documents conclude the publication, which, though much lefs exter five than the object might have allowed, is not devoid of merit.

ART. 44. The Flowers of Perfian Literature; containing Extracts from the most celebrated Authors, in Proje and Verje; with a Tranflation into English: Being a Companion to Sir William Jones's Perfian Grammar. To which is prefixed, an Effay on the Language and Literature of Perfia. By S. Rouffiau, Teacher of the Perfian Language. 4to. 244 pp. 18s. Printed by and for the Author. Murray and Highley. 1801.

It feems most proper to allow this editor to speak for himself concerning the object and method of his book." The editor of the following fheets," he fays, "has been for fome years employed as a teacher of the Perfian, as well as a printer of that and other Oriental languages, and the greatest difficulty he has met with has been a want of proper books for the inttruction of his pupils. This is an obstacle which every gentleman hitherto engaged as a Perfian mafter, has loudly complained of, but not one of them has attempted to obviate it. The lare Captain Hadley mentioned this circumftance frequently to the editor, and ardently wifhed for its removal, although he took not the leat pains to leffen his labour by a publication of a fimilar nature. Every language fhould be rendered as eafy in the acquirement of it, as the ability of man can poffibly make it; for the fwifter the progrefs made by a pupil in the knowledge of any tongue, the greater honour will redound to his tutor. The editor has long experienced the want of a work of this kind, and has therefore ventured to felect the following, for the advancement of his pupils, and to render lefs rugged the paths of Oriental fcience."

Sir William Jones, he fays, was well aware of this deficiency of proper books, and promised thirty years ago to publish extracts from Perfian works, which, however, never appeared. In the first part of the prefent work is given an Effay on the Language and Literature of Perfia, comprising their hiftory, with anecdotes of the literati. The fecond part confits of a large felection from various authors, given in Perfian and English. A fhort account is alfo offered in the Preface, of the works from which thefe extracts have been taken; Mr. Rouffeau has not, in general, tranflated the paifages himself, but has very properly availed himself of the claffical labours of Sir William Jones, Mr. Scott, Sir W. Oufely, Mr. Hindley, Mr. Nott, and others: and the collection is altogether fuch as muit be both pleafing and ufeful to the fludents in Perfian Literature.

ART.

ART. 45. Les Guerres Civiles, or the Civil Wars of Grenada, and the Hiftory of the Factions of the Zegnies and Abencenafes, two noble Families of that City, to the final Conqueft by Ferdinand and Ifabella. Tranflated from the Arabic of Abenhamin, a Native of Grenada, by Ginez Perer de Hita of Murcia, and from the Spanish by Thomas Rodd. 8vo. 7s. 6d. Vernor and Hood. 1801.

This is an unfinished work, at which we are the more furprised, as the fubject is very interefting, and the events detailed full of entertainment. How far it may be confidered as authentic hiftory, we pretend not to determine; but we must think that the finishing of the whole work will answer the tranflator's purpose. Many ballads are introduced, fome of which, we understand, are fet to mufic.-We fubjoin one as a fpecimen.

On St. John's aufpicious morning,

At the early dawn of day,
On the Vega of Grenada,

Moors a gallant fête difplay.
Nimbly wheeling round their horfes,
Couching all their lances low,
That by fair and favourite ladies
Banners wrought, like ftreamers, fhow.

For their canes and costlieft quivers
Of rich gold and filk they wear;
He that feels love's generous paffion,
Nobly feeks to prove it there.

And he that love has never wounded
Freely feeks to lose his heart;
Whilft the ladies from th' Alhambra
See him play a gallant part.
Two amongst thefe beauteous ladies
Bow'd to love's refiftlefs pow'r;
Once true friends, but jealous envy
Chas'd away that happy hour.
"Ah!" cry'd Xarifa, "my fifter,
Love I fee has touch'd your breast-
Once a bloom adorn'd that vifage,
Now with pallid looks imprefs'd.
Once you laugh'd at love's foft paffion,
Now you're filent as the night:
Haften hither to the window,

And the youth fhall blefs your fight.
You fhall fee Abindarraez

On the Vega nimbly ride;"
Gently Fatima thus anfwer'd,
Gently did the maiden chide.

