Acts of the Apostles, but was ftill perufing the Roman historian of that extraordinary fociety." P. 49. Mr. Wefton informs us, (p. 97), that Tekht rawan fignifies, both in Arabick and Perfian, a litter or travelling bed. The thing may be used among the Arabs, and the name perhaps borrowed, but the participle ravan fuficiently (روان) proves it to be merely a Perfian compound. In the fame page the author mentions Mejnun and Leila, "whofe loves Nezami has fung in a fine Perfian poem,"he might have added, that Khofrù, Jami, Hatifi, and many others had chofen the fame romantic fubject; and that the Leila Mejnùn of the laft-mentioned poet has been printed at Calcutta in the Perfian type under the fuperintendence of Sir William Jones. From Affemanni's Catalogue of Oriental Manufcripts in the Nanian Library at Padua, Mr. W. has extracted the following" account of a coloffal ftatue of bronze, which was thrown down in the reign of Walid, the first, son of Abdalmelec, Khalif of the race of Ommiah, in Egypt." The anecdote refpecting this ftatue is given by Affemanni from the works of Al Damiri, the celebrated Arabian naturalift. "Hafedh Abu Bekr Alkhatib Albagdadi, fpeaking in hie book called Almottefec Valmofterec of Afama ben Zeed, who prefided over the tribute of Egypt, under Walid and Soliman, fon of Abdalmalek, fon of Merwan, who built the ancient nilometer (Mokkias) that stood in the island of Foftat in Egypt, fays, that there was in Alexandria, upon a promontory of the fea, a ftatue of an idol called Sheraheel, of an immenfe fize, which pointed with one of its fingers towards Conftantinople, and the foot of this image was the height of a man's ftature, wherefore Afama ben Zeed wrote to Walid ben Abdalmalek in these words, O Prince of the Faithful! there is now with us in Alexandria an image of brafs, called Sheraheel, and we are in want of fulfes, or copper money; and if the Prince of the Faithful fhould approve we might melt the bronze ftatue and caft copper coin, but if otherwife, we pray the Prince of the Faithful to write whatfoever fhall be his command. Then he (the Khalif) wrote to Afama, you are not to remove the ftatue before I fend to you confidential perfons, in whofe prefence it may be done. The Khalif then fent thofe trufty perfons, and the ftatue was thrown down to the ground, and the eyes were discovered to be two precious ftones of great price, and they coined fmall money into fuljes." P. 102. The author, in this laft line, appears to have mistaken the Arabic words, merely fignifying فضربه فلوسا fence of فلس that they coined the ftatue (not fmall money) into felus, which is the plural of fmall copper coin.. In p. 105, Mr. Wefton offers a conjectural criticifin on the following paffage in Virgil's Georg. iii. v. 10. Primus Ego in patriam mecum, modo vita fuperfit Primus Idumæas referam tibi Mantua palmas." He cannot imagine that Virgil meant to bring palms from Idume, nor fuppofe, with Catrou, that the Roman poet meditated a voyage to the Levant. He thinks Idumaa "unfit for its fituation, and would endea vour to fubstitute another epithet in its place, could it be done without offering violence to the trace of the letters, and could it bring out a meaning more agreeable to the general fcope of the paffage than the present reading."? Mr. W. is aware, that the palms of Idume were ufed by the poets for palms in general, but he is induced by circumftances to look for palms in a more confined fenfe, the palms of Greece and the victories of its games. Virgil declares-" I will be the first, if I furvive, to bring the Mufes from the Aonian Mount. I will also be the first to bring with me Idumean palms. I will erect a temple on the banks of the Mincius. Cæfar fhall be the God, and I, the con. queror in purple, will exhibit the games, &c." If it may be asked, fays Mr. W., from whence Virgil was to bring the Idumean palms? the anfwer is, certainly from Aonia, whither he was juft gone but the inftant before, -"and if we inquire for what purpose, it may be answered, for the Mincian games, where Virgil, as conqueror, in honour of Auguftus, was to drive his hundred chariots in the prefence of all Greece." On the words "centum quadrijugos agitabo ad flumina currus,"-Servius remarks, id eft, unius diei exhibebo Circenfes,"-the palms were then defigned for the poet who promised to celebrate his own victo ries over the Mufes of Helicon. As the Muses come from Greece, fo do the palms in queftion, and Mr. W. thinks it not improbable that Virgil wrote, Primus Ithon as referam tibi Mantua, palmas." " Ithone "Ithone was a town in Boeotia, facred to Minerva, whose temple ftood in a plain before Coroncea, where the Пaμboratio were celebrated, kinc illæ palme.-Callimachus mentions the Ithonian games. σε Ηνθον Ιτωνιάδος μὲν Αθαναίας ἐπ ̓ ἄεθλα. "We learn also from Statius that Ithone was facred to Minerva, "Ducit Ithonæos atque Alcumenæa Minervæ "And in another important paffage, lib. ii. near the end, "Seu Pandionio Monte venis, five Aonia devertis Ithone." V. 721. This conjectural criticifm is followed by fome remarks on a diftich in the Carmen Tegrai, an Arabic poem printed at Oxford in 1661,-on Genders,-on an Eaftern proverb fignifying that The first man who forgot was the first of men," and other articles fo fhort, that were we to notice them more particularly, we fhould be obliged to transcribe almost the whole. An engraving prefixed to this volume represents a man ftanding with one leg on a dragon, the other drawn up in the air. One fign of the Chinese Zodiac is a dragon, and the man looks towards the great bear. Some pages of the introduction are devoted to an account of this aftronomical painting, which is found on a china-vase in the author's poffeffion. On the fubject of a Perfian Lexicon, mentioned in the preface, (p. xvi.), we have the pleasure of informing our readers, that the excellent work which Mr. Wefton particularly recommends, the -Farhang Jehan فرهنگ جهانگيري geeri, has contributed its most valuable treasures towards the compilation of Mr. Gladwin's new Perfian Dictionary, publifhed before this time, probably, at Calcutta, We shall here conclude our notice of Mr. Wefton's Mifcellany; and if fimilar works have, by faftidious critics, been pronounced things of Jhreds and patches, it is to be recollected, that this ingenious author profeffes to offer fragments only; and that his motto is, Ου μόνον τας μαζας χρυσες αλλά και τα μικρά ψήγματα μετ' ακρίβειας συλλεγουσιν ανθρωποί.” "-" Men collect gold not only in lumps, but alfo in Imall fragments, with the minuteft accuracy."