herself (in common with the other Anglo-Saxon cities) was contented to be styled a byrig; and when "the

Floreston, or the New Lord of the Manor, &c. Had the author confined himself to his purpose of treating some uninviting subjects in a readable manner, and calling up the more generous sympathies into life and activity, it would have been better than declaring against "the enormous wealth of the Church," and "her subjection to worldly interests;" and maintaining that "Tolerance is one of the Church's most odious vices!"

Argentine; an Autobiography.-This may or may not be a real autobiography; but it is full of great improbabilities, and on that account possesses no very great interest.

Historical Reveries, by a Suffolk Villager. 1839.-Whoever this villager may be, he is possessed of a very creditable share of poetic power and feeling; so that many of his poems may be read with pleasure and satisfaction. The poems are rather long to make "excerpta " of; but we will give a specimen from one.

THE SHEPHERDS' VIGIL.

Silent and calm and beautiful
The starry night came down,
Where rush Saloa's waters cool,
Where Kedar's, deserts frown,
And deep its quiet shadow fell
Upon the hills of Israel.

The dark green hills where once of old
The patriarch's tents were seen,
Where lay the still and peaceful fold
The hanging cliffs between,
Which in his earlier, happier days,
Heard the sweet Psalmist's lyre of praise.
And lovely lay the land around,
Lovely as when of yore

The footsteps of her God were found
Upon her olive shore;

[closed,

And when, her vine-wreathed gates unThe shadow of her Rock reposed.

Borough" was merely a suburban adjunct,-her Suthweorche.

Silently rose the hour when He,
Once well in Judah known,
Came to his Temple suddenly,
Came veiled and alone,
A stranger in the present land
Their fathers gather'd from his hand.
He who hath pass'd the palace by
The dweller in Eternity,
In lonely roofs to rest,

The contrite spirit's guest,-
Tho' angels were his heralds then,
His message sent to shepherd men.
Watching among the dark green hills,
In the night's shadow roll'd,
Listening but to the far-off rills,

The low bleat of the fold;
They saw the awful mantle furl'd
That wraps us from the hidden world.
And voices, not of this world's mirth,

But gladness far more deep,
From such as watch'd the ancient earth
Or broke on holy sleep,

Startling the dreamer's dazzled eye,
Swept in unearthly splendour by.
They heard the words which never now
The ear of night may hear;
Earth's faded and defiled brow

Feels no bright presence near;
And pathless is the mountain sod
So long by angel footsteps trod.

Thou who hast walk'd the earth alone,
With sad and weary feet,

Thou who hast left thine ancient throne
Thy strayed sheep to meet,
Tho' fallen and lost the guilty spot,
Yet oh! do thou forsake it not!

At p. 33 the pronunciation of the word pavemented as a trisyllable as “pamented,” "All pavemented with stone and shell," is a Suffolk provincialism, which probably slipt the author's attention.

The Outlaw; a Drama, in five acts. By Robert Story. The author speaks very modestly of his work, and in his

Of scepter'd Judah spread,

A thousand folded fleeces shone,
Like snow on mountain Lebanon.

Far, far along the purple heights
That stretch into the sky,
Scatter'd as in calm summer nights
The clouds on Heaven lie,
When distant founts are heard to play,
And the loud wind is hush'd away.

It certainly is not exactly fitted for representation; but its incidents are interesting, its sentiments poetical and pleasing, and its language and versification well selected and harmonious, It is dedicated to Miss Currer, of Eshton Hall, Yorkshire; and the patron need not be ashamed of her poet.

The Revelation of St. John explained. By H. W. Lovett. 8vo. 1838.-The part of this interpretation which most interests us, is that which includes from the fourth trumpet and vial to the seventh; and which the author supposes prefigures the discords, cruelty, tyranny, and impiety of the French Revolution. Should the typical language of the apostle refer to modern times and events that are passing on contemporaneously with us; we know no event, hardly within the compass of modern history, which has produced, yea, which is producing so important an effect on the minds of men and the structure of society, as the French Revolution; nor certainly could it possibly lie beyond the bounds of the prophetic vision and declaration, if they, as we repeat, are still unfulfilled. Mr. Lovett's volume is written with candour, knowledge, and far more discretion and moderation than most of his fellow labourers in the same arduous field of inquiry; and we perceive, in consequence of its merits, that it has passed through a second edition.

Life of Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond. By Caroline A. Halsted. —A very pleasing subject for a female pen! The memoir obtained the honorary premium awarded by the Directors of the Gresham Commemoration, 1839; and very deservedly; for it is written with care, research, and ability: the facts connected with the history of that illustrious person recorded in this volume, are given from authentic sources, printed and MS.; and some errors that have passed current are detected. In the biography of Margaret, Miss Halsted also has interwoven a history of the times in which she lived, and thereby given a double interest to her work, which we think worthy to be placed beside that of Miss Aikin (and that is no slight praise), and is far superior to some of the late histories by female hands.

