Now-while the dead on the iced floor grows stark— On her dead hand-the glimmer of a ring- On those dread nuptials which had dug her grave. How oft, how oft, with many a vain caress, That ring she kiss'd and wash'd with tears anew! She bound it there with a dishevelled tress From her torn ringlets, once of loveliest hue; E'en now the spoiler's hand had borne away, The copiousness of our extracts forbid our encumbering the text with further comments; nor will it be necessary to review the minor poems, as we believe many of our readers will be tempted to purchase and peruse the volumes themselves. We trust the success of Mr. Grant's maiden effort will induce him to husband and mature his powers, and devote them to the careful preparation of a work which shall consolidate his reputation and confirm the favourable auguries of future eminence, which we have deduced from his present performance. History of the Philosophy of Mind: embracing the Opinions of all Writers on Mental Science, from the earliest period to the present time. By Robert Blakey: author of History of Moral Science; Essay on Moral Good and Evil; Essay on Logic, &c. London: Trelawney W. Saunders, 6, Charing Cross. What a startling title page? The history of the thoughts, if we may so transpose it, of all the thinking men, in every age and clime, by whom the speculations of intellect have been publicly and scientifically investigated! What a remarkable performance? The wisdom of the world in its logical affinities, both ancient and modern, collected, collated, examined, and digested; and then presented to us, divested of all that is extraneous or crude, in four comparatively small volumes! Some time since we wondered at the importance of the fact, when we called the attention of our readers to a work, presented to us through the agency of the same publisher. Johnston's Physical Atlus gave us a knowledge of all the phenomena of which the globe consists; its structure; changeability; inanimate components; living beings; vegetable, mineral, liquid and other elementary distributions. The results, indeed, of the laborious researches of every authenticated contributor to the science of natural philosophy; invaluable maps, with an almost inexhaustible store of interesting and useful facts. But how much more wonderful are the successful efforts of Mr. Blakey? Tangible things have their boundaries; thought is illimitable. Physical science is demonstrable, by examination, with comparative ease; and with this manifest advantage, that the proofs are apparent. There can scarcely be a mistake in the distinctions between the animal, vegetable and mineral worlds; although differences of opinion may exist in their sub divisional classifications. Geographical discoveries, made and confirmed, are practical truths. But mental science, whose range comprises the past, the present, and the future-the first great cause, the last great consequence-the attributes of divinity and the capabilities of human nature-the intellectual functions of man, individual and aggregate-domestic, social, political, moral and religious duties, deducible from every variety of the reasoning process: to examine these, in every phase, from the theory of the first recorded enquirer to the latest defining each varying system with such accuracy as may enable an attentive reader to seize on the salient points of knowledge contained in the whole this would seem to be beyond the patient industry and individual capacity of any man. Nevertheless, Mr. Blakey has achieved it to such an extent, that henceforward, no learner nor professor of the philosophy of the mind, will have occasion to refer to any antecedent authority. Beyond the contents of these four volumes he need not go. To him all languages, but his own, may be as sealed books. He need not vivify the dead, nor master the living. If not a royal, he has here, indeed, a ready road to knowledge. The essential intelligence of thousands of volumes, is made patent to him in four. In short, the arduous application of the greater portion of time, devoted to enquiries of this nature, by Mr. Blakey, for a period of twenty years, results in a work, containing all that can be required in a " History of the Philosophy of the Mind," for, probably, centuries to come. That our readers may, to some extent, estimate the value of Mr. Blakey's labours, we will give a brief sketch of what they comprise. He commences by describing the origin and progress of metaphysics from the earliest period of mental speculation to the commencement of the scholastic philosophy-particularizing in the mental philosophy of Greece, the Ionic School (Thales, Anaximander, Diogenes, Anaxagoras, &c.); the Italian School (Pythagoras); the Eleatic School (Zenophanus, Heraclitus, &c.); the Second Eleatic School (Empedocles, Democritus, &c.; the Greek Sophists (Socrates, Protagoras); the Cyrenic and Cynical Schools; the Schools of Megara, Elis, and Eretria (Euclid, Plato, Aristotle); the Sceptical School; the Stoical School(Zeno, Chrissipus, &c.); the Alexandrian School, and its numerous followers. Subsequently is mentioned the Roman School of Moral Philosophy, illustrated by the genius of Cicero and Lucretius. Next come the United Philosophers of India; the Gnostic Metaphysicians; the New Platonists, and the Ancient Fathers of the Church, including Origen, Isidore, Tertullian, St. Augustine, Cassiodorus, Cyprian, Eusebius, Ambrose, Jerome, and Chrysostom. The Arabian Metaphysicians; the Persian Sophists; the Cabalistic Metaphysicians; the Philosophers of the Jews (Eben Ezra, Moses Maimonides &c.) and the Metaphysicians of the Saxons, such as Alcuin and the Venerable Bede. He then carries the sciences down to the period of Locke-recording the labours of the Scholastic Metaphysicians (Lanfranc, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, &c.); and on the appearance of Dante, Raymond Lully, Erasmus, Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus, Luther, Calvin, Melancthon, Knox, Lord Bacon, Hobbes, Montaigne, Descartes, Pascal, Malebranche, Spinoza, Bossuet, Huygens, Fenelon, Fontenelle, Leibnitz, and John Locke. Next he proceeds as far as the first French Revolution at the