1840.] from Bactrian and Indo-Scythian coins. 349 



translated, is still left to be discussed. It too terminates in 6 ; 

 but there precede three symbols, which belong all to t, d, r, 

 letters so easily to be confounded, though Mr. Prinsep,* who, 

 however, observes the ambiguity, has taken it for k. Among 

 all the readings, rakako, radako radado, which can be taken 

 on his conjecture, he chooses rakako, because the Sanscrit word 

 rakshaka denotes protector, and because (he does indeed not 

 expressly mention this, but it must have influenced his decision) 

 its form in Pracrit is rakkhako. Though I could mention 

 several other objections to this interpretation, suffice it to say, 

 that there is no k to be met with in the word. For the same 

 reason we cannot adopt the word tdraka, supporter, deliverer. 



Mr. Grotefend started on the supposition, that it was the 

 same with KOPANO, which occurs upon the Kanerkes-coins. 

 Besides, however, that this word may have belonged to a 

 dialect, different from what we have hitherto discussed, the 

 same objection will also be decisive ; neither the n, here 

 assumed, nor the k can stand the test. 



After having compared all instances of this word upon the 

 coins of Menandros, Apollodotos, Diomedes, Hermaios, it re- 

 mains doubtful yet, as for what we can take the three first char- 

 acters of the word ; we may read Tinl just so, according to 

 the coin which we choose as a criterion for those three letters. 



A hint appears in the following. We observe different 

 orthography of this word upon coins, which certainly belong 

 to a later period, and the words on which seem to intimate 

 an altered state of the language, as upon the coins As. Trans. 

 Vol. iv. PL xxin. No. 23, where the Greek legend exhibits 

 BA2IAEY2 BA2IAEQN 2QTHP MErAS, so also upon the 

 coins of the unknown king, who usually has only Greek in- 

 scriptions ;f fortunately we can easily read a portion of the 

 native legend, it is thus : Tii^llu T>*l OTIlu, therefore, mahato 

 — adhard mahdrdgo ; to this there probably succeeded rdgardgo ; 

 but this part is no longer legible. £ is the second character in 



* IV. 335. 

 t The king too is on horseback, as upon the purely Greek coins of the 

 great deliverer ; this accords with the monogram. See at the same place 

 No. 26. The reverse is different. 



