Page 59 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM 57

Ramk'amheng admitted his fault, King Mengrai in-
structed him to and to to Prince
apologise, pay Ngam
Miiang 990,000 cowrie shells as compensation. King
Ramk'amheng carried out these conditions, and Jthe
between the three became thereafter
friendship potentates
even firmer than before.
This incident shows that King Ramk'amheng truly
"
deserved the title of Great/' A man would have
pettier
sought to revenge himself on the weaker neighbour who
had humbled him ; but King Ramk'amheng was noble
enough to admit when he was in the wrong, and to apolo-
to the man whom he had
gise injured.
We are further told concerning King Ramk'amheng
that he caused a bell to be put up at Suk'ot'ai, to be rung
who had suffered or and was
by any person wrong injury,
desirous of to the for When
appealing King justice.
the bell was heard to the came forth and held
ring, King
enquiry into the matter complained of. No man ever
appealed in vain to this great ruler of justice.
King Ramk'amheng's chief claim to fame, however,
is founded upon his reorganisation of the Siamese
Until his time various forms of the Cam-
alphabet.
bodian had been in use in Siam. Ram-
alphabet King
k'amheng altered and adapted the existing characters so
as to render them suitable for Tai words. The
writing
alphabet introduced by him is, in its essential features, the
same as that in use at the This
present day. alphabet
was first into use in I283. 1
brought
The exact date of King Ramk'amheng's death is not
known, but he was still living in 1314, for in that year he
invested the of Wareru as vassal
grandson (Mogado)
1 The alphabet of King Ramk'amheng was adopted throughout Siam including
the Cluongmai dominions. The present western Lao alphabet is a more modern
form, corrupted by Durmese influence. It is, in fact, merely a relic of foreign
domination. The Luang P'rabang alphabet is a form of the Ramk'amheng
alphabet.