Page:Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian.djvu/90

 71 in exchange a yoke of oxen. Some they marry hoping to find in them willing helpmates ; and others for pleasure and to fill their honses with children. The wives prostitute themselves un- less they are compelled to be chaste. No one wears a crown at a sacrifice or libation, and they do not stab the victim, but strangle it, so that nothing mutilated, but only what is entire, may be presented to the deity. A person convicted of bearing false witness suffers mutilation of his extremities. He who maims any one not only suffers in return the loss of the same limb, but his hand also is cut off". If he causes an artizan to lose his hand or his eye, he is put to death. The same writer says that none of the Indians employ slaves ; [but Onesikritos says that this was peculiar to that part of the country over which Musikanos ruled.] t The care of the king's person is entrusted to women, who also are bought from their pa- rents.! The guards and the rest of the soldiery attend outside the gates. A woman who kills the king when drunk becomes the wife of his successor. The sons succeed the father. The king may not sleep during the daytime, and by night he is obliged to change his couch from t His kingdom lay in Siudliu, along the banks of the Indus, -and lus capital was probably near Bakkar. X This was not unknown in native courts of later times. Conf . Idrisi'g: account of the Balhara king.