mostly dated during the war. It is in that department, where the author must have aimed to move the common mind rather than a select few, that we should complain of something like obscurity. At the same time there seems to be a degree of formality in presenting the moral of some of the pieces. We might complain of negligence in the phrase, "can only so," p. 62. "Our midst," p. 31, is reputed an "Americanism." In the poem "Twofold," some of the stanzas are fully rhymed, others only in the second and fourth lines. The pieces that please us most are grouped together in the third division, but in this partiality we include also “Sparrows" on p. 78. We like the book better than the title.

MCDONALD'S WITHIN AND WITHOUT.*-This is a dramatic poem. Why it is called "Within and Without" is not very obvious, unless it be the design of the story to teach how difficult it is to judge of the inner life from the outer life, and what mistakes may be made by inferring what is "within" from what we see "without." The hero of the poem in dejection of spirit quits the world and flies to a convent for peace. But failing to obtain the peace he sought, he escapes from the convent, finds the woman whom he has once loved about to be married to another, kills the lover and marries her himself. He loves her and she loves him, and yet each suspects the love of the other. The husband is philosophical and abstract in thought, and not demonstrative of affection in words, and the wife doubts his love. The wife is fond of social life and the friendship of others, and the husband thinks she is dissatisfied with him. Thus there are misapprehensions and alienations and separation; and death comes to part them finally without any recognition in this world of the depth of their mutual love. But they recognize each other in the spiritual world, and all the wrongs of life are righted there.

There are many passages in the poem of much force of thought and beauty of expression, but the murder is wholly out of keeping with the character of the hero, and the mode of introducing the supernatural at the close of the poem is altogether unsatisfactory. But Mr. McDonald ought not to be judged at all by this work. It is, we believe, the first book he published, and only gives faint indication of his genius. Mr. McDonald is a true poet, and some of his minor poems, in a little volume of his poetry called “The

* Within and Without. By GEORGE MCDONALD, LL.D. New York: Scribner, Armstrong & Co. Pp. 219.

Disciple," are beautiful. But his real poems are prose poemsthe novels by which he has delighted and instructed so wide a circle of readers. This work has its chief interest as a study of the mental life of the author himself.

MISCELLANEOUS.

OLIVER OPTIC'S BOOKS FOR BOYS.*--If, according to the familiar saying, he is a benefactor of the race who makes one blade of grass grow where no grass grew before, much more is he to be reckoned such who succeeds in making books, at once instructive and entertaining, for boys. Such is the good fortune of Mr. Optic (if we may designate him by his nom de plume). He appears to be the true succesor of Peter Parley, who, in our boyish days, was the most interesting character then living. How were we disenchanted when, for the first time, we met him face to face, and, in the room of the venerable old man, leaning on a crutch, we found a spruce gentleman, in middle life! Optic, in the series before us, describes foreign countries in a style to captivate the minds of little folks. It is an example of the feasibleness of communicating to the young a great amount of valuable information without tiring their brains. The proof of the fruit is in the eating; and we have seen these books practically tested in the family. We wish to Mr. Oliver Optic-these great authors are fond of alliteration—a long life, and hope that he will continue to write books, until he has written enough to build a monument to himself as high as the clouds, and ære perennius.

ZELL'S POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA† conveys a great amount of information in a very compressed form, and will abundantly satisfy all reasonable expectations of such a work. The informa tion is brought down to the present time, and is commonly minute enough for all ordinary purposes. It will be found not only very valuable to those who cannot afford a more extensive work, but exceedingly convenient to those who can. So far as we have examined, we have found it trust worthy. In one instance in which we had occasion to refer to it, we gained more satisfactory, because more definite, information, than from the much longer

*Young America Abroad, by Oliver Optic. 6 vols. Boston: Lee & Shepherd, 1872.

Zell's Popular Encyclopedia. A universal Dictionary of the English Language, Science, Literature, and Art. By L. COLANGE, LL.D. In two volumes. Illustrated by 2,500 wood-cuts. Vol II. Philadelphia: T. Elwood Zell. Pp. 1,152, 4to.

article of another and larger work. On many topics the reader must expect only the outlines of a subject; but he will often be surprised to see how much can be conveyed in a small compass.

