of it from our infancy. Instead of our villages, where we see on one side castles and houses of pleasure, and on the other miserable huts and cottages, let us imagine we saw those spacious farms which the Romans called villas, that contained an apartment for the master, an inner yard for poultry, barns, stables, and servants houses; and all this in exact proportion, well built, kept in good repair, and exceedingly clean. We may see descriptions of them in Varro and Columella. These slaves were most of them happier than our country people, well fed, well clothed, and without any care upon their hands for the sustenance of their families. The masters, frugal as they were, lived more to their satisfaction than our gentry. We read in Xenophon of an Athenian citizen, who, taking a walk every morning into the fields to look after his workmen, at the same time promoted his health by the exercise of his body, and increased his substance by his diligence to make the most of it. So that he was rich enough to give liberally to religious uses, the service of his friends, and country. Tully mentions several farmers in Sicily, so rich and magnificent, as to have their houses furnished with statues of great value, and were possessed of gold and silver plate of chaced work. ple of the rich and noble influences every body else: whoever thrives so as to be never so little above the dregs of the people, is ashamed to work, especially at husbandry. Hence come so many shifts to live by ones wits, so many new contrivances as are invented every day, to draw money out of one purse into another. God knows best how innocent all these unnatural ways of living are. They are at least most of them very preca rious; whereas the earth will always maintain those that cultivate it, if other people do not take from them the produce of it. "So far then is the country and laborious life of the Israelites from making them contemptible, that it is a proof of their wisdom, good education, and resolution to observe the rules of their fathers. They knew the first man was placed in the terrestrial paradise to work there; and that, after his fall, he was condemned to more laborious and ungrateful toil. They were convinced of those solid truths so often repeated in the books of Solomon: that poverty is the fruit of laziness. That he who sleeps in summer, instead of minding his harvest, or that plows not in winter for fear of the cold, deserves to beg and have nothing. That plenty is the natural con. sequence of labour and industry. That riches, too hastily got, are not blessed. There we see frugal poverty, with cheerfulness and plainness, preferred to riches and abundance, with strife and insolence; the inconvenience of the two extremes of poverty and confined to the necessaries of life. He enters into a minute detail of œconomical precepts: Prepare the work, says he, without, and make it fit for thyself in the field, and afterwards build thine house; which is the same with that maxim in Cato, that planting requires not much consideration, but building a great deal. "In time, it must be owned, that as long as the nobility and rich men of a country were not above this most ancient of all professions, their lives were more happy, because more conformable to nature. They lived long-wealth, and the wise mau's desires, er, and in better health, their bodies were fitter for the fatigues of war and travelling, and their minds more serious and composed. Being less idle, they were not so tired of themselves, nor so solicitous in refining their pleasures. Labour gave a relish to the smallest diversions. They had fewer evil designs in their heads, and less temptation to put them in execution. Their plain and frugal way of living did not admit of extravagance, or occasion their running into debt. There were, of consequence, fewer lawsuits, selling up of goods, and fami. lies ruined: fewer frauds, outrages, and such other crimes, as real or imaginary poverty makes them commit, when they are not able or willing to work. The worst is, that the exam "Now that which goes by the name of work, business, goods, in the book of Proverbs, and throughout the whole Scripture, constantly relates to country affairs; it always means lands, vines, oxen, and sheep. From thence are borrowed most of the metaphorical expressions. Kings and other Chiefs are called shepherds; and the people, their flocks; to govern them, is to find pasture for them. Thus, the * Israelites sought their livelihood only from the most natural sources, which are lands and cattle: and from hence, all that enriches mankind, whether by manufactures, trade, rents, or trafficking with money, is ultimately derived. What a blessing would it be to the world, were these times of primitive simplicity restored to mankind!" p. 23-32. CLXVIII A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Bibliographical Essay, it is not necessary to occupy these pages with any detailed account of that part which is now presented to the reader. Great pains and labour have been taken to make it what it is; and yet it is very far from what it should be.