*ed over to the creditors fo much of its income as to reserve only forty-two thoufand ducats a year for the support of the C hofpital, the church, and the convent. This has reduced the girls portions from two hundred ducats to fifty, and the other expences have fuffered a proportional diminution; even a great part of the filver ornaments of the church (which still does not want for fplendor) has been difpofed of, in order the fooner to emerge from these difficulties; which ◄ however must be a work of time.'

We could amuse our readers with many more extracts from this work equally entertaining; but must not extend our ar ticles to too great a length, what we have given above will, we apprehend, be fufficient incitements to them to accom pany Mr. Keyfler in his travels through this inchanting coantry. We cannot conclude without wifhing that the English tranflator (whoever he is) would mend his pace a little in the two last volumes which are yet to come of this useful work, and not dribble out his labours in a manner fo prejudiciabte his author, and fo difguftful to his readers.

ART. III. A treatise, containing the defcription and ufe of a curious quadrant, made and finished by the masterly hand of that excellent mechanic, John Rowley; for taking of altitudes, and for folving various mathematical problems in geometry, navigation, aftronomy, &c. Some of them, by a bare inspection of the inftrument, and others by easy operations on it. Studiously adapted to the meaneft capacities. To which are prefixed an alphabetical expofition, of the neceffary terms of art and a plate of the inftrument. By T. W, F. R. S. 4to. Pr. 5s. Dodfley.

T

HE quadrant, here defcribed, was, as the author informs us in his preface, made by Mr. Rowley (when he had newly finished his apprenticeship) with the greatest accuracy, according to the directions of his mafter, who had obferved both fuperfluities and defects in Mr. Collins's quadrant.

It doth not appear, by this account, that more than one of thefe was made; but the author has, in the preface, and

other parts of the work, fhewn how the print thereof may be rendered, almoft, equally ufeful with the quadrant itself.

The first four pages contain the definitions of fuch terms of art as the author frequently uses; thefe are clear and pertin ent; and about eight pages more are employed in the introduction, the design of which is to render the reader acquainted with the nature and mutual relation of arcs and angles; and with the names, properties, and ufe of thofe lines, by which the trigonometers determine the quantity of arcs and angles.

We fhall here infert fo much of what he fays, concerning the nature and the mutual relation of arcs and angles, as can conveniently be done, without references to figures, as a fpecimen of the author's manner of treating his fubject.

.

When two lines meet in a point, the opening or distance between them, or, which is the fame thing, the inclination of the one line to the other, is called an angle, which when the lines forming it are ftraight ones, is called a rectilineal, or right-lined angle,

The lines forming any angle are called its legs,

One angle is faid to be lefs than other, when its legs are more inclined, or nearer to one another; and, on the contrary, it is the bigger if lefs inclined. If you imagine the < lines which form the angle to be moveable, like the legs of a pair of compaffes, and faftened together at the angular point as in a joint, it is then eafy to conceive, that the farther they are opened, or parted from one another, the greater will be the angle between them; as, on the contrary, the nearer they are brought together, the angle between them will be fo much the lefs. But it must be noted, that

means to be measured by

the quantity of angles is by no the length of their legs, but by their inclination to one another, and by that only.

Every circle may be conceived to be divided into 360 parts or degrees, and every degree into 60 parts, which are • called minutes; every minute alfo into 60 parts, which are * called seconds; and every fecond into thirds, and so on,

And the reason why this number, 360, is made use of for the divifion of the circle. is, because it can be divided & into

into a greater number of parts, without remainder, than other number less than it.

any

The meature of an angle is the arc of a circle, defcribed on the angular point, and therefore the quantity of an angle, or the number of degrees it confifts of, may be found by taking the angular point for a center, and thence drawing with the compaffes a portion or part of a circle, to cut the legs that form the angle, and then by measuring the arc ⚫ contained between them, the quantity of the angle will be. < determined.'

Those who are acquainted with the difficulty that occurs to teachers, in conveying the idea of an angle to young minds, will, we are perfuaded, be of our opinion, when we say, that altho' the author has beftowed three pages, upon the fubject above quoted, and its illuftration by proper figures, yet we think every part of them will prove useful to one kind of reader or another.

The author then proceeds, in the fame perfpicuous manner, to defcribe the quadrant and its parts; to compare the fcctor and quadrant together, fo far as relates to the manner of working proportions by each; and to fhew the ufes of the quadrant in thofe parts of the mathematics mentioned in the tide page.

As his profeffed purpofe is only to fhew the application of the quadrant, to the practical folution of the above; therefore, in fuch problems as depend on plane and spherical trigonometry, he thinks it fufficient to quote the theory, from other authors; thus, in the measuring of heights and distances, he quotes Euclid, Defchales, Collins, Oughtred, and Dr. Gregory; in aftronomy, Leybourn, Collins, Gunter, Taylar, Partridge, Leadbetter, Brown, and Hawney; but his principal refource is Mr. Hodgson, the late mafter of the royal mathematical school in Chrift's Hofpital, whofe fyftem of the mathematics, in two volumes, he fometimes quotes more than once in a page: this work is not to be eafily met with, at prefent, but that need not be an objection to our author's performance; because he first carefully copies the rules given by Mr. Hodgson, and the other authors mentioned, and then shews how they may be applied to the quadrant.

Those perfons therefore, who want a book and an inftrument to enable them practically to perform the problems mentioned in the title page, may, by purchafing this work, find their purposes very well anfwered, at a reasonable expence; and others, altho' poffeffed of variety of books and inftruments to perform the like operations, may probably, on the perusal of this, not think that time wholly thrown away, which was fo employed.

ART. IV. Meditations upon various important fubjects; and fhort prayers annexed, with a preface by the Rev. Mr. Hervey. In two vols. By Benjamin Jenks, late rector of Harley in Shropfhire, and chaplain to the Right Honourable the Earl of Bradford. The Second Edition. 8vo. Pr. 8 s. Rivington.

IT

T is with great truth obferved, that a weak friend is often as prejudicial to a caufe as the most formidable enemy, which was perhaps never more exactly verify'd than in the cafe of religion, whofe illiterate and abfurd defenders are often its worft foes of which the work before us may afford a melancholy inftance. There is in Mr. Jenks's pious performance an appearance of zeal and devotion which we should be heartily glad to meet with in any advocate for chriftianity who could write or read, neither of which our author feems capable of, as will be fufficiently evident to our readers from the fhort fpecimen which we fhall fubjoin of this wild and enthufiaftic perfor mance. The work begins thus:

INTRODUCTION.

Reflecting upon meditation itself.

To meditate, what is it, my foul? 'Tis not only to glance at a fubject; or to throw away fome defultory frifking thoughts upon it; nor yet to study it further, only to find out truth, and get fome better notions in our heads; but it is to pore and • dwell upon the serious matter, fo as to affect our hearts, and improve our practice. 'Tis a mufing, to kindle the fire of • love, and zeal, and holy refolution, and heavenly devotion. And though we have already fome right knowledge of the thing, meditation roufes the droufy reason, to make a review, and deeper obfervations upon it, that it may not lie dead and buried as a ufelefs thing, which does us no manner of good.

Notwithstanding we have the flowers in our garden, and can tell their names, and fmells, and colours: yet the bee and the alembic go deeper, to extract honey and spirits out of them; ⚫ and meditation does that work of the bee and the alembic, to ⚫ gather sweetness even out of weeds, and wholfome instructions ⚫ from common obfervations."

In meditation xxi. Of enmity against God, we meet with the following curious paragraph: Fool-hardy wretches take up the cudgels to fight with their glorious Maker and Judge eternal. They think themselves too goodly to be his humble fer• vants; and the contest between them and the Lord is, whose will • shall stand? whether he or they fhall carry it and get the better. And their meetings and exceffes are to them, like a fort of facraments, by which they mufter their forces, and bind themfelves to one another, and fo ftrengthen their cause and party. And in the pot valour, what care they for God, or Christ, or any thing that ftands in the way of their riot? what is the hallowed feafon to them? fhall fuch as they be bound like fneaks to the religious attendance, and come and wait upon their enemy? they do not owe him fo much fervice. And what use can they find of his name, but to blafpheme and 'pollute its honour; of which he has declared himself so jealous and tender? and to take that for a kind of instruction, how to vent their malice, where it may be most keenly resented? ⚫ when they come to understand, which is the apple of God's

eye, and what he will take most heinously, as the worst af❝ front they could tell how to offer: then have at that, setting their mouth against heaven, to let fly at the beft of beings. And is not this enmity with a witness all over? what have fuch to do with his word and holy things; but only to spend upon them their fcoffs and drollery, and fo to make themfelves merry? like the brave champions that dare ftrike at all, and fuch wits of the age, that can handle the keenest edge'tools, to fool and jeft their fouls out of heaven, and play and laugh themselves into endless weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

' O thou curfed breed-bate, fin! that fottifh creatures should lay thee in their bofoms; nor only be mild to thee, as a harmlefs diverfion, but fond of thee, as all the joy of their lives!