Hiftoire generale de Provence. By M. Papon, Member of the Academy of Marseilles. Mr. Papon, who seems enthufiaftically attached to this fertile province, adopts the expreffion which Pliny, the naturalift, formerly applied to it: Agrorum cultu, virorumque dignatione, mulli provinciarum pofferenda. The prefent volume contains but a part of its hiftory; the plan of which is laid down in a wellwritten preface; the author dividing his work into three parts, relative to three general periods: the firft beginning with the building of Marseilles, and ending with the reign of Antonine; the fecond ending at the time when Charles the bald took poffeffion of the province; and the third including its history from that period to the prefent. As far as Mr. Papon has proceeded, he hath been happy enough to render his relation inftructive and entertaining. Hiftoire de la République Romaine dans le cours du VII. Siccle, par Sallufte, en partie traduite du Latin fur l'Original, en partie retablie & compofée fur les Fragmens qui font reftés de fes Livres perdus, remis en ordre dans leur place veritable, ou la plus vraifemblable. The Hiftory of the Roman Empire, during the course of the feventh century, by Salluft; tranflated partly from the Latin, and partly restored and compofed from the ftill-remaining fragments of the books of his history that were loft; to which are here affigned their true or moft probable place. By M. de Broffes, Count de Tournai and de Monfalcon, firft prefident of the parliament of Dijon and member of the Royal academy of Infcriptions and Belles Lettres. 3 vol. 4to. Paris. The late prefident de Broffes* was one of the firft Literati of the age; who, to a profound knowledge of the Laws, had united the moft extenfive knowledge of ancient hiftory. He was not only a perfect mafter, alfo, of the learned languages, but had traced them to their fource, examined their formation and explained the mechanifm of language in general. Of this the treatife, which he publifhed on this fubject about ten years ago, afforded the learned world a fufficient proof. The fame fpirit of inveftigation had induced him upwards of thirty years fince to engage in the work before us; to accomplish which, he *The author having barely furvived the publication of this elaborate work; which we are told has been the labour of thirty years. learned did not content himself with searching into the libraries of the learned and cabinets of the curious, but made a voyage into Italy; in order to verify on the fpot many particulars which authors had left doubtful. The pains, indeed, which the learned editor appears to have taken in the compofition of this curious performance muft have been immenfe. The only productions of Salluft, that have been handed down compleat to pofterity, are his Jugurtha, or the hiftory of the conquest, which the Romans made of Numidia in the reign of that King; his hiftory of Catiline, and the two political difcourfes addreffed to Julius Cæfar, during his abfence from Rome. Of a fourth work of that Hiftorian nothing remained but a number of loose and unconnected paffages. This was the hif tory of the Roman Republic, during part of the feventh century, written in five books and addreffed to Lucullus. The lofs of this work, our author obferves, was the more to be regretted; as, by a fingular fatality, there is a chafm in all general hiftories of this great Republic about that interefting period. With a view to supply fo capital a deficiency, M. de Broffes took the trouble to collect all thofe fragments, as they lay dif perfed in various obfolete and almoft forgotten books; amounting in number to no less than seven hundred. Thefe he caused to be tranfcribed, and arranged in the order of time and according to the nature of the events; fo that the one might ferve to clucidate and explain the other. Having by this means recovered the thread of the hiftory, he applied himself to the filling up the chafins and giving the neceflary additions and refemblance of ftile, which might ferve to give the whole the appearance of uniformity and confiftency. "J'ai fait," fays he, à peu près le même travil que Freinshemius a fait fur Tite-Live, & fur Quinte-Curce, mais il avait un avantage dont j'étais privé, & il n'avait pas à furmonter un embarras par lequel je me fuis trouvé très-gêné. Florus le guidait pas à pas par les Sommaires qu'il nous a laiffes de Tite-Live, & d'un autre côté, la perte totale des Ouvrages de l'Historien, laiffait à Freinshemius une entière liberté dans fa marche: au lieu de ceci, il me fallait deviner à chaque paffage, en les confrontant l'un après l'autre, à la table circonfianciée des événemens, quelle était la circonstance particulière du point d'Hif toire qui en faifait l'objet. Les Auteurs anciens qui ont écrit un corps de l'Hiftoire de ce tems, fe trouvant perdus, il a fallu raflembler les cir conftances éparfes dans Plutarque, Florus, Appius, Valere-Maxime, Velleius, Eutrope, Xiphilin, Pline, Strabon & autres; mais fur-tout dans Cicéron.... Je me fuis fait une loi d'employer les propres termes de mon Auteur, fans y altérer quoi que ce foit: ceci m'a mis dans la néceffité d'écrire comme fi c'était Sallufte qui parlât, &c." The author makes an apology for the defects of his tran flation; which the critic capable of detecting them will readily excufe. xcufe. A fourth volume is intended to be added to the present three, in which the original, of the several fragments here collated, will be inferted in the order, in which they were found in the feveral authors from which they are extracted; the whole accompanied with explanatory notes. The volumes before us are elegantly printed, and embellifhed with engraved portraits from antique marbles and medals; executed in a mafterly manner, Opufcola interefanti l'agricoltura.