314 Turkifh Preface toa Tranflation of Bonnyca/tle’s Afronomy. {May 1, 
curious obfervers of ancient art, in the 
leaft emancipazed from the prejudices of 
early education, would regard with indif- 
ference or contempt any iubfifting relics 
of an age and country which we know to 
have beendar advanced in civilized luxury. 
There is fomething in magnitude of di- 
menfions alone which expands the mind, 
and agerandifes our ideas of human 
power ; and, in that view, the exiftence of 
the Egyptian pyramids, little as they 1m- 
ply of rcfined art,’ is of more value to the 
{peculatift than that of any fingle remain 
of painting or fculpture. But when mag- 
nitude is united with ufeful and ornamenial 
contrivances, all confpiring to a great 
whole, devoted to purpofes of fplendour 
and magnificence, it is petty faftidioufnels 
to regard the work with contempt, be- 
caufe it deviates from thofe models which 
have obtained the exclufive admiration of 
Jocal and artificial tate. There appears 
to me an intrinfic beauty in the domes, 
fpires,and pinnacles,ofanoriental ftruGure, 
depending upcn principles anterior to all 
architectural rules, which it requires only 
eyes and imagination to perceive. Thefe 
principles are the love of novelty, which is 
gratified by the creation of objets of 
which nature and common art afford no 
examples—the fenie of fublimity, called 
into exertion by the vaft height and extent 
of the edifices—the perception of elegance, 
grace, lightnefs, and variety with uni- 
formity, which is excited by the fine in- 
vention which many of them difplay— 
and, finally, the reflex fentiment of human 
power, art, and civilization, carried back 
to remote periods, which they cannot fail 
to fuggelt to the fpeculative mind. 
The art that can effet all this is furely 
nothing lefs than barbaric, if the epithet 
have any other meaning than what Gre- 
cian and Roman pride affixed to it; and 
he who would turn away his eyes from 
fuch a relic, to fix them upon a Torfo 
fifhei up from the Tyber, muft, in my 
opinion, have a tafte ftrangely perverted 
by the pedantry of connoiffeurfhhip. To 
concinde, that appears to me the moft 
valuable produ cf art which adds mof to 
our ftock of grand and beautiful ideas ; 
not that which implies the bigheft degree 
of individual {kill in the artift. Crito, 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
Lt isy perhaps, not generally known, that 
Mr. Bonnycastyex’s Elements of Geome- 
try have lately been tranflated into ‘Turkith, 
and have been printed at the prefs which has 
recently been eftablified in Conftantinople, 
A Turkith Preface to the work has been affix- 
ed by the Tranflator ; and as it exibits a very 
curious and original fpecimen of the light in 
which the Turks view the fciences, a faith- 
ful Tranflation of it has been deemed worthy 
of a place inthe Monthly Magazine. 
PREFACEs 
YN the name of God, clement and mers 
ciful. Praife and thankfgiving without 
end be rendered, worfhip and adoration 
without bounds be given, to the Supreme 
Being, the creator of the elementary 
world and celeftial fpheres, whofe pure ef- 
fence has no ftimilitude nar affociate ; and 
confequently let us pray for and implore 
due bleflings without number on our 
Matter, the founder of our holy religion, 
revealed and demonftrated by the infalli- 
bility of the feal of the Prophete and chief 
of Apofties. Let us alfo pray for thofe 
worthies, his kinfmen, and the primitive 
believers : which being accomplifhed, be 
it known, that for flrength of argument, 
fubtility of inveftigation, and ftriétnefs of 
demonftration, geometry holds a decided 
pre-eminence over the other eftablifhed 
{ciences. Attronomy, the art of men{fura- 
tion, the knowledge of the latitudes and 
longitudes of places, called geography, 
are derived from and depend on this noble 
f{cience. By means of geometry, the art 
of war alfo has been brought to its prefent 
ftate of grandeur and perfeétion ; the con- 
ftruétion of forts, trenches, and other for- 
tified works; the plans and defigns of en- 
campments; the digging and loading of 
mines; the ‘throwing of bombs; the 
building of bridges and fhips : in fhort, 
moft of the neceflaries and conveniencies. 
of this life being connected with and hav- 
ing a dependence on this admirable fci- 
ence. It becomes, therefore, an indifpen- 
fable duty to cultivate it with the greateft 
care and affiduity ; for, independently of 
its other great advantages, geometry, like 
logic, that ftandard of human reafon, in- 
veltigates truth, and forms the mind to 
reStitude, by eftablifhing a habit of clofe 
thinking and accurate reafoning ; yet for 
juttnefs and precifion it is far fuperior to 
all the fyllogifms hitherto invented. The 
regularity of its firft principles, the conca~ 
tena'ion of its parts, the fimplicity, clear= 
nefs, and convincing certainty, of its de- 
monitrations, the univerfality of its appii- 
cation, and practical utility, being in all 
cafes comprehenfive and obvious. Now 
the books compofed by the ancients on the 
above-mentioned {cience, owing to the dif 
order and confufion of the text, are very 
defe@tive and obfcure. The moderns, too, 
have rejected what ought to have been re- 
tained ; ° 
