It is proper here to observe, that he has every where illustrated the various subjects of which he treats, by an infinite number of receipts and observations extracted from the books of many ancient writers, whose works have perished through the injury of time. In his prefatory address to the Emperor Vespasian, he informs us, that he condensed into his history the substance of two thousand volumes; and, in another passage of his work, that it contains an abridgment of fifty volumes written by Aristotle.t

*

It is impossible to peruse this immortal work without being impressed with the deepest sense of the author's pre-eminent abilities. He is, in every part, equally great. He astonishes the reader with the sublimity of his ideas, and with the energy of his style, heightened and adorned by bis profound erudition. He was not only in possession of all the information of his age; he also possessed that faculty of thinking which enabled him to digest, arrange, and exhibit, to his readers, in the most advantageous point of view, the vast treasures of knowledge which his insatiable curiosity and his unwearied in dustry had enabled him to accumulate; he possessed, in an eminent degree, that delicacy of reflection, which is the only legitiate source of elegance of taste; and be imparts to his readers that bold and liberal mode of thinking which constitutes the only solid basis of true philosophy. His admirable work, although as variegated in its appearance as Nature herself, yet always depicts her in her most engaging attire, so as to conciliate the affections of the beholders.

It must indeed be admitted that his work is not entirely original; it is an abstract of all the volumes contained in his library; a compilation of all that was written on the arts and sciences before him the Encyclopædia of Antiquity, since the most inquisitive and profoundly learned author, with unparalleled industry, collected all the facts recorded by every Roman and Greek author prior to his time, concerning the animal, vegetable, and mineral, kingdoms; and has de

cujusque inventa sunt. Emere et vendere instituit Liber Pater," &c.-C. Plinii Hist. Natur lib. vii. cap. vii.

Viginti millia rerum dignarum cura, ex lectione voluminum circiter duum millium, quo:em paucos admodum studio-i attingunt, propter secretum materiæ, ex exquisitis auctorbus centun, inclusimus triginta sex voJuminibus," &c.

"Quinquaginta volumina Aristotelis in hoc meum opus contraxi."

tailed, in a clear and luminous arrangement, a truly lucidus ordo, all that the accumulated experience of past ages had recorded relative to the nature of animals, vegetables, and minerals, to physical astrology, meteorology, botany, medicine, &c. &c.

But, although it is admitted that the Natural History is in a great measure a transcript, it is contended that this copy has such striking and peculiar features, that the composition of which we treat, contains such a vast variety of important objects exhibited in a light so entirely new, that it is preferable to the most valuable of those original productions which treat of the same subjects.

Pliny's work may be divided into four parts: Natural History, including Physical Geometry; Geography; Rural Economy; and Materia Medica.

On the subjects of Natural History, besides his masterly view of various other departments of that most alluring science, his most eloquent, truly philosophical, and profound disquisitions, concerning the structure, the economy, and the instincts, of the inferior animals, cannot fail to excite the reader's admiration. The truth of this remark might be substantiated by various quotations from his history; I can, however, here afford room for only one passage from the preface of his Treatise on Insects. "In great bodies," (says he) "Nature had a large and easy shop to work upon obsequious matter; whereas in these so small, and, as it were, no bodies, what striking marks of reason, what power, what exquisite perfection are observed! Where has Nature placed the senses of a gnat? Where is the seat of its sight, of its taste, of its smell? Where has she fixed the organs of that terrible and most sonorous voice? With what artifice has she set on its wings, extended its legs, and formed its stomach and belly; given it a keen thirst for blood, especially for human blood? With what ingenuity has she furnished it with a weapon to perforate the skin, and, working in a compass hardly visible, equally well as on the largest scale, has made that weapon at once sharp for piercing, and hollow for sucking up? What teeth has she given to the woodis manifest by the sound it makes, and has louse for perforating the hardest oak, as given it its chief sustenance from wood? We admire the turret-bearing shoulders of the elephant, the neck of the bull, and its power of tossing aloft with fury its enemy, the ravages of the tiger, and the mane of the lion; whereas the power of Natur

Nature is never so conspicuously seen as in the smallest things."

Of his geographical enquiries, the most important, perhaps, are his Strictures on

the interior Parts of Africa. He derived the sources of his information on this subject from the Carthaginians, and, from what he has recorded respecting the nature and produce of these interesting regions, more peculiarly interesting to every humane and enlightened Briton on account of a great and recent act of national justice, and on account of the judicious, and hitherto successful, exertions of the society instituted for the laudable and benevolent purposes of meliorating the condition, and of diffusing the lights of knowledge and civilization among long-injured inhabitants; it is evident, that the ancients were much better informed than the moderns are concerning this quarter of the globe.

their

In respect to rural economy, I do not he sitate to assert, that of all the ancient writers de re rustica, Pliny is incomparably the most scientific and interesting. He has not indeed indulged in such minute and practical details on husbandry as Cato, Virgil, Columella, and others, have done, who exclusively limited their researches to the state of agriculture among the Romans; but his observations on the properties of soil, on the physiology and pathology of esculent plants, more especially of such of the cerealia and legumina as were cultivated in his time, invite, and will amply reward, the attention of every philosophical agriculturist.

The Materia Medica exclusively occupies fifteen books of the Natural History, and constitutes a very curious and interesting department of the author's investigations; although we must confess, that, disgusted by the dogmatical preten sions, and the discordant views of the various sects of ancient physicians, he was no friend to the profession of which himself was an ornament.

