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may be considered cardinal and essential in the confession of their common faith. Hence the necessity for fixed Formularies: the Creed of the Apostles was not a more seasonable exposition of Christian sentiment in their age, than the Articles of our Church are useful in our own."

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He proceeds accordingly to defend the Eighteenth Article, which declares that they also are to be had accursed, that presume to say that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law and the light of Nature; for Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.'" On this he remarks, that, if we have heard, in some lone hour of conviction or desertion, the avenger of blood thundering in our ear, The soul that sinneth, it shall die!' 'tis not every tent or tabernacle, with the representative of this or that religious denomination at the door, like Jael, saying, Turn in, my lord, turn in hither,' will keep us back from the City of Refuge! 'tis not Paul, nor Apollos, nor Rome, nor Wittemburgh, that commends itself to man's esteem, when he comes to die! An act of Faith on the Son of God is imperative! the line of approach to a crucified Saviour must be direct, without toll or tribute! and woe to the wayfaring man, listening to any refinement upon the old and everlasting directoryBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.'"

The argument is ably maintained, corroborated by authorities, and eloquently applied.

Sabbath Evening Readings. Second Series. By the Rev. DENIS KELLY, A.M., &c., Minister of Trinity Church, St. Bride's, London. London: Edwards and Hughes. 1843.

Of all the purposes to which talent may be applied, none can aim at higher or more important ends than those intended for the use and benefit of the family circle. Works of this kind have a two-fold advantage: they lead the mind into safe and quiet paths, among the arid sands of humanity, by the healthful rivers of waters;" while they cultivate a taste for the innocent enjoyments of home. Providing the means for serious study, they lead to meditation and prayer, and confirm the habit of "keeping holy the Sabbath-day." Our English Sabbaths are as pearls in the National Diadem; they must, however, be preserved and purified by individual care. It is by a combination of many that the whole exist, by the planting of the seed that the harvest is expected and the granary filled; for each grain has its appointed task, and, as it is individually nourished or neglected, so does it add to or diminish the value of the accumulated mass. The Sabbath was given to man, as a day of rest from the toils of life, to be kept holy unto the Lord. Christianity has made it precious to us. By the first dispensation we received it as a command-by the last we prize it as a privilege. To impress this upon the minds of our youth-to draw them from the attractions of the outer world to the world of responsibility within-to lead them in those hours of rest through the paths of peace to righteousness of life, is surely a faithful act of the professing Christian. For this service the volume before us seems specially qualified, not by insisting upon soulless ceremonies or the mummeries of outward show upon pharasaical fastings before men, and praying in the corners of the streets, but by urging, in the retirement of the closet, a faithful exercise of self-enquiry, to probe the workings of the human heart, to analyse the thoughts, to purify the affection, to measure the motives, to weigh the words, and to question the actions; by showing to all, that the way which leadeth to eternal life must be through the portals of individual examination and of individual effort; and that to attain this self-government, so essential to their well-being, they must seek for that hidden spring which can alone open the everlasting gates. Faith," which overcometh all things, must be sustained by that "Hope" which earth cannot circumscribe, and possessed of that universal "Charity" which covereth a multitude of sins. With Christ as their model, the Word of God as their one lesson, Earth will be freed from its clouds, and the grave shorn of its terrors; as lights will they shine before men, and by their good works make men to glorify the Father in Heaven.

This little work is full of piety, inculcating important truths, chastened with Christian gentleness, which in this dogmatic day is refreshing, and welcome as a vibration of those divine tones which proclaimed peace on earth and good-will towards man. It is divided into chapters or readings for every Sunday in the year, each closed by poetical extracts, chiefly from the writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. We subjoin the following, on the diffusive character of Christianity, as a specimen of Mr. Kelly's style and spirit.

