i-vrrv^w*, i ijj i . , jmw k jw ■ j . \wrtm*J9*>*~rrrr.-7W7S*** 
 
 
 illy 
 
 »m»).niit\ ini>i t iniiiniiMm)ii, m ,„ m „, )iii\uitnK * niiu>»amn>'iiiimi»mmn)t»>»>>)»M t ii»)»)»y /v/ynmtKin>
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE STRANGE SURPRISING 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE VENERABLE 
 
 GOOROO SIMPLE.
 
 STRANGE SURPRISING ADVENTURES 
 
 OF THE VENERABLE 
 
 GOOROO SIMPLE, 
 
 AND HIS FIFE DISCIPLES, 
 
 NOODLE, DOODLE, WISEACRE, ZANY, 
 AND FOOZLE. 
 
 Adorned with Fifty ILhiftrations, drawn on Wood. 
 By ALFRED CROWQUILL. 
 
 LONDON: 
 TRUBNER & CO.. PATERNOSTER ROW 
 
 1861.
 
 LONDON : 
 
 WILLIAM STEVENS, PRINTER, 3 j, BELL YARD, 
 TEMPLE BAR.
 
 FL 
 
 ■ / 
 
 •9 
 
 CONTENTS. "\f 
 
 The Publishers' Advertisement 11 
 
 Introduction 17 
 
 STORY THE FIRST. 
 
 FORDING THE HISSING COBRA RIVER: 
 
 Showing how the Gooroo Simple and his Five Difciples, Noodle, Doodle, 
 Wifeacre, Zany, and Foozle, came to a Cruel Stream, which could 
 only be forded when it flept ; together with the means they adopted 
 to find out when it was afleep, and how they whiled away the time 
 upon its banks by ftory-telling ; Story of the Salt Merchants and 
 the Two Affes; and.ftory of the Greedy Dog and the Mutton bone; 
 fording the River with noifelefs fteps, jala-jala and toonooko ; 
 counting heads and miffing one j and what came of it - - - 37 
 
 111K
 
 Contents. 
 
 STORY THE SECOND. 
 
 THE EGG IN THE MARE'S NEST. 
 
 The old crone of the Mattam teaches them how to count nofes ; the 
 neceffity for horfe-flefh quite a Parliamentary difcuffion ; difcovery of 
 a Mare's Neft; thoughts on Incubation; the duties of the Mattam ; 
 ielefting the Egg ; the Foal and its gambols ; lofs of the Foal, and what 
 it led to 59 
 
 STORY THE THIRD. 
 
 THE GOOROO'S RIDE ON OX-BACK. 
 
 A fcorching fun and no fhade; the Ox ferves for a canopy, and his 
 driver demands payment for its ufe ; the Padeiyachi appointed judge ; 
 legal niceties of leave and licenfe ; ftory of a favoury relifh for cold 
 boiled rice, and payment for the treat; judgment of the Padeiyachi : 
 the fhadow of Money for the fhadow of the Ox 84 
 
 STORY THE FOURTH. 
 
 FISHING FOR A HORSE. 
 
 Wileacre goes to a field, and performs his ablutions; the Temple of 
 Ayinar, and the votive fteed; Natural Philofophy and as natural 
 doubts ; the horfe in the water, and how to catch it ; Anglers never 
 at a lofs ; fubftitutes for line and hook ; the nibble and bite ; a long 
 pull and a ftrong pull, and lofs of the line and hook ; the promifed 
 fteed 96
 
 Contents. 
 
 STORY THE FIFTH. 
 
 THE GOOROO ON HORSEBACK. 
 
 Riches and pleafure; Don't look a gift-horfe in the mouth; the 
 equeftrian order; lucky days; the proceffion; the tax of pride; toll 
 to pay ; ftory of an unfavoury tax and fweet-money ; the horfe in the 
 pound; the pocket teaches humility; the Valloovan turned veteri- 
 narian; a Rarey-fhow 108 
 
 STORY THE SIXTH. 
 
 THE PROPHECY OF POOROHITA, THE BRAHMAN. 
 
 The Gooroo's homily on humility; ftable-building; the example of 
 Kalidafa, how to lop the branches ; the Poorohita and his Shaffer : 
 "Asanam fhitam jivana nafham — cold in the rear when death is 
 near" 127 
 
 STORY THE SEVENTH. 
 
 THE FALL FROM THE HORSE. 
 
 Money, as well as need, makes the old man trot •" the lofs of the 
 turban, and what befell in confequence ; the fall from the horfe, what 
 the Cadjan faid, and how it was remedied ; the fymptom, Afanam 
 fhitam, cold in the rear 143
 
 8 
 
 Contents. 
 
 STORY THE EIGHTH. 
 
 THE PROPHECY FULFILLED. 
 
 The terrors of Afanam fhitam ; the Gooroo orders his own grave ; Mr. 
 Merriman, Afangadan, the fon of "Old Fog," Achedanamoorti, 
 brings confolation; the rice-beater Poojei, a novel facrifice to the gods; 
 the ftory of the Chilly's pretty wife and the Pandarams ; a good ftory 
 better than phytic, and a good breakfaft better than a grand funeral ; 
 Afanam fhitam not to be explained away, jivana nafham follows; 
 lying in (late ; purification of the dead, and funeral of the Gooroo 
 Simple 154 
 
 Notes and Illustrations 177 
 
 Glossary 217
 
 LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 No. Page 
 
 i. Showing the Contents . . . .5 
 
 2. Look out . . . . 8 
 
 3. The Gooroo on the March . . . .11 
 
 4. Bye, bye! Buy . . . . . 15 
 
 5. Engraved Capital . . . . . 17 
 
 6. The Coming Event cafting its fhadow . . 35 
 
 7. Mafic of a Gooroo . . . -37 
 
 8. Wifeacre turned Spy . . . . . 40 
 
 9. Greedinefs rewarded . . . .46 
 
 10. Jala jala, Toonookoo . . . 50 
 
 11. Counting Heads . . . . . 51 
 
 12. Proving the Sum . . . . . 56 
 
 13. A Speaking Likenefs . . . -57 
 
 14. Safe at Home . . . . . 58 
 
 15. The one Tail . . . . -59 
 
 16. The old Crone of the Mattam . . . 61 
 
 17. Offfhe goes . . . . .78 
 
 18. A Mare's-neft . . . . . 83 
 
 19. A Cool Retreat . . . . 84 
 
 20. A Novel Canopy . . . . . 87 
 
 21. A Relifh for cold boiled Rice . . . 91 
 
 22. The Padeiyachi . . . . . 95 
 
 23. Contemplation . . . . .96 
 
 24. The Gooroo and his Difciples . . . . 97 
 
 25. The Natural Philofopher . . . - 99 
 
 26. Throwing the Line . . . . . 103 
 
 27. A Long Pull and a Strong Pull . . . 105
 
 io Lift of Engravings. 
 
 No. Page 
 
 28. A Friend in Need . . . . 107 
 
 29. Coftume of a Gooroo . . • .108 
 
 30. A Noble Steed ■ . . . . 1 10 
 
 31. The Gooroo on Horfeback . . . .114 
 
 32. A Barrier to Progrefs . . . . . 116 
 ^. Sufficient that the Money comes . . .121 
 
 34. The Nag's Head . . . . . 122 
 
 35. A Rarey-fhow . . . • .126 
 
 36. Hindoo Caligraphic Ornamentation . . .127 
 
 37. The Gooroo's Homily . . .129 
 
 38. Lopping a Branch . . . . . 134 
 
 39. Namafcara and Affirvahdam .... 139 
 
 40. The Poorohita's Shaffer . . . . , 142 
 
 41. Heat and Fire ..... 143 
 
 42. Under the Banian Tree . . . . 145 
 
 43. The Loft Turban . . . . .146 
 
 44. Afanam Shitam . . . • 15° 
 
 45. The Gripe of Dharma . . • • 153 
 
 46. The Gooroo Simple . . . • • '54 
 
 47. Afangadan, Son of Old Fog . . . .160 
 
 48. Sic Tranfit Gloria Mundi . . . . 1 74 
 
 49. Suum cuique . . • • • 2I S 
 
 50. Grey Goofequill's Pen . . . . . 217
 
 1 1 
 
 THE PUBLISHERS' ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 WAS a very cold, wintry day, 
 in the middle of the dog-days 
 of laft fummer, when it had 
 never ceafed raining fince the 
 fun had reached his meridian, 
 on which, juft as we had 
 finifhed our laft letter for the 
 poft, our old and efteemed 
 friend, Alfred Crowquill, entered at the door 
 of our ftore. It was evident to us that fome 
 matter of importance muft have been the caufe of 
 our friend's leaving the comforts of his cheerful
 
 12 The Publijliers? Advertifement. 
 
 and pleafant firefide, on fuch a day, for the folemn 
 folitude of forfaken ftreets, and the flufh and dirt 
 of the bufy city, in a pelting, pitilefs ftorm of heavy 
 rain. It was evident, too, from the manner in which 
 he greeted us — with a coldnefs almoft as chilling as 
 the atmofphere itfelf on that rummer's afternoon, 
 and quite foreign to his own genial nature — that he 
 meant to pluck a crow with us before he left our 
 ftore to return home. 
 
 Reader, do you know Alfred Crowquill ? Of 
 courfe you do; everybody does. You have bought 
 our editions of The Travels of Baron Munehaufen, and 
 of the Marvellous Adventures of Majler Owl-glafs, 
 and with thefe two lafting monuments of his fame in 
 your left hand, you could not refift the impulfe to 
 crofs palms with him with your right. He is already 
 an old friend of yours, as well as of ours. All further 
 introduction is therefore unnecefTary ; and you know 
 
 that when he is put out well, never mind ! you 
 
 know fo we at once fought to make out the why 
 
 and the wherefore, or, as our friend Mr. Timbs fays, 
 " the why and becaufe," of the apparent eftrangement 
 which was evidently fpreading its upas-like tendrils 
 round the heart of our very dear friend.
 
 The Pulli/hers? Advertisement. 13 
 
 A little explanation put everything to rights. We 
 had introduced Alfred to another old friend of ours, 
 Grey Goosegiuill, fo that the two, laying their 
 heads together, might in due time produce this beau- 
 tiful volume of The Strange Surprifmg Adventures of 
 the Venerable Gooroo Simple, which you are now hold- 
 ing fo complacently in your hand. Grey Goose- 
 quill had not furnifhed the manufcript copy with fuf- 
 ficient rapidity to our friend, and hence his feathers 
 had become a little ruffled, and that was all ; and fo, 
 when all was again calm within, though the rain mil 
 pattered unceafingly againfl the light-reflectors of 
 Number Sixty from without, and his own familiar 
 fmile told that Alfred was " himfelf again," he 
 drew out of a myfterious recefs in the breaft of his 
 great coat a little fquare parcel, and placed it on the 
 table before us. It was the drawing of the Padei- 
 yachi miffing the Kabobs (engraved at page 91). The 
 effect was perfectly irrefiftible ; and as it was juft our 
 proper hour for dinner, we adjourned through the 
 rain to the fnug room of The Cathedral hard by; 
 and, after a time, in poft-prandial talk, forgot all the 
 annoyance of want of copy as, fafcinated by his relim 
 of the favoury fleam as a condiment to cold boiled 
 rice, so graphically depicted in the face of the Padei-
 
 14 Tlic Publi/hers? Advertifement. 
 
 yachi, we enjoyed all the more the good cheer of our 
 hoft of The Cathedral. 
 
 And now, gentle reader, you will probably ask 
 " what has all this to do with me?" Simply this : that 
 if our book pleases you, your thanks are no lefs due 
 to Alfred Crowquill than our own, for having 
 feduloufly laboured at the illuftrations which adorn it, 
 with fo great affiduity that the volume has made its 
 appearance in time to cheer up many a Chriflmas 
 firefide on both fides of the Atlantic, notwithstanding 
 the latenefs of the feason at which his many other 
 engagements only permitted Grey Goosequill to 
 forward the copy in a complete flate to our friend's 
 transpontine ftudio. 
 
 When the famous folio of 1623 appeared, in 
 which, for the firft time, " the Comedies, Hiftories, 
 and Tragedies of Mr. William Shakespeare" were 
 collected together, it was accompanied by an addrefs 
 " To the great Variety of Readers, to the moft able, 
 and to him that can but fpell," by the players who 
 gave it to the world. As we hope to number many 
 of both thefe clafies amongft our patrons, we cannot 
 do better than remind them, in the words of thofe
 
 The Publi/hers' Advertifement. 
 
 15 
 
 players, that " the fate of every Booke depends upon 
 their capacities, and not of their heads alone, but of 
 their purfes — to read and cenfure it ; but to buy it 
 firft, as that doth beft commend a Booke, the Stationer 
 fays. Therefore, whatever you do, buy. Cenfure 
 will not drive a Trade, or make the Jacke go. 
 
 )) 
 
 And now, in the words of the printers of old, we 
 have only to add, Vale et nos ama — which, for the 
 benefit of country cousins, may be interpreted to 
 mean, " Bye ! bye ! Buy !" 
 
 60, Paternoster Row, 
 Chrilhnas Eve.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ELLING ftories is eflentially an Ori- 
 ental accomplifhment ; or, rather, if 
 one may ufe the term, an Oriental 
 gift, and hence it need not be won- 
 dered at that many of the tales and 
 ftories found in the Gejia Romano- 
 rum, and its kindred collections in 
 European literature, are alfo of Ori- 
 ental origin. We believe that it is 
 now generally admitted that fuch 
 older tales, in which men are the 
 perfons of the drama, are to be traced 
 to an Eaftern fource; but that fables, in which 
 animals perform the incidents and are endowed with 
 fpeech, properly belong to Weftern literature. As 
 exceptions but prove a rule, the few original fables 
 met with in the former, and the ftill fewer orip-inal 
 tales of the clafs alluded to, which are found in the 
 latter, are themfelves but evidences of the corre&nefs 
 of the theory. 
 
 It was to his education amongft the Greeks at 
 
 B
 
 1 8 Introduftion. 
 
 Athens, and as the contemporary of Solon and Chilo, 
 whofe friendfhip he enjoyed, that the young Phrygian 
 was indebted for the elegant turn of thought and re- 
 finement of his fables, which, though illuftrating the 
 fame human paflions and weaknefTes as the tales of the 
 Eaft, are remarkably free from the immoral allufions 
 and coarfenefs which pervade mod of the latter. His 
 celebrated anfwer to his friend Chilo, one of the feven 
 fages, is at once a key to his perfonal character, and 
 to the morality of his fables. When afked by the 
 fage, " What God was doing }" he replied, (C He is 
 deprefling the proud and exalting the humble," an 
 anfwer which M. Bayle, in his celebrated article on 
 JEfop, calls truly wonderful, as proceeding from a 
 Pagan writer who lived nearly fix centuries before the 
 birth of Chrift. 
 
 But the elegance and refinement of the Greek 
 fabulift were acquired at the coft of the broad humour 
 and racinefs which form the great charm of Oriental 
 tales, and to that humour and that racinefs was owing 
 the popularity of the latter, which gradually fpread 
 from Eaft to Weft, and which, till thofe Frankifh 
 ftorytellers, Boccaccio and Chaucer, appeared in the 
 fourteenth century, were the fources from which, with 
 few exceptions, all our many books of ftories, once fo 
 popular throughout Europe, had their rife. 
 
 It was owing, perhaps, to the fpread of Iflamifm 
 through the land of the Gentoos that European 
 literature was firft enriched with thefe fpoils from the
 
 Introdiiclion. 19 
 
 Eaft ; for it was not till the tenth century that thefe 
 Indian tales were drened up in Persian and Arabic, 
 from which they rapidly found their way into the 
 languages of the Weft. Then followed, early in the 
 thirteenth century, the empire of the Moguls, fpread- 
 ing into Europe with its power alfo the literature of 
 the Arabs, of which thefe Indian tales then formed an 
 efTential portion, till gradually they at length became 
 fo engrafted with that of all the nations of the Weft, 
 changing their mape and colour, chameleon-like, to 
 fuit the tafte of each, that it is frequently difficult to 
 trace the origin of fome of them, which, like Proteus 
 of old, afiume many fliapes and elude our grafp after 
 all our toil, long before we can fecure the Sanfkrit or 
 Tamul fetters with which to bind them. In the notes 
 feveral inftances of this pliability of the rich ore will be 
 found; but as the object of the publishers was rather 
 to furnifh an amufing volume than a dry antiquarian 
 treatife, the reader who delights in fuch purfuits will 
 meet with a very mine of wealth in the introductory 
 volume to Benfey's German tranflation of Pantflia- 
 tantra : Jive Books of Indian Fables, Tales, and Stories, 
 publifhed at Leipzig in 1859. 
 
 The ftory of the Gooroo Paramartan, of which the 
 reader is here prefented with a free Englifh paraphrafe, 
 is a popular fatire on the Brahmans, current in its 
 detached portions in feveral parts of India, and has 
 one great merit, as a whole, over mod Hindoo compo- 
 sitions, that though by no means void of humour, 
 
 B 2
 
 20 Introduclion. 
 
 and occafionally fomewhat coarfe in its allufions, none 
 of thefe have the leaft immoral tendency. 
 
 M. Dubois, who includes a French paraphrafe of 
 it in his Fables et Contes Indiens, fays that Father 
 Befchi, who has given us a Tamul text of thefe ad- 
 ventures, has by some been confidered as the author 
 and inventor of them, his intention being to turn the 
 Brahmans and their cuftoms into ridicule; but he 
 adds, " Mais d'apres les confeignemens que j'ai ete a 
 portee d'obtenir fur ce fujet j'ai tout lieu de croire 
 qu'il n'en fut que le compilateur. J'ai reconnu les 
 fonds de ces contes dans des pays ou ni le nom, ni les 
 ecrits du P. Befchi n'etaient jamais parvenus, et je ne 
 fais aucun doute quails ne foient reellement d'origine 
 Indienne, au moins quant au fond, quoique ce ne 
 foit en effet qu'une fatire fine contre les Brahmes." 
 
 Indeed, there is every probability that this fatire on 
 the dominant cafte dates from as early a period as the 
 druggies for supremacy between the Brahmans and 
 the followers of Guadama, and is rather of Buddhift 
 origin than an emanation from the pen of a member 
 of the Society of Jefus ; juft as when the Pope of 
 Rome, in the Middle Ages, fent forth his fpecial 
 police in the fhape of the mendicant friars throughout 
 the Weftern Church, — monks and friars, Regulars and 
 Mendicants, waged a fierce war againft each other, the 
 principal weapon of which was fatire, traces of which 
 we find in the roof-knots and grotefque faces, and in 
 the carvings beneath the prieftV flools in fo many of
 
 Introduction. 21 
 
 our ecclefiaftical edifices, and in mifTal borderings and 
 illuminations, till it found its embodiment in the 
 poems of the followers of Wycliff, in the Vifions of 
 Pierce Plowman, of Robert Langeland, and the Can- 
 terbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer. 
 
 The miffionary Befchi refided for thirty years in the 
 South of India, and during fo long a fojourn he be- 
 came thoroughly acquainted with the literature of the 
 country, and compofed feveral Tamul works of con- 
 fiderable celebrity, becoming indeed fo popular with 
 the natives as to have received the name of Virama- 
 mooni, or Great Champion Devotee. He was a native 
 of Italy, and belonged to the Propaganda Order of the 
 Society of Jefus; was appointed by the Pope to the 
 Eaft India Miflion, and arrived at Goa in 1700; and 
 being fupported both by Clement XI. and Gre- 
 gory XIII. he became one of the mo ft active miffion- 
 aries of his order, changing from time to time the 
 field of his activity, and making himfelf mafter of the 
 original languages and dialects of India. During a 
 refidence at Avor, in the diftrict of Trichinopoly, he 
 ftudied the Tamul in both its dialecls, — the Koden 
 Tamul, the ordinary dialect, and the Shen Tamul, the 
 elegant dialecl ; as well as the Sanfkrit and the 
 Teloogoo; acquiring at the fame time alfo the 
 Hindoftannee and Perfian. 
 
 " From the moment of his arrival in India," fays 
 Mr. Babington, "he, in conformity with Hindoo 
 cuftom, abandoned the ufe of animal food, and em-
 
 22 Introdu&ion. 
 
 ployed Brahmans to prepare his meals. He adopted 
 the habit of a religious devotee, and on his vifitations 
 to his flock afliimed all the pomp and pageantry with 
 which Hindoo Gooroos ufually travel." He founded 
 feveral churches, and wrote an epic upon the Madonna 
 and Holy Family, under the title of Tembavani, 
 which confifts of no lefs than 3615 tetrafticks, and is 
 laid to poflefs confiderable merit ; and dreading ap- 
 parently the kindly intentions of future critics, on the 
 plan of the Delphin editions of the Greek and Latin 
 daffies he added a profe interpretation to each tetra- 
 ltick to convey its true meaning to pofterity. He com- 
 pofed feveral other works in verfe, befides religious 
 treatifes of doctrine and practice, intended for the ufe 
 of his converts to Chriftianity ; and for the aid of 
 future miffionaries a Tamul and Latin Dictionary, a 
 fecond in Tamul and French, and a third in Tamul 
 and Portuguese, befides feveral grammars of the Koden, 
 Tamul, and Shen Tamul, and other fimilar gram- 
 matical and philological works. 
 
 " M. Befchi," adds Mr. Babington, " was as much 
 diftinguiflied for his piety and benevolence as for his 
 learning. To the eonverfion of idolaters his principal 
 efforts were of courfe directed, and they are faid to 
 have been uncommonly fuccefsful. Perfect mailer of 
 Hindoo fcience, opinions, and prejudices, he was emi- 
 nently qualified to expofe the fallacies of their doc- 
 trine, and the abfurdities of their religious practices ; 
 and accordingly he is much extolled for the triumphs
 
 Introduction. 23 
 
 which he obtained in thofe controverfial difputations 
 which are fo frequent among the learned in India, and 
 for the almoft miraculous fkill which he difplayed in 
 folving various enigmatical questions which his adver- 
 faries propounded for his embarraflment." 
 
 He appears gradually to have ingratiated himfelf with 
 the native princes, rifing to the appointment of Divan, 
 which he held under the celebrated Chunda Sahib, 
 during his rule as Nabob of Trichinopoly, on the death 
 of the Rajah in 1736. When the city was befieged 
 by the Mahratta army under Morary Rao, in 1 740, 
 and Chunda Sahib taken prifoner, Befchi fled to the 
 city of Gaval Patinam, then belonging to the Dutch, 
 where he died, in 1742. 
 
 To Father Befchi we owe, no doubt, the collecting 
 into one form and into the fame language the feveral 
 tales which are here prefented to the reader ■ but 
 whether he intended them to render the priefthood of 
 the people, amongft whom he lived, ridiculous is a 
 point upon which we feel inclined to join ifTue with 
 Mr. Babington, to whom we are indebted for the 
 printed Tamul text, and an excellent literal tranflation 
 of Befchi's compilation. On the contrary, confidering 
 how perfeveringly the learned Jefuit laboured in the 
 preparation of dictionaries and grammars of the Tamul 
 language and dialects, we are inclined to fee in his 
 verfion of thefe tales into Tamul little elfe than the 
 production of a fuitable lefTon-book for pupils of the 
 Propaganda at Rome and miffionaries in India; the
 
 24 Tntrodufiion. 
 
 more fo, indeed, becaufe of the great variety of words, 
 idiomatical expreffions and conftruclions, habits and 
 cuftoms, which he has brought together into fo fmall 
 a compafs evidently for fuch a purpofe. 
 
 It is this latter peculiarity which makes it neceflary 
 to prefent "The Adventures of the Gooroo Simple" 
 to the merely Englifh reader in a free, rather than in 
 a literal vernon, becaufe, from the great diffimilarity 
 in the conftruclion of the two languages, in the 
 former the force and fpirit of the original would be 
 facrificed to the mechanical rendering of the words, 
 thus evidently employed folely for the purpofe juft 
 ftated. This neceffity will at once be admitted, when it 
 is known that in Tamul there is no relative pronoun, 
 that adjectives and adverbs are moftly the fame word, 
 and that there is alfo a conjugated derivative. The 
 Tamul is not derived from any language that is 
 known to us, and is probably the offspring of one 
 now long loft, which may have ferved for the com- 
 mon parent of it and Teloogoo, Malayatam, and 
 Canarefe, and date from the earlieft antiquity. 
 
 Satire is defined by Dryden to be a compofition 
 <( in which the vices and follies of mankind are in- 
 veighed againft, expofed, and held up to ridicule and 
 contempt." It bears a near affinity to raillery, and 
 is frequently little more than a lampoon, but always 
 oppofed to panegyric. It muft have truth for its 
 bans, and however diftorted, its truthfulnefs muft ever 
 be apparent. The narrative of the Gooroo's troubles
 
 Introduction. 25 
 
 and misfortunes is a latent attack upon the divifion 
 into caftes of the Hindoos, the office of Gooroo being 
 one of the higheft dignities of the higheft cafte, the 
 members of which, from their fuppofed defcent from 
 the mouth of Brahma, are the hereditary lights of the 
 world, and fole expounders of the doftrines contained 
 in the Vedas, the mod facred of Hindoo books. His 
 five pupils, Noodle, Doodle, Wifeacre, Zany, and 
 Foozle, may be faid to reprefent the regenerated 
 Brahmans, receiving inftruclion from the Vedas, a 
 Brahman youth of eight to fixteen being admitted, as 
 the cafe may be, to wear the girdle of the fecond 
 birth, and receive that inftruclion, earlier than thofe 
 of the caftes of KJhatriya and Faifya, warriors and 
 merchants, whilft the girdle is altogether denied to 
 the Sudra cafte of labourers. Noodle and Doodle 
 are both reprefented as qualifying themfelves for the 
 higheft dignities of the Brahman cafte, denoting their 
 pure defcent from Brahman father and mother; whilft 
 Wifeacre, as the angler for the horfe's fliadow, may 
 be accounted a type of the mixed cafte Parafcara, the 
 fons of Brahman fathers and Sudra mothers, whofe 
 occupation is catching fifh, Zany, in like manner, 
 may denote a fecond mixed cafte of Brahmans, the 
 Murdhabhijhicta, the fons of Brahman fathers and 
 Kihatryia mothers, whofe duty it is to teach martial 
 exercifes; and hence, on the prefent to the Gooroo 
 of the old worn-out horfe in the fourth ftory, he at 
 once aflumes the leaderfhip and marfhals the pro-
 
 %6 Introduction. 
 
 ceffiori. So, too, in Foozle, perhaps, we are to trace 
 a third mixed cafte of Brahmans, the Vaidya, the fons 
 of Brahman fathers and Vaifya mothers, who praclife 
 the healing art and the cognate fcience of cookery, the 
 latter qualification in Foozle being fully fet forth in the 
 fecond ftory. Thus we have in the dramatis perfonce 
 all the chief fubdivifions of the Brahmanical clafs 
 reprefented and ridiculed. 
 
 The literature of the Hindoos owes but little to the 
 hereditary claimants to the fole pofleffion of divine 
 light and knowledge. On the contrary, with the 
 many things which the Brahmans are forbidden to 
 touch, if left to them alone, all fcience would ftagnate, 
 and clever men, whofe genius cannot be held in 
 trammels, therefore, foon become outcafts, and fwell 
 the number of Pariars in confequence of their very 
 purfuit of knowledge. Thus Afangadan, the Mr. 
 Merriman of our tale, tells the Gooroo, in the eighth 
 ftory, that the defcription of the RicebeatePs Poojei, 
 which was evidently an emanation of his own brain, 
 to amufe the poor hypochondriac, will not be found 
 in the writings of the Poorrachchameiga?is , becaufe to 
 that odious feet of Pariars in the eyes of a Brahman, 
 the Tamuls owe the greater part of works on fcience. 
 Then, too, we have a Fallooran introduced in the 
 fifth ftory, one of a feci: of Pariars particularly fhunned 
 by the Brahmans, becaufe to them Hindoo literature 
 is indebted almoft exclufively for the many moral 
 poems and books of aphorifms which are its chief
 
 Introdufiion. 27 
 
 pride, ridiculing and making fun of the Gooroo and 
 his pupils, all the time that he is duping them by a 
 very patent impofture. Indeed, we are inclined to 
 believe, if the conjecture ftarted with is thought un- 
 tenable that thefe lampoons on the Brahmanical cafte 
 may have emanated from the followers of Buddhism, 
 that, rather than to the Jefuit Father Befchi, we 
 mould feek to trace them to the Vallooran Pariars, 
 whofe contempt for the arrogant and ftiff-necked 
 ignorance of the Brahmans is thus covertly conveyed 
 in popular ftories to the manes of the people. 
 
 On the whole, this conjecture would appear to be 
 fomewhat near the truth. It has already been mown 
 that this clafs of literature emanated chiefly from 
 thofe defpifed outcafts, the Pariars, the very men who, 
 ufmg keener fpe&acles than Dr. Robertfon, our his- 
 torian of Ancient India, did (who Angularly became 
 the panegyrift of Gentoo fubdivifions), faw that to bind 
 human intellect and human energy within the wire- 
 fences of Hindoo caftes is as impoflible as to (hut up 
 the winds of heaven in a temple built by man's 
 hand, and, throwing off their allegiance to a fyftem 
 which (hut out all progrefs, boldly thought for them- 
 felves. What fo likely, then, as that thefe men 
 mould level their fatire againft a fyftem fo fraught 
 with mifchief to the cultivation of the intellect in 
 its healthy connection with the world's progrefs? 
 Accordingly, we find in the PantJIiatantra the fame 
 bold attacks upon the Brahmanical cafte as thofe
 
 28 Introduction. 
 
 which have been colle&ed together by Father Befchi, 
 under the title of "The Story of the Gooroo Para- 
 martan." 
 
 The date of the PantJJiatantra is not eafily afcer- 
 tained. Like all collections of Oriental fables and 
 ftories, in its feparate parts it may have exifted many 
 centuries before it afTumed its prefent mape and form 
 as a whole; or it may have gradually grown up in 
 its details through as many centuries, till the idea ftruck 
 its compiler to arrange it as we now have it. This is 
 fomewhat evident from the fa6l that the feparate 
 portions of the work do not form fuch a clofe and 
 connected illuftration of an original idea as would 
 have been the cafe had all the ftories belonged to one 
 period, or owed their origin to one mind. For our 
 purpofe, however, there is abundant evidence of its 
 exigence prior to Khofru Anufhirvan, and con- 
 fequently, at the clofe of the fifth or beginning of 
 the fixth century of the Chriftian era. Pantjhatantra 
 was made known to Europe by means of Hebrew, 
 Latin, and German tranflations towards the end of 
 the fifteenth century; fo that Befchi, living, as he 
 did, in the eighteenth, even if he had not been the ele- 
 gant Oriental fcholar that he was, might have been 
 acquainted through the Latin with fome of the 
 materials he made ufe of in the ftory of Paramartan, 
 before his appointment to the Eafl India Million. 
 The original text of Pantjhatantra is even doubtful, 
 as different compilations of the ftories of which it is
 
 Introduclion. 29 
 
 compofed, under kindred titles, exift in Sanfkrit, 
 Tamul, Canarefe, and Teloogoo ; and this evidence 
 of its great popularity in India muft abfolve Befchi 
 from the charge of originating fo keen a fatire upon 
 the Brahmans as are thefe " Strange Surprifing Ad- 
 ventures," at a time when he was eating their fait, 
 and outwardly conforming to their habits and pre- 
 dilections. 
 
 By way of illuftrating the pofition we have aflumed 
 we will give two tales, taken almoft haphazard out 
 of the fifth Tantra, pages 332 — 336 of the fecond 
 volume. 
 
 " Common fenfe is far letter than hook-knowledge. 
 He who lacks common Jenje is fare to perijh, juji as 
 it happened to the Lion-makers." " Pray how was 
 that }" afked the man with the wheel. Upon which 
 the goldmaker told the following ltory : — 
 
 The more Learned, the more Conceited and 
 Perverse ; or, the Lion-makers. 
 
 " In a certain town there once lived four Brahmans, 
 who had the greater!; affection for one another. Of 
 thefe three had acquired all knowledge which books 
 can impart, but ponened not a grain of common 
 fenfe. The fourth had not learnt anything from 
 books; indeed, he only had common fenfe, and 
 nothing more. It fo happened that once they all met 
 together to deliberate upon ' the worth of knowledge, 
 and whether by means of it a fortune cannot be
 
 30 IntroduSiion. 
 
 obtained by going into foreign lands and winning 
 thereby the favour of princes Y ' At all events/ faid 
 they, Met us all go into foreign lands/ Accordingly, 
 as they were journeying together, after a while, the 
 eldeft of them faid : ' Hem ! by the bye, one of us has 
 not learnt any fcience, and only pofTefles common 
 fenfe. Now, as princes never make gifts to the 
 pofTeflors of common fenfe without it is alfo allied to 
 knowledge acquired from books, he mud not expecl: 
 to partake of that which we mail receive, and fo may 
 as well at once turn back and go home again/ Upon 
 which the fecond Brahman added : ' So ho, Mafter 
 Common-fenfe, as you have learnt nothing, make 
 yourielf fcarce, and go home again V l No, no/ put 
 in the third, ' to act fo would not be right and proper 
 on our part. From childhood we have always played 
 together, and therefore pray let him be one of us. He 
 is a very worthy fellow, too, and as fuch mould partake 
 of the wealth we may acquire/ This point fettled, the 
 four travelled on again together. By and by they 
 came to a wood, in which were the bones of a dead 
 lion. ' Now, then/ faid the eldeft, ' here is a fine 
 opportunity for us to prove that knowledge is power, 
 by bringing the dead animal again to life by means 
 of the fciences we have acquired by deep ftudy/ 
 Upon this one of them faid, ' I know how to put the 
 fkeleton together / another, ( I can produce fkin, 
 flefh, and blood / and the third, ' I can animate the 
 mafs/ So the firft put the bones together into form ;
 
 Introduction. 31 
 
 the fecond added fleih, blood, and fkin ; and the third 
 was juft upon the point of animating the mafs, when 
 he who only had common fenfe reproved him, faying, 
 'Why, it is a lion; if you bring him to life he will 
 deftroy us all V ' Fie, fie ! Out upon fueh ignorance/ 
 replied the other ; ' in my hands knowledge fliall never 
 lie idle •' upon which the other said, ' Then wait till I 
 firft climb up yonder tree/ When he had done this, 
 the lion, being brought to life, fprang upon the other 
 three and killed them ; whilft he who only had 
 common fenfe waited till the lion had departed into 
 the jungle, when he defcended from the tree and went 
 home unhurt." 
 
 "That is why I faid, ' Common fenfe is far better 
 than book-knowledge ; he who lacks common fenfe 
 is fure to perifh, juft as it happened to the lion- 
 makers/ Befides, it is alfo faid, ' They who feek 
 wifdom only from books, without a knowledge of the 
 ways of the world, are hut learned fools, and reap the 
 world's contempt.' " " How is that }" afked the man 
 with the wheel, upon which his companion told the 
 ftory of 
 
 The Book-Learned. 
 
