Pray, gentle reader, what practical inference, applicable either to the rectitude or happiness of life, canft thou make from the above paffage ?—The volume is clofed by a poftscript, which contains detached obfervations on various matters, chiefly political, great part of which has fo much merit, that we are forry the author did not confine his pen to the matters of this world, without intermeddling with any affairs which concern the next. XIV. Six Affemblies; or, Ingenious Converfations of Learned Men among the Arabians, upon a great Variety of useful and entertaining Subjects; formerly published by the celebrated Schultens in Arabic and Latin, with large Notes and Obfervations explaining Several peculiar Cuftoms, Manners and Idioms of Speech amongst the Eastern People; whereby much Light is thrown upon many Paffages of Scripture, both of the Old and New Teftament: together with a Collection of feveral Proverbial Sayings among the Arabians, with an Explanation of their Singular Beauty and Propriety. The whole now translated into English, with Improvements. By Leonard Chappelow, B. D. Arabic Profeffor in the University of Cambridge. 8vo. Pr. 25. Johnfon and Davenport. NOT OTHING is fo infectious as a favourite study: hence we have enthusiasts in all arts, profeffions, and religions; but we know of none more catching than that of Oriental learning. The difficulties attending it enhance its acquifitions, and every ftudent in it is a zealot to explain to others the energy of its language and the fublimity of its fentiments, that his friend may feel them in the fame degree as himself. This is a laudable, but we are afraid it is at the fame time an unprofitable, paflion. The fix affemblies, fays our author in his preface, here offered to the public, are part of those fifty which were written in Arabic by Hariri of Barfa, a city in the kingdom of Babylon. His name at large is by the Arabians thus diftinguifhed, Abu Mohammed Alkafim Ebn Ali Ebn Mohammed Ebn Othman Al-Bafri Al-Hariri: or, more fimply, Ebno-'l Hariri: The son of a filk-merchant. The time of his birth was in the year of Hegirah, [i. e. Mahomet's flight from Mecca to Medinah] 446 of his death about 516, or A. D. 1122. Affemblies in Arabic are called makamaton, viz. feffions, or meetings; fuch particularly as were appointed by learned men to examine and difcourfe on ufeful and edifying fubjects. To ́each tract the author ascribes a name, taken from a remarkable place or city where you are to fuppofe the discourse was : held. held. For instance, that which hath the title of Sananenfis, intimates that it was the fubject of a friendly fociety at Sanaa in Arabia Felix. This affembly [with feveral others] is opened under the feigned name of Harith, the fon of Hemmam. The former fignifying an industrious man: the latter, one who is curious in obferving other people's conduct of life. The province affigned to this perfon, is, to entertain you with the remarks. he had made in the places through which he travelled; defcribing them in an elegant manner, and in fuch language asfhews him to be a master of thofe talents which are the ornament of a polite fcholar. He takes occafion to introduce an old man, by name Abuzeid, who prefents himself to him in every city: a person of so much art, wit, and experience, as to affume what shape, or to appear in what pofture he pleased, agreeable to the circumftances of time or place, or the humours of those he happened to converfe with. The meeting with one of fuch fuperior qualities proves to be a very lucky incident: for from the difcourfe that paffed he receives many advantages, especially those which are inftrumental in promoting the comfort and happiness of life. To bis tafte and humour the author accommodates himself in the easiest manner, paying the utmoft deference to his judgment; esteeming him as a rare, uncommon example, worthy of the most diligent imitation. This conduct exhibits to us a scene of much thought and prudential contrivance: for with greater security to himself, and with less odium from the public, he acts the part of a general Cenfor; he fatyrizes the vices of thofe men, which he perceived were growing to an high degree of infolence: no method, in his opinion, being fo proper as that which he pursues, to bring about a general reformation, and which is the great point he seems to aim at.' We own that we perceive great merit in many of the fpecimens of Arabic poetry given us by this author; but we fcarcely recollect one which has not been made ufe of by some French or English poet, who knew no more of the Arabic, than he did of the Algonquin, language. In the following verfes we shall give a specimen of an Arabian poet's uncom mon genius, in the fimilies he'ufes to defcribe the beauties of teeth, viz. So clear and white is ev'ry tooth, The moisture that diftils from thence, Like water in the limpid ftream, VOL. XXIII, June, 1767. Is Gg Is always fresh, is always bright, When mix'd with wine of gen'rous tafte; But in th' exacteft order plac'd.' If our reader does not find the true fublime and beautiful in this paffage, he is candidly to attribute it to his ignorance of its original beauties, in the fame manner as we pity a Frenchman who is not affected with the poetry of Milton and Shakespear. MONTHLY CATALOGUE. 15. An Efay on the Difeafes moft fatal to Infants. To which are added Rules to be observed in the Nurfing of Children: with a particular View 10 those who are brought up by Hand. Small 8vo. Pr. 2s. 6d. Cadell. ΤΗ : HIS is the fecond treatife on the diseases of children, for which the public has been indebted to practitioners at Hampftead. Notwithstanding the common disorders incident to infants have been reduced, by medical authors, to one single and general caufe; the apparent difficulty of afcertaining them with certainty has occafioned that part of medicine, to be much neglected for parents, entertaining a false notion that little or nothing can be done for infants when ill, defer calling in proper affistance till it is too late; and the tender patient is left all the while to the care of old women, nurses, and midwives. The author of the piece now before us afferts warmly the ex pediency of reforming the administration in this province of phyfic. After giving a fhort account of the hiftory, and diagnoftic fymptoms of the feveral difeafes treated of, which are the inward fits, the thrush, vomitings, four, curdled, green, er watery ftools, and convulfions, he proceeds to the method "of of eure; which, according to established practice, is to confift in evacuating the acrid humours which irritate the bowels. For this purpose, he recommends the ufe of antimonial wine, in a few drops, as operating both by vomit and ftool; and affirms, that though this has the character of being a rough medicine, which may make fome afraid to exhibit it to thofe tender patients, he has given it to many children at different ages, and some of them very young, without ever observing it to produce any bad effect, but much the contrary. With regard to the use of antacid and absorbent medicines, we are of his opinion, that they ought not to be adminiftered, until the bowels are fufficiently unloaded of acrid humours; fince before that time, their efficacy is not to be depended upon; and the truce they may procure is but infidious, and of fhort conti nuance. Befides the diforders of the bowels, our author mentions curforily the measles, small-pox, and hooping-cough; in the two laft of which he likewife celebrates the antimonial folution.'' But we are furprized that he has made no mention of worms, to which children are more particularly liable, as it is certain that thofe very often produce the most violent diforders of the bowels, and which cannot be cured without anthelmintic medicines. Upon the whole, however, this small treatife is entitled to approbation; as it inculcates a rational method of cure, and furnishes fome obfervations of utility in the practice of phyfic. : To this effay are added Rules to be obferved in the nurfing of children with a particular view to thofe who are brought up by hand.' This appendix contains feveral useful and uncommon dietetical injunctions, which we would recommend to the diligent perufal of those who are entrusted with the management of children. That the author is fufficiently converfant in the fubject of which he treats, we have no reafon to doubt: nor indeed has he left us deftitute of an intrinfic proof of his application to it, even in his stile; for we cannot help concluding that the following extraordinary paffage is expreffed in the language of the nursery. The following method will greatly contribute towards a 'child's refting in the night, and though it may appear ftrånge at firft to perfons who never heard of it before, yet as I have feen it practifed with fuccefs, I can therefore recommend it; and that is, for the nurse, the laft thing he does before the goes to bed, about ten or eleven o'clock, to take up the child, open it before the fire, turn it dry, and feed it, even if it is afleep? As to the fact immediately fubjoined, of a child's ea ing a hearty mess of victuals while afleep, which we fuppofe is there meant; we must be at liberty to queftion the reality of fuch an appearance, till our author can convince us, that a child cannot be awake when its eyes are fhut, or that deglutition is not a voluntary action. '16. A new and eafy Method of giving Mercury, to thofe affected with the Venereal Disease. To which is annexed a new Theory of the Action of this Metal on the falivary Glands. Tranflated from the Latin of Jofeph James Plenck, Profeffor of Surgery and Midwifery at Vienna. By William Saunders, M. D. Is. 6d. Dilly. 4to. Pr. This is a curfory tranflation, from the Latin, of a celebrated treatife lately published at Vienna, by Jofeph James Flenck; in which, from a variety of experiments, he has difcovered a more fuccefsful method of adminiftering mercury, in the venereal difeafe than has hitherto been practifed on the principles of fcience. This new method confifts in extinguishing mercury with the mucilage of gum arabic. Mr. Plenck ingenuoufly acknowledges, that he owed the firft fuggeftion of this difcovery to Philippus Ambrofius Marherr, an eminent phyfician, and his friend; who, in a converfation on the various and unfatisfactory hypothefes which have been invented by authors, concerning the action of mercury on the falivary glands, gave it as his opinion, that mercury had a greater affinity with the faliva and mucus, than with any of the other fluids of the body; and that therefore the mouth and throat were chiefly affected by it: adding likewife, that he had feen a small quantity of mercury difappear, by trituration in the faliva: but that it was probable, there was a greater affinity between mercury and mucus; for mercury not only runs to the falivary glands, but also to the mucous; and that the mucus was much fitter for retaining it, than the thinner fluid, the faliva. He obferved befides, that a very fimple experiment might be made to determine the matter with certainty. This experiment therefore Mr. Plenck foon fet about making; and found accordingly that a fmall quantity of mercury was made to disappear in the faliva; that the mucus, however, received a larger quantity, and united with it more expeditiously. Finding the opinion of his friend concerning the affinity of mercury with thofe fluids thus confirmed; it was agreed that they should try the experiment with other mucilaginous bodies, both animal and vegetable; to dif cover whether there were not other gelatinous and viscid fubstances, with which mercury might be likewife united ; and if any fuch exifted, whether they differed in the degree of their power, from that of the faliva and animal mucus. Mr. Plenck relates fifteen experiments which were made for this purpose, with mercury, and various fubftances; as firft, with |