whether there is not much satisfaction in the thought, that the foundations of right and wrong, of virtue and vice, are thus deeply and immutably laid? If it were true, that God himself could overthrow or demolish them, would it not be a source and occasion of great perplexity and dismay? For such a supposition would necessarily involve the possibility of an utter change in his own character. If in our contemplations of the Supreme Being, it should occur to us as a thing merely possible, that those high perfections, which we now reverence and adore, could be transmuted into vices, it would certainly diminish our reverence, disturb our confidence, and fill us with unspeakable But this certainly is possible, if the distinction of right and wrong is not fixed and immutable, but depends wholly on the Divine Will.

Such are some of the considerations, which are commended to the attention of the reader. There are others, which we shall not particularly notice. For instance, the doctrine that right and wrong depends wholly upon law or enactment, even that of the Supreme Being, implies of course a knowledge of that being. And yet there can be no doubt of the fact of our being so constituted, that tribes of men, who are destitute of any correct knowledge of the Supreme Being, and also atheists who deny and disbelieve his existence, are capable of forming the notions of right and wrong, and of believing in a standard of right and wrong, and of conforming their ordinary conduct to that standard, much in the same way and degree as the great mass of mankind. But we do not consider it necessary to remark further; evidence more than enough has already multiplied upon us.

In view of what has been said we leave the subject in the hand of the reader with this single practical remark, That uprightness or virtue is an object to be contemplated in itself, and to be loved and practised for its own sake.—It is to be loved and honored and practised, not simply because it is commanded, not simply because it may in its results be beneficial, but solely for itself, and out of a regard to its own exalted nature. This is a great practical truth, and one which strikes at the root of certain systems of moral philosophy, that have too long had an influence in the halls of education. There can be no question, that it has a very injurious effect to teach youth, that a certain thing is virtuous or vicious, right or wrong, merely because it is commanded, or because it is beneficial. It is pernicious, because it lowers the standard of moral excellence; and it is as

false, as it is pernicious. Virtue is not secondary to something else, but is primary; it has an entity and a character of its own; of all the objects in the universe it is highest in rank; it is the great illuminating point of mind as the sun is the illuminating centre of matter. And youth, instead of being permitted to gaze upon the IGNIS FATUUS of expediency or any other false. fire of earth, should be taught to fix their eye upon that great and heavenly light, to contemplate it, to honor it, to love it. They should be so imbued with the love of virtue, as to inquire as it were by a sort of instinct, not whether an action is required by one high in power or promises to be beneficial, not whether it will advance the interests of a particular sect or party, but in all cases whether it is RIGHT. With such a training of their moral dispositions, they will stand firm, when every thing is shaken and in commotion around them; they will have strength in themselves, a strength not of earth; they will go forth amid the scenes of this dark world, surrounded with a light emanating from their own bosoms, and under the smiles of an approving God.

ARTICLE III.

PFEIFFER ON THE MUSIC OF THE ANCIENT HEBREWS.

Translated from the German, with Notes by O. A. Taylor.

"Ueber die Musik der alten Hebräer; von August. Friedrich Pfeiffer, der oriental. Sprach. öffentl. ordentl. Lehrer zu Erlangen. Erlang. 1779."

INTRODUCTION BY THE TRANSLATOR.

AMONG the obscure subjects of antiquity, few have occasioned more perplexity to the learned, than that of music. Even as it existed among the earlier Romans and the Greeks, we can ascertain but little about it with positive certainty. We know indeed, that it was always more or less cultivated, that even in its rudest state, it was something which delighted, charm

ed, and often produced almost magical effects. We even possess the poetic strains, which it sent thrilling to the heart. The music, however, has vanished, with the generations that gave it birth; the lyre has mouldered with the hand by which it was strung. Of course, the obscurity of the subject increases, as we penetrate into the more remote ages of the Jewish nation and of the Egyptians. If in the former case, our state be that of doubt, in the latter it approximates almost to despair.

The subject however is one, to which no lover of the Bible can remain wholly indifferent. The thorough-going interpreter of the sacred Scriptures must sooner or later encounter it. And perhaps, after all, more may be ascertained respecting it, than is generally supposed. At least it is incumbent on us to elucidate it as far as we can. We may not be able indeed to recall the melodies of David and Asaph, nor even the specific forms of the instruments they used; but we may unquestionably ascertain some important characteristics of their music, and come to some definite results as to the general outlines of their instruments. The subject, however, is one which cannot be very effectually investigated, without the aid of a variety of costly and for the most part inaccessible works, and literary apparatus, such as coins, sculptures, etc., or drawings of them, accompanied with very minute descriptions. Perhaps this is the reason why the subject has been so often neglected or passed over with the mere repetition of what a Don Calmet has said upon it. Under these circumstances, I have thought that a translation of the following treatise on the music of the ancient Hebrews, by A. F. Pfeiffer, with which I formed a slight acquaintance, a number of years since, while searching into the nature and design of the Hebrew accents, might prove acceptable to the Biblical student. Of the author I know nothing farther than what is to be collected from the title-page, a few hints respecting him in some short reviews of his works, and a brief notice of him in Winer's "Handbuch der theologischen Literatur ;"* from all which it appears, that he was born Jan. 13, 1748, and died July the 15th, 1817; and that he was professor of the oriental languages at Erlangen, the author of several books in the department which he filled,† and the editor of Philosophical Works, in

