"De Cœlo et Mundo." Lib. iv. Venetiis. 1480. folio. Reprinted at Paris about the year 1472. It was also reprinted at Nurnberg). "De Generatione et Corruptione." Venetiis. 1480. folio. "De Naturæ et Origine Animæ." Lib. i. "Liber Aggregationis, sive Secretorum de Virtutibus Herbarum, Lapidum, et Animalium." Bologna. 1482 (and printed at Naples, Antwerp, and Venice, under the title of "De Secretis Naturæ "). "Comment. in Aristot. Phys. et Metaphys." "Varii Tractatus parvi de Sensu et Sensato, de Memoria et Reminiscentia." Venetiis. 1519. (These are full of acute metaphysical distinctions, far in advance of the wordy dialectics of his age). "Comment. in Ethic. Aristotelis." Venetiis. 1520. "Herbarum Gemmarum et cum Medicamentis contra Pestem omnia Germania." Francf. 1585. "Philosophia Naturalis." Basil. 1506. "Paradisus Animæ." Armen. 8vo. Venetiis. 1729. Paradise of the Soul." Translation in 12mo. "Sermones XXXII." Cologne. 1503. ("The London. 1682). "Biblia Mariana, in quibus omnia fere quæ in S. Scriptura continentur B. Deiparæ Virgini breviter adaptantur." Col. Agr. 1625. "De Alchimia Libellus." Ex edit. Basil. 1516. "De Virtutibus Animæ, veris et perfectis." "De Secretis Mulierum, de Virtutibus Herbarum, et de Mirabilibus Mundi. Impressus per me, Wilhelmum de Maclinia in opulentissima civitate Londinarium, juxta Pontem qui vulgariter dicitur Flete Brigge. 4to. De Secret. Mulier. et Natu." Amsterdam. 1655. (Translated into English by J. Quincy. London. 1725. "De Adhærendo Deo nudato Intellectu et Effectu et ultima et suprema Perfectione Hominis quantum possibile est." (Folio, without name of printer, place, or date; and duodecimo. Antwerp ap Plant. 1621). A translation into English was made of this work by Sir Kenelm Digby, Knt., and printed in duodecimo. London. 1654. Besides the list of his works occupying twenty-four columns, he is said, and with great probability, to have written many others, among which were treatises on music, gardening, astronomy, mechanics, perspective, and on falcons, hawks, &c. In the library of the British Museum, and deposited within the region of the press-marks Nos. 667. g. and 46 b, will be found the twenty-one ponderous Latin folios of the works of Albertus Magnus, collected by Pierre Jammy, and published at Leyden in 1651. They present a truly formidable appearance in the ancient style in which they are "boarded," or rather we should boxed up in thick worm-eaten planks. The wood presents its natural colour, except that it has the tawney tints say, of time. The precious contents of each volume are secured by two iron fingers, that act as clasping bolts. A pontifical crown, a cardinal's hat, and a mitre, crozier, and triangle, remain visible in half-erased emblazonry of faded gold on the upper boarding of each, together with a fierce heraldic animal, who holds a firebrand in his mouth, while the orb-and-cross is sustained between the forks of the flame. The wall of dense pages is of the colour of duck-weed and soapstone, darkened with indigo and learned dust. Verily every one of those folios has been gravely read in many places, through many pages, and carefully examined throughout in the production of this article, with the labour of unreturning hours, the sufferance of uncounted aches in the student's head, and the breathing of low murmurs of laborious reverence, intervalled with sundry inaudible groans, peradventure not always partaking of the same devout patience. Howbeit, to the adventurous and undaunted reader who may wish to become better acquainted with the writings of Albertus Magnus, we advisedly recommend his special attention to the second folio, which treats of physics, &c.; to the third folio, containing the treatise "De Anima," and the thirteen books on metaphysics; to the sixth folio, in which will be found twenty-six books on animals; and to the nineteenth folio, containing the "Summa de Creaturis," divided into two parts-the first being entitled "De Quatuor Coovis," and the second on "Man." Considering all the circumstances they must be pronounced admirable productions, full of knowledge and good sense, of great variety, and of elaborate learning and labour of research, although perhaps they may not be found "quite refreshing" after a day's study of Hebrew and Syriac. Those who may be curious to obtain a more detailed account of the metaphysics of Albertus, of his philosophy in general, and its most peculiar features, will do well to consult some of the authorities upon which, together with the works of Albertus, this article is built and supported, and which we now give, omitting those which have been previously quoted : "Tiedemann, Geist der speculativen Philosophic,' Marburg 1791. 