 " It fo happened that there lived in a certain town 
 four Brahmans, who were great friends. ' Hem !■ 
 faid one, ' let us go into foreign lands and acquire all 
 fcience.' Such their determination, thefe four Brah- 
 mans fet out one day on their journey to Kanja-
 
 32 Introduction* 
 
 kuddflia {KanodJJia) to become perfect matters of 
 fcience. Arrived at their deftination, they entered a 
 mattam under a celebrated Gooroo, and ftudied dili- 
 gently. Here they remained for twelve years, during 
 which time, as they only occupied their minds with 
 their books, they acquired all knowledge which books 
 can impart. Upon this, they all four met together 
 and faid, ( We have fuccefsfully crofled the ftream of 
 knowledge ; now, therefore, let us afk permiffion of 
 the wife Gooroo to depart and return again to our 
 homes/ When all had repeated, ' So let it be/ they 
 begged of the Gooroo to allow them to depart, and 
 having obtained his permiffion, they packed up their 
 books and ftarted for home. After a while they came 
 to a part of the road where it divaricated to the right 
 and to the left ; fo having feated themfelves by the 
 way fide, ' Now/ afked one, f which way are we to go ?' 
 
 u> %1> *i* %1* %1* ^L* 
 
 *J* ^* ^> ^> ^^ *]S 
 
 " Some time after, as thefe learned Brahmans were 
 purfuing their way in the company of a pilgrim 
 journeying to a meeting of pious devotees, they came 
 to a grave-yard, in which there was a donkey cropping 
 the rank herbage from the graves. So they all at once 
 began to afk, ' What is that ?' and one of them open- 
 ing his book,* as is their wont, and applying the firft 
 
 * Thefe Sortes are of very early origin, and were no doubt adopted 
 from the Eaft by the Greeks, and Sir Richard Paul Jodrell, in his 
 " Illuftrations of Euripides" (vol. i., p. 174), informs us that a fimilar 
 practice prevailed amongft the Hebrews, by whom it was called Bath-
 
 Introduction. 33 
 
 paflage which meets the eye to the exigences of the 
 cafe, read aloud, f He who ftands is of thy kindred/ 
 upon which he faid, ' This, then, is one of us / where- 
 upon they all came around the afs, one kiffing him, and 
 another making him by the fore foot. Whilft so 
 engaged, they alfo efpied a camel. 'What, then, is 
 that V afked they. So the third opened his book and 
 read, ' Swift is the courfe of Dharma.'* ( Surely, 
 then/ faid he, 'that is Dharma/ upon which the 
 fecond added, ' Love mould lead to Dharma / faying 
 which he took the afs and tied it to the neck of the 
 camel. This was feen by a pafier-by, who went and 
 told the Valkeer who owned the donkey, and who fet 
 off immediately, intending to give the learned block- 
 heads a found thraffiing; but they, feeing him running 
 towards them, made off as faft as their legs would 
 carry them. 
 
 After a while they came up to a river, which they 
 had to crofs, when one of them, feeing a palm leaf 
 floating down the ftream, faid, ' That which floats 
 will carry us over/ and immediately jumping upon it, 
 went down and only mowed his head above the 
 
 kol. Every one will recollect the allufion made by Gibbon to it (vol. vi. 
 p. 333) where the meffengers of Clovis are reprefented as liftening to the 
 words of the psalm being chanted as they enter the fhrine of St. Martin, 
 and alfo the prophecy of evil to Charles the Firft from an application of 
 the Sortes Virgiliana?, when he opened upon Mneidos, lib. iv. vers. 615, 
 &c. The early Chriftians ufed the Bible for the fame purpofe till it was 
 put down by the authority of the Church. 
 
 * Juftice ; alfo the God of Juftice and of Death. 
 
 C
 
 34 Introduction. 
 
 water. Seeing this, one of his companions feized 
 him by the hair of his head, and, exclaiming, ' When 
 a lofs of the whole is threatened, a wife man will 
 be content to preferve a part; to lofe all is hard 
 indeed/ he cut off the head of the drowning 
 man. 
 
 " The three others proceeded on their journey, 
 and came, about the firft watch of the night, to a 
 village, three inhabitants of which afked each one of 
 the Brahmans to be his gueft, and took him to his 
 houfe, fo that thefe learned men were feparated for 
 the time in three different dwellings. By way of 
 refremment, before one was placed fome vermicelli, 
 prepared with fugar and butter ; fo, opening his book, 
 he read, — ' He who takes long threads comes to an 
 end/ upon which he turned on his heel, and left the 
 food untafted. The hoft of the fecond placed paftry 
 with whipped cream before him ; but remembering the 
 faying, — ' What is too thin and too big will not live 
 long/ he too departed without touching the food 
 prepared for him. The third, to whom fome buttered 
 crumpets were prefented, turned to his book, and 
 read, — f Where there are holes, there evil lurks/ fo 
 he, too, went his way. In this manner, then, did 
 thefe three book-learned blockheads travel on, weary, 
 hungry, and thirfty, to their home, laughed at by the 
 villagers, and defpifed for their want of common 
 fenfe, and it was this which made me fay, — ' They 
 whofeek wifdom only from hooks, without a knowledge
 
 Introduction. 
 
 35 
 
 of the ways of the world, are hut learned fools, and 
 reap the ivorld's contempt.' " 
 
 The only trait of Brahman clevernefs which the tale 
 of the Gooroo portrays is the cunning way in which, 
 in the fixth flory, the Poorahita gets out of a dilemma 
 by the aflumption of a knowledge which he did not 
 poffefs, fimply by uttering the myftical jargon : — 
 
 ASANAM • SHITAM ■ JIVANA ■ NASHAM. 
 
 C 2
 
 ^JTHE STRANGE SURPRISING ADVEN- 
 TURES OF THE VENERABLE 
 GOOROO SIMPLE. 
 
 THE FIRST STORY. 
 
 FORDING THE HISSING COBRA RIVER : 
 
 Showing how the Gooroo Simple and his Five Difciples, Noodle, Doodle, 
 Wifeacre, Zany, and Foozle, came to a Cruel Stream, which could 
 only be forded when it flept ; together with the means they adopted 
 to find out when it was afleep, and how they whiled away the time 
 upon its banks by ftory-telling; Story of the Salt Merchants and 
 the Two Afies; and ftory of the Greedy Dog and the Mutton bone ; 
 fording the River with noifelefs fteps ; jala-jala and toonooko ; 
 counting heads and miffing one ; and what came of it. 
 
 NCE upon a 
 time, there 
 lived in the 
 land of the 
 Hindoos a 
 holy Gooroo, whole 
 facred calling, no lefs 
 than his wondrous wif- 
 dom, led all men to 
 reverence him. He had five followers, or difciples, who 
 attended his fteps, aiding him in his duties, and ho-
 
 38 Fording the hij/ing Cobra River. 
 
 nouring and fervinghim; fharing his boiled rice as their 
 daily food, and picking up the golden words of wifdom 
 which fell from his lips, as pearls beyond all price, to 
 be treafured up for ever. The chief of thefe difciples 
 was named Noodle, and came from a very long line 
 of anceftors, his pedigree being only loft in the Flood. 
 Then came Doodle, a wife youth, who loved to lie 
 under the (hade of the trees, which furrounded the 
 mattam of the Gooroo, in which they all lived, and 
 with clofed eyes, to watch the motion of the clouds in 
 order to ftudy the theory and caufe of rain. Next was 
 Wifeacre, the good Gooroo' s right-hand man, whom 
 he delighted to honour, and to employ upon all im- 
 portant occafions, even to the purchafe of a horfe. 
 After him came Foozle and Zany, two youths of very 
 different characters, but both of great promife ; and 
 though neither of them had the aptitude of Noodle, 
 the deep thought of Doodle, nor the promptitude of 
 Wifeacre, it feldom happened but that, after much 
 and mature confideration, both Foozle and Zany be- 
 came of the fame mind in all things with the Gooroo 
 and his three more promifing difciples. 
 
 One day the Gooroo and his five pupils had made 
 the vifitation of his diftricl:, teaching the people as 
 they went along, and increafing the number of his 
 difciples, when, all at once, about midday, juft at the 
 third watch, the whole fix found themfelves on the 
 bank of a ftream, which they had to ford on their way 
 home to the mattam, the white pinnacles of which they
 
 Fording the hijjing Cobra River. 39 
 
 could fee ftanding out in the fanlight from amongft 
 the far diftant trees. After a little fearch to difcover 
 where this could beft be managed, they came to a 
 (helving (lope in the bank, and juft as Zany and Noo- 
 dle, Doodle, Foozle, and Wifeacre, were about to ftep 
 into the water, the thoughtful Gooroo flayed them in 
 thefe words : — 
 
 " My children, let us aft with caution. This River 
 is, at beft, an ill-conditioned and fpiteful one, and not 
 a few are the tales told of its treachery and cunning, of 
 the heavy difafters which have befallen travellers who 
 trufted to its good faith, and the defolation it has 
 fpread over many a happy home. Now, I have heard 
 that it is never fafe to intruft one's felf to it while it is 
 awake, but only when it is afleep ; fo that it is always 
 wife, before venturing to put one's foot in it, firft to 
 afcertain whether it is awake or not. Therefore, 
 Wifeacre, my fon, do thou approach noifeleffly on 
 tiptoe to its margin, and find out whether it has yet 
 turned in for its noonday reft, and has gone to deep. 
 That done, we (hall be able to aft with prudence, and 
 decide whether to crofs at once, or wait for a more 
 aufpicious moment." 
 
 All admired the wifdom and forethought of their 
 mafter, and Wifeacre, by way of preparation for fo 
 important a duty, lighted a cheroot, and approached 
 daintily and gingerly on tiptoe, as he had been told, 
 the margin of the treacherous River, carrying with him 
 the burning brand, which had ferved him to light
 
 4-0 Fording the hijjing Cobra River. 
 
 his " weed," though he now could fcarcely hold the 
 cheroot between his teeth, fo anxious had he become. 
 When he had got within arm's-length of the ftream, 
 he ftretched out his hand as he bent forward to the 
 utmoft, and touched the water with the lighted brand, 
 when the River immediately fent forth a hilling noife, 
 like a ferpent about to encompafs its prey. In his 
 fright, Wifeacre fcarcely made two bounds ere he 
 
 reached the top of the bank, where the Gooroo and 
 his fellow pupils were feated. " O, Matter, Matter \" 
 faid he, when he had recovered his breath, " the per- 
 fidious River is wide awake ! This is, indeed, no time 
 for fording it ; for no fooner had I touched it, than it 
 flew into a rage, and, hitting like a make, would have 
 worried and fwallowed me up, if I had not rufhed
 
 Fording the hi/Jing Cobra River. 41 
 
 away; and, of a truth, I fcareely know how I got 
 here; for, in its anger at my intrufion, it fputtered and 
 fmoked, and leaped, and ruihed at me as I bounded 
 up the bank. Indeed, indeed, Mafter ! your wifdom 
 and caution have faved us ; for, had we ventured to 
 crofs the River without firft afcertaining if it were 
 afleep or no, not one of us would have been left to 
 tell the tale, fo angry and fierce was its wrath." 
 
 It is pleafant to all men to feel that the advice we 
 give to one another has been found and good, and to 
 one fo wife and learned as the Gooroo it was now parti- 
 cularly fo. So, when Wifeacre had finimed the report 
 of his efcape from his incenfed enemy, to which all 
 had liftened with painful attention and aftonifhment, 
 the Gooroo looked down benignly upon the afiembled 
 group of pupils, faying — " No wife man counfels 
 another to acl: at variance with the will of the gods." 
 He had pronounced thefe words in the folemn tone 
 in which he was in the habit of addrefnns; the flock of 
 his diocefe, and had fkilfully put the emphafis on the 
 word wife. It had its effect; for, from long experience 
 Noodle, Doodle, and Wifeacre well knew that now 
 would follow words of true wifdom, fuch as few other 
 men could utter. After a fhort paufe he continued — 
 " My children, may the will of the gods and our 
 deftiny be propitious ! To the firft we muft bow ; to 
 the fecond we muft fubmit ! What is ordained for 
 him will fall to the lot of man. Even the gods cannot 
 hinder it. Therefore, do not let us repine at fate, but 
 wonder ; for that which is ours belongs to none other.
 
 42 Fording the hjjjlng Cobra River. 
 
 If contradictions and calamities befet our path in life, 
 by patience and resignation we mull ftrive to reconcile 
 the one and to bear the other. Follow me, therefore, 
 to the made of yonder palms, and there patiently, 
 and with proper fubmiffion to our fate, let us abide 
 for a while and watch for a more favourable oppor- 
 tunity." 
 
 Having feated themfelves around their honoured 
 mafter, in order that the time might not hang heavily 
 upon his hands, and to divert him from thinking in- 
 wardly with clofed eyes, abftra&ed for the time from 
 this paffing world and its troubles, as in fuch moments 
 of leifure he was often wont, his difciples fought to 
 intereft him by repeating to him fuch tales refpe£r.ing 
 the River, then the great object of their anxiety, as 
 had come to the knowledge of any one of them. 
 Noodle, as the eldeft of them, thus began : — 
 
 " When my grandfather was mil alive, and I was 
 yet but a little child, he would fet me on his knee, 
 and, as from the window of the houfeplace we could 
 fee this River reflefting the light of the fky amongft 
 the palm trees, which grow upon its banks, he would 
 often tell me inftances of its deceit and cruelty. One 
 in particular I well recollecl; ; for many a time and oft 
 did he repeat it, as he himfelf was the fufferer by the 
 dodges of the fwindling ftream. You are aware that 
 my grandfather was a merchant well known in this 
 country, and that the chief article which he dealt in was 
 fait. One day, accompanied by a fellow-trader, each 
 of them leading an afs laden with two bags of fait,
 
 Fording the hijfing Cobra River. 43 
 
 they had to crofs the ftream fomewhere about the very 
 fpot where Wifeacre met with his adventure but now. 
 There had been a heavy fall of rain on the previous 
 night, and the River was much fwollen, fo that the 
 bags of fait reached down into the water ; but, mark 
 you, there was no hole in the bags, which were each 
 fecurely fattened at the mouth with a ftrong leather 
 thong, fo that the fait could not drop out of itfelf. 
 
 11 The day was very hot, and the coolnefs of the water 
 was pleafant to the travellers and their hearts ; fo that 
 they were in no hurry to crofs the River, but loitered 
 for a long while on the paflage, whilft the water fcarcely 
 rofe up to their middle even in the deepeft places. 
 The afles, too, enjoyed the refrefhing bath as much as 
 their matters; and, as there was a long journey before 
 them, my grandfather thought it would greatly refrefh 
 the beafts if they were allowed the fame indulgence as 
 himfelf and companion. At length, however, it was 
 neceflary to quit the ftream and purfue their journey. 
 
 " Upon arriving at the oppofite bank, judge of their 
 aftonifhment to find, that though the leather thongs 
 had certainly never been tampered with, the four 
 bags, which they themfelves had filled to the brim 
 with fait, and even prefled down with heavy weights 
 to make them hold the more, were now quite empty, 
 not a fingle grain of fait being left in either of them ! 
 And, more wonderful mil, this had all happened fo 
 noifeleffly, that neither my grandfather nor the other 
 merchant had heard the leaft found, whilft the River 
 was ftealing the fait, so they foon convinced them-
 
 44 Fording the luffing Cobra River. 
 
 felves that it had been done by magic; elfe, how, 
 without making a rent in the bags, or untying the 
 leather thongs which fattened their mouths, had the 
 fait been all fo cleverly niched away? Therefore, 
 feeing that they and their bealls had efcaped with 
 their lives out of the clutches of fuch a great and 
 powerful enemy, they were thankful to the gods that, 
 in its greedy hafle to fpoil them of their merchandife, 
 the River had given them fumcient time to make 
 their own efcape with no greater lofs than the whole 
 of their flock in trade." 
 
 Doodle, who, during the time that Noodle was 
 narrating this lingular and furp riling adventure of his 
 grandfather and the other merchant, had been lying 
 on his back, with clofed eyes, fo that nothing lliould 
 diftracT: his attention from it, now raifed himfelf up, 
 faying : " I, too, have heard many tales of the cheats 
 and dodges of this River. Indeed, they are in every- 
 body's mouth in this part of the country, fo many 
 and various have been its wiles; but one that has 
 been the fubject of much difculhon, both at home 
 and abroad, is that which, with our dear mailer's 
 permilfion, I will now narrate. 
 
 " I forget when it happened ; but as I myfelf have 
 feen it in a very old book, I may as well fay, a 
 long time ago a farmer, having killed a Iheep and 
 jointed it, hung the joints up in an outhoufe, leaving 
 the windows open to allow a current of air to pafs 
 through the building to keep the meat from turning 
 bad, as the weather was then very hot. About the
 
 Fording the luffing Cobra River. 45 
 
 farm, amongft others, was a cunning old dog, who, 
 though well enough fed and cared for by the farmer 
 and his fons, was not often indulged with a feaft off 
 the beft joints brought to his mailer's table; and, if 
 he had a weaknefs, it was certainly a love of good 
 living. Dogs, as well as men, are luxurious animals, 
 and, like their mailers, they have their moments of 
 temptation. There was the open window ; there, 
 too, was the mutton beyond. The long and the 
 fhort of it is, the temptation was too great; and, in 
 lefs time than it takes me to tell it, the dog was feen 
 Healthily approaching the River with as pretty a 
 moulder of mutton in his mouth as ever graced the 
 table of that great monarch of the Weft, whofe 
 favourite dilh was a cold moulder in its virgin ftate 
 from the fpit of the previous day, with which cold 
 Ihoulder, since that day, many people delight to enter- 
 tain their vilitors. 
 
 " Effectually to hide his theft, the cunning old dog 
 knew it would be both wife and prudent to crofs the 
 River and enjoy his meal on the oppofite bank, 
 where, too, he could bury the bone more fecurely 
 from the many dogs which were kept on the farm. 
 1 Stolen pleafures are fweeteft/ said he to himfelf, as 
 he entered the water. Was it the echo of his mut- 
 tered thought that feemed to come from the bottom 
 of the ftream ? He could not help looking down to 
 fee from whence the found came. Sure enough, 
 there he faw another dog, and with fuch a dainty
 
 4 6 
 
 Fording the hi fling Cobra River. 
 
 flioulder of mutton in his mouth, the fat fo white, 
 and the lean fo red, and, better than all, fo much 
 larger than his own! Now, the farmer's dog, though 
 old and cunning, had mil plenty of pluck, and did 
 not fear to match himfelf with any dog of his own 
 fize and ftrength. Befkles, he would have his adver- 
 fary at an advantage ; for the latter could not bite as 
 long as he held the mutton in his mouth, and if he 
 dropped it, as it was the mutton he cared for and 
 
 not the dog, he could eafily fnap it up, and carry it 
 off as the fpoil of the fight. He uttered a growl and 
 fliowed his teeth, plunging at the fame time down 
 into the water to feize the tempting prey ; but there 
 was neither dog nor flioulder of mutton there j and, 
 whilft so engaged, the River had carried that away 
 which, but a moment before, he had held in his own
 
 Fording the hijjing Cobra River. 47 
 
 mouth ; fo the dog loft his dinner, and the cheat of a 
 River it muft have been that had muttered, ' Stolen 
 pleasures are fweeteft/ to make the dog lofe his 
 fubftance for the fhadow." 
 
 As Doodle uttered thefe words, Zany and Foozle, 
 who had not paid much attention to what he was 
 faying, had been watching a horfeman in the diftance, 
 who now advanced rapidly from the oppofite bank, 
 and as he faw that the water was little more than a 
 foot deep, he darned into it, and without hefitation 
 crofted the ftream with rapidity and eafe. " Would 
 that our dear mafter had a horfe," faid Foozle, " for 
 then both he and we might, all in turn, crois the 
 River without any fear, as quickly and pleafantly as 
 did yonder horfeman." " Would that our dear 
 mafter had a horfe," repeated Zany, and " would that 
 our dear mafter had a horfe," re-echoed Doodle, 
 Wifeacre, and Noodle ; faying which the whole five 
 furrounded the Gooroo, entreating him to buy a 
 horfe as foon as he had an opportunity, and to never 
 mind the damages. 
 
 The Gooroo approved of their advice ; but as the 
 fhades of evening were already doling around them, 
 and he had no inclination to fpend the night fupper- 
 lefs where they then were, he thus addrefled them : 
 " Thanks, my children, for this expreffion of your 
 loving care for my comfort ; but as the purchafe of a 
 horfe is a matter which demands much and ferious 
 confideration, we will talk it over upon fome future
 
 4<S Fording the luffing Cobra River. 
 
 occafion. At prefent our firft care mud be to crofs 
 the River, or we fhall not reach the mattam to-night, 
 and to camp out till morning will not be over pleafant ; 
 fo Noodle had better go at once and afcertain whether 
 the River is gone to ileep at laft." 
 
 Noodle, taking a leaf out of Wifeacre's book, deter- 
 mined to proceed with great caution. Accordingly, 
 holding the extinguifhed brand in his right hand, he 
 ftretched himfelf upon all-fours, and crept noifeleffly 
 to the margin of the ftream, where, at arm's-length, 
 he immerfed the fame end of the flick which the 
 River had extinguifhed upon Wifeacre's firft vifit, and 
 watched the refult with trembling anxiety. This time 
 there was no hiffing nor fluttering, no fmoke nor 
 noife, fave only the found of a gentle ripple as the 
 ftick broke the current of the ftream, like the foft 
 breathing of a fleeping beauty. Noodle filently with- 
 drew the brand ; but knowing full well, from his 
 grandfather's experience with the bags of fait, that the 
 River's quiet might only be a fham, more fecurely to 
 entrap its prey, he again immerfed the ftick till it 
 ftruck the bed of the ftream. All was quiet as before ; 
 and now, certain that the River was really faft afleep, 
 he raifed himfelf noifeleffly up, and walking with a 
 ftealthy ftep towards the Gooroo, with a face radiant 
 with joy he exclaimed, " Mafter, dear mafter ! Now 
 is the time to crofs the River ; there is no longer need 
 of fear or alarm. The time of its deep number is 
 come; let us then pafs over to the other fide quickly
 
 Fording the hi/Jing Cobra River. 49 
 
 and noifeleflly, not uttering a fingle word till we are 
 fafely out of its clutches." 
 
 The Gooroo, and Foozle, and Doodle, Wifeacre, 
 and Zany, no fooner heard the good news than they 
 one and all rofe to their feet at once, in order to fteal 
 a march upon the ileeping ftream ; but even under the 
 excitement of fuch a moment his pupils did not fail 
 to remember the refpecl; due to their mailer, whofe 
 followers they were, and would infift that he mould 
 have the poft of honour and precedence ; whilft the 
 Gooroo, on the contrary, in his great love and affec- 
 tion for his children, would have willingly been the 
 laft to enter the River, that fo he might have been on 
 dry land till the others had done fo, ready to render 
 affiftance mould either of them unexpectedly caufe 
 the enemy fuddenly to waken up and afTume a hoftile 
 pofition. This point had to be difcufled by figns, for 
 no one dared to utter a fingle word ; and whether it 
 was fo intended, or whether the Gooroo only wifhed to 
 indicate his defire that Zany, who was the youngeft, 
 mould be the firft to enter, the old chronicler has 
 omitted to relate, and his erudite editor, the great 
 Champion-devotee, Viramamooni, is equally filent on 
 the fubjeft. All we know is, that, taking the ex- 
 tinguifhed brand out of the hand of Noodle, he 
 pointed with it towards Zany, and that, in doing 
 fo, as Zany flood the furtheft off in the line of pupils 
 preparing for their defcent into the River, the action 
 feemed to indicate his wifh that all mould proceed in 
 
 D
 
 5° 
 
 Fording the hiffing Cobra River. 
 
 a ftraight line, keeping ftep like foldiers, and thus crofs 
 the firearm 
 
 " Without uttering a fingle word," fays Virama- 
 mooni, " all fix of them cautioufly defcended into the 
 water, which reached up to their knees, whilft their 
 hearts beat time audibly as they placed firfi: the right 
 and then the left foot, jala-jala, alternately fo ftealthily 
 in the ftream, that in prefling each down to the 
 
 River's bed, they touched it, toonookoo, lo noifelefllv 
 that the fleeper was not difturbed, and even the 
 coverlid, which the water formed, made no rippling 
 ound." Caution and prudence were qualities pre- 
 eminently marked by large bumps in the flcull of the 
 Gooroo, and never was there an occafion more fitted 
 for their display than the prefent, though the fhort 
 fteps thus neceflitated made the paflage long.
 
 Fording the luffing Cobra River. 
 
 51 
 
 But, notwithftanding all this caution, a mifchance 
 happened which no one could have calculated upon. 
 Arrived on the oppofite bank, they began to fhout and 
 cut the moft fantaftic capers for very joy, till, all of a 
 fudden it occurred to Wifeacre to count and fee if all 
 had reached land fafely ; but, count as he would, he 
 could only make out five inftead of the fix, who had 
 entered the River. There was the Gooroo; and 
 Noodle, and Doodle, and Zany, and Foozle, were alfo 
 
 there ; but where was the fixth ? To make himfelf 
 the more fure that one was miffing, he bested that 
 
 O* Do 
 
 they would all ftand apart in a itraight line, and, 
 beginning with Foozle and Zany, then on to Doodle 
 and Noodle, he came at laft to the Gooroo, but 
 always with the fame refult — one out of the fix was 
 miffing. Full of his difcovery, Wifeacre then faid : 
 " Hem, and alack-a-day ! Woe is me ! Woe is me ! 
 
 D 2
 
 52 Fording the hi/Jing Cobra River. 
 
 We went fix into the ftream, and five only have come 
 out ! The cruel, treacherous River has fwallowed up 
 one of us ! Behold, Mafter ! count yourfelf : there are 
 but five of us here \" Again the Gooroo ranged 
 them all in a row, and beginning with Wifeacre, he 
 told off each reflectively on his fingers : Wifeacre, 
 Noodle, Doodle, Zany, and Foozle : and though he 
 counted them thus fome half-dozen times, he could 
 only make the number five inftead of fix. With 
 a like refult Noodle, Doodle, Zany, and Foozle at- 
 tempted to count the number. Certain it was, fix 
 went in, and five came out; for none of them could 
 make the number more, and one, therefore, was un- 
 queflionably drowned. Satisfied that fuch was the 
 cafe, they rent the air with their lamentations, and, 
 embracing one another, they one and all exclaimed, 
 " Heaven be praifed that we five, who ftand here, have 
 efcaped ! O, cruel, cruel River ! Perfidious wretch 
 that thou art, more fanguinary than a bear, a wolf, or 
 a tiger, who haft dared to fwallow up one of the difci- 
 ples of the great and good Gooroo Simple ! Would 
 nothing lefs fatisfy thee, than to make a fupper off one 
 of the pupils of that great and venerated faint, whofe 
 name is reverenced throughout the land ? Who will 
 henceforth venture to touch thy treacherous billows 
 with the fole of his foot, now that thou haft confum- 
 mated fuch an a6l of perfidy towards one whom all 
 the world delights to honour ? 
 
 11 Curfed be thou in thy generation ! May thy
 
 Fording the hiffing Cobra River. $$ 
 
 fource be dried up and perifh ! thy bed become arid, 
 and thy waves be confumed by fire ! Without moift- 
 ure, without coolnefs, without a record of the fpot of 
 thy prefent exiftence, mayft thou vanifh from the face 
 of the earth, and thy very affies be fcattered to the 
 winds \" 
 
 Thus venting their rage, and interlacing the fingers 
 of their hands in order to produce the found of crack- 
 ing of the joints as they projected them forwards, to 
 add folemnity to their maledictions, they wound up 
 the whole by mowering down upon the River hand- 
 fuls of duft till the clear ftream became a muddy pud- 
 dle, becaufe, in fo doing, they knew that their impre- 
 cations were ftrengthened in the fight of the gods. 
 
 In all their lamentations and imprecations, no one 
 of them mentioned the name of him that was miffing ; 
 for, as each had omitted to count himfelf when tell- 
 ing off the others on his fingers, no one could name 
 the one whofe death they were lamenting, feeing that 
 each had mined himfelf alone, and every one' was thus 
 grieving for his own lofs and not for the lofs of a 
 companion, without knowing it. 
 
 Juft as they were cafting the laft volley of duft into 
 the ftream, and fc reaming out a final curfe, a traveller 
 approached the fpot upon which they were ftanding, 
 and addrened himfelf to them in thefe words : " How 
 now, firs ! What's the row ? Who's dead ? and 
 what's to pay ?" 
 
 "Who's dead?" reiterated the Gooroo ; "who's
 
 54 Fording the hi/Jing Cobra River. 
 
 dead ? who can tell ? who can know ? Careful and 
 cautious as we have been, knowing its wiles and mif- 
 trufting appearances, the accurfed River has fwallowed 
 up one of us; for fix of us walked down into the 
 ftream, and fee, count as you will, there are only five 
 of us now on dry land \" Then Noodle related how 
 they had watched for the River's going to bed for 
 many long hours on the oppofite bank ; how Wife- 
 acre had nearly become a facrifice to its perfidy in the 
 morning; and how he himfelf had been cheated into 
 the belief that it was abed and afleep, of which the 
 artful creature only put on the femblance to lull fuf- 
 picion, and the more fecurely to rob the good Gooroo 
 of one of his difciples. Then he told the traveller 
 how his grandfather had been robbed of his fait, and 
 called upon Doodle to repeat how the fhoulder of 
 mutton had been filched by the big cheat of a River, 
 even out of the very mouth of the dog, who was 
 croffing ; but the traveller flopped him fhort, by fay- 
 ing, ' Enough ! enough ! I have heard that ltory 
 long ago, when I was a boy ; and I believe every boy 
 can fay the fame thing. The fa£f. is, no one fhould 
 crofs this wicked ftream without firft fecuring fuch a 
 magic ftaffas that which I now hold in my hand, by 
 means of which he would then pafs over fafely, and never 
 allow himfelf to be drawn down out of his depth into 
 the bed of the River. However, what's done is done, 
 and can't be undone. The longer the faw of grief is 
 drawn, the hotter it grows ! It's no ufe sitting ftill
 
 Fording the hi/jing Cobra River. 55 
 
 under a calamity, for the gods help only thofe who 
 help themfelves, and it feems as if they have sent you 
 the means, if you employ them properly. I am well 
 verfed in magic arts, have read the ftars, and am 
 intimate with all the planets. People call me Zad- 
 jeet, becaufe of the wonderful things I have foretold, 
 and the wonderful things I have done ; but I cannot 
 rule the planets, nor confult the Mars, unlefs my 
 palm is crofied with the precious metals, becaufe, you 
 muft know, the lines of my hands form the magic 
 fentence, ' Fo ol /and the irm one ya refo onpar ted,' 
 by which, under fuch circumftances, I am forced to 
 aft. Now, I can reftore him whom ye mourn; but 
 if I do fo, what mall be my recompenfe ? " 
 
 To this the Gooroo replied, unfaftening the belt 
 which he wore round his waift, " In this girdle are 
 forty and five fanams, all that remain of the fum fet 
 apart for our journey, of which this has been but the 
 firft day." 
 
 "Fo olfand the irm one ya refo onpar ted," faid the 
 magician. " 'Tis but a fcurvy fum for the reftoration 
 to you of one whofe death you are mourning; but 
 becaufe all the world honours the Gooroo Simple, I, 
 too, will fhow my veneration and refpecl: for fuch 
 profound wifdom as his, and caufe all fix perfons to 
 ftand here and refpond to my call. This magic ftaff," 
 he continued, holding up his walking-cane in front of 
 the Gooroo, "is the agency by which this will be 
 brought about. Stand, all of you, in a line, and clofe
 
 56 
 
 Fording the hijfing Cobra River. 
 
 your eyes, left evil fhould befal any one as punifhment 
 for peeping. When you hear each one alternately 
 give his name, in reply to my queftion, count off the 
 number on your fingers till the whole fix have re- 
 fponded." No fooner was the line formed, with the 
 Gooroo at one end and Wifeacre at the other, than 
 the magician, raifing his cane, let it fall with a heavy 
 thwack upon the moulders of the Gooroo, crying out, 
 at the fame time, "Who is this? who is this?" 
 
 
 "Enough! enough!" replied the Gooroo. " It is 
 I myfelfj the Gooroo Simple." — " Score one," faid 
 the magician ; and bringing his cane to bear, with a 
 fliarp cut, acrofs the moulders of Noodle, "Who is 
 this?" he afked. — "Mercy, mercy! 'tis I, Noodle."
 
 Fording the hiffing Cobra River, 
 
 57 
 
 — " Score two/' put in the wonderful Zadjeet, as he 
 let fall a heavy blow on the left moulder of Doodle, 
 afking, at the fame time, "Who is this?" — "Doodle, 
 Doodle, Doo " — " Score three," faid the magi- 
 
 )} 
 
 cian," flopping him fhort, and bringing his cane 
 down, with a heavy blow, upon the rounded back of 
 Foozle (who had bent his head downwards when he 
 clofed his eyes), repeating, at the fame time, his 
 queftion of "Who is this?"— "Oh, oh! Foozle, 
 
 Foozle!" — "Score four," was the curt rejoinder, as 
 the cane fell upon the llioulders of Zany with a 
 hearty thwack, and the queftion of "Who is this?" 
 was repeated. — "Don't, don't! Oh, oh! Zany, Zany!" 
 was the reply. — " Score five ; one, two, three, four, 
 five," faid the magician, as he gave Wifeacre fome 
 half-dozen telling hits, both right and left, again
 
 58 
 
 Fording the hi/Jing Cobra River. 
 
 repeating, for the laft time, "Who is this?" — "Oh, 
 me ! oh, me ! 'tis I, Wifeacre, the difciple of the 
 wife Gooro Simple." — " Score fix," was Zadjeet's 
 reply. " He is the loft one reftored to you ; and now 
 I may fairly claim my reward." 
 
 "Wonderful magician!" faid the Gooroo. "Won- 
 derful magician!" repeated each difciple, rubbing his 
 back the while; "wonderful magician!" Satisfied 
 that the loft one was found, and that now not one of 
 the fix was miffing, the Gooroo handed over his 
 girdle with the forty-five fanams to Zadjeet, the 
 magician, whofe eyes twinkled as, chuckling, he 
 went away, humming to himfelf, " Fo olfand the irm 
 one ya refo onpar ted," whilft the Gooro Simple, 
 Noodle, Doodle, Wifeacre, Zany, and Foozle, con- 
 tinued their homeward iourney to the mattam.
 
 59 
 
 STORY THE SECOND. 
 
 THE EGG IN THE MARES NEST. 
 
