122 ON THE CITY OF PEGUE, &C. 



and a half in height. Sigeamee., or the fpirit that 

 prefides over the elements, and directs the thunder 

 and lightning, in the fpace of one night, increafed the 

 lize of the pagoda to two cubits. The merchants then 

 added another cubit, which Sigeamee likewife doubled 

 in the fame fhort time. The building thus attained 

 the magnitude of twelve cubits, when the merchants 

 defifted. That the pagoda was afterwards gradually 

 increafed by fucceflive monarchs of Pegue; the regifters 

 of whofe names, and the amount of their contributions, 

 had been loft in the general ruin: nor could he in- 

 form me of any authentic archives that furvived the 

 wreck. 



Of the deficiency of the foregoing account of the 

 city of Pegue, and the temple of Shoemadoo, I am 

 fully fenfible. Authentic documents were not to be 

 procured; and the flories related, in anfwer to oral 

 enquiries, were too extravagant to merit attention. 

 That Pegue was once a great and populous city, the 

 ruins of buildings within the walls, and the veftiges of 

 its extenfive fuburbs, ftill extant, fufficiently declare. 

 Of the antiquity of Shoemadoo there is no reafon to 

 doubt: and as a pile of building, fingular in its con- 

 duction, and extraordinary for its magnitude, it may 

 juftly be numbered amongft the molt curious fpeci-, 

 mens of oriental architecture. 



