fallen their unhappy girl. They came over to attack me, and would certainly have murdered me and my innocent mother, if we had not both made a sudden escape. Having no direct object to wreak their vengeance upon, they brought the matter before the chiefs of the cast, who unanimously fined me in two hundred pagodas, as a reparation to my father-in-law, and issued a prohibition against so great a fool being ever allowed to take another wife; denouncing the penalty of expulsion from the cast, against any one who should assist me in such an attempt. I was therefore condemned to remain a widower all my life, and to pay dear for my folly. Indeed, I should have been excluded for ever from my cast, but for the high consideration in which the memory of my late father is still held, he having lived respected by all the world.

"Now that you have heard one speci

men of the many follies of my life, I hope you will not consider me as beneath those who have spoken before me; nor my pretensions altogether undeserving of the salutation of the soldier."

The heads of the assembly, several of whom were convulsed with laughter while the Brahmans were telling their histories, decided, after hearing them all, that each had given such absolute proofs of folly as to be entitled, in justice, to a superiority in his own way; that each of them, therefore, should be at liberty to call him< self the greatest fool of all, and to attribute to himself the salutation of the soldier. Each of them having thus gained his suit, it was recommended to them all to continue their journey, if it were possible, in amity. The delighted Brahmans rushed out of court, each exclaiming that he had gained his cause.

894.

Prosperity!!-Attend to what is related, and which gives excellence in this world. Wisdom is banished by death; and worth of every kind is terminated by it. Make not light of these matters, but learn what is fitting, and enlighten your mind, for this life is of no account, it is attended with uncertainty, and death is its end.

For this reason the intelligent have composed this narrative, renowned in assemblies, scented like scattered flowers. If you understand what is here related, you attain excellence.

The efforts of tyranny are as the tears of the virgin in the embraces of old age. The assailant burns with desire, the assailed shews no return. Affairs accom

In submitting this translatio to the public,

it is necessary to observe that the translator found the original in many parts very obscure, that the translation is of necessity very free, and rather to be considered as approximating to the ser.se of the original, than a verbal translation.

1

plished in this spirit art full of difficulty. It is unbecoming of men to shed tears, which are enemies to valour; in every situation let them behave with meekness, which resembles the stream of water that falls from the mountain and refreshes every object around. Attend to these things, and you will thereby acquire an accession of wisdom; do not alter your copy, and thus the excellence of your narrative will be displayed. Observe well this instruction in your conduct.

It is related of Raja Kunakua that he was a prince renowned for his penetration, of gentle conversation, a lover of religion and a confirmed Sugata. His love for his people was great. The whole country was loud in his praise. He was skilled in directing the labour of his people, and a strict observer of his word; the country prospered under him. The king di rected this stone to be written upon, that men might behold what was inscribed, which is replete with wisdom, and that they might improve thereby. When the

king fabricated this monument he took the advice of his chiefs and nobles on the excellent things inscribed upon it. All this has been divulged that the ignorant may be informed. Learn you to judge of things from their appearance, for you have been instructed. Adorn the places of excellence, the temples of the gods, by which you will diminish the number of your enemies, who will bow to and serve you.

The king has acquired strength from the valour of his sons, Sri Makuja Wasa and Wardana, beautiful in person, and mild in disposition. Should you search the world round you would not find the equals of the two princes, their valour is equally conspicuous; and their knowledge of the Sastras so complete that to understand them demanded no study. Their whole conduct and demeanour cooled and refreshed all around them. All women felt the intoxication of love for them, and wished themselves united to them, saying in their hearts, how skilled to give dedight, they wish us in their arms, and their fame is renowned throughout the earth.

For this reason do thou learn the wisdom which is thus renowned. All the kings who became acquainted with the two princes were desirous of joining with them. Fear not death. The king's sons had no dread of princes their equals, for the affections of the whole country went with them. The people who felt the unceasing bounty of the princes, and the effects of their wisdom and abilities, were glad and happy.

