objection, namely, that should be reprefented by á; é would, however, be better expreffed by ; by 6, to distinguish it from the fimple Damma ('), as (a with Medla) might, on account of the resemblance, be denoted by 7. And fince the author fays that the ai is to be pronounced in the Arabic word bait, like the ai in the French word maître, it may very properly be reprefented by ai or ae. The a followed by a mute je, as in rama, is by Mr. V, written ä, the Si, the 9, as in the word fouk, w; and, which he fays is to be founded like in the French word môle, w, as in the Arabic fot. The fylla ble A he distinguishes from by the accent only. Upon the whole, we are of opinion, that the method of learning the Arabic, Perlic, and Turkish languages here recommended by Mr. V. may, after it has received fome improvements, be applied with advantage to commercial purpofes, for which a very moderate knowledge of them only is fufficient, though it certainly appears, from fimilar attempts that have already been made by Gry, in regard to the Hebrew, and by the late Sir W. Jones, with refpect to the Arabic language, that it is but ill-calculated to answer the views of the fcholar, who will, perhaps, not be fo ready to fubfcribe to the decifion of our author concerning Oriental MSS. that, "il en refle peu, qui méritent la peine d'apprendre leurs langues." P. 13. ITALY. ART. 76. Opere del Maffei. Tomo XII. 393 PP. Tomo XIII. 496 pp. in 8vo. Venice. ART. 77. Opere del Muratori; Tom. VII. 357 pp. ibid. Of these editions fome account has been given in a former number of the British Critic. In the 12th volume of Maffi we are prefented with his dramatic works; and, in the 13th, with that entitled Deila Scienza chiamata Cavalleresca Libri trẻ. The 7th volume of the works of Muratori contains the continuation of his Differtazioni fopra le Antichità Italiane. ART. 78. Biblioteca Ecclefiaftica, e di varia letteratura antica e moderna; 2 vols. 8vo. Pavia. Among the effays comprifed in this collection, there are none which çan be faid to be generally interefting, except, perhaps, thofe which are of an hiftorical defcription. To this clafs belong the firft article: Plan of fuch an improved Church-Difcipline as may easily be effected by Catholic Princes; a tranflation of which has been inferted in Henke's Archives Archives of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, Vol. I. ; as alfo the fecond, entitled, Tranfpadanic Letters, by Colombano Sottofagrista, a fictitious name, in defence of the Bp. of Piftoja, Scipic Ricci. In an Oratio in facris funebribus Imp. Jofepho II. perfolutis, bab. a Jofepho Zola, Colleg. Germ. Hung. Rect. in Archigymn. Ticin. his liberal notions concerning religion are juftly commended, with his endeavours to reform the difcipline of the church: "Non hic ego, fays the author, fingillatim atque ordine repetam, quæ is edixit atque conflituit, ut prava e-vellantur dogmata, fuoque nitori fides reftituatur; ut in omnibus una doctrina fervetur, unumque omnes fapiant in Chrifto Jefu; ut ne amplius otio diffluant facerdotes et monachi, fed laborent omnes in vinea domini; ut omnis auferatur occafi turpis quæftus; ut omnis fuperftitio tollatur; ut purus et integer fit Dei cultus, excitetur ac foveatur in omnium animis pietas; non illa pietatis umbra et ludificatio, quæ nititur hominum commentis, aut parietum ornatù Arepituque popularium feftivitatum abfolvitur, abfurda, tumultuoja et noxia, fed compofita ad veterem fimplicitatem, unde fentire quifque poffit adorandum maxime effe Deum in fpiritu et veritate; hæc nota funt omnibus, &c." On the ufe of the vernacular language in the performance of the religious fervice, by Prof. Pehem, of Vienna; tranflated from the German. In obitu Jofephi II. or. auctore Angelo Theodoro Villa, elogu. Prof. Ticin. Vita Hieron. Ferrii, Longianenfis, fcripta ab Ad. Barichevich, Croata et Prefb. Zagrabienfi. Ferri was Profeffor of Rhetoric at Ferrara, and died in the year 1786. His writings, which are here enumerated, relate chiefly to the literary history of Italy. Lodovico Ricci, on the life and writings of Jovita Rapiccio, a distinguished theological and claffical scholar of the fixteenth century; concerning whom, however, little information had before been tranfmitted to pofterity. In the fecond volume we meet with John Lanigan's (an Irish Profeffor of Divinity at Pavia) Method of introducing young Perfons, intended for holy Orders, to a Knowledge of the Scriptures. Anton. Muffi, Prof. Ticin. de libello infcripto: La lega della moderna Teologia colla Filofofia, judicium; which is here characterised as the production of a Molinift. Obfervations of a Country Clergyman on the Catechifm, entitled: Inftitutio Chriftiana. The following extract may ferve as a fpecimen of this Catechifm. Queftion: How muft the fign of the Holy Crofs be made? Answer: The perfon muft lift up his right hand to his forehead, and fay, In Nomine Patris; he must then drop it below. his ftomach, adding et Filii; and, laftly, he must pass it to the right and left fide, with the words et Spiritus Sandi. Queftion: Why muft the fign of the Crofs be made in this manner? Answer: To point out the myfteries of the facred Trinity, and of the incarnation of the Son of God. For this reafon, when the hand is directed towards the forehead, the words in Nomine Patris are used, inafmuch as the Father is the principle of both the other divine perfons: the name of the Son is mentioned when the hand is placed below the ftomach, the Son having been begotten from eternity by the Father, and born in time from the womb of the virgin; and, finally, the hand is moved to the right and left, to fhow that the Holy Ghoft proceeds both from the Father and the Son." Ge. Sicardi on the power of Abfolution.