PASSIVE VOICE. Note that in the modern use of the Passive Voice the inflexional expedient proper to the Singhalese is frequently changed into the auxiliary form, which is to be met with in English. Anciently the use of this auxiliary form was confined to paraphrases, &c. [see Gram. p. 62.] We shall therefore give both the forms. * The different changes in spelling which these undergo must be learned by observation, and according to the usage of standard writers. THE AUXILIARY. Singular. කෙරෙනු ලැබෙන්නෙම්. 2. 3. කෙරෙනු ලැබෙන්නේ. Plural. 1. කෙරෙනු ලැබෙන්නෙමු. කෙරෙනු ලැබෙන්නෙහි. 2. කෙරෙනුලැබෙන්නාහු. 3. කෙරෙනු ලැබෙන්නේ. THE AUXILIARY. Singular. Plural. I shall be caused to be made. 1. කෙරෙවෙනු ලැබෙන්නෙමි. 1. 2. කෙරෙවෙනු ලැබෙන්නෙහි. 2. 3. කෙරෙ වෙනුලැබෙන්නේ. 3. කෙරෙවෙනු ලැබෙන්නෙමු. කෙරෙ වෙනු ලැබෙන්නාහු. කෙරෙවෙනු ලැබෙන්නෝ. BENEDICTIVE MOOD. THE AUXILIARY. May I, or let me be made, &c. 1. කෙරෙනු ලැබෙම්වා. 1. කෙරෙනුලැබෙමෙ:වා. We omitted giving the following versified translation of a stanza quoted in the Introduction. (See p. lxxxix.) While Eve's fair goddess, from the lunar light, Was sipping streams of rich and pure delight, Her parted lips, where smiles of pleasure play'd, A double row of milk-white flowers display'd. This when the spirit of the night beheld, With fiendish rage his envious bosom swell'd. Waving his iron mace with menace vain, He toward the goddess hasten'd on amain. But as the hateful form advanc'd, she spread Her breezy pinions, and the danger fled. Then his last beam the sun her jewel flung, As on her robe of ruddy clouds he hung. But her bright silver salver's lunar ray Dispelled the darkness with a milder day; While its sweet honey-drops besprent the sky With star-light glittered and rejoiced on high!—J. R. B. Note at p. cclii. The rules for the examination of young gentlemen entering into the public service of this Island, and which, as an earnest of what Sir George Anderson intends to do in the promotion of native literature, are given in His Excellency's Minute of the 27th of May 1852, demand our notice. It will be seen from the Minute itself, which we extract below, that it embraces subjects by no means easy to those who content themselves with a superficial knowledge of the Singhalese. No one, we believe, can pass a satisfactory examination, according to these rules, without being a thorough Singhalese scholar, or having an extensive practical knowledge of our language. It is however to be regretted that greater attention has not been paid in the selection of books. We notice an utter absence of any of our poets in the list of Singhalese books given in the Minute, whilst, it is remarkable, the Tamil list contains no less than five such, of which the two last are amongst the most difficult known to the Shen-Tamil. Those who critically understand Pansiapanas Jatake may easily master Kusajatake, [1] Subàsite, [2] or Lowedasangrahawa :[3] but why Dampiàwa was selected in preference to Amàwatura, [4] or Pradeepikawa, [5] or Pùjawalia, [6] or Daladàwangse, [7] we cannot imagine. No Grammar is named in the list; and yet the student is expected not only to possess a "knowledge of the Grammar of the language," but also, to "be able to parse in it." [1] A beautiful poem; see our notice of it at p. ccvii. [2] A poem by the same writer as the last. [3] See our notice of this work at p. cci. [4] A book of legends in the Singhalese ;-See our remarks thereon, and selection therefrom at p. clvii. [5] Another work by the same writer as the last, noticed by us at p. p. xxv. lxix. clx. [6] Also a book of legends principally relating to Gowtama Budha, noticed at p. clxxii. [7] A Singhalese history of the Tooth-relics of Budha, noticed at p. clxxxiii. Having thus briefly noticed the Programme of the Examination, we think it desirable to give our readers, especially those resident abroad, a brief account of the Singhalese books which are here enumerated: 1. Balapprabòdane (edition of 1847,) is a little work in two parts printed at the Wesleyan Mission Press, in English and Singhalese, for the Central School Commission. It contains easy lessons for students; but the style is not such as we would recommend to a person wishing to acquire a correct knowledge of the Singhalese. From it we select the following specimen: එක දවසක් ලමයි දෙතුන් දෙනෙක් මැඩියෝ උන්නාවූ පො කුනක් ලඟ සිටියාය - ඉතින් මේ මැඩියෝ ඔවුන්ට කිසි වැරැද්දක් නොකලනුමුත් මැඩියෙක් උගේ ඔළුව ඉහලට ඔසවන කොටම මේ නපුරු ලමයි උහේ ඔළුවට ගල්පලනවාය. එතකොට මෙ සිඑක මැඩියෙක් මාගේ සෙස්නෙහවන්ත වූ ලමයිනි මේක උඹ ලාට සෙල්ලම වී නුමුත් අපට ලෙල්ලම බව උඹලා හිතන්නේනැ තකීවාය. අසරනයින්ට රිදවන්ටවත් ඔවුන්ට වේදනා උපදින්නා වූ දෙයකට ගිනහ වෙන්ටවත් අපටයුතු නැත. "Two or three boys stood one day at the side of a pond in which there were some frogs. Now though the poor frogs did them no harm, yet as soon as a frog put up his head these bad boys would pelt at it with stones. My dear boys, says one of the frogs, you do not think that though this may be sport to you it is death to us. We should not hurt the helpless, nor laugh at that which gives them pain." 2. Histories published by the School Commission. These are of a piece with the last, and are the following: " Elementsof General History : first series—Ancient History; second series—Modern History." Ed. 1851. 3. The Singhalese Regulations of Government, are accessible to the student. They are upon the whole written in an intelligible style. But we should be sorry were they to form the standard of style to be acquired by those stu |