For the reception of our envoy by his Persian Majesty at Teheram, and the details of ceremonies, we must refer to the "Sketches" themselves; merely noticing the expectations and hopes entertained by a person of the court that the envoy, a British military officer, should, on his presentation to the king, be dressed in the full costume of Queen Elizabeth's time, accordingto some old portraits of European ambassadors who had visited Persia above two centuries ago. (Vol. ii. p. 124.) One of those little anecdotes by which the Eastern character is so well delineated, occurs in p. 171. The author having become acquainted at Teheran with a man of rank called Ali Mahomed Khan, met him some time after at Calcutta, and having pointed out the beauties of that splendid capital, the fine streets thronged with carriages, the crowded shipping in its noble river, the college, palaces, and magnificent buildings, asked the Khan his opinion of it: "A wonderful place to plunder," was the reply; and his eyes glistened, as if he made it with anticipated enjoyment. On this subject an Armenian remarked, that "Nature will come out;" and he quoted a proverb, "They were preaching the gospel over the head of a wolf:" "Stop," said he, "I see a flock of sheep passing." Among the personages of high rank whose characters are well described in this work, we must notice Meerza Boozoorg, who presided over the councils of Abbas Meerza, the heir-apparent to the throne. This minister acknowleged that he had escaped the fate which generally attended men of his class, by avoiding any accumulation of money or property, living on a small landed inheritance, and spending every thing else: "this principle," said he, "is known; and the king often laughs, and says, 'I should not gain one piastre by the death and plunder of that extravagant fellow, Meerza Boozoorg."" (P. 188.) Our author's visit to the royal camp of Sooltaneah, his anecdotes of the king, prince-royal, and other distinguished personages the envoy's investiture with the order of the Lion and Sunthe extraordinary vicissitudes in the life of Hoosein Khan of Merothe march to Tebreez, and account of the lake of Oormeah-the halt at Maraga-the journey into Kurdistan, and the arrival at Sennah, the capital of a province called Ardelan,-furnish ample subject for many entertaining pages: but the story of Ahmed the cobbler must be particularly noticed, as one that would have deserved a place among the Arabian Tales of a "Thousand and One Nights;" or among the Persian Tales of " Ia Thousand and One Days," which Petis de la Croix translated into French. Here we were about to close our notice of this highly amusing work, and to express our regret that it leaves the ingenious author at Sennah in Ardelan, while Hamadan the ancient Ecbatana, Kermanshah once the residence of the mighty Chosroes, Bagdad, Bassorah, and many other interesting places, remain before him still unexplored but our friend and coadjutor, the Orientalist above : mentioned, equally pleased with the perusal of these volumes as ourselves, and equally desirous of again meeting the accomplished author in a continuation of the "Sketches," or in some similar work, has requested of us to suggest the advantage which those engaged in studying Eastern literature and antiquities would derive from the insertion of a few references in certain parts which he has marked in his own copy. Orientalists and antiquaries, we have reason to suspect, are particularly inquisitive respecting the authorities from which a writer borrows his information: we, on the contrary, were rather inclined to congratulate ourselves on the rare occurrence of notes and quotations in a work that had afforded us so much gratification; and it still seems to us a matter perfectly unimportant, whether the Sketcher at all times consulted original Persian manuscripts, or availed himself of texts. already printed and translated: neither did we think of inquiring whether in his remarks, which always amused or instructed us, might be found a coincidence with remarks on the same subjects made by preceding writers. Yet, on our friend's suggestion, we shall inform such readers as may happen to be orientalists, that they will find the Persian texts of Ameen Razee, and other writers concerning the scorpions of Cashan, and the damsels of that place, beautiful as the nymphs of Paradise, &c., (see Sketches, vol. ii. p. 2.) given in Sir Wm. Ouseley's Travels, (vol. iii. p. 87, 88.) And on the same authority we may observe, that although many of our old travellers, in general terms styled Rustam (or Roostem) the Persian Hercules; yet the first who took the trouble of collecting into one point of view, and examining the minute details in which the Persian hero resembled the Grecian, was Sir Wm. Ouseley; who, however, has devoted to this subject fourand-twenty quarto pages,' interlarded (if we may use the expression) with quotations from Greek and Latin, Armenian, Persian, French, and Italian writers; while our Sketcher (vol. i. p. 218.) exhibits, in the compass of one page, (without any ostentatious display of authorities,) the principal features of resemblance between Roostem and Hercules; the serpents crushed; the elephant brained; Ephialtes shot in one eye; both eyes of Esfondiar blinded; the lion's hide; the vest made of lions' skins; the twelve labors of Hercules; the seven of Roostem : all these, and many other points of similarity not mentioned in the Sketches, may be examined in Sir Wm. Ouseley's Travels, (vol. ii. p. 504.) by those who take an interest in such fanciful researches: and that there are many of this description, appears from the notice which his parallel between Rustam and Hercules has attracted on the continent, and which, we understand, will induce Sir William to publish it in a distinct form. Reverting for a moment to the "Sketches of Persia," we shall again express our hope that the able and accomplished author will, by a continuation of this work, afford to a multitude of readers both instruction and entertainment. 