Schlegel F. - On The Language And Wisdom Of The Indians 1849

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.

xvi

i s impossible to do more than render  with fidelity the sen

timents and opinions of the Author. To clothe those senti ments in language as eloquent as his own, — t o give gi ve to thos thosee opinions the stamp of  earnestness and truth, which they  bear  be ar i n the original, would  demand a mind o f kindred  genius, rather than the timid  hand of an unpractised translator. effort rtss have no other claims cla ims to indulg ind ulgenc encee than th an H e r  present effo zeal and an anxi an xiet ety y to do just ju stic icee to a theme so highly i n  teresti ng and attract ive ; an earnest reverence for genius, and  an d  all the glorious associations connected  with its deve lopment in early Christian art, and an ardent love of beauty, under every form and aspect aspect,, whether whet her inte in tell llec ectu tual al or mate mat e These have supported her in a task  which may, never rial. theless, theless, be considered conside red as presumptuous presu mptuous as i t has pr prov oved  ed  arduous. T h e artistic portion of the work has been submitted to the révisai o f  M r . Wornum, to whose critical judgment and  dis cernment the translator feels highly indebted.

 N O V .

1848.

E . J . MlLLINGTON.

AUTHOR'S

PREFACE.

A T A S T E for the imitative arts is not l i k e that spontaneous

 poet  po etic ical al s u s c e p t i bil bi l i t y , w h i c h nature herself has implanted in every every min d. Th e traces and indications of poetical feeling may sometimes appear  to be almost effaced ; yet it is only fine spir sp irit it is dulle dul led, d, and its perceptions perceptio ns blun bl unte ted  d   because the fine  by  b y the heavy external pressure of daily cares and the c h i l l  ing, mechanical routine of actual life. Fancy, with her  gushi ng feeli feelings, ngs, her sympathies of memory and anti an tici cipa pa tion, is an int ri ns ic element element of o f the huma n soul, ever ready read y to vibrate at the faintest touch, and  start into responsive life : but, to discern the beauty of material forms, fancy and  imagination alone w i l l not suffice, they must have a pecu tion , and be blended b lended and inter-pe netrated  netrate d  liar  bias and direc tion, development of  those sensual organs to which with a hi gh development each of  these arts peculiarly addresses itself. Nor  does this taste depend upon the organis orga nisati ation on alone ; a person may be endowed with visual organs of the most perfect perfect structur stru cture, e, nay, of more than ordinary acuteness, and yet no perception beauty be associate associated d ther th erew ewit ith. h. T h e faculty facu lty by wh i ch of  beauty the eye becomes endowed with a clear, inborn perception of  the beautiful in painting and in material form, or  the ear awakened to the spirit of sound and its delicate harmonious magic, lies rather  in the mysterious depths o f  organisation organisation and the special qual ities of the soul i n its un-

xviii

AUTHOR's

PREFACE.

seen spiritual life, — i n a combination combinati on and un unio ion n of the the senses and imagination, scarcely explicable even by the gifted  individual himself. W e cannot, therefo therefore, re, be surprised surpri sed i f learned lear ned inqu in quir irers ers , deep thinkers, and even poets of genius, are often deficient i n the perception of beauty in the imitative arts, and per haps, after a life-long occupation ami d its it s themes and subjects, remain either insensible tQ its powers, or are for ever  fol lowing contra con trary ry and opposing impulses. A taste for beauty i n painting, no less than in music, must be innate ; but when thus primarily existing in the soul, the feeling awakens and  unfolds itself  simultaneously with the sight of beauty ; still continual contemplation contemplati on o f the art is requir req uired ed for a perfect perfect comprehension comprehen sion and eluc e lucida idatio tion n of the ideas ideas connected  with i t . Whoever  wishes to introduce new opinions or peculiar  ideas of  A r t , must first strive to initiate others into his own  proc  pr oces esss o f c o n t e mpl mp l a t i o n , a n d t h e full scope scope o f his h is view vi ewss ; lest his meaning, obscured by general abstract terms a n d  conventional phraseology, fail to address itself  at once with truth and  impres ś ì v e n e s s to the th e understanding.  p o i n t o f  m y artistic contemplations from I date t h e starting  po the antique collection at Dresden ; and an d a few fe w introductory words w ill suffice to explain i t s influence o n m y mind.

In

th e writings early youth, when about seventeen years o f  age, the o f  Plato, the th e Greek  tragic  poets,  poet s,

a n d Winkelman's intel-

lectual works, formed t h e mental world i n which I lived ;

a n d offen, i n m y thoughtful a n d  po  p o e t i c a l solitude, I attempted, though^in  bu  b u t a  bo  b o y i s h manner, i t i s true, to call u p  befo  be fore re m y soul the th e ideal forms a n d expression o f  ancient gods a n d heroes. I n t h e year  1789, m y m i n d fraught with  jo  j o y o u s aspira-

tions, I arrived for  fo r  the th e first time i n a capital highly dede corated w i t h works o f  art, a n d was wa s no less happy than surprised t o see  before  bef ore m e images o f  those ancient gods

AUTHOR'S P R E F A C E .

xix

and heroes, so long and ardently desired. Among them I wandered or mused mused for hours, pa rt ic ul ar ly i n that incompar able collection called  the " Mengsischen A b g ü s s e , " * which were then placed, with little order or arrangement, arrangement, i n the garden of  B r ü h l ; and where I frequently suffered  myself  to be locked  i n , i n order to pursue m y contemplations un  disturbed. distur bed. I t was not, however, howev er, the magnificent magnificen t beauty o f  the forms alone, although it satisfied and even surpassed  m y silent sil ently ly nursed nurse d anticipations, anticipa tions, but rather rath er the the life a n d  action o f  these Olympian statues, which filled  me with astonishment, because, in my lonely dreamings, I had formed  no such conceptions, no norr even supposed thei th eirr execu ex ecutio tion n pos sible. These ineffaceable first impressions formed the firm enduring basis of my classical researches in succeeding years. I n the Dresden Gallery, at that early period, those paint

ings alone spoke to my heart and  an d  senses, which by grandeur  of  conception, and simple majesty of  form, harmonised  with the ideas of the antique, which then completely filled  a n d  subsequent residence at at Dres Dr esde den, n, influenced  m y mind. I n a subsequent i n the year 1798, after I had learned to understand and ap  prec  pr ecia iate te the r o m a n t i c p oetr oe try y o f the th e M i d d l e Ages, and the deep, spiritual love-sense with which i t is imbue im bued, d, I became became alive to new and peculi pec uliar ar beauties beauties i n the painti pai ntings ngs of the great masters. masters. I felt the hidd hi dden en charms char ms o f soul sou l and an d expres expres  sion, and  an d  that magic of colouring which we learn to compre hend hend by the teaching teac hing of love alone. alone. T h e taste for painting, thus newly ne wly awakened i n me, unfolded  itself  yet more fully Dres den, i n the spri sp ri ng of the year  during my last stay at Dresden, imm edia tely befo before re m y visit to Paris, where I had op1802, immedia * Plaster  casts o f  antique statues made under the direction of Raphael Mengs, and  now in the royal palace of Dresden, under  the Picture Gallery. —  Translator.

AUTHOR'S

 XX 

PREFACE.’

 po  p o r t u n i t i e s o f seei se eing ng the th e g r a n d  collection in the Louvre, which my frequently repeated  visits, during the few suc exami ne thor th orou ough gh ly and  com ceeding years, enabled me to examine  pl  p l e t e l y . Hence arises my continued recurrence, in the de scription of paintings at Paris, to the treasures o f art at Dresden, which, with the principles of  Gothic architecture imbibed  at Cologne, Colo gne, mark ma rk the the centrepoin centre pointt of my copious studi studies es of the the A r t ; and both alike induced me to attempt a development of the long-lost, neglected, and now again reviving ideas of  Christian Art and beauty, by the still e x  isting examples of its perfection . I had, at a later period, contemplated annexing to this work reminiscences of a tour  1819 9 (which, though short, was from i n It al y i n the year 181 circumstances r i c h in opportunity), and  likewise a few lec upon n the Idea of  Christian Beauty ; tures for artists, & c . upo  bu  b u t m y limits do not permit it, and they must be reserved  for  fo r  a subsequent volume of this collection*, which a careful révisai, and re-examination of some early principles, has already extended much beyond the limits I had  originally  pr  p r e s c r i b e d to m y s e l f. F. V. SCHLEGEL. * This remark  refers to the original German edition ; the whole series

allud ed to by the Au th or are are inserted inserted in a collected collected form of  works here alluded i n the present volume.

CONTENTS.

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

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AUTHOR'S

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I.

PREFACE

DESCRIPTION

THE

OF PAINTINGS

YEARS

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-

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IN PARIS

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Page v

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- xvii

AND THE NETHERLANDS I N

1802—1804.

L E T T E R   I.—Th I.—Thee Gall Ga ll ery er y of the Lo uv re and the the Collection of Pictures there exhibit exh ibited. ed. Observations Observations on some Works of the old Italian

the peculiar pecu liar Genius and and allegori all egorical cal Style of Correggio's School, and the Compositions. On the Resemblance between Correggioand Leonardo, and their Style and School. O n the the various st yles of Portr Po rtrait ait Painting adopted adopted by the ol d Masters, Holbein, Leonardo, Titian, and Raphael. Conclusion, Conclusio n, and Desc riptio rip tion n of a few old Du t c h Pictures by John Van Eyck, Hemmel ink, and  and  D ü r e r   1 L E T T E R   I I . — Characteristics Characteristics of

Rap hael. hae l. Th Thee diff differ eren ence ce between between the old ol d School Schoolss of Italian P aint ai nt in g and the Mod M od ern er n Style. On the Chri stian Subj Subjec ects ts for for Pa in ti ng , and the Manner Mann er i n Selection of Christian which the old Masters treated  Mythological Subjects. Description few remarkable remarkable Painti Pai ntings ngs of o f the Spanish Spanish School, Schoo l, wi th Observa of  a fe tions on the genera generall Pri ncip nc iples les on w hich the Dis tin cti on betwee between n diff differ eren entt Branches of the A r t o f P a in t in g is founded - 42

L E T T E R   III

The Treasures of the Art exemplified in a recapitula tion of diff differ eren entt Pain ting s belonging to the old ol d Italian School. The " Carità " of And rea re a del Sarto, and a " Depositio Depo sition n from from the Cross," by Bramante ; the " St. Agatha " by Sebastian del Piombo. O n Martyrdom as a theme for the A r t , and the t he earliest Subjects Subjects o f  Christian Paintings. On Diirer’s Designs, considered as suggestive Ideas fo forr Paintin Pain tings gs.. The " Mad on onna na della del la Sedia " and the " Sain t Rema rks on a few few Cecilia," of Raphael. Pa in ti ng by L e Sueur. Remarks early y French M onu ment s; on Pain tin g on Glass. The antique earl – 72 " A n t i o p e " o f  Titian

xxii

CONTENTS.

L E T T E R   I V . — The "Victory of Alexande r;’ by Altdorfer.

Pai nt ings ing s of the old ol d School of the Netherlands Ne therlands at Brussels ; Great Grea t Altar piece  pie ce b y Raph Ra phae aell i n the same City. The Gallery at Düsseldorf  ; the " St. Jo hn ," and a " The Grand Martyrdom," by Dürer  ; the Rap hael. l. Gu id o and Rubens considered considered as " Holy Family,” by Raphae the two opposite extremes of Mannerism in Pain ting . A Duplicate Mar garet et " o f Raph R aphael ael at Cologne ; a few few Figu Fi gures res of  o f  the " St. Margar Saints on a gold ground by Dürer. O l d Cologne School School of Paint Pai nt Altar -piecee of the Three Thre e Kings, and the patron i n g ; a grand Altar-piec Saints of the City of Cologne. Colo gne. A Series Series of ol d Picture Pic turess of the Passion of Christ in the Lieversberg Collection. Portrait of the Emperor  Maximilian. Remarks addressed to the Painters of the P a g e 111  present D a y

II.

PRINCIPLES

OP G O T H I C

ARCHITECTURE.

 Note  No tess o f a Jo u rn ey th ro rou u gh the Neth Ne therl erlan ands ds,, the R h i n e Coun Co untr try, y, Fr ance, e, i n the Years 1804, 1805. Switzerland, and a part o f Franc

149 III.

CONTRIBUTIONS GENIUS.

I N AID OF T H E S T U D Y OF R O M A N T I C

POETRY A N D

1. O n the P oetical oet ical Wo rk s of  Giovanni Boc Bo c cacc ca ccio io,, 1801

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2OO

2. O n the Roman tic Poetry Poet ry o f the Middle Ag Ages. es. No Noti tice ce of a fe few Italia n and Span Spanish ish Poe tic al wo rk s. Observ Observati ations ons on C arare Italian Poetr y i n gener general, al, wi th a R eview of the moens and Portuguese Poetry 224 Provençal M SS . at P a r i s 3. O n the the Poe try o f the N o r t h

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Furth Fu rth er Observation Observationss on Shakspe Shakspeare are's 's early early Dra mati ma ticc w o r k s

4. IV.

MOD ERN

GE RM AN

272

PA P A I NT N T I NG NG S .

Germa n Painti Pai nti ngs exhibi exh ibited ted at Ro me i n the Yea r 1819 O n the German

ROMANTIC

V.

FICTIONS

P re fa ce

243

OF T H E M I D D L E

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283

AG ES.

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309

" Lother and  Maller," a Tale of  Chivalry, from an unpublished  Ger

man Manusc Man uscript ript VI.

MISCELLANEOUS

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-310

ESSAYS.

1. Schl Schloss oss Karl Ka rl st ei n, near  P r a g u e , 1808

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4OO

2. The "St. Cecilia," painted by Ludwig Schn Sc hnor orr, r, 18 1823 23 VI I.

O N T H E LIMITS OF THE B E A U T I F U L

.

- 40 407 7 .

413 413

xxlii

CONTENTS. VIII.

O N T H E L A N G U A G E A N D PHILOSOPHY OF THE INDIANS.

Preface BOOK 

I.

Chap. 1.

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Page 425

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O N TH E I N D I A N L A N G U A G E .

2.

O n the In Indi dian an Langu Lan guag agee generally O n the Affinity of the Roots -

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- 428 .429

3.

O n the Grammati Gram matical cal Structure

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- 439

4.

O n the two Pri nc ip al Branches of Languages, accord accord in g to their internal interna l Constru Con structio ction n - 446 O n the Origin of Langu Lan guag agee - 453

5. 6.

BOOK  I I .

O n the Difference Difference existi exi sting ng between the most closely connected connected Langua Lan guages ges,, and a few few remarkable remark able inter int er . . . . 458 mediate D i a l e c t s O N T H E INDIAN

Chap. 1.

2. 3. 4. 5. BOOK  I I I .

PHILOSOPHY.

Prelim inary Remarks

.

.

.

.

465

O n the Doctri Doc trines nes of the Metempsychosis, and Emanat Ema nation ion . O n Astro logi cal Belief, and the wild  Worship of ture The Doctrin e of the the Tw o Principl Prin ciples es of Du al is m O n Pantheism HISTORICAL

Chap. 1.

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on on 468 Na 477 482 489

IDEAS.

O n the Origin o f P o e t r y

.

.

.

2.

O n the earliest earliest Em ig rati ra ti on of Nations

3.

O n Indian Colonisation Coloni sation and In Indi dian an Legisl Leg islatu ature re

4.

O n the general Importance of the Study Stu dy of the the Ori ental en tal and Indi an Literatu re, and its true A i m and Objec Object. t. Page 515

General Index

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495 - 50 500 0

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- 504 504

527

ON

THE INDIA N LA NGU AGE , LIT ERAT URE, A N D

PHILOSOPHY.

PREFACE.

T H E anticipations of antiquaries in regard to Indian litera ture and monume monuments nts have beco become me very ver y high hi ghly ly raised, part pa rti i cularly since the prolific researches o f  W i l k i n s and Sir W.

Jones Jon es disclosed so many important import ant fact factss concernin conc erning g the hitherto obscure history of the primitive world ; while the appearance of the Sacontala gives all lovers of poetry just reason to hope that many similar  and equally beautiful spe cimens of Asiatic genius, like that, the offspring of loveliness and love, w i l l ere long lo ng be presented to us. I venture, then, to look  with confidence for the sympathy of  the the pu publ blic ic i n the subjec subjectt of m y present work, the fruit of  studies which, since the year 1803, have been devoted to the Sanscr San scrit it language, language, and Indian Ind ian lite litera ratu ture re and ant iqui iq uity ty.. F o r  whatever information I possess, I am indebted to the friend ship of M r . Alexander  Hamilton, a member of the B r i t i s h Society of Calcutta, and at present professor of the Persian and Indian Ind ian diale dialects cts i n London, who favoured me with personal instruction du ri ng the sprin g of 18 1803 03---18 1804 04.. W h a t further  assist assistance ance I requir req uired ed i n the prosecution prosecution of m y labours, I obtained through thro ugh the kindness kindness of M . de L a n g l é s , keeper of  the Orie nta l M S S . of the Imperial Library, and whose numerous and valuable works have made his name familiar  to the pu publ blic ic.. T h i s gentleman gave me free free acce access ss to a l l the th e treasures of the pub public lic libr li brar ary, y, bes besid ides es placin pla cing g his ow n at my disposal, which is equally valuable, on account of the richness of its contents, and the good  taste and systematic order of its arrangement. Besides Beside s the personal perso nal instructions instruc tions referred to, I was grea g reatly tly

-126

oN

T H E INDIAN L A N G U A G E .

[PREFACE.

assist assisted ed i n acqui acq uirin ring g the Ind I ndia ian n language by a M S . in the Imperial Library, at Paris, (No. 183. of the printed Cata logue,) writt en by a Missionary, whose name is not men tion tioned ed.. I t contains, firs first, t, a short Gram Gr amma marr of the Sanscri Sans critt language, after the Mugdhabódha * o f  Vópadéva ; secondly, the A m a r a c o s h a † , a practical vocabulary by Amarasinha, with a L a t i n interpretation interp retation ; and, th irdl ir dl y, a vocabulary vocab ulary of the Roots Kovikolpodruma, that is, the Poet-treasure-tree. A l l are are very ver y legi le gibl bly y writ ten, ten , the Indian Ind ian i n the the Bengalese cha ch a racter,— and in some few instances, where the original cannot be rendered by any L a t i n words, the French and  Portuguese languages languages have been been employed. J u d g i n g from the vocabulary of roots roots,, a copy copy of which whic h M r . Alex Al ex an de r  Hamilton had the goodness to revise for me and point out the errors, there are very few mistakes or oversights, although in the first edition of so comprehensive a work it i s scarcely possible to avoid them entirely. It had been my intention to publish an Indian " Chresto mathie," i n the ori o rigi gina nall characte characterr and i n L a t i n , which should  contai con tain, n, besides besides the elementary pr prin inci cipl ples es of the language, a selection of  extracts from the most important Indian works, with a L a t i n translation, notes, and a glossa glossary. ry. E v e r y thing thi ng was prepar pre pared ed for this th is pu publ blica icati tion on ; and an d besides besides the the grammar  gram mar  and the two vocabularies, I had also copied in the original character charac ter and prepared for inse in sert rtio ion, n, a more than tha n sufficie sufficient nt number of such pieces. pieces. Besides the various vario us extracts in the appendix, selected from the Bhágavatgita, Rámáyana, and  an d  Menu's Book  o f  Laws, I also possess a copy of the first Act transcrib ed i n a very ve ry delicate o f  the Sacontala of  Calidás, transcribed Bengalese character, with notes, in which the Pracrit of the text is translated into Sanscrit, and a portion of the Hito¬  padesa, or amicable instruction ‡, a work which is of high im  port  po rtan ance ce to the th e begi be ginn nner er.. T h e P a r i s edit ed itii on on,, ho howe weve ver, r, i s not very correct, and often varies considerably from that forr his translation. translatio n. T h e edition pr prin inte ted  d  employed b employed b y W i l k i n s fo * Mugdhabódha, or the " Beauty of  Knowledge,° written by Goswami, named  Vópadéva, and comprehending in 2OO short pages a l l that the learner of the language can have occasion to know.—  Sir William Jones's Works, vol. i . † Coshas or dictionaries. ‡ Late La tely ly translated translated by the Sanscrit Sanscrit profe professo ssorr at Hayl Ha yleb eb ur ury y College, Coll ege, Hertford. — Trans.

PREFACE.]

O N T H E INDIAN LANGUAGE.

427 42 7

at Calc Ca lcut utta ta I have not seen. I endeavoured, endeavoured, by b y carefull care fully y copying the finest MSS. both in the Dévanágari * and Ben¬ galese character, to attain such perfection as would enable me to furnish in writing very good models for the use of the type-cutter. B u t I found, notwithstanding, notwithst anding, that the pre  par  pa r atio at ion n of the types ty pes would  require far more efficient assist ance than than i t was was i n m y power to procure. procu re. T h e sacrifice sacrifice of   pers  pe rson onal al pr pred edil ilec ecti tion onss fo forr the th e sake of any an y par pa r t i cula cu larr scien sc ientif tific ic object brings its reward  with i t ; but i t is vexatious vexat ious to be mi dway ay i n attaining attai ning the desired goal, from compelled to pause midw the want of o f extraneous extran eous assistance. assistance. I must, therefore, be content in my present experiments to restrict myself  to the furnishing of an additional proof of the fertility of Indian literature, and the r i c h hidden treasures which w i l l reward rew ard our diligent dili gent study of it i t ; to kin dle dl e i n Germany a love for, or at the least a prepossession in favour  our  r  o f  that study ; and to lay a firm foundation, on which ou structur stru cturee may at some some future period per iod be raised  rais ed  with greater  security and certainty. T h e study of I nd i an lite litera ratu ture re requires require s to be embraced by such students and patrons as as i n the fiftee fifteenth nth and sixt si xtee eent nth h centuries suddenly kindled in Italy and Germany an ardent appreciation appreci ation of the beauty beauty of classical learni lea rning, ng, and i n so short a time invested it with such prevailing importance, that the fo form rm of a l l wisdom wisd om and science science,, and almost of the itself , was changed and renovate reno vated d by the the influence o f  world  itself, that re-awakened knowledge. I venture ventur e to predict pred ict that the th e In dian di an study, study, i f embrac embraced  ed  with equal energy, w i l l prove no less less grand gra nd and univers univ ersal al i n its operation, and have no less less wher ere e influence on the sphere of European intelligence. A n d wh fore should shou ld i t be otherwise ? T h e peri pe riod od of o f the Medici, so illustrious in science and the arts, was warlike, restless, and even destructive destru ctive to the country cou ntry of I t a l y ; yet ye t the effo effort rtss o f  a few individuals accomplished so much because their zeal was genuine, genuin e, and i n the immeasurable grande gr andeur ur of the  pu  p u b l i c institutions, and the noble ambition of certain sovepolish ed and  elegant Hindu character  fo forr writin wri tin g ; the the Indian * The polished characters are called  Nágari, from from Naga Na ga rá a city, city , with the word Dé v a sometimes prefixed, because they are believed to have been taught by the himself, who prescribed the artificial artif icial order  of them in a voice Divinity himself, Sir  William Jones's Works, vol. i . from heaven.— Sir 

428 42 8

ON T H E INDIAN

LANGUAGE.

[ B . 1. C H . I .

reigns, met with that support and encouragement which are requi req uisi site te fbr the the suc succe cess ss of such a study stud y i n its earliest earlies t com co m mencement. I shall here enumerate those German writers who have devoted their  talents to the the cultivati culti vation on of Indi I ndian an literature. literatu re. T h e firs firstt wi t h whom I am acquainted is Heinrich Noth, who in i n the year 16 1664 64 studied the Sanscrit, Sans crit, i n order  that " h e migh mi ghtt be capab capable le of disputi dis puting ng w i t h the Brahmi Bra hmins ns.” .” T h e Jesu Je suit it Ha nxleden, nxle den, who visite vis ited d In Indi diaa i n the year 1699 1699,, and  for  more than thirty years (his death happened in 1793) laboured i n the Mala Ma laba barr mission, gained  great renown in that department ; he produced many man y works work s i n prose and  verse in i n the old o ld In Indi dian an (the (the Gron G ronth thon on), ), and the the common language language (the (the Malaba Mal abar), r), besi beside dess compili comp iling ng dictionaries and  grammars. Th e vestiges vestiges of many valuable valuabl e works wor ks of his are still to be found in Rome. Pau linu li nuss St. Bartholomew, well kno known wn by many learned learned writings writ ings on Indian Ind ian antiquity, antiqu ity, frequently refers to the works and manuscript remains of  Hanxleden. Captain W i l f o r d , in the English service, but a German by  bi  b i r t h , i s well known by his treatises, published in the collec tion of the B r i t i s h Society of Calcutta. I may also remark  that my elder brother, Charles Augus tus von Schlege Schl egel, l, who died die d at Madras Mad ras on o n the 9th 9t h of Sep Sep  tember, 17 1789, 89, havi ha ving ng i n the latter  years of his life made many journ jo urneys eys into int o the the country, count ry, and had much mu ch intercourse with the natives nat ives,, had commen commenced ced a study of the countr cou ntry, y, the lite litera ratu ture re and genius of the In Indi di an people, people, wh ic h was pre maturely terminated by his early death.

B O O K   I. C H A P . L —  O N T H E I N D I A N L A N G U A G E

GENERALLY.

T H E old Indian language, Sanscrit, that is, the formed  o r   perfect,  perf ect, and  an d  Gronthon, the dialect dialect employed employed i n wr it in g and  literature, has the th e greatest affinity with the Greek and 

B . I . C H . 1.]

ITS A F F I N I T Y W1ru

OTHER  LANGUAGES.

429 42 9

Pe rsia ia n and Germ Ge rman an langua languages ges.. T h i s L a t i n , as well as the Pers resemblance or  affinity does not exist exi st only onl y i n the numerous numerous roots, which it has in common with both those nations, but extends also to the grammar and internal structure; nor  i s such resemblance a casual circumstance easily accounted  rm ixtu ture re of the language languagess ; it is an essenti essential al for  by the inte rmix element clearly indicating community of  origin. It is fur ther  proved by comparison, that the Indian is the most ancient, and the source from whence others of later origin are derived. T h e affinity of the Indian language with the Armenian, the v ery unimpor Sclavonian, and the Celtic, is, on the contrary, very the stri st riki ki ng uniformit unif ormity y of other  other  lan tant, in comparison with the guages supposed to be derived from that stock. Still that con complet ely overlooked, overlo oked, nexion, trifling as it i s, must not be completely since in classifying these languages we discover many points o f  resemblance in the construction of some of the gramma be numbered numb ered among the casualties tical forms which cannot be to which ever ev ery y language is i s exposed, but rather  appertain to its internal structure and organisation. Indian roots may he found in the Coptic, and in many dialects belonging to the Hebrew language ; still these may ma y have been merely the result of intermixture, and do not  pr  p r o v e any an y original connexion. conne xion. Th Thee grammars grammars of  that lan guage and of the Basque are fundamentally different from the Indian. There is no relationship between the Indian branch and  the th e great undefined undefined varie var iety ty of the northern northe rn and southern languages ges.. T h e grammatica gramma ticall con con  Asiatic and the American langua struction of those dialects differs essentially from the Indian ; and although a similarity of construction is apparent in some  pa  p a r t i c u l a r po poin ints ts,, the th e roots root s are thro th roug ugho hout ut so e n t i r e l y dif ferent, that i t seems impossible to refer both to the same source. T h e great importance import ance of the comparative study of  lan guage, in elucidating the historical origin and progress of  nations, and their early migration and wanderings, w i l l af subject for invest inv estiga igatio tion n i n the sequel. I t must ford  a r i c h subject  be o u r care, car e, i n thi th i s first book, to esta es tabl blish ish the t r u t h o f the th e asserted, d, by the simple simpl e but lucid  results of  opinions j us t asserte scrupulous investigation.

430

O N T H E I N D I AN AN

LA NG UA GE .

C H A P . H . —  ON T H E A F F I N I T Y

OF THE

[B. I.

OH. n .

RooTs.

A F E W examples w i l l be sufficient to prove distinctly that the gênerai resemblance resemblance of languages cannot always al ways be

founded upon etymological rules, many of which were in¬ vented before the true source had been discovered; but should  rather  be sought in such simple matters of fact as w i l l become apparent upon the most cursory investigation.  N o change or transposition of the letters in the ortho grap gr aphy hy can be allowed, but an entire enti re similarity in the p r i  mitive words w i l l alone be admitted as the test of their  Ce rtai ainl nly, y, i f we are to be guided gui ded b y refer referenc encee to origin. Cert histo hi story ry alone, alone, " g io rn o " (day) ought necessarily to be derived  deriv ed  from " dies'’ (Latin) ; and since the F , i n L a t i n , so frequently  becomes H , i n S p a n i s h , w h i l e P , in the L a t i n , is changed  into in to F , i n the Germ Ge rman an , and c not unfrequentl unfr equently y beco become mess H , we may venture, by means of this analogy, to trace other  circumstances, not perhaps so strikingly apparent, still, as has been already observed, the general or particular analogy ought to be confirmed by hist hi stor orica icall fact facts. s. N o t h i n g must be invent inv ented ed according accord ing to pre-conceived pre-conceiv ed theo theore reti tica call princi pri nciple pless ;  bu  b u t the th e u n i f o r m i t y o f the th e wh whol olee s h o u ld be so great and  an d  striking that a l l mino mi norr dif diffe fere renc nces es may easily ea sily be overlooked. overloo ked. I shall sha ll next mention a few few In Indi di an words which are iden tical with the German. Shrityoti, er  schreitet  [he strides], vindoti, er  findet  [he finds], schliszyoti, er  umschlieszet  [he embraces], onto, das ende [the end], monuschyo, der  mensch [the man], shoosa, shoostri, die Schwester  [the sister], rotho, das rod  [the wheel], bhruvo, die brauen der  äugen [the brown bro wn of the eye], eye ], torsho, der  durst  [thirst], tandovon, der  tanz [the dance], ondani, die enten [the ducks], noho, der  nagel [the nail], sthiro, stier  [immoveable], oshonon, das essen [eating], &c. &c. Other roots correspond  rather  with the form of the word  as seen in the congenial dialect : yuyon, i n English, you ; shoopno, der  schlaf, Icelandic, sveffn [sleep] ; lokote [he stands], i n the the old Germa Ge rma n, lugen; upo, auf  [upT), agrees with the lower lowe r Germ Ge rman an ; so als also, o, vetsi, vetti, du weiszt, er  weisz [thou knowest, he knows], allied  also with the L a t i n videt  though i n a somewhat different signification. The lower  German is generally of importance in regard to the etymo9

B . L C H . 1 1. ]

O N T H E A F F I N I T Y O F T H E ROOTS.

431 43 1

logy, the old form being often exactly retained. Roksho and  an d  rakshoso may be the ancient recke [giant]. few peculiar pecul iar Germ Ge rman an roots, roots, I have here mentioned  only a few i n order by those examples to meet any objections that m ay  be rais ra ised ed ; no nott such su ch roots roo ts as the th e L a t i n language has, in com mon mo n with other derived branches ; as nasa, die nose, the nose ; mishroti, er  mischt, he mixes mix es ; namo, der  nähme, the name ; or particularly with the the Pers Pe rsian ian , as tvari, die thur  [the door], P . dur ; bondhon, das band, [the band], P . bund; ghormo [warm], P. gurm ; gauh, die huh [the cow], P. I omit omi t the epithets of  vater, father ; mutter, mother ; gâo. bruder, brother ; and  tochter, daughter ; in the Indian pita, mata, bhrata, duhita, o f  which I remark  only that they they all al l take an r  i ṇ the th e accusative, an and d a few other  cases,  pitoron, the father, & c . & c . Other  remarkable facts connected with these common words w i l l  be noticed hereafter. I shall select from the th e Greek  language such examples are e either  simple fundamental roots or  par or   parts ts,, o r  w i l l only as ar serve to demonstrate the resemblance  between  betw een the t wo languages. Osmi, osi, osti [ I am am,, thou art, he is], fully agrees with the Greek  esmi, essi, esti, i f  i n the first i n stance we take G r . eimi a nd eis for  the th e older  form. T h e o i s not no t emphatic ; i t i s the th e short vowel, and, unless i t  be a n i n i t i a l letter, i s never  even written. I n the th e grammatical system i t i s expressed  by  b y a short a;  but  bu t i n the th e existing language indicated  by  b y a short o, an and d i n some few words  pr  p r o nounced as e short. One On e single example ma may y suffice to  pr  p r o duce the th e resemblance.  Dodami, dodasi, dodati [ I go, thou goest, he goes] exactly resembling G r . didōmi, & c . T h e long a rather  resembles that i n the L a t i n das, dat.  Ma i s an th e Greek  me. T h e short Indian negation, answering to the th e same signification as the th e vowel o i s  pref  pr efix ixed ed to words i n the  pr efix ixed ed i n the G r . a,  pr th e same intention as  p r i v a t i v u m.  Dur  is  pref the th e Greek  dus ; i n the Persian dash, as dushmún [the evilminded, the fiend], i n the Indian durmonoh. T h e Indian language resembles the th e Greek, Latin, a nd German, not no t only i n i ts  powe  po wer  r  of  varying the original meaning o f  the verbs  by  b y  part  pa rtic icle less  prefi  pa r pre fixed xed ;  but i n the  particles employed with that intention, nearly a l l of  which may ma y he found again i n the th e languages referred to. T h e following words are common  both  bo th to the Greek  an and d the Indian :  son, sufficiently resembling the Greek  sum  sum ;  poti i s

432 43 2

o N THE INDIAN LANGUAGE.

