n, who arrived at
the court of Anantavarma, attended by a numerous retinue, as if
travelling about for his own pleasure.

"This man soon became intimate with the king, and took care to fall in
with all his tastes, and to justify and praise every pursuit which he
engaged in.

"Thus, if he saw the king fond of hunting, he would say: 'What a fine
manly sport this is! How it strengthens the body, braces the spirits,
and quickens the intelligence! While roaming over hill and dale, you
become acquainted with the country; by destroying the deer and wild
buffaloes, you benefit the husbandmen; by killing the tigers and other
wild beasts, you make travelling safer.' And he would go on in this
way, without any allusion to the damage and destruction caused by the
king's hunting expeditions.

"If gambling was the favourite amusement, or there was excessive
devotion to women, or to drinking, he would very ingeniously bring
forward everything that could be said in favour of them, passing over
their disadvantages in silence. If the king was lavish to his
dependants, he would praise his generosity; if cruel, he would say:
'Such severity is good; you maintain your own dignity by it; a king
ought not to be like a patient devotee, submitting to insults, and
ready to forgive.

"In this manner that wicked wretch obtained great influence over the
king, and employed it to lead him into all sorts of excesses.

"With such an example before them, all classes gradually became
corrupted. The magistrates neglected their duties, and thought only
how they might enrich themselves; great criminals, who could bribe,
escaped with impunity; the weak were oppressed by the strong; violence
and robbery were rampant; disturbances broke out on all sides; and
severe and indiscriminating punishments only stirred up indignation,
without repressing crime. The revenue diminished, while expenditure
was increasing; everywhere loud complaints were heard, and great
distress prevailed.

"As if all this were not sufficient, the cruel King of Asmaka sent
emissaries in all directions to mix unsuspectedly with the inhabitants
of Vidarba, and do as much mischief as possible.

"Some would distribute subtle poisons in various ways; some would stir
up quarrels between neighbouring villages, and so cause party fights;
some contrived to let loose a furious elephant into a crowd, or get up
an alarm by other means, and so cause a sudden panic, in which the
people trampled