our notice, is the Collation of the MSS. of the Septuagint Verfion, by Dr. Holmes: a labour of which, after feven annual reports of its progrefs, the compiler has lately published two fpecimens. It has now entered into its ninth year; and whether from any reafons offered by us, or others that may have occurred to himself, the learned editor fhall defer the publication till the whole may be completed, or fhall adhere to his original defign of publishing a part at a time, we have no doubt that he will fatisfy the expectations of the learned, by the care and fidelity of his work. For ourselves, we felt it as a duty to give all the notoriety our pages could beftow, upon a defign of fuch importance; fince the more generally the pub. lic fhall understand what is propofed, or has been ́executed in it, the more will they be able to afford affiftance, or fuggeft improvements. May nothing be omitted that can contribute to its final perfection. Next to the words of Scripture itself, are the doctrines and principles of the church to which we belong; and thofe eftablished in England by the Reformation, have received a valuable comment, in the fermons preached by Mr. Gray, at the Bampton Lecturet. The author there handles with kill and propriety, the topics moft connected with the nature and character of the eftablishment; and has compreffed within a narrow compafs a great abundance of matter, the refult of much reading and reflection. On a particular topic, of the highest moment to all who confider Christianity as fomething infinitely more facred than a mere fyftem of morality, Dr. Knox has written with ability, and collected with judgment, in his fmall volumes entitled Chriftian Philofophy. The fubject is the internal evidence of the Spirit, or the prefent operation of divine Grace upon the minds of the faithful; a doctrine from which the errors of enthufiafts, or the fear of having them im *No. III, p. 254. + No. II. p. 112. No. III. p. 281. puted, puted, have lately too much averted the minds of many ferious Chriftians. The Advice to a young Clergyman*, by a member of the Univerfity of Oxford, is fuch as it well becomes a veteran of that body to address to one of lefs experience: and Mr. Cleeve's abridgment of Fleming's Chriftologyt, is an ufeful fubftitute for a book now scarce, and of a nature to be improved by abridgment. The fecond part of The Age of Infidelity, by Mr. Williams, purfues the conteft with Paine, not lefs profperoufly than it had been commenced in the former pamphlet; and contains abundant proofs of the ignorance and infolence of that enemy to government divine and human. For the aid of younger minds in the acquifition of religious knowledge, Mrs. Trimmer's Sacred Hiftory§ is judiciously compiled: and the fame motive of public utility which led us to give it our notice, in its third edition, induces us to revive the mention of it in this place. Among collections of Sermons which have lately appeared, we muft diftinguish, for their plain and inftructive caft, thofe of Sir Adam Gordon on the Fafts and Festivals; and of a very fimilar character are the pofthumous Sermons of Mr. Haggit. The Difcourfes of Bishop Hinchliffe**, though they did not anfwer all the expectation we had formed from our knowledge of the writer, are fuch as, from a perfon of lefs fame, would have been received with pleasure; and fuch as, in this place, we cannot juftly omit. Among the occafional difcourfes of Divines, we have not lately noticed any more remarkable than the Two of Bishop Watfon, which are printed with a Charge to the Clergy of his Diocefett; the Charge of Archdeacon Pott to the Clergy at St. Alban's‡‡; Dr. Rennel's Sermon for Addenbroke's Hofpital at Cambridge§§; and that of Dr. Holmes on the Faft, No. V. p. 550. § No. V. p. 499. **No. II. p. 173. §§ No. II. p. 181. + No. V. p. 552. a 2 ‡ No. IV. P. 425. I No. I. p. 71. ‡‡ No. I. p. 86. before before the House of Commons*. Thefe very properly clofe an account, creditable on the whole to the state of theological ftudies. Morality and Metaphyfics, claffes ufually fubjoined by us to this, have not, during the prefent half year, afforded us any employment. We therefore proceed to HISTORY. Abundantly fupplied with materials by the original writers of French Hiftory and Memoirs, and very diligent in employing and digefting those materials, Mr. Wraxall has prefented to his countrymen the delineation of an important period in the monarchy of Francet, commencing with the acceffion of Henry II., and extending to the death of Louis XIV. This work forms three