the life of william carey-第53节

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　in　one　of　their　villages。　　No　one　could　say　whence　it　had　come；　all　they　knew　was　that　they　had　possessed　it　for　many　years。　　It　was　Carey's　first　Bengali　version　of　the　New　Testament　of　our　Lord　and　Saviour　Jesus　Christ。　　In　the　wide　and　elastic　bounds　of　Hindooism；　and　even；　as　we　shall　see；　amid　fanatical　Mussulmans　beyond　the　frontier；　the　Bible；　dimly　understood　without　a　teacher；　has　led　to　puritan　sects　like　this；　as　to　earnest　inquirers　like　the　chamberlain　of　Queen　Candace。

The　third　edition　of　the　Bengali　Testament　was　published　in　1811　in　folio　for　the　use　of　the　native　congregations　by　that　time　formed。　The　fourth；　consisting　of　5000　copies；　appeared　in　1816；　and　the　eighth　in　1832。　　The　venerable　scholar；　like　Columba　at　Iona　over　the　thirty…fourth　psalm；　and　Baeda　at　Jarrow　over　the　sixth　chapter　of　John's　Gospel；　said　as　he　corrected　the　last　sheetthe　last　after　forty　years'　faithful　and　delighted　toil：　〃My　work　is　done；　I　have　nothing　more　to　do　but　to　wait　the　will　of　the　Lord。〃　The　Old　Testament　from　the　Hebrew　appeared　in　portions　from　1802　to　1809。　Such　was　the　ardour　of　the　translator；　that　he　had　finished　the　correction　of　his　version　of　the　first　chapter　of　Genesis　in　January　1794。　　When　he　read　it　to　two　pundits　from　Nuddea；　he　told　Fuller　in　his　journal　of　that　month　they　seemed　much　pleased　with　the　account　of　the　creation；　but　they　objected　to　the　omission　of　patala；　their　imaginary　place　beneath　the　earth；　which　they　thought　should　have　been　mentioned。　　At　this　early　period　Carey　saw　the　weakness　of　Hindooism　as　a　pretended　revelation；　from　its　identification　with　false　physics；　just　as　Duff　was　to　see　and　use　it　afterwards　with　tremendous　effect；　and　wrote：〃There　is　a　necessity　of　explaining　to　them　several　circumstances　relative　to　geography　and　chronology；　as　they　have　many　superstitious　opinions　on　those　subjects　which　are　closely　connected　with　their　systems　of　idolatry。〃　　The　Bengali　Bible　was　the　result　of　fifteen　years'　sweet　toil；　in　which　Marshman　read　the　Greek　and　Carey　the　Bengali；　every　one　of　their　colleagues　examined　the　proof　sheets；　and　Carey　finally　wrote　with　his　own　pen　the　whole　of　the　five　octavo　volumes。　　In　the　forty　years　of　his　missionary　career　Carey　prepared　and　saw　through　the　press　five　editions　of　the　Old　Testament　and　eight　editions　of　the　New　in　Bengali。

The　Sanskrit　version　was　translated　from　the　original；　and　written　out　by　the　toiling　scholar　himself。　　Sir　William　Jones　is　said　to　have　been　able　to　secure　his　first　pundit's　help　only　by　paying　him　Rs。　500　a　month；　or　？00　a　year。　　Carey　engaged　and　trained　his　many　pundits　at　a　twentieth　of　that　sum。　　He　well　knew　that　the　Brahmans　would　scorn　a　book　in　the　language　of　the　common　people。　〃What；〃　said　one　who　was　offered　the　Hindi　version；　〃even　if　the　books　should　contain　divine　knowledge；　they　are　nothing　to　us。　　The　knowledge　of　God　contained　in　them　is　to　us　as　milk　in　a　vessel　of　dog's　skin；　utterly　polluted。〃　　But；　writes　the　annalist　of　Biblical　Translations　in　India；　Carey's　Sanskrit　version　was　cordially　received　by　the　Brahmans。　　Destroyed　in　the　fire　in　1812；　the　Old　Testament　historical　books　were　again　translated；　and　appeared　in　1815。　　In　1827　the　aged　saint　had　strength　to　bring　out　the　first　volume　of　a　thorough　revision；　and　to　leave　the　manuscript　of　the　second　volume；　on　his　death；　as　a　legacy　to　his　successors；　Yates　and　Wenger。　　Against　Vedas　and　Upanishads；　Brahmanas　and　Epics；　he　set　the　Sanskrit　Bible。

The　whole　number　of　completely　translated　and　published　versions　of　the　sacred　Scriptures　which　Carey　sent　forth　was　twenty…eight。　　Of　these　seven　included　the　whole　Bible；　and　twenty…one　contained　the　books　of　the　New　Testament。　　Each　translation　has　a　history；　a　spiritual　romance　of　its　own。　　Each　became　almost　immediately　a　silent　but　effectual　missionary　to　the　peoples　of　Asia；　as　well　as　the　scholarly　and　literary　pioneer　of　those　later　editions　and　versions　from　which　the　native　churches　of　farther　Asia　derive　the　materials　of　their　lively　growth。