 The old crone of the Mattam teaches them how to count nofes ; the 
 neceffity for horfe-flefh quite a Parliamentary difcuffion ; difcovery of 
 a Mare's Neft; thoughts on Incubation ; the duties of the Mattam; 
 fele&ing the Egg ; the Foal and its gambols ; lofs of the Foal, and what 
 it led to. 
 
 has but 
 g, makes 
 fat, faid a 
 man; and he 
 that has 
 but one 
 tale to 
 | tell never 
 *? comes to 
 the end 
 of it ; for 
 he that 
 cannot hold his tongue mult 
 have leave to fpeak. Now, 
 it fo happened, that when 
 the Gooroo and Wifeacre, 
 Noodle, Doodle, Zany, and Foozle had got all fafely 
 within the walls of the mattam, they firft began to
 
 60 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 
 
 compare notes amongft themfelves of the day's ad- 
 ventures, and the dangers overcome in the paffage of 
 the River ; and it was not until this had been done 
 over and over again, that each became more fully 
 aware how great had been thofe dangers, and with 
 what heroic fortitude they had been met and over- 
 come. Each felt himfelf to be a hero, and in the 
 Eaft, no lefs than in the Weft, it has long been the 
 fafhion for heroes to tell their own tales, and to tell 
 them in their own way, with fmall fear of contradic- 
 tion from their lifteners. The Gooroo, as was his 
 wont, improved the occafion, and as it is written, 
 "like lips like lettuce," fo did each of his pupils 
 alfo. One heard of nothing but the River and his 
 dodges; of Zadjeet and the recovery of number fix; 
 till at laft, as the ftomach will not relifh partridges 
 every day for dinner, and the ear loves variety no lefs, 
 the River began to ftink in men's noftrils, as if the 
 drainage of fome dirty city had been its enforced 
 daily diet, without ftint or limit, ever fince the good 
 Gooroo had put his foot in it. 
 
 Now it fo happened that there was living at the 
 mattam an old crone, blind of one eye, but with a 
 tongue that made ample amends for that deficiency. 
 It was her office to clean out the mattam, and to 
 wafh the facred precincls with a fluid rendered more 
 precious by the addition of that which had pafied 
 through the cow's ftomach, and which it was her 
 daily duty to collect for the purpofe, as the fragrant
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 
 
 61 
 
 odour which it imparted was typical of the fanctity of 
 the place. So when this old woman heard fo much 
 about the wonderful efcape of her matter and his 
 difciples, and about nothing elfe, me determined to 
 pay them in their own coin, and fo take them down 
 a peg. 
 
 "To be plain with you," faid fhe, one morning, 
 whilft engaged in her important duty, when the whole 
 group were ftanding by, to inhale the rich perfume, 
 " I cannot help thinking your method of counting 
 heads would never have yielded the right fum ; for it
 
 62 The Egg in the Mare's Neft. 
 
 appears to me that each, in taking ftock of the whole, 
 did what very few other people do — loft fight of number 
 one. However, if fuch an occafion mould again 
 occur, I will tell you of a furer method to arrive at 
 the truth, and one which, fifty years ago, proved moft 
 fatisfactory to thofe who adopted it. You muft 
 know there was a great feftival and merry-making 
 going on in one of the neighbouring villages at the 
 time, and, in company with a lot of other girls of our 
 own age, my fifter and I had journeyed thither. As 
 girls will do, we had been up to all kinds of Mag*s- 
 diverfions by the way, running here and there, and 
 playing at hide-and-feek ; fo me who was leader — and 
 a right merry and wife creature fhe was too — faid, 
 'Let us count nofes, and fee that we are all here, 
 before we enter the village; and the beft way, and 
 the fureft, to do that is, to kneel down in a ring, and 
 each dip her nofe into the circlet which the cow has 
 juft dropped here, when I can readily fee if any are 
 wanting, by counting up the impreffions fo made/ 
 We were fome ten or fo when we ftarted, fo we did 
 as me bid us, and when we rofe to our feet again, fhe 
 counted over the impreffions, and finding them juft 
 as many again as half, fhe knew that we were all there 
 and none miffing, as fure as the two halves always 
 make the whole." 
 
 The Gooroo and his difciples, who did not perceive 
 that the old crone was poking fun at them by giving 
 a definite idea to an indefinite number, could not but
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Nejl. 63 
 
 admire the advice me gave, and promifed to follow it, 
 if there mould be again a neceffity for counting nofes. 
 " It is a pity," faid Wifeacre, " that we did not know 
 of it before, becaufe it cofts neither money nor ftripes 
 to folve the problem ; and the lofs of the one is often 
 more hard to bear than the fmart of the other. Still, 
 all things confidered, it will be beft to buy a horfe. 
 Indeed, fir, you muft get a horfe \" When Wifeacre 
 had faid this, Noodle and Doodle, Zany and Foozle, 
 all chimed in, " Indeed, fir, you muft buy a horfe ! " 
 upon which Wifeacre proceeded, " It is the only fure 
 way to avert fuch calamities for the future, as we 
 ourfelves have experienced by the River; fo never 
 mind the coft, fir, but get a horfe." 
 
 Like many a wife man in other ftations of life, the 
 Gooroo could no longer withftand the preflure from 
 without, and fo, if only to gain time, if not to fhelve 
 the fubjecl: altogether, he appeared to give in to their 
 wilhes, defiring, however, as a preliminary ftep, to 
 know what a horfe would coft? None could tell, 
 and fo feveral days were gained by the Gooroo, in 
 the time it took to make the necenary inquiries, draw 
 up the report, and difcufs it after a day had been fet 
 apart for the purpofe at a previous meeting ; becaufe 
 fo grave a matter as the purchafe of a horfe did not 
 admit of the omiflion of any of the forms which the 
 Gooroo and his difciples adopted when they had to 
 make rules for the guidance of the diftrift over which 
 he prefided, and of which the mattam, in which he
 
 6\ The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 
 
 dwelt, formed the council-houfe. At length the 
 important day arrived ; the report was read and dif- 
 cufled by the five difciples in the outer court, and 
 approved; fo Wifeacre was deputed to take it into 
 the room in which the Gooroo fat in ftate to tranfacl: 
 bufinefs, where he placed it on the table and retired, 
 bowing reverently to his mafter as he left his prefence. 
 The Gooroo would willingly have let it lie on the 
 table, whence, in due courfe, it would have been 
 claimed as a perquifite by the old crone who fvvept 
 out the mattam; but he could not treat with fo 
 marked a difrefpecl: a document which had been 
 unanimoufly approved of by all his difciples, fo he 
 pleaded many and more preffing engagements at firft, 
 then the neceffity of keeping it a week for delibera- 
 tion ; and when, at laft, he could find no more excufes, 
 he put on a bold face, and fent for Noodle, Wifeacre, 
 Doodle, Foozle, and Zany, and bidding them fit 
 down, he read the report aloud, till he came to the 
 words, " A good horfe will coft at the leaft fifty to one 
 hundred pagodas ;" faying which, he flung the report 
 upon the floor, and, trampling upon it with both his 
 feet, he exclaimed, " A hundred pagodas ! Do you 
 dare to pafs your jokes upon me? Where's the 
 money to come from, I mould like to know ? And, 
 if I had it, I would not buy a horfe at that price. 
 No, no ; my legs have carried me hitherto, and will 
 do fo ftill. Begone; and let no one dare again to 
 talk to me about buying a horfe for a hundred
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 6, 
 
 .) 
 
 pagodas \" So the matter dropped ; for after he had 
 fnubbed them fo, who would dare to mention it 
 again ? 
 
 Now Wifeacre had many commiffions to execute 
 for his mafter, and did not at all like the idea of 
 giving up the purchafe of the horfe, as he knew very 
 well when he had to go to diftant villages, as was 
 often the cafe, the horfe would be as much his as his 
 matter's, if he only could get the latter to pay for it. 
 And chance now feemed to come to his aid. One 
 evening the cow which fupplied them with milk did 
 not return to the mattam from its pafturage, fo all 
 five difciples went out in the village to make diligent 
 fearch for her ; but meeting with no fuccefs, it was 
 determined that Wifeacre mould make the tour of 
 the furrounding villages for a like purpofe. After 
 three days' ineffectual fearch he returned to the 
 mattam, and any one who knew his ways, faw at 
 once that Wifeacre had fomething important to 
 communicate. The Gooroo, who had mined the 
 delicious milk of the cow for three days, immediatelv 
 reverted to her lofs as the fubjeft uppermoft in his 
 mind, and afked, before Wifeacre had time to open 
 his mouth, " Where's the cow ? have you found her, 
 and brought her back ? " 
 
 " The cow, fir ? Never mind the cow, fir ! I 
 could gain no tidings of her, fearch as I would ; but, 
 what is far better than the cow, fir, I have met with 
 a thorough-bred horfe dog-cheap, and fuch a bargain 
 
 E
 
 66 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 
 
 as may never occur again." All drew eagerly round 
 the fpeaker, and the Gooroo, evidently delighted at 
 getting a horfe at the price of a dog, faid, " How is 
 that, my fon ? Where has this piece of good fortune 
 turned up ? Give us all the particulars, that we may 
 lofe no time in fecuring the good the gods have fent 
 us/' 
 
 " You muft know/' faid Wifeacre, " that, footfore 
 and weary with fearching for the cow from village to 
 village, from wildernefs to wildernefs, from enclofure 
 to enclofure, and from common to common, without 
 fuccefs, I was bending my fteps homeward, hot and 
 thirfty, when I efpied, at a fhort diftance, a refervoir 
 of water under the {hade of fome palm-trees. As I 
 approached it I faw feveral beautiful mares and 
 young foals fporting and grazing in a meadow on its 
 margin, and on a Hoping bank hard by a mare's 
 neft, in which were feveral eggs, fo large that even 
 the fmalleft could not be encompafled by one's two 
 arms. As luck would have it, juft at that moment a 
 labourer, whofe hut was clofe by the refervoir, came 
 up; fo, afluming ignorance, I inquired with apparent 
 indifference, what thofe large green oval-fhaped things 
 were, which were in the mare's-neft ? ' Can it be 
 pofnble,' faid he, f that any one in this part of the 
 world, where we breed the beft horfes, does not know 
 a mare's egg when he fees it? Thofe are mares' 
 eggs, and the foals you fee yonder are of the fame 
 breed, and were only hatched yefterday. This is juft
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Nejl. 6y 
 
 the cheapeft and beft feafon to buy them, and if you 
 want any, now's the time. I do not own them ; I 
 wifh I did ; but I know the man that does, and juft 
 now he is in want of money to make up his rent, fo 
 that I think I could obtain you even the largeft of 
 them for five pagodas/ I told the man I was not 
 going home at once, but fhould probably take an 
 opportunity to vifit the fpot again before I did, when 
 I would avail myfelf of his offer ; for fuch beautiful 
 brood-mares as thofe which had laid the eggs would 
 be fure to induce fuch a judge of horfefleih as I was 
 to come again. Now, fir, this is indeed a fine 
 opportunity to get a thorough-bred horfe, which, in 
 my opinion, fhould not be loft. Befides, it feems to 
 me, that it is wifer and better to buy a horfe in the 
 egg than after it has been hatched ; for, with horfes 
 as with men, all depends upon the training, and if we 
 hatch it ourfelves, and train it ourfelves, it will be 
 both docile and traceable ; whereas, if we buy a horfe 
 ready hatched, it may turn out a kicker, or a roarer, 
 or a vicious brute, which the owner may only be too 
 glad to get rid of. Then, too, it is difficult to know 
 a horfe-chanter from a gentleman, the make up is fo 
 very perfeel: now-a-days, and even the moll knowing- 
 are daily taken in." 
 
 The Gooroo and his difciples were not long in 
 making up their minds as to the purchafe; indeed, 
 they fcarcely gave themfelves time for thought, but 
 one and all declared that no time fhould be loft, and 
 
 e 2
 
 68 The Egg in the Mare's Neft. 
 
 as two heads are much better than one, that Noodle 
 mould be joined to Wifeacre in the commiffion to 
 choofe and purchafe the egg. So the five pagodas 
 were placed in their hands, and they departed on 
 their errand at once. 
 
 When the Gooroo and Doodle, Zany and Foozle, 
 were left to themfelves, they began, each in his own 
 way, to fancy what kind of a horfe was to come out 
 of the egg. " Blefied be the memory of him who 
 invented fleep," faid a wife man. No lefs blefTed 
 mould be the memory of him who invented day- 
 dreams. Doodle's imagination had greater fcope 
 than that of the other three, from his habit of always 
 looking into the clouds with clofed eyes when deep in 
 contemplation. He had already fettled in his mind's 
 eye the fhape, fize, colour, and bearing of the fteed to 
 his perfect satisfaction, when fuddenly the thought 
 ftruck him that he was fomewhat in the dilemma of 
 the old lady who fold her chickens before the eggs 
 were hatched ; for though the egg mould come home 
 all right, how was it to be incubated ? Full of this 
 thought, he turned to the Gooroo, faying, " Granted, 
 fir, that Noodle and Wifeacre felecl: the egg of a 
 thorough-bred mare, how are we to get at the foal 
 without fitting upon it to hatch it? and who, I 
 mould like to know, is to do that, feeing that it 
 cannot be encompaffed by one's two arms ? fo that 
 if you were to have ten hens for the purpofe, even 
 if you could manage to keep them on it, they
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 69 
 
 would not fuffice. So what is to be done I don't 
 know." 
 
 This fpeech of Doodle's took them quite by fur- 
 prife, and it was fome time before they got over it ; fo 
 there they fat flaring at each other, holding their 
 tongues and never faying a word, till at length the 
 Gooroo, unable to fee his way out of the difficulty, 
 which had come like a blight upon them, arofe and 
 retired into privacy, to think inwardly, as was his wont 
 when matters of ferious import required much thought 
 and deliberation. At length, after he had been ab- 
 fent for more than three hours, he returned to the 
 room where Doodle, Foozle, and Zany were, and faid : 
 " I have devoted much and ferious confideration to 
 folve the difficulty which Doodle has raifed, and it 
 appears to me that there is no alternative but that one 
 of us mould fit upon the mare's egg for the purpofe 
 of hatching it." 
 
 Upon hearing this the three difciples began each to 
 make excufe. Zany faid, " It is quite impoffible that 
 I can undertake to hatch the egg. See what I have 
 to do. Firft, I have to go down to the river and fetch 
 all the water that is wanted for daily ufe, as well for 
 the purification of the mattam, as for ablution, and for 
 cooking; then I have to go to the jungle to make 
 faggots of fire-wood out of dried canes, and fo fully 
 does this occupy my time, that often I can fcarcely 
 find leifure to eat my dinner. No, no ; I must not 
 be afked to fit on the egg."
 
 jo The Egg in the Mart's Neji. 
 
 " Nor I either," put in Foozle. " Have I not to 
 eater for you all ? There is the food to buy and to 
 cook. Night and day no reft, no ceftation from toil. 
 Now rice to boil, and that requires no fmall care, if 
 the nutritious congee, the gluten and ftrength of the 
 grain, is to be preferved ; then curries to make, and 
 pillaus to ftew ; water all day long to be kept boiling, 
 and cakes to prepare and bake for everybody, and all 
 the world befides, when vifitors come to the mattam, 
 fo that I fcarcely ever leave the kitchen, but pafs my 
 days killing myfelf by inches, at the hot ftoves, whilft 
 others take their fiefta at the third watch of the day, 
 or enjoy the cool breeze in the firft watch of the night. 
 No, no ; I cannot be called upon to hatch the egg." 
 
 " As to hatching the egg," faid Doodle, " how is it 
 poffible that I can find time to do it? Look at my 
 daily duties. Firft, even before daybreak, I have to 
 go down to the river and cleanfe my teeth, rinfe my 
 mouth, wafti my face, purify my hands and feet, (have 
 away all hairs profcribed by our holy laws, ornament 
 my brow with fandal-pafte, and obferve every cere- 
 mony to qualify me hereafter to fill the facred office 
 ofagooroo; and then no fooner have I completed 
 my toilet than I muft off to the garden to cull the 
 choiceft opening buds of the flowers, bring them to the 
 mattam with all reverence, weave them into lonsr 
 garlands, and fufpend them about our houfehold gods. 
 Added to this I have to affift at the Poojei, the facri- 
 fices and offerings, which you, fir, make frequently in
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neft. 71 
 
 the courfe of each day, after anointing and decorating 
 onr deities. Such then being my office I have no 
 time to devote to hatching mares' eggs. No, no ; I 
 cannot be made the incubator of the mare's egg." 
 
 To all thefe excufes, fo plaufibly urged, what could 
 the Gooroo object ? The water mull be fetched and 
 the firewood provided ; Zany could not be fpared. 
 Foozle was too good a cook to be taken away from 
 the kitchen; and Doodle's folemnity of manner was 
 neceflary to uphold the fanftity of the mattam. His 
 very ftep indicated the man of deep thought, and the 
 flow utterance and monotony of his words, the wifdom 
 of his fpeech. For feveral minutes the laft words of 
 Doodle were fucceeded by a profound filence. At 
 length the Gooroo faid : " Of a truth what you all 
 fay is very j uft. Then, too, Noodle cannot find time 
 to hatch the egg ; he has already more bufinefs on 
 his hands than he ever gets through. What with 
 receiving ftrangers and vifitors, who are pouring into 
 the mattam all day long, fome for one purpofe, fome 
 for another — now to feek advice, then to get difputes 
 arranged and fettled — he would only addle the egg, 
 even if he were difpofed to undertake the hatching it. 
 As for Wifeacre, the whole bufinefs of the mattam 
 would be at a ftandftill without his aclive and ready 
 aid. Whatever has to be done out of the village he 
 does ; he goes to diftant merchants and buys clothing 
 for our bodies, and turns into money what we have to 
 fell; attends the markets and fairs, and even now, but
 
 72 The Egg in the Mare's Neft. 
 
 for his care and forethought, we fhould not have heard 
 of the mare's egg, which he and Noodle are gone to 
 buy. He can always find a mare's neft where another 
 would pafs it by; and from their great fimilarity to 
 afh-coloured pumpkins, even I might have miftaken 
 these mares' eggs for fome of thofe gourds. No, no ; 
 Wifeacre muft not be fet to hatch the egg ! 
 
 " Now it is quite clear that all of you, my children, 
 have ample work upon your hands, whilft I alone have 
 little or nothing to do but to fit ftill the livelong day. 
 I will therefore undertake to fupply a mother's place 
 to the egg, by placing it in my lap, and embracing it 
 with both arms, covering up its more expofed furface 
 with the fkirt of my robe and guarding it with tender- 
 nefs, hugging it to my bofom and nourifhing it with 
 the warmth of my life's breath. But we all know 
 that the duties of a nurfe require great care as to diet, 
 that nourifhment is neceflary to produce heat, and that 
 heat is the one great means of hatching eggs. Do 
 thou, therefore, my fon Foozle, lay in a good ftock of 
 lpices, of peppers and ginger, of cinnamon and cloves, 
 of garlic, and of that fpicieft of all fpices, which our 
 merchants bring from Perfia, pure afiafoetida, which 
 will do more than all the others to increafe the natu- 
 ral heat of the body, and the circulation of its fluids. 
 I will eat nothing but fuch things as will aid me to 
 add warmth to my limbs, and in doing this I will 
 ftrive to make light of all my extra pains and trouble, 
 becaufe of the profpecl of fpeedily producing a foal
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 73 
 
 from out of its fhell, and enjoy the delight of its gam- 
 bols by anticipation, as a mother does thofe of her 
 child, as the firft reward of my prefent endurance." 
 
 Whilft the fubjecl: of the egg's incubation was thus 
 under difcuffion within the walls of the mattam, 
 Noodle and Wifeacre, who had ftarted on their 
 miffion in the third watch, juft as the moon rofe, 
 with a walk of fome twenty-five miles before them — 
 for the mare's neft which Wifeacre had feen was juft 
 two kadams and a half from that dwelling— had 
 arrived at the margin of the refervoir, on the em- 
 bankment of which were clutters of afh- coloured 
 pumpkins, as fome people might have thought, but 
 which Wifeacre had already fatisfied his companion 
 were eggs in a mare's neft. Both were delighted to 
 find that no one had been before them to fecure the 
 prize, and, juft as luck would have it, there was 
 the identical labourer clofe to the eggs, as he had 
 been the day before, when Wifeacre had made the 
 difcovery. Greetings palled between them, and the 
 labourer, who had fomething the matter with the fide 
 of his nofe, which made it neceflary for him to con- 
 tinually rub the cartilage with his fore-finger, and 
 which aclion had a curious effecf upon his right eye, 
 as the lid kept rifing and falling every time he did fo, 
 called out to another man, at a ftiort diftance, that 
 "the two young gentlemen had come to buy a mare's 
 egg," adding, that he hoped he would ufe them well, 
 as he had recommended them. To this Noodle
 
 74 The Egg in the Mare's Neft. 
 
 eagerly added, " Mafter, we have come a great way, 
 knowing what a famous brood of horfes you have, 
 and we earneftly entreat you to give us one of thefe 
 eggs, that we may get a horfe out of it for the great 
 and wife Gooroo Simple, whofe difciples we are." 
 
 "How now, young gentlemen!" faid the man, 
 miftaking Noodle and Wifeacre, whofe appearance 
 was certainly fomewhat verdant, for a couple of 
 fappies; "'what money have you got, for fuch a 
 mare's neft as this is not to be met with every day, 
 and eggs like thefe coft more than a few weeks' 
 pocket-money. You muft go to a cheaper market 
 for a pony. My eggs are all thoroughbred ones, and 
 I cannot part with them for lefs than a good round 
 fum." 
 
 " Come, come," faid Noodle, " let's have no chaff- 
 ing, my man ; this is not the firft mare's neft we 
 have feen, and we know very well that five pagodas 
 will buy the beft egg in the lot • fo take your money, 
 and let us have a ripe good one, inftead of wafting 
 our time any longer in idle talk." 
 
 " No offence, I hope, gentlemen," replied the man. 
 " True, five pagodas is money ; but who ever expects 
 to get a thoroughbred horfe for five pagodas ? But as 
 you feem fuch nice gentlemen, and I really have a 
 defire to oblige you, upon one condition I will let 
 you felect one of thefe eggs at the price ; but you 
 muft promife me not to breathe a word of my having 
 done fo to any living foul, becaufe I have no inten-
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 75 
 
 tion of fupplying other folks with horfes at fuch a 
 tremendous facrifiee." 
 
 It was fome time before Wifeaere and Noodle 
 could both agree upon which of the gourds their 
 choice fhould fall. At length, however, they efpied 
 one which, by lying on the hot, damp ground, had 
 attained a brownim, afh-coloured tint on the part not 
 expofed to the fun, and hoping thus to fecure a 
 valuable bay mare, they handed the five pagodas to 
 the man, who immediately removed the one fele&ed, 
 which happened to be the largeft of the lot, and 
 placed it on the ground by the fide of Wifeaere and 
 Noodle. As it was now already in the fourth watch 
 of the night, and no longer moonlight, they deter- 
 mined to delay their return to the mattam till the 
 morning. 
 
 They were fo elated with the fuccefsful iflue of 
 their million, that neither could deep, fo that even 
 before daybreak they were up and ftirring, and, with 
 the firft bluih of morning, ftarted on their way. 
 Wifeaere carried the egg upon his head, and as his 
 doing fo prevented him from looking ftraight before 
 him, and their route lay acrofs many fields and 
 rice plantations, Noodle walked in front of him to 
 guide his way; and as they thus journeyed, they 
 beguiled the time with pleafant talk. Full of the 
 subject then uppermoft in his thoughts, Wifeaere 
 began the converfation by faying, "Of a truth there 
 is wifdom in what was faid of old, that ' they who
 
 J 6 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 
 
 perform penance are forwarding their own affairs/ 
 and we have now a proof of it before our eyes. 
 There is our dear mailer, the good Gooroo, always 
 doing penance for his own fins and thofe of others, 
 and fee how his affairs profper, even when they feem 
 to be all going the other way. He loft the cow, and 
 here, for five pagodas, have we fecured for him a 
 thoroughbred bay mare, which, at the very leaft, can- 
 not be worth lefs than one hundred and fifty. Let the 
 cow go ; at beft fhe was an old one ; and what is a 
 cow compared to a horfe?" 
 
 " Nobody can doubt what you fay," replied Noodle. 
 " ' Virtue brings its own reward/ and, ' pious actions 
 alone afford delight ; all elfe is but vanity/ From 
 virtue not only pleafure but profit proceeds, and with- 
 out virtue there is nothing but mifery and difgrace. 
 Did not my honoured father for a long time practife 
 many virtues, and did he not meet his reward in the 
 end, and derive profit and delight in having me born 
 to him ? So, too, our blefled matter ; is he not noted 
 for his virtue and piety throughout the land ? and, as 
 his reward, have we not been led hither to fecure for 
 him the great wifh of his heart, a thoroughbred horfe, 
 of great value, at lefs than the coft of a dog ?" 
 
 "Can this be doubted?" faid Wifeacre. "From 
 good aciions good will arife ; from evil aftions, evil. 
 ' If you fow a caftor-oil tree, can you hope to produce 
 ebony? 1 As we fow, we muft expert to reap ; wifdom 
 produces wifdom ; folly, folly."
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 79 
 
 Thus counting their gains before the egg was 
 hatched, and ftringing together many of the pearls of 
 wifdom which had fallen, from time to time, from 
 the lips of the Gooroo, Noodle and Wifeacre beguiled 
 the way, till about the fecond watch of the morning, 
 when they reached a wood through which they had 
 to pafs. Full of the bright vifion of the beautiful bay 
 mare his fancy had conjured up, Wifeacre forgot for 
 the moment the ripe gourd which he carried on his 
 head, and, in palling under the low branches of a 
 tree, it was dallied out of his hands, which were 
 merely held up to keep it in its pofition, and fell with 
 fuch force upon the ground as to be dallied into 
 pieces, whilft he, in attempting to ftay its fall, over- 
 balanced himfelf, and fell into the middle of a thorn 
 bum, lacerating his flefli and tearing his clothes, and 
 ftarting, at the fame time, a hare, which had been 
 fitting on her haunches clofe by the fpot where the 
 gourd had tumbled to pieces. 
 
 All this had occurred fo fuddenly that Noodle, who 
 was a few fteps in advance, could render no affiMance 
 till the mifchief had been fairly done; but feeing the 
 hare ftart out of the bullies he called out to Wifeacre, 
 juft as the latter had picked himfelf up, " I fay, I fay; 
 look there, look there ! There goes the foal out of 
 the egg, and there's not a moment to be loft, or it 
 will get away •" saying which, off he fcampered, fol- 
 lowed by Wifeacre, through the bullies and under- 
 wood, the murderous thorns tearing the clothes and
 
 8o The Egg in the Mare's Nejl. 
 
 flefh of both, whilft the hare, upon the approach of her 
 purfuers, bounded forward over hill and dale, acrofs 
 fields, through woods, and only refting every now and 
 then, as if, in the enjoyment of the fun, me did it to 
 lure them on. 
 
 Perfpiring at every pore, with beating hearts, deaf 
 from excitement, and faint from the lofs of blood ; 
 puffing and blowing, regularly done up, and with 
 uneafy rumbling ftomachs, they at length flung 
 themfelves at full length upon the ground, worn out 
 and haralTed with fatigue, and dead beat ; whilft the 
 hare, finding the fun done, looked back quietly once 
 or twice, and then betaking herfelf to cover, was loft 
 to view. Shortly after, regardlefs of their great 
 fatigue, Noodle and Wifeacre rofe up again to renew 
 the fearch ; but their only reward was frefh wounds 
 from the relentlefs thorns, as they went limping in 
 every direction over ftones and flumps, for the wicked 
 pufs had left them in the lurch, and the young foal 
 was nowhere to be feen. The fun had already fet, and 
 it was not till the firft watch of the night that, footfore 
 and bleeding from numberlefs wounds, and weak and 
 famifhed, having tafted no food for the whole day, 
 they at length reached the mattam. 
 
 Once more fafe within its gates they gave way to 
 loud lamentations, cafting themfelves on the ground, 
 uniting their breafts and mouths, tearing the hair off 
 their heads, and manifefting in every way the depths 
 of their mifery and defpair. " Hem ! Hem ! Woe is
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 81 
 
 is me ! Woe is me \" cried Wifeacre. " Oh, that I 
 never was born \" put in Noodle. " Evils come by- 
 twelve fmgers'-length, and only go away by the breadth 
 of one ! What will become of us ! Was ever mifery 
 like ours ! Who can help us ! Who can fave us \" 
 Their noify lamentations foon brought the Gooroo 
 and their fellow difciples, Doodle and Foozle and 
 Zany, to their aid ; but it was fome time before they 
 could render them any affiftance ; for they looked at 
 their fwollen limbs and features, at their tattered 
 clothes, and bleeding feet and hands, without being 
 able to unriddle the myftery, and in perfect bewilder- 
 ment they all flood by as if bereft of their fenfes. At 
 length Foozle and Zany raifed up Wifeacre, and the 
 Gooroo and Doodle helped to place Noodle upon his 
 feet. They preffed the fufferers to their bofoms, 
 dried up their tears, and (launched their wounds, 
 bidding them to be comforted now, to calm their 
 grief, and to tell them what had happened. Upon 
 this Wifeacre took courage, and, with Noodle's aid, 
 narrated in detail every circumftance that had befallen 
 them fince they had left the mattam on the previous 
 day, not even omitting the converfation which pre- 
 ceded their great difafter. Warming with his fubject 
 as he drew near its clofe, he broke out with, " Hem, 
 fir, had you but feen the beautiful foal which we have 
 loft, you would not wonder at the depth of our grief. 
 Never in my whole life have I beheld fo beautiful a 
 creature ! Swift as the wind, of an afli colour mixed 
 
 F
 
 82 The Egg in the Mare's Neji. 
 
 with black, clean limbed, and graceful in all its move- 
 ments ! In form and fize it fomewhat refembled a 
 bare, and as it fprang out of its fhell, it was full a 
 cubit in length. And then, only a foal juft burft into 
 life, it pricked up its two ears fo daintily, and cocking 
 up its tail, which was two fingers' breadth in length, 
 it extended and ftretched out its four beautiful little 
 legs to the ground, and daflied off at full fpeed with fuch 
 fwiftnefs and impetuofity, that no words can do juf- 
 tice to its paces, nor can any one conceive their velocity 
 but thofe who have witnefied them. So rapid were 
 they that the beautiful creature feemed to fly inftead 
 of to run, and indeed I do not hefitate to fay that fuch 
 another foal has never been feen in the world." 
 
 When Wifeacre had fmifhed fpeaking, Zany, Doo- 
 dle, and Foozle, joined him and Noodle in bewailing 
 the lofs of fuch a paragon of a fteed ; but the Gooroo, 
 affuming an air of indifference, as the fox did when 
 he declared the grapes to be four, faid, " Do not 
 grieve thus, my children. It is true my five pagodas 
 are gone ; but after what Wifeacre has told us of the 
 foal, it is quite as well that that is gone too. If as a 
 little foal it could run in that manner, who would be 
 able to keep his feat upon its back when full grown? 
 I am now old, and fuch a fteed would not fuit me. 
 Indeed, if any one were to offer me one like it for 
 nothing, I would not accept it. So let us fay no more 
 about it; but do you, Noodle and Wifeacre, have 
 your wounds drefTed, and take that repofe and nourifh-
 
 The Egg in the Mare's Nejl. 
 
 83 
 
 merit of which you ftand fo much in need. So giving 
 them his bleffing, the Gooroo diimined his difciples 
 
 for the night. 
 
 O 
 
 F 2
 
 8 4 
 
 STORY THE THIRD. 
 
 THE GOOROO'S RIDE ON OX-BACK. 
 
 A fcorching fun and no fhade ; the Ox ferves for a canopy, and his 
 driver demands payment for its ufe ; the Padeiyachi appointed judge ; 
 legal niceties of leave and licenfe ; ftory of a favoury relifh for cold 
 boiled rice, and payment for the treat; judgment of the Padeiyachi : 
 the fhadow of Money for the fhadow of the Ox. 
 
 ITY it was that the 
 eeg from the mare's 
 nelt did not furniili 
 the good Gooroo 
 with the bay mare 
 which Wifeacre had 
 ' already bedridden fo 
 ! many times in ima- 
 | gination on the 
 g eventful morning of 
 ■- its purchafe ; for, not 
 Ions; after that un- 
 : fortunate adventure, 
 a neceffity arofe for 
 making a long and tedious journey, when flie would 
 have been of the greateft fervice to him and his dif-
 
 The Gooroo' s Wide on Ox-lack. 85 
 
 ciples. As it was, feeing that without fome beaft of 
 burden upon which the Gooroo and his five followers 
 might ride by turns, the journey could not be accom- 
 plished, it was deemed prudent to hire a fteady old ox, 
 whofe horns had been feared to prevent their growth 
 when he was yet but a calf, for the hire of which they 
 agreed to give three fanams a day ; and having devoted 
 the firft watch of the morning to the home duties of 
 the mattam, they fet out juft as the fun was mining 
 forth in full radiance as he rofe towards the meridian. 
 For the firft hour the way was a little fheltered from 
 the heat, which was neverthelefs very great, as it was 
 juft at the hotteft feafon of the year, and the fummer 
 was more than ufually oppreffive ; but after that they 
 entered upon a wide and boundlefs fandy plain, with- 
 out a fingle tree or bum, or any other (belter from the 
 scorching rays of the fun, which fell perpendicularly 
 upon them. The venerable Gooroo, but little accuf- 
 tomed to mifs the cool made of the mattam, foon 
 fuccumbed to the heat, and bending like an ear of 
 ripening corn as they flowly jogged along, or rather 
 refembling the death-like pqflbun-kirey with its dried- 
 up, drooping, and withered ftalk, would have fallen off 
 the back of the ox, had not his difciples perceived his 
 woeful plight and lifted him gently to the ground. 
 As it was, when they placed him carefully on 
 the fandy plain, he was fo overcome that he lay 
 ftretched out without power to move, more like one 
 dead than a living being. In this ftrait they were
 
 86 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-back. 
 
 at a lofs what to do, for they all feared he would die 
 by the way ; as, though they fanned him with their 
 clothes, the heat of the fun's rays, and the burning 
 land upon which they fell, made all their efforts of no 
 avail. 
 
 Zany, who was {landing by the ox, perceived that 
 under the animal's body, as he flood on his four legs, 
 there were a few inches of {hade ; fo he went up to 
 Noodle and Doodle, who were deep in confultation of 
 what was beft to be done, and told them of the difcovery 
 he had made. Wifeacre and Foozle, hearing this, led 
 the ox carefully up to the fpot upon which the poor 
 old Gooroo lay nretched, and whilft Zany held the 
 animal's head, Noodle and Doodle each took hold of 
 one of the fore legs of the old beaft, and Wifeacre and 
 Foozle each of one of its hind legs, fixing its tail in 
 pofition by preffing againft it with their heads, and in 
 this manner they proceeded to guide it till it fairly 
 flood over the proftrate Gooroo, and ferved as a 
 canopy to {hield him from the fun's fcorching rays. 
 Having placed their beloved mafter thus in compara- 
 tive comfort, they redoubled their efforts to cool the 
 air by fanning him with their clothes, in which they 
 were greatly aided by a cool breeze which sprang up. 
 Gradually the Gooroo revived and, feeling refrefhed, 
 remounted the ox, when the party proceeded on their 
 journey, and juft as the {hades of evening were falling, 
 reached a little village, where they halted for the night. 
 
 Now, it will be remembered, that the ox-driver had
 
 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-bach. 
 
