the life of william carey-第36章

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uch　as　we　expect　you　to　do　in　the　Mission。　　I　did　so　when　at　Mudnabati；　which　was　as　lonesome　a　place　as　could　have　been　thought　of；　and　when　I　well　knew　that　many　of　our　own　ryots　were　dakoits　（robbers）。〃

William　finally　settled　at　Cutwa；　higher　up　the　Hoogli　than　Serampore；　and　did　good　service　there。

〃1st　December　1813。I　have　now　an　assistant　at　College；　notwithstanding　which　my　duties　are　quite　as　heavy　as　they　ever　were；　for　we　are　to　receive　a　number　of　military　studentsI　suppose　thirty　at　least。　　The　translation；　and　printing　also；　is　now　so　much　enlarged　that　I　am　scarcely　able　to　get　through　the　necessary　labour　of　correcting　proofs　and　learning　the　necessary　languages。　　All　these　things　are　causes　of　rejoicing　more　than　of　regret；　for　they　are　the　very　things　for　which　I　came　into　the　country；　and　to　which　I　wish　to　devote　my　latest　breath。。。Jabez　has　offered　himself　to　the　Mission；　a　circumstance　which　gives　me　more　pleasure　than　if　he　had　been　appointed　Chief　Judge　of　the　Supreme　Court。。。Your　mother　has　long　been　confined　to　her　couch；　I　believe　about　six　months。〃

The　following　was　written　evidently　in　reply　to　loving　letters　on　the　death　of　his　wife；　Charlotte　Emilia：

〃4th　June　1821。MY　DEAR　JONATHANI　feel　your　affectionate　care　for　me　very　tenderly。　　I　have　just　received　very　affectionate　letters　from　William　and　Brother　Sutton　（Orissa）。　　Lord　and　Lady　Hastings　wrote　to　Brother　Marshman；　thinking　it　would　oppress　my　feelings　to　write　to　me　directly；　to　offer　their　kind　condolence　to　me　through　him。　　Will　you　have　the　goodness　to　send　five　rupees　to　William　for　the　Cutwa　school；　which　your　dear　mother　supported。　　I　will　repay　you　soon；　but　am　now　very　short　of　money。I　am　your　very　affectionate　father；　W。　CAREY。〃

Of　the　many　descendants　of　Dr。　Carey；　one　great　grandson　is　now　an　ordained　missionary　in　Bengal；　another　a　medical　missionary　in　Delhi；　and　a　third　is　a　member　of　the　Civil　Service；　who　has　distinguished　himself　by　travels　in　Northern　Tibet　and　Chinese　Turkestan；　which　promise　to　unveil　much　of　the　unexplored　regions　of　Asia　to　the　scholar　and　the　missionary。

Thus　far　we　have　confined　our　study　of　William　Carey　to　his　purely　missionary　career；　and　that　in　its　earlier　half。　　We　have　now　to　see　him　as　the　scholar；　the　Bible　translator；　the　philanthropist；　the　agriculturist；　and　the　founder　of　a　University。





CHAPTER　IX

PROFESSOR　OF　SANSKRIT；　BENGALI；　AND　MARATHI

1801…1830

Carey　the　only　Sanskrit　scholar　in　India　besides　ColebrookeThe　motive　of　the　missionary　scholarPlans　translation　of　the　sacred　books　of　the　EastComparative　philology　from　Leibniz　to　CareyHindoo　and　Mohammedan　codes　and　colleges　of　Warren　HastingsThe　Marquis　WellesleyThe　College　of　Fort　William　foundedCharacter　of　the　Company's　civil　and　military　servantsCurriculum　of　study；　professors　and　teachersThe　vernacular　languagesCarey's　account　of　the　college　and　his　appointmentHow　he　studied　SanskritCollege　Disputation　Day　in　the　new　Government　HouseCarey's　Sanskrit　speechLord　Wellesley's　eulogySir　James　MackintoshCarey's　punditsHe　projects　the　Bibliotheca　AsiaticaOn　the　Committee　of　the　Bengal　Asiatic　SocietyEdition　and　translation　of　the　Ramayana　epicThe　HitopadesaHis　Universal　DictionaryInfluence　of　Carey　on　the　civil　and　military　servicesW。　B。　Bayley；　B。　H。　Hodgson；　R。　Jenkins；　R。　M。　and　W。　Bird；　John　Lawrence。