Report on the Geology of Cornwall, Devon, and West Somerset. By H. T. de la Beche, F.R.S. 8vo. Of this most elaborate and scientific work, it would be difficult in any reasonable compass to give an abridged account: and it is not suited for extracts. It embraces an account of the physical features of the counties mentioned; of their geological formation-of their minerals-of the effect of the sea and atmospheric influences on the coast; and has a very interesting and important chapter on economic geology. This is accompanied by some interesting appendices and plans of mines. A great extent of knowledge must have been required for the formation of this work; great labour of

inquiry, accompanied with very accurate details; and we consider it as reflecting high credit to the author. It is published by order of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury.

Supplement to the History of British Fishes. By William Yarrell.-—This supplement has arisen chiefly from the communications of Mr. Yarrell's friends, and other naturalists. The work is, like the one to which it is supplemental, beautifully got up; the plates of the fishes are elegant and accurate, and the vignettes very pleasing and interesting in character. Some very curious information will be found under the article salmon and trout. We know no work in Natural History exceeding Mr. Yarrell's in fulness of information and elegance and accuracy of illustration.

Hindoo Female Education. By Priscilla Chapman.-A most interesting and well-written little book, containing an account of the efforts made by some English ladies to form a system of Education for the Hindoo girls. How much it was needed, these pages too well declare : the account of the custom of sacrificing female children, is told in most appalling language at P. 12. Very recently,

twenty girls in one boat on the Hoogly, destined for incarceration in a Mussulman's house, have been placed in liberty; and in the district bordering on the Goomsar territory, a number of victims of both sexes, held in bondage till the fit time of sacrifice, were delivered. It is the purport of this inhuman rite to propitiate their deities. We earnestly beg our readers to procure this volume, for which we lament that want of space and time precludes our making the copious extracts we could wish. The name of Mrs. Wilson, and her devotion to her arduous undertaking, will be remembered in India with blessings by thousands whom her efforts have saved from ignorance, and vice, and ruin.

A Sketch of native Education in India, under the Superintendence of the Church of Scotland. By James Bryce, D.D.—

This is a work of a more extended and elaborate kind than the preceding, embracing very philosophical views of the general subject of the Hindoo religion, its effects on character and society, its modi fications by circumstances and situation, and the prospect of the successful introduction of Christianity into the benighted 'country, which has with its idolatry been so long cursed with all the crimes and misery that are its wretched companions. Dr. Bryce's book is written with a very

full knowledge of the subject, which he acquired by his residence in India, and it will be consulted by all who wish for a comprehensive and accurate view of the religious state of the native population of India.

The Simplicity and intelligible Character of Christianity, in four Sermons. By Presbuteros.-These Sermons, indepen. dently of the cause that gave rise to them, appear to us both intelligent and wellwritten; plain in language, strong and forcible in argument and illustration, and earnest for the inculcation of the truth: the contrasts between the vanity and worthlessness of temporal goods and temporal pleasures compared to the spiritual and eternal, are well drawn, and would produce from the lips of a good preacher a powerful effect.

The Call to Repent. 1839. This volume is written in the form of letters to a Mr. Sparling, by the author, Rowland Mincy.

Gleanings from Germany, &c. by James D. Haas. 1839. The stories in this work are by several authors of celebrity, as Madame Pickler, Carl M. Von Weber, Clauren, Castelli, &c. They are of very different degrees of merit. The longest is "the Signal-Rocket, or the Swedes in

Prague." The last is the poem called

Salvator Rosa, or the Portrait of Dante.

Tears in Heaven, with Ocean Lays, &c. By W. S. Brock.-There are some pleasing Poems in this volume, with occasional passages requiring revision, as, p. 48,

"Oh 't is sweet when zephyrs wending O'er the muriatic plains."

And p. 57.-" The Curlew's harsh portentous moan;" At p. 81, the measure of the poem is, we think, quite out of harmony with the subject; but the Bridal Morn, and Love in Age, are very pleasing and elegant productions. Mr. Brock has so strong a vein of poetry, that he need not be afraid to let a little bad blood be taken

away when necessary. "Be to yourself severe is our advice to the poet, and you will take the surest method to make other people kind.

