The

There are feveral circumstances in this preface, which though they do not abfolutely prove that it is a forgery, have at least a fufpicious appearance. We shall mention one or two. preference, which is afcribed fo carefully and officiously to St. Peter, Jeems as if it came from the pen of an advocate for the fupremacy of the Roman pontiff.-The author of the preface vehemently exclaims against the infideles tranflatores, and fays, that by the verfe in queftion, maxime fides catholica roboratur.' Yet the pious Jerome' never fully or explicitly appeals to this important text, in any part of his works! This, we will venture to fay, is unaccountable. It may also be prefumed, that if St. Jerome thought this paffage the strongest confirmation of the Catholic faith, it would have been conftantly cited by the Trinitarians. But it is not.

The earliest teftimony which our author produces, and in. deed the earliest which can be produced, is that of Tertullian.

In those days, fays Mr. Travis, arofe in Afia, the heretic Praxeas, who maintained, that there was no plurality of perfons in the godhead; but that the Father fuffered on the cross, Against the opinions of this man Tertullian wrote a treatise, in the twenty-fifth chapter of which, he thus alleges this paffage of St. John. "The connection of the Father in the Son, and of the Son in the Holy Ghost, makes a unity of these three, one with another, which three are one. "The Latin is, qui tres unum funt:" a literal quotation of the verse in queftion. And the teftimony of Tertullian, feems to carry irrefiftible conviction with it to every unprejudiced mind, not only from its proximity to the age of the apoftles, but becaufe he testifies, that in thofe times, their authentic epiftles were actually read to the churches, not through the medium of the Latin, or of any other tranflation, but in the original Greek, to which criginals Tertullian himself directly appeals *.'

This teftimony of Tertullian, when viewed in the original, does not feem to carry that irresistible conviction with it which our author apprehends. Ita connexus, fays that father, Patris in Filio, & Filii in Paracleto, tres efficet cohærentes, alterum ex altero, qui tres unum fint, non unus. Quamodò dictum eft, ego & Pater unum fumus t.' The paffage to which he here very manifeftly refers, is John x. 30, yw nat ὁ Πατηρ ὧν εσμεν, I and my father are one.' This, he obferves, is afferted in Scripture, dictum eft.' words, qui tres unum fint,' had been in St. Tertullian would undoubtedly have appealed to his authority. But he does not; nay, fo far from it, he uses very

* Tertull. de Præfcript. Hæret. c. 36. Monog. c. 11. Edit. Rigaltii, 1675. P. 515.

M 3

If the former John's Epiftle,

different

terms,

terms, namely, filius and paracletus.' We are therefore inclined to think, that Tertullian took his form of expreffion unu fit,' from έy sous, in the verse above cited; and that he might have exprefied himself as he has done, if the controverted paffage in St. John's Epiftle had never exifted.

It is very certain, that both the Greek and Latin writers. interpreted the eighth verfe, in a myftical fenfe, of the Trinity, understanding by the fpirit, God the Father; by the blood, the Son; and by water, the Holy Ghoft. It is, therefore, moft probable, that the paffages in St. Cyprian, St. Auftin, and others, which by fome are thought to be quotations from the feventh verfe, are, in reality, nothing more than glofles on the eighth.

Our author having alleged and enforced all the foregoing teftimonies, proceeds to examine the most material objections which have been urged against the originality of this verse, and to his examination fuperadds fome reflections, which feem to arife from an attentive confideration of the whole subject.

Sandius, M. Simon, and Mr. Emlyn, among the more early opponents of this verfe; and Dr. Benfon, fir Ifaac Newton, Mr. Griefbach, and Mr. Bowyer, among its more modern adverfaries, feem to have been the most diffuse in the variety of their remarks, and the most determined in their oppofition. But as the four last mentioned writers have collected, into one point of view, all, or nearly all, the objections that have at any time been urged against the originality of the verse in queftion; and as their works are more generally known than thofe of Sandius, Simon, or Emlyn, this learned writer confiders them as fpeaking the fenfe of their fellow-advocates, and ftates their objections in their own words.

