The Press.
London, England, 1858-11-20 00:00:00

state that he never transgresses the bounds of
charity, or shocks our sense of propriety by a
levity unbefitting his solemn theme. His own
words towards the close are so good an index to
the tone of the work throughout that we give
them to the reader :
I shall here take leave cf this mysterious ste)jecit—a
careful attention to which has been for some years past
the sole employment of my leisure hours—s task not
less charming than it has been instructive, nor more
laborious than it has been beneficial to myself; for it has
taught me, however wrest and irresistible to candid
minds must ever be the generally advanced evidences
(external and internal) in favour of the Divine inspiration
of Holy Scripture, yet that one book of the canon at
lust may boldly assert As claim to Divine revelation and
general acceptance with a confidence which • ST AlißrNil
MIRACLE, in corroboration of its claim, must ever com-
mand and justify ; for, to my mind, so beautiful in their
selection are the various symbols and metaphors of the
Apocalypse, so appropriate is esch to the reality sought
to be expressed, so wonderful is theirrespective analogical
connection throughout, and so accurately and minutely
have the various important facts of history, profane and
ecclesiaAtical, been thereby prospectively narrated. that I
solemnly declare, did no other book of the New Testament
advance sufficient claims to apostolical authorship, the
Book of Revelation—so arbitrary is its intrinsic evidence
of inspiration—would be amply sufficient to confirm my
belief in the integrity of St. John's Divine mission.

Feeling thus, need I say that I tru'.t I have approached
the task I have imposed npon myself with a mind not
only fully alive to the awful warning contained in the
nineteenth verve of the present chapter (the nil.), bat
in a spirit as suitable to the solemnity of the subject as it
is possible for fallible and erring man t imbibe; for,
whatever may be the demerits of my work, I can freely
call wy conscience to witness that my single motive in
commencing this (to me) gigantic undertaking, was a
sincere desire to support, to the best of my humble ability,
the sublime, the all-important cause of Christian truth,
by endeavouring to remove from the bright disci of
Christian testimony which symbolical prophecy presents
certain apparently noxious clouds that (as it had seemed
to me) had hitherto somewhat olwoured the original
brilliancy of that mystical orb; while in pursuing this
object my earnest desire him been as carefully to avoid
all fanatical and fantastical flights, as to abstain from all
prejudiced and unjustifiable assumptions and specula ions.
(p. 605.)

In laying down this volume we say, without
hesitation, that though Mr. Bland may not have
made out his case so satisfactorily to theological
readers as to himself—though he may not have
produced a book that will rule the disputed
questions so long in agitation, he has neverthe-
less done a very acceptable service to reading
and thinking men in presenting them with the
instructive results of so much intelligent and
honest labour.

1. Poems. By Henry Cecil. London : Smitb,

Elder, and Co.
2. Poems. By Ada Trevanion. London : Smith,

Elder, and Co.

3. lonica. London : Smith, Elder, and Co.
When the hour shall come when it will be
known what becomes of pins, and why, as
Erskine said, shoes are always made too tight,
then also will it become patent to mankind why
so many small volumes of smaller poems are pub-
lished, and likewise what becomes of them. Let
no one imagine from this exordium that, like
Don Quixote with the wine-bags, we are about
to slash away at the humble offerings to the
Muses which head this notice. Far from us
such truculence. A sorry churl and a morose
would he be deemed who should hiss a maiden
speech, or talk of Mrs. Siddons to a blushing and
trembling d6butante. In like manner do we lay
aside our severe aspect and microscopic glasses, u
we open at random the votive offerings laid on
the Muses' shrine by the ardent youth of either
sex. Though, perchance, less tuneful, they may
be regarded as the springtide song of birds upon
the leafy spray, or the sweet humming of insects
on a summer's morn. It is pleasant to think that
these untutored warblings came welling up out
of a grateful and joyous heart, in love with life
and all that makes life dear. What matter, then,
if now and again a harsh note grate upon the ear,
or the burden of the song be trite and common-
place ? No hypercritical smile shall curl our
lip when the bard of " lonics" tells of " trau-
sered robbers" who "spoil at will the bounties
of Pactolus." The meaning, truly, is recondite,
but there is something chaste about the trousers,
albeit they please not the author of " Phila-
delphia." What though we fail to conjure up
the lady of his ideal love, is it his fault, or ours,
that we cannot grasp the "throat bpsiedres
moulded " ? or admire the " little