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An ITALIAN SONG.

From an ODE to SUPERSTITION, &c.]

EAR is my little native vale,

The ring-dove builds and warbles there;
Close by my cot fhe tells her tale
To ev'ry paffing villager.

The fquirrel leaps from tree to tree,
And fhells his nuts at liberty.

In orange groves and myrtle bowers,
That breathe a gale of fragrance round,
I charm the fairy-footed hours
With my lov'd lute's romantic found;
Or crowns of living laurel weave,
For thofe that win the race at eve.
The fhepherd's horn at break of day,
The ballet danc'd in twilight glade,
The canzonet and roundelay
Sung in the filent green-wood shade;
Thefe fimple joys, that never fail,
Shall bind me to my native vale.

DOMESTIC

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DOMESTIC LITERATURE

Of the Year 1786.

THE

HE year 1786 hath not been remarkable, either for the number or value of its theological productions. We meet with a few, however, which my afford us defirable aid in our critical enquiries; or which claim our notice from the pious and benevolent intentions with which they were published, and the refpectable characters of their authors In this number we find "he Holy Bible; containing the Books of the Old and New Teftaments, carefully printed from the first Edition, (compared with others) of the prefent Tranflation: with Notes, by the right reverend father in God, Thomas Wilfon, D. D. lord Bishop of Sodor and Man; and various renderings, collected from other Tranflations, by the reverend Clement Crutwell, the Editor," three volumes quarto. The character of the venerable prelate is easily discovered in the manner and fpirit with which this work is executed. He was diftinguished, during a very long life, by the excellence of his heart, and his endeavours to be useful to mankind, more than by the fplendor of genius, or profound literary acquire

ments.

That reader, therefore, will be disappointed, who expects to meet in these volumes with much critical information, or new and ingenious expofitions of difficult paffages of fcripture. The good 1786.

bishop's notes were chiefly intended by him for the familiar explana tion, or practical improvement of the facred writings, while he read them daily in his family; and, for that purpose, they were written by him in the margin of his Bible, as they were at different times fuggefted by his own mind, or collected from the writings of others. It will not then excite any furprize, that fometimes they fhould appear rather fanciful and i congruous; and defective in that degree of reafoning and evidence, by which we wish all interpretations of fcripture to be attended. Nor can we avoid lamenting, notwithstanding all our prejudices in favour of the bishop, that any fentences fhould be found in his remains, which the candid and liberal fpirit of an improving age must condemn. Mr. Crutwell, to whom the revifion and publication of this work was entrusted by the late Dr. Thomas Wilfon, the fon of the bishop, hath greatly increafed its value, by inferting in the margin, various renderings of particular paffages, drawn from a great number of tranflations and verfions of the Bible. These renderings, together with the biographical sketches of feveral of our tranflators and commentators, which are given us in the preface, do honour to the industry and good fenfe of the editor, and will render P

this

this part of the work not unacceptable to the biblical fcholar and critic.

Dr. Hodgfon, principal of Hertford College, Oxford, hath acquired deserved praife, by his endeavour to illuftrate the meaning and beauty of "Solomon's Song," which he hath "tranflated from the He brew." Our author defignedly avoids all difquifition refpecting the fuppofed myftical fenfe of this antient poem. His object is, to give fuch an exact and literal tranflation of it, illuftrated by parallel pff ages from antient authors, as fhall render the allegories with which it ahounds, clear and intelligible; while, at the fame time, it preferves the distinguithing brilliancy of eastern imagery and compofition. This talk he appears to have executed with confiderable fuccefs. His Verfion is rendered with judgment and fidelity; and, in many places in which it differs from our common tranflation, very happily elucidates the fenfe and clegant fimplicity of the original. The critical notes, likewife, by which Dr. Hodgdon juftifies his variations and amendments, carry with them equal marks of his ingenuity, and acquaintance with oriental litera

ture.

The "Profpeus of a new Tranflation of the Holy Bible, from corrected Texts of the Originals, compared with the ancient Veifions: with various Readings, explanatory Notes, and critical Obfervations, by the rev. A. Geddes, LL. D." is a publication which hath very much engaged the attention, and raifed the expectation of the learned. And the liberal candid fpirit with which it is written, together with the fazisfactory teflimonies which it affords to the extenfive abilities of the author, entitle it to general approS

bation and encouragement. This work confifts of an account of the flate of the original text; of the various editions of the Bible in different languages, with their different characters, and of the method which he intends to follow in his own edition. This account is, in general fo perfpicuous and impar tial; and the principles on which he propofes to proceed, are fo fair and reafonable, that we fincerely with him fuccefs in his very laborious and very important undertak ing. Dr. Geddes, if we mistake not, is of the communion of the church of Rome. We rejoice to find, that all denominations of Chriftians feem willing to concur in clearing the facred text from thofe corruptions and abfurdities, which the negligence or ignorance of tranfcribers had gradually introduced. It is an omen favourable to the general diffufion of knowledge and truth. We are happy, likewife, in reflecting, that the fpirit of the times is, at length, become so tolerant, that the attempt of our author will not excite an il'iberal jealoufy in the most confirmed protexant: that the character under which he defcribes a faithful tranfator, is no longer confidered as to be appropriated to any one of the various fects which prevail among Chriflians; but, that in all of them the man may be found, who fhall be unwedded to any fyftem; and forgeting that he belongs to any fociety of Chriflians, be extremely jealous of his most rational prepoffeffions; keep all theological confequences as far out of his fight as poffible, and investigate the meaning of his original by the rules only of a found and fober criticism."

