Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

ALEXANDER AND THE BRAHMANS. 1 37
"suckles her child she does so at her left breast;
"and when we make our offerings unto God
"Almighty we offer them unto Him with our left
"hand; and kings are born from the left hand,
"and they grasp their [p. 76] royal sceptres in
"their left hands, and they turn towards the right.
"Now from the right hand cometh forth every
"fair and good thing upon the earth, and there
"also cometh forth therefrom every storm wind.
"And again, in the later days there shall come
"forth therefrom' the shedding of the blood of
"men without mercy, and there shall also come
"forth a curse upon creation together with the
"word of falsehood. And men shall boast them-
"selves and shall make themselves great, and they
"shall exalt themselves above their power and shall
"sing praises unto themselves".^ Thus Alexander
sat down and asked them questions until he had
finished questioning them.^
' Read (D'h9°%0' '
' In the Greek the answer runs:—The right; for the sun
travelleth from the right towards the left in the heavens,
and a woman giveth suck first with the left, and then with
the right breast. The prophecy as to the shedding of blood
in later days refers to the expected outburst of the peoples
of Gog and Magog.
3 In the Greek Alexander is made to ask for the chief
of the Brahmans, and they shewed him Dandamis, who lay
upon a heap of leaves on the ground with fruits before him
he greeted Alexander civilly, but made no attempt to shew
him any respect. In answer to Alexander's question, "Have
you any possessions?" he said that the things of earth and