is whether the Hebrew Dag, or the Greek Ketos, might not merely signify a great sea fish, but also a sea-vessel, float, or raft. This history, as it stands, (says the writer,) has always given offence to most considerate readers, and it has been the occasion of ridicule to too many unadvised half thinkers; it has even been called by some, "a mill-stone around the neck of Christianity"-I therefore submit these hints as what I esteem a duty, since every new idea on the subject is entitled to some attention; and since this investigation may lead some more fortunate writer to the complete developement of the history. From all that is here said on this point, the inference drawn is: Should not this subject be a strong and striking admonition to free-thinkers, not to ridicule Scripturehistories, though they may to us seem unnatural or uncouth, since their perverted appearence arises from that of the medium through which they are seen, (I mean our imperfect acquaintance with the terms used to describe them, and the relations to which they are allied,) and not from any original misrepresentations in the histories themselves.'

We shall now present the reader with some more adequate `specimens of these Fragments:

No. CXLI. Extermination of the Jews by Ahasuerus. There is something so entirely different from the customs of European civiliza tion, in the conduct of Haman and Ahasuerus, in respect to their proposed destruction of the Jewish people, Esther, chap. iii. that the mind of the reader, when perusing it, is alarmed into hesitation, if not into incredulity. And indeed, it seems to be barely credible, that a king should admit of such a massacre of his subjects,-a whole nation cut off at one stroke! However, that such a proposal might be made antiently, is attested by a similar proposal made in later times, which narrowly escaped from witnessing a catastrophe of the same nature. M. De Peysonnel, in delineating the character of the celebrated Hassan Pacha, who in the war of 1770, between Russia and Turkey, became eminent as a seaman, says of him," He, preserved the Greeks, when it was deliberated in the council, (of the, Grand Signior) to exterminate them intirely, as a punishment for their defection, i. e. some of them] and to prevent their future rebellion: he obtained for them a general amnesty, which he took care should be faithfully observed, and this brought back a great number of emigrants, and prevented the total desertion of that numerous class of subjects, which an unscasonable rigour would have occasioned; and which must have depopulated the provinces, rendered a great part of the country uncultivated, and deprived the fleet of a nursery of sailors." Remarks on Baron de Tott, page 90. Political evils these, which, nevertheless, would not have preserved the Greeks, with out the personal influence of the admiral, as the consideration of similar evils could not restrain the anger of Haman, and the misled confidential caprice of Ahasuerus.-N. B. This account has lately been confirmed by Mr, Elton of Smyrna.'

X 3

No.

No. CLXXVIII. Of Hay, not made in the East.-There is a gross impropriety in our version of Proverbs, xxvii. 25. The Hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. Now, certainly, if the tender grass is but just beginning to shew itself, the hay, which is grass cut and dried after it has arrived at maturity, ought by no means to be associated with it, still less ought it to be placed before it. And this leads me to notice, that none of the; dictionaries, &c. which I have seen, seem to me to give the accurate import of this word, which I apprehend means, the first shoots, the rising-just budding-spires of grass. So in the present passage (3) the tender risings of the grass are in motion, and the buddings of grass (grass in its early state), as is the peculiar import of (NW) appear, and the tufts of grass, proceeding from the same root, collect themselves together, and, by their union, begin to clothe the mountain tops with a pleasing verdure. Surely, the beautiful progress of vegetation, as described in this passage, must appear to us too poetical to be lost; but what must it be to an eastern beholder! to one who had lately witnessed all-surrounding sterility! a grassless waste!'

1

Among many other remarks, the critic refers to Isaiah, xv. 6, and then adds,

Is it not unhappy that in the only two places of the Old Testament, where our translators have used the word hay, it should be necessary to substitute a word of a directly contrary meaning, in order to accommodate the true rendering of the passages, to the native (eastern) ideas of their authors?'

In the foregoing number, instances are given, (as had also been done by Mr. Harmer,) in which mowings should have been rendered feedings; mowen grass, grass that has been fed off; and the word mower, carrier.

