the part assigned him by the dead Bishop. Concerning your friends at Antwerp, if you cannot write to them I believe your best way will be to address yourself to Mr. Jasper Gower who is now there, and means to winter there with J[ohn] E[arles] and to him T[om] Triplet] writes me word he hath a convenience to send weekly, or else a letter which I had from him (I suppose you know who I mean, my brother M[orley]) the last week will furnish you with a direction thus: A Monsieur, Monsieur Gowre chez Charles Allen Chevalier Anglois, a Anvers. You have told me somewhat more of W[illiam] A[ylesbury] that I am glad to know, that you were one of his creditors. I have little more to say of him, but that it is also said that great importunity was used on his part to draw his s[ister] B[arbara] into a religious house, but that she would not be got to it, and that some others of the family were of his mind, but this report is too slight for you to believe or build any thing upon it. I hear nothing from Dr. St[eward] a long time but what from you. I wish from my own interests that you have seen Dr. Sa [nderson] by this time, (but fear from his unkindness to journeys that you have not) that upon the account he gives you of those papers, you may give me your positive opinion of the fitness of printing them. The B[ishops] of E[ly] and S[arum] who have seen and given me their animadversions, had also inclined me to speed them to the press; but your last hath (after some preparation made with R[oyston]) given me reason to stop that speed. I am so unwilling to do any thing unreasonable that I shall desire you to think fully of it, and again to confirm what you last said if you see cause, but till you have received an account from Dr. S[anderson] I shall not think you can say any thing to the contrary; whether then or no, I know not. Only I shall say that now Sal[masius] is very well treated, and the whole envy lies on Blondel. I have no great leisure yet to read or hearken after books, not so much as Gassendi which I hear you trade in. Give me your opinion. The chronol[ogy] I have read but a little in and am not by that and the favour of the author that sent it, much inclined to magnify it to you. I expected some learned prolegomena de ratione temporum, and missing them am not much taken with such short annals collected out of what others had said already, which seems to me to be the main here performed, but perhaps I judge too soon. There are Gaffarel's curiosities, and Chartes on the Passions, done in English lately, which perhaps you have not seen, but not much worth. A little book of the variety of their present gathered churches, &c., written by one of themselves, seems to me worth your reading, and I was inclined to have made some animadversions upon it, to reduce men to the unity

* Gaffarel's Curiosities were published in English by Edmund Chilmead. 8vo. London. 1650.

(departed from) of our Church. But frustra. Let me tell you a secret. My poor L[ady] P[ackington] is so far indisposed in health that I am like to be sent for this week, and then am obliged by promise to take a journey to her, which I shall do, whatever the hazard be. Let yours to me however go on the old road. "I am yours,

"[Monday], Oct. 7, [1650.]

[Henry Hammond.] "Mr. Th. tells me that your Dr. Wentw[orth] hath a sequestered living in Hampshire, Petersfield, which is Dr. Lancy's.

"For Dr. Sheldon."

This was perhaps the last letter Hammond addressed to Sheldon from the house of Sir Philip Warwick. His biographer says, that about the autumn of this year, the rigour of his restraint was taken off, and that he was thus enabled to pay a visit to the Packingtons at Westwood. From the concluding paragraph of the letter it would appear that Hammond was running some considerable risk which he was willing to undertake for the sake of Lady Packington, whose life seems to be in danger. It is probable that she had previously to this time chosen him for her spiritual director. The visit, which we may judge from his expressions to have been intended to be a short one, led to his taking up his residence at Westwood Park altogether. The friends at Antwerp, mentioned in the earlier part of the letter, are the family of the Hydes, who were living there in great distress, and almost in want of ordinary necessaries, Clarendon himself (then Sir Edward Hyde and nominally Chancellor of the Exchequer,) being at Madrid on his embassy with Lord Cottington. Our readers do not need to be informed that Jasper Gower is the good Dr. George Morley who has been so often alluded to in these papers, and of whom we hope hereafter to give a more full and particular account. We have supplied the name of Aylesbury to the initials "W. A." from conjecture, the circumstances alluded to seeming to suit very well with what is narrated of him in Lister's Life of Clarendon. It appears that Sir Thomas Aylesbury and some of his family were living with Lady Hyde, who was his daughter, and that her brother William ran away from Antwerp, carrying off some of their property. The sister Barbara is also alluded to in Clarendon's State Papers (Dec. 6, 1651,) where he speaks of her as then just going to the Hague to wait on the Princess Royal. She died before Sept. 5, 1652. The papers about the publication of which there seems to have been so much hesitation, were no doubt the "Dissertationes Quatuor," which Hammond kept back till the middle of the year 1651. He was probably unwilling just at the critical moment when the King's hopes depended on the Scotch Presbyterians, to prejudice all of that persuasion against the royal cause, by publishing against their form of Church government, and the particular reason for sparing

