou shouldst pay particular attention to this 
 saying : 
 
 ' There is ease for him who quitteth this world, 
 which is totally destitute of good, and overwhelmed 
 with birth, death, old age, sickness, and sorrow. Pain 
 is a tjiing of certain existence,_but not ease ; whence 
 it is observed that the term ease is applied as a sort 
 of remedy for one in pain.' t 
 
 To all this, continued the serpent, the afflicted 
 father only replied,- — Even so it is ! but presently 
 after the poor Brahman, in the height of his sorrow, 
 denounced this curse against me, the author of his 
 trouble, — that henceforward I should be doomed to 
 carry frogs about upon my back as a beast of burden ! 
 After that, another, Brahman who happened to be by, 
 observing that Kowndinya was greatly revived by the 
 wholesome doctrines of the pilgrim, addressed him in 
 these words : 
 
 ' Society should be avoided with all the efforts of 
 the mind ; but if it be not in one's power to avoid it; 
 
 * The name of an ancient king. 
 
 t According to this doctrine, ease is only a relative affection in thi? 
 life, though a positive one in the nexti 
 
264 THE HJTOPADESA : 
 
 acquaintance should be formed with the good alone, 
 for the company of good men is the remedy.' 
 
 Again : 
 
 ' The tender passion should be avoided with all the 
 resistance of the mind ; but if it be not possible to 
 conquer it, it should be indulged towards a wife alone, 
 for she is the proper remedy.' 
 
 Kowndinya having heard this, and being by the 
 salutary counsel of Kapila quite cured of his affliction, 
 took the staff according to the 1 usual forms ;* and 
 poor I, concluded the serpent, lie here under the 
 power of a Brahman's curse, ready to carry any frog 
 that shall choose to mount upon my back ! 
 
 The frog, who had been attentive to this long story, 
 upon hearing the last words of the serpent, went 
 away to inform the chief of the pool of it, who, soon 
 after making his appearance, the serpent placed him 
 upon his back and carried- him about, keeping a 
 gentle easy pace. The king of the frogs was so 
 pleased with his ride, that he came again the next 
 day ; but upon finding the serpent unable to carry 
 him, and asking him what was the cause of his weak- 
 ness, the artful animal replied that he was totally 
 deprived of his strength for want of food. Upon this 
 
 * He renounced the cares of the world to lead the life of a Brahma- 
 charee (literally one who walketh in God). The ceremonies of taking 
 the staff are fully explained in the laws of Manoo, chapter ii. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 265 
 
 the frog ordered him to be fed, every day, with as 
 many of his subjects as he might choose ; and the 
 serpent having, by degrees, eaten all the frogs which 
 were to be found in the pond, at length devoured his 
 benefactor. I repeat, therefore, said the crow, 
 " When a wise man," &c. 
 
 Let us have done with the repetition of old stories, 
 observed the minister. In my opinion, said he, 
 Hiranya-garbha is worthy of our alliance, and there- 
 fore I advise that a treaty be formed with him. Sir, 
 said the king, is this your opinion ? He has been 
 defeated by us, and therefore he is at liberty to 
 remain where he is, provided he consent to be our 
 vassal ; otherwise I command him to be attacked ! 
 Just as the king said this, the parrot came in from 
 Jambu-dweepa, and informed his master the peacock 
 that the Sarasa, who was king of Sihghala-dweepa,* 
 had lately invaded his country, and was still there. 
 What is it thou sayest ? cried the king in great con- 
 fusion. Art thou too repeating some old story ? 
 said he. Well done, minister Chakra-vaka ! ex- 
 claimed the vulture, well done ! Whilst the peacock 
 in great anger cried, — Let him stay there till I come, 
 and I will extirpate him with his whole generation ! 
 To which the minister Far-see, smiling, replied, 
 
 ' There is no necessity for imitating an autumnal 
 
 * Ceylon, 
 
266 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 cloud] The thunaer of the heavens our chief dis- 
 played*, whether on some account, or on no account, 
 is of equal inefficacy.' 
 
 They say, 
 
 'A king should not dispute with too many enemies 
 at a time ; for even the proud serpent is inevitably 
 destroyed by large swarnis of wasps.' 
 
 Are we then, sir, continued the minister, to march 
 back without concluding a peace ? If we do, said he, 
 I think we may have occasion to repent. 
 
 He tvho falleih into the power of anger before he hath 
 made himself acquainted with another's merits, may 
 have cause to be sorry for it; like the foolish Brahman 
 after he had killed his weasel. 
 
 How was that ? demanded the king ; and his 
 minister Far-see related the following story : 
 
 FABLE XIII. 
 
 At Ujjayinee there lived a Brahman whose name was 
 Mahdhava. His wife having been lately brought to 
 bed, left her husband in charge of the infant, whilst 
 she went to perform her ablutions.* As soon as she 
 was gone, the Brahman, recollecting that the king's 
 
 * Women are enjoined by the law to perform positive ablutions in 
 jhe river, after childbirth, and at certain periods every month, before 
 they can return to their husband's bed, 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 267 
 
 offerings to the manes of his ancestors were about 
 to be made, and seeing other Brahmans going to 
 attend them, was prompted by his natural avarice to 
 reflect in this manner : If I don't go directly, said he, 
 some one else, having heard of it, wjll go and take 
 away my share of the good things. They say, 
 
 Time drinketh up the essence of every work 
 which should be done, and is not done quickly, 
 whether it be an act of receiving, or an act of giving 
 away.' 
 
