Imatges de pàgina
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The Sacred clafs prefents croffes, vafes, leaden feals, paintings, and infcriptions.

The Afiatic clafs has many curious monuments, idols, and coins.

Of the Cufic clafs the cardinal was the first great collector in Europe. The Cufic coins have been published by Adler at Rome, 1782, being the first numismatic work of that nature. Profeffor Affemani expreffes his furprize at the long neglect in which the Cufic monuments have lain, though they be the remains of the Saracens or Arabs, a people who overturned the Perfian empire, and contributed to the fall of the Grecian; and who, after spreading their conquefts from the Indus to the Pyrenees, cultivated moft arts and sciences with diftinguished fuccefs. He adds, that Nani, a Venetian fenator, has a great collection of Cufic coins, which have been illuftrated by Affemani himfelf in the Mufeo Cufico Niano, &c. Padova, 1787. Befides the 101 coins of this clafs published by Adler, there are 500 more in the Borgian Museum unexplained. To this divifion alfo belong a patera, on which the noted temple of the Caaba appears engraven, an idol of the Drufes, a feal, and four gems, all published by Adler in the work above-mentioned; befides twenty other pateræ, fome vafes with various figures and Cufic infcriptions, and eighty gems, infcribed plates of lead and other metals, a monumental marble with Cufic letters, a complete aftrolabe in fine prefervation, and the globe now illuftrated. Add Cufic manufcripts, and it will appear that the Borgian Museum is not a little opulent in this uncommon clafs.

The learned author then proceeds to mention that the globe, about to be described, was conftructed by an astronomer named Caiffar, or Cæfar, the fon of Abi Alcafem Alabraki, at the command of Muhammed Alkamel VI. king of Egypt, in the year of the Hegira 622, or of the Christian æra 1225, as appears from an infcription on it.

Our learned profeffor then gives us a Differtation on the Aftronomy of the Arabs, a people addicted to this fcience from very early times. Golius has obferved that the Arabian names of ftars are mostly derived from pastoral life, and from the cat tle and flocks ever before the eyes of the first inventors. Some names of conftellations are given in the book of Job, who, according to our author, and many other writers, was an Arab. But concerning the Arabian aftronomy, prior to the age of Mohammed their prophet, no authentic intelligence remains. When the Abbaflides afcended the throne of the east, Arabian fcience began to flourish. Most of the Greek works in philofophy, mathematics, and medicine, were tranflated into

the

the Arabic language. In a fhort time, every city under the power of the Arabs began not only to boaft of schools, colleges, and academies, but of men eminently skilled in the sciences. The calif who contributed most to the cultivation of aftronomy was Almamon, who began to reign A. D. 813: during his reign several aftronomical tables were published, and thofe of Ptolemy were reduced into a more exact order. We fhall not follow our author in his anecdotes of Arabian aftronomy and aftronomers, but must not omit to mention his defence of the Arabs against Brucker, who, in his Critical Hiftory of Philofophy, aflerts that this nation added nothing to the aftronomical obfervations of the Greeks, but, on the contrary, much depraved them; an opinion before confuted by Andres, in his book De Origine & Progreffu omnis Literatura, Pariæ, 1782, p. 146, &c. Profeffor Affemani remarks, that Albatani, or Albategni, alone added confiderably to astronomy: 1. he established that the fixed stars move towards the east on the poles of the ecliptic, one degree in feventy years; whereas Ptolemy allowed one hundred, and his eftimation is far nearer the truth than that of Ptolemy; 2. he difcovered the motion of the fun's apogee, which was before thought immoveable; 3. he corrected the errors of Ptolemy concerning the motion of the planets; 4. as he perceived that Ptolemy's canons differed from the real state of the heavens in his time, he compofed new tables. This aftronomer flourished A. D. 920. Halley terms him a wonderful author for the time, in the Phil. Tranf. 1693, n. 204. The inventions of the Arabs in the mathematics, and their aftronomical obfervations and inftruments, are afterwards illuftrated.

