Jeannet that besides the packets I had delivered to you, there were others on board in a barrel, of which I mentioned the number.

I had scarcely finished these indiscreet and fatal confessions, when Jeannet rose up in a fury, threw down the table between us, called his guard, ordered me to be seized and chained, and swore that the next day he would have me shot.'

There were other considerations, however, more powerful than vengeance. The Governor wished to exculpate himself to the Directory; and Tilly was confined in a dungeon until the frigate La Decade was ready to sail for Europe, by which ship he was to have been transferred to the Directory, as a testimonial to them of Jeannet's innocence: but Providence made a more happy disposition: La Decade was met by some of our cruizers, and conveyed to an English port. The narrative adds that testimonies of esteem and consideration were bestowed on Captain Tilly by the English government.

Capt. B....y.

ART. III. Vetus Testamentum Græcum, cum variis Lectionibus. Edidit Robertus Holmes, S. T. P. R.S. S. edis Christi canonicus: Tomus Primus. Oxonii, e Typographeo Clarendoniano. 1798. Fol. 138. Payne, White, &c.

WE

VE have already observed, in our account of Dr. Holmes's specimens, (vol. xx. p. 298, N. S.) that one of the greatest desiderata in biblical literature is a complete collation of the MSS. of the most antient version of the O. T. known by the name of Septuagint. The first editors of that version gave their text from the best MSS. which they had; and perhaps it will ultimately be found that they generally made a good choice. We know well what prejudices have been entertained against them, particularly against the Complutensianeditors, even by learned and judicious critics; such as Masius, Morinus, and Walton: but we have reason for thinking that those prejudices were in a great measure unfounded, and that they will daily die away.-Still, as their MSS. are neither numbered nor described, and as no variety of lection is given by them, we must consider their editions as Grammatical, depending on the judgment of the editors.

The Roman editors, who laboured under the direction of Sixtus V. tell us that their text of the Septuagint was princi pally taken from a very old MS. in the Vatican; and, indeed, it bears intrinsic evidence of its claim to superiority over all the other editions. Short Scholia are added to almost every chapter, containing various readings, or various translations, selected with much judgment and critical acumen. These Scholia were somewhat augmented in Wechel's impression of

the

the Aldine edition, of 1597; and to these, Nobilius added various readings from the Fathers, which were inserted by Morinus in his re-impression of the Roman edition, 1628; and again, with improvements, in the 4th vol. of the London Polyglott, in 1657. In the same volume, is a collation of the Roman with the Aldine and Complutensian editions; and in the prior volumes, on the same column with the Vatican text, are the various readings of the Alexandrian MS. in the British Musæum.-A still more ample collation was given by Lambert Bos, (in one thick quarto,) at Francker, in Friesland, in 1709; which, on account of its commodious size and number of exemplars, has been long the common text-book of biblical scholars, who cannot easily purchase the Roman edition; although it is far from being a correct copy of its prototype *. Its de fects have been generally acknowleged; and many wishes have been formed, that the existing MSS. of the Septuagint might be discovered, their respective ages and merits appre ciated, and their contents compared with some printed edition, to which a continual reference might be made. This task was reserved for Dr. Holmes, who has been during many years most laudably employed in accomplishing it; and who now offers a very acceptable specimen of his labours, in the whole Book of GENESIS. The learned editor, we are persuaded, would not thank us for indiscriminate praise, any more than he would be hurt by indiscriminate censure. We will, therefore, with due candour, give our critical judgment on the work; in the hope that our praise will not be deemed fulsome, nor our exceptions malevolent.

Beginning with the most disagreeable part of our task, we may here observe that Dr. H. should, in our opinion, have given the title of his edition in Greek, and in the same form with the Roman copy which he professes to transcribe. Пíaλαια Διαθηκη κατα τους ἑβδομήκοντα, δι αυθεντίας Ξυστου έ ακρου αρχιερέως εκδοθείσα ;-or, if he wished not to see the name of a Roman arch-priest on the front of his work, he should at least have given the former part of the original title. This, it will possibly be said, is a vetilicus remark: but, if so, we believe that it will be made by many besides ourselves. He might have added the same title in Latin, as the Roman editors did: but still we think that the Greek should have preceded. He does not even tell us that his Vetus Testamentum Græcum is the Septuagint version.

