Page 255 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM 239

half-brothers, who were collecting large bands of armed
followers and appeared to be plotting a rebellion.
The new on the throne was
King's position very
insecure, as his elder brother, Prince Ekat'at, who had
many supporters, constantly interfered in every detail
of the administration. After the cremation of the old
he therefore and retired to the
King, abdicated, temple
called Wat Pradu, which he had himself caused to be
built. His lasted for three months.
reign only
The abdication of King Ut'ump'on was a great
misfortune for Siam. The new who
King, Ekat'at,
assumed the title of Boromoraja V, was a man of poor
intelligence and worthless character. In a book written
after his death he is described as
only twenty-two years
"
void of unsettled in fearful of
intelligence, spirit,
sin, negligent in his kingly duties, hesitating alike to
do good or to do evil." He was, in short, utterly un-
fitted to his the which were
guide country through perils
destined to overwhelm it. Moreover, the existence,
at one and the same time, of a King and an ex- King
caused faction and disunion at the when
very period
union was most needed.
urgently
King Ekat'at did not open his reign badly. He built
several new and and introduced a law
temples pagodas,
the of the as well as
standardising currency Kingdom,
the and measures.
weights
A was hatched almost at once to
plot replace King
Ut'ump'on on the throne. The ringleader was a half-
brother of the King, Prince T'ep P'ip'it. His design
was revealed by the ex-King himself, after exacting a
that the lives of the should be
promise conspirators
The smaller were and
spared. fry flogged imprisoned,
and Prince was exiled to
T'ep P'ip'it Ceylon.
Fully occupied in suppressing these internal intrigues,