who had gone to sea when a boy, and whom they had long given over as dead. The landlady showed him to the room; when she quitted him he put a purse of gold in her hand, and desired her to take care of it till the morning, pressed her affectionately by the hand, and bade her good night. She returned to her husband, and showed him the accursed gold. For its sake they agreed to murder the traveller in his sleep, which they accomplished, and buried the body. In the morning early came two or three relations, and asked in a joyful tone for the traveller who had arrived there the night before. The old people seemed greatly confused, but said he had risen very early and gone away. "Impossible," said the relations : "it is your own son, who has lately returned, and is come to make happy the evening of your days; and he resolved to lodge with you one night as a stranger, that he might see you unknown, and judge of your conduct towards way-faring mariners." Language would be incompetent to describe the horror of the murderers when they found they had dyed their hands in the blood of their long-lost child. They confessed their crime, the body was found, and the wretched murderers were adequately punished.

THE AVARICIOUS MAN AND THE SANNYASÎ.

Once upon a time, there lived in a sacred city, a merchant, who was the wealthiest of his class. He was a man immersed in desires. It so happened that, when he was in the zenith of his fortune, a terrible famine occurred. While it was devastating the city and the country around, the whole trade of the neighbourhood became his monopoly, since none could compete with

him in buying and selling the necessaries of life. He charged the highest prices and realized the largest profits. Every possible influence was brought to bear upon him with a view to enlist his co-operation for effecting a diminution in the rigour of the sufferings of the people, but in vain Rightly or wrongly, he came to be universally regarded as the very incarnation of the God of famine. Unable to meet his free trade argument that others were liberty to outbid him, take all imports and do with them. as they pleased, his co-citizens left matters pretty much to take their own course.

At this crisis, a Sannyâsî, highly esteemed by the public for his purity of life, reputed spiritual supremacy and other qualifications, was seen slowly wending his way towards the mansion of the merchant-prince, to proffer his advice, as every one supposed. Lest such a holy person should suffer the indignity they thought they themselves had experienced at the hands of the unphilanthropic merchant, such of them as met him endeavoured to dissuade him from carrying out his design, but they were disappointed. The Sannyâsî went on. soon as he reached the residence of the merchant, the latter received him with due obeisance and humility and other customary formalities. He questioned the holy man as to the purpose of his visit throwing out a hint at the same time that the vexed topic must not be mooted. Rising equal to the occasion, the visitor gave his emphatic assurance that he had come on his personal business, that he did not care a farthing for the starving and dying people, be they Sannyâsîs or others.

Ground having been thus cleared to the immense satisfaction and relief of the cautious trader, he now said he was ready to do the bidding of the godly ascetic who, thereupon, addressed him follows:

as

"You are

the lord of merchants. Your meritorious deeds destine you for Svargaloka. To that happy region, royal personages repair with artillery, cavalry and other appendages suited to their station, and merchants with their treasure-chests and so on. I have with me an old Kâshâya cloth (the garment of the Sannyâsî) for which I feel some attachment, though, I fear, being too old, I cannot carry it all the way to Svarga. Therefore, I ask of you the favour that you, in fulfilment of your kind promise, take charge of the cloth and hand it back to me when we meet in Svarga, securing it not among valuables, nor even with ordinary things, such as, utensils, &c., but tying it up to the pole of a cart."

The man of the world, of riches and of avarice, found himself completely outwitted, was thrown into bewilderment, and did not know how to act. He reflected on life and death and felt how helpless and powerless, he, in truth, was, albeit for the time being, and to all appearance, he was occupying a proud and happy position on earth. Such being the case, how could he transport even so much as a feather from here to heaven? At last, the evident impossibility of executing the unexpected and singular task opened his eyes to the fleeting nature of this world, and to the reality lying beyond. The result was a wonder to those who had failed to bring about the least change in him. Ashamed of himself, acknowledging the dense ignorance by which he had allowed himself to be governed in the affairs of life, he placed his all at the disposal of his visitor, in whom he at once recognised his spiritual guide and who, in turn after making over a moiety of the enormous wealth and food-grains to the family of their owner, entrusted the other moiety to trustees, to alleviate the pangs of the needy and the poor. The trustees

administered gratuitous relief to the famine-stricken, and to others, not so badly situated, sold grains at much reduced rates, keeping correct accounts. On the termination of the famine, the balance in the hands of the trustees, a very considerable sum, was applied to the foundation and maintenance of several permanent charitable institutions, which led to the reproachful appellation, God of famine making room for a dignified title greatly coveted even by Gods, viz. God of prosperity.*

*

From a Communication in the Central Hindu College Magazine.

99. MORALITY.

"Restrain your desires," "Be liberal," "Be clement,” are three precepts, which, when closely analysed, will be found to contain all the moral rules.

To do good to others, to sacrifice for their benefit your own wishes; to love your neighbour as yourself, to forgive your enemies, to restrain your passions, to honour your parents, to respect those who are set over you, theseand a few others are the sole essentials of morals.

-BUCKLE.

The knowledge of religious ethics makes us happy in both the worlds

It removes all obstacles from our way, and the impurity of the mind is washed off.

-NARMADASHANKAR.*

Now what is a code of morals, and why has the world any need of one? A code of morals is a number of restraining orders; it rigorously bids us walk in certain paths. But why? What is the use of bidding us? Because there are a number of other paths that we are naturally inclined to walk in. The right path is right because it leads to the highest kind of happiness; the wrong paths are wrong because they lead to lower kinds of happiness. But when men choose vice instead of virtue, what is happening? They are considering the lower or the lesser happiness

* A Gujarâti poet.