-^. -^^SWc^^f /. /v7. 7> t^- PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY by THE HEIKS OK THK LATE professor Tbenrg Harrington BlcianOer, D.5>., X3L.2). Sec dii^^/^jj^.^ ^ Oii>'-^¥ .;«# ■Mm JE, TA TIS 4 J MEMOIBS OF THE LIFE, WRITINGS, AND CORRESPONDENCE, OF SIR AVILLIAM JONES. A NEW EDITION. BY LORD TEIGNMOUTH. LONDON: sold by john hatchard, (bookseller to her majesty,) 190, PICCADILLY. 1807. ^^anol YQi '~rti3S«e.<^gfl4 ^maqa !' • '• -r'Ks if I ■ o iO ST I J, xi< n^ad ion av^ii if. h a A i/i Jfiaibsdo lKora.eV|id8{^bfiJ luoY y ? HTUOMMx^iai' WAHilA 1 * PRINTED BY BRETTELL AND CO., K)8I ,0§ S>UV^. MARSHALL-STREET, GOLDEN-SQUARE. TO LADY JONES. ,9Sit9'^S99S>e Madam I HAVE the honour to present to your Ladyship, the Memoirs of the Life of Sir William Jones; and it will afford me the sincerest pleasure to know, that the expectations which induced you to request me to undertake this work, have not been disappointed by the perusal of it. I have the honour to be. Madam, Your Ladyship's most obedient humble Servant, TEIGNMOUTH. Clapham, June 20, 1804. -^-c- ■:>" "^ ' ■!■}' PREFACE. a«l^\l^^ii and I have endeavoured, as far as my matc-^7 rials permitted, to trace the life of Sir Wil^" liam Jones, year by,yea^r^!ij o? botdsbm vftoido For the first twenty-two years of i1j,iimyji authorities are ample and satisfactory; they ^t consist principally of memoranda written by Sir, Wi))iiiE^i himself; a^d, iu] describing the- occurrences of this period, I have frequentijs // avai,\efldniyself£;ft{ hi^^P*yiiiAF©rcbi.ii IvvishiinHi!' m\ qphvab t^dT- qiOW-^M i^J^ io yH(fi)ttd>ti' IX deed that I could have used them exclusively, but the paper is not altogether in a form to admit of publication. ia -^(^^ nrftlq/ The account of the last twelve years of his life in India, is chiefly supplied by my own recollection, assisted by information collected from his writings and correspondence. Of the events of his life between 1768, his twenty-second year, and the date of his em- barkation for India in 1783, my information is less complete, although I have spared no diligence in endeavouring to collect all that could be obtained. I was in hopes that the recollection of his contemporaries at Oxford, where he occasionally resided until he left England, might have supplied some material anecdotes, and that farther information might have been procured from his companions in Westminster Hall, or on the Circuit, but my reseatfches have had little success, and I am chie% indebted to his correspondence for the information which i have been able to com- municatee ioi''>K^?;?tR^ bn- Jd tb6 arrangement of these materials, it witeikiiy.>(wifeb,<^ far as possible, to make Sir W iiliafoif I Joiies* describe himself; and with thisrrridw/' I have introduced his letters into thd)bf©dy of the Memoirs. They develop his occu- X occupations, hopes, pursuits, and feelings; and although the narrative, from the intro- duction of them, may lose something in point of connection, this inconvenience, I flatter myself, will be more than compensated by the letters themselves. By this mode they will excite an interest, which they might have failed to produce, if the substance or subjects of them only had been interwoven into the narrative, with a reference to the letters themselves in the Appendix. This arrangement has however imposed upon me the necessity of translating many of the letters of Sir William Jones and his learned correspondents, from the Latin or French, and I have endeavoured to give the sense of tliem in a plain familiar style. But 1 must warn the reader, that he is to expect nothing more in these translations ; and that those who arc qualified to peruse the original letters of Sir William Jones, will find in them an elegance which I do not pretend to trans- fuse into my veision of them. Some few sentences of the original letters have been purposely omitted in the translation, and many passages of the originals themselves have been supj)ressed. The XI The Latin letters of Sir William Jones are printed in the Appendix; and, with respect to them, it is further proper to observe, that in consequence of interlineations, correc- tions, erasures, and mutilation from time, I could not always ascertain the exact words which he ultimately adopted. In such cases I have been compelled to exercise my own judgment, and I desire the reader to notice this remark, lest any inaccuracy of mine should be imputed to a man, who was equally qualified to guide the taste of the elegant, and correct the errors of the learned. To elucidate the life, occupations, and opinions of Sir William Jones, was the prin- cipal object which I had in view, in the se- lection of the letters now presented to the public ; some have been inserted, as calcu- lated in my opinion to afford entertainment to the reader. I am very sensible that many of these letters relate to topics not generally interesting: engaged in literary pursuits from his earliest youth, extending and cultivating them with ardour during his life, and never losing sight of them under any accumulation of business, the letters of Sir William Jones necessarily refer to habits so dear to him, and so long established ; and I must request the reader Xll ^ , . reader to carry this remark with him to the; perusal of his correspondence throughout,^ a:il(i particularly of the letters written by himt in Bengal, which frequently relate to Indian literature, as well as to subjects and occupa-> tions peculiar to that country. The Memoirs and Appendix contain some original compositions of Sir William Jones, ^ which have not hitherto been published;! they are not of equal importance with those,l ^ of which the public are in possession ; there are still more, which I have not ventured, to Tt would have been easy to have enlarged.! , the size of this volume, but having no am-rn bition to extend it beyond its proper li-j;\ mits, I have confined myself as closely as I could to the object of it, that of elucirtf dating the life and opinions of Sir William a Jones. With this rule constantly in my Tfirrq, collection, I have avoided dissertations ,^i^^ the events of the times; the notice fvhicji^jjjq have t^ken of characters incidentally^||fc^%njs tioned, is brief anc^ explanatory only; andj^, I have suppressed many observations, whiclis3[ ; wdnld have added more to the bulk of tl^%'Q Meiiioii^s,^ than to the information or enter- tainment of the reader. In Xlll In the Postscript to the Memoirs, I have omitted to mention in its proper place, that a monument was erected at Oxford to the memory of Sir William Jones, by a subscrip- tion of the gentlemen residing in Bengal, who had received their education at the uni-, versity there and at Cambridge. The inscrip- tion on the elegant monument executed by, Flaxman, at the expense of Lady Jones, and „ placed in the anti-chamber to the Chapelof University College, Oxford, is annexed to the Preface. It has frequently been remarked, that the characters of very eminent men cannot be closely examined without a considerable di-r. minution of the respect, which their general s r , -^ J s>nov3U Ji invji/^ 1.9 nomd lame has excited. ^ , ^r . ■Irom whatever source this remark i»ajL have proceeded, or to whatever degree gf j truth it may be entitled, I cannot but" ex- t press a solicitude, that it may derive no con-^ firmation from the wort now presented to thcs piiblie. Impressed with admiration, respect, , and esteem for the memory of Sir Williami , Jones, whether I contemplate his genius, hisj v learning, or his virtues, I wish to transfer my, . own feelings to the minds of my readers ii/ 79bB3'f adi to tnoffft^f ^ XIV but whilst I distrust my own efforts, I am equally anxious to guard against extravagant expectations in them, and any want of dis- cernment in myself. TEIGNMOUTH. ®* ^. GVLIELMT . JONES . EOVITIS . AVRATI, gVI.CLARVM .IN . LITE RIS.N OMEN . A. PATRE . ACCEPT VM, MAGNA . CVMVLAVIT . GLORIA. INGENlVM.IN.lLLe.ERAT.SCXENTIARVM.OMNIVM.CAPAX, DISCIPLINISOVE . OPTIMIS . DILIGENTISSIME. EXCVLTVM, ERAT . INDOLES . AD . VIRTVTEM . EXIMIA, ET. IN . IVSTITIA . LIBERTATE . RELIGIONS . VINDICANDA, MAXIME . PROBATA. OVICgVID . AVTEM . VtlLE . VEL . HONESTVM CONSI LIIS.EXEMPLO.AVCTORITATE . VIVVS . PROMO VERAT, ID . OMNE . SCRIPTIS . SVIS . IMMORTALIBVS, ETIAM . NVNC . TVETVR . ATQVE . ORNAT. PR^STANTISSIMVM . HVNC . VIRVM, CUM . A . PROVINCIA . BENGALA, UBl . IVDICIS . INTEGERRIMI . MVNVS PER . DECENNIVM . OEIERAT, REDITVM . IN . PATRIAM . MEDITARETVR, INGRVENTIS . MORBI . VIS . OPPRESSIT, IX . KAL. . IVN. . A. C. . MDCCLXXXXIII. . ^T. . XLVIII. VT . QVIBVS . IN . JEDIBVS, IPSE . OLIM . SOCIVS . INCLARVISSET, IN.IISDEM.MEMORIA.EIVS.POTISSIMVM.CONSERVARETVR, HONORARIVM . HOC . MONVMENTVM, ANN A. M ARIA. riLI A. JON ATH AN. SHIPLEY. EPISC. ASAPH. CONIVGI . SVO . B. . M. PONl . CURAVIT. INDEX INDEX CORRESPONDENCE IN THE MEMOIRS. Morris, Lewis, Esq. to William Jones, Esq. Father to Sir William Jones -------- page 2 LETTERS FROM SIR WILLIAM JONES TO Althorpe, Lord, pages 174. 177, 188.201.212.226.235. 258. 272. Anonymous, 307. Asaph, Bishop of, 240. 267. Ashburton, Lord, 287. Banks, Sir Joseph, Bart. .376. 409. 429. 435. Bayer, F. P. 148. 1(50. Burnett, J. Lord Monboddo, 400. Caldecott, T., Esq. 337. 372. 397- Cartvvright, The Rev. E. 217. 224. 230. 237. 248. 257. Chapman, Charles, Esq. 309. 311. 330. Czartoriski, Prince Adam, 207. Cornwallis, Earl, 380. D. B. 119. 160. Eyre, Mr. Baron, 270. b LETTERS INDEX. LETTERS FROM SIR WILLIAM JONES TO Ford, Rev. Dr. 376. 423. Gibbon,' Mr. 251. Hiilhed, N. B, Esq. 91. Hardynge, G., Esquire, 337. 399- 428. Hastings, Warren, Esq. 434. Hawkins, Mr. 124. 128. Hyde, Mr. Justice, 304. 305. 34(5. 349- 402. 405. 412, Howard, Mr. 158. Macpherson, Sir J., Bart. 321, 322, 323. 325. 328. 335. 338. 342. 357. 425. Michaelis, G. S. l63, Milman, Dr. SIQ. Morris, R., Esq. 427. Ornie, Robert, Esq. 130. Price, Dr. 422. Reviczki, Charles, 55. 72. 76. 87. ^^, 94. 99. 115. 126. 105. Russell, Dr. Patrick, 306. 329 352. 370. 396. Schultens, H. K. 14S. 152. 173. 187. 253. Shipley, Miss E. 350, Shipley, William, Esq. 355. 399- 423. Shore,' John, Esq. 360. 364. 2>m, 374. 392. 396. 400, 401. 403, 404. 413. 440. Sinclair, Sir J., Bart. 427. Sister, 28. Sloper, Mrs. 424. Spencer, Lady, 83. 95. 97. l63. 275. Walker, Jos. Cowper, Esq. 369. Wetherel, Dr. 228. Wheeler, Dr. 223. Wilmot, John, Esq. 122. 374. 411. Yeates, Mr. Thomas, 261. 263. LETTERS INDEX. LETTERS TO SIR WILLIAM JONES FROJf Asaph, Bishop of, 241. 250. 256. Ashbuiton, Lord, 280. Bates, Mr. 118. Burke, Edmund, Esq. 196. 250. Burrovves, Mr. 219. Cartwrlght, The Rev. E. 2 1 6. Czartoriski, Prince Adam, 204. 407. Devonshire, Duchess of, 277. Franklin, Benjamin, 281. Howard, Mr. 157. Hunt, Dr. 135. 147. Parr, The Rev. Dr. 141. Reviczki, Charles, 56. 58. 63. 6(J. 69. 103. 105. 125. I66. 211. 421. Schultens, H. A. 149. 165, 179. 221. Spencer, Lady, 164. Stuart, Dr. 198. 210. 211. Sullivan, J. 498. Su'inney, J. 197. Tucker, Dean, 200. 204. Waddelove, Mr. 159. Note. — The originals of the Latin and French letters, of which translations are inserted in the Memoirs, will be found in the Appen- dix, by referring to the number annexed to the translation. INDEX TO THE APPENDIX. A. The design of Britain Discovered, an Heroic Poem, in twelve books, 578. Britain Discovered, an Heroic Poem, 587. B. A Prefatory Discourse to An Essay on the History of the Turks, 594. No. INDEX. No. 1. -De Graecis Oratorlbus, 622. 2. Terzetti, 624. 3. An Ode of J ami, 62(5. 4. A Song from the Persian, 626. 5. Plassey Plain ; a Ballad, 627- 6. Verses on seeing Miss *** ride by him without knowing her, 629. 7. Au Firmament, 631. 8. A Song, 631. Sketch of a Tragedy, 632. Fac-Simile of the Writing of Sir William Jones, 636. Verses on the Death of Sir William Jones ; by her Grace the Duchess of Devonshire, 636, MEMOIRS MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE, WRITINGS, AND CORRESPONDENCE, OF SIR WILLIAM JONES. JLhE origin of the Family of Sir William Jones on the maternal side, has been traced, by the industry of Lewis Morris, a learned British antiquary, to the ancient Princes and Chieftains of North Wales. With whatever delight, how- ever, the Cambrian genealogist might pursue the line of his ancestry, a barren catalogue of un- couth names would furnish no entertainment to the reader. I shall only transcribe from the list a single and remarkable name in one of the colla- teral branches, that of William o Dregaian, who died in one thousand five hundred and eighty-'6ne, at the advanced age of one hundred and five years ; with the note annexed to it, that by three wives he had thirty-six children, seven more by two concubines, and that eighty of his issue, du- ring his life, were living in the parish of Tregaian, in Anglesey. £ But 2 But T insert, without apology for the anticipa- tion, a letter addressed by Mr. Morris to the father of Sir William Jones, as an interesting me- morial of an ancient custom which is daily falling into disuse, and a pleasing specimen of the mind and talents of the writer. To William Jones, Esquire. SiRj January \, 1748. It was a custom among the Ancient Britons (and still retained in Anglesey) for the most know- ing among them in the desceut of families, to send their friends of the same stock or famil}^ a dtjdd calan lonawr a calennig, a present of their pedi- gree ; which was in order, I presume, to keep up a friendship among relations, which these people preserved surprisingly, and do to this day among the meanest of them, to the sixth and seventh degree. Some writers take notice that the Gauls also were noted for this affection and regard for their own people, though ever so distantly related. These things, to be sure, are trifles : but all other things in the world are trifles too. I take men's bodies in the same sense as I take vegetables. Young trees propagated by seed or grafts, from a good old tree, certainl}' owe some regard to their primitive stock, provided trees could act and think ; and as for my part, the very thought of those brave people, who struggled so so long with a superior power for their liberty, inspires me with such an idea of them, that I almost adore their memories. Therefore, to keep up that old laudable custom, I herewith send you a calennig of the same kind as that above-men- tioned ; which I desire you will accept of. I have reason to know, it is founded on good authority; for both my father and mother were related to your mother, and came from the same stock mentioned in the inclosed ; which is the reason I am so well acquainted with your mother's descent ; and on the same account, till further enquiry, an utter stranger to your farther's family. As you were young when you left the country, it cannot be supposed that you could know much of these things. I have had too much time there ; I wish I had not; for I might have applied it to better use than I have. If this gives you any pleasure, I shall be glad of it ; if not, commit it to the flames : and believe me to be, with truth and sinceritv, &c. Lewis Morris. Leaving the genealogical splendour of the family of Sir William Jones to the contemplation of the antiquary, it may be remarked with plea- sure, thai Its latest descendants have a claim to reputation, founded upon the honourable and unambiguous testimony of personal merit. His father was the celebrated philosopher and mathe- matician who so eminently distinguished himself B g in 4 in the commencement of the last century : and s short, but more accurate sketch of his life than has hitherto appeared, Mdiich I am enabled to give from the authority of his son, may be acceptable to the lovers of science. Mr. William Jones was born in the year 1^80, in Anglesey ; his parents were yeomen, or little farmers, on that island ; and he there received the best education which they were able to afford : but the industrious exertion of vigorous intellectual powers, supplied the defects of inadequate instruc- tion, and laid the foundation of his future fame and fortune. From his earliest years, Mr. Jones discovered a propensity to mathematical studies, and, having cultivated them with assiduity, he be- gan his career in life, by teaching mathematics on-board a man of war; and in this situation he attracted the notice, and obtained the friendship, of Lord Anson. In his twenty-second year, Mr. Jones published a Treatise on the Art of Naviga- tion; which was received with great approbation. He was present at the capture of Vigo, in ]702; and, having joined his comrades in quest of pil- lage, he eagerly fixed upon a bookseller's shop as the object of his depredation ; but finding in it no literary treasures, which were the sole plunder that he coveted, he contented himself with a pair of scissars, which he frequently exhibited to his friends as a trophy of his military success, relating the anecdote by which he gained it. He returned v/ith the fleet to England, and immediately after- wards 6 wards established himself as a teacher of mathe- matics, in London ; where, at the age of twenty- six, he published his Synopsis Falmariorum Ma- thesevs; a decisive proof of his early and consum- mate proficiency in his favourite science. The private character of Mv. Jones was respect- able, his manners were agreeable and inviting ; and these qualities not only contributed to enlarge the circle of his friends, whom his established re- putation for science had attracted, but also to secure their attachment to him. Amongst others who honoured him with their esteem, I am authorized to mention the great and virtuous Lord Hardwicke. Mr. Jones attended him as a companion on the circuit when he \vas chief justice ; and this nobleman, when he after- wards held the great seal, availed himself of the opportunity to testify his regard for the merit and character of his friend, by conferring upon him the office of secretary for the peace. He was also introduced to the friendship of Lord Parker (after- wards president of the Royal Society), whicli ter- minated only with his death; and, amongst other distinguished characters in the annals of science and literature, the navies of Sir Isaac Newton, Halley, Mead, and Samuel Johnson, may be enu- merated as the intimate friends of Mr. Jones. By Sir Isaac Newton, he was treated with particular regard and confidence, and prepared, with his assent, the very elegant edition of small tracts on the higher mathematics, in a mode which obtained the 6 the approbation, and increased the esteem, of llie author for him. After the retirement of Lord Macclesfield to Sherborne Castle, ]\Ir. Jones resided with his lord- ship as a member of his family, and instructed him in the sciences. In this situation, he had the misfortune to lose the greatest part of his property, the accumulation of industry and economy, by the failure of a banker : but the friendship of Lord Macclesfield diminished the Aveight of the loss, by procuring for him a sinecure place of considerable emolument. The same Nobleman, who was then Teller of the Exchequer, made him an offer of a more lucrative situation ; but he declined the ac- ceptance of it, as it would have imposed on hidl the obligation of more official attendanccj than was agreeable to his temper, or compatible with his attachment to scientific pursuits". In this retreat, he became a'cquainted \wth Miss Mary Nix, the youngest daughter of George Nix, a cabinet-maker in London, who, although of low extraction, had raised himself to eminence in his profession, and, from the honest and pleasant frankness of his conversation, was admitted to the tables of the great, and to the intimacy of Lord Macclesfield. The acquaintance of Mr. Jone^ with ^liss Nix, terminated in marriage ; and, from this union, sprang three children, thelast of whom, the late Sir William Jones, was born in London, on the eve of the festival of Saint Michael, in the year 1746; and a few days after his birth was baptized 7 baptized by the christian name of his father. The first son, George, died in his infancy; and the second child, a daughter, INIary, M'ho was born in 1736, married Mr. Rainsford, a merchant retired from business in opulent circumstances. This lady perished miserably, during the year 1802, in consequence of an accident from her clothes catching fire. Mr. Jones survived the birth of his son William but three years ; he was attacked with a disorder, which the sagacity of Dr. Mead, who attended him with the anxiety of an affectionate friend, immediately discovered to be a polypus in the heart, and wholly incurable. This alarming secret was communicated to Mrs. Jones, who, from an affectionate but mistaken motive, could never be induced to discover it to her husband ; and, on one occasion, displayed a remarkable instance of self-command and address in the concealment of it. A well-meaning friend, who knew his danger- ous situation, had written to him a long letter of condolence, replete with philosophic axioms on the brevity of life ; ]\lrs. Jones, Avho opened the letter, discovered the purport of it at a glance, and, being desired by her husband to read it, composed in the moment another lecture so clearly and rapidly, that he had no suspicion of the de- ception ; and this she did in a rtyle so cheerful and entertaining, that it greatly exhilarated him. He 8 He died soon after, in July 1749, leaving behind him a great reputation and moderate property. The history of men of letters is too often a me- lancholy detail of human miser}', exhibiting the iniavailing struggles of genius and learning against penury, and life consumed in fruitless expectation of patronage and reward. We contemplate with satisfaction the reverse of this picture in the his- tory of Mr. Jones, as we trace him in lii;? progress from obscurity to distinction, and in his partici- pation of the friendship and beneficence of the first characters of the times. Nor is it less grate- ful to remark that the attachment of his professed friends did not expire with his life ; after a proper interval, they visited his widow, and vied in their offers of service to her; amongst others to whom she was particularly obliged, I mention \vith respect, Mr. Baker, author of a Treatise on the Improved Microscope, who afforded her important assist- ance, in arranging the collection of shells, fossils, and other curiosities, left by her deceased hus- band, and in disposing of them to the best ad- vantage. The library of Mr. Jones, by a bequest in his will, became the property of Lord Mac- clesfield. The compilers of the Biographical Dictionary, in their account of Mr. Jones, have asserted, that he had completed a mathematical work of the jfirst importance, and had sent the first sheet of it to the press, wheu the indisposition, which ter» niinate4 D minatecl in his death, obhged him to discontinue the impression ; that, a ftw days before his de- mise, he entrusted the manuscript, fairly tran* scribed by an amanuensis, to the care of Lord Macclesfield, who promised to publish it, as well for the honour of the author, as for the benefit of the family, to whom the property of the work belonged. The Earl survived his friend many years ; but The Introduction to the Mathematics (the alleged title of the work) was forgotten, and, after his death, the manuscript was not to be found. There is no evidence in the memoranda left by Sir William Jones, to confirm or disprove these assertions. Such of the mathematical works of Mr. Jones as have been published, are much admired for neatness, brevity, and accuracy*. The * In Hutton's Philosophical Dictionary, we have the following enu- jneration of the works of Mr. Jones : — A New Compendium of the whole Art of Navigation, small 8vo. }102. Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos ; or a • new Introduction to the Mathematics, containing the principles of arithmetic and geometry, demonstrated in a short and easy method ; 8vo. 1706. In the Philosophical Transactions : — A Compendious Disposition of Equations for cxhibitipg the Relar tions of Geometrical Lines, A Tract of Logarithms. Account of a Person killed by Lightning in Tottenham-court Chapel, and its Effects on the Building. '• Properties of Conic Sections, deduced by a compendious method. He was also the editor of some mathematical works of Sir Isaac Newton, under the title of " Analysis, per quantitatum series, fluxio- nes, ac differentias : cum cnumeratione linearum tertii ordinis." In 30 The care oF the education of William now de- volved upon his mother, who, in many respects, was eminently qualified for the task. Her cha- racter, In the library of Trinity-College, Cambridge, sorae letters from M-r. Jones to Mr. Cotes, who was at that time engaged in giving lec- tures at the College, are preserved. They do not contain any material information : but having, with the permission of the College, obtained copies of them, by the polite assistance of Mr. Brown, I annex them to this note, together with one from Mr. Cotes to Mr. Jones. Letter from Mr. Jones to Mr. Cotes, Sir; London, Septeynber 17, 171 i. The paper concerning Sir Isaac Newton's method of interpolation, which you have been pleased to send me, being done so very neat, that it will be an injury to the curious in these things ta be kept any longer witliout it ; therefore must desire that you would grant me leave to publish it in the Philosophical Transactions. You may be assured that I do not move this to jou without Sir Isaac's ap- probation, who I find is no less willing to have it done. The new edition oi the F7-indpia is what we wait for with great impatience, though at the same time I believe the book will be far more valuable tlian if it had been done in a hurry, since I find the interruptions are necessary, and such as will render it complete. We have nothing considerable in hand Iwre at present, only Mr. Demoire's Treatise on Chances, which makes a whole transaction. He is .very fond of it, and we may expect it well done. Mr. Raphson has printed off four or five sheets of his history of Fluxions, but being shewed Sir Isaac Newton's (who it seems would rather have them Write against him, than have a piece done in that manner, in his favour) he got a stop put to it, for some time at least. Dr. Ha'ley has almost finished the printiiig of the {Jreenwich Observations, which will be a work of good use, especially as it is now freed from the trifles it was loaded with. Sir, I have one thing which I would trouble you with further, and that is, to let me know what lectures, or other papers of Sir Isaac Newton's, remain in your University unpublished. This may be done at your leisure. It would be a great satisfaction to me, if I could be any way serviceable to 11 racter, as delineated by her husband with some- what of mathematical precision, is tliis : "that *' she was virtuous without blemish, generous " without to you here at London ; and should readily embrace any opportumty to approve and express myself, what I am exceedingly obliged to be. Your most affectionate friend. And faithful servant, William Jones. rrom the Same to the Same. Sir; London, Oct. 25, 17H. The favour of your account of Sir Isaac's papers left at Cambridge, I return, you my hearty thanks for ; and, as you have some further considerations about the Doctrine of Differences, I am assured that they cannot but be valuable ; and if a few instances of the application were given, perhaps it would not be amiss. Having tarried some time for a convenient opportunity, I was obliged to send you at last Moreton's book by the carrier, though it will only satisfy you that Dr. Gregory Jiad but a very slender notion of the design, extent, and use of lib. 3d of the Principia. I hope it will not be long before you /ind leisure to send me what ycu have further done on this cin'ious subject. No excuse must be made against the publishing of them, since, with respect to reputation, I dare say it will be no way to your disadvantage. I have nothing of news to send you, only the Germans and French have in a violent manner attacked the philosophy of Sir Isaac Newton, and seem resolved to stand by Des Cartes. Mr. Keil, ;as a person concerned, has undertaken to defend and answer some ithingSj as Dr. Friend and Dr. Mead do in their way, the rest. I would have sent you the whole controversy, was I not sure that you know those only are most capable of objecting against his writings, that leajt^understand them. However, in a little time, you will see some of them in the Philosophical Transactions. I am. Sir, Very much yomr friend and servant, William Jones. Answer 12 '' without extravagance, frugal but not niggard, *' cheerful but not giddy, close but not sullen, *' ingenious but not conceited, pf spirit but not " passionatCj Answer to the foregoing, by Mr. Cotes. Dear Sir ; I have received Moreton's book. I thank you for the favour you did me in sending it. I liave looked over what relates to his way of interpolation ; but I find no cause from thence to make any alteration. The controversy concerning Sir Isaac's philosophy is a piece of news that I had not heard of. I think that philosophy needs no defence, especially when attacked by Cartesians. One Mr. Green, a fellow of Clare-Hall, seems to have nearly the same design with those German and French objectants, whom you mention. His book is now in our press, and almost finished I am told ; he will add an Appendix, in which he undertakes also to square the circle. I need jiQt reconunend his performance any further to you. I am. Sir, your obliged friend, and humble servant,- R. C. From Mr. JoiNEs to Mr. Cotes. Dear Sir; London, Jan. 11, 1711-12. I have sent you here inclosed the copy of a letter, that i found among Mr. Coliins's papers, from Sir Isaac Newton to one Mr. Smitli. The contents thereof seem in a great measure to have relation to what you are about, as being the application of the Doctrine of Dif- ferences to the making of tables ; and for that reason I thought it might be of use to you, so far as to see what has been done already. I shewed this to Sir Isaac : he remembers that he applied it to all sorts of tables. I have more papers of Mr. Mercator's, and others, upon this subject ; though I think none so material to your purpose as this. I should be very glad to see w hat you have done upon this subject all published ; and I must confess, that unless you design a large volume, it were much better to put them into the Philosophical Transactions, for that would sufficiently preserve them from being lost, which is the com- mon fate of small single tracts, and at the same time, to save the trou- ble and expense of printing them, since the subject is too curious to expect 13 *' passionate, of her company cautious, in her *' friendship trusty, to her parents dutiful, and *' to her husband ever faithful, loving, and obe^ " dient." expect any profit from it ; and besides now, as the Royal Society kaving done tiiemselves the honour of choosing you a member, some- thing from you cannot but be acceptable to them. Sir Isaac himself expects these things of you, that I formerly mentioned to him as your promise. I am, Sir, your much obliged friend, ahd humble servant, William Jones. From Mr. Jones to Mr. CoxESi Sir; London, Feb. 6, 1712-13. The Royal Society having ordered one of their books for you, and another for Mr. Saundcrson, also one for Trinity-College library, and one for the University library ; I wotild not lose the op- portunity of paying you my respects, by sending them. I need not tell you the occasion and design of that collection. You will see readily, that it afibrds such light concerning what it relates to, as could not easily have been discovered any other way ; it also shews, that your great predecessor, whose illustrious example I don't doubt but you follow, never employed his time about things ordinary. I have no mathematical intelligence to send you. Mr. Keil thinks he has discovered a very easy and practical solution of theKeplerean problem. If Moreton's book is of no use to you, please to send it to me, though I fear it will yield me but small assistance, having occasion for variety of modern solstitial meridian altitudes of the Sun, such as may be de- pended upon. Helvetius, Flamstead, and the French observations, seem defective. I should be glad to be informed where I can be sup- plied best. I am extremely pleased to find that Sir Isaac's book is so near being finished ; and it is not less agreeable to me to hear, that your own book is in such forwardness. You are much in the right of it to print your lectures and other papers, iji a book by itself : it is better than to have them lie up and down among otiier things. What I formerly proposed as to the putting of things in the Philosophical Transactions, is only fit for a sheet or two, but not exceeding tliat. I very 14 " dient.'* She had by nature a strong under- standing, wliich was improved by his conversation and instruction. Under his tuition, she became a considerable I very much long to see those valuable pieces, and hope you will let me know in what time I may expect them. — Do me the justice tobc- lievCj that I am, with all sincerity. Your most humble servant, William Jones. From the Same to the Same. Sir; London, Aprils, 1713. Ever since I received your very kind letter, and Moreton's book, I waited for an opportunity of sending you some old manu- scripts I had by me, and at last am obliged to venture them by the carrier. They relate, in some measure, to the method of Differences : the folio one, 1 find, was written by one Nath. Torperly, a Shropshire- man, who, when young, was amanuensis to Vieta, but afterwards wTit against him. He was cotemporary with Briggs. The book, I think, can be of no other use to you than in what relates to the history of that method, and in having the satisfaction of seeiag what has been formerly done on that subject. I am mightily pleased to see the end of the Principia, and return you many thanks for the instructive index that you have taken the pains to add, and hope it will not be long before we shall see the beginning of that noble book. I shall be in some pain till 1 hear that you have received my old manuscript, it being a fa- vourite purely on account of some extravagancies in it; but I shall- think it safe in your hands. I am, Sir, Your affectionate friend, and humble servant, William Jones. From the Same to the Same. Dear. Sir; London, luhj 11, 1713. It is impossible to represent to you, with what pleasure I received your inestimable present of the Principia, and am much concerned to find myself so deeply charged with obligations to you, and such I fear as all my future endeavours will never be able ta requite. 15 considerable proficient in Algebra, and with a view to qualify herself for the office of preceptor to her sister's son, who was destined to a maritime profession, made herself perfect in Trigonometry, and the Theory of Navigation. Mrs. Jones, after the death of her husband, was urgently and repeat- edly solicited, by the Countess of Macclesfield, to remain at Sherborne Castle; but having formed a plan for the education of her son, with an unaltera- ble determination to pursue it, and being appre- hensive that her residence at Sherborne might interfere with the execution of it, she declined accepting the friendly invitation of the Countess, who never ceased to retain the most affectionate regard for her. In the plan adopted by jMrs. Jones for the in- struction of her son, she proposed to reject the severity of discipline, and to lead his n^md insen- requite. This edition is indeed exceedingly beautiful, and inter- spersed with great variety of admirable discoveries so very natural to its great author ; but it is more so from the additional advantage of your excellent preface, which I wish much to get published in some of the foreign journals ; and since a better account of this book cannot be given, I suppose it will not be difficult to get it done. Now, this great task being done, I hope you will think of publishing your papers, and not let such valuable pieces lie b} . As to what you mentioned in your last, concerning my old manuscripts, though for my part I know of nothing worth your notice publicly in them, but, if you do find any, the end of my sending them is the better answered ; and you know- that you may do as you please. I am. Sir, Your most obedient servant, William Jones. SI blv 16 sibly to knowledge and exertion, by exciting his curiosity, and directing it to useful objects. To his incessant importunities for information on ca- sual topics of conversation, which she watclifully stimulated, she constantly replied, read, and you will know ; a maxim, to the observance of which he always acknowledged himself indebted for his future attainments. By this method, his desire to learn became as eager as her wish to teach; and such was her talent of instruction, and his facility of retaining it, that in his fourth year he was able to read, distinctly and rapidly, any English book. She particularly attended at the same time to the cultivation of his memory, by making him learn and repeat some of the popular speeches in Shakespeare, and the best of Gay's Fables. If, from the subsequent eminence of Sir William Jones, any general conclusion should be eagerly drawn in favour of early tuition, we must not for- get to advert to the uncommon talents both of the pupil and the teacher. • In common cases, premature instruction has often been found to retard, rather than accelerate, the progress of the intellectual faculties; and the success of it so much depends upon the judgment of the tutor, and the capacity of the scholar, upon the skill of the one, as well as upon the disposition and powers of the other, that it is impossible to prescribe a general rule, when instruction ought to begin, or a general mode, by which it should be conveyed ; the determination in both cases must 17 must be left to the discretion of parents, who ought to be the most competent to decide. In this year of his life, Jones providentially escaped from two accidents, one of which had nearly proved fatal to his sight, the other to his life. Being left alone in a room, in attempting to scrape some soot from the chimney, he fell into the fire, and his clothes were instantly in flames : his cries brought the servants to his assistance, and he was preserved with some difficulty; but his face, neck, and arms, were much burnt. A short time afterwards, when his attendants were putting on his clothes, which were imprudently fastened with hooks, he struggled, either in play, or in some childish pet, and a hook was fixed in his right eye. By due care, under the directions of Dr. Mead, whose friendship with his family continued un- abated after his father's death, the wound was healed ; but the eye was so much weakened, that the sight of it ever remained imperfect. His propensity to reading, which had begun to display itself, was for a time checked by these accidents; but the habit was acquired, and after his recovery he indulged it without restraint, by perusing eagerly any books that came in hts way,, and mth an attention proportioned to his ability to comprehend them. In his fifth year, as he was one morning turning over the leaves of a Bible in. his mother's closet, his attention was forcibly arrested by the sublime description of the Angel in the tenth chapter of the Apocalypse, and the im- c pression 18 pression which his imagination received from it was never effaced. At a period of mature judgment, he considered the passage as equal in suhlimity to uny in the inspired writers, and far superior to any that could be produced from mere human compo- sitions; and he was fond of retracing and men- tioning the rapture which he felt, when he first read it. In his sixth year, by the assistance of a friend, he was initiated in the rudiments of the Latin grammar, and he committed some passages of it to memory; but the dull elements of a new language having nothing to captivate his childish attention, he made little progress in it; nor \vas he encouraged to perseverance by his mother, who, intending him for a public education, was unwil- ling to perplex his mind with the study of a dead language, before he had acquired a competent knowledge of his native tongue. At Michaelmas 17.53, in the close of his seventh year, he was placed at Harrow School, of which the worthy and amiable Dr. Thackeray was then head master. The amusements and occupations of a school-boy are of little importance to the public ; yet it cannot be uninteresting, or unin- structive, to trace the progress of a youth of genius and abilities, from his earliest efforts to that profi- ciency in universal literature which he afterwards attained. During the two first years of his residence at Harrow, he was rather remarked for diligence and application, thau for the superiority of his talents, or the extent of his acquisitions ; and his attention 19 Jittention was almost equally divided between his books and a little garden, the cultivation and em- belHshment of which occupied all his leisure hours. His faculties however necessarily gained strength by exercise, and during his school vacations, the sedulity of a fond parent w^as M'ithout intermission exerted to improve his knowledge of his ow^n language. She also taught him the rudiments of drawing, in which she excelled. In his ninth year, he had the misfortune to break his thigh-bone in a scramble with his school- fellows, and this accident detained him from school tvvelve months. After his relief from pain, however, the period of his confinement was not suffered to pass in indolence ; his mother was his constant companion, and amused him daily with the perusal of such English books, as she deemed adapted to liis taste and capacity. The juvenile poems of Pope, and Dryden's Translation of the ^neid, afforded him incessant delight, and excited his poetical talents, which displayed themselves in the com- position of verses in imitation of his favourite authors. But his progress in classical learning, du- ring this interval, was altogether suspended ; for although he might have availed himself of the proffered instruction of a friend, in whose house he resided, to acquire the rudiments of Latin, he was then so unable to comprehend its utility, and had so little relish for it, that he was left unrestrain- ed to pursue his juvenile occupations and amuse- c 2 ments^ 20 -ments, and the little which he had gained in his two first years, was nearly lost in the third. On his return to school, he was however placed in the same class which he would have attained, if the progress of his studies had not been interrupt- ed. He was of course far behind his fellow- labourers of the same standing, who erroneously ascribed his insufficiency to laziness or dulness, while the master who had raised him to a situation above his powers, required exertions of which he was incapable, and corporal punishment and de- gradation were applied, for the non-performance of tasks, which he had never been instructed ta furnish. I^ut in truth he far excelled his school- fellows in general, both in diligence and quickness of apprehension ; nor was he of a temper to submit to imputations, which he knew to be unmerited^ Punishment failed to produce the intended effect; but his emulation was roused. He devoted him- self incessantly to the perusal of various elementary treatises, which had never been explained nor ever* recommended to him ; and having thus acquired principles, he applied them with such skill and success, that in a few months he not only recovered the station from which he had been degraded, but was at the head of his class! bis compositions were correct, his analysis accurate, and he uniformly gained every prize offered for the best exercise. He voluntarily extended his studies beyond the prescribed limits, and, by solitary labour, having acquired 21 acquired a competent knowledge of the rules of prosody, he composed verses in imitation of Ovid ; a task, which had never been required from any of the students in the lower school at Harrow. The behaviour of the master to Jones, made an impression on his mind, which he ever remem- bered with abhorrence. Little doubt can be en- tertained, that he might have been stimulated to equal exertions, if encouragement had been sub- stituted for severity, and instruction for disgrace. The accumulation ©f punishment for his inabihty to soar before he had been taught to fly, (I use his own expression) might have rendered the feel- ings callous ; and a sense of the injustice attend- ing the infliction of it, was calculated to destroy the respect due to magisterial authority, and its influence over the scholar. It is a material and perhaps unavoidable defect in the system of edu- cation at public schools, that the necessity of re- gulating instruction by general rules, must often preclude that attention to the tempers and capa- cities of individuals, by which their attainments might be essentially promoted. In his twelfth year, Jones was moved into the upper school. Of the retentive powers of his memory at this period, the follov^^ing anecdote is a remarkable instance. His school-fellows proposed to amuse themselves with the representation of a play; and at his recommendation they fixed upon the Tempest ; as it was not readily to be procured, he wrote it foi them so correctly from memory, that they they acted it with great satisfaction to themselves, and with considerable entertainment to the spec- tators. He performed the character of Prospero. His diligence increased with his advancement in the school : he now entered upon the study of the Greek tongue, the characters of which he had already learned for his amusement. His genius and assiduity were also displayed in various com- positions, not required by the discipline of the school. He translated into EngHsh verse several of the epistles of Ovid, all the pastorals of Virgil, and composed a dramatic piece on the story of Meleager, which he denominated a tragedy; and it was acted during the vacation, by some of his school-fellows with whom he was most intimate. In his own play, he performed the part of the hero. A copy of this little composition, inaccurately transcribed by a relation, has been preserved ; and to gratify that curiosity which the mention of it may have excited, I select from it the following lines : ATALANTA (speaks). Still Discord raves, Bellona fiercely storms. Mars calls, and Caledonians exclaim. Althaea, fraught with ire, forgets her son. And meditates fierce vengeance in her heart. At Dian's sacred shrine a billet lies, On which depends the life of Meleager. This stern Althxa spied, — then fury fir'd Her furious mind, — she knew the fates' decree : Thrice did she rave, and thrice repress'd her hand; At length she threw the billet on Uie fire. Which S3 Which gently gather'd round its impious pfcy ; And now in absent flames the hero burns. Wildly he stares ; his glaring eye-balls sink Beneath their sockets, and omit their light. His shiver'd hair hangs dangling o'er his face ; He rends his silken vest, and wrings his hands. And groans, possess'd with agonizing pain. These juvenile efforts contributed to establish the influence and reputation of Jones in the school ; and the snccess with which his studies had latterly been pursued, left him no reason to regret the disadvantages under which he had at first laboured. His improvement in the know- ledge of prosody was truly extraordinary ; he soon acquired a proficiency in all the varieties of Roman metre, so that he was able to scan the trochaic and iambic verses of Terence, before his companions even suspected that they were any thing but mere prose. He also learned to taste the elegance oi' that writer, and was frequently heard to repeat with particular satisfaction the rule in the Andria : Facile omnes perferre et pati, i^unquam praeponens se aliis. Such was the extent of his attainments, and such his facility of composition, that for two years he wrote the exercises of many boys in the two su- perior classes, who often obtained credit for per- formances to which they had no title, whilst the students in the same class with himself were happy to become his pupils. During the holidays, his studies were varied, but not relaxed; in these in- tervals, he learned the rudiments of French and arithmetic. 24 arithmetic, and was particularly gratified with an invitation to attend the meetings of learned and ingenious men, at the house of that amiable philo- sopher, Mr. Baker, and his friend Mr. Pond. As an introduction to the knowledge of the subjects discussed in this literary society, by the particular Tecommendation of his mother, he read the Spec- iacle de la Nature: he acknowledged, however, ithat he was more entertained with the Arabian Tales, and Shakespeare, whose poems and plays he repeatedly perused with increased delight. In the usual recreations of his school-fellows at Harrow, Jones M'as rarely a partaker ; and the ihours which they allotted to amusement, he gene-^ lally devoted to improvement. The following anecdote strongly indicates the turn of his mind, and the impression made bj his studies. He in^ vented apolitical play, in which Dr. William Ben- net *, Bishop of Cloyne, and the celebrated Dr. * The Bishop of Cloyne, in a letter to the Dean of St. Asaph, date4 November 1795, mentions Sir William Jones in terms of respect and affection: — " I knew him (he writes) from the early age of eight or " nine, and he was always an uncommon boy. Great abilities, great; *' particularity of thinking, fondness for writing verses and plays of " various kinds, antl a degree of integrity and manly courage, of which " I remember many instances, distinguished him even at that period. *' I loved him and revered him, and, -though one or two years older *' than he was, was always instructed by him from my earliest age. *' In a word, I can only say of this amiable and wonderful man, that *■* he had more virtues and less faults, than I ever yet saw in any human "being; and that the goodness of his head, admirable as it was, was *' exceeded by that of bis heart. I have never ceased to admire him " from the moment I first saw him ; and my esteem for his great quali- " ties, and regret for his loss, will only end with my life," Parr, 25 Parr, were his principal associates. They divided the fields in the neighbourhood of Harro\\^, ac- cording to a map of Greece, into states and king- doms ; each fixed upon one as his dominion, and assumed an ancient name. Some of their school- fellows consented to be styled barbarians, who were to invade their territories and attack their hillocks, which were denominated fortresses. The chiefs vigorously defended their respective do- mains against the incursions of the enemy ; and in these imitative wars, the young statesmen , held councils, made vehement harangues, and composed memorials, all doubtless very boyish, but calculated to fill their minds with ideas of legislation and civil government. In these unusual amusements, Jones was ever the leader : and he might justly have appropriated to himself the >vords of Catullus ; Ego gymnasii flos, ego decus olei. Dr. Thackeray retired from the superintendance of the school at Harrow, when his pupil had at- tained his fifteenth year. It was a singular trait in the character of this good man and respectable tutor, that he never applauded the best compo- sitions of his scholars, from a notion which he had adopted, that praise only tended to make them vain or idle. But the opinion which he gave of Jones in private was, that he was a boy of so active a mind, that if he were left naked and friendless on Salisbury Plain, he would neverthe- less find the road to fame and riches. Dr. 26 Dr. Thackeray was succeeded by Dr. Sumner; and for his iuformation of the course of study pur- sued at Harrow, a plan of the lectures and exercises in the upper school was accurately delineated by Jones, at the suggestion of the principal assistant, who presented it to the new master, with many encomiums on the talents of his favourite scholar. He annexed to it a collection of his compositions, including his translation of the pastorals of Virgil. Dr. Sumner quickly distinguished him ; and of the two complete years which he passed under that excellent instructor, it is sufficient to say, that he employed them in reading and imitating the best' ancient authors; nor did he confine himself merely to the compositions of Greece and Rome; he learned the Arabic characters, and studied the Hebrew language sufficiently to enable him to read some of the Psalms in the original. His ardour for knowledge was so unlimited, that he frequently devoted whole nights to study, taking coffee or tea as an antidote to drowsiness ; and his improve- ment by these extraordinary exertions was so rapid, that he soon became the prime favourite of his master, who with an excusable partiality was heard to declare, that Jones knew more Greek than him- self, and was a greater proficient in the idiom of that language. Nor was he less a favourite with his fellow-students than with his master. He ac- quired popularity with them, by the frequent holi- days that rewarded the excellence of his compo- sitions. His reputation at the same time was so extensive, 37 extensive, that he was often flattered by the en- quiries of strangers, under the title of the Great Scholar. Of his juvenile compositions in prose and verse, the early fruits of rare talents and unbounded in- dustry, some have been printed in the fragment of a work which he began at school and intitled Limon*, in imitation of Cicero. During the last months of his residence at Harrow, Dr. Sumner not only dispensed v/ith his attendance at school, but was obliged to interdict his application, in consequence of a weakness of sight contracted by it. His compositions were not however discon- tinued ; and he obtained the assistance of the younger students to write them from his dictation. He employed the intervals of suspended duty, which he was reluctantly compelled to admit in learning che^, by practising the games of Philidor. During the vacations, his application was directed to improve his knowledge of French and arithmetic, to which he also added the study of the Italian. Books he had always at command ; for his mother, who contemplated with delight the progress of her son, with a wise liberality allowed him unlimited credit on her purse. But of this indulgence, as he knew that her finances were restricted, he availed himself no further than to purchase such books as were essential to his improvement. * Works of Sir William Jones, vol ii. p. 627. I shall 28 I shall here transcribe, without alteration or omission, a letter which the young student, at the age of fourteen, wrote to his sister, to console her for the death of a friend. ' Dear Sister; When I received your letter, I was very concerned to hear the death of your friend Mr. Keynolds, which I consider as a piece of affliction common to us both. For although my knowledge of his name or character is of no long date, and though I never had an}' personal acquaintance with him, yet (as you observe) we ought to regret the loss of every honourable man ; and if I had the plea- sure of your conversation, I would certainly give you any consolatory advice that lay in my power, and make it my business to convince you what a real share I take in your chagrin. And yet, to reason philosophically, I cannot help thinking any grief upon a person's death very superfluous, and inconsistent with sense; for what is the cause of our sorrow ? Is it because we hate the person deceased ? that were to imply strange contradiction, to express our joy by the common signs of sorrow. If, on the other hand, we grieve for one who was dear to us, I should reply that we should, on the contrary, rejoice at his having left a state so perilous and uncertain as life is. The common strain is; " 'Tis pity so virtuous a man should die :" — but I assert the contrary ; and when I hear tlie death of a ptrson of merit, I cannot help reflecting, id reflecting, how happy he must be who now taJccs the reward of his excellencies, without the possi- bility of falling away from them and losing the virtue which he professed, on whose character death has fixed a kind of seal, and placed him out of the reach of vice and infamy ! for death only closes a man's reputation, and determines it as either good or bad. On the contrary, in life nothing is certain ; whilst any one is liable to al^ teration, we may possibly be forced to retract our esteem for him, and some time or other he may appear to us, as under a different light than what he does at present ; for the life of no man can be pronounced either happy or miserable, virtuous or abandoned, before the conclusion of it. It was upon this reflection, that Solon, being asked by Groesus, a monarch of immense riches, Who was the happiest man ? answered, After your death I shall be able to determine. Besides, though a man should pursue a constant and determinate course of virtue, though he were to keep a regular symmetry and uniformity in his actions, and pre^ serve the beauty of his reputation to the last, yet (while he lives) his very virtue may incur some evi! imputation, and provoke a thousand murmurs of detraction ; for, believe me, my dear sister, there is no instance of any virtue, or social excellence, which has not excited the envy of innumerable assailants, whose acrimony is raised barely by seeing others pleased, and by hearing commenda- tion which another enjoys. It i^ not easy in this life 30 life for any man to escape censure ; and infamy requires very little labour to assist its circulation; But there is a kind of sanction in the characters of the dead, which gives due force and reward to their merits, and defends them from the suggestions of calumny. But to return to the point ; what reason is there to disturb yourself on this melancholy oc- casion ? Do but reflect that thousands die every moment of time ; that even while we speak, some unhappy wretch or other is either pining with hun- ger, or pinched with poverty, sometimes giving up his life to the point of the sword, torn with convulsive agonies, and undergoing many miseries which it were superfluous to mention. We should therefore compare our afflictions with those who are more miserable, and not with those who are more happy. I am ashamed to add more, lest I should seem to mistrust your prudence; but next week, when I understand your mind is more com- posed, I shall write you word how all things go here. I designed to write you this letter in French, but I thought I could express my thoughts with more energy, in my own language. I come now, after a long interval, to mention some more private circumstances. Pray give my duty to my Mamma, and thank her for my shirts. They fit, in my opinion, very well ; though Biddy says they are too little iu the arms. You may expect a letter from me every day in the week till I come home ; for Mrs. Biscoe has de- sired it, and has given me some franks. When you 31 you see her, you may tell her that her little boy sends his duty to her, and Mr. Eiscoe his love to his sister, and desires to be remembered to Miss Cleeve : he also sends his com}3liments to my Mamma and you. Upon my word I never thought: our bleak air would have so good an effect upon him. His complexion is now ruddy, which befoie was sallow and pale, and he is indeed much grown : but I now speak of trifles, I mean in comparison of his learning; and indeed he takes that with wonderful acuteness ; besides, his excessive high spirits increase mine, and give me comfort, since, after Parnell's departure, he is almost the only company I keep. As for news ; the only article I know is, that Mrs. Parr is dead and buried. Mr. and Airs. Sumner are well: the latter thanks you for bringing thv^ letter from your old acquaintance, and the former has made me an elegant present. I am now very much taken up with study; am to speak Anthony's speech in Shakespeare's Julius CjEsar (which play 1 will read to you when I come to town), and am this week to made a declama- tion. I add no more than the sincere well-wishes of Your faithful friend, and affectionate brother, William Jones. If I am not deceived by my partiality for tlie memory of Sir William Jones, this letter will be perused with interest by the public. The topics selected for the consolation of his sister, are not y indeed 3!^ indeed of the most novel nature, nor the best adapted to afford it ; and we may smile at the gravity of the young morahst, contrasted with the famiharity of the circumstances detailed in the latter part of the epistle, which I found no dispo- sition to reject : but the letter, as it stands, will furnish no contemptible proof of his talents and fraternal affection, and may serve as a standard of comparison to parents, for estimating the abilities of their own children. The period of tuition under Dr. Sumner passed rapidly, to the mutual satisfaction of the master and scholar, until Jones had reached his seven* teenth year ; when it was determined to remove him to one of the Universities. This determina- tion was not adopted without much hesitation ; for it had been strongly recommended to his mo- ther, by Sergeant Prime, and other Lawyers, to place him, at the age of sixteen, in the office of some eminent special pleader : and they supported their recommendation by an observation, equally flattering to him and tempting to his mother, that his talents, united with such indefatigable indus- try, must ensure the most brilliant success, and consequently the acquisition of wealth and repu- tation. It is a singular proof of his curiosity to explore unusual tracks of learning, that, at this early age, he had perused the Abridgement of Coke's Institutes, by Ireland, with so much atten- tion, that he frequently amused the legal friends of his mother, by reasoning with them on old cases. 33 cases, which were supposed to be confined' to the learned in the profession. The law, however, at that time, had little attraction for him ; and he felt no inclination to renounce his Demosthenes and Cicero for the pleadings in Westminster-Hall. His disgust to the study of the law had also been particularly excited, by the perusal of some old and inaccurate abridgement of law-cases in bar- barous Latin. This disinclination on his part, the solicitude of Dr. Sumner, that he should devote some years to the completion of his studies at the University, and the objections of his mother, founded on reasons of economy, to a profession which could not be pursued without considerable ^expense, fixed her decision against the advice of her legal friends. The choice of an University Avas also the occasion of some discussion. Cam- bridge was recommended by Dr. -Sumner, who liad received his education there : but Dr. Glasse, who had private pupils at Harrow, and had always distinguished Jones b}^ the kindest attention, re- commended Oxford. His choice was adopted by ]\Irs. Jones, who, in compliance with the wishes of her son, had determined to reside at the Uni- versity with him, and greatly preferred the situ- ation of Oxford. '. In the Spring of 17^4, he went to the Univer- sity for the purpose of being matriculated and entered at College*: but he returned to Harrow for * The following is the form of his admission into University D College, 34 for a few montlis, tl)at lie might finish a course of lectures, which he had just begun, and in which he had been highly interested by the learn- ing, eloquence, taste, and sagacity, of his excel- lent instructor. They separated soon after with mutual regret, and in the following term he fixed himself at Oxford. The name of Jones was long remembered at Harrow, with the respect due to his superior ta- lents and unrivalled erudition ; and he was fre- quently quoted by Dr. Sumner, as the ornament of his school, and as an example for imitation. He had not only distinguished himself by the ex- tent of his classical attainments, and his poetical compositions, but by the eloquence of his decla- mations, and the masterly manner in which they were delivered. In the varied talents which con- stitute an orator. Dr. Sumner himself excelled ; and his pupil had equally benefited by his example and instruction. In the behaviour of Jones towards his school-fellows, he never exhibited that tyranny, which in the laroer seminaries of learnino; is some- times practised by the senior, over the younger students. His disposition equally revolted at the exercise or sufferance of oppression : and he early exhibited a mind, strongly impressed with those moral distinctions which he ever retained. Of College, copied from his own vriling : — Ego Gulielmus Jones, filius unicus Giilielmi Jones, Armigeri, de civitate Lond. lubens subscribe sub tutamiiie Magislri Betts, et Magistri Coulson, annos natus sep- tendecim. the 35 the friendships which he contracted at school, many M^ere afterwards cultivated with reciprocal affection ; and among the friends of his early years, some still survive, who remember his vir- tues with delight, and deplore his loss. His friend Parnell, whose departure from school he laments in the letter to his sister, was the late Sir John Parnell, who held the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer, in Ireland. His testimony of the merits, capacity, and proficiency of his friend and fellovz-student, at Harrow, extracted from a memorandum, wdiich he gave to Lady Jones, will confirm my own account of him : — " The early " period of life is not usually marked by extra- " ordinary anecdote : but small circumstances *^ become interesting, when we can trace in them '*' the first principles of virtue, and the first sym- " ptoms of those talents which afterwards so emi- " nently distinguished the character of SirWilliam *' Jones. He gave very early proofs of his pos- " sessing very extraordinary abilities. His indus- " try was very great, and his love of literature *' was the result of disposition, and not of sub- " mission to control. He excelled principally in " his knowledge of the Greek language. His " compositions were distinguished by his precise " application of every word, agreeably to the *' most strict classical authority. He imitated " the choruses of Sophocles so successfully, that '' his writings seemed to be original Greek com- " positions : and he was attentive even in writing D 2 " the 36 " tlie Greek cliaracters witli great correctness'. " His time being employed in study, prevented *' his joining in those plays and amusements which " occupied the time of his other school-fellows: " but it induced no other singularity in his man- *' ners ; they were mild, conciliating, and cheer- " ful. When I first knew him, about the year " 176], he amused himself with the study of *' botany, and in collecting fossils. In general, " tlie same pursuits which gave employment to " his mature understanding, were the first objects *' of his youthful attention. The same dispo- " sition formed the most distino'uished features '' at an early, and at a late period of his life. A " decision of mind, and a strict attachment to " virtue, an enthusiastic love of liberty, an uni- " form spirit of philanthropy, were the charac- " teristics of his youth, and of his manhood: " he did no act, he used no expression, which *' did not justify these assertions. " A collection of English poems, composed by Mr. Jones, at Harrow, was presented by him to Iiis friend Parnell, in I763. The first and longest of the collection, containing more than three hundred aiid thirty lines, is intitled Prolusions, and is a critique on the various styles of pastoral writers. Tliis was written by Mr. Jones, at the age of fifteen, and is tlie original of the poem, wiiich he aftei wards published under the title of Arcadia *. * Wuiki, vol. iv. p. 478. The 37 The variations between his first attempt and subsequent publication are very considerable. In his carhest composition, he makes Menalcas, wlio represents Theocritus, the father of pastoral poetry, adopt the language of Chaucer, as the only model he could take for a specimen of the English Doric. Spenser speaks in his own dialect, and, as the poet says, Masks in the roughest veil the sweetest song. In the original essay, Mr. Jones gives the prize to Tityrus, or Virgil : but, in the latter, Theo- critus divides the kingdom of Arcadia between Virgil and Spenser, and assigns to them his two daughters, Daphne and Hyla, by whom he un- derstands the two sorts of pastoral poetry ; the one elegant and polished, the other simple and unadorned, in both which Theocritus excels. The remaining poems in the collection, consist of translations and imitations of Horace, Sopho- cles, and Theocritus ; Saul and David, an Ode ; and a Satire on the inordinate Love of Novelty. A manuscript of these poems, in the hand- writing of iMr. Jones, v/as presented to Lady Jones, by Sir John Parnell, a few weeks only be- fore his death. I select as a specimen of Mr. Jones's poetical talents, at the age of fourteen, the shortest in the collection, in imitation of a M^il-known Ode of Horace *, and addressed to liis friend Parnell : — * Ode 14. iib. ii. How 38 How quickly fades the vital flow'r \ Alas, my friend ! each silent hour Steals unperceiv'd away: The early joys of blooming youth. Sweet innocence, and dove-ey'd truth, Are destin'd to decay. Can zeal, drear Pluto's wrath restrain ? No ; tho' an hourly victim stain His hallow'd shrine with blood. Fate will recall her doom for none ; The sceptred king must leave his throne^ To pass the Stygian flood. In vain, my Parnell, wrapt in ease. We shun the merchant-marring seas ; In vain we fly from wars ; In vain we shun th' autumnal blast ; (The slow Cocytus must be pass'd ;) How needless are our cares ! Our house, our land, our shadowy grove. The very mistress of our love, Ah me, we soon must leave ! Of all our trees, »the hated boughs Of Cypress shall alone diffuse Their fragrance o'er our grave. To others shall we then resign The num'rous casks of sparkling wine. Which, frugal, now we store ; With them a more deserving heir, (Is this our labour, this our care ?) Shall stain the stucco floor. 1760. The new situation of My. Jones, at the Uni- versity, did not at first correspond with his ex- pectations. Under the tuition of a master, v/ho saw with admiration his capacity and apphcation, who was anxious to assist his exertions, and re- warded 39 warded their success with unlimited applause, his ardour for learning had heen raised to a degree of enthusiasm: at the University, he expected to find a Sumner or Askew, in every master of arts, and generally the same passion for literature, which he had himself imhibed. It was evident that such extravagant expectations must be disappointed ; and from the public lectures, he derived little gratification or instruction ; they were much be- low the standard of his attainments, and, in fact, were considered as merely formal ; and, instead of pure principles on subjects of taste, on rhetoric, poetry, and practical morals, he complained that he was required to attend dull comments on arti- ficial ethics, and logic detailed in such barbarous Latin, that he professed to know as little of it as he then knew of Arabic. The only logic then In fashion was that of the schools ; and in a memo- randum written by himself, which is my authorit}'- for these remarks, I find an anecdote related of one of the fellows, who was reading Locke with his own pupils, that he carefully passed over every passage in which that great metaphysician derides the old system. With the advice of Dr. Sumner, he was pre- paring for the press his Greek and Latin compo- sitions, including a Comedy, written in the lan- guage and measures of Aristophanes. But his solicitude to appear as an author, ^\'as perliaps prudently checked by the advice of other friends ; and the proposed publication from which he ex- pected 40 pected an increase of reputation, was reluctantly postponed. This comedy, which bears the title of Mormo, still exists, but in a state of such mu- tilation, from the depredations of worms and time, that it cannot be published without very copious conjectural emendations. After the residence of a few months at the University, on the 31st of October, 1764, Mr. Jones was unanimously elected one of the four scholars on the foundation of Sir Simon Bennett, to whose munificence he was ever proud to acknow- ledge his obligations. The prospect of a fellow- ship, to which he looked with natural impatience, was however remote, as he had three seniors. His partiality for Oriental literature now began to display itself in the study of the Arabic, to v/hich he was strongly incited by the example and encouragement of a fellow-student, of great worth and abilities, who had acquired some knowledge in that celebrated language, and offered him the use of the best books, with which he was well provided. In acquiring the pronunciation, he was assisted by a native of Aleppo, who spoke and wrote the vulgar Arabic fluently, but was without any pretensions to the character of a scholar. Mr. Jones accidentally discovered him in London, where he usually passed his vacations, and pre- vailed upon him to a,cconjpany him to Oxford, under a promise of maintaining him there. This promise he was obliged exclusively to fulfil for several months, at an expense wliich his finances could 41 could ill afford, being disappointed in the hopes ^\'hich he had entertained, that some of his brother collegians niio-ht be inclined to avail themselves of the assistance of the Syrian, and participate with him in the expense of his maintenance. The disgust expressed by Mr. Jones after his first iHtroduction into the University soon sub- sided, and his time now passed with great satisfac- tion to himself. He found in it, all the means and opportunity of instruction which he could wish ; and adopted that respectful attachment to it, which he ever after retained. His college tutors, who saw that all his hours were devoted to im- provement, dispensed with his attendance on their lectures, alleging with equal truth and ci\ility, that he could employ his tinse to more advantage. Their expectations were not disappointed : he perused with great assiduity all the Greek poets and historians of note, and the entire works of Plato and Lucian, with a vast apparatus of com- mentaries on them; constantly reading with a pen in his hand, making remarks, and composing in imitation of his favourite authors. Some portion of every morning he allotted to Mirza, whom he employed in translating the Arabian tales of Galland into Arabic, vrriting himself the transla- tion from the mouth of the Syrian. He afterwards corrected the grammatical inaccuracJes of tlie version, by the help of Erpenius and Goiius. In the course of his application to this ancient language, he discovered, what he never before suspected, 42 suspected, a near connection between the modern Persic and Arabic, and he immediately determined to acquire the former. He accordingly studied it with attention in the only Persian grammar then extant ; and having laboured diligently at the Gulistan of Sadi, assisted by the accurate but inelegant version of Gentius, and at the well" chosen praxis at the close of Meninski's gram- mar, he found his exertions rewarded with rapid success. His vacations were passed in London, where he daily attended the schools of Angelo, for the purpose of acquiring the elegant accomplishments of riding and fencing. He was always a strenuous advocate for the practice of bodily exercises, as no less useful to invigorate his frame, than as a necessary qualification for any active exertions to which he might eventually be called. At home, his attention was directed to the modern lan- guages; and he read the best authors in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, folio v^^ing in all respects the plan of education recommended by Milton, which he had by heart ; and thus, to transcribe an observation of his own, with the fortune of a peasant, giving him.self the education of a prince. If the literary acquisitions of Mr. Jones at this period be compared with his years, few instances will be found, in the annals of biography, of a more successful application of time and talents, than he exhibits ; and it is worthy of observation, that he was no less indebted to his uncommon industry and - 43 and method for his attainments, than to liis superior capacit}'. A mind tlius occupied in the pursuit of univer' sal hterature, was little susceptible of the passions of avarice or ambition : but, as he was sensible that the charges attending his education, notwith- standing his habitual attention to economy, must occasion a considerable deduction from the moderate income which his mother possessed, he anxiously wished for a fellowship, that he might relieve her from a burthen wliich she could ill support. If the prospect of acquiring that ad- vantage had not been remote, no temptation would have seduced him from the University ; but at the period when he began to despair of obtaining it, he received through ]\Ir. Ardeu, whose sister was married to his friend Sumner, an offer to be the private tutor of Lord Althorp, now Earl Spencer, He had been recommended to the family of this nobleman by Dr. Shipley, to whom he was not then personally known, but who had seen and approved his compositions at Harrov/, and par- ticularly a Greek oration in praise of Lyon, an honest yeoman, who founded the school at that place in the reign of Elizabeth. The proposal was cheerfully accepted by Mr. Jones; and in his nineteenth year he went to London, and was so delighted with the manners of his pupil, then just seven years old, that he abandoned all thoughts of a profession, and resolved to devote himself to the faithful discharge of the important duties of his new 44 new situation. He had the satisfaction to find that this determination would prohably restore him to the society of his best and most respected friend, Dr. Sumner, as he understood from Mr. Arden, that his pupil, after some preliminary instruction, would he fixed at Harrow. He returned for the present to Oxford, where he remained for a iew months, and, in the summer of 176^ J went for the first time, as had been pro- posed, to Wimbledon Park, to take upon himself the charge of his pupil's education. He was now placed in a sphere perfectly new to him. — If he quitted the University with a regret proportioned to his increasing attachment to it, his change of situation offered other advantages, amongst which he justly esteemed his introduction into the first ranks of society, and a residence in one of the most agreeable places in the kingdom. He had new objects to engage his observation, and an interesting occupation, from the discharge of which he derived great satisfaction; his application to literature was pursued without intermission, for, although he resided at Wimbledon until the approach of the winter onl}^, he found sufficient leisure to compose many of his English poems, and to read the greatest part of the Old Testament in Hebrew, particularly the Book of Job, and the Prophets, vvhich he studied v.'ith great attention. In the course of" the following summer, by an unexpected concurrence of circumstances, a fel- low shij), Miiic!], in his estimation, gave him abso- lute 45 lute Independence, was bestowed upon him, and he went for a short time to Oxford, that he might go through the regular forms of election and ad- mission. He was accordingly elected fellow on the foundation of Sir Simon Bennett, on the 7th of August, 1766, The idea of deriving an absolute independence from an annual income, one hundred pounds, may appear ridiculous when contrasted with the en- larged estimate of a competence in these times. But this sum, in fact, was more than the wise economy of a college life then made necessary for a single man, whose habits of prudence Mere formed, and IMr. Jones considered his fellowship as a freehold, in a place for which he had now contracted an enthusiastic fondness, where he had access to extensive libraries, rare manuscripts, the company of learned men, and all, as he expressed himself, that his heart could wish; and if he had obtained it a year sooner, he would probably have been induced to decline the delicate and respon- sible task of education. On his return to Wimbledon, he was flattered by an offer from the Duke of Grafton, then at the head of the Treasury, of the place of Interpreter for Eastern languages; but, although the accep- tanceof it might not have interfered with his other pursuits, or engagements, he declined it politely, but without hesitation, earnestly requesting tiiat it might be conferred upon Mirza, whose character he wrote. This disinterested solicitation was un- noticed ; 46 noticed; and his disappointment made him regret his ignorance of the world, in not accepting the proffered office, under a resolution to consign the entire emoluments of it to his Syrian friend. During his summer residence at Wimbledon, he formed an acquaintance to which he owed the future happiness of his life. lie there saw, for the first time, Anna Maria, tlie eldest daughter of Dr. Shiple3% then Dean of Winchester: but whatever impressions her person and conversation made upon the heart of Mr. Jones, his fixed ideas of an honourable independence, and a determined resolu- tion never to owe his fortune to a wife, or her kindred, excluded all ideas of a matrimonial con- nection. In different circumstances, he might perhaps have then solicited an aUiance, which he afterwards courted and obtained. The family of Lord Spencer removed late in Autumn to London ; and Mr. Jones, with his usual avidity to acquire the accomplishments of a gen- tleman, as well as those of a scholar, privately arranged a plan with Gallini, who attended the younger part of the family, for receiving instruc- tions from him in dancing; at the same time he continued his morning attendance, M'ithout inter- mission, at the two schools of Angelo, with whose manners lie was extremely pleased. Before he left London, he had an opportunity, which he did not neglect, of learning the use of the broad-sword, from an old pensioner at Chelsea, who had been active, as his scars proved, in many engagements, and 47 and whose narrative propensity frequently amused him. The acquisition of his new accomplishment, by Galhni's assistance, had been made with secrecy ; and the display of it enabled him to participate with much satisfaction, in the evening amusements at Althorpe, where he passed the winter with his pupil. But his greatest dehght was furnished by an excellent lil)rar3^, in v^'hich he found intellectual treasures of the highest value in his estimation; scarcely a single book escaped his inspection ; and some of the most rare he perused with indefatigable application. It was at this period, in the twenty- first year of his age, that he began his Commen- taries on Asiatic Poetry, in imitation of Dr. Louth's Prelections at Oxford, on the sacred poetry of the Hebrews. The summer of 1/67, opened a new scene to him; the indisposition of Lord Spencer rendered a journey to Spa advisable for the restoration of his health, and Mr. Jones attended the f^imily: but his residence on the Continent was too short to gratify his curiosity. At Spa he remained only three weeks, part of which he dedicated to the lessons of Janson, of Alx-la-Cbapelle, a most in- comparable dancing-master, and part to the ac- (juisition of the German language, in which he so far succeeded, as to be able to read Gesner with delight, assisted only by an excellent German Grammar and Dictionary; the pronunciation he had formerly learnt from a fellow collegian, who liad 48 had passed some years at Brunswick. He Avolilcl. gladly have availed himself of the instruction of a German master; hut none was to he found at Spa, and his finances v.'ere unequal to the expense of procuring that assistance from Aix-la-Chapelle. Notwithstanding these occupations, he found leisure to participate in all the amusements of the place. In the winter of 1767, ^Jr. Jones resided with his pupil at Althorpe: the attention of Lord Spen- cer's family was then much occupied in the con- tested election at Northampton ; but as he had neither inclination nor inducement to take any part in it, he confined himself chiefly to the library, which never failed to supply him with increasing sources of entertainment and improvement. His excursions into the regions of literature were un- limited, and as his application was directed with hiis usual perseverance, he nearl}^ completed liis Commentaries, transcribed an Arabic manuscript on Egypt and the Nile, borrowed from Dr. Russel, and copied the keys of the Chinese language, which he wislicd to learn. The close of this year is marked with an occur- rence, which probably had a material influence on tlie determination of his future pursuits. From a motive of mere curiosit}-, he was prompted to , peruse the little treatise of Fortescue, in praise of the Laws of EngUuid, and, allhough he was more diverted with the simplicity of the Latin style, liian attracted by the subject, he felt so much interest 49 interest in the work, as to study It with consider- able attention. In the course of the reflections which it excited, he was naturally led to a com- parison of the laws of England with those of other countries, and he marked with delight their uncon- tro verted claim to superiority over the laws of every other state, ancient or modern. Of this fact he acknowledged that he had never before entertained an idea. He was now qualified to appreciate with more accuracy, the merits and defects of the repub- lican system of Greece and Rome, for which he had adopted a strong partiality, natural to an en- thusiastic admirer of the orators and poets of those celebrated nations; and to examine their jurispru- dence by a standard of comparison, which im- pressed his mind with a decided reverence for the institutions of his own country. He was not, how- ever, regardless of the deviations in practice from the theoretical perfection of the constitution in the contested election, of which he was an unwilling spectator. From Althorpe he removed, in the spring of 1768, to Wimbledon, where he received a proposal from Mr. Sutton, then Under-Secretary to the Duke of Grafton, the account of which I shall relate nearly in his own words*. The King of Denmark, then upon a visit to this country, had brought with him au eastern manu- * Introduction to the History of the Life of Na immense inferiority of ray version to the original, I began to be disgusted with it. 1 recollect to have read somewhere with great pleasure, the Prelections of the Bishop of Oxford, of which you speak so highly, and which you propose to imitate, but I remember nothing more of this work, than that I thought both the style and arrangement of it, equally admirable. The Grecian and Oriental flowers scattered throughout your letter, delighted me exceedingly, and 3'our selection of them shews your judgment. I also approve your idea of visiting the East; but pre^ viously to your undertaking it, I would recom- mend to you, to make yourself master of the com- mon language of the Turks, or of the vulgar Arabic, not only as indispensably necessary to your communications with the Mohammedans, but as a means of deriving pleasure and profit from the journey. I do not mean to apply my censures on the servile imitations of Turkish authors to every species of imitation ; for in some instances the imitation, as in the case of Virgil with respect to Hesiod, has surpassed the originaL Nor can Hafez himself deny the imputation of plagiarism, having actually transcribed whole lines from other poets ; his collection of poems begins with an in- stance of this kind, for the very first hemistich is transcribed from one of Yezid*, the son of Mo- M'avea, * Yezid was the son of MoAvavea, the first Caliph of the race of Ommiahj, 65 wavea, with an alteration only in the collocation of the words, not to mention nearly a complete ode in another place; but I am disgusted with the flat and perpetual imitation of the many Tur- kisli poets, to whom we may aptly apply the words of Horace : O servile herd of imitators ! Do you wish to know my opinion* respecting the other Persian poets, and wdictlier I think Hafez alone elegant ? Far from it /' for who can read without ecstasy the first page of Sadi? In- deed, my passion for Oriental literature was first excited b}^ hearing the following lines of Sadi accidentally repeated by my teacher at Constan- tinople, who explained them to me : All-bounti'ous Lord ! whose providential care E'en on thy proud rebellious sons descends; How canst tliou bid thy votaries despair, ' Whose boundless mercy to thy foes extends ? But who can suppress his indignation, when he reads the wretched translation of this elegant writer, by Gentius? I acknowledge however, that I am more delighted with Hafez, who unites fine morality with cheerfulness. With respect to Ommiah, and being rcproaclved by his father for excessive drinking, replied as follows ; Docs this thy wrath Inspire, because I quaff' d The grape's rich juice? — then doubly sweet the draught. Rage — I will drink unmov'd, for to my soul. Sweet is thy wrath, and sweet the flowing bowl. F Jami, 66 Janii, whose works I do not at present possess, I remember enough of wliat I read at Constantinople to venture to assert, that he is the most successful of the Persian poets. In the judgment of Sadi, Hafez is unequal ; some of his odes are excellent, others very inferior, and some ver}^ tame; wdiilst Jami preserves an equality througliout. I have not translated the ode of Hafez, " If that fair maid," Ike* into Latin verse, as the sense is so unconnected : Uut a prose translation of it with notes, if you v^ish to have it, is at your service. In the mean time, I send you my latest produc- tion, not complete indeed, but a mere embryo. — ■ Fauewel. P. S. It is little to say, I approve your Arabic verses ; I really admire them, but dare not in this instance attempt to imitate you. Rf-viczki. tREVIGZKI to Mr. JONES. Loncfon, March 17, 1768. I was highly delighted with youi* letter, particularly with your various translations, imitations, and compositions; they not only prove 30U have Madt' the Greek authprs your supreme delight, , Read theiii by 'day,' aiid studied them by night : (Francis :)' * See a poetical traiislaticjj of this ode, in Sir William Jones's \\'ofks, vol, ii, p. 244. f Appendix, No. 5. but 67 but that you have attained all the peculiar ele- vation, as well as elegance of that language. Your Ode to Venus is as heautiful as Venus herself; and you have imitated with wonderful success so divine an original. Is it not melancholy to reflect, that not only so much of the compositions of this elegant writer should be lost, hut that the little which remains is so mutilated and corrupted ? That the text of the ode selected by you, and even that preserved by Dionysius, and published by Upton, is preferable to that of Stephens, or whoever made the emendations (such as they are), I freely admit ; for the rules of dialect are not only better observed, but it contains stronger marks of being genuine : yet, after all, it is im- possible to deny, that there are many chasms in it, as well as errors, w^hich cannot be satisfactorily- amended by any explanation or twisting of the sense. That Sappho v,Tote in the dialect of her own country, whicli cannot at this time be perfectly understood, is sufticientiy probable; but it would be absurd to suppose the ^olic dialect irrecon- cileable to metre and prosody ; not to mention the evident corruption of the, sense in some pas- sages. Your translation of the Epigram on the Kiss of Agatho, is very elegant, and the idea in it resembles that of Hafez in the following lines : ■ F 2 Anxiou? 68 Anxious thy blooming charms to scPr Quick to my lips my s-oul ascends ; Must it expire or live ? — decree : — For on thy voice my fate depends, I send you, as I promised, a prose translation of the Persian ode, together with an attempt at a poetical version of it, which I will hereafter im- prove. Pray inform me, whether there is any translation of Hafez, printed or manuscript, in Latin, or any other European language; for I know of no other attempt at a translation of this poet, than that of the first ode, lately published in the Analecta of Professor Hyde. I request likewise to he informed, where I am likely to find the first book of the Iliad of Homer, with an analysis and notes, for the use of scholars, printed in England, which a friend of mine wishes to procure for his son. The ode, of which you praise the concluding verse, is elegant; I remember only the first cou- plet : — Bring wine, and scatter flou'rs around, Nor seek the depths of fate to sound : — Such was the morning rose's tale ; — What say'st thou, warbler of the vale? Although I have begun the preparations for my departure, and have packed up my books, if you wish to have a translation of this ode, or if it will be of any use to you, I will undertake it be- fore I go. I wait your commands. — Earewel. C. RE- 69 •C. REVICZKI to M\: JONES. London, March 29, 176S. That I have deferred longer than iisually my reply to your obliging letter, you must impute to the novel and strange appearance of things here. You will not, I trust, be disposed to blame a delay, occasioned by the attention of a foreigner to customs which are peculiar to your country, and which I never observed in any other ; for I confess to you that I never saw any thing similar to the mode here pursued of electing members of parliament ; the novelty of it at first amused me, but the increasing tumult sickened and disgusted me, and, by compelling me to re- main at home, afforded me an opportunity of writing to you. I rejoice that my version of the Persian ode pleases you, and that it has induced you to think me equal to the translation of the whole collection. But highly as I am honoured by your opinion, I cannot but think your advice somewhat unmerciful; for what mortal, unless Or oak, or brass, with triple fold, Around his daring bosom roll'd, (Fraxcis,) would undertake a translation in prose and verse, of six hundred odes? The attempt would not only require many years, but an entire exemption from all other occupations; which is not my case; I can only make these studies my occasional amusement. * Appendix, No. 6. I mean. 70 I mean, however, some time or other, to publish as much as I can. The person who apphed to me for the first book of the Iliad, with a verbal analysis^ already pos- sesses the key to Homer; but lie thinks the other work better adapted to the use of boys, because the notes in it are subjoined to the text, which is not the plan of the Clavis. If you have one at hand, oblige me by just looking into it; for, if my memory does not fail mre, there is a catalogue prefixed, mentioning the work Vv'hich I want, and the name of the printer. Although your politeness has excused any fur- ther efforts, I nevertheless send the ode which you requested in your last letter but one, as I think it will please you. It is by no means one of the easiest, either to understand, or translate; and indeed, the force of the peculiar idioms of a foreign language cannot be well conveyed by any circumlocution. You ask my opinion of the affinity between the Hebrew and Arabic, and of an idiom common to both, of using the future for the past. Though I seldom read Hebrew, or, to say the truth, though 1 consider this sacred language rather as an object of veneration than of delight, (for, excepting the Old Testament itself, and some rabbinical dreams about it, there is nothing in it worth perusal,) I well remember, from the little of it v/hich I have reau, having reniarked a close connection between the grammar of the Hebrew and Arabic ; the m.oods and^ 71 ariid tenses in both are so few, as to require tlie fre- quent substitution of one for another; tlie Greek, however, which is so redundant in moods and tenses, sometimes does the same; for instance, when it uses the infinitive for the imperative. With' respect to the measures used in the two languages, I am of a different opinion, for I consider the me- trical art of the Arabs of much later invention, and to have assumed its present form only a short time before Mohammed, there being no trace whatever among them of a more ancient poetry. If the Hebrew poetry had a similar construction, which may indeed be suspected from a similar use of the vowels, we might by this time have traced, with- out difficulty, the laws of Hebrew metre by the rules of analogy*. If the text of the ode, which you mention to have read in the miscellaneous works of some anonymous author, had been correct, you would not have wanted my humble assistance: but it is so full of errors, that I must be an (Edipus to in- terpret it. Every one knows, that the mere irre- gularity of the diacritical points occasions^ infinite difficulty in the Oriental languages; but this is doubly increased by the casual omission or altera- * The probability that the metrical compositions of the IIebrc\\:s and Arabs were founded on the same rules of prosody, is intimated by Sir W. Jones, in his Commentaries on Asiatic poetry, and proposed to the investigation of the learned. This opinion is suggested, by the close affinity of the languages of those ancieiit people, whence he argues to a presumption that their poets used the same numbers, feet, and measures, in their coni^iositions. tion It tion of the letters themselves. It is therefore abso- lutely necessary in my opinion, as it is inpossible to find manuscripts without errors, to possess two copies of every one which you re^d, that the faults of the one may be corrected by the others and this is my method. * # * # « I have only to conclude by thanking you for your Italian sonnet, and expressing the commen- dation to which it is entitled. — Farewel. * Mr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. April 176s. Nothing can afford a stronger proof of your polite attention to me, th^u your last very friendly letter, which you contrived to write in the midst of city bustle, during the noise of riotous mobs, and the tumult of q, parliamentary election, and to accompany it with a most beautiful Persian Ode, and a Latin translation. Our favourite H^fe? deserves indeed to be fed with ambrosia, and I daily discover, with increasing delight, new beau- ties and elegances in him. The principal difficulty attending the translation and publication of his poems as you have begun, consists in giving them a poetical dress: but this will prove easier than you imagine; for there are many of his odes, which I conclude you will not attempt to translate, as containing expressions wholly foreign to our man» * Appendix, No. 7, ' ners, 73 ners, lofty and daring figures, or abrupt uncon- nected lines ; and this will in some measure alleviate the Herculean labour of the task. If I were not a sincere lover of truth, and averse from all dissimulation, I should lament that our capital has fallen under your inspection in these times of turbulence and distraction, when the liberty of my country, so universally celebrated, has degenerated into un- bridled licentiousness, not to say outrage. The original form of our constitution is almost divine; — to such a degree, that no state of Rome or Greece could ever boast one superior to it; nor could Plato, Aristotle, nor any legislator, eveix conceive a more perfect model of a state. The three parts which compose it, are so harmoniously blended and incorporated, that neither the flute of Aristoxenus, nor the lyre of Timotheus, ever pro- duced more perfect concord. What can be more difficult than to devise a constitution, which, while it guards the dignity of the sovereign, and liberty of the people, from any encroachment by the influence and power of the nobility, preserves the force and majesty of the laws from violation, by the popular liberty? This was the case formerly in our island, and would be so still, if the folly of some had not prompted them to spur on the po- pulace, instead of holding them in. I cannot therefore restrahi my indignation against JFilkes^ a bold 74 a bold and able, but turbulent man, tiie very torch and firebrand of sedition: but what can be said in defence of the honour and consistency of some of our nobility, who, after having given him their countenance and support, shamefully deserted and betrayed him ? If you wish to obtain more accurate information respecting our laws and customs, 1 recommend to your perusal Smith's Treatise on the English Con- stitution, and the Dialogue of Fortescue in praise of the Laws of England. Thomas Smith was the English ambassador in France in the reign of Elizabeth, and his work is in Latin, and not in- elegantly written. To Fortescue's little tract, we may apply the words of Xenopbon to the Teleboas ; *' it is not large, but beautiful." He was Chan- cellor of England under Henry the Sixth, and was compelled, by the distractions of the times, to take refuge with liis pupil Prince Edward in France, where, in an advanced age, he composed his little golden dialogue. These books will convince you, that our laws are framed with the greatest wisdom, and that as Pindar, quoted by Plato in his Gorgias, says, Sov'reign o'er all, eternal law, On Gods and Men inij)oses awe ; And justice, strengthen'd by her handj O'er all exerts supreme command. When I reflect on our constitution, I seem as it were to contemplate a game at chess, a recreation in which we both delight. For we have a king whose 75 whose dignity we strenuously defend, but whose power is very limited; the knights, and rooks, and other pieces, have some kind of resemblance to the orders of nobility, vvho are employed in war, and in the management of public affairs; but the prin- cipal strength is in the pawns, or people : if these are firmly united, they are sure of victory, but if divided and separated, the battle is lost. The mo- tions of all, as in the game of chess, are regulated by fixed laws. Lastly, when I consider myself, I seem like a spectator, contemplating for his mere amusement the two parties at the game: but if it ever should be my lot to be concerned in the ad- ministration of aflairs, I will renounce gain and popularity, and pursue one object, and one only, to preserve our beautiful constitution inviolate. Contrary to my intention, I find 1 have been prolix; I will, therefore, turn to another subject; I read your last letter with an apprehension, that it might communicate the intelligence of your speedy departure from England ; but as you are silent on this head, as my business here will soon be concluded, and as I know the uncertainty of all human affairs, I am determined to embrace an opportunity, which if I now neglect, ma}'- not again occur, of paying you a visit in London about the middle of the month. — Farewel. ^Ir. 76 *Mr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. (No Date.