as easy to them as possible, spent some time in composing a small English Grammar for their use, and in revising his Catechism, published many years before; and that, at the same time, he might be useful to others, he published them both together in 1765. He also revised, corrected, and much improved his Logic and Ethics, with the same view. But what he chiefly laboured and delighted in, in this happy interim of health and leisure, was the study of the holy scriptures in their sacred originals, and especially the Hebrew language, in which those holy oracles, from the beginning to the time of our Saviour's manifestation, were delivered. In subserviency to this study, he read several volumes of Mr. HUTCHINSON's works over again, with Dr. SHARP's writings against them, and the defences of them by Messrs. BAte, Spearman, HOLLOWAY, HODGES, MOODY, CATCOT, HORNE, &c. He was glad to see so good a temper in most of his defenders; yet he thought there was rather too much of a tendency towards extremes in some things on both sides. But, upon the whole, he approved. of Mr. HUTCHINSON'S scheme in general, and especially with regard to the four points heretofore mentioned.

Dr. JOHNSON had, for many years, entertained.

a strong opinion, that, "as the Hebrew was the "first language taught by God himself to man"kind, and the mother of all languages and

eloquence, it would be proper to begin a learned "education with that language, which lends to "all other languages, and borrows from none."*

The learned Dr. CHAPMAN, in his Miscellaneous Tracts, has an elaborate dissertation, in which he proves that the greatest critics and philosophers in general, have been of a different opinion, with regard to the derivation of all languages from the ancient Hebrew. He shows, in particular, that BUXTORF, Bishop WALTON, BOCHART, GERARD Vossius, the two SCALIGERS, DURET, DANIEL HEINSIUS, SELDEN, HUET, VITRINGA, PERIZONIUS, MORIN, and Father CALMET, fully believed that some languages owe their origin to the miraculous confusion of Babel; and that it was the opinion of the ablest in this list of critics, that the Greek, Latin, Teutonic, and Sclavonic, are matrices, or mother languages, and have no affinity with one another. In tracing the rise of ancient languages, there is so little light to direct us, and fancy is so apt to mislead us, that the most prudent way is not to be hasty in forming opinions, nor dogmatical in asserting them. There is great propriety in the following observation, made by the accurate authors of the ancient Universal History. "Some learned “men have endeavoured to derive all languages in general "from the Hebrew, which they imagine to be the parent of "all others. That they should succeed very well in finding a great conformity between that and the other oriental "tongues is no wonder, since they are manifestly sprung "from one common original; though it be difficult, if not "impossible, to distinguish the mother from the daughters. "That they have also given tolerable satisfaction in deduc"ing from the same tongue several words not only in the "Greek and Latin, but in some other European languages, " is not matter of such surprise, considering the great inter"course several nations of our continent had with the Phanicians, whose mother tongue was the Hebrew. But when "these writers venture out of their depth, and pretend to

Being therefore desirous of promoting the study of the Hebrew scriptures in the colonies, he set himself down to compose a Hebrew grammar, to go side by side with his English grammar above-mentioned; as there appeared to him to be

"deduce the more remote languages from the same foun"tain, they only show their ignorance, and make them"selves ridiculous to all who have but a moderate skill in "those tongues; for the proof of which we could produce a "multitude of examples." Univers. Hist. B. 1. c.ii. sect. 5. The learned SAURIN, in his dissertation on this subject, concludes," that the Chaldean, Syrian, or Aramean tongue, **was that which HEBER and his discendants spake; that "ABRAHAM learned the language of Canaan, and trans"mitted the same to his posterity; that this language is the “true Hebrew, which is called in scripture the language of "Canaan. But nothing proves that the Chaldean language, "spoken by HEBER's family, was that only tongue spoken "before the building of the tower of Babel; perhaps that "only tongue was then confounded, and not continued since "in any one nation or family." The Jews, in defending the antiquity of their own language, have extravagantly asserted, that it was created immediately by God; that it is the only language which is understood by the angels of heaven; that in this language alone will our prayers be heard and accepted; that after the resurrection the blessed will converse together in this language, &c. &c. These assertions are more excusable in the mouth of a Few than in that of a Christian: for it is a kind of vanity that is natural to mankind," to attribute a great antiquity to their own tongue; "insomuch that an author in Friesland, viz. GOROPIUS "BECANUS, who lived under the Emperor CHARLES V. "thought he honoured his country very much by deriving "the Hebrew words from Dutch or Teutonick; for instance, "he says that ADAM comes from Haat-dam, a hater of "heaps; ABEL, from Haat-belg, a bater of war; CAIN, from

Quaadt-ende, an evil end, &c." See SAURIN, ut. sup. This reminds one of SWIFT's humorous attempt to prove, that the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin tongues were derived from the present English.

a great resemblance in the grammatical structure of the two languages. While he was engaged in this work, and had proceeded about half way through it, he met with a new Hebrew lexicon, by Mr. PARKHURST, in which that writer stre nuously pleads for the same opinion and prac tice. This greatly animated him during the rest of his progress; and the work was completed, and printed in London, by FADEN, in 1767. second edition of it, corrected and much amend ed, was published in 1771, by the same book seller, with this title: An English and Hebrew Grammar, being the first short Rudiments of those two Languages, taught together. om bir

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The Doctor was greatly pleased with the mes thod and illustrations of PARKHURST'S Hebrew Lexicon, and with several other books that he had not seen till about the same time; particu larly with the Prælections of Dr. LoWTH, the present learned and excellent Bishop of Oxford,* on the Hebrew poetry. This admirable work, which is highly celebrated throughout the learned world, does, in the opinion of competent judges, reflect more light upon the various graces, as well as the sublimity, of diction in the sacred

Afterwards Bishop of London. [TO Ediso

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writings of the Old Testament, than any other work that has ever been published.

Dr. JOHNSON continued, through the remainder of his life, to fill up his time in a manner worthy of his station and character. He pursued his studies with the same eagerness that animated his younger years. He kept up his correspondence with all his European friends that were still living, and was very punctual and faithful in answering their expectations in this way. His difficulty in writing occasioned him not to be so exact with his friends in America, who were better acquainted with his case, and could more easily excuse him. Yet, when any thing of real consequence was depending, he consulted not his own ease, but would write as fully and particularly to them as the subject required.

At the same time he was attentive to the business of his mission. He commonly readprayers and preached twice on every Sunday, and performed the ordinary parochial duties. But at length the disorder in his legs increased upon him, and began to interrupt him in the course of this service. Therefore, in December, 1767, he procured Mr. TYLER, then a candidate for Holy Orders, to assist him, by reading prayers