the Miraculous Conception of Jefus as fo many abfolute falsehoods; yet confidered thofe paffages of the Gofpels, in which these parti culars are related, as having been written by the Evangelifts themselves. "From all thofe circumftances, therefore, the joint evidence of which can alone decide the question; and the joint evidence of which is, in fact, far more than fufficient to decide it; the authenticity of the paffages concerned appears not only afcertained, but full as abundantly afcertained, as that of any other paffages of the Gofpels, the contents of which were never difbelieved by any of the early Chriftian Sects. For these paffages have not only the unexceptionable teftimony of the Church at large, juft as much as any other paffages of the fame Gofpels, in their favour; but as their contents were difbelieved by fome of the earlieft Chriftian Sects; who regarded the facts related in them as impoffible; there cannot be a doubt, but that if any evidence could have been pro. duced to impeach their authenticity, it would certainly have been brought forward, and enforced, by thofe Sects who difbelieved their contents, at the very time when it could have been fubftan. tiated; and they must inevitably have been exploded." P. 85. 66 We before gave the arguments to the fections of the prin cipal and original work The Enquiry," and therefore fhall at prefent content ourselves with faying, that the whole forms one of the moft ftriking and convincing arguments which the ingenuity and learning of modern times have produced; and that the Enquiry deferves to rank with the evidences of Paley, and almoft (for what can entirely?) with his Hora Paulinæ. ART. XIV. A Supplement to the Hiflory and Antiquities of Reading, with Corrections and Additions, by the Author. 8 Sheets and a Half, with a Plate. 10s. 6d. Reading, Snare; London, Richardfon. 1809. 4to. OATES's Hiftory of Reading, a refpectable work of its kind, here receives a few additions, the value of which will be variously eftimated by different readers. They confift of, 1. A folio view of Reading, from the Kennet, not ill executed in aqua-tint; 2. One article in addition to the former Appendix, on the fubject of precedency, as decided in a court of chivalry; 3. Corrections and additions of va rious kinds, but few of much importance. The following public teftimony to the merits of Francis Annefley, Efq. who for many years reprefented the borough of Reading in Parliament, is honourable both to him and to the perfons concerned in bestowing it. "On "On Mr. Annefley's refigning his feat in Parliament, (in 806,) a piece of plate was voted by the Electors of the borough, as a mark of their great regard for his long and faithful fervices ; and on Wednesday, June 24, 1807, a fuperb vafe, of very elegant workmanship, was prefented to Mr. Annefley, at his houfe in Friar-ftreet, by the Mayor, Recorder, and other members of the Corporation, accompanied by the Committee, chofen by the town, for conducting the proceedings relative to this well-deferved memorial of refpect. Infcription on the Vase. PRESENTED TO FRANCIS ANNESLEY, ESQ. LL.D. who in six fucceffive PARLIAMENTS THIS MEMORIAL of their private efteem, and public gratitude, was unanimoufly voted at a General Meeting of the Electors, exprefsly called for that purpose, the 10th day of December, 1806. THOMAS GLEED, Efq. Chairman." The chief addition, in point of quantity, is a collection of Poems, Prologues, and Epilogues, fpoken on public occafions at Reading School. Among thefe is a copy of verfes by Shipley, afterwards Bifhop of St. A faph, on the Martyrdom of Laud, dated 1731; fomewhat different from the later fentiments of the writer. They are in Latin Alcaics, and appear to have been written when he was at Ch. Ch. Oxford. In a copy of Latin Hexameters by Mr. Iremonger, one of the Reading fcholars at St. John's Coll. Oxford, on Laud's gift to fervant-maids, are fome lines of more humour than is ufually found in fuch compofitions. "Eft nobis Laribus modicis fatis, uncia Betty, Quòd Quòd Faber æris, quòd Tonfor, quòd perfidus ambit Quorum aliquis, fatis hos cum demum illuferis omnes, Among other authors of this clafs we find Mr. Coates himfelf, in 1761, in an Ode on the Defire for Peace. The lateft poem is dated 1770, and is an English copy, "On the Destruction of the Turkish Fleet by the Ruffians." Why the felection here concludes, as there have certainly been many Prologues, Epilogues, and other poems of merit, publicly recited at Reading Scool fince that date, it is not easy to conjecture. They who are not fond of fuch occafional productions will condemn the introduction of any of them, and they who, from local connection or claffical tafte, are pleased with them, muft think it ftill more reprehenfible that a collection published in 1810 fhould break off at the year 1770, We cannot think that Mr. Coates will gain much either of fame or profit by this Supplement, which furely might have been enlarged in other refpects, with equal propriety as in that now mentioned, or might have been fpared entirely. An index of names of perfons and places was always wanting, and would have been more acceptable to most purchafers than this Supplement; or might have made an important part of it. ART. XV. Philologia Anglicana: or a Philological and Sy nonymical Dictionary of the English Language; in which the Words are deduced from their Originals-their fenfe defined and the fame illuftrated and supported by proper Examples and Notes, critical and explanatory. By Benjamin Dawfon, LL.D. Rector of Burgh in Suffolk. 4to. Part I. 100 pp. 5s. Ipfwich, printed. Rivingtons, &c. London. 