"J'ai la maladie de faire des livres et d'en être honteux quand je les ai faits.

Je fouhaite avoir des manières fimples, recevoir des fervices le moins que je puis, et en rendre le plus qu'il m'eft poffible.

Je fais faire une affez fotte chofe, c'eft ma généalogie." This Collection is terminated by an excellent Analyse raisonnée de L'Efprit des Lois, by the Abbé Bertolini, confifting of 112 pages, which, even in Italy, was become very fcarce. Ibid.

GERMANY.

ART. 75. Du gouvernement de la république Romaine; par A. Adrien de Texier; 3 vol. 8vo. de 300 pp. of each. Hambourg.

He muft certainly poffefs no inconfiderable fhare of courage, who would venture to treat a subject of this kind after Vertot, Hooke, Fergufon, Beaufort, and Montefquieu. The laft of thefe had, indeed, an excellent guide, Polybius, and has accordingly produced a very valuable work. That by Mably is only a feeble effay, though it has been reformed by the author with greater felf-fufficiency than fuccef. Mr. Texier had not the fame views with his predeceffors, and his plan differs very much from theirs. In the beginning of the work he obferves, that Romulus divided the lands of his little territory among adven turers, his companions in arms and rapine, and that afterwards he had the prudence to incorporate the conquered people with them. But anong fucceffors, he who was the belt qualified to take advantage of circumftances, was Servius Tullius,

"Sans renwerfer," fays the new hiftorian, "les bafes pofées par Romulus, il les étendit et leur donna plus de confistance, plus de folidité. Ce prince, qu'il faut regarder comme le premier fondateur de la république, en même temps qu'il réformoit l'adminiftration intérieure, modifioit encore celle de l'extérieur. L'efprit du premier fyftême de conquête avoit été très propre à donner quelque corps à un état qu'on ne pouvoit faire forur que violemment des bornes de fa petiteffe, Servius, fans renoncer au plan d'ufurpation de Romulus, fongea à le modifier d'une manière qui le rendit moins effrayant pour les voifins. En fortant des bornes de l'ancien Latium, Rome eût trouvé des peu ples plus puiffans, plus unis entr'eux; ces diverfes villes Latines s'étoient affociées par un pacte fédératif; il exiftoit auffi des liens politiques qui uniffoient les divers peuples de la Tofcane. Servius, profitant de quelques victoires remportées par fon prédéceffeur, conclut avec les villes Latines un traité d'alliance qui, fous les apparences de l'égalité, n'en affuroit pas moins la prépondérance Romaine. Ces peuples alliés devinrent alors les bras dont Romne s'aida pour enchaîner les différens cantons de l'Italie. Ce fyftême de fédération remplaça le plan d'incorporation on avoit commencé par avoir des citoyens ; on voulut enfuite avoir des alliés; on devoit finir par avoir des fujets.

"Ce plan féderatif," continues our author, dicté par la pru dence, s'adaptoit parfaitement aux inftitutions politiques de Tullius."

The

The effence of the work of Mr. T. is contained in the first volume; he extends his ideas in the fecond, where he likewise endeavours to confirm them by proofs drawn from hiftory. The fourth book is employed in giving an analyfts of the facerdotal conftitution of Rome, and what he fays in favour of the religious ceremonies deserves to be read. In the third volume, the author gives a fuccinct account of Roman legislature; he defervedly praifes the fmall number, and the fimplicity, of their first laws; but he seems to regard with too great a degree of contempt thofe of a later period, particularly thofe of Juftinian. They were, however, adapted to the times in which they were promulged. They are, moreover, fources from which legiflators, worthy of the name, may draw excellent things. It must be owned, that if the lapfe of time has procured us fome acceffion of light, it often ferves only to dazzle and perplex us; we reject the good, and adopt the bad; as for inftance, in the licentious fyftem of divorce, which in France has been copied from the Roman laws, but by which, no regard is paid to decency, to public or private intereft, or to the moft facred principles of morality.

Mr. T. is charged with having made too frequent allufions to the actual events of France. Alas! the heart has but too great an influence over the understanding; authors write for themfelves, before they write for others, and the man of pofterity is, perhaps, yet unborn. Thucydides, Polybius, Salluft, and Tacitus, the moft judicious hiftorians of antiquity, had each their respective views, which had a reference to themselves, to their nation, and to the times in which they lived.

66

Mr. T. describes very juftly the ftate of literature, and of the fine arts, in ancient Rome. L'ignorance," fays he, "des premiers Romains est atteffée par le vide abfolu que leurs annales littéraires offrent pendant près de fix fiècles. Ce n'est pas au milieu des camps, ni chez un peuple féroce qu'on voit naître le goût des occupations pénibles, et le laurier que la Grèce avoit confacré à Apollon auffi bien qu'à Mars ne croiffoit fur le fol Romain que pour orner le front, de la Victoire. Le tableau nécrologique des hommes de lettres ou artiftes que Rome pút compter avant le fiècle poli d'Augufte, fournit une preuve bien vigoureufe de cette affertion." Having paffed in review fome literary characters, from Fabius Pictor down to Ovid, he proceeds in thefo terms:

"La première époque où Rome commença à s'enrichir de plufieurs beaux monumens date du fac de Syracufe. Cette ville magnifique, prife après trois ans de fiége, fut dépouillé de tout ce qui tenta la cupidité du vainqueur. Jufqu'alors les foins des généraux s'étoient bornés à enlever au vaincu fon or et fes richeffes; mais, depuis un demifiècle, une communication plus habituelle avec la Grèce faifoit naître le goût des belles fuperfluités. On voulut qu'une ville qui n'avoit été encore que l'hotel de Mars, offrît enfin à Apollon un culte inoins ftérile: les monceaux d'armes, de trophées, de dépouilles fanglantes commencèrent à faire place aux chef-d'œuvres de l'art; la victoire et le pillage les y apportèrent dans une telle profufion, on les renouvelloit avec une fi grande facilité, que l'adminiftration s'occupoit

très

très peu d'en prévenir la dilapidation. Les Œuvres de Cicéron font remplies de traits qui décèlent les excès de ce pillage public et particulier, et Tite- Live, en parlant des dépouilles précieufes dont Marcellus avoit embelli le Capitole, dit que, de fon temps, le temple n'en possedoit plus la centième partie; le refte avoit déjà difparu.

Il y avoit loin, fans doute, d'un tel génie de deftruction à celui qui avoit fait naitre les arts en Grèce; et fi l'Italie en attira fur for fol la culture, elle y fut encore long temps abandonnée à des mains érrangères. Ces Romains fompteeux, que Sallufte nous peint occupés à applanir des montagnes et à bâtir dans les mers, avoient besoin de s'entourer d'une foule d'artiftes grecs qu'on enlevoit à leur patrie avec les monumens de leur art. Il falloit édifier un palais pour un fimple citoyen; fes maifons de campagne devoient être des villes entières; il fembloit que le conquérant, jaloux d'égaler fon luxe à la grandeur de ⚫ fa puiffance, voulût y engloutir toutes les richesses de l'univers.”

Thefe citations will be fufficient to show the author's manner in treating the hiftory of this republic, which he reprefents as ambitious, treacherous, and fanguinary, the existence of which was, in his opinion, the greateft calamity ever experienced by mankind.

Ibid.

ART. 76. Joh. Friedr. Zöllners Reife durch Pommern.-Travels through Pomerania, by J. F. Zöllner. Berlin, 1798. 1. 8vo. with plates.

Swedish Pomerania, with the Isle of Rügen, was the part of Ger many leaft known, though its pofition, on the banks of the Baltic, render it peculiarly in erefting to commerce, and to natural hiftory. -It is to be regretted, that the author's plan does not likewife take in this latter department; but he has thus been enabled to pay a proportionably greater attention to the former, including the cultivation and productions of the country, together with thofe manufactures which have been carried to any degree of perfection. The picture which he draws of the character and manners of the inhabitants, is rendered particularly interefting, by a variety of historical traits and anecdotes ; it is, more efpecially, in the Ifle of Rügen, that the fimplicity of the manners of the first ages may be difcovered. The work is accompanied with a number of engravings, reprefenting the picturefque fcenes and agreeable habitations of this country. Jena ALZ.

ART. 77. Ebeling's Erdbefchreibung und Gefchichte vom Amerika.— Geography and Hiftory of America, by Ebeling. Hamburg.

The fourth volume of this important work has juft appeared. It contains 914 pages in large 8vo. and has for its object the description and hiftory of Penfylvania. To the text is prefixed an account of the fources from which the author derived his information. Ibid.

