cient Constitution, and who the perverters, violaters, and impugners, of the civil rights, laws, and privileges, both of the People and their Representatives. The goodness of his present Majefty will prevent any great excess in his time, although the laws fhould be fo proftrated as to render it very practicable without punishment; but, who can answer for his fucceffors? It will not be difficult, when once the law can be rendered fubfervient to a Ministry, for any cunning and selfish Prince, to find out a Sollicitor for his Treafury, an Attorney-General for himfelf, and a Chief Juftice for England, who fhall devise means for grinding the face of the fubjects, until they shall all be ground unto powder.' We wish that our limits would have allowed us to have tranfcribed many other excellent paffages in this well-written pamphlet, which, notwithstanding fome exceptions to the manner in which it is penned, does, nevertheless, abound with more good fenfe, fpirit, and intelligence, than all the political tracts which have been published during the course of this most interefting controverfy with refpect to public Liberty. R-d. Herodoti Halicarnaffei Hiftoriarum Libri IX. Mufarum nominibus infcripti, Gr. et Lat. ex Laur. Valle interpretatione, cum adnotationibus Thoma Galei et Jacobi Gronovii. Editionem curavit et fuas itemque Lud. Cafp. Valckenarii Notas adjecit Petrus Weffelingius. Accedunt præter vitam Homeri varia ex prifcis Scriptoribus de Perfis, Egyptiis, Nilo, Indifque excerpta et præfertim ex Ctefia. Folio. 21. 5s. in Sheets. Amftelodami. Imported by Becket and De Hondt. IT T will be unneceffary, we are perfuaded, to make any apology to the learned part of our Readers, for laying before them an account of this edition of Herodotus, which is fuperior, in many respects, to every other impreffion. The learned Editor, whose abilities in criticism are well known, has had many advantages for the improvement of his edition, which former Editors had not, and which have enabled him to prefent Herodotus to the public, in a much more becoming dress than he has hitherto appeared in; to explain many obfcure paffages, and fome which were before, indeed, abfolutely unintelligible. Gronovius's edition, which was published in 1715, tho' allowed by the learned to be fuperior to any of the preceding editions, was yet feverely cenfured by many able Critics. Kufter, in particular, foon after its appearance, publifhed a critical Examination of it, which Le Clerc has inferted in the fifth volume of of his Bibliotheque ancienne et moderne. As few of our Readers may have an opportunity of confulting this work of Le Clerc's, we fhall lay before them part of what Kufter has advanced, in his own words. • Auctor editionis hujus eft Jacobus Gronovius, qui Græca Herodoti cum Cod. MS. Mediceo, five Florentino contulit; majore quidem diligentiâ et fide, quàm judicio. Alii enim critici Variantes Librorum MSS. lectiones, ad rationis trutinam expenfas, fi bonæ fint, probant; fiu malæ, damnant; at Gronovius, quafi MSSti, quibus ufus eft, ab ipfo oraculo fcribis dictati effent, nunquam fidem illorum fufpectam habet, fed auctoritatem temerè ubique fequitur; adeò ut nonnunquam manifeftos Librariorum errores, pro lectionibus bonis et finceris, in contextum recipiat. Res paradoxa et incredibilis pænè in Pro'feffore Græcarum Literarum, fed tamen vera, ut exemplis aliquot inferiùs oftendetur. 6 • Neque verò Contextum Græcum correxiffe contentus Gronovius, in verfione etiam Latina haud pauca notavit, quædam bene, alia peffimè; ut itidem inferiùs demonftrabitur. Quod ad notas adtinet, fufficiat dixiffe, eas more Gronoviano fcriptas effe; id eft, obfcurè, impolitè, immodeftè. Nemo hæc inclementiùs in Gronovium dicta exiftimabit, qui fcripta ejus vel à limine, ut aiunt, falutaverit. Saltem notas ejus in Herodotum qui legerit, nullam nos ei injuriam facere fatebitur. Nam offendet ibi Lector, non folùm dicendi genus adfectatum, perplexum, et incultum ; fed etiam adumbratam quandam imaginem, vel potiùs effigiem eminentem et expreffam hominis, qui vulgò Pedant, adpellatur. Huic enim inficeto hominum generi conveniunt mores inurbani; effrænis obtrectandi et maledicendi libido; morofitas arrogans et fuperciliofa; acerbitas denique immodica, in reprehendendis aliorum erroribus, Et hæc quidem talia funt, quæ indignationem Lectoris meritò provocent. Sed funt et alia rifu quàm maximè digna; veluti cum videas hominem vehementiffimos animi motus, in rebus ludicris et frivolis, paffim oftendentem, et nunc lacrimas fundentem, ob loca quædam Herodoti aliorumve Auctorum à viris doctis malè intellecta; nunc eandem ob caufam graviffimè irafcentem, et in exclamationes alieniffimas erumpentem. Hoc quid aliud eft, quàm tragedias agere in nugis, et fluctus, quod aiunt, in fimpulo excitare? Quod meritò pufilli animi indicium habetur.