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free from affectation, which shows itself in the search for archaisms or antiquated forms of expressions, and in the too frequent use of moral sentences and figures of rhetoric. Some hellenisms are also found in him. The charge of adulation to his prince, which is so often brought against this historian, may find some palliation in the fact that it was not until after the death of Sejanus that the tyrannical spirit of Tiberius began openly and fully to develope itself; and of this, if Velleius was involved in the fate of Sejanus, he could not of course have been a witness. Besides, Tiberius had been the military chief, and the benefactor of Paterculus. The latter praises the good deeds he performed, he exaggerates his merit, he treats with indulgence his faults; but he does not push flattery so far as blindly to alter the truth, or assert things that are false. It is unjust, therefore, on account of this venial failing, to rank Paterculus among historians who are undeserving of confidence. He is impartial in the recital of events of which he was not himself a witness. As for those which passed under his own eyes, where is the historian who, in writing the history of his own times, is wholly exempt from the charge of partiality?] The best editions of Paterculus are those of Ruhnkenius, 8vo. 2 vols. L. Bat. 1779; of Barbou, Paris, 12mo. 1777, and of Burmann, 8vo. L. Bat. 1719; [but above all that of Krause, Lips. 1800, 8vo.]--Caius, the grandfather of the historian of that name, was one of the friends of Livia. killed himself when old and unable to accompany Livia in her flight. CHALDEA, [a Country of Asia at the top of the Persian gulf, and south of Babylonia. Some writers, however, make Babylonia a part of it. With respect to the origin of the Chaldæans, who are called in Scripture Chasdim, various opinions have been entertained. Michaëlis considers them as a foreign race in Assyria, and is inclined to derive them from the Chalybes of the Greek geographers, who are called Chaldi by Stephanus Byzantinus. His chief reason for this opinion is founded on the names of Chaldæan and Babylonian kings preserved in Scripture, and by Ptolemy and Syncellus, which differ from the Assyrian names, and bear an apparent resemblance to those of some northern nations of Slavonic origin. Thus Nebucadnezar would be in Slavonic, Nebu-godnoi-tzar, i. e. a prince worthy of heaven. Belshazar would be equivalent to Bolshoi-tzar, i. e. a great prince; and so of others. (See the supplement to Michaëlis's work on the Hebrew Laws, sect. 1367, and his Spicilegium Geographia Hebræorum exteræ, vol. 2. p. 77, et seqq.) On the other hand, Adelung contends that all these names are resolvable into the Hebrew, or its cognate dialects. This author considers the Chaldæans or Chasdim, as a mountaineer people from the north of Mesopotamia, but belonging to the Assyrian, or, as he calls it, the Shemitic race. (See his Mithridates, Erster Theil. p. 517, and also Rosenmuller on Hab. 1, 6, and Gesenius's larger Hebrew Lexicon, p. 489.) The Chaldæan are highly commended in many of the ancient writers for their skill in the sciences, especially in astronomy. If we are to believe Diodorus, however, their claims to this high character were very slight. They seem to have pursued the study of astronomy no farther than as it. might tend to aid their fancied astrological researches. They taught that the shape of the earth was that of a skiff or small boat; and of eclipses of the sun they knew but little, and never ventured to predict them, or fix the time of their occurring. So says Diodorus. Diod. S. 2, 31.-Aul. Gell, 14, 1.-Sext. Emp. 338. -Montucla Hist. de Math. V. 1. 1. 2, §. 4.]

Unfortunately for this etymological reverie, of the alliance of Sclavonic and Chaldæan, we have always understood that the Russian term "Czar" is a mere modern corruption of the Teutonic title "Kaiser ;" and that, of the Roman Cæsar.

MITHRIDATES. Though both Dr. L. and Prof. Anthon admit from Herodotus a proper name written Mithradates, (derived apparently from the name of the Persian divinity, Mithras,) they do not notice Dr. E. D. Clarke's conjecture, (Trav. 1. 421.) indeed, more than conjecture, that the latter name was that really borne by this mighty monarch, and that Mithridates is a mere Roman corruption; the vowels i and a appearing to be confounded by them in various other instances.

BELLEROPHON: as usual, this name is given without remark: Bellerophontes is that given by Homer, II. . 190.

The value of the edition before us, is increased by appending to it a complete chronological list, prepared by Facciolati, of all writers in the Latin tongue, from the earliest of whom we have fragments, down to the 16th century; a list of grammatical works in various languages, and other matter. We could have wished that the learned editor, Mr. Barker, had increased the obligation, by giving in this Appendix a list of Latin appellatives, coined in modern times, applied to towns and places. We possess books which the title-pages state to be printed in places bearing well-sounding Roman names, but ubi terrarum situated, no map can tell us. In a Latin tract, recently published in Germany itself, we have seen the capital of Austria named Vienna; but Professor Anthon tells us, and tells us truly, that its proper Latin term is Vindobona; and that Vienna is a French city. Whimsically enough, we ourselves, in our own tongue, persist in giving to the Austrian capital this name; Latinizing probably the French name, which approaches very nearly the real appellation, Wien.

