LITERATURE OF THE BURMAS. 3O3 



tories are, I am told, very fabulous; every aftion 

 being attended by omens and prodigies. Still how- 

 ever they may throw fome light on a part of the world 

 hitherto fo little known : and I am hopeful foon to be 

 able to lay before the learned, a tranflation of the 

 Maha-rafa Wayn-gye, the moft celebrated hiflorical 

 work of the Burmas. Thefe people have alfo tranf- 

 lated hiftories of the Chinefe and Siammefe, and of the 

 kingdoms of Kathee, Ko-Jkanpyee, Pagoo, Saymmay^ 

 and Laynzayn. Of all thele I faw copies, and feveral 

 of them I procured for Sir John Murray. 



On medicine the Burmas have feveral books. They 

 divide difeafes into ninety-fix genera, and of thefe 

 feveral are fubdivided into many fpecies. Their 

 books contain defcriptions of all the ninety-fix dif- 

 eafes, with various recipes for their cure. Of the 

 animal kingdom, mummy is a favourite medicine. 

 The Burmas are acquainted with the ufe of mercury 

 in the cure of the veneral difeafe: but their manner of 

 giving it is neither certain nor fafe. They make a 

 candle of cinnabar and fome other materials, and fet- 

 ting fire to it, the patient inhales the fumes with his 

 noftrils. The patient is however rarely able to per- 

 fevere long in this courfe, as it always produces a 

 want of appetite, and extreme langour. The greater 

 part however of the Burma remedies are taken from 

 the vegetable kingdom, efpecially of the aromatic 

 kind, nutmegs being one of their moft favourite me- 

 dicines. They are well acquainted with the plants of 

 their country, and for a valt number have appropriate 

 names. On the whole, however, the practice of their 

 phyficians is almoft entirely empirical; and almoft 

 every one has, or pretends to have, a number of pri- 

 vate recipes, on which the fuccefs of his practice 

 chiefly depends. I was often tempted by wonderful 

 ftories concerning the efficacy of thefe noftrums, in 

 order to induce me to purchafe the fecret, which 

 fome of them pretended to have been handed down 

 from iheir fathers for ieveral generations. Indeed I 



found 