 But, continued he, I have no one to take care of the 
 door, then what am I to do, unless, indeed, I place 
 this my long-beloved weasel there, who is as dear to 
 me as the child itself, and then venture to go ? In 
 short, he did so, and went his way to the king's feast. 
 It happened that soon after the Brahman left the 
 house, as the weasel was passing near the child, he 
 saw a black serpent gliding towards it, which he 
 killed, and partly devoured ; and when he saw his 
 "master returning, the affectionate little animal ran to 
 meet him, with his mouth and legs all covered with 
 blood ; and he rolled himself upon the ground at the 
 Brahman's feet in a very extraordinary manner ; but 
 the good man seeing him in such a condition, and 
 hastily concluding that he had murdered his child, 
 without further inquiry put the poor weasel to death. 
 In short, when the Brahman went towards his child, 
 
268 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 and found it alive and well, and, at the same time, 
 discovered the mangled remains of the black serpent , 
 upon the floor near it, the proofs of his weasel's merit 
 and fidelity were so evident, that he suffered the most 
 bitter pangs of sorrow and remorse. I repeat therefore, 
 continued the minister, " He who falleth into the 
 power of anger," &e. They say, 
 
 i 
 
 ' A man should avoid these six evils : Lust, anger, 
 avarice, pleasure, pride, and rashness ; for, free of 
 these, he may be happy.' 
 
 The peacock king replied, — So, minister, this is thy 
 determination, is it? They say, 
 
 'The best qualities for a minister are, justice, 
 thorough investigation, wise determination, firmness, 
 and secrecy.' 
 
 Sir, said the minister in reply, 
 
 ' Rashness in any undertaking should not be per- 
 mitted ; for the v\ ant of due investigation is the 
 foundation of the greatest misfortunes. That success 
 which merit is, deserving of, attendeth of itself upon 
 him who acteth with due deliberation.' 
 
 Then, if what I say is worthy of attention, peace, 
 should be concluded ; for, 
 
 'Although four means are mentioned for the 
 accomplishment of the work, the result of the whole 
 number is uniting in peace.' 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. " 269 
 
 But, said the king, how may that be presently 
 effected? Please your Highness, replied the minister, 
 it shall be brought about speedily. They say, 
 
 ' A bad subject is like an earthen vessel, easily to 
 be broken and hard to be united ; and a good one 
 like a vessel of gold, not easily to be broken and not 
 , difficult to be reunited.'* 
 
 Especially, continued the minister, as. both the king 
 and his minister are exceedingly well informed of 
 things in general ; for this I knew from the beginning, 
 as well from the reports of the crow Cloud-colour as 
 from a single review of their conduct. 
 
 ' The virtue and conduct of an absent person are, 
 on all occasions, to be estimated by his works ; where- 
 fore one should weigh the actions of those who are 
 out of sight by the effect.' 
 
 Let us have done with these answers and' replies, 
 cried the king, and let that which is most preferable . 
 -be pursued. At length the minister, agreeable to his 
 own counsel, went forth and waited near the castle, 
 whilst a messenger ran to the royal goose Hiranya- 
 garbha, and informed him that the minister of the 
 peacock king was coming to treat for peace ; but the 
 
 * The original words rendered by broken, united, and reunited, being 
 applicable both to the breaking and mending of a vessel, as well as to 
 friendly union and dissolution; the spirit of the simile could not well be 
 . preserved. 
 
270 THE HITOPADESA; 
 
 former, still suspecting something, said to his own 
 minister, Know-all,— This again must be some spy or 
 other coming to impose upon us ! Please your High- 
 ness, replied Know-all, laughing as he spoke, there is 
 great room- for suspicion, for this same noble person 
 who is coming is one who can see a great way ; * else 
 suspicion, which is the proof of a weak mind, should 
 never be indulged. 
 
 ' A wary goose having been once deceived by an 
 enemy, whilst sitting in a very thick shade, in a lake, 
 looking after the lotus plant, no more regardeth the 
 cooling flower which is distressed by the appearance 
 of day, and afraid of the stars.f Thus it is with the 
 people of this world ; having been once deceived, they 
 suspect deceit in truth itself 1 / 
 
 Then, continued the minister, let a present, consisting 
 of jewels, rich dresses, and the like, the best we can. 
 afford, be provided for him as a compliment. This 
 being done accordingly, the minister, Know-all, went 
 out and received the vulture, Far-see, in front of the 
 castle, with every mark of respect ; and presently 
 conducted him into the presence of the royal goose, 
 where he was permitted to be seated in a chair of 
 state. Great minister, said Know-all, addressing 
 himself to the vulture, now dispose of these your 
 
 * Alluding to his name Far-see. 
 
 + A lotus, which spreads its blossoms only in the night. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 271 
 
 dominions according to your wish ! Even so ! added 
 the royal goose. So be it ! replied the vulture ; but, 
 said he, at present much negotiation is unnecessary ; 
 for they say, 
 
 ' One should receive the covetous with gifts, the 
 proud with joined hands, and the like tokens of sub- 
 mission, the ignorant with passages of poetry, and 
 the wise and learned with whatever is suitable to 
 their character.' 
 
 . Again : 
 
 ' A friend should be received with sincerity, rela- 
 tions with- respect, women witb-gifts and compliments, 
 and others with whatever is proper.' 
 
 Then let peace be presently concluded, that the most 
 illustrious king Chitra-varna may depart, added the 
 vulture. Inform us, said the minister Know-all, how 
 peace is to be made. How many species of connec- 
 tions and alliances are there ? demanded the king. I 
 am about to tell you, said the vulture, so please to 
 attend : 
 
 ' When a king hath been overcome by one stronger 
 than himself, no further opposition should be made ; 
 and the unfortunate party should sue for peace with 
 all possible expedition. 
 
 'Those who are acquainted with the nature of 
 
272 TtiE HITOPADESA : 
 
 forming connections and alliances, declare that there 
 are sixteen species, thus denominated : 
 
 - Kapala, Adrishtta-nara, • 
 
 Upahara, Adishtta, 
 
 Santana, Atma-dishtta, 
 
 Sang-gata, Upagraha, 
 
 Upanyasa, Parikraya, 
 
 Prateekara, Uch T chinna, 
 
 Sang-yoga, Parabhooshana, 
 
 Purushantara, Skandopaneya. 
 
