it was afterwards, when Thucydides changed its form, and juftified this change, by cenfuring those who went before him. In this cenfure, Herodotus, though not named, is supposed to have been principally comprehended.

This revolution in hiftory-writing is employed by M. de ROCHEFORT to unfold the views that guided Herodotus in the compofition of his history, more efpecially to fhew, that he was lefs defirous of exhibiting to the curiofity of the Greeks, a feries of events contained in a certain period of time, than of felecting fuch facts as were interefting and inftructive, fubfervient to the advancement of religion, morality, and political wifdom, in which the great and effential interefts of mankind are involved. Now thefe important objects have an eminent place in the writings of Homer, and hence arife the points of comparifon between the hiftorian and the poet, which our Author illuftrates, in a long and circumftantial detail, in these two memoirs, in which there is much inftruction and good criticifm, but, at the fame time, a great redundancy of erudition.— Many pages lefs than fifty-three might have contained the neceffary illuftrations of this fubject.

The First Memoir concerning Ariftotle's Poetics. By the Abbé BATTEUX.

The learned Academician here propofes to examine, whether Ariftotle gives us a true notion of tragedy, when he maintains, that its catastrophe fhould always be unhappy, even to the virtuous (which feems contrary to the interefts and demands of morality), and whether fome moderns, who have undertaken to modify this decifion, or to overturn it entirely, by infifting that felicity fhould be annexed to virtue, have not violated, if not perverted the eflential character of tragedy. To difcufs this point, our Academician divides his memoir into two articles; of which the first contains the theory of Ariftotle, with refpect to the nature and end of tragedy, and the fecond, that of feme modern writers on this fubject.

In treating the first article, the Abbé examines and explains Aristotle's celebrated definition of tragedy. Some parts of this definition have excited keen difputes among the learned, more efpecially that in which he indicates the end of tragedy. This is, according to him (as interpreted by our Abbé), to excite terror and pity by the exhibition of a fictitious cataftrophe, adapted to this purpofe, and to make us feel thefe paffions, difengaged from the circumftances that render them painful. Our Author proves this to be the doctrine of the Stagyrite, by a variety of learned and ingenious obfervations. The Grecian fage had obferved, that men love to be moved, and that the emotions of joy from fictitious objects, are not only lefs lively than those that are excited by real ones, but alfo when the fcene is finifhed, produce

produce a fpecies of dejection in the mind. From hence he concluded, that emotions of diftrefs, pity, and terror, were preferable in tragedy, as they are lefs painful than those that are excited by reality,-nay, give pleasure to the mind, by producing, in it, emotion without anguish, fear without danger, and compaffion without the existence of miferable objects. Thus the paffions of fear and compaffion affect the mind, without tormenting it, and are difengaged, or (as Ariftotle expreffes it) purged from the poignancy and dejection that accompany them in real life: καθάρσιν φόβο και ἔλες.

Several moderns, as our Academician obferves, in his fecond article, have not only departed from this theory, but condemned it. They look upon it as the theory of the Grecian theatre, from whence, fay they, Ariftotle drew it, and not as the true theory of the tragic art. They alfo plead the great fuccefs of tragedies formed upon an oppofite plan, whofe catastrophes convey moral instruction, by the punishment of vice, and the triumphs of virtue.-Our Academician replies, that the Oedipus of Sophocles, the Polieute of Corneille, the Phoedra of Racine, and the Zara of Voltaire, which are univerfally acknowledged to be among the most perfect productions of the tragic mufe, are all composed upon the plan of Aristotle,-and that the tragedies which have been applauded, though compofed on a different plan, are not indebted for this applaufe to their deviation from the rule of that great critic, but to the beauty of their moral portraits, fublimity of thought and expreffion, and a variety of other kinds of merit, of which tragical compofition is fufceptible, and which our Academician enumerates in an ample and interefting detail.

A Second Memoir on Tragedy, containing an Answer to fome Objections made by M. De Rochefort to the preceding Memoir. By the Abbé BATTEUX.

