-VOL. XX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, 30? 



one thing so corrects another that it does not operate strongly any one way. 

 But this no doubt a judicious composer may so manage that with the help of 

 such hyperboles, as those with which the ancient music is wont to be set off, 

 our music may be said to produce as extraordinary effects as theirs. 



An Account of Books. — f. Basis Botanica ; seu, Brevis ad Rem Herbariam Manu- 

 duclio, omnes Plantarum Paries, una cum earumdem Virlutibus secundum nnvis- 

 sima Botanicorum Fundament a genera li quadam Methodo commonstrans, edita a 

 D. Christiano Ludovico IVelschio. Lips.xQgl, \2mo. N° 243, p. 304. 



//. Juli PJlugh Equilis Saxonici Epistola ad Perilluslrem atque Generosissimum 

 f^irum Ludovicum a Seckendorff, Virum de ulraque Republica merilissimum, 

 prceter Fata Bibliotheae Budensis, Librorum quoque in ultima Expugnatione re- 

 pertorum Catalogum exhibens. Jen. idSS, vi Qvo. N° 243, p. 305. 



This letter (of about 112 pages) was intended to be published sooner, had 

 not the author thought Tollius would have undertaken the task. This library 

 was first collected by Matthias Corvinus (who died Anno J4go) from all parts 

 of the world, consisting both of printed books and manuscripts; printing being 

 then young, he kept writers in many places to enrich his library in what it 

 wanted from Greek ; he got many Hebrew, Greek, and Latin books from Con- 

 stantinople and Greece, when those places were taken ; 40, or 50,000 books were 

 said to be in the library, either printed or manuscript. Bosmannus Cardinalis 

 offered the Turks for them 200,000 nummi imperiales. When Buda was taken 

 by the Turks, this library was pillaged by the soldiers. Busbeckius bought many 

 of the books, and brought them to Vienna ; Johannes Sambucus purchased 

 many, which are now also the emperor's. Billibaldus Birckheimerus got some 

 which now belong to the Royal Society. Of the remainder which were at Buda 

 when it was taken, an account is here given in a catalogue taken by a mis- 

 sionary Jesuit. At the close of the book is a catalogue of some manuscripts, 

 formerly belonging to this library, which are now in that of the Duke of Wol- 

 fenbuttel. 



///. Dissertatione Epistolare del Fosforo Minerale o sia della Pietra illuminabile 

 Bolognese, ci Sapiente ed Eruditi Signori Collettori degli Acta Eruditorum di 

 Lipsia, scrilta daLuigi Ferdinando Conte Marsigli,* &c. Lips. 1698, in 4^o. 

 N° 243, p. 306. 



This dissertation of 31 pages, was designed to be presented by the author 



* Count Louis Ferdinand Marsigli was renowned both as a soldier and a pliiiosoplier. He was born 

 at Bologna in l658, and received an excellent education, attending the lectures of the most celebrated 



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