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1640

THE original work, of which this volume is an elegant and faithful reprint, has "the honor," according to the Rev. Thomas Prince," of being the first book printed in North America.'

A. Crowninfhield, of Bofton, was fold in 1859 for seven hundred and eighty-fix dollars. This, however, must be confidered an extremely moderate price, if we may believe Mr. Henry G. Bohn, who states, in Part VII. of his new edition of Lowndes's Manual (page 1999), that "this volume would, at an auction in America, produce from four to fix thousand dollars"! ! ! Confidering the fact that Mr. Bohn has had only about "fifty years' active experience as a bookfeller and bibliographer," it may not be, perhaps, improper to fuggeft that there is a very flight poffibility of his being mistaken in his eftimate of the pecuniary value of this "moft rare and most precious" relic of Puritan barbarifm.

If, however, we may accept Mr. Bohn's fhrewd statement as unimpeachable truth, how ferene and fweet fhould be the bibliographical ecftafies of the intelligent and fortunate purchaser of the Crowninfhield copy of The Bay Pfalm Book, for the mere wafte-paper price of feven hundred and eighty-fix dollars!

-“O te, Bolane, cerebri Felicem !"

The early history of this remarkable verfion of the "Pfalmes in meetre" is thus related by Cotton Mather, Magnalia, vol.

i. p. 407:

"About the year 1639, the New-English reformers, confidering that their churches enjoyed the other ordinances of Heaven in their fcriptural purity, were willing that the ordinance of The finging of psalms,' fhould be restored among them unto a share in that purity. Though they bleffed God for the religious endeavours of them who As the original edition tranflated the Pfalms into the meetre ufuundoubtedly was fmall, copies of it have in ally annexed at the end of the Bible, yet confequence become exceffively rare. In- they beheld in the translation fo many deed, it is faid that only four copies of the tractions from, additions to, and variations firft impreffion are known to exift; one of of, not only the text, but the very fenfe of which, in the library of the late Edward the pfalmift, that it was an offence unto

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them. Refolving then upon a new tranflation, the chief divines in the took country each of them a portion to be translated; among whom were Mr. Welds and Mr. Eliot of Roxbury, and Mr. Mather of Dorchefter. Thefe, like the reft, were of so different a genius for their poetry, that Mr. Shepard, of Cambridge, on the occafion addreffed them to this purpose:

'You Roxb'ry poets, keep clear of the crime Of miffing to give us very good rhime. And you of Dorchester, your verses lengthen, But with the text's own words, you will them strengthen.'

The pfalms thus turned into meetre were printed at Cambridge, in the year 1640" [by Stephen Daye].

After a period of little more than two centuries, a fac-fimile reprint of this curi

ous tranflation has been made with eminent propriety and fuccefs, at Cambridge, by Mr. Houghton, one of the most intelligent and skilful printers in this country, for Mr. Charles B. Richardfon, an enterprifing publisher and bookfeller of this city. The edition, ftrictly limited to fifty copies, was prepared under the aufpices of feveral distinguished gentlemen of New England, and was published at a subscription price of ten dollars each copy. As the entire edition was taken by the subscribers, twenty and even as high as thirty dollars have recently been offered for a fingle copy of it.

The following felection from this extraordinary version of the Pfalms may ferve as an interesting fpecimen of the tranflators'

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genius for poetry," and is alfo curious for its apparently prophetic relevancy to the present disordered and "troublous times :”

Pfalme 83.

A pfalme or fong of Asaph. O God, doe not thou filence keep: o doe not thou refraine

thy felfe from speaking, & o God, doe not thou dumbe remaine.

2 For loe, thine enemies that be
doe rage tumultuously:

& they that haters be of thee
have lift the head on hye..

3 Against those that thy people be
they crafty counfell take;
alfo against thy hidden ones

they confultation make. 4 They fayd, left they a nation be, let's cut them downe therefore, that in remembrance Ifr'elfs name may not be any more.