 87 
 
 taken no part in placing his animal over the proftrate 
 bodv of the Gooroo. Indeed, he had purpofely left 
 the fpot the moment that Wifeacre had taken hold of 
 the halter by which he had led it ; for out of that act 
 of ownerfhip exercifed by a fervant of the Gooroo he 
 intended to make an extra profit, as we mail now fee. 
 Accordingly, when our travellers had taken pofleffion 
 of their quarters in the village choultry, which by day 
 
 ferved for a temple and a court of juftice, but by night 
 offered its fhelter to the wayfarer, Noodle, who, as 
 fenior difciple, carried the money bag, tendered the 
 three fanams, as agreed, to the ox-driver for the day's 
 hire.
 
 88 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-back. 
 
 " What is this for V* faid the driver; " that is by 
 no means enough." 
 
 " Not enough?" afked Noodle; " why, is it not the 
 full fum agreed upon ? What more would you have }" 
 
 " What more would I have," put in the man ; 
 " what more would I have ? Why, what's my due, 
 and no miftake. Ouite true, I was to have three 
 fanams for the ufe of my ox as a beaft of burden, and 
 for that I will take them in full fatisfaction for the 
 day's ride. I fcorn to impofe upon any man, and I 
 am not going to let any man impofe on me. What's 
 right, is right. Without faying by your leave, or 
 making any bones about the matter, did not Mafter 
 Wifeacre take the ox away from where he ftood, and 
 turn him into a canopy againft the fcorching rays of the 
 fun? And did you not all five affift and place him over 
 the old Gooroo, who would have perifhed miferably 
 but for the fhadow of my ox ? Now what belonged 
 to my ox belonged to me, fo that his fhadow was my 
 property, of the enjoyment of which that act of yours 
 deprived me. Am I not to be reimburfed for the lofs 
 I thus fuftained ? I muft be paid for that too ; and as 
 without it the poor old gentleman would have died, I 
 am not going to be put off with a trifle." 
 
 Whilft the driver was thus difputing his fare, Wife- 
 acre and Foozle, Doodle and Zany had come out of 
 the choultry to fee what the row was about, and no 
 fooner had the man fet up his claim for compenfation 
 for the lofs of the fhadow of the ox, which they had
 
 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-hack. 89 
 
 wrongfully converted to their own ufe, than they one 
 and all began to cry out fliame, and charge him with 
 attempting to impofe upon them. But he was not to 
 be put down, and flood upon his rights ; for no one 
 could fay that there was not a fhadow for him to found 
 a claim upon, and he knew enough of law to be fatis- 
 fled with even that for its foundation. The difpute at 
 length became fo loud and furious that gradually the 
 villagers came flocking to the fpot ; firft the women, 
 as was natural, to fatisfy their curiofity : then the 
 men, as was no lefs natural, to fee what the women 
 were about, till at length a noify mob flood around 
 the choultry, fome Tiding with the difciples of the 
 Gooroo, and fome with the ox-driver j but all voci- 
 ferating and fhouting, and thofe, who knew leaft of the 
 merits of the cafe, the loudeft and moft boifterous of 
 the partifans of the fide they had feverally efpoufed. 
 
 When the row was at its height, the chief of the 
 village came forth to quell it. He was a Padeiyachi, 
 and though only a fuperior kind of farm labourer, a 
 man of ready wit, who knew how to make his autho- 
 rity refpected. By way of appearing the fray, he at 
 once adjourned the meeting into the Court of the 
 choultry, and having feated himfelf upon the bench 
 from whence he daily difpenfed juftice, he afked the 
 litigants whether they would be content to place 
 the matter in difpute in his hands, and abide by his 
 decifion. This having been agreed to, the ox-driver 
 ftated his cafe, cleverly importing into it many circum-
 
 90 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-lack. 
 
 fiances which, though quite irrelevant to the matter in 
 difpute, he thought might throw duft in the eyes of 
 the judge; and which led Noodle and Doodle, Wife- 
 acre, Foozle and Zany, ever and anon to interrupt 
 him, and brought down upon them a " Silence in the 
 Court \" from the dignitary who occupied the judg- 
 ment feat. 
 
 Having heard both fides, Noodle, on the part of 
 the Gooroo, having argued that the ox-driver had 
 given leave and licenfe, had flood by, allowed, and 
 permitted the ox to be ufed for the purpofe, and 
 therefore had no ftanding in Court, the Padeiyachi 
 thus proceeded to addrefs them: 
 
 " 1 myfelf, fome years ago, when returning home 
 from a diftant journey, came in the evening to a very 
 large choultry, or rather a caravanfara; for, befides 
 lodging, they fupplied for money to thofe that came 
 to it every thing they might require in the way of 
 refrefhment. Now, it fo happened that I had fcarcely 
 money enough with me to defray my travelling ex- 
 penfes; fo when they afked me if I required any- 
 thing, I replied in the negative ; for though it is 
 bad enough to be poor, it is always a great deal 
 worfe to appear fo. At the end of the room, over a 
 brifk fire, was a pot of cabobs, and clofe by a fpit, reft- 
 ing upon two fupports, was laden with a large and 
 delicious leg of mutton, which, as the fat browned 
 and frizzled, fent forth a moft tantalizing odour to the 
 fenfitive perceptions of a hungry man. Now, I had
 
 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-lack. 
 
 9 1 
 
 not omitted to bring with me a cloth full of boiled 
 rice, as is cuftomary when one goes on a journey; 
 but of lime-juice or pepper- water I had none; for I 
 had been obliged to hufband my means in order that 
 they might laft out till I mould reach home, and fo to 
 content myfelf with the bareft neceflaries, luxuries being 
 
 quite out of the queftion. The favory fmell of the mut- 
 ton made me feel quite a gnawing at my ftomach, and 
 though I would fain have kept the cold boiled rice for 
 my breakfaft, I could not withftand the craving appe-
 
 92 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-back. 
 
 tite it produced, and fo afking permiffion to fit by the 
 fire and turn the fpit for a while, I took out my bun- 
 dle of rice, and whilft I gratified the cravings of na- 
 ture by eating the rice, I no lefs enjoyed the favoury 
 odour which proceeded from the cabobs and the mut- 
 ton, as I confumed my frugal fupper. 
 
 " I had a long day's travel before me, fo I got up 
 betimes, intending to depart with the firft watch of the 
 morning. Judge of my aftonifhment when I reached 
 the door to find the mailer of the caravanfara there, 
 who refufed to allow me to depart till I had paid for 
 the favoury odour of the mutton, with which I had 
 tickled my palate by the agency of my nofe. 
 
 " At firft I thought the man was chaffing me on 
 account of my poverty ; but foon found that he was 
 in earned; ; fo, growing very angry, I afked him if he 
 took me for a fool, and one that he could fo eafily 
 impofe upon, as to demand payment for having merely 
 fniffed the favoury odour of a dim he was cooking. 
 In fhort, we both got warm, and to put an end to the 
 quarrel, agreed to go before the chief man of the 
 village. 
 
 " He was fortunately a man who could not be 
 bought over by bribes, was courteous to all, and never 
 forgot that he who difpenfes the laws muff, be a gen- 
 tleman both by habit and thought, muft weigh well 
 both fides of the matter fubmitted to him, and only 
 give judgment after mature deliberation. Then, too, 
 he was well read in the Darma Shaftra, that great and
 
 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-lack. 93 
 
 glorious monument of our laws, which are the perfec- 
 tion of human intellect. He was indeed a great and 
 learned Shaftri, a lawyer fuch as one can feldom hope 
 to meet with. 
 
 " Now, liften to his judgment, which he did not 
 deliver till he had confulted a great many books, 
 all of which lay open before him, as he fpoke in the 
 following terms : — 
 
 " ' It is for him who ate of the mutton to pay for 
 the mutton in money ; but for him who miffed of 
 the odour of the mutton to pay for it by the miff of 
 money. That is my judgment.' 
 
 "Whereupon, calling the mafter of the caravanfara 
 to him, he placed a bag of copper fanams on the table 
 before him, and ftretching his hand acrofs the back of 
 the head of my obdurate creditor, he paid him in his 
 own coin, by rubbing and fcrubbing his nofe for 
 feveral minutes amongft the contents of the bag, fay- 
 ing all the while, ' Now, my good friend, pay yourfelf 
 liberally, there is no flint; miff away and enjoy 
 the rich odour to your heart's content.' Then, when 
 the mafter of the caravanfara at length found breath 
 to fav, ' Enough, enough ! I am quite fatisfied ; my 
 poor nofe ! my poor nofe ! it is coming off; ftay, I 
 pray you !' down went the head again and again, 
 each time it was raifed up, till, overcome by the 
 exertion, the learned Shaftri at length defired the fatis- 
 faction of the debt to be placed on the records of the 
 Court.
 
 94 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-back. 
 
 "You have heard this. Was it not juflice? Was 
 it not law ? This decifion of the wife Shaftri is the 
 precedent upon which I have founded the judgment 
 of the Court in the cafe now before it. For the 
 journeying hither upon the ox the three fanams, 
 already paid, are payment in full ; for the ufe of 
 the fhadow of the ox, the fhadow of money muft 
 fuffice. But as the fun has already gone down, and 
 in fuch cafes fpeedy execution mould follow as a 
 matter of courfe, the Court in its difcretion will 
 fubftitute the chink of money for its fhadow." So, 
 taking hold of a heavy bag of fanams, which, whilft 
 delivering judgment he had placed before him, he 
 held it up and made the contents chink ; and, having 
 fuddenly feized on the ox-driver, he repeatedly and 
 fharply ftruck the money-bag againft his ear, fhouting 
 out each time," Doft hear ? doft hear ? Chink, chink ; 
 doft hear ?" 
 
 " Oh my head ! oh my ear ! Enough, enough \" 
 cried the ox-driver. " I am fully paid for the fhadow 
 of my ox. Defift ! pray defift V 
 
 The claim raifed by the ox-driver having been thus 
 fully fatisfied, the Gooroo faid : " I am a man of 
 peace, and care not to be mixed up again in fuch 
 unfeemly quarrels. I cannot endure this vexation. 
 Take away thy ox, I have no more occafion for him ; 
 and as the remainder of the journey is fhort, in the 
 morning I will proceed on foot, refting from time to 
 time when fatigued." Saying which the good Goo-
 
 The Gooroo's Ride on Ox-back. 
 
 95 
 
 roo turned to the Padeiyachi, and thanking him for 
 the equitable way in which he had delivered judgment 
 in a cafe fo furrounded with difficulties, he gave him 
 his bleffing and difmifled him.
 
 9 6 
 
 STORY THE FOURTH. 
 
 FISHING FOR A HORSE. 
 
 Wifeacre goes to a field, and performs his ablutions; the Temple of 
 Ayinar, and the votive fteed; Natural Philofophy and as natural 
 doubts ; the hori'e in the water, and how to catch it ; Anglers never 
 at a lofs; fubftitutes for line and hook; the nibble and bite; a long 
 pull and a ftrong pull, and lofs of the line and hook ; the promifed 
 fteed. 
 
 N the whole, the Gooroo 
 and his difciples were well 
 pleafed to have got rid 
 of the ox and his mafter, 
 and, dreading the 
 ^ heat, while anxious 
 '■ to continue their 
 |a journey, they were 
 ready, at early cock 
 crow, to begin the 
 day'smarch. Never- 
 thelefs, as the vener- 
 able man was un- 
 able to make a rapid 
 progrefs, they had to 
 travel at a flow pace, and had not yet completed the 
 firft kadam, when the heat became fo intenfe, that, to 
 efcape the fcorching rays of the fun, they were glad
 
 FiJJting for a Horfe. 
 
 97 
 
 to turn out of the road, and feek the fliade of fome 
 trees, at a little diflanee from their direct route, which 
 grew near a refervoir, intending, in this cool grove, to 
 await the afternoon's breeze. 
 
 Here they repofed for fome time in delicious filence, 
 till after a while Wifeacre, having firft fought the privacy 
 of the fields, haftened to make his ablutions in the cool 
 water. On the margin of the refervoir flood a temple 
 dedicated to Ayinar, the fon of Vifhnoo, and clofe to 
 it was placed the life-fize figure of a horfe of newly-. 
 baked clay, a votive offering of fome pious foul for 
 recover^' from a fevere and dangerous illnefs. The 
 refervoir was full up to the brim with the mod limpid 
 and tranilucent water, lying calm and mil in the 
 
 G
 
 98 FiJJiingfor a Horfe. 
 
 noon-day heat, and upon its furfaee the ftatue was 
 mirrored with ftartling clearnefs. Wifeacre gazed 
 long and earneftly in filent aftonifhment at the phe- 
 nomenon before him. He could not divine the caufe 
 of the myflery. Water was not the natural element 
 of a horfe ; how could it ftand there in apparent eafe 
 and comfort, entirely fubmerged ? Abforbed in pro- 
 found meditation (for Wifeacre was already famed at 
 the mattam as moft learned and deep in the philo- 
 fophy of caufe and effect), the thought fuddenly ftruck 
 him that external objects are reflected by water, and 
 that the object which he faw was, after all, but the 
 fliadow or reprefentation of the terra - cotta horfe 
 {landing upon the bank of the refervoir. He com- 
 pared the ftatue on land with the animal feen in the 
 water ; he faw that in colour and fize both were the 
 fame. He examined each figure with careful judg- 
 ment and painftaking discrimination, until he arrived 
 at a Satisfactory folution of the difficulty, and became 
 firmly convinced that what he had firft taken for a 
 live horfe was in reality nothing more than an image 
 or fhadow caft upon the polifhed furfaee of the water 
 by the intercepted rays of light. It was indeed a 
 great difcovery, worthy of a pupil of the wife Gooroo 
 Simple. As Wifeacre was contemplating the beft 
 way of turning it to account by communicating it to 
 other equally learned perfons, a gentle breeze arofe, 
 fanning the water with its foft carefs into an anfwer- 
 ing fmile or ripple, and the wind increafing, the pool
 
 Fijliingfor a Horfe. 
 
 99 
 
 became much agitated, whilft at the fame moment 
 the fuppofed fhadow horfe beftirred itfelf, and feemed 
 reftlefs. Wifeacre remarked the change, but feeing 
 that the ftatue remained immoveable, whilft the 
 animal which he had believed to be its reflection con- 
 
 tinued to move, he changed his former opinion, and 
 was perfuaded that he had deceived himfelf in his 
 previous deductions. " If the horfe that one fees at 
 the bottom of the refervoir," faid he to himfelf, 
 "were only the reflection of that which is placed 
 upon the edge of the pool, it would not ftir nor move 
 as it does ; for the reflection ought to be as ftationary 
 
 G 2
 
 ioo FiJJiingfor a Horfe, 
 
 as the real object ! It follows, then, of courfe, that 
 the reftlefs animal in the water mull be different from 
 that which ftands paffive and immoveable on the 
 bank." Neverthelefs, he wifhed to be more certain 
 of the fa<5l, hafty conclufions being too often erroneous; 
 fo he picked up a large ftone, and threw it with all 
 his might into the pool, at the exacl fpot where the 
 horfe was gently curvetting beneath its furface, utter- 
 ing, at the fame time, loud cries, and making energetic 
 paffes with his hands, in order to frighten it, and 
 make it change its pofition. The ftone, darned with 
 fuch violence into the water, confiderably increafed 
 the action of the ripple, and the horfe below became 
 in confequence fearfully excited. It ftruggled, ftamped, 
 leaped, kicked, reared, and plunged with fuch fierce 
 impetuofity, as only an angry animal could difplay. 
 Seeing this, Wifeacre no longer doubted for a moment 
 that the horfe at the bottom of the refervoir was 
 actually a living one. Tranfported with jov, he ran 
 back to tell this good news to the Gooroo, and to 
 concert with Noodle and Doodle, Zany and Foozle, 
 the means by which they might render themfelves 
 mailers of fuch a high-fpirited creature. Amazed 
 and delighted, they all arofe at once, and hurried off 
 to the fpot, and feeing themfelves the furious efforts 
 of the horfe to regain the land, they entered at once 
 into deep confutation upon the matter, firft liftening 
 with deference to Wifeacre's minute detail of what 
 he had obferved, and following with profound atten-
 
 Fifiing for a Horfe. ioi 
 
 tion his line of argument, they arrived at a clear and 
 unanimous conviction of the truth and clevernefs 
 of his reafoning. This was no hafty refolve; and in 
 their confultation, the five circumftances fo efiential 
 to a formal conference had all been duly confidered. 
 Firjlly. The tangible means demanded attention. 
 Secondly. The fruits to be expected had to be brought 
 under view in their four admitted afpecls of good works, 
 wealth, pleafure, and paradife, wealth being again fub- 
 divided into riches, money, or goods and chattels. 
 Thirdly. The choice of time and opportunity for com- 
 mencing the work called forth many remarks ; and 
 Fourthly. Every obje&ion which could be urged againft 
 it had to be fatisfaclorily answered. All thefe points 
 fettled, there mil remained, fifthly, to determine 
 whether the matter under confideration was worth 
 the trouble, and whether it ought to be done. The 
 Gooroo and his followers never entered lightly upon 
 any undertaking; and as they difcufled thefe weighty 
 points with their cuftomary ability and perfpicuity, the 
 good man was touched by the affectionate anxiety 
 they evinced for his comfort and relief from the 
 fatigues of travel. Difcuffion ended, action mull 
 follow. The questions to be decided were the means 
 of capture, and the manner of doing it. But they 
 could not agree. Zany advifed that one of them 
 mould jump into the pool, bind the horfe with cords, 
 and compel it to come out by the reft dragging it 
 aftiore. This plan, though the moll hire and prompt,
 
 102 Fijhingfor a Horfe. 
 
 was too perilous, as no one pofiefied fufficient courage 
 to attempt to put it into practice. Foozle thought 
 the horfe might be decoyed or coaxed by a fieve of 
 corn fhaken in its fight, but there was this infur- 
 mountable objection, that they had neither corn nor 
 fieve to fhake. Nothing daunted, Wifeacre, whofe 
 turn it was now to fpeak, drew forth a fickle from 
 their ftores, and propofed that they fhould ufe it as a 
 fifh-hook, tie a line to it, and bait it with the boiled 
 rice they, like other travellers, carried with them to 
 eat on the way. Doodle and Noodle coincided, and 
 general approval having been given to this propofi- 
 tion,they ftraightway fet to work to put it into practice. 
 Like all clever anglers, their refources were inex- 
 hauftible. For a line they ufed part of the Gooroo's 
 turban, and triumphantly forced the fickle into the 
 mafs of rice ; but by fome fatality it came out again 
 with not a grain upon it. Rich in contrivance, 
 Doodle tore off part of an ancient garment that he 
 wore about his perfon, and directing Wifeacre to tie 
 the rice up in it, he buried the fickle's point deep 
 within the bundle. Loud applaufe rewarded this 
 fuccefsful feat. All being ready, they approached the 
 pool, and caft the line as anglers do, into the water, 
 which, as it received the bait, became more difturbed 
 than ever, and the horfe began to leap, to kick, and 
 plunge in fuch a wild and frantic manner that the 
 anxious group upon the bank, feized with alarm and 
 overpowering terror left he fhould rufli out upon them,
 
 Fijhing for a Horfe. 
 
 103 
 
 let go their hold of the line, and fled for the bare life 
 of them. 
 
 Wifeacre alone retained his prefenee of mind. 
 He continued at his poft, and firmly holding the 
 untwifted turban, to the end of which the fickle was 
 attached, as the ripple fubfided, foftly drew nearer 
 
 to the pool, and feeing the horfe lefs excited, to keep 
 him quiet " So-ho'd" him, ufing all the many 
 gentle and endearing epithets with which it is the way 
 of the world to cajole and gammon a ruftic horfe into 
 fubje&ion, trolling the bundle of rice all the while in 
 the moft appetifing way under the poor creature's very 
 nofe. 
 
 Prefently he felt a nibble, then a tug at his line,
 
 104 ViJJiingfor a Horfe. 
 
 but not feeing the dark heads of fome large fifh, 
 which were fnapping at the cloth to get at the rice, 
 he fhouted, " Help ! help ! the horfe has fwallowed 
 the bait ! Come back ! come back ! there's nothing 
 to fear !" 
 
 Peeping from behind the trees, Doodle and Noodle, 
 Foozle and Zany, perceived the figns made by Wife- 
 acre, and hearing his fhouts of triumph, they took 
 courage and emerged from their hiding-place. Warily 
 approaching, and flepping daintily, once more they 
 laid hold of the line, hauling it carefully in, when 
 fuddenly, the cloth and rice being gone, a flrong re- 
 fiflance enfued, ariling, as they one and all declared, 
 from the horfe having gorged the bait. " Bravo \" 
 they cried, laughing loudly, " the horfe is our own ! 
 Pull away ! pull away ! A long pull, a flrong pull, 
 and a pull altogether ;" and, uniting the whole of their 
 ftrength, they grafped the poor old turban, which, 
 having feen much fervice, gave way like burnt thread, 
 and down toppled all five on their backs, with their 
 heels aloft in the air, while the fickle, now fixed in 
 a flout branch that had fallen from a tree above, 
 repofed with the turban and the horfe at peace in 
 the water. 
 
 A traveller who was pafTing by, and had watched 
 their proceedings for fome time in filence, without 
 comprehending in the leafl what they were about, after 
 their fall approached and inquired what new game 
 they were playing. His good-humoured face and
 
 FiJIiing for a Horfe. 
 
 105 
 
 honeft greeting afTured them of his fympathy; fo they 
 poured into his ears the tale of their angling to catch 
 the horfe, and how their line had unfortunately 
 broken at the very moment they believed they had 
 got pofleffion of him. The ftranger, perceiving the 
 kind of cuftomers he had to deal with, yet wiihing to 
 undeceive them kindly, as one does thofe whofe a&s, 
 although not of the wifeft, frill proceed from good 
 motives, faid, " Do you not fee that the horfe in the 
 
 water is but the fhadow of the ftatue on the bank ? 
 If you mil doubt it, I will convince you in fpite of 
 yourfelves." 
 
 So taking the cloth from his moulders, he threw 
 it like a veil over the terra-cotta horfe, and imme- 
 diately the horfe was invifible in the pool. The 
 difciples of the Gooroo, now fully convinced of their 
 miftake, fought to make excufes for the falfe ftep into 
 which they had been betrayed, by acquainting the
 
 106 FiJJiingfor a Horfe. 
 
 traveller with their anxiety to procure a horfe at a 
 small coft, on which their beloved but worn-out 
 mafter could ride. They then told him all the par- 
 ticulars of their difaftrous adventures, not only as 
 fifhers, but as finders of mares' nefts, and the cruel 
 impofition of the previous day, by which the Gooroo 
 had nearly loft his life, fuffbcated by the heat, and the 
 troubles confequent upon the roguifh conduct of the 
 ox-driver. 
 
 The ftranger foon gathered from this recital of their 
 misfortunes that thefe poor fellows were of a clafs fo 
 common in the world, more fools than knaves, that it 
 would be a hopelefs tafk to enlighten their ignorance ; 
 but pitying their condition, he faid kindly, " I have 
 an old lame horfe which may be ferviceable to you for 
 the journeys you make. Fanam or kafhoo I do not 
 require, but prefent it to you as a gift. Follow me to 
 the neighbouring village, and reft beneath my roof 
 this night." 
 
 So faying, he took them away with him, their 
 whole party congratulating each other upon having 
 met with fuch a noble and generous proteftor, no 
 lefs than upon the profpe6l of at length pofleffing 
 a horfe. 
 
 And fo it is written: "A prudent man trufts to a 
 true friend in the day of trouble, for no one over- 
 comes adverfity without a friend." No; not upon 
 mother or wife, brother, or even upon one's own fon, 
 can a man fo firmly repofe as upon the bofom of a
 
 Fijhingjbi a Horfe. 
 
 107 
 
 tried friend. When all others fail him, let him place 
 his truft in him, and he will ride fecurely through a 
 fea of trouble.
 
 io8 
 
 STORY THE FIFTH. 
 
 THE GOOROO ON HORSEBACK. 
 
 Riches and pleafure; Don't look a gift-horfe in the mouth; the 
 equeftrian order; lucky days; the proceffion; the tax of pride; toll 
 to pay ; ftory of an unfavoury tax and fweet-money ; the horfe in the 
 pound; the pocket teaches humility; the Valloovan turned veteri- 
 narian; a Rarey-fhow. 
 
 HEGoo- 
 roo Sim- 
 ple and 
 hisfiveat- 
 tendants, 
 Noodle, 
 and Doo- 
 dle, Wife- 
 acre, Za- 
 ny, and 
 Foozle, 
 ace om- 
 p a n i e d 
 the ftran- 
 
 ger to his houfe, and having bid them welcome, their 
 hoft afked them to reft themfelves after their fatigues
 
 The Gooroo on Horfeback. 109 
 
 until the hour of fupper arrived. He was far from 
 being a rich man ; for to constitute wealth there mull 
 be eight gifts : — money, the principal of all ; corn 
 or land, crops or rents; children — for what are 
 riches without heirs ? and the lute is only fweet 
 mufic to them that know not the found of their 
 children's prattle ; chattels and perfonal property ; 
 relations ; friends ; and (laves to do one's bidding. 
 Without thefe how can a man obtain the eight plea- 
 fures of life : good living, fine clothing, delicious per- 
 fumes, flowers and fruits ; betel and areka ; a beloved 
 wife, gifted muficians, and a bed of rofes — a couch 
 of flowers to reft upon ? As their new friend did not 
 poffefs all thefe bleffings, he could not be called rich ; 
 indeed, he was a poor man ; but then he was benevo- 
 lent and right-minded, and loved to exercife the holy 
 rite of hofpitality to ftrangers, treating them with dif- 
 interefted generofity ; fo when the evening repaft was 
 ferved he regaled them with ghee, and tyer milk and 
 rice, betel leaves and nuts, together with tobacco, and 
 whatever elfe was requifite, in abundance. 
 
 The next morning he fent for the horfe, which was 
 out at grafs, either on the common or by the road fide, 
 as the cafe might be, and flepping it out before the 
 Gooroo, prayed him to accept it as a free gift, and a 
 mark of his great friendfhip and confideration. The 
 horfe was twenty years old, it was true ; blind of one 
 eye, and fhorn of one ear; lame in his fore leg, and 
 with one of his hind legs a little fliort and contracted ;
 
 no 
 
 The Gooroo on Horfeback. 
 
 neverthelefs he could ct go," and was for that reafon 
 a mod valuable gift to their venerable mafter; fo the 
 Gooroo and his difciples were overjoyed thus to obtain 
 poffefnon of the object of their ardent defires, and made 
 light of defects which were as nothing in their eyes 
 compared to the diftinclion a horfe conferred upon 
 their million. Gathering round it, they examined the 
 animal in filent admiration for a time, until Zany, to 
 
 whofe charge it was to be confided, began to pat its 
 head ; Foozle to ftroke its back and other parts of its 
 body; Wifeacre, as a judge of horferlefh, to lift up 
 fir ft one foot and then another, fcraping the hoof of 
 each ; Doodle, with an eye to the general effect,
 
 The Gooroo on Horfeback. ill 
 
 feparated the hairs of the tail, fmoothing them out 
 carefully, fo as to give it a flowing appearance ; Noodle 
 fed it with grafs, which he plucked up by the roots, 
 that none of its nourimment might be loft, wiping the 
 poor old beaft's eyes at the fame time, and rubbing the 
 fore place where the ear was not. After lavifhing 
 thefe tender cares upon the horfe, the next thing was 
 to have it faddled and bridled for the Gooroo to ride; 
 but how could they, in fuch an out-of-the-way place, 
 obtain harnefs fuitable to the dignity of their mafter? 
 Plunged into this frefh dilemma, their hoft again 
 came to their aid by finding fome of the old trappings. 
 But the faddle was torn, and was minus a crupper, 
 without which it would flip over the animal's ears on 
 the firft hill he fhould defcend ; fo they cut fome 
 palie-kodi* and plaiting the bines into a cord, made 
 a loop for his tail. Then the old rufty bit was with- 
 out head-gear or bridle ; but this they fupplied with 
 twifted hay-bands which were lying in the field. 
 Then, too, the ftirrups were without leathers, and 
 there was no belly-band to fix the whole. Wifeacre 
 in hafte ran off to a village hard by, from whence he 
 brought fome cart harnefs, and converting it into the 
 miffing articles, he fafhioned what was left into a mar- 
 tingale befitting the rank of his mafter. 
 
 When all this had been done, it was already the 
 evening of the tenth day of the moon's age, and the 
 next was Monday the eleventh, itfelf a day of ill-luck, 
 
 * Asclepias volubilis, a parafitical plant.
 
 112 The Gooroo on Horfehack. 
 
 rendered thus more unlucky (till; fo Wifeacre was 
 told to ftudy the true rules of aftrology, which he had 
 got from a learned Poorahita at the village feftival of 
 laft year, and thus make himfelf mafter of Fate ; for 
 the Gooroo never commenced an important under- 
 taking on an unlucky day, and thefe, every one knows, 
 are the 4th, the 6th, the 8th, the 9th, the nth, the 
 1 2th, the 14th, and the 15th of the moon's age, unlefs 
 they are made otherwife by falling on the lucky days 
 of the week ; and are thefe not thus fet forth by the 
 rules of aftrology ? " If the 8th day of the moon's age 
 falls on a Sunday, the 9th on a Monday, the 6th on 
 a Tuefday, the 3rd on a Wednefday, the 9th on a 
 Thurfday, the 13th on a Friday, and the 14th on a 
 Saturday, then thefe lucky days ferve to counteract 
 the ill-luck of the week in which they fall ; but if the 
 1 2th day of the moon's age falls on a Sunday, the 
 nth on a Monday, the 5th on a Tuefday, the 2nd on 
 a Wednefday, the 6th on a Thurfday, the 8th on a 
 Friday, and the 9th on a Saturday, then not only are 
 thofe days themfelves unlucky, but they alfo influence 
 the luck of the week, even renderino- the 2nd and 
 5th days of the moon's age unlucky, though the 
 2nd, the 5th, the 7th, the 10th, and the 13th are 
 otherwife its lucky days." 
 
 So the unlucky days were paned over by the 
 Gooroo and his followers in taking; their reft and in 
 making preparations for their journey ; and when the 
 fortunate period arrived, the people of the village,
 
 u
 
 The Gooroo on Horfehack. 115 
 
 men, women, and children, crowded round the dif- 
 ciples of the Gooroo, as with much folemnity they 
 raifed their mafter in their arms and placed him on 
 the back of their brave old fteed, the fpectators the 
 while cheering and clapping their hands, and making 
 the air ring with their acclamations. 
 
 Foozle, as Groom of the Stole, walked on one fide, 
 and adj ufted the garments of the Gooroo ; Wifeacre, 
 now Mafter of the Horfe, gave his mafter the requi- 
 site inftrucliions by which he could hold on and keep 
 his proper balance ; Zany, in right of his new office 
 of equerry, walked in front with the ftraw bridle in his 
 hand, and pulled the horfe forward to keep him 
 going; Doodle, the whipper-in, went behind and 
 forced the animal to advance by pufhing him with the 
 left hand, the right hand dealing out at the fame time 
 enlivening blows with a heavy ftick ; whilft Noodle, 
 as chief minifter, walked on the other fide of the 
 Gooroo, with raifed arms ready to uphold him if he 
 fhould totter. The Gooroo himfelf held on bravely, 
 grafping with one hand the pommel of the faddle, and 
 the horfe' s mane with the other. 
 
 Once fairly ftarted, Zany preceded the cortege, and 
 fhouted with a loud voice, warning the people to get 
 out of the way, and leave the road clear for the 
 paflage of the great Gooroo Simple; calling upon 
 them to do homage to fo illuftrious a perfonage, 
 whofe praifes he proclaimed ; and repeating from time 
 to time, in a voice that was heard afar off: " Look out ! 
 
 h 2
 
 n6 
 
 The Gooroo on Horfehack. 
 
 look out ! take care ! take care ! clear the way !" led 
 on the cavalcade in triumph. 
 
 At length they arrived at a toll-gate, and were 
 pafling through as became their high eftate and dig- 
 nity, when the gate-keeper flopped them and de- 
 manded the toll for the horfe, which he faid was five 
 fanams. 
 
 " What do you lay ?" exclaimed Wifeacre, ftupified 
 and thrown all of a heap, as it were, by the extrava- 
 gant demand of the man ; " You are chaffing us ! 
 Demand toll for a horfe ridden by a Gooroo !" " We 
 are not Vaifyas and merchants," put in Doodle,
 
 The Gooroo on Horfehack. 117 
 
 "mere grovellers in the dirt; nor does the horfe 
 carry a bale of goods, that we mould be called upon 
 to pay toll like a Chitty packman. Our horfe has 
 been prefented as a gift by a generous friend, who, 
 feeing that our venerable mafter could not walk with- 
 out great trouble, had companion on his weaknefs, 
 and gave him this fteed. By what authority do you 
 claim toll? It is a grofs fraud, an a£t of cruel in- 
 juftice ! Have you lefs pity than he who gave the 
 horfe ?" 
 
 But all his clever pleadings, arguments, and com- 
 plaints were of no avail. The heart of the toll-gate 
 keeper was not open to pity, and as he faw no fanams 
 forthcoming, he pufhed Zany on one fide, and feized 
 the bridle, faying, he " would not let the horfe go until 
 they had rendered tribute to the Mate •" adding with 
 an angry and refolute air, " Come, pay the toll ; 
 here is no exemption for volunteers : Gooroo or 
 groom, Pariar or prieft, it's all the fame to me. The 
 toll I demand, and the toll I will have, whether from 
 Brahman, Vaifya, or Chitty!" 
 
 Doodle and Wifeacre ftill continued their entreaties 
 and threats by turn, but at laft were obliged to yield 
 and pay the toll ; whereupon the Gooroo, who was 
 very fond of money, as mod; old gentlemen are, 
 pulled fuch a long face that the collector, adding 
 infult to injury, burft into a rude horfe-laugh when 
 the five fanams had to be difburfed. Indignant, but 
 helplefs, yet groaning heavily, the Gooroo exclaimed
 
 n8 The Gooroo on Horfehack. 
 
 bitterly, " What do I want with a horfe ? If I travel 
 as I did before I mail not be expofed to thefe painful 
 trials, nor to fuch frightful expenfes." Noodle, and 
 Doodle, Wifeacre, Foozle, and Zany all tried to com- 
 fort him, inveighing againft the vexations and dead 
 robbery which they had juft experienced ; and then 
 they once more continued their route in filence, as men 
 do who have juft been fubjected to a fevere mortifica- 
 tion, till they arrived at a choultry fituated at fome 
 diftance from the toll-gate, where the Gooroo dif- 
 mounted to reft for a while. 
 
 Here he met a traveller, with whom he entered 
 into converfation, and related to him the crying in- 
 juftice of which he had been the victim, under the 
 pretext of exacting a toll. 
 
