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This collection contains all the political difcourfes of Demofthenes, held to be genuine; except the third and fourth Philippics, which our Editor hath omitted, as being in fubftance comprehended in the first and fecond. The Greek type is elegant, the impreffion correct, and the Editor hath fhewn great judgment in his choice of a verfion and notes, to accompany the original, as well as in his corrections of the verfion. To the Latin tranflation of Lucchefinius, fpirited, juft, and flowing as it is, Mr. Allen has judiciously preferred the more fimple, clofe, and fufficiently elegant one, by Wolfius; which, by its plainnefs, renders the Greek more obvious to the comprehenfion of the lefs fkilful reader. He merits approbation alfo for having given place in this version, not only to the corrections of Meurfius, but to many of no small importance, derived from Lucchefini.

The notes are all taken from Lucchefini, and are very valuable. They illuftrate not only the geography of the places mentioned, but give fuch a view of the tranfactions, connections, revolutions, and conftitution of the different states referred to; and of the character and conduct of the active and leading men, whether in the field or cabinet, that the reader is enabled fully to comprehend the aim, the reasoning, and the address of the Orator.

The first volume, which is infcribed to the Bishop of Ely, contains not only the twelve orations, Philip's Letter, and the Latin verfion, but a chronological table, fome annotations of Lucchefinius upon Wolfius's verfion, the Editor's preface, and a frontifpiece, reprefenting the patriot Demofthenes, after all his ineffectual fatigues, reclining himself, full of care, vexation, and difappointment, upon the altar of Neptune, in the island of Calauria; whither he had fled from Antipater, who had conquered the Athenians, and fubverted the liberties of Greece.

The second volume contains the notes, with a map of Greece, Macedon, Thrace, the Archipelagus, and the Leffer Afia.The whole will give pleasure to the learned; and well deferves at this time to be duly attended to, by the patrons and friends of liberty.

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No. B. This Edition was printed in the year 1755, and should have been mentioned long ago, but the Book did not fall into our hands till very lately.

Ovid's Fafti; or, the Romans facred Calendar. Tranflated into English verfe. With explanatory notes. By William Maffey, Mafter of a boarding-fchool at Wandsworth. To which is prefixed a plan of Old Rome, taken from Marlianus's Topographia Roma, neatly engraved by T. Kitchen. 8vo. 4 s. Keith.

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HE Fafti have ever been confidered, as Ovid's most per

fect performance: the Antiquaries efteem them on account of the erudition they contain; while the polite scholar regards them for the beauty of their plan, their eafy and elegant flow of numbers, and, above all, for the art with which the Roman poet has interwoven fo many pleafing ftories. Mr. Maffy has therefore reafon to be furprized, that this moft elaborate and learned of all Ovid's works, fo neceflary for the explaining of the greatest part of the Gentile Theology, and in ⚫ particular, the facred ufages of the Roman people' fhould have been fo much neglected by our English translators, and should be fo little known in most of our public fchools, whilft his Triftia, Epiftles, and Metamorphofes, are in almost every fchool-boy's hands.'

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Indeed we know not what reafon can be affigned, why this valuable work is not more frequently read; but we presume the difficulty of the undertaking was the chief caufe of its not having been translated into English. Every dead language has an apparent advantage over the language we converfe in. quainted with the vulgarifms of antiquity, we perufe Greek and Latin poems, not only without difguft, but with pleasure; while one low phrafe will almoft ruin the reputation of a modern performance. This, however, is a difficulty which every tranflator has to encounter; but he that would give a poetical version of the Fafti, has many peculiar difadvantages to struggle with. Antient customs are not eafily cloathed in harmonious numbers, while etymologies almoft univerfally difdain the fetters of rhyme. Difficulties of this fort occur every where in the Fafti.-But the more danger, the more honour;-and though, to use a phrase of chivalry, the atchievement is reserved for fome more fortunate adventurer than Mr. Maffey, yet what he has performed, may haply rescue some poor youth from the merciless hands of that direful magician the school-mafter.

After giving an exact copy of the thoughts (a) it ought to be the first care of a Tranflator to preferve the peculiar beauties of

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(a) In this refpect, Mr. Maffey is pretty exact. The fenfe of his Author feldom efcapes him. Some inaccuracies, indeed, might be

pointed

expreffion in his original: and as Ovid is remarkable for an eafy, if not always an elegant verfification, Mr. Maffey should certainly not have attempted the Fafti, till he had himself attained that excellence. The Reader will judge of the propriety of this criticism by the following quotations.

Whene'er thou deign'ft for criminals to plead,
I fee thy nervous eloquence difplay'd;
But when thou draw'it a ftream from Helicon,
What floods of wit, in all thy numbers, run!

Again, p. 17.

But when that fortune rais'd Rome's head fo high,
That her gilt temples touch'd the azure sky,
Her wealth increas'd, and the increafing flore,
Made the poffeffors raging mad for more;

To get and spend, by turns, was all their ftrife,
And riches caus'd a carking vicious life;
So those who're in a dropfy like to burst

The more they fill, the more they are a-thirft.

P. 4

But to give inftances of this kind, would be to transcribe half. the volume. We muft, however, remark the wonderful affection which our Author has, almoft in every page, fhewn to the ftiff, unmeaning particle that; and left the first line of the laft quotation may not be deemed a fufficient proof of this, we fhall transcribe a few, among many other inftances.

Page 33. Time was, when that the feather'd race could rove→ - 38. A calm fucceeds, when that the storm is past.

54. So long as that no foes to quell we have.

-65. Till that the Dolphin brought him fafe to land.

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69. When that her fon attain'd his fifteenth year.

82. When that the fervants thither came, they staid.
85. Ten of her rounds, when that the moon had been-
101. When that the following night is over past.

Equally fond does our pains taking Tranflator seem to be of the do, and the does. Of this many proofs might be given, but we would not be thought tedious; efpecially as we shall be obliged to produce fome other inftances of his unharmonious verfification, befides thofe already quoted.

pointed out but we shall not fwell this article with two many par.... ticulars, of fo little importance.

P. 26. The Indian cofus, and Arabian myrrh,
With the red crocus, then were strangers here,
P. 30. And that revengeful goddess to appeaje
Dogs are a frequent offering made in Thrace.
P. 31. Here old Silenus on his afs appears,
And he who birds from fruitful orchards feares;
Who gather'd all to a delightful place,
And feafted jocund, fitting on the grass.
Ibid. By this a naked taper arm is shewn,
And that in a long vestment sweeps the lawn.

P. 34. For this the gods demand in facrifice
The Liv'r and heart of ev'ry bird that flies.

From most of these faults, however, the ftories of Arion, p. 63, 64; of Ceres*, p. 208; and of the Foxes, p. 226, are exempted. They are the beft parts of the translation, and preferve fomewhat of Ovid's manner.

As to the notes, after remarking, that the fame note is not unfrequently repeated, vid. (for inftance) p. 49 and 62; p. 41 and 77, we muft obferve, that though fome of them are useful, moft of them are puerile and infignificant.

We muft, however, except the following line, p 208.

• Where Ceres has a many cities got'—

Gr-r

The Parliamentary History of England, Vol. XIII. XIV. and XV. See Review for December, 1757.

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our former accounts of this voluminous work, we have had occafion to commend the diligence, judgment, and accuracy of the compilers; and we are forry, as we proceed, to find room, in any inftance, for changing our commendation into cenfure.

Compilations of this nature are no farther ufeful than as they are ftored with inftructive materials, or furnished with curious and ftriking incidents; the one to communicate knowlege, the other to afford entertainment. But when they are crouded with tedious and uninteresting extracts, they are then of little service to any one, except the Printer.

We cannot acquit our Authors of having been guilty of this tirefome redundancy, in the volumes before us, which contain a REV. Feb. 1758.

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number of pages, they might have fuppreffed without any prejudice to the collection. The fourteenth volume, in particular, is filled with dry remonftrances, of an intolerable length, from the Scotch Commiffioners to the English Parliament, relating to the pay of their army; a circumftance fo generally uninterefting, that we cannot fuppofe one in ten thousand would have taken the trouble to read them when they were first written; and much lefs can the fatigue be endured now, when the distance of time has so much contributed to render them ftill more unimportant. A fhort narrative therefore, reciting the purport of these remonftrances, would have been much more fatisfactory to the Reader, and have fhewn more judgment in the compilers.

Having premised this objection, it is but juft to acknowlege, that our Authors have pursued their work with their usual exactness and impartiality. In their relation of the particular tranfactions, during the courfe of the civil war, they frequently cite the several cotemporary authorities by way of comment on the proceedings of thofe turbulent times; and, fumming up the evidence, candidly leave the Reader to draw a conclufion from his own judgment.

The thirteenth volume gives an account of the proceedings of the convention at Oxford, and of the difagreement between the Lords and Commons of the Parliament at Weftminster. In the midft of the civil war, neverthelefs, both parties thought of peace. The States General offered their mediation, and the ceremonial of admitting the Dutch Ambassadors to an audience

the Lords and Commons, is well worthy of notice; as the occafion of their admiffion was quite new and fingular, there were no ftated rules of ceremony for that purpose. Therefore it was ordered,

That all the Lords fhould have notice to be prefent on the day; the Peers to be in their usual habits, without their robes; all the judges and affiftants being prefent. The little lobby was to be prepared for the receiving them, before their addrefs to the houfe; whither none were to come but themselves, and the painted-chamber to be kept clear to entertain their company. The mafter of ceremonies was to conduct them there from their own houses; then the ufher of the black rod was to bring them in from the lobby, and three chairs to be fet in the houfe for them. That,

• When they were come in, every Lord, fitting in his place, was to ftand up and falute the Ambaffadors; then to fit down, and not to ftir out of their places to speak with them so long as they were in the house.

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