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Greek Idioms, exhibited by felect Paffages from the best Au thors, with English Notes, and a parfing Index. By the Rev. William Neilfon, D. D. M. R. I. A. 5s.

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ACKNOW.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We are much obliged to a friend who fent us a critique, with his name fubfcribed, which, under thefe circumstances, we should willingly have a lopted, had not the work been pre-occupied, as he will fee in the prefent number.

We are obliged to Crito for his intimation. If he knew how many things of the fame fort are conftantly offering themselves to our notice, he would not wonder at the cafual delay or even omiflion of one. We truft, however, that we shall recollect his hint.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

The account of Alexander the Great, which Sir William Oufely had been for fome time preparing, will not now be completed till after his return from Perfia, when it will doubtless be enriched by many original documents from the Eaft.

His intended work on the Geography of Perfia will expe rience the fame delay, but probably a ftill greater.accefiion of value and importance.

Mr. Collinfon's Analysis of Hooker's Ecclefiaftical Polity will be published in a few days.

Archdeacon Nares's two volumes of Effays, and other occa fional compofitions, chiefly reprinted, will also appear in a few days.

A new edition of Ben Jonfon's Works, with additional Notes and Illuftrations, by Mr. William Gifford, is in the Prefs.

ERRATU M.

P. 453, read the note thus: "The Rev. John, in a differtation prefixed to King on the Origin of Evil." The middle words Teem to have been dropped out at the prefs.

8

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For JUNE, 1810.

Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ἀεὶ χρῆναι ἕν γέ τι μανθάνειν-καὶ νεώτερον ὄντα καὶ πρεσβύτερον ἵνα ὡς πλεῖται ἐν τῷ βίῳ μάθη. PLATO in Ερασαις.

My opinion is, that young and old fhould always be learning fomething, that the fum of their acquirements throughout life may be as great as poffible.

1

ART. I. Paganism and Chriftianity compared. In a Courfe of Lectures to the King's Scholars at Westminster, in the Years 1806-7-8. By John Ireland, D.D. late of Oriel College, Oxford, Prebendary and Sub-Dean of Westminster. 8vo. 426 pp. 10s. 6d. Murray. 1809.

IT

T has been objected, without any found reafon, to our public fchools, that they teach too much of Pagan and too little of Chriftian theology. This calumny, which was vigorously repelled by the Dean of Weftminfter, in his celebrated tract in defence of Public Education *, is here further counteracted by the appearance of an able and learned work, written exprefsly for the inftruction of the Scholars on the Royal Foundation at Weftminster. Its object is to illuftrate the Chriftian and expofe the Pagan theology; to fhow that Chriftianity has in truth, according to St. Paul, "the promife of the life that now is, and of that which is to come;" and that the pretences of the Pagan teachers to the one or the other were perfectly vain and futile.

This work was compoled for a Lecture appointed by the

* See Brit. Crit. vol. xviii. p. 657.

N n

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXV. JUNE, 1810.

Statutes

Statutes of the Church at Weftminster, which has before produced two eftimable works, Dr. Heylin's Lectures on lefect parts of St. Matthew, publifhed in 1749, and Dr. Joha Blair's Lectures on the Canon of the Scriptures, published in 1785. The Lectures appear by the Statute to have been defigned to be open; but, for many years paft, have been attended only by the King's Scholars of Weltminster, who are regularly conducted to them at the ftated times. Dr. Ireland having laid down the fubilance of his Lectures in his Preface, with more precifion than any other person can give it for him, we shall flate it in his own words.

"The fubject is chiefly historical, and divides itself into two parts. The event which ferves as the foundation of the whole, is the capture of Rome by Alarick, in the beginning of the fifth century. Out of this arifes, in the first part, a defence of the Character of the Church against the flanders of Paganism. The true caufes of the decay of the Empire are contrafted with the falfe; the impotence of the Heathen deities, to whom the profperity of Rome had been attributed, is expofed in the argu. ments employed by the ancient apologifts of the Faith; and the beneficial tendency of the Gofpel is afferted, in its connection with the condition of man in the prefent life. This part may therefore be called a Vindication of the civil Character of Chrif. tianity in the Roman empire, during the first four centuries.

"The fecond part is employed in difcuffing the opinions of the Pagans concerning the worship of a Deity, and the purfuit of happiness, as it was prefcribed by the philofophical fects. It may be termed a view of mythological and moral notions, as they are oppofed to the everlasting promifes of the Gofpel; and it contains an examination of fome of the more eminent fyftems of theology, and the fummum bonum, which prevailed in the Hea then world." P. vi.

But this, as the author obferves, is not the whole of what the fubject demands, and we fee with pleasure, that the part which remains will form the topic of another, course of Lectures, which is thus promised.

-

"However, left it should be objected, that only half my tafk is accomplished, and that the refutation of Paganism is not the proof of Revelation; nè quifquam nos aliena tantum redar guiffe, non autem noftra afferuiffe reprehendat *; a determination has been already taken to begin another courfe of Lectures, which thall look to this as their principal object; defcribe, in a regular manner, the fcheme of Revelation; and imprefs more fully on the young hearers its doctrines and its duties." P. viii.

"Auguft. Retract. lib. ii. c. 43."

The

The only objection likely to be made to the part of this plan now executed, is, that it is employed in proving that which at the prefent day does not require any proof, the fuperiority of the Chriftian Revelation to the fuperftitions of the Pagan religion. But as Dr. Ireland has managed his plan, it leads firft to a view of the hiftory of Chriftianity in the earlieft ages of the church, the objections and calumnies of the heathens, and the triumphant anfwers and refutation of them by the Chriftian apologifts. It leads Hext to a view of the best attempts towards rational theology which were made by the ancients; to a detail of the system of Varro, the great authority of the Romans, in all its parts; to a view of the theology of Plato; his reafonings concerning the immortality of the foul; the notions of antiquity on the fubject of creation; and the fpeculations of the philofophers refpecting the Chief Good of Man. thefe must be acknowledged to be topics highly inftructive, and likely to be in general interefting to young men engaged in a courfe of claffical Audy; and when we add that the lecturer in every inftance clearly states the true doctrine of Chriftianity, on the points which heathen fagacity was per fectly unable to elucidate, it muß be confefled, that the ohjection falls to the ground; and appears to be, if not furile in itself, at least fufficiently obviated by the care and conduct of the author. The objection was not indeed overlooked by him, and he has ftated it, with his general anfwer, in the following terms:

All

"The argument that the deities of Pagan Rome were the beftowers of temporal happiness, and that the calamities which befel the empire in its later age, were occafioned by the civil eftablishment of Chriftianity, has been refuted by an appeal to history. The veil which covered from the eyes of the people the earlier difafters of the ftate, was removed by the advocates of the Gofpel. From their diligence and zeal, therefore, came the defcription of the vices and growing miferies of Rome, while yet idolatrous; while, as Auguftin remarks, her fuperftitions were in their fulleft maintenance; while her priesthood was pub. licly honoured, and the mingled odours of garlands and Sabean frankincenfe afcended from the altars of her gods *. This per haps might be deemed fufficient for the vindication of the Gospel. But, not content with this, the Christian writers laboured to ex

"Quando illa mala fiebant, calebant are numinum Sahæo thure fertifque recentibus halabant; clarebant facerdotia, fana Renidebant; facrificabatur, lud-batur, furebatur in templis. Civ. Dei. lib. iii. c. 3+.”

Nn 2

Fofe