96. Brucker, 'Hist. Crit. Philos.' t. iii., p. 788-798. Fabricius, 'Bibl. Lat. Med. et Iuf. Ætat.' t. i., lib. 1. 'Eccles. Hist. sive Metrop.' D. Alberti Crantzii. lib. viii., c. 31, and 51. Cave, Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum, Hist. Lit.' vol. ii. Oxon, 1743. Henry of Ghent, De Vir. Illustr. Bibl. Eccles.' Anvers. 1639. Du Pin, Nouv. Biblio. des Aut. Eccles.' t. x., c. 4 (du xiii. siecle), Paris. 1700. Vellurion, Tract.' i., cap. 9, and lib. iii. Phys.' c. 13. Vossius, De Quatuor Artibus.' lib. iii. pp. 62, 95, 362. Amsterdam. 1660. Peter of Prussia, Vita Alberti Magni,' Jöcher's Allgemeines Gelehrten Lexicon,' and Adelung's 6 'Supplement. (For further works of reference see 'Saxii Onomasticon,' pars seconda, p. 303, and Analecta,' p. 564; and Ersch und Gruber; but many of these latter, we confess, we have not examined.)" A good summary view of the works of Albertus Magnus will be found in the "Biographical Dictionary," now in course of publication by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Various sketches of the life of Albertus are in existence, in substantive works, and in works of general reference, nearly all of which are partial views, either making him appear a pretended magician and religious impostor, or else sinking altogether the popular accusations of magic brought against him— the very thing by which alone his name is now commonly known to the world. A comprehensive epitome of his life and writings is a desideratum in our language. The character of Albertus Magnus has sunk in the opinion of modern times very far beneath its just estimate. Considering the general ignorance of his age, the mere list of subjects indi cated by the titles of those works we have selected from his almost interminable list, cannot fail to excite a respectful interest and admiration. He can scarcely be called a man of genius; but he was endowed with a universal aptitude for the acquirement of knowledge. He may also be said to have had a universal appetite for it. His writings were the cyclopædia of his time. He appears to have possessed an extraordinary memory, both of books and things, and to have found more satisfaction in the exercise of a vigorous understanding in the accumulation. and investigation of the facts of natural phenomena, than in dissipating his mind with dialectic subtleties. He had little imagination or inventive power, but great clearness of head in collecting and arranging the materials of knowledge or disquisition. He was indefatigable in his ecclesiastical duties, extremely obliging, but a great disciplinarian. It is told of him, that a certain monk, who had died, having been discovered to have committed a theft, Albertus ordered his body to be exhumed, and expelled from the sacred walls to some other place of interAs a master, he was kind; and, as a friend, sincere and indefatigable. The summary of his character, deduced from a contemplation of the entire course of his life, is, that Albertus Magnus was a great and good man, far in advance of his age. ment. But, it may be asked, did he not really practice some sorts of religious impostures? Did he not do so at some time or other of his life? Were all those extraordinary stories absolutely without any foundation? Our own opinion is that they are all fabrications of the superstition of his time. Let us, however, meet the question on the opposite ground. We will suppose that he did originate the idea of miraculous interventions being made in his favour; and by various chemical and mechanical ingenuities give cause for the opinion that he was in communication with preternatural agency. His period was one of superstition; and we have, therefore, to make the further admission, that in doing what was of frequent occurrence in his day, he had made up his mind to meet the world upon its own terms, and make use of the general weakness, with a view to acquire more influence in teaching-the only use he ever made of any influence he ever possessed. We have next to observe, that his announcement of miraculous