by way of honour, even after her death? Or may she not have been still alive at the time of her son's mission to Egypt, and then received this name?-At any rate, this single name, whencesoever it be derived, or whensoever it were given, cannot stand as a proof that the name Jebovah was known priorly to Moses, against so positive a testimony as that of the passage in Exodus which gave rise to this discussion.'

From the names employed in the Hebrew Scriptures to express the Deity, we shall pass to the great work of Creation recorded in Genesis. Dr. G. comments on each detail, and then' takes a very bold retrospective view of the whole proceeding :

We can hardly avoid seeing, that design, premeditated design, characterises every part of it: and that of all the cosmogonies that could be devised, it is the best calculated to impress on the minds of a gross, carnal people, the great truths which its composer meant to inculcate; and to enforce obedience to laws and rites, principally founded on those truths.

Do I believe, then, that the narrative of Genesis is not a literally true narration? or that it is in all, or many of its parts, a pure allegory? I believe neither the one nor the other: I believe it to be a most beautiful mythos, or philosophical fiction, contrived with great wisdom, dressed up in the garb of real history, adapted, as I have said, to the shallow intellects of a rude barbarous nation; and perfectly well calculated for the great and good purposes for which it was contrived; namely, to establish the belief of one supreme God and Creator, in opposition to the various and wild systems of idolatry which then prevailed; and to enforce the observance of a periodical day, to be chiefly devoted to the service of that Creator, and the solacing repose of his creatures.'

With equal ingenuousness and courage, the author delivers his sentiments on the picture given in Genesis of the Paradisaical

state:

We are told, that an abode, suitable to man's dignity, had been previously prepared for him; a paradise, or garden of pleasure, in which was every plant that could please the eye, or gratify the taste; and in the midst of the garden, a tree, called the "tree of life;" and another called the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”The fruit of this last tree man is forbidden to taste, under pain of immediate death, or at least of immediate mortality but he may eat with freedom of all the rest.-A convention of all the terrestrial and aerial animals is now assembled by God, and presented to Adam ; to whom he sagely gives appropriate appellations; but, in his survey of their natures and qualities, he finds no animal like himself. God sees his disappointment and distress; pities his solitary condition; throws him into a deep sleep; extracts one of his ribs, and fashions it into the form of a woman. This beauteous form Adam, on awaking, views with rapture, acknowledges to be his own counterpart; and, informed (no doubt by God) whence she had been taken, he exclaims: "This, now, is bone of my own bone, and flesh of my

Own

own flesh! WOMAN let her be called; since out of MAN she was taken."

Religious, but intelligent reader! wert thou to read all this in any book but the Bible, what wouldest thou think? Wouldest not thou think, and say, "It is a pretty poetical tale;" and rank it in thine own mind with the metamorphoses of Ovid?-Well, let me ask, What reason hast thou to believe that it may not be a poetical tale, even in the Bible? Are there no such tales there? Is every Bible-narrative literally true? He will be a hardy man, I think, who shall dare to affirm it.'

The Prophecy in the xlixth chapter of Genesis is not regarded by Dr. G. as the real composition of Jacob, but of some Hebrew bard, who lived posterior to Joshua, perhaps posterior to David. He affords it, however, particular attention; and to Verse 10, on which so much labour has been bestowed, from its having been supposed to refer to our Saviour, he affixes an elaborate note. Part of it, on the word 'SHILOH, we shall transcribe:

Without any refinement or straining of in its certain, acknowledged, acceptation.

the word, I take Whether it be written

I
am
not
much

concerned : although I שלו or שילה שלה

am inclined to think that the last is the true reading; because it was that of almost all the Ant. versions: and because it is here in the masculine gender; as in Job, 20, 20. Yet all, the Sam. copies with 38 Heb. Mss. and one printed edition have

