ART. V. Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Rev. Alexander Geddes, LL. D. By John Majon Good. 8vo, 547 PP. 10s. 6d. Kearsley. 1803. "TO write a life of a friend", fays Mr. Good," is a delicate undertaking; the public are (is) entitled to a correct impartiality of flatement; while the heart of the writer, from a facred regard to the duties which friendship itfelf inculcates, is perpetually prone to magnify the merits, and to foften the imperfections, of the character he attempts to delineate." Perhaps we may add, that the head, as well as the heart, is prone to magnify merits and foften imperfections; because, where a writer fits down to compofe fo very large a volume as that now before us, his principal object must be, to convince the public that he has not thrown away his labour, and that the character he delineates is as worthy of their attention as of his care. This, we confefs, if not delicate, is certainly difficult, The public must have a flock of admiration in hand, a fund of euriofity prepared, in order to complete the biographer's full purpose, and beftow the fame for which he is anxious; and the character of Dr. Geddes, both as a man and as a writer, appears to us to be rather limited. How far it may be extended by the prefent work, we cannot determine; but, if we except a very few biblical fcholars on the continent, and a very Imall party of free-thinkers in our own country, we know not to what clafs Dr. Geddes can appear as a hero, or as “a man of pre-eminent talents and acquifitions". There is always one confideration beyond the mere poffeffion of talents, which must be taken into the account, before we can be lavish of praife or admiration; we mean, the ufe to which they have been applied; and, well knowing this before the publication of Mr. Good's "Memoirs", we perused them with the caution which we would recommend to our readers; which is alfo peculiarly neceffary in a work calculated to revive the memory of what we hope is already nearly forgotten, the most daring attempt ever made in this country to deftroy the credibility of the Holy Scriptures, and to fap the foundation of all religious belief. That this was the aim and end of Dr. Geddes's Tranflation, and efpecially of his "Critical Remarks", we have decidedly proved, in our review of the latter work*; and have found no reafon, from Mr. Good's narrative, to re * Brit. Crit. vol. xix. pp. 1, 134, 283, 343, 524, 623; and vol. xx. pp. 53, 165. tract ti at the smallest particle of our affertions. We learn, indeed, what was fomewhat new to us, and we learn it with regret, that the whole of Dr. Geddes's life, almoft from childhood, was devoted to this object; but we shall now examine into his hiftory a little more minutely. Dr. Alexander Geddes was born in the year 1737, in the parish of Ruthven, and county of Banff, in Scotland: his parents (Roman Catholics) were poor: at the age of fourteen, he was removed to Scalan, a free Roman Catholic feminary in the Highlands, of obfcure fame, where he acquired fome knowledge of the Vulgate Latin Bible. At the age of twentyone, he was removed to the Scotch College at Paris, where, we are told, he made great proficiency in the Greek and La tin, as well as in the modern languages, and ftudied school divinity and biblical criticifm. In 1764, he returned to Scotland, and officiated as priest among the Catholics in the county of Angus; but was fcarcely fettled, before he received an invitation to become a refident in the family of the Earl of Traquaire; in what capacity, unlefs as a friend, does not appear. He accepted, however, an offer so favourable to the purfuit of bis ftudies; and here, as he had done at Paris, he made all his ftudies preparatory to the plan he had long concerted, of giving a new tranflation of the Bible. In 1768, he was obliged to leave this family, in confequence of a mutual paffion betwixt him and a female branch of it, which, by his vow of celibacy, he could not indulge. On this he went again to Paris; and, when he returned, about nine months after, accepted the charge of a Catholic congregation, at Auchinhalrig, in the county of Banff; where he became a popular, and, according to this account, a very useful paftor. The reconciliation of certain religious animofities appears to have been one object of his zeal in this place, and his biographer reprefents him as eminently qualified to fucceed. Free and independent in his own mind, he took the facred Scriptures alone as his ftandard of faith, and exhorted every member of his congregation to do the fame, to ftudy for himself, to interpret for himself, and to submit to no foreign controul, excepting in matters fairly decided by the Catholic Church at large, affembled in general councils." P. 36. There is fomething very impofing in this liberality of opinion; but we know not how to understand it, if what Mr. Good previously informs us be true, that the Catholics would not look into the English Bible, becaufe tranflated by heretics: and in what other language the good Doctor's flock were to ftudy for themselves, and interpret for themfelves, we know not. However 66 However this may be, he became involved in pecuniary difficulties in this place, from which he was relieved by the late Duke of Norfolk, who had by fome means heard of him, and expreffed a wish for his acquaintance. To prevent fimilar embarrassments, he took a fmall farm, which again reduced him in his circumftances; and he now endeavoured to relieve himself, by an application to the Mufes. Some dæmon", he fays, "whifpered him that he had a turn for poetry". He liftened, and, in 1779, publifhed "Select Satires of Horace, tranflated into English Verfe, and for the moft Part adapted to the prefent Times and Manners". The profits of this work, with fome other affiftance, not only enabled him to pay his debts, but encouraged him to try what his abilities might obtain for him in London. He had another urgent motive for quitting his prefent narrow fphere. He appears, at no time of his life, to have been inclined to fubmit to fuperior authority; and had frequently incurred the difpleafure of the Bishop of his diocese, by attending the miniftry of a Prefbyterian friend. The Bishop warned him, and remonftrated againit what he was pleafed to call heretical conduct; but finding the Doctor refractory, he depofed him from his office, and prohibited him from preaching within his diocefe. Previously, however, to his leaving Scotland, he received a mark of refpect, which his biographer reprefents as very uncommon for a Roman Catholic prieft; this was the degree of LL. D. from the University of Aberdeen*. His reputation for learning