It cannot be denied that Pliny discovers his ignorance in particular points; and that he records, with great gravity, many absurd fables and anile stories. But he perhaps might have adopted the

* In magnis siquidem corporibus, aut certe majoribus, facilis officina sequaci materiæ fuit. In his tam parvis, atque tam nullis, quæ ratio, quanta vis, quam inextricabilis perfectio; ubi tot sensus collocavit in culice; sed ubi visum in eo prætendit? Ubi gustatum applicavit? &c."—C. Plinii Secundi Nat. Hist. lib. xi, sub. init.

language of Quintus Curtius, Equidem plura transcribo, quam credo, (lib. ix. cap. 1.); and, we find that he occasion ally discovers a proper degree of sceptis cism on various points which come under his review, and directs his severe rebukes against the vanity and self-confidence of the Greek authors, from whom he de rived his information; and, notwithstanding all the censure to which he is obnoxious on the score of credulity, it cannot be too frequently repeated, that bis eloquent and instructive history will, to the end of time, constitute an immortal monument of the author's indefatigable industry, and of that proud independent Roman spirit which he breathes in every page.

Before concluding these cursory stric tures on the Natural History of Pliny, it may be permitted me to observe, that the mass of curious and interesting information contained in the portion of that admirable work which I have translated and offer to the public, will be found highly deserving the attention of every reader, and especially of those who can not have access to it in the original. In the critical and scientific notes which ac company the volume, I have endeavoured to correct the erroneous theories and rea sonings which necessarily resulted from the imperfect state of physics among the ancients, and to illustrate the subjects treated of by the application of the most recent discoveries; insomuch that these commentaries and illustrations may, in some measure, be regarded as an epitome of all the knowledge which we at present possess, concerning the multifa rious subjects of our author's enquiries.*

This

The first volume of my translation will go to press as soon as a competent number of subscribers shall have been obtained; and if encouraged, I shall with pleasure persevere in my task, and exert such diligence and dispatch in the execution of it as the extent and difficulties of the undertaking, the contingencies of life, and my other avocations, may enable me to command.

In the second volume, I expect to bring down the translation to the end of the twelfth book. That volume will of course include the geographical disquisitions respecting Afri ca and Asia; the history of man, and of human inventions; the natural history of qua drupeds, of aquatic animals, of birds, and of insects; and botanical inquiries concerning the genera and properties of those plants on which the author has bestowed the designa tion of Odorant.

I shall continue to subjoin such notes and illustrations

Younger, who likewise observed the cloud, informs us, that it resembled a pine tree, shooting up to a great height in the form of a trunk, which extended itself at the top into a sort of branches. It some times appeared bright and sometimes dark and spotted, according as it was more or less impregnated with earth and cinders. This extraordinary phenome non excited Pliny's philosophical curio sity, which prompted him to take a nearer view of it. He therefore ordered a light vessel to be got ready, and sailed towards it in order to observe with greater accuracy the different appearances which it would assume. He was induced to pursue this course from another consideration, viz. to rescue those whose habitations were situated contiguous to the mountain from the imminent danger with which they were threatened. He there fore hastened to this scene of terror, and steered his course with so much calmness and presence of mind, as to be able to make and to dictate his observations on the figure and motion of this portentous cloud. He soon, however, found himself in a critical situation. He was now so nigh the mountain, that the cinders, which grew thicker and hotter in proportion as he advanced, fell into the ships, together with pumice-stones, and black pieces of burning rock; they were likewise in danger, not only of being

tides.

This Bacchus lov'd beyond his native scene, Here dancing satyrs joy'd to trip the green; Far more than Sparta this in Venus grace, And great Alcides once renowned the place: Now flaining embers spread dire waste around And gods regret that gods can thus confound. M. Val. Mart. Epigrammat. lib. iv. epig. xliv. * Jam navibus cinis inciderat; quo proprius accederent, calidior et densior; jam pumices nigrique et ambusti, et fracti igne lapides; jam vadum subitum ruinaque montis litora obstantia," &c.

grounded by the sudden retreat of the sea, but also from the vast fragments which rolled down from the mountain, and obstructed all the shore. Pliny, thus surrounded with dangers, delibe rated for a moment whether he should not comply with the earnest exhortations of his pilot, who besought him to turn back, and thus withdraw himself from the imminent danger to which he was exposed; but his insatiable thirst after knowledge and instruction triumphed over his ap. prehensions of danger, and he unfortu nately disregarded his pilot's advice. "Fortune," said he," befriends the brave: carry me to Pomponianus."* Pliny, having reached the shore, found Pomponianus, who was one of his particular friends, in the greatest consternation. He embraced him with tenderness, encouraging and exhorting him to keep up his spirits. In order to dissipate his friend's fears more effectually, he ordered, with an air of unconcern, the baths to be prepared; when, after having bathed, he sat down to supper with great cheerfulness, apparently without any appre hension of danger, or concealing those apprehensions if he really felt them. After supper he retired to rest, and fell into a deep and undisturbed sleep.

In the mean time flames issued from various parts of the mountain, and spreading wide and towering to a great height, exhibited a tremendous conflagration; the glare and horror of which were still ness of the night. farther increased by the gloom and dark

In the midst of this dreadful scene our philosopher enjoyed his profound repose; but the court which led to his apartment was by this time so filled with stones and ashes, that his passage through it would

have

"Fortes fortuna favet, Pomponianum pete." This allusion to a line in Virgil "Audentes fortuna juvat” (Æneid. x. v. 284) indicates great intrepidity and presence of mind, and certainly is not inferior to Cæsar's celebrated observation, who, finding his pilet intimidated by the swelling of the waves and resistance of the tides, animated his despond. ing courage by saying "Fear not, friend, go on, you carry Cæsar and his fortune;" al luding to the constant good fortune which attended him. Cæsar pursued his career of conquest and devastation, urged on by his insatiable ambition: Pliny persevered in bis course, prompted by his humanity, and by his ardent thirst of knowledge. Each of these great men bad his ruling passion, which in the former was destructive, but in the latter beneficial to mankind.