Come, penfive nun, devout and pure, MILTON When Froft and Fire with martial powers engag'd, breath age; his Open your ears; for which of you will ftop That the blunt monster with uncounted heads, SHAK. MINTUIG MO Northe Millions of opening mouths to Fame belong; She fills the peaceful universe with cries; By day from lofty towers her head the fhews: news. With court-informers haunts, and royal spies, This done relates, nor done the feigns; and min. gles truth with lies. Talk is her bufinefs; and her chief delight (But wond'rous light) ycleped Fame, That, like a thin camellon, boards And by their publick ufe to bring down And puppies whelp'd with twice two legs; FAIRY LAND. HUDIBRAS. THERE, muft thou wake perforce thy Doric quill; While airy minstrels warble jocund notes. Or ftretch'd on earth, the heart-fmit heifers lie. Such alry beings awe the untutor'd fwain: ཏྭཱ་ Nor thou, though learn'd, his homelier thoughts Let thy sweet Muse the rural faith sustain ; 18 USCOLLINS. There is an old tale goes, that Herne the hunter, And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain. In a moft hideous and dreadful manner : You have heard of fuch a fpirit: and well you know, The fuperftitious idle-headed eld Stempe This tale of Herne the hunter for a truth. SHAK. TO THE HERB ROSEMARY. BY HENRY KIRKE WHITE. Sweet scented flower who'rt wont to bloom On January's front severe, And o'er the wint'ry desert drear Come fun'ral flow'r! who lov'st to dwell Come press my lips, and lie with me And hark! the wind-god as he flies Sweet flow'r, that requiem wild is mine, A dying fragrance thou wilt o'er my ashes shed. Librum tuum legi & quam diligentissime potui annotavi, quæ commutanda, quæ eximenda, ar bitrarer. Nam ego dicere verum assuevi. Neque ulli patientius reprehenduntur, quam qui maxime laudari merentur.-Pliny. 20 ARTICLE 38. Volume I. Part I. of The New Cyclopedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, formed upon a more enlarged plan of arrangement than the Dictionary of Mr. Chambers; comprehending the various articles of that work, with additions and improvements; together with new subjects of biography, geography, and history; and adapted to the present state of literature and science. By Abraham Rees, D. D., F. R. S editor of the last edition of Mr. Chambers's Dictionary, with the assistance of eminent professional gentlemen. Illustrated with new plates, including maps, engraved for the work by some of the most distinguished artists. First American edition, revised, corrected, enlarged, and adapted to this country, by several literary and scientifick › characters.' 4to. Price of the half volume to subscribers $3. Philadelphia, printed by R. Carr for Samuel F. Bradford. THE character of Dr. Rees' Cyclopedia, as far as the volumes have been published, is so well known from the various English Reviews, which are regularly received in this country, that it would seem in a degree impertinent for us to enter into a formal examination of its merits. It will be more decorous in the young criticks of the New World, though to some members of the republick of letters (which like other republicks has its jacobins) it may appear slavish, to bow with deference to the judgment of the literary veterans of the Old Continent, who have, with few exceptions, expressed their warm approbation of the general execution of this work; and to this opinion we do, after an attentive perusal of the most important articles, very cheerfully subscribe. We shall therefore confine our remarks chiefly to a comparison of the American with the English edition, and to the correction of such typographical and other errors, as we have been able to detect in elther. And here we take pleasure in imparting to our readers, how much satisfaction we felt on the first view of the American edition, at the decisive and honourable testimony which it bore to the flourishing state of the arts of printing and engraving in our country. It is one of the few American editions, which, we can with truth say, is not surpassed by the English. Nor will we restrict our commendation to the mechanical execution of the volume before us; we have found useful additions made to some of the articles, which we shall take notice of in another part of our Review. But here commendation must stop ; for, to adopt an old sentiment, though we love our countrymen much, we love truth more ; and truth compels us to declare....that this American edition of the Cyclopedia appears to be, at least in respect to the original editors of it, in some degree, a literary fraud. How far the publisher, Mr. Bradford, holds himself responsible for the contents of this edition, we do not know; but we must say, that the manner in which it is to be conducted, judging from the present half-volume, throws no trifling weight of responsibility upon the gentlemen in this country, who superintend the editorial department; a responsibility; which we hope has not been the only motive for keeping their names from the publick. Strong as this language may appear, we trust the impartial reader will be satisfied, that it is not stronger, than is warranted by the facts, which we shall presently exhibit. The prospectus informs us, that the English edition is published une der the direction of Dr. Rees, the learned divine, whose name the work bears; and that he is assisted by about forty other distinguished European literary gentlemen, whose names