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early difufe. The thirteenth experiment was made on twe children, by letting fome cotton remain fometime in the nofe of a meafly patient the fourth day of eruption, and then putting it into the nose of the subject to be infected, to remain an hour there. This had no effect, any more than the meafly blood applied in the fame manner. We are not a little furpriz'd, that, on this curious occafion, it never occurr'd to Dr. Home to make a tryal of inoculating with the acrid lymph or humour, diftilling fo copioufly from the eyes of moft patients in this disease, especially as he has observ'd p. 285, 286, The principal action of the morbillous matter appears to be on this faline humour fecreted from the glan• dula lachrymalis.' What humour then is fo likely to be the peculiar Nidus and vehicle of morbillous contagion, and fo analogous to the matter of the variolous puftules? Befides, there was no want of this humour, which must save the party, to be infected from, the little pain or dread of scarification; fince we are told in the third experiment, p. 274, A great quantity of water comes out of her eyes, so that the wets many cloths in the day.' Does not this plainly hint, that the lymph or ferum feems originally infected in this difeafe, rather than the red blood, which may be only mediately and lightly affected; and this may lead us to difcern why no fuppuration attends morbillous eruption. Very light water evaporated leaves little fediment: the pure abftracted element, we may imagine, would leave none. But if any vifcid or faline substance were suspended in it, we must expect fenfible proofs of such, on substracting confiderably from their menftrum.

Upon the whole of morbillous inoculation, it looks as if we might divide it, like the politicians in the rehearsal, in-. to three questions. Confidering then, how often the application of meafly blood was ineffectual, which was three times in twelve by incifion, and once by one intrufion of it into the nofe and confidering alfo, that cotton conveyed from the nofe of a meafly patient into that of a subject, fail'd as often as intruded, which was but twice, the first question will be-With what humour or medium fhall a morbillous expectant, as he may be call'd, be inoculated? Confidering next, that these measles may be had twice, and even thrice, as Dr. Home allows, the fecond queftion is-How often the fubject is to be inoculated and reinoculated, in order to be fully fecure from the measles? And as the tryals were made but upon fifteen fubjects, of whom but nine took; and the natural difeafe deftroys but one in twelve, the last question is -Whether he fhould be inoculated at all? Doubtlefs the

inocu

7

inoculated should amount to a number, out of which the natural difcafe ordinarily deftroys fome or feveral, to give any rational countenance and determination to a pursuit of it. However, as the Dr. tells us in his fifth corollary, that the cough almost totally disappears in the artificial measles; this may deserve some attention, as more have been fuppos'd to die by the ill impreffions left on the breast and lungs after the measles, than during their acute and febrile procefs.

Thus have we endeavour'd to present our readers with an idea of this mifcellaneous performance, confifting of 288 pages. We have specify'd with pleasure the ingenuous motives the Dr. profeffes for publishing it; and wish we could with equal justice approve the manner and execution of it; which, if we are to compare this book with fome former acceptable tracts of Dr. Home's, he seems to have been lefs folicitous about in the prefent inftance. In fact he appears to be rather blameably inattentive to expreffion and idom here: for as to any little crudity or indigeftion in meer notes or Adverfaria, of which many of his cafes feem to confift, we could overlook these on account of the probity with which he relates the unhappy events; and details the medicines and the regimen, which prov'd at least unavailing, and which he is candid enough to fuggeft, might be fometimes erroneous. But as this author's former productions were in very intelligible, and not inelegant English, we apprehend the dialect of the prefent book is rather, as the Hibernian exercise terms it, advancing backwards; and having had a former occafion or two of approving him, we think he fhould have recollected the good claffical axiom-Nec minor eft virtus quam quaerere parta tueri. We are well aware, that as language itself is local, the very correctness and elegance of it are, in fome fort, relative alfo; and certain words and idioms are as right in Edinburgh, as very different ones are in London. But when a book, whofe fubject is fuppos'd to be interefting, is publifh'd in the laft place as well as the firft, it seems expedient, that its language and idiom fhould be that of a great majority of thofe to whom it is addrefs'd: and however perfons may commonly difcourfe, all valuable and scientific books publish'd in Great Britain ought to be in proper English, For want of this, we were ignorant what a grewing, and a grewing fit was, which occur not seldom, till a Scotch gentleman affured us, it was a fhivering or horror. We are often told, the patient thought himfelf better or worfe of fuch or fuch a medicine. Some are faid to begin to fuch a medicine, omitting the word take. A gentleman is faid, p. 166, to begin to milk; though we are prevented from fuppofing fuch an

