Two crowns of sylver and gylt, one to our lady and another to hyr son over the altar, of the gyfte of John Ryng and hys wyfe. 1504. Of the bequest of Elenor Porter hyr wedyng ryng gylt and 12d. mony. The gyfte of a sarvant of Watt. Jones 12d. 1522. The gyfte of Stevyn Edmonds three bokys of Canaan. There are also such entries as the following: Comys Robyn Hode and presents in twenty-four shillings and eight pence. Presented in of the sport of Robyn Hode and hys company Another "gyfte" was presented by Robyn Hode and his "man At the commencement of Queen Mary's reign, there is an inventory of the various articles then belonging to the church; among which are a cross a Bybell a pere of sensers a sylver challys and a salver a box of tapers for the sacrament a canopy to hang the sacrament in a blake pall of blake velvet and a hood a palle of blue damask a palle of green silk an altar clothe of red and yellow saten of Bryssel sylke SELECTIONS FROM EVELYN'S DIARY. [THE Editor had resolved on giving some selections from Evelyn's Diary, because the book throws so much light on both Churchmen and Church matters. But on reading it over, he has enlarged his extracts with another view. Evelyn was a man of family and of fashion, living in a great deal of the best society; he was an eminent man of science, and widely acquainted with it; he was one of the founders of the "Royal Society;" he was an author, and must have consumed much time in collecting observations for his writings as well as in their composition. He was much consulted by friends on all matters of business, and on the improvement of their estates; he was in a public employment which occupied much of his time; he lived in troublesome times, when the events of the day must have occupied much of his thoughts. Yet, in spite of all this, his Diary shews how much of the time of this man, so occupied in the world, was devoted to his God; how frequent and long were his retirements for religious purposes; how deep was his humiliation and self-abasement; how sincere and fervent, though unostentatious, his piety; how entirely, in one word, he had first sought the kingdom of God. To how many gentlemen, men of fashion, men of science, authors, statesmen, do these extracts from his secret and hidden thoughts say, in a voice of deep and severe, though quiet and calm admonition, Go, and do thou likewise!] 1646. Geneva. Having a letter for Sign' Jn° Diodati, the famous Italian Minister and translator of the Holy Bible into that language, I went to his house and had a greate deal of discourse with that learned person. He told me he had been in England, driven by Tempests into Deal, whilst sailing for Holland; that he had seen London, and was exceedingly taken with the civilities he received. He so much approved of our Church Government by Bishops, that he told me the French Protestants would make no scruple to submitt to it and all its pomp, had they a King of the Reformed Religion as we had. He exceedingly deplored the difference now between his Majesty and the Parliament. 1649. 18 March.-Mr. Owen, a sequester'd and learned minister, preached in my parlour, and gave us the blessed Sacrament, now wholly out of use in the Parish Churches, on which the Presbyterians and Fanatics had usurped. 25 March.—I heard the Common Prayer (a rare thing in these days) in St. Peter's, at St. Paul's Wharf, London; and in the morning, the Archbishop of Armagh, that pious person and learned man, Usher, in Lincoln's Inn Chapell. 10 June. Preached the Abp. Armagh, in Lincoln's Inn, from Romans 5, verse 13. I received the Blessed Sacrament preparatory to my journey. 1650. Paris, 12 June.-Being Trinity Sunday, the Dean of Peterborough preached, after which there was an ordination of two Divines, Durell and Brevent (the one was afterwards Deane of Windsor, the other of Durham, both very learned persons); the Bishop of Gallaway officiated with greate gravity, after a pious and learned exhortation declaring the weight and dignitie of their function, especially now in the time of the poore Church of England's affliction. He magnified the sublimity of the calling, from the object, viz., the Salvation of Men's Soules, and the glory of God, producing many humane instances of the transitorinesse and vanity of all other dignities; that of all the triumphs the Roman Conquerors made, none were comparable to that of our Blessed Saviour's, when he lead Captivitie captive and gave gifts to men; namely, that of the Holy Spirit, by which his faithfull and painefull Ministers triumphed over Satan as oft as they reduced a Sinner from the errour of his ways. He then proceeded to the Ordination. They were presented by the Deane in their surplices before the Altar, the Bishop sitting in a Chaire at one side; and so were made both Deacons and Priests at the same time, in regard to the necessitie of the times, there being so few Bishops left in England, and consequently danger of a failure of both functions. Lastly, they proceeded to the Communion. This was all performed in Sir Richard Browne's Chapell, at Paris. France, 31 June.