Retrospect of Domestic Literature—Philology. 
him in an enviable rank of life. From 
his shorter pieces we shall select the 
ELEGIAC STANZAS ON MYSELF, 
¢ To pleasure’s wiles an easy prey, 
Beneath this sod a bosom lies ; 
Yet spare the meek offender's clay, 
Nor part with dry averted eyes. 
O stranger! ifthy wayward lot 
Through Folly’s heedless maze has led, 
Here nurse the true, the tender thought, 
And fling the wild flow’r on his head, 
For he, by this cold hillock clad, 
Where tall grass twines the pointed stone, 
Each gentlest balm of feeling had, 
To sooth all sorrow but his own. 
For he, by tuneful Fancy rear’d, 
(Though ever-dumb he sleeps below,) 
The stillest sigh of anguish heard, 
And gavea tear to ev’ry woe. 
Qh! place his dear harp by his side, 
(His harp, alas! his only hoard, ) 
The fairy breeze ateven tide; , ° 
_ Will trembling kiss each weeping chord. 
Oft on yon crested cliff he stood, 
When misty twilight stream’d around, 
To mark the slowly-heaving flood, 
And catch the deep wave’s sullen sound. 
Oft when the rosy dawn was seen 
>Mid blue to gild the blushing steep, 
He trac’d o’er youder margent green 
The curling cloud of fragrance sweep. 
Oft did he pause, the lark to hear, 
With speckled wing, the skies explore 5 
Oft paus’d to see the slow flock near 5 
But ke shall hear and see no more. 
Then, stranger, be his foibles lost, 
At such small foibles Virtue smil’d, 
Few was their number, large their cost, 
For he was Nature’s orphan-child. 
The graceful drop of pity spare, 
‘(To him the bright drop once belong’d,) 
Well, well his doom deserves thy care; 
~Much, much he suffer’d,much was wrong’d. 
When taught by life its pangs to know, 
Afr! as thou roam’st the checker’d gloom, 
Bid the sweet night-bird’s numbers flow, 
-And the last sunbeam light his tomb.” 
“ The Siller Gun, a Poem, in four Can- 
tos: with Notes and a Glossary :” by Mr, 
Mayne; 15 the last work of poetry we 
shall mention; founded on an ancient 
custom in Dumfries, called “ Shoeting 
for the Siller Gun.” ‘This royal prize, 
which is a small tube of silver, like the 
barrel of a pistol, is originally said to have 
been the gift of Janies VI. to the best 
marksman among the corporations of 
the town. The Poem has considerable 
" spirit, and maintains the credit of its in- 
genious author. 
+ 1® 
633 
PHILOLOGY. 
By far the most important work which 
we have to mention in this class, will be 
found in the “ Grammar of the Sanscrita 
Language,” by Mr. Witkuns. 
Iiaving, in the opening of the Preface, 
enlarged on the pleasures and advantages” 
to be derived from an acquaintance with 
this extraordinary language, the author 
judiciously thinks it may not be‘uninte- 
resting to the student to be informed of 
the manner in which his treatise has been 
compiled, and what have been the sources 
whence it has been drawn. 
“¢ About the year 1778, (he says) my 
curiosity was excited by the example of 
my friend, Mr. Halhed, to commence the 
study of the Sanskrit. I was so fortu- 
nate as to find a Pandit of a liberal mind,, 
sufficiently learned to assist me in the 
pursuit; but as at that'time (and indeed 
not till very lately) there did not exist, in 
any language [ understood, any elemen- 
tary works, I was compelled to form such 
for myself as I proceeded, till, with the 
assistance of my master, I was able to 
make extracts, and at length entire trans- 
lations of grammars, wholly composed 
in the idiom I was studying. I put into 
English, sufficiently intetligible to myself, 
the greatest part of three very popular 
grammars; namely, the Saraswatr- 
prakriyd of Anubhiti-swarupa charya, 
the Mugdha-bidha of Vipa-déwa, and 
the Ratra-ma@ la of Purusho ttama. These 
extracts and translations I brought with 
me to England, together with their origi- 
nals, and several other eminent gram- 
mars; among which were the celebrated 
Sutras of Pi ntni,the Siddhinta-kaumadi 
of Bhattoji-d: kshita, and the Siddha nta- . 
chandrika of Ramachandrdsrama, with 
several useful commentaries, all of which 
have been either used or consulted in 
this compilation. 
“« At the commencement of the year 
1795, residing in the country, and hay- 
ing much leisure, [ began to arrange my 
materials, and prepare them tor publica- 
tion. I cut Jetters in steel, made ma- 
trices and moulds, and cast from thema 
fount of types of the Déva-nd@gari cha 
racter, all with my own hands; and with 
the assistance of such mechanies as # 
country village could afford, [ very spee~ 
dily prepared all the other implements of 
printing in my own dwelling-house; for 
by thesecond of May, the same year, [ 
had taken proofs of sixteen pages, difer 
ing but little from those now exhibited in 
the first two sheets, ‘Lill two o’clock on 
that 