No. CC. Progress of Christianity compared with that of Mahometanism. "The progress of Christianity was, 120 at the ascension, Acts, i. 15, soon after, 3000, Ch. ii. 41, then 5oco, and in little less than two years after the ascension, to great multitudes at Jerusalem only.-Mahomet was three years silently occupied in making 14 converts, and they of his own family; and procceded so slowly at Mecca that in the seventh year, only 83 men and 18 women retired to Ethiopia, and he had no established religion at Mecca to eontend with." Gibbon, Hist. Rom. Empire, ix. 244. The reader will make his own reflections on the above. There are few subjects more remarkable than that of the rapid spread of Christianity; yet because it lies beyond the limits of New Testament history, we are less acquainted with it than we ought to be. Nevertheless, the evidence arising from it, is of the most striking and extraordinary nature, since this religion not only made converts among those who had few or no religious rites, but among those whose ritual was supported by law, had been transmitted down from a long line of ancestry, and seemed, in all human appearance, firmly fixed, as on the most solid rock, if it had been estimated immediately before that system was to

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be offered to its professors, which at length was to triumph over it., In this view of the subject, the reception of the gospel by Dionysius and Damaris is a more effectual proof of its value and estimation, than the indifference of the whole senate of the Areopagus is to the contrary. For this seems at least to be certain, that scarcely any body would exchange an old, and general, and hereditary religion for a new one, unless that which was offered to them was so excel. lent that its attractions were irresistable, or their own was so unworthy that conscience was glad to get rid of the burden it occasioned by its imperfections, not to say its iniquities. Now when both these causes operate together, as in the case of Christianity, when the religion proposed is insuperably recommended by its benefits, spiritual benefits, and the idolatry of the countries was debased, not merely by its superstitions, but by its vileness, we may hope that Religion's course would be rapid, and glorious, its effects beneficial and salutary, and at length its triumph complete and lasting-without the power of the sword, the terror of conquest, or the prejudices of human nature, and unassisted by the mazes of policy, or the intrigues of patronage. In this let the cross triumph over the crescent!?

The adjoining number, on Judaical Memoranda, now extant, is introduced by a dialogue: it is of little moment (says the author), who were the parties in the following conversation, the application of principles adopted in it is what must be its recommendation.'-Our notice of it can be But short.-After some sensible remarks advanced by A, concerning the utility of antient coins or medals for the assistance and support of history, B sarcastically replies ; to be sure-all coins are genuine antiquaries are never deceived-they never read on a coin what is not there-they never read wrong a right inscription, nor draw false inferences from a true representation :-We have never heard of manufactories of ancient coins, in modern times-at Florence-at Pisa-at-' Here A interrupts his friend, and calmly answers;

I admit, for argument sake, all you are pleased to insinuate; but what think you of the Arch of Titus, still extant at Rome?say that books may be made, or interpolated, or misunderstood; say that coins and medals may be fabricated, at little expence, though certainly, in fact, at an expence which no probable sale could justify; but this is a building of great expence, of undoubted antiquity, and of unquestionable reference to the prince whose name it bears yet this edifice speaks the same language as the books and the medals. Vespasian and Titus triumphed over Jerusalem; it was not an ovation, it was a triumph they celebrated, and to commemorate the triumph, the arch was erected, and still exists; it still bears the heathenish inscription Divo Vespasiano Divo Tito; it still proclaims the elegance of the art which composed and executed it; it has no suspicious marks of the gothic degeneracy, so predominant in later ages; and we know too, that had later ages constructed it, they would have sought other Divo's than Vespasian

or Titus, and Divo Antonio, or Romoaldo, names equally barbarous and obscure, would have superseded the memorials of "the delight of human kind."-Since then the conquest of Judea is the subject of this triumphal structure, that conquest was of considerable magnitude; the contention was against a people warlike at least; of ability to contend with Rome itself, all-powerful as that empire was at the time and this building proves, not merely the existence of the Jewish polity and people, but their consequence, their obstinate resistance, the time of their destruction, their religious implements, and the dissolution of their constitution, civil and religious. Under this view of it, let us acknowlege the kindness of Providence, which has preserved such a monument to our own times, and has thereby furnished an indubitable and unequivocal proof of the fulfilment of those prophecies which foretold these events, and of the veracity of those histories which record them.'

