161 



ROSEN, FREDERIC AUGUSTUS. 



ROSENMtJLLER, ERNEST FREDERIC. 



1C2 



contains the historical monuments, ' Monument! Storici/ in 169 plates, 

 with four volumes of text, 1832-41 ; the second, Tavole M. D. C., con- 

 tains the civil monuments, 'Monumenti Civili,' in 135 plates, with 

 three volumes of text, 1834-36 ; and the third, Tavole, M. D. C., the 

 monuments of religious worship, 'Monument! del Culto,' in 86 plates] 

 with one volume of text, 1844. Rosellini bequeathed his Egyptian 

 manuscripts to the University of Pisa; the drawings and plates are 

 all the property of the Grand Duke. Among the manuscripts is a 

 voluminous but unfinished 'Diccionario Geroglyphico ' ('Hieroglyphic 

 Dictionary '), with several thousand names. 



ROSEN, FREDERIC AUGUSTUS, was born on the 2nd of Sep. 

 tember 1805, at Hanover. He received his earliest education from 

 his father, who held a high official situation in the government of the 

 prince of Lippe Detmold. He afterwards went to the gymnasium at 

 Gottingen. In the year 1822 Rosen went to the university of Leipzig, 

 ami two years afterwards to Berlin. The energy with which he applied 

 himself to all branches of science and literature, and his great powers 

 for acquiring knowledge, encouraged his friends to form the highest 

 expectations of his future career. At an early period he had become 

 distinguished for his classical attainments and his knowledge of the 

 Semitic languages ; but it was not until the year 1824 that he turned 

 his attention to the Sanskrit, a language which at that time was almost 

 unknown in Germany, although its importance in all questions con- 

 nected with the early history of civilisation had been pointed out by 

 the two Schlegels, Creuzer, and William von Humboldt. During a 

 short visit which he paid to his family, he made himself acquainted, 

 with his father's assistance, with the ancient language of the Brahmins, 

 in which he received further instruction at Berlin from Professor Bopp, 

 who had just returned from London, and been appointed professor of 

 Sanskrit at the University of Berlin. William von Humboldt, who 

 devoted his time to the same pursuits, also encouraged him to proceed 

 in his Sanskrit studies. The total want of all useful aids towards 

 obtaining a knowledge of this difficult language, suggested to Rosen 

 the idea of supplying the deficiency, which his acquisitions rendered 

 him well able to do. Accordingly, in 1826, when he took his degree 

 of doctor of philosophy, he published his ' Corporis Radicum Sans- 

 scritarum Prolusio,' which was only the forerunner of his larger work, 

 ' Radices Sauscritse,' Berlin, 1827. This work, which abounds in 

 learning and sound criticism, has contributed more than any other to 

 recommend and facilitate the study of the Sanskrit language in Ger- 

 many. Rosen also had applied himself with the greatest success to 

 the study of Arabic and Persian ; and he had prepared for publication 

 several large episodes of the 'Shdh Ndhmah,' the great epic poem of 

 the Persians. This intense application to the literature and the 

 languages of the East gave birth to a strong desire to visit Asia. A 

 favourable opportunity presented itself, and he was appointed attache* 

 to the Prussian embassy at Constantinople. Shortly before he started 

 however he received a flattering invitation to become Professor of 

 Oriental Languages in the University of London (now University 

 College), then just established. He accepted the offer, hoping to find 

 in this country a wide field for his literary labours. Before going to 

 London he visited Paris, in order to become acquainted with De Sacy, 

 Remusat, and De Chczy ; and after a short stay in that city he came 

 to London. But his expectations of honour and profit were greatly 

 disappointed ; for though he had a few pupils in Sanskrit, Arabic, and 

 Persian, it soon became evident that a teacher of the Hindustani lan- 

 guage was more wanted at the London University than a professor of 

 Oriental languages as the term is understood in Germany. His energy 

 did not however fail him ; and seeing that he could be useful iu a 

 secondary capacity, he applied himself for several mouths with great 

 industry to the Hindustani, in order that he might qualify himself to 

 teach the language. Some years afterwards he resigned his professor- 

 ship of Oriental languages, but subsequently accepted the Sanskrit 

 professorship in University College. The high opinion which the 

 College entertained of his services may be collected from the 'Annual 

 Report' of the College for the year 1837-38, which was made after his 

 death. 



He derived more satisfaction from his occupation as honorary foreign 

 secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society, and as secretary to the Oriental 

 Translation Committee, then just established. This brought him into 

 communication with that great oriental scholar, Colebrooke, for whom 

 he entertained the highest admiration. By Colebrooke's advice he 

 published, under the sanction of the Translation Committee, the 

 Arabic text of the ' Algebra ' of Mohammed ben Musa, with an English 

 translation, accompanied with excellent notes [MUSA] ; he also pre- 

 pared for publication the great ' Biographical Dictionary ' of Ibn 

 Khallikan ; but this, as well as another work, in which he intended to 

 give a comprehensive view of the system, of Indian jurisprudence, was 

 never completed. 



Amidst these various occupations he had not lost sight of a higher 

 and more arduous task, in which he wished to concentrate all his 

 attainments. Having discovered that the character of the Indian 

 literature and language could only be completely understood by 

 tracing them back to the earliest periods to which the ' Vedas ' belong, 

 he desired to remove the obscurity by which they are surrounded. In 

 1830 he published his 'Rig Vedae Specimen' (Taylor, London), and 

 from that time his principal attention was directed to this great object. 

