REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

46. Preces, Catechismus, et Hymni, Græcè et Latinè, in usum antique et celebris Scholæ juxta S. Pauli Templum apud Londinates Fundatore venerabili admodùm viro Johanne Coleto, S. T. P. necnon S. P. Decano. Londini: Ex Officiná Johannis Nichols et Sociorum: sm. 8vo. pp. 64. THE Friends of this excellent Foundation will doubtless derive real pleasure from the publication of this little Manual, which, though designed for the use of the schoolboy, may be acceptable, as a memorial of juvenile days, to those who have long since emerged from the controul of scholastic discipline.

It contains the Prayers used in the School, in Latin: the Catechism, with the Order of Confirmation, in Greek and Latin: and, in Greek, the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds; the Compendium of Faith by the Council of Nice; the Faith as set forth by the Council of Chalcedon: the Salutation of the Virgin; the Song of the Virgin; the Song of Zacharias; the Song of Simeon; the 103d Psalm; a Morning Hymn, Glory to God in the Highest; a Hymn selected from the Psalms; &c. And to the whole is prefixed a very finely engraved and interesting Portrait of the Founder.

An edition of this work was printed in the year 1705, with an engraved portrait of Dean Colet, apparently copied from the view of his monument in “Dugdale's History of St. Paul's Cathedral." We are not aware of any later edition except the present; and it may well excite surprise, that more than a century should have elapsed without a new impression; whilst for the use of other seminaries similar books have repeatedly issued,

and indeed have been adopted in St. Paul's School, for want of one expressly intended for its own use.

A brief account of the several tracts which have been at various times published for the use of this School (extracted principally from Dr. Knight's "Life of Colet") may not be uninteresting, nor irrelevant on the present occasion.

A Collection, similar in many respects to that now under notice, was made by the venerable Founder himself, who, as soon as he had erected his school and appointed the high master (W. Lilly), anxious for its success and improvement, drew up some Rudiments of Grammar, with an Abridgement of the Principles of Religion, called Paul's Accidence, and intituled, "Rudimenta Grammatices à Johanne Coleto, Decano Ecclesiæ Sancti Pauli, London. in usum Schola ab ipso institutæ," 1510*. This publication contained the Rules and Orders prescribed by the Founder for the admission and continuance of boys in his school; The Institution of a Christian Mant, (comprising, The Artycles of the Faythe; The Seven Sacraments; Charyte, The Love of God, The Love of thyne owne selfe, The Love of thy Neygbour, Penaunce, Houslynge, in Sicknesse, in Dethes Preceptes of Lyvynge;) in English: and Symbolum Apostolicum; Oratio Dominica; Salutatio Angelica; Oras tiuncula ad Puerum Jesum Schola Præsidem, in Latin.

After the publication and general use of these Rudiments (which related chiefly to the more easy construing of Latin, and are now, with some improvement, placed in the common Accidence after the Eight

* Cardinal Wolsey, Dr. Knight informs us, "when he had founded a school in his native town of Ipswich, and was to recommend some little system of Grammatical Rules to it, did Dean Colet and himself the honour to reprint the Rudiments of Colet for the use of Ipswich, as well as of St. Paul's School, and prefixed an Epistle, dated at Westminster, 1 Sept. 1528 the title-page of which book runs thus:- Rudimenta Grammatices, et docendi methodus, non tam Scole Gypswichianæ per Reverend. D. Thomam Cardinalem Ebor. fœliciter insti tutæ, quam omnibus aliis totius Angliæ Scolis præscripta. Joan. Grapheus excudebat impensis Arnoldi Birckmanni, Antv. 1534.' ”

This was a title given formerly to any little Abridgment of the Principles of Christian Religion. The system of religion, in the beginning of the Reformation, drawn up by the Convocation, and approved by Henry VIII, was called “The Institution of a Christian Man.”

GENT. MAG. April, 1815.

Parts

4

Parts of Speech) Dean Colet drew up, in 1513, for the familiar use of his boys, the other little tract, Of the Construction of the Eight Parts of Speech, intituled "Absolutissimus de Octo Orationis Partium Constructione Libellus," which received very considerable emendations and additions from Lilly and from Erasmus, and now makes up the Syntax in Lilly's Grammar.

