SHORTLY after the death of Professor S. Lee, over
forty years ago, a suggestion was made that some record of his
remarkable talents and career, in a more extensive and lasting form than
mere newspaper articles could supply, should be given to the public. He
had, however, left no diaries or memoranda, nor yet copies of his large
literary correspondence, and the idea was abandoned. A year or two ago I
was passing through Shrewsbury, and, visiting the museum, saw there,
amongst other portraits, a large oil-painting of my father. Attached to
the picture was a card, with the statement that he had been Professor of
Hebrew at Oxford! Finding such inadequate knowledge of him within
eight miles of his native place, it occurred to me that he could
scarcely be known even by name to many of the present generation, to
whom the story of his life might be a stimulus, and an encouragement to
make the most of their far greater opportunities for the acquirement of
knowledge. On my return home I looked over the few papers and letters I
had in my possession, also the prefaces to some of his translations and
other works, all of which I imagine are now out of print, and made
extracts from them of passages bearing upon his Oriental studies, and
the religious and other topics of the day, many of which are of abiding
interest.
With the lapse of time all those who were, strictly
speaking, his contemporaries, have passed away, and thus many facts and
impressions which might have illustrated this sketch are now lost to us.
It will appear from the above that this short and imperfect record is,
in the main, an autobiography.
Amongst my father's works, noticed particularly in
this memoir, I have made no mention of the Lexicon (Hebrew, Chaldee and
English) which was perhaps one of the most esteemed and useful of them
all.
The chapter on the 'Travels of Ibn Batuta,' although
one of his earlier translations, has been placed near the end, partly
because it might prove of less interest to the general reader, partly
because the list of authorities quoted would have interfered with the
course of the narrative. The following letter may fitly close this
Preface:--
'DEAR Miss LEE,--I heartily wish I could be of more
service to you in your contemplated enterprise than your letter seems to
intimate, as I had a great respect for your worthy father, though by no
means intimately acquainted with him, and 'tis sixty years since! I, had
two Cambridge acquaintances who passed under your father's hands who
could have borne far higher estimony to his capability and value as at
teacher than myself--Arthur Dawson of Christ's College, and Edward
Harold Browne of Emmanuel (afterwards Bishop of Winchester), both of
whom became Hebrew Scholars of the University of Cambridge. But though a
mere sciolist in that language myself, I had learned to appreciate and
honour what was perhaps not so generally known by the public at large as
by his contemporaries at College--the remarkable manner in which, from
his earliest days, he had persisted, in spite of most adverse
circumstances, in the acquisition of knowledge of the most valuable
description--that of the original language of the Old Testament
Scriptures, and of other cognate tongues bearing upon its elucidation
--and in imparting that knowledge to others. But this is not all
of which I have a vivid recollection ; for added to it was the
faithfulness with which he adhered to "the truth as it is in Jesus,"
never, by the grace of God, having been led away by those
"will-o'-the-wisps" by which many allowed themselves to be distracted,
some even in those early days of heresy, and (alas!) many more later.
'Your father was fortunate in his surroundings. I
refer to the atmosphere and companionship that he enjoyed when at
Queen's College. I myself, as a much younger man, feel very thankful for
the helps that I have been privileged to have in the acquaintance of
such men as Farish Tacy, Francis Cunningham and others, long gone to
their rest and reward. They formed a galaxy of holy and simple-minded
men, though varying much in their respective talents and the application
of them ; and it is a great pleasure to me, though I fear of little
value to you, to bear my humble testimony to your father's worth. I
think I see his portly frame now after the lapse of more than sixty
years, and I trust that there is in reserve for all who "hold the
truth," a happy recognition as well as re-union in the
everlasting mansions!--I remain, yours sincerely,--
LOUIS A. NORGATE.'
A. M. LEE.
'The autobiographical passages in
the writings of eminent men are those which are always seized on with
avidity.'--H. REED.
SAMUEL LEE was born May 14th, 1783, He was the
youngest of a family of six brothers and five sisters living at Longnor,
about eight miles from Shrewsbury. Of these, he and a brother and sister
were the children of a second marriage, and much younger than the rest
His brother's artistic talents would have made him distinguished as a
painter or sculptor had he possessed the same perseverance and
steadiness of principle which characterised his brother Samuel. Some
letters addressed to him by the latter are still extant, and are full of
affectionate Christian counsel.
|2 The following letter, written by Samuel Lee, contains all that is
known of his early years. It was written in 1813, when he was master of
Bowdler's School, Shrewsbury.
Mr SAMUEL LEE to JONATHAN SCOTT, Esq.
SAMUEL LEE.
An incident is told of him when an apprentice to his
half-brother, Mr J. Lee. The workshops were at a field's distance from
the Severn, which at times overflowed and reached the shops. On one
occasion Samuel Lee was so absorbed in his books that he was sitting
with his legs under water till the men came and took him away.
SHREWSBURY GRAMMAR SCHOOL, NOW THE FREE LIBRARY AND
MUSEUM.
From a Drawing by P. Browne.
The Dr Jonathan Scott to whom this letter was
addressed, the translator of 'The Arabian Nights,' had been secretary to
Hastings in India, and Oriental Professor to the Royal Military and East
India Colleges. He was the first person my father had met with able to
enter into and sympathise with his zeal for acquiring Oriental
languages.
The obituary notice of my father in the C. M. S.
'Intelligencer' for March 1853 gives such a full and interesting account
of his going to Cambridge, and subsequent labours there, that I have
availed myself of the Society's permission to insert some extracts from
it in the following chapter.
|10
CHAPTER II
STUDENT--PROFESSOR--DIVINE
'ASTONISHED at Mr Lee's acquisitions, and finding him
possessed of almost unexampled facilities for the acquirement of
languages, Dr Scott put into his hand some books, through the assistance
of which he made himself acquainted with the Arabic, Persian and
Hindustani languages.
'The loan of these books, and some instruction in
pronunciation, included all that Mr Lee received of external aid ; his
own mind furnished every other resource. And such was his progress in
these hitherto untrodden paths, that, in the course of a few months, he
was not only able to read and translate from any Arabic or Persian
manuscript, but to compose in these languages. To his friend and patron,
Dr Scott, Mr Lee sent Arabic and Persian translations of several
Oriental apologues, taken from Dr Johnson's "Rambler," and
|11 also Addison's "Vision of Mirza" in the "Spectator," which
translations, in the opinion of Dr Scott, were "wonderfully well done."
'From the knowledge which Mr Lee had obtained of the
Oriental languages through his acquaintance with Dr Scott, he was
introduced into a few private houses, as instructor in Persic and
Hindustani to the sons of gentlemen who were expecting appointments
either in the civil or military department of the Honourable East India
Company's service. This engagement, the superintendence of his own
school, and an occasional attendance on two other seminaries as teacher
of arithmetic, constituted his employment during his residence at
Shrewsbury ; and, from the proficiency made by his pupils, it may be
fairly inferred that his talent of conveying knowledge to others
corresponded with the facility with which he made his personal
acquisitions.
'But the period was at hand in which, through the
ordering of an overruling Providence, Mr Lee was to be transplanted to a
region more congenial to his natural feelings and the bent of his
genius. His acquaintance with Dr Scott, which knew no interruption, was
soon matured into a cordial friendship, and this, in conjunction with
his constantly accumulating attainments, led to the rapid
|12 advancement by which his subsequent career was distinguished. Dr
Scott introduced Mr Lee to the notice of Dr Claudius Buchanan, who had
lately returned from India, and was deeply interested in all the
operations of the Church Missionary Society, especially in the Oriental
department.'
It was owing to the efforts of these kind and valued
friends that my father was enabled to enter Queen's College, Cambridge,
at the close of 1813. Dr Buchanan was at that time residing at
Cambridge, and he was requested to select the college at which Mr Lee
should be entered. A letter in the published life of Dr Buchanan thus
notices the fact:--
'QUEEN'S COLLEGE, Jan. 13, 1814.
'I consulted the College to-day concerning the
proposed admission of Mr Lee, the Shrewsbury linguist. It was agreed
to admit him to Queen's.'
The following notice occurs in the 'Shrewsbury
Chronicle,' Jan. 26, 1814:--'Mr Samuel Lee, late of this town, now of
Queen's College, Cambridge, was last week examined by Dr Buchanan in the
Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac
|13 and Hindustani languages, and his skill and proficiency drew
forth the applause of every scholar, as well as of his immediate patrons
and friends, among whom are many truly learned and illustrious men. Mr
Lee is, perhaps, the only person who at either University read in the
three latter languages on his entrance as a student.'
He commenced residence soon after this date. His
contemporaries well remember the striking simplicity and unassuming
manners of their new associate. He diligently pursued the classical and
mathematical studies which were prescribed in the College course, and
regularly attended the lectures. But his chief attention was still
devoted to Oriental languages; and in classics and mathematics he did
not obtain the first place, even in the limited competition of the
College examinations.
During the first year of his residence at College, Mr
Lee translated into Arabic and Persian a small tract, entitled 'The Way
of Truth and Life,' of which the Persian edition was, three years
afterwards, stereotyped, and copies were furnished to the missionaries
of the Edinburgh Missionary Society at Astrakhan,
|14 who found it serviceable in their labours. In February 1815 Dr
Claudius Buchanan died, and a difficulty arose respecting the completion
of the Syriac New Testament, which he was engaged in carrying through
the press. This work Mr Lee undertook on behalf of the British and
Foreign Bible Society.
'It became necessary that he should begin the work
de novo; and having collated several Syriac manuscripts for the
purpose, it appeared in 1816. The following mention is made of Mr Lee's
literary labours in the seventeenth report of this Society:--"The
completion of the edition of the Syriac New Testament has been executed
in a manner so honourable to himself as a scholar, that the Court of
Directors of the East India Company was pleased to present him with one
hundred guineas in testimony of its approbation." . . . "Mr Lee has
proposed to enhance to the Syriac churches the value of this gift of the
New Testament, by furnishing them with an edition of the Old Testament,
chiefly by the aid of the celebrated Travancore Manuscript of Dr
Buchanan." . . . "As the real history of these churches is imperfectly
known, the Committee have requested
|15 Mr Lee to compile a brief narrative of the principal events
which have occurred in that history. They were desirous of thus making
known the sufferings and exigencies of that persecuted people."
'"This task Mr Lee has very ably executed. He will be
found in his narrative to have arranged in lucid order the chief facts
which are supplied by Geddes, La Croze, and Asseman; and to have
accompanied them by remarks well suited to excite interest in behalf of
these oppressed Christians."
'"Besides these works, Mr Lee is editing the Old and
New Testament in the Malay language, printed in Roman characters, of
which tongue he made himself master for the purpose of rendering this
service; and he is also carrying through the press an edition of 'Martyn's
Hindustani New Testament,' and the 'Book of Genesis' in the same tongue,
translated by Mirza Fitrut, and revised from the Hebrew by the lamented
Martyn, the manuscript copy of which book was kindly presented to the
Society by one of its friends from India."'
The publication of the 'Syriac New Testament' raised
the reputation of Mr Lee abroad as well as
|16 at home. The University of Halle, in Saxony, accordingly
presented him with the degree of D.D., through the hands of Dr Gesenius,
the Hebrew professor of that University. The Syriac Old Testament was
not completed till the year 1823, when four thousand copies in quarto
were issued.
'The compiler of these notices well recollects the
fact alluded to in the foregoing extracts--Mr Lee's acquisition of the
Malay language. It was accomplished in the College Christmas vacation of
about two months ; and upon expressing to him his astonishment at the
facility with which he acquired new languages, and the fidelity of his
memory in retaining a perfect and distinct knowledge of each, Mr Lee
made the remark that the acquisition of languages was to him as easy and
certain a process as the study of Newton's "Principia" appeared to be to
his fellow-student; that in all languages there were certain links and
dependencies which, when once understood, fixed the language in the mind
; and that afterwards the copia verborum might be acquired at
your leisure. In the October term of 1817 Mr Lee took the degree of
B.A., and was soon afterwards admitted to Holy Orders as curate of
Chesterton, near Cambridge. Several of his
|17 college friends went over to hear his first sermon; and one at
least retains a lively recollection of the fervour and simplicity with
which he discoursed upon the text, "But now they desire a better
country, that is, an heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God; for He hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrew xi. 16.) This
sermon afforded a lively proof, if one had been needed, that Mr Lee's
great advancement and rising reputation had not kindled the flame of
ambition in his mind, nor corrupted it from "the simplicity that is in
Christ." The annual record of his literary labours, presented in the
eighteenth report of the Society, introduces a new language to our
notice. "The attention of the Committee has been called to the Ethiopic
Scriptures. A manuscript copy, in high preservation, of the first eight
books of the Old Testament in Ethiopic having come, by purchase at a
moderate price, into the hands of the Committee, the hope was again
awakened which, had before been entertained but often disappointed, of
communicating to Abyssinia the gift of the Scriptures."
'Mr Lee at once prepared himself to edit the
manuscript, while the British and Foreign Bible Society took measures to
print it.' 'Of how great
|18 importance to Abyssinia the gift of the Scriptures would be
likely, with the blessing of God, to become a judgment may be formed
from a "Brief History of the Church of Abyssinia," which the Reverend
Samuel Lee has compiled from the best authorities, at the request of the
Committee. Mr Lee has executed this task with the ability with which he
compiled the "Brief History of the Syrian Churches in the South of
India."'
He was also at this time employed, with the aid of a
learned Persian, in preparing for the press an edition of the Old
Testament in Persian, to accompany 'Martyn's New Testament' ; and he was
associated with Professor Macbride, of Oxford, in preparing a correct
and acceptable version of the Bible in Arabic. The two latter
undertakings were to be at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible
Society. Within the same year he also carried through the press a
compendium of the Liturgy in Hindustani, prepared by Mr, afterwards
Bishop, Corrie, and printed at the expense of the Prayer Book and Homily
Society. 'It will appear from this statement,' the report observes, 'how
entirely Mr Lee's time had been occupied.'
|19
The Syriac and Arabic Bibles, together with his
ministerial duties, occupied the attention of Mr Lee during the year
1818.
The commencement of the next year introduces a new
era of his life. The Arabic professorship at Cambridge became vacant by
the resignation of Mr Palmer. His friends proposed that he should become
a candidate; but as it was necessary that he should have an M.A. degree,
the first step was to procure a royal mandate for conferring that degree
upon him before the statutable time had been completed. For this
purpose, the consent of a majority of heads of houses, and a vote of the
Senate, were required. Mr Lee's modesty and retired habits had made him
little known in the University. He was opposed also by a gentleman
already of the degree of M. A., who had been many years in India, and
was an accomplished Oriental scholar. Under these circumstances, a paper
was printed and circulated among the members of the Senate, simply
giving a list of the various Oriental works which he had edited, and a
few testimonials from well-known Oriental scholars. Amongst them was the
testimony of four native Persian gentlemen at that time residing in
London, who testified
|20 to his thorough acquaintance with the idiom and pronunciation,
as well as with the grammar of that language, in the following emphatic
terms :-- 'Upon the whole, this being the entire persuasion of your
servant, and in like manner the belief of all his companions, who have
spoken with the above-mentioned Mr Lee, both in Persic and Arabic, that,
whether as regards pronunciation, or reading, or writing, he is learned
and perfect.' The claims of Mr Lee upon the vacant chair, and his
pre-eminent learning, were recognised by all parties. The petition to
the Crown for a royal mandate was triumphantly carried through the
Senate. The Government used every effort to expedite the business, so
that Mr Lee obtained his degree just in time for the election. The
election is vested in the heads of houses, and Mr Lee announced his
success to the Secretary of the Church Missionary Society in the
following letter :--
To the Reverend JOSIAH PRATT.
'QUEEN'S COLLEGE,
'March 11, 1819.
'MY DEAR SIR,--I have now the happiness of
announcing to you my complete success in
|21 being elected to the Arabic professorship. The candidates had
all withdrawn except Mr Keene of Haileybury and myself. The numbers, I
understand, were nine to four, so that my majority was great. But had
it been necessary, I should have had a few more votes, Now let me pay
the tribute due to Him who governs "all things after the counsel of
His own will" My prayer and hope is, that this and every other
dispensation of His providence may at length promote His glory, and
the good of His church. I hope in this to be joined by many a warm and
devoted heart; and also that some pious breathings may be put up for
me, that I may not be led into temptation but delivered from evil.
'My kindest regards to all friends--Mrs Pratt and
family, Mr Bickersteth and family, etc. I hope soon to see you in
town, when I will tell you particulars. Please to excuse haste.--I am,
my dear sir, yours very affectionately,
'SAMUEL LEE.'
The elevation of Mr Lee to an University
professorship naturally closed his official connection with the Church
Missionary Society.
|22
His labours were never intermitted, but they
gradually became of a more general character, and a large share of them
was engrossed by academical duties.
He delighted whenever he had the opportunity of
giving instruction to any students or missionaries of the Society in the
Oriental languages. This he continued to do even to the last year of his
life. One of the alumni of Cambridge would scarcely reach his mission in
West Africa before he would hear of the death of the venerable friend
who encouraged and helped him in the study of Arabic. Such pupils will
bear witness that the learned professor omitted no opportunity of
inculcating spiritual truth, or ever failed to respond to the motives
which carry a missionary into a far country. One of his earliest letters
lies before us, in which he thus speaks of the advice which he had just
given to a student of the Society under his instruction : -- 'Private
prayer is the marrow of religion. It is that which makes the soul
"delight itself in fatness"; but for literary men it appears to me to be
almost the "one thing needful." '
The literary works which he undertook in
|23furtherance of the Society's objects after his election to his
professorship were the compilation of a New Zealand Grammar and
Vocabulary, in which he fixed the orthography upon a system which has
proved eminently successful. This work was accomplished mainly by
availing himself of the assistance of two New Zealand chiefs, Hongi and
Waikato, who resided near him at Cambridge for several months in the
year 1820. In 1824 he also edited the controversial tracts on
Christianity and Mahommedanism by Henry Martyn, being the substance of
his public disputations at Shiraz with learned Mahommedans.
Among works of a general kind may be noticed a Hebrew
Grammar first published in 1827 (of which a second edition appeared in
1832, and a third in 1841), and a Hebrew and English Dictionary in 1840;
also an edition of Sir William Jones's 'Persian Grammar' in 1828, which
nearly deserves the title of a new work ; 'The Travels of Ibn-Batuta,'
translated from the Arabic (1833) ; and the Syriac version of 'Eusebius
on the Theophania,' from a recently-discovered MS., 1840; together with
a translation of the same in 1843. He published also
|24 a volume of 'Sermons and Dissertations,' as well as several
controversial tracts and single discourses.
In the year 1831 Professor Lee was removed from the
Arabic Professorship to the Regius Professorship of Hebrew. As this
professor enjoys certain privileges at Trinity College, he migrated from
Queen's to that Society. In the same year he was presented by the Crown
to a stall in Bristol Cathedral, through which he obtained the Vicarage
of Banwell, Somersetshire, which he afterwards exchanged for the Rectory
of Barley, in Hertfordshire, on the borders of Cambridgeshire.
The following testimony from one of his pupils,
afterwards well known as Bishop Gobat of Jerusalem, will show with what
grateful affection he was remembered by those to whom he so gladly
imparted instruction.
'JERUSALEM, Feby. 13th, 1874.
'DEAR MADAM,--I cannot express the delight which a
letter from the daughter of my dear teacher and almost parental friend
the late Dr S. Lee, has given me.
|25
TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. PROFESSOR LEE'S ROOMS,
OVER THE LAMP.
From a photograph by Mr. Hunt,Cambridge.
'It is forty-nine years since I had the privilege
of being taught by him Hebrew, Arabic, and Ethiopic, but his memory is
still as fresh in my mind as if it had been last year, and is ever
refreshed when I read the Prophet Hosea, and other portions of the
Holy Scriptures, as well as, occasionally, the Koran in Arabic, and
the Psalms in Ethiopic, which I then read with him.'
In reference to the translation of the Bible into the
Malay language, my father wrote some years later:--'I superintended an
edition of the Syriac Testament for the use of the Syrian churches in
Malabar, which was printed at the expense of the Bible Society, and
published in 1816. The Metropolitan of the church of Malabar, in a
letter dated December 3, 1821, to two distinguished noblemen in this
country, says,--"With respect to the books of the New Testament which
you sent to us, we have divided and given them to the churches which are
in Malabar, and with great joy does every man present his prayer to God
for you." Since these New Testaments have been sent to Malabar, I have
had the good fortune to complete
|26 a large impression of the Old for the same church, and I have
some hopes that I shall be able to do a similar work for the churches in
Abyssinia.'
The following letter from Lord Teignmouth refers to
his candidature for the Arabic Professorship :--
'PORTMAN SQUARE, Feb. 18, 1819.
MY DEAR SIR,--I wrote to you yesterday, and hope
you received my letter. Happy shall I be if my testimonial should be
of use in promoting the object of your wishes, although it cannot add
to your merit. God has done much for you, and I hope will do much
through you; to Him be the praise.
'The object of this letter is to inform you that
the Most Reverend Dr Giarve, Archbishop of Jerusalem, is now in
London, and I hope your time and pursuits will allow you to see him,
and appreciate his character and talents. He visited me this morning,
and is a simple, unaffected man, more like a monk than an archbishop.
He writes Arabic and Syriac, and talks in Italian, so that I had an
interpreter. I have ordered a copy of your Syriac Testament to be sent
to
|27 him; he wants the whole Bible for his Syrians; but, if I
understand him, it is the Arabic Bible in Syriac characters, for
Arabic is the vernacular language in and about Jerusalem.--Your very
sincere
TEIGNMOUTH.'
In the life of the first Lord Teignmouth a notice of
Professor Lee occurs, from which an extract is given:--'Among the young
students whose ardour in Oriental pursuits he had befriended or
encouraged, and amongst whom he had distributed nearly the whole of a
considerable collection of Oriental books he had brought from India, was
one, in the removal of whose difficulties, whilst laying the foundation
of his extensive acquirements, Lord Teignmouth had felt a deep interest
-- Mr Samuel Lee, now Regius Professor of Arabic in the University of
Cambridge. . . .'
'It was some time after Mr Lee had quitted Shropshire
that Lord Teignmouth, having heard from his relations in that county of
the circumstances of his history, formed an acquaintance with him, and
derived from his intercourse with this remarkable scholar not only the
gratification which his
|28 communicativeness, amiable qualities and piety afforded, but
also the delight of interweaving the studies of his youth with the
important pursuits to which he dedicated his declining years.'
|29
CHAPTER III
HEBREW GRAMMAR
DR LEE published his first edition of 'A Grammar of
the Hebrew Language, comprised as a Series of Lectures' . . . 'designed
for the use of students in the universities,' in 1827, and in 1841 a
third edition 'enriched with much original matter.' He says, in the
preface to the former edition :-- 'Everyone knows that, since the times
of Elias Levita, various have been the efforts to abridge the labour of
acquiring the Hebrew language. Some have reduced the grammar to one
sheet or page, and the lexicon to but little more, persuading their
readers that, as the Hebrew is the most ancient, so it is the most
simple of all languages, and that men cannot look with too much
suspicion on those attempts to make it complex and difficult, which were
first set up by the Rabbins, and afterwards adopted by their equally
blind advocates, the
|30 grammarians, who have followed them. But if we allow that this
language is the most ancient and simple, still the question will remain
as to what this abbreviating and plausible system has hitherto done. Has
it, it may be asked, supplied us with principles on which we can rely ?
or, by diffusing an overpowering light over the sacred text, been
sufficient to bear down all opposition, or even to satisfy one candid
inquirer that he is a jot wiser on these subjects than his pious
forefathers were ? In most instances, I think, it must be granted that
our light has gradually become less, that the scope of the context has
appeared less obvious, while the liability to mistake has been increased
in an amazing degree. In others, the discovery and exhibition of amusing
and splendid theories has, perhaps, tended more to bring both religion
and philosophy into disrepute than anything else could possibly do.
Hence it is probable that the study of the original Scriptures has, for
the last century or more, been daily on the wane in this country, and
our knowledge of divinity has not made that progress which might
otherwise have been reasonably expected it would. . . .
'The Rabbinical system of vowels and accents has been
adopted (in these lectures) as that which is the
|31 most likely to promote a sound and accurate knowledge of the
Hebrew Scriptures ; not, indeed, with a view of ascribing to it anything
like a Divine origin or authority, but because it seems certain that
among the various human systems hitherto proposed for the purpose of
assisting the learner, this is incomparably the best. . . .
'Although the Rabbinical system is infinitely
superior to those proposed by Masclef, Hutchinson and others, yet it
must be confessed that this also has its defects ; not to insist upon
the consideration that it appears to Se advanced but little farther than
a state of infancy. . . . Hence the great desideratum appeared to be the
construction of grammars which should at once combine the labours of the
Rabbins with a system of analysis delineating the principles upon which
the language is founded, in such a manner as to form the judgment and to
interest the understanding; to detail the rules, indeed, but, at the
same time, to ascertain the principles upon which they are founded, so
as to satisfy the scruples and to ensure the confidence of the learner.
'Towards arriving at this point, Alting seems to be
the first who did anything considerable. After him, Albert Schultens,
Schröder and Storr
|32 have, perhaps, been the most successful writers. Dr Gesenius,
the present Professor of Hebrew at Halle, certainly ranks next. . . . Dr
Gesenius is closely followed by Professor Stewart of Andover, in
America, in the very excellent Hebrew Grammar which he has published,
and which was printed at Andover for the second time in 1823. . . . As I
have occasionally cited the Arabic grammarians, the question might be
asked--to what extent the cultivation of this language and of its sister
dialects should be carried, in order to enable the student to become
well acquainted with the Hebrew? I answer, as the Hebrew language has
now ceased to be spoken in its purity upwards of two thousand years, and
as these dialects still retain a very considerable portion of its words,
and are manifestly regulated by the same grammatical laws, generally
speaking, he who is the best acquainted with these dialects is by far
the most likely person to be a successful commentator on the Hebrew
Scriptures. On the versions of the Septuagint and Vulgate, entire
reliance cannot be placed ; and the same may be said of all the Oriental
ones. To these versions, indeed, we are very greatly indebted on several
accounts; there are, nevertheless, so many
|33 marks of human infirmity discoverable within them, that it is
certainly incumbent on everyone who is anxious to see the beauties, and
to feel the force of the Holy Scriptures in all their bearings, to add
to these helps others which Providence has placed within his power, and
thus to further the progress, and to advance the clearness of that light
which alone can be said to shine to the perfect day. In this point of
view, therefore, we are greatly indebted to the Rabbins, who were the
first to go to the language of Ishmael for that assistance which
circumstances had taken out of their own hands, and thence to transmit
it to us. ... The names of Pococke, Castell, De Dieu, Schultens,
Schröder and others will ever be revered by those who appreciate the
Holy Scriptures. . . . It is true no new doctrines are to be expected;
those which are the most important are to be found in the very worst
translation. But, then, their clearness may have been obscured, and
their force diminished. . . . Difficulties, apparent discrepancies and
obscure passages may yet remain, which it could not but be advantageous
to the cause of Christianity should be removed. Besides, the general
endeavour to translate the Scriptures for the use
|34of missionaries makes it doubly binding that we should endeavour
to give nothing to the world which is not, as nearly as human industry
can make it, the unadulterated Word of God. And for these ends, I
believe, we have sufficient helps within the compass of our command. . .
.
'It has long appeared to me that the short grammars
with which our market abounds have produced the most lamentable effects
among learners. . . . While, on the other hand, many who might in the
end have become good scholars have been alarmed at the sight of a large
grammar to such a degree as to give up everything at once in despair. It
has been my endeavour to provide for both these cases. To learn the
grammar by one continued effort, without an application to the text of
Scripture, will be tedious and unprofitable. The rules will appear
difficult to retain, the reasons on which they are founded obscure and
uninteresting, and both will, therefore, soon be forgotten. On the other
hand, the text of Scripture, without recurring to the grammar, will
appear equally perplexing, dark and indefinite; but when both are
wrought up together the mind will gradually rise to the subject, so that
scarce an hour will pass in which
|35 some new accession of knowledge will not be realised. In this
stage, however, he will stand in need of constant advice to sobriety, to
be jealous of the discoveries now made, and exceedingly sparing in
making public the new lights he may have the good fortune to elicit.
These, indeed, he may register for future inspection-- and this would be
an excellent plan--but let him be content to wait for a maturity which,
he may rest assured, however calm his judgment or brilliant his talents
may be, he will stand in need of.'
Again, later on, he says:--'An experience of some
years has convinced me that the criticism of the Hebrew Bible is not to
be mastered in a few lessons, whatever some pretenders may affirm to the
contrary. Its language, indeed, is not inferior either in regularity,
ease, elegance, strength or extent, to many others which are cultivated
among us with the greatest ardour; while its history, doctrines,
prophetical declarations and morals are as much superior to anything to
be found in them as light is to darkness, or as the glories of heaven
are to the poor and perishing enjoyments of this state of things. Still,
it must be confessed, much time,
|36thought and diligent inquiry are indispensable to its right
understanding, especially in those parts which are the most interesting
and of the greatest practical moment. To study its language . . . has
appeared to me to promise the best means, both of thoroughly imbuing the
mind with a real knowledge of it and of keeping up that interest in the
meantime, which is absolutely necessary to its acquirement.
'It is not my intention to infer, or to have it
believed, that I have now at length discovered something from which none
should in any case presume to dissent. By no means. My only wish is to
recommend investigation, and this on grounds the most liberal and
extended ; and thus to obtain that additional light and knowledge on the
contents of the inspired Scriptures of the Old Testament, of which I
think everyone mustconfess we stand in need. I will only say, that if
indeed I have been fortunate enough to have advanced, in any degree, a
mode of inquiry in the more elementary parts of the Hebrew language
likely to render good service in this respect, I shall have ample reason
to be most thankful to Him who is the giver of every good and perfect
gift. I will only add,
|37the advancement of Divine truth, and of the honour of Him to whom
we owe it, has been my sole motive in so far venturing to differ from
others who have preceded me in this line of literature.'
Now that we have for some years had the Revised
Version of the Bible, it may not be uninteresting to have my father's
opinion on the subject, in the year 1822.
'If it be allowed that certain parts of the
Authorised Version are now incorrect, is there not a probability that
these would, in another revision, be improved ? If, then, there is a
probability of improvement, are we to be restrained from making it
because some other dangers stare us in the face ? Are we to merge what
we know to be the truth because, forsooth, there is a question of
expediency presenting difficulties and dangers? For my own part, I
believe every proposal for building an infirmary, a bridge, or a charity
school has ever been attended with difficulties and dangers equally
great. It has been said that no theological advantage would be gained by
such revision. Had this argument been thought good in the days of
Jerome, I do not see where could have been the necessity of
|38his making a new version from the Hebrew, when the old
translation from the Septuagint contained every religious truth as far
as it could be gathered from the Old Testament. Nor again can I see why
the Authorised Version was itself made ; for I suppose no one will
contend that the former Bibles did not exhibit religious truth. But I
may be allowed to add, that if by a revision no religious truth be
likely to suffer, but many passages, which are now obscure or
unintelligible, be made plain and clear, I believe the dangers, whatever
they may be, will be diminished, as we shall confessedly lose nothing,
but probably, and I will say certainly, gain much. I agree, too, that
the Bible is not intended to teach verbal criticism, but I do contend
that the translation, if it be allowed to carry the name of the "Word of
God," should be correct; and if it be intended to edify the people, it
should be made intelligible, which, in many instances, it now is not.
'Had I leisure sufficient for the task, I should have
no hesitation in attempting to make out a list of passages in the
Authorised Version which I believe stand in need of correction; and to
point out, as far as I may be able, how such
|39corrections should be made; but I should never think of
submitting to such a task upon the hope that critics would be unanimous
in adopting them, because I know such concurrence is not to be expected,
either in this or anything else. The most important question that
appears to me as proper to be proposed with respect to such an
undertaking is, whether there is among us at this day a sufficient
quantity of Hebrew learning to justify the hope of success. And on this
point, I am sorry to say, I have considerable doubt'
Letter from the Reverend W. PAUL to Dr LEE on his
'Hebrew Grammar.'
'MANSE OF BANCHORY, DEVENICK,
'BY ABERDEEN.
'REVEREND SIR, -- Having acquired a taste for the
study of Hebrew literature, and a great proportion of the knowledge of
it which I possess from your works, I have much pleasure in
acknowledging my great obligations to you, and in expressing my
anxious desire that you may long be spared in health and strength to
enjoy the distinguished reputation which you have so justly earned by
your literary labours. My long
|40 acquaintance with your works has created on my part a sort of
imaginary intimacy with you, and a real feeling of gratitude, which I
trust you will not repudiate, and I feel assured that you will not
discourage the pursuit of studies, a taste for which you yourself have
been instrumental in creating. Not very long after commencing the
study of Hebrew, which I have learned without any instructors, I
fortunately had your grammar put into my hands, which threw a light
upon the whole subject which I have failed to discover in any other,
although I have perused all those of any note which have lately
appeared in this country. I assure you I have too high a respect for
you to attempt to flatter you, and that I am expressing the real
sentiments of my mind when I say that it is without exception the best
grammar I have ever seen in any language, and that my wonder is that
any other has got a footing in our universities and schools. I can
only account for this from the low standard still possessed by those
who teach the Hebrew language. Little progress can be expected in the
study so long as a preference is given to grammars stored with facts
but destitute of principles, and so long as teachers are more
|41desirous to load the memories than to exercise the judgments of
their pupils. I am satisfied, from what I have experienced as an
examinator in Hebrew in the Presbytery of Aberdeen, that this mode of
teaching it makes it to many little better than labour and sorrow, and
tends more than anything else to disgust the student with the language
altogether.
'Your system of syllabication is most important as
the groundwork upon which the changes of the vowels depend ; and the
principles of contraction of vowels and consonants which you were the
first to introduce are of great consequence in showing how every
defective word has been changed from its triliteral form, as
exhibiting the uniformity of the laws under which these contractions
take place, and as thereby enabling the student to perceive the
grounds upon which the variations of verbs from the regular paradigm
proceed.
'I cannot here refrain from stating that I have
derived more benefit in ascertaining the principles upon which the
vowel changes proceed, from the following observation made in your
grammar, than from all that I have seen
|42 upon the subject in any other work:--"Were words to be
augmented in addition to their own primitive vowels, they would become
inconveniently long. And on the other hand, as those vowels which have
been termed immutable constitute the distinctive character of the
words in which they are found, perspicuity forbids that any change
should take place in them, otherwise the peculiar forms of such words
would be lost, and with that the sense intended by writers generally.
Art. 103, p. 41, 3d Ed."
. . . . . . . . . .
'Your treatment of the segolate nouns is most
satisfactory, and sets the whole of that matter in the clearest light.
I am of opinion that the principles there laid down may be applied to
many other cases where the changes of the vowels are ascribed to
oblique correspondence. Many words as well as segolates assume new
forms, and in these cases the changes of vowels appear to proceed with
reference to the original vowels of the old and not those of the new
form. . . .
'It is, however, your general views upon the
grammar and syntax of the language which, in my judgment, constitute
your triumph as a grammarian. I am quite satisfied as to the
correctness
|43of your theory that the noun is the root, and that the simple
form of the verb is actually a primitive noun concrete or abstract,
with fragments of pronouns prefixed or affixed, the former becoming
the past, the latter the present tense. Verbs having thus their
nominatives incorporated with them, apparent nominatives are either to
be understood in the absolute case (to speak in a manner applicable to
other languages), or are in opposition to, and explanatory of, the
nominatives contained in the verb. On this principle you have
accounted for a mass of anomalies in regard to concords which have
never before been satisfactorily explained. The extension of your
general principles to the other conjugations of the verb, by the
prefixing or postfixing the same fragments of pronouns to compounds of
the original root, whether concrete or abstract, is most ingenious and
convincing, and the simplicity of the view is a great confirmation of
its correctness. . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
'If your doctrine concerning the verb is correct,
and if the noun is the root, then, with the exception of your own, in
which this view is assumed, no Hebrew Lexicon that I have seen,
whatever may be its other merits, is based upon sound etymological
|44 principles, and hence the student is liable to be misled at
every moment.
'As you very justly remark, a great obstruction has
arisen to the study of the Hebrew language, from attempts to reconcile
its general structure and syntax with those of other languages with
which it has no affinity. . . .
'Nordheimer has, in my judgment, completely failed
to show that futurity is primarily inherent in what you properly call
the present tense. Your doctrine on this point is, I believe, new, and
is most important, and it is confirmed by the analogy of verbs in all
languages, which, like the Hebrew, have only two tenses. . . .
'I have been much profited by your excellent
observations, showing how the Hebrew language can dispense with
peculiar forms for the subjunctive or potential moods.
'The principles which regulate the sequences of the
tenses create, as it appears to me, the greatest difficulty in Hebrew
syntax--a difficulty which you have had the honour of being the first
to solve. It may be said of the Hebrew tenses, with greater truth than
of those of any other language with which I am acquainted, that they
express time, not absolutely, but relatively. This,
|45indeed, may be said to be a peculiar feature of the syntax of
the language, and you speak equally philosophically and truly when you
affirm that what is called 'w
conversive' has no such conversive power as is usually ascribed to it.
...
'I feel inclined to pursue this subject further,
but I perceive that I have already extended this letter to
unwarrantable length. I can scarcely suppose that the pleasure which I
have in repeating in a very imperfect way what can impart no
information, and can be of very little interest to you, is a
sufficient warrant for thus occupying your valuable time. . . .
'I have a work nearly in readiness for the press,
with a special view of applying the principles established in your
Grammar to the study of the Hebrew Scriptures. This I have attempted
in an analysis of the whole of the book of Genesis. . . . The analysis
is likewise preceded by a short Grammar. . . . The Grammar is
contained in about sixty pages, and is of little value but as
connected with the analysis. It is to your Grammar that the references
are chiefly made.
. . . . . . . . . .
'I believe that such a work would be useful
|46for the study of the Hebrew language, and that it would
familiarise the minds of students with the doctrines on Hebrew
grammar, which you have been the first to propound. Were this the
case, I believe I should be rendering the highest service to the
interests of Hebrew literature. It is perhaps not wonderful that views
so new and so subversive of much that has been advanced, both by
preceding and succeeding grammarians, should be received with
hesitation by some, and rejected by others, who have prejudices and
theories of their own to maintain, and that they should, from these
and similar causes, make their way less quickly than could be wished.
But sure I am that they will triumph in the end. The more recent
grammarians are evidently approximating towards them, and are throwing
them into such forms as may enable them to adopt them without
acknowledgment. I have seen Professor E.'s letter, addressed to the
editor of the "Journal of Sacred Literature," on the subject of his
plagiarism from your Grammar. . . .
'I have now to apologise for the liberty I have
taken in writing to you, and for the length to which this letter has
extended. Were you to give me a word of kindly encouragement in the
|47 pursuit in which I am engaged, it would cheer me greatly in a
task to myself extremely agreeable and useful, whatever it may prove
to others. This is all that I crave at your hand.--I am, rev. sir,
with sincere esteem and respect, very faithfully yours,
WILLIAM PAUL.
'The Revd. Samuel Lee, D.D.'
|48
CHAPTER IV
TRANSLATION OF JOB
IN 1837 Dr Lee published a translation of the Book of
Job, with an introduction on the history, times, friends, etc., of the
patriarch, accompanied by a commentary.
One of his pupils, the Rev. C. A. Hulbert, author of
'The Gospel Revealed to Job,' acknowledges in his preface his
indebtedness to his former teacher. 'Attendance on the Hebrew Lectures
of the Reverend Professor Lee, during my residence in the University of
Cambridge, particularly those in 1833 on the Book of Job, contributed to
increase my knowledge of, and attachment to, that divine book. The
complete translation and copious notes which I then took down formed the
basis of the criticism of the following work. The subsequent publication
of the learned author's translation
|49 and commentary by himself, enabled me to correct my own notes.'
The reasons which led him to undertake this work may
best be given in his own words.
'There has, perhaps, been no period in which much
doubt has not existed whether Job was or was not a real character.' . .
. 'I hold that everything which tends to deprive this book, and such
books as this, of their real historical character, cannot but administer
to infidelity in the end. I therefore considered it my duty to
investigate this question in all its essential bearings ; and in doing
so I soon found that everything necessary to its determination was at
hand. I found, as I thought, the family of Job, those of his friends
generally, the parts in which he and they resided, as well as the times
in which they lived, all determinable in Holy Writ, in a manner never
found in cases of parable, and to an extent quite sufficient to prove
that the whole was real history, and intended to be received as such.'
'One consideration which has appeared to me of great
moment presented itself during this investigation; it was this:--If I
have rightly ascertained the period in which Job lived, the
|50 allusions so often made in his book to God's will, commands,
ways and judgments, must be allusions to revelations existing before the
times of Moses; and as I find many of them made in the very words of the
Book of Genesis it would follow that this book was in existence and
generally known before the times of Job; those not to be found in this
book might have been taken from others which Divine Providence has not
deemed it necessary should be preserved ; and of such we have some
intimations elsewhere in the Old Testament, and in the Epistle general
of Jude in the New. But what appeared to me the most important and
remarkable was the real citations made in considerable numbers from the
Book of Job by subsequent writers of the Old Testament, as well as by
those of the New; and these, together with allusions less direct
existing to a very great extent. Job is not, therefore, merely cited by
name, but his book is quoted verbally and literally in very many cases;
in many more it is manifestly imitated, or else alluded to. If this,
therefore, can be relied on--and my own conviction is that it can, and
is, moreover, indisputable-- nothing farther can be wanted to complete
the
|51proof that the Book of Job is strictly historical, and
canonically true; the sacred penmen themselves of the subsequent
Scriptures having both considered and treated it as such, and as being
of paramount Divine authority.' . . . 'It will now appear that even the
patriarchs were much more enlightened on the subject of revealed
religion than has been usually believed, which cannot fail to throw much
light and interest on their histories as recorded in the Old Testament
and appealed to in the New; as also on the state and expectations of
believers generally in their days. It will also be seen that the Bible
really contains within itself much more that is calculated to supply the
best elucidation of its own contents than many have supposed; for if it
be true that the Book of Genesis, as above remarked, is actually quoted
and commented on in the Book of Job, and that the Book of Job is, in
like manner, in subsequent portions of Holy Writ, it must also follow
that from a careful comparison of the same doctrines, events,
phraseology, etc., thus occurring in several places, considerable light
will be elicited, and may be thrown upon them in all.' . . . 'This
consideration, moreover, may be fairly reckoned upon as
|52 supplying in every case a most powerful argument in favour of
the divine authority and inspiration of the Scriptures. For if there
does exist the most perfect agreement in all and every one of the most
minute particulars of this sort--which certainly could never have been
effected by human means -- and this I will affirm is the fact, and that
it will every day become more and more apparent as we become more
familiar with the original Scriptures ; and again, if it should also
appear--which I will likewise affirm it eventually will--that not a jot
or tittle of prophecy has failed, but that all has been fulfilled, then
I say we shall have such a twofold cord of evidence as never can and
never will be broken : and, what is best of all, this will be obtained
by means the most unexceptionable, the just and natural method of
arriving at the genuine intentions of the author of Holy Writ, namely, a
minute but comprehensive investigation of its own declarations.'
As this interesting work has been for many years out
of print, it may not be out of place to give here Dr Lee's views as to
the 'scope and object of the Book of Job,' as contained
|53in his 'Introduction.' 'A little consideration will enable us to
see that the primary object of this book is to show that there is a
power attendant on true religion sufficient to enable its possessor
eventually to overcome every temptation and every trial. This, I say, is
its primary object. For, in the first and second chapters, which
were apparently given as a key to the whole, we are informed that Job
was a just and perfect man, and one who feared God. This was manifestly
his character. It is suggested, however, by the great adversary of
mankind, that, whatever appearances might be, a little trial would prove
the contrary. The sacred penman assures us by means of a vision (as
already shown) that, in order to prove the falsehood of this, Job is
allowed to be exposed for a season to trials of the severest kind, but
still he retained his integrity, and in the end came off victorious, to
the entire approval of Almighty God, who restored him, and gave him
wealth double in value to that of his former state of prosperity. He is
also accepted in making a sort of atonement for his friends. I think,
therefore, no doubt can remain that this was the primary object
of this book.'
|54
'A secondary object seems to have been to show
how very imperfect the notions of even good men are on the moral economy
of God. The friends of our patriarch meet, as we are told, for the
purpose of condoling with him; and there appears no reason, as far as I
can see, for questioning their sincerity. The sufferer proceeds, in the
first place, to state his afflictions and then to pour out those
lamentations and complaints which are natural to such a state. His
friends--men evidently acquainted with revealed religion, and apparently
very much in earnest as to accurate views respecting it-- proceed to
correct him. They professedly take the side of God, and their main
endeavour is to vindicate His wisdom, justice and mercy. For this
purpose they argue from revelation, from experience, and from very
extensive and just views of God's works; and as they are too well
informed to suppose that there can be any effect without an adequate
cause, particularly where there is an all-powerful, wise and good God
overruling all things, their conclusion is that Job's sins must have led
to his sufferings. The patriarch very justly and very successfully
combats their conclusions, without at all calling
|55 in question their several general doctrines--for these were no
doubt true and worthy of all acceptation--and in this God Himself
eventually declares for him.
'Their great fault was the misapplication of truth.
They knew not the real cause which led to Job's trials, and the
consequence was, they supposed one which was false; and to this were
their arguments universally directed. The pertinacity and warmth with
which they pressed their opinions could not but have added considerably
to Job's sufferings, who evidently had a greater insight into the
general dealings of God with believers than they had. Still, there is no
reason, as far as I can discover, for calling in question either their
fidelity, good intentions, or sorrow for their friend. They only did
what thousands daily do -- they misapprehended the question at issue,
and, as they were more willing to believe themselves right than to stop
and consider in how many ways they might be wrong, and, in fact, how
very little they could know on the subject, they pressed their
sentiments to an extent which real religion, good sense, and the
sympathy due to a friend would hardly justify; and of this, Job's
mission to them from the
|56 Almighty (ch. xlii.) must have more than convinced them, and
have shown them to demonstration, that although He was truly no less
mighty, wise and good than they had represented Him, yet that His
wisdom was unsearchable, and His ways past finding out to men such
as they were.'
'A third object, apparently, was to provide a
book of doctrine, as already remarked, adequate to the wants of
believers for ever, illustrating, as just now stated, both the economy
of God with His people, and their ignorance as to His thoughts and ways;
to keep alive the doctrine of Salvation through a Redeemer, the
immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the certainty
of a judgment to come.
'It might seem superfluous, after what has already
been said, to dwell on the other doctrines, promises and experience
incalculated throughout this book, and so frequently appealed to in the
subsequent books of the Old Testament as well as in the New.
'I shall conclude, therefore, by remarking that . . .
the genuineness of its piety, the purity and beauty of its morality, the
great extent of its range, the exquisite chasteness at once
|57of its style and sentiments, and, above all, the solidity and
depth of its devotion, cannot but conspire to recommend it as one of the
most valuable productions of antiquity; at the same time, as a book of
undoubted inspiration, and of the most unquestionable canonical
authority.'
Letter from a SON of ARCHDEACON CORBETT on receipt of
a copy of Dr Lee's 'Translation of Job.'
'LONGNOR, Septr. 7, 1837.
'DEAR SIR,--Tho' duly impressed by the favour done
me in receiving a present of your new translation of the Book of Job,
not knowing your present residence, and having nothing to say but
expressions of my continual admiration of your learning and industry,
I delayed my acknowledgment of this book till the term would probably
restore you to Cambridge; but receiving a second copy of the same
valuable book, I write to ask if, as I suppose, it is a mistake, what
I should do with the second vol. I would send it free to any person
you may name, and if I hear nothing I will present it to the Library
of Pemb. Coll.,
|58 Oxford, which I intend enriching with other specimens of your
great learning.
'With every respect and good wish to you and
yours,--I remain, dear sir, your obliged and most humble servant,
JOSEPH CORBETT.'
|59
CHAPTER V
WORK ON MOHAMMEDAN CONTROVERSY
IN 1824 Dr Lee published a work entitled 'Persian
Controversies,' translations and explanations of 'Controversial Tracts
on Christianity and Mohammedanism by the late Reverend Henry Martyn, B.D.,
of St John's College, Cambridge, and some of the most eminent writers of
Persia,' with an additional tract on the same subject, and some account
in a preface of a former controversy on this subject, with extracts from
it.
It is dedicated to the Right Honourable The Earl of
Liverpool, K.G., First Lord of His Majesty's Treasury, etc. etc., as
follows:--
'This attempt to develop and refute the religious
opinions of the Mohammedans of Persia, as a public acknowledgment of a
grant of one hundred pounds per annum made from His
|60Majesty's Treasury for the purpose of enabling the Arabic
Professor of this University to deliver a public course of Arabic and
Hebrew lectures annually is most respectfully inscribed by his
Lordship's most obedient, obliged, humble servant, the translator and
author.'
