historical investigations; which becomes continually more difficult and obscure the further we have to penetrate into antiquity; which loses itself finally in a profound darkness, where a ray of genial light can scarcely penetrate. He was desirous of seeing a comparison of languages combined with the ancient traditions which we yet possess; a noble thought of Leibnitz, adopted by Gundling, aud applied by him, as far as his department permitted, imperfectly however, and like a novice, without a thorough insight into the peculiar nature of the languages. Being in the same place, and in connection with the same faculty, he was led soon after this, to an intimacy with Büttner, who was desirous of devoting the whole of his noiseless life to this thought of the German philosopher. The nearer connection with this learned philologist, strengthened and confirmed Michaelis in his design of illustrating, after this manner, the genealogical catalogue of Moses. The suggestions of Büttner are always, in the writings of Michaelis, designated by the mention of his name; where this is not the case, we may rest assured we have the investigations of Michaelis himself. In his comparison of languages, he was never contented with a partial and frequently accidental resemblance between words; but insisted, as was right, upon identity of grammatical structure, and regarded this alone as the most satisfactory proof of a kindred origin.

His historical and statistical views were expanded and improved into political reflections, at first through his long residence in England, and afterwards through his German contemporaries, who had awakened also in Germany a love for statistics and politics, by the success which attended their exertions to elevate them to permanent university sciences. It was now entirely in conformity with the spirit and plan of Michaelis, to keep pace with his contemporaries, in these pursuits also; and to make the most worthy and noble use of these new and favourite sciences, for his own department, at a time when no other student of antiquities in Germany indulged a similar thought. In his "Marriage Laws of Moses," we see already the dawn which brightened into the

day of his "Mosaical laws;" the plan, however, was conformed too much to a canonical theology, to permit a free political spirit to pervade it. This work, however, assisted to place him on the track, and served, at least, as a valuable preparation. For he advanced upon this from individual parts to the whole, and contemplated, in the spirit of Montesquieu, the legislative system and the political constitution of the Hebrews. The spirit of philosophical reflection vied, as it were, with his statistical, political and antiquarian researches, and led to the production of a work, in comparison with which, every earlier attempt, of a similar character, of antiquarians and politicians, dwindled into insignificance an original work, with which we can scarcely compare a single work on any ancient or modern political constitution. Before his time, every thing on this subject had been thrown together promiscuously. Ancient laws and regulations interfered with modern; genuine mosaic ordinances were mingled with spurious, which had been introduced, or new moulded, or certainly altered, partly by Persians, partly by Greeks, partly by Romans; real laws alternated with the mere ordinances of individual Rabbins, which owed their origin, sometimes to an excessive solicitude, sometimes to an idle misapprehension. Credulity and political ignorance reigned in all their investigations and reflections. In the midst of this, Michaelis made his appearance. He commenced the work with historical criticism and a philosophical estimation of the original sources, and discarded every thing from which no genuine Mosaical institution conld be obtained. He then removed the materials, to which, before his time, no eye but that of the antiquary had been directed, into a free political light; at every portion of the constitution he penetrated into the nature of its origin, and then illustrated it from similar regulations of other nations. Reflections upon the object and design of the laws and upon their consequences, upon their utility and the contrary, were mingled with remarks upon their local or temporal adaptedness, and with many others of this character, which, according to circumstances, might af

ford employment or even instruction to the philosopher and the politician, the historian and the antiquary. Before this time, none were seen to meddle with those subjects but the industrious students of antiquity; now a philosophical critic familiarly acquainted with history and with politics was seen engaged in the pursuit. Before this time, blundering and credulous compilers; now a keen and critical inquirer. Before this, an intolerable political jargon was seen to prevail; now, political and philosophical reasoning. In this way he introduced sense and entertainment for the statesman, into a subject which, it was formerly believed, could furnish employment only to the timid, shy and secluded antiquary.

