especially in its Egyptian form, have been connected with the origin of the expression of the prophet Malachi (iv. 2), “The sun of righteousness with healing in his wings"? The serpent, with which it has, we believe, been found associated, is well known to have been an emblem of healing in Egyptian theology.

A bas-relief of the later Assyrian period represents a procession of warriors carrying on their shoulders four images, which Mr. Layard supposes to denote either gods of the conquered Babylonians, or, more probably, Assyrian divinities.

"The first deity mentioned by Diodorus is Jupiter, the Belus, or Baal, of the Babylonians. He is seen, he says, in the act of walking. The commentators have objected to this description, that the chief of the gods would scarcely have been represented otherwise than seated on his throne. The bas-relief, however, confirms the statement of the geographer; for the god is represented with one leg in advance, as if in the act of walking. That it is the figure of Baal, or the great divinity of the Babylonians, may be inferred from the passage in the Epistle of Jeremy. Now shall ye see, in Babylon,' says the prophet, 'gods of silver, and of gold, and of wood, borne upon shoulders. And he that cannot put to death one that offendeth him holdeth a sceptre, as though he were a judge of the country. He hath also in his right hand a dagger and an axe.' He is thus seen in the bas-relief; and the introduction of the axe could scarcely have been accidental. The sculpture, therefore, appears to corroborate the authenticity of, and to illustrate the Epistle."-Vol. II. pp. 452, 453.

Reference is here made to the apocryphal book of Baruch (ch. vi. 4, 14, 15), and to Isaiah (xlvi. 6, 7).

A female winged figure, introduced in the embroideries of robes in the most ancient palace at Nimroud, is identified by Mr. Layard as the celebrated goddess Astarta, Mylitta or Venus, alluded to in the Old Testament as the Queen of Heaven; but there is a remarkable absence of unseemly symbols on the Assyrian monuments, shewing considerable purity of taste and feeling.

One of the most prominent of the sacred types on the earliest monuments, is the eagle-headed human figure before mentioned. It is sometimes represented as contending, and always successfully, with the other mythic animals, whence it may be inferred that it was a type of the Supreme Deity, or of one of his principal attributes. Mr. Layard here quotes from a fragment of the Zoroastrian oracles preserved by Eusebius, commencing, "God is he that has the head of a hawk." Among other emblematical forms, occurs a winged horse, closely resembling the Pegasus of the Greeks. Our author remarks upon the striking similarity of the principal symbolical figures to those described by Ezekiel in his vision (i.).

"As the prophet had beheld the Assyrian palaces, with their mysterious images and gorgeous decorations, it is highly probable that, when seeking to typify certain divine attributes, and to describe the divine glory, he chose forms that were not only familiar to him, but to the people whom he addressed -captives like himself in the land of Assyria. Those who were uncorrupted by even the outward forms of idolatry, sought for images to convey the idea of the Supreme God. Ezekiel saw in his vision the likeness of four living creatures, which had four faces, four wings, and the hands of a man under their wings, on their four sides. Their faces were those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. By them was a wheel, the appearance of which was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.' It will be observed that the four

forms chosen by Ezekiel to illustrate his description-the man, the lion, the bull, and the eagle,--are precisely those which are constantly found on Assyrian monuments as religious types. The wheel within wheel,' mentioned in connection with the emblematical figures, may refer to the winged circle, or wheel, representing at Nimroud the supreme deity. These coincidences are too marked not to deserve notice; and do certainly lead to the inference, that the symbols chosen by the prophet were derived from the Assyrian sculptures."-Vol. II. pp. 464, 465.

A lion with eagle's wings is introduced as a type of strength and power by others of the prophets who were familiar with the Assyrian and Babylonian temples. See, for example, Daniel vii. 4. Mr. Layard finds traces of the worship of fire, a corruption of Sabæanism, only in the less ancient edifices, and conjectures that the Persians adopted it from the Assyrians. The fir-cone, so frequently occurring, may have been emblematic of fire from its inflammable nature, and is sometimes painted red; and it has been suggested that the square vessel generally accompanying it was typical of water, the other sacred element. Mr. Layard notices as remarkable the presence of eunuchs at religious ceremonies as principal actors. The priests in the sculptures cannot, at least, be distinguished from the eunuchs represented elsewhere.

In speaking of the burial of the kings, and the apparent statement of Ctesias that Semiramis buried the palace of Ninus with himself, Mr. Layard seems inclined to suppose that the oldest palace at Nimroud may have been purposely covered up. He does not, however, attempt to determine anything either as to the actual place of burial or mode of death of Ninus or of Sardanapalus, the first and the last of the Assyrian kings; nor how much of what we read of them in ancient authors is to be received as historical, or regarded as mythical, or rejected as romantic fiction.

