with Palmyrene characters; and the curious in antient Oriental literature will here find a better fund for the enlargement and improvement of the various alphabets, than is to be found in any other work.

The third part will include all the antient regal coins, beginning with the kings of Macedon. This part of the collection is likewife very extenfive, and contains not only the greatest variety of the coins hitherto known, but poffeffes the coins of feveral kings unknown in the moft numerous collections. The whole of this feries will alfo be engraved; and it is hoped that the confufion which has arifen from the fame name being borne by different kings, and which has greatly perplexed numifmatic writers, who had not a fufficient variety of coins to confult, will here be avoided. The number of this part of the collection is very confiderable.

If we confider what great advantages the learned world may derive from fo great a treasure, in respect to antient geography, chronology, hiftory, mythology, and arts, I think they will agree with me, that few publications are entitled to fo much attention, or have so just a claim to the protection and affiftance of the public.

To the collection the Doctor is already poffeffed of, he has juft added the famous collection of Mr. de France, fuppofed to contain the moft curious affortment of Roman gold and filver coins of any private cabinet in Europe.

I wish I could think myfelf juftified in adding to this article a specimen, however flight, of Mr. Glaffe's (B. A. of Christ Church) tranflation of Caractacus into Greek verfe, which I may fpeak of, because I have read; but nothing farther without his permiffion. Without entering into a particular account of its merits, or pretending that if we had not the original, it would be mistaken for a recovered tragedy of Sophocles, I can affure the learned reader he will receive infinite pleasure from it, if at any part of the noble race Mr.

Glaffe

&

Glaffe feems intended to run, he should be difpofed to let us fee where he fat out from. In the mean time, I muft mention, fince I can do no more, the peculiar fpirit of the tranflation of the "I know it, reverend "fathers, 'tis heaven's high will," &c. Evelina, "thou beft of brothers, come to my arms;" and the, chorus which begins "Hail, thou harp of Phrygian "frame." Mr. Glaffe was not, I believe, Bachelor when he did this. Hac arte Milton

arces attigit igneas,

Hercule ainfi que lui commenca fa carriere.

I have feen a fenfible fermon: two things, however, I could wish had been omitted; the firft, a compliment to the King at the beginning, and the fecond a compliment to the Queen at the end (not that I think them undeferved, or fo unfeasonable at this period as at another); but I am of the opinion of that Monk, who, being called upon to go through this ufual ceremony at the court of Verfailles, concluded his fet of fermons in the following unexpected manner: " And "now, Sire, cuftom prescribes that I fhould make

&

your Majefty a compliment; I have accordingly "looked over my whole Bible for one, but have met "with nothing there but admonitions."

The author of a didactic Poem has alfo done me the honour to fend me his book, and of courfe defires my opinion of it. My opinion is, that it fhews a great deal of learning, and a great deal of virtue. I am however afraid, that, like other gentlemen occupied in the purfuit of the exacter fciences, he is not fufficiently aware of the difficulty with which

The various members of the world, the tie Which knits difcordant principles of things, What rules the seasons, and what changes heat To cold, obfcures the fun and filver moon, Of the fix'd stars the fplendid magnitude, &c. yield to become the materials of a didactic Poem. The invocation of thofe who attempt to force them is generally

generally eafy and beautiful, like this (and there are many other paffages as warm): but when we come to Much lighter is phlogifticated air Than atmospheric; but in denfity

The nitrous much exceeds; and most the fix'd— and thither we must come, if we would not lose our reputation of being accurate philofophers: the Mufes> run away as if they were afraid of breathing this phlogifticated air. Upon the whole, however, I could very confcientiously recommend the work to those who don't mind a little bad found for a good deal of good fenfe; but to the author muft recommend Horace's rule, & que defperat tractata nitefcere poffe relinquit; i. e. toi chufe a happier fubject,

Much the fame may be faid of many poems, and of many moralities in profe I have lately feen: for inftruction, there is certainly a great deal; for reputation in a private circle not a little; but for the broad face of day, for the faftidioufnefs of a publick who has permitted Mrs. Barbauld, whom every willing Mufe obeyed, to spend her days in obfcurity, I am afraid, not quite enough.