* A work however which I have not personally seen. My information of it is from a friend.

Such as Beyträge zu kenntn. alt. Urkund. u. Handschr.; Manuale Bibl. Ebraic. et Chald.; Ueber Bücherhandschr. ueberhaupt; ErVOL. VI. No. 19.

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five volumes octavo, incomplete. The reviews of him that I have read, speak in his praise. The work before me certainly affords proof of great diligence and very respectable erudition. At least he has gone very thoroughly into the investigation of his subject. Herder pronounces it the best of all the many elaborate treatises of the kind, that have been written.† Rosenmüller and De Wette‡ both refer to it in their commentaries; and I may add that Gesenius almost uniformly appeals to it by way of authority, in his Hebrew lexicon of 1810, in German, as may be seen by consulting it under the words, i, etc. Some will perhaps think that the introductory part might have been omitted; but I hope not many. It certainly brings to view facts, respecting the music of the East, which bear upon the subject, and ought to be more generally known among us. My chief regret is, that he has so often confined himself to a few lines, where whole pages should have been written. Of course, under such circumstances, it was natural for me to add some notes.

There is an additional circumstance which it is important should be kept in view. More than fifty years have elapsed since the work was published; during which period, great progress has been made on the continent of Europe in oriental literature; and much information has also been obtained by travellers and literary adventurers, respecting the state and antiquities of the oriental world. With the entire state of the arts and sciences and the manners and customs of the ancient Egyptians, in particular, we have, by means of the savans who accompanied the celebrated French expedition, under Bonaparte, and their successors, become quite minutely acquainted; and the prospect is that, by other means, our information in this respect is to be still further increased. In the course of these developments, some things have been brought to light, which bear very materially upon the subject before us. I supposed that this must have been the case when I sat down to translate

my author. klärung d. Letz. Worte Davids; Ebräische Grammatik; and, Der Prophet Hosea a. d. Ebräisch. For reviews, see Allgem. Lit. Zeit. 1785, Vol. III. p. 155; 1791, Vol. I. p. 487, etc.

Vom Geist der Ebräischen Poesie, Th. II. p. 353, Leipz. 1825. The reference should be found in Marsh's Trans!. Part II. p. 265.

De Wette, Die Psalmen uebersetz, u. s. w. Einleitung, p. 32. Bib. Rep. Vol. III. p. 474. Rosenm. Scholia in Psalmos, p. 710, etc.

Some of the most important sources of information, however, were at a distance from me, and very inconvenient to consult. I went on therefore with my work, adding by way of notes only such new information as I could derive from the few authors at hand. My anxiety, however, to obtain as much insight into my subject as possible, would not permit me to stop here. Having finished my translation, I therefore visited the library at Cambridge, and consulted the well known Description de l'Égypte. For the kind facilities I received from Dr. Harris the librarian, and the ready aid he furnished me, in the accomplishment of my object, I here express my sincere thanks; but alas, what could be done in two days towards mastering quartos and folios! This work has indeed been complained of, in several respects, as hasty and superficial; but it is after all, a splendid production, and worthy of the patronage to which it owes its existence. In it, among other things, the subject of music among the Egyptians, both ancient and modern, is very minutely discussed, and accompanied with all the necessary drawings of instruments. A dissertation would be required to do any thing like justice to that part of it, alone, which bears upon the question before us. From this work, however, I have taken the drawings of two instruments; and in connexion with such other modern works on Egypt, as I could command, it has also furnished me with some new information. The results of my brief examination of it and other investigations, I have, for the sake of convenience, subjoined in a supplementary article at the close of the present treatise. Few and imperfect as they are, they will be found valuable as I think in more than one respect. My hope is, that they will at least induce some man of sufficient literature and leisure, to examine this, and other kindred works of the present age, and bring forth whatever of value they may contain, not merely as regards the music of the ancient Hebrews in general, but also as regards the entire subject of music as cultivated in the East.

The reader should also take notice, that the author has many learned allusions; and be informed, that his work was suffered to come, in several respects, carelessly printed from the press; both of which circumstances have greatly added to the labor of the translation.