-Chryfoft. ART. ART. IV. A Charge delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of Rochefter, at the Ordinary Vifitation of Thomas, Lord Bishop of Rochefter. 4to. 28 pp. Payne. 1807. THIS THIS is an excellent compofition, and the latter part of it in particular delivers our own opinions on a great and important queftion, with fo much force and precifion, that were the occafion to require it, we would gladly make the proteftation of our own fentiments in the fame form and subflance. The charge is divided into two parts; the firft may be termed the Ecclefiaftical Bufinefs of the Vifitation, the fecond difcufies the momentous queftion of the Privileges claimed by the Roman Catholics, who are impatient to advance from a ftate of toleration to a ftate of power. With refpect to the bufinefs of the vifitation, the diocefan forcibly exhorts his clergy to demonftrate a compliance with the 70th canon, in making regular annual returns of copies of the parish registers to the regiltry of the diocefe. The importance of accuracy in this particular is fufficiently obvious. The regular tranfmiffion of property from one perfon or from one generation to another, fince the heraldic vifitations and the inquifitiones poft mortem have been discontinued, cannot be fecure without it. To prevent fraud or mistake, the bifhop enjoins the minifter to keep thefe volumes in his own hands. The clergy are next admonished to prevent, as far as poffible, a fpecies of clandeftine marriage very frequent in the metropolis, or in large parishes in the country, but easily detected and prevented in thofe which are faller. This is where parties are married by the publication of banns in parifhes where they do not actually refide. In every cafe of this kind, the clergyman is liable both to cenfure and to penalty. The next topic introduced is the fubject of education, and the duty of teaching children in their refpective parishes our excellent Church Catechifm. The bifhop's fentiments on this fubje&t are thus energetically expressed: "I fhall introduce another topic by obferving, that the care of forming the docile minds of the rifing generation is not among the lait of thofe, which call for the exertion of the parish priest. To ftate the reafons for this would be fuperfluous. What I have to obferve upon it, is, that as the wifdom of the framers of our liturgy is no where more confpicuous than in the admirable epitome of chriftian doctrine, which they have left to us in the Church Catechifm, fo is it the peculiar bufinefs of the clergy to fee that all within their refpective parifhes who are capable of learning and and comprehending it, fhould be invited, diligently, inftantly, and preffingly invited, to perfect themfelves in it. This is highly expedient on two accounts, the one, that children from the moment that they are capable of conceiving or understanding any thing, may be inftructed in the one thing needful, what they are to do that they may be faved; the other, that by early, and therefore deep-rooted inftructions in the true doctrines of the gospel, they may have fome fecurity against being carried away by infidel or fanatical delufions. Infidelity, as being generally founded in fpeculation, for which they have no leifure, is not apt to disturb the humble minds of the common people, but rather fixes its ftation, where the vanities and pride of life, and the deceitfulness of riches come in aid of its pretenfions; but they are peculiarly expofed to be led afide by the extravagant, and, to the ignorant, the enticing infinuations of enthufiafm. I am firmly perfuaded, that the contents of the Catechifm, however fhort, if carefully taught, and imprinted on the understanding in its full fenfe and meaning, which may be done by many excellent expofitions of it, of almoft equal brevity, will be a fure prefervative againft this danger. What is really intended by the doctrinal articles of our church in the abftrufe points (particularly that of election), which by fome are maintained to be the exclufive tenets of the gofpel, is here fo reasonably and so perfpicuously laid down, that none, who are not willing to be deceived, can fall into error concerning them." P. 13. We now come to the most interesting fubject of the catholic claims, and here we should be glad to transcribe the whole. The Bp. of R. begins with ftating, that this question may not only be difcuffed with propriety, but that we are all of us well qualified to form a juft opinion concerning it. It is the duty of clergymen, both as minifters of the gospel, and as members of this our church, not only to have a general knowledge of the chriftian faith, but a familiar acquaintance with our ecclefiaftical polity. So indeed have our clergymen been accomplished in both thefe particulars, that no injurious errors have been started which have not been effec tually confuted, no attempts made against our ecclefiaftical conftitution which have not been effectually refifted. In addition to fuch qualifications on the part of our miniftry, our church has been peculiarly diftinguished by its fpirit of toleration; fuffering ever that freedom of opinion to be exercifed which keeps within thofe limits, which the peace of fociety demands. The moment that the neceffity ceafed for the penal laws, which heretofore reftrained the Roman ca tholics, it is conceded that they had a juit claim to their relaxation, but it is prefumed that they have, in another part of the United Kingdom, been admitted to fuch rights and privileges |