254 
JON E S. 
cred love of freedom.” We cannot do better than infert 
a few pafl'ages from the inaugural difcourfe above alluded 
to, delivered by fir John Shore, on being chofen to fill the 
prefident’s chair at a meeting of the Afiatic Society on 
the zzd May, 1794; and in which he bellows due enco¬ 
miums on the merits of his illuftrious predeceffor. “ Sir 
William Jones difcovered a pafiion, and a very extraordi¬ 
nary aptitude, for the acquirement of languages. Befides 
the ufual accomplifhments of a fcholar, he was mailer of 
the more polilhed dialefts of modern Europe, and fpoke 
and wrote with the utmoll fluency the French, Spanifh, 
and Italian. Of the Portuguefe and German, alfo, he had 
a competent knowledge. With fuch facility of appre- 
henfion, and great powers of memory, he commenced, at 
an early period of life, the ftudy of oriental literature. 
He became a thorough proficient in the Arabic and Perfian 
tongues, underltood the Hebrew, was even converfant 
with the Turkifli idiom, and proceeded fo far as to learn 
the radical characters of the Chinefe language. It was 
to be expeCled, (fays fir John Shore,) after his arrival in 
India, that he would eagerly embrace the opportunity of 
making himlelf mafter of the Shanfcrit; and the moll en¬ 
lightened profeffors of the doflrines of Brahma confefs 
with pride, delight, and furprife, that his knowledge of 
their facred dialed was moll critically corred and pro¬ 
found. The pandits, who were in the habit of attending 
him, when I faw them after his death, at a public durbar, 
could neither fupprefs their tears for his lofs, nor find 
terms to exprefs their admiration at the wonderful pro- 
grefs he had made in their fcience.” 
From a paper in the hand-writing of fir William Jones, 
at appears that he had propofed to himfelf a wide range 
of inquiries refpeding the hiltory and fcience of the Ori¬ 
ental nations. It confifls of twenty-three articles entitled 
Qejiderati ; the chief of which are, on the Philofophy, 
Geometry, Aftronomy, Algebra, Medicine, Mufic, My¬ 
thology, and Drama, of the ancient Indians ; tranflations 
of the Vedas and Puranas; a didionary and grammar of 
of the Shanfcrit; and on the hiilories of India, Arabia, 
Perfia, and the Tartar nations. 
It is a circumftance which deferves notice, that fir Wil¬ 
liam did not begin the arduous lludy of law till after he 
had reached his tvventy-fecond year. His mind was then 
formed, and was feafoned by the maxims of general phi¬ 
lofophy. As a judge, he was equally valued for his abi¬ 
lity and his confcientious integrity. His addrefles to the 
juries were models of liberality, tendernefs, nice difcri- 
mination, and elegant didion. With moil of the fciences 
he had fome acquaintance. He was not ignorant of ana¬ 
tomy; and the interefting dilcoveries lately made in che- 
miftry engaged his attention. The lighter ftudy of bo¬ 
tany, originally begun under tire confinement of a linger¬ 
ing ciforder, was his laft and favourite purfuit. 
Curiofity will a Ik, by what means fir William Jones was 
enabled to acquire fuch extenfive knowledge, in the com- 
pafs of a Ihort life not exceeding eight-and-forty years ? 
It was by the exad and regular diftribution of his time. 
His ftudies began with the dawn of the day, and were 
continued with a perfeverance which furmounted every 
obftacle. Eager to gain information on all fubjeds, he 
liftened with complacency to perfons of every defcription, 
and of all varieties of talents and education. He was 
formed for focial intercourfe; and his gentle deportment 
and fluent converfation rendered him the delight of every 
company. He fought humble merit in her retreat, and 
foilered her with a maternal care. Humanity and Litera¬ 
ture will long lament his lofs! 
