CEYLON BRANCH— ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. if 



A second and a third time his parents spoke to him in the 

 same words but he gave no answer. 



His parents then went to his friends and said, This Ratta-. 

 pala is lying on the bare ground and says, Either here I will 

 die or become a priest: Come, and go to Rattapala, and say- 

 to him, Friend Rattapala, you are the only son of your parents^ 

 pleasing and beloved; you are in affluent circumstances and 

 have been tenderly educated. Friend Rattanala you have ne- 

 ver known any trouble. Get up, friend Rattapala, eat, drink 9 

 associate with your women; and eating, drinking, and attended by 

 your women, enjoy the pleasures of sense, perform acts of me- 

 rit, and live content. Your parents will not consent to your for°. 

 saking family life and becoming a houseless priest. They are 

 unwilling to be separated from you even by death; why should 

 they permit you, while you live, to forsake family life and be* 

 come a houseless priest. 



His friends acceded to the request of his parents and going^ 

 to him spoke to him as they were desired, but he gave them 

 no answer. Three times they used the words above recited [to 

 prevent this endless repetition the words are not translated] but 

 received no reply. 



They then returned to his parents and said, Mother and fa- 

 ther this Rattapala, lies there on the bare ground saying, Here 

 I will die or become a priest : if you do not consent to his 

 forsaking family life and becoming a priest he will die there; 

 but if you give your consent, you will see him when he is a 

 priest, and if he should not be satisfied with his priest'y state, 

 to what else will he turn, except to return back here ; Give 

 therefore your consent. They replied, We consent, but those 

 who make him a priest must let him come and see his pa- 

 rents. Upon this his friends returned to him, and informed him 

 that his parents had consented, but that those who make 

 him a priest must permit him to go and see them occasionally,. 



