backward, one forward as a sign that he was leaving his country, and two
backward as a sign that he would return; as he took a step with the right foot,
loud clanked his accoutrements^32 on his left; as he put forth the left foot a
similar clank was heard on his right; he advanced, swelling out his broad chest,
and letting drop his slender fingers, adopting the gait called ‘planting beans,’ and
then the step called ‘sowing spinach.’”^33
In addition to the sanctity of the regalia, the king, as the divine man, possesses
an infinite multitude of prerogatives which enter into almost every act of his
private life, and thus completely separate him from the generality of his fellow-
men.
These prerogatives are too numerous to be mentioned in detail, but the following
extract from Leyden’s translation of the “Malay Annals” will give a general idea
of their character and extent:—
“Sultan Muhammed Shah again established in order the throne of his
sovereignty. He was the first who prohibited the wearing of yellow clothes in
public, not even a handkerchief of that colour, nor curtains, nor hangings, nor
large pillow-cases, nor coverlets, nor any envelope of any bundle, nor the cloth
lining of a house, excepting only the waist cloth, the coat, and the turban. He
also prohibited the constructing of houses with abutments, or smaller houses
connected with them; also suspended pillars or timbers (tiang gantong); nor
timbers the tops of which project above the roofs, and also summer houses.^34 He
also prohibited the ornamenting of creeses with gold, and the wearing anklets of
gold, and the wearing the koronchong, or hollow bracelets (anklets?) of gold,
ornamented with silver. None of these prohibited articles did he permit to be
worn by a person, however rich he might be, unless by his particular licence, a
privilege which the raja has ever since possessed. He also forbade any one to
enter the palace unless wearing a cloth petticoat^35 of decent length, with his
creese in front;^36 and a shoulder-cloth; and no person was permitted to enter
unless in this array, and if any one wore his creese behind him, it was incumbent
on the porter of the gate to seize it. Such is the order of former time respecting
prohibition by the Malayu rajas, and whatever is contrary to this is a
transgression against the raja, and ought to incur a fine of five cati. The white
umbrella, which is superior to the yellow one, because it is seen conspicuous at a
greater distance, was also confined to the raja’s person,^37 while the yellow