refs is the reftraining of his paffions, fhould fit, with his mind fixed on one object alone, in the exercise of his devotion for the purification of his foul, keeping his head, his neck, and body, teady without motion, his eyes fixed on the point of his nofe, looking at no other place around. The peaceful foul, re leafed from fear, who would keep in the path of one who followeth God, fhould reftrain the mind, and, fixing it on me, depend on me alone. The Yogee of an humbled mind, who thus conftantly exercifeth his foul, obtaineth happiness incorporeal and fupreme in me.' Mr. Haftings, in his letter (page 8.), informs us that he was himself once a witness of a man employed in this fpecies of devotion at the principal temple of Bamaris. His right hand and arm were enclosed in a loose fleeve or bag of red cloth, within which he paffed the beads of his rofary, one after another, through his fingers, repeating with the touch of each (as I was informed) one of the names of God, while his mind laboured to catch and dwell on the idea of the quality which appertained to it, and thewed the violence of its exertion to attain this purpote by the convulfive movements of all his features, his eyes being at the fame time closed, doubtless to affit the abstraction.' The great object of Plato's philofophy was to raife the mind. to the contemplation of the divine nature. With this view he frequently recommends an abstraction from fenfible objects, not altogether unlike that which the Geeta prefcribes, though he is lefs ridiculous in the means by which he thinks this abstraction is to be attained. In the Phædon, Socrates is reprefented as fpeaking thus of the foul—λογίζεται δε γε πε τότε καλλιςα όταν αυτην τέτων μηδεν παραλυπή, μητε ακοη, μπλε οψις, μητε αλγηδων, μητε τις ήδονη, αλλ' ότι μάλιςα αυλη καθ' αυτην γίγνηται, έωσα χαι 'ξειν το σώμα, κ καθ ̓ ὅσον δυναται, μη κοινώνησα αυτῷ, μηδ' απτομένη, αξέχηται το ούλος. Phæd. P. 86. Edit. Cantab. Again, p. 89. Εν ω αν ζωμεν, ως εοικεν, είγυτατως εσόμεθα το ειδέναι, εαν ότι μαλιςα μηδεν όμιλωμεν τῷ σώματι, μηδε κοινωνωμεν (ότι μη πασα αναγκη) μηδε αναπιμπλωμεθα της τότε φύσεως, αλλά καθαρεύωμεν απ' αυτέ, έως αν ο Θεος αυτος απολυσῃ ἡμας. The method which Plato recommends, in order to arrive at this degree of abfraction, is this. He is every where careful to diftinguish between fenfibles and intelligibles. The latter only he thinks worthy to be denominated real beings; the former he confiders merely as shadows of them. This polition is elegantly illuftrated in the beginning of the seventh book of the Republic, where Socrates compares those who mistake the objects of fenfe for real beings, to perfons bound neck and heels in a cave, in such a fituation as to fee nothing but fhadows. The great end of education, he fays, is to turn the intellectual eye to the perception of its proper objects, to raife it by a gradual afcent through through the various claffes of intelligibles, till at length it be enabled to contemplate the fupreme good. Of the various parts of learning, those which conduce moft to this end are arithmetic, geometry, aftronomy, and mufic. Even thefe, however, are to be confidered only as the handmaids to the first and highest philofophy. And here we would obferve, by the way, that Plato has been often expofed to unmerited abufe for his notions on this fubject. He never thought that this contemplative humour fhould be indulged fo as to obftruct the duties of focial or civil life. In the firft Alcibiades the knowledge of God is confidered as the means of knowing ourfelves; and in the Republic the practical use of the fame fublime theology is faid to confift in regulating our conduct by a perfect model. [To be concluded in our next.] ART. III. A New and General Biographical Dictionary; containing an historical and critical Account of the Lives and Writings of the most eminent Perfons in every Nation, particularly the British and Irish; from the earliest Account of Time to the prefent Period. A new Edition, greatly enlarged and improved. 8vo. 12 Vols. 31. 128. Boards. Payne, &c. N the 28th volume of our Review, we gave an account of the firft impreffion of this useful and judicious compilation, which we then thought was as well executed as the plan would admit. It now comes to our hands in a very improved state, containing upwards of 600 new lives, chiefly of fuch illuftrious men as have died fince the year 1761, when the first edition * of this work was published; or of fuch as had been overlooked and omitted by the former editors. From the nature of the performance it muft be acknowledged, that a ftate of perfection cannot be expected, efpecially in the lives of perfons lately deceased. Want of proper information, the prejudices of friends or admirers, the calumnies of enemies, and the fuggeftions of envy, to which illuftrious characters are peculiarly liable, all contribute to augment the difficulty under which the biographer labours. Time overcomes moft of thefe impediments, except the firft, which it evidently, in many cafes at leaft, increases; and thus the more diftant part of biography ftands in frequent need of emendations and corrections, for retrenching