182G.] 



Domestic and Foreion. 



295 



s- 



has not concealed Jiis obligation : \vc do 

 not find any acknowledpULMit of that due 

 by Mr. Boys to the llabbi, ivhieli seems 

 to be nearli/ as gi-eat as that owed by the 

 prelate. Both have followed up the inves- 

 tigation with ardour; but tlie veil of the 

 mystery was jiartially undrawn. Tiie Life 

 of Addison has brought forward another, 

 and a new claimant of no mean renown — 

 clanim ac veneral)ile nomen — IVIii.tok — 

 who has used the Epanndos, and other pecu- 

 liarities of Hebrew poetry, the writer thus 

 quotes from his works : — 



" Or if occasion shall lead to imitate those mag- 

 niflck odes and hymns, wherein I'indarus and Cal- 

 limachus are in most things worthy, some others in 

 their frame judicious, in their matter most and end 

 faulty." 



'* But those frequent songs throughout the taw and 

 propht^ts beyond all these, not in their divine argu- 

 ment atone, but in the very critical art and vomposi- 

 tiitn, may be easily made appear over alt hinds of 

 lyriek poesy to be incomparable" .' ! — Preface B. IL 

 Of the Reason of Church Government." 



He is stated by tlie same author to have 

 anticipated, " even that ripe and titsteful 

 scholar. Dr. Jebb," in the discovery of the 

 cnoKus, and gives INIilton's ojiinion of the 

 Apocalypse of St. John as the proof. 



'* Tlie majestia inutpe of a higli and stately tra- 

 ge<ty, situtting up, and intermingling her solemn 

 scenes and acts witti a sevttn-fold chorus of Iiallelujahs. 

 and harping symphunics." 



Bishop Jebb in his " Sacred Liteniture" 

 — a work which must ever I'e esteemed an 

 ornament to the age in which it was writ- 

 ten, is the last writer, ])revious to Mr. 

 Boys, who has treated of Hebrew i>oetry. 

 The following parallels are clearly proved 

 to exist : — that termed by Lowth " Si/no- 

 7iimous," more correctly by Dr. Jebb, " Coij- 

 nate ;" by a critic quoted by Home, " Gra- 

 datioiuil Paralleliim — " and by us, " Pro- 

 gressire Cognate Pundkls," and which last 

 a|)pellation we think will be found on exa- 

 mination the most comin-ehensive and pre- 

 cise, because the force progressively in- 

 creases in each successive clause, and in 

 sense is closely allied ; thus: — 



" S ell ye Jehovah while he may be/o««d. 

 Call ye upon him, while he is near; 

 Let the tvicked man forsake his tvay, 

 And the unrighteous man his tliougliis. 

 And let him return to Jehovah, and he will com- 

 passionate him. 

 And unto our God, for he abounduth in forgive- 

 ness-'^ 



Apfain,— 



" Thou Shalt not be afraid for the terror by night ; 

 Nor for the arrow that flieth by day ; 

 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness ; 

 Nor for the destruction that wasteth by noon-day." 



This latter quotation Mr. Boys thinks 

 an example of the alternate parallelism : 

 certainly the first and tliird, and the second 

 and fourth lines have an athnity ; but we 

 are not quite prepared to say, that we 

 deem any quatrain thus constructed as a 

 pure example of the alternate parallel. We 



slmll now give one or two which we con- 

 sider pure, and almost unintelligible, unless 

 the lines arc read alternately ; — 



" Grant me the place of this threshing-floor, 



And I will build an altar therein unto the Lord ; 

 Thou shiM grant it to me for the full jn-ice ; 

 And the plague shall be staid from the people ; 



The following we consider an irrefutable 

 example of the alternate structure, and 

 when so read, gives a clearer view of the 

 meaning of this wonderfid ode, which 

 j)roves, at once, the tradition of the promised 

 avenger, and the actual fulfilment of that 

 promise in the coming of Christ. 



Chorus, 

 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ! 



First Semi-Chorus, 



For He hath visited (his people;) 



Second Semi-Chorus, 



And hath effected redemption for his people : 



Fii-st Semi-C/iorus, 



And he hath rancd up an horn of salvation for us. 



In the house of David his servant ; 



Serond Scnii-Chorus. 



As He promised by the mouth of his saints, 



His prophets, from the beginning : 



First Semi-Cliorus, 



Salvation f ro.n our enemies ; 



Even from the hand of all who hate us : 



Second Seiiii-Chorus, 



To perform mercy toward our fathers ; 



And to remember his holy covenant ; 



The oath which he sware unto Abraham «ur father ; 



Of giving us without fear, deliveretl from the hands 



of our enemies. 



To serve him, in holiness and righteousness. 



Before him, all the days of our life. 



First Semi-Chtrus, 



And thou, babe, shalt be calU'.1 a prophet of the 



Most High ; 



For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, 



To prepare his ways : 



Second Semi-Ctu>rus. 



Of giving knowledge of salvation to his people. 



By remission of their sins ; 



First Semi-Chorus, 



Through the tender mercies of our God ; 



Whereby the dawning from high hath visited us. 



To shme on those who sit down in darkness and tlse 



shadow of death. 



Second Semi-Chorus, 



Of guiding our feet in the way of peace. 



The antithetic parallel couplet is of very 

 common occurrence. 



" The memory of the just is a blessing ; 

 But the name of the wicked shall rot." 



The degrees of antithesis. Dr. Jebb ob- 

 serves, are various, " from an exact con- 

 tr.iposition of word to word, singulars to 

 singulars," &c., do\ni to general disparity 

 and something of contrariety in the two 

 propositions. 



The constructive paralleis are often inter- 

 mingled with others, and add force and va- 

 riety to the structure. The reader will 

 perceive at a glance, the precise similarity, 

 of construction to the very parts of speech, 

 in the following quotation from the " Sacred 

 Literature." 



