i, readers at leaft, was in a great meafure inacceffible. The object of the work will be beft conveyed in the author's own words: "The chief de"fign of the following fheets is to impart to others the entertainment and inftruction which I have re"ceived from foreign writers, as to "the hiftory of the earlieft ages of "Chriftianity, and the prefent ftate of religion and theological controtroverfy. Imperfect as the information is which they contain, I flatter myfelf it is important. In fome inftances my work is a free tranflation, in others an abridgment of "felect paffages in the original writers. Their fentiments, when dif*ferent from my own, I have not "difguifed. Their opinions of perfons and things which I could not 66 approve, I have not concealed." In purluance of this defign, Dr Erfkine has here collected and abridged from feveral of the latest and moft celebrated authors on theological fubje&s, particularly the German and Dutch writers, thofe parts that either appeared from their fuperior merit, to be moll deferving of general circulation, or were beft calculated to give inTormation, as to the prefent ftate of religious opinions in different countries on the continent. Such compilations in every department of literature and fcience are, to ufeful, that it is furprifing they have not been more frequently attempted. Philofophical and literary intelligence is no lefs gratifying than inftructive, yet but few means of attaining it are within general reach; the Reviews are, to molt, the only fources from which it can be drawn, but there are of neceffity confined and u fati: factory; collections from time to time, made with judgment and propriety, exhitizing a connected wiew of the ftate of any branch of knowledge, become defirable additions to the stock of general literature. In this view, the work before us is entitled to attention, more especially as the fubject to which it points is one highly important in itself, as well as generally interefting, being a fketch of the prefent ftate of religious opinions in different countries. It contains thirteen different articles, various in their ftile and manner, but fimilar in their general scope. The first contains a defence of Confeffions of Faith, abridged from a Dutch Treatife of Bonnet. The arguments on this much-agitated point, are here compreffed and stated with great clearness; and the right of every fociety, ecclefiaftical, as well as civil, to inftitute rules for its own government, and confequently ternis of admifion for its members, maintained upon folid grounds. Indeed upon a fair view of the question it is furpri fing this could be difputed provided no more was claimed, but the mufchief has been, that one church, not fatisfied with its own freedom, often withed to prevent others enjoying the like, while, on the other hand, the advantages fometimes found in particular communities, have induced fome to claim admiflion, without complying with the terms. Thefe are, however, not the faults of confeflions, but abufes that may be corrected by confining every religious fociety within proper bounds, and yet leaving them free to adminifter their own affairs. The fecond article in this work contains a defence of fome of the doctrines of the proteftant religion abridged from the Dutch of Van Alphen. It is a treatife of great merit and worthy of a perufal, even after the many works of merit on that fubject in our own language. In the third article, Letters from certain Jews on the prefent State of the Chriftian Religion, printed at Harlem in 1786," there are a number of lively, threwd, and entertaining remarks on the failionable fyftems of rational Chriftianity, now prevailing in Holland and Germany, as well as Britain. Dr Priestly and Lavater are particularly taken notice of, and the tendency of fome of their doctrines very juftly expofed. Rouffeau comes in alfo for a fhare of animadverfion, as well as feveral German authors, little known in this country. Towards the end of the article, fome opinions are given refpecting the li berty of the pref, which for the honour of the Hebrew gentlemen, we could have withed had been fuppreff ed. their arguments are weak and contemptible; but others have urged objections to the edict, which its defenders have not been able in any mea fure to repel. In the fixth article we have fome extracts from a pamphlet of the Bifhop of Cloyne's on the prefent state of the Irish church, from which it ap pears that the tumults and exceffes refpecting tythes, have of late rifen to a height difgraceful in a civilifed country. Articles feventh and eighth, contain a number of obfervations on the early propagation of Chriftianity, calcula ted to take off fome of the objections of infidel writers, particularly Mr Gibbon. They are learned, ingenious, and fatisfactory. Article ninth appears to us one of the molt interefting in the book; it is entitled "Hints of facts relating to "religion, manners, and the im This article is followed by the