From the above view of the Arabic language, and from the Perfians having adopted not only the Arabic alphabet, but also their dots or vowel points, it muft appear to be the most rational, and also the most expeditious method, to begin first with learning the principles of the Arabic language, and then to proceed to read the Perfian with leffons, or a book having the vowel points fubjoined to the confonants. If the Arabians, Turks, and Perfians, pradife the method now recommended, and find it necellary to teach their children in this manner to learn their mother tongue, furely there is a great degree of abfurdity in Europeans pretending to learn thefe languages in a different manner; for, without this natural method, a learner must read and pronounce with the greatest difficulty and uncertainty. We apprehend that one of the principal causes why the Europeans, who have been in India, have made fo little progrefs in learning the Perfian language, has proceeded from their attempting to learn to read the Perfian before they were taught the principles of the Arabic. True it is, indeed, that many historical books are written in the Arabic language with out the vowel points; but many of their poetical and other writings have the vowel dots joined to the confonants, to prevent obfcurity and miftake.

In various Perfian books, and written letters, which we have feen, thefe vowel points are wanting; yet they may be underfood by those who have made themfelves mafters of these languages; but this must be the effect of great labour.

The late Profeflor Schultens, who not only read, but wrote with his own hand, more manufcripts than any other Euro-. pean of the prefent age, aflerts, in the ftrongeft manner, that no man could pretend to read many of the Arabian poets, or the works of Hariri, without being in danger of mistaking the fenfe of the Authors, if the copies were not pointed.

"Miratus femper fui (fays Schultens) confidentiam virorum quorundam doétimorum, nimis liberaliter et magnifice bic loquentium, quamvis etiam fæpe imperitiam, jejunitatem, aliorum riferim qui ne unam quidem periodum fine punctis legi pole dictant. Si Haririi confeffus quinquaginta, totius veteris linguæ floribus et geminis contexti, fine punétis lectioni Arabum fuiflent traditi, ne centefima quidem pars eorum lucefet, non dicam nobis, fed vel linguæ patriæ callentiffimis. Alcorani lectio et fenfus fine punctis nufpiam fatis conftaret. Prifcos Arabes poetas, inter quos multi qui non ultra Mohammedis folum, fed ctiam ultra Chrifti domini ætatem afcendunt, haudquaquam venerata effet univerfa natio, tanquam eloquentiæ, et grammaticæ fimul fupremos arbitros et magiftros, ni vocales corum carminibus appice fuiflent, quæ ad utrumque præluccrent, atque nihil nee in fenfu obfcure nec in pronun

ciandi ratione ambigue paterentur." See on this fubject Clavis Pentateuchi, &c. cui præmittuntur Differtationes duæ. I. De antiquitate Linguæ Arabicæ, ejufque convenientia cum Lingua Hebræa. II. De genuina Punctorum Vocalium apud Arabes et Hebræos antiquitate, &c.

De Dieu, therefore, from a fenfe of the neceffity of having the vowel points fubjoined, in order to facilitate the reading and learning of the language, printed the vowel points with the confonants +.

The learned Gravius has followed De Dieu's footsteps in this point, in his Grammar.

Meninski has not in his Grammar the vowel points or dots but he has added the pronunciation of every word in Roman characters.

It is very remarkable, that the Arabic words adopted by the Perfians flow in the channel of the Perfic language without any change, except it be in fome few nouns and adjectives, which have the Perfic as well as the Arabic termination in the plural number.

This is one argument (fays Mr. Jones) out of a great number, to prove the impoffibility of learning the Perfian lan guage accurately without a moderate knowledge of the Arabic; and if the learner will follow my advice, he will perufe, with attention, the Arabic Grammar of Erpenius, before he attempts to translate a Perfian MSS.'