Considerable improvement may yet be made in this valuable work greater clearness of detail may be attained with economy of space. In biography, one undeviating mode of arranging the memoir of each individual should be adopted as thus. After the name, 1st, if known, father's name: 2nd, where born: 3rd, when: 4th, incidents of his life, always observing, as nearly as may be, the order of time: 5th, character, and general remarks: 6th, place and time of death, where known, and important to state: finally, authorities; and if the subject of the memoir be himself an author, the best edition. and translation in your own tongue. In geography; 1st, situation, and bounds: 2nd, modern name, if any 3rd, of distinguished

cities, lat. and long. : 4th, historical narration attached to the place, but generally more brief than in preceding editions, and with more strict attention to the order of time: 5th, authorities. In giving the latter, one uniform mode should be pursued; a list of abbreviations prefixed, and every citation carefully conforming the book or other larger partition of the work quoted, in Roman numerals; the minor, in Arabic. II. and Odyss. in the small Greek letters. Some single letters in another type, as abbreviations, might be advantageously introduced: for instance-F. F. for father; 2. B. for born; . D. for died ; . O. for Olympiad.

NOTICE OF

GYMNASIUM, SIVE SYMBOLA CRITICA By the Rev. ALEXANDER CROMBIE, LL. D. 2 vols. 8vo. Third edition, corrected and enlarged. London, printed for R. Hunter, 72, St. Paul's Church-yard. 1828. pp. 342. 486.

CLAVIS GYMNASII, Editioni tertiæ accommodata, sive Exercitationes in Symbolam Criticam, partim sicut in veteribus extant, data, et partim a Rev. ALEX. CROMBIE, LL.D. Latine redditæ. Londini, 1828. 8vo. pp. 112.

WE are doubtful whether this useful work, of which the public have expressed no small approbation, by inducing the author to publish a third edition, corrected and enlarged, would not have been much more extensively used in our classical schools and academies, if Dr. Crombie had selected a title better calculated to convey to the minds of those, who see it advertised, the idea that it is designed as a series of rules for Latin composition, very clearly, logically, and philosophically expressed. Synonyms are fully and correctly explained. The usages of verbs and nouns and adverbs &c. are amply illustrated. Indeed, we may say with truth that there is no English work of its size so well calculated to assist those who desire to acquire a good Latin style, and none in use which handles the subject on sounder principles of philology and philosophy; and we strongly recommend it to the attention of the schoolmaster, and the college-student, as excellently adapted for their purposes.

Without more space than can be allowed to us, we cannot prove the propriety of our remarks by quotations of sufficient length. The present edition is accompanied by a Key, which will make the book still more useful. Dr. Crombie states in his Preface that in the Key he has rarely ventured to deviate from the language of the classic, from whom the passages have been selected. This statement refers, we presume, to the text in the Clavis, and not to the notes. We, however, find the deviations in the text to be pretty numerous; and Dr. Crombie has given the originals in the notes, and frequently without referring to the authors. Now it would have been more natural to have reserved the notes for his own modes of translation, and to have uniformly given the originals in the text;—we would recommend Dr. Crombie to adopt this plan in the next edition. In delivering his rules for the construction of qui, Dr. C. states that, where the sentiment expressed is not that of the historian, or the speaker, but of the person, of whom he is writing or speaking, the relative is joined with the subjunctive mood; and as one or two expressions occur in Livy, as de quo agitur, for de quo agatur, contrary to this rule, which Drackenborch and other critics have noticed, but have not attempted to explain, we should be glad to see the cause of the peculiarity accounted for, and, if possible, reconciled with the rule given by the author.

NOTICE OF

CLASSICAL MANUAL; or, A Mythological, Historical, and Geographical Commentary on Pope's Homer, and Dryden's Eneid of Virgil; with a copious Index. London, Longman, 1827. 8vo. Pr. 18s. boards, pp. 698.

WE always think it the best and fairest plan to let the author tell his own tale; and as the Advertisement prefixed to the book is very short, we shall lay the whole of it before our readers :

"The study of Homer and Virgil being considered an essential part of polite education, the young might, it was presumed, derive some advantage from a work intended as a companion to those poets. The author has endeavored to comprise, in the following pages, the more material circumstances relative to the mythology, religious rites, customs, fables, traditions, authentic history, and geography of the

ancients. A judicious execution of this design would present a great variety of information, which can otherwise not be attainable but by laborious research, and by reference to many scarce and expensive publications. The author has, therefore, spared no pains in collecting information from works of the highest authority; excluding, at the same time, whatever exceptionable language incidentally occurs in the history and mythology of the classical writers.

"A very copious Index is subjoined, which will supply whatever convenience might have been derived, if this work had assumed the form and plan of a Classical Dictionary."

This book will be found as useful to those, who are unacquainted with the dead languages, as to those who are conversant with them; it is philological, not critical. We have examined it carefully in many instances, and we are able to state confidently that it has been compiled with great care, and contains a great variety of valuable information very proper and necessary for the student. The language is correct, concise, neat, and perspicuous; the mode of treating the subject is exact and methodical; the subjects themselves are amply discussed, and we have discerned no mythological fancies, no love of systematising ancient symbolic representations, nothing against which we need guard the reader. Good sense pervades the work, and sound knowlege, drawn from the best sources, is diffused through its pages. We cordially thank the author, we strongly recommed the book, we predict its success, and we hope that he will undertake other literary labors equally useful to the rising generation.

ADVERSARIA LITERARIA.

NO. XLV.

I. " BOTANY is an active science, and the discoveries of the torrid zone might enrich the Herbal of Dioscorides with two thousand plants."-Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chap. 52.

Gibbon has been suspected of falling into mistakes by quoting from works of which he had read no more than the preface, but in this passage he has been guilty of referring to an author with whose title-page he was evidently unacquainted. The title of Dioscorides' work is Περὶ ὕλης ἰατρικῆς; and it is therefore not a herbal, but a treatise on the Materia Medica. Now, although the number of medicinal herbs introduced into the practice of medicine by the discovery of America be no doubt

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