Z 2

AN HISTORICAL DISQUISITION

SECT. attack the Macedonians, whose Indian territoriesI. bordered on his dominions. Unfortunately, noaccount of this expedition, which seems to havebeen splendid and successful, has reached our times.All we know of it is, that he advanced consider-ably beyond the utmost boundary of Alexander’sprogress in India”, and would probably haveproceeded much farther if he had not been con-strained to stop short in his carreer in order tooppose Antigonus, who was preparing to invadehis dominions at the head of a formidable army.Before he began his march towards the Euphrates,he concluded a treaty with Sandracottus; in con-sequence of which, that monarch quietly retainedthe kingdom he had acquired. But the powerand possessions of the Macedonians seem to haveremained unimpaired during the reign of Seleucus,which terminated forty-two years after the deathof Alexander.

With a view of cultivating a friendly intercoursewith Sandracottus, Seleucus made choice of Me-gasthenes, an officer, who, from his having accom-panied Alexander in his expedition into India,had some knowledge of the state of the country,and the manners of its inhabitants, and sent himas his ambassador to Palibothra In this famouscapital of the Prasij, situated on the banks of theGanges, Megasthenes resided several years; andwas probably the first European who ever beheld

45 See NOTE XI. ** Strabo, lib. ii. p. 121, &c.

Arrian, Hist. Inch passim.

that