his defign, were only ranged in alphabetical order, with little care or propriety. And as this work came out without the least examen or criticism, it is no better than a compound of blunders and contradictions, which perplex and weary out every reader defirous of inftruction. It must however be owned, that we have no better performance of the kind in our language, to which we can have recourse: and that it may ftill be useful notwithstanding its defects; but the man that would difcover and avail himself of the treafures it contains, muft ftudy it with the care and nicety of a critic, and take as a guide fome unexceptionable author, by whose affistance he may be enabled to make proper diftinctions. This was the method I purfued, having chofen for my guide, in great measure, the learned hiftory of the patriarchs of Alexandria, published by the Abbot Renaudot; a work in which that learned man has given a pretty full extract of the hiftory of the Saracens, or Mahometan Arabians, from the time of Mahomet, till the destruction of the Caliphs by the Tartars. That author, who is fo deeply skilled in all kinds of literature, and fo well versed in the study of languages, confirmed the fufpicion I had juftly entertained in perufing the Bibliotheque Orientale. Though he was much the author's friend, and highly refpected his talents and merit, he speaks but difadvantageously of his work; and has informed the public what precautions ought to be taken in reading him. He greatly regrets that Mr. d'Herbelot had not time to revife it, and is convinced that if his care and exactness in the performance had equalled his fkill and knowledge, it would have been the moft perfect thing in its kind. 'But Mr. d'Herbelot is not the only writer, whom Mr. Renaudot accuses of want of exactness in respect to the Arabian hiftory. He goes much farther back, and fhews that even many original authors have been mistaken, and have not faithfully related the hiftory of their country. He complains particularly of El Makin, and proves that this author was the cause of many of the mistakes which feveral writers, and in particular Mr. d'Herbelot, were guilty of in their performances. The fight of fo many rocks and fands made me fteer with the greatest caution. Infomuch that inftead of undertaking a general hiftory of the Arabians, I have confined myself to treat of those people only from that period when they became subject to monarchical government under Mahomet and his fucceflors. And though original authors do not always agree as to many of the facts and dates, I have, however, obferved that in re5 fpect fpect to the series of Mahomet's fucceffors, as well as to the many revolutions which have frequently changed the face of the Sarazenical empire, the account of writers is nearly the fame. I concluded therefore, I might fafely undertake fuch part of the Arabian hiftory, in the execution of which, I fhall defcribe no more than is already confirmed by the concurrent opinion of authors; and fhall leave it to those who have more learning, time, and patience, to execute a more compleat and extenfive work.' The learned and accurate author of the hiftory of the Huns, lately publifhed, makes no fuch excufes: he has, indeed, no occafion for them, being, in all refpects, equal to his undertaking. It would have been no dif-recommendation of the Abbè de Marigny's performance, if he had mentioned the great Pocock among the authors who had affifted him in it, as well as d'Herbelot and Renaudot. The Specimen Hiftoriæ Arabum, by our countryman, is juftly esteemed one of the moft ufeful books that any man, greatly learned in the oriental languages, has yet published. It is to be lamented, that not one of the many Orientalists produced in France has undertaken a tranflation of that incomparable hiftorian, Abul-Feda, efpecially as they have the author's copy, corrected with his own hand, as appears from the account given of it by Renaudot, p. 78. Hifloria Patriarch. Alexandr. As to the merit of this work, upon the whole-The Author confeffes his ignorance of the Oriental tongues, and leaves a more compleat execution of his plan to thofe who have more learning, time, and patience. He has not availed himself of the most valuable materials; and after all, the original manufcript of the beft history of the Arabians is in