Imprinted A. Crowninfhield, of Bofton, was fold in 1859 for feven hundred and eighty-fix dollars. This, however, must be confidered an extremely moderate price, if we may believe Mr. Henry G. Bohn, who states, in Part VII. of his new edition of Lowndes's Manual (page 1999), that "this volume would, at an auction in America, produce from four to fix thousand dollars"!!! Confidering the fact that Mr. Bohn has had only about "fifty years' active experience as a bookfeller and bibliographer," it may not be, perhaps, improper, to fuggeft that there is a very flight poffibility of his being mistaken in his eftimate of the pecuniary value of this " most rare and most precious" relic of Puritan barbarifm. If, however, we may accept Mr. Bohn's fhrewd statement as unimpeachable truth, how ferene and fweet fhould be the bibliographical ecftafies of the intelligent and fortunate purchaser of the Crowninfhield copy of The Bay Pfalm Book, for the mere wafte-paper price of feven hundred and eighty-fix dollars! "O te, Bolane, cerebri Felicem !" The early history of this remarkable verlated by Cotton Mather, Magnalia, vol. fion of the "Pfalmes in meetre" is thus re i. p. 407: "About the year 1639, the New-English 1 reformers, confidering that their churches enjoyed the other ordinances of Heaven in their fcriptural purity, were willing that THE original work, of which this volume the ordinance of The finging of pfalms,? is an elegant and faithful reprint, has "the fhould be restored among them unto a share honor," according to the Rev. Thomas in that purity. Though they bleffed God Prince," of being the first book printed in for the religious endeavours of them who North America." As the original edition tranflated the Pfalms into the meetre ufuundoubtedly was fmall, copies of it have in ally annexed at the end of the Bible, yet confequence become exceffively rare. In- they beheld in the translation fo many dedeed, it is faid that only four copies of the tractions from, additions to, and variations first impreffion are known to exift; one of of, not only the text, but the very sense of which, in the library of the late Edward the pfalmift, that it was an offence unto them. Refolving then upon a new tranflation, the chief divines in the country took each of them a portion to be tranflated; among whom were Mr. Welds and Mr. Eliot of Roxbury, and Mr. Mather of Dorchefter. Thefe, like the reft, were of so different a genius for their that Mr. poetry, Shepard, of Cambridge, on the occafion addreffed them to this purpose: "You Roxb'ry poets, keep clear of the crime Of miffing to give us very good rhime. And you of Dorchester, your verses lengthen, But with the text's own words, you will them strengthen.' The pfalms thus turned into meetre were printed at Cambridge, in the year 1640" [by Stephen Daye]. After a period of little more than two centuries, a fac-fimile reprint of this curi ous tranflation has been made with eminent propriety and fuccefs, at Cambridge, by Mr. Houghton, one of the most intelligent and skilful printers in this country, for Mr. Charles B. Richardfon, an enterprising publisher and bookseller of this city. The edition, ftrictly limited to fifty copies, was prepared under the aufpices of feveral diftinguished gentlemen of New England, and was published at a subscription price of ten dollars each copy. As the entire edition was taken by the fubfcribers, twenty and even as high as thirty dollars have recently been offered for a fingle copy of it. The following felection from this extraordinary verfion of the Pfalms may ferve as an interesting fpecimen of the tranflators' "genius for poetry," and is alfo curious for its apparently prophetic relevancy to the prefent difordered and "troublous times :" Pfalme 83. A pfalme or fong of Afaph. O God, doe not thou filence keep: o doe not thou refraine thy felfe from speaking, & o God, doe not thou dumbe remaine. 2 For loe, thine enemies that be doe rage tumultuously: & they that haters be of thee have lift the head on hye. 3 Against those that thy people be they crafty counsell take; alfo against thy hidden ones they confultation make. 4 They fayd, left they a nation be, let's cut them downe therefore, that in remembrance Ifr'elfs name may not be any more. 5 For they together taken have 7 The men of Gebal, with Ammon, and Amaleck confpire, the Philiftims, with them that be inhabitants of Tyre. 8 Affyria moreover is conjoyned unto them; (2). 9 As thou didst to the Middianites, fo to them be it done: as unto Sifera & Iabin at the Brook of Kifon 10 Who neere to Endor fuddenly were quite difcomfited: who alfo did become as dung that on the earth is fpred. 