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With refpect to Matthew's Gospel, Dr. Priestley obferves, that Eufebius mentions it, and in fuch a manner, as that it appears, there was not then any difpute about it; fo that there cannot be any reason to doubt, that the Gospel, which we now have, that bears his name, was the fame that we now have, and as it was originally published.'.

Dr. Prieftley is aware, that fome have even denied that Matthew ever wrote a Gofpel. But, even admitting that he did, as the fubfcriptions of the ancient verfions, and all the writers of antiquity, who mentiont his affair, Papias, Irenæus, Origen, and Eufebius, intimate, that Matthew wrote in Hebrew, it may, perhaps, not appear fo certain, that we now have his Gofpel as it was originally published. They will, probably, rather incline to think, that the controversy turns upon these questions when was the Gofpel according to Matthew tranflated? by whom was it tranflated? and are the apparent difficulties in the Gofpel of Matthew, now received as authentic, of fuch a nature, as to be confiftent with a genuine tranflation?

Dr. Priestley obferves, that the fuperior evidence of the authenticity of the books of the New Teftament may be illuf trated by that of books known to have been used in schools from the time of their firft compofition, and that of books, which only fall into the hands of men of leifure.' Yet there are fome difficulties that might, perhaps, be pointed out in the former cafe, which do not exift in the latter. For example, if the writings of thofe called apoftolical fathers be genuine, their very brief quotations, and one fcarcely quotes at all, differ from the readings of our copies much more ef fentially than do the readings of the books ufed in fchools: and Juftin Martyr, who is allowed to be the earliest writer of the Gentile Chriftians, never takes notice of either of the Gospels, in particular, but quotes from a book entitled, Arou

Two amor yet this fame Juftin never refers to the writings of the Old Testament, without mentioning the author. We barely state this circumftance; but draw no conclufion, exeept this, that the writings alluded to by Dr. Priestley are not involved in fuch difficulties.

The greater part of thefe Letters are taken up in establishing the authenticity of the Four Gofpels; the remarks on the genuineness of the Epiftles are very concife. The Epiftles were, probably, written before the Gofpels; and it may, perhaps, be thought, that the objections to the Gofpel are of a more ferious nature, and have more the appearance of diffculties, than what can be alleged against the Epiftles.

To thofe who admit the authority of revealed religion, and who are interested in theological controverfies, we earnestly

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recommend the whole of this important controverfy. There is much perfpicuity, good fenfe, and calmnefs, confpicuous in thefe Letters: to fome probably it may appear, that confidering the importance of the fubject, Dr. Prieftley was too haity in his Reply.--Some obfervations are contained in the former part of thefe Letters, that have excellencies, independent of their immediate relation to this fubject. In the Preface, Dr. Priestley obferves,

I have, in thefe Letters, as on other occafions, endeavoured to point out the real foundation of our faith in the Gospel history, and to shew that it is independent of the authenticity of any books, It has not been by the fair examination of historical evidence, but in moft cafes by fome fort metaphyfical reafoning, that men have become unbelievers, and in general it has been their having conceived what they had been taught to confider as Christianity to be unworthy their ideas of God, or their difcovering fome feeming im propriety in the books which they had been taught to regard as infpired, that has, without any farther reafoning, induced them to reject Chriftianity. It cannot, therefore, be too ftrongly held out to them, that the truth of Chriftianity is independent of every thing of this kind; that, let them think what they will of the doctrines of the Gospel, or of the books that contain them, a man must have a divine miffion who in proof of it, does what God alone could impower him to do; and that Chrift-and the apoftles unquestionably did fuch things, i. e. work real miracles, if the evangelical history be only in the main true. For without this it was naturally impoffible that Chriftianity fhould have been received, as all hiftory, facred and profane, fhews that it was, in the early ages.'

The Antiquities of Ireland. By Francis Grofe Efq. F. A. S. Vol. I. On Super Royal Quarto, 5l. 14s. Imperial Octavo, 41. 25. Hooper. 1793.

