-Thefe gentlemen profit not by the pre- 
cept of the poet, which is no where 
more applicable than on the prefent occa- 
flon: 
«¢ A little knowledge is a dangerous thing ; 
Drink deep, or tafte not the Pierian fpring. 
There thallow draughts intoxicate the brain, 
But drinking largely fobers it again.” ; 
Dr. Burdin has, however, executed his 
defign with much diligence, having col- 
le&ted a great variety of interefting and 
important facts, and. condenfed a vaft body 
of information within the limits of three 
ofavo volumes. The firft of thefe com- 
prehends the organic ftruture.of the 
body, the offeology, the mufcular and 
nervous fyftem, the fenfes, the funéticn 
of digeftion, circulation, and generation. . 
The fecond part includes the hifory of 
difeafes, and the third part is. eccnpied . 
with phyfiologieal difquifitions on the vi- 
tal fenétions, the a&ion of the brain and 
nerves. 
It is time to proceed to the next divifion 
of our Retrofpeét; namely, 
CLASSICAL: AND ORIENTAL LITERA- 
TURE. 
<¢ Anacreontis Odaria, ad Textus Bar- 
nefiani fidemt emendata: accedunt varie 
Lectiones, cura EDVARDI FORSTER, 
A, M.” 
A very beautiful fpecimen of typogra-. 
phical excellence: the letters are oblique, 
like the italic form of the Latin letters. 
The text is ge 
abfoletely faultilets. 
Dr. GirgpvestoNne has publifhed a 
tranflation of the ‘* Odes of Anacreon :”” 
it furpailes Lzttle*Moore’s in fidelity of 
verfon, but is woefully inferior in eal, 
elegance, aud grace, 
The laborious Mr. THomMas TayLor 
has prefented the public with five uuintel- 
ligible quarto volumes, containing a tran& 
lation from the original Greek of the 
Werks of Plato. That this gentleman 
fhouid have mifpent his time, and mifap- 
plied his knowledge and_his talents, upon 
a work, f{carcely a fentence of which is 
within the gralp of any common com- 
prehenfion, is much to be regretted, 
A. fimilar regret feems to be generally 
felt refpe€ting Mr. FaBer’s * Diferta- 
on the Maftertes of the Cabiri,” in 
which a great deal of knowledge.is wafied 
fuppert of an extravagant hypo- 
that. the whole circle of 
gcathen 
usited fources-of fuperitiuion, the worlhip 
ef the heavenly bodies and that of the 
ark of Noah. 
Retrofpee? of Domeftic Literatute.—Oriental Literature. 
Mr. BeipGeman has published a vo- 
lume of “ Tranflations from the Greek 5 
wiz. Ariftotle’s Synopfis of the Virtues and 
Vices; the Similitudes of Demophilus; the 
~ Golden Sentences of Democrates; and the 
Pythagoric Symbols, with the Explana- 
tions of Famblickus. To which are added, 
the Pythagoric Sentences of Demopbilus, 
by Mr. Tuomas TayLor.” 
This work is preparatory to a tranfla<. 
tion, which Mr. Bridgman contemplates, 
of the Commentary on the Nichomachean . 
Ethics of Arifotle, written by Andro- 
michus, furnamed Rhodius. Mr. Bridg.. 
man is the friend of Mr. Thomas Taylor, | 
and fpeaks of his diivoveries and attain- 
ments in terms of the higheft eulogy. __ 
Weare much indebted to an anonymous 
fcholar for a fele@ tranflation from the ori- 
ginal Greek of “ Daphnis aad Chloe, a@ 
Pafloral Novel, by Lonecus.” 
Longus has been blamed for indecency, 
but furely without foundation. His ma-- 
kednefs is that of a favage and not of a 
fatyr. He who is excited by viewing an 
ancient fiatue, will be excited by reading 
the natural defcriptions of Longus; and 
his imagination muft be equally depraved 
in the one cafe as in the other. The fyle- 
of Longus is exceedingly fimple and ex- 
preffive, and the prefent tranflater has’ 
transfufed inte his verfion all the expreffion” 
and fimplicity of his original. 
The only book we have to notice under, 
the head of Oriental Literature, is the fé- 
venth volume of the “ Afiatic Refearches.”” 
It contains twenty ccmmunicayons on - 
fudjegts conneéted with geography, natu. 
ral hifory, morals, religion, antiquities, 
lansuage, &c. Major COLEBROOKE has 
inferted a good article on the Courie of the 
Ganges through Bengal, illuftrated by 
charts and fections. Captain Mayony 
and Mr. JoINVILLE have fuecefsiully in- 
veltigated the religious ceremonies of the 
Ceylonefe. Mr. Macrab’s account of 
the Kackies or Lunétas, a race of moun- 
taineers, living to the norih-eaft of the 
Chittang*ry province, and the leaf civiliz- 
ed of any of thefe mountain tribes, is cu- 
ridus and interefting. Major Colebrooke 
has been a liberal] contributer: his paper 
on the Sanfcrit and Paacriz languages is 
very Jearned, and fhews that he has flu- 
Gied it wih great indultry and fuccefs. 
His account of the religious ceremonies of 
the Hindoos, and of the origin and pecu- 
liar tenets of certain Mahommedan fects, 
difpiay a fpirit of invefigation, perlever- 
ing and penetrating. We are extremely 
glad to fird the Afiatic Socicty profecating 
its labours with { much affiduity and zeal. 
4 TOPOGRAPHY 
