itself to the delineation of subjects connected with the present civilized state of mankind, is surely inadequate to the expression of those magnificently sublime, and soul-thrilling ideas, which are excited in our minds by the account of such scenes as the Creation and the Deluge.

Before we commence this part of the subject it will be proper to state concisely the effects which, in our opinion, the Translation has produced upon our literature, in order that this hypothesis may act as a guide to us in our research, and enable us to elicit the truth with greater facility. The Bible is a book not subject to those vicissitudes of fashion on which all other publications, of whatsoever merit or nature, must be dependent; but it will be read as long as the Christian religion, that is, as long as the world shall exist. What book, then, could have been fixed upon better calculated than this for a standard of language: yet in the Dictionaire de l'Académie in France, we have a memorable example of the defects almost inseparable from such an undertaking, for even that most gigantic and

well executed work has failed to preserve in use many excellent old French words; but our Bible, if it be considered as it really is, the standard of our language, possesses one great advantage over the French Dictionary, inasmuch as the constantly reading of it in the churches contributes to keep well impressed upon the minds of all classes those old words, the meaning of which, in these days, we should otherwise be hardly able to comprehend.

To obtain a good translation of the Scriptures,

the

persons engaged in the work saw at once of how great importance it was to examine and compare the several versions in different languages, and it was an easy and obvious undertaking for them, while engaged in this part of their task, to enrich our language with the addition of many foreign phrases, by making literal translations of such parts of the several versions as appeared the most to admit of them.

The rendering the pages of Holy Writ, particularly of the Old Testament, into the English tongue, opened at once a most fertile mine to all persons possessed of a poetical cast of

mind. The imagery and customs of a foreign country, which embraces a very large portion of the globe, and is remarkable as the scene of the first great events in the history of man, and, moreover, as the cradle of the arts, were at once brought home to the door of every Englishman, instead of being, as heretofore, confined to the learned in languages. A boundless field was opened to the adventurous; whence ideas, similes, and stories, were to be gathered, adapted to every taste; and equally available for imitation, amplification, or comparison.

We may, therefore, justly infer that the vulgar translation has probably exercised a beneficial influence upon our literature: first, as being a standard of the purity of our language; secondly, as having naturalized, in our country, foreign idioms and words, and having thereby enriched our tongue; thirdly, as having thrown open the gate of the holy Scriptures to all persons, and having thereby conferred on every one the power of profiting by the beauties which they contain.

V. 1. Before we attempt, according to the plan laid down in a former part of this Essay, to make a critical examination of the principal standard works in the English language since the reign of James the First; we must not omit to notice two authors of very great reputation, who occupy too important a station among the literary worthies of our country, to be passed over in silence; we mean Shakespeare and Spenser. It is true that they flourished before the execution of that corrected and final translation which will eternally reflect so much honour upon the otherwise inglorious reign of James the First; but the reader must bear in mind, as, indeed, we stated before, that there were other translations antecedent to it in point of date, upon which, in fact, it was founded; translations that were deservedly popular. We shall first notice one or two remarkable coincidences (to say the least of them) between the language of Sacred Writ and that of Shakespeare, particularly as they appear to bear upon a very important point; namely, that

the familiarity with the vulgar translation of the Bible, so much encouraged by our Protestant institutions, has tended to naturalize in the minds of many of our writers expressions which having been afterwards, perhaps, involuntarily introduced into their works, have subjected them to a charge of plagiarism, which is often advanced on far too frivolous ground to be satisfactorily maintained.

In the play of "Measure for Measure" there

Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,
Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues
Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike

As if we had them not; spirits are not finely touch'd
But to fine issues.-ACT I. SCENE 1.

The poet here manifestly alludes to the passage in St. MARK, v. 25, &c. where Jesus "is conscious that virtue had gone out of him" when the woman was cured of an issue by touching his garment.

f See Mr. Whiter's ingenious Essay upon Shakespeare, to which the writer is indebted for this and the following instance.