60
tion, but with different sense, says: "vinrent se réunir". P does not translate the words at all, evidently considering them as an introductory formula for the new date,—with which I heartily agree. Possibly we might save somewhat of the color of the expression if we were to say "When the year 1209 opened".
The nature of the Epilogue and the questions of its date and chirography have already been touched upon, pp. 15, 21, 23. The altered writing marks very visibly the opening of the new section in the middle of l. 108. The chief difficulties in the passage are those which concern the identification of places named. These have been for the most part satisfactorily solved, and the results so far attained have been embodied in the translation. There remain only ลุํบาจาย, สะคา and ฉอด. แพล่ is doubtless for แพร่, with the usual northern substitution of l for r. Phlua, which eluded earlier search, has been visited by Rev. Dr. McGilvary. It is now a little town on the upper reaches of the Nan river. ม่าน I am assured is found in old writings for น่าน—but that should not justify P's alteration of the word in the text.
The following verbal points should be noticed:—The third word of 112 is incomplete, and so far nothing has been made of it. Since, however, it is plainly coupled with รู้ 'knowledge' in the carefully balanced triad of ll. 112—113, one cannot be far wrong in rendering it by some such word as 'insight'. Similarly แคะ at the end of 112 I have rendered 'ability' or 'force'. รอด 'saved,' rescued' ll. 115, 117, 121, seems used here in some sense rather more technical, but not precisely made out. One of my Lao friends tells me that in such connection it is the equivalent of ถึง 'unto'. Much the same is the case of the phrase เปน ที (or should it be ที่ ?) of ll. 116, 119, 123. In both cases I have had to content myself with a gloss. แล้ว l. 123, may be introductory to the following statement—as S and P understand it,—instead of concluding to the preceding one, as I have considered it. In that case some word other than แล้ว will have to be found for the gap in l. 119, where I have supplied แล้ว as probably being part of a stereotyped recurrent phrase, identical with the one in l. 123.
