IyO ON THE PHILOSOPHY 



eastern peninsula of India? and in many considerable 

 nations of Tart an. There are also some valuable 

 tracts on these branches of science in Persian and 

 Arabic? partly copied from the Greeks? and partly 

 comprising the doctrines of the Sufis? which anciently 

 prevailed, and still prevail in a great measure over 

 this oriental world j and which the Greeks themselves 

 condescended to borrow from eastern sages. 



The little treatise in four chapters, ascribed to 

 Vydsa? is the only philosophical Sdstra? the original 

 text of which I have had leisure to peruse with a 

 Brahmen of the Veddnti school : it is extremely ob- 

 scure, and though composed in sentences elegantly 

 modulated, has more resemblance to a table of con- 

 tents, or an accurate summary, than to a regular 

 systematical tract ; but all its obscurity has been 

 cleared by the labour of the very judicious and most 

 learned Sancara, whose commentary on the Ve* 

 ddnta which I read also with great attention, not only 

 elucidates- every word of the text, but exhibits a 

 perspicuous account of all other Indian schools, from 

 that of Capila to those of the more modern here- 

 tics. It is not possible, indeed, to speak with too 

 much applause of so excellent a work ; and I ani 

 confident in asserting, that, until an accurate trans- 

 lation of it shall appear in some European language, 

 the general history of philosophy must remain incom- 

 plete , for I perfectly agree with those who are of 

 opinion, that one correct version of any celebrated 

 Hindu book would be of greater value than all the 

 dissertations or essays that could be composed on 



ths 