5 For they together taken have
counfell with one confent,
and in confederation
against thee they are bent.
6 The tabernacles of Edom
and of the Ifhmaelites :
the people of the Haggarens
& of the Moabites,

7 The men of Gebal, with Ammon, and Amaleck confpire,

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17 Confounded let them ever be,

and terriblie troubled :

yea, let them be put unto fhame,

and bee extinguished.

as you knowe my condigne merites, for fuche a compendious liuyng. But now I relinquifhe to fatigate your intelligence with

18 That men may know; that thou whofe name any more friuolous verbofitie, and there

IEHOVAH is only,

art over all the earth throughout

advanced the most high.

"An Pnkehorne Letter."

THE following curious fpecimen of the art of letter-writing in the fixteenth century is copied from THOMAS WILSON'S ARTE OF RHETORIQUE, for the ufe of all fucke as are ftudious of Eloquence. (Sm. 4to, black letter, London, M.D.LIII., fol. 87, 88.)

fore he that rules the climates be euermore your beautreux, your fortreffe, and your bulwarke. Amen."

Notes and Queries.

HENRY FRANCISCO.
(Philobiblion No. VII., p. 166.)

G. R. B.

A LATE number of The Philobiblion contains an extract from a French publica“Ponderyng, expendyng, and reuolu- tion refpecting Henry Francifco, who died tyng with my felf your ingent affabilitee, near the head of Lake Champlain, about and ingenious capacitee, for mundane af forty years fince, at the advanced age of faires, I cannot but celebrate and extolle one hundred and thirty-five. The inquiry your magnificall dexteritee, aboue all other. of your correfpondent for further informaFor how could you haue adepted fuche il- tion refpecting this individual can be anluftrate perogatiue, and dominicall fuperi- fwered by reference to page 183 of the fecoritee, if the fecunditee of your ingenie had ond edition of SILLIMAN'S Tour from Hartnot been fo fertile, and wounderfull preg- ford to Quebec, in 1819. It is probable naunt? Now therefore beeyng accerfited that the French notice was taken from Proto fuche fplendent renoume, and dignitee feffor Silliman's, which is very interesting. fplendidious, I doubt not but you will adiuuate fuche poore adnichilate orphanes as whilome ware condifciples with you, and of antique familiaritie in Lincolne fhire. I have feen fomewhere the following noAmong whom I beeying a Scholafticall panion, obteftate your fublimitee to extolle ble paffage afcribed to Lord Bacon; but I myne infirmitee.' There is a facerdotall have not been able to find it in his works. dignitee in my natiue countrey, contiguate I fhall be greatly obliged if you, or any of to me, where I now contemplate, whiche your correfpondents, will please inform me your worshipfull benignitee, could fone im- where it may be found. petrate for me, if it would like you to extend your fcedules, and collaude me in We, for our part at least, overcome by them to the right honorable lorde Chaun- the eternal love of Truth, have committed cellor, or rather Archigrammatian of Eng- ourselves to uncertain, steep, and desert lande. You knowe my literature, you tracks, and trufting and relying on divine knowe my pastorall promocion, I obteftate affiftance, have borne up our mind against your clemencie to inuigilate thus muche the violence of opinions, drawn up as it for me, accordyng to my confidence, and were in battle array, against our own inter

QUOTATION WANTED.

NEW HAVEN.

G. W. L.

nal doubts and fcruples, against the mifts the infernal malignity of her murderer is and clouds of Nature, and against fancies recorded for his punishment in a future flitting on all fides around us; that we world. He died of a debauch, when he might at length collect fome more truftwor- ought to have died by the halter], &c.— thy and certain indications for the living S. P.'"

and pofterity."

[G. W. L. will find the paffage in Lord Bacon's Preface to the Novum Organum. See Bacon's Works, vol. xiv. p. 10, Montagu's edition, London (Pickering), 1831.]

