tions, do the mouths and the breasts, from which they are thus forcibly and tyrannically extracted, contract-if when free, they do but purge themselves of it (for thus much has been proved)-any such taint as that of sin or moral blame.

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Deny not to your children the proffered instruction : deny it not to them; even though these are the terms, on which it is proffered. Poisonous, it is true, is the drug which has been purposely mixed up with it but to extract the poison, and leave the instruction pure, depends upon yourselves.

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'Day by day as the course of instruction proceeds: as the ene mies of morality and religion proceed in administering the pestiferous compound, let a salutary counter-instruction be given to them.

"From first to last, in speaking to your children, concerning the instruction thus administered to them, let your discourse be to some such effect as this. The arts themselves, which you are learning (of reading and writing, are in themselves pure; and they are useful beyond all price. Among the notions which they are employed to infuse into your minds (and but for which, they never would have been thus taught), are many, which you will see in proportion as you see any thing in them, teem with immorality added to absurdity, in a variety of shapes. As the stock of your knowledge, and the strength of your judgment, receive their increase, judge, and let the judgment be your own, whether among the assertions of which these men force you to declare your belief, there be not in more or less abundance, such as are false; among the opinions, such as are absurd; among the precepts, such as in proportion to the obedience paid to them, would be productive, not of good but of mischief.

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Whatever then under the name of a Catechism they give you to say, say it; since it must be. If amongst the words thus forced into your mouths, the words I believe should meet your eyes or ears, say believe. accordingly. To the words with which they are accompanied, be they what they may, add since there is no remedy '-these inevitable words, as under the like pressure you would add them to a his tory of the Arabian genii, or of the Grecian gods. After this warning, it will not be matter of much difficulty to you to observe how different the sense of these much abused words is, when thus applied, compared with what it is, when employed in saying, I believe sugar is sweet, or vinegar sour: I believe my father or my mother loves me. And above all; think not that because under this compulsion, you are justified in saying I believe, where you do not believe; you would be justified in the utterance of any such untruth, where you are free.

"As to your master, by whose hands this compound of lies and nonsense is thus forced into your mouth, be sorry for him as you are for yourself. He like you is under a force.-In those by whom this force is put upon him,-in those high-seated, and irresistible enemies of virtue, happiness, and of whatsoever in religion there is that is true -in those men, be they who they may; behold his as well as your enemies-his as well as your oppressors.

'Take then in these arts, the arms which, in the hope of seeing you employ them in conjunction with these your oppressors, against

the cause of virtue, happiness, and true religion, will be put into your hands. Take them; but with a determination of employing them; on every favourable opportunity, and to the utmost of your power; not to any such wicked purpose as that for which they were given to you; but for the generous and virtuous purpose of rescuing your fellow countrymen from the chains, to which you are thus forced to submit your infant hands-to rescue them and yourselves, from the shame and thraldom, by which you and they are thus oppressed. Serve them— yes, since thus to serve them you will be compelled. Serve them? Yes-but how?-Even as Baal, as you have heard, or anon will hear, was served by Jehu." (P. 386–390.)

With this we conclude our extracts. If more be wanting to complete the picture of our pretended reformers, we refer to the pages before us. We think our author's facts irresistible, especially with respect to political reformers. We are grieved to find from his pages that several very obnoxious works also of a theological as well as political kind, written during the rebellion and usurpation, have been republished. This is certainly an ominous feature; but we still believe that it is in very few instances indeed that religious pretexts have been made an instrument in the proceedings which we have so deeply to lament. It would be quite absurd to suppose that the theological suggestions of such men as Bentham are listened to, or even known, by the, religious poor.

ART. VI.-Athena Oxonienses: an exact History of all the Writers and Bishops who have had their Education in the University of Oxford: to which are added, the Fasti, or Annals of the said University, by Anthony à Wood, M. A. of Merton College: a new Edition, with Additions, and a Continuation, by Philip Bliss, Fellow of St. John's College. In Four Volumes, 4to. London. Vol. I. pp. 788. 1813. Vol. II pp. 912; and Fasti, pp. 520. 1815. Vol. III. pp. 1290. 1817. Vol. IV. pp. 1082; and Fasti, pp. 502. 1819.

WOOD'S Athenæ Oxonienses, embracing an account of the most eminent persons who, in the course of the long period of two hundred years, have adorned the annals of the most famous University in the world, is a book of such general importance to men of letters, of so great value to historians and biographers, and so interesting to those who have been, or shall hereafter become connected with that illustrious academy, or enrolled among her sons, that the completion of an improved and corrected edition of this elaborate work may be regarded as an important event in the records of British literature.

To endeavour to recall to our contemplation the virtues of distinguished men, who deserved to be remembered with esteem and gratitude; to hand down to posterity a faithful picture of the scenes in which they were engaged; and to preserve to future generations an account of genius, talents, and learning, industriously and sedulously employed for the improvement and benefit of society, would justly entitle any writer to candid and respectful attention: and the manner in which Mr. Bliss has executed his arduous task can scarcely fail to secure the bation of his contemporaries.

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The first edition of the Athenæ in two volumes (as Mr. Bliss observes in his preface,)" appeared in the years 1691 and 1692,” and "although not printed under the immediate superintendance of the author, may be considered as entirely proceeding from him." It was the intention of Wood to have added a third volume, "containing the lives of writers before accidentally omitted, and of such others as had died after the completion of his work;" but he did not live to accomplish that design, and in his last hours, being "advised by Dr. Charlett," (Master of University College, his old and very familiar acquaintance,) "to entrust the care of his papers, relative to the Athenæ, to Mr. Thomas Tanner of All-Soul's-College (afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph,) he consented, and his numerous MS. collections were, immediately after his death, delivered to Mr. Tanner for the purpose of publication."

