may fo but this is to be always recurring to machines: who can affure us they will always be at hand? For my own part, I had much rather Emilius fhould have eyes at his fingers ends than at the tallow-chandlers.

"Should you be fhut up in a house in the middle of the night, clap your hands, and you may perceive by the echo, whether the room you are in be large or fmall; whether you are in the middle or in one corner. Within fix inches of the wall, the very air will give a different fenfation to your face to what it does in the middle of the room. Turn yourself round fucceffively, facing every part of the room, and if there be a door open, you will perceive it by a gentle draught of air. Are you in a veffel upon the water, you may know by the manner in which the air ftrikes against your face, not only which way you are going, but whether you go faft or flow. Thefe obfervations, and a thoufand others of a fimilar kind, can be made only in the night; for, whatever attention we bestow on them in the day-time, we are always so far either affifted or prevented by the fight, that the experiment escapes We here make ufe neither of hands nor fticks; indeed, we might acquire a confiderable fhare of ocular information by the touch, even without touching any of the objects in queftion."

us.

In this manner Mr. Rouffeau goes on to give a number of pertinent and useful inftructions regarding the cultivation of the fenfible, and thereby of the intellectual, faculties of youth. This part of our Author's work is not lefs ingenious than instructive; and is well worthy the perufal of all those who are concerned in the Education of youth. The manner in which he would have boys initiated in the feveral arts and fciences, and induced to purfue thofe manly exercifes which are effential to the perfection of their fex and fpecies, is extremely fenfible, and appears to be the evident effect of acute obfervation, and much reflection, on the fubject. Indeed, we cannot bestow too great encomiums on the various inftances here given of our Author's good fenfe and ingenuity.

In entering on his third book, Mr. Rouffeau fuppofes his Pupil to have arrived at the age of twelve or thirteen years, at which time he thinks it neceffary to vary his method of inftruction, During the first term of childhood, fays he, we endeavoured only to lofe time, in order to avoid the ill employment of it. The cafe is now altered, and we have not time fufficient for every thing that might be ufeful. The paf

23

fions

fions advance upon us apace; and the moment they give notice of their arrival, our Pupil will give ear to no other monitor. The interval between this term and his fifteenth year, he thinks is the proper time, therefore, to fix his attention on fcientific objects; this interval of difpaffionate intelligence, however, is fo fhort and tranfitory, and is befides employed on fo many fubjects of prefent utility, that our Author thinks it a folly to judge it fufficiently long for a child to acquire much learning or wifdom. It is not, therefore, our bufinefs, fays he, at prefent to make him an adept in the fciences; but to give him a tafte for them, and point out the method of improving it.

Mr. Rouffeau goes on to specify in what manner he thinks this may beft be effected, illuftrating his precepts by a number of pertinent examples; of all which we cannot fufficiently teftify our approbation. At the fame time, we must equally admire the accuracy with which he appears to have ftudied the connection between the several faculties of the human conftitution, and the means of improving them by each other. Among other objects of material concern, our Author expatiates pretty largely on the expediency of preparing a youth against any change of fituation, to which the viciffitudes of fortune may fubject him. By bringing him up, fays he, only to fill one station in life, we make him unfit for every other; fo that mere accident may render all the pains we have taken, ufelefs or deftructive

There is an abfurdity, continues he, in making a depen dance on the actual order of fociety, without reflecting, that fuch order is fubject to unavoidable revolutions, and that it is impoffible to forefce or prevent that which may affect our children. For this reafon it is, that our Author would have boys of whatever rank or fortune, learn fome mechanic art, or trade. To this propofal Mr. Rouffeau imagines a fine Lady will object, and exclaim, "My child learn a trade! make

my fon a mechanic! confider, Sir, what you advise !”— "I do, Madam, I confider this matter better than you, who would reduce your child to the neceffity of being a Lord, a Marquis, or a Prince, or perhaps one day or other to be less than nothing. I am defirous of invefting him with a title that cannot be taken from him, that will in all times and places command refpect; and, I can tell you, whatever you may think of it, he will have fewer equals in this rank than in that he may derive from you.

"Not

may overYou will So much

But, no mat

"Not that I would have him learn a trade, merely for the fake of knowing how to exercise it, but that he come the prejudices ufually conceived against it. never be reduced, you fay, to work for your bread. the worse for you; I fay, fo much the worse. ter; if you labour not through neceffity, do it for reputation. Stoop to the fituation of an Artifan, that you may raife yourfelf above your own. To make fortune fubfervient to your will, you must begin by rendering yourself independent. To triumph in the opinion of the world, you must begin by defpifing that opinion.

"Remember, I do not advise you to acquire a talent, but a trade; a mechanical art, in the exercife of which the hands are more employed than the head; an art by which you will never get a fortune, but may be enabled to live without one. I have often obferved, and that in families far enough removed from all appearance of wanting bread, a provident father very anxious to furnish his children with various kinds of knowlege, that, at all events, they might be capacitated to earn a fubfiftence. In doing this alfo, fuch parents conceived they did a great deal in the way of making provifion for their offspring, in cafe of the worst accidents. In this, however, they did nothing; because the refources with which they thus provided their children, depend on the fame good fortune of which they wanted to render them independent. So that a man poffeffed of the finest talents, unless he find himself in favourable circumftances to display them, is as liable to perifh for want, as he that hath none.

