weakened the fprings of genius, withered all its flowers, and banished every found principle of literature.
Has it not introduced among us thofe feeble, languid Dramas, which are only fit to lull the nation afleep, and to banish good Comedy from our Theatres?-What walk of Literature has not felt the influence of its peftilential vapours? Poetry, profe, eloquence, the pulpit, the bar, are all strongly marked with it; it is the head of Medufa, every thing is petrified at its approach.
It is the Philofophers who have placed Lucan above Virgil, Quinault above Boileau, Voltaire above Corneille and Racine, and Perrault, Boindin, and Terraffon above all the Writers of the laft age. It were eafy to lengthen this picture, but all the follies and abfurdities of the Philofophers fhall be fufficiently exposed in the work which we now offer to the Public.
This is part of what our Author has advanced in a very spirited preface. The work itself is of a piece with the preface, bold, fpirited, and decifive; and though the Author's zeal against the Philofophers gets the better of his judgment and candour in fome few inftances, yet the warmth and earneftness wherewith he pleads the cause of found literature and good morals, do honour to his principles and to his taste, and atone, in fome measure, for the hafte, inaccuracy, and prejudice that appear in some of his articles.
The literary characters of the beft French Writers are, in general, ftrongly marked, particularly thofe of Corneille, Racine, Moliere, Fontaine, Boileau, Boffuet, Fenelon, both the Rouffeaus, Voltaire, Montefquieu, Montagne, Pafcal, Fontenelle, Flechier, D'Alembert, Bruyere, Crebillon, Buffon, Bayle, and fome others. Meffrs. Diderot, Marmontel, Thomas, De la Harpe, Saint Lambert, and fome others, appear to us to be treated with too much feverity; the work, however, upon the whole, muft be allowed to poffefs a very considerable degree of merit; and it is not merely a compliment to the Author, to say, that he is an agreeable Writer, and an able Critic.
Iforia D'Inghilterra, &c.-The Hiftory of England, written by Vincentio Martinelli, and addreffed to Sig. Luke Corfi. 4to. 3 Vols.. London. 1774,
HIS Italian Hiftory of England is an abbreviated tranflation of Rapin; it will facilitate to the learner the acquifition of the language in which it is written.
Lettera dell' Avvocato Fruftabirbe, &c.-A Letter from the Advocate Fruftabirbe to Sig. Antonio Sacchini, Mafter of the Chapel. 8vo. Rome.
N infignificant quarrel between Baretti and Badini, the former of whom had abufed the opera called La Veftale of the latter, feems to have given occafion to this impertinent publication, which is prefaced by a poetical eulogium on Giar- dini. 'Tis hard that we must not only feed these rats but be pestered with their noise!
Voyage D'une Françoise à Londres, &c.-A French Lady's Tour to London, or Calumny defeated by the Truth of Facts. 8vo. London. 1774.
OF equal importance to the Public with the foregoing, and, in all appearance, equally refpectable.
Lettre de Pekin, fur le Genie de la Langue Chinoife, &c.-A Letter from Pekin on the Genius of the Chinese Language, and the Na- ture of their fymbolical Writings, compared with thofe of the an- cient Egyptians, in Anfwer to that of the Royal Society of Lon- don, on the fame Subject; to which is added, an Extract from two new Publications of M. De Guignes, of the Academy of In- fcriptions and Belles Lettres at Paris, relative to the fame Enqui- ries. By a Father of the Society of the Jefuits, Miffionary at Pekin. 4to. Bruffels. 1773.
THE curious in Oriental learning will here find abundance
of amufement; for this work contains not only an effay on the genius and structure of the Chinese language, but a variety of its characters, exhibited on copper-plates. These matters neither admit of extracts nor abridgments.
Le Taureau blanc, &c.-The White Bull tranflated from the Syriac ; afcribed to Voltaire. 1774•
SHOULD we difcharge one duty to the Public by giving an explicit account of this performance, we fhould infringe another, of greater importance. The growth of infidelity is already fo rapid, that the industry of its promoters feems to be almoft fuperfluous.
Two different English translations are published: fee our Catalogue, in the Review for July, 1774.
INDEX
To the REMARKABLE PASSAGES in this
N. B. To find any particular Book, or Pamphlet, see the Table of Contents, prefixed to the Volume.
For the remarkable Paffages in the Foreign Articles, fee the Second Alphabet of this Index, in the laft Leaf of the Sheet.
ABAUZIT, Mr. fome account of, 375. His works, ib. ABSENT Man, rid.cule of that character, 262.
ALCUIN, the Anglo-Saxon, ac- count of his learning, 423. ALDHELM, the Anglo-Saxon, ac- count of his learning, 422.
BABEL, confufion of tongues at, and the confequent difperfion of mankind, fingular deduc- tions from, 439-441.
ALFRED, K. encomium on, as a BACON, Lord, cenfured as an his.
friend to learning, ib. AMERICA, British, political invef- tigations relating to, 134, 270, 381, 485. AMERICAN Indians (North) fome ac. of, by Sir W. Johnson, 481. ANGLO-SAXON Kings, not abfo- lute, 197. Difficulty of acquir- ing learning in their times, 200. At what period literature began to flourish under them, and by what means, 420. ANTELOPE, method of bunting in the E. Indies, poetically de- fcribed, 311. APOCALYPSE humouroufly ex- pounded and applied, 346. Se- riously difcuffed, as to its divine authority, 378. Triumph of the Apocalypfe, 379. ARCTURUS, inquiry into the pro- per motion of, 352. REV. App. Vol. 1.
