lity in commendatioun of vertew, and in vituperation of vyce ; in fact, a fevere ridicule of every order of the ftate. As this work will neceffarily have a place in every well chofen collection, and as fpecimens of the poet are in every ones hands, we shall be fatisfied with declaring our opinion that this edition of Lyndfay will be a perpetual monument of the editor's proficiency in antiquarian erudition, as it regards the language of his country. The introduction to the gloffary if there were no other evidence is fufficient to confirm the affertion A short extract from this part of the work will conclude our account of it. "One event did, indeed, take place, in that period, which had a perceivable effect on the written language of North Britain, As early as the adminiftration of the regent Arran, and during the age of Lyndfay, it was made lawful for the Scotifh people, to read the Scriptures, in the vulgar tongue. Yet, has the Bible never been tranflated into their Scotifh fpeech. The Olde and New Teftament were firft printed in Scotland, by Thomas Baffandyne, in 1576, from the Geneva Tranflation, into the English language. The Bible was a fecond time printed, at Edinburgh, by Andro Hart, in 1610, from the fame tranflation*. The frequent peru, fal of Baffandyne, and Hart's Bibles, undoubtedly made fome change, in the Scotifh language. We may fee the amount of this improvement, if I may ufe fo ftrong á term, in the Poetry of the Wits of King James's Court, before his acceffion: The poets, with the king at their head, effayed to write English, as well as they could. And, we may thus perceive, that an attempt was made, with fome fuccefs, to change the Saxonism of the Scotifh fpeech, before king James affumed the government of England. "The first effay, however, to glofs a Scotifh poem was made at Oxford, by an Englishman. In 1691, bishop Gibson, while a young man, published the Chrift's Kirk on the Green of James V, Zachary Boyd's MS. tranflation of the Bible into the Scotish fpeech continues locked up in the Univerfity Library of Glafgow. Arbuthnot is faid to have printed, at Edinburgh, in 1579, the Bible for the ufe of Scotland, by the commiffioners of the kirk. "Hart certainly fomewhat changed the orthography of Baf. fandyne, in the short period from 1576 to 1610. Thus, with a marginal glofs. It appears to have been a fort of exer. cife, towards a knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon. His injudicious manner evinces, that he was a juvenile writer. Many of his etymons, he pushes beyond the Anglo-Saxon into the Gothic. Thus, Gibfon, by a premature practice, showed an example of a baftard etymology, in tracing words, beyond their originals; and in trying to eftablish a theory, in oppofition to the fact. is the remark of the learned prefacer to Gawin Douglas's Virgil; that the Oxford gloffarift on the famous poem of James V., was fometimes miftaken, in the fenfe of the words explained. It "The firft effay towards a mifcellaneous collection of Scotish poetry was made by Watfon, the printer, at Edinburgh, in 1706, a hundred and fifty years after the publication of Totell's Mifcellany, in 1557: But, Watfon did not attempt a gloffary; leaving the reader to find the meaning of many words, according to the reach of his ingenuity, and the measure of his learning: He, per. haps, knew, that there was a gloffary in hand, which would fu perfede, for years, the defire of knowledge, or "the gloffes of deceit." The Bukes of Eneados of the famofe Poete Virgill, tranflatet, in 1513, bi Mayfter Gawin Douglas, were then in the prefs, This verfion, which according to HICKES, nunquam fatis laudanda, appeared, at Edinburgh, in 1710: What was not origi nally defigned now appeared with it: "A large Gloffary, ex 66 plaining the difficult words; as it was much wanted, and "greatly defired, by many ingenious men, both there, and in "England." This gloffary, which may, indeed, ferve "for a dictionary to the old Scotifh language," came abroad without a name, owing to the unaffuming modefty of Ruddiman, the compiler; the diligent, the judicious, and learned Ruddiman; to whom, the late lord Hailes, when pronouncing his eulogy, acknowledges, how much he had profited by the labours of this "ftudious, intelligent, and modeft man." This is, indeed, such a gloffary as we might expect from fuch a scholar. The people of the feveral fhires had been confulted, about the meaning of their own fpeech. As the language of Douglas was known to be Saxon, it was natural to tiace up his obfcurities, throughout the old English writers. As the true fource of this Teutonic tongue was feen, in the Anglo-Saxon, the Saxon word books were ranfacked. And, when all thefe helps failed, the cognate dialects, and the old French, were fought, by judicious diligence, as ufeful aids. In the work of Ruddiman, we every where perceive 66 * "Of wooers as I ween." The word ween, he thus glof. fes fuppofe, think: A.-Sax. wenan, opinari; Goth. wengan. When he has found the true origin of the word, in the AngloSaxon, it is not either neceffary, or ufeful, to trace the true etymon to a remoter origin, which is not its real original.” I aivity activity of research, depth of erudition, and candour of reprefen, tation: And, on thefe folid grounds, it was long regarded, as the true foundation of etymological knowledge, in the Scotish literature. Yet, in our own times, we have feen felf-fufficiency take the place of fcholarship. And, we may now perceive fucceffive attempts to fubftitute, for this elaborate, and candid work of an unaffuming fcholar, the ftems, and plagiarisms, of the arranteft fcribblers, who outrage truth, by their affumptions, at the call of felf-conceit ! " "The next work of a fimilar nature, in the order of time, to Gawin Douglas's Virgil, was the Evergreen, "being a collec❝tion of Scots poems, wrote by the ingenious before 1600," which was published, by Allan Ramfay, in 1724. To this collection, there is appended A GLOSSARY of the Scots words. As Ruddiman was the firft etymologift; fo Ramfay may be allowed to have been the earliest gloffarift. The editor of the Evergreen has been outrageously blamed by thofe, who have not furpaffed him, in the fame art. Lord Hailes finds fault with him, for not confulting Ruddiman's Dictionary: