No. 38. On the Genius of Sir William Jones. "Unbounded learning thoughts by genius framed, The Duchess of Devonshire, 1795. Among the many literary characters of Great Britain, whose clever writings have illumed their native land, how many are there who have never been absent from home for any length of time, during their brilliant career; and how little those men frequently are appreciated, who leave their native country, and the light of whose genius, blazes forth like a "mental sun" in a foreign clime. It is natural enough, to be more attached to those writers who shine in the land (whether England or India) we are for some years to inhabit, or where we have been from our birth, but how much ought to be thought of a man like Sir William Jones, who has conferred the greatest benefits in literature on the largest and most fertile of Great Britain's possessions. Perhaps Sir William Jones is unrivalled in the multiplicity of his attainments; a very great linguist, a sound lawyer, a penetrating historian, an excellent poet, and an amiable man, loved by all the sons and daughters of science of his time. In my 9th number, I wrote upon a club established for the promotion of oriental literature, and which was distinguished by the title of THE SIR WILLIAM JONES' CLUB, but I gave nothing concerning the genius of its founder, nor did I enumerate the many languages of which he was master, which might have tended to inspire ambitious subalterns with a desire to excel in a knowledge of "THE VERNACULAR LANGUAGE OF INDIA." The warm weather is again about to commence, again the papers are teeming with paragraphs on the study of languages, and once more POLYPHILUS holds forth his humble aid towards the promotion of this invaluable study. What a pity it is! this scorching sun has such an effect on juvenile inclination; what a pity it is! to see military twigs, perhaps from a tree of genius, slumbering on a couch, reading a novel, or old play (perhaps a new way to pay old debts) smoking, or drinking brandy and water, instead of learning the vernacular language of the country. Hear then O, Subaltern! a few remarks on the erudition and genius of Sir William Jones, and from him take example: I am not certain when the new ventilating principle is expected from England, but I am afraid until it arrives, or tatties are served out to students by Government,—that the present generation will never equal Sir William Jones. The following is from Lord Teignmouth:-" In the short space of 47 years, by the exertion of rare intellectual talents, he acquired a knowledge of arts, sciences, and languages, which has seldom been equalled, and scarcely, if ever surpassed. If he did not attain the critical proficiency of a Porson or Parr in Grecian literature; yet his knowledge of it was most extensive and profound, and entitled him to a high rank in the first class of scholars; while as a philologist he could boast an universality in which he had no rival. His skill in the idioms of India, Persia and Arabia, has perhaps never been equalled by any European; and his compositions on oriental subjects, display a taste which we seldom find in the writings of those who had preceded him in these tracts of literature. The language of Constantinople was always familiar to him; and of the Chinese characters and tongue, he had learned enough to enable him to translate an Ode of Confucius. In the modern dialects of Europe, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Ger man, he was thoroughly conversant, and had perused the most admired writers in those languages." The following is transcribed from a paper in the handwriting of Sir William Jones. LANGUAGES. Eight languages studied critically : English, Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit. Eight studied less perfectly, but all intelligible with a dictionary: Spanish, Portuguese, German, Runick. Hebrew, Bengali, Hindi, Turkish. Twelve studied least perfectly, but all attainable : Tibetian, Pali, Phalavi, Deri, I need not extract any more from his life by Lord Teignmouth, which I consider one of the most interesting of Biographies. It must appear really wonderful when we consider the intense application, the sound fertile memory, which must have dwelt with the author in the pursuit of so many difficult languages, not considering his legal, historical, and poetical attainments: only a great original genius matured by unceasing industry could do the like, and he is one of those few instances who have entered the boundless sea of mythology, and have not been washed over with the poison of scepticism. How much then ought the memory of a man like this to be revered by the world. In March 1783, he was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William in Bengal; during his hours of leisure, he had formed in 1784 that brilliant Asiatic Society in Calcutta, the presidency of which was offered to Warren Hastings then Governor General of India, who "begged leave to resign his pretensions to the gentleman, whose genius had planned the institution, and was most capable of conducting it, to the attainment of the great, and splendid purposes of its formation." After a residence of little more than ten years in India, during which period he had caused a flame to brighten o'er the hidden mysteries of the East, at the age of 47 in April 1794, he met with the common lot, he died, loved, and regretted, by all. Of him might be said what Johnson said of Addison, "Mille habet ornatus, mille decentur habet." A LETTER FROM SIR W. JONES TO WARREN HASTINGS. The following letter from Sir William Jones to Warren Hastings, shews that even the wisest men make money their chief consideration. |