with the well-known extracts from Sir Robert Wilfon's Hiftory of the Expedition to Egypt, refpecting the massacre at Jaffa, and the poifoning of the fick; the "[pretended] Tranflation of a Fragment of the Eighteenth Book of Polybius, found in the Monaftery of St. Laura on Mount Athos, by the Count D'Antraigues;" and "Charles VII. of France, A. D. 1444, and Bonaparte, A. D. 1805, as Protectors of Germany, a Parallel."

It is a ftriking circumftance, that this publication, which profeffes to treat of "Napoleon, and the French People under his empire," contains not a word on his affumption of the imperial title, nor an anecdote refpecting the intrigues which prepared the way to, or the acts which followed his elevation. Some fuch account the reader has a right to expect, but as the author does not appear to have had it in contemplation, for his German title-page is not in the fame words, the fault lies with the tranflator.

The greatest merit of this work is good intention. They who perufe it in expectation of original information, cogent reafoning, or forcible illuftration, will be generally difappointed. To the errors in hiftorical ftatement which have already been noticed, it will not be eafy to add; and they are too few and flight to occafion much anger. If the elo-quence of the author does not often excite powerful emotions, it always recommends virtuous principles and found systems of government and loyalty; and the work, on the whole, is far preferable to the fulfome panegyrics which pour adulation on vice crowned by fortune, or thofe injudicious. effays, which, in order to ftigmatize Bonaparte and his family, frequently violate probability, and offend against morality and modeity.

ART. VIII. A Bibliographical Dictionary: containing a Chronological Account, alphabetically arranged, of the most curious, fcarce, ufeful, and important Books, in all Depart ments of Literature, which have been published in Latin, Greek, Coptic, Hebrew, Samaritan, Syriac, Chaldee, Ethiopic, Arabic, Perfian, Armenian, c. from the Infancy of Printing, to the beginning of the Nineteenth Century. With Biographical Anecdotes of Authors, Printers, and Publishers—a diftinet Notation of the Editiones principes and optimæ and the Price of each Article, (where it could be afcertained) from the best London Catalogues, and public Sales of the most valuable

valuable Libraries, both at home and abroad. Including the Whole of the Fourth Edition of Dr. Harwood's View of the Claffics, with innumerable Additions and Amendments. To which are added, an Effay on Bibliography, with a generál and particular Account of the different Authors on that Subject, in Latin, French, Italian, German, and English-a Defcription of their Works; first, improved, and beft Editions— with critical Judgments on the whole, extracted from the beft bibliographical and typographical Authorities. And an Account of the best English Tranflation of each Greek and Latin Cffic. In Eight Volumes. l. 8s.* Liverpool and Mancheller, printed. Baynes, Paternofter Row, London.

1802 to 1806.

THIS

HIS literary work, in its gradual progress through the prefs, has never ceased to command our attention. We have viewed it, from the first, with favourable eyes, rejoiced to fee a defign, of fuch obvious utility, undertaken by a perfon who appears to have brought to the task both the zeal and the diligence indifpenfable to the due execution of it. For any imperfections, which might appear in a first attempt of this kind, we were perfectly prepared to make the moft indulgent allowance. The materials, though abundant, are fcattered in various works; and the task of felection would be the more arduous from that very abundance. Omiffions must be numerous, even after the moft careful research; and minute accuracy in copying the titles, and noting the dates of works, though apparently the certain refult of patient and mechanical labour, has been proved by repeated experience to be more eafily profeffed than attained. On thefe and other accounts, we would with it to be underflood, that when we note either errors, or what we think deficiencies in the prefent work, we mean to do it with the most friendly difpofitions to the undertaking; with a design to make the future improvement of it fomewhat more eafy, and to contribute our mite towards the completion of a plan, which nothing but the lapfe of time, and the co-operation of many learned heads, can poffibly bring near to the idea which theory would offer for it.

The editor and principal compiler, who is perfonally un known to us, is faid to be Mr. Adam Clarke, an inhabitant

It should be obferved, that the fix volumes which compofe the Dictionary, or the two laft, entitled " Bibliographical Mifcellany," may be procured feparately.

૨૧

BRIT. CRIT, VOL, XXIX, MAY, 1807.

of

of Liverpool, and perhaps afterwards of Manchefter, where the book has been printed. He appears to be well verfed in Hebrew, with a knowledge alfo of oriental literature in general. His skill in the Latin and Greek languages, we have fometimes fuppofed to be deficient, on account of the ftrange errata we have obferved; but perhaps the difadvantages of a country prefs, of which he occafionally complains, have given rife to a large proportion of thefe faults. Certainly we have never feen fo many errata in any other work, nor have many of them been corrected in the lifts occafionally introduced. But even on this obvious fault we lay no ftrefs. It is partly apologized for by the editor in fome of his advertisements; and has arifen, we can eafily believe, from caufes not altogether within his controul, This allowance he has the more right to demand, on account of the great diligence difplayed in the general conduct of the work. It appears, indeed, from the advertisement to the fixth volume, that the whole is not the refult of the editor's labours. He thus fpeaks on the subject.

"It is fcarcely neceffary to mention by whofe labours this Dictionary has been brought before the public. Such is the nature of a book of this kind, that nothing but intrinfic merit can recommend it: if it be deftitute of real usefulness, no name can fupply the defect. It may, however, be juft proper to ob. ferve, that the fourth, fifth, and fixth volumes have been en. tirely compiled by the author of the fuccinct Hiftory of the Polyglots, the fubftance of which pamphlet is printed in the firft and fecond volumes. A major part of the third volume has been compiled by the fame hand, and a multitude of articles added to the two preceding volumes, befides almoft the whole of the Bibliographical (qu. biographical?) anecdotes. The other parts of thefe first volumes were compiled by a gentleman in London, chiefly, as it appears, from Harwood, the Harleian, and fome modern fale catalogues, by which authorities, notwithstanding his care and labour, the compiler was frequently misled: but these mistakes,

Ignofcenda quidem fcirent fi ignofcere manes,

are in general corrected by the tables of errata, or in the fubfequent courfe of the work. Thefe firft volumes might, indeed,

The two fupplemen al volumes are printed in London; and in the laft, the author igns London, with his initials A. C. This, perhaps, indicates another change of refidence.

+ We prefume Mr. A. C. Rev.

have been better arranged, but as a ftrict charge was given, to make no alteration in that copy, the editor, though he added much, yet in other cafes left the work as he found it." Vola 6. p. v.

We fhall add this editor's general apology for all imperfections in the work, from the fame place.

"Some very refpectable critics," he fays, "have thought, that with leifure, a moderate portion of learning, and the opportunities which are open to every fcholar in a learned country, almost all the value of which fuch a work is capable might be given to it. They certainly may go a great way, and without them little can be done to good effect in fuch an undertaking. But various other confiderations must be taken into the account: -for the prefent work, a wide distance from the capital-a total want of a literary friend, to whofe infpection and caftigation the fheets might have been fubjected-workmen, who, notwithftanding their care and diligence, could not avoid making a variety of mistakes, from their ignorance of the languages used in the work, with feveral other circumftances unfriendly to the undertaking, which need not be enumerated, have all concurred with the editor's own incapacity and various avocations, to produce feveral errors." Ibid.

They must be more inflexible critics than we would wish. to be, who could refufe to be appeafed by fuch a statement; or would invidiously draw forward into notice literal errors*, which a reimpreflion of the work will furely remove; and which, in fact, very feldom obfcure the information intended to be given. We particularly approve the adoption of the Dictionary form, for this work; which, except in the infiance of the French Dictionnaire Bibliographique," (vols. 1791.) had not, we believe, been done.

We have gone through the volumes, ftep by ftep, with the fpirit of a friend, ex-mining the productions of a friend; and with the fame difpofition we fhall point out what seems to us to require alteration or improvement; not forgetting alfo to fpeak of the parts which deferve particular commendation. As the title page teaches us to expect an account only of the moll curious, fcarce, ufeful, and important books," it must be premifed, that concerning many of thefe points much difference of opinion may almoft always exift:

66

* In the fecond vol. of the Bibliographical Mifcellany, we are told that “a table of errata for the fix volumes of the Diction ary will be printed feparately, and delivered gratis to the parchafers."

Qq2

that

that book appearing to one reader curious, useful, and important; which another would pafs by, as poffeffing none of thofe qualities. Nor is even the queftion of fcarceness, though depending on facts, always eafy to be determined, fome books being more, and fome lefs, rare than they are generally reputed or fuppofed. With all allowance for thefe differences of opinion or information, we now fhall begin our remarks on the work, which we fhall complete at more or fewer times, as may prove convenient to ourselves or acceptable to our readers. With respect, however, to books of mere rarity, we agree exactly in opinion with Le Clerc, who fays;

*

"Ce qui eft d'ufage, et digne de l'eftime du public, ne demeure guere fi caché, qu'on ne le déterre, et qu'on ne le reimprime, même plufieurs fois. Ceux qui récherchent des livres rares devroint penfer à celà, & en attendant s'appliquer avec foin à la lecture des livres communs, qui font les meilleurs; et qu'ils negligent néanmoins, comme s'ils ne meritoient pas d'être lus *.'

ELIAN. Under this name we had noted fome omiffions; but we found the chief part of them afterwards fupplied at page 154 of the fame volume. Harles afferts, that the author of the Taftics lived juft a century before the author of Various Hiflory, and the Hiftory of Animals. He gives the prænomen Claudius to both. Even the additions do not give us the edition of Lehnertus, in two vols. Leips. 1798.

CHINES SOCRATICUS. Of him it is faid, "when he flourished is uncertain" (p. 17.) On the contrary, it is perfectly certain that he was a pupil of Socrates, and a conftant attendant of him with Plato. His life is given by Diogenes Laertius; and the orator Ariflides fays of him that he was, Σωκράτος μὲν εταίρος, Πλάτωνος δὲ συμφοιτητής. See the Teftimonies in Le Clerc's edition. The exact times of his birth and death indeed are not recorded, but almoft every thing elfe.

AGRIPPA (Hen. Corn.) It might be mentioned with advantage, that the frauds introduced into his book "de, Vanitate Scientiarum" are fully expofed in Schellhorn's Amanitates Literaria, Tom. ii. p. 513, and that a life of him is alfo in that volume.

: AINSWORTH (Robert). Under this refpectable name fhould be entered" Monumenta Vetuftatis Kempiana, ex

* Bibliotheque Anc, & Mod, tom. vii. p. 3.

vetuftis