and, if fo, whether this influence has operated by extinction or creation of prejudices, are queftions which I thall not undertake to decide. I may however be permitted to obferve, that I have received much pleafure and inftruction from pernfal of his addrefs to the people of Ireland, and of his anfwer to the Speaker's Speech; and that I confider Both thefe publications to contain much important information, acute reafoning, and found conftitutional learning, and to prove that the author mait be an excellent fcholar, a profound lawyer, an enlightened fatefiman, and a fincere patriot. Yours, &c. X. X. Mr. URBAN, conjectures on varicus paffages in the New Testament, with a fpecimen fubjoined of Notes on the Old Testa ment. I was ftruck with his illuftration of Joshua x. 12. where he fuppofea that the object of Joshua's injunction was not a miraculous prolongation of the fun's light, but only a diminution, or withholding" of its heat, fo as to enable Joshua's army to fight a whole day in a hot country at the fummer felice, which it would have been impoflible to have done under a cleat meridian fun." The obfervation is ingenious.-The heat in that country was intenfe, (fee Harmer, vol. I. P. 4.); and it seems to have been impoflible to continue a battle, or the pursuit of an enemy, beyond the hour of noon. Accordingly, it is and Jan. 4. Church, in Northamptonshire, (Pl. confitts of a nave, North and South aile, and chancel, leaded, and a South porch tiled. At the Weft end is a tower freeple, in which are four bells. The church and chancel are 81 feet 3 inches long; the church 43 feet broad; the chancel 15 feet 8 inches. The advowfon belonged antiently to the earls of Leicester; and by them was given to the abbot and convent of St. Mary de Pratis; and at the Diffolation was granted by the Crown to the lord of the manor, which it fill accompanies. The infide contains nothing very remarkable; but the township is famous for having been the fite of a Roman citadel; and old coins are frequently found here. B. L. his army flew the Amingites, tion of heat was therefore as necelthe heat of the day. The moderafary a defideratum, as the prolongation of light. I much doubt, however, if the preted otherwife than as being of hiftorical fact can podibly be interit has been commonly unde-food to that highly miraculous kind which be. But Mr. Weton's obfervation, in conjunction with the circumftances of the narration, may lead us to from that in which it is ufholly reconfider it in another point of view generally been fuppofed to be at, or garded. The time, I believe, has about, noon, when this injunction, or prayer of Jothua, was uttered; and when the miraculous circumfiance took place. It is indeed faid, that the fun food fill in the midji of heaven: but there cm be no occafion whatever to confire the fenfe of theic words to the fun's being in, or near, its meridian. Neither has this prevented fome perfons from fuppofing the time to have been evening; and that Jofhua prayed for a prolongatien of day-light, when the fun was just going to fet. Now, Sir, I would fuppofe the time to have been early morning; and that the fun had had just rifen, while the moon (fomewhat paft the full) was nearly fetting, and ftill perfectly visible. In this cafe, the propriety of the addrefs to them both, for the prolongation of the temperate hour of morning, to enable Jofhua to complete his victory, is particularly ftriking. The fituation of Jofhua feems to confirm this. Having attacked the five kings of Gibeon, he puts them to flight, and purfues them by Bethoron, to Azekah. His courte lay therefore nearly, if not directly, weftward; Ajalon in the tribe of Dan being directly before him in the west, and Gibeon immediately behind him in the caft. In this fituation, as day advanced, he would fee the moon finking before him, as the fun began to rife in the oppofite point of the horizon, and to elevate itself juft over Gibeon, behind him. From there circumftances we may, I think, collect, that the time was certainly morning; and that the Ajalon here intended was in the tribe of Dan; for there were two other Ajalons; one in the tribe of Ephraim, and one in the tribe of Zebulon. We may alfo obferve, that Joshua had a moon-light night for his march from Gilgal, whence he went up all night (verfe 7.); and for commencing his attack. If thefe obfervations are at all worth infertion in your valuable Mifcellany, they are niuch at your fervice. If my idea is an erroneous one, fome of your learned correfpondents may perhaps condefcend to correct it. I take this opportunity of faying, that I fhould be much obliged to any of your readers, who could point at the paffage