Retrofpec? of Dameftie Literature.—Biography. 
-perties of Conchoids, the Ciffoid, the 
ithe Cycloids, the Logarithmic 
Curve, and the Logarithmic Archime- 
dean and Hyperbolic Spirals. 
* Mr. Ropert Woopuouse has in- 
veltigated ** The Principles of Analytical 
Calculation” with acutenefs. ‘ 
The following produétion of a Lady 
is a work of fingular curiofity:— 
«© Analytical Inftitutions, in four books ; 
originally written in Italian, by Donna 
Maria GartaNna AGNEs1I, Profesor 
of the Mathematics and Philofophy zu the 
Univerfity of Bologna. Trauflatea into 
Englifh by the late Rev. JoHN CoLson, 
M.A. F.R.S. and Lucafian Profefor of 
the Mathematics in the Univerfity of Cam- 
bridge. Now firf? printed, from the. Tranf- 
lator’s Manufcript, under the Infpeion of 
the Rev. JouN Hevuins, B.D. F.R S. 
and Vicar of Potter's Pury, in Northamp- 
tonfbire.” ) 
BIOGRAPH Y= 
By far the moft curious and intereft- 
ing work which has appeared within 
the laft fix months, and, we may very 
tairly fay, one of the moft curious, va- 
juable, and interefting which has ap- 
peared for many years paft, is Mr. 
Gopwin’s * Life and Age of Chaucer,” 
the father at once of Englifh poetry 
_ andof the Englifh language. The im- 
, portance and magnitude of fuch a fub- 
ject are not to be appreciated by a hafty 
view of it; nor do the Jabour, the 
judgment, the tafte, and talent, requi- 
. fite for the tafk admit of an eafy efti- 
mate. The fulland complete Life, it 
is juftly obferved by Mr. Godwin, of a 
poet would include an ‘extenfive furvey 
of the manners, the opinions, the arts, 
and the literature, of the age in which 
the poet lived. ‘* This is the only way 
in which we can become truly ac- 
quainted with the hiftory of his mind, 
and the caufes which made him what: 
he was. We muf obferve what Chau- 
cer felt and faw, how he was educated, 
what fpecies of learning he purfued, 
and what were the objects, the events, 
and the perfons, fucceflively prefented 
to his view, before we can itrictly and 
philofophically underftand his biogra- 
phy. To delineate the ftate of Eng- 
land, fuch as Chaucer faw it, in every 
point of view in which it can be deli- 
neated, is the f{ubjeét of , this book.— 
But while engaged in this. ftudy, the 
reader may expect to gain an addition- 
al advantage befide that of underftand- 
ing the poet. If the knowledge of 
contemporary objects is the biography 
MonTaty Mag, No, x10, 
637 
of Chaucer, the converfe of the propo- 
fition will alfo be true, and the biogra- 
phy of Chaucer will be the piéture of a 
certain portion of the literary, poli- 
tical, and domeftic, hiftory of our own 
country. The perfon of Chaucer may, 
in this view, be confidered as the cen- 
tral figure in a mifcellaneous painting, 
giving unity and individual application 
to the various particulars. with which 
thecanvas is diverfified. No man of 
moral fentiment or of tafte will affirm, 
thata more ‘becoming central figure té 
the delineation of England in the four - 
teenth century can be found, than the 
Englifhman who gives name to thefe 
volumes.” ; 
Mr, Godwin indeed appears in every 
page to. be fully impreffled with the ar- 
duoufneis and the importance of the 
undertaking in which he has engaged. 
He advanced to the labour, however, 
with powers not incommenturate with 
its magnitude, and has, at the fame 
time, that confidence whichis neceflary 
to fupport him through a laborious 
work, and that difidence with which 
every man ought to be imprefled when 
he appears before the tribunal of an 
enlightened public. | 
Mr. TyrwuirT had once the inten. 
tion of writing a formal Life of Chau- 
cer, but acknowledged, in the preface- 
to his excellent edition of the Canter- 
bury Tales, that, after a reafonable 
watte of time and pains in fearching 
for materials, he could donothing bets 
ter than add to his preface a fhort ab- 
{tract of the hiftorical paflages of that 
Life, which, together with the Com- 
ments of its compiler, filled about 
eight quarto pages. ‘* The fact is, 
however, (fays Mr. Godwin,) that this 
editor made no exertions as to the hif- 
tory of the poet, but contented himfelf 
with examining’ what other biogra- 
phers had related, and adding a few 
Memoirs taken from Rymer’s Manu- 
{cript. Collection, now in the Britith 
Mufeum. He has not, ina fingle in- 
fiance, reforted to the national repofito- 
ries in which our records are preferved. 
In this fort of labour I have been inde- 
fatigable, and I have many obligations 
to acknowledge to the politeneis and 
liberality of the perfons to whofe cul- 
tody thefe monuments are confided.— 
I encountered, indeed, - no, obiftacle 
wherever 1 had occafion to direct my 
inquiries among the different offices of 
Government. After all my diligence, 
however, lam by no means confident 
4 M that 
