[No. 2, 
12 8 Sir Arthur P. Pliayre —The History of Pegu. 
u ca was a furious, bloody, and desperate fight. But the Pegus overpowered 
“ by the Bramas deserted Morales, who alone in his galliot maintained 
“ himself against the enemies, performing wonders with vast slaughter of 
“ them ; hut oppressed by the multitude, he was killed.” Of the Peguans 
generally it is remarked that their bodies are all wrought blue with hot 
“ iron down to their knees. In general, they are not only not civilized, but 
“ very brutal.” 
In this account it should be observed that the Portuguese historian, 
writing more than a century after the events described, and probably from 
imperfect documents, in addition to evident exaggerations on points where 
the European actors in this tragedy might have furnished more accurate 
information, has been led to narrate supposed events, which caused or pre¬ 
ceded the invasion of Pegu by “ the king of Brama.” These are in them¬ 
selves highly improbable, and not to be found in the native histories. The 
king of Brama is, in fact, Meng-ta-ra, or Tabeng Sliwe hti, king of Taungu, 
who, as has already been stated, had by a remarkable train of events come 
to represent the national party of Burma, against the Shan dynasties of Ava 
and Pegu. The term Para Mandara (Phra Mengta-ra) is a title equivalent 
to the king’s Majesty. In the native histories no distinct cause is alleged 
for the invasion of Pegu by the king of Taungu ; but the relations between 
the two monarchies, for about a century before, sufficiently account for the 
event. If “ Brama” of Taungu had not been exactly tributary to Pegu, 
he had for several generations, when it was convenient, depended on the lat¬ 
ter to support him in resisting Ava. By the Burmese history, the chief of 
Taungu, so early as the year 788 (A. D., 1426),had offered to become tribu¬ 
tary to Binya Bankit, if he helped him to the throne of Ava, which the 
chief of Taungu claimed as his right. The two kings had entered into an 
alliance, and in 1481, the then king of Taungu, fearful of an attack from 
Ava, sent his wife and children for safety to Pegu. Afterwards, the two 
kings quarrelled in A. D. 1496, or thereabouts; the king of Pegu attacked 
Dwarawati, a fort and city belonging to Taungu, but the expedition was 
unsuccessful. Such an incident as Burmese prisoners or labourers when at 
work, being visited by a king of Pegu unaccompanied by male attendants, 
may be regarded as in the highest degree improbable. There is no trace of 
such an event or of the king’s death under such circumstances in the Talaing 
or Burmese history. The last king of Pegu, of the Shan dynasty, who was 
dethroned by Tabeng Shwe hti, died, as we have seen, in the jungle, having 
no army, and the king of Ava having failed to give him further support. 
Some rumours of his having been assassinated in the jungle may have reach¬ 
ed the Portuguese, and have given rise to the tale recorded. “ Para Mandara, 
king of the Bramas” who conquered Pegu, was not the king who recovered 
his own “ kingdom of Ava, and overran the Laos and other countries tribu- 
