The Critical Review, or Annals of Literature Volume 19 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1765 Excerpt: ...of Capellus himself.--Some commentators proclaim their own ignorance notably. Others are not to be trusted. Others lacerate the holy scriptures, and others disgrace it.' In short, if you will believe Mr. Purver, the commentators have led him into an Augean stable, and engaged him in a crowd otwretched pedants, where there is hardly any thing to be heard or seen but-wild work, shiftings, -whimfies, sooleries, manglings, cavelling, junt' hl'mg, confufion, and impertinence. The principal writers on the New Testament are censured with equal freedom; but the reader will think these instances a sufficient specimen of our author's politeness. 'Let this translation (fays he) be compared with others and the original.' By these exclamations one might imagine that hardly any man in the world has understood the Bible, besides the present translator. But, Parcius ista viris' Why is the modesty of our translators to be derided f are we to depreciate their learning in proportion to their humility? ot will any man assert that he is a perseiJ master of the Hebrew language? In the explication of the facred text, it is an instance of great temerity to assume a magisterial air, and treat the learned world with contempt. A commentator may propose his own opinion, without disparaging the works of other men. At least the Bible should never be made the vehicle of contumelfous reslections. If men will annex their comment? to the words of inspiration, let them only presume to subjoin the ingenuous dictates of reason, and the fober illustrations of truth. 'To this performance the author has presixed fome remarks oh translations of the scripture in general, and this translatioii in particular. 'Axiom t, 'A translation ought to be true to the original. 'A translator, he observes, like a...