But, the fact is, that Ruddiman printed the Evergreen; that he was always at hand, when help was called for; that he has filently fupplied more inftruction to the unprefuming ignorance of Ramfay, than that, modeft scholar wished to be acknowledged: And, the publisher of the Evergreen, by a fort of instinct, knew that, the office of an etymologift, and the bu finefs of a glossarif, are quite different. The gloflary of Ramfay is very copious: And the wonder is that, in fuch a vast variety of words, he has committed fo few mistakes. Overfights he has, not to fay blunders; but fewer of either, than might be supposed, confidering his copioufnefs*." Vol. iii. p. 186. Some "The most obvious of Ramfey's mistaken explanations are: Artetewne, antiphone, is explained example. Barret, mifery, forrow, he explains, a fort of liquor. Canny, knowing, fkilful, is faid to be happy, convenient. Chiel, a fellow, he explains a person. Corinoch, the Irish cry, or lament, is faid to be a highland tunt. Faws, falls, befalls, he explains, gets. Fie, or fe, fheep, cattle, he explains, a herd of cattle. Forfairn, decayed, worn, he explains, abused. Frift is a mistake for Traift, to trutt, Fillock, he rightly explains, a filly; but, the poets used it, fecon darily, for a wench. Gardevyance, a cupboard, he calls, a cafe of inftruments. Gemmer is a mistake for Genner, engender. Gruntil, a fnout, he explains, a few. Gerdoun, a reward, he explains, protection. Kenfie, Some pofitions and affertions in these volumes will doubt. lefs be difputed and controverted by rival philological antiquaries, but there are several unequivocal claims of merit contained in them, beyond the poffibility of cavil. If Mr. Chalmers had executed no more than the mere gloffary, he would juftly have been entitled to the gratitude both of English and Scottish scholars. A more elaborate, learned, or fatisfactory production of the kind has certainly not appeared fince that of Ruddiman. To make this edition more perfect and more acceptable, Mr. Chalmers took fome pains to obtain a portrait of Sir David Lyndfay, but without fuccefs. The figures prefixed to the editions of his poems in 1558 and 1634, were mere wooden ornaments of the feveral printers. But the poffeffor of these volumes will have Doctor Bulleyn's ftriking delineation of the ancient knight " breaking the Cross Keys of Rome." See vol. i. p. 100. The arms alfo of Lyndfay as blazoned by himself are prefixed to his life; and thofe of his family are introduced, as fet out by the heraldic Nifbet. A fac fimile of Lyndlay's fubfcription and writing is given from his Antwerp letter, preferved in the British Museum, and an engraving of the fculptured ftone which once ornamented the poet's family houfe at the Mount is alfo fubmitted to the reader. Such in deed, as the editor properly remarks, are the only embellishments which could easily be introduced in a work of this na. ture. ART. III. An Hiftorical View of Christianity; containing Select Paffages from Scripture: with a Commentary by the late Edward Gibbon, Efq.; and Notes by the late Lord Viscount Bolingbroke, Monfieur de Voltaire, and others. 4to. 140 pp. Cadell and Co. 1806. 12s. AN able interpreter of prophecy, the Rev. Edward Whi taker*, has made it his particular object to cite the testi. Kenfie, a forward fellow, he explains, a ruftic. Pelour, a thief, he calls, a pilgarlick. Red, to advife, he explains, to wifh, to fear. Thring, to throw, he explains, to wring, or throng. Yet these mistakes are but few, when compared with the vaft number of words, which are properly explained." * In his "General and connected View of the Prophecies, relating to the Times of the Gentiles," Rivingtons. 1795. mony mony of Mr. Gibbon, to prove the fulfilment of our Savi our's prophecies. The plan of the prefent work is somewhat fimilar; and brings together a large collection of citations from that author, in a regular and connected form, which tend to confirm and illuftrate many important particulars, refpecting the diffufion, progrefs, spirit, and perfecutions of Christianity. Moft readers will, we doubt not, be much ftruck, by feeing fo large a body of this evidence brought together, and illuftrated by notes of the fame tendency from other infidel writers. There is a degree of fober humour, in calling it the Commentary of Mr. Gibbon on select Paffages of Scripture, which excites fome furprise on the first perufal of the title; and may poffibly, in some instances, have attracted readers to the book, who would not otherwise have enquired for it. The plan is certainly good, and it is executed with judgment. A preface, rather extenfive, is placed at the head of the work, in which feveral preliminary points are laid down with clearness and ability. This indeed feems to be almoft the only part from which we can give a fpecimen of the writer's ftyle. We fhall take what he fays, on the degree of evidence proper to accompany a divine revelation. "It has been alledged, that a clear light of revela tion, equal and impartial, and fpread over the whole world at the fame moment, with irrefiftible power, would have precluded fcepticism, and have filenced objection. The infidel would have fubmitted to that evidence which he could not controvert; and the pious convert would have rejoiced in the poffeffion of a faith, calculated to purify the fenfual, to fix the liftlefs, and to foften the obdurate heart.'-To this it might be enough to answer generally, that fuch a revelation would not have been analogous to what we fee of God's government in the vifible world. The radiance of folar heat and light is diffufed over the earth, and the bleffings of health and ftrength, the capacity of knowledge, the faculty of improvement, and other temporal advantages, are im "As to thofe nations in the world, to which the Chriftian difpenfation has not been published, or where its light has been obfcured, we have reafon to believe, that they will be judged according to the advantages they have had. It cannot be prefumed, that they will be refponfible for the rejection of that evidence, which has never been offered to them. At the fame time they may receive through fources impenetrable us us, the benefit of that full and fufficient atonement, which was once made for the fins of all mankind. E," |