the life of william carey-第51部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　Mastering　the　complex　classical　speech　and　literature　of　the　learned　and　priestly　class；　and　living　with　his　Master's　sympathy　among　the　people　whom　that　class　oppresses；　he　takes　the　popular　dialects　which　are　instinct　with　the　life　of　the　future；　where　they　are　wildly　luxuriant　he　brings　them　under　law；　where　they　are　barren　he　enriches　them　from　the　parent　stock　so　as　to　make　them　the　vehicle　of　ideas　such　as　Greek　gave　to　Europe；　and　in　time　he　brings　to　the　birth　nations　worthy　of　the　name　by　a　national　language　and　literature　lighted　up　with　the　ideas　of　the　Book　which　he　is　the　first　to　translate。

This　was　what　Carey　did　for　the　speech　of　the　Bengalees。　　To　them；　as　the　historians　of　the　fast　approaching　Christian　future　will　recognise；　he　was　made　what　the　Saxon　Boniface　had　become　to　the　Germans；　or　the　Northumbrian　Baeda　and　Wyclif　to　the　English。　　The　transition　period　of　English；　from　1150　when　its　modern　grammatical　form　prevailed；　to　the　fifteenth　century　when　the　rich　dialects　gave　place　to　the　literary　standard；　has　its　central　date　in　1362。　　Then　Edward　the　Third　made　English　take　the　place　of　French　as　the　public　language　of　justice　and　legislation；　closely　followed　by　Wyclif's　English　Bible。　　Carey's　one　Indian　life　of　forty　years　marks　the　similar　transition　stage　of　Bengali；　including　the　parallel　regulation　of　1829；　which　abolished　Persian；　made　by　the　Mohammedan　conquerors　the　language　of　the　courts；　and　put　in　its　place　Bengali　and　the　vernaculars　of　the　other　provinces。

When　Carey　began　to　work　in　Calcutta　and　Dinapoor　in　1792…93　Bengali　had　no　printed　and　hardly　any　written　literature。　　The　very　written　characters　were　justly　described　by　Colebrooke　as　nothing　else　but　the　difficult　and　beautiful　Sanskrit　Devanagari　deformed　for　the　sake　of　expeditious　writings；　such　as　accounts。　　It　was　the　new　vaishnava　faith　of　the　Nuddea　reformer　Chaitanya　which　led　to　the　composition　of　the　first　Bengali　prose。22　The　Brahmans　and　the　Mohammedan　rulers　alike　treated　Bengalithough　〃it　arose　from　the　tomb　of　the　Sanskrit；〃　as　Italian　did　from　Latin　under　Dante's　inspirationas　fit　only　for　〃demons　and　women。〃　　In　the　generation　before　Carey　there　flourished　at　the　same　Oxford　of　India；　as　Nuddea　has　been　called；　Raja　Krishna　Rai；　who　did　for　Bengali　what　our　own　King　Alfred　accomplished　for　English　prose。　　Moved；　however；　chiefly　by　a　zeal　for　Hindooism；　which　caused　him　to　put　a　Soodra　to　death　for　marrying　into　a　Brahman　family；　he　himself　wrote　the　vernacular　and　spent　money　in　gifts；　which　〃encouraged　the　people　to　study　Bengali　with　unusual　diligence。〃　　But　when；　forty　years　after　that；　Carey　visited　Nuddea　he　could　not　discover　more　than　forty　separate　works；　all　in　manuscript；　as　the　whole　literature　of　30；000；000　of　people　up　to　that　time。　　A　press　had　been　at　work　on　the　opposite　side　of　the　river　for　fifteen　years；　but　Halhed's　grammar　was　still　the　only　as　it　was　the　most　ancient　printed　book。　　One　Baboo　Ram；　from　Upper　India；　was　the　first　native　who　established　a　press　in　Calcutta；　and　that　only　under　the　influence　of　Colebrooke；　to　print　the　Sanskrit　classics。　　The　first　Bengali　who；　on　his　own　account；　printed　works　in　the　vernacular　on　trade　principles；　was　Gunga　Kishore；　whom　Carey　and　Ward　had　trained　at　Serampore。　　He　soon　made　so　large　a　fortune　by　his　own　press　that　three　native　rivals　had　sprung　up　by　1820；　when　twenty…seven　separate　books；　or　15；000　copies；　had　been　sold　to　natives　within　ten　years。

