2»J S. No 97., Nov. 7. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



363 



tracliord, but not so when the two sounds lie in 

 different tetrachords." Henry John Gacntlett. 



ACTHORSHIP OF "A CRITICISM ON THE ELECT 

 WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCH YARD." 



Tlie sum of six contributions on the authorship 

 of A criticism on the Elegy written in a country 

 church yard, which was published anonymously in 

 1783, may be thus stated : 1. It was written by 

 James Moor, professor of Greek at Glasgow ; 2. 

 It was written by John Young, professor of Greek 

 at Glasgow ; 3. It was neither written by profes- 

 sor Moor nor by professor Youitg ; 4. It was the 

 avowed production of professor Young ; 5. It was 

 the " veritable production of professor Conway ; " 

 and 6. If not written by some other person, " the 

 claim set up for Young cannot easily be set aside." 



As an antidote to error and uncertainty, I tran- 

 scribe some manuscript notes on this subject by 

 the aforesaid professor Young and the reverend 

 doctor John Disney — prefixing the exact title of 

 the volume in which they are contained : 



" A criticism on the Elegy loritten in a country church 



yard. Being a continuation of Dr. J m's criticism 



on the poems of Gray. London : printed for' G. Wilkie, 

 1783." 8». pp. 20 + 90. 



[On the verso of the fly-title.] 



"To the rev<i. doctor Disney from the editor." 



[On the flv-leaves.] 



" Sept. 8. 1792. from the author. Prof: Young of Glas- 

 gow." 



" I think the most perfect imitation of Johnson is a 

 professed one, entitled ' A criticism on Gray's Elegy in a 

 country church -yard,' said to be written by Mr. Young, 

 professor of Greek at Glasgow, and of which let him have 

 the credit, unless a better title can be shewn. It has not 

 only tlie peculiarities of Johnson's style, but the very 

 species of literary discussion and illustration for which he 

 was eminent. Having already quoted so much from 

 otlieis, I shall refer the curious to this performance, with 

 an assurance of much entertainment." Boswell's Life of 

 Johnson. Vol. iii. 8™. p. 670. 



On the preceding remark of Boswell, lord Woodhouse- 

 Ice observes (in a note p. 173 of his Memoirs of lord 

 Kames. v. 1.) — " But a perfect Copy reflects the faults, as 

 well as the beauties of the model; as in that exquisite 

 specimen of imitation, (by professor Young of Glasgow) 

 A criticism on Gray's Elegy. " 



This volume came from the united libraries of 

 Ilollis and Disney, which were sold by auction in 

 1817. It has the book-plate of Disney, with his 

 initials and crest stamped on its exterior. It cost 

 me 5s. I should not be satisfied with less than 

 compound interest on the outlay. 



Bolton Cornet. 



The Terrace, Barnes. 



P.S. Conway, it is now said, was a misprint for 

 Young! I cannot help it: " mon siege est fait." 



Budhism is a reformed Brahmanism, omitting 

 all those symbols, rites, and practices, which are 

 peculiarly remarkable and offensive in the latter. 

 Budhism, through the Nestorians and Romanists, 

 has received some influence from Christianity. 

 Mr. Gutzlaff mentions the Budhists as counting 

 their prayers by means of a rosary, chanting 

 masses for both the dead, and living, the celibacy 

 of the priests, their shaving their heads, fasts, &c. : 

 he specially notices their adoration of Tien-how, 

 the Queen of Heaven, styled also «S'^Jng"-moo, the 

 Holy Mother ; but of the date of its introduction 

 he could obtain no trace. The first Christian mis- 

 sionaries to Tibet, in the thirteenth century, were 

 also equally surprised at the resemblance to Ro- 

 manism which they discerned in what they called 

 Lamaism, and conceived to be a degenerated 

 Christianity. (^Chinese Repository, vol. iii. p. 111.) 

 Gutzlaff saw a marble bust of Napoleon, before 

 which incense was burnt in a temple ; but we 

 must not infer from this that the great western 

 warrior and legislator was himself an object of 

 reverence to the followers of Fo. " Ex quovis 

 ligno fit Mercurius." Any image might possibly 

 suit their polytheism (^Wisdom, xiv. 15.). Dr. 

 Milne (Chinese Gleaner, p. 105.) has taken from 

 " A Complete History of Gods and Genii " the 

 following extract, showing that Budhism had im- 

 bibed a succinct narrative of Gospel history : — 



" The extreme western nations say, that at a distance of 

 ninetj'-seven thousand ly* from China, a journey of about 

 three years, commence the border of Sy-keang [the river 

 Sy]. In that country there was formerly a virgin named 

 Ma-Ie-a [Maria]. In the first year of Yuen-chy, in the 

 dynasty Han, a celestial god [angel] reverently an- 

 nounced to her, saying, ' The Lord of heaven has selected 

 thee to be his mother." Having finished his discourse, 

 she actually conceived, and afterwards bore a son. The 

 mother, filled with joy and reverence, wrapped him in a 

 cloth, and placed him in a horse's manger. A flock of 

 celestial gods sang and rejoiced in the void space. Forty 

 days after, his mother presented him to the holy teacher, 

 and named him Yay-soo [Jesus]. When twelve years of 

 age, he followed his mother to worship in the holy palace. 

 Returning home, they lost each other. After three days' 

 search, coming into the palace, she saw Yay-soo sitting 

 on an honourable seat, conversing with aged and learned 

 doctors about the works and doctrines of the Lord of 

 heaven. Seeing his mother he was glad, returned with 

 her, and served her with the utmost filial reverence. 

 When thirty years of age, he left his mother and teacher, 

 and travelling to the country of Yu-teh^a [Judea], taught 

 men to do good. The sacred miracles which he wrought 

 were very numerous. The chief families, and those in 

 office in that country, being proud and wicked in the ex- 

 treme, envied him for the multitude of those who joined 

 themselves to him, and planned to slay him. Among 

 the twelve disciples of Yah-soo, there was a covetous one 

 named Yu-tah-sze [Judas]. Aware of the wish of the 



* Ten ly being about one league makes this distance of 

 upwards of 29,000 miles, whilst the circumference of the 

 earth is not 25,000. 