-A perfect work of this kind never yet saw the sun; and perhaps in Bibliography especially, perfection is unattainable. "The origin of the art of printing is, like the birth-place of Homer, enveloped in absolute obscurity. The history of important works is often in the same state; and the discordancy of Bibliographers, and the confusion of dates and places, are endless. "It is not the province of the present work to settle these differences. To furnish the student and the scholar with a portable and useful alphabetical manual, which may assist them in the choice of books, condensing the most important information of numerous bibliographical works, is the editor's intention. If he has succeeded in any tolerable degree, it is what he ardently wished, and for which he earnestly laboured. "In the compilation of this work, besides innumerable collections from sale catalogues, (though in such a work necessary auxiliaries, yet the worst guides both with respect to titles and dates) the best bibliographical authorities have been consulted and followed: the chief of which are-Le Long's Bibliotheca Sacra, by Boerner and Masch, 1778-90Maittaire's Annales Typographici, 1733-Vogt's Catalogus HistoricoCriticus, 1758-Marchant's Histoire de l'Origine et des premiers Progres de l'imprimerie, 1740-De Bure's Bibliographie Instructive, 1763——— Meerman's Origines Typographicæ, 1765-Osmont's Dictionnaire Typographique, Historique, et Critique des Livres rares, 1768-the Abbé Mercier's Supplement to Marchant's Histoire de l'Origine, &c. 1775full length, as it seemed neBowyer's Origin of Printing, 1776-cessary to give our readers a proper De Rossi's Apparatus Biblicus, 1782 idea of the Author's plan; for which-Denis's Supplement to the Annales reason also, we copy the advertisement. and Latin Classic. Vol. I. WE have given the above title at ADVERTISEMENT. "As the nature of this work, and the sources whence it has been "derived, will be fully explained in the Typographici of Maittaire, 1789Cailleau's Dictionnaire Typographique, &c. 1792-Panzer's Annales Typographici, 1793-Heinsius's Allgemeines Bücher Lexicon, 1793-1798, &c. &c. "To some this work may appear too diffuse; to others, too contracted; and some may think, that only select editions should have been inserted. To every respectable objector on these or any other grounds, it may with due deference be said, that the Editor endeavoured earnestly to please every man, though he felt no satisfactory hope that he should succeed. His chief aim has been to insert useful and important articles, together with whatever he knew to be curious and scarce. Had he indeed consulted his own judgment only, he would have inserted fewer editions of Greek and Latin Classics: the rage, as it is termed, for collecting these, he thinks useless, and ridiculous in the extreme. "To this volume is added, a Fac Simile (taken from Meerman's Origines Typographica) of Coster's Horarium, supposed to be the first essay at Printing in Europe. Critics agree, that this small tract, which contains only the alphabet, the Lord's prayer, the Apostles' creed, and three short prayers, was executed with moveable wooden types, about the year 1430-See Horarium. If the leaves according to the paging, be pasted back to back, the curious will then have a perfect Fac Simile of Coster's book. A few copies have been taken off on vellum, to make the work as complete a copy of the original as possible. Notwithstanding the copious information already given concerning the London Polyglott, an Appendix has been thought necessary: and as the materials for it came to hand since the printing of the preceding sheets, it is necessarily referred to the succeeding volume. As this work is such a monument to the honour of the religion and literature of this nation as no other country can boast of in its own behalf, the Editor hopes he has little need to apologize to his countrymen for communicating in detail his researches on this subject. "The biographical anecdotes which are interspersed through this work, are taken chiefly from the Nouveau Dictionnaire Historique; seventh edition; Lyons, 1789; and the critical Judgments, from too many quarters to be distinctly specified. "Those who have the smallest acquaintance with the difficulty of compiling such a work as the present, will not be surprised to meet with se veral mistakes, and will not be hasty in censuring. In so many thousands of dates, places, and prices, these are unavoidable. The chief of those already noticed are the following; which the candid reader will find no difficulty to excuse, and not much labour to correct. The succeeding volumes, it is hoped, will have less cause to claim the public indulgence on this head." p. i-v. As specimens of the work itself, we give the following extracts from this volume. "ABANO (PETRI de) Pierre d'Apono; (so named from the place of his birth, now called_Abbano.) Opus quod inscribitur, Conciliator differentiarum philosophorum et precipuè Medicorum, per Thomam Septem et Joannem Burster, de Campidona, fol. Mantuæ, 1472, editio princeps, 11. 