THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For APRIL, 1789. Contains a comPart II. A com-. Part III. To contain ART. I. Lingua Sacra: in Three Parts. Part I. plete Hebrew Grammar, with Points, &c. &c. plete Hebrew-English Dictionary, &c. &c. all Words, both appellative and proper, &c. &c. By David Levi. In Three very large Volumes. 8vo. 21. 16s. 6d. Boards. Parfons. 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788. TH HE Author of this work is a zealous advocate not merely for the antiquity, but even for the divine original, of the vowel points. He endeavours to refute the affertion of Elias Levita, that the invention of the points is to be afcribed to the Jews of Tiberias. He doubts the existence of any such set of men at the time which Elias fuppofes; and, even admitting this fact, thinks it highly improbable, that their invention should have been adopted by the Karite Jews, who were alike profeffed enemies to tradition, and to innovation of every kind. He then replies to the grand argument which is ufually urged by thofe who contend for the late inftitution of the points: he attempts to prove, that the vowel points and accents are expressly mentioned in the Babylonifh Talmud, and confequently prior to the date of that work. He even afferts, from the paffage in the Talmud which is explanatory of Nehemiah, viii. 8. that they were actually used by Ezra, in order to make the congregation of Ifrael fully comprehend the true meaning of the Law. He then produces various arguments, none of which however appear to be novel, in fupport of their claim to a ftill higher antiquity; and in page 33, he concludes thus: For thefe reasons, I am clearly of opinion, that the vowel points, as well as the letters, were given by God himself. That the man who avows this opinion should employ more than ordinary diligence in explaining the rules by which the various changes of the points are regulated, and in developing the principles on which thofe rules are founded, cannot be matter of furprife. Indeed our grammarian is particularly copious in this part of his work; and fome of his remarks appear to be ingenious and original: though we cannot help thinking that his Grammar would have been more generally VOL. LXXX. useful, U Jee Vol. 81,383. ufeful, if he had directed a greater fhare of his attention to other fubjects, which we must confider as of much higher import ance. To the author's arrangement, we cannot allow the praise either of neatness or perfpicuity. He gives us, indeed, a vaft mafs of grammatical precepts; but we want that lucidus ordo which conftitutes the chief merit of elementary treatifes of every kind, and on which much of their utility neceffarily depends. The tenth and eleventh chapters, in particular, which contain an account of the nouns, their derivations, and the various changes to which they are fubject in declenfion, &c. muft, we apprehend, be extremely obfcure at leaft, if not perfectly unintelligible to the Hebrew ftudent, without a previous acquaintance with the twelfth chapter; where Mr. Levi treats of the verbs, from which it is well known the nouns are almoft univerfally derived. In page 159, we are told that, there are fome feminine plural nouns which end in , and have Segol before it, as io nia and very often with two Segols, as, by &c. We know not on what authority it is afferted, that thefe nouns are plural; and fome reafons, at leaft, ought to have been affigned for the affertion. We certainly have hitherto confidered them as fingular; and indeed the author himself, in his Lexicon, feems to have forgotten, or, perhaps, on maturer deliberation, relinquished, his former opinion. For under the root up we find full of incense, Numb. vii. and mine incense, Ezek. xvi. 18. Jupp mbp : T:: T :: T: we have שבל Under 14. -a Ba אדרת שנער,Under we find Ifaiah, xxvii. 12. ועטרת ::: The fection on the Hebrew Syntax is extremely barren and unfatisfactory, and bears no kind of proportion to the unwieldy chapters which treat of the Vowels, the Nouns, &c. readers will readily give us credit for this affertion, when we inOur form them that the whole of it is comprized in less than three pages. The The Hebrew-English Dictionary, which forms the fecond Part of the work, profeffes to contain all the words in the whole four-and-twenty Books of the Old Teftament (being pure Hebrew), the Chaldee words in Daniel and Ezra, &c.' We have, however, obferved feveral omiffions of words of very frequent ufe in the Hebrew Bible. Among others are the following-Under the root we do not find 31. Gen. iv. 23. Pfal. cv. 19. cxlvii. 15. D Efther, 1. 15. ii. 20. ix. 32. N 2 Sam. xxi. Ifaiah, v. 24, &c. Dan. iv. 14, Exod. xvii. אמנה 12. Pfalm xl. 11. lxxxviii. 12. Prov. xii. 22, &c. N Nehem. x. I. xi. 23. 2 Kings, xviii. 16. Under ' is wanting, Gen. xix. 31, 33, 34, 37. Under 12— בון .21 .Judges, v קְדוּמִים-קדם Nehem. iii. 36. Under בוזה In various parts of the Dictionary, Mr. Levi has interwoven copious extracts from Rabbinical writers. For the entertainment. of the English reader, we will tranfcribe one of these extracts, which contains a curious anecdote of the Patriarch Abraham. ברהם at the word אבר It is to be found under the root I cannot omit taking notice of what is related in Medrah Berefhith, concerning this Patriarch; efpecially, as it fhews his fortitude, and firm reliance on the protection of the Supreme Being; and at the fame time exhibits the rational method which he purfued in endeavouring to wean mankind from that grofs idolatry and fuperstition into which they were plunged. Terach, the father of Abraham, was an idolater, and likewife a dealer, and maker of idols. It chanced one time that Terach went on a journey, and left Abraham to take care of and difpofe of the idols during his abfence. When any man came to purchase an idol, Abraham asked him his age. When the man had answered him, Abraham replied, Can it be