To the list of writers who have come forward as advocates for re

vealed

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vealed religion, the prefent year has added the name of Dr. Beatie. His "Evidences of the Chriftion Religion, briefly and plainly stated, in two vols." feem to have been in tended by him, chiefly, for the ufe of perfons who have little leifure for enquiry; or who, from the indolence of their difpofition, would fooner become infidels, than undergo the fatigue of laborious difcuffion. We could have withed however, that the refpectable ta lents of our author had not been confined to the production of loofe and almost independent effays on a fubject to which he could have done fuch ample justice. This method of detailing the arguments in favour of our holy religion, though it may adapt them to particular defcriptions of readers, yet it weakens their strength and energy, and leffens the power with which, in their regular connected form, they force conviction on the mind. We muft, nevertheless, do our author the juf tice to acknowledge, that as far his method would admit of it, he hath ftated several of the evidences of the christian religion with novelty and addrefs. such inaccuracies and mistakes as a careful revifion will eafily point out, will, doubtlefs, meet with his correction in future editions; and the work become, what Dr. Beatie wifhes it to be, "ufeful to youth at their first entrance into the world."

Dr. Priestley, who is indefatigably zealous in the purfuit of whatever he deems to be truth, and who has a gauntlet for every opponent, hath, in his "Letters to the Jews," called out new combatants into the field of controverty. The fingular oppref fions by which that ancient people have been marked, and their difperfion over almost every part of the globe, he attributes to their re

jection of Jefus as the Meffiah; he, therefore, wifles them to enter on amicable difcuffion of their objec tions against Christianity, and of the evidences by which it is fupported. We cannot fufficiently praife the admirable temper which appears in thefe letters. It is mild and affectionate; and well calculated to call forth a fpirit of cool and deliberate investigation. We need not fay that, in the hands of fo able a difputant, the arguments in favour of our author's fide of the question, lofe nothing of their weight and force. Thofe, however, who differ from Dr. Priestley in his views of chriftian doctrine, will not thank him for relinquithing at the beginning of the controverfy, the fuppofed fuperiority of Jefus to human beings, and the doctrine of his miraculous conception. And there are others who will think, that the profpect with which he flatters the Jews, of a fplendi temporal kingdom, under a prince of the house of David, is rather the creature of a luxuriant fancy, than drawn from any of the repre fentations or prophecies of the facred writings. But independently of the peculiar opinions of our author, we rejoice that by the prefent publication, the attention of the ingenious and learned among the Jews, is likely to be directed to an enquiry into the fcriptural character of the Meffiah, and the claims of Jefus Christ. And we hope to find their writings on this fubiect, dictated by the fame liberal candid fpirit which thefe letters dif cover.

To the unwearied zeal which gave rife to the laft article, are we to afcribe the fame author's "Hif tory of Early Opinions concerning Jefus Chrift, compiled from origi nal Writers; proving that the Chrif

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tian

tian church was at first Unitarian;
in four vols. 8vo." These volumes
contain an enlarged and very am-
ple difcuffion of a fubject, to which
Dr. Priestley had before called the
attention of the public in his Hif
tory of the Corruptions of Chrif
tianity. The firit part of the pre-
fent work contains the hiftory of
opinions which preceded the doc-
trine of the divinity of Chrift, and
prepared the way for it. Under
this divifion, a particular account is
given of the principals of the Gnof-
tics, which they borrowed from the
eastern philofophy, and of the Pla.
tonic Chriftians; to the mixture of
whofe fyllems, our author, in his
fecond part, attributes the doctrines
of the pre-existence of Chrift, and
of the equality of the three per-
fons of the Trinity. The third
part confifts of an hiftory of the
Unitarian doctrine, which is traced,
on the authority of the facred books,
from Mofes to Jefus Chrift and his
apostles and after their times, from
the earliest remains which we have
of the first chriftians, and the fub-
jects which were chiefly controvert-
ed by the different fects of whom
we have any certain information.
To this hiftory is added an account
of the rife of Arianiim, and of the
other opinions which bear any re-
lation to the Trinitarian and Unita-
rian controverfies; of the remains
of the eastern and Platonic philo-
fophy in the creeds of the modern
Christian fects; and of the prefent
ftate of the controverfy refpecting
the perfon of Chrift. We may he-
fitate at embracing the opinions of
Dr. Priefley; and even doubt of
the real importance of thefe hif.
torical enquiries to the establish-
ment of that hypothefis for which
he contends. But we cannot doubt
of the goodness of his motives; of
the fairness with which he hath re-

prefented the paffages which he hath adduced from antient writers; or with-hold our praise from him on account of the great labour and attention which he hath be owed on the prefent publication. Neither can we do lefs at the fame time, than admire the boldness with which he courts and provokes oppofition, and offers what he hath written to the most rigorous examination; declaring his readiness to anfwer at the bar of the public, any important queftions upon the fubject, when properly put to him. It would feem to arife from a perfect conviction that, although in fome trifling inftances he may have been inadvertent, or mistaken, his leading pofition cannot be invalidated by his most learned and ingenious adverfaries.

We were mistaken, when we gave it as our opinion in a former Regifter, that the contest between Dr. Horfley and Dr. Priestley was, probably, at an end. The former gentleman hath again entered the lits, by "Remarks upon Dr. Priestley's fecond Letters to the Archdeacon of St. Alban's, with Proofs of certain Facts afferted by the Archdeacon." He takes care, however, to excufe his long filence by declaring, that he confidered Dr. Priestley as an "indifferent antagonist," whofe "book abounds with new fpecimens of confident ignorance;" and of his "incompetency to write on the subject;" and his fatisfaction that he was at liberty to indulge his indolence, without feeming to defert his caufe;" and that his fole reafon for now troubling the public, is to establish fome facts, which had been too peremptorily denied, and to vindicate his character from af perfions which had been too inconfiderately thrown out. The facts

which

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