Page:Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian.djvu/85

66 it, but everything sinks to the bottom, contrary to the nsual law. fragm. xxm. Strabo, XV. i. 38,— p. 708. Of the River Silas. (Megasthenes says) that in the monntainons country is a river, the S i 1 a s, on the waters of which nothing will float. Demokritos, who had travelled over a large part of Asia, disbe- lieves this, and so does Aristotle. Fragm. XXIY. Arr. Ind. 5. 2. Of fhe Number of Indian Bivers, See translation of Arrian. BOOK II. Fragm. XXV. Strab. XV. i. 35. 36,— p. 702. Of the city Pataliputra.% According to Megasthenes the mean breadth (of the Ganges) is 100 stadia, and its least depth 20 fathoms. At the meeting of this river and another is situated Palibothra, a city eighty stadia in length and fifteen in breadth. It is of the shape of a parallelogram, and is girded with a wooden wall, pierced with loopholes for the dis- charge of arrows. It has a ditch in front for defence and for receiving the sewage of the city. The people in whose country this city is situated is the most distinguished in all India, and is called the Prasii. The king, in addition to his family § Conf. Epit 36. Digitized by Google