ened to tear it asunder, any scion of the royal house whose personal qualities were above the average was likely to be chosen king over the heads of those nearer in actual relationship.

Wikrama Bahu knew well that his own elder son, Gaja Bahu, lacked the qualities “to acquire that which he hath not got or to retain that which he hath got.' His other son was born of a mother of inferior rank. So he began to look on the son of his cousin Manabharana as his successor.

Of the wonderful career of the boy Parakrama the chronicles can hardly say enough. His life is like an epic. He went from triumph to triumph, and no feat was beyond him. No less than twenty-nine chapters of the Mahawansa are devoted to his prowess and his deeds, though sometimes elsewhere numbers of kings' reigns are disposed of in one chapter. From his earliest days he felt himself marked out to reunite the kingdom instead of allowing it to be split as it was into many districts, under many scions of the royal house, and when he should have reunited it he hoped to rid it of the foreign invaders and re-establish the ancient glory of Lanka.

He saw how his uncles had been content to hold small fragments of the land under their authority "like village landlords" instead of desiring the whole. They had fought indeed, but feebly and spasmodically and without result.

To fit himself for the great achievement he had set before him, the boy began at a very early age to study all that was known of arts, science, religion, and anything else that could possibly come in usefully. His brilliance of mind and body

was readily acknowledged by his own uncles, his father's brothers, who seem to have been quite willing to look on him as the future ruler of the land, though one of them had himself a son, another Mahabharana.

Meantime Wikrama Bahu died, and his rather weak-natured son Gaja Bahu succeeded him. This man was not so readily inclined to give up his inheritance as his father had supposed, and he made ready to defend himself against his cousins. By this time Parakrama's father was dead also, but his two uncles thought the time favourable for another bid for the capital, and attacked Gaja Bahu. However, they were ignominiously defeated. But this did not daunt Parakrama, who was growing up, and made no secret of his intention to secure the capital, and rule as sole king in the land so soon as he should be strong enough. After his father's death he had lived with his elder uncle, who had no son, and treated him with great affection. He loved him so much "he oft times kissed the crown of his head." It is little touches like these that bridge the centuries and make the story alive for us to-day.

While still a youth Parakrama determined to set forth by himself to visit his kinsman Gaja Bahu at Polonnaruwa, in order to find out how matters lay there. But he knew that his devoted fosterfather and uncle would not give him leave to go for fear that harm might happen to him, so he slipped away secretly, telling a band of comrades to meet him at a pre-ordained place. Most of these youths were faint-hearted and tried to dissuade him, but he went on until he arrived at a

village, which was in charge of a trusted general of the "king" his uncle. This general came and did obeisance and then, very naturally, sent a secret message to the king that the prince was there. And when Parakrama heard of it he was very angry, and caused the unfortunate general to be killed by his followers.

Then, with a very natural touch, he felt bound to remain where he was to take his uncle's anger

standing up," lest his uncle should think he had fled from the fear of it, so he waited a few days. But eventually, because his presence led to riots and to the wildest rumours, he went on.

A very curious situation arose, for his uncle, though not altogether angry with him for his misdeeds, desired to have him brought back, and in a mixture of anxiety and annoyance sent armed men to capture him. The reckless boy, who had by this time gathered armed followers himself, met and defeated these forces, and passed out of the borders of his own country into that belonging to King Gaja Bahu. The account of his adventures is very minute. In one place we are told he "fastened his hair-knot firmly" before springing forth to join in a fray, which shows that fashions in hair-dressing were the same in his race then as now !

Gaja Bahu was of a timid disposition, and judged it best to receive his young warrior-kinsman in a friendly manner. Thus the lad first entered the great city with which his name was to be for ever associated.

Alas, Parakrama, who entered the city on the king's own elephant, and stayed for a considerable

period as an honoured guest in the palace, employed the time in a most thorough system of spying. Tamils and Cingalese were alike to him, he employed any agents he could trust as instruments in this work, sending them forth as snakecharmers, dancers, pedlars, and even as hermits or ascetics, to gauge the feeling of the country, and prepare the way for the ultimate conquest on which he had set his heart.

Parakrama's elder sister was already married to his first cousin Mahabharana, but he sent to his own country for his second sister and had her married to King Gaja Bahu so as to lull completely any suspicions that monarch might have entertained as to his own intentions. Meantime the prince was not even above doing spy work himself. He pretended to be chased by an elephant, and ran into lowly huts so that he might converse with the people; he went deer hunting in the country round so that he might mark the best approaches for an army; it is hardly wonderful that, in spite of his bride, Gaja Bahu began to be suspicious!

Numberless tales are told of the prowess of the prince while he stayed in Polonnaruwa. Once he frightened away an enraged buffalo "with eyes red and glaring in their sockets" by merely shouting in its face; he killed a fierce she-bear with cubs, and a wild boar.

At last, however, his near relatives could do without him no longer, and his own mother came to fetch him home. He went with her, for he felt the time was not yet ripe for his great coup.

He had no sooner returned to his own country than his adopted father died, rejoicing in having

seen the beloved youth once more. Parakrama took up the reins of government in the district, and proved himself an able administrator. It was his ideal, "Let there not be left anywhere in my kingdom a piece of land, even though it were the least of the yards of a house, which does not yield any benefit to man." So he built tanks and irrigation works and saw to planting and sowing. And he turned himself to the thorough development of his army into an efficient fighting force.

When he considered he was sufficiently equipped, he began by seducing the generals of King Gaja Bahu and getting them to deliver up to him the outlying territories over which they held command. Some came over to him, and those who would not he attacked in their strongholds.

It is amusing to hear that on one occasion men skilled in house-breaking and armed with sharp-edged deers' horns" were sent forth to break down the walls of a fortress.

Gaja Bahu naturally began to take measures to defend himself; he tried to suborn one of Parakrama's generals with rich presents of "jewels and ornaments of great value and divers garments of silk and linen," but the man ruthlessly disfigured the envoys and passed the bribes on to his own

master.

Everywhere Parakrama's arms were victorious, though there were many sharp battles. At length Anuradhapura was taken by him and he turned his attention to Polonnaruwa.

He had established himself in a great fortress at Nalanda, and began operations from there.