Edict of the prefent King of Pruffia, refpecting religious toleration. We are forry we cannot join with the worthy tranflator in the praifes he has bestowed on it. It tolerates feven different religious fects, but ali others are profcribed; profelyte - making in all confeffions is feverely proBibited, and fome opinions, contrary to the established religion, are very trongly reprobated and forbidden to be taught or fpread by proteftant clergymen, and teachers in any way public or private. It is obvious from thefe particulars, that religious liberty is by this edit much limited in the Pruthan dominions; it is ftrange, indeed, that legiflators will perfift in at empting to interfere in matters where they have no concern; why will they not in religious matters take the fage advice that the French merchants gave to Colbert in regard to commerce," to let it alone?" They feldom do good by their intermeddling, and it requires no great penetration to fee, that a religion propped up by royal edicts, teft acts, or penal laws, muft in part at least have depart-" ed from the fpirit of Christianity, which depends for its fucceffion very different fupports. This edict has occafioned a good deal of controverfy on the continent, of which we have an account in article fifth. Some of its opponents have attacked it on the moft improper and unwarrantable grounds, and provement of mankind, from De "Seiler of Erlangen's Literary Jour-, "nal." It contains a number of cus rious and interefting facts on differ, ent fubjects. In general the education of youth feems now to be much attended to in Germany; knowledge is increafing, though in fome places with flow fteps; but, morals do not appear to be on the mending hand. The following contraft between the manners of Geneva and Lausanne is particularly worthy of attention. "Purity of manners, as well as of "language diftinguh Lafanae. "None of the ladies of diftinction "imitate thofe of France, or will 66 publicly fuffer a gallant. By thofe in the middle line of life, orna"ments are lefs affected than with us, though paint is more used. "The greatest blemish of both fexes "is a paffion for gaming, which ofica "makes their pleasant and beautiful public walks almost deferted. This "is the more fingular, as they never play deep. From the ftriétnefs of "the people, and the clergy's atten 66 * tion ❝tion to their morals, no houfes of "contraft," adds Dr E "betwixt "Meiners character of the peop'e "and that given them by Bishop "Burnet in his travels, Letters from "bad fame are allowed. Though 86 many youths of diftinétion are edu"cated at Laufanne, neither infidelity nor profligacy of manners dare "to appear openly, and to attempt "gaining profelytes. Far different "is Geneva. The buildings are large and extenfive, the inhabitants wealthy, and an incredible number of beautiful country fears furround "it on all fides. The civil war was lefs owing to a defective legisla tion, than to growing depravity of manners, both among high and * low *; for even to the lower ranks has this corruption fpread. The "works of Voltaire and Rouffeau are read in fhops, manufactories, " and work houfes. Perhaps the "wealth that has flowed upon Ge. 66 neva, from her fine artists, has ac"celerated her corruption. The «ftrict church difcipline which Cal"vin introduced immediately after "the reformation, is now gone. La"dies of diftinction give no figns of « devotion in church. They laugh, "they talk, they adjust their dress, "they flutter with their fans, as if "they were in a jovial meeting. Formerly adultery was confidered Geneva as a most shockin; crime, and divorce was rendered as diffi"cult as poffible. Now the firft is laughed at; and the fecond more eafily and frequently obtained, than at London or Paris."-" What a at Zurich 1685! May not this be "owing to the oppofing, or at least "omitting in their fermons, thofe pe "culiar truths of the gospel, by faith in which the heart is purified?” With this opinion of our author we entirely concide, and have only to fuggeft as a fecondary cause of the corruption, the recent tablishment of a Theatre and Opera in Geneva. Thefe were lately introduced there after many violent fruggles and most deftructive contefts, and how much they accelerate the debasement of manners of every city where they are allowed, particularly fuch an one as Geneva, has been fhewn, with no less truth than eloquence by Rouffeau, in his Letters to D'Alembert, the most, perhaps the only, unexceptionable piece among all his writings. The remaining four articles we cannot particularly go through; they are in a fimilar strain with the others. And, upon the whole, the work ap pears to us (although we have ventured to exprefs a difference of fentiment in fome points), to be one calculated to convey much useful, interefting, and important information to tofe whofe inclinations lead them to fuch enquiries. The file is plain and unador. d, but clear, perfpicu ous, and forciblet. Gyroa • Here Dr Seiler