616 



MEDIEVAL HISTORY. 



[Part V. 



wjiatever of cinnamon as a production of Ceylon ; although 

 cassia, described under the name of kwei, is mentioned as 

 indigenous in China and Cochin-China. Li exchange for 

 these commodities the Chinese traders brought with them 

 silk, variegated lute strings, blue porcelain, enamelled 

 dishes and cups, and quantities of copper cash wanted for 

 adjusting the balances of trade. ^ 



Of the rehgion of the people, the earhest account 

 recorded by the Chinese is that of Fa Hian^, in the 

 fourth century^, when Buddliism was signally in the ascen- 

 dant. But in the century which foUowed, travellers 

 returning from Ceylon brought back accounts of the 

 growing power of the Tamils, and of the consequent 

 echpse of the national worship. The Yung-teen and 

 tlie Tae-jnng describe at that early period the prevalence 

 of Brahmanical customs, but coupled with "greater rever- 

 ence for the Buddhistical faith." ^ In process of time, 

 however, they are forced to admit the gradual dechne of 

 the latter, and the attachment of the Singhalese kings to 

 the Hmdu ritual, exhibiting an equal reverence to the ox 

 and to tlie images of Buddha.* 



The Chinese trace to Ceylon the first foundation of 

 monasteries, and of dwelling-houses for the priests, 

 and in this they are corroborated by the Mahaicaiiso.^ 

 From these pious communities, the Emperors of China 

 were accustomed fi-om time to time to sohcit tran- 

 scripts of theological works ^, and their envoys, return- 

 ing fi^om such missions, appear to have brought glowing 

 accounts of the Smghalese temples, the costly shrines for 



^ Suy-shoo, '^History of the Suy 

 Dynasty," a.d. 633, b. Ixxxi. p. 3. 



^ Foe-Koue Ki, ch. xxxviii. 



^ Tae-ping, b. dccxciii. p. 9. 



■* Woo-heo-peen, " Records of tlie 

 Ming DjTiasty," b. Ixriii. p. i; Tung- 

 nee, b. cxcvi. pp. 79, 80. 



* Mahawanso, cb. xv. p. 99 ; cb. 



XX. p. 123. In tbe Itineraiy of Ke- 

 nee's Travels in the Western King- 

 doms in the tenth Centunj be mentions 

 baving seen a monastery of Singba- 

 lese on tbe continent of India. — Ive- 

 NiiE, Se-yih hing-ching, a.d. 964 — • 

 976. 



® Tae-ping, b. dcclxxxvii. p. 5. 