exer

exercife prescribed to him, by finding conferve of rofes and coltsfoot-tca joined to it: notwithstanding which we are told - his fever and fits went on confuming him till he died.' We are advifed, p. 173, that in an inflammation of the testicle a cough ought to be hunned, which would be a most useful direction, could it always enable us to fhun it. We read of a patient from a fracture, p. 180, that there was not any alteration upon him, no new fymptoms, convulfions, or pally upon • any part, no inflammation or fwelling upon his eyes. This' reminds us of another northern application of this particle, viz. Mr. A. is to be married upon Mrs. B. which fome may think more defenfible than Mrs. B's being married upon Mr. A; though this expreffion is alfo ufed. The word got is in high credit with our Author. Thus one got a purge, one got a vomit, one got a blooding, one got a blifter, &c. and many who were to be patients, though nameless, undoubtedly get a venereal disaster. The Doctor, in his own cafe never got paffage but with an injection, which word he conftantly uses for a glyfter, though this laft word fhould be retained, to diftinguish it from fuch injections as are applied to different parts. In the fame cafe, p. 188, the Doctor tells us, his head was carried, for which we fhould fay, he was light-headed.

are told, p. 216, of a patient in the fmail-pox, who was allowed wine, that he agreed with it.'-by which we hear he did not quarrel with his good liquor, and underftand it did not disagree with him. Many other fuch idioms, which found very uncouthly here, occur much too often throughout this performance, and give too much colour to thofe whofe feverity may exceed their judgment, to treat the whole as mean or trivial. For our own part, we can truly aver, we should have been better pleafed with the abfence of thefe blemishes, than we can be with felecting this fample of them, tho' we think ourselves oblig'd to mention it. At the fame time we are not unmindful of that decent appearance the doctor had hitherto made in the Republick of letters; and we are confcious of having confider'd his prefent work with all that candour to which a candid writer has an equitable claim. His general ftyle will appear fufficiently from our citations in it,

Chronographie Afiatice et Egyptiaca fpecimen. In que-1 Origo Chronologia LXX Interpretum invefligatur :--2 Cenfpectus totius Operis exhibitur. 8vo. 2s. 6d. fewd. Cooper.

Himportance of

to

AVING had a former occafion† to take notice of the importance of chronology to hiftory, and the neceff..ry + See Review Vol. xi. p. 380.

relas

relation they have to each other; let it fuffice at present to obferve, that the perplexities attending chronological researches are evident from the uncertainty we are ftill in with respect to the precife dates of the most remarkable transactions that have occurred in the earlier ages of the world, notwithstanding the endeavours of fo many refpectable writers that have heretofore traverfed this path of literature.

That our author has devoted much time and attention to chronological enquiries, may reafonably be prefumed, from the account he gives of his former productions: the favourable reception they met with from the learned, he fays, has induced him to profecute his labours on the same subject. His plan is copious and extenfive; it commences from the creati on*, and undertakes to ascertain all the most memorable epochas for the space of 5500 years fucceeding. As this is a period wrapt up in the greateft obfcurity, if our author's execuction is but equal to his engagement, his work muft undoubtedly be a very acceptable prefent to every friend of learning.-Himfelf fhall declare the nature and extent of his arduous undertaking.

