,

"I do not care," says he to a friend, on what subject Dr. Johnson talks; but I love better to hear him talk than any body: he either gives you new thoughts, or a new colouring.' Conversing one day with Mr. Boswell on the Dr.'s Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland, he thus strongly expressed his opinion. It is a most valuable book: besides extensive philosophical views, and lively descriptions of Society in the country that it describes, it contains thoughts which by long revolution in the great mind of Johnson, have been formed and polished like pebbles in the ocean."

The loss of a nephew and his family, in the Grosvenor East India-man, deeply affected him, and considerably impaired his health. In 1792, he retired from London to Ealing for the benefit of the country air; and he resided there during the remainder of his life. In his retirement he was visited by many valuable friends; but his books were his chief companions, and continued to the end to furnish him employment and pleasure. In the beginning of January 1801, he fell into a state of weakness and languor, and on the 18th of that month, expired in the 75th year of his age. A likeness of Mr. Orme, from a bust by Nollekens, is prefixed to this volume; and his character is thus delineated by his biographer.

"Mr. Orme was somewhat above the middle stature, and his countenance expressed much shrewdness and intelligence. In his personal habits he seems not to have had any striking peculiarities. His general manner was sensible, easy, and polite; of the qualities of his heart, those who knew him long and intimately, speak very highly. He was zea lous in the service of those whom he really loved; but as it was not his custom to make professions of friendship, his acts sometimes surpassed expectation. His powers of conversation, as we have already shewn, were very considerable and such was the extent of his knowledge, the readiness of his perceptions, and the facility of his expressions, that he generally illustrated in a pleasing and often in a forcible manner, whatever he undertook. Ancient literature was one of his favourite topics; and he conversed on it with no common degree of learning and critical exactness, without any sort of pedantry or affectation."

"With respect to his intellectual character, it would appear from his life as well as his writings, that the principal features were good sense, sagacity and judgement. Those qualities were assisted in their operation by an active spirit, a solicitous curiosity, and a cultivated taste. A mind thus constituted, readily acquired that power of combining circumstances, in lucid order, and of relating them with compressive force, which distinguishes the writings of Mr. Orme. Few historians have connected the events of their story with more perspicuity, or related them with more conciseness. If he be sometimes minute, he is never redundant and never tedious. Every incident is so distinctly stated, and clearly arranged; every new nation, or individual is illustrated with so compendious an explanation; all the observations rise from the facts with sa much propriety, and are in themselves so forcible and just; and the general style has so much simplicity and terseness, that every reader of

dis

discernment and taste must feel a strong interest in perusing his history. It is not indeed illumined with philosophical views of society, or manners, or civil institutions, or arts, or commerce; nor is it adorned with any fine delineations of character; but it is nevertheless a work of great merit, and must continue to hold a high place in the class of historical compositions."

As the orthography of the word Mahrattas has been settled by the usage of the best writers, Mr. Orme's editor should not have puzzled his readers with the word Morattoes; nor should he have robbed Hindostan of the H, which is not only essential to the word, but has been sanctioned by the general consent of all the literati both of Europe and Asia.

The following noble and generous sentiments in favour of religion and liberty, with which Mr. O. closes his 'Idea of the government and people of Hindostan, shall conclude this. article.

Christianity vindicates all its glories, all its honours, and all its re verence, where we behold the most horrid impieties avowed among the nations on whom its influence does not shine, as actions necessary in the common conduct of life; I mean poisoning, treachery and assassination, in the sons of ambition; rapine, cruelty and extortion in the ministers of justice.'

The sons of liberty may here behold the mighty ills to which the slaves of a despotic power must be subject: the spirit darkened and depressed by ignorance and fear; the body tortured and tormented by punishments inflicted without justice and without measure, such a contrast to the blessings of liberty, heightens at once the sense of our happiness, and our zeal for the preservation of it.'

Art. III. Dr. Holmes's Vetus Testamentum Græcum cum variis Lectionibus, concluded from page 274.

