This chapter may ferve to remove that erroneous notion which fome people have conceived, that the antients were ignorant that water confined in tubes, will rife again to the fame level from which it defcended, and which they inter from confidering the great expence, labour, and time, their walled aqueducts must have coft, when the end might have been answered fo much easier and cheaper by any kind of pipes. It is here fufficiently evinced that the antients were well acquainted with this property of water, and that they fometimes made ufe of it. Pliny, b. 31. ch. 6. alío exprefsly mentions it. Health was probably the motive for preferring the walled aqueducts, and for avoiding leaden pipes. Vitruvius mentions hereafter that the water pafing through fuch pipes was not deemed wholefome, on account of its imbibing fome particles of the lead and though this objection will not be valid againft earthen tubes, yet they might not be confidered as fufficiently fubftantial, and even. capacious to be depended on for fupplying a great city with the rivers of water daily used and wafted; efpecially in cafes where the water was to be brought from places many miles diftant.' (p. 194-5 ) Vitruvius's philofophy might have proved an obftacle to an open channel, like the New River at London; for, among his directions for making ftone aqueducts, he recommends that they should be arched over, that the fun's rays may not touch the water.' (p. 192.) It is poffible he may intend this caution merely to fecure the water from evaporation but he might have more quaint reafons; for it is often curious to obferve the modes of reafoning in ancient writers, on natural objects, according to the ideas and knowlege then current; and to note their principles, and their analogies, fome of the latter of which appear now fufficiently whimfical. We may inftance Vitruvius's affumption that, near to the equator, the tone of the human voice is exceedingly fhrill and acute, growing deeper and more base, as we advance northward; with his illuftration of the pofition by a fcheme of the angle formed by the horizon and what he terms the meridian axis, drawn from the equator to the polar ftar; and his inference as to the harmonical constitution of the world. (p. 127.) Mr. Newton appears to have done full juftice to this antient writer on architecture, and to be generally clear in his corrections, and in his remarks on doubtful paffages. He is fo perfectly correct in fuppofing the three firft chapters of book IX. to be erroneous divifions, and that thofe chapters were originally part of the author's proem to that book, that we are furprised he did not reflore them to their proper place in this elegant edition; and the first paragraph of chapter 10, book X. appears to have been the concluding paragraph of the preceding chapter: being a mode of railing water; and not applied to the grinding of corn, until the fecond paragraph. It is alfo proper to note, II that that the first reference to the fchemes for drawing mean proportional lines (p. 202, note, fecond column) fhould have been to fig. LXVII. inftead of LXVIII. The work is illuftrated with twenty engravings, well executed, and fufficiently expreffive of the objects which they reprefent: but we cannot help adding, that the plate exhibiting the moveable wooden towers, puts imagination to the full ftretch, and gives us only an idea of Lilliputians before the walls of Brobdingnag! N. ART. X. A concife Hiftory of the County and City of Chefter, from the most authentic and refpectable Authors, &c. Embellished with an elegant Ground Plan of the City and Suburbs, taken from a recent Survey. 12mo. PP. 142. 2s. fewed. Sael. 1791. THE HE writer of this work, whoever he be, is one among the ftaunchest fons of the county-palatine of Chefter. Zealous to enthusiasm for his native foil, he publishes its honours. Our readers, however, will naturally think that he may juftly ftyle his hiftory concife, (a recommending quality, in many cafes,) when they obferve the fize of this pamphlet. It confifts of two parts, the first of the hiftorical kind, the fecond defcriptive of Chefter, and of a few other principal towns in the county: to which is added the Life of St. Werburgha, principally formed by an account of thirty fmall images, which are placed on what is called the bishop's throne, and fuppofed to have been the fhrine of that eminent faint. The engraved view of Chefter feems to have been executed with accuracy; the author fays, that it is worth the price of the book. We have derived both infor mation and pleasure from the perufal of this performance, and particularly from the first part of it. The author appears to be a good-natured, fenfible, and cheerful man; and as he profeffes to produce fomewhat lively, fo have we been inclined, fometimes, to fmile with him-or, poffibly, at his peculiarity of ftyle. His obfervations are intermixed with quotations from Latin authors, as well as from English writers of the more ancient date; among whom Drayton the poet has particular marks of diftin&tion. One part of the work is concluded in this man ner: Here then ends the completion of my fhort, but very imperfect account of the characteristic genius of the Men of Cheshire, and of the collections for a history of our palatinate, in a teries almost ftrictly chronological. From thefe collections and other inestimable remains, I am convinced a history might be formed of our native county, infinitely fuperior to any hiftory, yet exifting, of any County in Great Britain: or, if you pleate, a history that shall as much much excel Dugdale's Warwickshire, as this celebrated history is fuppofed to excel thofe of all our provincial diftricts: fince at prefent it certainly ranks among them in the fame diftinguished manner, as the Moon is poetically faid to fhine among the leffer luminaries." (p. 50.) In another place, having mentioned the falubrity of the air, and the longevity of the inhabitants, he adds, in his odd but lively manner, p. 60: In faying this, it is not our wish to be underfood, that the Men of Chefire are fingular for temperance; the number of publichouses, in the city and county, affords an abundant proof that they are not water-drinkers: market-towns, villages, and high-roads, are graced with herds of red-lions, white lions, black lions, whitebears, and black ones, not to mention the flocks of angels and spreadeagles, with a whole firmament of fiars and rifing funs, darting their rays of invitation on the paffing traveller. Sociality is not, however, confined to public manfions: poor is that farmer indeed whofe private cot is not furnished with a little of the quinteffence of the barley; and as his cellar-door, like his heart, is generally open, you cannot confer a higher favour than by drinking a jug and įmoking a pipe with him! a favor which is often increated by the greater quantity of jugs you confume! Indeed this is his fummum bonum a friend at his fire-fide, the fubject - corn, cheese, or politics (in the latter of which he has fometimes been known to out-talk even the School mafter or the excife-man) his happiness is complete, and he feems to with for no other heaven!