least the former meed of honour. It will, we hope, enlarge its circle of readers by speedy translation into English and German.

The work is divided into three books. In the first, which comprehends the whole of the first volume, M. Jourdain, after a somewhat too brief sketch of the leading events in the life of Thomas Aquinas, drawn from the original sources, presents to our attention the intellectual precursors of Aquinas, such as Alexander Hales and Albert the Great. The next section of the book treats of the authenticity of the various works ascribed to the angelic doctor, and endeavours to ascertain the precise chronology of each. The third, and by far the longest section, including two-thirds of the first volume, goes over the principles of the philosophy of Aquinas in his Theodicée, his psychology, his morals, and his politics, and concludes by appreciating the sources of his views in Aristotle, Plato, the Arabians, and the Fathers, especially Augustine.

The second volume includes two books of nearly equal length. Of these the former treats of the successive fortunes of Aquinas' philosophy after his death; the long-continued intellectual struggle of the Scotists with the Thomists; the philosophical opinions of Durand of St Pourcain and William Occam; the views of Bradwardine, and other secondary authors; the influence exerted by Aquinas upon Tauler, Suso, and the other German and Dutch mystics, occupy successive chapters. The last chapter is taken up with Thomism since the end of the fourteenth century, and presents to our notice the influence of Aquinas upon Cajetan, Cano, Dominic Soto, and other eminent Romanist theologians of the Reformation era; followed by "Thomism in the Society of Jesus," and terminating with a few pages on the indebtedness of Descartes, Bossuet, and Leibnitz, to the angelical doctor.

The third book, and in our view the most important of all, discusses the intellectual and moral value of the philosophy of Aquinas. In this part of M. Jourdain's work he generally steers a middle course between excessive laudation and inordinate depreciation. The three chapters on the Nature and Faculties of the Soul, and the Moral and Political Doctrines of Aquinas, are peculiarly interesting. It is pleasing to observe the contrast which the political views of Aquinas in the thirteenth century present to the slavish opinions of Bossuet and other Court divines in the seventeenth. Perhaps M. Jourdain scarcely sufficiently makes prominent the opinions of the angelic doctor on slavery. With a just indignation, Quinet, in his "Revolutions d'Italie," remarks, "The angel of the school adds Christian arguments in aid of slavery to the entirely Pagan reasonings of antiquity, and on a vital point of the doctrine of Jesus Christ it happened that St Thomas has remained more heathen than Aristotle!"

The work of Dr Werner on Aquinas has evidently occupied its author for many years. It is more valuable, in a theological point of view, than that of M. Jourdain. Dr Werner possesses a thorough knowledge of medieval theology and philosophy. He is somewhat, like others of his fellow-Teutons, over-fond of branches of his subject,

which he consequently treats at undue length. Thus, early in the first volume, the reader's patience is tried by a needlessly minute account of the Dominican order. A little further on we have the life and opinions of Albert the Great discussed on too extensive a scale; and so in other instances throughout these two volumes, whose size and price are thus enlarged. In point of style, too, Dr Werner stands at a disadvantage compared with M. Jourdain. But such drawbacks are small in comparison with the conscientious research, and general spirit of fairness, which are prominent features in the book. Though a Romanist divine, Dr Werner attaches no undue importance to the middle ages. He sees and confesses the faults of the times, and he has no scruple in owning the deficiencies of the eminent writer whose biography he writes. We scarcely know, from the tone in which he writes, whether the legendary incidents he records are believed by him or not.

There is, as in other German works of a historical or biographical character, a profusion of notes, extending often to an undue length. The reader is sorely tempted to skip most of them. The fatigue of perusing a hook of upwards of 1600 closely printed octavo pages is considerable; and at least a sixth part of that fatigue might have been spared. With M. Jourdain we have no quarrel on this point to maintain. He is occasionally one-sided, as in his non-appreciation of English philosophy; sometimes superficial, as in his imperfect notice (from secondary sources) of the mystics; but he is never wearisome. Only at first sight will his subject appear arid to any beyond a mere circulating library reader. There is, towards the conclusion of the second volume, a paragraph, which reads awkwardly, like a panegyric on Louis Napoleon for putting down the Assembly; if such really be the meaning, it is unworthy alike of the theme and the author, and, in a second edition, we hope, will be omitted.

The student who desires to possess a thorough estimate of Aquinas, should give a deliberate perusal to both the works on our table. Should any still question the usefulness of the study, we would quote the words of Sir J. Mackintosh, "We have read this work (the "Secunda Secundæ ') in the nineteenth century with pleasure and advantage. The superior understanding of this ingenious recluse anticipated remarks which, without any knowledge of his writings, were presented to succeeding writers by their observation of human life in a more civilised age."

The Healing Art the Right Hand of the Church; or, Practical Medicine an Essential Element in the Christian System. By THERAPEUTES. Edinburgh: Sutherland and Knox. Pp. 280.

WE are most willing to allow a very high place to medicine as a means of alleviating the miseries of human life. We are also most willing to admit the importance of members of the medical profession being thorough Christians, and to avow our deep sense of the good which they may do in the exercise of their calling by a word spoken in season to the sick and the dying. Moreover, we are prompt to declare our

The Healing Art the Right Hand of the Church.

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conviction of the great utility of medical missions in promoting the spread of the Gospel, more especially in eastern countries, and among Mahommedan nations. But all these admissions and avowals will not satisfy the ardent author of this volume. He demands much more than this. And he is at great pains to prove too much, as we believe, and to entrench himself on ground which we hold to be quite untenable.

His purpose is so excellent, and many of his remarks so just, and much of his material, levied from every quarter, so curious and interesting, that we are sorry to find ourselves decidedly at issue with him with respect to his leading and fundamental principle. That principle is partially, though not very clearly, enunciated in the title, "The Healing Art the Right Hand of the Church; or, Practical Medicine an Essential Element of the Christian System." In the preface he says, "The first aim of the essay is to have the work of healing recognised as a function of the Church"-p. 14. Then, again, speaking of medical missions, Therapeutes asks, "Have medical missions been adopted, and are they now prosecuted, simply and solely on the ground that Christ has commanded the healing of the sick to be associated with the preaching of the Gospel?"-p. 24. Again, "The Lord Jesus gave the command to His followers, Heal the sick,' a command, be it observed, never abrogated, and which stands written and reiterated in His word side by side with the command, Preach the Gospel,' which has always been accepted as binding on His Church"-p. 29. Once more: "It is our purpose to show that the command of Christ, "HEAL THE SICK,' is intended to be taken in its most literal sense as a statute for perpetual observance, and that the Church has always had abundant means at her disposal to enable her to fulfil it"-p. 42.

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All this seems tolerably distinct and explicit; yet, after a perusal of the whole book, we are by no means sure that we clearly apprehend the author's meaning. Our doubt is, whether he means to affirm that the work of healing the sick is a part, and a leading part, of the functions of the Christian ministry, or a duty devolving upon every disciple of Christ. At first, and for a considerable time, we proceeded upon the understanding that reference was made specially, and indeed exclusively, to the ministry, and that it was attempted to prove that those who were appointed to "preach the word" were also appointed to "heal the sick." By and by, however, it dawned upon us that the author intended rather to maintain that the obligation to heal the sick rests upon every private member of the Church, or that he must be held as sometimes meaning the one of these two things and sometimes the other. (See pp. 178-9.)

We need hardly say that we are quite unable to concur with our author's views. Of course all will admit that it is the clear duty of every Christian to "minister to the sick," in the sense of affording them kindly sympathy and attention, and doing everything in his power to relieve them. But this falls far short of Therapeutes' meaning. By "ministering to the sick," he understands, as we have said, "healing" them, treating them scientifically or professionally, bringing to bear upon them all the resources of medical and surgical skill, with

the view of effecting a cure; and when he says, as we understand him distinctly to say, that "to the faithful and engrossing discharge of this duty the Christian is called," we cannot very gravely deal with the proposition. What the unhappy subject of such Christian attentions would have to endure it is easy to imagine, and what would be the issue Therapeutes must know as well as we.

But, taking our original conception of his meaning as the true one, that the command to "heal the sick" is attached to the commission to "preach the Gospel," and is therefore directly and permanently binding upon the Christian ministry rather than upon the private members of the Church, we have simply to remark, that the literal injunetion and the perpetual obligation-if we must take the injunction as literal, and as involving an obligation perpetually binding-would conduct us a step further than Therapeutes is prepared to go. Why stop short at the clause, "heal the sick?" why overlook and ignore the rest of the commission? As we read the terms of the original instruction, it runs thus: "These twelve Jesus sent forth, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. Freely ye have received, freely give."-Matt. x. 5-8. If the Christian minister is still to "heal the sick" as well as to "preach," is he also to "cleanse the lepers," to "cast out devils," and to "raise the dead?" We see nothing whatever to satisfy us that Christ intended the ordinary ministers of his Church to study medicine and practise it, however important it confessedly is that they should duly minister to the sick.

With all these drawbacks, however, we have a sincere respect for the author of this volume, for his piety, his earnestness, his scholarship; and we thank him for all the curious information which he has accumulated upon so many kindred topics, though we are quite satisfied that he would have done much better service to the cause which he has at heart if he had been content to occupy other and firmer, but as he will think, lower ground; and would venture to remark, with all deference, that when a good principle crosses one's path, it serves no good purpose to vault upon it as a hobby and ride it to death.

THE

NORTH BRITISH REVIEW.

NOVEMBER, 1859.

ART. I.-Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages. Published by the authority of Her Majesty's Treasury, under the direction of the Master of the Rolls. Memorials of King Henry VII. Edited by JAMES GAIRDNER. London: Longman and Co., 1858.

This volume of the series of "Chronicles and Memorials" contains contemporary writings illustrative of the times of Henry VII.

These consist of the historical works of Bernard André, his poem called "Les douze triomphes de Henry VII.," the journals and reports of Henry's ambassadors into Spain, Portugal, Naples, and Britanny, and some other papers of a somewhat similar character.

The histories of André, having been consulted by Speed, and probably also by Lord Bacon, from whom our notions of the reign of Henry VII. have been hitherto mainly derived, the editor has justly deemed it to be a matter of some interest "to verify the references of these writers, and to examine the sources of their information."

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The chief results of this investigation, along with biographical notices of André and others, are given in a very readable preface to the volume. From the perusal of this, the reader will find, that the story of Henry's entry into London, "in a close chariot," "like an enemy of the State," had its origin in the mistaken reading of a word in André's MS.; and again, that passages relating to Perkin Warbeck's imposture seem to have been so misconstrued or confused by Bacon and Speed, as to have afforded fallacious grounds for modern "Historic Doubts."

But this minute criticism of minor particulars, valuable as it 1 This story is given by Bacon in his History of Henry VII.

VOL. XXXI. NO. LXII.

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