beft obfervations of his predeceffors, which he hath confirmed, or illuftrated, by his own.

In the fecond volume, he treats of the feveral forms of poetical compofition: of tragedy; of the epopea; of the ode; of comedy; fable; the eclogue; elegy; of didactic poetry; and of figurative pieces.

In the chapter of tragedy, our ingenious Author makes fome judicious reflections on the dramatic Unities, as they are called, and particularly confiders the objection made by M. Dacier, to the action of the modern drama. "Les actions, faid that celebrated Critic, de nos tragedies ne font prefque plus des actions vifibles; qu'elles fe paffent la plupart dans des chambres et des cabinets; que les fpectateurs n'y doivent pas plus entrer que le Choeur; et qu'il n'eft pas naturel que les Bourgeois de Paris voyent ce qui fe paffe dans les cabinets des Princes." Mr. Marmontel obviates the force of this objection, by observing, that the fpectator is prefent at the fcene of action only in idea; and that it was full as natural for a Citizen of Athens to fit in the theatre of Bacchus, and fee what paffed in the clofets of his fetlow Citizens, as to fee what was doing under the walls of Troy. If there is no abfurdity in being tranfported from Paris to the Capitol, at the beginning of the firft act, there is furely ftill lefs in being carried from the Capital to Brutus's palace, during the interval between the first and fecond. But the spectator is always fuppofed to be ideally, and not perfonally, prefent; hence the impropriety of the actors addreffing the audience. And yet, if the fpectators were prefent, they would be alfo vifible, and it would be not only natural for the actor occafionally to addrefsthem, but it would be abfurd for him to speak and act as if nobody was by. It is to be fuppofed, therefore, that the actorsthemselves only are witnesses of the action.

But we have not room to make any farther quotations from this ingenious work; which, tho' it be more peculiarly adapted to the natives of France, than to thofe of any other country; and is, on the whole, rather too diffuse for a didactic performance, abounds with a variety of pertinent and fenfible remarks on poetical fubjects.

CATALOGUE OF FOREIGN BOOKS Lately Published.

Art. 1. Elemens de Geometrie, contenant les Six Premiers Livres D' Euclide, mis dans un nouvel Ordre, et à la portée de la Jeuneffe fous les Directions de M. Le Profeffeur Koenig, augmentés de l'onzieme et douzieme Livre, par J. J. Blaffiere. Or,

4

The

The Six firft Books of Euclid's Elements, difpofed and illuftrated in a Manner entirely new, for the Ufe of Students, under the Directions of Profeffor Koenig. To which are added, the eleventh and twelfth Books, by J. J. Blaffiere. 4to. Printed for Van Os at the Hague, and imported by Becket and De Hondt. 1762.

TH

HIS edition of Euclid hath a great advantage over most others, in the difpofition of the feveral parts of the fubject, references, &c. The figures alfo, being conftantly printed on the page, and repeated as often as required, greatly affift the Learner in comprehending the feveral propofition, illuflrated thereby.

Art. 2. Effai fur la Pefanteur. Par M. L**. Or, An Effay on Gravity. 12mo. Dijon. 1762.

When Galileo, and the reft of the modern Philofophers, undertook to disprove the notion of Ariftotle and the antients. refpecting the pofitive levity of bodies, they certainly forgot the brains of a Frenchman; at leaft, if they would not admit thefe to be pofitively light, they would have been horribly puzzled to have found a lighter medium in which they would gravitate. And that we cannot be much mistaken in this particular, is certain, if the effect produced be fupposed to partake of the nature of the producing caufe; for, of all the arguments contained in this performance, on the weight of bodies, we do not find a fingle one of them of any weight at all.

Art. 3. Effai fur les Bois de Charpente, &c. Or, An Effay on the Nature and Duration of Timber employed in Building. By the Society of Architects at Paris. 12mo. 1763.

This work, which confifts only of 120 pages, appears to be a very judicious and useful performance; being calculated to inftruct Carpenters and others, in the choice and preparation of fuch timber as is best adapted to the purpofes of building.

