It has been well asserted, "that no poet can be read in all his ideas, unless the reader has a similar view of abstract perspective to the writer;" this may be the true reason why our great Milton was so long neglected, and why I thought much of what you thought little. I am certain the solemn dirge, would have more interest, if you saw and heard the funeral as I did (in imagination), pass before me in the witching hour of night, when I was writing of it, therefore I will relate you of the scene:-" With my pen in my hand, seated near the table, and my head upheld by the left hand, with eyes fixed towards the floor, and absorbed in melancholy thought, at the death of my friend's wife, I imagined I saw the beauteous pageantry of happy death! As thus,-midnight seemed to reign in sable grandeur, for not a twinkling star was to be seen; the knell of death struck at intervals from the hollow pile of a cathedral not far off; a multitude of torches borne by men upon the top of black staves, decorated as themselves in black, became a long file of flambeaux opposed to each other; in the centre of which and preceding, were twelve virgins of most beautiful symmetry, clad in white, which clasped their fine limbs; their hair encircled with chaplets of black roses; they walked in threes, and each held up a festoon of black flowers; there followed them, twelve youths dressed in white European short dresses, bound deep and faced with black, with hats after the manner of Spain, and to the front a small hanging cypress branch; each was a musician, and each played upon some instrument, from the mournful cylinder drum, to the plaintive flute; the assembled concord breathed in tones of exquisite melancholy, the soul-thrilling sadness of Pleyel's German hymn, in such woe that mine eyes weeped, and mine heart sobbed with the weakness of a child. There followed these in pairs the husband's friends, dressed in black, and enveloped in crape; afterwards twenty boys in the long flowing robes of the Greeks, white as Alpine snow, with their heads uncovered, and their eyes lift up to heaven, joining the music with such metred voice, on singing forth the stanzas of the dirge, that deep attention, with most holy thoughts, possessed me, and elevated all my mind. After these came eight infant girls, with cinctures and wreaths, and baskets of green flowers, themselves in white; then halberdiers; and then the bier. Four milk-white steeds, with studs and trappings of crape and cypress plumes, drew a double carr, entirely overspread with white, embossed with green sprigs of the season, and decorated with black types; on it, in a velvet coffin uncover'd, was placed the remains of our friend; her ghastly visage appearing alternate to the gleams of light; over was a canopy open at three sides, and festooned round with fringe of black, and bugle beads and foil, from the centre was suspended a star of costly jewels. After these, supported by two friends, came the image of past hours!-the drooping, pale and hopeless husband of her heart! In order followed groups of silent friends." P. vii. Gentle reader! is it wonderful that we have seen none of these black roses, Spanish hats, Greek robes, cypress plumes, and bugle beads, in these stanzas? A SOLEMN Dirge, On the Death of Mrs. F. supposed to be wrote by her Husband, 'Alas she's gone! her spirit's fled! And I, alone, among the dead, Whether's Phebe ?-mighty powers!-- Fairest Virtue!-thither hie! Angels, tell it, in the spheres, Earth nor holds, her soul's desire. Say she was love, as when a bride,— Say relenting, as her prayer! • Wondrous Providence-my sire! Alas 'tis so, so wills it Heaven High in seraphic bliss to dwell, Far from sickness, earth and hell! P. 43. ART. IX.-The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, translated out of the original Greek; and with the former Translations diligently compared and revised, by His Majesty's special Command. Appointed to be read in Churches. Published for John Reeves, Esq. one of the Patentees of the Office of King's Printer. 2 Vols. 840. G. and W. Nicol. 1802. THIS work is dedicated, by the king's printer, to his majesty, as a specimen of the edition of the Bible now printing under the royal patronage. Hence we examined it in two views; first, as the work of his majesty's printer, and next, as that of a man of acknowledged learning and erudition. The typography soon excited our approbation: we admired the blackness of the letters, the accuracy of their form, the regularity of the lines, and paid a yoluntary homage to the excellence of the royal press, and the pro priety of the royal appointment. But, on examining more losely, nothing could exceed our astonishment, when we CRIT, REV. Vol. 38. June, 1809. P discovered, by a signature at the bottom of one of the pages, that this work was not printed by John Reeves, esq. a patentee of the office of king's printer, but by T. Bensley, printer, Bolt-court, Fleet-street, London. By the author's assumption, in the title-page, of the office of king's printer, many persons besides ourselves, however, will be deceived upon this point, and will naturally conjecture that the present Bible is possest of superior value, as proceeding from the royal press. It is truely strange, indeed, that John Reeves, esq. the king's printer, should offer to his sovereign the specimen of a work, to be published under his auspices, printed, not at the royal, but a foreign printing-house!! The title-page of this Testament corresponds with that of the Testament published by authority. It is moreover said to have been translated by his majesty's special command, and appointed to be read in churches. But, although the mere words of the apostles are the same in this book as in the book published by authority, the two publications are of a very different texture, and offered in a very different form and manner. The authorised Testament is divided into chapters and verses, each chapter having the prefix of a title. The present is separated into sections: the original division is indeed hinted at by figures, where every chapter or verse begins: but the whole of this is subordinate to the editor's own plan, while the authorised titles are altogether supprest, and new ones of his own creation are given in their stead. There is also a chronology of his own, and marginal remarks, of which he is the sole deviser. In what light this variation may be viewed by the heads