fe converterat, inter fummi ordinis ægros occupatiffimus vixit, donec adverfa valetudo, ut fibi caveret, monuiffet. Tunc fine mora Ulyffipponem fe fubduxit, ubi otium perinde ac falutem reciperet. Inde ut rediit, paucos modo curare conftituit, neque, ut ante, mediis negotiorum Auctibus fe implicari fivit. Medicinam tamen adhuc exercebat, crefcente etiam ætate vegetior factus, cum hominem temperantem, fummum medicum, tantus improvifo morbus opprefferit, ut præclufis inflammatione et tumore faucibus, vix diem unum atque alterum fupereffet. Lugeamus, amici fortem humanam! lugeamus focios amiffos! vel potius eorum fic meminerimus, ut quotiefcunque de clariffimis et beatiffimis viris cogitemus, nofmetipfos ad virtutem accendere, et ad omnem for. tunam paratiores præftare videamur." P; 21. Dr. Heberden's character as a scholar has too long been established to require our commendation, This oration, however, will always remain an honourable example of his claffical tafte-it might be added alfo of filial affection, for the apoftrophe to the memory of his father is one of the fineft paffages in the whole oration, and exhibits a specimen of the most amiable feelings, expreffed in the pureft Latinity. ART. III. The Hiftory and Antiquities of the County of Cardigan, collected from the few remaining Documents which have efcaped the deftructive Ravages of Time, as well as from actual Obfervation. By Samuel Rush Meyrick, A. B, of Queen's College, Oxford. 4to. 41. 4s, Longman and Co. 1810. THIS large and splendid volume may be truly confidered as a valuable acquifition to the topographical hiftory of Britain, That portion of the empire to which the publication before us has reference, has too long been deprived of the advantages of illuftration, owing to an illiberal fpirit which, unfortunately, for many years prevailed among the possessors of Welch MSS. of withholding them from the public eye; but this injudicious jealoufy having, in the laft generation, become extinct, the Preis has produced, and may be ftill expected to produce many unknown, but interefting particulars of Cambrian history, It will scarcely admit of doubt, that Great Britain was originally colonized by Celtic adventurers, the earlieft race. that moved weftward from thofe regions which were the grand fource of the population of the world. All the Cambrian records confirm this ftatement, and an additional proof is derived from the univerfal prevalence of the Celtic language in the countries colonized by them. The defcendants of these tribes were in poffeffion of the different parts of Great Britain at the period of the Roman invafion, an event that gradually caused a material alteration in their manners, cuftoms, and conduct. The Britons, become effeminate from the influence of Roman luxury, and deprived of their valiant youth for the defence of Rome itself, had loft that magnanimity, that patriotic ardour, which had fo eminently diftinguifhed their martial ancestors, when the Picts and Saxons commenced, or rather renewed, with redoubled violence their predatory incurfions on Roman Britain. The treachery of Vortigern rendered fruitless that defperate courage which excefs of calamity naturally awakens in a free-spirited, but oppreffed people, and the Saxon power augmented rapidly, though not without frequent oppofition from their brave, but unfortunate antagonists. With Cadwallader expired the laft remnant of the dominion of this ill-fated people, the nominal fovereignty of Britain, and from this period the History of Wales properly commences. Confined to their mountains, yet with the patriotic flame still glowing in their breafts, we might expect to find the hardy Cambrian race defying alike the efforts of our Saxon kings, and the policy of our Norman monarchs; but though their history prefents the picture of an heroic people ftruggling to maintain the laft remains of expiring liberty and independence, the fentiments of compaffion that would otherwise be excited in us, become nearly extinguifhed by their la mentable want of public virtue, their jealous and fierce contentions among themselves, which effectually did the business of the enemy, and inundated their country with that blood which fhould only have flowed in combat against the common foe. These powerful engines of ftate policy were not neglected by the brave, though crafty Edward, and the death of the laft Llewelin finally placed the principality of Wales under the dominion of an Englifh prince. The author of the Hiftory of Cardiganfhire has commenced his account of the inhabitants from the first peopling of Great Britain, and coninued it to the union of Wales with England, in the time of Henry VIII., treating principally of occurrences Z 4 with within the county, except where the events of the princi pality at large are fo intimately connected with it, as to render their infertion abfolutely neceffary, and then they are not extended to a difproportionate magnitude, The introduction contains a confiderable mafs of curious and well-connected matter relative to ancient British rites and ceremonies. We are then presented with the Hiftory of the Welch Jurifprudence, and with the religious profeffions of the people of Cardiganshire, from the period of Druidism to the prefent time. Speaking of the prevalence of Methodifn, Mr. Meyrick fays, "That men fhould differ in opinion upon abftruse points of religion is by no means wonderful, nor are they to be reckoned the worfe Chriftians on that account, but the Methodists in Wales are certainly to be condemned for their intolerant fpirit, and to be pitied for permitting, in one inftance, their heated imaginations to get the better of their reafon. That mode of jumping, from which this fect has been emphatically called Jumpers, is, of all things, the moft ridiculous. Any one who has heard one of their preachers hold forth to his congregation, although ignorant of the language, may perceive how much ftage effect is the object of this reverend Diffenter. A text being