Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/297

 VERSATILITY OF SAMUDRAGUPTA 259 dour and accompanied with lavish gifts to Brahmans, comprising, it is said, millions of coins and gold pieces. Specimens of the gold medals struck for this purpose, bearing a suitable legend and the effigy of the doomed horse standing before the altar, have been found in small numbers. Another memorial of the event seems to exist in the rudely carved stone figure of a horse which was found in Northern Oudh and now stands at the entrance to the Lucknow Museum with a brief dedicatory inscription incised upon it, which appar- ently refers to Samudragupta. Although the courtly phrases of the official eulogist cannot be accepted without a certain amount of reserva- tion, it is clear that Samudragupta was a ruler of exceptional capacity and unusually varied gifts. The laureate's commemoration of his hero's proficiency in song and music is curiously confirmed by the existence of a few rare gold coins which depict his Majesty comfortably seated on a high-backed couch, engaged in playing the Indian lyre. The allied art of poetry was also reckoned among the accomplishments of this versa- tile monarch, who is said to have been reputed a king of poets and to have composed numerous metrical works worthy of the reputation of a professional author. We are further informed that the king took much delight in the society of the learned, and loved to em- ploy his acute and polished intellect in the study and defence of the sacred scriptures, as well as in the lighter arts of music and poetry. The picture of Samudra- gupta as painted by his official panegyrist reminds the