"One of the most beautiful features about Christianity is that it allows no such thing as selfish happiness. The spirit of the world is to monopolise happiness, to concentrate and reduce it within the limits of a man's own little circle; but Christianity knows no such thing as this monopolised happiness. In proportion as the true Christian is happy, in the same degree does he labour to diffuse his happiness. His happiness he cannot keep to himself: the very essence of his enjoyment consists in diffusing it around him. Here the Christian's course must be beneficent; it is so ordered by Providence. He must be a blessing to others. By his example, conversation, instructions, he spreads blessings around him; comforting the mourning, binding up the broken-hearted, visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction." Yes, the visit of the good man to the house of sickness is like the breaking in of light upon the chamber buried in darkness. The conversation of the holy man is often blest with the enlightening and comforting of the soul of the mourner. The example of the good man serves as a light to guide the steps of others. The path of the just is like the shining light."" In bearing our willing testimony to the excellence of this little volume, we confess we should have been better pleased with it, had the Services and Sacraments of our Church found a more earnest advocacy in its pages.

Village Discourses, Doctrinal, Practical, and Experimental; including, among the Rest, Lectures upon some Points of Christian Verity controverted by Unitarians; and a Sermon on Behalf of the Moravian Church and Missions. By the Rev. F. O. SMITH, B. A., Curate of Fleet, Lincolnshire; late of Christ's College, Cambridge. Holbeach: Hewitt. 1843.

Corrective Remarks upon a Pamphlet, entitled " Animadversions on the Rev. F. O Smith's Sermon on the Trinity." By the Author of the same Sermon. Holbeach: Hewitt. 1843.

This eloquent divine has had to defend his Discourses against the attacks of the two extremes of Unitarianism and Puseyism. That he has such opponents is his great praise. We have read his sermons with much delight: though originally written with a controversial object, they are free from the merely controversial spirit; they are eminently practical, admonitory, and scriptural.

Chanting Simplified; in an Arrangement of the Canticles, &c., of the Church. London: George Bell.

1843.

The design of this little book, as the author tells us, is to facilitate the observance of the old CHURCH practice of chanting certain portions of Divine Service, which, to a certain point, its execution seems well calculated to effect. We entertain little sympathy, however, with the tinge of Romish colouring which is visible throughout.

The Pilgrim's Staff and Christian's Daily Walk. Second Series. By HENRY SMITH, King's College, London. London: Houlston. 1844.

This new series of Mr. Smith's well-known work is, to our taste, even preferable to the first, inasmuch as the notes and meditations which he has appended, to illustrate the texts and collects he has brought together, are of a more practical nature. That the volume is dedicated to that excellent prelate, the Bishop of Winchester, is of itself a guarantee of its scriptural character. The compiler, in selecting his passages, has not

confined himself to the divines of any particular age; and the readers, who only know of the "Fathers" from the report of others, will be pleased to find that most of them have advocated the sufficiency of Holy Scripture as a rule of faith, with as much zeal as any modern Protestant writer could have done. We can most conscientiously recommend the book to every pious Christian.

III. GENERAL LITERATURE.

Ηφαιστίωνος Εγχειρίδιον. The Encheridion of Hephaestion concerning Metres and Poems, translated into English, and illustrated with Notes and a Rhythmical Notation, with Prolegomena on Rhythm and Accents. By THOMAS FORSTER BARHAM, M.A. University Press, Cambridge: Deighton. London: Parker. 8vo. 1843.

HEPHŒESTION was, as our readers are probably aware, a scholar of Alexandria, who flourished in the second century, and his book has ever been considered the completest and most authoritative treatise extant on the subject of Greek prosody and versification. This work is dedicated to the very Rev. Thomas Gaisford, the editor of a former edition of Hephaestion, of first-rate excellence, as well as many other Greek authors. The present editor has advanced some very original and striking views on the laws of Greek poetry; and his investigations on this interesting yet intricate subject, are particularly elaborate. We can at present only give the outline of his theory. so far as we understand it, commending a reference to the work itself to the critical student. A large portion of Dr. Barham's introduction is devoted to the examination of Greek rhythm. He seems to suppose that rhythm is the presiding law of Greek verse. Rhythm (we conceive) is the law that regulates the times or periods of emphasis, the energetic enunciation of sounds, and the balanced amount of tone or loudness. This law of rhythm is therefore distinct from the law of accent, which regulates the elevation or pitch of tones, and from the law of quantity, which regulates the elongation of tones. In this sense we shall find there is a certain number of rhythmical emphases in every verse at given distances in given positions, constituting the nature of the verse and the mode of its proper utterance; and these overrule and subordinate the properties of accents and quantity. "Rhythm," says the editor," is the musical observance of time-the law that regulates the sonorous movements continually recurring in a set order and time."

