tunately bordered upon France. The infulting pre-eminence main+ tained by their nobility, the opinion that France was actually upholding the rights of men againit fuch fictitious diftinctions; and, perhaps, ftill more, the indifcretion, the immorality, and the remains of overbearing pride manifefted by the fwarms of French emigrants who flocked to their courts, and were entertained with fome expence by their princes, all thefe confiderations wrought upon the minds of the bulk of the people, and conciliated, if not the partiality, at least the connivance of the unthinking, who are always the most numerous part of a nation. The author undertakes with much zeal and energy to controvert thefe and other fpecious motives, which have either lulled men into a callous indifference, concerning the confequences to be dreaded from the promulgation of French principles; or even feduced them to a tacit approbation of the purposes pointed out as the objects of them. But befides that events have, fince the publication of this treatife, aforded arguments much more cogent than any that may be adduced by the moft skilful literary advocate; we abftain from detaining our readers any longer on this fubject, as what is farther urged applies chiefly to Germany; and what may concern us and operate conviction among thofe of our own countrymen, who, though misled, may ftill be fufficiently unbiaffed to yield to conviction, has already been amply difcuffed by various and very able writers of this country. ITALY. very ART. 28. Paraphrafis Pfalmorum poëtica, autore G. Ferrich. R.; cui accedit altera in utriufque Teftamenti cantica. Ragufa. Pref. xii, Pf. 288. Cant. 35 pp. 4to. The Abbé had originally intended to have rendered the whole of the Book of Palms into Hexameter verfe, till he was convinced by his july celebrated countryman, Mr. Benedict Stay, that fuch an uniformity of meafure could not but be ill adapted to poems differing fo widely in their fpecific characters, and each of which might be faid to conftitute a whole. In conformity, therefore, to this advice, he has given to each Pfalm that meafure which appeared to him the beft fuited to its contents, fo that he has in this work had recourfe not only to thofe ufed by the ancient Latin poets, but likewife by the Christian writers of hymns. With regard to the fenfe, he has then only allowed himself to depart from the Vulgate (which is printed in the margin' when the original text, or the ancient verfions, fuggefted what le conceived to be a better interpretation. To each palm is profixed a fhort introduction, pointing out the author, the occafion on which it was written, and, in a few inftances, the application of the palages in the New Teftament. The notes, which are fhort, are intended chiefly to affign the reafons by which the tranflator was not unfrequently induced to deviate from the Vulgate; though they fometimes extend to a greater length on particular pieces (as Exod. xv. Deut. xxxii. Judges v. 1 Sam. ii. Isaiah xii and xxxviii. Habac. iii. Dan. iii.) which are printed at the end of the volume, We We fhall here fubjoin an extract or two from these translations, taken from the beginning of different pfalms. Pfalm CXXX (according to the Vulgate CXXIX.) Dum malorum fluctibus Tu benignas invocanti Lenis aures commoda. Pfalm CXXXVII (CXXXVI.) Extorres dulci a patria dum forte fedemus Pfalm CXVII. (CXVI.) That the verfion muft, after all the labour he has bestowed on it, in general, fall infinitely fhort of the original, the author is very ready to allow, for which he excufes himself in the following words of another poet: Jeffa quifquis reddere carmina Turrigeras Babylonis arces. Quantus Poloni e vertice Carpathi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS, Clericus Wellenfis begs leave to inform A grateful Reader, that a letter is left for him at Meffrs. Rivington's, on the fub-> ject of the "Vitarum Plutarchi Epitome," with which he was fo kind as to entrust him in April lalt. For want of knowing this gentleman's real addrefs, Mellis. Rivington have not been able able to forward it to him, as they fhould otherwife have dones as foon as it came into their hands. To the grammatical doubt of Juvenis we reply without hefitation, that though the rule for the fubjun&tive form is (or be) not improperly noticed in our belt grammars, the ftri& adherence to it in all cafes has never been received into the idiom of our language; and is avoided by the beft writers, as ftiff and pedantic. Taste mult difcriminate in the cases that occur. From Dr. Hunter, of York, we have received a fhort, but important paper, on the experiment of tranfplanting wheat, which he thinks may be practifed with great advantage. So fmall a paper is not an object of criticifm to a review; but, with the leave of the refpectable author, we are ready to print the whole in our next number. We are much obliged to a correfpondent from Manchester, for one or two articles of literary intelligence, but have found it necessary to make an invariable rule, not