ART. 48. Efays, felected from Montaigne; with a Sketch of the Life of the Author. Izmo. 45. Cadell and Davies. 1800. It is properly to be objected to Montaigne's works, that, amidft much important obfervation on human life and manners, they contain many impurities, which render it impoffible to place them in a lady's library. A female has undertaken to make a selection, which may be read with inftruction and amusement by thofe of her own fex. A Lite is prefixed, which feems to be drawn up with fufficient accuracy; and the volume is inscribed to Mr. Coxe, the celebrated traveller. ART. 49. Effectual Means of providing, according to the Exigencies of the Evil, against the Diftrefs apprehended from the Scarcity and high Prices of different Articles of Food. By George Edwards, Efq. 8vo. 15. Johnfon. 1800. 43 PP. This tract is in the form of an answer to a circular letter from Mr. Arthur Young, concerning "the means of remedying the distress occafioned by the high prices of wheat and different articles of food," and bears date Feb. 27, 1800. It gives a melancholy account of the ftate of the poor, in that part of the county of Durham where the author refides, and even of families who, before the scarcity, earned a decent livelihood. The means propofed for remedying this evil are arranged under eight different heads; namely, "1. the agricultural grains commonly grown; 2. the different vegetables cultivated as auxiliary to grain; 3. a degree of compulfion," (which the writer calls preffing") "to be employed in procuring an extraordinary fupply of food; 4. a general agency to be inftituted, for the purpose of carrying into effect any plan which the legislature may adopt; 5. importation of different articles of food into the kingdom; 6. extraordinary advance of public money, for affording relief in the prefent diftrefs; 7. finding proper fuccedaneums within ourselves, and not of the vegetable kingdom, for remedying the deficiency of the produce of corn; 8. the restoration of peace." As, owing to the number of publications that prefs daily on our notice, the time during which thefe remedies were to be applied, has elapfed before we have been able to notice this work, and the fcarcity is now at an end, we will only observe, that fome of those remedies appear to have been applied, to a certain degree, and we may prefume with fuccefs; that others (fuch for inftance as the preffing of ground for potatoes, and of milk for the poor) feem very difficult, and even dangerous, in the application; and that, as to the remedy of " a peace," (in which, by the way, the writer fteps a little out of the fubject propofed to him) Mr. E. tells us it is, or rather was when he wrote, practicable to make one," which will be more durable and advantageous to this country than any peace hitherto experienced." How this was or is to be effected, he has not told us. Perhaps he may have imparted the fecret to Minifters; but fhould he not we are, we confefs, among those who rely most on their abilities and discretion. It is but just to add, that Mr. Edwards claims the honour (and it is, in our opinion, a great one) one) of having fuggefted "the prefent new and folid fyftem of finance, that of raifing the fupplies within the year, and the income tax," and complains that the author of " a late and much-celebrated pamphlet upon the ftate of the finances, has ftudiously endeavoured to deny him that honour." This queftion depends upon facts, which it is not in our power to determine. ART. 50. Moderation is Salvation, addreffed to the People of England at the prefent Scarcity. By a Plain Man. 31 pp. 1800. IS. Sewell. The fcarcity (thank Heaven!) has difappeared. Yet recommendations to a moderate and careful ufe of provifions are never out of feason. The Plain Man tells us his own establishment is small, yet he has reduced his consumption by one quartern loaf and a half every week, and computes that this would fave four thousand fix hundred and eighty quartern loaves annually, in every ftreet of fixty houfes, and fifteen millions in the capital. He bears teftimony to the utility of the Act prohibiting the fale of new bread, and very jutly reprehends those who treat with levity all apprehenfions of want, and ail fuggeftions of econoiny in expenditure. In keeping horfes, dogs, pigs, and poultry, he fuggefts a proper attention, to prevent as much as poffible their confuming any of the food of man. Speaking of the fupplies that may be expected from other countries, he contradicts (with great truth as we conceive) the affertion, that France has any corn to Ipare from her own confumption; and he might have reprobated more exprefsly the defign with which, no doubt, that affertion was made. Upon the whole, this little tract (though it contains no very new fuggeftion, and is written in a rambling ftyle, and affectedly familiar manner) deferves praife for its object, and may be perufed with advantage by thofe who, in times like the prefent, need to be reminded of their duty to fociety. ART. 51. A Gift for the ensuing Century, and how to end this pleafantly. Let the high founding Trumpet proclaim Jubilee! Jubilee! throughout all the Land: and let this be the great Atonement-Year. With jome ferious Thoughts on the approaching Nuptials between Johnny England and Mifs Jenny Ireland. To those whom it may concern, with Thanks for the Gentle Chide. By Thomas Elgar, Carpenter-Houfe, Portflade, "Suffex. 8vo. 48 pp. 15. Richardion, &c. -1800." Mr. E. is one of thofe obliging authors, who fpare us the trouble of formally characterizing their works, one or two paffages being a fufficient fample of the whole. "Some years ago, being down in my native country, and perambulating that delectable fpot the Suffex SouthDowns, an old Roman warrior's head, for aught I know, was dug up; and, while I was picking the earth out of his mouth like (for it was. between his jaws) thought I, this man is now fatisfied; he can swallow. no more." P. 15.-"On contemplating farther on this ghaftly skull, thought I, this once mortal man might have been a great monopolizing farmer among the Romans, of an aggrandizing furious fpirit fent by that ་་ that exalted fenate (at that time) to conquer France; and after laying that proud country under tribute, feeing Altion's white and lofty cliffs, it tempted him to take another kingdon, as he had been tempted before to take adjoining farms.” P. 16.—“ Look at France, Rome, Switzerland, and Holland, four flately nations, fallen in ten year's time; as great confufion made as if our Monument had fallen down Fish-treet Hill at mid-day.” P. 17.—“" First, then, that the sabbathday may be hallowed as it ought; let the breakers of it, tha go to no place of worship, travelling, or pleasure taking, pay large fines, according to their appearance in life, for the benefit of the poor, and wear a large yellow cap all the week after. Secondly, to prevent fin, increase the revenue, and make people rife earlier in the mornings, let half the winnings by gambling be applied to the ftate's ufe. This, I think, might be eafily collected. Thefe two are chiefly the opinion of a venerable old lady, who often affifts the faculty in difficult cafes. Now for two of my own." P. 39. Here we fhall leave our readers longing. "This is the joint production of your humble fervant and a worthy old matron." P. 37.- Par nobile matronarum. ART. 52. A Laconic Epifile, addreffed to his Royal Highness the Duke Laconic gentlemen are more frequently cenfurers than panegyrifts. This is not, however, the cafe with the writer before us. He compliments, we doubt not with juftice, the illuftrious commander of the expedition to Holland, and defends his military conduct on that occafion. We have never heard it blamed by any perfon, whofe knowledge of the fubject could give weight to his opinion, and therefore think this defence unneceffary; efpecially as it does not furnish any new fact, or difplay any ingenuity of obfervation. ART. 53. The Curtain, or an impartial Hiflory of the English Stage, digefted from the moft undoubted Authorities. Izmo. 2s. 6d. Jor dan. 1800. This is a convenient little manual; probably compiled by fome perfon belonging to the theatres. The earlier account of the English itage is abrupt and jejune; the later hiftory is more circumftantial and fatisfactory. ART. 54. A Defence of the Profeffion of an Actor. 8vo. Miller. 1800. Is. 6d. There is rather too much pompofity and parade of reading in this pamphlet; but the reader will meet with fome good fentiments and good fenfe in his progrefs. It is most probable that the writer is a member of the profession which he undertakes to vindicate. FOREIGN ART. 55. FOREIGN CATALOGUE. ITALY. Dionis Caffii Hiftoriarum Romanarum fragmenta, cum novią earundem lectionibus à Jacobo Morellio, Bibliotheca Veneta Præfecto nunc primum edita. Baffauo, 166 pp. 8vo. We are already indebted to the learned and induftrious Abbé Morelli for the difcovery and publication of Arifidis Oratio adverfus Leptinem (which is now included in Wolf's edition of the Leptinea of Demofthenes); Libanii Declamatio pro Socrate (not yet added to Reifke's edition); and Ariftoxeni rhythmicorum elementorum fragmenta. The MS. from which the prefent fragment is taken, and which is here accurately defcribed, was written in the eleventh century, and begins in the middle of the 40th book (p. 404, l. 86, ed. Reimar), ending in the 60th book (p. 965, 1. 