 'The Kapala union is understood to be that where 
 the parties simply form a connection upon an equal 
 footing. The Upahara is when there is a gift from 
 one of the parties. 
 
 •The Santana union is conceived to be that in 
 forming which one of the parties delivereth up his 
 family as a preliminary. The Sang-gata alliance is 
 declared to be that which is formed with worthy men 
 upon the foundation of friendship, 
 
 ' Which is not , to be broken by any accidents, 
 whose purposes are the same in prosperity and 
 adversity, and the measure of whose duration is the 
 length of life. 
 
 'This Sang-gata union, because of its superior 
 excellence, may be compared to gold ; and by others, 
 who are acquainted with the doctrine of forming 
 connections, it is called " the golden union." 
 
FABLES AND PRO VERBS. 273 
 
 ' The Upanyasa alliance is declared, by those who 
 are acquainted with that mode of uniting, to be that 
 which is concluded upon tenrs pointed out by one of 
 the parties. 
 
 ' The alliance which is formed upon this principle, 
 "I have formerly rendered him assistance, he shall 
 now do so to me," is denominated the Prateekara 
 mode. 
 
 ' This also is called Prateekara : " I will render him 
 assistance, and he shall do the same to me." Such 
 was the alliance formed between Rama and Su- 
 greeva.* 
 
 ' It having been made to appear, that an expedi- 
 tion hath but one object,, and upon these grounds a 
 treaty is entered upon with united authority, it is 
 called Sang-yoga. 
 
 ' The Purushantara is an alliance formed upon this 
 principle, — "Let my purpose be effected by the 
 prime of both our armies;" and in settling which 
 there is a price fixed. 
 
 ' The Adrishtta-nara is, when a treaty is formed on 
 such a proposal as this : — " My purpose is to be 
 effected by thee alone ; " in which also there is a 
 price fixed. 
 
 ' When a treaty is formed upon one party's quitting 
 
 * The latter was a baboon who assisted the 'ormer in his wars againal 
 Ravana, the king of Ceylon. 
 
274 THE HITOPADESA : 
 
 his enemy for a fine of a portion of his lands, it is 
 denominated Adishtta. 
 
 'The conjunction formed with one's own army* is 
 called Atma-dishtta ; and that for the preservation of 
 life, is denominated Upagraha. 
 
 'When a moiety, or even the whole, of the treasure- 
 is surrendered to save the rest of the property, the 
 treaty is styled Parikraya ; and if "the consideration 
 be the most valuable- part of the lands, the term' is 
 Uch-chinna. 
 
 When the purchase of peace is made with a gift of 
 the whole of the fruits of the earth, it is called 
 Parabhooshana ; and, lastly, when by a gift of the 
 fruits which have been gathered, willingly borne upon 
 the shoulder, Skandhopaneya, 
 
 'There are also these four distinctions of alliance: 
 " That of reciprocal assistance, that of friendship, 
 that of relationship, and that which is purchased with 
 a gift." 
 
 ' It is the opinion of Guru,t that alliance and 
 assistance mean the same. There are many modes 
 of alliance by gifts; but these are all rejected by 
 friendship. 
 
 _ ' The conqueror, from his being the strongest, is 
 not wont to retreat without having gained something; 
 
 * The nature of this compact is not easily to be ascertained, for the 
 name given to it does not explain it. 
 t Vreehaspatee, the Guru or spiritual director of the good spirits. 
 
FABLES AND PROVERBS. 275 
 
 whence no other mode than the Upahara is known 
 to him.' 
 
 The minister Know-all replied, — Hear this ! 
 
 ' To say, " This is one of us, or this is a stranger," 
 is thj mode of estimating practised by trifling minds. 
 To those of more generous principles, the whole 
 world is but as one family ! ' 
 
 Again : 
 
 .' He who regardeth another's wife as his mother, 
 another's goods as clods of earth, and all mankind as 
 himself, is a philosopher.' 
 
 You are a philosopher, said the royal goose to the 
 vulture, and therefore I desire you will point out 
 what is to be done in this affair. Your Highness is 
 pleased to compliment, replied the minister Far-see.. 
 The paet says, 
 
 ' What name shall we give to him who inhabjteth 
 a body destitute of justice, when that body, to day 
 or to-morrow, is subject to death by the fever of sick- 
 ness or sorrow ? 
 
 '.When we consider this world in the light of a 
 thirsty deer in a moment to be destroyed, it is. proper 
 to form connections with good people, for the sake 
 of virtue, and for the sake of happiness.' 
 
 Then, continued the vulture, the business should be 
 settled according to this saying, which corresponds 
 with my own opinion, 
 
276 , THE H1T0PADESA : 
 
 ' Truth being weighed against a thousand Aswa- 
 medha sacrifices, was found to be of more conse- 
 quence than the whole thousand offerings.' 
 
 Wherefore, let the name of Truth be the divine pre- 
 cedent for both and each of us ; and let the alliance 
 between us be that. which is distinguished by the title 
 of The Golden Union ! 
 
 The minister Know-all having signified his appro- 
 bation of the proposed terms, Far-see was compli- 
 mented with a present of rich cloth and jewels ; and 
 being exceedingly rejoiced at the event of his; 
 negotiations, he took his leave of the royal goose, 
 and returned with the minister Know-all into the 
 presence of his own sovereign. The peacock king 
 ratified the peace, and, at the instance of the vulture, 
 entered into a conversation with Know-all, in which 
 he paid him many compliments ; at the conclusion 
 of which the latter had leave to depart, and he pre- 
 sently repaired to the camp of the royal goose. 
 
 The minister Far-see now tells his master, that as 
 their designs were happily accomplished, it was 
 advisable to direct their march towards home, the 
 mountains of Vindhya. His advice was followed, 
 and the whole army arrived at their respective habi- 
 tations to enjoy in peace those fruits their hearts 
 most longed for. 
 
