feet and cried, "Do you, my friend, take these kings and depart, but I will continue to live here on roots and wild berries." "What would you do here, my friend? Your kingdom is a delightful one: go and reign at Benares." "Friend, what is this you say? It is out of the question for me to go there: all the inhabitants of that city are my enemies. They will revile me and say, "This fellow ate my mother or my father; seize this brigand," and with a clod of earth they will deprive me of life, but if I am firmly established in the moral law by you, I could not kill anyone else, not even to save my life. I will not go. In consequence of my abstaining from eating human flesh how long shall I live? and now I shall no more set eyes on you," and he wept, saying, "Do you go." And the Great Being stroked him on the back and said, "My friend, my name is Sutasoma: I have ere now tamed just such a cruel wretch as yourself, and if you ask what story you are to tell in Benares, why I will either establish you there, or dividing my own kingdom I will hand over the half of it to you." "In your city too I have enemies," he said. Sutasoma thought, "In obeying my word this man has achieved a difficult task: by some means or other I must establish him in his former state of glory," and to tempt him he sang the praises of the great glory of his city and said:

Of beasts and birds of every kind the flesh thou once didst share,
By skilful cooks prepared was it, in sooth a dainty fare,
Yielding such joy as Indra felt, to taste ambrosial food
Why leave it all, to take delight alone within this wood?

[506] These noble dames with slender waists, magnificently dressed,
That round about thee formerly, a thronging bevy, pressed,
Whilst thou, like Indra midst his gods, didst step in happy mood--
Why leave them thus, to take delight alone within this wood?

In midst of ample couch, O king, thou once at ease didst lie,
With many a woollen coverlet around thee piled on high,
And pillow red beneath thy head and bedding clean and white--
Why leave it thus, within this wood alone to take delight

There thou ofttimes at dead of night the beat of drum wouldst hear,
And sounds surpassing human strains would strike upon the ear,
Music and song in unison, inspiring cheerful mood--
Why leave it all, to take delight alone within this wood?

Thou hadst a charming park wherein flowers in abundance grew,
Migacira, so known to fame, as park and city too,
There horses, elephants, and cars innumerable stood--
Why leave them all, to take delight alone within this wood?