To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

H

SIR,

AVING the honour to be entrusted with the superintendance of the text part of Mr. Hewlett's Bible, in its progress through the press, an anxious desire that its character, in point of accuracy, should not disgrace its other recommendations, has led me to such an inspection of different English editions and translations of the scriptures, as confirms a suspicion I had long entertained, of the incorrect state in which the sacred volame generally appears among us. Every body, acquainted with the business of printing, knows that it is almost impossible, except by the most extreme caution, that a book should pass through a multitude of successive impressions without an accumulation of errors; the ordinary copies of the classics shew this in a striking manner: but surely the Bible is an extreme case: and though we cannot expect the university presses, more than any others, to have angels for their correctors, (for those who are engaged in correcting, know there is nothing heavenly in the employment,) yet the exclusive privilege, which enables them to make their editions so very large, imposes on them the duty, and at the same time makes it very well worth the while, to bestow an extraordinary degree of care in that respect. With no invidious view, therefore, but in the hope of rousing the University editors to an active attention to this subject (which appears the more desirable at a time when a stereo type edition of the Scriptures is said to be in contemplation), and of supplying a detail, which perhaps some of your readers may peruse with interest, I offer you, even in this early stage, the results of my examination, as far as it has as yet extended, being however (except incidentally) but little beyond the book of Genesis, The authorities which I have used in the execution of my task, are as follow: 1. A Quarto University Bible (Oxford, 1802); 2. An Octavo University Bible (Oxford, 1801); 3. A Duodecimo Uni versity Bible (Oxford, 1789); 4. The Bible which passes under the name of Bishop Wilson; 5. Dr. Geddes's Translation; 6. Cruden's Concordance (Edinburgh, 1804).* The text and marginal

I suppose it is impossible to ascertain what edition of the Bible. Cruden used in making his compilation. It seems to have been

matter of Mr. Hewlett's Bible are collated with both the University Quarto editions, and Bishop Wilson's, and the text is compared strictly with Dr. Geddes's: the other three authorities are only consulted occasionally. I shall not confine my lists of errors to the University editions: as Bishop Wilson's has a high reputation for accuracy, in consequence of having been edited by the inde fatigable Cruttwell; and the character of Dr. Geddes is far beyond my power of appreciation. With respect to Cruden's Coucordance, however, I shall merely observe here, once for all, that though a work of vast utility, yet any body who may unfortunately have occasion to inspect it with minuteness, even strictly according to the author's plan, will experience, I say it with confidence, perpetual feelings of disappointment and disgust:-I do not now speak of typographical errors but, of omissions. The corrections in each of the following lists are made on the authority of all the rest of the six sources above mentioned (or without the opposition of any of them) except where otherwise expressed.

Quarto University Bible.-Genesis, chap. iii. ver. 19, out it for out of it; v. 22, margin, Mac. (Maccabees) for Mic. (Micah); vii. 11, foundations for foun tains ;* xv. 18, the first the should be that; xix. contents, the second is should be becomes; xxx. 23,§ take for taken; xxxi. 33, his for the; xxxvi. 4, Adur for Adah; xxxviii. 23, send for sent; xxxix. contents, mistresses's for mistress's; xxxix 14; him for them; xlii. 2, ye for we; xlvi. 24, Gezer for Jezer; xlix. 6, thou not for not thou; xlix. 26, the second thy should

a pretty old one, as he has the spelling "Yce" alone (and not Ice) in his alphabetical arPerhaps he employed more than rangement.

cne copy.

*Girgashite in x. 16, is supported also by Cruden, but my other authorities have it here site. In every other passage of Scripture, where I find the name, they all have the sb except Geddes, who constantly writes-sire. + The Octavo also has the.

As in the Cambridge Quarto edition; or else something (as turned into) is omitted after s.