FABLES AND PliOVERSS. 277 
 
 Now declare, said Vishnu-Sarma to his royal 
 pils, what more I am to tell you ! Through the 
 sat condescension of our reverend master, replied 
 2 young princes, being made acquainted with every 
 ing which relates to the royal department of nego- 
 tion, we are satisfied. May this conclusion render 
 u equally so ! said Vishnu-Sarma, repeating 
 ese lines : 
 
 ' May peace for ever yield happiness to all the 
 ctorious possessors of the earth ! May Just men 
 for ever free from adversity, and the fame of those 
 lo do good long flourish ! May prudence, like a 
 Drious sun, shine continually on your breast's! May 
 e earth, with all her vast productions, long remain 
 : your, enjoyment !' 
 
 THE END. 
 
 Printed bv ballantyne, hanson and co. 
 london and edinburgh 
 
George Routledge & Sons' Catalogue. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY— ZOOLOGY. 
 
 Routl&dge's Illustrated Natural History. By the Rev. J. G. 
 
 Wood, M.A. With more than 1500 Illustrations by Coleman, wolf, 
 Harrison Weir, Wood, Zwecker, and others. Three Vols./super-royal, 
 . cloth, price £i as. The Volumes are also sold separately, viz. :-=-Mammalia, 
 with 600 Illustrations, 14;. ; Birds, with 500 Illustrations, 14*. ; Reptiles 
 Fishes, and Insects, 400 Illustrations, 14*. 
 
 Routledge's Illustrated History of B/Ian. Being an Account 
 
 of the Manners and Customs of the Uncivilised Races of Men. By the 
 Rev. J. G. Wood, M.A., F.L.S. With more than 600 Original Illustrations 
 by Zwecker, Danby, Angas, Handley, and others, engraved by the 
 Brothers Dalziel. Vol. I., Africa, 145,; Vol. II., Australia, New Zealand, 
 Polynesia, America, Asia, and Ancient Europe, 14s. Two Vols., super- 
 royal Svo, cloth, 23s. 
 
 The Imperial Natural History. By the Rev. J. G. Wood. 
 
 1000 pages, with 500 Plates, super-royal 8vo, cloth, 15s. 
 
 An -Illustrated Natural History. By the Rev. J. G. Wood. 
 
 With 500 Illustrations by William Harvey, and 8 full-page Plates by 
 Wolf and Harrison Weir. Post 8vo, cloth, gilt edges, 6s. 
 
 A~ Picture Natural History. Adapted for Young Readers. By 
 the Rev. J. G. Wood. With 700 Illustrations by Wolf, Weir, &c. 410, 
 cloth, gilt edges, , is. 6d. 
 
 The Popular Natural History. By the Rev, J. G. Wood. 
 With Hundreds of Illustrations, price 7$. 6a. 
 
 The Boy's Own Natural Histdry. By the Rev. J. G. Wood. 
 
 With 400 Illustrations, 3J. 6d. cloth. 
 
 Sketches and Anecdotes of Animal Life. By the Rev. J. G. 
 Wood. Illustrated by Harrison Wbir. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 
 Animal Traits and Characteristics. By the Rev. J ; G. Wood. 
 Illustrated by H. Weir. Fcap., cloth, ji. 6d. 
 
 The Poultry Book. By W. B. Tegetmeier, F.Z.S. Assisted 
 by many. Eminent Authorities. With 30 full-page Illustrations of the 
 different Varieties, drawn from Life by Harrison Weir, and printed In 
 Colours by Leighton Brothers ; and numerous Woodcuts. Imperial 8vo, 
 harf-beuhd, price zts. 
 
 The Standard of Excellence in Exhibition Poultry. By 
 W. P. Ibgetmhier, F.Z.S. Fcap., cloth, m. 6d. 
 
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE 6* SONS? 
 
 Natural History, continued. 
 
 Pigeons. By W. B. Tegetmeier, F.Z.S., Assisted by many 
 Eminent fanciers. With 27 Coloured Plates/drawn from Life by Harrison 
 Weir, and printed by Leighton Brothers ; and numerous Woodcuts. Im- 
 perial 8vo, half-bound, ioj. td. 
 
 The Homing or Carrier Pigeon : Its History, Management, 
 and Method of Training. By W. B. Tegetmeier, F.Z.S. is. boards. 
 
 My Feathered Friends. Containing Anecdotes of Bird Life, 
 
 more especially Eagles, Vultures, Hawks, Magpies, Rooks, Crows, R.-<vens, 
 Parrots, Humming Birds, Ostriches, &c, &c. By the Rev. J. G. Wood. 
 With Illustrations by Harrison Weir. Cloth gilt, 3*. td. 
 
 British Birds' Eggs and Nests. By the Rev. J. C. Atkirson. 
 With Original Illustrations by W. S. Coleman, printed in Colours. Fcap., 
 cloth, gilt edges, price 3s. (td. 
 
 The Angler Naturalist. A Popular History of British Fresh- 
 water Fish. By H. Cholmondblby Pennsll. Post 8vo, 3 j. 6d. 
 
 British Conchology. A Familiar History of the Molluscs of 
 the British Isles. By G. B. Sowerby. With 20 Pages of Coloured Plates, 
 embracing 15a subjects. Cloth, 5*. 
 
 The Calendar of the Months. Giving an Account of the Plants, 
 Birds, and Insects that may be expected each Month. With 100 Illustra- 
 tions. Cloth gilt, 3*. 6d. ; Cheap Edition, as. 
 
 White's Natural History of Selborne. New Edition. Edited 
 by Rev. J. G. Wood, with above 200 Illustrations by W. Harvey. Fcap. 8vo, 
 cloth, 3*. td. 
 
 Dogs and their Ways. Illustrated by numerous Anecdotes 
 from Authentic Sources. By the Rev. Charles Williams. With Illus- 
 trations. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, .jr. 6d. 
 
