Germany, for its misguided people soon awoke from the delusion under which the barbarous policy of the papal. emissaries had hitherto veiled those proceedings, whose glaring atrocity accelerated the downfal of that tremendous engine of tyranny and oppression-of that institution, "whose foundations, as Dr. Gregory so justly observes, were laid in blood, and whose detested towers overlooked and overawed the whole Christian world." This fortunate event originated in the accusation of the count of Seyn, a man notorious for his ferocious and vindictive spirit, who, being summoned to appear before Conrad of Marburg, contrary to universal expectation obeyed the summons, and appeared at the bar of the papal tribunal. There he was dealt with as a common heretic, and, unwilling to undergo a violent death, acknowledged himself guilty, and submitted to have his head shorn. Branded thus with infamy, the odium attached to the punishment which he had suffered thenceforward preyed so incessantly on his irascible mind, that he applied to the emperor, as well as to the ecclesiastical and secular princes of the empire, demanding to have his cause examined before them. A convocation was therefore appointed to be held at Frankfort in 1234, where both parties appeared; but Conrad's witnesses confounding each other's testimony, the Count was pronounced innocent by the solemn asseveration of eight bishops, twelve Cistercian abbots, twelve Franciscans, three Dominicans, and various others of the clergy and laity. The like happened to the count of Solms, whose head had also been shorn for heresy, and to many more noble persons. It was on his return from witnessing this transaction that Conrad was assassinated in his way to Marburg..." From that hour (says a German historian of the thirteenth century) this barbarous persecution was allayed, and those turbulent times began to assume a feature of mildness and tranquillity: and this count of Seyn was a bulwark for the house of the Lord, that an impious and fanatic rage might no longer swallow up the innocent with the guilty-might no longer sacrifice princes and peasants, bishops and clergy, catholics and heretics without distinction." Although Gregory the Ninth, in an address to the prelacy of Germany,* reprobated their conscientious decision Your readers will not, I trust, be displeased with my subjoining (verbatim) the singular character which pope Alexander the Fourth gives of the truly pious: "They are those (says he) who, beloved by God and man, bend all their desires to heavenly things, and publish the might of the Lord's name throughout the world. They are those, who, taking example from the life and merits of the apostle Paul, glory only in the cross of God, and despise the enjoyments of the world, that they may attain those of Paradise. In fine, they are those who overcome the enemies of mankind by the shield of the true creed, the armour of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the spear of perseverance; who labour only to establish all catholics in their belief, their hope and love; to point out unto unbelievers the way of truth, and to dissipate the horrid systems of heretical depravity." Bulla Alexandri IV. in Bremnod. Bullar. Prædic. T. i. p. 275. & Schmidt's Gesch. d. Teutsch. 3d vol. p. 347. ed. 1786, decision at Frankfort, and told them, "that the pope alone had the right of deciding, whenever his legates found reason for calling into question the belief of any man, or the truth of an opinion;" yet was the stigma which Conrad's example had cast on the Inquisition so irremediable, that it never again obtained a footing in Germany. The Inquisitors, or, as they have been aptly denominated, the Heresyhunters, who afterwards appeared, could never succeed in establishing another tribunal, nor were they ever again permitted to exercise their odious functions for any duration in that country. THE WORD MORDIBLE. To the Editor of the Athenæum. Sir, IN a letter from Mr. Moyle to Dr. Tancred Robinson (Moyle's Works, v. ii. p. 400.) describing the bird called a Petrel, I find the word mordible used for what is generally termed mandible. I never saw the word elsewhere, nor is it in Johnson's Dictionary, yet it seems a very proper one, and in this instance more so than mandi. ble, since birds rather bile than chew with their bills. If the ingenious writer of the Synonymical Elucidations, or any other of your readers, can give an additional authority for the use of mordible, I should be glad to see it. Possibly it may be used in Willughby's Ornithology. Yours, &c. N. N. ETYMOLOGICAL EXPLANATION OF A PASSAGE IN HOMER. To the Editor of the Athenæum. Sir, ETYMOLOGY, as it may serve to ascertain the primary sense of a word—to unfold a general principle in the formation of language to exemplify the manner in which philosophical notions, political occurrences, and religious institutions influence the mind, and give birth to new modes of speech-is a subject of rational and useful enquiry. In this enlightened view, it blends itself with the history of philosophy, of politics, and of religion, with the structure of the human frame, and even with the theory of the human mind. Connected with any or with all of these purposes, none but the uninformed will neglect or decry this branch of philology, as vain and useless; and without such connection, none but pedants will pursue or extol it as worthy of attention. The following criticism, in illustration of these general observations, you may, perhaps, gratify some of your readers, by inserting in your valuable Journal. Εσι δε τις προπαροιθε πολεως αιπεια κολώνη, Iliad, ii. 815. Of this passage the following is a literal version: There exists, apart in the plain, in the front of the city (namely, Troy) a lofty mount, accessible by a circular ascent. This men call BATIEIA; but the Immortals, the Tomb of far-bounding Myrinne. The language of the Trojans, though a dialect of the Greek, was, we may well suppose, from their situation, mixed, by an influx of Asiatic terms. Of this class is Batieia, which in Hebrew is n'a beit, and means an abode. In Isaiah xiv. 18. and Job iii. 15. it signifies the last home of man. It here occurs in the Syriac form, s'n, baleea, and has the sense which it bears in the Jewish scriptures. Hence we discover the meaning of the passage, which has escaped the critics, ancient and modern. Baria denotes the same thing with σημα; and the clause πολυσκαρθμοιο Μυρίννης is to be connected with the first as well as with the last. Hence, too, we discover the import of the phrase, Men call it Batieia; but the Immortals, the Tomb. Both meant the same thing, namely, the Grave of Myrinne. But the vulgar people of Troy gave it the former, the polished Greeks the latter name. We here see the partiality, or rather the pride of Homer, respecting his language and countrymen. The phrase is purely oriental. The elegant Shanscrit is styled, Daeb Nagoree, writing of the Immortals. The etymology which the grammarians give of Barita is various. Hesychius defines it is Tewinn. Others derive the term from Baw or Barw, to go: and others again from Baros, bramble, because, as Heyne says, collis sentibus obductus esse potuit. As they did not know the origin or meaning of the word, it is not to be expected that they should understand the phraseology grounded upon the use of it. Eustathius's account of it is, το μεν όλως κρείτον των ονομάτων θεοις διδωσιν η ποίησις. The poet ascribes the best name to the Gods. The scholiast says, τον μεν προγενέσερον ονομα εις θεους αναφερει ὁ ποιητης το δε μεταγενέτερον εις ανθρωπους. The poet refers the more ancient name to the gods; the more recent name to men; which is directly opposite to the truth; for βατιεια is more ancient than σημα. Clarke comes nearest the truth, who supposes the language of the Immortals to to mean the language of the learned. I conclude with observing, that the word exists in Celtic, and bears the same signification-BEDD, grave. I remain, Sir, your obliged humble servant, Great Coram-street, J. JONES. Dec. 3, 1807. Sir, ACCOUNT OF A DISTRICT IN NORTH WALES. To the Editor of the Athenæum. IF the following account of a district in North Wales, which is visited by very few of our tourists and travellers, should be thought worthy of insertion in your very respectable miscellany, it is much at your service. A. A. The district to which I refer is that part of Caernarvonshire which extends to the west of the mass of mountains occupying the space between the western entrance of the Menai and Traeth Mawr. It is called the hundred of Llyn, and forms a promontory not very dissimilar in shape to the county of Cornwall. Its length is about 22 miles, and its extreme breadth somewhat exceeds 10 miles; at its western extremity, however, it is scarcely three miles across. It forms the northern horn of Cardigan bay, and separates this latter from Caernarvon bay. When viewed from Barmouth, from the hills above Aberdovey, or from Aberystwith, it presents the appearance of an interrupted range of conical mountains, which decrease in height and increase in distance from each other in proceeding from east to west. At the extremity of this promontory is situated Bardsey, a small island of moderate elevation, which forms a striking and beautiful termination of the line of coast. So much for a distant view of this tract: on a nearer inspection, the following particulars may be remarked. Commencing our survey from Pont Aberglaslyn, at the head of Traeth Mawr, we enter the promontory by an excellent new road at the foot of the mountains, overlooking the Traeth or estuary, which, with its small but picturesque rocky islands, forms at high water a very striking object. Even when the tide has retired, and left only a waste of sand and marshes, with a small stream or two meandering through them, the view is by no means uninteresting; for the varied and abrupt outlines of the mountains in the vicinity of Harlech and Festiniog appear doubly striking from the flatness of the foreground. At the distance of between two and three miles from Pont Aberglaslyn, the continuity of the mountains is broken by a valley about half a mile wide, with a little stream running through it, in which is situated the newly-built town of Tre-Madoc. On the opposite side of the valley the mountains again rise, forming a triangular group, the base of which marks the northern boundary of the entrance of the Traeth from the sea. Westward of this the coast is rocky, though by no means mountainous, with narrow sandy tracts of considerable length between the cliffs and the sea, and detached rocks, from 50 to 200 feet high, placed generally on the water's edge, and sometimes forming little islands, for the most part within a few hundred yards of the shore. The The northern coast of this promontory is more uniformly rocky than the southern, and, except in a few of the bays, there is no sand or gravel to be perceived, Some of the mountains approach close to this shore, forming precipices of very considerable elevation. The interior of the country is varied, though it presents none of those deep glens and continuous chains of mountains which characterize the rest of Caernarvonshire: its surface is for the most part what would be called upland pasture in England, interrupted occasionally by narrow and often marshy vallies, with interspersed conical mountains, either solitary or in small groups. The divisions of the fields are marked by stone walls or earthen mounds, which, with the general want of trees, gives to the district a bare appearance. In several of the vallies some fine timber is, however, yet to be found; and even in more exposed situations there appears to be no difficulty in raising wood with proper care and atten tion. The general character of the soil is light and stony, but being, from its situation with regard to the mountains, both dryer and warmer than most other parts of the county, the quantity and value of its agricultural produce is proportionably larger: much cattle is also reared here, and the horses of the district are greatly superior to the average of Welch ponies; a superiority to be attributed, probably, in no small degree, to Mr. Parry, of Madrin, who possesses a stud, among which are several fine hunter stallions." The maritime trade of the district is carried on for the most part at Pwllheli, and is entirely of that description called coasting. The exports are provisions and a little alum ore; there is also a lobster fishery near Bardsey of some importance, the produce of which is disposed of chiefly at the Liverpool market. The imports consist of coals, liquors, grocery, cotton goods, &c. from Liverpool, and limestone, with a few other articles from South Wales. The only town in this promontory of any consequence is Pwllheli, situated on the southern coast, at the confluence of four small streams: a few coasting vessels are built here, but the timber used in their construction is, I apprehend, furnished chiefly by the vales of the Dovey and Mawddach and the shores of Traeth Mawr. Criccieth, situated on a small bay a few miles to the east of Pwllheli, possesses no signs of its former importance, except the ruins of its ancient castle. The spirit of modern improvement, so strikingly visible in its effects in most other parts of North Wales, has of late years been peculiarly active in this district. It was first visible in the construction of a good road from Caernarvon to Pwllheli, and has since been more extensively displayed in the spirited undertakings of Mr. Maddox and Mr. Parry. A project was conceived (we believe by the former of these gentlemen) to divert the stream of passengers between Dublin and London from the accustomed track through Holyhead and Chester, by offering a line of road shorter by several miles than the other, and in which the troublesome and dangerous passages of Conway and BanVOL. III. E |