244 journal, r.a.s. (ceylon). [Vol. II., Part II. 



undergone a slight change.* Again, it is incorrect to say 



©C3d©£( «5©^33®8o3o)e3. — Swdbhdsalankare. 



" Although such tricks (of composition) previously existed, it is 

 improper to attempt them now ; for, unlike the language of the gods 

 (Sanskrit), the Sinhalese is not without a change from time to time." 



The change here alluded to consists in the present disuse of certain 

 words now obsolete, the introduction of many particles which were 

 anciently omitted in composition, and in the abundance of certain 

 decorations of style which were formerly avoided. The following, which 

 I have elsewhere translated, will explain the difference : — 



Example 1.— C3Sd«3 S3©d^feS £)©£D £)©d§<£> S3©&) 88©caed ead^o 

 d$<§>d sD(3(^£)(33, when rendered into the modern, is read as follows : — 



CSea^g) ©<53<&©®(^e8 CDiS©d*£te03g 6)®de3§)G3C3 <pgdz<33z©^ 



Example 2. — e3d<<5» sacDd SdQes, ©es©i)(35)<3«id <p8cBS3 : dg2)©£3d 

 -sssgi)©^, £5S32$3Sg ©saea©©©^, in modern prose reads as follows : — 



©S5<£)©©(^£9 ©S53Gx)<257i©<d3 ©63©S)(5 (535)335 <^3d 5)^03*35(5^ 



S33§ ddgS&sj 1 ©esd *S3(g3g <££)®3 £323033^ ^eaddydiQaffDea-steid 



-S53Cp<533 ©a33©,3S)©(efc». 



In the first example, o)©<53 is the Sinhalese for the Sanskrit word 

 §)©£D, which is now used. I have, however, given eoi£3©dtfte)g, which is 

 more frequently used. £8oid is of less frequent use than ^gd, and 

 the substantive form of the adjective £)3(3, is obsolete, because, perhaps, 

 the same is used for cats. s)Q3, as a term of comparison, is now obsolete. 



In the second example, esd-^o, " feet " (a word which occurs in the first 

 as the verb for "walking"), is obsolete except in poetry. e)d(3C3, in 

 common parlance, either an ironical or sarcastic expression, is frequently 

 used in poetry. «s3i©^S, a term of comparison, was anciently, and is still, 

 omitted in poetry, as in ©cssg^esgd for c3f)£)<53 £ftz©£8 cascades ; in 

 prose, "the ocean of youth." The decorations of style to which I have 

 alluded, and which are particles and honorifics, are the following : — 2S)(^&, 

 ®tf(S, g. «3i©*9, eS, g, g, ©3, gdie)s*e)<s>«J©«J, 03, &c. 



From the above examples it will be perceived that the modern prose 

 is much more redundant in its style than the ancient, of which a few 

 passages occur in the " Sidatsangarawa" and "Lakunumina." My own 

 suspicions are that this arose from the decline of the Sinhalese as a 

 language after the general destruction of literary records in the reigns of 

 several kings, and also from a frequent reference to, and a close imitation 

 of, the paraphrases and commentaries, being the great bulk of prose, 

 remnants of an ancient date which ex-necessitate adopt the redundant 

 style — a style ill-adapted to other species of composition. 



