260 ON THE GOVERNMENT 



" keeppameiva sameento sangJcapa chanto pannaraso yathasappjiee teeyowee 

 " meewatchanto sappjiaroko weenatsantoo mediate hJiawa [this sentence or 

 " from sappjiee to bhawa is thrice repeated] abjiei^a tanaseeleet saneetchang 

 " PJiootdJia. Patella eeno djiamma loatJiantee ayoowanno sookhjiang p,ha- 

 " long hjiaivattoo sappjiamong kjialang rakjiantoo sapphatjie wcita sappjia 

 " PJiootdJia nooppkawena satjia sotee bhawantoote sappJia dJiamma noopp- 

 " haivena, t}c. sappha sangkjia 7iooppJiaivena, ^^c." 



The king concludes the ceremony by pouring out a libation of pure 

 water on the ground repeating the while the following Bali invocation of 

 the powers of heaven, earth and hell, the names of his ancestors included — 

 to witness the virtuous resolves which fill his mind. 



Q " Eemeena boonya-kame mata peeta pjiawautoote kjiroo ooppacha-acJia- 

 " riy^-nci metta peecha Eentra, YommaracJia Nakjia — KJiroottJia Chak- 

 " keennaree — chakkeennara — P,hra TJioranee KJiongka — Sappjie TJie- 

 " wa—Manootsa — maha sattJia — Teemeeya — settjiee — Chamaha racha anooma 

 " tjiantooi" 



A sovereign of Siam is rarely seen abroad, and to guard against trea- 

 chery he is difficult of access. He must however be almost daily visible to 

 his ministers — and attend to public affairs in open hall. 



The Government affects publicity on all occasions ; and matters of state 

 policy are often openly discussed. If the wisdom in the councils of a nation 

 might be measured by the length of deliberations, those of Siam might 

 claim a high station. But the tediousness of the deliberative proceedings 

 at its Court is the effect of pride, rather than of any anxiety to bring talent 

 and collective wisdom to bear on every part of a subject under discussion. 

 It is the finesse of a petty spirit, which sooner than forego the silly for- 

 malities which incumber its motions — and the paltry advantages which it 



(') P. Imindpunyakammena, mdtdpitd hhawantute, guruupajjhdcltat iyd mettdjncha, indray- 

 amardjd, ndga, garudhdcha, kinnarlclia kinnard, pra dharanl, gangd, sabbedewd, tnamissd, makd- 

 sattha setthl eha, mahdrdjd anumodantu. 



