sufficiently guilty of heresy, and other crimes, to condemn them to perpetual penance in several monasteries, and to order their possessions to be seized to the crown. In France their treatment was still more cruel : no less than fifty-four, or according to Fabian sixty, were burnt alive by order of Philip. Numbers of these innocent and heroic knights suffered in the flames with the piety and constancy of martyrs: some of them, at the stake, summoned their chief enemies, Clement V. and Philip, to appear in a certain time, at the divine tribunal. Both of those princes died about the time prescribed, which, in an age of superstition, proved their validity. But to return:

The Templars seated themselves at the New Temple beforementioned, as is evident from the dedication of their church, in the year 1185; where they continued till the suppression of their order, in 1310. They possessed it in the 18th of Edw. III. when they were forced to repair the temple bridge; but they soon after demised it for the rent of 10l. per annum, to certain students of the common law, who are supposed to have removed from Thaives Inn, in Holborn.

In 1232, Henry III. honoured the New Temple, by plundering it of sums of ready money, vessels of gold and silver, and many precious stones of considerable value. And in 1283, Edward I. paid it a rapacious visit, and calling for the keeper of the treasurehouse, as if he intended to see his mother's jewels, which were there kept, he gained admittance to the house, broke open the cof fers of different persons who had placed their money there for safety, and illegally took away 1000l.

In the rebellion of Wat Tyler the temple suffered much, the property of the students being stolen, and almost every book and record destroyed and burnt. This makes much of the history of the Temple, after it became appropriated to the study of the law, rest on tradition.

Soon after the damage committed by Wat Tyler, but at what particular period is not known, the students in this seminary, so far increased in number, as to occasion their division into two separate bodies, called the Society of the Inner Temple, and the Society of the Middle Temple, who had two halls, &c.; but continued to hold their houses as tenants to the Knights Hospitalers, till the general suppression in the reign of Henry VIII. and after this event, for some time, of the crown, by lease.

In the 6th year of James I. the whole of the buildings of the

two temples were granted by letters patent, bearing date at Westminster, 13th August, by the name of Hospicia et capitalia messuagia cognita per nomen de le Inner Temple et le Middle Temple, sive novi Temple, London, to Sir Julius Cæsar and others, their heirs and assigns for ever, for lodgings, reception, and education of the professors and students of the laws of this realm; yielding and paying to the said king, his heirs and successors, at the receipt of his exchequer, viz. for the mansion called the Inner Temple, the sum of ten pounds yearly, and for the Middle Temple, ten pounds yearly also, at the feast of St. Michael the Archangel and the Annunciation of our Lady, by equal portions, &c.

The buildings now engage Mr. Herbert's attention, and he observes that" of the ancient, the only part at present remaining, is the church This was founded by the Templars in the reign of Henry II. upon the model of that of the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem (the general plan of all their churches) and was consecrated in 1185, by Heraclius, patriarch of Jerusalem." He then describes the other erections, conveniences, and ornaments of the Temple. To these he adds, from Dugdale, various orders and regulations for the better government of this society, which contain an interesting picture of ancient manners, and, with a brief history of the eminent men educated at the Inner Temple, he terminates this chapter.

Amongst the regulations, are several which cannot fail to excite a smile. "In 42 Eliz. (Feb. 8) it was decreed, that the fellows in commons go not in cloaks, hats, boots, and spurs, into the city, but when they ride out of the town."

"So also in 38 Eliz. (Dec. 20) that no fellow of this house should come into the hall with any weapons, except his dagger, or his knife, upon pain of forfeiting the sum of five pounds."

“In their Parliament, held 5 Maii, 1 and 2. Ph. and M. there was a decree made, that no fellow of this house should wear his beard above three weeks growth, upon pain of twenty shillings forfeiture." P. 199.

Although we feel no great reason to lament that these rules are become obsolete, yet are we not a little inclined to regret that, in shaking off the trifling regulations, some excellent orders have shared the same fate, and fallen into unmerited disuse. We allude to the discontinuance of the meetings or disputations in the Inns of Court and Chancery, which were full of such excellent use and instruction to students, as our Inns are now entirely deprived of. A contemptible mockery of these wise and advantageous proceedings,

is all that, at present, remains to be performed by the student in keeping his terms for the bar.

The other Inns are thus arranged: Cap. iii. Middle Temple.Cap. iv. Inns of Chancery belonging to the Temples.-Cap. v. Lincoln's Inn.-Cap. vi. Inns of Chancery belonging to Lincoln's Inn.— Cap. vii. Gray's Inn.-Cap. viii. Inns of Chancery belonging to Gray's Inn.-Cap. ix. Serjeant's Inn.-Cap. x. Of the Antiquity and Dignity of Serjeant at Law. All these subjects are handled with equal perspicuity and knowledge. It would yield us much pleasure to travel through them each minutely, but we cannot steal so large a space from our other claims, and must content ourselves with thanking Mr. Herbert for the entertainment and information which we have derived from his labours, and which we are sure a work of so much intrinsic worth, elegance, and interest, will universally afford.

These antiquities are embellished with four-and-twnty plates, which exhibit very pleasing and correct delineations of the different Inns, both in the interior and on the outside. They add greatly to the value of this estimable production.

The proper Names of the Bible, New Testament, and Apocrypha, divided and accented, with other Facilities for their Pronunciation, agreeably to the best Usage, and to English Analogy, to which is added, a Selection of some of the most beautiful Scriptural Pieces, calculated to instruct Youth in the Art of Reading with Propriety, and, at the same Time, to inculcate Principles of Morality and Religion in which it has been attempted to shew the Learner the emphatic Words in every Sentence. By John Robinson.

