1838.] 



Report on the Mackenzie Manuscripts, 



239 



chieftain named Ragha singh, treated her hospitably ; and had a small 

 cottage built for her reception. A child was born to her named F^V^^- 

 mdran. The said child, being well instructed, early distinguished himself 

 by killing a tiger. The remainder of the work is chiefly occupied with 

 details of a literary, or poetical, contest, with the daughter of Fira-rama 

 king of Cosala desam ; by skill in which contest Viramaran, won the 

 hand of the said princess. The forces of her father being now at his dis- 

 posal he with them dispossessed, and killed, the usurping mantri ; and 

 then proceeded to the place where his own father, Durendra, had been 

 made away with : he there offered a great sacrifice ; as the result of 

 which the celestials descended, and brought with them his father, restor- 

 ed to life ; who remained with his son, while the latter ruled the kingdom. 



t^EMARK. — From this outline it will appear that the tale is of a poeti- 

 cal, and romantic character ; bearing a resemblance, in its several fea- 

 tures, to portions of various ifmc?M works of reputation. In one part there 

 is a resemblance to an episode in the MahahJiarata, in another to the 

 Mudra RacsJiasa, or drama of the murder of Nanda by his minister; and 

 in the marriage contest, to a tale of a daughter of the Alacesdpuri-raja^ 

 in this collection, to be noticed hereafter. It is also on the same plan 

 with that tale, as to composition : the tissue of the narrative being prose, 

 with flourishes, and specimens of difficult versification, interwoven. I 

 believe we have nothing of the kind in English literature ; unless some 

 of the novels of Scott, should be deemed an exception ; but I have seen 

 a work published on the Continent, precisely on the same model of com- 

 position, though rather poor, and professing to be an imitation of some 

 foregoing work, deemed an original idea, in this kind of writing. The 

 languages of Europe do not differ in the poetical and prose dialects, 

 so greatly, as do the native languages of the peninsula. Hence no Euro- 

 pean work can exactly be a parallel with Hindu works of fiction of this 

 class. An idea sufficiently distinct I trust has been conveyed; and 

 1 there can be no doubt, that, in the hands of a man of genius, a work 

 I might be produced on this model, which in English would, I think, 

 be a new species of composition ; but in order to please, and be suc- 

 1 cessful, it would require to be extremely well managed. 



Note. — In point of condition, the first and best copy is very old ^ it is 

 not injured by insects, but apparently from mere decay of the leaves ; 

 parts of them, at the edges, in various places are broken, or worn off. 

 ' Hence to make out a complete copy of this particular book would be ini- 

 j practicable. The leaves were transposed; but have been again put in 

 I proper order. The second copy is of recent writing, and tolerably good 

 i preservation ; slightly damaged by insects. The third copy is on nar- 