We fear we shall be pronounced sadly wanting in the spirit of antiquarian research, if we confess that, even during the perusal of Mr. Layard's animating volumes, whilst we have entered deeply into the absorbing interest and delight which must be experienced by an intelligent traveller, lost to all cares and troubles of his own busy age in exploring memorials of the silent Past,―we have felt some misgivings as to the wisdom and propriety of such ardent self-devotion to a pursuit of merely speculative interest, when in the living world around there is so much practical good to be done, so much misery and evil to be mitigated or removed. We read with some degree of sympathy the homely inquiries of the astonished Arab Sheikh :

"In the name of the Most High, tell me, O Bey, what you are going to do with those stones. So many thousands of purses spent upon such things! Can it be, as you say, that your people learn wisdom from them; or is it, as his reverence the Cadi declares, that they are to go to the palace of your Queen, who, with the rest of the unbelievers, worships these idols? As for wisdom, these figures will not teach you to make any better knives, or scissors, or chintzes; and it is in the making of those things that the English shew their wisdom."-Vol. II. p. 84.

But we are perhaps unreasonable and wrong in our misgivings as to the actual importance of any researches which excite the imagination, widen the scope of the mind, and gratify its natural and strong desire to look back into preceding ages. At all events, it would be very ungrateful to Mr. Layard not to acknowledge that he has most persever

ingly and ably done the work which seemed given him to do; and we ought to compare him with the multitudes who devote themselves to no great object, as well as with the few whose qualifications and impulses may lead them to undertakings of more practical value in our utilitarian eyes. The actual results, however, even of Mr. Layard's praiseworthy and successful labours, have induced us to recur, with fresh interest and appreciation, to some remarks by the admirable author of the Essay on Primæval History, to whose far worthier hands we wish, by the way, that our present task could have fallen.

"When civilization has regained possession of its ancient seats in Asia, monuments now covered by the soil may be brought to light, and patient research unravel the secret of their mysterious characters. But there will still remain, before the earliest inscription, ages which we must be content to know only in their results, the infancy of the human race, too unconscious of its relation to the future, to reflect upon and register the steps by which it was advancing to maturity.

"The causes which have buried primæval history in impenetrable darkness, extend their influence over many centuries, and make our knowledge of them obscure, imperfect, and comparatively uninstructive. Were not the impulse to possess ourselves of any information respecting the past irresistible, we might wonder at the eagerness with which we endeavour to establish on evidence, only probable at best, a few insulated facts in the histories of Egypt or Assyria. Their monuments shew by their magnitude and durability the vast amount of labour concentrated in their execution, and hence enable us to infer the wealth and population of the kingdom, and the powers which despotism gave to the monarch, of employing the labour of his subjects for his own gratification, or the authority of the religion, to whose rites these structures were dedicated. But how little can we learn of that which makes history most valuable, of the characters of sovereigns, of civil, military, and religious institutions, of laws and their influence on the happiness of the community! Only nations which have left us literature, as well as monuments, can be so fully known, as either to be intelligible themselves, or furnish us with any principles of historical philosophy.”— Essay on Primæval History, pp. 159–161.

It is now high time for us to bring our present remarks to a close. We have omitted to mention that the work before us is amply and richly illustrated with plates, wood-cuts and plans, chiefly from sketches made by the author himself, though, among his other alleged deficiencies, he tells us that he was unpractised in the use of the pencil, and greatly felt the want of an experienced draughtsman to assist him. We cannot conclude without joining in his regret that several of the precious specimens of ancient Assyrian art, which he was at so much pains to despatch in safety to the British Museum, have been delayed in their journey, or injured by carelessness and unwarrantable exposure, the most valuable of the smaller specimens being lost; thus, as he justly remarks, causing an irreparable loss to the nation, besides being a most unworthy return for the genius and energy of the accomplished and devoted explorer.

J. R.

***We are glad to learn from the newspapers that Mr. Layard (who was before, we believe, an unpaid attaché of the embassy at Constantinople) has been promoted to the rank of a paid attaché; and that the Trustees of the British Museum have voted a grant of £3000 for the continuance of the researches at Nimroud.

MEMOIR OF THE LATE REV. ROBERT ASPLAND.

CHAPTER XXIV.

A LARGE portion of the present Chapter must be devoted to a selection from Mr. Aspland's correspondence.

Rev. Thomas Belsham to Rev. Robert Aspland.

"Essex Street, Jan. 7, 1818. "Dear Sir,-I enclose a few remarks upon my friend Heinekin's letter in your last Repository; and having said my say, I mean now to take leave of the subject. The controversy lies in a nutshell; but the insurmountable obstacle is the want of authority from the New Testament, and the magical effect of the word Tradition. Upon this subject Catholics argue far more rationally than Protestants, who always assume, though they do not explicitly assert, the universal inspiration of the N. T. Let but each book be considered as a separate record, more or less perfect, and resting on its own specific evidence, and the spell is dissolved. All evidence will then be historical, or, if you please, traditional. Till this is done, we shall never appreciate the N. T. rationally or justly, nor value it according to its real and inestimable worth. But I am running into a dissertation instead of a letter.

