But the translator ventures to cherish the hope that the acute sufferings under which a great part of it was composed, will plead his apology for the principal of them, and mitigate the severity of criticism in respect to the whole.

In a publication of this nature, a laboured elegance of style would have been misplaced; and from the character of the original would have been impracticable in the translation. All that has been aimed at, has been, to exhibit the work in an English dress that would convey to the reader as correct an idea as possible, not only of the sentiments, but also of the manner of thinking, and the peculiar tone of feeling, which distinguished the authors of the Catechism. In this object, the translator is obliged to say, he has not always succeeded to his wishes; for he has, in his progress, had to encounter difficulties which he dares not flatter himself that he has in every case completely vanquished. On some of the subjects discussed in the Catechism, the authors and editors had not very distinct and clear ideas; there is therefore necessarily a degree

degree of obscurity in the language in which they endeavour to express their thoughts. They have also occasionally embarrassed their style by the employment of scholastic terms and phrases, which, without a previous knowledge of the particular treatise or system to which their observations were meant more immediately to apply, it is not easy fully to understand. The translator confesses that he has on these accounts been sometimes consi

derably perplexed: and he is not without apprehension, that, in a few instances, the obscurity of the original may have been transfused into the translation, and that he has failed to express the precise shade of meaning which the authors intended to convey. He has however done his best; and it will afford him great pleasure to receive the corrections of any persons who may be more fortunate than himself in eliciting the sense of the original work.

It was the translator's first design to give, with an English version of the latest authorized edition of the Racovian Catechism, a detailed statement of all the alterations made

in the work by successive editors, with the view of exhibiting the changes which took place in the opinions of the Polish Unitarians, on some of the peculiar articles of their creed. But, on making the experiment, he soon found that he should, by such a proceeding, only crowd and disfigure his pages, without effecting any valuable object. This part of his plan, therefore, he immediately abandoned, except in relation to a few cases, in which he has deemed it proper to notice some remarkable deviations in the last from the first edition of the Catechism. He has added some other notes of his own, partly with the view of illustrating the text or the notes of his original, and partly for the purpose of explaining, to readers not already conversant with the subject, the chief points of difference between the sentiments of the Polish, and those of the modern English, Unitarians. These notes are included within [] brackets, and subscribed with the word TRANSLATOR. To these the writer does not attach much importance: they may serve, however, to prevent persons

persons who are not better informed, from imputing to the Unitarians of the present day opinions that were held by their predecessors, but which they regard as unwarranted by the Scriptures.

To the original work the present editor has prefixed an Historical Introduction, comprising a view of the rise, progress, and vicissitudes of the Unitarian doctrine on the continent of Europe subsequently to the æra of the Reformation. The limits within which it was necessary that he should confine himself, rendered it impracticable to treat this subject at such length as its interest and importance would otherwise have demanded: nor could he, in such an abstract, enter into the critical discussion of those facts concerning which his statements vary from those of all preceding writers on this part of Church annals. He designs it merely as a rough and imperfect outline of a larger History of Unitarianism which he has for some time had in contemplation, and for which he has collected a considerable mass of valuable materials. With this

work,

work, should the subject appear to be interesting to the religious world, he now feels disposed to proceed, with all the expedition which other demands on his time, and the nature and magnitude of the undertaking, will admit. It may be thought that a larger portion of this sketch has been devoted to Transylvania than is warranted by its connexion with the following Catechism, which relates more particularly to Poland. But the writer conceived that he might be held justified, in consideration of the new light which he has been able to throw on the interesting transactions, hitherto so imperfectly detailed, relating to Francis David. Having the means in his hands, he felt it to be his duty to embrace the opportunity to wipe away from the memory of that eminent person the unfounded charge, by which he has so long been calumniated, of holding opinions little consonant with the Christian revelation. Nor is he without some expectation that his account of those proceedings may serve to weaken the accusations that have been preferred against Faustus Soci

nus