Page 25 - A History of Siam

INTRODUCTION
25
as to facts, especially in cases where their statements
are contradicted by the histories of neighbouring
countries or by the evidence of contemporary witnesses.
In the year 1905 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V)
instituted a new National under the
Library, presidency
of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince (afterwards
Rama and since that time historical research
King VI),
has been carried out in a scientific and careful manner,
and have been taken to discover and
steps preserve
ancient versions of the of the 1
history country.
The book known as the P'ongsawadan of Luang
Prasoet was discovered and to the National
presented
Library in 1907 by an official named Luang Prasoet.
It was in under orders from Narai.
compiled 1680, King
It the of the of from
gives briefly history Kings Ayut'ia
1350 to 1605. The earlier part of this book, down to
about the in the to the usual
year 1500, is similar, main,
versions of the P* and the of the
ongsawadan, compilers
latter a of Prasoefs
probably possessed copy Luang
The dates in Prasoet's
P'ongsawadan. given Luang
book with those in the
agree, generally speaking, given
native histories of Burma and other
neighbouring
countries. 1
There is further evidence of the correctness of the
dates in Prasoet's book. A Pali version of
given Luang
Siamese 1 in a work called
history, incorporated religious
Sangitivamsa, composed in 1789 by a Buddhist priest
named the same series
Vimaladharma, gives practically
of dates, and another Siamese version, written in 1774
of which a small has been
only fragment preserved
*The present President of the National Library is Prince Damrong
Rajanubhab, who has held the position since 1913.
*
Luang Prasoet's History has been translated into English by the late Dr.
Frankfurter, and was published in the Journal of the Siam Society, vol. vii.,
part 3 (Bangkok, 1909).
1
Translated into 1'rcnch by Professor G. Coedes, and published in the Bulletin
de I'Ecvlc kranfaisc d'Extreme Orient, vol. xiv., No. 3.