ART. XVII. Idées Sur POpera. Reflections upon Operas, prefented to the Subfcribers, Actors, and Lovers of that Entertainment. By M. le Texier. 8vo. 68 p. pr. 2s. 6d. Bell, 1790.

THIS little book contains fome fenfible remarks on the prefent ftate of the Italian opera, written with good humour and fpirit. But they only tend to prove, what has long been our opinion, that it is almoft impoffible to render fuch a complicated amufement, as an opera muft neceflarily be, a rational one. True! a man of tafte will exclaim; but, if in the courfe of an evening, the understanding fhould be infulted by an exhibition of childifh tricks, and the ear wearied by a repetition of founds, in which there are none of thofe modula tions that judgment and fentiment ought to give; yet, fome airs are interfperfed, which will afford exquifite pleafure for half an hour, at leaft, without doing violence to the understanding. T.

ART. XVIII. A Concordance of Parallels, collected from Eibles and Commentaries, which have been published in Hebrew, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, English and other Languages; with the Authorities of each. By the Rev. C. Cruttwell, Editor of Bishop Wilfon's Works, &c. Royal 4to. 535 Pages. Price 11. 5s. in boards. Printed for the Author, and fold by G. Robinfon and Co. &c. 1790.

THERE are two forts of Biblical Concordances. In the one, all the words, contained in the Bible, are alphabetically arranged; and every paffage, where the fame word occurs, pointed out, either by fimple quotation of chapter and verfe, or with one or more concomitant words of the fentence. Such, in Hebrew, are the concordances of Rabbi N. Mordecai, Buxtorf, Calafio, Taylor; in Greek, that of Trommius; in Latin, that of Lucas Brugenfis; and in English, that of Cruden. Of a different nature is the other fort; in which not the identity of words, but the fimilarity of ideas is attended to; and wherein every paffage of feripture that appears to have a relation to any other paffage, or can help to explain it, is marked in the fame order which obtains in verbal concordances.

These parallels, as they are called, are commonly printed on the margins of Bibles, and have been wonderfully multiplied fince their first introduction; efpecially, fince the first edition of our vulgar verfion in 1611; namely, from the number of 8980 to that of 66955. Such, at leaft, is the calculation of our author, in his preface to Bifhop Wilfon's Bible; where he justly adds: To what extent parallel references might be made, it is hard to determine: if time had allowed, the editor (meaning himself) would have added many.'-Time has, fince that, been favourable to him; for he now offers to the public the moft complete collection of concordantial refer

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ences, that has ever been made. Of this the reader will probably be convinced, when he is told, that they form a quarto volume of 532 pages, of three columns each, printed on a very fmall type and uncommonly large page. To the firit verfe of Genefis alone, are aligned above 140 parallels!

Not only is Mr. Cruttwell's concordance more complete than any other; but his arrangement is more useful. It is adapted to almoft any Bible in any language; and it must have coft the author infinite pains and labour to reduce his work into its prefent form.

The Bibles, or portions of the Bible, whence Mr. C. drew his parallels are the following-A Vulgate Latin Bible of 1494*, a Vulgate Latin Bible of 1500, Francifcus de Puteo's Pfalter, English Bibles by Coverdale, Matthew, Cranmer; Clarius, Munfter, Vatablus; English Bible by Becke, Caftalio, Bayne's Proverbs, English-Geneva; Louvain Latin, 1561; Italian, 1562; Latin Vulgate by Plantin, 1565; Vulgate Paris, 1565; Vulgate Lions, 1566; English, called the Bifhops; Spanish, 1569; Mafius's Jofhua; Junius; Lively's Hofea, &c; Englith, Douay; English, present tranflation; Broughton's Ms. references to the Geneva Bible; Drufius, Ainfworth, Gordon, Capellus, Diodati, Grotius, Aflembly's Annotations, Hammond, Codurcus; Canne's Bible; Poole English Bible by Hayes; English Bible with Scattergood's references; Clark, Patrick, Lowth; English Bible with Tennifon's and Lloyd's references; Henry, Martin, Le Clerc; Hebrew Bible by D. J. Henry Michaelis; Gill; English Bible edited by Blayney, 1769; and references by Mr. C. himself, chiefly taken from Bifhop Wilfen's Bible, 1785.-All thofe are distinguished by the letters of the Greek alphabet; and the authorities are ranged in a chronological order; fo that references, taken from an earlier Bible or commentary, are not repeated from a latter.

