Page:Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje - The Achehnese Vol II. - tr. Arthur Warren Swete O'Sullivan (1906).djvu/168

 Meudeuhaʾ (XXXII).

The history of Meudeuhaʾ, the keen witted and just, is really more a collection of choice anecdotes than a romance. The Achehnese, and especially their chiefs, regard it as a short epitome of all statesmanship. It is a fairly faithful rendering of the Malay story of Mashuduʾl-haqq, of which there are two copies in the collection of the Batavian Association and of which a portion has been published by A. F. Von de Wall. The names only are changed to some extent—that of the leading character is, as we see, abbreviated—and the Achehnese composer has omitted some anecdotes, but has on the other hand added a few trifles to the original.

Meudeuhaʾ grows up under the protection of his father Buka Saʾti, a wise and wealthy man, whose village lies not far from Watu, the residence of the king Wadihirah. Even in his early youth he displays so much knowledge and cleverness that he is called in as arbitrator in all manner of disputes; see for instance the "three sentences of Meudeuhaʾ" published by Van Langen in the Reader of his "Practical Manual of the Achehnese language", pp. 66–83.

Rumours of his infallible wisdom reach the king, who would at once have given Meudeuhaʾ a position of honour at the court, had not the four royal "teachers", moved by envy, done their best to hinder the promotion of their rival. They lay before him numberless riddles and problems for solution, they persecute him with cunning artifices and false accusations; but he, supported by the wisdom of his wife Putròë Chindu Kaseumi, the daughter of the Brahman Diu Saʾti, rises superior to all and catches his persecutors in the nets that they themselves have spread.

Finally Meudeuhaʾ is made supreme judge. Even in this high position he is exposed to the assaults of his crafty enemies, but all they succeed in doing is to thrust on him the conduct of a war which Jiran king of Panjalarah levies against the ruler of Watu and a hundred other princes.

Both in actual strategic art and in his interview and dispute with Jiran's teacher, Brahman Kayuti, Meudeuhaʾ continues to show himself