rigorously prohibited all games of chance within his dominions. A request has been addressed to the foreign ministers, accredited to his Majesty, that they should not suffer such games within their respective households.

GREECE.

The reigning prince of Wallachia, ALEXANDER SOUTzos, who is a Greek by birth, desirous of distinguishing his patriotism by actions, and especially by promoting civilization and letters, has determined to send to the most eminent schools of Europe several young Greeks, who may there finish their studies at his expense, and then return home to give their native country the advantage of the knowledge they have acquired. A plan is also in forwardness for the establishment of a grand college at Adrianople. It has been patronized with zeal by Baron GEORGE SAKELLARIOS, one of the richest Greek merchants settled in the dominions of the Emperor of Austria. The Baron is a native of Adrianople; and having opened the list by a liberal subscription, he has excited the emulation of his compatriots, to whom he has written in strong terms on the subject. The Archbishop of Adrianople, M. PROIOS, native of Chios, a man of great learning, and who long resided at Paris, has employed all his patriotic eloquence on behalf of this college; and a person unknown has bequeathed a landed estate valued at £1000. By such means, in the first instance, the Greeks are endeavouring to deliver themselves from that state of degradation in which they have been so long enthralled.

The Greek Journal Hermes No Logios, for September 1819, contains, among other articles, a memoir in the form of a letter, of the services rendered during twenty years to Greece, by the brothers ZOSIMAS-they are both numerous and important. "These worthy and respectable sons of the country," says the writer," could no longer endure to see it covered with the shades of ignorance, but concluded that to be rendered happy it must be enlightened. They have established at Joannina, in Epirus, their native country, a school of the first order, have enriched it with an excellent library, have assigned considerable funds for the emolument of professors, have granted pensions to poor students, and have spared no expense to assist in raising their unfortunate country. To their munificence we owe the Greek Bibliotheca of Mr. CORAY, with its excellent commentaries, the fruit of much study and learning. The eldest of the brothers, ZoSIMAS, has resided from his

youth at Moscow. The venerable mother of the Emperor Alexander, being a few years ago in that ancient capital of the Czars, desired to see the benefactor of Greece, caused him to be presented, entered into conversation with him, with distinguished good-will, and among other things said to him- M. Zosimas, the benefits which you confer every day on your countrymen are known to my son and to me: continue them; and assure yourself that, independently of our satisfaction, the blessings of those whom you render happy will rise even to heaven.' Turning afterwards to the other Greeks who were present, Gentlemen,' said she, this is the true ornament of your nation.'-Messrs. ZosIMAS have formed at Moscow a considerable collection of antiquities, &c. with which they purpose some day to enrich their native country, Greece."

The Greek printing-office established at CHIOS, has begun its labours. The first work it has produced is an excellent Discourse by Professor BAMBAS, at the opening of the great College of Chios. This is so well executed, and printed with so much elegance, that even the Parisians speak of it as worthy to be attributed to the Paris press. This establishment bids fair to become the means of distributing throughout Greece a succession of important works, destined to contribute to the regeneration of that classic country.

RUSSIA. Jews in Russia.

(From the Evangelical Mag.) Extract of a Letter lately received from

the Rev. B. N. Solomon on his return from a missionary journey which he has been making in Poland. Our readers will recollect that Mr. Solomon is the converted Polish Kabbi, who was ordained by the Lord Bishop of Gloucester, and who accompanied Mr. Way in his continental tour.

"Kremenchug, May 24, 0. S. 1819. "From Ecatherinaslav, I directed my steps towards the JEWISH COLONIES in the government of CHERSON, where I witnessed a scene as pleasing and interesting as it is altogether new in the annals of modern history. I think it must be interesting to the friends of Israel to hear that there is a respectable body of Jews, consisting of no less than four thousand souls, who have newly left their trades in Poland, and have returned to their pristine patriarchial simplicity of life-who cultivate the ground which the noble Alexander granted them, with their own hands-who follow their flocks and

their herds into the fields, and separate from the world; they subsist in the Steppes entirely on their manual labour, and eat their bread with the sweat of

their face. Whether this might be the beginning of a preparation for their return to their own land, I am not authorized to judge; but I could not help being struck with the idea that they might, even in those Steppes, be infinitely happier than their forefathers in Jerusalem itself, if they would but know Him whom their fathers saw only through types and figures. I hesitated not to declare this my opinion to them; and, when they said they would rather be in Jerusalem than in the Steppes, I told them that they might have here more than a Jerusalem, a paradise itself, if they would with one heart and one mind return to

Him whom their fathers have so unjustly pierced; but who was, notwithstanding, the bright glory that adorned the second temple at Jerusalem. There is one advantage which I had here above other places, viz. that I found among them much less difficulty of introducing the subject and obtaining their ear than among the busy Jews in the towns, where you may generally hear excuses similar to those in the Gospel, I have no time to attend; I must first provide for my family.' Here I heard no such thing; on the contrary, whichever colony I entered, I had no sooner alighted from my britchky than I saw almost all the inhabitants around me, and the rabbi himself on my side. Bibles, Testaments, and tracts were brought in: we read them together, we pointed out passages to one another, and the conversation was every where carried on with mutual candour and amity, and sometimes for three or four hours together.

