No. 62. — 1909.] LETTERS OF RAJA SINHA II. 



261 



As God our Lord created the heavens and the earth 4 , he 

 likewise created kings, who are gods of the aforesaid earth. 

 The native vassals of this my empire, and the rest that are 

 like my own vassals, who serve me with love and loyalty, when 

 they name my royal name call me " God our Lord " 5 ; and the 

 rest who are strangers, both friends and enemies, name me 

 " God of the Country ": and for this aforesaid reason thsy 

 desire (?) to call and name kings " God of the Country "; and 

 it will not be a sin to [address] as " God " kings of my lineage ; 

 as likewise the natives of this my empire, of great ideas, 

 together with the strangers of other countries, did not apply 

 to me this title without first imagining and considering it very 

 well. When they gave me the rule of this my empire they 

 gave me together with it the title of " God of the Country "; 

 and for this reason King Comarasinga and King Vigiapala, my 

 great brothers, because they did not give it to them, took it 

 very ill their giving it to me ; and because of their having this 

 envy, what God did to them Your Honours know very well 6 . 

 And by this Your Honours will understand that God himself 

 is willing for them to name me by this title ; and this same 

 aforesaid title is already very ancient to those of my lineage, 

 and the natives of other countries name by this aforesaid title ; 

 and in order that Your Honour may know it I gave you this 

 information , so that Your Honours do not go contrary to your 

 law, and consider this word that it is already ancient, and do 

 what seems best to you. 



Your Honour tells me in your letter that the commissary 

 Pedro Kuief t begged him urgently to grant him leave to pay a 

 visit to Batavia 7 in order to relate to his superiors all that had 

 happened to him at this my imperial court, at which I was 

 very glad ; and the letter that the said commissary sent me 

 together with that of Your Honour I likewise welcomed. 

 When the said commissary left this my imperial court he gave 

 me his word to return shortly, the which he was not obliged 

 to do. The Dutch nation [ * * * *] 8 like- 



wise he for his part was obliged to break faith, which I hold in 

 my royal heart for certain [ * * *] 8 . That which 

 Your Honour in the seventh paragraph of your letter treats of 

 to me, as regards that, on my royal part I shall fail in nothing 9 



