Page 253 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM 237

thus Burmese and
prisoner, re-establishing supremacy
bringing to an end the short-lived Peguan Kingdom.
While these events were in Burma,
stirring happening
King Boromokot was occupied with religious and
domestic affairs. In 1753 an embassy was sent to Ayut'ia
by the King of Ceylon, to ask for the loan of some
Siamese Buddhist to and reform the
priests purify
Buddhist Church in his which was stated to
Kingdom,
have become effete and
very corrupt. King Boromokot,
much flattered by the compliment thus paid to the
of the faith in his own and to himself as
purity realm,
a religious monarch, received the Ceylonese ambassadors
with great pomp, and sent a commission offifteen Buddhist
to later and
priests Ceylon. They returned, reported
that had been successful in their
they very purifying
and mission. The Chief of this mission
reforming
was a monk named Most of the Buddhist
Upali.
monks in at the to the sect
Ceylon present day belong
called or which owes its
Upaliwong, Sayamwong, origin
to Boromokot's mission.
King
In Boromokot made the
April 1756 King discovery
that his eldest the Maha was on
son, Uparat, carrying
an with two of his own wives. The
intrigue King's
fury passed all bounds, and he gave orders for the
to be two hundred and times.
Uparat scourged thirty
He after the one hundred and stroke.
expired eightieth
The offending ladies were also flogged to death.
The had two sons of the first
King only surviving
rank, namely Prince Ekat'at and Prince Ut'ump'on.
He was urged to appoint the former to be Uparat, but
he refused to do so, as he considered him to be incapable
of on the Government. this Prince
carrying Moreover,
suffered from a disfiguring disease, supposed to have
been Prince was a clever and
leprosy. Ut'ump'on