M. Goguet appears to us rather a writer of genius than of erudition; yet by dint of the former we would imagine him possessed of the latter. He has spread his learning with so light and masterly a hand, that no part of the performance seems wanting, although in the aggregate it is little more than a shadow or phantom of knowledge. His subject requires depth, and his plan proposes it but alas! in the execution we find only the skeleton, draught, outlines of his design remaining to be filled up by some future artist. In three volumes octavo, Mr. President Goguet has comprised a subject, which, in the hands of some writers, would have swelled to ten times the number in folio. If it should please God to turn the heart of a certain learned gentleman to so useful an undertaking, we may soon expect to see Dr. Ratcliffe's library replenished with much profound learning, and this stupendous monument of pride converted to better purposes than being the object of stupid admiration of every head as empty as its walls, that now visits alma mater. Our author has here given a history of the rise and progress of science, which, as he justly observes, may be termed a history of the human mind from its infancy to its maturity, full growth, and perfection. When we first set about reading our historian, when we perused his preface, where he professes to give an accurate view of facts, as first principles; to trace the origin of laws, arts, and sciences, in the manner most agreeable to these principles; and lastly, to connect the variety of different objects in so regular a chain as at one glance to show their mutual influence, we doubted not but the wish of our great Lord Verulam was accomplished. But we reckoned without our host; our author's performance falls infinitely short of the big idea of that noble sage for with vast pomp of method, and an almost disgusting parade of erudition, (having quoted near four hundred authors ancient and modern,) he appears to have taken many facts upon slight authority; to have rejected others which are well attested; to have misrepresented some; and, upon the whole, to be injudicious in his choice of facts, and superficial in his reflections. He complains, and with reason, that those who have hitherto pursued this path, have failed in the attempt, through want of ability or in dustry to examine facts with the necessary minuteness. This seems to be the rock, on which he likewise has split; and we fear that such as may henceforward work on the materials he has collected, will have no less cause of complaint. In short, his prefatory promises are performed with the integrity usual in such introductory pieces, and we need not scruple to apply to him. what he says of the diligent Paracelsus: "Tout y est hazardé. Les faits les plus faux, et les contes les plus apocryphes y sont adoptés aveuglément. Cet ouvrage prouve une parfaite négligence, joint à une démangeaison extrême de faire un livre." Indeed, this itch of book-making, this cacoëthes scribendi, seems no less the prevailing disorder of England than of France. "Scribimus indocti, doctique." M. Goguet, after a short sketch of the state of mankind before the flood, begins his history with that great era, which he continues to the death of Jacob, making this period the first division of his performance. Here he treats of the establishment of posi tive laws under two classes, the last of which he calls the civil law. He gives a short view of the constitution, government, and laws of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks, in the earliest ages. He touches upon their agriculture, and arts necessary to the support of life; shows their origin and gradual progress, but is sparing in his reflections on the causes of their growth and rise. Then he proceeds to the origin of weaving, dyeing, architecture, metallurgy, etching, embossing, carving, sculpture, and designing in general. Under this head he includes the first use of writing, and its progress to the year 1690 before the birth of our Saviour. der wich he ranks surgery, anatomy, botany, and pharmacy, which in our opinion, he ought to have placed under the arts. His next division of science consists of arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, mechanics, and geography. Mechanics he treats of after geometry, because to it they owe their perfection. For the same reason astronomy ought to be placed after geometry and mechanics. It is true, that to geometry they both owe their high degree of perfection, but not their birth. The spade, the mattock, and balance were used, and many observations on the heavens made, before geometry came to be applied to discover the powers of the wedge and lever, or the distance and magnitude of the planets. To deep speculation, indeed, they owe their progress; but their discovery seems to be the result of accident, of necessity, and that sort of observation peculiar to the human intellect. Next follows the art of war, upon which M. Goguet has spent more pains in being explicit, than upon any of the former topics. Then he comes to the manners and customs of Asiatics and Europeans, without descending to the sub-distinctions of each particular nation; the whole historical part of this period concluding with critical remarks upon it. Hence he proceeds to the sciences, un Having finished this barren disquisition, he proceeds to the second period, viz. from the death of Jacob to the establishment of monarchy among the Hebrews. This he has treated in the same order and method as the preceding. The third period contains a space of 560 years, that is, from the end of the former to the return of the Hebrews from captivity; to which are subjoined some curious extracts from Chinese writers, communicated to our author by the learned M. Hautes Rayes. These contain many valuable particulars concerning the history, manners, government. arts, and sciences of the ancient Chinese, to which M. Goguet has had frequent recourse in his history. As it would trespass on our plan to dwell minutely upon each of the above particulars, we must refer our readers to the author. Upon the whole, we will venture to say, that this work, with all its imperfections, has likewise its merit. The arrangement, harmony, and disposition of the several parts are nice and judicious. The style is concise, clear, and not inelegant, and if the reflections are not profound and labored, they are at least pertinent, and naturally rising from the subject. It is in every respect well caleulated for such as would be scholars without the trouble of much reading, and think it sufficient "To catch the eel of science by the tail." THE END. |