CH . H . [ ß . I. CH.

 po  poti, the th e o l d G r . for  pros ; onu signifies after, as G r . ana.  bo th i n L a t i n a nd  Pr o i s found with the same meaning  both Greek  ; —  ā has the signification of  the L a t i n ad, an and d the German an : the th e negative  part  pa rtic icle le no agrees with the th e L a t i n and an d German ; upo is the German aw  f   [up], i n the lower  German dialect ~, ut, the German aus [out], i n the same. A l l those who wh o have employed themselves i n the study o f  languages must  be aware o f  the numerous coincidences to  be traced even i n the th e most simple an and d fundamental  part  pa rtss o f  speech. I therefore  pass over  without hesitation many words i n which the th e affinity is marked  by  b y a similarity i n the th e  pr  p r i mi t i v e roots alone, without any other  circumstance worthy o f  notice ; as os(hi, G r . osteön [bone] ;  prothomo,  prothomo, G r .  prōtÓs "the first] ; etoron, G r . hëteron [another, a second] ; udokon "water], G r . hud ôr  ; druh and drumoh [the tree], G r . drus ; \abho [the taking, receiving], lobhote [he takes], synonymous with Gr. labō, lambanō ;  piyote [he drinks], Gr.  piêi;  sev¬  yote [he honours, and is honoured], Gr.  schein,  schein, &c. ; masoh [the month], Gr. meis; chonro [the moon], called also chon¬ dromah, where the last syllable is indeed the root, derived from masoh, an and d also from the Persian mâh ; as also the th e German mond  [moon], i n lower  German, mahn. th e number  o f  Indian From the L a t i n language, i n which the roots i s  perhaps  perh aps greater  than i n either  of  the others, I shall cite  but  bu t a few examples, those only i n which the resemblance i s most singular. Vohoti, L . vehit; vomoû, L . vomit; vortute, L . vcrtitur;  svonoh  svonoh,, "L,sonus; nidhih, L. nidus;  sorpoh  sorpoh,, L.  ser¬  ser¬  pens; navy on, L. navis; danon, L. donum; dinon, L. dies [the day] ; vidhova, L . vidua ;  pod  podon, on, L .  pes,  pedis  pedis ; asyon, L . os <[face] ;  yauvonoh,  yauvonoh, l*.juvenis; modhyoh, L . medius;  yug on,L.   jugum,   jugum, from  yunhte,L  yunhte,L.jungit, .jungit, and an d  jung   ju ngit itur ur,, a widely extended root, which i n its it s derived signification holds an important  plac  pl ace e i n the  phil  ph ilos osop ophi hica call terminology o f  the Indians. Further,  j u i c e ] , L . ros; viroh, L . vir  [the I shall mention rosoh [the  ju hero] ; dontah, L . dentes, Persian dundan [the teeth] ;  soroh, L .  ser ies ; keshoh [the hair], found again i n Cœsa-ries, whence Cœsar, as well as crinitus, may „be more correctly derived, than from the ordinary root; ognih [the fire], L . i gnis ;  potih [the  possessor,  possessor, or  something  possessing, an and d therefore mighty], seems to  be as much employed i n the formation of  compound words as the th e L a t i n  potens. I  pass over  many words, the derivation o f  which ma may y  be traced  by  b y the sound

B . 1. C H . n .] .]

O N T H E A F F I N I T Y O F T H E ROOTS.

43 3

alone ; as shushvoti, L. sugit ; mormoroh, L. murmur ; tumu¬ loh, L. tumultus ; as well as numerous others, the affinity of 

which would  not probably prob ably appear appear doubtful i f carefully i n  vestigated, but which are not so immediately striking as the preceding. Indian words, found also also i n the Pers Pe rsia ia n language, language, are are,, i n conformity with the peculiar character of  that language, most arbitrarily abbreviated, and very ver y rarely rar ely retained retained without mutilation, as rojo [brilliancy, shining], into P. roshün. term ination tion is frequently retrenched, and dissyllables T h e termina  become thro th roug ugho hout ut mono mo nosy syll llab able less ; as i n apoh [water], P. ab ; ospoh [the horse], P. asp ; bkishmoh, or  bhimoh [terror], P. beeni; shiroh [the head], P. sir; shakhok  [a branch], P. shâkh; kamoh [desire], P. kam. Frequently even impor are curtail curt ailed, ed, as, as, P . p ú [the foot], from podo, tant syllables are  pod o, o r   pado ; P . pur  [full], from purnon ; P . tun [the body], from tonük, or  tonuh ; P . dek  [ten], from doshoh; P . seeah [black], from shyamoh. The monosyllable P. pâk  [pure], comes from the trisyllable pavokoh [the purifier], also an epithet of  fire. We should hardly recognise mitroh [the friend], also also an epithet of the the sun, i n P . mur  unless the Mythras of the ancients, and the general analogy in many other  similar  cases cases,, came to ou ourr assistance. I f we compare comp are other examples, it may yet further lead us to the conclusion, that from P . dum [the breath], comes the Indian atmoh fthe spirit], & c , which i s still preserved in Gr. atme and Ger man atheni [brea th]. It w i l l greatly facilitate our inquiries into Persian derivation if we consider the new and frequently ab  bre  b rev v i a t ed  form which the the ancien ancientt Sanscrit takes takes i n the P r a c r i t and Hindostanee dialect. T h e Persian language itself  presents a striking example of  the result of so strong a propensity to abbreviations, extend i n g even to the roots and  primitive syllables. It approaches the onomatopoetic*, and usually leads the genius of the lan guage hack to that point. Among all the languages which stand i n an equal equa l degree degree of affinity to the Indian, none clings so fondly to the derivation by sound, or has so many words sportively playing as it were with sound, as the Persian. 9

Onomatopoetic, from the Greek word  onornatopoieiô, to invent words, more especially words imitative of  the sense. Donnegan's Lexicon, words imitative of the sense by the sound, as " crash," " crack;* «* hist,’* *•hush;* the booming of cannon, &c.— Trans. T rans. •

434 43 4

oN THE INDIAN LANGUAGE.

CH . H . [ß. I. CH.

The Indian words in the L a t i n , Greek, and German lan guages suffer far less change than the the Persia Per sian. n. Y e t here also a close comparison frequently proves the Indian form to  be the oldest. Ṭ h e German  Roth [red], is easily derived from an d  schl eim [slime], from  schleshmo  schleshmo ; and  Ēōktoh, or  rohitoh ; G .  schleim G . viel  [much], from vohulon ; since i n words, as w e l l as i n money, the stamp of  th the e coinage may ma y  become obliterated an d circulation, although i t cannot easily  be  by  b y constant use and altered. T h e distinct forms o f  the derived languages often appear  to meet i n th the e Indian words, as i n their  common root. F r o m  putroh (to which the Celtic  potr  i s most clearly allied), L .  puer  may ma y as easily  be derived as P .  pisür  ;  schweisz  [sweat], i n the lower  German dialect, may ma y as easily  be derived from  svedoh as th the e L a t i n  sudor  ; i n noroh, the Persian nur, and an d the th e Greek  an"">, appear  to meet ; i n trasoh [trembling a n d fear], th the e Greek  treo, th the e L a t i n tremo, a nd the Persian turseedan;  samudron the e German meer   samu dron [the sea], unites th sea], and an d th the e Greek  hudōr  [water]. T h e German  Knie knee], would scarcely seem to  be derived from  ja   j a n u , unless the G r .  gonu and an d L .  genu marked the transition. ma y  perhap  per hapss  be attached to th the e S t i l l more importance may circumstance, that some few words, which cannot  be traced hack  to any an y root i n the modern language, are ar e easily derived from th the e Indian, and an d their  compound form explained  by  b y reference to that language.  Prandium, for  example, m a y  prahnoh noh [the unquestionably  be derived from th the e Indian  prah forenoon], which i s compounded of th of  the e  pa  p a r t i c l e  pr   pr o a nd ohoh [the day], i n th the e fifth and an d sixth case ohnoh ; monile i n t he same manner  is derived from moni [diamond] ;  sponte, i n the ablative, agrees i n signification with  svante,  but  svanton i s compounded o f  the  pa  p a r t i c l e  svo and an d oton, "  Quod   finem   finem  suum in  se habet? T h e remarkable agreement frequently seen, even i n a certain declension, i s very striking.  Ayonton,  Ayon ton, for  example, a n d L . euntem, from  yati [he [h e goes], also eti [ i t] t ];; or  as i t appears i n th the e compound words, as tvarsthito [the doorkeeper], ontortvari [the inner  door]. I t seems w e l l worthy o f notice, f  notice, that many names o f  heathen divinities,  bot  b oth h L a t i n a nd Greek, which cannot  be referred to a n y root i n their  own ow n language, may ma y  be traced  back   ba ck  to a n  be en Indian origin ; and an d although too much importance has  been

E

CH . n . ] B. 1. CH.

ON THE AFFINITY oF THE RooTS.

435 43 5

attached to such general similarities, their  existence is at least worth .mentioning. This  poin  po int, t, however, seems to  belong  bel ong to a different sphere o f  inquiry, and must he dismissed with cursory notice, as my observations are now con¬ fined to such striking  points as are too  palpably evident to require much research or  comparison. I t is a singular  fact, that the name of  the city of  Rome even is of  Indian extrac pres ents itself  ;  but i t i s  Rome, i t is true,  presents tion. T h e Greek   Rome, a n almost isolated example, and little doubt can  be entertained as to the th e language to which the word originally  belonged,  belon ged, when we reflect how widely the root romo, romoti, whence come roti, ramo, & c . &c &c„ „ i s diffused i n the Indian language. These words a l l imply  jo  j o y i n the abstract, an and d especially the th e rejoicing of  a conqueror  or  hero, and i n the o l d  poem  be autif tiful ul accordance " R a m a ; ’ are frequently repeated i n  beau with, an and d allusion to, the name o f  the hero celebrated. T h e same Indian word frequently assimilates i n one inversion with one of  the connected languages, an and d i n another  Chindonti, for  example, inversion with a different language. is almost exactly the same as L . scindunt  ;  but  bu t the infinitive chettun is more like the German  scheiden ; tonu resembles th e L . tenuis rather  than G . dünn [thin, or  rather  transparent]; the verb tonōti (the meaning o f  which comprises  both  bo th tanu an and d dünn), agrees  better   bett er  with the German dehnte [to [t o extend], i n extendit. Separated members o f   bo than with the L a t in  b o t h derived languages are found united i n the Indian, as i n their  general root ; ut, used for  aus [out], i n the lower  German th e regudialect has  been already mentioned ; thence come the larly formed comparative uttoron, the German äuszern [outer], the regular  superlative uttomon, the L a t in i n ultimum,  but  b ut i n signification resembling  summum  summum [extreme]. A l l the Latin, Persian, an German of  the family of  mors, mor¬ talis, mürd, moordün, morden, mord, [murder], find their  general regular  root in the Indian mri, whence come mrit¬  yuh, morttyah, moronon, &c. The same observation applies to another  family o f  words,  stehen and  stand  [t o stand],  stand  [to widely extended throughout each of  those four  languages, n,, Greek, Persian, an the th e L a t i n and d German ; tisthoti, er  steht  [he [h e stands], agrees most completely with the Greek ;  sthanon  sthanon [the  plac  pl ace] e],, with the Persian  sitân;  sthiro [immoveable] the th e German  stier   stier ; has already  been mentioned ;  janami, L .  gigno,

436

oN

TH E INDIAN L A N G U A G E .

[ß.

I. C H . I L

G r .  gennaō, i s also a very fertile root. They are, however, too numerous to  be a l l mentioned. few w o f  the most remarkable words signiI shall select a fe  p a r t i c u l a r l y clear  fying mind, thought, science, as affording  pa evidence of  their  common Indian descent.  Monoh monoson, i n the L a t i n mens, the verb monyote [he thinks] i s found i n the th e German meinet   Motih is the Greek  metis. A n other  form, closely connected with this an and d with the th e German ma n muth [spirit, courage], i s found i n amōdoh [pleasure],  pr obab ably ly is also anmuth; the a i n the Indian amōdo (which  prob allied with the Persian omêd  [hope]) is used merely as a th e same root we shall then have unmadoh ;  pref  pr efix ix ; from the un  bei  b ein n g the regular  form adopted for  the sake of  euphony, instead of  ut; unmadoh [desperate, furious], literally the th e same as exmens, ma may y have  been contracted into the E n and d  spiritus, has glish mad.  Atmoh, which signifies ipse an already  been noticed i n the Greek  an and d German, atme and an d athem [breath]. So likewise the root vedo, whence comes vett i, i, the German wissen [to [t o know]. T h e L a t i n  bu t more closely video i s somewhat different i n signification,  but th e Indian i n form. T h e  prol resembling the  pr olif ific ic root ina‚ signiand d understanding, gives us the fying knowledge, science, an  shuneedun, n,  shunoodün,  shinakhtun. T h e root Persian  shuneedu  shunoodün, dhi signifies deep thought an and d reflection, whence comes dhlyote, i n the German dichtet  [to [t o compose], which i n i t s original signification expresses to meditate, or  also to write  poet  po etry ry ; dhyayo, dhyayoti, & c ‚ are allied with the German may y have  been derived dachte [he thinks]. T h e L a t i n Vox ma  bo th forms are i n use. T h e root from vochoy or  from vahyon;  both re signifies speech or  language, rede i n German. Ganon  becomes i n L a t i n cantus, from the th e root  gi,  giyote [h e sings] ;  giyote [he [t o sing an and d read]. i n the Persian khondan [to The Indian  pronou  pro nouns ns generally coincide with the L a t i n . th e derived lanCertainly tvon [thou] i s common to a l l the guages ; vhon [ I ] is, is , on the contrary, traced only i n the th e [t o me ] is nearest to the Greek  Celtic on ; the dative moya [to mot; the th e me, which i s used instead of  man [me], an and d also th e fourth a nd sixth cases, i s common to  both  bo th Greek  a nd i n the L a t i n ;  but  bu t the th e root  svo (whence L .  suus, -a, -urn -urn [his] ar are e and d i s often  pref  pr efix ixed ed as a  part  pa rtic icle le i n order  to express derived, an self-reliance, o r  self-confidence, has i n i ts declension cases  pr ecis isel ely y similar  to the Latin, as  svon, which are  prec  svon, L .  suum 9

B.

1. C H . 11.]

oN

THE AFFINITY

oF

T HE

RooTS.

437 43 7

 suam, &c . & c . T h e  pronoun  svan,  svan, L .  suam,  pro noun eschoh, eschah, etot  is, is , indeed, the common root of  is, ea, id  and iste, ista, istud, as i n the derived cases of  the two first families i t generally takes a t; to the same root  belongs iti, which sometimes corresponds with id, sometimes with ita.  Koh ( i n construction generally kos) ka, kon corresponds with L . qui, quœ, quod, even i n a fe few w o f  the cases derived from them, as kan, L . quam, the interrogative kim and L . quid: the Persian keh is of  the same family. T h e already-mentioned  yūyon, on the contrary, corresponds with the German, i n the English form  you ; the  pronou  pro noun n  soh  belongs to the Hebrew, Arabic, and also to the early German ; the accusative ton i s exactly the Greek  ton, German den; the genitive tosyo the German dessen; the  pl  p l u r a l te the German die; tot, i n which the short vowel may he an a as well as an o, corresponds with the German das, lower  German dat. A s oyom, i n most o f  the cases, takes an i, which is often regularly changed into  y, the Per* sian een, with which  jener  agrees, may  be derived from i t . Many others might also  be cited,  but to do so would lead us too deep into etymological inquiries.  Eins,   fünf, T h e numerals also have the same affinity.  Eins, hundert, and tausend,  —  1, 5, 100, 1000,  —  eko,  poncho,  sud,  shoto,  sohosro, —agree with the Persian ek,  punj,  sud, huzar. W i t h the exception of  the first, chotur, [four], i n the Sclavonian chetyr, they are sufficiently similar  to o ur  own ow n language, even to the numeral adjectives derived from them ; tvitiyoh, tritiyoh, correspond most distinctly with  zweite [the second], and der  dritte [the the th e German der   zweite  soptomoh h [seven], (the aspirated h at the end i s frethird] ;  soptomo quently changed i n the construction into  s, an and d might thus  soptoma,,  soptomo  soptomon, n, most completely coincide form  soptom  soptomos) os),,  soptoma  septimut,  septima,  septima,  septimum  septimum;; so also dua¬ with the Latin  septimut, dosho, L. duodecim. I have hitherto alluded only to single instances i n which the agreement of  the separate words is immediately appa¬ rent. Should we  pursue  pursue our  investigations further  to the relationship of  the roots themselves, we shall find that, although requiring to  be more strictly analysed, the connexion i s nevertheless sufficiently certain ; as, for  example, moho and an d rnaho may he traced i n L . magnus, G . mächtig  [mighty], and d volo, valo, which signifies strength, are seen i n P . meh ; an

438 43 8

ON THE INDIAN LANGUAGE

[ ß . I. CH. CH . H .

and d lōhitoh [red an L . validus; tomo [dark] i n G . dämmern;  bu  b u r n i n g ] agrees with the German lohe [fire, ardour]; chestote [he [h e seeks, desires] with quæsitus and P . khwa~ may y  be derived from the th e different Many others ma heedün. declensions of  a single root, as from  goccho,  goto,  gom  gomo, o,  gamino ; G .  gehen,  gehen, E .  going  ; G . kommen ; L . caminus ;  bu  b u t these investigations would swell our  ou r  Treatise into a com pa  p a r ativ at ive e vocabulary, an and d render  i t necessary to investigate a great  po  p o r tio ti o n o f  each of  the languages named. th e same reason, omitted to notice many similar  I have, for  the examples i n which, although the meaning is slightly altered, the word itself  remains unchanged, as vljon [the seed], L . vis ;  guno [attribute, character, i n a different kind an and d manH o w ca can n i t  be doubted that ner], P .  goon [the colour]. G . morden [murder], an and d P . murdan are the same word, aithough the th e first has an active an and d the second a  passiv  pas sive e signification ? P . deo is unquestionably devo, i n the L a t i n divus a nd deus ; although P . déo i s always used i n reference to evil, and devo is applied only to good spirits. In mod¬ huroh, in construction modhuros, modhura, modhuron, we cannot fail to recognize L . maturus-a-um, although the th e I n dian word signifies sweet ; the substantive modhu [honey] i s the German meth [mead]. So lokoh [the world, space], L . locus ; vesthitoh [clothed], L . vestitus; mordjharo [the cat], the German marder  [martin].  Name  Na mess o f  animals often refer  to very distant  branch  bra nches, es, as L . vulpis an and d G . wolf   [wolf] ; we  b i r d ] with should scarcely think  of  associating P . mürgh [the  bi mrigo, wild animals generally, an and d especially the deer, e x cept that the th e Indian root also indicates the chace or  a swift flight an and d  pur  pu r suit su it.. Topo an and d tapo are, i n Indian writings,  pen itence nce,, that their  SO generally employed i n the sense of   penite original signification, heat, i s almost forgotten, although i t i s  pres  pr eser erve ved d i n the th e Indian root, an and d even i n the derived form Very tapoyittun, L . calefacere, in the Greek  thalpein. and d meanings are often associated i n this different words an manner, an and d ma may y  be most easily traced, i f  we know the th e intermediate links, and consider  the connected languages i n their  regular  combination. Thus the Persian boo [fra¬ grancy], especially the  breath of  flowers, must,  judging from P . bostan [the garden], have  been derived from the th e Indian  pushpo  pushpo [flower], with which the German busch also claims

CH . m . ] B . 1 . CH.

oN TH THE E GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE.

439

affinity; not to particularise many other instances which might suggest the general mode and progress of such trans formations, and the laws by which similar  changes in the signification of words are usually effected.

C H A P . III.

— ON T H E G R A M M A T I C A L

STRUCTURE.

A L T H O U G H the proofs adduced in the preceding chapter of 

the affinity between the languages are striking, and in many instances may be considered  well founded, still a question may arise as to whether they necessarily establish the pro¬  position that the Indian is the most ancient, and, conse quently, the common root of  all ? M i g h t not that language also have arisen out of the intermixture of the others, and  thus have become stamped  with the th e same marks of  simi larity ?  No  N o t to dwell upon many facts already adduced  which seem seem cle c lear arly ly to contr c ontradi adict ct such a supposition, suppo sition, I shall cite one further proof in evidence which completely decides the question, and establishes the presumed antiquity of the Indian language, on a basis of the most unquestionable certainty. T h e theory which would  trace the Greek roots existing in the Indian language to the influence of the Seleucidæ i n Bactria is scarcely more happy than that hypothesis which would  attribute the the formation of the Eg yp t ia n pyramids to some natural process of  crystallisation. Th er e is, is , however, however, on onee single point, the investig inve stigatio ation n of  which ought to decide every doubt, and elucidate every difficulty; the structure or comparative grammar of the language furnishes as certain a key to their general analogy, as the study of comparative anatomy has done to the loftiest  br  b r a n c h o f na n a t u r a l scienc sci ence. e. T h e Persian language must first be separated  from the th e general circle, since the intercourse which so long subsisted   betw  be twee een n that people and the Arabians led to the adoption among the former of the personal suffixa, and their grammar  has in consequence far less affinity with the Indian than that o f  the the Germ Ge rman anss even, to say no noth thin ing g of the L a t i n and Gree k. S t i l l , i f a l l these various points of resemblance are considered 

440 44 0

ON THE INDIAN LANGUAGE.

[ ß . L c H . In.

together, they will not  be without a certain degree of  im¬  portanc  portance. e. There i s little or  nothing to  be said of  the declensions : the comparative P . tur  must here  be considered analogous to the Greek  and Indian tara, and the diminutive is formed through k, as i n the German and Indian.  Manov  Manovoko okoh, h, for  example, from manovoh [the man] ; P . duktürück, G . das Töchterchen [the little daughter]. T h e conjugation of  the verbs i s far  more important. T h e sign of  the first  person  pers on is m, which is lost i n the L a t i n ,  but i n Indian an and d Greek  distinctly  pronounce  pron ounced d mi ; i only remains of  the  si i n the second  perso  per son n i n the Indian and Greek  languages ; the sign of  the third  person  per son i s t  or  d,  pl  p l u r a l nd, as i n L a t i n and German ; i n the Greek  the ancient form i s fully  preserve  pres erved, d, ti an and d nti.  pres ent and active i n ndeh resembles T h e Persian  par  pa r t i cipl ci ple e  present the German i n nd, formerly nde ; the  part  pa rtii cipl ci ple e  pre and d  pr e t e rit ri t e an  passive  pass ive i n deh, with a vowel  preced  pre cedin ing g i t , agrees with the L a t i n i n tus, a, um, and with the ol d German form i n the Teutonic ; the same may  be remarked of  the Indian verbali¬  bus,  bus, as kritoh. I must not omit to mention that the Persian terminations kar, war, dar, dar, which, i n composition with adjectives, signify either  one who wh o does, or   performs,  performs , an any y thing i n a certain manner, or  any object  possessed,  possessed, or  constructed on a fixed model, correspond with the Indian karo and hor o, o, voro an and d man dhoro, i n the same manner  as the Persian termination man does with the Indian  part  pa rtic icle le mano. T h e negative Persian  part  pa rtic icle less neh, ny, an and d ma, ma, are the Indian no, ni, and ma ; the Persian  part  pa rtic icle le be, which i s  pref  pr efix ixed ed i n a  pr i v a t i ve signification, i s the same as the Indian vi ;  besides  besi des these, P . andür, and an d anderoon [within], like the th e Indian ontor  and ontoron, and an d the Persian  pron  pr onou oun n keh, already mentioned, i n the Indian hoh. T h e Persian auxiliary verb äst, Indian osti, [is] ; P . bood  [been], from bhovoti [he is], i n the Pracrit bhō bhōd i, i, i n the  pr  p r e t e r i t e of  the Sanscrit obhut; P . kürdan, G . thun, [to [t o do], Indian korttun, are common i n the Persian as well as i n the moderu Indian dialect ; a few inflections of  the Indian root kri, as kriyan, kryote, connect themselves rather  with the L a t i n creare. I t i s greatly to  be desired that some individual, supplied

B.I. CH. m . ]

ON THE GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE.

441 44 1

with a l l the necessary means for pursuing such investigations, commence ce an inq in q u i r y into int o the firs firstt origin of the Per would  commen changes i t may have undergone, undergone, sian language, discover what changes and whether its affinity with the Greek and Indian was at any time greater  than it is at present. The information thus obtained  would  be far more conclusive and satisfactory than any collection, however numerous, of according roots. It is, indeed, much to be regretted  that the study of this Ge rman any y ; there  beau  be auti tifu full language is not more popular i n Germ i s scarcely any, not even excepting the Greek, which is more the requirements of poetr poe try* y*;; besi beside dess which, the r i c h i n a l l the affinity between the Persian and German is so great, that we may not unreasonably hope to discover many facts and  cir cumstances that may throw new light on the obscurer por* tions of the Germ Ge rm an history. histor y. T h e study study of the the Pers Pe rs ian ia n language should, however, be combined  with that of the exa minati ation on Sclavonian. A comparison between them, and examin into their  chief  points of resemblance or  dissimilarity, w i l l  pro  pr o babl ba bly y t h r o w l i g h t o n m any an y u nex ne x pla pl a ine in e d circ ci rcum umst stan ance cess recorded by ancient writers concerning the wars of the Per* sians and Scythians. the Ger man grammar grammar re Besides those points in which the sembles the Persian, there are ar e others marked by a more  pe  p e c u l i a r  affinity with the Greek and Indian. N  is the sign o f  the the accusative accusative both i n the Germ Ge rm an and Indian Ind ian,, and  s of the genitive. The termination tvon in the Indian forms a substan tive tive expressive of creative power, power, answering to to the G er m an termination tkum. T h e conjugation of the verbs verb s is formed  i n part by the alteration of the vowel, as in most other  lan adoptt the the old gramma gra mmatica ticall construction. constr uction. Th Thee guages which adop formation of the imperfect, in one branch of the German verbs by the alteration of the vowel, is quite in agreement with other languages; in another branch, the imperfect is formed  by the introduction of a t; this, like the b in the L a t i n imperfect, is, indeed, a distinct dist inctive ive peculiarity. peculiar ity. T h ô  pr  p r i n c i p l e , however is the same, viz. that the variations of  * The Parisi Par isian an library libr ary is not only very very rich in Pers Persia ian n M S S . , but  poss  posses esse ses, s, in Monsieur Chézy, a man of  great learning, who combines a

 perfect  perfect kno knowle wledge dge of the language languag e generally, gener ally, with a peculiarly fine and  discriminating sense of the individual beauties beauties and difficulties of the  poetic  poe tical al structure and  diction.

-442

O N T H E INDIAN L A N G U A G E .

[ B . I. C H . m .

meaning in reference to time and other circumstances are not produced by particles annexed to distinct words, but by modifications of the root. I f  we examine the grammar of the old dialects, considering the Gothic and  Anglo-Saxon as examples of the German; and the the Icelandic Icelan dic of the Sclavonia Scla vonian n branch bra nch o f  our language,—  we shall not only find  a perfect with an augmentative, as in the Greek and Indian, but a dual, and also an exact defini tion of gender, and relation of participle, and declension, ar e which are now lost ; as well as many Inflections, which are already somewhat modified, and less easy of recognition. T h e thir third d perso persons ns singular sing ular and plur pl ur al of the verb, for ex ex  ample, are in complete and perfect agreement. In short, the study of  these old monuments monuments of the Germ Ge rman an language w i l l undeniably establish the fact, that their grammatical structure was originally the th e same as that of the L a t i n and  an d  Greek. o ld form of o f speech speech are still to he Many vestiges of the old found  in the Teutonic languages, more perhaps in the proper  Scandinav ian ; but German, than in either the English or Scandinavian althoug alt hough h the general principle prin cipless of modern grammar, conjuga tion by auxiliary verbs, and declension by prepositions, ap  pear  pe ar to go gove verr n a l l , this th is circ ci rcum umst stan ance ce must mu st not be suffered to ha ving ng been been under under  lead  us into error, the same modification havi gone b y every eve ry romant rom antic ic language formed upon the basis basis of  the th e L a t i n , and also by the Hindostanee Hindos tanee dialect diale ct now spoken, Sans crit as the Ital It alia ian n does which adheres as closely to the Sanscrit to the L a t i n . I t is i s unnecessary unnecessary to seek seek an explan exp lanatio ation n of  this universal similarity i n any extraneou extraneouss influence. influence. T h e artistic construction of the language becomes obliterated and  worn off by common daily use, especially during a long  pe  p e r i o d  o f  rudeness and barb ba rbar ar it y; and is at length com  pl  p l e t e l y lost sight of, either disappearing by slow degrees, o r  i n some some instances effa efface ced, d, as i t were, were , i n a mome moment nt ; a g r a m  mar, mar , constructed constructed by the aid aid of auxil iarie iar iess and prepositions, prepositions,  be  b e i n g in fact the shortest and most convenient, presenting an easy abridgment adapted for  gênerai use. use. I t might mi ght almost be assumed as a general rule, that every language  becomes the more mor e easy o f acquir acq uirem ement ent,, i n pr prop opor orti tion on as the th e structure is simolifled  and contracted into an abbreviated  form.

B. 1. CH. CH . m . ]

ON THE GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE.

443

T h e Indian grammar  harmonizes so completely with the Greek  an and d Latin, that i t appears to  be scarcely less closely connected with those languages than they themselves ar are e with each other. T h e similarity o f   prin  pr inci cipl ple e i s a most de p o i n t ; every degree of  modification or  comparison cisive  po  bein  be ing g expressed, not no t  by  b y the addition o f  separate words, whether  pa whether  part rtic icle less or  auxiliaries, hut hu t  by  b y inflexions, throughout  pe culi liar  ar  form of  the root i s distinctly  prese  pr eserv rved. ed. which the  pecu T h e future i s formed, as i n the th e Greek,  by  b y  s ; korōmi [ I do], korishyami [ I w i l l do] do ] ; the imperfect  by a short vowel  pre pr efixed, and the termination on; bhovami [ I am], obhovon [ I was]. T h e striking resemblance  between  bet ween the Indian declensions of  the th e gender  of  adjectives an and d the Latin, that of  the th e comparative, an and d the  person  per sonal al terminations of  the verbs and d the  perfect  perfec t tense marked  by  b y the affix with the Greek, an augmentative, has  been already noticed. I t agrees with the th e formation of  the first  person  per son o f  that Greek  also i n the tense, which is not terminated  by mi or  on, as i n the other  tenses, nor  no r   by t  or  ti, i n the th e third  person ;  but  bu t  both  bot h  per pe rsons terminate with a vowel. Chokaro [ I have, an and d he has done] ; vobhuvo [ I have  been, an and d he has  been  be en]. ]. So  pe culi liar arit itie iess of  decided an agreement i n the most delicate  pecu structure must strike a l l who have studied the general formation o f  language as something more than a merely remarkable coincidence. T h e termination of  the th e third  person  per son o f  the imperative i s otu, i n the  pl th e termination o f   p l u r a l ontu ; the  pa r tici ti cipl ple e i n the masculine gender, on. I t would, the first  par however,  be superfluous to multiply examples, so many having  been already found, whose striking singularity must enable us to form a decisive conclusion. T h e L a t i n infinitive, with i t s termination i n re,  presents  present s a remarkable deviation; this of  course i s a special  pecu  pe cu-liarity of  the L a t i n , which thus deviates from other  languages of  the same family, i n the th e formation of  one of  the most important  part  pa rtss o f  speech. Y e t even here we discover   bo nd o f  similarity an and d  poin  po intt of  union i n the a certain  bond Indian infinitive ending i n t wn, which i s as often an and d even more frequently employed i n the th e signification of  the supine, th e appropriate which i t also resembles i n form, than i n the sense of  the th e infinitive. T h e declension o f  the fifth case, i n at, corresponds with

4

4

4

ON T H E INDIAN LANGUAGE.

[B. L CH. m.

the L a t i n ablative in ate ; the seventh case of the the pl ur ural al i n an d  oisi ; the fourth and  eshu, ishu, & c , with the Greek m i , and  fifth cases i n bhyoh, which i n constr con struct uction ion often often beco become mess bhyos, with the long vowel preceding, resemble the L a t i n dative and ablative in bus. The singular of the Indian dative in ayo, may be compared  with the old  L a t i n i n aï; the termination of the dual, i n an with the Greek, Gree k, 0 . The Indian declension agrees with the language above named in many peculiarities, and  separate modifications of  the the fundamental rules ; the neuter  gender, gender, for example e xample,, is universally the same, in the accusative as in the nominative ; i n the dual, many cases which in other numbers are distinct, have one and the same form. wha t has been been pr prev evio ious usly ly said of  I shall not here repeat what these points of  agreement, and I must also pass over much impor tance i n reference reference to others. Notr. which mi g ht be of importance with withst stan andin ding g the the harmon har mony y of gr gran and d essential points, poin ts, there is, is , of course, considerable variety in the details, and many casual cas ual differe difference nces. s. T h e chief  distinction, however, consists i n this this.. T h e Indi In dian an grammar, though tho ugh subje subject ct to the same laws of construct cons truction ion as the Greek Gre ek and  L a t i n , is, notwith standing, standi ng, more tru truly ly simple and artistic artist ic than th an either. Thee Th Greek  and  an d  L a t i n languages are declin dec lined ed ; that is, the varied   pr  p r o p o r t i o n and value of the substantive is shown by inflec tion of  the root, not by annexing or prefixing certain par ticles, as is generally the case with modern languages ; still they th ey are not sufficiently suffi ciently perfect i n themselves to dispense dispense Indi di an de with the employment of prepositions. I n the In clensions prepositions preposi tions are are never nev er requ re quir ired ed ; and an d the diffe differe rence ncess indicated  b y cum, ex, in, which are so frequently used  with t h e L a t i n ablative, aro expressed in the Indian language appr opriate ate case. case. I w i l l not presume to assert that the th e  by  b y an appropri Indian grammar has no irregular verbs; but certainly their  irregularities in number and proportion are as nothing compared  with those of the Greek and  L a t i n . The conju gation of verbs is in itself  far more regular. Th e impera impe ra tive has a first person, and is thus in conformity with the th e series of regular and perfect languages ; the second person o f  the imperative is less abbreviated and mutilated than is invariably found to be the case in the Persian, and very frequently i n other language languages. s. T h e manner manner i n which a

B . I. CH. m . ]

ON THE GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE.

4 45

simple verb ve rb become becomess a frequentat frequ entative ive or desiderative, desi derative, or i s formed  into one signifying to cause an action, or to operate  by  b y the means of another another,, is generall gene rally y uniform, unifo rm, and equally equal ly applicable to al l pr prim im itiv it ivee ro root ots. s. Th e great number of  words derived from the infinitive of the verb form a perfect series series ; nearly nea rly al l the In d ia n adjectives are derived deri ved from verbs (verbalia). Of all existing languages there is none so perfect perfect i n itself, or i n which the internal connexion of  the roots may be so clearly traced as in the Indian. I t would, perhaps, be too much to assert without reserva tion that the Greek and  L a t i n languages hold  the th e same  posi  po siti tion on in regard to the Indian as the Italian does to the L a t i n , although it is undeniably true that a certain irregu larity of form, and the use of prepositions in those languages, already presage the transition to modern grammatical con struction ; and the regular  simplicity of the Indian language i n parallel cases is an incontrovertible evidence of  greater  antiquity. T h e following observation is also of importance. There is at least an appearance of probability that in the Greek, the annexed syllables, now blended inseparably with the primitive word, were originally distinct particles and  auxiliaries ; but this hypothesis cannot be carried out with out the assistance of an etymological skill and subtlety which must be unhesitatingly rejected in every scientific investiga tion or  histor his torica icall contemplation contemplation of the the origin of language ; even then, indeed, the theory could  hardly be maintained.  No  N o t the slightest appearance of any such amalgamation can  be trac tr aced ed i n the I n d i a n langu la nguage age ; i t must mu st be allo al lowe wed  d  that its structure is highly organised, formed by inflection, or the change and transposition of its primary radical sounds, car ried through every ramification of meaning and expression, and not by the merely mechanical process of annexing words or  particles to the same lifeless lifeless and unp unprodu roducti ctive ve root. T h e Indian grammar offers the best example of perfect simplicity, combined with the the rich riches estt arti ar tist stic ic construc cons truction tion.. I t is neces neces sary, however, howeve r, to pre-su pre-suppo ppose se on onee property prop erty of the the min m ind, d, i n order to explain, in a significant and  intelligible manner, the origin o f  that lang la ngua uage ge;; a pecu pe culi liar arly ly fine fine feeling of the separate value and appropriate meaning, if I may thus speak, of  the radi ra dica call words or syllables ; a perception of the whole wh ole activity and influence of  which we can hardly be fully

446 44 6

ON T H E INDIAN L AN GU AG E .

