No. 25 1882.] SINHALESE FOLK-LORE STORIES. 227 



The goldsmith was brought and as he was unable to offer any- 

 reasonable excuse, he was condemned to be hanged. Those in 

 the Court however begged the Judge to spare the goldsmith's 

 life ; "for," said they, ■ he is very sick and ill-favoured and would 

 not make at all a pretty spectacle"; "but," said the judge, "some- 

 body must be hanged." Then they drew the attention of the 

 Court to the fact that there was a fat Moorman in a shop 

 opposite who was a much fitter subject for an execution, and 

 asked that he might be hanged in the goldsmith's stead. The 

 learned Judge, considering that this arrangement would be very 

 satisfactory, gave judgment accordingly. 



II. — The Goldsmith who cheated his Mother. 



Of all workmen the Sinhalese regard the native goldsmith 

 with the greatest suspicion. This is due no doubt to the fact that, 

 whenever opportunity occurs, he appropriates a portion of the 

 precious metal entrusted to him, often substituting for it that of 

 a baser kind. There are many sayings in the language to the 

 effect that 'whoever else is to be trusted, a goldsmith is not' ; and 

 there is a popular belief that 'a goldsmith would cheat his own 

 mother', in illustration of which the following story is told : — ■ 



A certain woman possessed a large piece of gold made up 

 in the form of a frog,* which had been a heir-loom in her 

 family for many years. She, though wishing to keep the 

 metal, was anxious to have it made up in the form of ornaments, 

 which she could wear and display before her friends. She was 

 afraid to take it to a goldsmith, for she knew that they all had 

 the reputation of being rogues, and that she would most likely 

 be cheated. It, therefore, occurred to her that the safest way 

 would be to have her son apprenticed to the trade : this she 

 accordingly did. When he had learned it sufficiently well, 

 she took the golden frog to him and requested him to make it 

 into the ornaments she required. The cunning fellow first 

 obtained a live frog and placed it among the ashes of his fire- 

 place, and then, whilst his mother stood by, took the golden 



* S, Gema$iya> 