The work left but little more to be desired; less with regard to individual parts, here and there something more in regard to the whole. Sometimes, however, it seems to stray away into foreign regions and times, and to speculate upon effects which, from the circumstances of the case, Moses could not have regarded ; sometimes we find, perhaps, a political castle in the air, without foundation, which the breath of historical criticism can demolish. And who does not regard this as perfectly natural and consistent with the progress of the human mind? Is it not in conformity with the situation of an author, who is desirous of bringing into reputation a science which has been disgraced by unworthy treatment, and of animating with new life the old inanimate mass? When industriously engaged in the search for political plans and designs, we are too prone to attribute to the law-giver secret plans and projects which never entered into his soul; or we connect, too refinedly, into a political system, those laws whose connection is much more loose and vague. It is a happy circumstance that Michaelis has distributed with so lavish a hand; we can now, more easily, remove what is superfluous. humble tabernacle of Moses, with all its furniture, stands before us; should any article be yet too splendid, we can easily supply its place with a meaner one; the first erection of the building was the difficult and most important work. It remained perhaps, only to survey the

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whole once more with an unbiassed regard to the times in which it originated, to other systems of legislation, which proceeded, perhaps, from the same point, and to the degree of culture which Moses really possessed; and then in accordance with this, to appreciate the individual points. Thus revised, this portion of antiquity might be placed in the best possible light for the literature of our times. Posterity will provide for its own additional wants.

With his historical investigations, his geographical researches are closely connected. As far as it could be done, he placed the ancient names of countries and cities by the side of the modern; he determined, more accurately than was usually done, their situation together with their boundaries; and dwelt with pleasure upon their natural and political history. All his writings, it is true, abound with the results of these investigations; but we may form an acquaintance with his geographical manner, most satisfactorily, from his explanations appended to Abulfeda's Geographical Description of Egypt, which connect together the ancient, middle, and modern geography of the country. In the prosecution of those favourite researches, he derived immediate advantage from the instructions he had formerly received at the university. The study of the mathematics, which are altogether indispensable to every scholar, whether speculative or practical, and which, when neglected, wreak, sooner or later, ample vengeance, this study had not been slighted by Michaelis. He had at least so much general mathematical knowledge, that he was enabled to assist himself in his inquiries, in order to discover, to correct, and even to avoid the errors of others in this department. Finally, his statistical taste did not desert him here, but preserved his investigations from an insipid dryness.

Michaelis prosecuted for the greatest length of time, and in the most distinguished manner, his inquiries concerning the geographical and genealogical catalogue of Moses, (Gen. x.), and concerning the passages which bore any relation to this in the writings of the Hebrews. Bochart had led the way illustriously, for, as to what could be ob

tained, in relation to the names in this catalogue, from the ancient classics, from translators of the Bible, and from Arabians, he had left but little remaining to be done. There was, however, one source of illustration, already partially laid open, to wit, the modern journeys in the East, which he had despised; whereas he abounded in etymologies, and had frequently converted questions of history into purely etymological investigations. Finally, another abundant source of geographical discoveries, was, after Bochart, laid open by Assemann, of which no one as yet had been able to avail himself. Michaelis was determined now to ascertain how much light could be borrowed for this dark portion of antiquity from travels and from learned Syrians. He was desirous of examining critically the etymologies of Bochart, and of confining within narrower limits the use of the same in geographical investigations, and conforming these last again more nearly to the course of historical researches. subordinate design also was to obliterate utterly the yet surviving notions of Rudbeck, according to which, information is to be found in Moses, concerning the origin of all the nations upon the wide earth, and in tracing the history of all nations we must commence our researches with Noah's ark. He limited therefore this catalogue to those nations which could be known to the Hebrews, through the medium of Arabia, Egypt and Phenicia, because in it were found merely names without explanation and accompanying places of residence; consequently nothing can be found in it which was unknown to its first readers.

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Not a word more has since been said on the idle fancies of Rudbeck. As to other questions, many have been fully settled, others nearly so, and for the, decision of others abundant materials have been collected. Michaelis rejected the idle dream, that the genealogies of nations, like those of individuals, can be traced back to one original ancestor, and regarded therefore the names of this catalogue, not as the names of individual persons, but as the names of whole tribes.

This whole mode of proceeding seems to be philoso