to profane it by throwing the lance which he held against it; and full of joy in acknowledging the worship of the true God, he commanded his attendants to tear and burn down the fane with all its fences. But the ground, which had once the idols upon it, is ftill shown a little to the eaft of York, beyond the river Derwent, and is called Godmundingaham; where the High-prieft himself, under the infpiration of the true God, defiled and deftroyed the very altars which he had confecrated himfelf*."

This is fo picturefque in the narrative, fo' judicious in the fecond fpeech of the High-prieft, and fo neceffary in the preaching of the Bishop; that it certainly ought not to have been omitted by Mr. Turner t.

We

* Bede xi. 13. "His fimilia et cæteri majores natu ac Regis confiliarii, divinitus admoniti, profequebantur. Adjecit autem Coifi, quia vellet ipfum Paulinum diligentiús audire de Deo quem predicabat, verbum facientem. Quod cúm jubente Rege faceret, exclamavit auditis ejus fermonibus dicens: Jam olim intellexeram, nihil effe quod colebamus; quia videlicet, quanto ftudiofiús in eo cultu veritatem quærebam, tanto minús inveniebam. Nunc autem aperté profiteor, quia in hâc predicatione veritas claret illa, quæ nobis vitæ, falutis, et beatitudinis æternæ dona valet tribuere. Unde fuggero, Rex, ut templa et altaria, quæ fine fructu utilitatis facravimus, ocius anathemati et igni contradamus.' Quid plura? præbuit palam affennim evangelizanti Beato Paulino Rex, et, abrenunciatâ idolatriâ, fidem fe Chrifti fufcipere confeffus eft. Cumque a præfato Pontifice facrorum fuorum quæreret, quis aras et fana idolorum cum feptis quibus erant circumdata, primus profanare deberet ; ille refpondit, Ego, quis enim ea quæ per ftultitiam colui, nunc ad exemplum omnium aptius quám ipfe per fapientiam mihi a Deo vero donatam deftruam? Statimque abjèctà fuperftitione vanitatis, rogavit fibi Regem arma dare et equam emiffarium, quem afcendens ad idola deftruenda veniret. Non enim licuerat Pontificem facrorum vel arma ferre, vel præter in equâ equitare. Accinctus ergo gladio accepit lanceam in manu, et afcendens emiffarium Regis pergebat ad idola. Quod afpiciens, vulgus æftimabat eum infanire. Nec diftulit ille, mox ut propiabat ad fanum, profanare illud injectâ in eo lanceâ quam tenebat; multumque gavifus de agnitione veri Dei cultus, juffit fociis deftruere ac fuccendere fanum cum omnibus feptis Luis. Oftenditur autem locus ille quondam idolorum non longe ab Eburaco ad orientem, ultra amnem Dorwentionem, et vocatur hodie Godmunddingaham; ubi Pontifex ipfe, infpirante Deo vero, polluit ac deftruxit eas quos ipfe facraverat aras."

+ Mr. Turner, in a note to P. 280, obferves from Smith's note upon Bede, that this district had witneffed British and Roman idolatry before," as "Delgovitium is its neighbour, the modern name of which, Wigton, implies a town of idols; the British word Delgive

means

We have thus endeavoured to felect fome one paffage, which we could prefent to our readers with unmingled praife; but after repeated efforts we have failed. The genius of Mr. Turner, alive, ftrong, and brilliant, is too ardent for minute accuracy, too vigorous for petty perfections. His language alfo partakes of the fame vigour, the fame ardor, and the fame imperfections or inaccuracies. We have marked feveral words with Italicks, as we have cited paffages before. We-could eafily mark more, but withhold our hand in pure refpect to the author. We have alfo turned down the page as we perufed, in feveral places, to note contradictions. But we will not add one, to what we have already produced. And we clofe the article with a strong recommendation of the work, as actually the moft original, moft juicious elucidation of the Saxon Hiftory, continental or infular, that has yet been prefented to the public; as not merely an hopetul promife of what the author may do when he ceafes to be young, but an existing proof of what he can do by what he has done, under all the difadvantages of youth and inexperience.

