Chap. 24.] ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, ETC. 55 



acquaintance they had also made in the pursuits of commerce ; 

 that the father of Rachias had frequently visited their country, 

 and that the Serae always came to meet them on their arrival. 

 These people, they said, exceeded the ordinary human height, 

 had flaxen hair, and blue eyes, and made an uncouth sort of noise 

 by way of talking, having no language of their own for the pur- 

 pose of communicating their thoughts. The rest of their infor- 

 mation^ was of a similar nature to that communicated by our 

 merchants. It was to the effect that the merchandize on sale 

 was left by them upon the opposite bank of a river on their 

 coast, and it was then removed by the natives, if they thought 

 proper to deal on terms of exchange. On no grounds ought 

 luxury with greater reason to be detested by us, than if we only 

 transport our thoughts to these scenes, and then reflect, what 

 are its demands, to what distant spots it sends in order to 

 satisfy them, and for how mean and how unworthy an end ! 



But yet Taprobane even, isolated as it is by nature from the 

 rest of the world, is not exempt from our vices. Gold and 

 silver are held in esteem even there. They have a marble 

 which resembles tortoise-shell in appearance ; this, as well 

 as their pearls and precious stones, is highly valued ; all our 

 luxuries in fact, those even of the most exquisite nature, are 

 there carried to the very highest pitch. They asserted that their 

 wealth is much greater than ours, but admitted that we know 

 better than they how to obtain real enjoyment from opulence. 



In this island no slavery exists ; they do not prolong their 

 sleep to day-break, nor indeed during any part of the day ; 

 their buildings are only of a moderate height from the ground ; 

 the price of corn is always the same ; they have no courts of 

 law and no litigation. Hercules is the deity w^hom they worship ; 



supposed Chinese. Gosselin remarks that under this name the people of 

 a district called Sera are probably referred to, and that in fact such is the 

 name of a city and a whole province at the present day, situate on the 

 opposite coast, beyond the mountains which terminate the plains of the 

 Carnatic. It is equally impossible that under the name of " Emodi" 

 Pliny can allude to the Himalaya chain, distant more than 2000 miles. 

 The mountains, on the verge of the plains of the Carnatic, are not im- 

 probably those here referred to, and it is not impossible that they may be 

 discerned from the shores of Ceylon. Gosselin is of opinion that tho 

 name of the ancient Sera3 may still be traced in that of Seringapatam, 

 and of the city of Seringham, situate on the river Godavery. 

 «* Relative to the Sera*, or inhabitants of the opposite shores. 