Salmasius, of whom we shall have more to say in our next number, was that he had done the royal cause such good service by his "Defensio Regia," which had passed already into several editions, and had been translated into French. It is remarkable that Hammond with his incessant occupations as an author and as a clergyman should have found time to read as much as this letter implies he did. From his expressions here, as well as from the books quoted in his various controversial works, it is plain that he procured most of the publications of the day as they issued from the press. Chronology must be Ussher's Annales Veteris et Novi Testamenti, the first volume of which appeared in 1650. The other little book we are unable to throw any light upon.

(To be continued.)

The

REVIEWS AND NOTICES.

The Acts of S. Mary Magdalene, considered in a Series of Discourses, as illustrating certain important points of doctrine. By HENRY STRETTON, M.A., of S. Mary Magdalene Hall, Oxford, &c. London : Masters. 8vo. pp. 414.

It is refreshing to turn from the unmethodical, aimless Collections of Sermons, which issue so rapidly from the press, to a volume that implies at least the intention of the mind upon one definite subject. The subject here handled too, we need scarcely say, is one of very great interest; and no pains have been spared in its illustration. The result at which Mr. Stretton arrives is that the anointing mentioned by S. Luke (chap. vii.) is different from that mentioned in the other Evangelists; but that "the woman who was a sinner" is one and the same with S. Mary Magdalene, and the sister of Martha. As a question of external evidence we see no difficulty at all in acquiescing in this view; but we must confess, it is not so easy to reconcile the calm and settled faith of her who "sat still in the house," and who is said emphatically to have "chosen the good part" with the zeal and self-indignation which one might expect in a penitent, and which was eminently displayed in the Magdalene. Nevertheless we advise persons by all means to read Mr. Stretton's volume, venturing at the same time to express our surprise that he has not altogether abandoned the form of Sermons.

The following passage on possession by evil spirits may serve to direct attention to a subject which is too little regarded at the present day.

"It is well known that for a very long time after the Apostles, there were numerous instances of those possessed with evil spirits, who submitted themselves to the spiritual treatment of the Church. Such was the frequency of cases of this kind, so definite a position did they occupy in the cares of the Church, that to these unhappy persons were allotted a particular division of each sacred edifice, a special ceremony of intercession was used for them, and in addition, a special class of ministers, called exorcists, were separated with

an express commission to pray for them both publicly and privately. Such are the important facts which the history of the early Church brings before us, and we may be prepared to think that in these our days, neither are there instances of persons under demoniacal possession on which to exercise such a power, nor persons who would presume to undertake it. And indeed in our Church, whatever may be the suspicions of some persons as to particular instances which have come under their notice, as in their symptoms resembling those which are recorded to have ordinarily taken place in cases of possession, we know nothing of such publicly. All we know on the subject concerning our own Church, is the existence of a Canon (the seventy-second,) wherein provision is made for such cases of possession as may occur. No minister is to presume to exorcise without licence obtained from the Bishop. Up to the time then in which the Canon was set forth, the year 1604, the belief in spiritual possession, and in the power of its removal, seems to have existed among our people; but since this time, it is not at all easy to say what is the history of this power-whether it has or has not been exercised. The evidence upon the subject being so very obscure, we can make no safe conclusion as to whether or not the ALMIGHTY is pleased still to allow this grievous visitation to afflict us in some of its more modified forms."

