561 ON THE CHRONOLOGY* 



Nd/n/d, when far advanced in years, was takeri ill 

 fuddenlv, and to all appearance died. He loon re^ 

 vived, to the great joy of his lubjecls : but his fenfes 

 appeared to be greatly deranged, for he no longer 

 fpoke or acled as before. While fome afcribed the 

 monarch's imbccillity to the effects of a certain poifon, 

 which is known to impair the faculties at kail, when 

 it proves too weak to deftroy the life of thofe to whom 

 it is admiuiftered, Alanlri-RacJJiafa, his prime minifter 

 was firmly perfuaded, according to a notion very pre- 

 valent among the Hindus, that upon his mailer's 

 death, fome magician had entered into the lifelels 

 corpfe which was now re-animated and actuated by his 

 preieace. He, therefore, fecretiy ordered, that itrict 

 icarch might be made for the magician's own body : 

 for, as according to the tenets of their fuperfiitiom 

 this would neceilarily be rendered mviiible, and con- 

 tinue i'o, as long as its fpirit informed another body ; 

 fo he naturally concluded the magician had enjoined 

 one of his faithful followers to watch it, until the dif- 

 folution of the foeil fhould end the trance. In confe- 

 querrce of theie orders, two men being difcovercd 

 keeping watch over a corpfe on the banks of the 

 Ganges, he ordered them to be feized and thrown into 

 the river, and caufed the body to be burnt immedi- 

 ately. It proved to belong to Chandra-das, a king of 

 a fmall domain in the weftern part of India beyond the 

 Findhyan hills, the capital whereof is called llcat-palli. 

 r i mis prince having been obliged to fave himfelf by 

 iiight, from the Yavanas or Greeks, who had difpof- 

 Iciled him of his kingdom, had ailumed, with the 

 ;. r arb of a penitent, the name of Suvui'Jia. Masiiri- 

 Racjhafk having thus puniihed the magician for his 

 *- redumption, left the country. 



I en ISanda recovered from his illncfs he became a 

 mt, or, rather, having entruf. ed Sacaiara, his 

 prime minifter, with the reins of government, the lat- 

 ter ruled with abfolutc fway. As the old king was one' 

 day hunting with his minifter, towards the hills 

 to the fouth of the town, he complained of his ibe 



ing 



