Mr. Ware, or Sirigatti, hath reprefented it truly; which is what he undertook to do: and as to the number of points, the Torus is, by their means, the more accurate, and fo would be a circle with fixteen, rather than with eight points, &c. Mr. Kirby's has fewer, but then his Torus feems drawn by hand, not by rule. Pages 28, 29. The Tetrahedron by Mr. Ware, or Sirigatti, is fallly reprefented, as Mr. Kirby justly obferves; but the fault is rather in the geometrical conftruction of the original figure, than in the Perspective. Mr. Kirby hath alfo truly corrected the original figure by his pricked lines: but his inference in the note at the bottom of this laft page feems fuch as neither truth nor justice can warrant. His words are, "Had Mr. Ware known how to put only this fingle object "into Perspective upon true principles, he would never have "given himself the trouble of publishing the tranflation of a "work which does not contain one true principle (as Sirigatti "has managed it); but is thoroughly divefted of all mathema"tical data, and hath not even a fingle figure that is truly "drawn, or which difcovers the least taste or elegance." It is however very probable, that even this geometrical figure might have been truly drawn in Sirigatti's original defign; but if not, it is fuch a kind of mistake as, in all probability, was owing to inattention; like Mr. Kirby's ftep in his winding stairs ; for it cannot be imagined that Sirigatti, or any mathematician, fhould be ignorant of the geometrical conftruction of any of the five regular folids. Page 30. He is again mistaken, in fuppofing it impoffible to perform what he has produced in his 20th figure, without the knowlege of Dr. Taylor's principles; because these things have been done many years before that gentleman was born, and truly done, but by more complicated methods; which is not advanced to leffen the merit of Dr. Taylor, whofe fyftem is, without comparison, preferable to all that ever appeared, (as far as we know) for univerfality of principles, and fimplicity of operation and the highest praise may be juftly given to him, without depreciating the merit of other ingenious Writers, who have deferved well of the public. Neither is it true, as the comparer afferts, that the Perfpective of fhadows, the reflections of objects in polished planes, and the inverfe practice of Perspective, are not to be found in any other Author. All these are to be found in Ditton's Perfpective, written before Dr. Taylor's; though Ditton treats of fhadows more flightly than of any of the other parts, as what feemed to him lefs important; but A. Boffe, above cited, is very explicit on the subject of shadows. Mr. Kirby fays, in his note, p. 29, that as Sirigatti has managed it, his work does not contain one true principle, and is thoroughly divefted of all mathematical data. What can he intend by this extraordinary fentence? The obvious sense of the former part feems to be, that there are principles in it, but that they are all falle. Now if by principles he means theory (as it is fuppofed he does) there appears not any pretence to theory; it feems rather a practical treatife, as is that of Pozzo: and then, if there are no principles, in this fenfe, there can be none that are falfe; but if he means that the practical rules are falfe, he is mistaken, nor has he fhewn it in any one inftance. That they are tedious, and embarraffed with a multitude of lines and points, which are unneceflary in Taylor's better method, is acknowleged, but the rules are not falfe for that reafon. σ And as for the latter part of his fentence, thoroughly divefted of all mathematical data," we own our ignorance of the fenfe in which he uses the term data in this place, and apprehend he does not himself underftand the meaning of the word. In page 31, he takes upon him to rehearfe the praifes of Sir Ifaac Newton. But does Mr. Kirby imagine, that he will be thought to understand the works of that great man because he extolls him? Would he infinuate, that he has read and comprehends them? that he is acquainted with what was known before Newton wherein he excelled, and particularly with his peculiar difcoveries? All which knowlege, it is prefumed, Mr. Kirby will not pretend to have acquired; and yet without it, how is he authorised to give Sir Ifaac the preference to all others? And if not from his own knowlege, but from common fame only-fo might every man in Britain talk, without understanding a word of Sir Ifaac's writings.-What would our Comparer have faid of Mr. Ware, had he given himself all this confequence? And yet it doth not appear that Mr. Kirby hath more mathematical, knowlege in general, than Mr. Ware. Page 32, he fays, all Perspective reprefentations, which are "not produced by a proper diftance of the eye, will be fale and erroneous." And in his note, (fpeaking of the Author of the print reprefenting the Horfe-guards and Treafury) Mr. Kirby fays, "He did not know, I prefume, fcientifically, that there was an abfolute neceflity of chufing a proper diftance." Now Now if by proper diftance, he means one only true and certain diftance, determinable by fome rule, and capable of demonftration, as he feems to do, (and ought to mean nothing less by what he afferts) it may be fairly replied, that there is no fuch thing in nature; nor can he, nor any one affign fuch a distance, but that either nearer or farther will be equally true; nor will any diftance whatsoever, at which the object or objects can be diftinctly feen at one view, render the Perfpective falfe or er roneous. It may, indeed, be convenient to take one distance rather than another, in order to exhibit more eminently what is intended to be principal in a picture; but this is altogether matter of difcretion, and has nothing to do with true or false. But he talks as if a certain diftance was to be afcertained by principle, and that no other would exhibit the objects truly; whereas they may be reprefented from different diftances with equal truth, but not from all diftances with equal prudence. All that can be afferted on this head is, that the distance should not be less than fuch as will admit the whole composition of the picture to be feen at one view; but any greater distance may be taken with equal truth. And if, for instance, an angle of forty degrees be fuppofed fuch leaft diftance, the reprefentation would be equally true from a distance making an angle of thirty-five, or of thirty degrees, &c. Upon the whole, if Mr. Kirby had contented himself with the reputation he had defervedly acquired, by the publication of a treatife, wherein the principal rules for the practice of Perfpective, founded on the theory of Dr. Taylor, are explained, he would have behaved like a prudent and a modeft man. Indeed, the appearance of modefty difcoverable in his first performance, may have warded off that cenfure which might have been paffed upon fome miftakes in that work: mistakes which, though effèntial in theory, were not thought of the greatest confequence in practice. And pity it is, that in this Jatter publication he difcovers to much arrogance and felf-conceit. It may not, therefore, be improper to remind him, that even MERIT acquires new charms, when attended by that graceful nymph called MODESTY.-That IGNORANCE herself does not fhock us, when fe chances to be feen with this amiable Companian.-But when he is obtruded on the Public by her ufual affociates, ARROGANCO Bad OBLOQUY, a more difguftful appearance is hardly to be met with. High-re Epifles Epiftles to the Great, from Ariftippus in Retirement. 4to. Is. 6d. THE DodЛley. HE anonymous Author of these poetical Epiftles has embellished his title page with a piece of fculpture, humoroufly defigned and well executed, which an intelligent Reader will confider as the argument and scope of the Epiftles. Our Writer affuming the name and character of Ariftippus, that graceful, or, to borrow the epithet of a late critic, that tafteful Antient, (who, according to Horace, became every fituation, and adapted himself properly to all circumftances) makes of course the principle figure in the piece. He is feated conspicuoufly, crowned with rofes, by the groves of Epicurus or Academus, with the Loves hovering above him; and appears difmiffing his attendant-fatyr among the high-born and high-ftationed group of mortals, in different profeffions, who are figuring it much beneath him, in attitudes fufficiently poignant and ludicrous. The Editor, or the Author under that appellation, premifes, in a short advertisement, That the peculiar manner and freedom of rhyme and diction, in these epiftles, though new to us, has been long ufed in France by different Authors, whose chief point in view seems to have been that of perfect eafe and familiarity. Poffibly, indeed, Horace himfelf might intend his epiftles, which he calls, Sermoni Propriora, (however excellent in matter and manner) to defcend into fomething of this character; but we may obferve in the fame epiftle, he difclaims their right to be confidered as poetry. This was agreeable to his own great merit and modefty; but whether the admired Greffet, and the other French hunters of eafy writing, thought as temperately of their familiar productions, is not fo generally known. It is certain, however, that Mr. Wycherly affirmed fome of his cotemporaries were admirers of what they called eafy writing, and which he fuppofed fuch as any one might eafily write. But befides thefe familiar French verfifiers, our Ariftippus has probably thought of a French Author in profe, who has rambled away prettily and eafily enough fometimes, and who has likewife entertained his Readers with not a little concerning himself. In truth, the principal drift of our English Author throughout these Epiftles, is to regale the Public with a detail of the exquisite tafte and mental elegance in which he lives and converses, furrounded with wit and fcience, the pleafures, graces, &c. And the particular purpose of the firft, entitled, The Retreat of Ariftippus, is to convince the nameless Peer to whom it is addrefled, of his Addrefler's philofophical fuperiority to courts and courtiers. His foft ambling mufe, though with a hitch in her pace, fome times, from too many lines, which read like parentheses, thus fets off: In courts, my Lord, let others lead To modern HONOR's dark abode, With th high-born vulgar of the town, To give bad fellowship renown. This reminds us of a humourous refolution of Montagne's, at the beginning of fome chapter, viz. "Since we cannot be great, let us rail at greatnefs.' And we may obferve at the clofe of this epiftle to his Lordship, the modern Ariftippus values himself on much better company than even the ribbon'd and gartered Peerage; to whom, with their levees, he thus modeftly contrastes himself and his own. On me, my Lord, on humble me, Around him fees the PLEASURES wait, From ev'ry other parish P.? Now fuppofing humble a typographical error for haughty, these verfes will read with a due confiftence throughout. But if our Author really meant to apply humble me to his proper state of mind here, we apprehend a more important mistake of his own; and muft beg leave to affure him negatively, (as Bays does his Thunder and Lightning) that indeed he is not humble. His fecond epiftle, entitled, The Temper of Ariftippus (a subject of the laft importance to the Public) is addrefled to the Hon. |