ART. 47. Codicis Uffenbachiani, qui epiftolæ ad Hebræos Fragmenta continet, recenfus et fpecimen are exfculptum, autt. H. Ph. Conr. Henke. Helmftädt, 4to. 1800.

As this valuable MS. (Wetft-in and Griefbach, Cod. 53) which is now preferved in the library at Hamburg, had been very imperfectly defcribed by Majus, Werftein, and Bengel, the author has certainly rendered an important fervice to the biblical critic, in paying the attention to it which he has done. He confiders it to belong, at least, to the ninth century; and we perfectly fubfcribe to the judgment of Bengel, when he fays, that fi integer hic extaret codex, hodie vix parem ha beret. As the MS. is generally very free from errors, it is the more remarkable, that v. 1. of ch. ii. is entirely omitted in it; which, indeed, is not abfolutely neceffary to complete the fenfe. Inftead of the common reading xapir. Secu, ch. ii. 9, it has likewife the other xapis Jesu, which the author of this Programma is disposed to prefer. Ibid.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

P. C. whofe hand we perfectly recognize, might have written in a more friendly ftyle. We are willing, however, to affure him, that, in our review of Mr. Gilpin's Hints for Sermans, we meant to cenfure only thofe who prefume to write against the doctrine in queftion. We had even particular perfons in our eye, whom we forbore to mention, left we fhould engender the very difputations we wifhed to difcourage. In the other matter also, our respect for private worth produced a forbearance, which candour certainly will not mifinterpret ; particularly when it is confidered, that we made fome objections, and hinted at many more.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

A fourth volume of Mr. Burke's works is in the prefs, containing the pieces printed fince the publication of the three quarto volumes which appeared during his life.

AA

An octavo edition of the whole of Mr. Burke's works, in eight volumes, is alfo preparing for publication.

A fourth volume of Sermons, by the late Dr. Samuel Carr, will appear in the course of the prefent month.

A collected edition of Gold/mith's works is nearly ready for publication, as alfo a new edition of Johnson's works, and of thofe of Locke.

A new edition of the works of Dean Swift, in eighteen volumes, octavo, improved from that publifhed by Mr. Sheridan in 1784, has been fome time in the prefs, under the direction of Mr. Nichols, and may be expected in a few weeks. Mr. Todd's edition of Milton, in five volumes, octavo, will appear early in June.

Mr. Jones's works are in great forwardness.

A new edition of Dr. Langhorn's tranflation of Plutarch's Lives, in fix volumes, octavo, will foon be ready for publi

cation.

Mr. Maurice's Modern History of Hind flan, is in fome forwardness at the prefs.

Mr. Kott has nearly completed his work on the Elements of general Knowledge, intended for the use of students in the naiverfities, and the higher claffes of fchools.

The Rev. Mr. Bingley, of Peter Houfe, Cambridge, has, ready for the prefs, a work entitled Sketches of Nature, deferip tive principally of the Economy of the Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms. He is alfo preparing a Synopfis of British Zoology, on the plan of Dr. Withering's arrangement of British plants.

We understand that the Magiftrates in the Southern part of Weftmorland, in end to compile and publish a regular account of their Townships, with the numbers of the inhabitants, from the returns of the Overfeers under the late Act. As this plan will be highly ufeful to Magiftrates, if completed throughout England, it is earnestly hoped that the example will be

followed.

The work for Weftmorland is chiefly promoted by Mr. Wilfon, of Cafierton Hall, near Kirkby Lonsdale.

ERRATA.

In our Review for March, p. 179, 1. 3, for parliaments, read bailments. Line 5, for applicable, read applied. Line 17, for adequat. read inadequate. P. 180, l. 18, 19, for Conyer's, read Camyn's.

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For MAY, 1801.

"Miror equidem doleoque, eo decidiffe rem Literariam, ut à multis libri è chartis et typis magis quam ex argumento æftimantur."

REISKE Pref. in Abilfedam,

We fee with grief and aftonishment the ftate of Letters fo fallen, that, by multitudes, books are valued rather for the type and paper than for the value of the contents.

ART. I. T. Lucretii Cari de Rerum Natura Libros Sex, ad Exemplarium MSS. fidem recenfitos, longè emendatiores reddidit, commentariis perpetuis illuftravit, indicibus inftruxit, et cum animadverfionibus Ricardi Bentleii non ante vulgatis, aliorum fubinde mifcuit Gilbertus Wakefield, A. B. Collegii Jesu apud Cantabrigienfes olim Socius. Tomis tribus, in 410. 51. 55. Charta majore 211. Apud Bibliopolas Lond. 1797.

IT

T will readily be granted, by men of sense and judgment, that an edition of a claffical author is by no means to be eftimated from the beauty of the type, the fineness of the paper, or the elegant proportions and arrangement of the page. If thefe matters could afford foundation for a reasonable judgment, there could be no poffible doubt about the praises due to the prefent work. In its external form, the book speaks abundantly for itself, nor can many editions of the claffics vie with it in that refpect: fuch only excepted, as exhibit merely a beautiful text, without any apparatus of notes. With regard to the existence of the work, Mr. Wakefield has fufficient

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BRIT. CRIT, VOL, XVII, MAY, 1801.

celebrity

celebrity to announce it amply to the world; and all perfons who would be inclined to purchafe it, either for the fake of its elegance, or for the fake of its editor, would know, without our interference, that fuch an opportunity was offered. For these, and fimilar reafons, though we privately encouraged the work, we long ago decided that it would be fuperfluous for us to expatiate at all on this new edition of a claffic author, unless time and opportunity thould enable us to examine with accuracy the particular qualifications which are held forth as diftinguishing it from all its predeceffors. Refpecting a work of this kind, two things are principally to be wifhed; first, that the editor fhould receive from the public a due remuneration for the care, labour, time, and expence beftowed on the undertaking; secondly, that the public, on the other hand, fhould be accurately informed of the real merits of the book prefented to it. The first of these objects, we trust, has been in a tolerable degree obtained, in the course of more than three years, wherein the new Lucretius has been in circulation: on the fecond, it is our bufinefs to fpeak, if we fpeak at all, without bias or prejudice on either fide of the queftion.

Lucretios, according to this editor, has been worfe handled than any other poet, by the licence of conjectural critics, and by the accumulation of errors. Havercamp confeffedly performed but little towards the emendation of the text; and the edition of Creech, which is best known in this country, is chiefly valued for its interpretation of the author, without pretentions to the labour ufually called critical.

The prefent editor prof fles to have revifed the text, and rendered it much more accurate, by the aid of MSS.; to have illuftrated it by continued notes, and to have added other aids. Some notes and conjectures he obtained from a copy of Faber's Lucretius, in which the critical remarks of Bentley had been written. He conjectures also, that more notes, and of more importance, by that great critic, must be in the hands of his grandfon, Mr. Cumberland; o: whom, however, he heavily complains, as refufing to communicate any thing. The notes of Mr. W. are indeed very numerous and various; philslogi cal, critical, illuftrative, political; fuch as he always pours forth, with a facility which judgment fometimes limps after in A reader, however, mutt be more than ufually morose, who is not pleased with the strong and lively relifh which this annotator exhibits, for the poetical beauties of his author, and thofe of all the ancient claffics; though, it is true, that he fometimes rather overwhelms than illuftrates Lucretius by

vain.

thefe excurfions.

But

But very diftinct from the talent or feeling laft mentioned, is the power of reading with precifion, and collating with accuracy, a variety of ancient MSS. and on the degree of fuccefs with which this difficult task has been performed, muft ultimately depend the characteristic value of the prefent edition above others: the correction of the author's text, by these means, being particularly promifed in the title-page and Preface. Now as this is in itself a work of care and labour, fo is also much time required, and not a little patience, to follow an editor through this part of his bufinefs, and examine how far he is entitled to that faith which the public ought to be able to repofe in a collator, if it is to derive a real benefit from his exertions. This tafk, difficult as it is, we have, after fome time, been enabled to perform, with refpect to three of the MSS. employed by Mr. W. and we are now prepared to lay before the public the refult of our enquiries; by which it will appear that, with every allowance made for a labour in which the acuteft eye will fometimes be deceived, and the most determined fagacity will fometimes remit its attention, Mr. W. cannot receive the palm of a skilful or fcrupulously accurate collator. Of the MSS. which this editor had actually feen, the number amounts only to five, which are thefe :

1. A MS. belonging to the public Library at Cambridge, defignated in this edition by the Greek letter n.

2. A MS. belonging to Edward Poore, Efq. of no great value or antiquity, referred to by o.

3, 4, 5. Three Harleian MSS. preferved in the British Museum, refpectively called, in this edition, A. II. 2.

The two first of thefe have not been within our reach; but the three latter, being in a place acceffible to London ftudents," have been diligently examined by us, for the exprefs purpose of afcertaining how far this elegant edition is worthy of faith in its report of the authorities on which it refts. It will not certainly be expected that, for the fake of this critical experiment, we fhould have gone through the complete task of an editor, and collated the three MSS. throughout. We have contented . ourselves with examining, by way of fpecimen, the 250 firit lines of the work, and afterwards, to obviate any cavu, another paffage, taken at hazard from the third book. This kind of examination, though not very amusing to the general reader, is the only fair method of appreciating the most important merits of the edition.

The three MSS. in the British Museum, which Mr. Wakefield has diftinguifhed by the Greek letters A. П, and 2. are in the Harleian Catalogue numbered 2694. 2612. 2554.

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