THE DISTINGUISHING MARKS 39

" I will converse if you, sire, will converse in the

speech of the learned, but if you converse in the speech
of kings I will not converse."
" How, revered Nagasena, do the learned converse ?"
" When the learned are conversing, sire, a turning
over (of a subject) is made and an unravelling is made
and a refutation is made1 [29] and a redress is made
and a specific point is made and a specific point is made
against it, and the learned are not angry in consequence—
it is thus, sire, that the learned converse/'
" And how do kings converse, revered sir ?"
" When kings are conversing, sire, they approve of
some matter and order a punishment for whoever
disagrees with that matter, saying: ' Inflict a punishment
on him '—it is thus, sire, that kings converse.''
" I, revered sir, will converse in the speech of the
learned, not in the speech of kings. Let the revered
one converse unreservedly as he converses with a monk or
novice or lay-follower or with a monastery-attendant—
let the revered one converse thus, let him be not afraid."
The Elder assented by saying: " It is well, sire."
The King said: " Revered Nagasena, I will ask."
" Ask, sire."
" You have been asked by me, revered sir."
" It has been answered, sire."
" But what was answered by you, revered sir ?"
" But what was asked by you, sire ?"
Then it occurred to King Milinda: " This monk is
learned, he is competent to converse with me, but I
have so many matters to ask (him) about that the sun
will set before I have asked (him). Suppose I were to
converse with him tomorrow in the palace ?"2 So King
1
1 am not sure of the exact meanings of these three expressions:
avethanarh pi kayirati, nibbethanam pi kayirati, niggaho pi kayirati.
It would seem that the first two are in the nature of a pair; but
the third does not form a pair with the next, patikammam pi kayirati,
which is followed by the final pair: viseso pi kayirati, pativeso pi
kayirati. Same expressions at Jd. ii. 9 where patiggaha (acceptance)
occurs instead of patikamma (redress) which is also the reading at
Si. Cf. Miln. 231.
* antepura, especially the inner or private quarters.
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