to be placed in competition with the finished productions of Phidias and Praxitelles. Their paintings were in no better style of execution than their statuary, nor does history record the names of any distinguished painters.

However deficient we may regard the taste of the Egyptians in architecture, sculpture and painting, they possessed considerable knowledge of many of the physical sciences, and to them we are indebted, at least, for the principles, upon which they are founded. Geometry, now so important a branch of mathematics, and so essential to constitute an accomplished scholar, originated with them, and was, at first, nothing more than the simple process of measuring lands and establishing their boundaries, after the landmarks had been swept away by the inundations of the Nile. From such simple beginnings has resulted a science, which has become, in the progress of society, highly important to mankind, particularly to astronomers, architects, engineers, and others, who, without its knowledge, would be unable to turn many of their discoveries and observations to advan tage.

The science of astronomy, that sublime science by which we are enabled to read the Creator in the glories of the heavens; to discover the order and harmony which pervade the motions of the heavenly bodies; to ascertain their respective stations and revolutions, is supposed by some, to have originated with the Egyptians, whilst others attribute it to the Chaldeans. Whether it originated with the former or not, it is on all hands agreed, that they made many important discoveries in this interesting science. Placed under a serene sky, and in open plains, where nothing intercepted their view of the heavens, they wers enabled to make more extensive and profound researches into the nature of the heavenly bodies, and ascertain with tolerablecorrectness, their respective motions. They are said to have understood the cause of eclipses, and even the method of calculating them; they divided the year into twelve months, which they afterwards computed at three hundred and sixty-five days, The rudiments of our present system of astronomy, Pythagoras derived from Egypt. He taught it in his school at Crotona; but during the many centuries of mental darkness which pervaded Europe, it was neglected and forgotten, until revived by the genius of Copernicus.

The study of astronomy, sublime and beautiful as it is, gave rise to the science of astrology, (if science it may be called,) which professes to discover certain connexions subsisting be tween the motions and relative positions of the celestial bodies, and the affairs of this globe; and taught that the rising and setting, the conjunctions and oppositions of the planets, exercised a powerful influence over the destinies of man. This science was practised by the Chaldean, as well as Egyptian philosophers, but was carried to the greatest extent by the former, by whom it was held in the highest estimation, and regarded as a science most worthy of study and cultivation. Astrology afterwards travelled to Rome, where even the learned and enlightened Cicero, ranked among his friends two celebrated astrologers; and so great a hold did it subsequently take upon the minds of men, that it was condemned by the christian fathers and councils, as the invention of the devil. Astrology, however delusive in itself, has been useful in promoting the knowledge of astronomy, as alchemy, its kindred science, in endeavoring to discover the philosopher's stone, and the elixir of life, has been the cause of many important discoveries in chemistry.

The origin of medicine as a science, is also ascribed to the Egyptians; but, according to Diodorus Siculus, instead of prescribing according to his own judgment and experience, every physician was obliged to follow a certain written system, and if, in adhering to it, he proved unsuccessful, he was free from blame; if he ventured to depart from it, though the patient recovered, the physician forfeited his life. By adhering to a system so perfectly absurd and ridiculous, no improvement could be expected, and no man, however great his talents, could ever hope to be distinguished from the crowd of empirics, who imposed upon the ignorance of the multitude.

From what we are able to gather from the works of those who treat of the ancient history of the Egyptians, it may be remarked with justice, that with all their high pretensions to literature, they suffered themselves to be deceived by interested men under the sacred garb of the priesthood, while gross superstition, in matters of religion, by enslaving the minds of men, prevented them from following the dictates of reason.

The children of Israel were the chosen and favored people of God, and were essentially different in manners, customs and re

ligion from those by whom they were surrounded. Whilst every other nation and people, were enveloped in the clouds of idolatary, and were offering sacrifices to gain the favour of unknown Gods, they alone possessed a knowledge of the true God. During their long sojourn in the land of Egypt, they kept themselves a distinct people, observing the peculiar customs and. practising that system of religion, which had been preserved for ages, uncorrupted by the idolatrous and superstitious worship perpetually before their eyes. The same striking circumstances marked their character during their wanderings, and after their final establishment in the land of promise, when their nation grew into a prosperous and flourishing empire, under the sway of David and Solomon. At the present day, the same peculiarity of customs and religion distinguish this extraordinary people, whether they live under a free or despotic, a christian, mahometan or pagan government-they are the living monuments of the truth of the holy writings, and of that inspiration which filled the minds, and guided the pens of the prophets of the Lord.

