1 823.] 



Liter drif and Critical Pro'emium. 



165 



had made." The antUor might have gone 

 even still further into paradox without de- 

 viation from truth. He might safely have 

 affirmed, that there is, in many instances, 

 even an unconquerable reluctance to 

 usages that have a tendency to supersede 

 old habits. Man, inconsistent man, a lo- 

 gician in theory, but an automaton in prac- 

 tice, is apt to become attached even to ca- 

 lamities by long usage. Bipeds of this 

 description have been known, who have 

 been so long familiar with the tortures of 

 the gout, as to be actually proud of an 

 aiBicted toe, and to look upon it as a kind 

 of privilege and distinction ; and Dr. 

 Darwin, a most notorious stammerer, used 

 to splutter forth with a sort of triumphant 

 smile, that " evei-y b--b— b — b— body 

 might sp — sp— sp — sp — speak p — p — 

 plainly if he w — w — w — w — would." 



A very interesting and well-written lit- 

 tle work has made its appearance, under 

 the title of Tke Protestant Beadsman, con- 

 sisting of a series of bioaraphical notices 

 and hymns, commemorating the saints and 

 martyrs whose holidays are kept by the 

 Church of England. The author pursues 

 the order in which the saint-days stand in 

 the calendar ; and under each head gives a 

 fiuccinct and clear history of the actions 

 and character of each individual, inter- 

 spersed with appropriate remarks and re- 

 flections. For his facts and opinions, the 

 author acknowledges his obligations to 

 modern and popular writers, as w^ as to 

 the old divines ; but the able and pleasing 

 way in which he has arranged his informa- 

 tion, added to the taste and poetical spirit 

 displayed in the numerous hymns, give 

 this ingenious volume strong claims upon 

 our approbation. That it exhibits feelings 

 of warm and unaffected piety is praise of 

 a higher nature, but not less justly its due. 

 To every biographical sketch, a short 

 hymn is subjoined, which are for the most 

 part written with simplicity and beauty, 

 and evince poetical powers of a very re- 

 spectable order. We are tempted to ex- 

 tract, as a specimen of the rest, the hymn 

 appropriated to the commemoration of the 

 feast of St. John the Baptist : — 



Oh thou ! that in the desert wild, 



A ruxged, lone, niy.steiious, child, 



Did'st learn the old prophetic cry, 



That shew'd tliy Saviour's niinistre! 



To hear thy word by Jordan's tiood, 



la silent awe, the nations stood; 



And Judah's proudest might not brook 

 To bide her prophet's tauut and soul-compcllinj' 

 look. 



Yet eyes there were on heaven intent. 

 And hearts bapti?,'d and penitent ; 

 No reeds were they, to "ink or rise 

 With ev'ry wind that swept the skies; 

 Hut all prepar'd their King to meet. 

 They clung around the Baptist's feet. 

 Till he confess'd the incarnate word. 

 And slept, In calm content, beneath a wanton's 

 ■word. 



The warning voice is heard no more. 

 But we will sing iu burthen o'er. 

 "Repent, repent! 'lis rais'd e'en now. 



The axe that smites the /ruitles'i bougli; 

 E'en now it comes,— the tide of wrath, — 

 And headlong sweeps the sinner forth ^ 

 Hast thou in Judah's darkness trod ? 

 Oh I — ere thy foot be staid,— away ! and meet tliT 

 God." ' 



There is nothing which tends to elnci- 

 date the degrees of civilization, to which 

 the different nations of antiquity had ar- 

 rived, more than their respective archi- 

 tectural remains. Had none of the hterary 

 works of the ancient Grecian republics 

 reached these times, and had our opinions 

 of the depth of their knowledge, and the 

 chastity of their taste, been alone formed 

 from the perfect execution of their sta- 

 tues, or the simple grandeur of their tem- 

 ples, it is not probable that we should 

 have assigned them a lower place in the 

 scale of civilization and mental excellence 

 than they at present possess. Ind< ed we 

 can only estimate the abilities of those na- 

 tions, whose literature has not reached us, 

 oris not generally known, — such as the an- 

 cient Hindoos, — by the specimens of tireir 

 buildings which are still in existence. The 

 science of arclntecture, therefore, in this 

 view, not only deserves to be studied for 

 its own attractions, but (or the light it 

 throws upon universal history. The great 

 difficulty in the acquisition of this general 

 knowledge, has hitherto been the number 

 of works, on all the various styles, neces- 

 sary to be consulted. We are glad that 

 this obstacle is likely to be in a great 

 measure removed by a work, of which tlie 

 first part is now published, entitled, Ency- 

 clopcediu of Antiqidties and Elements of 

 ArcluBnlogy, classical and mediaval, by the 

 Rev. T. D. FosBRooKE, m.a. f.a.s. &c. 

 The accounts of the various sorts of archi- 

 tecture, here treated upon, are correct, and 

 contain much valuable information, though 

 perhaps they are too much compressed. 

 The style of the work has no particular 

 title to approbation ; but, on the whole, 

 we can confidently recommend it to the 

 perusal of our readers. 



Notwithstanding the many valuable 

 works which have of late years appeared 

 on subjects of bibliographical interest, we 

 think that the bulk and expensive form of 

 those publications will render not unac- 

 ceptable the convenient size, and unets- 

 suming pretensions, of tlte Classical Col- 

 lector's Vade Mccum, intended as an intro- 

 duction to the knowledge of the best 

 editions of the Greek and Roman classics. 

 To Renouard, Dibdin, and other writers 

 of eminence on this subject, the author 

 freely acknowledges his obligations ; but 

 he has drawn from his own researches ma- 

 terials which confer value upon his work, 

 independant of its peculiar advantage as 

 "a portable and useful manual." The 

 lists of the classics are very extensive and 

 complete. The learning and discretion 

 evinced in the compilation of this little 

 volume are very creditable to its Author, 



who 



