of the paffions and difpofitions of the human mind; which are by painters and fculptors, and even virtuofi, frequently feen on the human face, and exterior form; and which convey pretty certain ideas of what paffes within.---Of these a collection has been published in France, called Caracteres des Paffions, &c. par Monf. le Brun.

The turn of genius, or ftate of mind of the perfon reprefent ed, is marked, or characterized, by painters, and by comedians, with fome diftinguifhing ftrokes, traits, touches, denoting fpecifically, the appearance of figure, or turn of fentiment, which is to be exhibited on the ftage or the canvas. This word is likewife ufed in other fenfes---and is (you will, I think, Gentlemen, agree with me) a word abounding in meanings. But CARACATURA has (fome people will be furprized at it) no meaning whatever: nor is there any fuch word in the Italian, the French, or the English Dictionaries. There is, indeed, a word ufed by the Italian painters, which is written Caricatura, which in English we should tranflate a charging, or a loading, and perhaps an over-charging, or an over-loading,-and is derived from carica, a charge or load; hence caricato, loaded; Cavallo caricato; Huamo caricato; Nave caricato, in the literal fenfe; and Carica, a charge or office, incaricato degli affari, o di tal negozio; caricato di anni, caricato di affanni; cum multis aliis.

But to return to Caricato and Caricatura, as technical terms of painting, we fhall obferve, that the mafters in Italy have frequent occafion for the firft of thefe words, when they point out the faults of their difciples, who, in the copies they make, commonly exaggerate thofe almoft imperceptible flexures and curvatures of the outlines, which probably, by their delicacy, occafion the elegance of the original. The mafter then says, Avete troppo caricato questo mufcolo, quefto nafo, quefto Ginocchio, &c. That is, You have loaded, or charged, or exagger ated, this mufcle, this nofe, this knee, &c.

Una Caricatura is the technical term used precifely to exprefs a kind of drawing, which delights in an artificial exaggeration of particular features, by means of which exaggeration the portrait of a very decent perfon may appear ftrikingly like, and at the fame time be rendered whimfically ridiculous.

Of thefe Caricaturas excellent examples may be feen among the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Annibale Caracci, Carlo Marratti, &c. and even of Mr. Hogarth, that are not totally divejled of every froke which hath a tendency to good drawing;---but then there is as much difference between thefe odd things, and the more juft and elegant reprefentations of nature, as between Vir

4

gil Travestie, the London Spy, or Punch's burlefque opera, and the poems of Homer, Virgil, and Milton; or as the coarfe, farcical strokes of Merry Andrew, compared with the finer and more delicate touches of our most exquifite Comedian. :

The French word for una Caricatura, is une Charge; as chargé is caricato, un contour chargé, or uno contorno caricato, is in English, an outline exaggerated.

What outré has to do in the difpute, I know not: nor what quarrel the ingenious Mr. Hogarth has with it, unless that some fqueamish people may have found his characters OUTRE'; a phrafe not used by artifts, but by which fome pretender to virtú might claim an acquaintance with tafte and the French language, and might perhaps, with that fondness for cenfure which accompanies fmatterers, exprefs, in this manner, his idea of what is meant by caricatura: this may poffibly have occafioned our admirable artift, in the paffage before us, to set about explaining and defining himfelf out of the fcrape.---Be that as it may, the Public is, without doubt, prodigiously edified by the feveral difquifitions on this important fubject.

I cannot conclude without obferving, that your Correfpondent's fenfibility, which discovered a mistake without being quite able to account for it, and the candour with which he has fubmitted his opinions to correction, are both highly commendable; and at the fame time that I take upon me to contend with him on the fame fubject, I cannot help expreffing my cfteem I am, Gentlemen,

for him.

Worcester, Oct.18, 1758.

Your Friend and Well-wisher,

PS. Your note on the facility with which characters ftrongly marked by nature are expreffed by the Painter, is certainly moft judicious; and might have been extended with equal juftnefs to the Poet and the Actor. No great fenfibility is required, to be ftruck with fuch characters; no great powers are neceffary to execute them: while, on the contrary, rightly to conceive, and juftly to exprefs, unaffected grace, genuine elegance, decent dignity, greatne's without pride, and fimplicity without infipidity, (which do not always affect the multitude) requires, doubtless, the fineft perceptions, and the ftrongeft faculties.

St.

I.

SINGLE SERMONS.

THE HE Behaviour of Jofeph, and remarkable Favours fhewed him in Prifon. Preached Nov. 5, 1758, at the opening the Chapel in the New King's-Bench Prifon, by L. Howard, D. D. Chaplain. 8vo. 6d. Withers.

2. Saving Grace, Sovereign Grace ;-two Sermons, at the Merchants Lecture, in Pinner's Hall. By Samuel Pike. 8vo. 6 d. Buckland.

3. The Loft Sheep found,-at the Magdalen-houfe, Goodman's Fields, Aug. 13, 1758, at the opening of that House. By the Rev. Mr. John Reeves, Chaplain to the faid house. 4to. 6d. Hitch.

