PREFACE. THE foundation of a professorship of Sanscrit in this University, and the late election, which has raised Mr. Wilson to the professor's chair, could scarcely have taken place without giving, at least for the time, an additional impulse to the curiosity of the learned respecting the nature and literature of that language. Some enquiry began to be made for Sanscrit books. Hence it will appear very natural that a bookseller, who aims at being something more than the mere go-between of author and reader, should desire to gain some information respecting a subject now likely to form a new department of his calling. It was with some pleasure, therefore, that he took up and read the German work of Adelung; and, with the hope of its being interesting and useful to others, he undertook the translation of it into English. In doing this, he cannot but feel aware that he has, in some degree, laid himself open to the charge of presumption, for attempting to translate a treatise concerning a language of which he knows not even the alphabet. Had he indeed foreseen, at the commencement of his task, the extent of labour, which, from the nature of the work he has had to undergo, the following pages would probably never have seen the light. He trusted too much, however, to the great name of Adelung; and, anticipating but little trouble in turning his German into English, was not aware of the pains C and research necessary to correct the mistakes, and supply the omissions, almost unavoidable in a work of this kind. This he has attempted to do as far as lay in his power, and with such helps as he could procure. The corrections and alterations he has made, it would be almost impossible to point out; perhaps there is scarcely a page in which some emendation does not occur. Besides these corrections, many alterations and additions have been made, which will not perhaps be so readily admitted as improvements. These indeed are so numerous, that they give the work the character rather of a new compilation than of a mere translation. The first part of the essay has been entirely re-modelled; as after the first two sheets had been printed in its original form, their appearance was so crude and foreign, that it was deemed advisable to cancel them. Besides this, full one half of the matter now presented to the public is not to be found in the original German. Of these additions, the greater part relate to subjects essentially connected with the work, and therefore requiring no apology; others, which have been inserted with a view of placing the subjects to which they refer in a stronger light, and of enlivening the dulness of a catalogue, must be left to the taste and indulgence of the reader. They consist, for the most part, of short extracts from the works referred to, and brief sketches of the various departments of Sanscrit learning into which the work is divided. It was intended at one time to distinguish them from the original work; but their number made it inconvenient, and the design was abandoned. Examples will be found under the heads of Philosophy, Poetry, Medi cine, the Drama, etc. reference being invariably made to the sources from which they are taken. In this part of his work the translator has been greatly assisted by the kindness of Dr. Bandinel in allowing him the use of the Bodleian Library, and by the generous attention of the other gentlemen connected with that establishment. It is to him a pleasing duty to make this public acknowledgement of their liberality. In the orthography of the Sanscrit and other oriental words, he has been favoured with the assistance of a scholar in this branch of learning, without which he would have been unable to proceed. Still, exact uniformity in this respect is not to be looked for. European scholars seldom in the manner of repreagree senting Sanscrit sounds by Roman letters; and the writers of different nations vary considerably in their orthography of the language: indeed they are frequently inconsistent even with themselves, and to such a degree, that the same word will often be found written several different ways in the same page. Add to this an observation made by Professor Wilson in the preface to his Sanscrit dictionary; viz. that "the various readings arising from confounding the different nasals and sibilants, and above all from the perpetual interchange of the letters B and V, are innumerable and of almost impracticable adjustment." And when it is known that this arbitrary substitution of one letter for another is further sanctioned by a convenient rule, the learned reader will perhaps be more disposed a "The letters R and L, D' and L, J and Y, B and V, S' and S, M and N; a final visargah or its omission, and a final nasal mark or its omission, are always optional, there being no difference between them." Wilson's Dictionary, Preface, p. 41. |