Literary Journals. 293 



XXIII. 1728, The " History of the present state of 

 THE Republic of Letters." This very valuable work which 

 was edited by Andrew Reid, commenced in January, 1728, and 

 was completed in 18 vols. Octavo, in December 1736. It is 

 upon the plan of other Journals, and contains an entertaining 

 and instructive review of some of the best books in the English 

 language, besides occasional papers of value from the works of 

 foreigners. Of this class, a Translation of the Euloge upon Sir 

 Isaac Newton, pronounced by Fontenelle before the Royal Aca- 

 demy of Sciences at Paris, and which is given in the 1st vol., 

 may be taken as a favourable specimen. Each volume contains 

 an analysis of, and extracts from, about 40 distinct publications 

 of the time, on various branches of literature and science. The 

 title-pages bear the following motto from Horace : 



Fungar vice cotis, acutum 



Reddere quae ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secandi. 

 And from the manner in which the work was conducted, 

 the editor appears to me to have fully redeemed the pledge 

 which this motto continued, month after month, to ofler to 

 the public. The first volume commences with a sensible 

 preface, highly deserving the attention of every editor of a 

 Literary Journal ; but it is too long to be transcribed for my 

 present purpose. The motto which the author has chosen for 

 this preface is 



" Tros Rutulusve fuat, nuUo discrimine habebo." 

 A work of this extent, and containing such variety of matter, 

 ought to have had a general index. In this it is deficient ; but 

 each number contains a table of contents, and each volume 

 closes with a very complete index to that particular volume. It 

 is not very often that a complete set of the " Present State of 

 the Republick of Letters" is offered for sale, but the work is 

 certainly not so scarce as some of the more early literary jour- 

 nals ; and detached volumes are so often to be met with,. that 

 an industrious collector might perfect a set without much diffi- 

 culty, and at a IriHing expense. 



