Sabat interceded for him, and sent him home in peace with letters and presents to his mother's house in Arabia.'

The members of the Asiatic Society in Bengal having been imposed on some years ago by a learned Hindoo (who certainly made no profession of Christianity) whose fabrications they published in their Researches, (see Mr. Wilford's Account, vol. 7th) it has been sometimes insinuated by the adversaries of Christian Missions, that Sabat the Arabian would prove, in like manner, to have deceived us. This is certainly possible; and all good men would deplore the event. Let us be thankful, however, for the good that has been already done by his

means.

He has made a translation of the Gospels into the Persian language, and "800 copies of "St. Matthew and St. Luke have been printed "and exposed in the Bibliotheca Biblica of "Calcutta, for sale." And we have now the satisfaction to state, that he has been faithful to his Christian principles for SIX YEARS, and that "his translation of the whole New Testa"ment, into the Arabic language, was expected "to be finished by the end of the present <6 year, 1811."

THE ARABIC SCHOOL

FOR THE

TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.

THE Rev. Henry Martyn, B. D. Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, went out to India about five years ago. His qualifications for the general superintendance of scriptural translation, are truly respectable. After acquiring the highest academical honours in science, and a just celebrity for classical knowledge, he devoted himself to the acquirement of the Arabic and Hindoostanee Languages. His mind was strongly impressed, at an early period, with the duty and importance of communicating the revealed Religion to heathen nations. He had a spirit to follow the steps of Swartz and Brainerd, and preach to the natives in the woods; but his peculiar qualifications, as a critical scholar, have fixed him to the department of translation. He had not been long in Bengal before he was joined by Sabat the Arabian, and Mirza the Persian, and other learned natives; so that they now form an Arabic School, from which it is not pretended that there is any appeal in India.

Mr. Martyn's own proper department is the Hindoostance Language. Soon after his ar rival, he translated the Liturgy of the Church of England into that tongue. He found that many of the wives of the English soldiers were Hindoostanee women, professing Christianity, but who did not understand the English Language, and being desirous to discharge faithfully the duties of his sacred office, he thought it proper to attempt such a translation. This original work, having received repeated revision and amendment, is esteemed by competent judges to be a perspicuous and faithful version of the sublime original. He also translated, about the same time, the parables and parabolic speeches, or apophthegms, of our Saviour, into the same language, with an explanation subjoined to each.

But the grand work which has chiefly engaged the attention of this Oriental Scholar, during the last four years, is his Translation of the whole Bible into the HINDOOSTANEE Language. It has been often acknowledged, that a version of the Scriptures into what is justly called "the grand popular language of Hindoostan," would be the most generally useful in India. Mr. Martyn is in no haste to print any part of his Work, being desirous that it should be first revised and approved by the best scholars. His chief difficulty is in settling

the orthography of the language, and in ascertaining what proportion of words ought to be admitted from the Persian and Arabic fountains; for the Hindoostanee is yet in its infancy, as a written and grammatical tongue; and it is probable, that Mr. Martyn's Work will contribute much to fix its standard. To evince the care and accuracy which he proposes to himself in this Translation, it will be proper to subjoin his last official Report on the subject, dated December, 1809.

"The Hindoostanee New Testament has "been finished some time, and submitted to "the inspection of a variety of persons in dif"ferent parts of the country; but the opinions "formed of the Work have not hitherto appeared to justify its publication. I am per

66

fectly convinced of the inutility of attempt"ing to please all; yet I thought it better to "withhold from the Press what longer experi "ence, and the possession of more efficient in.

..

struments, might enable me to send forth, in "a form more calculated to give general satis"faction. The person whose assistance I was "most anxious to obtain, has once more joined "me; and I am now willing to hope, that the "Word of God may be presented to the na"tive of India, so as to be intelligible to the

generality of readers. The Grammar of the "language is nearly fixed by Mr. Gilchrist's

"learned and useful labours; but it is still dif"ficult to write in it with a view to general "utility. For the higher Mahomedans and "men of learning will hardly peruse, with satis"faction, a book in which the Persian has not "lent its aid to adorn the style. To the rest "a larger proportion of Hindee is more accep"table. The difficulty of ascertaining the point equally removed from either extreme, "would be considerably lessened, were there

ઃઃ

66

••

any prose compositions in the language, of " acknowledged purity. But unfortunately no "such standard exists: no works of any de26 scription indeed have been found but poems. Lately some translations in Hindoostanee . prose have issued from the College of Fort "William; but as they have not yet stood the "test of time, and are very little known in the "country, they could not safely be referred to "as a standard. Thus I have been left to the "guidance of my own judgment far more than "I could have wished."

In regard to the Arabic and Persian Translations, both of which Mr. Martyn superintends, as well as the Hindoostanee, he thus writes:

"In the Persian and Arabic Translations "there are happily no such difficulties. The "valuable qualities of our Christian brother, "Nathanael Sabat, render this part of the