O vous, à qui la patrie a confié le foin de lui préparer des citoyens, lifez et relifez le chapitre dans lequel Montaigne vous engage à aug. menter dans vos élèves la force du corps qui influe tant fur celle de l'ame, à les occuper moins des mots que du fens des auteurs, à perfectionner leur jugement en les accoutumant à penfer et à juger les penfées des autres, à fortifier par des exemples les heureufes difpofitions qu'ils doivent à leur conftitution naturelle, et à les prémunir contre la fuperftition qui n'eft que la religion des ames foibles. Ecrivains fupérieurs, que la nature a deftinés pour être les guides des autres hommes, n'oubliez jamais qu'un principe faux en morale peat faire le malheur de votre fiècle et préparer celui des générations futures. Souvenez-vous qu'on ne peut afforblir le refpect dû à la divinité, fans diminuer celui que réclament les lois, fans relâcher le lien focial: la raifon ne veut ni miracles, ni victimes; mais le cœur de l'homme veut un Dieu." Efpr. d. Journ. ART. 64 Confidérations fur les avantages de l'existence d'une dette publique, et fur les mesures de finance qui, par leur concert et leur emploi fimultané peuvent appeler aujourd'hui la confiance, et fixer le crédit de P'état. Paris. The author, without lofing fight in this tract of the true maxims of credit, has particularly endeavoured to fhow the advantages of a public debt, to analyfe its good effects, and to prefent it to the reader under every point of view in which it is poffible to obferve it, "Envifagez-la d'abord," fays he, addrefling himself to the go.vernors of empires, comme une propriété facrée commise à votre garde et à la foi de vos fermens; et fi, fous cet afpect religieux, elle n'obtenoit pas même tous vos hommages, qu'elle s'offre à vos regards fous des confidérations moins abftraites, plus frappantes, et qui femblent fe lier plus immédiatement à votre intérêt et à celui des peuples. "Avec un peu de méditation, vous découvrirez aisément dans la dette publique et dans le crédit qu'elle fuppofe; "Un moyen de circulation et de réproduction, un principe de mouvement et d'attivité pour les capitaux de toute nature, un fupplément même de capitaux et de valeur. "Vous y verrez un lien fort et puissant d'attachement et de confiance entre le governement et les fujets de l'état. "Vous trouverez dans le cours de la dette publique un régulateur de Popinion générale fur le compte du gouvernement, et par cela même une garantie de bonne administration; Une mefure conftante de la valeur de toutes les autres propriétés ; "Un garant infaillible du fuccès de toutes les grandes entreprifes, de léconomie des moyens, et de la rapidité de l'exécution; "Un modérateur irrécufable des prétentions refpectives du gouvernement et de fes contractans dans tous les traités et marchés concernant le fervice de l'état. "Vous verrez furtout dans la dette publique et dans l'exactitude de fon fervice, un moyen d'aifance pour les contribuables, d'accroiffement dans le produit, et de célérité dans le recouvrement des impôts. "Enfin il n'échappera pas à votre attention que la valeur des fonds publics dans un état eft un indice éclatant et perseul du degrè de force et de puissance qu'il a à fes ennemis ; ou à faire valoir dans tous fes rapports extérieurs, commerciaux et politiques. "Et quand vous aurez aioti paffé en revue tous les bons offices que peut rendre le refpect pour la dette publique, vous vous pénétrerez de cette penfée falutaire, que la fagre elle-même, bornée à la fimple'mąnutention des revenus fixes d'un Empire, ne peut rien entreprendre de grand; queeft de fon alliance avec le crédit que naiffent tous les moyens de prospérité et de gloire, et qu'il faut les honorer tous deux pour conduire un érac à fon plus haut point de grandeur." He then develops in fo many chapters the truth of the fe principles, and of these affertions, and difcuffes all the relations which exist between the public debt and the general intereft, terminating his work by obferving, that all the precepts delivered in it may be reduced to the following fimple reafoning: "L'intérêt de l'état et toujours inféparable de l'intérêt des individus foumis à fes lois. La fortune publique ne peut pas s'accroître là où les fortunes particulières fe détraifent, e le principe de deftruction et de raine le plus univerfel et le plus actif des fortunes particulières elt dans l'injuftice, ou dans l'infidélité des gouvernemens." Ibid. ART. 65. Soirées littéraires, ou Melange de traductions nouvelles, des plus beaux morceaux de l'antiquité, &c. Tom. XVIII. in 8vo. Paris. 1 The prefent volume of this very entertaining and variegated com pilation contains, I, an Introduction; 2, a tranflation and extracts from the three illuftrious writers of Greece, known under the name of Philoftratus, of which we have already an ancient tranflation. These pieces are the life of Apollonius Tyanenfis, the pictures, the heroides, the epiftles; lastly, an analyfis of all the works of thefe three famous men; 3, the first tranflation which ever appeared in French of the elegant treatife of the jefuit Vavaffeur de ludicrá dictione ; 4, a collection of inftructive Notes on a number of Belgic and Batavian authors, most of whom are but little known; 5, critiques on fome of the Jateft publications. Ibid. ITALY. ART. 66. Annales Hebræo-typographici ab An. MDI ad MDXL. This continuation, like the work itself, is divided into three parts; the first of which points out, in chronological order, thofe writings, 292 in number, where the year in which they were printed is exprefsly mentioned. The fecond divifion prefents thofe, amounting to 49, to which there is no fuch date. The third exhibits 185 articles, which ought, according to the author, on good grounds, to be excluded from L from thefe Annals. The whole concludes with a fhort alphabetical Index Audiorum et Operum. The places of impreflion are the following: Augfpurg, Bafil, Bologna, Cologne, Complutum, Conftantinople, Cracovia, Fani, Genoa, Hagenau, Ifny, Leipzig, Lyons, Mantua, Mentz, Oels, Ortona, Paris, Prague, Rimini, Salingiacum (perhaps Seligenfladt) Theffalonica, Trent, Tübingen, Venice, Wittenberg, Worms; among which, in this continuation of the Annals, Conftantinople and Venice moft frequently appear. GERMANY. ART. 67. Verftand und Erfahrung. Eine Metakritck zur Kritik der reinen Vernunft.-Understanding and Experience. A metacritique on the Critique of pure Reafon. By J. G. Herder; the first volume xxxii, 479, and the fecond 402 pp. in 8vo. Leipzig, 1799. Within the laft dozen years the philofophical fyftem of Kant has made much noife in Germany; it has had a great number both of followers and opponents, among perfons the moft diftinguished for the knowledge of the fciences and of general literature. One of the principal objections made to it not only in Germany, but likewife in England and France, is the near refemblance which it bears to the fcholaftic philofophy, in the unintelligible and ufelefsly latinized language which Kant and his difciples employ. It was easy to foresee that this fyftem would be attacked, especially fince the followers of Kant have wished to be regarded exclufively as philofophers, and to lay it down as a principle, that extra fcholam nulla falus. Mr. Nicolai, a book feller at Berlin, who in 1773, publifhed what may in fome refpects be confidered as a dangerous Romance, entituled Sebaldus Nothanker, has more than a year ago given another under the title of Sempronius Gundibert, in which he expofes the doctrines of the Kantians, and points out the abfurd confequences which the principles of their philofophy would neceffarily produce in the actions of thofe who fhould conform to them. In oppofition to this, Mr. Kant printed a fmall pamphlet on the makers of books, in which, inftead of an answer to Kant, little is to be found but vague and indefinite accufations. The work of Mr. Herder, which we here announce, whilft its object is nearly the fame with that of Mr. Nicolai, differs from it, at the fame time, in as much as it is directed immediately and folely against the writings of Mr. K. himself, not against thofe of the Kantians, and as he employs in it either not all, or at leaft very rarely, irony, but, on the contrary, ferious difcuffion. His work is, fays Mr. Herder himself, p. xvi of the Preface to the first volume," a Metacritique on the Critique of pure Reason; the name explains itself, and the reader cannot but obferve that it relates to a book, and not to the author; ftill lefs to the talents or object of that author, but to the contents and effects of his work, Any one who would confound thefe ideas by fubfti tuting the author in the place of the book, or the book in that of the author, can neither be acquainted with pure reafon, criticism, or metacriticism." "This Metacritique," adds he, " has nothing to do with the com mentators on the critical philofophy, who have as yet appeared; the author has fcarcely read any of them; but for upwards of thirty years he has known the principles from which the Critique of pure Reason has originated: folus et totus pendet ab ore magifiri." That Mr. Herder may not be charged with having imperfectly com prehended, or disfigured the fenfe of his author, he has inferted in his Metacritique the effential and entire paffages from the Critique of purs Reafon, which form the fubject of difcullion; thefe paffages are likewife printed in a character different from what belongs to Mr. Herder, which is unquestionably the molt judicious method that could have been adopted by him. He follows the author, itep by step, beginning even with the title itself. Jena ALZ. ART. 68. Beyträge zur Gefchichte der Philofophie heraufgegeben von Ge. Guft. Fülleborn. Zehntes Stück.