Extravagant as this laft compliment on human genius may be thought in plain profe, we remember to have met with it in verfe without thinking it exceptionable. Genius, Lorenzo, yours or mine, O'er all to wield the thunderer's rod, * There are other paffages alfo in thefe Effays, that bear fo ftriking a refemblance to the poetical effufions of other writers, that we cannot help reflecting on Mr. Bayes's art of tranfprofing; which Mifs More feems here unneceffarily to have adopted.— We would recommend to this Lady a firmer reliance on her own genius, and at the fame time a clofer attention to the meaning, and greater care in the choice, of words, as well as to their order of fucceffion. An inftance or two occurring in a foregoing quotation proves the expediency of it.—Ã young Lady fhould remember, fays fhe, "that he who endea vours to intoxicate her with adulation intends one day most effectually to humble her." Here fhe ufes the word remember for reflect. It is poffible fuch a reflection, as is here recommended to her, never before entered her head. How then fhould the remember it? Remembrance relates only to things known and paft; Reflection to things paft, prefent and to come. Our Effayift may, indeed, plead precedent for this abuse of words, as that great Lexicographer Dr. Johnfon is frequently guilty of it: it is nevertheless an impropriety.-Again she says, "and at fome diftant day promises himself the most exorbitant intereft for it." It would have been more proper to have faid, "promises himself, at fome diftant day, &c." for the promifing is now prefent, though the thing promifed be at a diftant day. Lord Kaims has, in his judicious elements of Criticifm, made many excellent remarks on the proper use of words in writing; to which we would advife all young authors to attend: thefe errors, though peccadilloes, tending to deface the ftile of an elegant writer, and to detract from the encomium, we borTowed, from Mr. Pope, in the preceding page, to pay Mils Hannah More. A Code of Gentoo Laws, or Ordinations of the Pundits, from a Perfian Tranflation, made from the Original, written in the Shanferit Language. 4to. Printed for the Eaft India Company. This book not having been printed for fale, and the copies that were printed being already diftributed, we fhall be the more particular and copious in our account of it, for the fake of such readers as may not have an opportunity of feeing it. In a preliminary difcourfe, written by the Bramins, are fet forth the immediate motives for making this compilation of laws, as follows. "Whereas this kingdom was the long refidence of Hindoos, and was governed by many powerful Roys and Rajahs, the Gentoo religion became catholick and universal here; but when it was afterwards ravaged, in feveral parts, by the armies of Mahomedanism, a change of religion took place, and a contrariety of cuftoms arofe, and all affairs were tranfacted, according to the principles of faith in the conquering party, upon which perpetual oppofitions were engendered, and conti nuai differences in the decrees of juftice; fo that in every place the immediate magiftrate decided all caufes according to his own religion; and the laws of Mahomed were the standard of judgement for the Hindoos. Hence terror and confufion found a way to all the people, and justice was not impartially administered; wherefore a thought fuggefted itfelf to the governor general, the Honourable Warren Haitings, to investigate the principles of the Gentoo religion, and to explore the cuf toms of the Hindoos, and to procure a tranflation of them in the Perfian language, that they might become univerfally kuown by the perfpicuity of that idiom, and that a book might be compiled to preclude attention all fuch contradictory decrees in future, and that, by a proper to each religion, juftice might take place impartially, according to the tenets of every fect. Wherefore Bramins, learned in the Shafter (whofe names are here fubjoined) were invited from all parts of the kingdom to Fort-William, in Calcutta, which is the capital of Bengal and Bahar, and the most authentic books, both ancient and modern, were collected, and the original text, delivered in the Hindco language, was faithfully tranflated by the interpreters into the Perfian idiom. They began their Work in May, 1773, anfwering to the month Jept, 1180 (Bengal Style), and finished it by the end of February, 1775, answering to the month Phaugoon, 1182 (Bengal Style)." The tranflation from the Perfian into English was made by Mr. Nathaniel Braffey Halhed, not many years fince of Chrift Church College, Oxford; a young gentleman of the moft promifing abilities; who was pitched upon by Governor Haftings for the execution of it. To the preliminary difcourfe fucceed the names of the Bramins who compiled the work, a Gloffary of fuch Shàfcrit, Perfian, and Bengal words as occur in it, the names of