LITERATURE ON THE BURMAS. 2O3 



The inner divifion in both fchemes is into four. 

 Thefe are named raung, the meaning of which word 

 I do not know: the firll is named Banraung^ the 

 fecond Ngue or filver raimg, the third Skue or golden 

 raung, and the fourth Mya-raung. Thefe, I con^ 

 ceive, reprefent the fpaces of the zodiac pafled through 

 by the moon in each of her four phafes. 



This lunar zodiac is alfo in ufc among iheBrahmens^ 

 0nd Sir William Jones has favoured us with a repre^ 

 fentation of it after their manner *, They have the 

 divifions into 4, g, and 27: and the figures in ths 

 center are no doubt a repreferjtation of Mienmo, and 

 the furrounding illands, with the princes of the N'at 

 ^adumaharit fitting on mount Jugando : in one thing 

 however there is a material difference. Sir W. Jones 

 fays, that the nine figures reprefent the fun, moon, 

 and planets, with the dragon's head or afcending node, 

 and tail or defcending node. It is true, that the 

 Burmas believe in a planet, which performs the fame 

 effeft as the moon does when near her nodes at the 

 lime of a conjunftion or oppofition, that is to fay, 

 which produces an eclipfe: but the divihon into nine, 

 in ufe among the Burmas, is evidently zodiacal. The 

 divifions are not called Kicf}', which fignifies a planet: 

 but they named Tara, or a colleclion of fixed flars; 

 and in both the written account, and in the delineation 

 of the fixty-eight conflellations, there is an account of 

 the number of liars contained in each. Were we furc 

 that thefe fchemes were mentioned in the writings of 

 the Rahans, and not lately introduced into the Burma 

 kingdom by the Brahmens, we might eafily account for 

 this difference. It would in that cafe be probable, 

 when, in compliance with the prejudices of their new 

 converts, the Brahmens adopted this lunar zodiac, 

 that feeing no utility in the divifion into nine, and hav- 

 ing a more jull notion of the planetary bodies, they 

 filled up the places of thefe nine confteliations with 

 the different parts of the folar fyftem. I make little 



doubt 

 '^ ^afid Refqardiesj II, 231, et fecj. 