1. Suggestive Hints towards Improved Secular Instruction, making it bear upon practical life, intended for the use of Schoolmasters and Teachers in our Elementary Schools. By the REV. RICHARD DAWES, A.M., Vicar of King's Somborne, Hants. Second Edition, pp. 166. London: Groombridge.

2. Hints on an Improved and Self-Paying Systern of Education, suggested from the Working of a Village School in Hampshire, with observations from personal inspection on the National Schools. By the REV. RICHARD DAWES, A.M., Vicar of King's Somborne, Hants. don: Groombridge.

Lon

THESE two little books are well deserving the attention of the Clergy. The first contains illustrations of Mr. Dawes's method of instruction; the second, the account of a School, in which that method has been successfully used. The secret of the system is to make the instruction interesting and practical, and by these means so attractive to the classes immediately above the poor, that the School becomes self-supporting. Were all the Schools in his neighbourhood equally well conducted, it is obvious that Mr. Dawes would fail in drawing so many children to his share; as many of them come from contiguous parishes. But this doubtless is a distant vision, and in the mean time we are well persuaded that any one who would act on Mr. Dawes's suggestions, would be conferring a great benefit on society, at very little risk to himself.

There is no greater mistake than to suppose that good and diversified secular instruction need interfere with the religious education of schools. On the contrary it is calculated to be its most useful ally and preparation. And two or three hours a week devoted to direct religious teaching-where the general atmosphere of the School is not irreligious,—would, we feel sure, impart more of religious knowledge and a religious temper than what is now acquired by the unceasing use of the Bible and the Catechism, in many National Schools.

The History of Ireland, from the earliest period of the Irish annals to the Rebellion of 1848. By THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq., M.A. London:

Tallis. Parts 1 and 2.

WE are inclined to welcome the appearance of this History, and to express a hope that it may meet with a successful sale. For many reasons it is important that the people of this country should make themselves acquainted with the civil and political history of the Sister Isle; since nothing but a better knowledge of the past condition of the Irish people than exists at present will enable us to arrive at the true source of many of the social grievances and miseries of Ireland. In noticing, however, this new history, we do not mean to give our approval to Mr. Wright's views and opinions. Many of them seem to us more than questionable. He writes, too, as if he did not believe the facts which he records, and nothing can be a greater disqualification in an historian than this kind of unbelief. The doubts which he attempts to throw upon the life of S. Columba, by the Abbot Adamnan, and the life of S. Brigit, by Cogitosus, are without just foundation. More learned men than Mr. Wright have investigated the question, and been convinced of their authenticity. We may here notice an awkward error of the press, which should be corrected in a second edition: at p. 24, the rights of Baptism occurs instead of the rites. If this work proceeds, we hope to notice future numbers.

Near Home; or the Countries of Europe described, with Anecdotes. By the author of "The Peep of Day," &c. London: Hatchard. 1849. pp. 386.

THIS is a kind of popular religious (so-called) geography; and for prejudice and bigotry surpasses anything we have ever met with. Two specimens, we think, will suffice for our readers :

"There is a man in Italy called the Pope. That word Pope means papa or father. The Roman Catholics say that he is the Father of all Christians. They say that he can do no wrong, and that he can pardon sins. They worship him as if he were GOD, yet he is only a man. When one Pope dies, another Priest is made Pope. Once a year people meet together to kiss his great toe. Do you laugh? It would be better to cry. How much must GOD be displeased to see a man worshipped. The Roman Catholics are called Papists, because they worship the Pope. Are you a Papist? No, I hope you are a Protestant, that means a person who 'protests' against the Pope, who says he cannot forgive sins."

It may be some satisfaction to Roman Catholics, to learn that the author still believes there to be a worse religion than theirs: though, on her view, we do not understand why it should be; seeing Mahommedans are not idolaters.

"That (she says,) is a sort of Christianity: the religion of Turkey is not a Christian religion; it is called Mahommedism. There was once a wicked man called Mahomet, and he pretended that God had sent him to teach people; but he was a false prophet, and taught people lies and wickedness."