efore your Lordships you will see the beauty of chaste European
panegyric improved by degrees into high, Oriental, exaggerated, and
inflated metaphor. You will see how the language is first written in
English, then translated into Persian, and then retranslated into
English. There may be something amusing to your Lordships in this, and
the beauty of these styles may, in this heavy investigation, tend to
give a little gayety and pleasure. We shall bring before you the
European and Asiatic incense. You will have the perfume-shops of the two
countries.

One of the accusations which we mean to bring against Mr. Hastings is
upon the part of the Zemindar Radanaut, of the country of Dinagepore.
Now hear what the Zemindar says himself. "As it has been learned by me,
the mutsuddies, and the respectable officers of my zemindary, that the
ministers of England are displeased with the late Governor, Warren
Hastings, Esquire, upon the suspicion that he oppressed us, took money
from us by deceit and force, and ruined the country, therefore we, upon
the strength of our religion, which we think it incumbent on and
necessary for us to abide by, following the rules laid down in giving
evidence, declare the particulars of the acts and deeds of Warren
Hastings, Esquire, full of circumspection and caution, civility and
justice, superior to the conduct of the most learned, and, by
representing what is fact, wipe away the doubts that have possessed the
minds of the ministers of England; that Mr. Hastings is possessed of
fidelity and confidence, and yielding protection to us; that he is clear
of the contamination of mistrust and wrong, and his mind is free of
covetousness or avarice. During the time of his administration no one
saw other conduct than that of protection to the husbandman, and
justice. No inhabitant ever experienced afflictions, no one ever felt
oppression from him; our reputations have always been guarded from
attacks by his prudence, and our families have always been protected by
his justice. He never omitted the smallest instance of kindness towards
us, but healed the wounds of despair with the salve of consolation by
means of his benevolent and kind behavior, never permitting one of us to
sink in the pit of despondence. He supported every one by his goodness,
overset the designs of evil-minded men by his authority, tied the hand
of oppression with the strong bandage of justice, and by these means
expanded the pleasing appeara