1799. | 
telefcope, three feet in length, good obfer- 
variations on the planet Venus. So rapid 
and promifing were the firlt fteps of a 
man, who was deftined to purlue paths 
before untrodden, which led to new deve- 
lopements of the conftruétion of the uni- 
verfe, and to more daring profpects into 
the great workfhop of nature. His firtt 
obfervations he made in ¥779 and 1780, 
onthe atinofpirere of Venus, which have 
been inferted in his Apbroditic Fragments, 
of the fun, and of all the planets. To: 
enumerate them all, it would require a 
volume: nor indeed is it neceffary ; for 
who, in his native country, or among fo- 
reigners, is ignorant of the important fer- 
vices Schroter has rendered to aftronomy ? 
What aftronomer, what lover of afrono- 
my, what man, in fine, of a cultivated 
underftanding, is a ftranger to the ever 
memorable treafures,- which in fo fhort a 
{pace of time he has revealed to us by 
means of his gigantic telefcope, which 
himlelf had created. The names of Her- 
Jebel and Schroter will, like Cajfor and 
Pollux, fhine retulgent ftars in the heavens, 
as long as fucceding generations fhall not 
fink into the loweft ebb of humanity, and 
no longer honour that which conftitutes its 
greateft dignity. 
Se SSS 
ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS 
OF COUNT J. B. ROBERTI. 
COUNT J. B. Rozerri, a nobleman~ 
of Baflano in Ttaly, was born March the 
4th, 1719. When about ten years of age, 
he was committed to the care of a clergy- 
man in Padua, with whom he lived ‘ull 
the year 1736. During the whole of that 
time, he was in the {chool of the Jefuits, 
and diltinguifhed himfelf very carly among 
his tellow-ftudents, as well by his talents, 
as by his fri& morals. This entitled him 
to’'admiffion into the order : notwithftand- 
ing its many faults, thofe learned inftruc- 
tors were ever ready to efteem and encou- 
rage young men of promiling parts. He 
took the religious habit of that fociety in 
the,year 1736. After paffing through his 
Roviciate in Bologna, he was made, ac- 
cording to the cuftoms of the order, pro- 
feffor in the inferior fchool in Piacenza, 
and fhortly after was preferred to the chair 
of philofophy in Brefcia. Ip each of thefe 
ftaticns, be acquired great and deferved 
celebrity. In Brefcia he began to try the 
firength of his genius on different fubjects 
in profe and poetry. In 1749, he was 
conftituced Director of the Royal College 
et Parma; and in 1751 pafled to the 
College of Bologna, where he pwoduced 
thofe uncommon truits of mental culture, 
MONTHLY MaG. NO, Li. 
Extract from a Port-folia of a Man of Letters. 885 
and exertions which qualify him to hold 
a diftinguifhed rank in the annals of lite- 
rature. He obtained the higheft admira- 
tion from the celebrated Zannotti, from 
Marfhal Pallariani, from Algarotti, and 
trom all the diftinguifhed perfons that re- 
fided at, or were pafling through, Bologna. 
His learning, the agreeable and inftruétive 
turn of his converfation, and, above all, 
the exemplary fenfe of religion he con- 
ftantly evinced, procured him univerfal 
love and efteem. After living eighteen 
years in Bologna, he experienced the un- 
forefeen and fevere mortification of wit- 
nefling the total annihilation of his order. 
In 1773, Cardinal Malvezzi, the Pope’s 
Legate, was oppointed to fupprefs his 
college. Father Roberti afterwards, how- 
ever, enjoyed the honour of a double pen- 
fion, which was conferred on him by this 
Cardinal, and ratified with che higheft'ex- 
prefions of regard and efteem by Pope 
Clement. XIV. Immediately after. the 
diffolution of the ordér, Count Roberti 
(now abbot) retired to his paternal houfe 
in Baflano, where, without intermitting his 
literary engagements, or abating his ex. 
erciles of piety, he remained till his death, 
which took place in 1786, in the 67th year 
of his age. 
This author was one of the few.modern 
Italians entitled to the praife of having 
written well their own language. - His 
works may be arranged in three great 
claffes. 1 Eloquence and poetry; 2d 
philology and criticifm; 3d morals. In 
the year 1746, be publithed his poem La 
Moda; and foon afterwards his fecond 
poem Le Fragole. 'Thespoem, Le Perle, 
was dedicated to Marfhal Pallavicini. The 
poem La Commedia, which prefents a fyn- 
opfis of the hiftory of that branch of po- 
etry, was dedicated to Goldoni. Many 
{maller pieces are alfo to be fowsd in the 
colleétion of his works, publifhed byhim- 
felf; but his Zfopian Fable may be con- 
fidered as -the moit mafterly and beautiful 
> - 
of all his poerical produétions. 
In pulpit eloquence, Count Robertt 
outfhone all his. contemporaries. The 
panegyric of the blefled Beatrice d’Efte is 
one of his beft {pecimens of oratory ; and 
next to it ranks bis admired fpeech for the 
fecular year. His academical orations, 
his funeral eulogiums, and other writings, 
are allo juftly extolled for the beauty of 
their ftyle. 
His pilological and critical writings 
form, another department of his -walk. 
Some Inquiry relative to the ancient Ba/- 
fano, a Difquifition relative to the Swal- 
7 
lows that blinded Tobias, anda Letter om 
5 x Flowe 

