ARTICLE VIII.

Rectoris

CHRISTIANI GRYPHII olim apud Vratiflavienfes Magdalenæi, Apparatus, five Differtatio Ifagogica de Scriptoribus Hiftoriam Seculi XVII. illuftrantibus. Lipfiæ, apud Thomam Fritsch. MDCCX.

That is,

An Introduction to the Knowledge of thofe Writers, who have illuftrated the Hiftory of the XVIIth Century. By CHRISTIAN GRYPHIUS, late Rector of Magdalen-College at Breflaw. Leipfick 1710. in 8vo. Pagg. 599. Pagg. 599. Sold by Paul Vaillant, in the Strand.

I

GAVE Notice of this Book in the Firft Volume of these Memoirs, Art. LXXVIII, and mentioned fome few Particulars contained in it. A further Account of that Work, which is lately come into my Hands, will not be unacceptable to the Lovers of Hiftory. M. Gryphius fhews in his Preface what fort of Books are neceffary to write the Hiftory of the XVIIth Century, and what other, Helps are requifite to undertake fuch a Work. His Introduction confifts of XIX Chapters. In the First, he mentions those Authors, who have writ a general Hiftory of the last Century, and those who have publifh'd Monthly Relations, Collections of Original Pieces, Abridgments, Chronological Tables, Genealogies &c. He proceeds to those, who have given an Ac

count

count of the Hiftory of Germany and Bohemia. The following Chapters concern Spain and Portugal; France; Great-Britain and Ireland; the Low-Countries; Switzerland; Italy; Hungary, with the Neighbouring Kingdoms and Provinces; Poland; Denmark; Sweden; Mufcovy; the Turkish Empire, and Tartary; Perfia; the Empire of the Great Mogul, and other Kingdoms in the Eaft-Indies; China and Japan; Africa; and America.

The Author mentions, not only thofe Writers, who have publifhed the Hiftory of each Country, but alfo those who defcribed particular Provinces and Towns, who writ Geographical and Genealogical Books, who published Original Pieces, and Letters. Láftly, he is fo particular as to take in Travels, Orations, Poems, Publick Solemnities, &c.

This Work is a very useful Repertory; and it were to be wished that M. Gryphius had given his Judgment about feveral Books, which he only mentions. I fhall infert fome of his Obfervations. 1. The Knowledge of the Latin and French Laaguages (fays he) are not fufficient to write a General Hiftory. Whoever goes about fuch a Work, must also underftand Italian, Spanish, and English. "Those are "very much mistaken, continues the Author, who fancy "there is nothing of Worth to be found in Eng"land, but what concerns Divinity, or perhaps Philofophy ". Nimis enim, meo quidem judicio, aberrant, qui putant, apud Anglos nihil aliud eximii, quam in Theologia aut forte Philofophia quærendum effe. I fhall make it appear in its proper Place, that, "the English have wonderfully illuftrated the Hifto

66

66

ry of their Nation in their own Language ". The Author might have added, that England has produced feveral Learned Criticks, and other Men diftinguished by their Erudition, fuch as Mr. Dodwell, Gataker, Dr. Hammond, Bishop Pearfon, Mr. Selden, Archbishop Uber, &c. not to mention those Learned Men, great Mathematicians, Eminent Phyficians,

c. who are now an Ornament to this Nation. 2. M. Gryphius does very much commend a Differ:atiVol. IV.

