Hebrew writers, in which obvious fenfe, I truft, it will be found moft confiftent to conftrue it.'

We fhall only farther obferve that, though the comment on the above chapter correfponds with the fentiments entertained by feveral of the modern Jews, it by no means follows that this is a true explication of the prophecy, which, there are ftrong reasons to believe, requires a very different application.

ART. X. A Liturgy compiled from the Book of Common Prayer reformed, according to the Plan of the late Dr. Samuel Clarke; together with a Collection of Pfalms and Hymns for Public Worship. Small 8vo. 3s. 6d. fewed. Liturgy, pp. 106. Pfalms and Hymns, pp. 213. Printed at Plymouth; and fold by John fon in London. 1791.

THAT

HAT the form of prayer in our public liturgy is generally esteemed a good one, is evident from the pains which various fects have taken to accommodate it to their fentiments, for the purpose of ufing it in public worship. All that is wanted, is a reformed, or rather a fhortened liturgy; for every thing requifite to render it complete, would be accomplished by lopping off redundancies, and by drawing the pen through a few obnoxious phrafes and paffages; and as we fincerely with well to the established church, and are defirous of having every ground and pretext for diffent removed, the adoption of fuch a measure, by our fpiritual rulers, would adminifter to us extreme pleafure. They may perceive, from this publication, that the Unitarians are not averfe from a liturgy, and might, if the public one were a little accommodated to their tafte, be difpofed to acquiefce in our form of church government. How far the prefent ftate of religious controverfy, and the spirit of the times, may fuggeft the prudence and neceffity of fome alterations in the book of Common Prayer, we, with all fubmiffion, refer to the Right Rev. Bench; and fhall proceed to apprize our readers of the fubftance of this new liturgic compilation, which will beft be done in the words of the advertisement prefixed:

The following liturgy is compiled from Mr. Lindfay's Book of Common Prayer reformed, according to the plan of the late Dr. S. Clarke, rector of St. James's, Weftminster. The hymn for celebrating the Divine perfections, in the fecond fervice, is taken from the Liverpool liturgy, The prayer in the third fervice, to be faid by the Minifter and People alternately, (an admirable one, which the Reviewers take this opportunity of recommending to Diffenting Congregations to ufe occafionally, if not conftantly,) was compofed by the late Rev. Mr. Fownes of Shrewsbury. Some few things have also been taken from the Salisbury liturgy, and fome from the forms of Prayer lately printed at Manchefter."

It contains an order for Morning Prayer, and two separate orders for Evening Prayer,- the order for the Adminiftration of the Lord's Supper,-the order for Administration of Infant Baptifm, and another for that of Adults,—the order for the Burial of the Dead,-Morning and Evening Prayers for a Family,-Occafional Prayers,-Occafional Thanksgivings,-and laftly, A collection of Pfalms and Hymns for public worship.

As this liturgy has been compiled for the ufe of Unitarian congregations, it is scarcely neceffary to obferve that no traces of the Trinity, and of atonement, are here to be found. The three Creeds are likewife omitted. In the litany, fudden death is altered to untimely death, (query, would not unprepared have been ftill a better word?) and from the petitions for the King, Queen, and Royal Family, the high titles and appellations are omitted, as is alfo the fellowship of the Holy Ghost (not perhaps with fufficient reafon,) from the concluding benediction. In the Burial Service, while the bitter pains of eternal death are preferved, the fure and certain hope refpecting the interred individual, is changed into a fure and certain hope that there fhall be a resurrection to eternal life of all those who die in the fear and love of God. This (if the words at once implying certainty and hope be not objectionable,) is a judicious alteration. There are others which it is needless to specify; nor shall we lengthen this article any otherwife than by expreffing our approbation of the Family Prayers, and by obferving that the Pfalms and Hymns appear, for the most part, to be taken, and altered, from thofe of Dr. Watts in general ufe among Dif fenters.

