52 
Sir Arthur P. Phayre —On the History of Pegu. 
[No. 1, 
preserve peace. Not long after, prince Thid-dat, brother of Meng Khaung, 
conspired against the king, and being discovered, fled to Pegu. There he 
was received with distinction, and he induced Padzadirit to withhold an 
annual gift of thirty elephants, which he had promised to send to Ava. 
Meng Khaung, enraged at this breach of faith, determined at once to 
attack Pegu. In vain his ministers represented that the rainy season 
was at hand, and a campaign in Pegu hazardous. The king would brook 
no delay. Pushing on heedlessly at the head of a body of cavalry, he 
was suddenly attacked by the Tabling general, with whom was prince 
Thid-dat. The king of Ava was entirely defeated, and escaping from the 
field with difficulty, retreated to his own country. Padzadirit enraged that 
his enemy had eluded his grasp, for Thid-dat had promised to capture 
his brother, put the prince to death. The king of Ava made another 
attack after the rainy season of 767 (A. D. 1405), but it was unsuccess¬ 
ful. At this time it is stated that Itadzadirit had some Europeans in his 
service. 
A more formidable invasion was now preparing than any yet hurled 
against Pegu. The army was placed under the command of the king’s 
son, Meng-re-kyau-tswa, who was now seventeen years of age. The story 
of the marvellous birth of this young prince is told without any doubt 
of its truth. At the time when Padzadirit was employed in the Myoung- 
mya district against Lauk-bya, he suspected, as has already been mention¬ 
ed, that his son Bau-lau-kwon-dau, who was at the capital, was conspir¬ 
ing to usurp the throne. He caused him to be put to death. But the 
young prince was innocent, and in dying invoked the powers of nature, 
that he might he born again in a neighbouring kingdom, and revenge his 
unjust death on his father and his country. Transmigrating, he was born 
of one of the wives of Meng Khaung, and from marks indicating future 
greatness received the name of Meng-re-kyau-tswa. # Now in the year 
768,f he was appointed to command the invading force, which by land and 
water numbered twenty thousand men. The prince proceeded down the 
Erawati and entered the Bassein District, where he captured a stockade 
which had lately been built at De-ba-thwe. At this time Padzadirit was 
detained at Muttama, which was threatened with an attack by the Shans 
of Zimme. The prince next attacked Myoung-mya, which was so well 
defended, that he was obliged to retire. He also failed against Bassein 
and Khe-baung. The following year he marched across the hills into 
Arakan. The king of that country, Naramit-hla fled, and the prince ap- 
* The same story is told in the Burmese history. See Jour. A. Soc. Bengal, 
Tol. XXXVIII. 
t Tear 772, by the Burmese history. 
