Alexandre Langlois. 1822. “Dévouement de Viravar, morceau de l'Hitopadesa, traduit du Sanskrit” Journal asiatique. October 1822. pp. 239-243.
This is the sort of article that only could appear in an old journal of Oriental studies: it is a translation, almost entirely free of notes, of the eighth fable in the third book of the Hitopadeśa. Langlois does not tell the reader which Sanskrit source he is using. This would be useful to know, since he translates the name of King Śūdraka as Soubhraka. Langlois also translates Skt. suvarṇapañcaśatāni, “five hundred gold coins” as “Quatre pièces d'or par jour.” One wonders what on earth Langlois was reading.
In any case, there is something heartwarming about these old articles from the Journal Asiatique. Langlois' little translation is absolutely useless as scientific inquiry into the languages and literatures of the Orient. But it does render a charming story from the Hitopadeśa into readable French. Academic journals today exist for the specialist, but the Journal Asiatique could also appeal to the reading public. This is so much more civilized—and civilizing—than what we have today.
