INTRODUCTION. 3 For the purposes of these specimens, we have used the following MSS. :- A. MSS. in Persian character (marked collectively as P). (1) India Office Library, Pers. Cat. 1018. Dated 1107 Hij. = 1695 A.D. (la). (2) Ditto No. 1975. Vowel marks freely used. Correctly written. Dated 1109 Hij.=1697 A.D. (Ib). (3) Ditto No. 1819. Vowel points inserted in red ink by a later hand. Dated 1114 Hij. = 1702 A.D. (Ic). (4) India Office Library, Urdu Catalogue, No. 3130. Few vowel points. In two different handwritings. No date, (Id). All these Persian MSS. are very fairly correct. We have taken Ib. as the basis throughout. B. MSS. in the Devanāgari character (marked collectively as N). (1) India Office Library, Sanskrit Catalogue, No. 2471. A magni. ficent copy, profusely illustrated. Written by Thānā Kāyath of Mirzāpur. No date. Spelling highly Sanskritized (Is). We must here express our thanks to the authorities of the India Office Library, for the loan of the above MSS. (2) A well written copy kindly lent me by the late Kaviraj Syāmal Dās, belonging to the library of the Mahārāj of Udaipur. Spelling not so Sanskritized. Dated Sambat 1895 = 1838 A.D. (U). C. MSS. in the Kaithi character. (1) A clearly written copy. With very irregular spelling: and many important variations in the readings. Written in Sambat 1812=1755 A.D. (K). (2) A well written correct copy, but incomplete. The commence- ment, and several portions in the middle are missing. It also contains several interpolations. Written in Sambat 1758 (A.D. 1701), at Vaitāla-gadha, by Jaya-krşņa Dūbē, the son of Hari-rām. The last dõbā is numbered 739. (K2). (3) A fairly correct copy. Complete. Contains several interpola- tions. Commenced in Sambat 1879 (A.D. 1822). Writer's name not mentioned. (KS). These three books are full of various readings, and owing to the use of the Kaithi character, the spelling is very irregular. All the readings of K and K3, have not been inserted, but only those which illuminate doubtful points in the text. As might be expected in a work sometimes written in the Persian, and sometimes in the Deva-nāgarī character, the spelling of the MSS. is very capricious. In editing the text, we have adopted a system of spelling, and of representing grammatical forms, which, we believe, represents as nearly as possible the practice of the best copies. In a critical edition, a uniform system of spelling is absolutely essential, and as no single manuscript follows any rules on the subject we have allowed ourselves some latitude. The principal points are as follows:- Spelling :-Prākrit words are spelt as in the Persian copies. When the Persian copies give vowels, those vowels are adopted. When no vowels are given, we have used our judgment in adopting the vowels given in the Devanāgari and Kaithi copies.