authors quoted in the compilation, a lift of the books from which it WAS was made, and a table of contents, confifting of twenty one chapters, the general titles of which are as follow. Of Lending and Borrowing-Of the Divifion of Inheritable Property -Of Juftice-Of Truft or Depofit-Of Selling a Stranger's Property Of Shares-Of Gift-Of Servitude-Of WagesOf Rent and Hire-Of Purchafe and Sale-Of Boundaries and Limits-Of Shares in the Cultivation of Lands-Of Cities and Towns, and of the Fines for Damaging a Crop-Of Scandalous and Bitter Expreffions-Of Affault-Of Theft-Of Violence Of Adultery-Of what concerns Women-Of Sundry Articles-Moft of thefe chapters admit of fundry fubdivifions, or fections, of which it would be impracticable for us to particularize all with critical remark; and without it, their mere titles would be ufelefs. We must content ourselves, therefore, with noticing only fuch particular parts and paffages as contain fomething peculiar, local, or characteristic. In doing this, alfo, we fhall be led by the taste and judgement of the ingenious tranflator, who has himself given a critical abstract of fuch paffages in his preface *. To the Code is, alfo, prefixed a preface containing the Bramin's account of the Creation, ferving to fhew the reafon of the inftitution of the Shafter, and the cause of the fuperiority of one tribe over another. This preface contains likewife an account of the qualities requifite for a magiftrate, and of his employment: but we cannot fpeak of thefe or of the work itfelf more pertinently and critically than hath done the tranflator himself; whofe reflections we fhall, therefore, beg leave to fubftitute as thofe of a mafter more fully informed of the fubje&t. Among the qualities required for the proper execution of publick bufinefs, mention is made, "That a man must be able to keep in fubjection his luft, his anger, his avarice, his folly, and his pride. Thefe vices are fometimes denominated in the Shanícrit under the general term Opadhee, a word which occurs in the quoted fpecimen of the comment upon the Reig Beid. The folly there specified is not to be understood in the ufual fenfe of the word in an European idiom, as a negative quality, or the mere want of fenfe, but as a kind of obstinately ftupid lethargy, or perverfe abfence of mind, in which the will is not altogether palive: it feems to be a weakness peculiar to Afia, for we cannot find a term by which to exprefs the precife idea in the European languages; it operates fomewhat like the violent impulfe of fear, under which men will utter falfehoods totally incompatible with each other, and utterly contrary to their own opinion, knowledge, and conviction; and it may be added alfo, their inclination and intention. A very remarkable inftance of this temporary frenzy happened lately in In this preface the tranflator has also given an account of the Shanfcrit language; of which we purpose to give an abstract in a future article. the the fupreme court of judicature at Calcutta, where a man (not an idiot) fwore upon a trial, that he was no kind of relation to his own brother who was then in court, and who had conftantly fupported him from his infancy; and that he lived in a houfe by himfelf, for which he paid the rent from his own pocket, when it was proved that he was not worth a rupee, and when the perfon in whose house he had always refided ftood at the bar close to him. "Whenever the word folly included among the vices above-mentioned occurs in this Code, it must always be understood to carry the meaning here defcribed.-Another conjecture, and that exceedingly acute and ingenious, has been started upon this folly, that it may mean the deception which a man permits to be impofed on his judgement by his paffions, as acts of rapacity and avarice are often committed by men who afcribe them to prudence and a juft affertion of their own right; malice and rancour pafs for juftice, and brutality for fpirit. This op nion, when thoroughly examined, will very nearly tally with the for. mer; for all the paffions, as well as fear, have an equal efficacy to dif turb and diftort the mind: but to account for the folly here spoken of, as being the offspring of the paffions, inftead of drawing a parallel between it and the impulfes of thofe paflions, we muft fuppofe the impulfe to act with infinitely more violence upon an Afiatic mind than we can ever have feen exemplified in Europe. It is however fomething like the madness fo inimitably delineated in the hero of Cervantes, fenfible enough upon fome occafions, and at the fame time completely wild, and unconscious of itself upon others; and that too originally produced by an effort of the will, though in the end overpowering and tuperfeding its functions. "It will no doubt itrike the reader with wonder, to find a prohibition of fire-arms in records of fuch unfathomable antiquity; and he will probably from hence renew the fufpicion which has long been deemed abfurd, that Alexander the Great did abfolutely meet with fome weapons of that kind in India, as a paffage in Quintus Curtius feems to afcertain. Gunpowder has been known in China, as well as in Hindoftan, far beyond all periods of inveftigation.