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pretty much the same with all colours, parson.

I could never bring

myself to think that I shall meet with these hounds, or my piece, in another world; though the thoughts of leaving them for ever sometimes brings hard feelings over me, and makes me cling to life with a greater craving than beseems three score and ten."

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The Lord, in his mercy, avert such a death from one who has been sealed with the sign of the cross!" cried the minister in holy fervour. "John-

He paused; for the scene, and the elements, seemed to conspire to oppress the powers of humanity. During the period occupied by the events which we have related, the dark clouds in the horizon had continued to increase in numbers and magnitude; and the awful stillness that now pervaded the air announced a crisis in the state of the atmosphere. The flames, which yet continued to rage along the sides of the mountain, no longer whirled in the uncertain currents of their own eddies, but blazed high and steadily towards the heavens. There was even a quietude in the ravages of the destructive element, as if it foresaw that a hand, greater than even its own desolating power, was about to stay its progress. The piles of smoke which lay above the valley began to rise, and were dispelling rapidly; and streaks of vivid lightning were dancing through the masses of clouds that impended over the western hills. While Mr. Grant was speaking, a flash, which sent its quivering light through the gloom, laying bare the whole opposite horizon, was followed by a loud crash of thunder, that rolled away among the hills, seeming to shake the foundations of the earth to their centre. Mohegan raised himself, as if in obedience to a signal for his departure, and stretched forth his wasted arm towards the west. His dark face lighted with a look of joy, which, with all other expression, gradually disappeared, the muscles stiffening as they retreated to a state of rest; a slight convulsion played for a single instant about his lips; and his arm slowly dropped, rigid and motionless, by his side, leaving the frame of the dead warrior reposing against the rock, with its glassy eyes open, and fixed on the distant hills, as if the deserted shell were tracing the flight of the spirit to its new abode. Vol. III. p. 287–297.

In conclusion, we would warn Mr. Cooper against falling into the practice which is so fast becoming fatal even to his great model. We mean, undue and hurrying haste. We suspect that the great defect of this book, the want of story, is chiefly owing to impatience of the time and labour which story, above all things, requires; and which, perhaps, are most irksome to a rapid writer, such as, from Mr. Cooper's style, we are convinced he is.

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If what we have heard concerning the success of this work, and the announcement of another, be true,-we fear that the natural desire of speedy profit, and of present fame, will render this author (as it has done the great one to whom we have alluded) careless of the higher interests of his lasting reputation. We are far from being among those squeamish and romantic folks, who would have an author of works of imagination hold pecuniary acquisition almost in scorn, but we would have this inducement kept in due subordination to the exertion necessary to permanent fame.

We take our leave of Mr. Cooper with thanks for the pleasure we have derived from his productions, and with congratulations on the honour which they do to the opening literature of his country. We shall be most happy to see him again, so that it be not too soon.

THE PROTESTANT BEADSMAN; or, A Series of Biographical Notices, and Hymns, commemorating the Saints and Martyrs, whose Holidays are kept by the Church of England: to which is appended, A Brief Review of the Scriptural and Traditionary Accounts of the Holy Angels. London, F. C. and J. Rivington. 1822.

IN reviewing the progress of literature, we find that the attention of men has generally been directed at the same time to one particular branch of study. Religious, or rather superstitious, researches, chiefly occupied the minds of literary men in the dark ages. These were directed to various quarters, and sometimes led into error, darkness, and mysticism,-sometimes terminated in useful discoveries-in Biblical, or historical, or philosophic, information. Few matters of enquiry were more

popular at this period than the nature and economy of the higher order of created beings. Among the early monkish legends were found abundant materials from which a superstitious imagination might frame an angelic system. Though Sacred Writ gave but little light upon the subject, and little encouragement to pursue it, Jewish tradition abounded both with general accounts and particular anecdote; and to the assiduous enquirer another field was presented, in the superstitions of Mahomedanism, where most of the fables of the Rabbins may be found enlarged and embellished.