For　nearly　all　these　Serampore　supplied　the　type。　　But　all　were　in　another　sense　the　result　of　Carey's　action。　　His　first　edition　of　the　Bengali　New　Testament　appeared　in　1801；　his　Grammar　in　the　same　year；　and　at　the　same　time　his　Colloquies；　or　〃dialogues　intended　to　facilitate　the　acquiring　of　the　Bengali　language；〃　which　he　wrote　out　of　the　abundance　of　his　knowledge　of　native　thought；　idioms；　and　even　slang；　to　enable　students　to　converse　with　all　classes　of　society；　as　Erasmus　had　done　in　another　way。　　His　Dictionary　of　80；000　words　began　to　appear　in　1815。　　Knowing；　however；　that　in　the　long　run　the　literature　of　a　nation　must　be　of　indigenous　growth；　he　at　once　pressed　the　natives　into　this　service。　　His　first　pundit；　Ram　Basu；　was　a　most　accomplished　Bengali　scholar。　　This　able　man；　who　lacked　the　courage　to　profess　Christ　in　the　end；　wrote　the　first　tract；　the　Gospel　Messenger；　and　the　first　pamphlet　exposing　Hindooism；　both　of　which　had　an　enormous　sale　and　caused　much　excitement。　　On　the　historical　side　Carey　induced　him　to　publish　in　1801　the　Life　of　Raja　Pratapaditya；　the　last　king　of　Sagar　Island。　At　first　the　new　professor　could　not　find　reading　books　for　his　Bengali　class　in　the　college　of　Fort　William。　　He；　his　pundits；　especially　Mritunjaya　who　has　been　compared　in　his　physique　and　knowledge　to　Dr。　Samuel　Johnson；　and　even　the　young　civilian　students；　were　for　many　years　compelled　to　write　Bengali　text…books；　including　translations　of　Virgil's　苙eid　and　Shakspere's　Tempest。　The　School　Book　Society　took　up　the　work；　encouraging　such　a　man　as　Ram　Komal　Sen；　the　printer　who　became　chief　native　official　of　the　Bank　of　Bengal　and　father　of　the　late　Keshab　Chunder　Sen；　to　prepare　his　Bengali　dictionary。　　Self…interest　soon　enlisted　the　haughtiest　Brahmans　in　the　work　of　producing　school　and　reading　books；　till　now　the　Bengali　language　is　to　India　what　the　Italian　is　to　Europe；　and　its　native　literature　is　comparatively　as　rich。　　Nor　was　Carey　without　his　European　successor　in　the　good　work　for　a　time。　　When　his　son　Felix　died　in　1823　he　was　bewailed　as　the　coadjutor　of　Ram　Komal　Sen；　as　the　author　of　the　first　volume　of　a　Bengali　encyclop鎑ia　on　anatomy；　as　the　translator　of　Bunyan's　Pilgrim；　Goldsmith's　History　of　England；　and　Mill's　History　of　India。

Literature　cannot　be　said　to　exist　for　the　people　till　the　newspaper　appears。　　Bengal　was　the　first　non…Christian　country　into　which　the　press　had　ever　been　introduced。　　Above　all　forms　of　truth　and　faith　Christianity　seeks　free　discussion；　in　place　of　that　the　missionaries　lived　under　a　shackled　press　law　tempered　by　the　higher　instincts　of　rulers　like　Wellesley；　Hastings；　and　Bentinck；　till　Macaulay　and　Metcalfe　gained　for　it　liberty。　　When　Dr。　Marshman　in　1818　proposed　the　publication　of　a　Bengali　periodical；　Dr。　Carey；　impressed　by　a　quarter　of　a　century's　intolerance；　consented　only　on　the　condition　that　it　should　be　a　monthly　magazine；　and　should　avoid　political　discussion。　　Accordingly　the　Dig…darshan　appeared；　anticipating　in　its　contents　and　style　the　later　Penny　and　Saturday　Magazines；　and　continued　for　three　years。　　Its　immediate　success　led　to　the　issue　from　the　Serampore　press　on　the　31st　May　1818；　of　〃the　first　newspaper　ever　printed　in　any　Oriental　language〃the　Samachar　Darpan；　or　News　Mirror。

