upon diftinctions, and doctrines, which have in reality no better foundation, than the whim and caprice of man, not really to be found in the unadulterated word of God. The tenets of the national Church are by no means confonant to fuch opinions; nor yet the tenets of numerous claffes of Diffenters and yet on the fingle fcore of liberality, every body is expected not only to receive and fupport this new fyftem with complacency, but to hail it as a blefling of the greateft magnitude. The mechanical part of the fyftein indeed, whether it originated in the Eaft or the Weft, in Asia or Europe, whether we are indebted for it to Dr. Bell or Mr. Lancaster, or to neither, we undoubtedly are inclined to-hail as a noble invention, and heartily with it may meet with every fupport; but the loofe and general manner of teaching what are called the principles of Chriftianity, in the Lancaf terian feminaries, we cannot bring ourfelves to approve. It is alledged that by thefe means, the mind is left more open, more free, more unembarraffed and unprejudiced. It becomes a fair queftion then, to what is it that the mind is left fo happily open? Either certainly to fome or to no other additional impreflions. Suppofing then, that no fuperftru&ture is ever afterwards raised upon this foundation, the mind muft remain in a ftate perfectly adverfe to the principles of the national Church; and if any thing further fhould be thought neceffary, there is conftantly fuch a zeal towards profelytiẩm, among Dillenters, and fo many claffes of them, if they be at all fincere, must be anxious as well as the more confiderate members of the Church, to make additions to the creed of the Lancafterian difciples, that there arifes an immediate probability, that of very many if not moft of those who are educated in this free and loofe manner, the Diffenters will make a rich harvest; 100 probably, as the learned author of this difcourfe obferves:

"They will become the victims of thofe felf-appointed pastors, who will be on their watch for them, as for their defined prey. For the profelyting fpirit naturally and neceffarily diftinguishes the ftruggling fectary from the member of an eftablished Church. This is a circumftance which our adverfaries could not fail to forefee and to appreciate. Hence has this dangerous project invariably found the readieft admittance, where fchifm molt abounded; and those have ever been the loudeft in praifing the liberality of leaving the young to form their own opinions, who are the most difpofed to violate the principle, and who are eagerly looking forward to the day, when they may take advantage of the

error."

In this we entirely agree with Mr. Fauffet. The national Church is expofed to two rifks, firft in the abandonment of the eftablished mode of teaching, which in fact, in regard to the chidlren of Church Members, is a deliberate withdrawing of them from that community, not merely to fet them free, as is generally pretended, but to leave them more open to the Profelytism of Diffenters; and fecondly in being left to defend herself upon no terms of equality whatsoever; the Diffenting intereft being uniformly in favour of the new mode, as an eafy way of getting rid of fome of the best fecurities of the church, and ready of courfe with one voice to unite in the cry of bigotry, against any efforts of the latter. We fay not thefe things by way of cenfure against the Dif fenters; their proceedings are natural and confiftent, nor can we at all object to their availing themfelves of fuch advantages, much less to their educating their own children, as they fee proper; but it is neceflary, juft, and fair to fhow, how much is done against the church in the firit inftance, by relinquishing the national formula of faith, and next by fetting the minds of youth more generally open to the profelytilin of fectarifls, or to the fascinating charms of lukewarmnefs and indifference in regard to religion in general, if not abfolute infidelity. We with not to impute any thing amifs to Mr. Lancaster perfonally, but to commend him highly for his industry, and abilities, in the general cause of education; but we are defirous undoubtedly of giving notice to the members of the national church of the natural courfe of things, and tendency of fuch a fyftem, efpecially at this particular moment, when the recent eftablishment of the National Society under the aufpices of the Prince Regent, gives us reafon to hope, that the defence of the national church will foon be put upon the moft refpectable, moft proper, and fair footing; that it will be refcued from the dangers above fpecfied, by an adoption of the mechanical part, into her own fchools and feminaries; and that what has hitherto been carried on rather in a fpirit of oppofition, may be reduced as it fhould be, to a fair competition, who fhall go furtheft in the actual improvement and education of the poor, in fuch principles as they feverally, molt confcientioully believe to be trially

confonant to the word God,

Thus, and thus alone will the national Church recover its fair, natural and legal fupport, without the fmalleft in fringement of the rights, or offence to the principles of those who differ from her. To fimulate the members of that Church to fuch efforts as are not only necellary and proper, but highly becoming and indeed ftrictly incumbent an them R 3

in

in the prefent pofture of affairs, is the object of the learned writer in the fermon before us, which we are happy to fee has already reached more editions than one. Mr. Fauffet begins by noticing the too "predominant feature in the religious character of this nation," namely, "lukewarmness and indifference," to which he attributes, we fear justly, the too general approbation that has been beflowed on the new fyftem of education. He very ably and judiciously infifts upon the great importance of fome of the chief doctrines of Chriftianity, which though certainly to be found in the Bible, may not be found by every enquirer.

"For," fays he, "the Bible contains difficulties which have divided the learned; and it is to the Bible that every fect can appeal for a confirmation even of the wildeft abfurdities. And fhall we venture to allow the inexperienced youth to wander at large in this wide and intricate field, abfolutely without sa guide ?”’— "The confequence of doing so, must be," fays Mr. F. " either that the Bible would fhortly be thrown afde in difguit (which is the more probable cafe) or that his research would terminate in partial and distorted views, in herefy and error."

As the difcourfe itfelf however is not merely defigned to point out the evils and pernicious tendency, to be apprehended from the new fyftem, as a general mode of inftruction, but to flir up the friends of the conftitution, to a vigorous and active defence of what ought to be ever most dear to them, we fhall, after generally recommending the fermon to the perufal and careful attention of the public, conclude our review with two extracts particularly deferving of confider

ation..