given from the pulpit, he does not confine himself fimply to expound it, but allows himself the utmoft latitude in his dif courfe, and preaches in the moft familiar manner. He begins in a low tone of voice, with long paufes between his fentences, then increafing both the found of his voice, and the celerity of his fentences, and at laft, by exerting himself to the utmost, fo works upon the infatuated and inflamed imaginations of his audience, to whom he appears infpired by the Holy Ghoft with utterance, that they foon throw their arms about in the wildeft manner, groaning moft ardently; then, encreasing their motion, take hold of each others hands, and thus, by pairs, commence jumping, accompanied with religious exclamations, fuch as "Gogoniant," or "Glory to God," and finally jump, until being quite exhaufted, they faint away in the arms of the by-ftanders, In short, if the preacher does not accomplish this object, he lofes his credit, as a skilful perfon, and is no more run after by the thousands he would otherwise attract." Introd. p. 108. The author, in a fubfequent page, draws an unfavourable, though we fear not wholly imaginary, picture of the Cardiganthire clergy. But when he talks of its being "almost praife-worthy to defert fuch parfons," we trust he goes as much too too far in fact, as we are fure he does in principle. We fhall infert, therefore, only the conclufion of this passage. "The ignorance and misconduct of many of the clergy of the Established Church in thefe distant provinces, must first be corrected, and then the return of their flocks may be effected till then it can scarcely be expected. It must be a moft gratifying confolation to all lovers of the Church of England, to find this laudable work already commenced under the aufpices of one, to whom this part of the principality must be forever indebted. The zealous endeavours of the Right Rev, Dr. Burgefs, the prefent Bishop of St. David's, will, it is to be hoped, meet with their merited fuccefs, and as fome of the prefent clergy have characters quite oppofite to the above defcription, and as a fupply of good fcholars, and good men may be looked for from the fchools of Yftradmeirig and Lampeter, let us anxiously look forward to that happy time when the unity of the fpirit fhall be kept in the bond of peace,' P. 110. In a later chapter we are prefented with a concife account of the Aftronomical knowledge of the ancient Britons, and here we meet with much novel information, and fome curious coincidences. "The ancient cuftoms, and fuperftitions at this day remaining in Cardiganfhire" next occupy our attention, and on this fubject a variety of curious ancient in ftitutions, and remains of fuperftitious ceremonies are detailed, which in many cafes, while they intereft by their fingularity, excite our pity for the degradation of the human mind. The next tract is on the drefs of the people, and this is followed by the mineralogy, in which much ufeful and valuable information is given; fuch as may be effentially serviceable to those wishing to embark in mining concerns, as well as to the traveller. The general agriculture of the county, and an account of its live produce close that part of the work allotted to the Introduction. The Hiftory itself is divided into hundreds, and fubdivided into parishes, and partakes of the general nature of fuch works. At the end appears a copious appendix of valuable documents. Though the genealogies introduced, in fome inftances, favour of the Cambrian pride of ancestry, yet we think the method adopted in the prefent work, of giving only fuch portions of pedigrees as are neceffary to the hiftory of each family manfion, is judicious and ufeful. Many curious. anecdotes are introduced, and much poetry, we cannot fay of equal merit, is interfperfed throughout the work. The book is embellifhed with twenty engravings, by Storer and 7 Greig, Greig, in their ufual ftyle of excellence, from accurate drawings by the author. On the whole, independent of poffeffing a rare quality in modern books, a very great bulk, in proportion to its price, we think this work will be found valuable to the antiquary, interefting to the hiftorian, and entertaining to the general reader; and we have no hefitation in predicting that it will readily find a place in every well-selected library. ART. IV. Afiatic Refearches. Vol. VIII. CAPTAIN Wilford, pursuing his investigation respecting the geography of India, or lambu, its native appellation, prefents us with various fchemes of the mundane fyftem formed by Brahmin geometricians, all of the most romantic nature, but that moft in repute, has the celebrated mount MERU in the center, the abode of the Gods of India, as Olympus was of thofe of Greece, and is furrounded with feven iflands, or dweepas, which give their names to as many refpective zones, and are, in fact, the feven climates of western geographers. Thefe dweepas, he tells us, gradually increase in breadth from the equator to the polar circle, and both their names, and the fuppofed countries intended to be defignated by them are enumerated in his differtation. This long lift of inharmonious names we forbear to cite, as conveying little inftruction to an European geographer, but the following defcriptive furvey of the coaft of India, of the courfe of the Ganges, and of the prominent rocks and headlands that anciently formed its barrier against the invading ocean, is too curious and valuable to be omitted, especially as a great part of it is taken from actual infpection of the country. The natural hiftory introduced in.o this detail, and the extraordinary circumftance of an old bed of the Ganges having been found at the depth. of ninety-five feet below the furface of the earth, with the petrified bones of animals, probably offered in facrifice in very ancient times, muft prove our apology for the length of the quotation. "The first, or dwipa of Jambu, commonly called India, was, formerly an island, as it appears from the infpection of the coun |