Endued in verse 20 of this chapter is given also by the Octavo edition and by Cru den: the other three have endowed. We should certainly at present call a woman have ing a large marriage portion, richly endowed, rather than endued.

be

1 Samuel ix. 23, Sit it for Set it. In Genesis xxv. 28, there is venision for venison; Exodus iii. 22, neighbour for neighbour; and ii. 21, a note of interrogation for a colon. In the Duodecimo, Genesis x. 22, there is Edom for Elam.

be my Exodus ii. 3, no for not ;† iv. 10,
the second my should be thy; vi. 14,
father's for fathers' (see verse 25.) A
periodical journal of last month, in
an article of biblical criticism, mentions
it, as "not generally known, that in the
successive editions of the bible, the num-
ber of supplementary words printed in
Italics has been unwarrantably and sur-
reptitiously increased to a large amount."
Something, I know, has been done toward
reducing this amount, in the stereotype
edition of the New Testament, lately
executed at Cambridge; but as neither
of my complete Bibles pretends to any in-
novation in this respect,the few variations
among them concern my present pur-
pose. In the edition which I am now
examining, the following words should be
in Italic Genesis xviii. 31, it; xxiii. 17.
the first was; and xxx. 33, is. The enu-
meration of errors merely literal and of an
inferior description will serve only to shew
what degree of general care has been
exercised in the business of correction.
Thus there is at Genesis iv. 23, in the
margin, hut for hurt; x. 10, kingdon for
kingdom; xix, the sixth verse is nnm-
bered 5; xxv. 2, margin Chrin. for
Chron.; xxxvii. 2, the first comma should
be a full point: Exodus i. 19, midwive
for midwives; ii. 7, a note of admira-
tion for an interrogation; iv. 4, Lord
should be printed LORD: vi. 28, the full
point should be a comma; ix. 13, Pho
raoh for Pharaoh; ix. 29, as for As (be-
ing the beginning of a speech), and a
like mistake xiii. 3, in remember for Re-a;
member.

The University Octavo, and Duodecimo, copies as I mentioned before, I have only consulted occasionally, in matters of suspicion or doubt. 'The list of errors, therefore which, I have found in these exclusively is but small.-In the Octavo, Genesis xxxi. 5, he should be omitted;

* 'The Octavo also has thy, which however appears clearly to be wrong from the Duodecimo, Wilson's (with all the six various renderings collected in this latter), and Cruden. Geddes has neither.

+ Cruden has not under " Hide," and no under Longer."

The Octavo also has this error.
Eclectic Review, page 31.

In xliv. 9, both is given by Wilson in italics, which seems countenanced by Geddes, (compare his 16th verse)

¶Haggai, in xivi. 16, is supported also by

Bishop Wilson's Bible (as it is called). Genesis vi. 21, for is omitted before food;* ix. 4, you for ye;t xix. 21, also omitted after thing; xxii. 7, the omitted before wood; xxii. 25, bare for bear; xxiv. 6, thou omitted after Beware §; xxv. 13, 14, these verses are wrong divided (the sign of separation should have followed Mibsam instead of Adbeel); xxv, 38, the second to should be unto; xxxi. 39, longest for longedst; xxxi. 54, camels' for camel's; xxxv. to omitted before stink; xxxvi. 22, Hemam for Heman'; xxxi. into for in to; Exodus ii. 6, Hebrew's for Hebrews';¶ iii. 22, the latter clause (after raiment) is erroneously made a separate verse, numbered 23; viii. 24 end, swarms for swarm; ix. 6, beasts for beast; ix. 11, the first boil should be boils; x. 14. coast for coasts (see ver. 19). The following errors occur in the use or omission of the Italic distinction: Genesis vii. 25, land should be in Italic ;** so likewise is in xxxv. 19ff and xxxvi. 1, are in xxxvi. 20, art

Wilson, Cruden, and Geddes; but the Quarto and Duodecimo have Haggi: and when the name is mentioned again of the same person (Numbers xxvi. 15) all my authorities have Haggi, except Geddes, who constantly writes

and Cruden, who (as is not at all uncommon) totally omits this text.

Geddes's omission of for, seems a mere matter of style.

+ Cruden also has you under "Eat not" and "Blood," but ye under "Life."

Cruden has not this text under "Also ;" but his omissions of text decide nothing. § Cruden has not the thou under "Beware," but he often omits inferior words for the sake of compression: he has it under • Bring again." Geddes's omission seems a matter of style.

Hemam is also given in the Various Renderings; Geddes has adopted that reading into

his text.

This error occurs also in the Duodecimo. Cruden, under the word has Hebrews, which is consistent with the correction; but under "is One" he has Hebrew, which I suppose to be merely a typographical error.