of our church, we know not; but certain we are that the public ought to be on their guard against such innovation, and to be cautious not to attribute to the church itself any of the maxims found in the titles, notes, or margin, of this composition: it should carefully distinguish between king James's Testament, and John Reeves's Testament: the former is appointed to be read in churches; the latter, the church would assuredly not put into the hands of either people or ministers. We shall not here compare together. Mr. Reeves's continued commeut in the margin, with the plain account of the contents of each chapter, as given in the authorised Testament. One of his notes will thoroughly explain our meaning, and give a sufficient reason for the caution we have recommended. On ch. xi,v. 3, of St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians, we have this remark: There is a subordination of Christ to God, not only in respect of his humanity, but his divinity, as God the Son to God the Father.' Now this assertion is in express contradiction to the doctrine of the church, which declares Christ to be equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead, but inferior to the Father, as touching his manhood. This private opinion of Mr. Reeves appears also in another place; and, though no one ought to object to his right of declaring his private opinion in a private manner, yet, as one of the parties authorised to print the Bible, he should have taken the greatest care that nothing was foisted into a work that assumes the appearance. of authority, which has not been recognised by that autho rity, and by the rulers of the church. The title-page declares that the work before us is appointed to be read in churches; but the archdeacon would very much neglect his duty, who should permit it to be introduced into the reading-desk, or, finding it on any such reading-desk within his jurisdiction, should not forthwith order it to be removed out of the church. The title-page ought to have pointed out the distinction between the present and the authorised Testament, and to have informed the purchaser, that the divisions into sections, the chronology, the chapters, the titles, the marginal readings, and the notes, have not the authority of the established church, but are the voluntary contributions of John Reeves, esq. ART. X.-A Treatise on the Law of Insurance. By Samuel Marshall. (Continued from p. 92 of our preceding Volume.) OBSTACLES unexpected and unavoidable have long diverted our attention from this useful work, which a sense of duty to our commercial readers impels us to resume. In a former article we examined the plan and general ar rangement of the first book, on Marine Insurances. We hasten to discharge our promise, and to terminate our remarks on this division of the work by selecting passages, as specimens, from an essential topic of insurance. The adjustment of losses has frequently perplexed, not lawyers alone, but merchants themselves. Serjeant Marshall seems less embarrassed than preceding writers, We shall endeavour to delineate, by extracts, a sketch of this impor tant subject. A loss, in insurance, is the injury or damage sustained by the insured in consequence of the happening of one or more of the accidents or misfortunes against which the insurer, in consideration of the premium, has undertaken to indemnify the insured.' P. 414. Every loss is either total or partial, The term total loss is understood in two different senses; natural and legal. In its natural sense, it signifies the absolute destruction of the thing insured. In its legal sense, it means not only the total destruction, but likewise such damage, to the thing insured, though it may specifically remain, as renders it of little or no value to the owner. So a loss is said to be total, if, in consequence of the misfortune that has happened, the voyage be lost, or not worth pursuing, and the projected adventure frustrated; or if the value of what is saved be less than the freight, &c. A partial loss is any loss or damage short of, or not amounting to, a total loss; for if it be not the latter, it must be the former.' P. 414. • Partial losses are sometimes denominated average losses, because they are often of the nature of those losses which are the subject of average contributions; and they are distinguished into general and particular averages.' P. 415. These definitions are accompanied by an explanation of the nature and kinds of losses-whether by perils of the sea, running foul of other vessels, fire, capture, arrest and detention of princes, barratry, average contributions or expenses of salvage-and are followed by an elaborate discussion of the doctrine of abandonment. The adjustment of a loss is the settling and ascertaining the amount of the indemnity which the insured, after all allowances and deductions are made, is entitled to receive under the policy, and the fixing the proportion of this, which each underwriter is liable to pay.' P. 529. The insurer ought never to pay less, nor the insured receive more, than that which a fair indemnity demands.' P. 529. The mode of ascertaining and appreciating the quantity of damage is thus elucidated. When the loss is admitted to be total, and the policy is a valued one, the insured is entitled to receive the whole sum insured, subject to such deductions as may have been agreed by the policy to be made in case of loss. For the insured, by allowing the value to be inserted in the policy, agrees that it shall be taken as there stated; and it is the same as if he had admitted it at the trial of the cause. It is only in the case of a total loss that there is any difference between an open and a valued policy, Upon the latter, the value is admitted, and the insured has only to prove, if the insurance was on goods, that the goods valued were on board. Upon an open policy, it is not only necessary to prove that the goods were on board, but also the value of them which value, not exceeding the sum insured, is the sum the insurers are bound to pay. But in the case of a partial loss, the like inquiry is to be made into the amount of the loss, whether the policy be of the one sort or of the other. The indemnity secured by either sort of policy is, that if the thing insured do not come safe to the port of destination, but is lessened in value by damage received in the voyage, the less shall be borne by the insurer,' r. 530. |