period; and earnestly do we wish that every candid Diffenter, every confcientious man, and every one defirous of change, in the hope of improving, would read and confider the arguments advanced in this fhort and moft ufeful publication. The book is divided into thirteen fections, to which is prefixed the Call of the worthy and learned Editor, earneftly inviting all who love their country, and the Chriftian religion, to unite for its defence against the most dangerous and daring enemies that ever appeared against them.

The firft fection is on Church Unity by Bishop Sherlock, which he fays confifts in Unity of Faith in the effential articles of Religion, in Unity of Communion, and in Unity of Love and Charity. The excellent Bifhop declares, that, in his confcience, he believes the Church of England to be the most Apoftolical Church in the world; how then does it grieve him to hear it charged with unjuft imputations, and to fee the furious zeal of many to raze up the very foundations of it; what pain does it give him to fee fuch a church rent and torn by fchifms, which give the greateft advantage to the common enemy of the Chriftian faith. In fome of the following fections, which are written with all the force of eloquence and folid argument, we read, that feparation from this church is not neceffary, is unreasonable, is mifchievous. The venerable names of Tillotson, Stillingfleet, Hooper, Claget, and Jeremy Taylor, give weight to thefe arguments. Thefe men were diftinguished for their found learning and fincere piety, and did honour to the station to which they were advanced, and fuch, we truft, will ever be the ornaments of our Epifcopal Bench. In the 8th fection are fome mifcellaneous paffages from that valuable divine, Bishop Hall; he says, a Chriftian, in all his ways, muft have three guides-Truth, Charity, and Wisdom. Truth to go before him, and Charity and Wisdom on either hand; if any of the three be abfent, he walks amifs. (In Mr. Daubeny's Guide we fee the union of Truth, Charity, and Wisdom).

Bishop Hall alfo obferves, that it is not neceffary to follow the apoftolical ufages in things indifferent; it is not neceffary to choose Minifters by lot; not neceffary to chriften in rivers; not neceffary for Minifters to depend upon arbitrary and uncertain maintenance. To this is added a note from the hiftorian Robertson, who condemns the fcanty and precarious fubfiftence that Minifters received from the benevolence of the people; he fays, to fuffer the Minifters of an Established Church to continue in this ftate of indigence and dependence was an indecency repugnant to the principles of religion and the maxims of found policy. In another paffage how earnest. ly does the good Bishop Hall pray for peace and unity; let me

beg,

beg, fays he, for peace, as for life: by the love of God, by the graces of his fpirit, by the blood of the son of God, be inclined to peace and love. In the 9th Section, teftimonies to the Liturgy of the Established Church are felected from Mr. Wilberforce's Practical View. Every man, who loves morals, religion, or his country, muft particularly notice the following paffage from Mr. Wilberforce-Let us, fays he, be fpared the painful task of tracing the fatal confequences of the extinction of religion among us: the very lofs of our Church Establishment, though as, in all human inftitutions, fome defects may be found in it, would, in itself, be attended with the moft fatal confequences; the want of it would be in the highest degree injurious to the cause of Christianity: to what a degree might the principles of men decline, when our ineftimable Liturgy fhould no longer remain in ufe; a Liturgy juftly inestimable, which continually fets before us a faithful model' of the Chriftian's belief, and practice, and language, affording an advantage ground of great value to fuch as ftill adhere to the good old principles of the Church of England!-Thofe, therefore, who ufe this Liturgy, out of the Church, fhould reflect on the force of that part of it in the Litany, in which we pray to be delivered from all false doctrine, herefy, and fchifm. How, indeed, can feparating congregations offer this prayer, and yet not perceive they are acting in direct contradiction to the letter and spirit of it? And are they not under the fame inconfiftency, when they pray for all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, when this fervice is ufed by Minifters not epifcopally appointed? In the 10th Section, the very learned Chillingworth treats of the Apoftolical inftitution of Epifcopacy. The three laft Sections are from Tillotfon, Stillingfleet, and Hooper and the judicious Editor concludes with an addrefs to his friends, brethren, and countrymen, expreffed with dignified eloquence and energy, with the feelings of a true patriot and the zeal of a Chriftian.

