of examples in proof of this affertion; let the few following fuffice at prefent:

Every one acquainted with the Grecian and Roman hiftories has heard of the names of Xerxes, Tiribazus.

Xerxes in the Perfian language is o

Xirshah, or

Shirshah, which fignifies the Lion King, juftly tranflated by Herodotus, anov, bellator, the Warrior. Thus alio Tiribazus, is Tiribaz, throwing away the Latin termination us, is ju Tiribaz, the Arrow-player, the fkilful Archer, Shooter.

The modern Perfians ufe the above words, and affix the fame ideas to them that their ancient progenitors did; which feems to point out the excellency of the language. And, what is moft amazing, though Perfia has undergone many revolutions; has been fubject to various kings, fprung from different nations; has had its conftitution altered; has even loft its ancient letters, and has adopted the Arabic alphabet, with many thousand words out of that language, not only in religion and philofophy, but even in common converfation; yet it retains these words in their native original form; fo that an Arabian can understand them at first fight.

Our Author remarks that, perhaps, the literature of Afia will not be effentially neceflary to the greater part of mankind ;' and he adds, but the civil and natural hiftory of fuch mighty empires as India, Perfia, Arabia, and Tartary, cannot fail of delighting thofe who love to view the great picture of the univerfe, or to learn by what degrees the most obfcure flates have rifen to glory, and the most flourishing kingdoms have funk to decay. The philofopher will confider those works as highly valuable, by which he may trace the human mind in all its various appearances, from the rudeft to the moft cultivated ftate; and the man of talle will undoubtedly be pleased to unlock the ftores of native genius, and to gather the flowers of unrestrained and luxuriant fancy.'

Having thus given a general review of this Perfian Grammar, we heartily recommend it as the most useful work that has hitherto appeared on the fubject, notwithstanding the Author's having palled over, in too curfory a manner, the rules with refpect to the fyllabication and reading of the language. Its deficiency, in this refpect, muft indeed Atrike every one who begins to perufe the Grammar in order to learn the language. It were to be wifhed, alfo, that the Author had recommended to his ftudent to begin learning the Arabic language first, as a little acquaintance with it would not only facilitate the reading of the Perfian, but furnish him with a flock of words which he will find in every page of a Perfian writer, cloathed in their native drefs. We are fully perfuaded of the truth of what we

have now afferted, by late accounts tranfmitted to their friends from young gentlemen appointed interpreters of the Perfian language, who declare, that, after having spent a confiderable time in ftudying the Perfic, they found themselves under a neceffity to begin to learn the Arabic.

From the known candour of the learned Author, we flatter ourselves that he will not be offended by any of our obfervations, as they proceed entirely from a view to promote the intereft of the ftudent, and perhaps may give Mr. Jones an opportunity to reconfider fome things, and to fupply, in a future edition of this Grammar, any defects that may appear to him of importance. This talk we have performed with the greater pleasure, from the modeft manner in which the Author expreffes himself with refpect to his work: Though I am not confcious, fays he, that there are any effential miftakes or omiffions in it, yet I am fenfible that it falls very fhort of perfection.'

We are glad to find that a fecond edition of Meninfki's claborate Dictionary will be publifhed, under the direction of our learned Author, who propofes alfo to collect fuch words as he thinks will improve it from De Labroffee's Gazophylacium Lingua Perfarum; and alfo to add, in their proper place, an appendix fubjoined to Gehanaguire's Perfic Dictionary. It is, obviously, a work of the greatest importance to the East India Company, as it will enable our countrymen, employed in their fervice, to qualify themselves for tranfacting bufinefs, and managing a correspondence, in the moft advantageous manner, with the feveral powers in the Eaftern parts of our globe.

N. B. For fome errata in the former part of this article, fee the laft page of the Review for January.

ART. II. Zimmermann's Essay on National Pride, concluded: See our Review for December, p. 491.

WE

E have already given our Readers a view of Dr. Zimmermann's character of the French, and we now procred to his obfervations on the Italians.

• The modern Italians have the confidence to place themselves on a level with the ancient Romans, not recollecting that the nation which anciently reduced all others under its yoke, is now feen to be the flave of all others, and that the grafs grows in the ftreets of cities, not long fince, eminent for power and opulence. Many small towns in the Campania of Rome were the native places of Roman emperors, and on that account, forfooth, the modern inhabitants of thofe petty places, talk of thofe emperors as their townfmen and relations, and in every town or village the emperor who was born there, is reputed the greateft prince that hiftory makes mention of.