close of the last century, particularizing such men as Wollaston, Butler, Stillingfleet, Bayle, Müller, Berkeley, Hume, Rosseau, Turgot, D'Alembert, Reid, Horne Tooke, Diderot, Voltaire, Helvetius, Hartley, Priestly, Darwin, Fergusson, Emmanuel Kant, Volney, Condorcet, and Cabanis; and concludes with the present time, detailing the labours of Dugald Stewart, Thomas Brown, Coleridge, Whewell, Macintosh, Schlegel, Fitche, Royer Collard, Lamennais, Buchez, Benjamin Constant, Brissot, Victor Cousin, Claude Henri, Count de St. Simon, Charles Fourier, Pierre Leroux, Tommasseo, Gioberti, Mamiani, Van de Weyer, and Emerson. Safely, then, may we recommend this accumulation of ideas, and condensation of opinions, to whoever would become either cursorily acquainted, or fully informed, with respect to this ever-teeming subject. Any one part may be referred to, where an authority is sought by the doubting student; the whole is indispensable even to the admitted professor. But we must not be supposed, by these remarks, to subscribe to all the dicta of the author. What he has brought together of the emanations of others, deserves warmer praise than we can expresshigher honour than we can confer. But from many of his own, individual, deductions, we unquestionably dissent: from his dissertation on phrenology, for instance. On some future occasion we may venture to join issue with him on such debateable grounds. Our want of faith, however, in Mr. Blakey, as a philosopher, cannot warrant us in denying to him what is honestly his due, as the historian of mental philosophy. FINE ARTS. Illustrated Tracing Board. By Bro. Harris. Spencer. The tracing board for the Third Degree being now completed, we have only to recommend the spirited artist, Bro. Harris, to the Craft as one who has kept pace with the masonic improvement of the age; and in the work now presented, has earned for himself a reputation of deservedly high standing. TO CORRESPONDENTS. The Public, and especially our Advertizing Friends, are cautioned against the man named GREEN. We are requested to state that Dr. Crucefix has altogether retired from London. His address is Grove, Gravesend, Kent; where all communications should be addressed that are intended for his personal observation-indeed, letters for the Editor, under cover to him, will more immediately reach their destination. It is most earnestly entreated that, wherever possible, all communications may be written only on one side of the paper; also that all German and other foreign words may be most legibly written. WE are compelled to omit particular replies to several friends, who will however perceive that we have taken advantage of their esteemed communications. The portrait of the Earl of Zetland-excellent as a likeness, but defective as a work of arthas been placed in the Hall, but when or by whose order has not transpired. The "alter ego," or his fag, or probably the President of the Board, gave orders--however there the portrait is. Bro. PRYER.- Much as we regret the indispensable delay in the series of "Antiquities," we are grateful for a poetical effusion of powerful interest. PILGRIM-We have deliberately used up every "fragment," but touching "Brother Arthur," there is no hope: hereafter (D. V.) we may say something there anent. W. C.-Initials are but an indifferent passport to confidence, nevertheless we waive our objection; but want of space has only admitted a very brief notice. AN ATHOL MASON.-The soubriquet of " Judas Iscariot," is not altogether inapposite. WIDE AWAKE.-The unusual force of the Purple on the 6th would have been unaccountable, but that the "Ego et rex meus" chose to circulate a rumour that the Brethren below-bar intended to play off his own character of "Artful Dodge," by nominating other noble Brethren, but the mouth-piece of Masonic Aristocracy (!) was dumbfounded, and the force spent itself in-nothing. A READER-Original papers should reach the Editor by the first of the current month. Bro. B. SMITH.-We have felt much disappointment at not receiving the promised gleanings, but trust to their appearance in time for the ensuing number. HEU MIHI!--Grieve not-a majority of twenty-seven on such a question as the Confirmation of Minutes, in a Grand Lodge of nearly two hundred, is some proof that moral courage is not wanting: this, too, even in the very teeth of forty-four privileged tenants of the Dais. EX QUOVIS LIGNO NON FIT MERCURIUS.-The Senior Grand Deacon of all England did not condescend to " cap Latin" on his last appearance, but intimated that he was perfectly indifferent as to how his speeches (!) were reported-ex nihilo nihil fit. FRETFUL should not be too hard on the "immortal." It is no joke to have been bitten by a tarantula spider. The misapplied haste in nominating the G. M. may be pardoned in one who is never too late in silly things. Brother the Duke of Wellington has ruled it, that a man before time is scarcely less in fault than the man behind time. Has Fretful any corns? If he has. let him follow the example of the "immortal," and wear Hall's pannus-coriumhe may then defy the -- and all his works. DISCIPLINE AND PRACTICE. P. M.-The Master should appoint and invest the officers in the first degree; the working tools should be presented in each degree, and explained as time may permit. ROYAL ARCH. TRAFALGAR.-As yet true and trusty, and of the right sort, art thou; but be not deceived by those who would use thee to mount themselves, and then, the object obtained, would kick the ladder down. We know them and thee-wide as the poles asunder are the relative merits of each. A DISTRICT Z.-The chair words cannot be communicated as requested; the candidates are instructed previous to the mystical portion. TEMPLAR. SIR KNT. A. DOUGLAS has been replied to. SIR KNT. RETTIE's communication has been attended to. Future correspondence requested. ASYLUM. For information as to the BALL, see advertisement. VGL. VI. 3 U 1848.A VALEDICTION. ANOTHER YEAR to those that went before Who can select, from by-gone years, but one Some deed of goodness? Who shall dare to say, 1 Let us, then, meet the coming year, not mute Where Hope, and Faith, and Charity, and Truth, J. LEE STEVENS, P. G. S. |