which, as is radical, may also be a masculine. The word is in some other places written ; and once, Prov. 1. 32. with a feminine verb. Making then the nominative to, I render it peaceful prosperity; and refer it to that period when, "the land being at rest," the Tabernacle was set up at Shiloh; which, doubtless, had its name from this very circumstance. Every part of the benediction is now clear, and conforms to the rules of grammar. The harsh ellipsis is done away: the common signification of every term is preserved; and the whole is a beautiful prayer or prophecy, adapted to actual events and occurrences relative to the tribe of Judah.. I say prayer or prophecy, because the words may be considered either as precative or predictive: and perhaps "May the sceptre, &c." would be a more proper version than "The sceptre shall not, &c." Jacob then wishes, or foretels, that Judah shall not be without a patriarchal sceptre-wielding chief, until the Israelites be put in possession of the promised land, and enjoy peace and prosperity. A similar wish is expressed by the good old man in ver. 18. O Lord! from thee I wait for salvation!" which I am inclined to think stood originally in ver. 10. and made a part of the benediction of Judah. See Explan. Note.-Be this as it may, the whole tenor of the benediction leads to the meaning which I have given.

But what, then, becomes of the Messiah? Become of him what will, I confess I cannot here find a vestige of him; nor did the Messiah himself, nor any of his apostles or evangelists, apply this text to him; which is wonderful indeed, if they looked upon it as appli

cable:

cable they who apply to him so many other Texts, which can, at most, refer to him in only a secondary and tralatitious sense. In Abp. Secker's MS. Notes I found an observation so judicious on this subject, that I cannot withhold it from my readers." If the Messiah (says he) be here promised to spring-from Judah, how could God propose to destroy Israel, and make a nation of Moses?" Exod. 32. 10. and Deut. 9. 14 - 14. 12. And, indeed, if this divine menace had taken place, the Messiah would not have sprung from Judah, but from Levi: although he would still have been the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to whom the promise is every where else supposed to have been made.'

In examining the narrative of the plagues of Egypt, the Hebrew historian is very roughly treated by his present commentator; whose concluding remark will sufficiently evince the spirit and tendency of the whole discussion:

Such were the famous plagues of Egypt, as they are related by the Hebrew historian: which narration, with all the concomitant circumstances, if any unfettered mind can really and literally believe, I will only say that it is far, very far, removed from scepticism.

Is the story then entirely without foundation? Perhaps not. While Moses and Aaron were soliciting the Egyptian king for leave to go with the Israelites into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God; but in reality to escape altogether from their tyrannical masters; it might very well happen that an extraordinary exundation of the Nile should' take place, and be followed with an uncommon brood of frogs, gnats, and other most troublesome animals; a tremendous hail, a prodigious flight of locusts, an unusual darkness, and finally a ravaging pestilence, and all these calamities might, in the course of nine months or so, have succeeded one another; and been, in a great measure, the consequences of the first calamity, too great an overflow of turbid water: but that those events happened exactly according to the Scripture-relation, it requires great faith, or rather great credulity, to believe. It will be said, "Is there any thing here beyond the power of God?"-What is, or what is not, beyond the power, of God, I profess not to know: his omnipotence is beyond my very limited comprehension. The power of God, for aught I know, may be able to convert water into blood, and dust into flies: but that it did so on any particular occasion, and with circumstances similar to those which are said to have accompanied the prodigies operated in Egypt by the rod or hand of Moses; testimonies beyond all exception, and amounting almost to demonstration, would be required to produce a rational belief. Our faith is always in proportion to the motives of credibility; and, when these are weak, our faith must necessarily be feeble: we cannot believe without conviction, nor disbelieve with conviction. Now I ask what motives of credibility have we to believe that the plagues of Egypt were a continued chain of supernatural causes, operating in the manner related in the Book of Exodus?-Why, because the Book of Exodus is a part of the Hebrew Scriptures, and all that is written in the Hebrew Scriptures is the infallible word of God!-This surely is a short

and

and peremptory answer: but on what is it founded? On an assumed hypothesis, which has not yet been proved; and which, in my poor apprehension, can never be proved.-At any rate, until this proof be brought forward with all the force of convincing evidence, we may, without the merited imputation of impiety or infidelity, doubt of these and many other facts contained in the Hebrew Scriptures; and examine into their general veracity or probability, by the same rules and criteria with which we examine the writings of other nations. But this subject will be treated on more at length in its proper place.'

Here the author refers to his General Preface, which we shall never have the opportunity of perusing.