ART. 78. Americanifches Magazin.-American Magazine. Of this collection, which prefents materials judicioully felected, there have already appeared four cahiers. Among feveral pieces rela

five to the geography and political ftate of this part of the world, there is likewife a differtation, of confiderable length, on the progress Ibid. of poetry among the Americans; together with fome well-chofen extracts from their productions.

ART. 79. Norrman's geographisch-fatiflifche Darftellang des Schweit zerlandes.-Geographico ftatistical Views of Savitzerland, by A. P. H. Norrmann; 3 parts in 8vo. Hamburg. 1798.

The work which we here announce, being regarded in Switzerland itfelf as claffical, cannot certainly require any further recommendation. It is likewife intended to conflitute a part of a more extenfive undertaking, which the author had formed fome years ago, and which was to comprize the whole of Europe. If Mr. N. continues as he has begun, the work will exhibit a complete courfe of political geography, which, notwithstanding the changes that may fucceffively take place, will always be interefting. Nations may, indeed, vary the mode of government, but the face of the country, and the character of the inhabitants will ftill remain nearly the fame.

Ibid.

ART. 80. Synopfis Evangeliorum Matthæi, Marci, et Lucæ, una cum iis Johannis pericopis, que hiftoriam paffionis et refurre&ionis Jefu Textum recenfuit et fele&tam lectionis varietatem Chrifti complettantur. adjecit D. Joh. Jac. Griefbach. Editio fecunda, emendatior et auctior, Halle. 1797. 40 and 331 pp. and in l. 8vo.

The first edition of this work was publifhed in 1774. In the prefent re-impreffion, material alterations are made in the divifion and numeration of the fections, now amounting to 150, which, together with fome additions from the gofpel of St. John, from which nothing ħad before been excerpted, and a felection of the most important various readings from the author's last edition of the gospels in 1796, confiderably enhance its value.

ibid.

ART. 81. Gottfrid Augufte Bürgers fämtliche Schriften heraufgege ben von Karl Reinhard. Works of G. A. Bürger, published by Reinhard. Vol. I. xx and 276 pp. with a portrait of the author and vignettes; Vol. II. 296 pp. with a frontispiece and vignettes; Vol. III. xvi and 454 pp. likewife with a frontifpiece and vignettes. Göttingen.

G. A. Bürger, who had been face the year 1783 Profeffor of Belles Lettres at Göttingen, was defervedly reckoned by his countrymen their moft efteemed poets. Since the year 1778, he had the among direction of, and was a principal contributor to, the Mufenalmanach of Göttingen. To this, fince his death, his friend C. Reinhard has fucceeded; who has published a fplendid edition of his works, which, in point of typographical merit, does great honour to the printer, Mr. Dieterich. Of the three volumes which we have now before us,

the

the two first contain different poems arranged in chronological order; the third volume, which is the firft of his miscellaneous works, prefents his translation of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 22 books of the Iliad in hexameter, and that of the 5 and 6 in iambic verses. The fourth volume will contain the rest of his miscellaneous works. ibid.

SWEDEN.

ART. 82. Kongl. Vetenskaps nya Handlingar. Transactions of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, Vol. XVII.

Among the more interefting memoirs contained in this volume of a work, which has now fupported itself for 60 years, may be reckoned, 1. An account, by Vice-Admiral de Chapman, of the belt form of Anchors. 4. A memoir, by Profperinus, on the distance of Comets from the earth. That which was the nearest us, was, however, at a distance thirteen times greater than that of the moon; and the two others, the leaft diftant after this were twenty, and five and twenty times more diftant than the moon.

ART. 83. Det Ceflande Sverige, Förfa Bandet, Fofa, Andra, ech Tredje Afdelningen. Account of the prefent literary State of Sweden; 1, 2, and 3 parts of Vol. I. Stockholm. 1797.

A very imperfect imitation, with refpect to Sweden, of Meufels gelehrtes Deutschland, which we fhould therefore wifh to fee in better hands.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

A very polite letter from Dr. Jenner offers his defence, upon fome points mentioned in our Review of his publication on the Cow-pox. In anfwer to our objection, that the fource of the difeafe had not been fufficiently inveftigated by him, he alledges, "Horfes with heels difeafed in that peculiar way which I conceive to produce the cow pox, were fo rarely met with, during the progrefs of the experiments, as not to be within my reach," &c. &c. He muft permit us to say, that this very rareness weakens, in no small degree, the probability of his conjecture: and, let us add, muft it not be still more

rare