at 
416 
Mirror; or the Hiftory of the Kings of 
Schefcbiau, a political romance, 2. Thoughts 
on an ancient Inferipiion ; thefe are charac- 
terized by a happy vein of {atirico-philo- 
fophical humour, which runs through 
‘them. 3. Cupid under Accufation, a 
{prightly and agreeable poem. And, 4. 
Aurora, a lyric drama. 
In 1773, he publifhed two new lyric 
dramas, <A/cefies, printed at Leipzig; 
and The Choice of Hercules, printed at 
Weimar. {Inthe fame year he under- 
took the German Mercury (Der Deutfcbe 
Mercure) a periodical publication, which 
he continues to this day, with the great- 
eft fuccefs. 
In 1777, he publifhed, in two yolumes, 
the collection of his neweft poetical 
pieces, from 1770 to that year /Neucfic 
Gedicoté, vom janre 1770 015 177752 Vols.) 
’ Afterwards appeared Rojamonde (Man- 
heim, 1778) a lyric drama. 
Oberoz, one of his fineft compofitions, 
was publithed in 1780. It is the hiftory 
of Fairyifm, but worked up with all the 
pomp and bufile.of an epic poem, The 
richnefs of imagination, the harmony of 
the verfes, amd the aftonifhing variety of 
fituations, difplayed in this piece, leave 
nothing to be defired by the moft fafti- 
dious critic. 
In 1782, he publifhed a_ new edition, 
corrected and augmented, of his Adde- 
rittes (Die Abdzriten) the fornier edition 
of which was out of print. In the fame 
year, he alfo tranflated the Epiftles of 
Horace, adding introduétions and hitto- 
rical notes. in 1784, he made a felec- 
tion of his poems, which he publifhed 
in fevyen yolumes. — ope Bri ; 
' After fo many labours, and fuch ex- 
traordinary fuccefs, Mr. WrEL AND had 
doubtlefs acquired the right of repofing 
in a literary leifure; ftudy, however, his 
predominant. paffion, and the defire of 
rendering himfelf ufeful, did not allow 
him te claim this indulgence. In 1788, 
he publithed a tranflation of Lucian, 
which is confidered, by the critics, as a 
chef deuvre, in the effential requifites 
of ftyle and fidelity. 
_ The foregoing are the principal pro- 
duétions * of WireELAND—produétions 
which will certainly be fought after by 
pofterity, and will render his name im- 
mortal. If any of your correfpondents 

(Te Se ee 
* Tobferved in a late foreign Journal, the 
announcement of a tranflation into French of 
all his works, by a celebrated French Littcra- 
tcur. 
_ Original Similarity of Languages, 
[ June, 
can furnifh any additional notice rela- 
tive to his works, or any biographical 
traits which may tend to develope his 
character, &c. they will higly intereft 
the public, and at the faime time, gratify 
ycur humble fervant, 
_ London, May 2, 1797-.- LUcCtanreus. 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magaxize. 
SIR, 
HE abfervations of your learned cor- 
refpondent MErRION, on the ftruc- 
ture and antiqnity of the Welch tongue, 
are fo intereiting, and fo important to 
the hiltory and ftudy of languages. thar, 
iu my mind, nothing tending to illuftrate 
or confirm them, ought to be withheld 
from the public eye. With this view it 
1s, that I fend you the following acceunt 
of an old man whom it was my fortune 
to fee frequently in France, a few years 
ago, and whofe opinions correfponded 
exactly with thofe of Meirion,-at the 
fame time that they were carried toa 
much greater length. 
M. le Bricans, the man I mean, 
was a native of la Bofé Breiague; but, 
from his name, and, as he faid, from 
tradition, he was led to conclude, that 
his tamily derived its origin from the 
Brigantes *, and.had removed to the 
continent, when the part of our ifland 
which that. people mhabited, was dif- 
turbed by the irruption of Saxons from 
the fouthern provinces. Like all the de- 
{cendants of the ancient Britons, he had 
ever entertained a high idea of the anti< 
guity of his nation and language ; bur 
to the laster he had paid littic attention, 
till about twenty-five or thirty years 
ago, when fome novel opinions were 
promulged in the literary world.—Ar 
that time it was that, the celebrated: 
Curt de Gebelin, and feveral other of the_ 
French literati, after very deep philolo- 
gical refearches, concurred in afirming, 
that if any original language exifted, 
each fimple found or fyllable it contained, 
muft exprefs a diftinét and fimple idea; 
and that all the polyfyllables muft necef- 
farily convey complex ideas, according 
to the fenfe of the particles of which 
they were compofed. 
M. le Brigant having a vague percep- 
tion of thefe qualities in the Bas-Bretox, 
his mother tongue, which is well known 
to be a dialeé&t of the ancient Gaelic, or 
Celtic language, employed himfelf in a 
cr}tical examination of its ftruéture, and 

* The ancient inhabitants of Yorkshire. 
Was 