— 1768.) I have received your two letters, replete "with taste and erudition: your kindness towards me is as conspicuous in them, as the brilliancy of your genius. — I now reply to both. Your approbation of my intention to publish my work, gives me, as it ought, great pleasure; for I cannot but rejoice, as Hector in the tragedy says, "in the praise of one, who is liimself entitled ^'to praise." The perusal of the two odes of the divine poet, afforded me infinite delight; they are very beautiful, but their beauties are more con- spicuous from your luminous interpretation. Your metrical imitation of them is elegant, and if you ■will allow me to publish it in my work, you will equally oblige me and my readers, M'ho will be glad to hear the Persian poet speak Latin ; if you object to this, copies of them shall be deposited with my treasures, and the originals restored to you as soon as possible. You bid me return the verses to you when I am tired with them : this is as much as to say, keep them for ever ; for it is impossible that I can ever be tired with the perusal. tMr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. Oxford, Novnnbtr 1768. I cannot resist the temptation of writing to you, although I fear you may have quitted this country before my letter arrives. * Appendix, No. 8, f Appendix, No. .9. I have 77 I have received your obliging letter, with an clearant ode of Hafez, which I read with the greatest pleasure, or rather devoured. But what necessily is there to say more, since it is possible that what I write, may never reach you? Let me, again and again, intreat and be- seech your remembrance of me wherever you go, and that you will write to me as speedily, and at as great a length as possible. Be assured that no- thing has, or ever can, afford me greater pleasure than your friendship. These letters strongly mark the enthusiasm of Ml'. Jones, and his learned friend Reviczki, for Oriental literature; nor am I surprised to find that the former should have been led by it, to en- tertain an intention of visiting the East: no one, however, will regret that it was at that period abandoned. Every reader will peruse with pleasure, the enthusiastic veneration expressed by Mr. Jones for the British constitution, and the ardour with which he pronounces himself its champion ; they will also remark that his attachment to it was in- delible, and acquired strength from his increasing knowledge of its laws and princi|>les. For an account of his occupations at Wimble- don, where he passed the Spring of 17b^9, I shall transcribe part of a letter which he wrote to an in- timate friend, John Wilmot, Esquire. " My life is one unvaried scene of writing *' letters, 78 *' letters, and attending the donzelle vezzose e *' tenerolle, by whose beauties I confess myself *' easily overcome. '' I have just read Robertson's Life of Charles *' the Fifth, the narrative of which is amusing *' and instructive, and the style flowing and ele- *' gant: but the former M^ants that spirit and fire *' of genius, that alone can make ^ history ani- **• mated, and leave great impressions on the *' mind : and the latter has too great a sameness *' in the turn of the sentences, and abounds with *' too many affected words. *' I have also given my favourite Petrarch a *' second reading, and was so much pleased with *' his lamentations over Laura, that I selected the "most beautiful passages, and threw them all to- " gether in the form of an Elegy*', which I send " you inclosed, but beg you will return it as soon as " yqu can, as I have no other copy. I fear I shall " not be at Oxford this Spring, but am not cer- '* tain. Give my compliments to Poorc, and tell " him, if he will descend from the starry temple " of philosophy, and writ»- to a very idle fellow, "^ I shall be glad to hear from iiim, especially as " I am desirous of knowing his sentiments about " niy Treatise De Poesi Asiatica.'' _ _.w ■* '^ .. ■• - ■ X^-'^^'^ • ■ - • ■ , •> In the Summer of this year. Lord Althorpe was' settled at Harrow, and Mr. Jones, who accom- * Works, vol. iv; p. 459. - . panied 19 panied brin there, had the satisfaction of seerag-. himself restored to the society of Dr. Sumner, Their enthusiasm for literature was equal : the master contemplated, with delight unmixed with env}', a rival of his own erudition in his scholar, who acknowledged with gratitude his obligations to his preceptor. Tbeir intercourse, although interrupted, had never been discontinued; and iVfr. Jones seldom suffered any considerable time to elapse without visiting Harrow. During his residence there at this period, he transcribed a Persian Grammar, which he had three years before composed for the use of a school- fellow who had been destined for India, but had since relinquished that object for a commission in the army. I find also, from his correspondence, that he had begun a Dictionary of the Persian Lan- guage, in which the principal words were illustra- ted from the most celebrated authors of the East : but he expressed at the same time his determi- nation not to continue the work, unless the India Company would purchase it at a considerable ex- pence. The serious reader has probably remarked, that, amidst the attention of Mr, Jones to general lite- rature, Religion has not been mentioned as an ob- ject of his study, and he may be solicitous to know his opinions on this important subject, and whe- ther he had made any, and wliat, progress in that knowledge, in comparison of which all erudition is trifling, and human science vain. Notwith- standino; 80 standing the anxiet}'^ of IMis. Jones for the im- provement of her son, and her indefatigable exer- tions to promote it in his early years, she had ini- tiated him no further in tlie principles of our holy faith, than to teach him the Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed. During his residence at Harro>v, at the earnest recommendation of Dr. Glasse, whose name I mention with reverence, Mr. Jones was induced to peruse a work, intitled, "Private Tlioughts on Ilcligion," by Bishop Beveridge, with considerable attention ; and he was particu- larly struck with a passage, in which the pious author argues, that a pr6fcssion of Christianity merely becauseour countrymen profess it, without a candid enquiry and sincere conviction, would be no better reason for our faith, than the Mohamme- dans have for theirs. The observation readily suggested to his recollection a famous couplet in Zayre, which he did not hesitate to apply to himself: J'eusse iti pres du Gangc, csclave des faux diciix, Chretienne dans Paris, Mussulmane en ces lieux. I M'Ish for my own satisfaction, as well as that of my reader, that I were able to pronounce what im- pression the perusal of this work made upon the mind of Mr, Jones. It is probable, and the pre- sumption is not advanced without reason, that it induced him to reiiect with more seriousness than he had ever before entertained on the subject of religion, and to investigate the grounds on which the 81 the Old and New Testament had been received, during so many ages, as the Word of God. It is evident however, from a conversation with two of his clerical friends at Harrow, at this time, when he was in his twenty-fourth year, that his belief in Christianity was not unmixed with doubts. These doubts were stated by him, in hopes of obtaining a solution of them ; but being disappoiuted, he declared his determination to peruse the whole of the Scriptures in the original uninterruptedly, that he might be enabled to form a correct judgment of the connection between the tv/o parts, and of their evidence both internal and external. The exposi- tion of his doubts to those whom he thought quali- fied to solve them, was a proof of his anxiety to know tlie truth ; and the determination which he formed in consequence of his disappointment, is no less a proof of his sincerity in the search of it. I cannot deny myself the satisfaction of anticipating the conclusion to which liis investi»:ation led, — a firm belief in the authenticity and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. In a Hebrew copy of the book of Hosea, I find a series of Propositions in the hand-writing of Mr. Jones, containing the sketch of a demonstration of the divine authority of the Christian Religion. These Propositions appear to have been written near the period of the preceding conversation at Harrow. They are not expressed with such accu- racy or elegance, as to justify a supposition that they were intended to be made public ; but as I G know 82 know that lie alwaj's considered the demonstratioB contained in them satisfactory, I exhibit them asevidence of his early conviction of the truth and completion of the prophecies respecting our Saviour. PROPOSITION T. There is as much reason to believe, that tlie writings of Isaiah and the Hebrew Prophets, as that those of Homer and the Greek Poets, are 7nore ancient than the time of Jesus. Objection. Some men might have an interest in forging Isaiah. Anszver. Forged writings would have been more in point. Those of Isaiah bear no marks of forgery ; and the Jews themselves, who were puzzled by them, acknowledged their antiquity. PROPOSITION II. These ancient writings, especially Isaiah, allude to some great event, and to some real extraordi- nary person, " who was put to death, and com- *' plained not ;" &c. Isaiah, chap. liii. PROPOSITION III. The life and death of Jesus, his virtues and doc- trines, though not his miracles, are as much to be believed, as the life and death of Socrates, his vir- tues, and his doctrine. PROPOSITION IV. No person in the history of the Jews, before or after Jesus, coincides with this account, except Jesus. Therefore 83 Tiieiefore Jesus was the subject of their wi>, tings, which are consequently inspired, and He a. person of an extraordinar}^ nature, that is, the. Messiah. If this be just reasoning, we may believe his miracles, and must obey his law. If difficulties occur, and we are asked, **how they can'be solved ?" we may safely answer, *' We do not know ;" yet we may truly be, and justly be called Christians. To these Propositions, the following note is sub- joined : — " What must be the importance of a '* book," of which it may be truly said, *' if this ** book be not true, the religion which we profess ** is false?" Mr. Jones returned with his pupil from Harrow, in the Autumnal vacation of I769, and availed himself of this opportunity to visit his friends at Oxford. During his residence there, he made an excursion to Forest Hill, the occasional habitation of Milton ; for whose genius and learning, he early and ever entertained the highest veneration. The public will read with pleasure his own relation of what he saw and felt on this occasion, in an animated letter which he wrote to Lady Spencer. To Lady SPENCER. Ith September, 1769. The necessary trouble of correcting the first printed sheets of my history, prevented me to- gS; day 84 day from paying a proper respect to the memory of Shakespeare, by attending his jubilee. But I was resolved to do all the honour in my power to as great a poet, and set out in the morning in com- pany with a friend to visit a place, where Milton spent some part of his life, and where, in all pro- bability, he composed several of his earliest pro- ductions. It is a small village situated on a plea- sant hill, about three miles from Oxford, called Forest Hill, because it formerly lay contiguous to a forest, which has since been cut down. The poet chose this place of retirement after his first marriage, and he describes the beauties of his re- treat, in that fine passage of his L' Allegro : Sometime walking, not unseen. By hedge-row elms, on hillocks green. ♦ ***•*** While the ploughman, near at hand. Whistles o'er the furrow'd land. And the milkmaid singeth blylhe, And the mower whets his scythe; And every shepherd tells his tale. Under the hawthorne in the dale. Straight mine eye hath caught new pleasures. Whilst the landscape round it measures : Russet lawns, and fallows grey, Where the nibbling flocks do stray ; Mountains, on whose barren breast. The lab' ring clouds do often rest ; Meadows trim, with daisies pied. Shallow brooks, and rivers wide ; Towers and battlements it sees, Bosom'd high in tufted trees. ******* Hard by, a cottage chimney smoke;, From betwixt two aged oaks. &c. It 85 It was neither the proper season of the year, nor time of the day, to hear all the rural sounds, and see all the objects mentioned in this description; but, by a pleasing concurrence of circumstances, we were saluted, on our approach to the village, with the music of the mower and his scythe; we saw the ploughman intent u])on his labour, and the milkmaid returning from her coimtry employ- ment. As we ascended the ;hill, the variety of beautiful objects, the agreeable stillness and natural sim- plicity of the whole scene, gave us the highest pleasure. We at length reached the spot, whence IVlilton undoubtedly took most of his images; it is on the top of the hill, from which theie is a most extensive prospect on all sides : the distant mountains that seemed to support the clouds, the villages and turrets, partly shaded whh trees of the finest verdure, and partly raised above the groves that surrounded them, the dark plains and meadows of a greyish colour, wliere the sheep were feeding at large, in short, the view of the streams and aivers, convinced us that there was not a sin- gle useless or idle word in the above-mentioned description, but that it was a most exact and lively representation of nature. Thus will this fine pas- sage, which has always been admired for its ele- gance, receive an additional beauty from its exactness. After we had walked, with a kind of poetical enthusiasm, over this enchanted ground, we returned to the village. The 86 The poet's bouse was close to the church ; the greatest part of it has been pulled down, and what remains, belongs to an adjacent farm. I am in- fi|rmed that several papers in Milton's own hand, were found by the gentleman who was last in pos- session of the estate. The tradition of his having lived there is current among the villagers : one of them shewed us a ruinous wall that made part of his chamber, and I was much pleased with another, who had forgotten the name of Milton, but recol- lected him by the title of The Poet. It must not be omitted, that the groves near this village are famous for nightingales, which are so elegantly described in the Pensieroso. Most of the cottage windows are overgrown with sweet- briars, vines, and honey -suckles; and that Mil- ton's habitation had the same rustic ornament, we may conclude from his description of the lark bid- ding him good-morrow, Thrc' the sweet-briar, or the vine. Or the twisted eglantine : for it is evident, that he meant a sort of honey- suckle by the eglantine ; though that word is commonly used for the sweet-briar, which he could not mention twice in the same couplet. If I ever pass a month or six weeks at Oxford in the Summer, I shall be inclined to hire and re- pair this venerable mansion, and to make a festival for a circle of friends, in honour of Milton, the most perfect scholar, as \vt\\ as the sublimest poet, that our country ever produced. Such an honour will 87 will be less splendid, but more sincere and respect- ful, than all the pomp and ceremony on the banks of the Avon. I have the honour, &c. *L- Towards the end of this year, ^Ir. Jones ac- companied the family of Lord Spencer in a journey to the Continent. I cannot better describe his occupations and reflections during this excursion, than in his own words : *Mr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. Ales, FebrA, 1770. The date of my letter will not fail to surprize you ; for I do not write from the plains, through which the Thames or Isis, so justly dear to me, glides, but from the foot of the Alps, aud in front of the Ligurian sea, I have resided in this delightful little spot nearly three months ; it was not possible there- fore for me to receive your two most acceptable letters, dated in September and January, before my departure from England : I have read them with singular pleasure, to which their length did not a little contribute. You cannot conceive my anxiety to peruse your Treatise on the Militar}' Art of the Turks ; it is, I understand, deposited in Lord Spencer's house in London, but I expect to receive a copy by the first vessel which sails * Appendix, No. 11. from S8 from England to this port, and I will take care that the three remaining copies shall be safely and expeditiously delivered to your friends, and if yours, mine also, although I do not even know them by sight. The approbation which your work has received in Germany, delights, without surprizing me. It was first mentioned to me by a nobleman of that country, apparently a man of taste and amiable manners, Mho holds, I believe, a public office at Milan ; and he promised not only to send it to me, but to inform me of your health, and where to address you ; a promise Avhich gave me the great- est satisfaction : for I suspected (forgive the in- justice of the suspicion) that I no longer retained a place in your remembrance, and in consequence despaired of hearing from you, unless I first wrote to you. In this suspence, I received your two most welcome letters with fourteen odes : they are not only worthy of the lyre, but the lyre to which they are sung, ought to be of gold. 1 am indeed proud of your condescension in asking my opinion of them, as I can by no means think my- self entitled to such an honour. I v.ill however make my remarks upon them as well as I can, and return them to you when I receive an answer to thisletter; for I should be sorry to trust such pre- cious writings to the uncertain conveyance of the post. Thisletter will probably reach you in a fort- night, and I beg you to gratify me by an early : ■" acknow'- 8^9' acknowledgement of it; fori assure you with great truth, that nothing can give me more plea- sure than a letter from you, however hasty. Yoii perhaps wish to know how I employed my time after your departure from England ; a short expla* nation will suffice. Amongst other occupations, I revised and corrected my Commentaries on Ori- ental Poetry, and when I was preparing an accurate transcription of the manuscript for your perusal, I was unexpectedly interrupted by a business of more importance*. ****** I had scarcely brought this M^ork to a conclu- sion, when, in consequence of the sudden indis- position of the younger sister of my pupil, (who fiequently talks of you) her father determined to pass the winter with his family in Italy, or the South of France, I was therefore under the neces- sity of entrusting my history (as the King of Denmark Mas anxious for its publication) to a Frenchman, upon whose accuracy 1 could depend, for correcting the errors of the press. I have just learned from him, that the work is printed; and I will take care that not even his Danish Majesty shall receive a copy of it before you. Having thus left England, we repaired to Paris, and after * The business here alluded to, is the translation of the Life of Nadir Shah, the circumstances of which have been already detailed, and are repeated in another letter ; the particular mention made of them in the letter before the reader, is therefore untranslated. rather 90 iMfher a tedious residence tbere, we proceeded with great rapidity by the Rhone to Lyons, and from that place continued our journey by Mar- seilles, Frejus, and Antibes, to Nice, Where Spring in all hrr charms perpetual figns. And banish'd Winter flies the blooming plains. Even here M^e shall remain longer than I wish ; but I hope to return to England by the beginning of June. I propose, however, if I should have an opportunity, to cross the sea about the middle of this month, and visit Florence, that celebrated colony of the Triumviri, and the cradle of reviving literature, as well as Rome, the nurse of all elegant arts, and perhaps Naples; but on this plan you shall hereafter know my determination. You may perhaps enquire, what are my occupations at this place: I will tell you in few M'ords; music, with all its sweetness and feeling ; difficult and abstruse problems in mathematics ; the beautiful and sub- lime in poetry and painting; these occupy all my senses and thoughts: nor do I neglect tlic study of the military art, which it would be the greatest disgrace to an English gentleman, not to be ac- quainted with. I have written much in my native language, and amongst other things a little Tract on Education, in the manner of Aristotle, that is, the analvtic manner. I have moreover be2,un a tragedy, to which I have given the title of Soliman, Avhose most amiable son perished miserably, as you know, by the treachery of a step-mother. The story 91 story is full of the most affecting incidents, and lias more sublimity even than the tragedies of iEschylus, as it abounds with Oriental images. I send you translations of two odes, one from Hafez, the other from a very ancient Arabic poet; but I have adapted the images of the latter to the Roman manners, and I lill the remainder of the paper with a Greek epigram, in imitation of a little English song. — Farewell. You shall have your papers as soon as I am informed that you have re- ceived this letter. *Mr. JONES to N. B. HALHED. Nice, March 1, 1770. I received your short letter with great pleasure, as it convinced me, that you were not insensible of my esteem for you, and such as resemble you. I wrote immediately to my friends, as you desired, most earnestly requesting them to promote your views, as if my own interest were concerned; if they accede to my wishes in this lepsect, they will oblige me and themselves too; for doubtless I shall be ready to make them every return that I can. I think however that 1 shall have it in my power to serve you more effectually, after my return to England; and I beg you to believe, that no inclination or efforts on my part, shall ever be wanting to promote your wishes. - My health is good ; but I long for those enjoy- ments, of which I know not well how to bear the * Appendix, No. 12. privation 92 privation. AVhen I first arrived here, I v/as de- lighted with a variety of objects, rarely, if ever, seen in my own country, — olives, myrtles, pome- granates, palms, vineyards, aromatic plants, and a surprising variety of the sweetest flowers, bloom- zno- in the midst of winter. But the attraction of novelty has ceased ; I am now satiated, and begin to feel somewhat of disgust. The windows of our inn are scarcely thirty paces from the sea, and, as Ovid beautifully says — Tired, on the uniform expanse I gaze. Ihave therefore no other resource than, with Cicero, to count the waves, or, with Archi- medes and Archytas, to measure tlie sands. I cannot describe to you how weary 1 am of this place, nor my anxiet}- to be again at Oxford, where I might jest with you, or philosophize with Poore. If it be not inconvenient, I wish you M'ould write to me often, for I long to know how you and our friends are : but write if you. please in Latin, and with gaiety, for it grieves me to observe the uneasiness under which you appear to labour. Let me ever retain a place in your affection, as you do in mine ; continue to cultivate polite literature; woo the muses; reverence philosophy ; and give your days and nights to composition, with a due regard however to the preservation of 'your health. llr. 93 * Mr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. Nice, April 1770. It is impossible to describe my .vexation at not hearing from you, and I can only conclude that you have not received my letter of February, or, what would be more unpleasant, that your letter has miscarried, or finally, what I dread even to suspect, that I no longer retain a place in your remembrance. I have written to you from this place, not (as Cicero says to Lucceius) a very fine epistle, but one that I cannot but think Avould be acceptable to you, because it was very long, and contained, besides, much information respecting myself After a sufficient time for the receipt of an answer, which I most anxiously ex- pected, I daily enquired if there were any letters from Vienna ; — none, none, was the reply day after day. My anxiety and uneasiness at this disappointment daily increased, and nearly two months are now elapsed without a line from you. What can I do? or what shall I devise? I fear to trust your papers, which you desired me to return, to a conveyance so hazardous as the post; although I am persuaded it will be inconvenient for you to be so long without them ; but although I cannot venture to send them before I hear from you, I inclose my remarks, which you may throw intg the fire, if you do not like them ;— they are, as * Appendix, No. 13. you 94 you seemed to wish, somewhat hypercritical, and perhaps too severe. Your Treatise on the Mihtary Art of the Turks, delighted me exceedingly; nothing can be more useful or opportune. As I cannot depend upon, this letter reaching you, I write but little, having no wish to talk to the winds, and risk the loss of time, which I can better employ. I expect to leave this town about the middle of the month. My proposed Italian expedition is deferred to a future period. Farewell, my Charles, and remember me, as I do you. After my return to England, I will write to you frequently, and my letters shall be longer and more cheerful, * Mr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. (Date erased.) Although I cannot possibly receive an answer to my letter before I leave this place, I will not have to reproach myself for neglecting an op- portunity of writing to you. I concur most heartily in your sentiments on the pleasures of travelling, as on all other subjects; nothing, in my opinion, can be more useful or more delightful. How much more agreeable would my journey be, if 1 could make Vienna a part of it, where I might enjoy your conversation, philosophize with you, trifle away an idle hour, or explore with you the hidden treasures of poetry. As I am deprived of * Appendix, No. 14. this 95 tliis happiness, I shall take the liberty of saying something not so favourable of the pleasures, which I actually enjoy. I am disgusted with the odious rattle of French gaiety ; and the calm sere- nity of an Italian sky has something gloomy in it. 1 am so much in love with myself, i. e. so much beside myself, that, in my own eyes, I appear more worthy of your friendship than ever. You cannot conceive how different I am from what you. knew me in England. I was then young and thoughtless; now I devote myself wholly to polite literature, and the great objects of my ambition are virtue, fame, and, above all, your friendship; objects than which nothing can be more divine, estimable, or dear to me. That I may not altoge- ther write an unlettered letter, I send you a Greek version of an English epigram. It was composed in a calm night, by a friend of mine, and I trans- lated it at his request. I think it will please you, as it appears to have an affinity to the style of Meleager, and other poets in the Anthologia*. To Lady SPENCER. Nice, Jprtl 14, 1770, It is with great pleasure that I acquaint your Ladysliip, that Mrs. Poyntz, Lady Harriet, and her brother are perfectly well ; Mrs. * Sir William Jones's Works, vol. ii. p. 133. — In the original, Mr. Jones indulges himself with a play on words, which cannot be imitated in the translation. Foyntz 96 Poyntz goes this morning to Villa Franca ; I am to be her knight, and am just equipped to mount my Rosinant^ ; Mademoiselle Annette is to go upon Lady Mary Somerset's ass ; so we shall make a formidable procession. It is a delightful morn- ing, and I hope Mrs. Poyntz will be pleased with her jaunt. We have had very bad weather, violent rains, and storms of thunder in the night, a close, sultry heat all day, and a very sharp cold every evening; but the spring seems now to be pretty well settled ; and I fancy we shall have a conti- nually clear sky, and a mild air, as long as we stay. We all promise ourselves great pleasure in our journey homewards; and we have great reason to believe it will be enchantingly pleasant. I have every day more and more reason to be pleased with ,the unfolding of my pupil's disposition; your Ladyship will perhaps think these to be words of ^course, and what you might naturally expect from ,^ny other person in my situation ; but, believe me, J say them upon no other motive than their truth ; ^for if it,were my nature to speak to any one wliat I do not think, I should at least speak truly to ^^our^Ladvship, of whom I am, with the greatest -«, >* truth, , ' .; I'he obliged and grateful ,, T ' -. humble servant, ". , William Jones. ^rd^ Ssiii '3-'fi:A J 95 Q-- To 97 To Lady SPENCER. Patis, ithJune, l^fO. Your Ladyship will be surprized at receiving such a parcel of papers from me; but I am willing to make amends for not writing all last month. Tiie truth is, I had nothing particular to say at that time; but on my arrival at Paris, I found a letter from my friend Reviczki, with a very spirited ode composed by him upon the mar- riage of the Archduchess. I dare say Lord Spen- cer will like it, and I therefore take the liberty to inclose it for him. I have marked in this manner © two or three passages that are faulty; and I have put this sign rr^ to one stanza that I do not quite understand. I have also sent with it the Baron's letter to me, which will serve as a comment upon many parts of the ode. You will have heard of the shocking accidents that happened here the nigtt of the fire-works. Above one hundred and thirty people were killed; and several people of fashion were crushed to death in their carriages, Wc had the good fortune to arrive here two days after this dreadful catastrophe ; which perhaps has saved some gf us, if not from r^al danger, at least from the apprehension of it. We shall not be sorry to see England again, and hope to have that plea- sure very soon. Soon after my return, I think of going to Oxford for a short time : but if Lord Al- thorpe goes back to school this summer, as I sin- cerely hope he will, I shall not go to College till H August; 9S August; for I am 9onvinced that a public scliool has already been, and will continue to be, of the highest advantage to him in every respect. While Mrs. Poyntz stayed at Lyons, I made an excursion to Geneva, in hopes of seeing Voltaire, but was disappointed. I sent him a note with a few verses, implying that the muse of tragedy had left her ancient seat in Greece and Italy, and had fixed her abode on the borders of a lake, &c. He re- turned this answer; *' The worst of French poets " and philosophers is almost dying; age and sick- " ness have brought him to his last day; he can '* converse with nobody, and entreats Mr. Jones '' to excuse and pity him. He presents him with " his humble respects." But he was not so ill as he imagined ; for he had been walking in his courts and went into his house just as I came to it. The servants shewed me somebody at a window, wha they said was he ; but I had scarce a glimpse of him. I am inclined to think that Voltaire begins to be rather serious, when he finds himself upon the brink of eternity ; and that he refuses to see compan}^, because he cannot display his former wit and sprightliness. I find my book* is pub- lished ; I am not at all solicitous about its success : as I did not choose the subject myself, I am not answerable for the wild extravagance of the style, nor foir the faults of the original ; but if your Lady- ship takes the trouble to read the dissertation at the end, you may perhaps find some new and *^ Translation of the Life of Nadir Shah. pleasing 99 pleasing images. The work has one advantage, it is certainly authentic. Lady Georgiana is so good as to enquire how Soliman goes on ; pray tell her he is in great affliction, as he begins to suspect the innocence of Mustafa, who is just slain. To be serious; my tragedy is just finished; and I hope to shew it to your Ladyship in a short time. I am, &c. William Jones. De La Fontaine is with us ; he seems very well, but is still weak and complaining. 1 must add a little stroke of French courage, which I have just heard. In the midst of all the disasters of the fire- works, the Mareschal de Richlieu was in such a panic, that he got out of his carriage, and scream- ed out, Est-ce qu'on veut laisscr perir un Mares- chal de France? N y a-t-il personne pour secourir un Mareschal de France? — This will be an eternal joke against him ! — • Mr. JONES to C REVICZKL spa, July 1770. What an idle, unsettled fellow I am ! I fly over Europe, scarcely stopping any- where. We passed the winter at Nice, enjoy- ed the spring in France, and I am now spending the summer (if this rainy season may be so called) on the borders of Germany. I certainly can with- out any risk send your manuscripts from this place, v and I advise you by all means to publish them. * Appendix, No. 15. H 2 They 100 They are worthy of your acknowledged talents^ and will fensure you the applause of all the learned. I say this without flattery, which is indeed foreign to my character. The criticisms which I sent to you, are full of errors, and 3'ou must receive them Avith great allowance; for during my residence'at Nice, I was wholly without ancient hooks, or other aids, to which I am in the habit of applying, nor do I now possess them. I have received your French letter, with an in- comparable ode : I was particularly charmed with that happy transition in it ; O'er kindred, or o'er friendship's bier. Affection pours a transient tear : — Soon flies the cloud ; the solar rays Disperse the gloom, and brighter blaze. Believe me, when I read these lines, I could scarce- ly restrain my tears ; for nature has that power over me, that I am more affected by the beauties of a tender simplicity, than by the loftiest figures of poetry ; and hence I am more delighted with a passage in the first Pythian ode of the divine Pin- dar, concerning the Muse/j, than by his elaborate description of the Eagle and iEtna*. What shall I send in return for your present ? Accept the accompanying ode, which is at least valuable for its antiquity. You will perhaps smile ; it is not an epithalamium on the marriage of Antoinette *But they on earth, or the devouring main. Whom righteous Jove with detestation views. With envious horror hear the heav'nly strain, Exil'd from praise, from virtue, and the muse. West's Translation, iOi Antoinette the Dauphiness, but contains the eulo- gium oi* a Teiy ancient Chinese monarcli, whose jiamCj though a monosyllable only, I have forgot- ten. When I read the works of Confucius, trans- lated by Couplet and others, I was struck with ad- miration at the venerabledignity of the sentiments, as well as at the poetical fragments, which adorn the discourses of that philosopher. They are selected from the most ancient records of Chinese poetry, and particularly from a work, entitled Shi-king, of which there is a fine copy in the Royal library at Paris. I immediately determined to examine the original ; and, referring to the volume, after a long study, I succeeded in comparing one of the odes with the version of Couplet, and analysed every word, or more properly, every figure in it. Of 'this Ode, I now send you a literal translation*: it is a composition of a wonderful dignity and brevity; each verse contains four words only, hence the ellipsis is frequent in it, and the ob- scurity of the style adds to its sublimity. I have annexed a poetical version, making every verse correspond with the sense of Confucius ; you will judge whether I have succeeded or not, it will be sufficient for me if it please you. You know that this philosopher, whom I may venture to call the Plato of China, lived about six hundred years be- fore the Christian sera, and he quotes this ode as very ancient in his time. It may therefore be con- i>idered as a most precious gem of antiquity, which * Sir William Jones's Works, vol. ii. p. 351. proves, 102 proves, that poetry has been the admiration of ali people in all ages, and that it every-where adopts the same images. I must say a few words upon another work, lest my long letter of February, containing a particular account of it from first to last, should have miscarried. I allude to the- translation of the Life of Nadir Shah, from Persian into French, a most disagreeable task, which I undertook at the request of my Augustus, the King of Denmark, who, I doubt not, will verify the high expectations entertained of him in Europe, It was his special injunction, that the translation should be strictly literal, that 1 should supply such notes as might be necessary, and finally, that I should add a short dissertation on the poetry of the Persians. I finished this tiresome work to the best of my ability, and with such expedition in compliance with the importunities of his Majesty, that the whole book, and more particularly the dissertation, is full of errors. In the latter, I ven- tured to insert a translation of ten odes of Hafez, from a very splendid but incorrect manuscript, and %vithout the aid of any commentary. I have writ- ten totheUnder-Secretary of State, requestinghim to send you a copy of it as expeditiously as possi- ble; and I trust he will not disappoint me. Ex- cuse those errors which I could not perhaps have avoided, if I had possessed the greatest leisure, and which the total want of it made almost in- evitable. Excuse also the insertion of two odes, which vou sent to me with a French translation only; lOS 4iily ; and lastly, I must beg your excuse for the liberty which I could not avoid taking, of mentioii- jng my friend ; for I could not resist the desire of letting the King know, how highly I valued you. You will greatly add to the other proofs I have experienced of your kindness towards me, by no- ticing the errors of the work, and particularly of the dissertation, which I mean to publish in a separate volume. The King of Denmark, as I am informed, ap- proves of my work much, and has some honours in view for me; but of what nature I know not. When he was considering what recompence he should bestow upon me, a noble friend of mine in- formed his Majesty, that I neither wished for nop valued money, but was anxious only for some honorary mark of his approbation. I have directed a copy of your Treatise on the Military Art of the Turks, to be sent to his Ma- jesty, because it is worthy his perusal, and because you are the author of it. Do not suppose that I irow conclude, because I have nothing more to say ; my mind, in truth, overflows with matter, and I have more difficulty in restraining my pen, than to find topics for writing. But I will not abuse and exhajst your patience with my loqua- city. For my sake, take care of your health. *C. REVICZKI to Mr. JONES. Fienna, August 9, 1 770, Indeed, my dear Sir, I cannot think you much to be pitied, for having passed a year in tra- * Appendix, No. 16, veiling 101 veiling through various climates and regions ; on the contrary, I think it extremely fortunate that you have had an opportunity which you are well qualified to improve. You have escaped the seve- rity^ of ^qnter in the mild and temperate climate of Italy ; you have enjoyed the spring in France and England ; and you are now spending the sum- mer on the confines of Germany, in a place, which is the general rendezvous of Europe ; and where you may see, at a glance, an assemblage of various nations. Is not this delightful ? Is not the great advantage of travelling, to explore the characters of different people ? I can however easily conceive the inconvenience which a man of letters must suffer from the want of means and opportunity to pursue his studies, and this alone is sufficient lo diminish the pleasure of it. I am exceedingly obliged to you for the extra- ordinary composition with which you favoured me ; it is indeed a literary curiosity. But pray inform me, when you learned the Chinese lan- guage ? I did not suspect that this was one of your accomplishments, but there are no bounds to your acquisitions as a linguist. I am the more delighted with this little performance, as I can rely upon it as a faithful translation from the (^hinese language, of which the few things we have translated, appear very suspicious ; it has not only the merit of being very ancient, but in your version appears even elegant. I impatiently ex- pect your life of Nadir Shah ; and I beg you to accept my thanks for your attention, in request- ing 105 ing tlie Under-Secretary of State to forward a copy of it to me; nor am I less anxious to peruse the essay, which you iiave annexed to it, on Ori- ental poetry. I admire your condescension ia submitting this work to my criticism ; you must be sensible that you incur little risk by it, and that you are sure of my approbation : I shall however be obliged to point out one fault, which is no trifle, — your mentioning me in such honourable terms, I have no claim to this distinction, although, if I had foreseen your intention, I would have at least exerted myself to deserve it. There are several of our Vienna ladies and gentlemen now at Spa, who are all well \vorthy of your acquaintance. I am informed that Lady Spencer is an intimate friend of the Princess Ezterhazy; she can introduce you to the acquaintance of an amiable and respectable lady, who knows how to estimate the value of persons of merit. I have nothing at present worth troubling you with. 1 reserve this pleasure for a future opportunity ; and, in the mean time, am, with great respect and veneration, Your very humble servant, Reviczki. ♦ C. REVICZKI to Mr. JONES. Fienna, Oct. l6, 1770. Althouo-h vour last letter gives me no information of your intended destination after your departure from Spa, I conclude from your very * Appendix, No. 17. silence, 106 silence, that you arc now in London. This opi- nion is confiimecl by the late receipt of your let- ter. I was deprived of the pleasure of hearing from you during my excursion into Hungary; nor did your letter reach me till after my return to Vienna, long subsequent to its date, and when the subject of it was in fact obsolete. Most sincerely do I hope that 3'our wishes may be gratified, and that after so much travelling, I may have the plea- sure of seeing you at Vienna. The French are light and frivolous, the Italians effeminate and enervate, and the Germans may perhaps be dull and morose ; yet they are not on this account to be despised, for if nature has not endowed them with the more elegant qualities, they possess what is more valuable, and win the affections of strangers by plain dealing and sim- plicity of manners. •I ffi-ve this testimony to the character of the^ Germans without partiality, for I am as much a- stranger in Germany as 1 lately was in England ; arid no one, at all acquainted with the character and x:ountry of the Germans and Hungarians, can possibly consider them the same, for they are not only dissimilar in disposition, language, and man- ners, but in their very nature. 1 m ill not however dissemble, but candidly confess the truth, that my way of life here is extremely pleasant ; nor have I any doubt that you, who are so accurate a judge of mankind, will one day readily subscribe to my opinion of this nation^ I smile 107 r smile at your declaration that you are chan- o-ed, and that you hope to be more agreeable to me, from having renounced youthful gratifications, and devoted yourself to the cultivation of litera- ture and the pursuit of virtue ; for my own part, I only wish to find you again precisely the same as when I knew and admired you in England, faultless and irreproachable. I confess indeed, that what I particularly valued in you, was the happy talent of blending pleasure and recreation, with the most intense study and thirst for literature. Take care however, that you do not suffer the ardour of application to deprive you of the grati- fications of life, sufficiently brief in their own nature; they are indeed so connected with lite- rature, that the wise and the learned only are. quahfied for the true enjoj'ment of them. Take care also, that you have not hereafter reason to complain, in the words of Horace : Ah why, while slighted joys I vainly mourn,— Why will not youth, with youthful thoughts return? The chastity of the Muses, and their enmity to Venus, is a mere fable adapted to fiction; for poetry delights to repose on dozvny pllloxvs. I now turn to another subject. I have not yet received your translation of the Persian manuscript which you promised me, and which indeed you seem to have sent ; what has delayed its arrival, I know not, and will trouble you to enquire about it. I h&ve 108 I have read again and again the beautiful En- glish song, with your elegant translation pf it in two languages, and 1 am delighted with it. I wonder however that you are so little satisfied with the Latin version of it, with which I am highly pleased. The last letter was received by Mr. Jones, after his return to England. It may be regretted that liis correspondence during his excursion to the Continent, should have been confined chiefly to literary topics, and that his letters contain no ob- servations of a particular nature, on the,cjiara,cters and manners of the French, Italians, and Ger- jnans, amongst whom he so long resided. They exhibit however what may be more interesting to tliose who are anxious to explore his mind and . feelings, — an undisguised picture of them ; and for this reason, I more particularly regret that so few of his letters should have been preserved. The account which he gives of his success in decipher- ing an ode of Confucius, is a remarkable proof of liis ardour for universal literature, and of his invin- cible application in the pursuit of it. He had before acquired the keys of the Chinese language, and having accidentally discovered, through the medium of an inelegant translation, a treasure lock- . jed up in it, he applies them skilfully, and with ^^•reat perseverance, obtains access to it. .,^W'^'" ' ■ Nothing \ 109 Nothing remains of the Treatise on Eclacation, tnentioned by Mr. Jones, except the plan : as if is short, I present it to the reader in this place. He vill probably regret with me, that the Treatise, if ever it were completed, no longer exists. In the culture of his own talents, Mr. Jones appears strictly to have pursued the objects which he points out as the end of education in general, and to have attempted the attainment of them, by the means which he recommends to others. This little sketch was written in. his twenty-third year : PLAN OF AN ESSAY ON EDUCATION. A celebrated Eastern philosopher begins his first dissertation with the following period. The per- fect education of a great man, consists in three points : in cultivating and improving his under- standing ; in assisting and reforming his country- men ; and in^procuring to himself the chief good, or a fixed and unalterable habit of virtue. I have chosen the words of this sublime author, as my subject for a series of essays, in v.hich I de- sign to discourse on education in its fullest extent, tracing it from its beginning with the elementary parts of language, to the great end proposed by it, that is, the ability to benefit mankind and our- selves, either in war or in peace, by action or by speculation. I shall, however, make a slight devi- ation from the definition of the philosopher, by fixing the good of ourselves and our felJow-crea- tures, no tures, as the primary end proposed by a liberal education ; and by considering the cultivation of our understanding, and the acquisition of knov/- ledge, as the secondary objects of it. For know- ledge must certainly be acquired before it can be conveyed to others; the consequence of actions must be known, before the good can be selected from the evil ; and the mind must be enlightened by an improvement of our natural reason, before a proper distinction can be made between the real and the apparent good. Now, as neither this knowledge can be perfectly obtained, nor the rea- son completely improved, in the short duration of human life, unless the accumulated experience and wisdom of all ages, and all nations, be added to that which we can gain by our own researches, it is necessary to understand the languages of those people who have been, in any period of the world, distinguished for their superior knowledge ; and that our own attainments may be made generally beneficial, we must be able to convey them to othernationSy either in their respective dialects, or in some language, which, from its peculiar excel- lence and utility, may be in a manner universal. It follows, therefore, that the more immediate ob- ject of education is, to learn the languages of cele- brated nations both ancient and modern. But as these cannot, consistently with reason and proprie- ty, be taught before our native tongue, our first stej) must be to make ourselves perfect masters of the language of the country in which we are born. • In Ill In consequeDce of this analysis, I intend to diS- tribute my dissertation into several distinct trea- tises ; on language, on the understand'wg, on knowledge, on the good of mankind, and on the good of ourselves, or pr^ivate happiness. But there are other acquisitions wliich must go, as it were, hand in hand with those above-mention- ed. I mean those which refresh and enliven the mind, and those which improve and adorn the body. For as the human mind, by reason of its earthly impediments, cannot at all times support with equal advantage its attention to abstracted subjects, but requires many intervals of relaxation, it is necessary that some state be found between labour and rest, to prevent the faculties from lying, totally inactive. Hence proceeds the use of polite literature, and of the liberal arts, of poetry, of painting, and of music, which relieve the mind after any violent exertion of its powers, and pre- pare it for the reception of fresh knowledge with greater alacrit}^ And as the mind can neither at- tend to instruction nor receive refreshment, unless- the body enjoy at least a moderate share of health, those exercises are essentially necessary, which tend to procure or preserve it, and which have the dou- ble advantage, of strengthening the constitution, by promoting a free and regular circulation, and of giving grace to the body, by forming it to easy and elegant motions. Hence arises the great ad»7 vantage of manly sports, of dancing, of swimming, of managing the horse, and of using every sort of. weapon) 112 weapon ; to which must be added, the habit of declaiming with an oratorical voice and gesturcj an exercise by no means general, but perhaps more useful and more ornamental than any of the others. Consistently with this division of necessary ac- complishments, I shall add two discourses, on the polite arts, and on exercise. From the terms in which ]\Ir Jones speaks of the tragedy of Soliman, in one of his letters, it appears, that he was considerably advanced to- wards its completion ; and from the mention which he afterwards makes of it, in another to Reviczki, it would seem that it was actually finished, but I have in vain attempted to discover any traces of it. The preface to Soliman, written by Mr. Jones, has been communicated to me, but docs not appear sufficiently correct for publication. He notices in it the custom of poets to send abroad their pieces with prefatory discourses calculated to mislead the taste or judgement of their readers, and exemplifies the remark, by reference to Dry- den, La Motte, and Corneille. Of Dryden, he observes, that, having composed tragedies in rhyme, he thought it necessary to prepare the pub- lic for so novel an attempt by telling them in his advertisements, that every tragedy should be writ- ten in rhyme ; that La Motte purposely violated the unities of the Drama, while Corneille preserved ^^^-^i them 113 them with an exactness approaching to affectation ; and that each endeavoured in a prefatory discourse to prove himself alone in the right. He disclaims all idea of imitating a conduct, which hepronourtces absurd and useless, and contents himself with a few hints on the principles which had directed him in the composition of the tragedy. The object of theatrical representation, he re- marks, is to convey pleasure, and the hope of re- ceiving it, is the inducement which carries people to the theatre ; observing, that Shakespeare de- lights and transports him, while Corneille lulls him to sleep ; and judging of the feelings of others by his own, he concludes, that all who understand both authors perfectly, must be affected in the same manner. He determines therefore to take Shake- speare for his model, not by adopting his senti- ments, or borrowing his expressions, but by aim- ing at his manner, and by striving to write as he supposes he would have written himself, if he had lived in the eighteenth century. Mustapha, upon whose story the tragedy is founded, was put to death by his father, Soliman the Magnificent, about the year 1553. The his- tory of this unnatural murder is pathetically rela- ted by KnoUes, in his General History of the Turks, who styles Mustapha ** tlie mirror of courtesie, and rare hope of the Turkish nation." In the representation of his tragedy, Mr. Jones intended to observe closely the costume of the Turks, vv^hich he had attentively studied. I Mr. 114 IMr, Jones now determined to enter upon a new career of life. Whatever satisfaction he might de- rive from his connection with the nohle family, in which he had undertaken the office of tutor, or whatever recompence he might ultimately hope to- receive from their gratitude or friendship, the situ- ation did not altogether correspond with his feel- ings, nor the extent of his views. To a spirit of independence, which from his earliest years strong- ly marked his character, he united the laudable desire of acquiring public distinction, and of ma- king his fortune by his own efforts ; above all, he was animated with the noble ambition of being useful to his country. In the capacity of private tutor, his expectations were bounded by a narrow prospect, and his exertions circumscribed ; whilst in the profession of the law, he saw an ample scope for the gratification of all his wishes ; and from his extensive knowledge, studious habits, and in- defatigable industry, he had every reason to ex- pect the most brilliant success. The advice and importunity of his friends, confirmed the sugges- tions of his own reflection, and he resolved to re- sign his charge in Lord Spencer's family, and to devote himself in future to the study and practice of the law. In consequence of this determination, which he immediately executed, he was admitted into the Temple on the ll^th of September, 1770. His attention, however, was not at first exclu- sively confined to his professional studies,^ nor was it indeed to be expected, that he would at once renounce 115 renounce his attachment to Oriental learning and literature in general. It would have required more than ordinary resolution to abandon at once, what had cost him so much pains to acquire ; the at- tainment of M'hich had been the source both of pleasure and distinction to him. But as his let- ters and tjiose of hisfriends, during the two follow- ing years, contain all that I can say of him, I refer the reader to them for information, rather than tea narrative of my own. *Mr. JONES to C. REVICZKL March 1771. A plague on our men in office, who for six months have amused me with idle promises, which I see no prospect of their fulfilling, that they would forward my books and a letter to you ! They say, that they have not yet had an opportu- nity; and that the apprehension of a Spanish war (which is now no more) furnishes them with in- cessant occupation. I have however so much to say to you, that I can no longer delay writing ; 1 wish indeed I could communicate it in person. On my late return to England, I found myself en- tangled, as it were, in a variety of important con- siderations. My friends, companions, relations, all attacked me with urgent solicitations to banish poetry and Oriental literature for a time, and apply myself to oratory and the study of the law ; in other words, to become a barrister, and pursue the track of ambition. Their advice in truth was con- * Appendix, No. 18. 1 2 formable 116 formable to my own inclinations; foi* the only road to the highest stations in this country is that of the law, and I need not add, how ambitious and laborious I am. Behold me then become a lawyer, and expect in future, that my correspondence will have somewhat more of public business in it. But if it ever should be my fortune to have any share in administration, you shall be my Atticus, the partner of my plans, the confidant of my secrets. Do not however suppose, that I have altogether renounced polite literature. I intend shortly to publish my English poems, and I mean to bring my tragedy of Soliman on the stage, when I can find proper actors for the performance of it. I in- tend also composing an epic poem, on a noble suh- ject, under the title of Britannei's : but this 1 must defer until I have more leisure, with some degree of independence. In the mean time I amuse my- self with the choicest of the Persian poets ; and I have the good fortune to possess many manuscripts, M'hich I have either purchased or borrowed from my friends, on various subjects, including history, philosophy, and some of the most celebrated poetry of Persia. I am highly delighted with Jami's poem of Yusef and Zuleika; it contains somewhat more than four thousand couplets, each of which is a star of the first brilliance. A^e have , six copies of this work at Oxford, one of which is correct; it has the vowel points, and isillusitratedwith the notes ofGoIius. I also possess a copy, which,' as soon as 117 as I have leisure, I will print. Let me ask, in the mean time, how you are employed ? Do you con- tinue your occupation of elucidating your favourite Hafez? I will most willingly give all the assist- ance in my power to the publication of your work, if you will have it printed in London ; but I scarcely think that any printer will undertake it at his own expence, unless the poems are accompa- nied with an English or French translation, for you cannot conceive how few English Gentlemen un- derstand Latin. Let me recommend to you there- fore to give a literal version of Hafez in French, with annotations in the same language; and this I think will be more acceptable even to your own countrymen, than a Latin translation ; though in- deed you may annex to your work such odes as you have translated into that language. The new edition of Meninski goes on tolerably well. I in- close a specimen of the new Arabic types, and earnestly beg your opinion upon them, that any defects may be corrected as soon as possible. I have had a copper-plate engraving made of one of the odes of Hafez, and may perhaps, when my cir- cumstances afford it, print an edition of Jami's whole poem in the same manner. A work of this kind on silken paper, would, I doubt not, be very acceptable to the Governor of Bengal, and the other principal persons in India. I cannot con- ceive what is become of the book which I sent to you, but I will take the first opportunity of transmitting a fairer and more correct copy, toge- ther 118 tber with my little Treatise on the Literature of Asia, and my Grammar of the Persian Language, which is printed with some degree of elegance ; and I earnestly entreat you to tell me, if any thing is wrong in it, or any thing omitted, that the next edition may be more perfect. I only wait for leisure to publish my Commentaries on Asiatic Poetry. Do not however imagine that I despise the usual enjoyments of youth • no one can take more de-^ light in singing and dancing than I do, nor in the moderate use of wine, nor in the exquisite beauty of the ladies, of whom London affords an enchant- ing variety ; but I prefer glory, my supreme de-' light, to all other gratifications, and I will pursue it through fire and water, by day and by night. Oh ! my Charles, (for I renounce all ceremony, and address you with ancient simplicity) what a boundless scene opens to my view ! If I had two lives, I should scarcely find time for the due exe-^ cution of all the public and private projects which I have in mind ! Mr. BATES to W. JONES, Esq. Sir; March27, I77l. Last night, I received from Mr. Williams your most ingenious and satisfactory let-^ ter, for \shich my heartiest thanks are due. If you have no objection to it, as I think you cannot, T propose to embellish my MS. with it, by sticking it into the book; in like manner as I have done my own account of it. It will be no small addi- tion to the curiosity of the book; for I can easily foresee, 119 foresee, that in times to coine, a piece of 3'our hand- writing will be looked upon as a curiosity by virtuosi yet unborn. In the mean time, I hope this letter does not preclude your fulfilling your promise of obliging me with another visit (and I hope still more) after your return from Oxford, at the end of the holi- days. I assure you, I wait for the end of those holidays, as impatiently as most schoolboys dread and abhor it. Therefore I beg you would favour me with a line to apprise me of your return back to town, that in case I should, in the dialect of Deptford, be moored head and stern by the gout, I may let you know as much to save you the trou- ble of a visit, that will answer no end ; but if I keep clear from that malady as I am at present, I shall beg you to take a nightcap here, that we may spend one entire morning in Oriental speculation, without the interruption of other company : fo% I have still many queries which you must resolve. I heartily wish you a pleasant journey ; and hope that for the good of the Literari, you'll be blessed with life and health to goon with the noble under- taking you are engaged in, and that you'll meet with the merited success. lam, Sir, &c. James Bates. *Mr. JONES to D. B. London, April 1771. Your Persian book is more valuable than the costliest jewel. Meninski, that universal scholar, * Appendix No, 1 9« has 120 has a copy exactly like yours, and he describes it in his usual manner, that is, inelegantly, and in miserable Latin. From his description, you may however estimate the real excellence of your hook. I shall beg leave to say something more about it myself, and as a poet, venture to afhrm, that the six most beautiful poems in the volume are far more valuable for their intrinsic merit, than for the elegance of the characters in which they are written, or for the glowing tints of the pictures which adorn them. The author of these poems was the very cele- brated Nezami, who assumed the name of Kenjavi : he flourished towards the close of the twelfth cen- tury, and was thefavouriteof that illustrious warrior* and patron of literature, Togrul, the son of Erslan. The book comprises five poems, the last of which is divided into two parts; the fust, which is in- titled The Treasury of Secrets^ contains many fables, and various discourses on moral duties and human affairs: Nushirovan, King of Persia, who, towards the end of the sixth century, waged a suc- cessful war against the first Justin, and Justinian, are frequently introduced in it; ]\lohammed, the legislator of Arabia, was born during his reign, and praises him for his justice in the Coran. The Per- sian poets Sadi, Hafez, Jami, and others, frequently extol his virtues, and one of them has this couplet; For ages mingled with his parent dust^ Fame still records Nushirovan the Just. The second poem commemorates the lives of a most 121 most amiable youth, (named Mujiioon, or the Frantic, from his mad passion) and his mistress, the beautiful Leili. The loves of Khosro and the adorable Sherin, form the subject of the third poem. Khosro was the twenty -third in descent from Sassan, and the grandson of Nushirovan. The fourth poem has the title of The Seven Figures, and recites the history of King Beharam, whom the Greeks, with their usual inaccuracy, call Va- ranes : but it more particularly describes his seven palaces, each of which is said to have been distin- guished by a particular colour. In the fifth, we have the life and actions of Alexander ; it is how- ever to be remarked, that the Asiatics perpetually confound the Macedonian monarch with another and very ancient king of the same name, and blend their actions most ridiculously. Thus much about your book, and you may depend upon what I say, as certain and not conjectural. I sincerely re- joice, that St. John's College, at Cambridge, will possess this treasure by your gift ; and I no less sincerely hope, that your own University will boast some future scholar, capable of thoroughly under- standing the elegance of the charming Nczami. If any one wishes to obtain further information respecting this poet, let him consult the pleasing work of Dowlut Shah of Samercand, on the lives of the Persian poets. I saw a beautiful manu- script of it at Paris. — Farewell. Mr. 122 Mr. JONES to J. \yiLMOT, Esq. MY DEAR WILMOT ; Univ. Coll. Oxford, June 3, 1771. It makes me very happy to hear that my Lord Chief Justice does not retire on account of ill health, but from a motive which does him the highest honour. He will now enjoy the greatest happiness of human life, ease with dignity, after having passed through the most honourable labour without danger. I should think myself highly blessed, if I could pursue a similar course in my small sphere, and, after having raised a competen- cy at the bar, could retire to the bowers of learn- ing and the arts. I have just begun to contemplate the stately edifice of the laws of England, — " The gather'd wisdom of a thousand years," — if you will allow me to parody a line of Pope. I do not see why the study of the law is called dry and unpleasant ; and I very much suspect that it seems so to those only, who would think any study unpleasant, which required a great ap- plication of the mind, and exertion of the memory. I have read most attentively the two first volumes of Blackstone's Commentaries, and the two others will require much less attention. I am much pleased with the care he takes to quote his autho- rities in the margin, which not only give a sanction to what he asserts, but point out the sources to which the student may apply for more diffusive knowledge. I have opened two common-place books, 123 books, the one of the law, the other of oratory, which is surely too much neglected by our modern speakers. I do not mean the popular eloquence, which cannot be tolerated at the bar, but that cor- rectness of style, and elegance of method, which at once please and persuade the hearer. But I must lay aside m}^ studies for about six weeks, while I am printing my Grammar, from which a good deal is expected ; and which I must endea- vour to make as perfect as a human work can be. When that is finished, I shall attend the Court of King's Bench very constantly, and shall either take a lodging in Westminster, or accept the mvitation of a friend, in Duke-street, who has made mean obliging offer of apartments. I am sorry the characters you sent me are not Persian but Chinese, which I cannot decipher with- out a book, which I have not at present, but tous Chinois qu'ils sont, 1 shall be able to make them out, when the weather will permit me to sit in the Bodleian. In the mean time, I would advise you to enquire after a native of China, who is now in London ; I cannot recollect where he lodges, but shall know when I come to town, which will be to- morrov/ or Saturday. I shall be at Richardson's till my Grammar is finished, unless I can buy a set of chambers in the Temple, which I fear will be dif- £cult. I will certainly call upon you in a day or two. On one of the Indian pictures at your house, there was a beautiful copy of Persian verses, which I will beg leave to transcribe, and should be be glad to print it, with a translation, in the Ap- pendix to my Grammar. I have not yet had my Persian proposals engraved; but when you write to your brother, you would much oblige me by desiring him to send me a little Persian manu- script, if he can procure it without much trouble. It is a small poem which I intend to print; we have six or seven copies of it at Oxford but if I had one in my possession, it would save me the trouble of transcribing it. I have inclosed its title in Persian and English. I am very glad that your family are well. I wish them joy upon every accasion ; my mother and sister desire their com- pliments to you, and I am, with great regard. Yours, most affectionately, William Jones. Mr. JONES to Mr. HAWKINS. Nov. 5, 1771. I shall ever gratefully acknowledge, dear Sir, my obligation to you for the trouble you take in inspecting my trifles. Had Dryden and other poets met with such a friend, their poems would have been more polished, and consequently more fit to see the light. Your observations are so judicious, that 1 wish youh;ad not been so sparing of them. I entireljapproveof all your corrections, &c. As to the years, in which the poems were writ- ten, they are certainly of no consequence to the public; but (unless it be very absurd) I would vish to specify them, for it would hurt me as a student at the bar, to have it thought that I con- tinue to apply myself to poetry ; and I mean to insinuate 125 insinuate that I have given it up for several years, which I must explain more fully in the preface. For a man who wishes to rise in the law, nuist be supposed to have no other object. *C. REVICZKI to Mr. JONES. '. Vienna, Oct. 13, 1771. I have waited nearly twelve months to no purpose, for an opportunity of sending you my last work, which at your recommendation has been published ; the politeness of one of the secretaries of the English embassy, who is return- ing to England, has at last supplied it, by kindly offering to take charge of this production of mine (unless you will call it yours), and deliver it to you. It ismy wishto avail myself of the same opportunity to thank you for your present, but it is not in my power to make you the due acknowledgements ; it is sufficient to proclaim your deeds. I admire your wonderful labour and learning, and more par- ticularlyyourdiligenceinthetriple work, with which you have favoured me; but I blush at the extravagant encomiums which you have bestowed upon me. If you persevere as you have begun in cultivating Oriental literature, the republic of letters will be greatly obliged to you. I am extremely anxious to know what recompence his Danish Majesty, or your own Sovereign, at his recommendation, has conferred upon your learned labours. I should rejoice to have it in n^iy power to congratulate you, * Appendix, No, 20. ' ' " and 126 and those who esteem you as much as I do, or your distinguished merit having been honourably rewarded. — Farewell. *Mr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. Oxford, Dec. 177L Thirteen months, or rather I may say years, have elapsed, without a line from my friend ! I have however written to you twice, once and very fully in Latin, last March, and again in July, in a great hurry in French. These letters contained a detailed account of my occupations and views, of the profession which I had adopted, and of the splendid objects to which I ambitiously looked forward. You have, I trust, received my four books, which Mr. Whitchurch, Chaplain to our Ambassador, at my request, promised to de- liver to you at Vienna. I recommend him to your particular attention, as a young man of an excel- lent disposition, and very fond of literature. This will be presented to you by Mr. Drummond, a man of letters, who proceeds to Vienna for the purpose of studying physic. You know that the medical profession is held in the highest estimation with us, and, as Homer says, A wise physician high distinction claims, your reception of them both will, I hope, do credit to my recommendation. I beg your acceptance also of a little Philippicf, which I wrote against an obscure coxcomb, who * Appendix, No. 21. — This letter must have been written before the receipt of the last from Keviczki. f Works, vol, iv. p. 183. had 127 had the audacity to abuse our University, not with impunity, I trust, if the edge of my discourse have any effect upon the senseless knave. " / have *' disquieted," (as Cicero says of his Commentaries) ** the French nation." How goes on Hafez, our mutual delight ? Shall we never see your transla- tion of his charming odes ? Tell me, if you like my English version of the second ode*? it has been favourably received by my own countrymen. I should like to translate several more of his odes, but I want leisure. I have not yet found any translator capable of doing justice to your Treatise on the Military Art of the Turks. All agree that your preface is both learned and elegant ; but they urge, as you your- self remark in the introduction, that the book does not correspond with its title. The Principles of the Science of Govcrfitnent. The original of this work in the Turkish lan- guage, with many others printed at Constantino- ple, including a most heautiful copy of the Odes of Mesihi, are deposited in the library of our Ro3'al Society. I beg to be informed if all the works published by Ibrahim, which you so much com- mend, are to be purchased in Germany, Hungary, or the Eastern parts of Ttiikey; as, in that case, I should wish to procure them. What news from Turkey ? no mention of peace ? Whenever the war with Russia is at an end, I pro- pose making an open and direct application for the . . *■ Works, vol. ii, p. 244, office 128 office of Minister at Constantinople ; at present, I can only privately whisper my wishes. The King is very well disposed towards me ; so perhaps are the men in power; and the Turkish Company wish much to oblige me ; all that I have to appre- hend, is the appearance of some powerful competi- tor who may drive me off the stage. If I should succeed in my wishes, how shall I bound for joy ! First, I shall enjoy your company at Vienna, then I shall drink deep of Asiatic literature, and I shall explore the Turkish manners in their most hidden sources. If I am disappointed, philosophy re- mains; the bar is open, and I shall not, I trust, want employment ; for the harvest of litigation is always abundant. I shall apply to the study of eloquence, to poetry, history, and philosophy, each of which, if properly cultivated, would occupy a complete life of " Such men as live in these degenerate days.** I could say much more, but I yield to the impe- rious summons (not of Proserpine I hope, but) of the goddess, if there be one, who presides over our tribunals. You may expect longer letters in future from me: and in the mean time I hope to hear very fully from you. — Farewell, my dear friend. Mr. JONES to Mr. HAWKINS. frestminster, Jan. 16, 1772. As I have a frank directed to you, I take the liberty to inclose a letter for my mother, which 1 beg you will be so kind as to send to her. I have 129 I have nothing at present to say on the subject of my publication, except that you will be so good as to send me the sheets of the Essays, under co- ver, to Mr. Brudenell, lest there should be any thing that may be altered. I entreat you also to criticise my prose, as you have done my verse, and to reprimand me severely, where you find it stiff, forced, or obscure. I forgot to mention another respectable scholar, who saw and approved my poems, I mean th^ present Bishop of St. Asaph, whose learning, to say a great deal, is as extensive as his virtues are amiable. Dr. Warton, of Win- chester, is another excellent critic, through whose hands my trifles shall pass before they see the light. I have dined with him at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, where he paid me a compliment before the whole company, which I cannot write without blushing: he said, my Greek poems which he had seen in manuscript, were worthy of ancient Greece. I dare say this learned and ingenious man, will suf- fer me to send him a copy of the poems at Win- chester; and that he will make his remarks very sincerely. When I have collected the criticisms of these gentlemen, I will compare them, and add my corrections at the end, under the title of emenda- tions, as Pope has inserted his alterations in the text of his poems, and set down the variations, or first readings, in the margin. I think it will be better (as we must not lose the season for publica- tion) to send the copies to my friends, as soon as K the 130 the trifle on Chess is printed, and to shew them the prose afterwards. My Turkish History will go to the press on Mon- day. Lord Radnor has given me leave, in the most flattering terms, to inscribe it to him. I have a notion I shall be a great talker when I am at the bar ; for I cannot take up my pen with- out filling three sides of paper, though I have no- thing to say when I sit down. I am, &g. *Mr. JONES to ROBERT ORME, Esq. Jpril 1772.. It is impossible for me to describe the. dcHght and admiration I have felt, from the perusal of your History of the War in India. The plans, circumstances, and events of it, are so clearly de- scribed by you, that I felt an interest in them ra- ther as an actor than a reader. I was particularly pleased with your delineation of the lives and cha- racters of those who had distinguished themscIves^ by their actions or wisdom ; nor was I less delight- ed with the elegance of your topographical de- scriptions ; that of the Ganges particularly pleased me ; it is absolutely a picture. I have remarked, that the more polished historians of all ages, as well as the poets, have been fond of displaying - their talents in describing rivers. Thus Thucy- dides describes the Achelous, and Xenophon the Teleboas, and both admirably, though in a dif- ferent manner ; the latter with his usual brevity * Appendix, No. 22. and 131 and elegance, the former with a degree of roughness and magnificence not uncommon to him. With re- spect to your style, if elegance consist in the choice and collocation of words, you have a most indu- bitable title to it : for you have on all occasions se- lected the most appropriate expressions, and have given to them the most beautiful arrangement ; and this is almost the greatest praise, which a com- position can claim. The publication of the second part of your History, which has been so long and earnestly looked for, will be highly acceptable to those whose opinions you respect ; and I need not say that it will add to your reputation. Indeed it is not just, that the Coromandel coast only should receive the ornament of your pen, to the neglect of Bengal, which an Indian monarch pronounced the delight of the world, * « * * * * If the reader should complain that the cor- respondence presented to him, is not always im- portant or interesting, I can only plead in excuse, my inability to make any selection that M^ould obviate this remark, without being liable to the weightier objection of exhibiting an imperfect picture of the character of Mr. Jones. To me, it is pleasing to trace him in his closet, unfold his meditations, develop his projects, and follow him in his familiar intercourse with his friends ; and whilst my admiration is excited by the ardour of his mind, embracing in idea excellence unattain- K 2 able 132 able even by him, and conceiving works impracti- cable from their extent, I participate with equal pleasure in his relaxations and amusements. The plan of the Epic Poem which he mentions in his letters to his Polish friend, was sketched during his residence at Spa, in July 1770. The original manuscript has been preserved ; and I am enabled to communicate it to the public*. The subject of the poem was the supposed discovery of our island by Tyrian adventurers, and he proposed to exhibit under the character of the prince of Tyre, that of a perfect king of this country ; a character which he pronounces the most glorious and bene- licial of any that the warmest imagination can form. It represents (to quote his own words) the dangers to which a Kingof England is necessarily ex- posed, the vices which he must avoid, and the virtues, and great qualities, with which he must be adorned. On the whole, " Britain discovered" is intended as a poetical panegyric on our excellent Constitution, and as a pledge of the author's attachment to it; as a national epic poem, like those of Homer, Vir- g\], Tasso, and Camoens, designed to celebrate the honours of his country, to display in a striking light the most important principles of politics and morality, and to inculcate these grand maxims, that nothing can shake our state, while the true liberty of the subject remains united with the dig- nity of the sovereign ; and that in all states, virtue is the only sure basis of private and public happiness. * Appendix, A. He 133 'He reserved the completion of the poem to a period of leisure and independence which never arrived ; and although after an interval of some years, he resumed the idea of composing an Epic Poem on the same subject, but with considerable alterations, he never extended the execution of it beyond a few lines. Whether the Turkish History, which Mr. Jones mentions as ready for the press, was ever finished, I am not informed ; part of tiie original manuscript still remains; the introduction* to it was printed, but not published, and will form a number in the Appendix. The anticipation of future prospects suggested by the fervour of youthful imagination, is too common to all, but particularly to men of genius, to excite much surprise; and of them it has been generally and justly remarked, that what has been performed by them, bears little proportion to what was projected. In their progress through life, im- pediments occur to the execution of their plans, which the mind at first eagerly overlooks ; whilst time, imperceptibly advancing, deprives them of the power and even of the inclination to complete what has been designed with so much ardour. They find what experience daily proves, that the duties of life can only be properly performed, when they are the primary objects of our regard and attention. The little discourse, to which Mr. Jones hu- * Appendix, B. mourouslv 134 mourously alludes in his letter to Keviczki, was a letter in French, atldressed to Monsieur Anquetil du Perron, and printed in 1771. The Frenchman had published, in three quarto volumes, an account of his travels in India, the life of Zoroaster, and some supposed works of that philosopher. To this publication he prefixed a discourse, in which he treated the University of Oxford, and some of its learned members and friends of Mr. Jones, with ridicule and disrespect. From the perusal of his works, Mr. Jones was little disposed to agree -with Monsieur du Perron, in the boasted impor- tance of his communications ; he was disgusted with his vanity and petulance, and particularly offended by his illiberal attack upon the Universi- ty, which he respected, and upon the persons whom he esteemed and admired. The letter which he addressed to M. du Perron was anonymous; it was "written with great force, and expresses his indig- nation and contempt with a degree of asperity, •which the judgement of maturer years would have disapproved. Professor Biorn Sthal, a Swedish Orientalist, says of it, that he had known many Frenchmen so far mistaken in the writer, as to ascribe it to some bel esprit of Paris. Such in their opinion was the brilliancy and correctness of its style. Dr. Hunt, the Laudian Professor of Ara- bic, at Oxford, who had been contemptuously mentioned by Du Perron, addressed the two follo>v- ing letters to Mr. Jones on this occasion : DEAR 135 D E A R S 1 R, Ch. Church, Oct. 25, 1 77 1 . I have now found the translation of all the remains of Zoroaster, mentioned in your last; and think, upon an attentive perusal of it, that the account which Dr. Fraser has given of it is true. I never told Perron that I understood the an- cient Persic language ; and I am authorized by Mr. Swinton, who was present all the time Perron "■ was with me, to say, that he never heard me tell him so. I might perhaps say, that I knew the old Persic character, as given by Dr. Hyde; but to a further knowledge of the language I never pre- tended, nor could I tell him that I did. But for a proof of the veracity of this fellow, I beg leave to refer you to page 461 of his preliminary discourse, where he says, that he made me a present of a fine Sanskirrit (or, as he calls it, Sanskrotan) alphabet, and that he promised Dr. Barton and Mr. Swinton, to send them alphabets of the several Asiatic lan- guages ; vv'hereas he neither made me the present, nor performed the promise to them. Mr. Swinton says, he can furnish us with other instances of this Frenchman's veracity, which he has promised to do in a few days. In the mean time, I am, &c. Thomas Hunt. D E A R S r R, Ch. Church, Nov. 28, 1 77 1 . I received the welcome present of your excellent pamphlet against Perron* in due lime, and yesterday 1 was favoured with your kind * Works, vol. iv. p, 583, letter; 156 letter; for both which I return you my hearty thanks. I should have thanked you for your pamphlet sooner, but have been out of town. I have read it over and over again, and think the whole nation, as well as the University and its members, are much obliged to you for this able and spirited defence. I acknowledge myself to be so in a particular manner, and so does Mr. Swin- ton, who desires his compliments and thanks. But there is one thing which Mr. Swinton seems to doubt of, which is, whether there has been such a o-eneral destruction of the \vritin2:s of the ancient Persians as you imagine there has been. For my own part, till some better proof can be given of the authenticity of those books, which have been produced as the genuine compositions of that ancient people, than what I have yet seen given, I am inclined to be of your opinion. At least, this I am sure of, that if the books, which Alexander, Omar, &c. destroyed, were no better than those M'hich have been pub- lished, the M'orld has had no great loss ; witness the insufferable jargon which you have given from their writings in the 38tii and 41st, «S:c. pages of your letter; to which, as this bulky performance of Perron* will be but in few hands, it may not per- haps *Mons. Anquctil du Perron made a voyage to India, in 1755, for the purpose of acquiring the ancient language of Persia, and that of the Bramins. His ardour for this undertaking was so great, that he engaged himself to the French East-India Company as a private soldier, as affording the speediest means of accomplishing tlie voyage, but some friends procured hrs discharge, and a small pension for him from haps be amiss to add some others. But, as Mr.' Swinton has suggested, that he has some doubts about the fate of the writings of the old Persians, I think you would do well to consult him, before you publish your English translation. I am glad you intend to oblige the world with an English translation of your letter ; and if, among the anecdotes which Mr. Swinton sentyou, you will be so good as to insert that, wherein he says, that he was present all the time that Perron from the Crown of France- He arrived at Pondicherry, In 1755, andi after travelling over various parts of India, by the assistance of the Government of Bombay, he was enabled to return to Europe in an English vessel, and landed at Portsmouth in November 1761. He brought with him many Oriental manuscripts, which he afterwards car- ried to France, and in 1771 published three quarto volumes, containing an account of his travels, and the information which he had obtained in the course of them, under the general title of Zind-Avesta, Ouvrage de Zoroaster. In a discourse addressed to the Asiatic Society at CalcAjtta, in 1789, Sir William Jones speaks of him, as " having had the merit of under- " taking a voyage to India in his earliest youth, with no other view than -' to recover the writings of Zeratusht (Zoroaster), and who would have " acquired a brilliant reputation in France, if he had not sullied it by " his immoderate vanity and virulence of temper, which alienated the " good-will even of his own countrymen." In the same discourse, he aHirms, that M. Anquctil most certainly had no knowledge of Sanscrit. In 1798, M. Anquetil published a work, intitled, " L'Indeen rapport " avec I'Europe," which is more remarkable for the virulence of its invectives against the English, and for its numerous misrepresentations, than for the information which it contains, or the soundness of the re- flections which it conveys. In the summary of its contents, stated in the title-page, he professes to give a detailed, accurate, and terrific picture of the English Machiavelism in India ; and he addresses his work in a ranting bombast dedication to the names of Dupleix and Labourdonnais. It does not appear that the temper of M. A. has been meliorated, although he had then nearly attained his 70th year. was 138 was with me, but does not remember that I ever told him that I understood the ancient Persian language, I shall be much obliged to you. I am sure I never pretended, nor could pretend, to any further knowledge of it, than that of the alphabet, as given by Dr. Hyde. I am, &c. Thomas Hunt. The small volume of poems*, consisting chiefly of translations from the Asiatic language, with two prose dissertations annexed, was published in 1772. We may be allowed to smile at the solici- tude, which Mr. Jones expresses in his correspon- dence on the subject of this publication, to avoid the imputation of devoting that time to the Muses, which belonged to his professional studies, whilst we participate with pleasure the effects of his devo- tion to the objects of his admiration : but his anxiety for his literary reputation, in deferring the publication of his poems until they had received all the improvements which care and attention, assisted by the criticisms of his friends, could bestow, is highly praise-worthy. On the 30th of April, 1772, Mr. Jones was elect- ed a Fellow of the Royal Society, and admitted on May the 14th of the same jear. He does not appear to have communicated any paper for the Philosophical Transactions. From the first entrance of Mr. Jones into the University, until Michaelmas 1768, when he took the degree of A. B., he had kept the terms regulai'- * Works, vol. iv. p. 39'9. 139 ly; from that period to 1773, only occasionally. In the Easter term of that year, during the En- coenia, he took his master's degree. It was on this occasion, that he composed an oration with an intention, which he did not execute, of speak- ing it in the Theatre. The speech was published ten years after, and exhibits a striking memorial of independent principles, and well-cultivated abili- ties : — to vindicate learning from the malevolent aspersion of being destructive of manly spirit, un- favourable to freedom, and introductive to slavish obsequiousness ; to support the honour and inde- pendence of learned men, to display the transcend- ant advantages of the University of Oxford, — were the topics, which he had proposed to discuss, but on which the limits prescribed to his oration, for- bad him to expatiate. The animation of his language shews, that these topics were ever near his heart ; an ardent love of liberty, an enthusiastic veneration for the Univer- sity, a warm and discriminate eulogium on learned men, who devoted their talents and labours to the cause of religion, science, and freedom, characterize his discourse ; of M'hich, part has been lately quo- ted M'ith applause by Dr. Parr*'. The kindness of a contemporary student has communicated an anecdote in proof of his particu- lar aversion to the logic of the schools, that, in an oration which he pronounced in University Hall, he declaimed violently against Burgersdicius, Cra- f Notes to Spital Sermon, p. 136, canthorpius 140 canthorpius, and the whole body oflogiciansin the College of Queen Philippa, his opposite neighbour. Of his uncommon industry, many proofs might be enumerated, and among others the copying of several Arabic manuscripts, of which one was the entertaining romance of Bedreddin Hassan, or, Aladdin's Lamp, from a most elegant specimen of Arabian calligraphy. Nor was he less remarked for an affectionate attention to his mother and sister, who resided at Oxford ; such portion of his time as he could spare from his studies was given to their society, and du- ing his occasional absence from the Universit}-, he Mas regular in his correspondence with his mother. We may conceive and participate the delight of a fond parent, contemplating the increasing repu- tation of her son ; she now found her maternal care and anxiety repaid in a degree equal to her most sanguine expectations, and her affection re- warded by a full measure of filial duty and grati- tude. The progress of the virtues is not always in proportion to literary improvement ; and learn- ing, which ought to meliorate the affections, and . strengthen the principles of duty, has been known to distort the mind by pride, and engender arro- gance. In I\Ir. Jones, we have the pleasure to see every moral principle promoted and invigorated by his literary attainments. In the commencement of 1774, he published his Commentaries on Asiatic Poetry. This work was received with admiration and applause by the Oriental 141 Oriental scholars of Europe in general^ as well as by tbe learned of his own' country. It was per- haps the first publication on Eastern literature, which had an equal claim to elegance and erudi- tion. This work was begun by Mr. Jones in 17^6^, and finished in 1769, when he was in his twenty- third year : but with the same solicitude which he had exhibited on other occasions, to lay his com- positions before the public in the greatest possible perfection, he had repeatedly submitted the manu- script to the examination and critical remarks of his learned friends. Their approbation of it was liberal and general : but the opinion of Dr. Parr on any subject of literature is decisive, and I select from a letter which he wrote to Mr. Jones in 176'9, some passages, in which he expresses his admira- tion of the work. *' I have read your book De Poesi Asiatica with ^' all the attention that is due to a work so studi- *' ously designed, and so happily executed. The *' observations are just and curious, and equally " free from indiscriminate approbation, licentious " censure, and excessive refinement. Through the *' hurry of the first composition, the same expres- ** sion frequently occurs, and sentences begin in *' the same manner, and now and then two words *' are improperly combined. '* These inaccuracies are very rare, and very ** trifling. On the whole, there is a purity, an *' ease, an elegance in the style, v/hich shew an *' accurate and most perfect knowledge of the *' Latin 142 " Latin tongue. Your Latin translations in verse " gave me great satisfaction. I am uncommonly *' charmed with the idyllium, called Chrysis. " The floAv of the verses, the poetic style of the " words, and the elegant turn of the whole poem, " are admirable. ** On the whole, I have received infinite enter- " tainmentfrom this curious and learned perform- " ance, and I look forward with pleasure, to the *' great honour such a publication will do our " country." It will readily be supposed, that, in the interval between the date of the letter and the publication of the Commentaries, Mr. Jones had not neglect- ed to make the corrections suggested by the cri- ticisms of his learned correspondent; and that such further emendations were adopted, as the growing maturity of his ownjudgment pointed out. In the preface to the Commentaries, Mr. Jones mentions and laments the death of Dr. Sumner, in terms which strongly mark his affection for the memory of his respected friend and instructor, who died in September 1771 : — " There never was a man more worthy of being " remembered, for his talents, integrity, admirable *' disposition, amiable manners, and exquisite *' learning ; in the art of instructing, I never knew " any master equal to him ; and his cheerfulness *' and sweetness were such, that it is difficult to say, *' whether he was most agreeable lo his friends or *' his pupils. In Greek and Latin literature he *' was 143 ** was deeply versed : and although, like Socrates, lie ** wrote little himself, no one had more acuteness *' or precision in correcting the faults, or in point- *' ing out the beauties of others ; so that if fortune ' *' or the course of events, instead of confining his *' talents to a school, had placed him at the bar, " or in the senate, he would have contested the *' prize of eloquence with the ablest orators of *' his own country, where only this art is success- *' fully cultivated. For if he did not possess all the *' qualities of an orator in perfection, he had each *' of them in a great degree. His voice was clear " and distinct, his style polished, his expression *' fluent, his wit playful, and his memory teua- '' cious ; his eyes, his countenance, his action, in " short, were rather those of a Demosthenes than *' of an ordinary speaker; in short, we may say of *' him what Cicero said of Roscius, that whilst he *' seemed the only master qualified for the educa- ** tion of youth, he seemed at the same time, the *' only orator capable of discharging the most im- *' portant functions of the state." Those who had the good fortune to receive their tuition under Dr. Sumner, will not think this eu- logium exaggerated, and must read with pleasure a testimony, which their own recollection confirms*. The * The following epitaph, said to be composed by Dr. Parr, is in- scribed on the monument of Dr. Sumner, at Harrow on the Hill: ■ H. S. E. ROBERTUS SUMNER, S. T. P. Coll. Regal, apud. Cantab, olim socius ; Scholje Harroviensis, hauditapridem, Archi' 144 The dedication of his Commentaries to tlie University of Oxford, which he pronounced ** would be the most illustrious of all universities, *' as long as she remained the most free," was a pleasing proof of his gratitude to his alma mater ; and he concludes the preface with some animated thoughts, which I shall endeavour to convey, Archididascalus. Fuit huic prastatitissimo viro Ingenium natura peracre, optiniarum disciplinis artium sedulo excultum, Usu diuturno confirmatuin, et quodam modo subactum : Nemo enim Aut in reconditis sapientiae studiis illo subtilior extitit, Aut humanioribus Uteris limation Egregiis cum dotibus natura;, turn doctrinae prajditus. Insupcr accedebant In sententiis, vera ac perfecta eloquentia ; In sermone, facetiarum lepos, plan6 Atticus, Et gravitate insuper aspersa urbanitas^ In moribus, singularis quaedam integritas ct fides ; Vitae denique ratio constans sibi, et ad virtutis normam diligenter sever^quc exacta. Omnibus qui vel amico essent eo, Vel magistro usi, Doctrinae, ingenii, virtutis justuni reliquit desidcrium, Subita, eheu ! atque immatura merte correptus, Prid. Id. Septemb. Anno Domini m,dcc,lxxi. iEtat. sufc 41. with 145 with the full consciousness, at the same time, of the imperfection of my attempt. *' Whether this work will please the French, or *' their admirers, is to me of little concern, provided *' it prove acceptable to my country, and to that *' renowned University, in which I received my *' education ^ with a view to the honour of both, ** these Commentaries were undertaken and com- ** pleted ; nor is there any wish so near to my heart, " as that all my labours, past or future, may be " useful and agreeable to them. I lament, indeed, " the necessity which compels me to renounce the '* pursuit of pohte literature: but why do I say, "lament? let me rather rejoice, that I am now " entering upon a career, which will supply ampler " and better opportunities of relieving th^ oppres- " sed, of assisting the miserable, and of checking *' the despotic and tyrannical. *' If I am asked, who is the greatest mati? I " answer the best; and if t am required to say, ** who is the best ? I reply, he that has deserved ** most of his fellow-creatures. Whether we de- " serve better of mankind by the cultivation of *' letters, by obscure and inglorious attainments, " by intellectual pursuits calculated rat|ier to *' amuse than inform, than hy strenuous exertions " in speaking and acting, let those consider who *' bury themselves in studies unproductive of any *' benefit to their country, or fellow-citizens. I " think not. I have been long enough engaged *' in preparatory exercises, and I am now called L "to 146 ** to the field. What my fortune may he I knov/ "not; this, however, I know, that the most " anxious ohject of my heart is, after having run *' my career, to retire, in advanced hfe, to the " ever-beloved retreat of the University ; not with " a view to indulge myself in indolence, ^vhich *' m}' disposition ahhors, but to enjoy a dignified "' leisure in the uninterrupted cultivation of letters, *' which the profession I am preparing to embrace, ** no longer suffers me to pursue." At the conclusion of the Commentaries, we fine! an elegant address to the ]\Iuse, in which Mr. Jones expresses his determination to renounce polite literature, and devote himself entirely to the stud}^ of the Law. He was called to the Bar, in January 1774", and had discovered, as he writes to an intimate friend, that the law was a jealous science, and would admit no partnership with the Eastern muses. To this determination he appears to have inflexibly adhered for some years, notwith- standing the friendly remonstrances and flattering invitations of his learned correspondents. He had about this time an intention of publishing the ma- thematical works of his father, and with this view circulated proposals ; but, for what reason I know not, he abandoned it. - I now revert to his correspondence, of which I repeat my regret that so little remains. Dr. 147 Dr. HUNT to Mr. JONES. DEAR SIR, CL Church, March 2, 1774. I return you my hearty thanks for youf most acceptable present of your excellent book on tlie Asiatic poetry. I should have made you my acknowledgements for this great favour before, but I have been so entirely engaged in reading the book, (which I have done from the beginning to the end,) that I have not had time to think of its wortby author any otherwise, than by tacitly ad- miring, as I went along, his exquisitely fine parts, and wonderful learning. Indeed, so engaging is the beautiful style of this admirable performance, and so striking the observations it contains, that it is next to impossible for a person, who has any taste for this branch of literature, when he has once taken it into his hand, to lay it aside again without giving it a thorough perusal. I find you have en- riched this work with a great variety of curious quotations, and judicious criticisms, as well as with the addition of several valuable new pieces, since you favoured me with the sight of it before, and the pleasure which I have now had in reading it has been in proportion. I hope this new key to the Asiatic poetry, with which you have obliged the world, will not be suffered to rust for want of use ; but that it will prove, what you intended it to be, an happy instrument in the hands of learned and inquisitive men, for unlocking the rich treasures of wisdom and knowledge which have been preserved in the Hebrew, Arabic, Persic, and the other Ori- 1. 