"necessity of begging food and a roof to cover them."* And then, "Who compassionated the unseen prisoner and the weary "exile? Who traced the steps and sufferings of him, who was "chased from the scene of his labours, saw his chapel closed, "his flock scattered, his person reviled, and the sources of his "honest independence dried up? Law pursued him, in the form "of starvation and contempt; marking him as one excluded from "the benefits of civil society; deprived of political rights him"self, and carrying a similar disqualification to others. Even "his meek resignation exposed him to neglect. Had he, like "the Covenanter, taken the field, he would have assumed a more "interesting attitude in the public eye; and his death on the "scaffold would have thrown a deeper odium on our illiberal "government."+

But, to return to the murdered Archbishop. His death was received with a savage yell of exultation, throughout all the regions of remonstrant Presbyterianism, which, at that time, had absorbed into itself some portion of the more moderate and sober class. The deed recalled the glorious names of Phineas, and of Jael, and of Ehud. It held out a noble example, for emulation, to all the true servants of God. The execution of Mitchell was a martyrdom; the assassination of the Arch-priest of Baal, was God's righteous judgment on a malignant and blood-thirsty apostate. All this was very much after the usual fashion of the frantic crusaders of the Covenant. It had long been their habit to fix the caput lupinum upon the shoulders of all, whom they deemed their adversaries: and, considering the willingness and aptitude of their hearers, it really is a matter of some astonishment that these acts of righteous retribution were not more frequently achieved! That Sharp, however, was really such a monster as he has been painted by the coarse artists of the Whiggamore school, is altogether incredible. The surpassing ugliness of their portraiture is, of itself, enough to destroy its pretensions to fidelity. They have represented him, not only as a traitor and a persecutor, but as a wretch, stained with the most abominable crimes,—with infanticide, adultery, and incest. And, in order to deepen the horrors of the picture, they have not scrupled to affirm, that he was in a dark confederacy with the evil potentate! It is seriously related by Wodrow that, on one occasion, the Archbishop despatched his footman to St. Andrew's for a paper; and that, when the man arrived at St. Andrew's, after a hasty journey, to his terror and astonishment, he found his Grace there, quietly sitting at his table, with his black gown and

* History of the Church in Scotland, vol. ii. p. 352.

+ Bishop Russell. History of the Church in Scotland, p. 404.

tippet, and his broad hat, just as he had left him at Edinburgh. Another story is, that one Janet Douglas, when summoned before the Council, on a charge of sorcery, declared that she knew who were witches, but was no witch herself. Being threatened with the plantations, she turned to the Primate, and said, “My lord,-who was with you, in your closet, on Saturday "night last, between twelve and one o'clock?" And, when afterwards privately questioned by Lord Rothes, she declared that his Grace's nocturnal visitor was no other than the muckle black Deevil himself. It was, moreover, asserted that "he bore a charmed life," or, at least, a shot-proof body, upon which leaden bullets could work no further mischief than to leave black or blue marks behind them! And, all this trash is propounded with just as much confidence and gravity, as if it were a narrative of the best authenticated facts! It would be cruel to hang a dog on the sole testimony of such witnesses.

But, there is another witness, whose name and station have enabled him to inflict still more serious and irreparable damage on the memory of Sharp,-that everlasting retailer of scandal, Bishop Burnet; who really seems to have made the Archbishop a scape-goat, that might safely be sent forth into the wilderness of after-ages, laden with the iniquities, and the transgressions, and the sins, of a most execrable government. "Soon after the "Revolution," says Guthrie, "the memory of Sharp became "detestable: and, it was, then, fashionable for the friends of the government to lay on him the blame of many measures, in "which they themselves concurred, or directed. Hence it is, "that the chief charges against Sharp rest upon Bishop Burnet's "private anecdotes, provincial traditions, and inflamed narra"tives; which ought to be adopted with caution. Where such "a man as Lauderdale governed, it is needless, and in vain, to "load any other person with state crimes." What precise portion of the violent measures of that period may justly be attributed to Sharp, is an historical problem, which will never, perhaps, receive a complete solution, until the day when all hidden things shall be revealed.

