the life of william carey-第1节

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The　Life　of　William　Carey；　Shoemaker　&　Missionary

by　George　Smith






PREFACE


On　the　death　of　William　Carey　In　1834　Dr。　Joshua　Marshman　promised　to　write　the　Life　of　his　great　colleague；　with　whom　he　had　held　almost　daily　converse　since　the　beginning　of　the　century；　but　he　survived　too　short　a　time　to　begin　the　work。　　In　1836　the　Rev。　Eustace　Carey　anticipated　him　by　issuing　what　is　little　better　than　a　selection　of　mutilated　letters　and　journals　made　at　the　request　of　the　Committee　of　the　Baptist　Missionary　Society。　　It　contains　one　passage　of　value；　however。　　Dr。　Carey　once　said　to　his　nephew；　whose　design　he　seems　to　have　suspected；　〃Eustace；　if　after　my　removal　any　one　should　think　it　worth　his　while　to　write　my　Life；　I　will　give　you　a　criterion　by　which　you　may　judge　of　its　correctness。　　If　he　give　me　credit　for　being　a　plodder　he　will　describe　me　justly。　Anything　beyond　this　will　be　too　much。　　I　can　plod。　　I　can　persevere　in　any　definite　pursuit。　　To　this　I　owe　everything。〃

In　1859　Mr。　John　Marshman；　after　his　final　return　to　England；　published　The　Life　and　Times　of　Carey；　Marshman；　and　Ward；　a　valuable　history　and　defence　of　the　Serampore　Mission；　but　rather　a　biography　of　his　father　than　of　Carey。

When　I　first　went　to　Serampore　the　great　missionary　had　not　been　twenty　years　dead。　　During　my　long　residence　there　as　Editor　of　the　Friend　of　India；　I　came　to　know；　in　most　of　its　details；　the　nature　of　the　work　done　by　Carey　for　India　and　for　Christendom　in　the　first　third　of　the　century。　　I　began　to　collect　such　materials　for　his　Biography　as　were　to　be　found　in　the　office；　the　press；　and　the　college；　and　among　the　Native　Christians　and　Brahman　pundits　whom　he　had　influenced。　　In　addition　to　such　materials　and　experience　I　have　been　favoured　with　the　use　of　many　unpublished　letters　written　by　Carey　or　referring　to　him；　for　which　courtesy　I　here　desire　to　thank　Mrs。　S。　Carey；　South　Bank；　Red　Hill；　Frederick　George　Carey；　Esq。；　LL。B。；　of　Lincoln's　Inn；　and　the　Rev。　Jonathan　P。　Carey　of　Tiverton。

My　Biographies　of　Carey　of　Serampore；　Henry　Martyn；　Duff　of　Calcutta；　and　Wilson　of　Bombay；　cover　a　period　of　nearly　a　century　and　a　quarter；　from　1761　to　1878。　　They　have　been　written　as　contributions　to　that　history　of　the　Christian　Church　of　India　which　one　of　its　native　sons　must　some　day　attempt；　and　to　the　history　of　English…speaking　peoples；　whom　the　Foreign　Missions　begun　by　Carey　have　made　the　rulers　and　civilisers　of　the　non…Christian　world。


CONTENTS

　　　I。　CAREY'S　COLLEGE
　　II。　THE　BIRTH　OF　ENGLAND'S　FOREIGN　MISSIONS
　III。　INDIA　AS　CAREY　FOUND　IT
　　IV。　SIX　YEARS　IN　NORTH　BENGALMISSIONARY　AND　INDIGO　PLANTER
　　　V。　THE　NEW　CRUSADESERAMPORE　AND　THE　BROTHERHOOD
　　VI。　THE　FIRST　NATIVE　CONVERTS　AND　CHRISTIAN　SCHOOLS
　VII。　CALCUTTA　AND　THE　MISSION　CENTRES　FROM　DELHI　TO　AMBOYNA
VIII。　CAREY'S　FAMILY　AND　FRIENDS
　　IX。　PROFESSOR　OF　SANSKRIT；　BENGALI；　AND　MARATHI
　　　X。　THE　WYCLIF　OF　THE　EASTBIBLE　TRANSLATION
　　XI。　WHAT　CAREY　DID　FOR　LITERATURE　AND　FOR　HUMANITY
　XII。　WHAT　CAREY　DID　FOR　SCIENCEFOUNDER　OF　THE　AGRICULTURAL　AND
　　　　　　HORTICULTURAL　SOCIETY　OF　INDIA
XIII。　CAREY'S　IMMEDIATE　INFLUENCE　IN　GREAT　BRITAIN　AND　AMERICA
　XIV。　CAREY　AS　AN　EDUCATORTHE　FIRST　CHRISTIAN　COLLEGE　IN　THE　EAST
　　XV。　CAREY'S　CHRISTIAN　UNIVERSITY　FOR　THE　PEOPLE　OF　INDIA
　XVI。　CAREY'S　LAST　DAYS
　　　　　　APPENDIX




