THE manners of a people are to be gathered from allufions in their poetry; and this is perhaps the chief advantage that science will derive from the ancient records of this country. The Mahabaret, which is now tranflating *, is a very ancient hiftorical poem, in which the truth of facts is probably ftill more distorted by exaggeration, than, in Homer,you find the rape of Helen, and the fiege of Troy. A flowery poet, or a ftill more bombaftic and loɔfe hiftorian, seems to be the utmost that Afiatic genius can produce: a vigorous intellect, matured judg ment, and precision in ftyle, are the growth of colder latitudes t.

ALL we learn, even from the Perfian Ferifhta, is that Hindoftan was at first divided into a great number of feparate kingdoms; and afterwards fo feebly united under the Mahomedan emperors, that they made but small refistance either to the firft invaders of the country, or to its fubfequent conquerors. Each province, attached to its viceroy, who was almost independent of the emperor, fell an eafy prey to.. the incurfions of Tamerlane, Baber, Humaioon, and Nadir Shah. The Ayeen Acbery of Abul Fazel, is confined to a statistical history of the empire of Delhi,

* By Mr Wilkins, a gentleman poffeffed of much knowledge of the languages of India, who has already published an episode of this work, entitled the Bhagrat Geeta.

Vid. Major Rennel's Mem. p. 43.

Delhi, during the reign of Acber; upon the other kingdoms he feldom touches, and their internal tranfactions are involved in impenetrable obfcurity.

ABOUT the year 1000 of our æra, Mahomed penetrated into Hindoftan; and after twelve fucceffive invafions, in which he was more or lefs opposed by the native princes, he finally established his empire. His vengeance and bigotry feemed more gratified by the maffacres of the Hindoos, and the deftruction of their temples, than his ambition was foothed by the acquifition of new territory, or fubjects. The murders he committed against the defencelefs priests, and the numerous votaries of fuperftition who officiated at the temples, afforded this monfter the highest delight. "Nothing," fays the judicious Major Rennel, "offends our feelings more, than the progress of deftruction urged by religious zeal : as it allows men to fuppofe themselves agents of the Divinity; thereby removing those checks which interfere with the perpetration of ordinary villany, and ..thus makes conscience a party when it was meant to be a judge *."

THIS picture, however fhocking, is too exact a reprefentation of the conduct of moft conquerors of Hindoftan of the Mahomedan race. During eight

dynasties of kings, who reigned over this

country for

a

* Introduction to Mem. p. 46.

a period of 700 years, the moft ferocious bigotry and rapine characterised their efforts in acquiring or recovering the different provinces of this peninfula; and had not the fervor of Mahomedan zeal fomewhat abated towards the later period of their power, the whole scene of their conquefts must have remained a folitary defart. In 1265, within twentyfive miles of Delhi, 'the feat of government, an hundred thousand of the Mewatti tribe were put to the fword, as a punishment for their incurfions. The internal government of Hindoftan must have been in a dreadful state, when fuch vindictive meafures were pursued in the vicinity of the capital. Indeed, rebellious measures, and barbarous conquefts, make up the hiftory of this fine country, which nature feemed to have destined to be the paradife of the world.

AMIDST thefe depredations, Benares, the great feat of Braminical learning, was plundered in 1184: and from this time the purity of the Sanfcreet language must have gradually decayed, till it at laft ceased to be a living tongue, being nowhere fpoken in Hing doftan. It probably enters into the vernacular lan guage, and makes a part of that mixture of which it is compofed, as the Celtic, Saxon, and Latin do in the English. When conquests have been long maintained, and the conquerors numerous, fimilar changes are produced in the language of every country. The Roman language, as well as the Sanfcreet, has ceafed to be spoken in all the nations that were subject to that empire.

This city, which gives its name to a confiderable province, is ftill the great feat of learning, and is held in veneration all over India: Nothing, however, can more fully demonftrate the circumfcribed state of Afiatic knowledge and learning, than the fmall number who study the Sanfcreet language, and enable themselves to read their facred or fcientific books. Very few, even of the highest class of Brahmins have made this attainment-not the thoufandth part of the community; whereas in Europe, almost all the youth of any rank are inftructed in the languages of Athens and of Rome from their earliest years; by their means a confiderable mafs of knowledge reaches even the body of the people. But the incurfions of the Moguls were far oftener renewed; and were more awfully deftructive than those of the Goths and Vandals who overturned the Roman empire, and destroyed the monuments of taste and fcience that distinguished Europe. Regular government was, gradually established, and learning revived with new luftre in that quarter of the world; while Hindoftan remains in the fame gloom of ignorance. as in the turbulent periods of the Mahomedan con quefts.

L

In the course of a few years, it will be found that a proportionably greater number of Europeans will study the learned language of Hindoftan, than of the natives themselves. From the active curiofity and diligence of the former, much is to be expected;

while

while little can be hoped from the fupine indolence, and liftlefs character of the latter.

ABOUT the beginning of the fixteenth century, during the reign of Belloti, the Portuguese reached India by the Cape of Good Hope. But fo deeply was the empire involved in confufion, that they were allowed to make conquefts of fome of the petty ftates bordering on the coaft, whofe viceroys had become independent without even attracting the notice of the court of Delhi.

It was not till an hundred years after that period that the British were heard of there, when in 1615 Sir Thomas Row was fent ambaffador to the Emperor Jehanguire. During the lapfe of a century, the Portuguese had made fuch confiderable acquisitions on the coaft, as to attract the notice of the court: and Ferifhta, the hiftorian, mentions, "that by the negligence of the king's governors feveral diftricts of Guzarat were in the hands of the Idolators of Europe * "

ABOUT a century afterwards, the Mogul empire seemed to have reached the fummit of its grandeur; from which it fuddenly relapfed into debility and utter ruin. During the reign of Aurungzebe, who died in 1707, the empire extended almost over the

whole

Vid. Col, Dow's Hift. of Hindoftan.