O58 
the Babylonians, the Medes, and the 
Perfians. : 
Fhe fecond comprehends the Hif- 
tory of Darius, the Perfians, and the 
Greeks ; it ends with the death of So- 
crates. 
The third commences with the ufur- 
pation of Dionyfius of Syracufe, and re- 
fumes the hiftery of Greece, at the 
epoch when Sparta, become powerful 
in} confequence of a fortunate peace, 
begins to abufe her power. 
The reigns of Philip and Alexander 
are then defcribed in fucceffion, and 
at the conclutien are we prefented with 
an account of the battle of Ipfus tn, 
Parygia, inwhich Antigonus perifhed. 
In the fourth volume, we find an in- 
terefting account of the partition made 
by the fucceflors of Alexander. The 
events which appertain to the hiftory 
of the reigns of thefe princes, are enu- 
merated with precifion andability, and 
the whole cencludes with a feries of 
intereftine particulars, relative to the 
arts and iciences of the Greeks, their 
hiftorians, their fchools of philofophy, 
their artifts, and in fhort every thing 
calculated to pleafe, inform, ‘or in- 
struct. 
‘* Lettre de L. Reynier, far fon 
Hiftoire de !’Agriculture.”—A Letter 
from L. Reynier, relative to his Hiftory 
of Agriculture. . 
M. Reynier, of Garety, near Pouilly, 
in the department of Nievre, informs 
the public in this pamphlet, that he 
has been occupied for feveral years, 
about a Hiftory of Agriculture, and 
that the part refpecting the know- 
ledge of the ancients in that branch of 
fcience, would long fince have made its 
appearance, had not his “* Voyage d’ 
Egypte,” fufpended his labours, and 
afforded him an opportunity of defcri- 
bing diitant regions, as well as explain- 
ing obfcure facts. He intends upon 
this occafion to treat of every nation 
feparately ; and, as the profperity of a 
people intirely depends upon their 
laws and inftitautions, he finds it necef- 
fary to remeunt to hisoriginal fource, 
on purpofe to afcertain the caufes which 
produce fertility or barrennefs. Simi- 
lar motives have always induced’ him 
to diftinguifh the different phafes of 
rural economy, as they have been ef- 
fected by political events, the allure- 
ments of ecommerce, or an improved 
. fy item. 
Weare informed by M. Reynier, that, 
as he labours affiduoully at his work, 
Retrofpee of French Literature—Mifcellanies. 
he hopes to be able to concinde it in 
the courfe of another year. That por- 
tion which concerns the nations of 
Afia, Africa, and Greece, is already 
terminated: the prattice of the Ro- 
mans, and of the reft of Europe, occu- 
pies his attention at this moment. 
“«Necrologie, &c.”—Necrology: an 
Account of the late M. Dominique Ri- 
card, 8vo. 
We are here told, that religion, li- 
terature, and friendfhip, have éxperi- 
enced a fevere lofs by the death of M. 
Ricard. He tranflated the works of 
Plutarch from the original Greek ; and 
the learned have long fince rendered 
jultice to his merit in this refpeét, 
as his verfion is accounted the bett 
and moft claflical of any that has hie 
therto appeared in the French language. 
Fhat ot “Amyot, notwithfanding its 
original merit, affords but little plea- 
fure, on account of the antiquated 
ftyle in which it is written ; while, on 
the other hand, that of Dacier pre- 
fents a dry and: tedious detail, inftead 
of that energy and good-nature which 
fo particularly diftinguifh the writings 
of the philofopher of Cheronea. 
No lefs than twenty years of the life 
of Ricard had been confecrated to the 
education of youth, in the different 
public inftitutions with which the 
French capital abounds. It was for 
the fake of youth, whom, like Rollin, 
he feemed to furvey witha paternal 
tendernefs, that he undertook his great 
work, ‘* Oeuvres de Plutarque,”” as he 
was of the opinion of J. J. Roufieau, 
that the works and more efpecially 
the ** Lives’ of that author, were not 
only a public but a private treafure, 
as well as an infallible antidote againft 
the poifon of romance. Nor was the 
modefty of this man inferior to his 
learning ; for he was as defirous to fly 
from literary honors, as others were to 
run in fearch of them, it being well 
known that he refufed places both in 
the Ancient Academy of Infcriptions, 
and in the Inftitute,which the members 
of each deemed the due of him, who 
had fpent his ife in fuch ufeful la-_ 
botrs. Among his private virtues, — 
his charity was unbounded ; and as he | 
conitantly dined at the tables of his 
friends, he was thus enabled to favethe - 
greater part-of his income for the fup- 
port of the aged and infirm. po 3 sat 
Dominique Ricard was ‘born in the 
city of Tholoufe, March 23, 1741, and 
-he died at Paris, on the 8th Pluviofe, 
year 
