less of acid than the acidulous oxalate of potash :-but the author observes, that this might depend on his not adding nitrous acid enough to deprive the acid of the honey-stone of all the alkali with which it was in combination. It swells rather more on the application of heat, than the acidulous oxalate of potash does.

In a note, M. VAUQUELIN apprizes us that, in adding acid of honey-stone, combined with a little alkali, to a solution of pure sulfate of alumine, and acidulous oxalate of potash to another portion of solution of sulfate of alumine, there took place instantaneously a flocculent deposition in the former, and none in the latter; a fact which points to a difference between the acids, and induces him to suspend his judgment.

Extract of a Letter from Prof. WURZER to M. Van Mons. The writer of this letter announces the discovery of a new fixed alkali by Dr. Hahnemann, to which that gentleman gives the name of alkali pneum; from its property of swelling, in the application of heat, to twenty times its bulk. This alkali neither effloresces nor deliquesces in the atmosphere. At 300° (qu?) of Fahrenheit, it dissolves in half its weight of water, and almost fuses in its own water of chrystallization. At 65° Fahrenheit, 140 parts require for their solution 500 parts of water. It is insoluble in alcohol.-Among other properties, it is mentioned that the lime, precipitated by this alkali from muriate of lime, dissolves on being put immediately, and before it is dry, into distilled water :-but what does this mean? Does not all lime dissolve in distilled water?-or does Dr. H. only intend to assert that lime under the above circumstances is much more soluble?

This alkali precipitates oxygenated muriate of mercury, of a bright red. It is said to form, with carbonic acid, a light earthy salt: but its combination with this acid presents great difficulties, because it suffers it to escape at the ordinary temperature of the air.

Nothing is said respecting the source from which the alkali pneum is derived. For this information, and for its applicability to the arts, which may be expected to exist in a much greater degree than in most of the lately discovered bodies, we must be contented to wait. A little time, probably, will enable us to decide whether we have really to acknowlege ourselves indebted to Dr. HAHNEMANN for a discovery equally curious and valuable; or whether he has deceived himself, and mocked us with delusive hope.

ART.

ART. XVIII. M. MEUSEL'S Guide to the History of Literature, &c. [Article continued from the last Appendix, p. 465—475.]

T HE second volume of this laborious work commences with the 3d SECTION or PERIOD.- From the death of Augustus to the irruption of the Goths into Italy; 396 years.

The general Diffusion of Knowlege, during this period, was not considerable. Although the princes of the race of Augustus were the friends of literature, and were in some degree learned themselves, yet learning did not flourish, and taste perceptibly decayed. Free genius was indulged at the risk of life. Eloquence was abandoned to pedants, philosophy to sophists, education to slaves;-and all were at the nod of tyrants. From Quintilian and Petronius, we learn that the period already felt its debility approaching; and in less than two hundred years, its want of vigour was apparent. The causes of this were, (besides the-tramels placed by despotism on the freedom of thinking and writing,) long and almost continual wars, prevailing luxury and effeminacy, the abuse of philosophy or rather of its name, the rage for magic, for divination, and for theatrical spectacles; and above all, slight and superficial education. To this end, also, the propagation of Christianity in some measure contributed; not from its own nature, but from the circumstances then existing ".

The chief Promoters of Learning, during this period, were the Emperors Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Alex. Severus, Constantine 1st, and Julian.

The Writers whose general influence, with respect to Literature, was the greatest, were Seneca, the younger Pliny, Plutarch, Lucian, Origen, and Eusebius.

Seats of Learning. The Jews had still schools in Judea, until the destruction of Jerusalem; particularly at Bethhoron, Jerunia, and Tiberias. They had also seminaries at Nahardea, Sora, and Pumbeditha.In the heathen schools of Egypt, the chief of which was at Alexandria, were taught the Greek philosophy, mathematics, jurisprudence, medicine, magic, and astrology.-In Greece, the schools of Athens still flourished; and at Rome and in Italy, they were first endowed from the public. treasury by Vespasian. The principal school, after that of Rome, was at Milan.-In France, that of Marseilles was the most reputable.-The Christians had schools at Athens, at Antioch, at Nicomedia, at Nicopolis, and at Alexandria.

* The present author is here more circumspect, and, in our opinion, more just than Gibbon. R.

The

The principal Libraries were that of Alexandria, in a great measure destroyed by Christian fanaticism ;-that of Constantinople, founded by Constantius, and so greatly enriched by Julian that at length it contained 120,000 volumes;-that of Antioch ;-that of Rome called des Tiberiana;-and the Capitolini, which, under the younger Gordian, contained 62,000 volumes.

The State of Philology, during this period, is thus described: From the schools of the Jews issued, piece meal, the Masora, the Talmuds, and the Cabbala. The most renowned scholars of that nation were Akiba, Simeon-ben-Jochai, (author of the book called Sohar,) and R. Nathan of Babylon.-The principal Greek philologists were Hephaestion of Alexandria, whose Enchiridion was published by Paw in 1726;-Julius Pollux, author of the Onomasticon, published by Lederlin in 2 vols. folio in 1706;-Phrynicus of Bethinia, whose Eclogues of Attic nouns and verbs were published by Paw in 4°. 1739;— Elius Mocris, whose Attic Lexiron was published by Pierson, together with the Philaterus of Ælius Herodianus, in 8°. 1759.

Hesychius of Alexandria, whose excellent glossary was most splendidly edited by Alberti and Ruhnkenius in 1746-1766; to which a very valuable supplement from a MS. in the LiErary of St. Mark at Venice was given by Schow in-8°. 1792;Timæus, whose Lexicon of the words peculiar to Plato was edited by Ruhnkenius in 1789;-Valerius Harpocration of Alexandria, whose Lexicon of the ten Athenian Orators was published by Gronovius in 1696; and Ammonius, whose Greek Synonyma were published, with Valckenar's notes, by C. F. Ammon, in 8°. 1787.

Among the Latins, we find lius Donatus, who lived at Rome about the middle of the 4th century, and was St. Jerom's master; and to whom he falsely ascribed Commentaries on Virgil and Terence;- Asconius Pedianus, who wrote a Commentary on some of Cicero's Orations, of which we have a few estimable fragments;- R. Fannius Palemon, author of a sort of Grammar;-M. Valerius Probus, author of, Grammatical Institutes, and of notes en Terence and Virgil;-Censorinus, whose tract De die natali, with a perpetual Commentary by Lindenbrog, was edited by Havercamp in 1743;-Nonius Marcellus, author of a work De proprietate sermonum;-and F. M. Theodorus, whose work On the quantity of Syllables was published by Heusinger, in 1766.

The chief Historians of this period were, in Greek, Flavius Josephus; the best editions of whose works are that of Havercamp in 2 vol. fol. 1726; and that of Oberthür in 3 vol. 8°. 1785; -Plutarch; of whose works the last complete edition is that of

Reiske

Reiske in 12 vol. 8°. 1782;-Arrian, last edition by F. Shmieder in 8°. 1798;— Appian, last edition by J. Schweighaeuser, 3 vol. 8°. 1785;-Pausanias, last edition by J. F. Facius, 4 vol. large 8°. 1797-Cl. Elian, last edition by Lehnert in 8°. 1793;-Dio Cassius, last edition by Reimarus, 2 vol. fol. 1752: some inedited fragments of the author were published by. Morellius in 1798;-Herodian, last edition by T. G. Irmisch, 3 vol. 8°. 1792.

