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noble and generous emulation. Mr. Roffel frequently afcribes ac tions and events, indeed, to a spirit of patriotifm, which were owing to ambition, jealoufy, refentment, and interested views; his work, however, has great merit; is written in a fprightly and agreeable manner; and contains a clear and diftinct view of the most important and interesting parts of the French hiftory. His ftyle is well fuited to his plan; his characters are generally well drawn, and the reader will be much pleased with many of his obfervations, which fhew him not only to be a good citizen, but to be a man of sense and judg

ment.

ART. XI.

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Nouvelle Bibliotheque de Campagne, au Choix d'Episodes interessans et curieux, &c.

A felect Collection of interefting and curious Epifodes, taken from the beft Romances, both ancient and modern. 3 Vols. 12mo. Paris, 1769.

This a very entertaining mifcellany; it contains the most interefting episodes of the old French romances, which being feldom read, will be new to the generality of readers. The Compilers have abridged, altered, and corrected the ftyle of them, and endeavoured, at the fame time, to preferve, as much as poffible, the manner of the original writers. Befides thefe, they have inferted a great number of epifodes from the principal modern romances, and a few from fome of the beft poems both ancient and modern, fuch as the Iliad, Æneid, Thomson's Seafons, &c. &c. As to the arrangement of thefe extracts, they have not confined themfelves to the chronological order, but confulted the pleasure and amusement of their readers :-C'eft un parterre, fay they, où l'on attáchè de rèpandre de la diverfitè, par le contrafte des fleurs qu'on a soin de rapprocher les unes des autres.-The remainder of the work, we are told, is in the press, and will be published foon.

ART. XII.

R

Variétès Littéraires, ou Recueil de Pieces tant Originales que traduites. A Collection of Miscellaneous Pieces, partly original, partly tranflated, concerning Philofophy, Literature, and the Arts. 4 Vols. 12mo. Paris, 1769.

We are indebted to Meffrs Arnaud and Suard for this very curious and valuable collection, which contains a great variety of entertaining and inftructive pieces on different fubjects of literature, the greatest part of which have already appeared in the Journal Etranger and Gazette Litteraire. In the advertisement prefixed to the fourth volume, we are told, that they are all carefully revised and corrected, and that feveral pieces are added that were never printed before.

We shall mention the titles of a few of them, that our Readers may form fome idea of what is contained in the Collection :-A Differtation upon Languages. An Historical Effay concerning the Origin and Progrefs of the English Theatre. Reflections on the Prefent State of Italian Poetry. The Life of Pontanus. An Effay on the Life of Horace.

Horáce. A Differtation concerning the Philofophy of the antient Etrufci. A comparative View of the antient and modern Greeks. Reflections upon History, and particularly upon Mr. Hume's History of England. A Letter concerning Dr. Smollet's Travels. Reflections upon Grace in Works of Art. Obfervations on the Character of Xenophon. A Difcourfe concerning the Origin and Viciffitudes of Verfe. A Difcourfe concerning Philofophical Poems. Reflections concerning the Nature and Origin of Mixt Sentiments. A Difcourfe concerning Roman Eloquence. Reflections upon the Imitation of the Greek Artists in Painting and Sculpture. Concerning Juftinian and his Laws. A Letter concerning the Origin and Antiquity of Glafs. A Difcourfe upon Terence. Reflections on Italian Literature; the Greek Tragedy; Petrarchs Poetry, &c. &c. Tranflations of fome of Young's Night-Thoughts; fome of Offian's Poems; Gray's Church-yard Elegy, &c. &c.-These pieces make only a small part of this excellent miscellany.

ART. XIII.
Antiquitès de la Grece.

R

The Antiquities of Greece in general, and of Athens in particular. By Lambert Bos; with Notes by M. Frederic Leifner. 12mo Paris, 1769.

We have here a translation of a very useful work, which we recommend to the perufal of fuch of our Readers as are unacquainted with it, and are defirous of understanding the Greek writers.-The Author was Greek-profeffor in the univerfity of Franeker, and well known in the republic of letters, having published several philological works, which gained him confiderable reputation. The work now before us is divided into four parts; the first treats of the Religion of the Greeks, the fecond of their Civil Government, the third of their Military Government, and the fourth of their Private Life.The notes are valuable, as the Reader is referred in them to the proper authorities for almost every thing contained in the work.

