his courtiers, he began to drink. Then Sakka, the king of heaven, said, "Who are there that in the duty of service to mother and the like diligently fulfil the three kinds of right conduct?" And, looking upon the world, he saw the king seated to drink strong drink and he thought, "If he shall drink strong drink, all India will perish: I will see that he shall not drink it." So, placing a jar full of the liquor in the palm of his hand, he went, disguised as a brahmin, and stood in the air, in the presence of the king, and cried, "Buy this jar, buy this jar." King Sabbamitta, on seeing him standing in the air and speaking after this manner, said, "Whence can this brahmin come?" and conversing with him he repeated three stanzas:

Who art thou, Being from on high,
Whose form emits bright rays of light,
Like levin flash athwart the sky,
Or moon illuming darkest night?

To ride the pathless air upon,
To move or stand in silent space--
Real is the power that thou hast won,
And proves thou art of godlike race.

Then, brahmin, who thou art declare,
And what within thy jar may be,
[15] That thus appearing in mid air,
Thou fain wouldst sell thy wares to me.

Then Sakka said, "Hearken then to me," and, expounding the evil qualities of strong drink, he said:

This jar nor oil nor ghee doth hold,
No honey or molasses here,
But vices more than can be told
Are stored within its rounded sphere.

Who drinks will fall, poor silly fool,
Into some hole or pit impure,
Or headlong sink in loathsome pool
And eat what he would fain abjure.
Buy then, O king, this jar of mine,
Full to the brim of strongest wine.

Who drinks, with wits distracted quite,
Like grazing ox that loves to stray,
[16] Wanders in mind, a helpless wight,
And sings and dances all the day.
Buy then &c.

Who drinks will run all shamelessly,
Like nude ascetic thro' the town,
And late take rest--so dazed is he--
Forgetting when to lay him down.
Buy then &c.

Who drinks, like one moved with alarm,
Totters, as tho' he could not stand,
And trembling shakes his head and arm,
Like wooden puppet worked by hand.
Buy then &c.

Who drink are burned to death in bed,
Or else a prey to jackals fall,
To bondage or to death are led,
And suffer loss of goods withal.
Buy then &c.

Who drinks is lost to decency
And talks of things that are obscene,
Will sit undressed in company,
Is sick and every way unclean.
Buy then &c.

Uplifted is the man that drinks,
His vision is by no means clear,
The world is all my own, he thinks,
I own no earthly lord as peer.
Buy then &c.