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HERE is no fudy more interesting than that of antiquities, when it is purfued upon a liberal and comprehenfive plan, and defcends not into thofe petty and trifling details and inquiries which difgrace the fcience. The contemplation of magnificent ruins produces the fublimeft fenfations, and fuggefts a train of moral reflections, which have a natural tendency to refine and purify the intellect, and confequently to improve and reform the heart. The pencil of the artift fhould, however, always accompany the refearches of the antiquarian; they mutually aflift each other-They give immortality to that which is in a ftate of decay; and enlighten future generations, by faithfully tranfmitting a picture of the paft.

There are few of the amateurs of this fcience, who will not fympathife with us in regretting the lofs which it fuftained

in the deceafe of the ingenious and indefatigable captain Grofe. His Antiquities of England, Wales, and Scotland, have confecrated his name to all pofterity in this department; and we have only to regret, that he did not fooner direct his attention to a country, which abounds more in fuperb and curious ruins, and in more interefting materials for the pen and pencil of the antiquarian, than perhaps any country in this northern quarter of Europe. The lofs, however, we must obferve, is moft ably and fatisfactorily fupplied upon this occafion, by the work having fallen into the hands of that diftinguished Irish antiquary Mr. Ledwich, and by the muni ficence of the right honourable William Cunningham, who has bestowed his moft noble collection of drawings for the ufe of this publication.

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The work is introduced by three very ingenious difquifitions by the prefent editor, Mr. Ledwich. The firft on the pagan, the fecond on the monaftic, and the third on the military antiquities of Ireland. The two former of thefe are chiefly abridged from his clays; the latter never before appeared.

In thefe differtations, Mr. Ledwich adopts the opinion that the primeval poffeffors of Ireland were Celtes-That Druidifm was profeiled by all the Celtic tribes, the leading feature of which was the celebration of their facred rites in oaken groves. From the term Doire, Daire, or Dury, the oak, our editor derives feveral of the Irish names of places, fuch as Doir-magh, Dar-inis, Dar-ncagh, &c. When divine honours came to be paid to mortals, they were interred in this grove-- The Irish Cille or Kil, denotes both a fepulchre and a church, whence Kil-bridge, Kil catain, Kil-abbans-that is St. Bridgets, St. Catains, St. Abbans, &c. Frequently the wood and church formed a compound name Kil-Doir, now Kildare. The deity adored there was fire, or the fun.

The next poffeffors of Ireland, according to our ingenious editor, were the Scythians, Goths, or Firbolgs, who, about 300 years antecedent to the Chriftian æra, poured into the British ifles. They inhabited caves a great part of the year, and in thefe they interred their patriarchs and beloved chiefs. The northern fuperftition attributed divine qualities to monftrous upright tones. The Cromleac, or crooked bending ftone, was alfo an object of fuperftition with this barbarous people. The forms of thefe are very different; the greater part of them confift of three large ftones as fupporters, on the top of which one broader and more flat is placed, but fometimes the tail of the impoft refts upon the ground, while its head is fupported by two uprights. The Cromlcac at Tobinf town, in the county of Carlow, has a covering ftone twentythree feet long and eighteen broad, and makes, with its fup

porters,

porters, a large room. That at Brownftown, in the fame county, has an impoft containing 1283 feet of folid contents. All thefe works have been difcovered to be fepulchral. They might have ferved as pedeftals for the huge images of the northern deities. They were certainly ufed for facrifices, and it appears probable that even human victims were offered up upon them. Cairns, he obferves, are alfo fepulchral. They are common in Ireland, and are compofed of immenfe conical heaps of ftones. This practice, Mr. Ledwich adds, was Gothic, as every flone monument undoubtedly was.

