Sir William Jones to Dr. Patrick Ruffel.

Crishna-nagur, Sept. 24, 1788.

I have acted like thofe libertines who

defer repentance till the hour of death, and then find that they have not time to repent. Thus I deferred the pleafure of anfwering letters till the vacation, but found the term and feffion fo long, that I have scarce any vacation at all. I must therefore write very laconically, thanking you heartily for your kind letters, and very curious papers in natural history, wishing that the public may foon gather the fruit of your learned labours.

The business of the court this year, has left me no leifure to examine flowers at Crishna-nagur. The fija is never in bloffom when I am here; but though it has something of the form of the cactus, yet I imagine from the milk of it, that it is an Euphorbia.

With all my exertions I cannot procure any fresh spikenard; but I will not defift.

I have two native physicians in my family, but they have only feen it in a dry state.

I am very sorry to find that you are leaving us, as I have no chance of feeing Europe till the end of the eighteenth century. I wifh you and your brother and his family a profperous and speedy voyage. It is impoffible for me to write more than Vive, vale!

Sir William Jones to Thomas Caldicott, Efq. Sept. 24, 1788.

We had inceffant labour for fix hours a day, for three whole months, in the hot feafon between the tropics, and, what is a fad confequence of long fittings, we have fcarcely any vacation. I can therefore only write to you a few lines this autumn. Before your brother fent me Lewisdon Hill, I had read it twice aloud to different companies, with great delight to myself and to them: thank the author in my name. I believe his namelefs rivulet is called Bret or Brit, (whence

Bridport) by Michael Drayton, who describes the fruitful Marfhwood. *

*

Pray affure all who care for me, or whom I am likely to care for, that I never, directly or indirectly, afked for the fucceffion to Sir E. Impey, and that, if any indifcreet friend of mine has asked for it in my name, the requeft was not made by my defire, and never would have been made with my affent.

"Co' magnanimi pochi, a chi 'l ben piace," I have enough, but if I had not, I think an ambitious judge a very dishonourable and mifchievous character. Befides, I never would have opposed Sir R. Chambers, who has been my friend twenty-five years, and wants money, which I do not.

I have fixed on the year 1800 for

my return towards Europe, if I live so long, and hope to begin the new century aufpiciously among my friends in England.

P. S. Since I wrote my letter, I have amused myself with compofing the annexed ode to Abundance.* I took up ten or twelve hours * Works, vol. xiii. p. 289.

to compofe and copy it; but I must now leave poetry, and return for ten months to J. N. and J. S.

Sir William Jones to George Harding, Efq.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

Sept. 24, 1788.

I am the worst and you the best correfpondent; and I make but a pitiful return for your two kind letters by affuring you, that I find it impoffible to answer them fully this feafon. My eyes were always weak, and the glare of an Indian fky has not ftrengthened them; the little day-light I can therefore spare from my public duties, I muft allot to ftudies connected with them, I mean the fyftems of Indian jurifprudence, and the two abtrufe languages in which the Hindu. and Muffulman laws are written.

*

*

Anna Maria is pretty well, and I am confequently happy: my own health is firm, and excepting the state of hers, I have all the happiness a mortal ought to have.

Sir William Jones to W. Shipley, Efq.

Sept. 27, 1788.

*

My own

health by God's bleffing is firm, but my eyes are weak, and I am fo intent upon feeing the digeft of Indian laws completed, that I devote my leisure almoft entirely to that object; the natives are much pleased with the work; but it is only a preliminary to the fecurity, which I hope to fee established among our

Afiatic fubjects.

The business of our fociety is rather an amusement than a labour to me; they have as yet published nothing; but have materials for two quarto volumes, and will, I hope, fend one to Europe next fpring. I lament the fad effects of party, or rather faction in your Maidstone fociety, but hope (to use a word of Dr. Johnson) that it will redintegrate. Many thanks for the transactions of your London fociety, which I have lent to a very learned and ingenious friend, who is much pleased with them.