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babads in so far as the events seemed to be of consequence for the Mataram history. In some respects the early nineteenth century Major Babads of Surakarta are comparable with Universal Histories and Books of Tales, Sërat Kandas, belonging to the Pasisir literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (see 22.900). Both had the intention of providing encyclopedic knowledge of the whole of human history. But then, in the older Pasisir literature, ancient mythology, pre-Islamic legendary tales and Islam occupied a more important place than the political history of their own times. Moreover, Pasisir scholars, being residents of maritime and mercantile towns, seem to show more interest in foreign parts and distant districts of Java than Surakarta authors, natives of the interior of the coun try, usually do. On the other hand, nine teenth century historiography, though still restricted to dynastic history, seems to be more scholarly than the older Universal Histories. In the late nineteenth century a Surakarta scholar wrote an encyclopedic book including the whole of mythic and epic history: the Pustaka Raja, the Book of Kings. It will be discussed separately (28.400). The best known Major Babad of Sura karta literature was written by Yasadipura the Elder, in the first decades of the nine teenth century. The Babad Giyanti (see 26.800) formed the conclusion of the book. Comprehensive historical works like the Major Babad are called in Javanese Babad Tanah Jawi, History of Java. According to a tradition of Javanese scholars mentioned by Winter in his “Javaanse Zamenspraken” (Javanese Conversations, 1848, no. 73), au

thors of historical texts before 1800 were a certain paqéran of Adilaqu and Carik Bajra, who lived in the Kartasura period, in the beginning of the eighteenth century. Prob ably Yasadipura used their works. The Major Babad Tanah Jawi and the Babad Giyanti of Yasadipura were published by the “Volkslektuur” printing office of Batavia. Poerbatjaraka (“Kapustakan Djawi”, 1952, p. 166) mentions Babad Pakëpuq and Babad Prayut as later historical works of Yasadi pura. Under the present head historical texts of the Babad Tanah Jawi type, of Surakarta origin, are collected. In the nineteenth cen tury these Babads attracted the attention of Dutch students of Javanese history. For their use a concise Javanese prose version of a long text in verse was made in Sura karta. It was edited by Meinsma, in the course of the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries twice reprinted, and translated into Dutch. Dr. Brandes made a Dutch alpha betical Register of topographical and per sonal names, found in the Meinsma prose Babad, with detailed notes. Dr. Brandes’ Register still is the best guide for students of the history of the Mataram Kings. Manuscripts containing historical texts called babad have been registered in the General Index under this catchword, and under the special names of periods of Java nese history (Mataram etc.) mentioned in the present Synopsis (25.600—28.200). 27.010 Histories of Javanese kingdoms, especially the Mataram Kings, in verse: cod. 1786 1-18 (Major Babad Tanah Jawi = BCB prtf 31-34), 2046, 2308, 6755 (Babad Prayud, sequence of Major Babad), 10.989/10.990.