We have obferved, that the Perfians by no means incorporate their language in the fame manner as the Italians, French, and English, who have introduced the Latin words, by making them flow with their own terminations in the channel of their refpective languages. Mr. Jones gives the following candid reprefentation of what we have afferted:

But if he (the ftudent) defires to diftinguifh himself as an eminent tranflator, and to understand not only the general purport of a compofition, but even the graces and ornaments of it, he muft neceffarily learn the Arabic tongue, which is blended with the Perfian in fo fingular a manner, that one period often contains both languages wholly diftinct from each other in expreffion and idiom, but perfedly united in fenfe and conftruction. This must appear frange to an European reader, but he may form fome idea of this uncommon mixture, when he is told that the two Afiatic languages are not mixed like the words of Roman and Saxon origin in this period, The tre law is right reafon conformable to the nature of things, which calls us to duty by commanding, deters us from fin by forbidding; but as we

Eft ergo confonantium et vocalium eadem hic ratio, que apud Arabes. Vid, De Dieu Gram. p. 1.

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may

may fuppofe the Latin and English to be connected in the following fentence: The true lex is recta ratio conformable natursë, which by commanding vocet ad efficium, by forbidding a fraude deterreat. Here we have in this fentence, confifting of nineteen words, ten which are pure Látin, viz. lex, recta ratio, naturæ, vocet ad officium, a fraude deterreat.'

It must evidently appear, to every attentive reader, from the above representation of the Perfic, and Arabic languages, that they are as different from one another in their original genius and constitution, as the Latin is from the Saxon, or any other European language. And the truth is, that the effential conftituent parts of each language are entirely different; for the declenfion of nouns, the perfonal pronouns, the cardinal and ordinal numbers, and the inflexion of verbs, have the ftamp of two different nations: the truth of this affertion will appear to every one who will look into a Perfic and Arabic Grammar. Befide, the language of addrefs and compliment is almost all Arabic, fo that one unacquainted with Arabic is in the greatest danger of ufing fuch words without a juft idea of their meaning; which plainly fhews the neceffity of the learner's being acquainted with the principles or rudiments of the language. From hence it must plainly appear, that the learning of the Perfian language, without a previous acquaintance with the Arabic, mult not only be a very difficult tafk to the ftudent, but alle confound and retard his progrefs, by having two different languages, different from each other in expreffion and idiom, to Jearn at the fame time, while he is utterly unacquainted with the genius and conftitution of either; and this ignorance must render the ftudent wholly incapable of judging what words are of Arabic, and what are of Perfic extraction. Befide, if the ftudent is tolerably verfed in the powers of the Arabic letters, he will very foon get acquainted with the powers of fuch letters in the Perfian alphabet as differ from thofe of the Arabians, and by this means he will fooner and more fully comprehend the powers of these letters when pronounced by a native, who too frequently confounds the name of the letter with the power thereof. The fact is, that they can do this only by founding the word, they being utterly ignorant of the powers of the letters in the European alphabet. Mr. Jones advifes the ftudent, after he has thoroughly learned the characters, and the true pronunciation of the letters, to proceed to perufe the Grammar with attention, and to commit to memory the regular inflexion of nouns and verbs. He fuggefts also that the learner need not burden his mind with those which deviate from the common form, as they will be infenfibly learned in a fhort courfe of reading.

He

He how recommends, with great propriety and juflice, Meninfki's Dictionary, which he afferts, from a long experience, will be fufficient for any who would learn the Perfian tongue; and he inftructs the learner to proceed, by the help of this work, to analyfe the paflages in the Grammar, and to examine in what manner they illuftiate the rules. In the mean time, however, the ftudent must not neglect to converfe with his living inftructor, and to learn from him the phrafes of common difcourfe, and the names of vifible objects, which will be soon imprinted on his memory, if he will take the trouble to look for them in the Dictionary.

The first book that Mr. Jones recommends to the student of the Perlian language is, Muflade Saadi's Guliftan, or Bed of Rofes, pu lifhed by Gentius, with a Latin tranflation, folio, Amfterdamn, 1651, which indeed is remarkable for the purity of its language. He recommends alfo, very properly, the comparing of a manufcript with the printed edition of Gentius, fo that the student may the more expeditiously learn to read Eastern manuscripts.