-Being Sunday, they would not permit us to ride post, so that afternoone owr Trunks were visited. England, Sunday, 7 July.-In the afternoon, having a mind to see what was doing among the Rebells, then in full possession at WhiteHall, I went thither, and found one at exercise in the Chapell after their way; thence to St. James's, where another was preaching in the Court abroad. VOL. II.-Oct. 1832 (To be continued.) U ་ SACRED POETRY. SONNET WRITTEN ON THE DOWNS, NEAR BRIGHTON. "The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." DIMMED by the distance and the hazy sky, Ps. xxxiv. 7. CORRESPONDENCE. The Editor begs to remind his readers that he is not responsible for the opinions MODERN INSPIRATION AMONG THE CALEDONIANS. Sir,-In a former number some observations were printed on the expected advent of Elias, and reference made to various instances of imposture either meditated or committed in that behalf. The number of such instances might, no doubt, be swelled by more diligent research. The following authentic and strange narrative serves to shew that the great blasphemy is not confined to civilized regions, but insinuates itself in all directions like the pestilence in the darkness. In 1697, when Martin visited St. Kilda, no inhabitant of that almost inaccessible island could read or write, or even comprehend the possibility of acquiring those arts. At that time one Roderick, who had never so much as visited any of the neighbouring isles, "all his converse being only with the steward's retinue, who were as ignorant of letters as himself," had the reputation of a prophet. He professed that he had met St. John the Baptist in the dress of a lowlander, on a certain Sunday, and received a commission from him to instruct his countrymen in the laws of heaven. He commanded them to observe the Friday's fast, and to worship divers of their deceased neighbours as advocating saints. On the anniversary of each saint the person, whose advocate he was, was obliged to give a feast, at which Roderick was the chief guest, and a share of it was punctually sent to his wife and children. He enforced his ordinances by imposing severe and cruel penances. Roderick consecrated the spot on which he held his first conversation with John the Baptist, and called it John the Baptist's Bush. If any sheep or cattle happened to touch this hallowed spot, the owner was compelled to kill them for a religious feast to gratify his "luxurious desires." His endeavours to familiarize him self with the wives of his disciples had already begun to shake his credit and authority, when the arrival of Martin, and the minister, Mr. Campbell, put a term to his crimes. Every night (as he affirmed), before his evening discourse, he heard a voice say" Come you out!" and, upon his going forth, John the Baptist did meet him and instructed him what to say; and if he complained that he could not remember a discourse but once repeated to him, John would say," Go, you have it," and in effect he could deliver fluently all he had heard, by the several hours together. He was endued with the second sight, and, when questioned as to the causes of an earthquake which had been felt, he ascribed it to the vibrations of subterranean music. He composed a hymn, called the Virgin Mary's, of such merit and efficacy, that every woman paid him a sheep for teaching her it. He forbade the use of the Lord's Prayer, Creed, and Ten Commandments, and, instead of them, prescribed diabolical forms of his own. He used the Irish word Phersichin, (i. e. verses,) which is not known in St. Kilda, nor in the North-West Isles, except to such as can read the Irish tongue. But that which seems most surprising in his obscure prayers, was his mentioning ELI, with the character of our preserver. He used several unintelligible words in his prayers, of which he could not tell the meaning himself, saying only, that he had received them implicitly from St. John the Baptist, and delivered them before his hearers without any explication. That he was acquainted with the mystery of the Artist Elias, who is to come, and was working, though on a small scale and in a sequestered spot, as a practical mason, will (I believe) be doubted by no person in Europe, who is in the possession of certain data. But in what manner, and through what channels, he obtained an inkling of the Art and the Great Design (as they are