God

means ftatue or image." All this is derived originally from Camden, 557. edit. 1607, and is all fantaftical. Delgovitia was a Roman Station with a British name; and the name would never have been fancied to come from the Welsh Delw an idol, had not the place been near to Godmanham. Yet the very nearnefs precludes the identity, and fo deftroys the etymology. Nor does Wig, in Saxon, fignify merely an idol, as it equally imports a way or a war. manham therefore ftands by itself, the only place of idols in "this district." It was not, as Mr. Gough argues, in P. 70, formed of circles of ftone in the British ftyle inclofing pillars of stone for idols, but a regular temple, with altars in it, and mounds of earth around it. Its name, God-mundinga-ham or God's House of Mounds, concurs with all Bede's account and Whitaker's notes to how it was a regular temple. See ift. of Manchester, v. ii. P. 367. quarto. Mr. Gough has alfo omitted entirely "a curious defcription of its remains," noticed there, as " by a strange mistake inferted in the account of the Picts Wall, Cambden, c. 1057." Gibson.

ART. II. An Inquiry into the Life, Writings, and Characters, of the Rev. Dr. William Guild, one of the Chaplains in Ordinary to his Majesty King Charles I. and Founder of the Trinity Hofpital, Aberdeen. With fome Strictures upon Spalding's Account of him, and of the Times in which he lived. By James Shirrefs, D.D. Senior Minifter of Aberdeen, and Patron of the Incorporated Trades. 8vo. Pr. 142.. Rivingtons, London. 1799.

THE

of

HE refpectable author of this Inquiry thus explains his reafon for bringing this work to a fecond edition:

"The fubject of detail in the following sheets is, in a certain degree, limited and local. Some perfons, however, who have perufed them, and on whofe judgement the Author would, in moft cafes, rely more than on his own, have fuggefted that the memoirs they contain may be acceptable to many readers, who have no particular connection with the place, where the fcene of Dr. Guild's beneficence lay.

"In deference to this opinion, and that thofe who applied for copies, after the former edition was fold off, might not be disappointed, a new edition of the Inquiry into the Life of Dr. Guild, is prefented to the public."

It certainly does appear from the statement which is here given, that Dr. Guild was a learned and worthy perfon. He was a confiderable writer in his day, but we have not heard that many of his writings are now read, or much known. If we rely on the judgment of his prefent biographer, this opinion may be formed of Dr. Guild's performances, from thofe now extant, that "they were all of them works, if not of brilliant genius, yet of found fenfe, theological knowledge, and rational piety." As he lived in troublefome times, during the civil and religious difcords, about the middle of the last century, of course his character has been differently judged of, according to the political or religious fentiments of those who have criticifed it. Dr. Shirrefs judges very favourably of him, and particularly vindicates him from the attack made upon him by Spalding, a contemporary writer. Undoubtedly, his character and conduct must be appreciated with many grains of allowance, confidering the critical circumftances of the times in which he lived. He appears to have acted with confiderable moderation, and, perhaps, on this very account, to have drawn upon him the refentment of the violent of different parties. It will not, indeed, be an eafy task to defend him from the charge of verfatility of principle. Thus, although he had obtained great favours from his unfortunate Monarch, and appears to have been well inclined to epifcopacy and Monarchy, he fo far fell in with the humour of the times as to have joined in that memorable affembly which met at Glasgow, in 1638, which abolished the Hierarchy of the church of Scotland; he afterwards fubfcribed the folemn league and covenant, though under certain limitations, and even, we are told, "endeavoured in a pious and affectionate addrefs to the public, to diffufe a fpirit of religious and loyal attention to the fubject." Dr. Shirrefs's vindication of him is thus expreffed:

ss It

"It is probable, from the limitations under which he fubfcribed the Covenant, that Dr. Guild was inclined to favour epifcopacy; but his endeavours in the cause were directed, by that difcretion, which governs zeal, and tempers refolution. Fervent without enthusiasm, he was more zealous for the effentials of religion, than for its appendages; and, however much he might regret the falling Hierarchy, he was defirous, by prudent conceffions, to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Such were the principles upon which he feems to have acted."