WE

are now to consider the importance of the collations of which a part is here presented to the public-principally as relating to the various omissions and additions imputed to the Seventy interpreters. On this subject Dr. H. observes,

"If the Seventy Interpreters, in framing their version, had made omissions of the Sacred Text, considerable either as to their importance or their number, it appears hardly conceivable that such a circumstance should have continued unknown during a great length of time. The high and indeed extravagant commendations bestowed upon the Septuagint translation, by Philo, Josephus, and the Talmudists, its carly and long admission into the Synagogue, and the favour and care with which it has been continually cherished and guarded, by the whole body of the ancient Jews, seem sufficient testimonies that it originally represented the Sacred Text, as it stood at the time, without either defalcation as to its substance, or violation as to its order. In succeeding times, however, this Version fell into another state; and various causes conspired to introduce into it appearances of mutilation and disorder.

Words

Words and whole clauses of the Original Text, were then found to have either no representation at all in it, or none in the requisite place. Hence, it was concluded that such words and clauses were originally omitted by the Seventy.

It is worthy of remark, that many of these deficiencies which appear in the different printed editions of this version, are found supplied in MSS. and in those Versions which were professedly taken from the Septuagint, and in the quotations of the early Greek ecclesiastical writers :-A manifest proof that these omissions did not appear in the Original Version; and that a proper collation of these authorities, will tend to restore that version to its original purity.

But omissions of the original text, in the present printed copies, do not constitute the whole of the charge brought against the authenticity of this version. In the language of its detractors, it is frequently too full: it has interpolations of various kinds, which we may presume never existed in the original text: the same Hebrew word is translated in such a great variety of ways; and in different parts of the text, such a great variety of idiom appears, as seem to indicate that the work could not be the production of any class of men in the same age and country.'

Though we have little cause to doubt that the version formed by the Seventy-two Interpreters, extended at first only to the five books of Moses; yet as the advantages derived by the Hellenistic Jews from such a version would undoubtedly induce them to wish for the completion of the work, it is most reasonable to conclude that, very shortly after the publication of the Law by the Seventy-two Elders, the remaining parts of the Scriptures were also translated into Greek, if not by the same persons, yet by others of as competent skill, in the same country, and probably in, or nearly in, the same age. If our conjecture on this part of the subject appear to be rationally founded, we must look elsewhere for the causes of interpolation, different renderings, and variety of idiom. Dr. Henry Owen, we think, has been very happy in the solution of this difficulty; of whom Dr. Holmes observes that his masterly discussions of most points relating to the Septuagint, have distinguished him among the learned of his time.'

Many words and even clauses were manifestly inserted in the Greek Version by way of explanation. They are a kind of paraphrastical interpolations, purposely added to make the sense more clear, complete, and determinable. They owed their origin, if I am not greatly mistaken, to the following circumstances. The Kown, that is the old Greek Version in common use, though plain and simple, was nevertheless in many places scarcely understood by the common people. To render these places more intelligible, the ministers of the church in reading, or perhaps in the subsequent explication of the lesson, added, in some places,

places, certain words to explain the sentence; and elsewhere exchanged some words of abstruse meaning for others better known. And, moreover, where they thought some texts improperly rendered, there they proposed new and different translations of their own.'

The explanatory interpretations above mentioned were afterwards inserted in the margin of several copies, and from thence finally admitted into the text; which accounts for some variations of the Greek from the Hebrew; as it does also for different renderings, observable in the Greek itself, before the time of Aquila. And it may be further remarked that these interpolations, though founded on the same principle, were yet of course different in different countries, because of the different idioms of their language; which fully accounts for those varieties we see between different Greck copies.'

Hence then, we may conclude that these and such additions, can with no propriety be attributed to the Original Interpreters; but owe their existence to subsequent authorities.And in confirmation of these conjectures, we may observe with Dr. H. (3d. annual account p. 20.)

