in a long differtation, honestly endeavours to restore it to the Conqueror. He examines with care Mr. Colebrooke's arguments, and while he answers them, takes notice of other miftakes in regard to nummulary affairs. After thefe animadverfions, he concludes his memoir, by applauding the account Mr. Colebrooke has given of the method they formerly took in making their dyes *. The time when clocks were first made, is a curious fubject of enquiry, and is here purfued by the Hon. Daines Barrington. He obferves, that Dante is the firft author who mentions an orologio which ftruck the hour. Earlier inftances of horologia, mentioned in different treatifes, might be produced; but as the word is indeterminate, fignifying a dial or a clock, he confiders Dante as the highest authority to which striking clocks can decifively be traced. Dante died in 1321; and it is concluded, that these measurers of time could not have been very uncommon in Italy, at the latter end of the thirteenth century. But their use was not confined to Italy at this period; for we had, Mr. Barrington remarks, one of these artifts in England, precifely about the fame time, who furnished the famous clockhoufe, near Weftminster-Hall, with a clock to be heard by the courts of law, out of a fine impofed on the Chief Justice of thing's-Bench, in the fixteenth year of Edward I. or A. D. 1288. This gentleman farther produces a proof, that not only clocks but watches were made in the beginning of the fourteenth century. Seven or eight years ago, he tells us, fome labourers were employed at Bruce-Caftle, in Fife-fhire, where they found a watch, together with fome coin, both of which they disposed of to a fhopkeeper of St. Andrews, who fent the watch to his brother in London, confidering it as a curious piece of antiquity. The outer cafe is of filver, raised, in rather a handsome pattern, over a ground of blue enamel, and Mr. Barrington thinks he can diftinguish a cypher of R. B. at each corner of the enchafed work. On the dial-plate is written, Robertus B. Rex Scotorum, and over it is a convex transparent horn, instead of the glasses we use at present. Robert Bruce, to whom this watch may, without much doubt, be referred, began his reign in 1305, and died in 1328. A furvey of Nonfuch House and Park cum pertinentiis, A. D. 1650, is taken from the original in the Augmentation Office. It is a curiofity, as giving us a view of the state of this place at that time, which was percell of the poffeffions & joynture lands of Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I.' But it will not properly admit of extracts or farther account, only we may obferve, that the furveyors fay that the materials of the faid man. Vid. Rev. vol. lvii. p. 265. fion fion-houfe, and other buildings, fhould they be taken down, are worth, exclufive of the charge of taking down the fame, the fum of 7020 1. This volume concludes by a fhort fupplement to the Prefident's Article, giving an account of fome antiquities found near the Tower of London. This fupplement prefents us with a pretty engraving of an elegant little crown, of the finest gold, having four ftrawberry leaves placed on the fillet, in each of which are set three small pearls," with an emerald in the center: round the center are placed eight fmall pearls, four rough rubies, and four emeralds, a ruby under the center of each leaf, and an emerald under each intermediate point. It is fuppofed to have been intended to adorn the head of a small statue of the Virgin Mary, or fome other faint which had been placed in an oratory, or private chapel. We have thus laid before our Readers a brief account of the feveral papers of which this volume confifts. The book will afford fome agreeable entertainment, and much information, for those who have any taste for ftudies of this kind;-studies which certainly merit the regard of all who do not think an acquaintance with The History of the Rife and Progress of Human Societies an ufelefs attainment. H. ART. III. Conclufion of our Account of the Bishop of London's ISAIAH.' See Review for March, 1779. O UR learned Prelate's defcription of the nature and different kinds of Hebrew poetry is fo curious, and, at the fame time, fo new to the generality of our Readers, that we have thought ourselves amply juftified in affigning three Articles to that fubject. Having, however, already afforded fo much room to this important publication, our account of the remainder of it muft neceffarily be shortened. In the latter part of the Preliminary Differtation, the Bishop points out the firft and principal bufinefs of a tranflator, which is, to give the plain, literal, and grammatical fenfe of his