is learned, must be drawn from that fource: but this is fo fat from being the fact in England, that the great body of students at Oxford and Cambridge, which is compofed of those who refide only till they take their first degree, never, during any part of their refidence, think of applying to the profeffors for information of any fort. They never fuppofe that their inftruction is to come thence. Of the undergraduates, if here and there one attend any profefior's lectures, it is confidered as a kind of novelty. Many of them, when they leave college, are perhaps hardly able to tell fo much as the name of a fingle profeffor. It is well known that the tutors, public and private, and not the profeffors, are the difpenfers of that knowlege which is commonly fought in an English university.

In the fame fuperficial manner, does the author glofs over the complaints that are daily made by all, and heavily felt by parents, of the enormous expences of an univerfity education. He tells us (p. 9) that the expenditure in the articles of provifion, hair-dreffing, room-rent, wafhing, attendants, tutorage, public lectures, college and univerfity dues, and the neceffary concomitants of an academic life, are extremely low and inconfiderable. This is all very true: but what is it to the purpofe? It is not the neceffary, but the unneceffary, expence, of which complaint is made: that expence which no difcipline will ever prevent; no ftatutes ever reftrain. To fuch feeble and ineffectual checks, the active emulation and ingenuity of youth, unoccupied by proper objects, will always bid defiance. In a word, the needlefs expence is that which can only be obviated by feriously fixing the attention, and engaging the heart, in the caufe of literature. To effect this end, public examinations fhould be held, fo frequent as conftantly to keep alive the hopes and fears of thofe who are to undergo them; fo general as to include all ranks of ftudents; and fo diverfified, as to give fcope for every fpecies of literary merit.

We have already delivered our opinion, however, on this head, in our account of Mr. Knox's letter. We fhall, therefore, here only obferve, that though no one can entertain higher ideas of the great virtue and great learning that adorn our English universities, than we do, we nevertheless think it vain to deny that they are difgraced by much vice, and much ignorance. That thefe evils might be very confiderably alleviated by a judicious reform, is certain. That, in time, they might be nearly annihilated, is probable. At all events, it is unqueftionable, that thofe members of the universities do not beft confult the honour and intereft of thefe venerable foundations, who ftrive to palliate and varnish over their defects, but thofe who ftudy and labour to amend them. Pe...e. ART.

ART. IX. A Differtation concerning two Odes of Horace, which have been difcovered in the Palatine Library at Rome. 4to. PP. 40. 2s. 6d. Robin fons.

THE

1789.

HE firft enquiry among scholars, to whom these two odes, faid to be written by Horace, are prefented, must neceffarily be concerning their authenticity: what proof is there, that they are really his? In anfwer to this queftion, the editor tells us, that they were difcovered about eleven years fince, by M. Pallavicini, in the Palatine library at Rome; and that they were first published at the end of the addenda in animadverfionibus ad Longi Paftoralia, by M. de Villoifon. As these circumftances, however, carry little conviction to the mind of any one, fome internal evidence is next required. The first of the odes is addrefled to Julius Florus; and much pains are here bestowed in proving that Horace had engaged to fend fome of his odes to this Julius Florus; and that therefore it followsWhat? not that he actually did fend the odes; for, if the writer before us had read the epiftle to which he refers, and which is the fecond of the fecond book, he would have found that Horace there excufes himself from writing any odes, or indeed any kind of poetry. He might have learned too, that this epiftle was one of Horace's latest productions, and therefore could not poffibly be written previously, as is afferted, to this ode, which itfelf is afterward faid to have appeared in his first publication.

The editor is not more fortunate in his attempt to prove the originality of the second ode; in fome refpects, indeed, he may be faid to be more unlucky, as it is from this ode that he endeavours to fhew that both were written when Horace was yet a young candidate for fame, and that they actually made the two laft odes in his first book, or publication, which he takes as the fame thing. This ode is addreffed Ad librum fuum ;' and in it Horace is reprefented as difpelling the fears, which might be fuppofed to attend a firft introduction into the world; and thence it is argued that the author must have been young and timorous when he wrote it. In the fame manner it might be proved that the last epiftle of the first book, (from which, by the bye, this ode feems partly to be copied,) was compofed when Horace was young; whereas he there tells us he was fortyfour years of age. If this newly found ode was written after the odes in the first book were compofed, and if it was intended, as is afferted, to ufher that book into the world, it must have been written in, or after, Horace's 54th year, fince in that year was compofed the firft ode of the first book, addrefled to Mæcenas. How unwifely then does the author talk, when he fpeaks of the effect of reading this ode, with the laft odes of

the

the fecond and third books, in regular fucceffion, by which we are not only convinced, that the different works (Libri!) of Horace, were feparately publifhed; but we are ftruck with the most evident marks of increafing courage, and progreffive confidence, in the merits of his works, and of his future fame?" The author's palmary argument, (to ufe a fashionable expreflion,) is as follows. I think it may be concluded, that two odes were certainly wanting to complete the first book, from the particular attention of Horace, to form each book, that is adorned, as it were, with a peroration, of a regular number of odes: thus the fecond book has twenty, the third book thirty, and the first book of epiftles twenty; it is therefore very probable, that the first book of odes was originally composed of forty!' Who fhall withftand fo convincing an argument? It is in vain to urge, that the number of odes in each book is not, of neceffity and by a kind of law, obliged to be divifible by 10; becaufe the first book has 38 odes; the 4th book has 15; and the Epodes 17. What then? Alas, thefe books are not adorned, as it were, with a peroration!'