In this part of his work, and indeed in every other, our author difplays indefatigable induftry, extenfive reading, and uncommon acutenefs, in maintaining his hypothefis.,

Yet, notwithstanding all that he has advanced, when it is confidered that this verfe does not exist in the best and most ancient manufcripts; and that it does not appear to have been fairly and expressly quoted by any Greek or Latin writer in the four first centuries of the church, in their warm difputes with the Arians and other ancient Antitrinitarians, the dif cerning reader will still perhaps entertain his doubts, and be rather pleafed with the learning and ingenuity of this able writer, than convinced by his arguments.

Travels

Travels in the Two Sicilies, by Henry Swinburne, Efq. (Continued, from Page 87.)

DURING a refpite from rain, Mr. Swinburne made fome excurfions from Palermo into the neighbouring country; and the fanctuary of St. Rofalia, the peculiar patronefs of the city, was the first place he vifited. It ftands on Monte Pellegrino, anciently Ereta, which, about a mile from the gates, rifes abruptly, quite detached from all other mountains. Towards the clofe of the frit Punic war, to preferve a free communication with the fea, this mountain was fortified by Hainilcar Barcas, who maintained the poft for five years, notwithstanding the fuccefs of his enemies against all the other Carthaginian generals.

To facilitate the approach to the faint's grotto, a road has been made up the fide of the mountain; for defraying the execution of which work, a tax was levied upon meat by the fenate of Palermo. The fanctuary is a fpacious cavern, having its entrance clofed with a convent and portico. It is fo full of fprings, that leaden pipes are laid along the roof to catch the drops and convey them into a cistern. A rich altar is erected over the marble effigy of the faint, which, lying at full length, is covered with a filver veft, the gift of his prefent Catholic majefty.

The traveller's fecond day's route lay along the fhore, towards the Eaft, through a rich well-inclofed plain, bounded by very high mountains. The little river Ammiraglio, anciently Orethus, on the banks of which Metellus defeated the Carthaginians, has worn its way deep into the ftony ftratum under the vegetable covering. This ftream flows through paftures and orchards, which, even in December, difplay a lively profpect of young corn, pulfe, and the rich foliage of a variety of ever-green fruit.trees.

Continuing his route, Mr. Swinburne rode about ten miles by the edge of the bay, between hedges of aloe and Indian fig. On the wafte, asparagus, oleander, palma Chrifti, and palmetto, or dwarf-palm, over-run the furface of the ground. The road rifes gradually to La Bagaria, a hill covered with villas belonging to the nobility. Thofe houses are built with a coarie porous breccia, of a dufky yellow caft, which is extremely unfit for the purposes of ornamental architecture, as it moulders away by being expofed to wind and rain. The firft of the villas is built in an agreeable taste, and the ornaments are chafte and light; but the second, or that of Palagonia, is reprefented as extremely diffimilar.

To this extraordinary place, fays Mr. Swinburne, the traveller is admitted through a huge gate, on the plinth of which are fixed fix coloffal white-wafhed ftatues of huffards or halberdiers, to dispute the entrance of an avenue three hundred yards long, not of cypreffes, elms, or orange trees, but of moniters.

On each hand is a parapet wall loaded with more horrible figures than were ever raised by Armida and all the enchanters of Ariofte. Bufts of punchinellos and harlequins, with fnakes twisted round them; the heads of dwarfs with huge perriwigs, of affes and horfes with laced cravats and ruffs, compofe the lower range of this gallery, and at intervals of ten yards are clustered pillars, fupporting curious groups of figures; fome are muficians, other pigmies, opera herces, old women grinning, lions and other beafts, feated at tables with napkins under their chins, eating oyiters; princefies with feathers and furbelows, otriches in hoops, and cats in boots. In short, more unaccountable mixtures of company, and unnatural reprefentations of creatures than I had patience to note, or memory to record. They are luckily all made of fo foft and perishable a ftone, that we need be under no apprehenfions of this collection paffing to poßerity as a monument of the taste of the eighteenth century. Many enormous nofes and prepofterous limbs have already crumbled to duft. The tone-cutters that made thefe figures, though they could barely trace out a refemblance of the human form, have fhewn great dexterity in carving curls, foliage, and flounces out of fuch coarse materials.