 Sagacity of Animals. With 60 Engravings by Harrison Weir. 
 
 Small 4to, 3*. td. 
 
 The Young Naturalist/. By Mrs. Loudon. i6mo, cloth, 
 
 Illustrated, is. 6d. ~° ~~ 
 
 The Child's First Book of Natural History. By Miss Bond. 
 With zoo Illustrations, x6mo, cloth, if. td. 
 
 The Common Objects of the Country. By the Rev. J. G. 
 
 Wood. With Illustrations by Coleman, containing 150 of the "Objects* 
 
 beautifully printed in Colours, Cloth, gilt edges, price 35. (td. 
 
 Also a Cheap Edition, price is., in fancy boards, with Plain Plates. 
 
 Common British Beetles. By the Rev. J. G. Wood, M.A. 
 
 With Woodcuts and Twelve pages of Plates of all the Varieties, beautifully 
 printed in Colours by Edmund Evans. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, gilt edges, price 
 3*. 6d. 
 
 Westwood's (Professor) British Butterflies and their Trans. 
 formations. With numerous Illustrations, beautifully Coloured bv Hand. 
 Imperial 8vo, cloth, ist. td. ' 
 
BOOKS ON NATURAL HISTORY, &>e. 
 
 Natural History, continual. 
 
 British Butterflies. Figures and Descriptions of every Native 
 Species, with an Account of Butterfly Life. With 71 Coloured Figures of 
 Butterflies, all of exact life-size, and 67 Figures of Caterpillars, Chrysalides, 
 &c. By W. S. Coleman. Fcap., cloth gilt, price 3*. 6rf. 
 *** A Cheap Edition, with plain Plates, fancy boards, price n. 
 
 The -Common Moths of England. By the Rev. J. G. Wood, 
 
 M.A. 12 Plates printed ra Colours, comprising' 100 objects. Cloth, gilt 
 edges, is. 6<i. 
 
 V A Cheap Edition, with plain Plates, boards, is. 
 
 British Entomology. Containing a Familiar and Technical De- 
 scription of the Insects most common to the localities of the British Isles. 
 By Maria E. Catlow. With 16 pages of Coloured Plates. Cloth, 51. 
 
 Popular Scripture Zoology. With Coloured Illustrations. By 
 Maria E. Catlow. Cloth, 5s. 
 
 The Common Objects of the Sea-Shore. , With Hints for 
 the Aquarium. By the Rev. J. G. Wood, The Fine Edition, with the 
 Illustrations by G. B. Sowerby, beautifully printed in Colours. Fcap. 8vo, 
 4 cloth, gilt edges, 3s. 6d. ' ' 
 
 *«* Also, price is., a Cheap Edition, with the Plates plain. 
 
 British Crustacea : A Familiar Account of their Classification 
 and Habits. By Adam White, F.L.S. 20 Pages of Coloured Plates, em- 
 bracing 120 subjects. Cloth, 5s. 
 
 The Fresh- Water and Salt- Water Aquarium. By the Rev. 
 J. G. Wood, M.A. With n Coloured Plates, containing 126 Objects. 
 Cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 A Cheap Edition, with plain Plates, boards, is. 
 
 The Aquarium of Marine and Fresh- Water Animals and 
 
 Plants. By G. B. Sowbrby, F.L.S. With 20 Pages of Coloured Plates, 
 embracing 120 subjects. Cloth, 5*. 
 
 FLOWERS/PLANTS, AND GARDENING. 
 
 Gardening at a Glance. By George Glenny. With Illustra- 
 
 tions. Fcap. 8vo, gilt edges, 31. 6d. 
 
 Roses, and How to Grow Them. By J. D. Prior. Coloured 
 
 Plates. Cloth gilt, j>. 6<f. 
 
 1 A Cheap Edition, with plain Plates, fancy boards, is. 6d. 
 
 » • 
 
 Garden Botany. Containing a Familiar and Scientific Descrip- 
 tion of most of the Hardy and Half-hardy Plants introduced into the Flower 
 Garden. By Agnes Catlow. 20 Pages of Coloured Plates, embracing 67 
 Illustrations. J». 
 
GEORGE ROVTLEDGE & SONS 
 
 Flowers, Plants,, and gardening, continued. 
 
 1'ie Kitchen and Flower Garden; or, The Culture in the open 
 ground of Roots, Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits, and of Bulbous, Tuberous, 
 Fibrous, Rooted, and Shrubby Flowers. By Eugene Sebastian Dbxa- 
 mer. Fcap., cloth, gilt edges, price 3s. 6d. 
 The Kitchen Garden, separate, is. 
 The Flower Garden, separate, is. 
 
 The Cottage Garden. How to Lay it out, and Cultivate it to 
 Advantage. By Andrew Meikle. Boards, is. 
 
 Window 'Gardening, for Town and Country. Compiled chiefl) 
 for the use of the Working Classes. By Andrew Meikle. Boards, is. 
 
 Greenhouse Botany. . Containing a Familiar and Technical 
 
 Description of the Exotic Plants introduced into the Greenhouse. By. 
 Agnes Catlow. With 20 Pages of Coloured Illustrations. 5s. 
 
 Wild Flowers. How to See and How to Gather them. With 
 Remarks on the Economical and Medicinal Uses of our Native Plants. By 
 Spencer Thomson, M.D. A New Edition, entirely Revised, with 171 
 Woodcuts, and 8 large Coloured Illustrations by Noel Hvmphreys. Fcap. 
 8vo, price 3J. 6rf., cloth, gilt edges. 
 *** Also, price as. in boards, a Cheap Edition, with plain Plates. 
 
 Haunts of Wild Flowers. By Annb Pratt. Coloured 
 
 Plates. Cloth, gilt edges, 3s. 6,/. 
 V* Plain Plates, boards, is. 
 
 Common Wayside Flowers. By Thomas Miller. With 
 Coloured Illustrations by Birket Foster. 410, cloth gilt, 10s. 6d. 
 
