Traité fur l Art des Siéges et les Machines des Anciens, où l'on trou wera des Comparaifons de leurs Méthodes avec celles des Modernes, des preuves de l'Unité des Principes, & les Motifs de la Difference dans Application. Par M. Joly de Maizeroy, Lieut. Col. de l'Inf.

1 Vol. 8vo with Plates. Paris.

MR. de Maizeroy has already diftinguished himself by feveral other valuable works on the art of war. In the prefent, be intends to collect the methods of the ancients in the attack and defence of fortified places, under one point of view; to compare them with thofe of the moderns; to fhew the unity of the principles of both; and the motives of the difference in their respective application: a fure method of rendering the ftudy of ancient poliorcetics accesible, inftructive, and ufeful, to modern military officers.

æra.

For this purpofe he has divided his work into four fections. In the firft, he begins with fhewing in what manner towns were anciently inclofed, and what means or machines were employed to attack or to defend them. He traces the origin of these military machines in the Eaft; but obferves that they were greatly improved by the Greeks, efpecially four hundred years before the Chriftian He points out the means employed by the Greeks in the attacks, and illuftrates them with examples of fieges by fea and land. From the Greeks he proceeds to the Romans, who were alfo very lowin completing their poliorcetics. None of their fieges anterior to their war with Pyrrhus, deferves any notice by a modern engineer. Their firit machines were employed against the town of Lily bæum in Sicily. But from this period, industry enlightened by experience, and encouraged by rewards, improved that art, and formed it into a fyftem fit and worth to be ftudied.

In the fecond fection, he treats of fudden and quick attacks and fcalings, and illuftrates them with examples. He fhews their difference from the proceedings at regular fieges, with which they are almost always confounded by hiftorians; and explains feveral technical terms.

In the third fection, he proves that the ancients did not form their attacks by means of trenches. He confiders the art of fieges during the later times of antiquity; treats of the use of mines by the ancients, and of the origin of thofe that are now in ufe. Mines were employed in the earliest ages, and originally contrived by the befiegers for the purpose of fapping and overturning the foundations of the walls, and of thus gaining a breach, by which they might penetrate into, or furprize the town. Mr. De Maizeroy explains and exemplifies likewife all the different ufes made of mines, down to the present times.

The fourth fection treats of the projectile machines of the ancients; of their origin; their progrefs; their ufe; their conftructions, and their proportions; he determines and illuftrates their fe, veral refpective names, which had hitherto been involved in great obfcurity; and explains their mechanifm. This very important part of the poliorcetics he has copied from his own "Traité des Machines de Jet," which was originally inferted in the first edition of the tranflation of the Military Inftitutions of the Emperor Leo, in two volumes octavo; but which he has here greatly augmented and improved,

The appendix fubjoined to the work, contains a variety of difquifitions and difcuffions on feveral of its parts; difcuffions defigned for confuting errors, or clearing up doubts, but too long to be placed in the body of the work. Thefe treat of the fambuc; of the ardent

mirrors

mirrors of Archimedes; of the ftructure of the ditches of fortified places; of the dimenfions of the towers; of the teftudo and its fprings; of Mr. de Follard's mistakes on this fubje&t, as they appear from the ancient measurements of the height of towers; of the reach of the machines, and of the length of the ftadium, and the cubit.

After this enumeration of the contents of this ufeful work, it would be needlefs to recommend it to the attention of readers of ancient authors, as an excellent guide and commentary on military details; or to modern military officers, as a fource of additional re flexions and lights on the attack and defence of fortifications.

Analecta critica in Scriptores veteres Græcos et Latinos. Fafciculus I. quo continentur: 1. Notitia Poetarum Epigrammatographorum, quorum Nomina et Fragmenta in Analectis Brunckianis explant. 2. Supplementam Commentariorum Euftathii in Dionyfii Periegelin. 3. Auctarium emendationum in Oppiani Cynegetica; & 4. Difputatio de dubia Carminum Orphicorum Auctoritate et Vetuftate. Edidit. Jo. Gottlob Schneider. 8vo. Trajecti ad Viadrum.

PRofeffor Schneider has already proved himself a learned and judicious critic by his former publications. In the prefent collection of fhort treatifes he prefents his readers, under the first head with the accounts of the perfons, lives, and ages of the following poets: Afclepiades, Hermodorus, Antagoras, Philoxenus Samius, Philetas, Mnafalcas, Theodoridas, Hedylas, Alcæus Meffenius, Lentulus Gætulicus, Diodorus Zonas, Bianor, and Boethus; carefully collected and drawn up in the manner of Fabricius; and gives them hopes for a continuation of thefe accounts.

2. The fupplement to the Commentaries of Euftathius is taken from a MS. of the Royal Library at Paris, No. 2218, comprising, befides Lycophron's Caffandra, Oppian, and fome books of Porphyrius,Dionyfius, with Euftathius's Commentary; beginning with v. 882.

3. The third head contains fupplements to the author's edition of Oppian, drawn from books which he could not procure before; and which enabled him to revife and correct his critical account of the older editions of Oppian, and to fubjoin some farther critical notes, partly of his own, and partly felected from the more ancient editions.

4. The laft differtation is chiefly levelled against the late profeffor Gefner, who, with many other learned men, had afcribed the poems extant under the name of Orpheus, to the Thracian Orpheus, and confequently confidered them as genuine. Whereas profeffor Schneider, on the contrary, thinks them to be the compofitions of some later Platonist, who falfely afcribed them to Orpheus, in order to fupport his own mystical doctrines by the authority of fo famous a name.

Notice des Hommes les plus célébres de la Faculté de Médecine enl Univerjité de Paris, depuis 1110, jusqu'en 1750 inclufivement, extraite en plus grande Partie du Manujcrit de feu M. Thomas-Bernard Bertrand, communiqué par M. fon fils; rédigée par M. Jacques Albert Hafon, &c. pour fervir de Suite, & de Complément à l'Hiftoire abrégée de la Faculté, fous le Nom' d'Eloge hiftorique, avec des Remarques étendues. 4to. Paris.

TH

HIS entertaining book is divided into three parts or periods. The first comprehends the notice of the most eminent Parifian physicians,

2

phyficians, from the beginning of the eleventh century to the end of the fifteenth. The most celebrated French Physician within this period was Arnaud de Villeneuve, or Arnaldus de Villanova, who, in 1250, joined the knowledge of chemistry with the practice of phy. fic, and difcovered the diftillation of wine into brandy.

The fecond period comprises the phyfical worthies who flourished in the 16th and 17th century; especially the famous Fernel, first physician to Henry the fecond, by whom his talents and skill were moft munificently rewarded. He received of that king forty thoufand gold crowns (écus d'or), and of Catherina de Medicis ten thou fand crowns (écus) every time he had lain in. His medical practice yielded him twelve thoufand, (worth now forty thoufand) livres a year. The learned Duret one of his fucceffors, was ftill more highly favoured. When he married his daughter to Arnaud de l'Ifle, profeffor of the Arabic language, fhe walked to church between Henry the third on her right, and her father on her left hand. That king alfo honoured the wedding entertainment with his prefence; and as a proof of his royal affection, made the bride a prefent of all the gold and filver plate ufed at the feast.

The third period contains the memoirs of the most eminent French physicians, under the reigns of Lewis the XIV. and XV. fuch as Tournefort, Lémery, Geoffroi, Winflow, Aftruc, &c. Lewis XIV, was likewife very munificent to his phyficians and furgeons. After the operation of his fistula, in 1687, he gave M. d'Acquin, his first phyfician, 100,000 francs; to Mr. Fagon 80,000 francs; and to Mr. Felix, his firft furgeon, who had performed the operation, fifty thoufand écus, or crowns.

Moft of the eulogies in this third part are extracted from the late Mr. de Fontenelle's elegant Eloges des Académiciens.

FOREIGN LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. Obfervationum Medicarum de Phthifi in Collegio præcipue clinico collectarum Decuria, a Franc. Henr. Meinoiph. Wilhelm. Würtzburgh.

A Collection of cures of a disease commonly thought incurable, by an author who appears very fanguine in his hopes, and fometimes fanciful in his advice; for inftance, when he proposes that every phthifical mother ought to fuckle her children herself, becaufe a phthifical woman, after having tried, during her pregnancy, many remedies without any effect, was after her delivery fo fortunate as perfectly to recover, while, notwithstanding all remonftrances, the fuckled her child herself.-He must therefore be read cum grano falis.

L' Heroisme de l' Amitié; David & Jonathas, Poëme en quatre Chants. On y a joint plufieurs Piéces tant en vers qu'en Profe, jur differens fujets. Par M. Abbé Bruté, Cenfeur Royal. 12mo. Paris.

In the poem on David's and Jonathan's heroical friendship, Mr. Bruté has introduced fome fictions, and endeavoured to give his profe a poetical colouring; but fortunately he has not hazarded any alteration in David's complaints en Saul's and Jonathan's death. There are indeed too natural, and too affecting, not to be

injured

injured by any alteration; and are one of the finest paffages, not. only in Mr. B's poem, but in the whole Bible itself.

After this profe poem we find a collection of feveral pieces of poetry on various fubjects: Seven Odes on the Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church,-a nice and difficult theme: then a very faint and diftant imitation of a most excellent ode of the late Mr. De Haller on the Death of his first Lady; a free Translation of the Canticle of Mofes : " audite coeli, quæ loquor;" fucceeded by an effay in profe, entitled, " Rémarques fur l'Ecriture Saintes, attribuées à Longin;" (another pretended discovery of a Greek MS.) The volume concludes with an epiftle to a Freethinker on his writings against religion; and the author's epistle to his fifter, a nun, on his retirement to Montmorenci,

Mufei Capitolini antiquæ Infcriptiones a Francifco Eugenio Quafeo, Alexandrino ejufdem Mufei Curatore P. nunc primum conjunctim edita, notifque illuftrata. Vol. I. II. 4to. Romæ.

Many of the ancient infcriptions preferved in the Capitoline Mufeum were indeed already published separately in various works, treatifes, and periodical publications; but many of them were incorrectly printed, and many deftitute of illuftrations. Marchefe Guaco, prefident of that mufæum, has therefore undertaken to copy them with the greateft fidelity and accuracy, to correct the errors that have crept into other copies, and to mention the place of each. He has alfo ranged them under proper claffes, or chapters, and fubjoined their explanations, or quotations of books, in which they are explained. The first volume is dedicated to the pope, and contains three chapters: ft. Of the Names and Attributes of the Gods and Godeffes, their Temples, Altars, Statues, Priefts, &c. 2d. Of Emperors, Augufti, Cæfares, Auguftæ, Kings. 3d. Of Confules, Præfecti Urbani, and Magistrates.

Vol. II. contains three other claffes of infcriptions. Chap. 4. Military Infcriptions. 5. Those relating to Offices, Arts, and Sciences, generally practiced by freed Men (liberti.) 6. Matrimonial or conjugal Infcriptions.

Defcrizione degli Stromenti Armonici d'ogni Genere, del Padre Bonanni; Edizione riveduta, corretta ed accrefciuta dall' Ab. Giacinto Cerati; Ornata con CXL. Rami incifi da Arnoldo Wanwenfterout. 4to. In Roma.

This work originally appeared in the last century under the title of Gabinetto Armonico, and contained then the defcription of an apartment in the mufæum of the Roman college; in which a variety of mufical inftruments was preferved. It was then an indifferent medley encumbered with a great deal of ufelefs erudition; and has now by Signor Cerati been greatly improved, and almost transformed into a new book, as he has expunged the fuperfluities, enriched it with judicious additions, and corrected its tyle. The various inftruments here collected and minutely defcribed, are reprefented in 140 neatly engraved copper-plates." Differtazione epiftolare del Sgr. Ab. Gio. Batista Pafferi, fopra un' antica Statuetta di Marmo trovata nel diftretto di Perugia, ed ora exftente nel Museo dell' Inftituto di Bologna.

Signor Pafferi thinks the little ftatue in question, a donarium votivum to a goddess of health.

Q3

Bibliopea,

Bibliopea, offia l'Arte di compor Libri. 8vo. In Turino.

Signor Carlo Denina, profeffor of eloquence at Turin, and author of the well known Rivoluzioni d'Italia, here judiciously confiders and explains the neceffary qualifications of a good book, and an accomplished writer.

Difcorfo fopra la Pittura, del Cav. Conte Giovio, &c. 8vo. Baffano. A very tumid panegyric, with a fhort history, and very superficial theory of the art of painting.

Lettera del Sign. Conte Abbate Giambatista Roberti, al Signor Cavalier Conte Giambatista Giovio, e Ripofta del Medenmo sopra Giacomo da Ponte detto il Baffan Vecchio. 8vo. In Lugano,

Baffano, fo called from his native place, was chiefly celebrated for his excellent ftyle in painting animals. Count Roberti here endeavours to extend that painter's fame beyond this narrow sphere; he afcribes to him two different manners, and attempts to prove his affertions by referring to feveral pictures. The reply fubjoined, contains a defence of a picture of St. Paul, against the strictures of C. Giovio, in his Difcorfo fopra la Pittura.

Homeri Ilias Latinis Verfibus expressa a Raymundo Cunichio Regufino, Profeffore Eloquentiæ & Lingua Græcæ, in Collegio Romano. Folio. Roma.

A new harmonious and elegant Latin translation of the Iliad. L'Iliade di Omero, nuovamente Tradotta dal Græco in Verfi sciolti, con la Batramomachia. 2 vols. 8vo. Venice.

This Italian translation of Homer, by fignor Ridolfi, though fometimes rather faint, and not always very faithful, ftill deferves a confiderable rank among the great number of Italian translations of that poet.

Roland Furieux, Poëme heroique d'Ariofte, Traduction nouvelle, par M. Cavailhon. 3 vols. 16mo. Paris.

Mr. Cavailhon has prefixed a preface to his tranflation, in which he feverely reviews the beauties and faults of that favourite Italian poet Ariolto. He feems to have been very confident in hoping that the public would adopt all his fentiments; for he has, in confequence, taken liberties with his original, which will hardly be allowed to tranflators, however elegant. He has altered, expunged, or abridged, every paffage difpleafing his tafte; and even thrown two cantos into one.

Don Carlos und Alexei, Luines und Buckingham, ein Verfuch in verglichenen Leben beschreibungen, or D. C. and Al. &c. An attempt in Parallel Biography By E. Totze. 8vo. Greifswald. (Gerinan.)

The unfortunate perfonages whofe lives and fates are here relat ed and compared at length, with each other, are well known to our readers from other works. They are remarkable rather for their fortune and misfortunes, than for any extraordinary-genius, or any exploits and atchievements worthy the regard of posterity. We therefore with that the learned profeffor Totze, may, for the future at least, employ his unquestionable talents for hiftorical difquifitions, on fubjects more generally interefting to his readers.

Bifarrerie,