Calculating on the certainty that C. J. B. must reply to this exposure of his defence, I beg leave to forewarn him that in my rebutter to his rejoinder, he will find fresh instances of his Plagiarisms, and a collection of the Beauties of Blomfield, extracted from various Reviews, in which he has abused those alone, whom he deemed unwilling or unable to reply. Nor shall he derive the least benefit from the caution through which he has abstained from provoking by word or deed those, who, should he be disposed to retaliate for the acts of one upon the head of another, will bawl in his ear :

Quid immerentes hospites vexas, canis,
Ignavus adversum lupos?
Quin huc inanes, si potes, vertis minas,
Et me remorsurum petis?

But to triumph thus over a prostrate foe has been considered, from the age of Homer to the present period, as the mark of no generous mind. Nor should I have felt even the wish to use the language of exultation against a crest-fallen antagonist, were not C. J. B. that individual, who has shut himself out from all claim to mercy, by defying again the hand that has detected his former plagiarisms and his present falsehoods. Had he, indeed, in his defence, confined himself to an humble confession of his guilt, and pleaded for his manifold sins in pilfering, the poverty of his imagination, and his incurable desire to gain, without knowing how, the reputation of a first-rate Grecian, I could have viewed his errors with an eye of compassion, and would have gently rebuked him for his hopeless aspirations. But when, in utter forgetfulness of his own impotence, he has chosen to enter the ring against him, who has not unadvisedly commenced the fight, it is his own fault, if he has met with one, who, non missura cutem nisi plena cruoris hirudo, sticks like a leech, nor drops till full of blood.

425

ON

TWO PASSAGES IN VIRGIL'S GEORGICS.

:

It is now generally agreed, that, in settling the text of any ancient writer, conjectural emendation is to be avoided as much as possible. Wetstein's learning and critical boldness are well known; yet he says in the prolegomena to his edition of the New Testament, that, "though he thought that the greater part of the conjectural emendations, which he had noticed, were both learned and ingenious, and found nothing to blame in those, by whom they were suggested, he still was bound to confess ingenuously, that scarcely two of them had his cordial approbation." This observation applies particularly to those authors, the manuscripts of whose works are numerous.

Acquiescing in the truth of this observation, I yet venture to point out two passages in the Georgics of Virgil, which, though they exist in all the manuscripts, and I may add in all the printed editions of them, of which we are possessed, appear to me to be, one of them an evident transposition, the other, either that, or an evident interpolation.

1. I beg my reader to place before him the beginning of the second Georgic, and to read from its first to its 47th verse; and then to ask himself whether the verses from the 38th verse to the end of the passage should not be expunged from the place in which they stand, and inserted between verse 7 and verse 8.

The poet first mentions, generally, his subject; then addresses Bacchus, the founder of it; then proceeds to the didactic; and then, on a sudden, and without any connexion with what precedes or follows, introduces a second address :-this second address, if placed immediately after the first, will be felt to follow it naturally, and not to be discordant with the verses which, on this supposition, it will immediately precede, or those by which it will be immediately followed. It may be added, that the plan will then immediately accord with the opening of the first Georgic.

2. I must next request my reader to place under his eyes the 3d Georgic; and passing over, if he can, the 48 first verses, to begin with the 49th, and thence read-he certainly will not find it a labor- till the 129th: and then consider whether the 120th, 121st, and 122d verses either are not an interpolation, or should not be inserted between the 96th and 97th, and make one sentence, not with the verses preceding, but with those that follow the 97th.

I beg leave to ask,-As the text now stands, to what verse or sentence can the word " Quamvis" be applied ?

I shall add no more, in fact inquiries of this nature are rather to be decided by feeling than argument.

R.

NOTICE OF

An Introduction to the critical Study and Knowledge of the HOLY SCRIPTURES. By the Rev. T. HARTWELL HORNE, M. A., &c. &c. &c. Second Edition, revised, corrected, and enlarged. Four large volumes, 8vo. Pr. 31. 3s.

In a preceding number we submitted to our readers a brief notice of the first edition of this most valuable of modern theological publications. Impressed with the conviction that the laborious research, the extensive reading, and undoubted talent of the author, deserved the most decided and almost unqualified approbation and praise, we did not hesitate to bestow our eulogy in such unmeasured language, that we must have excited the contempt of our readers if the work had been unfavorably received. We willingly incurred the danger. Far from fearing to commit ourselves, we were willing to pledge on this truly useful work, whatever credit we might have sometimes obtained from those articles which have been most generally approved. We have not been mistaken in our estimate of the discernment of the public; we have not been disappointed of our anticipated gratification in the universal approbation with which Mr. Horne has been so justly rewarded. The first edition has been received in the most favorable manner. "In addition to the extensive circulation which the work has obtained in the Universities, and other theological seminaries in England, it has recently been adopted as a text-book in the College at Princeton, New Jersey, and in the protestant Episcopal seminary at Newhaven, in North America." The career of the work has but begun. We have no doubt but that it will become the standard reference and textbook of our several Colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, and will find a place in the library, not only of our candidates for orders, and theological students in general, but be received with pleasure by those who have completed their preliminary studies, and have made extensive progress in the science of theology.

