:

upon the Anglo-Saxon tolm as a capricious variation, justified a little no doubt by the fact that p and f where always and every where'convertible letters. Our new system however teaches us that they are no such thing, always and every where; moreover that palma in Latin requires tolm in Anglo-Saxon, and that the more recent palm is therefore unorganic and French. The only evil attendant upon this work is its vast extent: but, however it may terrify the idle, or baffle the dull, it is the most magnificent present ever made to Teutonic scholars and as I have had good reason to know, the AngloSaxon grammar is beyond all comparison the most philosophical and complete that has ever yet appeared in Europe. It is hardly conceivable that upon the heels of such a book as this, which ought to have closed for ever the lips of all meaner students, a number of imperfect and careless books should follow close; but so it is. To such an extent do Englishmen shut out their neighbour's light, that, in the year 1829, Jos. Gwilt, Esq. compiling an Anglo-Saxon accidence, reproduced every error of Hickes; and, four years later, a yet more careless and useless grammar, if it be possible, was published by a Mr. Hunter. In the year 1825, the Rev. Dr. Ingram, who had been Anglo-Saxon profes

sor in the university of Oxford, gave us a more complete edition of the Chronicle than Bishop Gibson's, and prefixed a short grammar to it. Even as this professed little, so it deserves little of praise or blame. The grammar was not so full of blunders as those which had previously made their appearance in England. As for the chronicle itself, though more complete than Gibson's, it is far from being such an edition as was required; and is marked with some carelessness in the text, and occasional errors in the translation, which very often appears to bear a nearer resemblance to the Bishop's Latin than to the original Saxon. In the same year, the Rev. J. Bosworth's Anglo-Saxon grammar came before us, which, overladen as it is with useless and irrelevant notes, and by no means free from blunders, is yet of service to the student: though the abridgment published by himself, in 1826, is more straight-forward, and to the purpose, and pleases me better. Mr. Bosworth, however, manifests a want of acquaintance with Anglo-Saxon MSS. which in the eyes of those to whom they are familiar, will tend to lessen the value of his labours. These gentlemen are of opinion that it would have ben of much advantage to Mr. Bosworth, if instead of sticking so close to his Lye, and sneering at

Rask for not doing so too, he had consulteu the very numerous MS. authorities; from which he might have learnt that Lye is not quite so trust-worthy as he fancies; and even without the assistance of such education, the genius of Rask had enabled him to escape the English lexicographer's blunders. In 1826, the Rev. J. Conybeare published his brother's Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, with additions of his own. These have beyond a doubt been of considerable service to the student: and even had they done no more than present an analysis of the noble poem of Beowulf, would still have deserved the gratitude of Anglo-Saxon scholars. But unfortunately man is frail, and so are Anglo-Saxon professors, and so is the Rev. J. Conybeare, who has committed many grievous blunders, and whose book in consequence, if not looked to, may do quite as much harm as good'. In 1828, Mr. J. S. Cardale reprinted King Ælfred's will, with a preface and additional notes; and, in 1829, a second edition of Elfred's Boethius was published by the same gentleman. This differs from

1 Professor Conybeare has, I am happy to say, with a commendable zeal for the diffusion of Saxon learning, very liberally placed in the hands of the Antiquarian Society, many copies of this book, to be sold at a reduced price.

Rawlinson's in being accompanied by a very respectable translation: one regrets however that the editor has satisfied himself with giving only a specimen of the metrical portion, and has thereby very much diminished the value of his book. In 1830, the Saxon Menology, which had previously been printed by Hickes in his Thesaurus, was republished by the Rev. S. Fox, and though once or twice deformed by errors in translation, this is a creditable and useful book. To the theologian, however, by far the most interesting of all the Saxon published works appeared this year under the title of Bampton Lectures by the Rev. H. Soames of Wadham College, Oxford. In these the faith and morals of our ancient church are investigated; long extracts are given from the homilies; and these are accurately and soundly translated.

Aware however of the difficulties which press upon the unaided student, the lovers of Saxon learning determined, in 1830, to form themselves into an association for the purpose of assisting the publication of works in that language. The Antiquarian Society, to whose fellows the plan was communicated, thought it desirable that the work should be undertaken by themselves, and appointed a commit

tee to carry the objects of the association into effect. It was immediately determined that a new edition of Cadmon should be published, and that the chronicle of Lazamon should be printed, now for the first time. The latter of these works, entrusted to Sir F. Madden, we yet look for. The Cadmon was brought out, in 1832, by B. Thorpe, Esq., and easily claims to be an excellent and satisfactory edition indeed, when the wretched state of the only MS. is taken into consideration, Mr. Thorpe deserves the very highest praise for the scholar-like manner in which he has settled and interpreted his text. Of the edition of Beowulf, published by myself in 1833, I am not the person whom it becomes to speak. I believe that I have settled the text with more accuracy than has hitherto been shown by those who have printed portions of it; and the glossary of the more difficult words will be found useful. The notation of the long vowels is deficient in many cases and all I have to say respecting this, is, that in the first attempt ever made in England to separate the short from the long sounds, upon a philosophical principle of analogy, and the authority of MSS., I am justified in claiming favour for errors, which principally result from want of