Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/28

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16 GOVERNMENT. vanese language proclaims his unbounded autho- rity. When he is addressed, words which literally imply *' the royal feet," and " the royal slave," have superseded all other pronouns of the second and first person. The usual exordium of a peti- tion to the monarch is, *' the royal slave places his life at the royal disposal." The language of adulation has no bounds. It would be sacrilege to call the monarch's head by any other name than that which literally means " the pinnacle of a temple." In the same language his eyes are a " pair of gems," and his face is "the sun." ^' The prince, on his side, addresses the highest of his subjects in language the most insolent, and " slave,"

  • The of Prince Gelgel in Bali is usually called by the

strange title of Deiva-Agung, which literally means the Great Deity or God. The author of the General Ilistory of Voyages, quoting the manuscript relation of a Dutch mission to Bali, has the following passage : " Sur I'article des moeurs, la re- lation ajoute a la suite, des coutumcs barbarcs de ces peuplcs, une simple explication de quelques uns dc leurs titrcs fas- tueux. Celui de Gusty, qu'on a Ifi souvent, ne signifle que consoiller ; mais le roi, ses freres scs soeurs et ses fils, sunt dis- tingues par le nom de Dewa, c'est a dire Dieu, appellant leur idole meme Dewa Ratus, ou le Grand Dieu (correctly " king- gods!") Dans Ics degres plus eloignes de la tige royale, ou n'employe que le titre de Sava Jang, ( Sang yang^) que repond a celui d'ange, et ces epithetes sont les memes pour les deux Sexes ; la difference qu'on en fait ne consistc que dans les noms proprcs." Vol. XVII. p. 59. 4