It has been correctly remarked by a learned and elaborate writer, that "a better and more certain judgment of the ancient Hebrews cannot be formed, than from the monuments which they themselves, or their descendants, have left in the sacred scriptures."* Considered without reference to their inspiration -merely as literary productions-as a record of events which have occurred in the ancient world, and as developing the political and religious opinions and institutions of the Jews, they stand the most splendid monuments of ancient learning. They are unparalleled in the history of literature, for grandeur and energy of expression, and sublimity of style, while they exhibit the most sublime and comprehensive system of ethics, ever of fered to the consideration of man, until the coming of Christ, who more distinctly brought life and immortality to light. The most profound of the ancient philosophers who adorned the academic groves of Athens, and who poured forth their wisdom to admiring crowds, never equalled them in their morality; nor have the most celebrated of modern writers been able to attain their energy and sublimity of style and language.

The Hebrew language, according to the opinions of those Enfield's Hist. of Philos. vol. 1, p. 37..

who are critically conversant with it, seems well suited to that forcible and energetic mode of expression, which so peculiarly distinguishes the Hebrew writings. Its words are concise, yet expressive, derived from a small number of roots, yet without the studied and artificial composition of the Greek and Latin languages; its words follow each other in an easy and natural order, without intricacy or transposition, and, above all, has the richest fecundity in verbs, of any known tongue, either ancient or modern. Hence, we may attribute that remarkable style of composition, peculiar to Hebrew writers, to the nature and construction of the language itself, as well as to the sublime ideas they were accustomed to entertain of the Divine Being, which, apart from inspiration, has the obvious tendency to enlarge the mind and elevate the feelings. The Jews assert, that their language is the original language, taught by God himself to Adam, and by him transmitted to his posterity. This, however, is controverted, and similar claims put in by other nations, whose advocates have labored with much zeal and ingenuity, to establish their respective pretensions.

In Hebrew literature, other subjects of controversy exist, in which much learning has been employed, namely, with regard to the particular character in which the sacred books were originally written, and with regard to the vowel points. As to the first it is still unsettled, and must remain so, whether the sacred books were originally written in the present square character, or in the old Phoenician, now called the Samaritan; much learning and diligent investigation has been displayed on both sides. After an examination of the subject with some care, so far as our limited means of information would permit, we are inclined to adopt the opinion, that the sacred books were originally written in the Phonecian or Samaritan character, and that the present character was not employed until the return of the Jews from captivity, when Ezra, finding that they had, in a great measure, disused their ancient character, found it requisite to have the sacred books transcribed in the Chaldee, a character with which they had become familiar, from their long residence in Babylon.

The second subject alluded to, namely, the vowel points, is of more importance, because the insertion or omission of a point sometimes gives a different meaning to a word. This contro

versy rests upon the question, whether they were originally employed by the sacred writers, or whether they are of modern invention. The vowel points were universally deemed of equal antiquity with the Hebrew character itself, until the beginning of the sixteenth century, when Levita, a learned Jew of Germany, ventured to call their authenticity in question, and ascribed their invention to a set of Jewish critics, called Mazorites, who flourished about five hundred years after Christ, at Tibe rias in Gallilee, and who devoted themselves to a revisal of the Hebrew text; and, in order to prevent any future alterations, numbered the sections, words and letters in each book. The points are hence called the Mazoretic points.

For and against, the antiquity and authenticity of the points, many learned Hebrew scholars have employed their talents and critical acumen, but like most other subjects of controversy the contest continues, and in one university the Hebrew language is taught with points, while in another it is taught without. It is agreed by all that, since the time of the captivity, the Hebrew has become a dead language, and like the Greek and Latin, its true and original pronunciation has been lost. To restore this original pronunciation, was one of the objects, it is said, of the Mazoritic critics, in the invention and use of the vowel points. To prove that the points were coeval with the consonants, and were written along with them in the original copies of the sacred scriptures, and that they were not invented by the Mazorites, it is alleged, that it is impossible to pronounce the language without vowels, so it would be impossible to teach it, unless the vowels were expressed-that if the present vowel points are not of the same authority with the consonants, but merely of human and late invention, it will greatly weaken the authority of the holy scriptures, and leave the sacred text to an arbitrary and uncertain reading and interpretation-that there is no mention made in any Jewish writer of such alteration, or addition being made in the Hebrew bible-that all the annotations or notes of the Mazorites upon the vowels relate to their irregularity-that had they been the inventors of the points, they would not have made them irregular, according to their own judgments, and that there is express mention of the points or vowels, in books more ancient than the Talmud-books written before the time of our Saviour.