“There is,” he adds " a certain rhythmical emphasis, a slight stress, recurring at certain intervals." This emphasis must not be confounded with the acute accent because it sometimes accompanies it. Emphasis," he continues," is an increased loudness or strength of utterance, which tone, being placed on some one syllable in each independent word, indicates its distinctness. He very justly observes, that this emphasis often falls on a different syllable from that on which the acute accent falls, though it is often confounded with the acute accent: the last syllable in the word vinegar, for instance, will have the most elaborated tone, though the first will remain the emphatic syllable and be said to have the acute accent. Still less is rhythm to be confounded with quantity: for the ancients expressly declare that the rhythms did constantly modify and overrule the quantities, making long syllables relatively short, and short ones long. Thus, Longinus says, " Rhythm differs from metre, in that rythm at its pleasure extends the times so as often to make the short time long, whereas metre hath its times fixed, both long and short."

"In our schools, we are taught to read Greek verse, in absolute ignorance of that rhythm, which was its presiding law, with an avowed abandonment and subversion of that accentuation which formed its melody, and a mere pretence of obɛerving that

syllabic quantity in which lay the essence of its metrical character." Dr. Barham defends the system of Greek accents and refutes those who consider them useless; not perceiving their specific and most delicate application to the relative elevation of intonation. He would likewise have us observe the rules of quantity, but so as never to confound them either with those of accent or those of rhythm. He is justly indignant at the blunder of Dr. Burney in this respect, who utters the following absurd proposition: "The rhythm or time of ancient music or melody was entirely regulated by the metrical feet." Dr. Burney himself felt the difficulty of his theory on this subject, and observes, with very good reason, “It is hard to conceive how such a music could be rigorously executed, without throwing both the hearers and performers into convulsions."

The Metropolitan Charities: being an Account of the Charitable, Benevolent, and Religious Societies, Hospitals, Dispensaries, Penitentiaries, Annuity Funds, Asylums, Almshouses, Colleges, and Schools, in London and its Vicinity; containing every Information that may be useful to the Benevolent desirous of assisting, or to the Unfortunate requiring the Assistance of, a Metropolitan Charity. Dedicated, by special permission, to H. R. H. Prince Albert. London: S. Low. 1844. We have given the full title to this excellent manual, as the book only requires to be known to be fully appreciated. We shall recur to it at some future period, when we intend to treat on London destitution. In the mean time, we can assure the readers of our magazine, that it is impossible to find anywhere else so much information on the means of meeting this destitution, as has been collected in this elegant volume.

Results of Reading. By J. STAMFORD CALDWELL, M. A., Barrister-at-Law. London: Murray. 1843.

Results of reading! Are we, like most critics, too lynx-eyed in the detection of imagined discrepancies, or is this title, in truth, misplaced? We are fearful that Mr. Caldwell has not given the "results of reading," but the data from which results may be deduced. Nevertheless, his title is significant. Books are too frequently read, not to excite thought, but to supersede it; not to exercise the judgement, but to overbear it with the weight of authority. In this sense, a collection of the recorded opinions of celebrated authors on particular topics, may be properly enough accepted as the "results of reading." Yet how little do these avail! Unless they provoke us to think out the matter afresh for ourselves, the words of the wisest fall on the mind as rain-drops on the bosom of ocean, which are absorbed, indeed, but leave no trace to tell where they had fallen, and are immediately lost in a world of waters.

Let it not, however, be thought that these remarks are intended to disparage Mr. Caldwell or his work. That were, indeed, a thankless return for the delicious hour which he has enabled us to spend in the company of the great and good. Nor with these alone; for even with the more wayward has he enabled us to converse in their better moments, when they bear unwilling testimony against themselves. Although his book wholly consists of excerpts from various and sometimes opposite authors, Mr. Caldwell has yet contrived so to interlink his extracts, that each division almost reads like a connected essay on the subject assigned. A mosaic, such as that thus presented by Mr. Caldwell's work, offers at least one advantage to the critical student, by placing specimens of different styles of composition in posi tions of vivid contrast. Strange as it may appear, the achievement of a correct style in prose is more difficult than in poetry. In the first place, the structure of verse is mechanical; depending upon rules which are easily learned and easily applied. Failure in their application argues some incurable defect in the capacity of the writer himself, or a most discreditable lack of diligence. But prose can be reduced to no rule. Moreover, the varieties of metre are ascertained; but in prose, though much has been written of different styles, it is impossible to discriminate them with any accuracy. In consideration of his metre, the poet is allowed a boundless license of