"B. N. SOLOMON. "To Rev. C. S. Hawtrey."

Letters from St. Petersburgh state, that the Emperor ALEXANDER, apprehensive that the morals of his people would be injured by their reading the account of Carlile's trial, had given directions to the police to prevent the introduction of all the English newspapers which contain it.

MISCELLANEOUS.

In the Times Newspaper of Feb. 7th, is an advertisement for the clergy who wish to preach, but have not leisure to compose, a Royal Funeral Sermon, which we copy in all its barbarousness:-" Ad Clerum. Ecclesiastæ quibus non satis est Otii ad tempestivas conscione componendas in Memoriam defunctæ Regis GEORGII, hæbendas Exemplaria varia, aut MS. non ante prolata ad rem rite

luctuosam idonea consequi possent. Adeundum est," &c.

Education.-It appears from the Eighth Report of the National Society, that there

are 1467 schools on Dr. Bell's system; and from the Fourteenth Report of the British and Foreign School Society, that there are 297 schools upon the Lancas terian plan; making a total, upon the new system, of 1764 schools.

A new Prophet has risen up, and has opened his commission by a paragraph in the newspapers, as follows: "This day, Feb. 28, 1820, is put into the hands of Mr. Mills, bookseller, Portsmouth, a Work written by ROWLAND MONEY, Capt. R. N. C. B. and ordered to be published according to the command of God to his servant Rowland Money."

The Rev. DR. PARR who had long held one of the numerous prebendal stalls in St. Paul's Cathedral, which never produced him more than £10. per annum, has been fortunate enough to negociate a lease in right of his stall, to the Regent Canal Company for no less than £24,000 sterling. So says report-we hope truly. -Gent. Mag.

In our list of New Publications, p. 179, is the title of a pamphlet by DR. CARTER, in answer to Mr. Belsham's Reply to Dr. Moysey. The competency of this new theological polemic, may be judged of by his appealing to the authority of Sir Isaac Newton, as a believer" that Jesus was God"!

The Gazette of Saturday (says The Times, of Monday, Feb. 14) contains the necessary alterations in the Church Service on the demise of the King. This, we are aware, is a subject of considerable delicacy, and extremely sorry we shall be if political differences insinuate themselves into our worship. The old clause in the Liturgy runs thus:-"That it may please thee to bless and preserve [our gracious Queen CHARLOTTE, their Royal Highnesses GEORGE Prince of Wales, the Princess of WALES, and] all the Royal Family." The Gazette directs the omission of the passage within the brackets, "That it may leaving the clause thus:please thee to bless and preserve all the Royal Family." The London Clergy, we find on minute inquiry, fulfilled the directions; but in the country, where the Gazette had not arrived, the clergy as generally made the change in the most easy and obvious way, by praying for this Queen as for the last, and simply substituting the word CAROLINE in the place

of CHARLOTTE-"That it may please thee to bless and preserve our gracious Queen CAROLINE, and all the Royal Family." We merely state these facts, and the subject is painful to us. That course, we predict, will be found the easiest and the safest which occasions the fewest changes, and the least deviation from ancient custom.

Another Order of Council, of the date of Feb. 17, commands a Form of Prayer and Thanksgiving to Almighty God, to be drawn up, for "His Majesty's Recovery from his late dangerous sickness."

FIRE-ACT CLERGY.-On Feb. 24, a report was made and agreed to in the Common Council of the City of London relating to the London Tythes. It was stated by the mover of the report, that in the year 1802 an application had been made to Parliament by the Fire-Act Clergy for an increase of their incomes; that they then obtained an addition, in many instances, of double their incomes, and in others of more, so as to create the expense to the city of £12,241, besides glebe-houses; that in 1819 they applied for a further increase, and it would scarcely be believed that this increase involved a further burden to the City of not less than £25,584; and that he (the mover, Mr. HURCOMBE) had heard from one of those reverend gentlemen that if they succeeded, they intended to make a further application, in order to have their income the full 2s. 9d. in the pound on the rent of houses. In resisting successfully the application of the clergy, the Committee had received the cordial support of three of the then members for the city, Aldermen WooD, WAITHMAN and THORP, but they had been strenuously opposed by the other member of the City, Mr. WILSON, as also by Sir W. CURTIS, who "when he conceived that he was likely to carry it all his own way, laughed at those who opposed it." Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN said that there was never any measure so warmly contested in a Committee before; and so great were the exertions made in support of the bill, that it was lost in the Committee by only two or three votes.