When；　in　the　opening　days　of　the　nineteenth　century；　William　Carey　was　driven　to　settle　in　Danish　Serampore；　he　was　the　only　member　of　the　governing　race　in　North　India　who　knew　the　language　of　the　people　so　as　to　teach　it；　the　only　scholar；　with　the　exception　of　Colebrooke；　who　could　speak　Sanskrit　as　fluently　as　the　Brahmans。　The　Bengali　language　he　had　made　the　vehicle　of　the　teaching　of　Christ；　of　the　thought　of　Paul；　of　the　revelation　of　John。　Of　the　Sanskrit；　hitherto　concealed　from　alien　eyes　or　diluted　only　through　the　Persian；　he　had　prepared　a　grammar　and　begun　a　dictionary；　while　he　had　continually　used　its　great　epics　in　preaching　to　the　Brahmans；　as　Paul　had　quoted　the　Greek　poets　on　the　Areopagus。　　And　all　this　he　had　done　as　the　missionary　of　Christ　and　the　scholar　afterwards。　　Reporting　to　Ryland；　in　August　1800；　the　publication　of　the　Gospels　and　of　〃several　small　pieces〃　in　Bengali；　he　excused　his　irregularity　in　keeping　a　journal；　〃for　in　the　printing　I　have　to　look　over　the　copy　and　correct　the　press；　which　is　much　more　laborious　than　it　would　be　in　England；　because　spelling；　writing；　printing；　etc。；　in　Bengali　is　almost　a　new　thing；　and　we　have　in　a　manner　to　fix　the　orthography。〃　　A　little　later；　in　a　letter　to　Sutcliff；　he　used　language　regarding　the　sacred　books　of　the　Hindoos　which　finds　a　parallel　more　than　eighty　years　after　in　Professor　Max　M黮ler's　preface　to　his　series　of　the　sacred　books　of　the　East；　the　translation　of　which　Carey　was　the　first　to　plan　and　to　begin　from　the　highest　of　all　motives。　　Mr。　Max　M黮ler　calls　attention　to　the　〃real　mischief　that　has　been　and　is　still　being　done　by　the　enthusiasm　of　those　pioneers　who　have　opened　the　first　avenues　through　the　bewildering　forests　of　the　sacred　literature　of　the　East。〃　He　declares　that　〃Eastern　nations　themselves　would　not　tolerate；　in　any　of　their　classical　literary　compositions；　such　violations　of　the　simplest　rules　of　taste　as　they　have　accustomed　themselves　to　tolerate；　if　not　to　admire；　in　their　sacred　books。〃　And　he　is　compelled　to　leave　untranslated；　while　he　apologises　for　them；　the　frequent　allusions　to　the　sexual　aspects　of　nature；　〃particularly　in　religious　books。〃　　The　revelations　of　the　Maharaj　trial　in　Bombay　are　the　practical　fruit　of　all　this。

〃CALCUTTA；　17th　March　1802。I　have　been　much　astonished　lately　at　the　malignity　of　some　of　the　infidel　opposers　of　the　Gospel；　to　see　how　ready　they　are　to　pick　every　flaw　they　can　in　the　inspired　writings；　and　even　to　distort　the　meaning；　that　they　may　make　it　appear　inconsistent；　while　these　very　persons　will　labour　to　reconcile　the　grossest　contradictions　in　the　writings　accounted　sacred　by　the　Hindoos；　and　will　stoop　to　the　meanest　artifices　in　order　to　apologise　for　the　numerous　glaring　falsehoods　and　horrid　violations　of　all　decency　and　decorum；　which　abound　in　almost　every　page。　　Any　thing；　it　seems；　will　do　with　these　men　but　the　word　of　God。　They　ridicule　the　figurative　language　of　Scripture；　but　will　run　allegory…mad　in　support　of　the　most　worthless　productions　that　ever　were　published。　　I　should　think　it　time　lost　to　translate　any　of　them；　and　only　a　sense　of　duty　excites　me　to　read　them。　　An　idea；　however；　of　the　advantage　which　the　friends　of　Christianity　may　obtain　by　having　these　mysterious　sacred　nothings　（which　have　maintained　their　celebrity　so　long　merely　by　being　kept　from　the　inspection　of　any　but　interested　Brahmans）　exposed　to　view；　has　induced　me；　among　other　things；　to　write　the　Sanskrit　grammar；　and　to　begin　a　dictionary　of　that　language。　　I　sincerely　pity　the　poor　people；　who　are　held　by　the　chains　of　an　implicit　faith　in　the　grossest　of　lies；　and　can　scarcely　help　despising　the　wretched　infidel　who　pleads　in　their　favour　and　tries　to　vindicate　them。　　I　have　long　wished　to　obtain　a　copy　of　the　Veda；　and　am　now　in　hopes　I　shall　be　able　to　procure　all　that　are　extant。　　A　Brahman　this　morning　offered　to　get　them　for　me　for　the　sake　of　money。　　If　I　succeed；　I　shall　be　strongly　tempted　to　publish　them　with　a　translation；　pro　bono　publico。〃

