mestic peace, and to turn aside from his country all the evils, to which those demands immediately and manifestly tended *,

The wish was honourable and virtuous, but it was already become impracticable. The purposes of irreconcileable ambition, entertained by both the contending parties, were utterly inconsistent. with the re-establishment of mutual confidence. The parliamentary leaders openly grasped at the exclusive possession of all civil and all military authority and on the other hand, the perfidy with which the king had violated his past engagements still rankled in the hearts of his people, whose just suspicions of his sincerity were continually renewed by the unsteadiness of his conduct, even in the very moments of fresh concession: while, amongst a large proportion of the community, every circumstance of civil injury or oppression was inflamed and aggravated by the utmost violence of religious animosity.

In this unhappy state the calamities of civil war could no longer be averted but the miseries by which the contest was attended, and the military tyranny to which it so naturally led, justified all the fears of those who had from the beginning most dreaded that terrible extremity.

At the restoration the same virtuous statesman protected the constitution against the blind or interested zeal of excessive loyalty; and, if Monk had the glory of restoring the monarchy of England, to Clarendon is ascribed the merit of re-establishing her laws and liberties. A service no less advantageous to the crown than honourable to himself; but which was numbered among the chief of those offences for which he was afterwards abandoned, sacrificed, and persecuted by his unfeeling, corrupt, and profligate master.

These observations respecting one of the most upright characters of our history, are here delivered with freedom, though in some degree opposed to so high an authority. The habit of forming such opinions for ourselves, instead of receiving them from others, is not the least among the advantages of such a course of reading and reflection as Lord Chatham recommends.'

We cannot close our remarks without adding that the work has given us much gratification, and that we recommend it to the attention of others from a conviction of its beneficial tendency.

A general recapitulation of these demands may be found in the message sent by the two Houses to the King, on the 2d of June, 1642; a paper which is recited by Ludlow as explanatory of the real intentions of the parliament at that period, and as being "in effect the principal foundation of the ensuing war."

I LUDLOW, 30. ed. 1698.

ART. IX. Epitome of the History of Malta and Gozo. By Charles Wilkinson. Crown 8vo. 6s. Boards. Miller. 1804.

IN

PP. 210.

N the compilation of this volume, Mr. Wilkinson professes to have been actuated by a desire of gratifying the wishes of the public, who may fairly be supposed to be solicitous of information on the subject about which he treats. It is well known that Russia has cast many longing looks towards Malta, and that France is extremely reluctant to abandon the hope of re-possessing it; while our strenuous retention of it, notwithstanding the treaty of Amiens and the wrath of the new emperor, is an indisputable proof of the high importance which we attach to it both in a commercial and a military view. From our intelligent or scientific countrymen, who may either belong to the garrison of Malta, or who may have been induced to visit this spot in consequence of our complete possession of it, more recent and in some respects more satisfactory details may be expected *: but, till these are prepared, Curiosity must be contented to feed on such matter as this epitome serves up to her table. To say the truth, Mr. W. has not been a dull and lazy caterer. He has collected numerous particulars relative to the antient and modern history of Malta, including that of the order of St. John of Jerusalem, its antiquities and natural history, fertility, population, the customs, manners, and religious ceremonies of its inhabitants; and his work will be found both instructive and amusing, though it may not be altogether free from error.

The antient history of Malta is not attempted to be traced any higher than to the time of the Phæacians; when, we are informed, it bore the name of Hyperia, and was inhabited by a race of giants. Ciantar, in his large work intitied Malta Illustrata, (of which Mr. W. has made considerable use,) says that bones of an unusual size are often dug up in the island of Gozo; and mention is here made of the remains of an edifice of enormous stones, which some writers have assigned to the Phæacians: but, says the epitomizer, they are only the efforts of art or the sports of nature. What can be the meaning of this sage observation?

The modern name of the island, Mr. W. supposes, was given to it by the Grecks, who succeeded the Phoenicians in the possession of it, and who called it Melita, either on account of its excellent honey, or in honour of the nymph Melita, daughter of Doris and Nerea:' but, in the last volume of the

Our readers have already been presented with some of these accounts, in Rev. Vol. xli. N. S. pp 78. &c. and 129.

Archeologia,

Archæologia, which we have just received, we observe a paper by Mr. Stephen Weston, giving an explanation of an unpublished Phoenician coin, whence it appears that the name of Malta was assigned to this island by Phoenician colonists, who migrated thither as to a place of refuge; , from which is derived Melita, signifying refugium.

Descending to the period of the Romans, their possession of this island is duly noticed, with the statement that about the year 56, St. Paul was shipwrecked on the rocks which form the entrance of what is now called the Port of St. Paul.' From the hasty adoption of this vulgar opinion, it is evident that Mr. W. has never perused a Dissertation by the learned Mr. Bryant on this subject, published many years ago in his "Observations and Inquiries relating to various parts of ancient History;" of which an account will be found in M. R. vol. xxxvii. p. 349. Melita Illyrica, and not Melita Africana, was the island on which the Apostle was shipwrecked. The latter island lay out of Paul's track; it does not harbour serpents; nor, in the time of the Romans, could its inhabitants be represented as barbarians.