ART. XIV.

R Projet d'une Réforme à faire en Italie, au Moyens de corriger les Abus les plus dangereux, et de réformer les Loix les plus pernicieuses, etablies en Italie.

A Plan for a Reformation in Italy; tranflated from the Italian. 12mo. Amsterdam, 1769.

An advertisement is prefixed to this tranflation, in which we are told, that the original was ordered to be publicly burnt in Italy, and that a German tranflation, though received with great applaufe in feveral parts of the empire, was ordered to be burnt in others.-The original we have not feen, and can only fay in regard to the tranfiation, that it has much the air of an original work. The Author (who he is we know not) writes in a very bold and fpirited manner, and like one who feels ftrongly for the diftreffes and calamities of his country, but his zeal often carries him beyond the bounds of truth

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and decency. The irregular lives of the clergy, the fuperftition of the people, the languishing ftate of agriculture, commerce, arts, and manufactures, and the corrupt adminiftration of justice, are the fources, he tells us, of all the calamities under which Italy labours. There is, undoubtedly, too much truth in what this Author advances; and there are many irregularities and abufes which ought to be corrected, both in the civil and ecclefiaftical government of his country; but his complaints would have had more weight, and made a much deeper impreffion, if they had been urged with more temper and moderation. Notwithstanding his illiberal manner, however, the reader will be much pleased with many things in his book; his obfervations are often very juft and ftriking, and expreffed with great force and energy.

ART. XV.

R.

Synonimes François; par M. l'Abbè Girard, nouvelle Edition confiderablement augmentée, et enrichie de Notes; par M. Beauzée, Professeur de Grammaire à l'Ecole Royale Militaire.

A new Edition of Abbè Girard's Synonimes François, confiderably enlarged, &c. By M. Beauzèe, Grammatical Profeffor in the Royal Military School. 2 Vol. 12mo Paris, 1769.

• This work of Abbè Girard is fo well known, and fo highly esteemed, that it is altogether unneceffary for us to fay any thing by way of commendation of it. We have here a new edition of it with feyenty four new articles, feventy of which, we are told, are taken from the Author's papers, which he left to M. le Breton, his printer and his friend; the other four are taken from his Vrais Principes de la Langue Françoife. The firft of the two volumes now before us is entirely the Author's, excepting fome notes which M. Beauzee has added. The fecond volume contains a great number of articles taken from La Bruyere, M. Duclos, and the Encyclopedie, to which M. Beauzee has added feveral of his own, that are not unworthy to appear with the others, and which shew his taste and accurate knowledge of the French language.

ART. XVI.

Dictionnaire Hiftorique des Femmes celebres,

R..

An Hiftorical Dictionary of celebrated Ladies. 8vo. 2 Vols.

Paris, 1769.

What! more dictionaries ftill! Yes, more dictionaries still; and, furely, it must have appeared ftrange, indeed, if, in an age and country fo remarkable for gallantry, no writer had been found, who had generofity enough to tranfmit to pofterity the names of fuch of the fair fex as have diftinguished themfelves by their virtues and their talents.

This work contains upwards of three thousand articles, and many more might be added which he has omitted; fome zealous advocate for the honour of the fex will, no doubt, take the pains to collect them, and erect another trophy to female virtue and genius.

It is not for the intereft of female virtue that female frailty should be forgotten; accordingly our Author, befides the many inftances he

has

has produced of chastity, conjugal love ad fidelity, piety, valour, generofity, firmnefs, benevolence, &c. has collected a few examples of female infirmity. He has confulted a great variety of authors, and generally adopted their language, which answers a double purpose ;it gives a greater variety to the ftyle of the work, and faves the Author a great deal of trouble. R.

ART. XVII.

In Victoriam Gallorum invifam de Pafcalo Paullo, magno Libertatis Corficane Defenfore, Proditorum Perfidia relatam.

A Poem on the infamous Victory gained by the French over Pascal Paoli, the magnanimous Defender of the Liberty of Corfica. By Peter Burman. 4to. Pamphlet, 16 Pages. Leyden, 1769.

This poem is the reverse of an Epinikion; for not the victors, but the vanquished, are the fubjects of the encomium. It is addreffed to the celebrated General Paoli, on the lofs of Corfica; and, in point of ftyle, it most resembles Ovid's Epiftles from Pontus. It breathes a fpirit of liberty as well as of poetry throughout, and is free from those fervile parodies and imitations that are the difgrace of the modern Latin verse.