* Several other partial collations have since been made, which it is not necessary here to enumerate.

In

In the second place, we are of opinion that he should have given us not merely the numbers of his MSS. but a previous peculiar description of each. This omission, we remember, was much blamed in Dr. Kennicott, especially by the Literati abroad; and, we think, with reason. The value of a reading; depends much on the age and general correctness of the MS. from which it is taken.

Thirdly, we have some apprehension that Dr. H. has trusted too much to Bos's edition; and that he has not always printed from the genuine Sixtine Exemplar.

Fourthly, the arrangement of his columns of various readings appears in some degree confused; and might perhaps be reduced into a better and more lucid order. Kennicott's He brew columns appear to have been more neatly adjusted. We do not approve of distinguishing the verses by numerical letters; although De Rossi followed that method.

Fifthly, we have elsewhere hinted that we thought that the quotations from the Latin Fathers were a superfluous labour; and that even those from the Greek Fathers might be spared, as they often quoted from memory, and sometimes differently, on different occasions. The true state of the Greek MSS. was the grand desideratum. Some critics, however, we doubt not, will judge otherwise.

These are all the defects, real or presumed, which have occurred to our apprehension: let us now turn to the more pleasant office of pointing out the merit of this long-expected publication. The text is printed on a strong beautiful type; and, so far as we have had opportunity of comparing it with the Roman copy, it is as correct as most editions: abating, what we have already observed, that it seems to have been copied from Bos.-The number of MSS. collated is very considerable; seven of which were in uncial, or capital letters: but few of them contain the whole of Genesis, and some of them want several chapters. They exhibit, nevertheless, a great variety of lections, and throw much light on the text of the Septuagint; and the learned world must join with us in applauding the industry and painful labour, by which the work has attained so great a degree of perfection. We expect the sequel with impatience; and we shall be happy in congratulating the editor on the completion of the whole.

As our readers may easily conceive what is the mechanical, distribution of the page, by the quotation which we gave from Dr. Holmes's SPECIMEN, Rev. vol. xx. N. S.; we shall here content ourselves with extracting the principal various readings in the last words of Jacob, Gen. xlix.

V. 3.

V. 3. Προτοτοκος] ο προτοτοκος 1 MS. and Chrysost. συ] wanting in 13 MSS. φερεσθαι] φαινεσθαι 1 NS. ὡς φαινεσθαι 1 MS.

V. 4. εκζέσης] εκζεσεις : MS. επίζεσης 1 MS. - εμιανας] εμολύνας : MS,

Ν. 5, εξαιρέσεως] εξ αιρεσεως 8 MSS. with Ald. and Alex.

&c.

.

V. 6. Nothing worthy of particular notice.

V. 7. εσκληρύνθη] εσκληρύνθησαν 3 MSS. - διασπερω] διασκορ πεω Alex.

Γ. 8. αινέσαισαν] αινεσάτωσαν ι MS. and Hyppolytus.

V. 9. εκοιμήθης] εκοιμηθεί : MS. εκοιμήθη 2 MSS. as Ald. and most of the Greek Fathers.

Ib. σκυμνος] one MS. adds λεοντος ; and so the Fathers passim.

V. 10. τα αποκειμενα αυτῷ] ᾧ τα αποκειμενα Epiphan. in one place; in another ᾧ τα αποκείμενα ην.—One MS. (72) has το αποκείμενον αὐτῷ ὁ αποκειται.-Three ὁ αποκειται αυτῷ-Seven ὁ αποκετα: ; and so several Fathers.Three have ᾧ αποκειται in the margin, and fifteen in the text; and this is supposed to be the genuine reading of Sep.

V. 11. τον πωλον 1ο] One MS. has τον οιον.

Ib. τον πωλον 2] Eusebius has υποζύγιον.