interventions, if made at all, appear to have been made on system, because in the first instance he prepared for the last. The Virgin told him, on bestowing the gift of knowledge, that he should, at the close of his days, be deprived of it entirely. When, therefore, at the age of eighty-four, he found that his powers had become enfeebled, and his memory was fast deserting him, he made the most of the very natural fact, by declaring, in a great public assembly, that his memory was suddenly taken away! The deliberate manner in which the old philosopher withdrew from the world and all its labours, and commenced his preparation for death, by no means justifies a feeling of indignation at the possible eccentricity of the circumstances that preceded that retirement. If, then, he really had been guilty of religious imposture, it is plain that he did so with no sinister purpose, or for any worldly advantage, but only as a means (however a mistaken and profane one) of doing good. "Non surrexit post eum (says Trithemius) vir similis ei, qui in omnibus literis, scientiis, et rebus tam doctus, eruditus, et expertus fuerit. Quod autem de Necromantiâ accusatur, injuriam patitur vir Deo dilectus." In conclusion, however, we will merely observe, in form of remonstrance, that the chief cause of this philosopher's, perhaps irremediable, loss of reputation with posterity, is because he is supposed to have been a magician-as if posterity really believed that he had "made a man" which "talked," and that he had changed a day of winter into a day of summer! Or as if posterity, being satisfied that he had indulged in such "impossible practices," had therefore resolved to merge everything else, of however irrelative or opposite a nature, in that one absurdity; and to set down all his mass of writings, and all his long life of benevolent labours, as utterly worthless. 113 ART. VII.-A Scriptural Herbal. By Lady MARIA CALCOTT. London: Longman and Co. 1842. THE Bible so greatly abounds with highly interesting notices of trees, plants, and flowers, that Biblical Botany has attracted considerable attention from a very early period to the present time. In the very elegant and learned treatise now before us, Lady Calcott has noticed many of her predecessors in this pleasant path of enquiry. To those who would pursue this interesting subject still further, we may be rendering good service to mention yet more works of the kind with which we happen to be acquainted through our long attention to Biblical Botany; and this information will be no inappropriate introduction or preface to our review of this most recent publication of the same nature. 66 The first work on this subject was Newton's "Herbal to the Bible," a quarto volume, which appeared in 1587. The next work was a small one by Lemnius, entitled "Herbarum Biblica Explicatio," and published at Frankfort in 1591. In 1725 appeared "An Essay towards a Natural History of the Bible." In 1808, Shaw published two volumes of "Travels in Barbary and the Levant," containing many valuable illustrations of the natural history of the Scriptures, and also of the classic authors. In 1828 was published " A Scripture Natural History," in two volumes, by Esther Hewlet. În 1832, appeared Carpenter's Scripture Natural History;" 1842 brought forth three works of the same class, namely, a volume of Professor Paxton's "Illustrations of Scripture," edited by the Rev. Robert Jamieson, and entirely devoted to sacred natural history; the "Bible Garden," by Joseph Taylor, with numerous illustrations on steel; and the "Bible Cyclopædia," containing botanical notes on the Bible. Mr. John Kitto, editor of the "Pictorial Bible," has done much to elucidate the natural history of the sacred volume. The woodcuts in his "Pictorial Palestine," particularly those relating to botany and zoology, convey more information at a glance, than could be obtained from the whole host of commentaries; and his meteorological notices illustrate countless allusions to atmospheric phenomena, which were favourite illustrations with the inspired teachers of a people that lived much in the open air. En passant, we beg to observe, that the two small volumes entitled "Arboretum Biblicum in quo Arbores et Frutices passim in Scriptura Literis occurentes, Notis Philogicis, Philosophicis, Theologicis, exponuntur, et illustrantur," were published VOL. XIII.-I |