Page 249 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM 333

a and when he died in he
already very large one, 1756
left no less than fifteen his three
123 children, by Queens,
and 108 by inferior wives.
His eldest son, who bore the title of Kron K'un Sena
was a violent and He bore a
P'itak, unruly youth.
great hatred to his cousin, Prince Naren, for whom the
King had a great partiality. On one occasion Prince
Naren, who was still a member of the Buddhist priest-
hood, went to the palace to visit the King, who was
unwell. Prince Sena P'itak made a attack on
savage
him with a He was not but the
dagger. injured, King,
on of this crime, was so incensed that he
hearing gave
orders for his son tp be The Priest-Prince
flogged.
interceded for the and even took him to live
culprit
under his in his The offender was
protection temple.
ultimately pardoned, but two of his half-brothers, who
were in the were to death.
implicated crime, flogged
In 1740 Prince Sena P'itak was appointed Maha
Uparat.
At this time Siam, though somewhat depopulated,
was seemingly in a most happy and prosperous condition.

Every writer refers to the reign of King Boromokot as
though it was the golden age of Siam, and speaks of the
of the Court and the of the
magnificence happiness
The truth that the of
people. is, however, long period
peace had done the country no good. Rich and poor
alike had become idle and luxurious, and were unfit
for warfare or
fatigue,
In Burma events were happening which were destined
to have serious results for Siam. In 1734 the capital of
Burma was moved to Ava. This change was unpopular
among the Peguans, and stirred up their latent dis-
affection. In 1737 the Burmese Governor of Pegu,
Maung Tha Aung, rebelled against the King of Burma,