-Admonition by Clem. Vannetti' to the Teachers in the Latin School at Revereds, on the practice of converfing in the Latin language, as alfo on poetry and rhetoric.-Two Letters by M. Ant. Flaminius, on fimilar fubjects; and, laftly, an Effay, by the abovementioned Jovita Rapitius de Scholarum inftauratione. GERMANY. ART. 79. Befchreibung der Religion und heiligen Gebrauche der Malabarifchen Hindous, nach Bemerkungen in Hind flan gesammelt.-Defeription of the Religion and facred Rites of the Malabaric Hindoos, compiled from Obfervations made in Hindoftan. Berlin. Part I.—IV. We are informed, at the end of the fourth part, that this work was written by the late Mr. Ziegenbalg, a miffionary in the Eaft-Indies, and that it has been occafionally improved, both in the ftyle, and fome other refpects, by the prefent anonymous editor. The whole exhibits a fhort fketch only of Indian Theology. The author acknowledges the purity of the Indian notions concerning the Supreme Being, though he does not think it neceffary to alert that they were in lehted for them to the Chriftian religion. An account of them is given in the first part. In thofe which follow, Mr. Z. treats of the fubordinate, as he does in the third part, more especially, of the Tutelary Deities; and, in the fourth, to which two laft we thall here confine ourfelves, of the Derwerkels, the Dewalogum, and the 48,000 prophets. The Tutelar Deities are called Kiramadewadrigöl, and confift entirely of females, one only excepted. They were at first the more immediate attendants on the fupreme Deity, but were, on account of their pride, afterwards driven into the lower world, where they are commiffioned to protect mankind from the devils and giants, over whom they are entrafted with the command. At the end of the world they will be restored to their former elevated rank. To each deity is affigned annually his own peculiar feftival. As they are, however, fo much converfant with devils, fuch animals only are facrificed to them, as are held to be unclean. Nor is it ufual for a Bramin priest to officiate in the pagodas of thefe deities. Indeed those treated of in the fourth part have no pagodas, nor any peculiar religious fervice paid to them. Notwithstanding this they are greatly honoured, and fome of the ceremonies which take place in the facrifices made to the other deities, have a reference to them. By Dewalogum is meant the World of Deities, one of the fourteen into which the Indians divide the univerfe. In this are placed the Dewerkels, the number of whom amounts to 330,000,000. The prophets, who, as well as the Dewerkels, are reckoned among the inhabitants of this world, have, by means of certain religious acts performed by them, obtained very extraordinary privileges, can instantaneously transfer themfeives from one place to another, require neither meat, drink, nor fleep, and have imparted to the world great myfteries, fuch as the knowledge of facred things, the different modes of penance and forms of prayer, the books of the law, together with other matters appertaining to religion. The deities have likewife their particular fervants, who play on mufical inftruments, ftruments, and are provided with wings. This part concludes with an account of their feftivals and facrifices, with their drink, incenfe, and meat offerings. Jena ALZ. ART. 80. Paufanie Gracie defcriptis. Grace. Recenfuit ex codd. et aliunde emendavit Joh. Frider. Facius. Tom. I. 1794; 592 PP. Tom. II. 1795; 518 pp. in 1. Svo. (Pr. 3 Rixd. 12 gr.) Leipzig. An hundred years have now elapfed fince the appearance of the last, which was only the third, Greek edition of Paufanias, notwithstand, ing the great, and generally acknowledged, importance of the works of this author, both to the hiftorian and the antiquary, Hitherto the Greek text of Aldus has been the only one which the later editors have followed; they have, however, and more particularly Sylburgius, (one of the most learned and ingenious philological scholars of his time) as alfo Kühn, from the obfervations of Cafaubon, contributed not a little either to restore paffages evidently corrupt, to their original purity; or, at leaft, to point out to the reader the defects and inaccuracies by which the work was disfigured, which they have fupplied and corrected by happy conjectures. Nor, indeed, does the new editor undertake to give a complete reformation of the text, though he has, through the favour of Prof. Heyne, availed himself of two