570 Sino-Iranica 



laws, that a Chinese initial d% was reproduced in Iranian by the palatal 

 surd c. It is this phonetic agreement on the one hand, and the coin- 

 cidence of the Sanskrit, Iranian, and Greek names for China on the other, 

 which induce me to admit the Ts'in etymology as a possible theory; that 

 the derivation has really been thus, no one can assert positively. The 

 presence of the designation Ts'in for Chinese during the Han is an histor- 

 ical accessory, but it does not form a fundamental link in the evidence. 



33. The preceding notes should be considered only as an outline 

 of a series of studies which should be further developed by the co- 

 operation of Persian scholars and Arabists familiar with the Arabic 

 sources on the history and geography of Iran. A comprehensive study 

 of all Persian sources relating to China would also be very welcome. 

 Another interesting task to be pursued in this connection would be 

 an attempt to trace the development of the idealized portrait which 

 the Persian and Arabic poets have sketched of the Chinese. It is known 

 that in the Oriental versions of the Alexander Romance the Chinese 

 make their appearance as one of the numerous nations visited by 

 Alexander the Great (Iskandar). In Firdausi's (935-1025) version he 

 travels to China as his own ambassador, and is honorably received by 

 the Fagfur (Son of Heaven), to whom he delivers a letter confirming 

 his possessions and dignities, provided he will acknowledge Iskandar as 

 his lord and pay tribute of all fruits of his country; to this the Fagfur 

 consents. In Nizami's (1141-1203) Iskandarndme ("Book of Alex- 

 ander "), Iskandar betakes himself from India by way of Tibet to China, 

 where a contest between the Greek and Chinese painters takes place, 

 the former ultimately carrying the day. 1 In the Ethiopic version of 

 the Alexander story, "the king of China commanded that they should 

 spread out costly stuffs upon a couch, and the couch was made of gold 

 ornamented with jewels and inlaid with, a design in gold; and he sat in 

 his hall, and his princes and nobles were round about him, and when 

 he spake they made answer unto him and spake submissively. Then he 

 commanded the captain to bring in Alexander the ambassador. Now 

 when I Alexander had come in with the captain, he made me to stand 

 before the King, and the men stood up dressed in raiment of gold and 

 silver; and I stood there a long time and none spake unto me." 2 The 

 Kowtow (k'o-fou) question was evidently not raised. It is still more 

 amusing to read farther on that the king of China made the ambassador 

 sit by his side upon the couch, — an impossible situation. The Fagfur 

 sent to Alexander garments of finely woven stuff, one hundred pounds 



1 Cf. F. Spiegel, Die Alexandersage bei-den Orientalen, pp. 31, 46. 



2 E. A. W. Budge, Life and Exploits of Alexander the Great, p. 173. 



