works at the furnace himself, in order to understand the Scriptural allusions to the refining of silver; reads the alchemistic writers; is appointed to the Plymouth Dock circuit; obtains the loan of Chambers's Encyclopædia, which revives his thirst for knowledge; purchases Leigh's Critica Sacra; has a copy of Dr. Kennicott's Hebrew Bible lent him by Miss Kennicott, which work first directs his attention to Biblical criticism; is appointed to the Norman Isles; derives much assistance from the Public Library at St. Hellier's; here he first meets with a copy of the Polyglott; devotes all his leisure time to reading and collating the original texts in the Polyglott, particularly the Hebrew, Samaritan, Chaldee, Syriac, Vulgate, and Septuagint; till at length he obtains a Polyglott of his own. This last acquisition Dr. Clarke considered as another instance of the especial providence of God with reference to his future pursuits. He says:

"Finding that he could not hope to possess money sufficient to make such a purchase, he thought that in the course of God's providence He would furnish him with this precious gift. He acquired a strong confidence that by some means or other he should get a Polyglott. One morning a preacher's wife, who lodged in the same family, said, 'Mr. C. I had a strange dream last night.' 'What was it, Mrs. D.?' said he. Why I dreamed that some person, I know not who, had made you a present of a Polyglott Bible.' He answered, That I shall get a Polyglott soon, I have no doubt, but how, or by whom, I know not.'-In the course of a day or two, he received a letter containing a bank-note of ten pounds, from a person from whom he never expected any thing of the kind: he immediately exclaimed, Here is the Polyglott!-He laid by the cash, wrote to a friend in London, who procured him a tolerably good copy of Walton's Polyglott, the price exactly ten pounds. The reader will not have forgotten the most remarkable circumstance of his obtaining the money by which he purchased a Hebrew Grammar. These two providential circumstances were the only foundation of all the knowledge he afterwards acquired either in Oriental learning or Biblical literature. In obtaining both these works, he saw the hand of God, and this became a powerful inducement to him to give all diligence to acquire, and fidelity to use, that knowledge which came to him through means utterly out of his own reach, and so distinctly marked to his apprehension by the especial providence of God." Vol. i. pp. 257,258.

It was likely enough that a preacher's wife "who lodged in the same family," heard so much of the Polyglott, and the young man's ardour for a copy, as absolutely to dream of it; but that Dr. Clarke should have concluded full hastily that he should get one as if by miracle, is too much in the style of Huntington's "Bank of Faith" to be perfectly sober: and as to the mystery of the ten pounds, it is likely enough that this preacher's wife, or some other friend, had privately made his wants and wishes, both literary and otherwise, known to some person who had the heart and the ability to supply them. The circumstance was improved to the best purpose of making the subject of this "especial providence " both diligent and grateful; but there is throughout his narrative an intimation that he was designed to be no ordinary man, and that he was dealt with in no ordinary manner;—a doctrine, however, which he applies also to some of his colleagues; for he says, about this very time, in reference to a fair wind having succeeded a dead calm when he and Mr. Wesley were proceeding to Penzance, that the change could not have been effected "by any natural or casual occurrence;" and he accounts for it by saying that Mr. Wesley" was no ordinary man," so that "it is not to be wondered at that he was favoured, and indeed accredited (Dr. Clarke's own Italics), with many signal interpositions of Divine Providence." It is making too little of "signal interpositions," to speak of a sudden change in our proverbially fickle winds as supernatural.

But Dr. Clarke made about this period a more valuable acquisition than even his Polyglott-namely, a partner for life—in the person of a Miss Cooke, in whom he found an endeared and Christian help-meet, till death dissolved all that was earthly of their union, after they had seen twelve olive-branches festooning around their table. Three sons and three

daughters died young; the same number of each sex arrived at mature age, and settled in life, says their father, " most reputably and comfortably." Truly the promises of God, made in Scripture to the children of the righteous, are not forgotten.

In Jersey and Guernsey Dr. Clarke had some narrow escapes for his life from the fury of mobs; who on one occasion sought to put him into the sluice of a mill-stream, that he might be crushed by an over-shot waterwheel; and on another set to work with crow-bars to sap the foundations of a house where he was sheltered, and to bury him in the ruins, but he made his escape; "either their eyes being holden that they could not know him; or they were so overawed by the power of God that they could not lift a hand or utter a word against him." On one occasion he addressed his persecutors with such courage and energy-calling them, to their face, cowards, assassins, and lewd base fellows, who came out to attack an inoffensive stranger who wished to shew them the way to everlasting blessedness-that they paused, and cheered him: "He is a clever fellow, he shall preach, and we will hear him." They were as good as their word; and they never after gave him any molestation.

