bited! It was a face of death still; but that was not all. The most extraordinary circumstance was, that there was not, in one feature, the slighest resemblance to the same face only a few hours before, when the apparent change took place from life into death. It was now like the dead countenance of an idiot,-the eyes were large and rolled in their sockets, but it was apparent that they saw nothing, nor threw any reflection inward on an ex. isting mind. There was also a voice, and a tongue, but between them they uttered no intelligible word, only a few indistinct sounds like the babble of a running brook." Vol. II. P. 176.

"It is impossible to give any thing like a fair description of the hopes, the terrors, and the transitions from one to another of these, that agitated the individuals of that family during this period of hideous suspense. These were no doubt proportioned to their various capacities and feelings; but there is as little doubt that they were felt to a degree seldom experienced in human nature. There lay the body of their darling-of that there could be no doubt, for they had never been from its side one moment but the judgement of God seemed to be upon them; for they all felt an inward impression admonishing them that the soul had departed to the bosom of its Creator at the very moment foretold by its sweet and heavenly-minded possessor, and that the Almighty had, in derision of their unhallowed earnestness for the prolongation of a natural life, so little worthy of being put in competition with a heavenly one, either suffered the body to retain a mere animal existence, or given the possession of it to some spirit altogether unqualified to exercise the organs so lately occupied by the heaven-born mind. Yet, when they saw the bed-clothes move, and heard the regular breathings, they experienced many a thrilling ray of hope that all they had witnessed might have been the effect of some strong convulsion, and that she might yet be restored to mental light, to life, and to all their loves. Every time, however, that they stole a look of the features, their hopes were blasted anew.

"For three days and three nights did this incomprehensible being lie in that drowsy and abstracted state, without tasting meat or or drink, nor did she seem affected by any external object, save by M'Ion's entrance into the room. Oh such occasions, she always started, and uttered a loud and unintelligible noise, like something between laughing and anger; but the sound soon subsided, and generally died away with a feeble laugh, or sometimes with an articulation that sounded like " No-no-no!"

All this time no servant or stranger had been suffered to enter that chamber; and, on the third day, they agreed to raise up this helpless creature, and endeavour to suply nature with some nourishment. They did so; and now inured to an intensity of feeling that almost rendered them desperate, they were enabled to inspect the features, and all the bodily organs, with the most minute ex

ap

actness. The countenance had settled into something like the pearance of human life, that is, it was not so thoroughly the face of a dead person as when it was at first reanimated; the lips had resumed a faint dye of red, and there were some slight veins on the cheeks, where the roses had before blossomed in such beauty and snch perfection. Still it was a face without the least gleam of mind-a face of mere idiotism, in the very lowest state of debasement; and not in one lineament could they find out the smallest resemblance between that face, and her's that had so lately been the intelligent and the lovely Agatha Bell. M'Ion studied both the contour and profile with the most particular care, thinking that these must have remained the same; but in neither could the slightest likeness be found out. They combed her beautiful exuberance of hair, changed her grave-clothes for others more seemly, and asked her many kind questions, all of which were either unheard or disregarded. She swallowed the meat and drink with which they fed her with great eagerness, but yet she made no motion for any more than was proffered to her. The entrance of M'Ion into the room continued to affect her violently, and nothing else besides; and the longer his absence had been, the more powerful was the impression on her frame, as well as on her voice and tongue, for that incident alone moved her to utterance." Vol. II. P. 181.

Gatty is placed in a lunatic asylum; and here, to increase our disgust, she is delivered of a son, after three years she recovers her senses, and is restored to her husband and family.

In this brief outline of the main story we have diligently avoided all the episodes which are annexed to it: the pastoral conversations of the father, the elder Bell, and the academical frolics of his son, the younger. Neither have we touched upon the adventures of a doughty Northumbrian cousin who fights three duels within three quarters of an hour, and marries a wife who brings him an heir within three months. We shall stop only upon part of the paragraph with which the second volume concludes, and which may be accepted as l'envoi of the tale. Considering the circumstance upon which the story is founded this is not the least singular portion of Mr Hogg's work.

"In the foregoing tale, or rather in the three foregoing tales connected into one, I have, in conformity with my uniform prac. tice, related nothing but facts, as they happened in common life.. Every one of the three leading incidents, on which this narrative is founded, is copied literally from nature, the circumstances being well known to me, and to all those dwelling in the districts in which they happened. To such as may trace any of the tales to

the original incidents, it is necessary for me to say, that, as they will perceive, I have thought proper to change some of the names, in order that I might not lead the public to gaze too intensely into the bosoms of families, or pry into the secret recesses in which their holiest feelings are treasured up from all but the eye of Heaven. But in none of the groups have I altered all the names, and some of these but very slightly. I have also been obliged to make a few fanciful connexions and relations that did not exist,-such as cousins, sons, &c.-in order to combine the simple portraits of life and manners in one group. If any of these slight, but voluntary deviations from truth, are discovered, I have to request that due allowances may be made." Vol. II. P. 330.

