curura, which is situated in the confines of Egypt and Syria, in a barren place, destitute of all manner of provision. All the country round about is full of salt and brackish ponds, and the wells within the walls afford but very little water, and that stinking and very bitter. And he sent them to this place on purpose that they might not for the future do any more hurt, nor lie lurking and unknown among other men. But being banished to such a barren place, void almost of all things necessary for the support of man's life (men naturally contriving all kind of arts to prevent starving) they wittily found out a way to supply their wants: for they cut up out of the neighbouring fields, reeds, and slit them in several pieces, and made long nets of them, and placed them several furlongs all along upon the shore, with which they catch the quails (which came flying over sea in great flocks), and by that means sufficiently provided for themselves. -Diod. Siculus. B. I. c. v. p. 31.

THE PLAGUE OF LICE.

Exod. viii. 16.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, say unto Aaron, stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt."

In Diodorus Siculus there is reference to the destructive effects produced by lice on the body. Talking of the Acridophages, he says, as the manner of their death is strange and wonderful, so it is sad and miserable. For when they grow old, winged lice breed in their flesh, not only of divers sorts but of horrid and ugly shapes. This plague begins first at the belly and breast, and in a little time eats and consumes the whole body. He that is seized with this distemper, first begins to itch a little, as if he had the scab, pleasure and trouble being united. But afterwards, when the lice begin to break out in the skin, abundance of putrid matter

(accompanied with intolerable sharp pain) issues out with them. Hereupon the sick person so tears himself in pieces with his own nails, that he sighs and groans most lamentably; and while he is thus scratching himself, the lice come pouring out in such abundance, one after another, as out of a vessel full of holes, and thus they miserably close and end their days.Diod. Sic. B. iii. c. 2.

Exodus, viii. 2.

"I will smite all thy borders with frogs."

The people called Autariats, were forced by frogs bred in the clouds, which poured down upon them instead of rain, to forsake their country and fly to those parts where B. iii. c. 2. now they are settled.-Diod. Sic.

WILD ASSES.

Job xxxix. 5, 6, 7.

"Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild

ass.

"Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.

"He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver."

In our journey from the Shekha. wut frontier to Poogul, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles, was a perfect desart over hills and vallies of loose and heavy sand. Of wild animals in some parts we found antelopes, the desart rat in great abundance, and the Goorkhur, or wild ass. This animal is sometimes found alone, but oftener in herds. It resembles a mule rather than an ass, but is of the colour of the latter: it is remarkable for its shyness, and still more for its speed,— at a kind of shuffling trot peculiar to itself, it will leave the fleetest horse behind.-Elphinstone's Journey from Delhi to Caubul, p. 7.

The sun was just rising over the summits of the Eastern mountains, when my greyhound suddenly darted

off in pursuit of an animal, which my Persians said, from the glimpse they had of it, was an antelope. I instantly put spurs to my horse and followed the chase. After an unrelaxed gallop of full three miles, we came up with the dog, who was then within a short stretch of the creature he pursued; and to my surprise, and at first vexation, I saw it to be an ass. But, on a moment's reflection, judging from its fleetness it must be a wild one, a species little known in Europe, but which the Persians prize above all other animals as an object of chase, I determined to approach as near to it as the very swift Arab I was on would carry me. But the single instant of checking my horse to consider, had given our game such a head of us, that, notwithstanding all our speed, we could not recover our ground on him. I however happened to be considerably before my companions; when, at a certain distance, the animal in its turn made a pause, and allowed me to approach within pistol shot of him. He then darted off again with the quickness of thought; capering, kicking, and sporting in his flight, as if he were not blown in the least, and the chase were his pastime. The prodigious swiftness and peculiar manner with which he fled across the plain, coincided exactly with the description that Xenophon gives of the same animal in Arabia (vid Anabasis, b.1). But above all, he reminded me of

the striking portrait drawn by the author of the book of Job. I was informed by the Mehmander, who had been in the desert when making a pilgrimage to the shrine of Ali, that the wild ass of Irak Arabi differs in nothing from the one I had just seen. He had observed them often, for a short time, in the possession of the Arabs, who told him the creature was perfectly untameable. It is called Gour by the Persians, and is usually seen in herds, though often single, straying away, as the one I first saw, in the wantonness of liberty.-Sir R. Ker Porter's Travels in Persia.

HARE UNCLEAN,

Levit. xi. 6.

"And the hare because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you."

Game abounds in the neighbourhood of Thebes, but they have a remarkable prejudice, which as it also characterized the antient inhabitants of Greece, and is still universal, ought to be mentioned. They will neither eat a hare nor touch it after it has been killed; and so powerful is their aversion from this animal, that no Albanian servant can be prevailed upon, to take the skin from a hare, or even to remain in the house where it is dressed. Clarke's Travels, Part II. s. iii.

p.

75.

Archbishop Wake, which letter is now preserved, within a copy of the Malabaric New Testament, for merly belonging to the Archbishop, in the library of Christ Church, Oxford.

"Middle Temple, 29th Juny. 1723. "MY LORD,

"I RECEIV'D Yor Grace's letter for the Missionarie Mr. Schultze, which shall be forwarded in the Derby, Capt Fitzhugh, for Fort St. George.