11 Like unto Oreb, & like Zeeb make thou their Nobles fall, yea, as Zeba & Zalmunna make thou their Princes all. 12 Who fayd, for our poffeffion Gods houfes let us take. 13 My God, thou like a wheel, like stravy before the winde them make. 14 As fire doth burne a wood, & as 17 Confounded let them ever be, and terriblie troubled : yea, let them be put unto shame, and bee extinguished. as you knowe my condigne merites, for fuche a compendious liuyng. But now I relinquifhe to fatigate your intelligence with 18 That men may know; that thou whofe name any more friuolous verbofitie, and there IEHOVAH is only, art over all the earth throughout advanced the most high.. "An Enkeborne Letter." THE following curious fpecimen of the art of letter-writing in the fixteenth century is copied from THOMAS WILSON'S ARTE OF RHETORIQUE, for the ufe of all fuche as are ftudious of Eloquence. (Sm. 4to, black letter, London, M.D.LIIL, fol. 87, 88.) fore he that rules the climates be euermore your beautreux, your fortreffe, and your bulwarke. Amen." Notes and Queries. HENRY FRANCISCO. G. R. B. A LATE number of The Philobiblion contains an extract from a French publica"Ponderyng, expendyng, and reuolu- tion refpecting Henry Francifco, who died tyng with my self your ingent affabilitee, near the head of Lake Champlain, about and ingenious capacitee, for mundane af forty years fince, at the advanced age of faires, I cannot but celebrate and extolle one hundred and thirty-five. The inquiry your magnificall dexteritee, aboue all other, of your correfpondent for further informaFor how could you haue adepted fuche il- tion refpecting this individual can be anluftrate perogatiue, and dominicall fuperi- fwered by reference to page 183 of the fecoritee, if the fecunditee of your ingenie had ond edition of SILLIMAN's Tour from Hartnot been so fertile, and wounderfull preg- ford to Quebec, in 1819. It is probable naunt? Now therefore beeyng accerfited that the French notice was taken from Proto fuche fplendent renoume, and dignitee feffor Silliman's, which is very interefting. fplendidious, I doubt not but you will adiuuate fuche poore adnichilate orphanes as whilome ware condifciples with you, and of antique familiaritie in Lincolne fhire. I have seen somewhere the following noAmong whom I beeying a Scholafticall panion, obteftate your fublimitee to extolle ble paffage afcribed to Lord Bacon; but I myne infirmitee. There is a facerdotall have not been able to find it in his works. dignitee in my natiue countrey, contiguate I fhall be greatly obliged if you, or any of to me, where I now contemplate, whiche your correfpondents, will please inform me your worshipfull benignitee, could fone im- where it may be found. petrate for me, if it would like you to extend your fcedules, and collaude me in "We, for our part at leaft, overcome by them to the right honorable lorde Chaun- the eternal love of Truth, have committed cellor, or rather Archigrammatian of Eng- ourselves to uncertain, steep, and desert lande. You knowe my literature, you tracks, and trufting and relying on divine knowe my pastorall promocion, I obteftate affistance, have borne up our mind against your clemencie to inuigilate thus muche the violence of opinions, drawn up as it for me, accordyng to my confidence, and were in battle array, against our own inter QUOTATION WANTED, NEW HAVEN. G. W. L. nal doubts and fcruples, against the mifts the infernal malignity of her murderer is and clouds of Nature, and against fancies recorded for his punishment in a future flitting on all fides around us; that we world. He died of a debauch, when he might at length collect fome more truftwor- ought to have died by the halter], &c.— thy and certain indications for the living S. P."" and pofterity." [G. W. L. will find the paffage in Lord Bacon's Preface to the Novum Organum. See Bacon's Works, vol. xiv. p. 10, Montagu's edition, London (Pickering), 1831.] T. HESHUSIUS, SEXCENTI ERRORE, &c. Meffrs. PHILES & Co. haye ready for the Mr. Henry G. Bohn, in his new edition prefs, and are now taking fubfcriptions for, of Lowndes's Manual (Part VII. p. 1787), a reprint of The Paradife of Dayntie Deftates in a note on the Catalogue of the vifes. The text of this edition is taken Library of Dr. Samuel Parr, that "a few from the reprint of 1810, edited by Sir Edcopies, not more than fix, have feveral gerton Brydges. The biographical notes leaves afterwards cancelled, on account of have been prepared exprefly for this edipaffages thought by Dr. Parr's executors to tion, ufing Brydges' as a bafis, but incorbe improper. Among the cancelled paf- porating much information that has been fages were thefe: at page 55, a note ap- brought to light fince his edition was issued. pended to HESHUSIUS T. Sexcenti Er- This edition will be printed in small quarto, rore pleni Blafphemus, &c.' 'Dr. Parr in the beft ftyle of art, upon India paper, read this book carefully. He found in it and is limited to 500 copies, as follows: often what feemed to him errors of the Church of Rome, but no one doctrine he 400 on small paper, at $2.00 each. would venture to call blafphemous. In the 100 on large paper, at 4.00 each. late controverfy with the Romanists, he was At these prices, copies will be furnished fhocked to find this word in the writings to fubfcribers only; and as foon as they are of English Proteftants; and he would fet a fupplied, the prices will be raised to $2.50 mark of the very strongest reprobation upon for the fmall-paper copies, and $5.00 for the word as applied by Barrington, the con- the large-paper copies. Meffrs. Philes & temptible Bishop of Durham, to the facra- Co. propofe to make this reprint of The mental tenets of the Romanifts.-S. P."" Paradife of Dayntie Devifes the first volAt page 486, after Fenwick's Observa- ume of a series of reprints of scarce collections,' &c., the paffage within brackets: tions of old English poetry, The next 'I hold with the utmoft confidence that volume in the feries will be "ENGLAND'S Elizabeth Fenning was innocent, [and that HELICON," |