ART. XVIII.

L.

Lettres fur la Depravation de l'Ordre Legal. Tome I. Et Lettres fur la Reftauration de l'Ordre Legal. Tome II. 12mo. Amsterdam, 1769.' Thefe Letters, on the Corruptions that crept into the first Laws of Society, and on the Means of restoring thofe Laws to their original Purity,' are afcribed to Rouffeau, and it must be owned that they have

ch of his liberal and fpeculative manner. They are nothing more, however, than mere political reveries, as vague and useless as the dreams of Harrington and More. But they breathe a spirit of humanity, and a love of the natural rights of mankind. It appears from an advertisement that they have been published periodically in fome foreign Journals. Annexed to the fecond volume is a piece, profeffedly the work of Mr. Rouffeau. It is a difcourfe on the following question: "What are the virtues that constitute the hero who were the heroes that poffeffed those virtues ?"

ART. XIX.

and

Ն.

Reflexions fur les Maurs, fur la Religion et fur le Culte. Reflections upon Morals, Religion, and public Worship. By J. Vernet, Profeffor of Divinity. 8vo. Geneva, 1769.

Though M. Vernet, in this work, has the welfare and happiness of his country folely in view, yet we cannot help recommending it to the perufal of our Readers. It contains many excellent things which are applicable to every country, and peculiarly feasonable in the prefent times. We fee a venerable old man pleading the cause of religion with a perfpicuity and ftrength of argument that do honour to his abilities, and with a warmth and earnestnefs that fhew the goodnefs of his heart, and fincerity of his intentions. He defcribes, very

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clearly and diftinctly, the sharafter and conduct of modern fceptics and infidels, and fhews, in a striking manner, the fatal influence of their principles upon fociety.-In a word, his performance breathes the spirit of piety and patriotism throughout.

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R.

Young's Night-Thoughts, tranflated into French by M. le Tourneur. 8vo. 2 Vols. Paris, 1769.

Such of our Readers as are well acquainted with the genius of the French language must be very fenfible of the difficulty of M. Le Tourweur's undertaking, which he has executed, however, with great ability. He appears to be a man of genius, found judgment, and good tafte; there is fomething, too, in his turn of thought, and in the boldness and energy of his ftyle, that renders him peculiarly qualified for fuch a talk as that of tranflating Dr. Young.

In a preliminary discourse, he gives a very just character of the author and his works; he acknowledges that the Night-Thoughts abound with faults, but affirms, at the fame time, that a more fublime elegy was never compofed on the miseries of mortality, nor a monument erected where the principal beauties of poetry, and the fublimeft truths of religion and morality appear with so much luftre.

What gives frequent difguft to every reader of tafte in the NightThoughts, is the turning and twisting of the fame fentiment into a thousand different fhapes. The Tranflator, very judiciously, has taken great liberty with his Author in this respect. J'ai élague, fays he, toutes ces fuperfluités, et je les ai rassemblées à la fin de chaque nuit, fous le titre de notes, qui ne font mes remarques, mais l'amas des ces fragmens que j'ai mis au rebut, et de tout ce qui m'a paru bizarre, trivial, mauvais, répété et deja présenté fous des images beaucoup plus belles.

AR T. XXI.

R. Lettres de quelques Juifs Portugais et Allemands à M. de Voltaire. Letters from fome Portuguefe and German Jews to M. Voltaire, with critical reflections, &c. 8vo. Paris, 1769.

Voltaire, it is well known to all his readers, has, in many parts of his works, treated the Jews with great feverity. He reprefents them as an ignorant and barbarous race, who have long joined the most infamous avarice to the most deteftable fuperftition, and the most outrageous batred of all thofe nations that tolerate and enrich them. He has publicly acknowledged, however, that this charge is unjust, and promifed to Mr. Pinto to correct and alter fome things in relation to the Jews, in the next edition of his works -The letters now before us are written with much more decency, politenefs, and temper, than are generally to be met with in controverfial writings; they likewife fhew the Authors to be men of learning, candour, and good fenfe. They treat Voltaire with great refpect, but point out many mistakes, inconfiftencies, contradictions, and mifreprefentations, in what he has advanced concerning the Jews, and the writings of the Old Testament.

by Abbi Guònée ; not by hor.

written by

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