* In a note at the bottom of the page, the reafon for this omifGion is given in words taken from the account of K. William's Ecclefiaftical Commiffioners in Calamy's Abridgement of Baxter's Life, P. 454. 2d Edit. We wonder the compiler did not quote Mr. Archdeacon Paley on this occafion, who justly remarks (See Moral and Political Philofophy, vol. II. p. 66. 8vo Edit.) "that the fate Ayle feems unfeasonably introduced into these Prayers, all ill-according with that annihilation of human greatnefs, of which every act that carries the mind to God presents the idea."

It happened that the writer of this article, not long after the publication of Mr. Paley's excellent work, was prefent at Divine fervice in St. George's Chapel, Windfor; when the prayer, peculiar to that place," for the Knights companions of the most noble order of the Garter," brought the paffage here quoted to his recollection; and he could not help reflecting on the impropriety, not to fay the abfurdity, of defcribing, in an addrefs to the Deity, a number of individuals as most noble, on account of their wearing a star and a few yards of blue ribband!

ART.

ART. XI. A Pidurefque Defcription of Sawitzerland; tranflated from the French of the Marquis de Langle. 12mo. pp. 201. fewed. Hookham. 1791.

THE

HE Marquis de Langle informs us, that he has rambled feveral times over Switzerland, and always on foot," which is certainly the way in which fpeculative travellers find the best opportunities for obfervation. He adds, My remarks were for the moft part written without order and without connection: fometimes under the fhade of a tree, and at other times at the fide of a rivulet.—I was not then actuated by the wild and ambitious prefumption of compofing a work defcriptive of that country. Every thing that occurred to my fugitive ideas and vagrant perambulations, is here briefly narrated: a child may guess my meaning.' His meaning is indeed feldom obfcure, generally pointed, and often original. We were much. entertained with his remarks on Spain; and his travels through Switzerland are purfued with the fame defultory flashes of wit and fenfe.

After a moft florid general character of Sweden, which, according to the Marquis, contains the whole world in miniature,' he thus emphatically adverts to the natives of the foil:

For whom is this fuperb and magic gallery designed?-For whom are thefe grand and fublime pictures of nature intended?— For whom this aftonishing and rich creation?-For a cold, an infenfible, phlegmatic people-for a people who do not feel for any thing, who do not imagine any thing, who never weep, and who are never affected-for a people incapable of lively emotions and ftrong paffions-for a people who never were acquainted with the delirium, the enthusiasm, of Poetry and of Painting, nor the tranfports, the delights, the agreeableneffes, the furies, the frantic and the fiery accents of an impaffioned attachment.'

He has already declared, that he was not actuated by the wild and ambitious prefumption of compofing a work defcriptive of that country. Every thing that occurred to his fugitive ideas and vagrant perambulations, is here briefly narrated.' Briefly indeed! Aiming at the fententioufnefs of Voltaire and Sterne, he thinks a tranfient glance at any fubject will fuffice; and he is, in confequence, feldom fatisfactory. As an instance, we will produce an intire chapter, intitled,

The modeft and immodett Ladies in Switzerland. The paffions are very violent in Switzerland, but the ladies there are To favagely virtuous, that one may write on almost all their doors, what Dante fays he read on the entry into the infernal regions: "From this place is banished all hope!”.

* See Rev. vol. laxv. p. 267.

The

• The courtezans of Berne are the handfomeft women in all Europe. I doubt if Rhodope, who, out of the profits of her profeffion, erected one of the Egyptian Pyramids; or Phryne, who, by the fame means, rebuilt the walls of Thebes, were more beautiful or more feductive!'

All that this chapter conveys, is that the virtuous women in Switzerland are virtuous, and that the immodeft women of Berne are handfome! Might not this chapter ferve for any country to which his vagrant perambulations' may lead him? In another chapter, treating of the Swifs ftyle of ornamental gardening, he appears too decifive, and to fay too much. Mentioning their tafte for artificial ruins, he adds,

In truth, when we compare thefe broken columns to the ruins of Palmyra-when we compare the gardens of England to the plains of Memphis, or of Grand Cairo-or to the borders of Mount Vefuvius, of Pompeia, and of Herculaneum, we must confefs, that nature alone is fublime; and that notwithstanding her exclufive privileges, her efforts, her induftry, and her patents, art is nothing more than a fervile copyift, and a forry imitator!'

