1838.] 



liepcrt on the Macke?tzie Mmiuscripts, 



53 



own people, and ten thousand CafFres, and at their head, advanced to 

 the combat. The manuscript here contains details of various skir- 

 mishes and stockade fighting 5 in the midst of which the Madura king 

 came up to the support of his vanguard, with all his troops and a gene- 

 ral engagement ensued, which was sanguinary. The two kings were 

 visible on either side, each on his elephant. Eight thousand of the 

 Caffres fell fighting, and also many out of the sixty thousand Singha- 

 lese : the rest fled, the chief minister was deterred from flight by a 

 sense of honour and shame; and, being wounded, was taken prisoner. 

 The king of Candi, with ten of his near relatives, now mounted on 

 horseback, and being resolved on selling their lives, killed a great many 

 people; till at length the king alone remained in consequence of the 

 other ten having been captured, and of an order, from the Madura chief, 

 not to kill the Candi king, bat to take him prisoner* The Madura 

 general Chinna-Cesa^a stopped the Candi ruler in his work of destruc- 

 tion, parrying his blows, without returning them; until being severely 

 wounded in the arm he rode up to the elephant of the Madura prince 

 and shewed his wounds. The Candi king followed; and, biting his 

 own hand with rage at the sight of his rival, struck at him, and cut his 

 elephant on the trunk, at which the animal became terrified and re- 

 ceded. The other king now gave up further forbearance^ and from his 

 howdah shot the king of Candi with an arrow; who thus received 

 what is esteemed an honourable death, from the hand of his peer. 



The king of Candi being a crowned head, his dead body was re- 

 spectfully placed on his elephant, and sent to the capital, to receive 

 the usual funeral rites. The other king, at the request of many of the 

 people, advanced to the capital and remained there three days. He 

 sent the late king's family and household, inclusive of children, to a 

 town called Aura mgom, in former times the site of royal residence, 

 (probably Anuradhapur) where they were supplied with all necessa- 

 ries. He then placed his brother-in-law named Vijaya Gopala-nayadu 

 as his viceroy over Ceylon. The king afterwards set out on his return ; 

 and, bestowing largesses on various fanes (which are enumerated) by 

 the way, in order to expiate the slaughter of the war, he came back to 

 Madura. On a representation from the Manliris, and others, that it 

 Was customary in Ceylon to regard the king as a god, and to pay him 

 divine honours, the Madura king complied with their request to be so 

 considered. He besides regulated the tribute to be received; and was 

 obeyed both by the Ceylon viceroy, and (as the MS. states) by the 

 Malayala king, named Rama raja. 



