a prince of distinguished merit and great power. He reigned twenty-five years, and died in the year 706 = A.D. 1346. At his death the celestial drum also disappeared. He was succeeded the same year by his son—
P'ra Chow Oo-T'awng. He made a great burning for his father's remains, and reigned in T'ep-na-k'awn, his father's capital, six years. Desiring to found a new one, he sent his officers to search for a place where fish of every kind was abundant. Coming south they found such a place and reported it to the king. He came down to it with all his people. They pitched their tents in a place called Weeang-lek, and immediately commenced leveling the ground, and preparing materials for building a new walled capital, which he called Kroong t'ep'a-maha-nak'awn bawawn t'a-wa-ra wadee see-a-yoot'aya ma-ha-dilok-p'op nop'a-archa'a-t'anee booree-rom oodom rach'a-ni-wet maha sat'an—alias Ayuthia.
While building the city in the year 712 on Friday the 6th day of the fifth waxing moon, at nine minutes past nine in the morning, they found under a mulberry tree a shell whose spiral whorl is sinistral or from right to left. Regarding that as an auspicious omen, he caused three royal audience chambers to be erected on that spot. P'ra-Chow oo-T'awng began to reign at the age of thirty-seven under the title—
I. Somdet P'ra Rama T'ibawdee the 1st. He appointed his queen's elder brother governor of Soop'-an-booree, under the title of Somdet P'ra Bawroma-Rach'a-T'irat, and made his own son P'ra Rame-sooan governor of Lop booree. There were at that time six-teen provincial cities tributary to Siam, viz.: Malaka,
