ced price every article that is made an object of taxation. little is our author warranted in affuming that nothing short of a revolution can cure governments of their disorders: many and great diforders unquestionably exift in them, and ought to be cured but we doubt much whether, great as they are, Mr. B.'s remedy would not be a ftill greater evil. A revolution which extends not only to the form, but to the principle, of all established governments, carries with it the idea of something extremely awful; it is like infinity of space; it fets at defiance all principles of mensuration; it has not depth, breadth, nor thickness; it is like the wind, always varying; in a word, it is another chaos, hurling every thing into confufion.

As to our own political creed, we truft it is too well known to need our repeating it. Liberty, dear Liberty! limited only by reason, and fecured by laws, is the goddefs of our idolatry. That form of government which is beft calculated to maintain her empire, and to infure to her votaries the bleffings of freedom,. best entitled to adoption. Such a government we find in the British conftitution, and it is on that account alone that we prefer it to all others. We view not crowns, coronets, purple, and ermine, with fuperftitious veneration; they are, of themfelves, no more than baubles: but, when connected with inftitutions formed for the fecurity of liberty, they acquire, from their connection with her, a high value. They are the emblems of a well-balanced adminiftration, and as fuch they are refpectable. We look at the effence, not the mere accidents, of things; and from experience we know that men can enjoy freedom and legal equality under the rule of men wearing crowns and coronets, and that tyranny may be exercised by those who are clad in the plain garb of Liberty. It is not a truth that a flar invariably adorns the breaft of a flave, nor that a red cap neceffarily. makes the wearer a freeman. We are from principle devoted to Liberty; we have viewed her in every drefs, but never faw her appear fo amiable, and so much at her ease, as when robed with the conftitution of England.

'The editor, in his advertisement, announces the speedy publication of the remaining part of this work; containing chap. 6. the Means of Subfiftence; chap. 7. Literature, Science, and Arts; chap. 8. War and Peace.

ART. XVI. The Origination of the Greek Verb: an Hypothefis. 8vo.. 15. Ginger. 1794.

T HIS little work is written by Dr. Vincent, and is a very ingenious hypothefis: but, ingenious as it is, we deem it ill-founded. We remember to have read, fome years ago, a

tract

tract in French by Abbé Bergier, in which the author endeavours to prove that the Latin verb has much the fame origination which Dr. V. here affigns to the Greek verb. Both take the word EO for the base of their fabric, and both raise on it a fimilar structure. Whether Dr. V. has borrowed his idea from the French writer, or has accidentally fallen into the fame path, we know not: but the fyftems are nearly the fame, and are treated with equal ingenuity. We confess that we are not satisfied with either, and we think that the true origination of verbs is yet to be difcovered. However, let us hear Dr.

Vincent :

The difficulty of giving one clear and general idea of the Greek verb, to fuch as were commencing their ftady of the language, had long turned the mind of the author to fome attempt of this kind, but it was not executed, and poffibly never might have been, but for the publication of Mr. H. Tooke's EMEA ПTEPOENTA. That work, which naturally fuggefts reflection to every mind that has confidered. the theory of language, in a logical, or grammatical view, contains the following paffage, page 388.

"For though I think I have good reafon to believe, that all thefe terminations may likewife be traced to their respective origin; and that however artificial they may now appear to us, they were not originally the effect of premeditated and deliberate art, but feparate words by length of time corrupted and coalefcing with the words of which they are now confidered as the terminations. Yet this was

lefs likely to be fufpected by others; and if it had been fufpected, they would have had much farther to travel to their journey's end, and through a road much more embarraffed; as the corruption in thofe languages is of much longer standing than in ours, and more complex.

The fuggeftions contained in this paffage gave rife to the following fpeculation, which confills of neither more or lefs, than the affumption of the primitive verb E as the origin of all terminations in the Greek verb, and the fource of all its extenfive variety +.'

In the primitive ftructure of the Greek verb, let us admit xy, yap, Sevy, to contain the original name of the thing or action, which we may exprefs like our English verb, without its fign, by speak, write, fee. By adding ES to thefe Greek monofyllables, we add no more to the Greek primitive, than we do to the English by Do or To, that is, we impart action or motion to the name, turn the noun into the verb, and though we have no fuch noun in English as thefe, ftill without a fign or adjunct, we confider them as names as much as heat, fire, revenge; and in this, we have the old grammarians on our fide, who received the infinitive mood as a name or noun.'

* Known by his Refutation of Deifm, and other works of controverly.

t The Greek verb, with its participles, is fubject to more than eleven hundred variations, exclufive of the dialects."

We perfectly agree with the Doctor that verbs are only nouns put into action; and we believe that all their varieties of time, mood, and termination, arife from the combination of differenc ideas, either exprelied by other real words, or arbitrarily invented by grammarians. The great point is to find out those words, and to detect thefe inventions; and this point has not, we think, been yet attained. We will not fay that it is not attainable. We imagine that we perceive, in the construction of the Oriental verb, a clue to guide us to the origin of all verbs: but we have not now the teifure, nor is this the place, to enter into fuch a difcuffion. We return to the pamphlet before us; which, whatever may become of the fyftem, must be confidered as a valuable acceffion to claffical literature. From his hypothetical verb ES, Dr. Vincent draws most useful conclufions, which facilitate the ftudy of Greek grammar, and open a mine of fterling ore, in which future labourers may dig with pleasure, and, poffibly, with more fuccefs than our author; who propofes his Hypothefis with hesitation, both to those who have acquired a knowledge of the language, and those who are acquiring it. If not true, it may be rendered useful in practice; and if it is founded, it will unravel one of the most complicated difficulties that any language hitherto known has produced.'