THE POEM OF LUCRETIUS.*-The poem of Lucretius on the Nature of Things is one of the most remarkable productions in literature. It was written, with sincerity and earnestness, by one who desired to deliver his fellow men from the fears connected with the expectation of death, by inculcating materialism. Of course, in ridding men of the fears, he deprives them also of all the humble hopes which connect themselves with our departure from this world. He is a disciple of the Epicurean philosophy, in the purer form, as it was held by the founder, and not in the degenerate shape which the Epicurean ethics assumed in the case of many of its votaries. The design of the poem, the evident seriousness of the author, and the blank infidelity which is set forth from a motive of philanthropy, make this work one of the saddest of literary productions. At the same time, its vigor and poetic merit enchain the attention of a thoughtful reader. The translation appears to be well done, and the accompanying observations of the translator spring from a close study of the work.

THE LAND OF THE VEDA.t-The subordinate title of this volume is the proper and legitimate one, and should be substituted for "The Land of the Veda,"-which naturally leads one to expect a learned investigation of the many interesting archæological and philological questions which gather about this vast field for scholarly research.

On the contrary, the work is the record of the personal experience of the author, for many years a resident-missionary in India; and his observations on the religions and art and political history of the Indian races--somewhat meagre and desultory in themselves are all secondary to this main purpose. The book is wholly wanting in method, and its style is diffuse and slovenly, but it

*Lucretius on the Nature of Things. Translated into English Verse by CHARLES FREDERICK JOHNSON, with Introduction and Notes. New York, 1872.

The Land of the Veda: being Personal Reminiscences of India; its People, Castes, Thugs, and Fakirs: its Religions, Mythology, Principal Monuments, Palaces, and Mausoleums; together with the Incidents of the Great Sepoy Rebellion, and its Results to Christianity and Civilization. With a Map of India and 42 Illustrations, by Rev. WM. BUTLER, D.D. New York: Carlton & Lanahan. 1872. 8vo, pp. 550.

contains much information of interest to the general reader, and the Christian earnestness and hopefulness of the writer are every'where evident.

The central point of the narrative, both as a personal reminiscence and as the focus of historical interest, is the Great Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-8; and the perusal of this part of the work brings back the shudder of horror with which the civilized world met the tidings of the Cawnpore massacre and the siege of Luck

now.

The wisdom of the policy of the English government toward India, since the establishment of the East India Company, has always been an open subject for discussion, and the recent massacre of the Governor-General at Delhi indicates that the old hatred, -perhaps also some of the old grounds for it-still exists.

Dr. Butler enters largely into missionary statistics, and discusses the condition of women in India; their legal wrongs and social degradation; and dwells upon the recent remarkable opening for missionary work by Christian women in the Zenana.

THE PEOPLE'S EDITION OF MILL'S POLITICAL ECONOMY* gives the whole of this exhaustive treatise, with a few unimportant omissions, in a portable duodecimo volume of less than six hundred pages. The type is small, but very clear, and the page is very legible, although divided into two columns. We are glad that this standard treatise, the ablest production of its eminent author, is brought within the reach of the multitudes who are interested in the subjects of which it treats. The labor strikes and the discussion of the hours of labor threaten to bring the discussion of the principles of Political Economy within the doors of every man, and to make the study of them indispensable to every man who thinks at all.

* Principles of Political Economy, with some of their applications to Social Philosophy. By JOHN STUART MILL. People's Edition. Boston: Lee & Shepard. New York: Lee, Shepard & Dillingham.

1872.

THE

NEW ENGLANDER.

No. CXXI.

OCTOBER, 1872.

ARTICLE I-THE PREACHING TO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON,

Ὅτι καὶ Χριστὸς ἅπαξ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἔπαθε, δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων, ἵνα ἡμᾶς προσαγάγῃ τῷ Θεῷ, θανατωθεὶς μὲν σαρκί, ζωοποιηθεὶς δὲ πνεύματι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασι πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, ἀπειθήσασί ποτε, ὅτε ἀπεξεδέχετο ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμία ἐν ἡμέραις Νώε, κατασκευαζομένης κιβωτοῦ, εἰς ἣν ὀλίγοι, τουτέστιν ὀκτώ ψυχαί, διεσώθησαν δι ̓ ὕδατος, ὅ και ἡμᾶς ἀντίτυπον νῦν σώζει βάπτισμα, κ, τ, λ. 1 Pet. iii, 18-21.

THE main discussion turns upon the words, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασι πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξεν, ἀπειθήσασί ποτε. The adjacent sentences or clauses are given both for convenience' sake, and because of their relation, more or less direct, to these words.

It is proposed to inquire what is the meaning of this passage strictly according to the laws of the Greek language. There is therefore no occasion for encumbering the discussion with a history of the various interpretations or theories. It may be found, more or less full, in De Wette, Huther (Meyer), Alford, 40

VOL. XXXI.