established, where the sense of the words is at

all ambiguous.

1. The intention of the writer must be fought, and prevail over the literal fenfe of terms; but penal laws must be ftrictly expounded against offenders, and liberally against the offence.

2. All claufes, preceding or fubfequent, must be taken together to explain any one doubtful claufe.

3. When a cafe is expreffed to remove any doubt, whether it was included or not, the extent of the claufe, with regard to cafes not fo expreffed, is by no means restrained.

4. The conclufion of a phrase is not confined to the words immediately preceding, but ufually extended to the whole antecedent phrase.

These are copious maxims, and, with half a dozen more, are the ftars by which we fteer in the conftruction of all public and private writings.,

Sir William Jones to J. Macpherson, Esq. Court House, July.

We have juft convicted a low Hin

du of a foul confpiracy, which would have ended in perjury, and (as his own law-giver fays) in every cause of damnation. If richer men were of the plot, I hope our court will escape the reproach of the fatirift, that "laws " resemble cobwebs, which catch flies and let "the wafps break through."

Sir William Jones to J. Macpherson, Efq.

August 14, 1785.

I give you my hearty thanks,

my dear Sir, for the hiftory of the Roman Republic, which I read with particular pleafure.

Looking over my shelves the other day, I laid my hand on the annexed little book ascribed to Sir Walter Raleigh; it is, like moft pofthumous works, incorrect, but contains, with fome rubbish, a number of wife. aphorifms and pertinent examples; it is rather the common-place book of fome statesman,

than a well digested treatise, but it has amused me on a second reading, and I hope it will amufe a few of your leisure moments.

The fociety of Sir William Jones was too attractive, to allow him to employ his leisure hours in those studies, which he fo eagerly defired to cultivate, and although no man was more happy in the conversation of his friends, he foon found that the unreftrained enjoyment of this gratification was incompatible with his attention to literary pursuits. He determined therefore to feek fome retirement, at no great diftance from Calcutta, where he might have the benefit of air and exercise, and profecute his ftudies without interruption, during the vacations of the fupreme court. For this purpose, he made choice of a refidence at Crishnagur, which had a particular attraction for him, from its vicinity to a Hindu college, and from this spot he writes to his friends.

Sir William Jones to Dr. Patrick Ruffel.

Sept. 8, 1785.

Your two kind letters found me

overwhelmed with the business of a severe feffions and term, which lafted two months, and fatigued me fo much, that I was forced to haften from Calcutta as faft as winds and oars could carry me. I am now at the ancient univerfity of Nadeya, where I hope to learn the rudiments of that venerable and interefting language which was once vernacular in all India, and in both the peninfulas with their iflands. Your purfuits must be delightful, and I fhall be impatient to fee the fruit of your learned labours. Our fociety goes on flowly; and hot-bed fruits are not fo good to my taste as those which ripen naturally.

Dr. Koenig's lofs will be feverely felt; he was a valuable man, with as much fimplicity as nature herself, whose works he ftudied. Do you know when his books are to be difpofed of? I should wish to purchase his Linnæus.

Sir William Jones to Charles Chapman, Esq.

Sept. 28, 1785.

I am proceeding flowly, but

furely, in this retired place, in the study of Sanferit; for I can no longer bear to be at the mercy of our pundits, who deal out Hindu law as they please, and make it at reasonable rates, when they cannot find it ready made. I annex the form adopted by us for the oaths of Muffulmans; you will in your difcretion adopt or reject it, and if you can collect from Mahefa pundit, who seemed a worthy honeft man, how Hindu witnesses ought to be examined, and whether the Bramins can give absolution (I think they call it pryarchitt) for perjury, and in what cafe, you will greatly oblige me, and contribute to the advancement of justice.

The conclufion of this letter expreffes a fentiment, which, as a judge in Bengal, and friend of human nature, he always confidered an object of the first importance.

The period of his refidence at his country