-Contributions to the Hiftory of Philofophy, by G. G. Fülleborn. Vol. X; 282 pp. in svo. Jena and Leipzig, 1799. (20 gr.) 1, Ocellus of Lucania on the Origin of the World, tranflated and illuftrated by Bardili, p. 34. 2, Ocellus of Lucania on the Laws, a fragment from Stobaus, likewife rendered into German by the fame, PP. 34-5. 3, Spirit (Efprit) of Ocellus, by the fame, p. 77. This tranflation of Ocellus is a proper companion to that of Timaus, which was given in the preceding volume. The obfervations, p. 36-53, prefent partly illuftrations of fingle words, fuch as quais, dožx, 20yos, vanois, and partly corrections of the text, which are recommended by their fimplicity. The third article confifts of a commentary on this work of Ocellus, which the author confiders as genuine, and not, which we should rather believe, as the production of fome later writer. 4, Fragments of an Introduction to an Hiftory of Politics. 5, Further Additions to an Hiftory of Phyfiognomy. 6, Different Ideas on the Subjec of Morality, from modern Writers. 7, Difcuffion of fome prevailing phi lofophical Opinions of ancient and Modern Times. 8, Anaxagoras of Clazomene, an hiftorical Differtation, by Profeffor F. A. Carus, as a fequel to the Effay by the fame author, de Cofmotheorie Anaxagorice foxtibus. Ibid. ART. 69. Wörterbuch der Platonifchen Philofophie, von Joh, Jak. Wa gener, Dr. d. Philof.-Dictionary of the Platonic Philofophy, by J. J. Wagener. Ixxiii and 202 pp. 8vo. Göttingen, 1799. An useful commentarius perpetuus to the works of Plato, which, how ever, is yet very far from being complete. The author had been more particularly led to the ftudy of his writings, by the perufal of Tenne❤ mann's excellent Syftem of the Platonic Philofophy. Ibid. ART. ART. 70. Handbuch der biblischen Literatur, enthaltend, 1, biblische Archäologie, 2, Geographie, 3, Chronologie, 4, Genealogie, 5, Gefchichte, 6, Naturlehre und Naturgefchichte, 7, Mythologie und Gozengeschichte, 8, Alterthümer, 9, Kunfgefchichte, 10, Nachrichten von den biblischen Schriftstellern, van Joh. Joach. Bellermann, ord. Prof. d. Theologie. Vierter Theil. Befchluss der biblichen Geographie, Afrika. Nebft dem Regifter über dieje vier Theile.--Manual of Biblical Literature, containing, 1, Biblical Archæology, 2, Geography, 3, Chronology, 4, Genealogy, 5, Hiftory, 6, Natural Philofophy and Natural Hiftory, 7, Mytho logy and the Hiftory of Idolatry, 8, Antiquities, 9, the Hiftory of the Arts, 10, Accounts of the Biblical Writers, by J. J. Bellermann. Vol. IV. Conclufion of Biblical Geography, Africa. Together with Indexes to theje Four Volumes. 534 Pp. 8vo. Erfurt, 1799. This laft volume, which has yet been publifhed, of a very valuable Encyclopedic Manual of Biblical Knowledge, is by the circumftances of the times rendered peculiarly interefting, fince it contains the defcription of Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Africa Minor, Numidia, and Mauritania. Egypt has likewife, as might be expected, been more efpecially attended to in it, and in the accounts of the ancient monuments of that country, fuch as Pompey's PiHar, the Pyramids, &c. Mr. Bellermann has availed himself of the lateft Qbfervations by Norry, &c. Ibid. ART. 71. Introductionis in N. T. capita fele&tiora, quibus in originem, fcopum, et argumentum Evangelium et Aciuum Apftolorum de novo inquiritur. Scripfit N. E. Paulus, Theol. D. et Prof. ordin. 308 pp. 8vo. Jena, 1799. We have here, under another title, a republication of the author's much approved Academical programmata and differtations, not, however, without confiderable augmentations and improvements. The two firit of thefe relate to the Htory of Cerinthus. The fubjects of the others are, 3, De confilio ac fine Joanni Apoft. in fcribendis fuis evangelicis commentariis propofito; 4, De origine Evangeliorum trium priorum e collatis Actuum apoftolicorum indiciis aliifque obfervationibus hiftoricis certius de Enienda; 5, De confilio quo fcriptor in Actibus Apoftolicis concinnandis ductus fuerit, deque loco et tempore fcriptionis. Ibid. ART. 72. This volume contains the five laft books of the Metamorphofes, the Faf, the libri Triftium, the Epola ex Ponto, the Ibis, together with fone fragments. As this edition is at pretent only recommended by its external appearance, we hope that Mr. M. will foon, by the publication of the Clavis, which he promile, give it that intrinfic value, which it may be expected to receive from an editor fo well qualified for the undertaking. Ibid. TURKEY. |