Notices of the Reformation in the South-Western Provinces of France. By R. F. Jameson.-This little work contains a history of the Protestant Church in Navarre, from the times of Marguerite de Valois to the present day. It is very neatly and concisely drawn up. At present there are scarcely five thousand nominal Protestants in this district. Persecution having ceased, they have

dropped into an apparent state of lukewarmness. The French character is not disposed to be sectarian. They require pomp and splendour, and extreme distinction. The estimated number of Protestants in France is about a million and a half but our author says, "Many of the Guizot school, or rational Christians, as they are called here, roll on with them. The Church of the Laodiceans' has many followers here."

The Spaniard, or Relvindez and Elzora, a Tragedy; the Young Country Widow, a Comedy. By Simon Grey, Esq.These plays were written about half a century since. The tragedy was submitted to the opinion of Dr. Hugh Blair, the wellknown critic;-his letters to the author, and his criticism, are given in this volume. The comedy is dedicated to another great critic-Mr. Jerdan. We think Dr. Blair's judgment on the tragedy to be very sound and correct:-there are, however, certain expressions which we cannot approve, and which are unnoticed by the friendly critic. Where did the author find the word "venge " which he uses in the following couplet?

'He'll sure look on a wretched mother's wrongs,

And venge them! venge them fully and severely."

And could he not improve the language in the following lines?

"I'm sure 't was he! I saw

The bloody gap, made by the cruel ball,
In his dear, precious head!"

At p. 72, a lady who means to say her brain burns, exclaims

"Dear shade! why weepest thou? my head it blazes.

Alas, I cannot weep! my head! my head!" Dr. Blair does not appear to object to the same lady's language at p. 73. "Lucretia-yes-and thou, Virginia—Mum ! ”

the present tale will afford gratification; but we think the author did wrong in throwing back his history into ancient times, as it does not afford him those materials from which he can gratify the curiosity of his readers, and has a tendency to lead him to fill up ancient costume with modern sentiments and manners. Is he aware that he has quoted some lines at the head of one of his chapters, which he has given rightly to Lord Byron; and the very same lines in a following chapter, to which he has affixed the honoured name of Wordsworth?

MR. CHARLES JAMES RICHARDSON has published in a separate form his Description of the warming and ventilating Apparatus at the Residence of Charles Bab. bage, Esq. extracted from the second edition of his Treatise on the warming and Ventilation of Buildings, which has been previously reviewed in our pages.

The author speaks of this apparatus as the most important of any of which he had yet given an account."It has been made (he says), by skilful mechanical contrivances, to produce some of those conveniences and luxuries which I hope to see much more generally applied than they are at present in the dwellings of this country."

From the well-known character and talents of Mr. Babbage, there can be no question that it has been constructed with great care, and that every improvement which the subject is capable of receiving, has been made use of; on this ground we consider it is highly deserving of the attention, not only of the members of the architectural profession, but of every one who wishes his residence to be furnished with those comforts which the author desires to see more generally introduced. The essay is illustrated by diagrams and plans, and is therefore easy of execution, and we presume the apparatus is not secured by patent.

Reliquia Antiquæ. Scraps from Ancient Manuscripts, illustrating chiefly early English Literature, and the English Language. Edited by T. WRIGHT, Esq. M.A. F.S.A. &c. and J. O. HALLIWELL, Esq. F.R.S. F.S.A. &c. No. II. 8vo. In the compass of forty-eight pages, the present number of this very curious miscellany contains about thirty pieces, in prose and verse, written in this country in the days of yore, in the various modifications of the language from the days of the Anglo-Saxons down to the broad English of the fifteenth century, To the philologist, as a book of examples. the collection is invaluable: and there is

much in it that will be useful to the illustration of ancient manners, prejudices, and superstitions. From a series of medical receipts of the fourteenth century, all of them as extraordinary as any we ever read, we take the following specimen :

"For hym that haves the squynansy : tak a fatte katte, and fla hit well, and clene and draw out the guttes, and tak the grees of an urcheon and the fatte of a bare, and resynes, and leinygreke, and sauge, and gumme of wodebynde, and virgyn wax; all this mye smal, and farse the catte within als thu farses a gos, rost his hale, and geder the grees and anoynt hym tharwith."

The following description of a child's hornbook, in the same century, deserves to be enshrined in the pages of an Ames or a De Bure:

"Quan a chyld to scole xal set be,
A bok hym is browt,
Naylyd on a brede of tre,
That men callyt an abece,
Pratylych i-wrout.

Wrout is on the bok withoute
.v. paraffys grete and stoute,
Rolyd in rose-red;

That is set withoutyn doute

In tokenyng of Christes ded.
Red letter in parchemyn
Makyth a chyld good and fyn

Lettrys to loke and se.
Be this bok men may dyvyne
That Cristes body was ful of pyne,

That deyid on rode tre."