MSS.; one belonging to the library at Vienna, and the other to that at Mofcow, which, in general, differ from the printed work in trilling matters only,; or, at the moft, ferve but to confirm the emcn lations of Sylburgius. By the prefent editor no readings are admitted into the text, but fuch as bear incontrovertible marks of being genuine. But, among the diftinguishing merits of this edition may be reckoned the changes introduced into the punctuation, by which an entirely different, and better fenfe is given to many paffages; the fhort, but comprehenfive, fummaries prefixed to each chapter; the ingenious explanation and improved verfions of many heretofore obfcure periods, and, laftly, the numerous citations from other writers who have treated of the fame fubjects. We are forry, therefore, that we cannot give to this edition our unqualified teftimony of approbation, as we find it deficient in the following articles, which we conceive to be effential to its perfection. First, there are wanting many of the obfervations in the edition of Kühn, which ferve materially to the elucidation of the work; fecondly, brief accounts, befides the quotations, of those things in regard to which other writers differ from Paufanias, whom the reader may often not have opportunity, and fometimes, perhaps, not the inclination, to confult. This is one of the principal excellencies of the editions of ancient authors, publifhed by Weffeling, Heyne, and Schweighaüfer, and as Kühn himself had by no means been inattentive to this object, his edition of Paufanias, will certainly not be fuperfeded by this which is now before us. The third omiffion which we fhall notice is, that of the Latin Tranflation, which, even to the best Greek fcholars, might have been occafionally useful, and which is the more neceffary here, as it is frequently referred to in the notes. These two volumes comprife eight books of Paufanias, the temaining two, together with the Indexes, being referved for the third volume. ART. 81. Bibliche Encyclopédie, oder, Exegetisches Wörterbuch über die fämtlichen Hülfsriffenfchaften des Auflegers, nach den Bedürfniffen jetziger Zeit. Durch eine Gefellschaft von Gelehrten. Zweyter Band. E. bis L. Biblical Encyclopedia; or, An Exegetical Dictionary of the Sciences neceffary to the (Biblical) Expofitor, adapted to the Exigencies of the prefent Times. By a Society of learned Men. Vol. II. E. L. 594 PP. 8vo. Gotha. (See Brit. Crit. Vol. VI. Dec. 1795. p. 687.) 66 This continuation refembles the first volume, both in regard to its merits and its defects. If, on the one hand, it contains one hundred and feventeen new articles not to be found in the Bibl. Reallexicon, we have obferved, on the other, that one hundred and fifty-nine are wanting here, which appear in that work, feveral of which are of confiderable importance. Of the three perfons who contributed to the first volume, namely, L., H*ft., Schm., the two first only remain in this which is now before us, the place of the laft being fupplied by another who figns himfelf R. R*. R**. and R—s. Some articles contain more, and others lefs than what might have been wish.d. Under the head Greek Verfion, in the Library of St. Mark at Venice, nothing is faid of the editions by Villoifon and Ammon, nor, of course, of the many conjectures, opinions, and critiques of different learned men in regard to them. Again, under the word Harmony, we fhould have expected to find a more clear and fatisfactory defcription of it, together with fome account of its feveral fpecies. No mention is likewife made of the harmony of the books of the O. T. In the article Gerber (Tanner) it is remarked, that Pliny fpeaks of one Tychius of Baotia, as the first discoverer of this art, after which the author proceeds; even Homer records a perfen who understood this bufinefs, and who, in that heroic age, was famous for his mode of preparing and working leather." One fhould, therefore, be led to imagine that Homer, in the place alluded to, fpeaks of fome other man. It is, however, fill the fame Tychius, of Hyla, in Bastia, whofe name Homer has immortalized in his poem, in return for the hofpitality which he had shown him, as we may understand from a paffage, II. VII. 220, not quoted by the author. After all, this Tychius is not here called a Tanner (βυρσοδέψης) but σκυτοτομος, a worker in leather. In p. 237 is repeated the opinion, for which there appears to be no foundation, that, in the time of our Saviour, the Jews were accustomed to reprefent Hell under the idea of exceffive cold, whence the expreffion of bowling and gnashing of teeth, Matth. xiii. 43. Among the qualifications required by the ancients in a king, were reckoned, fays the writer of that article, p. 452, not only beauty and trength of body, but alfo a fuperior degree of understanding and eloquence; that they fhould be perfons, according to Lucretius, Lib. V. V. 1110 comp. with v. 1104, Ingenio qui præftabant et corde vigebant, Pro facie cujufque et viribus ingenioque. Nam facies multum valuit cirefque vigebant. This article is undoubtedly copied from Eichorn's Bibliothek, |