*

confonant, as in the words, habit, borrow, bar'tle. When the accent is on the vowel the fyllable is long, because the ac cent is made by dwelling on the vowel a longer time than usual. When it is on the confonant, the fyllable is short; because the accent is made by paffing rapidly over the vowel and giving a fmart ftroke of the voice to the following confonant. Thus the words, add, led", bid", roa", cub', are all fhort, the voice paffing quickly over the vowel to the confonant; but for the contrary reason, the words, áll, laid, bide, road, cube, are long; the accent being on the vowels, on which the voice dwells fome time, before it takes in the found of the confonant. Ob vious as this point is, it has wholly efcaped the observation of all our grammarians, profodians, and compilers of dictionaries; who, instead of examining the peculiar genius of our tongue, implicitly and pedantically followed the Greek method, of always placing the accentual mark over the vowel. Now the reafon of this practice among the Greeks was, that as their ac cents confifted in change of notes, they could not be diftinctly expreffed but by the vowels; in uttering which, the paffage is entirely clear for the voice to iffue, and not interrupted or stopped, as in the cafe of pronouncing the confonants. But our accent being of another nature, can juft well be placed on a confonant as a vowel. By this method of marking the accented fyllable, our compilers of dictionaries, vocabularies, and spelling books, muft mislead provincials and foreigners, in the pro nunciation of perhaps one half of the words in our language. For inftance, if they fhould look for the word, endeavour; finding the accent over the vowel é, they will of course found it endéa-vour. In the fame manner dedicate will be called de dicate, precipitate preci-pitate, phenom'enon phenó-menon, and fo on through all words of the fame kind. And in fact, we find the Scots do pronounce all fuch words in that manner; nor do they ever lay the accent upon the confonant in any word in the whole language: in which, the diverfity of their pronunciation from that of the people of England, chiefly confifts."

In treating of the paufes or ftops, the author advifes, that children be taught to read without points, according to the practice of the ancients, who never used any, This, he thinks will neceffarily keep their attention to the meaning of what they read, perpetually awake; which in the common way is not

the cafe.

As his work is of the greatest importance, we fhall confider the remaining part of it more particularly in our next Review.

XV. An Iiluftration of the Sexual Syftem of the Genera Plantarum of Linnæus, No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. By John Miller, . s. each Number.

THE

HE laborious work which is here offered to the public, may be confidered as one of the most valuable that have been produced in botany, fo far as refpects the defcription either of the plants indigenous to Great Britain, or of thofe exotics which are fuccessfully cultivated in it. The ingenious artift has delineated the various genera with fo much precifion, that the botanical student may henceforth acquire the fcience within the walls of his clofet, without vifiting the gardens, or traverfing the devious fields in fearch of vegetable productions. Uninterrupted by the viciffitude of the feafons, he may now improve himself in the winter, as well as in fummer; when every beauty of the year has faded, as well as when nature reigns in her gayeft luxuriance and perfection.

In this great work, which is publishing by fubfcription, Mr. Miller delineates the feveral claffes and orders of the Linnæan fyftem from a plant in each order, drawn and coloured from nature. The parts of fructification are diftinctly expreffed in figures, coloured and uncoloured, with letters of reference to the botanic terms, printed in Latin and English. Herein are contained the various terms of botany, digefted and arranged fyftematically, fo as to include the generical characteristic diftinctions, ufed by Linnæus in his Genera Plantarum, printed in Italics. To these the author adds all the fpecific terms and expreffions that can be properly applied, in order to render the language of botany eafy and familiar. The work will contain 116 plants coloured, and the fame uncoloured, with about 140 fheets of letter-prefs, at one guinea each number to fubfcribers.

Ten numbers of this great undertaking are now published, which exhibit twenty-four different claffes of plants, and a variety of fpecies.

From this fplendid and accurate fpecimen of the work, we are fufficiently authorized to affirm, that it is an undertaking,. which, when completed, will do honour to the abilities of this ingenious artist.

It would be doing injustice to the work, as well as to Mr. Miller, not to give a place to the teftimony of the cele brated Linnæus in its favour, expreffed in two letters to the ingenious artift, on feeing the Numbers which have been published.

Viro Spectatiffimo Amiciffimo Domino J. Miller, S. P. D. Car V. Linné.

Quæ tua amicitia ad me mifit die 4 Octobris ultimi, accepi Februarii hujus anni, pro quibus gratias ago habecque maximas. Tabulas tuas ftupendæ pulchritudinis opus, miratus fum; nec vidi unquam pulchriores. Anatomiam partium fructificationis nullus mortalium tam vividè tamque accuratè expofuit. Opere too magnificentiffimo documentum amiciticæ tuæ in me fummum reliquifti, pro quo te, dum vixero, fanctiffimè colam. Vale, vir amiciffime, et me tuum effe fine. Upfalia 1773. die 8 Februarii.

In another letter, he fays,

Accepi aurea tua dona: Tabulas, puto alterius fafcicula, quibus fimilis numquam orbis vidit, five fpectas florum anatomen five totius plantæ iconfem et pulchritudinem.'

FOREIGN

ARTICLES.

XVI. A General Theory of the Polite Arts, delivered in Single Articles, and digefted according to the Alphabetical Order of their technical Terms. (Continued, from p. 67.)

A

Neceffary caution which our author gives to poets, is, not to crowd too many pictures in a poem; fince, however beautiful each of them may be by itfelf, yet their accumulation would weaken the effect of the whole. He obferves, that in didactic poems, fingle pictures are excellently adapted to ftrengthen and animate the whole; that Homer has proved himself a man of fuperior difcerement by the judicious difpofition of his pictures that these reflections on poetical pictures are alike applicable to the more animated and pathetic parts of an oration: and concludes this article with a wifh for a judicious, critical, and accurate investigation of the theory of this poetical and oratorial perspective.

