Page:History of Bengali Language and Literature.djvu/433

 IV.] BENGALI LANGUAGE & LITERATURE. 397 sister's son inherits the property’—a custom which is still observed in the Southern Presidency amongst the Nairs. Sea-voyages as described in the earliest Manasa Mangals seem to represent facts, though much distorted and exaggerated, but in later _versions, we find the accounts turned into complete fiction from which it is impossible to gather any historical truth. The werks mentioned in this chapter represent Id Bengali only a small portion of the literature actually বি 5 written in Bengal between the 13th and the 18th with centuries.* As most of these are in the form of ee old manuscripts and as search for them has been commenced only lately, and that in a_ half-hearted way, by scholars who have no funds to conduct the work vigorously, by far the greater portion of this literature was lost before any attempt was made to preserve it and of existing manuscripts not a tithe could be recovered for want of funds. The enlightened section of our community who are fond of displaying their erudition in English literature, who are never weary of admiring a Cordelia, a Haidee or even a Donna Julia and who quote from the English translation of Virgil to shew their appreciation of Dido’s love, would not care to read the story of Behula—the bride of Laksmindra, whose unflinching resolution and suf- ferings for love rise higher than many a martyrdom ; or of Khullana, the loving damsel of Ujani, whose beauty, tender age, sufferings and fidelity all com- bine to make her one of the finest creations of poetic oe or of Ranjavati—the wife of King period in our list.
 * We bave not included the রা রি Vaisnava authors of this