Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/265

 THE GOLD DYNASTY. 241 had not got to the Hwuntoong, when night overtook his army. About midnight he roused his men with the cry that the gods had appeared to him, and marched them off by torch light By dawn he got to the Hwuntoong ; and taking advantage of a great wind which arose as he approached the Liao camp, he attacked immediately, and with fury. The Liao could not resist the impetuosiiy of the attack, but broke up and fled. Great numbers fell, and more were taken prisonera So terrible was the defeat, that the Liao men had a saying, that if the Niijun numbered a myriad men, they should not be fought Hence it was inferred that Agooda had about that number with him. In February 1115, Agooda had made such progress towards founding a powerful state, that his younger brothers and subordinate chiefs urged him to assume the rank of emperor (whangdi) ; and, with more or less show of reluctance, he agreed. As the Liao had assumed the name of -'Iron,'' to indicate " strength, he took the title of " Gold " for his dynastic title ; " for iron, if strong, rusted ; while gold always remained bright" Hence his dynasiy is known as the Kin (now pronounced Jin), the Chinese word for gold But gold in their original language was "Anchoo."* Woo-Chiwmai was made Yenban-Bojilie, Sangai and Elaye  Golun-Bojilie." The tiger, the chief of beasts, in their language was " Tenbaa" Golun meant " Prime Minister." Kaye was a younger brother of Agooda;, and Sangai a cousin. In the autumn of the same year, appeared a comet of a scarlet yellow colour, which foreboded bloodshed and political changes. And in October, the Kin marched against and took the Hwangloongfoo of Liao, which was a very large iatm, BojiHe may be the same as the Manchu ''Batooroo *' ; but the Malichusi to begin with, used this term not as a hereditary title like "chief," bat as an honorary derignation, the eqtdvalent of onr "knight." It means "brave,*' and was con- ferred only on the distmgidshed brave. I find it difficult to reconcile these words for "gold" and " tiger," with the assumption that the Kin spoke precisely as tha Manchus, except on the supposition that Chinese history has given Liao or Mongol words as if Kin.
 * TfalB is on the aufhority of the Chinefle hiBtory. In MaadiQ, gold ie aMn, tiger