In hoc opere veram et indubiam chronologie LXX interpretum originem inveftigavimus; antiquitates Chaldæorum,

Thefe publications were all in English, but not having had an opportunity of feeing either of them, we have fubjoined the author's own account of them in his own words. The first appeared twenty-two years ago; and in the prefent pamphlet is entitled Differtatiuncula de hiftoria Arittex circa verfionem fcripturæ facræ ex • Hebræo in formonem Græcum per LXX interpretes. In câ, de fince⚫ritate et authoritate, quam hiftoria illa præ fe fert, fufe differuimus; objectiones adverfariorum diluimus; eorumque vicitim er⚫rores retexuimus.-The fecond was published two years afterwards under a title thus tranflated. • Critica examinatio evangeliorum S

Matthæi et S Lucæ de anno natali Domini et Salvatoris noftri Jesu • Chrifti: in qua demonftramus quod Jefus Chriftus natus fit 25to • Decembris, anno urbis Romæ conditee 750; anno æræ Nabonaffari 745,annoque Olymp 194'-In 1741, Differtatio de Chronolo gia LXX Interpretum: In qua probamus, quod, fecundum rationes veterum Hebræorum effluxerint ab orbe condito ad Chriftum natum anni 5500.'-In 1747, Supplementum ad Differtationem de chronologia LXX interpretum ad examen revocavimus antiquitates veterum ⚫ Græcorum et Sinarum: Epochas eorum celebriores ad annos mundi ⚫ fecundum LXX interpretes reduximus; multofque cum veterum tum ⚫ recentiorum de eis errores correximus.'

The title of the general work is Chronographia Afiatica et Egyptiaca ab Orbe condito ad Chriftum natum per annos 5500, ad fidem fcriptorum vetuftiffimorum reftituta et illuflrata. Digerente CAROLO PHILOPÃO.

5

• Affy

Affyriorum, Medorum, Babyloniorum, et Perfarum, ad ex-" amen revocavimus; Laterculos regum iftarum gentium fe⚫ cundum ordinem temporis, quo finguli imperarunt, difpo• fuimus; et ex omnibus unam continuam regum in hac vel illa gente feriem à difperfione gentium ad folutam à CYRO capti • vitatem Babylonicam contexuimus, et cum antiquitatibus vete4 rum Hebræorum contulimus.

• Porro, doctrinam veterum Ægyptiorum de Meftrain five Mifraim primo gentis conditore, et fuccefforibus ejus in Ægypto inferiori per 25 generationes; de Mene primo coloniarum ad loca interiora Egypti duce, regni Thebani • conditore et 38 fuccefforibus ejus; de triginta dynaftiis Ma• nethonis; de regibus paftoribus qui fubegerunt Tanim et • Memphim; de peregratione filiorum Ifrael in Ægypto primò fub regibus paftoribus, et dein fub indigenis per 215 annos; doctrinam, inquam, veterum Egyptiorum de hifce atque fimilibus, ex fragmentis hiftoricis quæ adhucdum fuperfunt, rejectis omnibus recentiorum conjecturis et hypothefibus, e• ruimus, explicuimus, et ad fua quæque loca et tempora reduximus; eorumque denique omnium plane mirandum cum antiquitatibus Hebraicis, Chaldaicis, Affyriacis, Medicis, Babylonicis et Perficis confenfum et harmoniam demonftravimus. In his autem ad harmoniam redigendis nullas hypothefes fingimus; nullas interpolationes admittimus; teftimoniis veterum unicè adhæremus. §.

It may well be prefumed that fuch a defign could not be executed within a very narrow compafs; our author acknowledges his work to have grown to fuch a fize, that it cannot be carried thro' the prefs at a moderate expence, which he declares to be his motive for fubmitting this fpecimen to the judgment of the learned, and according to their approbation or cenfure the fate of the whole is to be determined.

That we may contribute, as far as lies within the influence of the Review, to the laudable purpose of our truly learned and very industrious author, we fhall lay before our readers the purport of what he has now offered to the public.

The difference that appears between the Hebrew text, and the feptuagint verfion in computing the ages of the antediluvian patriarchs, and their fucceflors to the birth of Abraham, a difference of 1380 years, and the further difagree

The above extract is printed exactly according to the original, and is intended to ferve affo as a fpecimen of our author's style.

ment