fraud what he can with any reasonable pretence attribute to error." The Professor tells us, at p. 68, that " Stephens has given us as vague and unlearned an account of his MSS. as if he had intended to keep us in the dark." Let the reader judge which party intended this favour for him. Of the margin I boast no more than Stephanus did himself; and as the critics have probably discovered eleven out of the thirteen MSS. used in giving opposing readings to the three first parts of the sacred text, and another (3) has such near affinity to their D, they may tell me, in these days, and as far as they are themselves concerned, that " in pompam magis quam ad usum congesta videtur ingens ista ad oram libri variationum moles." Mill, 1157, in Lecture vi. p. 108. But if I abandon the margin—if I admit that it can give little more than what our "modern literati" may know from the documents themselves,-if I admit that the collation made for it must have been hasty,-that it was probably committed to a variety of hands,-that one of them was certainly negligent: not so with respect to the text itself of the different editions, the last of which we owe to the "paternæ sedulitatis hæres," the first to the paterna sedulitas itself; half of the materials for each of them being at present known only from the lectiones singulares, reported to us from the book of collations. I hold it to be possible for the first collation to have been so perfect, that the O mirificam might not have a letter that was not warranted by the best MSS. from the royal library: I hold it to be possible also for the third collation, when the original copia was augmented to " plusquam triginta," to have been such as to secure a corresponding alteration in the text of the folio, wheresoever the balance of the whole authority, ultimately acquired, went against the readings that the royal MSS. gave at first; notwithstanding that the after-work of collating with the new text of the folio for the margin may have been hurried over in a slovenly and imperfect manner. Still let it be remembered that I make no higher pretensions for the text itself of Stephanus's editions, than those of the editor himself. FRANCIS HUYSHE.

(To be continued.)

NOTICES AND REVIEWS.

Jephtha's Daughter; a Dramatic Poem. By M. J. Chapman, Esq. London: Fraser. 1834. 12mo. pp. 117.

THIS volume exhibits very considerable poetic powers, and very considerable knowledge of the spirit of classic poetry. But there is a constant attempt at peculiarity and originality, which destroys much of the effect, and every now and then effectually conceals the meaning. As a specimen :—

"In shades impenetrable hid,

In darkness more than darkness dim,
The deep paths of his mind forbid
The starry cherubim. (? the meaning.)
Unseen, approachless, and alone,
He sits upon his light-hid throne,
And sees fond man presume on fate,
With summer-swelling hopes elate;
He marks him in his proudest hour,
Self-worshipt in his heart's high tower,
Just clutching at a rainbow crown-
God sees, and dashes down—
Down falls, like some untimely birth,
The ephemeral; his kneaded clod
Resolved to water and to earth-
His soul before his God."

VOL. VI.-July, 1834.

K

And yet, notwithstanding all this, and some very strange opinions in the Preface, Mr Chapman's work is well worth reading; and if he will lay aside some of these crotchets, his promised trilogy will be very acceptable.

The Exclusive Power of Episcopally-ordained Clergy to administer the Word and Sacraments, &c. Cambridge: Stevenson. 1834. pp. 41.

THIS is a valuable pamphlet. The principles are sound; there is a good deal of reading shewn; and the argument is well put. It is a great satisfaction to find that the present crisis directs so many men to consider what the church and the authority of the ministry is, and that thus the ignorance and confusion arising from want of clear distinction between a church and an establishment will be done away. They who feel the importance of this distinction should promote the circulation of works like the present.

Remains of the late T. F. Longmire, of Worcester College, Oxford. With a Memoir of his Life. By D. Longmire, B.A. London: Simpkin and Marshall. 1834. 12mo. pp. 340.

A MEMOIR of an amiable and religious young man, written with that deep interest about him which may be expected from an affectionate brother. But in this, and in many other cases, the world cannot take the same deep interest in the person or his history, and it would be a kindness if friends would suggest a private circulation among those who knew the value of the dead, and could therefore sympathize with the survivors.

Letters to a Dissenting Minister of the Congregational Independent Denomination, containing Remarks on the Principles of that Sect, and the Author's Reasons for leaving it, and for conforming to the Church of England. By L. S. E. London: Groombridge. 1834. 12mo. pp. 379.

SOME friends of the church have circulated this book in the north, and they have done well. The evidence of those who have known dissent practically, and therefore have renounced it, is of the greatest possible value. And the acute and well-informed author of this volume has presented us with so many and so curious illustrations of the working of the principle of dissent, from his own knowledge, that his book ought to be generally known. What it contains would be quite sufficient to prove that were it not for politics, dissent would be perpetually breaking to pieces for want of any vital principle to keep it alive, and though it might and would (from the exertions of interested parties) revive time after time, it would never possess any strength which could be formidable to a scriptural, apostolical, and faithful church.

A Short and Connected Course of Reading from the Old Testament, designed to present a general view of the principal matter as illustrated by Christianity. By the Rev. Herbert N. Beaver, M.A. London: Hatchards. 1834. 8vo. pp. 571.

