others against doing the fame. He computes the refiftance of the: canes, in a mill worked by four mules, at about nineteen thousand. pounds weight, and remarks that after half an hour's work, the mules are all on a fweat, and obliged to be changed every two hours; and that such a mill, in order to be equal to a good one. that goes by water, ought to do double the work in the fame. time..... He much doubts the fuccefs of one to go by fire that was made in London fome years fince, and fent to Jamaica.

Art. 21.

Aftronomical Obfervations on the Periodical Star in the Whales Neck (a). By Mr. William Herfchel of Bath. Thefe Obfervations verify what we have been told concerning: this ftar. Mr. H. alfo obferves, that of the two ftars in the Whale marked Alpha, and Beta, the latter is confiderably larger than the former; and affords a proof of the change in the (apparent) magnitude of the fixed ftars; as we can hardly fuppofe Bayer fhould have made a mistake in the magnitude of the two firft ftars of this conftellation.

Art. 24. The principal Properties of the Engine for turning Ovals, in Wood, or Metal, and of the Inftrument for drawing Ovals upon Paper, demonftrated. By the Rev. Mr. Ludlam, Vicar of Norton, near Leicester.

*

At p. 380. 1. 17. for h. read b. And the whole might have been done without introducing Algebra in the last leaf, for even the maximum angle, made by the two tangents of the ellipfis and its circumfcribing circle at their common ordinate rightly applied, admits of an elegant geometrical determination; but Mr. L. has neither given the investigation nor demonstration, but only the bare affertion, that it is fo and fo. No not even in the addenda in the laft page of the Vol. though a demonstration may be made out from thence.

Art. 25. Of Cubic Equations, and infinite Series. By Charles Hutton, LL. D. F. R. S.

This is the Paper mentioned by Baron Maferes in Art. 5. The infinite feries that exprefs the roots of there equations, are found by applying Newton's binomial Theorem, to evolve the furds in Cardan's formulæ. And the feries here fummed are fuch as arise from the expanfion of cubic roots, and confequently have their fums expreffed by compound cubical furd quantities, of which there are a great variety. Art. 29. Aftronomical Obfervations relating to the Mountains of the Moon. By Mr. Herfchel, of Bath.

The telescope used in these Observations was a Newtonian reAector, of o feet 8 inches focal length, to which a micrometer was adapted, confifting of two parallel hairs, one of which was moveable by means of a fine fcrew. The value of the parts fhewn by the Index, was determined by a trigonometrical obfervation of a known object at a known distance, and was verified by feve

ral trials. The magnifying power ufed was 222 times, and was alfo determined by experiment. By thefe obfervations, no mountain that Mr. Herfchel tried in the moon, was fo high as two miles; though the observations appear to be faithfully related, and well chofen; which is contrary to Galileo, Hevelinus, and all other aftronomers fince their time.

Art. 32. An Investigation of the Principles of progressive and rotatory mation. By the Rev. St. Vince, A. M. of Sidney College, Cambridge.

This feems to be the production of a very young man, unfkilled and inexperienced in these matters, who, when time has ripened his judgment, may alter his opinion; for he appears to have blamed Meff. J. and D. Bernoulli very unjustly, fince he has done nothing but what they had done before, in the most fimple and fatisfactory manner. He fays that they have affumed in their investigations, principles not more felf-evident than the propofitions they are intended to demonftrate; and what muft we fay then to his first propofition, where the demonftration of what he calls the property of the lever, affumed as a principle; and that of the point he has determined, being the centre of percuffion, or ofcillation, are far more difficult than his propofition itfelf; and this juftifies them for investigating these things first, and making that the foundation of their theory of the fpontaneous centre of rotation; he has moreover borrowed the idea of a body being reduced to a plane in his 9th propofition from M. J. Bernoulli. As to the 8th propofition, there can be no fuch motion as that which is there described, communicated to a ftreight lever by impulse of a body ftriking it; but by means of a ftring faftened at D. and pulling it in the direction DF.; and the lines DF, DH, FH muft reprefent the abfolute velocity of D, at that inftant in those directions refpectively, and not fuch velocities as are the measure of forces, properly fo called, as Mr. V. feems to reprefent the matter; if they do, the whole refolution will be falfe.

