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fhould be so neceffary, that if a Man of a healthfu "Conftitution happens accidentally to have no Slee "for two or three Days, he finds himself fo weal "that he can hardly ftand, tho' he wants neither good Meat nor good Wine to recover his Strength. "How comes it that the Dilipation, occafioned by want of Sleep, cannot be made up by any thing "elfe but Sleep? Shall we fay, that the Reafon of it is, because the Fibres being ftretched, whilft we are awake, by a continual Influx of the Spirits, "lose their Strength by it; whereas during the Sleep "they are relaxed, and at reft, and remain in a "kind of a middle Situation? And indeed whilst we are awake, whether we be fitting or walking, the "Nerves and the Fibres of the Muscles are almoft continually ftretched and working; but during "the Sleep they are all equally affected. And there"fore we fee that Animals, fuch as Oxen, Dogs, Cats,' "and in general all four-footed Beafts bend their Bo"dies, when they lie down. 'Tis also an ufual thing "for Children to bend their Legs in Bed; and Peo"ple grown in Years never fleep without bending "fome Part of their Bodies, nor could they have any "Reft, if they fhould ftretch our their Arms and

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Legs at full length. But I fhall difmifs this Sub" ject, and leave it to those who are better qualified 66 to dive into it."

VIII. Many Readers will be apt to think, that I have too much enlarged upon this Book; and therefore I fhall only give a general Notion of the remaining Chapters. In the VIIIth Dr. Ramazzini fhews how neceffary it is for the Prefervation of Health, that all Excretions fhould be well performed, and prescribes feveral Rules for it.

IX. The Defign of the IXth Chapter is to make a Prince fenfible, that nothing can be more contrary to his Health than violent Paffions.

X. In the Xth the Author fhews what Sort of Learning a Prince_ought to apply himfelf to, and how he may get a fufficient Knowledge without impairing his Health. Dr. Ramazzini believes 'tis a very difficult Thing for any Man to acquire a great Reputation by his Learning, and at the fame time to enjoy a good State of Health. Whereupon he obferves, That fome Religious Orders, who fpend a great Part of their Time in Study, are generally Lean and Melancholy, tho' they be well fed, and live a very eafy Life; whereas thofe, whofe Minds are taken up with pious Thoughts and divine Meditations, who go bare-footed and profefs a great Aufterity, are commonly fat and lufty, and have a very fresh Colour.

XI. The Readers will find in the next Chapter what Sort of Regimen ought to be prescribed to old People. Our Author does very much approve the Ufe of Perwigs, and is very well pleased to fee old Phyficians, who have one Foot in the Grave, appear Abroad without a Beard, and wear fine Perwigs; whereas in former Times the Men of that Profeffion looked upon a bald Head and a long Beard as a very proper Means to raise their Reputation.

XII. The XII Chapter contains feveral Advices to prevent growing too fat, and too big.

XIII. The XIIIth fhews that Princes are more fubject to fome Diseases than other Men; and how those Diseases may be prevented.

XIV. In the laft Chapter, The Author treats of the Regimen, which a Prince ought to obferve upon a Military Expedition, or in a Camp.

ARTICLE.

ARTICLE XXI.

GEORGII BUCHANANI Scoti ad Viros fui feculi Clariffimos, eorumque ad eundem, Epiftola. Ex MSS. accurate defcriptæ, nunc primum in lucem editæ. Londini, Impenfis D. Brown ad Infigne Cygni Nigri extra Portam vulgo dictam Temple-Bar; & Gulielmi Taylor ad Infigne Navis in vico vulgo dicto Paters nofter-Row. 1711.

That is,

SEVERAL LETTERS, never before publifhed, of GEORGE BUCHANAN, and fome Eminent Perfons of his Age: London. 1711. in 8vo. pagg. 93.

HIS Collection confifts of Thirty-five Letters *, fome of which were written by the Famous Buchanan, and others by Peter Daniel, Gifanius, Beza, Daniel Rogers, Philip Mornaus, Chriftopher Plantin, Rodolphus Gualtherus, John de Serres, (Serranus) Hubertus Languetus, Elias Vinetus, Sir Thomas Randolph, &c. Most of these Letters run upon the pub lick Affairs of that Time, or contain feveral Particulars relating to Books. I fhall infert here fome of thofe Paffages, that appear to me moft Curious and Remarkable.

