Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/183

142 very easy to understand. In Vidyasagar's "Vasudeva-Charita" and other subsequent works, there is an abundant use of long compound words and sentences in imitation of Sanskrit, but these words and sentences have been so nicely and properly chosen and arranged, that they never read harsh or jarring. On the contrary, they sound in the ear like sweet, harmonious music, and reach the very core of the heart, making it dance in merriment. Although his manner of expression is not much varied, yet it is not dully monotonous. It must be admitted, that he had a great command over his language. He could elevate or lower it at pleasure, according to the seriousness or otherwise of his subject. The use of useless or meaningless words is hardly to be found in his writings. He applied his epithets with distinctness and certainty. He used his words with such precision and adaptability to the subject of discourse, that it is very difficult to replace them by other words and sentences without marring the exact meaning intended to be conveyed by them. Even his first book, the "Vasudeva-Charita", abounds with illustrations of this wonderful power of Vidyasagar.

We have already noticed, that before Vidyasagar was made to write his "Vasudeva-Charita", many other writers had written books in Bengali prose, and attempted at the development of the language. Cary, Marshman, and some other notable Christian missionaries were among their