prier Dieu ? Si cela est, tu dois être, fort à ton aise. Hélas! Monsieur, je n'ai pas souvent de quoi manger. Cela ne se peut pas, Dieu ne sauroit laisser mourir de faim ceux qui le prient du soir au matin : tiens, voilà un louis d'or, mais je te la donne pour l'amour de l'humanité."

In the Dutch edition the passage according to Brunet is much bolder, viz. Je vais te donner un Louis d'Or, tout a l'heure, pourvu que tu veuille jurer.

These particulars have lost some of their interest, since the same scenes have been reprinted in Didot's 8vo. edition and in M. Auger's.

Bret's edition, 6 vols. 8vo. 1773, with Moreau's plates, enjoyed the reputation for many years of being the best of this author, but according to the latest French catalogues, appears to be superseded in reputation by that of M. Auger, Paris, 1819 and 20, 9 vols. 8vo. with prints after Vernet, which is spoken of in rapturous terms by Brunet: “ Pour la pureté du texte, le merite du commentaire, la beauté de l'impression et le fini des gravures."

To this, as to every other 8vo. edition, may be added 31 engravings, done from the new drawings of M. Moreau, which are much superior to those of the same artist made in 1773.

The editions of this celebrated Author are nearly as numerous as our Shakspeare, and it would be an endless as well as useless task to enumerate even a tythe of them, I shall therefore only add one more edition to my list, viz. that of Paris, 1734, 6 vols. 4to. with plates, as it was revised from the original editions of Moliere's Plays, and served as the text, from which Bret's edition was printed.

There are two editions of the same date and size: the first and best is recognized by a fault in tom. vi. page 360, line 12,

where stands the word Comteese, which in the reprint is corrected to La Comtesse.

La Harpe in his Cours de la Litterature, says, 'An Author's commendation, is in his own works :' and it may justly be said that Moliere's eulogium is contained both in the works of Writers who preceded as well as succeeded him, so completely have both classes been distanced by him. He certainly classes among the front rank of Moral Philosophers. Dr. Blair, in his Lectures on Belles Lettres and Rhetoric, calls him an Author in whom the French glory most, and whom they justly place at the head of all their Comedians. There is indeed no Author in all the fruitful and distinguished age of Louis XIV. who has attained a higher reputation than Moliere; or who has more nearly reached the summit of perfection in his own art, according to the judgment of all the French Critics;Voltaire boldly pronounced him to be the most eminent Comic Poet of any age or Country; nor perhaps, is this the decision of mere partiality, for taking him upon the whole, I know none who deserves to be preferred to him. Moliere is always the satirist only of vice and folly. He has selected a great variety of ridiculous characters, peculiar to the times in which he lived, and he generally placed the ridicule justly. He possessed strong comic powers; he is full of mirth and pleasantry: and his pleasantry is always innocent. In fine, notwithstanding some few imperfections and improbabilities, which are mere specks on the disc of this luminary, few writers, if any, ever possessed the spirit or attained the true end of comedy, so perfectly, on the whole, as Moliere.

Perrault (Charles) Les Hommes Illustres qui ont paru en France pendant le siècle de Louis XIV. avec leurs Portraits au naturel. Paris. 1696-1700. 2 tom. Folio.

It may have been remarked, that whenever this book, which is much in request, on account of the portraits, engraved by Edelinck, falls into the company of book collectors, they immediately enquire if it contain the portraits of Arnauld and Pascal, and either turn themselves to the end of the first volume, or request some one else to make the reference for them. The occasion of this invariable enquiry it may not be considered misplaced in a work like the present to detail. When this work was on the point of publication, the Censor not having allowed the lives and portraits of Arnauld and Pascal, at pages 15, 16—65 and 66, to form part of the publication-the publisher was under the necessity of suppressing them, and filling the void thus left by the lives and portraits of Thomassin and Du Cange. Some amateurs, however, procured copies of the suppressed portraits, and added them to their copies. In time the cause of suppression no longer existing, the bookseller and proprietor replaced Arnauld and Pascal in their original situations, and Thomassin and Du Cange disappeared in turn. Copies, therefore, in which the lives of Arnauld and Pascal are wanting, but having their portraits inserted at the end of the volume or volumes, may be considered as first impressions. About eight guineas is the value of a fine copy in England. The copy of G. Nassau, Esq. sold, 1824, for 117. 11s.

Still more valuable would be a copy containing both the portraits and lives of Thomassin, Du Cange, Arnauld, and Pascal, so that the pages 15 and 16—65 and 66, of tom. i. as well as plates 8 and 33, be found repeated.

"The Angelical Guide, shewing Men and Women their Lot and Chance in this elementary Life." In 4 books. By John Case, M.D. 8vo. 1697.

G. Nassau, Esq. 1824, 17. 88.

This," says Granger, "is one of the most profound astrological pieces that the world ever saw. The Diagrams would probably have puzzled Euclid, though he had studied Astrology. Immediately after the unintelligible Hieroglyphic inscribed 'Adam in Paradise,'* is this passage, selected as a specimen of the work: Thus Adam was created in that pleasant place Paradise, about the year before Christ 4002, viz. on April 24, at twelve o'clock or midnight. Now this place Paradise is in Mesopotamia, where the Pole is elevated 34 deg. 30 min. and the Sun riseth four hours sooner than under the elevation of

the Pole at London. Now our curious Reader may be inquisitive concerning this matter. If you will not credit these reasons laid down, pray read Josephus: there you will see something of this matter, viz. of the first primum mobile or moving posture of the World, and place of Paradise, and elevation of its Pole. Many controversies have been about the time and season of the year, therefore I shall not trouble my reader any further with them. Let the Scripture be our guide in this matter. Let there be (saith the word) and there was: and also the fifth day's work of the creation, when the grasshoppers were, and the trees sprang out; this may give us to understand that the time of the Creation must have its beginning in the spring. Now for the place or centre of the earth, from

"The Philosophical Figure deduced by an Angelical hand Astrologically," seems to be equally unintelligible. See this figure at p. 254.

whence we may observe the Poles as aforementioned in Mesopotamia, where God placed Adam so the spring is two months sooner there than here with us, under the elevation of the Pole at London.'

This passage is so unconnected with any thing else, except we suppose some abstruse meaning in the Hieroglyphic, that it must be presumed to be self-evident, or else the Author (continues Granger) must have acted like James Moore,* as is intimated in the following dialogue between that Author and his Reader:

Reader. What makes you write and trifle so?
Moore.-Because I've nothing else to do.

Reader.

But there's no meaning to be seen,

Moore. Why that's the very thing I mean!

Case, who was a native of Lime Regis, in Dorsetshire, was many years a practitioner both of Physic and Astrology, and was looked upon as the successor of the famous Lilly, whose magical utensils he possessed. From the ensuing anecdote, communicated by the Rev. Mr. Gosling to Mr. Granger, it would appear that Case was no novice in his profession. Drs. Maundy, Radcliffe, and Case, being brought to dine together on some trifling occasion, Radcliffe thus toasted Case, "Here Brother Case, to all the fools your patients;" I thank you, good Brother," replied Case; "let me have all the fools, and you are heartily welcome to all the rest of the practice."

* Author of "The Rival Modes."