93) with the words xxi özére NóYOS TIS ÉV TO nu; not, however, without fome intermediate deficiencies. Though it agrees, in general, with the Cod. Mediceus, and where that leaves off, with the Cod. Vaticanus, it contains many important various readings differing from both of them. This is particularly obfervable in the 55th book, which not only prefents feveral better lections, but from it fome defects may likewife be fupplied. The first supplement relates to the dedication of the Temple built by Auguftus for Mars, and of the games which were celebrated at Rome and Naples; it belongs therefore to the year 752 from the building of the city; as may be feen from the contents of the 55th book; where, however, instead of iepa we are not to read oiniz, but ayopa; comp. Sueton. Auguft. c. 29. The account then appertains to the 10th chapter of the above-mentioned book, and concludes there with the words Tv dì dà (common reading μέντοι) Ιουλίαν τὴν θυγατέρα. But whereas from p. 780, 1. 26, ea. Reimar, two leaves in the MS. are wanting, the beginning of this account is of course loft.—The fecond addition belongs to chap. 111 of the fame book, and to the years 754 and 755, and relates to the war which Domitius Enobarbus waged with the Hermundi in Marcomannia, and with the Cherufci on the Rhine, as alfo to the changes which took place in the government of Armenia, and the death of Caius and Lucius Cæs. Thefe two laft accounts were abridged by Zonaras, Annal. 10, 36, from this paffage of Dio.-The third fragment fills up a defect in the 11th chap. of the 56th book, and has for its ob ject the war of Germanicus in Dalmatia. We meet here with the name of a city hitherto unknown to geographical writers, Emλzuvor; to which, perhaps, an inscription found at Salona may refer: Curatori Reipublica Sploniftarum.-Thefe fragments are accompanied with Notes by the learned and ingenious editor; who has likewife fubjoined a defcription of another leis valuable MS. of Dio, till preferved in the fame library of St. Mark at Venice, that from which thefe fupplements have been taken having been fince transferred to Paris. GERMANY. GERMANY. ART. 56. Novum Teftamentum Græce, perpetua annotatione illuftratum, editionis Koppiana Vol. IX. complectens epiftolas catholicas. Fafcic I. exbibens epiftolam Jacobi. Continuavit Dr. J. Pott. Göttingen, -1799; 270 pp. 8vo. Dr. Port had before publifhed an edition of this Epifile, which is, however, in this continuation of a very valuable work, to which he has fucceeded, greatly increafed and improved by him. His mode of interpretation is, in general, judicious; as it is, indeed, that which had been adopted by Ernefti, Heyue, Morus, and Koppe; though we certainly do not feel ourselves difpofed to fubfcribe to all his hypothefes. He conceives, for inftance, with fome others, that the Catholic Epiftles were formed from an imitation of those of St. Paul, that the latter may be regarded as the ground-work of the former, and that the object of the Catholic Epiftles was "ut Chriftianorum focietates ex Ju dais extra Palaeftinam et præcipue in Afia minore collectas, adverfus errores hominum partim fanaticarum, partim improborum munirent, qui turbabant Chriftianos, doctrinamque Paulinam falfis opinionibus et interpretamentis quafi infecerant." At any rate, this idea of imitation is carried much too far, where he obferves, in p. 21, "Quantum equidem jam nunc perfpe&tum habeo, epiftola Jacobi et altera Petri funt imitationes typi epiftolici Paulini, prima Petri vero et Judæ epiftola imitationum imitationes, quippe quarum illa ad epiftolæ Jacobi, hæc ad alterius Petrinæ exemplum, aeque tamen typo Paulino prorfus neglecto, efformata deprehenditur." Ibid. ART. 57. Annales typographici ab artis inventæ origine ad annum MD, paft Mettarii, Denitii aliarumque doctiffimorum virorum curas mordinem redali, emendati et aucti, opera Georg. Wolfg. Panzer, Capituli eccles, Cathedr. ad S. Sebald. Norimb. præpofiti, &c. Volumen quartum, 2 Alph. 17 fh. -Volumen quintum. 3 Alph, 1 fh. ART. 58. Annales typographici, &c. ab anno MDI. ad ann. MDXXXVI, continuati. Volumen Sextum. 2 Alph. 171⁄2 th. ART. 59. Annales typographici, &c. ab anno MDI: ad ann. MDXXXVI. continuati. Volumen feptimum. 3 Alph. 3 fh. 4to. Nurnberg, 1796-9.. Though it cannot be expected that a work of this kind should be perfect, we may, notwithstanding, venture to pronounce this to be, as far as it goes, the most comprehenfive and accurate typographical repofitory that has fallen under our notice. The 4th volume, which contains additions to the fifteenth century, exhibits, 1. thofe books which have a date, but no name of the printer, from 1469 to 1500: 2. books, in which neither the date, place, or name of the printer, are given; they |