 British Ferns and the Allied Plants. Comprising the Club- 
 Mosses, Pepperworts, and Horsetails. By Thomas Moore, F.L.S. With 
 20 Pages of Coloured Illustrations, embracing 51 subjects. Cloth, 5*. 
 
 Our Woodlands, Heaths, and Hedges. A Popular Descrip- 
 tion of Trees, Shrubs, Wild Fruits, &c, with Notices of their Insect Inhabi- 
 tants. By W. S. Coleman, M.E.S.L. With 41 Illustrations printed in 
 Colours on Eight Plates. Fcap., price 3$. bd., cloth, gilt edges. 
 %* A Cheap Edition, with plain Plates, fancy boards, is.' 
 
 British Ferns and their Allies. Comprising the Club-Mosses, 
 Pepperworts, and Horsetails. By Thomas Moore. ' With 40 Illustrations 
 by W. S. Coleman, beautifully printed in Colours. Fcap. 8vo, cloth, gilt 
 edges, 3$. td. 
 *»* A Cheap Edition, with Coloured Plates, price is., fancy boards. 
 
 Plants of the World ; or, A Botanical Excursion Round the 
 World. By E. M. C. Edited by Charles Daubeny, M.D., F.R.S., &c. 
 With 20 Pages of Coloured Plates of Scenery. Cloth, 51. 
 
 Palms and their Allies. Containing a Familiar Account of their 
 Structure, Distribution, History, Properties, and Uses ; and a completa 
 List of all the species introduced into our Gardens. By Berthold See- 
 mann, Ph.D., M. A.. F.L.S. With ao Pages of Coloured Illustrations, em. 
 bracing many vam*Jw, Cloth, 5*. 
 
BOOKS ON SCIENCE, &*c. 
 
 Flowers, Plants, and Gardening, continued. 
 
 Profitable Plants : A Description of the Botanical and Commer- 
 cial Characters of the principal Articles of Vegetable Origin, used for Food, 
 Clothing, Tanning, Dyeing, Building, Medicine, Perfumery, &c. By 
 Thomas C. Archer, Collector for the Department of Applied Botany in 
 the Crystal Palace, Sydenham. With 20 Pages of Coloured Illustrations, 
 embracing 106 Plates. Cloth, 5$. 
 
 The Language of Flowers. By the Rev. R. Tyas. With 
 Coloured Plates by Kronheim. 4to, 7$. 6d. 
 
 Language of Flowers. Compiled and Edited by Mrs. L. Burke, 
 
 Cloth elegant, as. 6d. 
 
 V* Cheaper Books, is. and 6d. 
 
 SCIENCE. 
 
 Discoveries and Inventions of the Nineteenth Century. By 
 
 Robert Routledge, B.Sc. and F.C.S. With many Illustrations,, and a 
 beautiful Coloured Plate, js. 6d. 
 
 Science in Sport made Philosophy in Earnest. By Robert 
 Routledge. Post 8vo, cloth, gilt edges, %s. 6d. 
 
 The Boys' Book of Science. Including the Successful Perform- 
 ance of Scientific Experiments. 470 Engravings. By Professor Pepper, 
 late of the Polytechnic. Cloth, gilt edges, 5$. 
 
 The Book o'f Metals. Including Personal Narratives of Visits to 
 Coal, Lead, Copper, and Tin Mines ; with a large number of interesting 
 Experiments. 300 Illustrations. By Professor Pepper, late of the Poly- 
 technic. Post 8vo, cloth, gilt edges, 5St 
 
 The Microscope : Its History, Construction, and Application. 
 
 Being a Familiar Introduction to the Use of the Instrument, and the Study 
 of Microscopical Science. By Jabez Hogg, F.L.S., F.R.M.S. With 
 upwards of 500 Engravings and Coloured Illustrations by Tuffen West. 
 Eighth Edition, crown 8vo, cloth, 7$. 6d. 
 
 The Common Objects of the Microscope. By the Rev. J. G; 
 Wood. With Twelve Pages of Plates by Tuffen West, embracing up- 
 wards of 400 Objects. The Illustrations printed in Colours. Fcap. 8vo, 
 3*. 6d,, cloth, gilt edges. 
 * + * A Cheap Edition, with Plain Plates, zs., fancy boards. 
 
 The Orbs of Heaven ; or, The Planetary and Stellar Worlds. 
 A Popular Exposition of the great Discoveries and Theories of Modern 
 Astronomy. By O. M. Mitchell. With numerous Illustrations. Crown 
 8vo, 2S. 6d. 
 
 Popular Astronomy ; or, The Sun, Planet, Satellites, and Comets. 
 With Illustrations of their Telescopic Appearance. By O. M. Mitchell. 
 as. 6d. 
 
 The Story of the Peasant-Boy Philosopher. Founded on the 
 Early Life of Ferguson, the Astronomer. By Henry Mayhew. Illus- 
 trated. Cloth gilt, 3J. 6d, 
 
.GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS' 
 
 Science, continued 
 
 The V\ ...uci 01 science ; «.., me Story of Young Humphrey 
 Daw, the Cornish Apothecary's Boy, who taught Himself Natural Phito- 
 ' sophy. By Henry Mayhbw. Illustrated. Cloth gilt, 3*. id. 
 
 The Book of Trades, and the Tools used in Them. By One of the 
 Authors of " England's Workshops." With numerous Illustrations. Small 
 4to, cloth, gilt edges, 3s. id. 
 
 Wonderful Inventions, from the Mariner's Compass to the 
 Electric Telegraph Cable.' By John Timbs. Illustrated. Ppst 8vo, 5*. 
 
 A Manual of Fret-Cutting and Wood-Carving. By Sir 
 Thomas Seaton, K.C.B. Crown 8vo, cloth, it. 
 
