acquaintance with the fubjects that are treated, a uniform tone of decency and candour, that is never interrupted by either farcafms or invectives against the enemies of religion, and a folidity of argument that feems to force conviction. The Author is a layman, nay, he reprefents himself as a sceptic, an impartial obferver, who, having been for fome time carried along with the torrent of the new philofophy, began to fufpect the illufion, and therefore, going back to the principles of evidence, and the true fource of knowledge, refolved to review his opinions, and to inquire feriously what notions we ought to entertain of our own exiftence, of that of the Deity, of the neceffity or advantages of a Divine Revelation, and of the celeftial origin of the Chriftian religion.-In the execution of this important plan, the judicious Author divides his work into four parts.-The first contains inquiries concerning the origin and limits of human knowledge, a defence of human liberty, and a refutation of the fyftem of fatalifm. The fecond and third treat of the Supreme Being,-of natural and moral evil,-of the contradiction that fome have falfely fuppofed to exift between the divine attributes, and of the immateriality and immortality of the human foul. In the fourth and laft part, our Author treats of the probability of a divine revelation, and then confiders the proofs of Chriftianity, together with its doctrines, inftitutions, and moral precepts.

ART. XIX.

Eloges lus dans les Seances Publiques de l'Académie Francoife. &c.Eulogies, read at the Public Meetings of the French Academy. By M. DALEMBERT, Perpetual Secretary of the faid academy. Paris. 1779. PP. 559.

-- 12mo.

TH

HIS elegant work, in which the philofophical pen of M. D'ALEMBERT facrifices to the Graces with rather too much earneftnefs and precifion, forms an interefting continua tion of the hiftory of the French academy, begun by Mecurs Peliffon and D'Olivet. This volume, which will be followed by feveral more, contains the eulogies of Maffillon, Boileau, the Abbé de St. Pierre, Boffuet, the Abbé De Dangeau, De Sacy, De la Motte, Fenelon, Choify, Deftouches, Flechier, Crebillon, and the Prefident Rofe. The varieties of character, genius, tafte, and talent, that diftinguish thefe eminent men, have furnished the learned and ingenious Panegyrift with an occafion of difplaying all the powers of his pencil, and all the refources of his art, in giving to each object its proper attitude and afpect, and the colouring that more peculiarly fuits it.-It is, however, to be wifhed, that this agreeable and inftructive work were not here, and there chargeable with quaint thoughts, far-fetched comparisons, and obfcure diftinétions.

AR T.. XX..

De Gorteriana Vitalitate Miferiis "Hominum reluctante, &c.-Pfycolo gico-Medical Propofitions concerning GORTER's Doctrine, with refpect to that Power of the Vital Principle, which struggles with the Evils of humanity. By M. P. IGNATIUS ZECCHINI, of the Inflitute of Bologna, and Profeffor. of Phyfic in the University of Ferrara. 4to. Ferrara. 1779.

T

HIS ingenious Author publifhed, about fix years ago, at treatise concerning the Laws of Vitality, in a healthy, and alfo in a difordered ftate, proceeding from an inflammatory principle. In the fmall work before us, be confiders the ani mal nature in a state of pain, and divides his fubject into three parts. The first treats of this indifpofition confidered in itself, and, on this occafion, of the mutual influence which foul and body have upon each other. In the second, our Author exa mines the opinions of the ancients concerning the caufe of pain, and finds them much less fatisfactory than those of the moderns. In the third, he mentions the molt effectual methods which the art of healing furnishes for preventing the effects of pain, and even retarding, if not removing entirely its caufe. M. ZEC CHINI feems to have formed an idea of the animal economy which is truly philofophical. He has improved the fyftem of Gorter; his end is to deliver humanity from a multitude oft evils, both phyfical and moral; and the public, therefore, is, at leaft, obliged to him for his good intentions, & M sh 01

A R. T. XXI.

