第100章

At his death this King left a son who inherited the kingdom,who was called Pinarao,[499]he reigned twelve years,and was a great astrologer;he was given much to letters,and made many books and (promulgated)ordinances in his land and kingdom.As long as he reigned he had twenty ministers,which is an office that amongst these (people)is (generally)held only by one person.This King was very wise;he was well versed in all his duties,and possessed such good talents and qualities that they called him Pinarao,which amongst them,in the language of Canara,means a very wise man.This King was killed by treason by the hand of a nephew whom he had brought up in his house like a son,who thus caused the death of the King.[500]

The nephew resolved to marry,and for the feasts at his wedding he prayed the King,his uncle;that he would command that he should be attended and honoured at his wedding by the King's own son;and the King,for the love that he bore him and the pleasure that he had in honouring him,bade his son make ready with his following,and sent him with the ministers and captains of his court to attend and honour the wedding of his nephew.And he,making all ready,as soon as they were in his house,being at table,they were all slain by daggers thrust by men kept in readiness for that deed.This was done without any one suspecting it,because the custom there is to place on the table all that there is to eat and drink,no man being present to serve those who are seated,nor being kept outside,but only those who are going to eat;and because of their thus being alone at table,nothing of what passed could be known to the people they had brought with them.And after he had killed the King's son with all the captains,the minister[501]set out to ride as if he were going to bear a present to the King,and as soon as he arrived at the gates of the palace he sent a message to the King saying that he was there,and had brought him a present according to custom.And the King,being at that time at leisure and amusing himself with his wives,bade him enter;and as soon as he was come to where he stood,he presented to the King a golden bowl in which he had placed a dagger steeped in poison,with which he wounded him in many places;but the King,as he was a man who knew how to use both sword and dagger better than any one in his kingdom,avoided by twists and turns of his body the thrusts aimed at him,freed himself from him,and slew him with a short sword that he had.And this done he ordered a horse to be saddled,and mounted it,and rode holding his nephew's head in his hand;and he took the road to the latter's house,apprehending that treason might have been wrought and fearing that his son might be dead.And as soon as he arrived he beheld the treason in very deed,and how wicked a deed his nephew had done;seeing that his son and his principal captains were dead,and that the traitor might have prevailed against himself had he had the power.In great wrath the King commanded his men to inflict dreadful punishments on all found guilty of this treason,and indeed many who were not so.He himself remained grievously wounded with the poisoned wounds and he lasted only six months,and these ended,died of the poison carried on the dagger.

After his death a son remained to him who inherited the kingdom and was called ...[502],and this King,as soon as he began to reign,sent to call his treasurers and the minister and the scribes of his household,and inquired of them the revenue of his kingdom,and learned how much revenue came in yearly;and His Highness had every year thirteen millions of gold.This King granted to the pagodas a fifth part of the revenue of his kingdom;no law is possible in the country where these pagodas are,save only the law of the Brahmans,which is that of the priests;and so the people suffer.