 " I never mounted a horfe before from the day that 
 I was born ! Now to-day I have been riding for the 
 firft time, and fhamefully have I been made to pay for 
 it. The people hitherto have testified no fympathy 
 with us, or thought of interfering in our behalf when 
 we wanted help ; but to-day they even ufed violence 
 to plunder quiet inoffenfive travellers of their money ! 
 Money obtained in fuch a way, how fhall it profit 
 them ! May the vital fires its lofs deprives me of, 
 through want of the neeeflary fuftenance and nourifh- 
 ment I muft in confequence forego, and which thofe 
 five fanams would have furnifhed abundantly, confume 
 them as burning coals ! Shall he who but taftes of 
 amoordam, the pure drink of the gods, all but periih ;
 
 The Gooroo on Horf clack. 119 
 
 whilft he who drinks deep of the poifon of the world, 
 and revels in the plunder of his fellows, prosper ! 
 Does not the poet fay, ' They who reach the feet of 
 Him who nourifheth the opening flower mall flourim !' 
 What ! am I then to be thus treated ! Am I not a 
 Gooroo ; and is no respect due to my calling, or to 
 my office of inftruclor and comforter \" 
 
 After the Gooroo had difcharged his bile in thefe 
 bitter complaints, the traveller replied in his turn, and 
 flrove to confole him by the precepts of philofophy. 
 
 " Ah ! moft honoured Gooroo/' he faid, " what 
 high morality you preach ! One fees by your dif- 
 courfe how the difcharge of your pious duties and 
 deep ftudies have eftranged you from the world, its 
 vices, and its vanities. You were not born to live in 
 this age of iron, this Kali-yoogam of the world, in 
 which might overcomes right, and all things have 
 degenerated. Vice ftalks about triumphant on the 
 earth ; honefty and virtue are but recollections of the 
 paft; money is both the honefty and virtue of our 
 age ! Get money, honeftly if you can ; but anyhow, 
 get money, is the teaching of the fchools. Money is 
 men's Gooroo ; money their cafte and their family ; 
 money is their god ! Of old it was faid, ' Name but 
 money, and a corpfe will open its mouth and fay : 
 " Money ! money ! Give it to me." ' 
 
 "This age of Iron, honoured fir, is an age of gold ; 
 and men honour the god whom they worfhip fo 
 much, that nothing is done, nothing is faid, but what
 
 1 20 The Gootoo on Horfehack. 
 
 money commands. ' Without money/ it is written, 
 'even the brighter!: intellect will be abforbed and 
 deftroyed by carking care for butter and fait, for oil 
 and rice, for raiment and wood.' " 
 
 " True, true," put in the Gooro ; " your words are 
 words of wifdom. Men will do anything for gold ; 
 and, even if buried in the filthieft of mire, dainty 
 fingers will not be found wanting to pluck it out ; 
 aye, even, too, if no other way remained, the prettieft 
 of lips would think it no fliame or degradation to 
 ftoop to do the a6t bodily with their mouths. Men 
 and women too will eat dirt for money \" 
 
 " No doubt of it," faid the traveller, " as I can 
 fhow from a tale which was told me in the far Weft, 
 which I will now repeat if you, honoured fir, will 
 liften. 
 
 " Once upon a time there was a great and mighty 
 monarch, whofe rule extended over the whole of the 
 Weft like that of the great Zingis over the whole of the 
 Eaft. He loved money beyond all things, and having 
 taxed all his nations to the utmoft, yet ftill craving 
 for more money, there was nothing elfe left for him 
 to tax, but what the neceflity of our nature mould 
 have kept exempt from fuch an impoft. His fon 
 expoftulated in vain, urging that fuch money would 
 ftink in men's noftrils; but the great and mighty 
 ruler of one half of the world was not to be put afide 
 from his purpofe, and the tax was levied. A few days 
 after, he fent for his fon, and, whilft they were dif-
 
 The Gooroo on Horfchack. 
 
 121 
 
 cuffing the affairs of ftate, drew forth a bag of Aiming 
 golden coin, which he handed to him, faying, ( Smell 
 it, my fon; is there not an ill flavour about that 
 money V — f None/ replied the fon, ' that I can detect ; 
 it is but frefh minted, and very pure.' — f Yet/ added 
 
 that mighty ruler, ' it is the produce of the tax, and 
 what you faid would ftink in men's noftrils. Be fure, 
 my fon, it is fufficient that the money comes ; trouble 
 not yourfelf how or whence/ " 
 
 The Gooroo and the traveller went on chatting 
 together for fome time, until the former, perceiving 
 that it was getting late, and wifhing to profit by the 
 coolnefs of the evening to continue his route, re- 
 mounted his horfe, and fet out, accompanied, as
 
 122 
 
 The Gooroo on Horfelack. 
 
 before, by his five difciples. They arrived in the 
 firli watch of the night, by funfet, at a village where 
 they wifhed to pafs the night, and forgetting to tether 
 the horfe, left him to roam and graze at will in the 
 furrounding lanes; but in the morning, when they 
 were ready to refume their journey, he was nowhere 
 to be found. Wifeacre went out in fearch of him, 
 but after being abfent fome time, returned alone. 
 Difmayed and frightened at this new trouble, Noodle 
 and Doodle, Zany and Foozle, at once declared their 
 willincmefs to affift Wifeacre in looking for the run- 
 away, and they hurried out looking on all fides, but 
 could find no trace of him. At laft they heard that 
 
 a ftray horfe had been found grazing in a farmer's 
 meadow, and that the owner of the field, in a rage, had
 
 The Gooroo on Horfehack. 123 
 
 locked him up, and declared that he mould not be 
 given up without a good round ranfom. The Gooroo 
 and his difciples haftened to claim their property, but 
 the farmer obftinately refufed to liften to them, faying 
 that the horfe had ranged about all the thirty half- 
 hours of the night watches in his fields, trampling down 
 his young growing grain, and that the damage done to 
 his crops was more than the beaft was worth ; fo if 
 they would not make good the injury, he mould keep 
 the horfe as a poor compenfation for the lones he had 
 fuftained. Much vexed and annoyed the Gooroo 
 went to the chief of the village, and having told him 
 of the farmer's conduct, partly by entreaties and 
 partly by threats, the latter confented to adjuft the 
 matter by allowing proper perfons to eflimate the 
 damage done at a fair and reafonable rate, and when 
 that had been afcertained and paid, to give up the 
 horfe. The arbitrators, having examined the fields, 
 declared that what with breaking down, tramp- 
 ling down, and grazing, the lofs amounted in money 
 to fome ten* fanams ; but out of refpecl: for the rank 
 of the Gooroo, and confidering the lofs and expenfes 
 to which he had already been fubjected becaufe 
 of the horfe, they would lay the damage at four 
 fanams, which they ordered him to pay then and 
 there. 
 
 When the horfe was reftored to him, the Gooroo 
 
 * See note on the number ten, as ufed in the fecond (lory. Four is 
 ufed in the fame way to indicate an indefinite number.
 
 124 The Gooroo on Horfeback. 
 
 was ftill much put out, and, turning to his difciples, 
 faid moodily, " Since I have had this unlucky horfe, 
 my children, I am purfued by all forts of degradation, 
 forrow, and expenfe, ill-befitting my dignity. I will 
 ride no more, but will travel, as I did before, on foot." 
 
 With one voice Noodle and Doodle, and the other 
 pupils, as well as the villagers, all exclaimed againft 
 such a refolve, and prayed him not to think of it. 
 " To travel on foot," they said, " was not confident 
 with his high dignity. Befides, he was too much ad- 
 vanced in years to fuftain the fatigues of a long 
 journey, and it was absolutely neceflary that he mould 
 keep the horfe." 
 
 It fo happened that whilft all this was paffing a 
 certain Valloovan, who had been liftening all the 
 while, approached the Gooroo, and having impofed 
 filence upon everybody addrefled him, faying, " If 
 you will honour me with your confidence, fir, I can 
 relieve you from all annoyance, and remove the eaufe 
 of your misfortunes. After what I have heard, I have 
 no doubt but that your horfe has been bewitched by 
 one of your fecret enemies. His wicked fpell is the 
 fole caufe of all the mifhaps that have followed your 
 pofleffion of the animal ; and if the demon is not 
 quickly difpelled, he will become ftill more fpiteful ; 
 but if you like to give me five fanams, the laft and only 
 expenfe you will have, I will for that moderate fum 
 undertake to deliver your horfe from the fpell, and 
 you will have nothing more to fear."
 
 The Gooroo on Horfeback. 125 
 
 The Gooroo, though ill-inclined to incur frefh ex- 
 penfes, yielded to the advice of Noodle, Doodle, and 
 Wifeacre, who, reflecting that " if one fears expenfe, 
 bufmefs cannot be done," urged him to give the money, 
 and told the magician to overcome the fpell. The 
 Valloovan, having gravely pocketed the cafh, took a 
 light of the horfe, walking round it feveral times, 
 makino- all the while dreadful contortions and grimaces. 
 Then with wild cries he performed his ceremonies, 
 plucked green leaves, and fprinkled them over the back 
 of the animal, fcreaming out, " Moona ! Moona ! ah ! 
 oh ! om !" and other ftrange cabaliftic words. At laft, 
 after having exhaufled himfelf in a kind of paflionate 
 frenzy, he suddenly flopped, and regarded the horfe 
 with a penfive air. Then he patted and ftroked the 
 poor creature, and having gently rubbed its remaining 
 ear feveral times, he turned quickly to the fpectators, 
 who had obferved a refpe&ful filenee, and exclaimed 
 in a tranfport of joy : "I have difcovered the fpell ! 
 It is feated in this orifice, and to charm it away we 
 mull cut off the ear quite clofe to the head." Then 
 giving orders for a deep hole to be dug at fome 
 diftance to bury the member with the evil fpell, he 
 took a fickle, and making it very fharp, approached 
 the horfe, bound it, and cutting off the ear as if with 
 a razor, inftantly picked it up, and running with all 
 his fpeed, he threw it into the hole, and covered it 
 well up with earth, fo that the evil fpell mould not 
 efcape, and attach itfelf to any other object.
 
 126 
 
 The Gooroo on Horfeback. 
 
 The next morning the Gooroo remounted his poor 
 mutilated fteed ; but fatigued and put out by fo many 
 trials, inftead of continuing his journey, he retraced his 
 fteps to the mattarn, where he arrived in due time 
 without any further accident.
 
 127 
 
 STORY THE SIXTH. 
 
 THE PROFHECY OF POORAHITA, THE BRAHMAN. 
 
 The Gooroo's homily on humility; ftable-building ; the example of 
 Kalidafa, how to lop the branches ; the Poorahita and his Shatter : 
 " Asanam fhitam jivana nafham — cold in the rear when death is near." 
 
 RRIVED at the mattam, the 
 Gooroo was quite out of forts 
 with the world in general, 
 and with himfelf and his dif- 
 ciples, and with the horfe in 
 particular. Nothing feemed 
 to go right, and the misfor- 
 tunes and accidents of his 
 recent journey on horfeback 
 JP^-^ haunted him day and 
 
 Vp vSes^^^O R ig nt - He cou ld g et 
 \ X ~^ ^ no reft. "Ah!" faid 
 
 \yy<L' ^ ie t0 himfelf, " was I not at the height 
 
 of happinefs in this world before the gift 
 
 of that unlucky fteed ! How rejoiced I 
 
 4 was when it was prefented to me ! It 
 
 ' seemed the fruition of all my long- 
 
 cherifhed hopes; the greateft boon that could then 
 
 add to my felicity ! But how fleeting and vain ! In it 
 
 V
 
 128 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 I now fee only a fource of annoyance and vexation, of 
 forrow and trouble, and never have I fuffered fuch 
 mifery as has fince then fallen to my lot. Hope is the 
 waking man's dream ; it is a good breakfaft, but a 
 bad fupper \" 
 
 Do what he would, the phantom was always prefent 
 to his mind ; and harping and harping upon his woes, 
 he loft his appetite with his fleep, till his difciples faw 
 him fading away like mow in the hammer's fun ; when 
 one day he aflembled them all together in the outer 
 court of the mattam, and thus addreffed them, mourn- 
 fully, but with fage and wife counfels, as was his wont ; 
 for the good Gooroo Simple never loft the opportunity 
 of improving an occafion, and great was confequently 
 the privilege of thofe who enjoyed his fociety. The 
 fubjecl: he had at heart was, how to difpofe of the 
 horfe, and that was, as it were, to form the text of his 
 difcourfe ; but, like many other texts, it was but a peg 
 to hang notes upon. So he began : — 
 
 " My beloved children, as I advance in life, day by 
 day am I more and more convinced that the plea- 
 fures of this world are all vanity, and vanity will prove 
 but vexation in the end. The world's pleafures are 
 falfe pleafures. Good unmixed with evil, fweets un- 
 mixed with bitters, or joy unmixed with forrow, are 
 each here not attainable. The fun mines but to caufe 
 the rain to fall ; happinefs is the fure forerunner of 
 tears. Yet we muft be content, for is it not written, 
 ' The world is within him who underflands the way of
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 129 
 
 five things : of tafte, of light, of touch, of found, of 
 fmehV » 
 
 The gift horfe, it is true, was a very miferable and 
 unfound beaft; fo the Gooroo reflected with fome- 
 thing like fatisfaclion that it had coft him nothing, 
 and that as no fanam nor kafhoo had been paid for it, 
 he could part with it without the leaft regret ; fo he 
 continued his difcourfe, faying : — 
 
 " This very day I am more fully aware than ever I 
 was before, how futile a thing it is to hope to find a 
 rofe without a thorn j to fet one's affections upon that
 
 130 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 which may fade ; to be fure of the enjoyment of any 
 anticipated pleafure. Hem ! Alas ! does not our own 
 experience prove this ? When the horfe was pre- 
 sented to me by the civility of a ftranger, without fee 
 or reward, what joy could equal mine! What antici- 
 pation of pleafure furpafs that which rofe up within 
 me ! I imagined that I had little more to defire in 
 this world ; yet how vain my hopes ! You yourfelves 
 were witnefles of the fad misfortunes which followed 
 in fuch quick fucceffion, even on the very day when 
 the piece of good fortune fell to my lot. Muft we 
 then fwallow fo much bitternefs with every fingle drop 
 of honey ! Alas, that it mould be fo ! but there is no 
 grain of rice without its hufk, no plum without a 
 ftone, no fruit without a taftelefs fkin, and in two cabs 
 of dates there is one cab of ftones and more. There 
 is much evil mingled with the good which is found in 
 the world ! All this is indeed true ; yet the evils 
 which I endured within the fpace of that one day 
 were great in the extreme. I have thought long and 
 carefully as to what caufe to attribute them, and I 
 can find no other than the gift of the horfe, which I 
 received with fo much joy. I was not born to ride 
 about in fuch ftate and dignity. ' Be humble, be 
 courteous/ fays the poet ; for without thefe of what 
 avail are other qualities }' Why, then, did I (rep out 
 of the path I was to tread ? The gods have punifhed 
 my vanity by the gift of a horfe, which has occafioned 
 all my troubles. Shall I then place my will in oppo-
 
 The Propliecy of the Poor a hit a. 131 
 
 fition to my deftiny ? I, who up to this time have led 
 a retired and unobtrufive life ; what, at its clofe, have 
 I to do with the world's pomps and vanities ? No, 
 no, let me be humble, as befits my calling. Is not 
 virtue the greateft gain, and its neglect the greateft 
 lofs ? Let me part with the horfe ; let it be fent back 
 to its former owner." 
 
 Noodle and Doodle, who had liftened with breath- 
 lefs and devoted attention, as had alfo Wifeacre, 
 Foozle, and Zany, to the eloquent and touching dif- 
 courfe of their honoured mafter, both broke out at 
 once with the words, " No, no, fir ; indeed, indeed, 
 this muft not be [" " Confider," added Wifeacre, 
 " whofe gift the horfe was, and how it was fent to you 
 in the hour of great need. The ftranger who fo 
 kindly entertained us in his houfe was but the inurn- 
 ment; the gift was from the gods. Is it a horfe 
 which you yourfelf felected, a horfe which you your- 
 felf paid for ? No, you had no idea of doing either 
 the one or the other ; and the fhadow of the terra- 
 cotta horfe was caft upon the furface of the refervoir 
 as a type of the living one, which the traveller was at 
 hand to prefent you with. Do not talk, then, of 
 parting with the good the gods have fent you. 
 The horfe came of itfelf, without feeking on our part. 
 Who can fail to trace the hand that gave it ? To 
 fend it back will, then, be in direct oppofition to the 
 will of the gods ; will be an act of impiety and dif- 
 obedience ; will be a great and crying fin ; and cannot 
 
 I 2,
 
 133 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 fail to bring misfortune for the future upon your her.d 
 and upon ours. Is not ingratitude the greateft of all 
 fin ? Are we not told that ' life may yet be his who 
 has obliterated all other virtues ; but that from him 
 who blots out the remembrance of benefits received, 
 life has furely departed ?' 
 
 " No, fir ; indeed, indeed, this muft not be. Befides, 
 fir, what has happened, has happened, and what mall 
 be, will be ! Then, too, has not the Valloovan cart 
 out the fpirit of mifchief which dwelt in the horfe's 
 ear; and have we not buried it, along with the ear 
 itfelf, afar off from hence, fo as to keep it from doing 
 us further harm }" 
 
 " Indeed, indeed, fir," chimed in Zany and Foozle, 
 " this muft not be ; the horfe muft not be fent back 
 again to its former owner. There muft be a begin- 
 ning, even as A is the firft letter of the alphabet." 
 
 " In my own city my name, in a ftrange city my 
 clothes, procure me refpecl," faid a fage of old. So 
 when the Gooroo had liftened attentively to the rea- 
 foning of Wifeacre, he faid to himfelf, " If a man 
 keeps a horfe, his neighbours know full well what 
 kind of a horfe it is ; but away from them one horfe 
 is as good as another ; and the world merely fays he 
 keeps his horfe." Other like thoughts, too, rofe in 
 his mind at the fame time, and after a little while he 
 turned round to his difciples and faid : — 
 
 " Be it then according as you defire ; for I would 
 not a£t in any way contrary to what you have proved
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 133 
 
 to be fo manifeftly the will of the gods. However, 
 in order that the fame misfortune which happened the 
 other day may not occur again, and caufe us frefh 
 trouble and expenfe, it will not do to turn the horfe 
 out at night, but he muft be kept tied up in the 
 mattam, but where I do not know; fo take counfel 
 together, and arrange where his ftable fhall be, where 
 he can remain in comfort, fcreened from the cold 
 winds at night and from the fcorching rays of the 
 fun by day." 
 
 " Sir," faid Wifeacre, " if that is all that is required, 
 there is but little need of taking counfel together. If 
 Noodle and Doodle, Zany and Foozle, will but each 
 lend a hand, it fhall be done in a trice ; and in yonder 
 corner of the mattam as pretty a ftable as you can 
 wifh, fhall be erecled before the firft watch of the 
 night." So faying, without more ado he girded him* 
 felf with a rope round the loins, and (hatching up a 
 hatchet and a bill-hook, ftarted off to the roadfide, 
 where there flood a large banian-tree, about a hun- 
 dred yards from the mattam. Arrived there, he foon 
 climbed half-way up the tree, and felecling a large 
 branch, which hung horizontally over the road, he sat 
 himfelf aftride it, with his face turned to the ftem of 
 the tree, and began to chop luftily away with his 
 hatchet at that part of the branch that was between 
 his own trunk and that of the tree, not aware that 
 when it fhould fall, he, too, muft of neceflity fall 
 with it.
 
 T34 
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 Whilft he was fo engaged, it chanced that a 
 Brahman, a learned pundit, a Poorahita well-fkilled 
 in aftrology and the reading of the ftars, was on his 
 
 way to prefide over a village feftival not far from the 
 mattam of the Gooroo Simple, and to tell the people
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 135 
 
 their fortunes. Seeing the perilous pofition of Wife- 
 acre, and being of a kind and charitable nature, he 
 called out to him : " Hallo, brother ! What, in the 
 name of common fenfe, are you doing there ? Pray 
 change your pofition, or when the branch breaks away 
 from the ftem, it will bring you to the ground with it, 
 and you may chance to break your neck." 
 
 " Bird of ill-omen," replied Wifeacre, " why do you 
 come here prophecying evil to me? Begone with 
 your evil bodings, and take that for remembrance;" 
 faying which he unfheathed the long pointed knife 
 which he carried at his waift, and aiming at the 
 Brahman's face, fent it towards him with great force ; 
 but the latter, thinking the young man either mad or 
 a fool, ducked his head, and let the knife fly over it, 
 faying, "Why mould I interfere? If he is fool 
 enough to break his neck, let him ; I'm not refpon- 
 fible for it." 
 
 This little epifode only made Wifeacre chop away 
 more vigorously. His blood boiled at what he looked 
 upon as an infult. Whack went the hatchet — whack, 
 whack ! When he had got half through the wood, 
 crack, crack, crack, and fnap — down came the branch, 
 and, as the Poorahita had predicted, down came Wife- 
 acre with it, emitting a found from his head much 
 like that of a water-cafk, when there is no water in 
 it. It was fortunate that he fell upon his head, or 
 he might have broken a limb. As it was, though a 
 little ftunned, he foon recovered himfelf, and picking.
 
 1 36 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 himfelf up, and rubbing his head, he exclaimed : 
 " Am I am ! ma ! Lackaday ! that Brahman is a great 
 Shajlri, a wife Poorahita, a wonderful prophet ! Juft as 
 he predicted, fo it has happened unto me \" So faying, 
 he ftarted upon his legs, and commenced running in 
 the direction the aftrologer had taken; for the latter 
 was already at a considerable diftance from the fpot 
 upon which Wifeacre had fallen. 
 
 Seeing him thus rapidly gaining ground upon him, 
 the Poorahita was fomewhat terrified, and faid to 
 himfelf, " What can that wild beaft want with me ? 
 He has already tried to do me an injury by throwing 
 his knife at my head ; perhaps he may now flrive to 
 murder me outright." But his fears abated, for as 
 Wifeacre approached him, within fpeaking diftance, 
 he joined both hands together, and raifing them up 
 to his forehead, bowed his head refpeclfully as he 
 made the cuftomary namafeara, or obeifance to a 
 Brahman. 
 
 ft Accept, I pray you," faid Wifeacre, " my moft. 
 ample apologies for the ncglecl of the counfel you 
 gave me, and for the very ill return I made to your 
 very great kindnefs. He who can prophecy fo cor- 
 rectly and fo truly as you did but now, muft indeed 
 be able to read the ftars, and to foretel the future. 
 You are a great Sha/iri, a highly-gifted Poorahita. 
 I therefore befeech you to grant me one boon ; for, by 
 my own experience, I am certain you can tell me what 
 (hall happen, what come to pafs. Do not deny my
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 137 
 
 requefl ; I am your fervant. I am a difciple of the 
 wife and famous Gooroo Simple, who lives at the 
 mattam down' yonder, beyond the banian-tree, from 
 which I was fevering a limb when you foretold my 
 fall to earth with the branch upon which I then fat 
 aflride. My name is Wifeacre, and Noodle and 
 Doodle, and Zany and Foozle, are my fellow-difciples. 
 We all love our honoured mafler with the moll 
 heartfelt affe&ion ; for he is a man of great wifdom 
 and piety, and of the moll profound virtue and bene- 
 ficence. No child can love his father as I love him ; 
 and as he is now very aged and infirm, I am fearful 
 that he will die when we lead expect it, and that his 
 end is even already near at hand. I therefore appeal 
 to you, to whom the future is open and known as the 
 events of yefterday, to foothe my anxiety and to 
 fatisfy my longing defire by revealing to me the length 
 of time my honoured mailer has yet to live, the exa<St 
 time of his departure, and the fymptoms by which I 
 may tell the near approach of his death. Do not re- 
 fufe my prayer ; do not think my requefl too trivial 
 to be attended to. You who could fo truly foretel 
 my fall from the tree, can, with eafe to yourfelf, com- 
 ply with my wifhes. I am your fervant." 
 
 So urged, what could the Brahman do ? He did 
 not want to throw away the opportunity he faw, of 
 having his fame as a prophet fpread over the land by 
 Wifeacre and his fellow difciples j yet he did not like 
 to riik his reputation upon a random anfwer ; fo in
 
 138 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 the hope of effecting his efcape, if an opportunity 
 fhould occur, he kept giving evafive anfwers, till at 
 length, finding that Wifeacre was not to be put off with 
 them, and to rid himself of the dilemma in which the 
 perfiftency of his petitioner had placed him, he turned 
 round to him at length, and faid : — 
 
 " Lifien attentively to what I read in language of 
 the ftars," and then added, in flow and folemn ca- 
 dence : " ' '•Afanam fliitam, jivana nqjham ;' when that 
 fentence is fulfilled, then you may look for the 
 period when Dharma mail take your honoured 
 Gooroo from you." 
 
 " ''Tis an unknown tongue to me/' faid Wifeacre. 
 " Afanam fhitam is euphonious, and fo is jivana 
 nafham ; but the found conveys to me no fenfe; I 
 pray you therefore interpret to me this unknown 
 tongue, this language of the fringes of eternity, of the 
 fpheres whence fpirits fpeak to mortals in the world 
 below." 
 
 " It is," replied the Brahman, " the myftic lan- 
 guage of the initiated, which none others may com- 
 prehend ; but it implies here, " cold in the rear, when 
 death is 7iear," becaufe the heat of the body being 
 longeft retained about the heart, the lower extremities 
 firft become cold and paralyfed, and confequently 
 thefe words indicate the fuccefs of Dharma's flank 
 movement upon the rear, prior to his final attack 
 upon the citadel of life." 
 
 "Afanam fliitam, jivana nafliam — cold in the rear,
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 139 
 
 when death is near," repeated Wifeacre; and making 
 again a moll profound namafcara to the Poorahita, 
 he received his ajjirvahdam, his bow of difmiflkl, and 
 
 left the prefence of the great aftrologer, well fatisficd 
 with the reception he had received, no lefs than with 
 the information he had gained. Arrived at the 
 banian-tree, repeating all the way, left he mould for- 
 get them, the myftic words, Afanam Jliitam, jivana 
 najham, he felecled as much of the wood as would 
 ferve his purpofe ; and having uncoiled the rope from 
 his loins, and attached it to the loofe branches, he 
 dragged them along the road to the mattam, ponder- 
 ing upon the wifdom and found fenfe of the Poorahita, 
 and muttering half unconfcioufly to himfelf, cold in 
 the rear, when death is near. 
 
 Arrived at the mattam, he found Noodle and 
 Doodle, Zany and Foozle, all bufily employed in
 
 140 The Prophecy of the Pooraluta. 
 
 erecting the (table for the horfe ; fo having relieved 
 himfelf of his burden, and pointed out to Noodle how 
 the branches were to be placed to form the roof of 
 the building upon which they were engaged, he pro- 
 ceeded to report himfelf to the Gooroo, and to relate 
 to him what had befallen him fince he had left the 
 mattam. 
 
 Bowing refpeftfully, with his hands raifed to his 
 forehead, as he entered the prefence of the Gooroo, 
 he faid, in a folemn tone, Afanam fliitam, jivana 
 na/ham, and again bowing reverently, held his tongue. 
 
 It feemed to the aged Gooroo as if a voice had 
 fpoken to him from the grave, and for a time neither 
 broke the folemn filence. At length the Gooroo 
 repeated the myftic phrafe, Afanam fliitam, jivana 
 na/ham, faying, " My fon, what words are thefe, and 
 whence the myfterious chill they impart?" 
 
 "Dear and honoured mafter," replied Wifeacre, 
 " they are words of wifdom and counfel for our 
 guidance ; and if you will liften to me, I will tell you 
 how I came to learn them, and why I treafure them." 
 Hereupon he proceeded to give the Gooroo a full 
 account of the fulfilment of the Poorahita's prophecy 
 of his fall from the tree, and of the manner in which 
 he had obtained the cabaliflic words which he had 
 juft pronounced. 
 
 When Wifeacre had concluded, the Gooroo Simple 
 defired him to call in Noodle and Doodle, Zany and 
 Foozle, and when all were aflembled together, and he
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 141 
 
 had repeated to them the narrative of Wifeacre's 
 adventure, he thus addrefied them : — 
 
 " My children, the world has changed much mice 
 it was firft created, and mankind not lefs 10. In the 
 Sooti-yoogam man lived for a hundred thoufand years, 
 and his ftature was three times its prefent size. Then 
 came the Tirtah-yoogam, when one-third of mankind 
 lapfed into fin, and life was but a tenth as long as it 
 was before, and men died at ten thoufand years. Next 
 followed the Dwapaar-yoogam, and half the human 
 race became depraved, when the gods fhortened the 
 life of man to a thoufand years. Now, in this age 
 of iron, this Kali-yoogam, life feldom reaches one 
 hundred years, and certainty has pafled away. 
 Dharma fits down with us in the day, and is ever in 
 the midft of us in the night. 
 
 "Afanam JJiitam, jivana najliam, are words of 
 wifdom, words of caution ; therefore, let each of us 
 copy them down, and always carry them about with us. 
 It is well that all mould think of their latter end ;" and, 
 oblivious for the moment, he muttered to himfelf, 
 " Cold in the rear when death is near." " Well, in- 
 deed, is it to contemplate one's latter end without dif- 
 may. Now I cannot doubt that the Brahman who fo 
 accurately foretold the fate of Wifeacre is a great 
 and wife Shaftri, and that the matter he has fent 
 to me will alfo be verified. ' Cold in the rear when 
 death is near/ is a true faying ; fo for the future all 
 my feet-wafhing and ablutions, which are prefcribed
 
 142 
 
 The Prophecy of the Poorahita. 
 
 by our law, but which may bring on the evil, muft be 
 in abeyance. Yet I cannot wreftle with deftiny. 
 What fhall be will be ; as fate has decreed, fo let it 
 be; for when all is faid, at bottom it is wife to be 
 content V*
 
 H3 
 
 STORY THE SEVENTH. 
 
 THE FALL FROM THE HORSE. 
 
 : Money, as well as need, makes the old man trot ;" the lofs of the 
 turban, and what befell in confequence ; the fall from the horfe, what 
 the Cadjan faid, and how it was remedied; the fymptom, Afanam 
 fhitam, cold in the rear. 
 
 N the coldeft flint, it is faid, 
 there is hot fire, and there is life 
 in a mufcle ; and while there is 
 life there is hope. A man is not 
 fo foon healed as hurt; fo the 
 Gooroo, knowing that forewarned 
 IH^ is forearmed, avoided 
 j§gy all things which could 
 expedite the fulfilment 
 of the prophecy, 
 and, by a liberal ufe 
 of hot fpiced dimes, 
 curries and pillaus, 
 peppers, ginger, and 
 aflafcetida, he con- 
 trived to keep his 
 body tolerably warm ; whilft to imprefs the importance 
 of the words Afanam fhitam, jivana nafham, more 
 (irongly upon his difciples, he from that time never
 
 144 The Fall from the Horfe. 
 
 addrefTed them unlefs (landing with his back to the 
 ftove, with his hands behind him, hoping thereby to 
 put off the evil day predicted by the great Shaftri, the 
 learned Poorahita. 
 
 For a time all went on well ; but, unhappily, other 
 confiderations began to prefs upon him, and he who 
 had but erft railed fo eloquently againft money, had 
 now to feel what a neeeflary evil it had become. 
 Money mull: be had, fo he foon faw that it was 
 needful that he and his difciples mould travel round 
 the diftricl:, from village to village, to collecl: their 
 dues ; for it was quite clear that by flaying in the 
 mattam, no income could be realized. Under thefe 
 circumftances, the Gooroo, ever forward in the path 
 of duty, auembled his five followers, and mounted his 
 horfe, having to perform a journey that would take 
 fome days to accomplifh. Unfortunately, inftead of 
 taking the direct road, and wifhing to avoid the toll, 
 they proceeded acrofs country, and as they were all 
 ignorant of the crofs-roads, on the following morning 
 they had wandered fo far out of the way, that they 
 were obliged to go back towards the mattam. The 
 cool made of the banian-trees, their wide-fpreading 
 boughs, covered with thick foliage, the largeft and 
 loweft of which were horizontal, and from which 
 fuckers or roots of various length depended until 
 they reached the ground and became new trunks, 
 formed a bewildering grove for the travellers to tra- 
 verfe, excepting when the track was well defined.
 
 The Fall from the Horfe 
 
 145 
 
 Abforbed in thought, the Gooroo pafied on amono- 
 thefe downward hanging boughs, one of which caught 
 
 his turban from his head, when it fell to the ground. 
 Without flopping, thinking that his difciples would 
 pick it up as a matter of courfe, he travelled on in 
 filence for a considerable diftance, not deemino- it 
 neceflary to remind either of them of fuch a plain 
 duty ; while they, not having received any orders from 
 their mailer on the fubjecl, left it on the fpot where 
 it had fallen. Roufing himfelf from his reverie, the 
 Gooroo fuddenly afked for his turban. 
 
 "Your turban," Doodle replied, "lies where you 
 let it fall. We did not pick it up, becaufe you gave 
 us no orders to do fo."
 
 146 
 
 The Fall from the Horfe. 
 
 Juftly difpleafed, the Gooroo reproved them feverely 
 for their thoughtlefs conduct and want of attention. 
 
 "Go quickly, and find my turban/' he faid, in an 
 angry voice; "and henceforth I order you to pick up 
 everything that falls from the horfe." 
 
 Foozle, whofe duty as groom of the ftole it was to 
 look after the body linen, ran fwiftly to the place 
 where the turban lay, and taking it from the ground, 
 returned without delay to his companions ; but as he 
 approached them, he perceived that the horfe was 
 uneafy, probably from having fed upon the commons, 
 where the coarfe rank grafs had been frefhened by 
 
 recent rains, fo that the poor animal was fuffering 
 from diarrhoea. The fymptoms could not be miftaken, 
 and remembering the order juft before given, he 
 ruflied forward with the turban extended in his hands, 
 intending to fecure "everything that fell from the 
 horfe." The turban was foon filled, fo Foozle called
 
 The Fall from the Horfe. 147 
 
 to his matter, faying, " Sir ! fir ! I pray you to ftop. 
 Here is fomething which has fallen from the horfe, and 
 I bring it to you conformably to your orders." 
 
 The Gooroo, thus appealed to, gracioufly drew up, 
 and turned to receive that which Foozle brought to 
 him; but when he faw his turban thus defiled, he 
 was in great paffion. 
 
 "Tchy! tchy! Fie! forfhame!" he cried, angrily, 
 and with intenfe difguft. " What have you picked up ? 
 Why have you not more fenfe ? Throw it away. 
 Begone ! and wafh and purify my turban inftantly." 
 
 His difciples, aftonifhed to hear Foozle thus re- 
 proved for having but duly obeyed his matter's orders, 
 replied in a tone of ill humour, " Why, fir, what has 
 he done to difpleafe you ? You were angry with us, 
 but a moment ago, for having omitted to obey a 
 command you had not given, and here you rebuke 
 us through him, for having followed your orders to 
 the letter ! Did you not bid us to pick up everything 
 that fell from the horfe ?" 
 
 " Not fo," replied the Gooroo, with a ftately air ; 
 " there are fome things which it is proper to pick up, 
 and, again, there are others which it is not proper to 
 pick up. You ihould exercife your wits, and act like 
 men, and not like a parcel of children." 
 
 " We are not clever enough," returned Wifeacre, 
 " to comprehend fuch nice dittincliions. We are 
 plain, practical people, making no pretence to wit 
 or wifdom, and cannot underftand from fuch general 
 
 K 2
 
 148 The Fall from the Hbrfe. 
 
 terms what your precife meaning is. Such miftakes are 
 very difagreeable to us, and no lefs fo your anger; and 
 in order not to be fubjcct to either in future, be pleafed 
 to give us a lift of fuch things as it is proper to pick 
 up, mould they happen to drop whilft you are riding, 
 that we may be under no doubt as to what we ought 
 to do." 
 
