The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

IV. Some Remarks upon his Horae Hebraicae & Talmudicae.

I Design not to give a particular account of his Works as they came forth, something hath already been spoken of them; his several Epistles before them will shew that: only of his last pains, that crowned all the rest, I mean his Horae Hebraicae, I would re∣mark something: and that is, the universal approbation and applause they met with in the Learned World, both at home, and in forain parts. When our Author had sent his Horae upon S. Mark to the great and profound Linguist Dr. Castel, he calls it an unutter∣able obligation laid upon him; that it was a learned and much longed for work, and that it en∣riched his poor Library with an addition so excellent and delightful, &c. And upon the Doctors sending him his Horae upon St. John, he writes thus; I received last week by your appointment a gift auro quovis, gemmis{que} contra non charum: that all the riches of the Levant congested together cannot equal: such a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as will justly deserve to be enrolled among the very next Records to those of Infallibility. And truly, Sir, all your rare discoveries of

Celestial Verities, seem to me to be at such, above the reach either of doubt or hesitation. And again, Your Criticism of Bethabara and Bethany (saith he) is so native, proper, genuine, and ingenious, I no sooner read it, but straitway said to my self, Securus jurarem in Verba Magistri. Tis like all the other births of your blest Minerva. And upon the edition of another of those pieces Mr. Bernard of S. Johns, Oxon, a Man of known learning, worth and piety, writes thus to him; I most humbly thank you for the happy hours on the more copious Evangelist; by which that most excellent part of Holy Scripture is finisht, and com∣pleatly expounded in the most proper and yet untrodden way. God reward you both here, and in the better World for this, and the rest of your labours in this sort; which posterity will ad∣mire, and bless, when they see them altogether. Dr. Worthington another person of great judgment, learning and goodness, treats our Doctor with these words in a Letter wrote to him, Feb. 166••. concerning the same subject; I wish you length of life, health, vacancy and freedom for what remains. I hope that you are still proceeding, and are not weary in well do∣ing, though Books sell but little: those that are able to buy, less mind Books, and those that would buy are less able: having little to spare from what is necessary for their families. But your labour will not be in vain in the Lord: nor here neither. The learned Men beyond the Seas had also an high value for these pieces: let some of them speak for themselves. Fre∣derick Mieg, (son to a great Councellor of the Elector Palatine, once brought up under Buxtorph in Hebrew, and Rabbinical Studies, and of whom he gives a high character) thus writes to our Doctor from Paris 1664. concerning those precious Hours, as he styles them, and publick Labours. Publicos enim labores non vereor appellare, quos in publicum li∣terarii Orbis commodum redundare, nemo est qui ignoret. And tells him besides, that there were no learned Men, as he knew, on that side the Seas, but did summis anhelitibus, earnestly pant after his Hebrew and Talmudical Exercitations upon the first Epistle to the Corinthians, which he had then ready for the Press. And begs him in his own Name and in the Name of that love those Studies, ut lucem non invideas scripto luce dignissimo, ne{que} illud intra privatos parietes consenescere sinas, unde tantum imminet publico emolumentum. That he would not envy it the light, since it was so worthy of it: nor suffer that to lie longer concealed within private walls, whence so great profit would accrue to the publick. In a Let∣ter from Nicholas Hoboken, Secretary to the Dutch Ambassador, here in England, written to Dr. Lightfoot in the year 1659. he acquaints him with the sense Gisbertus Voetius (Professor of Divinity, and a Man of great Name in Holland) had of his Chorographi∣cal Century before his Horae upon S. Matthew, namely, That he had expressed to him (the said Secretary) the complacency that he took from those Geographical illustrations of his, fetched out of the Talmudists: ita tamen, ut spe largiori frui desideret plura Lucubrationum ejusmodi tuarum videndi. And if we should travail into France, there we shall find a Man of as great fame as the other was in Holland, and, it may be, of greater Learning, I mean, Monseir Le Moyn, who in a Letter to Dr. Worthington, Anno 1666. expressing the value he had of Dr. Lightfoots Books, and among the rest of his sacred Chorography before S. Matthew, he saith, that his Library is proud of them. But the judgment of the Venerable Buxtorph is instar omnium, who in a Letter to Dr. Castel in the year 1664. earnestly desires to know what Dr. Lightfoot did: and saith, That by his Talmudick Hours he began greatly to love his Learning and Diligence, and wished heartily to see more of them. And in the year before that in a Letter to our Doctor himself, he thus accosts him: Ex quo Horas tuas Hebraicas & Talmudicas in Matthaeum vidi & legi, coepi te amare, & pro merito aestimare: Tantam enim in eis Talmudicae lectionis peritiam, & ad illustrationem SS. literarum dexteritatem; tantam etiam diligentiam & accurationem in illis deprehendi, ut non potuerim non Te magnifacere, & in admirationem Tui rapi. Rar•• hae dotes hoc nostro saeculo in viris Theologis, rari hujusmodi Scriptores; qui nil nisi suas proprias observationes lectoribus proponunt: Unde ab eo tempore desiderium me tenuit, ob studiorum communionem propius tecum conjungi, & familiarius te noscere. Since the time I saw and read the Hebrew and Talmudick Hours upon Matthew, I began to love you, and to esteem you, as you deserved. For in them I observed so great skill in Talmudical reading, and dexterity in illustrating the Holy Scriptures, accompanied with so great diligence and accuracy, that I could not but extol you, and be carried away with an admiration of you. These endowments are rare in Divines in our days, writers of this nature are rare; who propound to Readers only their own observa∣tions. Whereupon from that time, I had a desire from the commonness of our Studies, to be better acquainted with you.

This was the reception these Learned Hours of his found in the World: and a great and invaluable loss it was, that he went not through the whole New Testament in that ex∣cellent method of explaining them. His friends indeed often called upon him and set him on to proceed. Dr. Worthington's judgment was, that he would do better to publish more at a time than he did, since he needed not to fear now their reception; so as Luke and John might make one Volume, and after that the Acts and the Epistle to the Romans would make another; and then his Works would meet at the Epistle to the Corinthians.

But if the tediousness of the Work should discourage him to go on, yet he earnestly re∣commends one Book at least to him, and that is the Epistle to the Hebrews, the matter of it being so sutable to his Hebrew Studies. Such good suggestions were made to him, but they took not effect: not that his strength began to fail him, or that he was unwil∣ling to give his pains, (for he had a mind generously disposed to communicate his know∣ledge) but the true reason was, because he could not get them Printed, and had so much impaired his own estate by what he had before sent abroad. This he complains of more than once: and particularly in a Letter to Buxtorph: into whose bosom thus he pours out his mind. Exasciavi paucis adhin•• annis commentariolum, &c. A few years since I pre∣pared a little Commentary upon the first Epistle to the Corinthians in the same style and manner as I had done that on Matthew. But it laid by me two years and more, nor can I now publish it, but at my own charges, and to my great damage: which I felt enough and too much in the edition of my Book upon S. Mark. Some progress I have made in the Gospel of S. Luke, but I can print nothing but at my own cost. Whereupon I wholly give my self to reading, and scarce think of writing more. Our Booksellers and Printers have dulled my edge, who will print no Book, especially Latine, unless they may have an assured and considerable gain. So that I know not whether we ought to be more angry or grieved; grieved that we are deprived of such useful Labours, or angry with those, who were the occasions of it.