This avenue of Pandemonium brought me to a circular court before the houfe, crowded with ftone and marble beings, not to be found in any books of zoology. Men, monfters, and animals line the battlements of the manfion, and ftand fo thick, and in fuch menacing attitudes, that it would not be fafe to approach in a windy day. The walls are cafed with baffo relievos, maks, medallions, fcriptural fubjects, heathen gods, emperors, and pofture-maflers: fome of the fculpture is in a good tyle, copied from the antique, but the greatest part confifts of fuch figures as we meet with in Dutch fairs representing the feafons and elements.

• Within doors the fame fort of company prefents itself, but the proprietor has for fome years pait abandoned this wonderful abode, and many of its beauties feel the fatal effects of his abfence. The cielings of the rooms are of looking glafs; the walls lined with china and Delf baubles, monkies hold up the curtains, horfes mount guard, and devils wait at the foot of the stairs. The ball room remains imperfect, though intended for the chef d'œuvre; round it runs a marble bench, which upon examination I found to contain a great number of night tables.'

In a fubfequent route our author visited the spot where formerly flood the city of Egefta or Segefta, founded by the Tro

jans.

jans. He informs us, that nothing could be more judiciously chofen than the fituation of this place.

It lay, fays he, upon a ridge of hills gently floping towards the northern afpect, fheltered on the fouthern and eastern quarters by high rocky eminences, at the foot of which two roaring brooks winded their courfe and embraced the city. While Segefta was in a flourishing ftate, its environs populous, and well cultivated, the afpect of the country muft have been delightful; the peftilential fuffocating blaits, that rush over the feas from the hot fands of Africa, could not reach this protected vale, while the wholfome north wind had free admittance to refresh and purify the atmosphere.

The walis appear in many places, The emporium was at the mouth of the river, near the fpot where Caitelamare now ftands. Segefta had the advantage of hot mineral waters within its district, which are ftill used for medical purposes. The form of its theatre is difcernible, fome cifterns and foundations of houfes occur along the declivity. On the brow of a lofty rock impending perpendicularly over the river, and at the eastern extremity of the city, is to be feen a molt noble well-preferved monument of ancient magnificence; on this bold cliff rifes a Doric temple of thirty fix columns, all, except one, perfectly entire; the damaged column fuffered with part of the pediment by a ftroke of lightning. This edifice is a parallelogram, of :62 feet by 66. The colonnade ftands upon one common plinth, or range of ftone, which is cut through, as for an entrance, at the latt intercolumniations of each flank. In the fronts it is fo between all the pillars; within, at every intercolumniation a recefs of half a diameter is left as a niche for a ftatue, or an altar; the columns are of a longer proportion than thofe of Pæftum, and therefore I fuppofe this temple is of a later date; they taper very much, being fix feet in diameter below, and four only at top, without any fwell in the middle; they have no base, but there is a groove near their bottom, in which it appears that there has been a metal rim fixed with nails; it is probable that the architects of ages fubfequent to its foundation, being defirous of accommodating this old Doric ftyle to their customary rules for expreffing that order, had fastened a brafs bafe round each column. The capitals are fimple, but the denticules and drops of the entablature have a more modern appearance than thofe of the Pæftan ruins. The architrave is built with one large upright ftone over the center of the column between two very long flat ones that reach from one capital or the other. The frize and architrave are entire all round, and, except in the pediments, fo is the cornice. There is no inner wall or cella, nor any veftige of a roof; hence, fome obfervers have concluded that this building was never finished, and was, perhaps, the very temple which the Segeftans obtained leave from Tiberius Cæfar to erect; but unless

that