March 28th. I have this inftant notice, That profeffor Simler of Zurick is about to publish, in two. vols. Folio, "Anecdotes of the Reformation, containing, amongst other matters, 750 manufcript letters "of the firft Reformers." As a fpecimen, he gives, in his propofals, one of Jane Gray's to Bullinger, writ ten at the age of fourteen; from the original manuferint in the library at Zurick.

A. NEW REVIEW,

For APRIL, 1782.

ART. I. Muller's Hiftory of Swifferland continued.

"ON

N whatever namelefs fhore, in whatever fequef tered wood it had its origin, this confederacy "united thus a people from the earliest period of their known existence. No fooner had they established "their independence in the valleys, but all the neigh"bours honoured their arms; wifhed to acquaint them felves with the confederacy; fought to be, and by de

grees were, admitted into it. Thus various nations, "of different laws, languages and cuftoms, owe their "freedom and conftitution to the fimple herdsmen of "the valleys of Switz, Uri, and Underwalden:"

This reflection at the beginning of the 10th chapter leads to the hiftory of the other cantons. This chapter, and the 11th, treat of Lucern; the fix following ones of Bern five mote of Zurich; and one of Glaris and § of Zug the remaining feven are general and mifcellaheous: The rich concifenefs of the author compels me to relinquish the intention I had of following him throughout all the great events that fignalize this hif tory. I fhall here confine myself to that part only that relates to Bern, the canton that made the moft effectual ftand against the efforts of defpotifm.

This district was part of the kingdom of Burgundy, which in 1032, by the death of Rudolph II. without iffue, devolved to the emperor Conrad 11. The people had many privileges arifing from the nature of the mili tary government of thofe times, and for thefe privileges they had frequent ftruggles. The Emperor, who was VOL. Is engaged

U

engaged in greater enterprizes, delegated his power to the nobles of the country, of which our author gives us an ample lift. Berthold of Zahringen had the chief government: from adefire, it seems, of checking the power of the other nobles who thwarted him in his defigns, he determined to leffen their authority, by railing the lower claffes to an equality with them. "Where all are equal, one only, or no one, is obeyed." The confidence with which the fame of the Emperor's brilliant actions had infpired the people, the fecurity of each individual of the lowest rank, who was as lafe in his cottage as the Baron in his caftle, together with feveral local advantages, soon increased population to fuch a degree that towns were gradually built. built. Cuno de Bubenberg, under the aufpices of Berthold, founded Bern in 1191: a wooden town, which in a few centuries became one of the greatest commonwealths of Europe;" and this by the fimplicity of ancient manners."

On the death of Berthold in 1218, without iffue, his eftates were divided among his near relations. But the Emperor gave Bern a charter confirming their conftitution. This conftitution was, as to its form, fimilar to many others, but it refembled few in its principles. "Other states reft their profperity on laws, alliances, of "conquefts, but Bern fought men and arms. Cther "ftates emerge after a long tranquillity; but the fenate of "Bern, not thirty years after the death of Berthold, "had coped with all its powerful neighbours, had "formed alliances, determined differences, had been in "vain affailed by the Houfe of Habsburgh, and in leis than ten years it bad feen its enemies a fourth time at its gates, and this town, fmall as it is at prefent, was "then not half fo large, and had no territories but an adjacent meadow, and a right of foreft. But in its "fenate there were no common fouls that are debafed "by the love of gain."

Here follows a catalogue of the fathers of this infant flate. They were chiefly of noble origin, and had confiderable eftates in the neighbourhood; they had no wish; they could have no intereft but the public good. *Lawyers are often good advocates and judges, but fel"dom