the question were ever to arise between an abandonment of the Church's principles and the sacrifice of its endowments, it will be found that their choice has been made beforehand: they would take, if not joyfully, yet resignedly, the spoiling of their goods, in the strength of that confidence which hath great recompense of reward."

If our Dissenting brethren would permit us to say a kind word to them, we should entreat them, instead of endeavouring to dismantle the Church in such times as these, to concentrate their energies and zeal more and more upon those good works which they have begun for the supply of all those vast wastes in the population of their cities and elsewhere, which the united influence of Church and Dissent have not yet furnished with the public means of religion. But if their views of duty will not permit them to remain at peace with the Established Church, we would remind them of the words of one of their most learned and excellent divines ::

"Let our words and our works bear witness that we have no sinister designs; and that we abhor every form of partiality in statement, or unfairness in argument, all that is flippant, contemptuous, sarcastic, unjust, ungenerous, unkind, in sentiment or in expression. *** Let us most rigidly observe accuracy in stating facts, and Christian kindness in our animadversions. Mr. (Archdeacon) Hodson protests with mildness and dignity against the wild exaggerations which have been thrown abroad (chiefly, I believe, by anonymous writers) upon the wealth of the Establishment; and he produces striking instances of the presuming ignorance or malevolent falsifications of certain industriously circulated statements. If any men should persist in disseminating falsehoods, let us prove, by every means in our power, how much we abhor such proceedings, in any form and under any pretext." Dr. Pye Smith's Sermon, App. p. 38.

And if our Brethren of the Church of England would permit us a word of kind and affectionate suggestion to them, we should say over again all that Dr. Smith in the above quotation has said to his brethren; and then we should add: See that your Christian brotherhood with the religious Dissenters be remembered, no matter what be done against you; see that full credit be given for their talent, learning, piety, and usefulness; if Christ be preached by them, rejoice, and determine that you will, in all circumstances, rejoice. Summon the voluntary ef forts of the members of the Church to further and further measures of bounty and labour, for the increase of churches, and ministers, and missionaries, and all good works at home and abroad. Nobly you have begun in these efforts. Nobly must

you increase. Above all, arise and shine more perfectly, more clearly, in every feature and member, in the light and glory of Christ the Lord. The world looks to you. Millions on millions of the perishing wait for you. That the revival of genuine piety, active benevolence, faithful preaching among her ministry, and earnest effort for the interests of religion among all her members, which has been seen in the Church of England in late years, may be carried on wider and wider, till every corner of England is made to feel that her Church is a dispenser as well as depository of the truth; this should be the earnest prayer of all her children; this is life, health, stability, beauty, and glory. So do the several eminent and excellent men, of whose charges we now respectfully take leave, most earnestly testify and exhort.

ART. II.-History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic. By WILLIAM H. PRESCOTT. Boston: American Stationers' Company. 1838. 3 Vols. 8vo.

THE language and literature, as well as the history of Spain, have, till within a few years past, attracted little attention in the United States-a neglect which would be a subject of the greater reproach to us, if we could not find some apology for it in the less pardonable indifference of other nations, who have more leisure to indulge themselves in the pleasures of literature than falls to the lot of the ever-busy inhabitants of the United States. Even in France—the genial soil of elegant learning— that learning which constitutes the last finish of a gentleman-even in France, and in our own day too, Sismondi complains that "Spanish printed books are rare and difficult to be procured; that hardly any of them have been translated, and scarcely any one, that has a reputation throughout Europe." The same able writer, notwithstanding his national bias, then adds, with equal candour and justice towards the illustrious scholars of that nation which now holds the first rank in general literature-"It is the Germans alone who have employed themselves with zeal in the literary history of Spain; and, notwithstanding the efforts I have made to procure original works, even in the most celebrated libraries of the Italian States in which Spanish princes have reigned, yet I have been obliged, more than once, to rest my opinions upon the faith of

the German writers, Bouterwek, Dieze, and Schlegel;" the truth of which acknowledgment will be obvious upon the slightest comparison of his work with those of the learned Germans to whom he refers. Indeed, a severe judge might find some grounds for charging him with appropriating to himself more of their labours than his general admission would fairly lead his readers to suppose; for it will be seen that he has copied page after page from some of his German authorities. But it is not our object, at this time, to adjust the account between this intelligent writer and his German neighbours. We have introduced his remarks on the extraordinary degree of ignorance prevailing in relation to the language and literature of Spain, both in France and other parts of Europe-not even excepting England, although the writers of that country, as Mr. Prescott justly observes, have done more for the illustration of Spanish history than for that of any other except their own*—that, as Americans, we may stand justified in some degree for being guilty of the same neglect of the literature and history of that distinguished nation. Indeed, we may apply to the case of the Spanish language the just and beautiful remarks of that accomplished scholar, Sir William Jones, in which he feelingly laments the utter indifference so long manifested by his countrymen to the cultivation of the beautiful language of Persia. "It must seem strange," says he, "that the study of this language should be so little cultivated at a time when a taste for general and diffusive learning seems universally to prevail; and that the fine productions of a celebrated nation should remain in manuscript upon the shelves of our public libraries, without a single admirer, who might open their treasures to his countrymen, and display their beauties to the light." This elegant writer then states very briefly the causes which, in England and other parts of Europe, have obstructed the progress of the literature of Persia and the East; and here again his remarks are so applicable to the present case, that we cannot forbear quoting a part of them: "Some men," says he, "never heard of the Asiatic writings, and others will not be convinced that there is any thing valuable in them; some pretend to be busy, and others are really idle; some detest the Persians because they believe in Mahommed, and others despise their language because they do not understand it. We all love to excuse or to conceal our ignorance, and are seldom willing to allow any excellence beyond the limits of our own attainments; like the savages, who thought that the sun