It　was　a　critical　hour　when　the　first　proof　of　the　first　number　was　laid　before　the　assembled　brotherhood　at　the　weekly　meeting　on　Friday　evening。　　Dr。　Carey；　fearing　for　his　spiritual　work；　but　eager　for　this　new　avenue　to　the　minds　of　the　people　who　were　being　taught　to　read；　and　had　little　save　their　own　mythology；　consented　to　its　publication　when　Dr。　Marshman　promised　to　send　a　copy；　with　an　analysis　of　its　contents　in　English；　to　the　Government；　and　to　stop　the　enterprise　if　it　should　be　officially　disapproved。　　Lord　Hastings　was　fighting　the　Pindarees；　and　nothing　was　said　by　his　Council。　　On　his　return　he　declared　that　〃the　effect　of　such　a　paper　must　be　extensively　and　importantly　useful。〃　　He　allowed　it　to　circulate　by　post　at　one…fourth　the　then　heavy　rate。　　The　natives　welcomed　their　first　newspaper。　　Although　it　avoided　religious　controversy；　in　a　few　weeks　an　opposition　journal　was　issued　by　a　native；　who　sought　to　defend　Hindooism　under　the　title　of　the　Destroyer　of　Darkness。　　To　the　Darpan　the　educated　natives　looked　as　the　means　of　bringing　the　oppression　of　their　own　countrymen　to　the　knowledge　of　the　public　and　the　authorities。　　Government　found　it　most　useful　for　contradicting　silly　rumours　and　promoting　contentment　if　not　loyalty。　　The　paper　gave　a　new　development　to　the　Bengali　language　as　well　as　to　the　moral　and　political　education　of　the　people。　

The　same　period　of　liberty　to　the　press　and　to　native　advancement；　with　which　the　names　of　the　Marquis　of　Hastings　and　his　accomplished　wife　will　ever　be　associated；　saw　the　birth　of　an　English　periodical　which；　for　the　next　fifty…seven　years；　was　to　become　not　merely　famous　but　powerfully　useful　as　the　Friend　of　India。　　The　title　was　the　selection　of　Dr。　Marshman；　and　the　editorial　management　was　his　and　his　able　son's　down　to　1852；　when　it　passed　into　the　hands　of　Mr。　Meredith　Townsend；　long　the　most　brilliant　of　English　journalists；　and　finally　into　those　of　the　present　writer。　　For　some　years　a　monthly　and　for　a　time　a　quarterly　magazine　till　1835；　when　Mr。　John　Marshman　made　it　the　well…known　weekly；　this　journal　became　the　means　through　which　Carey　and　the　brotherhood　fought　the　good　fight　of　humanity。　　In　the　monthly　and　quarterly　Friend；　moreover；　reprinted　as　much　of　it　was　in　London；　the　three　philanthropists　brought　their　ripe　experience　and　lofty　principles　to　bear　on　the　conscience　of　England　and　of　educated　India　alike。　　As；　on　the　Oriental　side；　Carey　chose　for　his　weapon　the　vernacular；　on　the　other　he　drew　from　Western　sources　the　principles　and　the　thoughts　which　he　clothed　in　a　Bengali　dress。

We　have　already　seen　how　Carey　at　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century　found　Hindooism　at　its　worst。　　Steadily　had　the　Pooranic　corruption　and　the　Brahmanical　oppression　gone　on　demoralising　the　whole　of　Hindoo　society。　　In　the　period　of　virtual　anarchy；　which　covered　the　seventy…five　years　from　the　death　of　Aurangzeb　to　the　supremacy　of　Warren　Hastings　and　the　reforms　of　Lord　Cornwallis；　the　healthy　zeal　of　Islam　against　the　idolatrous　abominations　of　the　Hindoos　had　ceased。　　In　its　place　there　was　not　only　a　wild　licence　amounting　to　an　undoubted　Hindoo　revival；　marked　on　the　political　side　by　the　Maratha　ascendency；　but　there　came　to　be　deliberate　encouragement　of　the　worst　forms　of　Hindooism　by　the　East　India　Company　and　its　servants。　　That　〃the　mischievous　reaction〃　on　England　from　Indiaits　idolatry；　its　women；　its　nabobs；　its　wealth；　its　absolutismwas