Sir William Jones to J. Burnett, Lord Mont boddo. Sept. 24, 1738. The questions concerning India, which you do me the honour to think me capable of anfwering, require a longer answer than the variety of my prefent occupations allow me to write. Suffer me therefore, to inclofe a difcourfe not yet published, which may give you fome fatisfaction on Indian literature, and to refer you to the first volume of the transactions of our fociety, which will, I hope, be fent next season to Europe. As my principal object is the jurifprudence, I have not yet examined the philosophy of the Brahmans; but I have seen enough of it to be convinced, that the doctrines of the Vidanti school are Platonic, Sir William Jones to J. Shore, Efq. Jan. 26, 1789. Let me trouble you, as you fee Co lonel Kyd oftener than I do, to give him Sir George Young's botanical letter, which I annex. I have requested Colonel Martin to fend Sir George all the feeds which he can collect, and will co-operate (as far as my occupations will allow) in the plan of transferring to the Weft Indies, the fpicy forests of Afia: but I have little time at command, and, holding every engagement facred, I must devote my leisure to the fyftem of Afiatic jurifprudence, which I will fee established before I fee Europe. It will properly follow your wife and humane defign of giving fecurity to the property of the natives. of the natives. When you have had a copy taken of the Perfian Hermit*, I fhall be glad to borrow it, that my munshi may tranfcribe it. Could you not find fome leisure hour to explain an episode of * I explained to Serajélhak, the person mentioned by Şir William Jones, Parnel's Hermit, and he composed a Persian poem on the same subject. As it has been frequently transcribed, it might perhaps, without this explanation, at some future time be considered the original of Parnel's poem. Homer to Serajélhak, that he might,try his hand with it? Sir William Jones to J. Shore, Efq. 1789. Fleming* ftill keeps me a prifoner, and forbids my reading aloud, which used to be my chief amusement in the evening. I truft you will foon be well, and that we shall ere long meet. If the man you mention be guilty, I hope he will be punished; I hate favouritifm; and if I had the dominions of Chingis Khan, I would not have one favourite. The poem * of Washi has greatly delighted me; it almost equals Metaftafio's on a fimilar fubject, and far furpaffes other Wafuktst which I have feen; yet the beautiful fimplicity of the old Arabs, in their short elegies, appears unrivalled by any thing in Perfian. I * His physician. Wasukt, the appellation of an amatory elegy, descriptive of the various sensations and passions excited by love. transcribe one of them which I have just read in the Hamafa*: Cease, fruitless tears! afflicted bosom, rest! Though I do not wish to give you the pain of sympathizing (as I know you will fympathize) with me in my prefent diftrefs, yet as you poffibly know it, and as you might think me unusually dejected when we meet, I cannot forbear writing to you; efpecially as I feel a kind of relief in venting my forrow to an approved friend. One or two English papers mention the death of Lady Jones's father, in fuch a manner, as to leave me no hope of its being a mistake; this I have known fince the 15th of May, but as it may poffibly be untrue, I could not in any degree prepare her for the dreadful intelligence. I have therefore taken effectual meaThe original is omitted. fures to keep it fecret from her, but it is a fecret which cannot long be kept; and the bare idea of the pang, which the too foon must feel, and the probable effects of that pang on her delicate conftitution, now particularly enervated by the hot feafon, give me a degree of anguish, which I never before felt. Mr. Shore has kindly promifed to take care, that all her letters by the Indiamen shall be sent in a sealed packet to me, that I may select for her firft perufal the letter from her wifeft friend, the dowager Lady Spencer, whofe hand-writing I cannot mistake; I wish I could suppress them all, but that is impoffible. The pain of lofing our parents, time, and time only, will mitigate; but my dread is, that the first shock will have fome terrible effect on her health, and this fear haunts me night and day. That your letters may contain the moft comfortable and that I may fee you on Wednesday in perfect health, is the hearty with of, news, My dear Sir, Your faithful and affectionate WILLIAM JONES. |