deeply venerated by the King. They take the first place in the processions. At a distance of three or four li from the city a four-wheeled image car is made, over thirty (Chinese) feet in height, looking like a movable pavilion, and adorned with the seven precious substances,[1] with streaming pennants and embroidered canopies. The image is placed in the middle of the car, with two attendants P'u-sas[2] and followed by all the demi-gods. These are beautifully carved in gold and silver, and suspended in the air.[3] When the image is one hundred paces from the city gate, the King takes off his cap of state and puts on new clothes. Then, barefoot, holding flowers and incense in his hand, he proceeds with his attendants out of the gate to meet the image, bows down his head to the ground, scatters the flowers and burns the incense. When the image enters the city, the Queen and maids-of-honour on the top of the gate scatter far and wide[4] all kinds of flowers, which fall in clouds, and thus decorate the implements of worship.[5] The cars are all different; and each monastery has a day for its procession,[6] beginning at the 1st of the 4th moon and lasting to the 14th when the processions terminate
- ↑ Gold, silver, emeralds, crystal, rubies, amber, and agate.
- ↑ Bodhisatvas.
- ↑ The text reads. Mr Beal translates, “all are made of gold and silver, whilst glittering gems are hung suspended in the air.” He has put the comma on the wrong side of
- ↑ The text is, Mr. Beal skips over the puzzling.
- ↑ Mr. Beal translates the two middle words as "sumptuously," and either includes therein or omits altogether the two following words.
- ↑ A friend could persuade us to render this passage as if a single procession of images visited the different monasteries in turn.