in fchylus, respecting the filence of the fun, referred to by Mr. Wefton, with a-" locus non occurrit." C. D. myfelf to an Antiquary as named Gilbert, fhould I not be furprized to hear him, without the smallest addition of authority, or the leaft pretended fimilarity of found, very coolly fet down fome Otho as my progenitor? Yet this is the cafe with the Spaniards. From remoteft antiquity to the prefent age they have been IBERI, a name more directly formed from Eber, the greatgrandfon of Shem, than even Hebrews, the name of his acknowledged defcendants. A principal river of Spain is the Ebro, formerly the Iberus; and a principal town Ebura, now Evora. But Italy and Spain were both Hefperia-Greater and Lefs. With permiflion of Grecians, I fhall make Hefperia, Heberia. Arabia allowedly fignifies Weft; and when written Ereb, as it often appears to have been, is a direct tranfpofition of the two fyllables of Eber; probably intended merely to diftinguifh Abraham's children, by Hagar, from his defcendants by Sarah *. In Italy too we have the Tyber; probably the firft river that was there met with by emigrating Eberians or Iberians. But we alfo read of the Peligni in Italy, and Peleg was Eber's eldest fon. We meet with the Marfi alfo; probably defcended from Mah, a grandfon of Shem. let us take a trip to France. Gauls were originally Celts. Be it fo; and who were Celts? Why Salaites, the defcendants of Salak, Eber's father. And what is the Salique Law, whofe fountain has been as recondite as that of the Nile? Why, the Salaic. Now The This is all plain English, Mr. Urban; and why, becaufe a blind horfe has been purfuing thefe genealogies, without rhyme, reafon, analogy, or etymology, from Gomer, the fon of Japhet, all others are to follow him I cannot conceive. But, becaufe this will be anfwered from Genefis, I will make this matter plain Scripture as well as plain En * There is a more nice teafou; but this will do for the prefent. glish. "I thought to conclude; but must add another argument. It is faid, that the dwelling of Shem's fons was "from Meiha as thou goeft unto Sephar, a mountain of the Eaft." Whether this firft Sephar were or were not Spain, is of no confequence; becaufe they could very well transfer the name of one place to another, as all Europe have done with refpect to their American fettlements: but Sephar is as good an etymon for Spain as Hifpal, Shapkar, or Saphar and the Jews actually do underfand SPAIN meant by SEPHARAD in the 20th verfe of Obadiah. GILBERT. glith. The reafon then given for Gomer will be from Gen. x. 5. "Of these were the les of the Gentiles peopled." And fo this has ftood the perfpicacity of hiftorians and antiquaries for centuries upon centuries, and ferved them to prove that the Continent was peopled by them! This is not all. It fhould appear, that Shem led the way in all emigrations: for Noah fays of Japhet," he fhall dwell in the tents of Shem." Now, whether this means, that he fhould fucceed to a fettlement deferted by them, or fhould follow his fteps into new lands, it proves the fame fact of Shem's prior emigrations. I fhall advance a conjecture, in fupport of this circumftance, from Grecian Mythological Hiftory. The Oracle of Dodona has been already referred by fome to Dodanim, a grandson of Japhet: but it is allowed to have first belonged to the Pelafgi; who were probably the defcendants of Peleg, already named *. I have faid, that Ifles are not Continents. It is afked, what Ifles the fons of Japhet peopled? Why, as Javan was one fon, I anfwer, the land of Java for one Ifland. The very meaning of Eber is paffing over. It has the farther meaning of Anger. And what nations, both as to religious intolerance, and the revenge of private quarrels by affaffination, better fupport this characteristic of Eber, than the Spaniards and Italians? I fufpect the Greek word Bagapos to mean nothing but fuperlative Hebrew; tenacioufly maintaining his priftine ferocity, and unembued with, or fpurning, the edulcorations of learning and the arts. This etymon is confirmed by the derivatives containing the real Hebrew fuperlative, which is fimply a repetition; as good, good! Eber, eber! or, with St. Paul, a Hebrew of the Hebrews. There were Pelagi alfo in Italy. Might not the Greek who have become the appellative of the fea, from the fons of Peleg being confiderable, or the firft navigators? Mr. URBAN, as Jan. 10. HE difference of opinion that bench of bishops, relative to the wearing or not wearing wigs, has induced me to offer you a few thoughts on the fubjeft. I do not mean to enter into the question, if a queftion it can be, whether artificial or natural hair is the most proper for the