2 ental 148 cntal languages, and especially the Hebrew, that •venerable channel, through which the sacred com- 'positions of the divinely inspired poets have been conveyed down to us. I hope this will find you well ; and am, &c. Thomas Hunt, P. S. I have seen your proposals for printing the mathematical works of my worthy friend, your late father, and beg to be of the number of your subscribers. • *Mr. JONES to F. P. BAYER. March 1774. I have received a most elegant copy of your Treatise on the Phoenician Language and Colonies, and I am at a loss to decide whether it is most learned or entertaining. Although I fear, like Diomede, that I shall give you brass iu ex- change for your gold ; yet I send you as a proof of my gratitude and esteem, my Commentaries on Asiatic Poetry; and it will afford me great satis- faction to learn that they please you. — Farewell. tMr. JONES to H. A. SCHULTENS. Juhj 1774. This letter will be presented to you by JMr. Campbell, a young gentleman of great mo- ■ desty and worth, and I recommend him to your particular attention. He intends going to India as a merchant, but previous to his embarkation, * Appen(iix, No. 23. f Appendix, No. 24. wishes 149 wishes to give some time to the study of foreign languages, European and Asiatic, and particnlaiiy the Persian. Any assistance which you may aftbrd him in his studies, or otlier httle affairs, I :hall esteem a favour done to myself, and he will con- sider it a great obligation. How goes on our Hariri? Will it ever be pub- lished with your elucidations ? My time is em- ployed in the courts ; and whatever leisure I can command, is exclusively devoted to the study of law and history. I hope you have received my Commentaries which I sent you. — Farewell. *H. A. SCHULTENS to Mr. JONES, The phoenix of his time, and the orna- ment of the age — Health ! Amsterdam, Sept. 1774. When I reflect, my dear Jones, upon the fortu- nate period, which 1 passed in your happy island, ' I feel the most exquisite delight at the recollection of the pleasure and improvement, which I derived from your society ; at the same time my anxiety for your company excites the most lively regret at our separation. If I cannot altogether conquer it, I can at least alleviate it by corresponding with you. Nothing but a variety of unusual occupations could have delayed my writing to you so long after my return to Amsterdam ; I was moreover apprehensive of interrupting your studies by my intrusion. The receipt of the obliging present of your Commentaries, has removed all my fear on thi 150 this account, and affords me a most agreeable proof of your remembrance. Accept my sincerest thanks for your finished and most elegant work, which I have eagerly read again and again with admiration and astonishment. As sincere a lover as yourself of the Muses, how much I regret their unhappy lot, that whilst they have so few admirers, one of their most distin- guished votaries should be seduced from their ser- vice b}'' the discordant broils of the Bar ! Do they not then possess such charms and graces as to merit a preference to others, who have no portion but wealth and honour ? Is not their beauty so attractive, their dress so elegant and enchanting, as to fascinate their admirers to a degree, which makes them despise all others, and feel no delight but in their society ? Forgive, my dear Jones, this friendly expostulation. Two or three copies only of your work have reached us ; I beg you will not suffer the inatten- tion of booksellers to deprive us of a larger supply. You will receive shortly a little inaugural discourse which I pronounced here. On c.viending the limits of Oriental littrature. It was done too much in haste to be as perfect as it ought to have been, and as I could have made it with more leisure. The office which I hold here is most agreeable to me, but is attended with this inconvenience, that the duties of it allow me no time for the pursuit of other studies ; and the attention which 1 am forced to bestow on grammatical institutions, on explanatory 151 explanatory lectures on the Old Testament, and in disquisitions on the Jewish antiquities, precludes the j>erusal of Arahic, and still more of Persian authors. But I submit the more cheerfully to this restraint, as the assiduity of my present exertions will produce more leisure in future ; and when I have once committed to paper the mass of lectures which I have annually to repeat, I shall then be at full liberty to employ myself as 1 please. 1 have absolutely determined to publish Meidani, but it will require the labour of ten years : j^ou well know, that without a competent knowledge, not only of th-e language of the East, but of Oriental history, ceremonieSj and manners, it would be madness to attempt it. Whether my labours will ever have the assistance of a midwife, time must shew. Professor Scheidius is employed in pub- lishing Giewhari : the expense of the underta- king far exceeds his means, but he hopes to provide against this difiiculty, by publishing one, or more numhcrs annually, according to alphabetical ar- rangement, by which means the sale of each may furnish the expense of the succeeding. I have nothing further to communicate to you, but I most anxiously long to see you. If you have the ambition of your countryman, Banks, to expose yourself to the inclemency of winter by visiting me here, all my fear of the cold will be lost in the hope, that a long and intense frost may detain you. Nothing however can give me more pleasure, either in winter or summer, than to have - vou 152 you for my guest. My wife, whom I married about five months since, is equally anxious to see a man, of whom she hears her husband perpetually talking ; she, as well as my father, who received inexpressible delight in the perusal of your Com- mentaries, desires to be remembered to you ; he entertains the highest respect and esteem for you. Let me know how you are, and whether your mother and sister are well. Do me the favour also to inform them, that I shall ever remember with gratitude the obligations which I owe to their great politeness and attention to me. Consider me ever as the humble servant of yourself and friends. — Farewell, and love me ever. P. S. I almost forgot to mention our Damascene prince ; his name, I think, is Joseph Abas. I regret that during his residence at this place, he only called upon me two days before his departure for Brussels. I was highly delighted with his libe- ral, manly, and truly Arabian spirit ; neither did he appear deficient in polite literature, but of this you are a better judge than I am. For my own part, I must ever retain a regard for a man, whose conversation so entertained and interested me, un- der the attack of a fever, that it absolutely pre- vented the return of it. *Mr. JONES to H. A. SCIiULTENS. October 1774. I have had the pleasure to receive your letter dated in September, which did not how- * Appendix, No. 26. •^ ever 153 ever reach me, till after my return to LondoDj from a summer excursion to the Kentish coast. I am highly gratified hy your father's and your approbation of my Commentaries, and I acknow- ledge the kindness of your friendly and polite ex- postulation in telling me that you cannot bear to see me desert the cause of literature. But, my friend, the die is cast, and I have no longer a choice; ail my books and manuscripts, with an exception of those only which relate to law and oratory, are locked up at Oxford, and I have de- termined, for the next twenty years at least, to renounce all studies but those which are connect- ed with my profession. It is needless to trouble you with my reasons at length for this determina- tion; I will only say, that if I had lived at Rome or Athens, I should have preferred the labours, studies, and dangers of their orators and illustrious citizens, connected as they were with banishment and even death, to the groves of the poets, or the gardens of the philosophers. Here I adopt the game resolution. The Constitution of England is in no respect inferior to that of Rome or Athens ; this is my fixed opinion, M'hich I formed in my earliest years, and shall ever retain. Although I sincerely acknowledge the charms of polite litera- ture, I must at the same time adopt the sentiment of Neoptolemus in the tragedy, that we can philo- sophize with a itw only ; and no less the axiom of Hippocrates, that life is short, art long, and time swift. But I will also maintain the excel- lence 154 lence and the deliglit of other studies. What ! shall we deny that there is pleasure in mathematics, when we recollect x'Yrchimedes, the prince of geo- metricians, who was so intensely ahsorhed in the demonstration of a problem, that he did not dis- cover Syracuse was taken ? Can we conceive any study more important, than the single one of the laws of our own country? Let me recall to your recollection the observations of L. Crassus and Q. Sccevolaon this subject, in the treatise of Cicero de Oratore. What ! do you imagine the goddess of eloquence to possess less attractions than Thalia or Polyhymnia, or have you forgotten the epithets which Ennius bestows on Cethegus, the quintes- sence of eloquence, and the flower of the people? Is there a man existing, Avho would not rather re- semble Cicero, (whom I wish absolutely to make my model, both in the course of his life and studies,) than be like Varro, however learned, or Lucretius, however ingenious as a poet ? If the study of the law were really unpleasant and dis- gusting, which is far from the truths the example of the wisest of the antients, and of Minerva her- self, the goddess of wisdom and protectress of Athens, would justify me in preferring the fruitful and useful olive to the barren laurel. To tell you my mind freely, I am not of a dis- position to bear the arrogance of men of rank, to which poets and men of letters are so often obliged to submit. Accept this friendly reply to your friendly expostulation, and believe my assurances, that 155 that I entertain tlie highest value for your esteem, of which I have received so many proofs. I most anxiously expect your dissertation. May the Al- mighty prosper your labours, and particularly your laborious task of Meidani ! May the most learned Scheidius persevere with resolution in completing the gigantic work which he meditates ! I admire his most laudable industry; but after the fate of Meninski, (I do not speak of his works, but of his fortunes) no pmdent man (for he that is not wise to himself, is wise to no end) will venture to expose his vessel to the perils of shipwreck in so uncer- tain a sea. The work is worthy of a king, but the expence of it m^U require the revenue of a king. My mother and sister cordially unite with mc in congratulations on your marriage, and I beg you to make my compliments to your amiable consort, and most respectable father. I thank you for your invitation to Amsterdam, and assure you that I should be most happy to avail myself of it. In your society, I should prefer a winter in Holland to the gardens of the Hesperides, nor in- dulge a wish for the vales of Tempe, but my legal occupations make the summer more convenient for travelling. I promise you therefore to pass some time with you in the July, or August, of the next or following year. I rejoice to fmd you pleased with Joseph the Syrian, and equally so that he means to travel through Germany. His history is somewhat long. If I had not exerted myself in my application to SOfHC 156 some men of rank in London, who have access to the King, he must have passed a life of misery here, or have died most MTetchedly. The hookseller keeps for you the books which you desired to purchase. You cannot as yet have received a short letter wliich I wrote to you in July, and sent by a young gentleman of the name of Campbell. The son of the king of Spain, Prince Gabriel, did me the honour to send me a most splendid copy of his''Sallust, for which I returned my grateful acknowledgements. You have doubtless heard of the travels of Mr. Bruce, a native of Scotland, into Syria, Arabia, Abyssinia, Nubia, and Egypt. He is as well ac- quainted with the coast of the Red Sea, and the sources of the Nile, as with his own house. He has brought with him some iEthiopic manuscripts, and amongst them the Prophecies of Enoch, an, ancient book, but to be ranked only with the Si- bylline oracles. Whilst I was writing this letter, a person called upon me with a manuscript, which he had receir ved at Venice from I\lr. IMontaguc, a man of family. I immediately perceived it to be a most beautiful and correct copy of Motanabbi, with a letter ad- dressed to myself in Arabic verse, from some per- son named Abdurrahman, whom Mr. Montao'ue liad probably seen in Asia. 1 owe great obliga- tions to .the politeness of the learned Arab, but I by no means think myself worthy of his exag- gerated encomiums; — but you know the pompous stvle lo7 style of the Orientals. Do not suppose that I have any present intention of reading the poems of Montanabbi ; that must be reserved for Oxford ; when I have leisure to attend to this, and my other treasures of the same kind. Believe my assurance, that I entertain the highest esteem for you, and that nothing will give me greater pleasure than to hear from you frequently and at length. Take care of your health, and continue your re- gard for me. Mr. HOWARD to Mr. JONES. Sir, Paris, September 1 3, 1 774. As my stay here may be considerably longer than I at first proposed, it is a duty incum- bent on me to acquit myself of a charge commit- ted to my care in the month of June last by Mr. Montague, at Venice, by transmitting to you the manuscript which accompanies this letter. I should indeed have sent it to you much sooner, but the hopes I had of an earlier return to Eng- land, was the cause of ray postponing it, that I might myself have had the pleasure of delivering it, which I flatteted myself might have served as an introduction to the honour of your acquain- tance, a happiness which, without compliment, I have long been very ambitious of. But as my affairs are likely to detain me some time longer in this city, I cannot with any propriety prefer my own interest to a more material one ; nor ouresent in deciphering Moorish inscriptions, which have been found in different parts of Spain. Some are already engraved, but not yet published. He reduces first the characters to the modern Arabic, and then gives a translation and comment in Latin. Your Sallust is unbound, and you have already the dissertation to add to it. I am, &c. R. D. Waddilove, *Mr. JONES to R P. BAYER. Oct. 4, 1774. I can scarcely find words to express my thanks for your obliging present of a most * Appendix, No. 27. beautiful 161 beautiful and splendid copy of Sallust, with an elegant Spanish translation. You have bestowed upon nie a private untitled individual, an honour which heretofore has only been conferred upon great monarchs, and illustrious universities. I really was at a loss to decide, whether I should begin my letter by congratulating you on having so excellent a translator, or by thanking j^ou for this agreeable proof of your remembrance. I look forward to the increasing splendour, which the arts and sciences must attain in a country, where the son of the king possesses genius and erudition, capable of translating and illustrating with learned notes, the first of the Roman historians ; how few youths amongst the nobility in other countries possess the requisite ability or inclination for such a task ! The history of Sallust is a performance of great depth, wisdom, and dignity : to understand it well, is no small praise ; to explain it properly, is still more commendable ; but to translate it elegantly, excites admiration. If all this had been accomplished by a private individual, he would have merited applause; if by a youth, he would have had a claim to literary honours ; but when to the title of youth, that of prince is added, we cannot too highly extol, or too loudly applaud, his distinguished merit. Many years are elapsed since I applied myself to the study of your learned language, but I well re* member to liave read in it with great delight the heroic poem of Alonzo, the odes of Garcilasso, and M the 162 the humourous stories of Cervantes : but I mo^Z sincerely declare, that I never perused a more ele- gant or polished composition than tlie translation ofSallust, and I readily subscribe to the opinion of the learned author in his preface, that the Spanish language approaches \ ery nearly to the dignity of the Latin. May the accomplished youth continue to deserve well of his country and mankind, and establish his claim to distinction above all the princes of tlie age ! If I may be allowed to offer my sentiments, I would advise him to study most diligently the divine works of Cicero, which no man, in my opi- nion, ever perused witliout improving in eloquence and wisdom. The epistle which he wrote to his brother Quintus, on the government of a province, deserves to be daily repeated by every sovereign in the world ; his books on Offices, on Moral Ends, and the Tuscalan Questions, merit a hundred pe- rusals; and his Orations, nearly sixty in number, deserve to be translated into every European lan- guage ; nor do 1 scruple to affirm, that his sixteen books of letters to Atticus, are superior to almost all histories, that of Sallu&t excepted.. With re- spect to your own compositions, I have read with great attention, and will again read, your most agreeable book. I am informed that you propose giving a Latin translation of it, and I hope you will do it for the benefit of foreigners. I see no- thing in it which requires alteration, — nothing ■which is not entitled to praise. I much wish that you 163 you would publish more of your treatises on the antiquities of Asia and Africa. I am confident they M'ould be most acceptable to such as study those subjects. I have only for the present to conclude by l)idding you farewell in my own name, and that of the republic of letters. — Farewell. *Mr. JOXES to G. S. MICHAELIS. No"e7nber 1774. I beg you will do me the justice to believe that I have read your books M'ith great at- tention. I neither eiuirely admit, nor reject your opinion on the fables of the Hebrews ; but until the subject be better known and explored, I am unwilling to .depart from the received opinions coucerning them. Your approbation of my Com- mentaries gives me sincere pleasure. Nothing is more true than that I have renounced the Asiatic muses and polite literature, and that for twenty years at least I have determined neither to write nor think about them. The Forum is my lot, and the law engrosses all my attention. Be assured, however, that I shall ever retain my esteem both for yourself and your M'orks. — Farewell. Mr. JONES to Lady SPENCER. IM A D A T^r , Duke-Street. I take the liberty to present your Ladyship with a copy of my poems, and cannot refrain from acquainting you with a plain truth, that the first of them, called Solima, would never * Appendix, No. ^8. M 2 bav^ 164 have been written, if I had never had the honour ot knowing your Ladyship. * * # I am just come from Harrow, where it gave me inexpressible happiness to see Lord Althorpe per- fectly well, extremely improved, and deservedly beloved by all, as much as by his real friend, and Your Ladyship's Most obedient and faithful servant, William Jone^. Lady SPENCER to Mr. JONES. Si It, Jlthorpe, Jan. \0, \77 5r. The continual hurry occasioned by having a house full of company, added to my not having been quite well, has prevented my thanking you sooner for your letter; you cannot doubt of my being much flattered, at your thinking you iind any resemblance between my character and that of Solima, and still more at your telling the world you do : I shall always look upon that poem, as a model you have set up for my imitation, and shall only be sorry I do not approach nearer to it, especially after you have called upon me in so public a manner, to improve myself in the ways of virtue and benevolence. I must decline your second request of criticising, as I have neither time nor talents for such an oflfice, nor do I think your works require it. I am delighted with your invention of theAn- drometer, and wish every body would form one for themselves ; it would be of infinite use to numbers of 165 of people, who, from indolence and dissipation, rather go backwards than forwards in ever}' useful attainment. I am, Sir, with great esteem, Your faithful friend and humble servant, G. Spencer. *H. A, SCHULTENS to Mr. JONES. Amsterdam, Jan. 6, 1775. Although the incessant and extraordi- nary occupations in which I am at this time en- gaged, do not allow me to think even of writing to my friends, I cannot refuse a few lines to the most learned Bjornstahl, both for the purpose of intro- ducing him to you, and to shew that I have not forgotten you. You will find our Philarabic Swede a most agreeable companion ; he has not only travelled much, but is deeply versed in Orien- tal literature, of which he is very fond. I think I may venture to promise that the society of a person, who loves what you still delight in, (for I will not with you say, what you once delighted in) will be most acceptable to you. * * * * tMr. JONES to C. REVICZKI. London, I'thruary 1775. Do not suppose that I have forgotten you, because I write to you so seldom ; I havenot met with any person to whom I could entrust my packet, and I have no inchnation to risk my familiar letters by the post. I doubt if this will ever reach yoU; and 1 fear therefore to write to you on any subject * Appendix, No. 29. t Appendix, No. 30. with 166 with my usual freedom, as your last letter of January, from Warsaw, was delivered to me open- ed ; it is probable that you will receive this in the same manner. I am so constantly occupied with law and politics, that I have no leisure for litera- ture. I have published two books, and only want a safe opportunity to send them to you. Write to nie, I beseech you, for your friendship is my great- est delight. How much I wish that you were in England, or I in Germany, that we might live together ! After all, I could not think of accepting the Turkish embassy. I will live in my own country, which cannot easily spare good subjects : it is scarcely yet fiee from commotion. — Oh ! how I should rejoice if I could see you here in a diploma- tic character : I should not then envy the monarchs of Europe or Asia. — Farewell again and again. *C. REVICZKI to Mr. JONES. If 3'ou are fully sensible of the very o-reat rciiard I entertain for you, vou will then conceive how nuich pleasure I felt at the receipt of your highly valued letter. Incessantly occupied for a long time, I have been compelled to forego the pleasure of corresponding with you, and I the more readily acknowledge your kindness in writing to me, when I could have no expectation of hear- ing from you. Though I think it more prudent not to say any thing, the disclosure of which might , * Appendix, No. 31. be 167 be attended with unpleasant consequences, I im- pute the opening of my letter which you mention, rather to accident than design. Your business as a lawyer must necessarily engage your closest at- tention ; I cannot tljcrefore ask you to write to me often, but thus much I wish you to know, that i shall soon have more leisure for corresponding with you, as the late close of tlie Diet, which lasted for two years (in my estimation a century) has al- most left me at liberty. — So much for the affairs of this part of the world. Of what is doing in your country, your letter gives me no information; but I hear from other quarters, of the agitations amongst you, in consc([uenc€ of the commotions in the colonies, which I consider worse than a foreign war. For my own part, I confess to you that I am tired both of my situation and my office, not so much on account of their difficulty as their unpleasantness, and all the consolation I feel arises from the hope that my present troublesome occu- pation will not last more than a year, I heartily Vv'ish 1 were in London, and at liberty to sit seriously down to the composition of some political work on the subject of our republic ; the task would .be no less usefid than agreeable, in- 'deed I can conceive nothing more pleasant than such an employment. If, contrary to my expectations, my wish should be gratified, I ho])e to i\u\ you there, and to enjoy as formerly your society and conversation. I am iinxious to have your last publication, (the subject 168 of which you do not mention,) and doubt not that the perusal of it will afford me great pleasure, — ■ Farewell, and think of me always with affection. ****** The preceding correspondence proves the high degree of estimation in which the learning and abilities of Mr. Jones were holdcn by the literari of Europe; and we find that his reputation had ex- tended into Asia. From the manner in which he mentions his renunciation of the embassy to Con- stantinople, it is evident that his attention M^as strongly fixed upon the political state of his own country. The Ajichometer, mentioned by Lady Spencer to have been invented by Mr. Jones, affords a striking specimen of the extent of his views, in the acquisition of intellectual excellence. It may be defined, A scale of human attainments and enjoy- ment; he assumes seventy years, as the limit of exertion or enjoyment; and with a view to pro- gressive improvement, each year is appropriated to a particular study or occupation. The arrangement of what was to be learned, or practised, during this period, admits of a fourfold division. The first, comprising thirty years, is assigned to the acquisition of knowledge as preparatory to active occupation. The second, of twenty years, is dedicated prin- cipally to public and professional employment. Of the third, which contains ten years, the first five are allotted to literary and scientific com- position, 169 position, and the remainder to the continuation of former pursuits. The last ten, constituting the fourth division, which begins with the sixty-first year, are devoted to the enjoyment of the fruits of his labours ; and the conclusion of the whole is specified to be a preparation for eternity. The Andrometer is to be considered as a mere sketch never intended for publication. In the construction of it, Mr. Jones probably had a view to those objects, the attainment of which he then meditated. We are not to conclude, that the pre- paration for eternity, which stands at the top of the scale, was to be deferred until the seventieth year ; it is rather to be considered as the object to which he was perpetually to look, during the whole course of his life, and which \va.s e.vclusiveli/ to en- gross the attention of his latter years. He was too well convinced of the precarious tenure of human existence, to allow himself to rest the momentous concern of his eternal welfare, on the fallacious ex- pectation of a protracted life ; he knew moreover too Nvell the power of habit, to admit a supposition, that it could be effectually resisted or changed at the close of life. Neither are we to suppose, that moral and religious lessons, which constitute the occupation of the eighth year, were from that period to be discontinued, although they are not afterwards mentioned ; but the meaning of Mr. Jones probably was, that they should be seriously and regularly inculcated at an age, when the intel- lectual 170 lectual faculties liad acquired strength and expan- sion by preceding exercises. That the order of arrangement in the Andrometer, could never be strictly adhered to in the application of our time, and cultivation of our talents, (if it were intended) is evident ; but to those who from their situation are enabled to avail themselves of the suggestions which it furnishes, it will supply useful hints for improvement, and serve as a standard of compari- son for their progress, \yith respect to My. Jones himself, if his own acquisitions in his thirtieth year, when he constructed the Andrometer, be compared with it, they will be found to rise to a higher de- gree in the scale. With these explanations, I present it to the reader ; reversing, for the sake of convenience, the order of the scale. ANDROMETErJ. 10 15 12 — Ideas received tliroughllie senses. — Speaking and pronuneiation. * — Letters and spelling. — Ideas retained in the memory. — Reading and repeating. — Grammar of his own language. — Memory exercised. — Moral and religious lessons. — Natural history and experiments. — Dancing, nmsic, drawings exercises. — History of his own country. — Eatin. — Greek. — French and Italian. — I'ranslations. — Compositions in verse and prose. — Rlietoric and declamation, — History and law. Logic 171 iO 25 30 40 45 50 ;j3 60 £J5 — Logic and mathematics. — Rhetorical exercises. — Philosophy and poUtics. Compositions in liis own language. — Declamations continued. — Ancient orators studied. — Travel and conversation. — Speeches at the bar or in parlianient- — State affairs. — Historical studies continued. Law and eloquence. — Public Life. — Private and social virtues. — Habits of eloquence improved. — Philosophy resumed at leisure. — Orations published. — Exertions in state and parliament. — Civil knowledge mature. — ' Eloquence perfect. — National rights defended. The learned protected. — Tlie virtuous assisted. — Compositions published. — Science improved. — Parliamentary affairs. — Laws enacted and supported. — Fine arts patronized. — Government of his family. Education of his children. Vigilance as a magistrate. — Firmness as a patriot. Virtue as a citij'.en. Historical works. — Oratorical works. — Philosophical works. Political works. Matiiematical works. — > Continuation of fonner pursuits. 70 — Fruits of his labours enjoyed. — A glorious retirement. An amiable family. — Universal respect. — Ccuiciousnesiof a virtuous life. V Perfection of earthly liappiness. Preparation for eternity. 172 I HAVE mentioned that Mr. Jones was called to the bar in 1774, but he declined practice; from this period however he seems to have been fully sen- sible of the necessity of devoting himself exclu- sively to his legal studies. The ambition of ob- taining distinction in his profession could not fail to animate a mind always ardent in the pursuit of the objects which it had in view, nor was he of a temper to be satisfied with mediocrity, where perfection was attainable. His researches and studies were not confined to any one branch of jurisprudence, but embraced the whole in its fullest extent. He compared the doctrines and principles of ancient legislators with the later im- provements in the science of law; he collated the various codes of the different states of Europe, and collected professional knowledge wherever it was to be found. If the reader recollects the enthu- siasm displa3^ed by Mr. Jones in the prosecution of his Oriental studies, the extent and depth oF his attainments in the literature of Asia, and the high reputation which he had acquired from them, he will readily applaud his resolution and perseverance in renouncing liis favourite pursuits. That he acted wisely, will be admitted ; but the sacrifice of inclination to duty, affords an example of too great use and importance to pass without particular observation. In 1775, for the first time, he attended the spring- circuit and sessions at Oxford, but whether as a spectator, or actor, on that occasion, I am not in- formed. 173 formed. In the following year, he was regular hi his attendance at Westminster-Hall. The only part of his correspondence of this year which I possess, is a letter to his friend Schul- tens, and I insert it as a memorial of an incident in his life. *Mr. JONES to H. A. SCHULTENS. December 1776. Behold me now no longer a free man ; me, who ever considered perfect liberty superior to every thing ! Under the impression of the most eager desire to see you, I promised to visit Amster- dam this year, but I am detained in Eondon by various and important occupations. The fact is, that I am appointed one of the sixty commissioners of bankrupts. It is an office of great use, but little emolument ; it confines me however to London during the greatest part of the year. Add to this, my necessary studies, my practice at the bar, and the duty, of giving opinions on legal cases submit- ted by clients. However I read the Grecian ora- tors again and again, and have translated into En- glish the most useful orations of Is£eus. How go on Meidani and Hariri? Continue, I beseech you, your labours upon them, with due regard however to your health. * ^ * ♦ * * Notwithstanding the increasing application of Mr. Jones to the duties and studies of his profes- sion, and his attention to political transactions, * Appendix, No. 32. the 174 the philosophical discoveries of llie times did not escape his observation. The liopes and fears of the nation were at this period anxiously enga- ged in the event of the unfortunate contest, which had taken place between the mother country and her colonies, and whilst the justice of the war, and the expectation of a successful conclusion of it, were maintained by one party, by another their sentiments were opposed, and their measures ar- raigned and condemned. But it is no part of my plan to invade the province of the historian by dis- cussing the questions of those times. These cur- sory remarks are chiefly introduced as preliminary to the insertion of two letters from iJr. Jones to Lord Aithorpe, with whom he continued to cul- tivate that friendship which had so naturally been formed between the tutor and the pupil. I add also a short letter to Schidtens, in ansM'Cr to one which Mr. Jones had received from him, request- ing him to assist by his own contributions a new publication, then on foot in Holland, and com- plaining of his finances in a style calculated to console his friend for renouncing the haunts of the Muses, for the thorny but more productive field of the hd.\v. Ish: JONES to Lord ALTIIORPE. Temple, A'ov. 13, As I have a few minutes of leisure this evening, can I employ them better than in writing to my friend ? I hasten, my dear Lord, to impart to you the pleasure I received to-day, from 175 from seeing a series of experiments exhibited by Air. V/alsb on the American eel, by which he clearly proved that the animal has a sensation wholly distinct from any of the five senses. — When he announced the proposition to be demonstrated, I thought it might possibly be true, but could not conceive how a new sense could be made percep- tible to any sense of mine, as I imagined it would be like talking to a deaf man of harmonic sounds, or to one who had no palate, of nectarines and pine-apples ; but he produced the fullest convic- tion in me, that his position was in a degree just. His first experiment was by fixing four wires, about two inches in the water where the fish was swimming, one in each quarter of the elliptical trough ; each of these wires communicated with a large glass of water placed on a table at a little distance, though tiie distance signified nothing, for the ex|>eriment, had the wires been long cnout'h, mio'ht liave been conducted in another room; while the four glasses remained separate, the gymnotus (for that is his technical name) was perfectly insensible of the wires, but in the very instant when a comnunication was made by an in- strument between any two of the glasses, he seemed to start, and swam directly to the wires which were thus joined, paying no attention to the others, till a junction was made between them also. This could not be sight, because he did not see the wires while they were insulated, though they were ecjually conspicuous; it could not 17t) not be feeling (at least not like our feeling) be- cause the water was not in the least agitated ; still less could it be hearing, and least of all smell, or taste. It was therefore a distinct electrical sense of feeling, or power of conceiving any stronger conductor than the water around him, for which reason he did not perceive the wires till their junction, because the}^ were at the extremities of the tub, and so little in the water, that they were less powerful conductors. Several other experi- ments were exhibited with equal success ; one of them only I will mention. A triangular instrument of brass was held over the tub, and one of the legs placed gently in the water, to which the fish was wholly inattentive, though he swam close to it ; but when the other leg was immersed to complete the circulation, he instantly started. It is by this faculty that the wonderful animal has notice of his prey, and of his enemies. These are pleasant amusements, and objects of a just curiosity when they fall occasionally in our way ; but such expe- riments might have been exhibited at Paris, ]\Ia- drid, or Petersburgh, where the philosophers, who are discovering new senses in other animals, are not permitted to use their own freely ; and be- lieve me, my dear Lord, it is not by electrical ex- periments, nor by triangular instruments, nor by conductors of wire, that we shall be able to avert the black storm which hanos over us. Let vou and me, therefore, be philosophers noM"- and then, but citizens always ; let us sometimes observe with eaffer- 177 eagerness the satellites of Jupiter, but let us in- cessantly watch with jealousy the satellites of the King. Do you hear any certain intelligence con- cerning America? Mr. Owen Cambridge has just informetl me, that a New York Gazette is brought over, in which the late uncertain accounts arc confirmed in their full extent, with this important addition, that three counties of Maryland have offered not only submission, but assistance to Ge- neral Howe. This may, or may not be true. — Farewell. Mr. JONES to LORD ALTHOHPE. November 22. I rejoice, my dear friend, that you have acquired that ingenuous distrust, which Epichar- m us calls « A'/'/^ere; of xcisdom. It is certain that doubt impels us to enquire, and enquiry ofterr ends in conviction. You will be able, when you come to London, to examine -with the minutest scrupulositij^ as Johnson would call it, the proper- ties of that singular animal, who is, in the rivers of South America, what Jupiter was feigned to be among the gods, a darter of Ughtn'mg, and should be named a'radually ad\ances. I most heartily wish it were in mv power to bestow upon this favourite occu- pation, those hours which I am obliged most re- luctantly to give to my various public and private lectures; but I foresee that it will still require three or four yeais of hard labour to collect such =an ample stock of materials, as will enable me to 'tkii^er mv lectures lluently without much previous studv, or " to shake them out o-f a bag," as the phrase is. In the mean time, Hariri lies un- touched, the Arabic posts are neglected, and the soft and elegant literature of Persia, which above all I sincerely regret, remains unexplored ; such however is the ardour with which you have in- spired 181 spiiedme, tliat I am determined, if I enjoy life and health, at all hazards, and at the risk of sin- gularity, to devote myself to the acquisition of it. I almost however despair of publishing Hariri. I had determined to give the text only from the best procurable manuscripts, annexing to it the translation of my grandfather, M'hich is complete. This I sliould be able to accomplish Avith little sa- crifice of time ; and without neglecting other busi- ness, I could give the pubHc an useful work. But there are some, to whose judgment as well as in- clination I owe much deference, who disapprove of this plan, and advise me not to publish the work, without extracts from Tebrizi and other grammarians, nor even without my own annota- tions. Though I do not agree with them, I must submit to their auttiority, at the necessity of pro- ' tracting the publication, till I can give it as they wish. Scheidius has lately published the firot part of Jaoharfs Lexicon, consisting of about two hun- dred pages. He calculates that the whole Mork will not be Gomj)rised in less than ten volunies, of a thousand pages each. Opinions about it are various. He himself foresees so little impediment ■ih completing this immense undertaking, that he '^even talks of publishing Phiruzbadi, &c. ; but -ethers consider the obstacles so insuperable, that " they think it never will be finished, unless it • -should rain gold upon him. This is all relating to ~'^|thc 2\rabie that is now going on amongst us, ex- :&3iit{f cepting 182 ccpting a glossary to Hariri, Arab Sliah, and the Coran, which ]Mr. Wihnot, a young, but learned theologian, lias undertaken. It will be very use- ful to beginners, who, from the dilficulty and ex- pence of procuring Golius, are deterred from the study of the language. Latin and Greek litera- ture recciv'e more encouragement here. This nei- ther excites my envy nor surprise; but I should he still more reconciled to it, if some small part of this patronage were to overtlow upon the Orientalists, lluhnkenius is at work upon Vel- leius Paterculus, Burman on Propertius-, Wytten- bach on Plutarch, Tollius upon the Homeric Lexicon of Apollonius, an edition of which has been published by Villoison in France. The epistles of Phalaris, respecting the author of "which your countrymen Boyle and Bentley had such a controversy, M'ill soon be published. Have you seen the very elegant Essay of lluhnkenius on the Life and Writings of Longinus? Many copies have been sent to England ; — if you wish to have one, I M'ill take an opj)ortunity of pro- curino' it for vou. In tlje course of a few weeks, a critical miscellany wi!l appear, and it is in- tended to publish two or three numbers of it annually. This publication has a double view ; to notice the best new books on every subject which relate to learned antiquity, and to intro- duce occasionally new and unpublished compo- sitions. The authors are unknown, or, rather, wish to be so; for some of them will cer- tainly 183 talnly be discovered by tlieir superior erudition, aud uncommou elegance of style. I am suffi- ciently acquainted with them, to affirm confi- dently that the work will please you. M'ith some of the persons concerned in it, I am intimately connected, and they have requested me to recom- mend to then^ some London bookseller, to whom a i^ew copies may be sent for sale. For this pur- pose I have thought of Elmsley, who will pro- bably have no objection to try the success of the Avork in England, by taking twenty or even fewer copies. I wish however in the first place to men- tion the business to you, that Elmsley, or some other by your interest, may be the more readily induced to undertake it. There is also another favour of more importance, which my friends, through my agency, anxiously hope to obtain from you ! The circumstance is this : upon their ex- pressing a wish that their miscellany should con- tain extracts from Oriental authors, particularly Persic and Arabic, 7 recommended to them, as there are but few \\\ rks of this nature, and still fewer worthy of notice, that they should ieave a space for short dissertations, under the heads of tracts, or essays, or any other title, by which they may be communicated, as a means of pro- moting these studies. I promised, for my own part, to contribute some biographical memoirs from Eben Chuli Khan, if they should have no- thing better to insert. They approved my advice, and earnestly entreated me to prevail upon you to furnish 184 furnish them with some essays of this kind ; add- ing, that they would prove the greatest ornament and recommendation of this part of the work, and that if I really enjoyed your friendship, which I was perpetually asserting, I could not fail of oh- taining this favour from you. You see, my friend, to what I have been led, by boasting of your regard for me. I have yielded the more readily to their solicitations, in the hopes of re- trieving by it, in some degree, the heavy loss wliich we sustained in you. I therefore most ear- nestly entreat and beseech you, by your ancient love of the Oriental muses, who so feelingly and fondly regret you, not to omit any convenient opportunity of gratifying our wishes. E.xamine. your shelves ; — you will find many things rea^y» and sufficiently perfect for publication. Whatever you send, will be most acceptable, and it shall ap- pear in our miscellany with or without your name, as you may think proper. If you have any thing, in English, and want time to turn it into Latin, I will readily undertake tlie translation of it, and submit it to the examination of others who are better scholars than myself, that your reputation may suffer no impeachment from it. Nothing shall be added, omitted, or changed ; but it shall appear exactly as you send it: to. this if you tliink it necessary, I will pledge my word. I hope it will not be inconvenient to you to favour me Vvith an early reply to this letter, and I rely upon your obliging acquiescence in our request I con- 1B5 i congratulate you upon your new oAce, as an introduction to something more lionourable and lucrative; and as to the loss of your liberty, I regret it rather on my account, than on yours. No one, not even an Englishman, can object to servicie for the public good, which is the just re- compence' of virtue and merit. To me, however, your confinement is grievous ; for, if I was disap- pointed in the expectation of seeing you, when you iverfi your own master, I can scarcely now in- iiulgd a distant hope of that pleasure. Do not however leave me in despair : you have fift^'-nine associates ; some interval of leisure may occur, and ff it should, do not neglect it, but run over and make us happy by the enjoyment of your compaiiy an|i conversation. It is not from want of incli- nation that I do not pay you another vjsit; the recollection of the pleasure I had in your society, is so strongly impressed upon me, that I have no- thing more anxiously at heart, than to fly over to you with all speed, that I may again enjoy it. Neither is it want of time, that detains me- for my office, which exclusively occupies me for nine months, leaves me at libertv the remainiui? three. What is it then? I will tell you the truth, nor blush to reveal to my friend, " that, when my purse is heavier,. I shall find the journcj^ to you lighter*." "'^"^ ^ , \' " The soil of Oriental literature in Holland, as elsewhere, is barren ; it produces only the mere * An Arabic proverb, adapted tp the situation 6{ the writer. conve-r 186 convcm'encies of life, but no superfluities what- ever. I must therefore defer all hope of accom- phshing a journey to England, without some un- expected improvement of my ciicumstances. I shall liowever bear my lot, whatever it may be, with patience. Having mentioned this subject to you, I will add something in whicli you may es- sentially serve me. With a view to improving my fortune, and procuring that affluence, which, though it may be dispensed with, is most accept- able to those who possess it, I have determined to undertake the charge of a pupil, to receive him into my house, and superintend his morals and education. I am particularly anxious, however, that he should be of your country, not only be- cause the system of private education is little known or followed here, but because it would be 'inore agreeable to me to part with my liberty to an Englishman, (you see how openly I speak,) from whom I might expect a more substantial re- compence. I\ly paper will not allow me to say much more. Oblige me with a few lines in re- ply; I am certain you Mill willingly assist me as far as you can, and you may depend upon the strictest attention on my part, to any request from you which I can possibly execute, ^fy wife sends her best compliments to your excellent mother and sister. Farewell, my dear Jones; and conti- nue to honour me with your esteem. H. A. SCIIULTENS. ****** At 387 At an interval of more than twenty-five years from the date of this letter, I cannot but ac- knowledge a disposition to sympathize with the feehngs of the learned writer, and participate the regret which he expresses, at tlie depriva- tion of the society of his friend, from his want of means to defray the expense of a journey to England. At this period, Schultens enjoyed an extensive reputation, and was perhaps the object of envy to many, Vvho, Vvithout any claim to distinction, possessed that opulence, which, with all his indefatigable labours in cul- tivating and promoting literature, he had not been able to procure. We feel tlie more for liim, because his complaints, (if the confidential com- munication of his circumstances authorize tlie ex- pression,) are neither deficient in dignity, nor re- signation. In truth, the tract of literature which he had chosen to cultivate, was more calculated to produce a harvest of celebrity, than profit. * Mr. JONES to H. A. SCHULTENS. July \117. I should have great pleasure in com- plying with your kind and friendly request, by furnishing my contribution to the new work which is soon to appear amongst you, and would exert myself for this purpose, but that the absolute want of leisure makes it impossible. My laAV em- ployments, attendance in the courts, incessant * Appendix, No. 34. studies, 3SB ttiulies, the arrangcuicnt of pleadings, trials of causes, and opinions to clients, scarcely allow me a few moments for eating and sleeping. I thank you sincerely for your very entertaining account of 3'our own occupations, and of what is going on in your country. If I Jihould hear of any wealthy English gentleman, who wishes to send his sou as a pupi! to Holland, to study literature, you may rely upon my recommendation of your merits, as well as upon ni}^ assistance on all oc/- casions. I must however at the same time tell you, that an opportunity of this nature is very un- certain. Mr. JONES to Lord ALTIIORPE. My dear Lord, Bath, Dec. 2%, 1777. I told you, when I had the pleasure of seeing you in London, that it was doubtful Mdie- ther I should pass my vacation at Amsterdam or at Bath ; the Naiads of the ijot S])ringi5 have pre- vailed, you see, over the Nymphs of the lakes, and I have been drinking the waters for ^ ijionthj, with no less pleasure than advantage to my health ; the improvement of which I ascribe, however, in great measure, to my regular exercise on the Downs, and to abstinence from any study that re- quires too much exertion of the mind. I should have seated indeed in Holland from town to town, and a little voyage would have dissipated my bile, if r had any: but that scheme I must postpone ■till another winter, and.have sent an excuse to^my Dutch friend who expected me. '-- '■." '■'• As 1B9 As I ca.me liitlier entirely for the purpose of re- cruitins: mv exhausted spirits and strennthenins: my stomach, I have abstained with some reluctance tVom dancing, an amusement which I am as fond of as ever, but wiiich would be too heating for a water-drinker; and as for the idler diversions of a public place, they have not the recommentlation of novelty, without which they cannot long piease. You, my dear friend, arc in tlie mean time relax- ing yourself, from the severer pursuits of science and civil knowledge, with the healthy and manly •xercise of the field, from which you will return with a keener appetite to the noble feast which the Pluses are again preparing tor you at Cambridge. And here, by way of parenthesis, I must tel,lyoii tlut I joined a small party of hunters the other morning, and was in at the death of a hare; bur I must confess, that I think hare-hunting a ver\ dull exerc-ise, and Ht rather for a huntress than a mighty hunter, rather for Diana than Orion. Had I the taste and vigour of Actt\3on, Mithout his in- discreet curiosity, my game would be the stag or the fox, and 1 should leave the hare in pcaoe, without sending her to her nuiny frrep.ds. • Thi^ heresy of mine may arise from my fq iidu,ess for every thing vast, and u:\- disdain of every thrng Uttk', and for the same reason I sliouui prefer the more violent sport of tlie Asiatics, who inclose a^ whole district with toMs, and tlijn attack tlicti-' gers and leopards witli javelins, to the sound. of trumpets and clarions. Of music, I concluc^e, von 190 you have as much at Althorpe, as your heart can desire; I might here have more than my ears could bear, or my mind conceive, for we have with us La Motte, Fischer, Rauzzini ; but, as I live in the house of my old master, Evans, whom you remember, I am satisfied M'ith his harp, which I prefer to the Theban lyre, as much as I prefer Wales to ancient or modern Egypt. I was this morning with Wilkes, who shewed me a letter lately written to him from Paris, by Diderot : as I have, you know, a quick memory, I brought away the substance of it, and give it to you in a translation almost literal : — " Friend " Wilkes, it delights me to hear that you still *' have sufficient employment for your active *' mind, without which you cannot long be happy. *' I have just read the several speeches which you *' have delivered on the subject of your present "war against the provincials; they are full of " eloquence, force, and dignity. I too have cora- *' posed a speech on the same subject, which I *' would deliver in your senate, had I a seat in it. " I will Avave for the present, my countrymen, " all consideration of the justice or injustice of " the measures you are pursuing; I well know " that to be an improper topic at the time when " the public welfare is immediately concerned. I " will not even question at present your power to " reduce an exasperated and desperate people; " but consider, I entreat you, that you are sur- *' rounded by nations by whom you are detested ; '' and 391 '•and say, for Heaven's sake, how long- you will '• give them reason to langh at the ridiciijous " fisrure vou are niakin<>;. This is niv haranoue; " it is short in words, but extensive in meaning." — So far, my dear Lord, we liave no reason to censure the thouglus or expressions of the learned Encyclopedist; what follows is so profligate, that I would not transcribe it, if I M'ere not sure, that you M'Ould join with me in condemning it. " As " to yourself, (he adds,) be cheerful, drink the " best wines, keep the gayest company, and should " you be inclined to a tender passion, address " yourself to such women as make the least resist- " ance; they are as amusing and as interesting as "others. One Jives with them without anxiety, " and (juits them without regret." — I want words, Diderot, to express the baseness, the folly, the hrutaiity of this sentiment. I am no cynic, but as fond as any man at Paris of cheerful compan}^ and of such pleasures as a man of virtue need not blush to enjoy ; but if the philosophy of the French academicians be comprised in 3^our advice to your friend Wilkes, keep it to yourself, and to such as you, I am of a different sect. He con- cludes his letter with some professions of regard, and with a reconnnendation of a vouno; French- man, who told Wilkes some speeches of Diderot, to the Empress of Russia, which you shall hear at some other time. I am interrupted, and must leave you with reluctance till the morning. All 192 An apolog} , 1 trust, will not be thought ne- cessary for hitroducit^g that passage in Diderot's fetter, which Mr. Jones reprobates in terms of asperity and indignation suitable to the rectitude of his own mind. His remarks upon it will serve to explain, if it be at all necessarvj certain ex- pressions in his letters, which may be thought to border upon a levity, that never entered into the composition of his character. His mind was ne- ver tainted with vice, nor was the morality of his conduct ever impeached. He valued the pleasures of society, and enjoyed them as long as they were innocent, whilst he detested the principles and practice of the debauchee and sensualist, and, like his favourite Hafez, could amuse his leisuie hours with poetical compositions in praise of love or beauty, without sacrificing his health, his time, or his virtue. His censure of Diderot is equally a proof of his own abhorrence of vice, and of liis anxiety to impress it strongly on the mind of his friend and late pupil *. In * Of Didc'i'ol, tluis casually introduced to the notice of the rcadt-r, it may not bo irrelevant to give a short account. His works I have never read, nor, from the cliaracter of the man, have any wish to pe- ruse them. Diderot (I take my information from the Abbe Barruel) •*as one of the gang of conspirators against the Christian Religion. He aot only professed Atheism, but made a boast of it, and inculcated it in hi*; writings. He was invited to Russia, by the Empress Catha- rine, who at tirst admired his genius, but soon foimd sufficient reason in his conduct and principles to send him back to France. There were moments in which this professed friend and admirer of Vjoitaifi;, notwithstanding his avowed impiety, seems to have been compelled h^ the force of truth to pay homage to the New Testa- ment . 193 In 177B, I\fv. Jones published a translation of the speeches of Isteiis, in causes concerning the law of succession to property at Athens, with a prefatory discourse, notes critical and liistorical, and a commentary. The M'orks of Isscns had lon^^ been neglected; tlie subject of them was dry, and his technical language, as ]\fr. Jones observes, was unintelli- gible to the herd of grammarians and philologers, by whom the old rnohuments of Grc?cian learning M-ere saved from destruction. To rescue them from obscurity, and to present them to the stu- dent of our English hiws^ in his native language, \vas a task which required the united qualifications of classical eruditionand legal knowledge, and which he discharged with equal pleasure and success. " Tliere is no branch of learning, from which a *' student of the law may receive a more rational " pleasure, of which seems more likely to prevent " his being disgusted with the dry elements of a *' very complicated science, than the history of the mcnt. An acquaintance found hiixi one day explaining a chapter of jt to his daugiitcr, with all the apparent seriousness and energy of a be- iiever. On expressing his surprise, Diderot replied, " I understand' " your meaning; but after all, where is it possible to find better Jes- *' sons for her instruction?'* The devils believe, and tremble. At the close of a life of profligacy and impiety, consisleni^tvitn .». tl'.e sentiments expressed in his letter to Wilkes, Diderot s¥e\ve'(fsoni-e signs of contrition, and even went so far as to declare arr inlentiori of 7^ publicly recanting his errors. But the barbarity of \m\p7tilosophic/ J'riinds interfered to prevent it, and they resolved as far as tficy couff^C that he should die \vitIiout repentance. Under the preteqce th^t a^-» change of air would promote his restoration to health, they secretly removed him into the country, and never left hiro until he expired, in July 1784. o rules 19* " rules and ordinances by which nations, eminent *' for wisdom, and illustrious in arts, have regu- *' lated their civil polity : nor is this the only fruit *' that he may expect to reap from a general *' knowledge of foreign laws, both ancient and " modern ; for whilst he indulges the liberal curi- *' osity of a scholar in examining the customs and *' institutions of men, whose works have yielded *' him the higliest delight, and whose actions have " raised his admiration, he will feel the satisfac- " tion of a patriot, in observing the preference " due in most instances to the laws of his own *' country above those of all other states; or, if *' his just prospects in life give him hopes of be- '' coming a legislator, he may collect many useful *' hints, for the improvement even of that fabric, " which his ancestors have erected with infinite *' exertions of virtue and genius, but which, like *' all human systems, will ever advance nearer to *' perfection, and ever fall short of it." I quote the preceding observations from his pre- fatory discourse, which is written with uncom- mon elegance, and particularly interesting, not only from the information which it contains re- specting the author whose works he illustrated, but for its critical remarks on the comparative merits of the Grecian orators, and for his disser- tation on the Attic laws of succession, and the forms of pleading in the Athenian courts. It was no small credit to Mr. Jones to have successfully accomplished what Sir Matthew Hale, "to whose *' learning i95 ^* learning and diligence the present age is no less ** indebted, than his contemporaries were to his wis- ," dom and virtue," had unsuccessfully attempted. The works of Is£eus are dedicated to Earl Ba- thurst; and Mr. Jones takes occasion, in the epistle dedicatory, to inform the public, that, although he had receivedniany signal marks of friendship from a number of illustrious persons, Lord Bathurst had been his greatest, his only benefactor ; that, with- out any solicitation, or even request on his part, his Lordship gave him a substantial and perma- nent token of regard, rendered still more valuable by the obliging manner of giving it, and literally the sole fruit which he had gathered from an in- cessant course of very painful labour. He adds his further acknowledgements for the more ex- tended intentions of his Lordship, although he had not then derived any benefit from them. This was the only publication of Mr. Jones, in 1778; which, however it might tend to increase his reputation, did not perhaps much advance his professional success. He had however every rea- son to be satisfied with the proportion of business that fell to his share, during the circuits, which he regularly attended. Air. Jones had transmitted a copy of his transla- tion to Edmund Burke; and the following letter contains his acknowledgement of the favour. The opinion of a great orator on any subject connected with that of his constant meditations, will not be lead without interest. o2 My 196 My dear Sir, ^^'^rch i^, 1779. I give you many thanks for your most obliging and valuable present, and feel myself extremely honoured by this mark of of your friend- ship. i\Jy first leisure will be employed in an at- tentive perusal of an author, who had merit enough to fill up a part of yours, and whom you have made accessible to me with an ease and advantage, which one so many years disused to Greek litera- ture as I have been, could not otherwise have. Is3eus is an author of whom I know nothing but by fame ; I am sure that any idea I had from thence conceived of him, will not be at all lessened by seeing him in your translation. I do not know how it has happened, that orators have hitherto flired worse in the hands of the translators, than even the poets ; I never could bear to read a trans- lation of Cicero. Demosthenes suffers I think somewhat less ; — but he suffers greatly ; so much, that I must say, that no English reader could well conceive from whence he had acquired the reputa- tion of the first of orators. I am satisfied that theie is now an eminent exception to this ride, and I sincerely congratulate tlie public on that acqui- sition 1 am, with the greatest truth and regard, my dear Sir, Your most faithful and obliged humble servant, Edmund Burke. Of the incidents in the life of Mr. Jones during the years 1778 and 1779, I have no particular in- formation ; 197 foiimation ; we may suppose his time and attention to ])ave been principally engrossed by his profes- sional duties and studies, and the political cir- cumstances of the times. His own letters, always interesting, and often instructive, with those of his correspondents, contain all that I know of him during this period ; the latter afford additional evidence of the esteem in which his learning, abi- hties, and principles M'ere held by men of high re- putation in the rank of literature. Mr. SWINNEY to Mr. JONES. i^IRj Pera of Constantinople, January \, 1778. So high an opinion do I entertain of your humanity and politeness, as to persuade my- self you will readily pardon the liberty I have taken, of sending you a Persian and Grecian manu- script. If, on perusal of one or the other book, you shall meet with a single passage that may con- tribute cither to your instruction or amusement, my purpose will he fully answered. Among the real curiosities I have seen at Con- stantinople, is a public museum, erected at the sole cxpence of a most learned Grand Visir, whose name and title was Rajib Pacha. This collection contains about two thousand Arabian, Persian, and Turkish manuscripts, which, the learned say, contain vast stores of erudition. It is not im- probable but I may be able, on some favourable occasion, to procure you a copy of the catalogue ; and then, should you be disposed to have any of the 19B the nianiiscilj)ts copied, I intreat you will confer the honour upon me ot" executing the commission.^ People assure me, but I dare not say whether with good authority or no, tJiat the entire Decades of Livy, and the complete History of Curtius, are, contained in that very precious repository : if so, who knows but majesty itself (so superlatively happy are we in a monarch who favours the arts and sciences !; may graciously condescend to com- mand a copy of them ? Be pleased to accei)t of my \rarmest wishes for your health, prosperity, and very long life : and believe me to be (^^^hat 1 sincerely am) a lasting- admirer of your abilities; and at the same time, dear Sir, &c. Sidney Swinn.ey, Dr. STUART to Mr. JONES. My DEAR Sir; u October, mis. : 1 have to acknowledge the receipt of yor.r most obliging letter. It is impossible for me to express the value in which 1 hold the favourable sentiments you have conveyed to me; and above all, tliat strain of cordiality and friendship which accompany them. The loss of that long letter or dissertation, into which my performance was about to entice you, is a matter of infinite regret to me : but I hope that the object which then engaged more particularly your attention, and which was so worthy of it, is now within your reach ; that the fates are to comply with your desires, and to place you in a scene where so nuich honour and so many laurels are to be won and gathered. It 199 Tt affects me with a lively pleasure, that your taste has turned with a peculiar fondness to the studies of law and government on the great scale of history and manners. They have be^n too long- in tlie management of enquirers, who were merely metaphysicians, or merely the retainers of courts. Their generous and libera] nature has been wount'ed and debased by the minuteness of an acute but use- less philosophy, and by a mean and slavish appetite for practice and wealth. It is now fit that we should have lawyers who are orators, philosophers, and historians. But while I entreat you to accept my best thanks for your excellent letter, and express my approba- tion of those studies of which you are enamoured, permit me, at the same time, to embrace the oppor- tunity of making known to you the bearer of these lines. Dr. Gillies, of whom you may have heard as the translator of Lysias, has been long my warm friend: and I have to recommend him to you as the possessor of quahties which are still more to his honour than extensive learning and real genius. Men who leave their compatriots behind them in the pursuitsof science and true ambition, are of the same family, and ought to be known to one another. Do me tlie favour, my dear Sir, to continue to afford me a place in your memory, and believe me that I shall always hear of your prosperit}-, your reputation, and your studies, with a peculiar and «ntire satisfaction. I am now, and ever, yours, &c. GiLB. Stuart. 200 P. S. Iii January or February, I am to send iata the world a new work, in which I treat of the public law, and tlie Constitutional History of Scotland. And, wherever you are, I am to transmit you one of the first copies, by l\l\. Murray^ of Fleet- Street. Dean TUCKER to Mr. JONES. De.A 11 Sir; Gloucester, September ?.], 177> When you first honoured me wit]> your acquaintance, perhaps you M'as not aware wliat a troal)lesome correspondence you was bring- ing yourself into. Be that as it may, I will now beg leave to avail myself of the permission whleli you kindly granted me of consulting you on some points. Several copies of my last tr^ct have been in the University upwards of a fortnight ; and it is probable that by this time some have vouchsafed to read it. What therefore I wish to know is» whe- ther, in the judgment of those Mho have given it a perusal, 1 iiave confuted Mr. Locke's system in such a manner, th.at they are convinced his must be ivrong, whatever else may happen to be 7'ight. If this is not the case, that is, if I have not totally confuted Mr. Locke, I need proceed no farther, for mine can have no chance to be true, if his is stiit supposed to be the only true one; and I shall very willingly give up the pursuit. But, if I have de- molished his scheme, I have so far cleared tlie way to make room for my own, and in that case, I have one or two points to consult you about. 1 am, J. Tucker. £01 Mr. JONES to Lord ALTHORPE. Temple, Oct. 13, 1779, My dear Lord, captain, and friend, (of all which titles no man entertains a juster idea tlian yourself,) how shall I express the delight which your letter from Warley camp has given me? I cannot sufficiently regret, that I was so long de- j)rived of that pleasure ; for, intending to be in London soon after the circuit, I had neglected to leave any directions here about my letters; so tiiat yours has lain almost a month upon my table, where I found it yesterday on my return from the country. I ought indeed to have written first to you, because I was a rambler, you stationary: and because the pen has been my peculiar instrument, as the sword has been yours this summer: but the agitation of forensic business, and the sort of socie- ty in which 1 have been forced to live, afforded me few moments of kisure, except those in which nature calls for perfect repose, and the spirits ex- hausted with fatigue require immediate reparation. I rejoice to see that you are a votary, as Archilochus says of himself, both of the Muses and of Mars; nor do I believe that a letter full of more manly sentiments, or written with more unaffected ele- gance, than yours, has often been sent from a camp. You know I hax'e set my mind on your being a fine speaker in the next parliament, in the caiise of true constitutional liberty, and your letters con- vince me that 1 shall not be disappointed. To this ^02 this great object, both for your own glory and your country's good, your present military station will contribute not u little : for a soldier's life naturally inspires a certain spirit and confidence, without which the finest elocution will not have a full effect. Not to mention Pericles, Xenophon, CjEsar, and a hundred other eloquent soldiers among the ancients, I am persuaded that Pitt (whom by the way T am far from comparing to Pericles) acquired his forcible manner in the field ■where he carried the colours. This I mention in addition to the advantages of your present situa- tion, which you very justly point out : nor can I think your summer in any respect uselessly spent, since our constitution has a good defence in a well- regulated militia, officered by men who love their country : and a militia so regulated, may in due time be the means of thinning the formidable stand- ing army, if not of extinguishing it. Captain * * * * is one of the v.ortliiest, as well as tallest men in the kingdom ; but he and his Socrates, Dr. Johnson, have such prejudices in politics, that one must be upon one's guard in their company, if one wishes to preserve tlicirgood opinion. By the way, the Dean of Gloucester has printed a work, which he thinks a full confutation of Locke's Theory of Government ; and his second volume will contain a new Theory of his own : of this, when we meet. The disappointment to which you allude, and concerning which you say so many friendly things to me, is not yet certain. My competitor 203 conopetitor is not yet iioiniu^ted : many doubt M'hethcr lie will ht; I think he v.ili not, unless the Chancellor should press it strongly. It is still the opinion and wish of the Bar, tliat I should be the man. 1 believe, the minister hardly^ knows his own mind. I caniiot legally he appointed till J^inuary, or next month at soonest, because I am not a barrister of five years standing till that time : now, many believe that they keep the place open for me till 1 am qualified. I certainly wish to have it, because I wish to have twenty thousand pounds in my pocket before I am eight-and-thirty years old ; and then I might contribute in some little degree towards the service of my country in Parliament, as well as at the Bar, without selling my liberty to a patron, as too many of my profes- sion are not ashamed of doing; and I might be a Speaker in the House of Commons in the full vigour and maturity of my age ; whereas, in the slow career of Westminster-Hall, I should not per- haps, even with the best success, acquire the same independent station, till tlie age at which Cicero was killed. But be assured, my dear lord, that if tile minister be offended at the style in which I have spoken, do speak, and will speak, of public affairs, and on that account should refuse to give me the judgeship, I shall not be at all mortified^ having already a very decent competence, without a debt or a care of any kind. I will not break in upon you at Warley unexpectedly; but whenever you find it most convenient, let me know, and I will be with you in less than two hours. Dean 204 Dean TUCKER to ISIr. JONES. Dear Sir, Ghuce-ster, December 31, 177S. I have the pleasure to acquaint you, that your packet and letter arrived safe last night ; for both which, I am very much obliged to you. I cannot say that your remarks have wrought much conviction in me, (in some places they liave,) but they have had what I esteem a better effect, that is, they will make me more cautious and circum- spect in some of my expressions ; and they will oblige me to bring more proofs and ilhistrations of some points than I thought were needful. In all these respects, your friendly remarks have done me much greater service than unmeaning compliments; and as to your differing so widely in opinion from me, your frank declaration of this difference proves you the honester man, and the more to be esteemed, I am, &c. AD AM PRINCE CZARTORYSKI to Mr. JONES. Slj^' ff^arsazv, ^'0-9.26, 1776. It is the fate of those who, like you, arc an ornament to the literary world, to be known to those who are perfectly unknown to them ; each is entitled to call to them for light, and this I hope wiU be a sufficient apology for my intruding upon you, and interrupting those studious hours which you consecrate with so much success to the instruction of your readers. 1 was happy enough of late to hit upon your Essay on the Poetry of the Eastern nations, and your 205 your History of the Persian language. I found that you had made up in these two works a quarrel of a very old standing between erudition aud taste: you have brought them to meet together in such a friendly manner, that one who had never read but your writings, would be apt to tliink they always went hand in hand. I have been applying myself since a few years to the study of Eastern languages; though I cannot flatter myself with having made as yet any con- siderable progress in that branch of learning. Your most excellent Grammar of the Persian lan- guage, which gave birth to Mr. Richardson's one of the Arabic, executed upon the same plan, are the aQ:reeable ""uides which I follow in that difficult journey: to them I owe to be rescued out of the hands of Erpenius, Guadagnola, and the rest of those unmerciful gentlemen who never took the least trouble about clearing the road, or plucking out one single thorn from the many with which the paths of the study of Eastern languages are covered. Give me leave to be still more beholden to you ; aud as you learned men are the leading stars of the un- learned^ I beg you'll bestow a few moments of your leisure upon answering some questions which may perhaps appear very trifling in the eyes of a man of your extensive knowledge. I have always been at a loss to form any con- jecture upon the following subject, which is, by what chance so many words from other European languages, or at least used in our European lan- guages, 206 giiagcs, are got into tlie Persian ; as for instance, jivan, pudder, miidcr*, tlie English, had, tlie Ger- man, doc/ite?', der, bend, together M'ith a deal of ourSclavonian, especially in the arithmetical num- bers, M'hicl], even in thcmannerof pronouncing thenj, are exactly tlie same, such as pendsed, scht's/ied:\;, &c. I should be greatly obliged to you like- wise, if by your means I could be informed, whe- ther the Dictionary of Meninski, proposed to be reprinted at Oxford, is already come out ; whether it contains a great many additions which aie not to be found in the edition of 1680; lastly, ^whe- ther Mr. Richardson has published the second volume, English and Arabic, of his Dictionary. As to our poor countryman, Meninski, he has not met with the reward which he had a right to ex- pect;]:; after having wasted his health and fortune in the finishing of his work, he died Jinnoticed at Vienna; and his -daughter ended her life in the same city a few years ago, very ill used by those * Ymith, father, mother. f 500 and tiOO. X From the short account given of Meninski in the Biographical Dic- tionary, it appears, that he was no less ditiiiguishccl for his extensive erudhion and profound knowledge of languages, particularly Oriental, than by the propriety of conduct, and abilities displayed by him in vari- ous oflici'al situations to which he had risen by his merit. His first station was that of first interpreter to the Polish embassy at the Porte, und from this he was gradually advanced to the rank of a counsellor of war to the Emperor at Vienna, and tirst interpreter of Oriental lan- guages. He died at Vienna at the age of 7j, in 1G98, eighteen years after the publication of his famous and useful work, the Oriental The- sjiurus. The conjpilers of this account do not notice the circumstaaceS mentioned by Prince Czartoryski. who 207 who had advanced money to her father, ifbr the publishing of his work. You hve in a country where such a sin would be ranked among the mor- tal ones. Baron Reviczki, so justly and honour- ably mentioned in your works, has been residing here for several years, as minister of the Court of Vienna : we have often made the wish that some- thing could tempt you to take our part of the world in your way. If that should ever happen, I would consider it as a most agreeable circumstance for me, if you could be prevailed upon to accept of my house during your stay, and consider it as your own. I know what advantages we might reap from so useful and agreeable an intercourse, and would make it our business not to let time lay heavy upon your hands. I must (before I end) express to you the sense of pleasure which I felt as a Pole, in reading that passage of your preface which concerns our country ; it bears the stamp of humanity and spirit. Now, after having repeated my excuses for having been so forward, and per- haps so tedious, I ain> with all possible regard, &c. Adam Prince Czartoryski, General of Podolia. Mr.JONEStoPRINCEADAIM CZARTORYSKI. Lavib's Buildings, Temple, London, Feb. 17, 1779- Nothing could be more honourable to me than your letter, nothing more flattering than the sentiments which you express in it ; but I am 208 I am so little used to converse or correspond with Princes, and have so long been accustomed to the plainness of the ancients, tliat I should address your Highness with more facihty in Latin than in any modern idiom. Yet as you not only perfectly understand my native language, but even write it (I speak sincerely) with elegance, I will try to answer you in English, with Koman sim{)lieity. It gives jTie great pleasure, that my juveuile compositions have been at all useful or entertain- ing to you. What higher reward can a writer de- sire, than the approbation of such a reader ? In supposing, however, that you interrupt my studious liours which I am consecrating to literature, allow me to say, that, unhappily for me, you are a little mistaken. My last four years have been spent in forensic labours, which, however arduous, are no less pleasing than reputable, and would be peifectly congenial with my temper and disposition, it' they did not M'holly preclude me from resuming my former studies. It is possible, however, that I may soon succeed to a liigh judicial oftice in Ben- gal, where the vacations will give me leisure to renew my acquaintance, which I now am obliged to intermit, with the Persian and Arabian classics. Should my appointment take place, I shall set a high value on your correspondence, and will not fail to send both your highness and my friend, Baron Reviczki, (to whom I will write very soon) some wreaths of flowers from the banks of the Ganges. In 209 In answer to your questions, I must inform your Highness, that the project of reprinting Meninski liere is entirely dropt; but Richardson is indefati- gable, and advances as expeditiously as possible with the second part of his dictionary. How so many European words crept into the Persian lan- guage, I know not with certainty. Procopius, I think, mentions the great intercourse, both in war and peace, between the Persians and the nations in the North of Europe and Asia, whom the ancients knew by the general name of Scythians. Many learned investigators of antiquity are fully per- suaded, that a very old and almost primeval lan- guage was in use among these northern nations, from which not only the Celtic dialects, but even the Greek and Latin are derived ; in fact we find tsxTYi^ and fxviTV|o in Persian, nor is Suy^Ti^g so far removed from dockter, or even ovo/jlk and nomen from nam, as to make it lidiculous to suppose, that they sprang from tlie same root. We must confess that these researches are very obscure and uncertain ; and you will allow, not so agreeable as an ode of Hafez, or an elegy of Amr'alkeis. How happy should I be, my dear Prince, if, on my re- turn from India, I could visit Poland, accept the kind invitation of your Highness, and enjoy the promised pleasure of your conversation and friend- ship. My good genius forbids me wholly to de- spair of that happiness ; and the sperata voluptas .suavis amicitia?, which enabled Lucretius to endure p anv 210 any toil, and spenrl the starry nights, as he says, in contemplation, shall have a similar effect on, &c. William Jones. Dr. STUART to Mr. JONES. My dear Sir, Feb. 12, 1779. I beg you to accept my new work, as a mark of my best observance. The subjects are very important, very curious, and very new, but the materials upon which I was to operate were very imperfect. Indeed, I fear much, that a pro- priety of intention is all my merit, and fjom that, I think, I am to draw little glory ; for it is com- mon to me with writers who are the weakest and most tritling. Yet, if your eye can trace any evidence in this trifle to oppose my apprehensions, I shall be very happy. All the humility of my doubts will go away. In two respects, I expose myself very much to censure. I have attacked the nobile ojjlcium of the court of session ; and I have vindicated the freedom of the Scottish government from the misrepresentations of Dr. Robertson, the historiographer of Scotland. With a thousand people, these things are the greatest of all crimes. It is in England, and not in this country, that I am to find those readers who will he perfectly im- partial. I entreat you to accept my most sincere wishes for your prosperity, and that you will believe me, with the most entire respect, my dear Sir, &c. GiLB. Stuakt. 211 Dr. STUART to xMr. JONES. Dr. Stuart presents his best compli- ilients to j\Ir. Jones. 1 beg to liave tlie pleasure to submit to your in- spection a small Treatise, which I have published a few 3'ears ago, as an introduction to an extensive work on the laws and constitution of Encrland, Mdiich I have long* meditated, and have in part executed. If you like my ideas, I shall account myself extremely fortunate. If they do not strike 3'ou as of importance and interesting, I shall think that I have employed my leisure without advan- tage. Your line of study lias led you to enquire into the history of English manners and jurispru- dence. The little work which accompanies this note, is perfectly within this line; and, as I have the most entire confidence in 3^our penetration and candour, 1 should be happy to know your opinion of it. I should then be in a state to form a resolu- tion whether I ought to give order and method to the materials I have collected in the view of prose- cuting a subject, which I may perhaps have under- taken MHthout liaving propei ly consulted my forces. You will do mctheiavour to excuse this trouble. *C. REVICZKI to Mr. JONES. If'ursaiv, March \7, 1779. I latelv received throuo;h Mr. your two last learned publications ; a most agree- able and convincing proof of your affectionate re- * Appendix, No. 35. p'J membraiice 212 niembrancc of me. The singular erudition with Avhich your works abound, not only delighted me exceedingly, hut almost excited my inclination to resume those studies which I had almost forgotten.. Prince Adam Czartoryski, who has cultivated Oriental literature not unsuccessfully, had already afforded me an opportunity of perusing your life of Nadir Shah. He particularly pointed out the passages in the dissertation, in which you make such honourable mention of me, and for which I am indebted to your partiality alone. I regret the loss which the republic of letters must suffer from your desertion, and determination to devote your- self to the altar of Themis : but I trust that Mel- pomene, under whose auspices you were born, will compel you to return to your allegiance. I am lieartily tired with a residence of seven years on the banks of the Vistula : but the termination of the German war will, I hope, restore me to a more pleasing situation. How much more agreeable Av'ould it be to me if fortune would allow me to gratify my inclinations, by passing my days in England, near you ! But to whatever place my destiny may lead me, my affection for you will continue unabated. — Farewell. Mr. JONES to Lord ALTHORPE. Temple, Feb. 4, 1780. The public piety having given me this afternoon what I rarely can obtain, a short in- termission of business ; can I employ my leisure more 213 more agreeably than in writing to my friend ? I ^hall send my letter at random, not knowing whe- ther you are at Althorpe or at Buckingham, but persuading myself that it will find you without much delay. May I congratulate you and our country on your entrance upon the great career of public life? If there ever was a time when men of spirit, sense, and virtue, ought to stand forth, it is the present. I am informed, that you have attended some coun- try meetings, and are on some committees. Did you find it necessary or convenient to speak on the state of the nation ? It is a noble subject, and with your knowledge as well as judgment, you will easily acquire habits of eloquence ; but habits they are, no less than playing on a musical instru- ment, or handling a pencil : and as the best musi- cians and finest painters began with playing some- times out of tune and drawing out of proportion, so the greatest orators must begin with leaving some periods unfinished, and perhaps with sitting- down in the middle of a sentence. It is only by continued use that a speaker learns to express his ideas with precision and soundness, and to provide at the beginning of a period, for the conclusion of it; but to this facility of speaking, the habit of writing rapidly contributes in a wonderful degree. I would particularly impress this truth upon your mind, my dear friend, because I am fully con- vinced that an Englishman's real importance in his country, Avill always be in a compound ratio of his virtue, his knowledge, and his eloquence ; without all 214 all of which qualities, little real iitilit}^ can result' from either of them apart: and I am no less |)er- buaded, that a virtuous and knowing man, who has no natural impediment, may by habit acquire perfect eloquence, as certainly as a healthy man, who has the use of his muscles, may learn to swim or to scate. When shall we meet, and where, that we may talk over these and other matters? There are some topics which will be more properly discussed in conversation than upon paper, I mean on account of their copiousness ; for, belicxe me, 1 should not be concerned, if all that I write were copied at the post-office, and read before the King in council. ****** At the same time I solemnly declare, that I will not enlist under the banners of a party ; a declaration which is I believe useless, because no party would receive a man, determined as I am to think for himself To you alone, my friend, and to your interests, I am firmly attached, both from early habit and from mature reason, from ancient affection unchanged for a single moment, and from a full conviction that such aifection was well placed. The views and wishes of all other men, I will analyze and weigh with that suspicion and slowness of belief, M'hich my experience, such as it is, has taught me ; and to be more particular, although I will be jealous of the 7'egal part of our constitution, and always lend an arm towards restraining its proud waves within due limits, yet my most vigihmt and strenuous efforts shall be directed against any oligarchy that may rise ; beino: 215 being convinced, that on the popular part of every government depends its real force, the obHgatioii of its laws, its welfare^ its securit}', its j)ermanence. I have been led insensibly to write more seriously than I had intended; my letters shall not always be so dull ; but with so many public causes of grief or of resentment, who can at all times be gay ? In the memoirs of Mr. Jones, the year seven- teen-hundred-and-eighty forms an interesting aera, in v/hich his occupations were diversified, his pro- spects extended, and his hopes expanded, more than at any former period of his lile. His pro- fessional practice had greatl}^ increased, and sug gested the fairest hopes of progressive enlarge- ment, and augmented profit: but as ins views ■were more particularly directed to the vacant seat on the bench of Fort William, in ikngal, and as, from the kindness of Lord North, he was au- thorized to expect the early attainment of it, he was less solicitous to procure an augmentation ot business, which, in the event of success in his India pursuits, he must altogether abandon, hi this state of suspense, the political events of the times received a more than ordinary share of his attention: he did not however enrol himself with any party ; but, looking up to the constitution and liberty of his country, as the objects of his political adoration, he cultivated an extensive ac- quaintance with men of all parties, and of the first rank and talents, without any sacrifice of principle 216 principle or opinion. No man had ever more right to apply to himself the character of — ** nul- *' lius addictus jurare in verba magistri." With respect to the American war, he early adopted sentiments npon it unfavourdble to the justice of the British cause, and this opinion, once form.ed, v.ould naturally acquire strength from the protraction of the contest, which he lamented with the feelings of a true patriot and friend to humanity. These reflections dictated a very ani- mated and classical Ode to Libert}', which he composed in Latin, and printed in March ; it strongly displays his genius, erudition, feelings, and political principles*"'. Sir Roger Newdigate having declared his inten- tion of vacating his seat in parliament, as repre- sentative of the University of Oxford, ]\Ir. Jones was induced by a laudable ambition, and the en- couragement of many respectable friends, to come forward as a candidate. — The following letters will explain his hopes, his conduct, and disappoint- ment on this occasion. Mr. CARTWRIGHT to Mr. JONES. Sir ; May s, i7;-o. It is with pleasure I observe the pu- blic papers mention you as one of the candidates to represent the University of Oxford at the ensuing election. As a literary society, the rank you hold * Works, vo], iv. p. 581.— This ode was published under the title of " Julii Melesigoni ad libertatem." The assumed name is formed by a transposition of the letters of Gulielmus Jonesius. in 217 in the republic of letters ought certainly to point you out as one of the first objects of her choice. But it is not merely upon this principle that I feel m3'self interested in your success; exclusive of that veneration with which I look up to supe- rior talents, I have an additional motive (which indeed ought to supersede every other) in the very high opinion I have formed of your integrity. If in this opinion I should be mistaken, your own writings have greatly contributed to mislead me. You will perceive, Sir, my reason for troubling you with this letter is to desire that, when you make out a list of your friends upon this occa- sion, my name may be admitted into the number. I am. Sir, with truth, your very sincere well- wisher, &c. Edmund Cartwkight. Mr. JONES to the llev. E. CARTWRIGHT. Dear Sir; Lamb's Buildings, Temple, May \6, 1780. Since my friends have declared me a candidate for the very honourable seat which Sir Roger Newdigate intends to vacate, I have received many flattering testimonies of regard from several respectable persons : but your letter, dated the 8th of May, which 1 did not receive till this morning, is, without a compliment, the fairest and most pleasing fruit of the competition in whicli I am engaged. The rule of the University, \vhich is a very noble one, forbidding me to so- licit votes for myself, I have not been at liberty even to apply to many persons whom it is both a pleasure 218 pleasure and honour to knoM\ Your unsnliciterl approbation is a great reward of ni}' past toil in my literary career, and no small incentive to iu- ture exertions. As to my integrity, of which yoa are pleased to express a good opinion, it has not yet been tried by any very strong temptations; I hope it will resist them if any be thrown in my way. This only I may say, (and I think witiiout a boast,) that my ambition was aU'ays very much bounded, and that my views are already attained by professional success adequate to my highest expectations. Perhaps 1 shall not be thought very unambitious, if I add, that my great object of imitation is Mr. Selden, and that, if I could ob- tain the same honour wliich was conferred on him, I should, like him, devote the rest of my life to the service of my constituents and my country ; to the practice of an useful profession, and to t)ie unremitted study of our English laws, history, and literature. To be approved by you, and such men as you (if many such could be found), would be a sufficient reward to, &c. W. Jones. Permit me to add an ode printed (but not pu- blished) before the present competition, and at a time when I should have been certainly made a judge in India, by the kindness of Lord North, if any appointment had taken place. It proves suflicientl}' that no views or connections can pre- vent me from declaring my honest sentiments when 1 think they may be useful to my country. Mr. 219 Mr. BURROWS to Mr. JONES. Sir; Iladlty, near Bamet, May 23, 1780. For the first time I am sorry I did not take all my degrees. I should have been happy to have given the testimony of an individual to a merit, which I have long considered as the re- proach, as M'ell as ornament of this age and coun- try : I must add, it would have given me particu- lar pleasure to have expressed my gratitude to one who has so much contributed to my instruc- tion and amusement. I most heartily wish you success, as the republic seems in great danger of taking some harm from the weakness of her friends, and the vigour of her foes and never in any time of her life stood in more need of the attracting and repelling powers of men of ability. I must own too, I have an additional reason for wishing you seated in the British parliament, as I shall take great satisfac- tion in seeing the dull of all denominations con- vinced, that men of wit and learning are as capable of excelling in public business, as they call it, as the most illiterate of them all. I am, &c. J. BuKiiows. Mr. JONES to Dr. MILMAN. Sir ; May 30, 1780. Although I liave not yet the honour, to which I have long aspired, of your acquaint- ance and friend>ship, yet I am persuaded that the bond 220 bond which ought, in this crisis, to unite all ho- nest men is, idem scntire de republicci ; and my friend, Mr. Milles, having- imparted to mc the contents of your yesterday's note, I beg leave to asxsure you, that I never imagined it possible, in this metropolis, at the busiest time of the year, for professional men to attend a committee of can- vassers, and never thought of soliciting the at- tendance or exertions of my friends, any farther than might be consistent with their engagements and avocations. Accept, Sir, my very warm and very sincere thanks (and when I have the honour of being known to you, you will find that my warmth and my sincerity are perfectly undissem- b-led) for the sentiments which j^ou express to Mr» Milles in re^^'ard to me. Wi^atever be the event ©f the competition in which E am engaged, I shall certainly reap the most pleasing fruit from the kindness of many excellent persons, by whom it is an high honour to be esteemed. This only I can say, that, my friends having nominated mc, I have nothing to do but to steer right onzmrd, as Milton says, to a poll. The voy- aige will probably last a twelvemonth at least ; and though I began to sail after the Monsoon, yet I am by no means in despair of reaching the port with flying pennons, how unfavourably soever some few breezes may blow. Without an alle- gory; it vvill necessarily take up much time for my friends to canvass nine hundred voters, a great majo- 221 majority of whom is dispersed in various parts of the kingdom. As to my competitors, I know them both, and respect the benevolence of Sir W. Dolben as much as I admire the extensive eru- dition and fine taste of Dr. Scott : but their poli- tical principles are the reverse of mine. *^ H. A. SCHULTENS to Mr. JONES. Ley den, June 2^ \7M. Although increasing, and, at this particular time, incessant, occupation reluctantly compels me, in some measure, to forego the "plea- sure of corresponding with my friends, yet the subject of your last letter appears to me so im- portant, that I am determined to hazard an imme- diate answer to it in three words, rather than, fey waiting for a more favourable opportunity, run tlae risk of exciting a suspicion of any want of legaa-d and affection for you, by an apparent inattention to your interest. I should be as happy to promote it as my own, although I am unfortunately defi- cient in the means of doing it. The situation for which you are canvassing, my friend, is most honourable and important; and if it be attainable by merit, not favour, I know no person more worthy of it than yourself; none w'ho has higher pretensions to genius ; none who pos- sesses a greater extent of useful knowledge, nor a more powerful and commanding eloquence; none who exceeds you in love for liberty and yoiir -■* Appendix, No. 36. countrv ; 222 country ; none more capable of applying a remedy to the disastrous situation of affairs, by M-ise coun- sels, prudence, fortitude, and integrity ; none therefore, to whose care our Alma Mater (allow me to evince my affection to the University by this expression) can more safely trust her interests and prosperity. Have you, however, no apprehension that your enthusiasm for liberty, which is so generally known, may, in these unpropitious times, injure the success of your cause? Will those upon whose votes your election depends, allow the University to be represented in parliament by Julius Melesi- gonus? JNIy countrymen have adopted an opinion, that, in the present situation of affairs, no man Avho publicly avows his attachment to Liberty, can be employed in the administration. This you will say is no concern of mine : be that as it may, no exertions on my part shall be wanting to promote your success, and I wish you would inform me how they can be directed to your advantage. Have I the power of sending a vote in your favour? I much doubt it. Shall I apply to any of my friends at Oxford who are well disposed towards me ; for instance, Messrs. Kennicot, White, and Winstanley ? Write to me without delay, and inform me what I shall do, that I may convince you of my zeal and sincerity to serve you. I am at present at Leyden, having succeeded my father, who died about six months ago, in the professor- 223 professorship of Oriental literature. I have much to say upon this subject, and hope shortly to write fully to you about it. I long to know how you arc, as well as that best of women your mother, and your sister, (to whose friendship I am so much obliged). Present my aifectionate regards to them. Farewell, and remember me. Some catalogues of my father's library, which is to be sold in September, have been forwarded, I think, to Elmsley, and I have ordered one to be sent to you. Mr. JONES to Dr. WHEELER. Mr DEAR Sir; September 2, 17S0. The parliament being suddenly dis- solved, I must beg you, as one of my best and truest friends, to make it known in the University^ that I decline giN'ing the learned body any further trouble, and am heartily sorry for that which has already been given them. It is needless to add, what you well know, that I should never have been the first to have troubled them at all. I al- ways thought a delegation to parliament from so respectable a society, a laudable object of true ambition; but I considered it as a distant object, as the reward of long labour and nieritorious ser- vice in our country ; and I conceived, that, had I filled a judge's seat in India, with the approba- tion of my countrymen, I might on my return be fixed on as a proper representative of the Uni- versity. Had ngt that happened which you kno\r, I should 224 I should no more have thought of standing now, than of asking for a peerage. As to principles in politics, if my success at Oxford, at any future time, depend upon a change of them, my cause is hopeless: I cannot alter or conceal them with- out abandoning either my reason or my integrity ; the first of which is my only guide, and the second my chief comfort in this passage through life. Were I inclined to boast of any thing, I should certainly boast of making those principles my rule of conduct, M'hich I learned from the best of men in ancient and modern times; and which, my rea- son tells me, are conducive to the happiness of mankind. As to me??, I am certainly not hostile to the ministers, from whom I have received obli- gations ; but I cannot in conscience approve their measures, Mr. JONES to Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Dear Sir, September ^, \:?