I shall endeavour to treat of this extraordinary production in the following order: first, Of its nature and form in general; secondly, Of the metre or versification; and, lastly, Of the subject, the sentiments, and imagery.

The Lamentations of Jeremiah (for the title is properly and significantly plural) consist of a number of plaintive effusions, composed upon the plan of the funereal dirges, all upon the same subject, and uttered without connexion as they rose in the mind, in a long course of separate stanzas. These have afterwards been put together, and formed into a collection or correspondent, whole. If any reader, however, should expect to find in them an artificial and methodical arrangement of the general subject, a regular disposition of the parts, a perfect connexion and orderly succession in the matter, and, with all this, an uninterrupted series of elegance and correctness, he will really expect what was foreign to the prophet's design. In the character of a mourner, he celebrates in plaintive strains the obsequies of his ruined country: whatever presented itself to his mind in the midst of desolation and misery, whatever struck him as particularly wretched and calamitous, whatever the instant sentiment of sorrow dictated, he pours forth in a kind of spontaneous effusion. He frequently pauses, and as it were ruminates upon the same object; frequently varies and illustrates the same thought with different imagery, and a different choice of language: so that the whole bears rather the appearance of an accumulation of corresponding sentiments, than an accurate and connected series of different ideas arranged in the form of a regular treatise. I would not be understood to insinuate, that the author has paid no regard whatever to order or arrangement; or that transitions truly elegant from one subject, image, or character, to another, are not sometimes to be found; this only I wished to remark, that the nature and design of this poem (being in reality a collection of different sentiments or subjects, each of which assumes the form of a funereal dirge) neither require, nor even admit of, a methodical arrangement. The whole poem, however, may be divided into five parts: In the first, second, and fourth, the prophet addresses the people in his own person, or else personifies Jerusalem, and introduces that city as a character: the third part is supposed to be uttered by the chorus of Jews, represented by their leader,*

Thus, in ver. 14. the 2 The Syr. omits the pronoun.

is in the constructive for the absolute form. See a Note on Lect. 13. So also, it appears,

after the manner of the Greek tragedies; and in the fifth, the whole nation of the Jews, on being led into captivity, pour forth their united complaints to Almighty God. This last, as well as the others, is divided into twenty-two periods, according to the number of the letters of the alphabet; with this difference, that in the four other parts the initial letters of each period exactly correspond with the alphabetical order. And from this circumstance we have been enabled to form some little judgment concerning the Hebrew metres.

The acrostic or alphabetical poetry of the Hebrews was certainly intended to assist the memory, and was confined altogether to those compositions which consisted of detached maxims or sentiments without any express order or connection.* The same custom is said to have been prevalent, indeed is said still to prevail in some degree among the Syrians, the Persians, and the Arabs. With how much propriety the prophet has employed this form of composition on the present occasion, is evident from what has been said concerning the nature of this poem. The manner and order of this kind of verse is as follows: Each of the five parts, or grand divisions, is subdivided into twenty-two periods, or stanzas; these periods in the three first parts are all of them triplets, in other words, consist each of three lines only; in each of the two former parts there is one period, consisting of four lines.§ In the four first parts, the initial letter of each period follows the order of the alphabet; but the third part is so very regular, that every line in the same period begins with the same letter, so as necessarily to ascertain the length of every verse or line in that poem: indeed, even in the others, though the lines are not distinctly marked in this manner, it is no difficult matter to ascertain their limits, by resolving the sentences into their constituent members. By this mode of computation it appears, that in the fourth part all the

the same word ought to be understood Psal. exliv. 2. Compare likewise Psal. xviii. 48. xlvii. 4. See Pocock Not. in Port. Mosis, p. 60. "Lam. iii. 14. two MSS. have Dr. And observe, that in MSS. the plural Dis often expressed." K.-Author's Note.

M. Michaelis very justly remarks, that except the Lamentations of Jeremiah and the xxxviith Psalm, none of the alphabetic poems of the Hebrews rise in any degree above mediocrity;-a certain indication, that however useful this kind of discrimination might be on some occasions, in assisting the memory of children and the vulgar, yet such minute arts are in general inconsistent with true genius.-T.

See Asseman Bibliothec. Oriental. vol. iii. p. 63. 180. 188. 328.
In chap. i. ; in chap. ii. P.

*

periods consist of distichs, as also in the fifth, which is not acrostic: but in this last part I must remark another peculiarity, namely, that the lines are extremely short, whereas in all the rest they are long.

