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lation, when he endeavoured to cut off the apocalypfe of St. John from the canon of the Scriptures. Father FASSINI of the Oratory undertakes, in the work before us, to reflore. this myftical branch, which fome think ought not to be lightly rejected; for though hitherto, fay they, it has produced but very little fruit, it may yield an harveft of knowledge in fome future feafon. M. ABAUZIT alleged that the book in queftion was looked upon as the production not of St. John the Evangelift, but of fome other writer, for more than eight centuries, both by Grecian and oriental authors *. F. FASSINI Collecs all his erudition and critical prowess to invalidate this affertion; and in order to come forth in due order of battle against his adverfary, he divides his work into thirteen chapters. In the first, he endeavours to prove, that Papias, the difciple of St. John, was acquainted with the apocalypfe, being mentioned by Andrew archbishop of Cæfarea (an early writer, and alfo an expofitor of this myfterious book) as an undoubted witness of its authenticity. This teftimony is farther ftrengthened by that of Justin Martyr, who lived near the time of Papias, and who, in his famous controverfy with the Jew Triphon, acknowledges St. John as the author of the Revelation that bears his name. M. Abauzit, it is true, has prepoffeffed the inquirers into this fubject pretty strongly against the teftimony of Juftin, on account of his credulity, and his attachment to the Millenarian fyftem but we really think that our Author has the advantage of him in appreciating the evidence of this celebrated Writer; for, on the principles of M. Abauzit, there will not be many cafes of any confequence in which the report of teftimony may be entirely depended upon. It is hard to fufpect a man of telling lies, when they are adapted to maintain his theological fyftem, if there be no other previous reafon to question his veracity. In the fecond, third, and fourth chapters, our Author comes down upon the heretic of Geneva with a cloud of witneffes, of the fecond century, fuch as Polycarp, Irenæus, Meliton bishop of Sardes, Theophilus of Antioch, Apollonius, Clement of Alexandria, &c. who all confider the Apocalypfe, or Revelation, as a work compofed by divine inspiration, and as coming from the pen of St. John the Evangelift.-The teftimonies of the third century, among which Hippolytus, Origen, Dionyfius of Alexandria, and other men of eminence appear, are produced in the four following chapters; and the eighth contains a multitude of proofs in favour of the facred book under confideration, from the records of the fourth century, and the ecclefiaftical writers, that fwarmed like bees

See an account of ABAUZIT's Work in our Review for May #774, Vol. 59. p. 375.

3

during

during that period. He also refutes in this chapter the objections of Abauzit against Eufebius of Cæfarea, Athanafius, Ephrem, Bafilius, Macarius the Elder, and Didymus of Alexandria. In the ninth chapter our Author explains the real fentiments of Epiphanius, and proves, or attempts to prove, in the tenth, that Cyril of Jerufalem, and the two Gregories of Nyffa and Nazianze, acknowledged the authenticity of the Revelation, though M. Abauzit represents them as having rejected it. The three following chapters contain the teftimonies of later times.

ART. XVI.

Origine e Antichita Fermane, &c.-Concerning the Origin and Antiquities of Fermo. Folio. Printed at Fermo. 1778.

THE

HE Abbé CATALANI, to whom the lovers of antiqui ties are indebted for a learned Differtation on the Origin of the Picentes, is the author of this piece, which is in the fame tafte, and abounds with ancient erudition.

ART. XVII.

Specimen Hierarchie Hungarice, &c-An Effay concerning Ecclefiaftical Power in Hungary, containing a chronological Series of the Archbishops and Bishops of that Kingdom, and a Defcription of its Diocefes. Part I. By Mr. George Pray. Prefburg and Cafchaw. 1778.

