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rity, than we have been fatisfied with his proofs. His attempts to refute Montefquieu are not always fuccefsful: his obfervations on the arts, fciences, agriculture, religion, and political Oeconomy of the Eaftern nations, are curious, but do not justify the conclufions he draws from them; and after all his attempts to fet the Orientals free from the imputation of servitude, we fear their bonds are more ignominious and fevere than he would have us to think.

The ample notes that terminate this work, are replete with inftruction, in refpect to feveral points of oriental legislation, agriculture, &c. They contain among other things, a particular account of what the Mogul government drew from the riches and induftry of the subjects of that empire under the reign of Akbar, who abolished a multitude of particular taxes, and fupplied their place by a general one on lands and labour, with reftrictions that rendered it mild and humane.-We find alfo, in these notes, an explication of fome paffages of the Koran, a discourse of Minother, an ancient king of Perfia, and the differtation of Mr. Dow on the defpotifm of Indoftan, with the obfervations of our Author on the fame fubject.

Mr. ANQUETIL defigns to publish another work, ftill more confiderable, which, in all appearance, will contribute greatly to improve our knowledge of Indoftan; this is a tranflation of the Oupnekat, which is a treatife of Indian theology, containing extracts from the four Vedams. It was tranflated at Dehli, in the year 1656, from the Samfcretan, or Hanferit, into Perfian, by the order of Darah-Schako, eldeft fon of the Mogul Schab-Djeban. Mr. ANQUETIL propofes enriching his tranflation with notes, relative to the antiquities and geography of Indoftan. He also promifes the public, Dictionaries of the Malabar, Telongou, and Samfcretan languages.

ART. XVI.

Traité de l'Education des Femmes, &c.-A Treatise concerning the Education of the Female Sex. Vol. I. 400 pages. Paris. 1779.

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F books of this kind were ever seasonable, they seem to be peculiarly fo (be it faid without offence!) at the present period of time, in the British ifles: and notwithstanding the number of treatifes on education, with which our literature may be already enriched, we fhould be glad to fee the excellent work now before us in an English drefs, with fuch alterations as may be judged expedient. But we should be forry if it were to fall into the hands of a hackney, or even an ordinary Tranflator; because it requires judgment and skill to lop off what is exuberant, fupply what is deficient, and illuftrate what is obfcure. This volume is divided into three parts.-The first relates

relates to the care of the child from its birth to the age of seven. The fecond takes in the period from feven to fourteen; and the third is employed in forming the amiable woman, the mother of a family, and the useful member of civil fociety. The detail, into which the Author enters in these three stages of education, are ftrongly marked with the characters of fagacity and fentiment; and the whole, we think, breathes a fpirit not only of elegance but of virtue: though we could with, that the ftyle and mode of expreffion were not sometimes chargeable with quaintnefs and obfcurity.-We muft obferve, that this work is the production of a lady; and that it was undertaken at the request of her husband, who was defirous of communicating to others, the happinefs with which a wife and virtuous confort has crowned his conjugal ftate. The volume before us is to be followed by two more. In the fecond, the Author proposes to treat of the fenfes; of health; of the ufe of the bodily organs; of metaphyfical notions, and experimental philofophy;-and in the third, of those branches of hiftorical knowledge that are most effentially required in female education.

AR T. XVII.

CAII PLINII SECUNDI Hiftoria Naturalis XXXVII. Libri, quos recenfuit et Notis illuftravit GABRIEL BROTIER.-Pliny's Natural Hiftory, with Emendations and explanatory Notes. By M. BROTIER, formerly a Member of the Company of Jefus (fo called). 6 Vols. 12mo. Paris. Price bound 36 Livres (or 1 1. 14 s. Sterling).

THIS

HIS truly learned and claffical editor gave, fome time ago, a fpecimen of his tafte and critical merit, in the publication of an excellent edition of Tacitus. The edition of Pliny, now before us, contains above 2000 corrections, which had efcaped the learned researches and fagacity of Father Hardouin; it is printed in the fame letter and fize with the claffic Authors published by Barbou, and it has obtained the applause of all the connoiffeurs.

