Lives of Alcyone

possible, and so he sent him out upon a pilgrimage to the great
Buddhist shrines, which occupied him for more than a year.
A year or two before this, when he was just twenty years of
age, his monastery had entertained a celebrated Chinese pilgrim.
Hiuen Tsang, who had been received as a distinguished visitor, to
whom every possible honour was paid. On that occasion Alcyone
was one of hundreds of monks who joined in a great procession
which was arranged by the King himself—an extraordinary
procession, many parts of which must have seemed to the
spectators in no way religious. Although the monks and the
gorgeously caprisoned temple elephants took part in it, there were
also men dressed as wild beasts, and others dancing and showing a
curious sort of sword-play with long sticks, at which they were
extremely clever. Still others were dressed to imitate aboriginal
tribes, hillmen and foreigners, some apparently being intended for
Greeks or Romans, with faces painted white.
The great procession was undoubtedly effective, though the
rejoicings of the occasion came near to being marred by an
appalling accident, for some Hindu fanatic (probably insane) rushed
at the King and attempted to kill him. He was however seized and
disarmed before he could effect his nefarious purpose, and King
Harsha at the time took no notice whatever, but ordered the cortege
to proceed as though nothing had happened. Afterwards, however,
he made strict enquiry into the affair, and banish a number of
Brahmans who were accused of complicity in the plot.
The King went in great state to Prayag (now Allahabad), and
there went through a curious ceremony of renounciation, or
extravagant charity, giving away to the poor or to the temples all his