Relate the appearance of the kings preparing to go into the presence of the princes. It was at the time of day when the sun rides over the tops of the mountains. Excellent was their demeanour, fitting was their discourse, and they were presented with betel. They feasted and drank, down to the lowest of the people. whose hearts were exceedingly rejoiced, and they eat to satisfaction,

The country was populous and prosperpus. Let the relation proceed. There was a king's son whose name was Dadrawisa Madya, who rebelled against their authority, a war commenced. The prince fled. He was pursued and again gave battle. He was repartory and made no account of his enemy. The king saw the beauty of the young prince, but marked how different his conduct from a man Asiatic Journ.-No. 17.

of high birth. Be it related. When the king ordered his forces to be assembled to proceed quickly to the city to expel the wicked, he proceeded forthwith, and arrived at the gate of the king of demons, and made offerings to the gods.

The armies fought, and the forces of the demon king were destroyed by the charge of their enemies. Some had their necks twisted off: those who escaped ran away, terrified at the flight of missile weapons falling like rain. The few who had courage to make a stand were dispatched at once. The flight of weapons was countless. The defeated forces hid themselves in the ditches and hollow ways, pursued unremittingly by the weapons of. their enemies. The king, Sri Jalalaga Dewa, was killed. There was no one to contend with the army of men, no one firm to his station. Those who were seized yielded at once and begged for mercy, surrendering to the conqueror their wives and children. Thus the battle ended, which had continued for half the duration of a man.

Let the story of the destruction of the conquered country be related. He replaced their nobles in their stations as before. His wisdom sought the good of the country. He elected governors and he arranged for rebuilding the city. The country was divided into three parts under three heads.

The body of the king's son was decked out and prayers offered up for it according to the practice observed for the dead. His wives, all of exquisite beauty, wished to follow him in death. They bowed and kissed his feet. They seemed determined to follow his fortune, to make it their own, and not to survive him,

Alas! exclaimed they, do not forget the expressions of our sincerity, We are fatherless; we will serve thee; we are pleased thet you take us along with thee. You are our Guru, For you were skilled in the arts of love, and knew how to give joy to the heart. Such, were the words of the afflicted. We will wed no more; we will acknowledge the authority of no other lord, We will not make a second marriage, for you alone knew the arts of love. We dread the thoughts of being subjected to another's authority, We are inexperienced, and ignorant of the most approved conduct. The times were changed. Let a spectacle complete in VOL. III. 3 M

every respect be related, describing a narrative of excellence.

The story proceeds to say, when the kings went forth to exercise themselves, their train slowly following, they arrived at the village of Jawaya, having deep ravines to the left side, within which were séen rare objects. They halted delighted to observe Pandan flowers floating in order upon the water, as if they had been obeying an order to that effect. The appearance of the sky and of the clouds seemed preparing to usher in the night; the day closed and it became dark. They assem bled in the forest and lighted great torches to prepare against the wild beasts: after some time the bounty of the king was distributed, excellent food, all kept awake. It was passing cold; all trembled and their arrangement was broken.-In the morning they again put themselves in order, and prepared to march forward. The king was presented on the way with gifts. The people sounded the praise of the king's sons, wishing they might have no rivals, that they might have no occasion to retreat from the battle, but that their enemies might be terrified at their presetice, that their aspect might be bright and not turn pale in the battle, and that their rank might be exalted.

It is related that there was a female of passing excellence, her beauty was farfamed, she was without blemish; all men felt the pangs of love for her, and she became the constant object of their discourse. Her whole demeanour was becoming; her excellence fitted her to be the consort of a king, the gift of the gods to him. That king was just in his conduct towards his subjects; as long as he reigued no wickedness was committed in the country. His people were happy and rich, the effects of his bounty. His liberality towards the poor and dependent was without interruption. His learning was moreover complete; assuredly a

of the Dewas. Whatever he imagined was right. He was therefore loved and feared throughout the country.

