fage, but arrived in little more than two months at Fulta, excepting the Cumberland and Marlborough, the want of which greatly reduced the force of the armament. For the former was not only the largeft fhip in the fquadron, but had on board two hundred and fifty of the European troops; and the greater part of the artillery had been imprudently shipped on board of the Marlborough. A detachment which had been fent with major Kilpatrick had arrived at Fulta on the fecond of Auguft; but it was not deemed a fufficient force for the execution of any enterprize; and the veffels which were then affembled at that place being too much crowded to receive the men on board, the latter were obliged to encamp on the swampy grounds near the town, where fickness prevailed fo much among them, that of the whole detachment, which originally confifted of two hundred and thirty men, one half was dead, and of the remainder not more than thirty were able for duty at the arrival of admiral Watson. On the twenty-feventh of December the armament left Fulta, and the next day anchored at Mayapore, a town fituated ten miles below the fort of Buz-buzia. This fort admiral Watfon determined to attack immediately; and there being reason to imagine that the garrifon would abandon it, a refolution was formed of laying an ambuscade, to intercept their retreat towards Calcutta. The troops were accordingly difpofed for this purpose, when in confequence of a fecurity, of which they ought to have been jealous, they were attacked by the enemy during night, and almost totally routed, but at length obliged the Indians to retire'; and the armament foon afterwards retook the fort of Calcutta. Thus ended the expedition for the relief of Bengal, with which we shall at prefent conclude our account of this perspi. cuous and faithful history. [To be continued. ] Vida's Game of Chefs. Tranflated into English. 4to. 25. Kearsley. TH HE original of this piece was written in Latin, about the year 1540, by Vida, bishop of Alba, one of the principal ornaments of the age of pope Leo X. His poems, all of which are in the Latin language, are various, and some of them much admired. But in all he has borrowed fo largely from the poets of ancient Rome, as in a great measure to invalidate his claim to the character of an original genius. This This plagiarism is carried to fo great a length in the poem upoa Chefs, that the expreffions, and even the complete lines, which are transferred from Virgil, form no inconfiderable part of the piece. The tranflator feems to think, that this is a defect.-In other poems we readily allow, that it is a derogation from their me-" rit. But in a mock heroic poem, like the present, parody may be admitted with the greateft propriety. We are pleased to fee the majestic lines of Virgil ingeniously diverted to a new fubject, and a new fenfe, in a work of pleasantry and humour. Though Scaliger calls The Silk-worm, rex librorum Vida,* the king of Vida's works*, yet others have afferted, that his Chefs is his capital performance. However this may be, the invention, which is difplayed through the whole conduct of the game, the ease with which the moft intricate defcriptions are finished, together with that ferious and important air, which is spread over every circumstance, has raised it very high in the estimation of the moft judicious critics. The Latin name for chefs is feacchia, which fome derive from the German word Schach, latro, the game being frequently called, latronum or latrunculorum ludus. Du Fresne derives it from the Perfic word, feach, a king; either because a king is the chief mover in this game, or because it is a game fit for kings. The learned Hyde, who has written a treatise on this fubject, calls it fhahiludium; and derives it likewise from the Perfic word fab, a king. It was invented, he says, in India, and introduced into Perfia in the fixth century. The tranflation, which is now offered to the public, is a refpe&table performance. The author defcribes the various evolutions of both armies, with perfpicuity, and a confiderable degree of elegance. And though his work muft inevitably want one of the principal beauties of the original, the fplendor of the Virgilian style, yet it may be read with pleasure; espe cially by thofe, who are acquainted with the game. The following lines will be a fufficient fpecimen : * Poet, vi. 41 f Victorious now along the chequer'd plain Put forth their rapid wings, and ftir the fea: Loud roars the flood; with forceful blasts they sweep The rolling billows gain upon the coast, Then back revolving in the waves are lost.' In this extract, and in many other places, either is impro perly used for each. In the fixteenth line instead of, Put forth their rapid wings, and ftir the fea,' We would propofe this alteration : Expand their rapid wings, and roufe the fea." Villare Cantianum; or Kent Surveyed and illuftrated. By Thomas Phillipott, Efq. Fol. 2d Edit. Corrected. 11. 1s. Baldwin. No county in England has been defcribed by more antiqua rians than Kent. Bishop Nicolfon has given us an account of the following books published on that fubject, in his time. Itinerarium Cantiæ, by Leland. A Perambulation of Kent, by Lambarde, 1570. Villare Cantianum, by Philipott, 1659, 1664. A Survey of Kent, by Kilburn, 1659. A Treatife of the Roman Ports and Forts, by Somner, 1693. Antiquities of Canterbury, by Somner, 1640, &c. In his account of Philipott the bifhop fays: Philipott's Villare Cantianum was not written by Thomas Philipott, whose name it bears; but by his father John, Somerset herald; who is only owned to be the author of the additional history of the high fheriffs of the county and what faith (a learned countryman of his, Dr. Kennet, puts the question in my mouth) can be given to him, that could rob his own father of the credit of his book?' Eng. Hift. Library, c. z. On this quotation we muft obferve, that John Philipott either was, or was not, the author of this work. If he was, its credit is not affected by the character and conduct of the fon. If he was not, Dr. Kennet's reflection is unjust. But whoever was the author, we must acknowledge, that, though he is a tedious and an affected writer, he seems to have been an induftrious antiquarian; and has collected from ancient records, charters, rolls, and regifters, a great variety of facts, which would otherwise have been buried in oblivion. We We can give our readers no extract from this work, which would be more likely to attract their notice, than the following obfervations on the urns of the ancients. At this parish of Newington, not long fince, were digged up many Roman urns, not far diftant from the high way or common paffage, it being agreeable unto Roman practice to inter in those places, where their monuments might be obvi ous almoft to every eye, memorials of themselves, and memento's of mortality unto living paffengers, whom the epitaphs of great ones were fain to beg to stay and look upon them. Some of these were of a larger, and fome again of a narrower capacity, it being customary amongst the Romans, for the fervants and clients to obtain repofitories for their remains in urns of a leffer; for the mafters and patrons to flumber in urns of a more wide and fpacious dimenfion; and many were so curious, that they contrived vaft family-urns to continue their living relations, wherein the ashes of their nearest kindred and friends, at least some parcels of them, might, as in fome common exchequer, be treasured up, that so the union in life might be multiplied and inforced by an amicable correfpondence, even in the place of fepulture; thus the afhes of Domitian were mingled with thofe of Julia, and those of Achilles flept in the fame urn with those of his Patroclus. That this ufage or practice of the Romans extracted its pedigree from Greece is manifeft. For all authors that have taken a profpect of the Grecian rites of funerals, confent that those of Megara fhut up the bones of four or five persons in the narrow confines of one repertory, or fepulchral urn, It is farther obfervable, that thefe urns difcovered at Newington, where feveral of them embroidered with particular inscriptions; one had Severianus pater infculped upon it, another was endorfed with Prifcian, and a third with Fulvius Linus; this also was usual amongst the Romans, not only to fuperfcribe the names of those whofe remains were lodged within, but likewife fometimes to devote their dust to those deities they called topical gods, fuch as were here, Deus Viterineus, Deus Mor guntis, Deus Mounus, Deus Civitatis Brigantum, Camulus Deus Sanctus, Gadunus, &c. Sometimes they endorsed D. M. that is, Diis Manibus, and then we often meet with patera's, or facrificing dishes, lachrymatories, veffels of oils, and other aromatical libations, which age and a long date of time had condenfed into the confiftences of gellies; fometimes again their urns were placed or fituated near fome bound or landmark, and then their afhes inclofed, were confecrated to the peculiar protection of Deus Terminus, and were cloistered in a repofitory or veffel, much in figure or refemblance like a Roman urn, urn, but only the cover,was more wide and deep at top, and this they stiled Arca Finalis. Befides these at Newington, there are many other examples of fuch endorsements amongst the Romans; I fhall cull out fome few, Marcus Plautius, who flew. himself for the love of his wife Oreftilla, who deceased at Ta-, rentum in her paffage to Afia, that fo he might accompany her in death, as he had done in life, had his afhes blended together with hers in one urn, whilft this fubfcription without adorned their mingled duft, " The two lovers," Not many, years fince there was digged up, near Coggeshall, in Effex, an urn, which offered up to the fpectators view this inscription, Coccilli M. that is Coccilli Manibus. And not many years, before at the Bath was reprefented to public inspection, an urn, with this endorsement infculped, Vibía Jucunda An. XXX., hic fepulta; I could discover more of this nature; but I return. In thefe Newington urns, as my intelligence inftructs; me, there were traced out many pieces of Roman coin, it being customary amongst that nation, not only to inciofe coin or money, both of confulary and imperial ftamp, by which the date of their friends decease, might be hinted to an intelligent obfervation; but likewife fragments of those things the deceafed in his life time did particularly affect, at namely, fpearheads, pieces of darts and fwords, broken armour, the caflis or helmet, fhields, goblets, berill rings, befides a great num-, ber of gems, with heads of gods and goddeffes, and the portraiture of feveral creatures, fashioned out of agate and amber. Now if any will inquire of me, when this cuftom of burning the dead, and after depositing their dust in sepulchrat urns, became to be in ufe among the Romans? I confefs I am fatisfied the time is uncertain, though I dare pofitively aver, it was originally tranfported from Greece, where it was used, though with more formality, long before it was adopted into the usages of this nation. For firft the Grecians burned only the bodies of thofe of more eminent account, but denied it to those who were of bafer allay, or of obfcurer fame; as likewife they did to deceased infants; to those who were blasted or deftroyed with lightning, because they fuperftitionfly conceived them enemies to the powers above; to those who had impi ously laid violent hands upon themselves; and lastly, to those who had by a perfidious apoftacy, declared themfelves to be deferters and betrayers of their country. Secondly, they burned only the flesh of the body, referving the bones to be laid up in chefts of repertories, which they called Theca, which amongst the Romans had the title of Offuaria, bestowed on them. Thirdly, they esteemed it to great an honour for any perfon to fleep in his own native country, that if he de ceafed |