-The tree of hofpitality is feldom out of bloom in Chefhire; but at thofe feafons called wakes, it is in full bearing.' As one farther inftance of our author's jocular turn, hear how he talks, (though not entirely deftitute, perhaps, of a spice of that ecclefiaftical bigotry, which fome are defirous to pass off for religion,) of the famous forine in Chefter Cathedral, (p. 92.) The bishop's throne, which is fuperbly ornamented, is faid to have been the ancient fhrine of St. Werburgh. It is encircied by a beautiful group of fmall images, intended to reprefent faints and kings of Mercia. Some of thefe, either by accident, or meddling fingers, were a few years ago decapitated; accordingly a Majon was employed to mend their majefties; but the artift, not being very well acquainted with either faints or fovereigns, unluckily tranfpofed their capurs, by putting kings' beads on queens' fhoulders and vice verfa. To the body of a tender virgin faint, he placed the head of a veteran monarch!-What fort of a bead the artist muft have had, we will not pretend to fay: This much, however, he might truly have boasted-that he knew how to put old heads on young shoulders.' The defcription of the city of Chefter is, on the whole, we think, more fatisfactorily performed, than fome accounts of a like kind in larger works :-but here we must take leave of our merry friend, by juft remarking, that fome future hiftorian of Cheshire Chefhire will doubtlefs find this little publication useful in the direction and accomplishment of his labor. H. ART. XI. Ecclefiaftes; a new Tranflation from the original Hebrew. By Bernard Hodgson, LL. D. Principal of Hertford College, Oxford. 4to. pp. 66. 4s. Rivingtons. A CAREFUL attention to the Scriptures becomes every Chriflian, especially every Proteftant. It is highly neceflary, to the clerical character, that thofe of the facred order fhould endeavour to elucidate and explain them, and thus render them more generally intelligible and ufeful. The Principal of Hertford college has already published a tranflation of Solomon's Song, and of the Book of Proverbs. After the accounts which have been given of thofe verfions *, there is the lefs occafion to enlarge in our obfervations on the prefent performance; fince the fame remarks, which have been offered on the others, nearly apply to this:-but to affift the reader's judgment, we fhall collect a few verfes, and infert them, together with those of the tranflation which is in common use among us. Dr. HODGSON. Chap. i. 5,6. The fun alfo rifeth, the fun alfo fetteth, It paffeth to the fouth, again it circleth to the north. And ever repeateth its circuits.' ENGLISH BIBLE. "The fun alfo arifeth, and the fun goeth down, and hafteth to the place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the fouth, and turneth about unto the north, it whirlern about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits." The little alteration in this paffage, particularly that relative to the fun, seems admiffible and preferable: as poffibly may be the cafe with the eighth verfe, though the author is rather too fparing in affigning, critically, the reafons by which he would fupport the alteration. Dr. HODGSON. All the things, thus at their task, no man can recount; The eye would not be able to behold them, Nor would the ear be competent to hear them.' ENGLISH BIBLE "All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not fatisfied with feeing, nor the ear filled with hearing." • See Rev. for Jan. 1787, vol. Ixxvi. p. 26. and for july 1791, vol. v. of the New Series, p. 291. Dr. Dr. HODGSON. Cap. ii. 3. enquired of mine heart whether I fhould give myfelf unto wine; but mine heart inclined unto wifdom; or whether I fhould embrace folly; until I might fee whether therein was that happinets, which the fons of men are purfuing under heaven, all the days of their lives.' ENGLISH BIBLE. "I fought in mine heart to give myfelf unto wine; yet acquainting mine heart with wifdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might fee what was that good for the fons of men, which they fhould do under the heaven all the days of their life." The twelfth verfe of this chapter is hardly intelligible in our common bibles; Dr. Hodgfon's rendering has much the advantage: he offers a laconic note to juftify his verfion: but we think, though diffufe writers are unpleafant, he ought to have been fomewhat more explicit and particular in this and other inftances. Dr. HODGSON. Then I looked in order to judge between wifdom, and imprudence, and folly: (for who is that man who fhall come after the king, more competent fo to do than he is?) And I faw the preeminence which wildom hath over folly.' ENGLISH BIBLE. And I turned myfelf to behold wifdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king; even that which hath been already done. Then I faw that wisdom excelleth folly " A remark of a like kind with the foregoing may be applied to the 25th verse of this chapter. Dr. HODGSON. Who therefore has eaten, and, though with temperance, more gratified himfelf than I?' ENGLISH BIBLE. "For who can eat, or who else can haften bereunto more than I?” Dr. HODGSON. Cap. ii. 11. But every thing which he doeth becometh perfect in its reafon. Alfo I viewed the darknefs which he fpread over men's hearts, left either at the beginning, or at the end, they should difcover his proceedings.' ENGLISH BIBLE. "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath fet the world in their heart, fo that no man can find out the work that God mak-th from the beginning to the end." The laft four verfes of the fourth chapter, the learned Principal, ingenioufly, and with a degree of probability, confiders as prophetic of thofe remarkable changes in the Jewith government, which fucceeded the reign of Solomon.-He concludes his remarks on this part of the work with the following words: · All |