395 



the suttee from her intention, and in case of failure to acquaint 

 me with the result. He soon communicated his despair of success, 

 and I desired her to be brought to me. 



" I found her a healthy young woman, about twenty-two years 

 of age, in a state of mind firmly resolved on sacrificing herself 

 with her dead husband, whom she incessantly and passionately 

 invoked, with every endearing expression. The scene was singu- 

 lar and affecting: I scarce knew how to commence the difficult 

 task of soothing grief so poignant, or of diverting a resolution 

 founded on despair. In the course of my endeavours 1 found the 

 poor suttee had no relations at Poonah ; her father and mother 

 lived in her native village, at some distance. I discovered like- 

 wise that her husband's death had exposed her to the dread of ab- 

 solute distress. The first subject furnished a strong counteracting 

 power to the passionate grief that possessed her mind, and by pro- 

 per application awakened a new sensation: which, followed up, 

 produced a flood of tears, the first symptom of relaxation from de- 

 termined grief; such as must have been the despairing sorrow of 

 Niobe! A counteracting passion being thus excited, the dread of 

 distress was soothed by assurances, properly introduced, of main- 

 tenance in the means of devoting her future life to the discharge 

 of religious ceremonies at the shrine of her household gods, in 

 honour of her husband's memory; which would be more grateful 

 to the gods, and acceptable to him, than sacrificing herself on his 

 pyreal pile. 



" After these and a variety of other arguments, which occupied 

 nearly three hours, in the course whereof gentle restraint was some- 

 times imposed on occasional fits of passion and anguish, she was 