It is evident that our ancestors never thought of separating religious instruction even from the mere elements of education. The "five paraffys" were, we believe, what we now call illuminated initials they were intended to represent the five wounds of our Lord.

We conclude with one more extract: which, if not so curious as many other pieces, has more intrinsic merits. It is of the fifteenth century, and gives some very "good old English" advice: "Serve thy God trwle, And the world bysely, Ete thy mete merely,

So schalt thu lyve in hele;
zif thou be visite with poverte,
Take it not to hevyle,
For he that sendethe adversitie

May turn the azen to wele
If thou be in prosperite,
Set not to lyte by poverte,
Spende aftur thy degre,

And be not to lyberal;
Purpose thy selfe in charite,
Demene thy worship in honeste,
Let not nygardship have the maystre,
For schame that may befalle.

Faver not meche thy rycches,
Set not lyteel by worthynes,
Kepe thyn hert from dowblenes
For any manner thing;
Loke thee love lowlynes,
With merthe put awey hevynes,
Lete not worldly busynes

To wanhope the bryng. Had the scholars of the last century possessed the " Reliquiæ Antiquæ," they could never have been deceived by the productions of a Chatterton or had Chatterton himself possessed such a textbook, he would have produced far truer imitations than could be put together from Bailey's Dictionary. But the days of such ignorance in our old-English literature are now happily quite passed away : and the works of Chatterton, to do justice to his own original genius, should be reduced from their imaginary antiquity to the orthography of his own times.

Sermons preached at Trentham. By the Rev. Thomas Butt, A.M. 1838.-Mr. Butt informs us in his preface, that the occasion of his publishing this volume arose from some circumstances connected with the observations which he published on Professor Keble's Visitation Sermons. The view which he then gave of the Gospel truth was commented on, he says, by the Professor, in the third edition of his Sermon; and the Professor laments "that Mr. Butt's summary is such as may be literally accepted by an Arian or Socinian." To this the author says, "His reply would have been that he had endeavoured to draw up his summary in such a form as Scripture alone suggests; that it must therefore, to a certain extent, be open to this accusation; for Arian subtlety adopted every orthodox phrase, and could not be forced into an unavoidable assumption of heterodox language, till the word opoovolos was invented. The primitive Christians could not, then, by anticipation, have used expressions which marked the erroneous nature of the heresy, before it existed." On the whole, the author considers that the comment of the Professor involved an intimation that Mr. Butt's method of propounding Christian truth was essentially defective, and that he keeps back what the people should know. He meets this charge by making public his discourses, which for forty years he has been in the habit of addressing to his flock. We think the public gainers by this controversy; for the Sermons Mr. Butt has printed are distinguished for the forcible manner in which the great truths of the Gospel are advanced, and the elegant language in which they are enforced and illustrated. We must say, we see no

heterodox or objectionable opinions advanced, or any essential doctrines suppressed; on the other hand, they appear to us to be among the best discourses, for persons of the middle ranks of life, that we have lately read. In the Sermon on the Penitent Thief, we are struck with one observation, which we should wish to see deeply remembered by those who are in the habit of preaching Sermons to those sentenced to death. It is as follows: "A clergyman whose duties led him much among criminals declared, that he had never known an instance of a permanent change of life among those who had been reprieved, although he had witnessed the agonies of many who turned real penitents when the terrors of death com

passed them about." What a powerful incontrovertible argument lies in this short sentence in favour of the early training and discipline of the mind. Trust to early habits, and not to late repent

ance.

The Gentleman of the Old School. By G. P. R. James, Esq. 3 vols.-Every novel that proceeds from an author's pen, cannot be his best; though every one wishes that his last should be esteemed. Now, highly as we think of Mr. James's talents, yet he must be content to share the lot of his predecessors and rivals, and sometimes to take a flight less fortunate and less arduous than others which had preceded it. The "Gentleman of the Old School" is too invariably good; whose passions never interfere with his principles; who is never actuated by any but the kindest and noblest feelings; and who appears to us to have gained the start considerably of all the other sons of humanity whom we have ever seen. Then this character is placed too directly in opposition to one of the darkest shade; one, indeed, in parts so terribly wicked, as to lead us to hope that it is as much overcharged with guilt as the other with goodness. These two are the main leading persons of the story, upon whom its fortunes depend. Lady Malling's love for Strafford does not add to the interest of the story, but seems introduced simply to pro❤ long it, and terminates in no very probable or satisfactory manner. Other characters are introduced to us more pleasing: Lucy Williams's history mingles with good effect into the main plot; and Meakes is a person of much interest and is well described. We do not say that this story is to be read without interest, or without our being sensible of the talents of the author: but it is not so fine a composition as the Huguenot, or the Gipsy. We shall be happy to give our opinion on