of these stories the former part of the compound denotes not the Bodhisattva, but some other person of the tale, as Vyâghrî_g_âtaka, 'the Story of the Tigress,' or a thing, as Kumbha_g_âtaka, 'the Story of the Jar;' Bisa_g_âtaka, 'the Story of the Lotus-stalks,' which are respectively Nos. I, XVII, and XIX of this collection; or an action, as Sîlavîma_m_sa(ka)_g_âtaka, the common heading of Nos. 86, 290, 305, and 330 in Fausböll's Pâli _G_âtaka, Na_kk_a_g_âtaka, ibid., No. 32, or a quality, as Sîlânisa_m_sa_g_âtaka, ibid., No. 190. [8] See Hodgson, Essays on the Languages &c. of Nepal and Tibet, 1874, p. 37. [9] See Hodgson, Essays, pp. 17 and 37. [10] See the paper of d'Oldenburg, translated by Dr. Wenzel in the Journ. Roy. As. Soc. of 1893, p. 304. [11] Also cp. the passage of the Avadânakalpalatâ, quoted infra, p. xxiii. [12] See I, p. 257 of the original (Dutch) edition. Some time after M. Féer's compte-rendu of the Paris MS. was published two new MSS. of the _G_âtakamâlâ came to Europe. They belong to the valuable set of Sanskrit Buddhist works which Dr. Wright acquired for the Cambridge University Library, and are described by Prof. Cecil Bendall in his excellent Catalogue (1883). Prof. Kern was the first to appreciate the great literary merits of the _G_âtakamâlâ, and soon planned an edition, availing himself of the two Cambridge MSS. (Add. 1328 and 1415) and the Paris one[13]. This editio princeps was published at the end of 1891 as the first volume of the Harvard Oriental Series of Prof. Lanman. It has every right to bear the name of 'princeps,' not only because Ârya _S_ûra's work has never been edited before, but on account of the critical acumen and the untiring care of the editor, whose exertions have almost purged the text from the clerical errors and blunders which greatly encumber the Nepal manuscripts[14]. Thus, thanks to Prof. Kern, this masterpiece of Sanskrit Buddhist literature is now accessible to Sanskritists in an excellent edition. I have undertaken to translate it, as I consider it a most valuable document for the knowledge of Buddhism. [13] Dr. d'Oldenburg mentions two more copies; they are at St. Petersburg. See his paper in the Journ. Roy. As. Soc., p. 306. [14] Compare the complaint of Prof. Cowell, p. xii of the Introduction to his translation of the Buddha_k_arita (Sacred Books, vol. xlix). Properly speaking, _G_âtakamâlâ is a class-name. It has been pointed out above that in the Northern Buddhist Canon several writings of that name have been made known, and though, so far as I know, this appellation does not occur in the book-titles of the Pâli Tripi_t_aka, such texts as the Pâli _G_âtaka and the _K_ariyâpi_t_aka may have some right to be thus designated. That it is a generic appellation is made plain from Somendra's Introduction to the Avadânakalpalatâ of his father Kshemendra. It is said there, verses 7 and 8:--