the life of william carey-第52节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


hat　that　of　the　terms　deduced　from　it　in　the　cognate　languages　will　be　evident。　　This　work　will　be　great；　and　it　is　doubtful　whether　I　shall　live　to　complete　it；　but　I　mean　to　begin　to　arrange　the　materials；　which　I　have　been　some　years　collecting　for　this　purpose；　as　soon　as　my　Bengali　dictionary　is　finished。　　Should　I　live　to　accomplish　this；　and　the　translations　in　hand；　I　think　I　can　then　say；　'Lord；　now　lettest　thou　thy　servant　depart　in　peace。'〃

The　ardent　scholar　had　twenty…three　years　of　toil　before　him　in　this　happy　work。　　But　he　did　not　know　this；　while　each　year　the　labour　increased；　and　the　apprehension　grew　that　he　and　his　colleagues　might　at　any　time　be　removed　without　leaving　a　trained　successor。　They　naturally　looked　first　to　the　sons　of　the　mission　for　translators　as　they　had　already　done　for　preachers。

To　Dr。　Carey　personally；　however；　the　education　of　a　young　missionary　specially　fitted　to　be　his　successor；　as　translator　and　editor　of　the　translations；　was　even　more　important。　　Such　a　man　was　found　in　William　Yates；　born　in　1792；　and　in　the　county；　Leicestershire；　in　which　Carey　brought　the　Baptist　mission　to　the　birth。　　Yates　was　in　his　early　years　also　a　shoemaker；　and　member　of　Carey's　old　church　in　Harvey　Lane；　when　under　the　great　Robert　Hall；　who　said　to　the　youth's　father；　〃Your　son；　sir；　will　be　a　great　scholar　and　a　good　preacher；　and　he　is　a　holy　young　man。〃　　In　1814　he　became　the　last　of　the　young　missionaries　devoted　to　the　cause　by　Fuller；　soon　to　pass　away；　Ryland；　and　Hall。　Yates　had　not　been　many　months　at　Serampore　when；　with　the　approval　of　his　brethren；　Carey　wrote　to　Fuller；　on　17th　May　1815：〃I　am　much　inclined　to　associate　him　with　myself　in　the　translations。　　My　labour　is　greater　than　at　any　former　period。　　We　have　now　translations　of　the　Bible　going　forward　in　twenty…seven　languages；　all　of　which　are　in　the　press　except　two　or　three。　　The　labour　of　correcting　and　revising　all　of　them　lies　on　me。〃　　By　September　we　find　Yates　writing：〃Dr。　Carey　sends　all　the　Bengali　proofs　to　me　to　review。　　I　read　them　over；　and　if　there　is　anything　I　do　not　understand；　or　think　to　be　wrong；　I　mark　it。　　We　then　converse　over　it；　and　if　it　is　wrong；　he　alters　it；　but　if　not；　he　shows　me　the　reason　why　it　is　right；　and　thus　will　initiate　me　into　the　languages　as　fast　as　I　can　learn　them。　　He　wishes　me　to　begin　the　Hindi　very　soon。　　Since　I　have　been　here　I　have　read　three　volumes　in　Bengali；　and　they　have　but　six　of　consequence　in　prose。　　There　are　abundance　in　Sanskrit。〃　〃Dr。　Carey　has　treated　me　with　the　greatest　affection　and　kindness；　and　told　me　he　will　give　me　every　information　he　can；　and　do　anything　in　his　power　to　promote　my　happiness。〃　　What　Baruch　was　to　the　prophet　Jeremiah；　that　Yates　might　have　been　to　Carey；　who　went　so　far　in　urging　him　to　remain　for　life　in　Serampore　as　to　say；　〃if　he　did　not　accept　the　service　it　would　be；　in　his　judgment；　acting　against　Providence；　and　the　blessing　of　God　was　not　to　be　expected。〃　　Yates　threw　in　his　lot　with　the　younger　men　who；　in　Calcutta　after　Fuller's　death；　began　the　Society's　as　distinct　from　the　Serampore　mission。　　If　Carey　was　the　Wyclif　and　Tyndale；　Yates　was　the　Coverdale　of　the　Bengali　and　Sanskrit　Bible。　　Wenger；　their　successor；　was　worthy　of　both。　　Bengal　still　waits　for　the　first　native　revision　of　the　great　work　which　these　successive　pioneers　have　gradually　improved。　　When　shall　Bengal　see　its　own　Luther？

The　Bengali　Bible　was　the　first　as　it　was　the　most　important　of　the　translations。　　The　province；　or　lieutenant…governorship　then　had　the　same　area　as　France；　and　contained　more　than　double　its　population；　or　eighty　millions。　　Of　the　three　principal　vernaculars；　Bengali　is　spoken　by　forty…five　millions　of　Hindoos　and　Mohammedans。　　It　was　for　all　the　natives　of　Bengal　and　of　India　north　of　the　Dekhan　（〃south〃）　tableland；　but　especially　for　the　Bengali…speaking　people；　that　William　Carey　created　a　literary　language　a　century　ago。

