450 ON SANSCRIT AND 



The Inrlian dramas are also instances of the mixture 

 of prose and verse ; and as already mentioned, they like- 

 wise intermixed a variety of dialects. Our own lan- 

 guage exhibits too many instances of the first to ren- 

 der it necessary to cite any example in explanation of 

 the transition from verse to prose. In regard to mix- 

 ture of languages the Italian theatre presents instances 

 quite parallel in the comedies of Angelo Beolco 

 surnamed RuzANTi : * with this difference, however, 

 that the dramas of Kuzanti and his imitators are 

 rustic farces; while the ///c//<2/z dramatists intermingle 

 various dialects in their serious compositions. 



Notwithstanding this defect, which may in- 

 deed be easily removed by reading the Prtf^ri/ speeches 

 in a vS"^;?.?/:/-/'/ version, the theatre of the Hindus is the 

 most pleasing part of their polite literature and the 

 best suited to the European taste. The reason proba- 

 bly is, that authors are restrained more within the 

 bounds of poetic probability, when composing for ex- 

 hibition before an audience, than in writing for private 

 perusal or even for public recital. 



The Sacuntalu by Ca'lida'sa, which certainly is 

 no unfavorable specimen of the Indian theatre, will 

 sufficiently justify what has been here asserted. I shall 

 conclude this essay with a short extract fromBHAVA- 

 BHu'Tf's unrivalled drama, entitled MaJatimdd^ hava ; 

 prefixmg a concise argument of the play, the fable of 

 which is of pure invention. 



' Bhc'kivasu, minister of the king of Fadmdvati' , 

 and De vaka't A in the service of the king of Viderhha^ 

 had agreed, when their children were yet infants, to 

 cement a long subsisting friendship, by the intermarri- 



• U iiLKRii's I'.oem on Italian tvagedy. 



