plify the first part of this remark; under acclivis, we find is Dr. H. declivis, and præceps compared with it; in D. pre ceps is wanting, which is perhaps too manifeftly different to require diftinguishing; but proclivis, acclinis, and devexus are added, which do certainly demand comparison. With eloquens, Dr. H. compares only difertus; whereas facundus, which the French Profeffor adds, fhould by all means have been confidered. In fome inftances, it may be faid of both authors, that they compare words which could not be confounded. Thus ornare and redimire feem unneceffarily brought together by Dr. H.; while the former word is by Dumefnil more properly compared with adornare, fubornare (rather unneceffary) and parare; and redimire, with cir cuire, circumdare, cingere, and others. It is perfectly evi dent, that a comparison of this kind might eafily be carried to a very great extent. We fhall therefore defift, but fhall ob ferve, that both authors might have derived advantage by making more extenfive use of the celebrated work of LAU RENTIUS VALLA, on the elegancies of the Latin Lan guage; which is in a great measure a book of fynonymes.

We have noted a few of these instances. Cras and poftridie, as alfo heri and pridiè, Valla, Eleg. 11. c. 33. Dudum, nuper, pridem, &c. Valla II. c. 34. Senes, Veteres, antiqui, Valla IV. 5. Indulgentia and venia, ib. 18. Cœnaculum and cœnatio, ib. 22. Conclave and triclinium, ib. 34. Pafco, pafcor, and vefcor, ib. 53. (Yet Dr. H. has vefci, edere, man dere, vorare, rodere.) Latebra and latibulum, ib. 79. Plura and complura, ib. 90. Lamina and bractea, (noticed by Valla) which are overlooked by Dumefail, are duly compared by the author before us. We could add greatly to this lift; but what we have produced is fufficient to prove, that the undertaking has not yet been fully completed, either by the French or the English author.

Thefe two cannot, however, be more properly com pared, than by giving a fpecimen from each, where they are chiefly on the fame ground. Thus Dr. Hill,

"ELOQUENS, DISERTUS, agree, in denoting the power of uttering animated conceptions, by means of fpeech, but differ, in refpect to the degree in which that power is poffeffed. The firft term, from Eloqui,' implies the perfection of that art, by which human thought is communicated. It fuppofes, that the idea is accurately formed, and that the expreffion is fo precife, as to ftate it exactly as it is. Mr. Pope's definition of a perfon to whom eloquens is applicable, is a happy one.

"Fit words attended on his weighty, fenfe.

"Is erit eloquens, qui ad id quodcunque docebit, poterit ac commodare

commodare orationem; qui parva fubmiffè, modica tempera magna graviter dicere poteft.-Cic, Orat. 208. a. Nihil aliud eft eloquentia quam copiofè loquens fapientia."-Cic. Part, Or, 236. b.

"Difertus comes from differere,' which, properly, denotes the act of feparating different feeds, and fowing each in its proper place, Ut olitor differit' in areas fuas cujufque generis res, fie in oratione qui facit, difertus'-Var. L. L. 5. 7. The native power of this verb appears in fuch a fentence as the fol lowing, from Columella. Baccas lauri et myrti, cætero. zumque viridium femina in areolas differere,-11. 2, 30, This derivative adjective, difertus, denotes a degree of ability, in the use of speech, fuperior to what is generally met with, but inferior to that fuggefted by eloquens. The following defi nition, from Cicero, is decifive as to both terms, • Celer tuus difertus eft magis quam fapiens. Difertos me cognoffe nonnullos fcripfi, eloquentem' adhuc neminem: quod eum ftatuebam di fertum, qui poffet fatis acutè atque dilucidè apud mediocres ho mines ex communi quadam hominum opinione dicere; eloquen tem' vero qui mirabilius et magnificentius augere poffet, atque ornare quæ vellet, omnefque omnium rerum, quæ ad dicendum pertinerent fontes, animo ac memoria contineret." Ep. ad Att. 10. 1. Difertus fatis putat, dicere quæ oporteat; ornatè autem dicere proprium eft eloquentiffimi.' Quint. in Proam. 8.

