Keith's Sketch of the Evidence of Prophecy Kempis's, Thomas à, Imitation of Christ, with an Introductory Essay, by List of Works recently Published London and Paris, by the Marquis de Vermont and Sir Charles Darnley Lyon's Private Journal of H. M. S. Hecla, during the recent Voyage of Dis- Notes, &c. by William Cooke Morgagni's Seats and Causes of Disease investigated by Anatomy; with Mortimer's Sixteen Lectures on the Influences of the Holy Spirit 378 154 570 Owen's Strictures ou the Rev. E. T. Vaughan's Sermon, entitled "God the 508 Parry's Journal of a Second Voyage for the Discovery of a North West Prinsep's Narrative of the Political and Military Transactions of British India under the Administration of the Marquess of Hastings, 1813 to 1818 Prior's Memoirs of the Life and Character of the Rt. Hon. Edmund Burke Romaine's Treatises upon the Life, Walk, and Triumph of Faith, with an 97 312 541 Slaney's Essay on the beneficial Direction of Rural Expenditure Spix and Martius's Travels in Brazil in the years 1817-1820 Stanhope's, the Hon. Col. Leicester, Greece in 1822-1824 Stonard's Commentary on the Vision of Zechariah, the Prophet Werninck's Twenty Serious on Practical Subjects; translated from the Works of eminent French and Dutch Protestant Ministers 154 Williams's Dictionary of all Religions and Religious Denominations, &c. Wolferstan's Enchanted Flute, with other Poems; and Fables from La Fon- THE ECLECTIC REVIEW, FOR JULY, 1824. Art. I. Tableaux de L'Histoire Philosophique du Christianisme, ou 'Etudes de Philosophie Religieuse. Par Charles Coquerel. 18mo. Paris. 1823. THAT very frequent phrase, the dark ages, which we have heard and used so often from the time of our earliest initiation into history, has become, perhaps, in most minds, surrounded with images of physical obscurity. Even among our maturer thoughts, there may remain an indistinct impression that, during the period usually so designated, there was stretched over the nations a constant shroud of wintry vapours, reaching from the flats of Holland to the steppes of the Crimea, and from the stormy bay of Biscay to the frozen gulf of Finland. And a momentary effort of reason may be required before we can persuade ourselves, that, in those days of intellectual dimness, when men seemed to dream, rather than to think, when the lamp of Science had gone out in the sepulchre of Truth, and when the spider wrought her web from year to year without disturbance over the records of mind, that in those days, as in these, placid lakes reflected bright blue skies, and dashing streams sparkled in the rays of an unclouded sun. And it may be supposed, that a similar prejudice of the imagination insensibly influences the notions we form of the present state of the moral world. Thus, for example, while we see that our days are made glad by brilliant suns, we do not readily believe, that the times we live in will be spoken of by posterity as times of darkness. This sort of illusive association in the mind between material images and abstract facts, may make us hesitate for a moment to admit, that this vaunted nineteenth century is, throughout the continent of Europe, as well as over the neighbouring divisions of the globe, as dark an age as any that have preceded it. |