ferted at full length, together with two Latin tranflations, and takes up 48 pages;) Arngrim Jona; T. Torfæus; Arnas Magnæus; Bioern of Skardfaa; and Brynjolf Svenson. Before the introduction of Chriftianity, the art of writing ap pears to have been unknown in Iceland. During the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries, that country had a number of men of learning, and, among the reft, an aftronomer; but this dawn was foon overcaft by the Sturlinga Tid, or the time of civil wars, from 1160 to 1260. Learning feems to have been imported partly by the first miffionaries from England and Germany; and partly by the pilgrims and bifhops, from Rome. During the 14th and 15th centuries, and part of the 16th, Iceland was, by the overgrown power of the clergy, and their fiercenefs and inclination for feuds and wars, replunged into fuch a ftate of ignorance and barbarism, that many priests, and even fome bithops, could not even fpell Latin; though their commercial interefts taught them to fpeak German and Englib. This period feems to have produced very few annals, but a great number of Inlandic poems and novels. The laft bishop, Joen Arafon, of Holum, employed, in 1528, one Joen Mathian, from Sweden, as interpreter of papal bulls; who established the first printing office, and with Giffur Einarfon, (whom the last bishop of Skalholt bad for the fame purpose of tranflating bulls, fent to study in Germany,) laid the firft foundation of Lutheranifm in Iceland; a reformation which had almoft occafioned the total extirpation of learning from that fequeftered country; for the old catholic clergy then refufed to give any farther inftruction in the learned languages; the few Lutheran minifters were unable to procure ftudents, fince ecclefiaftical preferments had, by the abolition of maffes and other perquififes, become too poor and infignificant to induce parents to devote their fons to the church: and foreigners were, as yet, useless on account of their ignorance of the Inlandic language. In 1551, the king ordered fome convents to be converted into feminaries, which he was afterwards induced to abolith. Two grammar fchools were at length establifhed in 1989, for twenty-four youths, to be fupported at the expence of the two bishops. Thefe fchools, the two printing offices at Skalholt and Holum, and the regulations made in the university of Copenhagen, once more revived the genius of the Icelanders; though it seems to have never yet attained to any confiderable eminence. From the catalogue of the books printed at Skalholt and Holum, most of the labours of the Icelandic writers appear to have hitherto confifted in tranflations of German theological and philological works. Most of their own writings treat of the fame fubjects; except fome law tracts, and a few on hiftorical and antiquarian fubjects. The moft numerous articles after thofe of divinity, are poems: on natural history they have hithe to produced but one, indifferent rhapfody; and on physic and philofophy not one fingle effay before 1740. In our author's opinion, both Iceland and Groenland were, before the arrival of the Normans, inhabited by Irish Chriftians. The old Icelandic annals mention the names of one Aurlig, a difciple of St. Patrick, and Audur the Rich, a Dublin princess, with feveral others; and obferve that at the invafion of Iceland by the Normans, their papas or priests, left the country, and that the defcendants of the laymen turned heathens. The Norman Icelanders worshipped Thor and Freyr, and venerated fire as holy, but mixed many Chriftian tenets and cuftoms in their religious notions. Thorolf Moftrarskegg built a temple in the year 880, and contrived to pro eure cure it fuch a respect, as to raise by its means an annual capitationtax on the whole fyffel or diftrict; its priest was by all the inhabitants of the diftrict confidered as their fole judge, and attended in arms to the national diets. Befides the godars, or priests, they had gulldrames, or magicians, operating by fongs and incantations, fivelkunniger's (much knowing ones) another tribe of forcerers; and vala, or propheteffes. Thorolf Kodranfon brought, in 981, Frederick, a Saxon Christian bishop, into Iceland; and in 996, king Olav Trygvafon fent Stefner Thorgilffon, and even his own chaplain Thangbrand, a Saxon, thither: but their pious and strenuous endeavours for converting the Icelanders proved unfuccefsful, though the royal chaplain, a great boxing mafter, fupplied the weakness of his arguments by the strength of his fift. Some wealthy Chriftian Icelanders, at length found means to bribe a Lagman of great authority, in the year 1000, to establish Chriftianity by law. Yet most of the Icelanders fecretly continued their idolatry; ate horfeflesh, and starved to death fuch of their new-born children as they did not like: these were then the three molt