ART. XVIII.

De la Religion, par un Homme du Monde, où l'on examine les differens Syftemes des Sages de notre Siecle, -A Treatife concerning Religion, by a Man of the World, in which the Syftems of the Sages of our Times (the irreligious Philofophers in France) are examined, and the Connection of the Principles of Chriftianity, with the fundamental Maxims on which the public Tranquillity depende, is fully demonstrated. 8vo. 5 Vols. Paris. 1779.

HIS excellent work deferves to be diftinguished from the

THU multitude of publications in defence of Chriftianity,

that iffue daily from the French preffes. We find in it fimplicity of ftyle and manner, perfpicuity of reasoning, an intimate

acquaintance

acquaintance with the fubjects that are treated, a uniform tone of decency and candour, that is never interrupted by either farcafms or invectives against the enemies of religion, and a folidity of argument that feems to force conviction. The Author is a layman, nay, he reprefents himself as a fceptic, an impartial obferver, who, having been for fome time carried along with the torrent of the new philofophy, began to suspect the illufion, and therefore, going back to the principles of evidence, and the true fource of knowledge, refolved to review his opinions, and to inquire feriously what notions we ought to entertain of our own exiftence, of that of the Deity, of the neceffity or advantages of a Divine Revelation, and of the celeftial. origin of the Chriftian religion.In the execution of this important plan, the judicious Author divides his work into four parts. The first contains inquiries concerning the origin and limits of human knowledge, a defence of human liberty, and a refutation of the fyftem of fatalifm. The fecond and third treat of the Supreme Being,-of natural and moral evil,-of the contradiction that fome have falfely fuppofed to exift between the divine attributes, and of the immateriality and immortality of the human foul. In the fourth and last part, our Author treats of the probability of a divine revelation, and then confiders the proofs of Chriftianity, together with its doctrines, inftitutions, and moral precepts.

ART. XIX.

Eloges lus dans les Seances Publiques de l'Academie Francoife. &c.— Eulogies, read at the Public Meetings of the French Academy. By M. D'ALEMBERT, Perpetual Secreta:y of the faid Academy. Izmo. Paris. 1779. pp. 559.

TH

THIS elegant work, in which the philofophical pen of M.› D'ALEMBERT facrifices to the Graces with rather toomuch earneftnefs and precifion, forms an interefting continua tion of the hiftory of the French academy, begun by Memeurs Peliffen and D'Olivet. This volume, which will be followed by feveral more, contains the eulogies of Maffillon, Boileau, the Abbé de St. Pierre, Boffuet, the Abbé De Dangeau, De Sacy, De la Motte, Fenelon, Choify, Deftouches, Flechier, Crebillon, and the Prefident Rofe. The varieties of character, genius, tafte, and talent, that diftinguish thefe eminent men, have furnished the learned and ingenious Panegyrift with an occafion of difplaying all the powers of his pencil, and all the refources of his art, in giving to each object its proper attitude and afpect, and the colouring that more peculiarly fuits it.It is, however, to be wifhed, that this agreeable and inftructive work were not here and there chargeable with quaint thoughts, far-fetched comparisons, and obfcure diftinctions,

ART. XX.

De Gorteriana Vitalitate Miferiis Hominum reluctante, &c.-Pfycologico-Medical Propofitions concerning GORTER'S Doctrine, with refpect to that Power of the Vital Principle, which struggles with the Evils of humanity. By M. P. IGNATIUS ZECCHINI, of the Inftitute of Bologna, and Profeffor of Phyfic in the University of Ferrara. 4to. Ferrara, 1779.