The　Ooriya　version　was　almost　the　first　to　be　undertaken　after　the　Bengali；　to　which　language　it　bears　the　same　relation　as　rural　Scotch　to　English；　though　it　has　a　written　character　of　its　own。　What　is　now　the　Orissa　division　of　Bengal；　separating　it　from　Madras　to　the　south…west；　was　added　to　the　empire　in　1803。　　This　circumstance；　and　the　fact　that　its　Pooree　district；　after　centuries　of　sun…worship　and　then　shiva…worship；　had　become　the　high…place　of　the　vaishnava　cult　of　Jaganath　and　his　car；　which　attracted　and　often　slew　hundreds　of　thousands　of　pilgrims　every　year；　led　Carey　to　prepare　at　once　for　the　press　the　Ooriya　Bible。　　The　chief　pundit；　Mritunjaya；　skilled　in　both　dialects；　first　adapted　the　Bengali　version　to　the　language　of　the　Ooriyas；　which　was　his　own。　Carey　then　took　the　manuscript；　compared　it　with　the　original　Greek；　and　corrected　it　verse　by　verse。　　The　New　Testament　was　ready　in　1809；　and　the　Old　Testament　in　1815；　the　whole　in　four　volumes。　Large　editions　were　quickly　bought　up　and　circulated。　　These　led　to　the　establishment　of　the　General　Baptist　Society's　missionaries　at　Cuttak；　the　capital。

In　1814　the　Serampore　Bible　translation　college；　as　we　may　call　it；　began　the　preparation　of　the　New　Testament　in　Maghadi；　another　of　the　languages　allied　to　the　Bengali；　and　derived　from　the　Sanskrit　through　the　Pali；　because　that　was　the　vernacular　of　Buddhism　in　its　original　seat；　an　edition　of　1000　copies　appeared　in　1824。　　It　was　intended　to　publish　a　version　in　the　Maithili　language　of　Bihar；　which　has　a　literature　stretching　back　to　the　fourteenth　century；　that　every　class　might　have　the　Word　of　God　in　their　own　dialect。　But　Carey's　literary　enthusiasm　and　scholarship　had　by　this　time　done　so　much　to　develop　and　extend　the　power　of　Bengali　proper；　that　it　had　begun　to　supersede　all　such　dialects；　except　Ooriya　and　the　northern　vernaculars　of　the　valley　of　the　Brahmapootra。　　In　1810　the　Serampore　press　added　the　Assamese　New　Testament　to　its　achievements。　　In　1819　the　first　edition　appeared；　in　1826　the　province　became　British；　and　in　1832　Carey　had　the　satisfaction　of　issuing　the　Old　Testament；　and　setting　apart　Mr。　Rae；　a　Scottish　soldier；　who　had　settled　there；　as　the　first　missionary　at　Gowhatti。　To　these　must　be　added；　as　in　the　Bengali　character　though　non…Aryan　languages；　versions　in　Khasi　and　Manipoori；　the　former　for　the　democratic　tribes　of　the　Khasia　hills　among　whom　the　Welsh　Calvinists　have　since　worked；　and　the　latter　for　the　curious　Hindoo　snake…people　on　the　border　of　Burma；　who　have　taught　Europe　the　game　of　polo。

Another　immediate　successor　of　the　Bengali　translation　was　the　Marathi；　of　which　also　Carey　was　professor　in　the　College　of　Fort　William。　　By　1804　he　was　himself　hard　at　work　on　this　version；　by　1811　the　first　edition　of　the　New　Testament　appeared；　and　by　1820　the　Old　Testament　left　the　press。　　It　was　in　a　dialect　peculiar　to　Nagpoor；　and　was　at　first　largely　circulated　by　Lieutenant　Moxon　in　the　army　there。　　In　1812　Carey　sent　the　missionary　Aratoon　to　Bombay　and　Surat　just　after　Henry　Martyn　had　written　that　the　only　Christian　in　the　city　who　understood　his　evangelical　sermon　was　a　ropemaker　just　arrived　from　England。　　At　the　same　time　he　was　busy　with　a　version　in　the　dialect　of　the　Konkan；　the　densely…peopled　coast　district　to　the　south　of　Bombay　city；　inhabited　chiefly　by　the　ablest　Brahmanical　race　in　India。　　In　1819　the　New　Testament　appeared　in　this　translation；　having　been　under　preparation　at　Serampore　for　eleven　years。　　Thus　Carey　sought　to　turn　to　Christ　the　twelve　millions　of　Hindoos　who；　from　Western　India　above　and　below　the　great　coast…range　known　as　the　Sahyadri　or　〃delectable〃　mountains；　had　nearly　wrested　the　whole　peninsula　from　the　Mohammedans；　and　had　almost　anticipated　the　life…giving　rule　of　the　British；　first　at　Panipat　and　then　as　Assye。　　Meanwhile　new　missionaries　had　been　taking　possession　of　those　western　districts　where　the　men　of　Serampore　had　sowed　the　first　seed　and　reaped　the　first　fruits。　　The　charter　of　1813　made　it　possible　for　the　American　Missionaries　to　land　there；　and　for　the　local　Bible　Society　to　spring　into　existence。　　Dr。　John　Wilson　and　his　Scottish　colleagues　followed　them。　　Carey　and　his　brethren　welcomed　these　and　retired　from　that　field；　confining　themselves　to　providing；　during　the　next　seven　years；　a　Goojarati　version　for　the　millions　of　Northern　Bombay；　including　the　hopeful　Parsees；　and　resigning　that；　too；　to　the　London　Missionary　Society　after　issuing　the　New　Testament　in　1820。

Mr。　Christopher　Anderson　justly　remarks；　in　his　Annals　of　the　English　Bible；　published　half　a　century　ago：〃Time　will　show；　and　in　a　very　singular　manner；　that　every　version；　without　exception；　which　came　from　Carey's　hands；　has　a　value　affixed　to　it　which　the　present　generation；　living　as　it　were　too　near　an　object；　is　not　yet　able　to　estimate　or　descry。　　Fifty　years　hence　the　character　of　this　extraordinary　and　humble　man　will　be　more　correctly　appreciated。〃

In　none　of　the　classes　of　languages　derived　from　the　Sanskrit　was　the　zeal　of　Carey　and　his　associates　so　remarkable　as　in　the　Hindi。　So　early　as　1796　he　wrote　of　this　the　most　widely　extended　offspr