[ B . 1. C H . I V .

sensible, the ear being now dulled and confused by a multi  pl  p l i c i t y of various impressions, and the original stamp of each S t i l l it cannot be word  being obliterated by long use. doubted  that i t once once acted po power werful fully ly on the minds min ds of men, as without its influence no language could have been framed, or at least none like the Indian. This fine fine perceptio perce ption n of the value val ue of o f sounds and an d syllab syl lables les would  produce a system of writing almost simultaneously with the spoken language ; not mere hieroglyphic paintings, images copied from the external forms of  nature, but a system i n wh ic h the int i ntri rins nsic ic character character of the the letters, letters, wi w i t h the the sound  of  which the ear was already familiar, might be indicated or  mi nd by certain arbitra arb itrary ry signs signs or visi vi sibl blee  pres  pr esen ente ted  d  to the mind outlines.

CHAP. I V . — O N T H E D I V I S I O N O F L A N G U A G E S I N T O T w o P R I N C I P A L B R A N C H E S , F O U N D E D ON ITS I N T E R N A L S T R U C  TURE.

T H E peculiar princi pri nciple ple predominatin predomi nating g in the In Indi dian an language, language, and all others derived from it, w i l l be most intelligibly illus

trated  by contrast and comparison. comparison . I n ve ry few few languages languages is the grammar constructed with such astonishing simplicity as the Indian and Greek, the characteristics of which I attempted  to elucidate in the preceding chapter. The fea tures of most other languages are very different, and the laws b y wh ich ic h they are governed govern ed of a completely opposite opposite nature.

Modifications of meaning, or different degrees of  significa tion, may be produced either by inflection or internal v a r i  ations of the primitive word, or by annexing to it certain  pec  p ecu u lia li a r  particles, which in themselves indicate the past, the th e future, or any other circumstance. circumst ance. On these two simple methods we found our distinction between the two principal  bran  br anch ches es of language. E v e r y additio addi tional nal diff differ erenc encee or  v a r i  ation appears, on closer inspecti insp ection, on, to be nothi not hing ng more than an inferior modification or secondary consequence of the two grand divisions. E v e r y variety vari ety of the primiti pri miti ve ro roots ots exist i n g in the illimitable and apparently inexhaustible province

B . I. C H. 1V.]

ON THE DIVISION o F LANGUAGES.

447

o f  language is fully comprehended  within those two broad 

contrasted features. The Chinese presents a remarkable instance of a language almost without inflection, every ever y necessary necessary modification modification being bei ng expressed by separate monosyllabic words, each having an independent independent significati sign ification. on. T h e extrao ext raordi rdinar nary y monosyllabic form, and perfect simplicity of its constructi constr uction, on, make the the consideration of it important impor tant as facili fac ilitat tating ing the comprehen comprehen sion of other languages. languages. T h e same may be said of the gram mar of the M a l a y language. Th Thee singular sing ular and  difficult dialects of  America* illustrate the most important pecu liarities of this entire branch. Notwithsta Notwi thstandin nding g the the inex in ex  haustible variety of the primitive roots of  those languages, in which very frequently no sound of  similarity can be heard, even among tribes who dwell in close juxtaposition, all, as far  fa r  as they have hitherto been examined, appear  to follow the th e same laws of construction, every modification of time or  degree being expressed by the addition of words or particles which frequently become incorporated  with the primitive word, and yet have i n themselves themselves a peculiar peculi ar signific sign ificatio ation, n, which they communicate to the root to which they are an nexed. nexed . T h e grammar of the American languages employs the affix, and, like al l of that branch, is very rich i n pronomal pronomal references used as suffixes, and in relative verbs and conju gations thence arising. The Basque language numbers no less than twenty-one of  these pronouns, commonly inserted  either before or after the auxiliary verb.† Whether in a language of this kind  the particles be generally annexed to the verb, as is the case with the Basque, and  with most of  the American dialects, or prefixed as in the Coptic, or whe ther  both methods be employed indifferently, as in the Perugla dly embr embrac acee this opportunity of thankin tha nking g that distinguished  * I gladly author A . von Hu Humb mbol oldt dt,, fo forr his kindness kindness i n procuring procurin g fo forr me various vocabularies and dictionaries, on which the preceding and  following observations are founded ; besides two tolerably complete vocabularies and grammars o f the American dialect, and the Oquichua dialect, pre vailing in Peru and Quito, he also favoured me with several shorter  hand-books of  the Othomi, Cora, Huasteca, Mosca, Mixteca, and Totonaca dialects. Larr amendi. di. we may perhaps anticipate from the † According to Larramen elder  V o n Humboldt, a copious, and more especially, a distinct and  intel ligent analysis of that remarkable language.

-448

oN

T H E INDIAN L A N G U A G E .

[ ß . I. CH. IV.

vian, Mexican, and other  American languages, is of  little material importance; the general principle is the same i n all, the the grammar gramm ar of o f the language being bei ng formed, not by i n  flection, but by the addition of particles. A n appearance o f  inflection is somet sometime imess produced by b y the incorp inc orpora oratio tion n of the annexed particles with the the pr imiti im iti ve word . I n the the Arabic language, and those related to it, the first and most important modifications, as, for example, the persons of the verbs, are formed  by the introduction of single particles, each bearing its own appropriate signification, and in these the suffix no nott  be  b e i n g easily distinguished  from the original root, we may conclude a similar  incorporation to have taken place in other  instances, although the foreign particles inserted may be no longer  traceable. traceable. W e are at least least justifie just ified d i n assigning assign ing the the language to that peculiar branch, notwithstanding the higher  character already apparent in certain isolated points, and  deducible either  from its own richer and more artistic de velopment, or  from an intermixture of foreign dialects. T h e gradual progress of languages, in which this gram matical construction is adopted, may probably be traced as follows. In the Chinese, all particles indicating modification o f  time, time , person, & c , are monosylla m onosyllables, bles, perfect perfect in i n thems themsel elve ves, s, and an d independent o f the the root. T h e language of this this other wise refined and  civilized  people stands consequently in the lowest grade ; i t seems possible that the highly artistic system of  writing so early introduced may have contributed  to the imperfection imperfectio n of the language, language, seizing seiz ing it, it , as it i t were, i n its infancy, and  fixing its characteristics at too early a stage of their the ir development. development. Th Thee grammar gramm ar of the Basque, Coptic, and many American languages is formed entirely  by  b y prefixes, and affixes, which in general are easily distin guished  from the root, and have their own independent sig nification. The particles thus inserted soon began to coalesce with the the wo word rd itself, as may be part pa rtic icul ular arly ly seen seen i n the Arabic and the dialects connected  with i t , which, from the gramm aticall construction, appear  to chief  features i n their grammatica  bel  be l o ng to that branch, although many other peculiarities cannot so surely sur ely be traced trac ed to the same source, and some single points even manifest an affinity with the system o f  inflection. Some traces o f the employment employme nt of suffix suffixes es may ma y  be disc di scov over ered ed i n the Celtic language, although the modern

B.I. CH.1v.]

oN THE D1vTS1oN o F LANGUAGES.

4-49

system of conjugating by the aid of  auxiliary verbs, and  declining with prepositions, generally predominates. There is little beauty in the American dialects, the great number of which has been lamented, as w e llll as the diversity existing between them ; the dialects of  B r a z i l and Paraguay differing no less widely than those of Old and New Mexico, and even i n the N o r t h they the y are unifor uni form, m, mono monoton tonous ous,, and  the th e similarity of their character clearly indicates a similarity o f  principle. The source of this singular diversity of dialects may be found even in the principles of their grammatical construction. In the Indian and Greek languages each root  i s actually that which bears the signification, significatio n, and  thus seems like a l i v i n g and productive produc tive germ, every modification of  circumstance or  degree being produced by internal changes ; freer scope is thus given to its development, and its rich  prod  pr oduc ucti tive vene ness ss i s i n t r u t h almo al most st illimitable. Still, all words thus proceeding from the roots bear the stamp of  affinity, a l l being connected in their simultaneous growth and deve lopment by community of  origin. From this construction a language derives richness and  fertility on the one hand, and  on the other strength and du dura rabi bili lity ty.. It may well be said, that highly organised even in its origin, it soon becomes woven into a fine artistic tissue, which may be unravelled  even eve n after after the lapse of centuries, centur ies, and affo afford rd a d u e by which to trace the connexi con nexion on of languages languages dependent on it, and  although scattered throughout every part of the world, to follow them back to their the ir simple pr prim im it iv e source. source. Tho Those se languages, on the contrary, in which the declensions are formed  by supplementary supplementary particles parti cles,, instead of inflections of  the root, have no such bond of union : their roots present us with no living productive germ, but seem like an aggloméra tion of atoms, easily dispersed and scattered by every casual  br  b r e a t h . T h e y have ha ve no i n t e r n a l c o n n e x i o n beyo be yon n d the p u r e l y adapt ation of o f partic par ticles les and affixe affixes. s. These lan mechanical adaptation guages, in their earliest origin, are deficient in that l i v i n g germ essential to a copious development ; their derivations are poor and an d scanty, and an accum ac cumula ulatio tion n of affi affixe xes, s, instead  inste ad  o f  producing a more highly artistic construction, yields only an un unwi wiel eldy dy superabundance superabundance of words, words, inimical to true simple beauty and perspicu pers picuity. ity. Its apparent richness is in truth utter  poverty, and languages belonging to that branch,

450 45 0

oN THE INDIAN LANGUAGE.

[ ß . 1. 1. CH. IV.

whether rude or carefully constructed, are invariably heavy,  pe  p e r p l e x e d , and an d often s i n g u l a r l y subj su bjec ecti tive ve and an d defe de fect ctiv ivee i n character. The study of the American dialects is also of importance, as proving the utter  impossi bility bilit y of deriv de riv ing in g every lan roots ts and construction from on onee com guage i n its pr im it iv e roo admi t that every language mon mo n stem. W e must, however, admit formed  b y inflexion rises from one original source ; but the di vers rsit it y of langua languages ges belongin belo nging g to the the other  incalculable dive  br  b r a n c h makes mak es i t impo im poss ssib ible le to trace them back to any point o f  union even at their source, as is sufficiently proved by examining many languages of  A s i a and Europe, not to men tion the countless dialects of the American continent. Even the thinly populated Northern A s i a contains four quite dis tinct families of language ; the Tartar, Finnish, M o g u ll,, a nd  Mantcheou branch; there are, besides these, many less widely diffused, to which a student of philology would  find  i t difficult to assign any fixed  and appropriate place. W e must enumerate also the tangutische, or Thibet dialect, the Singhalese, Japanese, and what little, after separating its intermixtures of Indian and  Arabic, w i l l yet ye t remain rema in of the the M a l a y language peculiar to the dialects of the islands be tween India and  America, and may again be traced back to two fundamentally distinct families of language in Malacca, and the negro-like negro- like Papu Pa pua. a. Symes Symes enumerates six distinct dialects in the eastern peninsula of India, many of  which differ  even in the numerals, those important characteristic  part  pa rtss of the the language. T h e Burmes Bur mesee is divided  into four  dialects, the most important of  which i s that of A v a ; it assimilates with the Chinese i n its monosyllabic form. Th e dialects of  Koloun, between Bengal, Aracan, and Burmah, and a few dialects of Pe gu , belong to the same stock : the language of Pe P e gu is, according accordin g to Symes, Symes, very ve ry dif original language ferent, as well as that in the country of  Meckley, south of  an d  that of Assam itself, from which the Singhalese Assam, and  dialect dialect is derived. Notwi thstandi thst anding ng these trifling points of  div ersitie tiess of dialect diale ct are ver v ery y considerable considerable i n affinity, the diversi populat lation. ion. I f we consider the the  pr  p r o p o r t i o n to the scanty popu large number of completely isolated languages, vestiges of  which are to be found in the west o f  central A s i a , the region the Caucasus ; and i n Eu Euro rope pe,, beside besidess the Coptic, the o f  the

B. 1. c H . 1v.]

ON THE DIVISION oF LANGUAGES.

451 45 1

Basque, and  that portion of the Wall Wa llach ach ian which is not the Ar na ut ic , it w i l l be clearly derived  from the L a t i n and the seen, that any an y attempt to trace these languages to a common stock must prove futile fut ile and untenable. Anoth Ano ther er grand  gra nd  distinction exists between the two chief  branches of  lan guage : many among those formed by affixes are completely distinct dist inct i n themselves themselves ; but i n those formed by inflection the internal affinity of the roots becomes more striking, the higher we ascend in tracing the history of their formation. It must not, however, be supposed  that I desire to exalt one chief  branc bra nch h of language exclus exc lusiv ively ely,, to the neglect neglect or  disparagement of the other. T h e sphere of language is too comprehensive, rich, and grand, gra nd, and has has been been too too hi gh ghly ly developed and investigated for one sweeping decision to object.. W h o can deny the lofty power  accomplish any such object and energy of the Arabic and Hebraic languages ? They, indeed, stand on the loftiest point of their peculiar branch, cons tructi ction on and development, development, although thei t heir  r  i n respect of constru adherence to i t is not so excl ex clus usiv ivee as to prevent thei th eirr assi a ssi milating in some few instances with the other  family. S t i l l the most erudite erud ite invest in vestiga igator torss of language have been o f  opinion that such points of resemblance may have heen arbi trarily grafted on the rude original stem at a subsequent  per  p erii o d . It must undoubtedly be admitted, after  adequate investi gation and comparison, that languages in which the gram mar is one of  inflexion are usually usua lly preferable, preferable, as as evin ev inci cing ng higher art in their construction ; but without adducing simi l a r  instances from the Greek and Roman, our own noble language, debased debased and a nd ruin ru ined ed as as i t is, is , affo afford rdss abundant pr proo oof  f  o f  the degradation in which even the most beautiful lan guage may be involved  by the negligence of bad writers and  the admission of numerous dialects. The progress of mere grammatical development in the t wo chief  divisi div isions ons is entire ent irely ly reversed. Languages formed  formed  affixes es were wer e at t h ei r commencement commencement rude and completel compl etely y  by  b y affix unformed, but grew more artistic as the subjoined particles  became i ncor nc orpo pora ratt ed b y degrees with the pr prii miti mi ti ve wo word rd's 's : i n those formed by inflexion, on the contrary, the first  beau  be auty ty and an d symm sy mmee t r y of t h e i r cons co nstr truc ucti tion on was g r a d u a l l y defaced by an attempt to simplify and elucidate it, as may

452 45 2

oN T H E I N D I A N L A N G U A G E .

[ß. I. C H . I V .

 be seen b y c ompa om pari ring ng vari va riou ouss dial di alec ects ts o f the th e G e r m a n , R o  mantic, and Indian languages, with the original type from which they were framed. The dialects of  America usually belong to an inferior  class class : this t his is evident by their thei r deficiency deficiency i n many indispe ind ispen n sable letters, as of  B, D, F , G , R , s, J , v , as consonants consonants i n the Mexican ; B, D, E, F , K , and x, in the Oquichua language, in which the o, also, is scarcely to be found ; of F , I, K , L , R, S, i n the Othomides ; D, F, G, I , L , F , i n the C o x a ; of  B , D , F, R, i n the Totonaca ; B , P , F , R , i n the Mixteca ; and of F , R , S, K , i n the Huaste Hua steca ca language. A few few of the hard  consonants may, ma y, indeed, indee d, be suppl su pplie ied d by the soft soft,, or  there may ma y appear  to be a deficiency, as in the Spanish language, when none actually exists exist s ; but bu t how can the want of such indispens able consonants as R, L , F , or the entire family, B , p, F, be supplied ? W e also observe observe a pecul pe culia iarr prefere preference nce for cer cer  tain compound consonants, as T L ‚ in the Mexican. The unwieldly bulk produced by the accumulation of affixes, heaped one after after another upo upon n the radic rad ical al wo word rd,, rather esta  blis  bl ishe hess than cont co ntro rove vert rtss m y theo th eory ry ; so great a multitude of   part  pa rtii cles cl es bei be i n g req re q uir ui r ed, ed , espe es peci cial ally ly i n the conj co njug ugat atio ion n o f the th e verbs, ver bs, to express expre ss the changes of person, or to contrast the mere commencement of an action with a permanent habit, hab it, occupation, reciproc reci procity, ity, or continued repetition repetit ion of the same action. How many peculiarities of grammatical construction are common in all the American dialects, notwithstanding the th e differences differences of the roots ro ots ? Many among them have no gender, case, or number, and no infinitive mood ; the latter  latt er   be  b e i n g supplied in Mexican and Peruvian by the future, with the verb “ I w i l l ; " or, perhaps, the verb ve rb “ t o be” is deficient, deficient, o r  the adjective (as is the case i n the Oqu Oquich ichua ua dialect) is the same as the genitive case ; so that Runap, from Runa, the th e man, signifies both of the man and manly. Many o f  these languages are, notwithstanding, powerful and expressive, and no less artistic and  well constructed. This is particularly the case with the Oquichua or Peru vian ; probably, as we are informed by old traditions, the Incas were induced, by the peculiar excellence and compre hensiveness hensiveness of this thi s language, to enforce enforce its general gene ral use. I n the Peruvian vocabulary, I find  occasionally a few Indian roots, as veypul [great], in Indian, vipulo ; acini [to laugh],

B . 1. C H . V . ]

o N T H E oR1G1N oF L A N G U A G E .

*53 *5 3

Indian, hosono, & c . ; the most remarkable is inti [the sun], i n Indian, indra. I f  there be any grounds for the tradition, that the Incas used a peculiar language, spoken and under stood  by themselves alone, and now entirely lost, these stray roots may have wandered  from that language into the po  pu  p u l a r  dialect; as it is clearly proved, by referring to the earliest historical records of  China, that the founders of the Peruvian kingdom and language must have migrated  from the th e east o f  China and the Indian isles.*

C H A P . V . — ON T H E O R I G I N O F L A N G U A G E .

H Y P O T H E S E S concerning the first origin of language would 

either have been discarded altogether, or have assumed an entirely different form, had they the y been been founded founded on hist hi stor oric ical al investigation, instead of being wrested into forced  compli ance with arbi ar bitr trar ary y theories. I t is a most most erroneous erroneous propo pro po sition to assert, that the origin of language and intelligence was everywhere similar. So many varieties, on the contrary, exist i n that respect, that i t would  be easy to cite one one lan guage at least in corroboration of almost every theory that has ever ev er been been framed. I f we take, for example, the vo voca ca  bu  b u l a r y of the Mantcheou language, we shall be astonished at the completely comple tely disproportionate dispropor tionate number numbe r of onomatopoeti onomatopoeticc † or  sense-imitative words which i t contains, formi for ming ng by far the the greater por p orti tion on of the language. I n fact, fact, had this th is dialect dial ect been more importan impo rtantt and univ u nivers ersal, al, we should have been com  pell  pe lled  ed  to adopt the opinion that that princi pri nciple ple predominate predominated  d  i n all languages. This example w i l l also serve to illustrate the th e form naturally assumed by every language founded on similar  princi pri nciple ples, s, and the idea of referrin refe rring g to the same same origin languages of an a n enti en tire rely ly different different aspect aspect must be i m * It is very remarkable that the Peruvian Incas, who boasted  of the sun), styled  sty led  same descent as the Hindoo Ráma. (viz., from Suryá, or the sun), their  great festival Ramasitoa; whence we may suppose that South was peopled by the same race who imported into the farthest America was  parts of  Asia the rites and fabulous history of  Ráma. — Discourse on the 30.  Hindoos  Hindoos —Sir  W. Jones's wo rk s, vo l. i . p. 30 See note, ante, p. 433. † See

454 45 4

ON

T H E INDIAN L A N G U A G E .

[ B . 1. C H . v.

mediately mediat ely discarded. L e t us consider the entire family o f  each language which no now w claims our attention. attention. Th e nu m  ber  be r o f  these onomatopoëtic words in the German is very inconsiderable, in comparison with the instance before noticed; still they the y are very ve ry importan impo rtant, t, and, perhaps, not much less so than in the Persian, which may be defined as an inte in term rmix ixtu ture re of the Tart Ta rtar ar,, Sclavon Scl avonic, ic, and some other  dialects ; in the Greek and  L a t i n languages their number is still further  diminished, and in the Indian they so completely disappear, that we cannot cannot admit the possi pos sibil bility ity of commu commu  nity of  origin. Where, then, shal sh alll we seek seek the source source of o f a l l those allied  languages which are are formed formed by inflection? inflecti on? H o w di d the the Indian originate ? or, since that language, although admitted  to be of far higher antiquity than others, is itself  but a de rived  form, how did the common source and  origin o f  that entire family firs firstt come come into in to existence ? A satisfactory an an  swer may be given to a portion at least of this important question, that the earliest language was not the mere instinc cr y of physica phys icall nature, nature, nor was was it from from an indiscri indi scrimina minate te tive cry imitation of natural tones, nor from fancy indulging in a sportive experimental combination of sounds that it arose, gradually engrafting on its first rude commencement a more reasonable ble form. form . T h e structure structur e of  o f  rational expression and reasona language, on the contrary, is but one proof added in con firmation o f  so many others, that the primitive condition of  mankind  was not one of mere animal instinct, which by slow an d  with many man y a weary wea ry effo effort rt,, at len l engt gth h attained  degrees, and  some some sligh s lightt glim gl imme meri ring ng of reason and intelli int elligence gence ; i t rather  nott i n every confirms the opposite belief, proving that, i f no country, at least in that which is now the subjec subjectt of our i n  vestigations, the most profound study and the clearest intel lige ligenc ncee were early ear ly called cal led into in to operation oper ation ; for withou wit houtt mu ch labour and reflection it would  have been imposs imp ossibl iblee to frame frame a language like the Indian, which, even in its simplest form, exemplifies the loftiest ideas of the pure world  of thought, and displays the entire ground plan of the consciousness, not figura rati tive ve symbols, but i n direct dir ect and an d immedia im mediate te clearness i n figu and precision. B y what means the human mind at so early a period  attained  that wondrous gift of clear intelligence intellig ence ; whether i t

B . I. C H . V.]

ON T H E ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE.

455 45 5

was grad g radual ually ly developed or suddenly appear appeared ed i n al l its lofty  perf  pe rfec ecti tion on,, or whether it can be accounted for by reference to the the natu na tura rall powers o f the human hum an intell int ellect ect alone, alone, presents a subject for investigation which, as touched upon in the following book, may at least stimulate to further  inquiry ; since I shall there lay before you the systems of  religion and philosophy to which histori hist orical cal investigati invest igation on assi assign gnss the highest antiquity, and examine whether any unequivocal traces of a first and earlier dialect are therein to be recog nised. It would, however, be useless to attempt any analysis o f  the language, except in accordance with its natural prin ciples and progress, as no traces of foreign admixture are to  be fo foun und d i n i t . I t i s no nott b y any an y means my intention to dis  pute  pu te the spontaneous origin of language generally, but merely the theory that all were originally similar, and equally rude and irreg ir reg ula r i n their thei r firs firstt construction — an opinion which the facts already cited abundantly disprove. The manner in which mankind attained such lofty per fection of reason and intelligence is a question of a different k i n d  ; but the same spirit, the same deep feeling and  intelli gence undoubtedly communicated  itself  to their language, and it would  be difficult to find  any so skilfully and exqui been speaking. speak ing. I t sitely framed as that o f  which we have been combines the clear perception of the the natura nat urall signification significat ion of  things thi ngs,, — a delicate delicate discri dis crimin minati ation on of the original sense a n d   powe  po werr o f a l l those sounds which may be made the medium commun icating ing our ideas, ideas, — a fine fine imit im itat ativ ivee faculty for  o f  communicat assorting and combining letters and significant syllables, myste riouss elements elements of language,—and language,—an d a power to in in  those mysteriou vent, discover, determine, and, by the use of varied declen sions, transform the language into a living organisation, ever  ow n intern int ernal al strength strength advancing, and developing itself  by its own and an d energy. Such Su ch was the origin of language ; simply beau tiful i n form and construction, yet capable of almost un  boun  bo unde ded d deve de vell o pme pm e nt; nt ; the th e u n i o n betwee bet ween n the p r i m i t i v e roots, on which it is based, and the grammatical construction are most closely closel y cemented, cemented, and bo both th spri sp ring ng from the the same original source—a deep feeling, feeli ng, and a clear  discriminating i n  telligence. The oldest system of  writing developed  itself  at the th e same time, and in the same manner, as the spoken lan guage ; not wear we arin ing g at firs firstt the symbolic symbo lic form, which it sub-

 456 

ON THE INDIAN L A N G U A G E .

[B . I. C H . V .

sequently assumed in compliance with the necessities of a less civilised  people, but composed of certain signs, which, i n accordance with the nature of the simplest elements of  language, actually conveyed the sentiments of the race of  men then existing. T o attempt to analyse the construction of languages which  bear  be ar the th e traces of a rude and scanty original, by separating from them a l l they ow owee to foreign fore ign idioms, idio ms, and the adaptation o f  other and more beautiful systems, would  lead me too far  from m y present subj subjec ect. t. Wh ethe et he r placed i n a state of hap  pines  pin esss and  an d  simplicity, endowed  with the ligh li ghtt of reason reason and i n  telligence, and i n the fuln fulness ess of a clear perception, percep tion, man easily easi ly dispensed  with a more artistic development of his powers, —  o r  whether in his original condition he was but a few degrees removed from the irrational and  brute creation, this at least i s certain, that the distinctive character of speech must be greatly dependant on the the physical physi cal condition of mankind. mank ind. I n many languages, indeed, instead of  that highly organised and  artistic arti stic construction construction which is produced by significant signif icant syllables sylla bles and  an d  prolific roots, we discover merely varied imitations, and  almost sportive combinations of sound — the cry, as it were, o f  instinctive feeling and impulse, to which the exclamatory, the interjectional, and distinctive terminations and additions tim e became became annexed, anne xed, and invest inv ested ed by constant use with i n time a certain conventional and arbitrary signification. cl earl rly y to establish the fact fact A l l the preceding proofs appear clea that the Sanscrit or Indian language is of higher antiquity than the Greek or  L a t i n , not to mention the German and  Persian. We might, perhaps, decide more satisfactorily in what relation it stands, as the earliest earlie st derive der ived d language, language, to the general gene ral source source ; i f i t were wer e i n our power to consult the Veda in its genuine form, together  with the vocabularies which were early required on account of the great difference  betwe  be tween en the lang la ngua uage ge of the Veda and the Sanscrit. T h e Saga of  R á m a , who is described as a conqueror of the w i l d   tribes tri bes of the South, Sou th, migh mi ghtt seem seem to favour the opini opi nion on that the Indian language, even at a very early period, suffered  considerable foreign intermixture from the various tribes incorporated  with the body of the nation. T h e northe nor thern rn  pa  p a r t of the country is peculiarly the seat of the Indian lan guage and philosophy. I n Ceylon we still trace the influence

CH . V . ] B . 1. CH.

ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE.

457 45 7

of  the foreign tribes of Singhalese, which in former times was probably of more extensive operation. Still the regular, simple structure of the Indian language proves that the in fluence o f  foreign intermixture was never so overpowering or  heterogeneou heterogeneouss as i n other languages of the same same family.

Changes of manners and habits were more slowly intro duced  among that Indian race than in other nations of the world ; and it seems historicallyprobable that their language also observed a similar  tardy progression ; it was too intrin sically bound up with thei th eirr temperament temperament and philosophy philosoph y to admit of such arbitrary innovations and extensive revolutions as are often allowed through negligence or indifference to creep into other languages. This assertion w i l l be more strongly confirmed by investigating the structure of the lan guage itself. I t is true that the Indian is almost entirely a  phil  ph ilos osop ophi hica call or rather rathe r a reli re ligi giou ouss language, and perhaps none, none, not even eve n exceptin exce pting g the Greek, Gre ek, is so philosop phil osophic hically ally clear  and sharply defined: it has no variable or arbitrary combination of abstractions, abstracti ons, bu butt is formed on a permanent perman ent system, in which the th e deep symbolic signification of words and expressions expressions recipr rec iproca ocally lly expl ex plai ain, n, elucidate, elucidate, and support each other. This lofty spir sp irit itua uali lity ty is at the same same time ex ex  tremely simple, not originally conveyed through the medium o f  representations of merely mer ely sensual expressions, expressions, but p r i  marily based upon the peculiar and appropriate signification o f  the fundamental elements as originally established. The distinct genus of many, which, though quite clear in mean ing, yet admits only of a purely metaphysical interpretation, allows of our determining the high antiquity either  histori cally from the employment of the terminology, or etymologi¬ cally from the compounded words. It is a most unfounded  idea that in the earliest ' epoch of each language a bold  and  an d  irregular  fancy alone predominated predom inated ; it may have been been the case with many, but certainly certa inly not i n a ll , nor i n the the In di an especially, i n which a profound philosophical signification and perspi per spicu cuity ity of expression ex pression are even more striking than  poet  po etii cal ca l inspiration or imagery, although it is quite sus ceptible of the former ; and in the figurative and imaginative  poem  poe m of Calid Cal idas as the the latter latt er property prope rty also also is most most abundantly abun dantly developed. Poetry, however, belongs to a later epoch in the formation

-158

ON TH THE E INDI INDIAN AN LANGUAGE.

[ B . 1. CH. CH . V I .

o f  the Indian language, which as we proceed in tracing its

source back to the earliest antiquity, becomes even more simple and prosaic, although far  from being dr y or abstract edly lifeless. Thus Menu s metrical collection of laws *, which  bear  be arss the stamp of far higher antiquity than the Puranas, is remarkably different in its construction ; perhaps scarcely so much as might be imagined  from the comparison instituted   by  b y S i r  W i l l i a m Jones between the style of  Cicero, and the fragment fragment of the T w el v e Tables. Still, considering the slow  prog  pr ogre ress ss and  an d  trifling nature of the alterations to which the th e Indian language has been subjected subjected,, the dist di stin inct ctio ion n is qu quit itee sufficient to justify the supposition of at least many interven i n g centuries.

CHAP. V I . — O N THE DIFFERENCE EXISTING BETWEEN THE MOST CLOSELY CONNECTE CONNECTED D LANG LA NGUA UAGE GES, S, AND ON A FEW REMARKABLE INTE INTERM RMED EDIA IATE TE DlA D lALE LECT CTS. S.

considering conside ring the alterations alterations sustained sustained b y the the In di an language, and in a still greater measure measure by thos thosee deri de rive ved  d  from it , another question immedia imm ediatel tely y arises. arises. T h e affinity o f  those those languages has been too cle arly ar ly ascertained ascerta ined to admit the supposition of its being merely the result of accident ; but it must, on the other hand, be received as a proof  that all are derived  from the same common source ; and the question im mediately forces itself  upon the mind,—were these languages cause, e, then, then , may we attribut attr ibutee the the originally one ? T o what caus diff differ erenc ences es ex is ti ng between them the m ? W e must not judg ju dgee of  these varieties from the firs firstt impressions impres sions communic comm unicated ated by by sound  o r  form, but rather by their inner and essential character, which can be appreciated  only by researches pene trating far beneath the mere external veil. What remark able differences the Greek and  L a t i n languages appear to IN

* The " Body o f L a w " called  Smriti consists of eighteen books, each each divided  under  three general gen eral heads heads,— ,— the duties dutie s of  religion, the adminis

tration of justice, and the punishment punishmen t or expiation expiat ion of crimes : they were delivered  for the instruction of the human species by Menu and other  sacred personages. —  Sir W. Jones's Works, vol. i . —  Trans.

B . 1. C H . V 1 . ]

DIFFERENCES

IN LANGUAGES.

45 9

 presen  pre sentt when either is examined for the first time by a th en been confined to one student whose attention had  t i l l then only ! H e imagines himsel f to be be entering enterin g a world  i n which

every thing is new and strange. After  a longer long er acquaintance, however, his h is opinio opi nion n becom becomes es conside cons iderabl rably y modified, and he sees that the general harmony of construction of both lan c haracter of very ve ry re guages invests them rather  with the character motely connected dialects than of distinct branches. I f  the affinity of other languages be estimated in the same ratio, much greater  varieties w i l l be found to exist in the various dialects of this family than can be accounted for by their different local featur features, es, or attribut attr ibuted ed to a dive di vers rsit ity y of  impulse in the development of the mind during any certain must here be brought for  pe  p e rio ri o d  of time. An ot he r point must ward  fully sufficient to expîain the source of  those varieties, and our argument w i l l be supported partly by accurate grammati gram matical cal analysis, part pa rtly ly by refere referenc ncee to histor his torica icall re cords. Each o f  these derived languages, as well as the character  tr ibe, e, is remarkabl remar kablee from the vari va ried ed and  an d  o f  the people or trib frequently incongruous intermixture of foreign influences, which necessarily led to a more complete estrangement be be  tween the allied  language langu age and people themselves. I do not allude merely to such intermixture as that of the Arabic i n the Persian, or the French in the English language languag e ; the instances ces,, although completely i n  intrusive words in these instan corporated corporat ed into in to the body of the language, reta re tain in suffi sufficie cient nt marks of their  original form to be immediately recognised as foreign words : these examples examples str s tr ik in gl y illustrat illu stratee the fact that every language of grand principles, that is to say, highly organised and  skilfully framed, possesses i n itself  an original element of stability and  individuality, which can ca n scarcely he overpowe ov erpowered red by the most most viole vio lent nt and forcible extraneous extraneous inte in term rmix ixtu ture re.. H o w completely Teuton Teu tonic ic are the the characteristics of the English language language,, and how st ri ki ng the difference which still subsists in the Persian and Arabian ! M y observations refer also to such intermixtures as are of  still greater  antiquity, and  thus are more completely blended  with the primitive construction of the language, having  been  be en i n t r o d u c e d at a per pe r i o d w h e n from fr om its it s greater  flexibility, appropriative power, and productiveness, they were more

460

ON T H E I N D I A N L A N G U A G E .