 This requeft was too fenflble for the Gooroo to dif- 
 pute ; fo, on the fpur of the moment, he called for a 
 cadjan, or palm leaf, and a ftyle, and wrote upon it a 
 lift of fuch things as it was proper for them to pick 
 up if they fell. He then gave this lift to Noodle, 
 ordering him to read it aloud, from time to time, fo 
 that all might underftand exactly what it fpecified. 
 When this had been done, they promifed ftriclly to 
 abide by the directions there fet forth, and then re- 
 lumed their way in peace for fome time, glad of a 
 little quiet after fuch unufual anger and fquabbling. 
 Beguiling the time with inftru&ive remarks upon the 
 varied objects around them, they came at length to a 
 ditch, filled with mud and water, which they were 
 obliged to jump over. For a horfe in ordinary con- 
 dition it was not a difficult place to crofs; but for one 
 fo lame and worn out as that on which the Gooroo 
 rode, it was too great an effort ; befides, the ground 
 was wet and ilippery; and as he went tottering down 
 the bank his foot fank in the mud, from which he 
 could not extricate it, fo that he ftumbled and fell on 
 his fide, and caft his rider headlong into the mire.
 
 The Fall from the Horfe. 151 
 
 There the poor Gooroo lay extended at full length on 
 his back, but fo embedded in the mud, that with every 
 effort he made to raife himfelf, he only fank deeper 
 into it. Noodle and Doodle, Wifeacre, Zany, and 
 Foozle, feeing the horfe ftruggle violently to extricate 
 itfelf, while their mafler lay perfectly ftill, concluded 
 that the horfe was fuffering the mod, and ought 
 therefore to be the firft fuccoured ; fo they fet to work, 
 and having drawn him out of the ditch, they returned 
 to the Gooroo. Impatient, and angry at being left 
 fo long in the mire, he called loudly for their affiftance, 
 and defired them to lift him out quickly. But with 
 grave looks they flood around him, and Noodle, 
 opening a fmall travelling-bag which he carried, took 
 out of it the cadjan leaf, with the lift of things to be 
 picked up mould they fall from the horfe, and making 
 his head forrowfully, cautioned Doodle and Foozle, 
 Wifeacre and Zany, one after another, as to the 
 different objects expreffly ftated, reading, as he did fo, 
 aloud to them from the order : 
 
 " You mull pick up my turban if it falls ; fo, too, 
 my waift cloth, or the cloth which covers my head 
 and moulders ; — in a word, if any other veftment, or 
 any other object which I carry on my perfon, falls, 
 you muft pick it up." 
 
 The five difciples, complying literally with the 
 tenor of the document, all making their heads 
 folemnly, proceeded to ftrip the Gooroo, piece by 
 piece, of each of his garments, leaving him like a new-
 
 152 The Fall from the Horfe. 
 
 born babe, entirely deftitute of clothing. The poor 
 old man favv them depart in amazement, and hurriedly 
 calling them back, told them to raife him, as he was 
 too weak to help himfelf; but his difciples pofitively 
 refilled to do fo, faying that his name was not to be 
 found in the lift, and, having his written inftruclions, 
 they were pledged to obey them, and them only. The 
 Gooroo, thus forely tried, ufed prayers and threats to 
 vanquifh their obftinacy, but all in vain; they refufed 
 to liften to his entreaties, and to juftify their refufal, 
 produced the document again, faying, " Behold your 
 orders; read this lift of articles, to which we have 
 ftriclly conformed. If you had defired to be picked 
 up yourfelf, fhould you fall from the horfe, it fhould 
 have been written down with the reft ; not appearing 
 on the cadjan, we fhould be acting contrary to your 
 exprefs commands, and fhould be liable to your dif- 
 pleafure and fierce rebukes, if we raifed you up out of 
 the ditch. You have already been angry with us 
 twice to-day under circumftances wherein we erred 
 ignorantly ; but we will not a third time run the rifk of 
 offending you upon a fubjecSt where, having your full 
 written inftru&ions what to do, the blame would reft 
 wholly on ourfelves if we varied from them." 
 
 The Gooro, aware that his pupils would not liften 
 to reafon, and that they would leave him fixed in the 
 mud, from which he tried in vain to extricate himfelf, 
 defired them to give him the cadjan and ftyle, and 
 added at the end of the lift, in large letters : " And if
 
 The Fall from the Horfe. 
 
 + 53 
 
 the Gooroo Simple, your majler, happens to fall, it is 
 mojl proper that you pick him up firji of all." 
 
 Of courfe, after that, not a word could be faid in 
 objection, and no more difficulty exifted. They took 
 their poor old mafter into their arms, and carried him 
 away from the ditch; and as the rear of his perfon 
 from head to foot was covered with mud, they took 
 him to a pond that was near, and having warned 
 him, as well as his clothes, in the cold water, they 
 drefled him again, without giving the latter time to 
 dry. Once more he mounted his horfe, and finding 
 the road, they all returned to the mattam, where they 
 arrived worn out with their march acrofs fields and 
 uncultivated waftes, and the Gooroo fell ferioufly ill 
 from his fall and the events which followed it.
 
 154 
 
 STORY THE EIGHTH. 
 
 THE PROPHECY FULFILLED. 
 
 The terrors of Afanam fhitam ; the Gooroo orders his own grave ; Mr. 
 Merriman, Afangadan, the fon of " Old Fog," Achedanamoorti, brings 
 confolation ; the rice-beater Poojei, a novel facrifice to the gods ; the 
 ftory of the Chitt/s pretty wife and the Pandarams ; a good ftory 
 better than phytic, and a good breakfaft better than a grand funeral ; 
 Afanam fhitam not to be explained away; jivana nafham follows; 
 lying in ftate; purification of the dead, and funeral of the Gooroo 
 Simple. 
 
 >LL indeed was the 
 poor old man when 
 Foozle waited upon 
 him the next morn- 
 ing with the change 
 of' linen his enforced 
 bath of yefterday had 
 neceffitated. 
 S trange, 
 though each of 
 his disciples al- 
 ways carried 
 about with 
 him, fince the 
 day it had been 
 received, the 
 myfterious 
 matter of the Brahman, whilft the Gooroo fat in 
 the cold water of the pond, not one of them recol-
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 155 
 
 le£ted the words, Afanam Jhitam, jivana nq/ham! 
 Indeed, it was only after he had again mounted 
 his horfe, and the wet garments intercepted the 
 warmth of the faddle-cloth, that the old man him- 
 felf fuddenly called to mind the evident import of 
 them, as he fat fhivering in the cold. He could not 
 miilake the rapidity of the fpread of the chill which 
 pervaded him upwards from his feet, till it feemed to 
 fix itfelf, as it were, between him and the faddle upon 
 which he rode. As the cold increafed, he at firft fought 
 comfort in the recollection of the warmth of the 
 mattam, faying to himfelf, " Is it not written, ' If thou 
 haft increafed thy water, thou muft alfo increafe thy 
 meal/ I will have fomething to comfort me and 
 warm me when I get home." But " there is no 
 medicine againft death," and as his thoughts wandered 
 imperceptibly towards the mattam and its comforts, 
 there fuddenly came upon him the fame unearthly 
 chill, which he had experienced when Wifeacre firft 
 repeated to him the cabaliftic prophecy of the Poora- 
 hita. The Gooroo grew fad and forrowful, never- 
 thelefs he kept his thoughts to himfelf; but the pro- 
 ceffion feemed to him like that of his own funeral. 
 
 Arrived at the mattam, he felt fick and unwell from 
 the effecls of the cold and his fall, but attributing his 
 fufferings only to the near approach of the fulfilment 
 of the prophecy, he retired fafting to bed, only to be- 
 come colder and colder, toffing reftleffly about all 
 night without obtaining a fingle wink of fleep, fo that
 
 i $6 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 when day broke, though " the fun rofe, the difeafe 
 did not abate," as the words of wifdom have often 
 foretold ; for in his cafe they were not to be fulfilled. 
 
 When Foozle approached the bed upon which his 
 beloved mafter lay, he was greatly alarmed to perceive 
 that his countenance was changed, his eyes funk in 
 their fockets, whilft a raging fire feemed to light up 
 the funken orbs ; that his face, withered and llirivelled, 
 had an unearthly hue, a brownifli tint in places making 
 the ghaftly palenefs more defined ; and that his mouth 
 was parched, his lips colourlefs, and his words con- 
 fufed and indiftincl: ; whilft he flared at him as it were 
 upon vacancy, fcarcely confeious of his prefence. 
 
 It was the cuftom of the mattam that after the 
 morning ablutions, Noodle and Doodle, Zany, Foozle 
 and Wifeacre fhould all afiemble round the Gooroo, 
 and partake together of the boiled rice and tyer 
 which ferved for the frugal breakfaft of the venerable 
 man and his difciples. When Foozle had fummoned 
 his four companions, they were equally alarmed at the 
 change which a fingle night had brought about in the 
 appearance of the Gooroo. How different from the 
 calm dignified countenance which they were wont to 
 behold; from the gentle and kindly greeting which 
 met each as he approached ; from the cheerful fmile 
 which made them all feel welcome ! 
 
 Calling them all around his bed, the old man rofe 
 up, and fpeaking in a fcpulchral tone, as he ftretched 
 forth his withered arms and bleiled them, added, " My
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 157 
 
 beloved children, the hour of my death is at hand. 
 Prepare, therefore, that which is neceflary, that my 
 body may fpeedily have its fepulture, for I have not 
 many minutes to live." 
 
 With tears in their eyes, they all befought him to 
 tell them how in a fingle night fuch misfortune had 
 come upon them. "Tell us, we pray thee," faid 
 Noodle, fobbing, whilft the tears fell faft down his 
 face, " tell us, we pray thee, what has happened, and 
 how we may avert fo great an evil -" and the fobs and 
 tears of his difciples told that the forrow they exprened 
 was heartfelt, and that there was not a trace in any 
 one of them of the angry feeling of yefterday. 
 
 The good old man was fenfibly touched, and it was 
 fome moments before he could give utterance to the 
 words : — 
 
 " My children, have you fo foon forgotten the 
 words, Afanam JJiitam, jivana naJJiam ? That time 
 is now come ; ' Cold in the rear, when death is near/ 
 In the ditch into which I was caft when the horfe 
 fell, there was much mud and water, and as I fat up 
 ftriving to extricate rnyfelf a chill pervaded the whole 
 portion of my body from the hips downwards. In 
 my extremity, and anxious only to get out of the 
 ditch, I was not ftruck by the verification of the 
 fhafter, nor did it occur to me when you placed me 
 upon my back in the cold water of the pond ; but 
 when I had again mounted the horfe I could no longer 
 conceal from rnyfelf how cold, how icy cold, was that
 
 158 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 part of the body which the prophecy fo clearly indi- 
 cated fhould, by its chill, announce to me the 
 approach of Dharma. I, therefore, would not ftruggle 
 with fate, but retired at once to my bed to contem- 
 plate my latter end ; and during the night the bodily 
 pains and uneafinefs I have experienced, and the con- 
 tinued chill which affected the part I have named, and 
 which even now has not a flngle particle of warmth in 
 it, has made me fully fenfible that my hour is come ; 
 and that my laft moment is at hand. It is needlefs to 
 deliberate ; to doubt is wafte of time ; the prophecy 
 is fulfilled ! Go, therefore, and prepare all things 
 that are neceflary for my interment." 
 
 The Gooroo was a long while in delivering thefe 
 \vords to his pupils. He was in much pain from the 
 fall and bruifes of yefterday, and his fpirit groaned in 
 bitternefs within him. At times he flopped and 
 moaned ; at times, too, he muttered to himfelf, half 
 unconfcioufly, " Cold in the rear, when death is near." 
 When he had finifhed, his difciples, as was their wont, 
 were for fome time loft in contemplation, and no one 
 broke the filence. At length Noodle, who, like the 
 other four, could not but fee how clofely the ftate of 
 the Gooroo's body coincided with the words of the 
 fhafter, and was greatly terrified, endeavoured by 
 a ftrong effort to overcome his own fears, that he 
 might tranquillize the mind of his beloved mafler by 
 words of confolation which imparted none to himfelf, 
 and faid : —
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 159 
 
 " ' My honoured matter, you are exhaufted for 
 want of food. We have here both tyer and rice pre- 
 pared for the morning's meal, and frefh milk and 
 pepper water. f A cheerful mind, peace, and fimple 
 diet/ are the beft and trueft medicines. Difmifs the 
 thought of death, and flrive to overcome the evil fore- 
 bodings which the accident of yefterday has conjured 
 up. ' Who goes to bed fupperlefs, mall tumble and 
 tofs/ Partake with us of the morning's meal, and all 
 will yet be well ;" and much more to the fame pur- 
 port was uttered by Wifeacre, Doodle, Zany, and 
 Foozle, but all to no purpofe ; for fo imbued was the 
 Gooroo with the words of the matter, the fulfilment 
 of which he looked upon as near at hand, that he did 
 not appear to hear thofe they addrefled to him, but 
 continued to moan and groan, uttering to himfelf in 
 an under tone, Afanamjliitam, jivana nafliam. 
 
 Finding all their efforts of no avail, Wifeacre con- 
 fulted his coufin Merriman, whom the people in the 
 village called AJangadan, becaufe of his love of chaffing 
 and buffoonery. He was the fon of old Fog, as the 
 villagers had nicknamed Achedanamoorti, the late chief 
 of the village, for fhort, and was a man much beloved 
 by them, no lefs than an old friend of the Gooroo 
 Simple. Indeed, it was through him, who was many 
 years his fenior, that Wifeacre was firft introduced to 
 the latter. Go where he would, Merriman was a 
 favourite. He was full of quips and quiddities, wife 
 faws and wondrous fentences, and could elicit a joke
 
 i6o 
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 out of the dulleft materials. Knowing how great an 
 influence Merriman could exercife over the Gooroo, 
 Wifeacre had been afked by his fellow-difciples to 
 prevail upon his coufin to come and fee their beloved 
 mailer, as, befides his jovial difpofition, he was famous 
 for cafting out megrims and evil fpirits, blue devils 
 and the mumps. In fact, he was the forcerer of the 
 village, its augur and prophet. 
 
 Now, when he had heard all that Wifeacre had to 
 tell about the ftrange malady of his old friend, he 
 haftened with him to the mattam, and putting on a 
 half-ferious and half-comic expreffion of countenance, 
 as he entered, he exclaimed, " How now, old boy !
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 161 
 
 what ails you ? what has come over the fpirit of your 
 dream?" but feeingr that the Gooroo was not then 
 inclined to jeft, he added, in a more ferious tone, 
 " Tell me, my father, my honoured friend, my 
 Gooroo, what is this forrow, what this grief, that I 
 may find means to comfort and uphold you }" 
 
 But to all his advances, the Gooroo merely groaned 
 out the words, " Afanam fhitam, jivana naJJiam, — cold 
 in the rear, when death is near!" Seeing that neither 
 banter nor ferious talk was of any avail, Merriman 
 gave into the vein of the nek man's thoughts, and 
 faid :— 
 
 " True, the prophecy of the Poorahita muft come 
 to pafs ; but I can avert it from you, and caft it back 
 upon himfelf. I can turn cold into heat by perform- 
 ing the rice-beater Poojei ; drive the cold out of you, 
 and make it defcend upon him rearward as heat, fo 
 that he fhall not be able to deep by night or by day, 
 nor to fit down to reft his weary limbs, for the very 
 heat in his rear. Tell me his name. Tell me who 
 he is, and where to find him, that I may at once 
 remove this malady from you, and confume him with 
 heat from the rice-beater Poojei." 
 
 The Gooroo had liftened attentively to the words 
 of Merriman. "Tell me," faid he, in a (low, fepulchral 
 tone, " what is this Poojei, this facrifice, of which you 
 fpeak ? I am defirous of knowledge, and even now, 
 when I feel life flitting away, I cannot reft till I learn 
 what this is; for I, who have joined in all the many 
 
 L
 
 1 62 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 Poojeis of the temple, never heard of this rice-beater 
 Poojei." 
 
 " It is not to be wondered at," replied Merriman, 
 " that you, my dear Gooroo, mould never have heard 
 of the rice-beater Poojei. It is but feldom that it can 
 be properly performed ; for it requires a combination 
 no lefs of inner than of outer qualities in the fame 
 perfon, which the great fhaftri, Buddha, himfelf but 
 rarely met with; and, indeed, it is a Poojei, which 
 needs neither muficians nor dancing-girls to ftir up the 
 paffions of thofe who take part in it, and fo is but 
 little heard of amongft the inner Oodfameiyams and 
 outer Poorrachchameiyans, whofe Poojei fervice, like 
 the myfteries of the wifeft people of the Weft, whom 
 men called Athenaioi, may not be told to any but the 
 initiated. Still, as far as I may tell what kind of 
 Poojei this is of which you would know, if you will 
 liften attentively, you may learn from the following 
 tale : — 
 
 " There was once a certain chitty, a merchant, a 
 follower of the goddefs Shivan, whom he worfhipped 
 as the protestor of commerce, and the propitiator of 
 his own particular fuccefs in trade. As the goddefs 
 had fmiled upon him, he delighted to feed at his table 
 the Pandarams, the mendicant penitent priefts of 
 Shivan, afking them to his houfe whenever he met 
 them in his way to or from the bazaar; for he recol- 
 lected the words of the poet, " Home and its com- 
 forts are ours, but in truft to exercife hofpitality ?"
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 163 
 
 Now this rich chitty had a young and pretty wife, 
 whom he had taken to himfelf in his old age, and 
 having no children, me ruled her hufband pretty well 
 in all other matters excepting in this, which he called 
 " pious hofpitality." He had a great defire to hear 
 himfelf called father by a merry group of joyous boys 
 and girls, and, by thus propitiating the goddefs and 
 her priefts, he hoped, in fome meafure, by the fanclity 
 and prayers of the latter, that this wim of his heart 
 might yet be gratified. The Pandarams, Angularly 
 enough, by fome accident or other, feemed to congre- 
 gate right in the path of the chitty, juft at the hours 
 of his going to, or returning from, the bazaar; and 
 as he never pafied by any one of them without afking 
 him to his table, you may be fure that he feldom had 
 any unoccupied feats to fpare. However, many or 
 few, he treated them always with hofpitality, and 
 never difmifTed them without a more fubftantial evi- 
 dence of his refpecl; and goodwill. Once in the way 
 this might have been pleafant enough, but when it 
 occurred every day, the chitty' s young and pretty wife 
 began to tire of the extra labour which fell to her 
 mare in confequence; for what with preparing the 
 rice, dreffing curries and pillaus, and making cakes 
 and paftry, all the days of her life were fpent over the 
 hot ftoves in the kitchen. Being young and pretty, 
 you will perhaps fay what could have been eafier than 
 aflerting her authority, and forbidding her hufband to 
 invite any more of thefe unwelcome guefls? Softly; 
 
 L 1
 
 164 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 fhe had not been married quite long enough for that; 
 befides, me had well ftudied her hufband's peculiari- 
 ties, and knew for certain that if me openly oppofed 
 his willies, he would only the more ftrenuoufly infifl 
 upon having them complied with. But who ever 
 knew her mother wit fail her, when a woman has a 
 point to carry ! 
 
 What fhe could not do openly, me could man- 
 age by ftratagem ; befides, though fhe could have 
 told fome pretty tales, had me been fo difpofed, of 
 the chaftity and fan6tity of these holy Pandarams, 
 me was but a fingle woman againft a whole hoft of 
 long-vifaged, cadaverous-looking, fan£timonious, and 
 hungry priefts, who would not be lightly driven from 
 the flefh-pots of the credulous old chitty, any more 
 than flies from a newly-opened jar of honey. So to 
 put an end to her drudgery, fhe hit upon a moft in- 
 genious ftratagem, as you will find. 
 
 " The next morning her hufband had fcarcely left 
 his own door, when he was accofted by a Pandaram, 
 who requefted alms. 
 
 " * At this moment/ faid the chitty, * I am too 
 bufy to attend fuitably to your requeft ; but when I 
 have tranfacSted the bufinefs which prefles, at the 
 bazaar, I will return home, and give it my beft atten- 
 tion. In the meantime, go to my houfe, and tell my 
 wife that I have afked you to await my return there, 
 and to partake of tiffin with me. She will know 
 what I mean, and will do everything in conformity to
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 165 
 
 my wifhes. Our humble home is often honoured by 
 fuch vifits of holy men/ 
 
 " The Pandaram, nothing; loth, betook himfelf at 
 once to the houfe of the merchant, where the lady 
 met him with honeyed words and fmiles, luring him 
 into the toils fhe was already preparing in her mind, 
 through means of which, for the future, he mould 
 ferve as a warning to the whole fanclimonious fraternity 
 which infefted her houfe. Seeing at once that he 
 was a perfect ftranger, and had never been her huf- 
 band's gueft before, fhe faid : — 
 
 " ' I am delighted with this kind vifit ;' and fpreading 
 a mat on the houfe-bench, fhe added, " Pray be feated, 
 fir; it will not be long before my hufband returns 
 from the bazaar." No fooner was the Pandaram 
 feated, than fhe quickly proceeded to fweep out the 
 court thoroughly; which having done, fhe removed 
 all further defilements by fprinkling the ground with 
 water with which the frefli and fragrant depofit from 
 the cow had been well mixed, the rich perfume of 
 which was grateful to the noftrils of the holy man. 
 When thefe arrangements were completed, fhe purified 
 her hands and feet, wafhed her face, put fandal-pafte 
 on her forehead, and powdered her arms and moulders 
 with faffron. The Pandaram looked curioufly on to 
 fee what all this was to lead to, and was loft in afton- 
 ifhment when he faw her bring one of the two rice- 
 beaters from the end of the court with much folemnity, 
 rub firft it, and then herfelf with afhes, till the black
 
 166 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 ebony appeared white, and her hands and arms ca- 
 daverous ; and placing it in the middle of the court, 
 proftrate herfelf three times in front of it, chanting : 
 
 ' Home and its comforts are both, in reality, 
 Given in truft, that we ufe hofpitality f 
 
 having fung which, flie wiped the long peftle, and 
 placed it again where it had been before, and cleaned 
 off the allies from her head and arms. 
 
 " No longer able to refrain from afking the mean- 
 ing of fuch a lingular a£t of devotion, the Pandaram 
 faid, ' Never have I beheld fuch a marvellous Poojei 
 as this. The rice-peflle is to feparate the hulks from 
 the grain ; and I have heard two women, when {land- 
 ing oppofite each other handling their rice-beaters, 
 and prefiing them down upon the paddi in front of 
 them, fing as they proceeded with their work; but 
 vou, madam, have performed a Poojei, and what kind 
 of worfhip this is I fhould much like to know/ 
 
 " ' It is a Poojei,' replied the merchant's wife, 
 e which is peculiar to the deity of our carle, and is 
 only performed by women when they meet with a 
 ftranger;' then, in an undertone, intended for him 
 to hear, though uttered as if fpeaking to herfelf, me 
 added, ' All in good time, my good Pandaram ; you 
 will find out fail enough what kind of a facrifice this 
 is when you enter the houfe and it is completed on 
 the crown of your head/ Then, refuming her former 
 bland tone of welcome, (lie faid, ' Had you not better 
 walk into the houfe, fir ? The hour of tiffin draws
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 167 
 
 nigh, and my hufband will be here in a trice. Pray 
 follow me;' and taking up the rice-beater in both 
 her arms, fhe led the way into the houfe. 
 
 " But the Pandaram, imagining nothing lefs than 
 that he was to be made a facrince to the deity of the 
 cafte to which the chitty belonged, no fooner faw her 
 enter, than, looking upon difcretion as the better part 
 of valour, he took to his heels, and ruining at all 
 fpeed through the gate of the court, never looked 
 behind him till he found himfelf fafely enfconced in a 
 little alley leading out of the ftreet. 
 
 "In the meantime the merchant had reached home, 
 and not rinding the Pandaram as he expected, 'What 
 now, hufiey!' faid he; ' where is the gueft whom I 
 fent home to abide my return from the bazaar?' ' A 
 pretty fort of gueft, forfooth/ fhe replied ; ' furely he 
 was not himfelf, or he muft have been mad. No 
 fooner had he entered, and I had fpread the mat on 
 the bench for him, than, fpying the rice-peftles, he 
 defired me to give him one of them ; and upon my 
 faying that you would foon be home, when he could 
 make the requeft to you, as without your authority I 
 could not give it to him, he took himfelf off in a huff, 
 muttering fome ftrange words to himfelf, which I 
 could in no way underftand.' 
 
 " ' Woman/ rejoined the chitty, c would you bring 
 ruin upon me and upon my houfe ? Once for 
 all, let it be clearly underftood, that whatever any 
 holy Pandaram may afk, you have my full and per-
 
 1 68 The Prophecy fulfilled 
 
 feci: permiflion to give to him. Quick, give me the 
 rice-beater, that I may follow him, and thus, even by 
 the tardy gift, avert, if poflible, the evil which may 
 otherwife befall us;' faying which, he took up the 
 rice-peftle, which flie handed to him, and milling into 
 the flreet, fpied the Pandaram crouched up the alley 
 on the oppofite fide of the flreet in which he had 
 taken refuse. 
 
 " ' Pandaram ! Pandaram I* fliouted the chitty ; 
 when the holy man, feeing the merchant approach 
 him with the rice-beater in his arms, took again to 
 his heels, faying to himfelf, ' Surely, furely, he is 
 about to complete the Poojei on my head;' and the 
 thought made him redouble his fpeed, till he had 
 completely diftanced the good chitty, who, ftanding 
 high in the eflimation of his fellow-citizens, and 
 feafling daily upon all the good things of this life, as 
 rich citizens are wont to do, was fat and purfy, and 
 foon had to give up the chafe for want of breath. 
 The flory of the rice-beater Poojei foon got bruited 
 about amongft the holy brotherhood, and the mer- 
 chant, do what he would, after that could never per- 
 fuade a Pandaram again to darken his doors. So his 
 young and pretty wife obtained the objecl: fhe had in 
 view; and even if the merchant did not obtain his by 
 the means he had intended, it was not long before he 
 deferved a cufliion, and liftened fondly to the prattle 
 of a fon and heir. 
 
 "Now, fir, this is rice-beater Poojei; and if you
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 169 
 
 will let me perform it on the rear of that fniggering 
 Poorahita, it will transfer the fulfilment of his pro- 
 phecy from your perfon to his, turning the chill of 
 which you complain into heat, and giving you a frefh 
 and firm hold on life for many years to come." 
 
 Upon this the Gooroo Simple could not help burft- 
 ing into a loud laugh. " Of a truth," faid he, " it is 
 not without caufe that men call you Afangadan and 
 Merriman; for however ferious may be the fubjecl: 
 which engrofies the attention, you have always a joke 
 to crack or a tale to tell." 
 
 Seeing that his tale had had the defired effect upon 
 his old friend, Merriman, carting afide all banter, and 
 fpeaking ferioufly, replied, " My dear Gooroo, the 
 words of the Poorahita are no doubt words of truth, 
 and cold is in the rear when death is near ; and the 
 Oodfameiyams with their inner light, and the Poor- 
 rachchameiyans with their outer, can both explain 
 why death is not near when there is cold in the rear, 
 though there muft be cold in the rear when death is 
 near. Let us analyze carefully the cabaliftic words, 
 and fo obtain their true meaning, which can have no 
 . reference to the chill occafioned by extraneous caufes. 
 You fell into the ditch, and, fitting in the cold water, 
 afanam ftiitam followed as a natural con fequence, which 
 common fenfe and friction, without even the applica- 
 tion of the rice-beater Poojei, mould have changed 
 into heat; for what is there wonderful in the rear 
 of a man becoming chilled who fits up to his middle
 
 170 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 fhivering- in cold water? The wonder would be all 
 
 O 
 
 the other way; and the jivana naJJiam need not 
 trouble you, who can 10 readily account for the 
 afanam Jhitam of yefterday. Teft what I fay by 
 applying the warmth of the fire or the heat of the 
 fun to the place affecled. Be of good cheer, and 
 baniffi from your mind all fear and dread, and in 
 future only then believe the jivana najliam at 
 hand when, without fitting down in the mire, or 
 falling into the water, or without any other extraneous 
 caufe, you find the afanam jhitam already there. 
 Believe me, fir, any other view of the cafe is abfurd ; 
 all nonfenfe, and worthy only of the father* of 
 Somasarman, the moon's own; fo true it is that " they 
 who feek wifdom only from books, without a know- 
 ledge of the ways of the world, are but learned fools, 
 and reap the world's contempt.' " 
 
 When a man can laugh, Dharma's fpell is already 
 broken ; and the Gooroo's laugh had been both loud 
 and hearty, when Merriman had concluded his ftory 
 of the rice-beater Poojei; fo he continued to liften 
 attentively to the deductions the latter had juft made 
 clear, and having eaten nothing fince his unfavoury 
 bath of the day before, he found a gnawing in his 
 infide, which fully convinced him that his friend was 
 right, and that the afanam Jhitam he had experienced 
 had nothing to do with the jivana naJJiam he had 
 dreaded, fo he ordered the preparations for his 
 
 * Sfabhafakripana (one miferable through his own folly).
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 171 
 
 fepulture to be put afide, and breakfaft to be ferved 
 infiead. In a few days he went about as ufual, vifiting 
 his flock as formerly, and edifying the people by 
 obferving all the rites and poojeis of the cade to which 
 he belonged, as heretofore, in the moft exemplary 
 manner. 
 
 So things went on pleafantly till the rainy feason 
 had fet in ; when one night, after he had retired to his 
 bed, a perfect hurricane of wind and rain broke over 
 the mattam, and as that part of the roof under which 
 the Gooroo flept was fomewhat dilapidated, the rain 
 came pouring in upon the old man ; but fo foundly 
 did he fleep, that neither wet nor cold fufnced to 
 break his (lumbers. Towards morning he turned 
 from one fide to the other, refting with his back upon 
 that part of the mat upon which he flept, which had 
 become fully faturated by the wet. Suddenly waking 
 up, and feeling the chill at his rear, he lay for fome 
 time confidering whence it could have its rife, faying 
 to himfelf, " I have not been fitting down in the mire, 
 neither have I fallen into the water, and here, within 
 the mattam, there cannot be any extraneous caufe for 
 this damp chill which has feized upon my rear. Of 
 a truth," — it was his favourite expreflion — " now is 
 the fulfilment of the prophecy of the Brahman at 
 hand. This damp chill is the cold perfpiration of 
 death. It is needlefs, then, to wreftle with Dharma." 
 Hereupon, when Noodle, Doodle, Wifeacre, Zany, 
 and Foozle came in with the breakfaft, he told them
 
 173 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 that now the time was come when he would have to 
 depart from them ; "that as the afanam fliitam was 
 caufed by no extraneous circumftance, the jivana 
 ■nqfliam muft follow as a matter of courfe." Un- 
 fortunately, Merriman was not in the village at the 
 time, to have difabufed his mind of this new folly, and 
 his difciples were no lefs perfuaded than himfelf as to 
 the abfence of all extraneous caufe for the chill that 
 had fo fuddenly feized upon the part, and therefore 
 readily coincided in the view which he had taken, that 
 what the Poorahita had foretold was now about to 
 come to pafs. The people of his cafte, too, who came 
 to vifit him, being poneued of no more fenfe than his 
 difciples, faw much wifdom in the deductions he had 
 drawn, and all coincided with the words he groaned 
 out in his diftrefs of mind, that " now beyond all 
 doubt the fulfilment of the prophecy was at hand." 
 
 He continued in this defponding ftate for feveral 
 days, refufing all food, and not allowing any conver- 
 fation to divert his mind from the one abforbing 
 thought of death and the grave, till excitement and 
 want of fleep and fuftenance brought on delirium, in 
 which he lay for three days, uttering without ceafing, 
 " Cold in the rear when death is near." Completely 
 exhaufted, he at length fell into a fwoon, upon which 
 his difciples, believing him dead, rent the air with 
 their lamentations, placing their hands upon their 
 heads, howling, weeping, and crying out, " He is 
 dead ! the great and good Gooroo Simple is dead !
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 173 
 
 Our beloved mafter is dead ! He is dead !" And 
 thus they continued to fhout as they performed all 
 the preliminary ceremonies of preparing the dead for 
 fepulture, which, being completed, they next pro- 
 ceeded to the purification of the body by immerfing 
 it entirely in water. 
 
 Now for this purpofe it was neceflary that it mould 
 be carried to a large trough, which flood in the outer 
 court of the mattam ; fo whilft Foozle went and filled 
 the trough up to the brim with water, Wifeacre and 
 Noodle, Zany and Doodle, raifed up the Gooroo from 
 the mat upon which they had laid him out, and carried 
 him to it, each crying all the way, with a loud voice, 
 " He is dead ! he is dead !" and immerged him into 
 it, Wifeacre and Noodle holding him down with 
 might and main by the hands and feet, whilft Doodle, 
 Zany, and Foozle, rubbed and fcrubbed with all their 
 might, to purify the corpfe for fepulture. 
 
 This rubbing and fcrubbing brought the lethargic 
 blood of the old man again into circulation ; but being 
 under water, he could not open his mouth to fpeak, 
 and when he tried to free his hands and feet from the 
 grafp of Wifeacre and Noodle, they, believing that 
 fome demon had taken pofTeffion of the body of their 
 beloved mafter, only held him down firmer in the 
 water, till, overcome in the ftruggle, nature gave way, 
 and the Gooroo perifhed thus miferably from the 
 ignorance of his difciples. 
 
 This ftruggle over, the body remained cold and
 
 174 
 
 The Prophecy fulfilled. 
 
 paffive in their hands. Having dried it and perfumed 
 it, they placed it in a fitting pofture on a litter, 
 adorned with flowers, and threw open the gates of 
 the mattam, when the villagers came thronging in 
 from all the places belonging to his circuit, to do 
 honour to the dead. Then his difciples lifted up the 
 body, Noodle and Doodle, Wifeacre and Zany fup- 
 porting it on either fide, whilft Foozle preceded it in 
 front, and the villagers followed in the rear, and as 
 they placed him in the grave and buried him, they 
 chanted folemnly the myftic words : 
 
 ASANAM • SHITAM ■ JIVANA ■ NASHAM .
 
 NOTES, 
 ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 AND 
 
 GLOSSARY.
 
 A • PENNYWORTH • OF • MIRTH • IS • WORTH 
 A • POUND • OF • SORROW .
 
 i 7 7 
 
 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Page 17. — The fables which with the Englifh reader 
 pafs as the productions of ^Efop are of various periods 
 and of various countries; but as epic poetry was a 
 perfect infpiration when it ftarted into being in the 
 I liad and Odyfiey, no lefs so was the Mvdos, or Fable, 
 of the Phrygian; and later mythologifts have only 
 approached, but never equalled, the great original. 
 The Wolf and the Lamb, the Mountain in Labour, 
 the Belly and the Limbs, the Fox and the Stork, 
 the Boys and the Frogs, all belonging to the earlier!: 
 period, are ftill unfurpafled. If we compare thefe 
 fables with thofe which are attributed to Pilpay or 
 Bidpay, including thofe found in the two Pantfhatantra, 
 the texts of which have been made acceffible to us, that 
 of the South in the French paraphrafe of M. Dubois, 
 publifhed at Paris in 1826, and by means of Englifli 
 translations of the Hitopadefa, and the other in the 
 German verfion of Prof. Benfey, which appeared at 
 Leipzig in 1859, we cannot fail to recognife the truth 
 of this remark. 
 