MR. BEAVER'S object is to shew that the same design has been carried on from the earliest ages of the world to the present day, and he accordingly selects those passages from the successive books of the Old Testament which most clearly shew this unity by shewing the preparation made all through the gospels for a Redeemer. This task he has executed very judiciously, and there is a great deal of good matter in the notes.

A Dictionary of Geography, Ancient and Modern, &c. By Josiah Conder. London: Tegg and Son. 1834. Small 8vo. pp. 724.

MR. CONDER'S Abridged Views of Travels in Different Countries have prepared him, in a remarkable degree, for executing a work of this kind; and the

fact that it differs from a Gazetteer by containing Ancient as well as Modern Geography, while its size and price are so moderate, will probably make it the favourite book of those who cannot go to a larger expense.

The Life of the Rev. Rowland Hill, A.M. By the Rev. E. Sidney, A.M. London: Baldwin and Cradock. 1834. 8vo. pp. 445.

Ir is really hard to notice the Life of such a man as Rowland Hill, for one cannot in conscience praise a great deal of his strange conduct, and yet there was a generosity and a kindness which would make it painful to say anything harsh, and, in the midst of all his extravagances, a shrewd good sense and lively humour, which, in spite of one's self, puts one into anything but bad humour with the man. It is very well that his life has been, on the whole, not more injudiciously written. Mr. Sidney has a strong and most affectionate sense of Mr. Hill's excellences; but, at the same time, candidly and judiciously points out the evil of many of his irregular proceedings. He ought to have reprobated, by the way, the disingenuousness of Mr. Hill in obtaining orders, as shewn by his own letters.

The Duty of a Christian State to support a National Establishment, &c. : in five Sermons, preached at Leeds. By the Rev. J. Holmes, M.A., Curate of Trinity Church, &c. London: Longman & Co. 1834. 8vo. pp. 154.

THE advantage of discussion is very evident from every succeeding publication on the subjects treated in the present volume. Every fresh work contains a fuller and more complete view of the subject, comprising all the previous arguments of various writers. Mr. Holmes has stated them all very well; and the publication of so many of these works, each of which will attain at least a local circulation, must be of great advantage. Mr. Holmes's work deserves, indeed, more than a local circulation, and would be of general service.

Sermons and Fragments, &c., by Isaac Barrow, D.D., from MSS. in Trinity College and the University Library at Cambridge. Edited by the Rev. J. P. Lee, late Fellow of Trinity. London: Fellowes. 1834. 8vo.

No doubt can exist that the first four sermons are not Barrow's, which Mr. Lee intimates is his own opinion. The style is as unlike Barrow's as possible. It seems to the Reviewer a good deal like Allistree, in the point, sharpness, and use of apostrophe. That what follows is Barrow's seems beyond all question; and every English scholar as well as divine will be grateful to Mr. Lee for having given him more sermons of this great man, although they are not equal to what we already possess. As to the Dissertations, the first appears clearly not his, and the MS. of the second is marked as imperfect. The Reviewer entertains very little doubt that, just as in the Treatise on the Supremacy, Barrow here is making out an adversary's case as strongly as it could be stated by the most bitter, intending, in this instance also, to answer it fully. Indeed the treatise bears marks on it which go to prove this suggestion. Whether it was desirable to publish it in its present state may therefore be questioned.

SACRED CLASSICS.-Vol. IV. Bates's Spiritual Perfection.-Vol. VI. Baxter's Dying Thoughts. London: Hatchard. 1834.

THIS publication deserves encouragement for its great cheapness and good execution. There is, of course, a mixture in the Treatises; but editions of standard works, like those of Bates and Baxter, are always valuable, though one does not coincide with every opinion of the writers; and the previous and succeeding volumes are, and are to be, Jeremy Taylor, Cave, Butler, &c.

Would Mr. Hatchard object to give one volume of Bishop Patrick's Treatises? His Heart's- Ease is very scarce, and is always in demand; and this,

with two or three others almost as good, would compose a very useful and popular volume.

Correspondence between John Jebb, D.D., Lord Bishop of Limerick, and A. Knox, Esq. Edited by the Rev. C. Forster. London: Duncan, &c. 2 vols. 8vo. It would be very difficult to imagine a more beautiful picture of truly Christian friendship, and truly Christian intercourse, than these two volumes present. The Bishop of Limerick and Mr. A. Knox were both of them persons of high attainments in literature, and of the deepest and most sincere piety. Their correspondence was such as became such men. The important and delightful subjects of literature and philosophy are handled and discussed with great ability; but the main subject is the far higher one of vital Christianity. Mr. Knox was much the elder, and his counsels to his young and highly gifted friend were invaluable. Every subject was freely and fully canvassed, and thus the full play of their minds is seen, and we can trace the gradual steps by which the Bishop's was formed. They are volumes from which every clergyman, anxious about his profession, may derive stores of valuable instruction, both as to doctrine and practice, as well as high enjoyment. They who dash off a sermon on a Saturday evening may learn, perhaps, an useful lesson from the long discussions between Mr. Knox and the Bishop, as to a single sermon, the choice of a text, and the management of the subject.

