inasmuch as it is a fact, which our thinking of, can make no surer; and which was really done, that we might not think of it primarily, but of the end for which it was done. When we have thought of this latter to purpose, we shall know better how to think about the other.

W— has been here, quite to my liking. He read me an excellent sermon, which he preached in the Asylum. —— did not like it. He thought it too high, and that it rolled over the people's heads: this might be partly true, as I think it was over poetical, too lubricous. Still, I should rather roll over people's heads, than under them.

LETTER LXXVII.

To A. Knox, Esq.

Feb. 1. 1809, 6 o'clock evening

MY DEAR FRIend,

By some of the usual mismanagements of our post, I have but just received your acceptable letter; and wish to say a few words in acknowledgment of it, and that which preceded it.

The state of the weather, and of my head, for the last two or three days, has been such, that I could not pay the attention I wished, to the investiganda you suggested. Your quotation from Primate Newcome is extremely pleasant. It is certainly very well, that such a person should have seen, and pointed out the climax. But indeed I conceive that point to be so self-evident, that no reasonable person can withhold assent, when it is once fairly stated. The division of the 119th Psalm laid down by you, I entirely accord with, down to the 12th v. There, as I at present feel, I would propose an arrangement somewhat different. But I have not, hitherto, been able to investigate the matter so deeply as I could wish: I am well convinced, that, for the most part, I mean with very rare exceptions, aboriginal words are to be preferred; always, when the sense can be exactly given by them, and when it cannot, the most naturalized foreigners should be resorted to.

I will attend to what you say, about sameness of idea, and sameness of letter; especially, as I cordially concur in thinking we must make our sally, from the alphabetical poems. Of their importance, Bishop Lowth was aware; it is on them he bottoms his system: but he did not, probably, discern a tenth part of the use, that may be hereafter made of them. As to sameness of idea throughout a stanza; I had been led to remark on the short quotations at the end of Ps. cvii., that

the topics respectively close, with the close of each stanza : now, if this take place in the alphabetical stanzas, it will be a most important confirmation of my arrangement. By the way, I have drawn up, by way of specimen, an introductory analysis of the 107th Psalm*, with notes, both on the beauties, and proprieties, which flow from the structure of the poetry; and on the comparative excellence of its finest passages, and parallel ones from the antients. In a word, I have attempted to edit it, as a sacred classic, that you and others may judge, how far it might be desirable to proceed with other psalms, in a similar way.

To your observations on the elegiac versification, I cannot at present accede. I grant you, that grief is abrupt, rather than long-winded but, surely, abruptness of sentiment, may very well coincide with length of line. The object of the elegy, is, to excite solemn thoughts, and melancholy feelings; and this, surely, is best effected by a long line. The elegiac measure, both of Greeks and Latins, is longer than the usual lyric measures; and our English elegiac measure, is, also, as long as our heroic. That the Hebrew elegiac line has a bimembral form, I readily admit; but so, also, had the metres used by Chapman, and those used by Drayton; and the division of them into shorter lines, was a modern invention. Nor do I think there can be produced, either from the Greek, Latin, or English language, an elegiac poem, written in short verse. For instance, 8th and 6th, in English.

But what I wish you particularly to advert to, is Rabbi Azarias's system, as given by Bishop Lowth. This, I apprehend, will throw much light on the point. I have, I conceive, discovered a strong confirmation of his plan, by simply putting two circumstances together. Josephus speaks in the following terms, of Moses' song: Επειτα ποιησιν έξαμετρον αυτοίς ανεγνω· ἣν καταλελοιπεν εν τω βιβλιῳ τῳ, ἱερῳ, προρρησιν έχουσαν των εσομένων, καθ' ὧν γεγονε παντα, και γίνεται, μηδεν εκείνου διημαρτηκότος της αληθείας. Antiq. lib. iv. cap. 8. § 44.

And Bishop Patrick tells us, that the Jews reckon this song to consist of seventy verses; each of which, contains two distinct and entire sentences. On reading the above two passages, I naturally took up my attempt at an arrangement of the song; when, to my great surprise and gratification, I found, that I had actually divided it into 140 lines, coinciding with the bimembral parts of the 70 lines, marked out by the Jews. Hence, I went to the Polyglot; and found, in a great majority of instances, that each of my lines, contained three Hebrew words; of course, six Hebrew words, coinciding with Josephus's account of the poem having been written in hexameters.