"The Society desire yo' Grace's acceptance of a compleat copy of the N. Test. in Malabarick as bound at Tranquebar with vellum that we send over to 'em and I thank your Grace for letting me know that the former copy was imperfect.

"The character in wch the 4 Gospels, &c. were printed, was sent from hence being cast at Halle, but took up so much paper, that Mr. Adler a printer sent over by Professor Franck made a new letter at Tranquebar out of the covers of Cheshire cheeses sent over by the Society, to print the Epistles and book of the Revelation: Since this, the Society have furnish'd them with several hundred weight of lead and other materials for making a proper metal for as many types as they can want. And several Indians have been instructed by Mr. Adler to do the work so well, that though he be dead, the Missionaries seem not to lament the loss of him.

"I am, my Lord,

"Your Grace's

"Most obed. humble servant, HENRY NEWMAN."

"My Lord Archbishop of Canterbury."

By inserting this account in the pages of the Christian Remembrancer, you will be the means of preserving the knowledge of the cu

Remarks on the existence of ambiguous passages in the Sacred Writings; with an especial reference to certain principles advanced by Mr. Belsham in his New Translation of St. Paul's Epistles.

As the Holy Scriptures are designed to convey the tidings of salvation to every nation under heaven, their correct translation into the several languages of the world is next in importance to their original delivery. The composition of these Sacred Writings was superintended by the watchful Providence of God inspiring his chosen servants to record his will and endowing them with immunity from error; but the task of translation he has been pleased to leave to the study, diligence, and fidelity of ordinary men. No one any longer expects to see realized the fable of Aristeas concerning the seventy translators, nor does any Church, except that of Rome attribute infallibility to the authors of its established version. The principal liability to error in a translator of the New Testament, arises, as Bishop Watson justly remarks from the bias of preconceived opinions.' He sits down to his task impressed with a conviction that a certain system of opinions is true; that is may be deduced from those very words which he is preparing to interpret; and he naturally wishes that other men should find in them the sense which he is persuaded they convey. Without the slightest dishonesty of intention but with every wish to uphold and dif fuse the truth, how liable is a translator, thus situated, to misrepresent his author's sentiments? The mis

takes which ignorance may commit and credulity propagate are limited and unimportant, compared with those to which currency may be given by a translator competent to his task in every other respect but working at it by the light of his own peculiar opinions. It seems that his wisdom and honesty would best be shewn by a constant endeavour not to suffer the tinge of his own sentiments to be communicated to the original; and that to ensure fidelity in his version, he must endeavour as far as is possible to divest himself of every such bias as may pervert his impartiality, or interfere with his judgment. But this is a mode of proceeding unsuited to the disposition of the present age; it requires the exertion of calmness, patience, and dispassionate enquiry; qualities which have almost ceased to be considered as indispensible to a theologian. In the "Improved," or Unitarian "Version of the New Testament," an attempt was made, and in Mr. Belsham's recent "Translation of St. Paul's Epistles" the same attempt is renewed, to establish other laws of interpretation. "Being persuaded" says Mr. Belsham," that the simple humanity of Jesus Christ is the clear and indisputable doctrine of the New Testament, the author makes no hesitation in avowing that he translates passages, which admit equally of two senses, in that which is most favourable to this plain and important doctrine." But upon what foundation can such a conviction in any individual rest, unless it be upon a perception of the true sense of Scripture derived either from our own acquaintance with the original, or from a correct translation executed by others who possess that acquaintance? It is surely taking things in an inverted order to assume a certain doctrine as "clear and indisputable," and then to practise upon all those passages which are adverse to it until they are made, if not to support, at least not to op. pose the favourite tenet. Yet with

his

out the assumption of such a licence, the system of Mr. Belsham could not sustain itself for a single instant; and in spite of the confidence with which he employs it, there yet remain many intractable passages which in the commentary upon New or Select Version he is compelled either to pass over in silence, or to offer very insufficient reasons for his innovation. In fact the introduction of the word "equally” into the passage just quoted, is a mere begging of the question. Religious truth unquestionably is not demonstrable like the theorems of physical science; and texts may be found which previous to the necessary enquiry allow room for hesitation as to their import. But since of all the senses which are attributed to them one only can be true, it is a critical question, to be decided by competent judges, upon fixed critical principles, which of them shall be preferred. This point it is as much within the province of criticism unbiassed by partiality to determine, as, in forming a genuine text, it is to decide upon a disputed reading; to weigh the evidence for each variety; and to fix upon that to which the laws of sacred criticism require the pre. ference to be given. Concerning by far the greater number of those passages which the Unitarians seek to represent as of dubious construction we maintain that although by ingenuity and contrivance a sense has been attributed to them which the words by possibility and without relation to the context may be made to bear, yet that there are certain tests which may be applied, and which, without reference to disputed tenets, ought to be applied for the purpose of deciding to which side the balance of evidence inclines. If no such appeal is to be allowed, since every man will claim an equal right to exercise his own judgment in making the Scriptures conform to any hypothesis which he may assume, we shall never arrive at the natural limit of the system until