Just as in the case of other famous men, many marvelous stories are told concerning his miraculous birth, and the precocious wisdom and power of the infant prince. At his birth, the legends say, ten thousand worlds were filled with light, the blind received their sight, the deaf heard, the lame walked, the imprisoned were set free, the trees burst forth in blossom, the air was filled with sweet songs of birds, and even the fires of hell were for the time being extinguished. On the fifth day after his birth, at the “name-choosing festival,” 108 Brahmin priests met to select the most fitting name. One of them, the most learned in divination, predicted that he will be a “Buddha,” who will remove the veils of sin and ignorance from the world. Gautama is the name by which he is most commonly known among the southern Buddhists. Buddha, or, more properly, the Buddha, means the Enlightened One, and is an official title, just as we say Jesus, the Christ, or the Anointed One. During his youth Gautama is noted for his prowess, and for teaching even his masters in the arts and sciences. He has, so the legends go on to say, most magnificent equipages and many servants. He is early married to his cousin. He devotes himself to study and meditation, and his relatives charge him with neglecting to train himself in manly exercises. Gautama, being told of their murmurings, appoints a day by beat of drum to prove his skill against all comers. At the trial he surpasses the cleverest bowmen, and exhibits wonderful strength and skill in his feats of horsemanship. In his twenty-ninth year, Gautama abandons his home to devote himself entirely to the study of religion and philosophy. He had been accustomed to say, “Nothing is stable on earth, nothing is real. Life is like the spark produced by the friction of wood. It is lighted, and it is extinguished; we know not whence it came and whither it goes. It is like the sound of a lyre, and the wise man asks in vain from whence it came and whither it goes. There must be some supreme intelligence where we could find rest. If I attained to it, I could bring light to man; if I were free myself, I could deliver the world.” With this hope, and being moved thereto by four incidents, he gave himself, as we have just said, to seeking the light of the world. These were but ordinary events, and yet they had a great effect upon Gautama. GAUTAMA’S FOUR VISIONS.