 The Laws of Contrast of Colours, and their Application to 
 the Arts. New Edition, with an important Section on Army Clothing. By 
 M. E. Chevkeul. Translated by John Spanton. With Coloured Illus- 
 trations. Crown 8vo f 3s id. cloth gilt. 
 
 Geology for the Million. By Margaret Plues. Edited by 
 
 Edward Wood, F.G.S. With 80 Illustrations. Fcap. , picture boards, u. 
 
 A Manual of Weather-casts and Storm Prognostics on 
 Land and Sea ; or. The Signs whereby to judge of Coming Weather. 
 Adapted for all Countries. By Andrew Steinmetz. ' Boards, if. 
 
 Scientific "Amusements. Edited by Professor Pepper. 100 
 Woodcuts, if., boards ; if. 6d. t cloth gilt. 
 
 Electric Lighting. Translated from the French of Le Comte 
 
 Th. du Moncel. By Robert ROUTLEDGE, B.Sc. (Lond.), P.C.S. Crowa 8vo, 
 cloth, It. 6d. 
 
 HISTORY. 
 
 THE HISTORICAL WORKS OF WM. H. PRESCOTT. 
 
 The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the 
 Catholic of Spain. By William H. Prescott. With Steel Portraits. 
 Two Vols. 8vo, cloth, price rof . 
 
 Do. Do. . Three Vols. postSvo, cloth, 10 j. id. 
 
 Do. Do. One Vol. crown 8vo, cloth, 31. id. 
 
 History of the Conquest of Mexico. With a Preliminary 
 View of the Ancient Mexican Civilisation, and the Life of the Conqueror, 
 Fernando Cortes. By William H. Prescott. With Portraits on 
 Steel. Two Vols. 8vo, cloth, iof . 
 
 Do. Do. Three Vols, post 8vo, cloth, tor. id. 
 
 Do. Do. One Vol. crown 8vo, cloth, y. id. 
 
 History of the Conquest of Peru. With a Preliminary View 
 of the Civilisation of the Incas. By William H. Prescott. With Stes, 
 Portraits. Two Vols. 8vo, cloth, zof . 
 
 Do. Do. Three Vols, post 8vo, cloth, iof . id. 
 
 P». Do. One Vo). crown 8vo, cloth, j,. $4, 
 
ROOKS ON HISTORY, &e. 
 
 History, continued. 
 
 -History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain. 
 5 V Wjlliam H. Prescott. With beautiful steel engraved Portraits. 
 Three Vols. 8vo, cloth, 15s. < „ 
 
 Do. • Do. Three Vols, post 8vo, doth, zot.6d. 
 
 Do. Do. One Vol. (containing Vols. I. and II.), V- &*. 
 
 Do. Do. One Vol. (containing Vol. III. and Essays), 3/. 6d. 
 
 History of the Reign of Charles the Fifth. By William 
 Robertson, D.D. With an .Account of the Emperor's Life after hij 
 Abdication, by William H. Prescott. With Portraits. Two Vols. 8to, 
 cloth, price ioj. 
 
 Do. Do. Two Vols, post 8vo, cloth," 7*. 
 
 Do. . Do. One Vol. crown 8vo, cloth, j<. 6d. 
 
 The Rise of the Dutch Republic. By J. Lothrop Motley. 
 In Three~Vols. crown 8vo, 10s. 6d. 
 
 Do. New Edition, Complete in One Volume, crown 8vo, cloth, 
 
 gilt edges, 6s. 
 
 Dr. W. H. Russell's British Expedition to the Crimea. A 
 New Edition, entirely re-written, with Maps and Plans, demy 8vo, cloth, 
 
 I 
 My Diary in India during the Mutiny. By Dr. W. H. 
 Russell, ys. 6d. 
 
 Napier's History of the Peninsular War, 1807- 1810. 
 
 Unabridged, crown 8vo, cloth, 3$. 6d. 
 
 Do. Do. 1810-1812. 3*. id. Do. Do. 1812.1814. j/. 6d. 
 
 A History of British India, from the Earliest Period of English 
 Intercourse. By Charles Macparlane. With Additions to the Year 
 1879. Illustrated with numerous Engravings. Post 8vo, price 3s. 6d. cl 
 gilt 
 
 Froissart's Chronicles of England, France, and Spain, &c. 
 
 New Edition, from the text of Colonel Johnbs. With Notes, a Life of the 
 Author, an Essay on his Works, and a Criticism on his History. With 120 
 beautiful Woodcuts, illustrative of the Manners, Customs, &c. Two Vols. 
 super-royal 8vo, Roxburghe, price 21St 
 
 Froissart's Chronicles. One Vol. crown 8vo, y. 6d. 
 (Rtmtledge'x Standard Library.) 
 
 The Fall of Rome, and the Rise of New Nationalities. 
 Showing the Connexion between Ancient and Modern History. By the 
 Rev. John G. Sheppard, D.C.L. Post 8vo, price •js. 6d. cloth, 750 pp. 
 
 The Seven Wonders of the World, and their Associations in 
 Art and History. By T. A. Buckley. 8 Plates. 31. 6d. 
 
 The Great Cities of the Ancient World, in their Glory and 
 their Desolation. By T. A. Bucklev. 8 Plates. 3s. Id. 
 
 Tbe Great Cities of the Middle Ages : Historical Sketches. 
 By T. A. Buckley. 8 Platfes. 3*. id. 
 
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE S* SONS' 
 
 History, continued. 
 
 Bancroft's History of the United States, from the Discovery 
 of the American Continent to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. 
 Seven Vols., fcap. 8vo, Roxburghe, 151. 
 
 The History of France, from Clovis, A.D. 481, to the Republic, 
 1870. By Emile de Bonnechose. A New Edition, with complete Index. 
 Post 8vo, cloth, price 7$. 6d. 
 
