612 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



[Part V. 



closely resemble the description of the natives of the 

 island visited by Jambulus, as related in the story told by 

 Diodorus.^ 



The Chinese in the seventh century found the Singha- 

 lese dressed in a costume w^hicli appears to be nearly 

 identical with that of the present day.^ Both males 

 and females had then' hair long and flowing, but the 

 heads of children were closely shaven, a practice which 

 still partially prevails. The jackets of the girls were 

 occasionaUy ornamented with gems.^ " The men," says 

 the Tung-teen, " have the upper part of the body naked, 

 but cover their hmbs with a cloth, called Kan-man, 

 made of Koo-pei, ' Cotton,' a word in which we may 

 recognise the term ' Comboy,' used to designate the 

 cotton cloth universally worn at the present day by the 

 Singhalese of both sexes in the maritime pro^ances.* 

 For their vests, the kings and nobles made use of a sub- 



^ DioDontrs SiCTJLtTS, lib. ii. cli. 

 liii. See ante, Vol. I. P. v. eh. 1. p. 

 153. 



^ Leang-shoo, b. liv. p. 10 ; Xan- 

 slie, b. Ixxviii. pp. 13; 14. 



3 Nan-sM, a.d. 650, b. Ixxviii. p. 

 13 ; Leang-shoo, a.d. 070, b. liv. p. 

 11. Such is still the dress of the 

 Siu^halese females. 



A MOODLTAR ANB HIS •WIEE, 



'' Timg-tecn, b. clxxxviii. p. 17 ; I slioo, b. cxcviii. p. 25. See p. iv. ch. 

 Nau-sM, b. Ixxviii. p. 13 ; Sin-tang- \ iv. vol. i. p. 450. 



