encounter'd Cefar again, and being defeated, defired his Friend Strato to put an end to his Life. Now here are plainly two different Actions, and at fome Distance of Time from each other, both fought in the fame Plains of Philippi, which I hope may clear up the Matter, and juftify Virgil of this great, and, I think, unaccountable Licence, which has fo often been laid to his Charge. This, I hope, may fairly enough answer the Romanas Acies iterum videre Philippi, and the Bis fanguine noftro. I find Ruaus had fuch a Notion once, for which he only quotes the Authority of Plutarch. But he does not approve of this Solution, because he thinks the Expreffion of the Ground being twice fatten'd with the Blood of the Romans, feems to imply a greater Distance of Time than a Month, which Plutarch places between the two Actions I have before mention'd. For my part, I cannot fee the Force of the Objection, nor why it might not properly be faid, that the Plains of Emathia were twice in a Month water'd and manur'd with Roman Blood. If this be a real Difficulty (which I must own I do not apprehend) I dare fay it is not fo great a one, as to bring two Armies into the fame Country, and fighting in the fame Field, tho they fought in two Places at fo great Distance from each other. Whereas, allowing the Turn I have given to that Paffage, the Senfe, I think, will be very clear and plain, that Philippi faw the Romans twice fight for the Empire of the World, and that those Plains were water'd, &c. with the Blood of the Romans. I beg Leave to add but one Obfervation more to confirm my Opinion, and that drawn from the Context of Virgil, it is thus: quæ ad fe tenderet, tardiùs eo nunciante, cum in vicino effet agmen curfu ad eum tendentium, exiftimans Hoftes effe qui inruerent, Lacernâ caput circumdedit, extentamque Cervic m interritus Liberto præbuit.- Poit poucos deinde Dies Brutus conflixit cum Hoftibus, & victus acie, cum in Tumulum nocte ex fugâ feecepiffet, impetravit à Stratone Ageate, familiari fuo, ut manum morituro commodaret fibi. Vell. Paterc. 1. 2. c. 70. p. 71. Elzev. The Poet having fhown the Importance of the fe veral Prognofticks that offer themselves to common Obfervation, does the fame by thofe of the Sun, in the following Words, Sol tibi figna dabit, folem quis dicere falfum This gives him an Opportunity of enumerating the Prodigies that happen'd upon the Death of Julius Cefar, and were the Preludes of the Civil Wars between Octavius and his Murderers. Ille etiam extinto miferatus Cæfare Romam, With abundance of other Prognofticks; then he concludes with this Paffage before us, Ergo inter fefe paribus concurrere telis, &c. Now if there is any Connexion between the Line, Ille etiam extinto, &c. and Ergo inter fefe, as I cannot but think there muft; if Ergo be an Inference from those Prodigies which attended the Death of Cefar, as it may be very reasonably fuppos'd, then the Fight of Pharfalia muft be entirely out of the Queftion. For, what Relation could this Battle have to the Death of Cefar, which happen'd above three Years after? Granting this Connexion to be true, then the Senfe of the Paffage will plainly be this: The Gods, therefore, incens'd at the Murder of Cefar, fuffer'd the Romans to break out into Discord and cruel Civil Wars; twice to engage on the fame Spot of Ground, and twice to water and fatten the Plains of Philippi with their Blood. Taking the Poet's Words in that Point of View, then the Sense will be plain, the Connexion clear, and the Inference will be entirely juft. This will, I conceive, fet this Paffage in a new Light, give an additional Beauty to it, and make the Compliment greater; which, I make no doubt, the Poet intended to Auguftus in this Place. But that you may fee, Sir, I do not defign to fhift and avoid any Difficulties, I fhall next confider the Authors that are quoted by the Criticks in defence of the former Opinion. The firft of these is Ovid, who, fpeaking by way of Prophecy, of the Greatness of Augustus, faith, *Pharfalia fentiet illum, Emathiaque iterum madefacta cæde Philippi. These Words, at first fight, feem clearly to affert what I have here denied; but if we understand the firft Sentence, Pharfalia fentiet illum, Pharfalia shall hear of him, and of his Exploits, which is the Meaning of the word Sentire in Terence, and fome of the best Latin Writers, then the last Verse will agree with my Opinion, and will make this plain and easy Senfe, That the Plains of Philippi were twice water'd with the Blood of the Romans. But if this Paffage of Ovid does not appear fo clear under the Light L have placed it, I beg it may be confider'd as one of thofe Prophecies which are usually deliver'd in a loose, obfcure and ambiguous Manner. For, I can never believe that a Man of Ovid's Judgment, and who lived in the very Time of the last of these Actions, fhould have confounded these two Coun tries, and have made Pharfalia and Philippi to be the fame Place, which are fo intirely different, and fo widely diftant from each other. The laft Author quoted by the Learned in this Cafe is Florus, who, I must confefs, is directly against me; for he afferts, in express Terms, that these two Battles were fought Ovid, Metam. L. 15. 1. 823. in the fame Field, and upon the fame Spot of Ground. The moft favourable thing that I think can be faid for this Writer is, that he was led into that Error by mistaking the Senfe of Virgil in this Place, as fome learned Men have done after him. Be it as it will, I am not much concern'd with the Authority of Florus, having already fhewn, that the Matter of Fact is falfe. And tho' this Licence, fuppofing it was one, might be allow'd in Virgil by the Right of a Poet, yet fuch a Liberty can never be pardon'd in an Hiftorian: tho' I queftion whether Florus deferves that Name, whofe Work is rather a Panegyrick, than a Hiftory of the Romans; rather an Encomium, than an exact Account of the Actions of that People. For this he greedily catches at every thing that makes for their Glory, is full of Flights and poetical Conceits, every where gives into the wonderful, prefers things that are hardly credible to thofe that are more probable, and often conceals and diffembles real Facts which make for the Honour of the Romans, or puts a falfe Turn and Colour upon them. Of this I could give you many Inftances, but that I fear to tire and weary out your Patience; fo I fhall referve this to fome other Opportunity, and perhaps make it the Subject of another Epistle. Illi paratis ingentibus copiis eandem, quæ fatalis Cn. Pompeio fuerat, harenam infiderunt. Flor. 1. 4. c. 7. N. B. Dr. Littleton is very unlucky in his Dictionary, in his Remark upon the Word Philippi. For, taking no notice this was the Field of Battle between Auguftus and Cefar's Murderers, Brutus and Caffius, he only faith, Hi Campi Philippici ubi inter Cæfarem Pompeium pugnatum eft. So omitting the Action that really happened there, he places a Battle that never was fought in that Place, Sed aliquanda bonus dormitat. ARTICLE ARTICLE II.. A new and accurate METHOD of delineating all the Parts of the different Orders in ARCHITECTURE, by means of a well-contrived and most eafily-managed Inftrument; whereon the juft Proportions of the principal Members, and of their feveral Parts, are fo difpofed, as wholly to avaid the Difficulty of the Fractional Parts that ufually attend thofe Operations. English'd from the Original Italian of Ottavio Revefi Bruti, by Thomas Malie, Gent. London: Printed for Fletcher Gyles, over-against Gray's-Inn, Holborn. 1737. Folio. Illuftrated with fifty-one Copper-Plates. HIS Book was first printed in Italian at Vi THI cenza in 1627; and as it contains a Method both ingenious and eafy for the Knowledge and Practice of what is moft material in Architecture, it was this Year tranflated and publifh'd in our Language, by the Direction of the Earl of Burlington, that noble Encourager of, and moft knowing Judge in, this Art; that the English Architects might have the Benefit of an Invention fo manifeftly useful. If the various Ufes be rightly confider'd to which the curious Inftrument herein defcribed can be applied, it will be looked upon as a Master-piece in its Kind; for thereby every thing required in this noble Art may be perform'd in a more expeditious manner than is ufually done, and the many different Calculations may be avoided that most commonly prove both tedious and uncertain to thofe who are not exceedingly well vers❜d in Arithmetick; the juft Proportions of the principal Members, and of their feveral Parts, being fo difpofed thereon, as wholly to obviate the Difficulty of the fractional Parts that generally attend thefe Operations. By the Precepts our judicious Author here delivers, every Perfon may, with great Facility, and without any |