ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY. 



153 



had been cheated, was published abroad. There was a country 

 priest, who was much of the same disposition with Cheewara- 

 waddaki, and he hearing that there was a priest at Dewaram 

 as skilful as himself in the arts of deception, thought, it 

 will be a capital thing if I can cheat this city priest. He ac- 

 cordingly procured a piece of cloth of very slight texture, made 

 it into a robe, dyed it with great skill, and putting it on, visited 

 the Dewaram monastery. When Cheewara-waddaki saw it, 

 he immediately coveted it, and not knowing that the priest 

 had come for the express purpose of deceiving him, said, did 

 you, my Lord, make this robe ? Yes, I did, he replied. If so 

 be so good as to give it to me. Ah ! What do you say ! It is 

 difficult to obtain a robe in the country place where I live : if 

 I give you this, what shall I wear myself? He replied, my 

 Lord, I have a piece of new cloth, take that and make it into 

 a robe, and give me this one. Very well, as you request it, 

 take the robe ; and so saying he took the piece of new cloth, 

 gave him the robe, and having thus cheated him, departed. 

 After Cheewara-waddaki had worn the cloth some time, it 

 became dirty, and he put it into hot water and washed it ; but 

 found that it became torn in many places, and was exceedingly 

 ashamed to find that he had been taken in by a village priest. 

 It was soon known that the knavish priest of Dewaram ^iad 

 been himself cheated by one who had come from the country, 

 and it became the subject of conversation at a meeting of the 

 priests. Budha coming to the place, and being seated, enquired 

 what they Were talking about, when they told him the circum- 

 stance, and he said, this is not the first time that the Dewaram 

 priest has been circumvented by the other priest : it was so on 

 a former occasion. Upon being requested by the priests he 

 related the following event : — 



In former days there was in a certain place a small lake, 