At Alderney, on the contrary, he met with the utmost attention, and was persecuted with kindness; being obliged, after he was worn out with the fatigues of journeying and preaching, to leave his room late at night to begin again, as several of the gentry" wished to hear him. another occasion :

66

So on

"While I sat at dinner a constable from a person in authority, came to solicit my immediate appearance at a place called the Bray (where several respectable families dwelt, and where the Governors' stores are kept), to preach to a company of gentlemen and ladies, who were waiting, and at whose desire one of the large storerooms was prepared for that purpose. I went without delay, and was brought by the lictor to his master's apartment, who behaved with much civility, told me the reason of his sending for me, and begged I would preach without delay. I willingly consented, and in a quarter of an hour a large company was assembled. The gentry were not so partial to themselves, as to exclude several sailors, smugglers, and labourers, from hearing with them. The Lord was with me, and enabled me to explain, from Prov. xii. 26, the character and conduct of the righteous; and to prove, by many sound arguments, that such a one was beyond all comparison 'more excellent than his ungodly neighbour, however great, rich, wise, or important he might appear in the eyes of men.' All heard with deep attention, save an English gentleman, so called, who walked out about the middle of the discourse, perhaps to shew the islanders that he despised sacred things.

"The next Sabbath morning, being invited to preach in the English church, I gladly accepted it, and in the evening I preached in the large warehouse at the Bray, to a much larger congregation, composed of the principal gentry of the island, together with justices, jurats, constables, &c. The Lord was again with me, and enabled me to declare His counsel without fear, and several were affected. Surely there will be fruit found of this, to the honour and praise of God. Even so, Lord Jesus! Amen." Vol. i. pp. 270, 271.

The Clergyman of the place, it seems, was passive, and left the people to their wont, neither preaching for nor against these novel proceedings-indeed, never preaching at all, but only reading the Liturgy, and Ostervald's reflections upon the Scripture Lessons.

Dr. Clarke's next itinerancy was to Dublin, where all was going on badly in the connexion. He took the opportunity while there of entering himself as a medical student in Trinity College, and attended several courses of lectures. He also founded the Dublin "Stranger's Friend Society;" the plan of which has been adopted in almost all the chief towns of England. Those of London and Manchester were founded by the same benevolent individual.

We have now arrived at the end of that portion of the memoir in which Dr. Clarke is his own biographer. The second and third volumes were compiled by his youngest daughter-her father furnishing the materials, and

looking over every sheet of the narrative, and vouching for the facts by subscribing his initials "to each separately;" but in no way interfering with the composition, except to represent each statement in its true light. The Rev. J. B. Clarke, of Trinity College, Cambridge, has edited his sister's manuscript, and conducted it through the press. Miss Clarke was very unwilling to undertake the work, and only consented to do so on being urged by her father, as he was resolute in not complying with her oft-repeated request to do it himself, and she was unwilling that so interesting a narrative should be lost to the world. The publication does great honour to herself and her brother, and not least so on account of the filial affection and reverence displayed throughout the composition. They speak of their father as of a man whom they had just cause to love and honour, and not doubting that their readers will love and honour him also. We can only say, so far as concerns ourselves, that their expectation is amply verified; and this, notwithstanding a few friendly words of exception. which in our grave and responsible character as reviewers have fallen from our pen.

Dr. Clarke's next triennial remove was to Manchester; thence to Liverpool; and thence, in the year 1795, to London, where he soon commenced the preparation for his great work, his Commentary on the Sacred Scriptures. How diligently he redeemed the time, how conscientiously he worked while it is called to-day, may be seen by the following statement:

"He began the critical reading of the original texts; and first literally translated every verse of the Old and New Testaments from their originals, marking all the various readings, and comparing them with our present Authorized Version. He also diligently pursued his Oriental studies, in order to his better understanding and explaining not only Eastern customs and metaphors, but to enable him to obtain a clearer insight into the spirit of Oriental poetry and diction; all which information he knew to be highly important to any one who should undertake to write a Commentary on the Sacred Scriptures.....

"He however never permitted his literary work to interfere with his ministerial labours, which were of no ordinary importance; for, besides the duties belonging to a Superintendent, he had the charge of visiting the infirm, the sick, and the dying; and, in conjunction with his colleagues, to preach in all the different chapels in the widely extended circuit, which at that period of time stretched East and West from Woolwich to Twickenham, and North and South from Tottenham to Dorking. Thus his walks were long, and his preachings, as well as other religious duties, frequent on the Sabbath and on the week days. It was his constant practice to keep a journal of all the texts he preached on, and all the places he preached at, in the regular chronological order of the days of the month, years, &c. On computing from this journal the distances of the respective places, and the number of times he preached, it is found that he had walked, during the three years he remained in London, in the mere duty of preaching, upwards of seven thousand miles; for he invariably performed these journeys on foot, except to Dorking." Vol. ii. pp. 16, 17.

