Page 51 - A History of Siam

CHAPTER III

THE TAI ESTABLISH THEMSELVES IN SIAM. THE EARLY
TAI KINGDOMS

WE must not to ourselves the Tai as an
picture invading
the Cambodian
army, marching southwards, attacking
Empire, and filching away its dominions. No ; the
establishment of free Tai Kingdoms in Siam was the
result rather of a series of rebellions than of an invasion.
When did the first Tai settlers come to Siam ? We

cannot but it be stated that for
say, may confidently
hundreds of before Tai ruler settlers
years any appeared,
from the north had been Tai com-
coming in, forming
munities, and intermarrying with the Lawa and Mohn-
Khmer inhabitants.
We have of histories the
plenty concerning early
achievements of the Tai in Siam; unfortunately, however,
are so with fable that it has become
they intermingled
to extract from them whatever of truth
impossible germ
may exist, and the author, who desires to write a history,
not a book of has been forced to abandon
fairy tales,
these records in
early despair,
We are for a list of
given, instance, Kings (presumably
of back to a time to the
Tai) Chiengsen, going previous
birth of Buddha, one of whom reigned for 120 years.
This of is a mere but it
history Chiengsen myth, provides
us, in the end, with the name of a man who may perhaps
be a real historical character. This man, Prince P'rohm,
*