tinguifh the Author as one of the firft among the prefent Italian Poets. Reponte de Mr. Clairaut à quelques Piéces, la plupart anonymes, 12mo Paris. Lambert, 1759. Or, &c. Mr. Clairaut's Answer to certain Pamphlets, chiefly anonymous, written against his Memoir concerning the Comet of 1682. THE purport of the Memoir which Mr. Clairaut read to the Royal Academy of Sciences, on the 14th of November, 1758, was to fhew, that the Comet then fo impatiently expected, would arrive at its perihelion about the middle of the April following, and to account for its delay beyond the predicted time. Now it happened that he was about a month out: a lucky cirumftance for those inferior smatterers in science, who take delight in depreciating the labours of fuperior minds, and have no means to advance their own merit, but by undervaluing that of others. The candid lovers of Aftronomy, however, cannot but think themselves much obliged to Mr. Clairaut, for the pains he took in the abovementioned Memoir, as well as by the present Answer, which he has condefended to bestow on fuch as would merit no reply, were the fubject of lefs importance. It were needless to fay, that our ingenious Academician has fully replied to the objections of his detractors, and proved their futility. La Science des Poftes Militaires; ou Traité des Fortifications de Campagne, a Ufage des Officiers particuliers d' Infantrie qui font Detachés à la Guerre: Dans lequel on a compris la Manier de les defendres et de les attaquer. Par M. Le Cointe, cidevant Lieutenant d' Infanterie, depuis Capitaine de Cavalerie, de l'Academie Royale de Nismes. 12mo. Paris. 1759. Or, The Science of Military Pofts; or a Treatife on Field Fortifications, for the Ufe of thofe Officers of Infantry who command Detachments upon service; in which is comprehended the Manner of defending and attacking Out-posts. By Mr. Le Cointe, &c. Member of the Royal Academy of Nifmes. Τ TO this small treatise are prefixed, a Letter to the Author from M. le Marechal Comte de Lautrec, an extract from the Tranfactions of the Academy of Nifmes, the approbation L 4 probation of two Academicians, and another of M. Belidor, Cenfor Royal of Artillery, &c. Members of the Academy of Berlin; all which contain very ftrong recommendations of the book. M. Belidor expreffes himfelf in the following manner. "I have read, by order of the Chancellor, a manufcript "entitled, The Science of Military Pofts, &c. This work, "which is written with great circumfpection, method, and "erudition, comprehends the beft maxims that can be given "for the Fortification and Defence of the Out-posts of an Army; it will therefore be of great utility to young Offcers nor do I know of any other more inftructive, nor more proper to excite their emulation." 66 66 To this we fhall add the tranflation of the Author's account of his plan, as we find it in his preliminary Discourse, which, we imagine, will be fufficient to give our Readers an idea of the work. The Reader must not expect to find, in this Treatife, a detail of the service of fuch pofts to which General Officers are commonly detached, nor rules for constructing Lines of Communication, for the fecuring of an army. As I write but for the inftruction of particular Officers, I treat only of those Pofts to which detachments of thirty, fifty, to a hundred men are commanded. Ift, I have given a general idea of the Geometry which is neceffary for tracing intrenchments; 2d, Of the different works with which a poft may be fortified; 3d, The various methods of augmenting their ftrength. 4th, The neceflary preparations for going upon detachment; 5th, In what manner to conduct your march to a detached poft. 6th, How to establish yourself in a detached post. 7th, The precautions neceffary to prevent furprize. 8th, The difpofitions requifite for a vigorous defence; 9th, In what manner pofts are to be defended; 10th and laftly, How they are to be attacked by open violence or by ftratagem. This is the Author's plan, which feems to comprehend all that can be faid upon the fubject. After Mr. Belidor's teftimony, it were needless to say any thing in praise of the manner in which it is executed: we cannot, however avoid adding, that we are informed the book is now actually tranflating by an English Officer, for the ufe of his brethren in the army. Bat Socrate, Socrate, ouvrage dramatique, traduit de l'Anglois de feu Mr. Tompson. 12mo. Amfterdam, 1759. Or, Socrates, a dramatic Work. Tranflated from the English. N the Preface to this performance, we are told, that Mr. Addifon had begun a dramatic piece on the fame fubject; the manufcript of which he left unfinished in the hands of the late Mr. Thomson, the fuppofed Author of the original, from which this tranflation is faid to be made. Le fuccés de Caton (fays this pretended Tranflator) ayant enhardi Mr. Addifon, il jet taenfin fur le papier l'efquifle de la mort de Socrate, en trois actes. La place de Secretaire d'Etat, qu'il occupa quelque temps après, lui déroba le temps dont il avoit befoin pour finir cet ouvrage. Il • donna son manufcrit à Mr. Tompfon, fon élève; celui-ci • n'ofa pas d'abord traiter un fujet fi grave et fi dénué de tout ce qui eft en poffeffion de plaire au theâtre. Il commença par d'autres tragédies: il donna Sophonifbe, Coriolan, Tancrede, &c. et fina fa carriére par la mort de Socrate, qu'il écrivit en profe fcène par fcène, et qu'il confia à fes illuftres amis M. Dodington, et M. Littletont, comptés • parmi les plus beaux génies d'Angleterre. < < • Mr. Littleton ne voulut pas qu'on jouât cette piece, parce que le caractére de Melitus refembloit trop à celui du fergent de loy Catbrée, dont il etoit allié. Il me donna la tragedie de Mr. Tompson à fon dernier voyage en Hollande. Je le traduifis en François, et je veux bien laiffer courir • cette traduction, en attendant que je faffe