Page:Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian.djvu/92

 73 of every kind, as if they were going on a cam- paign. || [These cnstoms are very strange when com- pared with onr own, bnt the following are still more so ; ] for Megasthen^ states that the tribes inhabiting the Kaukasos have intercourse with women in pnblic, and eat the bodies of their relatives,^ and that there are monkeys which roll down stones, Ac. (Fragm, XV, fol- lows, and then Fragm, XXIX,) feagm. xxvn. B. ^lian. V. L. iv. 1. The Indians neither put out money at nsnry, nor know how to borrow. It is contrary to estab- lished usage for an Indian either to do or suffer a wrong, and therefore they neither make contracts nor require securities. Conf. Suid. F. Ivdoi, Fbagm. XXV1I.0. Nicol. Damasc. 44; Stob. 8erm, 42. Among the Indians one who is unable to recover a loan or a deposit has no remedy at law. All the creditor can do is to blame himself /or trusting a rogue, Fbagm. xxyii.D. Niool. Damasc. 44 ; Stob. Serm, 42, He who causes an artisan to lose his eye or his hand is put to death. If one is guilty of a very heinous offence the king orders his hair to be II In the drama of Bakv/ntaZd, B^ Dnshyanta is re- preeented as attended in the chase by Yavana women, yritix bows i»their hands, and wearing garlands of wild flowers. f Herodotxis (bk. iii. 38, 99, 101) has noted the exist- ence of both practices among certain Indian tribes. Digitized by Google