13.—Koran, Vedas, Shakespeare.

These, too, are unique books, Mr. Stout declares. I grant it, in their way. The Koran is unique for its gross absurdities and inconsis tencies; yet it is the work of one man, aided by two or three servants. The Vedas are unique in their great antiquity for their class of literature; but they are not uniform in plan and purpose. They are not consistent with each other Their conception of God is not of the high and majestic style of the Bible. They cannot be classed higher than the result of human authorship Shakespeare stands high as a poet, but in nearly every department or phase of thought he is quite equalled, in some excelled, by one or other of our poets. He is a bright star in page 30 the constellation of the poets; yet he is only a star, while the Bible is a sun!