After the Syntax was published, Lilly drew up short Rules for distinguishing the Genders of Nouns, called from the first words Propria quæ maribus; and likewise for the Inflexion of Verbs, and Indication of their preterperfect Tenses and Supines, called As in præsenti; making the rules more compendious, and the lines smoother, than had been in any of the former Grammatical systems, with which the schools abounded.

Erasmus, in addition to other services to the School, translated from the English into Latin verse, briefly and plainly, for the easy apprehension and memory of the boys, "The Institution of a Christian Man," which had been drawn up by Colet himself. This was to be the School Catechism, or Instruction for Children under the then common heads of Religion. It contained, an Exposition of the Creed, the Seven Sacraments, the Love of God, the Avoidance of Sin, the seven deadly Sins, the Avoidance of ill Company, a Zeal for Religion, the Duty of Prayer, of Temperance in Eating and Drinking, of Fasting, Purity of Heart, Cleanness of Hands, Restitution of any thing accidentally found, the Love of our Neighbour, Receiving the Sacrament of our Lord's Body, a Bed of Sickness, the Hour of Death; with a concluding sentence," Do this and live."-This little book was accompanied by other treatises, as appears by the following letter of Erasmus to Nævius:

"Erasmus Rot. M. Joanni Nevio Hendiscolano Lilianorum, apud inclytum Lovanium, Gymnasiarchæ, S. D. P.

"Disticha moralia, vulgo Catonis inscripta titulo, Nevi Theologorum decus, primùm diligenter à mendis repur

gavimus - adjecimus his Mimos Publicanos falso inscriptos Seneca Proverbia addidimus et Septem Sapientum celebria Dicta; et Hominis Christiani Institutum, quod nos carmine dilucido magis quàm elaborato sumus interpretati; conscriptum antea sermone Britannico, à Joanne Coleto, quo viro non alium habet, meâ quidem sententiâ, florentissimum Anglorum Imperium, vel magis pium, vel qui Christum veriùs sapiat. Bene vale. 1514. Kal. Aug."

Linacer published, probably with a view to its introduction in the School, his grammatical treatise, intituled, "De emendatâ Structurâ Latini Sermouis Libri sex," &c.; but, though Colet had encouraged him to publish "Introducit, he preferred his own tion," as being more plain and intelligible; that by Linacer being rather guide to critics than a help to beginners.

Dr. Richard Pace dedicated to Dean Colet his treatise De fructu qui ex Doctrinâ percipitur, Bas. 1517, 4to. a work which, it is presumed, may with propriety be included in this list, from the following passage towards the conclusion of the treatise: "Hæc sunt, mi Colete, quibus studiósos literarum juvenes ad doctrinam amplexandam hortandos instruendosque putavi. Quæ si tibi, vel juvenibus tuis, qui per te publicè erudiuntur, placere intellexero, operam me non lusisse judicabo."

Erasmus, in 1520, dedicated his "De Copiâ Verborum ac Rerum Commentarii duo," to the use of the School.

Another composition of Erasmus for the use of St. Paul's Scholars was an Oration in Praise of the Child Jesus (which was spoken publicly, by one of the scholars, at the solemn time of visiting the school), in an admirable strain of Christian eloquence, recommending the example of Jesus in his childhood, and exhorting the school-fellows to follow his steps in all piety and virtue. This has been frequently published under the title of "Concio de Puero Jesu, pronunciata à Puero in Scholâ Coleticâ nuper instituta Londini §." To which (no doubt, at the like desire of Dean Colet) were added two short

The School, it should be observed, was originally dedicated to the Child Jesus. It is printed at length in the Appendix to Knight's Life of Colet, with the following title." Des. Eras. Rot. Concio de Puero Jesu pronunciata à Puero in nova Schola Joannis Coleti, per eum instituta Londini, in qua præsidet imago

Pueri Jesu, docentis specie."-Over the High-master's chair was an image of the Child Jesus, in the gesture of teaching.