11s. 6d.-A scarce book, but it has been offen reprinted.-This editio princeps, at Mr. Gaignat's sale, at Paris, 1769, sold for 79 livres. The author was the most famous philosopher and physician of his age. He was born, A. D. 1250, at a village near Padua. Naude suspected him of magic, and, according to the reprehensible custom of those times, he was tried for it, but escaped burning by a natural death, at the age of 88, in 1338. Bayle relates his being burnt in effigy afterwards, to suppress the reading of his works. Another edition of his Conciliator was printed at Venice, per Gab. de Tarvisio, 1476, fol. and was sold in the Valliere library, in 1784, for about 17. 15. sterling-Besides these, we have the following from the same author. "Petri Aponi Medici clarissimi in Librum Joan. Mesve addito. Neapoli, 1471. Edit. altera, 1475. Scarce works. "Geomantia, 1556, in Svo. "ABELARDI et HELOISE, Conjugis ejus, Opera; ex Editione Andreæ Quercetani, 4to. Paris, 1616, 10s. 6d. This collection of the works of Abailard was published from the MS. of Francis d'Amboise. The work contains, 1st, Several Letters. the first of which gives an account of the Author's troubles till the assembling of the Council of Sens. The 3d, 5th, and 8th are addressed to Heloisa. 2d, Sermons. 3d, Doctrinal Tracts. The title page of this edition is sometimes dated 1606, and sometimes 1626. 66 Epistolæ, ex recensione Ric. Rawlinson, 8vo. London, 1716, 5s.-This is the best edition of these Letters, and has been corrected from the most authentic MSS. It is not often to be met with. Epistolæ, Latin and French, 5 tom. printed on vellum, bound in red morocco, with silk ends and morocco cases, 341. Svo. Paris, 1782. This was the only copy ever printed on vellum: it is ornamented with miniatures and beautiful drawings; and was purchased at Mr. Paris's sale, in March, 1791, for 331. The books in this sale were in the finest condition; 636 articles sold for 70761. 17s 6d." p. 1, 2, 3. 66 ACCIDENCE, 4to. Latin, print ed by Wynkyn de Worde, in Caxton's house; no date, but evidently the first step to classical printing in England. He afterwards printed a Terence. In a copy of this book I once found the following note: The ⚫ first book known to have been printed by Wynkyn de Worde, in Fleetstreet, contains the Statutes of the 12th year of King Henry 7th, and was printed in 1497, and consequently this Accidence must have been printed before that time, it being printed at Westminster, in Caxton's house.' Thus, while the learned Italians were printing the best Greek and Latin classics, we were amusing ourselves with childish works, as Hilton's Scale of Perfection, &c. Foreign nations led us more than 50 years; for the Perrotti Grammatica of Worde, did not appear till 1512: and about the same time, Gradus Comparationum cum Verbis Anormalis simul et eorum composit. Thus endeth ye Degrees of Comparyson imprynted at London by me Wynkyn de Worde. No date." p.5. ESCAYLUS, born at Athens, about 400 years before Christ, of one of the most illustrious families in Attica. He brought Grecian tragedy, which had been invented by Thespis, to perfection. He was not only one of the most celebrated poets, but was also a very eminent warrior. He bore a distinguished part in the famous 'battles of Marathon and Platea. Of 97 pieces composed by him, only 7 have reached our times. It is said he lost his life by a very singular accident. Sleeping one day in the open field, an eagle, mistaking his bald head for a stone, let fall a tortoise which she held in her talons upon it, and killed him on the spot. This is said. to have happened about 477 years before the Christian æra. He was properly the inventor of the stage, or platform, on which the persons of the Drama act; for previous to his time tragedians acted on a sort of. carriages, which conveyed them and their implements from place to place, after the manner of our strolling comedians. He was the first also who applied perspective to theatrical decorations; in which he employed Agatharchus, a famous painter of Samos." p. 20. No date "ARS MORIENDI, fol. or place. This is one of those books which introduced the art of printing, and only preceded it a few years. It consists only of twelve leaves printed on one side from blocks of wood, each representing a dying scene, with some pious ejaculations in Latin. Original copies are very rare; but the whole, in fac simile, has been executed at Nuremberg, in fol, and 8vo. The stile of the execution differs widely from the Bib. Pauperum, as well as the Speculum Salvationis. p. 126. |