Holy readings, giving the cream of many books in one, by the author of 'Catholic hours'.

short, intended to be a inde Ebrary of spiritual reading and instruction—a Cathole album, ecntaining nothing that is not recricus, and yet nothing in the ion of prayer. Is compi lation gives no serpe to feelings of personal vacity: so that we may feely say that if we have well performed our part, the book, both from its subject and from the eminence of those whose winings in principaly rentains, mist necessarily be one of the most valuable ever yet offered to the public.

Every thing in this volume which was not originally pubüshed in Engish, we have newly translated from the language in which it was first written. In doing this although the iraits of our volume have compelled us to condense the expressions of the original writers and to select only those passages which would be most useful to the greater number, we have faithly adhered to the meaning of the original; and, in no case, have we presumed to add any thing to the authors whom we translazed.

In the arrangements of the “Thoughts” of Pascal, we have folowed an order quite different from that in which they have been heretofore published. Pascal's scheme was to prove the truth of the Christian revelation from its ecnformity to the nature of man. In nature, he discovers traces of an original

greatness, and reality of present misery; contradiction, uncertainty, terror, and—but for this revelation-despair. From the traces of man's original sin, he would prove the need of an atoning Redeemer. It is evident that the object of an editor ought to be to class these disconnected thoughts in such a manner as that they should work out the known plan of the writer as much as possible. Carelessness, idleness, or a wish, little concealed in some, to rob Christianity of the available arguments of a master-mind, have hitherto stood in the way of this self-evident arrangement.

In this work, we have followed a plan which experience urges us to recommend to all teachers of the people, and especially to all teachers of youth:-we have never employed a word of Norman derivation when we could readily think of a Saxon word of the same meaning. Teachers often are not aware how hard to be understood of the people many of their instructions become, owing to their use of what are, to the untaught, learned words. Saxon words are not, indeed, available to the language of science; but in books and in teachings meant for the people, it is wise to speak their language às much as we can. That language is essentially Saxon; and every Saxon word which we may employ, will not only be better understood by them, but will embod

our own meaning more readily and strongly than any foreign word could do.

Hoping to be forgiven for our freedom in calling upon others to follow a path in which we own that we are little skilled to lead, we intrust this volume to the reader:-assuring him that we have done all we could to make it worthy of our prayer-book, called " CATHOLIC HOURS."* Thus, as the one had brought together in one book all the public and private devotions generally used by English Catholics, so does this volume give a greater variety of godly reading than can be met with anywhere else. May both the works lead to the glory of God, and to the salvation of souls!

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