The Third is dated in the Year 1564. and the laft in 1581.

In a Letter to the Earl of Murray (pag. 5. feq.) Buchanan gives an Hiftorical Account of his Elegy, and of fome other Poems, which he writ against the Francifcans, and fhews how he was violently perfecuted by thofe Fryars, who, fays he, Nihil moleftius ferebant, quam pellem, ut ait Horatius, fibi detrahi.

Buchanan was extremely furprised to hear that there was a Match on Foot between Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Alenfon. He believed that Prince would murther the Queen of England, and marry the Queen of Scotland, who was a young and beautiful Princess, &c. *At brevi illac ven"turus in Britanniam, credam tibi, fi vis ; fed "quorfum eo? Ad nuptias ais; & id ego credo. "Ad quas? Cum Regina veftra? Alii ut volunt ac

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cipiant Ego prorfus ejus confilium effe reor, ut "veftram trucidet, noftram ducat, forma, ætate, & "amicorum opibus flofentem, & expertæ jam fæ"cunditatis. Quid noftra, inquies, qua in re de"ficitur? Imo omnibus eis rebus erat non adeo

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pridem par, ac pene fuperior ". Buchanan adds, That the Roman Catholicks in England, people that were in Debt, and in general the worst fort of Men would flock to the Duke of Alenfon, and fide with him. Non tu ignoras unus, quod omnes "vident, quanta fit & opibus & numero Papanorum "factio, quam late fufa, quam animis adverfus "veritatem obftinatis. Illi velut ex infidiis ad novum fpectaculum iftud erecti . fine tumultu, fine fufpicione accurrent: Ubi vires contemplati, fuum numerum inibunt, ftatim fe "fuccenturiabunt, & ad novum iftum Ducem velur "coelitus oblatum fe agglomerabunt. Accedent ad eos obærati, decoctores, fcelerati, in bello feditiofi & 66 rapaces,

Pag. 54. In a Letter to Daniel Rogers, dated Edinburgh, Nev. 9. 1579.

↑ Pag. 55, 56.

rapaces, in pace ignavi, & defidia marcidi, rei fuæ negligentes, alienæ cupidi; primum facient impe"tum in Reginas, quarum fi aut alteram trucidabunt, "aut alteram è cuftodia eripient, vides, ut opinor, "quid calamitatum fequi fit neceffe, &c. "

Buchanan fays in the fame Letter, That he had. made fome Alterations in his Tranflation of the Pfalms, and that he would have altered whole Pfalms, if his old Age had allowed him to apply himself to Poetry.

It appears from two Letters written by a French Gentleman to Buchanan, that the King of Navarre was exceedingly defirous to marry his Sifter to the King of Scotland, in order to promote his own Intereft and that of the Proteftant Religion.

There is in this Collection a Letter of Hubert Languetus to Buchanan, dated from Delft, Feb. 20. 1581. wherein he fays, That he lived many Years a very happy Life with Melanchthon; and that fince the Death of that illuftrious Divine, after feveral Mif fortunes he has at last fettled himself in Holland, a Country, (lays he) which feems to be made for Eels and Frogs rather than for Men. He adds, That whenever he goes out of Delft, he has a Sight of Rotterdam, which brings into his Thoughts not only the great Erafmus, but alfo Buchanan himself; for (continues he) I cannot fufficiently admire how fuch difinal Countries could produce Two fuch Men, who cannot be paralleled for their Wit with any other, either in our Time, or in the latter Ages. "Per hyemem viximus in Batavorum Lacunis, quæ a natura factæ videntur, ut eas ranæ & anguillæ, “potius quam homines, incolant. Roterodamum habemus in confpectu, quandocunque prodimus ex "hoc oppido, cujus confpectus non folum mihi "reducit in memoriam magnum illum Erafmum, quo cive gloriatur, fed etiam te. Non enim fatis

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mirari poffum, in locis tam horridis nafci po"tuiffe viros, quibus ingenio pares nec noftra, nec patrum, aut avorum noftrornm ætas vidit. Perhaps Buchanan was not very well pleased to be fo