76 Before Chrlft. 324. 



At rhe time of Alexander's invafion the jurifprudence and police of 

 India were regulated with admirable wifdom, matured by the accumu- 

 lated experience of many centuries of civiUzation and eftabliflied govern- 

 ment. The large extent of the Hates or kingdoms, the perfedion of 

 their agriculture and manufaftures, and the very flourifhing ftate of the 

 arts and fciences, afford evident proofs of this truth *. Their fertile 

 fields, and their judicious cultivation, produced annually two crops of 

 grain of various forts, whereof rice conilituted the chief article of their 

 fubfiflence. From rice they extraded a fpiritous liquor, as well as from 

 the fugar-cane ; from which they alfo made fugar, which Nearchus 

 [ap. Strab. L. xv, /». iot6] calls honey of canes, its proper Indian name 

 of facchar {(Toi.x,yaf) being yet unknown to the Greeks. The rent of 

 land was generally one fourth part of the produce. The cultivators of 

 the earth, together with their lands and their produAions, were exempted 

 from the toils, the dangers, and the ravages, of war. The valuable cotton 

 Ihrub fupplied them with clothing, which was chiefly calico, either pure 

 white, or adorned with figures of various colours, fuch as is now worn by 

 women of all ranks in this country, in imitation of the productions of the 

 Indian looms. Their drefs was alfo ornamented with gold and jewels. 

 They ufed umbrellas, a iimple and elegant defence from the fun and the 

 rain, which we havejufl: begun to enjoy, after it has beenfome thoufands 

 of years common in the Eaft. Their roads were carefully kept in repair, 

 and regularly furniflied with mile-fl:ones. Houfes of reception for tra- 

 velers (called choultries at prefent, and probably then alfo) were efta- 

 blifhed at proper dillances. The interefl; of money was regulated by 

 law, as was alfo the rate, or premium, due for the advance of money 

 upon bottomry ; circumfl:ances which fiiow, that commerce was well 

 und.erftood, and had long flourifliedf. Their fculptures on the hardefl 

 gems, many of which are of very high antiquity and great elegance, 

 and their ingenious works in various metals, and in ivory, were admired 

 by the Greeks \. Their architedture, military and religious, was on fuch 

 a large fcale, as could only be executed by great communities, living 

 under regular governments. Their literary compofitions, in the earlieft 

 ages to which our imperfeft information extends, but many centuries 

 prior to the irruption of Alexander, appear, by the fpecimens we have 

 lately been favoured with, to be fuch as could only be produced among 



• Do£lor Robertfon alfo confidcis the diftribu- Cliarles I. How many centuries we were behind 



tion of the people into dillinil hereditary cads, the Indians in commercial policy ! 

 who were bound by thcit religion invariably to f The prefent age may alfo fee and admire the 



follow the profeflions or trades of their aneeilors, gems in the great trcafury of them, coUetlcd by 



as a proof of very a;itient civilization ; \^IIijlorical Mr. TatTic of Leiceller fqnarc. The legends on 



Jifijuifuiim, p. 230, ed, 1794] though the wifdom them arc in the Sanflirect, which, ihougli antient- 



of filch a policy feems at leall verj- doubtful. ly the univerfal language of a great part of Afia, 



f In this commercial nation contrafls for bot- has long been known only to llie moll learned of 



lomry weic not regularly legal till the reign of the Brahmins. 



