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his chair, and exclaimed, "If I were to tear myself to pieces I could not make such an anthem as that; but then Seufel cannot preach a psalm as I can." To this Seufel, though a Catholic, and in the service of a bigoted Catholic prince, he wrote a very friendly and characteristic letter on music, which we give entire :

"To Louis Seufel, Court Musician to the Duke of Bavaria, at Munich:

"Grace and peace in Christ. Although my name, my dear Louis, may be hateful to you, so that I am compelled to fear that the letters which I send you can scarcely with safety be received and read; yet this fear is overcome by my love of music, in which art I perceive that you are adorned and gifted by my God. The same love also induces the hope that my letters will be the occasion of no injury to you; for who would find fault even among the Turks, when one loves the art, and praises the artist? I indeed respect and vehemently praise even your Dukes of Bavaria, though most hostile to me, because they more than others favour and honour music. Doubtless the seeds of many excellent virtues are to be found in the minds of those who are fond of music; but as for those who cannot be moved by it, I regard them as most like to stocks and stones. We know that music is odious and intolerable to the devil. I believe entirely, and am not ashamed to profess, that, next to theology, there is no art or science to be compared with music; since this alone besides theology, does that which otherwise theology alone can do ; namely-it gives a quiet and joyful mind; a clear proof that the devil, who every where stirs up gloomy cares and disquieting alarms, flees before musical sounds, as he does from the word of God. Therefore the prophets used no art so much as music; and they illustrated their theology, not by geography, or arithmetic, or astronomy, but by music; so that they held music and theology in most intimate connection, teaching the truth in psalms and songs. But how can I praise music on this little bit of paper, and thus attempt to paint, or rather daub, so

THIRD SERIES, VOL. II. NO. II.

15

great a matter? But my affection overflows and gushes out toward it, so often has it refreshed me, and relieved me from great sorrows.

"I return to you, and intreat, if you have a copy of that chant, In pace in idipsum,* that you would have it transcribed and sent to me; for that tune has delighted me from my youth, and now much more since my condition makes me feel the meaning of the words. I have never seen the piece arranged for several parts. I would not impose on you the labour of composing and arranging it; but I perceive you have it already composed by some one else. I really hope that the end of my life draws near, for the world hates me, and cannot endure me, and I also am weary of and detest the world; then let the good and faithful Shepherd take my soul. I have therefore already begun to sing this chant, and I desire to see it composed and arranged. If you have not a copy, or know not where to obtain one, I here send you one with the notes, which, if you please, you may compose and arrange after my death. May the Lord Jesus be with you forever, Amen.

"Pardon my temerity and wordiness. reverently the whole choir of your musicians. "From Coburg, Oct. 4th, 1530.

Salute for me

"MARTIN LUTHER."

The above letter, written from the castle of Coburg, in that crisis of extreme excitement and hazard, breathes somewhat of a pensive spirit; but while there, Luther was sometimes in a merrier mood, as is seen in the following letter to John Agricola (otherwise called Eisleben), in which he contrives a plot to play a joke on Master George, a conceited musical clergyman of his acquaintance. Agricola had written a jocose letter to Luther's wife, to which allusion is made in the first instance.

"Grace and peace. I have sent your letter to my lady,

The last verse of the Fourth Psalm, according to the Vulgate.

my Agricola; and I can divine to you beforehand what her answer will be. Reading the letter she will smile and say, "Ah, Master Eisleben, what a rogue he always is!" I hope Casper Aquila has returned to you released from his feline metamorphosis. You are sad rogues thus to vex the good

man.

