It was the beginning of winter, and the
wind was favorable; and, after fourteen days, sailing day and night,
they came to the country of Singhala. The people said that it was
distant from Tamalipti about seven hundred yojanas.
The kingdom is on a large island, extending from east to west fifty
yojanas, and from north to south thirty. Left and right from it there
are as many as one hundred small islands, distant from one another ten,
twenty, or even two hundred li; but all subject to the large island.
Most of them produce pearls and precious stones of various kinds; there
is one which produces the pure and brilliant pearl--an island which
would form a square of about ten li. The king employs men to watch and
protect it, and requires three out of every ten pearls which the
collectors find.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
~At Ceylon--Feats of Buddha--His Statue in Jade~
The country originally had no human inhabitants, but was occupied only
by spirits and nagas, with which merchants of various countries carried
on a trade. When the trafficking was taking place, the spirits did not
show themselves. They simply set forth their precious commodities, with
labels of the price attached to them; while the merchants made their
purchases according to the price; and took the things away.
Through the coming and going of the merchants in this way, when they
went away, the people of their various countries heard how pleasant the
land was, and flocked to it in numbers till it became a great nation.
Pages:
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319