[ B . 1. C H . v l .

easily incorporated, and cannot be traced without careful analysis. Such analogies and intermixtures are often important i n reference to history, while that branch of science reci  pr  p r o c a l l y affords a clue by which to trace language to its source. I n the Greek Gre ek,, for instance, we find  a far  greater  number of  Arabic roots than would  at first appear  credible; the structure and character of the two languages being so entirely different, that this point of  agreement between them i s easily overlooked. Y e t is it nothing nothi ng more than the con con  tinual intercourse of the Greeks and Phoenicians might anti cipating ting.. A n acquaint acquaintance ance with the history  ju  j u s t i f y us i n anticipa o f  the earliest settlers in Italy leads us to expect in the latter a greater  intermixture of  Celtic and Cantabrian roots. T h e close close connexion conne xion of the the Ger G er ma n language language with the Per dis tinctl ctl y indicates the the point at which that branch sian distin separated from their  parent stem, and the numerous radical words, common both in the Teutonic and the Turkish lan guages, may afford indications of the migratory path which the former people pursued pur sued,, and  which is proved by other  and historical evidence to have followed  the direct dir ectio ion n of the river Gihon, along the north shore of the Caspian Sea, bear i n g constantly towards the north west. Scarcely any language can be named, however remote in situation and character, in which some German roots are not to be found ; as das jahr  [the year], or jaré, in the Zend and  Mantcheou dialects ; legen [to lie], Span, poner, laygan, i n the the Tagala dialect dialect of the the Phi li pp in e Isl and s; rangio [ e v i l seeking], in the Japanese, ranzig ; also also a few few i n the Pe r u vi a n dialect. T h i s may easily easi ly be accounted accounted for from from the mi g ra  tions of the Teutonic race, and their sojourn in the districts o f  northern and western A s i a ; a region which has since  been  be en the th e rend re ndez ezvo vous us o f  those tribes, and the scene of their  most frequent wanderings. I shall, in this book, confine my investigations ta the language, and to whatever may be deduced from that alone, reserving for my third book any historical facts or hypo theses tending to elucidate the wonderful agreement between so many distant languages and people, divided  by long tracts Of  sea and land, or to illustrate the earliest migrations of the human race. M u c h may, however, be found in the pro-

B . 1. C H . V I . ]

DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGES.

461 46 1

vince o f  language alone, contributing either  to fill up that  per hapss to mark  the th e wide space or  to contract i t s limits, or   perhap  poin  po intt of  separation an and d transition. I am not now no w alluding to the few isolated remains o f  the German language, which may ma y  be found i n the Crimea, the Caucasus, an and d the neigh bour  bo urho hood od of  the th e Caspian Sea, nor  no r  to the th e many more insignificant, ye yett still very remarkable vestiges, of  other  languages now no w lost ;  but  b ut to the  pr  br anch ches es o f  those still e x  p r i n c i p a l  bran and d flourishing, which,  by  b y their  mixed construction isting an and an d the situation of  the th e  people  peopl e among whom they are i n use, seem to fill up the space intervening  betwee  bet ween n the Indian an and d Persian on the one hand, an and d the th e German, Latin, an and d Greek  on the th e other. T h e Armenian dialect i s , unquestionably, entitled to hold the first rank, on account of  the th e numerous Greek  an and d Latin, Persian an and d German roots contained i n i t , which appertain, i n fact, to the first an and d most essential  part  pa rtss o f  the language : as, for  fo r  example, the th e numerals,  pron  pr onoun ouns, s,  part  pa rtic icle les, s, an and d some o f  the th e most important verbs. T o mention a few o f  the most remarkable: han, the Latin conjunction quam; mi [one], related to the th e Greek  mia ; hing, L . quinque, [five] ; durch, L . circa [around] ; ham, the  pr efix ix,, th e Greek  hama, used as a  pref i n the same manner  as G r .  sum, an and d L . con ; the th e negative  par  p arti tic c le mi, Greek  mē  ; an an and d ab are  pref  pr efix ixed ed i n the same sense as G r . a, an and d ab, a i n the Latin, an and d un i n the th e German ; aminajim, the Latin omnis. Also a few verbs : lu¬  sauorim, G. ich leuchte [I light], L. luceo ; luzzim, G. ich lose [ I redeem], G r . luo ; uranam [ I deny], G r . arneomai ;  zairanam, G . ich  zürne  zürne [ I am angry] ; arnum, arnum, G . ich nehme [ I take], G r . arnumi ; tenim [ I s i t J G r . theinai ; adim [ I hate], L . odium; udim [ I eat], L . ed o; o;  garodim [ I have trouble], L . careo ;  Inum [ I fill up], L  plenus ; dam [ I give], L . do; im, i n English  I  am ;  piri?n  piri?n [ I  bea  b earr ] , L .fero, and P . burun ;  porim [ I dig], G . bohre ; kam, G . ich komme [ I come], G . ich kam; an Their  and d many other  Persian roots. identity i s frequentiy unquestionable, except that the  pr  p r o nunciation i s rather  harsh,  perh  pe rhaps aps more so than ca can n  be accounted for, as the general  pe  p e c u l i a r i t y of  a l l mountain dialects, a nd rather  affording an indication o f  superior  antiquity. Their  agreement i n structure is even more remarkable ; as, for  fo r  example, luanam, L . lavo ; luanas, L . lavas ;

462

ON T H E I N D I A N L A N G U A G E .

[ B . 1. C H . V I .

luanan, L . lavant; the future is formed by ziz, szis, sze, the th e gen eral sound as i n the I nd ia n and Gree Gr eek. k. A few same general  par  pa r tic ti c iple ip less i n al agree, on the contrary, with the th e Sclavonic language, as well as the third person of the singular number, luanay, L . lavat. The conjugation is generally formed by

inflection, and partly also by auxiliary verbs. T h e Armenian is unquestionably a remarkable intermediate link, and may affo afford rd a clue clu e to many man y facts facts i n the origin a n d  history of the Asiatic and Eu Euro rope pean an languages. languages. I have no means of ascertaining whether the same observation applies to the Georgian language ; we are also in want of the most efficient aid for drawing any certain conclusion with regard  to the Zend  and  an d  Pahlavi * dialects, no complete grammar of  either h av i ng ever been been compile com piled. d. T h e declensions declensions i n Zend  closely resemble resemble the Geo G eo rg rgia ia n ; the Pahlavi employs the Per sian oblique case i n ra, many Persian terminations of sub stantives and adjectives in man, 8cc. ; the infinitive i n atan m ay also be compared  with the Persian in adun. But these few particulars, all that have as yet been discovered, are meagre and unsatisfactory. W e find  nothing in A r a b i c , or  Hebrew, agreeing with the Indian grammar, except the feminine termination in a and  an d  i, and the He br brew ew pronoun [ P i n ] P* > Indian soh, Teutonic sa, whence comes the an

German so. The common roots of  these languages retain many traces illus il lus tra ting ti ng the progr progress ess of inte rmix ture tur e between between  people  peo ple a n d lang la ngua uage ge i n anci an cien entt time ti mes. s. I t would  be of im  port  po rtan ance ce to decide dec ide acc ac c ur uraa tely te ly ho how w far the th e nu numb mber er o f ro root otss  bel  b elo o ng ngii n g to the other  chief  branch in the Hebrew language exceeds those in the Arabic ; the affinity was probably even stronger in the Phoenician. T h e next place to the Armenian, as possessing possessi ng a still evident, although almost more remote, affinity, is undoubtedly occupied by the great and widely diffused family of Scla¬ vonian dialects. They a**ree with the allied languages in many man y inflections inflection s of thei th eirr grammar, gramma r, and i n a few few instances, even in the signs of the cases used in declension, as in the first first and an d second person of the present tense, both in the singular  and  an d  plural. Insufficient as are the materials col lected  for this this br bran anch ch of study, I have nevertheless been * One of the sacred  languages of Persia.

B. I. CH. V1.J

DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGES.

<463

enabled to trace a few Ind ia n roots roots i n the Sclavoni Scla vonian an lan guage, and such indeed as are a re not to be found i n either eithe r of  the other allied languages ; but without a comparative gram¬ mar and vocabulary it is impossible to ascertain the relative  pro  p ropo porr tion ti on of the various Sclavonian dialects, or to decide which o f them th em deserves deserv es to be esteemed esteemed the oldest o ldest and  purest, and may with justice be adopted as a sure basis for the in¬ vestigation of the later dialects. It is impossible to trace the relationsh relat ionship ip and connexio conne xion n between any separate branches of  language, without first forming a similar  systematic ar rangement. I cannot venture to decide whether the Celtic language stands in equally close connexion with the noble original stock stock as the Sclavonia Sclavo nian. n. T h e community commu nity of certain ro root otss indicates only an intermixture by which this language incor  pora  po rate ted  d  with itself  other signs and symbols. N o r can the similarity of the numerals be considered deci de cisi sive ve;; i n the language, e, Gre G reek ek and other peculiar pecu liar numerals, numerals, pa rti rt i Coptic languag are i n use. use. Th e Bretagne Bretag ne diale di ale ct* cularly the old Egyptian, are i s declined decl ined b y prepositions preposi tions ; but b ut the declensions declensions of the pure pur e Erse are very different, being formed, singularly enough, by varying the th e initial letters of the words, a change which i s regulated regula ted according accord ing to certain cert ain particles par ticles prefixed, which i n  dicate the inflection of person ; for example, mac [the son], wihic (pronounced  wie) [of the son], pen [the head] ; i ben [his head], i phen [your head], y ’m mhen [m y head]. A  pe  p e c u l i a r i t y somewhat resembling the manner in which the th e  pers  pe rson onal al part pa rtii c les le s i n the th e C o p t i c lang la ngua uage ge become bec ome i n c o r   pora  po rate ted  d  with the particles prefixed and the word itself; Pos [the lord], paos [ m y lord], pehas [thy lord], pefos [this lord], pesos [your  lord], penos [our  lord], naos [ m y * According to L e Brigan t, Pinker Pin kerton ton,, Shaw' Shaw's, s, Smith's, vallancey's, and other works, which I have have not been been able to consu c onsult. lt. I am also in'want of  adequate materials for investigating several other languages; and, besides the chief  works alread already y mentioned mentioned on the N . Asian lan

guages, I have also been unable to obtain the latest and most com  plete di-sertatio di-se rtations ns on the Copt Co ptii c and Arme Ar meni nian an dialects. dialect s. I hope, therefore, that the incompleteness of my researches will be treated  with indulgence indu lgence by learned men, as they they best know the difficulty of procuring works on these subjects, many good libraries being entirely deficient in par ticul cular ar province provi nce : on the other hand, a fe few particulars not that parti hitherto known may probably be found even here.

46 4

O N T H E INDIAN L A N G U A G E .

[B. 1. C H . V T .

lords], nekos [thy [t hy lords] lor ds],, &c . I n the the Bretagn Bret agnee dialect of the the Celtic, an auxiliary is employed i n conjugation, although i n many instances it is completely lost by its blending with the th e suffi x u m as comp [we go], ejomp [we went], efsomp [ w e w i l l go], from omp [we]. This analogy leads us to that other  chief  branch of language to which the Basque belongs, which however has nothing in common with the th e Celtic be be  yond  what may easily be accounted for by the intermixture o f  dialects. The mixed  character of the Celtic language is  pr  p r o v e d  by the singular circumstance, that the Bretagne dia less than tha n four dist di stin inct ct words word s for for the pr pro o lect employs no less noun I  : anon, Coptic anoh ; on, Indian ohon, in and  an d  me. It is hardly necessary to furnish further examples in refuta tion of the erroneous opini op inions ons entertain enter tained ed by those those who assert the language and people of the Celts and Germans to be at at least closely clos ely connected, i f not actua act uall lly y on one, e, and cite ci te the traces of intermixture in the Bretagne dialect in con firmation o f  their theory. It is easy easy to discover  disc over  trifling points of agreemen agreementt even i n such languages as are most widely removed from the Indian, Greek, and German ; as, for example, the termination of ad  je  j e c t i v e s i n ezco in the Basque, which rather resembles the German isch and the Greek  ikos, —but  —but i s r a r e l y ob obse serv rvab able le i n the Spanish. Emigration, colonisation, war, and commerce so completely amalgamat amalgamated ed the old o ld nations of Eu Euro rope pe,, that traces of marked mar ked identi ide ntity ty are rare ra rely ly to be be discovered. T o lay la y befo before re the the reader even a summary summar y of every eve ry t h i n g that has been collected and prepared in this province would  only weary and perplex perpl ex hi m. I shall be content i f I have ha ve  pro  p rov v ed  satisfactorily, in general terms, the fixed  principles o n which a comparative grammar and genuine historical foundation, — an authentic history, in short, of the origin o f  language,—instead of the theories hitherto invented, may be constructed. W h a t has has here been said  w i l l suffice to prove the importance of In Indi dian an study, i n regard to the language at least : i n the following books we shall contemplate it in reference to the history of Oriental genius. I close with a retrospect of the works of Sir W i l l i a m Jones, who, by establishing the affinity between the Indian language and the L a t i n , Gree Gr ee k, Ge rm an and Pe rsia rs ia n, firs firstt threw a light on this obscure study, and consequently on the earliest

B. H .

CH. CH . I . ]

ON I N D I A N PmLOSOPHY.

465

 pop  p opu u lar la r h i s t o ry ry,, which before before his hi s time tim e was every ever y where dark  and an d confuse confused. d. Y e t he has extended the affinity to some other instances infinitely less important, tracing back the exhaustless abundance of language to three chief  families —  the Indian, A r a b i c , and Tartar ; and, finally, after having himself  so finely exhibited the total difference of the Arabic and Indian languages, seeking, from a love of unity, to com mon source : I have, ha ve, therefore, been derive a l l from one common unable to adhere closely in every particular to this excellent and learned le arned man, since his arguments, being bein g directed dire cted to sup  po  p o r t an opp opposi osite te t heor he ory, y, would  unquestionably militate against my own opinions.

B O O K   II. C H A P . I.

ON T H E I N D I A N

PHILOSOPHY.

I T is an opinion very generally entertained, that the original

condition of man was one of almost unreasoning stupidity, necessity or other extern ext ernal al inci in cite te from which, impelled  by necessity ments, he gradually attained, by successive efforts, to certain intel ligence. e. Independently of the consideration degrees of intelligenc that this idea is completely at variance with all known sys tems of philosophy, it must be acknowledged, that so far  from being bein g supported supported by the testimony of ancient histo hi sto rical ric al records, it is, on the contrary, contradicted, and proved to have been adopted on arbitrary and insufficient grounds. Without mentioning the Mosaic records, which I shall r e  serve for exami ex aminat nation ion i n the t h i r d book book of this this treatise, the the numerous ancient monuments existing in A s i a , and the general progress of events, afford sufficient and incontro vertible evidence that, in the earliest steps of his mortal career, man was not left without God in the world. I n India especially, many man y surp s urpris rising ing discoveries discoveries have been made, made, which remarkably illustrate the progress of human intelli gence in those ancient times ; and the little we already know o f  Orie Or ie nt al literatu lite rature re has has elucidated elucidated so many difficult points, anticipat e that still more satisfactory that we may confidently anticipate results will attend the further prosecution of our researches.

466 46 6

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[B.

11. C H . 1.

firstt book considered consider ed the the In Indi dian an language langua ge Having i n the firs i n the relation it bears to the most important languages of  A s i a and Europe, Indian Mythology, the parent of so many other systems, systems, appears to offe ffer an approp ap propriat riatee subjec subjectt for cons co nsi i deration dera tion i n the second. second. W e must, must, however, however, be on our gua g uard  rd  against an error, into which the B r i t i s h Society in Calcutta has too often been betrayed, and not lay too much stress upon isolated  and often deceptive appearance, while attempting to  prov  pr ovee that an internal uniformity of structure exists both in the language and mythology, and  that the similarity of the ground tissue in each, notwithstanding slight subordinate alterations, sufficiently indicates congen con genial iality ity of  origin. It is su rprisi ising ng coincidences coincidences as as true that there is no dearth of such surpr cannot be merely casual ; hut, before being received as such, they th ey requir req uiree to be more str s tric ictl tly y investigated invest igated than even even the language, the peculiarities of mythology being more variable and uncertain, and their delicate and evanescent spirit more difficult to seize and retain. Mythology presents the most intell ect ; i n  complicated  structure ever devised by human intellect exhaustibly r i c h , but at the same time most variable in its bei ng a point of the highest moment, moment, signification ; and  that being requires to be scrupulous scr upulously ly examined examine d ; the slightest slightest va ri a tion of meaning is of importance, and should be considered in its simple individuality, apart from any consideration of  time or place. place. Gree Gr eek k and Roma Ro man n mythology, for instance, we are accustomed to treat as one and the same, unless for dist inct histor his torica icall record rec ords; s; and yet, any on onee  bid  bi d den de n by distinct whose researches have been carried back to the earliest origin o f  those people, will be sufficiently suf ficiently aliv al ivee to the differen difference ce existing between them to feel that Venus and Aphrodite, Mars (Mavor s) and  and  Ares, &c . cannot cannot ju st ly be regarded as one and the same divinity. H o w widely do the Hellenic amo ng themselves ! how great is the difference cities differ among  betwee  bet ween n Corinth and Athens, or between Doriern in Sparta and  an d  Sicily ; the symbolic representation representation of certain certa in pecul pe culiar  iar  features i n the the hist hi stor ory, y, and even the name name of the divinity, may ma y be common to many distant nations, and long lon g pr pre e served serv ed among a mong them ; but i t is the significati signif ication, on, the idea ide a co n veyed  b y these symbols, which is the really essential point, and this everywhere assumes a different aspect. A great number num ber of facts facts must be adduced, and many man y different different sources

B.

11.

CH.

1.]

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY.

467 46 7

explored, before it w i l l be possible to adopt, with any degree o f  success, the only method  which can in this instance be available ; that is, to enter  into a full analysis of the system, displaying a l l its peculiar featu feature ress i n their the ir just ju st proportions, whether of inter int erna nall development development or externa ext ernall admixture, admixtu re, noticing even each trace of gradual change or variation: the scarci sca rcity ty of our mater m aterials ials makes makes it impossible imposs ible at present present to accomplish this in the Indian Philosophy. I must henceforth abandon the system pursued in my first hook, and instead of a comparative analysis of the mytho logy, which i t is as yet too early to attempt, fix a few cer tain principles, which may serve as a groundwork for future researches ; a brief  inquiry, in short, into the character of  Oriental genius, its it s dist d istinc inctiv tivee peculiarit pecu liarities, ies, and the most most important stages of its progress. M u c h information in regard to details is still requi req uired red ; but we already po poss sses esss enough to gain a tolerably toler ably just ju st idea of of its general structure : the th e mind  should, shoul d, however, i f possible, possible, be transported into in to the sphere of antiquity, and primitive ideas, and the facts themselves, simply stated, w i l l soon lead lea d to perfect clearness and precision. T h e separate portions of this description must not be regarded as a system of philosophy, but rather as ill ustra us tratin tin g distinct epochs of the Oriental mind  ; for  these several theories are not all precisely similar, and many were sys tematically developed at a much later period than others, and  their  origin is to be sought in a principle that lies deeper  than th an mere philos phi losoph ophy. y. I have treated  these new systems or  modes modes of thought thou ght separately separately,, beca becaus usee a l l are act a ctua uall lly y dis di s tinct, divided  both by their characteristic features, and by historical evidences. W*- shall remark in each separate division the gradual transition from one to another, or the  pa  p a r t i c u l a r  points in which the the later appear appear to gro g row w out o f  earlier  theories, or are most strikingly contrasted  with them. I shall, i n each epoch, epoch, conf confine ine my attention attenti on to such pecul pec uliar  iar   poin  po ints ts o f I n d i a n myt my t ho holo log g y or ph phil ilos osop ophy hy as belo be long ng to i t , merely alluding to that of other  Asiatic nations, when by so do doin ing g the whole can be rendered rendered more perfec perfectt and i n  telligible.

468 46 8 C H A P . II. — ON

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[ B . II.

cH. n .

T H E DOCTRINES OF THE METEMPSYCHOSIS, AND ON EMANATION.

A M O N G a l l the numerous numerous syst system emss of philosoph phil osophy y whi ch recog nise A s i a as their parent-land, none are are so positi pos itivel vely y of India Ind ian n

origin as the doctrines of the Metempsychosis and of Emana tion ; nor can any, w i t h the exception of the Mosa Mo saic ic dispen sation, lay claim to such great antiquit anti quity. y. Th e most most essen tial doctrines of these systems are contained in the first book  of  the laws of  Menu, which whi ch no c ri ti c of soun sound d judgment w i l l sl ight ht anti an tiqu quit ity y : they they are, at the least, least, more assert to be of slig ancient than any exi sti ng record recordss of Europe Eur opean an literature. liter ature. The laws of  Menu have been, for  thousands of years, the  basis  bas is and an d gr grou oun n dw dwor ork k of the th e I n d i a n cons co nsti titu tuti tion on and an d legi le gis s lature (of Ind Indian ian life, in fact), and their influence is no less less sensibly exerted exert ed i n regard regar d to philosophy philosop hy and lear le arni ning ng,, i n wh ic h they are clearly cle arly seen to be the rul r ul i ng spiri spi rit. t. I n  formation even more precise than that afforded by the laws o f  Menu may be drawn from the first part of the Vedas, containing that system of philosophy termed the Mimansà, which was founded by Jaimini, the author of the Sámaveda, and is, perhaps, the earliest Indian system now in existence. I t w i l l be easily seen that the doctrine of Emanation, taken i n its earliest earliest origi ori gi nal na l meaning, is closely and immediately immediatel y connected with that of Transmigr Tran smigrati ation on ; but the inqu irer  ire r  must firs firstt dismiss from his mi n d every eve ry idea ide a of emanation emanat ion  borr  bo rrow owee d from fr om the I n d i a n , and an d afterw aft erward ardss pr prom omul ulga gate ted d by Chaldee and Greek philosophers, who, instead of propound i n g any system system of or orig ig in al pu ri ty and  simplicity, rather  amalgamated into in to on onee body a l l the various vari ous innovations innova tions and  admi ad mixt xtur ures es wh whii ch had either sprung from or been been engraft engrafted  ed  upon the original doctrine, and applied to the whole the indefinite title tit le of Orie ntal nt al philosophy. W e must be especially o n our guar gu ard d also against the too frequent frequent error err or of confound confou nd i n g the the doctrine doctrine of Emanati Eman ation on wi t h Pantheism. Th e bold  a n d  fanciful character of  that Oriental system is easily mis taken for a pantheistic tendency by those who are familiar  only with the dialectic structure of modern European phi losophy; and, viewed in that light, it of course appears con nected in many points with later times. S t i l l there is so

B. 11. C H . H . ]

METEMPSYCHOSIS

A N D EMANATION.

469 46 9

much actually at variance between them, that i t would  be impossible to deny or cancel the individuality of the ancient Indian doctrine. Th e re-incorporation re-incorp oration of individuals indiv iduals into the un unii ty of the God Godhea head d is only on ly possible, possible, not of o f absolute absolute necessity, and  those who are incorrigibly evil will continue separate and  an d  divided  throughout eternity eter nity ; or, or, i f we may employ a theological mode of expression, which, although apparently modern, completely embodies the ancient idea, “ the eternal strife of  hell ” is by no means irreconcileable Em anat atio ion, n, but. on the contrary, fo form rmss with the doctrine of Eman an essential element of  that system. T h e difference difference between Panth eism, m, in i n regard reg ard to the powers powers of go good  od  Emanation and Pantheis a n d  evil, is very ve ry marked mar ked and important. Pantheism Panthei sm teaches that every thin th ing g is intrinsically good and pure ; all originally one with divinity, and  an d  that every appearance of wrong or  guilt exists exist s but i n idea, or  depends on the conventi conv entional onal idea entertaine enter tained d of i t . Henc He ncee its it s dangerou dangerouss influence on the moral life and charact cha racter; er; for by whatever subtlety of  lan guage the meaning may be disguised, and however men may cling to a belief  in the all-regulating power of conscience, yet, i f this this destructive destructiv e pr prin inci cipl plee be admitted as a ruling fact, the conduct of individuals w i l l be considered as of  slight importance, and the eternal distinction between right and wrong, good and  evil, set aside, and  finally rejected. F a r  different, however, is the doctrine of Emanation : in that system the condition of all created existences is rather  counted unhappy, and the world itself  ruined and gui lty i n its very essence ; all is in a state of mournful degradation, sinking deeper  and  an d  deeper  into the abyss which divides it from the perfect bliss and purity of its divine Creator. I t would  be useless to enter  into a dialecti c argument con con  the philos p hilosophica ophicall incorrectness incorrectness o f thi t hiss system, for for it cerning the supp orted d by rests not on any logical basis ; nor can i t be supporte demonstration, but, like other merely poetical systems of  cosmogony, rather  wears the character of an arbitrary in S t i l l a systematic connexion may be traced  vention. throughout, and to that it is probably indebted for its stabi l i t y during so many thousand years, but still more to primæval ascribed to it . T he labour  labou r  tradition and the divine origin ascribed o f  investigating and comprehending this doctrine w i l l indeed   be amp am p ly r e pai pa i d, even ev en i f we w e r e g a r d i t m e r ely el y as the th e earl ea rlie iest st

470

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PHILOSOPHY.

[B.

n.

CH. H .

authenti auth enticc monument of the human h uman inte in tell llec ect, t, and reflect reflect on the inconceivabl inconc eivablee influence influence it i t exercised on its it s subseq subsequen uentt history and development. Still, before we can understand  the superstructure, we must gain some insight into the feel system of philosophy philos ophy is based. based. W h e n i n g on which that system al l natu na tura rall elemen elements, ts, of  Menu had sung of the creation of all a l l creatures endowed  with life, animals, anima ls, herbs, and plants, plan ts, a l l o f  which were imagined to be the abode of various im thi s general reflection —   pri  p riso son n ed  souls, he concluded  with this darkness encircle enci rcled, d, the reward of o f their th eir deed deeds, s, " B y many-formed darkness • " A l l are at length endowed  with conscious existence, with suscepti  bi  b i l i t y of  joy and pain."

Thus in bondage and darkness, yet fraught with feeling, guil ilt, t, and the do doo om awai a waiti ting ng them, conscious of their own gu they wander on in the path which their Creator has ap  poi  p oint nted  ed  them from the beginning, still drawing nearer and  nearer to their inevit ine vitable able goal : —  ». Towards this goal they now wander, proceeding from G od , desce descend nd ing in g low to the plants, " In this fearful world  of existence, which sinks ever deeper in ruin

and destruction."

I n these words the predominant feeling, the ruling spirit entir e system, is revealed. I f a l l that has been sung o f  the entire  by  b y poets of antiquity concerning the misery of created  existence be assembled into one image and under one com  preh  pr ehen ensi sive ve form ; i f we collect each melancholy melanch oly gleam and  fearful conception of the world  around, which, born of  that gloomy idea of irrevocable destiny, pervades the poetical legends and histories of their gods, and breaks forth in deep¬ souled tragedies, changing the play of poetical imagery and  diction into an enduring and eternal sadness, we shall gain the most perfect perfect conception of the pecu pe culi liar ar character chara cteristi istics cs of  this ancient Indian doctrine. W e trace to the same source the doctrine of the four  epochs, which represents each successive division of time as more wretched wretch ed and degraded than tha n the former, t i l l the fourth and now existing period of  utter  ruin and misery arrives. T h e progress of decline in the four conditions of mankind is i n the same same manner illu il lust stra rati tive ve of this this constant constant degradation, ever  sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss of earthly im-

B . 11. C H . 11.]

METEMPSYCHOSIS

A N D EMAN ATIO N.

47

l

 perf  pe rfec ecti tion on.. Hence also arises the doctrine of the three worlds, troilokyon ; of the three primary powers, troigunyon ; o f  which the first is actually brilliant, sotwo ; the second de ceptively bright, rojo ; and the third and last utterly dark  and obscure, tomo. This theory of constant degradation,  bo  b o t h i n s p i r i t u a l and an d p h y s i c a l perf pe rfec ecti tion on,, pervad per vades es the enti en tire re system of Emanation. suppos oses es the di vi ne sp irit ir it to be an immediate immediate Menu supp emanation of the self-existent (selbst), eternal divinity ; from the sp irit ir it proceeds proceeds the consciousness consciousness ; thus the spirit is the secondary creative power  (the agent  in creation) ; and  Menu (almost the same with Monoh) created all individual  beings, after Brahma himself had produced the general pri¬ mary powers of nature and spirit. In the succeeding ex  pla  p lana nati tion on B h r i g ú * supposes the elements to spring origin ally from the divine essence, and also successively from each other, according to the different ideas entertained of their  respective respectiv e delicac del icacy y and perfection. A belief  i n the law la w of  constant ruin and deterioration, and an eternal sorrow, occa sioned  by the consciousness consciousness o f g u il t and death, constitute cons titute the vital elemen elements ts of this thi s doctrine. doct rine. T h e degrees or primary  powe  po wers rs o f eman em anat atio ion n are different diffe rent i n different diff erent repr re pres esen enta ta tion tions, s, the imagin imag inat atio ion n of the poet poet not being always arbi ar bi tra tr a rily confined  within these narrow limits. It is B r a h m á , who among the divinities of Indian mytho logy belongs especially to this system and sphere of ideas. H e is described in Menu's book of laws as the Eternal Spirit, the Supreme One, the Sovereign and  L o r d   of Creation : he is the the eternal and incomprehensible, the the self-e se lf-exis xistin ting g God, the peculiar  H E , or G o d himself. I n later works wo rks the sam samee appellations are given to S i v a and  an d  V i s h n u by the particular  adherents of those divinities. In Menu's book  Brahmá holds the first rank; the narrower acceptation, in which this divinity is held, hel d, merely mer ely as the element of the earth, earth , is of  later  date.  No  N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g the rude rud e errors e rrors and arbi ar bitr trar ary y fict fiction ionss philo sophy is everywhere overlaid, a fearful fearful with which this philosophy and horrible superstition having crept into the entire system,  prof  pr ofan anin ing g and  an d  polluting every thing it touched, still it cannot he denied  that the the early ea rly In Indi dian anss po poss sses esse sed d a know knowledge ledge o f  * Promulgator of the first code of sacred ordinances.

472 47 2

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[ ß . I I . C H . 11.

the th e true G o d : a l l their wr itin it ings gs are repl replete ete with sentiments and expressions, noble, clear, and severely grand, as deeply conceived  and reveren rev erentia tially lly expressed expressed as i n any human lan guage i n which men have have spoken spoken of their Go d . Y e t it may may well he asked, how is it possible to account for the existence o f  such lofty wisdom in combination with errors so great and  an d  numerous ? O u r  astonishment is, perhaps, still more excited, excit ed, b y dis di s covering that a belief  in the immortality of the soul is bound  up with the idea of  divinity i n this this most most ancient anci ent system of  superstition, than at the noble purity and  simplicity of their  conception o f  G o d . Immortality was not with them a mere  pro  p rob b abi ab i l i t y , deduced gradually, the result of long study and  somee vague im agin ag in in g of an undefine undefined d and  reflection; not som shadowy world, but a convic con victio tion n so certain cert ain and decided, that the idea of a future life became the ruling motive and  impulse of a l l actions i n this thi s ; the gr gran and d ai m and object object of  ca rrie ied d out even eve n in i n the most a l l laws and arrangements, carr trifling details. I t would  be utterly impossible to explain this fact, I w i l l not say satisfactorily, but even in an intelligible manner, by any theory professing to trace the gradual grad ual development development of  the human intellect from a state of irrational stupidity, lit tle superior to that of the brute creation, up to the highest de velopment of soul and intellig inte lligence. ence. T h i s is not the place place i n which to lay bare the operation of  those deeply hidden causes, hy which a belief  i n the immort imm ort ality al ity of the soul is inseparably linked  with the knowledge of the true God. I merely suggest the question, questio n, whethe whe therr i t can be correct corr ect to seek seek our proofs proofs of the existence existen ce of a Go d in i n the the usual us ual man ner, by syllogisms syllo gisms,, probabil prob abilitie itiess based based upon natur nat ural al appear ances, or the evidence of internal necessity; for the foot¬ steps of the Deity cannot be recognised in external nature, or  the the inn i nner er consciousn consciousness, ess, unless He H e be already kno k no wn and  a nd  acknowledged  ; and this consideration, by destroyi dest roying ng the the val ue. I do simplicity of the original idea, deprives it of a l l value. n o t here allude to those wh who o assert that the idea of  divinity i s capable of bein be ing g deduced deduced from from conscious consciousness ness or in tern te rnal al evidence evide nce and an d the laws of reason reason ; for another another power should  sho uld   be evok ev oked ed i n their place pl ace,, the th e v e r y idea id ea o f  which has long  been  be en lost lo st.. I n a w o r d , the th e I n d i a n do doct ctri rine ne o f E m a n a t i o n , i f  xp pll i treated  as the offspring of natural reason, is totally i n e x

B. n . C H . 11.]

METEMPSYC METEM PSYCHOSI HOSIS S AND EMANATION.

-473

cable ; but, considered as a perverted conception of revealed  truth, becomes at once intelligible. We have, then, ample reason to conclude, from historical evidence alone, as well as upon far higher grounds, that the same glorious Being b y whom man was so majestically formed and  highly gifted,, vouchsaf vouchsafed ed to the n ew ly created on onee glance into int o the my s terious depth dept h of his hi s ow own n existence existenc e ; thus for ever raising h i m abov abovee the bon bondag dagee of his mortal mor tal condition condi tion,, placing plac ing h i m i n communion with the th e invisible world, and enriching him th e lofty, yet dangerou dangerouss bo boon on—t —the he faculty facu lty of eternal with the happiness or misery. W e cannot suppose that original revelation to have been communicated by the immediate teaching of the Father, in symbolic and expressive language, although even that idea were far  from utterly empty and futile ; still it was probably rather  an impulse of the inner feeling ; and where the living tr ut h exists, appropriate appropriate words and symbols symbols i m   pr  p r i n c i p l e of trut mediately suggest themselves, and  these will be full and ex  pres  pr essi sive ve i n p r o p o r t i o n to the th e gr gran and d eur eu r o f the th e feel fe elin ing g which inspires them. B u t again : how could  truths so divinely i m   part  pa rted ed become involved  in the mists of error  ? I would  e x   pl  p l a i n it in this manner. M a n , if without the gifts of revela tion, would  occupy a place with other animals in the general creat ion ; perhaps holding the first and highest rank,  pl  p l a n of creation  perh  pe rhap aps, s, o n the th e c o n t r a ry ry,, the th e most mos t intrinsically wild  a nd  savage of them all. Without the free operation and compre hension of divin di vin e trut tr ut h, he would  soon become debased into a merely blind  a n d  senseless instrument. This primitive error, which sprang from a n abuse of the divine gifts, and  an eclipsing and misinterpretation of holy wisdom, is clear ly to be traced trace d in a l l the In dian di an records records ; and a nd i n proportion prop ortion as our knowledge of this, the most highly cultivated nation of  antiquity, becomes becomes more perfect and an d complete, the influence o f  error and distorted views w i l l be more cle arly arl y and palpably palpa bly evident. T h e In Indi dian an mythol myt hology ogy and philosophy is the the firs firstt system which was substitu sub stituted ted for the pure light lig ht of trut tr uth h : notwithstanding some lingering traces of a holier origin, wild  inventions and savage errors everywhere predominate, and an impression of anguish and sorrow, sorrow, naturally nat urally resulting result ing from the first rejection of, and  estrangement from, revealed truth. I t will readily be acknowledged  that the unfathomable

474

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PHILOSOPHY.