MUSEI CAPITOLINI Antique Infcriptiones, à Francifco EUGENIO GUASCO, ejufdem Mufei Curatore, nunc primum conjunctim Edite Notifque illuftrata. Tom. II The ancient Infcriptions in the Vatican Collection, &c. Fol. Rome. 1778.

WE E formerly gave an account of the two preceding

volumes of this learned work, and the plan on whiche it has been compofed. This third volume concludes the publication; which may be juftly confidered as a complete courfe of Lapidarian fcience, by the vaft number of infcriptions it contains, and the' extenfivé erudition which the ingenious and noble Author has difplayed in throwing new light upon them, and correcting the errors of preceding antiquaries. This, volume contains the feventh, and the fucceeding chapters to the, twelfth inclufive. The feventh contains the infcriptions that relate to parents, children, brothers, and fifters, and thofe that. are relative to patrons, friends, flaves, freed men, &c. In the ninth, we have the explication of 126 Figulean infcriptions, (Infcriptiones Figuline) which are kept in two contiguous chambers of the Mufæum Capitolinum. To this explication

* See Review, vol. lvi. p. 225, and vol. lvii. p. 483.

the

the Author has prefixed a curious differtation concerning the origin of the art which the Latins called Ars Figulina, and the etymology of that term; which is derived from the name of a fmall town, in the Sabine territory, fituated on the Via Nomen. tana (about twelve miles from Rome), whofe ancient name was Figulea t, and whofe inhabitants were chiefly employed in manufacturing earthen-ware. M. DE GUASCO, who, like the reft of the fraternity, is no where reprehenfible for too much brevity, enlarges, very circumstantially, on the antiquity of this art, on its high repute among the Romans, and on the infcriptions often found on bricks, &c. The tenth and eleventh chapters exhibit a collection of Grecian and Chriftian' infcriptions; and the twelfth is a kind of Supplement, which contains the omitted infcriptions that belong to the preceding volumes, or fuch as did not come to the Author's knowledge till after the publica. tion of these volumes. In this laft chapter, we fifid the famous fragment of the Lex Regia, by which the fenate and the Romhan people conferred the Imperial Dignity upon Vefpafian. This fragment, engraven on brafs, was difcovered, under the pontificate of Clement VI. in the church of St. John de Lateran. This ancient monument was more or less neglected, until the reign of Pope Gregory XIII. who had it placed in the Campidoglio, from whence Clement XII. ordered it to be tranfported to the Mufæum Capitolinum. From that time, many learned men have employed much labour in the explication of it; but our Author has fucceeded here much better than all who have gone before him.

+ It is now called St. Vail, which is an earthen-ware faint, and an evident tranflation of Figulea.

ART. XXII.

งง

Scienza della Naluta, -The Science of Nature, general and particular. By Father D. JOHN MARIA DELLA TORRE. Part Ill. With Tables and Engravings. 4to. Naples. 1778.

"

THIS, and the two preceding, volumes, contain the molt complete courfe of natural history, and natural philofophy, that is to be met with in Italian. It is a new edition, of a work, published by this Author in 1749; but it appears with fuch additions and improvements, drawn from the modern dif coveries in natural philofophy, that it may be justly confidered as a new work. The idea of uniting natural history with na tural philofophy, is certainly a happy one; and our Author is the first Italian who has treated natural fcience on this plan. This third part contains aftronomy, optics, air, found, and

meteors.

ART,

ART. XXIII.

Cæfaris de Horatiis in Archygymafio Romano Philofophiæ Profefforis, de Mode Philofopbandi, Officioque bilofophi, Liber Singalaris.-A particular Treatife concerning the. Method of carrying on Philofo phical Investigation, and the Duty of a Philofopher. By the Abbé CESAR ORAZI, Profeffor of Philofophy in the Roman College. 8vo. Rome. 1778.

