158 HINDU EELIGIGN 



THEfiril care of the new comers would be to acquire the lan- 

 guage of the people, as the bell means of recommending ihemfeives an^; 

 the only means of propagating their opinions. When they came to 

 indr.oSt their new difciples in religious duties, their inn:ru6lion 

 would be delivered in the language of the country, into which they 

 would find it necefTary to introduce fuch words as were neceffarv to 

 explain the nev/ ideas which they wifhed to communicate. Incom>» 

 municating a knowledge of arts and fciences, the fame courfe would 

 be purfued and hence the influx of a hew clafs of ideas. From what 

 language is it probable that the Br£ihmans would borrow fuch words ? 

 not, I imagine, from the vernacular dialers of their own country ; but 

 from the 5'fln/cn4 the common language of literature, of religion, and: 

 fcienee, wherever the Hindu religion prevails. On thisrubjed it is- with.: 

 Biuch difSdenee that I venture to dilTent from the opinions of fuch' 

 awriteras Mr. Marsbsm, The exten live influence of the Sunfcrit 

 upon the dialers of the oriental iOands., he is decidedly inclined to 

 afcriba to conquefl, and long continued domination, a fuppofition 

 which appears to me incompatible with the fa61s which we know oxh> 

 this fubjed. By forming fuch a conclufion, we ihould be compelled' 

 to believe, that the vernacular language of the fuppofed conquerors 

 was pure Sanfc lit ; an hypothefis untenable, as of the exiflence of a* 

 people of whom &n/cr/t was the living language, there remains no 

 hiilorical record. 



Conquest and entire fubjugation (if the invaders fettled in the con- 

 quered country) has never failed to introduce a great portion of the 

 vernacular language of the conqueror?, moft frequently indeed com- 

 pletely altering the original languages of boih parties to the formation* 

 of a third. 



One of Mr. Marsden's arguments is drawn from coofideration of 

 the primidve and fimple charader of the clafs of ideas,, to which 