ART. XII. Continuation of the Account of Mr. GIBBON's Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

N the twenty-fecond chapter of this Hiftory, we have an account of the death of Conftantius, of Julian's being declared Emperor by the legions of Gaul, and of his civil adminiftration. The twenty-third chapter contains a view of the motives, the counfels, and the actions of Julian, as far as they are connected, with the hiftory of religion; and in the twentyfourth we have an account of his fuccefsful expedition against the Perfians, his paffage of the Tigris, his retreat, and death.

This part of Mr. Gibbon's Hiftory is extremely curious and interefting. It requires no fmall ability to do juftice to fuch a character as that of Julian, one of the moft fingular, furely, that ever appeared in the world. The manner in which it is treated by our Hiftorian, does great honour, in our opinion, to his impartiality. We cannot refift the temptation of laying part of what he fays before our readers.

In the thirty-fecond year of his age, Julian acquired the undisputed poffeffion of the Roman empire. Philofophy had inftructed him to compare the advantages of action and retirement; but the elevation of his birth, and the accidents of his life never allowed him the freedom of choice. He might perhaps fincerely have preferred the groves. of the academy, and the fociety of Athens; but he was constrained, at first by the will, and afterwards by the injustice, of Conftantius, to expofe his perfon and fame to the dangers of Imperial greatness; and to make himself accountable to the world, and to posterity, for the happiness of millions. Julian recollected with terror the obfervation of his master Plato, that the government of our flocks and herds is always committed to beings of a fuperior fpecies; and that the conduct of nations requires and deferves the celestial powers of the Gods or of the Genii. From this principle he justly concluded, that the man who prefumes to reign, fhould afpire to the perfection of the divine nature; that he fhould purify his foul from her mortal and terreftrial part; that he fhould extinguish his appetites, enlighten his understanding, regulate his paffions, and fubdue the wild beast, which, according to the lively metaphor of Ariftotle, feldom fails to afcend the throne of a defpot. The throne of Julian, which the death of Conftantius fixed on an independent basis, was the feat of reafon, of virtue, and perhaps of vanity. He defpifed the honours, renounced the pleasures, and discharged with inceffant diligence the duties, of his exalted station; and there were few among his fubjects who would have consented to relieve him from the weight of the diadem, had they been obliged to fubmit their time and their actions to the rigorous laws which their philofophic emperor imposed on himself. One of his most intimate friends, who bad often fhared the frugal fimplicity of his table, has remarked, that his light and fparing diet (which was ufually of the vegetable kind) left his mind and body always free and active, for the various and important business of an author, a pontiff, a magiftrate, a general, and a prince. In one and the fame day, he gave audience to feveral ambaffadors, and wrote, or dictated, a great number of letters to his generals, his civil magiftrates, his private friends, and the different cities of his dominions. He liftened to the memorials which had been received, confidered the fubject of the peti-, tions, and fignified his intentions more rapidly than they could be taken in fhort-hand by the diligence of his fecretaries. He poffeffed foch flexibility of thought, and fuch firmnefs of attention, that he could employ his hand to write, his ear to liften, and his voice to. dictate; and purfue at once three feveral trains of ideas, without hesitation, and without error. While his minifters repofed, the prince flew with agility from one labour to another, and, after a hafty

dinner,

dinner, retired into his library, till the public bufinefs, which he had appointed for the evening, fummoned him to interrupt the profecution of his ftudies. The fupper of the emperor was ftill lefs fubftantial than the former meal; his fleep was never clouded by the fumes of indigeftion; and except in the fhort interval of a marriage, which was the effect of policy rather than love, the chafte Julian never shared his bed with a female companion. He was foon awakened by the entrance of freth fecretaries, who had flept the preceding day; and his fervants were obliged to wait alternately, while their indefatigable mafter allowed himself scarcely any other refreshment than the change of occupations. The predeceffors of Julian, his uncle, his brother, and his coufin, indulged their puerile tafte for the games of the circus, under the fpecious pretence of complying with the inclinations of the people; and they frequently remained the greatest part of the day, as idle fpectators, and as a part of the fplendid fpectacle, till the ordinary round of twentyfour races was completely finished. On folemn festivals, Julian, who felt and profeffed an unfashionable dislike to thefe frivolous amufements, condefcended to appear in the circus; and after bestowing a careless glance on five or fix of the races, he hastily withdrew, with the impatience of a philofopher, who confidered every moment as loft, that was not devoted to the advantage of the public, or the improvement of his own mind, By this avarice of time, he feemed to protract the fhort duration of his reign; and if the dates were lefs fecurely afcertained, we fhould refufe to believe, that only fixteen months elapfed between the death of Conftantius and the departure of his fucceffor for the Perfian war. The actions of Julian can only be preferved by the care of the hiftorian; but the portion of his voluminous writings, which is ftill extant, remains as a monument of the application, as well as of the genius, of the emperor. The Mifopogon, the Cæfars, feveral of his orations, and his elaborate work against the Chritian religion, were compofed in the long nights of the two winters, the former of which he paffed at Constantinople, and the latter at Antioch.