>o. Permit me again to express (what I can never express too often, or too warmly) my very siacere thanks for your kind letter, dated May 8, and to assure you, as I may with the greatest truth, that 1 am just as much obliged to you as if your kindness had been attended with the most brilliant success; but as my strength in the great elective body of our University, (which strength, all circumstances considered, was very respectable,) lay chiefly among the non-resident rotors, it would be unpardonably ungrateful iii me 225 ine were I to give my friends the trouble of taking long journeys, without a higlier probability of suc- cess than my late enquiries have left me room to expect. I therefore decline giving any farther trouble to the learned body, and am heartily sorry for that which has already been given them, though not originally by me or my friends. I am perfectly conscious that had I been so fortu- nate as to succeed at Oxford, I should not have advanced, nor wished to advance, a single step in the career of ambition, but should cheerfully have sacrificed my repose and peace of mind to such a course as I conceived likely to promote the public good ; and this consciousness cannot but prevent me from being in the least depressed by my failure of success. I should never repent of this little struggle, if it had produced no other fruit than the testimony of your approbation. The hurry of the general election to a professional man, has obliged me to suspend till another long vacation, two little works, which I hoped to finish in the remainder of this. The first is a treatise On the Maritime Jurisprudence of the Athenians, illus- trated by five speeches of Demosthenes in commer- cial causes ; and the second, a dissertation Oji the Manners of the Arabians before the time of Ma- homet, illustrated by the seven poems, which were written in letters of gold, and suspended in the temple at Mecca, about the beginning of the sixth century. When they are printed, I shall be proud m submitting them to your judgment; as their excellence is well known. ) passages only, which have no reference to the political discussions of that period ; one, ia ■which Mr. Jones expresses his sentiments on the African slave-trade, and the second containing an honourable declaration of that conduct which he would have pursued, if good fortune had placed ]bim in the House of Commons. *' I pass with haste by the coast of Africa, " whence my mind turns with indignation at the " abominable traffic in the human species, from ■' which a part of our countrymen dare to derive " their mobt inauspicious wealth. Sugar, it has " been said, woulu be dear if it were not worked by *^ Blacks in ihe Western islands* as if the most *' laborious, the most dangerous works, were not *' carried on in every country, but chiefly in Eng- *' land, by^reemen ; in fact they are so carried on " with infinitely more advantage, for there is an " alacrity in a consciousness of freedom, and a " gloomy sullen indolence in a conscious less of * ' slavery ; ^34 '' slavery ; but let sugar be as dear as it may, it is " better to cat none, to eat honey, if sweetness " only be palateable ; better to eat aloes or colo- " quinticla than violate a primary la^v of nature, " in-jpressed on every heart not imbruted by ava- '' rice, than rob one human creature of those *' eternal rights, of which no law upon earth can ''justly deprive him." •' Had it been my good or bad fortune, to have *' delivered in thegreat assembly of representatives " the sentiments which this bosom contains, I am " sensible that my public course of speaking and *' voting must have clashed, in a variety of instances, *' with my private obligations; and the conflict *' of interfering duties constitutes, in my .opinion, *' the nicest part of morality, on which however " I have completely formed my system, and trust " that no views of interest will ever prevent my *' practice from coinciding with my theory." Professions of this nature are sometimes made and forgotten, when the end, which they were meant to serve, has been attained ; but sincerity was ever a prominent feature in the character of Mr. Jones, and he was more disposed to overstep tlie bounds of prudence by adliering to it, than to violate what he always deemed a primary law of morality. In the autumn of this year, I find Mr. Jones at Paris. He had, in the preceding summer, made a short excursion to that capital; but the occurrences ^35 occurrences of these journeys are not of sufficient importance to engage the reader's attention. I re-- collect to have heard him mention, in answer to a question which I once put to him, whether he had seen iMonsicur du Perron at Paris, that this gentle- man studiously avoided meeting him during his residence there. The following letters writteai by Mr. Jones after his return to England, are interesting, as descrip- tive of his occupations and sentiments, and as an- nouncing his intention of writing an important his- torical work, which he never found time to execute. Mr. JONES to Lord ALTHORPE. I thought myself peculiarly unfortu- nate last Friday in my way to London ; at Chat- ham, where I had the pleasure indeed of seeing Lady Rothes restored to perfect health, I sought in vain for Mr. Langton among the new ravelines and counterscarps; and at Dartford 1 had the mortification to find that you, my dear Lord, were not in camp, where I was not without hoj)e of passing an evening, M'hich I am persuaded would have been equally agreeable to us both. After a very tedious and uncomfortable passage, T arrived at Margate on Wednesday night, having been out of England a month exactly, half of which time I spent at Paris. In this interval I have seen, not indeed so many men or so many cities as the hero of the Odyssey, but a sufficient number of both to have enlarged very considerably the sphere of my knowledge. 256 knowledge. I have heard much and thought more ; but the result of all I haveheard and thought is, that the M'ar which I have invariably and deli- berately condemned as no less unjust than impoli- tic, will continue verv lonsr to desolate the coun- try of our brethren, and exhaust our own. The principal object of my late excursion has been com- pletely answered; and 1 had more success than I at lirst expected in one or two subordinate pursuits, professional and literary. I attended some causes at the palais, and have brought with me the works of a most learned lawyer, whose name and merit I shall have the honour of making known to our countrymen. I obtained access also to a fine ma- nuscript in the royal library, which has given me a more perfect acquaintance with the manners of the ancient Arabians; and how little soever I may value mere philology, considered apart from the knowledge to which it leads, yet I shall ever set a high price on those branches of learning, which make us acquainted with the human species in all its varieties. Paris itsc^lf, and all the roads to ft, are so perfectly known to you, that an account of my journey would be superfluous; and as to poli- tics, I would rather converse than write on a sub- ject so very serious; not that I have an}^ appre- hensions, as you well know, of the least danger, or even inconvenience to myself; but many acci- dents happen to letters, and in times like these, the post is hardl}' to be trusted. This however I will say, that, as it is my fixed design, if I live to see a peace. 237 peace, to write an impartial history of the war, I was desirous in France to be acquainted with as many of the American leaders as I could meet wnth ; and the same desire would have carried me to Amsterdam, if the season had not been so far advanced. All the intelligence that I collect- ed, and all the observations that I made, you should have heard on Friday evening had you been in camp, and shall hear in the course of conversation when we meet. I rejoice to hear, since my return, that Lord Spencer is much better. — Farewell, my dear Lord ; you are more fully assured than formal words can express, how sincerely I am, &c. Mr. JONES to Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Dear Sir, xov. 12, i78o. You have so fully proved the favourable opinion, which you do me the honour to entertain of me, that I am persuaded you acquit me of any culpable neglect in delaying for more than two months to answer your very obliging letter. The truth is, that I had but just received it when I found myself obliged to leave England on very pressing business; and I have not long been returned from Paris. The hurry of preparing myself for so long a journey at such a season, left me no time for giving you my hearty thanks, which I now most sincerely request you to accept, both for your kind letter, and for the very elegant sonnet, with which you have rewarded me abundantly for my humble labours in the field of literature. 1 give you my word, 238 word, that your letters and verses have greatly en- couraged me in proceeding as expeditiously as I am able, to send abroad my seven Arabian poets i and I propose to spend next month at Cambridge, in Older to finish my little work, and to make use of a rare manuscript in the library of Trinity Col- lege ; my own manuscript, which was copied for me at Aleppo, is very beautiful, but unfortunately not very correct. You may depend on receiving a copy as soon as it can be printed. How happy I shall be if I should be able to wait upon you in Leicestershire, or to see you in Lon- don, and assure you in person that I am, With the greatest sincerity, &c. W. Jones. ****** From the public occurrences in which Mr. Jones was engaged, I now turn to a domestic calamity, the death of his mother, which involved him in the deepest affliction. If, as a parent, she had the strongest claims upon the gratitude and affection of her son, the obligations of filial duty wqyq never more cheerfully and zealously discharged than by Mr. Jones. To her able instruction he was indebt- ed for the first rudiments of literature; she direct- ed his early studies, formed his habits and his taste, and, by the closest attention to economy, was ena- bled to promote his progress in learning by supply- ing the funds for this purpose. From tlie period of his obtaining a fellowship, he had declined re- ceiving any assistance from her purse : and as his professional profits increased, his own was ever at her 239 her disposal. Daring his residence at Oxford, the time which he did not employ in study or college duties, was devoted to her; his attention was equally the result of principle and affection. She was the confidant of his plans, hopes, and occupa- tions, and he invariably consulted her on all occa- sions, where his more important interests were con- cerned. The kindness, as well as the sincerity of his affection, was shewn in numberless instances, which never failed to attract the observation of his friends and associates, although they are too mi- nute to be particularized ; and the satisfaction which he derived from the distinction to which his abili- ties had raised him, was redoubled from the con- sideration that his mother participated in it. I re- gret that none of his letters to his mother have been preserved, as they would have exhibited an amiable and striking part of his character*. The * I transcribe the following memorandum from the hand-writing of Mr. Jones : Anno A'^tat. 33. Resolved to learn no more rudinients of any kind, but to perfect myself in, First, 12 languages, as the means of acquiring accurate knowledge of the I. HISTORY of 1. Man. 2. Nature. II. ARTS. 1. Rhetorick. 2. Poetry. 3. Painting. 4. Music. III. SCIENCES. 1. Law. 2. Mathematics. 3. Dialectic. N. B. Every species oi human knowledge may be reduced to one or other of these divisions. Even law belongs partly to the History of Man, partly as a science, to dialectic. The 240 The remaining correspondence of this year be- tween Mr. Jones and his friends, is not important : I select from it only two letters, which cannot fail to please, although they may not be particularly interesting. Mr. JONES to the Bishop of St. ASAPH. My Lord, Nove?nber 23, IISO. Had I not been prevented by parti- cular business from writing to your Lordship on Tuesday evening and yesterday, I would have in- formed you before, that we had done ourselves the honour (and a very great one we shall ever esteem it) of electing your Lordship a member of our club*. The election was of course unanimous, and it was carried with the sincere approbation and eagerness of all present. I am sorry to add, that Lord Camden and the Bishop of Chester were re- The Y2 languages are, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, German, English. 1780. * Generally known by the name of the Turk's-Hcad Club, held ifi Gerrard-street, Soho. The establishment of this club was first pro- posed by Sir Joshua Heynolds to Burke and Johnson, and the original members of it were the friends of these three. The number of members was gradually increased to forty, comprehending men of the most dis- tinguished characters, and eminent for their learning, talents, and abilities. jected. 241 jected. When Bishops and Chancellors honour us by offering to dine with us at a tavern, it seems very extraordinary that we should ever reject such an offer ; but there is no reasoning on the caprice of men. Of our club I will only say, that there is no branch of human knowledge, on which some of our members are not capable of giving infor- mation, and I trust that as the honour will be ours, so your Lordship will receive some pleasure from the company once a fortnight, of some of our first writers and critics, as well as our most virtuous senators and accomplished men^ I think myself highly honoured in having been a member of this society near ten years, and chiefly in having con- tributed to add such names to the number of our friends as those of your Lordship and Lord Althorpe. I spoke yesterday in Westminster- Hall for two hours and a half, on a knotty point of law, and this morning for above an hour, on a very interest- ing public question ; to-morrow I must argue a great cause, and am therefore obliged to conclude with assuring your Lordship, that I am with the highest, &c. W. Jones. The Bishop of St. ASAPH to Mr. JONES. Dear Sir, November 27. You was prevented by Sif Joshua Reynolds in your kind intentions of giving me the earliest notice of the honour you have done me. I believe Mr. Fox will allow me to say, that the honour of being elected into the Turk's-Head Glub is not inferior to that of being the representa- R tive 2:42^ tive of Westminster or Surry. The electors u,Te\ certainly more disinterested, and I sljould say they were much better judges of merits if they had not rejected Lord Camden and chosen me. 1 flat-. ter myself with the hopes of great pleasure and im^ provement in such a society as you describe, which indeed is the only club of which I ever wished my- self a member. Though I am much flattered with hearing from you, I was delighted with the cause of your delay- ing to write. Your talents have found means, by their own weight, to open the way to public notice and employment, which could not long be shut a^inst them. Your pleadings foF the nephexo^ against the daughter promise something very curi- ous in the particulars of the case, which seems to call for great abilities to defend it. I would not negJect the first opportunity of an-. s\yeringyour very obliging letter, though, it being- early post day, I am forced to M'rite in a greater hurry than I could wish. I am, &c. J. St. A. After an interval of six years, we find Mr. Jones retracing liis favourite haunts with the Arabian muses. He devoted the leisure hours of the M'in- ter of 1780-1 to complete his translation of seven ancient poems of the highest repute in Arabia*. Literature/ * At the beginning of the seventh century, the Arabic language was brought to a high degree of perfection, by a sort of poetical academy, that used to assemble at stated times in a place called Ocadh, where every poet produced his best composition, and was sure to meet with the applause that it deserved; the most excellent of these poems were transcribed :^^ Literature,' politics, professional studies and prac- tice, all had a share of his attention ; but the principal object of his hopes and ambition was the vacant seat on the bench in India, to which he looked forward with increasing anxiety. The marriage of Lord Althorpe with Miss Bingham, daughter of Lord Lucan, was too interesting an event to pass unnoticed by Mr. Jones ; and he celebrated the nuptials of his friend in a very poetical ode, under the title of the Muse Recalled*. This composition, the dictate of friendship, and offspring of genius, was written in the course of a few hours. His poetic talents were also exerted in transcribed in characters of gold upon Egyptian paper, and hung up in the.Teiuple of Mecca, whence they were named Mozahebat, ox golden, and Moallakat, or suspended : the poems of this sort were called Cas- seidas or Eclogues, seven of which are preserved in our libraries, and are considered as the finest that were written before the time of Mo- bammed. Essay on the Poetry of the Eastern Nations. Works, vol. xiv. p. 535. It iTiay be satisfactory to the reader who does not possess the works of Sir Wm. Jones, to read his metrical imitation of a passage in the 4th Eclogue. But ah ! thou knows't not in what youthful play. Our nights, beguil'd with pleasure, swam away ; Gay songs, and cheerful tales, deceiv'd the time. And circling goblets made a tuneful chime; Sweet was the draught, and sweet the blooming maid, Who touch' d her lyre beneath the fragrant shade ; We slpp'd till morning purpled every ,,lain ; ■ The damsels slumber' d, but we sipp'd again ; The waking birds that sung on every ti'ee Their early notes, were not so blythe as we. * Works, vol. iv. p. 563. ^~v R 2 a cause 244 a cause ever nearest to bis heart, that of Liberty : he restrung the lyre of Alcaeus, and produced a short ode* in the genuine spirit of the patriot and poet, whom he imitated. These were his amuse- ments. The result of his professional studies was an Essay on the Law of Bailments. He divided and treated the subject under the distinct heads of analysis, history, and synthesis ; and intimates an intention, if the method used in this tract should be approved, and on the supposition of future leisure, to discuss in the same form every branch of En- glish law, civil and criminal, private and public ; and he concludes the Essay with the following just and elegant reflections : ** The great system of jurisprudence, like that of " the Universe, consists of many subordinate '* systems, all of which are connected by nice "links and beautiful dependencies; and each of " them, as I have fully persuaded myself, is redu- " cible to a few plain elements, either the wise ** maxiins of national policy and general conve- *' nience, or the positive rules of our forefathers, *' which are seldom deficient in wisdom or utility : " if LAW be 2i science, and really deserve so sublime " a name, it must be founded on principle, and *' claim an exalted rank in the empire o^ reason; ** but if it be merely an unconnected series of de- ** creesand ordinances, its use may remain, though " its dignity be lessened ; and he Mill become the *' greatest lawyer, who has the strongest habitual, ♦Works, vol. iv. p. 571. "or U5 ** or artificial memory. In practice, la\r certainly *' employs tzco of the mental faculties; reason in ** the primary investigation of points entirely nezv^ ^' and memory, in transmitting the reason of sage *'-and learned men, to which our own ought inva- *' riably to yield, if not from a becoming modesty, ^* at least from a just attention to that object, for *' which all laws are framed, and all societies " instituted, the good of mankind." Nothing can more strongly evince the predilec- tion of Mr. Jones for his professional studies, and his anxiety to acquire a knowledge of the general principles and practice of law, than a work which he undertook about this period, the translation of an Arabian poem on the Mohammedan law of suc- cession to the property of intestates*. The sub- ject of the original is dry, the diction obscure; it exhibits no rhetorical flowers, no poetical orna- ment ; and even the partiality of Mr. Jones for Eastern literature could never have induced him to engage in a work of this nature, if he had no^ thought it connected with objects of information and utility. In the expectation of obtaining the situation of an Indian judge, this law tract pro- bably recommended itself to his notice, as he could not but foresee that a knowledge of Mohammedan law would be essential to the performance of the duties of that station. The reader will recollect how much the public attention was occupied in the year 1782, with the * Works, vol. iii. p. 489. attempts U6 attempts to procure, by constitutional means, a re- formation of parliament. It would have been sur- prising if Mr. Jones had remained an idle spectator on an occasion, which of all others was most in- teresting to his feelings. Led by his professional studies to an enthusiastic veneration for the prin- ciples of the constitution of his country, he was anxious that the form of it should in all respects correspond with them : " but, as the form in a ** course of years is apt to deviate widely from the *' spirit, it became (in his opinion) expedient almost *' every century to restore its genuine purity and *' loveliness." These sentiments he expressed in a speech to the inhabitants of the counties of Mid- dlesex and Surry, the cities of I^oudou and West- minster, and the borough of Southwark, assembled at the London Tavern, on the 28th of I\lay, 1782, to consider on the means of procuring a reformat- tion of parliament. The fust resolution adopted by the meeting, and in which he expressed his most sincere concurrence, was, that petitions ought to be prepared for a more complete representation of tliQ people; and the position which he endeavoured to impress upon the minds of his audience was this, that the spirit of our constitution requires a repre^ sentation of the people nearly equal, and nearly universal. This speech has long been before the public, and 1 shall therefore only notice his decla- ration in the advertisement prefixed to it, that, *' what otfence the publication might give, either " in part, or in the whole, was the last and least of " his 247 *^ his cares : iiis first and greafest^vas to sp^ak on ** all occasions what lie conceived to be just and *' true ;" and the conclusion, in which he tells his audience, that " the people of England can only " expect to be happy, and most glorious, while ** they are the freest ; and can only become the *' freest, when they shall be the most virtuous and " most enlightened of nations." It was about the same period that he composed a very spirited ode, in imitation of Callistratus, which has appeared in a variety of periodical publications, and is publish- ed in his works*. 'In the summer of this year, Mr. Jones again visited France, in the intention of proceeding thence to America. The object of this journey was professional, to procure the restitution of a very large estate of a client and friend, M'hich had been attached by an order of the States, who had threatened the confiscation of the property, unless the owner appeared in person to claim it. This object is mentioned by Mr. Jones in his corre- spondence, and his own evidence will be conclusive against some surmises and insinuations, which were propagated respecting the motives of his in- tended journey. The irresolution of his friend, increased by indisposition, prevented the execution of the plan ; and Mr. Jones, after having procu'- red a passport from Franklin, the American minis- ter at the court of France, returned to England through Normandy and Holland. ' i^^'--i^~ * Vol. iv. p. 573. ?!'^ ■' For 248 For other details relating to his life, during the years 17B1 and 1782, I refer to his correspondence. Mr. JONES to Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Dear Sir, May i, i78i. I take the liberty to send you (as my Arabian poets are not yet ready to wait upon you) a paraphrase of a Greek fragment, which came into my head this spring in my way to Wales*. I make no * In his journey through life, Mr. Jones seldom overlooked the op- portunities of gathering the flowers which chance presented, or of dis- playing for the entertainment of his friends, the stores which he had collected. A variety of poetical compositions was produced by him during his circuits, to enliven the intervals of legal labour. Of these a few have been preserved, and amongstthem the following elegant song, the olTxpring of genius and innocent gaiety. It was written by Mr. Jones, some years before the period of his life at which I am now arri- ved, when he was a very young man, during one of his first circuits, for the express purpose of being sung at a kind of fete chanipetre, which the barristers held on the banks of the Wye. Fair Tivy, how sweet are thy waves gently flowing. Thy wild oaken woods, and green eglantine bow'rs. Thy banks with the blush-rose and amaranth glowing. While friendship and mirth claim these labourless hours! Yet weak is our vaunt, while something we want. More sweet than the pleasure which prospects can give: Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan, Love can alone make it blissful to live. • How sweet is the odour of jasmine and roses. That Zephyr around us so lavishly flings ! Perhaps for Bleanpant * fresh perfume he compose^ Or tidings from Bronwithf auspiciously brings ; Yet weak is our vaunt, while something we want. More sweet than the pleasure which odours can give : Come, * The seat of W. Brigstocke, Esq. f The seat of T-hos. Lloyd, Esq. 249 no doubt of your continuing to cultivate the Muses, by whom you are so highly favoured, and hope Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan, Love can alone make it blissful to live. How sweet was the strain that enliven'd the spirit. And cheef d us with numbers so frolic and freel The poet is absent ; be just to his merit ; Ah ! may he in love be more happy than wc ! For weak is our vaunt, while something we want. More sweet than the pleasure the Muses can give; Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan, Love can alone make it blissful to live. How gay is the circle of friends round a table, Where stately Kilgarran* o'erhangs the brown dale; Where none are unwilling, and few are unable. To sing a wild song, or repeat a wild tale ! Yet weak is our vaunt, while something we want, More sweet than the pleasure ihzifriendship can give: Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan, Love can alone make it blissful to live. No longer then pore over dark Gothic pages. To cull a rude gibberish from Neathamor Brooke ; Leave year-books and parchments to grey-bearded sages; Be nature and love, and fair woman, our book ; For weak is our vaunt, while something we want. More sweet than the pleasure that learning can give : Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan, Love can alone make it blissful to live Admit that our labours were crown'd with full measure^ And gold were the fruit of rhetorical flow'rs. That India supplied us with long-hoarded treasure. That Dinevorf, SlebeckJ, and CoidsmoreH were ours; Yet * A ruin of a castle on the banks of the Tivey. f Seat of Lord Dinevor's, near Llandelo, in Carmarthen. J Seat of Philips, Esq. near Haverford- West. 11 Seat of Thomas Lloyd, Esq. near Cardigan. 250 hope you will from time to time transmit the fruit of their favours to, &c. William Jones. %om^tiie Bishop of St. ASAPH to Mr. JONES.' Dear Sir, Mmj 28, i78i. You have my best and earliest thanks for vour ode in the true Grecian taste and spirit. I remember to have seen a frao-ment of Alcseus, but I cannot find it inAristides,of whom I have only Cantern's small edition. The seed you found there you have quickened by the warmth of true genius into a noble production. 1 cannot help observing that Alca3us, like other good poets and patriots, was condemned for life to be in the minority. i lam, &;c. J. St. Asaph. ' I hope you will not forget, that when you have leisure, your friends at Twyford will be very happy^ to see you. Mr. BURKE to Mr. JONES. I do not know how I can justify liiyself in the liberty I take with you, but con- „ Yet weak is our vaunt, while sometliing we want. More sweet than the pleasure that riclies can give : / Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan, 'lii Love can alone make it blissful to live. f| Or say, that, preferring fair Thames to fair Tivy, ' '','>■ y,||, ,, We gain'd the bright ermine robes, purple and red, o. And peep'd thro' long perukes, like owlets thro' ivy, ' clr '' Or say, that briglit coronets blaz'd on our head; Yet weak is our vaunt, wliile sometliing we want, ' ■ ^ 'J ', Moj;e ^\yq.^t than the pleasure that honours can give : Come, smile, damsels of Cardigan, • r\. Love can alone make it blissful to live. 251 fiding in your humanity and condescension, I beg", if you have leisure for it, that you would be so kind as to breakfast with me, and assist me with your opinion and advice on the conduct of the Bengal Bill. The natives of the East to whose literature you have done so much justice, are par^ ticularly under your protection for their rights. I have the honour to be, with the highest esteem and regard, dear Sir, Your most faithful and obedient humble servant, Edmund Burke. Mr. JONES to Mr. GIBBON. Dear Sir; Lamb's Buildings, June 30, 1781. I have more than once sought, without having been so fortunate as to obtain, a proper opportunity of thanking you very sincerely for the elegant compliment which you pay me, iu a work abounding in elegance of all kinds. My Seven Arabian Poets will see the light before next winter, and be proud to wait upon you in their English dress. Their wild productions will, I flatter myself, be thought interesting, and not venerable merely on account of their antiquity. In the mean while, let me request you to honour me with accepting a copy of a Law Tract, \Vhich is not yet published : the subject is so generally important, that I make no apology for sending you a professional work. You must pardon my inveterate hatred of C. Octavianus, basely surnamed Augustus. I feel myself unable to forgivQ the death of Cicero, which, if 552 if he did not promote, he might have prevented. Besides, even Mecjenas knew the cruelty of hi^ disposition, and ventured to reproach him with it. In short, I have not Christian charity for him. With regard to Asiatic letters, a necessary at- tention to my profession will compel me wholly and eternally to abandon them, unless Lord North (to whom I am already under no small obligation) should think me worthy to concur in the improved administration of justice in Bengal^ and should appoint me to supply the vacancy on the India Bench. Were that appointment to take place this year, I should probably travel, for speed, through part of Egypt and Arabia, and should be able, in my May, to procure many Eastern tracts of litera- ture and jurisprudence. I might become a good Mohammedan lawyer before I reached Calcutta^ and, in my vacations, should find leisure to ex- plain, in my native language, whatever the Arabs, Persians, and Turks, have written on science, his* tory, and the fine arts. My happiness by no means depends on obtain- ing this appointment, as I am in easy circumstan- ces without my profession, and have flattering prospects in it ; but if the present summer and the ensuing autumn elapse vvitliout my receiving any answer, favourable or unfavourable, I shall be forced to consider that silence as a polite refusal, and, having given sincere thanks for past favours, shall entirely drop all thoughts of Asia, and, " deep as ever plummet sounded, shall drown my " Persian 253 '* Persia?i books." If my politics have given offence, it would be manly in ministers to tell me so. I shall never be jDersonallj^ hostile to them, nor enlist under party banners of any colour; but I will never resign my opinions for interest though I would cheerfully abandon them on convictimh My reason, such as it is, can only be controlled by better reason, to which I am ever open. As to my freedom of thought, speech, and action, I shall ever say, what Charles XII. wrote under the map of Riga, " Dieu me fa donn6 ; le diable ne me " I'otera pas." But the fair answer to this objec- tion is, that my system is purely speculative, aad. has no relation to my seat on the bench in India, where I should hardly think of instructing the Gentoos in the maxims of the Athenians. I be- lieve I should not have troubled you with this let- ter, if I did not fear that your attendance in Par- liament might deprive me of the pleasure of meet- ing you at the club next Tuesday; and I shall go to Oxford a few days after. At all times, and in all places I shall ever be, with undissembled re- gard, dear Sir, Your much obliged and faithful servant, W. Jones. ♦Mr. JONES to H. A. SCHULTENS. June 1781. You are not ignorant of my senti- ments on this most abominable war ; the inclo- sed imitation of an ode of Alcccus will clearly *~Appendix, No, 37. J prove 254 prove my detestation of tyranny, my zeal afld cfxertions in the cause of liberty. Literature, which is, and ought to be, ev^er connected M'ith humanity, will never, I trust, be degraded by a fratricidal war between the learned, particularly thoise who pursue the same studies. Do you therefore, though a native of Holland, preserve' that affection for me, which I, an EnglishmaUj have, and shall ever retain for you. I have translated into English, without the omission of a single line, the seven suspended poems of our Arabs, and mean to publish the whole with notes, and a dissertation on the ancient monuments of Arabia, in the next summer vacation. I possess the Commentary of Tabrizi ; and I have been obligingly furnished from Trinity Col- lege, Cambridge, with the Paraphrase of Zouzini, and his short and excellent notes. At Oxford, we have the notes and Persic version of Sadi, the Scholia of Ansari, and the fine edition of Obei- dolla; but I am anxious to inspect all editions and commentaries. Your illustrious grandfather, for whose memory, as in duty bound, I preserve the greatest respect, pronounces these poems worthy of immortality, and says, if I do not mistake, that he transcribed the manuscript of Nahasi, at Leyden, for his own use. I also observed in the copious catalogue of the Schultensian library, (one copy of which I deliveied to my friend Hunter) these words : " 6990. The seven Moallakat Arabic, *' most beautifully written." Has this been pur- / chased 2q5 chased by any one? at what price will it be dis-^ posed of? I lament that I did not buy it, but be- ing tied up at that time myself, by various im^; portant occupations, 1 could not bestow a thought on the suspended poems. Assist me, I beseech you, in the name of the Muses, with materials for perfecting my work ; collect from your stores any notes, or various readings which you may possess, and communicatei them to me. I have mentioned in my preliminary discourse, yourPhilarabic flimily*, and Imve more, to say about it both true and honourable. I wish particularly to know whether any of the seven poems, excepting those of Amr^olkais and Tar. rata, will be published in Holland. You shall re- ceive my book, which will be elegantly bound by Baumgarten. * Albert Schultens tlie grandfather, and J. J. Scbultens, the father of the person to whom this letter is addressed, were both distinguished for their knowledge of Oriental, particularly Arabic, literature. The form(?r was a German divine, born at Groningen, and taught Hebrew and the Oriental languages at Leyden, with great reputation for many years before his death, which happened in 1741. He composed many works which shew profound learning and just criticism. Biog. Brit. He translated and explained the fifty dissertations of Hariri, although he,,sent abroad but few of them ; and published Ancient Memorials of - Arabia, which Sir William Jones notices in an anniversary discourse-^ delivered before the Asiatic Society, in Calcutta, as the most plea- _ sing of all his works. Of J. J. Schultens his son, I have little infor- ^ mation. In Reiske's correspondence, published by his widow, th^re "''■ is one letcr from him, dated Hefborn, 1748^ which manifests no ordi-. j nary zeal in the writer for the promotion of Arabic literature. I have . nd account of any publications by him, excepting two academic'alv dissertations. The learning and labours of H. A. Schultens, are su'flit*'^ ciently apparent from his own letters and those of Mr. Jonds. r;.;': r ' ' ' " ' 'My 256 My mother, whom I most tenderly loved, was ever in my opinion the best of women; I trust she is now the happiest. But my affliction for her loss is inconsolable. I shall be most happy to hear that you and your wife are well, and the early gratification of my wishes will be an additional pleasure. The Bishop of St. ASAPH to Mr. JONES. Dear Sir, Nov. 3, i78i. A letter from you is always welcome, come sooner or later ; yet I cannot help rejoicing at that ceaseless hurry of business, which occasioned your delay in writing, and made me lose a very valuable visit. Riches and reputation, after shewing a little coyness at first, are now making their ad- vances at a very great rate, and will soon be as lavish of their charms as you could wish ; yet I know you think too liberally, to let either your friends or your liberty suffer by engrossing you too much. I thank you for the nuptial ode, which, not- withstanding its incorrectness, which you need not complain of, is the most genuine imitation of Pindar I have ever seen. I don't know whether I can assent to your criticism on the word replete^ that it is never used in a good sense. Were it left to me, I would use it in no sense. It has but little meaning. It was never naturalized in conversa- tion, or in prose, and I think makes no figure in verse. I hav€ ^o1 t have another present of value to thank you for, — your essay on the Law of Bailments. To own the truth, your name to the advertisement made me impatient, and I had sent for it and read it betore. It appears to me to be clear, just, and accurate, I mean as clear as the subject will per- mit. iMy want of law language, and perhaps of a legal understanding, made me feel great diffi- culty in following you through your very inge- nious distinctions and consequences, of which I thought I could perceive the solidity. I foretell that this will be your last work. For the future your business and the public will allow you to write no more. Though I fear it will not be consistient with your employment in Westminster- Hall, I cannot help telling you, that for as many days as you can spare between this time and the meeting of par- liament, you will find a warm bed, and a hearty welcome at Chilbolton. Mrs. Shipley and her daughters desire their compliments, and join in ihe invitation. — I am, &Ci. X St. Asaph. Mr. JONES to Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Dear Sir; Dec. 20, i78i. Since I received your obliging letter^ 'ian interval of six months has elapsed ; but in all that interval, I have either been deeply en- gaged in professional labours, or confined by ill- ness: I have enjoyed no rest. At this moment I ain slowly reccnering from a severe inflammatory s dis- 258 disorder; yet your letter and your fine sonnets have remained constantly on my mind, and I now take up my pen to thank you most warmly for the pleasure which they have given me. I hope my friend Watson has seen the noble wreath of lau- rel which your animated muse has woven for him. I entreat you to send me the two others, which I long to see. The few copies which were printed of the Latin ode are so dispersed, that I have not one for myself, and would print a few more, if a learned friend of mine had not engaged to publish it with notes, historical and critical, for want of which, it is in some parts obscure. You may de- pend on receiving one of the first copies that can see the light, and my seven Arabiari poets will wait upon you as soon as the European dresses are finished. I take the liberty to enclose an ode composed without preparation, and almost without any premeditation : it is the work of a few hours. In truth, when I attended the wedding, I had no thought of writing, but the young ladies would not hear of an excuse : you must therefore make all due allowance for poetry by compulsion. I am, &c. Mr. JONES to Lord ALTHORPE. Januwnj 5, 1782. O la bella cosa il far niente ! This was my exclamation, my dear Lord, on the 12th of last month, when I found myself, as 1 thought, at liberty to be a rambler, or an idler, or any thing I pleased ; but my mat di gola took ample revenge for 259 for my abuse and contempt of it, when I wrote to you, by confining me twelve days with a fever and quinsey: and I am now so cramped by the approaching session at Oxford, that I carnot make any long excursion. I inclose my tragical song of " a shepherdess going," with Mazzanti's music, of which my opinion at present is, that the modulation is very artificial, and the harmony good, but that Pergolesi (whom the modern Ita- lians are such puppies as to undervalue) would have made it more pathetic and heart-rending, if I may compose such a word. 1 long to hear it suns: by Mrs. Poyntz. Pray present the inclosed, in my name, to Lady Althorpe. I hope that I shall in a short time be able to think of you, when I read these charming lines of Catullus* ; And soon to be completely blest. Soon may a young Toiquatus rise ; Who, hanging on his mother's breast, To his known sire shall turn his eyes. Out-stretch his infant arms awhile. Half ope his little lips and smile. — (Printed Translation.) What a beautiful picture 1 can Dominichino equal it ? How weak are all arts in comparison of poetry and rhetoric ! Instead however of Torqua- tuSj I would read Spencerus. Do you not think * The original is quoted by Mr. Jones : — Torquatus volo parvulus, Matris e gremio sus Porrigens teneras manus, Dulce rideat ad patrem, ?emi-hiante labello. s 2 that 260 that I have discovered tlie true use of the fine arts, namely, in relaxing the mind after toil? Man M'as born for labour; liis configuration, his pas- sions, his restlessness, all prove it; but labour •would wear him out, and tlie purpose of it be de- feated, if he had not intervals o^ pleasure ; and unless that pleasure be innocent, both he and so- ciety must suflfer. Now, what pleasures are more harmless, if they be nothing else, than those af- forded by polite arts and polite literature? Love was given us by the Author of our being as the reward of virtue, and the solace of care; but the base and sordid forms of artificial (which I op- pose to natural) society in which we live, have encircled that heavenly rose with so many thorns, that the wealthy alone can gather it with pru- dence. On the other hand, mere pleasure, to which the idle are not justly entitled, soon sa- tiates, and leaves a vacuity in the mind more un- pleasant than actual pain. A just mixture, or interchange of labour and pleasures, appears alone conducive to such liappiness as this life affords. — Farewell. I have no room to add my useless name, and still more useless professions of friendship. ^ ^ w T^ ^ ^ The sentiments expressed in this letter do credit to the heart and understanding of Mr. Jones ; they exhibit the pure feelings of an uncorrupted mind; but in giving them to the public, I deem it a duty to observe, that though a just mixture of 261 of labours and pleasures, (such innocent pleasures as Mr. Jones describes, and sucii onlj' as he ever enjo3'ed,) is greatly conducive to the happiness of this life, the true foundation of real ha[)piness must be sought in a higher source. In the un- premeditated etFusions of friendl_y correspondence, expressions are not to he scrupulousl}' M^eighed, nor rigorously criticised ; hut I feel a conlidence, which the reader, if he peruses the whole of these Memoirs, will participate with me, tliat Mr. Jones would havT himself approved the observation M'hich I have made upon his letter. In ]\Iarch of this year, a proposal was made to Mr. Jones, to become a member of the society for constitutional information, and it appears from a letter which he wrote to the secretary of the so- ciety, in reply, tliat he readily accepted it. To prove that he was not regardless of the objects of the society's institution, a short time afterwards he addressed a second letter to the secretary, for the express purpose of confuting some doctrines in the writings of the celebrated Fielding, which lie thought dangerous to the constitution of Eng- land. I insert both from a periodical publication of 1787, in which they have been preserved. Mr. JONES to Mr. THOMAS YEATES. SlRj Laiiib'.'i Biuldiiigs, Jpril '25, 17S2. It was not till within these very few days that I received, on my return from the cir- cuit, your obliging letter, dated the 18th of March, which had I been so fortunate as to re- ceive 262 ceive eai''er, I should have made a point of an- swering im mediately. The society for constitu- tional information, !)y electing me one of their members will confer upon me an honour, which I am wholly unconscious of deserving, but which is so flattering to me, that I accept of their offer w ith pleasure and 2'ratitude. 1 should indeed long- ago have testified my regard for so useful an insti- tution by an ofler of my humble service in pro- moting it, if I had not really despaired in my pre- sent situation of being able to attend your meet- ings as otten as I should ardently wish. My future iife shall certainly be devoted to the support of that excellent constitution, which it is the object of your society to unfold and elucidate; and from this resolution, long and deliberately made, no prospects, no connections, no station here or abroad, no fear of danger, or hope of ad- vantage to myself, shall ever deter or allure mc. A form of government so apparently conducive to the true happiness of the Community, must be admired as soon as it is understood, and if reason and virtue have any influence in human breasts, ought to be preserved b}' any exertions, and at any hazard. Care must now be taken, lest by redu- cing the regal power to its just level, we raise the aristocratical to a dangerous height; since it is from the people that we can deduce the obligation of our laws, and the authority of magistrates. On the people depend the welfare, the security, and the permanence of every legal government; in 263 in the people must reside all substantial power; and to the people must all those, in whose ability and knowledge we sometimes wisely, often impru- dently confide, be always accountable for the due exercise of that power with which they are for a time entrusted. If the properties of all good government be considered as duly distributed in the different parts of our limited republic, goodness ought to be the distingilished attribute of the crown, wis- dom of the aristocracy, but power and fortitude of the people. May justice and humanity prevail in them all ! I am, Sir, your very faithful and obedient servant, W.Jones. Mr. JONES to Mr. THOMAS YEATES. Sir, Lamb's Buildings, Tc?Hple, June 7, 1782. I lately met with some dangerous doc- trine concerning the constitution of England, in the works of an admired English writer ; the doctrine is so dangerous, that an immediate confutation of it seems highly necessary, and the writer so admired, that his opinions, good or bad, must naturally have a very general influence. It was the opinion, in short, of the late ingenious Henry Fielding, that *' the constitution of this island was nothing fixed, *' but just as variable as its weather," and he treats the contrary notion as a ridiculous error : now, if this doctrine be well founded, our society will soon, I imagine, think it wise to dissolve them- selves, 20 I. selves, since it is hardly consistent with the gravity of sensible men to collect and impart information like the makers of almanacks, upon any thing so uncertain as the weather ; if, on the other hand, the error be palpably on the side of Mr. Fielding, you will not only proceed with assiduity in your laudable design of rendering our constitution uni- versally known, but will be at least equal in useful- ness and true dignity to any society that ever was formed. His words are these, in the preface to his tract, ■ On the Increase of Robberies,' dedicated to Lord Chancellor Hardwicke : " There is no- " thing so much talked of and so little understood ^' in this country, as the constitution. It is a *' word in the mouth of every man : and yet when " we come to discourse of the matter, there is no *' subject on which our ideas are more confused and ■' perplexed. Some, wlien they speak of the cou- ■' stitution, confinetheirnotionstothelaw ; others, " to the legislature; others, agnin, to the governing *' orexecutivepart; and many there are wliojumble *' all these together in one idea. One error however ;*' is common to them all : for all seem to have the ' "conceptionof something unift^rm and permanent, "as if the constitution of England partook rather r *' of the nature of the soil than of the climate, . " and was as fixed and constant as the former, not " as changing and variable as the latter. Now " in this word, the Constitution, are included the :" original and fundamental law of the kingdom, 5 ■' from whence all powers are derived, and by " which 265 *' which thevare circumscribed ; all legislative and *' executive authority, all those municipal provi- *' sions, which are commonly called laws; and lastly, " the customs, manners, and habits of the people. *' These joined together do, I apprehend, form the " political, as the several members of the body, the *^ animal economy, Avith the humours and habit, '* compose that which is called the natural con- " stitution." He adds a paragraph or two of elegant but idle allusions to the Platonic philosophy, as if we lived under the polity of Plato, not in the days of Wil- liam the Norman. Now, of all words easy to be comprehended, the easiest, in my humble opinion, is the word constitution ; it is the great system of pubjic in contra-distinction to private and crimi- nal law, and comprises all those articles which Elackstone arranges in his first volume, under the rights of persons, and of which he gives a perspi- cuous analysis. Whatever then relates to the rights of persons, either absolute rights, as the enjoyment of liberty, security, and property, or relative, that is, in the public relations of magis- trates and people, makes a part of that majestic whole, which we properly call the Constitution. Of those magistrates, some are subordinate, and some supreme ; as the legislative or parliament, which ought to consist of delegates from every independent voice in the nation ; and the execu- tive or the king, whose legal rights for the gene- ral good are called prerogative. The people are the 266 the aggregate body or community, and are in an ecclesiastical, civil, military, or maritime state. This constitutional or public law is partly un- written, and grounded upon immemorial usage, and partly written or enacted by the legislative power: but the unwritten or common law contains the true spirit of our constitution ; the written has often most unjustifiably altered the form of it : the common law is the collected wisdom of many centuries, having been used and approved by suc- cessive generations, but the statutes frequently contain the whims of a few leading men ; and sometimes of the mere individuals employed to draw them ; lastly, the unwritten law is emi- nently favourable, and the written generally hos- tile to the absolute rights of persons. But though this inestimable law be called un- written, yet the only evidence of it is in wiiting preserved in the public records, judicial, official, and parliamentary, and explained in works of acknowledged authority. Positis'^e acts of the legislature may indeed change the form of the constitution ; but as in the system of private law, the narrowness or rigour of our forensic rules may be enlarged or softened by the interposition of par- liament, (for, our courts of equity are wholly of a different nature,) so all legislative provisions, which oi)pose the spirit of the constitution, may be corrected agreeably to that very spirit, by the people or nation at large, who form as it were, the high court of appeal in cases of constitutional • equity; 267 equity ; and their sense must be collected from the petitions which they present, expressed with mode- ration and respect, yet with all the firmness which their cause justifies, and all the dignity whicb. truly becomes them. I am, Sir, Your very faithful humble servant, W. Jones. Mr. JONES to the Bishop of St. ASAPH. }ilY Lord, IVimhlcdon Park, Sept. 13, 1783. If your Lordship received my let- ter from Calais, you will not be much surprized to see the date of this, and the place where I now am writing, while Lad}' Spencer is making morning visits. Mr. and Mrs. Po3'ntz have this instant left us. Lord Althorpe being in Northampton- shire, T must give myself some consolation for my disappointment in missing him, by scribbling a ^Q\y lines to him, as soon as I have finished these with which I now trouble your Lordship. My ex- cursion to the United Prov'uices (which has been the substitute for my intended expedition to the United States) was extremely pleasing and im- proving to me, I returned last JMonday, and find- ing all my friends dispersed in various parts of Eng- land, am going for a few days into Buckingham- shire, whence I shall go to Oxford, and must con- tinue there till the Sessions. Should your Lordship be in Hampshire any time in October, and should it be in all respects convenient to you, I will accept, this year, with great pleasure, the obliging invi- tation 268 tation to Chilbolton, which I was unfortunately prevented from acceptiuj^ last year. I lament the unhappy dissensions among our great men, and clearly see the vanity of my anxious wish, that they would have played in tune some time longer in the political concert. The delays about the India judgeship have, it is true, greatly injured me; but with my patience and assiduity, I could easily recover my lost ground. I must however take the liberty here to allude to a most obliging letter of your Lordship from Chilbolton, which 1 received so long ago as last November, but was prevented from answering till you came to town. It was inexpressibly flat- tering to me, bat my intimate knowledge of the nature of my professiou, obliges me to assure you, that it requires the whole man, and admits of nocon- current pursuits : that, consequently, 1 must either give it up, or it will engross me so much, that I shall not for some years be able to enjoy the society of my friends, or the sweets of liberty. W hether it be a wise part to live uncomfortably, in order to die wealthy, is another question; but this I know by experience, and have hca.rd old practitioners make the same observation, that a lawyer who is in earnest, must be chained to his chambers and the bar for ten or twelve years together. In regard to your Lordship's indulgent and flattering prediction, that my E^say on Bailment would be my last work, and that for the future, business and the public would allow me to write no more, I doubt whe- ther 269 tlier it will be accomplished, whatever may be my practice or situation : for I have already prepared, many tracts on jurisprudence; and when I see the volumes written by Lord Coke, M'hose annual gains were twelve or fourteen thousand pounds, by Lord Jjacon, Sir Matthew Hale, avid a number of judjyes and chancellors, I cannot think that I should be hurt in my professional career, by pub- lishing now and then a law tract upon some in- teresting branch of the science; and the science itself is indeed so con^plex, that, without zvriting, which is t/ie chain of mem>rii, it is impossible to remember a thousandth part of what we read or Ijear. Since it is my wish therefore to become in. time as great a lawyer as Sulpicius. I shall pro- bably leave as many volumes of my works, as he is said to have written. As to politics, I begin to think, that the natural propensity of men to dissent from one another, will prevent them, in a corrupt age, from uniting in any laudable design ; and at present I have nothing to do but to rest on my oars, which the Greek philosophers, I believe, called £7ri%f/v, a word which Cicero applies, in one of his letters, to the same subject. My best respects to the ladies ; for whom I would certainly have brought some Virginian nightin- gales, if my western expedition had taken place, since I was informed by the captain, with whom I should have sailed, that they might have been kept in the cabin without any danger. Mr. 270 Mr. JONES to Mr. Baron EYRE. Dear Sir, Oct. 2, i782. I have been in England about a fortnight, and was made happy by learning- in John- Street, that you had long been restored to health from the illness which confined you, to my inex- pressible concern, at the time when I set out for the Continent. The cause of my return is, in few words, this ; I ought to have foreseen, what I nevertheless did not expect, that the same timidity or imbecility, which made my unhappy friend de- clare, that he neither could nor would go to Vir- ginia without me, would make him declare, when he saw the sails and the waves, that he neither would nor could go at all. A dread of some ima- ginary danger so enervated him, that he kept his bed, and wrote me word, that if he staid a week longer at Nantes, he should loose his reason or his life. My expostulations had some little effect, but there was no dependence, I found, on a man who had none, he confessed, upon himself; and when I discovered, that no ship, with even to- lerable accommodation, would sail till September, so that I could not keep my word with my friends in England, by returning from America before the new year, I came back through Normandy about the middle of August, and having a few weeks to spare, made a very pleasant and improving excursion into Holland, which 1 traversed from South to North. The detail of my expedition may not perlijaps be unentcrtaining to you, when I have 271 I have the pleasure of conversing with you at vour leisure; and I am not without hope of enjoyin"- that pleasure, if you continue at Ruscombe, before the Term begins. I stay here till the Sessions are over, and would immediately after take my chance of finding you in Berkshire, but am called upon to keep an old promise of visiting the Bishop of St. Asaph near Andover, and must spend a day or two with my friend Poyntz. I can easily conceive how little time you can have to write letters, yet if you could find a moment to let me know how long you propose to remain in the country, I would not be in your neighbourhood without pay- ing my respects to you, and 1 would indeed have taken Ruscombe in my way to Oxford, if I had not been engaged to make a visit in Buck- inghamshire. As to myself, 1 find such distrac- tion among my political friends, that I should be glad (if I had no other motive) to be fixed in India, at the distance of 16,000 miles from all their animosities, but I am unhappily more un- settled than ever ; for * * '^ * writes me word, that he has nothing more at heart than to open some. situation for n)e in India. What this means I knoM' not, but it looks like some new plan, which may probably hang undecided from session to session. On the whole, I greatly fear that it would have been happy for me, and perhaps for millions, if India had never existed, or if we had known as little of it as of Japan. Mr. Mr. JONES to Lord ALTHOli:^E. My dear Lord, oct. 5, i78?. Your friendly letter caught me in Buckinghamshire, before I came to college, where I have been for some days sole governor, and almost sole inhabitant of Alfred's peaceful mansion, till Mr. Windham surprised me agreeably, by co- ming M'ith a design of passing some time in this academical retreat. You, in the mean ^vhile, are taking healthful and pleasing exercise in Norfolk, where Mr. Fox, I understand, is also shooting par* tridges ; and you are both ready, no doubt, to turn your firelocks against the Dutch, should they make their appearance in your fields : when I was in Zealand they expected us, and if they stand upon the ceremony of the first visit, we shall not^ I imagine, meet very soon. In regard to my expectation of seeing a little good attained for our miserable country, I am not apt to be sanguine, but rather inclined to fear the worst than to expect the best. I rejoice, however, at the distrust conceived by many honest men of those now in power; my opinion is, that, power should always be distrusted, in whatever hands it is placed. As to America, I know what ***** thinks : but this I know, that the sturdy transat- lantic yeomanry will neither be dragooned nor bamboozled out of their liberty. His principles in regard to our internal government are, unless I am deluded by his professions, such as my reason approves, and, which is better, such as I know to be 273 he approved in clear terms by our recorded coii- stitLitioii. The friends of * * * * * were too mo- narcfcical. and those of * * * * far tooaristocratical for me ; and if it were possible to see an admini- stration too democratical, I should equally dislike it. There must be a mixture of all the powers, in due proportions weighed and measured by the laws, or the nation cannot exist without misery or shame. I may write all this consistently with good man- ners and with friendship, because I know the ex- cellence of your understanding and soundness of your principles ; and independently of my pre- sumption that all your actions must be wise and just, I see and applaud the motive which must have induced you to resign an office, which you Avere not at first much inclined to accept. I am confident also, that you would as little endure a Swedish monarchy, as a Venetian aristocracy. I inclose a littleje^^ d'esprii* which I wrote at Paris. It was printed here by a society, who, if they will steer clear of party, will do more good to Bri- tain, than all the philosophers and antiquaries of Somerset House. But to speak the truth, I greatly * The jeu d'esprit mentioned here, is the Dialogue between a Far- mer aiid Country Gentleman on the Principles of Government. In Dr. Towers' Tract on the Rights of Juries, the following passage delating to it occurs : " After a Bill of Indictment had been found against the Dean of " St. Asaph, for the publication of the edition which was printed in " Wales, Sir William Jones sent a letter to Lord Kenyon, tlicn Chief " Justice of Chester, in which lie avowed himself to be the author of " the dialogue, and maintained that every position in it was strictly " conformable to the laws and constitution of England." p. 117. T doubt 274 doubt, whether they, or any other men in thig country, can do it substantial good. The nation, as Demosthenes said, Avill be fed hke a consump- tive patient, with chicken-broth and panada, which will neither suffer him to expire, nor keep him wholly alive. As to myself, if my friends are resolved to assail one another, instead of con- curring in any great and laudable effort for the general safety, I have no course left, but to act and speak rightly to the best of my understand- ing; but I have an additional motive for wishing to obtain an office in India, where I might have some prospect of contributing to the happiness of millions, or at least of alleviating their misery, and serving my country essentially, whilst I be- nefited my fellow-creatures. When the sessions are over, I shall hasten to Chilbolton, and perform an old promise of passing a few days with the best of Bishops; after which I shall take Midgham, and Baron Eyre's at Rus- combe, in my way to London, where I must be at the beginning of the Term. A Persian book is just printed here, said to have been composed by Tamerlane, who confesses, that he governed men by four great arts, bribing, dividing, amusing^ and kcep'mg in suspense. How far it may be an object with modern Tamerlanes, or sultans of India, to govern me, I cannot tell ; but as I can- not be bribed, without losing my senses, nor di- vided, without losing my life, I will neither be amusedi nor kept long in suspense ; and, indeed, I have 275 I have so hig^b an opinion of Lord Ashburton, v.'ho never professes more than he means, that I du net suspect any artifice in that business. Mr JONES to Lady SPENCER. Madam, ChUbolton, Oct. 2^, 1782. Though I wrote so lately to your Lady- ship, and cannot hope by any thing 1 can now say to make amends for the duhiess of my last letter; yet, as some of the ladies here are this moment writing to St. James's Place, I cannot pre- vail on myself to decline joining so agreeable a party, especially as the very favourable accounts which were last night received of Lord Spencer's health have given me spirits, and made me eager to offer my sincere congratulations. Yes; I re- joice with the truest sincerity, that his Lordship's health is so likely to be re-established, for I can- not name a man of rank in the nation, in whose health the public and all mankind, as well as his family and friends, are more truly interested. I have passed my time at Chilbolton so agreeably, that ten days have appeared like one; and it gives me concern that the near approach of the Term will oblige me to leave so charming and impro- ving: a societv at the end of this week : after which I shall hope to find my friends at Midgham in perfect heahh ; and then farewell, a long farewell to all my rational and interesting pleasures, which must be succeeded by the drudgery of drawing bills in equity, the toil of answering cases, the T 2 squabbles 276 squabbles of the bar, and the more vexatious dis- sentions and conflicts of the political world, which I vainly deprecated, and now as vainly deplore. How happy would it be, if statesmen had more music in their souls, and could bring themselves to consider, that what harmony is in a concert, such is union in a state ; but in the great orchestra of politics, I find so many m.usicians out of hu- mour, and instruments out of tune, that I am more tormented by such dissonance than the man in Hogarth's print, and am more desirous than ever of being transported to the distance of five thousand leagues from all this fatal discord. Without a metaphor, I lament with anguish the bitterness and animosity with which some of my friends have been assailing others; as if empty altercation could be the means of procuring any good to this afflicted country. I find myself in more instances than one, like poor Petrarchj wishing to pass my days Fra' magnanimi pochi ; k chi '1 ben place, Di lor chi m' assecura ? lo vo gridando pace, pace, pace. — but I shall not be heard, and must console my- self with the pleasing hope, that your Ladyship, and the few friends of virtue and humanity, will agree in this sentiment with, &c. William Jones. From 277 From the Duchess of DEVONSHIRE to Mr. JONES. My dear Mr. Jones; PUmton, Oct. 2?,, i782, I am very happy that the fear of losing a privilege, which you are so good as to say is precious to you, has induced you to write to me, for I assure you, that your letters give me very great pleasure, and that they, as well as the few times in which we meet, make me regret very much, that the turn of your public engagements takes you so much from societies where you are wished for. I agree with you, that the political world is strangely torn. If you had been in parliament at this crisis, you would have felt yourself in an un- comfortable situation, I confess; but I cannot think, that with the good Whig principles you are blessed with, private friendships or connections would have prevailed on you to remain silent or inactive. Chi viiol Catone amico, Facilmente I'avra : Sia fido a Roma. This I think would have been the test of your political friendship. I am rejoiced that there is a chance of your returning to poetr}^ I had a very valuable pre- sent made me b}^ Dr. Blagden, physician to the camp, of your ode in imitation of Callistratus. I wish I understood Greek, that I might read something Mr. Paradise has written at the top of it. I will attempt to copy it ; and after the va- rious 278 rious char?cters I have, in days of yore, seen you decipher, I vill not despair of your making out Greek, though written by me. ZviTovaai, '4/u%V5V fupov 'Ix'viovs. * I shall expect to see the poem something sooner than the rest of your friends ; and I assure you, the having so seldom the pleasure of meeting you, does not diminish the sincerity, with which I shall ever retain that title. — If you are still at Chil- bolton, pray give my love to the family there, and tell Miss Shipley to write to me. My seal is a talisman, which if you can send me the explanation of, I shall be much obliged to you. ****«« In the beginning of 1783, Mr. Jones published his translation of the seven Arabian poems, which he had finished in 1781. It was his intention to have prefixed to this work, a discourse on the an- tiquity of the Arabian language and characters, on the manners of the Arabs in the age immedi- ately preceding that of Mohammed, and other in- teresting information respecting the poems, and the lives of the authors, with a critical history of their works; but he could not command sufficient leisure for the extcution of it. Some of the sub- jects intended for this dissertation, appeared in a discourse on the Arabs, whieh he composed some * The Graces, seeking a shrine that would never decay, found the soul of Jones. years 279 years afterwards, and from the manner in which it was written, it is impossible not to regret the irrecoverable loss of the larger discussion which he originally proposed. The poems present us ■with a curious specimen of the manners of the natives of Arabia, and on this account, must be particularly interesting to those, who consider the study of human nature in all its varieties, as an instructive subject of contemplation. " They ex- *' hibit (to use the words of Mr. Jones) an exact ** picture of the virtues and vices of the Arabs in " the age of the seven poets, their wisdom and " their folly, and shew what may be constantly *' expected from men of open hearts, and boiling *' passions, with no law to control, and little reli- " gion to restrain them." The period was now arrived, when Mr. Jones had the happiness to gain the accomplishment of his most anxious wishes. In March 1783, during the administration of Lord Shelburne, he was ap- pointed a judge of the supreme court of judica- ture at Fortwilliam at Bengal, on M'hich occasion the honour of knighthood was conferred upon him ; and, in the April following, he married Anna Maria Shipley, the eldest daughter of the Bishop of St. Asaph. I have remarked the early impression made upon the affections of Sir Wil- liam Jones by this lady, and the lionourable de- termination which he formed upon that occasion ; and if I should have succeeded in imparting to my readers any portion of that interest, which I feel 280 feel in his personal concerns, they will see liini with pleasure receiving the rewards of principle, and affection. The Bishop, of St. Asaph, of whose respectahle character and high literary reputation it is unne- cessary to remind the public, possessed too en- lightened an understanding not to appreciate the early distinguished talents and virtues of Sir Wil- liam Jones, and their friendship was cemented by an union of political principles, and the zealous admiration each felt for the constitution of their country. The Bishop, in the choice of a son-in- law, had every reason to indulge the pleasing hope, that he had consulted, as far as human foresight can extend, the happiness of his beloved daugh- ter; nor were his expectations disappointed. For his appointment to India, Mr. Jones was indebted to the friendship of Lord Ashburton : in October 1782, I find a letter from his Lordship to Mr. Jones, with the following words : "You will " give me credit for not beinii- indifferent about *' the important stake still left in India, or your " particular interest in it, in which I consider that " of the public so materially involved." The in- telligence of his success was commanicated to i\Ir. Jones, in the following letter of congratulation ; to which I subjoin one from the celebrated Frank- lin on the same occasion. My dear Sir, , March 3, 1783. It is with Irttle less satisfaction to my- self than it can give you, that I send you the in- closed, 281 closed, and I do assure you there are few events, in which I could have felt so sensible a mortifica- tion, as in that of your finally missing this fa- vourite object. The weather suggests to me as no slight topic of congratulation, your being re- lieved from such a journey and under such cir- cumstances, as your last favour intimates you had in contemplation for Wednesday; but when I consider this appointment as securing to you at once, two of the first objects of human pursuit, those of ambition and love, I feel it a subject of very serious and cordial congratulation, which I desire you to accept, and to convey accordingly. I am, with every good wish, dear Sir, your faithful humble servant, Ashburton. Dear Friend; Passi/, Marchn, i783. I duly received your obliging letter of Nov. 15. You will have since learnt how much I was then and have been continually en- gaged in public affairs, and your goodness will excuse my not having answered it sooner. You announced your intended marriage with my much respected friend I\Iiss Anna Maria, M'hich I assure you gave me great pleasure, as I cannot conceive a match more likely to be happy, from the amiable qualities each of you possess so plentifully. You mention its taking place as soon as a prudent at- tention to worldly interests would permit. I just now learn from JNIr. Hodgson, that you are ap- pointed to an honourable and profitable place in the 282 the Indies ; so I expect now soon to hear of the Avedding, and to receive the profile. With the good Bishop's permission, I will join my blessing with his; adding my wishes that you may return from that corrupting country, Avith a great deal of money honestly acquired, and with full as much virtue as you carry out with you. The engraving of my medal, which you know was projected before the peace, is but just finished. None are yet struck in hard metal, but will in a few days. In the mean time, having this good opportunity by Mr. Penn, I find you one of the Epreuves. You will see that I have profited by some of your ideas, and adopted the mottos you were so kind as to furnish. I am at present quite recovered from my late illness, and flatter myself that I may in the ensu- ing summer be able to undertake a trip to Eng- land, for the pleasure of seeing once more my dear friends there, among whom the Bishop and his family stand foremost in my estimation and affection. I thank you for your good wishes respecting me. iNline for your welfare and prosperity are not less earnest and sincere; being with great truth, dear Sir, your affectionate friend, and most obe- dient servant, Benjamin Franklin. ^ ^ ^ '^ w ^ I have mentioned the literary productions of Sir William Jones in the order in which they were published, I observe however two compositions which 283 which had escaped my attention ; an ahridged History of the Life of Nadir Shah, in English, and a History of the Persian Language, intended to be prefixed to the first edition of his Persian Grammar*, A long Hst might be formed of M^orks \yhich he meditated at different periods. He had projected a Treatise on Maritime Contracts; and with a view to the completion of this work, he com- missioned a friend to purchase for him the Col- lections of Heineccius, containing the Disserta- tions of Stypman and Kerrick, with any other works that could be procured on the same subject. It was also his intention to republish Lyttleton's Treatise on Tenures, from the first edition of 1482, with a new translation, explanatory notes, and a commentary ; and to prefix an Introductory Dis- * The reader will peruse with pleasure the following lines from the Arabic, written by Sir William Jones, in 1783, and addressed to Lady Jones : While sad suspense and cliill delay Bereave my wounded soul of rest. New hopes, new fears, from day to day. By turns assail my lab'ring breast. My heart, which ardent love consumes. Throbs with each agonizing thought; So flutters with entangled plumes. The lark in wily meshes caught. There she, with unavailing strain, Pours thro' the night her warbled grief; The gloom retires, but not her pain; The dawn appears, but not relief. Two younglings wait the parent bird. Their thrilling sorrows to appease: She comes — ah! no: the sound they heard Was but a whisper of the breeze. course 384 course on the Laws of England. He had made a considerable progress towards the completion of this work, which still exists, hut not in a sufficient degree of advancement for. publication. I have remarked the extraordinary avidity %vith which he availed himself of every opportunity to acquire knowledge : but I have omitted to men- tion his attendance during a course of anatomical lectures, by the celebrated Plunter : and amongst other sciences which he diligently and successfully cultivated, 1 have still to mention the Mathema- tics, in which he had advanced so far, as to read and understand Newton's Principia. ^ The review of the various accpiisitions of Sir William Jones in science and literature, will be introduced in another place; and having brought to a close that portion of his life, M'hich was passed in England, I must now prepare the reader to transport himself with him to Hindustan. Sir William Jonfs embarked for India in the Crocodile frigate; and in April 1783, left his native country, to which he was never to return, with the unavailing regret and affectionate wishes of his numerous friends and admirers. As to himself, the melancholy impressions which lie could not but feel on such an occasion, were alleviated -by vai ious considerations. The expec- tations of five years were now accomplished in the attainment of his wishes ; he anticipated the utility of his official labours to the public, and the occu- pation 285 pation so peculiarly delightful to him, of investi- gating unexplored mines of literature. Sir William Jones was now in his thirty-seventh year, in the full vigour of his faculties, and he looked forward with ardour to the pleasures and advantages arising from his situation in India, without any appre- hension that the climate of that country would prove hostile to his constitution. A difference of opinion on great political questions, without dimi- nishing his regard for his friends, had narrowed his hahits of intercourse with some whom he sincerely esteemed, and he felt therefore the less regret in quitting those whose principles he wished to ap- prove, but from whom, an adherence to his own. frequently compelled him to dissent. He reflect- fed with pleasure on the independency of his station, that the line of duty, which it prescribed, was strait and defined, and in leaving his native country, for which he retained the warmest affec- tion, he was not sorry to abandon all political cares and discussions. But his greatest consolation and enjoyment were derived from the society of Lady Jones. To those who are destitute of internal resources, whose habits have led them to seek for amusement in the miscellaneous occurrences and topics of the day only, a sea voyage is a period of fatigue, lan- guor, and anxiety. To Sir William Jones every new scene was interesting, and his mind, exercised by incessant study and reflection, possessed an in- exhaustible fund of subjects; which he could at pleasure 286 pleasure select and apply iu the purposes of recrea- tion and improvement, but his application during his voyage was more particuiarly ciirected to tliose studies, by which he was to enlarge the requisite qualifications foi dischajging the duties of his public station, with satisfaction to himself and beneht to the community*. The *The foUowing memorandum was written by Sir William Jones during his voyage: Objects of Enquiry during my residence in Asia. 1. The Laws of tiie Hindus and Mohammedans. 2. 7 he History of the Ancient World. 3. Proofs and Illustrations of Scripture. 4. Traditions concerning the Deluge, &c. 5. Modern politics and Geography of Hindustan. 6. Best mode of governing Bengal. 7. Arithmetic and Geometry, and mixed Sciences of thq Asiatics, 8. Medicme, Chemistry, Surgery, and Anatomy of the Indians, 9. Natural Productions of India. iO. Poetry, Rhetoric, and Morality of Asia. 11. Music of the Eastern Nations. 12. The Shi-King, or 300 e hinese Odes. 13. The best accounts of Tibet and Cashmir. 14. Trade, Manufactures, Agriculture, and Commerce of India. 15. Mogul Constitution, contained in the Defteri Alemghiri, and Ayein Acbari. . 16. Mahratta Constitution. To print and publish the Gospel of St. Luke in Arabic. To publish Law Tracts in Persian or Arabic. i To print and publish the Psalms of David in Persian verse. To compose, if God grant me life, L Elements of the Laws of England. Model — The Essay on Bailment — Aristotle. 2. The History of the American War. Model — Thucydides and Polybius. 3. Britain Discovered, an Heroic Poem on the Constitution of Eng- land. Machinery. Hindu Gods. Model — Homer. 4. Speeches, 287 The following short letter to Lord Asliburton, written a few weeks after his embarkation, may not be unacceptable to the reader : Sir WILLIAM JONES to Lord ASHBURTON. Jpril 27, 1783. Your kind letter found me on board the Crocodile : I should have been very unhappy had it missed me, since I have long habituated my- self to set the highest value on every word yoa speak, and every line you M'rite. Of the two in- closed letters to our friends, Impey and Chambers, I will take the greatest care, and will punctually follow your directions as to the first of them. My departure vs^as sudden indeed ; but the Admiralty were so anxious for the sailing of this frigate, and their orders were so peremptory, that it was im- possible to wait for any thing but a breeze. Our voyage has hitherto been tolerably pleasant, and, since we left the Channel, very quick. We begin to see albicores about the ship, and to perceive an agreeable change of climate. Our days, though short, gi\'e me ample time for study, recreation, and exercise ; but my joy and delight proceed from the surprising health and spirits of Anna Maria, who joins me in affectionate remembrance to Lady Ashburton. As to you, my dear Lord, we con- 4. Speeches, Political, and Forensic. Model — Demosthenes. 5. Dialogues, Philosophical and Historical. Model— ?\ato. 6. Letters. Model — Demosthenes and Plato. l;2th July, 1783. Crccodile Frigate. sider i288 sider you as the spring and fountain of our happi^ ness, as the author and parent, (a Roman Avould have added, what the coldness of our northern lan- guage will hardly admit) the god of our fortunes. It is possible indeed, that by incessant labour and irksome attendance at the bar, I might in du$ time have attained all that my very limited am- bition could aspire to ; but in no other station than that which I owe to your friendship, could I have gratified at once my boundless curiosity concern- ing the people of the East, continued the exercise of my profession, in which I sincerely delight, and enjoyed at the same time the comforts of domestic life. The grand jury of Denbighshire, have found, I understand, the bill against the Dean of St. Asaph, for publishing my dialogue ; but as an in- dictment for a theoretical essay on government was I believe never before known, I hav^e no appre- hension for the consequences. As to the doctrines in the tract, though I shall certainly not preach them to the Indians, who must and will be govern- ed by absolute power, yet I shall go through life with a persuasion, that they are just and rational, that substantial freedom is both the daughter and parent of virtue, and that virtue is the only source of public and private felicity. — Farewell. ^ ^ flt ^ ^ ^ In the course of the voyage he stopped at Madeira, and in ten additional weeks of prosperous sailing from the rugged islands of Cape Verd, arrived at Hinzuan or Joanna. Of this island, where 289 where he remained a few clays only, he has publish- ed an interesting and amusing description. He expatiates with rapture on his approach to it, delineates with the skill of an artist the beauties of the scenery, and sketches with the discriminating pen of a philosopher, the characters and manners of the unpolished but hospitable natives. The novelty of the scene was attractive, and its im- pression upon his mind is strongly marked by the following just and elegant reflection, which in sub- stance is more than once repeated in his writings : — " If life were not too short for the complete dis- " charge of all our respective duties, public and *' private, and for the acquisition even of necessary " knowledge in any degree of pd'fection, with " how much pleasure and improvement might a " great part of it be spent in admiring the beauties " of this wonderful orb, and contemplating the '* nature of man in all its varieties !"* But it would be injustice to his memory, to pass over without particular notice, the sensible and dignified rebuke, with which he repelled the rude attack of Mussulman bigotry on the divinity of our Saviour. During a visit which he made to a native of the island, a Coran was produced for his inspection, and his attention was pointedly direct- ed to a passage in a commentary, accusing the Christians of blasphemy, in calling our Saviour the Son of God. " The commentator (he replied) was *Sir William Jones's Works, vol. iv. p. 488. u *' much 290 " much to blame for passing so indiscriminate and. " kasty a censure ; the title which gave your " legislator, and which gives you such offence, " was often apj>lied in Judea by a bold figure, " agreeably to the Hebrew idiom, though unusual *' in Arabic, to angels, to holij me?i, and even to all *' mankind, who are comina,nded to call God their " father ; and in this large sense, the Apostle to the ** Romans calls the elect the children of God, and '' the Messiah iht first-born among many brethren; *' but the words only begotten are applied tran- " scendantly arid incomparably to Him alone ; and " as forme, who believe the Scriptures which yoa " also profess to beheve,. though you assert with- " out proof t]^at we have altered them, I cannot *' refuse Him an appellation, though far surpass- " ing our reason, by which He is distinguished in *'the Gospel; and the believers in Mohammed,. " who expressly names Him the Messiah, and pro- *' nounces Him to have been born of a virgin " (which alone might fully justify the phrase con- *' demned by this author) are themselves condemr " nahlCj for cavilling at words, when they cannot " object to the substance of our faith, consistently " with their own*." This quotation affords a decisive pro(;f of the belief of Sir William Jones, in the sublime doc- trines of the Chris-tian religion Had he been an infidel, he would have smiled at the scoffs of *Sir William Jones's Works, vol. i. p. 485. Mussulman Mussulman bigotr}' ; and had be been indifferent to bis faitb, be would bavc been silent on an occa- sion, wlieie be could expect neither candour nor concessions from bis antagonists. Indeed he was well aware, that a religious dispute with those zea- lots, would have been fruitless and unseasonable, and might have been dangerous ; but, as it was inconsistent with his principles to disavow or con- ceal what he firmly believed and professed, be could not suffer the attack to pass without repre- hension, and be grounded it on premises, which bis opponents could not dispute, nor did they ven- ture to answer. From Hinzuan to the Ganges, nothing ma- terial occurred, and he landed at Calcutta, in Sep- tember 1783. His reputation had preceded his arrival, which was anxiously expected, and he bad the happiness to find, that his appointment had diffused a general satisfaction, which his presence now rendered complete. The students of the Oriental languages were eager to welcome a scholar, whose erudition in that branch of litera- ture was unrivalled, and whose labours and genius had assisted their progress; while the public re- joiced in the possession of a magistrate, whose probity and independence were no less acknowled- ged than his abilities. With what rapture he himself contemplated his new situation, may be more easily conceived than described. As a magistrate of the supreme court of judicature, he bad now that opportunity, which u 9, be 292 he ever ardently desired, of devoting his talents to the service of his native country, and for promo- ting the happiness of the community in which he resided; while the history, antiquities, natural productions, arts, sciences, and literature of Asia, opened an extensive and almost boundless field to his enquiries. He was now placed amidst a people, whose pretensions to antiquity had hitherto elu- ded research, and whose manners, religion, and customs, still retained the same characteristical peculiarities, by which they were originally dis- tinguished. Time, who spreads the veil of ob- livion over the opinions and works of mankind, who annihilates empires and the records of their existence, had spared the doctrines and language of the followers of Brama, and, amidst the ravages of conquest and oppressions of tyranny, seemed to protect with parental care some of the earliest monuments of his reign. The Hindoos in fact presented to the observation of Sir William Jones, a living picture of antiquity : and al- though the colouring might be somewhat faded and obscured, the lineaments of the original cha- racter were still discernible by the most superficial observer, whilst he remarked them with discrimi- nation and rapture. In December 1783, he entered upon his judicial functions, and at the opening of the sessions, de- livered his first charge to the grand jury. The public had formed a high estimate of his oratorical powers, nor were they disappointed. His address was 293 was elegant, concise, and appropriate ; the expo- sition of his sentiments and principles was equally manly and conciliatory, and calculated to inspire general satisfaction, as the known sincerity of his character was a test of his adherence to his pro- fessions. In glancing at disscntions, which, at no remote period, had unfortunately prevailed between the supreme executive and judicial powers in Ben- gal, he shewed that they might and ought to be avoided, that the functions of both were distinct, and could be exercised without danger of collision, in promoting what should be the object of both, the public good. In the intervals of leisure from his professional duties, he directed his attention to scientific ob- jects ; he soon saw that the field of research in India was of an extent to baffle the industry of any in- dividual ; and that whatever success might attend his own indefatigable labours, it could only be explored by the united efforts of many. With these ideas, he devised the institution of a society in Calcutta, on the plan of those established in the principal cities of Europe, as best calculated to excite and facilitate the enquiries of the ingenious, as affording the means of preserving the numerous little tracts and essays, which otherwise would be lost to the public, and of concentrating all the valuable knowledge, which might be obtained in Asia. The suggestion was received with the greatest satisfaction by severalgentlemen to whom he communicated it, aiid the members of the new association, 294 association, assembled for the first time in Januv. ary 1784. The repetition of a narrative, whicli has aheady appeared in several piibhcations*, may be deemed superfluous ; but a detail of the circumstances attending the formation of an Institution, of which Sir Wilham Jones was not only the founder, but the brightest ornament, cannot with propriety be omitted in the Memoirs of his Life. It had been resolved to follow, as nearly as pos- sible, the plan of the Royal Society in London, of \i'hich the King is the patron ; and at the first meet- ing, it was therefore agreed to address the Gover- nor-General and Council of Bengal, explaining the objects of the society, and soliciting the honour of their patronage, which was granted in the most flattering terms of approbation. The members next proceeded to the nomination of a president : and as Warren Hastings, Esquire, then Governor- General of India, had distinguished himself as the first liberal promoter of useful knowledge in Bengal, and especially as the great encourager of Persian and Sanscrit literature, they deemed him entitled to every mark of distinction, which it was in their power to offer : and although they were aware, that the numerous and important duties of his public station, migiit prove an insurmountable ob- jection to his acquiescence, they nevertheless de- termined to solicit his acceptance of the honorary -* Asiatic Researches, vol. i. Introduction. — ^The .iccoiint is omitted m the Works of Sir WiUiani Jones, title 295 title of President of the society, as a just tribute jf respect, which the occasion seemed to demand, and which could not have been omitted, without an ap- pearance of inattention to his distinguished merit. The appHcation was received \vith the acknon^- ledgement due to the motives which dictated it : but Mr. Hastings, for the reasons which had been anticipated, decHned his acceptance of the proffer- ed title, and " begged leave to resign his preten- ■" sions to the gentleman, whose genius had plan- "*' ned the institution, and was most capable of " conducting it, to the attainment of the great ■*' and splendid purposes of its formation." Sir William Jones, upon the receipt of this answer, was immediately and unanimously'- re(|uested to accept the presidency of the society. On this oc- casion, he addressed the following letter to Mr. Hastini^s : ]\Iy dear Sir; Independently of my general presumption, that whatever you determiue is right, I cannot but admit the sohdity of the reasons, Avhich induce you to decline that precedence, to Avhich, if our society were in its full vigour instead of being in its cradle, you would hav^e a title para- mount to all, who have been, are, or will be in this country. Every part of your letter (except that which your kind indulgence makes so honourable to me) carries with it the clearest conviction. Your first reason (namely, an unwillingness to -accept au honorary trust, and want of leisure for one 296 one tliat may require an active part) must appear satisfactory to all. I trust, you will consider our act as proceeding solely from our anxiety to give you that distinction, which justice obliged us to give. As to myself, I could never have been satisfied, if, in traversing the sea of knowledge^ I had fallen in with a ship of your rate and station, "without striking my flag. One thing more, my dear Sir, I must assure you of, that in whatever manner your objections had been stated, I should have thought them just and wise ; and if it were not for the pleasure, which your friendly commu- nication of them has given me, I should repent of the trouble which our intended homage has occasioned. I return Mr. Turner's letters, with many thanks for the entertainment which Lady J. and myself have received from them. I promise myself much delight and instruction from his conversation, and hope that when he shall think proper to communi- cate a relation of his travels*, he will prefer our society to that of London. I will pay my respects to you in the evening, and am concerned, from a selfish motive, that the place where I now write, will so soon lose one of its greatest advantages. Believe me to be, witli unfeigned regard, dear Sir, Your faithful and obedient servant, William Jones. * * # # * * * This relation was published in 1800, under the title of "An Ac- " count of an Embassy to the Court of Teshoo Lama in Tibet ;" &c., hv Captain Samuel Turner. It is exceedingly curious and interesting. The 297 To this public and private record of the merit of Mr. Hastings, in promoting and encoiiraoino* the pursuits of literature in Asia, the addition of any further testimony must be superfluous ; yet I cannot deny myself the satisfaction of statin"- briefly the grounds of his claims to that distinc- tion, which excited the acknowledgements and prompted the solicitation of the society. Mr. Hastings entered into the service of the East-India Company, with all the advantages of a regular classical education, and with a mind strongly impressed with the pleasures of literature. The common dialects of Bengal, after his arrival in that country, soon became familiar to him ; and at a period when the use and importance of the 'Per- sian language were scarcely suspected, and when the want of that grammatical and philological assistance, which has facilitated the labours of suc- ceeding students, rendered the attainment of it a task of peculiar difficulty, he acquired a proficiency in it. His success not only contributed to make known the advantages of the acquisition, but pro- ved an inducement to others to follow his example, and the general knowledge of the Persian language, which has been since attained by the servants of the East-India Company, has conspired to produce political effects of the greatest national importance, by promoting and accelerating the improvements, The author, whose amiable manners and good qualities had endeared hir.) to his friends, was seized with an apoplexy as he was walkmg the streets of London, and died within t%\ o da) s. which S98 whicli have ta^vcn place in tlie system of interna! administration in Bengal. If Mr. Hastings cannot claim the merit of ha- ving himself explored the mine of Sanscrit literatnre, h€ is eminently entitled to the praise of having invited and liberally enc 301 published a translation of tile Hedaya, a code of Mohammedan laws, which has been found of great use in the administration of justice in Bengal ; and of Charles Wilkins, Esquire, the first Englishman who acquired a critical knowledge of the language of the Bramins, and' who, by the application of rare talents and industry, by his own personal exertions, invented and cast types of the Debna- gree, Persic, and Bengalese characters, in such perfection, that no succeeding attempts have ex- hibited any improvement upon his labours. Of these names, two onl}' survive. The loss of Mr. Chambers must be particularly lamented, by all who feel an interest in communi- cating a knowledge of the doctrines of Salvation, to the natives of India. In an early period of life he saw and felt the truth and importance of the Christian Religion, and while his own conduct exhibited the strength of his conviction, he thought it a duty to employ his talents and acquire- " Do not molest mankind pn account of their religious principles- " If in the affairs of this world, which are transitory and perishable, a " prudent man is guided by a regard to his interest ; still less, in spi- " ritual concerns, which are eternal, whilst he retains his senses, wili " he adopt what is pernicious. If truth be on his side, do not oppose *' it and molest him ; but if it be with you, and he from want of under- " standing should have imbibed erroneous notions, ignorance is his *' malady, and he is to be considered an object of your compassion " and assistance, not of molestation and severity. Keep on good terms " with the upright and virtuous of all persuasions." " The best adoration, which man in this world can pay to his Maker, " is duly to administer the affairs of his creatures, discarding passion " and affection, and without distmction of friend or foe, relation or " stranger." ments 302 tnents in disseftiiiiatirig amongst the untaught na^ tives a knowledge of that faith, which he regarded of supreme and universal importance. In this view, he determmcd to undertake a translation of the New Testament into Persian, and devoted all his leisure to the performance of this task, with the most zealous solicitude to make it accurate; but he had not completed half the Gospel of St. Matthew, when it pleased Providence to call him out of this life. Such, amongst others, were the original mem- bers of the society formed at Calcutta, for en- quiring into the history, antiquities, the natural productions, arts, sciences, and literature of Asia, under the patronage of Sir William Jones, mIio at the first meeting after the institution was com- pleted, in his capacity of president, unfolded, in an elegant and appropriate address, the objects proposed for their researches, and concluded with a promise, which he amply discharged, of com- municating the result of his own studies and enquiries. That he might be qualified to perform this pro- mise, in a manner worthy his high reputation, as well as from more commanding motives, he deter- mined to commence without loss of time the study of the Sanscrit. His reflection had before sug- gested, that a knowledge of this ancient tongue would be of the greatest utility, in enabling him to discharge with confidence and satisfaction to himself, the duties of a judge; and he soon dis- covered, 363 covered, what subsequent experience fully con- firmed, that 110 reliance coukl be placed on the opinions or interpretations of the professors of che Hindu hiw, unless he were qualiiied to examine their authorities and quotations, and detect their errors and misrepresentations. On the other: hand, he knew that all attempts to explore tlie relio'ion or literature of India, throusih any other medium than a knowledge of the Sanscrit, must be imperfect and unsatisfactory ; it was evident^ that the most erroneous and discordant opinions on these subjects,, had been ciiculatcd by the ignorance of those who- had collected their infor- mation from oral communications only, and that the pictures exhibited in Europe, of the religion and literature of India, could only be compared to the maps constructed by the natives, in which every position is distorted, and ail proportion vio- lated. As a lawyer, he knew the value and im- portance of original documents and records, and as a scholar and man of science, he disdained the idea of amusing the learned world with secondary information on subjects which had greatly intc- lested tlieir curiosity, M'hen he had the means of access to the original sources^ He was also aware, that much was expecterl by t!ie literati in Europe, from his supeiior abilities and learning, and he felt the strongest inclination to gratify their ex- pectations in the fullest possible extent. Of his time he had early learned to be a rigid economist, and he frequently regretted the sa- crifices 304 crifices of It, which custom or ceremony extorted*. An adherence to this principle, while it restrained in some degree his hahits of social intercourse, necessarily limited his correspondence with his friends. — From the few letters which he wrote, I shall now select such, as describe his feelings, thoughts, and occupations, a few months only after his arrival in Bengal. Sir WILLIAM JONES to Mr. Justice HYDE. Dear Sir; Friday Evening, at the chambers, Jan. 1784. Ramlochund has raised my curiosity b37^ telling me, that when you had occasion to re- ceive the evidence of some ][Iugs, they produced a book in strange square characters, which they called Zuhoor, Now, Zuhoor is the name by which the Psalms of David are known in Asia. May not this book be the Psalms in old Hebrew or Sa- maritan, and the people a sect of Jews? Can you give me any information on this head? * As a proof of the strict regularity of Sir William Jones in tlie ap- plication of his time, the reader is presented with a transcript of a card in his own writing. It contains, indeed, the occupations which he had prescribed to himself in a period of the following year ; but may serve as a sample of the manner in which he devoted his leisure hours at all times. Daily Studies • for the Long Vacation of 1785: Morning One letter. Ten chapters of tJie Bible- Sanscrit Grammar. Hindu law, &c. Afternoon Indian Geography. Evening Roman History. Chessv Ariosto. Sir 505 Sir WILLIAM JONES to Mr. Justice HYDE. Garden, May 14, 1784. Many thanks, iny dear Sir, for your kind concern and attention. 