— Sed omiffis hifce, ad ipfum examen pergamus." After many pertinent, and judicious remarks, almost all of which Weffeling has adopted in the edition now before us, Kufter concludes his criticifm in the following manner : • Hæc Hæc funt quæ librum primum Herodoti, obiter, percurrens, à Gronovio peccata effe, animadverti. Quis dubitet, fi et reliquos octo libros fimiliter percurrere velim, me longè plura ftuporis Gronoviani fpecimina et argumenta inventurum effe? Sed tædet me cum ineptiffimis Orbilii erroribus diutiùs conflictari. Quod fi otio abundarem et ingenio, ipfi Herodoto potiùs operam navarem, haud ignarus quàm plurima in illo fcriptore loca, poft Gronovium, emendanda et illuftranda reftare. Nam Gronovius quidem ea tantùm adtigit loca, in quibus codicem Florentinum ab editis difcrepare viderat; cetera verò fecurus præteriit, hoc ipfo oftendens, fe collatoris tantùm, five Librarii ingenium et judicium ad veteres fcriptores edendos adferre.' Kufter is not the only learned Writer who has criticifed Gronovius's edition of Herodotus; Bergler, M. L'Abbé Geinoz, Prefident Bouhier, and others, have paffed a fevere judgment upon it. Their criticisms appear to us to be, in general, very juft; we cannot help obferving, however, that the fame unpolite, illiberal fpirit, which they with great reafon condemn in Gronovius, appears in their own remarks upon him. It is, indeed, much to be lamented, and, at first fight, may feem very strange, that those who are converfant with the finest and most polite Writers of antiquity, fhould treat thofe who differ from them, even upon fubjects of very inconfiderable importance, with fo much acrimony, and in fo coarfe and ungenteel a manner. One of the first lessons which a man who keeps good company learns, is a genteel and liberal manner of defending his own fentiments, and oppofing those of others. When those who value themfelves upon their learning, fhew that they are unacquainted with the very rudiments of politeness, they muft be defpifed, and defervedly too, even by the illiterate. But let us proceed to the work now before us. Our learned Editor, in his preface, gives a fhort, but clear, account of the life, writings, and different editions of Herodotus, taken from Scaliger, Voffius, Fabricius, and Bouhier. What he fays of his own edition, is as follows: De mea (editione, viz.) non multis agam. Conjecto ante hos undecim anncs in ejus confilium cura princeps conquirendi fuppetias codicum fcriptorum fuit, quam profper non deftituit fucceffus. Parifiis Jo. Capperonerius, V. Cl. benevole excerpfit, a viris doctiffimis Menoto et Geinozio ex tribus Regiæ Bibliothecæ membranis in margines exempli Gronoviani collata, fed parciore, quam fperaveram, manu: multa quippe, leviffimi momenti, fordes et quifquillias opinatus, fciens volenfque præterierat. Hinc mea longe difcrepabat fententia. Claris. D. Ruhnkenium, Lutetiæ Parifiorum, ftudiorum caufa tum moraniem, literis 3 literis adduco et expugno, ut ea ufibus meis non negentur. Factum eft egregio amiciffimi viri candore et auxilio, quod tantopere defiderabam, hoc etiam monentis, codicem primum, cujus A Index, ingentis effe pretii, et tantæ, five litterarum ductus five membrana Spectentur, pulcritudinis, ut vix alius, quicum comparari poffit, inveniatur. Debentur ejufdem Capperonerii bonæ voluntati excerpta ex fchedis, feculo 15 exaratis, monafterii S. Remigii Congregationis S. Mauri in Francia, priores duo Libros et tertii magnam partem complexis, tum alia ex codice, in bibliothecam Regiam noviffime illato, in quo ex IX. Herodoti mufis fragmenta haud pauca, denique Λέξεις Ηροδότου ex forulis Bibliotheca Sangermanenfis, vulgatis olim ex fchedis Goldafti longe utiliores. Quæ quidem cum laudabili follertis viri ftudio, propter quod illi gratia manebit, colligerentur, commodum ad me Vir eruditus et plurimum reverendus Henricus Gally, S. T. P. magnæ Britanniæ regi a facris, invifit. Varios inter jucundofque fermones venitur ad Herodotum: vehemens præ me ferebam defiderium codicis Archiepifcopi Guil. Sancroft, Cantabrigiæ affervati, et Galei laudibus adeo celebrati. Tum vir multo humaniffimus prolixe auxilium polliceri, nec polliceri tantum, fed et præftare. Abs