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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAY, 1888.
written at this time. The Saddharmalan- characters of their new homes. Professor kara also belongs to this king's reign.11: Oldenberg has informed us??? that all the
There are no indications in these books that manuscript copies of the Dipavansa which he Ceylon derived any of its literature from India used for his work bear marks of having been at a later date than this; the last embers of derived from one and the same Burmese oriBuddhism were then fast expiring there. Theginal; and the first discovered copy of that more recent sources of this literature were the work was written in the Burmese character, Buddhist countries to the east of the Bay of and was found by Mr. Turnour amongst some Bengal, which had originally obtained their reli- manuscripts which had been brought to Cevlon gious books from Ceylon,118 There was a constant from Siam." It was also from that collection commercial intercourse with these countries of Siamese manuscripts that he obtained a relifrom early times, frequent interchanges able copy of the commentary on the Mahdvansa of complimentary and religious embassies which he used for his translation of that work. also took place between their sovereigns," The Colonial Library of Ceylon contains mandand their canonical scriptures are identical scripts which were presented by the king of with those of Ceylon, 110 The monasteries of Burma,"1' and the monastery-libraries of the the maritime districts of the island enriched island possess manuscripts which were "bronght their libraries from time to time by fresh from the Camboja country," written in the additions of manuscripts brought to them character which is used there. The Mutaliyar, by ship; and it is still in these seaside George Nadoris, brought back to Ceylon & monasteries alone that the Tripitaka is to be valuable collection of Pali books on his return found complete.16 Some of these contribu- from Siam in A.D. 1812,191 Previous to this tions were probably enough a restoration of time an embassy of Buddhist priests from some of the lost books of Ceylon, which had Siam arrived in Ceylon in A.D. 1758, bringbeen carried to those countries by the Cey-ing presents of books with them, and similar lonese monks when fleeing from their persecu- earlier religious missions from that country tions at home, and others were copies of brought similar complimentary presents with the older manuscripts transliterated in the them. 1983
FOLKLORE IN WESTERN INDIA.
BY PUTLIBAI D. H. WADIA. No. XII.-The Artist's Stratagem; or the waited for a time and then climbed up a tree
Princess who was resolved never to marry. to try if she could see some signs of them
Once upon a time there lived a great Raja, in the far distance or find some way out of the who had an only daughter. She was very forest; but on gaining the topmost branch beautiful and highly accomplished, and num. she was appalled to see a great fire in the bered amongst her other favourite pursuits distance,-evidently a part of the forest in that of hunting. She frequently went long flames. distances on hunting excursions with a number! The poor princess was, as it were, nailed to of attendants, and penetrated the deepest the spot at this awe-inspiring sight, and stood recesses of the forest in search of sport. there watching for hours the fork-tongued
One day, as she was galloping after a fine monster wrapping trees and shrubs, as well as buck, she all of a sudden found herself in a the haunts and homes of numberless birds and denge forest, and saw that she had ridden con- beasts in his fiery embrace, and destroying siderably ahead of her followers. So she everything that came in its way. She could
111 Hardy, Man. Bud. 512. 111 ibid. 518.
115 Turnour, Introd. p. XXX: Hardy, E. Monach. 365. Bigandet, Introd. p. ix. : Tennent's Ceylon, i. 416.
. Tendent's Ceylon, I. 416, 607 ff. 1 Journal As. Soc. Beng. vi. 503: Turnour, Introd. p. 1 XII. Hardy's E. Monach., 330.
116 Tarnour, Introd. p. XIX.
111 Dipavamsa, Introd. p. 11. 118 Jour. As. Soc. Beng., vi. 790; vii, 922. 110 Oldenberg's Dipavarhsa, Introd. p. 10. 150 Upham, III, 171, 185.
in Journal As. Soc. Beng., vi. 790: Turnour, Introd. P. IIXI : Hardy, E. Monach., 328.
11 Turnour, Introd. p. ii.
