ACCGUNT OF; BOOKS. 
readers an account of his various 
ftudies and publications, extracted 
from the eulogium on his life.and 
writings pronounced by his tuccef- 
for Sir John Shore, on ihe 22d of 
May, 17,94, and addreffed to a meet- 
ing of the Society. ; 
“To define with accuracy the 
variety, value, and extent of his li- 
terary attainments, requires more 
learning than I pretend to poffeis ; 
and I am therefore to folicit your 
indulgence for an imperfect fketch, 
rather than, expe your approba- 
tion for a complete defcription of 
the talents and knowledge of your 
late and Jamented prefident. 
“J fhall begin with mentioning 
his wonderful capacity for the ac- 
quifition of languages, which has 
never been excelled. In Greek 
and Roman literature, his early 
proficiency was the fubject of ad- 
miration and applaufe; and know- 
ledge of whatever nature ence ob- 
taned. by him, was ever afterwards 
progreflive. ne more elegant 
dialects of modern Europe, the 
- French, the Spanifh, and the Ita- 
lian, he fpoke and wrote with the 
greateft fluency and precifion ; and 
the German and Portuguefe were ° 
familiar to him. At an.early pe+ 
riod of life, his application to ori- 
ental literature commenced; ~ he 
fiudied the Hebrew with eafe and 
fuccefs; and many of the moitt 
learned Afiatics have the candour 
to avow, that his knowledge of 
Arabic and Perfian was as accurate 
and extenfive as their own: he 
was alfo converfant in the Turkith 
idioms; andthe Chinefe had even 
attraéted his notice fo far as to in- 
duce him to learn the radical cha- 
racters of that language, with a 
view perhaps to farther improve- 
ments. It was to be expected, af- 
499 
ter his arrivalin India, that he would 
eagerly embrace the opportunity 
of making himfelf mafter of the 
Sanicrit.; and the moft enlightened 
profeffors of the doctrines of Brahe 
ma confefs with pride, delight, and 
jurprife, that his knowledge of their 
facred diale&t was moft criticaily 
correct and profound. Yhe Puny 
dits, who were in the habit of at- 
tending him, when I faw them af- . 
ter his death at a public Durbar, 
could neither fupprefs their tears 
for his lofs,. nor find terms to ex- 
prefs their admiration of the won- 
‘derful progrefs he had made in 
their fciencés. 
“ Before the expiration of his 
twenty-fecond year, he had com- 
pleted his Commentaries on the 
Poetry of the Afiatics, alihough a 
confiderable time afterwards elapf{- 
ed before their publication; and 
this work, if no other monument 
of his labours exifted, would at 
once furnifh proofs of his confum- 
mate jkill in the oriental dialects, of 
his proficiency in thofe of Kome 
and Greece, of tafte and erudition 
far beyond his years, and of talents 
and application without example.” 
But the judgment of Sir William 
Jones was too difcerning to confi- 
der language in any other light than 
as the key of fcience; and he would 
have defpifed the reputation of a 
mere linguift. Knowledge and truth 
were the objeét of all his ftudies ; 
and his ambition was to be ufeful 
tomankind. With thefe views he 
extended his refearches to all law- 
guages, nations, and times. 
Such were the motives that in- 
duced him to propofe to the go- 
vernment of this country, what he 
juftiy denominated a work of na- 
tional utility and importance; the 
compilation of a copious Digelt of 
te ie Hindu 
