the life of william carey-第61章

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ttle　to　anybody　of　his　possessing　this　book；　but　put　it　carefully　by　in　a　linen　cover；　and　produced　it　with　great　mystery　when　I　came　to　settle　the　revenue　of　his　nephew's　country；　'thinking　that　the　time　predicted　by　the　Englishman　had　arrived！'　　The　only　person；　I　believe；　to　whom　he　had　shown　the　volume　was　a　Moolluh；　who　read　several　passages　in　the　Old　Testament；　and　told　Ali　Khan　'it　was　a　true　story；　and　was　all　about　their　own　Muhommudan　prophets；　Father　Moses　and　Father　Noah。'

〃I　examined　the　book　with　great　interest。　　It　was　not　printed　in　the　Persian　character；　but　the　common　Pushtoo　language　of　Afghanistan；　and　was　the　only　specimen　I　had　ever　seen　of　Pushtoo　reduced　to　writing。　　The　accomplishment　of　such　a　translation　was　a　highly　honourable　proof　of　the　zeal　and　industry　of　the　Serampore　mission；　and　should　these　pages　ever　meet　the　eye　of　Mr。　John　Marshman；　of　Serampore；21　whose　own　pen　is　consistently　guided　by　a　love　of　civil　order　and　religious　truth；　he　may　probably　be　able　to　identify　'the　English　gentleman'　who；　thirty…two　years　ago　on　the　banks　of　the　Ganges；　at　the　then　frontier　of　British　India；　gave　to　a　young　Afghan　chief；　from　beyond　the　distant　Indus；　a　Bible　in　his　own　barbarous　tongue；　and　foresaw　the　day　when　the　followers　of　the　'Son　of　David'　should　extend　their　dominion　to　the　'Throne　of　Solomon。'〃

Hurdw鈘；　as　the　spot　at　which　the　Ganges　debouches　into　the　plains；　is　the　scene　of　the　greatest　pilgrim　gathering　in　India；　especially　every　twelfth　year。　　Then　three　millions　of　people　used　to　assemble；　and　too　often　carried；　all　over　Asia；　cholera　which　extended　to　Europe。　　The　missionaries　made　this；　like　most　pilgrim　resorts；　a　centre　of　preaching　and　Bible　circulation；　and　doubtless　it　was　from　Thompson；　Carey's　Missionary　at　Delhi；　that　this　copy　of　the　Pushtoo　Bible　was　received。　　It　was　begun　by　Dr。　Leyden；　and　continued　for　seven　years　by　the　same　Afghan　maulavee　under　Carey；　in　the　Arabic　character。　　The　Punjabi　Bible；　nearly　complete；　issued　first　in　1815；　had　become　so　popular　by　1820　as　to　lead　Carey　to　report　of　the　Sikhs　that　no　one　of　the　nations　of　India　had　discovered　a　stronger　desire　for　the　Scriptures　than　this　hardy　race。　　At　Amritsar　and　Lahore　〃the　book　of　Jesus　is　spoken　of；　is　read；　and　has　caused　a　considerable　stir　in　the　minds　of　the　people。〃　　A　Thug；　asked　how　he　could　have　committed　so　many　murders；　pointed　to　it　and　said；　〃If　I　had　had　this　book　I　could　not　have　done　it。〃　　A　fakeer；　forty　miles　from　Lodiana；　read　the　book；　founded　the　community　of　worshippers　of　the　Sachi　Pit？Isa；　and　suffered　much　persecution　in　a　native　State。

When　Felix　Carey　returned　to　Serampore　in　1812　to　print　his　Burmese　version　of　the　Gospel　of　Matthew　and　his　Burmese　grammar；　his　father　determined　to　send　the　press　at　which　they　were　completed　to　Rangoon。　　The　three　missionaries　despatched　with　it　a　letter　to　the　king　of　Ava；　commending　to　his　care　〃their　beloved　brethren；　who　from　love　to　his　majesty's　subjects　had　voluntarily　gone　to　place　themselves　under　his　protection；　while　they　translated　the　Bible；　the　Book　of　Heaven；　which　was　received　and　revered〃　by　all　the　countries　of　Europe　and　America　as　〃the　source　whence　all　the　knowledge　of　virtue　and　religion　was　drawn。〃　　The　king　at　once　ordered　from　Serampore　a　printing…press；　like　that　at　Rangoon；　for　his　own　palace　at　Ava；　with　workmen　to　use　it。　　In　this　Carey　saw　the　beginning　of　a　mission　in　the　Burman　capital；　but　God　had　other　designs　which　the　sons　and　daughters　of　America；　following　Judson　first　of　all；　are　still　splendidly　developing；　from　Rangoon　to　Kareng…nee；　Siam；　and　China。　　The　ship　containing　the　press　sank　in　the　Rangoon　river；　and　the　first　Burmese　war　soon　followed。

