In the opening pages of the first volume eight facts were referred to as evidence of the age of the D1gha, and incidentally of the rest of that part of the Pali literature which belonged to the same period. The conclusions drawn from these facts were that the books in question were North Indian in origin; that they belonged to a period before the time of Asoka, and before South India and Ceylon were well known in the North of India; and that they contained good evidence for the sth century, and indeed, in parts of them, for the 6th century b.c.