France. However, M. Marigny's Compilation may well ferve to entertain, and to inform, those who are not in a capacity to confult the original Authors. The Abbè has followed the celebrated Rollin, as to ftile and manner; and he propofes this hiftory of the Arabians as a fupplement to The Antient Hiftory. In ditiffimâ MSS. librorum omnis generis Bibliothecâ Seguieriana extat codex illius hiftoriæ, qui non modò ætati autoris æqualis eft, fed ad eum pertinuiffe et illius manu multis in locis emendatus fuiffe videtur. In eo enim lituræ plures occurrunt, et emendationes, non quæ antiquarii librum recenfentis, fed Autoris ipfius fua retractantis manum indicant. Literæ etiam grandiufculæ, quales vulgò funt hominis de calligraphiâ parùm folliciti, et quæ ab elegantiâ quâ totus liber fcriptus eft, longè abfunt, principem ipfum, Autorem operis defignant potius, quàm criticum recenfentem, præfertim cum multa deleta, ad. juncta quoque non pauca animadvertantur, quibus nemo alienum opus inficere folet. Non dubitamus igitur omnia illa effe ab Autoris Abulfedæ manu. Sh: Female The Traveller: an Arabic Poem, intitled Tograi, written by Abu-Ifmael; tranflated into Latin and published with notes in 1661, By Edward Pocock, D. D. Profeffor of Hebrew and Arabic in the Univerfity of Oxford, and Canon of Christ-Church. Now rendered into English in the fame iambic meafure as the original; with fome additional notes to illuftrate the poem. By Leonard Chappelow, B. D. Arabic Profeffor, and formerly Fellow of St. John's College, in the University of Cambridge. 4to. Is. 6d. Thurlbourn, &c. Sold alfo by B.Dod, in London. HE account Mr. Chappelow gives of his author is taken from the second note, by Dr. Pocock, to the carmen Tograi. Abu-Ifmael was the furname of the author of this poem; it being usual with the Arabians to call men by their furnames, including the name either of parents or children.-This was efteemed as a point of honour; which they imagined would be leffened, did they mention them fimply by their own names.— For the fame reafon Maimonides tells us, the Hebrew Rabbies ordered that a father or master should be faluted by fome new name. And no lefs, if not greater refpect was paid to teachers than to parents. Scholars as well as fons were called Banim.' The words of Dr. Pocock, p. 2, 3. of Note in carmen Tograi, are thefe- Eft igitur Abu-Ifmael Kunyaton feu cognomen poetæ noftri, uti folenne eft Arabibus homines cognominibus potius à parentum vel liberorum nomine compofitis, quam nominibus propriis apellare: idque honoris causâ-ad evitandum illud quod diminutionis loco habent nonnulli, ut fimpliciter et apertè nomine fua apellentur-Eâdem de causâ,novimus ab Hebræorum magiftris interdictum, nè quis patrem fuum vel præceptorem nominibus fuis falutaret, aut alias appellaret, ut videri eft apud Maimonidem l. yad. tr. Talm. Tor. c. 5. et Mamrim c. 6. à quo etiam difcimus non minorem præceptoribus deberi reverentiam imò majorem quam parentibus; ac difcipulos non minùs quam filios Banim audire, &c. The notes to this poem, tho' called additional, contain little more than we find in the Latin edition of Dr. Pocock. If the Profeffor's English verfes are not fo pleafing as his readers could wish them to be, fome allowance will be made for his having attempted the fame Iambic meature as the original. In all the various changes I Of life, and fcenes of action, According to Dr. Pocock the fenfe of the Arabic is Ge REV. Feb. 1759. nerofitas animi cuftodivit me à futilitate. Et ornamentum præftantiæ ornavit me, cum abeffent [alia] ornamenta.' Mr. Chapelow's Traveller is rather a paraphrafe, than a tranflation of the Tograi: for what he has defcribed in eight, or ten, or twelve, and once in fixteen lines, in Englith, is comprehended in two, in the Arabic. The excufe, which is a very good one, is- Our Poet in words is fhort and concife. I have therefore taken the liberty of enlarging where the fenfe is contracted. For the Arabic will admit of a fuller interpretation, when rendered into a different language.' Whatever may be faid of the verfification, the fentiments are juft; and the Tranflator declares he fhall think his time not ill fpent by clothing our Arabian in an English habit, should. any benefit arife from it with refpect to public or private behaviour.' Sh: Letters in Anfwer to fome Queries