The

The two last tales Leasing, and Jealousy, are clumsy attempts to interweave a tissue of imaginary adventures on an historical groundwork. The scene is laid in 1745, with little regard to manners, language, facts or character. incidents are equally divided between coarseness and dulness; and poverty of invention is in vain disguised by a thick coating of the most vulgar buffoonery. We are not fond of speaking strongly against any works in which evil principles are not barefacedly obtruded; and of this offence we must wholly acquit Mr. Hogg. Some apology therefore may be necessary both for having reviewed these Tales at all, and also for the severity of tone which we have adopted in regard to them; and this apology is to be found in the perpetual puffings which the Northern trumpeters adopt respecting each other. Among the numerous canonizations of the modern Athens, Mr Hogg's name has frequently met our eyes; and we have seen him classed with writers on whose merited claim to lasting distinction, we of all others are least inclined to hesitate. If such pretensions are boldly advanced, it is our duty as boldly to examine them; and whenever, as in the present instance, they are found wanting, we must not permit a false and unbecoming delicacy to smother our opinion.

ART. IV. English Synonymes explained, in Alphabetical order; with Copious Illustrations and Examples drawn from the best Writers. By George Crabb, M.A. Second Edition. pp. 902. Baldwin.

THERE is perhaps no circumstance by which the progress of civilization is more distinctly marked, than the variation which it has produced in language. During the early and uncultivated periods of society, while men were content to

sustain life by their personal labour, without seeking any of the embellishments and luxuries which after times have deemed so necessary, their wants were few, and these were vasily expressed.

In proportion, however, as refinement, and the pursuits of polished life obtained among them, having their ideas extended to a larger number of objects, they found it necessary to increase the vocabulary which they possessed by the addition of numerous words. Many of these were very similar in signification to each other; and some were absolutely the same. The latter were perhaps at first adopted from caprice, or belonged originally to different dialects: the former became necessary to accuracy of expression, and to preserve a distinction between ideas, which without being the same, are nearly allied to each other. Such was the origin of what are now called synonymes, which have become so important in language; and upon which elegance of style so greatly depends. They have seldom been better defined than by D'Alembert, who in his Eloge de Girard thus mentions them :

"On peut donner dans une langue le nom de synonymes, ou a des mots qui ont absolument et rigoreusement le même sens, et qui peuvent en toute occasion, être substitués indifferémment l'un à l'autre; ou a des mots qui présentent la même idée avec de légères varietés qui la modifient, de manière qu'il soit permis d'employer l'un de ces mots à la place de l'autre, dans les occasions où l'on n'aura pas besoin de faire sentir cès légères

varietés."

t

To possess many synonymes of the first of these classes is a superfluity and incumbrance, and contributes little or nothing to the richness of a language: but those of the latter kind are among the principal causes of its accuracy and elegance, since they afford the power of correctly expressing every idea; and of preserving the slight and delicate distinctions which conduce so much to perfection of style. To the poet and the orator, the use of synonymous words is so important, that they may be considered to have been the principal inventors of them: and indeed it has been observed that they chiefly abound where poetry and eloquence have been most successfully cultivated. In the inferior species of composition also, and even in the ordinary intercourse of life, the accurate employment of words similar in signification is of great advantage, for by the discriminating use of such terms confusion of ideas is best avoided, and the style of the educated man distinguished from that of the yulgar,

The acknowledged importance of synonymes therefore being so considerable, it can hardly be supposed that the ancients would altogether fail to direct their thoughts to this subject and in fact we continually find in their writings. careful and minute distinctions between words which might at first sight appear to convey no difference of meaning. Cicero would perhaps of all others have been the most capable of composing a work upon this topic, and indeed the observations on such points which are interspersed in his writings render it not improbable that he might have entertained the thought of executing it.

Among the moderns, many persons of the highest genius and learning have employed themselves in pointing out the exact signification of words, and the shades of difference which distinguish them from others to which they seem to be most nearly allied. These observations, however, being of a desultory kind, were interspersed among other subjects, and afforded little more than the scattered and rude materials which were afterwards to be collected and moulded into an useful form. The idea of composing a distinct treatise upon the subject of synonymous expressions, is to be attributed to the Abbe Girard, who in the beginning of the last century, published a book entitled "Justesse de la langue Française.' This he afterwards enlarged, and it was subsequently improved by his successor Roubaud. The example thus given was followed by most of the nations of Europe, and without enquiry into the nature of the works produced in each, it may suffice to observe, that in England, the plan has been copied in the publications of Trussler, Mrs. Piozzi, and Mr. Taylor of Norwich. The former of these is certainly the least excellent or complete. The treatise of Mrs. Piozzi, although it proved that elegance and grace are not the only accomplishments of the female mind, was yet deficient in many points which could only be completely attained, by the severer studies, and the more extended research of the other sex. It afforded a considerable fund of instruction and amusement, but failed in several circumstances of information. Mr. Taylor was in some respects more successful, but the circumscribed limits within which he confined himself, left much to be desired.

The author of the work before us is already favourably known to the public by several Elementary German books, and an English grammar, of which we took occasion to speak in terms of commendation in a former number of our review *. The present volume is upon a more extended scale

* See Vol. xxx. page 339.