-The word fire-arms is literally Shanferit Agnee-after, a weapon of fire; they defcribe the first fpecies of it to have been a kind of dart or arrow tipt with fire, and difcharged upon the enemy from a bamboo. Among feveral extraordinary properties of this weapon, one was, that after it had taken its flight, it divided into feveral feparate darts or ftreams of flame, each of which took effect, and which, when once kindled, could not be extinguished; but this kind of Agnee-after is now loft.-Cannon in the Shanferit idiom is called Shet-Aghnee, or the weapon that kills a hundred men at once, from (Shětě) a hundred, and ghěněh to kill; and the Pooran Shafters, or Hiftories, afcribe the invention of thefe de ftructive engines to Běchookerma, the artift, who is related to have forged all the weapons for the war which was maintained in the Suttee Jogue between Dewta and Offoor (or the good and bad fpirits) for the 1pace of one hundred years.-Was it chance or infpiration that furnished our admirable Milton with exactly the fame idea, which had never before occurred to an European imagination? YOL. VI. N 4 « The "The battles which are defcribed in this fection, ridiculous as they may appear when compared with the modern art and improvement of war, are the very counterparts of Homer; for, in the early ages of mankind, a battle appears to have been little more than a fet of diftin&t duels between man and man; in which cafe, every circumstance pointed out in this part of the magiftrate's duty might naturally be expected to occur: and this is a forcible argument to prove, that the compilers have not foifted into the Code any novel opinions of their own, when in this place hardly one of the principles of war, as ftated by them, is applicable to the prefent fyftem and fituation of mankind. "There is a particular charge to the magiftrate to forbid all fires in the month Cheyt, or part of March and April; this is an inftitution moit wifely and usefully calculated for the climate of Hindostan, where, for above four months before that time, there falls no rain, and where the Wind always blows hard in that month, and is very dry and parching, fo that every thing is in the most combuftible fituation, and the accidental burning of a handful of straw may fpread a conflagration through a whole city.-It is obfervable in India to this day, that fires are more frequent and more dangerous in the month Cheyt than in all the rest of the year. "Upon the whole, the fcope and matter of this fection is excellent; and, divested of the peculiar tinct it has received from the religious tenets of its authors, is not unworthy the pen of the most celebrated politicians, or philofophers of ancient Greece." Our critical tranflator proceeds next to the Code itself. "CHAP. I. The Code begins with regulations for that which is one of the first cements of civil fociety, the mutuation of property; which, though equally neceflary and advantageous to the public, mutt be confined within certain limits, and conducted upon the faith of known laws, to render it fafe, confidential, and equitable. The favourable diflinctions marked towards fome tribes, and apparent severity with refpect to others, in this chapter, though perhaps not reconcileable to our ideas of focial compact, inuit be fuppofed perfectly confonant to the maxims of the Gentoos, and familiar to their comprehenfions, as it may be obferved, that the compilers have been ferupulously exact, in pointing out all fuch cafes as have received different decifions in the different originals from whence the abstract is felected. Indeed, the Bramins, indifputably perfuaded that their origin is from the mouth, or fuperior member, of their Creator, and confequently that the fuperiority of their tribe is interwoven with the very effence of their nature, elicem that to be a full and fatisractory plea for every advantage fettled upon them, above the rest of the people, by the laws of their country; nor are the other cafts difcontented with the lot to which they have ben accustomed from their earliet infancy; if they blame any thing, it is that original turn of chance which gave them rather to fpring from the belly or the feet of Brihma, than from his arms or head. "The different rate of intereft, cftablished in this chapter to be paid for the ufe of different articles, is perhaps an inflitute peculiar to Hindoftan; but it reflects a strong light upon the fimplicity of ancient manners, before money was univerfally current as the medium of barter for all commodities, and is at the fame time a weighty proof of the great antiquity |