Page images
PDF
EPUB

The fifth fection contains a còncife account of the ways by which people are infected with the fmall pox, and the neceffary precautions against them; for a more ample detail of which he refers to his Hif toire de la Pétite Vérole, and his Avis au Public.

He concludes his valuable work with a warm expoftulation on the prejudices and fuperftition, the neglect and fupineness, by which his former laudable endeavours to extirpate that terrible disease, have been hitherto fruftrated; and comforts himself with the idea of their meeting with a better reception from pofterity.

FOREIGN LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. D. Gottfried Lefs vom Selbft Morde. On Suicide.

tingen. (German.)

8vo. Goet

A concife, inftructive, and very interefting treatise, in seven sections: 1. On the Chriftian's attachment to Life; 2. Definition of Suicide; 3. Guilt and Horror of Suicide; 4. Anfwer to Ob. jections; 5. Duties of the Chriftian; 6. Beneficence of this gospel Doctrine; 7. Advices for preventing or fuppreffing Temptations to Suicide.

Le Caffé politique d'Amfterdam, ou Entretien familiers d'un François, d'un Anglois, d'un Hollandois, & d'un Cofmopolite fur divers Interets oeconomiques & politiques de la France, de P Efpagne, &del'Angleterre, par Charles Elies Denis Roonpfty, 2 vols. 8vo. Amfterdam.

Idle reveries and schemes of a coffee-house politician.

Nouvelles Expériences fur la Réfifiance des Fluides; par Meff. d'Alem bert, le Marquis de Condorcet, & l'Abbé Boffut, &c. with 4 plates. Paris.

8vo.

Thefe judicious and inftructive experiments on the refiftance of fluids, were made in July, Auguft, and September 1776, on à large fheet of water near the military school at Paris, in confequence of a commiffion from Mr. Turgot, controleur general des finances, to enquire into the means of perfecting the inland navigation in France.

Idylls de Théocrite, traduites en Profe, avec quelques Imitations en Verfe de cet Auteur, précédé d'un Efai fur les Poëtes Bucoliques.

Izmo. Paris.

Another excellent tranflation by Mr. de Chabanon, enriched with a critical Effay on Theocritus, (whom he defends against M. de Fontenelle), and a concife review of the other bucolic poets of various nations and ages; of Bion and Moschus, of Virgil, Nemefianus, Calpurnius, Petrarcha, Bocaccio, Mantuanus, Sannazarius, Pope, Taffo, Guarini, Racan, Segrais, Racine, Rouffeau, madame des Houlieres, Fontenelle, la Mothe, and Mr. Geffner.

La Cyropédie, ou Hiftoire de Cyrus, traduite du Grec de Xenophon; par M. Dacier. 2 vols. 12mo. Paris.

The question whether Xenophon's Cyropædia is a history or a novel, has been frequently debated among the learned, and efpecially in France. M. l'abbé Fraguier contended in a differtation inferted in the fecond volume of the Memoires de Litterature, that the Cy

ropædia

"

ropædia was a novel, fupported his fentiments by that of Cicero: Cyrus ille a Xenophonte non ad hiftoriæ fidem fcriptus fed ad effigiem jufti imperii;' and thought that Xenophon's great object had been, to inftance in his performance the doctrine of Socrates, in emulation of Plato, who had had the fame view in his Dialogue of the Commonwealth.

Mr. Fraguier's opinion was refuted in the 6th volume of the fame Memoirs, by M. l'abbé Banier, who afferts, that Xenophon had two objects in writing his Cyropædia: one, to give a faithful hif tory of Cyrus; the other, to inftruct princes in the art of governing.

M. Freret feems, in the 4th and 7th volume of the fame Memoirs, to have steered a middle courfe between Meff. Fraguier and Banier. On one hand he quotes judicious writers who have preferred Xenophon's account of Cyrus to that of Herodotus, and thinks that Cicero's judgment of the Cyropædia relates only to the perfonal character given by Xenophon to Cyrus, and fomewhat embellished, and not to the truth of the facts related in his hiftory. Yet, on the other hand, M. Freret confeffes that Xenophon is not a very fcrupulous hiftorian, and that he indulges imagination too far.

M. Dacier, the prefent tranflator of the Cyropædia, examines in an excellent preliminary difcourfe, the opinions of thefe writers, and proves by a comparison of the respective relations of Herodotùs, and of Xenophon, that the marvellous and fabulous accounts are to be found only in Herodotus, that Xenophon contains only fuch as are fenfible and credible; and that the political, moral, and military fpeeches in the Cyropædia, do not diftinguish this work from other hiftories, in which the fathion of inferting fpeeches had been adopted by all the great historians of antiquity.

Yet whether we confider the Cyropædia as a hiftory, or as a philofophical tale, it is always one of the most interesting and most inftructive monuments of antiquity and thofe French readers, who cannot read the Greek original of the Cyropædia, are greatly indebted to M. Dacier for favouring them with a very faithful, fpirited, and elegant tranflation of this celebrated performance. Anatomie Hiftorique & Pratique, par M. Lieutaud. 2 vols. 8vo. with 7 Plates. Paris.

This new edition of Dr. Lieutaud's excellent and claffical treatise of anatomy, has been greatly improved under the inspection of its celebrated author, by Dr. Portal.

Précis de la Matiere médicale, contenant ce qu'il importe de favoir fur la Nature les Propriétés et les Dofes des Médicamens tans fimples qu'officinaux, avec un grand nombre de Formules. Par M. Lieutaud, . Nouvelle Edit. révue par l'Auteur. 2 vols. 8vo. Paris. One of the completest and most useful books extant on the materia medica.

Traité des mauvais Effets de la Fumée de la Litharge, par Samuel Stockhaufen, Médecin des Ducs de Brunswick & de Lunebourg, et de la Ville Imperiale de Gofslar. Traduit du Latin, & commenté par J. J. Gardane, &c. Paris.

Originally published in 1649, containing many ufeful obfervations, and here improved by Dr. Gardane, with practical notes fubjoined to each chapter.

L 2

Les

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Les Impofleurs démafqués & les Ujurpateurs punis, ou Hiftoire de plufieurs Avanturiers, qui ayant pris la Qualité d'Empereur, de Roi, de Prince, de Ambassadeur, de Tribun, de Messie, de Prophete, &c. &c. &c. ont fini leur vie dans l'Obfcurité, ou par une Mort violente. 12mo. Paris.

A great variety of impoftures and difgufting villanies, compiled almoft at random, and related in an indifferent style.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

POLITICA

L.

Reflections on the prefent Combination of the American Colonies against the fupreme Authority of the British Legislature, and their Claim to Independency. 8vo. Is. 6d. Wallis.

TH

[ocr errors]

HIS pamphlet is written, if not with the best of pens, at least not with the worst of intentions-and does not falfify its title, which fays it is written by a real Friend to legal Liberty and the Conftitution.' The hiftory of the gradual progress of the Americans, to their prefent claim of independence, is tolerably just and accurate. To suppose the author ill informed after upwards of forty years acquaintance with America,' is impoffible-to fuppofe, with fuch information, a defign to miflead, is that of which we cannot fufpect the most frantic child of party to be capable.

6

John the Painter's last words to commiffioner Gambier,' oar author juftly fays, are no more than what a French writer had faid many years fince, in the account of his tour through England, viz. that nothing could be more aftonishing than the little vigilance he obferved in our dock-yards, which were left so unguarded, particularly that of Plymouth, that any evil-minded perfon had all the opportunity he could wish of fetting them on fire." The reflection which naturally occurs here is, that nothing can be more lamentable than that any officer, intrufted with fo important a charge, fhould ftand in need of fuch a caution from a British subject just going to be hanged for taking fo wicked an advantage of our indolence and fupineness.'