That when copies of the Greek itself, together with versions and citations from it, concur in disowning these interpolations, &c. and nothing correspondent to them occurs in the editions and MSS. of the original text, there seems to be no want of sufficient authority for concluding that they had not, from the first, a place in the Ko or common

text.'

Those passages, nevertheless, in the Septuagint, which appear to be additions to the text, and which have nothing corresponding to them in the present Hebrew, are not universally to be considered as interpolations. For it is certainly possible that some word or words may have been lost out of those copies of the Hebrew text, which afterwards served for the foundation of the printed editions. A few examples will illustrate our meaning. In Gen. iv. 8. in the Hebrew text we find,

And Cain SAID unto Abel his • ויאמר קין אל הבל אחיו

brother, &c.very improperly rendered in our common English Version, And Cain TALKED with Abel his brother:-and it came to pass, when they were in the field,' &c. What Cain said to Abel his brother, is not intimated; though the next clause of the verse represents them as being in the field, and seems to indicate that something relative to their going to the field, had been the subject of conversation. The Septuagint removes all obscurity, by inserting the words, SixWKEY EIS TO TEDION. And Cain said to Abel his brother let us go out into the field; and it came to pass when they were in the field,' &c. Now this addition is not only acknowledged by the most authentic MSS. and printed copies of the Septuagint, but also by Chrysostom, Tertullian, Ambrose and others: together with the Vulgate, the Syriac, the Chaldee Targum of Jonathan, and

that

that called the Jerusalem Targum. Several antient Hebrew MSS. have a pisca or chasin in the text to intimate that something is omitted: and the most correct editions, to the amount of more than forty, leave a pisca or space in the verse after WIN his brother: even the Jewish Masorites have left a mark here to intimate that there is a hiatus in the verse.What completes the evidence for the authenticity of this reading is, that 325 let us walk into the field, is the uniform reading of all copies of the antient Hebræo-Samaritan. Here then is an addition in the Septuagint, which once evidently made a part of the original Hebrew text.

In Exodus xii. 40., we read from the present Hebrew text; Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. The numerous conjectures of learned men to reconcile this place to history and fact, are truly astonishing: that the descendants of Israel did not dwell four hundred and thirty years in Egypt, may be easily, and has been often, demonstrated.

Some, therefore,' says Dr. Kennicott, imagine that, by Egypt here, both it, and Canaan are to be understood; but this greater latitude of place will not do the business, since the Israelites including also Israel their father, did not sojourn four hundred and thirty years in both countries previous to their departure from Egypt. Others, sensible of the still remaining difficulty, would not only have Egypt in the text, to signify it and Canaan, but, by a figure more comprehensive than the former, would have the children of Israel to mean Israel's children, and Israel their father, and Isaac the father of Israel, and part of the life of Abraham, the father of Isaac!-Thus indeed we arrive at the exact sum; and by this method, we might arrive at any thing-but truth: which we may presume was never thus conveyed by any inspired writer.' (Kennicott's first Dissertation, p. 396.)

By the preservation of some words in this passage which are evidently lost out of the Hebrew text, the Septuagint gives a consistent, and we may presume the genuine reading; Η δε κατοικησις των υιών Ισραηλ ην κατώκησαν εν γη Αιγυπτω [και εν γη Χανααν αυτοί και οι πατέρες αυτών] ετη τετρακοσια τριακοντα. Νον the sojourning of the children of Israel which they [and their fathers] sojourned in the land of Egypt [and in the land of Canaan] was four hundred and thirty years.' This solves the question without difficulty; and without forcing any unnatural construction upon the terms in the text. Though the Roman Edition by Cardinal Carafa, 1587, (which Dr. Holmes takes for his text, and with which, as we have seen already, he collates his MSS. Versions and Fathers,) omits the words, αυτοι και οι πατέρες αυτων they and their fathers; yet they, as well as the words, xzı ev yn Kavaar, and in the land of Canaan, are acknowledged by the Complutensian and Antwerp Polyglotts, the

Pascal