An Historical Sketch of Sanscrit Literature: With Copious Bibliographical Notices of Sanscrit Works and Translations

Excerpt from An Historical Sketch of Sanscrit Literature: With Copious Bibliographical Notices of Sanscrit Works and Translations

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.

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