entertaining. To him, it is remarked, the honour of giving tragedy its true and genuine tone of language, was referved; but he wanted the variety and harmony of Dryden's numbers, with his various learning, or reafoning faculty, to embellish and diverfify his tragedies.' Perhaps it may be truly faid, that Otway owed more to nature than to art; more to his feeling than to his judgment; that he frequently fucceeded in finishing particular parts, but seldom fuccessfully completed the whole. Mr. D. confiders the play of the Orphan at fome length: the reader will be entertained with what he fays of the character of Acafto.-The account of Mrs. Barry fhows, in a ftriking light, the power of application and judgment, in correcting the defects of nature. We would recommend it to every actor who wishes to fucceed in his profeffion.

Venice Preferved is the next play which engages Mr. Davies's attention; and he informs us of the tendency of fome political paffages which is not very generally known. He compares the plot alfo with the hiftory of the confpiracy by St. Real; fo that this chapter is very entertaining. He is a little mistaken in thinking, that the introduction of an amiable and delicate female among a gang of defperate parricides. muft fhock the fpectator. We have always thought, from the effect of this tragedy, that a great part of its fafcinating power arifes from this contraft of perfons, manners, and fentiments. It requires no common fhare of dexterity to connect characters fo diffimilar in the fame defign; and, when it is ef fected in a probable manner, the contraft relieves the mind without fhocking the judgment.

The Rival Queens, or Alexander the Great, was the work of Lee, who carried every paffion to extreme: his love was dotage, and his anger madness. We cannot add to this character; though we wish to foften it, by saying that dotage and madness may sometimes pleafe. Indeed few fpectators can fee this tragedy well reprefented, without being whirled in the vortex of paffion, to an utter infenfibility of the abfurdities of the piece.

The character of Congreve is now well known, and his merits are valued at their proper rate. Mr. Davies is not very partial to this author, and feems fometimes to dwell on his defects; but we fhould add, that this partiality is neither glaring nor offenfive.

On the subject of Betterton, our author endeavours to cor rect fome mistakes, which the authors of the Biographia Britanica have committed, by their inattention to Downes. But befides this advantage, he draws an amiable picture of the

mang

man; as a manager and author also he was respectable; as an actor admirable.

Of Cibber our author relates many circumftances which he himself wished to conceal-A more favourable account of Verbruggen than is to be found in the Apology, is also given on good authority, by Mr. Davies.

We cannot leave our author, without bearing a teftimony to his merits. Every thing relating to the stage seems to have been his object. Circumftances which relate to the Greek and Roman ftage are not uncommon; and, among the histories of Garrick and Betterton, of Quin and Oldfield, we find those of Rofcius and Efopus.

An Analysis of the Greek Metres. For the Ufe of Students at the Universities. By J. B. Seale, M. A. 8vo. Is. 6d. Rivington.

HEPHÆSTION, who flourished under Hadrian, is con

fidered as the most capital among the Greeks in investigating the component elements of poetry. Terentianus Maurus, who wrote in verfe on the fame fubject, is of equal repute among the Latin authors. Mr. Seale, among the English, though indebted to their preceding labours, as neither of them wrote in the most perfpicuous manner, we truft deferves an equal rank in philological fame. This little treatife certainly contains a juft and compendious account of the different metres used by the Greek poets. It is intended to affift the progrefs of thofe ftudents who are already converfant in the elementary rules of profody: and if the author proceeds, as he feems well qualified to do, in pointing out the beauties and defects which may be found in these poets, and adds fome useful precepts for compofition, future Glaffes and Huntinfords may arife, and with greater ease amufe the learned, by difplaying the wonderful variety of metre to be found in this rich and copious language. If he does not, (and we would not willingly fuppofe that the enabling those ftudents to understand quantity, fcan verfes, tell their names, and their component feet, is the grand ultimatum) what has been faid of rhetoric may be thought applicable in the prefent cafe, that it teaches us how to name our tools, not how to ufe them.'

For the information of thofe who have no idea of the great diverfity of metrical combinations to be found in Greek verfe, we shall fubjoin, what may make the unlearned ftare,' the following

TABLE

or Hexafemi,

Ionicus a majore

--uu

Ionicus a minore

--υυ Κοσμητορέ

uv-- Βροτολοιγων.

Epitritus primus 1--- Ανικητών.

Epitritus fecundus - v - - Ευρεθέντων.
Epitritus tertius

Epitritus quartusu vāσă.

Feet of 7 times,

or Heptafemi.

--- Σωτηρίας.

Φωνησασα.