From hence, then, I am disposed to think, that, whenever a pure Hebrew text can be established, it will go to confirm Rabbi Azarias's scheme; and that the verses will then appear to be hexametres, pentametres, tetrametres, &c. &c.; and hence, too, I cannot bring myself to reject the long lines, whilst we have such authority for them as that of Josephus, backed by the tradition of the Jews themselves.*

The more I have considered these matters, the more I am disposed to think, that the precise number of Hebrew words must be taken into account, in order to determine the precise nature of the verses. Open Lowth's preliminary dissertation to Isaiah, p. 29. He there gives eight lines from the 19th psalm; all of which, he classes in the same order of versification. Now, it occurred to me, that the last couplet was shorter than the other three; and, on looking at the Hebrew, I find, that, whilst the first three couplets are uniformly pentametres, the last couplet is a tetrametre; that is, in the first six lines, each has five words, while the last two, have each but four.

This, it occurs to me, may be no unfair mode of trying your projected division of the elegiac line; I shall therefore copy two or three of them, from the specimen in the original.

Again, the remainder of your quotation, exhibits the following number of Hebrew words in each line, which I have not time to transcribe.

The theory of a metrical character in Hebrew poetry, was afterwards completely disproved by the Bishop himself; who has fully shown, in his 'Sacred Literature,' that it was a poetry, not of words, but of thoughts... ED.

I own I prefer the longer verse; and I beg of you to consider, whether, by dividing them, you do not militate against the scheme of the writer, who has acrostically commenced every longer line if he had arranged after your plan, why not begin the long and short line acrostically? I have scarcely time to read over, much less to revise; so that I fear you will have many crudities to make allowance for.

Yours most affectionately,

FOR Some time past, I have been wishing to write to you; but you will not wonder that the execution of my wish has been suspended per force, when I tell you, that it will have been precisely one fortnight to-morrow since I have stirred out of doors. It is one of my old attacks; and, after I had thought myself quite recruited, I incautiously brought on a relapse last week, by over-exertion in conversation. When quite recovered, which is not yet the case, I trust that this illness will have proved serviceable.

Last Saturday I suffered extremely, under the most dispiriting languor, and the most alarming apprehension that all intellectual power was forsaking me. In this frame, I took up my pen in search of relief, and wrote the lines, which you will read in the opposite page; it is needless to say that they do not claim the title of poetry.

O Thou, whose all enlivening ray
Can turn my darkness into day,
Disperse, great God, my mental gloom,
And with thyself my soul illume.

Though gathering sorrows swell my breast,
Speak but the word, and peace and rest

Shall set my troubled spirit free

In sweet communion, Lord, with thee.

What though, in this heart-searching hour,
Thou dim'st my intellectual power;

The gracious discipline I own,

And wisdom seek at thy blest throne:

A wisdom, not of earthly mould,

Not such as learned volumes hold,

Not selfish, arrogant, and vain,

That chills the heart, and fires the brain:

But Father of eternal light,

In fixt and changeless glory bright,

I seek the wisdom from above,
Pure, peaceful, gentle, fervent love!
Let love divine my bosom sway,

And then my darkness will be day;

No doubts, no fears, shall heave my breast,

For God himself will be my rest!

Yours ever,

J. J.

00

LETTER 68.

To the Rev. J. Jebb.

Feb. 15. 1809.

MY DEAR FRiend, I WROTE the inclosed on Saturday, but it was too late for the post; I therefore, to make up for that, add something more.

My thoughts grow; new lights seem, every now and then, to open upon me; and to show some fresh object of admiration, in the great temple of truth; I cannot put on paper even a slight outline, of what has occurred to me within the last three months. What seems to me, is, that the New Testament contains a great deal more, respecting a hierarchical church, than any one I know of, has yet imagined; and that a more express, and circumstantial transfer of hierarchical privileges, from the Jewish nation to the Gentiles, may be traced, than, at first view, could be thought likely. On the most general supposition of such a plan, choice of place in which to begin the system, so as to insure imitation, and connected extension, would be a first object: and what place so thoroughly fitting, as Ephesus, the capital of Asia Proconsular, consequently of Asia Minor; of Asia unlimitedly, says Chrysostom, in his short, but remarkable preface, to his comment on that epistle. The next thing to be expected, would be some peculiar impressiveness of commencing circumstances. For this, turn to the 19th chapter of the Acts; and observe the unparalleled combination. The first persons addressed, 'John's disciples.' The number about twelve,.. then fully christianized, by baptism in the name of Christ, and by imposition of hands, followed, as at first, with speaking with tongues, and prophesying. Then, a schism with the synagogue, and a decided turning to the school, καθ' ἡμεραν διαλεγόμενος εν τη σχολη Τοράννου τινος. Then, a signal authentication of all this, from heaven. St. Paul, at Ephesus, being equalled only by St. Peter, at Jerusalem. Compare the 11th and 12th verses of this chapter, with chap. v. 12. . . 16. I must not leave out of the detail the devil's repeating, as nearly as was possible, at Ephesus, what he had done at Jerusalem: