domestic duty of the Jewish citizen, whether a native of Berlin, or Amsterdam, of Paris, or London. The close of the Jewish history is imagined to be the final destruction of the Holy City; but this people have survived their metropolis, their kingdom, their code; and a terrible interval of more than fifteen centuries of merciless persecution, of heroic struggle, of blasting calumny, of martyrdom, and of expulsion, constitute the modern history of the Hebrews.— I. D'ISRAELI. Genius of Judaism.

ANIMOSITY BETWEEN JEWS AND CHRISTIANS.

The eager credulity with which baseless accusations against the Jews were received, illustrates the reason why equally scandalous charges against the Christians found implicit believers. Those two religious bodies mutually were opponents; and the heretics, in addition, gladly accused the Catholics; while the Roman judge, in whose eyes Judaism, orthodox Christianity, and heresy were but slightly differing modifications of one despicable superstition, doubtless found in this interchange of accusations a corroboration of his prejudices.

In the eyes of the Pagans, the Christians were regarded as a sect of the Jews; and the Jews, on account of their continual riots, their inexhaustible hatred of the Gentile world, and the atrocities that frequently accompanied their rebellions, had early excited the anger and the contempt of the Pagans. On the other hand, the Jew, who deemed the abandonment of the law the most heinous of crimes, and whose patriotism only shone with a fiercer flame amid the calamities of his nation, regarded the Christian with an implacable hostility. Scorned or hated by those around him, his Temple levelled with the dust, and the last vestige of his independence destroyed, he clung with a desperate tenacity

to the hopes and principles of his ancient creed. In his eyes the Christians were at once apostates and traitors. He could not forget that in the last hour of his country's agony, when the armies of the Gentile encompassed Jerusalem, and when the hosts of the faithful flocked to its defence, the Christian Jews had abandoned the fortunes of their race, and refused to bear any part in the heroism and in the sufferings of the closing scene. They had proclaimed that the promised Messiah, who was to restore the faded glories of Israel, had already come; that the privileges which had so long been the monopoly of a single people, had passed to the Gentile world; that the race, which was once supremely blest, was for all future to be accursed among mankind. It is not, therefore, surprising that there should have arisen between the two creeds an animosity which Paganism could never rival. While the Christians viewed with too much exultation the calamities which fell upon the prostrate people, whose cup of bitterness they were destined through long ages to fill to the brim, the Jews laboured with unwearied hatred to foment by calumnies the passions of the Pagan multitude. On the other hand, the Catholic Christians showed themselves extremely willing to draw down the sword of the persecutor upon the heretical sects.-LECKY. Hist. European Morals.

LOYALTY OF THE JEWS.

They have ever been loyal subjects. When, in the year 1745, the Pretender advanced triumphantly to the very heart of the kingdom, threatening to overthrow the government, and exciting throughout the whole land, and especially in the Metropolis, the most lively alarm-when the finances of the country, owing to the machinations of the rebels, were at so low an ebb, and the run on the Bank

for specie so urgent, as to create serious fears of a national bankruptcy, associations of the most active and loyal citizens were formed to assist an alarmed and oppressed government, and replenish an exhausted exchequer. The Jews took a prominent part; they were most anxious to assist their country-they had amassed wealth under the protection of the State, and they cheerfully poured out their hoards when the State required it. When the Government called upon the inhabitants of the country to arm for all they held most dear, pro aris et focis, did the Jews shrink back?—did they plead their ineligibility that they who were unworthy of being trusted among the regular troops, should not be trusted as volunteers? No! they one and all enlisted themselves with the Christians, and had the occasion arisen, would have proved themselves descendants of the noble Maccabeus.-BASIL MONTAgu. The Popular Record, 1834.

ABRAHAM MOCATTA.

In March, 1744, when the rumours of a French invasion, in favour of the young Pretender were prevalent, the merchants of the City of London waited on the king (George II.) with an address, expressing their " resentment and indignation at so rash an attempt;" and declaring their resolution that "we will, at this critical conjuncture, exert our utmost endeavours for the support of public credit; and at all times hazard our lives and fortunes in defence of your Majesty's sacred person and government, and of the security of the Protestant succession in your family."

This address is signed, among other names, with those of several loyal Jewish citizens. It is lamentable, however, to admit that since that period most of the representatives of these Hebrew loyalists have either passed away, “and left

not a wrack behind;" or, worse still, have abjured the name and faith of their forefathers. It may not, therefore, be deemed invidious to record, as a valued "Curiosity of Judaism," one name, now almost unique, in that address, which name, now as then, evidences the existence of a family whose guiding principle is, "Fides Dei Maximi." -P. A.

WORKS OF MENDELSSOHN.

Mendelssohn has exercised an immense influence over the civilisation of Israelites. It appears to be little known (at least in England) that a complete edition of his works was published in 1845, by F. A. Brockhaus, in Leipsic, in seven vols., 8vo. How desirable it would be if this work were translated from the German, and made available for the improvement of English readers.-P. A.

QUOTATIONS OF THE TALMUDISTS.

When the Talmudists do not sport with passages of the Scripture, nor bring them forward frivolously and from memory, but quote accurately and with care, their citations are to be regarded as critical depositions and of some value, as with fragments from an ancient manuscript. It is only the most ancient rabbis who lived nearest to the time of the Talmud, that are of any critical value in this respect, such as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Jarchi, and Maimonides.-DE WETTE, on the Old Testament.

Read " אל תקרא כך אלא כך Hereto belongs the formula

not thus, but thus." But this formula is only used when a passage is treated allegorically, though sometimes it is followed by a proper variant.-Buxtorff.

EMANCIPATION OF SWEDISH JEws.

The Reichstag, or Diet of Sweden, adopted (on the 17th

inst.) the report of the Committee of the Constitution, which grants emancipation to Jews, and other persons not of the Established Swedish Church, the right of sitting in the Reichstag, or Parliament, and of holding office, other than those of Ministers of State; 93 members of the Upper House, against 18, and 166 of the Lower House, against 58, voted for the measure.-Jewish Chronicle, February 20, 1870.

GESENIUS.

This celebrated Hebrew scholar and Professor of Theology at Halle, died in 1842, at the age of fifty-six. It is generally owing to him that the study of Hebrew advanced so much in civilized Europe, during the last half-century. He was born in 1785 at Nordhausen. After his early studies at the Gymnasium in his native town, he went successively to the University of Helmstadt, and that of Göttingen. There he heard the celebrated Eichhorn, whose manner of reading Hebrew struck the youthful student, and excited in him his thenceforward devotion to Oriental languages, and specially to the Hebrew; and it was thus that he developed the foundation of his Lexicon, of which, when he became Professor of Theology at Halle, he published an abbreviated edition in 1815. This soon ran through five editions. In 1817 he published his great grammatical work, "Lehrgebande der Hebräischen Sprache" on the Hebrew language, and its connection with cognate dialects. He also contributed a work on the Samaritan Pentateuch, and in 1823, his "Commentary on Isaiah," which created a great sensation. But his greatest work, and that with which his name will ever be associated, is the "Thesaurus Linguæ Hebræ." It was he who, in a great measure, softened down the prejudice which had existed among Christian theologians against rabbinical studies; and, indeed, it was he who, in a