an earlier native commentator who was unknown to Ellis and who had reached the same conclusion on the interpretation of the term long before Ellis, independently arrived at an identical conclusion.⁴⁷

Ellis’ genius is beautifully revealed when he points out the difference between in̠pam and celvam. The latter he believes is “feeling” and the former “a state of happiness”.⁴⁸

The Bible and the Psalms are also alluded to.⁴⁹

Ellis has felt that a verse embodying one of the principles of Christianity i.e., “all things whatsoever, ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” should be included in the Kur̠aḷ and that this inclusion he feels will not be incongruous. He has given a verse in the Kur̠aḷ metre embodying this notion, and though we are not aware of its author it definitely has added to the appeal of the Kur̠aḷ.⁵⁰ He has added a commentary on it.

There are several instances of triplets and couplets in the work and their authors are not mentioned.⁵¹

An attempt to duplicate a popular passage from Shakespeare in Tamil verse is given by Ellis. Here again the author is not mentioned. “The conclusion is somewhat compressed and the whole accommodated to the general style of Tamil poetry” says Ellis. We may perhaps conjecture that this verse was either Ellis’ creation or his Tamil tutor’s⁵²

When he quotes a verse which he believes is the composition of Beschi in his Ton̠n̠ūl Viḷakkam, we see that he has taken considerable pains to ascertain the authorship of his references and this also tells us that he was not able to discover the names

47. Sethu Pillai, R.P.; “Alaiyum Kalaiyum”, P. 122, 123.

48. E. T. C. P. 130.

49. E. T. C. P. 367.

50. E. T. C. P. 131, 132.

51. E. T. C. P. 146, 147.

52. E. T. C. P. 312.