No. 60. — 1908.] couto : history of ceylon. 



101 



Whence come the kings of the caste of the sun, and the mason 

 why they are so called. 



And that it may not be left to us to give an account of this 

 caste of the sun, we shall tell what they tabulate regarding 

 this, in order to give an honourable beginning to their kings. 

 Their chronicles say (and we heard them chanted by a prince 

 of Ceilao 1 in verses after their mode, which an interpreter went 

 on interpreting to us, because all their ancient events have 

 been pui into verse, and are chanted at their festivals), that 

 when all the heathens of that part beyond the Ganges, 

 in all that today comprises the kingdoms of Pegu, Tanacarim, 

 Siao, Camboja, and all the rest of that inland region, were 

 living without king, without laws or any polity that would 

 differentiate them from brute beasts, dwelling in dens and 

 caves, eating herbs and roots, without having knowledge of 

 agriculture or of the tilling of fields ; and when those natives 

 of Tanacarim 2 were standing one day in the morning at the 

 rising of the sun viewing its beauty, on its first rays' striking 

 the earth they saw it open of a sudden, and from within it 

 issue forth a very handsome man, dignified in person, of 

 venerable presence, and in all other respects different from all 

 men, to whom there flocked all those that saw him, filled with 

 wonder at that marvel, and with great humility asked him 

 what man he was, and what he wished. To which he replied 

 in the Tanacarim language that he was the son of the sun and 

 the earth, and that God had sent him to those kingdoms to 

 rule and govern them. The which being heard by all, %hey 

 threw themselves on the ground and adored him, telling 

 him that they were ready to receive him, follow him, and 

 accept his laws and customs. From there he was conducted 

 and placed in an elevated position ; and they yielded him 

 obedience as king, and he began to command and govern them. 

 The first thing that he did was to draw them from the jungle 

 and unite them in civil communities, showing them the 

 method and plan of building houses, and of cultivating the 

 fields ; and afterwards gave them mild and gentle laws, where- 

 by they found themselves in comfort, and lived differently 

 from what they had hitherto done. This king reigned many 

 years, and left many sons among whom he divided his realms, 

 among whose descendants they continued more than two 

 thousand years ; and all the heirs who succeeded were called 

 suriavas, which means, " of the caste of the sun." From 

 these came directly Vigia Raya, who (as we have already said 

 in the fifth chapter of the first book) was banished, to populate 



See supra, p. 62. note 3 . 



2 Cf. supra, p. 62, note 4 . 