ART. VII. Munimenta Antiqua; or Obfervations on Antient Caftles. Including remarks on the whole Progrefs of Architecture, Ecclefiaftical as well as Military, in Great Britain: and on the corresponding Changes in Manners, Laws, and Cuftoms. Tending both to illuftrate Modern Hiftory; and to elucidate many interefting Paffages in various Antient Claffic Authors. By Edward King, Efq. F. R. S. and A. S. Vol. I. Large Folio. PP. 345. 31. 13s. 6d. G. and W. Nicol. London. 1799.

NO. XXIII. VOL. VI.

D

THIS

HIS magnificent work, printed in the best types and or

grand and expenfive, diffufing itfelf over a vast variety of notices, calling for a most extenfive range of reading in the author, and certain to be very coftly in the continuance to the purchaser. But the idea of it does honour to the expanded mind of the writer, as the execution fhews his fearleffness of expence to his purse. And we wish him all the fuccefs in reputation, and repayments, that he richly merits for both.

"The beginning of our narration, and which is contained in this volume," he tells us, in his preface," relates folely to the earliest periods in Britain; before the invafion of the Romans. The days of primæval fimplicity, and rudeness; the days of Druidifm, and of Patriarchal manners." And here, with regard to fuch of the Druidical ftructures as were, indeed, unquestionably Temples; I have carefully avoided, as much as poffible, the repeating, or interfering with what has been written, fo much at large, by Dr. Stukeley: leaving the curious ftill to draw their own conclufions from his learned differ tations; though it cannot but be obferved, that in the course of this work, conclufions, even on different grounds, have led me very much to agree with him. My object, it will be found, has been to add, if poffible, by fair obfervations, new and additional light to the interefting fubject; by an investigation of circumftances, which had before escaped due notice. And in other points, with regard to Rowland [Rowlands] Borlafe, and other able writers, to whom we are fo much indebted, it will be found that I have, as much as poffible, observed the fame rule.

The fecond volume, which has the plates already engraved, and is printing with all expedition, will relate to the works of the Romans in this Ifland, and the improvements introduced by them; to fuch works of the Britons as were imitations of Phoenician, and Syrian architecture, with which they were made acquainted by the traffickers. for tin; and to fuch as were mere imitations of Roman architecture; and also to fuch as, in the more barbarous parts of the island, were only imitations of those imitations." This difpofition is a vicious one, in our opinion; as the "imitations of Phoenician and Syrian architecture" among the Britons," with which they were made acquainted by the traffickers for tin" long before the Romans came, if they were ever made at all, ought to have been noticed under the "works of the Britons" in the first volume.

"The third volume, which is alfo ready for the prefs; will contain the history of what truly relates to the Saxon times.

"And the fourth, the Hiftory of the ftrenuous efforts of Norman genius; and of the preparations which their fturdy, and violent endeavours were permitted to make for better times.

* We keep the author's own punctuation. Rev.

"To add new and additional light to the fubje&" is not legitimate language. Rev.

« As

As viewing the hiftory of our country in this light, has opened a fcene of wonder and delight; and carrying [carries] with it a full conviction of truth, though mixed with much novelty of ideas, to the mind of the author; it may, perhaps, become no less striking and interefting to the minds of others.