The length of these metres is worthy of notice: we find in this poem lines or verses, which are evidently longer, by almost one-half, than those which occur usually and on other occasions. The length of them seems to be, on an average, about twelve syllables; there are a few which do not quite amount to that number, and there are a few which perhaps exceed it by two or three syllables: for, although nothing certain can be determined concerning the number of syllables, (in truth I pay no attention to the fictions of the Masorites), there is room, nevertheless, for very probable conjecture. We are not to suppose this peculiar form of versification utterly without design or importance; on the contrary, I am persuaded that the prophet adopted this kind of metre as being more diffuse, more copious, more tender, in all respects better adapted to melancholy subjects. I must add, that in all probability the funereal dirges, which were sung by the mourners, were commonly composed in this kind of verse; for whenever, in the Prophets, any funereal lamentations occur, or any passages formed upon that plan, the versification is, if I am not mistaken, of this protracted kind. If this then be the case, we have discovered a true legitimate form of Elegy in the poetry of the Hebrews. It ought, however, to be remarked, that the same kind of metre is sometimes, though rarely, employed upon other occasions by the sacred poets, as it was indeed by the Greeks and Romans. There are, moreover, some poems manifestly of the elegiac kind, which are composed in the usual metre, and not in unconnected stanzas, according to the form of a funereal dirge.

Thus far in general as to the nature and method of the poem, and the form of the versification;-it remains to offer a few remarks concerning the subject and the style.

That the subject of the Lamentations is the destruction of the holy city and temple, the overthrow of the state, the extermination of the people-and that these events are described as actually accomplished, and not in the style of prediction merely—must be evident to every reader; though

* But the period D, as it is now read, can neither be conveniently distributed into two, nor into three verses.-Author's Note.

some authors of considerable reputation* have imagined this poem to have been composed on the death of king Josiah. The prophet, indeed, has so copiously, so tenderly and poetically, bewailed the misfortunes of his country, that he seems completely to have fulfilled the office and duty of a mourner. In my opinion, there is not extant any poem which displays such a happy and splendid selection of imagery in so concentrated a state. What can be more elegant and poetical than the description of that once flourishing city, lately chief among the nations, sitting in the character of a female, solitary, afflicted, in a state of widowhood, deserted by her friends, betrayed by her dearest connexions, imploring relief, and seeking consolation in vain? What a beautiful personification is that of "the Ways of Sion mourning, because none are come to her solemn feasts!" How tender and pathetic are the following complaints!

"Is this nothing to all you who pass along the way? Behold and see,

If there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is inflicted

on me;

Which JEHOVAH inflicted on me in the day of the violence of his wrath.

For these things I weep, my eyes stream with water;

Because the comforter is far away, that should tranquillize my soul:

My children are desolate, because the enemy was strong."+ But to detail its beauties would be to transcribe the entire poem. I shall make but one remark relative to certain passages, and to the former part of the second alphabet in particular. If, in this passage, the prophet should be thought by some to affect a style too bold and energetic for the expression of sorrow, let them only advert to the greatness of the subject, its importance, sanctity, and solemnity; and let them consider, that the nature of the performance absolutely required these to be set forth in a style suitable, in some degree at least, to their inherent dignity;-let them attentively consider these things, and I have not a doubt but they will readily excuse the sublimity of the prophet.

*Josephus, Jerome, Usserius, &c.

+ Lam. i. 12. and 16. In the last verse the word '' is not repeated in the old translations.

LECTURE XXIII.

OF THE REMAINING ELEGIES OF THE HEBREWS.

Many Poems of this kind still extant in the writings of the Hebrews-One collection of Elegies or Lamentations appears to be lost-Elegies in Ezekiel-Many passages in Job may be accounted Elegiac-About a seventh part of the book of Psalms consists of Elegies-A perfect specimen of Elegiac Poetry from the Psalms- The Lamentation of David over Saul and Jonathan explained: attempted in English verse.

In the last Lecture the nature and origin of the Hebrew Elegy was explained; the form and commencement of that species of poetry was traced into the solemn dirges which were chanted at funerals by the professed mourners; and this was confirmed by instances taken from those short Elegies or Lamentations which occur in the Prophets, and by an accurate examination of that remarkable poem, The Lamentations of Jeremiah. I shall now treat of some other poems, which, although they do not exactly assume the form of a funereal dirge, are nevertheless to be comprehended in this class.

*

That the Hebrews were formerly possessed of some collection of Elegies or Lamentations, which has not been transmitted to us, we may understand from that passage of sacred history in which mention is made of the solemn mourning publicly celebrated at the funeral of Josiah, where it appears that a poem, composed for the occasion, by Jeremiah the prophet, amongst others had a place. Though the book which is on this occasion referred to, and which probably contained the most excellent of the Hebrew Elegies, appears to be lost, there are still extant many specimens of this kind of poetry; whence we may reasonably infer, that no species of composition was more in use among the Hebrews than the elegiac, the ode perhaps only excepted.

* 2 Chron. xxxv. 25.