The Latin Historians are Velleius Paterculus, last edition by D. Ruhnken, 2 vol. 8°. 1779;-Valerius Maximus, last edition by J. Kapp, 8°. 1782;-C. Corn. Tacitus, last, edition that of Deux-ponts, 4 vol. 8°. 1780;-Suetonius, last edition by Ernesti, 8°. 1775-Q. Curtius, last edition by D. J.T. Cunze in 8°. 1795;-L. An. Florus, last edition by Fischer, 8°. 1760;-Justin, the abridger of Trogus Pompeius, last edition by Fischer 8°. 1757;-A. Gellius, last edition by Otho, 8°. 1762. The six writers Historia Augusta; namely Spartian, Jul. Capitolinus, Lampridius, Vulc. Gallicanus, Treb. Pallio, and Flav. Vopiscus; who were published together, with the notes of Casaubon, Salmasius, and Gruter, in 2 vol. 8°. 16-1, and re-published by J. P. Schmidt in 1771;-Sext. Aur. Victor, last edition by J. F. Gruner, 8°. 1787;-Eutropius, last edi tion by Grutter, 8°. 1768.-Ammianus Marcellinus, last edition by A. W. Ernesti, large 8vo. 1773.-On Chronology, we have Ptolemy, edited at London in 4°. 1620; and Julius Africanus, of whom some fragments have been preserved by Eusebius.-On Geography, we have Strabo; of whom the last edition was published by Siebenkegs and Tzsuche in 2 vols. 8°. 1798;-Arrian, whose Periplus Ponti Euxini, and Periplus maris Erythrai, were published in the first vol. of Hudson's Collection ;-Ptolemy, edited by Mercator in 1605, and by Bertius in 1619, both editions in fol. ;-Pomponius Mela, last edition by Kapp, 8°. 1781 ;—C. Plinius secundus, last edition by Frauzius, 10 vols. large 8°. 1791. To these may be added the Itinerarium Antonini Augusti, published by Wesseling in 4°. 1735.

Of the Mathematical Works of this period, the author mentions the Sphærics of Menelaus; Ptolemy's Myaλn ouvтasis, Serenus on the Cylinder; Philo on curve lines; Demetrius on the same subject; Nichomacus's Introduction to Arithmetic; of which the Arithmetic of Boetius is only a free translation; thirteen books on Arithmetic by Diophantus of Alexandria, of which only six are extant; and a book on Polygons by the same author. Both works were published together in Greek and Latin, with the Commentaries of Bachet and the Observations of Fermat, &c. at Thoulouse in fol. 1670. In the former of these

these works, we discover the first traces of the analytic method; now denominated Algebra.-Of the mathematical works of Pappus, some fragments have been published by Wallis, Meibomius, and Condamine.-Of Theon of Alexandria, there remain a recension of Euclid's Elements, Scholia on Aratus, and a Commentary on the Syntaxis of Ptolemy. Theon's daughter, Hypatia, wrote observations on Apollonius and Diophantus, and constructed astronomical tables: but her works are lost.-On Tactics, Onosander, a Platonist, wrote a work called Strategicology, which was published, with a French translation, at Nuremberg, in fol. 1762.-The Stratagemata of Frontinus, in four books, were published by Oudendorp in 8°. 1779; and again much improved by Wiegman in 1798.

State of the Philosophical Sciences. The stoic philosophy was cultivated by Athenodorus, Q. Sextius, A. Cornutus, Musonies Rufus, and Epictetus, whose Enchiridion was latterly published by C. G. Heyne in. 8°. 1776, and, together with Cebes's Table, by Schweighauser 8°. 1798.-Simplicius, a philosopher of Alexandria in the 6th century, wrote a Greek Commentary on the Enchiridion, published by Heinsius in 1640; and the work of M. Aurel. Antoninus De Rebus suis, published by Gataker at Cambridge in 1652, and at London by Stanhope in 1707, belongs to the same class.

The chief of the Peripatetic philosophers, during this period, was Andronicus of Rhodes, whose paraphrase on Aristotle's Ethics was published by Heinsius in 4°. 1607:-Alexander Aphrodisius, and Themistius, (of whom in another place) were also learned Peripatetics.

Of the school of Pythagoras, were Apollonius Tyaneus,

and Philostratus.

The Platonic philosophy was cultivated by the Christian writers, and blended with the doctrines of Christianity. Justin Martyr, Tatian, Theophilus of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, &c. were all Platonists; as also, among the Heathens, were Galen, Albinus, Theon of Smyrna, Taurus, Numenius, Favorinus, Plutarch, Apuleius, Dio Chrysostom, M. Tyrius, and Lucian. Philo Judæus was likewise a Platonist.

The disciples of Fpicurus were Celsus, (the great adversary of the Christians,) Diogenes Laertius, and Sextus Empiricus the Pyrrhonist: the best edition of whose works is that of Fabricius, revised and improved by Mund. 1796.

Among the Jews, Philosophy was chiefly of the Cabalistic kind concerning which our author refers to De la Nauze's Remarques sur l'antiquité et l'origine de la Cabale, in the 9th vol. of Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions; and toKleuker

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