8 CLASSICAL CRITICISM. In a note at the end of my Brief Refutation of Popery,' published in 1825, I stated it as my opinion that a powerful philological argument against the Unitarians might be drawn from the Alcestis of Euripides, and I expressed my wish that some Christian scholar would take up the subject. About two years and a half have now elapsed since the publication of that work, but I have not learned that my suggestion has been adopted; I therefore have resolved to address you: I shall endeavor to be as perspicuous and brief as possible. I formerly observed, that the main argument is this:-Alcestis offers to devote herself to death, instead of, and as a ransom for, her husband. Let us examine some of the principal passages in which the subject is particularly mentioned. πῶς δ ̓ ἂν μᾶλλον ἐνδείξαιτο τις πόσιν προτιμῶσ ̓ ἢ θέλουσ ̓ ὑπερθανεῖν ; How could any one more powerfully demonstrate that she preferred her husband, than by being willing to die in his stead? A maid-servant is speaking. σὺ δ ̓ ἀντιδοῦσα τῆς ἐμῆς τὰ φίλτατα ψυχῆς, ἔσωσας : But thou, giving in exchange for my life what was most dear to thee, hast saved me. Admetus is speaking. σύ γε τὸν σαυτᾶς ἔτλας πόσιν, ἀντὶ σᾶς ἀμείψαι Thou hast dared, instead of thy own life, to save thy husband from Hades. Chorus. οἶδ ̓ ἀντὶ σοῦ γε κατθανεῖν ὑφειμένην. I know that she submitted to die, in place of thee. ἐγὼ δέ σ ̓ οἶκων δεσπότην ἐγεινάμην, κἄθρεψ ̓, ὀφείλων οὐχ ὑπερθνήσκειν σέθεν. I begat thee, that thou shouldest be the master of my house; but not that I should die for thee. Pheres is speaking to his son Admetus, who had wished him to die instead of his wife. μὴ θνήσχ ̓ ὑπὲρ τοῦ δ ̓ ἀνδρὸς, οὐδ ̓ ἐγω πρὸ σοῦ. Thou need'st not die for me, nor will I for thee. Pheres is still speaking. εἰ τὴν παροῦσαν κατθανεῖν πείσεις ἀεὶ γυναῖχ ̓ ὑπέρ σου. If thou wilt always persuade her who may be thy wife, to die for thee. Pheres is still speaking. ἀλλ ̓ οὐ σὺ νεκρὸν ἀντὶ σοῦ τόνδ' ἐκφέρεις. But thou shalt not carry forth me a corse, in place of thee... Pheres still speaks. Let us now examine some of the principal passages of the New Testament, in which the death of Christ is spoken of. κατὰ καιρὸν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανε.—Rom. v. 6. In due time he died for the ungodly. ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων ἡμῶν, Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανε.—Rom. v. 8. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν.-Ephes. ν. 2. He gave himself up for us, an oblation and a sacrifice. ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων.—1 Tim. ii. 6. Who gave himself a ransom in exchange for all. ὃς ἔδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα λυτρώσηται ἡμᾶς.—Titus ii. 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us. διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ ἀποθανόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. 1 Thess. v. 9, 10. By our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. Χριστὸς ἅπαξ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἔπαθε, δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων. 1. Peter iii. 18. Christ once suffered in reference to sins, the just, in place of the unjust. Οσγε τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πάντων παρέδωκεν αὐτόν.—Rom. viii. 32. Who spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all. When the reader is comparing and considering the above citations, I request him particularly to observe three things. First, I have given, I think, almost all those passages of Euripides which bear on the subject; but in the New Testament there are several passages relating to the sacrifice of Christ, which I have not adduced. Secondly, it is acknowleged by all, that Alcestis offered herself as a substitute for her husband; and yet the preposition nèg is employed as often as ȧvrí. Thirdly, the wife of Admetus is not designated by so strong a term as άvtíλutpov. This word, however, is applied by St. Paul to Christ. It is therefore manifest, that the evidence for Christ's devoting himself as a vicarious sacrifice, is much fuller and much stronger than the evidence for Alcestis' devoting herself. But how does the learned Unitarian act? He admits at once that the Alcestis is to be understood as all scholars understand it; and he rejects in toto the great and glorious doctrine of the atonement, although it be more fully and more powerfully established. Is this acting like a rational being? Is this worthy of a man? The result of our examination is clearly this :-If we may be certain that the wife of Admetus, in the tragedy, devotes herself to death as a substitute for her husband; much more may we be assured, that Christ offered up himself as a ransom, satisfaction, and vicarious sacrifice, in the place of guilty, condemned sinners. Let him refute me who can; but let not the Unitarian answer me by sneers and ridicule, nor even by reasoning against what he calls the unreasonableness of the doctrine. This would be foreign to the subject. My reason is as good as his; and as I shall not admit what he asserts, he will be guilty of a petitio principii. I wish to bring him to the bar, or rather the arena of philology. Let him meet me there. What is the exact, critical meaning of the above-quoted passages? Malvern Wells, Jan. 1828. H. S. BOYD. Postscript.-Since the above letter was written, it has occurred to me, that an Unitarian may thus endeavor to elude the force of my argument :-"We believe that Alcestis offered to die as a substitute for her husband, because we are so informed by Apollo, in the opening of the tragedy." But I ask, how can we be certain of the exact meaning of Apollo? His speech is rather too long to be here quoted; but the learned reader will perceive, on examining it, that by the Unitarian system of interpretation, it may be rendered as null and void, as those passages of the Holy Scriptures which relate to the vicarious sacrifice of the Son of God. If it be lawful to explain away those passages of the Scriptures which refer to Christ's atonement, it is lawful to explain away the declaration of Apollo. If Christ died merely to set |