In the mean time, while so much evil is surmised of the Primate, let all the good that is known or believed of him be spoken. It appears, then, that he was a man of competent learning, of highly respectable abilities, and of considerable address, and aptitude for affairs. We have seen that his acuteness recommended him to Cromwell: and, we find, that his services in bringing about the Restoration were rewarded by the king with a pension of £200 a-year, which he enjoyed until his death. That his personal habits were blameless we shall conti

nue to believe, until we have much better proof to the contrary than the outrageous invectives of his enemies. That his religion was sincere we shall not hold to be doubtful, until the malicious insinuations of Burnet shall be confirmed by other and more trust-worthy evidence. That he was charitable to the poor, seems to be beyond all question. Neither can it be disputed that he was capable of kind and generous offices towards men who were any thing but his well-wishers. By his intercession with the king, he saved the lives of two traitors, Simpson and Gillespie; and he made a similar attempt, though without success, in favour of a third, the notorious Guthrie, author of the treasonable pamphlet entitled, The Causes of God's Wrath, &c. These facts were known to Wodrow; but were scandalously suppressed by him in his calumnious History. His commission was "to aggravate the crimes," and not to blazon the virtues of the loyal clergy. The same very unscrupulous writer has even ventured to cast suspicion on the loyalty of Sharp: for he intimates that in Cromwell's time, he signed what is called the Tender, or instrument of abjuration, by which he renounced his allegiance to King Charles the Second; an overt act of disloyalty which was too much for the most determined even of the Remonstrant faction. On the face of it, however, Wodrow's intimation is, to the last degree, improbable: seeing that what was too hard for the conscience, or the modesty, of a Protestor, would be utterly beyond the digestion of a Resolutioner. Besides, the insinuation is indignantly contradicted by the contemporary biographer of Sharp, the author of the True and Impartial Account.

To conclude, then, on the one hand, albeit we listen with much incredulity to the pleadings of the "devil's advocates," we still have some doubts about the canonization of Archbishop Sharp. We have scarcely enough before us to make good his title to a place among the most single-hearted champions, and blessed martyrs of the Church. But, on the other hand, we vehemently protest against a sentence which should consign him to everlasting infamy, and excommunicate him for ever from the sympathies of mankind.

ART. IV.-A Dictionary of the Anglo-Saxon Language, containing the Accentuation, the Grammatical Inflections, the Irregular Words referred to their Themes, the Parallel Terms from the other Gothic Languages, the Meaning of the AngloSaxon in English and Latin, and copious English and Latin Indexes, serving as a Dictionary of English and Anglo-Saxon, as well as of Latin and Anglo-Saxon: with a Preface on the Origin and Connexion of the Germanic Tongues, a Map of Languages, and the Essentials of Anglo-Saxon Grammar. By the Rev. J. Bosworth, LL. D., Dr. Phil. of Leyden, B. D. of Trin. Coll. Cambridge, F. R. S., F. S. A., &c., &c. One vol. royal 8vo. London. 1838.

In the present day, when the minds of so many are led away by the ignis fatuus of novelty, and when the mere circumstance of any thing having been long held in reverence is sufficient to procure its condemnation, it is gratifying to perceive that a taste for studying the history, language, and literature of the Anglo-Saxons is rapidly increasing. We deem this study to be of great importance, because it leads to a right understanding of much which in our ecclesiastical and civil polity is either unknown or mis

understood.