**See Genesis, i. 9, 10. Geddes uses the Italic very sparingly.

++ This is found also in the Octavo edition.

in

in xlvi. 18, and if in xliv. 22—in xviji 32, this should not be in Italic: so likewise which in xxxiv. 1. The next are of a merely literal and inferior kiud: as in Genesis xxiv. 66, one for done; xxv. 4, a full point for a comma; xlvii. 15, Gireus for Give us; xlix, 29, a full point for a semicolon; and Exodus ii. 18, a full point for a note of interrogation. Dr. Geddes's Translation must be taken up cautiously in alleging errors, as it is often so widely different, from our common Bible; but a few things of this sort, which appeared evident to me, I have noted, and there were some, of which I did not make any memorandum. Thus in Genesis ix. 28, and fifty seems omitted (see viii. 13, and ix. 29) Exodus ix. 29, rain for built; xxiii. 18, unleavened for leavened; and xxxviii. 25, sixty for seventy-five; (sce ver. 28).‡

Without achieving the task of verify ing every reference in the inmense mass of Parallel Texts given in Bishop Wilson's Bible, my examination has enabled me already to detect a great number of errors, involving every sort of confusion, both in that and the UniversityQuarto edition. A detail of them would be very uninteresting and repulsive to your readers: it is sufficient to say that these will be all corrected in Mr. Hewlett's catalogue; and any person who may be in possession of either of these two editions, who will do me the honor of applying to me privately, shall be very welcome to such remarks as I have made upon the subject. I shall only mention here as a specimen, that in Bishop Wilson, at Genesis xxv. 18. the texts of two references (p and q) are eutirely omitted; chap. xli. the references of the last paragraph are wrong

See the parallel text (Judges vi. 39, twice). + According to all my other authorities. See Geddes ver. 22 to 26, and 28; but like

wise 33, 34.

The following instances may be classed as oversights; as the Doctor has not (according to his plan) marked either of them as authorized by a variety in the original text, or distinguished the first by Italics as supplied by himself; Genesis xxvii. 28, and of oil added at the end, and xlv. 10, and thy children's children (which occurs in our common Bibles) is omitted after children.

It is from this that the list in Mr. Hew lett's Bible is taken. Crutwell (as I understand him) states the number in the Preface, at above Lxty-ux thousand.

all together; the same with those in the
text of chap.xivi, from verse 26 to the end;
and the same at the bottom in Exodus iv.
21, to the end. In the University Quar-
to errors of this latter description occur
at Gencsis xxx. 2 to 4, and some other
Even the laborious Crutwell
places.
shrunk from a minute scrutiny of this
department of his compilation, and makes.
the editors from whom he copied, an-
swerable for its correctness: and I have
no doubt that many of its mistakes have
been handed down implicitly from gene-
ration to generation. Having occasion to
inspect a reference to the ninth chapter
of Deuteronomy, that occurs (in all my
Bibles which have any Parallel Texts) at
Genesis xli. 57, I perceived it to be
wrong; and some knowledge of the me-
chanical process of printing, leading me
to suspect that the second chapter was
intended, I turned to that, and found
my suspicion confirmed (the resemblance
indeed is rather fantastical, but that is
nothing uncommon):-but the curious
part of the circumstance is this; that
the corresponding (or, as I may call it,
returning) reference has been blindly
placed at the ninth chapter! Now this can
never have been done by the hand that
originally assigned the former reference.
So much for the necessity of a thorough re-
vision of the Parallel Texts; a task which
the University editors alone can be ex-
pected, and ought to be required, to
perform.§

The marginal Dates are not in a much better condition, but I am afraid my letter has already become tedious. After just therefore mentioning the absurdity (which appears in all my Bibles that have any chronology (of continuing a single date through a series of events, that must have occupied many years(as in Genesis xxxviii. 4, to the end), I shall only give an example peculiarly ridiculous, which I find in

The easiest way of rectifying them is to incorporate the texts at bottom given under u and zu, to omit the letter wo entirely, and then put the letters in the text one step for ward (that is, y, &c. instead of w, x, &c.

The should be omitted; and the rest, instead of m, n, &c. be made l, m, &c. tu, x, y, &c. should be t, u, x, &c.