remarks, I have had certain accounts, by private letters, that in ❤many families of diftinction in that city, Chrifianity is almost entirely neglected; and by nod:fh and excefl ve refinement, the children are formed to levity, and rendered in"capable of ferious religious refection. Hence told and ecifying preachers are defpifed by this race of men. Only they who bring to the pulpit moi pieces of eloquence, are fometimes attended; whofe difcourfes are blamed or prailed, juft as dramatic perform"ances would be; and hence can have little or no influence on the heart!" † We cannot help, however, taking notice of what we apprehend to be a small blunder in the tranflation at p. 205. where Dr Reifner of Munich is made to tranflate a book or Repentance from the Web. As the improbability of a German profeffor being able to tranfate from the Welfh, or of fuch a book as this is reprefented," being writeă în that language, ftruck us very forcil ly, we fuípect though we have not feen Dr Se` er's work, that it fould have been " from the Italiar.” Italy is in German called Welfet land, and Dr E. probably not adverting to this, put down Welf, the apparently literal tranflation, in place of Italian, a more likely language for fuch a book to appear in. Gyron the Courteous. A Tale of the Times of King Arthur. N thofe days (continued Branor) there lived in Britain a noble knight, called Danayn the Red, lord of the caftle of Maloane. Gyron the Courteous was his companion-in-arms, and his friend; they fwore to each other eternal fidelity, and their friendship became a proverb in the Country. The lady of Maloane, Sir Danayn's, confort, was the most beautiful woman in all Britain, á country fa mous over the world for the charms of its fair. To fee her without loving her was impoffible: "ATuredly," thought Gyron when he faw her firft, the man who fhould for a fingle night reft in that lady's arms, might ask no more "of life." known to him the ftrength of her paf fion. Now, figure to yourselves a lady in all the pride of beauty, in the flower of youth and ardor of love, throwing her felf into the arms of the man who wis burning for her, and then conceive how hard it would be to refit. How fo even of the not virtuous could ne fo hard a facrifice ut Geron could, For friendship and honour, Horn Danayn, like angels around with ilam fwords, flood be veen hin and ta, vi of his friend: Taink, faid he to "think what thou art, and what I am, "What would become of us were I mean enough to take advantage of "this moment of weakn-is which puts ἐσ my friend's honour and his wife's in mv power." The guilty fair one food abaked, and Gyron fieri. For grief and fhame the would cer tainly have died had their one moment allowed herself to fuppofe that he had rej det her from want of love. But her eyes had ferved her too faithfully, and the human heart in fuch cafes.deceives itlelf too willingly not to believe "He loves me, more than the eyes fee. From that moment he anxiously endeavoured to avoid her, spoke to her feldom, and never when alone, or otherwife but in the prefence of her husband, into whofe true and generous heart no fufpicion ever entered. Often they rode out for months together in fearch of adventures in foreign lands, or repaired to the king's court, or wherever honour in arms was to be won. When they returned to Maloanc, Sir Gyron ftuck firm to his refolution, keeping the covenant that he had made with, his eyes, fofaid fhe to herself; did I not see the "ftrife of his foul.-Oh! certainly his that whoever faw him would have fworn that the fair lady of Maloane was nothing more nor lefs to him than the wife of his friend. Unfortunately, her heart was not fo fridly guarded as his. Nya Gyron ap peared to her, the moment the faw him, as the man of all men to whom a noble lady could not deny the meed of love; and, without reflfaint, the allowed her eye to gaze at and admire his manly beauty, and without thinking any evil, The at length drunk deep of the intoxicating draught of love; the called it friendhip and courtesy, and deceived her felf with names, till the could deceive herself no longer; and now the wound grew too manifeft to be concealed from him who alone could cure it. Woman's love, fays the proverb, has a falcon's eye. How much foever Gyron wifhed to avoid her, no fooner did his eyes meet hers, than she saw or thought the faw them glowing with the fire of love. In this perfuafion fhe waited for an opportunity of being alone with bim, and when it arrived, the made VOL. XII. No. 68. S heart is guiltless." And now Gyron appears to her the more amiable on account of his honour, and her love for fuch a man the more juftifiable. She even applauds herself fecretly for her weakness, and fhews it to him without referve by her looks. This was a hing to Gyron no longer to expofe hinfelf to fo dangerous a tempter. He therefore left Maloane, and went to Braunenthai, to visit a knight whofe caftle was fituated there. In this place many a day was