55
would lead one to look for here. An erosion at this point has obliterated all of the next word, or possibly of two short words, save a consonant at either end. B evidently understands สังฆราช, for he translates "high priest". S leaves the gap unfilled. P, for once does not write the word into his text, but transliterates "saingharâjas", as though there naturally should be more than one. It would be very convenient to read สงงฆราช here. The context apparently calls for the name of some ecclesiastical functionary. A tracing from 64 where the word, though badly worn, is clearly identified, fits the space very well. But the final letter still remaining on the st.one is the most serious obstacle in the way of this reading. True, the pronunciation would be the same in either case. But Pali words had then a long orthographic tradition behind them. The scribe would be far less likely to misspell one of them than one from his own hitherto untamed mother-tongue.
64. ปิฎกไตร the 'Three Baskets', name of the collected Buddhist Scriptures.
65. ลุก แต่ เมือง . . . . มา, a Lao idiom answering to the Siamese มา แต่ เมือง . . . . . . S displaces ทุก คน from its natural connection with the words before it, in order, as it would seem, that he may enlarge thereby the Aryan aristocracy which he has discovered in the word 'araññic'. His reading is:—"Tout les instituteurs de notre ville sont tous venus de la ville Çri Dharammarâya (sic) et demeurent avec les Aryens qui ont un temple etc. P reads:—Tous les immigrants venus de ville de Çri Dharmarâja vont, sans exception, s'installer dans le quartier des Aryyikas".
66. มน at the end is, of course for มนน=มัน. The engraver had not room for the second น at the end of this line, and forget to put it in when he began the next one. A similar omission, though not with the same excuse, occurs in l. 84, where we have ท้ง for ท้งง.
67—68. ลุก ◌ืยน 'rises up and stands ', 'stands erect'. The unexpected อ has sadly troubled the editors. B takes no notice whatever of the words. S discovers in them, of course, his protégés 'les Aryens', and reads "Les aînés de leur race". P simply says—"Partant de Sukhodaya."!
