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hero in Javanese literature since the seven teenth century. Especially in their homeland, East Java, Panji romances always retained their popu larity, just like the Damar Wulan tale. Un der the present head manuscripts of East Javanese Panji tales are collected. Probably the oldest date from the seventeenth cen tury. Perhaps they are descendents of the fifteenth or sixteenth century Panji poem which in Poerbatjaraka’s opinion (“Kapus- “takan Djawi”, 1952, p. 2) was the origin of the whole cycle, both in Java, in Bali and elsewhere. However this may be, at any rate Poerbatjaraka’s discussion of an old Panji manuscript of Palémbat} origin (KBG cod. no. 185) in his “Pandji-verhalen” (KBG 1940, p. 156) is very interesting. Panji tales were incorporated in the major Serat Kanda, the Book of Tales of the Pasisir period (see 22.900). They were con sidered as authoritative on ancient history of Java. The tale of the expedition to Bah and the victory over a Balinese queen in particular was found interesting. The Bah episode in Javanese Panji romances may be based on a vague reminiscence of a Balinese expedition sent out by the Sirjasari King Kërta Nagara in 1284 A.D. The relevant Nagara Kertagama canto no. 42 (see the present author’s “Java in the XIVthe Cen- “tury”, vol. IV p. 127) seems to allude to the capture of a Balinese princess. An East Javanese Panji text in prose was edited by Roorda in 1869. In Javanese liter ature of the seventeenth and eighteenth cen turies prose texts of narrative literature are rare. Most tales are in verse. Probably prose texts developed out of scripts of professional story-tellers or performers of the wayarj

theatre. Sometimes the rhythm of a story teller is discernible in the prose text. Very few Ménak Amir Hamza tales are also known in rhythmic prose versions. The ap pearance of Panji and Ménak texts in prose supports the opinion that both originally were related with ancient folk-tales, which were always told in rhythmic prose, and with the wayai} performers’ art. 30.871 East Javanese romance, Panji Kuda Wanct) Pati, in prose: cod. KITLV Or 16, KITLV Or 17. 30.872 Panji Priyëmbada romance, East Javanese, in verse: cod. 8941. 30.873 Panji romance, Gunuit} Sari and Bali episodes, East Javanese, in verse : cod. 3172. 30.874 Panji Jaya Kusuma, Bali episode, East Javanese, in verse: cod. CB 139. 30.875 Panji At}ron Akut}, Panji between two beloved princesses, East Javanese, in verse: cod. 2060, 2138-11 (= 6750). 30.880 Later Javanese Panji ro mances. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Panji romances were re-written in the Court style of Surakarta by order of some princes who were interested in these tales. Court favour was not enduring, how ever. In the period of the classical renaissance of Javanese letters literati of Surakarta were more interested in adaptations of Old Java nese kakawins and in wayat) purwa plays than in Panji romances. Poerbatjaraka’s “Pandji-verhalen onderling vergeleken” (KBG, 1940) contains summaries of Central Javanese Panji poems.