Essay on the Evils of Popular Ignorance, in an 8vo. volume.

An historical work on the Persecutions in France is in preparation by Mr. MARK WILKS.

MR. B. HANBURY is preparing for the press An Historical Research concerning the most ancient Congregational Church in England, shewing the claim of the Church of Union-street, in the Borough, to that distinction.

We have satisfaction in reporting that Mr. SHARON TURNER'S third edition of the History of the Anglo-Saxons, in three volumes 8vo., is nearly ready for publication. It will contain an addition of several observations and dialogues of King Alfred on the subjects discussed by Boethius, a fuller analysis of the heroic poem of Beowulf, a larger view of the Witenagemot or Anglo-Saxon Parliament, and a detail of the population of the Anglo-Saxons.

NOTICES.

THE Anniversary of the SOUTHERN UNITARIAN FUND will be held at Ports-mouth, on Wednesday, 5th April, when the Rev. J. B. Bristowe will preach before the Society at the General Baptist Chapel in Thomas Street. Service to begin at Twelve o'Clock. There will be an evening service at the Unitarian Chapel in High Street, at a quarter before Seven o'Clock.

TUESDAY, May the 2nd, being the day appointed for opening the new Unitarian General Baptist Chapel at Dover, the following gentlemen have kindly agreed to preach on the occasion: Rev. Sampson Kingsford, of Canterbury, in the morning; Rev. James Gilchrist, of Worship Street, London, in the afternoon; Rev. W. J. Fox, of Parliament Court, London, in the evening. The devotional parts of the services will be filled up by other gentlemen.

The Annual Association of the Kent Unitarian Baptist Churches, which was fixed to be held at Headcorn, will, by mutual consent, be held by adjournment at Dover, on the following day, (Wednesday, May 3rd,) when a sermon will be preached by the Rev. Matthew Harding, of Seven Ŏaks.

No. CLXXII.]

Vol. XV.]

UNITA

TNITARIANISM in Transylvania, or, as it is called by the Germans, Siebenbürgen, is well known to have derived its origin from George Blandrata, an Italian physician, who had left his native country on account of the freedom of his opinions, and, after residing at Geneva and in Poland, was invited into Transylvania on account of his reputation in the medical profession, to be physician to the king, in 1563, He converted to his opinions Franciscus Davidis, at that time a Calvinistic preacher, and by the high favour which he enjoyed with the young prince, John II., prevailed upon him to displace his own preacher, and give the place of court preacher to Davidis. Basilu, Plebau, or Minister, of the Saxon Church in Clausenburg, having been converted to the same opinions, and employing his talents as a preacher in their diffusion, the Unitarian doctrine came to be not only patronized by the king and many of the nobles and courtiers, but also to be very popular among the lower orders. It was not to be expected that the Lutherans and Calvinists would remain tranquil spectators of this defection from the true faith; in 1566, a Synod was called together at Torda, in the same year another at Marus-Vasarhely, where each party exhibited Theses and Anti-theses without any result. At the command of the young king, a conference was held, in 1568, at Weissenburg, (Alba Julia,) in the Royal Palace, during ten successive days. "Disputationem cum fervore orsi, sine omni, qui in Ecclesiam Christi redundaret, fructû clauserunt:” it was, however, enacted under pain of death, that each party should abstain from injurious reflections upon the other, and that no new dogmas should be broached. Unitarianism continued to flourish during the remainder of the reign of John II., and at the very last diet which was held in his reign, a few weeks only before his death, it was placed among the received religions of

VOL. XV.

2 c

Transylvania, (as opposed to the tolerated,) and freedom of religious worship and eligibility to all offices of state were conferred upon the professors of it, exactly as these had been before possessed by the Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed religions. Although himself apparently an Unitarian, it does not appear that he employed any force against the orthodox, and it is probable that he was the author of a saying attributed to his successor, Stephen Bathory, with whose conduct it by no means suited: "Regem se esse populorum, non conscientiarum ; triaque esse quæ Deus sibi reservaverit, creare aliquid ex nihilo, prænosse futura, conscientiis dominari.” Stephen Bathory, who was a zealous Catholic, did not choose directly to attack the Unitarians, but drove them from Court, and invited the Jesuits into Transylvania, and gave them rich foundations in the places where Unitarianism most abounded, namely Clausenburg and Weissenburg, from which they diffused their missions over the adjacent country. In the reign of his brother and successor Christopher Bathory, occurred the unhappy schism between Blandrata and Davidis respecting the worship of Christ, which ended in the condemnation of Davidis's opinions, and the confinement of himself and his son-in-law in a loathsome prison, where they perished miserably. I shall only observe, upon this disgraceful history, that Blandrata, however inconsistently he acted as a professed lover of the truth, was wise in his generation as the founder and head of a party. Nothing could have been more unfa vourable to the stability of the newlyerected edifice, than to be divided against itself. A church without an authoritative confession would be considered in those days as a monster incapable of being received into political union; indeed it may be doubted whether the very idea of an established religion, such as Unitarianism was and is in Transylvania, does not include