The reformation of the Imperial court was one of the first and moft neceffary acts of the government of Julian. Soon after his entrance into the palace of Conftantinople, he had occafion for the fervice of a barber. An officer, magnificently dreffed, immediately prefented himself. "It is a barber," exclaimed the prince, with affected furprise, "that I want, and not a receiver-general of the finances." He queftioned the man concerning the profits of his employment; and was informed, that befides a large falary, and fome valuable perquifites, he enjoyed a daily allowance for twenty fervants, and as many horfes. A thousand barbers, a thoufand cup-bearers, a thoufand cooks, were dittributed in the feveral offices of luxury; and the number of eunuchs could be compared only with the infects of a fummer's day. The monarch who refigned to his fubjects the fuperiority of merit and virtue, was diftinguished by the oppreffive magniscence of his drefs, his tab'e, his buildings, and his train. The stately palaces erected by Conftantine and his fons, were decorated with many coftly marbles, ard ornaments of maffy gold. The most exquisite dainties were procured, gratify

their pride, rather than their tafte; birds of the most distant climates, fish from the most remote feas, fruits out of their natural feafon, winter rofes, and fummer fnows. The domeftic croud of the palace furpaffed the expence of the legions; yet the smallest part of this coftly multitude was fubfervient to the ufe, or even to the fplendor, of the throne. The monarch was disgraced, and the people was injured, by the creation and fale of an infinite number of obfcure, and even titular employments; and the most worthless of mankind might purchafe the privilege of being maintained, without the neceffity of labour, from the public revenue. The wafte of an enormous household, the encrease of fees and perquifites, which were foon claimed as a lawful debt, and the bribes which they extorted from thofe who feared their enmity, or folicited their favour, fuddenly enriched thefe haughty menials. They abused their fortune, without confidering their past, or their future, condition; and their rapine and venality could be equalled only by the extravagance of their diffipations. Their filken robes were embroidered with gold, their tables were ferved with delicacy and profufion; the houfes which they built for their own ufe, would have covered the farm of an ancient conful; and the most honourable citizens were obliged to difmount from their horfes, and refpectfully to falute an eunuch whom they met on the public highway. The luxury of the palace excited the contempt and indignation of Julian, who ufually flept on the ground, who yielded with reluctance to the indefperfable cails of nature; and who placed his vanity, not in emulating, but in defpifing the pomp of royalty. By the total extirpation of a mifchief which was magnified even beyond its real extent, he was impatient to relieve the diftrels, and to appease the murmurs, of the people; who fupport with lefs uneafinefs the weight of taxes, if they are convinced that the fruits of their industry are appropriated to the fervice of the flate. But in the execution of this falutary work, Julian is accused of proceeding with too much halte and inconfiderate feverity. By a fingle edict, he reduced the palace of Conftantinople to an immenfe defert, and difmiffed with ignominy the whole train of flaves and dependents, without providing any juft, or at least benevolent, exceptions, for the age, the fervices, or the poverty, of the faithful domeftics of the Imperial family. Such indeed was the temper of Julian, who feldom recollected the fundamental maxim of Ariftotle, that true virtue is placed at an equal distance between the oppofite vices. The fplendid and effeminate drefs of the Afiatics, the curis and paint, the collars and bracelets, which had appeared fo ridiculous in the perfon of Conftantine, were confiftently rejected by his philofophic fucceffor. But with the fopperies, Julian affected to renounce the decencies of drefs; and feemed to value himself for his negic of the laws of cleanliness. In a fatirical performance, which was dengned for the public eye, the emperor defcants with pleafure, and even with pride, on the length of his nails, and the inky blackness of his hands; protefts, that although the greatest part of his body was covered with hair, the ufe of the razor was confined to his head alone; and celebrates, with visible complacency,