T. HESHUSIUS, SEXCENTI ERRORE, &c.

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Meffrs. PHILES & Co. have ready for the Mr. Henry G. Bohn, in his new edition prefs, and are now taking fubfcriptions for, of Lowndes's Manual (Part VII. p. 1787), a reprint of The Paradife of Dayntie Deftates in a note on the Catalogue of the vifes. The text of this edition is taken Library of Dr. Samuel Parr, that "a few from the reprint of 1810, edited by Sir Edcopies, not more than fix, have feveral gerton Brydges. The biographical notes leaves afterwards cancelled, on account of have been prepared expreffly for this edipaffages thought by Dr. Parr's executors to tion, ufing Brydges' as a bafis, but incorbe improper. Among the cancelled paf- porating much information that has been fages were thefe at page 55, a note ap- brought to light fince his edition was iffued. pended to HESHUSIUS T. Sexcenti Er- This edition will be printed in small quarto, rore pleni Blafphemus, &c.' 'Dr. Parr in the best style of art, upon India paper, read this book carefully. He found in it and is limited to 500 copies, as follows: often what seemed to him errors of the Church of Rome, but no one doctrine he would venture to call blafphemous. In the late controverfy with the Romanists, he was At these prices, copies will be furnished fhocked to find this word in the writings to fubfcribers only; and as foon as they are of English Proteftants; and he would fet a fupplied, the prices will be raised to $2.50 mark of the very strongeft reprobation upon for the fmall-paper copies, and $5.00 for the word as applied by Barrington, the con- the large-paper copies. Meffrs. Philes & temptible Bishop of Durham, to the facra Co. propofe to make this reprint of The mental tenets of the Romanifts.-S. P."" Paradife of Dayntie Devifes the firft volAt page 486, after Fenwick's Obferva- ume of a series of reprints of fcarce collec, tions, &c., the paffage within brackets: tions of old English poetry. The next 'I hold with the utmost confidence that volume in the feries will be "ENGLAND'S Elizabeth Fenning was innocent, [and that HELICON. twa et alak nem dia to snor „910

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400 on fmall paper, at $2.00 each.

100 on large paper, at 4.00 each.

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Autograph Letters,

FROM THE PORTFOLIO OF A BOOKWORM.

(Continued from No. VIII., p. 173.) THE next letter, in point of time, bears the honored fignature of William Cowper. It was written at Wefton, in one of his comparatively happy periods, juft as his long task, the tranflation of Homer, was drawing to a clofe; and is addreffed

"LADY HESKETH,

NEW NORFOLK STREET
GROSVENOR SQUARE
LONDON."

I fhall not affront the memories of Cowper's readers by telling them who Lady Hefketh was; but Mrs. Bodham being lefs known, it may not be amifs to remind them that she was his coufin, and that it is to her they owe one of his most beautiful poems, certainly his moft touching one- On the Receipt of my Mother's Picture. She was his favorite coufin in his early days-his dearest Rose;" though why he called her Rofe, none of his biographers can imagine, her name being Ann. The terrible cloud which darkened the first years of his manhood seems to have broken up their acquaintance, which was not renewed till the winter of 1790, when the fent him his mother's portrait from Norfolk, where her

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"I write now merely to tell you that the Tea came fafe and is excellent, for which you have beft thanks-and to my entreat you to fend forthwith either in a Bank note or Draft on your own Bank the money that you have in hand for me. It is the season of payment of fervants wages, and we are liable alfo, or shall be shortly, to fome demands of Rent, which will make the receipt of faid money very convenient.

"We proceed much at the usual rate, only Mrs Unwins constant pain in her fide has at laft produced a tumour on that part which diftreffes me more than it does her. Knowing neither the cause, nor in what it is likely to terminate, I can not but be very uneasy about it. It has but lately appeared; as fhe defcribes it, is of half a hand's breadth in dimenfion, and projects to about a hand's thickness. If you should happen to see your skillful apothecary whose name I cannot now recover, but whom Mr Rofe confulted, I fhould be glad if you would ask his opinion. In the meantime I fhall take the first opportunity to confult Mr Gregson.

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