497

abftract of the famous fyftem of organical corpufcles. The abfurd opinion of the effects produced on the body of the foetus by the imagination of the mother, so long and fo univerfally believed, though founded on facts which never did, nor ever could exift, is alfo briefly confidered and exploded. After all, we cannot help obferving that the fubject of generation feems to be totally beyond the reach of human enquiry; for notwith ftanding the innumerable experiments on various animals made with an intention to elucidate this matter, of old by Ariftotle, afterwards by Harvey, and fince by our illuftrious Author, by Vallifneri, Buffon, Needham, Bonet, &c. fcarce a fingle circumftance, with regard to the manner by which this great work is brought about, has hitherto been determined.

The Author proceeds next to confider the changes which the foetus undergoes from the time of conception to that of delivery. Here the curious Reader will find both inftruction and entertainment, particularly concerning the generation of bones, and that long difputed queftion, whether the perioftæum contributes to their formation? which is determined in the nega

tive.

Having now brought the foetus into this breathing world, as Shakespeare emphatically calls it, he accompanies him through the different ftages of infancy, childhood, puberty, manhood, and old age, to diffolution. Having collected a confiderable number of instances of longevity, in various parts of the world, he concludes with enumerating the circumftances which feem to contribute most to prolong life, and thence deduces a few general rules by which it may be attained; which rules, as they may be of fome utility, we fhall tranflate.

"From the preceding examples, fays our Author, I fhall endeavour to discover the caufes which may contribute towards continuing life beyond its ufual extent. Some of thefe are external. What care will fecure us from the ravages of the fmallpox, the plague, or putrid epidemical fevers, from which even the most healthy are not exempt? Nor can we poffibly prevent our minds from being affected by bodily pain, or a series of miffortunes. It is equally out of our power to influence the climate in which we live. In youth the most falubrious are the northern climates, or about fifty degrees of latitude, where acute difeafes are leaft frequent, the circulation being lefs rapid. But in a more advanced age, when the irritability of the heart hath diminifhed, and its pulfations become lefs frequent, happy are thofe who have it in their power to migrate to a warmer region, to thirty or forty degrees, or even nearer to the equator, there to repofe on a dry foil, where they may enjoy at pleasure the cooling fhade or the genial beams of the fun. Northern win⚫ters are enemies to the breaft and to long life;

but the benign

warmth of the fun excites the languishing irritability of the heart: even plants which in Europe are annual, become whe transported to the Brafils perennial and ligneous. Many valitu dinarians have, in warmer climates, been restored to perfec health. Dr. Poincy recovered of the gout and other infirmities in the Antilles. As to the gifts of fortune, to prevent anxiety, let us rather moderate our defires, than wish to encrease our wealth. An internal cause of longevity is the rudiments of a found body, the produce of healthy parents, fo that we may be exempted from many principal diseases, fuch as the gout, apoplexy, dropfy, confumption, which in fpite of every precaution, are frequently tranfmitted from father to fon. With regard to the manner of living, in youth I advise abftemiousness ; Nature hath provided water for our common ufe: Wine is a species of medicine. I would likewife prefcribe little flesh-meat with a large proportion of vegetables, little faline or aromatic food, and none of the trapetalous nafturtian class of plants; but univerfally let the quantity be moderate, that it may be well concocted, fo as not to corrupt, nor infect the blood, which fhould be mild, like that of an infant. Old men may indulge more freely in the use of flesh meat. Nothing can be more detrimental than a firey irritable difpofition; which can no more avoid being affected by injuries received than the nerves of the foot by a fit of the gout. A mediocrity of temperament is moft defirable, yet not fo as to be infenfible of pleasure, in which, nevertheless, it were improper to indulge. As in eating we ought not to exceed the defires of Nature, fo in venery, in ftudy, in bodily exercife, moderation fhould always be obferved but with regard to fleep I would be more indulgent. Let us delight in ambulation, the contemplation of nature, and in reading; not however with a defire of becoming learned or emi nent."

The utility and excellence of this work is too well know to require our recommendation; but in juftice to the Autho nclude without declaring it to be not only a

books upon this fubject, and a dictionary c at the fame time in itself a compleat fyfter

ines Typographica, &c. 4to. 11. 6s.

of Printing. By Gerard Meerman. 4to. 2 Vol Van Daalen. London, 1766. Wilcox.

ous and elaborate hiftory of the inve on which the noble Author has en

ploy

ployed fo much pains and erudition that he feems to have precluded all future attempts of the fame kind. Perhaps, however, he has been too formal in ftating his enquiries; perhaps alfo too elaborate and we cannot approve of that tedious minutenefs which records the defcendants, and branches out the families, even of other early artifts befides the inventor. The reputation of men of art and genius is no more hereditary than their talents; and unless the latter were infallibly communicable to their pofterity, nothing could entitle it to the former.