The objections which our Abbé here anfwers with fagacity and candour, are contained in the seventh memoir of this volume, in which M. DE ROCHEFORT treats of the principal object of tragedy among the Greeks. The anfwers of the ingenious Abbé drew a second memoir from M. DE ROCHEFORT, which is the eighth in the volume before us. We must refer our Readers to the work itself, for a juft view of this elegant controversy, which is carried on by the two learned Academicians, in a manner that does honour to their tafte and fentiments, and will afford fatisfaction to the connoiffeurs in polite literature.

A Third Memoir, on the Nature and End of Comedy. By the Abbé BATTEUX,

In his critical and philofophical walk through the wide field of poetry, our Academician follows Ariftotle alone. The latter, indeed, fpeaks little of comedy in his poetics: but from

that

that little, and the inductions which our Author has the happy talent of drawing from it, we have, in this memoir, an account of the origin of comedy, its definition, the differences between tragedy and comedy, with refpect to the manner of compofing the dramatic action, as alfo to morals and manners, probability, the nature and manner of the conclufion or catastrophe, the ftyle, and the ultimate end of each kind.

From the observations contained in thefe articles, we see, that these two kinds are both dramatic imitations of an action, which has a certain extent, and is defigned to excite agreeable impreffions in the minds of the audience. Tragedy is the imitation of moral good, or virtue-Comedy the imitation of moral defect, or vice-the one exhibits virtue unhappy, the other vice, or moral defect, in its ridiculous afpects :-the one is the representation of misfortune or danger, without fhame or reproach, the other, the reprefentation of fhame or reproach, without danger or misfortune-the one diftreffes the mind, or rends it with anguish; the other expands it in amenity and mirth.-In both, the emotion is twofold: in tragedy, we feel apprehenfion for ourselves, and a tender pity and concern for others; in comedy, an agreeable diftinction in our own favour, and a contemptuous mockery of others. Both kinds may adminifter ufeful leffons, wife maxims, and inftructive examples, and it is here that the art of the poet is chiefly displayed: in neither, does the action point out in itself any inftruction, or moral;-this is not the law, or intention of the drama. Both tragedy and comedy may, indeed, contribute to foften rude manners, to civilize, to polifh, as the file removes afperities ;--but when the manners are already civilized and polished, the drama, like the file, by continuing its operation, only weakens and diminishes. It never came into the head of Ariftotle, or of any other philofopher, to affirm, that when a nation is enervated by effeminacy and low vices, the paffions and pleafures of the theatre are, or can be a specific for reforming its manners.readers to confider the reftrictions with which this very judicious We leave our obfervation of our Academician is to be adopted. Fourth Memoir, on the Poetics of Ariftotle; in which Epic Poetry

is compared with Tragedy and Hiftory. By the fame.

The learned Abbé follows here the fame method that he has obferved in the preceding memoirs, confining himself entirely to Ariftotle's account of the Epic Poem: confequently, there is nothing new in this memoir: It is only inftructive and interefting by the luminous point of view, in which the ingenious Academician collects the obfervations of the Grecian philofopher on this agreeable fubject. With this intention, after giving, in a firft article, the definition of the Epopeia, he fhews in a fecond and third, the points of refemblance and of difference

between

between it and tragedy-of which it has the fable, manners, thoughts, and diction,-without the reprefentation,-and from which it differs, by giving a greater extent to the probable, by employing fometimes a marvellous, which is fupernatural, by a lefs circumftantial and vehement reprefentation of the paffions, by the extent of the action and epifodes, and by fome particularities (chiefly applicable to Grecian poetry) relative to time and place. In a fourth Article, he confiders the marks of diftinction that separate the epopeia (though it be a narration) from history. Thefe marks are the action of the former, which is one,its materials, which are invented, chofen, and always interefting the arrangement of events without any regard to chronological order-the dramatic compofition-the elocution and numbers, &c.-In the fifth Article, he treats of the end and purpose of the epic poem, which is to excite admiration. Tragedy excites a pleafing melancholy, or gravity of frame,Paftoral, a mild chearfulness,-Comedy, a malignant fpecies of enjoyment,-Lyric Poetry, a kind of intoxication;-but the Epic Mufe, exhibiting to our view embellifhed nature, and all objects exaggerated on the grand or beautiful fide, excites at pleafing admiration and wonder.

