Mrs. Bowdler lived at a time which produced many extraordinary women, to none of whom, perhaps, she was inferior. Her talents were great and varied; she possessed a fine imagination, a strong and highly cultivated understanding, a sound judgment, extensive information, and elegant taste.

But neither the talents which she had received from the bountiful hand of Providence, nor her various acquirements, had the effect of raising self-esteem. She was diffident and unassuming, never overstepping the modesty of her sex; but rendering her powers and her knowledge more pleasing, by the unaffected simplicity which attended the display of them. Her "Practical Observations on the Revelation" have been already mentioned; they were published during her life, and again after her death, and form a very interesting and instructive volume. The author first gives a short analysis of the book of Revelation, chiefly after Mr. Mede; this is followed by some ingenious observations on the mark of the beast, the testimony and death of the witnesses, the preaching of the everlasting Gospel, and the Millenium, or reign of Christ on earth; and the remainder of the volume is occupied in inculcating the various practical lessons to be derived from the whole -a meek and humble spirit, fear and watchfulness, patience, courage, and steady perseverance; the doctrines of free-will, the unity of God, and faith in the Messiah; temperance,

purity, and self-denial. With a view to this practical instruction, a more particular view is taken of some of the prophecies; and various remarks and reflections introduced, some of which will, perhaps, be new to most readers, and all are as pleasing as they are useful.- Among several subjects on which Mrs. Bowdler committed her thoughts to paper, mention has been made of her Remarks on Mr. Kennedy's System of Chronology; they were printed in the shape of two letters to a friend, and contain, among other things, some very sensible observations on the question, whether our Lord ate the Paschal Lamb on the night before he suffered, and some rules for forming a scheme of Scripture Chronology. At the conclusion of the second letter, the writer is led to make some remarks, which shew so faithfully her turn of mind, that the reader, will, perhaps, pardon their inser. tion.

"When we consider our first parents as deprived at once of all the blessings of Paradise, turned into the wild world, liable to ignorance of mind and infirmity of the body, exposed to their own unruly passions within, and the attacks of wild beasts from without, directed only to seeds, herbs, and wild fruits for food, and to the skins of beasts for clothing, we are apt to think the sentence severe. Every one, according to his different turn of mind, is for supposing them supplied with something that appears to himself most valuable; and Mr. Kennedy therefore supplies them with the knowledge of astronomy. But let us suppose them, to

please all, endowed with all knowledge, provided with all conveniences of life; let a palace rise out of the ground; let the blessed angels be set to serve them, and employed in all the servile offices to which we subject our fellowcreatures what would be the consequence? You cannot take away the freedom of man's will: and while that remains, he may refuse subjection to the will of God, and misery must follow. Will gratitude attach him? that tie was too weak in Paradise. Will a sense of his own infirmity, and a fear of punishment? those apprehensions must soon wear off when so little had been felt. But if Adam and Eve had stood a fresh trial, what shall we say of their posterity? would not a race educated in idleness, in pleasure, and indulgence, have been, like their fellows amongst us, forgetful of God, careless of each other, ungrateful to their parents? And would not intemperance and love of pleasure, increasing from day to day, have produced a sickly, miserable race of beings, each generation adding new sins and fresh infirmities to the former?

"But this picture, we may say, is too ridiculous: let us turn, therefore, to that which the Scripture gives, and learn from thence, that it was necessary man should feel the weight of his transgression, should know the heinousness of sin, should learn the virtues of patience, humility, selfdenial, meekness, and kind compassion to his fellow-creatures; and yet, though reduced to a life of labour and hardship, should not be miserable, should escape all the sorrows which idleness and indulgence bring on, and raise up a healthy, hardy offspring, fit to people the world in a short time, whereby the curse laid upon the earth and man, might, if he had pleased, be turned into a blessing. I suppose, therefore, that whatever was necessary to man was revealed, but nothing more. I consider the Deity in the character

of a tender parent, who inures the child to wholesome severities, who lets him sometimes fall into inconveniencies, that he may know his own weakness: and yet, while he is continually instructing him, and pointing the way to useful discoveries, allows him the innocent pleasure of thinking them his own, till reflection calls him back to pay a debt of gratitude to his benefactor.

"If I had the poetical genius of the author of the Life and Death of Abel, I could, methinks with pleasure, expatiate on that of Adam. To instance only in a trifle: suppose Eve detained at home by sickness or inclemency of weather, her mind intent on the worthy object of her love, gone to provide for her and for himself; necessity had probably soon taught her to braid the tresses of her hair; and she now tries the same method with the rushes of which her bed is formed; and twisting them round, fastening the rows together with long thorns, she forms a little basket for her husband, that, bringing home his store of provisions another time at once, his labour may be lessened. Let a mind, capable of delicate sensations, conceive, if possible, the pleasing thoughts that must employ our first mother whilst at work; the transport of the husband, at receiving the pretty useful toy, a proof at once of the ingenuity, industry, and affection of one so dear; the pleasure he must have in bestowing praises so well deserved; the heart-felt innocent joy she must have in receiving them, for the desire of praise is not in itself sinful; and lastly, the cheerful grateful hearts with which they must offer up together their evening hymns. I must indulge the pleasing subject a little further suppose Adam, intent to repay the kind present, having often experienced the use of clay when hollowed out to contain water for his plants, and also the effect of the sun in hardening that part of the clay thrown up on

:

.

the sides of his reservoir, now sets himself to work and forms a kind of portable cistern, which, when well dried, he carries home, where, notwithstanding its rustic form, its extreme usefulness must make it highly valuable. But, lo! the little basket, slightly fastened, breaks in pieces, and shows the necessity of more durable materials, than a slight thorn, easily shook out: the rushes now are woven in to fasten the rows: hence in time arise the useful needle and thread. But in the mean time, how many useful works in earth, how many mats for beds, for seats, for cradles, and all kinds of baskets for stores, are invented from these first hints? And how many dull winter-nights are usefully and agreeably employed? So that every bitter want, after performiug its office for reproof and correction, is repaid with exquisite pleasure by the useful invention which supplies it. Thus, may we likewise suppose our first parents to proceed as to astronomy. An upright stile or stalk placed as a memorial of the place where the sun set at the equinox, with its fellow pointing out the rising of the moon at the same time; these, daily observed, would by their oblique shadows, shew the course of the sun continually rising and setting nearer the north unto the summer solstice; then gradually returning to the equinoctial point, and getting nearer and nearer to the south, till the winter solstice following; the consequent lengthening and shortening of the days, with the regular return of the seasons. Another stile, erected to observe the sun's meridian altitude, would soon be observed to mark by its shadow the regular advance of summer and winter, and the course of the moon and stars. Thus much, and much more might be attained, by the constant observations of nine hundred years; and whatever else was necessary would probably be supplied by Him who appointed the heavenly bodies for

6