[ ß . H . C H . II.

abyss which was supposed supposed to inte in terv rvene ene between betwee n the the idea of  infinite perfection in the creative essence and the visible i m   perf  pe rfec ecti tion on of the world  around, could  hardly be more easily and  an d  naturally filled  up than by the doctrine of Eman Em anati ati on : it i s , indeed, not merely the root and basis of all primitive s u  spr ing of poetry and and ima gina gi na  pe  p e r s t i t i o n , but an ever-welling spring tion. According to that doctrine, every thin th in g is an emanation o f  divinity, each distinct existence being, as it were, but a more obscure and  limited  reflection refle ction of the supreme head ; consequently the world, thus inspired and  vivified, becomes an assemblage of Divine Beings, or  Gods,—Hylozoismus, no nott ma y so so speak  speak  “all-götterie,”—  merely Polytheism, but, i f one may i a n universal univ ersal ity of Gods or Panthe ism, for for the Indi an d i v iinn i ties are indeed of countless numbers. Every mythology th e rising from the same fertile source is remarkable from the richness of its original inventions, and is thus sufficiently distinguished  from all less perfect systems, or, to speak more  pro  pr o p e r l y , from those which lie yet more widely distant from the stream of old legendary tradition. S t i l l no mythological system has as yet been discovered  which can be entirely separated  from a l l dependenc dependencee on no nobler bler ideas, and more cul tivated nati na tion ons; s; on those those,, i n short, short, who whose se creations were dra dr a wn more immediately from the th e true and  an d  living spring of poetry a n d  fancy. Even the Gree Gr ee k philosop phil osophy, hy, differ different ent as i t is i n genius and character, partakes, in common with the Indian, o f  this overflowing abundance of indwelling l i v iin ng g treasures. I t seems scarcely necessary to observe that the deification o f  great a n d  holy men is by no means irreconciieable with the opinion that a l l were but various vari ous emanations emanations from the th e same primal source source ; on the contrar con trary, y, i t rather rat her harmonises harmonises with that doctrine ; since the greater the affinity between the divided  being and its pure and glorious original, the more appropriately w i l l i t claim a greater measure of reverence a n d  regard. T h e t e n holy Avatars*, who hold  so conspicuous a place i n Indian philosophy, are numbered among the followers, o r  rathe rat herr succes successor sors, s, of Bra B ra hm a, the seven great Rishis, priests * Avatars or incarnations of the Deity.

These ten avatarâs are by some arranged according to the thousands of  divine years in each of the four to one ; Bud B uddh dh a four  ages, or in an arithmetical proportion from four was the latest incarnation. —  sir W. Jones's Works, vol. i . —  Trans,

B . 11. C H . n . ]

METEMPSYCHOSIS

A N D EMANATION.

475

a nd  sages of a primitive world, Casyapá, and all the races descending through him from D i t i and  an d  A d i t i * , night and  day, down to the two families of the children of the sun and  o f  the offspring of the moon. W e are here discussing merely the possibility that the Indian Avatars were simply deified men, without wishing to dispute the opinion opin ion pr previ evious ously ly expresse expressed d of their thei r symbolic signification. The testimony of history often coincides with the idea of  emanation, and the genealogy of  avatars and  an d  heroes Thee seven seven Menus Me nus,, for ex with the cosmogony of  nature. Th ample, represent many periods of infinite duration, subordi nate world-creators world-cr eators and world-disposers world-di sposers ; the periods marked  mar ked   by  b y the development and apparition of the highest avatars. shou ld we, therefore, therefore, deny every eve ry histor hist oric ical al inference B u t should that may be drawn from that saga? T o pursue this investigation further at the present moment would  lead us too much into details, and it may, perhaps, at some some future day, be more amply ampl y illust ill ustra rated ted by far rich richer  er  sources that may then the n be opened opened to us. T h e present dis quisition on the most important epoch of Oriental genius must be restricted to the principal features of Indian my thology, the the intentio inte ntion n o off wh ic h is so clearly cle arly and and pr om i nently marked  that, even w it h the litt li ttle le information we yet  possess, it is impossible to mistake its intrinsic signification. Th e doctrine of Ema natio na tion n is seen seen i n the most beautiful beautif ul and favourable light when considered as a system of reunion with the divine essence. The divine origin of man is con inc ulcate ated d to stimulate his eff effor orts ts to retur ret urn, n, to a n i  tinually inculc the struggle, struggle, and incite hi m to consider consider a reunion reuni on mate h im i n the and re-incorporation with divinity as the one primary object exe rtion. on. T o this we may attribute the o f  every action and exerti many I nd ian ia n laws, customs, customs, and manners, holy tendency of so many and the severe and serious simplicity of their entire life. S t i l l the spirit of  those institutions may have early vanished, leaving only dead forms and penitential exercises too quickly assailed and undermined by the growth of error and  super stition. From these ideas of various kinds of  living and conscious  bein  be ings gs,, conce con ceale aled d un unde derr such su ch a vast vas t d i v e r s i t y o f forms, forms , a n d  o f  their perpetual approach towards or  departure from the common source, arose the belief in the Metempsychosis or  * Casyapá, the ancient god of the heavens, with Aditi his consort.

476

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY.

[ß. U . C H . HI. HI .

transmigration of souls. W i t h the same principle was closely closel y connected the doctrine doctri ne of a former  life, or the pre-existence o f  the th e soul, and ideas or lofty thoughts and dim remembrances o f  an earlier period, illumined  by the immediate aspect o f  divinity, a n d  which were ever  kindled  and reawakened in the soul by the prese presence nce of the beauti bea utiful ful.* .* Calidásá, in the ' ‘ Saco Sa cont ntal ala" a" (a natio nal drama), drama), frequently alludes to t his doctrine doctr ine as to one one generall g enerally y kn ow n and admitted. admitte d. T h e Metempsychosis, wherever it is not viewed in a merely phy li gh t, but as closely clos ely connected  connected  with a belief  i n the moral mor al sical ligh ruin and  an d  abasement of a l l created created beings, beings, is unquestionably unquestionabl y o f  Indian origin, springing from the th e belief  in emanation, and  inculcating the necessity of  repentance and purification as the th e terms of reunion with the Supreme Being. Thus the doctrine of the Metempsychosis, with ail ail its Orie Or ient ntal al accom  pani  pa nime ment ntss embo em bodi died ed i n the teac te achi hin n g o f P y t h a g o r a s , pr prov oves es his hi s philosop phil osophy hy to have been no Hellenistic invention, although i t was soon developed and adorned  with all the riches of  Hellenistic genius and inge in genui nui ty. ty . W e must, then, also also he  pre  p rep p a red re d comp co mple lete tely ly to reje re ject ct the oldest old est a n d p r o p o rti rt i o n a t e l y  best  bes t accounts of the Pythagorean philosophy. T h e same doctrine was common among the Celtic Druids, though thou gh by what channel chan nel it was conveyed thi ther the r is less less certainly kno known wn : i t is probable that the Etruscans and other   people  peo ple o f I t a l y h a d adopte ado pted d i t before bef ore the th e t i m e of P y t h a g o r a s , and we find  very ancient traces of its existence even in the extreme north nort h of Eur ope . I f borrowed by Pythagoras Pythago ras from any distant country, he may well have derived it either  from Egypt or Western A s i a . The Egyptian treatment of the dead body, which they strove to eternise as much as possible,  prov  pr ovee s the th e m a r k e d differenc diffe rencee e x i s t i n g i n t h e i r idea id eass o f i m  mortality, although the general features and construction of  the Eg yp ti a n mythology and  religion assimilate closely to the Indian. Osiris, a suffering and  dying god, the leading idea o f Egyptian mythology, mythology , is best expl ex plai aine ned d b y a reference reference to the Indian belief  i n the mis ery of the the natura nat urall world, and  an d  the th e deep degradation in which i t s original light and purity had become involved. *

" Dreams of a former, happier day, when heaven was still the spirit's home. A n d  her wings had not yet fallen away ! n

MOORE'S

Epicurean,

Trans,

B . I L C H . 111.]

ASTROLOGY AND THE WORSHIP OF NATURE.

477 47 7

C H A P . III. — ON ASTROLOGY, A N D T H E W I L D WORSIuP OF  N A T U R E .

T H E pure morality inculcated by the doctrine of Emanation, its positive richness and abundant development of animal life,

give it the superiority over Pantheism, properly so called, i rreg eg ular ul ar abstract abstract and fal false se concepti conceptions ons of  which, from its irr the th e infinite God, has long since been consigned consig ned to neglect a n d  oblivion : still even emanation in its purest form cannot  be wholly freed  from the imputatio impu tatio n of fatalism. Th e belief  pred estinati nation on has already alrea dy been noticed not iced.. I t is most intel i n predesti ligibly indicated in the cosmogony of  Menu, in a quotation te nth h volume vol ume (the second of the which we extract from the tent  po  p o etry et ry). ). T h e do doct ctri rin n e of the cons co nsta tant nt alte al tern rnat atii on o f repose and  an d  activity, sleep and  waking, of the Supreme Being, belongs to the th e same same vo volu lume me : —  " As he had  created  all things, which beyond the power of imagination

to conceive, constantly const antly developed themselves. themselves. H e sank  back again into himself, time with time now alternating : While God is waking, the world rises into motion and activity, B u t if with calm mind he sleeps, then a l l decays and perishes."

H e then describes more fully the manner in which all the

earthly being is interwoven with the primitive power and  energy : —  " As long as he sweetly sleeps, so of all his life he loses the strength."

A n d further : alterna ting waki wa ki ng and sleep, sleep, ever every y thing thin g whi w hich ch move movess or is at " Th us alternating rest H e brings forth constantly into life, or  exterminates it, himself  unchangeable." " Numerous world-developments there are, creation, and extermin

ation ; ever and  Sportively he produces either, the highest Creator for ever ever."

T h e idea id ea o f the absence absence of any specific specific design i n the the cre 

ation of the world, and of a merely capricious activity on the  pa  p a r t o f the th e C r e a t o r , i s i n t i m a t e l y conne con necte cted  d  with that o f a ceas ceasel eles esss altern alt ernati ation on and revo re vo luti lu tion on.. I n later syst systems ems this thi s

478 47 8

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[ ß . I L C H . III.

 becomes  beco mes a continual conti nual contraction contraction and expansion expansion of the rul ru l i n g  pr  p r i n c i p l e o f  strength, the pulsation of the soul of the world. Fatalism unfolded among the ancients into a highly artistic and comprehensive comprehensive system. system. As trol tr ol og y too, too, w i t h a l l its ac companim companiments ents of prediction, predict ion, auguries, auguries, lu ck y and un lu ck y days, forms a most remarkable feature of ancient mythology, and even exerts an incalculable influence on modern times. The star-worship of the Egyptians, with which was combined  an apparently rude adoration of  nature, arose not so much from a won wonderi dering ng poetical veneration for the beautiful, beautif ul, but rather  from the influence influence of astrology and divi di vina nati tion on.. Th ere er e exist exis t i n the human heart and brain so many impulses and   pr  p r i n c i p l e s likely to lead from the veneration of the d i v i n i t y into a worship of  rude natural strength, — the adoration of  the Creator so easily sinks and  degenerates into that of the thing created, that i t wo woul uld d be superfluous superfluous to insist ins ist further  furt her  on a point so well known and universally acknowledged ; let i t then suffice to observe, that in ancient A s i a also, not mere indications, but absolute proofs, are everywhere to be found  o f  a completely material train of  thought. This materialism might, in contradistinction to that prevailing in Europe, be called the Ori O rien enta tall ; and it is certainl cert ainly, y, as as far as as it has has hither hit herto to  been  be en investigated, of a peculiar and very original character. an d  progress of Oriental I n tracing the historical gradations and   phil  ph ilo o sop so p hy hy,, t his hi s do doct ctri rin n e appears immediately to succeed  those of Emanatio Emana tion, n, Retu Re turn rn,, and Metempsychosis. Metempsychosis. Th e astrological belief might, perhaps, supply a clue for tracing the th e progress o f  degeneracy from the religious idea once en tertained tertain ed to one so entirel enti rely y material mate rial ; but this is not neces sary ; for in the cosmogony of  Menu, the most ancient work  yet kn ow own n on Indian Indi an philosophy, many indications of ma symb ol of the the world wor ld-eg -egg g * terialism are to be found. T h e symbol indeed, which is known also among the Egyptians, may he considered as a mere image of  childlike antiquit anti quity y ; but the Matra, t h e seed  particle of the world, must have h a d  some reference to philosophy, whether  the idea of  separate atoms existed at this period also as well as subsequently ; whether  * Brahma is said to have been born in a golden egg, blazing blazin g like a thousand  suns : after  dwelling there for  ages, meditating meditat ing on himself, himself, he

divided  the egg into two equal parts, and formed heaven and  earth.—  Trans.

B. 11. C H . 111.] ASTROLOGY AND AND THE WORSHIP OF NATURE. 4 7 9 those Greek philosophers were in the right who maintained  that the atomic system was of Oriental origin, cannot be de

th e cided  until we have a more perfect acquaintance with the Shoktis ten, and the Ath A thei eist stic ic syste systems ms,, sects of Paschandisten, Shoktisten, as Charval, & c , the the principles of  which may at least be gat hered d from from the the refutations refutatio ns of thei th eirr oppon opponents, ents, clearly gathere although their own writings are now almost entirely lost. T h e little little we w e kno k now w of the ph philo ilosop sophy hy of the the Phoenicians Phoenicians is involved  in too much uncertainty to afford any grounds for  a decisive conclusion ; the probab pro babili ility ty is, that its doctrines were solely and entirely of this kind. T h e w i l d   adoration of mere mere phy physi sical cal strength holds a far  far  too import imp ortant ant place in i n the t he various differen differentt elements elements out out of  which the religion of the Hindoos gradually developed itself. It is presented under two characters ; sometimes as an inex haustibl haus tiblee creative power, and some sometim times es as as an allal l-an anni nihi hila lat t i n g principle of destruction, and is thus embodied in the worship o f  S i v a * , and of the terrific Durga.† Images o f  death and pleasure, intermingling in horrible combination Bacchantic licentiousness and bloody bloo dy human sacrifices. sacrifices. T h e idea of eternity, interwoven with the general g eneral plan of this phi losophy, and ever pointing backwards to a holier origin, i n  vested the nature-worship and materialism of the Orientals with a peculiarly fearful character, far different from the mere sensuality which reigned in the religion of many wild  a n d  nati ons ; for the most frightful errors are too uncivilised  nations frequently produced by the perversion and demoralisation of  the loftiest and noblest principles. The worship of  nature has extended so widely that o u r  observations observa tions must be confined confined to a few of its it s most importan impo rtantt  pec  pe c uli ul i ari ar i t i e s. A l l those gods whose wrath could  be ap  peased,  pease d, or t h e i r favo fa vour ur pr pro o p i t i a t ed b y h u m a n sacrif sac rifice ices, s, be tray their  affinity with the Indian S i v a a n d  K a l i . T o this class belong also the B a a l and  an d  Moloch of the Syrians and  Phoenicians : few people have ever been so completely under  the dominion of materialism and the wild  worship of  nature as the Phoenicians. T h e Gallic Esus, too, was of the same family : in his worship the Gauls poured forth such streams * Siva, Seeva ; the same with Brahma. † Durga, the wife of Brahma ; the same with SeraswattL

4 80

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[fi. I L C H . 1H.

o f  blood  as were unparalleled in ancient times, and of  which the modern mod ern era affo afford rdss no example, examp le, except i n the idol wor

an d  ship of the Mexicans. The adoration of the Lingam, and  the all-creating Y o n i , holds a more important place in the star and anim an imal al worship worsh ip of the ancient Eg Egyp yp tian ti an s than is generally genera lly suppos supposed ed.. T h e use use of the the Ph allu al lu s i n festivals and symbols symbol s is said by Herodotus Herod otus to have been borro b orrowed  wed  Egyp yp tian ti ans. s. T h e emblematic emblematic monuments monuments erected  erected  from the Eg  by  b y the victorious Sesostris, at every stage of his progress, may be far more natu na tura rall lly y explai exp laine ned d as as general gene ral symbols of  this superstition than according to the moral signification assigned them b y Herodot Hero dotus, us, who considers considers them to have mascul ine courage or wo woma manl nly y cowardice of the typified  the masculine conquered conquered nations. T h e Phoenician Phoenician Astar As tar te, the the P h ry g i an Cybele, the Ephesian Artemisia, and even the German Hertha, perhaps differ only in unessential points from the th e Indian Bhavani.* T h e fundamenta fundamentall idea of all-creat all- creat ing infinite physical vigour is evidently the characteristic of each divinity. The worship of the goddess M y l i t t a , called  b y the Armenians Anaitis, and b y the ancient A ra b s A l i l a t h , appears to have been most predominant in Babylon, and the states dependent on the Babylonian empire. I t is not i m   pro  p rob b a b le that the term Yavanern is employed in old Indian M S S . to designate designate a l l those western nations who wh o adhered to that worship, indicating not any distinct race or people, but a religious sect sect.. Certa Ce rta inly in ly the Ya va ne rn mentioned mentioned i n Men u's Book  o f  Laws, with t h e Pahlavi, and other  uncivilised  races o f  the warrior stem, could  not have been the Greeks who ac companied  Al ex a n d er , becaus becausee they they are afterwards afterwards compre hended under the general denomination of people of the West. A similar  veneration of the physical strength and vigour  natu re, altho alt houg ugh h more refined and soft soften ened ed among the o f  nature,  poli  po lish shed  ed  Greeks and Romans, and not carried out in so full v i t aall spiri t of  and connected a form, was nevertheless the vi classic mythol myt hology ogy,, as must be acknowledged by a l l wh whose ose researche researchess have not been pu pure rely ly anti an tiqu quari arian an.. A severe severe sense of propriety checked and restrained among the Romans the licentiousness of this wild  nature-worship ; either because with them the idea still retained more of its original purity and excellence, or  from the influence exercised by the ad* Bhavani or Parvati, the wife of  Siva.

B . H . C H . m . } THE DOCTRINE OF THE TWO PRINCIPLES.

4

81

mirable legislators of thei theirr earlier times. T h e structure o f  the Greek  mythology, however, probably on account of the greater vers ve rsati atili lity ty and lightness lightne ss of thei th eirr character character,, was was loos loosee and free ; and the ancient superstitions were lost ere long, o r  wrapt in a glowing v e i l o f  mythological fictions ; while many separate ideas and doctrines were probably borrowed  from a far  fa r  better  and purer system, of  which we shall subsequently have occasion to speak. Oriental Materialism possesses, in common with the doc¬ trine of Emanation, an inexhaustible fund of fancy and  imagination ; nay, the wild  enthusiasm, which there replaces the earlier  impression of weariness and pain, is the one remarkable remarka ble source source of every gigantic gigan tic in ven tio n i n histor his tory y or  deificati on o f heroes heroes was founded on mythology. Even the deification the principle of nature-worshi nature-w orship p ; the creative creat ive or destructive destruc tive  po  p o w er o f  nature being so peculiarly evidenced in warriors and heroes, that they readily become personifications of those attributes. attributes. Th e six-armed war-god  Carticeyà or Scondoh, i s represented i n In d ia n fable as the son and constant at tendant o f  Siva. Perhaps not heroes only, but even great invent inv entors ors and discoverers, were also also deified. The human intellect must have been flattered in no slight degree by the first steps towards unveiling the mysteries of nature, since those early discoveries appear appear marvellous marve llous even to the calm investigator of history. W i t h the worship of the stars a n d  other works of creation which formed the theme of  these discoveries, it seem seemed ed natur nat ural al to combine the adoration o f  ha d le d to the the discoveries discoveri es ; that wisdom and science which had this w i l l account for the widely diffused idea of Hermes or  Thauts, and possibly of the earliest Indian Buddha also. Gane Ga nesc scha hah* h*,, another another inv i nven enti tive ve god, was the the constant constant com  pa  p a n i o n o f  Siva. I must remark, in conclusion, that the th e great antiquity of this portion of Indian philosophy and  tradition, is incontestably proved by the monuments existing at E l l o r a , and in the island  of Ele E leph phan anta ta ; the the symbolism symbolism of  the Indians, Egyptians, and even of the Greeks, can have arisen only from that source. H u m a n sacrifi sacrifices ces are com manded in the Veda to be offered to the goddess K a l i ; but  before  bef ore p o s i t i v e l y ass as s erti er ting ng t h i s , i t would  perhaps be desir able to consult the text, with the assistan assistance ce o f a mature mat ure * Ganesa, son of  Siva, god of wisdom.

482 48 2

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[ B . I I . c1I.1r. c1I.1r.

critical work , by whi ch the antiqu ant iquity ity of the whole whole might mig ht be satisfactorily satisfactoril y proved, and later late r additions disting uished uishe d and  a nd  separated  from the original work.

C H A P . I V . — T H E DOCTRINE OF THE Two

PRINCIPLES.

app roachi ching ng is one o f the most T H E subject we are now approa  beau  be auti tifu full i n the th e wh whol olee sphere of ancient Heathenism — the worship worsh ip of ligh li ght, t, and the sun. T h e doctrine of  Dualism, the pri nciple ples, s, and the Oriental philosophy of two contending princi eternal strife between good and  evil, are all members or ad  ju  j u n c t s of t h i s r e l i g i o n . W h e r e v e r any an y traces of it are re cognised, it appears to have maintained a vigorous contest against the mater ma terial ial disposition of mi nd already noticed, even as though it were a reappearance o f  that divine light of truth, which was was too earl ea rly y lost and a nd forgotten. T h e spirits of this th is ide al : it is true that the idea of   phil  ph ilos osop ophy hy is completely ideal self-acting oneness (ichhe (ic hheit) it) is commo common n to a l l In Indi dian an systems systems ; and the the derivation of a ll lig ht and vigour vigo ur from the spi rit ual essence of the one Supreme Being is found to be of more uni versal ver sal acceptation the the higher hig her we advance advance i n trac tr acin ing g the hi s tory of Oriental philosophy: i n this this sense, therefore, the epithet Ideal may justly be applied to almost every Eastern system. The peculiar affinity of Oriental and European Idealism con sist sistss pri nci pal ly i n the opinion that activity, life, and free alone be recognised recognise d as actuall actu ally y effecti effective ve i n t h e i r  dom do m can alone operation ; dead  repose and motion motionles lesss inac tivi ti vity ty being bei ng con co n demned as utterly void  and ineffective. I t is true that great rai sed against this system,  phil  ph ilo o soph so phii cal ca l difficulties may be raised considered as s u c h ; i f, for example, the pri nciple nci ple of  evil be described, as i n eternal opposition to a l l holiness holiness and vir v irtu tue, e, We must recognise the existence of a separate power, dis tinct from, i f not co-equal with, the Supreme D i v i n i t y , a n d  consequently consequently mai m aint ntai aini ning ng the the positi po sition on he occupies occupies i n the the world  by his own independent strength, streng th, and  thus destroying id ea of un i ty . B u t if, as is usually usua lly the case case,, i t be as as a l l idea serted  that the opposing principle is finally overpowered and  subdu subdued, ed, A h r i m a n bei ng transfo transforme rmed, d, and on once ce more more un ited  it ed 

TWO PRINCIPLES. B . 11. CH. CH . 1V.] THE DOCTRINE OF THE TWO

483

to Ormuz, Orm uz, the the princip prin ciple le of disunion disuni on is with and reconciled to virtually abandone abandoned d ; ever ev eryt ythi hing ng melts pantheisticall panthei stically y into in to one single singl e esse essenc nce, e, and an d the eterna ete rnall dist di stin inct ctio ion n between between good  a n d  evil is completely set aside. aside. Y e t , notwithstandin notwith standing g these defects, the intellectual religion of the Persians deserves to rank ra nk next to the Chri Ch ri st i an faith and doctrine, doctrine , as propounded  propounded  developed and completed completed i n the the i n the O l d Testament and developed severe re tr ut h and hi gh mora m orall tendency give gi ve i t a  Ne  N e w : its seve decided super sup erior iorit ity y to al a l l other other Orie Or ie ntal nt al system systems. s. The distinction between good and  evil must unavoidably he neutralised b y the doctrine doctriness of Panthe ism. Howev How ever er it may seek in words to refute that imputation, a belief  i n emanation crushes crushes a l l freedo freedom m of mind mi nd and spiri t, by the infinite weight of conscious guilt, and .the conviction that a l l created beings have been wretched from their eternal origin, the T w o P r i n c i  down to the present time. T h e doctrine of the  ples  pl es,, and an d of the stri st rife fe betwee bet ween n good and  an d  evil, forms a medium  betw  be twee een n those two extremes, and is i n itself  a mighty im  puls  pu lse, e, p r o m p t i n g to a similar  struggle, an unquenchable source source of pure moral mor alit ity y and virt vi rtue ue.. What Wh atev ever er may have have been the hidden origin of this doctrine and  these systems, they must, undoubtedly, undoubt edly, be referred refer red to a perio pe riod d of ver v ery y remote anti an tiqu quit ity y ; for Zerdusht merel me rely y reproduced the doctrines, and an d can scarcely, scarcel y, indeed, have been been the firs firstt even to re vi ve them ; their  origin must unquestionably claim our venera tion, tion, even eve n i f i t be not estee esteeme med d divi di vine ne,, for the free free life o f   pu  p u r e m o r a l stre st reng ngth th cannot can not be embodi emb odied ed i n theo th eory ry,, unless unl ess i t  be first i n a ctiv ct ivee op oper erat atio ion. n. T h i s do doct ctri rine ne i s , inde in deed ed,, no subtle speculation of inve in vent ntiv ivee fancy fancy ; and the strife between between the princip prin ciples les of good and  e v i l will be an empty and un meaning phrase to all except those who, animated by a pure enthusiasm for vi rt ue and holiness, holiness, have strive str iven, n, with the whole whol e energy and power of their the ir nature, against against the pre an d encroachments encroachments of the spir sp irit it of  evil. vailing power and Although from the simplicity of its structure and component  part  pa rts, s, this th is ph phii loso lo sop p hy may ma y be redu re duce ced d to a system sys tem,, i t does indeed inde ed deserve a far loftie lof tierr name, name, — i t is life and action. Whoever, by his own free operation, has gained a conscious ness of his moral existence, may thence be enabled to com  pre  p rehe hen n d the life of nature. This religion does not make the wild  vigour or destruc-

484

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[ ß . I I. C H . I V .

tive power of  nature the objects of its adoration ; not enjoy ment nor death, but the purest and most beneficent elements, an d light, therefore life, a nd  indwelling spirit generally. fire and T h e seven Amshaspands or  genii of the elements, and  p r i  k in gs of nature, natur e, mary powers of existence, stand, like so many kin around  the throne of  their sovereign sovereign ru rule ler. r. Heave He aven n is thronged   by  b y the sacred Feruers, the divine prototypes and ideas of all created things. Mythras, the star of day, and  friend  of man, stands as the mediator between him and the divinity ; all  bloo  bl oody dy sacrifices are abolished, and the sacred union and en  jo  j o y m e n t of the pure Horn a nd  Miezd, consecrated by the  pr  p r i e s t at the alt al t ar, ar , signi si gnifie fiess an i n t e r n a l comm co mmun unio ion n with God, through the noblest strength and luxuriant produce of  his hi s blooming productions. T h e adoration of the elements, however, is not the only characteristic feature of this religion ; heroes and warriors, also, became became objects objects of wors w orshi hip p ; yet they the y were we re no longer  lon ger  adored merely as destroyers and conquerors, nor reverenced  o n account of their  physical strength and vigour, but as heavenly conquerors of the giants, triumphant over the  powe  po wers rs o f dar d arkn knes esss and an d the th e s p i r i t s o f  hell. The combat be tween Iran and Turan is but an earthly counterpart of the eternal struggle between the powers of  good  and  an d evil, perpetu ally carried carr ied on i n heaven. heaven. Feridun and Rust Ru stan an,, whose names names have been so often celebrated in heroic song, subdue and  fetter the savage savage strengt str ength h of Zohak Zoh ak and  Afrasiab ; but Dschemschid  appears appears,, resplendent above above them the m a l l , the ideal o f  a perfect king, shi nin g forth i n the gloom of an obscure antiquity. A realm of perfect happiness, where light at length reigns triumphant in joy and blessedness, becomes a necessary appendag appendagee of this thi s system of o f philos phi losoph ophy, y, no less than the perfection of the original condition of the world, the garden of i n  when Meshia and Meshianes wandered i n the nocence : a condition which the th e religion of Zerdusht seeks only to restore. A l l the loveliest fables of Indian mythology owe their  thi s philosop phil osophy. hy. W e may trace back to this th is source source  bi  b i r t h to this the allal l-pr pres eser ervi ving ng,, benefi beneficen cent, t, and sagaci sagaciou ouss Vishnoo, with h i s followers and  attendants. His feminine image and  con w i lld d   spouse of  Siva,„ sort has, however, no resemblance to the wi the fearful K a l i . She is the l i l y of heaven (Pedmah), the

B.

n.

CH.

1v.] T H E D O C T R I N E O F T H E T W O P R I N C I P L E S .

«485

 blessed  ble ssed and an d ever ev er bles bl essi sing ng goddess Lacshmi, or  Sri, the lovely daughter daughte r of the benignant seasea-go god d V a ru na . Cama, the the g o d  of love, lo ve, is alway a lwayss found  near  to her, and the sun-god  sun-go d  I n d r á , the friend of man, surrounded by all blessed and   benefic  ben eficent ent spi sp i rit ri t s, genii, and celestial nymphs. Vishn Vi shn oo frequently appeared upon earth, under the various forms of a king, a sage, a wonder-working warrior and hero, hut al¬ ways with the intention of checking the progress of crime, exterm ext ermina inatin ting g giants and unfriendly unfri endly pow powers ers,, and animating anima ting a l l good ge ni i to support and protect protect the t heir ir leade leader, r, the h i g h souled  I n d r á . This noble idea has been greatly defaced by arbitrary fables and inventions ; feigning that God, like another Pro teus, assumed not only the human form, and appeared in the charac cha racter ter of a philosopher or hero, but also also took  that o f a turt tu rtle le,, a boar, a man-lion man- lion,, and a fish. Still, the mere concep tion of so grand gra nd an idea as the the incarn inc arnati ation on of a Go d, is an abiding proof pro of of the the profound reflective character of the Indian mind, and of the high degree of intelligence with which that people people was endowed. Th e same pure and beau tiful idea of affording salvation to the pure in heart, a n d  annihilating a l l evil and destructi destr uctive ve powers, may be seen under unde r every varie va riety ty of form. W e occasionally find  in other  systems of mythology, mythology , i f base based d on high hi gh moral mora l principles, such descriptions of  heroes as almost answer to our ideas of god heroes,, who who,, obedient to sublime subl ime laws, and i n like virtue ; heroes the performance of glorious duties, laboured only to subvert t h e wicked, and raise and protect protect the the good. good. B u t i n no H e r  cules or hero of the poet's song is the idea of deified  humanity so vividly embodied as in that of the Indian R a m á , the generous con|ueror, whose voluntary exile and  loneliness,- and sometimes fortunate, sometimes unhappy for  r  Sita, has ha s been-so sweetly and deliciously sung. affection fo This doctrine mounts to a still higher  grade of perfection, i f  we consider the lofty morality in life and doctrine of the Indian hermits herm its and an d munis, part pa rtic icul ular arly ly as they they are described  i n the the Purana Pur anas. s. T h e austere self-denial self-denial of  o f  those old peni* tents and  an d  rïshis, who by voluntary and  self-inflicted  t o r t u r é thou though ghtt to exto ex tort rt as i t were a highe hig her  r  degree of virtue, virtue , hap  pine  pi ness ss,, and an d supe su pern rnat atur ural al po powe wer, r, are t h r o w n rather  into the  ba  b a c k g r o u n d , a n d we are ar e stru st ruck ck occa oc casi sion onal ally ly b y the th e sweetest

486

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PHILOSOPHY.

[B. 11. c n . I V .

resignation and trust i n G o d , a sentime sentiment nt fraught with humility and pure heavenly love. T h e worship of Vishnoo holds so important a place in the  phi  ph i loso lo soph phy y of the Vedas, that it becomes a question of sur  pass  pa ssin ing g inte in tere rest st,, wh whet ethe herr the th e do doct ctri rine ness and an d op opin inio ions ns there  pro  p romu mulg lgaa ted te d con co n cern ce rnin ing g h i m are p reci re ciss ely el y the th e same as thos th osee contained  in the Puranas. This certainly is not the case in the book  of  Menu, but the question need not now be debated, as we alread alr eady y po poss sses esss sufficient sufficient data to enable us to arran arr ange ge i n their proper order the various stages and strata of its general progress and development, but without attempting to determine dete rmine the exact chronol chro nology ogy of each, each, or to form them into a regular history. This system is not purely poetical, although many and  indeed  the most beautiful among the Persian and Indian fable fabless were founded on the doctrine doctr ine of the two tw o pr prin incip cip les and the the worsh wor ship ip of the free free spir sp irit it of nature. T h e full mean i n g and intention of many fictions of the Greek and  L a t i n mythology also, as well as the No rt he rn , is firs firstt seen seen wh when en they are considered as forming part of  that cycle of ideas. Still, notwiths notw ithstand tanding ing thei t heirr inherent poetic poetic spiri t, they w i l l generally be found susceptible of a philos phi losoph ophica icall construc constru c Even in the symbolism of the tion and interpretation. Persians we discover a certain regular proportion in the sym metric ricall ally y constructed, and the the symbolic figures, a form symmet first germ o f  which is in Dualism, in the antagonism or  alternate manifestation of the pr prim imar ary y powers. I t seems highly probable that a philosophical system of  similar  intent and spiri sp iritt was also also common among the Indians In dians.. Wh et he r  the principles o f  Dualism were contained in the N y a y à phi losophy * , next to the Mimansà the oldest now extant, or  whether the two systems of Madhwo and Ramanujo, into which the th e adherents o f  Vishnoo divided  themselves, and  which are noticed and contrasted in the writings of the * The word  Nyayà in the M S. copy of the Amaracosfia, is explained   by certamen, combat, unless the name of  that philosophy should be differently derived through niyole, he ordains (constituit), whence niti, the th e doctrine of morality. According to the first explanation, Nyayà may ma y

also he supposed supposed to mean mean dialectic dialec tic ; but our idea ideass of In India dian n philoso phi losophy phy are as yet so undecided, that Nyayà is sometimes explained as referring to a branch of  philosophic logic, and at others others as a decided system, and  J>elonging to a distinct sect.