"The most obvious and only competent remedy for the evil is, to bring into immediate and univerfal competition with it a fyftem of education of our own, whofe leading feature must be a careful inftruction in the doctrines, and a regular attendance on the ordi. nances of our established Church. When we fee how few take up their religious opinions from deliberate conviction, in comparison with thofe multitudes, who remain through life the creatures of prejudice and early habit, fhall we neglect to employ thefe powerful principles in the caufe of truth? fhall we leave that to chance which we might fix in comparative certainty ? or rather fhall we do far worse than leave it to chance? for it is now become notorious, that if the child be not diligently instructed to love the religion of his fathers, there are those at hand, who will too certainly teach him to defpife it." P. zo.

"But if here be any, whofe prejudices and fears are beyond the reach of fuch arguments as thefe, let them be affured that the time is now me, when the question is no longer, whether the

children

children of the poor, fhall or fhall not, be inftructed; but whether they fhall be inftructed in the church or out of it; for us, or against us that the decifive period is at length arrived, when we fhall no longer be fuffered to halt between two opinions; but must promptly and irrevocably determine, whether we will look on with ftupid unconcern, whilft our youth are trained in those paths which too naturally lead to indifference or to fchifm; or shake off that lethargy which has fo long difgraced us, and zealously co operate with thofe truly patriotic exertions, which even now infpire us with the cheering hopes of a better generation, that shall redeem the errors of their fathers, and reftore our holy faith to those secure foundations on which it may for ever rest."

This able and ingenious difcourfe is with the highest propriety dedicated to the Bishop of London.

ART. III. The Itinerary of Greece, with a Commentary on Paufanias and Strabo; and an Account of the Monuments of Antiquity at prefent existing in that Country; compiled in the Years 1801, 1802, 1805, and 1806. By W. Gell, Efq. M. A. F.R.S. F.S. A. 4to. 21. 12s. 6d. T. Payne.

1810.

IT. Tis not a little fingular that Greece, abounding in every object of elegant curiofity and exquifite tafte, does not feem of late years to have fo much excited the attention of our country men, as might reafonably have been expected. This is the more furprifing, as the moft confiderable part of Europe is now barred from their refearch, and the real difficulties attending an excurfion to Greece, are neither very numerous nor very formidable. Whatever may happen to be the peculiar tafte of the traveller, ample gratification invites his attention in the claffic ground beyond the Adriatic. If he wishes to be a fpectator of primitive manners, he will fill find Athens the most polifhed city of Greece; if he wishes to compare their manners wth those of the other parts of Europe or of Afia, nothing can be accomplifhed with greater facility. If he chance to be an enthufiaftic admirer of the picturefque combinations of land and water, of the beauties and varieties of landscape, no country in the world exhibits them in a greater multitude of forms. If the ftudy of antiquity fhall predominate, it is furely unneceffary to add, that in no region can there be found more exquifite or purer remains; and it may be added, that with regard to natural hiftory, there are here abundant fources of inftruction and entertainment.

The public are therefore in no fmall degree indebted to Mr. Gell, who, having perfonally with the attainments of a scholar, the taste of an artist, and indeed with every effential advantage, examined this interefting country, has, with great Frecifion, pointed out to fucceeding travellers, the path to be purfued, the obftacles which impede, the objects moft worthy of attention, and indeed explained in the moft fatisfactory manner, every thing which may facilitate fo delightful an enterprize. This Itinerary is altogether the work of a fcholar and a man of taste, but it is almoft and altogether an Itinerary. They who look for amufing anecdotes, hair breadth fcapes, or flowery defcriptions, will be difappointed. But it is a real claffical performance, to be confulted with much benefit and fatisfaction in the clofet, and must be of incalculable ufe to whoever fhall purfue the fame or a fimilar route.

It is not of much confequence from which part of the voJume we extract a fpecimen, as the book itfelf will probably adorn the library of every fcholar. The author however feems to have paid particular attention to the treafury of Mycene, which he thus defcribes.

Paufanias mentions this edifice. "Among the ruins of Mycena is a fountain named Perfeia, and the fubterraneous chambers of Atreus and his fons, in which treafuries their riches were depofited; there is alfo, the fepulchre of Atreus and of all those whom Agithus flew at the fupper with Agamemnon at his return from Troy." Corinthiaca, 9. It is of little confequence whether 59. thefe treafuries or magazines were erected by Atreus or his prede. ceffors. Atreus was the greatest of the princes of the Peloponnefus, and the Atridae were proverbially rich, but the edifices might have been erected before his time as in the cafes of Acrifius, of Prætus, and Miny as. Eurytheus, who immediately preceded his uncle Atreus, is faid by Diodorus and others to have concealed himself in a brazen vase when terrified by the return of Hercules to Mycenze. Apollodorus however, b. 2. fays, that he concealed himself in an urn of brafs, which he conftructed fecretly under ground, an account which would be perfectly applicable to a bra zen chamber, though it is, nonfenfe when referred to a vase.

"This building has not the fmallelt traces of holes for bolts, nor fockets for hinges, at the great entrance. The firft chamber. might have been both a temple and a tomb. See the chamber of Danae at Argos, and the inner apartment a treafury; for that has been fecured by trong bars. Perhaps the holes in the great archigrave might have held nails, which fupported a curtain or veil, Panjanias, Book 8, Chap. 10. mentions a temple of Neptune Hippius, only protected by its fanctity and a woollen veil, built by the Came Trophonius and Agamedes, who were famous for their kill in erecting treafuries and temples, and who actually built the trea

fury