imprimer l' ori'ginal.' What could induce this Writer to impofe fo grofs a falfhood on the public, we do not readily conceive; nor do we pretend to determine with what juftice the piece itself is attributed to the pen of Mr. Voltaire. We can take upon us, however, to affure our Readers, that the right hon. perfonage who is here faid to have given our Tranflator the original copy, has not been in Holland thefe eight and twenty years; and that Mr. Thomson was at that time as unknown to his Lordfhip, as Mr. Addison, whom Mr. Thomson never faw, was to him. So far, indeed, was Mr. Thomson from having written, or his Lordship from having approved any piece of his on this fubject, that when the death of Socrates was once recom * An edition has been printed in London, by Nourfe. mended mended to Mr. Thomfon, by his friend the Bishop of Derry, he judged it a fubject unfit for the ftage: in which opinion Lord Lyttelton ftrongly concurred. Thus the whole ftory of the original of this play is as fictitious as the reason for its not having been acted, viz. his Lordship's alliance with the pretended Catbrée, an odious being created by the imagination of Mr. Fatema*, traducteur. It may not be unneceffary further to inform our foreign Readers, that this Writer has deceived them alfo in what he has afferted about the reprefentation of another dramatic piece on the death of Socrates, at the theatre in London: no play on that subject having as yet appeared. With refpect to the merits of the work itself, however, it is far from being contemptible; altho' it be fomething irregular, and but little adapted to the stage. It confifts only of three acts; and is written in profe. As to the execution and defign, the Author has not confined himself strictly to historical fact; his plan is, nevertheless, extremely fimple, and the characters well fupported.. Probably intended to pafs on the public for Mr. Feytama, a very ingenious and elegant Writer, of Amfterdam, lately deceased. K-n-k MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For FEBRUARY, 1760. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 1. Obfervations on Bridge-building, and the feveral Plans offered for a new Bridge. In a Letter addreffed to the Gentlemen of the Committee appointed by the Common-Council of the City of London, for putting in Execution a Scheme for building a new Bridge across the Thames, at or near Black Friers. 8vo. Is. Townsend. 7ITHOUT W reflection on the Gentlemen of the Comany mon-Council, it is natural to fuppofe, that many, even of their Committee, are unacquainted with the fcience of Architecture; an attempt, therefore, to affift and direct their judgment in the choice of a perfon to execute a defign of fuch importance, is undoubtedly commendable: the point is, whether it be as fkilfully, and honestly, executed-but as these Gentlemen have already decided the controverfy, by making choice of that plan, which, after confulting the moft able Judges, appeared to them the most eligible, we think it unnecefiary to enter now into the merits of the cause. B-tArt Art. 2. Truth developed, and Innocence protected: or the Merits and Demerits of the late Commander in Chief of the British Forces in Germany set forth, and proved from undoubted Facts; and his Character cleared from the accumulated Afperfions which have been caft thereon. Humbly addreffed to both Houses of Parliament. 8vo. Is. 6d. Scott. This Knight Errant, this Protector of Innocence, has ventured to attack the Author of the celebrated Letters to a late Noble Commander. He obferves, that the file of that Writer is good and *flowing, that his arguments at firft fight, feem to carry weight with them that his reproaches are keen, and his reflections fevere: but he adds, that they are the most malicious which a heated imagination could invent. To prove this malice, he recapitulates all the objections which have been made to thofe Letters, and which were long fince obviated by the Writer himself. He likewife fubjoins fome dull and trifling reflections of his own: but we shall dwell no longer on this fubject, a the public are well apprised of the arguments on both fides. We fhall only add, that our Author's reasoning is without force, and that he is an utter ftranger to method and precifion. We advise him, therefore, not to undertake to be the Champion of Innocence, till he has learned how to defend himself; for at present he is unguarded in almost every paragraph. R-d Art. 3. De Linguis, Artibus, et Scientiis, Societatis, fœlicitatifque humanæ fontibus atque fuleris Differtatio: In qua Doctrina Laudes, ac Commoda; necnon, vitiorum quorundam in docendo obreptorum, et viri facultate docendi præditi, Characteres educuntur. Per C. H. L. H. P. 4to. Is. Millar. By an Advertisement annexed to this Differtation, it appears, that young Gentlemen are boarded and taught English, Latin, Greek, French, Mathematics, &c. by the Author, at Selling near Feversham. -If his defign in presenting a Latin Differtation to the public, was to fhew how well qualified he is to teach the Latin language, he will not be displeased with us for inferting a fhort fpecimen of his ftile and manner, which the Reader may judge of from the following Dedication. AD ORNATISSIMUM VIRUM, GULIELMUM, COMITEM 'JUDICEM. Maximam falutem impertiens, differtationem hanc, fummâ, quâ • decet, reverentiâ, facilis, accipias quæfo. Rarò quidem, tale, an ⚫ unquam, opus aggreditur; et, ut nemo, ego. Sed, vir digniffime, hujus ergo, in culpâ me, te non reprehenfurum, aut cuivis vitio * verfurum, fpero; cum bono animo, et honefto, omnes erga fcripfi, • differtationemque qualemcunque edidi. Nec humaniores Literas ⚫ profitentem pigeat, cogitata ad bonum publicum proferre fuoque, gratius nomen præfcribere; ex Literis, pro Rege, Patrià, Judicibus, genereque humano, fi quâ poteft, digna, utiliter agere. • Ut |