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dent, inflexible obftinacy, and that infenfible obduracy which in these cafes they conftantly exhibit, has not been often remarked. If a perfon does not give himself the leaft trouble to represent to his tyrants, with modefty and gentlenefs, the principles for the fake of which he is perfecuted; but, on the contrary, answers those in authority over him either not at all, or with impertinence; if he reject all the methods, which prudence would point out for avoiding his torments either wholly or in part, without violence to his principles, and if he rather folicit fufferings: who does not perceive that fuch a firmnefs under torments cannot proceed from a calm and rational reflection, and an heroic difregard of the world; but is the effect of a morofe, unfocial obftinacy, and an inhuman obduracy, rather a paroxifm of frenzy than a praife-worthy firmnefs of mind?—This paroxism often increases to fuch a degree, that it produces even convulfive agitations of the body, and abfolute madness; as we learn particularly from the early history of the Quakers. Such gloomy and morofe perfons, who confider the. world with nausea and hatred, and have retired as it were back into themselves, in order to liften conftantly to the fuggeftions of heaven; who imagine that they are infinitely exalted above common humanity, and are the particular objects of the divine favour and care: fuch perfons cannot certainly form a focial, beneficent fyftem of morality. Condemnation of all innocent indulgences; a folitary, felfish, gloomy, melancholy life; numerous fafts; rigid Vows of celibacy; all poffible avoidance of domeftic and civil fo ciety; hoftile hatred of the body and of the world; corporeal fufferings and mortifications; in fhort, a morofe, unfocial, and barbarous feverity is the characteristic of a Fanatic's fystem of morality.

"It would conduct me too far from my purpose, were I to enter on a more ample developement of this character. Whoever is acquainted with the hiftory of the Montanifts, of Mahomet, of the earliest Anabaptifts, of Cromwell and his fanatical followers, of the Quakers, and Janfeniits *;-will be able to confirm the truth of each individual feature fetched above by many examples from history.

"From this picture of fanaticifm cannot be felected a fingle, even the moft trifling, feature which can be applied to the writers of the New Teftament; on the contrary, they poffeffed traits diametrically oppofite to every one of them." P. 281.

The contraft is then drawn with no lefs truth than force. Sect. 5, of this part, on the Integrity of the Writers of the New Teftament, is a maflerly abftract of that part of Lardner's "Credibilty," in which he fhows that the facts occafionally mentioned in the New Teftament are confirmed by paffages

And fome Methodis. Rev.

of

of ancient authors, who were contemporary with our Saviour, or his apoftles, or lived near their time. In this contracted form its evidence is rendered very clear and ftriking.

The fecond book treats on the wonderful eftablishment and propagation of Chriftianity as a moft convincing proof of the entire credibility of the hiftory of the New Testament. This part of the work is ftrong, but not extended. The author does not appear particularly to confider or oppose the arguments, of Gibbon's two chapters, though he answers much of them by implication. The third chapter, which points out the circumftance which enfured the fuccefs of Mahomet, is well, drawn up. Excepting the one point of the author's doubts upon the Apocalypfe, which are not urged without a fair flatement of oppofite reafons, this book deferves the firongeft recommendation, and the moft general attention. Even our Paley has hardly exceeded Dr. Lefs, in the fcrupulous care not to urge any doubtful or unfound arguments; a point of prudence very effential for recom mending fuch a work to all persons who are able to argue and to think...;

ART. VIII. Tentamen Palæographia Affyrio-Perfica, five Simplicis Compendi ad explicandum Antiquiffima Monumenta Populorum qui olim circa mediam Afiam habitarunt, præfertim vero Cuneatas quas vocant infcriptiones. Auctore D. Anton. Auguft. Henric. Lichtenftein. Helmftad. 1803. 4to. 190 pages.

