From the Ancient Books of the Hindus. 369 



of the Indus, as a learned Brahmen has conjectured, for the hifling letter is 

 often changed into an afpirate ; and the Greek name for that river feems to 

 fbengthen his ■conjecture. Be it as it may, the words Hindu and Hinduft'hdn 

 occur in no Sanfcrit book of great antiquity $ but the epithet Haindava, in a 

 derivative form, is ufedby the poet Ca'lida's : the modern Brdbmens, when 

 they write or fpeak Sanfcrit, call themfelves Hindus; but they give the name 

 of Cumdra-c handa to their country on both fides the Ganges, including part 

 of the peninfula, and that of Naga~c handa to the diftricts bordering on the 

 Indus.. 



"Next to the emigration of the Tddavas? the moft celebrated was that of 

 the Palts, or Pd/iputras; many of whofe fettlements were named Pdlifihdn, 

 which the Greeks changed into Palaiflinh a country fo called was on the banks 

 of the Tigris, and another in Syria-, the river Strymon fiad the epithet Paldif- 

 tinos-, in Italy we find the Pelefiini, and, at the mouth of the Po, a town called 

 Philiflina ; to which may be added the Philidince fqjfiones, and the 'Palejtince 

 arence in Epirus. As the Greeks wrote Palai for Pali, they rendered the word 

 Paliputra by Palaigonos, which alfo means the •offs$$ng of Pali-, but they 

 fometimes --retained the Sanfcrit word for fori, and the -town of Palaif" . ' 

 this day called Paliputra by the natives, flood on the fhore of the h 

 thefe difquifitions, however, would lead me too far 5 and I proceed tc. d 

 Urate the ancient intercourfe between Egypt and India by a faithful e 

 .of fome mythological and agronomical fables which were common to both 

 ithofe countries. 



Yy 