1806. Alfo Prolepfis Philologia Anglicane, or a Plan of a Philologi cal and Synonymical Dictionary of the English Language. the fame. 4to. 43 pp. 2s. 6d. 1797. A By DICTIONARY of the English language, published in numbers, and proceeding at the very flow rate of thefe beginnings, nine years having elapfed between the profpectus and No. 1, and four fince the appearance of that, without any news of a fecond, will require the fucceffion of many generations to bring it to its completion. We have waited more than a reasonable time for the continuation of it, not being much in the habit of noticing works in numbers; but now, having made our calculations, we are difpofed to warn the public what they have to expect. This firft number contains exactly 100 pages, or nearly 13 fheets, and carries the dictionary as far as the adverb ABOUT; that is exactly as far as the first two fheets of Johnson's folio Dictionary. Now Johnson's firft volume, of the folio Edition, contains 264 fheets; confequently Dr. Dawson's, preferving the fame proportion, (by the rule of three) will require 1716 fheets to proceed as far in the alphabet as Dr. Johnson's first volume. Allowing him therefore to make his volumes as thick as thofe of Dr. Jamieson's admirable Scottish Dictionary, the firft volume of which con-tains 81 sheets, it will require more than twenty-one volumes to complete half his work. The whole will then be about 48 volumes, allowing a little space for a more extended preface, and other acceffaries. The number of years which such a publication would require, at any thing like the rate of its beginnings, far exceeds any modern calculation of the probable duration of the world; we fear therefore that the use of the English language will be completely at an end, before the heirs, adminiftrators, or affigns of Dr. Dawson can finish his arduous undertaking. To comfort our readers under the defperate profpect, thus exhibited to them, of ever feeing a completion of this elabo rate work, we will briefly confider how the prefent fpecimens are executed. From which confideration it will, we think, appear that even our remote pofterity, if it fhould fubsist so long as to fee an end of the publication, will not deferve to be envied by us on that account. The Prolepfis or plan of the work will not long detain us. It principally Lates the idea of the author, that no two words in a language are strictly. fynonymous; and, objecting to the mode of definition employed by Johnfon and other compilers of dictionaries, propofes to adopt a different method. What that method is we fhall fee more clearly by example, than by the dry explanations of the Prolepfis. "ABASE, v. a. [abaisfer, Fr.] To caft down*; with refpect to condition in life t "* Caft down] Or, bring down, or, bring low; any one of these three terms being fufficiently expreffive of the idea which is conveyed by the word abafe in common with any other verb, and of that which is fuggefted by its etymology, as coming from the Latin bafis. Skinner expreffes this general fignification of the word by three Latin terms, minuere, deprimere, gradu dejicere. The laft of thefe verbs, without gradu, appears to us to come nearest the etymological import of abafe; with the addition of gradu it answers more eactly to that of degrade.' "+ Condition in life] Dr. Johnfon explains the word thus D d BRIT. CRIT. V OL. XXXVI. OCT, 18 10. 4 to 1. Happy fhepherd, with thanks to the gods, fill think to be thankful, that to thy advancement their wifdoms have thee abrjed.' 2. With unrefifted might the monarch reigns; He levels mountains and he raifes plains; And, not regarding difference of degree, Sidney. Abas'd your daughter, and exalted me.' Dryden. <s 3. Sith it is no news for God to be great and glorious ; but for the eternal and ever-living God to be abafed, to be. abafd unto death, to the death of the Crofs, is that which could not but amaze the angels and confound devils." t Bp. Hall.. 4. Not that I fpeak in refpect of want: for I have learned in whatfoever ftate I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abafed §, and I know how to abound.' Phil. iv. 11, 12. "Luke to caft down, to deprefs, to bring low, almoft always' (he might have fafely faid always, when properly ufed) in a figurative and perfonal fenfe. But none of thefe terms, though figuratively and perfonally applied, convey the precife idea of the verb abase, without refpect being had to condition in life. A perfon may be caft down on receiving the news of his friend's decease; he may be depreffed at the thought of his own approaching diffolution, being brought low by a long and fevere illness, and yet not be abofed, his rank or condition in life continuing the fame. In the quotation from Locke, abafe is ufed very improperly for deprefs, and in that from Job, where it is ufed in oppofition to pride, humble would have been more proper. Vid. Johnfon's Dict. on the word. “Mr. Hobbes, in his Leviathan, applies the word to the res duction of the value of a thing but bafe money may eafily be enhanced, or abafed.' In our judgment this is a moft improper and, we should imagine, fingular acceptation of the word. For the difference of abafe from its fynonymes humble, deprefs, degrade, fee their definitions in their places." "Have thee abafed] That is, have brought thee low-fubjected thee to the low condition of a shepherd.” “¶ Abas'd your daughter] That is, made her condition. in tife lower, and mine higher." To be abafed unto death] In this example, the word is ob. vioufly ufed in allufion to one caft down from the highest to the Lavest condition in life-to a perfonage of great power and tranf. cendent dignity, who had been brought (or rather, in this cafe, brought himself) low in life had become fubject to all the evils and infelicities attendant upon a low condition in life.” "§ How to be abafed] That is, (to give the meaning of the tranflaters) 7 |