ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 
with the precifion of a grammarian; 
and every admirer of Arabic poe- 
try muft acknowledge his obliga- 
tions to him for an Englifh verfion 
of the feven celebrated poems, fo 
well known by the name of Moal- 
lakat, from the diftinétion to which 
their excellence had entitled them, 
of being fufpended in the temple 
of Mecca. 
“ Of his lighter productions, the 
elegant amuiements of his leifure 
hours, comprehending hymns on 
the Hindu mythology, poems, con- 
fifting chiefly of tranflations from 
the Afiatic languages, and the ver- 
fion of Sacontala, an ancient In- 
dian drama, it would be unbecom- 
ing to {peak in a ftyle of import- 
ance which he did not himfelf an- 
nex to them. They fhow the ac- 
tivity of a vigorous mind, its fer- 
tility, its genius, and its tafte. Nor 
fhall I particularly dwell on the 
difcourfes addreffed to this Society, 
which we have all perufed or heard, 
or on the other learned and inter- 
efting differtations which form fo 
large and valuable a portion of the 
records of our refearches. Let us 
lament that the fpirit which dic- 
tated them is to us extiné, and that 
the voice, to which we liftened with 
improvement and rapture, will be 
heard by us no more. 
* But I cannot pals over a paper, 
which has fallen into my pofleffion 
fince his demife, in the hand-writ- 
ing of Sir Wiiliam Jones himfelf, 
entitled Defiderata, as more explan- 
atory than any thing I can f4y of 
the comprehenfive views of his en- 
lightened mind. It contains, as a 
sir of it will fhow, whatever 
s moft curious, important, and at- 
tainable in the fciences and hif- 
tories of India, Arabia, China, and 
‘Tartary; fubjeéts which he had 
already moft amply difcuffed in the 
501 
difquifitions which he laid before 
the Society. 
*¢ [ have hitherto principally con- 
fined my difcourfe to the purfuits 
of our late prefident in oriental li- 
terature, which from their extent 
might appear to have occupied all 
his time; but they neither pre- 
cluded his attention to profeffional 
ftudies, nor to fcience in general. 
Amongit his publications in Eu- 
rope, in polite literature, exclufive 
of various compofitions in profe 
and verfe,I find a Tranflation of the 
Speeches of Ifzeus, with a learned 
comment; and in law, an Effay on 
the Law of Bailments. Upon the 
fubject of this laft work, I cannot 
deny myfelf the gratification of 
quoting the fentiments of a cele- 
brated hiftorian: “ Sir William 
«¢ Jones has given an ingenious and 
“ yational Edlay on the Law of Bail- 
““ ments. He is perhaps the only 
lawyer equally converfant with 
the year-books of Weftminfter, 
the Commentaries of Ulpian, 
the Attic Pleadings of Ifeus, and 
the fentences ot Arabian and 
Perfian Cadhis.”? 
“ His profeffional ftudies did not 
commence before his twentieth 
year; and I have his own authority 
for afferting, that the firft book of 
Englifh jurifprudence which he 
ever ftudied, was Fortefcue’s Effay 
in Praife of the Laws of England. 
“ Flis addreffes to the jurors were 
not lefs diftinguifhed for philanthro- 
py and liberality of fentiment, 
than for juft expofitions of the 
law, perfpicuity, and elegance of 
diétion; and his oratory was as 
captivating as his arguments were 
convincing. 
“ In an Epilogue to his Commen- 
taries on Afiatic Poetry, he bids 
farewell to polite literature, without 
relinquifhing his affection for its 
| and 
on 
on 
nes 
ao “now 
