absence of punctuation is a clear ground of discrimination among manuscripts. "The semi-colon, proper and inverted, is hardly seen in manuscripts before the end of the seventh century, and is not common till the end of the eighth or ninth. In this Psalter the two forms are freely used throughout, and have every appearance of having been inserted by the reviser of the manuscript," before it was considered finished. The color of the ink in the marks of punctuation is the same as in the letters themselves. Another sure sign of late transcription is found in the use of abbreviations. Except in sacred names, these are unknown in manuscripts of the period to which this Psalter has been referred. But this manuscript, on almost every page, exhibits such forms as qnm for quoniam; nr for noster; oms for omnes; tra for terra; as also c for con; b for bus; neq for neque; and even st for sunt; and t' for tur. Of the last, Mr. Bond, of the British Museum, remarks: "The frequent use of this contraction (t' for tur) is alone conclusive evidence of the late date of the Psalter." Another "decided mark of late age is the discontinuance of the practice of reducing the size of letters at the end of a line, in order to complete a word." "Still stronger, and more decisive of a later age, is the illuminated initial letter at the beginning of the First Psalm." "The initial B, of the first Psalm, gilt, edged with red, belongs to the class found in Carlovingian manuscripts of the ninth century." "Early manuscripts have no large initials." It cannot be said this ornament was subsequently applied; for a large space was originally reserved for this initial; and, moreover, the same employment of gilding is found through the first line of every subsequent Psalm.

A separate argument for the recent execution of this manuscript may be found in the drawings, which occupy the space between every two Psalms. Evidently they consist of sketches originating very early, while a reminiscence of classic mythology still survived, yet modified long afterward by the introduction of a Christian treatment. Between the 105th and 106th Psalms (and often elsewhere) is a drawing, in which are represented, the sun and moon: the one by a human head, crowned like that of Phoebus, with a circlet of rays; the other head has the horns of Selene above it. Yet, between these is a

figure of the Savior, having round his head a nimbus marked with the cross. In the drawing meant to illustrate the 97th Psalm (98th in our version), Christ is introduced with a nimbus, bearing balances as the King of righteousness, and surrounded by adoring angels; yet a classic river god reclines at the bottom of the representation, his limbs seeming to end in convolutions like those of a Triton. This incongruous mixture of mythology and revelation marks the twilight between paganism and Christianity. Yet, other drawings indicate an advanced period of Christian iconography, in which "the crucifixion is fully represented, and our Saviour's form is uncovered to the waist." Professor Westwood remarks upon this: "I consider that the subjects of many of the drawings in the Utrecht Psalter are such as would not have been tolerated in the 4th or 7th centuries; in fact, previous to the second Council of Nice (A.D. 787), the crucifixion, God the Father, the Trinity, the Blessed Virgin as an object of worship, etc."

Still another argument, leading to the same result, is deduced by Canon Swainson, from the anthology of sacred lyrics appended to the Utrecht Psalter; all being in the same character and handwriting as the Psalter itself. These consist of lyric passages from the Old and from the New Testament, the Te Deum, Gloria in excelsis, Quicumque vult, and other pieces. Dr. Swainson says, "I have now examined, or received notes of eighty or ninety Psalters, and the result is this: There is not a single Psalter known, of a date anterior to the time of Charlemagne, which contains the Psalms, Canticles, and other contents of the Utrecht Psalter." In addition to this, the text Gloria in excelsis, and the

of these canticles, as the Te Deum, two creeds, was not fixed in the early centuries-perhaps, not before the age of Charlemagne. Yet, in the Utrecht Psalter, they read precisely as in our modern prayer books.

The result of all these converging lines of reasoning must be to produce the conviction, that the manuscript before us, though imitating an ancient original, was executed after the year 800. So far, therefore, as it has been relied on to support the claim of the Quicumque vult (known as the Athanasian creed) to bind the faith of Christendom, on the ground of

The

extreme antiquity, it wholly fails those who appeal to it. arguments of Waterland, drawn from internal evidence, are far more persuasive.

So great an interest in the Utrecht Psalter was awakened by its return to London, after the long absence of two centuries. and a half, summoned as a witness in a matter of national concern, that it was thought a judicious speculation to photograph it entire, and offer the fac-simile for sale. Of the copies brought to America, one is now before me; and bears on its cover the inscription, "Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Princeton, N. J., from R. L. and A. Stuart, New York, 1875." It is a splendid folio, fifteen inches by eleven; (the dimensions of the vellum page having been twelve and a half by ten inches); thirty-two lines make a full page of writing, and the space occupied by the writing is about eight and a half by nine and a half inches. It is richly bound by W. Pratt, of London, in crimson morocco, finely tooled on the back and covers, and gilded on the edges. The whole number of leaves is 185, each being thick as Bristol board, and blank on the verso. Every recto has three columns of writing; and every two Psalms are separated by drawings, stretching the breadth of the page, and covering in all about as much space as the text itself. The fac-simile represents even the unwritten pages; and on that which may have been the cover, we find, after the well-known usage of Sir Robert Cotton's library, "Claudius, c. 7," indicating the book-case in which it once stood, having the bust of that emperor on the top. On this leaf we also see, “ Bibliothecæ urbis Trajectina donavit D. de Ridder," showing the name, perhaps, of the Dutch family to whom it was sold by the thief who carried it from England. On the following leaf is an "Elenchus contentorum in hoc codice," enumerating more than the volume now contains. The third leaf exhibits the half obliterated name of " Robert Cotton,' "* and at the bottom the

