Retrofpeét of French Literature. ArchiteBure...Geography. 
s 
-his native country is generally ipferior to 
that of Rome, more efpecially in refpect 
to poetry ; and-he here takes occafion to 
defend his former opinion, that the claf- 
fics ought not to be tranilated into profe. 
He then applies himfelf to the confi- 
deration of epic poetry, and, after attack - 
ing the paradoxes of Lamotte, relative to 
the Iliad, launches forth into an eulogium 
on that great work. He thinks, however, 
that the Odyffey exhibits manifest {tens 
of decline and decrepitude. 
Laharpe confiders the character of the - 
hero of the /Encid as far too uniform, 
being deftitute of thofe paifions which, 
by, animating the epip apela, intereft the 
reader. He, however, ‘gives due praife 
to the ityle of Virgil, which he maintains 
ro be the diftinguifhing characteriftic of 
that poet, “ amd at once the charm 
and the defpair of thofe who cultivate 
poefy.” - 
Silvius Italicus, Statius, Claudian, Lu- 
can, &c.. afterwards pafs in review, and 
_all their. beauties and defe€ts are carefully 
enumerated. 
A feries of reflections on the genius of 
the Greek tragedy ferves as a critical in- 
troduétion to the works of - /E{chylus, 
Sophocles, and Euripides ; and, on this 
occafion, tné author will, probably, be 
confidered as rather partial to the French 
drama, which he affirms to be fuperior to 
that of Greece. The Romans are con- 
fidered as far inferior to beth in tragedy 3 
and if we are to judge by the {pecimens 
handed downto us, we have fo great oc- 
cafion to regret thofe that have been loft. 
After a variety of remarks on the 
comedy of the anc ents, we meet with 
an examination of the lyric poets, and 
are here refitnded of the diferente be- 
tween the odes which were fung, and 
thofe of the moderns which are re- 
cited. Horace is faid to umte Anacreon. 
and Pindar in his own perfon, and La- 
harpe compares his Ode to Fortune with 
that of Rouffeau, on pufpofe to thow 
that a charming French ade has but 
little refemblance to a beautiful Latin: 
one.. 
From the poets, Laharpe now turns to 
the orators, the hiftorians, and the phi- 
lofophers ; and the beauties and defeéts 
of Quintilian, Demofthenes, Cicero, Se- 
neca, the two Plinys, He sepia Thu- 
vig Xenophon, Livy. Salluft, Ta- 
citus, Quintus Curtis. CAenaltne Nepos, 
Suetonius, and Plu:arch, are carefully fe- 
‘leéted and exhibited. 
[ When this important work is finifhed, 
we fhall continue our accvunt of it. | 
Monrsiy Mage. LIV. 
1065 
ARCHITECTURE, STATUARY, &c. 
«¢ Palais, Maifons, et autres Edifices 
modernes de Rome,’’ &c. Palaces, Houtles, 
and other modern Edifices of Rome, de- 
figned and meafured by PerTiER, Fon- 
TAINE, and BERNIER. Folto. Ten 
numbers of this work are already pub- 
lifhed. q 
“ Mufée des Monumens Francais,” 
&c. Mufeum of French Monuments, 
3d and gth Numbers... Thefe twonum- 
bers contain a defcription of an ancient 
ftatue of Minerva, three ftatues of Me- 
leager, a fiatue of Juno, feveral fepul- 
chral urns, tivo ftatues of Bacchus, and 
two tables of marble, exhibiting the names 
of the citizens of the tribe of Erechleide, 
who died during the expeditions of Cy- 
mon in Egypt, Phoenicia, and Cyt prus. 
The laft of thefe was difcovered in 1674, 
by Galland, tranflator of The Thoufand 
and One Nights, and the French are in- 
debted for the poffeffion of it to Nointel, 
ambaffador from France at Conftanti- 
nople. 
‘‘ Galerie Antique, ou -Colleétion,” 
&c. The Ancient Gallery; or, a Collec- 
tion of the principal Works of the An- 
cients, in Sculpture, Painting, &c. This 
work, which is in folio, is publifhed in 
numbers, like the two former, and con- 
tains 5 
oT he plan of the theatre of Bacchus. 
2. Ihe tower of the Winds. 
3. The lantern of Demofthenes. 
- GEOGRAPHY. 
* Recherches fur la Geographie des 
Anciens,” &c. Refearches relative to 
the Geography of the Ancients, intended 
to ferve asa Foundation to the Hiitory 
of Ancient Geography. By P. F. J. 
GOSSELIN. 2 vols. 4to. This work, 
which was at firft defigned for the. ufe 
of the academy of in{criptions, contains 
the following memoirs ; 
si i Inquiries relative to the gengra- 
Joe fyitem of Hipparchus. 
. On the geopraphical knowledge of 
the ciate THES, relative to the weftern coafts 
of Africa. 
3. On the geographical knowledge of 
the ancients relative to the eaftern coatts 
of the fame Continent. 
4, An examination of the principal au- 
thoritres whieh have induced a belief that 
the ancients had made the tour of Africa. 
S. Inquiries concerning the geogra~ 
phical fyftem of the marine of Tyre. 
6. Refearches relarive to the geogra- 
phicai knowledge of the ancients in refoect 
to the Arabian ‘gulf. 
This work which is enriched with ten 
é X geographical 