BAILLY, M. his new methods of
improving the theory of Jupi- ter's fatellites, 353. BANK, whether, on the whole, be- neficial or hurtful to commerce, 442.
BARRINGTON, Daines, his essay on the periodical appearance of birds, 283. His investigation of the diftinguishing qualities of the rabbit and hare, 285. BIRDS, of periodical migration, curious problem relating to, folved, 283. BOLINGBROKE, Lord, his fine ta- lents, 369. His political wri- tings commended, 462. BRADLEY, Mr. his directions for ufing the Micrometer, 29. BRIBERY, good story of the pu nishment of, 19. Q_9
BRYDONE, Mr. his account of a remarkable fiery meteor, 478. Of fome electrical exper. ib. BURKE, Edmund, his character in form of an epitaph, 314. BUTTER, Dr. his method of ex- hibiting nemtock, for the cure of the kinkcough, 46.
CESAR, remarks on his affaffi- nation, and the real motives of the confpirators, 267. CAROLINA, South, political trans- actions in that province, 208. Inconfiderate grant of money to the Bill of Rights, 210. CARTHAGE, obf on the def. Ets of her police, &c. 252. CHARLES I, his own account of his zealous attachment to the Church, 137. Confults two of the Bishops about a temporary allowance of the Prefbyterian mode of worship, 138. The anfwer of the Bhops, ib. CHESTERFIELD, Lord, fketch of his character, 258. General account of his letters to his fon, 259.
His advice on the sobje&t of negligence in behaviour, 251. His character of an absent man, 262. His cautions against the feductions of pleasure, 263. His invective against laughter, 265. His cautions againit biftorical teftimony, 265. His flight opi- nion of women, 361. His ad- vice with regard to the art of concealing our contempt of others, 362. His remarks on good company, 363. Confeffes his own paft errors, 365. His cha- racter of the great D. of Marl- borough, 366. Of the Chancel- lor Cowper, 368. Of Lord Bolingbroke, 39. His licen- tious counfel, relative to an il- licit commerce between the fexes, 457. His excellent fer- mon on fweetness of manners, with firmness of mind. 458. His anecdotes with regard to the act
for altering the ftyle, 462. ther confeffion of his errors, 4 His obf. on the knowledge of world, 464.
CHETAH, a kind of leopard en
ployed by the East Indians i hunting the Antelope, 312. CHILPERIC, K. of France, his fhort way of converting a Jew,
CHRIST, enquiry into the perfon and character of, 86–92. CHRISTIAN II. K. of Denmark, his bad character, 428.
IV. his heroic cha- racter, and wife conduct, 429. V. fhort account of,
VI. his great quali-
ties, 435. CLARENDON, Lord. See HYDE. The ftyle of his hiftory cenfured, 342. CLARKE, Dr. Sam. his lift of ex- ceptionable paffages in our li- turgy, 102. Proposals for the Amendment of, ib.
CLIMATES, various, naturally pro- duce the most wholesome food for the inhabitants appointed to live under them, 438. COFFEE, curious hiftorical parti-
culars relative to, 497. COLONIES, British, plan for tax- ing them proposed, 274. Mea- fures now used, by the mother country with respect to them ex- ploded, 381. Another plan for reconciliation, 485. CONSTITUTION, British, its great excellence difplayed, 455- CONTEMPT of others, not to be too freely difcovered, 362. COUNTRY 'fquires, farcaftic ac- count of, 190. CoURAGE defined, 16. Its affi- nity with patience, 18. Cow PER, Lord Chancellor, his oratorical character, 368. CROWN, of England, how far he- ecitary among the Anglo-Sax- ons, 196.
DUNKIN, Dr. his poetical cha- racter, 355. His humourous verfes relative to Mr. Faulkner, 356. DENMARK, great revolution there in the reign of Fred III. 433. See more of this kingdom under CHRISTIAN. DISSENTERS, their late applica- tion to parliament defended, 214. Farther vindicated, 384. DROWNING, detail of the fuccefs attending the establishment at Paris, for the recovery of per- fons fuppofed to be drowned, 150. DUBLIN Society, when, and for what purposes inftituted, 81. Beneficial effects of, ib. DUELLING exploded, 11. Me- thod of abolishing devifed by Guftavus Adolphus, 15. DUNSTABLE, Robert, his literary performances, 424. DYING. See FORSTER. E.
EACHARD, Dr. John, his cha- racter, 141. His epitaph, 143. EAST India Company, mifmanage- ment of their shipping, 65. Charged with the most criminal rapacity, 253. State of their fhipping, 276. Obf. on their private trade, 278. ECLIPSE, folar, account of one obferved at George's Ifland, 29. ELDER, recommended for preferv- ing vegetables from the fly, &c.
286. ELECTRICITY. See HENLY. See LIGHTNING. See KINNER- SLEY. See BRYDONE. ENGLAND, form of government in, favourable to literary contro- verfies, on all fubjects, 147. Her inhabitants opprobriously cha-
GLOVER, Mr. his general opinion of the prefent itate of our linen trade, 487.
GOLD, coinage, obf, on the late act relating to, 295. GOLDSMITH, Dr. how far bene- fited or hurt by the fever pow- der in his laft illness, 404. GooD company, common idea of, exploded, 363.
GOTHS, their poetry, 293. GOVERNMENT, ideas relating to the origin and first forms of, 449 GYRALDUS Cambrenfis, his great learning, 425. His curious de- fcription of the abbey of Lan- tony, ib.
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