GERMANY.

ART. 56. Des Herrn Abt Karl Denina, Gefchichte Piémonts und der übrigen Staaten des Koenigs von Sardinien, &c.-The Hiftory of Piémont and of the other States of the King of Sardinia, by the Abbé Denina, Counsellor of Legation to the King of Pruffia, Member of the Academies of Sciences of Berlin, Rome, Naples, Florence, Padua, and Erfurt, beretofore Profeffor of Belles Lettres in the University of Tarin; with a geographical and statistical Defcription of thefe Countries, according to their Extent, in 1792; and an Account of the most recent political Changes in Italy, by the fame; tranflated from the Italian MŚ. of the Author, by Frederic Strafs, Proffor in the Inftitute of the Royal Corps of Cadets. Berlin, 8vo. 705 pp.

In the Preface, the author gives an account of the works which have appeared on the Hiftory of Piémont antecedently to the 18th century; he then points out the caufes which, in the prefent century, have prevented the publication of other works relative to this object and those which have induced him to compose this, of which we here announce a German tranflation.

The 256 first pages of this volume contain a defcription of the ftates poffeffed by the houfe of Savoy, in 1792; and this part is divided into twelve chapters. The author treats of their extent, population, productions, the character of the inhabitants, the government, legiflation, religion, military establishment, the finances, fciences, arts, and commerce.

After thefe ftatistical and geographical preliminaries, Mr. Denina gives the four first books of the history of Piemont. In the first book, he traces the history of Piémont and of Savoy, before the 11th cen tury; in the fecond, he treats of the government of the Lombards, or Longobards, then of that of the Carlovingians, before the Marquis of Montferrat and the Counts of Savoy; of the origin of the Marquis of Sufa and Ivrea, as alfo of thofe of Montferrat; he deferibes the irruptions of the Hungarians and Saracens, and gives the hiftory of the Emprefs Adelaide, daughter of Rodolphe II, King of Burgundy, and of Italy, which had a great influence on the aggrandifement of Montferrat. The fecond book comprizes the period from 1000 to 1268. It begins by fhowing the antiquity of the houfe of Savoy, and difcuffes the vulgar opinion which makes it defcend from Berold. It afterwards relates the remarkable events which the history of Piémont and of Savoy offer at this period; fuch as the wars, the foundation of feveral cities, as Aleffandria, Cunéo, Chambéry, that of different monafteries; and, on this occafion, the author points out the advantages which they prefented in thofe times; he shows, among others, the journies undertaken by St. Bernard in Italy, and the reforms produced by him in various monafteries. The third book continues the history of the house of Savoy from 1268 to 1416; and the fourth book, which is the last of this volume, purfues it to the middle of the 15th century.

The

The author, who refided at Turin whilft he was compofing this work, had recourfe not only to Guichenon and other works, printed and in MS. which were at his disposal, but he was likewise enabled to avail himself of other works, which were either unknown to Guichenon, or of which, at leaft, he made no ufe. The fecond volume will carry on the hiftory of thefe countries to the year 1660, where that of Guichenon finishes. The third, which will contain the hiftory of modern times, or that of the three firft Kings of Sardinia, will be abfolutely new, fince hitherto no contemporary author, nor any who was a native of the country, has treated of it; all that is found concerning it may be reduced to fome traits fcattered in the hiftory of Louis XIV, of Louis XV, of Leopold I, of Jofeph I, of Charles VI, and of MariaTherefa; as far as they refpect the wars of which Piémont has often been the theatre, and in which its fovereigns have frequently taken a part. The connections which the author has had at Turin, have put it in his power to give an authentic account of these reigns, which will, no doubt, be well received.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Mr. Coleridge, through the intervention of a friend, defires. us to fay, that the Verfes mentioned in our Review for Auguft, p. 218, were publifhed furreptitiously, and without his knowledge, not having been ever intended to meet the public eye.

We feel a very fincere obligation to B. H. B. for his information, upon which we fhall certainly act as effectually as poffible. We believe, however, that there must be fome foul play in the matter he mentions.

We have received the communications of B X B. which fhall have all due attention.

The publisher of Dr. S.'s book will find, on recurring to the British Critic, vol. xvii, p. 599, that he is totally mistaken, as to the affertion in his note.

Mr. Cr-r is refpectfully informed, that the communication he requests is quite contrary to rule.

If Dr. O. H. be not implacably difaffected, he has, at least, a fingular mode of exprefling his attachment.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

That indefatigable aftronomer, Dr. Schroeter, of Lilienthal, in the dutchy of Bremen, has announced a fecond volume of his Seleno-topographic Fragments, in which he promises confiderable additions to our knowledge of the moon, its furface,

atmof

atmosphere, and various changes. It will contain no less than thirty-two plates, and is to be published by fubfcription.

G. A. Ruperti, rector of the college at Stade, proposes to publish, by fubfcription alfo, a new and complete edition of the Claffics, both Greek and Latin; not in a fplendid style, but in a neat and useful manner.

Profeffor Porfon has completed his fourth play of Euripides, the Medea.

Dr. Barrett, fenior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, has just published his long-expected, and magnificent work, the fac fimile edition of a very ancient MS. of St. Matthew's Gofpel, with a collation of the celebrated Codex Montfortianus.