An extract from the conclufion of this pamphlet shall conclude our account of it

What probability is there that a new conftitution in America will equal the British in favour of liberty?" If we confider how much the innovators of government muft facrifice to their own fafety, we cannot expect that their new constitution will be favourable to liberty. Fact has ftrongly cos.firmed this obfervation; for never did the earth bear a more arbitrary body of legiflators than the congrefs. Religion and liberty have fuffered their deepest wounds from thofe who pretended to be their greatest friends. According to Mr. Hume's philofophy, victory

in

in America will give the miniftry fuch power that they will subvert the British conftitution, and therefore it is the duty of every one to oppofe government and clog its operations, that they may not be victorious, or make a bad ufe of their victory: confequently John the Painter is the greatest patriot of the age: and thofe who petitioned the king not to pass an act for the punishment of rebels, acted every way confiftent with the wisdom that gave a gold box, and the freedom of their city to a man who told them, that there were half a million of fighting men in America determined to oppofe with fire and fword the British legillature. I fhall only add one word of advice to this reverend divine, to wit, that he would do well to employ more of his time in preaching the gofpel than in making calculations to let the world know that we are on the verge of a national bankruptcy, expofing our weaknefs to foreigners, whilft he magnifies the ftrength of the Americans; and, in fine, doing his utmost to break the peoples fpirits, and fpread univerfal difaffection at home, whilst the whole force of his rhetoric and fophiftry is exerted to encourage rebellion abroad. If our colonies are irrecoverably difmembered from the British empire, as he prognofticates and feems to with, his labours have not a little contributed to the lofs; for though he cannot fight for rebels, yet he can write for them. And after all, what will he gain by a change of government? May not he himself live to feel the effects of his own levelling principles? When the rabble are let loose from all restraint, and commit the greateft outrages, they do no more than affert their natural rights; and in the general plunder may they not feize on his gold box, with this mortifying circumftance, that it may not be in the city's power to give him another ?'

Remarks on the Conduct of Oppofition with regard to America. 8vo. .IS. Cadell.

In a defcription of a country which has been over and over again defcribed, if we expect much novelty, we must give up fome truth. The publication before us, though it contain no new facts, does not contain any falfe ones: neither do we fee room to charge it with many falfe conclufions. The inconfiftency of Oppofition is a fact which Oppofition, with all her mouths, cannot deny. Perhaps the only thing, in which she can truly be called confiftent, is her uniform inconfiftency.

Of one paffage we must difapprove, which tells us that we live under the most juft and equitable government, and under the-best-natured prince.' De Carthagine tacere melius quam parùm loqui. Beft-natured may be applied, and we hope will always be applied, to a British monarch as a man, though not as a king. Good-nature may be praife to a schoolmafter, or to his majefty's coachman-but furely not to his Majefty of Great Britain !

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

Candid Truth, in Anfwer to a Pamphlet, entitled A Letter to Us, from One of Ourselves. 8vo. Is. Law.

The character of this pamphlet is aptly expreffed in its title; for the author refutes his antagonist by fair argument, untinctured with the appearance either of prejudice or fallacy.

Candidates for the Society of Antigallicans. In Four Letters. 8vo.. Is, Buckland.

Thefe Letters contain a picturefque, and, we believe, genuine defcription, of the converfation and manners of the inferior clafs of people in this metropolis, when affembled in alehoufes. The fatire is juft and exquifitely pointed; but having little chance of being perufed by thofe who are its immediate objects, it is rather calculated to expofe the profligacy, than produce a reformation of the vulgar.

POETRY.

A new poetical Tranflation of all the Odes of Horace. 8vo. bs. Jerved. Johnfon.

This adventrous bard fets out on his poetical tour, with all the pomp and parade of Hudibras or Don Quixote. For, accord.. ing to his own reprefentation, he mounts his flying fteed, foars into the upper regions, and leaves his brethren at a humble dif

tance.

The cautious, impotent in phrase,

Safe take, and leave what'er they pleafe,
Afraid to shake the trembling ftring;
While I, who daring rush at all,
On Pegasus' high wing,

(Too rafh Bellerophon) must fall,
And let him fometimes fling-
I'll rife again, at Phoebus call,
And if he call, I'll fing.'

Part of the 16th Song.

Prometheus, when he firft began
('Tis faid) his clay-created man,
With principles of life endow'd
From every favage brood,
And from the lion's fiery heart,
He thrust too much o' th' peccant part
Into his ftomach proud.

From wrath what train of evil flows?
By thee, Thyeftes' royal houfe

In defolation rent,

And late imperial cities now
O'erwhelm'd, the victor infolent
Turns with his hoftile plough.
llay thy rage-to fay the truth

I too have felt, in fervid youth,

pe

« PreviousContinue »