Analytical Account of the Pancha Tantra. 179 



story. He makes the sun, &c. decline the marriage ; but, in the Sanscrit, 

 the lady makes objections to all the proposed bridegrooms, till she sees 

 the rat, when her natural propensities induce her to solicit her adoptive 

 father to give her to him in marriage. 



The next story of " the Bird that voided gold with its dung," is peculiar 

 to the Tancha Tantra ; so is that of « the Fox, who detects the presence of 

 a Lion in a cavern :" neither tale has much point. The story of " the 

 Snake and Frogs," is told in all three works ; but in the Pancha Tantra, it 

 is interrupted by the following : viz. 



" The Brahman and his Wife. 

 " There was a BrdhmaJi, named Manddvisha, whose wife was a woman of 

 loose character. She had a lover, to whom she was accustomed to carry 

 delicacies and cates, which she prepared herself. Her husband, at last 

 taking notice of this, inquired of her whither she took them, and to whom : 

 she replied, I carry them as oblations to my tutelary goddess Devi, whose 

 temple, you know, is close at hand. Pretending to be satisfied with this 

 reply, Ihe husband allowed her to proceed, but continued to watch her. 

 As she found that he observed her, she went to the temple, and performed 

 the customary oblations, and entered the building. Her husband im- 

 mediately set off by another path ; and getting into the edifice by a different 

 entrance, concealed himself behind the statue of the goddess. The wife, 

 being afraid that her husband was still on the watch, determined to go 

 through with the ceremony in earnest, and having presented the oblations 

 she thus prayed, « O ! goddess, deign to inform me by what means my 

 husband can be deprived of his eyesight." The husband, hearing this 

 disguised his voice, and answered, " Feed him daily with such cates as you 

 have brought hither, and he will soon become blind." The wife returned 

 home delighted, and put in practice the supposed instructions of the 

 goddess. In a few days the Brdhnan began to complain of dimness of 

 vision, and shortly afterwards pretended to lose his sight. The wife 

 attributing this to the favour of the goddess, entertained no doubt of the 

 fact; and in the confidence of not being detected, invited her gallant to 

 come fearlessly to the house. The husband, however, now thoroughly 

 apprised of the truth, lost no time in punishing her misconduct. Surpris 

 uig the guilty pair, he beat the adulterer with his staff, till he expired ; and 

 cutting off his wifb's nose, he turned her away." 

 Vol. I. OB 



