The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 11 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 11 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
My Lords, I have only further to inform your Lordships that these
Institutes of Timour ought to be very well known to Mr. Hastings. He
ought to have known that this prince never claimed arbitrary power; that
the principles he adopted were to govern by law, to repress the
oppressions of his inferior governors, to recognize in the nobility the
respect due to their rank, and in the people the protection to which
they were by law entitled. This book was published by Major Davy, and
revised by Mr. White. The Major was an excellent Orientalist; he was
secretary to Mr. Hastings, to whom, I believe, he dedicated this book. I
have inquired of persons the most conversant with the Arabic and
Oriental languages, and they are clearly of opinion that there is
internal evidence to prove it of the age of Tamerlane; and he must be
the most miserable of critics, who, reading this work with attention,
does not see, that, if it was not written by this very great monarch
himself, it was at least written by some person in his court and under
his immediate inspection. Whether, therefore, this work be the
composition of Tamerlane, or whether it was written by some persons of
learning near him, through whom he meant to give the world a just idea
of his manners, maxims, and government, it is certainly as good
authority as Mr. Hastings's _Defence_, which he has acknowledged to have
been written by other people.
From the Tartarian I shall now proceed to the later Mahometan conquerors
of Hindostan: for it is fit that I should show your Lordships the
wickedness of pretending that the people of India have no laws or
rights. A great proportion of the people are Mahometans; and Mahometans
are so far from having no laws or rights, that, when you name a
Mahometan, you name a man governed by law and entitled to protection.
Mr. Hastings caused to be published, and I am obliged to him for it, a
book called "The Hedaya": it is true that he has himself taken credit
for the work, and robbed Nobkissin of the money to pay for it; but the
value of a book is not lessened because a man stole it. Will you
believe, my Lords, that a people having no laws, no rights, no property,
no honor, would be at the trouble of having so many writers on
jurisprudence? And yet there are, I am sure, at least a thousand eminent
Mahometan writers upon law, who have written far more voluminous works
than are known in the Common Law of England, and I verily believe more
voluminous than the writings of the Civilians themselves. That this
should be done by a people who have no property is so perfectly
ridiculous as scarcely to require refutation; but I shall endeavor to
refute it, and without troubling you a great deal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account