thought and of expression; he is excused from observing that severe logical sequence expected of the prose writer; he is allowed to substitute declamation and mere feeling for argument and rigid demonstration; his redundancies and repetitions are mercifully visited; and he may make the forms of grammar submit to his convenience. The harmony of his numbers covers with its kind charity a multitude of sins. Far otherwise, however, is the plight of the prose writer. Prose is utterly incapable of adventitious aids; and any attempt to render such available, results in a rhapsody which only requires measure to be verse. The prose writer possesses no approved mould in which to cast his thoughts, no established arrangement of words and syllables to compel a certain mechanical symmetry. He must rely solely upon his own judgement, his own good taste. If judgement and taste be not his, woe be to him! Must he scribble? Let him read Pope and Mrs. Hemans, and manufacture poems!

The rhythmical movement of prose is more subtle and more difficult to manage than that of poetry. Some may smile to hear that prose is susceptible of rhythm; but, in sooth, it has long ceased to be a paradox. Our translation of the Bible affords many exquisite examples to prove how musical the simplest and most unostentatious prose may be rendered; while, what a libel on the majesty of Isaiah is Pope's Eclogue! All the assertions of critics concerning the beauties of style, and the proper placing of proper words, resolve themselves into this one particular of rhythm; which implies an easy flowing of one member into the other, so that the period leaves the ear perfectly satisfied and at rest; neither longing for any present increase, nor pained at the remembrance of any preceding abruptness. The slightest harshness which impedes or troubles the ear, makes the whole sentence weak and spiritless; but when each syllable is allowed its due weight and sound, gradually and harmoniously leading to the final climax, a grandeur and a sublimity may be attained which would spurn the trammels of verse.

Do we, then, depreciate the noble art of poetry? Nay! But we do, indeed, depreciate the art of the trickster, who, instead of poetry, cheats his admirers with rhyme. A writer in prose seldom passes for more than he is worth. Much ornate and sonorous nonsense is received as fine poetry, merely because it is impossible to extract from it any intelligible meaning; but the most uninstructed reader of prose will not be content unless gratified with a semblance of sense. Mere ornament in prose is very apt to detect the shallowness which it endeavours to conceal, and will never endure a second perusal. In poetry, however, a magnificent show of phrase and alliteration so comfortably solaces the imagination, so completely enchants the attention, that at last 'tis all one whether it have any signification or not.

We think that we discern evidence to justify the suspicion that Mr. Caldwell entertains a partiality for a school of poetry which is rapidly sinking in public estimation. We have already spoken of Pope, perhaps too dispraisingly. Too seldom judged by his own works exclusively, he is made amenable for the inanities of his followers, who copied his manner and spoiled it. Yet to imitate Pope was only to imitate an imitator. He gave the jewels which he borrowed an exquisite setting; improved his stolen gold, divested it of alloy, and displayed all its latent richness: but he had no treasure of his own. His versification is more equal, compact, and regular, than that of Dryden, upon which it is formed; but lacks altogether the native majesty of its prototype. If pungent, it is artificial; if brilliant, it is cold. Pope's effects are premeditated, Dryden's are spontaneous; Pope always writes his best on principle, Dryden is often careless whether he writes his worst. Pope's failures are always disagreeable, because so painfully laboured; Dryden's very faults are often beautiful. Pope's mechanism cramps his verses into a monotonous uniformity; Dryden's looser method, though it occasionally runs wild with license, is favourable to freedom and variety. To write like Dryden, one must be a poet; to write like Pope-what the world has seen! But Pope had genius, his imitators had none; Pope was valuable for something besides his measure, his imitators were conspicuous for nothing else. A stock of glittering commonplaces had accumulated, and was dignified with the name of poetical diction; the rhythmical movement, which in every line was nearly the same, was acquired by rote; the art of poetry