Whatever acknowlegement is made (for which there is certainly too much reason) of the frauds and impositions that have been practised in medallic pursuits, yet several coins and medals are here produced, as tending to corroborate or illustrate the Jewish history and the accounts of Scripture,

One additional specimen may be acceptable to many of our readers; we have selected it chiefly because it is short; most others being too extensive for our insertion:

No. CLXVIII. Emphatic reduplication of words. • Sir John

Chardin translating a Persian letter, renders thus,-" To whom I wish that all the world may pay homage," but says, "In the Persian it is, that all souls may serve his name, his name.-Repetition is a figure very frequent in the Oriental languages, and questionless borrowed from the sacred language, of which there are a thousand examples in the original bibles, as Psalm Ixviii. 12. They are fled; they are fled; that is, they are absolutely fled. Psalm lxxvii. 5. the man, the man, that is, the perfect man."(1) I am not so sure of the exactness of Sir John's second instance, as I am of the general justice of his remark, that the duplicate form of words is very frequent in Scripture, because I observe that in the Psalm quoted there is a van placed between the words; a man, and a man; “ of Sion it shall be said, a man and a man,' (i. e. a great many men) was born in her." But, in Isaiah, xxvi. 3, we have, "Thou wilt keep in peace, peace, because he trusteth in thee;" i. e. in perfect peace and so elsewhere often. (2) I doubt whether duplication of words be borrowed from the sacred language: I rather think it an eastern phraseology intirely independent and the approaches to it, even when the words are not precisely repeated, and the duplicate form of verbs, becoming nouns, &c. are always esteemed of the same emphatic nature, importing intensity, continuance, &c. &c. (3) The writer wishes that all souls may serve the name of the king of Persia; this will remind the reader of the great attention paid to the name of God in Scripture, of the commands, to venerate, glorify, honour, &c. the Divine name; but it seems here to imply majesty,

:

power

power, dignity. Are not the words of our Lord to be taken in the same import? "Father keep through thine own name;"power, -dignity:-"I have manifested thy name"-power,-dignity: so the passages, "that in the name power-dignity-of Jesus, every knee should bow: God set Christ at his own right hand, far above all principality, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, &c. so that the word, name seems to include not merely the person, but the acknowledged and well-known dignity, honour, glory, sovereignty, of the person to whom it is referred."

These are pertinent remarks. Psalm lxviii. 12. is properly rendered in our present English version, did flee apace. The objection to Chardin's translation of the next extract appears to be very just; and that which is here offered seems to us to be consistent with the truth.

The preceding quotations will, we hope, be sufficient to furnish those who have not perused this work, with a proper idea of its nature and design; and we presume that the reader will hence form a favourable opinion of its utility and value. As far as we have observed, the editor is well-disposed to treat. with candor and liberality the varying speculative sentiments which Christians may embrace, or the different denominations into which they may be distinguished. Marks of discernment and of attention also present themselves to notice; and we have not perceived that tendency to what is cabbalistical or mystical, to which writers are sometimes led by oriental researches. Mere conjectures are often very unsatisfactory; and yet, as is here properly suggested, they may lead to farther thought by which truth may be assisted. Etymologies afford but a slender and precarious basis on which to build any important conclusions; yet etymologies have had and may have their use but they require profound learning, a cool judgment, and skilful and cautious application, to effect any valuable purpose. The writers to whom the editor appeals are very numerous; and we cannot doubt of his availing himself of every auxiliary. We are therefore satisfied, for instance, though we have not observed. it, that he has allotted, or that he will allot when treating concerning Mary of Magdala, and also of the seven brethren mentioned in the second and suspicious book of the Maccabees, a particular regard to what has been advanced by the very learned and exact Dr. Lardner.

At the en

The Fragments are divided into centuries. trance on the Third, we meet with a preface, in which, after acknowlegements of the favourable reception which this work has obtained, we are told that this part of it will still be continued, as a separate publication; and we are also informed of another production which is likely to succeed the present :

viz.