heart; and, at laft, retiring into the tranquillity of domeftic life with an amiable confort, occupied with the education of his children, cultivating letters, and erecting (fays the editor) in his houfe a temple to friendship.-So much the better for him-but we leave him here with our good wishes, and proceed to his work.

No regular extract can be made of fuch a miscellaneous defultory collection. We fhall only take notice of fome of the additions already announced; which will ferve as fpecimens of the entertainment that may be expected from this new edition of the work.

Mr. Edward Wortley Montague, one of the most fingular characters that hath appeared in our planet, is the fubject of a paffage in this work, in which Count LAMBERG relates fome particulars, little known, of the adventures and character of that odd man. The first thing we meet with in this paffage, is a part of a letter which Mr. Montague wrote to Mr. Lami (we believe it was the learned Father Lami) of Florence, and which is as follows: I have been making fome trials that have not a little contributed to the improvement of my organic fyftem.I have converfed with the nobles in Germany, and ferved my apprenticeship in the fcience of horfemanfhip at their countryfeats-I have been a labourer in the fields of Switzerland and Holland, and have not difdained the humble profeffions of poftilion and plough-man-I affumed at Paris the ridiculous character of a petit-maitre-I was an abbé at Rome—I put on, at Hamburg, the Lutheran ruff, and, with a triple chin and a formal countenance, I dealt about me the word of God, fo as to excite the envy of the clergy-I acted fucceffively all the parts that Fielding has defcribed in his Julian-My fate was fimilar to that of a guinea, which at one time is in the hands of a queen, and at another is in the fob of a greafy Ifraelite."

From the Proteftant religion Mr. Montague (says Count LAMBERG) went over to the faith of Rome, and, from thence, deferted to the most rigorous obfervation and profeffion of Mahometanism. He used always to feal his letters with three Arabian fignets, which had fentences of the Koran engraven on them. Count LAMBERG, who faw Mr. Montague at Venice defcribes his manner of living there, in the following terms, (which were written before the death of that fingular man was known in other countries): "He rifes before the fun, fays his prayers, and performs his ablutions and lazzis according to the Mahometan ritual. An hour after, he awakes his pupil, a filthy emigrant of the parched Abyffinia, whom he brought with him from Rofetta (in Egypt)-He inftructs this dirty negroe with all the care and precifion of a philofopher, both by precept and example: he lays before him the strongest proofs (as they appear to him) of the religion he teaches him, and he catechizes

catechizes him in the Arabian language. The Moor liftens to him with the moft ftriking marks of a profound and refpectful attention, all the time that is employed in these leffons.That he may not omit any particular, in the most rigorous. obfervance of the Mahometan rites, Mr. Montague dines at a low table, fitting cross-legged on a fopha, while the Moor, on a cushion still lower, fits, gaping with avidity for his master's leavings. It is this negro who fupports the white mantle that makes a part of the Turkish garb of his mafter, who is always preceded, even at noon day, by two gondoliers, with lighted torches in their hands.-The ordinary place of his refidence is at Rofetta, where his wife lives, who is the daughter of an innkeeper at Leghorn, and whom he has forced to embrace the Mahometan religion. His income amounts to about 6000 piaftres, which is remitted to him, from London, by his fifter Lady Bute, and 4000 which he receives from the Sublime Porte. During the most intenfe cold, he performs his religious ablutions in cold water, rubbing, at the fame time, his body with fand from the thighs to the feet; his negroe also pours fresh water on his head, and combs his beard, and he also pours cold water on the head of his negroe. To finish this religious ceremony, he refumes his pipe, turns himself towards the Eaft, mutters fome prayers, walks afterwards for half an hour, and drinks his coffee.'-O mifera bominum mentes?

