utility of this education. The moral lessons thus taught, and the habits acquired during several years training are efficient for life. The man upholds for his own control the restraints first imposed for the comfort and welfare of the child. And the universality of the discipline, is the establishment of propriety, sobriety and morals, co-extensive with the State's population. Combine with this, as they ought ever to be combined, the lessons of religion; and then with all man's proneness to depravity, what a basis is there not laid for a whole nation's prosperity, and the pursuit of man's loftiest destinies !"-Vol. i. 90. Church property.-—p. 123. Berkeley with his characteristic sagacity has asked, "Whether there be not two general methods, whereby men become sharers in the national stock of wealth or power, . . industry and inheritance? and whether it would be wise in a civil society to lessen that share which is allotted to merit and industry? "Whether all ways of spending a fortune be of equal benefit to the public? and what sort of men are aptest to run into an improper expense? "If the revenues allotted for the encouragement of religion and learning were made hereditary, in the hands of a dozen lay lords, and as many over-grown commoners, whether the public would be much the better for it? "Whether the Church's patrimony belongs to one tribe alone? and whether every man's son, brother, or himself, may not, if he pleases, be qualified to share therein? "What is there in the clergy to create a jealousy in the public! Or what would the public lose, by it, if every squire in the land wore a black coat, said his prayers, and was obliged to reside ?"-Querist, § 338-342. Poor scholars.-p. 130. "O Giggleswick," says the scholar in Randolph's Aristippus, "thou happy place of education!... O what had become of me, if I had not gone barefoot to my præceptor, with a satchel at my back!" And again in the same strain," the whole University is full of your honest fellows, that breaking loose from a Yorkshire belfrey, have walked to Cambridge with satchels on their shoulders." Intended College at Durham.-p. 145. George Fox, with characteristic complacency, takes to himself the credit of frustrating this design. He says in his Journal (first edition, p. 281.)... 66 we came to Durham (A. D. 1657,) where was a Man come down from London, to set up a College there, to make Ministers of Christ, as they said: I went, with some others, to reason with the Man, and to let him see, 'That to teach Men Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and the Seven Arts,' which was all but the Teachings of the Natural Man, was not the Way to make them Ministers of Christ. For the Languages began at Babel: and to the Greeks, that spake Greek, as their Mother-Tongue, the Preaching of the Cross of Christ was foolishness; and to the Jews, that spake Hebrew, as their Mother-Tongue, Christ was a stumbling-block. And as for the Romans, who had the Latin and Italian, they persecuted the Christians; and Pilat, one of the Roman Governours, set Hebrew, Greek, and Latin a top of Christ, when he Crucified him. So he might see, the many Languages began at Babel, and they set them a top of Christ the Word when they Crucified him. And John the Divine who preached the Word, that was in the beginning,, said, That the Beast, and the Whore have Power over Tongues and Languages, and they are as Waters. Thus, I told him, he might see, the Whore and Beast have Power over the Tongues and the many Languages, which are in Mystery Babylon for they began at Babel; and the Persecutors of Christ Jesus set them over him, when he was Crucified by them but he is Risen over them all, who was before them all. Now (said I to this Man) Dost thou think to make Ministers of Christ by these natural, confused Languages which sprang from Babel, are admired in Babylon and set a top of Christ, the Life, by a Persecutor? Oh no! So the man confest to many of these things. Then we shewed him further, 'That Christ made his Ministers himself, and gave gifts unto them; and bid them Pray to the Lord of the Harvest, to send forth Labourers. And Peter and John, though unlearned and ignorant (as to Schoollearning) preached Christ Jesus the Word, which was in the beginning, before Babel was. Paul also was made an Apostle not of Man, nor by Man, neither received he the Gospel from Man, but from Jesus Christ; who is the same now, and so is his Gospel, as it was at that Day.' When we had thus discoursed with the Man, he became very loving and tender: and after he had considered further of it, he never set up his College." Sewell who takes the matter in as simple a light as George Fox himself, says the man was " puzzled a little by this." In every country, however poor, there is something of "free Nature's grace."-p. 148. That lively and gentle-hearted writer, Ligon, says in his History of Barbadoes, "there is no place so void and empty, where some lawful pleasure is not to be had, for a man that hath a free heart, and a good conscience." (p. 3.) Poor fellow he wrote these words in a prison! I care not, Fortune, what you me deny : Through which Aurora shows her brightening face; Let health my nerves and finer fibres brace, And I their toys to the great children leave, The origin of this beautiful and well known passage is, I think, to be found in Patrick's Parable of the Pilgrim, a book in which, though the Parable is poorly imagined and illsustained, there is a great deal of sound instruction conveyed in a sober, manly, and not unfrequently, a felicitous manner. The passage which Thompson probably had in his mind, is this the Pilgrims, "as they passed by a fair field, espied a poor man in very ragged clothes, under a large beech tree, who was listening to the music which the birds made in the neighbouring grove, and sometimes whistled himself to bear them company in their melodies. They were much taken with the innocence of his looks, and the contentment which they thought they read in his face". . . . they enter into conversation with him, and he says..." this music which you saw me listening to, this music of God's own creating, gives me the greater ravishment, because I consider that none can rob me of it, and leave me my liberty and life. They that have taken away my goods, cannot hinder the earth from putting forth the flowers, nor the trees from yielding their fruit, nor the birds from singing among the branches; no, nor me from entertaining myself with all these pleasures,... at least from being contented."-p. 406. You feel as if in another region,...almost in another world.-p. 149. This feeling is beautifully expressed in a very pleasing volume, which ought to send some of our tourists to Ireland. Describing a scene among the mountains of Donegal, the writer says, 66 'you seemed lifted as it were out of the turmoil of the world into some planetary Paradise, into some such place as the Apostle in the Apocalypse was invited to, when the voice said come up hither! You might have supposed that sound had no existence here; were it not that now and then a hawk shrieked while cowering over the mountain top, or a lamb bleated beneath as it ran to its mother. I could have gone to sleep here, and dreamt of heaven purchased for poor sinners like me, by a Saviour's blood." I did at any rate praise the God of nature and of grace, and draw near to him in Christ, grateful for all his blessings, and all his wonders of creating and redeeming love!" Sketches in Ireland: descriptive of interesting and hitherto unnoticed districts in the North and South.-p. 10. Readers who have not seen this little volume may thank me for recommending it to their notice. Llywarch Hen.-p. 151. His remaining poems were published with a literal translation, by Mr. William Owen, in 1792. Their authenticity has been proved by Mr. Turner, and they are exceedingly curious, as some of the oldest remains of Keltic poetry. |