"As Indra， during the four rainy months， fills the earth with water， so a king should replenish his treasury with money. As Surya the sun， in warming the earth eight months， does not scorch it， so a king， in drawing revenues from his people， ought not to oppress them. As Vayu， the wind， surrounds and fills everything， so the king by his officers and spies should become acquainted with the affairs and circumstances of his whole people. As Yama judges men without partiality or prejudice， and punishes the guilty， so should a king chastise， without favour， all offenders. As Varuna， the regent of water， binds with his pasha or divine noose his enemies， so let a king bind every malefactor safely in prison. As Chandra，[FN#18] the moon， by his cheering light gives pleasure to all， thus should a king， by gifts and generosity， make his people happy. And as Prithwi， the earth， sustains all alike， so should a king feel an equal affection and forbearance towards every one."

　　[FN#18] Lunus， not Luna.

　　Become a monarch， Vikram meditated deeply upon what is said of monarchs：——"A king is fire and air； he is both sun and moon； he is the god of criminal justice； he is the genius of wealth； he is the regent of water； he is the lord of the firmament； he is a powerful divinity who appears in human shape." He reflected with some satisfaction that the scriptures had made him absolute， had left the lives and properties of all his subjects to his arbitrary will， had pronounced him to be an incarnate deity， and had threatened to punish with death even ideas derogatory to his honour.

　　He punctually observed all the ordinances laid down by the author of the Niti， or institutes of government. His night and day were divided into sixteen pahars or portions， each one hour and a half， and they were disposed of as follows：——

　　Before dawn Vikram was awakened by a servant appointed to this special duty. He swallowed—— a thing allowed only to a khshatriya or warrior—— Mithridatic every morning on the saliva[FN#19]， and he made the cooks taste every dish before he ate of it. As soon as he had risen， the pages in waiting repeated his splendid qualities， and as he left his sleeping-room in full dress， several Brahmans rehearsed the praises of the gods. Presently he bathed， worshipped his guardian deity， again heard hymns， drank a little water， and saw alms distributed to the poor. He ended this watch by auditing his accounts.

　　[FN#19] That is to say， "upon an empty stomach."

　　Next entering his court， he placed himself amidst the assembly. He was always armed when he received strangers， and he caused even women to be searched for concealed weapons. He was surrounded by so many spies and so artful， that of a thousand， no two ever told the same tale. At the levee， on his right sat his relations， the Brahmans， and men of distinguished birth. The other castes were on the left， and close to him stood the ministers and those whom he delighted to consult. Afar in front gathered the bards chanting the praises of the gods and of the king； also the charioteers， elephanteers， horsemen， and soldiers of valour. Amongst the learned men in those assemblies there were ever some who were well instructed in all the scriptures， and others who had studied in one particular school of philosophy， and were acquainted only with the works on divine wisdom， or with those on justice， civil and criminal， on the arts， mineralogy or the practice of physic； also persons cunning in all kinds of customs； riding-masters， dancing-masters， teachers of good behaviour， examiners， tasters， mimics， mountebanks， and others， who all attended the court and awaited the king's commands. He here pronounced judgment in suits of appeal. His poets wrote about him：

　　The lord of lone splendour an instant suspends His course at mid~noon， ere he westward descends；And brief are the moments our young monarch knows，Devoted to pleasure or paid to repose！