 It is cuftomary to place fome three hundred years 
 between the produ&ions of iEfop and Pilpay, afligning 
 to the former the date of 550 b.c. as the period when 
 he flourifhed, and to the latter 250 B.C.; but thefe 
 
 M
 
 178 Notes and Ilhijlrations. 
 
 dates are at beft uncertain. Indeed, as with Homer, 
 feveral countries conteft the honour of the birth of 
 the former ; Lydia, the Ifland of Samos, Thrace, and 
 Phrygia, being all mentioned as his native land by 
 authors entitled to our confideration, though, on the 
 authority of Phaedrus, Lucian, Aulus Gellius, and 
 Stobaeus, it has become general to afcribe that honour 
 to the laft. Following Diogenes Laertius, in his Life 
 of Chilo, the date of ^Efop's Fables has been fixed at 
 the period juft ftated. 
 
 It may not be out of place to mention that the 
 great fabulift was not the deformed being he is repre- 
 fented. That deformity was firft attributed to him by 
 a Greek monk in the fourteenth century. Planudes, 
 as is well known, confounded the Phrygian fage 
 with the early oriental fabulift Lokman, who is 
 defcribed as " deformed, of a black complexion, with 
 thick lips and fplay feet." Indeed, Planudes, not 
 content with diftorting the perfon of iEfop, palmed 
 off many of his own crude compofitions as the fables 
 of the latter; but thefe are eafily detected, as he 
 makes ufe of words and fentiments after the ftyle of 
 Scripture, rather than following that of pagan writers, 
 and introduces manners, and quotations from authors, 
 of much more recent times. Prof. Benfey, in fpeaking 
 of the fables in the Pantfhatantra, fays that mod of 
 them, more or lefs, are reproductions of thofe of the 
 Weft, particularly of thofe which belong to the period of 
 ^Efop, though, as fome of them are unmiftakably of 
 Eaftern origin, he inclines to the belief that this clafs 
 of literature may have been cultivated in India even
 
 Notes and Ilhijlrations. 179 
 
 prior to the introduction of ^Efop's Fables, and marks 
 this diftinftion between them, that the Greek fabulift 
 embodies the natural inftin&s of the animal in the 
 words placed in its mouth, whilft the Oriental writer 
 merely clothes the human foul with the animal's 
 form, originating in the Indian belief in the tranf- 
 migration of fouls. 
 
 Page 20. — Prof. Benfey traces the origin of thePant- 
 fhatantra to Buddhifm, and, as mown at pp. 29 — 35 
 of our Introduction, the fatire in that work is levelled 
 equally unfparingly againft the Brahmans, as is that 
 in thefe Adventures of the Gooroo Paramartan. 
 
 Page 26. — Tamul literature confifts chiefly of medi- 
 cal works, written by thefe Poorrachchameiyans ; of 
 works on philology"; grammar being, according to 
 Prof. Benfey, an early creation of the Buddhifts ; of 
 hiftories of the Chola, Pandya, and Chera kingdoms ; 
 and of dramatic, didactic, and moral poems, the latter, 
 almoft exclufively, the productions ofValloovan Pariars. 
 In the feventh volume of the Afiat'ic Refearches, Dr. 
 John gave a life of Avyar, a female writer, with trans- 
 lations of feveral of her poems, and Mr. Ellis com- 
 menced printing at Madras the text of the celebrated 
 Kurral,ov Cooral, of Tiroovalloovan, the Divine Valloo- 
 van, whofe name is (till unknown, the moft celebrated 
 of thefe moral poets, the following aphorifms from 
 which have been introduced into our text : — 1 . " Home 
 and its comforts are ours, but in truft to exercife hof- 
 pitality ;" page 162. 2. "Is not virtue the greater! 
 gain, and its neglecl: the greater!: lofs?" page 131. 
 3. " There mull be a beginning; even as A is the firft. 
 
 M 2
 
 ] 8o Notes and lllufirations. 
 
 letter of the alphabet, fo is God the beginning of the 
 Univerfe;" page 132. 4. "The world is within him 
 who underftands the way of five things — of tafte, of light 
 (i. e. of fight), of touch, of found, of fmell ;" page 128. 
 5. " Sweet is the lute to them, who know not the 
 found of their children's prattle;" page 109. 6. " They 
 who reach the feet of Him, who nourifheth the open- 
 ing flower, fhall flourifh;" page 114. 7. "Be hum- 
 ble, be courteous. Without thefe of what avail are 
 other qualities?" page 130. And 8. " Life may yet 
 be his who has obliterated all other virtues, but from 
 him who has blotted out the remembrance of benefits 
 received, life has furely departed;" page 132. Of 
 Mr. Ellis's edition, which is accompanied by a tranf- 
 lation, and an analyfis of each diftich, 777 pages 
 have been printed, embracing the beft portion of the 
 firft twelve chapters, and it is mentioned with much 
 commendation by Mr. Anderfon, in the preface to 
 his Tamul Grammar, publifhed in 1821, and no lefs 
 fo by Mr. Babington, in his edition of The Adven- 
 tures of the Gooj-oo Paramartan. Unfortunately, this 
 book is not accefhble; but extracts from the Kurral 
 will be found in Kindersley's Specimens of Hindoo 
 Literature, and in Wilfon's Defcriptive Catalogue of 
 the Library of Colonel Mackenzie, vol. i. page 233. 
 
 The grammatical treatifes are, no doubt, the ground 
 work of the Shen and Koden Tamul Grammars of 
 Father Befchi, the latter of which was publifhed in 
 1738, under the title of Grammatica Latino-Tamulica 
 de Vulgari Tamulicce Linguce Idiomate. The former 
 (till exills in Latin, only in manufcript, but a translation
 
 Notes and Illuflrations. 1 8 1 
 
 of it was publiflied by Mr. Babington, at Madras, in 
 1822, as A Grammar of the High Dialecl of the Tamil 
 Language, termed Shen-Tamil. To which is added 
 an Introduelion to Tamil Poetry. 
 
 Many of the hiflorical treatifes in Tamul were col- 
 lected and printed at Madras, in 1835, by Mr. Taylor, 
 in two volumes quarto, under the title of Oriental 
 Hi/lorical Manufcripts in the Tamul Language. Be- 
 fides thefe original works, Tamul literature has been 
 much enriched by tranflations and imitations from the 
 Sanskrit, including a verfion of the Pantfhatantra. The 
 title runs thus : — Pancha Tantra Katha : Stories trans- 
 lated into the Tamul Language by Tandaviga Muda- 
 liyar. It was printed at Calcutta in 1826. Manu- 
 fcripts of the Pantfhatantra of early date exift in Tamul, 
 and M. Dubois, fpeaking of the fources of his French 
 paraphrase, fays, " Le choix que nous publions a ete 
 extrait fur trois copies differentes, ecrites, 1'une en 
 Tamul, P autre en Telougou, et la troifieme en Can- 
 nada." 
 
 Page 28. — In the text of our paraphrafe the fol- 
 lowing aphorifmsfrom the Pantfhatantra, fimilar to that 
 printed in Italics, have been introduced : — 1. "What 
 is ordained for him will fall to the lot of man. Even 
 the gods cannot hinder it. Therefore, do not let us 
 repine at fate, but wonder ; for that which is ours 
 belongs to none other/' page 41. 2. "A prudent 
 man trufts to a true friend in the day of trouble, for 
 no one overcomes adverfity without a friend •" page 
 106. 3. "No, not upon mother or wife, brother, or 
 even upon one's own son, can a man fo firmly repofe
 
 1 82 Notes and Illuflrations. 
 
 as upon the bofom of a tried friend ;" page 106. 
 4. " Without money even the brighter]: intellect will 
 be absorbed and deftroyed by carking care for butter 
 and fait, for oil and rice, for raiment and wood;" 
 pace 120. 5. "They who feek wifdom only from 
 books, without a knowledge of the ways of the world, 
 are but learned fools, and reap the world's contempt f 
 page 170. 
 
 The reader who is curious in the Pantfhatantra lite- 
 rature will find an admirable Analytical Account of 
 the Pancha Tantra, by Mr. H. H. Wilson, in the 
 TranJaSiions of the Royal A/iatic Society, vol. i. p. 155, 
 etc. In Dr. Graefle's " Trefor des Livres rares 
 et precieux," under Bidpay, is a lift of editions of the 
 Pantfhatantra, and of the portion known as the Hito- 
 padefa, which figured in the infancy of printing under 
 the Latin title of Directorium Hurnance Vitce, a copy 
 of which was fold for ^31 105. at Sir Mark Sykes's 
 fale. But the ftudent mould not omit to confult Prof. 
 Benfey's admirable eflay on the fubje£t, to which he 
 has already been referred, if he wifhes fully to mafter 
 the fubjecl: in all its bearings. 
 
 Page 31. — Kajakuddfha (Kanodfha) is the Kanoje 
 of our maps, the Kanyacubja of the Hindoos. Ac- 
 cording to Ferifhta it was formerly the capital of a 
 kingdom, and from the mention of it in the text of the 
 Pantfhatantra as a place of education, it was probably 
 alfo a college, fimilar to that of Madura, which was 
 eftablifhed by the native princes. It is fuppofed to 
 be the Calinpaxa of Pliny, and Hindoo ruins extend 
 round it for feveral miles, but its chief public buildings
 
 Notes and Illitjirations. 183 
 
 at prefent only confift of the citadel, tombs, mosques, 
 and other Mohammedan edifices. 
 
 Page $$. — Befides the aphorifmsfrom the Kurral and 
 from the Pantfhatantra, already noticed, the Hebrew 
 proverb, : nnoi «n»u>pi top in »iom »np »nn, has been put 
 into the mouth of the Gooroo at page 1 30 ; and from 
 our own vernacular fayings the following will be 
 found in the text: — 1. "The longer the faw of grief 
 is drawn the hotter it grows ;" page 54. 2. " Fools 
 and their money are foon parted ;" page 55. 3. "He 
 that has but one hog makes him fat ; and he that has 
 but one tale to tell never comes to the end of it ; for 
 he that cannot hold his tongue mud have leave to 
 fpeak ;" page 59. 4. " Like lips, like lettuce •" page 
 60. 5. " BlefTed be the memory of him who invented 
 fleep •" page 68. 6. The Roman satirift's " Rem, 
 re£te fi poffis, fi non, quocunque modo rem;" page 119. 
 7. " Hope is the waking man's dream ; it is a good 
 breakfaft, but a badfupper;" page 128. 8. In my 
 own city my name, in a ftrange city my clothes, pro- 
 cure me refpecl;" page 132. 9. "In the coldeft 
 flint there is hot fire, and there is life in a mufcle ; and 
 while there is life there is hope;" page 143. 10. " If 
 thou haft increafed thy water, thou muft alfo increafe 
 thy meal;" page 155. 11. "A cheerful mind, peace, 
 and fimple diet are the beft medicines;" page 159. 
 12. "Who goes to bed fupperlefs fhall tumble and 
 tofs;" page 159. The other aphorifms are all part 
 of the Tamul text. 
 
 The manners and cuftoms of the Tamuls, which 
 are incidentally illuftrated in the preceding page, are
 
 184 Notes and Illujirations. 
 
 not the leaft attractive portion of the work, which, 
 confining itfelf chiefly to fatire on the Brahmans, 
 neverthelefs gives us a glimpfe of various other feels, 
 more particularly by bringing the Gooroo and his 
 difciples into immediate contact with Pariars, or 
 Outcafts from the four orthodox cades of Brahmans, 
 Kfhatriyas, Vaifyas, and Sudras, mentioning the 
 literary Valloovans, and the scientific Poorrachcha- 
 meiyans and Oodsameiyams. Of the former of thefe 
 laft-mentioned Father Befchi records in his MS. Dic- 
 tionary, quoted by Mr. Babington, that they form "Six 
 fe£tes exterieures, dont la premiere eft peu connue, la 
 feconde eft fefte de Buddha, la troisieme aujourd'hui 
 fort odieufe (e'eft de cette fecle que font fortis la 
 plupart des livres de Sciences), la quatrieme auffi peu 
 connue, la cinquieme, fefte de la cinquieme nuit, 
 parceque, lors qu'il y a cinq vendredis a un mois, ils 
 celebrent la nuit du cinquieme avec de grandes 
 abominations, et la fixieme, fetfe des phantaftiques 
 qui n'admettent rien de reel, excepte peut-etre Dieu." 
 The Oodfameiyams he calls " Sefte interieure, e'eft a 
 dire qui place dans le corps humain les lettres mifte- 
 rieufes, na, ma, ka, va, et ya." There are fix feels of 
 Oodsameiyams, as well as of Poorrachchameiyans. 
 
 We have alfo the Tamul computation of time : — 
 I. The four ages of the world, as mentioned at pages 
 119, 141, 206. 2. The divifion of the year, at page 188. 
 3. The divifion of the day, at page 187. 4. Lucky 
 and unlucky days, at page 1 1 1 ; and 5. The periods 
 of woman's life, at page 211. Then, too, we are 
 introduced to the interior and duties of the mattam at
 
 Notes and Illujlrations. 185 
 
 pages 38, 60, 64, 69, and 72; and its Poojeis and 
 worfhip, at pages 70 and 209 ; its kitchen and 
 cookery at page 70 and 72 ; its cleanlinefs at page 60 ; 
 and the perfonal ablutions and clothing of its inmates 
 at pages 70, 97, 192, and 207. 
 
 We are alfo mown the ufes of the village choultry 
 (temple, court of juftice, and inn all in one) at pages 
 87 — 95, and at page 118 ; and get an infight into the 
 functions of the native rural magiitracy at pages 89 — 
 95, and page 123, with judgments, if not rivalling 
 thofe of the great governor of Barataria, at lead 
 only fecond to them ; of fuperftitions and belief in 
 magic arts at pages 39, 55, 124, and 160; of exhibi- 
 tions of fpite and ill-will at pages $$, 147, and 152 ; of 
 grief and lamentation at pages $3 and 172; of notions 
 of riches and pleafure at page 109 ; of piety and good 
 works, at pages 97 and 193 ; and of reafoning and fore- 
 thought at page 101 ; all of which are as graphically 
 portrayed as if they had been fketched by the Barber 
 of the Arabian Tales himfelf. 
 
 THE FIRST STORY. 
 
 Page 37. The proper duty of a Brahman is to 
 teach the Vedas, to perform facrifices to the gods, 
 and to meditate upon divine and holy objects. At 
 an early age he is placed under the inftruction of a 
 Brahman called a Gooroo, whofe commands he is 
 bound to obey, and whom he mud reverence as a 
 fpiritual teacher. For an account of the office of 
 Gooroo, fee Dubois's Moeurs, Injtitutions, et Cere- 
 monies des Peuples de I'Inde. Thefe priefts hold
 
 1 86 Notes and Illujirations. 
 
 the firft rank amongft the Brahmans. In the Deccan 
 many of them pofTefs an authority which bears 
 fome refemblance to that of a fuffragan or diocefan 
 bifliop in the Chriftian Church, being placed over a 
 diftri6t, and having jurifdiclion in everything relating 
 to religion and cafte. They travel in great ftate, a 
 fatire upon which is furnifhed in the fifth ftory in the 
 prefent volume, where the Gooroo Simple fets out on 
 horfeback from the houfe of the peafant who gave 
 him the old worn-out horfe; and they receive large 
 contributions from their difciples. See the article 
 " Hinduftan," in the Penny Cyclopcedia, in which, 
 quoting from Buchanan's Journey in the My/ore, it is 
 ftated that "the Rajah of Tanjore is faid to give his 
 Gooroo daily two hundred and fifty pagodas (about 
 ^92) when that perfonage honours him with a vifit." 
 According to the ftri6t letter of the law, a Brahman 
 ought to be fupported by the rich, and not to be 
 obliged to gain his fubfiftence by any laborious or 
 ufeful occupation. Failing this, the Injiitutes of 
 Menu (x. 81, 82) permit him to become a foldier, to 
 follow trade, to till the land, or to breed cattle. 
 Many of the Sepoys in the late Anglo-Indian army 
 belonged to this carte. 
 
 In the original Tamul the name of our Gooroo 
 is Paramartan, "fimple, without guile." It feemed 
 a pity to adopt the name given to him in Mr. 
 Babington's literal tranflation of the text, parti- 
 cularly as Noodle is the Englifh equivalent to Pedei, 
 the name of one of the young Brahmans, which he 
 has rendered Simpleton; fo we have rendered it
 
 Notes and Illuflrations. 187 
 
 Simple. Matti (blockhead), Madeiyam (idiot), Pedel 
 (fimpleton), Mileichan (dunce), and Moodan (fool), 
 are exactly reprefented by our Englifh words, Wife- 
 acre, Zany, Noodle, Doodle, and Foozle. 
 
 Page 38. — The Mat tarn is the cell of the Gooroo, 
 in importance fimilar to one of our fmall religious 
 houfes before the period of their fuppreffion under 
 Henry the Eighth, in which that fpiritual inftruclor 
 exercifes all the functions of his calling as prieft and 
 teacher, and in which are contained the temple, 
 refectory, dormitories, audience-chamber, &c, the 
 whole forming the refidence of the Gooroo and the 
 young Brahmans under his charge. The Brahmans 
 pofTefs the exclufive privilege of teaching the Vedas, 
 and were in former times the fole depofitaries of all 
 knowledge. According to Bohlen's Altes Indien, 
 though the rulers were chofen from the cafte of 
 KJJiatriya, or Warriors, the Brahmans poiTefled the 
 real power, and were, as we find by the Injlitutes of 
 Menu (viii. 1, 9, 11), the royal councillors, the judges, 
 and magiftrates of the country. They were treated 
 by fovereigns with the greater!: refpecl; for, according 
 to the fame authority (ix. 313 — 317), "a Brahman, 
 whether learned or ignorant, is a powerful divinity." 
 His curfe could even confign the gods to mifery, 
 inftances of which are given in the Mahdbhdrata, the 
 great epic poem of the Hindoos. 
 
 The Tamuls divide the twenty-four hours into eight 
 watches, each confirming of three hours, four for the 
 day, and four for the night, fo that the third watch is 
 mid-day.
 
 1 88 Notes and Illujirations. 
 
 Page 39. — According to old Tavernier, the brand 
 carried by Tamul travellers is " un ligne entortille et 
 trempe dans 1'huile que l'on met dans une maniere 
 de rechaud au bout d'un baton," a hint from which 
 our fmokers may profit. 
 
 Page 43. — The year is divided into fix parts, each 
 eonfifting of two months, and the Tamul month be- 
 gins about the middle of our own. The firft period 
 is the rainy feafon, Auguft and September; the 
 fecond, the cold feafon, October and November ; the 
 third, the firft dew, and the fourth, the latter dew 
 (expreffions which recal the words in Deuteronomy 
 xi. 14), embracing refpeclively December and Janu- 
 ary, February and March ; the fifth, the hot feafon, 
 April and May; and the fixth, the hotteft feafon, June 
 and July. The year confifts of twelve lunar months, 
 and to make up for the extra days, the Tamuls add 
 every three years an intercalary month of thirty days. 
 The firft day of their new year anfwers to our twelfth 
 of Auguft. The month of the vernal equinox, from 
 the earlieft ages of antiquity, from the ufages of 
 Babylon and Aflyria, is ftill preferved throughout the 
 Eaft. See the two volumes publifhed by the Society 
 for the DifTufion of Ufeful Knowledge, under the 
 title of " Hindoos." 
 
 Page 44. — The fable of the Dog and the Shadow 
 is due, perhaps, to ^Efop or Socrates, to the latter of 
 whom we probably owe the collection which now 
 panes under the name of the Phrygian. Its type, 
 however, is found in fome of the earlier collections 
 of the Eaft, and in Benfey's Pantfchatantra, Junf
 
 Notes and Illujlrations. 189 
 
 Biicher Indifcher Faheln, aus dem Sanfkrit uberfetzt 
 (vol. i. p. 79), the queftion as to its oriental origin 
 is fully difcufied. M. Dubois was at firft inclined 
 to believe it to have been introduced by Father 
 Befchi, but he changed his opinion, and adds, 
 "mais je n'ai pas tarde a changer de fentiment, 
 et j'ai connu bientot que cette fable etait originaire- 
 ment indienne, et generalementconnue dans le pays." 
 However, the curious reader is further referred to 
 Benfey's Pantfchatantra, vol. i. Einleitung, pp. 468, 
 9, where the fable of the Jackal and the Fifh is given 
 as the probable fource of the more beautiful Greek 
 embodiment of grafping greed. In our text, as in the 
 iEfopian fable, deceived by the magnifying power of 
 the water, the dog miftakes the fhadow for a larger 
 joint, which makes it not improbable that Befchi may 
 have inferted it, probably borrowing it from Poflinus's 
 Latin text of the fable. 
 
 Page 50. — In the Tamul text the noifelefs ftep into 
 the water is reprefented "as if it were jala-jala," and the 
 preffing the foot downwards, " as if it were too-jiookoo," 
 giving this found of the water by the expreffions ufed, 
 both natural words, coined for the occafion. 
 
 Page 51. — The reader may probably recollecl: a 
 fimilar circumftance, as narrated in the tenth of the 
 Merry Tales of the Wife Men of Gotham. Mr. 
 Babington fuggefts that Befchi may have borrowed it 
 from that tale ; but as it is not very likely that he had 
 accefs to the book, it feems, on the contrary, more 
 probable that, being of oriental origin, it mould, like 
 many fimilar tales in the Gejla Romanorum, the Owl-
 
 190 Notes and Illuftrations. 
 
 glafs and other collections, have found its way gradually 
 from the Eaft to us in the Weft. The Englifh tale runs 
 thus : — 
 
 " On a certain time there were twelve men of 
 Gotham that went to fifh, and fome ftood on dry 
 land ; and in going home one faid to the other, ' We 
 have ventured wonderfully in wading; I pray God 
 that none of us come home to be drowned/ ' Nay, 
 marry/ faid one to the other, ' let us fee that, for there 
 did twelve of us come out/ Then they told them- 
 felves, and every one told eleven ; faid the one to the 
 other, c there is one of us drowned.' They went back 
 to the brook where they had been fifhing, and fought 
 up and down for him that was wanting, making great 
 lamentation. A courtier coming by, afked what it 
 was they fought for, and why they were forrowful ? 
 ' 0/ faid they, ( this day we went to fifh in the brook ; 
 twelve of us came out together, and one is drowned/ 
 Said the courtier, f Tell how many there be of you/ 
 One of them faid ' eleven/ and he did not tell him- 
 felf. ' Well/ faid the courtier, ' what will you give 
 me, and I will find the twelfth man ?' ' Sir/ faid 
 they, ' all the money we have got/ ' Give me the 
 money/ faid the courtier, and began with the firft, 
 and gave him a ftroke over the fhoulders with his 
 whip, which made him groan, faying, ' Here is 
 one/ and fo ferved them all, and they all groaned at 
 the matter. When he came to the laft, he paid him 
 well, faying, ' Here is the twelfth man/ ' God's 
 bleffmg on thy heart/ faid they, ' for thus finding our 
 dear brother/ "
 
 Notes and Illuftrations. 191 
 
 Page 53. — " The Hindoos," fays Mr. Babington, 
 " in uttering a malediction, unite their hands by inter- 
 lacing the fingers, and then, projecting them forwards, 
 produce the found commonly called cracking the 
 joints. Their imprecations are ftill further ftrength- 
 ened, as they think, by cafting duft at the object of 
 them." 
 
 STORY THE SECOND. 
 
 Page 60. — " C'eft de cette maniere que les maifons 
 des Indiens font purifiees des fouillures qui peuvent y 
 avoir ete imprimees par les allons et les venans." See 
 Dubois' Moeurs de VInde, vol. i. page 208. The cow 
 is held facred by the Hindoos ; and even the Sikhs, 
 who reject the authority of the Fedas, Puranas, and 
 other religious books of the Hindoos, and eat all 
 kinds of flem except that of the cow, hold that animal 
 in great veneration. Penances of a fmgular and 
 fevere nature were formerly enjoined for killing cows 
 without malice, and if this crime was malicioufly 
 committed, it admitted of no expiation whatever. 
 
 Page 62. — The original gives the number of women 
 as ten ; but the numerals ten and four, in Tamul, are 
 employed to give a definite idea of an indefinite 
 number, the fame as in Homer nine is applied in re- 
 gard to time : evvfjfiap fiev ava arparov uicero Krqka 
 Oeoio. 
 
 Page 70. — " Toutes ces pratiques," remarks M. 
 Dubois on this paffage, " et un grand nombre d'autres 
 encore, font ufitees et font partie de la bonne education
 
 192 Notes and Illujirations. 
 
 parmi les Indiens." According to Mr. Babington, 
 the ablutions and cleanlinefs enjoined by the law, in 
 conformity to Hindoo practice, confift in four particu- 
 lars : i . Shaving, which is performed on every part 
 of the body, excepting the top of the head, the upper 
 lip, the arm from the elbow to the wrift, and the leg 
 from the knee to the ankle (the Brahmans, however, 
 (have the upper lip). 2. Anointment, or, according 
 to others, the bathing of the whole body, as oppofed 
 to a bathing or warning of the head as far as the neck. 
 3. Care and cleanfing of the teeth. And 4. Clean 
 raiment. The author of Hindoftan in Miniature, 
 fpeaking of Malabar barbers, obferves, " They com- 
 monly fet up mop under a tree, the foliage of which 
 fcreens them from the fun. Their bafin is the half of 
 a cocoa-nut fhell, and their razors have very broad 
 blades, the edge of which is convex;" vol. v. ^. 
 
 Porjei, worfhip, fee note at page 210. 
 
 Page 72. — Cucurbita Bifpida, am-coloured pump- 
 kin. 
 
 Page 73. — The kadam, fomething like our word 
 mile, is a meafure of diftance varying in different parts 
 of India. At Madras and in Tamul countries it equals 
 ten Englifh miles. 
 
 Page 74. — The following is fuggefted as the origin 
 of the phrafe to chaff a perfon, our flang term for 
 making game of any one. Apollo received from a 
 painftaking critic a volume filled with the errors of 
 the great poets. By way of reward for fuch bootlefs 
 labour, the god of poetry gave him a bumel of wheat 
 to fort, bidding him to felecl the corn from the chaff.
 
 Notes and Illufirations. 193 
 
 When this was done, Apollo prefented the critic with 
 the chaff, but retained the wheat, thus chaffing him, 
 and making game of him. See Bocccdini's Adver- 
 tifements from Parnaffus, a favourite book with 
 Addifon. 
 
 Page j$. — Two Tamul aphorifms : They who per- 
 form penance are forwarding their own affairs ; and 
 From pious adiions alone proceeds delight ; all elfe is 
 irrelevant and unworthy of praife. " The Tamul," 
 fays Mr. Babington, " reckon thirty-two kinds of 
 pious actions, fome of which are fufficiently fanciful j 
 thefe comprehend, however, if not all the poffible 
 varieties of charitable works, at leaft more than molt 
 people perform. Their enumeration is as follows : — 
 1. The building hofpitals for the poor. 2. Giving 
 food to thofe whofe employment is devotion. 3. Giv- 
 ing food to thofe who follow any of the fix fefts. 4. 
 Supplying calendars or almanacks. 5. Furnifhing 
 remedies for the eyes. 6. Giving oil for the anoint- 
 ment of the head. 7. Affociating with the female 
 fex. 8. Marriage. 9. Sobriety. 10. Preferving the 
 good works of another. 11. Railing a flied where 
 water may be furniihed gratis to travellers. 12. 
 Building a houfe either of reft for travellers, or for 
 fome religious devotee. 13. Building tanks and re- 
 pairing roads. 14. Planting trees. 15. Planting 
 groves for the convenience of travellers. 16. Giving 
 food to animals. 17. Giving money to preferve the 
 life of any living thing whatfoever. 18. Erecting 
 polls for cows to rub themfelves againft. 19. Giving 
 food to prifoners or flaves. 20. Giving boiled rice for 
 
 N
 
 194 Notes and Ilhtjl rations. 
 
 facrifices. 21, Caufing to make facrifices. 22. Giv- 
 ing garments. 23. Furnifhing provifions for a journey. 
 24. Furnifhing Brahmans with the means of bearing 
 the expenfe of affirming the facred thread. 25. Pour- 
 ing milk into the facrificial fire. 26. Making gifts, 
 more efpeeially of money. 27. Giving quick lime, to 
 be eaten with betel leaf. 28. Paying for the barber 
 employed in (having another. 29. Furnifhing reme- 
 dies for difeafes. 30. Giving drink to cows. 31. Fur- 
 nifhing a looking-glafs. 32. Burning corpfes." For 
 an explanation of the nature and value of thefe various 
 good works, the reader is referred to Rhode's Religiofe 
 Bildung, Mythologie und Philqfophie der Hindus. 
 
 If you fow a cqjier-oil tree, will an ebony tree le 
 produced? is an old Tamul aphorifm which cannot 
 fail to remind the reader of the words in the Sermon 
 on the Mount, Matthew vii. 16. 
 
 Page 79. — This " Counting the chickens before 
 they are hatched " is to be met with in the folk's 
 lore of every language, in fome fhape or another, the 
 well-known ftory of the Day-dreamer in the Arabian 
 Nig/its being of courfe familiar to every one, no lefs than 
 the old adage, "Ante vieloriam, ne canas triumphum." 
 Dreamland, if geographers would but be honeft, would 
 be found to cover a far larger portion of the globe 
 than we like to admit, and not confine itfelf to 
 Spain and its caflles; but, perhaps, rather, as in the 
 cafe of the Schildbiirgers, the natives having, in their 
 folly, deftroyed their own city, have, like the Jews, 
 become a fcattered race, and are met with in every 
 inhabited country. The mention of the Schildbiirgers
 
 Notes and Illujirations. 195 
 
 recalls a tale from the Lalenbuch, edited by Von der 
 Hagen in 181 1, from which the faying of " Counting 
 the chickens before they are hatched" may have had 
 its rife ; as the date of the Schildhurger, the original 
 type of our Wife Men of Gotham, is placed at the 
 beginning of the thirteenth century, the period at 
 which the fpread of the Mogul Empire into the Weft 
 brought with it the Moorifh verfions of many Eaftern 
 tales, to be fpeedily engrafted into the literature of 
 the Weft. It forms the thirty-third ftory in the 
 Lalenbuch, and runs thus : — 
 
 "How a Woman of Schilda went to Market with 
 Eggs, and made much Account of what Good 
 ivould come of the Produce ; and what really did 
 come of it. 
 
 " There is an old proverb and a true, which fays, 
 1 Sell not the bear's Ikin before you have caught 
 him ;' and another, no lefs io, tells us that ' Covetous- 
 nefs brings nothing home ;' whilft a third adds : 
 
 ' To hope, when hope is long deferred, 
 Makes many a fool, it is averred ; 
 Before the hoft to name the fcore 
 But feldom adds to one's own ftore.' 
 
 This was the cafe with the woman of Schilda, who 
 went to market with her eggs, as you lhall fee. 
 Now this poor woman had but a fingle hen, which 
 laid an egg every day ; fo fhe gathered them up till 
 (he faid to herfelf, ( Now I have enough to bring me 
 
 N 2
 
 196 Notes and Illvjirations. 
 
 three grofchens!' when, putting them into a bafket, 
 me fet off to market with them. As me had no 
 companion to talk to as fhe trudged along, all kinds 
 of thoughts got into her head, and, amongft others, 
 fhe naturally reverted to her little flock-in-trade, which 
 me carried jauntily upon it, thus turning it to a pro- 
 fitable account: — ' See now/ faid me, to herfelf, 'you 
 will get three grofchens at the market. What will 
 will you do with them ? Do with them ? Why, buy 
 two more hens, to be fure. Thefe two, with the one 
 you have at home, in fo many days will lay lb many 
 eggs, which, when fold, will enable you to buy three 
 more hens, and leave a lot of profit befides. There- 
 fore, now, as you have fix hens, they will lay fo many 
 eggs every month. Thefe you will fell — now and 
 then, however, you may eat one yourfelf — and you 
 may put all the money by. Then, too, you will 
 derive profit from thefe hens in various ways. The 
 old ones, when they have done laying, you will turn 
 into money ; the young ones will lay eggs, and hatch 
 fome of them into chickens, and fo you will increafe 
 your ftock at the fame time that you have alfo 
 chickens to fell; then you can pluck their feathers, 
 like people do geefe. Out of the money you have 
 put by you will buy fome geefe, and thefe will bring 
 you much profit by the fale of their eggs, their young, 
 and their feathers. Now, as you have both hens and 
 geefe, your profits will amount weekly to fo and fo. 
 Then you will purchafe a fhe-goat ; fhe will give you 
 milk, and little kids. Thus you have already old and 
 voung hens, old and young geefe, eggs, feathers,
 
 Notes and Illuftrat'wns. 197 
 
 milk, kids, and wool — of courfe you will fee to have 
 the goat fheared. Then you will purchafe a fow, 
 and, to your former profits, you will thus add fucking 
 pigs, pork, hams, and faufages. All this will enable 
 you to buy a cow out of the money you are always 
 laying by. She will produce milk, calves, and manure. 
 What is the good of the manure to you, feeing that 
 you have got no land to till ? To be fure, you will 
 purchafe a field, and that will yield you corn, fo that 
 you need not buy any more. Then you will buy 
 fome horfes, and hire farm-labourers to look after 
 them, to milk the cows, and till the land. Next, 
 you will buy a flock of fheep, when you will want to 
 enlarge your houfe, and to furnifh it out of the 
 money you have laid by. After which you will 
 purchafe more land. Now, this cannot fail to come 
 about. So, then, you will derive profit from young 
 and old poultry and hens ; from eggs, from goat's 
 milk, wool, and young kids ; from lambs and fucking 
 pigs; from cows, whofe horns you may alfo have 
 fawed off, and fell to the cutler for knife-handles; 
 from calves, from corn-fields, and many other things 
 befides. And, laft of all, you will marry a young and 
 handfome man, and be a fine lady, as happy as the 
 day is long. Oh, fo grand ! and not have a good 
 word for any one ! " A tafte of the fait, but not of 
 the malt," is the peafant's motto, and their coat of 
 arms, three fingers in the falt-cellar ; but that fhall not 
 be ours, forfooth.' 
 
 " ' Whilft thefe thoughts ran in her head, fhe forgot 
 that fhe was only then trudging to market with the
 
 1 98 Notes and Illujlrations. 
 
 bafket upon it; fo, drawing one leg behind the other, 
 flie bent her head gracefully forward, as if a fine lady, 
 greeting another fhe had met, when, lo ! down went 
 the bafket, and fmafh went the eggs, and, with them, 
 f My lady P and f My lord V into the mire; and 
 there they remain to this day ; and if any one is fo 
 inclined, he may pick her up, and become a lord 
 with fuch a lady ; for ' it is a long time before you 
 can count your chickens from unlaid eggs/ " 
 
 The tale of The Broken Jar, in the fifth book of 
 the Pantfhatantra, is no doubt the fource of this flory 
 of the Woman of Schilda. 
 