-Interefting Effays in Agriculture. By the Abbot Paoletti. 8vo. Florence, Thefe effays are three in number; the principal of which relates to the fuccefs, with which Siberian Barley hath been fown in the vicinage of Florence; where it flourishes in any kind of foil, Among the advantages to be reaped from the cultivation of this kind of grain, the author obferves that half the ufual quantity produces a good crop; that it comes to maturity fifteen or twenty days fooner than the common barley of the Country; that it makes excellent bread, and, what is very fingular, the grain does not degenerate in its quality as feed. This latter property makes it peculiarly valuable, as its importation must be attended with coft and difficulty. The other two articles are not fo generally interesting, though much fo to the natives of Tufcany: the one relating to the culture of the Iris, and the other to the means of reftoring Vines that have been damaged by ftorms of hail. Differtazioni Itoriche, &c.--Hiftorical Differtations on the Antiquities of Allipha. By M. J. Francis Trutta. 4t0, Naples. Allipha was a famous city of ancient Samnium, on the ruins of which Piedmont was conftructed. This fpot is, it feems, the birth-place of the Canon, who is the author of these differtations; which are enriched with numerous infcriptions that ferve to throw a light on the customs and inanners of the an sient inhabitants of Campania and Samnium, Vel. VI, 3 S Marziale Marziale in Albion, &c.-Martial in England, or Epigrams by the late Paul Rolli, to which are prefixed Memoirs of his Life. 8vo. Florence. Paul Rolli was an ingenious and witty Italian, who refided many years in London, under the patronage and protection of Queen Caroline; to whom he was introduced by a nobleman, with whom he came over to England. He taught the Royal family the Italian language, and compofed feveral pieces for the Opera. He published alfo an Italian grammar, with some elegant editions of celebrated Italian authors; he made many tranflations and a number of Epigrams; which are here collected, and the whole entitled from the name of the country in which they were written, Martial in England. Differtazione intorno alle Obfervazioni Solftiziali, &c.-A Difa fertation on the Solftitial Obfervations that were made in Auguft 1775, at the Gnomon of the Cathedral of Florence. By the Abbot Leonard Ximenes, firft Mathematician and Engineer to the Grand Duke of Tufcany, &c. Svoy' Leghorn. It has been maintained, by certain French aftronomers, that the obliquity of the Ecliptic diminishes at the rate of a minute in 100 years; Mr. Euler had reduced fuch diminution by his calculations to forty-feven feconds and a half: the Abbot Ximenes reduces it by his obfervations to thirty-five feconds! having corrected his former calculation, prefented in the year 1774 to the Academy of Sienna; in which he estimated it at only 29 feconds. Difcorfo fopra l'Anno 1776, recitato nell' Academia Agraria di 12mo. This difcourfe, which was delivered in the above-mentioned academy by profeffor Toaldo, contains obfervations on the hard froft of the year 1776; to which is added an account of ninety other remarkable winters, beginning with the year 176 and ending with that of 1776. Dell' Influenza Lunare, &c.-An Effay on the Influence of the Moon. By Count Charles Maggi. 8vo, Brescia. Profeffor Toaldo, the author of the preceding article, having fome years fince, revived the doctrine of the ancients, refpecting the phyfical influence of the moon, on the vegetable and animal creation; Count Maggi, ftruck, as it fhould feem; with this fame influence, here attempts to defend and illuftraté the like doctrine, Le Principali Proprieta delle Curve Coniche, &c.-A Treatise on the principal Properties of Conic Curves. By Father John Baptift Crifpi. 8vo. Rome. This treatife was written as an academical exercife, and as fuch has great merit; the fubject being treated with clearness and accuracy. Lebens Gefchichte Andreas Bodenftein's fonft Carlstadt genaamt. The life of Andrew Bodenftein, otherwife called Carlstadt. By J. Conrad Fuefslius. 8vo. Frankfort. The celebrated Carlftadt (for fuch he once was) was an affiftant to Luther in bringing about the Reformation. He appears to have been a man of ftrong paffions and great zeal; the warmth of which, however, appears to have abated in the latter end of his life; which was fpent in the fervice of a proteftant church and community at Bafil. Beytrage zur Kriegskunft und Gefchichte des Kriegs, von 1756 tot 1763-Contributions to the art of war and to the hiftory of the war from 1756 to 1763. By J. G. Tielke. 4to. Freyberg. This publication relates principally to the operations of the Ruffian and Pruffian armies, during the period above-mentioned; and appears to come from an officer, who is a com petent judge of the actions and circumftances, which are re◄ corded and to which it relates. |