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Retrospect of French Literature. 



the Cynegelics, or Treatise on Hunting, 

 besides three MSS. from Rome, and a 

 most valuable one purchri<ied by him. In 

 the purchase of this MS. and remu- 

 rerating his assistants, he expended 

 })is own money, besides ilie purchase of 

 the hriuse, and ten years' labour. Such 

 devotion of time and fortune, :ill things 

 considered, is without a parallel in the 

 annals of literature. 



V. The notice on the MSS. is highly 

 curious and important, and the thirty-five 

 plates of fac-similes add sinmilarly to 

 the value of this part: some of the spe- 

 cimens are of the eleventh century. 

 The critical notes: these cannot be ana- 

 lysed ; we will, however, oflfer a specimen 

 or two.— Republic of Sparta, ch. xiii. 9. 

 the text, E^fj-i ^£ tw hoi xcci xty^ctixtca Eif 

 |/«j^>iii o-t'HEvai. Ltiinclave translates by 

 iuvcni quucjue ac dclecto ud pv{.'nam in- 

 eundam permiUitur ut, Sj-c, JM. Gail 

 gives a le.irned note to prove the non- 

 sense of this version; but, in fact, it 

 requires no great hellcnical skill to shew 

 it must be wrong. Instead of delecto ad 

 pugnatii, M. Gail eives, " It is permitted 

 to the young warrior, even under the 



bravery, another his affability, Some hii 

 stature and his beauty; on which Ti- 

 granes addressed his wife, " And how did 

 you find Cyrus? did he not appear to 

 you very handsome?" " I did not look at 

 him," replied the princess. " Whom did 

 you look at then?" " At him who would 

 have given hi« life to preserve me fronm 

 servitude." The very next article is of 

 a very different complexion : it is no 

 other than to determine whether the 

 prochoides were drinking-vessels, barrels 

 of wine, or chamber-pots. M. Gail 

 proves, very learnedly, that they were 

 the latter, which the Persians carried 

 in their pockets to repasts; they had, 

 even at that time, one handle, and even 

 the lapse of ages has not given tliem 

 two. We forgive the author his wit at 

 our expencc, because we wish the cus- 

 tom were observed by us in the light 

 that foreigners regard it. " Th's custom 

 partly exisis amongst the English, but 

 modified as it ought be by a polished 

 people. At the large dinner parties* 

 where they meet to discuss politics or 

 commerce, they do not carry with ihenn 

 prochoides, the host spares his guests 



bond of accusation, to present hiinself that trouble; adjoining the dining- room. 



to combat tlie enemy." This version is 

 highly plausible, but we esteem it rather 

 a happy conception than a well warrant- 

 ed translation : we wish the author had 

 given us more authorities. 



One of the virtues of M. Gail is an 

 ineffable modesty; he never hesitates to 

 Say, I translated such a passage wrong, it 

 ought to be so and so; I was mistaken 

 in the sense of such a word, &c. We 

 have a curious instance of tliis in the 

 notes on the Art of Horsemanship, We 

 do not suspect M, Gail of knowing much 

 of horsemanship ; but his second version 

 is consonant to good modern practice : 

 we learn by it, that, even in the time of 

 Xenophon, ihey made the horse with 

 the near or off foot first, by applying 

 the whip (rod) on the contrary side. 

 Our author proves anew, that horses were 

 not shod in the days of Xenophon: it is 

 a fact long since settled. 



On looking over the critical notes, the 

 anecdote of the wife of Tigranes struck 

 tjs forcibly, from its exquisite delicicy. 

 Cyrus asked him what he would give for 

 the liberty of his wife, who was a prisoner 

 as well as himself ; Tigranes replied, he 

 would give all, even his life, to preserve 

 the princess from servitude. Cyrus gave 

 Ler to him without ransom. Every one 

 at this moment praised Cyrus; one 

 boasted of his nisdom, another his 



and sometimes even in it, prochoides 

 are placed, thanks to which, one is not 

 an instant a stranger to the conversa- 

 tion," To soften the matter, he adds a 

 note — " This custom is not adopted at 

 family dinners." 



VI, With respect to the maps, charts* 

 jilans of battle, &c, &c, too much praise 

 cannot be given to the author and his 

 friend, M. Barbie Bocage, This atlas 

 will be consulted bv all geographers in 

 laying down maps of ancient geography. 

 The profound learning and inexhaustible 

 patience of snch a person as the royal 

 Greek professor, was necessary to ren- 

 der maps of ancient geography more 

 than a confused distribution of names 

 of places, without any sound classical 

 authority; for example, where he treats 

 of the kingdom of the Adryses, which 

 is as little understood as the pretended 

 kings of Thrace, given by C(try,Eckel,^-c. 

 of Epithracc, of Upper and Lower Mace- 

 donia, of Olympia, a city which never 

 existed, &c. &c. These various studies 

 are highly important, and will change 

 for ever many of the features of ancient 

 geography, the science of which Mr. 

 Gail has greatly extended; and the work 

 before us has alone erected an miperish- 

 able monument to his fame. Let him 

 not fear that laurels will grow only on 

 his tomb, they now encircle his brows ; 



aad. 