"It must ever be kept in mind, that Mr. Clarke was, from his youth, an extremely early riser, seldom remaining in bed after four o'clock in the morning. Thus he not only availed himself of a considerable portion of the time which many persons consume in sleep, but also of that elasticity of thought which the mind possesses after the rest of sleep, as well as that collectedness of ideas and freshness of feelings, which as yet the events of the day have not disturbed. He not only gained time by this system of early rising; but he saved time by rarely accepting any invitations to dinner parties; when he did dine from home, he was almost invariably accompanied by Mrs. Clarke, and they returned home as soon afterwards as possible: as neither of them ever took tea, nor any substitute for it, this was their apology for shortening their visits. With a few particular friends, with whom Mr. and Mrs. Butterworth were always associated, he was extremely intimate, and an interchange of social hospitalities frequently concluded the labours of a long day devoted to severe study." Vol. ii. pp. 29, 30.

Among the first fruits of Dr. Clarke's ministry in London was the excellent individual mentioned in the last extract, Mr. Butterworth-a man singularly humble, devout, affectionate, charitable, and diligent in every good word and work. Dr. Clarke formed with him an endeared friendship, which lasted till the lamented decease of Mr. Butterworth, and was a

source of much mutual solace and edification; being cemented by a family union, Mr. Butterworth having married Mrs. Clarke's sister. Mr. Butterworth's purse was no slight or grudging auxiliary to his friend's many judicious schemes of Christian benevolence.

During this first three years' residence in London, Dr. Clarke, amidst all his labours, began to amass that choice and valuable library which eventually became second to few private collections in the kingdom. He was eminently skilful in matters of bibliography—as indeed his published works abundantly shew-and he spared neither labour nor expense in seeking out and getting possession of literary treasures. We have already seen one or two instances of his avidity in this respect, at a time when he had no superfluous money to dispose of. So again, finding Meninski's Arabic Thesaurus necessary for his Biblical studies, he determined if possible to procure a copy. A bookseller was found who had one to dispose of, the price of which was forty guineas, and Dr. Clarke wrote to a friend for the loan of that sum for three months. His friend, instead of sending him the money, sent him a letter of advice and reproof-suitable no doubt, as he thought, to the case of a poor Methodist preacher-telling him that he did not know "the value of money," and that he ought to "confine his wishes and wants to his circumstances." The bookseller would not keep the book on hand, and another copy might not speedily be in the market; Mr. Clarke therefore applied in haste to another friend, who at once sent him the money; offering to lend him "twenty times as much, and for twenty times as long;" though, had he known the object, he might possibly, like his predecessor, have mingled a little "good advice" with his promises. The book was purchased, and the money duly repaid; though by what means Dr. Clarke at that period of his life was enabled to appropriate such large sums for books is not very apparent. We conclude that some wealthy friend, who had the sagacity to discern the importance of his studies, felt pleasure in assisting his efforts. The aforesaid "twelve pounds per annum" certainly would not leave any great saving for costly Oriental books; and though the stipend and accommodations of a Methodist preacher had doubtless much increased since Dr. Clarke left Norwich, they could never have been equal to any superfluous expenditure*.

One of the literary purchases which Dr. Clarke made during this his first London residence deserves to be particularly mentioned, more especially as this propitious acquisition was the nest-egg of his future library, and no doubt greatly inflamed that book-collecting propensity of which it was itself in part the fruit. Some of the most valuable collections, not only in books, but in every department of art, science, and curiosity, have owed their origin to some casual acquisition, which has awakened a new taste, or strengthened an old one, till it became almost a passion of the mind. The possession of a single remarkable coin, picture, fossil, or rusty weapon, has made many a collector, virtuoso, and antiquary, and incidentally given birth to those persevering efforts which are popularly attributed to a natural addiction and predisposing genius. With Dr. Clarke, however, book