effential characteristics of Paganifm. Several Icelanders avoided baptifm from fhame, as they were obliged to bare themselves in the prefence of the congregation, and to wear, for fome time, a white garment, the ufual dress of children among them. The first bishopric in Iceland was founded at Skalholt in 1057; and the fecond in 1105, at Holum. The bishops were elected by the people, and were the most powerful members of the commonwealth, which but for them, would on account of the continual jealoufies between the great, have loft its independency long before 1268, when it at length fubmitted to the king of Norway. The orders of the bishops were refpected as divine commands, and confidered as perpetual laws. They had, however, no jurifdiction, and were, like all the other inhabitants, fubject to the national diets. In ecclefiaftical matters they depended firft on the archbishop of Bremen, till 1104; then on that of Lunden, till 1152; and to the time of the Reformation, on that of Drontheim. Bishop Thorlak was in 1193 beatified, but never canonized: for the place which his name obtained in 1705 in the Danish almanac, he owes to the friendfhip of the celebrated mathematician O. Roemer for an Icelandic gentleman, Arnas Magnæus, (whom Mr. Roemer meant to please by this encroachment on the papal prerogative) and is perhaps the only inftance of a faint made by a mathematician. FOREIGN LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. Le Courier d' Henri IV. 8vo. Paris. A. Book published in 1769, under the title of Anecdotes Françoifes, relates, that a meffenger difpatched by the league to Philip II. of Spain, was intercepted and carried before Henry IV. Among his dispatches a paper was found, in which the king of Spain was affured that he might fafely truft to whatever the meffenger himself should tell him. Henry inftantly refolved on fending one of his own confidants with this letter of credit to Philip, in or der to draw from himself the measures he intended to purfue conberning the affairs of France. This delicate and dangerous com Q2 miffion miffion was given to La Varenne, who acquitted himself of it with the greateft fuccefs. He had no fooner received Philip's written anfwer, than he was told that the duplicate of the difpatches intercepted · in France, had arrived, with the information of what had happened to the first messenger. He inftantly fets out, avoids all the dangers of being stopped, reaches France, and enables the king to prevent the measures of his enemies, and to defeat their schemes. This anecdote is the fubject of the prefent laughable' dramatical proverb, to which an effay on the dramatico-proverbial art has been fubjoined. Projet d'amener à Paris la Rivière d'Yvette, par feu Antoine Deparcieux. Nouv. Ed. Mife en Ordre et publiée par Ant. De`parcieux, petit neveu de l'Auteur fuivie d'un Mémoire de M. Perronet, fur les moyens de conduire à Paris une partie des Rivieres de 'Yvette & de la Bievre, 4to. with cuts, Paris. This fcheme employed its patriotic author during a great part of his life: it appears highly interefting, useful, and practicable: bids fair to be fome time executed, and to immortalife the name of Mr. Deparcieux. Türkische Briefe des Prinzen von Montenegro: Turkish Letters by the Prince of Montenegro. 8vo. Berlin. (German.) This prince feems rather inconfiftent with himself; and pretends by turns to be a Chriftian, and a Mahometan. His letters were originally published in numbers, in the Italian language, and are dated from Drefden, Potsdam, Paris, and Petersburgh. They chiefly contain an idle, political chit-chat, not worth translating. J. Conrad Fuefslins Lebens Gefchichte Andreas Bodenftein's, font Carlstadt genannt: or the Life of A. B. alias Carlstadt. 8vo. Frankfurt aud Leipzig. (German⚫) The famous Carlstadt was at first Dr. Luther's affiftant in reforming the church, and for a long time his confidant. They afterwards quarrelled on fome tenets: and Carlitadt was moreover involved in a difpute with the university of Wittemberg: and by the elector of Saxony banished from his dominions, and reduced to turn peafant. With a more philosophical temper, this might, perhaps, have been the happiest period of his life. Being accufed of having encouraged the infurrection and exceffes of the peasants, he appealed to the teftimony of his antagonist, Luther himself, who very generously took his part, and warmly afferted his innocence. After fome ramblings he was at length, at the recommendation of the city of Strafburgh, appointed a minifter and profeffor at Bafel, where he lived and died in good repute. His life and character appear to be here impartially and faithfully delineated. Les Arfacides, Tragédie par M. Peyraud de Beauffol. 8vo. Paris. According to the author, the intended reprefentation of this tragedy was defeated by a faction. Whoever has refolution to peruse its fix acts, will hardly regret its miscarriage. De Vita Scriptis Longini. 4to. Leyden.. A mafterly differtation on the life and writings of the celebrated Longinus, whom our author is inclined to think a native of Athens, born about the year 313 of the Chriftian æra. He profeffed philofophy in his native city; but chiefly diftinguished himfelf by his critical works on Homer, and by his critical review of the claffics, entitled, pr Aoλoyos: whofe fragments are here collected, and by his Treatife of the Sublime. Plan d'Etudes à l'Ufage des Colleges, par M. l'Abbé Roffignol. 8.vo. Paris. Containing a concife and fenfible sketch of the author's philofophical lectures. Aux Manes de Louis XV. et des grandes Hommes qui ont vecu fous fon Regne; ou Effai fur les Progrès des Arts & de l'Esprit humain Jous le Regne de Louis XV. 2 vols. 8vo. Aux Deux Ponts. A learned furvey of the remarkable events and tranfactions, and of the various improvements made under Lewis XV. written with impartial freedom, philofophy, and talle. Voyage Literaire de la Grece, ou Lettres fur les Grecs ancien & modernes avec un Parallele de leurs Moeurs. Par M. Guys, &c. 2 vols. 8vo. Paris. A new edition, corrected, confiderably improved, and enlarged by the addition of a journey from Sophia to Conftantinople, of a tour through Italy, and several other pieces. Inftruction fur l'Etabliffement des Nitrieres & fur la Fabrication du Salpêtre, publiée par Ordre du Roi, par les Regiffeurs generaux des Poudres des Salpêtres. 4to. Paris. The completest and most instructive work hitherto extant on the fubject, approved by the Academy of Sciences, and illustrated with the neceffary engravings. MONTHLY CATALOGUE. POLITICA L. A Letter to the English Nation, on the prefent War with America, TH &c. 8vo. Is. 6d. Gorral. HE writer of this Letter reprobates the whole conduct of administration with refpect to America, from the beginning of the difpute to the prefent time. A charge fo indifcriminate must be confidered by every candid reader as the effect of prejudice, and we shall therefore leave it to meet with that neglect which it deferves. An unconnected Whig's Addrefs to the Public; upon the prefent Civil War, the State of public Affairs, and the real Cause of all the national Calamities. 8vo. Is. 6d. Kearsley. After taking a retrospective view of the affairs of this nation. from the acceffion of his prefent majefty, the author launches with patriotic ardor into the difpute with America; propofing no less than a total change of public meafures, and of adminiftration. Thefe circumstances fufficiently evince the political bias of this pretendedly unconnected, but evidently interested writer. Confiderations addreffed to all Perfons of Property in Great Britain, concerning the prefent Difpofition of the Americans towards this Country. 8vo. 6d. Owen. The effufion of fome vague, declamatory, puerile quidnunc, on the expediency of abandoning the profecution of the war with America. Reflections on our prefent Critical Situation. 8vo. 64. Williams. Similar to the preceding in execution, as well as in defign. A Political Paradox. 8vo. 6d. Almon. Inftead of a Paradox, the perufal of this pamphlet has furnished us with a palpable truth, which is, that a more frivolous effufion has hitherto not occurred amidst all the Galimatias of the times. The Letters of Valens- 8vo. 2s. 6d. Almon. Thofe Letters, which originally appeared in the London Evening Poft, are now publifhed with corrections, explanatory notes, and a preface by the author. They difcover greater accuracy of compofition, than juftnefs of argument, and betray an unreasonable prejudice against the measures of administration. As of the Legiflature of the Ifland of Tobago. Folia, 7s. 6d, fewed. Durham. It would be officious, as well as unneceffary, to examine the propriety of laws, with the local circumstances in support of which we are not particularly informed. POETRY. Infancy; or, the Management of Children. A didactic Poem. In three Books, By Hugh Downman, M. D. 8vo 25. boards. Bell. The fubject of this poem is of a nature that requires judgment, as well as poetical talents, to treat of it with dignity and address. Both thefe qualifications are difplayed by Dr. Downman, who has not only delivered the most falutary precepts for the management of infants, but enforced them by the ftrongest arguments. The diction is elegant, the verfification harmonious, and a great variety in the turn of fentiment contributes to animate the whole. The following paffage, on a fubject of a general nature, is inferted as a specimen. O Habit! powerful ruler of Mankind, O'erfpread this globe, around the frozen pole The equinoctial dread the ray intenfe Of fcorching Phoebus; thou prefid'st well-pleas'd Which on the banks of Ganges or of Ind Satiates the temperate Bramin. Thou can't tame Τα |