124 Spolia zeylanica. 



religion in the Island (1415 a.d.), after the demise of the said 

 seven." — Saddharmaratnakara, Colombo Museum, MS. C 12, p. 

 e^e^O, MS. v., p. ^s. 



The Raj avaliy a, or "A historical narrative of Sinhalese kings," 

 though later, contains a more circumstantial account : — 



" During the reign of king Vijaya Bahu, Dosraja, king of Great 

 China, landed in Lanka, with an immense army ; and under pretext 

 of bringing presents and curiosities, craftily carried away king 

 Vijaya Bahu, who fell into his hands, foolishly thinking that he also 

 brought presents as other foreign princes had done in the time of 

 king Parakrama Bahu. His (Vijaya Bahu's) four younger brothers 

 were killed. Taking many captives, Dosraja returned to Great 

 China. 



******** 



' * Here it must be observed that it was in the 1958 of the illustrious 

 Buddhist era (1415 a.d.), on Thursday, the seventh day of the 

 bright half of the month Wesak, and under the asterism Phusa, 

 that king Vijaya Bahu was taken captive. Whereupon his queen 

 Sunetra Devi left the city, and went to Visidagama, taking his son 

 with her." — The Rajavaliya (Gunasekara), p. 67. 



De Couto, the Portuguese historian of the East Indies (1543-1616), 

 who based his narrative on ancient Sinhalese chronicles (probably a 

 variant of the Rajavaliya, now lost) , also refers to the event. I quote 

 from Mr. Donald Ferguson's translation and append his valuable 

 notes : — 



" And as the Chins continued to carry on trade with this island, 

 and are wicked (as we have said), there put in there an armada of 

 theirs, when Dambadine Pandar* was king, whom we have mentioned 

 above ; and those of the country not being afraid of them, the day 

 that they intended to embark they captured the king, and sacked 

 his city ; and carrying off from it great treasures they departed for 

 China, and presented the captive king to theirs. The latter was 

 very angry at the treachery that his vassals had practised on a king 

 who had received them into his country ; and he forthwith com- 

 manded them under pain of death to take him back again to his 

 kingdom, for which purpose he ordered an armada to be got ready 

 in which he embarked him with every honour. "| — Journal R.A.S., 

 C.B., Vol. XX., No. 60, pp. 66, 67. 



* This statement proves that the copy of the Rajavaliya in the possession of 

 the Sinhalese princes who supphed Couto with his information, had the usual 

 hiatus, after the reign of Parakrama Bahu II. (see Rajavaliya, p. 66). In 

 reahty the reigning king was Vira Bahu, or Vijaya Bahu VI. ( ?1391-1412), 

 and he it was whom the Chinese General Ching Ho in 1410 carried off captive 

 to China (see Bell's Report on Kegalla District, 91-3 ; Sylvani Levi in Journal 

 Asiatiquc, 430, 440). — D. F. 



fit isnoteworthy that tliis statement regarding the remission of Vijaya Bahu, 

 which finds no place in the Rajavaliya, is confirmed by the Chinese historians 

 (see Tennent, Vol. I. pp. 416, G24).— D. F. 