The first edition of Mr. Horne's work was divided into three parts. Part the first comprised a concise view of the Geography of Palestine, and of the moral, civil, religious, and political state of the Jews, illustrating the principal events recorded in Scripture. The second treated on the Interpretation of Scripture in all its branches. The third was appropriated to the Analysis of Scripture, and contained a history of the sacred canon of the Old and New Testament, together with an abstract of the evidence for the divine origin, credibility, and inspiration of each; copious critical prefaces to each book were given, with accurate and masterly synopses of their respective contents. These synopses were so drawn up as to present, so far as was practicable, at one glance, a comprehensive view of the subjects contained in each book of Scripture. To these three divisions was added an appendix, embracing the principal topics of biblical criticism-such as manuscripts, and editions of the Scriptures, various readings, lists of commentators, &c. which could not be introduced with propriety into the body of the work, without blending together two subjects which are evidently distinct-the criticism, and interpretation of the Bible.

This second edition, which we have long anticipated with eagerness, and which we rejoice to be now able to recommend to the closest and most frequent examination, that the apparently extravagant praise we thought it our bounden duty to bestow on the first, and to reiterate on this second edition, may be demonstrated to be just, is arranged in four volumes.

Volume 1. contains a critical enquiry into the genuineness, authenticity, uncorrupted preservation, and inspiration of the Holy Scriptures; including, among other subjects, a copious investigation of the testimonies of profane authors to the leading facts recorded in the Scriptures, particularly a new branch of evidence for their credibility, which is furnished by coins, medals, inscriptions, and ancient structures. This is followed by a full view of the arguments afforded by miracles and prophecy for the inspiration of the Scriptures, and a discussion of the whole of their internal evidence, furnished by the doctrines, the precepts, and the harmony, &c. &c. of the Bible; together with a refutation of the very numerous objections which have been urged against the Scriptures in recent deistical publications. An appendix to

this volume comprises a particular examination of the miracles supposed to have been wrought by the Egyptian magicians, and of the supposed, or alleged contradictions, which are said to have been discovered in Scripture. This discussion is followed by a table of the prophecies relating to the Messiah, and their fulfilment, and by an examination of the pretensions of the apocryphal books of the Old and New Testament.

In the first edition Mr. Horne had given a very brief outline only of the evidences for the genuineness and inspiration of the Old and New Testaments, being naturally unwilling to augment unnecessarily the number of treatises on these subjects. Called upon, however, publicly, and by name from the press, to reply to the infidel objections of the day, he thought it his duty not to shrink from the task, and proceeded accordingly through all the disgusting sophistry, the specious objections, the gross and illiberal attacks, which to this day have been revived or invented against Christianity. To the labor of a compiler he has joined acuteness, judgment, and perfect freedom of inquiry. With eloquence, spirit, and earnestness, such as became a Christian, he entered fully and fairly into the labyrinth of perplexing controversy. When a laborious author at tempts the compilation of interesting or useful matter, on other subjects, it frequently happens that no originality is induced, no animated paragraphs, or proofs of intellectual exertion enliven the reader, who toils through the dull and lifeless pages. In the study of Theology this is seldom or never found to take place. Whoever with freedom and impartiality, with a hand prepared to labor, a heart impressed with the importance of the subject, and a head well stored with varied and useful information, devotes himself to the apparently humble labor even of a compiler on sacred subjects; with him languor, dulness, and lifelessness, seldom occur. Eloquence is induced by the magnificence of the subjects discussed. Animation is given by the number, and boldness of the enemies of revelation. Interest, and strength, and spirit, will always follow the heartfelt, and personal concern which an author generally takes in those subjects, which concern both him and all mankind, as immortal and accountable beings. Such is the case with Mr. Horne in the volume before us: had he been devoid of native talent, and energy, they would have been in some degree unavoidably induced by the nature of the topics discussed. But when in addition to the spirit of research, unwearied diligence, and acknowledged talent, he has dedicated himself to the study of Scripture, its author, its mean