From what has been faid, it will appear that every reader muft form his own judgment concerning the authenticity of thefe poems, from their contents. opinion is, that they are more likely to be imitations of Horace, After a careful perufal, our than to have been compofed by him: but, at all events, if he were allowed to be the author, they can add nothing to his fame.

0.

ART. X. The Medallic Hiftory of England to the Revolution. With Forty Plates. 4to. pp. 112. 21. 2s. in Boards. Edwards. 1790.

OF F the plan and the principles on which this book is formed,

the following account is given in the preface:

This work is the firft which lays before the reader a complete feries of English medals down to the revolution. his Numifmata, published many English medals, and about the Mr. Evelyn, in middle of this century, Mr. Perry engraved fome plates of them; but Mr. Snelling's plates greatly exceeded all former attempts in this way.

The publishers of the prefent work have improved upon Mr. Snelling's plan, in fupplying his deficiencies, and giving a defcription with the plates. Their expence has been confiderable, and the fruit of it is now fubmitted to the public.

Mr. Snelling's collection, though meritorious, was fo incomplete, that more than a third of the plates now appear for the first time, and in thofe, fome of the moil rare and curious medals are contained.

If we except the medals of the Popes, this collection may boat of being the first genuine and complete one of its kind. Notwithflanding

ftanding the eminence of France in books of science, must be acknowledged, yet that country has, as yet, only the fabulous and imaginary works of De Bie and Typotius, and a few detached plates by Le Clerc. Germany, Spain, and the other countries of Europe, have no collection of this kind, though all muft allow that its importance to the hiftory and arts of a country ought to render it a national object every where.'

As there are no contemporary medals of English fovereigns till the reign of Henry VIII, the 1ft and 2d plates are properly enough made up from the medals of Daffier, an artist whose performances will always be admired for the excellence of their execution, how little likenefs foever they may bear to the monarchs whom they are intended to reprefent.

The 3d plate begins with the contemporary medals; and here the first piece with which we are prefented, is the celebrated Jetton or Counter, ftruck in France for the wardrobe of King Edward III, and circumfcribed Garderobe Regis. The rest then follow pretty nearly in order, till we come to the year 1688.

Of a work of this kind, which is little more than a mere catalogue of legends and names, it is impoffible to have much to fay. The book is printed in a capital ftyle. The plates are well executed. The paper is equal to the type and engravings; and the whole, taken together, forms a very beautiful volume for a gentleman's library.

In a publication of fo much expence, we are forry to fee any thing deferving of cenfure: but, though we shall not af fert with a brother critic, that the infcriptions, French and English, are all erroneously tranflated, yet truth obliges us to declare, that they are, in general, but very badly, or to borrow a school phrafe, very baldly done; and that many of them are totally mistaken. Of this kind, is the tranflation of the word rutilans, page II, which, inftead of fplendid, fhould have been red, reddening, or ruddy; of bar for board, page 14; and the whole of the legend of the fame number. Mayeft for fhalt, page 16. The for its, ibid. For inftead of with, ibid. Why for that, page 20. Straw for bay, page 21. Confound for flay, page 22. Will for is, ibid. The whole of the Legend No. 2, plate xii, &c. &c. &c. It grieves us to add, that toward the end they become much worse.

Nor do the plates always accord with the reading. Of this we have a proof in page 8, No. 10, page 23, No. 5, page 64, Nos. 7, 9, and in other places.

Whatever additions have been made to our old friend and mafter, Snelling, (in this branch of fcience, of most respectable memory,) we muft ftill pronounce the prefent collection REV. Nov. 1790.

X

very

very deficient. Even from our own little repofitory, we could have supplied fome, and we have feen many more, that were worthy of notice.

Should the magnificence of this publication, which is really deferving of encouragement, bring it to a fecond edition, we hope to fee its prefent errors and defects remedied; and we would advise, in such case, to have the feveral pieces diftinguished by the ufual marks of the inetals, of which they are compofed. We mean E for Es. Ar. for Argentum; and A. for Aureus or Aurum. We recommend thefe particulars the more warmly, because we know of no perfons more deferving the favour of the public, than the gentlemen concerned in this work, whether confidered for their printing, or drawing, in the laft of which they have very few equals.

Tho.

ART. XI. A defcriptive Account of the Island of Jamaica: By William Beckford, Efq; Author of Remarks on the Situation of Negroes in Jamaica. In Two Volumes. 8vo. Vol. I. pp. 464. Vol. II. pp 405. 12s. Boards. Egertons. 1799.

A GENTLEMAN, refident for feveral years in Jamaica, and

largely concerned in its plantations and traffic, must be able to afford the public a juft account of this important part of the British dominions; efpecially if, to natural capacity, he adds, as Mr. Beckford appears to do, the improvements of reading, fcientific inquiry, and obfervation. The volumes before us, accordingly, contain much valuable information, and cannot fail of affording amufement and pleasure to the reader, though they do not form a perfect production.

It would be eafy to point out feveral blemishes; fome of which, at least, might have been corrected, or prevented, with but little trouble to the writer; there are inftances in which the ftyle is inaccurate, or awkward and obfcure; at other times it appears inflated or affected; occafionally, the digreffions are tirefome, and the prolixity is unpleafant; repetitions frequently occur; and the defcriptions, though interefting and expreffive, may confift too much of poetical prose for some ears, or approach too near to bombaft:-on fuch accounts, the work lies open to cenfure, and may poffibly try the patience of the reader; who will yet, if good-natured, be inclined to make confiderable allowances for an author, who evidently writes under deep depreffion of fp rits and perturbation of mind. He is himself aware of the defects attending his performance, and offers his apology:

*See Review, vol. lxxix. p. 69-70.

I have,