Page 168 - A History of Siam

i6o A HISTORT OF SIAM

afflicted. He caused his son to be executed. 1 Shortly
a he himself about the
afterwards, prey to remorse, died,
end of i6io.
To judge by Siamese records, one might form rather a
of
high opinion King Ekat'otsarot, but contemporary
foreign writers represent him as an odious man, cruel,
and
greedy suspicious.
King Ekat'otsarot was succeeded by Prince Int'araja,
one of his sons by an inferior wife. This Prince had for
some time been a Buddhist and bore the name of
priest,
P'ra Wimon T'am (Vimaladhamma). He is usually
known as the 1
King Songt'am Just King.
The new first act was to order the execution of
King's
Nai whom he as for the
P'ya Wai, regarded responsible
death of Prince Sut'at. Two hundred and
eighty Japanese
were among the adherents of P'ya Nai Wai. They at
once forced their into the
rebelled, way King's private
and him to in his own blood
apartments, compelled sign
1
Siamese history says that the Prince poisoned himself, on being accused by
his father of disloyalty. P. W. Flons (Astley's Voyages, vol. i.), says that the
"
King lying on his deathbed, caused his son to be slain." Turpin (History of
"
Stam, Pans, 1771) says : The King pronounced sentence of death on his
innocent son." Flons was in Siam very shortly after the event in question.
1
It might be supposed that an event so recent as the death of King Ekat'otsarot
could be dated with absolute certainty. There exists, however, very conflicting
evidence on this point, which has led some authorities to suppose that this King
died in 1620. After examining all evidence available, the author has no hesitation
in accepting 1610 as the correct date.
The Siamese P'ongsawadan says that Ekat'otsarot was succeeded by his
son, Prince Saowap'ak, who was blind in one eye. This King was deposed and
"
executed by P'ra Sn Sin," who was a pnest under the name of P'ra Wimon
T'am, and who became King Songt'am.
No contemporary European writers mention such a King as Saowap'ak. It
is clear from the wn tings of van Vliet and Floris that King Songt'am was the
son of King Ekat'otsarot, and succeeded him on the throne. This is further
borne out by Turpin and G. Heylyn (Cosmographic, London, Other
1664).
evidence is also available.
The Pali version of Siamese history, translated by Professor G. Coedes, likewise
represents King Ekat'otsarot as being immediately succeeded by his son Int'araja
(Songt'am).
The P* ongsawadan' s unsupported evidence on this point is of little value, as
most of the other statements made therein are wrong. For instance, the compilers
were not even aware that King Songt'am was a son of King Ekat'otsarot. More-
over, they confounded him with his younger brother, Prince Sri Sin, who never
became King. (See next chapter.)
It is possible that it was Prince Sri Sin, and not King Songt'am, who was a
priest under the name of P'ra Wimon T'am.