"In caufa facili cuivis licet effe diferto.' Ovid. Trift. 11, 21." P. 316.

Dumesnil only cites the fame definition from Cicero, and adds briefly, "difertus vient de differere, et eloquens de loqui.” But he adds, "FACUNDUS eft un homme qui s'énonce en beaux termes, et avec agrément, de fari. Non formofus erat, fed erat facundus Ulyffes. Ovid. In exemplum benè dicendi facundiffimum quemque proponet fibi, ad imitandum. Quintil."

Dr. Hill's differtations on the prepofitions are inveftigations of their original fignifications, with a regular deduction of all their legitimate ufes from thofe fources; and concluding with a regular account of all their genuine powers. The accounts of the principal prepofitions being rather too long for insertion, we fhall give as a specimen one that is derivative; premifing only that it is derived from A, AB, or ABS, which are thus defined: "The primary notion fuggefted by these three prepofitions is the fame; that of the continually increafing distance of a body in motion, in respect to a point from which that motion commenced, They regard not the cause of this ftate, and are equally applicable to a body that has the power of moving itself, as to one that is impelled by fomething external." This being taken for granted, which

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is

is indeed amply and ably illuftrated, we proceed to the article on ABSQUE. P. 20.

"ABSQUE, differs from the prepofition of which it is a com pound, in having no reference to the departure of any object correlative to that, whofe fign it governs. It implies the absence of what is looked for as inherent in the object, but which, from not having exifted, can never have been removed. That which

fine' governs is in the ftate of an accidental concomitant, not found at the time; but that which abfque governs never could be the attendant of the correlative object, elfe its nature would have been different from what it is.

་

"The 'que,' combined with the abs,' as an enclitiek adjection, without altering the part of speech, destroys the notion of departure which marks the fimple prepofition. An effect fome. what fimilar is produced by 'que,' when affixed to other terins. It strips quando,' which, by itself, is an interrogative adverb, of its interrogative power, and converts the meaning when' into that of fometimes. In like manner the abs,' which fig. nifies from,' is made by the que' to fignify fomething like without,' that is, with the exception of what is implied in the governed word. Nullam a me epiftolam ad te fino abfque argumento ac fententia pervenire. Cic. Ep. ad Att. 1. 19. Cicero here announces his refpect for his correfpondent by his at. tention to the letters he fent him. He was anxious that they fhould be none of thofe filly compofitions, which, though they get the name of letters, yet, by being void of matter, are in fact not worth reading. Poftera parte purpureus abfque cauda, in qua rofeis pennis cæruleus infcribitur nitor,' Solin c. 46. de phœnice. Though the authority of Solinus is not always to be trusted, yet this ufe of abfque feems not to be impure. It denotes an unexpected breach of uniformity, in refpect to colour, upon a part of the bird. Had fine' been used in place of abfque, the meaning would have been different. It would have been affirmed that the bird had no tail, not that this, as an adjunct, only differed in point of colour from the principal object, bfque again allows the co-existence of both, but expreffes exception in one circum, cumftance, as by the words all but,' were it not for.'

"Quam fortunatus cæteris fum rebus abfque una haç foret."-Ter. Hec. 4. 2. 25.

Had the one thing here excepted been removed, or, rather, had it never existed, the happiness of Pamphilus would have been complete. It, however, as an ingredient effential to the compo fition, and not to be extracted from it, rade the temper of his mind, and the fenfe of his fituation, very different from what they would otherwife have been.

"The Greeks ufe the particle xwgs' in a way analogous to this exceptive application of abfque. Xwers' av un raλatinos n • Χωρίς αν Γαλατικός πόλεμος, νόμον έθεντο της ιερείς αφείσθαι της στρατίας, Plutarch. in

Camilla

Camillo, This exemption of the priests from military fervice would have been complete, had it not been for the provifion made for the occurrence of a war with the Gauls avμacia d', " χωρη *x exel, 'Xwers' n di wotapes, &c.—Herod. Lib. 4. With the exception of the rivers, the country is faid to have exhibited no cu. riofities. P. 21.

