114 Specimen of a Poetical Summary of History . 



to his exertions^ Mr. Wolff did not remain a little longer to take advantage 

 of it. 



There is one point, somewhat neglected, but of considerable importance, 

 which the whole tenor of Mr. Wolff's volume makes abundantly manifest ; it 

 is, that the office of missionary to the east is one of no ordinary difficulty; 

 that it requires a man, not only inured to hardships, and capable of endur- 

 ing bodily fatigue, but urged on by persevering zeal, and guided by a sound 

 judgment — qualities not often combined; — learned, not only in the faith 

 which he professes to teach, but in all the subtleties of that which he comes 

 to subvert, and sufficiently exercised in argumentative habits to enable him 

 to apply his knowledge when suddenly called upon, and to convince, so far 

 at least as it is permitted to human reason to convince. " I would advise 

 no one," observes Captain Riley, in one of three admirable letters written 

 by him to Mr. Wolff, "I would advise no one to undertake religious ar- 

 gument with either Hindoo or Moosulman, particularly the latter, who has 

 not given his attention to all the concerns of their persuasions. Some have 

 done so, and have failed, thereby affording their opponents new accession 

 of strength ; and it is surely unreasonable to suppose, they or any other 

 people will embrace a new religion, until they are convinced of the fallacy 

 of the old." p. 296. 



It is impossible not to be pleased with the simple and unaffected manner 

 in which Mr. Wolff has related his labours and sufferings ; and by con- 

 stantly declaring his true character and purpose, sometimes to his great 

 apparent risk, he has shewn that the declaration of the true character when 

 travelling, is on the whole safer than the assumption of a false one ; and 

 that in the east, as in the west, honesty is still the best policy. 



One slight objection, and we have done. Mr. Wolff's views upon the 

 fulfilment of prophecy, and on the near approach of certain great events, 

 are well known to be peculiar to himself and to a very limited number of 

 Christians. Should he not be extremely cautious, more so than from his 

 book he appears to have been, in declaring those views to his newly-con- 

 verted hearers ? Should those views prove false, and views at least 

 equally well supported have not seldom proved so, will not the probability 

 be, that the undiscerning hearers will refuse their assent to the whole ? 



POETRY. 



SPECIMEN OF A POETICAL SUMMARY OF HISTORY. 



(To the Editor of the West of England Journal.) 

 Mr. Editor, 



Being, as the parent of a large family, anxious to inform the opening 

 minds thus committed to my charge, and feeling it a very interesting part 

 of this duty to impart to them a comprehensive view of history, it has 

 often occurred to me that a fair use has not hitherto been made of poetry, 