poffible, that a perfon of your years can be fo ftupid as to worfhip that that was made yefterday! The man being quite overwhelmed with fhame, hung down his head, and departed. In this manner he ferved feveral. At length, there came an old woman, with a measure of fine flour in her hand, which she told him she had brought as an offering to all the idols. Abraham at this was exceedingly wroth, and took a large ftick and broke all the idols, except the largest, which he left whole, and put the ftick in his hand. • When Terach returned, and perceived all the idols broken, he afked Abraham how that came to pafs? Abraham informed him, that there came an old woman and brought an offering of fine flour to the idols: upon which, they immediately fell together by the ears for the prize, when the large one killed them all with the flick which he then held in his hand. Terach feeling the full force of the fatire, was greatly exafperated; and immediately had Abraham before Nimrod, in order to have him punished for the contempt fhewn to his Gods. Nimrod commanded him to worship the fire; but Abraham anfwered him, that it would be more profitable to worship the water, which extinguishes the fire. Why then, fays Nimrod, worship the water. No, fays Abraham, it were better to worship the clouds which fuftain the water. Nimrod hid him worship them; but he told him, it would be better to worship the wind which difperfes the clouds. Nimrod then bid him worship the wind. Abraham anfwered, it would be preferable to worship man, who was able to endure the wind. Well, fays Nimrod, I fee it is your intention to deride me; 1 muft therefore tell you briefly, that I worship none but the fire, and if thou doft not do the fame, my intention is to throw you therein; and then, I fhall fee, whether the GOD you worship will come to your relief; and immediately had him thrown into the fiery furnace. In the interim, they queftioned his brother Haran concerning his faith, who answered, if Abraham fucceeds, I will be of his; but if not, of Nimrod's. Upon which, Nimrod ordered him to be immediately thrown into the furnace likewife; where he was prefently confumed, but Abraham came out of the furnace without receiving the leaft injury. This agrees with the 28th verfe of the 11th chapter of Genefis : And Haran died in the prefence of his father Terah, in the land of his nativity, in the fire of the Chaldees; for it was by means of the accufation which Terah exhibited againft Abraham, that Haran fuffered death; fo that he may juftly be faid to have died in the prefence of his father. Here is an admirable leffon for mankind: and clearly points out the difference between those which ferve the Lord in truth and fincerity, and those which are lukewarm, and eafily turn to that which feems most profitable in this world. This tranfaction, the author of Shalfheleth Hakkabala fays, happened in the feventieth year of Abraham.' In the third Part of the work, or English-Hebrew Dictionary, the author promifes us all the words, both appellative and proper, terms of art, and phrafes ufed in the English tongue, arranged in alphabetical order, and explained in Hebrew.' He promifes us, however, much more than he has performed; and indeed, we apprehend, much more than it is in the power of any man to perform. After we had finished our examination of the Grammar and Dictionary, it was not without the moft ferious concern that we perufed the Addrefs to the Public, which clofes the third voJume. As Critics, it was our duty impartially to appretiate the merits, and point out the defects of the work. But as men, and as scholars, we heartily fympathife with the author in his dif treffes. treffes*. We forget the imperfections of his book, when we confider the circumstances under which it was compofed; and we cannot but admire the induftry and perfeverance which, in fpite of difficulties fo ftubborn, and wants fo clamorous, enabled him to accomplish fo much. Indeed, it is but juftice to add, that, notwithstanding the objections which we have ftated, his work may yet be highly useful to perfons of his own religion; and even to those of every religion, who, without a knowlege of Latin, are defirous of being acquainted with the original language of the Old Teftament. * When I first planned the work, my means were but few, and my circumstances much too narrow to admit of the arrangement neceffary to carry on an undertaking of fuch magnitude and importance with fuccefs. Confined to a mechanical bufinefs, which occupied the principal part of each fucceeding day, to fupply the neceffaries of my domestic concerns; there confequently remained but few hours befide those which I could borrow from my natural reft, to compile a work, which required at once a degree of study, perfeverance, and patience, known only to fuch as have been employed in the arduous task of reducing to index order the substance of many volumes.' Pa.... So ART. II. Prolufiones Poetice; or, A Selection of Poetical Exercises, in Greek, Latin, and English: Partly original, and partly tranflated. 8vo. pp. 188. 3s. Boards. Printed at Chefter; and fold by Jeffery and Sael, London. 1788. HIS Selection is dedicated to the Bishop of Chester, as the TH first fraits of the King's School in that city. The Rev. T. Bancroft, who, we learn, has fome fhare in the management The of the fchool, fubfcribes his name to the Dedication. work neither deprecates criticifm, as the unfinished attempt of a fchool-boy, nor challenges it as the production of maturer genius. But the ufe of the word Exercifes, in the title-page, feems to warrant the former fuppofition: and we are willing to adopt it, fince it calls on us to be sparing of cenfure, if not prodigal of praife. We cannot, indeed, infert the following fpecimens, without premifing that, in our opinion, they reflect much honour on the feminary which produced them: ΣΩΚΡΑΤΗΣ ἘΝ ΔΕΣΜΩΤΗΡΙΩ ΕΠΙΛΕΓΕΙ· Φασκης, |