• What though on hamely fare we dine,
Wear hoddin grey, and a' that;

Gie fools their filks, and knaves their wine,
A man's a man for a' that:

For a' that, and a' that,

Their tinfel fhow, and a' that;
The honeft man, though e'er fae poor,
Is king o' men for a' that.

Ye fee yon birkie, ca'd a lord,

Wha ftruts, and ftares, and a' that;
Though hundreds worship at his word,
He's but a coof for a' that:

For a' that, and a' that,

His ribband, ftar, and a' that,
The man of independent mind,
He looks and laughs at a' that.

A prince can mak a belted knight,
A marquis, duke, and a' that;
But an honeft man's aboon his might,
Gude faith he mauna fa' that!

For a' that, and a' that,

Their dignities, and a' that,
The pith o' fenfe, and pride o'worth,
Are higher ranks than a' that.

Then let us pray that come it may,

As come it will for a' that,

That fenfe and worth, o'er a' the earth,

May bear the gree, and a' that,

For a' that, and a' that,

Its comin yet for a' that,

That man to man, the warld o'er,

Shall brothers be for a' that.' Vol. iv. P. 216.

We fhall conclude our extracts with the Chevalier's Lament, a pathetic lyrical ballad, written in the character of the brave, though unfortunate, young pretender.

The fmall birds rejoice in the green leaves returning,
The murmuring ftreamlet winds clear thro' the vale;
The hawthorn trees blow in the dews of the morning,
And wild scattered cowflips bedeck the green dale:

But what can give pleasure, or what can feem fair,
While the lingering moments are numbered by care?
No flowers gayly fpringing, nor birds fweetly finging,
Can foothe the fad bofom of joy lefs defpair.

The deed that I dared could it merit their malice,
A king and a father to place on his throne:
His right are these hills, and his right are these vallies,
Where the wild beasts find shelter, but I can find none.

But 'tis not my fufferings thus wretched, forlorn,
My brave gallant friends, 'tis your ruin I mourn;
Your deeds proved fo loyal, in hot bloody trial,
Alas! can I make you no fweeter return! E.'

Vol. ii. P. 145.

The fourth volume, from which we have taken the greater part of our extracts, is occupied by Burns's correfpondence with Mr. Thomson, the editor of A felect Collection of original Scottish Airs.' This correfpondence exhibits Burns in a very interefting point of view. Actuated by a pure and patriotic zeal for the honour of his native land, he gratuitoufly fupplied Mr. Thomfon with his moft beautiful lyric productions; nor could he be perfuaded to accept any pecuniary recompenfe till the preffure of extreme poverty at length impelled him to apply to Mr. Thomfon for five pounds, in addition to the like fum, which, in the outfet of their correfpondence, that gentleman had forced upon his acceptance.

On clofing our review of these volumes, we hefitate not to fay that Dr. Currie has moft religioufly fulfilled the duties of an editor. In every part of the work he has exercised the difcretion of found judgement, and the diligence of strict attention. The flowers which he has fcattered over the humble grave of Burns will for ever bloom to his own honour; and we cordially fubfcribe to the generally received opinion, that if the biographer have been happy in the felection of a poct worthy the exertion of his talents, the poet is no lefs fortunate in the poffeffion of a biographer competent to do juftice to his various and furprifing merits.

Animadverfions on the Elements of Chriftian Theology by the Reverend George Pretyman, D. D. F. R. S. Lord Bishop of Lincoln; in a Series of Letters addreffed to his Lordjaip by William Frend. 8vo. 35. fewed. Ridgway. 1800.

THE favourite pofition of lord Shaftesbury, that ridicule is the test of truth, feems, in fome meafure, to have operated, upon the mind of Mr. Frend in the compofition of the letters before us: and there is, in confequence, a degree of humour pervading the whole work, which fome of our readers may be apt to regard as a mifapplication of levity. We bring no fuch, charge, however, against the author ourselves; and are free to contefs, that amidit the vapid and jejune warfare into which, we are fo frequently compelled by polemical combatants, we have been far more entertained by this novel mode of attack than by the ufual and more ponderous one of dull and formal difquifition. The light artillery of humour conftitutes, nevertheless, not the only weapons with which Mr, Frend enters the

field of conteft. Much folid argument, oftentimes mathematically correct, is intermingled with the arch feverity of his fatire-and while we are amufed we are inftructed.

The Animadverfions' confift of twenty letters, perfonally addreffed, as the title-page itfelf expreffes, to the bishop of Lincoln, upon his Elements of Chriftian Theology'-a work which has already paffed with encomium beneath our notice *; and as the introductory letter explains the general object of the writer, and is compofed with the true fpirit of courtefy and liberality, we fhall transcribe it with much pleafure.

Reasons for writing-fhameful fyftem of two divines reprobated the bifhop's opinion of fubfcription to the thirty-nine articles-the writer's excufe for abftaining from long quotations.

• My Lord,

On hearing that your lordship had published an elementary work on theology, my curiofity was excited to difcover the progrefs which had been made within the laft hundred years in that much neglected fcience; and to learn, from good authority, what are the prefent doctrines of the church of England. Your work gratified me in both refpects; and I fhould have contented myself with the pleafure derived from the firft perufal, if a fingularity in the conclusion had not forcibly attracted my attention, and led me into a farther investigation of your lordship's principles. You ftand forward the decided advocate of truth-the pernicious fyftem which, with flameless effrontery, has been promulgated by two doctors of the church of England, receives no countenance from your lordfhip-you require of perfons who dedicate themfelves to the office of teaching, that they fhould really believe, what, in your lordship's prefence, they have fubfcribed. You do not admit the fpecious glofies and jefuitical pretences, by which thefe divines palliate the most notorious frauds, and would make the church of England an afylum for the credulous and the incredulous, the pious and the impious, the active fearcher after truth, and the rapacious hunter after preferment. I honour you, my lord, for your decifion. May it produce the defired effect on your brethren on the bench! May it diffipate a fyftem founded on a flagrant abuse of talents, and calcu lated to produce a total neglect of moral duty in the clergy, and an entire diftruft of them among the laity!