At Genesis xxxvi. 39, in the margin of my Quarto and Octavo University Bibles, the words Hadad Pai stand confusedly: they, ought to be referred to separately. Hadar and Pau, in different parts of the verse.

my

my Octavo University edition, at the fourteenth chapter of Genesis. The date 1913, it seems has been ascertained to belong to the event related in the fifth verse, and the editor has sagaciously taken advantage of the words "fourteenth year" occurring in that verse, to give the date of 1926 to the beginning of the chapter. I refer your readers to the passage itself as the quotation would be too long: I cannot better illustrate the case, than by giving an historical narrative dated as follows:

1799. Buonaparte had now been nine years in possession of the Sovereign power of France, when 1808. his immeasurable ambition led him to seize treacherously on that of Spain.

ties at the British Museum, which is de- voted to the terra cottas. All the articles in this department, (antiquities,) unless where it is otherwise specified, formerly belonged to the collection of the late 1 Charles Townley, csq. prefacing my observations, as I there promised, with a few remarks on basso relievos and terra

cottas.

Earth or clay is generally the first matter used by sculptors in forming their designs, and, when rendered solid by evaporation and burning, is called terra colta. That modelling, or sculpture in terra cotta, was known and practised by the ancients, besides the undoubted specimens in this and other collections, we have the authority of Pausanias, who in the second chapter of the first book of his Description of Greece, mentions a temple of Bacchus, in which were several works in terra cotta, one of them representing Amphictyon, king of Athens, entertaining Bacchus, and other deities of the Grecian mythology. In the following chapter he says, that in the Ceramicus, there were several fine works of this material, and, among others, mentions two very celebrated specimens, one of them representing Theseus throw ing the robber Scyron into the sea, and the story of Aurora and Cephalus. The ancients sometimes painted or coloured their statues and bas-reliefs. Pliny and Pausanias both mention several examples; and though in the infancy of art, they coloured both their sculptures and terra cottas, yet they did not disdain to employ the latter, even after they had abandoned the barbarous practice of colouring them. Basso-rilicvos were also employed as frizes to their temples, and to ornament tablets and other plain *paces; they also used them as we do for models for their artists, for many of them have been discovered with holes through them big enough for a small cord, as if they had been suspended in their studies. Several of these ornamental pieces of modelling have been found in the tombs

The Ceramicus was one of the most Beautiful quarters of Athens; Pausanias says, *sat it derived its name from Ceramus, the asa of Bacchus and Ariadne; but Pliny says, far it was called Ceramicus, because ChalChris, a celebrated sculptor and modeller Gay, has his workshop in this place. It probably so, ur from other artists and modelers or clay or fierile vases, statues, and Beliefs, residing there; as the Greek Winds Kapamos, terra figularis, vas fictile, or amphora, urceus fictilis, from Kia and ige terra, imply. MONTHLY MAG. No. 181.

that have been discovered in the Appianway, and in the Campagna di Roma; the little temple at Rome dedicated to Honour and Virtue, has also its ornaments modelled in terra cotta. The ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeia were full of basso-relievos, foliages, festoons, tablets, and other architectural and sculptural ornaments of this composition,which adorn the cabinets of almost every antiquary on the continent; that of the imperial library at Paris has several, the boast of the French cognoscenti, though I have doubts as to their superiority over our museum: but the modern ravagers of Europe, who, as in the days of Attila and the Goths, war even against the arts, prevent an English artist from feasting his mind, and indulging his fancy, in see ing and enjoying these much vaunted collections of ancient art.

Although most subjects in sculpture that are not isolated statues are called. bas-reliefs, yet there are three distinct species of reliefs; the alt relief, (in Italian, alto rilievo,) the half relief, (mezzo ri lievo,) and the bas relief, (basso rilievo.) In alt-relief the figures are entire, or nearly so, the legs, arms, head, and other principal parts, being relieved and perforated behind, as in the charming_collections of frizes from Athens in Lord Elgin's museum, and similar works. The half relief is that in which the ground appears at half the depth of the figures, or to speak perhaps more intelligibly, the figures and other subjects appear sunk half in the ground and half raised. This kind of relief is the most common, though it is usually called bas-relief. And basrelief, properly so called, is that species. in which the figures are scarcely raised above the ground, as in coins, some medals, some of the frizes from the remains of the temples at Athens, &c. and other examples of the first style of Greck sculpture. The two last species being by usage or consent amalgamated into one, I shall not venture to separate them, but in this and our future correspondence class them both under the head of bas-reliefs.

In almost every work that contains descriptions of ancient monuments, you will find delineations of antique bas reliefs; and in the following works, which I believe are the principal, you will find enough to gratify your curiosity and your pencil; many of them, if not all, i dare say you will find in the college library at Manchester, viz. The various descriptions of the triumphal arches; the description of the "Columna Trajani," by Fabretti,; G

those