-Art. 4. Inftitutiones Philofophica in nouam Methodum Digefa, Au tore M, PL, R, I, S, P, S, P, N, N, E, A, M, L, V, S. Or, Philofophical Inftitutions, digefted in a Method entirely new. By Mr. P, L, R, &c. 12mo. 3 vols. Paris, 1762. Who this philofophical Inftitutor is, with a troop of initials tacked to his tail, we are not properly informed; but that he is as great a Renovator, as an Innovator in philofophy, may be gathered from his maintaining the doctrine of innate ideas, in contradiction to Ariftotle, Gaffendi, and Locke. Plurime funt ergo idee que ortum non habent a Senfitas, ac proindè graviter poft Ariftotelem erravit Gaffendus, contrarium prepugnano.-There feems to be a fine forward crop of Philofcphers growing up on the continent, if they are not timely nipt in the bud.

Art. 5. Hiftoire Abregée des Infees, qui fe trouvent aux Environs

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de

de Paris. Or, A concife Hiftory of the Infects to be found near Paris. 4to. 2 vols. 1762.

In this history the feveral Infects are arranged in methodical order; the principal of them being delineated on copper-plates, amounting to the number of twenty two, which fervé to illuftrate and embellish the work. It is written by a young Physician of fome note, who, in his botanical researches, did not confine himself merely to plants, but made the feveral infects he met with, an equal object of his curiosity and attention.

Art. 6. Effai fur l'Horlogerie. Or, A Treatife on Clock-work, in all its Branches. By Ferdinand Berthoud, Clock-maker at Paris. 4to. 2 vols. 1763.

The ingenious and ingenuous Artift who is the Author of this work, is already well known to the learned world, by feveral articles written by him on the like fubject in the Encyclopedie; as alfo by a little treatife, publifhed fome time ago, entitled, the Art of regulating Clocks and Watches. The prefent, is a much more elaborate performance, and hath coft him near ten years in the compofition; containing an accurate account of the feveral obfervations and experiments he hath made in the exercife of his art.

Obfervationes de Or, Obfervaparticularly of

Art. 7. Joannis Theodori Eller, M. D. &c. cognofcendis et curandis morbis, præfertim acutis. tions on the Knowlege and Cure of Difeafes, acute Difcafes. By Mr. Eller. 8vo. 1762. The character of the late Mr. Eller of Berlin is fo well known among the Gentlemen of the Faculty, that it would be needlefs to give this work any farther recommendation, than to inform the public, we are well affured it is really the production of that judicious Author.

Art. 8. Sermo Academicus, de erroribus Medicorum fua utilitate non Carentibus. Or, An academical Discourse on the Utility of the Miftakes of Phyficians. 4to. Groningen, 1762. This remarkable oration was made to the univerfity of Groningen, by Mr. Profeffor Van Doeveren, Rector of that univerfity, on refigning his ffice for the past year. The points principally infifted on in this difcourfe, are four. The firft is, that the overfights of Phyficians in the treatment of their patients, may contribute to their cure. Secondly, that both the fick, and the art of medicine itfelf, have deduced great advantages from the ingenuous confeffion of the blunders of Physicians; as well during the life, as after the death of the patient. Thirdly, that the oblinacy of fome Phyficians to maintain erroneous opinions, hath frequently led the way to great difcoveries and improvements in the art of medicine. And fourthly, that even the difputes and altercations between practitioners, tho' fcandalous in themselves, are by no means to be condemned as ufelefs to the perfection of their art.

What a comfortable reflection may not hence be deduced by the fick patient, who is under the hands of a bungling Phyfician? How fatif

factory

factory to him muft it not be to think, that whether he lives or dies, the public may reap fome benefit by the blunders of hi Do&or? Again, how eafy muft it make the duty of a young and confcientious practitioner, to reflect, that kill or cure, he may poffibly be of equal fervice to mankind? There is a good deal of truth, nevertheless, in what our Profeffor advances, tho', we think his arguments fometimes prove too much against his art in general.

Art. 9. De la Santé. Or, a Treatife on the Prefervation of Health. Printed at Paris, 1762.

This is an ingenious and well-written little tract, containing a number of fenfible obfervations, that may be ufeful to the prefervation of the greateft of all earthly bleflings, Health; without which life is fo little defirable, that longevity is rather to be dreaded than wifhed for. When this Writer fays, therefore, Het bene fi ferves, tu longo tempore vives, he is not to be conceived as fludious of the means of prolonging the miferable existence of the valetudinarian, but of cherishing the fpirits, and preventing the decay of thofe who are capable of enjoying, as well as wishing for, life.