- Our Author then advises the learner to read fome hort and ealy chapter of this work, to tranflate it into his own native language with the utmost exactnefs, and then, laying afide the original, after a proper interval, to turn the fame chapter back into Perfian, by the affiftance of the Grammar and Dictionary; and let him afterwards compare his fecond tranflation with the original, correcting its faults according to that model. This, indeed, is moft rational and ufeful advice; for fuch exercife will enable the ftudent gradually to acquire the style and manner of any Author he delires to imitate; and by this means Mr. Jones thinks almoft any language may be learned in fix months, with eafe and pleasure.

The exercifes recommended by Mr. Jones will furely be attended with great benefit to the learner; but we are afraid that fix months is too short a fpace for learning a language with ⚫ease and pleasure.'

Our Author alfo recommends the reading of that collection of tales and fables by Anvoar Soheli Huflein Vaez, furnamed Cafhefi, who took the celebrated work of Bidpai, or Pilpai, for his text, and has comprised all the wifdom of the Eaft in fourteen beautiful chapters.

We heartily with that the application and industry of our countrymen who refort to India may be fuch as fhall confirm and verify what Mr. Jones is fo fully perfuaded of, viz. that whoever will study the Perfian language according to my plan, wil!, in less than a year, be able to translate, and to answer any letter from an Indian prince, and to converfe with the natives of India, not only with fluency but with elegance.' We are

afraid that Mr. Jones measures the affiduity of other ftudents by his own, and that his expectations are rather too fanguine; for fuppofing the learners to be poffeffed of the genius and abilities of Themiftocles ; yet we apprehend that there are not fuch preceptors in Hindoftan, as were then in the court of Perfia. Mr. Jones enumerates a variety of advantages which will accrue to thofe who attain the knowledge of the Arabic and Perfian languages. The knowledge of the Arabic will affift the tudent of the Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldaic, and Ethiopian tongues, which are dialects of the Arabic, and bear as near a resemblance to it as the lonic to the Attic Greek. The knowledge of thefe two languages will alfo facilitate the learning of the native language of Hindoftan, as this laft contains fo great a number of Arabic and Perfian words. Thefe two languages alfo will open the way to an acquaintance with the Turkish, which contains ten Arabic or Perfic words for one original Scythian. In fhort, there is fcarce a country in Afia or Africa, from the fource of the Nile to the wall of China, in which a man who underftands Arabic, Perfian, and Turkish, may not travel with fatisfaction, or tranfact bufinefs with advantage. The attainment of the Perfian language would alfo enrich Europe with a more accurate knowledge of the geography, not only of Perfia, but alfo of Afia in general. Many learned men have fhewn that an acquaintance with the Perfian language would enable the learned antiquarian to underftand a great number of paftages in the Greek and Latin claffics, as there are many Greek and Latin words plainly derived from the Perfic: and it would throw light upon the Greek and Roman hiftories, as they are evidently interwoven with that of Perfia. The names of the Prian kings are corrupted by Agathias, Procopius, Cedrenus, and others. The celebrated Hyde, in his book de Religione ve te um Perfarum, has corrected the notions of many learned men with refpect to Zoroafter. It is afferted by fome, that Herodotus, Xenophon, Atheneus, Plutarch, and others, cannot be folly underflood by thofe who are ignorant of this language, as many Perfian words and rites are mentioned by thefe writers, the thorough understanding of which require a competent ac quaintance with the Perfian.

There is one remarkable circumftance with refpect to the Perlic, viz. that it has remained the fame for many ages; fo that words that were pure Perfian two thoufand years ago, are at this prefent time used in Perfia. We might cite a valt number

↑ Cornelius Nepos informs us that Themistocles, having spent a year in the books and language of the Perfians, was fo perfectly infructed in their language, that he is faid to have spoken before the King with nsere elegance than they could who were born in Perda.

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