The Saxon conquest of this country was the most complete it ever sustained, and was followed by consequences of far greater importance than any which have resulted from similar causes. It usually happens that the conquered become the servants of the people who have subdued them, and thus their habits and language become incorporated with those of their masters. But this was not the case when the Saxons, Jutes, and Angles, or as they are commonly denominated Anglo-Saxons, obtained possession of this island: for the Britons, disdaining their yoke, abandoned their homes, taking refuge in Wales and Cornwall, and left their country to the quiet occupation of the invaders. The Saxon tribes being very numerous soon spread exclusively their own language and laws over Britain, and the dynasty which they established was so firm that it continued for about 600 years. Although the Saxon power ceased when William the Norman ascended the throne of these realms, yet the popular customs and language were not at first affected by his conquest; for the language of the Anglo-Saxons, after rejecting or changing many of its inflections, continued to be spoken by the people, until the time of Henry the Third, i. e. for the space of nearly 800 years. Even at the present time our language and our laws display their Saxon origin in almost every part; and thus our Anglo-Saxon ancestors live not merely in our annals and traditions, but also in

our civil institutions and perpetual discourse. The parent tree is indeed greatly amplified by branches engrafted upon it from other regions, and by new shoots which the accidents of time and the improvements of society have produced; it still, however, retains its Saxon properties, although more than thirteen centuries have rolled over with all their tempests and vicissitudes.

As the great body of our population, the substance of our language, and many of our customs are of Saxon origin, there is something truly national, something conducive to real patriotism, in the study of the language and literature of the Anglo-Saxons, and we would willingly exert ourselves to give an additional stimulus to it. It is true that the series of works which have been published in this country during the last fifteen years* is an ample proof that this subject has received considerable attention, but it must be admitted that it deserves still more; for, to use the language of a late Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, (Dr. Ingram,)—

"That no man can shine at the bar, in the senate, or in the pulpit, without a knowledge of Anglo-Saxon literature, it would be ridiculous

As for instance :-The Elements of Anglo-Saxon Grammar, with copious Notes, illustrating the Structure of the Saxon, and the Formation of the English Language. By the Rev. J. Bosworth, M. A., F. S. A., &c. London. 1823.

2. The Saxon Chronicle, with an English Translation and Notes. By the Rev. J. Ingram, B. D., formerly Anglo-Saxon Professor in Oxford. London. 1823.

3. Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry. By J. J. Conybeare, M. A., successively Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Poetry in the University of Oxford. London. 1826. 4. King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon Version of Boethius de consolatione Philosophiæ; with an English Translation and Notes. By J. S. Cardale, Esq. London. 1829.

5. A Grammar of the Anglo-Saxon Tongue, with a Praxis. By Erasmus Rask. Translated from the Danish, by B. Thorpe. Copenhagen. 1830.

6. Menologium, or Poetical Calendar of the Anglo-Saxons; with an English Translation and Notes. By the Rev. Samuel Fox, M. Ă., of Pembroke College, Oxford. London. 1830.

7. Cædmon's Metrical Paraphrase of Parts of the Holy Scriptures, in Anglo-Saxon: with an English Translation and Notes. By Benjamin Thorpe, F. S. A. London. 1832. 8. The Anglo-Saxon Poems of Beowulf, the Traveller's Song, and the Battle of Finnesburh. Edited by John M. Kemble, Esq., M. A., of Trin. Coll. Cambridge. London. 1833.

9. Analecta Anglo-Saxonica. A Selection in Prose and Verse from Anglo-Saxon Authors of Various Ages; with a Glossary. By Benjamin Thorpe, F.S. A., &c. London. 1834.

10. The Anglo-Saxon Version of the Story of Apollonius of Tyre, with a literal Translation. By Benjamin Thorpe, F. S. A., &c. London. 1834.

11. King Alfred's Anglo-Saxon Version of Boethius, with an English Translation and Notes. By the Rev. Samuel Fox, M. A., of Pembroke College, Oxford. London. 1835.

12. Libri Psalmorum versio antiqua Latina, cum paraphrasi Anglo-Saxonica, partim soluta oratione, partim metrice composito. Nunc primum e cod. MS. in Bibl. Regia Parisiensi adservato, descripsit et edidit Benjamin Thorpe, S. A. S., &c. Oxonii. 1835.

13. A Translation of the Anglo-Saxon Poem of Beowulf, with a copious Glossary, Preface, and Philological Notes. By John M. Kemble, Esq., M. A., of Trin. Coll. Cambridge. London. 1837.