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E fhould not have mentioned this publication, were it not adapted to fhew us how little the progrefs of light, and a liberal manner of thinking, have contributed to the abolition or amendment of inftitutions founded upon the tyranny of fuperftition. This is remarkably exemplified in that Coloffus of opulence and power, the archbishop of Gran in Hungary, whofe rights, immunities, privileges, and revenues, form the chief, nay almoft the only contents of this volume.-The annual income of this prelate is valued at 360,000 florins: fince the year 1257 he has enjoyed the title and performs the functions of perpetual count, principal fecretary and chancellor, and reprefentative of the royal prefence: he crowns the kings of Hungary: his lands and vaffals are exempted from all fecular jurifdiction and every fpecies of taxation: he has a right to name the palatine, or the principal judge of the district, and to inveft him with powers, which the palatine holds of him and not of the fovereign he has the tenth part of the produce of the royal domain, of the revenue of the exchequer, of the taxes imposed upon the cattle of the Walachians, and of all the money that is coined in the kingdom, or imported: if one of his vaffals be condemned to death, for theft, by the civil tribunal, the confifcated goods of the criminal become the property of this pre

late,

late. The prefent archbishop of Gran is the count Jofeph Bathiana, who was raised to that dignity in 1776. The fee had been vacant eleven years before his filling it; and we fuppofe vacancies of this kind will happen oftener in time to

come.

ART. XVIII.

Phyficalifche Untersuchung der Naturlichen Urfachen des Nordfcheins, &c.-Philofophical Researches concerning the Natural Caufes of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, together with some new Obfervations relative to that fingular Meteor. By M. J. W. C. A. Baron DE HUPSCH. Cologn. 1779.

H

OWEVER ingenious the new obfervations of this learned inquirer may be, we do not think his hypothesis more plaufible than those that have been already employed in order to account for this fingular phenomenon. There is, nevertheless, a good deal of fagacity and philofophical knowledge difcovered in these researches. The Author diftinguishes the different kinds of meteors that are comprehended under the general denomination of aurora borealis, or nothern light. Some of the meteors, thus called, are produced by the refraction and reflexion of rays of light, and this kind has moft commonly an arched form, when obferved in thofe countries that lie between the 55th and 75th degrees of latitude. The true aurora borealis, according to our Author, is produced by a phosphorical matter, which derives its origin from fulphureous exhalations of a very refined and fubtile nature. This hypothefis is not new; it was one of the fuppofitions formerly propofed by Dr. Halley, who imagined that the watery vapours, or effluvia, rarified exceedingly by fubterraneous fire, and tinged with fulphureous fteams, might be the caufe of the phenomenon under confideration. Halley, indeed, offered another fuppofition to account for this meteor; i. e. a fubtile matter, which, entering into the earth near the fouthern pole, and freely pervading its pores, paffed out again with fome force into the ether, at the fame diftance from the northern, and having its denfity or velocity fome way or other increased, might produce a small degree of light, after the manner of effluvia from electric bodies, which by a strong and quick friction (says he) emit light in the dark. This hypothefis was looked upon as vague and unfatisfactory. It was, however, the effort of genius in a period of darkness; and fince experience has thrown fome new rays of light on the myfterious operations of nature, this hypothefis has acquired a high degree of plausibility and evidence, and is likely to make its way, in a new form. For fince it has been proved with a very high degree of evidence, that the electric matter

and

.

and lightning are one and the fame fubftance, philofophers now are difpofed to feek the explication of all aerial luminous meteors in the principles of electricity, and the aurora borealis is now almoft univerfally fuppofed to be an electrical phenomenon. Our learned Author Baron DE HUPSCH is not, indeed, of this opinion; he thinks that the duration of the meteor in question is too confiderable to admit of its being attributed to an electrical principle as to its caufe; but this obfervation is fallacious in the highest degree.

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Vitè dei più Architetti e Scultori Veneziani, &c.-The Lives of the moft celebrated Venetian Architects and Sculptors, who flourished in the Sixteenth Century. By THOMAS TEMANZA, Architect to the Most Serene Republic of Venice. 4to. Venice. 1778.

THE Author of HE Author of this work is already known by the lives of Sanfovino, Palladio, and Scamozzi, which appeared some time ago, and are republished here, with feveral interesting additions. In the first part of the prefent publication, M. TEMANZA gives us the lives of those Venetian artifts, who contributed to the revival of the fine arts,-Francis Colonna, a Dominican, furnamed Polyphilus; John Focond, an architect of Verona, a monk alfo, whom Lewis XII. fent for to France, where he built the Pont de Notre Dame, and diftinguished himfelf by his writings; Pietro Lombardi, who was the architect of the tomb of Dante at Ravenna; Barthelemi Buono-Antonio Scarpagnino, Alexander Leopardo, the two fons of Lombardi, and laftly, John Maria Falconetto, a native of Verona. The life of this laft artist, who, according to our Author, was one of the first who introduced a true taste and a good style of architecture into the Venetian ftate, and brought that art very near its perfection, is more complete, and more enriched with facts and anecdotes, than any that has been hitherto given. The articles contained in the fecond part of this work are less numerous, but more ample and alfo more interefting. Their fubjects, who are more modern and better known than thofe contained in the first part, are eight in number, the two Sammichelis of Verona, Tatti, Cataneo, who was architect, fculptor, and poet, and whofe productions, in the two former arts, are to be feen in the church of St. Anaftafius at Verona, and in the mint and the library of St. Mark at Venice; Palladio, Scamozzi, Antonio da Ponte, who conftructed the new bridge of the Rialto, and began the prifons of Venice, which Contino finished after his death, and Campagna,

ART,

ART XX.

Cremonenfium Monumenta Roma extantia, &c.-Remains of several celebrated Perfons, Natives of Cremona, extant at Rome, collected and illuftrated by F. R. THOм. AUGUSTIN VAIRANI, of the preaching Order. 4to. Rome. 1778.

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HIS publication is a valuable prefent to the lovers of modern erudition. It contains an account of the lives and writings, hitherto unpublished, of several learned men, natives of Cremona, fome of whom are already known by productions of merit. The work opens with the life and writings of Platina, who wrote, in elegant Latin, the Lives of the Popes, fo far down as Paul II., was honoured with the protection of the Gonzagues and Medicis; compofed the hiftory of the former, and a dialogue De optimo Cive, which he dedicated to Laurent de Medicis, and, coming to Rome in the year 1458, under the pontificate of Calixtus III., acquired there great reputation for erudition and eloquence, and was appointed librarian of the Vatican by Sixtus V. with the title of one of his Famigliari. The writings of this great man, with several anecdotes of his life and conduct, fill the firft part of Frater VAIRANI's work.-The fecond part begins with the life of Vida, who was born at Cremona in 1470, and is known to have been diftinguished by extraordinary marks of the favour and protection of Leo X. The next in order is the life of Faerno, who rose to the highest credit and fortune under the pontificate of Pius IV., had a peculiar place in the esteem of that pontiff, and maintained, at the papal court, his native modefty and fimplicity of manners. Our Author has made the following difcovery concerning Faerno; that, foon after his arrival at Rome, he was appointed reviser and corrector of books in the library of the Vatican, and that he diftinguished himself in this employment by his dexterity in restoring the true text of thofe ancient Greek and Latin manufcripts that had been injured by time, or by the negligence of copyifts. There is no doubt but he rendered important fervice to claffic literature by his corrections of Plautus, Terence, Livy, Cicero, and other ancient authors. His own fables are truly claffical, and worthy of the pureft periods of Latinity. He has been accused of fuppreffing the MSS. of the Fables of Phaedrus, which was in his poffeffion, that they might not eclipse or diminish the merit of his own. But though it be true, that thefe fables were firft publifhed in 1596 by P. Pithou, yet our Author vindicates Faerno from this charge, and proves it a calumny, from feveral circumftances; among which the reputation of probity, which this amiable man enjoyed and merited, is not the leaft perfuafive. Faerno died in the year 1561; his

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