Beholde, God is mine helpe and stay,
And is with suche as do me aide;
My foes dispite he wil repay;

Oh, cut them of as thou hast saide.

Then sacrifice, o Lord, wil I
Present ful freely in thy sight;
And wil thy name stil magnifie,
Because it is bothe good and right.

For he me broght fro troubles great,

And kept me, from their raging ire:
Yea, on my foes, which did me threat,

Myne eyes haue sene mine heart's desire." (Ps. 54.)

Pullain is the last name requiring notice,* and being little known as a writer, I shall trespass on the page to give the single omission.

A new ioyful song:

His praises resounde in euerie grounde

His Saintes all among.

Let Israel reioyce, and praise eke with voyce,

His maker louing;

The sonnes of Sion let them euerie one

Be glad in their king.

Let all them aduance his name in the dance,

Bothe now and alwayes;
With harpe and tabret, euen so likewise let
Them vtter his prayes.

The Lord's pleasure is, in them that are his,
Not willing to start,

But all meanes do seke, to succour the meke,
And humble in heart.

Cox, Norton, &c. may be referred to in any copy.

C 2

The

The saintes more and lesse, his praise shal expresse,
As is good and right;

Reioycing, I saye, both nowe and for aye,
In their beddes at night.

Their throte shall brast out, in euerie route,

In praise of their Lord;

And as men moste bolde, in hand shall they holde

A two-edged sworde;

Auenged to be in euerie degre

The heathen vpon :

And for to reproue, as them doth behoue,

The people echone;

To bind strange kings fast in chaines that will last;
Their nobles also;

In hard yron bands, as wel fete as hands,

To their grief and wo;

That they may in dede giue sentence with spede,
On them to their paine;

As is writ. Alwayes suche honour and prayes,
His saintes shal obtaine.

(Ps. 149.)

To render a translation in our vernacular tongue, that should unite all the energetic simplicity and wild sublimity of the original, when forced into measure, and fettered with rhime, is perhaps impossible. The pressure of this difficulty might induce Warton, after "condemning the practice of adulterating this primitive version," to reprobate any version at all, more especially if intended for the use of the church." Admitting the many objections that must occur to reflection upon this subject; admitting that any translation partakes of the character of "sacred poems;" that "the reader justly expects, and from good poetry

"

always

always obtains, the enlargement of his comprehension, and elevation of his fancy; [and that] this is rarely to be hoped by Christians from metrical devotion;" (since "whatever is great, desirable, or tremendous, is comprised in the name of the Supreme Being;Omnipotence cannot be exalted; infinity cannot be amplified; perfection cannot be improved;")-admitting all that pious verse can do is to help the memory, and delight the ear;" yet as for these purposes it may be very useful, let us not entirely reject. metrical psalmody. In substituting hymns for this languid versification may be traced the rapid increase of the proselytes to methodism. Rather let the best paraphrastic imitations be selected, under dignified authority, and if those who have wandered do not return, it will at least prove, in part, an antidote to the chanting delusions of modern sectarists. +

* Dr. Johnson's Life of Waller.

1

J. H.

In the critical observations, particularly on the ninetieth Psalm, which appear in the last volume of the CENSURA, the name of Sternhold seems intended to imply the whole version. The passages from psalms translated by him are the 7th and 120th, given at p. 403. Subsequent alterations

leave little trace of their earlier translator.

ART. V. Religionis Funus, et Hypocritæ Finis.

Quasi vulpes in deserto,
Prophetæ tui, O Israel.

Ez. xiii. 4.

Ne rodas jubeo, mea carmina, Mome, sed orbi Ede tua, et Momos etiam tu Momus habebis. Londini, Excudit Tho. Whitaker, MDC. XLVII. 4to. pp. 22.

This rare little volume, which is accompanied by as rare a print of the author, Henry Oxinden, had never been seen by Granger, whose account is erroneous in both editions of his work. He calls the author Sir Henry Oxinden, and says he was ancestor of the present Baronet of that name. But he was only a collateral branch of that family.

The print (which is very prettily engraved, and has been lately copied by Richardson) is inscribed "Hen. Oxinden de Barham." Beneath this motto "Non est mortale quod opto. 1647." In the upper corners, the arms and crest, viz. 1 & 4. Arg. a chevron gules between 3 oxen passant Sab. for Oxinden 2 & 3 Az. on a chevron argt. 3 talbots passant sable for Brooker of Maydekin. Crest, a lion's head full faced issuing out of a ducal coronet. He was son of Richard Oxinden of Little Maydekin in Barham (or rather Denton, for the house stands in Denton Street at the junction of the two parishes) in East Kent, (which Richard died 1629,) by Katherine daughter of Sir Adam Sprackling of Canterbury, Knt. Richard, the father, was 2d son of Sir Henry Oxinden of Dene in Wingham, in East Kent, by Elizabeth daughter and heir of James

Brooker

Brooker of Maydekin, who died 1588. Henry, the author, was buried at Denton June 17, 1670.* He seems to have been a decided loyalist, which was not the case with the head branch of his family.

The book has nothing but its rarity worthy of notice. On this account alone I give the following

extracts.

"Ad Lectorem.

"Lector, conjuro te, ne carmina nostra in obliquum sensum, et extra intentionem nostram torqueas. Minime quidem propositum nostrum est, in ignomimam sanctorum, et hominum vere religiosorum tubam nostram inflare. Absit, absit a nobis hujus farinæ Musica. Nos tantum in cautionem hypocritarum, hominum bicordium, quales Apostolus in ultimo hoc sæculo venturos paædixit, metra nostra proferimus; quorum sermones satis prolixi plerunque tendunt ad suorum commodum, ideoque ut ipse dixit CHRISTUS, scrutator cordium, in speciem utuntur longis precibus, ut exinde exedant domos viduarum, ut ab hiis caveas, exoptat

Amicus tuus,

HEN. OXINDEN

de Barham."

"Hypocritæ Finis.

"Quid si ipsas feriet capite excellentia nubes?
Ipse in perpetuum sicut sua fæda peribit

* His descendant and heir, Lee Wailey of Canterbury, Gent. lately died at Canterbury, aged upwards of 90; and left his library of books, many of which were collected by the above H. Oxinden, to the parish of Elham, next Denton; with money to build a room next the church, in which to deposit them.