44<S The Diicolpry, Settlement, and Commerce Book I. 
fucli a degree, [that when the Waters are funk, it is 
limply impoiTible, that any Boundaries, Land-marks, or 
other Signs of Property, fihould be difcerned. To pre- 
vent any Difputes that this might occafion, there were, in 
every Diftrict, a certain Nufhber of Infpeftors* who were 
Men of fuch Skill and Dexterity, that by retracing every 
Man’s Limits, they prevented any Difputes. The fame 
Perfohs had likewife die Care of the public Recevoirs of 
Water, and of the Sluices: So that, by their Diligence, 
the Country never buffered in the dried; Summer. Another 
Branch of their Charge was, to look into the Conduct of 
the Grafters and H untfmen, fuch as wrought in the Woods, 
and in the Mines. They were alfo Surveyors of the 
Highways ; and in that Quality they appointed Guides, 
wliOj at every ten Stadia informed the Traveller which 
W ay the Road lay ; where he might have Lodging •, and 
how far it was to the next Stage a . 
The Infpecftors that refided in Towns, were divided into 
fix CJaffes : Of thefe; fome looked into the Management 
of Tradefmeri and Artificers •, others had the Care of the 
Inns, where they examined fuch Strangers as arrived, in 
relation to their Bufmefs in the Country, and gave Direc- 
tions* that they ihould not ftay above three Days in one 
Town. They likewife prevented Strangers,’ as far as they 
were able, from committing any thing contrary to good 
Manners ; vifited them, if they were fick ; examined them 
as to the Nature of their Diftemper, that they might be 
fure it was not contagious : Took cafe that they wanted 
for nothing ; and, in cafe of their Deaths* that their Ef- 
fects were difpofed of purfuant to their Wills. Others 
kept a Regifter of Births and Burials, and fet down very 
exactly the Time, the Place, and other Circumftances : 
Thefe likewife looked into Weights and Meafures, and 
faw that they were agreeable to the Standard : They 
alfo prevented the fame Man from dealing in different 
Goods, faw that Manufactures were properly finifhed, and 
fet their Seal, to prevent Difputes ; inquired into Work- 
mens Wages, and caufed them to be regularly paid : They 
received likewife, the King’s Revenues, which confifted in 
Duties on Goods fold, and not on the Stock in Trade ; 
but if any Man was convicted of felling, without bringing 
it to Account, he fuffered Death. 
The military InfpeCtors had many things committed to 
their Care: As, forlnftance, they were charged to keep a 
certain Number of Boats in conftant Readinefs, for the Paf- 
fage of Rivers, and for tranfporting Forage and Provifions 
by Water ; as alfo a certain Number of Cattle for Car- 
riages, and for removing Baggage. The Magazines were 
likewife under their Care ; and it was their Duty to look to 
the Arms that were laid up in them, that they might be 
conftantly in good Order, and fit for Service. Some of them 
had the Charge of the Elephants, others of the War-cha- 
riots ; and others again inlpeCled the Conduft of the Sol- 
diers in their Quarters. 
It is not a little furprifing, that fuch as compofed the 
Council of the Prince, were thrown into the feventh and 
laft Clafs : Yet thefe were neareft the Throne, and had 
the largeft Share both in the Pains and in the Honours of 
Government. All Affairs relating to the Public were 
fubmitted to the Deliberation of the Senate ; and their Au- 
thority was, in fome refpeCl, fuperior to that of the Crown : 
For they had the foie Power of Life and Death in their 
Hands, and poffeffed all the Dignities of the State. Thefe 
Senators feemed the more honourable, from the Conti- 
nuance of their Offices in their Families, from Time im- 
memorial ; for by the fundamental Laws of their Confti- 
tution, it was forbidden for any Man to pafs out of one 
Clafs into another, even by Marriage. A Farmer could 
not become an Artificer, or an Artificer a Merchant or 
Soldier .By which prudent Precaution, all kinds of Pro- 
fe (lions rofe to the higheft Perfection, the Lights of the 
Father being communicated to the Son, and fo down- 
wards, every Calling being, in this refpeft, as it were, 
one Family . We might very reafonably fufpeft the Truth 
of all this, tho’ confirmed to us by the concurrent Tefti- 
mony of antient Hiftorians, if this Divifion of the Indians 
8 Diodoi~, Sical. lib. 'in. Philojirat. lib.ii. c. 40. _ b Arrian, lib 
^Strabo, id* *v. QCurt. lib. viii. Pompon. Me lib lib. iii. ‘G 
did not fubfift even to our Times : For thefe Claffes are 
precifely the feveral Indian Caffs, of which modem Tra- 
vellers fpeak at this Day ; fo that, as to the Form of the 
antient Indian Government, it is a Faff out of all Dif. 
pute : And one may fafely affirm, that there fcarce ever ' 
exifted a better Conffitution. 
