Page:History of Bengali Literature in the Nineteenth Century.djvu/95

 1 a a EARLIEST EUROPEAN WRITERS 71 The book is composed in both Portuguese and Bengali, the former version appearing on the rectos and the latter on the versos of the pages. The whole is in Roman character (Bengali characters having been non-existent), the words being transliterated according to the rules of Portuguese pronunciation. This method of transliteration is not only curious but also noteworthy, being one of the earliest of its kind and having much value in the study of the phonetics of the Bengali language as it existed two centuries ago.! The book attempts at an exhaustive explanation of the whole Christian doctrine in the form of a dialogue between a Guru and. Xirio (Sisya) or Contents and divi- as i aia work. Preceptor and Disciple, based on the slight conceit of an imaginary travel to Bhawal. There are interspersed throughout short stories to illustrate moral principles. The contents of the work will be apparent from the following account of the division of the work and headnote of each chapter. The whole is divided into two books, entitled Puthi I and II. Putht I. (pp. 2-318). Xo(col...)oner ortho, ebong Prothoqhie prothoghie buzhan. Tazel I. (pp. 2-18)—Xidhi erucer orthobhed. (Sign of the Cross). II. (pp. 19-32sq) Pitar Paron ebong tahan ortho. (Our Father and explanation thereof), III. (pp. ? ante 49-76). This part is wanting in several pages: not known at what page it begins and what its title is. The subject seems to be Hail Mary and Rosary. ‘ Professor Suniti Kumar Chatterji read a paper on this point at a meeting of the Sahitya Parigat, Sep. 24, 1916, which is published in the Patrika of the same Society, (1322, vol. 23, p. 197).