-It appears the Trans ארור אתה מכל הבהמה ומכל חית השדה: lators of the English Bible were misled by the prefixed to the word all, considering it was the comparativum, as in and the priest who is greater והכהן הגדול מאחיו .10 .21 .Lev than his brethren, or great above his brethren; in this place the D is truly a comparativum, but it seems that the translators of the English Bible forgot, that is comparative only when it is prefixed to a noun following an adjective, or to a verb which has an allusion to bodily or mental properties; as in the following ויאהב .30 .29 Genesis וְלָאם מלאם יאמץ .23 .25 .instances: Gen .21 .Lev אחיו הקטן יגדל ממנו .49 .48 .Gen גם את רחל מלאה ותרב משאת בנימן ממשאת .34 .43 .Gen והכהן הגדול מאחין .10 1 ותרב חכמת שלמה מחכמת כל בניקדם 30 .4 Kings 1 כלם Kings 4. 31. DTNT D. But the being cursed cannot be Another proof, that the translators of the English Bible did not always consider the connexion of one part of Scripture with another, will be found in their translation of Gen. 49. 6. This כי באפם הרגו איש וברצנם : passage in Hebrew is read thus py, and it is rendered in the English version thus: "for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they DIGGED DOWN A WALL." Every one, who is acquainted with the historical part of the Pentateuch, knows, that the indignation of Jacob against his two sons Simeon and Levi was caused by their cruelty to Sechem and Chamor, and to their brother Joseph. He says, therefore, in the first clause of the 7th verse, Execrated be their anger, for it is violent, and their wrath, because it is cruel: the former part alludes to their violence to Sechem and Chamor, and the latter to their cruelty to Joseph. In like manner the former part of the latter clause of the 6th verse alludes to their treatment of Sechem and Chamor, and the latter part to their cruelty to Joseph. But how can Joseph be compared to a wall? and what meaning is there in the expression," they digged down a wall?" the Hebrew term, rendered in the English Bible digged down, is py from y to eradicate, to enervate; and if the translators had reflected that Joseph was compared by Moses in his blessing, Deut. 33. 17. to a bullock, (probably considering his two sons, each of whom became a separate, mighty, and powerful tribe, as the two horns of a bullock) they would not have read a wall, but a bullock. This part of the clause should be rendered thus: in their self-will they enervated a bullock. It is surprising that for the space of upwards of 2,600 years, no one translator or commentator has entered into the spirit of the 29th Psalm, which was penned by David: only the writer of "the Zoar," a mysterious comment on the Pentateuch, seems to give a hint concerning it. If we attentively consider this Psalm, and particularly the English version of it, we find no connexion in it. We are told, for instance, in the third verse, "the voice of the Lord is upon the waters." If this is to be understood according to the usual meaning of the words, the following question arises concerning this voice, namely, where is it not? and this question is applicable to all the verses in which the word voice is used: moreover, the second clause of the 9th verse and the whole of the 10th verse, which are thus rendered in the English Bible, "and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood: yea, the Lord sitteth king for ever," would have no connexion whatever with the other verses. It was customary with the Poets of all nations to compose a national poem, which they usually commenced by invoking the assistance of some powerful and intelligent being, as we find Ovid and other ancient poets invoked the Muses, so likewise David seems to have acted in the same way; in the height of his ecstacy he invoked the patriarchs, and he seems to hear the voice of every one of them. The Psalm, therefore, would be properly rendered thus: Psalın 29.-A Psalm of David. 1. Ascribe to the Eternal Being, ye sons of the Mighty, ascribe to the Eternal Being glory and strength. 2. Ascribe to the Eternal Being the glory of his name: worship the Eternal Being in the beauty of holiness. 3. A voice! The Eternal Being is upon the waters: the Almighty of glory causes the thunder! the Eternal Being is upon the great waters. 4. A voice! The Eternal Being is powerful! A voice! The Eternal Being is full of Majesty ! 5. A voice! The Eternal Being rends the cedars: and the Eternal Being will rend the cedars of Lebanon! 6. And he makes them skip like a calf; and Lebanon and Sirion like a young rhinoceros. 7. A voice! The Eternal Being divides the flames of fire! 8. The Eternal Being shakes the wilderness! the Eternal Being makes the wilderness of Kadesh to tremble! 9. A voice! The Eternal Being makes the hinds to calve, and unrobes the forests! and in his temple the whole universe speaks of his glory! 