et vires et verba deficerent. Quicquid ad mentis gratissimæ sensus exprimendos valeat, quicquid ex vehementissimo animi affectu profluat, id omne dictum putes. Utcunque mihi res eveniet, quæcunque fortuna in posterum obtigerit, me vita citius deseret quam vestrum Collegiique vestri memoria et veneratio. A LIST Of the earliest printed editions of the Whole and Parts of the HEBREW BIBLE, from A. D. 1475 to A. D. 1495; collected from the works of De Rossi, Dr. Kennicott, and other Collators and Compilers. 1. Pentateuchus cum Commentario R. Sal. Jarchi A. D. No. 1475 1475 1477 1 2. Psalterium cum Commentario R. David Kimchi 1477 1477 1480 3. Job cum Commentario R. Levi Gersonidis, 4to. 1477 circa 1480 1480 5. Psalterium sine Punctis, cum Indice, sine anno 1480 1480 1480 8. Pentateuchus cum Commentario R. Sal. Jarchi 4to. ante 1480 9. Isaias ac Jeremias cum Commentario R. David Kimchi Fol. Ulyssipon. 1480 10. Daniel cum Commentario Rab. David Kimchi, 4to. 1482 11. Pentateuchus cum Targum Onkelosi et Comment. R. Sal. Jarchi Fol. Bonon. 1483 12. Megilloth, seu Canticum Canticorum, Ecclesiastes, Threni, Ruth, et Esther cum Commenta riis Fol. Bonon. 1485 13. Josuæ, Judices, Libri Samuelis ac Regum, cum Commentario R. D. Kimchi Soncini. 1486 14. Prophetæ maj. et minores cum Commentario R. Dav. Kimchi Fol. Soncini. 1487 15. Pentateuchus cum Commentario R. Sal. Jarchi Fol. Soncini. 1487 16. Psalterium cum Commentario R. Dav. Kimchi Fol. min. Neapoli. 1482 1483 1485 1486 1487 1487 A. D. No. manidis losi et Commentario R. Sal. Jarchi 1490 24. Pentateuchus cum V. Megilloth et Haphtaroth, 1487 17. Job. v Megilloth, Daniel, Esdras, Nehemias, et Paralipomena, cum Commentario R. Sal. Jar Fol. Neapoli. chi 1487 1487 18. Proverbia cum Commentario R. I. Filii Salomo 1490 22. Pentateuchus cum Commentario R. Mosis Nach Fol. min. Neapoli. 1490 23. Pentateuchus, sine Punctis, cum Targum OnkeIscor. 1487 1488 1488 1489 1490 1490 sine Punctis 4to. Iscor. 1490 1490 25. Psalterium, Job, et Proverbia Fol. min. Nea poli. 1490 1491 26. Pentateuchus cum Targum Onkelosi et Commentario Rab. Sal. Jarchi Fol. min. Ulys sipon. 4to. Brixæ. 1491 1491 27. Pentateuchus cum V. Megilloth, et Haphtaroth. 1491 1492 28. Proverbia cum Targum et Commentariis Fol. Leiriæ. 1492 1492 29. Isaias ac Jeremias, cum Commentario R. Dav. By a careful inspection of this list, it will be seen how rapid must have been the progress of printing, to have produced such early examples of Typography, as the announcement of the books in this list plainly declares. The searchers into the history of printing are generally too little acquainted with the mysteries of the typographic art, duly to appreciate the notices of these monuments of skill and ingenuity; the admiration is not so much that Hebrew printing was practised so early as A. D. 1475, but that Hebrew printing had by this time so far obtained, that indeed it had atlained to an eminent degree of perfection, as the list shows "cum Punctis." It is particularly desirable to trace Hebrew printing to a source still further back than 1475. We have still to look for editions without points and commentaries, I mean editions of the plain text, such as those of the psalms sine Punctis marked No. 4. and 5. The period when the first Printers in Italy introduced the Roman letter, and when the Classic authors first made their appearance in that letter and character, in which they are to this day seen and admired, was the period when printing found a new epoch in the page of history. The printing with the Roman types first commenced at ROME about the year 1467, when the old Gothic letter began gradually to go out of use. - In ten years from this date, the foundries of Italy had established printing in the chiefest cities, Bononia, Milan, Mantua, Naples, Venice, Padua, and Verona. Calabria, a province in the kingdom of Naples, produced the earliest impression of the Hebrew Pentateuch at present known. In 1488, the same year, when the first Hebrew edition of the whole Bible was printed, a fine edition of HOMER was printed at Florence, so that in the language of Mr. Maittaire, printing seems to have attained its acme of perfection after having exhibited most beautiful specimens of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. By this time, printing had spread in the chief cities in Germany, France, Switzerland, and the Low Countries. Next to the famous cities of Harlaem and Mentz, were Strasburg, Augsburgh, Nuremburgh, Cologn, Spires, Ratisbonne, Rutlingen, and Ulm. In France; at Paris, Louvaine, Boulogne, Lyons, Geneva, Antwerp, Basil, and other places. From the year 1467 which I consider an epoch in the history of printing, to 1488, when it attained to a maturity, it had established itself in forty-six cities of Europe. England shared in these glories of the press, and Oxford, St. Albans, and London, produce examples of it in the years 1478, 1479, 1481, and 1485. in which Oxford carries the honor of the first press; but this I must reserve for a future communication on the progress of printing in England. Y. AFRICAN FRAGMENTS. BY JAMES GREY JACKSON. No. III.