Three　months　after　the　complete　and　magnificent　plan　of　translating　the　Bible　into　all　the　languages　of　the　far　East；　which　the　assistance　of　his　two　colleagues　and　the　college　of　Fort　William　led　Carey　to　form；　had　been　laid　before　Fuller　in　Northamptonshire；　the　British　and　Foreign　Bible　Society　was　founded　in　London。　　Joseph　Hughes；　the　Nonconformist　who　was　its　first　secretary；　had　been　moved　by　the　need　of　the　Welsh　for　the　Bible　in　their　own　tongue。　But　the　ex…Governor…General；　Lord　Teignmouth；　became　its　first　president；　and　the　Serampore　translators　at　once　turned　for　assistance　to　the　new　organisation　whose　work　Carey　had　individually　been　doing　for　ten　years　at　the　cost　of　his　two　associates　and　himself。　　The　catholic　Bible　Society　at　once　asked　Carey's　old　friend；　Mr。　Udny；　then　a　member　of　the　Government　in　Calcutta；　to　form　a　corresponding　committee　there　of　the　three　missionariestheir　chaplain　friends；　Brown　and　Buchanan；　and　himself。　　The　chaplains　delayed　the　formation　of　the　committee　till　1809；　but　liberally　helped　meanwhile　in　the　circulation　of　the　other　appeals　issued　from　Serampore；　and　even　made　the　proposal　which　resulted　in　Dr。　Marshman's　wonderful　version　of　the　Bible　in　Chinese　and　Ward's　improvements　in　Chinese　printing。　　To　the　principal　tributary　sovereigns　of　India　Dr。　Buchanan　sent　copies　of　the　vernacular　Scriptures　already　published。

》From　1809　till　1830；　or　practically　through　the　rest　of　Carey's　life；　the　co…operation　of　Serampore　and　the　Bible　Society　was　honourable　to　both。　　Carey　loyally　clung　to　it　when　in　1811；　under　the　spell　of　Henry　Martyn's　sermon　on　Christian　India；　the　chaplains　established　the　Calcutta　Auxiliary　Bible　Society　in　order　to　supersede　its　corresponding　committee。　　In　the　Serampore　press　the　new　auxiliary；　like　the　parent　Society；　found　the　cheapest　and　best　means　of　publishing　editions　of　the　New　Testament　in　Singhalese；　Malayalam；　and　Tamil。　　The　press　issued　also　the　Persian　New　Testament；　first　of　the　Romanist　missionary；　Sebastiani〃though　it　be　not　wholly　free　from　imperfections；　it　will　doubtless　do　much　good；〃　wrote　Dr。　Marshman　to　Fullerand　then　of　Henry　Martyn；　whose　assistant；　Sabat；　was　trained　at　Serampore。　　Those　three　of　Serampore　had　a　Christ…like　tolerance；　which　sprang　from　the　divine　charity　of　their　determination　to　live　only　that　the　Word　of　God　might　sound　out　through　Asia。　When　in　1830　this　auxiliarywhich　had　at　first　sought　to　keep　all　missionaries　out　of　its　executive　in　order　to　conciliate　men　like　Sydney　Smith's　brother；　the　Advocate…General　of　Bengalrefused　to　use　the　translations　of　Carey　and　Yates；　and　inclined　to　an　earlier　version　of　Ellerton；　because　of　the　translation　or　transliteration　of　the　Greek　words　for　〃baptism；〃　these　two　scholars　acted　thus；　as　described　by　the　Bible　Society's　annalistthey；　〃with　a　liberality　which　does　them　honour；　permitted　the　use　of　their　respective　versions　of　the　Bengali　Scriptures；　with　such　alterations　as　were　deemed　needful　in　the　disputed　word　for　'baptism；'　they　being　considered　in　no　way　parties　to　such　alterations。〃　　From　first　to　last　the　British　and　Foreign　Bible　Society；　to　use　its　own　language；　〃had　the　privilege　of　aiding　the　Serampore　brethren　by　grants；　amounting　to　not　less　than　？3；500。〃　　Of　this　？475　had　been　raised　by　Mr。　William　Hey；　F。R。S。；　a　surgeon　at　Leeds；　who　had　been　so　moved　by　the　translation　memoir　of　1816　as　to　offer　？00　for　the　publication　of　a　thousand　copies　of　every　approved　first　translation　of　the　New　Testament　into　any　dialect　of　India。　　It　was　with　this　assistance　that　most　of　the　Hindi　and　the　Pushtoo　and　Punjabi　versions　were　produced。

The　cold　season　of　1811…12　was　one　ever　to　be　remembered。　　Death　entered　the　home　of　each　of　the　staff　of　seven　missionaries　and　carried　off　wife　or　children。　　An　earthquake　of　unusual　violence　alarmed　the　natives。　　Dr。　Carey　had　buried　a　grandson；　and　was　at　his　weekly　work　in　the　college　at　Calcutta。　　The　sun　had　just　set　on　the　evening　of　the　11th　March　1812；　and　the　native　typefounders；　compositors；　pressmen；　binders；　and　writers　had　gone。　　Ward　alone　lingered　in　the　waning　light　at　his　desk　settling　an　account　with　a　few　servants。　　His　two　rooms　formed　the　north　end　of　the　long　printing…office。　　The　south　rooms　were　filled　with　paper　and　printed　materials。　　Close　beyond　was　the　paper…mill。　　The　Bible…publishing　enterprise　was　at　its　height。　　Fourteen　founts　of　Oriental　types；　new　supplies　of　Hebrew；　Greek；　and　English　types；　a　vast　stock　of　paper