author; the obvious meaning of his words, phrases, and sentences. Whatever indulgence may be allowed him in other refpects, the want of fidelity admits of no excufe, and is intitled to no indulgence. It being then a tranflator's indifpenfable duty faithfully and religioufly to exprefs the fenfe of his author, he ought to take great care that he proceed upon juft principles of criticifm, in a rational method of interpretation; and that the copy from which he translates be accurate and perfect in itfelf, or corrected as carefully as poffible by the best authorities, and on the cleareft refult of critical inquiry. Among Among other obftructions to the right interpretation of the fcriptures of the Old Testament, a progrefs in the ftudy of these writings hath been greatly impeded by prejudice, and an illfounded opinion of the authority of the Jews, both as interpreters and confervators of them. Here Dr. Lowth takes occafion to condemn the fervile regard that hath been paid to the Maforetic punctuation, which is in effect no more than an interpretation of the Hebrew text made by the Jews of late ages, probably not earlier than the eighth century; and which may be confidered as their tranflation of the Old Teftament. Another prejudice, which has ftood in the way, and obftructed our progrefs in the true understanding of the Old Testament, is the notion that has prevailed of the great care and skill of the Jews in preferving the text, and tranfmitting it down to the present times, pure and intirely free from all mistakes as it came from the hands of the authors. In oppofition to this opinion, the Bishop confiders the fources of the variations in the ancient copies; and with regard to the real condition of the present Hebrew text, concludes it to be fuch, as from the nature of the thing, the antiquity of the writings themselves, and the want of due care, or critical skill, might in all reafon have been expected. The mistakes are frequent, and of various kinds; of letters, words, and fentences; by variation, omiffion, tranfpofition; fuch as often injure the beauty and elegance, embarrass the conftruction, alter or obfcure the fenfe, and fometimes render it quite unintelligible. If it be objected that fo large a conceffion tends to invalidate the authority of fcripture, our ingenious Writer thinks that this is a vain and groundless apprehenfion. Cafual errors, fays he, may blemish parts, but do not destroy, or much alter the whole. If the Iliad or the Eneid had come down to us with more errors in all the copies than are to be found in the worft Manufcript now extant of either; without doubt many particular paffages would have loft much of their beauty, in many the fenfe would have been greatly injured, in fome rendered wholly unintelligible; but the plan of the Poem in the whole and in its parts, the Fable, the Mythology, the Machinery, the Characters, the great conftituent parts, would ftill have been vifible and apparent, without having fuffered any effential diminution of their greatness. Of all the precious remains of antiquity, perhaps Ariftotle's Treatife on Poetry is come down to us as much injured by time as any: as it has been greatly mutilated in the whole, fome confiderable members of it being loft; fo the parts remaining have fuffered in proportion, and many paffages are rendered very obfcure, probably by the imperfection and frequent miftakes of the copies now extant. Yet, notwithstanding thefe difadvantages, this treatife, fo much injured by time and fo mutilated, till continues to be the great Code of Criticifm; the fundamental principles of which are plainly deducible from it: we still have recourfe to it for the rules and laws of Epic and and Dramatic Poetry, and the imperfection of the Copy does not at all impeach the authority of the Legislator. Important and fundamental doctrines do not wholly depend on fingle paffages; an univerfal harmony runs through the Holy Scriptures; the parts mutually fupport each other, and fupply one another's deficiencies and obfcu rities. Superficial damages and partial defects may greatly diminish the beauty of the edifice, without injuring its ftrength, and bringing on utter ruin and destruction.' The copies of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Teftament being then fubject, like all other ancient writings, to mistakes arifing from the unfkilfulness or inattention of transcribers, it is to be confidered what remedy can be applied in this cafe; how fuch mistakes can be corrected upon certain or highly probable grounds. Now the cafe being the fame, the method, which has been used with good effect in correcting ancient Greek and Latin authors, ought, in