It would astonish many of our readers to see the mass of ponderous volumes which were compiled with infinite labour upon this subject, before and about the period of the Reformation. With these accounts of the Angels were also mixed curiosities of the magic art, mysteries of witchcraft, and disgusting histories of Incubi and Succubæ. These, however, have all been long buried in oblivion, and it rarely happens that any student thinks it worth his labour so much as to transcribe a few extracts from them. The superstitious and degrading creeds of our forefathers are, in truth, little fitted for the light either of religion or philosophy. Nevertheless, a rational inquiry, upon Christian principles, into the order and essence of angelic beings, may not only add to our general information, but produce many profitable impressions. In this inquiry the Word of Truth must be our guide; and after we have gleaned the facts treasured there, we shall run into no danger by amusing ourselves for a short time with some of the fables and conjectures of ancient times.

We have been led to the subject by the unassuming and interesting little work whose title we have placed at the head of this article. It consists of short

biographical notices of the several saints whose holidays are observed by our church, and of hymns, or rather odes, commemorating their good deeds. The Festival of St. Michael and All Angels introduces the subject to which we now more particularly refer;-but, as all the notices are short, the curious information which the author has collected with regard to it is thrown together in the form of an Appendix at the end of the book. We shall first quote the hymn for that day, as a specimen of the very pleasing poetry of the volume :

HYMN.

BRIGHT Angels! Ye (a living wreath)

That gird the heavenly throne,

And purest adorations breathe

To Him who sitteth there eternal and alone ;-
Embattled erst by Michael's side,

Ye smote the Arch-Apostate's pride;

And piteous led, at God's command,
The victim pair from Eden's land:
As slow they trod her closing gate,
With muffled face, disconsolate,

Silent ye stood on every steep,

With eyes cast down to earth, and half-commoved to weep.

But, oh! what hymns of wildest joy

Rang through the startled air,

When Mary kiss'd her stranger-boy,

Redemption's promised seed, the Heavens' eternal heir!

The Shepherds bent on humble knee,
To list the unearthly jubilee:
While, leading Sages from afar,
Ye wheel'd along the eastern star ;
Or round the cradled infant hung,
Glad of heart and sweet of tongue,

And told the echoing skies above

The wonderful emprize of more than Angels' love.

And still 'tis said, in holy lays

Ye sing Redemption's plan,

Delighted trace th' Almighty's ways,

And imitate his love by lending aid to man.

Invisibles! 'tis yours, the art

To cheer, inform, and nerve his heart;
'Tis yours to guard by night and day,
And smooth the exile's homeward way,-
E'en I, poor penitent, will boast
Communion with your blessed host;

One friend will claim to guide my soul,

Safe o'er the rugged course, to Faith's eternal goal!-P. 87-88.

An appendix must necessarily be short, and the author does not profess to give a detailed account of all the angelic substances, or non-entities,

That e'er danced on the point of a needle,
Or rode on a beam of the sun;

but confines himself to an enumeration of the various qualities and properties which ancient Jewish, Mahomedan, and Christian writers attributed, or denied, to the holy angels of God. Our object will be to notice, in a very cursory manner, a few disputed opinions and fictions, which are there only barely mentioned, or passed over in silence altogether.

The Jewish doctors differed much respecting the time of the creation of the angels, some fixing it before the creation of the world, others on the first, second, or fifth day. All these dates have found supporters among Christian doctors. Socinus and his disciples contended earnestly for the first opinion, because any other would destroy an argument against the pre-existence of Christ. For the same reason they affirm that it was to his holy angels that God said "Let us make man." The ele ment from which they were created was supposed by the Jews and Mahomedans to be fire. Air has been substituted by some writers instead of fire. But it has been questioned whether Angels exist at all.

The Sad

ducees and Samaritans believed them to be mere phan

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