1799.1 Mr. Dyer to his Subfcribers....Obfervations on the Laocoon. 349 
at length.—In juftice to the labours of 
antiquity, we mult not forget to acknow- 
ledge the great afliftance derived from Ar- 
chimedes and (exagefimal fractions, by our 
contemporary Napier and Brigges, tor to 
the Adyar aps0 x05, and Aemrra divifions of 
the former, we owe the logarithms, difms, 
centefms, and millefins of the latter. 
—Morcover, (in imitation of the Greeks, 
&c.), we {till apply the fexagefms of in- 
tegers, to angles, motion, time, and alfo 
to the different portions of a circle.— 
This fubject, Mr. Editor, 1s in no 
wife novel; and as I have pointed out, 
that the ancients ufed their literal no- 
tation fuccefsfully in abftrufe mathe- 
matical purfuits, perhaps your corre- 
fpondent Z, will be content to fearch for 
examples and illuftrations in the au- 
thors referred to above; or in Dr. Wal- 
Jis’s edition of the ‘* Arevartus”’ alfo in the 
fecond book of ‘* Pafpus’s collection’ or 
in * Dr. Wallis’s biftorical Treatife of Al- 
gebra.”’—W hilft we are thus comparing 
the analogy of ancient and modern learn- 
ing, permit me to afk, through the medium 
ot your uleful mifcellany, how far the 
much talked of Platina, is a new difco- 
very ?—For Cic. Tul. iv. 14. giving an 
account of the fkill of the artificers of 
Corinth, particularly notices their mak- 
ing a metal (by mixing copper with a 
fall quantity of gold and filver) remark- 
ably brilliant, and almoft proof againit 
ruit, called A&S Corinthium. 
Hull Acadeny. W. ASHTON. 
—EE 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
"DYER prefents refpeéts to the fub- 
e {cribers to hts pozms, and informs 
them, with great concern, that the pub- 
lication is delayed till the winter feafon. 
All the reafons of this delay could not 
with propriety be announced here, but 
fhall be fully detailed in the preface to his 
poems. For the prefent, he muft content 
himfelf with faying, that by unforefeen 
engagements, and by extending his plan 
beyond his original intention, he can- 
not get out the firft volume, till the 
greater part of his fubfcribers will have 
left town for the fummer; a time very 
inaufpicious to publications of this na- 
ture. After mature deliberation, there- 
fore, he thinks it moft advifeable to print 
his two volumes at the fame time; and 
his criticifms, extended as they are to an 
unexpected length, will form a diftinét 
yolume, comprehending free remarks on 
every {pecies of poetry, and illuftrations 
e 
from the mythology of different nations. 
This arrangement, he apprehends, will 
lefs encumber the poems, and be more 
uletul and agreeable to thofe perfons for 
whofe fervice this volume is intended. 
Such perfons, however, as are not pleafed 
with this arrangement may have their 
fubfcription-money returned, if they will 
have the goodneis to apply to the book- 
feller where any fubfcription has been 
paid, or to the author himielf, if the mo- 
ney was paid to him. Such other perfons 
as choofe to favour this work with their 
encouragement, are informed, that names 
are {till received by the bookfellers any 
nounced in his advertifement. 
Clifford's Inn, May 20, 1799. 
ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
OPSERVATIONS ON THE LAOCOON, 
By M. Goethe,* author of the Sorrows of Werter. 
[With a plate.] 
A TRUE work. of art will always 
A have fomething of infinity in it to 
our minds, as well as a work of nature ; 
we contemplate it, we perceive and relifh 
its beauties, it makes an impreffion, but 
it cannot be thoroughly underftood, nor 
its eflence nor its merit be clearly defined 
by words. In the obfervations we are 
about to make on the Laocoon, we do not 
pretend to exhauft this fertile fubjeét ; 
what we have to fay is rather on occafion 
of this excellent monument than upon it. 
May it foon be again expofed to the pub- 
lic eye, fo that every, amateur may have 
an opportunity of fatisfying himfelf con- 
cerning it, and of {peaking of it accord- 
ing to his own ideas! ! 
When we would treat of an excellent 
work of art, we are almoft obliged as it 
were to {peak of art in general, for the 
whole art 1s contained in it, and every one 
may, as far as his abilities allow, by 
means of fuch a monument, develope what- 
ever relates to art in general. For this 
reafon we wil] begin here with fome gene- 
ralities. 
All the beautiful monuments of art, 
reprefent human nature; the arts of je- 
{ign have a particular relation to the body 
of man ; it is only of thefe laft that we are 
now fpeaking. Art has many degrees 
or fteps, on each of which may appear 
artilts of diftin&tion; but a perfect work 
of art unites all the qualities, which we 
only meet elfewhere difperfed. 
* Thefe obfervations are taken from the 
German Journal, entitled the Propy/@a. 


