LITERATURE OF THE BURMAS. 287 



" following kinds : namely, houfes furrounded with 

 " walls;* houfes ending in a pyramid ;t fuch houfes 

 " as are triangular or four fided ; fuch as are adorned 

 " with flowers and figures carved in wood ;;|; fuch as 

 " are built with arches. || In fuch, and the like houfes, 

 " you may for the future dwell. The newly ordain- 

 " ed prieit anfwers as above. ^ 



" Again the reader fays, in the fourth place, O 

 " new prieft, during the whole courfe of your life, 

 " you are only to ufe fuch remedies as men have 

 " thrown away for being ufelefs. However, if your 

 " virtue, and manner of teaching, procure you bene- 

 *' faftors, you are permitted to ufe as remedies, but- 

 *' ter, milk, whey, oil, honey, fugar, fyrup, and the 

 " like. The new ordained prieft anfwers, Verily my 

 '' lord I have heard H." 



" Again the reader of Kammua fays, Since you 



" have 



* Sue H houfes are not permitted to be ufed except by perfons of very 

 high rank. 



+ Sue H houfes are only permitted to God, the king, and the Rahans, 



X These ornaments are only ufed in charitable or religious buildings, 

 fuch as Kiaungs, chapels, and the public buildings for the reception of 

 travellers. 



II It is a fingular circumflance, that the art of conflrufling arches 

 'ftiould have been loft among the Burmas. From many buildings, efpe- 

 cially at Pougan and Gnaungoo, it appears, that formerly they could 

 conftruft very excellent brick arches, both circular and gothic : but now 

 no one in the empire can be found fufficiently fkilful to arch over the 

 opening of a window. Mafonry indeed has fallen into nejrleft, the jea- 

 loufy of the' late princes having prohibited to private individuals the ufe of 

 brick or ftoue houles. 



^ I fhall hereafter give fome farther account of thefe buildings. Suffice 

 it now to fiy, that I believe, none of the Rahans live at preient in the 

 woods. Their Kiainigs are generally fituated in the moll agreeable places 

 that can be found in the immediate neighbourhood of large villages, towns, 

 or cities. The furrounding grounds arc well cleared and inclofed, and 

 generally contain many fine trees, efpecially the tamaruid, mango, coco- 

 nut, and palrnlra. Kiaicng is the name which I lieard ufed .for thefe 

 builduigs by every one in the i3«r;«a empire, expept Sangermano, who 

 ufed tlie word Bau or Bao. At the time I took this name to be forae 

 vulgar Portuguefe word: but I have fince learned, (Paulinus Mas. 

 Borg, pag. 24,) that it is the Pali name for a convent, derived from 

 Bhava oi Bhavana, the iS'«77/crz> word for habitation. 



f In fai-K I found the priefts wHIhij to take aoy medxiuc which I 

 prcfcnbed. 



