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How gaily then my fong fhould rife,
Amidst thy infant grove;

Then gazing on Eliza's eyes,

How foftly change to love!

APOSTROPHE to an OLD TREE.

(From the Second Volume of SoNNETS and other POEMS, by CHARLOTTE SMITH.]

HERE thy broad branches brave the bitter North,

Like rugged, indigent, unheeded, worth,

Lo! vegetation's guardian hands emboss
Each giant limb with fronds of ftudded mofs,
That clothes the bark in many a fringed fold
Begemm'd with fcarlet fhields, and cups of gold,
Which, to the wildest winds their webs oppofe,
And mock the arrowy fleet, or weltering fnows.
-But to the warmer Weft the Woodbine fair
With taffels that perfumed the fummer air,
The mantling Clematis, whofe feathery bowers
Waved in feftoons with Nightshade's purple flowers,
The filver weed, whofe corded fillets wove
Round thy pale rind, even as deceitful love
Of mercenary beauty would engage
The dotard fondness of decrepit age;

All these, that during fummer's halcyon days
With their green canopies conceal'd thy fprays,
Are gone for ever; or disfigured, trail
Their fallow relicts in the autumnal gale;
Or o'er thy roots, in faded fragments toft,
But tell of happier hours, and sweetness loft!
-Thus in fate's trying hour, when furious ftorms
Strip focial life of pleafure's fragile forms,
And aweful Juftice, as his rightful prey
Tears Luxury's filk, and jewel'd robe, away,
While reads Adversity her lesson stern,

And Fortune's minions tremble as they learn;
The crouds around her gilded car that hung,
Bent the lithe knee, and troul'd the honey tongue,
Defponding fall, or fly in pale despair;

And Scorn alone remembers that they were.
Not fo Integrity; unchanged he lives
In the rude armour conscious honor gives,
And dares with hardy front the troubled iky,
In Honefty's uninjured panoply.

Ne'er on Profperity's enfeebling bed

Or rofy pillows, he repofed his head,
But given to useful arts, his ardent mind
Has fought the general welfare of mankind;
To mitigate their ills his greateft blifs,

While ftudying them, has taught him what he is;
He, when the human tempeft rages worst,
And the earth fhudders as the thunders burft,
Firm, as thy northern branch, is rooted faft,
And if he can't avert, endures the blast.

SONNET to the INSECT of the GOSSAMER.

[From the fame Work.]

MALL, viewless aeronaut, that by the line

Sof Goflamer fufpended, in mid air

Float'ft on a fun beam-Living atom, where
Ends thy breeze-guided voyage; — with what defign
In æther doft thou launch thy form minute,
Mocking the eye? - Alas! before the veil
Of denfer clouds fhall hide thee, the pursuit

Of the keen swift may end thy fairy fail!-
Thus on the golden thread that fancy weaves
Buoyant, as hope's illufive flattery breathes,
The young and visionary poet leaves

Life's dull realities, while fevenfold wreaths Of rainbow-light around his head revolve.

Ah! foon at Sorrow's touch the radiant dreams diffolve

1

DOMESTIC

Of the Year 1797.

HE biblical and theological
Department of our annual

bours for the year 1793, commenced with the ift volume of "The Holy Bible, or the Books accounted facred by Jews and Chriftians, &c. faithfully tranflated from corrected Texts of the Original; with various Readings, explanatory Notes, and critical Remarks, by the Rev. Alexander Geddes, LL.D." In the opinion which we then expreffed of the general merits of the new version, our readers may perceive the high eftimation in which it led us to hold the erudition, abilities, and industry of the tranflator; and the ample tribute of gratitude to which we confidered him entitled from the biblical ftudent. The appearance, during the year 1797, of the 2d volume of that work, comprising the books of Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ruth, and the Prayer of Manaffeh, has in no respect tended to leffen Dr. Geddes's claims to commendation, and encouragement. The text, like that of the former volume, contains numerous improvements of the common verfion; and is accompanied with valuable, although brief, notes, and important various readings. In the Preface to the volume, when treating of the generally received opinion refpecting the infpiration of the Hebrew fcriptures, Dr. Geddes

affords ftriking evidence of his líberality, and of the boldnels of fpirit with which he can dare the cenfure and obloquy of bigots of all perfuafions. His obfervations on the difficulties infeparable from the common hypothefis, and on the advantages which would result to the cause of revelation from adopting the doctrine of partial and putative, in preference to that of abfolute and plenary infpiration, are highly important, and deserve the ferious attention of believers and unbelievers. What he fays, indeed, at prefent, is only applicable to the Hebrew writers confidered as hiftorians: his opinion concerning the inspiration of their legiflator and prophets, he referves for his volume of critical remarks. That volume we hope to have it in our power to notice in our next year's Regifter.

