The Pepáteh having succeeded in recovering her, again attempted to effect his purpose, threatening that if she still refused he would slay her: to this the princess at first made no reply.
But placing her sole reliance on the Almighty, a thought at last struck her, and she said:
"Do as you will with me; but seeing that I am disfigured with blood, allow me first to bathe in an adjacent stream."
The Pepáteh assenting to this, she went away and effected her escape into the woods. There she remained in safety, until discovered by her husband, who in revenge put the three children of the Pepáteh to death.
It has already been shewn, that notwithstanding the intercourse which has now subsisted for upwards of four centuries, and the full establishment of the Mahomedan as the national religion of the country for upwards of three centuries, the Arabic has made but little or no inroad into the language; and it may be added, that the Arabic compositions now among them are almost exclusively confined to matters of religion. Books in the Javan language are occasionally written in the Arabic character, and then termed Pégu, but this practice is by no means general. The Kóran was first translated, or rather paraphrased, about a century ago, and rendered into Javan verse by a learned man of Pranarága, to whom the title of Kiai Pranarága was in consequence given.
Arabic books, however, are daily increasing in number. The principal works in this language, with which the Javans are at present acquainted, are the Umul brahin, by Sheik Usuf Sanusi; Mohárrar, by Iman Abu Hanífa; Ranlo Taleb, by Sheik Islam Zachariah; and Insan Kamil, by Sheik Abdul Karim Jili. The doctrines of Sheik Mulana Ishak, the father of Susúnan Gíri and one of the earliest missionaries, were those of Abu Hanífa, which are the same as the Persians are said to profess; but these doctrines have, subsequent to the time of Susúnan Gíri, been changed for those of Shafihi. There are, however, some who still adhere to the doctrines of Hánifa; but their numbers are few, and the chiefs are all followers of Shafihi. The number of Arabic tracts circulating on Java has been estimated at about two hundred.
Several institutions have been established in different parts of the island, for the instruction of youth in the Arabic language and literature. At one of these, in the district of Pranarága, there were at one time (about seventy years ago, in the time of Páku Nagára), not less than fifteen hundred scholars. This institution has since fallen into decay, and the number at present does not exceed three or four hundred. Similar institutions are established at Meláng'i, near Matárem, and at Sídamârmar, near Surabáya; and at Bántam, about eighty years ago, there existed an institution, of nearly equal extent with that of Pranarága.
Literary compositions are almost invariably written in verse. The measures employed are of three classes. First, the sekár[140] káwi, or measures in which the káwi compositions are generally written; secondly, the sekár sepoh, high or ancient measures; thirdly, the sekár gángsal, or five modern measures.
A complete stanza is termed a páda (literally a foot); a line is termed ukára; the long syllables are termed gúru, the short láku; and although rhyme is not used, the several measures of the sekár sepoh and gángsal are regulated by the terminating vowels of each line, which are fixed and determined, for each particular kind of verse[141], by the number of syllables in each line, the disposition of the long syllables, and the number of lines in each stanza or páda.
Of the sekár káwi there are twelve radical stanzas, most of which occur in the Níti Sástra and other principal Káwi compositions. They are named: