very neighbourhood of Harlem; and yet doth not feem to have heard of the invention there. We know he was abroad in 1459, the time of Tournour's journey, as he fays in his Recueil de Troy, at his great charge and trouble, learning the art of imprinting. Suppofing the art went no farther there than the blocks of wood, in that state it muft have ftruck fuch a curious man, at that time bufied himself to learn it, with wonder and aflonifhment; and induced him to make some mention of it, as the bafis of the [thofe] fubfequent improvements, which [as] Nichols will have it, detained him abroad, depended; if he had not been defirous to learn more of it than Corfellis could teach, who went no farther than the blocks of wood.

Ex epitome rerum Germ. Script. 1502, cap. 95. "Anno Chrifti 1440, magnum quoddam ac penè divinum beneficium collatum eft univerfo terrarum orbi a Joanne Gutenburg, Argentinenfi, novo Scribendi genere reperto. Is enim primus artem imprefforiam, quam Latiniores vocant excuforiam, in urbe Argentinenfi invenit; inde Moguntiam veniens, eandem feliciter complevit."

Hen. Wirczburg de Vach, in fafciculo temporum Werneri Rolevinck de Laer, aucto ad ann. 1457. This was continued afterwards to 1473, and published 1481: librorum impreffionis fcientia fubtiliffima, omnibus fæculis inaudita, reperitur in urbe Moguntiná."

Erafmus afcribes explicitly the invention to Mentz and to Fuft. In his epiftle dedicatory to an edition of Livy in 1519, printed at Mentz by young Schoeffer, he fays, "huic urbi (Moguntia) omnes bonarum literarum ftudiofi non parum debent, ob egregium illud ac pené divinum inventum, ftanneis typis excudendi libros." He also lays, atque hujus quidem laudis præcipua portio debetur, hujus pené divini (dixerim) opificii repertoribus; quorum princeps fuiffe fertur totius ævi memoriâ celebrandus, Joannes Fuit, avus ejus cui Livium hunc, tum auctum duobus voluminibus tum innumeris locis ex codice vetuftiffimo caftigatum, debemus; ut hoc egregium decus partim ad Joan. Schoeffer velut hæreditario jure devolvatur, partim ad Moguntiane civitatis gloriam pertineat." If Erafmus knew of this invention at Harlem, would his vanity as a Dutchman have suppressed all mention of it?'

• Imp. Maximiliani privilegium ad impreffionem T. Livi per J. Schoeffer an. 1519: "Maximilianus, &c. honefto noftro et facri imperii fideli nobis dilecto, J. Schoeffer Calcographo Moguntino," &c. Cum ficut doi et moniti fumus fide dignorum teftimonio, ingeniofum Calcographiæ, authore avo tuo, inventum, felicibus incrementis in univerfum orbem promanaverit, &c."

In a work published fourteen years before, "Dedicatio T. Livii Germanicé verfi, editique an. 1505. Imp. Maximiliano infcripta," are these words: Hoc opus, quod in iaudatiffimâ urbe Moguntia exantlatum atque impreflum eft, Imperatoria tua Majeftas benigne recipiat, in qua etiam primum admiranda ars typographica ab ingeniofo Joanne Gutenbergio, ann. a natavitate Chrifti 1450, inventa; et pofthac, ftudio, fumtu, et labore Johannis Fuft et Petri Schcefferi, Moguntiâ emendata et ad pofteros propagata eft," &c. There appears all the candour in this account that thould give credit to it. The firft inven

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tion

tion is honeftly afcribed to Guttenburg. This muft be allowed, as far as the faint attempts to discover the art had been made by him; but which would not have been completed, without the help of Fuft. Would Erafmus have countenanced this bold affertion; would he fuffer the emperor to credit it, or could the emperor himself, after con. fulting fo many able perfons, believe Schoeffer; if this claim, at that time, had not been generally acknowledged, and no claim from Harlem known or heard of?' P. 310.

Mr. Willett brings other evidences, one in 1506, another in 1507, another in 1528, and a fourth in 1483, all uniting with thefe teftimonies in favour of Mentz. But we think what we have produced fufficient to fatisfy every man who is to be influenced by evidence, on a point that can be fettled by evidence alone. This," fays Mr. Willett, therefore upon the last,

feems to be as plain and as full an account of the discovery, as we can expect. Few, if any, of the discoveries of the ancient arts, have reached us fo well authenticated and explained. We have here the fon-in-law of the inventor of the art, the principal improver of it himself, by the introduction of the fufile metal types, giving this fair and modeft account to Trithemius, [and] honefly giving to Guttenberg the honour of the firft invention. If his modefty and candour led him to give up this praise to Guttenberg, what could induce him to withhold it from Cofter and Harlem, if he had known, (and know it he muft) that any fuch claim had exifted?" What, we add, but the great force of truth, and the overpowering conviction of his mind?

We have thus abftracted, with no little trouble, this curious and important differtation on the origin of printing. In reading it we have been ftrongly impreffed by the vigorous good-fenfe of Mr. Willet, and much inclined to think the claim of Harlem, and to confefs that of Oxford, fwept away for ever. Of the defenders of the contrary opinion, Mr. Nichols, we believe, alone furvives. Should he not reply, and hitherto he has not, we may confider the controverfy as clofed. Should he undertake it, he will find, we apprehend, fome difficulty to answer even what has been advanced in our short abftract of the paper.

We thus take our leave of the prefent volume; confidering the remaining articles, twenty-three in number, not as wholly unworthy of attention, but as little likely to attract it, after the fuperior claims of thofe we have felected; and not fufficiently important to demand that we fhould add to our account, already long, or extend it to another number.

ART.

ART. III. A Bone to gnaw for the Democrats; or, Obfervations on a Pamphlet entitled The political Progrefs of Britain. 8vo. 66 pp. Philadelphia, printed for the Purchafers. 1795. Alfo, Part II. A Bone to gnaw for the Democrats, containing, 1. Obfervations on a patriotic Pamphlet entitled "Proceedings of the United Irifhmen." 2. Democratic Principles illuftrated* by Example. 3. Democratic Memoirs; or, an Account of Some recent Feats, performed by the Frenchified Citizens of the United States of America. By Peter Porcupine. 8vo.

66 pp. Bradford, Philadelphia. 1795.

AFTER feeing fo many fpecimens of the talents of this author, our readers are probably defirous that we should fulfill the promise made in our Review for December laft (p. 589) by giving fome account of thefe publications, of which honourable mention has been made. On looking more accurately into them, with a copy entrusted to our perufal, we find the first part not quite equal to the other pamphlets of the fame writer. It is confined chiefly to the cenfure of a malignant but obfcure performance, and therefore is lefs interefting than the reft. It contains, however, many paffages fufficiently characteristic of the author's manner to mark its affinity to his other productions. The following, for inftance, is ftrongly in the style of Swift, which in other inftances he has approached.

"We are told that there is, or ought to be, about every human body, a certain part called the crumena, upon which depends the whole œconomy of the inteftines. When the crumena is full, the intestines are in a correfponding state; and then the body is inclined to repofe, and the mind to peace and good neighbourhood; but when the crumena becomes empty, the fympathetic inteftines are immediately contracted, and the whole internal ftate of the patient is thrown into infurrection and uproar, which, communicating itself to the brain, produces what a learned state physician calls the mania reformatio; and if this malady is not stopped at once, by the help of a hempen necklace, or fome other remedy equally efficacious, it never fails to break out into Atheism, Robbery, Unitarianifm, Swindling, Jacobinifm, Maffacres, Civic Feasts, and Insurrections. P. 4.

The exploits of the American Democrats are also related with fpirit.

* In the title-page it is, by a manifeft error," exemplified by example:" in the pamphlet itself, p. 21, it is, we have printed it," illuftrated."

"Our

"Our democrats are continually crying fhame on the fatellites of Royalty, for carrying on a Crufade against Liberty; when the fact is, the fatellites of Liberty* are carrying on a Crufade against Royalty. If one could recollect all their valorous deeds, on this fide the water, fince the beginning of 1793, they would make a history far furpaffing that of Tom Thumb, or Jack the Giant-Killer. The Aurora, and two or three other prints of that itamp, have ferved them by way of backers-on they have been, and are yet, the Saint Bernards and Peter the Hermits of the Crufade.

"When they found the government was not to be bullied into a war, they were upon the point of declaring it themselves, against the coalefced Monarchs fo well known for their depredations on the purfes of all Chritendom, and againit that old rufian Harry the Eighth, who . is a fort of fetter-on of the whole pack. And though this refolve was not put into execution, out of refpect for the inviolable and facred perlon of his Majelty of Clubs, they immediately "let flip the dogs of war" at every thing elfe that bore the name or marks of Royalty. "Their first object of attack was the ftage. Every royal or noble character was to be driven into everlafting exile, or, at least, none fuch was ever to be introduced except by way of degradation. The words your Majefty, my Lord, and the like, were held to be as offenfive to the chatte ears of Republicans, as filks, gold lace, painted checks, and powdered periwigs to their eyes. In fhort, the highest and loweft titles were to be citizen and cites, and the dreffes were all to be à la mode de Paris.

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That the theatre might not fuffer for want of pieces adapted to the reformed tafte, the reformers had the goodnefs to propofe William Tel!, and feveral others equally amufing.-William was to be modernized: in place of fhooting the governor with a bow and arrow, he was to ftab him in the guts with a dagger, cut off his head, and carry it round the ftage upon a pike, while the mufic was to play the Murderer's Hymn and Ha, ça ira.” P. 13.

He then produces a moft infamous fong, written by the cele brated Mr. Barlow, exulting in the death of Louis XVI. and withing the fame fate to all kings; and with great force urges the ingratitude of Americans, who could fing that fong on the anniverfary of their independence; rejoicing at the fame time in that event, and in the murder of him who effected it. With equal gratitude are the violent republicans among them prepared to treat even Washington!

* "Take care, reader, how you confound terms here. Liberty, according to the Democratic Dictionary, does not mean freedom from oppreflion; it is a very comprehenfive term, fignifying, among other things, flavery, robbery, murder, and blafpheiny. Citizen David, painter to the Propagande, has reprefented Liberty under the form of a Dragon; it is, I fuppofe, for this reafon that our democrats cry out against Saint George as "the moft dangerous of Liberticides." On

On the fubject of a prediction made in Congrefs, of the ruin of Britain, by a perfon whom he calls Citizen Madison, he thus expreffes himself:

"Laying afide dreaming and foothfaying, what indications do we perceive of an approaching diffolution of the empire of Britain? Has The loft an inch of territory, or has the enemy fet a foot on any of her extenfive dominions fince the beginning of the war? Is the not in poffeffion of almoft the whole Western Archipelago? Are not her poffeffions increased to an amazing extent in the Eat-Indies? Has the not more men and more cannon afloat than the whole world befides; and is the not the undifputed mitrefs of the ocean? For my part, the English are no favourites of mine; I care very little if their ifland were fwallowed up by an earthquake, as the author of the Political Progrefs fays; but truth is truth, and let the Devil deny it if he can, that this is the truth.

"Are thefe indications of weaknefs and diftrefs? Are these indications of approaching diffolution ?" P. 60.

That this writer is occafionally a little coarfe in his ftyle and expreffions, cannot be denied; but, perhaps, he could not eafily attain more refinement except at the expence of fome ftrength: his object alfo appears to be to write in a popular and familiar

manner.

The fecond part of the Bone to Gnaw contains more matter that is interefting to us. It is divided, as we fee in the titlepage, into three fections. The firit of thefe indeed a little refembles the former tract, in being confined to obfervations on a pamphlet of Irith, as the other of Scottish original, but here even his account of the pamphlet is highly humourous.

"The hiftory of the United Irishmen will not detain us long. Soon after the ever-to-be-regretted epoch; when God, in his wrath, fuffered the tinkers, butchers, harlequins, cut-throats, and other modern philofophers, to ufurp the government of France, their brethren in Ireland, tempted by the fuccefsful example, began, with wonderful induftry, to prepare for taking the government of that country into their hands. With this laudable end in view, they formed what they called their Society, in the city of Dublin. To fay in what manner they proceeded to bufinefs would be fuperfluous, fince we know they were democrats. Their meetings, as among us, produced refolves in abundance, and good fortune feemed, for a time, to fmile upon them. The prefs was fuffocated with their addreffes and letters of fraternity, which were fwallowed by the mob, for whom they were intended, with an appetite which generally characterizes that clafs of citizens. But, all of a fudden, when they were in the height of their work, mangling the carcafe of the government, the magiftracy fouced down upon them, like an eagle among a flock of carrion crows. fine helter-fkelter; fining, imprisoning, whipping, and emigrating; fome ran this way, others that; fome came to America to brew whiskey,

Here was