"I send to you a little tune for you to exercise yourself upon. When for four days I could neither read nor write, I by chance found in an outhouse a bit of paper on which this old tune was written, set to three parts. This I took, expurgated, corrected and amended it, added to it a fourth part, and wrote impromptu some words for it; principally with this object, that I may put a joke upon your chaplain Master George. Let him receive it as a new song lately composed by the choir at Augsburg, on the solemn entrance of the emperor and his brother Ferdinand, and sent by you to me. He will more easily be hoaxed, if you will praise it a little to me, and say you have heard it praised by many, especially for its simplicity, and that you will soon send me the remainder of the words. When you perceive that it pleases me, then I will send it all to him, and if the joke succeeds so that I can impose upon that fine critic and most malapropos Momus of music, I will forever take away from him that authority of judging in musical matters, on which he values himself so much. Perhaps too we may in this way get rid of the Sirenes. Do your duty in this, and

manage the matter cunningly. More another time. Meanwhile, farewell in the Lord, all of you together.

"June 15th, 1530.

"Yours,

"MARTIN LUTHER."

The hymns and tunes of Luther were immediately translated and adopted in the reformed churches of other countries; in France very early by Theodore Beza and Claude Marot. Hence it has happened that some of Luther's own music was afterwards supposed to be original with Marot. The mistake, however, is easily corrected, for Marot's tune book was

not published till several years after the first edition of Luther's. As we now read Luther's hymns, after the lapse of three centuries from their first publication, we find them full of strength and fervour, abounding in a deep and rich Christian experience, and with every quality adapted to make them popular favourites; while his tunes all breathe the utmost sweetness and majesty of devotion, and are always admirable for their peculiar adaptedness to the sentiment of the hymns for which they were originally composed. The eminent composer Handel possessed several of Luther's tunes in the very autographs of the great reformer; he studied them faithfully, and gratefully acknowledged the very essential benefit he derived from them, publicly declaring that he was indebted to them for some of his very best ideas. The contemporaries of Luther, as we have already seen, studied and criticised his hymns and tunes very diligently; but for seve ral generations past they have attracted little special notice out of Germany, till of late they have been again vehemently eulogized by the papal ecclesiastic Audin.

ARTICLE II.

PURITANISM.*

THERE can be no possible reason why the faults of good men should be concealed, when the public good requires their exposure; and if candour directs the disemboweling of historic truth for such a purpose, it may be productive of no little good. To unveil the faults of bad men, is a work so odious and repulsive, that nothing but necessity will justify it.

"PURITANISM: or a Churchman's Defence against its Aspersions, by an Appeal to its own History." By Thomas W. Coit, D. D., member of the NewYork Historical Society."

But to calumniate the memory of departed worthies, or needlessly to blazon their faults, is as wanton and wicked as it is mischievous.

Whether either of these characteristics is applicable to the work before us, requires our demonstration.

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Its author" expects no quarter," and apprehends a "rhetorical crucifixion." p. 8. He deals in "vinegar" and "unwelcome truths," p. 14, and expects the most copious measure of censure; and to be regarded as bitter, p. 404, and as "having said all which one of the Malignant Party' can say to disparage the Puritans." p. 427. It is not possible that the man could have set down to his work with such shivering apprehensions, had he not been conscious of meriting something of what he feared. He ought not to expect that those who revere the memories of those worthy men, and who admire the principles which they discovered and the institutions which they planted, will sit down in silence, under such assaults as these, without investigating their truth and exposing their error.

We believe that this book will accomplish much good by causing the whole subject to be laid before an intelligent public, (and herein we differ from Dr. C., who thinks that "the good sense of the community" "cannot be relied on,") and also by defining the true position of at least one party, if it does not draw out the true position of the other.

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There is one fact which gives prominent importance to this effusion. It speaks not the sentiments of the writer merely, it is endorsed by SEVERAL OF THE BISHOPS and by a LARGE NUMBER OF THE CLERGY. By giving him their SIGNATURES they SHARE WITH HIM THE RESPONSIBILITY of publishing these disagreeable facts," p. 7, and "TO THE BISHOPS AND

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CLERGY WHO HAVE URGED ME TO MY PRESENT UNDERTAKING," P. 13. "Such a list of names is at last sent as to induce him to put his articles into a permanent form," though with "less vinegar in his ink." p. 24.

The book then represents, as we have reason to believe, the Protestant Episcopal Church; and if it indulges in any

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