fary restraint upon our language; not only (as Aristotle and Theophraftus have obferved) to prevent our fentences (which fhould be limited neither by the breath of the speaker, nor the pointing of a tranfcriber, but by the fole restraint of number) from running on without intermiffion like a babbling current of water; but chiefly. because our language, when properly measured, has a much greater effect than when it is loofe and unconfined. For as wrestlers and gladiators, whether they parry or make an affault, have a certain grace in their motions, fo that every effort which contributes to the defence or the victory of the combatants, prefents an agreeable attitude to the eye fo the powers of language can neither give nor evade an important blow, unless they are gracefully exerted. That ftyle, therefore, which is not regulated by numbers, is to me as unbecoming as the motions of a gladiator who has not been properly trained and exercised: and fo far is our language from being enervated by a fkilful arrangement of our words (as is pretended by those who, for want either of proper inftructors, capacity, or diligence, have not been able to attain it) that, on the contrary, without this, it is impoffible it fhould have any force or efficacy.

But it requires a long and attentive courfe of practice to avoid the blemishes of thofe who were unacquainted with this numerous fpecies of compofition, fo as not to transpose our words too openly to affift the cadence and harmony of our periods; which L. Cælius Antipater, in the Introduction to his Punic War, declares he would never attempt, unlefs when compelled by neceffity. "O virum fimplicem, (fays he, fpeaking of himfelf) qui nos nibil celat; fapientem, qui ferviendum neceffitati putet." "O fimple man, who has not the skill his art to conceal; and yet to the rigid laws of neceffity he has the wisdom to fubmit." But he was totally unfkilled in compofition. By us, however, both in writing and fpeaking, neceffity is never admitted as a valid plea; for, in fact, there is no fuch thing as an abfolute constraint upon the order and arrangement of our words; and, if there was, it is certainly unneceffary to own it. But Antipater, though he requests the indulgence of Lælius, to whom he dedicates his work, and attempts to excufe himself, frequently tranfpofes his words without contributing in the leaft either to the harmony, or agreeable cadence of his periods.

There are others, and particularly the Afiatics, who are fuch flaves to number, as to infert words which have no use nor meaning to fill up the vacuities in a sentence. There are likewife fome who, in imitation of Hegefias (a notorious trifler as well in this as in every other refpect) curtail and mince their numbers, and are thus betrayed into the low and paltry ftyle of the Sicilians. Another fault in compofition is that which occurs in the fpeeches of Hierocles and Menecles, two brothers, who may be confidered as the princes of Afiatic elo

quence,

quence, and, in my opinion, are by no means contemptible: for though they deviate from the ftyle of nature, and the ftrict laws of Atticifm, yet they abundantly compenfate the defect by the richness and fertility of their language. But they have no variety of cadence, and their fentences are almost always terminated in the fame manner. He therefore, who carefully avoids thefe blemishes, and who neither transposes his words too openly. -nor inferts any thing fuperfluous or unmeaning to fill up the chafms of a period,-nor curtails and clips his language, fo as to interrupt and enervate the force of it, nor confines himself to a dull uniformity of cadence, he may juftly be faid to avoid the principal and moft ftriking defects of profaic harmony. As to its pofitive graces, thefe we have already fpecified; and from thence the particular blemishes which are oppofite to each, will readily occur to the attentive reader.'

This tranflation, as far as we have examined it, appears to be executed with great fidelity. The language is clear and perfpicuous, fmooth, nervous, and elegant.

Sometimes indeed the author falls into fmall grammatical inaccuracies, such as the following: No fooner had he began to distinguish himself, p. 70.-Some have not wrote any thing, p. 60.-I had rather [would rather] p. 240.-Though he first appeared in the time of Cotta and Sulpicius, and when Craffus and Antonius, and afterwards Philip and Julius, were in the height of their reputation, he was thought worthy to be compared with either of them [any of them] p. 212.-The fittest of all others, p. 395.-If Hortenfius was [were] now living, p. 4.-If Jupiter was to converfe in Greek, p. 80.If I was to return-was I to profess, p. 334.—He will conduct himself as if he was fitting out an entertainment, p. 295. -If one of the people was to be judge, p. 131.—If the af fembly was to leave you—if I was to be deferted, p. 126.Was you without a habitation ?—you was not master of a farthing, p. 399.You was at Athens, p. 308.-You was prefent, p. 228.-You was the only person, p. 234.-You was relating-you was far from interefting our paffions, p. 194, &c. -Neighbours and acquaintances, p. 111.-1 may venture to out with them, p. 205.-Succeffive bursts of laughter, p. 203. and a general burst of applause, p. 392, are vulgar phrases.

The author will pardon us for these animadverfions. Grammatical inaccuracies are of fmall, but yet of fome importance, in a work of fuperior merit, especially on the fubject of ora- · tory, and elegance of ftyle: we acknowledge nevertheless, that this is an excellent tranflation.

A Sur

A Survey of Experimental Philofophy, confidered in its prefent State of Improvement. Illuftrated with Cuts. In to Volumes. Oliver Goldfmith, M. B. 2 vols. 8vo.

Newbery.

125.

By

Carnan and

WE E are informed in an advertisement, that the firft volume of this work was printed off in the life-time af the author; and that the whole of the copy was put into the hands of the publisher long before Dr. Goldsmith's decease. The defign of the work is to give a fhort view of experimental philofophy in its prefent improved state. For which purpose the reader is prefented with a furvey of the various subjects comprehended in the province of Phyfics.

The author begins with giving a general account of matter and its obvious properties; proceeding afterwards to treat, in diftin&t chapters, of the feveral species of attraction. In the eighth chapter he elucidates the doctrine of central forces, as far as they tend to explain the univerfal fyftem. Next follows an inquiry into the figure of the earth, and the different weights of bodies upon its furface; which is fucceeded by the theory of bodies descending down inclined planes, and of pendulums. The reader is then conducted to an examination of the laws of projectiles, the communication of motion, and the elasticity of bodies; from whence a transition is made to the developement of the various mechanic powers; fome of which are exemplified in the fubfequent chapter, where the author takes a view of man, confidered as an arti. ficial machine.

In the feventeeth chapter we are prefented with a philo. fophical account of the principles of wheel carriages; from which, as a fpecimen, we fhall lay before our readers the following extract.

Large wheels have the advantage of fmall wheels, in having lefs friction round their axles; for if the small one turns an hundred times in going over a certain piece of road, the larger wheel will not turn by any means fo often to travel the fame length, and the lefs the wheel turns, the lefs will the friction 'be. And this frequency of turning required in fmall wheels, as also the greater obstacles they continually meet with, is the reafon why they are more frequently out of order, and stand in need of repair much oftener than the large.

Laftly, large wheels have the advantage of small wheels, by better directing the load against the column of the horfe's body, either in going up or down hill, If the horse draws the load up hill, the wheels being large, raife the weight, more directly to be acted upon by the column of his body; if the horse goes down

bill, the wheels being large, raise the weight high above the horfe's power, and confequently thus diminish his power; but then it is at a time when he hath least occafion to make use of it, for the load in fome measure will then defcend of itself.

Thus in almost every inftance, with refpect to the draught, large wheels are preferable to the small, and therefore we neceffarily expect to find all our coaches, waggons, and other four wheel carriages, have the fore wheels as large as the hinder. If a waggoner is asked the reason why this is not fo, his anfwer is, that by making the foremoft leaft, the hinder wheels thus drive on the first. This however is by no means the true reafon; the fore wheels are made thus smaller than the hinder, both for the conveniency of turning with greater eafe, and because the carriage being thus fupported upon unequal wheels, it will be in lefs danger of overturning. They thus alfo avoid cutting the braces or ftraps, by which the horses draw. In heavy waggons however, where the neceffity of turning is but feldom, and the danger of overturning fcarce any, and the braces are removed at a distance, if the fore wheels were made as high as the hinder ones, it would be fo much the better. As it is however, waggoners fhould lay the load equally upon all the wheels; but on the contrary, they are univerfally found to lay the greatest part of the load upon the two fore wheels, which not only makes the friction greatest, where it ought to be leaft, but alfo preffes the fore wheels deeper into the ground than the hinder ones, which we obferved before, were most apt to fink, without this additional difadvantage. The only danger that might refult from the waggon's being evenly loaded would be, that in drawing up fteep hills, the load might be apt to fall backward, and thus tilt up the fore wheels of the carriage. This might eafily be remedied, by a machine placed under the fore part of the waggon, which, upon the carriage's going up hill, might be fo contrived, as to let fink the foremost end of the load, and thus keep the whole ftill even.

It now only remains to fay fomething with refpect to the breadth of the wheels. Some have infifted that broad wheels are beft for the draught, and build their affertions upon theory and experiment; others, on the contrary, and the whole body of carriers in particular, taught by experience, give the preference to the narrow. The determination of this difpute mult be left to others, more skilful in waggons and broad wheels than I can pretend to be; a word or two will fuffice. If we fuppofe the broad wheel to have three times the breadth of the narrow wheel, it will meet with three times as many obstacles by the way, but the narrow wheel will fink three times as deep; the queftion therefore is, whether three times the obftacles at the furface of the ground, is greater or less than three times the obftacle beneath the furface? The answer will be, that the three obftacles at the furface will be much easier removed than the three beneath it; for they lie lighter, and are

fogner

fooner thrust out of the way. But however this may be in theory, in experience it is otherwife; for the narrow wheel does not fink three times as deep as the broad, because the earth hardens by the preffure under it, as it defcends: on the contrary, the Howbroad actually encounters three times as many obstacles. ever, though the latter may not be fo good for the carriers, yet they are certainly good for the roads, and therefore for the public in general. Private difadvantage muft ever be postponed to public utility.'

The remaining part of the firft volume treats of friction, and the refiftance of fluids; of water; of springs, and rivers; of tides; hydroftatics; of the specific gravity of bodies; and of hydraulics.

The fecond volume commences with an inquiry into the nature of air, and its properties. After which the author confiders the most obvious effects of air upon the human body, and likewise upon mineral and vegetable fubftances; proceeding to treat, in the three fucceeding chapters, of its fluidity, weight, and elafticity. Next follows an inquiry into the height of the atmosphere, with obfervations on winds, mufical founds, and found in general; to which is fubjoined an account of fome anomalous properties of the air. These are fucceeded by an examination of fire, cold, and light; after which the subjects relate chiefly to the doctrine of optics; as appears from a particular enumeration of the remaining di vifions of the volume. Of the refraction of Light-Of the Paffage of Light through Glaf-Of the Eye-Of the Method of affifting Sight by Glaffes Of Catoptrics, or of Objects feen by being reflected from polifhed Surfaces-Of ColoursOf the Figure and Disposition of the Surfaces of Bodies, to reflect their refpe&tive Colours-Of the Rainbow-of adventitious Colours.

The various articles which have been specified, fufficiently evence the extent of this fyftem of Experimental Philofophy. With respect to the execution of the Survey, the author appears to have compiled his materials from the most approved writers on the fubject. The ftyle and arrangement are per'fpicuous, and the work is illuftrated by feveral explanatory plates.

Original Letters, Dramatic Pieces, and Poems. By Benj. Victor, 3 vols. 8vo. 17. 15. Becket.

IF

F we may judge from the various contents of this mifcellaneous collection, it appears to comprise the whole of Mr. Victor's literary compofitions, including even the epiftolary

сог