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Preface to the First Edition.
This edition of the Sějarah Malayu in the Roman character has been prepared for the use of the Malay pupils in the vernacular schools of the Straits Settlements, at the suggestion of the Inspector of Schools.
The text which has been followed is that of my edition in the Arabic character, published at Singapore in 1896. In the process of transliteration, however, several slight errors have been discovered and corrected; and in the latter part of the work, where in the previous edition I had only two manuscripts to refer to, I have had the advantage of being able to compare the text with a third manuscript, the property of Mr. R. J. Wilkinson. In regard to the MSS. and other authorities used in the preparation of the edition of 1896, the reader is referred to the preface to that edition.
The transliteration of two or three Javanese sentences, and of some of the Arabic extracts and quotations has presented considerable difficulties owing to the text of most of the MSS. being exceedingly corrupt. For the transliteration of the Arabic in the first few pages I am indebted to Mr. R. J. Wilkinson, and in the remainder of the work to the Rev. H. L. E. Luering, Ph.D., who has also rendered me valuable assistance in regard to some uncommon Malay words and proper names, and has kindly read the proof sheets.
On page 229 will be found the conclusion of the Sĕjarah Malayu as originally published in the edition of Munshi Abdullah. Leyden's English translation also ends at this point, but the termination appears very abrupt. The remaining 35 pages were published for the first time in my edition of 1896, and form a most interesting sequel to the previous narrative, but this portion is undoubtedly the work of another writer, as is clear from the difference of style. It will be seen that the pedigree of Sultan ‘Ala’u ’d-Din given in the introduction on page 2 agrees almost exactly with the succession of Sultans recorded in this sequel, and I would hazard the suggestion that the Tun Sri Lanang who is introduced on page 262 without any explanation of his identity, is none other than the Tun Sri Lanang of the introduction, who describes himself as the writer of the Sejarah Malayu. It is also possible that the same Tun Sri Lanang is referred to in the concluding paragraph on page 264 as “ayahanda,” in which case it would appear that the sequel was written by his son.
W. G. Shellabear.
Singapore, January 1898.
