Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

the blood veffels; fince fo large a quantity of fugar as was found in the urine-not less than 20 ounces in a day-could not have existed in the blood without being perceptible to the tafte.

A paffage which we have met with, in M. Macquer's excellent Dictionary of Chymistry, under the article Urine, is so very applicable to the prefent fubject, that we cannot resist the temptation of transcribing it.

After obferving that certain odoriferous fubftances, taken inwardly, fuch as afparagus, turpentine, and others, quickly communicate their peculiar fmells to the urine even of a person who is in a ftate of perfect health; he adds-" But I have alfo seen perfons fubject to pains of the head, and whofe digeftion has been laborious and painful, in confequence of an hysterical or hypochondriacal temperament, who have difcharged urine in which I could most evidently perceive the smell of coffee, fpices, onions, fruits, herbs, and even of broths, when they had taken nothing else; in fhort, of any food which they had fwallowed that had the least odour. The urine of these perfons was conftantly acid, and always reddened fyrup of violets and blue paper, when it was firft difcharged; especially after they had eat fruits and greens, and drank even a small quantity of wine.". This laft obfervation tends to confirm the hypothefis of Mr. Darwin. It is well known that the urine of perfons in health, even when firft difcharged, is so far from exhibiting appearances of acidity; that a ftrong odour of volatile alcali is immediately perceived on adding a little fixed alcali to it. The uncombined acid, therefore, in the urine of these hypochondriacal perfons, muft probably have been the native acid of the fruits, &c. which they had fwallowed, and which had paffed, unchanged, through the channels pointed out by Mr. Darwin, directly to the bladder; or it poffibly may, in fome cafes, have been generated, by thefe fruits or other aliments undergoing the acetous fermentation in the prima viæ.

Having thus fhewn that there fubfifts a communication between the alimentary canal and the bladder, by means of the abforbent veffels; the ingenious Author next proceeds to fhew that the phenomena of many difeafes, or morbid fymptoms, are only explicable from the retrograde motions of the fluids contained in fome of the branches of the lymphatic fyftem; which have a certain fympathy with each other: fo that when one branch is ftimulated into unufual kinds or quantities of motion, fome other branch has its motions either increased, or diminished, or inverted, at the fame time. To the fame caufe, or to the occafionally retrograde motions that take place in fome of the branches of the lymphatic fyftem, he afcribes those sudden translations of matter, of chyle, of milk, and of urine, of which fo many remarkable inftances have been recorded; as it is certainly

5

difficult

difficult to conceive, on any other fyftem, how thefe different fluids, fuppofing them to have been abforbed into, and mixed with, the whole mafs of blood, could have been fo haftily separated from it, as well as collected and transferred to any one part.

For the many other ingenious obfervations and hints contained in this effay, we must refer our medical and philofophical Readers to the work itself:-not however without firft fincerely fympathifing with the father of this excellent youth; and lamenting the lofs which the Public have fuftained in the premature death of one, whofe early exertions in the cause of science, and whose extraordinary natural talents, improved by a judicious mode of education, defcribed in his Life affixed to thefe Effays, were fuch, as would undoubtedly have enabled him, had his life been fpared, to realise the most fanguine expectations of his friends.

FOREIGN LITERATURE.
(By our CORRESPONDENTS.)
FRANCE.
AR T. VII.

DESCRIPTION des principales Pierres gravées du Cabinet de S. A. S. Monfeigneur le Duc D'ORLEANS, Premier Prince du Sang. Tome I. Paris. 1780.-A Description of the principal Gems in the Cabinet of the Duke of Orleans. Fol. p. 303.-This is the firft volume of a work, which, when it is completed, will form one of the moft fplendid, elegant, and ufeful publications concerning the subject of the fine arts during the period of their higheft cultivation in ancient Greece.

The volume which we have now the pleasure to announce, contains 95 plates, defigned and engraved after the ancient models, with equal accuracy and taste, by M. de St. Aubin, one of the first artifts in France. The defcription is given by Meffrs. the Abbés De La Chau, and Le Blond, affifted by the erudition, taste, and judgment of the Abbé Arnaud, whose ingenious Discourses, published in the Memoirs of the Academy of Belles Lettres are so well known, and fo generally admired by the learned of Europe.

When we confider the different objects of human knowledge, in relation either to the utility or the pleasure which the study of them is calculated to afford, the hiftory of the arts seems more important than that of empires. Yet the latter, as it addreffes itself more directly to the paffions of men,, has always obtained a greater share of their attention. It is easier to pull down than to build; more pains are required to establish than to destroy; and it has always been a more common, because a lefs difficult task, to defcribe fieges, battles and conquefts, than to trace the

U 3

gradual

gradual improvements of the human mind, in works of real ingenuity and ufe.

Of all the monuments of ancient art, there is none from which we may derive more various and more agreeable inftruction than from the engravings on precious ftones. Thefe invaluable defigns often prefent us with exact copies of the moft admired Grecian ftatues ftill remaining; from which there is reason to conclude, that many pieces of fculpture, of which the originals have unfortunately perifhed, are preferved and perpetuated in the devices of thefe ineftimable gems; on which we fee expreffed, with inimitable art, the images and enfigns of the feveral divinities; the characters and exploits of kings and heroes; the most striking peculiarities of ancient cuftoms and inftitutions; and all the complicated variety of religious and moral allegory.

The wide diverfity of fubject to which these emblems relate, fhows the great extent of knowledge neceffary for explaining them with fuccefs; and we will venture to pronounce, that notwithstanding the many learned and elegant performances that have been published on this fubject fince the revival of letters, there is none more deferving of regard than the work before us, whether we confider the beauty and accuracy of the defigns, or the learning and ingenuity of the description.