fpen in hunting, lance-breaking, finging and dancing, and all manner of sports. But of thefe Gyron foon began to be satisfied. Were Danayn here too!" thought he; "I can no longer live with"out my friend among the ftrangers." What share the lady of Ma one might have in his fatiety he did not chufe to afk himself; in fhort he put on his ar mour, mounted his horfe and fe urned to Maloanc. Great was the joy of Danayn the Red at the return of his friend, who so loved him, that twin brothers could not love one another more. And although they had been fo long companions, and had been fo feldom fparate, yet was there neither knight nor damfel in the castle that knew the name of Gyron except Danayn and his lady; there he was never called any thing but the good knight. Now in happened while Gyron was at Maloane, that there arrived a squire with information to Danaya, that in feven days would be held a folemn tournament at the caftle of the Two fiflers. Immediately the two friends refolved to be prefent, but in black armour, that they might not be known. When this refolution came to the knowledge of the lady of Maloane, fne was overjoyed. For as the caftle of the Two fifters was but half a day's journey diftant, he hoped that Danayn would carry her with him to the tournament. "And Gyron, fays fhe to herfelf, will << go with us, and I fhall have the exquifite delight of feeing him excell the "nobleft and braveft of all the knights "and kings there affembled." For her heart always dwelt upon Gyron; and although he had avoided her love; he was, and continued to be the paragon of all men in her eyes; and him only could he love night and day, his manly beauty, his courteous demeanour, his valour and honour employed all her thoughts; he would rather have been his lady than the fovereign of the whole world; the fecretly vowed never to withdraw her affection from him; fhe would willingly have loft her life for his fake, and with him the would have contentedly defcended to the very meaneft condition. So much taken up was the lady of Maloane with the thoughts of the tourpament, that the mentioned her with to be there that very evening to Danayn, who with a file gave his confent. "Lady, faid he, if you defire it, your "will fhall be mine. I will fend you to "the caftle of the Two fifters, accom"panied as becomes a lady of your *itate and rank; I will give you a re"tinue of damfels and of knights to "guard you; but I cannot attend you myfelf, for Gyron and I have refolv“ed to appear in black armour, and to ❝ remain there unknown." Now when the time came, both the knights fet out, attended only with one fquire bearing their fword and shield, and arrived, through many by-paths at the castle of the Two fifters; while the lady of Maloanc, accompanied in great flate by fix and twenty knights, took the high road. When the day of the tournament arrived, Danayn and Gyron threw every other knight from the faddle, nor was there any one that could in the leaft withstand them. The univerfal question was, with all the spectators, who the two black knights were; but nobody knew them except the lady of Maloanc, whofe eyes and whose heart were ever fixed on Gyron and his deeds. When he ap peared with his unblazoned fhield and his naked fword amongft the troop of knights that were fluttering about in the gaudieft armour, with weapons inlaid with gold, fhe ftill faw nobody on the plain but him. Many were the fair ladies and beauteous damfels that came that day to the cafle; but they all appeared, befide the lady of Maloanc, like the homely briar round a full blown rofe. The hearts of all the knights who faw her beat high; and Sir Lac, the friend of King Meliad, like one fascinated could look on nothing elfe, but food gazing as it all his facul ties had been abforbed in the fei fe of fight." He is caught," faid the king to himfelf; and then he began to talk to Sir Lac of the beauty of the lady, of her ftate, of her more than royal attire, and of the fix and twenty knights that attended her. "The fix and twenty "knights, faid Sir Lac, are too weak a "guard for fuch a lady. So help me "God, King Meliad, as I trust that if "I were to meet her in a wood, accom"panied only by these fix and twenty "knights, I fhould win her from them "all." Sir Danayn being engaged at a tilt, knew nothing of this fpeech. But Sir Gyron was accidentally near enough to overhear every word that Sir Lac faid to the king. His heart kindled to think that any man fhould fpeak thus of the wife of his friend; yet, thought he, the knight who could undertake fo adventu rous a deed muft certainly be of no ignoble mind. Sir Gyron therefore went up to him, and addreffing him with courteous demeanour, gave him to understand that he had heard what he had juft now faid to the king. "I care not, "anfwered Sir Lac, nor do I think I should "decline the adventure even if you your"felf were one of the fix and twenty." Here they were interrupted by Danayn, who came to Sir Gyron in hafte, |