is immoderate; 'tis enormous; nevertheless,
bring the wisdom of India to Berytus, and the knowledge of the stratagem
shall be yours."

"No, Master," they said, "it is not thy dilemma of which we are enamoured.
It is thy daughter."

A vehement altercation ensued, but at length the old philosopher, who at
the bottom of his heart was much readier to part with his daughter than his
dilemma, was induced to promise her to whichever of the pupils should bring
home the most satisfactory exposition of Indian metaphysics: provided
always that during their absence he should not have been compelled to
bestow her hand as the price of a quibble even more subtle than his own:
but this he believed to be impossible.

Mnesitheus and Rufus accordingly travelled with the embassy to India, and
arrived in safety at the metropolis of Palimbothra. They had wisely devoted
themselves meanwhile to learning the language, and were now able to
converse with some fluency.

On reaching their destination they were placed under the superintendence of
competent instructors, who were commissioned to initiate them into the
canon of Buddhist scriptures, comprising, to mention only a few of the
principal, the Lalitavistara, the Dhammapada, the Kuddhapatha, the
Palinokkha, the Uragavagga, the Kulavagga, the Mahavagga, the Atthakavagga,
and the Upasampadakammavaca. These works, composed in dead languages, and
written in strange and unknown characters, were further provided with
commentaries more voluminous and inexplicable than the text.

"Heavens," exclaimed Mnesitheus and Rufus, "can the life of a man suffice
to study all this?"

"Assuredly not," replied the Indians. "The diligent student will resume his
investigations in a subsequent stage of existence, and, if endowed with
eminent faculties, may hope to attain the end he proposes to himself at the
fifteenth transmigration."

"The end we propose to ourselves," said the Greeks, "is to marry our
master's daughter. Will the fair Euphronia also have undergone fifteen
transmigrations, and will her charms have continued unimpaired?"

"It is difficult to pronounce," said they, "for should the maiden, through
the exercise of virtue, have merited to be born as a white elephant, her
transmigrations must in the order of nature be but few; whereas should she
have unfortunately become and remained a rat, a frog, or other shortlived
animal, they cannot but be exceedingly numerous."

"The prospect of wedding a f