“1802.] 
to Babylon, He there repented of his 
conduct, humbled himfelf before the 
God of his fathers, and prayed to 
him." 
The prayer of Manaffeh was in early 
times fuppofed to exift. A Greek ver- 
fion, or pretended verfion, of it is prefer- 
ved in the Septuagint, and has been ap- 
pended by Geddes to the books of Chro- 
nicles, in his Bible. This paraphrafe, or 
forgery, if it be no more, is a proof of the 
traditional exiftence of fome compofition 
of Manaffeh, to which the name of a 
prayer might fitly be given. 
Among the Plalms, there are four, the 
hundred and fortieth, hundred and forty- 
firit, hundred and forty-fecond, and hun- 
dred and forty-third, which appear to 
have formed originally one continuous 
compolition: for the fame tone of lamen- 
tation, the fame complaints againft ca- 
jumny, the fame penitential vows, the 
fame fupplicatory ftrains of idea, pervade 
the whole four. The very fingular. fact, 
that the author of thefe Pfalms had been 
feized by men in ambufh,as he was walking 
by the way-fide, is repeatedly affertéd, in 
the hundred and fortieth Pfalm (v. 5.) for 
inftance, and in the hundred and forty- 
fecond (v. 3.), to fay nothing of allufions 
lefs direct. ; 
Thete fp; lications were written during 
captivity (cxl. v. 1.) and by the prifoner 
of fome prince; for the troops of the vi- 
olent man are gathered together (v. 2.) 
for war. .They were written by one who 
had been calumniated (v. 3.) who had 
been feized and bound, near the way-fide, 
by men in ambufh (v. 5.) and who had 
himfelf commanded armies (v. 7.).. The 
author appears to have fallen in with ido- 
Jatrous banqueting (cxli. 4.) and to re- 
gret it; he calls his compofition (v. 5.) 
a prayer ; he laments that the bones ot 
his anceftors were dug up and {cattered 
(v. 7.) which fhews that he was of con- 
{picuous, and probably of royal, rank. 
He had been forfaken by his friends 
(cxlii. 4.), brought very low (v. 6.) by 
his ‘perfecutors, and confined in prifon 
(v.'7.), in a dark prifon or catacomb 
(cxlili.3.), where he makes vows for {peed y 
deliverance (v. 7.) and promifes future 
fidelity (v. 12). 
Is it poffible that fo many circum- 
ftances, which, from their peculiar nature, 
can hardly all be true of any two diftingt 
individuals, and which are all true of Ma- 
nafleh fhould occur by accident merely 
in this compofition? Is it not far more 
likely, that we poffefs in the cxlumcxliil, 
MONTHLY Mac, No, 94, 
From the Portfolio of @ Man of Letters. f 
Ss 
15 
Pfalms the original’ Prayer of Manat. 
feh ? 
The CHARACTER and BEHAVIOUR of 
KING WILLIAM, &c &c. &c.—as re- 
prefented in original Letters to the Duke 
of Shrewfbury, from Somers, Halifax; 
Orford, Secretary Vernon, Sc. | 
KING WILLIAM. 
The large grant of lands in Ireland te 
Lady Orkney, 1695, is a public initance 
of the King’s affetion, and the Lady’s 
influence. Before Queen Mary’s death, 
the managements of Elizabeth Villiers 
were important. By two original letters 
of ber’s to Mrs. Lundee, the favourite of 
the Duke of Shrewfbury, it appears the 
undertook te engage him to become Secre~ 
tary of State a fecond time. Lundee 
wrote to Shrewfbury in her name:—-** She 
told me, while J was away, her thoughts 
were employed in fiudying how to oblige 
you. I find there were a great many ad- 
vantageous things detigned for you, to ree 
compenfe the trouble of the feals ; a duke- 
dom and the garter were to have been 
given you immediately.” 
Her influence became naturally fuperior 
‘after the Queen’s death. In order to ftop 
the bill for refuming the Irifh grants, fhe 
promifed the ‘Tories, Lard Somers fhould 
be difmiffed. 
Her brother, Lord Jerfey, was employ- 
ed, at her inftance, though a known and 
profefled Jacobite; and therefore, though 
he was much more faulty than Somers in 
the Partition-treaty, with regard to him . 
the impeachers were filent. i 
On the death of the Duke of Gloucefs 
ter, many were for addrefling the King to 
marry, and a Princefs of Denmark was 
mentioned. Before this, in the beginning 
of 1697, when the King was at the court 
of Bruffells, he coquetted fo much with a 
German Princefs, that it gave occafion to 
an opinion of his having defigns to marry : 
but how abfurd was all this, in a man 
who was incapable of procreation! 
The King’s fuperlative regard and 
fondnefs for.Sunderland are reprefented in 
firong terms. When this Lord (who had 
the art of pleafing, and having an ablo- 
lute influence on, three very different 
princes) firt became intimate with this, . 
his laf{ mafter, does not appear. Alk 
commerce, as a minifter, betwixt them 
ceafed in the latter end ot 1697, or be- 
ginning of 4698. It is certain that he 
voted tor refuming the Irith grants, by 
which the King was much difobhged s 
but, on this occafion, the reafoning was 
4G repeated 
