Hamilton’s account op the east indies.

419

The ancient city of Pegu Hands about forty miles to the eaffward of Syrian ; theditches that furrounded the city, which are now dry, and bear good corn, teftify thatfew cities in the world exceeded it in magnitude, for they are reckoned fix or fevenleagues'round their outward polygon.

Is was the feat of many great and puiffant Kings, who made as great a figure as anyin the eaft, but now its glory is in the duft, for not one twentieth part of it is inhabited,and thofe are but the lower clafs of people who inhabit it. The caufe of the ruin ofthe kingdoms of Pegu, Martavan, and fome others under the dominions of Pegu, Ihad from fome Peguers, in feveral difcourfes with them about that revolution, whichWas thus:

There was great love and friendfhip between the Kings and fubjects of Pegu andSiam , being next neighbours to one another, and they had a good intercourfe of trade,both by land and fea, till in the fifteenth century, a Pegu velfel being at Odia , the chiefcity of Siam , and when ready to depart for Pegu, anchored one evening near a littletemple a few miles below the city, and the mailer of the velfel, with fome of his crew,going to worlhip in that temple, feeing a pretty well-carved image of the god Samfay,about a covet high, fell in love with it, and finding his priells negligent in watching,Hole him away, and carried him on board prifoner for Pegu. When the negligentpriells miffed their little god they were in a deplorable condition, lamenting their lofsto all their neighbouring priells, who advifed them to complain to the King of Siam ofthe theft, which accordingly they did, imploring his good offices with the King of Pegu,to have their god fent back; and it happened that by the unfeafonable floods in theriver that year, there came to be a great fcarcity of corn, which calamity w r as imputedby the priells to the lofs of Samfay, upon which the pious Prince fent an embaffy to hisbrother of Pegu, defiring the reflitution of the image, whofe abfence had caufed fogreat lofs and clamour in his country.

The King of Pegu being as great a bigot as his brother of Siam , would by no meansdeliver back a god who had fled from the impieties of his native land to him for protec-tion, and with that anfwer fent back the Siam ambaffador, who was not a little morti-fied with the difappointment.

Since fair means could not perfuade the Peguer to fend back the little god, the Siamer"'as refolved to try what force would do, and accordingly raifed an army of two orf hree hundred thoufand men to invade the King of Pegu’s dominions, and the firll fury°f the war fell on the province of Martavan, being contiguous to the territories of Siam ,ar id with fire and fword dellroyed the open country almoll to the gates of the city ofhTartavan, where often the King of Pegu kept his court, and was formerly the metro-polis of an independent kingdom, before Pegu reduced that country by conquefl to bea province of theirs.

. After the Siamer had fatiated his cruelty and rage, by the deffrudion of many poorutnocents, he retired back to his own country very much elevated with pride and vain-glory, for his great achievements j but next year he was pretty well humbled, for theHeguer raifed a much greater army, and embarking them in fmall boats on the riverWlemnon, on which the city of Odia Hands in one of its illands, his army was brought^tth fo much celerity and fecrecy, that the Peguer brought the firll news of his invafion,and pitching his tents round the city, foon brought it into great flraits, by Hopping thedaily provifions that fupported it; but unexpectedly the river bringing down great floodsof waters fooner than their ordinary time, the country about the city overflowed, andToiled all the Peguer’s provifions of corn, and drowned near the halfof his army, which°fi%ed him to raife the fiege, and retire to his own diminions,

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