P . I L C H . 1v.]

T H E D O C T R I N E O F T H E TWo P R I N C I P L E S .

4

87

Vedas, arose from the same source, may ma y be seen seen by futur f uturee researches, which may ma y also decide the question as to wh whe e ther Zerdusht Zerd usht adopte adopted d In Indi dian an doctrines exclusively, or the reverse. rever se. Sinc Si ncee so much mu ch unquestionab unques tionably ly procee proceeded  ded  from India, may not a little at least have flowed  back thither ? It should be constantly remembered  that this is by no means impossible, and we ought therefore to be on our guard  against mistaking circumstances, which are merely of fre quent occurrence, for an universal law to the neglect of  individual dissimilarities. Some foreign admixtures may be discovered in almost every branch bra nch of In Indi dian an wri tings tin gs,, but the Puranas Pur anas are un u n questionably the first in which the religion and fictions of  pa rtly ly,, indeed, indeed , i n the same same philoso philos o Vishnoo predominate, part bear i n later late r systems. systems. W e also  ph  p h i c a l sense which they bear meet in the Puranas with person personage agess and histories historie s bo borr rrowe owed  d  from the H o l y Scriptures ; not merely those which, like the people, hut hu t history o f  Noah, were familiar  to a l l nations and people, others also which appear peculiar to the sacred writings,; the history of J o b, for for example : still we must not too has th e tily conclude that they were borrowed immediately from the records of the Old Testament by Indian poets and sages, for  i t is probable that the Hebrews and Persians, and again the Pers Pe rsian ianss and Indians, may have had more more ideas ideas i n common than i s usually supposed. Although the system we have been describing appears i n a most favourable light, in comparison with other ancient superstitions, still even here, as in every case in which the th e high manifestation of divine light was not preserved in un¬ .sullied purity in the soul, errors and superstitions early  became  beca me anne an nexe xed d to the t r u t h , and an d the th e false bias bi as g i v e n i n those ancient times was followed  up with so much eagerness and unanimity, that the most beautiful and sublime ideas often gave rise to customs and ceremonies which cannot  be Contemp Cont emplate lated d with wi thou outt abhor ab horre rence nce.. A feel fe elin ing g o f the th e i n  effable beauty, purity, and holiness of the primal elements, though in itself  both poetic poe ticall ally y beautiful beauti ful and at the same time a profound and unquestionable truth, gave birth to an anxious and fearful horror horro r of pollutin poll uting g and corr upting upt ing that sacred spring of life, the etherial essence of nature, by con¬ tact with human corpses. To inter a dead body in the earth,

488

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

[B. H . C H . I V.

Or  even to consume it in the still holier element of  fire, was wa s

ther theref efor oree

condemned condemned b y the the P er si a n religion as almost the greatest crime of which any human being could  he guilty, and hence arose the fearful practice, common among the g i,, of  giving the bodies o f their ancient M a gi their dead to be t o r n to pieces by wild  beasts ; a custom which i s still in force in Thibet, notwithstanding the change of  religion : it has even extended into the northern corner of Asia, as far as Kams¬ chatka, in the same manner in which customs and ceremonies often subsist, even when the government or legislation under  which they they were firs firstt appointed is no longer i n bein be ing. g. T h i s  belie  bel ief, f, however, is not generally insisted upon as a philo¬ pri ncipl iple, e, or at least least not as a severe severe and excl ex clusi usive ve sophical princ system ; and it is therefore probable that many old astro¬ logical errors and superstitions may similarly have crept into the pure worship of  nature and the elements, or may ma y soon have found a path of retur re tur n thither. thither . Th at divine lig ht of  which the th e present treatise more  pe  p e c u l i a r l y treats, was constantly described as a principle a n d  essence of gradual gradu al development; the mor ning ni ng d dawn awn heralding a better  time, tim e, but preceded by a far different different l>eriod  of darkness and obscur obs curity ity : we are thus led back to the material idea of  original gloom and chaos, and of Night, the mother of a l l created things. I recall these fact factss merely i n refutation of the belief  that a mythology which, like the Greek, sprang from Chaos, or   Ni  N i g h t , as the mother of a l l things thi ngs,, must consequently be pu pure re materialism, and be incompatible with the clear and glowing ideas which distinguished the Oriental systems, and whose influence is so widely different throughout the realms of  fancy and imagination. Y e t the religion of light, originally so pure and beautiful, has ha s been much mu ch corrupted corru pted i n other respect respects. s. T h i s system o f   ph  p h i l o sop so p h y has had ha d more influence than than any a ny other, except exce pt the astrological superstition, supersti tion, on the establishmen establishmentt and formati for mation on o f  secret societies and mysteries. A loftier  degree o f  i l l u  mination ought indeed to bring with it an increase of hu m i l i t y and love; but the slightest estrangement from the  pu  p u r e source sou rce o f t r u t h , even ev en i n the th e most h i g h l y gift gi fted ed,, lead le adss to pride rather  than to more gentle and gracious sen timents; and  those who believed themselves endowed  with

B.

n.

CH. V.]

PANTHEISM.

489 48 9

clearer revelations revelations of hidden wisdom, wis dom, separating separating i n disdainful and mysterious selfishness from their fellow-men, presumed  i n their their seclusi sec lusion on to assume the place of  that Providence which governs a l l , consider cons idering ing other other men but as blind  tools for  the w o r k i n g out of thei theirr peculi pec uliar ar aim and obj objec ect, t, and  holding themselves justified in thus employing them. This was probably the case in the earliest antiquity, as well as in our own time, and  perhaps far more mo re frequently frequently than i s usually imagined.

CHAP. v . —  PANTHEISM. AMONG the various Oriental systems of philosophy, which, o n account of their  great historic histo ric weight weigh t and  widely extended 

influence, claim our consideration, one only, Pantheism, now remains to be noticed. notic ed. T he spi rit ri t of this this system may be recognised in the religion of the Buddhists, which at the commencement of the Chr Ch r i s ti a n era, 1000 years after its first first origin, was common to the natives of Thibet, China, Ceylon, and the whole eastern peninsul peni nsulaa of India Ind ia,, beside besidess the people o f  Ta r ta ry and the N o r t h . T he doctrine doctrine of the nothingn nothingness ess o f  a l l matter, to which the th e belief  in its unity or  oneness so naturally leads, has at least been attributed to F o , the Chinese  phil  ph ilos osop ophe her, r, as his hi s pecu pe culi liar ar,, most esse es sent ntia ial, l, and an d esot es oter eric ic do doc c t r i n e, founded on the clearest clearest and an d most distin dis tinct ct science science ; but a doctrine which supposes every object in creation to be thus nullified  and absorbed into an abstract and negative concep thorou ough ghly ly visi vi sion onar ary y and an d untenable tion of the E t e r n a l , is toe thor to subsist for more than a very brief  period. It must not be forgotten that the Pantheistic philosophy i s considered the latest o f  the Oriental systems ; the historical evidence on which this is asserted  w i l l be cit c ited ed below ; and  an d  I sh all al l merely mer ely remark rem ark i n this place, place, that the profound and  v i t a l idea originally entertained of the Eternal and his al power , must have been greatly viti vi tiat ated ed and enfeebled  enfeebled  mighty power,  before  bef ore i t could  descend to lose itself i n the false and  visionary notion of the oneness or unity of all things, so distant too

490

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY.

[fi. II. CH. CH . V .

from the doctrine of their  nullity. A l l other Oriental doc trines, however disguised hy error and  fiction, are founded  i n , and  an d  dependent on, divine and marvellous revelations;  bu  b u t P a n t h e i s m i s the th e of offs fspr prin ing g o f un unas assi sist sted ed reaso rea son, n, a n d  ther theref efor oree marks mar ks the transi tran siti tion on from the the Orie Or ient nt al to the Eu ro rop p ean ea n philos phi losoph ophy. y. I t is i s no less flat flatte teri ring ng to the self self* * conceit of man than than to his indolence. W h e n once once men have uni ty,, an opini op inion on at once once arrived  at the conclusion that a l l is unity so comprehensive comprehensive and allal l-an anni nihi hila lati ting ng,, further research research o r  investigation is deemed superfluous; every thing that i s divine, drawn from other sources, or believed in by other  men, appears, to thei theirr superfici supe rficial al reasoning, reason ing, to be merely mere ly the th e delusive folly of superstition, and even life itself, with i t s mutations, is, is , i n their the ir eyes eyes,, but a fallacious and unsubstantial unsubs tantial semblance of reality. I f  any energy of mind or depth of feeling still survive, and  the the doctrine doctrin e he carrie car ried d out in i n its fullest fullest scop scopee and intens int ensity ity,, i t certainly assumes a very different, and at the same time a most fearful, character. character. I n In di a more especially, i t has frequently prompted a system of voluntary and  self-inflicted  torture, which to the calm contemplator  seems almost in credible: like the spirit-crushing martyrdom of the Y o g i s and Sonnyasis, who aimed at a total annihilation of self  as the highest high est perfection. I n colder and feebler  feebler  natures, however, the doctrine of Pantheism engendered a belief  that guilt itself  was hut h ut an empty delusion, and the the conv co nvict ictio ion n that all , being being one, must be equally perfect, brought with it a false and  g l i U tering semblance of internal peace. I n China, however, however, where Panthei Pan theism sm prevailed prev ailed long lon g befo before re the time when the religion of Buddha was introduced, this latter may perhaps have borrowed borrow ed a litt li tt le from the former. I n other countries, generally, Buddhism assumes a very mingled  form, and we find  in it many doctrines drawn from S i v a especially. the worship o f  Si especially. I n Tar tar ta r Budd Bu dd hi sm we discover  a more than usuall usu ally y hideous and distorted image imag e of  the fearful and destructive power of divinity. Turner found  i n Thibet festivals of  K a l i , the restoration of Carticeya and  Ganesa, and the entire suite of  Siva. The Chinese Number-philosophy, as set forth in the old  Y - k i n g * , the th e Book  o f  U n i t y , comprise comprisess another and an d v er y • I-king, sometimes called the Book  of Changes.

B. n . CH. CH . V . ]

PANTHEISM.

m

 pu  p u r e syst sy stem em o f P a n t h e i s m . T h i s i s one o f the most mos t r e  markable markable reco record rdss e xist ing of Ori ent al philosoph philosophy. y. A lt h ou gh Fo-hi, who is named as its author, is a merely fictitious character, still the circumstance that the th e true meaning of  the wo work rk had ha d long lo ng been a subject of dispute even i n the time of Kon-fu-tse* (in the year 550 B . c . ) , who was the last of its classical expounders, proves it at once to have  been  be en o f  great antiquity . It is not writ ten i n the ordinary character, character, but i n pec p ecul ul iarl ia rly y simple forms forms and symbols, symbols, and  i s therefore the less likely to have been changed or  falsified. T h e great Supreme Being, of whom who m this hierogl hier oglyph yph ic boo book  k  treats, is also calle ca lled d Tao, Ta o, or divi di vine ne reason, through through which th e great supreme point, a l l things are created ; or  T a i - k i , the throu th rou gh whom a l l thin things gs are are produced, and i n who m a l l dis di s tinction and separation terminates.† T h i s great one is divided  into two primary equations, or beings of contrasting  pow  p ower erss and an d attr at trib ibu u tes, te s, fro fr o m whose whos e v a r i o u s con co n nex ne x ion io n s a n d  combinations every thing comes into existence according to a certain fixed  mechanism and  blind  necessity, the laws of  are impose imposed d by Tao. Th e Y n and Y an g — t h e per which are fect, masculine and active ; and the imperfect, feminine and   pass  pa ssiv ivee ; are ar e symb sy mbol olis ised ed,, the first b y e n tir ti r e a n d u n b r o k e n , the second by a broken line ; these again produce four other  combinatio combi nations, ns, signs, or symbols, as they are called call ed ; the greater  and lesser  Yang, and the greater  and lesser  Y n , r e  spectively expressed by two broken or unbroken lines placed   pa  p a r a l l e l , and the two lesser by a broken line placed above or   belo  be low w the unbro ken. T h e eight koua, or symbols, i n the the threefold combination of the Yang a n d  Y n , are the eight elementary powers.‡ Moral ideas might once have been conveyed  by the six-fold  combination a nd reduplica redu plica tion of  * Confucius. † The great firs fi rstt principl principlee has has engen engende dere red d or produced produced two equations equations and differences, or primary rules of existence, but these two primary rules or opposition oppositions, s, namely, namely, Yn and  Yang, or repose and  motion, — tho tho affirmative and negative, as we might otherwise call them,—have produced  four signs or symbols, and  these four symbols have produced the eight koua, or further further combinations. combinations. See Philosophy of History, p. ISO. ‡ 1. Kien, or ether. 2. Kni» or pur puree wate waterr. 3. L i , or pure pure fire.

4. Tchin, or thunder. 5. Tiun, the the wind. 6. Kan, common water. 7. Keu, a mountain, and 8. Kuen, the earth. —  SchlegeVs Philosophy of 

 History, p. 131.

4 92

INDIAN PIDXosoPHY.

[B. H. CH. T .

B u t al a l l are soon soon lost i n a mere play of  numbers, numb ers, — or, to speak  philosophically, all that apparent individuality i s merely mere ly a differ differenc encee i n degree and combina tion. In the Number-philosophy of Kon-fu-tse, the five, as the the perfect midd mi ddle le number, number , rank ra nkss highest, highest , and not the four  o r the six, si x, as i n other system systemss of Number Numb er-p -phi hilo losop sophy hy ; and  the five first even numbers, up to ten, belong, according to him, to the heavenly, the five uneven, on the contrary, to the earthly powers. I f  Pantheism is not a mere theory and sentiment, as would  appear from the description of the Indian Yogis and Sonny¬ asis, contained in the Bhagavatgita, but is considered in the light of a scientific system, it w i l l prove to be nothing more than than a combinati combi nation-pl on-play ay of the posit po sitive ive and negative, framed  according to the mere mechanism of reason, which is far  number-sy mbolism sm of the k i n d   above  bett  be tter  er  expressed by a number-symboli described, described, than it i t could be i n words. Finding a place as i t does i n the earliest form of Pantheism, it appears probable that i t originated in the later alterations and debasement of Dual ism. When the doctrine of the Two Principles ceased to be a re ligious belief, and was degraded into int o a merely mer ely ph phil iloso osoph phic ical al system, the idea of the two primal powers being united and  absorbed into one higher being could hardly fail to be admitted. T he or orig ig in al signification signification of the Y a n g is, according to De movement nt ; of the Y n , darkness a n d  Guignes, light  and moveme repose. Many Chinese doctrines and traditions, before the time of Kon-fu-tse, bear  an undeniable resemblance to the Persian ideas, similar to that which we have already noticed   betw  be twee een n the th e Chin Ch ines esee a n d S c r i p t u r a l reco re cord rds. s. T ho hose se c o u n  tries had, indeed, more intercourse than would  appear  at the first glance. glance. Th e pr in ci pa l seat of the old religion of  China was i n the north-west north -west provin pro vince ce of Shen-s Shen-see, ee, and the Pe rs i a n philo iloso soph pher  er  Laokiun had jour faith rul ed i n Ba ct ri a. T h e ph neyed far int o the we st Is it not possible, then, that a similar connexion may have subsisted between the Indian Sanchyà, or Number-philoso*  ph  p h y o f  K o p iilloo , and the Chinese ? T he philosophy philoso phy of F o did, undoubtedly, at a later period, travel from India into China, and may not the same, have happened with other  systems? I n the commentary on Menu Me nu 's book of laws, la ws, tr iple le form. that trip

B . 11. CH. V.J

PANTHEISM.

493

Mahat and  an d  Avyakto, the mighty, the incomprehensible and  cite d as the two princip pri nciples les of the philosophy philo sophy indivisible, are cited of Kopilo. But perhaps this apparent Dualism had a similar  meaning in the Y - k i n g . The Bhagavatgita removes every doubtt as to the Pant doub Pa nthe heis isti ticc tendency of the Sanchya philo sophy, and we must therefore conclude that the author either  completely misunderstood it, or  violently wrested the mean Bhaga vatgita, ita, and a l l i n g to support his own system. I n the Bhagavatg other works ascribed to Vyasa, we remark rem ark the prevalence o f  the V e d a n t à philosophy, of  which he was the founder, and  this this system is consequently consequ ently better  known to us than any other Indian theory. I t is clea c learl rly y seen seen,, even from the translation, to be pure Pantheism ; and the philosophical precision of the original record  would  probably make some passages even more for cible. Certainly, however, it was, as its name, Vedanta, indicates, merely a remodelling of  that ancient Indian system hallowed  by the tradition of the Vedas. T h e ancient Saga, as well as the ancient construction, are  pres  pr eser erve ved d thro th roug ugho hout ut ; bu but, t, wh wher erev ever er i t is possib pos sible, le, the th e new ne w meaning is interpolated, and all-referred to that one great supreme supreme being bein g — the highest B r ah m a ; also also Ghuinyon, the th e object of knowledge, is here expressively defined as the me dium between being and not being,—Sot and Osot (chap. 13.). Y e t there are numerous passages directed against the Veda itself ; and the unqualified praise bestowed upon the Sanchyi«  phil  ph ilos osop ophy hy,, in preference to every other, seems to indicate an actual agreement with that system. It has, nevertheless, been maintained by some few writers, that these three systems are three branches of philosophy, the th e Sanchyà being physics, the Mimansà ethics, and the  N y a y à dialectics dialect ics ; while others, on the contrary, consider  them the m to to be so many man y system systemss of philosop phil osophy hy ; among which, the N y a y à would  deserve peculiar attention, as one of the most ancient, and, with the exception of the Mimansà, the only one mentioned in the book of  Menu, and numbered  Upa ngas.* s.* Th e moral spirit spir it of the th e with it among the Upanga Mimansà, and the speculat spec ulative ive creativeness creativeness of the Sanchyà, assigned them them i n o u r  agree with the rank  which we have assigned * There are four Upangas, called  Puraná, vyáya, Mimansà, and  an d  Dhermasástra. —  sir Wm. Jones.

494 49 4

INDIAN

PHILOSOPHY.

Indi dian an philosophy. philosoph y. áystematic arrangement of In

[ B . I I . CI1. V .

A further  acquaintance acquaintance w i t h In India dian n works work s may render a more distin dis tinct ct division possible ; it is enough for the present that Menu's  book o f laws la ws enables us to judge jud ge w i t h tolerable tolerable accuracy accur acy of  ve ry ancient Indi In dian an doctrines, doctrines, wh ic h form the basis of  those very their legislature, — the essential characteristics of the Ve¬ dantà philosophy (which, as the latest, closes the entire series of Indian literature,) are plainly set forth in the Bhagavat¬ gita. Indian literature may, for the greater  facility of investi gation, gatio n, be be provis pro vision ionall ally y divide div ided d into int o four four epoc epochs hs.. T h e firs firstt w i l l comprise the Vedas, Vedas , and other writi wri tings ngs closely con nected w i t h them, as Menu Me nu's 's book of laws : the the Vedas, Vedas , though perhaps corrupted by single interpolations, cannot cannot have been entirely remodelled ; and the fact that, in so short a space of time, vocabularies were already required for the correct understanding of the text, argues much in favour of  its it s genuineness. genuineness. T he inten in tenti tion on ascribed ascrib ed to the R i g v é d a a n d  com piled ed i n prose, was different, different, bein be ing g that o f a Yajurvéda, compil an d  liturgical cosmogony ; while the Sámavéd, i n magical and  verse, is moral, but probably with many mythical and histo rical circumstances interwoven, as is the case with the Mano¬ vondhormoshastron. gran and d epoch epoch is formed b y the works wor ks ascribed ascri bed to Another  gr Vyasá, the eighteen Puranas, the Mahábhárata, and the Ve¬ dantá philosophy. Although the books attributed to him are so numerous that they cannot possibly possi bly have been been the pr pro o duction of one single individual, still it is probable that a similarity of doctrine doctrine and opinion opinio n prevails i n al l, wi th but di ssim imil ilar arit ity y i n the general style, from from which whi ch,, however, however, little diss that of Menu's Book  of Laws differs in a remarkable degree. A s the Vedas appear  to give the earli earliest est int elligi ell igi ble i n  dication dica tionss of the gr gradu adual al and mysterious myster ious operation of a false false tendency, the the writ wr itin ings gs wh whic ich h intervene interv ene betw betwee een n i t and the the Puranas will probably prove equally instructive and im  po  p o r t a n t . Nearly all the philosophical writings of earlier  date than the Vedanta may be classed with them, some being an d  others simply in accordance with it, as the Sanchyá, and  again disputing and opposing the doctrines inculcated in it ;  besides  bes ides these, the Ramay Ra mayana ana,, and probably proba bly also also many man y other   poems,  poems , w h i c h are ar e after af terwar wards ds more mo re fully worked up in the

CH . V.]J É. 11. CH.

PANTHEISM*

495

Puranas. The great antiquity of the Mahabharatá and Rᬠmáyana, in the internal structure at least, if not in outward  incontest ably proved prove d by the monume monuments nts exis ex isti ting ng at form, is incontestably E l l o r a and elsewhere. te rm the seco second nd epoch. Th Thee Puranas Puran as This, then, I should term and other works of  V y a s á form the third ; finally the fourth and  an d  latest epoch is formed for med by Calidás and other  poets, who clothed the old  ol d  sagas and legends which t i l l then had been considered the excl ex clus usive ive propert prop erty y of the priesthood, i n more  popu  po pula larr forms for ms as dramas or poems, and  thus fitted them for  universal admiration and appreciation. most import imp ortant ant periods periods of In Indi dian an,, and indeed of  B u t the most Oriental philosophy and reli re ligio gion n generally, are the following : first, the diffusion of the pure doctrine of Emanation, which at length degenerated  into int o astrological superstition and fa natic materialism ; and the doctrine of the Two Principles, subsequently ly was transformed transformed from Du Dual al ism is m into P a n  which subsequent theism. Oriental philosophy philoso phy and its influence influence on the human m i n d  has never been more deeply debased than in its alliance with Pantheism, Panth eism, w hich hic h is as destruct destructive ive to mora lity as even even M a  terialism, while its influence on fancy and imagination is equally fatal. fat al. I t is quite quit e probable that in India, where, notwithstanding a great apparent uniformity, there existed  Such a diversity of intellectual and spiritual development, many single instances of ordinary scepticism or even of an empiric tendency tendency may be found. B u t whether  these i n d i  cations were ever developed into a regular system, or ar ranged in a more scientific form, has not yet been decided. I have merely attempted  at present to direct your attention to the most import imp ortant ant of  these systems —  those which form epochs and illustrate the general progress of Oriental litera ture and philosophy. philosop hy. I have inte in tent ntio iona nall lly y omitted many* mi ghtt neverthel nevertheless ess have illus il lustr trat ated ed the contrast contrast and  an d  which migh affinity between the different systems, the gradual transition from one to another, or the entire development and formation o f  each separate scheme and its different modifications, as the great diversity of  these contemplations would probably" have hav e interfered interfer ed too too much mu ch w i t h our consideration of the pe pecu-* l ia i arr   theme of this treatise.

496

HISTORICAL

IDEAS.

[B. n i . CH. I.

BOOK  i n . HISTORICAL

IDEAS.

ON N T H E ORIGIN C H A P . I. — O

OF POETRY.

ancient forms of speech, which I have attempted  in the first book  to trace from the root to their loftiest and  widest wides t ramifications, ramificat ions, constitute a record, reco rd, far more valuab val uable le and instructive than all those monuments of stone, the half  ruined, giant grandeur of  which, at Persepolis, E l l o r a , or in contemplat ed, after after the lapse o f  Egyptian Thebes, are still contemplated, ages, with wonder and reverence. T h e question quest ion of  religion, however,—the one idea ever predominant in all ages of the world,—cannot with any propriety be omitted in the history ma nkin ind, d, either eith er of ancient or modern times. I have there o f  mank fore laid  before you in the preceding book an analysis of the successive development of the Oriental mind, in its four  most remarka rem arkable ble systems systems,, or rather according acco rding to the four  most important import ant periods of Orie Or ie ntal nt al genius. T h e present present hook  w i l l he devoted to the consideration of certain historical results, which appear to be the natural consequence of the immuta ble p rinc iples ipl es of faith already noticed ; and  which, though merely hinted at, at present, may at a future period   be enla en larg rged ed up upo o n i n some some more mo re elabo el aborat ratee w o r k on the History o f  Antiquity. Instead of bewildering myself  and my readers with isolated  comparisons between the Indian and different other  systems systems of mytholo myt hology, gy, I shall rather  attempt to give a genera gen erall outl o utline ine of the earliest Ori en ta l mode modess of thought, according to the evidence supplied by authentic records. T h e darkness and confusion of  that period can only be satisfactorily elucidated by a thoroughly comprehensive review of the entire scheme of mythology ; and such a re¬ view, if properly combined at the same time with an in int o the histor his torica ica l geneal genealogy ogy of the language, will quiry into THE

1.] B . 111. C H . 1.]

ON TH THE E ORIGIN OF POETRY.

497

afford  a clue to assist our progress through that ancient labyrinth, and to po poin intt out to us the wa y of return retu rn to h o l i  li ght. t. T h e inexhaus inex haustibl tiblee and peculiar develo developme pmerit rit ness and ligh remarkable in these ancient systems must also be passed  over ; but although alth ough i t is quite impossible to trace back to any one definite definite source source the the entire abundance abundance of imit im itat ativ ivee fancy displayed in them, it cannot be denied  that many general gene ral resembl resemblances ances exis ex istt even i n the most most vari va ried ed and dis d is cursive systems, and nothing in all that arbitrary play of   poet  po etic ic d i c t i o n is i s comp co mple lete tely ly without i n t ent en t i o n ; much mu ch w i l l be found  which leads back to one and the same general signifi cation, not only in what is usually termed allegoric, but still more in the spirit, the tenor, and the general impulse mani fest fest throughou throu ghoutt the whole series. series. T h e on onee general gen eral idea which lies at the root of every system of polytheism w i l l  pa  p a r t i a l l y explain the origin of mythology, or at least i n d i  cate the point from whence it first arose, and the manner in which in its further development it followed  the progress of  the human mind. T h e fir first st germ of polytheism polyt heism is contained in i n the the doctr d octrine ine o f  Emanation Emana tion,—th ,—that at is to say, say, of the eternal and progressive i v iin n i t y , and of universal spiritual development of the D iv animation. T h e belief  i n astrology, and the sensual adora tion o f  nature, called forth the abounding riches of ancient mythological fables, which were subsequently softened, beau enr iched ed by the doctrine doctrin e of the two principles —  tified, and enrich the religion of light, and the pious and  divinely inspired  hero-wor hero -worshi ship p ; bu butt as soon as pantheisti panth eisticc ideas were in tr o duced, at whatever period  per iod  that may have been, mythology, ere long, became regarded merely in the light of allegory, or  as an esoteric veil of poetic fancy and  diction. The Greek  mythology i s perhaps the riche richest st i n symmet symm etric rical al develop ment, but the Indian is far more comprehensive in its mys tical ideality; which, indeed, appears to have been transfused  from thence into in to every eve ry other system. I t would  be difficult to point poi nt out any idea id ea o r doctrine, doctri ne, common common in i n either of the different intellectual systems, which was not also known among the the Indians Indi ans ; nor any fable fable holding hold ing a distingu dist inguishe ished  d   plac  pl acee i n mer me r ely el y p o e t i c a l myth my thol olog ogie ies, s, the cou co u nter nt erp p art ar t o f  which does not exist also in the Indian, I n the prece p recedin ding g book we have shown the the rank  ran k  which

498 49 8

HISTORICAL

IDEAS.

[ B . m . CH. CH . r.

ought to be assigned in the series to Egyptian and Syriac mythology; European traditions, and the poems of the Celtic, man , and Sclavonian Sclavon ian mythologies mythologies may Roman, Gre ek, Ger man,  be v i e w e d i n t he same light, and though still involved i n considerable obscurity, their genius and general progress w i l l thus be rendered  intelligible. We have arranged the different systems of the above-named mythologies in such order as w i l l correspond with the regular succession of the different doctrines introd int roduce uced. d. A s most decided  traces o f  the ancient system of metempsychosis are found in the rel igion, on, we mig m ight ht expect expect that the L a t i n mythology Celtic religi would  contain more vestiges of it than that of the Greeks. between n the two principle princ ipless of good  Dualism, or the strife betwee a n d  evil, was a predominant feature i n Sclavonian mytho logy*; that doctrine, together  with the worship of the ele ments, w h i c h we have been accust accustomed omed to combine w i t h the former, former, was not unknown unknow n i n Germ Ge rman any. y. T h e Gre ek  appears to stand i n the exact medium medi um betwee between n both. both . It is less less con co n fine fined d to any strict str ict philosop phil osophica hicall intent int ention ion than than any other, and is, on the contrary, more entirely poetical. thr own n by the Ind I ndia ian n system upon A n unexpected li gh t is throw the the source source and peculi pec uliar ar character of Gree Gr ee k poetry. I t has, has, prin ciples, es, on onee of  * The Sclavonians of the Baltic acknowledged two principl good, the other of evil; they called the former Biel Bog (Bog in Scla¬ vonian signifies God) or the white God, from whom ail that was good   proceeded ; and the second Cher Ch erni ni B o g , or  Black  Go God, d, who was was the The cause o f a l l evil ; this latter was represented  in the form of a lion. most celebrated  idol, whose temple was at Arcina, was Sviatovid, that is " holy sight :" he had two chests and four  heads. There were other  divinities, such as as Poren Po renut ut,, with wi th four fa faces ces (probabl (pro bably y the god o f  wor d  pora, season,) and a fifth face on his breast ; Seasons, from the word  Bug hevit, it, supposed supposed god of war war, with wi th seven Porevit, with five hands ; Bughev faces, seven swords at his side, and an eighth in his hand, &c. The Scla¬ vonian deities usually have more than one head ; many have in some part of their body a human face, signifying the good principle, or a lion's head, denoting the evil principle. Many have also the figure of a beetle on them, which might denote an Egyptian origin. The Easter Ea stern n Sclavonian Sclavonianss worshipped Peru Pe run, n, or the go god d of thunder thun der ; god d o off festivals ; Kupala, the Volos, the god of the flocks ; Koleda, the go Di ttma man, n, a German writer, writ er, pretends that god go d o f the fruits cjf the earth. Ditt the Pagan Paga n Sclavonians Sclavonians di d not bel belie ieve ve i n the immorta imm ortalit lity y of the so ul ;  but that statement is sufficiently refuted refuted by several customs customs and cere monies which they observed for the repose of the dead.—  Extracted from from  the Penny Cyclopedia.

B . m . C H . I.J

ON THE ORIGIN OF PoETRY.

4

99

indeed, a two-fold  origin ; the one is natural nat ural,, that feeling which, alike in uncultivated or  highly civilised  nations, has every where breathed  itself  fo fort rth h i n song ; the other, the mystical element of ancient poetry, which cannot be so simply expl ex plai aine ned d : we may not say of this this last-mentioned as o f  that which is the natural offspring of  feeling, that i t exis ex ists ts ever e very y where, the the gr ow th of a spon sponta tane neou ouss impulse, impulse , common in the new world  as w e llll as i n the ol d ; i t is a  poet  po etrr y, the s p r i n g of  which lies deeply interwoven with the th e ancient tissue of fancy and  religion. T h e copiousness of the earliest poetry, and its wild  and  an d  wors hip of the the gigantic creations, arose from a superstitious worship produ ctivee power i n nature, and the the idea of i n  divinely productiv the beautiful beautifu l li gh t of a finity attached to i t ; and when the softer, holier inspiration beamed upon those rude fables, their  very wildness wildne ss gave them the m the stamp stamp of poetry poe try and  an d  imagination. This is precisely the character of Greek   poet  po etry ry,, a n d o f  that especially i n which, as is most generally the the case, case, the the richne ri chness ss and vig v igou ourr of ancient ancie nt superstit supers titions ions are s t i l l i n v i t a l operation, and the belief  in the gods has not yet evaporated into the mere imagery of poetic diction. L e t us not, like ordinary letter-learned  critics, study the form alon alonee withou wit houtt the the spir sp irit it,, but rather contemplat contemplatee the inner  life o f  that mythology, mytholog y, and we shall find  that all their   poems  poe ms are ar e o f one desc de scri ript ptii on on,, m y t h i c or h e ro roii c . I f we r e   j e c t a l l imm im m a t e r i a l differences o f o u t w a r d  form, we shall see that in Homer as w e l l as in Æ s c h y l u s , i n Pin dar as i n Sophocles, the blending of  that originally w i l d   and gigantic  po  p o w e r  with softer softer and an d sweeter sweeter impulses, impul ses, give gi vess a pecu pe culi liar  ar  fascination to their  writings ; though a l l may var y much i n t he ir differe different nt degree degree of o f deviat dev iation ion from, o r   pr  p r o p o r t i o n to the approximation to, the primary idea, or in individual traits of  loveliness or harshness. This, and this alone, is true poetry ; all to which that name has has been g i v e n i n later lat er times, when art had annexed  annex ed  so much to the original germ, becomes so only when it  brea  br eath thes es a kin dre d spir it with those old heathen fictions, o r   because  beca use i t s p r i n g s from them. I f i t were not too too bold  t o hazard a conjecture from the few fragme fragments nts now i n our   posses  pos sessio sion, n, I sho sh o u l d i m a g i n e that Indian poetry, in this its  pec  p ecu u l i ar  essence, was not so very different to the ancient

500

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[ B . 111. CH. It . CH . It.

so speak speak,, i s designed  des igned  Greek, except that the former, i f I may so on far grander proportions, the original ground work of the fables being generally more strange and  an d  wild, but softened  down in later times into a spiritual loveliness, which is in form even more morally and  intellectually beautiful than the grace of Pindar and Sophocles. The first source and  origin of the imitative arts also, among the Indians, Egyptians, and ancient Greeks, is iden tical in character  with that of their heroic poetry. The same combination of gigantic boldness and softness, which constitutes the very essence of classic poetry, gave its pecu liar  express expr ession ion to the plastic plas tic beauty of G r e c i a n art ; at least, least, as long lo ng as as the minds mind s of thei th eirr sculptors were still imbued  impuls es, before before old ol d tradi tr aditio tions ns became with their first lofty impulses, extinct, and the genius of the art was entirely lost.