It　was　not　surprising　that　the　Governor…General；　even　if　he　had　been　less　enlightened　than　Lord　Wellesley；　found　in　this　missionary　interloper；　as　the　East　India　Company　officially　termed　the　class　to　which　he　belonged；　the　only　man　fit　to　be　Professor　of　Bengali；　Sanskrit；　and　Marathi　in　the　College　of　Fort　William；　and　also　translator　of　the　laws　and　regulations　of　the　Government。

In　a　memoir　read　before　the　Berlin　Academy　of　Sciences；　which　he　had　founded　in　the　first　year　of　the　eighteenth　century；　Leibniz　first　sowed　the　seed　of　the　twin　sciences　of　comparative　philology　and　ethnology；　to　which　we　owe　the　fruitful　results　of　the　historical　and　critical　school。　　That　century　was　passed　in　the　necessary　collection　of　facts；　of　data。　　Carey　introduced　the　second　period；　so　far　as　the　learned　and　vernacular　languages　of　North　India　are　concernedof　developing　from　the　body　of　facts　which　his　industry　enormously　extended；　the　principles　upon　which　these　languages　were　constructed；　besides　applying　these　principles；　in　the　shape　of　grammars；　dictionaries；　and　translations；　to　the　instruction　and　Christian　civilisation　alike　of　the　learned　and　of　the　millions　of　the　people。　　To　the　last；　as　at　the　first；　he　was　undoubtedly　only　what　he　called　himself；　a　pioneer　to　prepare　the　way　for　more　successful　civilisers　and　scholars。　　But　his　pioneering　was　acknowledged　by　contemporary14　and　later　Orientalists；　like　Colebrooke　and　H。　H。　Wilson；　to　be　of　unexampled　value　in　the　history　of　scientific　research　and　industry；　while　the　succeeding　pages　will　show　that　in　its　practical　results　the　pioneering　came　as　nearly　to　victory　as　is　possible；　until　native　India　lives　its　own　national　Christian　life。

When　India　first　became　a　united　British　Empire　under　one　Governor…General　and　the　Regulating　Act　of　Parliament　of　1773；　Warren　Hastings　had　at　once　carried　out　the　provision　he　himself　had　suggested　for　using　the　moulavies　and　pundits　in　the　administration　of　Mussulman　and　Hindoo　law。　　Besides　colleges　in　Calcutta　and　Benares　to　train　such；　he　caused　those　codes　of　Mohammedan　and　Brahmanical　law　to　be　prepared　which　afterwards　appeared　as　The　Hedaya　and　The　Code　of　Gentoo　Laws。　The　last　was　compiled　in　Sanskrit　by　pundits　summoned　from　all　Bengal　and　maintained　in　Calcutta　at　the　public　cost；　each　at　a　rupee　a　day。　　It　was　translated　through　the　Persian；　the　language　of　the　courts；　by　the　elder　Halhed　into　English　in　1776。　　That　was　the　first　step　in　English　Orientalism。　　The　second　was　taken　by　Sir　William　Jones；　a　predecessor　worthy　of　Carey；　but　cut　off　all　too　soon　while　still　a　young　man　of　thirty…four；　when　he　founded　the　Bengal　Asiatic　Society　in　1784　on　the　model　of　Boyle's　Royal　Society。　　The　code　of　Warren　Hastings　had　to　be　arranged　and　supplemented　into　a　reliable　digest　of　the　original　texts；　and　the　translation　of　this　work；　as　done　by　pundit　Jaganatha；　was　left；　by　the　death　of　Jones；　to　Colebrooke；　who　completed　it　in　1797。　　Charles　Wilkins　had　made　the　first　direct　translation　from　the　Sanskrit　into　English　in　1785；　when　he　published　in　London　The　Bhagavat…Geeta　or　Dialogue　of　Krishna　and　Arjoon；　and　his　is　the　imperishable　honour　thus　chronicled　by　a　contemporary　poetaster：

　　　〃But　he　performed　a　yet　more　noble　part；　　　　　He　gave　to　Asia　typographic　art。〃

In　Bengali　Halhed　had　printed　at　Hoogli　in　1783；　with　types　cut　by　Wilkins；　the　first　grammar；　but　it　had　become　obsolete　and　was　imperfect。　　Such　had　been　the　tentative　efforts　of　the　civilians　and　officials　of　the　Company　when　Carey　began　anew　the　work　from　the　only　secure　foundation；　the　level　of　daily　sympathetic　intercourse　with　the　people　and　their　Brahmans；　with　the　young　as　well　as　the　old。

The　Marquis　Wellesley　was　of　nearly　the　same　age　as　Carey；　whom　he　soon　learned　to　appreciate　and　to　use　for　the　highest　good　of　the　empire。　　Of　the　same