　LIFE　OF　WILLIAM　CAREY；　D。D。

CHAPTER　I

CAREY'S　COLLEGE

1761…1785

The　Heart　of　EnglandThe　Weaver　Carey　who　became　a　Peer；　and　the　weaver　who　was　father　of　William　CareyEarly　training　in　PaulerspuryImpressions　made　by　him　on　his　sisterOn　his　companions　and　the　villagersHis　experience　as　son　of　the　parish　clerkApprenticed　to　a　shoemaker　of　HackletonPovertyFamous　shoemakers　from　Annianus　and　Crispin　to　Hans　Sachs　and　WhittierFrom　Pharisaism　to　ChristThe　last　shall　be　firstThe　dissenting　preacher　in　the　parish　clerk's　homeHe　studies　Latin；　Greek　and　Hebrew；　Dutch　and　FrenchThe　cobbler's　shed　is　Carey's　College。

William　Carey；　the　first　of　her　own　children　of　the　Reformation　whom　England　sent　forth　as　a　missionary　to　India；　where　he　became　the　most　extensive　translator　of　the　Bible　and　civiliser；　was　the　son　of　a　weaver；　and　was　himself　a　village　shoemaker　till　he　was　twenty…eight　years　of　age。　　He　was　born　on　the　17th　August　1761；　in　the　very　midland　of　England；　in　the　heart　of　the　district　which　had　produced　Shakspere；　had　fostered　Wyclif　and　Hooker；　had　bred　Fox　and　Bunyan；　and　had　for　a　time　been　the　scene　of　the　lesser　lights　of　John　Mason　and　Doddridge；　of　John　Newton　and　Thomas　Scott。　　William　Cowper；　the　poet　of　missions；　made　the　land　his　chosen　home；　writing　Hope　and　The　Task　in　Olney；　while　the　shoemaker　was　studying　theology　under　Sutcliff　on　the　opposite　side　of　the　market…place。　Thomas　Clarkson；　born　a　year　before　Carey；　was　beginning　his　assaults　on　the　slave…trade　by　translating　into　English　his　Latin　essay　on　the　day…star　of　African　liberty　when　the　shoemaker；　whom　no　university　knew；　was　writing　his　Enquiry　into　the　Obligations　of　Christians　to　use　means　for　the　Conversion　of　the　Heathens。

William　Carey　bore　a　name　which　had　slowly　fallen　into　forgetfulness　after　services　to　the　Stewarts；　with　whose　cause　it　had　been　identified。　　Professor　Stephens；　of　Copenhagen；　traces　it　to　the　Scando…Anglian　Car；　CAER　or　CARE；　which　became　a　place…name　as　CAR…EY。　　Among　scores　of　neighbours　called　William；　William　of　Car…ey　would　soon　sink　into　Carey；　and　this　would　again　become　the　family　name。　　In　Denmark　the　name　Car騟　is　common。　　The　oldest　English　instance　is　the　Cariet　who　coined　money　in　London　for　苩helred　II。　in　1016。　　Certainly　the　name；　through　its　forms　of　Crew；　Carew；　Carey；　and　Cary；　still　prevails　on　the　Irish　coastfrom　which　depression　of　trade　drove　the　family　first　to　Yorkshire；　then　to　the　Northamptonshire　village　of　Yelvertoft；　and　finally　to　Paulerspury；　farther　southas　well　as　over　the　whole　Danegelt　from　Lincolnshire　to　Devonshire。　　If　thus　there　was　Norse　blood　in　William　Carey　it　came　out　in　his　persistent　missionary　daring；　and　it　is　pleasant　even　to　speculate　on　the　possibility　of　such　an　origin　in　one　who　was　all　his　Indian　life　indebted　to　Denmark　for　the　protection　which　alone　made　his　career　possible。