He says in the preface:--'As the following pages may
perhaps be found useful to missionaries and others who wish to make
themselves acquainted with this question, I have thought it might not be
amiss to give some notices and extracts from the controversy as it
existed prior to the times of Mr Martyn ; especially as that controversy
was prosecuted to a much greater length than his, and contains much
valuable matter on the subject. It may also be desirable to know where
books treating on this question are to be found, because we hear it
sometimes affirmed that a missionary has not the means in this country
of acquiring a deep and accurate insight into the opinions of the
Mohammedans -- that Grotius, Sale and others have left us in the dark as
to their metaphysics, mysticism, etc., and therefore that it is
necessary, not only
|61to learn their language in the East, but also their opinions. As
far, however, as my knowledge of this subject goes, I must be allowed to
express a different opinion, having no doubt that both the languages and
opinions of the Orientals can be learned in this country at as little
expense and in as little time as they can in the East, and at a much
less risk. Our public libraries contain the very best books on every
subject connected with grammar, history, ethics, theology, geography and
every other science, and to which, even in the East itself, access is
seldom to be had. Valuable as the labours of Mr Martyn certainly were,
yet I have no doubt that if he had passed a short time in this country
in a preparatory course of Oriental reading, he would not only have done
more than he has, but he would have done it better, and with far greater
comfort to himself. Time was when the student of Oriental literature was
almost a singularity in our universities, and such was the ascendancy
obtained by classical and mathematical learning, that a young man must
have had more than ordinary courage and self-denial to engage in studies
which could afford him so
|62 little in prospect, with so much difficulty in their
prosecution.
'The state of the case is now considerably altered. A
student may now commence the study of the Hebrew or Arabic without the
fear of being cited as a monstrous singularity, or of being met at every
turn with the appalling maxim, that Hebrew roots thrive best on barren
ground. And, if he persevere, he may hope, not only that a generous
public will applaud his endeavours, but that even posterity will allow
him a place among those who have been considered as benefactors to
mankind, and the best ornaments of the ages in which they lived. Another
consideration, and one which has the greatest weight with me, is a
belief that no book with which I am acquainted stands so much in need of
elucidation as the Hebrew Bible. From the times of Grotius to the
present day, I believe we can find scarcely one original commentator.
And many even of his remarks have been borrowed from the Jews. The Dutch
and German commentaries are the books most worthy of the scholar's
regard; but many of these are such as to make it a question whether they
should be
|63recommended or not. Nothing, if we except the dreams of
Hutchinson, has come out in England for the last hundred years in the
shape of original investigation. Compilation has long been the order of
the day; and names, respectable indeed and valuable in their time, are
now appealed to as the only safeguards against innovation, or as
instructors in the way of truth. In almost an universal dearth of
Scriptural knowledge, this is not to be wondered at, nor is it to be
condemned. It is without doubt the best and safest path. But it should
not satisfy the minds of those who have both ability and opportunity for
making further progress. And as the character of the times in which we
live calls for such exertion, it is to be hoped that the call will not
be disregarded.
'The object of these remarks, however, is not to
disparage the institutions of this country. Certainly not. I believe
that they constitute one of its greatest excellencies and best
guardians. I would only turn them to a greater public account by
converting a portion of their provisions to a more extensive cultivation
of those studies which have ever been the glory of the
|64Reformed Church, viz., the study of the Holy Scriptures, which
cannot well be done without an extensive acquaintance with Oriental
literature. The general attention, too, that has of late been paid to
missionary exertions, both within and without the pale of the Church of
England, constitutes a further motive for the prosecution of these
studies; and I am of opinion that, without an extensive cultivation of
them, there is not much reason to anticipate the success to which it is
their object to attain. ... It was once, indeed, my determination to
give, as a sort of prolegomenon, an account of the creed of the Shiah or
Mohammedan sect of Persia, followed by the principal tenets of their
mysticism from the Dabistan of Mohsin Fáni and other writers to whom I
have access; but as this work is sufficiently extensive, and has
occupied a much larger time than might have been wished in the
publication, I shall reserve my materials on these subjects for a future
work.'
In connection with the subject of Mohammedan
controversy, I well remember the visit to Barley Rectory of the genial
Dr Pfander, a German missionary to the Mohammedans working under
|65the C.M.S. He was the author of some treatises on the Christian
Faith for Moslem readers -- the 'Mizan-ul-haqq' was the title of one of
them, and in the line of argument adopted, had taken up and expanded a
plan suggested by my father, to whom he gladly acknowledged his
indebtedness.
|66
CHAPTER VI
BIOGRAPHICAL, AND LETTERS, 1840
SAMUEL LEE was married three times. In a letter to
his brother, in 1810, he mentions the fact of his marriage at Worcester;
very soon after this the fire mentioned in the letter to Dr Jonathan
Scott occurred, for in May of the same year, writing to his brother's
wife, he says : 'You would perhaps wish to know what progress I have
made in the literary world--much greater than in the pecuniary one. I
have stocked my head with more lumber than my pocket, consequently my
loss is less than it might have been. I have a pretty general knowledge
of Hebrew, a smattering of Scriptural philology--Greek and Latin are
secondary things with me. I intend giving you a specimen that I am no
contemptible poet; but do not let these things give you too great an
opinion of me!' His first wife died when his children were still young,
and this great loss was followed, in 1829, by the death of his only
|67
LOCKING MANOR; THE HOME OF THE
JENKINS FAMILY.
son, a very promising youth of seventeen, who died of
consumption. His second wife died in 1837, at Banwell, in Somersetshire;
and in 1840, when his daughters were either married, or about to be so,
he married my mother, Anne Jenkins, whose father, the Reverend Stiverd
Jenkins, lived at the old manor house at Locking. He was not then an
incumbent, but gave his services gratuitously to Archdeacon, afterwards
Dean, Law, at Weston. His family had for some years been acquainted with
that of Dr Lee, Banwell and Locking being about two miles apart. Many
and hearty were the congratulations received by Anne Jenkins when it was
made known to her family that she had become engaged to the learned
Professor, Dr Samuel Lee. Her uncle, Mr W. Portal of Laverstoke, wrote
:--'The alliance of a gentleman of his distinguished talents,
acquirements and professional eminence, would be an honour to any
family. I beg you to accept my sincere congratulations.' And her
brother-in-law, the Reverend Thomas Vores, then of Park Chapel, Chelsea,
and afterwards of St Mary's, Hastings, thus expressed himself:--'Dr Lee
is confessedly the first Orientalist in England, probably in
|68Europe. He has unwearyingly devoted his wondrous attainments to
the defence of the great and blessed truths of God's pure Word, and God
has called you, dear sister, to the honourable office of being a
helpmeet to such a man.'
Banwell is fifteen or sixteen miles by rail from
Bristol on the Exeter line. The Church is a very beautiful specimen of
florid Gothic, and it is believed to have been erected about the middle
of the fifteenth century. It is so surrounded by trees and buildings
that it is not easy to get a good view of it The interior is strikingly
handsome.
Before my mother's marriage, my father, in order to
be within an easy distance of Cambridge, had exchanged the living of
Banwell for that of Barley, in Hertfordshire. The following extracts
from letters were, for the most part, addressed to my mother between the
years 1840-52, during his absence from Barley, when lecturing at
Cambridge, or in residence at Bristol, on those occasions when his
family could not be with him.
'BARLEY, 1840.
'I have indeed been a hard-working student, but
|69
TOWER OF BANWELL CHURCH
I trust an attachment to something much higher than
mere study has been my stimulating and supporting motive in all this.
'And He whose glory I have sought has almost
miraculously assisted, encouraged, and sustained me. Were I indeed more
a Stoic than I am, many anxieties under which I have suffered would have
been strangers to me. . . . Perhaps my life, which some have been
induced to think a useful one, may be much lengthened to carry into
effect the many labours which I have before me, likely, as I trust, to
advance God's glory and the welfare of His people.'
'No one can be more sensible of his own shortcomings
than I am. I lament them daily, I pray over them continually. "In me," I
know but too well, "there dwelleth no good thing," but help has been
laid upon One that is mighty, and Who is "touched with the feeling of
our infirmities," and One who has said that "He will never leave thee
nor forsake thee." To perfection I never expect to come, yet by His
grace I do hope to be able to grow to a meetness for His kingdom, and to
make some progress at least towards the full measure of His stature.
Still, this must be done in much patience, often in
|70much tribulation, always in fear and trembling, lest I should be
lifted up above measure. But then this is the fight of faith, the
warfare of hope, the trial of our patience which is "much more precious
than gold that perisheth," and in such a contest who shall doubt, be
faint-hearted, or desperate? Are not the promises sufficiently clear? Is
not the Spirit, the Comforter, sufficiently potent to sustain the
fainting spirit, and to strengthen the feeble arm ? We cannot humble
ourselves too much, we cannot love Christ too much, we cannot depend too
much upon Him, nor cast our cares too implicitly and fully upon Him, nor
indeed can we rejoice too much in His power, readiness and willingness
to "save to the uttermost all those who come" to Him by faith.'
