1826.] 
his life of Knox) ; and finally, Miss Benger, 
who, with her maiden apprehensions, should 
haye had’ prudence enough to leave the 
subject alone. It is really beyond mortal 
patience, to see’ persons of intellects so 
narrow, and principles so fettered, scrib- 
bling’ ‘upon controverted topies—where 
there are motives to sean, and evidence to 
balance. Let them cater for nurseries and 
pulpits. \It was reserved for the present 
. writer—what’s his name ?—to give us a 
new and consistent version of Mary’s fate 
and fortunes, unawed by established autho- 
rities—provoked by the prejudices of his 
precursors, but stimulated by the conscious 
possession of superior powers—not, in the 
idle language of romance, to break a spear 
in defence of injured innocence and beauty ; 
but; backed by common-sense and sagacity, 
to step forth in vindication of violated truth, 
and in exposure of blindness and bigotry. 
Etymons of English Words, by the late 
Joun Tuomson, M.R.I. and A.S.; Pri- 
vale Secretary to the Marquess of Hastings 
in India.—This is a work of no common 
pretension, and, we believe, of some per- 
formance too; but let not the unwary 
purehaser expect too much. After all 
the contempt poured on poor Dr. John- 
son’s head, for his lack of etymon-know- 
ledge, he will be surprised to find—if 
he be at the pains, as we have been, to 
compare two or three hundred words, 
taken at random—how yery much less that 
alleged deficiency really is than the noisy 
vituperations of certain scholars had led 
him to suppose. Considering who and what 
Horne Tooke had to contend with in his 
political career, his overbearingness and 
occasional rhodomontading were excusable 
enough; but the same spirit carried into a 
question of literature is perfectly intolerable. 
On the hustings or in the closet, he never 
minced his phrases ; and his disciples, and 
of course few of his readers, make no al- 
lowance for emphasis. His depreciations 
are construed literally, and Johnson’s Dic- 
tionary comes to be considered as an incu- 
rable lazaretto of blunder and disease. It 
will regain its estimation, when Tooke, and 
his dialogues, and his scorn are all utterly 
forgotten. 
The work is given alphabetically; and 
words originally Greek or Latin, as well as 
others not strictly regarded as English, are 
omitted. © 
‘The object (says the Preface, distinctly enough) 
is to trace the descent of English words, their 
affinity with the different dialects of Gothic spoken 
in Europe; and the connexion between our own and 
some other tongues, both of Europe and Asia, without 
introducing any remarks where the genera) meaning 
is obvious, 
noite words from. five dialects of that language 
re introduced as concurrent etymons; to which the 
Russian and Irish vocabularies, in the proportion of 
‘at least’ éne-third, bear evident affinity, either by 
‘Coftidtion or adoption; although so much disguised,- 
‘by 2 different orthography, that they dould not be 
usefully added without explanations too diffuse for 
Domestic and Foreign. 
317 
the present object. The plan, as the reader wil 
observe, is studiously concise; being intended rather 
as an index than a glossary. The cursory observer 
will find it sufficient for his purpose. 
Of the ‘ observations’ which precede the 
lexicon, and which are of some length, it is 
impossible to give any intelligible—at least, 
any satisfactory account. 
The object in contemplation, [the author says, 
speaking of these observations] is to trace the proba 
ble origin of its words [of the English language], to 
mark their adventitious changes, and indicate their 
principal analogies. 
And this he may have accomplished ; but 
to search for it, is like searching for a needle 
in a bottle of hay. If the reader discover 
it, he will not be much indebted to the 
author’s direct assistance. Though full of 
curious information, and concerning every 
language under. heaven, the observations 
are piled one upon.another, mountains-high, 
apparently without the slightest regard to 
any one particular purpose—a mass of con- 
fusion merely. But bad as is the arrange- 
ment of these observations, it affects not 
the value of the rest of the book, which is 
intended to accompany Todd’s edition of 
Johnson, and may do so yery usefully. 
The Chronological History of Great Bri- 
tain and its Dependencies from the Invasion 
of Julius Cesar to the Present Time, by W. 
Toone, Esa.— Many attempts of this nature 
have been made, and always unsuccessfully. 
The great difficulty of course is notso much 
to hit the happy medium between brevity 
and prolixity, as to discard insignificancies. 
The present compiler has had no better 
success than his precursors—if so much, 
professing as he does, too, to be fully aware 
of the Scylla and Charybdis that beset his 
path. It is, indeed, the task of no ordinary 
person, requiring, as it obviously does, 
sound judgment, clear discernment of what 
is of general and permanent interest, with 
no common resolution to reject (though it 
should contract the size of the book more 
than the writer or publisher might desire) 
whatever does not decidedly bear that cha- 
racter. The compiler, W. Toone, Esq., 
complains of one of his predecessors in this 
line—Salmon, we believe—that his work 
contained long and uninteresting details\of 
coronations, funeral processions, and prolix 
narratives of events, some of little, and 
others of no political importance. It has 
been the study of the present compiler to 
omit the unimportant. 
Let us see—we open the book at random 
towards the end, page 708-9. 
1624. June 8. A fire broke out at Carlton Palace, 
which burnt one of the sitting-rooms; before it 
was extinguished several valuable paintings were 
destroyed. ; 
—— Another battle took place in the neighbourhood 
of Chichester between Spring and Langan, which 
ended in the defeat of the latter after seventy-seven 
rounds. ARR 4 Py 
— The Rev. C. J. Bloomfield, D.D., was promo- 
ted to the Bishopric of Chester. © | 
1921. July 19. ‘The Coronation occupying, after all 