JONES (William), a pious and worthy clergyman of 
the church of England, was the fon of Morgan Jones, a 
Wellh gentleman, defcended from colonel Jones, who mar¬ 
ried a After of Oliver Cromwell; and was born at Lowick 
in Northamptonlhire, in the year 1726. He early difco¬ 
vered an inquifitive temper, and induftry in acquiring 
knowledge; and, when he was of a proper age, was ad¬ 
mitted a fcholar at the Cbarter-houfe, in London, where 
he made a rapid progrefs in the Latin and Greek lan¬ 
guages. When about eighteen years of age, he was en¬ 
tered of Univerfity-college, Oxford, on a Charter-houfe 
exhibition, and in that feminary purfued the ufual courfe 
of ftudies with unremitted diligence. His moil intimate 
acquaintance in college appears to have been with gen¬ 
tlemen who were inclined to Mr. Hutchinfon’s opinions 
in theology and philofophy; and, from his converfation 
with them, as well as the examination of that gentleman’s 
writings, he was induced to become a convert to his doc¬ 
trines. To the fame fyftem he was inllrumental in at¬ 
taching his intimate friend Mr. (afterwards biflrop) Horne, 
as we have already feen in the life of that prelate, vol. x. 
p. 285. Mr. Jones was admitted to the degree of B. A. 
in the year 1749, and foon afterwards received deacon’s 
orders from the bilhop of Peterborough. In 1751, he 
was ordained prieft by the bilhop of Lincoln ; and, on quit¬ 
ting the univerfity, became curate at Finedon in Nor¬ 
thamptonlhire. While he was in this fituation, he pub- 
lilhed, in 1753, his Full Anfwer to Bilhop Clayton’s Ef- 
fay on Spirit, in which he endeavoured to lupport the 
caufe of orthodoxy by an appeal to the religion and learn¬ 
ing of heathen antiquity, particularly the notions of the 
Hermetic, Pythagorean, and Platonic, trinities. In the 
year 1754, he formed a happy matrimonial connection, 
and went to refide at Wadenhoe in Northamptonlhire, as 
curate to his brother-in-law, the Rev. Brooke Bridges. 
In this place he drew up and publilhed, in what year we 
are not informed, his Catholic Doclrine of the Trinity, 
8vo; which was favourably received by the orthodox 
world, and was enlarged in the third edition, which ap¬ 
peared in 1767, by a Letter to the common People in An¬ 
fwer to fome popular Arguments againll the Trinity. 
Here alfo he engaged in a courfe of experiments, necef- 
fary to his compofing a treatife on philofophy, in eluci¬ 
dation of his favourite fyftem; and met with liberal friends, 
who, by a fubfcription among themfelves of three hun¬ 
dred pounds per annum for three years, enabled him to 
furnifh himfelf with fuch an apparatus as he wanted. 
The refult of his labours was An Ellay on the firlt Prin¬ 
ciples of Natural Philofophy, publilhed in 1762, 4to. in¬ 
tended to demonftrate the ufe of natural means, or fecond 
caul'es, in the oeconomy of the material world, from rea- 
fon, experiments, and the teftimony of antiquity. It was 
defigned as a preparatory work, to obviate the objections 
againll the fyftem for which he was an advocate, founded 
on the Newtonian philofophy ; and it difplayed confider- 
able learning and ingenuity, as well as an ardent attach¬ 
ment to the interefts of piety and virtue, united with the 
eccentric peculiarities of the Hutchinfonian fchool. The 
earl of Bute was fo well fatisfied with it, that he defired 
the author not to be intimidated through fear of the ex¬ 
pence from purfuing his philofophical ftudies, but to di- 
reft Mr. Adams, the mathematical inftrument-maker, to 
fupply him with fuch inftruments as he might want, and 
to place them to his lordlhip’s account. 
In the year 1764, archbilhop Seeker prefented Mr. Jones 
to the vicarage of Betherfden in Kent, whither he re¬ 
moved with his family ;• and, when he afterwards found 
that the income of his benefice was not equal to what he 
expelled, in purfuance of the advice of his friends, he un¬ 
dertook the tuition of a few pupils. For fuch an office 
he was well qualified by his ikill in the learned languages, 
his various knowledge, his great induftry, and his perspi¬ 
cuous eafy manner of communicating inllrudtion. In 
1765, the archbilhop prelented him to the reCtory of 
Pluckley in the fame county, where he took up his refi- 
dence, and continued his plan of education, purfuing at 
the fame time his courfe of philofophical experiments, as 
well as theological ftudies, -and difeharging his paftoral 
duties with exemplary zeal and diligence. In the year 
1769, he publilhed a Letter to A Young Gentleman at 
Oxford, intended for Holy Orders, containing fome fea- 
fonable Cautions againll Errors in Doftrine, 8vo. con¬ 
fining, chiefly, of the fubftance of a vifitation-fermon 
preached 
