Dutt, Romesh Chunder: The literature of Bengal: being an attempt to trace the progress of the national mind in its various aspects, as reflected in the nation’s literature from the earliest times to the present day ; with copious extracts from the best writers (Calcutta, 1877)

8 LITERATURE OP BENGAL.

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rated with the Persian • we need only take up, a deed of
contract or gift or sale in our own day. With the excep-
tion of the verbs, articles and other small words, almost
all the words are Persian. Similarly almost all words
used in the zemindar's sherista, such as Zemindar, Naeb,
Gomashta, Rayat, Halshanas, Chowkeday, Jat^adar, Pottah,
Kabuliat, Kobala, Dakhila, Waris, Malguzari, Lakhraj,
Taluq, Ijara &c; and all words used in courts of justice
such as Adawlut, Dewani, Fouzdari, Hukm, Hakim,
Hozoa';-,- Hazir, Malik, Ejlas, Furiadi, Asami, Mohkuma,
Amin, Chaprasee &c, are Persian or Arabic, to which
there are no Bengali equivalents.

The sixteenth century then was a century of two
great revolutions, one political and the other religious.
About the commencement of the century there was an
awakening of the (national mind under the leadership
of1 Chaitanya; towards the close of the century, Bengal (
passed from the hands of the Pathans to those of the
Moghuls, and a second revolution in the language and'
literature of Bengal was unconsciously effected by the
great Todar Mall. These two revolutions left permanent
traces on the minds of the people, and in the literature
of the country.

Up to the end of the 15th century, our literature con-
sisted simply of songs feelingly sung, about the amours
of Krishna and Radhika. But the national,- mind was
now awakened. The first effect of this change was the
introduction of a new religion deep and earnest in its
character, and far reaching in its consequeuces. In
-literature too, there was a hankering for something vaster

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