"Love has never touch'd my bofom,
Never yet of love I thought;
If my face has lost its colour,

Grief the fudden change has wrought.

For my father am I grieving,

Alabez my father flew ;

If to love I chose to listen,

Mutual love would foon enfue.

Mutual love from fome young hero,
Great in honors, great in birth,
As the noble youth you are praifing,
Tho' I do not doubt his worth.'
Here the conversation ended,

Turning tow'rds her valiant Moor;
Fatima his feats attended,

Till the manly fports were o'er.

ART. 46. The Indian Guide, or Traveller's Companion through Europe and Afia, Part I. Vol. I. By Lieutenant Colonel Taylor, of the Honourable Eaft India Company's Service, Author of Travels from England and India, &c. &c. 8vo. 73. Wallis. 1801.

This is part of a work only which, when completed, will be caleulated for the ufe not merely of perfons who may travel through Europe and India, but for thofe alfo who may confine their travels to Europe. We very much approve of this manual as far as it goes, and fhall be very glad to fee its completion. The idea of fettling a regular over-land intercourfe between Great Britain and our fettlements in the East Indies, feems highly deferving of attention, and indeed to us appears fo eafily practicable, that we wonder it has never been adopted. It appears that difpatches may be conveyed by the channel here pointed out from London to Bombay in fifty-one days. This channel is from England direct to Venice, from Venice to Aleppo, from Aleppo across the Defert to Bufforah, and thence along the Perfian gulph to Bombay. This gentleman's travels were noticed by us, with commendation, in our fourteenth volume, page 341.

ART. 47. Travels in Italy by the late Abbé Barthelemy, Author of the Travels of Anacharfis the Younger, in a Series of Letters written 10 the celebrated Count Caylus, with an Appendix containing feveral Pieces never before published, by the Abbé Winkelman, Father Jaguier, the Abbé Zarillo, and other learned Men. Tranflated from the French.

8vo. 8s. Robinfons. 1802.

The popularity juftly obtained by this author's Travels of Anacharfis, will neceffarily excite an intereft and curiofity about the other productions of his pen. Thefe are the Letters of one friend to another, upon fubjects which occurred during the author's vifit to Italy, and give an interesting though not immethodical account of the antiquities and curiofities of Genoa, Florence, Rome, and Naples. An Appendix is added, which contains an account of the different modes

of manufacturing glafs; remarks on the City of Herculaneum, a differtation on the ancient monuments of Rome, and the measurement of the Coliseum. It is a very entertaining volume, but the notoriety of the fubjects which it difcuffes, will eafily excufe us to our readers for not entering into a more elaborate examination of its contents.

C.

ART. 48. Elegant Biographical Extracts; confifting of interesting Anecdotes, Bon-Mots, judicious Repartees, Ec, arranged in alphabe cal Order; compiled from the best English and French Authors. By J, 4.0. 75. Hurit. 1802.

Doudouit. 2 Vols. 12mo.

On one or two late occafions, we have thought it right to commend the ufeful diligence of Mr. Doudouit, who is teacher of French and Latin at the Free-fchool in Ludlow *. His prefent publication is of a lefs laborious and more amufing kind. It moft resembles the Dictionnaire d'Anecdotes in the French language, from which, however, it does not appear to be borrowed or tranflated. The fources cited are chiefly English, fuch as Goldfmith's Hiftory of England, Seward's Anecdotes, the British Nepos, Granger's Biographical History, the European Magazine. Sometimes, but not very frequently, we find Voltaire's Age of Louis XIV. cited. The proportion taken from Mr. Seward's book is very large, in return for which contribution the compiler has inferted the life of that gentleman, copied from the European Magazine, in which his merits and virtues are displayed with much justice. The anecdotes being arranged alphabetically, it is unneceffary to point out where this may be found. It appears to us that this induftrious exile may very fafely be trufted to provide books of inAtruction and amufement for his young pupils. He was formerly a Curé, or Parish Prieft, in Britany. That he continues to prefer Eng. land to his native foil cannot be objected to him by us.