An Effay on the Ancient Writing of the Affyrio-Perfians; or an Attempt to illuftrate the Monuments of thofe Nations, who' in the earliest Ages inhabited Middle Afia: efpecially Infcriptions in the Wedge-like (or Arrow-headed) Character. By M. Ant. Aug. "Hen. Lichtenftein:

SINCE

INCE the time of Pietro della Valle and Figueroa, each fucceffive traveler in Perfia has directed our attention to those stupendous monuments of remote antiquity, the ruins at prefent called Chilminar, or the Forty Pillars, which are generally confidered as the remains of Perfepolis, at least of the palace or temple belonging to that magnificent capital. On the walls of this venerable edifice, and apparently coeval with them, are found feveral infcriptions engraved in certain characters, which have hitherto continued faithful guardians of the fecrets confided to them. ›

From the defcriptions and engravings publifhed by Chata din, Kæmpfer, Le Brun, Mandelflo, Herbert, Lalande, Struys, Thevenôt, Niebuhr, Francklin, and other travellers, many learned orientalifts and antiquaries have endeavoured to afcertain the age and the language of thefe infcriptions. Our own countrymen, however they may excel in the mo dern branches of Afiatick literature, have done but httle in the department of Perfian palæography:the celebrated Dr. Hyde, of Oxford, amidit many vague conjectures, never entertained one more erroneous, than when he fuppofed thofe infcriptions to have been merely ornamental, or fculptured according to the whims and fancies of the artist. Sir William Jones thinks it may be reasonably doubted, whether they contain a fyftem of letters which any nation ever adopted; he could, however, diftinguifh about forty different characters formed by "regular variations and compofitions of a straight line and an angular figure like the head of a javelin, or a leaf (to ufe the language of botanifs) hearted and lanced."-Thefe are the characters denominated by various writers, literæ cuneata, wedge-like, or cuneiform, caracterès a clous, clavatæ, nail-headed, arrow-headed, and Perfepolitan. To the ftudy of these ancient characters, the continental literati have applied themfelves with the moft laudable and perfevering zeal.

The ingenious profeffor Wahl, fome years ago announced his fanguine hopes of foon difcovering a key to thofe treafures of antiquity. Tychfen, of Roftoch, and Münter, of Copenhagen, have each offered to the public the refult of their endeavours to decipher and explain the infcriptions: a tafk, according to the learned Cuper, of confiderable difficulty, as fome, like La Croze and Count Caylus, would derive the characters from an Egyptian fource, and suppose them partly hieroglyphical; others imagine them a-kin to the Chinese, &c.

Notwithstanding the labours of fo many ingenious fcho lars, the myfterious infcriptions of Perfepolis ftill remain enveloped in obfcurity, and we announce with pleasure the appearance of Mr. Lichtenstein as an additional candidate for the honour of first removing the veil of darkness from those ancient monuments.

To congratulate him on the complete fuccefs of his endea yours would here be premature, as he referves for a future volume his proofs and arguments in favour of the explanations offered in the work before us: for the fame reafon we refrain from mentioning fome doubts and objections which have fuggelted themselves during the perufal of his Tentamen.

Every page of this Effay, however, evinces the learning, ingenuity, and diligence of its author, who may expect from us, whenever we fhall be fo fortunate as to poffefs his proofs, the most impartial and candid examination. In the mean time we fhall give a general outline of this work, and gratify our reader's curiofity by tranfcribing two or three of the infcriptions, according to Mr. Lichtenstein's interpretation.

From a fimilarity which he difcovered between the Perfepolitan characters, the Cufic, or ancient Arabic, and the Syriac-Eftrangelo, he was induced to fufpect that the genealogies of all might be traced to the fame fource:-the refult of his labours in fearch of this common origin is a perfuafion, that the infcriptions in arrow-headed letters, like many other monuments of antiquity found on this fide of the Oxus and Indus, are veftiges of the pofterity of Shem, or at leaft of a people who used a language refembling the Arabic and Aramean. After fome remarks on the Zend and Pehlvi dialects (fuch as M. Anquetil du Perron has given in his tranflation of the Zendavefta) this author obferves that all the monuments bearing infcriptions in the nail or arrow-headed characters, as far as he could afcertain, have been discovered in Perfia, Mefopotamia, or the Region of Babylon: fome few, perhaps, in Cole-Syria, and others in Egypt: thefe, however, are not to be fuppofed the work of Egyptians, but of the Perfians, who conquered them under Cambyfes.