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* Sir Robert Bruce Cotton was the most renowned antiquary of the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. (1570-1631). He availed himself of the dispersion of monastic libraries, in former reigns, to acquire a great number of mediaeval manuscripts, once the treasure of ecclesiastics, but little regarded by the new possessors of abbeys and priories. Three generations of his blood and name contributed to augment the store, till it was felt to be worthy of national regard. In 1706 it became the property of the crown; and in 1757 the foundation of the British museum library.

stamp of the " Academia Rheno-trajectina." Leaf fourth is occupied by a rude introductory drawing, which appears to represent the Psalmist, writing under the dictation of an angel; while across the page the King of Israel sits on his throne, holding a sword whose point turns downward. Angels below are launching their weapons at the prostrate enemies of God. This action, representing the spirit of the imprecatory Psalms, is repeated almost continually throughout the volume; till the reader half forgets that the agency is celestial, and thinks he sees the fiends of Dante tormenting the sad inhabitants of hell. It may seem no unreasonable conjecture, that such drawings as these, grown perfect at length in malignant ingenuity, may have quickened that poet's conceptions of the Inferno; and also taught Henry of Saltrey to describe what the Knight Owen saw in Saint Patrick's pit.

The capitals employed in the Utrecht Psalter are not like the broad, square characters to which we are accustomed in fac-similes of uncial manuscripts of the Greek Testament. They are of the variety called rustic, written with much greater economy of room. Many of the letters (as E, F, T, L, P), are still further compressed in breadth, so as to occupy but half the lateral space which we are accustomed to see allowed them. A is never crossed, and Y is always surmounted by a dot.

Various unusual forms of Latin words are presented in this manuscript. In the 2d Psalm, at the 8th verse, we find Postola a me, et tibi dabo gentes. In the 10th verse of the same, we have Herudimini, qui judicatis terram. In Ps. cxxvii: 3, Uxor tua sicut vitis habundans. Habyssi is sometimes written for abyssi. The third and fifth verses of the 4th Psalm, are followed by the word Diabpsalma: though the word Selah is not found there in our version. The word is elsewhere written Diabsalma. In Psalm i, verse 4, the ablative case of facies is given as facia. Again, Psalm ix: 3, Peribunt a faciæ tua. In the Apostles' Creed, which is appended, we see "Ex Maria Virginæ." So, also, we have "constitue" for constitue. It is hard to tell whether the ignorance, or the carelessness, of the scribe caused him to write, as a heading for the Quicumque vult, “Incipit fides Catholicum." Of the first it is impossible to acquit him; and oftentimes it is hard to forbear the charge of stupidity.

His carelessness caused him to omit several verses, (subjoined below in a smaller hand,) from the song of Moses, included in the appendix to the Psalter. These things afford some hint of the dark night of illiteracy which was hanging over Europe when they could be written. We might infer the same from the insipidity and dullness of an apocryphal Psalm, introduced at the end of the whole manuscript, in which David is made to narrate certain circumstances of his early life. So curious a fragment may be received with interest, having, perhaps, never before been printed in America: *

"Pusillus eram inter fratres meos, et adolescentior in domo patris mei. Pascebam oves patris mei. Manus meæ fecerunt organum, et digiti mei aptaverunt psalterium. Et quisquis adnuntiavit domino meo de me? Ipse Dominus, ipse omnium exaudivit. Ipse misit angelum suum, et tulit me de ovibus patris mei et unxit me in misericordia unctionis suæ. Fratres mei boni et magni, et non fuit beneplacitum in eis Domino. Exivi obviam alienigenæ, et maledixit me in simulacris suis. Ego autem evaginato ab eo ipsius gladio amputavi caput ejus, et abstuli obprobrium a filiis Israhel."

Meanwhile, it may be observed, that the text of the Psalms appears to be, word for word, the same as in a Psalter printed at Mayence, probably in 1462; while both agree with that of Tischendorf's Vulgate, printed in 1873. The rubrications prefixed to the several Psalms, fitting them for recitation in churches, are also the same.

In the drawings already referred to, artists have thought they perceived the work of two or three hands; one, at least, of a very early age, and one, much inferior-perhaps contemporaneous with the manuscript itself. It is plain, after slight inspection, that there are many coarse and careless sketches, dashed off apparently with great rapidity. The negligence becomes at length so great, that no regard is paid even to the perpendicularity of walls. Inelegant and impossible postures are given to human figures. The awkwardness of form and attitude strongly reminds one of the rude.

* It is introduced by the following rubric: hic psal. proprie scribitur dd [David] et extra numerum cum pugnavit Goliat. Hic ps. L. in Ebraeis codicibus non habetur, sed ne a LXX interscriptus, b: edictus e[st] et idcirco repudad' [repudiandus.]