This work is divided into two volumes, the first of which contains, after the preface and introduction, an account of the origin, age, and pofterity of Lawrence of Harlem, who, according to our Author, was the inventor of printing; the authorities upon which it is proved that printing was invented at Harlem the conveyance of printing to Mentz by a fervant of Lawrence's, after his death; books printed at the office of Lawrence; the continuation of printing at Harlem by the defcendants of Lawrence, till the migration of Theod. Martin and his company into Holland, and the conveyance of the art into Great Britain by means of one of the workmen; the new improvements in printing at Mentz; the origin of printing at Strafburg; with feveral curious exemplars of the first impreffions, upon copperplates. The fecond volume contains, befides a large collection of ancient teftimonies concerning the invention. of printing, and fpecimens of the firft impreffions, fome very curious remarks and informations with regard to the introduction of that art into England.-From thefe we fhall felect the following relation, taken from a manufcript in the library at Lambeth, and published by Richard Atkyns at London, in the year 1664, in a book entitled, The Origin and Growth of Printing. "A book came into my hands printed at Oxon, Anno Dom. 1468, which was three years before any of the recited authors would allow it to be in England. And the fame moft worthy perfon, who trufted me with the aforefaid book, did also present me with the copy of a record and manuscript in Lambeth-Houfe, heretofore in his cuftody, belonging to the See, and not to any particular archbishop of Canterbury; the fubftance whereof was this: (though I hope, for public fatisfaction, the record itfelf in its due time will appear.) Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, moved the then King Henry IV. to use all poffible means for procuring a printingmold, for fo it was there called, to be brought into this kingdom. The king, a good man, and much given to works of this nature, readily hearkened to the motion; and taking private advice, how to effect his defign, concluded it could not be brought about without great fecrefy, and a confiderable fum

of

of money given to fuch perfon or perfons as would draw of fome of the workmen from Harlem in Holland, where Joha Cuthenberg had newly invented it, and was himself personall; at work. It was refolved that less than one thousand marks would not produce the defired effect, towards which fum the faid archbishop prefented the king three hundred marks. The money being now prepared, the management of the design was committed to Mr. Robert Turner, who then was keeper of the royal wardrobe. Turner took to his affistance Mr. Caxton a citizen of good abilities, who trading much into Holland, might be a creditable pretence, as well for his going, as for his ftay in the low countries. Mr. Turner was in difguife, his beard and hair fhaven quite off, but Mr. Caxton appeared as ufual. They having received the faid fum of one thoufand marks, went first to Amfterdam, then to Leyden, not daring to enter Harlem itfelf; for the town was very jealous, having imprisoned and apprehended divers perfons, who came from other parts for the fame purpose. They ftaid till they had fpent the whole one thoufand marks in gifts and expences; fo as the king was fain to fend five hundred marks more, Mr. Turner having written to the King, that he had almost done his work; a bargain, as he faid, being ftruck betwixt him and two Hollanders, for bringing off one of the workmen, who fhould fufficiently difcover and teach the new art. At laft, with much ado, they got off one of the underworkmen, whose name was Frederic Corfells, or rather Corfellis, who late one night ftole from his fellows in difguife into a veffel prepared before for that purpose; and fo the wind favouring the defign, brought him fafe to England. It was not thought fo prudent to set him to work at London; but by the archbishop's means (who had been vicechancellor, and afterwards chancellor of the university of Oxon) Corfellis was carried with a guard to Oxon; which guard conftantly watched to prevent Corfellis from any poffible efcape, till he had made good his promife in teaching how to print. So that at Oxford printing was firft fet up in England, which was before there was any printing-p efs, or printer in France, Spain, Italy, or Germany; except the city of Mentz, which claims feniority as to printing even of Harlem itself, calling her city Urbem moguntinam artis typographica inventricem primam: though it is known to be otherwife, that city gaining that art by the brother of one of the workmen of Harlem, who had learnt it at home of his brother, and after fet up for himfelf at Mentz. This prefs at Oxon was at least ten years before there was any printing in Europe, except at Harlem and Mentz, where alfo it was but new born,' For thofe arguments by which Mr. Meerman attempts to inthority of this Richard Atkyn, we must refer the 8

valida

curious

fhip to buy it. His lordfhip understood the meaning of thefe words, gave him the money and took the piftol, which he immediately presented at the highwayman; who told him, with a fmile, that he must have taken him to be a great fool, if he thought the piece was charged.

I fhall finish this chapter with the recital of a very extraordinary affair, which could never have entered any head but that of an Englishwoman: fhe was fo piqued at being told, that women had as great a propenfity to love, as men, that the instantly made a vow of perpetual virginity, and accordingly died a virgin at the age of fourscore; fhe left in her will, a number of legacies to virgins. She endeavoured, to prove that the proportion in the pleafures of love between the two fexes, was as forty to eighty-three. This drole calculation reminds me, that as the Italians conftantly introduced buffoonery, the Germans wine, the Spaniards devotion, the French gallantry, fo the English upon all occafions, introduce calculation."

This chapter we fuppofe, will be quite fufficient to give our readers an idea of this author's knowledge, abilities and candour. If the French form their opinion of us from fuch fcribblers, 'tis no wonder that we fhould appear to them in a very extraordinary light.

L'Art Du Poete et De L'Orateur, &c.

The Arts of Poetry and Oratory, being a new Syftem of Rhetoric for the Ufe of Schools; to which is prefixed an Effay on Education. 12mo. Lyons, Periffe, 1766.

N

O labours can be more unprofitable than fuch as are cmployed in laying down systems for the acquifition of thofe arts, which muft principally be taught by nature and received from her bounty. A fyftem of rhetoric is the abfurdest thing in the world. The rules of which any such system is compofed are nothing more than ftrictures on the various diftinguished paffages in the best Poets and Orators, whofe examples alone, added to the powers of native genius, and not the frigid comments of fyftem framing pedants, can form the mind to excellence: For the ftrictures of fuch writers are very frequently falfe, and, instead of inftructing, mislead the native taste of genius. Such would be the tendency of the dull and formal work before us, where we have divifions and fubdivifions, laboured demonftrations of felf-evident propofitions, and, diftinctions without a difference innumerable. For a fpecimen of the Author's tafte, we fhall quote his obfervation on that famous verfe of Lucan,

Victrix caufa Diis placuit, fed via Catoni.

"To give us, fays the Author a magnificent idea of the rectitude and probity of this Roman, the Poet prefumes to put him