The　Careys　who　became　famous　in　English　history　sprang　from　Devon。　For　two　and　a　half　centuries；　from　the　second　Richard　to　the　second　Charles；　they　gave　statesmen　and　soldiers；　scholars　and　bishops；　to　the　service　of　their　country。　　Henry　Carey；　first　cousin　of　Queen　Elizabeth；　was　the　common　ancestor　of　two　ennobled　houses　long　since　extinctthe　Earls　of　Dover　and　the　Earls　of　Monmouth。　　A　third　peerage　won　by　the　Careys　has　been　made　historic　by　the　patriotic　counsels　and　self…sacrificing　fate　of　Viscount　Falkland；　whose　representative　was　Governor　of　Bombay　for　a　time。　　Two　of　the　heroic　Falkland's　descendants；　aged　ladies；　addressed　a　pathetic　letter　to　Parliament　about　the　time　that　the　great　missionary　died；　praying　that　they　might　not　be　doomed　to　starvation　by　being　deprived　of　a　crown　pension　of　？0　a　year。　　The　older　branch　of　the　Careys　also　had　fallen　on　evil　times；　and　it　became　extinct　while　the　future　missionary　was　yet　four　years　old。　　The　seventh　lord　was　a　weaver　when　he　succeeded　to　the　title；　and　he　died　childless。　　The　eighth　was　a　Dutchman　who　had　to　be　naturalised；　and　he　was　the　last。　　The　Careys　fell　lower　still。　　One　of　them　bore　to　the　brilliant　and　reckless　Marquis　of　Halifax；　Henry　Carey；　who　wrote　one　of　the　few　English　ballads　that　live。　　Another；　the　poet's　granddaughter；　was　the　mother　of　Edmund　Kean；　and　he　at　first　was　known　by　her　name　on　the　stage。

At　that　time　when　the　weaver　became　the　lord　the　grandfather　of　the　missionary　was　parish　clerk　and　first　schoolmaster　of　the　village　of　Paulerspury；　eleven　miles　south　of　Northampton；　and　near　the　ancient　posting　town　of　Towcester；　on　the　old　Roman　road　from　London　to　Chester。　　The　free　school　was　at　the　east　or　〃church　end〃　of　the　village；　which；　after　crossing　the　old　Watling　Street；　straggles　for　a　mile　over　a　sluggish　burn　to　the　〃Pury　end。〃　　One　son；　Thomas；　had　enlisted　and　was　in　Canada。　　Edmund　Carey；　the　second；　set　up　the　loom　on　which　he　wove　the　woollen　cloth　known　as　〃tammy；〃　in　a　two…storied　cottage。　　There　his　eldest　child；　WILLIAM；　was　born；　and　lived　for　six　years　till　his　father　was　appointed　schoolmaster；　when　the　family　removed　to　the　free　schoolhouse。　　The　cottage　was　demolished　in　1854　by　one　Richard　Linnell；　who　placed　on　the　still　meaner　structure　now　occupying　the　site　the　memorial　slab　that　guides　many　visitors　to　the　spot。　　The　schoolhouse；　in　which　William　Carey　spent　the　eight　most　important　years　of　his　childhood　till　he　was　fourteen；　and　the　school　made　way　for　the　present　pretty　buildings。

The　village　surroundings　and　the　country　scenery　coloured　the　whole　of　the　boy's　after　life；　and　did　much　to　make　him　the　first　agricultural　improver　and　naturalist　of　Bengal；　which　he　became。　The　lordship　of　Pirie；　as　it　was　called　by　Gitda；　its　Saxon　owner；　was　given　by　the　Conqueror；　with　much　else；　to　his　natural　son；　William　Peverel；　as　we　see　from　the　Domesday　survey。　　His　descendants　passed　it　on　to　Robert　de　Paveli；　whence　its　present　name；　but　in　Care