540 
explained, which have been either too dif. 
futedly treated, or altogether overlooked 
in the larger work, fo that this fhort trea- 
tife cannot fail to be of great utility ia 
facilitating the acquifition of the’ {a- 
ered language to the ftudent and the 
amateur. 
_ LOGIC AND METAPHYSICS, 
To tupply the fchools of Germany with 
an elementary work which might combine 
completenefs with brevity, and fhould at 
the fame time be fold at a reafonable price, 
we meet with the following excellent pub- 
lication, which unqueftionably poflefles all 
thefe requifities, entitled, “ Logic for ihe 
Ufe of Schools,” by J. G. C. Kirswev-: 
TER, doétor and profeffor of philofophy 
at Berlin, p.156,8vo. (price about 1s. 2d, 
in fheets). The Jearned author of this 
treatife has preferved here the {ame order 
2nd divifion which he has adopted in his 
« Elements of pure, general Logic,’ pub- 
lithed fome time ago, while he has added 
the general practical part of logic; and 
we fhall only fay that he has laid down 
the rules of thinking throughout, in a 
clear and perfpicuous manner, and that 
he has illuftrated the whole with oppofite 
and ftriking examples. ‘The metaphyti- 
eal works, from time to time appearing 
in Germany being very numerous, and 
moft of them being of an abftrufe and 
polemical nature, we are obliged to con- 
fine our account to a few of the moft re- 
markable only. Of this de(cription is 
the following work of Apbam Weis_ 
HAUPT, on “ Truth and moral Perfeion,” 
¥ol- U.P. RxViltn and 376. |. *4, Op pp 
Doctrines of the Motives and Caujes of 
all Things,” vol. ii. p. 392, and « On 
Purpofes or final Caufes,’ vol. iii. p. 
xliv. and 384, 8vo.. The learned author 
is well known to be one of the mott ftre- 
nuous opponents of the critical fyftem 
of philofophy, founded by the venerable 
Kant 3 and while the latter couches his 
doétrines in the moft fcientific and fre- 
quently ob{fcure terms and phrafes, Dr. 
WEISHAUPT enleavours to render his 
doctrines plain and palatable to every clafs 
of readers, by the moft alluring and po- 
pular forns and demonttrations he has 
adopted in all his writings. As this, 
however, is not the foruw where meta. 
phyfical controverfies can be either dif- 
cuffed or decided, we fhall content our- 
» felves with ftating the tendency of Wets- 
HAUPT’S extenfive work, in nearly his 
own words: ‘ The whole moral fyftem 
of man,” fays ‘he, “ is founded on the 
idea of moral perfeétion, and without this 
idea we are liable every where to mifap- - 
prehend our moral feelings: hence it has 
Retrofpec? of German Literature... Metaphyfics, 
[Sur. 
been the chief obje& of my prefent exer- 
tions, to difcover that golden middle pathy 
to determine the true and moft practical 
idea of moral perfeétion; to eftablith on 
this idea a phyfiology of the mind; to 
thow in what its healthy ftate, perfection 
properly confifts; how all virtues are 
founded on that ftate, and in the ftriGeR 
fenfe conftitute one virtue. only ; to en- 
quire in.o the original errer from which 
the branches and confequences of all other 
moral errors arife ; to render this etymo- 
logy plain and obvious to the fenfes ; to 
iketch in this manner a pathology of the 
mind, and befides to point out from what 
{hallow ground our prefent virtues arife ; 
in what clofe a connection they tiand with 
our vices ; how among things of fo diffi- 
milar nature a conneétion is poffible ; and 
lattly, to examine the difeafed parts of 
cur mind, which either at prefent, or at 
fome future period, and by what means, 
required to be remedied and cured.”°— 
Another violent opponent of the Kantian 
fyftem, although of inferior abilities and 
defective erudition,isSOLOMONMa1mon, 
in his ‘ Critical Inveffigations of the Hu- 
man mind ; or the highes Powers of Know. 
ledge and Volitton,” Ps 370, 8vo. The 
whole of this work confifts of three lon 
dialogues of the Prologomena to the Cri- 
tique of the pure and praétical faculty 
of knowledge, and of a fyftem of ethics 
according to Ariftotle. We cannot, 
however, fupprefs the remark with refpect 
to the laft fubje&t, that Mr. MaimMon 
has committed a grofs ‘Plagiarifm, by 
copying Mr. Tenifch’s claffical tran{. 
lation of Ariftotle’s work, from chapter 
to chapter, omitting what he could not 
underftand, or what appeared to him of 
lefs confequence. «¢ The Contributions te 
the Hiftory of Philofaphy,”’ by G. G. Fut- 
LEBORN3; are continued with the fame 
{pirit of found criticifm and induftrious 
perfeverance. The feighth number now 
before us contains, befides a feries of cri- 
tical remarks on the poems of Parmenides, _ 
byKENRICK, only one eflay by the learned 
editor, <A Sketch of the Fiifiory and Li- 
terature of Phyfiognomyp,” “ Elementar 
view of the Metaphyjics, of Law, or 
potive Legiflation; “an Effay on the firft 
Principles of the Law of Nature,” by 
G.S. A. MELLIN, &c. This 1S’ a) Te- 
markable work, not only on account of 
the new and acute ideas ftarted in it, and 
the author’s peculiar mode of reafoning, 
but alfo by feveral Ingenious paradoxicab 
affertions, which lead the mind from the 
ufual mode of thinking, and agreeably 
employ. it with new conceptions. The 
whole comprehends the principles and ele- 
mentary 