Ib. την περιβολην] Ten MSS. have το παριβόλαιον.

V. 12. ύπερ οινον] Forty-one MSS. with Compl. Ald. and

Alex. have απο 0ι18.

V. 13. παραλιος] Six MSS. have παραλίες θαλασσων.

V. 15. το πονειν] Three MSS. have το ποιείν.

Ib. ανηρ] Τανο MSS. have ανθρωπος.

V. 16. λαον αυτον] Nine MSS. have ἑαυτου λαον.

V. 17. γενηθητώ Δαν] Ten MSS. with Ald. have εγεννήθη τῷ

Δαν.

Ib. οπίσω] Thirty-two MSS. with Ald. and Chrysostom, have οπισθία.

V. 20. δωσει] Five MSS. with Ald. and Alex. have διαδωσει, Ib. τρυφην] Thirty-four MSS. have τροφήν.

V. 22. νεωτατος] Nine MSS. with Compl. have νεωτερος. V. 24. χειρος] Thirty-nine MSS. with Compl. Ald. Alex. have χειρων.

V. 25. είνεκεν] Thirteen MSS. with Compl. and Alex. have

Ενεκεν.

V. 26. ευλογιαν] Το MSS. have εύλογιας.

Ib. υπερίσχυσεν] Seven MSS. have υπερίσχυσας.

Ib. ύπερ ευλογίας] Five MSS. have ύπερ ευλογίαν ; and nineteen, with Ald. and Alex. have επ' ευλογίαις.

V. 26. ] Two MSS. with Ald. have Onvwv.

Ib. avxwv] Thirty-nine MSS. with Compl. and Ald. have

αιωνίων.

Ib. soorta] Six MSS. with Ald: have a

Ib. adenouv] One MS. with Copt. adds autou.

V. 27. didwor] Two MSS. have dwas, and 31 MSS. with Compl. Ald. Alex. have diadwa.

An Appendix, of seven pages, contains various fragments and scholia, chiefly collected from the margins of manuscript copies of the Septuagint version, of which the various readings are here given : Plurima quidem (says the collator) ex hot genere habentur apud Drusium, Montfauconium, Bardh tium *; et ex istis reliquiis, quas ii mandaverunt Hexaplis, tantum non omnes fuerunt obvia nobismet in codicibus ad hoc institutum collatis. Quicquid ergo ab iis in lucem jam fuerit editum, id omne, nisi aliquid forte, vel propter lectionis varietatem, vel aliis de causis, debeat et hic commemorari quoque, prætermittemus.'—We give only one short example of these fragments, on Gen. xlviii. 22. Σίκιμα εξαιρετ.] μερίδα πλείονα, ήτις και αυτῷ (Josepho) ὡς πρωτοτοκων δεδοται. Incertus in Cat. Nic. 506. Potest esse glossa: sed papica πasıova suspicatur Scharfenberg. 47. fuisse ex versione Symmachi. Et forte Erupx Symmacho tribuant Hexapla, non alia ex causa, nisi quod librarius, cui erat in archetypo ☺. Exa, dimidium tantum ad sinistram litera ✪ potueris eruere, atque adeo C scripserit. Erat Thecdotioni solenne, non modo rovç ó sequi, sed et voces Hebraicas, quarum notiones assequi non potuit, sine interpretamento relinquere.-We learn that the Book of Exodus is in the press.

Ged..s.

ART. IV. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, for the Year 1799. Part I. 4to. 8s. sewed. Elmsly aud

IN

Bremner.

N our report of the contents of this volume, we shall, as usual, begin with those articies which belong to the class of

ASTRONOMICAL PAPERS.

A Metod of finding the Latitude of a Place, by means of two Altitudes of the Sun, and the Time elapsed betwixt the Observations." By the Rev. W. LAX, A. M. Lowndes's Professor of Astronomy, Cambridge.

The principles on which this method depends, and which serve for computing the tables to which the author refers, can_

It should be Bahrdtium.

not