262 ALPINES AND BOG-PI-ANTS 



all the stories in the Birth-Garland of Our Lord Buddha, 

 preaches superhuman perfections of charity and self- 

 denial through a hundred imagined incidents in the by- 

 gone births and deaths of The Utterly Perfect One, 

 claiming no authority, of course, as history or dogma, 

 but, like the Gospel parables, making exorbitant 

 demands on poor mortal virtue, in the hope, by asking 

 a very great deal, of obtaining perhaps a little. And, 

 if you care to read further, you will learn how two young 

 swans of the swan-kingdom came soaring over the lake of 

 seduction ; how they reported ecstatically on it to their 

 King ; how, after long deliberation, against the counsel 

 of Sumukha, the Bodhisatta with all his followers rose 

 up and flew to Benares. And there, on that lake of 

 temptation, the Bodhisatta was snared by a cunning 

 fowler, at the command of King Brahmadatta. Mindful 

 as always of others only, Bodhisatta uttered a loud 

 warning cry, and in an instant all his host of swans rose 

 up into the air and departed, making great lamentation. 

 Sumukha alone remained at the side of imprisoned 

 Bodhisatta. And there Sumukha and Bodhisatta strove 

 in generosity, one against the other : Sumukha refusing to 

 seek safety for himself and leave his lord a prisoner; 

 Bodhisatta insisting that he should go and save himself 

 while yet there was time. But while they pleaded one 

 with another, the fowler rushed forth and found the 

 two royal birds an easy prey. But only one of them 

 was bound in the snare. So he was greatly astonished, 

 and eagerly asked Sumukha why he had not used his 

 opportunities of escape. Then Sumukha replied to him 

 in human words, ' whose sonorous firmness showed his 

 virtuous nature,' that if the fowler held Bodhisatta in a 

 snare of cords, so he, Sumukha, was held by Bodhisatta 

 in the far stronger snare of the Bodhisatta's holiness and 

 wisdom. ' And the fowler fell into ecstasy, and the hairs 