4. The Indian Bacchus , whoever he was, has the Ho- 
nour of being the Author of this wife and wonderful Syftem 
of Government, which was every where eftabliffied in the 
Indie s, at the time of Alexander’s Expedition, when the 
SubjeCts of every little Principality, the Inhabitants of 
every free City, lived exadtly in the manner as we have 
defcribedp, and were, in all refpeCts, the moft civilized, 
and the belt regulated People in the World. All the 
Writers of thofe Times, and even fuch as are the Jeaft 
given to Fables, reprefent the Indians as a very robuft 
People, and of extraordinary Stature ; fome of them feven 
Foot high, particularly King Porus^ who was vanquifhed 
by Alexander. The' inhabitants of the lower Provinces, 
lying on the Banks of the River Indus , were of as dark 
Complexions as the Ethiopians : And the only Difference i 
between them was, that the Indians had long lank black 
Hair, whereas the Hair of the Ethiopians was fliort and 
curled. It was a Cuffom among the Indians , to wear long 
Beards*, which they dyed of feveral Colours ; fome white, 
fome red, fome green, and fome of a purple Colour b . 
Their Habits alfo differed very much : Some of them 
wore the Skins .of Lions and Tygers ; others covered t-hem- 
felves with a fingle Piece of Cloth, which reached from j 
their Heads to their Knees. As for the Soldiers, their 
Drefs confifted in a T urbant, and a light Coat : All their 
Cloaths were commonly white, and were made either of 
Worfted or Cotton ; for tho’ many Authors fpeak of the i 
latter, as if they were Linen-garments ; yet it is certain, ) 
that Flax is not of the Growth of the Indies. The only 
Shew they made of their Riches, was by wearing a fort of i 
Ivory-pendents in their Ears, now and then a purple Robe, j 
white or ftriped Shoes, and Umbrellas of feveral Colours, , 
which the Heat of their Climate rendered neceffary, as I 
well as agreeable c . 
But the Macedonians , and other Greeks , who were the 
Remains of Alexander’s Army, introduced amongft them, . 
by degrees, the Luxury which they had themfelves learnt : 
from the Perftans ; and tho’ the Indians foon fhook off ] 
their Yoke, yet they found it impoffible to quit the ill ! 
Cuftoms thefe Strangers had brought amongft them : And 1 
from this Time it was, that thefe People began to wear : 
Cloth of Gold and Silver, to embroider with Pearl, and \ 
other Stones of Price ; and to endeavour to difplay, to the 3 
utmoft, the Riches with which their Country furnifhed | 
them. It is from this Account of the Matter, that we are :i 
enabled to judge of the Truth, or, at leaft, of the Proba- v 
bility, of what Authors report concerning this Nation ; for, 1 
as on the one hand it is certain, that they were a plain, | 
open, and generous People, who defpifed Pomp and Shew, 
before they were corrupted by Strangers, fo it is nolefs cer- : 
tain, that after they became acquainted with the Greeks , J 
and with the Perfians , by their means, the Courts of their 1 
Princes, at [leaft, received confiderable Alterations ; and : 
they began to affeCt Pomp and Splendor to almoft as high | 
a degree as any of their Neighbours, which was the more 'j 
eafy for them to do, fince they were poffeffed of much ! 
greater Riches d ; and faw too, that this Difplay of their 1 
Wealth had a great EffeCt upon Strangers, and procured ? 
an unufual degree of Reverence and Complailance : For it n 
is with Nations as with private Families, the only Way to i 
avoid ill Cuftoms, is to remain unacquainted with them. 
5. It does by no means appear, that, upon their giving* 
into this Change in their Habits and Cloaths, they funk at 
all in their Morals; byt, on the contrary, maintained the I: 
high Reputation they had acquired for their fteady Virtue, 11 
and ftrift Honour, for feveral Ages. Their Heralds wore - 
a Gold Anchor, embroidered on their Coats, to fignify 
that, in their Alliances, they were unalterable ; and that a jl 
Treaty concluded with them, held them as faff as an An- ; 
chor ; a Chara&er they juftly deferved. They admired 1 
v. Plutarch, in Alexandra. Curt, lib, viii. Hsrcdat. lib. iii, Stralo-ii 
Irrian. Indicis , Ctejias, Hero dot. 
the 
