按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
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 ab