volumes in quarto, of which the firft contains a general view of the ftate of Europe at the period when the hiftory commences. Nothing appeared to us to be wanting to it, but a more correct and finifhed ftyle; and where every other quality of genuine hiftory is found, the ftudious reader, whofe chief objects are the matter and arrangement, will only regret the difficulty of finding perfection, and will pronounce a general commendation. We found in Mr. Heron's firft volumes of his Hiftory of Scotland much curious differtation, and fome erroneous theory; and we perceived, on the whole, the marks of a mind rather formed for ingenious fpeculation, than for the labour of collecting and verifying difperfed and fcanty notices. When he fhall advance to more known periods, this defect will not be fo apparent. Mr. Pauw's Differtations on the Egyptians and Chinefes, now firft prefented to the English reader in the language of his country, are certainly *No. VI. p 674• this Vol. No. III. p. 289. No. I. p. 12. + See Vol. VII. pp. 341 and 531; and No. I. p. 6; and II. p. 123. hiftorical hiftorical as to their fubject, though profeffedly philofophical, as to the manner of treating it. They form a book not wanted here, nor likely to find extenfive circulation; but which, with due allowance for the prefumption and precipitance of the author, will be read by curious people, with fome interest and advantage. BIOGRAPHY. In the first ranks of this clafs, not only in a halfyearly account, but in the estimate of many years, will ftand The Life of Lorenzo de' Medici, by Mr. Rofcoe. The feelings of the public refpecting the merit of this work, have been decifively expreffed by the rapidity of its fale: nor are we at all inclined to diffent from the general voice. Amidft a variety of literary merit, we have feen nothing to regret, but a little want of diftinctnefs in chronological notices, a defect easily remedied, in any new edition, of which we hope there may be many. As an hiftorical document illuftrative of his drama on the fame fubject, Count Lally's Life of Lord Strafford appears to have been compiled; it has come, however, from the hands of its author, a finished and important piece of history; valuable, not only for the account it gives of that nobleman, but for a general and accurate view of the turbulent and miferable time in which he lived. To a foreigner who has witnessed fcenes but too fimilar in his own country, and who has fuffered, like Strafford (not death indeed, but banishment) for his principles, let us not blufh to owe fuch a picture of our paft delufions. In writing the Life of Mr. John Wesley, the firft volume of which we noticed long agot, Dr. Whiteheads has performed * See Vol. VII. p. 582; and this Vol. No. I. p. 75. fur la Vie de T. Wentworth, &c. No. VI. p. 647. P. 265. § No. VI. p. 632. + Effai ↑ Vol. II. an an acceptable fervice, chiefly indeed to thofe who hold the fame opinions, and look up to the venerable preacher as a Saint; but in fome degree alfo to the world at large, which owes him fome refpect as a writer; and cannot juftly withhold its praife from fo much piety, though tinctured with many errors. The second and third volumes of Biographia Navalis, by Mr. Charnock*, form a fuitable continuation of a work particularly interefting to perfons connected with the fea fervice; who, equally eftimating its fidelity, will be gratified by that minute accuracy, and copioufnefs of research, which to fome other readers might appear fuperfluous. ANTIQUITIES. A fet of general Tables of Genealogy, which fhould, at the fame time, retrench the fuperfluities, and fupply the deficiencies of thofe published by Anderfon, was certainly a work to be defired. To fupply this want has been the attempt of the Rev. William Betham, in his Genealogical Tablest of the fovereigns of the world; and he has not been unfuccefsful in it. The work is magnificent in form, comprehenfive in its plan, and of eafy reference. The price indeed is formidable, but we doubt not that it will be received as a useful book for libraries. The Society of Antiquaries, who fpare no expence in fulfilling the objects of their inftitution, have iffued an elegant publication, on the remains of St. Stephen's Chapel at Weftminster. The account drawn up by Mr. Topham‡ is executed with judgment, and the plates are in the higheft ftyle of magnificence. Thefe two works are all we can at prefent affign to the clafs of Antiquities; but they are not of a common kind, and our readers muft, in this inftance, accept of value inftead of number. |