A RUN THROUGH KATHIAWAR. 289 



sented no great difficulty when once the characters 

 were deciphered ; but these latter did, being so 

 ancient as to have passed out of the knowledge of 

 even the most learned Pundits. James Prinsep man- 

 aged to decipher them about forty years ago, as 

 described in the ' Bengal Asiatic Society's Journal ' 

 of the time ; and his rendering has been universally 

 accepted by scholars, with the addition of a few in- 

 significant verbal emendations by Lassen, Burnouf, 

 and others. Ashoka, whose name signifies " Free 

 from sorrow," seems to have himself been a convert 

 to Budhism ; and these edicts he had inscribed were 

 with a view of instructing the whole of his people in 

 the tenets of that religion and carrying them over to 

 it. He calls himself " The Beloved of the Gods," and 

 even Gautama Biidha did not deny the existence of 

 the Gods ; but in other respects his edicts are rigid 

 enough. "]S"o convivial meeting is to be held, be- 

 cause the Beloved of the Gods has noticed many 

 faults in such reunions," as he would no doubt do at 

 the present day were he alive. The putting animals 

 to death must cease entirely ; vegetable food is to be 

 provided for all, and the king himself relinquishes 

 hunting. Censors of morals and informers are ap- 

 pointed, and the king himself has no ambition except 

 the performance of moral duty. Universal toleration 

 must be practised ; but expiations must be made 

 every fifth year in order to enforce the performance 

 of duties, and the new faith is to be proclaimed by 

 VOL. v. T 