Befide the above, our author confulted for the New Teftament, Valla, Erafmus, Benoit's Latin Vulgate, Zeger, italian Bible of 1558 (probably of De Malermi's verfion); Arius Montanus, Italian N. T. of 1576; Spanish N. T. of 1595; Cafaubon, Cameron, Price, J. Capellus, The Mons N. T. Greek, Latin, and French of 1673, Bifhop Feil's Paraphrafe, Curcelleus, Simon, Mill, Fox, Stockius, Bengelius. Thefe are denoted by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Such is the plan of Mr. Cruttwell's work. With respect to the execution, we are inclined to believe, what the author

Mr. C. fhould have given a more particular defcription of this and fome other editions; mentioning their forms, and the places where they were printed.

fays;

fays; namely, That neither pains nor expence have been wanting on his part.'-'To verify his quotations would be a labour equal almost to his own; but from the few which we have compared, we have reafon to think that they may be generally depended on.-Indeed, when we look into this immenfe foreft of fo many different figures of various forms, fhapes and fizes, we ftand amazed, and wonder at the patience of him who planted them.-We must however add, that we think a great part of them are fuperfluous, and might be eafily fpared. Mr. C. himself feems to be aware of this.— Many of the references,' fays he, 'efpecially where they are in a great measure imaginary, or merely inftances of a like phrafe or idiom, might (fome perfons may think) have been rejected without impropriety; but where the opinions of so many great men are concerned, the author has not taken upon him to difcriminate.'-For our part, we wish he had difcriminated. By lopping off all ufelefs matter, he would have been enabled greatly to reduce his volume, and to give us a much less crowded page than he has done.-We will even venture to say, that one half, at leaft, of the parallels here collected, throw no new light upon the paffages to which they are referred; and have often no apparent relation to them.-We know, that it has been long a prevailing idea, that the best interpreter of holy fcripture, is fcripture itfelf:' but we confefs that we cannot acquiefce in this idea, for reasons too many to be here enumerated. We will only remark, that if we had none but pretended felf-interpreting Bibles, we should be much at a lofs in explaining fcripture.-There are thofe, doubtlefs, who will be of another opinion; and to fuch Mr. Cruttwell's Concordance will be an inestimable treasure. To all biblical ftudents it will be a useful book; and will, we hope, have a fale adequate to the author's labour and expectation.

ART. XIX. Annotations upon Genefis, with Obfervations Doctrinal and Practical. By the Rev. Thomas Harwood, late of University College Oxford. 8vo. 318 p. pr. 5s. in boards. Leigh.

1789.

Although this work was printed last year, it did not come to our knowledge, until a few weeks ago. The pious author has not attempted a new tranflation of any part of the Book of Genefis; but has felected from different commentators, what he thought moft likely to ferve his purpofe. The best authorities,' fays he, have been examined and carefully collated; and no commentator has been rejected, which might have elucidated any paffage in the fubfequent hiftory.' This, we fear, is faying too much. The commentators, whom Mr. Harwood feems chiefly to have confulted, are, Grotius excepted,

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of no great estimation in the prefent age of biblical criticism; as will appear from the following extracts, which we fhall give without any observation.

Gen, i. 1. The Heaven. By the Heaven fome understand not only the fpace which encompaffes the univerfe, but all the celestial forms and intelligencies; thus inferring that the angels were created in the very beginning of things, (Jun. in loco.) But whether Mofes intended it, is not fo probable, becaufe he fpeaks only of the vifible world: there is not therefore to be expected any account of the angels, either as to their creation or fall. But if by heaven the angels alfo are to be understood, the reason why they are not exprefly mentioned by Mofes, may be, because they should not conclude that God had partners in the rest of the creation for the Jews were often apt to detract from the honour of God!'

ver. 2. The Spirit of God moved, &c. By the fpirit of God is meant, not the air or wind, which are fometimes called by this name: for they were not yet created: but the third perfon in the Trinity, (Jun. in loco.) For though every perion was concerned in the creation, which caufes it fometimes to be afcribed to the Father, as an act of power, and fometimes to the Son as an act of wisdom; yet, as an act of eminent goodnefs, it is not unufually attributed to the Holy Ghoft; goodnefs being his peculiar characteristic, as power and wifdom is [are] of the other two. He is therefore faid to move upon the face of the water, to fit brooding (as the word fignifics) for the formation of the world.'

