Prit. Another time, I was told, his armourer, or blacksmith, a Bifayan captive, being drunk, had dared to affront the Spanish envoy Rajah Moodo fo loft his ufual felf command, that, had it not been for the interpofition of his lady, it was thought he would have put the mifcreant to death on the spot. Among fecondary qualifications, Rajah Moodo had that of a good mechanic: I was furprised to fee the engines for raifing heavy pieces of timber. He alfo made drums, like thofe in Europe, and was pleased to hear them used by his guards.” To the friendship of this prince for captain Forreft, does the India Company owe the grant of the isle of Bunivoot. As the natural hiftory of the islands which our author vifited formed a principal object of his attention, he describes with great accuracy the produce of each; and among other articles delivers an exact account of the various fpecies of the cinnamon tree. To the manners and cuftoms of the people he has also been particularly attentive; and where he perceives any coincidence with those of other nations, he remarks the fimilarity by quotations from the ancients. Thus the native fongs of the Indians he compares with the Celeufma of the Greeks and Romans, and illuftrates his comparifon by the following epigram of Martial. Ceffatis, pueri, nihilque moftis ? At vos tam placidas vagi per undas, Non nautus puto vos, fed Argonautas. Ethon lo! in full perfpire; Now the noon tide hour proceeds, To repofe the panting steeds, Ye, ferene upon the wave, Sun, and wind, and water brave. No mere navigators now, Ye are Argonauts, I wow." This narrative is diftinguished by a correct and elegant fimplicity of tyle; and captain Forreft appears to have spared no expence in enriching the volume with charts and excellent draw. ings. From the nautical obfervations with which the work abounds, it must prove highly ufeful to navigators in the Indian ocean. Every circumftance concurs to demonftrate that the author has paid the greateft attention to the object of his voyage; and we therefore cannot doubt of his receiving from the Company the reward that is due to his faithful fervices. A Treatise on Government. Tranflated from the Greek of Ariftotle. By William Ellis, A. M.. 4to. 135. boards. Payne. N° O writer ever poffeffed a more extenfive reputation than Ariftorle. During the claffical ages of antiquity, his profound and comprehenfive genius was held in the higheft eftimation by a judicious and enlightened people. And when, from barbarifm and falfe tafte, the writings of moft of his contemporaries were gradually finking into oblivion and difufe, his fame feems to have fhone forth with increafing luftre. In the early period of the Byzantine empire he feems to Kave been the favourite author; and, by a kind of fafcinating power, to have ingroffed the attention of the learned world in a great measure to himfelf. About the beginning of the eighth century his works fell into the hands of the Arabians, who ftudied them with the most unremitting affiduity. From the Arabians, who were at that time fettled in Spain, and had erected a royal feat at Cordova, they were tranfmitted, through the medium indeed of a miferable tranflation, into Europe. Then it was that the authority of the Stagyrite became as unbounded and abfolute in the literary, as his royal pupil's had been in the po·litical world. And this authority was not confined to those provinces in which he had an indifputable title-the regions of philofophy and criticism: it was extended alfo to matters of a higher nature. The fcholaftic theology of the middle ages is entirely built upon, and interwoven with, the metaphyfics and philofophy of Ariftotle. He was the grand luminary to whom in those times of darkness every eye was directed, and however they might differ in other points, in this at least all were agreed, that from the authority of Ariftotle no appeal could be made. No wonder then that even fo late as the fifteenth century in a charge of herefy which was preferred, if we mistake not, against the celebrated Picus Mirandula for afferting the probability of the foul of Origen being faved, it fhould be confidered as an unpardonable aggravation of the crime, that he had afferted-alfo the poffibility that the spirit of Ariftotle might err. When, at the revival of letters, new fources of information were opened, and the human intellect, from from a confcioufnefs of its own powers, began to expand itfelf, it is natural to fuppofe that mankind, as they grew more enlightened, would endeavour to shake off the fetters by which their minds had so long been enflaved, and to think for themfelves. Finding the dogmata of Ariftotle in poffeffion of the schools, his pretenfions were examined; and as they attributed to him all the errors and abfurdities which his ignorant tranf-lators and commentators had faftened upon him, we are not to be furprifed that general indifference fhould fucceed to blind and fuperftitious veneration. There is a principle in mankind, which feems in fome degree founded in juftice, though, indeed, it may proceed from a different motive, which is to with-hold from thofe, whom they find to have acquired a reputation greater than their merits intitle them to, that share of fame which their juft claims might reafonably demand. To this it is owing, rather than to the caufes affigned by his tranflator, that his works have fallen into undeferved neglect. The attempt to reftore this valuable ancient to that rank in the world of letters, to which he is fo eminently entitled, is undoubtedly meritorious. In what manner Mr. Ellis has fucceeded, our readers will judge by perufing the following chapter on the government of Carthage. The government of Carthage feems well established, and in many refpects fuperior to others; in fome particulars it bears a near refemblance to the Lacedæmonians; and indeed these three ftates, the Cretans, the Lacedæmonians, and the Carthaginians are in fome things very like each other, in others they differ greatly. Amongst many excellent conftitutions this may fhew how well their government is framed, that although the people are admitted to a fhare in the administration, the form of it remains unaltered, without any popular infurrections, worth notice, on the one hand, or degenerating into a tyranny on the other. Now the Carthaginians have these things in common with the Lacedæmonians; public tables for those who are connected together by the tie of mutual friendship, after the manner of their Phiditia; they have also a magiftracy, confifting of an hundred and four perfons, fimilar to the Ephori, or rather felected with more judgment; for amongst the Lacedæmonians, all the citizens are eligible, but amongft the Carthaginians, they are chofen out of thofe of the better fort: there is alfo fome analogy between the king and the fenate in both thefe governments, though the Carthaginian method of appointing their kings is belt, for they do not confine themfelves to one family; nor do they permit the election to be at large, nor have they any regard to feniority; for if amongst the candidates there are any of greater merit than the relt, thefe they prefer to thofe who may be older; for as their power is very extenfive, if they are perfons of no account, they may be very harifp to the state, as they have always been to the Lacedæmo S 4 nians; nians; alfo the greater part of those things which become repre henfible by their excefs, are common to all thofe governments which we have defcribed. Now of thofe principles on which the Carthaginians have eflablished their mixt form of government, compofed of an aristocracy and democracy, fome incline to produce a democracy, others an oligarchy: for inftance, if the kings and the fenate are unanimous upon any point in debate, they can chufe whether they will bring it before the people or no; but if they difagree, it is to thefe they must appeal, who are not only to hear what has been approved of by the fenate, but are finally to determine upon it; and whofoever chufes it, has a right to fpeak against any matter whatsoever that may be propofed, which is not permitted in other cafes. The five, who elect each other, have very great and extenfive powers; and thefe chufe the hundred, who are magiftrates of the highest rank: their power alfo continues longer than any other magiftrate, for it commences before they come into of fice, and is prolonged after they are out of it; and in this particular the flate inclines to an oligarchy: but as they are not elected by lot. but by fuffrage, and are not permitted to take money, they are the greateft fupporters imaginable of an arifocracy. The determining all caufes by the fame magiftrates, and not one in one court and another in another, as at Lacedæmon, has the fame influence. The conftitution of Carthage is now fhifting from an aristocracy to an oligarchy, in confequence of an opinion which is favourably entertained by many, who think that the magiftrates in the community ought not to be perfons of family only, but of fortune alfo; as it is impoffible for those who are in bad circumftances to fupport the dignity of their of fice, or to be at leifure to apply to public bufinefs. As chufing men of fortune to be magiftrates make a ftate incline to an oli garchy, and men of abilities, to an aristocracy, fo is there a third method of proceeding which took place in the polity of Carthage: for they have an eye to thefe two particulars, when they elect their officers, particularly thofe of the higheft rank, their kings, and their generals. It must be admitted, that it was a great fault in their legiflator not to guard against the conftitution's degenerating from an ariftocracy; for this is a moft neceffary thing to provide for at firft, that thofe citizens who have the best abilities fhould never be obliged to do any thing unworthy their character, but be always at leifure to ferve the public, not only when in office, but also when private perfons; for if once you are obliged to look among the wealthy, that you may have men at leifure to ferve you, your greateft offices, of king, and general, will foon become venal; in confequence of which, riches will be more honourable than virtue, and a love of money be the ruling principle in the city; for what, thofe who have the chief power, regard as honourable, will neceffarily be the object which the citizens in general will aim at; and where the firft hon.urs are not paid to virtue, there there the aristocratic form of government cannot flourish: for it is reasonable to conclude, that thofe who bought their places fhould generally make an advantage of what they laid out their money for; as it is abfurd to fuppofe, that if a man of probity who is poor, should be defirous of gaining fomething, a bad man fhould not endeavour to do the fame, especially to reimburse himself; for which reafon the magiftracy fhould be formed of those who are most able to fupport an aristocracy. It would have been better for the legislature to have paffed over the po verty of men of merit, and only to have taken care to have enfured them fufficient leifure, when in office, to attend to public affairs. It feems alfo improper, that one perfon fhould execute feveral offices, which was approved of at Carthage; for one bufirefs is beft done by one perfon; and it is the duty of, the legiflator to look to this, and not make the fame perfon a mufician and a fhoemaker: fo that where the ftate is not fmall it is more politic, and more popular to admit many perfons to have a fhare in the government; for, as I just now faid, it is not only more ufual, but every thing is better and fooner done, when one thing only is allotted to one perfon: and this is evident both in the army and navy, where almoft every one, in his turn, both commands, and is under command. But as theis government inclines to an oligarchy, they avoid the ill effects of it, by always appointing fome of the popular party to the government of cities, to make their fortunes. Thus they confult this fault in their conffitution, and render it ftable; but this is depending on chance; whereas the legiflator ought to frame his government, that there be no room for infurrections. But now, if there fhould be any general calamity, and the people fhould revolt from their rulers, there is no remedy for reducing them to obedience by the laws. And these are the particulars of the Lacedæmonian, the Cretan, and the Carthaginian governments, which feem worthy of commendation." To point out trivial imperfections in a tranflation from an author fo difficult and abstruse as Aristotle, might feem to be invidious; yet we cannot help expreffing a wish that our tranflator had paid greater attention to his ftyle. Had he taken the author of Hermes for his model, he might have learned that neither brevity nor analyfis are incompatible with elegance and ease. Should a future edition of this work be called for, we would recommend it to the tranflator to fubjoin a few ju dicious notes, and to prefix alfo a preliminary differtation, in which he might greatly elucidate his author, by bringing the leading ideas of others, who have written on the fame fubject, into one point of view. He might also mark out thofe parts of his fyftem upon which fucceeding writers, without referve or acknowledgement, have built their own. Thus might he effectually fhew the value and importance of Ariftotle's work, and |