In oppofition to thefe divines, your lordship justly afferts, "that the clergy fhould unfeignedly believe the truth of the doc"trines contained in the thirty-nine articles; and, that "it behoyes every one, before he offers himself a candidate for holy orders, to perufe carefully the articles of the church, and to compare them with the written word of God. If upon mature examination," your lordhip adds, he believes them to be authorised by fcripture, he may

* See our XXVIIIth Vol. New Arr. p. 35.

confcientiously fubfcribe them; but if, on the contrary, he thinks, that he fees reafon to diffent from any of the doctrines afferted in them, no hope of emolument or honour, no dread of inconvenience or disappointment should induce him to exprefs his folemn affent to propofitions, which, in fact, he does not believe." Such language is worthy of the overfeer of any church; and your lordhip's farther exhortation deferves to be recorded. "Let it be remembered, that in a business of this ferious and important nature no fpecies whatever of evafion, fubterfuge, or referve, is to be allowed, or can be practifed without imminent danger of incurring the wrath of God. The articles are to be subscribed in their plain and obvious sense; and affent is to be given to them fimply and unequivocally. Thus only can a perfon offer himself at the table of the Lord, as his minifter, with fafety: thus only can he expect to receive the divine bleffing upon that courfe of life, to which he has folemnly devoted himself."

• These extracts, according entirely with my own fentiments, I have copied with great pleafure; and in the future letters, which I fhall have the honour of addreffing to your lordship, my eye will be continually directed to them, that, if any thing should be found in your interpretation of the articles to be not confiftent with the forms laid down for fubfcription, I may give your lordship the opportunity of farther examination; and your lordship's condefcenfion in declaring, that you "fhall very readily attend to any fuggeftion or advice, whether it relates to error or omiffion," induces me to hope, that you will not be difpleafed at this intrufion on your time, and interefting avocations. I must premife only, that it is not in my power to imitate your lordship in referring to and making copious extracts from a variety of writers; my fcanty library does not contain thofe valuable writings in which my time was once fo agreeably and, I thought, ufefully employed: your lordfhip's work, and my old friends Trommius, Schmidt, Griefbach's Greek Teftament, and Leusden's Hebrew Bible, are the only works to which I fhall have recourse, unless perchance I fhould, in a friend's library, be enabled to caft my eye on fome of the works quoted in the margin of your Elements of Theology. Of this defect I do not, in this inftance, complain very bitterly; as every position, in which we agree or differ, must be brought to the test of fcripture, and cannot be determined by any other authority. With great refpect I beg leave to fubfcribe myself, my lord, your lordship's affectionate brother in Chrift, WILLIAM FREND.'

To convey to our readers a knowledge of the fubjects of the enfuing Letters,' we fhall tranfcribe their titles.

LETTER II. Vulgar prejudices on christening-difputes on baptifm-fashionable folly of the members of the church-difficulties on the fubject-bishop's folution of them-examined by fcrip

ture-bishop's interpretation of a Greek word-baptifm can be performed only by dipping.

III. Chriftians divided on the extent of the baptifmal precept -its perpetuity maintained by a very great majority on two specious arguments-grounds for the rite among Jews and Christians -the end of the world in the baptifmal precept, a mis-tranflation -advantages from our ignorance in the hiftory of the apoftolical and following age-reafous for the ceffation of baptifm with the apoftolical age-baptifm worthy of great respect.

IV. Mifchiefs derived from it-fentiments of the church of England on this subject right-derivation and meaning of the term -right to excommunicate—who ought either to be excommunicated or to excommunicate themfelves.

V. How to treat an excommunicated perfon-heathens and publicans dangerous opinion of the bishop-confequence of the civil power interfering with excommunication-Chriftian excommunication-the writer's and bishop's mode of excommunicating each other.

VI. Difficulties of the early protestants—the bishop and the writer hereticks the church of England's decifion right-abuse of authority-a curious inftance-question to the bishop.

• VII. The famous fires in Alexandria and London-the writer takes a journey-is much abused on the road-finds the early fathers different ways of travelling-fome very ftrange parties galloped over a great number of people.

VIII. Derivation and meaning of the words church, bishop, prefbyter-a long ladder-uninterrupted fucceffion of bishops where -alliance of church and state-alliance of kirk and state-all Chriftians equally priests-but a public teacher or reader may be ufeful.

IX. Fables according to the bishop dangerous, deceitful and blafphemous-the Lord's Supper in its origin-how changed-not a fupper but a feaft upon a facrifice.

X. Invafion of the king's prerogative-attempt to restore itobjections to the perpetuity of the rite of the Lord's Supper-use and abuse of it.

XI. Unchriftian difputes on the Trinity-Jewish opinions of the oneness of God-belief nominal or real archbishop Secker— artift's widow-Hindoo Trinity.

XII. Erroneous judgement-singular use of language inftanced in the Norfolk dialect-did not lead the Jews into error-and is not an apology for the fons of Japhet.

XIII. Search after the Trinity in the New Testament—three paffages examined-nine perfons in the Trinity-Trinity not found by the bishop in either Old or New Testament.

XIV. Jefus not God before he was thirty years old-made himself God afterwards, if we believe the Jews-denies that be ever made himself God--the Jews put him to death against their law.