Chromatius and Heliodorus, two Bishops, about the nativity of our Saviour.' This foolish lewd FORGERY hath often been branded deservedly by many learned men, famous in the Roman Schooles: Melchior Canus stileth it, Fabulam insulsam æque ac barbaram, (Loc. Comm. lib. ii. cap. 6.) Molahus cap. 22. de picturis saith that All men of learning & understanding doe confesse it to bee a meere fabulous thing unworthy to carry Hierome's name.' Sixtus Senensis, a man of infinite reading, and withall, which seldom happens so, of exact and accurate judgement, affirmeth it a fiction of the Valentinian and Gnostick hereticks. Cardinall Bellarmine, as a Jesuite, saith nothing of it; but Cardinall Baronius payes it home, as one who had not discretion enough to avoid most apparent, palpable, grosse leasings; Scriptio illa quæ hactenus Hieronymi nomine ad Chromatium et Heliodorum scripta, vulgata est, non tantum eum Hieronymi non esse dixerimus, sed authoris plane ut ignoti, sic prorsus imperiti; qui in eâ audendâ et conscribenda, non novit aperta vitare mendacia." - Acts and Monuments of the Church before Christ incarnate,

p. 509.

And elsewhere, the same Bishop Montague speaks of

"that fabulous Author, who, under St. Hierome's name, writes to Chromatius and Heliodorus, de nativitate Maria- -Impudent blasphemous Impostor as hee was, thus to babble-This Impostor (most probably Seleucus the Manichee)Such senseless contradicting stupidities be to bee found in hereticall impostures ; and yet this fellow," &c.—Ibid. pp. 523, 524.

We may as well add, that Theophylact, S. Athanasius, and Euthymius all seem to agree that it was the angel's appearance which disturbed the Blessed Virgin. But since it is not improbable that S. Ambrose's statement may seem doubtful, we give a passage from the De Virginibus, lib. ii. cap. 2. 10, 11.

“Quin etiam tum sibi minus sola videbatur, cum sola esset. Nam quemadmodum sola, cui tot libri adessent; tot Archangeli, tot Prophetæ? Denique et Gabriel eam, ubi revisere solebat, invenit: et Angelum Maria quasi viri specie mota trepidavit, quasi non incognitum audito nomine recognovit. Ita peregrinata est in viro, quæ non peregrinata est in Angelo: ut agnoscas aures religiosas, oculos verecundos."

Maldonatus (in loco) attempts to prove from this passage, that the opinion "vulgi piæque plebis," that the Virgin was accustomed to the visits of angels, is supported by S. Ambrose. But what does the passage amount to? not that the Blessed Virgin ever saw an angel before; but that the vision of an angel was not so alarming to her as that of a man. She knew the angel as she did the "archangels and prophets," by a spiritual and intuitive familiarity and to say that the angel had visited her before, “ubi revisere solebat," is not to say that she had been accustomed to the angel's visits." Angels, we trust, visit our churches and minister to us; but we cannot, therefore, say that we are "accustomed" to their gracious ministrations, or are conscious of them.

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"She, therefore, inquired of the Angel the manner of the Conception. How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 'I have dedicated myself to my Lord by a vow of perpetual virginity. "-Life of Christ, p. 11.

These legends about the Blessed Virgin and her vow of chastity may be found in Castro's Deiparæ Historia, the contents of which our Bishop Montague thus divides:

"Some of these legends are probable and may be so, [and he instances as probable, that the Blessed Virgin was, as a first-born, presented in the Temple, and that she served there as Samuel did], others be meer hereticall fictions; as of her espousall by the priests with lot, of her virginity vowed before her marriage."—Acts and Monuments, p.542.

And the same author stigmatizes the story attributed to the Pseudo-Euodius that "the Blessed Virgin lived eleven years in the Sanctuary, or most Holy Place," in these severe terms:

"It never was issue of any of the children of light, but was the mis-begotten and mis-born changeling of an hereticall father, and is of no credit alone," &c. -Ibid. p. 535.

We think, therefore, and we desire to speak with all gentleness, that when theologians so eminent, both of our own and of the Roman communion, have rejected with such palpable indignation these legendary histories-so far as to class them with the blasphemous Prot-evangelium of the Pseudo-S. James and the Gnostic fictions-a little more caution, when the duty of suppression has, in other instances, been admitted, might fairly be required of the present editor. We do not choose to go into the question of the Blessed Virgin's and S. Joseph's alleged great poverty, except to enter a quiet protest against the infallibility of the inference to this effect from the scriptural fact of the Nativity taking place at an inn. A very important question connected with the genealogies seems dependent upon the probability of S. Mary being an heiress: but we conclude by expressing-and it is, of course, but a personal opinion-our dissent from the desirableness of presenting to the common run of English readers a certain narrative "received by Bonaventure from a devout and holy man of an order, and believed to have been supernaturally imparted," relating to the details of the Nativity. Not knowing into whose hands this paper may fall, we content ourselves with referring to pp. 23, 24 of Mr. Oakeley's publication.

