No. 50. — 1899.] van eck's kandyan expedition. 59 



while, the great king, the lord of Lanka, who was endued with great 

 knowledge, knowing that the time (was unfavourable), and seeing that 

 it was not possible to hinder the progress of the enemy who came on 

 like a wild-fire, placed the venerable Tooth-relic, and his queen also, 

 and younger sister, and all his best treasure, in the charge of the two 

 sub-kings, and sent them on for safety into the heart of the country » 

 which the enemy could not reach by reason of the fastnesses of the 

 mountains and the forest. 



Thereupon, all the forces of the enemy, like a fierce multitude of 

 devils, entered the city and destroyed all religious books and other 

 sacred things. And the great king put himself at the head of the 

 army, and surrounded by valiant generals skilful in war, and great 

 ministers who knew how to take advantage of opportunities, took up 

 his position at divers places near the suburbs not far from the chief 

 city, and besieged it on every side, 



And the inhabitants of Laoka, being attached to the religion of 

 Buddha, acted according to the king's commands, and slew all those 

 who went over to the enemy, wheresoever they found them, while the 

 king's messengers and other officers defended the priesthood. 



And those brave men, valiant and strong, who were faithful to their 

 king, fought with the enemy in their desire to defend the religion of 

 the conqueror. And they surrounded themselves with strong men, 

 and fought in divers ways with those who held the highway at divers 

 points, and drove them away. And they began to fight with the 

 enemy that was inside the city, and many times slew them. It is not 

 a marvel to us that men carried out the wishes of the king with such 

 zeal, for even the gods did likewise. And, indeed, there soon fell upon 

 that most foolish leader of the enemy's hosts a fearful and terrible 

 madness that was brought about by the power of the gods and by the 

 power also of the king's merit, so that he abandoned that fine city, and 

 left it ingloriously, and was consumed by the fire of death. 



And all the enemy's hosts who had come under the leadership of 

 that foolish man became powerless and helpless, and were overtaken 

 by calamities. Some fell victims to disease ; others suffered great 

 distress from hunger and sickness ; some were slain in battle, and 

 others betook themselves to mountain fastnesses. 



Thus were these enemies, the vilest of men, destroyed and put to 

 flight, and thus was this ruler of the land protected by gods and men ! 

 And the people said, " Of a surety our king is a man of great power, 

 he is a man of great good fortune ! " And, indeed, who, in this world, 

 is able to override the authority of a king so great in power, so great 

 in good fortune ? 



And when the illustrious king, whose enemies had been driven 

 away, saw that the forces of the enemy had disappeared, he caused the 

 city to be cleaned as before, and the temple of the Tooth-relic and 

 other sacred buildings to be especially decorated. 