* Preface, p. 5.

NO. IV.-VOL. II.

+ Persian Grammar, Preface, p. 1 and seq.

39

rose and set for them alone, and could not imagine that the waves, which surrounded their island, left coral and pearls upon any other shore. Since then the literature of Asia was so much neglected," he adds, "and the causes of that neglect were so various, we could not have expected that any slight power would rouse the nations of Europe from their inattention to it; and they would, perhaps, have persisted in despising it if they had not been animated by the most powerful incentive that can influence the mind of man-interest was the magic wand which brought them all within one circle; interest was the charm which gave the languages of the East a real and solid importance..... the Persian language found its way into India ... our India Company began to take under their protection the princes of the country by whose co-operation they gained their first settlement; a number of important affairs were to be transacted in peace and war between nations equally jealous of one another, who had not the common instrument of conveying their sentiments; the servants of the Company received letters which they could not read, and were ambitious of gaining titles of which they could not comprehend the meaning; it was found highly dangerous to employ the natives as interpreters, upon whose fidelity they could not depend; and it was at last discovered that they must apply themselves to the study of the Persian language, in which all the letters. from the Indian princes were written. A few men of parts and taste, who resided in Bengal, have since amused themselves with the literature of the East, and have spent their leisure in reading the poems and histories of Persia ... the languages of Asia will now, perhaps, be studied with uncommon ardour; they are known to be useful, and will soon be found to be instructive and entertaining."

The spirit of these remarks is, to a great extent, applicable to the study of the Spanish language in the United States. The revolutions of the Spanish American provinces and their final dismemberment from the mother country, have opened their extensive trade to the rest of the world; and the people of the United States, from their proximity and other causes, have participated largely in it. There has been a constantly increasing intercourse between the two people, more intimate commercial and other relations-a necessity of understanding each other's languages-in a word, to adopt the sentiment of Sir William Jones, that most powerful incentive, interest--has been "the magic wand," which has brought the people of other countries, and particularly of the United States, within the same circle, and given to the noble but long

neglected language of Spain "a real and solid importance." We may add, too, that a few persons of taste among us have also indulged themselves in the literature of Spain, and spent their leisure in reading the histories and other writings of that great but unfortunate nation; and we may at length congratulate ourselves that our knowledge of Spanish works is no longer confined to spiritless translations of the Life and Adventures of Don Quixote and his trusty squire.

Among the fruits of these studies, the admirable work now under consideration, taken in all respects, holds the first rank. We say this without meaning in any manner to derogate from the indisputable and very high merit of the works relating to Spanish history, published by our distinguished countryman, Mr. Irving; which possess the rare merit of imparting, in his peculiar and inimitable manner, both instruction and delight, but which cover only a small portion of the ground occupied by the work before us.

It is not among the least remarkable circumstances attending Mr. Prescott's work, that it should have been written under disadvantages and obstacles which would have deterred any one whose mind was not resolutely and devotedly fixed upon accomplishing an object that was of intense interest to the author. This interest has given a spirit and animation to the narrative, which is rarely found in works even of established writers when not produced under such a stimulus. Indeed, it is no less true in historical than in poetical composition, that the author must. be impelled by something of the divine inspiration of the muse, in the choice of his subject and in the conduct of his work. "It was," says Gibbon, "as I sat musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol, while the bare-footed friars were singing vespers in the temple of Jupiter, that the idea of writing the decline and fall of the city first started to my mind." In the same manner, we have often thought, every work which we call a work of genius has been produced, and will carry with it that freshness and spirit which are quite as necessary as its materials and style to ensure immortality. Useful and important works, it is true, may be written by men of talents, even when undertaken as a formal task; but such works will be destitute of that interest which carries the reader along with his author without being sensible of his progress. Such we feel to be the case in the work before us; the author has been directed by a stimulus of this kind to the most fortunate choice of a subject of intense interest to those persons who know any thing of Spanish history;

Memoirs of his Life, p. 129.