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•good-sense of another. The conclusion that will force itself irresistibly on the mind of the reader of the three plays, that i
they all belong to one and the same author, can hardly be .
•unsettled by a suggestion that the similarities may be explained on the ground of imitation.
An appreciation of Kalidasa is beyond expression. Kalidasa's masterly command over the language, the exuberance of his imagination, the delicacy of his tenderness, the versatility of his description, the harmonious flow of his expression, the peculiar capacity of delineating universal truths—all these combine to raise Kalidasa to the highest pitch of glory. The immortal lines of Goethe deserve a quotatipn:—
•" Wouldst thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits of its decline, 4
t And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, feasted and fed ; J
Wouldst thou the earth and heaven itself in one sole name combine ? ^ I name thee, O Sakuntala ! and all at once is said."
Sri Harsha-Vardhana Siladitya II of Kanouj was the -son of Prabhakara Vardhana by his queeu Yasomati. It is -said that his elder brother Rajyavardhana was killed by treachery and Harsha ascended the throne in A.D. 606. His life forms the theme of Bana's Harshacharita. He was himself a ipoet and his court was the resort of the learned of the day. Three dramas are attributed to his authorship.
i The Ratnavali a natika in four acts, describes the .secret loves of King Udayana and Sagarika, an attendant on the queant Vaiavadatta. Private intrigues are arranged but discovered t>y the e[tteep. After so many vicissitudes the horoine turns out to foe Ratuavali, a Ceylon princess, whom a ship wreck, has brought to the Vat^a court, " Tie plot is unconnected withattempt of Kalida$tf$ is nbt Improbable,