"In your interesting memoir of Joyce you have fallen into an error-not, indeed, of any moment. He officiated and administered the Lord's Supper at Prince's Street the day when he underwent his painful and hazardous operation. When he returned home, Mr. Cline had been a short time in waiting for him.-With the best compliments of the season to yourself, Mrs. Aspland and your whole family circle, I am, dear Sir, very sincerely yours,

T. BELSHAM."

The severe and anxious duties which at this time occupied Mr. Aspland, as resident Tutor of the Unitarian Academy, as the Editor of two religious periodicals, and as the Secretary of the Unitarian Fund, in addition to those of the pulpit and the pastoral office, were excessive, and in the end seriously impaired his health. During considerable portions of the years 1818 and 1819, he was disabled by serious illness. In ascending the mountain of Cader Idris, in the autumn of 1817, he had given himself a strain, of which at the time he made light, but the effects of which he felt to the close of his life in periodical visitations of acute local disease. His general health also for a time gave way, and he yielded to the urgent remonstrances of his medical advisers, so far as to contract the very wide circle of his public engagements. The financial condition of the Unitarian Academy, from the first unsatisfactory, had latterly become hopelessly bad. He felt it impossible to continue the struggle to maintain the institution, and after the session of 1818, the students did not return to Durham House. The Secretaryship of the Unitarian Fund, which he had held from the establishment of the Society in 1806, was also of necessity resigned,† and was under

Mr. Belsham's Plea for Infant Baptism was about this time the subject of much criticism in the Monthly Repository.

† At the anniversary meeting held May 13, the following resolution was unanimously adopted: "That the members of this Society learn with deep regret that Mr. Aspland's ill health prevents his again accepting the office of Secretary. His important, laborious and continued services have entitled him to their warmest gratitude. They are convinced that the respectability, usefulness and permanence of the Unitarian Fund; its gradual progress; its present flourishing

taken by Rev. W. J. Fox, whose removal from Chichester to London, as successor to Mr. Vidler, had been earnestly promoted by Mr. Aspland, and had been hailed with general satisfaction by the friends of popular Unitarianism in London.

If pecuniary considerations had been allowed to sway him, he would at the same time have discontinued the Monthly Repository, the sale of which, after twelve years' struggle, was announced to be "not adequate to the expense, much less to the labour, required to conduct it reputably." The nation was now severely suffering from heavy taxation, the consequence of the costly war recently brought to a close. Periodical literature quickly feels the effects of hard times. But experience had increased his conviction of the importance to the Unitarian body of a publication like the Monthly Repository, and indeed of " its necessity to enable them to co-operate in their various institutions and associations for common good," and, notwithstanding declining health, he made an earnest appeal to the denomination in behalf of the Magazine, anxious, at all events, to secure its continuance, even if he should find it necessary to resign the conduct of it into other hands. The appeal was answered with great liberality, and in the following year he was enabled to offer both it and the Christian Reformer, as successful and in a small degree profitable works, to his friend Mr. Rutt. The agreement to transfer the editorship and proprietorship of the two Magazines to that gentleman was all but completed, when, for some reasons not stated, it was suddenly put aside.-The following is one of many letters addressed to Mr. Aspland on the subject of the Monthly Repository.

Rev. John Yates to Rev. Robert Aspland.

"Dinglehead, near Liverpool, Jan. 21, 1818. "My dear Sir,-It was with concern I learned from the Preface to the last volume of the Monthly Repository, that the work has not so extensive a sale as I expected. Some true friends of the cause here have made a point of speaking on the subject during the last fortnight, in consequence of which nearly forty additional copies will be ordered for Liverpool; and as Mr. Freme tells me there is an opportunity of a private conveyance, I write to inform you of this circumstance, that you may order a larger number of copies for January 1818 to be printed.

"I fear, my good friend, you will have the mortification to find that those who have displayed great zeal in words, as if there had been no honest, avowed and zealous Unitarians until they appeared, are not more steady, and more disposed to give their time and money and labour to the cause, than those who were always avowed Unitarians, but were chiefly distinguished in the world as the friends of religious liberty. All the facts at least that come to my knowledge confirm this sentiment in my mind, and particularly the subscriptions to the Repository.

"I fear you have more to do than your time and health can bear. Is it

state; the removal of prejudices against its objects and means; the fitness of its plans, and the success of its endeavours, are mainly attributable to his zeal, prudence, ability and indefatigable exertion. It is their hope and prayer that his health may be perfectly re-established, and his valuable life long spared to his family and friends, the church of Christ, and society at large. And although his labours as Secretary of this Society be at present discontinued, they hope that he will continue to watch over its interests, and that he may continue to enjoy the reward of his disinterested exertions in its behalf by beholding the extensive diffusion of just and liberal sentiments of religion amongst the poor of this country."