appears, indeed, to have been very confiderable; and he was one of the literati who took a very active part in the inftitution of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland. Mr. Good enumerates fome articles of his writing, in their volume for 1792. He arrived in London in the beginning of the year 1780; and, by the influence of his patron, the Earl of Traquaire, was foon invited to officiate as prieft in the Imperial Ambaflador's chapel; where he remained until that establishment was fuppreffed, by an order from the Emperor Jofeph II. He preached, however, oc cafionally at the chapel in Duke-Street, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, until the Eafter holidays, 1782; after which, he voluntarily withdrew from every ftated minifterial function, and feldom officiated in any chapel whatever: and here ends the public or official life of Dr. Geddes. All that follows is the life of an author; to enable him to purfue which, and particularly to There is no University of Aberdeen, properly fo called. There are two colleges, totally independent of each other, Marifchal and King's. Rev. complete complete his Tranflation of the Bible, Lord Petre engaged to allow him a falary of 200l. and took upon himself the entire expence of whatever private library Dr. Geddes might judge requifite to eftablifh, in the profecution, of his favourite object; leaving him, in this refpect, totally unlimited. With fach munificent encouragement, he published, in 1780, his “Idea of a new Verfion of the Holy Bible, for the Ufe of the English Catholics". This was confeffedly an imperfect fketch, as he had not yet fettled what model to follow. But we are diverted from it by his biographer, whatever were its merits, who gives here a tedious account of his journey to Scotland; of the publi cation of "Linton, a Tweeddale Pastoral", a very meagre performance; and of a pamphlet relative to the Roman Catholics, in answer to one that appeared about the time of the riots: in this, Dr. G. endeavours to prove the happy progress of the modern Roman Catholics in liberality of fpirit, and their confequent right to full toleration. His fcheme of tranflation, however, went on vigoroufly; and we find among his encouragers, Bifhop Lowth and Dr. Kennicott, neither of whom lived to fee the unpleasant confequence of their liberality. In 1785. he published his "Profpectus of a new Translation of the Holy Bible, from corrected Texts of the Originals, compared with the ancient Verfions, with various Readings, explanatory Notes, and critical Obfervations". Of this, a favourable opinion was generally entertained by biblical scholars. There were, indeed, objections to it, even then; but there was nothing which alarmed the eítablifhed opinions of mankind; and perhaps at this time the author himself had not projected thofe bold innovations and abfurd paradoxes which diftinguifh his Critical Remarks". Innovators may be fometimes puzzled where to begin, but it is certain that they feldom know where to flop. Mr. Good employs nearly fixty pages in an analyfis and extracts from this pamphlet; for which, as he has by fuch means contrived to enlarge his volume beyond all requifite proportion, we fhall, once for all, permit him to apologize in his own words. 66 I have thus given a minute analysis of this elaborate work; more minute, indeed, than I shall find it nec fary to offer refpecting any one of the Doctor's remaining publications: the Pro'pectus being an important document in the elucidation of his life, as well from the general entertainment and inftruction is cannot but afford the reader, as from its laying a foundation for many of the chief publications and events that characterize his future hiftory." P. 145. The favourable reception given to this Profpe&tus was followed by a Letter to the Right Reverend the Bishop of London; containing Queries, Doubts, and Difficulties rela tive to a vernacular Verfion of the Holy Scriptures". The chief objects of this Letter are, to enquire how far the ftyle and phrafeology of our prefent English verfion ought to be adopted or rejected? To what extent we fhould admit the introduction of Hebraifins, or modes of phrafing peculiar to the Hebrew tongue? Whether, in cafes of their occafional rejec, tion, they should be retained in the margin? Whether, if it be allowable to vary the idiotifm or phrafeology, it may not be equally lawful to fupprefs thofe expletive and redundant words, which, originating throughout every language in colloquial dialect, are too often continued by the bell and moft elegant writers, in fpite of all grammar and philological confiftency, from a want of hardihood to expunge them? Whe ther, if the pleonafm be retrenched, the ellipfis fhould not be fupplied, if the fupplements be virtually contained in the elliptic phrafe? How far, and in what circumftances, it may be expedient to follow the Hebrew arrangement of words and fentences? And whether the prefent orthography of proper names fhould be preferved, deduced, for the most part, from the Maforetic punctuation; or, confiftently with the plan of our first English tranflators, Tindal and Coverdale, a nearer approximation to the Greek and Latin exemplars may not be indulged for the fake of euphony? Mr. Good is rather too copious in his extracts and obfervations on this Letter, in which it is not neceffary for us to follow him, as we have already fo fully examined the Doctor's pretenfions to confistency upon his own plan, in the Reviews already referred to. While the Doctor was thus preparing for his grand attack on the infpiration of holy writ, he was led, by what motives we cannot conceive, to vindicate the divinity of Jefus Chrift against Dr. Priestley, in a pamphlet, in which that doctrine is attempted to be proved by one " prefcriptive argument”, namely, the general affent of the earlieft fathers of the Chrif tian Church, grounded on the direct means they must have poffeffed, of informing themfelves of the fentiments of the Apoftles, &c. We are not told whether Dr. Priestley answered this pamphlet; but Mr. Good argues at fome length against it. We fhall not in this place appreciate the merits of the biographer or the author; but, if the general affent of any body of men, and particularly of the carlieft fathers of the church, be neceffary to the validity of opinions, we would afk, what must become of Dr. Geddes's Tranflation of the Bible, and his "Critical Remarks"? We fhall likewife pafs over the tedious accounts here given of fome other minor publications from his prolific pen, on the application of the Diffenters to Parliament. For the Diffenters he appears to have had a certain |