Speaking of the Norwich circuit, Dr. Clarke says, in addition to what we have already recited, "In Norwich the society was very poor: a family lived in the preachers' house, and provided for the preachers at so much per meal, and the bill was brought into the stewards' and leaders' meeting at the end of the week, and discharged: and he was most certainly considered the best preacher who ate the fewest meals, because his bills were the smallest. In this respect Mr. Clarke excelled: he took only a little milk to his breakfast, drank no tea or coffee, and took nothing in the evening. Hence his bills were very small." These self-denying habits enabled Dr. Clarke to do much with a little; and his whole character was remarkably disinterested and liberal: but still this will not account for the phenomenon of his costly library.

collecting was not a mania; for though there are those who would think it insanity for a Methodist preacher to bestow forty guineas upon an Arabic lexicon-as some witnesses deposed that a tea-dealer must have been insane who could withdraw part of his money from business to purchase a countryhouse-yet Dr. Clarke's "curiosities of literature" were always in subservience to a great and important object,-no less an object than that of the interpretation and illustration of "the words of eternal life;" an object before which all pursuits merely literary or scientific lapse into the very drivelings of the human intellect. The valuable Biblical acquisition to which we have alluded is noticed as follows:

"On the publication of the catalogue of the library of the Rev. Mr. Fell, Principal of the Dissenting College at Hackney, Mr. Clarke observed advertised A blackletter Bible. The day fixed for the sale happening to be on what was termed among the Methodists a Quarterly-meeting day, which is a time appointed by that body for the adjustment of their accounts, &c. &c., and which required his personal attendance during the very hours of sale; he therefore desired his friend and bookseller, Mr. William Baynes, to attend the auction, and purchase for him the black-letter Bible, if it went for any thing in reason: ' he did so, the book was put up, and Baynes had only one competitor, and on a trifling advance on a moderate last bid, it was knocked down to the bookseller. On inquiry, Mr. Baynes found that his opponent was by trade a gold-beater, and that he had bid for the book merely on account of the skins on which it was written, and as soon as he had gone to the extent of their value for the purposes of his calling, he had given up the contest; hence the trifling advance secured its higher destiny and better fate.

"When Mr. Clarke had concluded the quarterly-meeting, he went from the City Road, where it was held, to Paternoster Row, to inquire after the chances of the auction he found that the book he desired was secured, and on the slightest examination discovered that it was indeed a black-letter Bible,' but of so ancient a date as to constitute it a great literary treasure: he had it immediately packed up into a parcel (and it made one of no small dimensions, being nearly a hundred-weight), and, putting it on his shoulder, walked beneath his burden to his own house in Spitalfields. He lost no time in making a more minute examination of his purchase, the result of which he has inserted with his own hand in the fly-leaf. This Bible, the first translation into the English language, and evidently, from the orthography and diction, the oldest copy of that translation, was once the property of Thomas a' Woodstock, youngest son of Edward III. King of England, and brother to Edward the Black Prince and John of Gaunt. Thomas a' Woodstock was born A.D. 1355, and was supposed to have been smothered between two beds; or, others say, causelessly beheaded at Calais, Sept. 8, 1397, in the forty-second year of his age, by Thomas Mowbray, Earl Marshal of England, at the instance of his nephew, King Richard II. His arms appear on the shield at the top of the first page, and are the same as those on his monument in Westminster Abbey. In many respects the language of this MS. is older than that found in most of those copies which go under the name of John Wiclif. This MS. was once in the possession of the celebrated Dr. John Hunter. It was found in a most shattered condition, and from the hay and bits of mortar that were in it, leads to this most natural conclusion, that it had been hid, probably during the Maryan persecution, in stacks of hay, and at other times built up in walls, and not unfrequently, it would appear, that it had been secreted under ground, as was evidenced from the decayed state of many of its pages, especially the early ones. (Signed) Adam Clarke.'

But these parts of pages have been most carefully restored by the neat and diligent hand of Mr. Clarke, the writing itself being only in the first page affected, and all the rest he has curiously and carefully mended with parchment, which he has stained to the colour of the MS. itself. For this neatness, in reference to books, he was always remarkable; if it were possible to restore a tattered leaf, shreds of paper stained to the shade of the original were sure to be immediately applied to preserve what was left; and many of his female friends contributed to him of their stout old-fashioned silks, with which he inlaid defective Oriental MSS. covers, or pasted down the backs, not trusting into the hands of bookbinders what they might easily injure, but could never restore; besides, many of such MSS. would not have admitted of the English mode of binding, and could only effectually be done in the very mode he adopted." Vol. ii. pp. 31-33.

From London, the rules of Methodism took Mr. Clarke, in 1798, to Bristol. Here we find him in decayed health, from over-working, much care, and the anxieties caused by an increasing family at a time of great pressure. He had also been greatly afflicted by the loss of his venerCHRIST. OBSERV. No. 384. 5 D