improved by conftant exercise; and his memory, by habitual practice, had acquired a capacity of retaining whatever had once been imprefled upon it. To an unextinguished ardour for univerfal knowledge, he joined a perfeverance in the purfuit of it, which fubdued all obftacles; his ftudies began with the dawn, and during the intermiffions of profeffional duties, were continued throughout the day; reflec-, tion and meditation ftrengthened and confirmed what industry and investigation had accumulated. It was a fixed principle with him, from which he never voluntarily devi-, ated, not to be deterred by any difficulties that were surmountable, from profecuting to a fuccefsful termination what he had once deliberately undertaken... BUT what appears to me more particularly to have enabled him to employ his talents fo much to his own and the publick advantage, was the regular allotment of his time, and a scrupulous adherence to the distribution which he had fixed; hence all his ftudies were purfued without interruption or confufion. Nor can I here omit remarking, what may probably have attracted your obfervation as well as mine, the candour and complacency with which he gave his attention to all perfons, of whatsoever quality, talents, or education he juftly concluded, that curious or important information might be gained even from the illiterate; and wherever it was to be obtained he fought and feized it. Of the private and focial virtues of our lamented Prefident our hearts are the beft records. To you who knew him it cannot be neceffary for me to expatiate on the independence of his integrity, his humanity, probity, or benevolence, which every living creature participated; on the affability of his converfation and manners, or his modeft, unaffuming deportment: nor need I remark, that he was totally free from pedantry, as well as from arrogance and felf-fufficiency, which fometimes accompany and difgrace the greatest abilities; his prefence was the delight of every fociety, fociety, which his converfation exhilarated and improved; and the publick have not only to lament the loss of his talents and abilities, but that of his example. To him, as the founder of our inftitution, and whilft he lived its firmeft fupport, our reverence is more particularly due. Inftructed, animated, and encouraged by him, genius was called forth into exertion, and modest merit was excited to distinguish itself. Anxious for the reputation of the Society, he was indefatigable in his own endeavours to promote it, whilft he cheerfully affiffed thofe of others. In lofing him, we have not only been deprived of our brightest ornament, but of the guide and patron, on whofe inftructions, judgment, and candour, we could implicitly rely. BUT it will, I truft, be long, very long before the remembrance of his virtues, his genius, and abilities lose that influence over the members of this Society, which his living example had maintained; and if, previous to his demife, he had been asked by what posthumous honours or attentions we could beft fhow our refpect for his memory; I may venture to affert, he would have replied; "By exerting yourselves to fupport the credit of the Society;" apply-. ing to it perhaps the dying with of Father Faul, “Efto perpetua!" 45 THE following Epitaph was written by Sir WILLIAM DUNKIN, as a tribute of fincere friendh p, to the Memory of Sir WILLIAM JONES. GULIELMUS JONES, Eq. Car: fap: in BENGAL ex Judicibus unus, Nullius Fautor, Virtute, Fortitudine, Suavitate Morum Seculi eruditi longè primus Ibat ubi folum plura cognofcere Fas eft 27° Apr: 1794• CONTENTS CONTENTS OF VOL. III. Page On the Mystical Poetry of the Perfians and Hindus, Gitagóvinda, or the Songs of Jayadéva, ASIATIC RESEARCHES. THE EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE, DELIVERED 24th FEBRUARY, 1791, BY SIR WILLIAM JONES, PRESIDENT. GENTLEMEN, W E have taken a general view, at our five laft annual meetings, of as many celebrated nations, whom we have proved, as far as the fubject admits of proof, to have defcended from three primitive ftocks, which we call for the prefent Indian, Arabian, Tartarian; and we have nearly travelled over all Afia, if not with a perfect coincidence of sentiment, at leaft, with as much unanimity, as can be naturally expected in a large body of men, each of whom muft affert it as his right, and confider it as his duty, to decide on all points for himfelf; and, never to decide on obfcure points without the best evidence that can poffibly be adduced. Our travels will this day be concluded; but our historical refearches would have been left incomplete, if we had paffed without attention over the numerous races 4/3 of borderers, who have long been established on the limits of Arabia, Perfia, India, China, and Tartary; over the wild tribes refiding in the mountainous parts of thofe extenfive regions; and the more civilized inhabitants of the iflands annexed by geographers to their Afiatic divifion of this globe. LET us take our departure from Idume, near the gulf of Elanitis, and, having encircled Afia, with fuch deviations from our course as the fubje&t may require, let us return to the point from which we began, endeavouring, if we are able, to find a nation, who may clearly be fhown, by juft reasoning from their language, religion, and manners, to be neither Indians, Arabs, nor Tartars pure or mixed; but al ways remembering, that any fmall family detached in an early age from the parent stock, without letters, with few ideas beyond objects of the first neceffity, and confequently with few words; and fixing their abode on a range of mountains, in an ifland, or even in a wide region, before uninhabited, might in four or five centuries, people their new country, and would neceffarily form a new language, with no perceptible traces, perhaps, of that spoken by their ancestors. Edom or Idume, and Erithra or Phenice, had originally, as many believe, a fimilar meaning, and were derived from words denoting a red colour: but whatever be their derivation, it seems indubitable, that a race of men were anciently fettled in Idume and in Median, whom the oldest and best Greek authors call Erythreans, who were very diftin&t from the Arabs ; and |