and deposited in the Ambrosian library, by Cardinal Borromeo. The version itself was formed, A. D. 617, from the Greek of the Septuagint, and of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotian: and sometimes the letter y occurs in the margin, and denotes the Hebrew text. The Greek copy, which the Syriac translator used, was transcribed, collated and corrected by Eusebius and Pamphilus, from the tetrapla and hexapla of Origin in the Cesarean library at Alexandria. The learned Professor, to whom we are indebted for this account, has given two extracts from this MS. in a † letter to the Bishop of London; namely, Dan. ix. 24---27, and Isaiah ix. 6, 7; and communicates the following curious information on this subject; " The Syriac Milan MS.--is found to be a second volume of that copy from the first of which Masius published his translation of Joshua. The MS. of Masius has since disappeared, and the recovery of it is an idea more likely to excite our wishes than our hopes. The Pentateuch, I must observe, had before been lost from this faithful Syriac translation; but it is fortunately preserved in the Bodleian library in an Arabic version of the same Syriac. Of this Arabic version a collation was indeed made for Dr. Grabe; but so very imperfect a one, as to be highly capable of improvement." The publication of these Manurcripts, with a Latin version annexed, would be of singular use for the solution of objections to the scriptures, the illustration of their obscurities, and the discovery of new beauties in the sacred volume: and I trust that the natural patrons of biblical learning, I mean, societies founded for the advancement of religious knowledge and the higher ecclesiastics, will * See Mr. White's sermon on a revisal of our English translation. Oxford. 1779, Printed at Oxford in MDCCLXXIX. but not published. soon enable every scholar to command this inestimable treasure. The execution of such a work calls for their encouragement; and indeed may well be considered as a national object in a christian country. Under the head of accessions to our scriptural helps it may not be improper to suggest the idea of an improved Hebrew lexicon and concordance. To Castell's lexicon, a work of immense labour and learning, might be added a more complete detail of significations belonging to each Hebrew word, a deduction of the subordinate senses from the primary one, and a reference to the roots in the kindred tongues consisting of § letters equivalent to the Hebrew radicals. The principal defects in Taylor's concordance are, that, in assigning senses to the Hebrew words, he too frequently assumes as a principle the exactness of our English version; and that his work consists of references to the text, instead of clauses which would exemplify the grammatical use of the word. It is true that to dispose Buxtorf's quotations in his own admirable method, with a Latin rendering after the manner of Romaine's Calasio, and with a precise explanation of the word after the general manner of Taylor, would make a voluminous and expensive work: but I am speaking of a perfect concordance to a book which is an inexhaustible storehouse of divine truths. And yet I am persuaded that, with every aid which could be furnished, there would still be a necessity for Mr. Norberg, a learned Swede, who spent some time in biblical studies at Oxford, was induced by my persuasions to visit Milan for the sole purpose of transcribing that volume in the Ambrosian library. I have since heard that he has completed his transcript.' Extract of a private letter from Mr. White. May 5. 1784. Mr. White's attention to so important a matter cannot be too highly commended. It is much to be wished that this transcript was immediately purchased, and deposited in some public library till the press could be employed about it. § Thus, under w the word man should be referred to. sober conjectural criticism: because there are inveterate errors in the text, prior to our most ancient external help, the Septuagint version; and because many evident errors remain uncorrected by MSS. the oldest of which does not exceed eight hundred years. The method of translating the prophetical books according to their supposed measure is adopted from the learned Bishop Lowth; who has copiously and acutely treated the subject of Hebrew versification in his Academical prelections, in his brief and larger confutation of Hare's metre, and in the preface to his very able and very useful comment on Isaiah. Many will think that I have carried this hypothesis too far in some. parts of my translation. But I followed it when there appeared a remote probability of its truth; and readily grant that some parts may be prosaic to which I have given a metrical form. However, all discerning readers will admit that the Hebrew poets conduct and diversify their distinguishing mode of poetical composition with supreme skill and beauty. The synonymous parallelism, which repeats the sense of a former clause in different words, is considered as one kind of epiphonema by Demetrius Phalereus, and is placed by him among the embellishments of style. He gives this instance: Οταν παν υακινθον εν έρεσι ποιμένες άνδρες The part which follows the line is superadded, according to this rhetorician, for the purpose of giving orna|| ment and beauty to the sentence. And, to abate the fastidiousness of some critics with respect to the Hebrew P. 78. §. 106, ed. Glasc, с style of poetry, I shall produce a few similar instances, among many which occur in the Eneid itself. Tum vero omne mihi visum est considere in ignes Trojaque nunc stares-Priamique arx alta maneres. Nay, there are examples in Virgil resembling the most pleonastic parts of the Hebrew poetry. Quantum illi nocuere greges,—durique venenum Georg, ii 377. Postquam res Asiæ,-Priamique evertere gentem But synonymous parallel hemistichs are most beautiful, when a literal clause is succeeded by a figurative one. As: 1 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee; * Ps. lx. 3. Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. Ps. xc. 8. * 46 MSS. and three ed. read plurally absconditu nóstra, inserting the before the affix 13. With shouting in the day of battle; With a whirlwind in the day of tempest. Amos i. 14. Instances of this kind occur also in the classical writers. As: Ære ciere viros--Martemque accendere cantu. Æn. vi. Defendit numerus-junctæque umbone phalanges. Juv. ii. 46. 1 But though I consider the hypothesis, of dividing the prophetical books into hemistichs, as founded on analogy, and as ery ingenious and probable; yet, from our imperfect, acquaintance with the subject, doubts must always remain, not only as to the division of particular lines which appear to have a poetical cast, but as to passages of some length whether they resolve themselves into measure or not. To us it often appears mere matter of taste, whether five Hebrew words constitute two lines or one. Thus, "Blow ye the trumpet in Gibeah, and the cornet in Ramah," may perhaps admit of another distribution: "Blow ye the trumpet in Gibeah, "And the cornet in Ramah." Hos. v. 8. And Bishop Lowth thinks the prophet Haggai is wholly † prosaic: but, before this authority was observed, the following translation had been formed on the conjecture that great part of this book admitted of a metrical division. I have enjoyed the advantage of some particular assistances, in addition to those which the press affords. The notes ascribed to Dr. Durell, Principal of Hertfort + Omnino prosaicus: Præl. Hebr. xxi. p. 282. ed, 2 Svo. |