We have not, we trust, spoken either harshly or captiously of the writers whom we have been reviewing: but if there be one imputation which we desire to avoid, it is that of speaking or thinking with anything like intentional disrespect or irreverence of the saints of God, and more especially of the EverBlessed Virgin. We know not how far to go; we, at least, are content to believe that any degree of admiration may be paid to the Holy Mother of God save that of Divine honours: and, as we have more than once quoted Bishop Montague, we desire to put it upon record that the Church of England has not yet repudiated such glowing language as this. As the passage is but little known, its length may be excused by its importance.

"Which Blessed above women, though shee were not such as some have vainly made her, advancing her above all degree of humane composibility, as to be conceived without any guilt of originall sinne; yet much more doubtlesse doth belong unto her, the Mother of God, than some lewd, profane, and impious tongues and pens can afford her. Virgo Mater, quâ majorem Deus facere non potest: majorem mundum potest facere Deus: majorem autem matrem quam Matrem Dei, non potest facere Deus: God cannot create a greater creature than a Virgin Mother. God can make a larger world; but a greater mother than the Mother of God Hee cannot make. This was her paramount stile above all stiles and titles of greatnesse to be the Mother of God. No greater name can bee given in heaven or earth to a meere creature, than this: why might shee not then, having grace of excellency conferred upon her, without any prejudice to any course or dispensation of God, have imparted unto her, in her conception and birth, any grace whereof any creature is or can be capable in this world, or ever was or can be capable of? And so far that speech of Baronius is true: Who can imagine that God would bestow more upon His servants than upon His Mother?" Stiled she was at the salutation by the angel Gabriel, KexaρTwuévn whether Gratis dilecta, or Gratiosa facta, or Gratificata, or, which is the more ancient, generall, and, indeed, true intention of the phrase, Gratia plena, full of grace. Certainly, then, full shee was of, and replenished with, grace, not onely respectively of Him with whom shee was conceived, Hee being the true grace of God, who maketh all gracious and replenisheth all with grace, in every sort, sufficiently, as being the fountaine of all grace and goodnesse, out of whose superabundance all receive what they have, grace for grace; but also principally and primarily, respecting herselfe, and the great things, as shee calls them, which Hee who is Mighty, and Holy is His Name, had done for her. It is true, as I said, shee was full of grace, being that woman prophesied of, who had enclosed a Man; that is, having conceived our Saviour at the instant of His creation in her wombe; a man, as Ambrose and Chrysostome doe apply it. But this truth could not be intended then, because when the Angel used those words to her, Haill Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,' shee had not given, as yet, her consent, nor conceived Him in her wombe; so that, then, as yet, a woman had not enclosed a Man. Full of grace shee was, respecting those gifts of God's Holy Spirit, and those eminent endowments, which being in her, did adorne her in the sight of God. . . . . Thirdly, there is fulnesse [of grace] of Prerogative, which is the appropriated portion of the Blessed Virgin—her due Prerogatives are peculiar, are incommunicable; not of themselves, for what any creature is capable of, another creature may receive, if God would, as Hee will not impart them to any else. But Gratia capitis Christ's endowment is not for any creature; nor men nor Angels can receive it.... Without all doubt, God did greater things for her than for any other; in making choice of her to be the Mother of God, Hee gave her a prerogative above men and Angels. But yet the Cardinall [Baronius] for all this overlasheth..... Concerning actuall, or life-sinne, whether shee ever committed any breach of any of God's commandments; it cannot be denyed, but antiquity, out of reverend respect and awfull regard unto the dignity and person of our Saviour, have bestowed upon her that priviledge beyond and above all the sons and daughters of men, that shee did not commit any grosse or deadly sinne, but by special dispensation was preserved pure and immaculate from all such, at least after the conception of our Saviour.... Respecting that peculiar office and honour shee was appointed unto, to bee the Mother of that Holy One of God, it hath probably and piously been held, that if not before, yet after shee had conceived the Saviour of the world, in whom was no sinne, shee was freed from actuall grosse or deadly sinne, not committing any thing against the Law..... So doth Anselme determine the manner and reason of it, De excellentiâ Virginis, cap. 3. No man doubts but her most chaste body and most sanctified soule, was by uncessant and continued protection of assistant angels, preserved thoroughly untainted of any spot of sinne, as being that chamber in which the Lord of themselves, and Creator of all

