conceal it the more securely, they conceived the project of fastening it open with pack-threads across the leaves, on the inside of the lid of a close-stool! When my great-grandfather wished to read to his family he reversed the lid of the close-stool upon his knees, and passed the leaves from one side to the other, which were held down on each by the pack-thread. One of the children was stationed at the door to give notice if he saw an officer of the Spiritual Court make his appearance; in that case the lid was restored to its place, with the Bible concealed under it as before."

I shall leave the reader to make his own reflections on this extraordinary account. He may meditate on what the Popes did, and what they probably would have done, had not Luther happily been in a humour to abuse the Pope, and begin a REFORMATION. It would be curious to sketch an account of the probable situation of Europe at the present moment, had the Popes pseserved the singular power of which they had possessed themselves.

It appears by an act dated in 1516, that in those days the Bible was called Bibliotheca, that is per emphasim, the Library. The word library was limited in its signification then to the biblical writings; no other books compared with the holy

writings, appear to have been worthy to rank with them, or constitute what we call a library.

We have had several remarkable attempts to recompose the Bible; Dr. Geddes's version is aridly literal, and often ludicrous by its vulgarity; but the following attempts are of a very different kind. Sebastian Castillon, who afterwards changed his name to Castalion, with his accustomed affectation referring to Castalia the fountain of the Musestook a very extraordinary liberty with the sacred writings. He fancied he could give the world a more classical version of the Bible, and for this purpose introduced phrases and entire sentences from prophane writers into the text of holy writ. His whole style is finically quaint, overloaded with prettinesses, and all the ornaments of false taste. Of the noble simplicity of the scriptures he seems not to have had the remotest conception.

But an attempt by Pere Berruyer is more extraordinary; in his Histoire du Peuple de Dieu, he has recomposed the Bible as he would have written a fashionable novel. He, with a refined absurdity, conceives that the great Legislator of the Hebrews is too barren in his descriptions, too concise in the events he records, nor is careful to enrich his history by pleasing reflections and interesting conversation-pieces, and hurries on the catastrophes, by which means he omits much entertaining matter; as for instance, in the loves of Joseph and the

wife of Potiphar, Moses is very dry and concise, which however our Pere Berruyer is not. His histories of Joseph, and of King David, are relishing morsels, and were devoured eagerly in all the Boudoirs of Paris. Take a specimen of the style." "Joseph combined with a regularity of features, and a brilliant complexion, an air of the noblest dignity; all which contributed to render him one of the most amiable men in Egypt." At length" she declares her passion, and pressed him to answer her. It never entered her mind that the advances of a woman of her rank could ever be rejected. Joseph at first only replied to all her wishes by his cold embarrassments. She would not yet give him up. In vain he flies her; she was too passionate to waste even the moments of his astonishment." This good father

however does ample justice to the gallantry of the Patriarch Jacob. He offers to serve Laban seven years for Rachel. Nothing is too much (cries the venerable novelist) when one really loves, and this admirable observation he confirms by the facility with which the obliging Rachel allows Leah for one night to her husband! It is thus that the Patriarchs speak in the tone of the tenderest lovers. Judith is a Parisian coquette, and Holofernes is rude as a German Baron; and their dialogues are tedious with all the reciprocal politesse of metaphysical French lovers! Moses in the desert, it was ob

served, is precisely as pedantic as Pere Berruyer addressing his class at the University. One cannot but smile at the following expressions: "By the easy manner in which God performed miracles one might easily perceive they cost no effort." When he has narrated an "Adventure of the Patriarchs," he proceeds, " After such an extraordinary; or curious, or interesting adventure, &c." This good father had caught the language of the Beau Monde, but with such perfect innocence, that in employing it on the holy history he was not aware of its indecency.

It is a very remarkable fact, that a Gothic Bishop translated the scriptures into the Goth language, but omitted the Books of Kings! Lest the wars of which so much is there recorded should increase their inclination to fighting, already too prevalent. Jortin notices this castrated copy of the Bible in his remarks on ecclesiastical history.

ORIGIN OF THE MATERIALS OF WRITING.

FROM the "Literary History of France," by the learned Benedictines, I have collected the chief materials of the present article. It is curious to observe the various substitutes for paper, before its discovery.

The most ancient mode of writing was on bricks, and on tables of stone; afterwards on plates

of various materials, on ivory, on barks of trees, on leaves of trees.*

Engraving memorable events on hard substances, it has been prettily observed, was giving as it were speech to rocks and metals. In the book of Job mention is made of writing on stone, and on sheets of lead. It was on tables of stone that Moses received the law written by the finger of God himself. Hesiod's works were written on leaden tables; lead was used for writing and rolled up like a cylinder, as Pliny states. Montfaucon notices a very ancient book of eight leaden leaves, which on the back had rings fastened by a small leaden rod to keep them together. They afterwards engraved on bronze; the laws of the Greeks were on bronze tables, and the speech of Claudius engraved on plates of bronze are yet preserved in the town hall of Lyons in France.

Among these early inventions many appear to

Specimens of most of these modes of writing may be seen in the British Museum. No. 3478, in the Sloanian library is a Nabob's letter, on a piece of bark about two yards long, and richly ornamented with gold. No. 3207, is a book of Mexican hieroglyphics, painted on Bark. In the same collection are various species, many from the Malabar Coast and the East. The latter writings are chiefly on leaves. The prophecies of the Sybils were on leaves. There are several copies of Bibles written on Palm leaves, still preserved in various collections in Europe. The ancients doubtless wrote on any leaves they found adapted for the purpose. Hence the leaf of a book, as well as that of a tree is derived.