ver. 7. From the waters which were above the firmament. Many of the ancients, particularly St. Augustine, from this paffage conclude with the Jews, that above the firmament is placed a vaft quantity of water, by its coldnefs to temper the heat of the ftars, or by its weight to poize the heavens, that they should neither be fhaken nor difordered by the winds. But this feems to be more the effervefcence of fancy, than the deciñon of judg ment; for the waters here mentioned are, in all probability, to be understood of thofe vapours, which afcend into the middle region, and in rain defcend on the earth.'

ver. 26. Let us make, &c. God fpeaks here in the plural number, to denote a plurality of perfons in the Godhead; and by this intimates, that the whole Trinity were, in a manner, in confultation upon the formation of man, &c.

Ch. ii. v. 10. A river went out of Eden viz. the river Euphrates, which that it might the more commodiously water the garden, was divided into four ftreams, (Jun. in loc.) and therefore, whatever rivers other commentators accommodate to these fcripture names, cannot be right if thofe rivers do not flow from Euphrates.'

The reader, we truft, will from these few specimens be able to form a judgment of our author's merit as a commentator.

ART.

ART. XX. A short critical Differtation upon the true Meaning of the Word on found in Genefis i. 21. By the Rev. James Hurdis, M. A. &c. 8vo. 43p. pr. 1s. Johnfon. 1790. The Hebrew word, which is the fubject of this differtation, Occurs twenty-feven times in fcripture; and is by the Greek tranflators rendered xxros, panor, origny, extrus, orfoubos, opuis, naxwoi5, orez, dupe, and in our vulgar verfion whale, ferpent, dragon, and fea-monster. But Mr. Hurdis, with much ingenuity, attempts to prove that it every where fignifies the crocodile.

That it fometimes hath this meaning, he thinks is clear, from Ezek. xxix. 3. Behold I am against thee Pharach king of Egypt, the great pin, that lieth in the midst of his rivers, &c. • For what could a king of Egypt be more properly compared to, than to the great crocodile, that lieth in the midst of his rivers ?'

The fame argument he draws from Ifai. li. 9. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab (Egypt) and wounded the crocodile.

From this ground the author proceeds to explain all the other paffages; and finds, that, though in one or two inftances there is reafon to hefitate, yet upon the whole, it is probable, that wherever this animal is mentioned, it is the crocodile; and therefore Gen. i. 21. fhould be rendered great crocodiles, or the great crocodiles."

As a fpecimen of Mr. Hurdis's ftyle and manner, we will give his entire remarks on Ifai. xxxv. 7. And the parched ground fall become a pool, and the thirsty land fprings of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, fhall be grafs with reeds and rufhes.

What can be clearer than that the crododile is the fubject of the latter part of this verfe? In this chapter, one of the moft beautiful effusions of a fervid and infpired imagination, the prophet is figuratively defcribing the redemption of man, by the removal of every thing grievous to him, and the acceflion of every thing pleafant The wildernefs is to become a garden, and to bloffom as the rofe; it is to bloffom abundantly, and to rejoice even with joy and finging; it is to break forth with ftreams, and to become pools and fprings of waters. And thefe waters are to be waters without danger, for not only the crocodile fhall not be found in them, but the very fear of him is to vanish; he is, it feems, to be for ever removed, and the habitation where he laid is to become grafs with reeds and rushes. Here it is worthy of notice, that the crocodile was always confidered as an inhabitant of the wilderness. And fuch he might well be deemed; for the deferts, as the reader may fee in Mr. Irwin's charts, came very near to the banks of the Nile; and we may naturally fuppofe he would frequent thofe 'hores of his river which were defolate and not cultivated, becaufe there he would leait be moletted. Accordingly, in Mal. i. g. he is filed, the crocodile of the wildernefs. Again, in I. xliii. "the beat of the field fhall honour me, the crocodiles and the daughters of the firich, becaufe I give waters in the avil, deraefs." And again, Ezek. xxix. 4. where hooks are to be put

20.