ART. 49. Letters of Mad. de Sévigné, to her Daughter the Countess of Grignan. Tranflated from the French, by Mrs. Mackie. In Three Volumes. 12mo. Cawthorne. 1802.

That the Letters of Madame de Sévigné are the boaft of the French language, as a model of the natural and epiftolary ftyle, is a circumftance too well known to require repetition; nor fhall we difpute the affersion of the prefent tranflator, that the English verfion publifhed in 1768, and republished very lately, mutilates and mifrepresents the fentiments of the original, and difgufts by vulgarity of language The manner in which French translations are ufually manufactured in London, renders fuch allegations but too probable. We are inclined allo to think, from the examination we have made, that Mrs. Mackie's tranflation is tolerably free from thefe faults; but ftill we cannot feel altogether fatisfied with it, for a reafon which we fhall here affign.

We are told in the tranflator's Preface, that the "had the patience to tranflate every line of the best French edition published in 1785;

* See Vol. xix. p. 434, and xx. p. 450.

and

and it was only upon mature deliberation, and by the advice of fonte men of genius, that the adopted the plan of curtailing the Letters in a moderate degree." The advice, in our opinion, was not good in itfelf; even the repetitions of Mad. de Sévigne's Letters form a part of their character; but, whatever the advice might be, the mode of following it is very exceptionable. So far from omitting only repeti tions, and faithfully preferving "every anecdote, every portion of hiftory, public or private, every interefting occurrence," as is alledged in the fame Preface, many Letters are mutilated in the mott injudicious manner, and their most interesting parts are omitted. To inftance, in the Letters refpecting the death of the Marshal de Turenne, to which, as peculiarly ftriking, it was natural to turn; the Letter dated Auguit 16, 1675, (the 122 in this edition) is full of anecdotes of that hero, and of the prevalent grief for his death, the whole of which are omitted. We have no hesitation in faying that the moft intereiting parts of that Letter are thofe which are left out. To give one inftance among many," Il y avoient de jeunes foldats qui s'impatientoient un peu dans les marais, ou ils étoient dans l'eau jufqu'aux genoux; et les vieux foldats leur difoient, quoi vous plaignez! on voit bien que vous ne connoiffez pas M. de Turenne; il eft plus fâchè que nous quand nous fommes mal; il ne fonge à l'heure qu'il est, qu'à nous tirer d'ici; il veille quand nous dormons; c'est notre père; on voit bien que vous êtes jeunes et c'eft ainfi qu'ils les raffuroient. '* Many Letters (as the 134th) are made up of fcraps from feveral fucceffive Letters in the original, and certainly without any fymptoms of judgment, either as to the parts retained or rejected. Whatever merit therefore we may allow to this tranflation in other refpects, we cannot but regret the mutilated state in which it appears. It is an advantage, however, that it contains many of the additional Letters, never before tranflated; but we should wish to fee the whole, or, if a felection, one managed with much more care and attention than have been here employed.

ART. 50. Recueil de Morceaux Intereffans des plus Celebres Auteurs, ou L'Abeille Francoife, A. L'Ulaze de la Jeuneffe. Small 8vo. 286 pp. 35. Lackington. 1802.

If variety constituted the only or chief merit, of collections for the amufement or information of youth, we fhould find not the leaft rea

Since writing the above account, we have turned accidentally to a criticism which agrees fo exactly with our own, both as to the Letters in general, and the particular part of them here mutilated, that we cannot refrain from tranfcribing it. "The amiable Madame de Sévigné is the standard of eafy engaging writing: to call her the pattern of eloquent writing will not be thought an exaggeration, when I refer my readers to her account of the death of Marshall Turenne ; fome little fragments of her Letters, in the Appendix to Ramfay's Life of that hero, give a ftronger picture of him than the hiftorian was able to do in his voluminous work." The World, Vol. I. No. 14.

fon