Scripture Biography. By the Rev. R. W. Evans, Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, and author of "The Rectory of Valehead," &c. (Theological Library, Vol. VII.) London: Rivingtons. 12mo. 1834.

WHEN one work of an author, put forward without any courting of publicity, goes through seven editions in a year or two, it can be hardly needful to do more than announce the publication of another. It may, however, just be said, that no task wants more sound judgment and good taste than Scripture Biography. To make each life interesting without adding to the sacred text, introducing the writer's own fancies, and so marring the unity of the character, is no easy task. But it has been fully and entirely performed by Mr. Evans. The same high tone of principles, and the same refined and delicate feelings which made" The Rectory of Valehead" so deservedly popular, are most conspicuous in this volume. In order to avoid beaten ground, Mr. E. has selected some characters not often separately treated, and has introduced in his eomments on them trains of reflexion equally remarkable for their originality and their refinement. Such a book, on so favourite a subject, must be popular.

History of the Reformed Religion in France. By the Rev. E. Smedley. 1834. Vol. II. (Theological Library, Vol. VI.) London: Rivingtons. 1834. 12mo. As history is distinguished from a fictitious narrative only by its being true, it is a great disadvantage to a historical work when its parts are presented to the public in fragments and at distant intervals of time. This inconvenience in the present instance, though not unfelt by the reader, will nevertheless not materially operate against the success of the work before us; for no reader of the first volume of the History of the Reformed Religion in France can have yet forgotten the impression left upon his mind by the beauty of its style and the extraordinary interest of the subject. It is sufficient to say of the present volume, that it is marked by all the excellences which distinguished the former : the same purity of language, the same flowing and picturesque narrative, the same high tone of sentiment and principle. Combined as all these rare qualifications for an historian are in this work, with undeviating good sense, and a perfect knowledge of mankind, there can be no doubt that, when finished, it will assume a high and permanent station in our libraries, among the standard compositions of the language.

The Curate of Marsden; or, Pastoral Conversations between a Minister and his Parishioners. By E. and M. Attersoll. London: Longman and Co. 1834. 12mo. pp. 171.

THERE is a great deal of good, sensible dialogue in this volume on the ordinary subjects which pass between a pastor and his people; and it may, in all probability, be useful to young clergy. In p. 128, the expression "If you cannot of yourself, go to him," is calculated to convey a wrong idea. It should be, "As you cannot of yourself;" and the doctrine here hinted at should be made more prominent throughout the whole.

Origines Biblica; or, Researches in Primeval History. By Charles Tilstone Beke. Vol. I. London: Parbury and Allen. 1834. 8vo. pp. 336. MR. BERE states, with great truth, that a good deal of obscurity rests on early Scripture geography, and that some of this has arisen from the LXX. and subsequent versions translating geographical names; by which means, if an error is committed, it is perpetuated. He attempts to investigate the sites of many places mentioned in Genesis, and to shew what was then the condition and state of that part of the world first peopled. It would be folly to attempt to dogmatise on such a subject; but still, good sense and full consideration may do much to correct errors and throw light on difficulties. It is only justice to say, that Mr. Beke has generally avoided dogmatism, and has exhibited so much reflection and consideration as to render his book most highly deserving attention. His observations on the probable position of Ararat, are a favourable specimen of his manner; and the conclusions which he there draws, are such as do credit to his good sense and learning. How far, on reflection, it may be found possible to assent to his theory respecting Egypt, it is not easy to say. But even of that, it must be allowed, that he offers matter which entitles him to claim attention. Mr. Beke's theory is, shortly, that the ancient Mitzraim (commonly translated Egypt) was to the east of the Isthmus of Suez.

MISCELLANEA.

DISSENTING MISREPRESENTATIONS.-MR. JOHN WILKS AND THE WELSH CLERGY.

(From a Correspondent of the "RECORD," who gives his name.)

WHEN speaking of the flourishing condition of dissent, Mr. Wilks is reported to have said, "there were 1500 dissenting chapels in Wales, and only 300 churches." Sir, a greater falsehood was never uttered at a public meeting. It is no excuse for Mr. Wilks to say hereafter that he was misinformed. As Secretary, it was his duty to prepare no statement of figures for his Society, of the truth of which he was not firmly convinced. Three hundred! There are about double that number in the diocese of St. David's alone! There are 130 churches in the Archdeaconry of Brecon--the most thinly populated portion of Wales, considerably more than half the average consisting of wastes and mountains.

Mr. Wilks referred to the great increase of Dissenting chapels in Wales as a decided proof of the superiority of the voluntary system. But the chief cause of the great increase of dissenting chapels in Wales is this—the parishes generally are very large, extending ten, twelve, or more miles; in many places, the church is situated at the extreme end of the parish, and that, perhaps, the most distant from the most populated parts. The dissenters very properly