An Introduction to the Knowledge of rare and valuable Editions of the Greek and Latin Claffics; including the Scriptores de re Ruftica, Greek Romances, and Lexicons and Grammars; to which is added a complete Index Analyticus: the whole preceded by an account of Polyglot Bibles, and the best Editions of the Greek Septuagint and Teftament. By Thomas Frognall Dibdin, A. B. (late of St. John's College, Oxford.) The Second Edition, enlarged and corrected. 8vo. Pp. 656. 12s. Dwyer, London; Hanwell and Parker, Oxford; Deighton and Barrett, Cambridge. 1804.

THE

firft Edition of this valuable work was noticed by us, with the approbation it deferved, in our Review of November, 1802. Of the extent of the additions made in what the author modeftly calls the fecond edition of his work, the reader may judge from its confifting of 571 pages, exclufive of 73 pages occupied by the Preface, and the account of the editions of facred fcriptures, while the whole first edition comprized only 63 pages.

The prefent volume comprehends an account of the Polyglot Bibles, the Greek Bibles, the Greek Teftaments, editions of the moft popular Greek and Latin claffics, arranged alphabetically, the Latin writers de re ruftica, the Greek romances, the various fets of the claffics, and an Analytical Index.

Befides an accurate account of each edition the author has added the different prices at which they have been fold, has noticed those printed on vellum, on large and on fmall paper, and mentioned in what collection, those which are become fcarce, are now to be found. To this are added many notes which abound both with interesting information and entertaining anecdotę.

As a specimen of the manner in which Mr. Dibdin has conducted his work, we fhall infert what he says of the two first editions of Anacreon: we do this as a doubt has been entertained in the literary world, and, in our opinion, juftly, of the authenticity of moft of the Odes, afcribed to that poet, which though first started by Le Fevre, fo early as the year 1660, feems fo very little known, even to claffical readers in general, as not to have been noticed by any of the tranflators or common editors.

"ANACREON.

"H. STEPHANUS. Lutet. 4to. 1554., Græce.

"EDITIO PRINCEPS. A beautiful and rare edition, according to Fa bricius and Clement, and printed by Henry Stephens when he was in his

twenty

"The learned world has been divided on the subject of the antiquity and genuineness of the poems afcribed to Anacreon. It feems the prefent editio princeps was compiled by H. Stephens from two MSS.; the one was given him by John Clement, a fervant of Sir Thomas More, Chancellor of Eng

land;

twenty-fixth year. Maittaire, Vit. Steph. p. 220. Of the Latin verfion, in Anacreontic metre, by Stephens and Putfchius, it was once difputed whether the former was the author of his part of the verfion: but Mons. de la Monnoie (Bayle, Dict. t. i. 206, note 1) has put this matter beyond all doubt in favour of Henry Stephens. The text of this edit. prin. has been followed by almost every fubfequent editor, fays Harles, Introd. L. G. t. i. 229. It fold for 21. at Mr. Bridges's fale, and along with a Latin edition of Andrea (Paris, 4to. 1555), was fold for 31. 7s. cor. turc. at Mr. Folkes's fale: I will not pretend to give its accurate price. See a copy Bibl. Pinell. No. 8937; Bibl. Crevenn. No. 3511.

"FABRI. Salmurii. Oct. 1660-80-90., Gr. et Lat.

Tanaquil Faber was the first editor who, in fome very learned notes, attacked the antiquity of many of the odes of Anacreon; and Harles himfelf feems to coincide with thofe critics who have imagined the greater part of them to be the production of what are called the Scriptores recentiores:" this opinion is also efpoufed by Pauw and Fifcher. Harles, Introd. L. G. t. i. 227. In the above editions, "poetam vero ipfum non tantum feliciter emendat et egregie explicat [Faber], fed etiam multis aliis aliorum veterum fcriptorum locis bene confulit lucemque adfert." Harles, Fabr. B. G. ț. ii. 96."

We do not exactly fee the reason why Mr. Dibdin choofes to call Mr. Le Fevre by his Latin name of Tanaquil Faber in a note entirely English, though he is very properly called fo in the Latin title to the edition. On the fame principle he fhould have called the Oxford Editor of Apollonius Rhodius, Shawius, in the body of the note, as well as in the title of the edition.

We give our readers the following extract from the account of Wolfs edition of Homer, as it contains a paradox, in our opinion, as abfurd relative to the Prince of Poets, as we think that relative to Anacreon reasonable.

WOLFII, Hal. Sax. Oct. 1794, Gr. et Lat. 5 Vol.

"Very great and judicious ufe has been made throughout this work of the Scholia, published by Villoifon (in the fol. edition of the Iliad 1788, which fee). "In the prolegomena, the external evidence relative to thefe moft eminent works of claffical antiquity is fully examined, and a particular account is given of the ancient critics who have directed their attention to this fubject. Wolfius ftates his reafons for fuppofing that the works commonly attributed to the great Moonian bard, were in part only composed by him; that the remainder were the productions of the Homeride and other poets; and that the whole were finally arranged and methodized in two poems by Pififtratus and his family. The lover of genuine antiquity will, doubtlefs, examine all the evidence with the greatest circumfpection

land; the other was procured in Italy, which, after a long voyage, Stephens brought home with him to France. These MSS. added to the ode "Alyesh ai yuvaines," which Stephens found on the cover of an old book, formed the materials of his edition. See De La Monnoie's letter in Bayle's Dict. hist. et crit. t. i. art. Anacreon,' note L.”

before

before he adopts the conclufions of this ingenious editor." KETT's Elements of general Knowledge, addit. to second edit. p. 83.

That Pififtratus might collect scattered and mutilated copies of the works of Homer to make one correct one is very poflible, but for fuch poems as the Iliad or as the Odyffey, where the parts chiefly depend on each other, and which abfolutely admit of as regular a diary as an historical narration, to be a collection of fragments from various writers is almost as impoffible as for the wonderful order of the universe to be derived from a fortuitous concourfe of atoms.

Befides the common edition of this work there is one on large paper, adorned with feveral curious engravings of fac fimiles, very elegantly executed.

From the great merit of this publication, and its obvious utility, as well to the lover of biblical and claffical literature, as to the admirer and collector of curious books, we have no doubt it will go through feveral editions; we take the liberty, therefore, of fuggefting to Mr. Dibdin, what we think will be an improvement of his work.

A Chronological instead of an Alphabetical Arrangement of the Claffical Writers, as all the advantages of the latter will be retained by referring to the Index Analyticus as it now ftands; and an infertion of all the tranflations of the Claffics into modern languages, which is done even by Fabricius in fo learned and elaborate a work as his Bibliotheca Græca.

We obferve also feveral inaccuracies of the prefs which are of more effential confequence in a book of this kind than in any other.

In page 1xxii. Profeffor White of Oxford is faid to have publifhed his duodecimo edition of the Gofpels in 1789, inftead of 1798, and in the account of Shaw's edition of Apollonius Rhodius, page 29, we find the following quotation from the Italian Editor of 1794:"Una tale replicata fatica del Shaw fe non ha portato Apollonio a quel grado di perfezione, ari era deftinato in appreffo, ha fervato al- · meno percominciar a diffondere il gufto e lo ftudio." Here per cominciar is printed as one word, and ari must be put for another word that has fome meaning, but what we are not able to supply.

Pinkerton's Modern Geography.

(Concluded from our last, P. 169.)

"E fhall now accompany our author to Hindoftan, to Britons, undoubtedly, by far the most interesting country in the east. Mr. P. complains that the defcription of it is not a little difficult, as from other causes, so especially from the want of grand natural sub

*

Why are the accounts of the editions of the Bible paged like the Preface, and not like the body of the work?- Reviewer.

divifions.

divifions. After long confideration, he fays, Major Rennel's plan appeared the moft eligible, not only in itfelf, but as having the advantage of being familiar to the public. The method purfued by this ingenious geographer is adjusted by the following fourfold partition : 1. The countries pervaded by the Ganges, and its principal branches: 2. Thofe along the courfe of the Sindeh or Indus: 3. The tract fituated between these two divifions and the river Kitna: 4. That which lies to the south of the Kiftna; or the Southern Peninfula, as it is frequently called, though perhaps improperly. Agreeably to this arrangement, our author, in four particular chapters, treats of " Gangetic Hindoftan, or the countries on the Ganges; Sindetic Hindoftan, or the countries on the Indus; Central Hindoftan, or the Middle Provinces; and the Southern Divifion of Hindoftan." "If scientific geographers," he obferves, "had the privilege, ufurped by travellers and mariners, of impofing new names and divifions, the above partitions might be ftyled, in native terms, Gangeftan, Sindeftan, while Deccan might be confined to the fouthern part, and fome native word applied to the middle or centrical [central] divifion." (p. 236.) In the first of these divifions are included Bengal, Bahar, Allahabad, Oude, a part of Delhi, and Agimere; in the fecond, Kuttore, Cafhmir, Cabul, Candahar, Lahore, Moultan, and Sindè; in the third, Guzerat, Candeifh, Berar, Oriffa, the Sircars, the chief part of Golconda, Vifiapour, Dowlatabad, and Concan; in the fourth, the remainder of Golconda, the Myfore, the extenfive region called the Carnatic, with Madura and other smaller diftricts. In this last divifion is naturally included too the island of Ceylon.

In each of Mr. P.'s four chapters the reader will find much curious matter; but the most important topics are concentrated, and very ably difcuffed, in a pretty extenfive fketch prefixed, which is intituled a "General View of Hindoftan." Much useful information is here conveyed on every fubject connected with the nature of the country or the state of its inhabitants. But what, we are perfuaded, will attract moft notice in this part of Mr. P.'s work, is the marked difrefpect, we had almost said the fovereign contempt, with which he uniformly treats those extravagant encomiums fo generally lavished on Hindostan antiquity and civilization. Every one of the moft impofing pretenfions of this celebrated people our author holds very cheap indeed.Their hiftory, chronology, government, religion, fcience, literature, genius, tafte, all are weighed in his fcrutinizing balance, and pronounced greatly wanting. We have little doubt that by this bold attack he will bring upon himself a formidable host of affailants; but we have none at all that he stands upon ground from which it is impoffible completely to diflodge him. The vifionary and abfurd pretenfions to antiquity of the Indian chronology, in order to be laughed at, need only to be known, and were never, we are fatisfied, feriously believed even by thofe who have laboured most strenuously in Europe to promote an opinion of their validity. But Voltaire and the AntiChristian confpiracy found them highly convenient; and, on this

account

account alone, endeavoured to invest them with all the credit of eftablifhed authenticity, Whether or not, in this important field of controverfy, our ingenious geographer be fully entitled to a triumph, we fhall not take upon ourfelves to determine. He has certainly combated throughout with vigour, and in general with fuccefs. In fome of his fallies, perhaps, he may be thought to have gone fomewhat too far. But, to drop the inetaphor, we are glad that he has agitated the queftion; for his ftrictures we think must have the effect of fubject, ing it to a thorough investigation.

In this place our readers will doubtless expect fome fpecimens of Mr. P.'s obfervations. We are willing to gratify them as far as we ean; and fhall therefore infert his very masterly examination of Dr. Robertfon's arguments for the high civilization of the ancient Hindoos. The paffage is long, but no abridgment would do it juftice; and we hope that its length will be excused on account of its import

ance.

Dr. Robertfon had argued in favour of the claims advanced by the Hindoos, from their divifions into cafts; from their civil policy; from their laws; from their ufeful and elegant arts; from their sciences and religious inftitutions. But, fays Mr. Pinkerton,

The arguments of that able author feem liable to fome objections. 1. The diftinction into cafts is, doubtlefs ancient and peculiar; but feems to have proceeded from a crafty priesthood, in order to fix their own fuperio rity and prepondefance. The error of the Doctor's argument confifts in confounding cafts with trades, while they are in truth totally diftinct, as neither a priest, a foldier, a farmer, nor a labourer, is a tradefman. Separation of trades argues refinement; but from the Hindoo cafts nothing can be concluded, except that agriculture exifted at their inftitution, When. our author adds, What now is in India always was there,' he evinces ra ther a fingular love of hypothefis. All we know from antiquity is that the cafts exified in the time of Strabo, Arrian, and Pliny, and perhaps were not known even in the time of Alexander. Suppofe that they even exified three centuries before the Chriftian æra, we have only a proof that agriculture and merchandize were then known in Hindoftan; and yet the first tribe that paffed from the centre of Afia might, even in that case, have only begun to people the north of Hindostan a few centuries, or say a thousand years, before the Christian æra. 2. The civil policy is confidered as proving early civilization, not indeed because the Hindoo fables reprefent the whole country as subject to one monarch, but because Alexander found kingdoms of fome magnitude. But these kingdoms were no larger in proportion than those which Cæfar found in barbaric Gaul and Britain. The magnitude of the country is forgotten, inhabited by an indigenous people, and remarkably defiitute of natural barriers. That some old inftitutions remain is no won der, when the identity of oriental cuftoms is confidered. 3. The laws are fufficiently numerous and complex ; but fo are thofe of England at prefent, though they were in a very different predicament fix centuries ago; but our ingenious author fpeaks familiarly of the Hindoo millions of years, and forgets our little centuries. The Hindoo code may be extremely ancient; and yet perhaps was written about the plain Chriftian year 1200. 4. The wfeful and elegant arts likewife require the illuftration of chronology; and

as