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things, God, was corporally to inhabite and abide, by and in whom hee would assume man by his unalterable operation, into the union of his owne person. This is all that is warranted to bee the tenet of Roman Schools by the Councell of Trent; and therefore it is not against piety to say with Castrio here, Hoc uno, gratia Virginis Adæ gratiam, et Angelorum adhuc viatorum, superabat: quòd hæc vim illis conferebat, ne possent peccare si vellent; at gratia Virgini data est, ne posset velle peccare. Ita, quod Christus habuit a naturâ, Virgo, Ipsius Mater, ex Ejus habuit gratiâ singulari: which speciall, singular priviledge is no prejudice to faith."-Montague: Acts and Monuments, pp. 527-534.

"Concerning that most blessed above women, there is no Christian but doth constantly beleeve and professe, that shee lived and died a most pure, immaculate Virgin."—Ibid. P. 543.

The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell. Illustrated by Twenty Vignettes, from Designs by Turner, and Thirty-seven Woodcuts, from Designs by Harvey. London: Moxon. 1843.

ANOTHER of the poetical brotherhood which adorned the close of the last and the beginning of the present century has just been removed from us. Of all that goodly company but three now remain-Wordsworth, Moore, and Rogers: most dissimilar men, but who must, notwithstanding, turn with strange and wistful feelings to the thought of each other, left, as each is now, without those great fellow-travellers on life's journey with whom his name and the exercise of his powers have been so much associated. He who has just departed from us was, though by no means the foremost, a most conspicuous member of that bright band; less canvassed and discussed, perhaps, of late years, than some of his poetical brethren, just because the exceeding beauty of much of his poetry is felt to be beyond all question. This being the case, it may seem rather superfluous to make him the subject of an article; but we own to loving an occasion, when such presents itself, of pausing on a true poet, and contemplating his poetry; and though we once saw some criticism on our labours in this way, in which the disparaging epithet "lengthy" was applied to them, we are not going to be thereby deterred from pursuing them, at such times and to such "length" as circumstances and our own humour may suggest. Besides, though Campbell be a poet universally accepted and read, we are not sure that his due station on the slope of Parnassus has been assigned to him; many who allow-what none ever refused— him, a position there, would perhaps fix it near the base; we, on the contrary, place him very high; and think it worth while, at present, to show our reasons for doing so. And further, there is a phenomenon in his literary history from which an important moral is to be drawn.

As the consideration of this latter is the only part of our present task not altogether agreeable, we will betake ourselves to it now, and get it over at once. The phenomenon to which we refer, is the remarkable obscuration of faculties which must have taken place before the author of "Hohenlinden" could have written such verses as those on the Battle of Navarino, or as that unutterably humiliating "Pilgrim of Glencoe," on which we passed judgment two years ago. Into all the possible causes of that obscuration we will not seek to enter. Some might be suggested on which it were idle, and worse than idle, now, to dwell. It may suffice, perhaps, to say, that when Mr. Colburn placed an indolent man of genius at the head of a very easilymanaged Magazine, and gave him a handsome income, he called him off from the life of a poet, and allowed some of the noblest gifts that had been vouchsafed to any man of the age, to be frittered away and dispersed. And the moral we would draw from the melancholy results upon Campbell's poetical powers, is one which never was more needed than in this talentworshipping time-the moral, that our gifts are not what we fancy them, our own: that as they come from above, so are they bestowed day by day; that, consequently, what we could do at one time may be far beyond our power at another; and a former range and compass of mind and language may give no assurance of our possessing anything similar at present.

This is a humbling truth, but one which it behoves all who feel that they are wielding a power in any way beyond their fellows, seriously to receive and remember. They must not fancy that power their own: they must not believe that they are sure to have it whenever they wish to exercise it. True, in the order of the Giver's dealings, intellectual gifts are continued, for the most part, in the same channels; and true, also, that even our imperfect insight can discern some wise reasons why this should be, on the whole, the case; we can see, for example, that, by certain persons receiving a certain permanent intellectual vocation, the sense of responsibility may be awakened within them. Still, what we call abilities are but gifts, and no more than any other gifts of God are they indefectibly possessed. If misused, if not carefully and humbly and reverently cultivated, they may, perchance, desert those who, at one time, most conspicuously displayed them. He who wrote the noblest battle-ode that is to be found in any modern language, has put forth more imbecile verses than the veriest fool in the country. Let, then, no young poet of our own day, who may be conscious of some God-given power, take to contemplating that power, as an abiding property of himself: it may vanish in the profane and selfish process.

But let us cease to talk of the Campbell who wrote the "Pilgrim of Glencoe," and revert to the immortal Campbell whom