The　first　Bengali　version　of　the　whole　New　Testament　Carey　translated　from　the　original　Greek　before　the　close　of　1796。　　The　only　English　commentary　used　was　the　Family　Expositor　of　Doddridge；　published　in　1738；　and　then　the　most　critical　in　the　language。　　Four　times　he　revised　the　manuscript；　with　a　Greek　concordance　in　his　hand；　and　he　used　it　not　only　with　Ram　Basu　by　his　side；　the　most　accomplished　of　early　Bengali　scholars；　but　with　the　natives　around　him　of　all　classes。　　By　1800　Ward　had　arrived　as　printer；　the　press　was　perfected　at　Serampore；　and　the　result　of　seven　years　of　toil　appeared　in　February　1801；　in　the　first　edition　of　2000　copies；　costing　？12。　　The　printing　occupied　nine　months。　　The　type　was　set　up　by　Ward　and　Carey's　son　Felix　with　their　own　hands；　〃for　about　a　month　at　first　we　had　a　Brahman　compositor；　but　we　were　quite　weary　of　him。　　We　kept　four　pressmen　constantly　employed。〃　　A　public　subscription　had　been　opened　for　the　whole　Bengali　Bible　at　Rs。　32；　or　？　a　copy　as　exchange　then　was；　and　nearly　fifty　copies　had　been　at　once　subscribed　for。　　It　was　this　edition　which　immediately　led　to　Carey's　appointment　to　the　College　of　Fort　William；　and　it　was　that　appointment　which　placed　Carey　in　a　position；　philological　and　financial；　to　give　the　Bible　to　the　peoples　of　the　farther　East　in　their　own　tongue。

Some　loving　memories　cluster　round　the　first　Bengali　version　of　the　New　Testament　which　it　is　well　to　collect。　　On　Tuesday；　18th　March　1800；　Ward's　journal19　records：　〃Brother　Carey　took　an　impression　at　the　press　of　the　first　page　in　Matthew。〃　　The　translator　was　himself　the　pressman。　　As　soon　as　the　whole　of　this　Gospel　was　ready；　500　copies　of　it　were　struck　off　for　immediate　circulation；　〃which　we　considered　of　importance　as　containing　a　complete　life　of　the　Redeemer。〃　　Four　days　after　an　advertisement　in　the　official　Calcutta　Gazette；　announcing　that　the　missionaries　had　established　a　press　at　Serampore　and　were　printing　the　Bible　in　Bengali；　roused　Lord　Wellesley；　who　had　fettered　the　press　in　British　India。　　Mr。　Brown　was　able　to　inform　the　Governor…General　that　this　very　Serampore　press　had　refused　to　print　a　political　attack　on　the　English　Government；　and　that　it　was　intended　for　the　spiritual　instruction　only　of　the　natives。　　This　called　forth　the　assurance　from　that　liberal　statesman　that　he　was　personally　favourable　to　the　conversion　of　the　heathen。　　When　he　was　further　told　that　such　an　Oriental　press　would　be　invaluable　to　the　College　of　Fort　William；　he　not　only　withdrew　his　opposition　but　made　Carey　first　teacher　of　Bengali。　　It　was　on　the　7th　February　1801　that　the　last　sheet　with　the　final　corrections　was　put　into　Carey's　hands。　　When　a　volume　had　been　bound　it　was　reverently　offered　to　God　by　being　placed　on　the　Communion…table　of　the　chapel；　and　the　mission　families　and　the　new…made　converts　gathered　around　it　with　solemn　thanksgiving　to　God　led　by　Krishna　Pal。　Carey　preached　from　the　words　（Col。　iii。　11）　〃Let　the　Word　of　Christ　dwell　in　you　richly　in　all　wisdom。〃　　The　centenary　was　celebrated　in　Calcutta　in　1901；　under　Dr。　Rouse；　whose　fine　scholarship　had　just　revised　the　translation。

When　the　first　copies　reached　England；　Andrew　Fuller　sent　one　to　the　second　Earl　Spencer；　the　peer　who　had　used　the　wealth　of　Sarah；　Duchess　of　Marlborough；　to　collect　the　great　library　at　Althorp。　Carey　had　been　a　poor　tenant　of　his；　though　the　Earl　knew　it　not。　When　the　Bengali　New　Testament　reached　him；　with　its　story；　he　sent　a　cheque　for　？0　to　help　to　translate　the　Old　Testament；　and　he　took　care　that　a　copy　should　be　presented　to　George　III。；　as　by　his　own　request。　　Mr。　Bowyer　was　received　one　morning　at　Windsor；　and　along　with　the　volume　presented　an　address　expressing　the　desire　that　His　Majesty　might　live　to　see　its　principles　universally　prevail　throughout　his　Eastern　dominions。　　On　this　the　lord　in　waiting　whispered　a　doubt　whether　the　book　had　come　through　the　proper　channel。　　At　once　the　king　replied　that　the　Board　of　Control　had　nothing　to　do　with　it；　and　turning　to　Mr。　Bowyer　said；　〃I　am　greatly　pleased　to　find　that　any　of　my　subjects　are　employed　in　this　manner。〃

This　now　rare　volume；　to　be　found　on　the　shelves　of　the　Serampore　College　Library；　where　it　leads　the　host　of　the　Carey　translations；　is　coarse　and　unattractive　in　appearance　compared　with　its　latest　successors。　　In　truth　the　second　edition；　which　appeared　in　1806；　was　almost　a　new　version。　　The　criticism　of　his　colleagues　and　others；　especially　of　a　ripe　Grecian　like　Dr。　Marshman；　the　growth　of　the　native　church；　and　his　own　experience　as　a　Professor　of　Sanskrit　and　Marathi　as　well　as　Bengali；　gave　Carey　new　power　in　adapting　the　language　to　the　divine　ideas　of　which　he　made　it　the　medium。　　But　the　first　edition　was　not　without　its　self…evidencing　power。　　Seventeen　years　after；　when　the　mission　extended　to　the　old　capital　of　Dacca；　there　were　found　several　villages　of　Hindoo…born　peasants　who　had　given　up　idol…worship；　were　renowned　for　their　truthfulness；　and；　as　searching　for　a　true　teacher　come　from　God；　called　themselves　〃Satya…gooroos。〃　　They　traced　their　new　faith　to　a　much…worn　book　kept　in　a　wooden　box　in　one　of　their　villages。　　No　one　could　say　whence　it　had　come；　all　they　knew　was　that　they　had　pos