264 Terms of address in use 



tion. It is possible that this (t form of the second person 

 singular" occurs in books translated from the Pali into the 

 Singhalese ; but I have never met with a single passage in 

 any original Singhalese work in which a priest is made to 

 address a laic, much less a King, or a God, with a pronoun 

 " that is offensively low." The word that I have always met 

 with in my reading, as the pronoun used by the priest to the 

 laic (except indeed where the Pali -£®o twan is rendered 

 literally into Singhalese) is ©5)8 or ©5)38, the form of the 

 second person plural, which I need not inform the reader, 

 becomes like other terms of address when used in the plural 

 form, an honorific* 



I shall content myself with five examples :• — 



1. In the Attangalu-Wansa, Nanda Malta Thera is 

 made to address his royal pupil, Sri Sangabo, who was also 

 his nephew, with <§*o8 you, thus: <§-85Jfl35$©<5)aJ 6«J<^8 



^©3C^cs^ <^£d ©,5)8 q&S&iocq (S^Q^ca® cpc-Qj 

 ®a5Sco qerf«?oc5 Seed ©o5Sdocjaocs5)cft«J®^5cSq8cs...cpv 

 " Afterwards, one day, his uncle Nanda Malta Thera recited 

 pirit to Prince Sri Sangabo, who had attained his majority ; 

 and, after he had heard Sana, addressed him as follows : 

 6 Most noble Prince, (®3>8) you have now mastered the Bud- 

 histical doctrines, and also the inferior arts and science.'" &c. 



2. The same prince having afterwards refused to assume 



* The plural form of the second person may be properly used with the ephithet, 

 Lord, Master, &c. c. g. t£b§5^> G>*»o8 <^d©<3 §Gg«n ©cS «>>.qD 3 

 eg €3t -85} 03 Gen© (?>toS$ @?!38©c30£n© G>«a9c- ' My Lord (address- 

 ing Budha) did you obtain this unshaken firmness from the goddess of earth ? 

 Are you Sakkra? Are you Brahma ? , ~-Sanvagnha-gundlankara. 



