years 1772 and 1773.-M. de la Croix has difplayed in this work fome marks of genius, but is not confeffedly enough a man of the world, which he attempts to defcribe. There appears, indeed, too much of the rhapsodift in his difpofition to permit of his being an impartial philofofphical obferver.The following exclamation on the Statue of Voltaire may ferve as a fpecimen of his Rhetoric: "J'ai vu cette ftatue, fortié des mains d'un artifte célébre, érigée par la reconnoiffance à la Philofophie bienfaifante, à la poëfie noble, harmonieufe, à la fageffe de l'hiftoire, qui a faifi la vérité dans le fein même du menfonge. J'ai reconnu l'ail étincelant du génie: J'ai vu ces mufcles tendus par l'enthoufiafine, et ces veines qu'un fang brûlant femble parcourir, Oui, c'eft Voltaire; ce font fes traits que mes yeux ont admiré. Il étoit donc réservé à ce fiécle de lumiére de fentir tout ce que l'humanité doit à celui qui a daigné l'éclairer, et diffiper le nuage qui obfcurciffoit fa raifon.-Artiftes! reprenez ces cifeaux que vous avez profanés tant de fois; ne donnez plus la vie aux ennemies du genre humaine, et rendez-la aux Philofophes qui ont adouci fes peines; offrez-nous les traits vénérables de nos bienfaiteurs.", In return for this fine compliment, it is no wonder that Mr. Voltaire addreffed Mr. de la Croix in terms equally flattering. "J'ai connu autrefois," faid he, "plufieurs auteurs du Spectateur Anglois; vous me paroiffez avoir hérité de Stéele et d'Adiffon. Pour mci, je ne peux plus être fpectateur, ni même auditeur; je perds infenfiblement la vue et l'ouie, et je me prépare à faire le voyage du pays dont perfonne ne revient.-Mais, tant que je refterai dans celui ci, et que mes yeux veiront un refte de lumiére, je lirai votre ouvrage avec autant de plaifir, que d'eftime et de reconnoiffance." When we reflect on the great age of M. de Voltaire, it is natural enough to fuppofe him thus bowed down with bodily infirmities. The Abbé Grofier, however, in his Année Literaire, infinuates, that thefe conftant complaints of this celebrated writer are merely feints. One of our celebrated artifts, fays he, who lately paid a vifit to Ferney, was one day telling his hoft he had just been writing to Paris. "Eh bien, 39 returns Voltaire, "Qu'avez vous marqué dans ce pays-la ?". That you enjoy a perfect ftate of health, replied the artist."Eh de quoi vous mêlez vous, Monfieur !" replied the old man in a violent paflion," de quoi vous avifez vous d'écrire à Paris que je me porte bien? voulez-vous encore ameuter contre moi cette foule de littérateurs et de perfécuteurs, qui n'ont la condefcendance de me ménager que parce qu'ils me croyent mourant ?-Whether Mr. de la Croix be in this fecret or not, he replies as if he were, by infifting, like Uncle Toby with Le Fevre, that his old friend fhall not die: defiring him not to trouble himfelf about being deaf and blind; for that, in proportion proportion as he is deaf, his admirer will raife the voice of his admiration; and that, if he was even ftone-blind, the fharpeft, fighted philofophers of the age would be proud of taking him for their guide. We are not fo cynical as to fay this would be the blind, leading the blind: but, if this be not the ne plus ultra of French compliment, we hope they will proceed a little, farther, when thefe wilfully-blind, clear-fighted philofophers will all tumble into a ditch together,-Modus eft in rebus, &c. Hiftoire veritable des tems fabuleux, &c. A true Hiftory of the fabulous times, containing the hiftory of Egypt, from Menes to Amafis, illuftrated by the facred hiftory from the time of Noah to the conqueft of Nebuchadnezzar. By the Abbé Guerin du Rocher. 3 vols. 8vo. Paris. The profeffed intent of this work is to develope the truth of thofe facts and circumftances, which fabulous hiftory hath fo much altered and mifreprefented in which developement the antiquities of nations will be elucidated, and facred hiftory juftified. It would be unjuft to deny this author the merit, of having difplayed learning and ingenuity in this laudable attempt; but we fear that, by attempting to explain too much, he will occafion the advocates for fcepticism to recur often to the old objection, that the facred hiftorians may as well be fuppofed in fome cafes to have copied the profane, as vicê verfa: an objection, it is true, that has often been an fwered; but we apprehend never fully refuted. Nouveaux Memoires de l'Academie Royale des Sciences et des Belles Lettres. New Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences' and Belles-Lettres at Berlin. Vol. V. for the year 1774*. Berlin. In the hiftorical part, as it is called, of this publication, is given an account of an extraordinary lethargy, with which a Lady of Nifimes was for fome time regularly affected twice a day, viz. at fun-rife and at noon; a very fingular cafe indeed! Nor are the phyfiological reflections of M. Formey, with which it is accompanied, a jot lefs fingular: this celebrated academician feeming to fide with the fentiments of our * By mistake the volume, of which fome account was given in the Ap pendix to the third volume of our Review, was faid to be that for 17743 whereas it was only printed in 1774, the prefent volume in 1776. VOL. V. great great English philofopher Dr. Prieftley, in fuppofing that there is no occafion for any fpiritual fubftance or foul, effentially diftinct from mere matter, to account for thofe intellectual operations, ufually attributed to the human mind. In the clas of Experimental Philofophy, we have an affirmative an-, fwer to the queftion, whether women are as fruitful in modern times, as they were in the ancient. In the fame clafs is also a curious paper on the parts of generation in the female fex. Both which Memoirs might as well have been reserved for fome chirurgical or anatomical publication, as for a general one on the Sciences and Belles Lettres.