But we haften to give the defcription of the remarkable celeftial globe, which forms the fubject of this treatise, as drawn up by the cardinal Borgia himself.

This globe is compofed of a yellow metal, and fo divided that one half may be put into the other. It is fupported by four feet, of which two, oppofite to each other, are quadrants of a vertical circle. The whole height of the machine is nineteen Roman inches and three quarters: the diameter of the gicbe about a Roman palm. The breadth of the two circles of the horizon and meridian is exactly given in the first plate, which also prefents a fmaller view of the whole machine.

The figures of the conftellations are engraven in double lines, between which is drawn a vein of fmalto roffo, red cement, or enamel. The stars are indented filver, as are the names of the chief stars and conftellations, and two Cufic infcriptions. Of the smaller stars the names alfo appear, but without ornament: nor has the horizontal circle, the meridian, or the other circles, any decoration. Yet the whole machine is fo skilfully fabricated,

bricated, and with fuch minute art, that it is worthy of the royal ufe for which it was defigned.

The feveral conftellations are afterwards defcribed, and compared with thofe of Ptolemy: many of the names are Greek.

This curious work is illuftrated with three good plates, prefenting a minute and complete view of the feveral parts of this uncommon globe.

Dictionnaire, Grammaires, & Dialogues Tartares Mantchoux François, redigés, & publiés avec des Additions confiderables, par L. Langlès, Auteur de l'Alphabet Tartare-Mantchou. 4 Vols. 4to. Didot. Paris. 1791.

THIS work, which at first appears to be of a very confined

nature, and only adapted to the curiofity of a few literati, acquires a general importance from the information that the laft and the prefent emperors of China, themfelves Mantchous, have ordered all the beft books in the Chinese language to be tranflated into the Mantchou-Tartaric: and as the latter fpeech is not written with hieroglyphic characters, like the Chinese, but with an alphabet on the common model, the ftudy of this dialect will afford a complete key to the Chinese li

terature.

In giving fome account of this publication we fhall chiefly follow the Prospectus of M. Langles. The Mantchou, he obferves, is now the most learned and perfect of the Tartaric tongues, not excepting the facred dialect of Tibet, or Tangut: for the latter he regards as a Tartaric fpeech, as he does the Sanskrit or ancient language of Hindoftan. The Tibetan dialect is celebrated as comprifing the facred books of Boudh, or Beddha, founder of Sabeifm or Schamanism; the Sanskrit prefents thofe of Brahma, who only altered the dogmas, and appropriated to himself the ideas of the former: in a word, according to Mr. Langles, Brahma was only a Sabean heretic, and confequently pofterior to Boudh, whofe facred impostures may be regarded as the most ancient of all those which now exercife human credulity. But when Mr. L. proceeds to fay that Boudh is the Fo of the Chinefe, &c. he fhews a ftrong propensity to that common error of antiquaries and etymologifts, the reference of all objects to one favourite notion: and when he adds that Boudh is the Woden of the Goths, and the Torus of the Laplanders, he seems ignorant that the latter is only the Thor of the Gothic nations, a very different perfonage from Woden, and borrowed by the Laplanders from their Norwegian neighbours.

Alike unfortunate, their fate is fuch,

They prove too little, or they prove too much. POPE To return from this digreflion: the formation of the Mantchou dialect is not very ancient, and it poffeffed no appropriated letters till the time of the fifth ancestor of the prefent reigning dynasty in China. This prince, who reigned over the Mantchous about the year 1600, ordered fome learned men to defign characters after those of the Monguls: they only rectified the form of the latter, and added certain figns to exprefs peculiar founds. The Mongul letters are nearly the fame with thofe of the Ouighours, which are clearly derived from the Stranghels, or ancient Siac. The fucceffor of this prince ordered, in 1634, a tranflation of fome Chinese works, and the compofition of a code of laws for all the people fubject to the Mantchou government. In 1641, a man of learning and genius, called Tahai, retouched the letters, and gave them a degree of perfection of which one would not have believed them capable.

Chun-tche, the first Chinese emperor of the Mantchou race, caufed continue the tranflation of Chinese books, and compofe dictionaries of both languages.

The celebrated Kan-hi eftablished a tribunal of literati, equally verfed in the Chinese, and in the Tartaric: fome laboured particularly in the tranflation of claffical or hiftorical works; others were occupied in a general dictionary, which was entitled The Mirror of the Mantchou-Tartaric Language, and in which no labour nor expence was fpared. Old men were interrogated concerning doubtful words; and rewards were propofed to any one who discovered an obfolete expreffion, worthy of a place in the dictionary, which is difpofed in the order of fubjects. This work forms twenty-five volumes and feveral copies of it are in the library of the French king.

Kien-long, who has reigned in China for thefe fifty-fix years, has not fhewn lefs regard than his predeceffors to the ufeful labours of the tribunal of tranflators; and, by the indefatigable cares of many learned men, penfioned more than a century by the above-mentioned fovereigns, there is hardly at prefent one good work in the Chinese language which has not been tranflated, with the utmoft fkill and attention, into the Mantchou. Thefe numerous and excellent translations form a collection the more valuable, as it is very difficult even for natives, and almost impoffible for foreigners, to perufe the originals, written in a hieroglyhic character, the knowledge of which is hardly attainable in a life-time, whereas the Mantchou, which partakes of our European languages, has its me

thod

thod and rules, and, in a word, is of clear intelligence. A ftudious perfon may in five or fix years be in a condition to read with ease all the books written in this language. Since the end of last century, the French miffionaries have, of course, devoted a particular attention to the Mantchou, which furnishes a long wished-for key to the whole treasure of Chinese literature.

The fathers Gerbillon and Domenge long fince invited different French literati to ftudy the Mantchou, and sent them the neceffary guides, but of which no ufe was then made. The former compofed in Latin, an excellent grammar, intituled Elementa Lingua Tartarica, printed, but without Tartaric characters, in Thevenot's Collection of Voyages: the latter compofed for the ufe of M. de Fourmont an Eflay upon the Method of learning the Language of the Mantchous, which Mr. L. procured from a gentleman in whofe hands the manuscript was But a Mantchou and Latin dictionary by father Verbieit, has as yet efcaped his researches.

M. Amyot, who is fo well known by his learned labours on the fciences and literature of the Chinese, has not been difheartened by the failure of the attempts of his predeceffors. He fent to the minifter, charged with the Chinese correfpondence, a fyllabary, a grammar, and a dictionary of the Mantchou language. M. Langlés was defired to examine these manufcripts, in order to form a judgment concerning their utility. The defire of contributing to the progrefs of learning, and the glory of introducing a learned language into Europe, induced him to an enterprife which might have appeared rafh, and he dared to attempt to learn alone the Mantchou, by the affiftance of the elementary works which had been entrusted to him.

Upon opening the grammar, inftead of an alphabet, he be held with furprise a fyllabary of 1500 groups; but, reflecting that thefe groups could only be compofed of letters, he endeavoured to analife them and from this operation, not yet undertaken by the Mantchous themselves, there refulted a complete alphabet of twenty-nine letters, moft of which have three forms, accordingly as they are placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

These letters, thus fimplified, facilitated the perufal of the Tartaric fpeech, and it became eafy to caufe engrave puncheons, which were reducible to a very fmall number. This enterprise appeared the more ufeful, as the minifter of the royal houfhold had just put in order the fuperb founts of oriental characters belonging to the king's prefs, which had been bu ried in duft for a century: an event which happened in the year 1787, and which was announced to the public by M. de CRIT. REV. N. AR. (IV.) Jan. 1792. H Guignes,

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