head of a prelate, or whether any thing can be to little like capillary nature as a bishop's wig. It is, indeed, a coftly piece of drefs; and I doubt not but many a curate would be glad of a falary, equal to the annual expence of epifcopal perukes. I am moreover informed, that the ecclefiaftical canons prohibit the clergy from wearing wigs. At all events, church hiftory informs us, that very violent animofities have taken place at different periods from the various modes of dreffing the hair, wearing beards, and wearing perukes. In the Pagan world great vene. ration was paid to the hair of the human head. The treffes of pious virgins were thought an acceptable offering to their tutelary goddefs; and, among the Greeks and Romans, the firft-fruits of the human temples, as well as of the chin, were claimed by the altars of Bacchus, Neptune,and otherprefiding divinities. In the early part of the Chriftian æra, an oath was fuppofed to de mand mand inftant conviction, when a man fwore by his hair; and the act of falutation was never fo graceful as when it was accompanied by plucking an hair from the head, and prefenting it to the perfon who was the object of respectful attention. The offering the hair to be cut was an acknowledgment of fovereignty; and an acceptance of the offer was confidered as an affurance of adoption. The Cerf, or Bonefiaan, was diftinguished by the forthefs of his hair; and the infolvent debtor, on the refigning him lf to the future fervice of his creditor, was deprived, of his flowing locks, the marks of that freedom which he no longer poffelfed. Long hair being, at this period, the diftinguishing proof of a gentleman, and confequently an object of great care and attention, becamera' fabject for the difpleasure of the preacher. At length, however, fome of the younger clergy, ambitious of fashionable life, ventured upon. the reigning mode, and gave a new ten to the clerical coiffure; nor were they without their followers. This fchifm in drefs caufed the ecclefiaftics to turn the tide of invective from the lay world to each other; and occafioned a divifion in the church, which produced for fome time the retaliating menaces of damnation from the long-haired and fort-haired clergy. The wig or poruke, with the clerical tonfure, have been the caufe of as much ecclefiaftical contention as the Arian and Socinian fchifms, The last century experienced all its fury; ner would it have given way to lefs important events than the edifts of Nantes, and the queftions of JANSENIUS. The former turned bigchy to a more interelling object, while the latter opened a new vent in the combuftious volcano of religions difcord. The fir wig which is mentioned hiftoty, was made of the hairy fkin of a goat, which the daughter of Saul is related to have employed to fave the life of her hutband. In a fucceeding age, Xenophon mentions the periwig of Aftyages, the grandfather of Cyrus; and defcribes the aftonishment which feized the royal boy, on beholding his anceffor fo majestically covered. Suidas and Tacitus both bear teftimony, that Hanibal of Carthage wore a peruke; and that his wardrobe was furnished with a very large aflortment of wigs of all kinds, fashions, and colours, not only for the purpose of magnificence, but aho from the policy which fre quently obliged him to change his appearance. The Romans, and particularly the Roman ladies of fashion, had a very general recourfe to talle hair. That of a whitish appearance was the ton in Ovid's days; and it was imported from Germany in thofe times, as it is in our own "Nunc tibi captivos mittet Germania crines; "Culta triumphatæ munere gentis eris." This gallant poet is very fevere upon the custom; Martial has made it the fubject of feveral epigrams; and Juvenal charges Metalina with wearing falfe hair, in order to conceal herfelf in the purfuit of her debaucheries. Louis XIII. of France, having loft his hair, was obliged to alk the comfortable aid of a periwig; and the neceffity of the fovereign inftantly cut off all the hair of his Courtly and loyal fubjects. Iouis XIV. annexed great dignity to his wig, which he increated to a very large, fize. This monarch, who daily ftudied the part of a king, was never feen with his head bare but by the barber who shaved him. It was not his practice to exchange a wig for a night-cap till he was inclofed by his curtains, when a page received the former from his hand, and to which he delivered it in the morning before he undrew them. In the reign of good queen. Anne, the most thread-paper form of a man of fashion must have been covered with a wig of as full a bottorn as any we now fee on our own judiciary benches. But to proceed." The |