reduce in Britanniam non multis poft menfibus exemplum Galeanæ editionis accipio, inftructum difcrepantibus libri Archiepifcopi fcripturis, follertiffima celeb. Ant. Afkew manu enotatis, una cum corollario ex ipfius Afkew chartaceo codice annorum ferme quingentorum, primore quidem mufæ primæ parte manco, fed perutili. Utraque opera mihi jucundiffima accidit ob excellentium virorum amicitiam et accurationem, qua nihil fupra. Neque non mihi celebranda adfuit Ill. Baronis de Swieten in Herodoto adjuvando benignitas; de meo enim inftituto per literas admonitus prom tiffime Vindobonenfis Bibliothecæ Schedas Græce perito homini cum edito Genevenfi contendendas tradidit, et, quæ nobiliffimi viri humanitas, tranfumpta inde ad me officiofiffimè curavit. Par fuiffet ampliffimi Cardinalis Quirini benevolentia in promiffo ex libris Vaticanis auxilio, nifi mors illud intercepiffet, pleniffimo tamen favoris in epistola Cl. Affemanni fuper locis quibufdam Herodoteis. Quod illum autem præftare non fiverunt fata, cumulatiffime ejufdem loci et dignitatis vir Eminentiffimus, Cardinalis Paffioneus explevit: namque cognita mea schedarum Vaticanarum cupidine, perhumaniter refcripfit, eas nec admodum bonas, nec prifcas videri: effe fua in Bibliotheca, ex Sfortiana profectas, integriores, nitidè pictas et veteres; harum fe diapopous ygapas mihi non negaturum. Abfolvit vir fummus, quod receperat, liberaliter, cujus ego excellentem in illo faftigio, dum fupererat, humanitatem et erga me ftudium laudibus ferre et grata mente recolere, definam nunquam. De libro vera omnia: circa feculum duodecimum in charta Pergamena ab docto Scriba exaratus eft, præ ftantiz ftantia Mediceo nihil cedens, fæpe fuperior. Illorum vero codicum excerptis occupato atque operi, formis exfcribendo, dudum intento, ex Britannia confultiffimus J. A. Helvetius editum Jungermanni exemplum tranfmittit, cujus in margine ex fchedis Archiep. et duobus Oxonienfibus adnotamenta, fed dilutiore atramento, fæpius plumbo fcriptorio, picta, eaque propter in haud paucis ambigua. Tribui illis, quamquam fufpenfior, neque poenituit, locum, et gratias veteri amico. Et hos quidem manu defcriptos codices, tot diverfis locis erutos, non eodem omnes capite manaffe, manifeftiffimè comperi. Ubi lacer eft et hiascit Vallæ liber, ibi in MSS. Archiep. Vindobonenfi et plerifque Vaticanis et Oxonienfibus lacunæ. Si quid in his aut præcipuum aut exorbitans, idem apud Laurentium. Conpar in quam plurimis inter Mediceum, Paffioneum, et Afkew Codd. Paffioneo in alterutrius lapfu rectum, ut plurimum, tenente, concordia. Ceterorum, quorum continua excerpta haud adfpexi, constantem confenfionem teftari nequeo. Tres priores eodem. ex fonte, five antiquiore membrana, haufti videntur, cujus fcriba, fortaffe offenfus crebris Mufæ primæ excurfibus, cunctos imprudentur abfcidit, et ne hiatus tædio forent, nexum feriemque orationes callide aptavit. Ultimi tres aliis ex fchedis defcenderunt, prudentiorem amanuenfem et nihil temere auferentem indeptis, atque ea de caufa commendatiores. Reliquas fcripturæ differitates, quæ fane quam multæ, acceptas librariis, Ionicæ dialecti Veneres communiore fermone mutantibus, vocefque optimæ notæ et earum veteres inflexiones, quod ab ufu abierant, pervertentibus, refero. Damnofum illud Herodoto inftitutum videor mihi fæpiffime deprehendiffe et certiffimis documentis in omnium pofuiffe confpectum. Namque ipfi fcriptori, Mufas de novo recenfenti, quæ quorundam fufpicio fuit, difcrepantiæ notabilis originem non aufim tribuere : atque hoc minus, quoniam in vocabulis, citra dubium pravis, admiranda fed et foeda omnium adparuit confpiratio. Quo modo cunque autem fe ifta habuerint, neglectos et quodammodo contemtos ab Editoribus fuiffe fcriptores, qui Herodotea advocarunt et exfcripferunt, miratus fæpe fui. Ex Dionyfio mihi Halicarnaffeo, Strabone, Plutarcho, Paufania, Stobro, Euftathio et aliis hac de familia, felegeram plurima, publicatis meliora. Vidi deinceps fimile Steph. Bergleri, viri doctiffimi, eundem mecum exercentis agrum, propofitum. Apud animum is conftituerat Th. Galei exemplum nova editione recudere, et, quia ex MSS. deerat auxilium, ex prifcorum advocationibus præfidium quærere id mihi ejus ex libro, hujusmodi citationibus referto et paucis ad primam mufam notis, Galei animadverfionibus fubjiciendis, paruit. Studium viri valde fuit induftrium, fed in Hermogene et ejus Scholiafta, Stobæo et Euftathio in Dionyfium, quos tum legiffe non videtur, claudicans. An vero ad HerodoREV. Dec. 1764. Hh tum |