"The world becomes, by this means, in the truest sense, the great and fplendid theatre, on which are difplayed the wonders of Divine wisdom and defignation, bringing light out of darkness, and a spiritual world of created beings to maturity. But these are scenes; amidst which we must proceed with cautious fteps," by not dwelling upon the "deteftable offences of dark ages "And the more intereft

ing and safe pursuit, is to inveftigate, by means of fcattered remains of antient labour and architecture, and by means of scattered records, how, amidst the deepest errors, ufeful exertions have yet been made; and how the mind of man has been infenfibly guided through the whole wondrous chain of events, from gloomy darkness unto hope and light. How obftinate prejudices have been overcome; the bonds of habit broken; and the fetters that held the human mind in such sad durance, by degrees, loofened.* This will be ftill more the purport of what is propofed to be printed in the fucceeding volumes, than even of what is contained in this. But as, in this prefent volume, there has been occafion both to refer to, and to fling fome light upon, the hiftorical part of the Holy Scriptures; and alfo upon feveral paffages in the most antient claffic authors; two short indexes are added; befides a very full and minute table of contents. The one index, points out the paffages in the Holy Scriptures, that are at all illuftrated in these pages; in regular order, according to the arrangement of the Sacred Books. And the other index, leads to fuch paffages in antient wri ters, as are here placed in any striking point of view; or have had any additional light caft upon them. And alfo fome particular circumftances, befides thofe mentioned in the table of contents, that are moft deferving of notice. And is made as fhort, and comprehenfive, as poffible. The fame plan will be pursued in the fucceeding volumes, if the author's life is fpared to print them.

"How far the endeavour of rendering the fearch after antiquities more interestingly ufeful, has been accomplished in thefe volumes, every reader muft judge for himfelf; and faithful endeavours muft speak for themselves; after a candid examination of the conclufions [which] they produce.”

This extract from a preface, as loquacious as the title itself, will serve to fhew the prefent work in its general character to the public. From that we conceive this to be in plan and in execution, an effort of extraordinary zeal, and an exertion of extraordinary learning. But we confider the author, though poffeffed of that firft quality of the human foul, a deep feeling

The author's own punctuation is ftill preferved, as it equally is afterwards.

Rev.

of religiousness, through all its powers, yet inheriting no flame of genius from heaven, proceeding only in an equal and even pace of thinking, judicious but not vigorous, fteady but not ftrong, even leaving his readers to flumber where they should be awake the most. Such an author muft feem incompetent to the mighty tafk before him, to infufe life into the dead matter, to fet the dull mafs in motion, and to make the jarring atoms unite into a world of beauty. Even his fober faculty of judgement, however predominating, can hardly be expected to be continually wakeful at her ftation, through fo long and tirefome a combination of extraneous incidents into one system. And we find this to be actually the cafe.

•In the introductory remarks we find Mr. King afferting, that in the Highlands, and moft northerly parts of Scotland, there was not, in the time of Ptolemy, in the middle of the fecond century, so much as one British town among nine nations.'

These nine are the Epidii, the Cerones, the Carnonaca, the Caroni,+ and the Cornabii, the Caledonii, the Cantæ, the Logi, and the Mentæ. Thefe, indeed, have no towns affigned them by Ptolemy, because they had no Roman or regular towns like the others. But that they had "British towns," is evident from Mr. King's own confeffion afterwards, when he allows fome clusters of antient dwellings were, by degrees, conftructed in deep woods, and moraffes; and near rivers;" when he acknowledges among thefe," we may justly deem one to have been even the first origin of London :”§ and when concerning the capital of Caffivellaunus" he quotes Cæfar as faying, The Britons call a place a town, where they have fortified thick impaffable woods, by means of a vallum and foffe.'§§ If the Britons in general had towns, then the nine nations in particular had them. Only, these were not fuch towns as the Romanized Britons had. They were merely British towns." They were merely forts in the woods. Yet even thefe Mr. King afterwards recognizes exprefsly, for towns; as even their best towns," he tells us, we find to be univerfally, mere affemblages of huts." Thus they, who are reported at first to have no one British town among nine nations," are acknowledged, indirectly, at laft, to have towns equally with the other nations of Britain, and to have fuch towns now as the other nations had originally. The author has confounded himfelf, for want of diftinguishing between the conquered nations of the fouth and the unconquered

P. 10.

§ Ibid.

66

Ptolemy, ii. 3. §§ P. 13.

P. 12.

It Ibid.

of