C H A P , II. — OF

T H E EARLIEST EMIGRATION OF NATIONS.

P O E T R Y was intrinsically bound up with the religion o f  antiquity, and so completely one with i t , that many ideas which, at the first glance, appear  to us strange a n d  i n e x p l i  cable, arose natu na tura rall lly y from the manner of thought then  pr  p r e v a i l i n g , and undoubtedly exerted a potent influence on

the earliest adventures and migrations of nations or tribes ; although, as has frequently been the case in later periods, the force of necessity, and the allurement of interest, stimu lated and co-operated  with those ideas. Wherever fields and towns, the primitive arts of war and   peace  pea ce had been been called cal led into int o existence, trade and commerce  began  be gan to flourish in equal proportion with building a n d  agriculture ; and the same influences which i n modern history appear  to reign supreme, were not without some weight, even in the first ages of antiqu ant iquity ity.. Before, however, we enter  into an in qu ir y concerning the the influen influence ce exercised b y the firs firstt I nd ndia ian n colonies, i t religion on the establishment of the will be necessary to make a few preliminary observations on the proper light in which to contemplate these earliest emi grations, and their general origin and variety.

1.] B . m . C H . 11.]

OF T H E EARLIEST EMIGRATION.

50i

I f  the entire div ersit ers ity y of  these people and an d nations is to  be made the theme of our investigation, it will he expedient

firs firstt to set set aside the t he arbi ar bitr trar ary y supposition suppos ition of their the ir common origin, and of their separation having been occasioned by subsequent causes ; and to divide the various races of people according to their  greater  or less antiquity, even as the skilled  geologist, attentively observing the position of the various strata of the earth, earth , i n mountains or on the level surface of the plain, calculates the period of formation of  each. H e r e also also language presents the first characteristic to be observed ; but i t should shou ld be studied  rather  in its intel lectual structure than from the roots merely, which may be called  the natural parts, and in which the points of resem  blan  bl ance ce u s u a l l y disc di scov over ered ed are freq fr eque uent ntly ly ov over er-s -str trai aine ned d and  an d  far-fetche far-fetched. d. T h e point poin t next nex t i n importance to that o f  lan guage, is the use of metals, as as well copper and  iron in war  o r  agriculture, as the employment of gold  and  an d silver  for arbi trary, universal signs of the outward value of things ; to these points may be added the domestication of useful animals, and especially of  those which are indispensable in the two arts before mentioned. Still the fact, that none of  the th e beasts of burden which had so long been generally in use throughout the old world  were known in America at its first discovery, cannot be taken as a decisive proof  that the American race is totally distinct from the Asiatic ; the nu merous American dialects dialects and their thei r general dissim dis simila ilarit rity, y, and the many singular customs which are nevertheless com m o n to all those tribes, together  with their universal ignor ance of the use of metals, might lead to the same conclusion.  Nev  Ne v ert er t h eles el esss the th e eastern islands, which are clearly clea rly proved,  by  b y speech and other infFcations, to be of  Asiatic descent, are equally destitute of the larger animals; and as the founded the the kingdoms kingdo ms of P e r u and  Mexico, strangers who founded and who came originally from A s i a or Europe, (as is histori* eally proved pro ved by Chinese Chin ese records, records, and partl par tly y by the authentic sagas of the the Mexi can s,) either either d id not bri ng those animais with them, or knew not how to preserve them when brought, we may reasonably conclude the same to have occurred  with the primitive settlers i n America. I n eastern A s i a , much may be found  that coincides generally with America. T h e extensive employment of metals and  beasts of burden i n th» th»

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[ ß . m . c H . II.

interior  o f  A f r i c a , is far  from sufficient to prove that those nations are of Asiatic origin ; no evidence exists in corro¬  boration of this opinion, and there is no ground for disputing the numerous facts which militate against its adoption. T h e physical varieties remarked in different races of man k i n d   are not, as far as has hitherto been ascertained, of  The greatest and most remarkable material importance. discrepancy is apparent in the natives of  America, who, towards the south of  that country, have so much of the negro character ; hut in the north, the white skin and other   pec  pe c u l i a r i tie ti e s of Europeans, as w e l l as the inhabitants of the west part of central A s i a , partake, part ake, i n the same same degree degree as those people, of the characteristics of the Asiatics. T h i s would  also presuppose a greater  physical flexibility and sup  plen  pl enes esss i n the th e Asiatic race, tend te ndin ing g perhaps no less to th e deterioration than to the ennobling of the original stock, since the language, historical records, and many other  circum stances, sufficiently prove the Asiatic descent of the white European family, as well as of the black inhabitants of  southern India and the Indian Islands. i k e the internal buti tion on of races of men, l ik Thus the dis tri bu mounta ins to the geologist, geologist, supplies a po port rtio ion n formation of mountains o f  our lost historical records, laying before us, as it were, a ground-plan of history, which affords in some parts the most conclu sive proofs proofs,, and i n others, others, is as equa lly kresistible and conclusive unintelligible ; for although it may assist us in tracing the general connexion, it cannot undertake to embrace the whole exuberance of  individual detail. Another  point, no less important to the historical investi gator, gator, is the i nter nt er mixt mi xt ur uree of peopl peoplee which so frequently took  place in the Persian empire, especially along the G i h o n a n d  Eup Euphra hrates tes,, towards the Caucasus and  A s i a M i n oorr , a n d  i n the centra cen trall western division o f  that anciently inhab ited  set these facts distinctly before  po  p o r t i o n o f the globe. I f to set the reader lay within the sphere of our present inquiry, I should  now endeavour to illustrate the manner in which a new people may ma y be formed fo rmed thro th roug ugh h the ef effects of co nt in ua l migration alone ; that is to say, in what way sudden the ord ina ry habits of  life would  thanges of clima te and of the Baturally lead to a great revolu rev olutio tion n i n language language and manners, so that a very trifling intermixture with branches of another 

B. 111.

CH.

H.]

OF THE TH E EARLIEST EMIGRATION.

503 50 3

stock  would suffice to  prod  pr oduc uce e an entirely new nation, stamped with a complete individuality o f  character  ; which, when the th e moment of  separation an and d fermentation ha had d subsided, would afterwards continue unaltered through thousands of  succeeding years. I t might then  be  possible  possibl e to de j ustt i c e central Āsia has  been cide with what degree of   jus usually represented i n history as the general  parent,  parent , the inexhaustible spring o f  a l l  people thence emigrating ; an and d how far, an and d i n what measure, i t i s actually clear  that the twofold stream o f  emigration, the course o f  which was more usually an and d naturally directed towards the north-west, i n this instance l ed from the east an and d south together  ; an and d how this district, i n which the intermixture of  nations was most various an and d fruitful,  became actually, from the th e earliest antiquity, the scene of  their  origin and development. While the th e emigration of  nations i s regarded merely as a n advancing impulse, which ma may y  be accounted for   by  b y any y clear   phy  ph y s i c a l causes alone, i t w i l l  be impossible to gain an ideas o f  ancient history : we should, at the th e same time, consider  the manner  i n which a greater   bran  br anc c h i s sometimes seen to divide itself  into several lesser   parts,  par ts, while those again are continually separated an and d subdivided into greater  or , on the other  hand, the constant individual varieties; or, intermixture whence, i n  process o f  time, an entirely ne new w race ma may y  prob  pr obab abll y arise, different an and d strikingly degenerate i n language an and d character. Clear  views a nd opinions, de de-duced from a thorough investigation o f  facts, ca can n alone throw light upon the chaos o f  facts an and d traditions, an and d well o r  i l l grounded theories, which form what i s usually termed ancient history. W e must not expect to recognise i n antiquity the counter par  pa r t o f  every natioá now no w existing i n A s i a , an and d still less ou r  modern geographical works should w e think  to find i n our  traces o f  a l l which have existed i n early times. Many n a th e manner  above described were i n tions which arose i n the the same manner  swallowed up a nd completely overwhelmed  by  b y others ; even as i n the th e Basque language an and d i n that <*f  t he A r n a u t s * an and d Wallachians, we still discover  faint a n d * Arnauts, the name given to the inhabitants o f  Albania. The Albanians rank, under  the name o f  Arnauts, among the flower  of  tfce Ottoman

504 50 4

HISTORICAL

IDEAS.

[ß. III. C H . 111.

feeble tokens of a nation preceding them, and probably greater and more extensive than theirs. Many other people,  prob  pr obab ably ly of even later  origin, became amalgamated  with each other, at a comparatively compa ratively recent recent per iod. iod .

L O N IS I S A TI T I ON ON A N D L E G I S L A T U R E . C H A P . H I . —   O N I N D I A N C O LO

T H I S question

has been hitherto left undisturbed, and I merely allude to it, as it appears indispensable to the con nexion of the subjec subject, t, and belongs pr prop oper erly ly to the third  and an d present part of our  inquiry. I must particularly call attention to the connexion that existed between the oldest and an d most civilised  nations of antiquity, a theme well de de  serving the patient study of every investig inve stigator ator of ancient history. Religion and mytholo myth ology gy are most most significant fea tures in this connexion, which may also be be further furt her evidenced   by  b y language and architecture : the latter, as it is seen in the o l d Egyptian, Pe rs ian, ia n, and In dian di an monument monuments, s, presents presents

some some ve ry general gen eral featur features, es, and bears bears corrob cor robora orative tive tes ti mony to the un ity of a ll Asiatic inventions. This latter   po  p o i n t it is the peculiar aim of history either to confirm o r  disprove. If the uncivilised  countries of  America a n d  Southern A f r i c a had remained in their  original necessitous a n d barbarous condition, without receiving any new impulse impul se army. The Illy Il lyri rian anss were were probably probably the original stock from which the spr ung,, but this hypothesi hypothesiss cannot cannot receive receive confirmation from Albanians sprung comparing it with the old  nlyrian tongue, because we know nothing about the latter ; still the Albanian language, whatever may be its basis, has received access accessions ions from the Greeks, Gree ks, Romans Rom ans,, Go Goths ths,, Sclavonians, Franks, and Italians : some writers have supposed them to be descendants conjectured, have retired reti red before before of  the Albani o f  Asia, and who may, it is conjectured, the advance of the sclavonian nations, that for some time followed  the track marked out by the H u n s when they they broke into Europe Eur ope.. M r . Hobhouse, who adopts the above hypothesis, supposes the basis of their  language to be the the Sclavonian. Sclavonian. Ponque Pon quevil ville le asserts the existence of a Alb anians ans them themse selv lves es,, that they are descended from the  belief   bel ief  among the Albani Fr anks) s) ; and  Miletius, a geographer of the last century, says French (? Frank they are descen descended ded from from Celts, Cel ts, who crosse crossed d over from la l a p y g i a , now the Terra di Otranto, in the kingdom of  Naples. —  Extracted  from article  Albania, in Penny Cyclopœdia.

B . 111.

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from Europe or  A s i a , implanting in them the germs of  higher intellectu intel lectual al activi act ivity, ty, cultiva cult ivation tion and move moveme ment nts, s, scarcely any history could  have existed of those countries. attr ibutee the earliest earlie st emig e migrat ration ion of the the Asiatic people I f  we attribut to some impulse higher than the mere spur  of  necessity; if the unity and  an d  similarity o f a deeply studied studie d legislatio legis lation n and sys tem of thought thoug ht be discovered discov ered among them, we ought also to remember remember the gigantic gigan tic grandeur and du dura rabil bilit ity y of  Egyp tian and Indian Indi an architecture i n contradis con tradistinction tinction to the the fra gile littleness of modern buildings. This consideration will enable us, b y analogy, analo gy, the better  to grasp the idea ide a (whi (w hich ch to modern habits of thou though ghtt certai cer tainly nly appear appear singu si ngular larly ly vast) that a l l these famous nations sprang from one stock, and  an d  that their colonies were all one people either directly o r  indirectly of Indian origin. The colonies planted by Greece and Rome appear to be of but little importance com  pare  pa red  d  with the ancient grandeur of those migrations, and  yet what important impor tant revolu rev olutio tions ns were effe effect cted ed even by thos thosee trifling changes ! It is true that the connexion between them is not always how many now forgotten forgotten immediately perceived. Th r ou gh how intermediate gradations must the doctrine of the Metempsy chosis have passed in its course from In Indi diaa to the the Dru D ruid idss of  ancient G a u l ! I n P e ru , too, too, we find  an ancient kingdom, i n which the adoration of the Sun-go Sun -god d is established, and a bra nch of the child chi ldre ren n of the the Sun, Su n, with many other  royal branch vestiges of Oriental ideas*; and were it not for the informa ist orica icall records, records, we might mig ht tion afforded  us by Chinese h istor  b u i l d  conjecture upon conjecture as to the manner in which these peculiar  doctrines became prevalent in a country so remote. T h e mighty population of the nations thence derived, the Teutons Teut ons and Persia Pe rsians ns more especially, especially, might give bir th to some difficulties. The number of the Sclavonian people taken collectively (according to geographical statements, which i n  deed generally have pther ther points i n view than the distinc tion of races), and  including a l l those those dispersed througho thro ughout ut Turkey and Germany, amounts to at least 5O,0OO,(X)O. T h e Teutonic race may also be computed at about 4O,OOO,OOO, re ckonin ning g thos thosee inhabitants of Eng E ng la nd nd,, not speakWithout recko 337. * See note ante, p . 337.

506

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[B.

m.

CH.

m.

i n g the Celtic, and the English in Nor th America. It seems, therefore, unnecessary to add, that in this as in many other  instanc instances es authentica authe ntically lly recorded recorded i n history, histor y, the prepon prep on derating mass o f a great wandering horde entirely over th e original stock, and  that, besides the gradual whelmed  the increase of population which may ma y have heen promoted b y the dispersion and extension of the people, many lesser fa commenc ncem emen ent, t, in co r  milies or tribes were, i n the ir ve ry comme  por  p oraa ted  te d  with the ruling power. L e t us consider only the progress of the L a t i n tongue, which was at first confined to the centre of Italy, the north  be  b e i n g inhabite inha bited d by Celts, Celts , and the the south south by Greek Gr eek s. H o w wonderfully has it extended from that little spot of ground  through the whole universe ! s t i l l reigni rei gning, ng, by its daught daughters ers,, the Romance languages, in - almost every portion of the world. Italian is the commercial language of the East, and  A f rrii c a ; Spanish is Portuguese of the coasts of India and  Af spoken by the greater  part of the New W o r l d , and to these we might add the social influence influence of the F r e n c h language, language, and the constant adoption of the dead  L a t i n tongue in learn science, and, i n many countries, even i n conversation convers ation i n g , science, and religious worship,—just as the Sanscrit, or at least certain forms of  that dialect, are used i n the li tu r gy of  Siam a n d  Thibet, not to mention the numerous L a t i n roots existing langua uage ges. s. T h e i n the English, German , and Wa ll ach ian lang influence and language of a people not originally numerous have been thus widely extend ext ended ed i n the space space o f two tw o thou thou*. *. sand years, although the population of their the ir peculiar  pecu liar  domi nions, even when the empire was most extensive, can rarely have exceeded  that of In di a alone. I t must not be forgotten that India has always been one of the most populous coun* tries in the world, and is so even at present, notwithstanding the numerous destructive revolutions of the last century and  the prevalence of univer uni versal sal misery mis ery and oppres oppression sion.. H o w natural, then, is the inference that the overflowing popula tion may have rendered r endered emigration emigr ation a measure of absolute necessity at the the period per iod of its ancient prospe pr osperity rity ?

The influence of the Arabians, extended more widely a n d  far fa r more more ra pi dly dl y than even that of the Romans, their  l a n  guage having been diffused by conquests, trade, a n d  colornV sation through the greatest part o f  A s i a , and even into the

B . m , CH. CH . m . ] INDIAN COLONISATION AND LEGISLATURE.

507

A f rrii c a : i t has extended interior  o f  Af exten ded also also to the In Indi dian an isle is less adjoining, and our historical records are insufficient to ex  pl  p l a i n i n what manner A r a b i a n influence influence can have reached  reached  such distant localities local ities.. A l t h o u g h the Indians Ind ians were were not uni versal conquerors, still is it not possible that some similar  influence existed even among them in much earlier times ? W e have undo undoubt ubtedl edly y sufficient sufficient reason to enterta ente rtain in the the sup su p  posi  po sitt ion, io n, and coul c ould d easily easil y show, show, i n general gener al terms at least, how i t may orig or igin in ally al ly have occurred. W e have already, in the first hook, pointed out a few single sin gle languages and people people wh i c h stand i n trifling though direct dire ct affinity affinity w i t h the parent-land, like intermediate links connecting the widely estranged  ramification of the Romans, Teu tonic ic tribes. T h e western pe Greeks, and numerous Teuton the bord border erss of Pe rs ia and T u r k i n d , ninsula of India, l y i n g on th has, from fr om the earliest period per iod,, been the seat of the highest Indian civilisation, and also its most potent dynasty. The colonies were not always founded by emigration: a very trifling number of people sufficed to form a colony, nott perhaps consisting merely no mer ely of conque conquerors rors and warri wa rriors ors,,  bu  b u t c ompr om prii s ing in g the th e most i n t e l l i gen ge n t men me n o f  their time, priests or philosophers; the former would always find  an induce ment to quit their native country and  settle among wilder  tribes, in the hope of  civilising and convert conv erting ing them them.. T h e zeal for proselytism proselyt ism is often often as as strong i n the disciples o f  erro er rorr as of truth tru th,, and i n the former, indeed, i t may m ay more, easily be combined combined w i t h selfis selfish h ambiti am bition on and  worldly views. rel igious ous colonies colonies such as I am now desc de scri ribi bing ng Priestly and religi are kn o wn to have been been common among among the Eg yp ti an s, while in Persian emigration, on the contrary, warriors and  noble no bless generally generall y took took the the lead. Th e par tiall ti all y Ind ian cha c ha racter of the Coptic languages tends to confirm this suppo sition : whether it be asserted  that the the pr prie iest stly ly found founders ers o f  those colonies settled  there immediately immedi ately on quitt qui ttin ing g thei their  r  native country, which is by no means improbable, or  that a more ancient and  civilised  Et hi op ia lay to the sout south h o f  Egypt, from whence Egyptian civilisation was first drawn.

It has been already shown that other motives and  causes,  besides  beside s the mere impulse impul se of an overflowing population, may have contribu cont ributed ted to produce emigration. emigrat ion. One on only ly need  noti ced. H o w inconceivab inconc eivable le must have been the the here be noticed.

508 50 8

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IDEAS.

[ ß . III. C H . III.

conscience b y ruin and desolation produced i n the human conscience its first decided departure from G o d , by the gui g uilt lt of the firs firstt the commencement o f strife and a nd murd mu rder  er  ! Terror  crime, the and confusion were the immediate results, and the still calm o f  feeling, of soothing reflection and intimate communion with D i v i n i t y , gave place to wild  and shuddering imagina falsehood, od, horror, horr or, and restless restless despair. H o w much mu ch of  tions, falseho th is must have h ave been endured ere the divinely favoured  a l l this  be  b e i n g could  resolve to seek a nourishment full of horror  from the lifeless body of a slaughtered animal ! The abomi nation i n which anim al nourishment nourishment is hel d by the the Brah Br ah mi ns  bear  be arss the stamp of such high antiquity, that i t seems almost like the only remaining heritage of our earliest condition. W a s it not the same inward antipathy which prompted man's fallen race to seek in the entrails of their bleeding sacrificial victims dark dar k tokens of coming com ing danger and distress, and to draw from the th e depths of the earth those metals in which (almost (almos t at the ver ve r y same same peri pe riod od wh when en he first first saw and con co n ceived  in the natural elements an immediate emanation from t h e Deity), he quickly recognised the stars and arbiters of  h i s earthly destiny, making them the means of procuring a  peace  pea cefu full subs su bsis iste tenc nce, e, a n d at the th e same t i m e i nst ns t r umen um ents ts o f  new crimes, wars, and destruction. M a y not the the unrest of  the flying murderer, the first bloodstained  criminal, have  been  be en com co m muni mu nica cate ted d e ven ve n to the th e fart fa rthe hest st e x t r e m i t y o f the th e earth? S t i l l I w i l l no nott attempt to make these facts the groundwor grou ndwork k o f m y argument, since our  belief  in them, though equally sure, rests not on the actual basis of history, nott which is, indeed, of far less ancient date. History could  no  be w r i t t e n until that awe-stru awe-struck ck horror ho rror of imaginatio n which has left traces of its it s influence i n al l the oldest oldest monuments monuments o f  the human mind  had become soothed and softened down reflect ion, remembrance, an d regret. into calm reflection, posses poss esss one one monument m onument of the the earliest earlie st I nd ia n hist hi stor ory, y, older  and more authentic than any set forth in words or  recorded i n wr itte it ten n character s—the In India dia n mode mode of  govern ment. N o legislat legis lation ion so severe severe i n a l l its enactm enactment ents, s, i n reg ard to the lower low er orders, orders, could  have been framed, except pe riod od of strife and a nd dissension, when whe n the numberless number less i n a peri sources of tumult and  division to which changes and fluctua tions had gi ve n bi r th , requi re quired red to be crushed and subdued  We

B . 111. CH. III.] INDIAN COLONISATION AND LEGISLATURE.  by  b y the strong hand of  legislative power and authority. authori ty.

509 50 9

The intermingling of tribes who, in fleeing from their mother land, became blended  with the wilder  races of mankind, m a y account for the affinity between between the Sclavonia Scla vonian n dialect and  some of the nobler forms of speech. Still those who fled  may ma y not necessarily have been the guilty or oppressed alone; many others, doubtless, who had continued  separate and un  poll  po llut uted  ed  amidst the ruin and destruction which must have  prece  pr eceded ded such su ch a syst sy stem em o f legi le gisl slat atur ure, e, fled  to distant climes, where they might rear their unpolluted  dwelling, and  an d  live and die in the exercise of their pure faith and  religion. B u t i t is not the first origin of Indian legislature alone cle arly y impressed  with tokens of war and tumult ; that i s so clearl i t bore even within itself  germs of ceaseless dissension and  internal warfare. The hist h istory ory of In di a since the time of  Alexander  the Great certainly presents little more than ‚ a series of foreign conquests and internal revolutions, which however  would  seem rather to intimate a constant inter¬ change of rulers and dynasties than any actual alteration in the laws and consti con stituti tution. on. Bu dd hi sm alone alone forms forms an ex ception, which indeed was pursued and overwhelmed, less on account of its doctrines than of its legislation, which  brok  br okee the u n i t y o f the state, and strove to remove its here ditary distinctions; and yet the doctrines of Buddha were  prom  pr omul ulga gate ted d i n the great countries adjacent in one single reg ularr course course of emigra emi gration tion.. mission rather than by any regula In earlier times, before the constitution was firmly esta¬  blished and had become almost a part of Indian life and  nature, this new doctrine must have occasioned  great changes and confusion confusion ; but when once once the indomi ind omitab table le power of the the .hereditary priesthood  * was was fixed  on a sure basis, greater  scope was left for feuds and dissensions among the warriors over  whom the legislature exerted but little influence. In deed, one of the oldest Indian poems in the Mahahharatá relates chiefly to the great civil wars between two kindred  heroes, heroes, ancestors ancestors of the the go godl dlik ikee race of king ki ngss and warr wa rrior iorss ; hut before the Cshatriyas, who were originally of the same family, were severed  from the hereditary priesthood, and  the rank ran k of each caste became so decidedly marked as it lias ever since remained, remai ned, many man y severe severe struggles and convul co nvulsion sionss must have taken place. I t was was not withou wit houtt re ason as on.. that

510

mSToRICAL IDEAS.

[ ß . m . CH. m .

Pocosrama was declared to have exterminated  wicked  kings, chastised their savage nobles, and restrained the power of  all within narrower  limits. I t i s not unfrequently unfrequent ly observed, among other characte char acter r istics of Indian tribes, that some some one race occasi occ asiona onally lly dege nerate ner ated d in to barbari bar barism, sm, — beca became me Mlecchas, as they were term te rmed ed,, — or appear to t o have hav e gone over ove r and un ited it ed them them selves with some some other people genera gen erally lly held he ld to be barbarous a n d  uncivilised. In Menu's book of Laws*, a whole series of  degenerate a n d  uncivilised  families of the Cshatriya race are enumerated, among which we recognise the names of  many famous nations : the Sakas, the Chinas, and the Pah¬ lavas, the latter probably the ancient Pahlvani or Medes, and  t h e Pahlavi may be a debased remnant of their language. Paph lagonians ians appe appear ar,, from their name, to have belonged  T h e Paphlagon to the same same race. Besides Besi des these, we have the Yavanern ; unless, as has been asserted  †, they are only one of the sects mentioned in the Puranas as practising a sensual idolatry of  nature, and propagating their faith by wars and conquests. This supposition suppo sition is by b y no means dispro dis proved ved b y the the circum stance of their being enumerated among the degenerate Cshatriyas, as both are perfectibly compatible. W e have not sufficient data to enable us to decide clearly wh at po porti rti on of the the religi re ligious ous wars of the the Indians Indi ans should   be  b e assi as sign gned ed to the th e p r i m i t i v e p e r i o d o f t h e i r h i s t o r y . I t i s not improbable, however, that, as was the case in regard  to the the doctrine doctr ine of Bu dd hi sm , introduc intr oduced ed at a later epoch, epoch, even the earliest attempts at innovation may have been too intimately connected  with the legislature and constitution t o be defe defeat ated ed witho wi tho ut a wa r. T h e great divers ity of  sects and systems formerly prevailing in India must have afforded  abun ab unda dant nt gr grou ound nd for dissension dissension and disuni dis union on ; the system at  pre  p rese sent nt e x i s t i n g , which seems to have aimed  only at bring i n g the m int o an endurable uni on, retains traces of them a l l . T h e reci procal pro cal religious religi ous hatred of the the Persi ans and  a nd  .Egyptians w i l l alone suff suffic icee to disp di sprov rovee the often-repeated  *

x. 43—45.

 f  According to extra extracts cts quoted quoted by wilford, who in his own theories

and conjec conjectur tures es is of ofte ten n very feeb feeble le,, but when when he merely quo quotes tes or  translates, translates, overpowerin overpowering g in i n strengt strength h from bis bis great knowledge of the fc»guage.

CH . m . J INDIAN COLONISATION AND AND LEGISLATURE. B.1n. CH.

511

assertion, that the polythei poly theism sm of antiquit anti quity y was tolerant i n it s nature. T h e low lo w estimation i n which polytheistic su hel d b y the professo professors rs of a more inte in tell llec ectu tual al  pe  p e r s t i t i o n was held religion like the Persian, often led to an attempt at prosely¬ tism by violence, as was the case with Cambyses ; and in the same manner manne r the believer beli everss i n popular popula r mythology mythol ogy often often indulged  i n the the most bitter, persecuting hatred of a ll who th e  bel  be l ieve ie ved  d  themselves more highly enlightened, as with the Syrian Greeks and the Jews. Both these contending ele ments existed in India; the struggle between them has relig ious wars, wars, from that period  given birth to many great religious altho ugh they now coexist coex ist i n com down to the present time : although  pa  p a r a t i v e h a r m o n y, m a n y po poin ints ts which were entirely incom  pa  p a t i b l e h a v i n g been be en w o r n do dow w n o r enfeeb enf eebled led,, while others have been excluded. I f  it be admitted  that, by the Yavanern of the Indian writings, many nations of the West, devoted to the sensual idolatry o f  nature are to he understood, we shall find  that the course by which the th e Asiatic race, carrying with them Oriental ideas and customs, extended into Greece and cen tral and southern Italy, lay along the Euphrates and  T i g r i s , through Phoenicia and  an d  A s i a M i n o r . Supposing also, what has neve r been c learly lea rly proved, that Babylon and the sur rounding countries were, in the earliest times, possessed by a people speaking the Syrian language, it is nevertheless certain that as soon as any great kingdo kin gdom m was founded, founded, an an var ious nations took place, precisely precise ly as has been influx o f various seen to happen i n late la terr time times. s. Phrygia, a tributary state dependent on Babylon, presents apother intermediate link  ; for  fo r  certainly no historian of the present day will agree with the th e ancients (who referred a l l races races of disputed or doubtful origin to the autochthones*), when they trace the numerous Hellenists o f  A s i a M i n o r   to an European origin. In aftertimes many unquestionably returned by that route route into India , a n d so probab pro bably ly i n gr gran and d emigrations emigration s of armies, armies, single heroes, heroes, o r  peaceful settlers, numbers retraced the same familiar  path  by  b y which they they ha d firs firstt quitte qui tted d the ir native land la nd.. Besides, as these great emigrations were almost always gradual in their   prog  pr ogre ress ss,, some i n t e r c o u r se a n d acqu ac quai aint ntan ance ce with those they * Autochthones, peculiar races of men, supposed to have been formed 

the slime of the earth. from the

512 51 2

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[B. [B . H I . CH. CH . III.

h a d left was constantly kept up, up , t i l l the th e remoteness o f  their  settlements, a nd still more the th e lapse o f  time, gradually estranged a nd at length entirely divided them ; so that, on afterwards meeting,  both  bo th were frequently astonished at t he undeniable evidence existing of  their  common descent. H o w many royal and an d heroic races i n Hellas and an d Italy  procee  pro ceeded ded first from A s i a M i n o r   ! T h e Babylonian empire, i f  that name  be assigned to the grand, o l d kingdom which, extending along the th e Euphrates and an d Ṭigris long  before t h e time of  the th e Persians carried its it s dominion into the very heart o f  A s i a Minor, naturally  became, from i ts situation, a maritime  powe  po wer* r*,, and an d even the th e Hellenists were, from the th e earliest  peri  pe riod od,, a naval  people  peo ple.. T h e  posi  po siti tion on o f  the th e different  people  peop le i n Italy  prove  pro vess that the th e Italian race o f  the th e interior, who wh o were of  the same descent, arrived there first  by  b y sea ; for  i f  they had ha d taken their  route across the th e A l p s i n Carniola through Venice, some signs o f  their  pro their   progre gress ss would certainly  pa rt o f  Italy. Closer  i n  be yet ye t remaining i n the northern  part vestigation may  per hapss reveal more traces o f  the o l d Indian ma y  perhap constitution i n the th e legislature of  the th e Romans, than would at first  be thought  poss  po ssib ible le.. T h e  pat  pa t ric ri c ia ian n s, on whom the th e duties o f  augurs exclusively devolved, were originally nothing more than a line o f  hereditary  prie  pr iest sts, s, a n d as they alone made war, a nd exercised other  rights o f  the warrior  race, they formed also the only real nobility (the é q u i t é s ) ; at length, however, the th e sole government o f  this absolute warlike sacerdotal aristocracy excited the th e animosity o f  the th e  people,  peo ple, and a struggle  began  beg an of  which the th e ancient history o f  that nation gives so animated an account. T h e singular  republic which Alexander o Alexander  o f  Macedon imagined himself  to have discovered i n the Indies must  be understood i n a very different sense from the Hellenic, Phoenician or  Italian free states. T h e Greeks h a d no idea of  a  perm  pe rman anen entt system o f  legislation such as had ha d  been  bee n established among the th e Indians from the th e most remote antiquity ; nor  no r  could they imagine a free and an d legislative monarchy : they  pro  pr o babl ba bly y mistook  t h e incorporated  but  bu t self-existent members o f  the great legis bo dy for  fo r  separate republics.  No  N o t w i t h s t a n d i n g the th e lative  body * I n Heeren's " Ideen ü b e r   den Handel der  alten weif.” -Vc„ a l l that an d other  ancient is known of  the ship-building of  "the Babylonians and  people will  be found.