Dr. Ruffll will foon produce a fecond volume of his fplendid work on Oriental Snakes: and he is preparing alfo a fimilar publication on the fubject of Fishes.

Mr. Reeves's very fatisfactory and inftructive edition of the Holy Bible, is going on with confiderable dispatch.

Mr. Gifford's tranflation of Juvenal is now in fome forwardness at the prefs.

Mr. Ritfon will foon give the public an edition of fome of our most ancient Dramas.

We understand that Mr. Douce, also, is employed in a defign of a fimilar nature.

ERRATA.

As fome corrections, intended for our printer laft month, unfortu nately did not reach him in time, we must beg our readers to excufe the following errors, and others perhaps which we may have over

looked.

P. 307, 1. 1, of profe, for worthy r. worthy of.

309, 3,

for beft r. better.

311, 16, for Coby r. Ceby.

312,

38, for fourrie T. Jourire

2, for ceis r. cris.

8, for vous r. vous.

321, ART. 34, for phymafis and periphymafis 1. phymosis and

322,

paraphymefis, paffim.

for Van Swietan г. Van Swieten.

for Tyras t. Tyros.

ART. 36, for Bueferius . Burferius, paffim.

In ART. 45, note, we attributed a former Eflay on Punctuation to Mr. Steele. It is true that he published a small tract-on that fubject, named Elements of Punciuation, but we now recollect that the Effay to which we meant to allude, was the work of Mr. Robertson, known for his learned book on the Parian Marbles, &c.

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For NOVEMBER, 1801.

"Si nos ii fumus qui effe debemus, id eft, ftudio digni et literis noftris, dubitare non poffumus quin ea maximè conducant quæ funt rectiffima." CICERO.

If we are really the men we ought to be, that is deferving well of fcience, and worthy of our literary character, we cannot hesitate to believe that always moft expedient which is most honeft.

ART. I. Vetus Teftamentum Græcum, cum variis Lectionibus. Edidit Robertus Holmes, S. T. P. R. S. S. Edis Chrifti Canonicus. E Typographeo Clarendaniano. Tomus I. Exodus et Leviticus. Folio. Elmfly, Payne, &c. 1801.

THE

HE value and importance of this work we will never cease to repeat. Nor can we too strongly call upon every clerical man, whose circumstances will allow it, and those among the laity who attend to biblical learning, to give it active and effectual fupport. Shall it be faid, to the everlasting shame of Britain, that a work of such a nature, after the collations were actually completed, was fuffered to languish, for want of the common aid of fubfcriptions to defray the printing ?—At the clofe of our Review for March, 1800 (p. 337) we stated the leading facts refpecting this undertaking; but as we do not find, on enquiry, that the fubfcription is yet fupported in a way at all creditable to the ftudious part of the British public, we again DEMAND attention to it; thinking it a difgrace intolerable, that there should be any degree of remiffness in fuch a matFf

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XVIII, NOV. 1801.

ter.

ter. The Bishop of Durham, with a fpirit worthy of his fituation, has given the learned collator a fupport, which has been duly acknowledged in feveral fucceffive dedications; but, with a variety of other demands upon his well-judged munificence, he cannot do every thing;-and are the days of patronage fo totally at an end, that, in the whole clafs of opulent men, in which this country, for its fize, exceeds all others, none can be found difpofed to feek the honeft fame, of giving a liberal afliftance to fuch a work? Be that as it may, private individuals here can usually effect, by their number, what the few refufe to do by their weight; and by them, therefore, the collated edition of the Septuagint ought to be fo fupported, that no anxiety could be entertained for the successful comple tion of it*.

That no one may forget the great importance of the Septuagint Verfion, we will here repeat a few paffages on that fubject from the admirable Preface of Mr. Reeves to his late "Collation of the Hebrew and Greek Texts of the Pfalms." This tranflation was made, " by certain Jews, at the command of PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS, about 277 years before Chrift." P. 13.

"I have been ufed," he fays afterwards, "to look up to the Greek tranflation by the SEVENTY, as a work of the highest importance. It is a verfion which fixes the words and fenfe of Scripture, at a period full 700 years (and, according to fome accounts, 1100 years) earlier

* We bere repeat the terms of fubfcription, extracted from the last circular paper of the learned editor.

"Twelve Guineas, at the rate of three for each volume, are to be fubfcribed for one copy of this edition.-And, as it would be of far greateft effect in accelerating the impreffion, if the above fubfcription could be obtained in one fum at the time of fubfcribing, the munificent friends of this publication will allow that mode of contribution to be mentioned preferably. At the fame time, the above twelve guineas may be paid at four equal payments, early in the years 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803.-And for every fum of three guineas fubfcribed in either of the above modes, one volume of the edition fhall be, without further expence, delivered to the fubfcriber, by one or two books at a time, as they come from the prefs.

But whatever fum, though inferior to the amount here specified, any friend to this publication may be pleased to fubfcribe, fuch benefaction will be gratefully received, and allowed to the subscriber, as a deduction from the price of the edition."

Let us add, what we mentioned before, that the work of collating has now been for fome time completed, and that the prefent fubfcription is not to carry on, but merely to publish the Collations. than the MASORITES of the fchool of Tiberias fixed it by their me thod of pointing. It was in public ufe during the whole of that pe

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roid;