Preserved, with slight alterations, in the publication under notice.

¶ Although we have already wandered from the immediate object of this article, we cannot resist the opportunity here offered us, of suggesting the publication of a revised and improved edition of the "LIFE OF COLET."

It has long been a subject of regret among the Scholars and Friends of St. Paul's School, that the Life of the Founder, published by Dr. Samuel Knight, is rarely to be met with, and that the price of it, when a copy is produced for sale, is

47. A combined View of the Prophecies of Daniel, Esdras, and St. John; shewing that all the Prophetic Writings are formed upon one Plan. Accompanied by an explanatory Chart Also, a minute Explanation of the Prophecies of Daniel; together with critical Re marks upon the Interpretations of preceding Commentators, and more particularly upon the Systems of Mr. Faber and Mr. Cuninghame. By

James Hatley Frere, Esq. 8vo. PP. 476. Hatchard.

LONG, very long indeed, have the Scriptural Prophecies excited the attention and roused the faculties of the mind of man, ever anxious to know more than he is permitted by Divine wisdom, and to search into causes and effects evidently purposely concealed from his view for the best and most benevolent intentions. The Prophecies are, indeed, a series of mysterious writings, to which the affairs of this world often bear a striking resemblance: it is, therefore, perfectly innocent and laudable to

compare events with them; and whether the conclusions are correct or erroneous, no injury to society can possibly arise, while some benefit may be the consequence of the reasoning and argument adduced by one expounder and contradicted by another. Mr. Frere says, the subject of Prophecy is calculated to interest every one; and certainly as each generation passes away, every individual must feel himself personally concerned in the things of which it treats; and he considers that, if the history of past ages is interesting, much more so is the history of ages to come. He continues: "The Author of the following pages has for above seventeen years been increasingly impressed with a sense of the importance of the period of the world in which we live, and has always entertained a few ideas upon the Prophecies which relate to it, peculiar to himself." Au accidental circumstance, that occurred in April 1813, first induced him to write on the subject, in order to

so much enhanced as to prevent the gratification of many who desire to obtain it, The life of this venerable man presents so eminent an example of piety, purity of morals, integrity, learning, and benevolence, that had he not purchased to himself an immortal name by his patriotism in the foundation of this seminary, he would have abundant claims on the regard and affection of posterity. That those who are indebted to his generosity for the principles of sound literature, and support in the prosecution of it, should from any cause be unable to gratify their inclination to contemplate his good example, as exhibited in the memorials of his life, is at once a loss to them, and an act of injustice to his memory.→ Knight's "Life of Colet," however, valuable, as it confessedly is, for the many curious and useful materials it contains, creditable also to his diligence as a compiler, and to his feelings as a member of the School, has no pretensions to elegance of composition; it is written with little animation, and is both verbose and ill-digested. To reprint it at this period in its present form, would neither be doing justice to the subject, nor reflect credit on him who should undertake it. Later investigations have developed sources of information with which Dr. Knight was unacquainted; and collateral helps may now be derived from later authors, who have treated of the eminent contemporaries of Dean Colet. Some valuable information may also doubtless be acquired from the annotations or suggestions of many individuals who have enriched their copies by the addition of such particulars as occurred to them in the course of their reading. The copy which Mr. North of Codicote possessed (now by the munificent bequest of Mr. Gough, reposited in the Bodleian Library), contains remarks and corrections worth attention; and affords a sample of what may be expected from the observations of men of similar literary pursuits.

For the reasons already stated, it is earnestly hoped that some grateful Scholar will undertake the pleasing though faborious task of commemorating, in a manner worthy of the subject, and proportioned to the juster views of the history of the age which later writers have furnished, the extraordinary merit and virtue of this illustrious man; and, by a well-digested account of his life, and estimate of his character, supply a desideratum which there is so much cause to regret. The patronage of the liberal Body, who are the guardians of the School may, from the desire which they have uniformly evinced of forwarding its interests, be confidently relied on; and it may be safely presumed that the encouragement of those who have experienced the liberality of the Founder will be eagerly extended, in support of an undertaking which has a tendency to exalt his just fame and character. controvert