The judicious Authors have given us a very juft and candid criticism on the labours of their predeceffors in this walk of literature. The collection of Agoftini, which is one of the moft ancient, is chiefly valuable on account of the engravings of Galeftruzzi; but the explanations accompanying them are not remarkable either for learning or for tafte. Bellori gave. new edition of this work, which was afterwards fucceffively improved by Gronovius in Holland, and by Maffei in Italy; but after all thefe corrections, the work of Agoftini is not very complete or very useful.

a

A few years after the publication of Maffei, Beger gave to the world feveral large volumes of indigefted erudition; diffufe, without perfpicuity; learned, but not inftructive. His engravings are neither defigned with accuracy, nor executed with taite. La Chauffe, who fucceeded Beger, labours under an oppofite defect. His explanations are too fuccinct to be intelligible; and he was very little acquainted with the art which he undertook to illuftrate.

Baron Stofch had principally in view to collect fuch gems as contain the names of the artifts who engraved them; to compare their different excellencies; and thus to form a judgment of their respective merit. Confidered in this view, his work is extremely curious. It is only to be regretted, that he was not affifted by an artift of more induftry and fkill than Bernard

Picard.

Picard. The performance of Gravelle is, notwithstanding its rapid fale and its fuccefs with the Public, rather a catalogue than a defcription; and we never find in his copies that purity, fimplicity and fire, which diftinguish the noble originals. Montfaucon, in his pompous book, L'Antiquité expliquée, fpeaks of ancient monuments of art, like a man who had feen them in a dream. The learned and indefatigable Gori has examined ancient gems with much erudition and confiderable knowledge of art; but of him, as well as of Spence, Wilde, Ebermayer, and Ficoroni, it may be faid, that none of them have illustrated the fubject by the light of philofophy, penetrated to a fufficient depth into the myfteries of heathen mythology, or difcriminated the various productions that fell under their review, with fuch attentive accuracy as was neceffary to explain their feveral beauties and defects, and to characterife the ftyle of their respective authors.

[ocr errors]

The Count of Caylus joined the habit of uncommon induftry to a natural tafte for the arts. His time and his fortune were equally confecrated to the ftudy of antiquity. He difdained not the affiftance of the learned and ingenious in every part of Europe. The severity of a jealous eye may discover fome miftakes and imperfections in his numerous publications; but it is impoffible to deny him the merit of making useful difcoveries, and of smoothing the road of knowledge to those who succeeded him.

To the encouragement of Count Caylus the Public is indebted for the excellent treatise on engraved ftones by M. Mariette, whofe long and extenfive travels, whofe general correfpondence with men of letters, and whofe connection with the celebrated Bouchardon, confpired to enable him to do juftice to the immenfe treasures of the French King's cabinet, which was fubmitted to his review and examination. In the first part of his work, he gives the hiftory of the art of engraving on precious ftones, a general account of the artifts, and, in a word, whatever concerns the fubject of Dactyliography. His fecond volume is deftined to explain the ancient monuments of this kind belonging to his moft Chriftian Majefty; and here it is to be regretted, that he has confined himself to too narrow limits to apply and illuftrate the principles which he had been at great pains to establish. The ftyle of Bouchardon too much prevails in his plates, to allow us to fuppofe that they have been copied with the moft fcrupulous fidelity. It is not eafy for a great artift to fubmit to a fervile imitation of a whole compofition. But we cannot agree with the Authors of the work before us, that the correctnefs, purity and elegance of Bouchardon's defigns compenfate for the defect of an exact imitation of the original. When a French tranflator or artist

is tempted to embellish a Grecian model, he should remember that the taste of France is, like that of the other modern countries of Europe, fluctuating, particular, and temporary; that of ancient Greece is univerfal and permanent. We never fee an

aukward attempt of this kind, to improve the invaluable monuments of ancient literature or art, but we recollect a celebrated print, in which a French dancing-mafter, placed by the statue of Apollo, defires the graceful divinity to hold up his head, "Levez la tête, Monfieur l'Apollon."

In fpeaking of the learned men whofe labours have diffused the knowledge of antiquity in France, the Authors of the prefent undertaking do not forget the celebrated Peirefc, who was one of the firft that formed a copious collection both of gems and medals, at a time when the cultivation of fuch ftudies was very little regarded in that kingdom. Since his time the science of medals has been greatly improved, particularly by M. Pellerin, who has defcribed with great erudition the numerous medallic curiofities of which he was poffeffed, and which being now added to the cabinet of the French King, form the most magnificent collection in the world.

After all these fkilful antiquaries, there was ftill room for the labours of the Abbé Winckelmann, which have illuftrated the remains of ancient ftatuary. In his work, entitled, The Hiftory of the Arts of the Ancients, this accomplished antiquary has defcribed the Apollo of the Belvedere, the Venus of Medicis, the, Laocoon, and other productions of Grecian fculpture, with a warmth of ftyle and expreffion which vies with the chiffel of the inimitable artists who have been immortalifed by these masterpieces of genius. His defcription of the gems in the cabinet of Baron Stofch is a model in its kind. In all his works, learning is accompanied with taste; and he never mentions any monument of antiquity which does not furnish useful ideas for promoting the progrefs of the arts.

This panegyric of the Abbé Winckelmann is justified by the judicious ufe which the Authors have made of his obfervations in explaining the cabinet of the Duke of Orleans. That the curious Reader may know what entertainment he has reafon ta expect from their work, we fhall give a lift of the plates, and fhall infert a tranflation of a few of the principal defcriptions.

Ifis.

[blocks in formation]

Leda.

Ganymede.

Ganymede.

Minerva.

Minerva.

Ceres.

Proferpine.

Diana.

« AnteriorContinua »