 In order to understand the obsolete languages of these ancient writings, 



BIOG. DIV. VOL. V. 



he had to study the oldest of the grammatical works of the Hindus. 

 Having done this, he applied himself to the Commentaries, without a 

 full knowledge of which the texts are quite unintelligible. All this 

 was done under very disadvantageous circumstances, and it is a matter 

 of great regret that he was not placed in a situation which would have 

 made other labour unnecessary. 



Among his various literary labours at this period was the revision 

 of the 'Dictionary, Bengali, Sanscrit, and English,' published by Sir 

 Graves Houghton, London, 1833-34. He also made the 'Catalogus 

 Codicum Manuscriptorum Syriacorum et Carshunicorum in Museo 

 Britannico,' which has been published, since his death, under the care 

 of the Rev. Mr. Forshall, who, in his address to the reader, has justly 

 attributed to Dr. Rosen all the merit of this catalogue. Unfortu- 

 nately, Dr. Rosen's name does not appear either on the title-page of 

 this catalogue, nor after the pnefatio which he wrote, and which is 

 printed at the head of the catalogue. To qualify himself for this 

 labour, Rosen made himself master of the Syriac language, with 

 which he was hitherto imperfectly acquainted. At Colebrooke's 

 request he undertook the collection of his ' Miscellaneous Essays,' to 

 which he added an excellent index, 2 vols., London, 1827. He also 

 wrote all the articles relating to Oriental literature in the ' Penny 

 Cyclopaedia,' from the article 'Abbasides' to the article ' Ethiopian 

 Language,' both included, together with several articles on Eastern 

 geography, such as 'Arabia ' and ' Armenia.' He revised the work on 

 the Hindus, which was published in the 'Library of Entertaining 

 Knowledge ; ' the chapter on the literature is entirely by his hand. 

 For the ' Journal of Education ' he wrote a review of Bopp's ' Ver- 

 gleichende Grammatik,' &c. (vol. viii.), and two reviews of Pott's 

 ' Etymologische Forschungen ' (vols. ix., x.). He maintained a con- 

 stant correspondence with almost all the distinguished scholars on the 

 Continent, and for the last ten years of his life no important publi- 

 cation connected with Eastern philology or history was projected on 

 the Continent to which he did not contribute either by his advice or 

 by the supply of materials. His worth was fully appreciated on the 

 Continent, and a desire was often expressed thai; he should return to 

 his native country ; but being anxious to accomplish his design of 

 publishing the ' Vedas,' and conceiving that he was placed in a wider 

 sphere of utility in England, he preferred remaining in London, where 

 he found such valuable treasures of Oriental literature. 



In the year 1836 he began to print the collection of the hymns of 

 the 'Rig Veda,' giving the Sanskrit text, a Latin translation, and 

 explanatory notes. In the autumn of 1837 he had advanced so far 

 that he intended to publish a first volume, when his sudden death, on 

 the 12th of September 1837, in the prime of life and in the full vigour 

 of his intellectual powers, interrupted an undertaking for which no 

 man in Europe was so well qualified or prepared as himself. The 

 Translation Committee published the book after his death, as far as 

 it was completed, under the title 'Rig Veda Sanhita Liber Primus, 

 Sanscrite et Latine,' 4to, London, 1838. Those who may hereafter 

 profit by the study of this work, should know at what price it has 

 been obtained : it is only a fragment, but it contains the energy of a 

 whole life. Rosen's posthumous papers and collections were confided 

 for publication to the able hands of Professor Lassen of Bonn. 



Although Rosen had acquired so honourable a rank as an Oriental 

 scholar, his position in society was no less distinguished. The highest 

 admiration for his talents and attainments was accompanied with 

 universal respect for his virtues. The simplicity of his pure and 

 elevated mind, the gentleness of his manners, and, above all, the 

 genuine kindness of heart which formed the striking feature of his 

 character, secured for him, in an eminent degree, the affection of all 

 who knew him. His readiness on all occasions to aid and advise his 

 literary friends, at any cost of labour, is well known to many who will 

 read this notice. 



The loss of such a man was severely felt by all who were interested 

 in the studies to which he had dedicated his life, but especially was he 

 mourned by those who were intimately acquainted with him. His 

 numerous friends, both English and German, presented his father 

 with a marble bust of his son, by Richard Westmacott, as a mark of 

 their esteem, for his character and regret for his loss, and erected a 

 monument to his memory in the cemetery at Kensall Green, near 

 London, where he was interred. 



ROSENMULLER, JOHN GEORGE, was appointed professor of 

 divinity in the University of Leipzig, and superintendent in the 

 Lutheran church at the same place in 1785, and died in 1815. Hia 

 chief works are : 1, ' Historia Interpretationis Librorum Sanctorum 

 in Ecclesia Christiana, ab Apostolorum Aetate ad Literarum Instaura- 

 tiouem/ 5 parts, 8vo, 1795, 1814; and 2, 'Scholia in Novum Testa- 

 mentum,' 5 vols. 8vo. The latter is a useful work, especially for 

 young students, but the author cannot be placed in the first rank of 

 commentators. His labours were more directed to the explanation of 

 particular words and phrases than to the general comprehension of the 

 sacred writings. He seldom gives a satisfactory solution of any formid- 

 able difficulty. 



ROSENMULLER, ERNEST FREDERIC CHARLES, son of the 

 preceding, was born in 1768, and died on the 17th of September 1835, 

 after having for many years held the office of professor of oriental 

 languages in the University of Leipzig. His chief works are : 1, 

 'Scholia in Vetus Testamentum/ 23 vols. 8vo, which is a philological 



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