Art. 10. Ordonnance et Inftruction paftorale de Monfeigneur l'Eveque de Soiffons, &c. Or, Paftoral Inftructions, by the Bishop of Soiffons, relative to the Affertions, extracted by the Parliament, from the Books and Writings of the Jefuits. 4to. Soiffons. 1762.

We have here a ferious charge to the Clergy of the diocese of Soiffons, calculated to inflame them against the Jefuits; this Prelate not having joined the reft of the Bishops, in their reply to the King, concerning the doctrine, conduct, and utility of that fociety. The Jefuits, however, had interest enough at Rome, to get this piece condemned by the Inquifition; who published a decree in April laft, in order to fupprefs it. This decree of the holy office has been alfo, in its turn, fuppreffed by an arret of the Parliament of Paris: fo that we have here excommunication for excommunication, and bull for bull. We shall fee, in the end, who will get the better, the fpiritual or the temporal power; hitherto the latter feems to have much the beft of the difpute. Art. 11. Examen de la Confeffion de Foi du Vicaire Savoyard, contenue dans Emile. Or, An Examination of the Savoyard's Creed, contained in Rouffeau's Emilius. By Mr. Bitaubé. 8vo. 1763.

Of all that numerous party of Writers which have ftarted up against Mr. Rouffeau, on account of his late celebrated treatife on Education, the Author of the little tract before us appears the moft candid and ingenuous. "The more, fays he, we are induced to admire the talents and goodness of heart of Mr. Rouffeau, the more are we affected to think of his propenfity to fcepticifm. How may worthy Chriftians have not fincerely lamented, that a man of fuch e nfummate vir.ue, that the Socrates of our age, fhould be an enemy to religion. There are many, I know, who deny him this virtuous character; but, with regard to myfelf

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self, I cannot conceive the language of fincerity can be fo easily counterfeited: I cannot conceive, that the enthufiafm with which he speaks, on fo many occafions, of virtue, can poffibly arife but from a heart truly ufceptible of its charms. And, tho' fometimes he feems to contradict himfelf in thi particular, fuch contradictions fhould be regarded only, as thofe little inconfiftencies into which men of the greateft parts are but too liable to full. If charity obliges us never to be wanting in candour toward the unbelieving, we ought particularly to obferve this rule, when we undertake to refute thofe of Mr. Rouffeau's ftamp. It is fair, indeed, to employ against them the force of ridicule: this is their favourite weapon, and they are too brave to be offended at our worsting them with their own arms: but we fhould never return abuse for abuse, and much lefs fhould we be aggreffors in this kind of altercation."

There is a pleafure in attending to the arguments of Writers who can diffent from each other in fo liberal and ingenuous a manner as our Au. thor; who, though a Theologue by profeffion, treats his adversary in every respect like a gentleman and a fcholar. "A Chriftian, fays he, ought to be more maiter of his temper than a Philofopher" He should have remembered, however, that Mr. Rousseau disclaims the latter title, and infifts on his right to the former: nor do we believe, notwithstanding what Mr. Bitaubé has advanced, he will very readily give it up.

Art. 12. Determinatio facra Facultatis Parifienfis fuper Libro, &c. Or, the Determination of the Faculty of Theology at Paris, concerning a Book entitled Emilius, or a Treatife on Education, by Mr. Rouffeau. 4to. Paris, 1762.

Never furely was poor Writer fo feverely treated, fo buffeted on all fides, and by all parties, as the unfortunate Author of Emilius. But for all this, it is very true, he may thank his own temerity. Wherefore should a man dare to think for himfelf, in an age when reflection is a crime, and it is the greateft folly in the world, to be wife above what is already written? Nay, fo univerfal is the outcry against this Writer, that we doubt whether he would altogether efcape perfecution even among his favourite Hottentots, or his more favourite Savages of North-America.

Art. 13. La Langage de la Raifon. Or, the Voice of Reason; by the Marquis Caraccioli, Author of La Jouiffance de Soiméme, and other Pieces. 12mo. Paris, 1763.

A moral and religious performance; treating of our duty towards God and our Neighbour, the danger of infidelity, and other topics of the like nature. With regard to the ftyle and compofition, it is much of a piece with the Marquis's other works.

See Review, Vol. XX. page 551, 554.—vol. XXI. p. 571.

Art. 14. L'Economie Politique. Or, Political Oeconomy; a Project for improving and enriching Mankind. 12mo. Paris, 1763.

The main view of this Writer is to lay down a plan, whereby Artifi cers and other labouring people may, by fparing a small share of their

weekly.