No proficient in the language can look back to his own labour in the acquifition of conjugating a Greek verb, without wishing that the road fhould be fhortened for others, and if this fcheme fhould not anfwer that purpose, it will at least fave the trouble of travelling the fame journey fo repeatedly, and fometimes without obtaining the object at the end of it.'

We had written the above when a new and expanded edition of Dr. Vincent's pamphlet made its appearance; which we shall notice hereafter.

ART. XVII. Medical Effays and Obfervations, with Difquifitions relating to the Nervous System. By James Johnstone, M. D. Phyfician in Worcester. And, an Effay on Mineral Poifons, by John Johnftone, M. B. Phyfician in Birmingham. 8vo. 75. 6d. Boards. Longman and Dilly. 1795.

ΤΗ

HE firft piece in this volume is an effay on the ufe of the ganglions of the nerves, originally published in the 54th, 57th, and 60th volumes of the Philofophical Tranfactions, and afterward as a feparate work. The writer's ingenious hypothefis, that ganglions are a fort of fubordinate brains, the immediate origins of thofe nerves which go to the organs of involuntary motion, and the checks by which volition is prevented from extending to them is too well known to phyfiologists to

render

render it neceflary to enter into any details concerning it. It now appears with additions, partly anatomical, partly relative. to the new experiments on animal electricity, and partly pathological. It is fcarcely requifite to fay that the author derives, from these sources, new confirmations of his theory.

The fecond part is entitled Cui Bono? or phyfiological and pathological obfervations on the functions of the vifceral nerves, with some remarks on the action of opium and other vegetable poifons. The purpose of this paper is chiefly to illuftrate and confirm the preceding doctrine concerning the ufe of the ganglions. It begins with obfervations on the inferior degree of fenfibility in the internal organs, and on their not being fubject to the influence of the will, though they, as well as the glands, are liable to the action of the paffions. This is imputed to their receiving no nerves but fuch as have pafled through ganglions.-Remarks on pally, and on diseases of the head and heart, follow, illuf trated by cafes. The general tendency of thefe is to fhew that great irritability may fubfift with little fenfibility. The fecond part notices our unconsciousness of internal stimuli, while their effects are manifefted by fympathetic actions in other parts of the body. The multiplied fympathies with the ftomach are particularly noticed, and illuftrated by a fhort account of the principal vegetable poifons, and their effects. Several experiments to this purpose, on cold-blooded animals, made by the author himself, are related. He concludes with a more particular inquiry into the effects of opium, the action of which he maintains to be as a potential fedative, and only as a fedative.'. The apparent irritation, fometimes proceeding from it, he attributes folely to the re-action of the vital powers, refifting its proper debilitating and torporic effects. From this view of its action, he deduces various practical remarks concerning its medical ufe; which, we fcarcely need fay, are very, contrary to the practice inculcated by fome late writers.

The four next papers are republications of cafes which have appeared in former collections. The 7th article is the cafe of George Lord Lyttleton in his laft illness; which is no otherwife interefting than as relating to an eminent character.

Some account of hepatitis fuppurans is given in the next article, occafioned by the fingular circumftance, in this climate, of four perfons, woodcutters, being feized in the month of June 1787, when the weather was wet and uncommonly hot, with a difeafe which proved fatal to three of them, and appeared on diffection to be accompanied with large fuppuration of the liver, We find nothing new in the obfervations; which, indeed, moftly confift in quotations from other writers. Two of the cafes are

minutely related in the next article, by Mr. Gomery, Surgeon, of Bewdley.

To a paper before printed in the Medical Memoirs, vol. I. containing cafes of hydrophobia, with remarks, is annexed an additional cafe of the fame fatal diforder; which, like fo many others that have been published, affords matter rather of curiofity than of inftruction.

The effay on mineral poifons, by Dr. John Johnstone, is faid to be part of a collection on medical jurifprudence, which the author hopes, fometime or other, to lay before the public. It treats of the poisons of the mineral kingdoms, under three principal divifions, the metallic, the earthy, and the faline. The object of the effay is practical; namely, to point out the diftinctive fymp. toms following the exhibition of each, and the most appropriate means of relief. The work, though by no means a complete one, is well calculated to be useful: but we think that utility would have been better confulted by publishing it feparately.

ART. XVIII. A Sermon preached at the Meeting-Houfe in PrincesStreet, Westminfier, 18th October. 1795, on Occafion of the muchlamented Death of the Rev. Andrew Kippis, D. D. F. R. S. and S. A. who departed this Life on the 8th of the fame Month, in the 71ft Year of his Age. To which is added, the Address delivered at the Interment of the Deceased. By Abraham Rees, D. D. F. R. S. 8vo. Is. 6d. Robinsons. &c.

IN

N hoc uno interdum, vir alioqui prudentissimus, honefto quidem, fed tamen errore verfatur, quod pluris amicos fuos quàm funt arbitratur. This remark of the Younger Pliny is in general true; and preachers in particular, when in funeral fermons they delineate the characters of deceafed friends, are apt to permit their affections to overcome their judgment, and with the best intentions to allow praise to out-run truth. In the inftance before us, however, we meet with an exception. The judicious and fenfible remarks, which the preacher offers in illuftrating the text, (Pfalm xxxvii. 37.) are followed by an equally judicious and accurate account of the life and character of the deceased; in which Dr. Rees difplays the amiableness of his own heart together with the ftrength of his mind. We have read this tribute to the memory of a man whom we knew, and whom we could not but love, with much fatisfaction; and, "if love could make us eloquent," we fhould use, in addition to Dr. Rees's memoir, all the moft lively colours of language to adorn his memory: but in this respect we need not lament our inability, fince the worth of Dr. Kippis no more requires artificial decorations to fet it off, than refined gold needs paint to augment