The fenator of Rome, who tries without appeal, the petty caufes and wranglings among the commonalty, now conftitutes that tribunal, to which, in modern Rome, the majesty of the ancient fenate and Roman people is dwindled. He has for affeffors, four

confervators,

confervaters, who are chofen four times a-year. The confervators, like the fenator himself, are nominated by the Pope, under whom the Roman people are not allowed that fmall remnant of liberty of chufing their own magiftrates, which many towns in monarchies enjoy; yet this fenator and his confervators imagine themselves invested with all the rights, privileges, and dignities of the ancient fenate, and that a greater glory there cannot be, than for the Pope to fee at his feet that affembly which has feen fo many monarchs in the like humiliating posture before them.

The Fraftaverini, i. e. the wretched militia of the Traftavera ward, in modern Rome, abfolutely hold themfelves genuine defcendants from the ancient Trojans, looking on the inhabitants of the other parts of kome only as a mob; and thefe, amidst indigence, and floth, and poltroonery, which is fuch, that the execution of a 'malefactor almost frightens them into fits, confider themselves as citizens of ancient Rome.

All Romans, with fcarce a rag on their backs, are ftrangely puffed up with this imaginary lineage, that exceffive pride, and the most beggarly poverty are often feen together. A baker woman's fon, in Tralavera-ward, having been killed in an infurrection on account of the dearness of corn, the Pope, apprehending fome ill confequences from this unlucky accident, immediately deputed a cardi nal, with two nobles, to quiet the mother, and a her what fatiffaction the required; to which the Roman matron replied, I don't fell my blood.

At the approach of a public feftival at Rome, a family fhall half flarve themselves, that they may have wherewith to ride about in a coach; and fuch families, which even fuch an expedient would not enable to hire a coach, have another refource: The mother pranks up the daughter as fine as her pocket will reach, fhe walking by her fide as chambermaid, whilt the father, in proper habiliments, perfonates the lackey.'

In another paffage, after celebrating Italy as the restorer of the polite arts, he adds,

But Italy, once the queen of the world, is now the field of battle, and the prey of nations formerly its flaves; once the nursery of all arts and iciences, is now accufed of fleeping over its withered laurels, and of being fallen from that loty reputation to which Columbo and Galileo had raised it; the former by his difcoveries of new worlds on earth, and the latter in the aerial expanfe; if the feeds which produced these men be ftill exifting, yet are they now uncultivated and torpid, nor yielding fo much as any fhoots or leaves. The Italians, for a century paft, are no longer the fame people; they have in the performances of their ancestors, mafter pieces and models of good tafte before their eyes, but thofe valuable remains have loft all their influence on them, no longer inflaming the genius, or awaking any talent. Italy, now, inftead of being vifited by travellers, for the fake of its inhabitants, is vifited only for the fake of the places which they inhabit.

'Thefe reproaches, however, are exceffive, and to the Italians the more unpolite and offenfive, few nations being fo fenfible to the

esteem

efteem of foreigners. In philofophy, mathematics, natural history, medicine, and the fine arts, Italy rivals France and England. Moft Italian academies are now intent on refcuing the fciences from jejune difcuffions, and applying them to the neceflities of mankind. The nobility and dignitaries of the church account it not in the leaft unbecoming their dignity, to lay themfelves out in furpaffing each other in every kind of human fcience, whilft in the mean time, the commonality at Rome, and all over Italy is without knowledge or principle, and their only inftruction is now and then the punishments of malefactors. A tafte for folid ftudies is fpreading all over Italy; many authors write with fingular freedom, and their thoughts deviate greatly from the old ftandard. The latest Italian philofophers have Broken the fetters of the hierarchy and defpotifm, with a boldness fcarce to be parallelled. He who has perufed the Reformo de Italio, a new production, by a nobleman; the immortal Eaccaria's Treatife of Crimes and Penalties; the Coffee-houfe, an Italian weekly paper, compared with which the celebrated English Spectator appears to be writ ten only for frivolous women; Reflections of an Italian on the Church in general; the regular and fecular Clergy and the Pope, will be afhamed at having even imagined that genius was extinct in Italy.'

