OF THE INDO-CHINESE NATIONS. t7t 



BoRRi affirms, that the sacred books of the Anam 

 nation, are termed Sek King^ while those relative to 

 civil subjects are denominated Sek Chuw. He adds, 

 that the first treat of the creation of the world, the 

 nature of mind, the different classes of intelligent 

 beings, moral and metaphysical theology ; but both 

 these classes of books seem rather to refer to Chinese 

 literature, than to that which is pec^iliarly jinam ; 

 for Sek signifies only book, Chaw is the name applied 

 to the Chinese character, and King is the name of the 

 books first put into the hands of the students of 

 Chinese literature. Numerous Tru-yen or Cheritras^ 

 however, are known to exist in the Anam lano-uasfe, 

 and form the subject of their dramatic representa- 

 tions, in which the Anam nation are not inferior to 

 the Chinese. 



The ancient code of Tonkin laws, possessed great 

 celebrity, and was highly venerated previous to the 

 late conquest of that country by the Cochin-Chinese, 

 It is represented, by the missionary Le Roy", as 

 composed in the most elevated style of Chinese, and 

 full of uncommofi modes of expression. He also 

 mentions, that it was printed with an Anam transla- 

 tion, composed by an ancient Tonkin Mandarin. 



The Anam style is sometimes hig-hly bold and fisfu- 

 rative, and attams a degree of animation which is 

 not very common among the Indo-Chinese nations of 

 the continent. If the French version can be de- 

 pended on, we need only refer, in proof of this, to 

 the manifesto issued by the usurper Quang-tru'ng, 

 in 1790, to quiet the minds of his subjects, alarmed 

 at the reports of the prowess of tlie French aux:iliaries, 

 who aided the first effVjrts of the present monarch 

 for the recovery of his throne. " J3e not so credulous 