Hphilofopher, who undertakes to put us upon a fingular

ERE we have a new, ingenious, but not an-whimfical

fcent for the investigation of truth, and the fixing our ideas with respect to metaphyfical, phyfical, and moral certitude. According to this Author, the criterion of truth, which the philofophers have been fo long difputing about, refides neither in the rules of logic, nor in the clearners of our perceptions; nor does evidence itself deferve that appellation: where then? In or der to answer this queftion, the Author tells us, that we muft diftinguifh the objects of an internal and intimate fenfe," or confciousness, from thofe of reafon or argumentation; and, being aflured, that we have real perceptions, certain in their nature, and independent on all reafoning, we muft then deduce from this internal fenfe of our exiftence, and of the modifications of our ideas, all our reafonings concerning objects different from that existence and there ideas; and therefore confider the foul itfelf as the univerfal criterion of all human certitude, a direct and immédiate criterion with refpect to thofe truths that belong to the internal fenfe, and an indirect one for others that are deducible from it. We do not really think that there is any thing new in this fyftem of inveftigation, but the uncouth and clumfy manner in which it is expreffed. Is it not always taught to every ftripling in philofophy, that the logical analyfis carries us up to fimple propofitions, which are the objects of immediate intuition? If this be not our Author's meaning, what is it? and if it be, why render old truths obfcure by an intricate phrafeology?What he fays of axioms is exceptionable, on ac-count either of its obfcurity or its falsehood. He affirms, that' their truth is not, properly fpeaking, immediate (. e. as we fuppofe he means, diftinguifhed by the intuitive evidence of first principles), but that it is afcertained by reafonings; and that, analytically, there reafonings are not reducible to general principles, but to particular decifions of the intimate or internal fenfe. If the effcem we have for the acutenefs of this Author did not, prevent our treating him harshly, we' fhould be tempted to allege, that the common fenfe of Dr. Ofwald has got into his imagination, and now and then engendered there non-fenfe. Yet there are feveral things in this book que tollere velles.

نال

N

A

ART. XXIV:

Rudimenta Lingue Copte five #gyptiaca, ad Ufum Collegii Urbani de propaganda Fide.-Rudiments of the Coptic or Egyptian Language, for the Ufe of the Society de Propaganda, &c. 410. Paris.

THE antiquity of the Coptic, which fucceeded the fymbolic

and hieroglyphical language in Egypt, is abundantly afcertained, though it is not eafy to point out the particular time of its origin and introduction among the inhabitants of that coun try. The refemblance of its letters to thofe of the Greeks, gives a certain degree of probability to the opinion of thofe learned men, who fuppofe that it was introduced into Egypt by Grecian colonies its fyntaxis, however, is of a quite particular kind, and has nothing at all in common with that of the other European or Oriental languages. The ancient verfions of the holy fcriptures, and the liturgies of the primitive church, render the ftudy of this language peculiarly useful and interefting. The Coptic verfion of the Old and New Teftament, is certainly anterior to Theodoret, who makes mention of it; and muft, confequently, have been compofed before the fifth century. It is, however, wanting in all the Polyglott Bibles; and we know it only by the Pentateuch, and the New Teftament, which have been published at Oxford by Dr. Wilkins. The existence of this verfion, alone, is fufficient to render the ftudy of the Coptic language interefting; and therefore the lovers of oriental learning received with pleafure the Dictionary and Grammar of that language, that have been lately publifhed at Oxford, and which have not, and, indeed, could not well efcape the notice of the illuftrious Ecclefiaftic (RAPHAEL TUKI), to whom the public is indebted for the Coptic Grammar we here announce. Grammar was published in the 80th year of the Author's age: we find at the end of it fome fhort remarks on the Memphitic and Thebaidic dialects, into which the Egyptian language is divided, of which the former was fpoken in the lower, and the latter in the higher Egypt. The whole is published in two languages; in Latin for the ufe of the Europeans, and in Arabic, for that of the Egyptians, among whom the Coptic is fallen into difufe, fince the invafion of the Saracens. The examples employed in this Grammar are taken from the verfions of the Old and New Teftament in the two dialects, and they are generally followed by the correfponding paffages in the Arabic, Latin, and Greek verfions.

This

INDEX