fent to the Author, concerning the genuine reading of the Greek text, 1 TIM. iii. 16. ΘΕΟΣ ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκὶ Now firft published on occafion of Sir Ifaac Newton's two Letters to Mr. Le Clerc, lately published. York, printed by Ward. 8vo. Is. Sold by Baldwin in London. Ο UR Author, in his firft letter, recommends the Æthiopic verfion of the books of the Old Teftament as of all others the most valuable, on account of the great affinity between the Hebrew and Æthiopic dialects, and the affiftance it will therefore afford in explaining the original text, and in reconciling it with the feptuagint. He mentions a copy of the Ethiopic verfion, though not entirely complete, in the hofpital of the Abyffins at Rome, confifling of four large volumes. This he has long been defirous of procuring, with a view of making it public, but finds fo little readinefs in perfons, from whom one might, with reafon, expect good offices of fo public and honourable a concern, as to decline giving any farther trouble to any among us, of whom he has at prefent any knowlege. In a long note to this part of his letter, he laments the death of archbishop Potter, and speaks of his fucceflor as one who had greatly encouraged his undertaking. We doubt not he would find, upon a proper application, as great encouragement and affiftance from the prefent Metropolitan, who is, in learning, abilities, and inclination to promote the knowlege of the fcriptures, inferior to none of his predeceflors. The conclufion of all that our learned Author has faid upon the the word Os or eos in the text, 1 Tim. iii. 16. in a note at the end of his fourth letter, is, all the ancient verfions must have been made from copies that had the relative only; and the feveral churches which ufed them, must be fuppofed to know of no better or truer reading.' Sh: A Letter from Mr. Rouffeau, of Geneva, to Mr. d'Alembert, of Paris, concerning the effects of theatrical entertainments on the manners of mankind. Tranflated from the French. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Nourfe. TH HE name of Rouffeau is famous in French literature. That of our Author, John, James *, citizen of Geneva, has not diminished its juft reputation. He is, for the most part, fprightly, entertaining, and ingenious; always happy in the choice of his fubjects, and frequently fo in his manner of treating them. It must be confeffed, however, that his pen is chiefly adapted to the purposes of amufement: for, though he enters frequently on the moft interefting topics of philofophy, polity, and morals, he allumes principles fo vague and indeterminate, and deduces from them fuch fuperficial conclufions, that his inquiries, however pleafing, tend little to our improvement, either in fpeculation or practice. Indeed, whatever be Mr. Rouleau's merit, as a man and a citizen, he does not appear, to us, in his writings, to be either the most difcerning politician, or profound philofopher. A very confiderable defect, in moft of his pieces, is the want of confiftency and method t. He is an agreeable, but not a judicious writer. He rambles perpetually; and, not unfrequently, has the art of making his excurfions fo pleafing, that we very willingly follow him through all his detours, and are even forry to be called back again, to the bufinefs of the work. It is characteristical of Mr. Rouffeau, indeed, as he himself fomewhere expreffes it, felon fa coutume pareffeufe, de travailler à bálon rompu: and perhaps none of his works afford a more Jean Jaques Rouffeau, refiding at Montmorenci, at the time of this publication, March 20, 1758. The French writers, in general, value themfelves on this head; and have occafionally charged the bet pieces in our language with the want of plan and method. Mr. Pope's Ey on Man they cenfure for this defect: an imputation which would probably have been discredited, had not his great commentator, by giving himself so much trouble to invalidate the charge, moft unluckily evinced it. The French, however, have little right to object to the incapacity of the English in this refpect; while the feveral pieces of our Author, the bits of Beaumelle and d'Artigny, the fcraps of Trublet, and indeed the ill more infignificant excerpta of fome others, may be cited in judgment against them. I 2 ftriking |