that of a test, by which it may be ascertained who really belong to the privileged religion. Independently of this the general adoption of the doctrine of Davidis, would have placed Unitarianism in so marked a contrast with other religious sects, as would probably have led to its proscription. The worship of Christ may be explained away by one who wishes to appear heterodox, into an apostrophe of piety and gratitude, while one who wishes to appear orthodox may place himself by means of it, upon a level with the most orthodox, especially when it is joined with the ascription of the titles of Divinity to our Saviour. The wish of Blandrata, therefore, to prevent the spread of the opinions of Davidis was the result of policy rather than bigotry; and, as a piece of policy, the subsequent history of the Unitarians in Transylvania will justify him. Their existence has been precarious, and they have always found it advisable to represent the difference between themselves and other sects of Christians as being as small as possible. Davidis had been the first Superintendent of the Unitarians, and after his death this office was conferred upon Demetrius Hunyades. It was his first care to restore the unity of the Church, which the doctrines of Davidis had disturbed, by drawing up a Confession of Faith and re-establishing the use of Infant Baptism, which had been for two years neglected. Some add that the Lord's Supper had equally fallen into disuse, (Walch's Neueste Religions-geschichte, V. 172,) but this is probably a mistake. Benkö (Transylvania, Lib. iv. C. xvi.) speaks only of baptism, the neglect of which is easily accounted for by the opinions which Socinus is known to have held on this subject. The confession of Hunyadi recognizes the right of Christ to the title of God and to worship, although not of the same kind as the Father. He died in 1592, and was succeeded by the celebrated George Enyedi, who filled the office of Superintendent till 1597. About sixty years ago, in digging a grave in Clausenburg, a tablet of brass was found with an inscription in letters of gold, which appears to have stood upon his coffin: Hic sepultum jacet corpus eruditione, ingenii subtilitate et pietate Cl. Viri D. Georgii Enyedini, Superintendentis Ecclesiarum, Unum Deum

66

Patrem et Mediatorem Jesum profitentium, qui scholam per sexennium, ecclesias pariter sex annis, fideliter magno cum fructu administravit. Tandem colicâ passione correptus, anno ætatis suæ 42 extinctus est, A. D. 1597, die 24 Nov. horâ 4." His work, Explicationes Loc. SS. Vet. et Nov. ex quibus Trinitatis dogma stabiliri solet," is an enlargement of an unpublished treatise of Stephen Basilu above mentioned; " Responsiones in Loca V. et N. Testt. quibus fides de SS. Triade adstruitur." The work of Enyedi was published without date or name of place, and the circumstances attending the first edition of it are almost wholly unknown. The Unitarians had at first a press of their own, but it was taken from them in the year 1588, and given to the Jesuits by their zealous patron, Christopher Bathory. Siebenbürgische Quartalschrift, 1795.

I find nothing particular recorded of the history of the Unitarian Church under its next Superintendents, John Kosa, Matthew Torotskai, Valentine Radecius and Paul Csanadi; it is evident, however, that the opinions of Davidis were very far from being rooted out by the violence of Blandrata towards him, and the introduction of a more orthodox confession. On the contrary, the numbers of the adherents to them constantly increased: a diet which was held in the year 1618, in the reign of Gabriel Bethlen, decreed that those who refused to worship Christ should be deprived of their privileges; and many of them were consequently excluded from communion by their respective churches, by which they lost their political rights; and they would probably have been more hardly dealt with, had not the prince been so much occupied in war, and many of the Magnates been inclined to their opinions [Walch, p. 178]. In the year 1638, however, in the reign of George Ragolzki I., a violent dispute among the Unitarians themselves, brought them into danger of losing their privileges. Matthias Rasoris, an Unitarian minister, son of a Senator of the first rank, having been four times disappointed in his hope of obtaining the place of Superintendent, began to preach violently against the actual Superinten dent Daniel Beke, and accused him of heresy, &c. In consequence of this, a