It is by no means eafy to give a complete or fufficiently fatisfactory account of fuch a book as this; fuffice it to fay, with refpect to Dr. Hill's Synonymes, that it is a work highly creditable to him, as a metaphyfician and as a fcholar and though it might affuredly have been improved by a fuller knowledge of previous works, it is such a book as every ftudent fhould read and examine, an exercife which cannot fail to be of the highest utility.

ART. X. Flim-Flams! or the Life and Errors of my Uncle, and the Amours of my Aunt! with Illuftrations and Obfeurities, by Meffieurs Tag, Rag, and Bobtail, And an illuminating Index, In three Volumes, with nine Plates. 12mo. 18s. Murray. 1805.

ENQUIRERS have fuppofed, and we believe with reason,

that the fecret of the real author of this performance is difclofed in the following note on the firft volume. Speak ing of book-making,

"The author begs leave to add, that he by no means would exprefs any contempt for any book-makers whatever, not even for any fage who makes up CURIOSITIES OF LITERATURE !''. P. 163,

This is the ftyle of a jocular author alluding to himfelf, and therefore we conclude, as others have done before us, that the author is Mr. D'Ifraeli, who produced the " Curiofities of Literature." There was no great need of fecrecy. There is little matter of offence in the volumes, but a fair and general fatire; with fuch occafional allufions to particular perfons as cannot be gravely refented even by them. Reviewers, among others, are frequently attacked, but, as far as we are concerned, the author is perfectly welcome. As doubtless he knows us not, he probably fuppofes us to be all, to a man, grave and ancient perfonages, involved in yoluminous wigs, and predefcribed by Shakspeare, when he fpeaks of perfons.

of fuch vinegar aspect, They would not move their mouths by way of fmite, Though Neftor fwore the jeft were laughable."

Bd4

Should

Should we ever have the pleasure of paffing an hour with him, we fhould perhaps convince him that this is not the exact description of us; and that we could not only enjoy that wit and humour of his, which doubtlefs would "fet the rest of "the table in a roar," but could also unbend fo far as to attempt, jocularity ourfelves. He is therefore partly mistaken when he makes us fay, in a fuppofed critique on his book,

"The author abounds with various attempts at wit and humour; there we always diflikewit and humour as well as the attempts! The falt of pleasantry is of all falts we take the most naufeous; it is phyfic to us." P, xiii.

We fay that he is partly mistaken in attributing these fentiments to us; attempts at wit and humour when unfuc cefsful, we certainly do diflike, this we confefs;-and we confefs alfo that it is the great quarrel we have with his present book, The attempt is perpetual, the fuccefs very rare; but when he does fucceed we can affure him that we enjoy his fuccefs, not perhaps fo much as he does him, felf, (for that is an exclufive privilege) but as much as any other perfon upon earth, The truth is that he appears very much to have miftaken his talent; and, having chofen a moft fertile fubject for ridicule, the abuses of modern fcience hardly ever fucceeds in making them ridiculous. We fay not this in malice, undoubtedly, for we have taken no offence. We heartily wish we could fay otherwise: for we think his plan good, and only regret that the execution is not equal to the defign.

Το prove that we are favourable to the defign, we shall infert the parts in which we think the attempt to be humourous moft fuccessful; premifing first a fhort view of the plan. The book is an account of a fuppofed uncle, by a fuppofed nephew. It is not a life of him, but an account of his character and purfuits. He is stated to have belonged to that clafs of perfons whom the author, not unhappily, calls PHILOS. The reafon of this appellation is given in the following note.

"Some have difcriminated among modern philofophers a cer tain race by the term Philofophifts, for their profundity and dif coveries in theology and politics. But I am writing of other kinds of philofophers, curious dilettanti, who are in love with every thing, but leaft with thefe. I adopt the concife and ex preflive term Philo, which means a lover of any thing!" P. 3.

This worthy uncle, who is defcribed and delineated as having a face like a fnipe, and a very finall receptacle for

braing