The history of the Order, with the mode of electing the Knights and the Grand Master, occupies several pages: but, as this order may now probably be considered as extinct, we shall not enter into any of these particulars. Since, however, the horrid practice of Duelling arose from chivalric institutions, it may not be amiss to lay before the reader the means adopted by the Order of Malta, for the purpose of checking though not of curing that evil :

As the Order was founded on the principles of chivalry, they have ever found it too inconsistent with those principles to abolish duelling; but had laid it under such restrictions, as greatly to lessen its danger, which were curious enough. The parties were obliged to decide their quarrel in one particular street; and if they presumed to fight any where else, they were liable to the rigour of the law. But, what was not less singular, but much more in their favour, they were obliged, under the most severe penalties, to put up their swords when ordered by a woman, a priest, or a knight. Under these limitations, in a great city, one would imagine it almost impossible that a duel could ever end in blood: however, this was not the case. A cross was painted opposite to the spot where a knight had been killed, in commemoration of his fail; of which there are several. In the year 1770, two knights had a dispute at a billiard table; one of them, after a great deal of abusive language, added a blow; but, to the astonishment of all Malta (in whose annals there is not a similar instance), after so great a provocation, he absolutely refused to fight his antagonist. The challenge was repeated, and he had time to reflect on the consequences; but still he refused to enter the lists. He was condemned to make the amende honorable in St. John's N 4 Church

Church for forty five days successively; then to be confined in a dungeon, without light, for five years; after which, he was to remain a prisoner in the castle for life. The unfortunate young man who received the blow was likewise in disgrace, as he had not had an opportunity of wiping it out in the blood of his adversary.'

The population of Malta and Gozo is said, in the body of the work, to amount to 90,000: but, in the notes, we are informed that, when the French took possession of those islands, it was calculated at one million! This cannot be a fact.

Malta is represented as enjoying great fertility of soil, and its climate as so very salubrious that many of the inhabitants live to a great age, even to 130 years, and preserve their teeth to the last.

We extract, for the amusement of our readers, the following account of Maltese Marriages:

The fathers concluded the marriages, according to their own interests and convenience, without consulting the inclination of their children. When the contract was settled and the dowry stipulated, the young man sent to his intended a present of fish covered with garlands of ribands, and a gold ring in the mouth of that which was the most highly esteemed. They then settled the day of interview, which was to be in the presence of the parents and common friends, who were regaled with refreshments. A moment before the inter

view, the two mothers retired to prepare a composition of anise. aromatic plants, salt, and honey, with which they rubbed the lips of the bride, that her words might be sweet, sage, and prudent. She was then introduced to the bridegroom, who offered her a ring, on which were engraven two hands joined in token of fidelity, bracelets, necklace, and a gold chain; she presented in her turn a handkerchief edged with lace, and knots of ribands. On the wedding day, the most respectable of the bridegroom's relations placed on the head of the intended, a very fine white veil; she was dressed on that day in a velvet gown; others of the relations made holes in the gown, and put in little gold shells. They then went to church. Musicians and singers celebrated in couplets the praises of the happy pair: the musicians were preceded by three men, one of whom carried on his head a bason, full of fresh cheese-cakes, on the largest of which were placed two small figs; he wore a scarf, from which hung a round cake called Collora. The second carried a basket full of sugar plums, which one of the relations distributed to his acquaintance as he met them; in the middle was a handkerchief folded up in the form of a pyramid, and ornamented with an image of the Virgin and Child, and St. Joseph. The third carried burning incense. The happy couple marched the last, under a canopy of crimson damask in festoons, carried by the four principal persons, and the parents closed the suite The ringing of bells announced the arrival of the wedding; the priest received a bason containing a cake, a handkerchief, and two bottles of wine: after the benediction, they left the church in the same order they came. The whole ceremony generally lasted

four

four hours. A servant placed at one of the windows of the house threw on the heads of the new-married couple, on their return. some handfulls of grain, and small money. The prejudice of the Maltese at that time was, that if the wife on her return first put her foot on the threshold of the door, she would rule; we may suppose from that, there were very few so polite as to let their wives go first. At the nuptial feast the wife eat in a separate apartment, or in a corner of the guest's room, surrounded by cloths to conceal her; after the repast she came and sat near her husband, and drank out of the same cup. In the casals they danced during the repast; every dancer threw a piece of money to the players, and each guest brought a fowl. Until the commencement of the present century, in the city the wedding balls were given after the Spanish fashion, and they danced with castagnettes. The young bride passed the first eight days in her father's house; after that she was pompously received by her husband, to whom the parents gave a ball and supper. The Maltese never married in the month of May: they had so little confidence in any work they undertook during the course of this month, that they would not even order a new coat. This superstition recalls to us the division which the Romans made of the year into lucky and unlucky days: it is thus we find, in the ancient Maltese manners, a great number of customs of different people of antiquity: it is necessary to retrace them, to give some explanation of the ceremonies which the mixture and application of pagan and Christian rites, have rendered singular and curious. Fish were regarded by the Syrians as household gods: these deities, by presenting themselves the wedding ring to the young betrothed, seem to call her by this signal into the house they protected. The Greeks wished that on her entrance her words should be agreeable to her husband; on this account they addressed their prayers to the god of eloquence.-Led afterwards to the altar of Hymen, the Romans offered her, in the garlands and knots of flowers the emblem of the duties and pleasures of wedlock. The Hebrews wished that her modesty might always distinguish her, and covered her head with a veil. Her husband was obliged to give her two rings, one of gold, and the other of iron; which custom has descended to us in the rings which open and shut, and on which are engraven names or mottos. The Greeks accompanied her to the temple with the most lively demonstrations of joy; she marched surrounded by dancers and singers; they held over the heads of her and her husband a crown of flowers; the first fruits of the year were laid at the feet of the statues of the gods; cakes were consecrated to the lares; and corn, nuts, and almonds were thrown about in token of abundance of prosperity.'

In the concluding chapter, some general observations on Malta are confusedly thrown together: nevertheless, as they contain the result of the author's inquiries and examination, we shall make some extracts from them:

The Maltese architecture is much admired for these two qualities an exquisite taste in the forms of the masses, and a noble simplicity in the lesser parts. Almost every year vessels arrived at Malta