What is this more than faying and unfaying? But notwithftanding this verdict pafled on our Spectator, let any impartial perfon compare Italy and England collectively, and then let it be determined whether our Author has not spoken the truth, when he fays that Italy, inftead of being visited by travellers for the fake of its inhabitants, is vifited only for the lake of the places they inhabit.'

There is no nation Mr. Zimmermann treats fo feverely as the Chinefe, but his remarks extend to a length too great for our infertion. His account of religious pride confifts chiefly of general and common obfervations, fomething after the manner of Voltaire but he has treated that fubject much better under another head, where he confiders the hatred that springs from contempt. For this we refer to the book, from p. 140 to 152. We have a ftriking picture of ambition and defpotism in the following extract.

In ftates, défpotifm is like malignity in diflempers. In fome it is the malady itfelf; in others, an adventitious exacerbation. But, in general, every individual is in danger of becoming a defpot if in his power, man being too fond of fetting up his will for law. A defire of commanding over our equals is the predominant paffion of the foul. Ambition affects all, but mofly the weakeft. Every republic would foon be under the yoke of a defpot, when once become fo mean-fpirited as to fhew a fervile fubmiffion to any fingle individual. Inftances are not wanting of petty ftates, affecting to be zealous affertors of liberty, but of which the collective national bedies, fuch as they were, have tamely truckled to the will of a fingle perfon, have accounted defpetifm an hereditary right, and even looked upon it as a fee-tail, a tenure, defcending even to women in failure of male-iffue, but one may fee with half an eye what lamp they ate

of,

of, who take a pleasure in molefting, ridiculing, and thwarting irreproachable patriots, and who, with a fupercilious fneer, give the name of rebel to those who dare espouse the conftitutional liberty, even in a free country.

But I here mean only that defpotifm which, furrounded with guards, is feated on the throne, or very near it, whilst in the mean time all the fubjects must bow to an iron fceptre, and comply with principles and meafures, however oppreffive.

In fuch countries, the defpot alone has a will; accordingly he does whatever he wills, and what he wills is fure to be injurious to the What he defires must be lawful in the eyes of rights of mankind. God and man, yet are his defires generally illicit. Cambyfes, Cyrus's fucceffor, being difpofed to marry his own fifter, confulted his lawyers whether fuch a marriage was permitted by law? Thefe fages being endaed with an acutenefs, of which our days are not without instances, returned for answer, That there was no law which permitted marriage between a brother and fifter, but there was a well-known law which allowed the king to do whatever he thought fit.

Now, this is the whole law of an enthroned defpot, or of the intermediate defpots between the monarch and the subject, or of thofe right honourable and honourable defpots who have an unlimited power of life and death over their boors. Such a defpot, unacquainted with the feelings of humanity, looks on his vaffals as brought forth for wretchedness, deftined to live and die under the yoke; like cattle fed only that they may be fit for labour, taken care of when fick, only that they may be ferviceable when in health, and crammed only that they may eat the better, and at last fleaed to make harness for other beafts in the fame yoke.

Hence the fordid appearance of fubjects in a defpotic ftate; their fmall houfes, their wretched furniture, their beggarly apparel, and both they and their cattle half itarved: not fo much as a dog in any tolerable plight. Hence it is, that scarce a fingle note of a bird is to be heard: filence reigns in gardens, woods, groves, and bushes, the poor birds betaking themfelves to other countries from the ravages of the peasants, whofe own diftrefs puts them on every mea fure to make a prey of them. Hence the naked fields lie without inciofures, and it is even with reluctancy and grudgingly that they are tilled Few or no meadows, or plowed lands, or cow-houlcs for dunghills, a very neceflary article, however coarfe the found; and instead of horfes and oxen, tillage is fometimes performed only Hence it is, that the peaby an afs, with a he-goat or a lame cow. fants, quite wore out under the direfs occafioned by the oppreflion of a rigid government, fall into infanity, or are driven to more fatal

extremes.

How fhould the prince amidst the affluence, the pomp and revelry of ftate, fee the distress, the afflictions, the languid defpondency of his famished provinces? While his revenues daly come in, little thinks he of the hard means by which they are levied; every circumftance about him confpires to fhut his eyes against the tears of his people, that the mott moderate complaints againit his counfeilors, are punished as treafon against the royal perfon. His viziers are continually feggefting to him his power to do any thing, that he inay inveft them with a like power. They repeatedly allure him

*

that