1 was on the brido;e by Col. Tolly's house in the midst of the storm, my hoises mad M'ith tlie fear of the lightning-, and my carriao^e every moment in danjjer of btino: overset by the wind; I was wet to the skin, and saved from worse inconvenience by the diligence of my servants, who took oif the horses and drew the carriage to a place of safety. I am neverthe- less in good health; but Lady Jones is not quite recovered from a severe cold and rheumatism, at- tended with a fever. Remember that I am always ready to relieve you at the chambers in the Loll Bazar*, and will cheerfully take the labouring oar next month if you please ; especially, as I propose to spend the long vacation in a floating house, and to leave Calcutta as soon as the session is over ; but I shall return dead or alive before the !22d of Octo- ber. I am inexpressibly amused by a Persian translation of an old Sanscrit book, called Siry Bha'gwat, which comprises almost the whole of the Hindu religion, and contains the life and achievements of Crhhen; it is by far the most entertaining book, on account of its novelty and ^\'ildness, tliat I ever read. — Farewell, and believe me, dear Sir, ever affectionately yours, William Jones. * A house ill Calcutta, whei;€ the puisn6 judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature attended by rotation in the evening, as justices of the peace. X Sir 306 Sir William Jones to Dr. Patrick Rnssel. Culculta, March 10, 1784- You would readily excuse my delay in answering your obliging- letter, if you could form an idea of the incessant hurry and confusion, in which I have been kept ever since my arrival in Bengal, by necessary business, or necessary for- malities, and by the difficulty of settling myself to my mind, in a country so different from that which I have left. I am indeed, at best, but a bad correspondent ; for I never write by candle- light, and find so much Arabic or Persian to read, that all my leisure in a morning, is hardly suffi- cient for a thousandth part of the reading that would be highly agreeable and useful to me ; and as I purpose to spend the long vacation up the country, I wish to be a match in conversation with the learned natives, whom I may happen to meet. I rejoice that you are so near, but lament that you are not nearer, and am not without hope^ that you may one day be tempted to visit Bengal, where I flatter myself you will give me as much of your company as possible. Many thanks for your kind hints in regard to my health. As to ine, I do not expect, as long as I stay in India, to be free from a bad digestion, the morbus liter atorum^ for which there is hardly any remedy, but abstinence from too much food, literary and culinary. I rise before the sun, and bathe after a gentle ride; my diet is light and sparing, and I go early to rest \ yet the activity of SOT of my mind is too strong for ray constitution, though naturally not infirm, and I must be satis- fied with a valetudinarian state of health. If you should meet with any curiosities on the coast, either in your botanical rambles or in reading, and will communicate them to our society, lately in- stituted for enquiring into the history, civil and natural, the antiquities, arts, sciences, and litera- ture of Asia, we shall give you our hearty thanks. There is an Abyssinian here, who knew Mr. Bruce at Gwender. I have examinetl him, and he con- firms Bruce's account. Every day supplies me with something new in Oriental learning, and if I were to stay here half a century, I should be con- tinually amused. Sir WILLIAM JONES to jipril 13, 1784. * I am discouraged from writing to you ds copiously as I wish, by the fear that my letter may never reach you. I inclose however a hymn to the Indian Cupid, which is here said to be the only correct specimen of Hindu mythology that has appeared ; it is certainly new and quite original, except the form of the stanza, which is Milton's. I add the character of Lord A^h- biirton, which my zeal for his fame prompted me to publish*. Had * Lord Ashburton died on the 18th of August 1783. His charac- ter, written hy Sir William Jones, is published in vol. iv. of his Works, X 2 pap^ 308 Had I dreamt that the dialogue would have made such a stir, I should certainly have taken more pains with it. I will never cease to avow and justify the doctrine comprised in it, I meant it merely as an imitation of one of Plato's, where a boy wholly ignorant of geometry, is made by a few simple questions to demonstrate a proposition, and 1 intended to inculcate, that the principles of government were so obvious and intelligible, that a clown might be brought to understand them. As to raising sedition, I as much thought of rai- sing a church. My dialogue contains my system, which I have ever avowed, and ever Mill avow ; but I perfectly agree, (and no man of sound intellect can dis- agree) that such a system is wholly inapplicable to this countrv, where millions of men are so wedded page 577. I transcribe from it the last paragraph, as a proof of the gratitude and ^fusibility of the writer. " For some months before his death, the nursery had been his chief " delight, and gave him more pleasure than the cabinet could have " afforded : but this parental alTection, which had been a source of so ** much felicity, was probably a cause of his fatal illness. He had lost *' one son, and expected to lose another, when the author of thij " painful tribute to his memory, parted from him, with tears in hii " eyes, little hoping to see him again in a perishable state. As he *' perceives, without affectation, that his tears now steal from him, " and begin to moisten the paper on which iie writes, he reluctantly *' leaves a subject, which he could not soon have exhausted \ and " when he also shall resign his life to the great Giver of it, he desires " no other decoration of his humble grave-stone, than this honourable " truth : " With none to flatter, none to recommend, " Dunning approv'd, and mark'd him as a friend." to 309 to inveterate prejudices and habits, that if liberty could be forced upon tliem by Britain, it would make them as miserable as the crudest despotism. Pray remember me affect i on ately to all my friends at the Bar, whom I have not time to enu- merate, and assure my academical and professional friends, that I will write to them all when I have leisure. — Farewell, &c. Sir William Jones to Charles Chapman, Esc]^. Gardens, Tiear Allipore, April 26, 1784. Allow me, dear Sir, to give you the warmest thanks in my own name, and in that of our infant society, for the pleasure which we have received from your interesting account of Cochin- china, with considerable extracts from which we have been favoured by our patrons. Our meetings are well attended, and the society may really be said, considering the recent time of its establish- ment, to flourish. We have been rather indisposed, the weather being such as we had no idea of in England, ex- cessive heat at noon, and an incessant high wind from morning to night ; at this moment it blows a hurricane, and my study reminds me of my cabin at sea. Our way of life however is quite pastoral in this retired spot ; as my prime favourites, among all our pets, are two large English sheep, which came with us from Spithead, and, having narrowly escaped the knife, are to live as long and as happily with us as they can ; they follow us 310 us for bread, and are perfectly domestic. We are literally lulled to sleep by Persian nightingales, and cease to wonder, that the Bulbul, with a thou- sand tales, makes such a figure in Oriental poetry. Since I am resolved to sit regularly in court as long as I am well, not knowing how soon I may be forced to remit my attention to business, I shall not be at liberty to enter my budgerow till near the end of July, and must be again in Calcutta on the 22d of- October, so that my time will be very limited ; and I shall wish if possible to see Benares. * * • * * * * The principal object of his meditated excursion was to open sources of information, on topics en- tirely new in the republic of letters. The indis- position which he mentions, not without appre- hensions of its continuance, had not altogether left him when he commenced his journey, and duriug the progress of it returned with a severity, ■which long held the public in anxious suspense, before any hopes could be entertained of its fa- vourable termination. The author of these Memoirs saw him in Au- gust 1784, at the house of a friend in the vicinity of Moorshedabad, languid, exhausted, and ema- ciated, in a state of very doubtful convalescence; but his mind had suffered no depression, and ex- hibited all its habitual fervour. In his conversa- tion he spoke with rapture of the country, of the novel and interesting sources opened to his re- searches. 311 searches, and seemed to lament his sufferings, only as impediments to the prosecution of them. From Moorshedabad he proceeded to Jungipore, at the distance of a day's journey only, and from this place continued his correspondence, which de- scribes his condition. Sir llilliam Jones to Charles Chapman, Esq. August 30, 1784. Nothino- but a series of severe attacks of iHness could have prevented my replying long ago to your friendly letter. After resisting them by temperance and exercise for some time, I was quite overpowered by a fever, which has confined me ten weeks to my couch, but is now almost entirely abated, though it has left me in a state of extreme weakness. I had a relapse at Rauga- mutty, which obliged me to stay three weeks at Afzalbang, where the judgment and attention of Dr. Glas, prevented perhaps serious consequences. I have spent two days at this place, and I find myself so much better, that I propose to continue my voyage this evening: whether I shall be able to go farther than Patna, (I long to see Benares,) is very uncertain. This is only the second attempt I have made to write since my illness; and as I hold my pen with some difficulty, I will say no- more than that I am, with great esteem, &c. P. S. I cannot help adding, that your proposal of extracting such parts of your very interesting narrative concerning Cochin-china, as you may think 312 think proper to deposit among the archives of our society, is the very thing I wished, and I really think it will be one of our most valuable tracts * But his thoughts and attention were not con- fined to the perishable concerns of this world only ; and what was the subject of his meditations in health, was more forcibly impressed upon his mind during illness. He knew the duty of resignation to the M'ill of his Maker, and of dependence on the merits of a Redeemer ; and I find these senti- ments expressed in a short prayer, which he com- posed during his indisposition in Sepiember 1784," and which I here insert ■^ *' O Thou Bestowcr of all good ! if it please " Thee to continue my easy tasks in this life, grant *' me strength to perform them as a faithful ser- **vant; but if thy wisdom hath willed to end *' them by this thy visitation, admit me, not ** weighing my un worthiness, but through thy ** mercy declared in Christ, into thy heavenly ** mansions, that I may continually advance in * The extracts alluded to, have not yet appeared in the Asiatic Researches. The voyage which led to that narrative, was undertaken on tlie following occasion : Two Mandarins of Cochin-china, had been accidentally brought to Calcutta, in 1778 ; the Governor-General of India, Warren Hastings, Esq , from motives of humanity and policy, furnished the meansof their return to their native country, and Charles Chapman, Esq., at his own request, was appointed to aecompanv them with a public commission, with instructions to establish, if prac- ticable, a commercial intercourse between the Company's settlements in India and Cochin-chma, and to procure such privileges and advan- tages for English vessels resorting thither, as the government of tbut country might be disposed to grant. "happiness^ S13 *' happiness, by advancing in true kno'vlcdg;? and *' aweful love of Thee. Thy will be done!" I quote, with particular satisfaction, this short but decisive testimony of the religious principles of Sir William Jones. — Among many additional proofs, which might be given of them, is tiie fol- lowing short prayer, composed on waking, July 27, 1783, at sea, also copied from his own writing": *' Graciously accept our thanks. Thou Giver of " all good, for having preserved us another night, " and bestowed on us another day. O, grant that " on this day, we may meditate on thy Law with "joyful veneration, and keep it in all our actions ** with firm obedience !" Minute circumstances frequently tend to mark and develop character. As a farther instance of this observation, however trifling it may appear, the application, by Sir William Jones to himself, of two lines of Milton in his own writing under a card with his printed name, in addition to more substantial proofs, may be quoted in evidence of his habitual frame of mind: Not wand'ring poor, but trusting all his wealth With Gdo, who call'd him to a land unknown. Qa another scrap of paper, the following lines appear ; they were written by him in India, but at what period is not known, nor indeed of any consequence : Sir Edward Coke ; --- -- • '--^. Six hours in sleep, in law's grave study six,' " Four spend in prayer, — the rest on nature fix : RATHER, 314 ■* RATHER, Seven hours to law, to soothing slumber seven, Ten to the world allot, and all to Heaven. If we sometimes suffer the humiliation, of see- ing great talents and extensive erudition prosti- tuted to infidehty, and employed in propagating misery by endeavouring to subvert the basis of our temporal and eternal welfare, we cannot but feel a more than common gratification, at the sa- lutary union of true genius and piety. Learning, that wantons in irreligion, may, like the Sirius of , Homer, flash its strong light upon us ; but though brilliant, it is baneful, and, while it dazzles, makes us tremble for our safety. Science there-- fore, without piety, whatever admiration it may excite, will never be entitled to an equal degree of respect and esteem, with the humble know- ledire, which makes us wise unto Salvation. The belief of Sir William Jones in Revelation, is openly and distinctly declared in his works : but the unostentatious effusions of sequestered adora- tion, whilst they prove the sincerity of his con- viction, give an additional weight to his avowed opinions. More might be added on this subject^ but it will be communicated in another place. His next stage was Bhagilpoor, the residence of the friend, to whom the preceding letters were addressed, and here he was long detained by ill- ness and debility. The vigour of his mind how- ever still continued unimpaired, and except du- ring the severe paroxysms of -disorder, his re- searches 315 searches for information were never suspended, nor would he suffer himself to be d; b.uied from any intercourse by which they could be promoted. It was at this place, during the hours of conva- lescence when he was confined to his couch, that he applied bimself to the study of botany ; a sci- ence for which he had earlv entertained a srrcat partiality, and which he pronounces the most lovely and fascinating branch of natural know- ledfje. With the works of Linnaeus before him. he procured the plants of the country to be brought to him, and comparing the productions of nature, with the descriptions and arrangements of the Swedish philosopher, he beguiled the hours of languor and disease, and laid the solid foundation of that botanical knowledge, which he ever af- terwards cultivated with increasing ardour and delight. ®i-om Bhagilpoor he pursued his journey to Patna, where he was again attacked u ith a severe indisposition. It did not however prevent him from proceeding by land to Guyah, famous as the birth-place of Boudh, the author of a system of philosophy which labours under the imputation of atheism ; but more famous for the annual resort of Hindu pilgrims from all parts of India, who repair to the holy city for the puil^ose of making prescribed oblations to their deceased ancestors, and of obtaining absolution from all tiieir sins. The city of Benares was his next stage, and the limits of his excursion. He had here an opportu- nity 316 nity of seeing the professors of the Hindu reli- gion, at the most celebrated and ancient univer- sity of India, and had only to reg-ret, that his knowledge of their language was insufficient to enable him to converse with them without the assistance of an interpreter. After a short resi- dence, which his sense of duty w^ould not allow him to protract unnecessarily, he returned by the Ganges to Bhagilpoor *, where, as he observes, he had * From a note written by Sir William Jones, on Major Rennel's ac- count of Butan and Tibet, I extract the following passage. It is en- dojsed, as having been intended for the Researches of the Asiatic So- ciety, but is not publisiied in them. "Jast after sun-set, on the 5th of October 1784, I had a distinct *' view, from Bhagilpoor, of Chumalury peak, and the adjoining " mountains of Tibet, which are very clearly seen from Ptrneiuy and " were perfectly recollected by a learned member of our society, one *' of the latest travellers to that interesting country, who had obli- *• gingly communicated to me a correct note of the bearings and '♦ courses observed in his journey from Rangpur to Ta.isisudd^n, and " thence through Paradgnng to Chumalur'j. The peak bore very " nearly due north to the room, from which it was seen, in the house " of Ml". Chapman ; and from the most accurate calculations that I " could make, the horizontal distance at which it was distinctly vi- " siblc, must be at least 244 British miles : there was a strong glare ** from the setting sun on the snows of its more western side, and it " might assuredly have been discerned at a much greater distance. " By an observation of Mr. Davis, at Rengpur, and another at Tassi- *• sudden, the difference of latitude between the place last mentioned " and Bhagilpoor, is 163 geographical, or 188 and a fraction, British. " miles : now although the road from Buxadewar in Butan, the latitude ** of which was found to be 26"^ 53', consisted of rough mountains " and deep valleys, yet the way between Paradgong and Chumalury, " especially from Chesacamba, the frontier of Tibet, was very level ; *' and the accuracy of our travellers gives us reason to believe, that *' their computed miles from Tassisudden were but Utile above the " standard ; 317 iiad already found so much health, pleasure, and instruction for two months. In his journey from this place to Calcutta, he visited Gour, once the residence of the sovereigns of Bengal. This place still exhibits architectural remains of roval masrnificence, which the traveller is obliged to explore at some personal risk amidst forests, the exclusive haunts of wild beasts; for nature has here resumed her dominion, and triumphs over the short-lived pride of man. In a letter to a friend *, written after his arrival in Calcutta, he has briefly described some parts of his journey. — " The Mahanada was beautiful, and " the banks of, some rivers in the Sunderbunds " were magnificent; wc passed within two yards ** of a fine tiger, who gazed on us with indiffer- " ence; but we took care, for several reasons, to *' avoid the narrow passes at night. As we ap- *' proached Calcutta, we perceived the difference " of climate, and thought of Bhagilpoor with " pleasure and regret. " standard ; so that, having measured the northern sides of the two " triangles, formed by their courses WNW. and NNW. we could " not be far from the truth." " The niountains of Chumalury, are the second or third ridge de- " scribed in the Memoir. The Major justly considers the mountains " of Himola, for so they are named by the natives fi'om a word signi- " fying snoiv, as e(jual in elevation to any in the old hemisphere ; and " an observation of Mr. Saunders at Perneia, added to a remark of " Mr. Smith on the appearance of Chumalury from Moreitg, gives " abundant reason to think, that we sasv from Bhagilpoor, the highest " mountains in the world, without excepting tlie Andes." * Charles Chapman, Esq. *< I find 318 *' I find Calcutta greatly changed; the loss " of Mr. Hastings and Shore *, I feel very sen- " sibly, and cannot but fear that the pleasure, " which I derive from other friendships formed in " India, will be followed by the pain of losing *' my friends next season. This was a great evil " at the university, and abates not a little the " happiness I expected in this country. " Will you have the goodness to ask Mahesa ** pundit, whether the university of Tyrhoot i» *' still supported, and confers degrees in Hindu " law ? One of our pundits is dead, and we have " thoughts of requesting recommendations from *' the universities of Hindustan, particularly from " Benares, and Tyrhoot, if it exists ; so that the *' new pundit may be universally approved, and " the Hindus may be convinced, that we decide " on their law from the best information we can *' procure f*" " I am just returned," (thus he writes to ano- ther correspondent, Dr. P. Russel, March 2, 1785,) " as it were from the brink of another world, ha- " ving been absent near seven months, and re- *' duced to a skeleton by fevers of every denomi- *' nation, with an obstinate bilious flux at their " heels. My health is tolerably restored by a *' long ramble through South Behar, and the * Warren Hastings, Esq., and Mr. Shore, embarked in February 1785, for England. f The pundits are the expounders of tlie Hindu law ; in which capacity, two constantly attended the supreme court of judicature, at Fortwilliam. *' district 319 *' district of Benares, of wliicli if I were to Write ** an account, I must fill a volume." They who have perused the description of Jo- anna, by Sir William Jones, will regret that this volume was never written. The objects presented to his inspection during his journey, afforded ample scope for his observation, which was equally qualified to explore the beauties of nature, the works of art, the discriminations of character, and the productions of learning* and science. Many of the remarks and reflections which he made in this tour, are transfused through his various compositions, two of which were actually written, during the course of his journey. The little elegant tale in verse, under the title of The Enchanted Fruity or Hindu ITife, was composed during his residence in Beyhar, and af- fords a proof of the success of his enquiries, as well as of his skill in the happy application of the intelligence obtained by them. The other production was a Treatise on the Gods of Greece, Italy, and India, which he after- wards revised, and presented to the society. The design of this essay was to point out a resemblance, too strong to have been accidental, between the popular worship of the old Greeks and Italians, and that of the Hindus, and between their strange religion and that of Egypt, China, Persia, Phry- gia, Phoenicia, and Syria, and even remoter na- tions. The proof of such resemblance, if satis- factorily established, would, as he remaiks,. au- thorize 520 thorize an inference of a general union and affi- nity l)etween the most distiiiguished inhabitants , of the primitive world, at the time when they de- viated, as they did too early deviate, from the ra- tional adoration of the only true God. To this journey, under Providence, he was in all probability indebted for the preservation of his Hfe, which, without it, might have fallen a sacritice to the accumulation o? disease : after his arrival in Calcutta, his health was completely restored. He now resumed his functions in the supreme court of judicature, and renewed the meetings of the society, which had been interrupted by his absence. In his second anniversary discourse, which was delivered in February 17^5, he notices with pleasure and surprise the successful progress of the institution, and the variety of subjects which had been discussed by the members of it : and as in his first address, he had confined himself to the exhibition of a distant prospect only of the v'ast career. on which the society , was entering; iu the second, he delineates a slight but masterly sketch of tlie^various- discoveries in -history, sci- ence, and art, which might justly be expected to result from its researches into the literature of Asia. He meiitions" his satisfaction at having had an opportunity of visiting two ancient seats of Hindu religii>n and literature, and notices the im- pediments opposed by illness to the prosecution of his proposed enquiries, and the necessity of lea- Ying them, as Mnea,s is feigned to have left the shadei, 331 shades, when his guide made him'recoilect the swift Jiight of irrevocable timCy with a curiosity raised to the height, and a regret not easy to be described. I now return to the correspondence of Sir Wil- liam Jones, which, in this year, consists of few letters, and those chiefly addressed to * John Macpherson, Esq. who, in February 178.5, suc- ceeded to the station of Governor-General of. India, on the departure of Mr. Hastings. If, in these letters, Sir William adverts to topics not fa- miHar to liis readers, they are such as naturally arise out of his situation and connections. Re- moved, at a distance of a quarter of the circum- ference of the globe, from the scene of politics, in which he had taken a deep interest, his atten* tion is transferred to new objects and new duties. The sentiments which flow from his pen, in the confidential intercourse of friendship, display his mind more clearly than any narrative ; and they are often such as could not be omitted without in- jury to his character. Some passages in the let- ters, which, as less generally interesting, could be suppressed without this effect, l\ave not been transcribed. . Sir IVilUam Jones to /. Macpherson, Esq. March 12, 1785. I always thought, before I left Eng- land, that a regard for the public good required the most cordial union between the executive and ; * The present Sir John Macphers.cHi, Bart. . „ Y judicial 322 jiidicial powers in this country ; and I lamented the mischief occasioned by former divisions. Since I have no view of happiness on this side of the grave, but in a faithful discharge of my duty, I shall spare no pains to preserve that cordiality which subsists, I trust, and will subsist, between the government and the judges. Lord Bacon, if I remember right, advises every statesman to relieve his mind from the fatigues of business by a poem, or a prospect, or any thing that raises agreeable images: now, as your own gardens afford you the finest prospects, and I should only offer you a view of paddy-fields*, I send you for your amusement, what has amused me in the composition, a poem "I' on the old philo- sophy and religion of this country, and you may depend on its orthodoxy. The time approaches when I must leave these recreations, and return to my desk in court, where however a knowledge of the Hindu manners and prejudices may not be useless. Sir William Jones to J. Macpherson, Esq. f* "-' May 17, 1785. I ha\e so many things, my dear Sir, to thank you for, that I scarcely know where to. begin. To follow the order of time, I must in the first place give }'ou my hearty thanks for your kind and pleasing letter of last week, which shews th:it your mind can grasp the whole field of htera- ■■* Rice-fields. • ; • ■• .,•.:.;>/.. .■.).;■ . ' f The Enchantei Fruit; or, Hindu Wift. - -'^VorkSjivjol. vi. p. 477. ture I. titre and criticism, as well as that of politics, aiid that, in the manner of ancient rulers in Asia, par- ticularly Cicero, the governor of Ciiicia, you unite the character of the statesman and the scholar. Next for the news, which has on the whole given nie pleasure, and in particular, what both pleases and surprizes me, that Lord Camden has accepted the post of president of the council. You know the opinion which I early formed of Pitt: and ' ""that opinion will he raised slill higher, if he has shewn himself (not merely indifferent, but) anxious I jthat the reins of this government may long con- ■ .tinue in the hands which now hold theili, ind which, though mortals, as Addison says, cannot command success, will certainly deserve it. 1 anxiously wish, for thfe sake of the public, that not \ only the operations of the la\^, /but the cordial ' ^assent of those on whom it depends, have already secured your seat, as long as it may be consistent ili.! with your happiness to fill It. — ,, „. ,^ . . „ * * * * * , ,;..*..^ " ' . I Will not fall to talk wltli Mr. Chambers on the college, and beg you to assure yourself that I shall ever be happy in my sphere to give my humble assistance whenever you may requite it. . / Sir William Jones to J. Macpherson, Hjsq. Mat/ ^2, 17S5. ' It was my intention to present to you, in the author's name, the bcoks which I now send. The poet Zainudeen was recommended to Y 2 mf" 32'* ■me soon after I came to India, as a worthy inge- nious old man. I inclose his verses to vou, with a hasty translation* on the back of the paper, of the best- couplets. The smaller volume contains part * This tratislatioii, as a specimen of the taste and adulatory style of modern Persian poets, is inserted for the reader's entertainment. — " Macpherson, exalted as the sky, prosperotis in thy undertaking?, who like the sUn receivest eVcn atoms in thy beams ! Thou art the just one of this age ; and in thy name, that of Nushirovan revives. With the aid of Jesus, (blessed be his name!) the government acquires its stability from thy niind. I have composed a poem in words of truths beginning with a panegyric on the company. It contains a recital of ■Che wars of the English^ described with an animated pen. By the command of Hastings^ entitled to reverence, I began a book on the \ictory of Benares; but before the completion of my task, that honour- able man returned to his country. In thy government iuis my work hetn completed, and with thy name have I adorned its opening, in hope, that thou wilt send me fresh materials, to decorate with golden verses the cheeks of my book. If I compose a Shahnameb, on the glorious name of the King of England, the book will fly over Iran apd Turan, and the deeds of thy nation will blaze like the sun ; if I sing the achievements of the English, the name of Parveiz will be no more mentioned : If I open a chapter of their conquests, Afrasiab tvilt ti'cmbk under the earth ; the rapid motion of my dark reed will make Kustem halt and droop. Hear my strains with discernment, and my pen shall soar. with the wjngs of a falcon. Favour me, as Sultan Mahmoud shewed kindness to Ferdosi, that we may be a pair of tuneful nightin- gales. " The actions of all nations are commemorated ; let those of the English b^ celebrated under thy auspices. May thy orders be resistless: 3s the sea, the head of the contumacious be in thy power, and the seal of government bear thy name !" On the names mentioned in this translation, it may be. sufficient to observe that Ferdosi is the Homer of Persia, who compostul an heroic poem under the title of Shahnameh ; that the. naqicof Nushirovau, is ' proverbial for justice; that Iran and Turan, are Persia and Tartar}' ; ''"and that the other persons introduced were kings or heroes of thos? ccmntries. S25 of the epic poem, which is written with enthu- siasm; and the other vokime is filled with odes and elegies, all in the old man's writing. He is ;«flr» riedto immortal verse, and his highest ambition is, to be a7i atom in 07ie of your sunbeams. Sir WilUam Jones to J. MacphersoUy Esq. ^fmJ 1785- The ornament of tlie faith, (for that is the bard's name) Zahnideen will Mait upon you on Wednesday ; his style of compliments is mode- rate in comparison of most Oriental compositions ; other poets of this country would have entreated you not to ride on horseback, lest you should cause an earthquake in India wlien you mounted. This was actually said to a prince at Delhi, who plea- santly bade the poet comfort himself^ and assured him, that he would ever after go in a palanquin. Sir William Jones to J. Macpherson, Esq., May 2^, 17-85.. The regulation which you made concerning the Madrissa*, is so salutary, that few- things •* Thepassagesinthesclettersrelatingto thcMadrissa» orcollege> a&an establishment of national importance,meritsamorepurticul5i,rt.'.\'plaflation. Mr. Hastings, whilst he held the office of governor-general, with a view to promote the knowledge of Mohammedan law, as essential to the due administration of justice to the natives of India, hade tablished a college at Calcutta, in which, native students were admitted and taught at the public expence. This institution was dictated by a wise policy ; it was calculated to conciliate the affections of the Mussulmans, and to ensure a succession of men properly qualified by education to expound the law of the Koran, and to fill the important offices of magistrates in the courts of justice. The president of this college had been selected with evei"-' 526 things would grieve me more than to see It frus> trated. Your predecessor has often mentioned to me, the high opinion which he had formed of the rector, but (I know not for what reason) he is very unpopular. Perhaps it is only faction, too com- mon in most colleges at our universities, of the students against the hejid. It is a remark of Johnson's*, that as spiders would piake silk, if they could agree together, so men of letters would be useful to the public, if they were not perpetually at variance. Besides my ap- probation as a good citizen, of your regulations, I have a particular interest in the conduct of Muj- duddeen, vvho is Maulavy| of the court, and as such ought to be omni e.vceptione major. I believe from my conversation wjth him, that he is not a man of deep learning; bqt his manners are not unpleasing. The proposal which you make, can- not but produce good effects ; but I hardly know any member of our society, who answers your de^ scription for a visitor under j/owr clirectio?js,except Mr. Chambers, and his report might he depended on, I will, if you please, propose it on Thursday. The students brought a complaint before me last term, which I dismissed as not being within i;riy cognizance, that their allowances were taken by every attention to his character and ability; but, some representa- tions liaving been made to his disadvantage, the succeeding governor- general, J. Macpherson, Esq. consulted Sir William Jones, on the regu- lations proper to be established for promoting the laudable objects of tlic institution, and controlling its conduct. * Originally Reaumur's. f Expounder of the Mohammedan law. the 327 the liead, who left them without subsistence ; but whether this be true or false, it will not be amiss- for the Maulavy to know, that he is subject to visitation from time to time. If the bc^st intentions can ensure safety, you liave nothing- to apprehend ; but alas ! my friend, if you can he safe only in fixed unanimous opi- nions of statute lazv.^ you can seldom, 1 fear, act with perfect confidence. Such is the imperfection of human language, that itw written laws are free from ambiguity; and it rarely happens that many minds are united in the same interpretation of them. , A statesman told Lord Coke, that he meant to consult him on a point of law, *' If it be common *' law," said Coke, '' I should be ashamed if I " could not give you a ready answer ; but if it be *^ stutate-law, I should be equally ashamed if I "answered vou immediately." I will Ivereonly set down a few rules of interpre- tation which the wisdom of ages has established, where the sense of the words is at all ambiguous. 1. The intention of the writer must be sougltt, and prevail over the literal sense of terms ; but penal laws must be strictly expounded against offenders, and liberally against the otfence, 2. All clauses, preceding or subsequent, must be taken together to explain any one doubtful clause. 3. When a case is expressed to remove any doubt, whether it was included or not, the extent of the clause, with regard to cases not so expressed, is by no nieans restrained. 4. Th 4. The conclusion of a phrase is not confined to. the words immediatety preceding, but usually ex- tended to the whole antecedent phrase. These are copious maxims, and, with half a dozen inore, are the stars by which we steer in the con,- struction of all public and private writings. Sir William Jones to J* Macpherson^ Esq. Court House, July. We have just convicted a low Hindu, of afoul conspiracy, which would have ended in. perjuiy, and (as his own law-giver says) in every cause of damnation. If richer men were of the plot, I hope our court will escape the reproach of the satirist, that *' laws resemble cobwebs, which *' catch flies and let the wasps break through." . Sir William Jones to J. Macphersoii, Esq. August 14, 1785. I give you my hearty thanks, my J,,- dear Sir, for the history of the Roman Republic,. ' which I read with particular pleasure. . Looking oyer my shelves the other day, I laid my hand on the annexed little book ascribed to Sir Walter Raleigh; it is, like most posthumous works, incorrect, but contains, with some rubbish, anum- .ber of wise. aphorisms and pertinent examples; it .(- is rather the commonrplace book of some states- man, than a well-digested treatise, but it has amused me on a second reading, and \ hope it will amuse ^ few of your leisure moments. The 829 The" society of Sir William Jones . was -too at- tractive to allow him to employ his, leisure hours in those studies, which, he so eagerly desired to cultivate, and although no man was more happy in the conversation of his friends, he soon found that the unrestrained enjoyment of this gr^itifica- tion was incompatible with his attention to literary pursuits. He determined therefore to seek some retirement, at no great distance from Calcutta, where he might have the benefit of air and exercise, and prosecute his studies without liiterruptidn, during the vacations of tlie supreme court. For this purpose, he made choice of a residence at Crishnagur, which had a particular attraction for him, from its vicinity to a Hindu college; and from this spot lie writes to his friends. Sir WilUa?n Jones to Dr. Patrick Russel, Sept. 5, 1785. Your two kind letters found me overwhelmed with the business of a severe sessions and term, which lasted two months, and fatigued me so much, that I v/as forced to hasten from Cal- cutta as fast as winds and oars could carry me.'- I am now at the ancient university of Nadeya, where I hope to learn the rudiments of that venerable and interesting language which was once vernacu- lar in all India, and in both the peninsulas with their islands. Your pursuits must be delightful, and I shall be impatient to see the fruit 'of your learned labours. Our society goes oh slowly ;' and hot-bed 3301 hot-bed fruits are not so good to my.t^ste as thosfi which ripen naturally. >u 3a;v>q!.^ .s;li liji Dr. Kccnig's loss will be severely felt ; he was a valuable man, with as much simplicity as nature herself, M'hose works he studied. Do you know when his books are to be disposed of? I should wish to purchase his Linnaeus. Sir William Jones to Charles Chapman, Esq. Sept.2Z, 1785. I am proceeding slowly, but surely, in this retired place, in the study of Sanscrit; for I can no longer bear to be at the mercy of our pundits, who deal out Hindu law as they please, and make it at reasonable rates, when they can- not find it ready made. I annex the form adopted by us fqr tlie oaths of Mussulman^ ; you will in your discretion adopt or reject it, and if you can collect from Mahesa pundit, who seemed a worthy honest man, how Hindu witnesses ought to be examined, and whether the Bramins can give ab- solution (I think they call it pryarchitt) for per- jury, and in what case, you will greatly oblige inc, and contribute to the advancement of justice. ^ * , * * * * • The conclusion of this letter expresses a senti- ment, which, as a judge in Bengal and friend of human nature, he always considered an object of the first importance. The period of his residence at his country cot- tage, 3S1 tage, was necessarily limited by the duty of attend- ing the supreme court : on his return to Calcutta, in October, he Avrites to John Macpherson, Esq. , " Lady Jones, and myself, received much benefit *' from the dry soil antl pure air of Crishnagur; *' how long my health will continue in this town, " with constant attendance in court every morn- , *' ing, and the irksome business of justice of peace. *' in the afternoon, I cannot foresee. If tem- *' peranceand composure of mind will avail, I shall " be well; but I would rather be a valetudinarian " all my life, than leave unexplored the Sanscrit " mine which I have just opened. " I have brought with me the father of the " uniyersityof Nadeya, who, thougli not a Brahmin, " has taught grammar and ethics to the most " learned Brahmins, and has no priestly pride, '* with whicli his pupils in general abound." In the year ]7^5, a periodical work was under- taken at Calcutta, under the title of the Asiatic " Miscellany, which has been ignorantly ascribed to the Asiatic Society, with whose researches it bad ' no connection. The title of the work indicates'- the nature of its contents, which consisted chielly of extracts from books published in Europe, re*'' lating to India, of translations from Oriental Authors, and of poems and essays. The editor was occasionally assisted by the literary talents of gentlemen in India, and wc find in the two first volumes, which were published in the years 1785 and 8f), the following compositions of Sir WiUiani Jones, 332 Jones, who never neglected any opportunity of contributing to the advanccmeut of Oriental literatnre: The tale of the Enchanted Fruit, which hasah'eady been mentioned, six hymns* addressed to as many, Ilindu deities, a literal translation of twetity tales and fables of Nizami, expressly in- tended to assist the students of the Persian lan- guage, besides other smaller pieces; from which I quote with pleasure, the following beautiful tetras- tick, which is a literal translation from the Persian: On parent knees, a naked, new-born child. Weeping thou sat'st, while all around thee smil'd : So live, that, sinking in thy last long sleep. Calm thou may'st smile, when all around thee wecp."'.*7^^ ^•: The hymns, which are original compositions, are descriptive of tl>e Hindu deities, to whom they were addressed, and a short introductory explana- tion accompanies each. The mythological allu- sions and Sanscrit names, with which they abound, are not sufficiently familiar to the English reader, to enable him to derive that pleasure from tliem, which those who are acquainted with the manners and mythology of the Hindus feel in the perusal of these hymns ; but whilst they mark the taste * In his hymn toSurya, or the Sun, Sir William Jones alhidcs tobim- self, in the following beautiful lines: And, if they ask what mortal pours the strain f Say, (for thou seest earth, air» and main,) Say, " From the bosom of yon silver isle. Where skies more softly smile. He came; and lisping our celestial tongue. Though not from Brahma sprung, Draws orient luiowledge from its fountains pure. Through caves obstructed long, and paths too long obscure." and 333 and genius of the author, tlicy supply a fund of information, equally novel and curious. We con- template with delight and surprise the admirer of the Grecian bar, after the recess of the court, he had an opportu- nity of executing his plan, and repaired to Chati- gan, by sea, in February. A short time before his departure, a discussion had taken place between the judges of the supreme court of judicature, and the executive government of Bengal; respecting a resolution adopted !)y the latter, 335 .latter, altering the mode in which the salaries of the judges had been paid. They remonstrated against the resolution, and the letter written by Sir V/iliiam Jones to Sir J. Macpherson on the, occa- sion, is so strongly characteristic of that indepen- dent spirit which he always possessed, that on this account it merits insertion. The remainder of his correspondence of this year, as far as it is proper to lay it before the public, follows in the order of its dates. Sir WilUam Jones to J. Macpherson, Bart. • '• My DEAR Sir, Pha: nix sloop, Ftb. 5, 1786. Had I known where Captain Light* lived in Calcutta, I would not have troubled you with the annexed letter, but I must request you to forward it to him. It is in answer to an excellent "letter from him, which I received near a twelve- month ago. I anxiously hope he has completed (M'hat no other European could begin) a versionof the Siamese code. .. ^' fMy voyage to the eastern coast will, I trust, be K^ery pleasant, and I hope we shall make our part good against the scoundrel Peguers ; though if we descry a fleet of boats, I believe it will be wiser to retreat on the wings of the Phoenix ; for I am not poet enough to believe, that anotherwilLrise fr.om her ashes. •ifnn'^^r*^ t''<- .fi^^. y^ nfi\> ^c I lament that otir respective engagements have ' ' ** Capliin'"Light was appointed sifpennfendaht of a new ietticm^nt' at Penang, or Prince of Wales's Islatnd; He was thoroughly comerstuft i.^ the Malay dialect. ,,, .,,,,,. ..,'-,'■'. 336 prevented our meeting often, since the end of ttie rains ; but six or seven hours in the morning, and two or three in the evening, spent in unremitted labour for the last three months, fatigued me so much that I had no leisure for society, scarcely any for natural repose. My last act was to sign our letter to your board on the subject of our salaries, and I would have called upon you to ex- postulate amicably on the measure you had pur- sued, if I had not wished to spare you the pain of defending indefensible steps, and the difficulty of finding reasons to support the most unreasonable conduct. Many passages in the letter were soften- ed by my brethren, for I, who have long been habituated to ancient simplicity, am ever inclined both to write and speak as I think and feel ; and I should certainly have asked, if we had conversed on this matter, whether distressing and pinching the judges, and making them contemptible in the eyes of the natives, and of their ov/n servants, was, as you expressed yourself last summer, assisting them with heart and hand ; or whether forming resolutions, as the sub-treasurer wrote me word three weeks ago concerning them, of which they were the last men in the settlement to hear, was intended as a return for that perfect cordiality, as hv as honesty permitted, which I had assured you and Mr. Stables, to be one of the golden rules which I had early resolved to pursue in my judicial character. In a word, the measure is so totally indefensible, thart 337 that it would have given me as much pain as your- self, to have discussed it. I have marked the pro- gress of this husiness from the morning, when I received Mr. M. 's note ; and I am well persuaded, that the invasion of our property, was not an idea conceived or approved by you, but forced on you by some financier, who was himself deluded by a conceit of impartiality, not considering that the cases were by no means parallel ; under this per- suasion, 1 beg you to believe, that the measure has, not yet made au}^ change in the sincere esteem, with which I am, dear Sir, Your faithful humble servant, William Jones. Sir William Jones to Thomas Caldicott, Esq. Chutiu^an, Feb. 21, 1786. I have been so loaded with business, that I deferred writing to you, tid it was too late to write much ; and when the Term ended, was obliged, for the sake of my wife's health and my own, to spend a few weeks in this Indian Montpe- lier, where the hillocks are covered with pepper vines, and sparkle with the blossoms of the coffee tree ; but the description of the place would fill a volume, and I can only write a short letter to say, si vales, bene est :' valco. Sir William Jones to George Ilar(h/Jige, Esq. Feb. 22, 17S6. . A word to you ; no ! though you have more of wisdom (et verbum sopitnti, Sec.) than I have, or wish to have of popularity, yet z I would 338 I would not send you one word, but millions and trillions of words, if I were not obliged to re- serve them for conversation. The immeasurable field, that lies before me in the study of Sanscrit and of Hindu jurisprudence, (the Arabic laws are familiar to me) compels me for the present, to sus- pend my intention of corresponding regtdarly wi^th those I love*. — Sir IfiUiam Jones to Sir J. Wlacpherson^ Bart. Jafferahad, Feb. 27, 1786. I cannot express, my dear Sir, the pleasure which I have just received from that part of the Board's letter to us, in which they set us right in our misconception of their preceding letter. I rejoice that we were mistaken, and have just signed our reply : it will, I persuade myself, re- store the harmony of our concert, which, if worldly affairs have any analogy to music, will rather be * The following sonnet, written some years before the date of Sir William Jones's letter, was addressed by him to his friend : To G. Hardynge, Esq. Hardvnge, whom Camden's voice, and Camden's fame. To noble thoughts, and high attempts excite ; Whom thy leam'd sire's well-polish'd lays invite. To kindle in thy breast, Phcebean flame ; O, rise ! O, emulate their lives, and claim The glorious meed of many a studious night. And many a day spent in asserting right. Repressing wrong, and bringing fraud to shame ! Nor let the glare of wealth, or pleasure's bow'rs Allure thy fancy. — Think how Tully shone; Think how Demosthenes with heav'nly fire Shook Philip's throne, and lighten'd o'er his tow'rs. What gave them strength ? Not eloquence alone. But minds elate above each low desire. W. J. improved 339 improved than spoiled by a short dissonant interval. You, wlio are a musician, will feel the tone of this metaphor ; as to my harsher notes, qiiicquid aspe- rius dictum estiindictum esto. In fact (you could not know it, but; I never had been so pinched in my life, for the last three months ; having bought Company's bonds, (which nothing but extreme necessity could have made me sell at 30 per cent, discount,) I was unable to pay my pliysician, or my munshis, and was forced to borrow (for the first time in my life) for my daily rice; what was worse, I was forced to borrow of a black man, and it was like touching a snake or the Soutli- American eel ; in short, if our apprehensions had been well grounded, two of us had resolved to go liom£ next season. But your letter dispersed all clouds, and made my mind as clear as the air of this fine climate, where I expect to escape the heats, and all the ills they produce in a constitution like mine. I confess, I wish you had accepted our offer; for half my salary is enough for me, and I would have received the remainder cheerfully on any terms, as 1 have hitherto done ; but as it is, \vQ are all satisfied, and your offers were so equal, that either would have been satisfactory to me. You must know better than I can, though I am so much nearer the place on the frontiers where Major Ellerker is now encamped. I can hardly persuade myself that Myun Gachim Fera* with all his * A general in the service of the king of Ava, who appeared on the Z 2 frontier? 340 his bravery in words, will venture to pass the Naf : the whole story is curious, and as I am on the spot, I wish to write it with all the gravity of an historian, especially as I can pick out some part of the Pegu general's original letter, the characters of which are little more than the iiagari letters in* verted and rounded, I now sit opposite to the seas, which wafted us gently hither in the Phoenix ; and our voyage was well-timed, for, had we staid two days longer, \ve should have been in a north-wester. A beautiful vale lies between the hillock on which the house is built, and the beach ; on all the other sides are hills finely diversified with groves ; the walks are scent- ed with blossoms of the champac* and nagasarf; and the plantations of pepper and coffee are equally nesv and pleasing. — My wife, who desires her best remembrance, amuses herself with drawing, and I with botany. If (which I trust will not be the case) you should be indisposed, this is the Mont- pelier which will restore you to health. S'w ffllliam Jones to Mr. Justice Hyde. Jaferabad, Jpril 30, 1786. I delayed, my dear Sir, to answer your kind letter of the 10th, until I could give you an accurate account of my motions towards Cal- cutta. We shall not stay here a whole week longer, but proceed, as soon as we can make prepa- frontters of Chatigan with an army. The Naf is the boundary river between Chatigan and Aracan. * Lin. Michelia. f Lin. Mesua. rations 341 rations for our journey, to the burning mtII*, and thence through Tipera to Dacca : an old engage- ment will oblige us to deviate a little out of our way to Comarcaly ; and if the Jellingy be navi- gable, we shall soon be in Calcutta; if not, we must pass a second time through the Sundarbans ; in all events, nothing I think can hinder my being in court on the 15th of June. Suffer me now to thank you, as I do most heartily, for the very use- ful information which you give me concerning money matters. The ancients said (not very pro- perly) of their imaginary gods, " carior est divis ■* The burning well is situated about twenty-two miles from Cliati- gan, at the termination of a valley surrounded by hills. 1 visited it in 1778, and, from rccolleClion, am enabled to give the following account of it : — The shape of the well, or rather reservoir, is oblong, about six feet by four, and the depth does not exceed twelve feet. The water, which is always cold, is supplied by a spring, and there is a conduit for carrying otlf the superfluity; a part of the surface of the well, about a fourth, is covered with brick, work, which is nearly ignited by the flames, which flasli without intermission, from the surface of the water. ' It would appear that an inflammable vapour escapes through the water, which takes fire on contiict with the external air ; the perpetuity of the flame is occasioned by the ignited brick-work, as, without thiss«nuch of the vapour would escape without conflagration. This v.'as proved by taking away the covering of brick-work alter the extinction of the heat, by throwing upon it the water of the well. The flames still continued to burst forth from the surface, but with momentary internyissions, and the vapour was always immediately kindled by holding a candle at a small distance from the surface of the water. A piece of silver plictd in the conduit for carrying oft' the superfluous water, was discoloured in a few minutes, and an infusion of tea gave a dark tinge to the water. On the side of a hill distant about three miles from the binning v.-cll, there is a spot of ground of a few feet only in dimensions, fro a which, ■ flashes of Are burst on stamping strongly with the foot. The appear- ance of tins spot resembled that of earth, on which a fire had been kindled. I do not recollect whether it was hot to the touch. homo. 342 homo, qiiam sibi f but I may truly say, " carior est amitis, quam sihi," speaking of" myself and of your friendly attentions to me. Sir Willium Jones to Sir J. Macpherson^ Bart. MaijQ, 17S6. I delayed from day to day, and from week to week the pleasure of answering your acceptable letter, which I received, I am afraid, so long ago as the middle of March. I wished to send you something interesting; but my days flowed on in the same ecjuable and uniform tcnour, and were only to i)e distinguished by the advances I made in my Persian, Indian, and botanical pur- suits. In short, as it sometimes happens, by in- tending to write much, I had written nothing; and was preparing to give you some account of my motions towards the presidency, when I bad the very great satisfaction of receiving your packet full of matter, full of pleasing accounts, and full of just observations. ****** * * * * I read with pleasure, while 1 wa?at breakfiist, IMr. Forster's lively little tract, and having finisbed my daily task of Persian read- ing with a learned Parsi of Yezd, who accompanied me hither, I allot the rest of tlje morning to you. The approbation given at borne to your season- able exertions here, was but natural ; it could not have been otherwise, and therefore it gives me great pleasure, but no surprise. Be assured that general applause ever has resulted, and ever will result from good actions and salutary measures, as certainly 343 certainly as an echo, in rocky places, follows the voice. You will readily believe me, when I assure you that I have few things more at heart than that you may enjoy as much as you can desire of that echo, and receive no pain or injur}^ from the rocks ; for rocks abound, my friend, in the sea of life. The Scripture speaks of nations overturning their judges in stoney places; and ambitious judges ought to be overturned, but as I do not aspire, I can never fall from an eminence. The state of parties in England, still makes me rejoice, that I am not in London. My friendships would lead me naturally to wish the rise of the while my conscience and my humble judgement oblige me to prefer system as far as I know it. God grant he may adopt the best measures for this country, and give them effect by the best means without disarranging your measures, since the wheel of continual changes cannot but have a bad effect in the minds of the governed : — but I sat down to write a letter, not a treatise. By the way, I have read a second time here your friend's Treatise on the History of Civil Society, and am extremely pleased with it, especi- ally his chapter on the relaxation of national spirit. ♦ 4)t * * * * Your communications about the Lama will be truly interesting. I have read, since I left Cal- cutta, 800 pages in quarto, concerning the Alytho- logy and History, both civil and natural, of Tibet. The 344 The work was pointed with every advantage of new types and curious engravings at Rome, about ten years ago, and was compiled from the papers of an Italian father, named Orazio, who had lived thirty years in that country and Napal, where he died. On my return, I purpose, with the per- mission of the society, to send a treatise* to the press, which ought to stand first in our collections, as it will be a key to many other papers. I have caused six or seven plates to be engraved for it. Always excepting my own imperfect essays, I may venture to Foretell, that the learned in Europe will not be disappointed by our first volume. But my great object, at which I have long been labour- ing, is to give our country a complete digest of Hindu and Mussulman law. I have enabled my- self, by excessive care, to read the oldest Sanscrit law-books M'ith the help of a loose Persian para- phrase ; and I have begun a translation of Menu into English ; the best Arabian law-tract, I trans- lated last year. What I can possibly perform alone, I will by God's blessing perform ; and I would write on the subject to the Minister, Chancellor, the Board of Controul. and the Directors, if I were not apprehensive that they who know the world, but do not fully know me, would think that I ex- pected some advantage either of fame oi: patronage, by purposing to be made the Justinian of India, whereas I am conscious of desiring no advantage, * A Dissertation on the Orliiography of Asiatic Words in Roman Letters.. Works, vol. i. page 173, but 345 but the pleasure of doing general good. I shall consequently proceed in the work by my own strength, and will print my digest by degrees at my own expense, giving copies of it where I know they will be useful. One point I have already attained ; I made the pundit of our court read and correct a copy of Halhed's* book in the original Sanscrit, and I then obliged him to attest it as good law, so that he never now can give corrupt opinions, without certain detection. May your commercial blossom arrive at maturity with all the vigour of Indian vegetation ! My soul expands, like your blossom, at the idea of improved commerce ; no subject is to me more animating. I have a commercial idea for you, not a blossom, but as yet a germ only. What if Persia should * now flourish 1 and what if the i)rcsent king-, Jaffier- Khan, be really as great a man as represented ! Persia wants many m?aiufactures of India, and her king would be a valuable all}'. * * # • * * * * I have already thanked you for your kind attqntions to Emin, and I beg to repeat them : many in England will be equally thankful. He is a fine fellow, and if active service should be required, he would seek nothing so much, as to be placed in the most perilous edge of the battle. In this letter, we see the unabated activity of a * A translation by N. IJ. Ilalhed, Esq. of the code compiled by pun- dits, by the direction of Mr. Hasting'?. 346 vigorous mind, uniting recreation with improve- ment, and collecting in its progress through the gardens of literature, the flowers of every soil. — A detailed account of the daily studies of Sir Wil- liam Jones would surprize the most indefatigable, and it may not be impertinent to mention in proof of this observation, that he found time during his short residence at Chatigan, in addition to the occupations w hich he has described, to peruse twice the heroic poem of Ferdosi, the Homer of Persia, supposed to contain sixty thousand couplets. Of the sentiments expressed in his correspondence, it is sufficient to remark in general, that they do no less honour to his heart than to his judgement. I cannot but wish that he had found time to write the ample description which he mentions. Few persons have passed through a greater variety of hardships, and perilous adventures, than the person mentioned by Sir William Jones under the name of Emin.— Born at Hamadan, in Persia, of Armenian parents, and exposed during his in- fancy to uncommon disasters, while a mere youth he followed his father and ruined family to Cal- cutta. He had there an opportunity of observing the superiority of Europeans, in arms, arts, and sciences, over the Asiatics ; and the impression which he received from it, inspired ah invincible desire in Emin to acquire the knowledge which they possessed. Foi- this purpose, he determined, at all hazards, to visit England, and after a long opposition from his father, having obtained his reluctant 347 reluctant assent, he adopted the only means left for the accomplishment of his purpose, hy working his passage as a common sailor in one of the ships belonging to the East-India Company. After his arrival in England, he lost no time in beginning to acquire the instruction which he so anxiously de- sired, but his progress was retarded by the narrow- ness of his circumstances, and he was compelled to submit to menial occupations, and laborious em- ployments, to procure a subsistence. Fortune favoured his perseverance, and in a moment of despairhe was accidentally introduced to the notice of the Duke of Northumberland, and afterwards to that of many gentlemen of rank and fortune, by whose assistance his views were promoted*. The * Previous to his introduction to the Duke of Northumberland, T'.niin had become acquainted with Edmund Burke, whom he acci- dentally met in the Park. — After some conversation, Mr. Burke in- vited Emin to his apartments, up two pair of stairs, at the sign of Pope's Head, at a bookseller's near the Temple. Emin, ignorant of the name of the gentleman who had treated him with so much courtesy, begged to be favoured with it, and Mr. Burke politely answered: *' Sir, my name is Edmund Burke at your service ; I am a run-away *' son from a father, as you are." He then presented half-a-guinea to Emin, saying, " Upon my honour, this is what I have at present, please " to accept it." Mr. Burke the next day visited Emin, and assisted him witli his ad- vice as to the books which he should read. He introduced hun to his relation, Mr. William Burke ; and for thirty years, Emin acknowledges that lie w as treated w ith unceasing kindness by both. At the period of the commencement of his acquaintance with Mr. Burke, Emin had little left for his maintenance, and the prospect of accomplishing the purpose of his voyage to England becams daily more gloomy. — " Had not Mr. Burke consoled him new and then, (to use the words of Emin,) he might have been lost for ever through " despair; 348 The great object of Eniin, was to obtain a know- ledge of military tactics, in the hopes of employing it successfully, in rescuing the liberty and religion of the country of his ancestors from the despotism of the Turks and Persians. After servino- M;ith the Prussian and English armies in Germany, be pro- cured the means of transporting himself into the mountains of Armenia, in the view of offering his services to Heraclius, the reigning prince of Geor- gia, and of rousing the religious zeal and martial spirit of his countrymen. He had there the mor- tification to find his resources inadequate to the magnitude of the enterprise, and he was compelled to return disappointed to England. After some time spent in solicitation, he was enabled b}' the assistance of his patrons to proceed with recom- mendations to Russia, and thence, after various fatigues and impediments, which his fortitude and perseverance surmounted, he reached Tefflis, the capital of Georgia. After eight years of wander- ing, perils, and distresses, through the mountains of that country and Armenia, he was obliged to abandon his visionary project, and returned to his father in Calcutta. Still anxious for the accom- plishment of his plans, and no ways intimidated by the experience of past dangers and difficulties, he ** despair ; but his friend always advised him to put his trust in God, " and he never missed a day without seeing Emin. He was writing '• books at the time, and desired the author (i. e. Emin) to copy them ; *' the first was an Imitation of the late Lord Bolingbroke's Letter ; the " second, The Treatise of Sublime and Beautiful." Life of Emin, London edition, p. 93. made 349 made a third attempt for the execution of them, and proceeded to Persia. This proved equally unsuccessful, and he again returned to Calcutta. In Emin we see the same man, who was a sailor, a porter, a menial servant, and subsisting by charity, the companion of nobles, and patronized by princes antl monarchs, ever preserving, in his deepest distresses, a sense of honour, a spirit of inte- grity, a reliance upon Providence, and a firm adherence to the princi[)les of Christianity, in which he had been educated. During his resi- dence in Calcutta, he published an account of his eventful life, which Sir William Jones condescend- ed to revise, so far only as to correct orthogra- phical errors, but without any amendment of the style. From Chatigan, Sir William Jones returned to Calcutta, and after the recess of the court, again visited his retirement at Chrishna-nagur, where he occupied himself as usual in his favourite studies, an account of which, as m'cU as of his journey to the presidency, 1 shall supply by extracts from his familiar letters. Sir TVilUaiu Jones to Mr. Justice Tlijde. Coinarcahj, June 15, 1786. I find that, in, this country, tra\ el- lers are perfect slaves to the seasons and elements. It was my resolution, when I left Dacca, to push on as expeditiously as possible to (Calcutta ; but, in our passage of eiglit days, last year, tlirough the Tulsi creek and the Artai rive^, our boat was hot- ter. 350 ter, day and night", than ever I felt a vapour-bath; till then, as much as I had reason to dread an Indian sun, I had not a complete idea of it. This alTect- ed both Lady Jones and me so much, that it would have been madness to have passed the Sundarbans in such weather ; and, Mr. Redfearn having pro- mised to send me word, when the Jelinga becomes navigable, (which is usually about the middle of this month,) I expect every day to receive that in- telligence ; after which, I shall be in Calcutta in eight days. I am principally vexed at this delay, because, from your having taken the charge when it was Sir R. Chambers' turn, I fear he must be ill, and consequently that you must have a great deal of trouble : — give my affectionate remembrance to him. lam, &c. Sir WILLIAM JONES to Miss E. SHIPLEY. On the Ganges, Sept. 7, 1786. You do too much honour, my dear Madam, to my compositions ; they anmse me in the few hours of leisure that my business allows, and if they amuse my friends, I am amply re- warded. Mh si '1 Latino e'l Grcco Parian di me dopo la morte, 6 un vento ; Ond' io, perche pavento Adunar sempre quel ch'un' ora sgombre, Vorrei '1 vero abbiaciar lassando Tonibre. We talk of the year 1790, as the happy limit of our residence in this unpropitious climate: but this must be a family secret, lest applications should be made for my place, and I should be shoved S51 shored out before my resignation. God grant, that the bad state of my Anna's liealth may not compel her to leave India before me ! I should remain like a man with a dead palsy on one of his sides : but it were better to lose one side for a time than both for ever. I do not mean that she has been, or is likely to be, in danger from her com- plaints. I have proposed a visit to her friend Lady ' Campbell, and she seemed to receive the proposal with pleasure ; the sea air, and change of scene at a proper season, may do more than all tlie Faculty, with all their prescriptions. — As to politics and ministers, let me whisper another secret in your ear; — lo non credo piu k\ nero ch' all' azzurro : — and, as to coalitions, if the Jiero he mixed with the azzurro, they will only make a dirtier colour. India is yet secure, and improveabie beyond ima- gination ; it is not however in such a state of security, but that wise politicians may, with strong well-timed exertions and well-applied address, con- trive to lose it. The discharge of my duty, and the study of Indian laws in their original lan- guages, (which is no inconsiderable part of my duty,) are an excuse for my neglect of writing letters; and indeed I find by experience, that I can take up my pen for that purpose but once a year, and I have a hundred unanswered letters now lying before me ; but my Anna, who is my secretary of state, and first or rather sole lady of the treasury, has written volumes. Loves and re-'--' gards 352 gards to all who love and regard us : as to com- pliments, they are unmeaning things, and neither become me to send, nor you to convey. I am, with great regard, dear jMadam, your faithful and affectionate servant, William Jones. Sir William Jones to Dr. Patrick Rtisscl. CrisJma-nagur, Sept. 28, 1786. Various causes contribute to render me a bad correspondent, particularly the discharge of my public duty, and the studies which are con- nected with that duty, such as the Indian and Arabic laws in their several difficult languages, one of which has occupied most of my leisure for the last twelvemonth, excepting M'hen I travelled to Islamabad, for the benefit of the sea-air and verdant hillocks, during the hot season. It is only in such a retirement as the cottage, where I am passing a short vacation, that I can write to literary friends, or even think much on literary subjects ; and it was long after I left this solitude last autumn, that I had the pleasure of receiving your most agreeable letter. I am tolerably strong in Sanscrit, and hope to prove my strength soon by translating a law tract of great intrinsic merit, and extremely curious, which the Hindus believe to be almost as old as the Creation. It is ascribed to Menu, the Minos of India, and, like him, the son of Jove. My present study is the original of Bidpa's fables, called 353 called Hitopadesa*, which is a charming book, and wonderfully useful to a learner of the lan- guage. I congratulate you on the completion of your two works, but exhort you to publish them. Think how much fame Kcenig lost by delaying his publications. God knows whether any use, honourable to his memory, will be made of his manuscripts. Think of IMr. D'Herbclot, whose po&thumous work, like most others, had the fate of being incorrectly published. Printing is dear at Calcutta; but if government would print your works (as they ought), I could cheerfully superin- tend commas and colons. I am delighted with your botanical pursuits. They talk of a public garden on the banks of the river near Calcutta, How I wish, for our sakes, you could be allured from the Sircars ! I long to visit them, however, and to view your collections ; though I must be so honest as to own, that accurate botanical de- scriptions give me more pleasure than an herbal, I mean where the fresh plants can be examined. For this reason I have not begun to collect speci- mens, but describe as well as I can ; and for bre- vity, in coarse Latin. Lady Jones assists me by her accuracy in drawing and colouring. The province of Chatigan (vulgarly Chitigong) is a noble iield for a naturalist. It is so called, I believe, from the c/iaiag, which is the most beau- tiful little bird I ever saw. Tlje hills and woods abound with uncommon plants and animals; in- * Translatrd by Sir William Jones, and published m his Works, vol. vi. A A deed 504 deed the whole Eastern peninsula would be a new world to a philosopher. I wish poor Kocnig had left his papers to you ; Banks has too- much of his own to employ him, and ^lacpherson, who loved the sage, would, I dare say, have persuaded Lord Corn\vallis to raise the best monument to his memory, — a good edition of his works. I have carefully examined a plant, which Kocnig men- tioned to me, and coWed pentapethes pro/ ca, from the singular variety of leaves on the same tree. The natives call it Mascamchand ; and one of its fragrant fleshy blossoms, infused for a night in a glass of water, forms a mucilage of a very cooling quality. The pentapethcs pho^nicia, which now beautifies this plain, produces a similar mucilage, which might answer the same purposes as that of the Arabian gum, if not other and more import ant purposes. But I mention this plant, because Kcenig told me, that Linnceus had inverted nature in his description of it, by assigning to \tfive cas- trated filaments, to each of which were annexed thr^e prolific ones ; whereas, said he, (I am sure I did not mistake him,) the flower has fifteen cas- trated, and five prolific; so that in truth it would have been pentandrlan. Now I have examined all the flowers of this species that I could get, and I find the description of Linnirus to be correct ; but there is no accounting for tlie variety of a protean plant. Many thanks for your offer of ]\Ir. D'Hancar- ville ; but 1 have the book, though, like you, I have S55 have not read it. I wish to be firm in Sanscrit, before I read systems of mythology. We have sent the first papers of our transactions to the press, and shall go on as fast as Mr. G.'s compositor will let us. — Farewell, my dear Sir. — Vivere, ta/ere, et philosophari cum panels, is what I wish for you, as much as for your, &c. Sir William Jones to William Shipley *, Esq. Crishna-nagur, Oct. 5, 1786. I blush, my dear Sir, in reading, a se- cond or third time, with increasing delight, your excellent letters from Maidstone, when I com- pare the dates of them with that of my answer. Various, however, are the causes which oblige me to be an indifferent and slow correspondent; first, illness, which had confined me three months to my couch, where your first letter found me on the great river; next, the discharge of an im- portant duty, which falls pa^uliarl}' heavy on the Indian judges, who are forced to act as justices of the peace in a populous country, Avhere the po- lice is deplorably bad ; then, the difiicult study of Hindu and Mohammedan laws, in two copious * William Shipley, Esq. brother to the late Bishop of St. Asaph, ind now in his 89th year. — He suggested the idea of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Commerce, &c., which was established in 1753, and in the following year, a gold medal was voted to him by (he societVj with an inscription : — To William Shipley, whose public Spirit ^ave rise to this Society. languages. 356 languages, Sanscrit and Arabic, wbicli studies are inseparably connected with my public duty, and may tend to establish by degrees, among ten mil- lions of our black subjects, that security of de- scendable property, a want of which, as you justly observe, has prevented the people of Asia from improving their agriculture and mechanical arts ; lastly, I may add (though rather an amuse- ment than a duty) my pursuit of general litera- ture, which I have here an opportunity of doing from the fountain head, an opportunity which, if lost, may never be recovered. When I accept therefore with gratitude the honour offered me by your young Hercules, the Maidstone Society, of being one of their corresponding meuibers, I can- not indulge a hope of being a diligent or useful correspondent, unless any discovery should be made . b}' our Indian Society, which I may think likely to be of use in our common country. Your various papers I have distributed among those, who seemed the likeliest to avail themselves of the rules and hints which they contain. The ra- pidity of the Ganges, makes it extremely difficult to rescue the unhappy persons who are overset in boats, especially at the time of the l)ore *, when * The bore, is an expression applied to a pecviliav swell in the Hughli river, occasioned by the rapid influx of the tide ; it breaks in shallow water clong the shore, and no boat can resist its violence. The noise of its approach is lieard at a distance of some miles, and ■ the boats, to avoid it, are rowed into dcep'water, where the agitation is ■ considerable, but not dangerous. The bo7es are highest about the i equinoxes, and at the middle periods between them cease altogether, such 357 such accidents most usually happen ; but I am confident that the methods prescribed in the little work which you sent me, will often be salutary even here. Dr. Johnson's tract I have now lent to a medical friend of great ability ; and I am particularly interested in the security of our pri- sons from infection, to which indeed they are less liable in this climate, from our practice of sleep- ing in a draught of air whenever it can be had. Without this habit, to which I am now enured, we should never be free from putrid disorders. ******* Should your society be so extended as to admit all Kent, you will, I trust, have an excellent member in one of my oldest college friends, Doc- tor Breton, of Broughton, near Ashford, who has left no path of science or literature unex- plored. We shall print our transactions with all speed consistent with accuracy ; as all our mem- bers, including even our printer, are men of busi- ness, in commerce, revenue, or judicature, we cannot proceed very rapidly, either -in giving the public the tracts we have already collected, or in adding to our collection. Sir William Jones to Sir J. Macpherson, Bart. Calcutta, Nov. 1786. The society heard with pleasure, the curious account of the Lama's inauguration; and the first sheet of their transactions is printed. ****** Be assured, that I will ever remember the con- A A 3 tents 558 tents of your own letter; and accept my thanks for tbe pleasure which I have received from that of Mr. Adam Ferguson to you. One sentence of it is so wise, and so well expressed, that 1 read it till 1 had it by heart ; "Justice to the stranger, "&c. I am correcting proofs of our Transactions, which will, I hope, satisfy I\Ir. Ferguson as to the theology of the Hindis. By rising before the sun, I allot an hour every day to Sanscrit, and am charmed with knowing so beautiful a sister of Latin and Greek. # # # * Mag}iu7n vectigal est parsimonia, is an aphorism which I learned early from Cicero. The public, if they are gratelul, must wish that you had at- tended as vigilantly to your own vectigal, as you have wisely and successfully to theirs. In September, Lord Cornwallis arrived at Fort- William, with the appointment of Governor-Ge- neral; and the Writer of these sheets, who accom- panied him to India, had the happiness of renew- ing his personal intimacy with Sir William Jones. The uniformity which marked the remaining period of his allotted existence, admits of little variety of delineation. The largest portion of each year was devoted to his professional duties and studies; and all the time that could be saved from these important avocations, was dedicated to the cultivation of science and literature. Some periods were chequered by illness, the consequence of intense application ; and others were embittered 359' b}^ the frequent and severe indisposition of the partner of his cares and object of his affections. — "The climate of India" (as he had already found occasion to remark in a letter to a friend) *' had been iinpropitious to the delicate constitu- '* tion of his beloved wife;" and so apprehensive v.'as he of the consequences, that he intended, " unless some favourable alteration should take " place, to urge her return to her native country; *•' preferring the pang of separation for five or six *' years, to the anguish, which he should hardly *' survive, of losing her." While business required the daily attendance of l^ir William Jones, in Calcutta, his usual residence was on the banks of the Ganges, at the distance of five miles from the court: to this spot he re- turned every evening after sun-set, and in the morning rose so early as to reach his apartments in town by walking, at the first appearance of the dawn. Having severely suffered from the heat of the sun, he ever afterwards dreaded and avoided an exposure to it; and his hymn to Surya, he alludes to its effect upon him, and to his moon- light rambles, in the following lines : Then roves thy poet free. Who, with no borrow'd art. Dares hymn thy pow'r, and durst provoke thy blaxe, But felt the thrilling dart ; And now on lowly knee From Him, who gave the Wound, tiie balsam prajiS. The intervening period of each morning until the opening of the court, was regularly allotted and 360 and applied to distinct studies. He passed the months of vacation at his retirement at Crishna- nagur, in his usual pursuits. Some of the hterary productions of his retirement will be noticed ; and I shall now continue my extracts from his fa- miliar correspondence. Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. SHORE, Esq. Gardens, near Calcutta, March 25, 17S7. I am charmed, my dear Sir, with the short but comprehensive work of Rhadacaunt, your pundit, the title of which I see is Puran- arthupracusarn, or the meanino^ of the Purans displayed. It contains pedigrees, or lists of kings, from the earliest times to the decline of the Indian empire ; but the proper names are so murdered, or so strangely disguised in Persian letters, that I am only tantalized with a thirst for more accurate information. If the pundit, at your request, will lend me the original, my Afar hat ta writer shall copy it elegantly, with spaces between the lines for a literal English translation, which may perhaps be agreeable, with your consent, to our Society. Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. SHORE, Esq. Alai/ 11, 1787. I return, with many thanks, my dear Sir, the letter of his High Mightiness Tathu Arnu (king of Ava*). VV^hen 1 began it, I feared it was * If the reader has a curiosity to see this singular letter, he may gratify it. The perusal r.i.iy perhaps recall to his recollection, the ollovving lines ; Here's a large mouth indeed, Thai spits forth death and mountains, rocks and seas ! ^ Official 361 was hostile, but am glad to find it so amicable. Duke 7nihl iiomen pads ! If he is at peace with the Official Translation of a Letter from the Rajah, or Principal, of the Burmas to the Collector of Chittagong. I am lord of a whole people, and of 101 countries, and my titles are Rajah Chatterdary {i. e. sitting under a canopy), and Rajah Surey Runkshee (/. e. descendant of the Sun), Sitting on the throne with a splendid canopy of gold, I hold in subjection to my authority many Rajahs ; gold, silver, and jewels, are the produce of my country, and in my hand is tiie instrument of war, that, as the lightning of Heaven, hunibles and subdues my enemies ; my troops require nei- ther injunctions nor commands, and my elephants and horses are without number. In my service are ten pundits learned in the Shas- ter, and 104 priests, whose wisdom is not to be equalled; agreeably to whose learning and intelligence, I execute and distribute justice among my people, so that my mandates, like the lightning, suffer no resistance nor control. My subjects are endowed with virtue and the principles of justice, and refrain from all immoral practices, and I am, as the Sun, blessed with the light of wisdom to discover the secret de- signs of men ; whoever is worthy of being called a Rajah, is merciful and just towards his people ; thieves, robbers, and disturbers of the peace, have at length received tiie punishment due to their crimes; and now the word of my mouth is dreaded as the lightning from Hea- ven. I am as a great sea, among 2000 rivers, and many rivulets, and as the mountain Shumeroo, surrounded by 40,000 hills, and like unto these is my authority, extending itself over '101 Rajahs; further, 10,000 Rajahs pay daily attendance at my Durbar, and my country excels every country of the world ; my palace as the heavens, studded with gold and precious stones, is revered more than any other palace in the universe. My occupations resemble the business of the chief of the angels, and I have written unto all the provinces of Arracan, with orders to forward this letter in safety to Chittagong, fomierly sub- ject to the Rajah Scry TamahChucka, by whom the country was cul- tivated and populated ; and he erected 2400 places of public worship, and made 24 tanks. Previous to his accession, the country was subject to other Rajahs, whose title was Chatterdary, who erected places of worship, and ap- pointed priests to administer the rites of religion to people of every denoni!i»tion ; 56^2 the Siamese, he may be a good neighbour, and we may be gainers by his gold and ivory ; but I have dcnoiiiin.ition ; but at that period the country was ill governed, pre- vious to the accv'ssion of Rajah Sery Tamah Cluicka to the govern- ment of the counir es of Rutunpoor, Dootinady, Arracan, Do»ra- putty, Raniputty, Chagdoye, MahadayPj Mawong, in whose time the country was governed with justice and ability, and his wisdom was as the lightning ; and the people were happy under his administratioHi He M'as also favoured with the friendship of the religious men of the age, one of whom, by name Rudder, resorting to his place of resi- dence, was solicited by the Rajah to appoint some one for the purpose of instructing him in religious rites, and :?ha\vhmany was accordingly appointed agreeably to the Rajah's requisition ; at this time it rained from Heaven, gold, silver^ and precious stones, which were buried under ground in charge of the above priest, whose house was of gold and silver workmansliip, to which the people resort, and worship the deities ; and tiie Rajah kept a large establishment of sefvants, and of slaves at the temple, for the service of travellers and passengers ; and his time was engaged in the studying' of the five books, and he always refrained from immoral practices and deeds interdicted bj' his re- ligion ; and the priests, &c. abstained from the flesh of geese, pigeons, goats, hog's, and of fowls ; and wickedness, theft, adultery, lying, drunkenness, were miknown in that age. I likewise pursue a line of conduct and religion similar to the above ; but previous to my con- quest of Arracan, the people were as snakes wounding men, a prey to enmity and disorder; and in several provinces there were eaters of the flesh of men, and wickedness prevailed amongst them, so that no man could trust his neighbour. At this time one Bowdah Outhar, otherwise Sery Boot Taukwor, came down in the country of Arracan, and instructed the people and the beasts of the field in the principles of religion and rectitude, and agreeably to his word the country was governed for a period of 50G0 years, so that peace and good-will sub- sisted amongst men ; agreeably hereto is the tenour of my conduct and government of my people: as there is an oil, the produce of a certain: spot of the earth, of exquisite flavour, so is my dignity and power above that of other Rajahs ; and Tafl'oo Rajah, the high-priest, having consulted with the others of that class, represented to me on 15th Atighur 1148, saymg, Do you enforce the laws and customs of Sery Boot 365 liaveno inclination to taste bis sweet and deliciuii* petroleum, which he praises so highly ; I am sa- tisfied with tlie smell of it, and with its singular property of restoring the scent of Russia leather. I am told he is an able man; but from all I can learn, I suspect him to be an ambitious dog, who would act the lion if he could, and end, as he is said to have begun, the Aurenzeb of tne Indian, peninsula. We are pretty well, and hope that you are now in good health. You will not (though you dis- like medicine) object to my prescription: — Take a concerto of Corclli, An air of Leo, or Pergolesi, a trio of Haydn, &c. — Mixtura fiat. ■~~"^ ' - - - j« Bbot Taukwor ; which I accordingly did, and moreover erected six places of divine worship, and have conformed myself strictly to the laws and customs of Sery Tamah Chucka, governing my people with lenity and justice. As the country of Arracan lies contiguous to Chittagong, if a Treaty of Commerce were cstablislied between me and the English, perfect amity and alliance would ensue from such engagements ; therefore I have submitted it to you, that the merchants of your country should resort hither for the purpose of purchasing pearls, ivory, wax, and that, in return, my people should be permitted to resort to Chitta- gong for the purpose of trafficking m such commodities as the country may afford; but as the Mugs residing at Chittagong have deviated from the principles of religion and morality, they ought to be cor- rected for their errors and irregularities, agreeably to the written laws, insomuch as those invested with power will suiler eternal punishment in case of any deviation from their religion and laws ; but whoever conforms his conduct to the strict rules of piety and religion, will here- after be translated to Heaven. I have accordingly sent four elephant's teeth under charge of 3 ) persons, who will return with your answer to the above proposals and offers of alliance. Would 364 Would I could be as good a physician to you, as I am, &c. Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. SHORE, Esq. May n, 1787. You have sent me a treasure, which will enable me to satisfy my mind at least on the chronology of India ; need I say, that I shall ever 1)6 happy in the conversation of so learned a man as Rhadacaunt ? Before I return to Calcutta, I shall have read his interesting book, and shall be better able to converse with him in Sanscrit, which I speak continually with my pandit. I can easily conceive all your feelings ; but con- sider, my dear friend, that you are now collecting for yourself (while you serve your country) those flowers which will give a brighter bloom even to the valleys of Devonshire, that you are young and have as fair a prospect of long happiness as any mortal can have. I predict, that when I meet you a few years hence at Teignmouth, where I hope to spend' many a season with all that my soul cherishes in this world, I shall hear you con- fess, that your painful toil in India, conduced in the end to your happiness. That you may enjoy as much of it as human life affords, is the sincere wish of, &c. Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. SHORE, Esq. June 24. I am well, rising constantly between three and four, and usually walking two or three miles 365 miles before sun-rise ; ray wife is tolerably well ; and we only lament, that the damp weather will soon oblige us to leave our herds and flocks, and all our rural delights on the banks of the Baghi- ratti. The business of the court will continue at least two months longer, after which I purpose to take a house at Bandell or Hugli, and pass my au- tumnal vacation as usual with the Hindu bards: I have read your pundit's curious book twice in ■Sanscrit, and will have it elegantly copied ; the Dabistan also I have read through twice with great attention ; and both copies are ready to be returned, as you shall direct. Mr. R. Johnston thinks he has a young friend who will translate the Dabistan, and the greatest part of it would be very interesting to a curious reader, but some of it cannot be translated. It contains more recon- dite learning, more entertaining history, more beautiful specimens of poetry, more ingenuity and wit, more indecency and blasphemy, than I ever saw collected in a single volume; the two last are not the author's, but are introduced in the chapters on the heretics and infidels of India. On the whole, it is the most amusing and instructive book I ever read in Persian *. * The Dabistan, is a treatise on twelve different religions, com- posed by a Mohammedan traveller, a native of Cashmir, named Mohsan, but distinguished by the assumed name of Fani, or perish- able. Sir William Jones, in his sixth discourse to the society, on the Persians, refers to it as a rare and interesting tract, which had cast a gleam of light on the primeval history of Iran and the human race, of which he had long despaired, and which could hardly have dawned from any other quarter, I hear 366 I hear nothing from Europe, but what all the papers contain ; and that is enou;:^h to make me rejoice exceedingly, that I am in Asia. Those ■with whom I have spent some of my happiest ]}ours, and hope to spend many more on my re- turn to England, areteariug one another to pieces, with the enmity that is proverbial here, of the snake and the ichneumon. I have nothinii* left tlierefore, but to wish what is right and just may prevail, to discharge my public duties with unre- mitted attention, and to recreate myself at leisure with the literature of this interesting country. Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. SHORE, Esq. Chrinhna-iiGgur, Aug. 16, 1787. I thank you heart il}^, my dear Sir, for the tender strains of the unfortunate Charlotte* which have given ns pleasure and pain ; the son- nets v.'hich relate to herself, are incomparably the best. Petrarca is little known ; his sonnets, espe- cially the first book, are the least valuable of his works, and contain less natural sentiments than those of the swan of Avon ; but his odes, which are political, are equal to the l3nic poems of the Greeks; and his triumphs are in a triumphant strain of sublimity and magnificence. Anna Maria gives you many thanks for the pleaswre you have procured her. We are in love with this pastoral cottage; but though these three months are called a vacation, yet I have no vacant hours. It rarely happens that favourite studies are closely connect- * Sonnets bv Cliarlotte Sfiiitti. ed 367 ed with the strict discharge of our duty, as mine happily are; even in this cottage I am assisting the court by studying Arabic and Sanscrit, and have now rendered it an impossibilit}' for the Mo- hammedan or Hindu lawyers to impose upon us with erroneous opinions. This brings to my mind your honest pundit, Rhadacaunt, who refused, I hear, tlie office of pundit to the court, and told Mr, Hastings thathe woukl not accept of it, if the salary were doubled ; his scruples were probably religious ; but tliey would put it out of my power to serve him, should the office again be vacant. His unvarnished talc I would have repeated to you, If we had not missed one another on the river; but since I despair of seeing you until my return to Calcutta, at the end of October, I will set it down here, as nearly as I can recollect, in his own words : " My father (said he) died at the age of an hun- " dred years, and my mother, who was eighty years *' old, became a sati, and burned herself to expiate *' sins. They left me little besides good principles. ** Mr. .Hastings purchased for me a piece of land, " wliich at fust yielded twelve hundred rupees a ** year ; but lately, either through m}- inattention " or through accident, it has produced only one " thousand. This would be sufficient for me and *' my family ; but the duty of Brahnians is not " only to teach the ^^ouths of their sect, but to re- ** lieve those who arc poor. I made many presents " to poor scholars and others in distress, and for " this 368 *' this purpose I anticipated my income : I M'as *' then obliged to borrow for my family expenses, *' and I now owe aboiit three thousand rupees. *' This debt is my only cause of uneasiness in this " world. I would have mentioned it to Mr. Shore, *' but I was ashamed." Now the question is, how he can be set upon his legs again, Mhen I hope he will be more prudent. If Bahman* should return to Persia, 1 can afford to give him one hundred rupees a month, till his debt shall be discharged out of his rents ; but at present, I pay more in salaries to my native scholars than I can mcII afford ; ne\erthcless 1 will cheerfully join you in any mode of clearing the honest man, that can be suggested ; and I would assist him merely for his own sake, as I have more Brahmanical teachers than I can find time to hear. I send you not an elegant pathetic sonnet, but the wildest and strangest poem that was ever writ- ten, Khakani's complaint in prison. T)ie whole is a menace, that he would change his religion, and seek protection among the Christians, or the Ga- bres. It contains one or two proper names, of which I ^nd no full explanation even in a com- mentary professedly Avritten to illustrate the poem. The fire of Khakani's genius blazes through the smoke of his erudition ; the measure of the poem, which will enable you to correct the errors of the copies, is : ^ H as w *-A pafsi and a native of Yezd,errijiioyed bv Sir Wra. Jones as a reader. with 369 ^vitii a strong accent on the last syllable of «ach foot. — Adieu, my dear Sir, &c. Sir JViUimn Jones to Jos, Cowper Walkc)'^ Esq. Of Valeri, Bray, Ireland. Crishna-nagur, Sept. 11, 1787. I give you my hearty thanks, dear Sir, for your kind attention to me, and for the pleasure which I have received from your letter, as well as for that which I certainly shall receive from your historical m^mo^rs of the Irish Bards. The Term being over before your book could be found, and the state of my health obliging me to seek this pastoral retreat, where I always pass my vaca- tion aniotig the Brahmans of this ancient univer- sity ; I left Calcutta before I could read your Avork, but shall peruse it with eagerness on my return to the capital. You touched an impor- tant string, when you mentioned the subject of Indian music, of which I am particularly fond. I have just read a very old book on that art in Sanscrit. I hope to present the v/orld with the substance of it, as soon as the transactions of our society can be printed : but we go on slowly, since the press is often engaged by government ; and we think it better to let our fruit ripen natu- rally, than to bring forth such watery and imper- fect fruits as are usually raised in hot- beds. The Asiatic lllisctllany, to which you allude, is not the publication of oar society, who mean to print no scraps, nor any mere translations. It was the un- dertaking of a private gentleman, and will certainly B B be 370 be of use in cliffLi3ing Oriental literature, thougli it has not been so correctly printed as I could wish. When vou see Colonel Valiancy, M'hose learned work I have read through twice with great pleasure, I request you to present him with my best remembrance. We shall soon, I hope, see faithful translations of Irish histories and poems. I shall be happy in comparing them with the Sans- crit, with which the ancient language of Ireland had certainly an atlfinity. Proceed, Sir, in your laudable career ; you deserve the applause of your country, and will most assuredly have that of. Sir, kc. Sir William Jones to Dr. Patrick Riissel. Chrishna-nagur, Sept. 22, 17S7. Your interesting papers did not fmd their way to me till I had left this cottage, and was wholly immersed in business. Indeed, I am so harassed for eight months in twelve,, that I can seldom think of literature till the autumn vacation, which I pass in this charming plain, the driest in Bengal, and close to a college of Brahmans. I am charmed with your plan ; and if the directors have not yet resolved to print the work at their expense, I can perhaps suggest a mode of procuring very powerful influence with them. The king has muclr at heart his new botanical garden at St. Vincent's: his object is two-fold ; to improve the commerce of the West-India islands, and to provide the .British troops on service there with medicinal plants. Now, if you could send a box or two of seeds. 371 seeds, likely to be useful in commerce or medicine, directed to Sir George Young, the secretary at war, (to whom I have inclosed your letter to the Board at iNIadras,) I dare say the Board of Controul would be desired to use their influence with the Directors. ******* * You could not have chosen a better specimen tlian the pedaiiam mnrea\ of which, little is said by LinuiEus, and that from doubtful authority. The opuntia I have not seen here, and I cannot ramble into the woods. Our groves at this place arc skirted with an angulated cactus, called ^//fl (pro- nounced seeja) in the Sanscrit dictionaries, where I find the names of about 300 medicinal plants, the virtues of which are mentioned in medicinal books. I agree with you, that those books do not carry full conviction ; but they lead to useful experi- ments, and arc therefore valuable. I made fme red ink, by dropping a solution of tin in aqua regia into an infu ion of the coccus, which Dr. Anderson Avas so politelus to send to me. His discovery will, I trust, be useful ; his ardour and ingenuity de- serve success. I have just read with attention the Philosophia Botafiica, which I consider as the grammar, and the Genera et Species as the dictionary, of Botany. It is a masterly work, and contains excellent mat- ter in a short volume ; but it is harshly, not to say barbarously, written. I grieve to see botany im- perfect in its two most important articles, \.