all reafon, to be applied to the Hebrew writings. This and the other methods pursued by Dr. Lowth, in the prefent work, are here fully explained; and he is very particular in acknowledging his obligations to his learned friends, efpecially to Dr. Kennicott. Though the Bishop hath ventured to call this a new transla tion, he observes, that much of our vulgar tranflation is retained in it, and he affigns unanswerable reasons to fhew, that taking too great liberties in varying either the expreffion or the compofition, in order to give a new air to the whole, would be apt to have a very bad effect. Accordingly, our Author is of opinion, that, whenever it shall be thought proper to set forth the Holy Scriptures, for the public ufe of the Church, to better advantage than as they appear in the present English tranflation (the expediency of which grows every day more and more evident), a revifion or correction of that tranflation may perhaps be more advisable, than to attempt an entirely new one. For as to the ftyle, it admits but of little improvement; but, in refpect of the fenfe, and the accuracy of the interpretation, the improvements of which it is capable are great and numberless.In these remarks, we entirely agree with our worthy Prelate. The defign of the Notes is to give the reasons and authorities on which this tranflation is founded; to rectify or to explain the words of the text; to illuftrate the ideas, the images and the allufions of the prophet, by referring to objects, notions, and cuftoms, which peculiarly belong to his age and country; and to point out the beauties of particular paffages. Sometimes, indeed, our Right Reverend Author tells us that he endeavours to open the defign of the prophecy, to fhew the connection between its parts, and to point out the event which it foretels. But, in general, all that he undertakes, is faithfully to express the literal fenfe. If the Reader would go deeper into the mystical sense, into theological, historical, and chronolo gical difquifitions, there are many learned expofitors to whom he may have recourse, who have written full commentaries on this prophet; to which title, fays his Lordfhip, the prefent work has no pretenfions. The fublime and fpiritual ufes to be made of this peculiarly evangelical prophet, must be all founded on a faithful reprefentation of the literal fenfe which his words contain. This is what I have endeavoured closely and exactly to exprefs. And within the limits of this humble, but neceffary, province, my endeavours must be confined.' We cannot, however, avoid expreffing our fincere regret that the Bishop did not extend his views much farther; and we muft acknowledge that in this refpect we have been difappointed. It is, no doubt, of great confequence to have an accurate and elegant tranflation of Ifaiah, accompanied with fuch notes as are described above. But it is of much greater import to have the design of the prophecies in the Book of Ifaiah fully opened, and the events they predict precifely and clearly ascertained; and especially that this fhould be done, with regard to those prophecies which relate, or are fuppofed to relate, to the Meffiah, and the times of the gofpel. Notwithstanding the labours of former commentators, there is ftill room for much useful and important criticifin upon these heads; and from whom was it to be expected, if not from the Bishop of London ? As a fpecimen of this excellent work, we fhall infert the tranflation, with the notes, of the fourteenth chapter of Ifaiah, being part of the prophet's fublime oracle concerning Babylon: For JEHOVAH will have compaffion on Jacob, 2 And will yet choose Ifrael. And he shall give them reft upon their own land: And the ftranger fhall be joined unto them, And shall cleave unto the houfe of Jacob. And the nations fhall take them, and bring them into their own place; And the houfe of Jacob fhall poffefs them in the land of JE HOVAH, As fervants, and as handmaids : And they shall take them captive, whofe captives they were; 1. And will yet choose Ifrael.] That is, will ftill regard Ifrael as his chofen people; however he may feem to defert them, by giving them up to their enemies, and fcattering them among the nations. Judah is fometimes called Ifrael: fee Ezek. xiii. 16. Malach. i. 1. ii. 11. but the name of Jacob, and of Ifrael, used apparently with defign in this place; each of which names includes the twelve Tribes; and the other circumfiances mentioned in this and the next verse, which did not in any complete fenfe accompany the return from the captivity of Babylon; feem to intimate, that this whole prophecy extends its views beyond that event. 3 And |