TH

HIS ingenious Author publifhed, about fix years ago, a treatife concerning the Laws of Vitality, in a healthy, and alfo in a difordered ftate, proceeding from an inflammatory principle. In the fmall work before us, he confiders the animal nature in a state of pain, and divides his fubject into three parts. The first treats of this indifpofition confidered in itself, and, on this occafion, of the mutual influence which foul and body have upon each other. In the fecond, our Author examines the opinions of the ancients concerning the cause of pain, and finds them much less fatisfactory than those of the moderns. In the third, he mentions the molt effectual methods which the art of healing furnishes for preventing the effects of pain, and even retarding, if not removing entirely its caufe. M. ZECCHINI feems to have formed an idea of the animal œconomy, which is truly philofophical. He has improved the fyftem of Gorter; his end is to deliver humanity from a multitude of evils, both phyfical and moral; and the public, therefore, is, at leaft, obliged to him for his good intentions.

AR T. XXI.

MUSEI CAPITOLINI Antique Infcriptiones, à Francifco EUGENIO GUASCO, ejufdem Mufei Curatore, nunc primum conjun&tim Edite, Notifque illuftrata. Tom. II. The ancient Infcriptions in the Vatican Collection, &c. Fol. Rome. 1778.

WE

E formerly gave an account of the two preceding volumes of this learned work, and the plan on which it has been compofed. This third volume concludes the publication; which may be juftly confidered as a complete courfe of Lapidarian fcience, by the vaft number of infcriptions it contains, and the extenfive erudition which the ingenious and noble Author has difplayed in throwing new light upon them, and correcting the errors of preceding antiquaries. This volume contains the feventh, and the fucceeding chapters to the twelfth inclufive. The feventh contains the infcriptions that relate to parents, children, brothers, and fifters, and those that are relative to patrons, friends, flaves, freed men, &c. In the ninth, we have the explication of 126 Figulean infcriptions (Infcriptiones Figuline) which are kept in two contiguous chambers of the Mufæum Capitolinum. To this explication

* See Review, vol. ivi. p. 225, and vol. Ivii. p. 483.

the

the Author has prefixed a curious differtation concerning the origin of the art which the Latins called Ars Figulina, and the etymology of that term; which is derived from the name of a fmall town, in the Sabine territory, fituated on the Via Nomentana (about twelve miles from Rome), whofe ancient name was Figulea t, and whofe inhabitants were chiefly employed in manufacturing earthen-ware. M. DE GUASCO, who, like the reft of the fraternity, is no where reprehenfible for too much brevity, enlarges, very circumftantially, on the antiquity of this art, on its high repute among the Romans, and on the infcriptions often found on bricks, &c. The tenth and eleventh chapters exhibit a collection of Grecian and Chriftian infcriptions; and the twelfth is a kind of Supplement, which contains the omitted infcriptions that belong to the preceding volumes, or such as did not come to the Author's knowledge till after the publication of thefe volumes. In this laft chapter, we find the famous fragment of the Lex Regia, by which the fenate and the Roman people conferred the Imperial Dignity upon Vespasian. This fragment, engraven on brafs, was difcovered, under the pontificate of Clement VI. in the church of St. John de Lateran. This ancient monument was more or less neglected, until the reign of Pope Gregory XIII. who had it placed in the Campidoglio, from whence Clement XII. ordered it to be transported to the Mufæum Capitolinum. From that time, many learned men have employed much labour in the explication of it; but our Author has fucceeded here much better than all who have gone before him.

+ It is now called St. Vafil, which is an earthen-ware faint, and an evident tranflation of Figula.

AR T. XXII.

Scienza della Natura, &c.-The Science of Nature, general and particular. By Father D. JOHN MARIA DELLA TORRE. Part III. With Tables and Engravings. 4to. Naples. 1778.

TH

HIS, and the two preceding volumes, contain the most complete courfe of natural hiftory, and natural philofophy, that is to be met with in Italian. It is a new edition of a work, published by this Author in 1749; but it appears with fuch additions and improvements, drawn from the modern dif coveries in natural philofophy, that it may be justly confidered as a new work. The idea of uniting natural history with na tural philofophy, is certainly a happy one; and our Author is the firft Italian who has treated natural fcience on this plan. This third part contains aftronomy, optics, air, found, and

meteors.

ART.

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