BOOK VI. XXIV. 87-89 



brilliant star, lights them by night. But what 

 surprised tliem most was that their shadows fell 

 towards oiu* skv and not towards theirs," and that 

 the sun rose on the left-hand side of the observer 

 and set towards the right instead ofvice versa. They 

 also told us that the side of their island facing 

 towards India is 1250 miles long and lies south-east 

 of India ; that beyond the Himalayas they also face 

 towards the country of the Chinese, who are known to 

 them by intcrcourse in trade as well, the father of 

 Rachia ha\-ing travelled there, and that when they 

 arrived there the Chinese always hastened down to 

 the beach to meet them. That people themselves 

 (they told us) are of more than normal height,andhave 

 flaxen hair and blue eyes, and they speak in harsh 

 tones and use no language in deaHng with travellers. 

 The remainder of the envoys' accoimt agreed with 

 the reports of our traders — that commodities were 

 deposited on the opposite bank of a river by the 

 side of the goods offered for salc by the natives, 

 and they took them away if satisfied by the barter, — 

 hatred of luxury being in no circumstances more 

 justifiable than if the imagination travels to the 

 Far r.ast and reflects what is procurcd from there 

 and what means of trade are cmployed and for what 

 purpose. 



But even Ceylon, although banished by Nature ciiujaUse 

 beyond the confines of the world, is not without a^j*"^* 

 the vices that belong to us : gold and silver are cusumu. 

 valued there also, and a kind of marble resembUng 

 tortoise-shell and pearls and precious stones are 

 held in honour ; in fact the whole mass of luxury is 

 there carried to a far higher pitch than ours. They 

 told us that there was greater wcaltli in their own 



VOL. II. Q 405 