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Our editor remarks, that Chriftianity was early planted in Ireland, and that St. Jerom inconteftibly proves that there was a Chriftian church there in the fourth, and the beginning of the fifth century. Monkery greatly flourished there in the fixth century, in the perfons of Columba, Congel, and Carthag. The laft fixed his refidence at Rutheny in Westmeath, where there arofe 867 monks. Congel built the monaftery of Bangor on Carricfergus Bay-St. Bernard fays it was a noble foundation, and one of its fons, Launus, himfelf, was the founder of 100 monafteries. In the feventh century, the regular and fecular clergy were as numerous as the men of every other denomination put together. Towards the conclufion of the eighth century, the invafion of the Oftmen commenced, and in the ninth, they embraced the gofpel. No foreign religious order was established in Ireland till this period. The Irish monk, who inftituted rules, followed the oriental. The Auguftinians did not appear till 1192, when Strongbow brought four from Bodmyn in Cornwall to his abbey of St. Kell's in the county of Kilkenny. About the year 1144, Mellifont, in the county of Lowth, was founded for Ciftercians, and in the years immediately following, about thirty-fix more of the fame order. Thefe were followed by forty houses for Dominicans, fixty for Francifcans, and as many more for the other orders. The refearches of Mr. Archdall have difcovered 1188 monaftic foundations in Ireland; and one of the smallest abbeys, Monainca, had above 500 acres of arable and pasture land, with the right of tithes and many advowfons; the whole worth only about 401. in 1568. At the Reformation, the great abbots furrendered upon penfions, and the monkish lands were given to different perfons for various confiderations. This part of the work is illuftrated by beautiful engravings of the Cromlechs at Tobinftown and Brownfhill; an apparently accurate view and plan of the extraordinary ftone gallery at New Grange in the county of Meath, and a very fine plate reprefenting the feveral religious orders.

In treating of the military antiquities, Mr. Ledwich remarks, that the Celtes, the original inhabitants of Ireland,

were

were a timid and unwarlike race. Their fortifications were only a fpot furrounded by felled trees or a ditch. The Firbolgs, on the contrary, were a military nation, and had regular armies constituted on feudal principles, and composed of infantry, cavalry, and war chariots. Their encampments were on conical rifing grounds, encircled with a fingle, double, or triple entrenchment. This fortified conical hill was called Dun, from its fhape. The Danish fortifications were high conical hills, infulated rocks, and particularly round forts of lime and ftone, which have been called Norwegian castles. About the conclufion of the twelfth century, the Irish had bridles, but no ftirrups, boots, or fpurs; and even in 1584, they were ftill without ftirrups. About that period the Gallowglafs, or foot foldier, was dreffed in a long fhirt of mail down to the calf of his leg, with a broad axe in his hand; thefe fhirts were ftained with faffron or human urine. The Kerns were light armed infantry, with fwords and javelins. The Hobbilers, or horsemen, wore a fhort coat of mail, and had lances, bows, arrows, and a fword. The Skene (from the Anglo-Saxon fegene) was a short sword, and was a Firbolgian inftrument.

The first established force in Ireland, was in 14th Edw. IV. when 120 archers on horfeback, 40 horfemen, and 40 pages, were allowed by parliament.-The pay of the Irish army under the duke of Clarence in 1361, was thus: the earl of Ormond for himself, 41. a day, 2 knights, 21. 17 efquires, Il. 20 hobbilers armed, 6d.

The building of forts and caftles was commenced in Ireland only after the conqueft by Henry II. and they were all constructed for many centuries by English architects and masons. In the courfe of time they multiplied to an incredible degree, fo that in 1606, by the inquifitions taken of fome Irish nobleman's eftates, it appears that fome of them had above fixty caftles. By inftructions from the council in 1615, we find places of defence diftinguished into forts, caftles, piles, or houses. By the firft are meant the old Danish forts; by piles, a collection of buildings encompaffed with a rampart, impaled, and which was afterwards ftyled a barn; and by houfes, thofe intended for defence with battlements and flankers. A plate of military antiquities accompanies this divifion of the work.

From fo picturesque a country as Ireland, the public will naturally expect a variety of striking and beautiful views, and in this the prefent volume will not difappoint them. The plates are in number 140, and befides thofe already noticed, are as follows:

COUNTY