Page 179 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM
171
on the 22nd to the
only thirty-eight, December, 1628,
great regret of his subjects.
Van Vliet tells us that who was
King Songt'am,
known to was
personally him, good, liberal, fond of study,
not warlike, but devoted to religion. He gave up most of
his time to and ecclesiastical and to the
religious affairs,
laws of the Kingdom. He was generous to the priests
and to the and or constructed more
poor, repaired temples
than He and liked
any previous Kings. kept great state,
to see his nobles live and
magnificently. Foreigners
Siamese alike his and him as a
sang praises, regarded good
and almost as a saint. l
just ruler,
Siam was not to see his like for
again many years.
"
1 crowned
Turpin, writing 140 years later, describes King Songt'am as a
monster," and attributes to him the most fearful barbarities. Turpin quotes
no authority, and has probably confounded King Songt'am with King Prasat
T'ong, who was quite capable of committing the cruelties which Turpin attributes
to King Songt'am.