Remarks on the Number of Pieces, that were represented, the fame Day, on the Athenian Theatre. By the Abbé BARTHELEMY.

The theatre at Athens was only opened on certain festivals; and some of these feftivals only continued one day, so that the poets, who contefted for the pre-eminence in tragedy or comedy (every one of whom was obliged to come to the literary contest with a tetralogy *), feem not to have had time fufficient for the reprefentation of fo many pieces, confidering, that befides thefe dramatic performances, the Athenians were amufed with many other fhews, amufements, and exhibitions, on thefe folemnities. To throw fome philological light on this fubject, our Author examines and folves the three following queftions, What were the feftivals on which dramatic pieces were reprefented at Athens, and how long did they continue ?-Was the reprefentation of thefe pieces preceded by the judgments of any literary cenfors ?-How many of thefe pieces were acted in a day?—Whoever defires ample anfwers to these questions, will find them in this memoir, to which we refer them.

Refearches concerning the Carnean Festival (KAPNEIA) defigned to illuftrate the Hymn, compofed by Callimachus, in Honour of Apollo. By M. DU THEIL.

Difquifitions concerning the Thefmophoria (or Feafts of Ceres), defigned as an Introduction to a Comedy of Aristophanes,

*This title was given to the three tragedies, accompanied with a farce or jatire, which each competitor was to prefent to the judges. called

called Thefmophoriazules, and to the Hymn of Callimachus, in Honour of Ceres-Thefmophoria. By the fame.

Concerning the Festivals, inftituted by the Greeks in Honour of Pallas, defigned to illuftrate the Hmn, compofed by Callimachus, on the Baths of Pallas. By the fame.

A Tranflation of Plato's Dialogue, entitled, Io. By the Abbé ARNAUD.

This excellent verfion is preceded by feveral elegant and judicious remarks on the nature and intention of the dialogue. Hiftorical Refearches concerning the Edicts and Statutes of the Roman Magiftrates, in Three Memoirs. By M. BOUCHAUD.

Those who are acquainted with the writings of Heineccius, and more especially with his excellent Treatife on Roman Antiquities, will find nothing new in thefe memoirs, if we except what relates to the edicts of the Ediles, and fome interesting illuftrations of certain points of Roman jurifprudence, which the learned German has treated with unusual brevity.

Inquiries concerning the Julian Law de Ambitu. By the fame. This famous law, defigned to remedy the growing evil of bribery and corruption in the Roman republic, is here treated in a masterly manner, but with a prodigality of erudition that will fatiate, even a tolerably keen philological appetite. The XIXth, XXth, XXIst, and XXIId Memoirs concerning the Roman Legion. By M. LE BEAU.

After having fhewn, in the preceding memoirs, how the Roman legion was formed, the parts of which it was compofed, the names and employments of the foldiers, officers, and other perfons, engaged in the military service, our indefatigable Academician enters, here, into another part of the fubject, that he has rendered fo ample and extenfive. He here takes the foldier, clothes, equips, and arms him for offenfive and defenfive combat, and furnishes him with provifions, pay, and other neceffaries. The two laft of these memoirs, relative to the clothing of the foldiers, are very curious. Concerning Two Imperial Medals of the City of Hippone. By the Abbé LE BLOND.

These two beautiful medals, which belong to the collection of M. Ennery, have not hitherto been published. They are, nevertheless, worthy the attention of the learned. One of them, which is of the large bronze, reprefents, on the one fide, the head of Tiberius, with the legend, TI CASAR DIVI AUGUSTI. F. AUGUSTUS.-On the reverfe, is represented a woman fitting, with her head veiled, holding, in her right hand, a patera, and in her left a lighted torch. The legend HIPPONE LIBERA is fo placed, that the first of thefe words is above the figure, and the other below it. In the area, or field, we find infcribed, in larger characters, JUL. AUG.-The other medal.

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