called), and the patronage of the Patron, and the knowledge of words foreign to his native rock, will never be known till all the hidden things of darkness are revealed. See "A Late Voyage to St. Kilda, the remotest of all the Hebrides, by M. Martin, Gent." London, 1698. PROPOSED EMENDATION OF ISAIAH XLIX. 7. To the Editor of the British Magazine. H. SIR,-A passage in our authorized version of the Scriptures appears to me capable of improvement, with respect to the punctuation; and I shall be thankful for the opinion of any of your judicious correspondents, to sanction or overthrow my own. The passage to which I refer is Isaiah xlix. 7. In this chapter the partial rejection, and, at the same time, the exaltation, of the Messiah is foretold. The 7th verse, as it now stands in most, if not all, editions of our bible, is as follows: "Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee." Now here the words "to him" denote the person to whom the Lord addresses the prediction; whereas I conceive that, in the original, they are intended to denote him who should be the object of the reverence and admiration of the kings; and that the verse should be printed thus-"Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One: To him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee." I will not positively assert that the Masoretic punctuation will admit of this reading, though I think it will, as the pause accent Rebhia over forms קְדוֹשׁוֹ a new member of the sentence. But although the Masora is of great value, as shewing us in what manner the Jews read the Sacred Text 600 or 1300 years ago, (I give this latitude with reference to the disputed antiquity of the Masora,) still we must recollect that the vowel-points and accents formed no part of the original text, and that where that will enable us to elicit a better sense than the reading of the Masorites, we are at liberty to reject the latter. The LXX, although they do not give a literal translation, seem to favour my opinion. They evidently have confounded, the verb, “sanctify,” with iip, the noun," His Holy One." Their version is: Ourwg Xéyei Kúpios, ὁ ῥυσάμενός σε, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραήλ· ̔Αγιάσατε τὸν φαυλίζοντα τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, τὸν βδελυσσόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν δούλων τῶν ἀρχόντων· βασιλεῖς ὄψονται ΑΥΤΟΝ, καὶ ἀναστήσονται ἄρχοντες, καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ΑΥΤΩι, ἕνεκεν Κυρίου· ὅτι πιστός ἐστιν ὁ ̔́Αγιος Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐξελεξάμην σε. With every good wish for the success of a work so well calculated to support the Church of England, in this her day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy, S. S. S. S. 24th August, 1832. I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant, L. S. ON LITTLE INACCURACIES IN THE ENGLISH BIBLE. To the Editor of the British Magasine. MR. EDITOR,-In those four passages—2 Sam. ii. 23, iii. 27, iv. 6, xx. 10— there occurs an expression to the following effect: "He smote him under the fifth rib, that he died." Now, that a man should die from a wound under the fifth rib, is nothing at all extraordinary; but that it should occur so frequently, certainly does appear a little singular. The eye of piety, however, would discern nothing in it but an unusual expression for a mortal wound; whilst the finger of scorners would exultingly point at it, as a fit subject for merriment, and a sufficient ground for scepticism-with how little reason we shall now see. The word rib is printed in italics, to shew that it was added by our translators to complete the sense. In these passages of Samuel, * (five) is by the Seventy rendered yóa (loin); and in Josh. i. 14, Don, marshalled by five (marginal reading), is rendered ɛvwvoi, girded up ready. Hence it is evident, that in the time of the Seventy the word w, besides meaning five, signified also loin or waist. This numeral is not the only one in Hebrew that has a twofold meaning; there are several others, but they are too well known to have caused any difficulty. Our own language affords instances of numerals being used in a different sense to play at fives, to be at sixes and sevens, to be at one again. These, I allow, are colloquial phrases, but they serve well enough for the purpose of illustration. Suppose, now, that English should become a dead language, and * Our Correspondent will perceive, on referring to the Lexicon of Simon, or that of Gesenius, that the meaning of this word has long ago been made the subject of discussion. Simon translates it by "abdomen," and supposes it to be derived from some unused root (wan) in which the notion of "crassitudo" is implied.-Ed. ( |