The passage of the Red Sea, and the awful appearance on Mount Sinai, are by this critic divested of all miracle; in the former case, he supposes that Moses availed himself of the tide, and in the latter of a thunder-storm. By such methods of explanation, many difficulties are certainly obviated, but at the expence of the Divine Legation of Moses. It was indeed the object of Dr. G. to destroy the sacred reverence with which the Jewish Legislator has been viewed; and to allow him no other rank than belongs to him as a great and wise man.

It is impossible that a commentator of the above complexion can be generally acceptable; and so perilous an attempt must necessarily be attended with many failures: but by this kind of examination, truth is likely to be benefited, and the text of Scripture to be purified and explained.

For our account of Dr. Geddes's Translation, see M. R. Vols. xi. p. 298, and xxv. p. 405. N. S.

ART. X. Sketches of some of the Southern Counties of Ireland, collected during a Tour in the Autumn 1797. In a Series of Letters. By G. Holmes. 8vo. 9s. Boards. Longman and Co.

D URING the autumn which preceded the late unhappy and blood-stained events in Ireland, Mr. Holmes made a tour through some of its southern counties, and communicated the result of his observations in these letters to a friend; which are now published, not from motives of vanity, but from the laudable wish to awaken the curiosity of others. There can be little doubt, indeed, that Ireland contains an ample field to excite the attention of the traveller, whether his genius incline to political speculations, to researches into antiquity, or to subjects of natural philosophy.

Mr. Holmes begins by regretting, as other tourists in Ireland have done before him, that this interesting country should be so little known to the people of England; and that while they

eagerly

eagerly seek for information respecting the most distant quarters of the globe, our sister island is neglected and forgotten. We trust, however, that this subject of regret will shortly cease; and that the united kingdoms will become better acquainted with each other's merits, and be induced to cultivate such mutual intercourse and relations of amity as may contribute to the happiness and prosperity of both.

Although the part of Ireland, which Mr. Holmes describes, has been visited by former tourists; we meet in this volume with a more minute and interesting description of local scenery than we happen to have seen in other publications. The language sometimes approaches to poetical: but we have frequently detected inaccuracies and provincial idioms such as

having rode,' lay for lie, one will, hard by, &c. &c.-The reader will be pleased with the description of Ross castle on Ross island, in the Lake of Killarney, and of the author's tour on the Lake:

Ross castle stands on this island, formerly the seat of O'Donoghoe Ross, one of the most ancient families in this county. It lies close to the water side, beautifully backed by wood, which covers almost the whole of the island; the banks, in most places, are hid by thick and hanging foliage. The castle is now in tolerable repair, having a garrison, with a governor appointed for it, upon the establishment. In the year 1641, it was held by Lord Muskerry, against the English, commanded by Ludlow, with Lord Broghil and Sir Hardrest Waller, who besieged it with four thousand infantry, and two hundred cavalry; it was surrendered upon capitulation. Having embarked and taken on board two men with horns, and two small pieces of cannon, we stretched across the lower lake, to the base of Glenaá mountain, where we deposited our provisions in the cottage; and shaping our course towards the upper lake, we entered between the two mountains of Glenaá and Turc, a narrow canal, or river, which issues from the upper to the lower lake. Here the most widely diversified scenery unfolds itself, that the enthusiastic imagination can conceive. The rugged and precipitate base of Ture, contrasted with the opposite richly wooded sides of Glenaá, whose romantic groves, falling to the waves, cast a deep and solemn shade around; whilst on the other side, rock piled on rock, flung in wild confusion along the banks, covered with crawling ivy, and from their interstices, bursting numerous shrubs, in flower, and bearing fruit; quickly the scene would change; the mountains retire suddenly and leave us in a plain, of perhaps three hundred yards in breadth; the green lawn spotted with groups of oak, holly, and wild ash; again the hills approach, and environ us with dark precipices and nodding woods; awhile the course seems lost, we are suspended in doubt; till turning short, we penetrate a deep and gloomy shade, hid from the blaze of day by the umbrageous arms of the trees, which, interwoven together, form an impervious canopy. Once more we are launched into an amphitheatre of lofty rocks, clad with countless REV. AUG. 1803.

Cc

shrubs