height than ever. They had only bowed their heads like bull rushes during the storm. Poor Thomas attacked the infallible church itself, and they, in default of better arguments, burnt him.

SINGULAR COMMENTARY ON SCRIPTURE.

Mr. Matthew Henry, in his exposition of the Bible, thus censures the physicians for presenting to King David, the young bed-fellow, Abishag, the Shunamite: "They ordered him, "David," says this author, 66 a young bed-fel❝ low. A foolish project it was to prescribe

nuptials to one that should have been prepar"ing for his funeral; but they knew what would "gratify their own corruptions, and perhaps "were too willing to gratify his, under colour of "consulting his health. His prophets should "have been consulted as well as his physicians,

in an affair of that nature. However, this "might be excused then, when even good men "ignorantly allowed themselves in the having so "many wives."

CONVERSION OF A PAPIST.

The methodists give an account of a Wexford conversion. That society met in a barn, and being much annoyed by the catholics, shut the door and fastened it. One of the excluded,

however, got himself put into a sack, and lodged in the barn before the preaching, to be a spy upon their doings, and so to report outside afterwards. The methodists began to sing; the bagged catholic liked this so well, that he lay quiet, and would not get up to open the door to his brother Pats. At length the prayer commenced, and the poor fellow felt such compunctions, that he roared out with might and main; and not being able to get out of the sack, lay bawling and screaming, to the utter dismay of the congregation, till some one went and unbagged the converted man.

TRANSUBSTANTIATION.

Never was a better or more bitter satire upon the real presence, than in a scarce quarto tract, called "John Bon and Master Parson, imprint"ed at London by John Daye and William "Seres, dwellinge in Sepulchre's parishe, at the

signe of the Resurrection, a littel above Hol"bourne Conducte," and who were brought into some trouble about it by the zealots of the old church. Mr. Stow, the bookseller reprinted it. As it is probable many of our readers might not have perused the extract made by the Rev. Mr. Beloe, we give it, as he did, as a specimen

of the work.

PARSON.

And after that we consecrate very God and man,

And turne the breade to fleshe withe five wordes we can.

JOHN.

The devell ye do, I trowe. Ther is pestilence businesse, Ye are much bound to God, for such a spittell holines. A gallows gay gifte, with five wordes alone

To make both God and man, and yet we se none: Ye talke so unreasonably well, it maketh my herte yerne,

A's eld a fellow as I am, I se well I may learne.

PARSON.

Yea, John, and then with wordes holy and good,
Even by and by we tourne the wyne to bloude.

JOHN.

So wyll ye se it, who would have thought it,
That ye could so sone from wyne to blood be brought it;
And yet, except your mouth be better tasted than myne,
I can not fele it other but that it should be wyne;.
And yet I wo'e nare a cause ther may be whye,
Perchance ye ha dranke bloude ofter than ever dyd I.

PARSON.

Truely, John, it is bloude, though it be wyne in taste, As soone as the worde is spoke, the wyne is gone and past.

JOHN.

A sessions on it for me, my wittes are sore benumme, For I cannot study where the wyne should become.

PARSON.

Study, qouth ha, beware, and let such matter go,
To meddle muche wyth thys, may brynge ye sore to wo.

JOHN.

Yea, but Master Parson, thynke ye it were ryght,
That if I desired you to make my black oxe whight.
And you say, it is done, and styl is blacke in sight;
Ye might me deme a foole for to believe so light.

PARSON.

I marvel muche, ye wyll reason so farre,
I feare if ye use it, it wyll ye mar.

JOHN.

No, no, sir, I trust, of that I wyl beware,

I pray you wyth your matter agayne fourth to fare.

PARSON.

And then we go forth, and Christe's body receyve,
Evyn the very same that Mary did conceyve.

JOHN.

The devill it is, ye have a greate grace
To eat God and man, in so short a space, &c.

POPE ALEXANDER VI.

The fanatical denouncers of divine judgments must be puzzled to account for the peculiar protection which the detestable pontiff, Alexander VI. (Borgia) frequently experienced. Once, a

vast iron-bar, which assisted in supporting the dome of St. Peters, at Rome, fell from an immense height, burst through a vaulted roof, and fell harmless close at the feet of the pope, whilst he walked in a gallery beneath: not long after, a chimney, two vast beams, and the whole side of a chamber, in the vatican, fell upon Alexander and his attendants. A cardinal who had escaped, rushed into the streets, crying, "The 66 pope is slain," and a tumult was beginning to rise; but the ruins were no sooner removed, than up starts, almost unhurt, this "nimium "dilecte diis," although his three domestics were crushed to pieces close to his chair. It is proper to add, that a more flagitious character never sullied the page of history.

TRANSLATION EXTRAORDINARY.

Dr. Symonds cites, perhaps, the strongest instance of wrong translation in our bibles ever known. Luke xxiii. 52: "There were also two "other malefactors led with him to be put to "death" now this is evidently wrong, as implying, in grammatical accuracy, that our Saviour was a malefactor. Purver (quakers' bible) translates John xviii. 12, "So the regiment, the colonel, and the of "ficers, took Jesus and bound him." He has also this odd passage," A hind let go may exhibit gen