D

он

on of Boeclerus, entituled, De utilitate ex Hiftorie univerfalis contextu capienda. That Piece is grown fcarce. 3. He takes Notice of the Republicks printed by the Elzeviers, and fays they have been collected without any Judgment. Those Descriptions are very indifferent; there are only fome few that are good. I fhall occafionally obferve, That the Defcription of Switzerland by Simler is one of the beft Pieces inferted in that Collection. 4. Our Author fpeaking of Moreri's Dictionary, fays it is ftill full of Errors, and that he has found above a Hundred and Eighteen Miftakes in one fingle Article, viz. in that of Germany. I look upon that Dictionary as a Work of great Ufe to have a general Notion of Things; but one cannot depend upon it for Particulars. 5. M. Gryphius recommends these two Books for the Hiftory of Germany, viz. Michaelis Herzii Bibliotheca Scriptorum Germanicorum, publifhed at Erfort in 1679: And Samuel Rachelii Introductio ad Fus Publicum Germania. Amfterdam 1685. in 12. 6. Those who defire to have an excellent Chorography of Germany, ought to provide themselves with Martin Zeilerus's Itinerarium, the firft Part whereof came out at Strasburg, 1632. in 120. and the fecond in 1640 They were both Reprinted in 1674. A fmall Book of the fame Author, De Imperii Germanici X. Circulis, is very useful; and this Defcription of the Circles, is more Methodical than that which he has inferted in his Itinerary. 7. Whatever concerns the Hiftory of Holftein may be found in John Mollerus's Introductio ad biftoriam Ducatuum Slefuicenfis & Holfatici. 8. M. Gryphius informs us, That Pufendorf never denied in earneft that he was the Author of the Book entitled, De Statu Imperii Germanici, publifhed under the fictitious Name of Severinus de Monzambano Veronenfis. 9. The Notitia Imperii by Boeclerus publifhed at Strasburg in 4to, and Reprinted in 1690. in 8vo. is written with great Judgment, and contains feveral Things not to be found any where else. 10. The Author observes that an exact Catalogue of the fmall Pieces, published from the

be

beginning of the Reformation to the Death of Luther, has been made by the Duke of Wolfenbutel's Order.

Among thofe Books that have been omitted by M. Gryphius, I fhall only take Notice of Two. Pirard, whofe Travels are very Curious, does not appear among the Travellers of the XVIIth Century mentioned by our Author. Nor do I find in the Lift of the Descriptions of feveral Towns in Italy, an Account of the Republick of St. Marin publifhed by Gabriel Naudé, who dedicated it to his Friend la Mothe le Vayer. That Piece is very scarce. I fhall infert a Paffage, wherein that Book is mentioned; and I fhall do it the more willingly, because it contains fome Particulars, that may divert the Readers. "I * will inform you upon this Occafion, of what "Gabriel Naudé, that excellent Library-Keeper †, "told me upon his Return from the fecond Voyage "he made in Italy. Having defired an Inquifitor of "that Country to license a Book which he design"ed to publifh; that Inquifitor required from him "that he fhould correct thefe Words, Virgo fata eft, "and inferted this Cenfure in the Margin of the "Manuscript, Propofitio hæretica; nam non datur Fatum. In another Place, upon thefe Words, boc "detrahit fidem Cajetano, the Inquifitor writ this "Marginal Note, Propofitio fcandalofa; nam Cajetanus mortuus eft in fide. And when Naudé print"ed his Account of the Republick of St. Marin, "which he dedicated to me; That Inquifitor find. "ing in the Epiftle Dedicatory that the Author faid, "I had ftudied in my younger Years, improbo labore, was very preffing upon him to make him alter "thofe Words, as being a Reflexion upon his Friend, "tho' Naudé got one of the best Humanists of D 2 "Padua

66

* La Mothe le Vayer. Letter CX. Pag. 906. Paris 1662.

† He was Library-Keeper to Cardinal Mazarin.

"Padua to tell him, that such a Latin Expreffion is "used in a good Senfe. My Friend told me seve"ral other Things of that Nature, which I have "forgot.

A LETTER concerning Witchcraft, taken from the Second Volume of the BIBLIOTHEQUE CRITIQUE.

SIR,

THE late Decree of the King's Council, in

Favour of feveral Perfons condemned to Death by your Parliament t, appears to me very extraordinary. 'Tis no ufual Thing to reverse a Sentence pronounced by a Supreme Court. M. Du Tot Ferrare Counsellor in this Parliament, being informed. that thofe Perfons had been condemned, defired the firft Prefident Pelot to put off their Execution for fome Days. That wife Magiftrate refused it at first; but having thought of it, he propofed the Thing, and his Requeft was granted. Immediately he acquainted my Lord Chancellor † with that Affair, which appeared to him very Important. The Chancellor writ a Letter to the Parliament of Normandy, whereby he defired them to fend him an Account of their Procedings in a Trial about Witchcraft;

which

The Parliamens of Normandy.

+ Chancellor Daligre.