the life of william carey-第54章

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d　he　soon　became　the　admiring　correspondent　of　Carey　himself。　　His　first　act　during　his　seven　years'　residence　in　Bombay　was　to　establish　the　〃Literary　Society。〃　　He　drew　up　a　〃Plan　of　a　comparative　vocabulary　of　Indian　languages；〃　to　be　filled　up　by　the　officials　of　every　district；　like　that　which　Carey　had　long　been　elaborating　for　his　own　use　as　a　philologist　and　Bible　translator。　In　his　first　address　to　the　Literary　Society　he　thus　eulogised　the　College　of　Fort　William；　though　fresh　from　a　chair　in　its　English　rival；　Haileybury：〃The　original　plan　was　the　most　magnificent　attempt　ever　made　for　the　promotion　of　learning　in　the　East。。。Even　in　its　present　mutilated　state　we　have　seen；　at　the　last　public　exhibition；　Sanskrit　declamation　by　English　youth；　a　circumstance　so　extraordinary；　that　if　it　be　followed　by　suitable　advances　it　will　mark　an　epoch　in　the　history　of　learning。〃

Carey　continued　till　1831　to　be　the　most　notable　figure　in　the　College　of　Fort　William。　　He　was　the　centre　of　the　learned　natives　whom　it　attracted；　as　pundits　and　moonshees；　as　inquirers　and　visitors。　　His　own　special　pundit　was　the　chief　one；　Mrityunjaya　Vidyalankar；　whom　Home　has　immortalised　in　Carey's　portrait。　　In　the　college　for　more　than　half　the　week；　as　in　his　study　at　Serampore；　Carey　exhausted　three　pundits　daily。　　His　college…room　was　the　centre　of　incessant　literary　work；　as　his　Serampore　study　was　of　Bible　translation。　　When　he　declared　that　the　college　staff　had　sent　forth　one　hundred　original　volumes　in　the　Oriental　languages　and　literature；　he　referred　to　the　grammars　and　dictionaries；　the　reading…books；　compilations；　and　editions　prepared　for　the　students　by　the　professors　and　their　native　assistants。　　But　he　contributed　the　largest　share；　and　of　all　his　contributions　the　most　laborious　and　valuable　was　this　project　of　the　Bibliotheca　Asiatica。

〃24th　July；　1805。By　the　enclosed　Gazette　you　will　see　that　the　Asiatic　Society　and　the　College　have　agreed　to　allow　us　a　yearly　stipend　for　translating　Sanskrit　works：　this　will　maintain　three　missionary　stations；　and　we　intend　to　apply　it　to　that　purpose。　　An　augmentation　of　my　salary　has　been　warmly　recommended　by　the　College　Council；　but　has　not　yet　taken　place；　and　as　Lord　Cornwallis　is　now　arrived　and　Lord　Wellesley　going　away；　it　may　not　take　place。　　If　it　should；　it　will　be　a　further　assistance。　　The　business　of　the　translation　of　Sanskrit　works　is　as　follows：　About　two　years　ago　I　presented　proposals　（to　the　Council　of　the　College）　to　print　the　Sanskrit　books　at　a　fixed　price；　with　a　certain　indemnity　for　100　copies。　　The　plan　was　thought　too　extensive　by　some；　and　was　therefore　laid　by。　　A　few　months　ago　Dr。　Francis　Buchanan　came　to　me；　by　desire　of　Marquis　Wellesley；　about　the　translation　of　his　manuscripts。　　In　the　course　of　conversation　I　mentioned　the　proposal　I　had　made；　of　which　he　much　approved；　and　immediately　communicated　the　matter　to　Sir　John　Anstruther；　who　is　president　of　the　Asiatic　Society。　　Sir　John　had　then　been　drawing　out　a　proposal　to　Lord　Wellesley　to　form　a　catalogue　raisonn？of　the　ancient　Hindoo　books；　which　he　sent　to　me；　and　entering　warmly　into　my　plan；　desired　that　I　would　send　in　a　set　of　proposals。　　After　some　amendments　it　was　agreed　that　the　College　of　Fort　William　and　the　Asiatic　Society　should　subscribe　in　equal　shares　300　rupees　a　month　to　defray　the　current　expenses；　that　we　should　undertake　any　work　approved　of　by　them；　and　print　the　original　with　an　English　translation　on　such　paper　and　with　such　a　type　as　they　shall　approve；　the　copy　to　be　ours。　　They　have　agreed　to　recommend　the　work　to　all　the　learned　bodies　in　Europe。　　I　have　recommended　the　Ramayana　to　begin　with；　it　being　one　of　the　most　popular　of　all　the　Hindoo　books　accounted　sacred。　　The　Veda　are　so　excessively　insipid　that；　had　we　begun　with　them；　we　should　have　sickened　the　public　at　the　outset。　　The　Ramayana　will　furnish　the　best　account　of　Hindoo　mythology　that　any　one　book　will；　and　has　extravagancy　enough　to　excite　a　wish　to　read　it　through。〃