Although the fons of Cham (or Ham) firft occupied the territory of Babylon, according to the Mofaic Records, we find it fhortly after in poffeffion of the Semite, or defcendants of Shem, the Arameans, Affyrians, and Elamites: after them the Medes governed that part of Afia, until conquered by the Perfians, who, in their turn, yielded to the Macedonians, these to the Parthians, and the Parthians to the Arab Mufulmans.

It is not probable, according to the present author, that thefe infcriptions fhould belong to the very firft inhabitants of Middle Afia, but he would ascribe them to the fons of Shem, the Arameans, Affyrians, and Elamites, who formed that dynafty to which the Greek and Roman hiftorians affign the first monarchy, generally ftyled the Affyrian.

In those very remote ages when the celebrated palace or temple of Perfepolis, and the royal fepulchres in its vicinity were conftructed, this author finds veftiges of three nations; the Perfians, Medes, and Arameans, to whom he would afcribe the triple character and triple idiom, which he has difcovered in the ancient infcriptions.

U

BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XXVI. SEPT. 1805.

The

The Arameans, with whom, after the time of Cyrus, we may confound the Affyrians and Elamites, chiefly inhabited Mefopotamia and Cofe-Syria; and from their vicinity, their power and ancient glory were fo highly honoured by the Perfian king, that infcriptions fculptured in their dialect, were with thofe in the Perfic and Medic idioms among the ornaments or records of the royal palace or temple, and Maufolea.

The Persepolitan writing confifts, according to Mr. Lichtenftein (page 27) of two fimple figns or figures, the Mirrich, or four winged arrow, a fymbol of Behram (the planet Mars), and the triangular Ioni, facred to Venus (or the moon), the combinations and multiplications of these two figures conftitute the various letters of the alphabet, which this author analyfes and minutely examines, and of which he gives a large and perfpicuous engraving. In this plate are prefented to us, at one view, the different arrow-headed letters, as they appear on the marbles of Perfepolis, the cylindrical ftones or amulets found in Perfia, Mefopotamia, and Egypt, and the bricks difcovered in excavations about Babylon, with the correfponding or equivalent characters in the Syriac, Phœnician, Etrufcan, Cufic, and other ancient alphabets.

The author proceeds to decipher and tranflate feveral infcriptions which he has found in the works of Niebuhr and Le Brun, in M. Millin's Monumens Antiques Inedits, on Babylonian bricks, on a cylinder of which the impreffion or drawing was communicated by Sir Jofeph Banks, another from the Recueil of Count Caylus, &c.

From Niebuhr (vol. II. tab. 24.) he gives in the arrowheaded character explained in correfponding Syriac_letters, an infcription of which the following tranflation is offered in page 90.

"Reveremini Darium anachoretam magnificum; glorieter robare animi tutela magnifica!

"Reveremini Darium tutelam magnificorum! prodit interminatio: reveremini Darium tutelam magnificum.

"Increpat te: extollite Darium, vexillam Cyri Senis, (vel herois ) "O Turba, metite perfectionem, (i. e. fruamini opere perfecto) increpat te atrium Cyri Sapientis.

Reveremini quos congregat magnificentia Cyri. "Latatur Senex, gloriatur Cyrus inftaurator (fculptor?) "Protegit Magus (an Magos ?) tuetur et providet.”

This infcription, according to Mr. Lichtenftein, is in the Medic idiom; another alfo, from Niebuhr, he confiders as Aramean, and thus tranflates (page 108.)

"Rex quoque fofpitat Aramees fratres noftros, confilia ejus firma

funt

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