\)tcnatH- ral orders and .tlie virtues of plants, between wiiich »B 2 I suspect 372 I suspect a strong affinity. I envy those who hav& leisure to pursue this bewitching study. Pray, my dear Sir, have you tlie Oriental manu- scripts of my friend Dr. Alexander Russel ? He lent me three, which I returned ; the Sucardan, the Banquet of Physicians, and a beautiful Hafez. If vou have them, I shall bes: leave to read them again, when we meet in Europe. Postscript. What is spikenard } I mean bo- tariically, what is the natural order, class, genns, &c. of the plant ? What was the spikenard in the alabaslcr-box, of the Gospel? What was nardi parvus onyx? What did Ptolemy mean by the excellent nard of Rhangumutty in Bengal } I have been in vain endeavouring for above two years to procure an answer to these questions; your answer will greatly oblige me. Sir William Jones to Thomas Caldicotf, Esq. Chnshna-rmgur, Sept. 27, 1787. Your brother sent me your letter at a convenient time, and to a convenient place, for I can only M'rite in the long vacation, which I generally spend in a delijrhtful cottao-e, about as far from Calcutta as Oxford is from London, and close to an ancient university of Brahmans, with whom I now con- verse familiarly in Sanscrit. You would be astonished at the resemblance between that lan- guage and both Greek and Latin. Sanscrit and Arabic will enable me to do this country more essential service, than the introduction of arts (even if I should be able to ilitroducc them) by procuring 373 procuring' an accurate digest of Hindu atvd jMo- hammedan laws, which the natives hold sacred, and by which both justice and policy require that they should be governed. I have published nothing; but Armenian clerks make such blunders, that I print ten or twenty copies of every thing! compose, which are to be considered as manuscripts. I beg you will send me your remarks on my plan of an epic poem. Sanscrit has engaged my vacations lately ; but i will finish it, if I live. I promise you to attend to all that is said, especially if alterations are sug- gested ; always reserving to myself the final judg- ment. One thins: I am inflexible in: I have maturely considered the point, and am resolved to write in blank verse. I have not time to add my reasons ; but they are good. I thank you for Sheridan's speech, which I could not however read through. For the last sixteen years of my life, I have been in a habit of rcquirino- evidence of all assertions, and I have no leisure to examine proofs in a business so foreign to my pursuits. ***=»«•*<► If Hastings and Impey are guilty, in God's name let them be punished ; but let them not be con- demned without legal evidence. — I will say more of myself, than you do of yourself, but in itw words. I never was unhappy in England ; it was not in my nature to be so ; but I never w as happy till I was settled in India. ^My constitution has overcome the climate ; and if I could say the same of 574 of my bciovied wife, I should be the happiest of men ; but she has perpetual complaints, and of course 1 am in perpetual anxiety on her account. • Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. WILMOT, Esq. Chrishna-nagiir, BeWgal, Oct. 3, 1787. * ^ * * * « #' * * * * I cannot, however, let the season slip, without scribbling a few lines to tell you, that my constitution seems to have overcome the climate, and that I should be as happy as mor- tal man can be, or at least ought to be, if my wife Lad been as well as I have for the last three years. I have nothing to say of India politics, except that Lord Corn wallis &,nd » * * arejustly popular, and perhaps the most virtuous governors in the world. Of English politics I say nothing, be- cause I doubt whether you and I should ever agree in them. I do not mean the narrow politics of contending parties, but the great principles of government ^nd legislation, the majesty of the whole nation collectively, and the consistency of popular rights with regal prerogative, Avhich ought to be supported, to suppress tiie oligarchical power. But in India I think little of these matters. Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. SHORE, Esq. Chrinkna-nagitr, Oct. 10, 1787. I hope in less tlian a fortnight to see you in perfect health, as I shall leave this charm- ing retreat on the 20th. I want but a ftw leaves of having read your copy of Hafez twice through ; and 375> and I am obliged to you for the most agreeable task (next the Shah-nameh) I ever performed. The annexed elegy* was sent to me by tlie post ; and 1 send it to you, because I think you will like it. There is a great pathos in the fourth tctrastick ; and I know unhappily, that excessive grief is nei- ther full of tears, nor full of words ; yet if a dramatic poet were to represent such grief naturally; I doubt whether his conduct would be approved, though with fine acting and fine sounds in the orchestra, it ought to have a wonderful effect. Lady J. is pretty well ; a tiger about a month old, * The elegy alliuled to, which has been since printed in a collection of poeins, is the following : PHILEMON. An Elegy. Where shade yon yews the church-yird's lonely bourn, With faltering step, absorb' d in thought profound, Philemon wends in solitude to mourn. While evening pours her deep'ning glooms around. Loud shrieks the blast, the^sleety torrent drives. Wide spreads the tempest's desolating power ; To giief alone Philemon reckless lives. No rolling peel he heeds, cold blast, nor*shower. For this the date that stamp' d his partner's doom ; His trembling lips receiv'd her latest breath. " Ah ! wilt thou drop one tear on Emma's tomb ?" She cried : and clos'd each wistful eye in death. No sighs he breath'd, for anguish riv'd his breast ; Her clay-cold hand he grasp'd, no tears he shed, 'Till fainting nature sunk, by grief oppress'd. And ere distraction came, all sense was fled. Now time has calm'd, not cur'd Philemon's woe. For grief like his, life-woveu, never dies ; And still each year's collected sorrows flow. As drooping o'er his Emma's tomb he sighs. who 376 wlio is suckled by a goat, and has all the gentle-* iiess of his foster-mother, is now playin-g at her feet: I call him Jupiter. — Adieu. Sir WILLIAM JONES to Dr. FORD. Gardens on the Ganges, Jan. 5,. 178S. Give me leave to recommend to your kind attentions Colonel Polier, who will de- liver this to you at Oxford. He presents to the university an extremely rare work in Sanscrit, a copy of the four vedas, or Indian scriptures, which confirm, instead of opposing the Mosaic account of the creation and of the deluge. He is himself one of the best-disposed and best-informed men, who ever left India. If he embark to-morrow, I shall not be able to send you, by him, an Arabic manu- script, which I have read with a native of I\Iecca, the poems of the great AH. * * * * * * * * * * Our return to Europe is xery distant ; but I hope, before the end of the eighteenth century, to have the pleasure of conversing with you, and to give you a good ac- count of Persia, through which J purpose to return. Sir WILLIAM JONES to Sir JOSEPH BANKS. Gardens near Calcutta,, Feb.. 25, 17SS. I was highly gratified by your kind letter, and have diffused great pleasure among our astronomers here, by shewing them an account of the lunar volcano. The Bralimans, to whom I have related the discovery in Sanscrit, are highly delighted with it. Public business presses on me sa 377 so heavily at this season, that I must postpone the pleasure of writing fully to you, till i can retire iii the long vacation to my cottage, where I hear nothing of plaintiffs or defendants. Your second commission I will faithfully execute, and have already made enquiries concerning the dacca cotton ;■ but I shall be hardly able to procure the seeds, &c. before the Rodney sails. * * * These letters describe the elegant occupations of a mind disciplined in the school of science, ardent to embrace it in all its extent, and to make even its amusements subservient to the advancement of useful knowledge, and the public good. From the discharge of his appointed studies, we see Sir AV^illiam Jones returning with avidity to his literary pursuits, improving his acquaintauce with botany, and, relaxing from the severity of study by the perusal of the most admired Oriental authors, com- municating his pleasures and accjuirements to his friends. Tliere are few of his letters in which he does not introduce the name of Lady Jones, with that affection which never abated : she was his constant companion, and the associate of the lite-^ rary entertainment which occupied and amused his evenincrs. Amongst the letters which I have transcribed, I cannot pass, without particular notice, that which he wrote to mc in the beginning of 1/87,. The prediction which it contains, is a melancholy proof of the disappointment of human expecta- tions; and I am now discharging the duty of atfection S78 aiTection for his memary, at a short distance only froiu the spot which he mentions, as the anticipa- ted scene of future delight, and M^iere 1 once fond- ly hoped to enjoy the happiness of his society. Thathappiness would indeed have imparted a higher bloom to the valleys of Devonshire, which 1 now trace with the melancholy recollection, that the friend whom I loved, and whose virtues I admired, is no more. The introduction of the unvarnished tafeofhis .respectable Hindu friend, is a proof of that kind- ness and sensibility, which he ever felt for distressed merit. It is superfluous to add, what the reader will have anticipated, that the disposition to relieve liis wants was not suffered to evaporate in mere profession. In the midst of his public duties and literary employments, political speculations had but little share of his attention ; yet the sentiments which h-e occasionally expresses on this subject, do honour to his heart, and prove that tlie welfare of bis country was always nearest to it. The hope with wdiich he flatters himself, that his constitution had overcome the climate, was unfortunately ill founded ; few months elapsed without his suffering from the effects of it, and every attack had a tendency to weaken the vigour of his frame. Among other literary designs which he medita- ted, he mentions the plan of an epic poem. It was founded on the same^ story which he had ori- ginally S79 ^ ginaliy selected for a composition of the same nature in his twenty-second year, the discovery of England by Brutus ; but his acquaintance with Hindu mythology had suggested to him the addi- tion of a machinery perfectly new, by the intro- duction of the agency of the Hindu deities; and however wild or extravagant the fiction may appear, the discordancy may be easily reconciled by the actual subjection of Hindustan to the British doniinion, poetically visible to the guardian angels of that country. The first hint of this poem, was not suggested by the example of Pope, but by a passage in a letter of Spenser to Sir Walter Raleigh*; it is evident however, that Sir William Jones was not disposed to abantlon the execution of his purpose by the strictures of Dr. Johnson, on Pope's intended poem, and that, in more open defiance of the critic's opinion, he tletermined to write it in blank verse, although he originally pro- posed to adopt the heroic measure in rhyme. I should have been happy to gratify the curiosity of my readers with his reasons for this determination; but they do not appear. Notwithstanding all that might have been ex- pected from the genius, taste, and erudition of Sir William Jones on a subject like this, I cannot, for my own part, lament the application of his time and labour to other studies, calculated to instruct as M'cll as to delight the puWic ; wc ha\e far more reason to lament, that he did not live to return to * Appendix, A. his 380 his native country through Persia, and that we have lost for ever that information which would have been supplied by his researches and observa- tions-during the journey. The strength of a con- stitution, never vigorous, was unequal to the in- cessant exertion of his menial faculties : and whilst we admire the boundless activitj' ofhis mind, we an- ticipate with sorroM' its fatal effects upon liis health. I have frequently remarked, that it was the prevailing wish of Sir William Jones to render his talents and attainments useful to his country. The tenour of liis correspondence shews, that his principal studies were directed to this object ; and nearly two years preceding the period at which I am arrived, he describes the mode in which he proposes to give effect to his wishes, and expresses his determination to accomplish it, with an energy which marks his sense of the importance of the work he then meditated. Having now qualified liimsclF, by his knowledge of the Sanscrit ancl Hiiidii laws, ibr the exccutiou of his plan, he determined to delay it no longer; and as he could not prudentl}^ defray the expence of the undertaking from his own finances, he deem- ed it proper to apply to the government of Bengal for their assistance. — The following letter, which he addressed to the Governor-General, Lord Corn- wallis, on this subject, contains all the explana- tions necessary : Mr Lord; — It has long been my wish to address the government of the liritish dominions in Lidia on 381 on the administration of justice amonj^ the natives of Bengalaud Bahar ; a subject of equal importance 10 the appellate jurisdiction of the supreme court at Calcutta, where the judges are required b}'^ the legislature to decide controversies between Hindu and Mohammedan parties, according to their re- spective laws of contracts, and of succession to property ; the3' had, I believe, so decided them, in most cases before the statute to which I allude, had passed ; and the parliament only confirmed that mode of decision, which the obvious princi- ples of justice had led them before to adopt. No- thing indeed could be more obviously just, than to determine private contests according to those laws, which tlie parties themselves had ever con- sidered as tlie lules of their conduct and engage- ments in civil life; nor could any thing be wiser, than, by a legislative act, to assure the Hindu and iVIussulman subjects of Great Britain, that the private laws which they severally held sacred, and a violation of which tliey would have thought the most grievous oppression, should not be superse- ded by anew system of Mhich tliey could have no knowledge, and which they must have considered as imposed on them by a spirit of rigour and into- lerance. So fiir the principle of decision between the native parties in a cause appears perfectly clear; but the difficulty lies (as in most other cases) in the application of the principle to practice ; for, the Hindu and Mussulman laws are locked up for tiie 382 the most part in two very difficult languages, San- scrit and Arabic, which few Europeans will ever learn, because neither of them leads to any advan- taiiC in worldly pursuits: and if we give judge- ment onl)'' from the opinions of the native lawyers and scholars, we can never be sure, that we have not been deceived by them. It would be absurd and unjust to pass an indis- criminate censure on so considerable a body of men; butmy experience justifies me in declaring, that I could not with an easy conscience concur in a decision, merely on the written opinion of na- tive lawyers in any cause in which they could have therem.otest interest in misleading the court; nor, how vigilant soever we might be, would it be very difficult for them to mislead us; for a single ob- scure text, explained by themselves, might be quoted as express authority, though perhaps in the very book from which it was selected, it might be differently explained, or introduced only for the purjiose of being exploded. The obvious remedy for this evil had occurred to me before I left Eng- land, where I had communicated my sentiments to some friends in parliament, and on the bench in Westminster-Hall, of whose discernment I had the highest opinion : and those sentiments I pro- pose to unfold in this letter, M'ith as much brevity as tbe magnitude of the subject will admit. If we had a complete digest of Hindu and Mo- hammedan laws, after the model of Justinian's in- estimable pandects, compiled by the most learned of 583 of the native lawyers, v/ith an accurate verbal translation of it into English ; and if copies of the work were deposited in tiie proper offices of the Sedr Divani Adaulat*, and of the supreme court, that they might occasionally be consulted as a stand- ard of justice, we should rarely be at a loss for principles at least, and rules of law applicable to the cases before us, and should never perhaps be led astray by the pundits or niaulavis, who would hardl}' venture to impose on us, when their imposi- tion might so easily be detected. The great work, of which Justinian has the credit, consists of texts collected from law books of approved authorit^^ which in his time were extant at Rome, and those texts are di2;ested according; to ascientificalanalv- sis ; the names of the original authors, and the titles of their several books being constantly cited with references even to the parts of their works, from Vc'hich tlie different passages were selected: but although it comprehends the whole system of jurisprudence, public, private, and criminal, yet that vast compilation was finished, we are told, in three years ; it bears m.arks unquestionably of great precipitation, and of a desire to gratify the Em- peror by quickness of dispatch ; but with all its imperfections, it is a most valuable mine of judicial knowledge, it gives law at this hour to the greatest part of Europe, and, though few English lawj^ers dare make such an acknowledgement, it is the true source of nearly all our English laws, that are not * The court of appeals in civil suits. of 384 of a feiiffal origin. It M'^ould not be unworthy of' a British government, to give the natives of these Indian provinces a permanent security for the due admiuistration of justice among then), similar to that which Justinian gave to his Greek and Ro- man subjects : but our compilation would require far less labour, and might be completed with far greater exactness in as short a time, since it would "be confined to the laws of contracts and inherit- ances, which are of the most extensive use in pri- vate life, and to which the legislature has limited the decisions of the supreme court in causes be- tween native parties; the labour of the work would also be greatly diminished by two com-i pilations already made in Sanscrit and Arabic j> Avhich approach nearly in merit and in method, to the digest of Justinian : the first M'as com* posed a few centuries ago by a Brahman of this province, named Rcighnnanden. and is com^ prised in twenty-seven books at least, on every bTanch of Hindu la\r : the second, Avhich the Arabs called ihelncUan decisions^ is known here by the title of Fetaxceh Aakmgiri, and was compiled by the order oi Aiirangzeh, in five large volumesj of which I possess a perfect and well-collated copy. To translate these immense M'orks, would be super* fluous labour; but they will greatly facilitate the compilation of a digest on the laws of inheritance and contracts ; and the code, as it is called, of Hindu law, which was compiled at the request of Mr. Hastings, will be useful for tl>esame purpose, ;, .. though 385 ihoUgii it by no means obviates the difficulties before stated, nor supersedes the necessity or the expedience at least of a more ample repertory of Hindu laws, especially on the twelve different con* tracts, to which Ulpian has given specific names, and on all the others, which though not specifically named, are reducible to four general heads. The. last-mentioned work is intitled Vivadamavasetu, and consists, like the Roman digests, of authentic texts, with the names of their several authors, re- gularly prefixed to them, and explained, where an explanation is requisite, in short notes taken from ccmmentaries of high authority : it is, as far it goes, a very excellent work ; but though it appear extremely diffuse on subjects rather curious than useful, and tliough the chapter on inheritances be copious and exact, yet the other important branch of jurisprudence, the law of contracts, is very suc- cinctly and superficially discussed, and bears an inconsiderable proportiou to the rest of the work. But whatever be the merit of the original, the translation of it has no authority, and is of no other use than to suggest enquiries on the many dark passages which we find in it ; properly speak- ing, indeed, we cannot call it a translation ; for though Mr. Halhed performed his part with fidelity, yet the Persiaa interpreter had supplied him only with a loose injudicious epitome of the original Sanscrit, in which abstract many essential passages .arc omitted ; though several notes of little conse- quence are interpolated, from a vain idea of eluci- c c dating 386' dating or improving the text. All this I say' witli confidence, having already perused no small part of the original with a learned pundit, comparing it as I proceeded, with the English version. Ha- ving shewn therefore the expedience of a new com- pilation for each system of Indian law, I beg leave to state", the difficulties which must attend the M'ork, and to susiL^est the means of removinjj them. The difticult}^ which first presents itself, is the expense of paying the pundits and maulavis who must compile the digest, and the native writers Avho must be employed to transcribe it. Since two provinces are immediately under this govern- ment, in each of which there are many customary laws, it would be proper to employ one pundit of Bengal and another from Behar; and since there are two r\Iohammedan sects^ who differ in regard' to many traditions from their Proj)het, and to some decisions of their respective doctors, it might be thought equally proper to engage one maulavi of each sect; and this mode would have another advantage, since two lawyers conferring freel)^ together on fundamental principles common to both, would assist, direct, and check each other.* • Although I can have no personal interest, im- mediate or consequential, in the work proposed, yet I would cheerfully have borne the whole ex- pense of it, if common prudence had not restrained mej^und if my private establishment of native ^^ A passage relating to the remuneration oft he natives to be employ- ed, is here omitted, :. . readers 387 readers and writers, which I cannot with conveni- ence discontinue at present, did not require more than half of the montldy expense, which the com- pletion of a digest would, in my opinion, demand, lam under a necessity therefore of intimating, that if the work be thought expedient, the charges of it should he defrayed by the government, and the salaries paid by their officers. The second difficulty is, to find a dii'ector of the work and a translator of it, who, with a competent knowledge of the Sanscrit and Arabic, has a general acquaintance with the principles of jurisprudence, and a suffi- cient share even of legislative spirit, to arrange the plan of a digest, superintend the compilation of it, and render the whole, as it proceeds, into perspicu- ous English, so that even the translation may ac- quire a degree of authority proportioned to the puWic opinion of his accuracy. Now, though I am truly conscious of possessing a very moderate portion of those talents, which I should require in the superintendant of such a work, yet I may without vanity profess myself equal to the labour of it; and though I would much rather see the work well conducted by any man than myself, yet I would rather give myself the trouble of it, than not live to see it conducted at all ; and I can- not but know, that the qualifications required even in the low degree in which I possess them, are not often found united in the same person, for a reason before suggested. If your Lordship, therefore, after full consideration of the subject, shall be of c c 2 opinion, 388 opinion, that a digest of Hindu and Mohammedan Uwsy would be a work of national honour and utility; — I so cherish both, that I offer the nation my humble labour as far as I can dispose of my time consistently with the faithful discharge of my duty as a magistrate : should this oifer be accepted, I should then request your Lordship to nominate the pundits and maulavis to whom I would severally give a plan conformable to the best analysis that I could make ; and I should be able, if my health continued firm, to translate every mornin"", before any other business is begun, as much as they could compile, and the writers copy in the preceding day. The Dhcrmasastra, or sacred code of the Hindus, consists of eighteen books, the first of which would in any age or nation be thought a wonderful performance; both the first and second have excellent commentaries of great authority, but the other sixteen are too easy to need elucidation : the works of Menu, of Yag- yawakia, and most of the others, are in blank verse but that of G«w/«W2 is in modulated prose; besides these, the Hindus have many standard law- tracts with their several commentaries, and among them a fine treatise on inheritances by Jcmutava- ha7i, to which our pundits often refer ; though on that subject, the work of Raghunanden seems to j be more "-enerally approved in this province. The ' Mussulmans, besides a few general rules in the Koran, and a nMn\htxo( traditional nuLvimsdtViwcY- ed from their Prophet, and his companions through the S89 the sages of their la*v, together with the opinions of the celebrated lawyers preserved by their dis- ciples, have two incomparable little tracts, one by Surajuddin, and the other by Alkudiiri ; the for- mer on succession only, and the other on con- tracts ; also with comments on each, and other comments an tliem ; not to mention some other tracts of acknowledged authority, and large col- lections of decision in particular ca es. All these books may, I suppose, be procured with ease; and some of the most raie among them are in my possession; mine I would lend with pleasure to the pundits and maulavis, if they happened to be un- provided with good copies of them, and my example would, I persuade myself, be followed on such an occasion by other collectors of Eastern manu- scripts, both natives and Europeans. This is all that appears nc-cessary to be written on the sub- ject, with which I began this address to your Lordship ; I could not have expressed myself more concisely without some obscurity; and to have enlarged on the technical plan of the work which I have proposed, would have been super- fluous. I have the honour to be, &c. William Joxes. Calcutta, March 19, 17S8. A proposal such as the lettc- of Sir William Jones contains, could not fail of receiving that attention which t mer ed, from ihe noble an who presided in the government of India. ully sensible 390 sensible of the utility of a digest of Hindu and Mohammedan law, in facilitating M'hat he was ever anxious to promote, the due administration of justice to the native subjects of the British empire in Hindustan, the Marquis Cornwallis con- sidered the accomplishment of the plan, as calcu- lated to reflect the highest honour upon his ad- ministration. The answer to Sir William Jones, written by his direction, expressed this sentiment with a declaration, that his Lordship deemed it singularly fortunate, that a person so eminently qualified for the task, should, from principles of general benevolence and public spirit, be induced to engage in an undertaking, as arduous as it was beneficial. With this sanction, Sir Willi aai Jones imme- diately entered upon the execution of the work, and having selected with the greatest care, from the most learned Hindus and Mohammedans, a sufficient number of persons duly qualified for the task of compilation, he traced the plan of the di- gest, prescribed its arrangement, and pointed out the manuscripts from which it was to be formed. From a scries of letters addressed to the com- piler of these Memoirs on the subject of the digest, a large selection might be made relating to it; but as they cannot be interesting to my readers in general, I shall not interrupt the narrative by their introduction. At the period when this work was undertaken by Sir William Jones, he had not resided in India more sgi •more than four years and a half; ckiring which time, he had not only acquired a thorougli know ■ledge of the Sanscrit language, hut had extended his reading in it so far, as to he qualified to form a judgment upon the merit and authority of the authors to he used in the compilation of his work; and although his lahour was only applied to the ■disposition of materials already formed, he was enabled by his previous studies to give them an ar- rangement superior to any existing, and which the learned natives themselves approved and admired. In the dispensations of Providence, it may be re- marked, as an occurrence of no ordinary nature, •that the professors of the Braminical faith should so far renounce their reserve and distrust, as to submit to the direction of a native of Europe, for compiling a digest of their own laws. I now present the reader with the correspon- dence of Sir William Jones, during the remainder of 1788 and the following year, without inter- ruption. The first letter refers to a subject, discussed in a conference between the executive government of Bengal and the judges, on the subject of the po- lice at Calcutta, which required great reformation. The establishment of the supreme court of judi- cature had superseded the former local jurisdictions at Fort-William, without making sufficient pro- visions for the police of the town; and the subject discussed at the conference, was that of an appli- ■cation to. the lej^islature of Great Britain for pow er 392 power to establish an efBcient police. If the re* collection of the writer of these Memoirs does not deceive him, Sir William misunderstood the result of the conference, and, under this impression, addressed to him the following letter, which strongly marks his attachment to the constitution of his own country, and deserves on this account, as well as for other opinions expressed in it, to be jecorded. His suggestions were adopted in the application to parliament, and conlirmed by its sanction. Sir WILLIAM JONES to J. SHORE, Esq. Feb. 7, 1788. r avail myself of an hour's leisure, to throw upon paper, a few thoughts on the subject of our late conference, concerning an application to the legislature, for a power of sumniary con- taction and punishment in Calcutta, The concurrence or dissent of an individual, who is not a Hiember of an executive government, ought to have so little weight, that I would not have obtruded my opinion, if it had not been asked : but it would ill become me to concur in an application to parliament, for a power, the granting of which, if I were myself in parlia- ment, I should hold it my duty to oppose. The difficulty of which we all seemed sensible, arises from a supposed necessity of deviating from the spirit and form of English judicature in cri- minal cases; yet the English form has been ap- proved by the wisdom of a thousand years, and has 395 has been found effectual in the great cities of England, for the good order and government of the most high-minded, active, and restless people that exists on earth. I could easily demonstrate, that the criminal code of our nation, is fully sufficient to punish every temporal wrong, and redress every temporal evil, that can injure the public or individuals, and a British tribunal, for punishment of religious of- fences by Hindis or Mussulmans, would riot only be an inquisition of the most extraordinary kind, but would, I am persuaded, be offensive in the beginning, and oppressive in the end, to the na- tives of both religions. This question is then reduced to this : Is it abso- lutely necessary to convict and punish offenders in Calcutta without a jury ? If it be, we inust follow the example of Solon, who enacted such laws as were, though not the best in themselves, yet the best that circumstances would admit. I am not convinced tiiat such a necessity exists, and strongly incline to think it does not. The evil to be remedied, is the small number of ma- gistrates ; the obvious remedy is, to appoint a greater number. If the legislature therefore would give the Governor in council, a power to appoint from six to twelve justices of the peace, those justices would (under the direction of go-' vernment) appoint subordinate peace-officers, whose legal powers are very considerable, yet accurately defined; but a supey^int-endant of the police^ is an officer 594 ©fiicer unknown to our system, borrowed from a foreign system, or at least suggesting- the idea of a foreign constitution, and his powers being dark and undefined, are those which our law most ab- liors. The justices would hold a session every quarter of a year ; without troubling the members ©f government, who have other avocations; so tliat in every year there would be six sessions for administering criminal justice ; but then comes the great question, Hov/ could the juries be sup- plied without injury to those who should sit on them? Now, without uro;inr>- that some occasional t-rouble, and perliaps loss, are the fine v/hicli Englislimen pay for their freedom ; without inti- mating that but a few years ago, an application to parliament was made, among other objects, for atrial bj'-jury in all cases, even in Calcutta; with- eut contendi^ig, that if summary convictions be once made palateable, we should gradually lose uur relish for the admirable mod^ of trial, on which our common liberties at home ahnost wholly de- pend ; without rambling a moment from the point before us, I conceive that three hundred persons, qualified to serve on petty juries, would be far more than sufficient to divide the trouble with convenience to themselves, and benefit to th€ community. On the whole, tlie annual bartiien on each in- dividual, especially if a kind of rotation were observed, or even if the chance of a ballot were taken, mouM be too inconsiderable to weigh a feather 395 feather against the important object of sBpporting so excellent a mode of trial. After all, are we sure that the British subjects in Calcutta, would be better pleased than myself with any slur upon the constitutional trial by jury? and as to the natives, besides the policy of allowing them all the beneficial effects of our ju- dicature, (and that a trial by twelve men, instead of one, with a power of exceptions is a benefit, must be granted by all, ) I rather think that the inhabitants of a British town, owing local alle- giance, are entitled to the local advantage of being tried by a British form. In all events, if it be a benefit, they ought not to be deprived of it without some greater public good to compensate the private injustice, than would result, I appre- liend, from the power of summary conviction, if it were exercised by men, whose monthly gains would depend on the number of complaints made, and of fines levied, I am confident therefore, after mature delibe- ration, that nothing more is to be desired than a power in this government, of appointing justices of peace by annual commissions; and these being my sentiments, I rely on your friendship, so long and so constantly manifested, that if it should be thought proper to mention the concurrence of the judges, you will remember that their concurrence was not unanimous. I could easily have said all this and more, but I chose 596 I chose this mo but against the principle of it, no solid objection could be urged. The functions assigned to the servants of the East-India Company, are of great magnitude, variety, and importance ; and to discharge them pro- perly, requires the education of a statesman and legislator, and a thorough knowledge of the dialects in use in Hindustan. To enable the servants of the Company to acquire the necessary qualifications for the due discharge of these important duties, was the grand object of the institution, which at the same time comprehended the religious instruc- tion, and the superintcndance of the morals and habits of the pupils. Considered in a secondary and subordinate point of view, it was cal- culated to promote the objects proposed in the formation of the Asiatic society. A volume of essays by the students in the college has been published, which does equal honour to them and to liie institution. f The acceptance of the volume by the King, was announced by the following letter : Lord Grenville to the Right Honourable H. Dundas. Sir;, jrhitduill, Feb. 22, 1790. Having laid before the King, Sir William Jones's letter to you; I am directed by His Majesty, to signify his gracious acceptance of the volume transmitted by you ; and at the same time, to express His Majesty's satisfaction in the progTCb's of the sciences in the British establishment in India, and his approbation of the important undertaking in which Sir William Jones is engaged. I am, Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, W. W. Grenville. E JE 2 In 420 In the same year, Sir William presented to the public a translation of an ancient Indian drama, under the title of Sacontala, or the Fatal Rf77g, exhibiting a most pleasing and authentic picture of old Hindu manners, and one of the greatest curiosities that the literature of Asia had yet brought to light. Calidas, th€ author of it, whom Sir William Jones calls the Shakspcarc of India, lived in the first century before Christ, not many years afterTerence, and he wrote several otherdramas and poetical pieces, of which, only Sacontala has received an European dress. The violation of the unities, as well asthe mixture of foreign mythology, which constitutes the machinery of the play, are irreconcileable \rrth the purer taste, which marks the dramatic compositions of Europe : but, al- though the translator declined offering a criticism on the characters and conduct of the play, "from *' a conviction that the tastes of men differ as *' much as the sentiments and passions, and that *' in feeling the beauties of art as in smelling " flowers, tasting fruits, viewing prospects, and " hearing melody, every individual must be gui- "lied by his own sensations and incommunicable " associations of his own ideas," we may venture to pronounce that, exclusive of the wild, pic- turesque, and sublime imagery which characterizes it, the simplicity of the dialogue in many of the scenes, and the natural characters of many of the personages introduced, cannot fail of exciting pleasure and interest in the reader, who will wish with 421 with, me, perhaps, that Sir William Jones had not rigidly adhered to the determination which he ex- pressed, not to employ his leisure in translating more of the works of Calidas. In December 3789, the author of these memoirs was compelled, by the reiterated attacks of severe indisposition, to leave India. For an account of the occupations of Sir William Jones, from that period to his return, I refer to his correspondence, begin- ning with a letter from Count Reviczki* ; the reader will see with pleasure, that the mutual regard pro- fessed by the two friends had suifered no abatement from time or separation. London, June 30, 1789. By the Vestal frigate, which was to con- vey Lord Cathcart to China, I wrote an answer to your elegant Persian letter, which I received through Mr. Elmsley. It was a most agreeable proof to me, that I v/as still honoured with a place in your remembrance, notwithstanding the distance which separates us. I have since learned, that Colonel Cathcart died on the voyage; and as the Vestal, in consequence of this event, returned to England, I am not without apprehension, that my letter never reached you. I have since received a most superb work printed at Calcutta, and which would do honour to the first printing- office in Europe, accompanied with an elegant and obliging letter. I recognized in it the hand of a skilful penman, if I may be allowed to judge; for I have so long neglected the cultivation of Orien- * Appendix, No. 38, ^^ 423 tal literature, that I am almost as much a stranger to it, as if I had never learned it. I have never yet seen so elegant a specimen of Oriental typography, as that in the Persian poem with which you favoured me. I cannot express how much I regret the loss of your society during my residence in London, which would have afforded me so much gratification ; and I doubt if I shall have an opportunity of enjoying it after your return, as I must soon enter upon the new office conferred upon me by the emperor, of minister at Naples. But whatever my destination may be, of this you may be assured, that neither absence nor distance will ever weaken my attach- ment to you, and that during life 1 shall consider myself equally bound by gratitude and inclination to preserve it. 1 am, Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, Count Reviczki. Sir WILLIAM JONES to Dr. PRICE. My DEAR SiK ; Chrishnornagur, Sept. 14, 1790. . I give you my warmest thanks for youiv friendly letter, and acceptable present of an admits rable discourse, which I have read with great de- lii^ht. * * * * * ♦*'* — We have twenty millions (I speak with good information) of Indian subjects, whose laws I am now compiling and arranging, in the hope of se- curing their propert}' tothemselvesand their heirs. They are pleased with the work ; but it makes mo 4 very 423 & very bad correspondent. I had flattered mj^self with a hope of making a visit to our venerable friend at Philadelphia, before the retreat which I meditate to my humble cottage in Middlesex ; but God's will be done ! We shall meet, I devoutly hope, in a happier state. To the Rev. Dr. FORD, Principal of Magdalen- Hall, Oxford. Chrishrta-vagur, Oct. \l, 1790. Though I am, for the best of reasons, the worst of correspondents, yet I will no longer delay to thank you for your friendly letter of the fourth of February, and for your kind attentions to Colo- nel Polier. You have a much better correspondent in Mr. Langlas, whose patriotism, I hope, will suc- ceed, and whose Persian literature will be a source of delight to him, if not to the public. Mr. Wehl's favour never reached me, or I would have answer- ed it immediately, and I request you to inform him of my disappointment. The chances are about three to one against your receiving this ; and the fear of writing for the sport of winds and waves, disheartens me whenever I take up a pen. Sir William Jones to WilUam Shipley, Esq. Dear Sir; ■ Chrkhna-nagur^ Oct. 11, 1790.^ The ships which brought your kind letters, arrived so near the end of my short vaca- tion, that I have but just time to thank you for them, as I do most heartily, as well as for youv acceptable presents. Anna Maria has recovered from 424 from the pang which the sad intelligence front England gave her, and a pious resignation has succeeded to her natural anguish. You are, I hope, quite recovered from your illness, and again promoting the welfare and convenience of mankind, hy your judicious exertions and in* genious inventions, to which all possible attention shall be shewn in this country. May you very long enjoy the pleasure of doing good, which is, I well know, the only reward you seek ! — If is now settled here, that the natives are proprietors of their land, and that it shall descend by their own laws. I am engaged in superintending a complete system of Indian laws : but the worl^ is vast, difficult, and delicate; it occupies all my leisure, and makes me the worst of correspondents. 1 trust, however, that long letters are not necessary to convince you, that I am, &c. Sir WILLIAM JONES to Mrs. SLOPER*. Chrishna-nagur, Oct. 13, 1790^ I deserve no thanks for the attentions which it is both my duty and my delight to shew our beloved Anna ; but you deserve, and I beg you to accept my warmest thanks for your enter- taining letter, for your frequent kind remem* brance of me, and for your acceptable present of a snuff-box in the most elegant taste. All that you write concerning our friends, is highly interesting to me ; and all pleasing, except the contents of your last page ; but the most agreeable part of * Sister to Lady Jones, ai?d married to William-Charles Sloper, Esq, your 425 your letter is the hope which you express, that the Bath waters would restore you to health : and it gives me infinite pleasure to know, that your hope has been realized. Anna will give you a full account of herself, and will mention some of the many reasons, that make me a bad correspondent. I thank you for Erskine's speech, but I was myself an advocate so long, that I never mind what ad- vocates sai/y but what they prove ; and I can only examine proofs in causes brought before me. I knew you would receive with your usual good- nature, my saucy jests about your hand-writing, but hope you will write to me as you write to Anna; for you know, the more any character re- sembles pot-hooks, &c. the better I can read it. My love to Amelia, and to all whom you love, which would give them a claim, if they had no other, to the affection of. My dear Madam, Your ever faithful, William Jones. Sir William Jones to Sir J. Macphcrson^ Bart. Chrishna-nagur, Oct. 15, 1790. I give you hearty thanks for your post- script, which (as you enjoin secrecy) I will only allude to ambiguously, lest this letter should fall into other hands than yours. Be assured, that what I am going to say, does not pTocee. 2S6. avowal 447 avowal of his belief in tiie divinity of our Sa- viour*; and again in the next, another prayer by him, expressing his exchisive reliance on the merits of his Redeemer for his acceptance with God t. Amongst the publications of Sir William Jones, in which his religious sentiments are expressed, I shall first notice, A Dissertation on the. Gods of Greece, Italy, and Rome, written in 1784, but revised and printed in 17B6, in which the follow- ing passage occurs: "Disquisitions concerning " the manners and conduct of our species, in " early times, or indeed at any time, are always *' curious at least, and amusing; but they are '* highly interesting to such as can say of them- *' selves, with Chremes in the play, ' We are *' ' men, and take an interest in all that relate to '''■ ' mankind.' They n:iay even be of solid import- '* ance in an age, when some intelligent and vir- " tuous persons are inclined to doubt the authen- *' ticity of accounts delivered by Moses, con- *' cerning the primitive world; since no modes or *' sources of reasoning can he lumnportanty zvhick *' have a tendenci} to remove such doubts. Either *' the first eleven chapters of Genesis, (all due *' allowances being made for a figurative Eastern " style,) are true, or the whole fabric of our na- " tional religion is false ; a conclusion, whicfe " none of us, I trust, would wish to be drawn; ''^ I, who cajinot help believing the divinity of the- * Mf-moirs, page 2b9. t Ibid. p. 312. "^ Messiah,. 448 ** Messiah, from the undisputed antiquity, and *' manifest comjiletion of many proplieeies, espe- *' cially those of Isaiah, ia the only person re- ** corded b}- history, to whom tliey are applicable, " am obliged of course to believe the sanctity ot ** the venerable books, to which that sacred person ** refers as genuine: but it is not the truth of our *' national Religion, as such, I have at heart ; it *' is TiiuTii itself: and if any cool, unbiassed rea- '^ der will clearly convince me, that Moses drew *' his narrative, through Egyptian conduits, from " the primeval fountains of Indian literature, " I shall esteem him as a friend, for having weeded *' my jnind from a capital error; and promise to " stand among the foremost in assisting to circu- " late the truth which he has ascertained. After ** such a declaration, 1 cannot but persuade my- " self, that no candid man will be displeased, if, in ** the course of my work, I make as free with any *' arguments, that he may have advanced, as I *' should really desire him to do with any of mine, *' that he may be disposed to controvert." Let not the candour of the declaration, contained in the preceding quotation, alarm the serious Christian; the fair inference to be drawn from it is this, that Sir William Jones was incapable of affirming what lie did not fully believe; and the avowal of his faith in the divinity of our Saviouk, is therefore to be received as decisive evidence of tlie sincerity of his belief: indeed his declaration may be considered as the proof of his faith; and his 449 Ills faitli to he grounded in proportion to tlie open- ness of his declaration. That any reasoner could convince liim, that Moses had borrowed his nar- rative from Indian sources, he never for a mo- ment supposed, and if a doubt could be enter- tained on th"s subject^ another passage in the same dissertation must at once annihilate it. He had indeed no liesitation to acknowledge his persuasion, that a connection subsisted between the old ido- latrous nations of Egypt, India, Greece, and Italy, long before they migrated to their several settlements, and consequent!}' before the birth of Moses ; but he was equally persuaded, that the truth of the proposition could in no degree aifect the veracity and sanctity of the Mosaic history, which, if any confirmation of it were necessary, it would rather tend to confirm. "'J he divine legate (I now quote his M'ords) *' educated by the daughter of a king, and in all ^' respects highly accomplished, could not but *' know the mythological system of Egypt, but " he must have condemned the superstitions of *' that people, and despised the speculative absur- " dities of their priests, though some of their tra- " ditions concerning the creation and the flood, *' were founded on truth. Who was better ac- *' quainted with the mythology of Athens, than " Socrates ? who more accurately versed in the " rabbinical doctrines, than Paul? Who possessed " clearer ideas of all ancient astronomical systems, " than Newton ; or of scholastic metaphysics, G G ** than 450 *' tlian Locke ? In whom could the Romish Chiircfi ^* have had a more formidable opponent, than in *' Chilling-worth, whose deep knowledge of its *' tenets rendered him so competent to dispute ** them ? In a word, who more exactly knew the *■' abominable rites and shocking idolatry of Ca- *' naan, than Moses himself? Yet the learning of *' those great men only incited them to seek other " sources of truth, piety, and virtue, than those *' in which they had long been immersed. There *' is no shadow, then, of a foundation for an opi- *' nion, that Moses borrowed the first nine or " ten chapters of Genesis from the literature of *' Egypt; still less can the adamantine pillars of *' our Christian faith be moved by the result of " any debates on the comparative antiquity of the " Hindus and Egyptians, or of any enquiries into ** the Indian theology." From the same dissertation I select another pas- sage, which, from its importance, is entitled to particular notice, while it evinces the solici- tude of Sir William Jones to correct a miscon- ception, which, in my opinion, has been idly and injudiciously brought forward to support a funda- mental tenet of Evangelical Revelation. " Very respectable natives have assured me, " that one or two missionaries have been absurd ** enough, in their zeal for the conversivon of the *' Gentiles, to urge, that the Hindus were even '* now almost Christians, because their Bramha, ** Vishnu, and Mahesa, were no other than the " Christian 451 *' Christian Trinity ; a sentence in which we can *' only doubt whether folly, ignorance, or impiety, *' predominates." The three Hindu deities, were perhaps originally personifications only of the creating, presei^ving, and destroying^ or, as it may be understood, the re-producing power of the Supreme Being. By the bulk of the people they are considered as dis- tinct personages, each invested with divine attri- butes ; and the mythological writings of the Hin- diis contain most ample and absurd histories of them ; but in the Vedanti philosophy, which is evidently Platonic, the Almighty, known by the mystical and incommunicable appellation of O'M, is the only being, and all others, including Brah- ma, Vishnu, and Mahesa, are only the creatures of idea or perception, which will perish in the ge- neral annihilation, whilst O'M alone survives through all eternity*. Thus, whether we consider the * On this subject, I shall take the liberty to quote some curious passages from a translation of a Persic version of the Yoog Vashesti, a very ancient composition in Sanscrit. There are several Persian ver- sions of this work ; but many pages of that from w hich the present translation is given, were compared with tlie original Sanscrit, and found to be substantially accurate. " The instability of the world, and of every thing contained in it, is " certain ; hence it will one day happen, that the evil deities who are " now so powerful, shall fall into annihilation, and the Debtas distin- " guished by the title of Amrit, or immortal, shall perish. The " Bermhand, on which all nature depends for existence, shall be bro- " ken, and not a trace remain of Bramha, Vishnu, or Siva. Time, ," having annilulated all, shall himself perish. " Bramha, Vishnu, and Mahdeva, notwithstanding their exalted ** dignity, fall into the jaws of inexistence. G G 2 " You 459 the vulgar opinion respecting these three (iivini- ties, or that of the Vedanti sect, nothing (to use the words of Sir ^\'iHiam Jones) can be more evi- dent, than " that the Indian triad, and that of *' Plato, which he calls the Supreme Good, the ** reason and the soul, are infinitely removed from *' the holiness and sublimity of the Christian doc- *' trine of the Trinity, and that the tenet of our *' Church cannot without profaueness, be coiii- " pared w ith that of the Hindus, which has an ** apparent resemblance to it, but a very different " meaning." At the end of the same treatise, Sir William Jones enumerates the sad obstacles to the extension of our '■' pure faith" in Hindustan, and concludes as. follows: *' The only human mode perhaps of causing so " o-reat a revolution, is to translate into Sanscrit *' and Persian, such chapters of the prophets, and ** particularly Isaiah, as are indisputably evange- •' You are not to consider Vishnu, Braniha, or Mahdeva, and other " incorporate beings as the deity, although tiiey have each the deno- " mination of devaor divine; these are all created, whilst the Supreme " Being is without beginning or end, unformed and uncreated ;— wor- *' ship and adore him. " The worship which is paid to the inferior deities and the rcpre- " sentations of them, proceeds from this: Mankind in general are more " affected by appearances than realities ; the former they compre- " hend, but the latter are diflicult to be understood. Hence learned " tutors first place figures before them, that their minds may be conr " posed, and conducted by degrees to the essential Unityw^ho survives " the annihilation, when the Debtas, and all created existence are " dissolved and absorbed into his essence." "■ lical, 4^53 ' lical, together with one of the Gospels, and a "* plain prefatory discourse containing full evi- ' dence of the very distant ages, in which the ' predictions themselves and the history of the ' divine person predicted, were severally made ' puhlic, and tiien quietly to disperse the work ' among the well-educated natives, with whom ' if in due time it failed of piomoting very salu- ' tary fruit by its natural influence, we could ' only lament more than ever, the strength * of prejudice and weakness of unassisted rea- ' son." That the conversion of the Hindis to the Chris- tian religion, would have afforded him the sin- cerest pleasure, may be fairly inferred from the above passage ; his wish that it should take place, is still more clearly expressed in the following quotation from one of his Hymns to Lachsmi, the Ceres of India, and a personification of the Di- vine Goodness. After describing most feelingly and poetically the horrid effects of famine in In- dia, he thus concludes the hymn : From ills that, painted, harrow op the breast, (What agonies, if real, must they give I) Preserve thy vot'ries : be their labours blest ! Oh ! bid the patient Hindu rise and live. His erring mind, that wizzard lore beguiles^ Clouded by priestly wiles. To senseless nature bows, for nature's God. Now, stretch'd o'er Ocean's vast, from happier isles. He sees the wand of empire, not the rod : Ah, may those beams that f Fes tern skies illume. Disperse th' unholi/ gloom ! Meanwhile^ 4o4 Meanwhile, may laws, by myriads long rever'd. Their strife apjjcase, their gentler claims decide ! So shall their victors, mild with virtuous pride. To many a cherish' d, grateful race endear' d, With temper'd love be fear'd ; Though mists profane obscure their narrow ken. They err, yet feel, though Pagans, they are men. The testimony of Sir William Jones to the ve- rity and authenticity of the Old and New Testa- ment is well known, from the care Nvith which it has been circidated in England ; but as it has a par- ticular claim to be inserted in the memoirs of his life, I transcribe it from his own manuscript in his Bible : " I have carefully and regularly perused these *' Holy Scriptures, and am of opinion, that the *' voll.me, independently of its divine origin, *' contains more sublimity, purer morality, more *' important history, and finer strains of elo- *' quence, than can be collected from all other ** books, in whatever language they may have *' been written." This opinion is repeated, M^ith little variation of ' expression, in a discourse addressed to the society, in February I79I : — " Theological enquiries are no part of my pre? *' sent subject ; but I cannot refrain from adding, *' that the collection of tracts, which we call, ''from their excellence, the Scriptures j contain, *' independently of a divine origin, more true " sublimity, more exquisite beauty, purer mora- " lity, more important history, and finer strains " both of poetry and eloquence, than could be *' collected, 455 '* collected, witliln the same compass, from all '* other books that were ever composed in any '' age, or in any idiom. The two parts of wliich " the Scriptures consist, are connected by a chain " of compositions, M'hich bear no resemblance in " form orst^'le to any that can be produced from " the stores of Grecian, Indian, Persian, or even "Arabian learning: the antiquity of those com- *' positions no man doubts ; and the unstrained " application of them to events long subsequent ** to their publication, is a solid ground of behef, " that they were genuine compositions, and con- *' sequently inspired. But, if any thing be the ** absolute exchisive property of each individual, *' it is his belief; and I hope I should be one of " the last men living, who could harbour a " thought of obtruding my own belief on the " free minds of others." In his discourse of the following year, we find, him again mentioning the Mosaic history, under a supposition, assumed for the sake of the argument which he M'as discussing, that it had no higher authority than am- other book of history, which the researches of the curious had accidentally brought to light. *' On this supposition," (I quote his own words,) " that the first eleven chapters of the book which " it is thought proper to call Genesis, are merely *' a preface to the oldest civil history now extant, " we see the truth of them confirmed by antece- " dent reasoning, and by evidence in part highly " probable, 456 *' probable, and in part certain." But that no mk» conception might be entertained on tiiis awful subject by the ignorant, and to avoid tlie possi-* bihty of any perverse misapplication of his senti- ments, he adds : *' but the connection of the IMo- *' saic histor}^ with that of the Gospel, by a chain *' of sublime predictions unquestionably ancient, *' and apparently* fulfilled, must induce us to think *' the Hebrew narrative more than human in its *' origin, and consequently true in txtiry sub.stan- "* tial part of it, though possibly expressed in figu- *' rative language, as many learned and pious men *' have believed, and as the most pious may believe *^ without injury, and perhaps with advantage to *' the cause of Revealed Religion. " In his tenth discourse, in 1793, he mentions, with a satisfaction which every pious mind must enjoy, the result of the enquiries of the society over Mdiich he presided. *' In the first place, we cannot surely deem " it an inconsiderable advantage, that all our *' historical researches have confirmed the IMosaic " accounts of the primitive world, and our " testimony on that subject ought to have " the greater weight, because, if the result of our *' observations had been totally different, we should * I could wish that Sir William Jones had retained the expression, which he before used, when discussing the same topic, as the word apparently may seem to imply a less degree of conviction than he actually possessed, as the tenour and terms of the passages which I have quoted indisputably prove. The sense ui which it is to be understood, is thai of ma/dft si It/ ; his reasoning plainly requires it. " nevertheless 457 *' nevertheless have puhUshed them, not indeed *' with equal pleasure, but with equal confidence : " tor truth IS mightij. and, whatever be its con- *' sequences, must alzvays prevail : but indepen- *' dently of our interest in corroborating the mul- *' tipHed evidences of Revealed Religion, we could " scarcely gratify our minds with a more useful *■■ and rational entertainment, than the contempla- *' tion of those wonderful revolutions, in king- *' doms and states, which have happened within *Mittle more than four thousand years; revolu- " tions, almost as fullj^ demonstrative of an all- *' ruling Providence, as the structure of the uni- *' verse, and the final causes, which are discernible " in its whole extent, and even in its remotest " parts." The preceding quotations sufficiently demon- strate the sentiments of Sir William Jones on the subject of Revelation, and they may be fairly con- sidered as evincing an anxiety on his part to im- press his own belief on others, for the very expres- sions, which may seem to imply hesitation or in- difference in his mind, are particularly adapted to enforce conviction on those, to whom they were addressed. It is worthy of reniark, that the re- flections in many of the passages cited, although such as would naturally occur to a believer in the Scriptures, are not necessarily called for by the subject under his discussion, and could only pro- ceed from his zeal in the investigation and propa^- gation of truth. This was the fixed object of his ■whole 458 \vhoIe life, as he has himself declared in the follow- ing elegant couplets : Before thy mystic altar, heav'niy Truth, I kneel in manhood, as I knelt in youtli : Thus let me knee), till this dull form decay. And life's last shade be brighten'd by thy ray : Then shall my soul, now lost in clouds below. Soar without bound, without consuming glow*. A disciple of Voltaire, v.ould have omitted the observations made by Sir William Jones, or have- tortured the premises on which they are founded, into the service of infidelity ; nor would he have declared that, " in order to enlighten the minds of *' the ignorant, and to enforce the obedience of " the perverse, it is evident a priori, that a reveal- *' ed Religion was necessary in the great system of *' Providencet-' The mind of Sir William Jones was never taint- ed with infidelity; but there was a period, as I have already observed, before his judgment was matured, and before he had studied the Scrip- tures with close attention, wlien his belief in the truth of Revelation was tinged with doubts. But these were the transient clouds, which for a while obscure the dawn, and disperse with the rising sun. His heart and his judgment told him, that Religion was a subject of supreme importance, and the evidence of its truth worthy his most serious in- * These lines were written by Sir William Jones in Berkley's Siris ; Ihey arc, in fact, a beautiful version of (he last sentence of the Siris, am- plified and adapted to himself; " lie that would make real progress in "knowledge, mui,t dedicate his age as well as youth, the latter growth *' as well as the first fruits, at the altar of Truth." t Works, vol. i. p. 169. vestigation. *-59 vestigation. He sat down to it without prejudice, and rose from the enquiry with a conviction, which the studies of his future life invigoratcxi and con- firmed. The completion of the prophecies rela- ting to our Saviour, had impressed upon his youth- fi\\ mind this invaluahle truth, that the language of Isaiah, and of the prophets, M'as inspired ; and in this belief, to which fresh proofs were progres- sively added, he closed his life. He has I trust re- ceived, through the merits of his Redeemer, the reward of his faith. In matters of eternal concern, the authority of the highest human opinions has no claim to be admitted, as a ground of belief, but it may with the strictest propriety be opposed to that of men of inferior learning and penetration; and, whilst the pious derive satisfaction from the perusal of sentiments according with their own, those who doubt or disbelieve, should be induced to weigh with candour and impartiality, arguments which have produced conviction in the minds of the best, the widest, and most learned of mankind. Among such as have professed a steady belie jn the doctrine of Christianity, where shall greater names be found, than those of Bacon and Newton? Of the former and of Locke, it may be observed, that they were both innovators in science; dis- daining to follow the sages of antiquity through the beaten paths of error, they broke through pre- judices, which had long obstructed the progress of sound knowledge, and laid the foundation of science c 460 science on solid ground, whilst the genius ofXew- ton carried him extra jicnnmautia mo:nia maudi. These men, to their great praise, and wq may hope to their eternal happiness, devoted much of their time to the study of the Scriptures : if the evi- dence of Revelation had been weak, who were bet- ter qualified to expose its unsoundness? if our natiouai faith were a mere fable, a political super- stition, w liy were minds which boldly destroyed prejudices in Science, blind to those in Religion? Tiicy read, examined, weiglied, and believed ; and the same vigorous intellect, that dispersed the inists which concealer! tlie temple of human know- ledge, was itsel! illuminated with the radiant truths of Divine Revelation. Such authorities, (andljet me now add to them the name of Sir William Jones,) are deser\edly entitled to great weii^ht ; let those, who superciliously re- ject them, com})are their intellectual powers, their scientific attainn.ents, and vigour of application, with those of the men whom 1 have named ; the comparison may perhaps lead tljcm to suspect, that their incredulity (to adopt the idea of a pro- found scholai) may be the result of a little smatter- ing in learning, and great self-conceit, and that bv harder study, and a humbled mind, they may regain the religion which they have left. I shall not apologize for the extracts which I have introduced from the works of Sir William Jones, nor for the reflections to which they have naturally led. The former display that part of his characterj 461 character, which alone is now important to hi^ happiness ; and I am authorised to add, not only from what appears in his printed works and private memoranda, in more than one of which, contain- ing a dehneation of his daily occupations, I find a portion of time allotted to the perusal of the Scrip- tures, but from private and satisfactory testimony, that the writing's of our best divines engaged a large share of his attention^ and that private devotion M'as not neglected by him. The following lines, Avhich afford a proof both of his taste and piety, were written by him after a perusal ot" the eighth sermon of Barrow, in his retirement at Chrishna- nagur, in l/''^^?; and with these I shall conclude my observations on his religious opinions: As meadows parch'd, brown groves, and withering flowers. Imbibe tlie sparl^ling dew and genial show'rs; As chill dark air inhales the morning beam. As thirsty harts enjoy the gelid stream ; Thus to man's grateful soul from heav'n descend, The mercies of his Father, Lord, and Friend. I now turn to the last scene of the life of Sir William Jones. The few months allotted to his existence after the departure of Lady Jones, were devoted lo his usual occupations, and more parti- cularly to the discharge of that duty which alone detained him in India; the completion of the digest of Hindu and Mohammedan law. But nei- ther the consciousness of acquitting himself of an obligation which he had voluntarily contracted, nor his incessant assiduity, could fill the vacuity •ccasioned by the absence of her, whose society liad 462 Iiad sweetened the toil of application, and cheered his hours of relaxation. Their habits were con- genial, and their pursuits in some respects similar: his botanical researches were facilitated by the eyes of Lady Jones, and by her talents in drawing ; and their evenings were generally passed together, in the perusal of the best modern authors in the differ- ent languages of Europe. iVfter her departure, he mixed more in promiscuous society ; buthisaifec- tions were transported with her to his native country. On the evening of the £Oth of April, or nearly about that date, after prolonging his walk to a late hour, during which he had imprudently remained in conversation, in an unwholesome situation, he called upon the writer of these sheets, and com- plained of agueish symptoms, mentioning his in- tention to take some medicine, and repeating jocu- larly an old proverb, that " an ague in the spring is " medicine for a king." He had no suspicion at the time, of the real nature of his indisposition, which proved in fact to be a complaint common in Bengal, an inflammation in the liver. The disorder was, however, soon discovered by the penetration of the physician, who, after two or three days, was called in to his assistance; but it had then advanced too far to yield to the efficacy of the medicines usually prescribed, and they were administered in vain. The progress of the complaint was uncommonly rapid, and terminated fatally on the 27th of April, 179-i. On the morning of that day, his attendants, alarmed 463 alarmed at the evident symptoms of approaching dissolution, came precipitately to call the friend who has now the melancholy task of recording the mournful event. Not a moment was lost in re- pairing to his house. He was lying on his bed in a posture of meditation; and the only symptom of remaining life was a small degree of motion in the heart, which after a few seconds ceased, and he ex- pired without a pang or groan. His bodily suffer- ing, from the complacency of his features and the ease of his attitude, could not have been severe ; and his mind must have derived consolation from those sources where he had been in the habit of seeking it, and where alone, in our last moments, it can ever be found. The deep regret M'hich I felt at the time, that the apprehensions of the attendants of Sir William Jones had not induced them to give me earlier notice of the extremity of his situation, is not yet obliterated. It uouid liave afforded me an oppor- tunity of performing the pleasing but painful office, of soothing his last moments, and I should have felt the sincerest gratification in receiving his latest commands ; nor would it have been less satis- factory to the public, to have known the dying sentiments and behaviour of a man, who had so long and deservedly enjoyed so large a portion of their esteem and admiration. # An anecdote of Sir William Jones (upon what authority I know not) has been recorded ; that irr^mediately 464. immediately before his dissolLiticn, he retired to his closet, and expired in the act of adoration to hig Creator. Such a circumstance would have been conformable to his prevailing habits of thinking and reflection: but it is not founded in fact; he died upon his bed, and in the same room in which he had remained from the commencement of his indisposition. The funeral ceicmony was performed on the following day, with the honours due to his public station ; and the numerous attendance of the most respectable British inhabitants of Calcutta, evin- ced their sorrow for his loss, and their respect for his memory. If my success in describing the life of Sir William Jones has been proportionate to my wishes, and to my admiration of his character, any attempt to delineate it must now be superfluous. I cannot, however, resist the im|)ulse of recapitulating in sub- stance what has been particularly detailed in the course of this work. In the short space of forty-seven years, by the exertion of rare intellectual talents, he acquired , a knowledge of arts, sciences, and languages, •which has seldom been equalled, and scarcely, if ever, surpassed. If he did not attain the critical proliciency of a Porson or Parr in Grecian litera- ture ; yet his knowledge of it was most extensive and profound, and entitled him to a high rank in the first class of schqlars ;. while as a philologist, be could boast an universality in which he had no rival. 465 rival. His skill in the idioms of India, Persia, and Arabia, has perhaps never been equalled by any European ; and his compositions on Oriental sub- jects, display a taste which we seldom find in the writings of those who had preceded him in these tracts of literature*. The language of Constanti- nople was also familiar to him ; and of the Chinese characters and tongue, he had learned enough to enable him to translate an ode of Confucius. In the modern dialects of Europe, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and German, he was tho- roughly conversant, and had perused the most ad- mired writers in those languages. I might extend the list, by specifying other dialects which he un- derstood, but which he had less perfectly studied^. * Amongst those who have latterly distinguished themselves by their Oriental learning, the late Reverend J. D. Carlyle, professor of Arabic in the University of Cambridge, has displayed equal taste and erudition, in his elegant translation of Specimens of Arabian Poetry, published in 1796. f The following is transcribed from a paper in the hand-writing of Sir William Jones : LANGUAGES, Eight languages studied critically : English, Latin, French, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit. Eight studied less perfectly, but all intelligible with a dictionary : Spanish, Portuguese, German, Runick, Hebrew, Bengali, Hindi, Turkish. Twelve studied least perfectly, but all attainable : Tibetian, Pali, Phalavi, Deri, Russian, Syriac, Ethiophic, Coptic, Welsh, Swedish, Dutch, Chinese. Twenty-eight languages. In another memorandum, he mentions having read a grammar of the Bjjssian and Welsh. H R But 466 , . But mere philology was never considered by Sir William Jones as the end of his studies, nor as any thing more than the medium through which know- ledge was to be acquireii ; he knew, that " words '* were the daughters of earth, and things the sons *' of heaven," and would have disdained the cha- racter of a mere linguist. In the little sketch of a treatise on Education, which has been inserted in these ]\'Iemoirs, he describes the use of language, and the necessity of acquiring the languages of those people who in any period of the world have been distinguished by their superior knowledge, in order to add to our own researches the accumula- ted wisdom of all ages and nations. Accordingly, with the keys of learning in his possession, he was qualified to unlock the literary hoards of ancient and modern times, and to display the treasures de- posited in them, for the use, entertainment, or in- struction of mankind. In the course of his labours^ we find him elucidating the laws of Athens, India, and Arabia ; comparing the philosophy of the Porch, the Lyceum and Academy, with the doc- trines of tlie Sufis and Bramins ; and, by a rare combination of taste and erudition, exhibiting the mythological fictions of the Hindus in strains not unworthy the sublimest Grecian bards. In the eleven discourses which he addressed to the Asiatic society, on the history, civil and natural, the anti- quities, arts, sciences, philosophy, and literature of Asia, and on the origin, and families of nations, he has discussed the subjects whicli he professed to ex- plain, 467 p]ain, with a perspicuity which delights and in- structs, and in a style which never ceases to please, where his arguments may not always convince. In these disquisitions, he has more particularly displa}'ed his profound Oriental learning in illus- trating topics of great importance in the history of mankind ; and it is much to he lamented, that he did not live to revive and improve them in Eng- land, with the advantages of accumulated know- ledge and undisturbed leisure*. A mere * Of these discourses, the subjects of the two first have been noticed in the Memoirs; the seven following, from the third to the ninth in- clusive, are appropriated to the solution of an important problem, whe- ther the five nations, viz. the Indians, Arabs, Tartars, Persians, and Chinese, who have divided amongst themselves, as a kind of inheri- tance, the vast continent of Asia, had a common origin, and whether that origin was the same that is generally ascribed to them. To each of these nations a distinct essay is allotted, for the purpose of ascertaining, xuho they were, whence and whenihcy came, and ulcere they are now settled. I'he general media through which tliis extensive investigation is pursued, are, first, their languages and letters; second- ly, their pJiilosophi/ ; thirdly, the actual remains of their old scu/pfwre and architecture ; and, fourthly, the written memorials of their saVnces and arts: the eighth discourse is allotted to the borderers, mountaineers, and islanders of Asia ;' and the ninth, on the origin and Jainilies of nations, gives the result of the whole enquiry. To state all the information which is curious, novel, and interesting, in these discourses, would be nearly to transcribe the whole, and the very nature of them does not admit of a satisfactory abridgment; the conclusion adopted by Sir William Jones, may be given in his own words: but this without the arguments from which it is deduced, and the facts and observations on which those arguments are founded, must be imperfectly understood. I must therefore refer the reader, who is desirous of investigating the great problem of the ('erivation of nations from their parental stock, or in other words, of the population of the world, to the discourses themselves ; and in presenting him with a faint outline of some of the most important facts and observations con- tained in them, I mean rather to excite his curiosity than to gratify it. I shall follow the discourses in the order in which they stand ; and, HH 2 tc 468 A mere catalogue of the writings of Sir William Jones, would shew the extent and variety of his erudition ; to avoid unnecessary phraseology, I shall, as far as possible, use the language of Sir William Jones himself. The tirst discourse, which is the third of the series in which they were delivered, begins with the Hindus. The civil history of tlie inhabitants of India, beyond the middle of the nineteenth century from the present time, is enveloped in a cloud of fables. Facts, strengthened by analogy, may lead us to suppose the existence of a primeval language in Upper India, which may be called Hindi, and that tlie Sanscrit was introduced into it, by conquerors from other kingdoms \\\ some very remote age. The Sanscrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refine-l than either : yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs, and in the form of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three without believing them to have sprung from some common source, whicli perhaps no longer exists. There is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for supposing that both the Golhick and Celtick, tliougli blended with a very differ-, ent idiom, had the s?.me origin vvitli the Sanscrit ; and the old Persian might be added to the same family. The Deb-nagari characters, in which the languages of India were originally written, are adopted with little variation in form, in more than twenty kingdoms and states, from the borders of Cashgar and Khoteyi, to the Southern extremity of the peninsula ; and from the Indus to the river of Siam. That the square Chaldaic characters, in which most Hcbreiv books are copied, were orig nally the same, or derived from the same prototype, both with the Indian and .'irfl^/a/i charac- ters, there can be little doubt ; and it is probable that the Phoenician, from which the Gicek and Roman alphabets were formed, bad a simi- lar origin. The deities adored in India, were w'orsliipped under different names in Old Greece and Iiah/, and the same philosophiaal tenets which were iliiistri-'ted by the icnick and Attick writers, with all the beauties of their jnelociious h.nguage, are professed in India. The six philosophi- cal schools of the Indians, comprise all the metaphysicks of the old Academy, the Stoa, and the Lyceum ; nor can we hesitate to believe, that Pythagoras and Plato, derived their sublime theories from the same fountain with tlie sages of India The Scythian and Hyper- borean 469 erudition ; a perusal of them, will prove, that it was no less deep than miscellaneous. \Vhate\er topic he discusses, borean doctrinei; and mythology are disco vcn'd in every pait of the Eastern regions, and that Wod or Oden, was the same with Budh of India, and Fo of Cliina, seems indisputable. Ihe remains of architecture and sculpture in India, seem to prove ah early c:onnection between that country and Africa. The letters on many of the monuments appear partly of Indian, and partly oi Abyssi- nian or Ethiopick origin ; and these indubitable facts seem to authorize a probable opinion, that Ethiopia and Hindustan were colonized by the same race. The period of the subjugation of India, by the Hindus under Rama, from Audh to Silan, may be dated at about 36 centuries before the present period. \ The AIIABS come next under investigation. The Arabic language is unquestionably one of the most ancient in the world. That it has not the least resemblance either in words, or in the structure of them to the Sanscrit, or great parent of the Indian dialects, is established by the most irrefragable arguments. With respect to the characters in which the old compositions of Arabia were written, little is known ex- cept that the Koran originally appeared in those of Kvfah, from which the modern Arabian characters were derived, and which unquestion- ably had a common origin with the Hebrtiv and Chuldaic. It has generally been supposed, that the old religion of the Arabs was entirely Sabian ; but the information concerning the Sabian faith, and even the meaning of tiie word, is too imperfect to admit of any satisfactory conclusion on the subject. That the people Yemen soon fell into the common idolatry of adoring the sun and firma- ment, is certain ; other tribes worshipped the planets and fixed stars, but the religion of the poets seems to have been pure theism ; of any philosophy but ethics^ there are no traces among them ; and their system of morals was miserably depraved for a century, at least, before Moliamraed. Few monuments of antiquity are preserved in Arabia, and of these the accounts are uncertain. Of sciences, the Arabs of Hejaz were totally ignorant, and the only arts successfully cultivated by tiiem, (horsemanship and military accomplishments excepted,) were poetry, and rhetoric. The people of Yemen had possibly more mechanical arts, and perhaps more science. Thus it clearly appears, tliat the Arabs both of liejaz and Yemen, sprung from a stock entirely dillierent from that of the Hindus; and if we give credit to the universal tradition of Yemen, that Yoktan, the son of Eber, first settled his family in Arabia, their first establishments 470 discusses,his ideas flow with ease and perspicuity; his styleis always clear and polished ; animated and for- cible in their respective countries were nearly coeval, about eighteen centu- ries before the Christian aera. The TARTARS furnish the subject of the fifth discourse. In gene- ral, they differ wholly in feature and complexion from the Hindus and Arabs. The genera! traditional history of the Tartars begins with Og- liuz, as that of the Hindus does with Rama ; and according to Visdelou, the king of the Hyunmus or Huns, began his reign about 3560 years ago, not longer after the time fixed, in the former discourses, for the regular establishments of the Hindus and Arabs in their several countries. Th^ enquiry concerning the languages and letters of the Tartars, presents a deplor.^.ble void, or a prospect as barren and dreary as their deserts ; they had in general no literature, (a proposition, which is not affected by admitting with Ibnu Arabshah the existence of Dilberjin and Eighuri letters) ; and all that can be safely inferred from the little information we have on the subject, is the probability that the various dialects of Tartary descended from one common stock, essentially dif- ferent from that from which the Indian and Arabian tongues severally came. The language of the Brahmans affords a proof of an immemorial and total difference between the savages of the mountains, as the Chinese call the Tartars, and the studious, placid, contemplative inha- bitants of India. Pure theism appears to have prevailed in Tartary for some genera- tions alter Yafet ; the Mongals and Turcs some ages afterwards re- lapsed into idolatry ; but Chingis was a theist. Thus it has been proved beyond controversy, that tlie far greater part of Asia has been peopled, and immemorially possessed by three considerable nations, whom for want of better names we may call Hin- dus, Arabs, and Tartars ; each of them divided and subdivided into an infinite number of branches, and all of them so different in form and features, language, manners, and religion, that if they sprang ori- ginally from one common root, they must have been separated for ages. The sixth and next discourse is on Persia or Iran. There is solid reason to suppose, that a powerful nionarchy had been established in Iran, for ages before the Assyrian Dynasty, (which com- menced with Cayumers, about eight or nine centuries before Christ) under the name of the Alahabadian Dynasty, and that it must be the oldest in the world. When Mohammed was born, two languages appear to have been generaliy prevalent in the great empire of Iran ; that of the court, thence 471 ciblewhenhissubject requires it. His j)liilo]ogica], botanical, philosopliical, and chronological disqui- sitions, thence named Deri, whicli was. only a refined and cli-gant dialect of the Parsi, and that of the learned named I'ahlavi. Bui besides these two, a very ancient and abstruse tongue was known to tlie priests and philosophers, called the language of the Zend, because a book on re- ligious and moral duties, which they held sacred, and which bore that name, had been written in it. The Zend, and old Falilaii, are now ■almost extinct in Iran ; but the Parsi, which remains almost pure in the Shahnameh (a poem composed about eight centuries ago), has now become a new and exquisitely polished language. The Parsi has so much of the Sanscrit, that it was evidently derived from the lan- guage of the Brahmans; but the pure Persian contains no traces of any Arabian tongue. The Pahlavi, on the contrary, has a strong resem- blance to the Arabic, and a perusal of the Zend glossary, in the work of Mr. A. du Perron, decidedly proves the language of the Zend to be at least a dialect of the Sanscrit. From all these facts it is a neces- sary consequence, that the eldest discoverable languages in Persia, were Chalda'i'c and Sanscrit ; that when they ceased to be vernacular, the Pahlavi and Zend were deduced from them respectively, and the Parsi from the Zend, or immediately from the dialect of the Brah- mans ; but all had perhaps a mixture of Tartarian ; for the best lexi- cographers assert, that numberless words in ancient Persian are taken from the language of the Cimmerians, or the Tartars of the K pchak. The ancient religion of the old Persians was pure theism, which prevailed until the accession of Cayumers, and was evidently the re- ligion of the Brahmans; whilst the doctrine of the Zend, was as evi- dently distinct from that of the Veda. With their religion, their philosophy was intimately connected ; and a metaphysical theology has been immemorially professed by a numerous sect of Persians and Hindus, which was carried partly into Greece, and prevails even now among the learned Mohammedans, who sometimes avow it without reserve. The modern professors of this philosophy, which is that of the Indian Vidanti school, are called Sufis. I'heir fundamental tenet is, that nothing exists but God ; that the human soul is an emanation from his essence, and though divided for a time from its heavenly source, will be finally re-united with it, in the enjoyment of the highest possible happiness. 71ic result of this discourse is, that a powerful monarchy was esta- blished in Iran, long before the Pishdadi or Assyrian government ; that it was in truth a Hindu monarchy ; that it subsisted many centuries, and 472 sitions, liis historical researches, and even his Per- sian grammar, whilst they fix the curiosity and at- tention and that its history has been engrafted on that of the Hindus, who founded the monarchies of Ayodhya or Audh, and Indraprestha or Delhi; that the language of the first Persian empire was the mother of the Sanscrit, and consequently of the Zend and Persian, as well as of the Greek, Latin, and Gothic; that the language of the Assyrians was the parent of Chaldaic and Pahlavi ; and that the primary Tartar language had been current in the said empire. Thus the three distinct races of men, described in the former essays, as possessors of India, Arabia, and Tartary, are discovered in Iran or Persia, in the earliest dawn of history. AVhether Asia may not have produced other races of men distinct from the Hindus, the Arabs, or the Tartars, or whether any apparent diversity may not have sprung from an intermixture of these three, in different proportions, remains to be investigated : and in this view, the enquiry next proceeds to the CHINESE, who form the subject of the seventh discourse. The word China, is well known to the people whom we call Chi- nese, but they never apply it to themselves or their country. They describe themselves as the people of Han, or some other illustrious family, and their country they call CIdm-cue, or the central region, or Tien-hia, meaning what is under heaven. From the evidence of Con-fut-su or Confucius, it is proved that the Chinese themselves do not even pretend that, in the age of that philo- sopher, any historical monument existed preceding the rise of their third dynasty, above eleven hunt'.rod years before the Christian epoch ; and that the reign of Vuvam, who has the fame of having founded that dynasty, was in the infancy of their empire; and it has been as- serted by very learned Europeans, that even of this third dynasty no unsuspected memorial can now be produced. It was not until the eighth century before our Saviour, that a small kingdom was erected in the province of Shcnsi ; and both the country and its metropolis were called Chin. The territory of Chin so called by the old Hindus, by the Persians and Chinese, gave its najiie to a race of Emperors, whose tyranny niade them so unpopular, that the modern inhabitants of China hold the name in abhorrence. The Chinas are mentioned by Menu, in a book next in time and authority to the Vtda, as one of the families of the military clas--, who gradually abandoned the ordinances of the Veda ; and there is a strong presumption for supposing, that the Chinas of Menu are the Chinese. 473 tention of the reader, by the novelty, depth, or importance of the knowledge displayed in them, alwayis Chinese. Hence it is probable, that the whole race of Chinese de- scended from the Chinas of Menu, and mixing with the Tartars, by %vhom the plains of Ilonan, ajid the more Southern provinces, were thinlv inhabited, founded by degrees the race of men, who are now in po^sfsston of the noblest empire in Asia. 'I'he language and letters, religion and philosophy of the modern Chinese, or their ancient mo- numents, their sciences, and their arts, furnish little, either in support or refutation of this opinion, but various circumstances under the two heads of literature and religion, seem collectively to prove, (as far as such questions admit of proof) that the Chinese and Hindus were originally the same people. Many singular marks of relation may bc- discovered between them and the old Hindus, as in the remarkable period o{ four hundred and tiiirty-tivo thousand * ; and in the cycle of sixti/ years, in the predilection for the mystical number nine, in many similar fasts and great festivals, especially at the solstices and equinoxes; in the obsequies, consisting of rice and fruits, olVered to their deceased ancestors ; in the dread of dying childless, lest such offerings should be intermitted ; and perhaps in their common abhorrence of red obr jects; which the Indians carry so far, that Menu himself, when he al- lows a Bramin to trade, if he cannot otherwise support life, absolutely forbids " his trafficking in any sort of red cloths, whether linen or " woollen, or made of woven bark." The Japanese are supposed to be descended from the same stock as i\\c Chinese; the Hitidu or Egi/pt.' an idolatry has prevailed in Japaji from the earliest ages, and amongst the ancient idols worshipped in that country, there are many which are every day seen in the templcj of Bengal. The Borderers, Mountaineers, and Islanders, form the sub- ject of the eighth discourse. It begins with the Idumeans or Ery- threans, who were indubitably distinct from the Arabs, and, from the concurrence of many strong testimonies, «iay be referred to the Indian stem. That the written Abyssinian language, which we call Ethiopia, is a dialect of the old Chaldean, and sister of the Arabic and Htbrev.. i- ♦ The period of 432,000 years, seems to be founded on an astronomical calculatiou purposely disguised, by ciphers added or fubtracted, cd /ibit'/m. Sic Discourse on Chronology of the Hindus, Sir William Jones's Worki, Tgl. i. p. 233. 474 always delight by elegance of diction. His com- i30sitions arc never dry, tedious, nor disgusting; and is certain; and a cursory examination of many old inscriptions on pil- lars and in caves, leaves little doubt, that the Nagari and Ethiopian letters had a similar form. It is supposed, that the Abyssinians of the Arabian stock liaving no letters, borrowed those of the black Pagans, whom the Greeks called Troglodytes ; and, iijwn the whole, it seems probable that the Ethiops of Meroe were the same people with th*; iirst Egyptians, and consequently, as it might easily be shewn, with the original Hindus. There is no trace in the maritime part of Yen)en, from Aden to Maskat, of any nation who were not Arabs or Abyssinian invaders; aad from the gulf of Persia to the rivers Cur and Aras, no vestige ap- pears of any people distinct from the Arabs, Persians, and Tartars. TItc principal inhabitants of the mountains which separate Iran from India, were anciently distinguished among the Rrahmans, by the name cf Doradas; they seem to have been destroyed or expelled by the Al'gans or Patans; arid there is very solid ground for believing, that the Afgaas descended from the }e\y?, ; because they sometimes in coii- iidence avow that untxjpular origin, which in general they sedulously conceal, and which other Mussclmans positively assert ; because Haza- ret, which appears to be the Azareth of Esdras, is one of their ter- ritories; and principally because their language is evidently a dialect of the scriptural Chalda'ic. It is not unworthy of remark, that the copious vocabulary exhibited by Grellmann of the Gypsy dialect, contains so many Sansci'it words, that their Indian origin can hardly be doubted. The Bcma, a remarkable race of men, inhabiting chiefly the cities- of Gujarat^ though Mussclmans in religion, are Jews in genius, fea- tures, and maimers, and probably came first, with their brethren the Afgans, to the borders of India. The languages, letters, religion, and old monuments of Silan (Cey- Ioi>), prove that it was immemorially peopled by the Hindu race. *i'o the people of Java and Sumatra, tiie same origin may be assigned ; and relying upon the authority of Mr. Marsden, that clear vestiges of one ancient language are discernible in all the insular dialects of the Southern seas from Madagascar to the Philippines, and even to the remotest islands lately discovered, we may infer from the specimens ol those languages, in his accoimt of Sumatra, that the parent of them all was no other than the Sanscrit. That 475 and literature and science come from bis hands, adorned with all their grace and beautj. No That the people of Potyid, or Thibet, were Hindus, is knowa Irom the researches of Cassiauo ; their written language proves it. The natives of Eighur, Tancut, and Khata, who had systems of letters, and are even said to have cultivated liberal arts, may be sus- pected to have been of the Indian, not of the Tartarian family; and the same remark may .be applied to the nation called Bannas, but who are known to the jnmdits by the name of Brahmachinas, and seem to have been the Brachmani of Ptolemy. From all that can be learned of the old religion and manners of the Hyperboreans, they appear like the Massagcts, and some otiiLr nations, usually considered as i artars, to be really of tlie Gothic, that is, of the Hindu race ; for it is demonstrable, that the Goths and Hiudus had originally the same language, gave liie same appellation to the stars and planets, adored the same false deities, performed the same bloody sacrilices, and professed the same notions of rewards and pu- nishmenis after death. U may be concluded, tliat all the Northern languages, excepting the Gothic, had a 1 artarian origin like that uni- versally ascribed to the Sclavonian. From the best information procuri.ble in Bengal, it satisfactorily ap- pears, that the basis of the Armenian, was tne ancient Persian, of the same Indian stock with the Zend, that it has be°n graduall-^f changed, from the time that Armenia ceased to be a province of Iran. The Greeks and Phrygians, though differing somewhat in manners, and perhaps in dialect, had an ap^.areut affinity in religion as well as ia language ; the grand object of mysterious worship in Parygia, is stated by the Greeks to be the mother of the gods, or nature ptrsoiujicd ; as she is seen among the Indians in a thousand forms, and under a thou- sand names. The Diana of Ephesus, was manifestly the same god- dess, in the character of productive nature ; and the Astarte of the Syrians and Phoenicians, appears to be the same in another form. The PiicEnicians, like the Hindus, adored the sun, and asserted water to be the lirst of created things ; nor can it be doubted, tu..t Syria, Samaria, and Phoenice, (or the long strip of land on the sliore of the Mediterra- nean) wtieancitntli/ peopled by a branch of the Hindu stock, but were ajterwurds inhabited by that race, for the -present called Arabian ; in all three, the oldest religion was the Assyrian, as it is called by Selden, and the Samaritan letters appear to have been the same at lirst with those of Phoenice; but lae Syriac language, of which ample remains are preserved, and lno Puuic, of w hich a specimen is seea 476 No writer perhaps ever displayed bO much Itarning, with so little affectation of it. Instead of seea in Plautus, and on monuments lately brought to light, were in- disputably of a CJialdaic or Arabic origin, 'i'lius all the different races mentioned in this discourse, may be referred to an Indian or Arabian pedigree. The ninth discourse, On the Origin and Families of Nations, opens with a short review of the propositions to which we have been gra- dually led. That the first race of Persians and Indians, to whom may be added the Romans and Greeks, the Goths and the old Egyptians or Ethiops^ originally spoke the same language, and professed the same popular faith, is capable of incontestable proof: that the yt-tf* and Arabs, the Assyrians, or second Persian race, the people who spoke Syriac, and a numerous tribe of Abyssinians used one primitive dialect, v.liolly dis- tinct from the idiom just mentioned, is undisputed and indisputable: hut that the settlers in China and Japan had a common origin with the Hindus, is no more than highly probable ; and that all the Tartars, as they are inaccurately called, were primarily of a third separate branch, totally differing from the two others in language, manners, ajid features, may be plausibly conjectured, but cannot for reason^ alledged in a former essay be perspicuously shewn, and is therefore . for the present merely assumed. If the human race, as may be confidently affirmed, be of one na- tural species, they must all have proceeded from one pair; and the world, with respect to its population, in the age of Mahomet, would exhibit the same appearances as were then actually observed upon it_ At that period, five races of nien, peculiarly distinguished for their multitude and extent of dominion, were visible in Asia ; but these have been reduced by enquiry to three, because no more can be dis- covered, that essentially differ in language, religion, manners, and known characteristics. These three races of men, (if the preceding conclusions be justly drawn) must iuve migrated originally from a cen- tral country, and all the phanomena tend to sliew that country to be Iran; it is there only that the traces of the three primitive languages iirc discovered in the earliest historical age, and its position with respect to Arabia or Egypt, India, Tariary, or China, gives a weight to the conclusion, which it would not have, if either of those countries were assumed as the central region of population. Thus, it is proved that the inhabitants of Asia, and consequently of the whole earth, sprang from three branches of one stem : and that these branches have-ihot into their prcjent state of luxuriance, in a period compara- 477 of overwhelming his readers with perpetual quo- tations from ancient and modern authors, whose ideas tively short, is apparent from a fact universally acknowedged, that we find no certain monument, nor even probable traditions of nations planted, empires and states raised, laws enacted, cities built, navi- gation improved, commerce encouraged, arts invented, or letters contrived, above twelve, or at most fifteen or sixteen, centuries be- fore Christ. Hence it seems to follow, that the only family after the Flood esta- blished themselves in ttie Northern part of Iran ; that as they multi- plied, they were divided into three distinct branches, each retaining lit- tle at first, and losing the whole by degrees, of their common primary language, but agreeing sevtTally on new expressions for new ideas; that the branch of Yafet was enlarged in many scattered shoots over the North of Europe and Asia, diffusing themselves as far as the Wes- tern and Eastern s-'as, and at lengtli in the infancy of navigation be- }oik1 them both; that they cultivated no liberal arts, and had no use of letters, but formed a variety of dialects as tlieir tribes were vari- ously ramified; that, secondly, the children of Ham, who founded in Iran itself the first monarchy of Cluildeans, invented letters, ob- served and named the luminaries of the firraanent, calculated the knoivn Indian period nf 432,000 years, or an hundred and twenty re- petitions of the i'ar)^ ; that they were dispersed at various intervals and in various colonies over land and ocean : that the tribes of Misr, Cus/i, and Rama, (names remaining unchanged in Sanscrit, and highly revered by the Hindus) settled in Aj'rick and India ; while some of them, having improved the art of sailing, passed from Egypt, Phuenice, and Phrygia, into Italy a.nd Greece; whilst a swarm from the same hive moved by a northerly course into Scandinavia, and another, by the head of the Oxus, and through the passes of Imaus, into Cas/igar Eighiir, Kluita, Khoten, as far as the territories of Chin and Tunciit -ivhere letters have been immemorially used and arts cultivated ; nor is it unreasonable to believe, that some of them found their Way from the Eastern Isles into Mexico and Peru, where traces were dis- covered of rude literature and mythology, analogous to those of Egypt and India ; that, tldrdly, the old Chaldean empire being over- thrown by Cayumers, other migrations took place ; especially into India, while the rest of Shem's progeny, some of whom had before settled on the red seas, peopled the whole Arabian peninsula, pressing close on the nations of Syria and Pliccnice ; that, lastly, from all the tliree families many adventurers were detached, who settled in distant isles or tleserts, and mountainous regions; that, on the whole^ some colonies niight 473 ideas or information he adopts, be transmutes thfir sense into his own languao^e; and whilst his con)positions on this account have a pleasing uni- foimity, his less learned readers are enabled to reip the fruits of his laborious studies. inight have mi^rat.