This prince possessed discernment of talent above all the princes his equals in power. He was ready to pardon those who erred. His religious austerities in search of the prosperity of his country were so great that he did not allow himself to sleep. Criminals disappeared

without effort. His knowledge equalled that of a Pandita. An enemy came renowned for his skill in war. He invaded the country. The numbers of his army. were unknown. The adverse forces commenced a nocturnal combat with equal alour, none flinching. The darkness of the night encreased. The king's army charged the enemy in a body, dealing out and receiving cuts and stabs, shrieking and shouting. The king's army could not withstand the darts that were showered upon them, they began to flinch but could not find the gate; the army was vanquished, many were killed; those maimed, who dreaded the anger of the king like a sage. The discomfiture of his force is not related. The army was thrown into confusion with a noise like the fall of a mountain, or like the sea inundating a city. Thus happened the defeat of the king's army, and in this manner was the power transferred to other hands.-The women were met mourning the death of the fallen king.

She who dwelt on the loss of her lord was found motionless from grief, in beauty like the goddesses Ratti or Supraba. Her breasts superior in loveliness to ivory. Her complexion excelled burnished gold glittering. Such was the spouse of the fallen prince. Forthwith arrived the victorious king in anxious search for the princess.

He found her nnder the shade of a Tanju tree by a mound raised in shape of a mountain, where pious austerities are performed. Her maids mourned their fallen lord, their countenances pale with grief. Thus also the surrounding flowers and plants, as if they too wished to perish and partake the fortunes of the prince. The king wondered at the sight. He praised the place of worship. In front it was studded with pearls and precious stones. The skill displayed gave pleasure to the heart which excited to devotion. The victor approached the princess and her attendants. The conquerors seized upon the wives of the nobles. Others seized the attendants. A scene of plunder ensued. The Nayakas laid their hands on such as were fitting to become their wives. The beautiful with rising bosoms were seized by the chiefs. The king laid his hands on the princess and welcomed her to his bed.

WE went to the fair, for once a-year a great festival is solemnized here, in memory of a Noquedah that is one of the great Mahometan saints, and lies buried at Mayom in a very fine tomb; and the repute of this saint's holiness is so great, that many in their devout moods make pilgrimages hither as we also did; and when we came to the tomb, which was at the end of all the fair, we heard abundance of Indian music, and it being night saw vast numbers of lighted torches and candles, all within and without, and abundance of people at their devotions, and repeating prayers which they kept account of by a chaplet or string of beads in the same manner that Roman Catholics in Europe do. The remarkable stories they tell of this man are, that once as he sailed along the coast of Malabar, the sailors conspired against him, because of the great wealth he had on board, and hove him into the sea, and he came on shore on the island of Bombay, near Mayom, and quickly after, they were overtaken by a storm that forced the ship on the coast, and they drove ashore at the same place, and finding him alive, assured themselves that God had punished them for his sake; the Noquedah forgave them, and received them, and at his prayers to God for the preservation of the ship, a high tide flowed in, and the ship then floated off without hurt, and then these mutinous Lascars seeing his great sanctity, resolved to abide with him, and some of them forsook him not till his death, and were af terwards buried by him, and the tomb of one of them is also seen.

Another story they report, that in a vision or dream in the night, an angel discovered to him, that Mahomed's tomb in Arabia, was like to be destroyed by fire, which was burning all about it; upon this he awaked, and prayed that God would preserve that holy place, and extinguish those threatening flames, and the efficacy of his prayers at Bombay were such, that the flames in Arabia went out of a sudden; this he immediately discovered to his companions with many particulars that were all verified. The year following, at the

return of the Arabian shipping, his great riches he dispersed in charitable largesses among the necessitous, and as he always lived in honor, so they say his memory will be always blessed by true believers, and the remains of his earthly carcase shall cause that place to be enriched and blessed by the faithful followers of God's prophet that resort thither. There was a great deal of charity laid upon his tomb to pay for the lights, perfumes, flowers, &c. and this is taken up by the religious Fakirs that are masters of these ceremonies, and this fair does increase, which causes a great deal of money to be laid out there. They say it is very proper for all travellers, and those who make voyages by sea, to visit this tomb once a-year, and the resort hither is so well known, that during the time of the fair, there is started a Banyan Parley, &c. that keeps his shop at Bombay town, but they mostly carry their goods to Mayom, and find good markets there. But neither was it for this only that we went there, but to see a divination which was not to begin till about midnight, so we spent our time about the tomb and the fair, &c., and seeing some of the diversions of the country, until we were summoned by a great noise of music, a particular sort of tabors and high sounding pipes; we concluded our new show was begun to be performed; when we came there, we saw a Brahman, or religious man, almost naked, who was seated on the earth, in the midst of a moderate number of people, near twenty, and all about him was scattered with fine white ashes of wood from a heap that lay before him, and near by in sight, lay a sick man, on whose behalf this divination was made; nothing was spoken aloud, but they played on the tabors and pipes, till this religious man should himself be inspired, which would be known to the beholders by some enthusiastic actions, and then the questions of the divination were to be made to him; he had two fits or agonies while we were there, which were preceded by his taking up two handfuls of those ashes, and tossing them up at very small distances till they were all scat