4. The perfect Contraft; or, The entire Oppofition of Popery to the Religion of Jefus the Son of God. Preached at Clapham, Nov. 5, 1758. By H. Venn, A. M. Late Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge, now Curate of Clapham. 8vo. 6d. Wi

thers.

5. Jacob's difficult Prophecy, Napthali is a Hind let loose, he giveth goodly words, made cut and explained. Preached at the Wednesday Lecture at St. James's Church, at Bury St. Edmunds, Auguft 30, 1758. By R. Kedington, D. D. Rector of Kedington, Suffolk. 8vo. 6d. Hawkins.

5. John Baptif's Office continued in all the Minifters of the Gofpel; or, A Senfe of our Want of him, the only Difpofition for Chrift-At Bexley in Kent, June 24, 1758. By Henry Piers, M. A. Vicar of the Parish. 8vo. 6d. Lewis, &c.

ERRATA in our Laft.

Page 456, 3d Par. L. 1, for fo read to. P. 464, L. 25, for mell read well. P. 487, L. 1, for mafter read mafters. P. 512, laft line before the Sermons, for even read ever.

Grammatica Lingua Hebræa: cum notis et variis queftionibus philologicis, in quibus præcipuè disseritur de natura et indole linguæ Hebrææ. De antiquitate Quadrati et Samaritani characteris. De literis, earumque natura et ufu. De punctorum vocalium natura, antiquitate et novitate. De convenientia et affinitate lingua Hebrææ cum Arabica, &c. &c. In ufum juventutis academica. Jacobo Robertfon, A. M. Ling. Orient. profeffore in Academia Edinburgena, Auctore. Edin. 8vo. 6s. Hamilton, &c. Sold alfo by Wilfon and Co. in London:

TH

HIS performance, which is dedicated to his grace the duke of Argyle, contains the most useful and neceffary of thofe principles and rudiments of the Hebrew language, which are laid down in a larger work of the famous Schultens. As our Author had frequent occafion, in his lectures at the univerfity, to illuftrate fuch of them, as he found to be attended with fome difficulty to the ftudents, and to add his own obfervations, he has acquitted himself with honour, at least as far as respects the method of teaching this language with the points.

In his notes and questions he has fhewn himself to have been an industrious fearcher into the oriental languages. His clofe attention, however, and ftudious attachment to this branch of learning, may have tended to give him that too high opinion (as we think it is) which he profeffeth to entertain of the Hebrew language, both with refpect to its origin and its copioufnefs: As a proof of the latter, take the following inftance, viz. VOL. XIX,

Rr

Alia

• Alia eft Hebraeae et linguarum orientalium proprietas, quod verba primitiva ex diverfis confonantium conjunctionibus per triadas compofita funt; et uti exftant viginti duae literae, va-' ⚫riae copulationes et combinationes per tres literas 10,600 effi⚫ciunt, quod planè copiam et divitias hujus linguae oftendit; • nam iis conjunctionibus vitatis, quae afperae nimis vel in• commodae videbantur, ad minimum calculum, decem millia • radicum exftitere. Quod haec hypothefis non omnino abur• da fit, apparet non tantum ex linguae analogia, fed etiam er ⚫ magno illo numero radicum, quae jam in Hebraea, Chaldaea, Syriaca, et praecipuè Arabica, exftant. Specimen dabit haec thematum digeftio, N N N TN, &c. atque ita ⚫ porro per omnes literas: item IN 18 ÚN et fic ad finem. Eodem modo progreditur per caeteras literas, Praeterea, hae • omnes radices fuas propagines et derivata fundunt. Hinc temeritatem et ignorantiam quorundam obfervare liceat, qui Hebraeam linguam pauperem et imperfectam pronuntiare au• deant.'

་

But as this property cannot be reckoned any great excellence in the language, fo we are at a lofs to understand the inference which he would make from it, viz. that the language is not a poor and imperfect one. It appears to be but a very uncertain way of judging of the copioufnefs and perfection of any language, by the number of different combinations which the letters of an alphabet may form in triads, or roots of three letters. Befides, we find that a language becomes copious and enriched from two causes more especially, one of which, at least, our Author will readily allow, did not contribute to enrich the Hebrew, viz. the borrowing words from other languages, and the culture of arts and fciences. Both thefe circumstances contributed to enrich and adorn the Grecian and Roman languages. These have given to the French and English a copiousness which perhaps neither of the former could boaft, and are every day bringing them nearer to a state of perfection. But if the Hebrew, which we read at this day, be the original language, from which all others have borrowed, while it remains unmixed with foreign words, it cannot be fuppofed, from this circumstance alone, to be very copious; and it is as certain, that it hath received no very great addition from the cultivation of arts and fciences.

Our Author, however, may think he obviates thefe objections, by fuppofing its origin to be from God. Ex hoc verò confpectu indolis linguae Hebraeae a primå origine fua, hanc perfectam formam obtinuiffe videtur, adeo ut auctor ejus, vel fapientiffimus omnium mortalium, vel, uti verum fatear, potius ipfe Deus, fuit: nam nullo modo concipere poflum, quo• modo