In his article on the ancient Greek and Roman writers, he confines himself to fome general reflexions on their tafte; he obferves, that, though the principles of tafte, being founded in the invariable conftitution of the human foul, are in all ages the fame, yet there is, in the accidental form of the beautiful, a very confiderable difference, which we must never overlook in judging of the ancients; fince an oration or a poem may widely differ from the modern standards of perfection, and yet be a masterly performance.

This reflection he illuftrates with quoting feveral pañiages, which, though, when confidered from our modern points of view, they may appear exceptionable, yet when compared with the manners, purposes, and cuttoms of the ages of their refpective writers, be found either blameless, beautiful, or excellent.

Upon the whole, he readily allows, that the works of the ancients are not entirely unexceptionable; but obferves that, in general, their tafte was more manly and more natural than that of most modern writers and artifts; that their works, by being more effentially useful, are greatly fuperior to ours; that they have more forcibly endeavoured at the formation of manly fentiments; that they were lefs liable to encumber folidity with accidental decorations; and that, as all their learning was lefs fpeculative, more practical, and better adapted for real ufe than that of modern times, fo their works appear much fitter to form great politicians, good citizens, and valiant foldiers, than modern performances. Their lives, like their arts, were all practice; we, on the contrary, are, even in our confiderations on manners and on duties, mere theorists; where they acted, we are content to think: they were all heart and foul; the moderns are all wit and fprightlinefs-Their labours were much more calculated for the improvement of practical fenfe, than for mere entertainment. Sentiments they carried no farther than they are useful; that exceffive refinement of fenfibility, by which fome of the moderns have attempted to raise a reputation, was to them unknown.

During the golden periods of Grecian liberty, the polite arts were directly employed for religious and political purpofes. Every performance was defigned for a certain determinate end; that directed the artifts in their fentiments, and kindled that fire and enthufiafm, without which no work can ever arrive at tranfcendental perfection. This end they purfued by the directest road; and having their laws, their manners, and the mature of the human heart always before their eyes, they were not easily led aftray. From their earliest education, youths were habituated to confider themselves as members of the community.

Thus their ideas became all practical, and their actions were directed to important ends. We, therefore, need not wonder at that manly vigour, that maturity of judgment, and thofe determinate views that are fo very confpicuous in the works of the ancients, and fo often wanting in modern performances.

It is, therefore, chiefly from want of great ends, that the greatest modern geniufes fo often produce indifferent works. For the ancients excell us not fo much by fuperiority of talents, as by the grandeur of their views. This has been already obferved by Quintilian, of his own age. "Nec enim noş tarditatis natura damnavit, fed dicendi mutavimus genus, & ultra nobis quam oportebat, indulfimus. Ita non tam ingenio illi nos fuperârunt quam propofito *.

Of the fublime way of thinking, and the manly fpirit of the ancients, we can hardly form too great an idea. They deferve

our admiration; and for their unlimited freedom of thought,

our envy.

On the other hand, it would be a very inconfiderate and fervile veneration for them, to fuppofe that even the mere forms of their works ought to be our only patterns. This, furely, is throwing away the kernel, and preferving the fhell.-Thefe forms are fitted to their manners and their times; their epic, dramatic, and lyric poems how us, by their spirit and purpofe, not by their forms, men worthy to be our masters. If but the fubject be great and not obstructed by its form, that form is accidental, and entirely left to our own choice.'

The extracts which we have hitherto given from this work, will, as we fuppofe, prove fufficient vouchers for its merits. Our further account of it we must referve for fome future opportunity.

XVII. Mémoires Critiques et Hiftoriques fur plufieurs points d'Axtiquités Militaires, enrichis de beaucoup de Figures, par Charles Guifchard, nommé Quintus Icilius, Colonel d'Infanterie au Service du Roi de Pruffe, et Membre de l'Académie Royale des Sciences et Belles Lettres de Berlin. 4 vols. 8vo, Berlin and Paris.

ΤΗ

HE first and fecond volume of thefe excellent Memoirs contain an accurate and critical account of Cæfar's famous expedition against Afranius and Petreius, Pompey's lieutenants, in Spain..

This campaign has always been admired as Cæfar's military mafter-piece, and often commented upon by men of great industry and learning, whofe collections and remarks have at leaft afforded materials to more competent judges, and enabled military writers, the more easily to explain and illuftrate the various parts of the art of war among the ancients.

Among this latter clafs of commentators of Cæfar's text, Mr. Guifchard has peculiarly diftinguished himfelf by a variety of judicious remarks, and learned differtations, on the marches of the Romans; on the internal difpofitions and divifions of the legions; on their officers, and the order of their promotions; on their maxims concerning the fortification and police of their camps; their magazines, equipages, military drefs; and their tactics; and especially confuted the fentiments of those, who are for reforming the tactics of modern armies, and regulating them by thefe of the ancients.

The third volume opens with an instructive historical account of the legions employed by Cæfar in his wars. Then follows a difcourfe on the true report between the dates quoted in Cæsar's Commentaries, and in the contemporary writers, according to the old ftyle, and the dates given by the almanack, as afterwards reformed by the fame Cæfar. The volume concludes with a translation of the Ceftus of Julius Africanus, from the Greek. This Julius Africanus, as we learn from the tranflator's

R 4

pre.