264 



Life and Writings of Father Beschi. 



[April 



tioned author; but her real name also is unknown, although she is al- 

 ways called Auviyar, a title which is appropriated to aged matrons. There 

 is another work which I shall occasionally quote, and the title of which 

 is NaladiyaVf which contains 400 epigrams on moral subjects. The 

 origin of this name is said to be as follows : eight thousand poets visit- 

 ed the court of a certain prince, who, being a lover of the muses, 

 treated them with kindness, and received them into favour : this excit- 

 ed the envy of the bards who already enjoyed the royal patronage, and 

 in a short time they succeeded so completely in their attempt to preju- 

 dice their master against the new comers, that the latter found it ne- 

 cessary to consult their safety by flight; and, without taking leave of 

 their host, decamped in the dead of night. Previous to their departure, 

 each poet wrote a venba on a scroll, which he deposited under his pil- 

 low. When this was made known, the king, who still listened to the 

 counsels of the envious poets, ordered the scrolls to be collected, and 

 thrown into a river, when 400 of them were observed to ascend, for the 

 space of four feet, naladi, against the stream. The king, moved by this 

 miraculous occurrence, directed that these scrolls should be preserved ; 

 and they were accordingly formed into a work, which, from the fore- 

 going circumstance, received the name o{ Naladiyar. 



'« I have now said all that I think necessary by way of introduction to 

 this work. In conclusion, I have only to assure the student, that if he 

 will apply himself to the perusal of the ancient authors, he will find 

 their writings to be by no means undeserving of his attention. Fare- 

 well ! Ides of September 1 730.' ' 



14. — The Clavis Humaniorum Tamulica Idiomatis, containing five 

 parts complete, like Tonnul Vilaccam in Tamil. It is in manuscript, 



15. — Vamen Cadei — a Tamil story, with a Latin translation, for the 

 readers of high Tamil. This is not printed. 



16. — Paramarta Gooroo Cadei— a tale in the Tamil language, for the 

 readers of the common Tamil. This is translated into English by 

 Mr. Babington, and printed in London, in the year 1822. 



37..^ — A Dictionary Tamil and French. 



18. — Do. Portuguese, Latin, and Tamil. 



19. — Do. Tamil and Latin. 



20. *Antalogium Tamulica. This work of great merit could not be 

 found, notwithstanding my diligent search in many places when I 



• I suppose Mr. Ellis means the following book, vide Shen Tamil Grammar, page 103. 

 «* If I should hereafter have sufficient leisure, it is rr.y intention to make a collection 

 Of these expressions from their best author?, and thus to form a Tamil Parnassus," 



