Songs of the Prophets, is a very pretty pocketable little
volume. It contains the various "Songs " which are scattered up and down the Bible; beginning with the triumphant hymn of Moses and the Israelites upon the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, and end. ing with the Annunciation. To each of these is affixed a prose commentary, designed to illustrate the text in different ways, but more especially to impress upon youthful readers the "great moral lesson" which the texts furnish. A metrical version of the ori- ginal follows the commentary. In despite of a strained and over- acted admiration, which looks somewhat like cant, the author is evidently too great an enthusiast in favour of " the Book," to quarrel with us for saying that we consider the original passages as the gems of the volume. The style of his prose is somewhat cumbrous, his matter rather too vague : the verses are pretty, but mere prettiness is ill-adapted to represent the "deep mouths" of the Jewish prophetic bards. The startling abruptness of the lyrical rush, the spirit of the exulting burst, in "I will sing to the Lord, for he bath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider bath he thrown into the sea," evaporate in this metrical version— Sing praise to Jehovah, whose triumph is glorious; The rider and horse be hash whelmed in the tide: The God of our fathers alone is victorious ;
We'll build him a temple wherein to abide.
Jehovah's our song, and our strength, our salvation—
Our God who alone is all-worthy of praise— The God of our fathers: a fit habitation For honour and glory to him let us raise.
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