2/0 - ON THE CHRONOLOGY 



the inhabitants of the country, of which it was the ca- 

 pital, they denominated Palibothri, though this ap- 

 pellation more properly belongs to another tribe of 

 Hindus, of whom I gave feme account in a former ef- 

 iay on Egypt. 



• 



Diodorus Siculus, (peaking of Palibotkra;, fays, 

 that it had been built by the Indian Hercules, who, 

 according to Megqfthenes, as quoted by Arrian, was 

 worfhipped by the Surqfeni. Their chief cities were 

 Methora and Clifobora ; the firft is now called Mutra{* \ 

 the other Mugu-nagur by the Alufulmans, and 

 Califa-pura by the Hindus. The whole country about 

 Mutra is called Surafena to this day bv learned Brdk- 

 mens. 



The Indian Hercules, according to Cicero, was called 

 Bells. He is the lame with Bala, the brother of 

 CV; mix a, and both are conjointly worlhippcd at Mutra; 

 indeed, they are coniidered as one Avatara, or incar- 

 nation of Vijhnu, Bala is reprefented as a flout man 

 with a club in his hand, ile is called alio Bala- 

 H':ia. To decline the word Bala you mult begin 

 with Balas, which I conceive to be an obfolete foroij 

 preferred only for the purpole of dccleniion, and ety- 

 mological derivation. The fir it: a in Bala is pronoun- 

 ced like the firit a in America, in the eailern parts pi 

 India : but in the weiiern parts, and in Benares, it is 

 pronounced exaclly like the French c in the pronouns 

 je, me, le, &c. thus the difference between Balas and 

 Belta is not very great. As Bala iprung from Vijhnu, 

 or Hen, he is certainly Hri-cula, Heri-culas y and 

 Hercules. Diodorus Siculus fays, that the pofterity of 

 Hercules reigned for many centuries in Pali -ho l lira y 

 but that they did nothing worthy of being recorded ; 

 and, indeed, their names are not even mentioned in 

 the pur anas. 



• [n Sanfcrit it is called Mai'i 



itt 