"There can be little doubt but that Wood intended that all his papers should see the light, without any reserve, and indeed he appears to have been particularly solicitous on this point," and "when Tanner was recommended to him, he cried out with much vehemence, "Hath he courage? Will he be honest?" repeating "these words several times with great energy."

"For what reason Tanner neglected to execute his trust, and publish the contents of Wood's papers, it would now be useless to inquire; but it may safely be conjectured that he found too many unfavourable characters of persons then living, or but recently-dead, to render such a measure either agreeable. or prudent: add to which," says Mr. Bliss," he soon after meditated a literary undertaking, in the execution of which Wood's labours proved of essential service; this was his Bibliotheca Britannico Hibernica, of which every page owes infinite obligations to the Athenæ, and in which several lives are acknowledged to be derived from the third volume, then in MS."

These remarks might seem to reflect, in some degree, upon the conduct of Tanner, especially, as it is added, "it is probable that Wood's additional papers would never have appeared before the public, had not Tonson, the bookseller, meditated a

new edition of the whole work," and having first "purchased the copyright of Wood's Executrix, then applied through Laurance Echard to Doctor Tanner, for the materials comprising the third volume," which," after some debate relative to the price, Tanner consented to give up." But however generous was the evident design of Mr. Bliss throughout the whole of these volumes, to rescue the memory of Wood from undeserved censure, and to place his character and writings in their true and proper light before the public, in equal justice to the reputation of Tanner it should be noticed, that in the account of the death of Wood, contained in a letter from Dr. Charlett to Archbishop Tennison, [inserted in the first vol. p. cxxiv.] it is expressly stated that, "the continuation of his Athenæ Oxonienses in two volumes, which he had carried on to the 19th of October dast," (1695,) "he gave the day before he died with great ceremony to Mr. Tanner, for his sole use, without any restrictions." And although it might "be wished, that Dr. Tanner had deposited the originals in the Bodleian Library," in order that they might have afforded the means of judging "with what degree of fidelity he executed his trust;" it must be admitted, that there was, at least, an appearance of fairness in the Bookseller's address to the Reader, prefixed to the second edition, in 1721, which concludes with the following paragraph

"Some thousands of additions and amendments are intermixed, which the author had with his own hand inserted in one of the copies of the former edition, now reposited in the Museum Ashmoleanum at Oxford besides, there are above five hundred new lives and accounts of Oxford writers and bishops added to this edition, being such as Mr. Wood had in the few last years of his life discovered to have been Oxford men, or such as had died after 1690, or were alive at the time of his own death, which happened on Nov. 29, A. D. 1695. All which new lives were communicated to us by the person to whom Mr. Wood bequeathed the original copy upon his death-bed; which is still preserved under his own hand, and may be seen at Mr. Knaplock's shop by any gentleman who has the curiosity to satisfy himself how faithfully, and with what due regard to the memory of the author, and other persons therein mentioned, the same is now published."

That several passages were omitted and others softened," may be defended by Wood's having on his death-bed “given great charge to burn any loose reflecting notes," (Charlett's Letter) and by his-conjuring those who attended upon him, in his last moments, 66 to look over all his MSS. before they were exposed to the public view, to see that there were no loose foolish papers in them that might injure his memory." (Tanner's Letter to Dr. Charlett, at the end of the Life of Ant. à Wood, vol. i. p. cxxiii.) But those circumstances could neither justify "un

necessary alterations or omissions," nor vindicate Tanner from the imputation cast upon him by one so "competent to judge of the merits or defects" of the second Edition, as "Hearne, whose veracity, notwithstanding his prejudices, may always be relied upon;" but "who speaks with great asperity of the partiality shown by Dr. Tanner, or his advisers, throughout the publication." (Preface, p. 11.)

Wood appears to have been of a temper captious and irritable, often disposed to speak very incautiously, and with considerable harshness, of persons who had at any time offended him, or of whom he entertained an unfavourable opinion. Upon these occasions his language was frequently so highly indecorous, that, even making all possible allowance for the state of the English tongue in the age in which he wrote his book, it would have been more creditable to the taste of his several editors, we do not except even the last, had they suppressed some passages.

Of the plan of the present work Mr. Bliss gives the following

account:

"The text is printed from the edition of 1721; but such omissions or alterations as were made from the first edition are inserted in the margin, so that both readings may be referred to at the same time. The additions to the second edition are distinguished by inverted commas, and those passages which are entirely new, both in the text and notes, as well as some few additional lives, are enclosed between brackets."

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"In most instances, where a poet's life has been recorded, a specimen from some one of his productions is added; an insertion which, whilst it occupies but a small space in the work, will, it is hoped, be acceptable to the admirers of our early literature."

This information is followed by a series of very handsome acknowledgments to numerous friends and contributors to the undertaking, and an explanation of the various sources whence Mr. Bliss has derived the principal part of the additions, both to the text and the notes; and the Preface concludes with an expression of anxiety respecting the reception of his work, and the hope that his readers will give him credit for a desire to be accurate in his statements.

The life of Wood is prefixed to the first volume, and embraces the original account published by Hearne from the MSS. in the hands of Dr. Tanner, the "additional minutes or memoirs, which commence with 1673," from Dr. Richard Rawlinson's papers in the Bodleian Library, transcribed from Wood's Pocket Almanack, "first published under the care of Mr. Thomas Warton and Mr. W. Huddesford," and some further account of the particulars of Wood's death in an original letter of Tanner, inserted by Mr. Bliss, with a few notes, amongst