'I might truly say my God has done wondrously for me
and with me. Worthless, indeed, I am, perfectly unworthy of the least of
all His mercies, yet I have trusted while I have wept, I have
endeavoured while I felt that of myself I could do nothing, and what has
been the consequence ? I have always found my God both near and dear to
me; much, very much, has He enabled me to do, more than has fallen
|71 to the happy lot of most men ; much, very much, He has given me,
more than either I desired or deserved.'
'I am much more a creature of feeling than people
generally imagine, and I believe and pray that these feelings may be
good and rightly directed. Where I love, I love much and constantly;
where I cannot love I dare not hate, and I feel that I can, by God's
good grace, pray cordially and earnestly for my enemies. This is a great
source of liberty to me. May God's holy name receive all the praise.'
'BARLEY, 1840.
'I was sorry to be almost forced to run away so
soon from you and your dear family, but I knew I should be expected
here. It was so. The congregation was very large, and among them Mrs
D. (Lord A.'s sister) and her family, who are disgusted with the
Puseyism of their own pastor. I had an admirable subject on the
occasion, viz., Rom. iv. ver. 16, to the word "seed." I was greatly
aided, and felt very much indeed drawn out in that most interesting
and noble subject. The silence was death-like, and
|72 the interest most intense. God be blessed, it was of His
mercy! Indeed, it was a-season of great refreshing to me. "To the end
the promise might be sure to all the seed'' It is by grace,
therefore it is sure--and what could our God have done that
could have made this more sure ? Nothing, so far as I can see, could
even Omnipotence have suggested, so good, certain, and lovely.
'As to the ministry, I do feel most grateful to
Almighty God for the honour put upon me. I do feel that it is a very
great one. I do, above all things, rejoice in being enabled to put
forth those glorious doctrines and promises which form the
peculiarities of our holy faith; and I never feel so much cast down as
I do when anything has put it out of my power to stand up in my pulpit
for this purpose, nor so comfortable as I do when I have reason to
think that I have laboured to good effect. A most happy composure in
such cases rests upon me, and my night passes in rest the most sweet
and refreshing. As to self-abasement, if I feel one thing more
strongly than another it is indeed my utter unworthiness of such an
honour, and never, no, never do I ascend the stairs of a
|73 pulpit but I feel a fear and dread upon me lest, through my
weakness or inability, the cause of my glorified Redeemer should
suffer. I do trust that if I see any one thing more strongly than
another, it is the absolute and utter abasement of self; on nothing
else can the divine blessing be expected. It is the sick only to whom
the Physician can in this case afford any help, and as such, my wants,
deficiencies and sins I never cease to lay before my gracious Saviour,
and I never fail to find strength accordingly. Oh, yes, it is when we
are weak that indeed we are truly strong, and that we can realise all
joy and peace in believing.'
'I thank my God--and do you thank Him too, for
me--for all my trials, privations and sacrifices. All have been and
are made to me sources of the richest blessings. Blessed be His holy
name for this and for all His other mercies!
'The old Syrian Bishop of Malabar waited my return
hither. I have seen him, but was not much interested with him. He
could not read my Syriac "Eusebius," although he is an Archbishop of
the Syrian Church. He is, however, a tolerably good Syriac scholar. He
had never seen a copy of my "Eusebius" before,
|74 although he had heard that such a book was in existence.'
In the spring of 1841 my mother went on a visit to
her family, who had removed to Stone in Glo'stershire. The following
were addressed to her whilst there:--
'Surely if men are generally duly called upon to be
thankful, how much cause have I to be so! My cup of blessings has never
been empty--for years it has been full, and now how it truly runs over!
Blessed be the Holy Name of Him who has thus blest, and is now blessing,
me! It is very gratifying to find so much kindness expressed by the
people of your neighbourhood, nor is the kindness of your dear old
red-cloaks the least welcome to me.
'They must have been delighted to see you. May their
prayers for us be daily put up and received, and answered by Him who is
our Father and our Friend.
'You judged quite rightly of my rounds of exercise on
Sunday in our delightful grounds. I paced them round and round both
before and after service.
'My text was James i. vers. 2, 3, 4, involving
|75the very question of afflictions as noticed in your letter of
to-day. I observed that it was Christianity alone that did or could
consider afflictions as blessings; to every person otherwise minded they
were real marks of wrath, and were generally attended with mourning,
woe, murmuring and repining. Then, as to patience and its perfect
work; the entireness in Christ which wanted nothing; the completeness in
Him, without which Heaven itself would be but a sort of hell; the
meetness for this place now to be acquired, the mind of Christ now to be
realised. I found myself overwhelmed with a subject so delightful, so
deeply interesting, and at the same time so awful that I hardly knew how
to leave it or how to go on with it. If, indeed, this happy experience
is ours in any degree, and in some degree I hope it is, how thankful,
how happy, how rejoiced ought we to be. ... One of our senior fellows
came over to Barley on Monday, both to see my palace and to carry us all
over in a fly and to give us a dinner in his rooms. He is an old and
warm friend of mine. He introduced me many years ago to the Duke of
Sussex, out of which grew nearly all my present dignity and wealth.'
|76
CHAPTER VII
LETTERS, 1841-42
AT this time ray father was much occupied with the
Syriac version of Eusebius's 'Theophania' (Divine Manifestation), which
was published in 1842, and in preparing the English version which
appeared a year later. Further on will be found some account of both
works. He refers to them in these letters as 'My Eusebius.'
' GREAT WESTERN HOTEL,
'BRISTOL, Novr. '41.
'Were not the causes of our little separations proofs
of the Divine mercy in giving me at once honour and the opportunity of
employment, I certainly should be more than half disposed to complain ;
but our Friend is at once a kind and a wise one ; there is nothing he
will do or appoint for us which shall not be of first value. . . .
Well, I had the whole inside of the coach to
|77myself from Barley to London. Mr Cross, the coachman, asked me,
as soon as I got in, whether I should like anything to amuse myself. I
said I should. He accordingly brought me a new tragedy just finished,
"spike and spon new," as they say. The title was "Edric the Forester."
He did not, indeed, furnish me with the last and fifth act, for that he
had not with him. He furnished me, however, with quite as much as I
could read before it got dark. The plot is laid in those times soon
after the Norman Conquest, when the Welsh, with the Saxons, made many
inroads and attacks upon the castles of the Norman lords. The scenery in
this case is mostly laid in and about Shrewsbury, and I must say I was
both delighted and astonished at the performance. There are in this play
some of as good verses as any I ever read, and which would not be
unworthy of Shakespeare or Milton. There is a love tale in the piece
told almost as sweetly as that of Miranda and Ferdinand in the
"Tempest." I was highly delighted with this work of Mr Cross's, and I
was as much surprised at it. I could not help telling Mr Cross so, and I
do hope it may be the means of affording him the encouragement which
|78he deserves. You will bear in mind that I saw only four acts of
this play; the last and fifth I have yet to see. Yet I cannot help
thinking that the last is not likely to fall short of the preceding
ones. If so, the coachman will surprise the literary world. Well, so
much for the tragedy. My next recital will be more of the comic turn. I
got to the "White Horse" safely a little after seven o'clock, and soon
got a comfortable dinner. Not long after came two gentlemen quite
unknown to me into the coffee-room, and not long after an old
Hertfordshire clergyman, whom I have met at the visitations. One of
these first two gentlemen began to talk rather loudly, and, I thought,
not very wisely. I was talking to the old clergyman about the railways,
and saying how much better the Bristol one was than that from London to
Broxbourne. Upon this the said noisy gentleman attacked me very
fiercely, asking me why I did not then lay out my own money on the
railways and make them better. I answered as civilly as I could that I
had no further interest in railways than they contributed to my comfort
in travelling, and to that of the public. He did not mend his manners
upon this, but launched out most
|79 violently against the parsons generally, and those of Cambridge
in particular, saying that they were ignorant, incapable of office,
etc., etc. As to the famous Dr Lee of Barley, he was said to know
something about Arabic, but he was nothing, etc., etc. I did not say one
word to this ; was not this exemplary? He then said, among other things,
that he had a living to sell, the incumbent being 70 years of age, etc.
I asked him where ? "H----," he said. "Oh!" said I, "I think I now know
whom I have the honour of addressing." "Yes," said he, "I am Sir P----
----." He then went on to say of Dr Lee, "he heard him say," that 17
shillings an acre was too little for the tithe