 Extraordinary Popular Delusions, and the Madness of 
 Crowds. By Charles Mackay, LL.D. The Mississippi Scheme— South 
 Sea Bubble^-Tulipomania— Alchemy— Fortune Telling, &c. 3s. 6d. cloth. - 
 
 Dean Milman's History of the Jews. With Maps and Plans. 
 Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 
 The Antiquities and the Wars of the Jews. By Flavius 
 Josephus. Translated by Wm. Whiston, with Life of the Author. Post 
 8vo K 3*. 6d. 
 
 The Story of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. 
 By the Rev. J. H. Merle D'Aubigke. Translated by the Rev. John 
 Gill. Crown 8vo, cloth; 3$. 6d. * 
 
 Victoria History of England, to 1876. By Arthur Bailey 
 
 Thomson. Crown 8vo, with 460 Engravings by the Brothers Dalziel. 
 Cloth gilt, 6f . 
 
 Do. Do. 2,600 Questions on the above, is. 6d. 
 
 A History of England, from the Earliest Times. By the Rev. 
 James White. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3$. 6d. 
 
 Goldsmith's History of England. A New Edition, with 
 Continuation to the Death of Wellington. With Portraits of all the 
 Sovereigns, and Questions to each Chapter. Cloth, zs. 
 
 Landmarks to the History of England. By the Rev. James 
 White. Cloth, 21, 
 
 A Handy History of England for the Young. By H. W. 
 Dulcken. With 120 Illustrations, engraved by the Brothers Dalziel. 
 as. 6d. 
 
 Picture History of England for the Young. With 80 Plates. 
 Broad-line, 4to, boards, is. 6d. ; cloth, 3s. 6d. 
 
 Glimpses of our Island Home. Being the Early History of 
 England, from the Druids to the Death of William the Conqueror. By Mrs. 
 Thomas Geldart. Fcap. cloth, as. 
 
 Percy's Tales of the Kings and Queens of England. 
 New and Improved Edition. With Illustrations by John Gilbert. Fcap 
 8vo, cloth gilt, 3$. 6d. ' ^ 
 
 A Summary of English History, from the Roman Conquest 
 to 1870. With Observations on the Progress of Art, Science, and Civili. 
 zahon, and Questions adapted to each Paragraph. For the use of Schools. 
 By Amelia B. Edwards. In i8mo, boards, price 6Vt 
 
BOOKS ON BIOGRAPHY, &c. 
 
 History, continued. 
 
 Great Battles of the British Army, including the Indian 
 Revolt and Abyssinia. With 8 Illustrations by William Harvey. Pbst 
 8vo, cloth, 5s. 
 
 Great Battles of the British Navy, including Syeaborg, 1855. 
 
 By Lieut. C. R. -Low. With 8 Coloured Plates, crown 8vo, cloth, 5s. 
 - 
 The Great Sieges of History, including the Sieges of Paris. 
 
 Cploured Illustrations. 5s. 
 
 History for Boys. By J. G. Edgar. .3.?. 6d. 
 
 Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea. By W. H. Kingston. 
 
 Post 8vo, with many Illustrations, 5 j. 
 
 Baines' History of Lancashire. A New Edition. Edited by 
 J. Harland, F.S.A., and the Rev. Brooke Herford. Beautifully printed 
 in Two handsome 4to Volumes, on thick paper, with a Coloured Map of the 
 whole County. Price ^3 13$. 6d. ; or on Large Paper, £$ 5J. 
 
 Elaborate Statistical Ta bles of avsry useful kind have been added. ' I 
 
 Ormerod's History of Cheshire. Edited by Thomas Helsby, 
 
 Esq., with all the Illustrations of the- First Edition and additional plates 
 and woodcuts,. Three vols., Small Paper, 0O; Large Paper, £30. 
 
 Roby's Traditions of Lancashire. With Portrait. Two 
 
 Vols.,* crown 8vo, cloth, Is. 
 
 Gregson's Portfolio of Fragments relative to the History and 
 
 Antiquities, Topography and Genealogies of the County Palatine and Duchy 
 of Lancaster.. Embellished with numerous Engravings of Views, Seats, 
 Arms, Seals, and Antiquities. Third Edition, with Additions and Improve- 
 ments. Edited by John. Harland, F.S.A. Fcap. folio, £\ us. ; Large 
 Paper, £6 6s, i 
 
 The History of the Original Parish of Whalley and Honor 
 of Clitheroe. Containing the Original Illustrations. A New Edition, being 
 " the Fourth, of the late Br. Whitaker's well-known and valuable Work. 
 Two Vols., Small Paper, #4 141. 6d. ; Large Paper, £6 i6». 6d. 
 
 BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 Men of the Time : A Dictionary of Contemporary Biography of 
 Eminent Living Characters of both Sexes. Eleventh Edition. Cne 
 thick Vol. crown 8vo, cloth, 151. 
 
 George Moore. A Memoir, from the Family Papers, by Dr. 
 
 Samuel Smiles. With Portrait. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. ' 
 The Life of Frederick the Great. With 500 Illustration!*, 
 
 Royal 8vo, 7*. 6tl. 
 
ROUTLEDGE'S POCKET LIBRARY. 
 
 IN MONTHLY VOLUMES. 
 
 Cut or uncut edges, is. ; Cloth, uncut edges with gilt tops, \s, 6d. 
 Paste grain, as. 6d. 
 
 " A series of beautiful little books, tastefully bound." — Times. 
 11 Beautifully printed and tastefully bound." — Saturday Review. 
 " Deserves warm praise for the taste shown in its production. The 
 Library 1 ought to he very popular." — A tJienaunt. 
 
 1. BBET HABTE'S POEMS. 
 
 2. THACKERAY'S PABIS SKETCH BOOK. 
 
 3. HOODS COMIC POEMS. 
 
 4. DICKENS'S CHRISTMAS CABOL. 
 
 5. POEMS BY OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES. 
 
 6. WASHINGTON IBVING'S SKETCH BOOK. 
 
 7. MACAULAY'S LAYS OP ANCIENT BOME. 
 
 8. THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD.