unintelligible. And we are ready to invoke Oedipus, to come and explain the enigmatic paffages. But we pafs over the obfcure expressions, and alfo the falfe language, in order to mark more fully fome contradictions and fome abfurdities.

"Mahomet placed himself, with Ahubeker, on a throne or pulpit." So fays the text. But what adds the note?" The place, to which Mahomet retired during the action, is ftyled by Gagnierumbraculum, une loge de bois avec une porte. The fame Arabic word is rendered by Reiske,-by folium, fuggeftus editior; and the difference is of the utmost moment, for the honour both of the interpreter and the hero." Yet without fettling, or attempting to fettle, by arguments in the note, this "difference of the utmost moment;" Mr. Gibbon has decided it without any argument in the text, and fixed it to be "a throne or pulpit." And then the note comes to decide against this decifion, to intimate the place may be fome fhed or cabin of wood, and to say that Mahomet "retired" to it during the action.

Text. The" dream of a nocturnal journey is feriously defcribed, as a real and corporeal tranfaction." Note. "The nocturnal journey is circumftantially related by Abulfeda,-who wifes to think it a vifion. Yet the Koran, without naming ei ther heaven, or Jerufalem, or Mecca, has only dropt a myfterious hint, laus illi qui tranftulit fervum fum ab oratorio Haram ad eratorium remotiffimum.- A flender bafis for the aerial ftructure of tradition!" Mr. Gibbon firit makes the journey to be a dream. He then refers to Abulfeda, who makes it a reality; circumftantially relating it, and only withing, from the grofs absurdity, to refolve it (if he could) into a dream. And he next produces a paffage from the Koran, which fhews it decifively to be a reality. He produces it in confirmatien of the text, and in evidence of its being a dream. Yet it proves it not to be a dream, in the plaineft manner. The paffage praifes God, for tranflating his fervant from the oratory Haram, &c.; " tranftulit fervum fuum ab oratoria Haram," &c. And Mr. Gibbon, who fays the Koran mentions not Mecca, is deceived by his inattention; the "oratorium Haram" being the temple of Mecca, which is called in Arabic Maj jad al Haram, or fimply Al Haram and Haram, the facred temple; and Mr. Gibbon himself accordingly carrying Mahomet in the text, from the" very "6 temple of Mecca.”

In each instance, the contradiction and the abfurdity must be placed to the account of the Reviewer. Mr. Gibbon, in the firft, prefers the tranflation of Reifke, but points out in the note the different verfion of Gagnier, telling his readers, ironically, for joining 'interpreter' to 'hero,' fufficiently points out the irony to any one but an anti-philofopher, that it is a controverfy of the utmost moment. Mr. Whitaker was pro

7

bably

bably calculating the ratio of the accelerative forces of falling bodies. To the fecond criticifm we scarcely know how to re ply. Did not our author know, that an idle ftory is commonly called a dream, and is a dream, circumftantially related, a reality?' The temple of Mecca was emphatically called Masjad al Haram, but Mecca is certainly not mentioned, and only by a doubtful implication pointed out.

We fhall add the following fhort remark, as an inftance of a new kind of criticism, not unfrequent in this volume, where every note, it is fuppofed, must neceffarily be a confirmation of the text. The notes of Mr. Gibbon are undoubtedly intended fometimes to fhow, that his opinion is not the univerfal one, and to mark exceptions as well as authorities.

* Contradictions. Text. "The Hungarian language-bears a close and clear affinity to the idioms of the Fennic race." Note. "I read in the learned Bayer-, that although the Hungarian has adopted many Fennic words (innumeras voces), it effentially dif fers, toto genio et naturâ.” Where then is, or where can be, the "close and clear affinity," in it "to the idioms of the Fennic race;" when the whole genius and nature" of that is "effentially" different from this ?'

Again,

• Text, "The northern monarchs of Scotland, Denmark, Sweden, and Poland, were yet strangers to the paffions and interests of the fouth." Note. "The author of the Efprit des Croifades has doubted, and might have difbelieved, the crufade and tragic death of prince Sueno, with 1500 or 15000 Danes, who was cut off by fultan Soliman in Cappadocia, but who ftill lives in the poem of Taffo (tom. iv. p. 111-115)." Yet Mr. Gibbon in a diftant page inconfiflently fays, that there were in the crusade "bands of adventurers from Spain, Lombardy, and England; and from the diftant bogs and mountains of Ireland or Scotland, iffued fome naked and favage fanatics, ferocious at home but unwarlike abroad." Note fays, that William of Malmesbury exprefly mentions the Welsh and Scots, &c." and that Guibert notes "Scotorum, apud fe ferocium, alias imbellium, cuneos," where the crus inte&um and hifpida chlamys may fuit the Highlanders, but the finibus uliginofis may rather apply to the Irish bogs.' The Scotch of Guibert may feem to be the Irish only, from the "finibus uliginofis." Nor would the dress be any argument to the contrary. The Irish at this period wore the fame drefs with the Highlanders. But the Scoti of Guibert are what their name imports, the prefent inhabitants of Scotland, and the fame with the Scots of, Malmesbury. And it was then as common with foreigners, to difcriminate Scotland by its bogs, as it now is with ourselves to.

denote

denote Ireland. This is evident from the circular letter of Fre derick emperor of Germany, to the nations around; on the wild irruptions of the Tartars. It is in M. Paris, p. 498, and is quoted by Mr. Gibbon himself in p. 304. There the writer speaks of "cruenta Hybernia cum agili Walliâ, paluftrii Scotia," &c. And, as Mr. Gibbon might have saved at once the uncertainty and the contradiction, by ftating the truth; fo he fhould never have run into the new contradiction, of afferting those to be" naked” in the text, whom he covers with a rough mantle," hifpida chlamys," in the note. This is bringing back that poetical bull of Blackmore's, which (I understand) is fuppreffed in the late edition or editions of the poem;

ment.

A painted veft prince Vortiger had on,

Which from a naked Pict his grandfire won.'

The note is much longer, but not greatly varied in arguWhat does this accufation amount to? The hiftorian had faid, in the text, that the northern monarchs knew little of the paffions and interefts of the fouth, for they led no bands to the crufades. This decifive language fhows, that, like the author of the Esprit de Croifades, he doubts or disbelieves the fuppofed expedition of Sueuo, a Norman king, at the head of a numerous body of Danes and Norwegians. Where then is the inconfiftency in saying, that fome bands of adventurers from either country, may have been in the armies of other nations? Such there undoubtedly were, of whom the monarchs knew nothing, and by whom they could not be instructed in the paffions and interefts of the fouth. The diftinction between thefe bands and the national troops is fufficiently pointed out by the mention of England and Lombardy, who fent regular armies. Mr. Gibbon too leaves it in doubt, whe ther the Scotorum cuneos' refers to the ancient or modern Scotia; and we scarcely expected to fee an emperor of Germany, in an age of barbarifm and ignorance, quoted for an exact picturefque diftinction of a country, of which they fcarcely knew with accuracy the name.

'Of Mr. Gibbon's language, and of fome of his faults, we have formerly spoken with fufficient freedom. His language will never recommend him to the inattentive, unreflecting rea der, for it requires often minute investigation, and a mind alive to its apparent and its hidden meaning. We mean not to say that this is an excellence; but if it be a fault, we have reafon to think it a premeditated and intended one. Of our author's criticisms on it, we cannot speak highly; and indeed of Mr. Whitaker's errors we were unwilling to speak at all; but our duty to the public, and a little regard to our own credit, prevented us from being wholly filent. If the hiftorian of

the

the Roman empire had been guilty of half the faults included in this enormous lift of errors, we must appear to have acted with a culpable partiality, in speaking of him with so much respect in our own Journal.

The Works of John Whitehurst, F. R. S. With Memoirs of his Life and Writings. 4to. 11. 1s. Boards. Bent. 1791. OUR author's works were not numerous; and we find in

this collection very little, except the valuable treatise on the original State and Formation of the Earth,' which we have repeatedly noticed. From a fhort Life prefixed, we fee that Mr. Whitehurst was the son of a watchmaker at Congleton, in Cheshire: his ingenuity was early excited by the numerous machines at Derby, and other places in his neighbourhood; and in the latter town, the capital of its county, he was, for a time, fettled with confiderable reputation as a clock and watchmaker. He removed to London in 1775, on being ap pointed ftamper of the money-weights, in confequence of the act for the regulation of the gold coin, leaving his native country to regret the lofs of a man who had been useful in many different branches of practical philofophy. His principal work was first published in 1778, and again in 1786, with numerous additions, and in a more polished style, which, in the opinion of many, detracted from the unadorned fimplicity fo prepoffeffing in the first edition.

In 1779 he was chofen a member of the Royal Society, an honour which was followed by a fimilar attention from other bodies; and in 1787, published his tract on the means of obtaining invariable Measures of Length, Capacity, and Weight, from the Menfuration of Time.' Of this attempt we have lately given fome account, and fhall, in the conclufion of this article, enlarge on it a little farther.

Though Mr. Whitehurst for feveral years felt himfelf gradually declining, yet his ever active mind remitted not of its accuftomed exertions. Even in his laft illness, before being confined entirely to his chamber, he was proceeding at intervals to com plete a Treatife on Chimnies, Ventilation, and the construction of Garden-ftoves, announced to the public in 1782, and containing, 1. Some account of the properties of air, and the laws of fluids. 2. Their application and ufe in a variety of cafes relative to the conftruction of chimnies, and the removal of fuch defects as occafion old chimnies to fmoke. 3. Modes of ventilating elegant Tooms without any visible appearance or deformity; calculated for the prefervation of pictures, prints, furniture, and fine cielings, from the pernicious effects of flagnant air, the fmoke of candles,

&c.

&c. 4. Methods of ventilating counting-houses and workshops, where many people, candles, or lamps, are employed: likewife hofpitals, jails, ftables, &c. 5. A philofophical enquiry into the conftruction of garden-ftoves, employed in the culture of exotic plants. 6. A defcription of fome other devices tending to promote the health and comfort of human life.-The manuscripts and drawings, fince his death, have been in the hands of feveral of his friends, but not one of the articles is found fufficiently perfect for publication; and it is fuppofed, that in burning feveral papers during his laft illness, he inadvertently deftroyed part of the fair tranfcripts inftead of the rough copies.'

He died of a repelled gout, Feb. 18, 1788, in the seventyfifth year of his age.

To fay nothing of the uprightnefs and punctuality of his dealings in all transactions relative to bufinefs; few men have been known to poffefs more benevolent affections than he, or, being poffeffed of fuch, to direct them more judiciously to their proper ends. He was a philanthropist in the trueft fenfe of that word. Every thing tending to the good of his kind he was on all occafions, and particularly in cafes of diftrefs, zealous to forward, confidering nothing foreign to him as a man thatr elates to man. Though well known to many of the great, to whose good graces flattery has been found in general the readieft path, it is to be recorded to his honour, that he never once ftooped to that degrading mode of obtaining favour, which he regarded as the lowest vice of the loweft mind. He had indeed a fettled abhorrence, not of flattery only, but of every other deviation from truth, at whofe fhrine he may be said to have been a conftant worshipper. The truth of these things he was daily more or lefs employed in inveftigating, and truth of action he exemplified in the whole tenor of a long, laborious, and fingularly useful life.

As to his perfon, he was fomewhat above the middle ftature, rather thin than otherwife, and of a countenance expreffive at once of penetration and mildness. His fine grey locks, unpolluted by art, gave a venerable air to his whole appearance. In dress he was plain, in diet temperate, in his general intercourse with mankind eafy and obliging. In company he was chearful or grave alike, according to the dictate of the occafion; with now and then a peculiar fpecies of humour about him, delivered with fuch gra`vity of manner and utterance, that those who knew him but slightly were apt to understand him as ferious, when he was merely playful. Where any defire of information on fubjects in which he was converfant was expreffed, he omitted no opportunity of imparting it. But he never affected, after the manner of fome, to know what he did not know. Confidering all useful learning to lie in a narrow compafs, and having little relish for the ornamental,

he