Certain it is that he fhared in the difpleasure of those who fucceeded the fubverfion of the Monarchy, and, from various hints and circumftances mentioned in this account of him, we think it probable that, had he lived, he would have befriended the restoration of Monarchy; as probably, he would have been amongst the first in Scotland to have received the honours of epifcopacy.

"As Dr. Guild was probably fufpected of too ftrong an attachment to the royal caufe, he incurred the difpleasure of the ruling powers. Commiffioners were appointed to vifit King's College, by whofe authority the principal, the fub-principal, and two of the profeffors, were depofed. But as this fentence was extremely difagreeable to the University, the gentlemen upon whom it was paffed, were immediately reinftated, or rather were not difplaced.

"Dr. Guild held the office of Principal about two years longer, till he was depofed, in the year 1651, by five commissioners of a very imperious kind (Fenwick, Molfey, Owen, Defborough, and Smith) Colonels from the army of General Monk; gentlemen very well qualified, perhaps, to have been members of a Court Martial, but apparently not fo fit to have been Visitors of an University."

"There are times," as Dr. Shirrefs juftly obferves, "when the post of honour is a private ftation.' If it was not now the poft of honour, it was at leaft not inglorious to Dr. Guild. He, though divested of office, was ftill dignified in character; ftill diftinguished, as an ancient philofopher (Pythagoras) faid the man should be, who has the nearest refemblance to celeftial beings, by beneficence and truth. Living retired, however, and praying for the peace of his distressed country,

"Content he was to be obfcurely good."

Dr. Guild spent the remainder of his days in works of private beneficence and charity; and is particularly celebrated, in this biographical account, as the principal founder of an hofpital, and for his bequefts to the incorporated trades of Aberdeen, who ftill continue to enjoy the fruits of his bounty. It was very natural and commendable in Dr. Shirrefs, who ftiles himfelf, "Patron of the Incorporated Trades," to refcue Dr. Guild from the attacks which have been made upon

upon him; and upon the whole, we are inclined to think that if he was neither a very great, nor a very firm and confiftent man, yet that he was a man of piety, of learning, and beneficence; and that, whatever fhades may have appeared in his character are more to be attributed to the evil quality of the times in which he had the misfortune to live, than to the evil difpofitions of the heart.

ART. III. Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt, undertaken by Order of the old Government of France. By C. S. Sonnini. Illuftrated by Engravings. Tranflated from the French. 4to. about 750 pages. 21. 12s. 6d. Debrett. 1800.

IN our first notice of this work (in the Appendix to

Vol. III. P. 557.) our attention was confined, chiefly, to the merits of the original, and, though we, at the. fame time, reviewed the Tranflation of it by Dr. Hunter, we did not deem it neceffary to enter into a critical analyfis of the Doctor's labours. This omiffion was, in fome measure, fupplied by a correfpondent, who, in a letter, inferted in our Review for Nov. 1799, (P. 341.) gave a long lift of the Tranflator's errors and defects. Having fo fully difcuffed the merits of the author, we read the tranflation now before us for the fole purpose of afcertaining its accuracy, and we have accordingly taken confiderable pains in comparing it with the original. The refult of our examination is, that it is one of the beft tranflations which has, for many years, iffued from the prefs. We have certainly met with verbal inaccuracies, and fentences badly conftructed; but these are so few as not to deserve particular notice, and it would be difficult to find even an original compofition of feven hundred and fifty pages, fo nearly exempt from fimilar defects. It required, indeed, fuch a combination of knowledge and talents, to tranflate fuch a work, in fuch a manner, as but few perfons poffefs. All thofe difficult parts which treat of the natural History of Egypt are accurately rendered; and the fense of the author is very faithfully given by the translator throughout the work.

Independently of the grand defideratum of fidelity, this edition has a decided fuperiority over the other, in the inferior points of fize, typography, and engravings; the latter of which are executed in a ftile which does great honour to the artists, and are much better (with the exception only of two), than the plates annexed to the French edition. Notwithstanding, however, the kind of objection started by the tran

NO. XXVII. VOL. VII.

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flator