to infert any anonymous information of that kind. LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. A fupplementary volume to Hogarth illuftrated, is preparing by Mr. John Ireland, (not Samuel) from Hogarth's own manu fcripts. Maffon, who was fent to Africa, at the perfonal expence of his Majefty, is printing a fcientific account of the Stapelia nova, found by him in that country. Mr. King, the learned antiquary, has printed a defcription of Oxford Castle, as part of a greater work an ancient Caftles; to which he has already fo well prepared the way by his differ tations on that fubject in the Archæologia. The fame gentleman has exercifed his pen on the fubject of Stones falling from the Atmofphere, a fubject which, from a recent occurrence, has obtained much of the public attention. Such a circumftance is mentioned by Pliny, Nat. Hift. b. ii. ch. 59. Mr. Lumfden has made confiderable progrefs in a Hiftory of Rome, which will have all the advantages of the prefs, and of excellent engravings. Mr. Duwfon, of Hackney, whofe plans we have before noticed, has actually in the prefs an eafy and familiar display of the Elements of Botanical Knowledge, with the arrangement of the most important Britifh plants, according to the fimplification of the Linnæan fyftem, adopted by the late very learned profeffor Sibthorpe of Oxford. 2 ART. I. Tragadiarum delectus: Hercules Furens, Aleeftis, Euripidea; et Trachinia Sophoclea; Tom I. Ion Euripidea; Philoctetes, Sophoclea; et Eumenides, Afchylea; Tom 11. in Scholarum ufum edidit et illuftravit Gilbertus Wakefield, A B. 8vo. 14s. Egerton. 1795. O Mr. Wakefield's claffical labours, we always attend To with fingular pleafure; and if the time which has elapfed fince the publication of his work, fhould be thought inconfiftent with this declaration, we must intreat our readers to confider, that, from its peculiar nature, a ready and prompt decifion would be neither juft to Mr. Wakefield, nor creditable to ourselves. A selection from the works of the three great tragic writers, not only confifting of plays often corrupt in the text, but published by an editor remarkable for his boldnefs in conjectural criticifm, calls for a large portion of time, and for I BRIT. CRIT. VOL. VIII. AUGUST, 1796. an an intense degree of exertion, before we fhould find ourfelves able to exhibit a distinct view either of its defects or its excellencies. Many fubjects were to be examined, which, to the mind of Mr. W. were become more familiar, by his editorial office, than they were to our own. Many books were to be confulted, which it was not always in our power to inspect at the moment. In fulfilling the duty we owe to the public, we could not venture to let our examination be confined to the book itfelf, but in order to eftimate its comparative, as well as its abfolute merits, we endeavoured to form an accurate judgment of the commendation, which may be due to other scholars, who have travelled in the fame intricate paths of erudition. Of many publications which come before us, the general tendency may be collected, and even the general merits appreciated, by a view of fome detached parts. A mind invigorated by long practice, decides quickly on the appropriate merit of a pamphlet, and perhaps even of the characteristic excellencies of a tranflation. In the higher departments of literature, the impartiality of an hiftorian may be determined, by referring his account of fome particular events to the most authentic fources of information. From the force of imagery, the embellishments of diction, and the modulation of verfe, found in a few specimens, we may ascertain the rank to which a poet is entitled among the fons of Pindar or Homer. Far different is the cafe, when we are called upon to decide about a claffical production like the prefent. Almoft in every page we felt our minds fluctuating between the perplexities of an unfound text, and the fuggeftions of emendatory criticism. In fome paffages, the obfcurity of the original is enlivened by no chearing light from explanation or correction. A tremulous and dubious gleam of fenfe is now and then caft upon others, and, in some few, the darkness is at length difpelled by the fagacity of conjecture, or the luminoufnefs of interpretation. The reviewer is, in fact, expofed to all the embarrassments which the editor himfelf has experienced. Many a time we admitted the certainty of an emendation, which a more mature investigation afterwards induced us to reject; and many a time have we paused in the hope, that what to-day was involved in darkness impenetrable, would to-morrow open upon our view by fresh perufal of the original writers, or fresh comparifon between the arguments of contending critics. In the addrefs to the reader prefixed to the first volume, Mr. W. ftates, that he has collected the plays relating to Hercules into one book, and that having in view the improvement of young men, he has chofen thofe plays which are leaft read in the fchools, and moft recommended by their novelty. In placing |