The Reverend Mr. BLoom's Pulpit Oratory in the Time of
James the First is not exactly what its titlepage would pretend. It is, in fact, the publication for the first time of a volume of rural discourses, preached in that reign by a parson or parsons un- known, and now edited, with some remarks, by a clergyman of the present day. A volume of specimens of the pulpit oratory of this most theo- logical reign, drawn from various accessible sources, would really be curious and instructive. The style of the sermons of that pe- riod is remarkable for the profusion of its learning, the acuteness of its logic, and the slenderness of its reasoning. The tone is usually one of warmth and energy. The Church was then in ear- nest, and every preacher enjoyed his pulpit as his throne or theatre. We do not think that Mr. BLOOM is very deep in the ecclesias- tical history of those times. His representation of the Archbishop of SPALATRO'S sojourn in England is prejudiced and unjust. Nei- ther do we see any reason for the long quotation from so common a work as the Guardian (concealing the source) of Sir EDWARD SACK VILLE'S account of his bloody duel with Lord BRUCE.
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