for reading Cicero; or else it was a fantasm bred by the feaver which had then seis'd him.] It was to deter the high descended Eustochium from reading the writers of pagan Rome, as a sinful occupation, that St. Jerome related to his favourite Disciple this dream of his sick bed. After asking her, “Quid "facit cum Psalterio Horatius? cum Evangeliis "Maro? cum Apostolo Cicero?" he proceeds, "Referam tibi meæ infelicitatis historiam. Quum "ante annos plurimos domo, parentibus, sorore, "cognatis, et quod his difficilius est, consuetu"dine lautioris cibi, propter cœlorum me regna "castrassem, et Jerosolymam militaturus pergerem, "Bibliotheca, quam mihi Romæ summo studio ac "labore confeceram, carere non poteram. Itaque "miser ego lecturus Tullium, jejunabam. Post "noctium crebras vigilias, post lachrymas, quas "mihi præteritorum recordatio peccatorum ex "imis visceribus eruebat, Plautus sumebatur in "manus. Si quando in memet reversus, Prophetas legere cœpissem, sermo horrebat incultus. Et

quia lumen cæcis oculis non videbam, non "oculorum putabam culpam esse, sed solis. Dum "ita me antiquus serpens illuderet, in media fermè "quadragesima medullis infusa febris, corpus in" vasit exhaustum : et sine ulla requie (quod dictu quoque incredibile sit) sic infelicia membra depasta est, ut ossibus vix hærerem. Interim parantur exequiæ, et vitalis animæ calor, toto frigescente jam corpore, in solo tantum tepente

pectusculo palpitabat: quum subito raptus in "spiritu, ad tribunal judicis pertrahor; ubi tantum "luminis, et tantum erat ex circumstantium clari"tate fulgoris, ut projectus in terram, sursum aspicere non auderem. Interrogatus de conditione, Christianum me esse respondi. Et ille qui præsidebat: Mentiris, ait, Ciceronianus es, non "Christianus. Ubi enim thesaurus tuus, ibi et "cor tuum. Illico obmutui, et inter verbera (nam "cædi me jusserat) conscientiæ magis igne torquebar, illum mecum versiculum reputans: In in"ferno autem quis confitebitur tibi? Clamare autem

cr

cœpi et ejulans dicere: Miserere mei, Domine, mi"serere mei. Hæc vox inter flagella resonabat. Tan"dem ad præsidentis genua provoluti qui astiterant, "precabantur ut veniam tribueret adolescentiæ, et "errori locum pœnitentiæ commodaret; exacturus "deinde cruciatum, si Gentilium litterarum libros " aliquando legissem. Ego qui in tanto constrictus "articulo, vellem etiam majora promittere, deje

rare cœpi, et nomen ejus, obtestans, dicere: "Domine, si umquam habuero codices sæculares, "si legero, te negavi. In hæc sacramenti verba "dimissus, revertor ad superos; et mirantibus "cunctis, oculos aperio, tanto lachrymarum imbre

perfusos, ut etiam incredulis fidem facerem ex "dolore. Nec vero sopor ille fuerat, aut vana "somnia, quibus sæpe deludimur. Testis est "tribunal illud, ante quod jacui; testis judicium "triste, quod timui: ita mihi numquam contingat

"in talem incidere quæstionem, liventes habuisse "scapulas, plagas sensisse post somnum, et tanto "dehinc studio divina legisse, quanto non ante "mortalia legeram." Hieron. Op. tom. 4. sec. Pars. p. 42. Benedictine Edit.

Erasmus has treated this legend with characteristic pleasantry, and his comment on it when concluding bears a resemblance to what MILTON afterward remarks: "Postremo si crimen est habere "libros seculares, et si Christum negavit quisquis "hos legit, cur solus vapulavit Hieronymus? cur "hodie in theologorum scholis celebrior est Aris"toteles, quam Paulus aut Petrus? Verum de re

puerili ac ridicula jam pluribus quam sat est. "Ego certe, ut finiam, malim cum Hieronimo "vapulare, quam melle perungi cum istis, quos "adeo scilicet terret Hieronymianum somnium, ut "ab omnibus bonis literis sanctissime temperent: "at non temperantes interim a vitiis eorum, quorum libros religionis causa non audent attingere." Appendix to Jortin's Life of Erasmus; N° LX.

In his curious Dialogue on our Language, Sir Thomas Smith has explained why Phantasm was formerly written with an F, as now in MILTON'S text. "QV. Satis est: ergo 4 Græcu non putas

esse sonandū vt f, sed vt Walli phi, sicut si pe-hi " diceremus expuncto e. Sm. Rectè coniectas, "et rectè Itali, qui cùm nunc sonēt Philosophus,

philosophia, physicus, secundum illiteratum et corruptum hodiernorum Græcorum morem, prop"terea etiam exarant penna, filosofus, filosofia, fysicus: scribunt enim ingenuè vt pronuntiant. Credóque veteres Latinos si o Græca non alium "habuisset sonum quàm f Latina, non dubitaturos "fuisse, philosophiam, physicum, pharetram, Philippum, non per phi, sed per ƒ reddere, vt filoso"fiam, fysicum, faretram, Filippum." De recta et emendata Linguæ Anglica Scriptione ; fo. 34. b. Lutetiæ. 1568.-And Dr. Foster, in his Essay on Accent, supports him; observing that "tho' we "sound the initial of forum and philosophia alike, "the Romans did not, phi having a strong aspira"tion, and fo scarce any."-p. 125. edit. 1763.Our ancestors, it is most probable, transferred from the Italians this vitious substitute for PH in words derived from the Greek.

It has been truly remarked, by the learned Dr. Taylor, if I remember rightly, that the English Language, from our trade with the Italian ports before the discovery of the passage to the East round the Cape of Good Hope, is more indebted to the Italians than is commonly imagined.

In an historical Essay on English Orthography many curious notices might be brought together on this branch of Philology.

ILLUSTRATION, D.

(Referred to in p. 75.)

Hath almost prevented me by being clear already-] In modern English, it would be"hath almost anticipated me, &c." Unprevented should bear a similar acceptation in Par. Lost, III, 231. Of Grace:

"Comes unprevented, unimplor'd, unsought."

i. e. comes unanticipated, or unlooked for, like Pope's boast as to Fame. The pages of Shakspeare, Waller, and Dryden, could supply an exuberance of authorities for the word in the same Latin sense; and our Liturgy retains it; "Lord, we pray thee "that thy grace may always prevent and follow " us."

Collect for the 17th Sunday after Trinity.

We may admire, that Bentley at any rate did not recollect this example; if he had, he would never have offered to alter the word in the abovequoted line to uninvited; neither could he have written "How unprevented can stand here, does "not appear; unless in this meaning, comes unim"plor'd, if not prevented. But that would diminish "the gracious favour, set forth here. I believe (adds the Critic) he gave it,

"Comes unperceived, unimplor'd, unsought."

Much the larger part of this Editor's castiga