This performance is divided into two chapters. In the first the author confiders metre as an arrangement of fyllables and feet according to certain rules,' in which sense he divides it into nine fpecies: 1. Iambic; 2. Trochaic; 3. Anapaftic; 4. Dactylic; 5. Choriambic; 6. Antifpaftic; 7. Ionic a majore; 8. Ionic a minore; 9. Pæonic.' The nature of each species and its variations is confidered with great accuracy and precifion. The fecond chapter is chiefly taken up in giving an account of the various compofitions and modifications of these metres, and the names by which such as deviate from common

rules

*

rules are to be diftinguished. To thofe unverfed in Grecian lore any quotation, we apprehend, would be extremely unentertaining; to thofe who are, we recommend the performance. itfelf for farther information.

A Treatise on Comparative Anatomy. By Alexander Monro, M. D. Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Royal College of Phyficians, and late Profeffor of Medicine and Anatomy in the University of Edinburgh. Published by his Son, Alexander Monro, M. D. Profeffor of Medicine and of Anatomy and Surgery in the University of Edinburgh. A new Edition: with confiderable Improvements and Additions, by other Hands. 12mo. 25. in Boards. Robinfon.

THIS

HIS Treatife was published in the year 1744, with a preface, as was faid, by a phyfician. It confifted of obfervations compiled from notes, taken by ftudents who had attended the lectures of the late Dr. Monro, and was fo favourably received, that copies were extremely fcarce. The prefent profeffor confeffed its author by inferting it in the edition of his father's works; and it was there corrected, though few additions were made to it. In this edition, which contains nearly double the quantity of the former one, though its bulk is not enlarged, many additions are made from the lectures of the fon, and other fources which are not particularly mentioned. The letter in the former edition, which is now before us, is changed into a preface, by the omiffion of its beginning and end. The former is of little confequence, but the latter contained a handfome eulogium on the late profeffor, which we were forry to lofe. We know not that its author was ever even gueffed at; but the preface itself is no trifling performance, and points out the importance of comparative anatomy, with fingular perfpicuity and precision.

The augmentations are very numerous in almost every article; but chiefly in thofe of the dogs, fowls, and fishes. The additions to the anatomy of fowls chiefly relate to the incubation. The new articles are on amphibious animals, ferpents, infects, &c. and these are executed with apparent exactness. The progress of incubation is related from Bellini, Harvey, &c. We were a little furprised to find that the obfervations of Haller had been overloooked; but, in other respects, the history is pretty complete. The author is decidedly of opinion that the chick does not fwallow during this period. As this defcription is long, and its different parts much connected, we shall felect, as a specimen of this author's labours, the defcription of the abforbing veffels of the tortoife.

AB

ABSORBENTS. The abforbent fyftem in the turtle, like that in the former clafs, confifts of lacteals and lymphatics, with their common trunks the thoracic ducts; but differs from it in having no obvious lymphatic glands on any part of its body, nor plexus formed at the termination in the red veins.

The lacteals accompany the blood-veffels upon the mefentery, and form frequent net-works across thefe veffels: near the root of the mefentery a plexus is formed, which communicates with the lymphatics coming from the kidneys and parts near the anus. At the root of the mefentery on the left fide of the fpine, the lymphatics of the fpleen join the lacteals; and immediately above this a plexus is formed, which lies upon the right aorta. From this plexus a large branch arifes, which paffes behind the right aorta to the left fide, and gets before the left aorta, where it affifts in forming a very large receptaculum, which lies upon that artery.

From this receptaculum arife the thoraic ducts. From its right fide goes one trunk, which is joined by that large branch that came from the plexus to the left fide of the right aorta, and then paffes over the fpine. This trunk is the thoraic duct of the right fide; for having got to the right fide of the spine, it runs upwards, on the infide of the right aorta, towards the right fubclavian vein; and when it has advanced a little above the lungs, it divides into branches, which near the fame place are joined by a large branch, that comes up on the outfide of the aorta. From this part upwards, thofe veffels divide and fubdivide, and are afterwards joined by the lymphatics of the neck, which likewise form branches before they join those from below. So that between the thoraic duct and the lymphatics of the fame fide of the neck, a very intricate net-work is formed; from which a branch goes into the angle between the jugular vein and the lower part or trunk of the fubclavian. This branch lies therefore on the infide of the jugular vein, whilst another gets to the outside of it, and seems to terminate in it, a little above the angle, between that vein and the subclavian.

Into the above-mentioned receptaculum the lymphatics of the ftomach and duodenum likewife enter. Thofe of the duodenum run by the fide of the pancreas, and probably receive its lymphatics and a part of those of the liver. The lymphatics of the ftomach and duodenum, have very numerous anaftomoses, and form a beautiful net-work on the artery, which they accompany. From this receptaculum likewife (befides the trunk already mentioned, which goes to the right fide) arife two other trunks pretty equal in fize; one of which runs upon the left fide, and the other upon the right fide of the left aorta, till they come within two or three inches of the left fubclavian vein; where they join behind the aorta, and form a number of branches, which are afterwards joined by the lymphatics of the left fide of the neck; fo that here a plexus is formed as

upon