-In the clafs of Mathematics are feveral ingenious Memoirs by M. de la Grange, Mr. Beguelin, and Bernouilli. The clafs of Speculative Philofophy contains, among others, a Memoir by M. Beguelin, on the variable nature of moral perceptions, when they are confidered as connected with the diverfity of pfychological fyftems. This is an ingenious Effay, and might be useful, if the morals and manners of men were much influenced by their fpeculative opinions. But this influence is experimentally fo little, that it is hardly worth notice. He labours, indeed, to prove that the belief of the immortality of the foul, and the doctrine of future rewards and punishments, muft have a better effect on the morals of mankind than a contrary belief; the one offering to virtue the happiness of eternity, the other at best that of a few years.-The doctrine of neceffity, he conceives, alfo, to be fatal to morals. And yet the Calvinifts, whose ideas of predeftination come up to the most inevitable neceffity, have ever been remarkably ftrict in their morals; while the Arminians and others of a different opinion have been the reverfe. In the clafs of polite literature, we have two ingenious Memoirs by M. Merian, on the influence of the Sciences on Poetry; in the laft of which he confiders particularly the learning of Homer, a fubject that has employed the pens of fome of our noft celebrated English critics. Die Iflandifche Edda, &c.-The Icelandift Edda, or the Divine This publication contains, ift, The Sibylline Verfes, entitled, Volufpach, being a prediction of the principal events of the world, from its beginning to its final deftruction.-2d. The doctrine doctrine of Odin, called Hava or Hars Maal, i. e. the theology of Odin; to which are added feveral Odes, written in the tenth and eleventh centuries.-3d. Thirty-three Docmofogues or Fables, ferving as an explanation of the Volufpach, by way of examples; being an hiftorical and poetical defcription of the god Thor; his perfonal actions, voyages on earth, &c.—It is pretended that the Edda was compiled from ancient Runic manufcripts, and tranfcribed in Roman characters, by one Sacmund Froden, fo long ago as the eleventh century. M. Schloezer, M. Merian, and others, however, are of an opinion, which appears to be well founded, that it is a factitious compound of heterogeneous materials, gathered up in different parts of Europe, ftill later: no copy of it having appeared before the year 1300.-Be this as it may; it is, as a matter of antiquity, a publication of fingular curiofity. Du Bonbeur.-On Happiness. By M. Deferres de la Tour, formerly an Officer in the Regiment of Navarre. 8vo. Paris. By an elegant dedication to Lord March, and an advertisement prefixed to this Effay, we learn that its author is the editor of the French new paper, printed for fome months paft in London, entitled, The Courier de L'Europe: a publication which appears to have met with confiderable and merited fuccefs both in this ifland and on the continent. We learn from the fame advertisement that the author hath employed himself, during his refidence in this country, in political refearches refpecting the revolutions, the laws, and conftitution of England; the refult of which he propofes to publifh. In the mean time, the prefent tract is fent forth as a friendly harbinger, to conciliate the reader with the manner of an author; who, to speak in the French phrafe, writes in a stile un peu mardi, This the reader will fee in the very firft paragraph. "Tous les hommes defirent dêtre heureux! cela eft fans exception. Quelques differens moyens qu'ils y employent, ils tendent tout à ce : ce qui fait que l'un va à la guerre, et que l'autre n'y va pas; c'eft ce même defir qui eft dans tous les deux, accompagné de différentes vues! La volonté ne fait jamais la moindre démarche que vers cet objet; c'est le motif de toutes les actions de tous les hommes, jufqù à ceux qui fe tuent et qui fe pendent.-S'il est ainfi, pourquoi donc y a-t-il fi peu d'heureux fur la terre ?" but: The fubfequent reflections are an answer to this question, and are well worth the reader's perufal, whether he be still cager in purfuit of happiness, or hath given over the purfuit, experimentally convinced it is unattainable. Sff 2 Campi Campi Phlegrai:-Or, Obfervations on the Volcanoes of the Two Sicilies. By Sir W. Hainilton, K. B. F. R. S. and Envoy Extraordinary of his Britannic Majefty at the Court of Naples. 2 vols. Folio. Naples, Sold by Cadell in London, Price 12 Guineas. A fplendid and magnificent work, comprehending a number of matterly engravings, from drawings, delineated on the spot, of the ftriking fcenes exhibited by the volcanoes in question. To thele engravings are annexed explanations, in letter-prefs, both in French and English, in feveral letters from the author to the Doctors Pringle, Morton, and Maty; formerly pub lifhed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society *. Effai particulier de politique, dans ce quel on propofe un Partage de la Turquie Européenne. Par M. C.-A fingular political Effay, in which is propofed a Partition of Turkey in Europe. 8vo. Paris, The spirit of partition having already manifested itself in Poland, the author of this effay proposes to several of the potentates on the continent, an appropriation and divifion of the Turkish dominions in Europe. His project is really fingular and extraordinary, the fuggeftion evidently of very extenfive political views; but, like moft fchemes of the kind, in a great measure chimerical. The Grand Seignior, however, is mightily obliged to our politician, for thus difpofing of his European ftates; which now coft him fo much care to preferve; of which trouble he would, in the cafe projected, be quite freed. Vocabulaire des Termes de Marine, Anglois et François.-A Vocabulary, French and English, of Terms made Ufe of in the Marine. 4to. Paris. The peculiarity of the technical terms, made ufe of in the practical arts, is in none fo great as in thofe of navigation and the marine fervice. The language of navigators, indeed, is little understood by their own countrymen, who are not feamen. It is no wonder, therefore, the terms of art of different nations fhould be unintelligible to each other; a circumstance this, which renders the prefent publication particularly useful to the French and English reader, An Octavo edition of thefe Letters, accompanied with engravings, was also published in 1772. Memoires |