:

8vo. pp. 181. Law. 1804.

THE length of Mr. Robinson's title leaves us but little to say. What he professes he in a great measure performs—still, however, his systems are of such a nature, that they are not likely to meet with general concurrence. His pronunciation of scriptural names will often be disputed. As for instance, in the word Deborah-The ignorant, with him, will readily enough agree to make the penult short, but the Hebraist who pronounces it properly, will make it long Debōrah. And more than in these names, will he find others differ from him in the emphatic words of a phrase. He may, pursuing the practice of Burgh's " Art of Reading," print the words in Italics, but there will be many found, as learned as Mr. Robinson, who will not read as he directs. After all, the works is, perhaps, calculated to be of some service to young people, and we wish that

the passages quoted had possessed a reference to the original, that the youthful reader might, by the facility, have been tempted to turn to these pure sources of wisdom and morality.

The Letters of Gessner and his Family. From the German, &vo. 248. Vernor and Hood. 1804.

THESE familiar epistles of a family were written between 1784 and 1788, during the time that C. Gessner was travelling through Germany, for the purpose of studying the best masters in painting. His first letter is from Munich to his father, resident at Zurich, and in this and in all the others which come from him, he describes the progress of his studies, and observes on the merits and demerits of the various pictures that come under his view. Good sense, simpli city, and affection, seem to be the character of this correspondence, which is terminated by the death of the father, the ingenious and amiable Gessner. This event is announced to our young traveller by his brother, in a letter dated March 5, 1788. We make no apology for transcribing the greater part of it. On the 2d of March, in consequence of an apoplectic fit, he died. "His death," says H. Gessner,

66

was like his life, gentle and serene, without pain, or at least without convulsion or agony."

"Endeavour, my dear brother, to calm your feelings as much as possible. We are all composed, your mother, sister, aunt, and all our friends. He is not yet buried; he lies on his bier, his face uncovered, and his habitual serenity is still imprinted on his features. Friday evening he recovered for a few minutes from the state of insensibility in which he had lain, and made signs to us to approach. In a faint voice, he called each of us by our name; he named you also, and tenderly pressing our hands, he seemed to bestow his blessing on us all. He then went to sleep again. He awoke at intervals, and the same serenity always continued in his countenance and manner. Think what an affecting, yet painful sight it was for us to behold him in his last moments, touching his right hand with his left almost continually, and moving his fingers as if he wished to draw! The second day he moved them with greater ease, and seemed to feel pleasure in it. Steinbruchel, Füssli, Lundolt, &c. who were assembled round his bed, melted into tears, whenever he cast his eyes on them, and on us with that affectionate expression which was so common to him. We must ever lament his loss, my dear brother; but let us not murmur at the decrees of Heaven. What do we not owe to Providence! It had given us the best of fathers, and we have enjoyed the greatest advantages with him and by him. A good education, and principles which must, as long as we adhere to them, ensure our happiness: these were his gifts to us, and they are invaluable !" P. 247.

The style of the translation is such as fits the nature of the work, and reflects credit on the taste of the translator.

Thoughts on the Formation of the late and present Administrations. By Lord Archibald Hamilton. pp. 69. Longman and Rees.

1804.

Ir is his lordship's opinion, that the formation of the late and present administration has been conducted upon principles fundamentally opposite to the spirit of the constitution, and subversive of its dearest interests and best pledge of permanency. How far the noble author has succeeded in proving this postulate, we leave to others to determine. Many will, doubtless, think that his lordship has not laboured in vain, whilst others will quote the Apocrypha and say, "There is one that laboureth, and taketh pains, and maketh haste, and is so much the more behind." The pamphlet is well written.

An Introduction to the Knowledge of the most rare and valuable Editions of the Greek and Latin Classics, with some account of Polyglot Bibles, and the best Editions of the Greek Septuagint and Testament. By Thomas Frognal Dibdin, A. B. 2d Edit. Crown 8vo. pp. 571. 1l. 1s. Large Paper, 21. 28. Dwyer. 1804.

THIS edition of Mr. Dibdin's very useful and desirable work, is carefully corrected and considerably enlarged. The publication itself was originally suggested by a perusal of Dr. Harwood's "View of the Classics," a production well known in this country, and entitled to the merit of being the first work which excited a spirit of inquiry into the relative value of editions, as well as of kindling a strong passion for the possession of rare and curious books.

The idea entertained by Peignot* of the qualifications requisite in a bibliographer, appears not a little preposterous. According to his description, a bibliographer would be such a man as the sun had never before shone upon: to the intellect of a Newton, he must add the accomplishments of a Chrichton! Although the task might be well executed by talents much beneath this standard, yet, is there such a degree of diligence, taste, judgment, and erudition, necessary to render the attempt the justice which it has received from Mr. Dibdin, as falls to the lot of scarcely one man picked out of ten thousand.

The present volume comprehends an account of, 1. Polyglot Bibles; 2. Greek Bibles; 3. Greek Testaments; 4. Editions of the most popular ̧ Greek and Latin Classics; 5. Roman Writers on Husbandry; 6. Greek Romances; various sets of the Classics; 8. An Analytical Index.

Mr. Dibdin's chief authorities in the Critical Department, are, * Diction. Bibliologie, t. 1. 50.