Captain Baker says, he once got one of their prophets or diviners into his room, and gave him several presents, to teach him to perform such ceremonies, and withal threatened him if he did not shew him; but the diviner, instead of accepting his presents, looked at him with a troubled countenance, and said, "Oh! sir, you don't know what you ask; for while you are ignorant of these matters, you are certainly much happier than I that perform them for I began to be miserable when I first received this knowledge, and shall not be happy any more. Besides you must undergo such a rigorous fast as will draw distempers on you, and bring you to your end much sooner; so that when you die you will fall down with a load of afflic tions, and you will have no comfortable enjoyment of your life any more, but be like me, one of the unhappiest and most unfortunate men in the world." He being asked what he meant by the rigorous fast he mentioned, answered, that he prepared his body by seven days of fasting, and by the use of sundry charms, which are directed in their book, that he had not with him; and that sometimes he was himself so reduced with preparing his body for the divination, that be was in worse condition than those for whose sakes he performed the ceremonies. But he also justified that it was no trick or cheat, but that these rites were all necessary and conducive to the ends of the divination; yet acknowledged that he did not thus prepare his body every time he was called, which was sometimes so suddenly that it could not be done, and at such times he gave answers according to the best of his judgment. In short, he gave such an unhappy account of this sort of knowledge, that Capt. Baker, being no further desirous of turning prophet, let him go.

tered, and this repeated several times, then succeeded sundry odd postures wherein his body was both extended and extorted to an extraordinary degree, foaming at the mouth, sometimes bending backwards and bowing himself (like what the boys of London call making of a sea crab) at another time several short elevations of his body, he still sitting on the earth. as children sometimes do, still gathering up and scattering of those ashes, but not finding himself inspired would not proceed, so that the tabors and pipes all played louder; but after this second fit some of the company objected against our being present, so they left off their performance at that time, in order to proceed on their ceremonies of divination on the morrow. I had never seen any thing of this kind before, and I would gladly have seen the whole performed if I could; but however, since I could not be further an eye-witness, I informed myself as well as I could, by enquiring of others. Captain Baker had seen it before, and he tells me their manner of proceeding in this case of divination is as follows:-The religious man being himself purified and prepared by fasting and private performance of sundry prayers, charms, and invocations, &c. he repairs to the house of those for whom the divination is made, and after repetition of sacred words, he invokes a spirit, and then they begin with tabors and pipes, that no man should hear the mystical words spoken, and also to divert the prophet, who in the beginning of his inspiration, when the spirit enters into him, usually falls into fits, and sometimes as if into a trance, then if a voice proceed through his throat, or from his belly or breast, and not out of his mouth, the divination is ready to be performed, and then if it be on behalf of a sick person (as this was) some near relation demands of the prophet, why God grieves and afflicts that man, his servant, and they usually give some shrewd answer; but to be sure, impiety is always one principal cause alleged, or covetousness, lewdness, neglect of sacred duties, &c. and then they demand if the party shall recover, to which sometimes they give positive answers, which have often proved true, and they prescribe a remedy, or else they bid them prepare to go to another World.

This imperfect story is all that I know or remember of this matter. But when I was last in England, and heard great talk of a set of people who had lately made a bustle in England, and had been called the French, or the modern prophets, and had amused the city with many pretended religious pranks, and seeing this Gentu perform some such postures as they were reported to do, made me imagine it was likely that some designing men among them might have learned this method, and intended to set up for great men, by