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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL, XII. 



Tissa's grandfather — there is scarcely anything but fairy tales 

 and fantastic stories about beautiful princesses. 



It has been urged in support of these early chapters that 

 the illustrious Tumour described the Mahdwansa as a trust- 

 worthy history. But Tumour would never have said that it 

 was equally trustworthy throughout. In fact, what Tumour 

 does say (p. lx.) is this : — " From the date of the introduction 

 of Buddhism into Ceylon in 307 B.C. that history is authenti- 

 cated by the concurrence of every evidence which can con- 

 tribute to verify the annals of every country." This I think is 

 too strong a statement, even for the period to which it refers ; 

 but most emphatically I maintain, for the reasons I have given, 

 that whatever may be established as to the credibility of the 

 Buddhist chronicles, will not go to establish in any appreci- 

 able degree their value for the pre-Buddhist period. 



But to return. This first instalment of the history — for the 

 Dipawansa is an earlier and rougher compilation from the 

 same materials as the Mahdwansa — was issued in the fourth 

 century or soon after the end of it. From that time to about 

 1300 A.D. (the reign of Parakrama Bahu IV.) it was continued, 

 we know not by whom or with what intermissions. It may be 

 that it was constantly added to— after one reign or after eight, 

 short reigns, chapter by chapter— or it may be that only at long 

 intervals a large piece was written up : we are not told. But 

 we are told that from 1300 A.D. it was intermitted. Four 

 hundred and fifty years later Kirti Sri Raja Sinha ordered it 

 to be written up to date. How far it was then written up 

 from imagination and how far there were public records out 

 of which it could be authentically written up, this is a very 

 interesting question, and one which we are not without 

 materials for answering. From 1750 A.D, to the occupation of 

 Kandy by the English, forms, so to speak, a third part. By how 

 many hands or at what dates this was compiled I do not know. 



Now for the tests of which I have promised to give speci- 

 mens. We have means of testing the history, with varying 

 degrees of accuracy, at or near each of the critical periods : the 

 foundation of Anuradhapura — that is, at the point when the 



