50 Mr. Parkes's History of 



finished tlie year 1694, the work was continued in monthly 

 numbers. The first volume consists of 578 pages, besides a 

 copious index. The three first numbers of Vol. II for the 

 year 1696, occupy 96 pages, but as I have no more of the 

 work, I cannot tell how much farther it extended. The title 

 seems to have been chosen merely to distinguish it from other 

 journals, for no part of it is in the form of letters, but the 

 whole has the appearance of a modern review, except that they 

 are usually in octavo, and this is printed in small quarto. 

 The design of the publication is thus given in the Preface : 

 " We don't intend a translation or collection of foreign journals, 

 but to peruse both them and the authors themselves, that we 

 may be able to justify what we advance concerning them ; 

 though at the same time, we would not be understood as if we 

 had a design to play the Critick. Our method shall be to keep 

 a medium betwixt a meer catalogue and a real abridgment ; 

 abridgments having a natural tendency to destroy good books ; 

 so that the reader is to expect an idea of all valuable books, 

 printed either here, or beyond sea, by which he may understand 

 the designs of the authors, the reasons of their undertakings, 

 and the manner of their performance, with an account of their 

 principal subjects." 



XIII. 1694. " The History of Learning, giving a suc- 

 cincj; account and narrative of the choicest New Books, with a 

 translation of what is most curious and remarkable in foreign 

 journals. Designed to be published frequently." This work 

 was printed in small quarto, and the first number appeared in 

 May, 1694. The editors of this work profess in their Preface, 

 to give " A Translation of the Naratives of the Choicest New 

 Books in Europe, as they are epitomized in the Foreign Journals ; 

 and thus to afford a general and succinct view of the Learning 

 and Studies of the most refined writers." Having only one 

 number of this work, which commences with an Account of 

 the Life of Descartes, I cannot tell to what length it was 

 extended. 



