the life of william carey-第50章

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　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　name　and　original　English　descent　as　John　and　Charles　Wesley；　the　Governor…General　was　the　eldest　and　not　the　least　brilliant　of　the　Irish　family　which；　besides　him；　gave　to　the　country　the　Duke　of　Wellington　and　Lord　Cowley。　　While　Carey　was　cobbling　shoes　in　an　unknown　hamlet　of　the　Midlands　and　was　aspiring　to　convert　the　world；　young　Wellesley　was　at　Eton　and　Christ　Church；　Oxford；　acquiring　the　classical　scholarship　which；　as　we　find　its　fruits　in　his　Primiti？et　Reliqui？　extorted　the　praise　of　De　Quincey。　　When　Carey　was　starving　in　Calcutta　unknown　the　young　lord　was　making　his　mark　in　the　House　of　Commons　by　a　speech　against　the　Jacobins　of　France　in　the　style　of　Burke。　　The　friend　of　Pitt；　he　served　his　apprenticeship　to　Indian　affairs　in　the　Board　of　Control；　where　he　learned　to　fight　the　directors　of　the　East　India　Company；　and　he　landed　at　Calcutta　in　1798；　just　in　time　to　save　the　nascent　empire　from　ruin　by　the　second　Mysore　war　and　the　fall　of　Tipoo　at　Seringapatam。　　Like　that　other　marquis　who　most　closely　resembled　him　half　a　century　after；　the　Scottish　Dalhousie；　his　hands　were　no　sooner　freed　from　the　uncongenial　bonds　of　war　than　he　became　even　more　illustrious　by　his　devotion　to　the　progress　which　peace　makes　possible。　　He　created　the　College　of　Fort　William；　dating　the　foundation　of　what　was　fitted　and　intended　to　be　the　greatest　seat　of　learning　in　the　East　from　the　first　anniversary　of　the　victory　of　Seringapatam。　　So　splendidly　did　he　plan；　so　wisely　did　he　organise；　and　with　such　lofty　aims　did　he　select　the　teachers　of　the　college；　that　long　after　his　death　he　won　from　De　Quincey　the　impartial　eulogy；　that　of　his　three　services　to　his　country　and　India　this　was　the　〃first；　to　pave　the　way　for　the　propagation　of　Christianitymighty　service；　stretching　to　the　clouds；　and　which　in　the　hour　of　death　must　have　given　him　consolation。〃

When　Wellesley　arrived　at　Calcutta　he　had　been　shocked　by　the　sensual　ignorance　of　the　Company's　servants。　　Sunday　was　universally　given　up　to　horse…racing　and　gambling。　　Boys　of　sixteen　were　removed　from　the　English　public　schools　where　they　had　hardly　mastered　the　rudiments　of　education　to　become　the　magistrates；　judges；　revenue　collectors；　and　governors　of　millions　of　natives　recently　brought　under　British　sway。　　At　a　time　when　the　passions　most　need　regulation　and　the　conscience　training；　these　lads　found　themselves　in　India　with　large　incomes；　flattered　by　native　subordinates；　encouraged　by　their　superiors　to　lead　lives　of　dissipation；　and　without　the　moral　control　even　of　the　weakest　public　opinion。　　The　Eton　boy　and　Oxford　man　was　himself　still　young；　and　he　knew　the　world；　but　he　saw　that　all　this　meant　ruin　to　both　the　civil　and　military　services；　and　to　the　Company's　system。　　The　directors　addressed　in　a　public　letter；　dated　25th　May　1798；　〃an　objurgation　on　the　character　and　conduct〃　of　their　servants。　　They　re…echoed　the　words　of　the　new　Governor…General　in　their　condemnation　of　a　state　of　things；　〃highly　discreditable　to　our　Government；　and　totally　incompatible　with　the　religion　we　profess。〃　　Such　a　service　as　this；　preceding　the　creation　of　the　college；　led　Pitt's　other　friend；　Wilberforce；　in　the　discussions　on　the　charter　of　1813；　to　ascribe　to　Lord　Wellesley；　when　summoning　him　to　confirm　and　revise　it；　the　system　of　diffusing　useful　knowledge　of　all　sorts　as　the　true　foe　not　only　of　ignorance　but　of　vice　and　of　political　and　social　decay。

Called　upon　to　prevent　the　evils　he　had　been　the　first　to　denounce　officially；　Lord　Wellesley　wrote　his　magnificent　state　paper　of　1800；　which　he　simply　termed　Notes　on　the　necessity　of　a　special　collegiate　training　of　Civil　Servants。　　The　Company's　factories　had　grown　into　the　Indian　Empire　of　Great　Britain。　　The　tradesmen　and　clerks；　whom　the　Company　still　called　〃writer；〃　〃factor；〃　and　〃merchant；〃　in　their　several　grades；　had；　since　Clive　obtained　a　military　commission　in　disgust　at　such　duties；　become　the　judges　and　rulers　of　millions；　responsible　to　Parliament。　　They　must　be　educated　in　India　itself；　and　tra