-[Continued from No. XLVIII. p. 250.] "Arise, take up thy bed, and walk." St. John v. 8. THE bed, in Eastern countries, is generally the outer garment, not a mattress: the Arabs, or descendants of Ishmael the son of Abraham, use their Hayk, Daira, Silham or cloak as a bed: any garment spread out, is a bed in the Oriental acceptation of the word. "Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him." 2 Kings ix. 13. This custom of sitting on their garments has been practised from time immemorial by the Oriental nations, and is at this day a prevailing custom. When the Arab travels, if rain falls he strips himself, rolls his clothes up in a ball and sits on them, till the rain ceases; he then dresses himself again, and proceeds on his journey in dry garments: in long journies, through desert countries, where no shelter is to be had, the wisdom of such economy as this must be evident to every one. "I pray thee, let us detain thee until we shall have made ready a kid for thee." Gen. xviii. 5. and Judges xiii. 15. This custom is constantly practised among the Arabs to this day; also among the Shelluhs, inhabitants of the Atlas mountains south of the city of Marocco. Travelling from Santa Cruz to Mogodor, with my Moorish friend, L'Hage Seyd bu Zurwal, we came to a castellated habitation belonging to a friend of my conductor; he invited us to rest and refresh ourselves; we consented, and the goat-herd was sent to take a young kid for us; which was killed, and roasted immediately, before the vital heat was out of it; this custom of cooking animal food immediately after the extinction of the vital principle, prevails throughout the country, in the plains, as well as among the mountains. Accordingly we found the kid remarkably tender and delicate; we experienced a hospitable and kind reception, and remained with our host two or three hours, discussing and comparing the manners and customs of our respective countries. "Butter and honey shall he eat." Isaiah vii. 15. and make cakes upon the hearth." Gen. xviii. 6. NO. LIII. H A bowl of honey covered with thin slices of butter, is a food generally presented to travellers in Muhamedan Africa. I have often rested under the shade of a date-tree to partake of this food, which is accompanied with bread without leaven, which they knead and bake on hot stones, in a few minutes, whilst the traveller is waiting. These cakes are the size and shape of a pancake or a crumpet; and it has often occurred to me, when eating this food of travellers, that they are similar to what were baked by Sarah, Abraham's wife, for travellers whom the Patriarch entertained. If I recollect right, for it is many years since I was in that country, these cakes are called by the Arabs "Though thou rentest thy face (thine eyes it is in the Hebrew) with painting." Jerem. iv. 30. "Paintedst thy eyes, and decked thyself with ornaments." Ezekiel xxiii. 40. "And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezabel heard of it, and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window." 2 Kings ix. 30.' This custom of painting the eyes and eye-brows is practised to this day by all Muhamedan women, particularly by those of the Arabs: these ladies, to complete their toilette, tinge their eye 2 brows and eye-lashes with الكحل Alkahl, i. e the powder of lead ore: this is done by means of a small bodkin of rose-wood, about the thickness of a crow's quill; this they wet with the tongue, and dip in the powder; they then draw it gently through the eye-lids, shutting the eye. This operation gives a languishing softness to the eye, and improves the sight. " And mix the Kahl's jetty dye, To give that long, dark languish to the eye, Vide Lallah Rookh. It is not painted in the original Hebrew, but 'adjusted her eyes with the powder of lead ore.' 2 There are many mines of this mineral in West Barbary and in Tafilelt; that produced by the Tafilelt mines is the best, is sold at double the price of the other, and is called El Kahl Félelly. Also the custom of dying the fingers with a decoction of the herb Henna, has been from time immemorial an indispensable part of the toilette of the Oriental ladies, and of those of Muhamedan Africa. An Arabian or Moorish (Lellah) lady, is not (m'haffore) completely attired, until she has performed these two operations. |