No. (50, — 1908.] couto: history of ceylon. ll.°> 



freedom, he found means to disappear in the garb of a pilgrim, 

 and betook himself into the interior of that country to lead a 

 solitary and very austere life 1 . And omitting many fables 

 that they relate, both of his flight and his wanderings, after 

 passing through many countries, they say that he came to 

 Ceilao, bringing with him a great concourse of disciples. . There 

 on that mountain he led such a life for so many years that the 

 natives worshipped him as God 2 ; and desiring to depart- 

 thence for other parts, his disciples who remained there begged 

 him to leave them some memorial of him, that they might 

 reverence it in his name ; whereupon planting his foot upon 

 that slab 3 , he impressed that footprint, which continued to be 

 held in such veneration, as we have said. In the histories of 

 this prince he is called by many names, but his proper one was 

 Drama Rajo 4 ; and that by which he was known after he was 

 held as a saint is the Budao, which means "wise " 5 , of whom 

 we have already spoken above in the ninth chapter of the fifth 

 book, who is said to have prophesied of the city of Pegu : to 

 those parts he proceeded after leaving Ceilao. 



To this name the heathen throughout the whole of India 

 have dedicated 6 great and superb pagodes 7 . On seeing this 

 history, we began to reflect if the ancient heathens of these 

 parts had knowledge in their writings of Saint Josaphat, who 

 was converted by Barlao, who according to the legend of him 8 

 we hold to have been the son of a great king of India, and that 

 he had the same upbringing and all the other experiences that 

 we have related of the life of this Budao. And as the history 

 of J osaphat must have been written by the natives (for nothing 

 is left unwritten by them), it would seem that in course of time 

 many fables came to be added to it, as they have in the life of 

 the Budao, which we pass over, because not in two chapters 

 should we bring them to an end as they have them. 



And as we are reminded of what was told us by a very old 

 man of the district of Salsete in Bacaim regarding Saint 



1 Valentyn omits these last words. 



2 Valentyn inserts " a " before " God." 



3 Once more Valentyn has '' water-tank,' 1 and again Skeen has a 

 footnote attempting to explain the absurdity. 



4 Dharmaraja (" King of Righteousness "), a common title of the 

 Buddha's. Skeen has an uncalled-for note on this, accusing Couto of 

 confusion. 



5 Or " sage." 



6 Valentyn substitutes " To him ....... have erected." 



7 The rest of this paragraph and the two following are omitted by 

 Valentyn. 



8 On the legend of Barlaam and Josaphat see Yule's Marco Polo, 

 3rd ed., ii. 323 ff. 



I 36-08 