"But, continues our Author, if, inftead of recurring to thefe fublime profeffions, which are rather calculated to nourifh the mind than the body, you apply yourself, when occafion requires, to the ufe of your hands, all thefe difficulties will difappear; the arts of fervility are needlefs; your refources are at hand the moment you want to profit by them: probity and honour are no obftacles to your fubfiftence; you have no need to fear or flatter the great, to creep or cringe to knaves, to be complaifant to the world, or to be either a borrower or a thief, which is much the fame thing, when a man fees no profpect of paying what he borrows. The opinion of others will not affect you; you will be under no neceffity of paying your court to any one, you will have no idiot to humour, or Swifs to foothe, no Courtezan to bribe, nor what is worfe, to flatter. Let knaves joftle each other, and thruft themselves into preferment; it is nothing to you: this will

Ꮓ .

not

not hinder you in your obfcure fituation, from being an honeft man, or gaining a livelihood. You have only to go into the first shop of the trade you have learned, and defire employment; and it will be readily given you. Before noon you will have earned your dinner; and, if you are fober and induftrious, before the week is out you will have earned enough to fubfift on a fortnight; thus may you live free, healthy, fincere, diligent, and honeft: a man's time is not thrown away in learning to make this provision."

With regard to the choice of a trade, our Author makes exceptions to the more frivolous and ufelefs: he would not, for inftance, have his Pupil learn to be an Embroiderer, a Gilder, or Varnisher, like the fine Gentleman of Mr. Locke; he would neither have him a Fidler, a Player, or a Pamphleteer; had rather he fhould be a Pavior than an Enameller, and a Cobler than a Poet, We will not dispute with our Author the preferable utility of thefe feveral profeffions; but we apprehend the pretenders to the bufkin, as well as the tormentors of the goofe-quill and cat-gut, will object to the impropriety of levelling their liberal and fublime occupations with the mechanic arts.

. But having attended this ingenious Writer to the end of his third book, we fhall here take leave of him, till the publication of the other two volumes of his very fingular performance.

The modern Part of an Univerfal History, from the earliest Account of Time; compiled from criginal Writers. By the Authors of the ancient Part. Vols. XXXII. and XXXIII,* 8vo. 10s. in boards. Ofborne, &c.

H

ERODIAN juflly lamenting the little regard paid to TRUTH, by Hiftorians, obferves, That the Writer of Hi ry is more careful to embellifo his Works with propriety of phrafe, and harmony of style, than with truth: reflecting that renote pofterity will be more likely to admire the two former excellencies, than to detect his want of the laft.

This accufation, we apprehend, will not be brought against the Authors of the prefent Compilations; who seem to have paid no great attention to any other requifites of hiftorical

See our account of the preceding volumes of this work, in the twenty-third and fubfequent volumes of our Review.

writing,

writing, than a proper regard to matter of fact: for here are few of those embellishments of compofition for which the moft celebrated Hiftorians have been admired; from Thucydides and Livy, down to Robertson and Hume. Here we have no great parade of learning, no profound enquiries, no critical difquifitions, no pathos of expreffion, to excite the paffions of the Reader; no rhetorical flowers to adorn the narration, and difplay the abilities of the Writer. A bare and brief recital of events, and chronological exactnefs, chiefly conftitute the merit of thefe volumes;-which contain an epitome of the Hiftories of Denmark and Sweden: an entire volume to each kingdom. The Authors appear to have confulted the best authorities, and to have digefted their materials, as well as can be expected, in a work carried on by different hands; and thefe points, it must be confeffed, are of much more confequence, in works of this nature, than the pomp of diction, or the graces of ftyle; which, after all, are by no means effentially neceffary, and fometimes highly improper in hiftorical compofition. Plainnefs and perfpicuity, are the principal requifites ;-and from thefe, under the guidance of an honeft impartiality, and a manly freedom of mind, arise the true dignity of the Hiftorian.

As feveral volumes of this work are publifhed, fubfequent to those which are now before us, we fhall be fparing of our extracts from the prefent or future articles, until we have difcharged our arrear, with refpect to this Hiftory, and have overtaken the Authors, in the courfe of their periodical publication.- We cannot, however, in a British Journal, deny ourfelves the fatisfaction of communicating to British Readers, the following fingular conceflion made in favour of LIBERTY, by John King of Denmark, in his dying charge to his fon and fucceffor, anno 1513. It was folemnly delivered, in the prefence of a great number of Senators and Noblemen.

My fon,' faid the expiring Monarch, I exhort you to worship God, and pray to the King of Kings to infpire you with wisdom adequate to the heavy [weighty] charge I am going to devolve on you. I recommend it to you, to govern your people with equity, and, above all things, to be tender of their privileges. What glory is there in being the

Such is our Hiftorian's tranflation, as we apprehend, from Muertius: but we have not that Author at hand to confult; he is here often quoted, tho' not particularly for this speech.

• King