There are feveral new obfervations, in this edition, upon the characters and manners of the Corficans, and more especially. on their egregious fuperftition; and our Author remarks, that there is a striking analogy between their customs and those of the Ephefians. It is a cuftom among these iflanders to have their weapons enchanted by a religious ceremony. On this occafion the weapon is placed upon the altar, and the priest, naming aloud the perfon to whom it belongs, fays a mass to St. Pantaleon, who was beheaded in the year 305, under the empire of Galerius. It is a tradition with them, that at this martyrdom, the fword of the executioner was converted into a wax-taper, and the weapons of thofe who came to facilitate that execution, into fnuffers, and that Pantaleon (we suppose after his head was cut off, for the miracle faves the bull), rofe from the block, fung and skipped about, and infulted his executioners. The Corficans are of opinion, that by certain forms of imprecation, they can put their enemies to flight; and one of them told me that by pronouncing only the word duo (which Pliny used againft fcorpions), he had made ten Genoese turn their backs.'

The part of this work in which the Author gives an account of the men of learning, wit, or fingular characters, whom he happened to see and converfe with during his travels, is really entertaining,

for his perform

entertaining, and the additional Memoirs which, we find in the fecond volume furnish new proofs of the philofophico-whimfical genius of this fenfible and agreeable Writer. One of these is entitled, A Method of feeing by the Noftrils, for the Use of those who cannot fee with their Eyes. There is a great deal of erudition and anatomical knowledge difplayed in this piece, mixed with a fpirit of pleafantry and good-humour, that season very agreeably the fpirit of paradox in our noble Author. His Memoir concerning the Establishment of an expeditious Canal of Commu nication, by augmenting the Action of Water, is curious, and the extracts of feveral letters, addreffed by him to learned men, which all turn upon matters relative to the arts or sciences, åre pleasant, and frequently instructive, reading. Several points of natural philofophy, chemistry, mufic, algebra, aftronomy, nay even aftrology, are treated in thefe letters; and thofe to Father Lewald, a Jefuit, Meffrs. Cagnoni, Maupertuis, Hume, to Count Rothenbourg, and Mr. Alexander, celebrated violin, are particularly entertaining. These letters are followed by feveral Differtations, one on the Fatus, another on Authorized Monsters, a third on the Proportions of Nature, accompanied with an Eulogy of the Spider, a fourth on the Mathematical Point, and a fifth on Sytems. These are fucceeded (for the variety is prodigious in thefe two volumes) by fragments of letters, reflections, notes, fingular anecdotes, various thoughts; and the whole is concluded by the Thanks of the Author, to his dog Bello, who was born at Ulm in Suabia, for having kept his teeth from his mafter's manufcript.

ART. XV.

Monde Primitif Analyfe et comparé avec le Monde Moderne confideré dans Hiftoire du Calendrier, &c.-The Primitive World analysed and compared with the Modern World, with refpect to the civil, religious, and allegorical Hiflory of the KALENDAR, or Almanac. By M. COURT DE GEBELIN. 4to.

WE

7E lately gave a fhort notice of this learned work; but as this was infufficient to indicate the peculiarities that dif tinguish it, we propose, at present, to give a more complete analyfis of the whole, and a fpecimen of the manner in which the ingenious Author illuftrates the ancient mythology, by its derivation from agriculture, and its connexion with those natural caufes, that either blafted the industry of the husbandman, or rendered it fuccessful.

This volume then is divided into THREE BOOKS; the FIRST contains the civil, the SECOND the religious, and the THIRD the allegorical hiftory of the kalendar.

In the first book, after fome preliminary notions relative to the etymology and antiquity of kalendars or almanacs, our Au

thor exhibits, in four columns, the ancient almanacs of the Hebrews, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. The two firft are fcanty in materials; the third is fomewhat more ample; but the Roman contains more materials than the other three taken together.

From thence M. GEBBLIN proceeds to confider the heavenly bodies, whofe courfe regulates the kalendar, and mingles here the most eloquent and picturesque defcriptions with the details of an accumulated erudition. Here he paffes in review the fun, moon, and planets, the twelve figns of the Zodiac, and several conftellations: he takes notice of the invention of weeks, months, years, hours and cycles, points out the firft fteps that were made in these divifions, fhews how, by means of intercalations, their defects were fupplied, indicates the different forts of years that arose from thence, viz. the year fettled immediately after the flood, the Egyptian, Syrian, Chaldean and Grecian years, and the Roman years from Romulus and Numa to Julius Cæfar He then confiders the deities who prefided over the days, months and feafons, the diftinction of times into fortunate and unlucky, and fhews how aftrological predictions, the times of the arrival of eclipses, the public games and fairs, came to be configned to the kalendar, and laftly, how men came to measure time, and what kinds of inftruments were employed for that purpofe.

All these objects are accompanied with etymological explications of the terms, by which they are expreffed. Here we see the true origin of the names given to the fun, moon and planets, to days and months, by the greatest part of mankind, both in ancient and modern times. The author endeavours, and with great learning and ingenuity too, to make it appear that these names, which have been considered as the effects of hazard and caprice, were real pictures or reprefentations of nature; too palpable to be fo grofsly mistaken, and were always relative. to the changing featons and to the labours of the year. The Reader will alfo find here the difcuffion of a multitude of intricate questions, hitherto involved in darkness, which, instead -of being difpelled, has rather been augmented by critics and chronologers.

The fecond book, or the Religious Hiflory of the Kalendar, turns upon a very curious matter of investigation; even the history of the ancient feafts or feftivals, more especially those of the Greeks and Romans. A complete treatife, on that fubject, would be certainly a valuable acquifition to literature. Our Author confines his refearches here to the religious feafts, that were fixed on certain days of the year; he points out the relation they had to the feafons, the refpective labours of each feason, and the abundance it produced; and fhews, that they were always defigned to connect the earth with heaven, by ob APP. Rev. Vol. lvi.

Nn

taining

taining the bleffing of the latter on the labours of the former, or teftifying to the gods the fentiments of gratitude, which were excited by their bounty. Hence (fays our Author) mankind had the fatisfaction of confidering the Deity as always attentive to their conduct and wants, and as maintaining, from age to age, that marvellous order, which he had eftablished from the beginning in the universe. Befide, civil society derived great advantages from these inftitutions, which were bonds of union among men, tended both to civilize their manners and soften their labours, and excited, by degrees, a fpirit of emulation in the youth to diftinguish themselves in these national affemblies, by fhining qualities, and the reputation of

ufeful or valiant deeds.

*

This fecond book is divided into five fections. In the first the author treats of feafts in general, of the origin of the general term by which they are all expreffed; of the works that were compofed for them, of the motives that occafioned their inftitution, of the manner of proclaiming them, and of the proceffions, facrifices, bymns, fairs, &c. with which they were accompanied.

In the fecond, he treats of the feafts that were relative to the great epochas, and that were celebrated in almost all nations.Here we find the feasts relative to the victory obtained over the giants, which were reprefentative of the phyfical revolutions of the universe, and were usually celebrated at the conclufion of the year, the time that the husbandman triumphed by his harveft, over the physical enemies he had been combating during the preceding feafons. Our Author fhews here, that the ancient giants, fo famed for their audacious attempts and exploits, were merely allegorical beings, and that a great number of facts relating to them, which have been looked upon as historical, were facts and events of a physical kind, that were embellished by a fymbolical language.-We find a curious fpecimen of this manner of interpretation in the detail, into which our author enters, with respect to the war of the giants, and the victory

Feaft, in English, fete, in French, feftum, in Latin, all are derived (according to Mr. COURT DE GEBELIN) from the primitive word heft or befb, which fignified fire, or hearth; hence arofe the term Vefta, goddefs of fire, the Greek word eftia, fire, and also the word east, that part of the heavens where the celeftial fire, the fun, rifes. This etymology ought not, fays our author, to appear furprizing, when it is confidered that all feafts were celebrated around an altar, on which the facred fire was kindled; and that this fire was the fignal for assembling all the families of the district, that ap plied themselves to agriculture (as the parish bell calls, at prefent, the people to church), and was regarded as the palladium, or fafeguard, of the country.

that