The Cannibal King in the ‘‘Kedah Annals.” TY ot the Hikayat B Nu, ie. May, 1916), aud invilent [rom the similar tale in Number 3370 ot Fausbell’s series of the “ Maha-Sutasoma- datagxa” (vol, Vey. 216 seq. of the translation by Francis in Cowwell’s edition): but these two tales have 0 many points of agree= ment that at is itithenls te suppose they are dneonnected, 1 shall mention a& few of tae Cuiet alitferences. ats they occur in the course of the narrative: but ins main purpose will he to draw attention Te ports af resem baie. Phe story er tae cainibal king on pp. rons Mahawangea 7 (4, 21S, M alifers a geod deal tn sett The openings duter pes canni . hi the Indian story the king of Benares sponsities in accordance with Buddhist ideas of vansnigrates, seause in a previwus existence he has been a Yakkha or oere: aud he bas occasion fi Fovatise one day at eh Ga mati) dishes aps in the eemeter iret to taste human flesh, steals ins plate of meat and the king’s 100k nstead at portion of flesh cut a fresh corpse Tn the Malay story, the cannibal king of Kedah is the son of an ogress or Hérytsi. aml he tirst tastes human blood, when one day is cook, a womutn, cutting h hy accident Jets the blood drip nite at Segetable curry aul there is ne tine te prepare another di Tneidentally one may summise that the detail of the ~ fr corpee "in the Tidian version is an mstiance of the old Buddbist custom (similar te the Parsi habit) of exposing corpses to be eaten by birds of preys and one may compare Groeneveldt’s ~ Note tie Malay Archipelago and) Malace: r. Tun-Snn. in” E: Relating to Indo-China, Second Series.” vol, Tp, 210, where how ever the dving are so exposed, Alter the opening the two stores agree im many details. Ln both, the king takes ereat pleasure in lus horrid meal, even hefore he is aware of its ingredients. In both, the cook is threatened with death in default ot confession as to the recipe! In both, the cook confesses. and the king. so fair from hemg shocked. orders more of the gruesome fare, hattening first on prisoners from the gaol and later kidnapping the bodies of innocent people to sapply the royal table: until at last there is uproar in the realm. In the Indian tale the cook is eaught taking flesh from the body of a woman he has just killed: in the Malay, the king is attac ed by a bravo and a great fight ensues. Tn both tales, the king's Jour, Straits Branch R. A. Soe, No. 79.48 THE CANNIBAL KING IN THE “KEDAY ANNALS.” miusters, moved by popular clameue, warn theit master: and he rejecting the warn is expelled from his enitntry, peaceably in the Tadian version and taking his sword andl cook with lim, igtomini- ously in the Makes ster atter a desperate onslatght on the palace, Whence he escapes In at prnate door, In the Indian stors. the king after a numing of aslventures in the jungle is converted from cannibalsin by Nutusoma, an inearnas tion of the Budi ana previous existence—for the * Fatakas purport to be stories of the Buddha's earlier births: he a brought to Bouares a changed many and is welemmed by the son whe rebens in his stead. In the Kedah version, the King mates with a girl of wood family in @ remote part of the country anid, after ue more Cscapine his euraged pursuers, ts lost siglit of but the sun of that masion js restored to relen he the capital by virme of the magical sogacite of an elephant in detecting the royal buant and hy virtue of the king of Siam’s warrant. M4 hen it is retaembered that in Buddhist countries the “batakas are known not only to the literate but in popular folk dare ise comes Peasonable to rotuat the Kedah tale has been borrowed, from a Siamese source, Man-eatiug ogres are usual enough; Tmt in the two tales considered. coincidence of small detail seems to demand e\planation more particular than the common uniform. ity of the human tind in the invention of folk-tales. For a ie ‘1 in Sinhalese legendary history those interested may consult p, 234 of my * Catalogue of European Manuse the Initia Otfen Jabraryy vol F part Te Jour. Straits Branch