During the year 1797, likewife, we have been enabled to renew our acquaintance with another eminent fcholar and critic, whofe labours have defervedly claffed him among our most valuable fcripture commentators. Dr. Blayney, regius profeffor of Hebrew, and canon of Chrift-Church, Oxford, has prefented the public with " Zechariah; a new Tranflation: with Notes, critical, philological, and explanatory, &c." In his preliminary difcourfe our author, with fingu

lar

the latter chapters in particular, rifing to a degree of elevation and grandeur, fcarcely inferior to the fublimeft of the infpired writings." The notes which accompany this verfion are copious and valuable. In an Appendix our author completely refutes the fenfe given by Dr. Eveleigh to fome paffages in Zechariah, which, in oppofition to the primate of Ireland's explanation of them in his tranflation of the minor prophets, he wishes to adduce in fupport of the doctrine of the trinity and to the whole he has added a new edition, with important alterations, of his verfion of Daniel's celebrated prophecy of feventy weeks.

lar modefty, apologises for attempting the illuftration of this part of holy writ, after archbishop Newcome's learned comments, whofe candour and humility urged him ftrongly to recommend the publication of a work which, if it fhould tend to "clear up one difficult paffage, would more than compenfate to him for the detection of a hundred mistakes." Dr. Blayney afterwards gives fuch a view of the fituation and circumftances of Zechariah, as is well calculated to throw light on his fentiments, and to remove a confiderable part of the difficulties which have been charged upon his writings. When acknowledging the affiftance which he has received from different authors, he ably vindicates the valuable collations of the various readings of the Hebrew writings made by Dr. Kennicot and others, against the illiberal and contemptuous mention of them in the difcourfe by way of general preface to the 4to. edition of Warburton's works; and he unanfwerably explodes the abfurd and unaccountable idea of the perfect integrity of the text, to which fome injudicious friends of revelation are willing to look as the ground of fcriptural authority. Dr. Blayney in his verfion divides the poetical parts from the profe, after the examples of Lowth and Newcome, and his own practice in his tranfla-prove, that " The Sacred Writings tion of Jeremiah; and, in our opinion, has happily fucceeded in conveying the fenfe and beauties of a compofition of which the diction is remarkably pure, the conftruction natural and perfpicuous, and the ftyle judiciously varied according to the nature of the fubjects; fimple and plain in the narrative and hiftorical parts; but in thofe that are wholly prophetical,

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"Jonah, a faithful Translation from the Original, &c. by George Benjoin, of Jefus College, Canbridge," is the production of an author; whofe chief qualifications for the undertaking appear to have been his proficiency in rabinnical lore, and a veneration, not much unlike fuperftitition, for the conceits and extravagancies of Jewifh tradition. Hence, Kennicott, Lowth, Blayney, and others, whofe merit as tranflators is to be appreciated on very different grounds, are, as might be expected, the objects of his repeated cenfure; and that not always the moft modeft and unaffuming. In his prolegomena Mr. Benjoin undertakes to

of the Old Teftament have not fuffered either any corruption or al teration whatever fince the time of Ezra:" but his authorities will have little weight out of the fynagogue. He is also a zealous advocate for the maforetic points, by which he confiders the found and meaning of each word to be so exactly marked, that any scholar may now read and fpeak with the fame

found

66

found with which Mofes read and spake. What he had faid on this fubject, however, has by no means accomplished the removal of the numerous difficulties involved in that hypothefis. To this fucceeds a copious defcription of fuch Hebrew manufcripts as were written according to the rules of Ezra: rules which Jewish writers have been pleased to afcribe to him, but which are often too futile, and fometimes too abfurd to have been dictated by fuch a of the law of the God of heaven." ready fcribe After a differtation on the book of Jonah, which follows, comprifing a defign for a tranflation to which tranflators fhould adhere, and anfwers to fome queftions and objections that have been stated concerning that book, the reader is prefented, in one view, with Mr. Benjoin's new tranflation, the old verfion, and the arrangement and literal fenfe of the Hebrew words. The rest of the volume confifts of notes, accounting for every rendering in the tranflation that differs from the old verfion; of the verbs occurring in the book of Jonah, in their original formation, with an explanation of their roots; and of a chronological abftract of the Jewith hiftory. Of Mr. Benjoin's tranflation it is but juftice to fay, that in fome inftances it is more faithful to the fenfe and fpirit of the original, than the common verfion; but, on the whole, we conceive that few competent judges will give it the preference. For the frequent inaccuracies which occur in point of ftyle and language, the candid reader will be led to make many allowances from the confideration that the tranflator is not a native of this country.

The "Differtation on the Vifion contained in the fecond Chap

[203]

ter of Zechariah, by Thomas Wintle, B. D." is the production of a gentleman of confiderable learning and critical skill, of which he has given abundant evidence in his verfion of Daniel, and in his fermons preached at the Bampton lecture. But in the work before us, he has not been fo fuccefsful in the application of his talents as he proving of the fenfe given to the was in thofe publications. Difaplanguage of the vifion by Drs. gining that it contains a prediction Newcome and Blayney, and imaof Chrift, the eternal Logos and incarnate Son of God, Mr. Wintle has given a new verfion of the 4th deavoured to fupport his rendering and nine following verfes, and enof the paffages which he confiders to be favourable to his hypothefis, by fimilar ones in the book of Pfalms, and the prophet Haggai. We have not, however, been able to difcover his fuperiority in point of accuracy, or perfpicuity to the archbishop and regius profeffor, or the conclufivenefs of his reafoning in confirmation of his fenfe of the prophetic idiom. And although we readily fubfcribe to what he fays refpecting the illuftrious feries of extraordinary contingencies from the beginning of time to the full eftablishment of Chriftianity, fore"new light is continually breaktold in the facred records, that ing in upon us, not only in a clearthe predictions, but alfo in a grower difcernment of the meaning of ing difplay of the fcenes of their accomplishment," we cannot promife the biblical fcholar much illumination from this production of our author. From the lift of Mr. Wintle's publications at the end of the author of the mafterly" Let. this differtation it appears, that he is ter to the Lord Bishop of Wor

cefter,

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