One or two acres of land cannot certainly contain the varieties to be found in five hundred: but art is a fkilful imitator, if it can bring ftraggling beauties together by a happy combination within limited boundaries. This is a mode of ftriking off reflections with a flourif, after the manner of fome lucky writers with whom it has fucceeded; though even with them, fuch fmart decifions will not always bear a fecond reading.

The following is the author's general character of the towns in Switzerland.

Except Berne, Geneva, and fome handfome little villages in the Pays de Vaud, the towns of Switzerland offer nothing curious to the eye of the travelier. The streets are narrow and dirty, dark and gloomy in the day time, and very badly lighted at night. It may be faid of the few linthorns hung up in them during a winter's evening, what Virgil obferved of the veffels of Eneas:

Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vaste!"

We shall transcribe the Marquis's remarks on the penal laws among the Swifs, and leave our readers to their own reflections on them.

The punishment of death is almoft fallen into difufe; the people talk of an execution for ten years after it has taken place. In Switzerland they are economical of human blood. The magiftrates appear to be actuated by the maxim which inculcates, that fociety ought not to cut off one of its members for a flight offence.

Inflead of being fubjected to capital punishments, felons are imprifoned in the house of correction. The regulations in thefe houfes are fo excellent and fo mild-criminals are fo well fed, and fo well attended, that if it were not for the iron ring about the leg, REV. OCT. 1791.

N

the

the hook at the neck, and the chain by which they are linked toge ther, many worthy people, who are in poverty, would be very happy in their fituation.

If the atrocity of a crime fhould oblige the judges to pronounce fentence of death, the cord is the only inftrument of punishment; fo humane are they, that the culprit is first made drunk, then is hanged, as it were, without perceiving it; he has no more an idea of the death that he is to fuffer, than an oak about to be cut down has of its deftruction!'

We fhall difmifs this entertaining but unequal and rather Alimfy work, by noticing a reflection which the tranflator has caft on the regulation of the British Museum, originating, posfibly, in fome private difguft, the caufe of which does not appear.

The Marquis obferves that the public library at Geneva, is open not only to citizens, but even to ftrangers; which affords. the tranflator an opportunity to introduce the following note: This is alfo the cafe in Paris, and in almost every capital in Europe; but to the disgrace of this country, the British Mufeum, containing a valuable collection of books, principally purchased with the public money, cannot be entered, without the ceremony of a tedious, and fometimes, a difguftful application.'

We never knew that needlefs obftructions ftood in any gentleman's way, who wanted to avail himself of this grand repofitory; and that if any fault were to be found with the regulations, it would be the making it too cheap, as a daily raree how to ignorant people.

ART. XII. The Gentle Shepherd, a Scotch Paftoral. By Allan Ramfay. Attempted in English by Margaret Turner. pp. 2c6. 6s. Boards. Nicol. 1790.

TH

THE Gentle Shepherd is a paftoral, written with fo much characteristic eafy fimplicity, in the popular dialect of Scotland, that to thofe who understand its national phrafeology, the peculiar fpirit evaporates by a tranflation into English, as fome wines are flattened by decanting. Mrs. Turner has very properly exerted the power which he affumed, with a tender hand; in general, fhe had only accents and vulgar contractions to rectify; and where he had local terms to tranflate, her touches have been as gentle as were confiftent with her purpofe of only qualifying the piece for English perusal.

We know no reason that Mrs. Turner has to blufh (as she does, in her modeft addrefs to her readers,) for a performance executed with frict fidelity, efpecially with the fupport of fo very refpectable a lift of fubfcribers; and when it may be added that, in fome particular inftances, fhe has even improved on her author, and has thus performed works of fupererogation to ba

lance