^d before the death of Noah, but that slates and empires could scarcely have assumed a regular form till 1500 or I6OO years before tlie Christian epoch; and ttiat for the first thousand years o that period, we have no history unmixed with fable, except that of the turbulent and variable, but eminently distinguished nation, descended from Abraham. 1 he tenth discourse is appropriated to unfold the partiadar advan- tages to be derived from the concurrent researches of the society ia Asia; and amongst the foremost and most important which has been attamed, he justly notices tlie confirmation of the Mosaic accounts of the primitive world. Part ot this discourse is quoted at length in the Memoirs; and to abbtract it would add too much to the length of this note : I shall only observe, that the discourse is worthy of the most attentive perusal. For a similar reason, and with the same recommendation, I shall barely advert to the subject of the eleventh and last discourse, deli- vered by Sir VV'ilUam Jones before the society, on the 20th of Febru- ary, 17y4, Oa the Philosophy of the Asiatics; quoting a part of the concluding paragraph: — "The subject of this discourse is inexhausti- " ble ; it lias been my endeavour to say as much on it as possible in the " fewest words ; and at the beginning of next year, I hope to close these " general disquisitions with topics measureless in extent." In this ge- neral and concise abstract of the subjects discussed in these discourses, I beg it may be understood, that I by no means pretend to have done justice either to the argument or observations of Sir William Jones, but it may induce the reader to peruse the dissertations themselves;, whicli will amply repay the trouble of the task. Nor is the reader to conchule that these discourses contain all that Sir William Jones wrote on the Sciences, Arts, and Literature of Asia. We have a dissertation on lndi:m Chronology ; another on the Aniiquity of the Indian Zodiack, in which he engages to support an ©pillion (which Montucla treats with supreme contempt), that the In^ dian division of tiie Z,ociiack was not borrowed from the Greeks or Arabs; another specifically on the Literature of the Hindus; and one ox the Mnsical Modes of the Hindus; besides many essays on curi- •us and mtcrcstiiig subjec'.s, for which 1 can only refer to his works. His 479 His legal publications have been noticed in these Memoirs: of their merit I am not qualified to speak. I have been informed that his Essaj^oa the Lav/ of Bailments was stamped with the ap- probation of Lord Mansfield, and that his writings shew, that he had thoroughly studied the princi- ples of law as a science. Indeed it is impossible to suppose, that Sir William Jones applied his talents to any subject in vain. From the study of law, which he cultivated with enthusiasm, he was led to an admiration of the laws of his own country ; in them he had ex- plored the principles of the British constitution, which he considered as the noblest and most per- fect that ever was formed : and in defence of it he would cheerfully have risked his property and life. In his tenth discourse to the society, in 179s, little more than a year before his death, wq trace the same sentiments on this subject, which he ad pted in youth. ** The practical use of history, in affording par- ticular examples of civil and military wisdom, has been greatly exaggerated; but principles of action, may certainly be collected from it: and even the narrative of wars and revolutions may serve as a lesson to nations, and an admonition to sovereigns. A desire, indeed^ of knowing past events, while the future cannot be known, (and a view of the present, gives often more pain than delight,) seems natural to the human mind: and a happy propen- sity would it be, if every reader of history would open 480 open Ills eyes to some very important corolIarie% which flow from the whole extent of it. He could not hut remark the constant effect of des- potism in henumhing and dehasing all those fa- culties vhich distinguish men from the herd that grazes; and to that cause he would impute the decided inferiority of most Asiatic nations, an- cient and modern, to those in Europe, who are blest with liappier governments: he would see the Arabs rising to glory, while they adhered to the free maxims of their bold ancestors, and sinking to misery from the moment when those maxims were abandoned. On the other hand, he would observe with regret, that such republican govern- ments as tend to promote virtue and happiness, cannot in their nature be permanent, but are gc- nerally succeeded by oligarchies, which no good man would wish to be durable. He would then, like the king of Lydia, remember Solon, the wisest, bravest, and most accomplished of men, who asserts, in four nervous lines, that, " as hail *' and snow, which mar the labours of hus- " bandmen, proceed from elevated clouds, and, as " the destructive thunderbolt follows the brilliant " flash, thus is a free state ruined by men exalted in " power, and splendid in wealth, while the people, *' from gross ignorance, choose rather to become ** the slaves of one tyrant, that they may escape ** from the domination of many, than to preserve *' themselves from tyranny of any kind by their " union and their virtues." Since, therefore, no unmixed 481 liiimixed form of government coiild both preserve permanence and enjoy it ; and since changes even from the worst to the best, are alwa}'s attended with much temporary mischief, he would fix on our British constitution (I mean our public law, not the actual state of things in any given period), as the best form ever established, though we can only make distant approaches to its theoretical perfection. In these Indian territories, which Pro- vidence has thrown into the armis of Britain for their protection and welfare, the religion, man- ners, and laws of tlie natives preclude even the idea of political freedom ; but their histories may possibly suggest hints for their prosperity, while our country derives essential benefit from the di- ligence of a placid and submissive people, who multiply with such increase, even after the ravages of famine, that, in one coilectorship out of twenty- four, and that by no means the largest or best cul- tivated (I mean Chrishna-nagur), there have lately been found, by an actual enumeration, a million and three hundred thousand native inhabitants; whence it should seem, that in all India, there cannot now be fewer than thirty miUions of black British subjects." This quotation will prove, that he v/as not taint- ■ ed with the wild theories of licentiousness, miscalled ■ liberty, which have been propagated with unusual industry since the Revolution in France ; and that, whilst he was exerting himself to compile a code of laws, which should secure the rights and property I I of 482 of the natives of India (a labour to which he in fact sacrificed his hfe) he knew the absurdity and im- practicabihty of attempting to introduce amongst them that political freedom which is the birth-right of Britons, but the growth of ages. Of the French Revolution in its commencement, he entertained a favourable opinion, and in common with man}'- wise and good men, who had not as yet discovered the foul principle from which it sprang, wished success to the struggles of that nation for the establishment of a free constitution; but he saw with unspeakable disgust, the enormities which sprang out of the attempt, and betrayed the im- purity of its origin. Things ill begun, strengthen themselves with ill. We may easily conceive, and it is unnecessary to state, what the sentiments of Sir William Jones, would have been, if he had lived to this time. If the political opinions of Sir William Jones, at any period, have been censured for extravagance ; let it be remembered, that he adopted none, but such as he firmly believed to arise out of the prin- ciples of the constitution of England ; and as such he was ever ready to avow and defend them. His attachment to liberty was certainly enthusiastic, and he never speaks of tyranny or oppression, but in the language of detestation : tliis sentiment, the offspring of generous feelings, was invigorated by liis early acquaintance with the republican writers of Greece and Rome, and with the works of the most celebrated political writers of his own country ; 483 country ; but the whole tenour of his life, con- versation, and writings, proves to my conviction, that he nvouIcI have abandoned any opinion, which could be demonstrated irreconcileable to the spirit of the constitution. With these principles, he ever refused to enlist under the banners of any party, which he denomi- nated faction, and resisted the influence of private friendships and attachments, whenever they in- volved a competition with his regard to the con- stitution of his country. These sentiments may be traced in his correspondence and publications, and they are sometimes accompanied M'ith expressions of regret arising from the impossibility of recon- ciling his political principles, to the bias of his in- clinations towards individuals. . The latest political publication of Sir William Jones, is prior to the year 1783. The temper of the nation, soured by a long and unsuccessful war, was displayed during the three preceding years, in the bitterest invectives and censures, both in and out of Parliament; and those who thought that the principles of the constitution had been invaded by the conduct of the Minister, supported by a ma- jority in the House of Commons, looked to a re- formation in the representation of the country, as the only means of restoring the balance of the con- stitution. The revolution which has since deform- ed the political state of Europe, was not then fore- seen, and the experience founded on the conse- quences of the speculations which led to it, or have 1 1 2 emerged 484 emerged from it, was to be acquired. In judgrng of the politica- opinions of Sir William Joiies^ and of the freedom M'ith which they were published to the world, Me should revert to the language and spirit of the times when they were delivered. It may be further remarked, that some political theo- ries, which were held to be incontrovertible, have of late years been questioned, and that the doctrines of Locke on Governnient, which it would once have been heresy to deny, no longer command that implicit acquiescence, which they once almost universally received. In the first charge which Sir William Jones de- livered to the grand jury at Calcutta, he told them that he aspired to no popularity, and sought no praise but that which might be given to a strict and conscientious discharge of duty, without pre- dilection, or prejudice of any kind, and with a fixed resolution to pronounce on all occasions what he conceived to be the law, than which no individual must suppose himself wiser. His conduct as a Judge, was most strictly conformable to his professions : on the bench he was laborious, patient, and discriminating : his charges to the grand jury, which do not exceed six, exhibit a veneration for the laws of his country ; a just an:-l spirited encomium on the trial by jury, as the greatest and most invaluable right derived from them to the subject ; a detestation of crimes, com- bined with mercy towards the offender ; occasional elucidations of the law ; and the strongest feelings 485 of humanity and benevolence. By his knowledge of the Sanscrit and Arabic, he was eminently quali- fied to promote the administration of justice in the Supreme Court, by detecting misrepresentations of the Hindu or Mohammedan laws, and by cor- recting impositions in the form of administering oaths to the followers of Brahma and Mohammed. If no other benefit had resulted from his study of these languages, than the compilation of the digest, and the translation of Menu and of two IMoham- medan law tracts, this application of his talents to promote objects of the first importance to India and Europe, would have entitled him to the acknowledgments of both countries. Of his stu- dies in general it may be observed, that the end which he always had in view was practical utility; that knowledge was not accumulated by him, as a source of mere intellectual recreation, or to gratify an idle curiosity, or for the idler purposeof ostenta- tiously display inghis acquisitions: to render himself useful to his country and mankind, and to promote the prosperity of both, were the primary and per- manent motives of his indefatio-able exertions in the pursuit of knowledge. The inflexible integrity with which he dischar- ged the solemn duty of this station, will long be re- membered in Calcutta, both by Europeans and natives. So cautious was he to guard the inde- pendence of his character from any possibility of violation or imputation, that no solicitation could prevail upon him to use his personal influence with the 486 the membersof administration in India, to advance the private interests of friends whom he esteemed, and which he uould have been happy to promote. He knew the dignity, and felt the importance, of his office ; and, convinced that none could aftbrd him more ample scope for exerting his talents to the benefit of mankind, his ambition never extended beyond it. No circumstance occasioned his death to be more lamented by the public, than the loss of his abilities as Judge, of which they had the experience of eleven years. When we consider the time required for the study of the Law, as a profession, and that portion of it, which was.devoted by Sir William Jones to the discharge of his duties as Judge and Magistrate in India, it must appear astonishing, that he should have found leisure for the acquisition of his nume- rous attainments in science and literature, and for completing the voluminous works which have been given to the public. On this subject I shall, I trust, be excused for using, as I may find conve- nient, my own language in a discourse which I addressed to the Asiatic society a few days after his decease. There were in truth few sciences in which he had not acquired considerable proficiency ; in most, his knowledge was profound. The theory of music was familiar to him, nor had he neglected to render himself acquainted with the interesting discoveries lately made in chemistry ; and I have heard him assert, that his admiration of the struc- ture 487 ture of the human frame, induced him to attend for a season, to a course of anatomical lectures delivered by his friend, the celebrated Hunter. Of his skill in mathematics I am so far qualified to speak, that he frequently perused and solved the problems in the Principia. His last and favourite pursuit was the study of Botany. It constituted the principal amusement of his leisure hours. In the arrangement of Lin- najus he discovered system, truth, and science, which never failed to captivate and engage his at- tention ; and from the proofs which he has exhi- bited of his progress in botany, we may conclude, if he had lived, that he w^ould have extended the discoveries in that science*. From two of the essays mentioned in the note, I shall transcribe two short extracts, which mark his judgement and delicacy of sentiment: "If botany could be " described by metaphors drawn from the science " itself, we may justly pronounce a minute ac- *' quaintance with plants, their classes, crders, " kinds, and species, to be its flozoers, which can " only produce fruit by an application of that " knowledge to the purposes of life, particularly to " diet by which diseases may be avoided, and to * Besides occasional botanical information, we have, in the Works of Sir William Jones, vol. ii. p. 1, a little tract intitled. The Design of a Treatise on the Plants of India, p. 39; yl Catalogue of 420 Indian Plants, comprehending their Sanscrit, and as many of the Linnsean gene- ric names, as could with any degree of precision be ascertained : and, p. 47, Botanical Observations on seventy select Indian Plants; which List was a posthumous publication. *' medicine 488 " medicine by which they may be renieditcl." On the indelicacy of the Linnasan definitions, he ob- serves: " Hence it is, that no well-born and well- " educated woman can be advised to amuse ^'herself with botany, as it is now explained; '' though a moie elegant and deliglitful study, or " one more likely to assist and embellish other " female accomplishments, could not possibly be " recommended." It ca^nnot be deemed useless or superfluous, to enquire by what arts or method he was enabled to attain this extraordinary degree of knowledge. The faculties of his mind, by nature vigorous, w-ere improved by constant exercise; and his me- mory, by habitual practice, had acquired a capa- city of retaining whatever had once been imprinted upon it. In his early years, he seems to have en- tered upon his career of study with this maxim strongly impressed upon his mind. That whatever had been attained, was attainable b}^ him ; and it lias been remarked, that he never neglected nor overlooked any opportunity of improving his in- tellectual faculties, or of acquiring esteemed ac- complishments. To an unextinguished ardour for universal in- formation, he joined a perseverance in the pursuit of it, v.'hich subdued all obstacles. His studies in India began with the dawn, and during the inter- missions of professional duties, were continued throughout the day ; reflection and meditation f trengthened and confirmed what industry and in- vestigation 489 vcstlgatlon had accumulated. It was also a fixed principle v/ith him, from which he never volunta- rily deviated, not to he deterred hy any difficulties that were surmountable, from prosecuting to a suc- cessful termination, what he had once deliberately undertaken. But what appears to me more particularly to have enabled him to employ his talents so much to his own and the public advantage, was the regular allotment of his time to particular occupations, and a scrupulous adherence to the distribution which he had fixed ; hence all his studies were pursued without interruption or confusion*. Nor can * It was a favourite opinion of Sir William Jones, that all men are born with an equal capacity for improvement. The assertion (which I do not admit) will remind the reader of the modest declaration of Sir Isaac Newton, that, if he had done the world any service, it was due to nothing but industry and patient thought. The following lines were sent to Sir William by a friend, Thomas Law, Esq. inconsequence of a conversation in which he had maintained the opinion which I have imputed to him; his answer, which was unpremeditated, is a confir- mation of it: Sir William, you attempt in vain. By depth of reason to maintain. That all men's talents are the same. And they, not Nature, are to blame. Whate'er you say, whate'er you write. Proves your opponents in the right. Lest genius should be ill defin'd, 1 term it yoiu' superior mind; Hence to your friends 'tis plainly shown. You're ignorant of yourself alone. Sir William Jones's Answer: Ah! but too well, dear friend, I know My fancy weak, my reason slow ; 490 can I omit remarking the candour and compla- cency, with Mdiich he g-ave his attention to all per- sons, of whatever quality, talents, or education ; he justly concluded, that curious or important in- formation might be gained even from the illiterate, and wherever it was to be obtained, besought and seized it. The literary designs which he still meditated*, seem to have been as ample as those which he exe- cuted ; and if it had pleased Providence to have extended the years of his existence, he would in a great measure have exhausted whatever was curi- ous, important, and attainable, in the arts, sciences, and histories of India, Arabia, Persia, China, and Tartary. His collections on these subjects were extensive, and his ardour and industry we know were unlimited. It is to be hoped that the pro- gi-^essive labour of the society will in part supply, Avhat he had so expensively plannedf. Of My memory by art improv'd. My mind by baseless trifles mov'd: Give me (thus high my pride I raise) The ploiigliman's or the gardener's praise. With patient and unceasing toil. To meliorate a stubborn soil: And say, (no higher meed I ask) With zeal hast thou pcrform'd thy task? Praise, of which virtuous minds may boast^^ They best confer, who merit most. * See Memoirs, p. 415. t The following paper, written by Sir \^"llliam Jones, was found amongst his papers after his death, and may be considered as exhibiting his Oriental literary projev.t>: BESIDE- 491 Of his private and social virtues ir still remains to speak ; and I could with pleasure expatiate ou the independence of his integrity, iiis iuimanity and probity, as well as his benevolence, which every living creature participated. Could the figure, ([ quote with pleasure his own words,) instincts, and qualities of birds, beasts, DESIDERATA.—IKDJA. 1 . The Ancient Geography of India, &c. irom the Purdnas. 2. A Botanical Description of Indian Plants frcm the Coshes &c, 3. A Grammar of the Sanscrit Langu -ge from P^nini, &c. 4. A Dictionary of the Sanscrit Language from thirty-two ociginal Vocabularies and Niructi. 5. On the Antient >.iusic of the Indians. 6. On the Medical Substances of India, and the Indian Art of Me- liicine. 7. On the Philosophy of the Ancient Indians. 8. A Translation of the Veda. 9. On Ancient Indian Geometry, Astronomy, and Algebra. 10. A Translation of the Puninas. 11. Translation of the Mahabharat and Rdmayan. 12. On the Indian Theatre, &c. &:c. 13. On the Indian Constellations, with their Mythology, from the Purdnas. 14. The^ History of India before the Mohammedan Conquest From the Sanscrit Cashmir Histories. ARA[3IA. 15. The History of Arabia before Mohammed. 16. A Translation of the Hamdsa. 17. A Translation of Hariri, 18. A Translation of the Fiicahatal Khulaf^. Of the Cafiah. PERSIA. ^ 19. The History of Persia, from Authorities in Sanscrit, Arabic, C^reek, Turkish, Persian, Ancient and Modern. 20. The Five Poems of Nizami, translated in Prose. A Dictionary of pure Persian— Jch^ngiri. CHINA. .21. Translation of the Shi-cing. 22. The Text of Con-fu-tsu, verbally translated. TARTARY. 23. A History of the Tartar Nations, chiefly of the Moguls and Othmaias, Irom the Turkish and Persian. insects, 492 insects, reptiles, and fish, be ascertained, either on the plan of Buifon, or on that of Linnaeus, without giving pain to the objects of our exami- nation, few studies would afford us more solid instruction, or more exquisite delight; but I never could learn by what right, nor conceive with M'hat feelings, a naturalist can occasion the misery of an innocent bird, and leave its young, perhaps, to perish in a cold nest, because it has gay plumage, and has never been accurately deli- neated, or deprive even a butterfly of its natural enjoyments^ because it has the misfortune to be rare or beautiful : nor shall I ever forget the cou* plet of Ferdausi, for which Sadi, who cites it with applause, pours blessings on his departed spirit: Ah ! spare yon emmet, rich in hoarded grain j lie lives with pleasure, and he dies with pain. This may be only a confession of weakness, and it certainly is not meant as a boast of peculiar sensibility; but whatever name may be given to Hiy opinion, it has such an effect on my conduct, that I never would suffer the cocila, whose wild native wood-notes announce tlie approach of spring, to be caught in my garden, for the sake of comparing it witli Buffon's description ; though I have often examined the domestic and engaging Mayaiia^ which " bids us good morrow" at our windows, and expects, as its re\vard, little more than security : even when a fine young manis or pangolin was brought to me, against my wish, from the mountains, I solicited his restoration to his beloved rocks, because 1 found it impossible to preserve him in comfort at a distance from them. I have 493 I have noticed his cheerful and assiduous per- formance of his fihal and fraternal duty: To the other virtues of Mr. Jones, (I quote the testimony and words of professor Bjornshal, who visited Oxford whilst Sir William Jones resided there, ohligingly communicated to me by Dr. Ford of Mag. Hall,) *' I ought to add that of filial duty, " which he displays at all times in the most ex- " emplary manner. I am not singular in the ob- *' servation here made. Every one acquainted " with Mr. Jones, makes it likewise. I feel a *' pleasure in dwelling upon a character that does ** such high honour to human nature." The un- ceasing regret of Lady Jones is a proof of his claim upon her conjugal affections; and I could dwell with rapture on the affability of his conver- sation and manners, on his modest, unassuming deportment, nor can I refrain from remarking, that he was totally free from pedantry, as well as from that arrogance and self-sufficiency, which sometimes accompany and di'^grace the greatest abilities; his presence was*" the delight of every society, M-hich his conversation exhilarated and improved. His intercourse with the Indian natives of character and abilities vras extensive : he liberally rewarded those by v/hom he was served and as- sisted, and his dependents were treated by him as friends. Under this denomination, he has fre- quently mentioned in his works the names of Bahman, a native of Yezd, and folio vv^er of the doctrines of Zoroaster, whom he retained in his pay, -^94 piy, and whose death he often adverted to with regret. Nor can I resist tlie impidse which I feel to repeat an anecdote of what occurred after hfs demise; the pundits who were in the habit of attending him, when I saw them at a public dur- bar^ a few days after that melancholy event, could neither restrain their tears for his loss, nor find terms to express their admiration at the won- derful progress which he had made, in the sci- ences which they professed*. If this character of Sir William Jones be not exaggerated by the partiality of friendship, we shall all apply to him his own words, '' it is happy *' for us that this man was born." I have bor- rowed the application of them from Dr. Parr: * The following is a translation of a Sanscrit note written to Sir Wil- liam Jones, by a venerable pundit, whom he employed in superintend- ing the compilation of Hindu law. From my own communications with the writer of the note, I can venture to assert, that his expres- sions of respect for Sir AN'illiam Jones, although in the Oriental style, were most sincere. Triv^di Servoru Sarn, n, who depends on you alone for support, presents his humble duty, .with a hundred benedictions. _ VERSES. i. To you there are many like me ; yet to me there is none like you, but yourself; there are numerous groves of night tiowers; yet the night tlower sees nothing like the moon, but the moon, 2. A hundred chiefs rule the world, but thou art an ocean, and they are mere wells ; many luminaries are awake in the sky, but which of them can be compared to the Sun ? ^lany words are needless to inform those who know all things. The law tract of Atri, will be delivered by the hand of the footman, dis- patched by your Excellence. — Prosperity attend you ! I add a translation of two couplets in elegant Arabic, addressed by Maulavi Casim to Sir William Jones. The writer was employed by him in compiling the Mohammedan law. Mayest thou remain with us perpetually, for thy presence is an or- nament and a delight to the age ! May no unpleasant event find its way to thee ; and mayest thou have no share m the vicissitudes of fortune ! and ^95 and who more competent can be found, to esti- mate the merit of tlie great scholar, whom he deems worthy of this eulogium ? In the pleasing oftice of delineating his virtues, my regret for his loss has been suspended, but will never be obliterated ; and whilst I cherish with pride the recollection that he honoured me with his esteem, 1 cannot cease to feel and lanient that the voice, to which I listened with rapture and improvement, is heard no more. As far as happiness may be considered de- pendent upon the attainment of our wishes, he possessed it. At the period of his death, by a prudent attention to economy, -which never en- croached upon his liberality, he had acquired a competency, and was in a situation to enjoy dig- nit}^ with independence. For this acquisition he was indebted to the exertion of his talents and abilities, of energies well directed, and usefully applied to the benefit of his country and mankind. He had ob- tained a reputation which might gratify the high- est ambition : and as far as human happiness is also connected with expectation, he had in pro- spect a variety of employments, the execution of which depended only on the continuance of his health and intellectual powers. I shall not here enlarge upon the common topic of the vanity of human wishes, prospects, and enjoyments, which my subject naturally suggests; but if my reader should not particij)ate that admiration which the memory of Sir William Jones ex'cftes ih.my mind, I must submit to the mortification of having de- < predated pfetQ.^cV% cn'krafcteVwhicli I liad fondly hoped ivould be effectually emblazoned by its own ex- cellence, if I did but simply recite the talents and virtues which conspired to dignify and adorn it. POSTSCRIPT. The following Epitaph, evidently intended for himself, was written by Sir William Jones, a short time only before his demise. It displays some striking features of his character; resignation to the will of his Creator, love and good-will to mankind, and is modestly silent upon his intel- lectual attainments : Here was deposited, the mortal part of a man, who feared GOD, but not death; and maintained independence, but soagljt not riches ; Wh© thought none below him, but the base and unjust, none above him, but the wise and virtuou?; Who loved his parents, kindred, friends, country, with an ardour which was the chief source of all his pleasures and all his pains: . And who, having devoted his life to their service, and to the improvement of his mind, , resigned it calmly, giving glory to his Creator, wishing peace on earth, and with good-will to all creatures, on the ITzverity-seventh'] day of [Jpril} > in the year of our blessed Redeemer, One Thousand Seven Hundred land Ninety-four']. The 1 497 The Court of Directors of the East. India Com- pany embraced an early opportunity of testifying their respect for the mtrit of Sir William Jonts. By an unanimous vote of the Court, it M'as re- solved, that a monument to his memory should be ordered, for the purpose of being erected in St. Paul's Cathedral, with a suitable inscription, and that a statue of Sir William Jones should be pre- pared at the expence of the Company, and sent to Bengal, witli directions for its being placed in a proper situation there. The posthumous honours paid to bis memory by a society of gentlemen in Bengal, who had re-. ceived their education at Oxford, were no less liberal than appropriate. They subscribed a sum to be given as a prize for the best dissertation on his character and merits, by any of the students at that University ; and the proposal, with the sanc- tion of the heads of the University, having been carried into execution, the premiiun was adjudged to Mr. Henry Philpotts, A. M., Fellow of Mag- dalen College. The expectations of my readers would be dis- appointed, if I were not to mention the solicitude of Lady Jones, and the means adopted by her, for perpetuating the fame of a husband, with whom she had lived in the closest union of esteem and affection. Witho.t duelling up«ai the elfgant monument erected to his memory at her e\p^;■use, intheanti-chambtr of University- College, (JAT-rd, her regard for his reputation was more e.tt'eciually K K evinced. 498 evinced, by the publication of bis ^orks in an elegant edition of six quarto volumes, in strict conformity to his opinion, that, " The best mo- *' nument that can be erected to a man of literary *' talents, is a good edition of his works." On the 27th of January 1795, Sir William Jones was unanimously elected a corresponding member of the Historical Society of Massa- chusetts. The society had soon the mortifi- cation to learn, that, nine months before the date of their vote, the object of their intended distinction was no more. The following letter, notifying the resolution of the society, was ad- dressed, by the president of it, to Sir William Jones : Sir; Boston, Feb. 7, 1795. As president, and by the direction of the Massachusetts Historical Society, I have the honour to inclose you a vote of that corporation, by which you are elected a member of it. You have also, by this conveyance, a few pub- lications, and a copy of our charter : by the lat- ter you will see, as well the legal date, as the design of our institution. We possess a large hall in the centre of Boston, M'here m'c deposit those books, publications, and other matters, which may have a tendency to fix and illustrate the political, civil, and natural history of this continent : and we have been very successful in our attempts to collect materials for that purpose. Your character, and the attention which the world 499 v/oil(l allows you to have paid to iearnhig* of this kind, have induced us to pursue such measures a^s we hope will obtain your good wishes, and friendly regard: and we shall have great pleasure in for- warding to you, from time to time, such other books and publications, as we may suppose to be acceptable to you. -^ Any observations from you, or any member of the society in which you preside, illustrating those facts which compose the natural history of Ame- rica, or of any other part of the world, will^ be received as valuable marks of your atten-tioif" " As the correspondence of literary and philoso- phical societies, established in different nations, is an intercourse of true philanthropy, and has a manifest tendency to increase that friendship, and to support that harmony in the great family of mankind, on which the happiness of the world so much depends, it can never solicit your aid with- out success, — I have the honour to be, with sen- timents of the highest respect, your most obe- dient, humble servant, J. Sullivan. It is certainly to be greatly regretted, that Sir William Jones did not live to translate the digest of Hindu law, in the compilation of whicji he had bestowed so much lime and attention. It is however satisfactory to know, that his benevolent intentions in this laborious work have not been, disappointed, and that Mr. II. T. Colebrooke, in the civil service of the East-India Company at Bengal, from motives of public spirit, and a laud- K K 2 able 500 , able hope of distinction, has completed a transla- tion of it, with, an ability which does him the l^ighest erf dit. This voluminous work was under- taken and executed by Mr. Colebtooke, under the pressure of unintermittied official occupations, and js, a prouf of literary industry rarely exceeded. Por the gratification of the reader's curiosity, X insert the short but characteristic translation of the Preface of the Hindu Compilers of the Digest. PREFACE BY THE COMPILERS. Having saluted the Ruler of Q ds^ the Lord of Beings, and the Ifing of Dangers, Lord of Divine ClasseSj the Daughter of the King of Mountains, the venerable Sages, and the revcr rend Authors of Books; I, ^aganat'ha. Son of Budra, by command of the Protectors of the Land, compile this book, intitled, JTie Sea of con- iroverdal IVaveSy perspicuous, diffusive, with its islands and gems, pleasing to the princes and tb^ learned. What is my intellect? A crazy boat, compared with the sacred code, that perilous ocean. The favour of the Supreme Ruler is my sole refuge, ip traversing that ocean with this crazy vessel. The learned Radhacanta Gonespresada, of firm and spotless mind, Ramam6hana Ramanidhee Ga- nasyama, and Gungadhara, a league of assiduous pupils, nmst effect the completion of this work, which shall gratify the minds of princea:— of this I have unquestioned certainty^ Embarking 501 Enibarking on ships, often do men undaunted traverse the perilous deep, aided by long (ia1bl^, and impelled by propitious gales. '■' Having viewed the title of loans, and the Tckt as proinulged by wise legislators, m codes of laws, and as expounded by former intelligent authors; And having meditated their obscure passages with the less0: ou^ No. IIL REVICZKI k MoNs. JONES. ]MoNS I E U R ; Londres, le 2ihme de Fezrier, 1768. - Lc jour m^me que j'ai exp^cli6 ia mienne, j ai re^ii votre savante et obligeante lettre, que j'ai lu avec un phiislr infini, quoique j'aurois souliaitd qift'IIe tut un peu nioins flateuse sur mon compre, et nioins modeste sur le votre. Toutefois je ne prends pas vos expressions a la lettre, et malgr6 tout ce que vous j uissiez dire, je vois clairement par votre gout et jugement sur les passages cit^s dans votre lettre, que vous avez fait un grand che- min dans la litt^rature Orientale Je vous prie cepcndant, quelque grace pour le Grec et le Latin ; car quoique je ne puisse pns nier qu'il y a quelque genre de poesie, ou les Orienteaux et particulitfre- ment les Persans ont atteint un dfgr<6 de perfection ct de sup^riorite, je ne n;c ferois point de scru- pule, de renoncer plutot a laconnoissance de ces trois langues qua la serde langue Grecque. Je suis bien ais6 q(;e votre uuvrage soit deja si avan(^6, et que je puisse esperer de la voir bientot rendu public. Je serois fort embarasse de vous doiuKT quelque avis au sujet de votre livre, a cause que je suis actuellenient depourvu de tout livie (jui traite directement de cette niati^re, et que d"ail- leurs, c'est une mer a boire, que rabondance et ia vari^t6 du metre Oriental, et qu'il est impossible d en savoir par cccur toutes les parties. Je serois curieux de savoir, sous quel chapitre vous avez rang<6 506 rang^ Le Kaside, genre de pocsie tr^s en vogue parmi les Arabes, et cultive avec grand succes, qui repond plus qu'aucun autre a I'elogie Latine, mais qui par sa construction tient au Ghazel, avec cette ditFerence, que le Ghazel, suivant les regies, ne devroit jamais passer 13 distiqucs ou beits ; et que le Kaside n'est born6 a aucun nombre; 2do, que les- beits du Ghazel doivent par leur nature comprendre en eux-m^nies, et terminer tout le sens, pendant que ceux du Kaside ont du rapport entre eux, en continuant le meme sujet. Un ex- emple admirable de ce dernier est celui sur la mort de Mahomet, cel^bre dans tout FOrient, et connu par coeur a tons les gens de lettres, dans une alle- gorie continuelle, mais admirable et tres path^^ tique, dont le commencement est tel, si je m'en souviens : Pour ce qui regarde vos doutes sur la pretend ue allegoric de Hafyz, il y auroit beaucoup a dire, car il sembleque le respect et la veneration que les Mahometans portent a la memoire de ce grand g6nie, est la veritable cause de leur mysterieuse interpretation, voulant par la justifier la conduite du poete en nous le donnant pour un homme irre- prochable aussi bien dans ses mceurs que dans ses vers. La plus grande partie de ses commentateurs, comme Shemy, Surury, et les autres, s'evertuent d'expliqucf 507 d'expliquer dans uii sens mystique les vers qui roulent sur le vin, les gardens, les plaisirs, et le HK^pris de la religion, conime indigne d\ni boii JMusulman; mais le plus habile de ces interpretes, le savant Sudi, n'a pas voulu suivre cette methode, disant, que quelque raison que puissent avoir les autres comnientateurs, sans combattre leurs bonnes intentions, il se contentera d'expliquer le texte lit- t^ralemeut. II ne sera pas peut-etre mal-a-propos, de marquer ici une anecdote, que j'ai lu quelque part toachant Hafyz ; ce grand homme etant mort, quelques-uns des Ulemas, ont fait difficult^ de lui accorder la sepulture, a cause du libertinage de ses poesies, mais en fin apr^s bien de contestations, il en sont venu au Tefal, c'cst-a-dire a la pratique, d'ouvrir son Divan au hazard, moyenant une ai- guille; le premier vers qui s'offrit a leur viie fut Je suivant : Ce passage ayant 6te pris pour une decision du ciel, les Uleuias furent bientot d'accord, et on le lit entcrrer dans Tendroit meme du Musella, de- venu celebre par ses vers. Si je ne me trompe pas, cette circonstance se trouve dans Katib celebi. Quant a moi, tout autant que je suis port6 a. croire que Hafyz en parlant de vin etde ramour n'entend point finesse en cela, de meme je dois avouer que je ne trouve point des obscdnites en lui, ni des ex- pressions pressions sales ef grossieres, coTinne cek ari^ivc as- 6ez sou vent k Sadi. Je aie -puis, in.'enip^cher . nojii plus -de le'-regarder' cc5nnnh:e *un esprit, fort, et je pourrois citer ceat e^xempies, pour montrer qu'il se raocjne- du proph^te 'et /de rAlcoran. comme quand il dit : ■ • ■ - '■ • ■ ■ ■ ^ '*• 's • f. ■ . I ' J •» Pour les poetes Turcs,. j'a.voue qu? je ne les lis pas avec le m^me plaisir, quoiqu? je cpAyienne qu'il Vyen.a quelques-uns ,qui out du.merite; le plus agreable, a uion avis, est ;Ruhi Bagdady, dont il y a des.satyres aduurables. Je ne sais pas s*il est de votie conijoissanee. -.Majs la plupart des Turcs ne sont que des copjstes pu Iraducteurs des Per* sans, et souvent destit-ues de gout et d'b^rmonie. Je ne puis pasr diviner la raist^n-t^ui vous fait trouver, Monsieiir, -; ui>-se-ns;:|mpuclique daes. ce beau vers. de Mesihi,:;;;"-^ ^w.im:ir.'} c; er:;;' i_^^ont le simple sens est.i ,.,^^Mml Dieu, ne mien- ^j yoyez pas au, touibeajLi suns qu,e j'fl-y.e, jiup^ravant ^ .,ero brasse mon ^mj,; ' '„ a, n3.o.iiis ,q ue: .vjay,s .1^ fassiez consister ro,bsc^uit6. daps Tauiiti^ d*un gar^on, qui est I'ttgrnel sujet (Ifi.toules les poesies Qrientaks . aussi blen que Grec^ques et.quel(^iefois La^tines. ■"■"' ■^" "" "■ " "'■ Je d09 Ji? Vbusenvoye la plus fraiche demes tradiK:ti«ns, en vous priant de me la renvoyer quand vous en seiTZ las, carje n*en ai point de copies. Je suis, avec la plus parfaite cstime et v^ii^ration, Votre U^s-hurpbie Serviteur, REriczKi, No. IV. REVICZKIUS JONESIO, S. : Londini, Martii die 7, 1768. Dic^mne me Uteris tuis delectatum, an cruditum? Prorsus animi pendeo, tu in literis pmne punctum t|.ilisse videris, hoc unum repre- "'' liendenduni exislmio, quCd concisione peccent, 'v etsi tu proVixitatis notain incurrere verearis. -'Qu6d missam ad te duaiAini odarum veisionem in- ' temperanti laude efferas, qu6dve nieas esse ali- *^ iquid put^ris niigas, id pur^ putcV humanitatis ac comitatis tus indicium esse saspicor ; quod autem -'in sphalniata mea benignus animadverteris, serid ^'habeo gratiam, uti vice versd, qu6d tarn parous fueris in castigand^ erroruui meorum sylv^, in- dulgentiJB tuffi adscriba Itaque etsi suwunoperc cavendum niihi sit, ne, durn culpam removtre studeo, gratiam, quam profiteer, imminuere vi- dear; non possum tamen apud animum meum iiu- petrare, ut omni penitiis apologise supcrsedeam. Quare non incongruum puto monere, me, nullo y^ sive ostentationis sive gloriae studio, ad versus -scril>tndos animum appulisse, quos jam olini in ■■^"schol^e limine valere jussos, non ante bos tres . *■' ' ."menses, otio me ad id pelUciente, resumsjj non alia, 510 alia, rv,g (islizTrUiTfccc, ratione, quam quod, Latin^ redditis 50 circiter odis mercurialis nostri liafyzi, cujusamortantuin raihi crescit in horas. Quantum vere novo viridis se subjicit alnus, — in ipso pro^ressLi operis tarn immanem observavi iiictaphrasis mese a prototype diffbrniitatem, ut me laboris fastidium ceperit. Nam etsi printer illam inficetam, sed religiosam versionem, quam singulis distichis subscriptam vides, aliam liberio- rem et tersiorem, Latin^ aequi^ ac Gallica lingua, piTE manibus habeam; tamen non est minus dis- crepans a textu, quam ^[ [^ ^.^ ^^^jj ,^^ ^^ Hoc est, Ilistoria aurifabri et storearum textoris, Hafiz. Accedit, quod S'ccpissim^ ad exprimendum unius monosyllabi sensum, sesquipedali paiapbrasi sit Mtendum. Proinde non abs le futurum iudicavi, J'igat^ nonnunquam oratione textum Pcrsicum jt^mulari ; cujus tamen qualicunque successui iilud semper obstabit, quod in Ghazela, nulla sit ver- &uum cohaesio et a.yjw^'kov/^if.^ cujus defectum La- tina poesis nulla ratione admittit. Sed de his affatlm. ******* Librum de poesi Hebraeorum quern commendas, episcopi Oxoniensis, qu^mve tibi pro exemplar! proposuisti, legi jam alias, et quidem magna cum voluplate, quamvis in pra?sentiarum parum ex illo incmorine meiE inhfereat : hoc unum recordor, quod dictione iccjuc ac methodo sit prssditus ad- mirabiii. Flores Gni^ci et Orientales epistolse tuae interspersi, 511 intcrspeisi,oppid6 me delectaverunt,et observe tuum in coruni delectu judicium. Propositum autem Oiientcm visendi, lab^ • *» : 1 &^*- J J^ ^^ii^ lui'sum Uteris est remissior; iu iionnuUis denique plan^ langiict, quando Jiamii per omnes alphabet! literas eadem felicitate decurrit. Ghazelam ^^f iMI f\ non verti Latino carmine ob %*ersuuMi incohreren- tiam ; sed si prosaicam versionem et notas desidc- ras, hibens obseqnar. luterea mitto hunc novissi- mum, non partum adhuc, sed €mbripnen(i.—Vale. Londini, die 7 Martii. P. s. 513 P. S: 'Versus Uios'Arabico^mu'Qr.inelrercle, non tantum probo; nsed in hoonon ausim te aemiUari. i- ^ ^^ No. V.^ MV^ZklUS JDNESIOr^" , •-> , w.iL.-ton«t(«2, 17 Martii, 1768. Oppid(\ recreatus sum literis tuis, prse- cipu^ vero i, T/f UK bcv aiJi.que accuratius rescribere coepissem, ecce ! majus quoddam intervenit negotium. Rex Daniae, laudandte indolis adolescens, qui eo tem- pore in regiaLondinensi habitabat, me (nescio qua famA sibi notum) accessiri jubet : ostendit codicem Persicum, satis amplum, qui vitam ac res gestas celeberrimi illius tyranni Nadirsbah dicti, con- tineret : ait se percupere librum ilium gallice, ad verbum redditum videre; aliaaddit comius qu^m verius. Quid multa ? Opus sum arduum aggres- sus, 526 sus, quod me per majorem anni jam elapsi partem occupatum distinuit; historiam in sex libros divi- sam dicendi genere Asiatico, fide reddidi ; acce- dunt notuljfi quaedam necessaris, et de po'etis quos Asia tulerat, brevis dissertatio, cui unum atque alterum Hafezi carmen adjeci, (plenum scio errori- bus, sed iisquibus ignoscent docti, etqui indoctos latebunt). Hasc omnia vix dum ad umbilicum perduxeram, cum discipuli mei (qui tui semper memor est) sororula, morbo 06;«rzj(^correpta repent^ sit, statueritque pater ejus cum familia vel in Italia vel in Gallic Transalpine hyemare. Coactus igi- tur sum historiam meam (quam in lucem proferri rex voluit) Galli cujusdam satis fidi curse, com- mittere, qui excusoris errores corrigeret. Is me nuperrim^ certiorem fecit, librum jam esse excu- sum ; et curabo eum ne ad regem quidem ipsum citiiis qu^m ad te mittendum. Patriam itaque meam reliqui, et post nimis longam Lutetiis com- morationem, Lugdunum versus iter fecimus, velo- cissimo Rhodani fluvio devecti ; et Massiliam, Forum Julii, atque Antipolim pratergressi, hac regione venimus ; — Ver ubi purpureum gemfnis ridentibus hortos '. Pingit, et ^ pratis exulat acris hyems. Diutii!is tamen hlc quhm vellem, commorabimus ; sed puto nos ad Calendas Junias in Angliam re- versuros. Meditor equidem si qua sese obtulerit occasio, circiter Idus Februarias Liburnum navi- gare, et cum Florentiam celebrem illam Triumvi- rorum coloniam, et renascentium literarum cunas, turn 527 turn Romam laiidatarum artium omnium procrca;- 'tricem, et fartasse Neapolim, visere. Quidquid de htk navigatipne statuero, <:ertior fies. Si roges quo modo me hlc oblectem, baud multis respon- deo. Quidquid habet musicorum ars tenerum ac molle, quidquid mathesis difficile ac reconditum, quidquid denique datum aut venustum vel poesis vel pictura, in eo orani, sensus meos et cogita- tiones defigo. Nee rei militaris notitiam negligo, qua vir Britannus sine summo opprobrio carere neutiquam potest. Multa patri^ sermone scripsi ; inter alia, libcllum de recta juventutis institutione, more Aristoteleo, hoc est, «v«Aut/j<«. Prteterc^ tragoediam contcxere institui, quam inscripsi So- liman, cujus, ut scis, amabilissimus filius per no- verc^e insidias miserrim^ trucidatus est : — plena est tenerorum affectuum fabula, et cotburno iEs- chyleo elatior, utpote quee imaginibus'Asiaticis sit abundantissima. Mitto tibi carminaduo; unum ex Hafizio depromptum ; alterum h poeta Arabo perantiquo sumptum ; — in hoc tamen imagines ad Komanam consuetudinem aptavi. Mitto insuper, ne quse pars pagince otietur, epigramma Gr2ecum, quo cantiunculam Anglicam sum imitatus. — Vale; et schedas tuas tunc expecta, cCim te has literas ac- cepisse certior factus fuero. No. XII. JONESIUS N. HALHEDO, S. Jucundse mihi fuerunt literulse tua, quibus id perspexerini, quod maxim^ vellem, ' nemp^ 528 iienipe te haud ignorare quanta sit mea in te, ac tui similes, benevolentia. Misi protinijs, ut pete- bas, ad an-»icos nieos literas, quibus eos etiam at- que etiam sum bortattis, ut causee perinde faverent tua3, ac si esset mea. Quod si petcntibus nobis morem gesserint, et mihi cert^ fecerint pergratum, et sibi ipsis non inutile, quippe mea3 erga illos vo- luntati magnus accedet cuniiulus. Majori tamen opinor fructu negotium tuum potero promovere, cum in Britanniam rediero ; ac tibi velim sit per- suasissimum nulla unquam in re studium meum atque amorem roganti tibi aut deese aut defore. Quod ad valetudinem meam attinet, belle babeo; sed oblectationibus careo iis, quarum desiderium iiequeo non molest^ ferre. Cum primum hue ve- nerim, visu gratissima^ erant ete res, quas in patria nostra, raro, aut ne raro quidem, videmus ; — olivse, myrtus, mala aurea, palmae, vineta, aromata, et in media byeme florum suavissimorum copia. Sed amota tandem ea, quam novitas s^cum affert, ju- cunditate, fastidium quoddam subest ac satietas. A mari Ligustico vix triginta passus distat diver- sorioli mei fenestra; sed, ut pulcr^ Ovidius, Una est immensi cserula forma maris. Nihil itaque restat aliud, nisi ut cum M. Tullio fluctus numerem, vel cum Arcbymede atque Archyta arenas metiar. Credibile non est, quan- tum me hujusce loci ttedeat, quantumque Oxonii esse cupiam, ubi vel tecum jocari, vel cum Poro philosophari possim. Velim, si non molestum erit, ad me sjepius scribas ; nam et tu quid agas, et quid a nostris 529 a nostris agatur, certior fieri cupio ; seel Latin^, si placet scribas, et hilar^, amovenda est enim ea qua angi videris tristitia. Me ama, quemadmodum ego te : humanioribus Uteris da operam, ut soles ; musas cole ; philosophiam venerare; multa scribe die, multa noctibus : ita tamen ut valetudinem tuam cures diligent^r. — Vale. Datae Calendis Martiis, anno 1770, Nicaeae Ligurura. No. XIII. JONESIUS REVICZKIO, S. NiccecE Ligurum, Dales 7 Calend. April, anno 1770. Credibile non est, quantum tuo angar silen- tio, aut enim, quod fieri nolim, literas meas 4 Ca- lend. Febr. datas non accepisti ; aut, quod erit in- jucundius, tuum ad me responsum, in iiinere ex- cidit ; aut denique, quod suspicari net'as est, tui penitus effluxi memoria. Scripoi ad te ex l^^c re- gione literas, non (nt de suis ad Lucceium ait Ci- cero) vald^ bellas, sed eas tamen, quas libi satis gratas fore putabam, utpote qus et bcH^ perlongae essent, et multa de meis rebus continerent. Post debitum temporis intervallum, responisum tuum cu- pid^ expectabam ; quotidi^ rogitabam, num (juae k Vindobona liter^e ? Nullce. Idem alio die atque alio, atque alio, rogabam : NuU^e. Sollicitus esse coepi, et mea indies vehementius augebatur expectatio : Nullce adhuc litera?! et duo prop^ jam elapsi sunt menses, sed nihil abs te literarum. Kcquid adeo fa- ciam ? ecquid capiam consilii ? Cliartulas tuas(quas ad te remittendas volebas) vereor inccrtis tabellariis M M com- 530 committere; tu iis intere^ baud facile cares: CEe^ terum, lict^t eas, ante acceptum a te responsum, remittere nequeam ; notas tamen meas hie subjicio, quas, si minus placent, in ignem conjice; sunt, lit velle videbaris, omnino aristarchic£e et forsaii niorps£B nimis. Libellus tuus de re militari Turca- rum, oppid6 me delectabat ; nihil eo vel utilius, et ad tempora accommodatius, esse potest. Cijni dubium sit, an base ad te perventura sit epistola, breviloquens esse cogor, ne prorsus cum ventis colloquar, et bonas boras inanit^r consumam. Huic urbi circiter Idus Apriles valedicam : iter Italicum, quod meditabar, in ahud teir-pus distuli. Vale, mi Carole, et mei memor sis, ut ego sem- per tui. CiiRi in Britanniam rediero, longiores et hilariores a me literas frequenter accipies. No. XIV. JONESIUS UEVJCZKIO, S. Tametsi prius ex hoc loco decederc statui, quam abs te responsum accipere potero, occasionem ad te scribendi prtetermittere nee volo, nee debeo. Valde tibi assentior (ut in aliis omni- bus) peregrinandi dulcedinem laudanti : nihil un- quam aut utilius autumavi, aut jucundius. Quant6 mihi gratior esset peregrinatio mca, si mihi Vindo- bonam visere liceret, ubi tecum colloqui, tecum pbilosopbari, tecum in loco desipere, tecum poe- seos reconditas gemmas eruere possem. Dum ea felicitate careo, jure quodam meo de caeteris, qui- bus abundo voluptatibus, male loquor. Disphcet Gallorum 531 Gallorum hilaritas odiosa ; et obscurum quiddam habet coeli Italic! placida serenitas. Adeo mei amans sum (hoc est, adeo sum amens) ut me be- nevolentia tua digniorem esse putem quam aiite- hac. Nescis quantum ab illo muter quern in An- glia vidisti. Fui adolcscens, fui imprudentior; nunc me totum bumanioribus Musis devoveo; et nibil vebementer peto pvaeter Virtutem, qua nihil divinius; Gloriam, qua nibil mortali pretiosius; ac tuam denique amicitiam, qua nihil dulcius esse potest. Ne literce mea3 prorsus illiteratse sint, eccc tibi epigramma, quod nocte quadam serena fecerat amicus quidam mens, et quod, ejus rogatu, Grsec^ verti. Tibi ut opinor placebit, nam ad Meleagri et aliorum in Anthologia poctarum men tern vide- tur accedere. A/^«/x«r &c. No. XV. JONESIUS REVICZKIO, S. Id. Qinntil. 1770. Nte ego levis bomo sum atque in- ccrtus! Totam Europam transvolo, nuUibi di{i commoror : in Liguria hyemavi ; in Gallia verno tempore fruebar; Germanise finibus sestatem ago; si modo aestas vocari potest pluviosa hcecce et in- grata tempestas. Possum cert^ ab hoc loco char- tulas tuas, sine metu, ad te remittere, ac te ma- jorem in modum hortor, ne cuncteris eas in luceni proferre. Dignai sunt et tuo judicio, et doctorum omnium laudibus. Hoc dico sine blanditiis, quas a me procul habeo. Notos niecC, quas accepisti, M M 2 erroribus 532 crroribus plenae sunt, quos velim excusas. Nam cum essem Nicasse, turn veterum libris, turn cete- ris (quibus uti solco) adminiculis, plan^ carui, ct etiam nunc careo. Accepi abs te litenilas Gallice scriptas, cum oda in primis laudanda. In ea mib'i perplacuit facilis ilia transitio ; Sed dandx amori sunt lachrymse breves, Quas sanguinis vis, quas pietas cupit. Mox, nube abacta, Sol tenebras Discutiens, melius nitebit. Crede mihi, a fletu, cum heec le^erem, vix tem- perare potui. Ita enim k natura afiticior, ut magis pulchra ac tenerasimplicitate movear, quani elatissimis poeseos figuris: inde fit, ut plus me delectent divini ilia Pindari, "Ocr« h /xti z:e(piX^y.e Zeu;, et qu^ sequuntur, quam elaborata Aquil^e et iEtnge mentis descriptio. Ecquid ade6 ad te mit- tam, ne prorsus immunis, tuo fruar munere ? Ecce tibi carmen, quod (si nihil aliud) commen- dat cert^ vetustas. Ridebis : nonest illud quidem in Antoniae Delphinge nuptias ; immo laudes con- tinet principis antiquissimi Sinensis, cujus nomcn e memoria excidit ; scio ixovoavXXa^ov esse. _ Cum opera Confucii a Coupletio aliisque reddita perle- gerim, non potui non demirari cum venerabilem sententiarum dignitatem, tum etiam vavias carmi- num relliquias, quibus ornantur philosophi illius coUoquia. Carmina ea ex vetustissimis poeseos Sinicae monumentis exccrpta sunt, ac prsecipue k libro Xikim dicto, cujus in regis Gallica^ biblio- tbeca nitidum extat exemplar. Statim mihi in animo erat, verba Sinica inspicere ; codicem manu sumpsi, 533 Bumpsi, et post longum studium, odam unam cum versione Coupletii comparare potui, atque adeo singulas voces, seu potius figuras, ad avu'hv^t'j quan- dam reducere. Hanc igitur odam ad te mitto, ad verbum rcdditam. Mirifica est in ed cum majes- tate conjuncta brevitas: singuli versiculi quatuor tantum constant vocibus. Unde fit, ut fAAa\|/a? in iis sunt frequentissimas, qua? carmen tb subli- tiiius reddunt, quo obscurius. Addidi versionem poeticam, qua unumquemque versum ad Confucii mentem exposui ; luculent^ necne, minus laboro; tu modo judica; satis liabeo si tibi arrideat. Mi- iiim^ te latet, philosopbum istum, quem Platonem Sinicum appellare audeo, circiter sexcentenos ante Christum annos floruisse ; is autem hanc odam citat, tanquam suis temporibus perantiquam; est igitur pretiosas vetustatis quasi gemma, quse ostendit, in omni tempore apud omnes populos, isandem esse poeseos vim, easdem imagines. Re- stat aliud opus, de quo loquar necesse est ; n^ forte literee mese perlongge 4 Calend. Febr. datce exciderint, in quibus totam rem ab initio denar- ravi. Vitam dico tyranni Persici Nadir Shah, quam h codice Asiatico Gallic^ versam edidi; opus ingratum perfeci rogatu regis Danise, Au- gust! mei, quem magnam Europge spem baud du- bito affirmare. Is mihi in primis jussit, ut opus fide et pen^ religios^ redderem ; ut notas adjice- rem necessarias ; ut denique brevem de poesi Per- sarum dissettationem operi subjungerem. Pensum meum ut potui, nee sine fastidio, persolvi ; sed ita^ festinant^r 534 festinanter ac proper^, (rex enim me identidem ut festinarem urgebat,) ut liber sit erroribus plenis- simus, et prcesertim dissertatio de poesi, in qua decern Hafizi Odas vertere ausus sum, nee exem- plar] correcto (lic^t splendidissimo), uec ullo om- iiin6 usus commentario. Scripsi ad Rivestium Angliie vicarium, eumqiie rogavi ut ad te librum celeriter mitterit; quod spero facturum. Ig- nosce, amab6 te, erroribus (juos vitare forsan in summa otii copia non possem, uedum in iis tem- poris angustiis. Ignosce, si duas Odas quas ad mc misisti ^ ^^ _^ ^, J, et ;|^,^ t-f casteris adjecerim, cum Gallica solummodo ver- sione. Ignosce, si de amico meo, arnica, ut par est, inciderit mentio ; regem enim meum scire vo- lui quanti te faciam. Ad ctetera benevolenticE tuje indicia, baud parum accedet ponderis, si errores meos in hoc libro notare velis, preecipu^ in disser- tatione, quam separate volumin^ edere statui. Rex Dania3, ut accepi, opus meum vehement^r probat, et mihi bonores nescio quos meditatur ; cogitanti enim iUi, quonam me compensaret mu- nere, dixit amicus quidam mens, vir nobilissimus, me pecuniam nee desiderare, nee magni facere, sed honoris, ut rebatur, esse appetentcm. Libellum tuum de Turcarum re militari ad re- gem mittendum curavi ; tum quia eo lectore dig- nus est, tum quia te habet auctorem. Cave credas, me Uteris hisce fiuem dedisse, quia nihil aliud ha- beo quod dicam ; affluil enim animus meus rerum copid, 535 copla, et mihi long^ difficilius est styli impetum temperare, quam scribendi m at eri em in venire. Sed nolo patientia tua usque adeo abuti, ut aures tuas nimia loquacitate defatigem. Valetudinem tuam, si me amas, cura. No. XVI. REVICKZKI a Mons. JONES. Fienne, ce 9 Aoid, MifQ. En v^ite, Monsieur, vous n'etes pas fort a plaindre de ce changement contiuuel de cli- mats et de lieux ou vous dites fetre engage depuis un an entier. C'est le plus grand bien a mon avis, qui puisse arriver a un homme qui d*ailleurs a toutes les dispositions pour voyager; vous avez passe les rigueurs de Thyver, sous un ciel doux et temp6r6 en Italie, le printems en France et en Angleterre ; il vous restc a passer I'et^ aux confins de TAUemagne, dans un endroit qui est le rendez- vous general de toute I'Europe, et oil Ton voit d'un coup d'oeil, tant de diff^rentes nations as- semblies ; cela n'est-il pas charmant ? ou n'est-ce pas la la partie essentielle des voyages, -ro-oAAww «v6f wTwv yvwv^i voov ? Je sens pourtant combien un homme de lettres pent s'y trouver manquer de secours, et de com- modites pour pousser ses etudes, et cela seul pent diminuer en partie le plaisir qu'on a de voyager. Je vous suis tr^s oblige de la bont6 que vous avez eu de m'envoyer cette piece de votre fai^on, qui me paroit tr^s rare dans son genre ; mais, de grace, depuis quand avez-vous fait Facquisitiou de la langue 5S6 lahguc Cbinoise? c'est un talent que je ne vous connoissois pas encore; mais vous ne mettez point de bornes a, votre pol3'glottie. J 'en suis d'autant plus cbarm^ que je pourrois au moins compter sur la fidelity d'une seule traduction de cette langue, le peu que nous en avons me paroissant fort sus- pect ; votre piece a outre ]e m^ite de I'antiquite, celui de T^l^gance de la version. J'attends avec impatience la vie de Cbah Nadir, et je vous fais mes remercimens pour I'attention que vous avez eu pour moi en cbargeant le sous-secretaire d'etat de me faire tenir un exemplaire, je ne suis pas moins curieux de lire ce que vous y avez ajout6 sur la poesie des Orienteaux. Vous etes bien bon, Monsieur, de soumettre votre ouvrage a mon jugement; vous savez com- bien peu vous risquez, et vous etes bien sur d'en- trainer mon foible suffrage. J'y trouverai pour- tant une faut que n'est pas meme l^gere; a sa- voir, la mention honorable que vous y avez fait de moi, quilai merite si peu, et qui I'auroisdu moins tache de m^riter, si j'avois pu m'y attendre. II y a cettefois-ci quelques dames et cavaliers d'ici a Spa, qui tons ensemble valent bien la peine d'etre connus. On me dit que milady Spencer est I'amie intime de la Princesse Esterhazy, vous connoitrez par son moyen un aimable et respecta- ble Dame, et qui fait grand cas des gens de m^rite. Je n'ai rien a vous envoyer presentiment qui vaille la peine; jc me reserve ce plaisir pour une autre 537 autre occasion, et suis en attendant avec tout le respect et veneration, Votre tr^s-humble Serviteur, Revickzki.^ No. XVIL REVICZKIUS JONESIO, S. firnncr, 16* Octohris, 1770. Etsl nihil certi constare possit ex novissiniis tuis Uteris, quo terrarum conccsseris ex Thermis Spadanis, tamen ex hoc ipso silentio ar- guo te impr«sentiarum Londinicommorari. Opi- iiionem meam corroborat tarda literarum tuarum perceptio ; nam toto illo tempore quo in Hunga- rian! divertens, hinc aberam, epistola tarn exop- tata frustratus fui, nee nisi in reditu diu jam hse- rentem ac penfe obsoletam deprendi. Utinam eveniat, quod tantoper^ concupiscere videris, quod- ve mihi summo gaudioforet ; ut, nemp^, post tot exantlata itinera, Vindobonam tibi visere liceat. Leves et frivoli Galli ; moUes et enervati Itali ; torpidi fortasse et morosi Germani, sed nee sic as- pernandi, utpote qui pro elegantioribusnaturas do- tibus solidiores nacti, candore et innata quadam honestate advenarum animos devinciunt. Med quidem nihil interest hoc de Gcrmanis testimo- nium adhibere: namque in Germania non seciis ac nuper in Anglic peregrinus versor; et nemo, nisi rerum ac locorum ignarus, Hungaros Ger- manis adnumeraverit, adeo genio, lingu^, mo- ribus, ac natura ipsa inter se dissidentes: sed fatenda est ingenu^ Veritas, neque diffiteor me hlc locorum 538 locorum satis ad mitiim vitam agere. Tu, qui ^quus rerum estimator es, facile, iit opinor, in eandeni sententiam abibis, idemque de hoc populo judicium tuleris. Oppido te immutatum dicis; idemque te mihi magis placiturum speras, quod, sepositis juvenilis astatis oblectamentis, totum te literis et virtutis studio addixeris ; at ego te talem revidere male, qualem in Anglia, cognitum admi- ratus sura, nee vidi quidquam quod reprehendere possem. In eo autem vel raaxim^ te suspexi, quod severissimas disciplinas et summum in literas ar- dorem, tarn scit^ lusibus et voluptatibus tempe- rare noveris. Cave ne ita te studiis immergas, ne vitse gaudia, parum per se duratura, prEctcrmittas, quibus tanta cum literis est affinitas, ut iis nemo, nisi sapiens et eruditus, rect^ frui censendus sit. Cave etiam, nh idem tibi eveniat in provectiori setate conqueri quod adolescenti illi Horatiano, dicenti : Quae mens est hodie, cur cadem non puero fuit? Aut cur his aniniis incoiunies non redeunt geoas ? Qu6d autem Musas pudicas, et uvaCp^odirecg esse aiunt, id fabulosum plan^ et soli fictioni conve-' niens est ; nam et ips^ carmina jacere inter rnolles pulvillos aiiiant. — Jam ad alia digredior. — Versionem tuam libri Persici, quam jam alias pol- licitus eras, immo etiam misisse significaveras^ hucusque non vidi, neque cur nondum appulerit intelligo; ac proindc^ obsecro, ut ubi deliteat in- vestiges. Carmen Anglicum vcnustissimum ejus- que duplicem ac elegantissimam metaphrasin magn4 tum delectatione legi atque etiam relegi ; miror autem 539 autem qu6d tarn pariun contcntus esse videarls La- tind, quse mihi mir^ placet. No. XVIII. JONESIUS REVICZKIO, S. Londini, 11 Non. Mart, anno 177 L Dii Deccque perdant nig h. ruv d'7rof>pyirocv nostros, qui mihi per bos sex menses polliciti sint, se complures meos libellos ac literas ad te niissLiros ; quod eos need am fecisse video, nee sta- tim facturos arbitior: aiunt se oceasionem non- dum habuisse, et propter belli Hispanici suspi- cionem (quge jam nulla est) diutinis impediri: negotiis. Nequeo tamen k me impetrare quin ad te scribam ; miulta enim dicenda habeo; quam vellem coram ! Jam ind^ a reditu meo in Britaii- niam permagna curarum varietate sum quasi ir- retitus: circumstant amici, sodales, propinqui; hortantur ut poesin et literas Asiaticas aliquati- tisper in exilium ire jubeam, ut eloquentiie et juris studio navcm operam, ut in fori cancellis spatiar, ut, uno verbo, actor causarum, et ambi- tionis cultor fiam. Equidem iis baud jegr^morem gessi, etenim solus per forenses occupationes ad primos patriic me^ honores aperitur arlitus. Mi- rum est quam sim (piXchiog kui (piXoirovog. Ecce mc ade6 oratorem. Eruut posthac literce me£e 'uroKirt-' moTs^.cii : et, si velit fortunaut ad capessendam rem- publicam aliquando aggrediar, tu mihi eris alter At- ticus, tumihi consiliorum omnium, tu mihi arcano- rum particeps. Noli tamen putare me omnin6 man- suctiores 540 suetiores llterasncgligere,: poemata qufedam patria sermone scripta in lucem propediem edere statui ; tragoediam Soliman dictam in theatrum tunc ad- ducam, cum histrioncs invenero dignos, qui earn agant : prasteiea poema epicum ingentis argu- menti (cui Britannei's nonien) contexere institui ; sed illud sane eousque differam, donee mihi otii quiddam, cum aliqua dignitate junctum, conce- datur. Interea bellissimos lego poetas Persicos ; Iiabeo codicum manuscriptorum lautam copiam, partim a me coemptam, partim mihi com- modatam ; inter eos, complures sunt historici, philosopiii, et poeta? magni apud Persas nomi- nis. Poema Jamii quod Yusuf Zuleikha vo- catur, mihi in primis placet; singula disticha (quorum instar quatuor mille et septuaginia con- tinet) sunt veras stcllulse, meralumina; sex hujus libelli pulcherrima exemplaria Oxonii habemus, quorum unum accural^ scribitur, vocalibus insig- iiitur, et notis Goiii illustratur; aliud exemplar ipse possideo, quod, si tcmpus suppetat, excudi curabo. Tu interea ecquid agis ? Pergisne Ha- fizum tuum ornare, illuminare? Equidem perli- bent^r opem mean^ (quantula sit cunque) edition! ministiabo, si veils Londini librum tuum excudi ; sed vix puto quenquam Tt/7roypa(?)wv suis ilium sump- tibus excusurum, nisi sint Hafizi carmina vel An- glic^ vel Gallice versa; nam credibile vix est quam pauci sint in Anglia viri nobiles qui Latin^ sciant. Suadeo itaque, ut notas et versionem iidam GaUico sermone scribas; poteris tamen Odas 541 Odasabs te Latinis versibus redditas operi subjun- gere: puto ctiam linguam Gallicam vestratibus gratiorem fore quam Latinam. Satis ben^ se ha- bet nova Meninskii editio; novorum cbaracterum Arabicorum specimen ad te mitto, in quibus si quid minus elegans videas, amabo te, (juam primura edicas, ut citissim^ corrigatur. Unum Hafizi carmen tabula seiiea incidi curavi ; et forsan (si :uirum abundet) totum Jamii poema eodem inodo incidi faciam ; quod opus chartis sericii impressum, et ornamentis illustratum, arbitror BengaliE prjEfectoct cceteris Indite principibus gra- tum fore. Liber mens ad te missus, ubi lateat nescio ; sed aliud exemplar, idque nitidius et cor- reciiiis, ad te prima occasione mittam, una cum libello de Uteris Asiaticis, iiuper edito, et Gram- matica me^ lingua Persicce, satis bell^ excusa; in qua si quid reperias minus accuratum, si qui4 omitti videatur, ore mihi dicas, ut in alter^ edi-. tione illud mutetur, hoc addatur. Librum des poesi Asiatica tunc in lucem proferam, cum mihi aliquantulum detur otii. Ne tamen putes me e^ oblectamenta, qusesecum effert adolescentia, sper- nere , imo me, ut neminem, delectat cantus et saltatio, et modicus vini cyathjis, et puellarum (quarum est Londini festiva copia) divina pulchri- tude: sed omnibus vitae gaudiis facile antefero il- 1am, illam quam perdit^ amo, gloriam ; illam per. aquas, illam per ignes, illam diebus, illam nocti- bus persequar. O mi Carole, (liceat enim te, missis formulis, veteri simplicitate alloqui,) quanta mihi sese 542 scse apeiit sylva! Si vitas spatium duplicetur, vix mihi satisf'aciat, ad ea quas in animo habeo tarn publice quam privatlm rect^ perficienda. — Vale I No. XIX. JONESiUS, D. B. S. Loiidini, (S Kal. April, 1771. Liber iste Persiciis, qiiein possides, gemina quavis est pretiosior. Ejusdeni possidet exemplar tiio simillimum vir undequaque doctissi- njus Meninskius, quern suo more, hoc est, inelegan- tb' ac pariim Latine ita desciibit : jIw^HI ,^\y " moechzemtl esrar. Gazopbylacium arcaiioruni *' aut mysteriorum, liber pretiosissimus, quippe " elegantissimo in Persia stylo et cbaractere scrip- " ttis, insignibus imaginibus distinctus, et vix " inveniendiis : atque in eodem codice libri pra;- " terea quinque alii continentur, .^ J^ * ^/^ " chiisru "ve-shirin, et .*jyJ^ • AJ Lcili zvic " meg nun bistoricc fictce amatoria^ ; tres vero " reliqiumoralcs,yC .^^jLheJ'tpeijkerjj^^Ji^] ^\^ (.e ,i>^) asJvref narnei Iskeudcr, et ^^\^ jtj?) '' YkbiH jiameh: codex est pretio 200 aureorum *' Eestimatus." Hinc de vero libri tui pretio judi- care potes. Equidem alia quasdam subjungam, et, ut poeta, baud verebor affirmare sex bellissima in hoc libro poemata, magis ob poeseos pulcbritudi- nem, quam ob scripturte elegantiam, et ima- ginum nitidos colores, esse pretiosa. Auctor fuit percelebratus ille Nezami, cui agnomen Kenjuvi; qui 543 qui sub finem sjECuli duodecimi, regi Thogrul Ben Erslan, iilustri bellatori et literatum fautori, * deliciis erat. Liber quinquc complectitur poe- mata, quorum ultimum in partes dividitur duas: primum, quod arcanoruni thesaurus vocatur, multas continet fabellas et niulta colloquia de homiuum officiis ac rebus bumanis; in illo ssepe inducitur rex Persarum celeberrimus Nusbirvan, qui sub finem sasculi sexti contra Justin urn pri- mum, et Justinianum felicittr bellavit : illo re"*- nante, natus est Arabum legislator Mohammedes, qui ilium objustitiam, in Alcorano collaudat; il- ium poetje Persici Sadi, Hafez, Jami, aliique perpetuo laudant, et unus ex iis belle ait : " Nomen Nusbirvan fortunatum ob justitiam vi- " vit, lic^t multum elapsum sit temporis, per " quod Nusbirvan ipse non amplius manet." Se- cundum poemajuvenis amabilissimi Meg'nun, seii amentis, ita ob amorem insanum dicti, et Leilse pulcherrimse pueilee vitas continet. Tertium amo- res complectitur regis Kbosrois h Sassaniorum fa- milia vicesimi-tertii Nusbirvani nepotis, et for- mosissimce virginis Sbirinse seu Dulcis. Quartum septemjigurce nominatur, et regis Bcbaram, quern Grseci inept^, ut solent, Yaranam appellant, his- torian! narrat; prtecipu^ vero septem illius palatia describit, quorum unumquodque divcrsum a cae- teris colorem habuisse dicitur. Quintum Alex- andr 5U andri vltam, ac res gestas denarrat ; verum enim- vero sciendum est, Asiaticos ornnes regem Mace- doniim aperantiquo rege Secander dicto lion dis- tinjiuere, sed amborum facta ridicule commiscere. Haec habeo qnx de libro tuo dicam, iion conjec- turafretus, sed cert^ sciens, me vera dicere. Laj- tor admodum collegium S'' Johannis Cantabri- giensis banc tbesaurum, te donante, possessurum : ac spero in Academia vestra aliquos futuros, qui poetae venustissimi Nezami elegantiaspoterintani- mo comprebendere. Si quis pleniorem poetce bu- jusce notitiam habere velit, consulat oportet li- brum jucundum, cui nomen vit(V po'etarum Per- sicoriim, auctore Dculetsbab Samarcandio, cujus yidi Lutetiispulcberrimum exemplar. — Vale! No. XX. REVICZKIUS JONESIO, S. Fiennce, die 10° Octobris, 1771. Jam prope annus est elapsus, a quo ' pccasionem pvaestolor, qua libellum, te probante, in |ucem emissum, ad te mitterem, quin ullam hac- teuus potuerim adipisci; nunc denium opportune evenit discessus in Angliam viri amicissimi toD intl T^v d%o(:py,rccv BritannisB legationis^ qui mihi officiuni suum sponle obtulit, et opus hoc meum, aut, si mat'ia, iiium, ad te defeni curare est humanissim^ poUicitus. Eadem iidelia cuperem etiam gratura anjmum, pro transmisso mihi munere, contestari, sed grates persolvere dignas non opis est nostiae; sat crit iua dkerc facta. Oppido miratus sum studium 545 studium et doctrinam ac vel maxim^ dlligentiam in triplici opere quo mihi gratificatus es, sed eru- bui laudibus quas mihi intemperanter prodigis. Multum san^ tibi literae et literati omnes debere fatebuntur, si eandem deinceps, quam coepisti, orientalibus Uteris operam navaveris. Scire per- cuperem quo bonore remuneratus sit virtutem et laborem tuum Ptex Daniee, aut, illo auctore, Rex Angb'as, ut tibi et bonis omnibus, qui te xqnh ac ego diligunt, gratari possim, utque nobile tuum ingenium condign^ praemiatum leetari valeam. — ^''''^' No. XXI. JONESIUS REVICZKIO, S. Oxonii, vii Id. Decetnbres, anno 1771. Abs te per hos menses (imo potii\s annos) tredecim, ne literulas quidem! Binas equidem ad te literas miseram, unas Non. Mart. Latin^ scriptas et bene longas, alteras Gallic^ exaratas air- renti, quod aiunt, stylo. In iis quid egerim, quid agere meditarer, in quo vita3 cursu essem, ad quas dignitates aspiraret ambitio mea, feci te dili- gentissim^ certiorem. Libros meos quatuor, ut opinor, acccpisti, (|Uos D. Whitchurch, legato Anglico d iv. twv /f^wv, secum, meo rogatu, Vindo- bonani tulit. Ilium adolescentem bona^ indolis, et literarum peramantem, dignum esse scito quern iitaris familiariter. Hocce literarum ad te afferet D. Drummond, homo literatus, quern mediciE ar- tis studium, quod in hac insuld non te latet esse perhonorirtcum,isthic proficisci incitavit, secundum Homericum illud, 'IvirpcJ? avi^p zjouMv livlxiio; xXXcav. '. N X Eos 546 Eos velim ita tractes, ut sciant meam com men- clationem apud te ♦plurimuin valere. Accipies eodem tempore oratiimcuiam quandam meam, in pulchelium, nescio qiiem, terrai fiiium, qui Acade* mise nostiie conviciari ausus est ; non impun^, ut videbis, si quid apud istiusmodi vappam ac nebu- lonem valeat mucro orationis mea?. Conturbavi, ut ait Cicero de sais Commentariis, GaUicam iiaiionem. Quid agit Hafez, deliciolse nostras? Nunquamne carmina ilia suavissima, te interprete, prodibunt in luccm ? Placetne tibi versio mea Anglica, canninis istius Egker an Turki ? Nos- tratibus cert^ quidem non displicet. Vellem plures alias Anglic^ vertere, sed otJum non suppe- tit. Nem'mem adhuc inveni, qui iibelium tuum de re militari reddere digne posset. Prsefatio tua omnibus et docta et eiegans videtur; sed opus (quod tute ais in prooemio) titulo Osidid hikm ji iiezamV I'llmem aiunt non respondere. Ejusdeni libri wpajToVuTTov Turcic^ scriptiim (cum czeteris Constantinopoii excusis, et bellissimo carminuni Mesihii cxempiari) in bibliotbeca Regiee nostra? Societatis vidi. Cupio scire, num facile sit onines cos libros quos laudas, ab Ibrabimo editos, vel in Germania, vel in Thracia, aut Hungaria emere ? quod si fieri posset, iilorum compos esse pervellem. Ecquidnam de Turcis novi ? Mev slpvivvj? ovSelg X6y^ ;' Equidem, simul ac de belli Russici exitu certior facf us fuero, legationem Turcicam apert^ petere constitui ; nunc occult^ et susurratim. Rex, optim^ in me affectus; optimates satis bene- voli; 547 Voli ; mercatorum societas admodum mihi favet : illud solum vereor, ne quis competitor potentior in scenam prodeat, et me cursii prsevertat. Si petitio feliciter evaseiit, dii boni ! w; yiuluvsciviEvaoixxi ; Pri- mum, tuo Vindobonaj fruar colloquio ; dein literis Asiaticis madebo ; Turcariim mores ex abditissimis fontibus exhauriam ; — sin aliud contigerit, (piKo- co(pyiliov. Erit forum ; non deerunt, ut spero, cau- sas ; erit litium plena messis ; restabit eloquentia, studium; restabit poesis, historia, philosopliia, qua- rum singulis lecth colendis vita nostra bascce hu- ma,na, oaoi vvv fi^oloi eV/xev, vix sufficiet. Multa alia habeo quce dicam, sed me imperiosa trahit, — non Proserpina, ut spero, at si qua est fori ac judicio- rum fautrix Dea. Longiores literas expecta : tu interea ad me quam longissimas mitte. Te unicc ac fratern^ diligimus. — Vale I No. XXII. JONESIUS ROBERTO ORME, S. IV. Id. Apriles, anno 1 772. Quanta cum voluptate, quantaque admi- ratione tui, historiam de bello Indico legerim, faci- lius possum animo complecti, quam verbis enar- rare: ita enim dilucid^ abs te consilia, res gestae, et rerum eventus declarantur, ut iis profecto, dum. legebam, non mente solum sed re interesse, non tarn lector, quc\m actor esse, visus sim. In primis mibi placebant vitse ac naturse hominum, aut rerum gestarum gloria, aut sapientise laude florentium, abs te declarat^; nee minorem narra- tioni venustatem afferunt, locorum insignium de- N N 2 scriptiones, o4S scriptiones, vclut ilia Gangis fluviiplan^graphica; et sau^ animatlverti non mocI6 poetas, sed politiorcs omnium fcr^ astatum historicos in fluviis descri- bendis baud parum artis ac stndii posuisse : sic Acheldum Thucydides, Teleboam Xenopbon de- scribit, utcrque suo in genere egregie; sed bic, ut semper, venust^ ac brevit^r; ille, ut sa^pius, elat^ atquc lionidulfe. Ad genus dicendi quod attinet, si elegantra et in verbis constet^ et in verborum collocatione, quam elegans oratio sit oportet tua, in qud verba lectissima, seniperque apta ad id, quod significant, oidine pulcberrimo collocantur ; qua? laus est in scribendo prope maxima. Qu6d si bistorios tuse partem alteram, quce k te jamdu- dum flagitatur, in lucem protuleris, cum bonis om- nibus ac tui similibus gratum feceris, turn nominis tui famam latius diffuderis : nee justum videtur ornari abs te ac celebrari regionem Coromandeli- cam, si negligatur ea, quam rex quidam Indicus delicias terrarum vocitabat, Bengala. — Vale ! No. XXIIL JONESIUS R P. BAYER HISPANO, S. Prid. Cal. Mart. an. 1774. Libelli tui de PJuvnicum Lingua et Colo- 7?iSf qui dubito docti6rne sit an jucundior, bellissi- mum exemplum accepi ; et (^uanquam vereor, ne a urea (cucis, tanquam Homeric us Ille Diomedes, pernuitare videar, mitto tamen ad te, in grati sci- licet animi testimonium, commentarios meos poe- seos Asiaticii?, qui si tibi arriserint, id scito magnjs mibi voluptati fore. — Vale I No. 519 No. XXIV. JONESIUS H. A. SCHULTENS, S. Id. Jut. an. 1774. Adolcscentulum sunima modestici, dili- gcntul, virtute prreditum, cui nomen Camj)bell, qulque ad te hoc literularum pertulerit, majoiem in niocUim tibi commendo. Is in India mercatu- ram facturus est ; sed priusquam longani istam et molestam navigationemsiiscepeiit, scrmonibusqui- busdam Europa;?is atqiie Asiaticis, et ex his praeci- pu^ Persico, addiscendis, operain est daturus. Quantum illi vel in stuiliis vel in negotiolis adju- menti afferre poteiis, tantum mihi allaturn autunia- vero ; ipsum prieterea tibi semper deviiixeris. Quid agit Haririus noster ? Ecquando abs te ornatus, prodibit in hicem ? Nos in tbro tempus consumimus ; quicquid otii datur, id omne legibus interpretandis historiisque legendis confene cogi- mur. Commentarios meos ad te misi, quos te fipero accepisse. — Vale ! No. XXV, H. A. SCHULTENS Quoties, amlcissime Jones, fortunati ejus tem- poris, quod in beata vestra insuhi transegi, subit memoria, toties animum sentio miro quodam vo- luptatis sensu perfundi, a gratissimtl recordatione jucundae tuae atque utilissimae, qua fruimihi hcuit, consuetudinis. 550 consuetudinis. SImul vero tui desiderium tarn ve* hement^r excitatur, ut absentiam tuam feram ceger- rim^. Quam animi aggritudinem sin minus tollere, at lenire potest, dulce epistolanim commercium, Et reveranonillud tempus indc a reditu in patriam effluxisset, absque ut. nihil prorsus de me audires, nisi cum ipse variis, iisque insolitis, negotiis fuissem districtus ; turn timuissem, ne studiorum tuorum molestus essem interpellator. Tollit hunc metum, gratissimum, quod nuper a te accepi, commentari- orum tuorum munus, quod eo mihi gratiusaccidit, quo videre inde licuit, mei memoriam tibi nonduni excidisse. Maximas o^mino ago habeoque gratias pro terso illo tuo atque.elegantissimo libro, quein summa aviditate legi, perlegi, relegi, et, n^ vivam, obstupui. Simul tamen sincerus Musarum nostra- rum amator deplorandam illarum sortem indolui, quibus in summa cultorum suorum penuria tantum virum eripiuut rauca fori jurgia. Ergone eas noii habent venustates, eas gratias, ut aliisquceuon nisi opes et honorum titulos dotem adferunt, prteferri mereantur? Ergone non ita placet sola earuni forma, et habitus elegantissimus, simul et suavissi- mus, ut cultores alliciant, qui, spretis aliis, perdite eas ament, iis solis se oblectent, atque toti cum iis sint? Ignoscas, mi Jonesi, talia amic^ tecum ex^ postulanti. Operis tui non nisi pauca, duo fort^ vel tria, ex- empla hucusque ad nos sunt delata, Fac, quceso, ne illorum copiam ulterii^is nobis invideat librariorum socordia. Accipies brevi orationem, quam hlc loci liabui, inauguralem de Jinihus Uierariim Orienta- Ihim 551 Hum prof erendis, TumvAiuanh confecta, non po- tuit ita elaborari ac debiiisset, atque ipse vellem, niod6 per tempus liciiisset. Jucundissimum, quod obeo, munus hoc solum habet molestia?, quod non- dum liceat libere qu6 velim divagari, atque in inr stitutionibus grammaticis, lectionibus exegeticis Veteris Testament!, et enarrandis antiquitatibus Judaicis, tantum teraporis consumere cogar, ut parum vel nihil legendis auctoribus Arabi- cis, mult6 minus Persicis, supersit. Sed tsedium hoc ed libentiusfero, quo, si cit6 devoretur, majus ind^ otium mihi brevl sit nasciturum. Et ubi semel omnem banc lectionum farraginem singuhs annis repetendam chartis mandavero, liber et mei juris potero totus his studiis incumbere. Meida- nensem edendum suscipere jam certum mihi est de- liberatumque. In editione paranda duo ad mini- mum lustra erunt impendenda. Quanta enira turn ipsius linguce, turn historiarum, rituum, et morum Orientalium cognitio ad id requiratur, sine quibus tamen tantum opus ne conandum quidem est, ipse- met prob^ nosti. An vero hie foetus, ubi admatu- ritatem perveneiit, obstetricantemmanum facile in- ven turns sit ^^Xp) JJ]. Scheidius Professor Har- derovicensis in edendo Gieuhario occupatur. Sumptus tanto operi imprimendo necessarios cum ferrenon valeat, difhcultatem banc putat sublatam iri, si 28 fasciculos, pro numero literarum divisos, seorsim in lucem emittat; ita ut pecunia ex primo fasciculo, qui literam ) continebit, parata sufficiat imprimendo ^^ et sic porro. Cieterum 552 Casterum novi, quod ad te sciibam, nihil est ^uam vellem tui iterum videndi copia milii fieret ! Si id in te efficere valeat per glaciem currendi ar- dor, ut Banksium vestrum, imitatus eum in finem hue venires, jam non ade6 frigora extimesco, ut contra sperem intensissima, glaciesque solidissimas et diu duraturas. Quidquid sit, sive hyeme, sive aestate, nihil unquam poterit niihi gratius accidere, quarn te hospitem excipere. Uxor (quam ant^ 5 circiter menses duxi) magno flagitat desiderio vi- dendi Jonesium ilium, de quo maritum audit quo- tidi^ loquentem. Multum ea te salvere jubet, ut et pater meus, qui dici non potest quantoper^ legen- dis operibus tuis imprimis commentariis fuerit de- lectatus. Magno ille te honore prosequitur, et diligit, et colit. — Tu velim scribas ad me quid agas; quid agant optimcs illie tua2 mater et soror, quas ineo nomine plurimum qua^so salutes, easque cer- tiores reddas gratissimum me animum servare et semper servaturum pro insigni humanitate, et variis officiis, quibus me sibi devinxerunt. — Caeterum de mesicjudices, quantum ego possim, metibi, omni- busque tuis summo cum studio presto semper futurum. — Vale, mi Jonesi, meque ama. Scripsi AmstelsBdami, 9 Sept. 1774. Fer^ oblitus eram de principe nostro Damascene Yuseph (ni fallor) ir^ ^d te scripsisse. VaU Ah doleo eum tarn diu h)c latuisse, ut biduo ante- quam hinc Bruxellam peteret, me primum inviserit. Mir^ delectatus fui indole ejus liberali, generosa, et 553 et vert^ Arabic^. Ncque elegantiori cloctrinu vide- batiir destitutus. Sed de bis tu meHus judices, quani ego. — Ego bominem, quamdiu vivam, ama- bo, cujus jucundi seimones me febri laborantem ita recrearunt, et totum quasi occup^runt, ut pessimo morbo redire cupienti nullus locus superesset. Si velis ad me scribere, quod quseso facias citis- sim^, btec sit epistolas inscriptio : A Mons. ScnuLTENs, Professeur en Langues Oiientales, Amsterdam. Accepi nuper catalogum librorum, qui apud Wbitium venales prostant. Nisi molestum sit, gratissimum mihi feceris, si ipsum jubeas bos libros mibi reservare, quos bicvi curabo, simul miss^ pecunia, ut buc deferantur : No. 419 Elmacini Historia Saracenica. — 18 sh. llOOHerbelot.— 31. Jsh. 1471 Geogr. Nubiensis yersio. — i sh. , -^ 5909 Eutychius.— 15 sh. g09I Hunt in Proveibia VII.— 1 sh Ko. XXVI. JONESIUS II. A. SCHULTENS, S. PTid. Nan. Oct. 1774. Gratissimas abs te literas accepi, datas V Id. Sept. sed serius quam vellem mibi redditas, qu6d in maritime Cantii parte asstateni egi, et nu- per admodum Loiulinum redii : Coinmentarios meos abs te et patre tuo probari, vchement^r gau- ileo; quod addis amicissime tu quidem et buma- nissini^, 554 nissime, 3dgrh teferre, me politioris doctrinse deser- torem esse, agnosco benevolentiam expostulationis tuee. Sed, ml Alberte, non est integrum ; jacta est alea; libri mei omnes, cum impressi turn manu- scripti, praeter eos, qui ad jureconsulti et oratoris officium pertinent, in area Oxonii otiantur ; et statui, per viginti minimum annos, nullis rebus, nisi aiit forensibus aut politicis, operam navare, Consilii mei rationes longo sermone persequi non est necessarium : illud sufficiet dicere, me, si Ro- mre vixissem aut Athenis, oratorum et illustrium civium labores, vigilias, pericuia, exilium, invidiam, mortem denique, vel umbris poetarum vei philoso- phorum hortis antelaturum fuisse. Idem faciendum in hac Anglorum republica, quce nee Romance nee Atheniensi cedit, et sentio, et a pueritia sensi, et semper sentiam. Porro aulem, tametsi literarum politiorum venustatem facil^ agnosco, tamen vald^ me delectat id quod a Neoptolemo in tragcedia di- citur, Philosopbari juvat sed paucis; et illud Hip- pocrateum, 'O /3/©^ (^paxOg, y\ ri^vvj jx^'/pa, 6 xai/p©^ cE'^5. Strenue denique asseverabo alias esse majo- res artes, quse non solum fructus, sed et dulcissimos fructus aiferunt. Quid ! nullamne attulit animi voluptatem divina ilia Matbesis Arcbimedi, geome- trarum principi, cum in tbeoremate demonstrando adeo intente cogitationem defixisset, ut captas esse Syracusas non sentiret? Quid! ullamne rem ju- cundiorein aut nobiliorem esse putemus, quam juris patriiunum studium, de quo velim in memO' riam revoces quid dicant in Ciceronis de Oratore libris 555 libris L. Crassus et Q. Scaevola? Quid! cxisti- masne Suaclam illam, cujus medulla ab Ennio dici- tur Cethegus, qui et flos populi ab eodem vocatur, aut Thalia aut Polyhyraniaj suavitatis palmam con- ccdere ? Quid ! es'ne aliquis qui non mallet M. Tullii similis esse, cujus, cilim m omni vitatum in studiis, exemplar et quasi llsa-j mihi proponam, quam aut Vanouis eruditissimi viri, aut Lucietii, poetsB ingeniosissimi ? Quod si vere insuave et horridum fuisset juris nostri studium, quod est longe secLis, tamen reprehendendus non essem, si cum veteribussapientissimis, etcum ipsa sapientiiB dea, Athenarum fautrice, Minerva, fructuosani atque utilem olivam sterili lauro anteponerem. Ut apert^ loquar ; non est raei stomachi nobilium viro- fum arrogantiam, quK a poetis et literarum culto- ribus devoranda est, perferre. Heec tibi amice expostulanti, amicfe respondeo ; tuam autem volun- tatem, egregi^ in me perspectam et cognitam, scito mibi pcrjucundam esse. Orationeni tuam avid^ expecto. Labores tuos omnes, et pr^ecipue Meidanense, opus bilustre, fortunet Deus ! Mens sit, oro, fortis et constans doctissimo Scheidio, ut opus immensum quod meditatur, Atlanteis humeris sustinere valeat. Industriam ejus, omni laude dignam, admiror : sed post Meninskii fatum, non loquor de opere, sed de ipsius miseriis, non est viri prudentis (et qui sibi baud sapit, niliil sapit) navem suani tarn inccrto mari, atque adeo prop6 naufragii periculoexponere. Regedignum opus est, fateor; sed censura requirit regis. Yere tibi gratulor, g/atulantur 556 gratulantur tibi mater et soror mea, felicitate nup- tiarum tuarum. Schultensis tus, quani amabilissi- mam esse cert6 scio, et patri tuo, viro optimo, salu- tem impertioplurimam. Gratiim habeo, quod me Amsteledami videre cupis ; niihi quoque summae erit voluptati tecum in patria ink colloqui ; qu6d si tua trui liceretconsuetudine, glacies vestra Hes- peridum liortis essct amoenior, nee ipsa Tempe ad ire magis cuperem ; sed, propter forenses occu' pationes, ^stas mihi ad peregrinandum erit com- niodior. Polliceor tibi me, vel anno proximo, vel post eum venture, mense Julio aut Augusto, apud te perlibent^r commoraturum. Josephum, hominem Syrum, tibi placuisse laetor, et gaudeo ilium per Germaniam iter facturum esse. De illo satis longa est historia ; qui, nisi ego prima- riis hujus civitatis viris, qui apud regem plurimum valeant, sedul6 exor^ssem, Londini aut vixisset miserrimus, aut mortem obiisset immerit6. Libros quos emere voluisti, tibi reservat Bibliopola. Li- terulas ad te meas Idibus Juliis scriptas, quas ad te perferendas dedi adolescenti Campbello, non- dum, utarbitror, accepisti. Regis Hispanias filius, Gabrielis, princeps juventutis, ad me misit Sallusti- um suum splendidissim^ impressum. Id mihi summo honori duco, gratiasque perdiligent^r egi. Audiisti sine dubio de Brucii, hominis Scoti, perc- grinationibus in Syriam, Arabiam, Abyssiniam, Nu- biam, iEgyptum ; cui non domus sua nota magis est quam Rubri Maris littus, et Nili fons. — • Multos secum attulit codices ^Ethiopico sermone scrip tos, 557 scriptos, et, inter alios, Enochi vaticinium, li- brum antiquum, sed inter Sibyllina volumina numerandum. »•*♦** Dum haec scribebam, venit ad me quidam qui attulit codicem, ut aiebat, manu scriptum, quern h. Montacuto, nobili Anglo, Venetiis acceperat, ut ad me perferret. Aperui librum; inveni bellissi- .mum et perfectissimum Motanabii exemplar, cum epistola versibus Arabicis ad me scripta ab Ahder- rahman nescio quo, quern fortasse in Asia Monta- cutus viderat. Gratissima est docti Arabis in me benevolentia; versus apposui ; neutiquam me dig- nor tarn exaggeratis laudibus : sed nosti magnilo- quentiam Asiaticorum. Noli jam putare me Mo- tanabii poemata continue perlecturum ; latebunt Oxonii, cum caeteris istis similibus thesauris meis. Velim tibi persuadeas te a. me plurimi fieri, nee quidquam mibi jucundius esse posse, quam abs te saepissim^ longissimas epistolas accipere. — Cura ut valeas, meque, ut facis, amare pergas. No. XXVII. JONESIUS F. P. BAYER, S. 4 Non. Oct. 1774. Vix reperio quibus tibi verbis agam gratias, qu6d Sallustii historiam charta? splendidissimaj perpulcbre impressani, et in sermonem Hispanum elegant^r conversam, ad me mittendam curaveris ; codemque me, novum hominem et privatum, bonore afFeceris, quo non nisi magnos reges et illustres academias, ante^ dignatus es. Sed incipienti mihi literas o58 llteras ad te mittere, dublum omnino visum est, gratii-^ lar^rnetibi prius de pra?stantissimo interpretationis scriptore, an gratias agerem quod mihi adeo jucun- dum tui fxvv]|xoVuvov dedisses. Auguror san^ clarius lumen bonaium artiuni ac scientiamm accessurum patriae tuce, in qua regius adolescens eo sit ingenio caque doctrina prieditus, uthistoricorum Romano- rum principem luculent^r interpretari, notisque eruditus illustrare possit. Quam pauci sunt in aliis regionibus juvenes primarii, qui tantum opus perficere aut velint, si possint, aut possint fortasse, si velint ! Sallustii gravissimum opus, sapientia et dignitate plenum, ben^ intelligere, permagnum est; apte illustrare, egregium ; belle vertere, ad- mi randum. Hxc omnia si vir privatus effecisset, laude dignusesset; si adolescens^ honore decoran- dus ; si et juvenis, et princeps juventutis, summis honoribus pra^couii more persequendus. Linguffi vestr-cC studium doctissimce complures jam annos intermisi ; sed memini me Alonzi heroi- cum poema, Garcilassi carmina, Cervantis Icpidas fabellas magna cum volnptate legisse. Nihil ta- men, ita fortunate vivam, elegantius aut politius legi, quam Sallustii versionem ; et libent^r -doctis- simo auctori assentior, cum dicat in prooemio, *' linguam vestram ad Latini sermonis gravitatem *' proxinse accedere. " Pergat igitur juvenis ama- I/dissimus cum de patria sua turn de humano ge- nere bene mereri ; efficiatque ut omnibus hujus asvi ])iiiu'ipibui viris facile sit anteponendus. Si mihi liceat eloqui quod scutio, auctor sim ut M. Tullii 559 fer^ divinis operibus qu^m diligentlssime navet cperam ; quae neminem unquam legisse puto, quin legendo factus sit eloqueiitior et doctior. Digna est admirabilis ilia ad Quintum fratrem de pro- vincia administranda epistola, quas ab omnibus in terrarum orberegibus memoriter quotidi^ recitetur. Digui sunt libri de Officiis, de Finibus, de Quaesti- onibus Tusculanis, qui centi^s perlegantur. Dign^e Orationes fer^ sexaginta quje in omnes Europ^e linguas convertantur. Nee vereor affirmare sede- cim illos epistolarum ad Atticum libros historiis fer^ omnibus (Sallustio excepto) prasstare. Quod ad tua ipsius opera attinet, liber tuusjucundissimus a me diligent^r et lectus est et legetur. — Audio te ejusdem versionem Latinam meditari, quam ut perficias oro, gentium exterarum gratia. Nihiliii eo quod sit mutandum video, nihil quod non lau- dandum. Pervelim plures tuos antiquitatum Asia- ticarum et Africanarum libros in lucem proferas. Ecquid harum rerum studiosis gratiusne optare possim ? — Tu interea, vir clarissime, et meo et rei- publicas literarijE nomine etiam atque etiam vale ! No. XXVIII. JONESIUS G. S. MICHAELI, S. Prid. Non. Novemb. Peto a te ne me putes libros tuos aut non legisse, aut lectos neglexisse. De fabulis He- br^eorum neque a. te prorsus dissentio, nee tamen usquequaque tibi assentior. Nolni igitur, re non- duni satis explorata et cognitu, ab opinione vul- 560 gaii rccedere. Caeterum commentarios noi>tro3 abs te probari l«tor. Quod queeris, seri6ne ]\I Lisas Asiaticas et politiores literas deseruerim, nihil scito esse verius ; nee per viginti annos quidquam de his rebus aut sciibam aut meditabor. Totus in foro sum, et in juris nostri studio Hiru^rav ehaxov: tua tamen opera, teque ipsum, vir optime atque hu- manissime, plurimi semper faciam.— Vale ! No. xxix. H. A. SCHULTENS JONESIO, S. Jati. 6, 1775. Etsi his diebus, qulbus molesti et insoliti labo-^ res totum me occupatum tenent, ne id quidem temporis mihi supcrest, ut de epistolis exornandis cogitare liceat, tamen non potui doctissimo Bjorn- sthalio nihil literarum ad te dare, cum ut haberet^ quo optatus ipse aditus ad te patefieret ; tum, ut videres, me tui non immemorem vivere. — Jucun- dum tibi erit cum Succo nostro Philarabe collo- quium. Non tantum enim multorum hominum mores vidit et urbes, sed Orientales etiam literas et callet eoreo-i^ et amat vehement^r. Dcliciis (non olim, ut scribis, sed etiam nunc) tuis addic- tum scio pergratum tibi futurum. — Accepi utrasque tuas literas. Priores, quas Campbello dedcras ad me perferendas, reddidit mihi ejus avunculus Cun- ningliam, mercator hac in urbe degens. Ipsum adolescentulum nondum vidi. Missus est in lu- dum quendam aliquot milliaribus hinc dissitum. Si hue redicrit, conabor, quacunque in re potero, mcniet 561 memet utilem ei pr^stare : — ad alteras brevi re- spondebo. Tu interim, mi Jonesi, fac ut valeas, m6qiic amare perge. Optimam tuam matrem et sororcMii, casterosque communes amicos, meo no- mine salutes quam plurimum. — Vale. Dabam Amstelodami, vi Jaimarii, 1775. No. XXX. JONESIUS REVICZKIO, S. Dat. Londini, xiv Kal. Feb. anno 1775. Noli putare me tui oblitum, qu(kl raras a me literas accepisti ; iieque enim habui cui rect^ fasciculum darem, nee tabellariis incertis AeV;(^viv nostram familiarem volui committere. Ne- scio prceterea an hoc literularum ad te perventurum sit, et vereor de re qiialibet apertius, ut soleo, lo- qui ; cijm tua ad me humanissima epistola, Varso- vice, Idib. Jan. data, resignata mihi reddita sit, quod puto banc nostram fore, priusquam tu illam recipies. ]\Ie scito infmitis in urbe et in toga oc- cupationibus impediri, qu6 minus Uteris dem ope- ram. Libros edidi duos ; quos turn demum acci- pies, cum aliquem invenero, cui prudent^r eos committam. Scribe ad me literas, amabo te : ni- hil mihi amjcitia tua jucundius esse potest. Quam vellem aut tu hue venisses, aut ego istuc, ut una vivere possemus. Displicuit mihi legatio Turcica. Vivam in patrifi, quce bonis civibus baud facile caret ; jamdudum enim auKevsi. O, quam liEtarer, si te hue legatum videre possem : baud inviderem aut Europce aut Asise regibus 1 — Tu interea, mi Reviczki, etiam atque etiam vale ! o o No. 562 No. XXXI. REVICZKIUS JONESIO, S. Quanta sim Isetitia afFectus, acceptis tuis amantissimis literis, facile perspicies, si amo- rem in te meum plenty cognitum habueris. Ego occupatioiiibus quibus eram hactenus impeditas, frequentius lioc tanto solatio fiui non potui, idqiie humauissirii^ a te factum agnosco, ut co tempore acciperem tuas literas quo non expectarem. Etsi autem tutius fore crediderim nequid literis com- niittamus, quod, si prolatum sit, molest^ feramus; tamen resignationem cpistolae mea?, de qua me cdoces, casui potiiis quam studio tribuo. Non dubito quin occupatissimus sis, ciim te forensibus exercitationibus totum dedideris. Quare non equidem jam te rogo ut ad me assiduo scribas, sed hoc te scire volo, quod mihi ad scribendum plus otii quam antea contigerit, postquam exactis nu- perrim^ bienhalibus comitiis (ta^dio autem sa;cu- laribus) laborem pmh omnem exantlavi. Htcc de publicis negotiis harum partium. — De Britannicis autem nihil cognovi ex tuis literis ; sed ex aliis abunde comperio quantum vos colouiarum interni motus, et bello cxtcrno difficiliores, cxagitanti Me jam muneris et officii mei, non tam ardui quam ingrati, fastidium cepit ; nee alia mihi consolatio est bujus ingentis molestice, nisi qu6d spero non amplius longiorem annua fore. Nte ego essem Londini libenter, atque utinam aliquod in ilia urbe Reipublicae mcas, laohiTmov opus efficere, et navare mihi 565 Inibi liccat, '/.a} -Ae to /SsAo/ju-viv nut asv 'ZJoKvue^hov e<%, nihil sane tali provincia jucundius accidere mihi possef. Quod si Diis insperato visum fueiit, tu velim mihi ibi praesto sis, ut tuo consortio tuaque familiaritate, ut consuevi, in omnibus rebus utar. Libros quos te edidisse scribis, nulla mentione ar- gumenti, consequi aveo, nee dubito quin eoruni lectione mimm in modum oblecter. — Vale; et ut me ames, vehementer tc rogo; No. XXXII. JONESIUS H. A. SCHULTENS, S. Vide quantum i\ libertate absim, ego scilicet, qui reKsiav ixev^e^iav solebam prcc me ferre ! Volens equidem, atque ade6 ardent^r cupiens, te Amstelodami visere, pollicitus etiam tibi, me hoc dcmiim anno apud te futurum, variis et magnis negotiis Londini detineor. Scito me unum esse h sexaginta viris iis, qui de debitoribus bona ceden- tibus judicant. Officio huic satis inest utilitatis, lucri non nimis : me tamen per majorem anni par- tem in hac urbe defixum tenet. Adde studia ne- cessaria, et forenscs occupationes, magnumque o{)US rcspondendi clientibus de quEcstionibus juris. Gr-cecos tamen oratores lectito ; et Isaei utilissimas orationes palrio sermone converti. Quid agit in- tcrea Meidanius ? quid Haririus ? Pergas velim eos ornare, ita tamen ut cures valetudineili. — Vale ! vij Id. Dec. wdcclxxvi. O o 2 No. 564^ No. XXXIII. 11. A. SCliULTENS JONESIO, S. Dici vix potest quantoper^ me exlilla- rarent literae tua?, breves illae quidem, seel officii et humanitatis plenissimte. Pudet profecto, me tarn ser6 ad eas rescribeie, iit jure mihi videar a te re- prebendendus, tanquam tuorum erga me benefici- orum pariim memor: quam vero suspicionem gra- vissimam ut omni vi atque opera deprecor, sic nolo equidem, nee possum, omnem negligentice culpam prorsus diffiteri. — Habes, ml Joncsi, ream confi- tentem ; sed ignoscas, qua3S0, meliora in futurum pollicenti. — Prasterea muItiE sunt et infiniti^ fer^ occupationes meee, quse me vix sinunt respirare, — cert^ scribere volentem continuo jubent officium illud in aliud tempus rejicere. Justa tibi videbitur liEcc excusatio, ubi dixero, de Mcidanio mco per lios 5 menses ne quidem fuisse cogitatum. Nunc vero, pauIo plus otii nactus, intermissum laborem brevi resumam, cujus persequendi molestiam mul- tum sublevabit ingens et rarum beneficium, quod a bibliotbeccE Leidensis curatoribus nuper impe- travi, ut non tantum codicem Meidanii, sed alios etiam, quibus indigeo, hue mecum deferam, eos- que, quamdiu opus erit, in usus meos adhibeam. •Itaque tarn insigni benevolentia mirifice adjutus, pergam acrit^r, quantum per alias occupationes licebit, in describendo codice, conficiendis indi- cibus necessariis, (sine quibus in tali opere exse- quendo nihil proficitur,) et4iugendo atque ornando omni 565 omni editionis apparatu, qui jam paulatliB sub ma^ nibus coepit increscere; — utinam mocl6 liccret omne illud tempus, quod multi^m leluctanti, a^ger- rim^que interdiim fereiiti, suniplunt cujuscunque generis lectiones, quas dicimus, coram discipulis, aliisve auditoribus cum publice, turn privatim, habend*, bis meis deliciis unic^ impendere. — Sed tres quatuorve annos prasvideo in boc pistrino ad- buc fore consumendos, nee prius me ind^ bberan- dum, quam majore rerum copit\ instructo, facile mibi erit bujusmodi recitationes absque longa me- ditatione effundere, et, iit nos dicere solemus, tanquam ex manica excutere : — Interim jacet Ha- ririus, jacent poeta2 Arabes ; jacent etiam, quod vebementer doleo, literae Persicce, molles illae et elegantes, quarum addiscendarum tu me tanta cu- piditate incendisti, ut, quidquid evenerit, si mod5 vivam et valeam, certum sit debberatumque, rare apud nos exemplo, totum me ilHs tradere. De edendo Haririo pari\m abcst, ut desperem. Con- stitueram sokim textum exhibere, ex optimis, qui ad manum erant, codicibus expressum, eique ver- sionem ab Avo paratam et absolutam adjungere : — hoc si preestarem, videbar mihi sine temporis dis- pendio, et interea dum abud agerem, utibtati pubbca3 satis consulere. Sed sunt, quorum judi- cio multum mihi deferendum est, partim etiam vo- luntate obtemperandum, qui consibum illud dis- suadeant, et serio hortentur, ne in lu^cem prodeat sine excerptis ex Tibrizio aliisve grammaticis, vel etiam sine annotationibus quibusdam meis. Ego quidem 566 qindem non ita sentio : sed est horum auctoritati cedendum, ideoque expectaiidum, donee major mihi facultas sit talem editionem rit^ ornandi. Scheidius noster liis diebus edidit primam particu- lam Lexici Gieuhariani, quee ex capite I, sivc & tjy!) ,„,^L usque ad finem literse ,"1 ad 13 decLirrit, et 200 ferh paginis comprebenditur.