Page 126 - A History of Siam

122 A HISTORY OF SIAM

of Wiengchan was forced to retire, and the Prince
Regent of Siam returned home discomfited, after seeing
his fleet of boats destroyed by means of burning rafts
which were turned loose in its midst.
In became a Buddhist
July 1567 King Chakrap'at
priest.
Early in 1568 Maha T'ammaraja demanded the sur-
render of P'ya Ram, nominally in order to make him
Governor of The Prince refused. Maha
P'ijai. Regent
T'ammaraja insisted. The Prince began to feel that the
situation was fast becoming one with which he was
incompetent to deal. He therefore begged the old
King to resume the reins of office, which the latter did
in the month of
April 1568.
At about the same time Maha T'ammaraja left P'its-
anulok on a visit to Burma, probably to complain to
Bhureng Noung of the conduct of Prince Mahin during
the invasion of He now threw himself
King Jai Jett'a.
into the hands of and
entirely Bhureng Noung, accepted
the of a vassal with the title of Chao Fa
position Prince,
Song K'we. l
and Prince Mahin took of
King Chakrap'at advantage
Maha T'ammaraja's absence in Burma to carry out a
design which they probably thought was a great stroke
of but which to be not useless but
policy, proved only
disastrous. They went to P'itsanulok, removed the
Princess Wisut Krasatri T'am-
King's daughter, (Maha
with her and took them
maraja's wife), together children,
to Ayut'ia as hostages. Prince Mahin then proceeded to
attack He failed to take and returned
Kamp'engp'et. it,
to Ayut'ia, only to learn that the King of Burma was on
the of Maha an
point avenging T'ammaraja's wrongs by
immediate invasion. Nothing now remained but to
1
Song K'we was the ancient name of P'itsanulok.