are given to the publick, and who therefore stand pledged for the faithful execution of the work, and (what is of not less importance) for the principles maintained in it. Such is the work which the American publisher recommends to his subscribers; a work," the execution of which (to use the language adopted by him) is guaranteed by the respectable names," which he gives to the public from the English advertisement. Not content,however, with servilely copying the London edition, he promises, with a very commendable spirit of patriotism," amendment and addition in those parts, at least, which relate to the United States," and informs us, that "he "has engaged the assistance of gentlemen, whose talents and celebrity "do honour to their country, and will essentially enrich this important "work." These were the editor's promises, and they were probably dictated by patriotism as well as interest, and, we have had the charity to believe, were made with the sincere intention of fulfilling them. Yet (it is painful, but we must make the inquiry) how have these promises been fulfilled? Why, either by the most unfortunate misconception of the nature of his undertaking, or, what we are loth to believe, by a most daring disregard of his word, he presents the first half-volume to the publick almost without a single claim to patronage on the princi pal ground, upon which it had been recommended; we mean,....that it was to be a work guaranteed by the authority of Dr. Rees and his able coadjutors. The American editors must know, that it is not a work thus guaranteed; it is not a work resting upon the reputation of able and responsible European literati, who have not been afraid to give their names to the publick, as a pledge for the faithful performance of their undertaking. It is not, in short," Dr. Rees' Cyclopedia," but the Cyclopedia of Drs. X, Y, and Z, of Philadelphia, New-York, &c. So far is it from being Dr. Rees' work, that we can point out parts of it, which are palmed upon the publick as his, that are directly in con tradiction with what that gentleman has published in his own edition; sentiments which that learned divine, we venture to say, would not only disown, but would think it his duty to counteract by all the justifiable means in his power. No, this edition is the work of unknown and irresponsible" literary scientifick characters" (we take Mr. Bradford's word for the literature and science of the gentlemen) in our own country. The publisher has thus, by a strange fatality, if it was unintentional, completely destroyed what he had just before held out to his patrons, as one of the great excellences of this work....the authority it derived from the known talents and responsibility of the European gentlemen, who are engaged in it. The only mode, in which the authority (and, we should say, the chief value) of the work could be preserved, would have been to distinguish, by some obvious mark, every addition or variation in the American edition. We shall be told perhaps, that this is already done in part; this surely cannot be denied, but we must be allowed to add, that this partial designation is as mischievous as none at all, because some of the most material alterations are made, without being thus distinguished. The first article of importance, which has attracted our attention,is the life of the celebrated ABERNETHY. As this article is a fair specimen of the manner in which other parts of the work are mutilated, we shall exhibit it pretty much at large; and this will render a minute examinanion of many others unnecessary. We shall place the extracts from the two editions in opposite columns, and distinguish the variations by italicks. American edition. ABERNETHY JOHN. In 1703, after having been for some years at Dublin with a view to farther improvement he was ordained at Antrim; where his publick performances were much admired, and where his general conduct and distinguished attainments recommended him to the esteem of all who knew him. In 1716, &c. English edition. In 1703, after having been for some years at Dublin with a view to farther improvement he was ordained at Antrim; where his publick performances were much admired, and where his general conduct and distinguished attainments recommended him to the esteem of all who knew him. He was much respected not only by his brethren in the ministry, but by many of the laity, who were pleased with the urbanity of his manners. His talents and virtues gave him a considerable ascendency in the synod, so that he had a large share in the management of publick affairs. As a speaker he was considered as their chief ornament ; and he maintained his character in these respects and his interest in their esteem to the last, even when a change of his relig ious sentiments had excited the opposition of many violent antagonists. In 1716, &c. The interference of this assembly was repugnant to those sentiments of religious freedom which Mr. Abernethy had been lead to entertain by the exer cise of his own vigorous faculties and by an attention to the BANGORIAN Controversy which prevailed in England about this time. Many other ministers in the north of Ireland, formed more enlarged ideas of christian liberty and charity than they had been accustomed to do by means of the writings of Dr. Hoadly and his associates. With a view to the improvement of useful knowledge they instituted a society whose professed aim was to |