262 ALPINES AND BOG-PLANTS 
all the stories in the Birth-Garland of Our Lord Buddha, 
preaches superhuman perfections of charity and _ self- 
denial through a hundred imagined incidents in the by- 
gone births and deaths of The Utterly Perfect One, 
claiming no authority, of course, as bistory or dogma, 
but, like the Gospel - parables, making exorbitant 
demands on poor mortal virtue, in the hope, by asking 
a very great deal, of obtaining perhaps a little. And, 
if you care to read further, you will learn how two young 
swans of the swan-kingdom came soaring over the lake of 
seduction ; how they reported ecstatically on it to their 
King; how, after long deliberation, against the counsel 
of Sumukha, the Bodhisatta with all his followers rose 
up and flew to Benares. And there, on that lake of 
temptation, the Bodhisatta was snared by a cunning 
fowler, at the command of King Brahmadatta. Mindful 
as always of others only, Bodhisatta uttered a loud 
warning cry, and in an instant all his host of swans rose 
up into the air and departed, making great lamentation. 
Sumukha alone remained at the side of imprisoned 
Bodhisatta. And there Sumukha and Bodhisatta strove 
in generosity, one against the other: Sumukha refusing to 
seek safety for himself and leave his lord a prisoner ; 
Bodhisatta insisting that he should go and save himself 
while yet there was time. But while they pleaded one 
with another, the fowler rushed forth and found the 
two royal birds an easy prey. But only one of them 
was bound in the snare. So he was greatly astonished, 
and eagerly asked Sumukha why he had not used his 
opportunities of escape. Then Sumukha replied to him 
in human words, ‘whose sonorous firmness showed his 
virtuous nature, that if the fowler held Bodhisatta in a 
snare of cords, so he, Sumukha, was held by Bodhisatta 
in the far stronger snare of the Bodhisatta’s holiness and 
wisdom. ‘And the fowler fell into ecstasy, and the hairs 