-— ^ J'litat integrum opus cum versione Latina eden- dum, 10 volumina, unumquodque mille pagina- TVim fore impleturum. Di versa sunt hominum ju- dicia. Ipse quidem in persequendo tarn immensq ppere, adeo nuUam molestiam prsevidet, ut etiam de Phiruzabadio aliisque auctoribus edendis inter-^ dum cogitet. Alii vero institutum arbitrantur in^ fmitis ol)septum difficultatibu^, nee unquani, nisi aureus quidem imber ipsi decidat, ad finem perdu- cendum : — ^et hoc quidem unicum est, quod in Arabicjs hodi^ inter nos agitur, nisi quod Wilmet^ tus, juvenis theologus, sed eruditus, glossariuni parat in Haririum, Arabshiadem, et Coranum.— Incipientibus opus utilissimum, quodque multum proderit iis, qui, Lexici Goliani caritate, ejusque comparand! diffieultate, solent interdum ab harum literarum studio deterreri. IMelior est Gnecarum literarum et Latinarum apud nos conditio ; quod equidem non invideo, nee miror, sed ferrem ad- huc lenius, si modo aliqua hujus felicitatis pars in Orientales etiam literas redundaret, Habemus Rubukenium in elaborando Vellei'o Paterculo, Bur- mannum in Propertio, Wyttenbachium in Plu- tarchoj 567 tarcho, ToIIium in Apollonii Lexico Homerico, eodem quod est a Villoisonio in Gallia editiim, oc- cupatos. Phalaridis epistola^, de quaruni auctore tanta fuit inter vestrates Boyleiuni et Bentleiuni controversia, brevi in lucem emittentur. Vidistin' elegant issimam Ruhnkenii dissertationem de vita et scriptis Longini? Multa sunt ejus exempla in Angliaui dclata: — sin videris, curabo, ut, data occasione, earn accipias. Prodibit etiam intra paucas Jiebdomadas bibliotheca qu^dam critica, duobus vel tribus fasciculis, quovis anno, edenda, cujusque duplex erit institutum. Alterum, ut no- vos libros, sed optimos, commemoret, ex omni genere literarum, quse ad eruditam antiquitateni pertinent ; alterum, ut nova queedam et inedita, subinde interspergat. Latent quidem ejus aucto- res, vel potius, latere cupiunt; etsi quosdam illo- rum certissim^ prodet cum baud vulgaris eruditio, turn rara scribendi elegantia. Nee tamen ita sunt mibi prorsus ignoti, quin hoc ausini confident^r affirmare, magnoper^ tibi hunc libellum esse placi- turum : — sunt autem in ilia societate quidam ex amicis meis atque familiaribus, qui id a me petant, ut commendatione mea, bibliopolani Londini ha- beant, ad quern possint exempla quaedam transmit- tere. Cogitavi de Elmsleyo, cui baud grave erit, viginti, vel etiam paucioribus exemplis experiri, quern successum libellus iste inter vos sit habitu- lus. — Sed volui priiis bac de re ad te scribere, ut vel ipse, vel alius quisquam tuo hortatu, promptior sit ad ilium negotium suscipieadum. Est adhuc aliud, 56S alfud, idqiie majoris momenti, quod, me tanqiiairi p^xeneta quodam iisi, vclicmenter a te flagi- tant : — nemp^ ex Orientalibus Uteris, imprimis vero Arabicis, Persicisque nomiulla in Bibliotbecam conferre cupientibus auctor fui, ut, cum paiici li- bri ill boc gcnere piodeant, pauciores etiam aliqua commemoratione digiii sint, vacuum bunc locum rebnquerentbrevioribusdissertationibus, (T%£liciaixci(xi, ^iUTpitciig, vel quocunque tandem nomine aliquid ac- ciperent, quod ad baec studia promovenda egregi^ conducat. Ipse promisi, me interdum, si nibil melius baberent, biograpbias quasdam ex Jbn Cba- likane suppeditaturum. Tunc iUi laudare quidera hoc consilium, simul vero vebementer a me pctere, ut Jonesio bujusmodi diatribas extorquerem : — ni- bil fore, quod banc bibliotbec^ partem ornatioreni redderet magisque commendaret: — me^ si vera sint, qusT de mutua nostra amicitia semper in ore fero, facile illud a te impetraturum. Vides igitur, mi Gulielmi, quo me adduxerit frequens tui erga me amoris gloriatio : — sed pareo eorum voluntati eo lubentiiis, quo pulcbrior mibi ind^ spes nascitur, gravem quam fecimus tui jacturam, aliqua ratione reparandi. — Itaque oro te, obsecro, et per veterem ilium tuum amorem Musarum Orientalium, quibus tarn flebile tui desiderium reliquisti ; per ilium ergo amorem obtestor, ut, dum commoda tibi est iis gratificandi occasio, banc nobis felicitatem non invideas. Excute forulos ; — invenies multa parata, perfecta, nee indigna, quse lucem adspiciant : quid- quid mittes, erit illud acceptissimum, et, vel addito tuo 569 tm) nomine, vel omisso, uti ipse hoc jusseris, bi- bliothecte inseretur. Si Anglice quid scriptuni habeaSj nee sit tibi ejus Latin^ vertendi opportu- nitas, illud equidem lubens suscipiani, istanique vcrsionem aiiis, qui sunt Lalin^ scribendi niulto me peritiores, examinandam et conigendam tra- dens curabo, nc tuae laudi atque existimationi ali-. {juid dctrahatur, — Nihil prasterea addetur, omitte- tur, vel mutabitur, sed omnia erunt tua eadem ilia, qucemiseris: quam in rem, fidem meam, si opus esse putas, sanctissime interpono. — Tu, nisi molestum est, cito mini rescribe, nostreeque peti- tioni facilem te pra^be ac benignum. Gratulor munus, quod aditmn tibi ad majora et pinguiora brevi patefaciet. Sed amissam liberta- tem, non tarn tui, quam mei causa, molest^ fero. Neniini, ne Anglo quidem, misera est scrvitus, qu^ in utilitatem publicam suscepta, viitutis est €t meritorumjusta remuneratio. I\Iihi autem, qui', dum liber eras, frustra teexpectavi, imprimis gravis est ilia tua servitus, qua3 tui videndi spem sin miniis omnem priEcidit, at ccrt^ minuit, et multum exte- nuat. — Hunc tu nobis metum eripe ; et si quid vacui temporis tibi relictum est, (erit autem inter- dum, nam babes 59 socios in munere tuotibi adjunc- tos,) id qusso ne prretermittas, sed hue excurrens, felicitatem nostram jucundissimo tuo adspectu et coUoquio augeas quam cumulatissimti. Ego quin ad vos aliquando revcrtar, non defectu quodam voluntatis retincor ; tanta enim cum voluptate re- pcto memoria tenipus illud, quo syavissima tua consuetudine 570 consuetudine frui mihi liciiit, ut ne vivam, si non ardentissimo desiderio teneor in eandem felicita- tem quanto ociiis evolandi. Nee prohibet tempo- ris angiistia, quandoquidem ita fert muneris mei ratio, ut per novem fer^ menses plurimis negotiis obrutus, tribus reliquis liber sim et homo mei juris. — Quid igitur? Dicam quod res est, nee turpe existimabo talia amico indicassc /J^ 0^' cy' " ^ ^' d>' c>'^ 'J' Sterile ut ubivis, sic etiam in Belgio literatura? Orientalis solum necessaria quidem ad vitam laut^ saftis alendam praebet ; quod superfluum videri pos- set neutiquam concedit. — Donee igitur inexpec- tata qua?dam fertilitas advenerit, itineris Anglici iterum suscipiendi spes prorsus mihi evanuit. Sed quae forsfert, sequo feram animo. Quandoquidem vero hujus rei mentionem apud te injeci, addam etiam aliud, in quo tu forsan poteris egregi^ mihi adjuvare. Constitui, ut rebus meis melius consulam eamque superfluitatem conscquar, quse, etsi careri potest, tamen grata est etjucunda fruentibus, ado- lescentulum circumspicere, quem in sedes recipiam, cujusque mores dirigam ac gubernem : — sed cupio imprimis ex vestratibus aliquem recipere, cum quod rariiis solent nostri homines pueros aliis tra- dere, turn quod melius videtur (vides quam ingenu^ tecum agam) Anglo cwidam libertatem vendere, k quo major est et lautior merces expec- tanda. — Sed monctdeficiens charta, ut tandem de- sinam esse verbosior. Tu, si me amas, brevi rescribes, quid tibi hue de re videatur, et si quid poteris pbteris nlei causa efficere, id sdo te lubent^r fac- tiirum : — Ego qiiidem nnnquam comniittam, ut qiiidqiiam, quod pra3stare possim, a. me frustra petas. Uxor mea mecum te optimamqiie ma- treth tiiam et sororem pluriinuni salverc jubet. — Vale,'mi Johesi, Schultensiumque tiiurn aniarepcrge. Amsteledami, Prid. Non. Muii. No. XXXIV. JONESIUS H. A. SCHULTENS, S. ; Amict; libi ^t suavit^r hortanti, ut novo opeii apud vosmoxcdendo e'l^avov meum conferreir) ce.vi^ non dcessem, sed pangerem nescio quid, ut possem ; nisi omnino egercni otio. Cum enim ot!iciiini meum JLidlciale, turn forensis labor, liicu- brationes continuce, dicendi nicditatio, actio cau- sarum, et injure respondendi nuinus, vix horulani nvihi concedunt ad somnum, et ad cibum caijien- dum. Qucid me jucundissim^ fecisti certiorem quid tu agas, quidque in patria tua agitur, gratias ago maximas. Ego si quern Anglum generosuui et,,bcn^locup!etcm invenero, qui vel iilium vel pu- pilium ad recolcndas humaniores literas istbinc mittere voluerit; laudis tuae me verum priEconem tbre polliceor, nee in re quapiam tibi defuturum. Hoc tamcii quam sit incertum, tu non ignoras. ,-^Vale; meque dilige. IV. Cal. Jul. 1777, No. XXXV. - REVICZKIUS JONESIO, S. Farsovicc, \1 Martii, 1779- Pertulit ad me nuper Duninius binos tuos variaeeruditionis iibros, novissim^ in iucem editos, . . quibus 572 quibus vehementer delectatus sum ; nam et mC' morem tc adhuc mei ex munere hoc gratus reco- gnovi, et singularis illadoctrina, qua scripta tua re-, ferta luxuriant, voluptatem cum profectu legenti adtulit, et ad obliterata pen^ jam in animo meo liujuscemodi studia, iterum recolenda, stimulum addidit. Vitam Persici Schach Nadir jam antea priiiceps Adamus Czartoriski linguis Orientis noii infelicit^r addictus, legendam mihi obtulit, et qucE in diatribe adjuncta honorifice de me m.emi- nisti indigitavit ; sed eaquidem amori erga me tuo imice adscripta veb'm. Nunc quod amcenioribus literis nuncium flare, et Themidis sacrario unic^ te devovere decreveris sine Reipublicaj literarise jactura fieri posse non censeo, neque futurum spero, quin te Melpomene nascentem vidit, et no- lentem yolentem sub suo imperio coercebit. Mihi jam in septimum annum, et ad fastidium usque Vistula^, littora coluntur, felicioribus mutanda, ni fatlor, extincto, si diis placet, in Germania bello. Quant6 gratius in Britannia nee long^ a te, tempus meum transigerem, si me fata meis pate- rentur ducere vitam auspiciis ! Sed quocunque locorum sorte compulsus fuero, amare te noa desinam. — Vale. No. XXXIV. H. A. SCHULTENS JONESIO, S. Quanquam plurimis occupationibus et sjEpius et nunc maxim^ impcdior, a conscribendis epistolis, per quas veteris aniicitii\:..memoria reco- latur, 573 latur, i\ cujiis rei suavitate atque clelectatlone mo- lest(i fero me abduci : tamen tale mihi videtur ar- gumentum literarum tuarum, quas his diebus ac- cepi, lit melius sit tribus duntaxat verbis ad eas respondeie, quam, dum meliorem qusero scribendi opportunitatem, iiimia cunctatione efficere, ut vel nihil ad causam tuam, qu^e in summo mea ergo te studio quam maxime mea est, juvandam prjE- stare queam, vel, etsi ^ mejuvari iion possis, in suspicionem veniam negligentise in amicis co- lendis, eorumque voluntati ac desiderio obtempe- rando. Enimverd, mi Jonesi, intellexi tuam petitionem gravi.ssimi muneris, ac gloriosissimi, quod, si vir- tute non fautoribus ambiendum sit, Iiaud scio in c[uem conferri possit te digniorem, atque orna- tiorem cum ingenio, plurimarum rerum utihssima- rum cognitione, admirabili eloquentins vi et pr^e- stantia; tum vera patriae ac libertatis amantiorem, qui conmiuni rerum vestrarum calamitati succurrat majore consilio, prudentia, fortitudine, animi in- tegritate ; cui igitur alma Mater nostra (nam patere me hac appellatione pietatis meo sensui gratificari) salutis ac prosperitatis suaj curam tutius com.- mittat. Sed hunc tuum, qui palam cognitus est, liberta- tis amorem nonne in hac temporum perversitatc tibi putas nociturum esse? Ferentne plurimi, a quorum suffragiis ea res pendet, personam Acade- mi quodcunque in me est, omni studio confeiam ad causam tuam promovcndam. Atque hoc ipsum est, de quo velim pauloplura ex te sciscitari : quO'- modo et apud quos illud studium profitendum sit ac declarandum. Habeamne potestatem suffragi- iim mittendi, cujus ratio pro causa tua habeatur ? ■Id quidem vix credidero. An veroex amicis meis Oxonicnsibus i!li compellandi sint, a quorum ami- citia, benevolentia, et humanitate aJiquid sperare ausini, vekiti Kcnnicottus, Whitius, Winstanlejiis ? Tu mihi prima mox occasione rescribas, atque in- dices quid agendum sit. Habebis me tui studio- sissimum, nee ulla in re patiar officium meum tibi deesse. E"0 nunc Leidie versor. ubi ante annum fere cum dimidio, Patii meo def'uncto successi in mu- nere docendarum literarum Orientalium. Sed de his rebus cupio propedi^m pluiibus ad le scribcre* Nam vebementer etiam scire cupio quid tu agas, quid agant mater tua f(jeniinarum optima et soror mihi amicissima. Vclim meo nomine pkirimam iis salutem dicas, et obsequii atque amicitia^ meaj significationem ad eas perferas. Vale, mi Jonesi, et me amare perge. Dabam, Lugduni Bat. Prid. Kal. Jim. 1780. Missa sunt qucedam exempla catalog! bibliothe- «£e patris mei quee vcndctur mcnse Septembri, ad bibliopolam 575 feibliopolam Londinensem, puto ad Elmslejum. Ex iis jussi unum ad te deferri. No. XXXVII. JONESIUS H. A. SCHULTENS, S. 11 Kal. Jun. 1781. Ego de hello hoc facinorissimo quid sen- tiam, tu non ignofas ; quantus autcm sim tyran- riorum osor, quantus verte lihertatis fautor et vin- dex, carmen hoc Alcdicum patrio sermone scrip- turn, dilucid^ monstrabit : sed inhumanas forent literte quffi humaniores et putantur et esse debent, si viri literati, prassertim ii qui studiis delectantur iisdem, helium plusquam civile gererent. Perge me igitur Batavus Anglum, ut facis, amare ; quem- admodi\in ego te, Anglus Batavum, et amb et amabo. Scito me ruri nuper hycmantem et feria- tum septem ilia nostrorum Arabfim suspensa poe- mata, ne versiculo quidem omisso, Anglice reddl- disse ; totum opus, cum notis, et prooemio de ve- tustioribus Arabia? monumentis, proximis asstivis feriis in lucem profcrre statui. Tabrizzii commen- tarium ipse possided ; Zouzenii 'acn^dC^^aci'^ et notu- las perutiles, cujus libri pulchrius exemplar Lutetiee utendum accepi, henignissim^ mihi commodavit collegium Trinitatis Cantabrigiense. Sadii notas €t versionem Persicam cum Jnsaril scholiis, et in- signi Obeidallcc editione, Oxonii habemus; sed omnin6 onines editiones et commentaries accedere vehement^r cupio. Avus tuus felicis memoria?, quern ego maximfe, ut debeo, semper facio, carmina hsec *' cedro 4igna" prsedicat, seque ait, nisi fallor, 575 lallor, codicem Nahasi Leydensem in proprios usus transcripsisse. PrtEterea in bibliothecce locu- i^\t\\^s\m^ SchultensiancE indice, ctijusunum exem- plar, Huntero, amico meo, fideliter tradidi, alterum ipse avidc pervolutavi, ha?c verba legi : — " 6^90. Septem Moallakat Arab, piilcherrime scripta." Ecquis, amabo, codicem hunc emptum possidet? Quonam v^niet pretio ? Dolet, emptorem me noii fuisse ; sed ego tunc variis et magnis negotiis ipse suspensus de siispensis carminibiis ne cogitavi qui- dem. Adjiiva me, per Musas oro, in operc hoc meo lauta, supellcctile ornando ; et quicquid babes vel notarum vel lectionum variarum apud te recon- ditum, deprome atque imperti. Multa de familiil tiui (^iKcii^citi dixi in proocmio, plura et magnifica, sed et vera dicturus. Scire in primis velim, ullusne h septem poetis, praster Amriolkaisum et Tarafem Latineredditusapud vos prodierit. Librum meum, quem benfe nitidum reddet Baumgariius pumex, expecta. Mater mea dilectissima omnium mulie- rumfuit, lit semper putavi, optima; est, ut con- lido, sanctissima ; ego me luctu macerare non de- sinam. Te et Schultensiam tuam bene valere, si quam citissime certior tactus fuero, itl mihi erit gratissimum. — ^Vale. No. XXXVIII. Baron REVICZKY to Sir W. JONES. Monsieur ; Londres, soJum, i7St). Par Ja Vestale, fregate qui devoit con- duire a la Chine le Colonel Cathcart, je vous ai envoy^ 577 cnvoyt line lettre, Monsieur, en r^ponse a unc belle epitre Persanne, que le Sr. Elmsley libraire dans le Strand m'a fait tenir de votre part, ct qui m'a servi d'un t^moignage bien agr^able du pr^- cieux souvenir dont vous continuez a m'honorer, malgr^ la distance des lieux qui nous s^pare, Mai j'ai scu que le Colonel 6tant mort en cbemin la Vestale (^toit retourn^e en Angleterre, et j'ai lieu de soupconner que par cet accident ma lettre n'a pas atteint sa destination. J'ai recu depuis peu un superbe ouvrage que vous avez fait imprimer a Calcutta ; et qui feioit bonneur a la plus cel6bre imprimerie de I'Europe, accompagne d'une aussi elegante qu'obligeante lettre, oii j'ai reconnue la main de quelque trtis-babile Cbattat, si je suis en- core en etat d'en juger, car en v6-it6, faute de con- tinuer a cultiver les langues Orientales, elles me sont devenues si 6trang^res, que si je n'en avois jamais rien appris. Je n'ai pas encore vu la belle Venture Arabe si bien rendue par I'imprimerie, que dans le poeme Persan dont vous m'avez fait I'lion- iieur de me gratificr. Je suis bien facbe que pen- dant mon sejour a Londres j'ai ^te prive de votre ch(ir£ compagnie, qui m'auroit 6t6 d'une ressource infinie; etj'ignore encore si jejouirai decebonbeur. lors de votre retour, me voyant oblige de suivre bientot ma nouvelle destination a Naples, oul'Em- pereur m'a nomme son Ministre. Mais quelle que soit ma destinee, je vous prie d'etre persuade, que I'absence et Teloigncment ne changeront jamais p p rien 578 rien a la resolution que j'ai prise d'etre toute ma vie par reconnoissance et par inclinatian, Votre tr^s humble et tres obeissant Serviteur, Reviczki. Appendix. A. The Design of " Britain Discovered," an Heroic Foem ; in Twelve Books. — Bi/ William Jones. Ne carmine quidem ludere contrarium fiierit : ideoque mihi videtur M. Tullius tantura intulisse eloquentias lumen, quod in hos quoque studiorum secessus excurrit. Quintil. Instit. L x. 3. The Idea of an Epic Poem, at Spa, July \7.70, anno a^tat. 9,3. Eeitain Discovered ; a Poem. In Twelve Books. The Design. THiE first hint of this poem was suggested by a passage in a letter of Spenser to Sir Walter Ra- leigh, where having explained his intention in writing the Fairy Queen, he adds, that if he found his image of Prince Arthur, and the allegory of the twelve private virtues to be well accepted, he might, perhaps, be encouraged to frame the other part of political virtues in his person, after he came 579 came to be king. What Spenser never lived to perform, it is my design in some measure to sup- pl}', and in the short intervals of my leisure from the fatigues of the bar, to finish an heroic poem on the excellence of our Constitution, and the character of a perfect king of England. When this idea first presenteckitself to my mind, I found myself obliged, though unwillingly, to follow the advice of Bossu, who insists, that a poet should choose his subject in the abstract, and then search in the wide field of universal history for a hero exactly fitted to his purpose. My hero was not easy to be found ; for the story of King Arthur, which might have been excellent in the sixteenth century, has lost its dignity in the eighteenth; and it seemed below a writer of any genius to adopt entirely a plan chalked out by others; not to mention, that INIilton had a design in his youth, of making Arthur his hero; that Dry den has given us a sketch of his intended poem on the same subject; and that even Black- more had taken the same story ; whose steps it were a disgrace to follow. It only remains, therefore, to have recourse to allegory and tradition ; and to give the poem a double sense; in the first of which, its subject is simply this, the discovery of our island by the Tyrian adventurers, Avho first gave it the name of Britain ; in the second, or allegorical sense, it ex- hibits the character above mentioned, of a perfect king of this country, — a character the most glo- p p 2 rious 580 rious and beneficial of any that the warmest ima- gination can form. It represents the danger to which a king of England must necessarily be ex- posed, the vices which he must avoid, and the virtues and great qualities with which he must be adorned. On the whole, Britain Discovered, is intended as a poolical panegyric on our excellent Constitution, and as a j)ledge of the author's attachment to it; as a national epic )Toem, like those of Homer, Virgil, Tasso, Camoens, de- signed to celebrate the honours of his Country, to display in a striking light the most important principles of politics and morality, and to incul- cate these grand maxims, that nothing can shake our state, while the true liberty of the subject re- mains united with the dignity of the sovereign, and that, in all states, virtue is the only sure basis of private and public happiness. A work of this nature might indeed have been written in prose, either in tlie form of a treatise, after the example of Aristotle, or of a dialogue, in the manner of TuUy, whose six books on go- vernment are now unhappily lost ; or perhaps in imitation of Lord Bolingbroke, who lias left us something of the same kind in his idea of a pa- triot king : but as poetry has the allowed advan- tage over mere prose, of instilling moral precepts in a manner more lively and entertaining, it was -thought proper to dehver the whole subject in re- gular measure, under the fiction of an heroie ad- venture. The 581 The poem will be written in rhyme, like the translation of the Iliad by Pope, and of the vEneid by Dryden ; since it has been found by experience, that the verses of those poets not only make a deeper impression on the mind, but are more easily retained in the memory, than blank verse, which must necessarily be too diffuse,%and in general can only be distinguished from prose by the affectation of obsolete or foreign idioms, inversions, and swelling epithets, all tending to destroy the beauty of our lano-uao-e, wliich consists in a natural sweet- ness and unaffected perspicuity : not to insist that a writer who finds himself obliged to confine his sentiments in a narrow circle, will be less liable to run into luxuriance, and more likely to attain that roundness of diction so justly admired by the an- cientSi As to the monotony which many people complain of in our English rhymes, that defect, which is certainly no small one, if we admit only those endings which are exactly similar, must be compensated by a judicious variation of the pauses, an artful diversity of modulation, and chiefiy by avoiding too near a return of the same endings. The machinery is taken partly from the Socratic doctrine of attendant spirits, or benevolent an- gels, like Thy rsis in the Masque of Comus ; and partly from the Scriptural account of evil spirits worshipped in Asia, under the names of Baal, Astarte, Nisroc, Dagon, Mammon, Moloch, and in ancient Europe, where Cadmus introduced them under those of Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Neptune, Vulcan, 582 Vulcan, Pluto. —If any objection be made ta these machines, they may be considered as alle- gorical, like Spenser's knights and paynims ; the good spirits may be said to represent the virtues, and the evil ones the vices. The action, or story of the piece, is raised up- on the tradition before mentioned, that the Phoe- nicians first discovered the island of Britain ; but the rest must be wholly supplied by invention. A prince' of Tyre, therefore, whom we may name Britanus or Britan, shocked at the cruelty of his countrymen in sacrificing their prisoners to idols, and at their impiety in paying divine ho- nours to evil spirits, had meditated a voyage to some distant coast ; with which intent, pretend- ing to prepare for an expedition against some rival nation, he had built a number of barques, and secured to his interests a company of enterprizing youths, but was doubtful whither he should direct his course, till his attendant spirit, Ramiel, ap- peared to him in a vision, commending his pious resolution, and advising him to seek a beautiful isle in the west, where, after a variety of dangers on earth and sea, he would reign in peace, and be the progenitor of a noble race, who would profess a true and benevolent religion, and excel all other nations in learning, arts, and valour. At the same time, the spirit shewed him the picture of a lovely nyniph who then ruled the island, attended by damsels of her own nature. The prince, animated by this vision, and deeply enamoured with the idea 583 idea of the nymph, who, in the allegorical sense, represents Liberty, left the coast of Phoenicia, and sailed towards Egypt. 'rhese circumstances, being previous to the ac- tion, are not related till the second book ; for, at the opening of the poem, after the usual intro- tl action, the prince is brought with his compa- nions to the moutli of the Nile ; he lands, and advances towards the city of Memphis, but is met in a forest by Ramicl, in the shape of a vene- rable sage, who conducts him to the palace of the Egyptian king, where he sees the temple of science, the pyramids (then just begun), and other amazing edifices. After a splendid repast, he is desired to relate the motives of his voyage. — The subject of the next book has been already explained ; but it will be diversified, like all the rest, with several speeches, descriptions, and episodes. — The third book begins with a consultation of the evil deities worsliipped in Phoenicia; whose various charac- ters are delineated. The debate is opened by Baal, who, in a furious speech, complains of the insult offered to their temples by the expedition of the Tyrians, and discourses v/ith malignity on the fu- ture happiness of their descendants. Various stra- tagems are proposed, to obstruct their progress. At last, Astart^ offers to allure the chief with the love of pleasure; INIammon, to tempt him with riches ; Dagon promises to attack his flee-t, Nis- roc to engage him in a desperate war, Moloch to assist his enemies by,.his enchantment,, and Baal himself 584 himself to subvert liis government, by instilling into his mind a fondness of arbitrary power. In the mean wliile, the Tyrians are at sea, accompa- nied by Raniiel, who, in the character of a sage, had offered to conduct them ; they are diiven by a tempest back to Cyprus, wiierc Astart^, in the shape of a beautiful princess, like the nymph be- fore described, attempts to seduce the hero by all the alliiiements of voluptuousness, which he resists at length by the assistance of the guardian spirit, and leaves the island, where he had almost been induced to settle, mistaking it for the western isle described to him in his vision. — In the fourth book, after an invocation to the nymphs of Thames, the virgin Albina is represented conversing with her damsels in Albion ; — her dream, and love of the Tyrian prince, whose image had been shewn to her in a rivulet b}' the Genius of the isle. The Phoenicians, landing in Crete, are received by Baal, who had taken the form of the Cretan king, and discourses to the prince in praise of tyrann}^, but is confuted by the sage. — The fifth book re- presents a nation in peace; a meeting, raised by the instigation of Baal, is appeased ; arts, manu- factures, and sciences begin to flourish. As the TjTians sail along the coast of the Mediterranean, the sage, at the request of Britan, describes to him the state of Greece, Italy, and the Gauls, and relates rather obscurely, by way of prophecy, the future glory and decline of Athens and Rome. ' — The Phoenicians reach the streights, at the open- ing 585 ing of the sixth book. The evil spirits assemble, and determine, since most of their stratagems liad failed, to attack them by violence. Dagon raises a tempest and a great commotion in the elements, so that the whole fleet is covered with darkness: Ramiel encourages the prince, and, pretending to retire from danger on account of his age, sum- mons a legion of genii, or benevolent angels, and engages tlie evil spirits in the air. Nisroc, In hopes of intimidating Britan, appears to him in ail his horrors ; the prince expostulates with him, and darts a javelin at the spirit, but is seized by Mam- mon, and carried in a cloud to a distant part of the globe ; upon which, Ramiel, whose power may be su})posed to be limited, and M'ho might think that the virtue of the prince should be put to a severe trial, leaves him for a time, and flics, in his own shape, to the mansion of the beneficent ge- nii.— -The seventh book is' wholly taken up with a description of the opposite hemisphere, to which the prince is conveyed by Mammon, whose pa- lace and treasure are described : the Tyrian chief is almost tempted to desist from his enterprise, and to reside in America with the adorers of INIam- mon : — the inconveniences of an oligarchy dis- played. The evil spirits being dispersed, light re- turns to the Tyrians, v/ho find themselves in the ocean, but, missing their leader and the sage, dis- pute about the regency, and are on the point of separating ; — the danger of anarchy : At length, liaving an admiral and a commander, they land on the 585 the coast of Gaul, at tlie beginning of the eighth book. Nisroc incites the king of that country tu attack them ; hence is deduced the origin of the national enmity between the Enghsh and French. The guardian spirits assemble; their speeches; £he genius of Albion proposes to conduct Albina to the palace of Mammon, in order to rouse the hero from his inactivity. — In the ninth book, the war in Gaul is supported with alternate success^ and various heroes distinguish themselves on both sides by their valour or virtue. ]\Ioloch contrives an enchanted valley between the Gallic city and the Phoenician camp, which distresses the Tyrians extremely, who, despairing of the prince's return, are encouraged and assisted by Ramiel. — In the tenth book, the genius appears to Albina, relates to her the situation of Britan, and passes with her disguised like young warriors, through the centre of the earth ; they rise on a sudden in the gardens of Mammon, and discover themselves to the prince, who returns with them to Europe. — The malevolent spirits, thus baffled in all their at- tempts, debate, in the eleventh book, upon taking more vigorous measures, and resolve to hazard a decisive battle with the guardian angels. The war in Gaul continued; a bloody combat; the Tyrians put to flight; Britan and Albina appear and rally them ; the evil deities defeated; Gaul subdued ; the Phoenicians pass the enchanted val- ley.— In the last book, the victorious army march along the coast of France, till they discern the rocks. 587 rocks of Albion ; upon whicli they embark, and cross the channel, attended by the invisible genii, who sit in the sails. The nuptials of Britan, who gives his name to the island, with Albina, that is, in the more hidden sense, of Royalty with i^iberty. The Tyrians choose their brides among the other nymphs. Ramiel conducts the king and queen, of Britain to the top of a high mountain, since called Dover Cliff, whence he shews them the ex- tent of their empire, points to its different rivers, forests, and plains, foretels its future glory, and, having resunied his celestial form, flies to heaven ; the hero and nymph descend from the mountaia astonished and deli^clited. BRITAIN DISCOVERED, Book I. - The daring chief who left the Tyrian shore, And, led by angels, durst new seas explore, Commands my boldest strain. Thro' dire alarms. The shock of tempests, and the clash of arms. He sought the main where blissful Albion lay. And, heav'n-defended, took his anxious way. Tho' air-born fiends his wand'ring fleet assail'd. With impious rage ; yet love and truth prevaifd. BRITAIN DISCOVERED : An HEROIC POEM. The Arguments. Book I. — The Phoetiicians having landed near Tartessus, are unkindly received by the natives; their leader, Britan, sends Pheni^ and Hermion, as 588 as his ambassadors, to the king o^ Iberia, wlio trcati? them with indignity, rejects the proflered union, and commands them to leave his coast. In the mean time, the prince of 7j/re wanders, to medi- tate on his destined enterprize, into a forest; where his attendant spirit appears to him in the character of a Druid, warns him of approaching dangers, and exhorts him to visit in disguise the court of king Lusus: he consents; is conducted to the banks of tlie T^gii.s, M^ith a harp and oaken garland ; and is liospitably entertained by the sovereign of Lusitania, who prevails on him to relate the history of his life and fortunes. The narrative begins from his vision of Albione in the groves of Tyre, and his consultation of the Memphian sages, to his anival in Greece. He visits Dido, his father's sister, then employed in ])uihlino; Carthofre. A debate between Phejii.v and the Carthaginian chiefs on the best possible form of government. Book 11. — The gods of India convened on -Mount CaiUis, by Riidra or Mahadeva, the power of destruction ; their numbers, characters, attri- butes, and attendants. The goddess Gaugd an- nounces the views and voyage of the Tyrian hero; expresses her apprehensions of his ultimate success, but advises the most vehement opposition to him; declaring, that his victory will prove the origin of a wonderful nation, who will possess themselves of her banks, profane her waters, mock the temples of the Indian divinities, appropriate the wealth of their 589 theirvidorers, introduce new laws, a new religion, a new government, insult the Brdhmens, and disre- gard the sacred ordinances of Brihmd. After a solemn debate, it is agreed to exert all their powers, and to begin with obstructing the passage of the Ph(^mcian fleet into the Atlantic, by hurling a vast mountain into the straits ; they proceed im- mediately to a variety of hostile machinations. Book III. — The narrative of BjHtan continued, with a description of the Grecian islands, of the Italian and Gallic shores, and closed with an ac- count of the tempest that compelled him to land on the coast of Iberia. The king of Iusita?iia, foreseeing the future greatness of the prince, se- cretly envies him, but promises friendly aid in pri- vate, assigning reasons for his inability to give open succour. Britan departs, and proceeds to- ward Gaul, in order to view the channel, and beautiful isle, that were destined to perpetuate his name. Book IV. — The hero, still disguised, and at- .tended by liis tutelary genius, travels to the coast of Gaul ; learns that the king of that country, Gallus, invited by an embassy from Iberia, and instigated by the Hindu god of battles, had re- solved to concur in extirpating the P//^/z«c/V//?,y ; and is apprised, that the Tartessians had actually assailed the v/orks which his army had raised. On this, he returns with incredible celerity; while the benignant genii or spirits, permitted to attend on favoured mortals, hold a splendid convention in the Empyrean, Book 590 Book V. — War is begun in form, and various actions of heroes are related ; the Indian gods in- termix in fight, and are opposed by the guardian spirits. Tartessus taken by storm : in a council of T^rian chiefs, it is proposed by LeleXy to leave the coast victorious, and sail instantly to Albion ; but the impracticability of that plan is evinced by a messenger, who announces the suaden ob- struction of the ships. Britan then proposes, as a measure distressful but necessary, to pur- sue their course with vigour through Iberia and Gaul ; that, if conquered, they might pe- rish gloriously ; if conquerors, might seize the hostile galleys, and in them pass the channel. The proposal is received with bursts of applause, and the PJmnicum troops are drawn out in com- plete array. Book VI. — Various exploits and events in battle. The actions of Indra, god of air, with his seven evil genii ; of Ratna, Belabadray Na- red, and Car tic. The Tyrians, in deep distress, apply to Lusus, who assists them coldly. The Celts are every-where successful ; and the Gallic fleet covers the bay. Book VII. — The guardian spirit prepares the nymph Albione for prosperous events ; encourages Britan, but announces imminent perils; then leaves him, on pretence of assisting at certain Druidical r'ltQs. A terrible combat in the air, and at the straits, between the opposing gods and the tute- lary angels ; the mountain is rent from the mouth of 591 of the, straits, and becomes a floating iisland, which, being fixed, has the name of Madera, and is given, to Lusus. The Plicenidan fleet having been with difficulty preserved from the Jgnyastra, or fiery darts of J/rtj^t's^, sails triumphantly into the ^^- ianlic, after a surprising retreat of the army under the conduct of Br it an. Book VIIL — The Z)miV/ returns with a relation of oracular answers in the Celtic temples, concern- ing the destiny of Albion, and the Atlantides, or Kew World : the future American war, and the defence of Gibraltar by different names, are ob- scurely shadowed in the prediction. An obstinate naval fight; in which Buitan is wounded by au arrow of fire, but protected and carried from the ileet by his attendant angel. Book IX. — The genius transports Britan to the isle o^ Albion ; which is described by its moun- tains, vales, and rivers ; then uninhabited, except by nymphs and beings of a superior order. The palace and gardens of Albione ; who completes the cure of her lover, and acquiesces in bis return to the army ; having first, at his request, told her own adventures, and related the separation of her island from the coast of Gaul. Book X. — The Gallic army arrayed: the ac- tions of their chiefs. A variety of distress in- volves the Tyriajis by sea and land ; they are driven to their works, and enclosed on both sides; until their prince appearing suddenly among them, rouses their courage, and performs the most heroic achievements, 592 achievements, by which the scale of success is complete]}' turned. Tliis book contains a number of events and episodes ; among them is the death and funeral of IMelcart, the Tyrian Hercules. Book XI. — The I tidian deities invite those of Ti/re and Syi^ia to co-operate with them ; prophe- sying darkly the invasion of their empire by the Croisaders ; they excuse themselves, equally averse to the Gauls and to all the nations of Europe. A final conflict ; and a complete victory in every element hy (he Ph(enicia7is over Gallus and Ibcrus, and by the protecting, over the malignant spirits. The victors land in Albion, since called Britain^ on the coast of Hama^ now Hampshire ; a de- scription of the triumph, entertainments, and sports. Book XII. — The nuptials of Britan and Al- bimie, or, allegorical ly, of Royalty and Liberty united in the constitution of England. The at- tending Druid, appearing in his own form and in all his splendour, predicts the glories of the coun- try, and its disasters; but animates, rather than alarms, the hero and nymph, whom he consoles, whenever he afflicts them ; he reconnnends the government of the Indians by their own laws. He then flies, his object being attained, to the celestial regions ; they apply themselves to the regulation of their domain and the happiness of their subjects. The discovery of the British Isles by the Ty- r'lans, is mentioned by Strabo, Diodorus, and Pliny ; and proved as well by the Pha'nician mo- numents found in Ireland, as by the affinity between 593 bet^s^een the h^ish and Punic languages. Newton^ places this event about the Eight-hmidred-eighty^ third year before Christ, and in the twentif-Jirst after the taking of Troy. Book I. Genius, or Spirit, or tutelary Power Of virtue-loving Heav'n, yet uninvokM By prophet rapt, or bard in hallow'd shades. To grace his native minstrelsy ; though oft Thy cares for Britain, thy celestial aid, Grateful her sons have mark'd ; if e'er thou ledst Her glitt' ring ranks unmatch'd o'er hostile fields. Or, "when, her navies hurl'd dismay through Gaul, Pointedst their lightning, and on some bright mast Satst like an eagle plum'd with victory. Oh ! fill this glowing bosom whilst I sing Her charms, her glories, and thy love divine. What Chief, what Sage, what Hero, train'dby thee To wisdom, first on this delightful Isle Struck his advent'rous prow ? That sacred form Of state, self-balanc'd, harmony sublime. Freedom with sov'reignty in sweet accord. Who constituted first ? The Prince of Tyre Long waiid'ring, long depress'd, yet e'er impell'd Right onward, till fair triumph bless'd his toils. By godlike worth and beauty's heav'nly charm. Now were his light-oar'd galleys tempest-tost To rich Tartessus, on the far-sought shore Of that proud realm, where Bcetis, ample flood, Rush'd o'er the manors of Iberus old, Fam'd for the laughing sheaf, the silky fleece. And many-cluster'd vine ; not fam'd her sons For meek deportment, or the soothing voice Of hospitality, and reception mild In sure abode, to strangers visitant. 9 2 Froia 594 From Book VII. -As Tibetian mountains rise. Stupendous, measureless, ridge beyond ridge. From Himola, below the point far s^en Of Chumaluri, to more lofty steeps, Cambala vast, then loftier without bound. Till sight is dimm'd, thought maz'd ; the traveller Perplex'd, and worn with toil each hour renew'd. Still through deep vales, and o'er rough craggs proceeds Thus on the beech, now died with horrid gore. Warrior o'er warrior tow'ring, arms on arms. Dire series, press'd ; one slain, the next more fierce, Assail'd the Tyrian : he his falchion keen Relax'd not, but still clolh'd its edge with death, Disturb'd, yet undismay'd ; stung, not appall'd. . Appendix. B. A Prefatory Discourse to an Essay on the History of the Tvrks. THERE is no people in Europe, which has raised the terror, and excited the curiosity of the Christian world more than the Turks; nor any, I believe, of whose true genius and manners we have so imperfect a notion : for though a great number of travellers, and among them several ex- cellent men, have from time to time published their observations on various parts of the Turkish empire, yet few of them, as it evidently appears, understood the languages that are spoken in it, without 595 without which their knowledge could not fail of being very superficial and precarious. It has generally happened, that the persons who have resided among the Turks, and who, from their 'skill in the Eastern dialects, have been best quali- fied to present us with an exact account of that nation, were either confined to a low sphere ot life, or eno-acrcd in views of interest, and but little . addicted to polite letters or philosophy ; while they, who, from their exalted stations and refined taste for literature, have had both the opportunity and inclination of penetrating into the secrets of Turkish policy, were totally ignorant of the lan- guage used at Coiistantinople, and consequently were destitute of the sole means by which they might learn, with any degree of certainty, the sentiments and prejudices of so singular a people : for the Mahometans^ naturally ignorant and re- served to men of our religion, will disclose their opinions to those only who have gained their con- fidence by a long intimacy with them, and the Greek subjects, who have a just detestation of their oppressors, can hardly be supposed to speak of them with tolerable candour. As to the gene- rality of interpreters, we cannot expect from men of their condition any depth of reasoning, or acute- ness of observation ; if mere words are all they profess, mere words must be all they can pretend to know. It may therefore be given as a general rule, that no writer can exhibit a just picture of the QQ 2 manners 596 manners of any people, m'Iio has not either con- versed familiarly \vith all ranks of them for a con- siderable time, or, by a more tedious process, ex- tracted their sentiments from the books that are written in their language ; and it is equally true, that the justest description of the Asiatic manners must necessarily he given by those, who, besides a complete acquaintance with Oriental literature^ have had the advantage of a long residence in the East ; for which reason, the most authentic ac- count of a Mahometan nation that ever was pub^ lished, is that of the Persians by the traveller Chardin, who not only had the most familiar in- tercourse for many years with the greatest men in Ispahan, but was perfectly acquainted with the Persian histories and poenis, from which he has given us many beautiful extracts. We have great reason to regret, that no relation of equal authority, has been written on the man- ners of the Turks ; for, among the many narratives on that subject which have been presented to the public, there are very few that can be reccim mend- ed to a sensible reader. There are indeed some works in the languages of Europe, from which, as from so many copious sources, we may draw a variety of real knowledge on this head ; and it will not be improper in this discourse to give a list of them, with a fe^^ remarks on each, before I proceed to mention the Eastern books, both printed and in manuscript, from which the materials of the follow- ing essay were taken. This seems to me a more reasonable. 597 reasonable, and less ostentatious method of pro- ducing my authorities, than to fill every page with useless quotations, and references to sections or chapters, which few readers will take the pains to consult. One of the most ancient, and perhaps the most agreeable of these works, comprises the four epis- tles of BiJSBEC on his embassy to SoUman the Second, and his oration on a plan for suppoi^ting a 'vigorous war against the Turks ; in all which pieces, his diction is extremely polished and ele- gant, his observations judicious, his account of public facts indisputably true, and his anecdotes tolerably authentic : but by neglecting to make himself a complete master of the Turkish language, or by his long confinement at Constantinople, he omitted an opportunity of conversing with the finest writers and ablest scholars whom the Oth- man empire ever produced, and whose beautiful compositions addeil a lustre to the reign ofSoliman. The Turkish articles in the vast compilation of ■SI. D'Herbelot, are of the highest authority, since he drew them from a number of Eastern manuscripts, many of which were composed by 7\irks themselves, who had at least as fair a chance of knowing th^ir own manners and opinions, as any European whatever. It is not possible to be too lavish in the praises of that excellent work, which has the uncommon merit of being no less agree- able than learned ; and though it is disposed ac- cording to the order of the alphabet, yet i is so judiciously 598 judiciously contrived by the help of references, that, with all the convenience of aVlictionary, it may be read for the most part like a regular treatise. The History of T'lmur, or Tamerlane^ written originally in Arabic^ by a native of DamascuSj and translated into French by M. Vattier, de- serves to be credited, as far as it relates to the conquests of that hero in the Lower Asia, and to his war with the sultan Bayazid the First, who was forced by the Tartars to raise the siege of Constantinople, The actions of Timur are related at large in this elegant work, which displays a faithful and interesting picture of the Asiatic manners in the fourteenth century ; the author of it was contemporary with the Tartarian warrior, and was eye-witness of the principal facts which he records. The Tales of the Forty Visirs, translated by M. de la Croix, are also undoubtedly authentic ; and though they are very inelegant, and in some parts trifling, yet upon the whole they are ingeni- ous, and shew in some degree the turn of mind of the people for whom they were invented : but the most useful translation of a Turkish book that has yet appeared, is that in Italian, of an admirable liistory by the Mufti Saadeddin, which reaches indeed no lower than the reign of Selim the First ; but for the beauty of its composition, and the rich- ness of its matter, may be compared with the finest historical pieces in the languages of Europe. It will seem ridiculous to place a Turkish dic- tionary 599 tionary among these authorities ; but it is certain- ly true, that the great repository of Eastern harn- ing, compiled by Mi.Nii!i SKI, containsnot only the clearest explanation of common words, and proper names, but exhibits the most exact specimens of the colloquial expressions and forms of speech used by the Turks ; and a judicious writer will not fail to observe the minutest phrases, or even the com- monest proverbs of a nation whom he intends to describe, since they sometimes comprise an allusion to local customs, and often include some maxim or received opinion, which may serve to set the character of the people in a striking light. It is a remark of Mr. Pope, in answer to a line of Lord Hervey, that a dictionary, which gives us any thing but words, must be not only an expensive, but a very extravagant one ; yet methinks if a dictio- nary can be found, which is not very expensive, nor very extravagant, it cannot reasonably be censured for giving us a little real kjiowledge as well^s words. The History of the Turks by the prince *Can- TEMIR, * It will give me pleasure to pay a small tribute, in this place, to the memory of that excellent man, by vindicating his character from the very unjust and groundless charges of M. de Foltaire, who allows in- deed, that he possessed the united talents of the ancient Greeks, a taste for polite letters, and a skill in the art of war. He adds, this Cantemir was supposed to be a descendant of Timiir, known by the name of Ta/nertane, because Timur and Teinir sound nearly alike, and be- cause the title of Kan, which Tamerlane bore, is found in the name of Cantemir. Now the truth is, that the syllable Can is not .♦)(^ khan, a title of honour, but . ♦ / 13 ^"^"> blood ; and the words Timur, or Temir, arc used indifferently in the Turkish language ioxDemir, that i», iron, 600 Temir, far surpasses, in autliority and method, every work on the same subject in any European dialect. iron, which was the precise meaning of Tamerlane's true name ; so that Canteinir literally signifies the blood of Timur ; and the propriety of this name was confirmed by a Tartarian chief, who assured Demetrius, that a prince of his nation, lineally descended from Tamerlane, had married a Christian woman, from whom the family of the Cantemirs had their origin. — But, continues the French historian, whatever might be the lineage of Cantemir, he owed all his fortune to theTurkiih court ; and was no sooner invested in his principality of Moldavia, than he betray- ed the sultan his benefactor, to the Russian emperor, from whom he had hopes of greater gain : the Czar, he adds, relying on his promises, advanced in the month of June to the banks of the river Hierasus, or the Pruth, where, by depending on Cantemir, he met the same hard- ships, that his rival C/icWeshad sutifered at Puiiuva by having trusted to Mazeppa. It must have cost this ingenious writer some pains to have crouded so many errors into so few words. Cantemir inherited an am- ple fortune from his father, and lived at Constantinople in a splendid re- treat, where he amused himself with building palaces near the Bospho- rus, and adorning them with the finest remains of old Grecian sculp- ture, that could be procured : while he was engaged in these, and other agreeable pursuits, Brancovan, piince of ralachia, was accused of hold- ing a secret correspondence with the Czar; and Cantemir, who ac- cepted, much against his inclination, the title of Prince of Moldavia, was sent by the Turkish court with orders to seize the person of the rebel. As his revenues were not sufficient to support his new dignity without some indulgence from the court, the sultan promised to dis- pense with his paying the usual fine*upon his investiture, and to defray the additional expences that he might incur on account of the war ; but the prince had no sooner reached the capital of Moldavia, than he re- ceived orders from the minister to remit without delay the fines due to tne sultan and the visir; to collect provisions for an army of sixty thousand Turks; to complete the bridge over the Danube; and to march in person tewards iStWer before the festival of St. George. The prince, on receiving these commands, with which it was not in his power to comply, resolved to join the Czar, and was of signal service to him, as it appeared by the great regard, which that monarch professed for him till the hour of his death. The distress of Peter was owing to his dependence on the promises oi Brancovun, who had engaged to sup- ____^__________ pty * Called by the Turks aX^ pishkesh. 601 dialect. He was educated at Const antinopk, and acquainted from his earliest youth with the genius and manners of the Turks ; and as he was emi- nently skilled in the Arabic, Persian, and Turkish languages, he was enabled to draw his knowledge ' of their affairs from the fountain-head : for which reason, if his narrative were not rather too suc- cinct, and if he had dwelt somewhat longer on the subject of the Easteim government and literature, or had unfolded all the causes of the greatness and decline of the Othman empire, his work would have been complete, and my present attempt entirely superfluous. As to his piece, considered as a lite- rary performance, it contains all the qualities which Tulli) lays down as necessary to constitute a perfect history* : nothing is asserted in it that has the appearance of falsehood ; nor any essential thing omitted that has the least colour of truth ; there is no reason to suspeqt the writer either of partiality or disaffection; the order of time is ac- curately preserved, and the description of remark- able places frequently inserted ; the author gives his judgment, openly, on the counsels of kings ply the Russians with provisions, yet remained an idle spectator of their calamity, till their camp was threatened with a tamine. Thus, one of the finest writers of our age accuses a generous and amiable prince of ingratitude, avarice, and perfidy, merely for the sake of com paring him with Aluzeppa, and of drawing a parallel between the conduct of Charles XII. and Peltr I. ; and he deserves still more to be censured, for deviating knowingly from the truth, since it appears from some parts of his Gcntrul History, that be had read the works of Cantanir, and admired his character. See the Life rf Charles XII. book v. ; and the Histnrij of the Russian Empire, vol. ii. chap. 2. * Cicero de Oratorc, ii. 15. and 602 and generals ; he relates the circumstances of every memorable act ; and shews both the causes and consequences of every important event : with re- gard to the persons, he describes the lives and cha- racters not only of the sultans, but of all the emi- nent men who bore a considerable share in the great transactions of the nation : and he dresses the whole piece in an easy, natural, and flowing style, without affecting any merit, but that of clearness; except where, for the sake of variety, he drops a few flowery expressions in the Oriental manner. To which may be added, (a qualification that Cicero seems to have om i tted in the passage j ust referred to, ) that hehas made his work extremely agreeable, and has infused into it that exquisite charm*, so neces- sary in all finished compositions, which makes the reader leave it unwillingly, and return to it with eagerness. It is almost needless to say, after this just encomium, that Cantemir's history renders the compilations of Knolles and Rijcaut entirely useless ; though both of these works are well writ- ten, and the former even elegantly for the age in which the author livTd : yet I must do them the justice to acknowledge, that I have borrowed se- veral hints from them, though I could not make any positive assertion upon their authority, as they were both ignorant of the Turkish language ; and since a very sensible writerf observes even o^ Plu- tarchj that though he was supposed to have resided * ^iKrqov Kxi Tiiyycc) as the Greeks called it. t Middleton, in the preface to his Life of Cicero. 1h 603 in Rome nearly forty years at different times, yet he seems never to have acquired a sufficient skill in the Roman language to qualify himself for the compiler of a Roman history, the same objection may certainly be made to the two historians above- mentioned, one of whom spent most of his time in a college, and the other, though he resided many years in Turkey, was forced to converse with the Turks by the help of an interpreter.' The letters of a lady, famed for her wit and fine taste, are in every body's hands ; and are highly estimable, not only for the purity of the style, and the liveliness of the sentiments, but fo: the curious picture they give of the Turkish mai> ners in the present age, and particularly of the women of rank at Constantinople, whose apar;- ments could not be accessible to a commcn traveller. The author of Observatiojis on the Governmeit end Manners of the Turks had, from his residence in their metropolis, and the distinguished part that he bore in it, an opportunity of inspecting their cas- toms and forming a just idea of their character. It is a singular pleasure to me to find many of iiy sentiments confirmed by the authority of so judi- cious a writer ; nor do I despair, if this essay shculd fall into his hands, of giving him a more favour- able opinion of the Turkish language, whicl he supposes to be formed of the "very dregs of the Persian and Axdhmw tongues ; and a higher notion of the Persian poetry, which, he observes, it ;s al- most 60i most impossible, as far as he can find, for the best translator to convert even into commou sense*. But the latest, and perhaps, the most curious publication on the subject of the Turks, was, yl Treatise o?2 Tactics, written in Turkish, in the year -731, and translated two years ago by a foreign nobleman, who added to it a veri/ sensible preface, end learned notes. It was the object of this little vork to recommend to the Othman court the mi- itary discipline of the Christiatis, and to display the advantage of that artful disposition of their troops, by which the timorous and suspected men are put under a necessity of fighting, even against tieir will ; a disposition, which Hannibal, and o'.her great masters in the art of war, have followed with success, and which, if we believe Homer, was e\en as ancient as the siege of Troy : — The horse ,and chariots to the front assign'd ; The foot, the strength of war, he rang'd behuid; The middle space, suspected troops supply, Enclos'd by both, nor left the power to fly. Pope's Iliad, iv, 342. The whole treatise is entertaining and instruc- tive ; and though it is very imperfect, and often erroneous where the CAm/i^w.? are mentioned, yet, it supplied me with many important lights, in my enquiry concerning the causes of the greatness and decdne of the Turkish empire, Ihese are the principal works in the languages of Europe, that have fallen into my hands, on the * Second Edit. p. 38, same 005 same subject M'ith the following Essay; and, though I have borrowed very freely from them all, 5*61 by making this general acknowledgement of my obligations to them, I obviate, I think, any objection that can be made on that head, and can- not justly be reputed a plagiary, if to the passages taken from others, I add a series of remarks pecu- liar to myself I very soon desisted from my search after the other books on the Turkish affairs, in the French and Italian languages; for, after having run over a great number of them, I found them to contain little more than the same facts, which arc related more elegantly by the above- mentioned authors, with the addition of some idle fables and impertinent projects. As to the Greek writers of the Bi/zantine history, who have given us an account of the Turks, it was the less neces- sar}' to examine them with attention, as Knolks seems to have reduced them to their quintessence; and indeed, the generality of those historians were more attentive to the harmony of their periods, and the beauty of their expressions, than either to the truth of the facts which they related, or to the so- lidity of the remarks dc^duced from them. They were no longer those excellent GreekSy whose works remain to this age, as a perfect example af the noblest sentiments delivered in the purest style : they seemed to think, that fine writing consisted in a florid exuberance of words, and that, if they pleased the ear, they were sure to satisfy the heart : they even knowingly corrupted the Asiatic names, to 606 to give them a more agreeable sound*, by which they have led their successors into a number of ridiculous errors, and have given their histories the air of a romance. Before I proceed to the books, which the Turks themselves have written on their own affairs, it will be necessary to make a digression on their litera- iure in general, lest the opinion which most men entertain of the Turkish ignorance^ should induce some of them to suspect the authority of these works, or even to doubt of their existence. It is a ridiculous notion, then, which prevails among us, that ignorance is a principle of the Mo- hammedan religion, and that the Koran instructs the Turks not to be instructed. I have heard many sensible men inveighing against the mean policy of Mohammed, who they say commanded ,his followers to be ignorant, lest tliey should one day or other learn that he had imposed upon them. There is not a shadow of truth in this ; Mohammed not only permitted but advised his people to apply themselves to learning. He says expressly in his strange book, where there are many fine ideas mixed with aheap of rubbish, that the man who has knowledge for his portion, has received a valuable gift; and among his sayings, which were pre- served by his intimate friends, and are now con- sidered as authentic, there are several which re- * Thus they changed Togrul Beg into Tangrolipix, and Azzo'ddinf tilto Azatines. ^^, f ♦-> ^) !P the strenj:th of religion, commend 607 commend learning in the strongest terms ; as, The ink of the learned and the blood of martyrs are of equal value in heaven, and Learning is permitted to all believers, both male and female : not to men- tion that precept of his, which is well known, Seek learning, though itzvere in China. There would be no end of quoting all the striking expressions of this singular man, and the ablest professors of his religion, in praise of knowledge and letters ; indeed, we all know, no modern na- tion was ever more addicted to learning of every kind than the Arabians; they cultivated some branches of science with great success, and brought their language to a high degree of clearness and precision ; a proof that they had not only men of taste, but even many philosophers among them ; for, that language will always be most clear and precise, in which most works of real philosophy have been written. We are willing also to allow, that the Persians have been a polite and ingenious people, which they could not have been without a sufficient culture of their talents. They lay for a long time astonished and stupefied at the rapid progress of the Mohammedan arms ; but when they began to revive, and had embraced the reli- gion of their conquerors, they followed their na- tural bent, and applied themselves with great eagerness to the improvement of their language ; which was by that time grown very rich by its mixture with the Arabic. We are no less candid to the Indians, whom we know to have been a wise 608 wise and inventive nation ; we read with pleasure their fal)les of Pllpair; wc adopt their numerical characters; we divert and strengthen our minds with their game of Chess ; and of late years, we have condescended to look into the^r writings; hut by a strange degree of obstinacy, we persist in considering the Turhs as rude, savage, and not only unacquainted with the advantages of learning, but even its avowed persecutors. This prejudice, absurd as it may seem, is of very ancient growth ; it was first brought into Europe at that niemoiable period, when letters began to revive in the west ; and has continued to this day without any diminution. It was the fashion in that age to look upon every person as barbarous, who did not study the philosophy of the old Aca- demy; and because the Turks had driven the Greeks from their country, it was immediately- concluded that they persecuted even the language and learning of that fiat ion. It is certain, indeed, that the Turks were for many years wholly addicted to arms ; but when they had secured their conquests in Asia, and especially when they were settled in Constantinople, they began to cultivate every species of literat,ure ; and their sultans often set them the example. At that time, they were so sensible of the high polish which learning gives to the manners of every na- tion, that they reflected with disdain on their an- cient rudeness ; and one of the best poets, quoted by M, d^Herbelotf says, although the rude dispo- sition 609 sition of theTurks seemed to be a disorder that had no remedy, yet when they dispersed the clouds of igno' ranee zvith the study of polite letters, many of them became a light to the zvorld*. But here we must be understood to speak merely of poetry, rhetoric, moral philosophy, history, and the less abstruse parts of knowledge ; for, we must confess, and the Asiatics confess themselves, that they are far infe- rior to the natives of Europe in every branch of pure and mixed mathematics, as well as in the arts of painting and sculpture, which their religion for- bids them to cultivate : a very absurd piece of su- perstition ! which the Persians and Indians wisely neglected, as they knew that their legislator pro- hibited the imitation of visible objects to the Arabs of his age, lest they should relapse into their recent folly of adoring images ; and that when the reason of the law entirely ceases, the law itself ought also to * In Turkish, '»' -?/ ^f^ wO/; But this opinion is contradicted bi/ a satirist, who asserts that, if a Turk excelled in every branch of science, and were the ablest scholar of his age, yet a certain rudeness would ever adhere to his disposition. -^ j: Ar-^ cl^ ^^^ )^h) >/ J^J; ^"^ ^^} /* j^:i^ ^ v5 w^l » R cease. cease. They begin, however, to imitate our stu- dies ; and they would undoubtedly have made a considerable progress in the sciences, if the press- at Constantinople had not failed upon the death of Ibrahim, an officer of uie Porte, and, what was more singular, a very learned and able printer^ whose place has not yet been supplied. This en- terprising Turk, who had learned Latin by his own industry, and was no contemptible writer in his native language, founded a set of Arabic types, and printed^ under the protection of the court, se- veral pieces of Oriental history, some treatises of geography with maps, and an essay of his own upon the military discipline of the Europeans^ ', but none of his countrymen have continued his project ; because it is impossible to understand the classical writings of the Turks without more than a moderate knowledge of Persian and Arabic, to which none can pretend, who have not made those languages their particular study for many years ; and this is no doubt the reason, why there are fewer men of letters among the Turks than among ns ; for though an intimate acquaintance with the Greek and Roman autliors is necessary to support the character of a scholar, yet a very slight tinc- ture of the ancient languages is sufficient for a po- pular vvritcr, and scarcely any is requisite for a su- perficial reader. The Mohammedans in general are passionately fond of history, and not less so of that miscella- * See a catalogue of the books printed by Ibrahim, at the end of this discourse. neous 611 •neons kind of learning -svhlch the" Greeks called TuoKviJid^eieij or a general knowledge of a vast variety of subjects*. The Turks have more historical pieces in their language, than most European na- tions ; and we may judge of their erudition by the large work composed in the seventeenth century by Catibz/ukh, which contains an accurate account of all the books that had been written till his time in Turkish, Arabic, and Persian-^. These works are very imperfectly known in Europe ; for though Donado, a senator of Venice^ and ambassador from that state to the Porte, pub- lished a short essay in Italian on the literature of the Turks, yet he knew little or nothing of their language, and took all his accounts of their books from an interpreter, who led him into several mistakes. The golden age of the Turkish learning, was the * This kind of learning was called varia eruditio by the Rowans, among whom Farro was the most eminent for it. The most curious and entertaining works of this nature arc, tfie Banquet of Athenccns, the Nights of Aulas Gellius, and the Chiliads ofTzetzes; but the Arabians were fonder of this various erudition than any people whatever. This species of writing begins to grow contemptible among us, since nothing can be more trifling than to transcribe our common-place book, and nothing more easy than to quote a multitude of authors in the margin. f The title of this book is .• < AJ^aj ) %.SlJ Cashfd'ionun, or the Discovery of Opinions ; but it might justly be intitled, .^ J 1 rU ) * or, ^ compreliensive Fieiv of the Learning qfthe Arabs, Persians, and Turks. — M. d'Herhelot has inserted the best pait of this w©rk in bis BibliothCque Orientate. R R 2 reigo en reign 0^ Soliman the Second, ov The Legislator , m the sixteenth century : and indeed the most shi- ning period in the history of any nation must cer- tainly be that, in wliich the example of the sove- reign gives the nobles a turn for letters, and in wliich a reputation for knowledge opens a vv'ay to riches and honour. AH Chelebi, who wrote a very celebrated book of morality, was appointed Hlolia, or ecclesiastical judge of Adrianople, and, had he lived, would have been raised to the dignity of Mufti, or supreme in- terpreter of the law. He had spent several years in composing an elaborate paraphrase of Pilpai's Fables, in which, however, he was a close imitator of an excellent Persian author, named Casheji, His work, which he intitled Homaiun Namehy contains fourteen sections in prose and verse, and a very elegant introduction, and an entertaining preface. I may justly assert, that it comprises all the beauties of the Turkish language ; but it is so mixed with Persian and Arabic phrases, that a Turk of no education would not be able to read a page of it. A beautiful copy of this book is pre- served in the British JMuseuvi, among the manu- scripts of Sir Hans Sloanc* : and it would be high- ly useful to any person, who had access to that col- lection, and M'ished to learn Tarkish; especially as part of it has been translated into Trench, aiid * No. 3386. In the same coll(^ction. No. 545G, is a v^ry agreeal)lo i-oinance, Entitled, the Life of Abu Si';u, by Hassan, preceptor \.oMorad the Third. Both these books, a-i v-e'i as the rest which follow, are often cited by McninskL part 613 paxt very elegantly into Spanish, by the help of which translations he might pursue his study with incredible ease, provided that he had a moderate knowledge of Arabic, which may truly he called the basis and groundwork of Eastern learning. This is the principal system of Ethics among the Turks, if we except, perhaps, a moral work on the duties of man, intitled, Icsiri devlet, which seems also to be written in a very polished style. The Tales of the Forty Visirs, composed l)y a preceptor of Alorad the Second, are amusing and ingenious ; but, as they are not remarkable for any beauty of language, they do not deserve to be mentioned as a classical work ; since an elegance of diction, as well as a loftiness of sentiment, are necessary to constitute a fine piece of writing. The noblest historical work in the Turkish lan- guage was composed by Saadeddin, who was -Mufti of Constantinople in the reign of Morad the Third. It contains the history of the Othnans, from the founder of that family to Selim I. This elegant work has been translated into Italian by a very able interpreter of the Eastern languages ; and the excellent prince Cantemir has inserted the sub- fitance of it in his history of the Turks. There are a great number of other histories in Turkish, some of the whole Olhman family, and some only of distinct reigns ; as Soliman Nameh, the Life of Soliman ; Selim Nameh, the Life of Selim ; and many more, which are highly esteem- ed by the Turks themselves : yet it must be con- fessed, that the style of these writers, and princi- pally 614 pally of Saadeddhi, by no means answers to our ideas of the simple and graceful diction, the kind of writing which Cicero commends, diffused, e.v- panded, andjlowing with a natural smoothness ; on. the contrary, most of their figures are so extravagant and many of their expressions so ridiculously bom- bast, that an European must have a very singular taste, who can read tliem either with pleasure or patience*: but such is the genius of the nation ; and we can no more wonder, that their rules of composition arediflfeient from ours, than that they buiUi their palaces of wood, and sit on sofas in- stead of chairs. The Byzantine historians cannot be so easily ex- cused ; they had the finest models of composition before them, which they neglected : but the Turks cannot be condemned for departing from a stand- ard of taste, of which they were wholly ignorant. It is by no means true, however, that the Asiatic histories are no more than chronicles, and contain no sensible remarks on the conduct of princes, whom they consider, we are told, as something more than mortal ; there are, indeed, many dull compilations in the languages o't Asia, as well as in those of Europe ; but the most approved histori- ans of the East intersperse their narratives with excellent maxims, and boldly interpose their judge- "* Thus a Turkish historian, instead of saying that a prince was just and pious, tells us that the footstool of his sovereignty was decked with the ornament of piety, and the throne of his digniiy embellished with the rich mantle of justice; — Rutbeti khilafetleri zineti tekwa ileh ardsteh, we seriri seltanetieri hilyei maadiiet ileh pirasteh ; — the two members of which sentence end like a poetical couplet, with similar ^^"'^^^- ment 615 nient on the counsels of ministers, and the actions of monarchs, unless when they speak of very re- cent events, and living characters, on M'hich occa- sions they are more circumspect : and probably Saadeddiu continued his history no lower than the reign of Selim, that he might not be restrained in liis reflections by any fear of giving oifence. I have not yet been fortunate enough to meet with the valuable work of AH Efendi, containing the history of the lives of Mohammed II, Bayazid II, Selim, and Solimdn, of which Vr'mce Catitemi?^ gives so high an encomium ; — "Iliis book, (says he,) " which is extremely scarce, contains every quality *' of an excellent history ; a noble simpUcify of " style, a warm love of truth, and an abhorrence of ^''flattery. — / am indebted to this author, (con- " tinues the Prince,) Jor majiy striking passages *' in my ozvn piece.'''' The Turks have also many treatises on their government, lazes, and tnilitary institutions, which, if they were translated into some European lan- guage, would throw a wonderful light on the man- ners of this extraordinary nation, and present us with a full view of their real character. One of the most curious manuscripts that I have seen in the Turkish language, is a very long roll of silky paper*, containing, as it were, a map of the Asiatic history from the earliest times to Selim the Second : the names of all the patriarchs, pro- phets, kings, sultans, and califs, who at any time flourished in Asia^ are set down in a genealogical * Bodl. Marsh. 19§. order, 616 order, in which the chronology also is carefully observed ; and a summary account of their lives and actions is added to most of them. The writer of it is more explicit with regard to the Othman family. 1 took care to compare his remarks with my other materials. The \vhole work is beautiful- ly transcribed ; and the name of Mohammed in particular, is adorned with a garland of tulips and carnations, painted in the brightest colours. In the same collection with the preceding work*, is An History of the Othmans, from the founder of that race, to Bayazid the Second : it is finely preserved, and written in an easy style. The pre- fatory chapter contains a just encomium of the first Turkish sultans, whose eminent abilities were a principal cause of the greatness of tlieir empire. There is another work among Golius's manu- scripts f, which has been extremely useful to me. It is a register of all the officers of state, the ser- vants of the court, and the 7 urkish forces, both by land and sea, with the daily and yearly expences of supporting them, as they were established in the reign of Ahmed the First, at the opening of the last century : the second part contains an enume- ration of all the Othman subjects in Europe and *No. 313, Most of the manuscripts in this valuable collection of Marsh, belonged to the very learned Golius, who has written notes in the margins with a black pencil. j- Marsh. 4j4. Go/nw has written the following title to this book ; Imperii Osmanicij: Canon, continens qus et quibus stipendia soluta tuerint, imperante Ahmede : unde patet qua; sit imperii illius potentia, TuRciCE, ex autographo imperiali descriptum. + In Turkish, / / J (j Asitfi 617 Aiiia, who hold their estates by a military tenure ; with the exact number of soldiers that each pro- vince and district can produce. As this register was copied from an original ia the imperial treasu- ry, there can be no doubt of its authenticity. But the best modern histories of tJie Turks are those printed by Ibrahim, in the middle of the present centur}'-, which, together M'ith several other fruits of that printer's industry, were brought from Con- stantinople, by a late excellent ambassador, and presented to the Royal Societij, in whose library they are preserved. The most agreeable of them is called by the florid title of Gulsheni Kholafa*^ ,or the Rose- *h. Turkish, ^^ ^^^pj^ The author of this line ^vork was e » | ) iS J^ J ->^ Kaznii Zadi Efendi, who seems to have been in hitrh favour with the Ulema, or Lazvyers and Ecclesiastics oi\\\9 age. The MnJ'ti, and the two Chief Justices of Asia and Europe, wrote the most profuse encomiums of it, which are prefixed to the book. That of the MnjU has something so ridiculously bombast in it, that the reader will pcrliaps be pleased to see it literally translated, as it will give him an idea of the flowery style ef the Asiatics: — ^.!^ } /'/■ ■^!^ Cr^i '-M.r -^ y. CA"} i/^ J"; c^>' c)^../. o'>^"l;'^ '^..^hy. c^^J/^j? (/"'^"^^ ^^'t^)^ C.O 618 garden of the Califs, and comprises, in a thin volume in folio, a very elegant history of the Turkish nation, from the Califs of the house of Abbas^ one of whom imprudently estahlished a militia of young Turks, to the year of Christ 1717, when Ahmed the Second sat on the Othman throne. The next is an History of the T'urkish Empire, from the year 1591, by Naima* ; it is printed in two large volumes, and the continuation of it by Rashed Efendi-\ fills two more ; the fifth volume was added by another hand, and brings it down to 1728, two years before the rebellion, and the de- position of Sultan Ahmed, This excellent work contains a narrative of all the memorable ev-ents that happened in the dominions of the Sultan, ybr a period of above an hundred and thirty years ; the embassies from all foreign powers, among whom the English are mentioned with regard ; the reigns of eleven Othman emperors, from the death of Morad III. to the last great sedition at Constantinople ; the lives and characters of the most eminent visiers and learned men, who flourished, in those reigns ; together with a view of the affairs of Asia, and As this noble volume and elegant compilation records past events, and lays open the causes of succeeding transactions ; the pure stream of sense that flows from the springs of its expressions, and the flowers of perspicuity, that arise from the borders of its rhetorie, together with the splendour of those chiefs, who fought for the faith and the empire, and the fragrant roses of the fame of those valiant heroes, are worthy of the attention of all intelligent men, and deserve the inspection of the dis- cerning reader. •In Turkish, ^* "^ ^ ^ ^^h even 619 even of Europe, according to the notion that the Turks have of them ; which may serve to show how far their intelligence reaches, and in what light they consider the genius, manners, and in- fluence of the Christian world; we must not he disgusted at their false and absurd opinions con- cerning us ; since the less they know of our coun- sels and interests, and even the less respect they have for us, the greater advantage we shall obtain in our transactions with them : and the less they are apprised of our real force, the fewer provisions will they have made against it, whenever we shall choose to exert it. For my part, I cannot help thinking, that a juster notion of the government, laws, and policy of the Turks, may be formed by an attentive perusal of Naimas Historij, than can be acquired from all the relations of our European travellers, and that a single volume of it, accurate- ly translated, would be more useful to us, than the vast collections of Rycaut and Knolles, to which, however, I readily allow the praise that they deserve. It may reasonably be supposed, that having drawn my materials from these plentiful sources, I mean to present the public with a complete his- tori/ of the Turks; but I reflected, that among the numerous events which must be recorded in the general histo?y of anj' natic^i, there are very few which seem capable of yielding either pleasure or instruction to a judicious reader, who desires to be acquainted with past transactions, not because they have happened, but because he hopes to de- rive 620 live from tliem some useful lesson, fbr the conduct of kis life. It seemed, therefore, more respectful to the public, and it was far more agreeable to my own inclination, to trace out, in the form of an essay, the great outlines only of the Turkish his- tory, leaving all its minuter parts to be coloured by some abler pencil, and perhaps the most inte- resting of them to be filled up by my rough crayon, as some future occasion, or greater leisure, may in- vite me. Whatever then be the fate of my per- formance, I have a claim in one instance to the in- dulgence of my reader, by having spared him the trouble of running over all the idle fables, and even the dull truths, with Avhich my originals abonnrl, and M'hich I have suppressed in great number; since both of them are, in my opinion, highly disgraceful to an historical piece, in which nothing should be written that is fabulous, nor any thing, hoio true soever it may be, but zvhat deserves to be read *. As to the nature of my piece, though I have in- titled it an Essay on the History of the Turks ; yet, from the age of Elizabeth to the present cen- tury, the history of our Trade to the Levant is in- terwoven with it, and a i^Qw hints are respectfully offered for its improvement ; an object of the highest importance to the whole nation. The part which relates to the Causes of the rise and decline of the Turkish Empire, was written after the model of AI. de Montesquieu s Considerations on the - * Three pages of the original are here omitted, as it appears by a niamiscript note, that it was intended to alter them. greatness 621 greatness of the Romans; nor am I under any ap- prehension of being censured for imitating so ex- cellent a pattern, to wliich I may justly apply the words of Cicero : — " Dcmosthenem imitemur. O Dii boni ! ijuid ergo nos aUud agimus, ant quid uUud optamus ? at non assequimiir.''* APPENDIX. The following pages contain some composi- tions of Sir William Jones, which have not been printed. T\itjirst, a little Essay on the Grecian Orators, was written at the University, and exhibits an ele- gant specimen of his early talents in the composi* tion of Latin ; more of the same kind might be added, but the curiosity of the reader on this sub- ject, may be gratified by a reference to the second volume of Sir William Jones's Works. The reader will observe the connection between the Essay now presented to him, and the quotation which concludes the Preliminary Discourse in the preceding page. The second is an Italian composition, written by Sir William Jon^^s when he was studying that language; and I rely upon tlie judgment of a na- tive of Italy, who has pronounced it classical and elegant. The third exhibits a curious specimen of i\\Q form and measure of a Persian (>).de of Jami, and on this account it is inserted. The fourth^ 6n fourth, a song from the Persian, is in the measure of the original, and will not be thought deficient in beauty. The remaining compositions require no pai ticular observation. For want of a fitter opportunity, I here tran- scribe from the writing of Sir William Jones, the following lines : Bahman (a native of Yezd, and follower of the doctrines of Zoroaster) repeated this morning four glorious and pious verses, which ought to be en- graven on every heart : — VERSRS. Make the worship of the Great Giver habitual. Reflect maturely on the clay of thy departure. Fear God, and do no wrong to man. This is the way to salvation, and this is enough. No. I. DE GRiECIS ORATORIBUS. Cum id potissimtmi dicendi studiosis adoles- centibus preecipi soleat, ut unum h summis orato- ribus deligant, quern tota mente, tanquam pic- tores, intueantur, et quem labore maximo imi- tentur; ctmi ver6 studioso cuivis perdiificile sit oratorem deligere, cui similis esse aut veht aut debeat, visum est mihi pauca de GrjEcis oratoribus dibserere, interque eos pr^cipuede Demosthene, quem nemo est, opinor, qui non imitari cupiat, nemo qui eximias ejus virtutes imitando se assequi posse confidat ; sed prima appetenti, utpulchr^' ait Cicero, honestum est in secundis vel tertiis con- sistere. De 623 De oratoribus autem, qui Athenis floruerunt, tractaturus, vereor ut Lysiam et Isocratem, in eo- rum nuniero possim reponere, quos magis polity scribendi^ quani diserth dicendi, palmam consecutos esse puto, magis ekgantice laude fuisse insignes, qLu\m eloquentiae gloria. Is enim, qui sive pu- dore, sive imbecillitate deterritus, in arma nun- quain prodeat, sed in ludo solum oratiunculas scriptitet, utcunque eie subtiles sint atque erudite, scriplor quidem venustus ac diligens dici potest, sed quomodo orator appellandus sit non video. Alii tamen complures, quorum orationes ad nos pervenerunt, non in pompa et gymnasio, sed in ipsa acie habitiE, e/o^z^ew/e^- ver^ nominantur ; in- ter quos, acumine Dinar chus prasstitisse videtur, vi ac lepore Demades, gravitate Lycurgiis, sonitu JEschines et splendore dictionis; sed hse dicendi virtutes in Dernosthene uno omnes reperiuntur; gravis idem fuit ac subtilis, vim babuit pariter et splendorem ; nee lepos sau^ illi defuit, lic^t ple- rique alitor sentiant. sed elatus, minax, et sui pro- prius. Illuni igitur unicuique vestrum, qui legum et eloqucntia3 studio incenditur, propono, quern in primis miremini, quern imitemini summo studio, ciijus orationes non perlegatis solum, sed patrio sermone reddatis, sed memorit^r recitetis ; ea vos exercitatio diligenter continuata, tales et verborum oratores, et actores rerum efticiet, qualis apud Athenienscsy prater ipsum Demosthexeii, nemo fuit. No, 624 No. II. TERZETTL Gia rosseggiava intorno all' oiizzonte Dolce color d'oiiental rubini, E innanzi al biondo padre di Fetonte Spargea T Aurora rose e gelsomini : Cantando a gara amorosetti lai Sen gian di ramo in ramo gli augellini, Quando prcsso al riiscel cosl cantai : *' Ahi, Ninfa mia ritrosa e vezzosetta. La prima ond'io m'accesi e m' infiammaiy Quando ti vidi pria sopra I'crbetta, Pien di viole e di ligustri il grembo, Tessendo un'amorosa ghirlandetta, Sedevi, oime! sotto un soave nembo Di rose, e la tiui mano alabastrina Sostenea di tua gonna il ricco lembo, E siilla mano era la guancia incbina, Qual fior che pende sul native stele, Cbe imbianca, o gelo o pioggia cristallina. Scendesti allor cred' io dal terzo cielo Per ingannar gl' incauti e rozzi petti ; O la sorella del e;ran Dio di Delo, O colei fosti cbe ne' boscbi eletti Di Cipro e Pafo per i^don sospira. Dacche mirai tuoi risi leggiadretti, Rauco era il suon di canna e flauto e lira; Ne piacque p'lh. I'usata compagnia. Or ogni pastorella cbe mi mira Si burla della mia malinconia; Ch(^ fra roiniti monti, e sopra il sasso Sempre sfogando vo' 1' ambascia mia ; Ed erro, non so dove passo passo, Piangendo si, cbe da sua stanza nera Eco risponde a' miei singulti : Abi lasso ** Ab, se mai mi dara la donna alteia Soavi baci, o quel che piu desio^, Allor 625 Allor allor con voce lusinghiera Canter6 lietamente il fausto Dio D'amore : A mor risponderanno i colli : Vedranno i vezzi nostri, e'l gaudio mio I cespugli tioriti e gli antri moUi." Imitations. Line 2. Dolce color, &c. Dolce color, d'orieiital zaffiro Che s'accoglieva nel sereno aspetto Deir aer puro. Dante, Par. c. 1. Line 5. Cantando a gara, &c. Odi quel rusignolo Che va di rarao in ramo Cantando; lo amo, io amo. Tasso Am. at. i. s. 1. Line 1.3. Sedevi orme, &c. Da' be' rami scendea Dolce nella memoria, Una pioggia di fior sopra'l suo grembo ; Ed ella si sedea Umile in tanta gloria Coverta gia dell' amoroso nembo ; Qual fior cadea sul lembo, Qual su le treccie bionde Ch'oro forbito e perle Eran quel di a vederle : Qual si posava in terra, e qual su 1' onde ; Qual con un vago errore Girando, parea dir; "qui regna Amore." Pet. par. 1. Can. 14. * Line 35. Soavi baci, &c. Ella mi seque Dar promettendo a chi m'insegna a lei O dolci baci, o cosa altra piii cara. Tasso Am. Prologo. * Sir "William Jones has given a beautiful translation of this passage of Petrarch. See Works, vol. iv. p, 456. S s No. .^ 6^6 No. III. An ode of JA Ml, In the Persian form and measure. Ho\T swept the gale of moi'jiiag breathes ! Sweet news of nij delight he brings J News, thst the rose will soon approach the tuneful bird of night, he briug-s. Soon will ? (bousand part.'^d souls be led, Ms captives, through the sky, SiitC'e tidir.^s, which in every heart must ardent flames excite, hs brings. Late uear my cHarmers flowi.ig robe he pass'd, aud l.iss'J the IragTaut hem; Thence, cdi.uir to the rose bud's veil, and jasmine's mantle white, he brings. Painfni is ;.bse.ice, and tl:at pain to some base rival oft is owM ; Thou ktiow'st, dear maid! when to thine ear false tales, contriv"d in spite, he bringii. Wby should I trace love's ma^y patli, since destiny my bliss foibids ? Black d-'stiEy ! my lot is woe, to tae no ray of liglit he brings. lu vain, a friK.d his raiuil disturbs, in vain a childish trouble gives, When sage physician to the>couch, of heartsick love-lorn U'ight, he brings, A rovhig stranger in thy town no guiilaiice can sad JAMI find. Till this his name, and rambling lay to thine all-piercing sight he brings. No. IV. A SONG, from the Persian, paraphrased in the measure of the original. 1. Sweet as the rose that scents the gale, Bright as the hly of the vale, Yet with a heart like summer hiiil. Marring each bud thou bearest. 2. Beauty like thine, all nature thrills; And \^hen the Moon her circle (ills. Pale she beholds thcise rounder hills. Which on the breast ti:ou vvearest. 3, Where could those peerless flowrets blow .' Whence are the thorns that near tliem grow f Wound ine, but smi'e, O lovely foe. Smile on the heart thou tearest. 4. Sighing, I view that cypress waist, Doom'd to aftlici me till embrac'd ; Sighing, I view that eye too chaste. Like the new blossom smiling. Spreading 6n 5. Spreading thy toils with hands divine. Softly thou wavest like a pine. Darting thy shafts at hearts like mine. Senses and soul beofuilins:. 6. See at thy feet no vulgar slave, Frantic, with love's enchanting wave. Thee, ere he seek the gloomy grave. Thee, his blest idol styling. No. V. [Lady Jones having been exposed to some danger in an evening walk over the plains of Plassey, Sir William almost immediately wrote the fol- lowing stanzas :] PLASSEY-PLAIN*, A Ballad, addressed to Lady Jones, by her Husband. Aug. 3, 17844 'Tis not of Jafer, nor of Clive, On Plassey's glorious field I sing ; 'Tis of the best good girl alive. Which most will deem a prettier thing. The Sun, in gaudy palanqueen, Ciirtain'd with purple, fring'd with gold, Firing no more heav'n's vault serene, Retir'd to sup with Ganges old. When Anna, to her bard long dear, (Who lov'd not Anna on the banks Of Ehvy swift, or Testa clear f) Tripp'd thro' the palm grove's verdant ranks. * It can scarcely be necessary to recall to the recollection of the reader, the victory gained by Lord Clive, over Seraj'uddoula, Subah- dar 01? Vicercvy of Bengal, on Plassey-Plain. s s 2 Wher« 628 "VVlicre thou, blood-thirsty Suhahdar, Wast wont thy kindred beasts to chase, Till Britain's vengeful hounds of war, Chas'd thee to that weil-destin'd place. She knew what monsters rang'd the brake, Stain'd like thyself with human gore^ The hooded and the necklac'd snake. The tiger huge, and tusked boar. To worth, and innocence approv'd. E'en monsters of the brake are friends t Thus o'er the plain at ease she mov'd : — Who fears oftence that ne'er offends? Wild perroquets first silence broke. Eager of dangers near to prate ; But they in English never spoke. And she began her moors* of late. Next, patient dromedaries stalk'd. And wish'd her speech to understand ; But Arabic was all they talk'd ; — Oh, had her Arab been at hand I A serpent dire, of size minute, With necklace brown, and freckled side. Then hasten'd from her path to shoot. And o'er the narrow causey glide. Three elephants, to warn her, call. But they no western tongue could speak ^ Tho' once, at Philobiblian stall, Fame says, a brother jabber'd Greek. Superfluous was their friendly zeal ; For what has conscious truth to fear ? Fierce boars her pow'rfal influence feel, Mad bulfaloes, or furious deer. * A common expression for the ilinclustanee, or vernacular lan- guage of India. E'e» 629 E'en tigers, never aw'd before. And panting for so rare a food. She dauntless heard around her roar. While they the jackals vile pursued. No wonder since, on Elfin Land, Prais'd in sweet verse by bards adept, A lion vast was known to stand. Fair virtue's guard, while Un a slept. Yet oh ! had ONE her perils known, (Tho' all the lions in all space Made her security their own) He ne'er had found a resting place. No. VI. On seeing Miss * * * ride by him, without knowing her. Cardigan, Jugiisi 14, 1780.. So lightly glanc'd she o'er the lawn, So lightly through the vale. That none more swiftly bounds the fawn. In Sidon's palmy dale. Full well her bright-hair'd courser knew. How sweet a charge he bore. And proudly shook the tassels blue. That on his neck he wore. Her vest, with liveliest tincture glow'd. That Summer-blossoms wear. And wanton down her shoulders flow'd. Her hyacinthine hair. Zephyr in play had loos'd the string. And with it laughing flown. Diffusing from his dewy wing, A fragrance not his own. Her shape was like the slender pine. With vernal buds array 'd. Oh heav'n ! what rapture would be mine. To slumber in its shade. Hef 630 Her cheeks — one rose had Strephon seen. But dazzled with the sight. At distance view'd her nymph-hlie mien, Andfainted with delight. He thought Diana from the chace, Was hastening to her bow'r; Far more than mortal seem'd a face, Of such resistless pow'r. Actason's fatal change he fear'd. And trembled at the breeze ; High antlers had his fancy rear'd. And quiv'ring sunk his knees. He well might err — that morn confess'd. The queen with silver beam. Shone forth, and Sylvia thus address'd. By Tivy's azure stream : " Let us this day our robes exchange ; *' Bind on my waxing moon ; " Then through yon woods at pleasure range, '' And shun the sultry noon. " Whilst I at Cardigan prepare *' Gay stores of silk and lace, " Like thine, will seem my flowing hair, *' Like thine, my heav'nly grace. ** My brother Phoebus lost his heart *' When first he view'd thy charms, " And would this day, with dang'rons art, " Allure thee to his arms. ^' But Cynthia, friend to virgins fair, *' Thy steps will ever guide, *' Protect thee from th' enchanting snare, " And o'er thy heart preside. *• In vain his wiles he shall essay, *' And touch his golden lyre ; ♦* Then to the skies shall wing his way, *^ With pale, yet raging fire, Shoul(J 631 " Should he whh lies traduce the fair, '' And hoast how oft he kiss'd her, ** The gods shall laugh, while I declare, *' He flirted with his sister." No. VII. Au FIRMAMENT. "' Would I were yon blue field above, (Said Plato, warbling am'rous lays) " That with ten thousand eyes of love, *' On thee for ever I might gaze." My purer love the wish disclaims, For were I, like Tiresias, blind. Still should I glow with heavenly flames, And gaze with rapture on thy mind. No. VIII. SONG. Wake, ye nightingales, oh, wake ! Can ye, idlers, sleep so long ? Quickly this dull silence break ; Burst enraptur'd into song : Shake your plumes, your eyes unclose. No pretext for more repose. Tell me not, that Winter drear Still delays your promis'd tale. That no blossoms yet appear. Save the snow-drop in the dale : Tell me not the woods are bare ; — Vain excuse ! prepare ! prepare ! View the hillocks, view the meads : All are verdant, all are gay ; Julia comes, and with her leads Health and Youth, and blooming May. When 632 When she smiles, fresh roses blow ; Where she treads, fresh lilies grow. Hail ! ye groves of Bagley, hail ! Fear no more the chilling air : Can your beauties ever fail ? Julia has pronounc'd you fair. She could cheer a cavern's gloom. She could make a desert bloom. Amongst the manuscript papers of Sir William Jones, written in Bengal, I find the delineation of the plan of a Tragedy on the story of SOHRAB, a Persian hero, who acts a short, but conspicuous part in the heroic poem of Ferdusi, the Homer of Persia. The story in the original, is in substance as follows : RusTUM, the hero of Oriental Romance, was married to Tahmina, the daughter of the king of Su??i7?iu}igan, a city on the confines of Tartary. He left her in a state of pregnancy, giving her a bracelet, which, in the event of the birth of a child, she was to bind on its arm. She was delivered of a son, Tafun'ma, apprehensive that Rustum would deprive her of him, informed him, that she had a daughter, and Rustiun entertained no suspicion of the deceit. SoJirab inherited the heroic spirit of his father, whom when he grew up he was most anxious to see, and when he had attained the age of puberty, he formed apian for attacking Kaoos, the king of Persia, in the declared intention of depriving him of his crown, and placing it on the head of Rustum. Afrasiab, 633 Afrasiab, the sovereign of Tartary, who was apprised of the parentage ofSoki^db, eageriy seconded the views of the youth, as a long hereditary enmity had subsisted between the two monarchs of Persia and Tartary. lie accordingly oiTered to furnish aSo/i- rdb with an army, sending with it, at the same time, two generals, on whom he relied, with secret instruc- tions to prevent the discovery o^ Rustum by Soh^ rub, and to endeavour to bring them to a single combat, hoping that the youthful vigour o^ Sohrdb would overcome Rustiun, and pave the way to the conquest of Persia. After the death o^ B.ustum, he proposed to destroy Sohrab by treachery. This insidious scheme succeeded in part. Sohrab, with the Tartarian army invaded Persia, and was op- posed by the Persian troops, whom he defeated in several engagements. The anxious endeavours of Sohrab, to discover his father, were frustrated by the falsehood and treachery of the generals of Afrasiab^ and the two heroes met in battle with- out knowing each other, although Sohrab suspect- ed his antagonist to be Rustum, and even men- tioned his suspicion to him, which Riistum denied. The two warriors engaged in single combat three times ; on the second day, Sohrab had the advan- tage, and Rustum saved his life by artifice ; on the third, the strength and skill of Rustum pre- vailed, and he seized the opportunity by plunging his dagger in the breast of his son, who, before he expired, discovered himself to his father, and was recognized by him. The distress of Sohrab^ the affliction, 634 affliction of Rustum, increased to agony by the sight of the bracelet, which he had presented to Tahmiua, on the arm of Sohrab, and afterwards exasperated to madness by the refusal of Kaoos, to supply him with a remedy which he possessed of infallible efficacy, and the inconsolable anguish of Tahmiua on learning the death of her son, are described by Ferdusi, with great beauty and pathos ; and the whole story forms one of the most affecting and poetical incidents in the Shahnaraeh. T wish it were in my power to gratify the reader with a translation of it, but I want both time and abilities for the task. I shall, hoAvever, venture to present him with the version of a few lines, which Ferdusi puts into the mouth o^ Sohrab, immediate- ly after he had received the fatal wound, describing the mode in which the two heroes discovered each other ; the passage (in the original at least) is nei- ther deficient in merit nor interest: To find a fadier only known by name, Wretch that I atn, I sought the field of fame. Vain hope ! thy hand has seal'd a mother's woes ; On the cold sod, my head must now repose. Yet, hero! deem not unreveng'd [ bleed, Paternal vengeance marks thy ruthless deed. No 1 couldst thou quit this earth, and viewless trace. On airy pinions borne, the realms of space. Or like a fish, the ocean's depths pervade. Or like the night involve thy form in shade, Mv sire, pursuing, shall revenge my death. " What sire?" the victor cries, with fault'ring bread], *' Rustum!" (the youth rejoins) " Tahmiua fair, " Mv spotless mother, nam'd me Rustum's heir." The 635 The plan of the proposed Tragedy, appears to have been frequently revised and corrected ; the business of each act is detailed, but after all, it is too imperfect for publication. From the intro- duction of a chorus of Persian Sages or Magi, it may be inferred, that Sir William Jones proposed writing it, after the model of the Greek tragedy, and he certainly intended to observe a strict ad- herence to the costume of the age and cDuntry, in which the events of his Tragedy were supposed to have occurred. The following Epode, is the only part of the composition sufficiently complete for the reader's perusal. EPODE. What pow'r, beyond all pow'rs elate. Sustains this universal frame ? 'Tis not nature, 'tis not fate, 'Tis not the dance of atoQis blind, Etherial space, or subtile flame ; No; 'tis one vast eternal mind. Too sacred for an earthly name. He forms, pervades, dnects the whole; Not like the macrocosm's imag'd soul. But provident of endless good. By ways nor seen, nor understood. Which e'en his angels vainly might explore. Hioh, their highest thoutjhts above. Truth; wisd.Mn. jusiice. mercy, love. Wrought in his heav'nlv essence, blaze and soar, ^Mortals, who his glory seek, R.tpt in contcmplaiioii meek, Him tear, hiin trust hi:n vnerate, him adore. I an- 6S6 I annex a fac-simile of the writing of Sir Wil- liam Jones, and I close the volume with some lines on his death, written by her Grace the Duchess of Devonshire, and inserted at the par- ticular request of Lady Jones. On the Death of Sir William Jones. Teignmouth, 1795. Unbounded learning, thoughts by genius fram'd. To guide the bounteous hibouis of his pen, Distinguish'd him, whom kindred sages nam'd, " The most enlighten'd of the sons of men."* Upright through hfe, as in his death resign'd. His actions spoke a pure and ardent breast ; Faithful to God, and friendly to mankind. His friends rever'd him, and his country bless'd* Admir'd and valued in a distant land. His gentle manners all affection won ; The prostrate Hindu own'd his fostering hand, And science mark'd him for her fav'rite son. Regret and praise the general voice bestows^ And public sorrows with domestic blend ; But deeper yet must be tlie grief of those, Who, while the sage they honoui'd, lov'd the friend. * Dr. Johnson. Brette'i and Co. Printers, Marshail-iitrett, Golden-Square. "j»ij''5!»'^ ::#??! X. ^-^^ i