 " The man with the wheel faid, ' Every man who 
 is influenced by a futile hope, as by an evil fpirit, is an 
 object of ridicule/ Therefore it is wifely written : — 
 ' He who indulges in filly projects for the future, 
 deferves to fare as did the father of Som afar man, 
 who was fmothered in rice till he became ivhite.' 
 
 " The alchemifl afked, ' How was that ?' Then the 
 man with the wheel told the ftory of 
 
 The Broken Jar. 
 
 " In a certain town there lived a Brahman, whofe 
 name was Svabhavakripana,* who filled a jar with 
 what remained of the boiled rice he had collefted 
 during the day, after he had fatisfied his hunger, and 
 hung it up by a firing low down on a nail in the wall. 
 This done, he placed the mat upon which he flept be- 
 neath it, and all night long he kept his eyes fixed upon 
 
 * One miferable through his own folly.
 
 Notes and Illujlrations^ 199 
 
 the jar, thus thinking within himfelf: ' That jar is 
 brimful of boiled rice ; now, if a famine mould come, 
 it will bring me a hundred fanams. With them I 
 will buy a couple of goats ; and, as thefe multiply 
 every fix months, I fliall foon have many kids and a 
 whole herd of goats. Thefe I will exchange for 
 beeves. Then I mall have many calves in due time, 
 which I mail fell ; and after a while I will exchange 
 the increafed herd of beeves for buffaloes. After they 
 have brought forth their increafe, I will part with 
 them for brood-mares ; and when the foals have be- 
 come horfes I mail fell them, and fo become ponetTed 
 of much money. With this money I will purchafe a 
 houfe, the four fides of which are built round an inner 
 court. Then a Brahman will come and give me a 
 fair damfel with great dower for a wife. She will 
 bring me a fon, to whom I will give the name of 
 Somafarman ;* and when he is old enough to climb 
 up my knees, I will take a book and fit down in the 
 flables and ftudy. When Somafarman fpies me out, 
 he will tear himfelf away from his mother's lap, and 
 ruin in amongft the horfes' hoofs in his hurry to come 
 and climb up my knees. Then, full of anger, I mail 
 call out to his mother, ' Take the child away ! Take 
 the child away V She, being fully occupied with her 
 houfework, does not hear me ; upon which I fpring 
 forward and ftrike out my foot at her/ Forgetful, at 
 the moment, that he was lying down on his mat, he 
 ftruck out with his foot with fuch force that he broke 
 
 * Cared for by the Moon, or the Moon's own.
 
 200 Notes and llhtjirations. 
 
 the jar into fhivers, and the rice came running down 
 upon him till it completely covered him and made 
 him white. That is why I faid, ' He who indulges in 
 filly projects for the future deferves to fare as did the 
 father of Somafarman, who was fmothered in rice till 
 he became white/ " 
 
 Refpecling the origin of all oriental tantra or tales 
 themfelves, we are probably on the eve of a great dif- 
 covery. Dr. David Chwolfon, who is profefTor of 
 Hebrew in the Univerfity of St. Petersburg, has re- 
 cently iflued a very curious and interefting volume* on 
 the remains of ancient Babylonian literature in Arabic 
 tranilations. According to it, a perfon named 
 Kuthami compiled a well-planned and ably-executed 
 work on general literature fourteen centuries before 
 the Chriftian era, giving us glimpfes of a previous 
 civilization of fome three thoufand years. We are 
 promifed the Arabic texts, accompanied by a transla- 
 tion. When thefe appear we fhall have more certain 
 data than mere conjectural criticifm for fixing dates. 
 Kuthami, it feems, fpeaks of " the ancients/' the 
 writers of periods then long palled away, as we do of 
 the authors of claffical antiquity. 
 
 Page 82. — A finger's breadth is the common mea- 
 fure, equivalent to our inch. 
 
 * Ueberdie Ueberrefte der Alt-Babylonifchen Literatur en Arabifchen 
 Ueberfetzungen. Von D. Chwolfon. St. Peteriburg, 1859.
 
 201 
 
 STORY THE THIRD. 
 
 Page 85. — Paffbun-kirey, a plant, of which the 
 ftalk, always pendant and dry, gives it the appearance 
 of being dead. 
 
 Page 91. — A bundle or clothful of boiled rice is the 
 ufual viaticum of an Indian journey. Moderate in his 
 appetites, the Hindoo is fatisfied if he can impart a 
 relifn to it by a little pepper-water, or the juice of a 
 lime, or any other fimple condiment. In many 
 inftances fuch is alfo the home breakfaft; for rice is 
 ufed in great profufion by the Hindoos, who moftly 
 fit crofs-legged on a cufhion, mat, or carpet at meals, 
 helping themfelves from the dim in the moft primitive 
 form with their hands, having neither knives nor 
 forks, and difpenfing generally with the ufe of a table- 
 cloth. The univerfal dinner dim is curry, confiding 
 of meat or fifh, and drefTed in various ways. 
 
 Page 90. — The Choultry in villages ferves many 
 purpofes ; it is the temple, the hall of juftice, the place 
 of meeting, the lodging for travellers, and, in fome 
 places, alfo the tavern, where ready-drefFed provifions 
 may be obtained. The kitchen in the latter cafe is 
 alfo the refectory. See Dubois's Moeurs de I'Inde, 
 vol. i. p. 458. 
 
 Page 92. — The Darma-Saftra, or Dharma-Saftra, 
 is a celebrated body of Ethics, Law, and Ritual Ob- 
 fervances. 
 
 The Francifcan, Thomas Murner, has appropriated
 
 202 Notes and Illujirations. 
 
 both incidents of this ftory in the feventy-eighth adven- 
 ture of Eulenfpiegel, or Owl-glafs, as given in our 
 recent edition of Mr. Mackenzie's Englifh verfion. 
 See The Marvellous Adventures and Rare Conceits of 
 Mqfter Tyll Owl-glafs, p. 180. 
 
 STORY THE FOURTH. 
 
 Page 97. — The Tamuls are very delicate in all 
 references to fuch matters : " To feek the privacy of the 
 fields, to go for a purpofe, to go for two purpofes, to 
 go to the bath, to go to the river, to go out," &c, are 
 the ufual expreffions. In the original the paflage reads : 
 "PVhilft they were refrejhing themf elves there, Wifeacre 
 retired to the fields, and then went to wajh his feet in 
 the neighbouring tank/' the "warning of the feet" 
 implying the prefcribed ablution of the body, in con- 
 fequence of his previous " private vifit to the fields." 
 
 Ayinar, the fon of Vifhnoo, carries a club, and rides 
 upon a white elephant, his banner difplaying a cock. 
 
 Page 102. — This ftory is fomewhat fimilar to that 
 told of the Wife Men of Gotham, who raked in a 
 pond for the moon, which the reader will find in the 
 Merrie Tales. 
 
 Page 106. — Kafoo is the Tamul word, but it is 
 moftly pronounced cajlioo, or fimply cajli by Euro- 
 peans, and though only the eightieth part of afanam it 
 is alfo ufed as we do the word cajli. Fanam, as well as 
 being the defignation of a coin, is equivalent to the 
 word money, juft as peny is ufed by our tranflators of 
 the Bible. It is a filver coin, of which forty-five pt> to
 
 Notes and Illujlrations. 203 
 
 a ftar pagoda. There are alfo gold fanams in fome 
 parts of India; but Befchi ufes the word in all cafes 
 without diftinguiiliing whether gold or filver, leaving 
 the reader to judge from the article to be paid for — 
 whether a horfe, the toll on the road, or the pounding 
 of the worn-out animal upon which the Gooroo jour- 
 neyed — which coin is meant. 
 
 STORY THE FIFTH. 
 
 Page 109. — Ghee is equivalent to our word Kiefs, 
 a mefs of pottage, of meat, &c. ; and like the Latin 
 ferculum, means the principal dim of the meal. Tyer 
 is a folid curd, fuch as is eaten in Germany with 
 boiled fruit, &c, and is produced by the addition of a 
 fmall quantity of milk already curdled to the milk 
 intended to be changed to tyer. In India it is ufually 
 eaten with rice. 
 
 Page 120. — In the beginning; of the thirteenth 
 century Zingis, or Gengis Khan, founded the im- 
 menfe empire of the Moguls, comprehending almoft 
 the whole of Ana, and a great part of the Eaft of 
 Europe. The tenth map in Spruner's Hiftorico- 
 Geographical Atlas mows this empire in its entierty, 
 before it was feparated into different kingdoms. 
 
 We have here the well-known ftory of Vefpafian and 
 Titus. When the latter remonftrated with Vefpafian 
 upon the meannefs of laying a tax on urine, that em- 
 peror, taking a piece of money, demanded if the fmell 
 offended him ? adding, that this very money was the 
 produce of the tax on urine. It is, no doubt, an in-
 
 204 Notes and Illujlrations. 
 
 terpolation of Befchi, and, as fuch, has been omitted 
 by M. Dubois. However, it was thought better to 
 retain it in the Englifh paraphrafe, as it forms part of 
 the printed Tamul text. The reader will recollecl: the 
 allufion to it by Juvenal : " Lucri bonus ejl odor ex re 
 qualilet" 
 
 Page 124. — The Valloovan is a prieft of the 
 PariarSj and confequently confidered vile by the 
 orthodox caftes. Thefe priefts have gradations of rank 
 amongft themfelves, and many of them follow con- 
 juring and fortune- telling. See Dubois's Moeurs de 
 I'Inde, vol. 1. page 68. Almoft all the moral poems 
 in Tamul are written by the Pariars, the moft cele- 
 brated of which is the Kurral of Tiroo-Valloovan, or 
 the Divine Valloovan, as already ftated. 
 
 The outcafts are called either Pariars, or Chan- 
 dalas, and in diftricls where both words are employed, 
 the Chandala is the loweft of all Pariars, and is only 
 employed to carry out corpfes, execute criminals, and 
 in all the moft abje£t offices to which a human being 
 can be condemned. The Pariars confift of all who 
 have loft cafte, or by their mifconducl: have forfeited 
 all the privileges of it. Their condition is the loweft 
 degradation of human nature, and hence it is not to 
 be wondered at, that the Hindoos fo refolutely adhere 
 to the inftitutions of their tribe, becaufe the lofs of 
 cafte is to them the lofs of all human comfort and 
 refpe&ability. If a Pariar approached a Nayr, a 
 warrior of high cafte, he might put him to death with 
 impunity; and water and milk, according to Aijeen 
 Akberry (vol. in. p. 243), are confidered defiled even
 
 (C 
 
 Notes and Illujirations. 205 
 
 by the fhadow of a Pariar paffing over them, and 
 cannot be ufed till they are purified. 
 
 STORY THE SIXTH. 
 
 Page 130. — In the original text the paflage runs: 
 Ah ! even the grain of fine rice is within its hufk, 
 and to fruits of every kind there are a flan and a ftone." 
 The Tamuls no not include nuts, plantains, and fhell- 
 fruit, under the general denomination of fruit, as we 
 do, which would render the more literal tranflation a 
 little obfcure in Englifh. 
 
 Page 133. — In one of the plates of Hogarth's 
 Contefted Eleclion, there is a man feated at the ex- 
 tremity of the fign-poft of the Crown Inn, fawing off 
 the portion on which he refts. No one will charge 
 our pictorial fatirift with plagiarifm, and the circum- 
 ftance is only mentioned to mow how certain ludicrous 
 ideas are common all over the world. The fame idea 
 occurs in various early Sanfkrit authors, and is con- 
 tained in an anecdote related of Kalidafa. 
 
 Page 134. — Poorahita, or more properly Poorohita, 
 is the name given to Brahman s who devote themfelves 
 to the ftudy of aftrology, and who prefide at feftivals 
 and other ceremonies. See Dubois's Moeurs de I' hide, 
 vol. 1. p. 180. 
 
 Page 136. — Shaffer, Shaft ah, or Sqftra, is the 
 name of a facred book of the Hindoos, containing all 
 the dogmas of the religion of the Brahmans, and all 
 the ceremonies of their worfhip, and ferving as a com- 
 mentary on the Vedas. This name is alfo applied to
 
 2o6 Notes and Illujlrations. 
 
 any book of great wifdom, as in the third ftory we 
 find mention of the Dharma-Shq/tra. It likewife fig- 
 nifies wifdom, or a wife man, whence Buddha is alfo 
 called pre-eminently Shajhi, in the fenfe that Wife- 
 acre applies the word to the Poorohita. Indeed, it is a 
 title often aflumed by the Erahmans, fometimes with 
 the fuffix of Sahib, Shqflri- Sahib, Mr. Shaftri. The 
 word Shajier is ufed in the eighth ftory by the 
 Gooroo, as tantamount to " a true or wife faying." 
 
 Am ! am ! ma ! Dear, dear me ! Prodigious ! 
 wonderful ! the common exclamation of great wonder 
 and admiration throughout India, perhaps derived 
 from the myftic fyllable ufed previous to prayer, Own ! 
 Namafcara : " C'eft ainfi qu'on appelle le falut 
 adreffi aux Brahmes: ce falut fe fait en joignant les 
 mains, les portant au front, et inclinant en meme 
 temps la tete." — Dubois. 
 
 Page 139. AJJirvahdam, conge, difmiflal. 
 Baron Munchaufen may have borrowed this idea. 
 See page 139 of our edition of his Surprifing Adven- 
 tures, where the lunar language of Central Africa is 
 found to be " identical with that of the inhabitants 
 of the Moon." 
 
 Page 141. — Yoogam in Tamul, Jogue in Hin- 
 doftannee, is an age of the world, of which there are 
 four, according to Hindoo reckoning. 1. The Sooti- 
 yoogam, which lafted 3,200,000 years, during which 
 the life of man was 100,000 years, and his ftature 
 twenty-one cubits. 2. The Tirtah-yoogam, which 
 confifted of 2,400,000 years, during which man's life 
 was 10,000 years, and in which one-third of the
 
 Notes and Illujirations. 207 
 
 human race lapfed into fin. 3. The Divapaar-yoo- 
 gam, which endured 600,000 years, during which 
 human life was reduced to 1000 years, and half the 
 race became depraved. And 4. Kali-yoogam, in 
 which fin is univerfal, human life diminifhed to 
 100 years, and which is to laft 400,000 years, of 
 which fome 5000 are already paft. 
 
 STORY THE SEVENTH. 
 
 Page 144. — The roads in India are not unfre- 
 quently lined with banian trees, each one of itfelf a 
 grove, forming natural fhady bowers, impervious even 
 to an Indian fun, as from the horizontal branches 
 pendant roots hang downwards, which, upon reaching 
 the ground, become new trunks. 
 
 Page 147. — Tchy! tchy! Fie! fie! a common ex- 
 clamation of extreme difguft. " Ceux qui favant 
 vivre, ne difent jamais ce mot devant les perfonnes 
 de diftinclion, ni hors du difcours familier." — Befchi's 
 MS. Diclionary, quoted by Mr. Babington. 
 
 Page 148. — Cadjan, a prepared leaf of the palm 
 tree, upon which the Tamuls cut in the letters with 
 a flile. In the Britifh Mufeum, and at the Eafl 
 India Mufeum, are many of thefe manufcripts, both 
 Tamul and Pali, which of late years have become 
 comparatively common in the mops of European 
 bookfellers who deal in oriental literature. 
 
 Page 151. — Mr. Babington furnifhes the following 
 interefling particulars refpecling the drefs of the 
 Tamuls, both male and female : — " The articles of
 
 208 Notes and Ilhiftrations. 
 
 clothing among the Tamuls are few and fimple, 
 though their names, fome of which are fynonymous, 
 and others expreflive of differences in manufacture, 
 colour, and other circumflanees, are extremely nume- 
 rous. It feems probable that anciently they wore no 
 fewn garments, and that the jackets now fo much 
 in ufe among the higher clafles of citizens, and the 
 bodices worn by dancing women as well as by females 
 of the higher orders, were introduced by the Mufliil- 
 mans on their conqueft of the country. To this day, 
 thofe who, refiding far from towns, and following rural 
 occupations, are lefs difturbed in their obfervance of 
 the euftoms of their anceftors, wear none but long, 
 unfewn cloths, in the precife Hate in which they 
 come from the loom; and in none of the ancient 
 fculptures of Southern India are either jackets or 
 bodices to be found, the men or gods being repre- 
 fented naked, and the women being furnifhed with a 
 broad ornamented belt, which pafTes horizontally 
 acrofs the breafts and under the arms. The turban 
 is likewife of modern introduction and partial ufe. 
 The Brahmans, with the exception of thofe who hold 
 official fituations, feldom wear it; and many other 
 clafles, more efpecially in the country, go bare- 
 headed, even in the hotteft weather. The genuine 
 drefs of the men, therefore, confifts of — I. a cloth 
 round the loins, which delicacy absolutely demands, 
 and which is the only covering worn by the labouring 
 clafles; 2. a cloth of 8 cubits in length, which is 
 pafTed feveral times around the waiff and between the 
 legs, thus entirely covering the lower half of the
 
 Notes and Illujlrat'wns. 209 
 
 perfon ; 3. a cloth of four cubits' length, which is 
 ufually carried over one of the moulders, and is 
 occasionally ufed to cover the head ; and 4. a cloth 
 of from 19 to 20 cubits, which envelopes the upper 
 part of the perfon. Perhaps the fhort trowfers, 
 reaching half way down the thighs, and worn by 
 foldiers and athletes, may be alfo of ancient origin. 
 To thefe we may annex the modern additions of the 
 turban, of 30 cubits' length; the linen veft, which 
 fits the body in the upper part, and has a full fkirt ; 
 and the trowfers worn by dancers." 
 
 The true drefs of the women is a fingle cloth of 
 14 cubits in length. By dexterity in the art of 
 wrapping this around the waift, and bringing the end 
 over the moulder, the females of India form as 
 elegant and modefl a drefs as that made with fo much 
 labour, and adj lifted with fo much art, by the fair fex 
 in Europe. 
 
 The ufe of the needle and fciiTors, therefore, which 
 fome feem fo anxious at the prefent time to teach 
 them, would prove at beft but a needlefs art. It 
 might even be morally hurtful, becaufe thofe addi- 
 tional articles of clothing which require to be made up 
 are principally used by courtefans and thofe whofe 
 fubfiftence depends on decoration of perfon. There 
 were, befides, an under bodice, and loofe drawers 
 or trowfers."
 
 3io Notes and Illuftrations. 
 
 STORY THE EIGHTH. 
 
 Page 161. — Poojei, worfhip, aft of devotion, pe- 
 nance ; Anglo-Indians often fpell the word pooja. At 
 page 70 Doodle gives an infight into the ceremonial 
 of Hindoo worfhip, which confifts in decorating, 
 anointing, and making offerings to the idol. Sacred 
 mufic accompanies this ceremony, the officiating 
 Brahmans chanting hymns to the deity, whilft 
 dancing girls propitiate his favour by a folemn dance. 
 
 Page 162. — Chitty, a merchant. The Brahmans 
 hold that of the four caftes, Brahmana, Brahmans; 
 Kfliatriya, Warriors ; Vaijya, Merchants, and Sudra, 
 Cultivators, only the firft and laft remain in the pre- 
 fent Kaliyoogam, or laft age of the world. Thofe, 
 however, who hereditarily follow commerce maintain 
 that fuch is not the facl, and that they are true and 
 genuine merchants. There are three distinct occupa- 
 tions allotted to this general cafte : trade, agricultural 
 labour, and rearing of cattle ; all of which a Brahman 
 may alfo follow. 
 
 Pandarams, religious mendicants of the feci; of 
 Siva, the third perfon in the Hindoo trimurti, or triad 
 of deity. The Saivas, or worfhippers of Siva, are 
 more numerous than any other feci:. Refpecling 
 Hindoo mythology confult Coleman's Mythology of 
 the Hindoos ; and Rhode's Religiqfe Bildung, Mytho- 
 logie, und Philofophie der Hindus. 
 
 Page 163. — In the original it is "a young wife
 
 Notes and Illuftrations. an 
 
 whom he had bought." Moft Hindoo marriages are 
 contracted by the parents when the parties are in 
 childhood, and the wedding is folemnized with oreat 
 pomp when the children reach maturity. A woman 
 brings no other fortune than her clothes and orna- 
 ments, and two or three female Haves, and the father 
 of the bridegroom frequently pays a fum of money to 
 the bride's friends. Hence the terms, "He has married 
 a wife," and " He has purchafed a wife," are ufed quite 
 as fynonymes. 
 
 The females are noted for delicacy, regularity of 
 features, and extreme modefty; they are marriage- 
 able at the age of eleven years, and are accounted 
 old at forty-one. The Tamuls divide the natural 
 life of woman into feven ages, fix of which are prior 
 to forty-one, at which age fhe receives a title fome- 
 what refembling our " old crone." 
 
 Charity and hofpitality are not idle words amongft 
 the Hindoos. " Hofpitality," according to the Infti- 
 tutes of Menu, " is to be exercifed even towards an 
 enemy when he cometh into thy houfe ; for the tree 
 doth not withdraw its made even from the woodman, 
 nor the moon withhold her light from the out- 
 caft Chandala."* The latter paflage cannot fail to 
 recall the words of the Sermon on the Mount (Mat- 
 thew v. 45.) "Les riches idolatres," fays the old 
 traveller Tavemier, "s'eftiment heureux et croyent 
 
 * The vmid^Chandala is here ufed to denote the vileft of the Panars. 
 It is alfo applied to children of mixed marriages, where the mother is of 
 the Brahmana, and the father of the Sudra cafte. 
 
 O 2
 
 212 Notes and Illujlrations. 
 
 que leur maifons font remplies des benedictions du 
 Ciel, lorfqu'ils ont pour hotes quelques-uns de ces 
 Faquirs, qu'ils honorent d'autant plus qu'ils font plus 
 d'aufteritez." 
 
 Page 165. — " On each fide of the door towards the 
 ftreet is a narrow gallery covered by the flope of the 
 roof which projects over it, and which, as far as the 
 gallery extends, is fupported by pillars of brick or wood. 
 This entrance leads into a court, which is alfo fur- 
 rounded by a gallery like the former. On one side of 
 the court is a large room, on a level with the floor of 
 the gallery, open in front, and fpread with mats and 
 carpets covered with white cotton cloth, where the 
 mafter of the houfe receives vifitors and tranfacls 
 bufinefs. From this court there are entrances by very 
 fmall doors to the private apartments." — Hindq/lan in 
 Miniature, vol. viii. p. 518. 
 
 Page 165. — The rice-beater is ufed by the Tamul 
 women to deprive the rice of its hufk, and is a kind 
 of peftle, or long ftafF, made of fome hard wood, 
 moftly ebony, and (hod with metal. The Paddi, as 
 the rice is called whilft in the hufk, is collected into a 
 heap upon a hard floor, or fometimes into an excava- 
 tion in the ground. 
 
 "Two women ufually work together," fays Mr. 
 Babington, " oppofite to one another, with the 
 heap between them, and each receives and raifes 
 the inflrument with the left hand, and then forces it 
 down again violently with the right, giving it a 
 flight inclination forwards, fo that it may eafily be
 
 Notes and Illtiflrations. 213 
 
 caught by the left hand of the oppofite party. As 
 the rice becomes difperfed, it is pufhed back into the 
 centre with the left foot, caufing a graceful fide move- 
 ment ; whence remits a conftant though flow revolu- 
 tion around the heap. This work, as indeed every 
 other kind in India, which is performed by more than 
 one perfon, and admits of adaptation to mufical mea- 
 fure, is accompanied by a fong." 
 
 Mr. Babington fuggefts this rice-beating procefs 
 as an illuftration of Proverbs xxvii. 22. The hand- 
 mills of India are mil fuch as thofe defcribed in the 
 Bible, at which two women may frequently be feen 
 grinding, as mentioned in Matthew xxiv. 41. The 
 Saivas, of whom the chitty's wife was one, place 
 three horizontal lines on the forehead with allies, 
 obtained, if poffible, from the hearth on which a con- 
 fecrated fire is perpetually kept. 
 
 Page 167. — The word hnjjey mud be here taken 
 in its better fenfe of wife or houfewife. The pet 
 name for a woman is Am, literally the bafe or foot of 
 a thing, but ufed alfo to exprefs admiration (fee 
 Note at page 206). However, it is only ufed, lov- 
 ingly, by a hufband to his wife, by a father to his 
 daughter, or by a fon to his mother, or by women 
 amongft themfelves, and is confidered indecorous when 
 coming from an indifferent perfon. 
 
 Page 172. — This placing of the hands upon the 
 head to denote great grief and affliction is the cuf- 
 tom alluded to in 2 Samuel xiii. 19, and in Jeremiah 
 
 "• 37-
 
 214 Notes and Illujlrations. 
 
 " Cette pratique de laver les cadavres avant de les / 
 enterrer ou de les bruler, eft univerfellement fuivie 
 par les Indiens de toutes les caftes." — Dubois. In 
 fome parts of India, after thefe ablutions have taken 
 place, the body of a prieft is embalmed with the 
 coftlieft fpices procurable, and placed in a cheft filled 
 with honey, when it is put away for the day of public 
 fepulture, or the funeral pyre, generally months after- 
 wards. 
 
 Arrived at the place, attended by immenfe num- 
 bers of people who form the proceflion, and met 
 by others from all the furrounding diftricls, two 
 parties feize upon the car, one at either fide, and 
 commence the ceremony of " caring," by tugging at 
 it with all their might, the one reprefenting thofe 
 who defire to inter the body, and the other thofe who 
 would commit it to the flames. Whichever is fuccefT- 
 ful carries the point, and the body is either buried or 
 burned accordingly. A fcene of wilder tumult and 
 excitement cannot well be conceived than what takes 
 place at one of thefe funerals, at which all kinds of 
 revelry and vice prevail, and which tend only to 
 bring together the people for their own demoral- 
 ization. 
 
 The Poojei over, the honey, which has been care- 
 fully put by when the body was removed from the 
 cheft, is bottled, and finds its way into the Calcutta 
 market, and hence, with the delicacies of European 
 cookery and Indian preferves, to the tables of our 
 epicures.
 
 Notes and Illiiftrations. 
 
 21S 
 
 After all, it is with manners and cuftoms as 
 with everything elfe ; fo let everybody join in the 
 ftrain : — 
 
 ASINUS • ASINO • SUS ■ SUI ■ PULCHER ■ 
 ET • SUUM • CUIQUE ■ PULCHRUM ■
 
 ERRATA • SIC ■ CORRIGE. 
 
 P. 20. Gaudama pro Guadama. 
 P. 24. Malayalam pro Malayatam. 
 P. 35. et femper lege : Poorohita. 
 P. 170. Svabhavakripana, v. pro f.
 
 A. 
 
 Achedanamoorti, irrational, 159. 
 
 Am, foot, bafe of a thing, pet name for a woman, 
 
 dear, 206. 
 Am-am-ma, clear, dear me, wonderful, prodigious, 
 
 136, 206, 213. 
 Amoordam, the drink of the gods, 118. 
 Asangadan, a mocker, merriman, 26, 159, 169. 
 Assirvahdam, conge, difmiflal, 139. 
 Avoor, a town in Trichinopoly, 21. 
 Avyar, a Tamul poetefs, 179. 
 Ayinar, the fon of Vifhnoo, 97, 202.
 
 2 1 8 GloJJary. 
 
 B. 
 
 Banian tree, Ficus Indica, 133, defcribed, 144, 207. 
 
 Bathkol, the Jewifh Sortes Biblicce, 32. 
 
 Brahma, the firft perfon in the Hindoo triad of 
 
 deity, 25. 
 Brahmana, the Brahman cafte, 25, 27, 29, 31, 117* 
 
 184, 185, 187, 210. 
 Buddha, called Shajlri, or fupremely wife man, 162, 
 
 206. 
 
 Cad j an, prepared palm leaf for writing, 148, 151, 
 
 152, 207. 
 Caravansara, inn, etc., 90. 
 Chaff, to make game of, 74, 92, 159, 192. 
 Chandala, loweft of Pariars, or outcafts ; fon of a 
 
 Brahmana mother and Sudra father, 204, 211. 
 Chitty, a merchant, 117, 162, 167, 210. 
 Choultry, caravanfara, village court and inn, 87, 
 
 88, 90, 118, 185, 201. 
 Chunda Sahib, Nabob of Trichinopoly, 23. 
 Cooral, fee Kurral. 
 
 D. 
 
 Darma, or Dharma, juftice, death, ^, 138, 141, 171. 
 Darma-Sastra, or Dharma- Sa/ira, a celebrated book 
 
 of ethics, laws, and ritual obfervances, 92, 201. 
 Dwapaar-yoogam, the third age of the world, 141, 
 
 206.
 
 Gloffary. 219 
 
 F. 
 
 Fanam, a gold or filver coin, money, $$, 58, 87, 
 
 93, 94, 118, 124, 202. 
 Faquir, a religious mendicant, 211. 
 Fo ol fand the irm one ya refo on par ted, a men. 
 
 tranfpofition of the Englifh adage, Fools and their 
 
 money are foon parted, 55. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gaudama, the apoftle of Buddhifm, 20. 
 
 Ghee, mefs, difh, fimilar to the Latin ferculum, 109, 
 
 203. 
 Gooroo, firft rank of Brahmans, fpiritual guide, 
 
 teacher, 22, 32, 36, 70, 115, 185, 187. 
 
 H. 
 
 Hem, fo, an exclamation, 30, 31, 51, 80, 130. 
 Hindoo, or Gentoo, 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 37. 
 
 J. 
 Jala-jala, plop-plop, 50. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kadam, mile, equal to ten Englim miles, 73, 192. 
 Kaliyoogam, the fourth and lad age of the world, 
 114, 141, 207.
 
 220 Gloffanj. 
 
 Kanjakuddsha, the town of Kunoje, 32, 182. 
 Kasoo, or Kafhoo, a fmall coin, cam, 129, 202. 
 Kshatriya, the warrior cafte, 25, 184, 187, 210. 
 Kurral, a celebrated poem, confifting of above 
 
 thirteen hundred moral diflichs, by the Tirooval- 
 
 loovan, 179, 180. 
 Kuthami, an ancient Babylonian author, 200. 
 
 M. 
 
 Madeiyam, idiot, 187. 
 
 Madura, a college eftablifhed by the Tamul princes, 
 
 182. 
 Mahabharata, the celebrated Hindoo Epic, 187. 
 Mattam, the Gooroo's cell or convent, 38, 58, 60, 
 
 6 5> 7h *5 6 > *7h 184, 187. 
 Matti, blockhead, 187. 
 
 Menu, the compiler of Inftitutes of Hindoo Law, 187. 
 Mileichan, dunce, 187. 
 
 Mogul, foreigner, the Tartar ruler of India, 19. 
 Moodan, fool, 187. 
 Murdhabhishicta, a Brahmanical fe&, 25. 
 
 N. 
 
 Namascara, mode of faluting a Brahman, 136, 139, 
 
 206. 
 Nayr, a foldier of high cafte, 204. 
 
 O. 
 
 Oodsameiyams, name of fix feels, 162, 169; de- 
 fcribed, 184.
 
 GloQanj. 221 
 
 P. 
 
 Paddi, rice in the hufk, 166, 212. 
 Padeiyachi, a fuperior kind of farm-labourer, 89,95. 
 Pagoda, a gold or filver coin, 64, 65, 61, 74, 82. 
 Palei-kodi, a parafitical plant, the Afclepias voluhilis, 
 
 in. 
 Pandaram, a religious mendicant of the feci: of Siva, 
 
 162, 164, 210. 
 Pantshatantra, a Sanfkrit collection of Indian 
 
 Fables and Tales, in five books, 19, 27, 28, 178, 
 
 181, 182, 188. 
 Paramartan, fimple, without guile, 19, 28, 179, 186. 
 Parascara, a Brahmanical feci, 25. 
 Pariar, an outcaft, 26, 204. 
 Passoun-kirey, name of a plant, 85. 
 Pedei, fimpleton, 186, 187. 
 Poojei, or Pooja, act of devotion, worfhip, penance, 
 
 26, 70, 161, 162, 166, 209. 
 Poorrachchameiyans, name of fix feels, 26, 162, 
 
 169, 179; defcribed, 184. 
 Poorohita, or Poorahita, a feci: of Brahmans, 35, 
 
 134, I3 6 ^ ifaj l6 9> 205. 
 Puranas, facred books of the Hindoos, 191. . 
 
 R. 
 
 Rajah, ruler, fovereign, prince, 23. 
 
 S. 
 Sahib, Mr., 205. 
 Saivas, worfhippers of Siva, 210, 213.
 
 222 Gloffary. 
 
 Sastra, Shastri, Shaster, a facred book of the 
 
 Hindoos; wifdom; any book of great authority; a 
 
 wife man, a prophet, a true and wife faying, 93, 94, 
 
 136, 141, 157, 205. 
 Sikhs, a warlike people of India, who reject the 
 
 authority of the Vedas, Pur anas, and other books 
 
 of the Hindoos, 191. 
 Siva, or Shivan, the third perfon in the Hindoo triad 
 
 of deity, 162, 210. 
 Soma, the Moon, 170. 
 
 Somasarman, in the care of the Moon, 170, 198. 
 Sooti-yoogam, the firft age of the world, 141, 206. 
 Sudra, the cafte of cultivators, 25, 184, 210. 
 Svabhavakripana, through one's own folly mifer- 
 
 able, 170, 198. 
 
 T. 
 
 Tamul, a primitive language, fpoken by the inhabi- 
 tants of Southern India, etc., 21, 22, 24, 180. Li- 
 terature, 179 — 182. 
 
 Tchy, fie, 147, 207. 
 
 Tembavani, a Tamul poem, by Befchi, 22. 
 
 Tiroo, divine, 179. 
 
 Tirtah-yoogam, the fecond age of the world, 141, 
 206. 
 
 Toonookoo, plain-plafh, 50. 
 
 Tyer, curds, 109, 159. 
 
 V. 
 
 Vaidya, a Brahmanical feci, 26.
 
 Glo/Jary. 223 
 
 Vaisya, the merchant cafte, 25, 116, 184, 210. 
 
 Valkeer, a breeder of cattle, $$. 
 
 Valloovan, a prieftof the Pariars, 2,6, 27, 124, 132, 
 
 179, 184. 
 Vedas, the moft facred books of the Hindoos, 25, 
 
 185, 187, 191. 
 Viramamooni, the Jefuit Befchi, 21, 49, 50. 
 Vishnoo, the fecond perfon in the Hindoo triad of 
 
 deity, 97, 202. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yoogam, a period of the world's age, 141. 
 
 Z. 
 
 Zingis, Gengis Khan, 120, 203. 
 
 THE END.
 
 LONDON : 
 
 WILLIAM STEVENS, PRINTER, 37, BELL YARD, 
 TEMPLE BAR.
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 • Box 951388 
 
 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. 
 
 Form
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000188 417 o