10. The Eternal Being presided over the flood! and the Eternal Being will preside as king for ever! 11. The Eternal Being will give strength to his people: the Eternal Being will bless his people with peace. ENGLISH LATINITY. AFTER all the pains taken during a long initiation at school and college, how seldom is the mystery and craft of writing Latin acquired by an Englishman! Although neither the copia verborum nor the lucidus ordo may be wanting, yet still in the best specimen one is either disgusted with a mere cento of phrases culled from the earliest and latest, the best and worst periods of Roman literature, or else some unfortunate expression compels one to exclaim So Roman, yet so English all the while. The only exception, that the writer of this ever met with, was in the case of Charles Skinner Matthews, formerly of Trinity, and subsequently a fellow of Downing, College, Cambridge. The splendor of his talents was known but to few; but to those few, the regret occasioned by his untimely death will be as lasting, as the admiration of his intellectual attainments was unbounded. Of his powers in Latin versification, a specimen or two may be found in Hobhouse's Imitations,' a publication by the present Member for Westminster, which appeared shortly after he took his first degree. But it was in Latin prose composition where Matthews chiefly excelled; and although a man of reading by no means extensive, yet such was the accuracy of his judgment and the delicacy of his taste, that he not only avoided errors which others were sure to fall into, but siezed on beauties and peculiarities of style, that others were as sure to miss. The following letter was sent by him to his friend G. B., as a specimen of the matter and manner which ought to be adopted by a Candidate for a fellowship when writing to the Seniority, previous to the examination. ETSI satis intelligo, vir clarissime, hujusmodi verba necessaria, scriptori onerosa, legenti quoque molestissima esse solere, quæ coacta, et quasi vi expressa, neque liberum aliquid præ se ferunt, neque sincerum; nec nescius sum quam difficile sit in re tam vulgata novi aliquid afferre; cum tamen majorum instituto positum est ut ii, qui in toga candida sese vobis objiciunt, consilii sui rationem antea per literas notam faciant; neque Me quicquam inusitati facere, et Te in bonam partem accepturum speravi, si quæ me spes et quæ studia ad discrimen certaminis adeo periculosi subeundum impulerint, brevissime qua potero timideque pro ponam. Ferme quinquennium est, vir clarissime, ex quo, ut parva magnis comparem, simile quid aggressus, inter scholares adscitus sum. Cum vero hunc quasi primum honoris gradum vestris suffragiis attigerim, quis est qui studium meum reprehendat, si tanta benevolentia non prorsus indignus videri cupiam; si quæ adolescentiæ meæ altrix fuit, eandem provectiori quoque ætati perfugium velim ; si arctiore quodam vinculo vobis obligari, et in ordinem vestrum cooptari contendam? A qua contentione cum me prope desperantem tantum non omnia dehortantur, detrectarem penitus et refugerem, nisi quod, cum tot tantique mihi officiant, non est cur magnopere victus doleam, et quod vel ipsum contendisse videtur aliquid habere tum in me honoris tum in vos pietatis. Spero igitur fore ut te indulgentiæ tuæ non pœnituerit, si, in hoc doctrinæ domicilium admissus, habeam qua studia ea quibus semper delectatus fui colam et promoveam. Quod autem ad competitores meos attinet, ingenio majores habebis omnes, scientiæ vero et bonarum literarum amantiorem neminem. Spes hasce et sollicitudines meas, vir clarissime, non est quod verbis prolixioribus exponam. Id facere præstaret, ut, cum vos extremum alloquendi detur mihi facultas, pro egregiis vestris in me beneficiis grates agam, nisi me sedibus his Musarum amoenissimis optimisque meis patronis jam nunc in æternum valedicturum et vires et verba deficerent. Quicquid ad mentis gratissimæ sensus exprimendos valeat, quicquid ex vehementissimo animi affectu profluat, id omne dictum putes. Utcunque mihi res eveniet, quæcunque fortuna in posterum obtigerit, me vita citius deseret quam vestrum Collegiique vestri memoria et veneratio. A LIST Of the earliest printed editions of the Whole and Parts of the HEBREW BIBLE, from A. D. 1475 to A. D. 1495; collected from the works of De Rossi, Dr. Kennicott, and other Collators and Compilers. A. D. No. 1475 1. Pentateuchus cum Commentario R. Sal. Jarchi 1475 1477 2. Psalterium cum Commentario R. David Kimchi 1477 1477 1480 3. Job cum Commentario R. Levi Gersonidis, 4to. 1477 circa 1480 1480 5. Psalterium sine Punctis, cum Indice, sine anno 1477-1480 nidis 1480 6. Pentateuchus cum Commentario R. Levi Gerso 1480 7. Pentateuchus cum Commentario R. M. Nachma Fol. Mantuæ cir. 1480 1480 9. Isaias ac Jeremias cum Commentario R. David Fol. Ulyssipon. 1480 11. Pentateuchus cum Targum Onkelosi et Comment. Fol. Bonon. 1482 riis Fol. Bonon. 1483 1485 13. Josuæ, Judices, Libri Samuelis ac Regum, cum |