Page:Events in Ayuddhya - Frankfurter - 1909.pdf/5

 With regard to the history before the foundation of Ayuddhya, which is recorded in the Phongsavadan Muang Nüa and of which a version has been printed in 1870, it can only be considered as throwing a general light on the history.

It is well known that the Kings and chiefs of principalities were eager to connect their history and that of the people over which they governed with events recorded in the legends of the Buddha. The Jataka tales were freely put under contribution, as has been pointed out by the late Phya Prajakit, who in the Phongsavadan Yonok published just before his death gave many details.

The names of cities and towns are mostly of Indian origin, and we find additional difficulties in locating them in the fact that when cities had to be abandoned, as often as not, on account of the dearth of water, or the river bed changing, or through invasions, the new places to which the people emigrated received the old names. Besides the Indian names the original names are sometimes preserved. There is therefore some difficulty in fixing the position of the towns mentioned, and it has for this reason been deemed more advisable not to attempt the location in this translation.

Omens and portents play of course a large part in the events recorded, and in all instances these omens and portents can be traced to Indian folklore and religious belief or superstitions, For their explanation in the present version I am indebted to Hluang Lokadip.

With regard to the style of our version attention may perhaps be drawn to the euphemisms used for events which in common language would be described as adultery, conspiracy and murder. It is also interesting to note the large part played by Phitsnulok as second capital.

The dates given in the new version do not agree with those given in the Bradley edition, which however agree with those recorded in the history of Burma and Cambodia. Now that would appear to militate against the genuineness of the new version, if it were not that the Burmese and Cambodian chronicles were compiled at a date considerably later than our present version.