B. III. CIL 111.] INDIAN COLON1SAT1ON AND LEGISLATURE.

513 51 3

obscur obs curity ity and confusion of the earliest Indi an histories, it it i s clear  that even then some great monarchies existed which, although permanent, were extremely limited by the here ditary rights asserted  b y the nobil nob ilit ity y and priest priesthoo hood. d. I n small smal l nations and colonies of Indian descent the republican con stitution appeared  at a subsequent period peri od ; but the the monar firstt adopt adopted, ed, par p arti ticu cula larl rly y i n countries countries chical form was that firs where, as in Persia, the warriors and nobles had the chief  affairs. I t i s share in the disposition and  arrangement of affairs. worthy of remark  that both the histor his torica icall record recordss of  o f  A s i a and the poetical legends of the south-east of Europe, border i n g upon Asia, commence with descriptions of a royal city incon ceivable ble magnificence, magnificence, wh whic ich h being bei ng subsequently subsequently o f  inconceiva ruin ru ined ed thro th rough ugh the effec ffects ts of  arrogance and luxury, became the primary cause of the dispersion of mankind, manki nd, and  gave rise to numerous migrations and the establishment of many lesser  states. If the legend of the Trojan war  have an his torical meaning, as from the stamp of antiquity impressed  upon it we are are led to believe, we shall shal l certain cert ainly ly be be justified  just ified  i n removing it from the narrow sphere of Hellenic tradition, and carrying it back to the grand circle of Asiatic legendary hist hi stor ory. y. Names Nam es of o f places, places, towns, or mountains ho hold ldin ing g a conspicuous place in tradition have so frequently been changed i n the course of time, tim e, and moved more towards towar ds the West, with the nearer  advance of the legend and the  people  peop le themsel the mselves ves,, that i t cannot now be necessary to cite any peculiar example in proof of it. It should be remembered  that these remarks tend no fur exh ibi t incident inc identally ally the great promise afforded  ther  than to exhibi  by  b y Indian study, in clearing up historical questions o f  doubtful doubtful import. Ma ny separate details in the earliest his to ry of the people of  A s i a w i l l , when more abundant mate rials have been discovered, be distinctly traced in perfect outline, and the general tenour  of the whole be clearly com  preh  pr ehen ende ded. d. We require, especially, a critical work drawn from the peculiar Indian records yet existing of the primitive history of the world wor ld,, whi ch w i l l probably be found to contain much valuable information on other  points also, and a correct translation transl ation of the the Scandapurana, Scandapurana, wh whic ich, h, as an histori his torical cal re r e cord, should be held in higher estimation than any other   book of the P u r a n a s . T h e l i t t l e we alrea al ready dy have w i l l in the

514

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[ B . m . C H . III.

mean time suffice to explain many difficult points, and very frequently just those which appear most intricate and puz zling. Though, for example, many doubts cannot now he en tertaine tert ained d as to whether wheth er any an y race of men ever qu quit itte ted d the fert f ertile ile and luxuriant regions of .Asia to migrate into int o the extreniest Scandinavian North : the theory of their having been driven onwards by succeeding hordes can hardly be adopted by any rt ic ular ul arly ly when the numerous numerous population popula tion of the historian, pa rtic Teutonic race is considered. The traditions of Indian my¬ thology, however, throw a light upon the northern impulse. those legends legends describes the won wonder derful ful mounta mou ntain in o f  Onee of those On M e r u * (or the North Pole), i n which Kuvera, the god of  this idea may have arisen ari sen wealth, is enthroned. Wh et he r this falsee tradit tra dition ionary ary interpreta interp retation, tion, or dark views view s and  from a fals superstitious ideas of natural truth, a high veneration for the  No  N o r t h certainl y prevailed i n that country, not as a secondary eircumstance in the Indian system, but a favourite idea con stantly recurring, and  indelibly impressed upon its poetical creations. Nor  would  this be the first or  only instance in Which poetical legends and old songs, intertwined  with t h e doctrines of superstition and religious observances, have had  more influence on the character and enterprises of heroes than those who study history in its political aspect alone could  easily believe. believ e. Admitting, then, that these tribes were driven northwards, nott from the mere impulse of necessity, but by an almost no supernatural idea ide a of the majesty majesty and gl or y of those those regions, and an d everyw eve rywher heree diffus diffused ed through thr oughout out the Ind I nd i a n saga sagas, s, the  pa  p a t h o f the t he T e u t o n i c race ra ce may ma y clearly be traced  from Turkind  th e G i h o n to the north shore of the Caspian Sea and  along the the Cauc Ca uc asus as us;; but i t is doubtful doubtf ul whether they afterwards afterwards directed their directed  their route towards the mountains, and  there settled, o r  followed  the course of the mighty streams, like those ancient Asiatic nations, who everywhere sought to make settlements on the banks ban ks of o f majestic ri ve rs ; as, as, for exampl exa mple, e, o n the Ganges, the N i l e , and the Euphrates. This, however, i s not the place in which to discuss the question, although it reference ence to the histo hi sto ry of ou our  r  i s one of h i gh importance i n refer o wn native land. * For a gorgeous description of this mountain see Southey's Kehama.  —  Trans.

B . 1H. C H . I V . ]

C H A P . IV .

STUDY

OF ORIENTAL

LITERATURE.

515

ON T H E G E N E R A L I M P O R T A N C E

OF THE STUDY OF T H E O R I E N T A L A N D I N D I A N L I T E R A T U R E , A N D ITS T R U E A I M A N D OBJECT.

an d  T H E copious richness of Indian literature, and the great and  valuable assistance that may be afforded by Eastern study in  phil  ph ilos osop ophy hy,, anci an cien entt his hi s t or ory y , and an d p h ilo il o l o g y ha h a v i n g been now prov ed, nothin not hing g remains except to determine the the rela r ela fully proved, tive tive value of Or ie ntal nt al literature literatu re generally gene rally,, as contrast contrasted  ed  with Eu Euro rope pean an,, and to mark mar k the the influence influence wh i c h the former  former  has already had, or may hereafter  exert, upon the latter. latt er. I t has, indeed, been the chief  object of the present treatise to display the advantages of Oriental study in this respect par ticularly. T h e H o l y Scriptures present the only bond remaining by which European habits and  thoughts are linked  with those o f  the East ; and, consequently, the present occasion appears most appropriate for exam ex amini ini ng into the connexion between Indian antiquity and the Mosaic records and revelation gene rally,--- a subjec subjectt wh ic h I inte ntiona nti onally lly avoided i n m y ex  amination of the historical evidence, fearing to plunge the in to an ocea ocean n of disputed interpretations and u n  reader  into founded hypotheses. hypotheses. Theori The ories es concer con cerning ning the race of the  N o a c h i d æ , and the true situation of  Paradise, Parad ise, do do indeed re vo volve lve i n rapid succession and countless numbers, and to sift so many varied  opinions would demand a critical and circumstantial inquiry, whic h I willingly leave to be prosecuted by others. One fact, fact, however, the most important, importan t, i f not the o nly nl y one absolutely essential as a point of religious belief, is recorded  i n the Mosaic history with so much distinctness that even subsequent interpretations have failed  in obscuring it: it tells us that man was created i n the image of G od , but that  by  b y his own sin he voluntarily debased  that divine div ine image, image, and  a nd  fell from the pure l i g h t of happiness i n wh whic ic h he had at firs firstt rejoiced. The Mosaic history does not give an ample and  detailed account of every event afterwards afterwards occurr occ urring ing ; for i t must be remembered that it was not intended for the gratifi¬ cation of curiosity alone, nor as a source of historical in butt rather  for a beacon light to indicate the path formation, bu wandered,, and while whi le the the nigh t of  from wh ic h manki nd had wandered

516 51 6

HISTORICAL

IDEAS.

[B.

m.

CH.

rv.

sin si n and superstition wrapt the world  around, to guide the chosen few into the divinely appointed way of light and  sal Indi dian an records records reveal rev eal the firs firstt growth grow th of  vation. Th us the In error and superstition, which, when the simplicity of divine faith and knowledge had once been abandoned, became con tinually more false and exaggerated, yet ever retained, even i n its it s darkest d arkest gloom, glo om, some some feeble feeble gleams of celes ce lestia tiall and  an d  glorious light. T h e contrast of truth with error ever places the former in a nd transcendent ligh li ght, t, and the histo his tory ry of  a more majestic and ancient philosophy, that is, of the Oriental system in general, w i l l therefore furnish a most instructive comment on the Scr iptures res.. I t does not appear appear surpr su rpris ising ing,, to any one H o l y Scriptu th e religion of the earliest Asiatic who wh o is conversant with the nations, that the doctrines of the Trinity and the immortality o f  the soul should have been but slightly touched upon in the O l d Testament, Testament, instead of being distin dis tinctl ctly y explained, explaine d, or  insisted  upon, as forming the groundwork of the teaching of  Moses. It can hardly, indeed, be considered probable that inst ructed ted i n al a l l the wisdom wisd om of the Moses, who had been instruc Egyptians, could  have been ignorant of a doctrine so com monly received among all the civilised  nations of  A s i a ; but we see that, as with the Indians, so in many other nations, the grossest errors and superstitions had become almost in separably annexed to the lofty truth of the immortality of the soul ; and  thus the conduct of the Divine Lawgiver  of the Hebrew people appears neither unaccountable nor  difficult to be explained. T h e divinely appointed prophet of the Hebrews has fre quently been reproached  with intolerance in so severely re  je  j e c t i n g other families or people, and keeping the Hebrew nation and doctrines so completely separate from every other  nation in the world. But the injustice of such unworthy reproaches would  long since have been seen, had it been  poss  po ssib ible le for men of the present day to realise i n idea the remember, r, condition of the East at that period. L e t them remembe that although the wisest and most civilised  nations of an tiquity inhe in heri rite ted d some some few few ling li ng er in g gleams gleams of sacred sacred ligh li ght, t, yet all were distorted and confused, and frequently, among  bo  b o t h P e r s i a n s and an d I nd ndia ians ns,, the noblest nobl est and an d pu pure rest st truths had  ha d   become  beco me p o l l u t e d sp s p rin ri n gs of fata fa tall e r r o r and  an d  grovelling super-

B . HL CH. CH . I V.] V. ]

STUDY OF ORIENTAL LITERATURE.

517 51 7

stition. The necessity of a severe uncompromising isolation o f  the Heb H ebre rews ws is therefore seen seen at a glance ; and how en en  tirely must the zeal of that man, rejecting all minor consider ations, have been absorbed in the sole object of so guarding the costly j ew el of divi di vine ne tr ut h committed to his trust, trust, as not only to save it from destruction, but to keep it ever pure and  unpolluted. It may be true that Jehovah was considered by many individual Israelites only i n the ligh li ghtt of a national G o d  ;  bu  b u t we now n owhe here re disc di scov over er any an y indi in dica cati tion onss of o f h i s h a v i n g been bee n thus esteem esteemed ed by b y the prophets prophets or other insp in spir ired ed teachers. teachers. Th e doctrine of the close and special union with Go d, into into which men me n are permitted by faith to enter, and into which they are actually received in the Christian church chu rch,, — the grand gran d doc trine of  Christianity, — w i l l be strangely misunderstood, if  confounded  with those errors on which the reproach of i n  tolerance, alleged against the Jews of the O l d  Testament, has  been  be en founde fou nded. d. philosoph y, and, indeed, of the Many passages i n the philosophy, religious observances of Fo, bear a striking but false affinity with Christianity ; single doctrines also are often wonderfully i n accordance, but defaced and distorted ; every thing is out of  proportion, and made to bear a different signification ; the resemblance, in fact, that apes bear to men. T h e affinity o f  the Or ie nt al system (as (as has been shown by the review rev iew of  that  phil  ph ilos osop ophy hy give gi ven n i n the second book book of o f this th is treatise) is far  more true and  an d  lofty, partic ularly i n the the Pe rsia n religion, i n which the adoration of light, and the doctrine of the con¬ tending principles of good and evil, have a remarkable affinity with the teaching of the O l d , as well as of the New Cove nant. The too exclusive adoption of these vestiges of higher  truths, taking their resemblance, whether spurious or genuine, for  perfect similarity, gave rise to various errors in the early Christian church, as, for example, to the heresy of Manes and  others. No ne of the errone erroneous ous princip prin ciples les of the Pers Pe rsia ian n my thology are found in the H o l y Scriptures ; what they teach is not based on a philosophical system, but on H o l y Revelation, and an d when seized seized and comprehended by the lig li g ht of inward  i l l u  lea d to the knowledge know ledge of pure and eternal etern al tr ut h. mination, w i l l lead Still the comparison between these systems, whether the apparent apparent connexion connex ion between between them be rea l or ima ginary gin ary , may afford historical and external evidence that one idea go-

518 51 8

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[ B . III. CH. IV.

verns vern s and pervade pervadess the O l d Testament Testam ent as as well as the New, differing only in this, that in one it is merely indicated or  the other it shines shines forth for th in i n full lustre : the  pref  pr efig igur ured ed,, i n the int erpretat etation ion of the O l d Testament must cons conse e Christian interpr quently be the true one ; and a more more perfect know knowledg ledgee o f  the histor his tory y of Ori ent al genius genius w i l l give it fuller  confirma tion, even from extraneous circumstances. This is important, an d  would  be considered  merely in a critical point of  view, and  so, even supposing the Scriptures to be of no higher autho th an any other system system of Or ie ntal nt al formation, though tho ugh rity than even in that case, they must be regarded as the most pro found  and severely severely grand gran d of a l l . H o w , indeed, can any work  be understood or explained, except by reference to the system on which it is based ? And where can that system  be best grappled with, except where i t is most most clea cl earl rly y deve al lowed ed to be loped  a n d  v i v i d l y expressed ? This must be allow the case with the N e w Testament, and  w i l l be admitted by every unprejudiced  critic, who compares it with the th e incom  plet  pl etee signification of the Ol O l d Testament, Testament, or the part pa rtly ly erro err o neous neous system system of P er si an belief. belief. T h e sense of the Old  Testament can never be unfolded by merely exigetical c r i t i  though gh superior i n lear le arni ning ng and erudit eru dit ion to a l l cism, even thou those doctors of the Talmud *, on whom the li gh ghtt of the Gos brig ig hten ht enin in g and dispersing dispersi ng the heavy darkne darkness, ss, had not  pe  p e l, br yet dawned. T h e vestiges vestiges of divi di vine ne tr ut h are are every ever y where the most most ancient Or ie nt al syst system emss i n pa rt ic u discovered, i n the though gh,, perhaps, but bu t in i n isolate isol ated d fragments ; but the j u st lar, thou connexion of the whole, freed  from int erm ing lin g errors errors and  superstitions, can only be traced by the aid of  Christianity, fford ds a clue to a l l such pr prin inci cipl ples es of t r ut h and  wis which affor dom, as are too lofty in their truth to have been elicited  b y the efforts of the reason or the imagination. 1

I proceed to notice, in a few words, the general influence

nt al philosophy (an important, important, and certainly certai nly by no o f  Or ie ntal means means the most infer inf erio iorr branch bran ch of  which is of Indi an orig in, ) on the European mind. Great as that influence has been, it * A n excellent excellent example of this ancient style of exposition, is given i n the History of the Religion of Jesus, by Count Stolberg, — a work dis tinguished  by that calm energy, unvarying earnestness, and beautiful

clearness, which is seen only when lofty science and knowledge are made the ruling spring and princip pr inciple le of life.

HI . CH. 1 v . ] B . HI.

STUDY o F ORIENTAL LITERATURE.

519

is doubtful whether any simple Oriental system ever reached 

Eu ro rope pe i n a pure, un mixe mi xe d form : whatever was was borrowed  from from thence thence,, eith e ither er b y the Gr ee k s or more modern nations, th e appears to have spontaneously incorporated  itself with the existing doctrines, and  thus to have become in various ways changed and altered. Before attempting to show the influence exerted by Oriental ideas on European philosophy, we must attempt to give an introductory sketch of its progress and peculiar cha racter. Eu Euro rope pean an philosophy philo sophy,, at its it s fir first st upsoaring i n a l l the as yet unenfeebled unenfeebled vigo vi gour ur of o f the human mind mi nd , was purely pur ely ideal. I do not understand understa nd by this thi s expression merely the doctrine of the unity of all created existences, nor the nothingness of extern ext ernal al appearances; but that philosophy which originates in the idea of self-operating strength and  vita vitall acti ac tivi vi ty , — the the philosop phil osophy hy of the stoics stoics of  o f Aristotle, and of many man y ancient Gree Gr eeks ks.. If, though thou gh the knowledge of  ear ly lost, the idea of  infinity still Revelation had been too early existed, what could  be more natural than that men should   be disp di spos osed ed to refe re ferr e v e r y t h i n g to t h e i r o w n stre st reng ngth th a n d  ideas, engender engendered ed by a sp ir itua it ua l wisdom ? A l l those lofty ideas, an d  which had from from infanc inf ancy y been been familiar  to their  religion, and  minds, they held to be of their own creation, and peculiarly their  own ow n proper pro perty ty ; for few and feebl feeblee were wer e the traces o f  therein in recognised, and their their conne con nexio xion n was too divinity there overloo ked and lost. I t is true that no system of  phi¬ easily overlooked sophy ever framed by any people was actual act ually ly self-created, self-created, O R  existed completely distinct from the fountains and  univer sal traditio trad ition. n. H a d human human wisdom, wisdom, indee indeed, d, streams of universal  been  be en endo en dowed  wed  with such wonderful unassisted power, it would  have been more successful in avoiding the numerous and unspeakable errors which attended its development i n every period, from that time down to the present. But, on the contrary, errors accumulated so rapidly, that phi losophy soon degenerated degenerated into in to mere scepticism, and the vigour  o f  the hum h uman an understanding, understandin g, becoming at length len gth enfeebled by continued doubt and unbelief, philosophy next declined  into an empiric theory; the idea of a Supreme D i v i n i t y , if admitted in words, was denied in principle, t i l l i t became became almost almost anni an nihi hila late ted d ; and man, under unde r the specious specious  plea  pl ea of confining himself  within the sphere o f  utility and  an d 

520 52 0

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[ ß . HI. CH . 1 v . HI . CH.

and rational rat ionalism, ism, cast cast aside aside,, as an erri er ri ng and romantic r omantic i m   puls  pu lse, e, that lofty spirit, intellect and sentiment, which alone distinguished  him from the brute creation. crea tion. Some few re re  flecti flecting ng minds min ds were occasional occas ionally ly roused b y the mise mi sery ry o f  this thi s lost condit con dition ion of the the soul ; and  finding it impossible to  pers  pe rseve evere re the th e r ein ei n , sought a path pa th of r e t u r n to the th e olde ol derr a n d   bett  be tter  er  philosophy ; and according to the earnestness of their  search, were they sure of corresponding success. Such has been the simple progress of European philosophy from the earliest Greek  sages up to the present time. This revolution of a philosophy which certainly had not sce pti lost the idea of  infinity and self-creative power, to scepti an d  finally to empiri empi rici cism sm,, has has been more than t han once cism and  repeated, repeated, and each recurrenc recur rencee differed differed from the preced pre ceding, ing, inasmuch as men were acquainted  acquainte d  with and employed it, to link  the new in some measure with the old, ol d, either by con co n trast or remodelling. remodellin g. The continual adoption of various portions of Oriental  phil  ph ilos osop oph h y, as a foreign and stimul sti mulati ating ng material, materi al, has has pr pro o duced even more irregularity and  vacillation in the progress o f  the the Eur opean ope an m i nd i n modern time times. s. W i t ho ut the the con co n stant recurrence of this animating princip pri nciple, le, Europe Eur opean an genius would  never have soared so high, nor  would  its de cline have been so sudden. Even the loftiest loftiest philosophy philos ophy o f  the Europeans, the idealism of reason, as it is set forth by Greek  philosophers, appears, in comparison with the abund ant light and vigour of Oriental idealism, like a feeble Pro methean spark spar k i n the full flood  and heavenly glor gl or y of the the noon-day sun, faltering falter ing and feeble feeble,, and ever ready to be ex tinguished : still the more trifling the dimensions, the greater  was the artistic skill employed employed i n pourtrayin pourt raying g its form and  arrangement. It is true, indeed, that Oriental wisdom among the Greeks, as w e l l as the moderns, frequently flowed  from a turbid  spring. How greatly, even in the time of the modern Pla¬ tonists and Gnostics, the whole circle of European knowledge had already arrived at the lowest state of degeneracy and  mingling of systems, is too well kno known wn to require further  furthe r  elucidation. I n what is usually termed termed Orient Ori ental al philosophy, the old system of emanation is always more or less mixed  up with Dualism and Panth Pa ntheis eism, m, the ancient philos p hilosophy ophy o f 

ß. 1H. CH. 1v.]

STUDY OF ORIENTAL LITERATURE-

521 52 1

numbers, and the doctrine of the two principles already mentioned. This has not happened in later times only, it was pro  babl  ba bly y the th e case i n the era of Pythagoras, Pythago ras, i f we may re ly on what are are usuall usu ally y considered the most most ancient and authentic records of his philos phi losoph ophy. y. It is difficult to decide whether  the N um be r philosophy philosop hy of Pythagoras Pythago ras was of his own i n  vention, or of Eastern origin ; but certainly neither  that doctrine nor the opposition of the twofold  primary powers and an d existences belong belo ng to the system whence he drew dre w the doctrine of the Metempsychosis. S t i l l we have seen that i n A s i a , even at an earl e arlier ier period, peri od, the more recent doctrines doctr ines annexed annexe d themselves themselves to the old, either eithe r by transformation transformatio n or  intermixture ; but if each separate system could  be disti nctl y arranged i n its proper order, the task of analys ing and traci tra cing ng out their various compound forms and modifications would   be c o m p a rati ra tiv v e l y easy. eas y. A general knowledge of philosophy is indispensable for  the investigation of Ori ent al literature, and part icularly icul arly for  the Indian branch of it. This general knowledge must be understood understood to mean something more than a merely merel y dialec dia lectic tic skill, enabling us to construct, according to an almost fixed  and precise revolving system, whatever  appears new to us, and to which ancient philosophers were strangers ; but rather  an intimate acquaintance with the spirit of  those grand old systems which had such mighty influence on the outward destiny of  mankind. It is certain, however, that no one w i l l be able to seize seize this thi s spir sp irit it who has not fathomed the the depths o f  those speculative ideas by his own personal investi gation. T h e important place occupied by philosophy in Indian literature will be clearly understood if we recall to mind  the genera gen erall revi re view ew of the the system, system, and the four most important impo rtant epochs, gi v en i n the second book. I n the firs firstt epoch, that o f  the Veda Ve dass and a l l the ancient works wor ks which are most closely connected  with them ; and i n the t hi rd epoch, epoch, that of the Puranas and the V y a s á ; philosophy is so inseparably in te r woven with each that it were vain to attempt to comprehend  them without with out her aid . Poet Po etry ry,, i n the sec secon ond d period, the the me dium point, as it were, between both, may appear  to have a more distinct disti nct existence, separate from philosophy, b u t still f a r 

522 52 2

HISTORICAL IDEAS.

[ B . I I I . C H . 1V,

less so than has always been the case among the Greeks and  other Europeans ; while in the fourth epoch, in the time of  Câlidâs, and the other  poets under Vikramaditya, when Indian  poet  po etrr y bloo bl oome med d i n still more decided independence, it was  based  base d up upon on cer ce r t a in anci an cien entt philosophical ideas, from which i t cannot with any propriety be divided. Indian study and research i n general should sho uld be pursued  gra nder view viewss and opinions opinion s of those those able men o f  with the grander the fift fiftee eent nth h and sixt s ixteen eenth th centuries, cent uries, who fir first st r ev iv ed the study of Gree Gr ee k and East Ea ster ern n liter li teratu ature re ; for i t must not be imagined  that a bare knowledge of the language is sufficient to enti en titl tlee its it s posse possesso ssorr to the reputa rep utation tion of a learne lea rned d man ; and, indeed, there were few among the classical scholars of  that period  who did not unite with their knowledge of  lan guage an earnest study of  philosophy, and the whole abund ance of  historical science. Every distinct branch of science being thus united into one indivisible body, would  operate with so much greater  energy, and the majesty of antiquity, thus seized and em  bodi  bo died ed,, might, even in our time, become a fertile source of  new productions. producti ons. I n fact, fact, no noth thin ing g that exists can actually  be called  new ; all must be kindled  and inspired by ancient memories, instructed by departed genius, and formed and  developed  by antique power and energy. W h i l e , on the other hand, all those subtle reasoners, who live only in the  presen  pre sent, t, a n d o wn no infl in flue uenc ncee save sav e that of the spirit of the day, have almost, almost, withou wit houtt exception, except ion, embraced the ruinous ruin ous and destructive opinion that all should be created anew, and   prod  pr oduc uced ed,, as i t wer w ere, e, from nothing. A l l knowledge of ancient  phil  ph ilos osop ophy hy is, therefore, fallen into contempt, and the taste for  it almost annihilated; philology is degraded into an empty fruitless study of letters and words, and, notwith standing some slight progress in particular points, is, on the whole,- completely impaired, and has no vita vitall strength or  spirit remaining i n it. Great injury has been done to this science by the prevail i n g prejudice, which keeps the study of Indian mythology entirely distinct from the Gr ee k ; the idea ide a of such a separa bei ng expedient, expedient, is an arbitra arbi tra ry assumpti assumption, on, without wit hout any tion being tru th. Th e dwellers i n A s i a and the people foundation i n truth. popula r works wor ks as members o f  Eu ro pe ought to he treated i n popular o f  one vast family, and their history w i l l never be separated 

B. m . CH. CH . IV.]

STUDY OF ORIENTAL LITERATURE.

523 52 3

an y student, anxious fully to comprehend the bearing of   by  b y any the whole ; but the idea of Or ie nt al genius genius and literat lite rature ure enter tained i n the present day is founded founded on that generally entertained o f  a few Asiatic writers only, the Persians and Arabi Ar abi ans i n the Ol O l d Testament, Testam ent, i n as as far as  pa  p a r t i c u l a r , and a few books o f the we may be permitted to view the latter as poetry ; but there are many other  Asiatic nations to whom this ordina or dinary ry opinion is by no mean meanss applicable. applicable . T h e chief  peculiarities of  Orien t a l literature are supposed to consist in a bold  and  an d  lavish  pomp  po mp o f ima im a ger ge r y, and an d i n the tende te ndenc ncy y to alle al lego gory ry usu us u ally al ly combined  with those those qualities qual ities.. T h e influence influence of a southern ma y be a co-operati co-op erating ng cause cause,, but i t cert ce rtai ainl nly y is not climate may the chief  source of  that richness of fancy, since in many other nations, equally poetical in their character, and  lying i n the same latitude, it is far less predominant than in the Indian. Their highly intellectual religion should rather be cited  as the the operatin oper ating g caus cause. e. W h er ev e r such a religion  pre  pr e vai va i l s — whether it be profoundly philosophical, an imme diate emanation from the divine spirit of  love, or rude and  wild, like the haughty enthusiam kindled  by the doctrines of  Mahomet, — everywhere, while poetry and the poetical tem  pera  pe rame ment nt exis ex ists ts,, fancy, fan cy, deba de barr rred  ed  from the wide field  o f  mythology, w i l l find  scop scopee for its it s richn richnes esss and luxu lu xuri rian ance ce i n imager y. F o r this rea reaso son n the so-called so-called Orie Or ient ntal al  bold   bo ld  poetical imagery. character is as strikingly seen in many poets of the Middle Sp ain alon alone, e, but i n I ta ly and Ger man y, as i n Ages, not i n Spain the Roman tic po poem emss of the the Persians Per sians and Arab Ar abia ia ns. ns . W e need not attribute this singular circumstance to the influence o f  the Crusades, as the same result would  naturally follow the same same causes causes i n E u r op e as i n A s i a . But how does from the this pomp of  colouring and imagery harmonise with the dry  pros  pr osai aicc styl st ylee o f the Chi Ch i nese ne se,, or t he beau be auti tiff ul simplicity o f  Indian writings ? It is true that there is no lack of flowery imagery and ornament in the Socuntalâ o f  Câlidâ Câl idâss *, yet it is free from any tinge tin ge of exaggeration. exaggerat ion. T h e more more ancient was one of the most admired of Indian Ind ian poet poets. s. A tradi tr aditio tion, n, * Calidâsâ was very generally general ly believed in In Indi dia, a, makes makes hi m on onee of the nine gems gems or dis dis  tinguished  poets who lived  at the court of  king Vicramáditya. If by this name the same sovereign is to he understood  from whose reign (a. c. 56) the years of the Samvat æra are counted, Calidâsâ must have flourished flourished about the middle midd le o f the century preceding the commen commenceme cement nt æra . Another  king of the name name Vicramâditya, ascended the of  our æra.

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[ß. HI. C H . IV. IV .

I n d i a n poems are even less imaginative than the most simple an d  severe of the G r e e k   writings ; the soul-felt intensity o f  emotion, vivifying and  inspiring a l l ; — the bright clearness and  an d  decision of the conception, has no affinity with the wild fire, the restless gleaming of a glowing and  an d  capricious fancy. A n o t h e r   feature, w h i c h has been declared  to be characteristic o f  Oriental writings, is traced  chiefly in the progress of the ideas, in the arrangement and  an d  construction of the theme, which, from i t s greater  obscurity, often differs widely from that of the Greeks. ca n hardly be consi This, however, can dered  applicable to Indian works, bu butt rather  to those of the other  nations already named. I t coincides i n some measure an d  their  indeed, with their  descriptive luxuriance of  fancy, and 

throne A . D . 191, and a third in A . D . 441 ; and several considerations, hi ghly ly polished polished style in which the the works attributed to especially the high Calidâsâ are are writte wri tten, n, favour favour the assumption that the poet lived  under  Vicramâditya I I . A t a l l even events ts,, this author author must be distinguished from a poet of the same name, who lived  in the twelfth century at the court of  Râja Bhôja, the sovereign of  Dhârâ. However imperfect our inform ation about Calidâsâ may be, we possess in his works abundant evidence o f  the power of his genius, w e do not hesitate to pronounce him the most universal, the least constrained by national peculiarities, not merely o f  all Indian, but of all Asiatic poets with whose works we are ac quainted, and to this elevated  tone of mind, which, whi ch, while whi le seemin seeming g to  breathe the purely human air of Greece, yet retains all the quickness and glow of feeling, all the vividness and description of imagery of the Hindoos, must, i n our opinion, opinio n, he mainly attributed the undivided undivide d ad miration with which the translation of his drama, Saconta1â, by Sir  W i l liam Jones, (the first work  that made known the name of  Calidâsâ to Europe Eur opeans ans)) has has been been every every where where received. received. Th This is translation transl ation appeared  appeared  first time at Calcutta in 178 1789, 9, but was was soon soon reprinted i n En Engl glan and, d, for  the first and was from the English, at an early period per iod,, re-translated into int o several several other other lang langua uage gess of Europe Eur ope.. We may particul part icularly arly notice the German translation translat ion by George Foster, who appended appended to it a glossary glossary explanatory o f  the allusions to Indian mythology, natural history, & c . The popu larity which the play has acquired on the Continent, is attested  by the fact that several attempts have been made to adapt it to the stage. I n 1830, the Sanscrit Sanscri t text of  Sacontalâ was was published publi shed at Pari Pa ris, s, from a manuscript belonging to the Bibliothèque du R o i , with an original trans lation by the late profes professo sorr A . Chéry. Th Thee Mêgha Duta, or  French translation " Cloud-messenger," a lyrical poem of only 116  stanzas, by the same  poet, contains the complaints of a demi-god banished to earth, who entreats a passing cloud to convey an affectionate message to his wife. I t was was edited, with wi th a translation translation into English verse, with notes by H . H . Wilson, Calcut Cal cutta, ta, 1813 1813,4to. ,4to. There are four other poem poemss by Calidâsâ  from Knight's extant, one of which is unfinished.—   Extracted  Extracted and abridged  Penny

Cyclopædia.

CH . 1v.] B. 111. CH.

STUDY OF ORIENTAL LITERATURE.

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inclination to allegory : when these tendencies predominate i n details, the same dari da ring ng symbolism symbo lism frequently frequently perva pervades des the entire composition, giving to the arrangement a certain de obscurit y. T h i s want of clear clearnes nesss may also also be i n gree of obscurity.  part  pa rt attributed to the fundamental differences in grammar, noticed  i n the first first book. I t is m y opini opi nion on,, therefor therefore, e, that a l l works on philosophy (unless some higher influence order  i t otherwise) should  trace the language from its first natural origin down to the point at which it first became enfeebled, a n d  thence sunk  deeper  and  an d  deeper  in the abyss of degrada tion. The construction of languages, which form their  grammar by suffixa and  an d  affixa, is so different in details, that the chain of thought easily becomes perplexed and  difficult to follow. Those which, instead of being declined by inflec tions of the p rimi ri miti tive ve root, root, preserv preservee their  the ir  original form, and  supply the place of  those annexed anne xed syllables sylla bles by the use use of  distinct auxiliary verbs and prepositions, are more conve nient for general use, and easy and perspicuous in composi tion ; bu butt too soon become become neglig neg ligent ent and an d formless. S u c h languages as the Greek and Indian, on the contrary, in which every modification of the the original meaning is produced   by  b y inflection of the roots, are naturally simple and beautiful,  bo  b o t h i n m i n o r g ramm ra mmaa t ica ic a l deta de tails ils and an d i n the th e gene ge nera rall compo com po sition and arrangements. I n this thi s latter particu pa rticu lar the term Orient Ori ental, al, i n the sense usu ally supposed supposed to convey, w i l l be found  appli which i t is usually cable to to very ve ry few nations. T h e exceptions are, indeed, indeed , sufficiently numerous. numerous. Th us the obscurity obsc urity of  Æ s c h y l u s , especially in the Choruses, appears highly Oriental, although clothed  in an Hellenic form ; but that obscurity springs rather  from an impassioned tumultuous excitement, and  the hurrying events of the tragedy, than from a general actu ac tual al want of o f capacit cap acity y for clearness clearness i n isolated featur features. es. T o the th e l y ri c boldness boldness o f the similes simi les and allusions all usions o f  P i n  dar, the incoherence of his h is transitions transitio ns gives giv es his poetry a tinge of  Orie Or ient ntal alis ism m ; and the heroic grandeur of the wildness and  tenderness of the conception, the m in gl in g wildness theme, assimilate greatly to all that we have yet seen of  deep-thi nking philos philosophe ophers rs of Eu Euro rope pe Indian poetry. T h e deep-thinking have almost always shown a decided preference for ancient Oriental literature. Many great poets among the Greeks are distinguished by the same peculiar pecu liar feeling ; and Dante, Dan te,

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[B. [B . III. III. CH. CH . IV.

among the moderns, approxi app roximat mates, es, thou though gh i n a manner manne r less universally recognised, to Orie Or ient ntai ai grandeur of style and  diction. Europe ans and Asiatics form only A s i n popular histo ry, the Europeans one great family, a n d  A s i a and Europe one indivisible body, we ought to contemplate the the litera lit eratur turee o f a l l civilised  people as the progre pro gressi ssive ve development of on onee entire ent ire system, syst em, or as as a single perfect structure. A l l prejudiced and narrow ideas w i l l thus unconsciously disappear, many points w i l l first  beco  be come me intelligible in, their general connexion ‚ and every feature thus viewed w i l l appear  i n a new light light.. It is most natural that the deep-souled genius of the M i d d l e Ages, the influence of which still pervades both our  legislature and  daily life, a n d  which in history, poetry, and  general habits, stands most closely connected  with our own, should  claim from us peculiar regard rega rd and investigat invest igation ion : and  the study of the classics forms not only the best ground¬ work, but is, indeed, an almost necessary school and prepar le arni ning ng.. T h e science science of  criticism has ation for a l l other lear never nev er been been so completel compl etely y and an d perfectly perfe ctly developed i n any other literature ; and, in short, Grecian art, philosophy, and   poet  po etry ry,, i f n o t r e gar ga r d e d m e r e l y i n t h e i r o u t w a r d  form, as  bet  be t ter  te r  learned  critics, connoisseurs, and  æsthetic philosophers are too prone to conside con siderr them, are not only of high intrin sic si c value, but form an indispensable connecting l i n k k   between nati on and Or ie nt al traditi on, even as the the European imagi nation literature of the Romans marks the transition from the Greek  t o that of the Middle Ages. The hitherto unknown themes of early earl y anti an tiqu quit ity y can be disclosed to us only by ex  pl  p l o r i n g the th e rich mine of Indi In dian an literatur e, and  laying bare i t s treasures of poetical beauty and  philosophical research. T h e too partial, almost wilful devotion to classical learn preva eva iled il ed du ri ng the the last century, century , drew men's men's ing, which pr minds too to o widely astray —too —t oo far  from the sole source o f  lofty trut tr uth h ; but the the study of Oriental literature, to us so completely novel in structure and ideas, w i l l , as we pene trate more deeply into it, bring back a new idea of the D i v i n i t y , and  an d  restore that vigour to the intellect, that truth and inten sity of feeling to the soul, which invests a l l art, science, and literature with new and glorious life.