Page:History of Bengali Literature in the Nineteenth Century.djvu/313

 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS 289 never be disputed, namely, that its simplicity, precision, and directness presents a striking contrast to the sesquipedalian affectation of the Sanscrit pundits or the mixed jargon of the Persianised munsis. Carey and his co-adjutors brought to their task, that of translation and tract-writing, a com- bination of education and object. They were men all trained in the severe science of theological study : and they always strove to be exact and intelligible (০ the people. Wiss Seaintsid anid) oh: Their training compelled them to be ject of these European precise and their object compelled them ফি to be forcible. No better exercising ground for an infant prose, in at least some ways, could have been provided than the combined one of translation and polemic. The utilitarian end of these European writers, their realistic tendency, their position, influence and attainment directed the whole movement towards simplicity and naturalness, and it is well worthy of note that even some of the learned pundits of the Fort William College, through their example, did not despise to adopt occasion- ally the popular pators of the country.! Thus it will be seen that, at the beginning of the 19th century there were, roughly speak- The subsequent his- tory of these four divergent styles expression, struggling to gain ground and competing for mastery, namely পণ্ডিতী ভাষা, আদালতী ভাষা, চলিত ভাষ! 8) সাহেবী বাঙ্গালা. 0£ these, the atest Sfal (court-language) in course of time, with the general disuse and discontinuance of Persian in law-courts, became almost extinct, and by 1836 we find but little trace of it, except in a few legal technical ing, four different ways or modes of 1 See, for example, the story of বিশ্ববঞ্চক in 11765018515 ৮7৫৮০7-04777175, দ্বিতীয় স্তবক, প্রথম FRA, part of which is quoted ante at pp. 221-222, 37