In　1807　Carey　became　one　of　the　most　active　members　of　the　Bengal　Asiatic　Society。　　His　name　at　once　appears　as　one　of　the　Committee　of　Papers。　　In　the　ninth　volume　of　the　Asiatic　Researches　for　that　year；　scholars　were　invited　to　communicate　translations　and　descriptive　accounts　of　Asiatic　books。　　Carey's　edition　of　The　Ramayana　of　Valmeeki；　in　the　original　Sanskrit；　with　a　prose　translation　and　explanatory　notes；　appeared　from　the　Serampore　press　in　three　successive　quartos　from　1806　to　1810。　　The　translation　was　done　by　〃Dr。　Carey　and　Joshua　Marshman。〃　　Until　Gorresio　published　his　edition　and　Italian　translation　of　the　whole　poem　this　was　the　first　and　only　attempt　to　open　the　seal　of　the　second　great　Sankrit　epic　to　the　European　world。　　In　1802　Carey　had　encouraged　the　publication　at　his　own　press　of　translations　of　both　the　Mahabharata　and　the　Ramayana　into　Bengali。　　Carey's　Ramayana　excited　a　keen　interest　not　only　among　the　learned　of　Europe；　but　among　poetical　students。　　Southey　eagerly　turned　to　it　for　materials　for　his　Curse　of　Kehama；　in　the　notes　to　which　he　makes　long　quotations　from　〃the　excellent　and　learned　Baptist　missionaries　of　Serampore。〃　　Dean　Milman；　when　professor　of　poetry　in　Oxford；　drew　from　the　same　storehouse　many　of　the　notes　with　which　he　enriched　his　verse　translations　from　both　epics。　　A。　W。　von　Schlegel；　the　death　of　whose　eldest　brother　at　Madras　early　led　him　to　Oriental　studies；　published　two　books　with　a　Latin　translation。　　Mr。　Ralph　T。　H。　Griffith　most　pleasantly　opened　the　treasures　of　this　epic　to　English　readers　in　his　verse　translations　published　since　1868。　Carey's　translation　has　always　been　the　more　rare　that　the　edition　despatched　for　sale　in　England　was　lost　at　sea；　and　only　a　few　presentation　copies　are　extant；　one　of　which　is　in　the　British　Museum。

Carey's　contributions　to　Sanskrit　scholarship　were　not　confined　to　what　he　published　or　to　what　appeared　under　his　own　name。　　We　are　told　by　H。　H。　Wilson　that　he　had　prepared　for　the　press　translations　of　treatises　on　the　metaphysical　system　called　Sankhya。　〃It　was　not　in　Dr。　Carey's　nature　to　volunteer　a　display　of　his　erudition；　and　the　literary　labours　already　adverted　to　arose　in　a　great　measure　out　of　his　connection　with　the　college　of　Calcutta；　or　were　suggested　to　him　by　those　whose　authority　he　respected；　and　to　whose　wishes　he　thought　it　incumbent　upon　him　to　attend。　　It　may　be　added　that　Dr。　Carey　spoke　Sanskrit　with　fluency　and　correctness。〃

He　edited　for　the　college　the　Sanskrit　text　of　the　Hitopadesa；　from　six　MSS。　recensions　of　this　the　first　revelation　to　Europe　of　the　fountain　of　Aryan　folk…tales；　of　the　original　of　Pilpay's　Fables。15　H。　H。　Wilson　remarks　that　the　errors　are　not　more　than　might　have　been　expected　from　the　variations　and　defects　of　the　manuscripts　and　the　novelty　of　the　task；　for　this　was　the　first　Sanskrit　book　ever　printed　in　the　Devanagari　character。　　To　this　famous　work　Carey　added　an　abridgment　of　the　prose　Adventures　of　Ten　Princes　（the　Dasa　Kumara　Carita）；　and　of　Bhartri…hari's　Apophthegms。　　Colebrooke　records　his　debt　to　Carey　for　carrying　through　the　Serampore　press　the　Sanskrit　dictionary　of　Amara　Sinha；　the　oldest　native　lexicographer；　with　an　English　interpretation　and　annotations。　　But　the　magnum　opus　of　Carey　was　what　in　1811　he　described　as　A　Universal　Dictionary　of　the　Oriental　Languages；　derived　from　the　Sanskrit；　of　which　that　language　is　to　be　the　groundwork。　　The　object　for　which　he　had　been　long　collecting　the　materials　of　this　mighty　work　was　the　assisting　of　〃Biblical　students　to　correct　the　translation　of　the　Bible　in　the　Oriental　languages　after　we　are　dead。〃

Through　the　College　of　Fort　William　during　thirty　long　years　Carey　influenced　the　ablest　men　in　the　Bengal　Civil　Service；　and　not　a　few　in　Madras　and　Bombay。　〃The　college　must　stand　or　the　empire　must　fall；〃　its　founder　had　written　to　his　friends　in　the　Government；　so　convinced　was　he　that　only　thus　could　proper　men　be　trained　for　the　public　service　and　the　welfare　of　our　native　subjects　be　secured。　How　right　he　was　Carey's　experience　proved。　　The　young　civilians　turned　out　after　the　first　three　years'　course　introduced　that　new　e