fuperfluities, fupplying deficiencies, and rectifying the miftakes which may unintentionally have been committed. Of this we have feveral proofs in the work before us. We may give an instance in the life of Calvin. Thinking it a great object of the biographer's attention, to select fuch actions as are most characteristic of the genius and disposi * It first appeared in 11 Vols. the 12th was afterwards added. tion of the man whofe life he is writing, we reprehended the compilers for having omicted the detail of a fact, which, confidered in every point of view, hath been eftemed, by many, as the trueft index to that famous reformer's juft character. We now find that the prefent editors have inferted, circumftantially, and properly, the hiftory of Calvin's cruelty and violence, in the perfecution of Servetus. A fimilar inftance of omiffion we obferved in the life of Laud, where we expected an account of the inhuman treatment of the Rev. Mr. (or Dr.) Leighton: but we are forry to find the prefent edition totally filent with refpect to the cruelties exercised on that zealous but unfortunate writer. Leighton was a remarkable character; and the perfecution he fuffered, exhibits a moft ftriking picture of the times in which he lived, when cruelty, pride, and bigotry triumphed over humanity, meekness, and the rights of confcience. This Scottish divine wrote an appeal to Parliament, against the oppreffions of the prelates of thofe days, in the Spiritual Court and Star Chamber; for which, at the inftigation of Laud, he was fentenced to pay a fine of ten thousand pounds, to be degraded from his miniftry,-to be fet on the pillory at Westminster, and there whipped, while the court was fitting,-to be pilloried a second time, and have one of his ears cut off, one fide of his nofe flit, and be branded on the face with S. S. (lower of fedition),—a few days after to be pilloried again in Cheapfide, there to be whipped, have his other ear cut off, and the other fide of his nofe flit, and afterwards to be fhut up in a clofe dungeon, for life. After this fentence was pronounced, the revengeful Archbishop pulled off his cap, and with fervent zeal thanked God for fo juft a judgment! a tranfaction, which gives us fo remarkable trait of Laud's difpofition, ought furely to have been noticed by his biographer. We have been induced to mention this circumftance a fecond time, in hopes, that, as our former hints were in part regarded, when this publication goes through another edition, the compilers may, if they agree with us in fentiment, have an opportunity of fupplying the omiffion. The fize and limits of this compilement, notwithstanding the number of volumes, muft of neceflity exclude many of the minutia that are to be met with in larger works of a like kind; which circumftance obliges the compilers to be cautious in felecting the materials for their biographical Dictionary; for thefe are fo diffufe, diffimilar, and numerous, that they require great judg ment in the choice, rejection, and advantageous arrangement. With what fuccefs our authors have executed their task would beft appear from a variety of fpecimens; but, for fuch ample evidence we have not fufficient room, though we want not in * See Review, Vol. xxviii, page 32. clination clination to do juftice to the merit of the work, which is by no means inconfiderable. We hall, however, give our readers the brief account which we here meet with, of a perfon, who deferves to be better known to the world than he has hitherto been, or, perhaps, ever might have been, had not a niche been provided for him in this temple of fame. DEMOIVRE (ABRAHAM) an illuftrious Mathematician, of French origin, was born at Vitri in Champagne, May 1667. The revocation of the edict of Nantz, in 1685, determined him to fly into England, fooner than abandon the religion of his fathers. He laid the foundation of his mathematical ftudies in France, and perfected himself at London; where a mediocrity of fortune obliged him to employ his talent in this way, and read public lectures, for his better fupport. The Principia Mathematica of Newton, which chance is faid to have thrown in his way, made him comprehend, at once, how little he had advanced in the fcience he profefied. He fell hard to work: he fucceeded as he went along; and he foon became connected with, and celebrated among, the first-rate mathematicians. His eminence and abilities foon opened to him an entrance into the Royal Society at London, and afterwards into the Academy of Sciences at Paris. His merit was fo well known, and acknowledged, by the former, that they judged him a fit perfon to decide the famous contest between Newton and Leibnitz. The collection of the Academy at Paris contains no memoir of this Author; who died at London, in November 1754*, foon after his admiffion into it; but the philofophical tranf actions of London have feveral, and all of them interefting t. He published alfo fome capital works, fuch as "Mifcellanea Analytica, de fericbus et quadraturis, in 1730. 4to." But perhaps he has been more generally known by his Doctrine of Chances; or Method of calculating the Probabilities of Events at Play." This work was firit printed in 1718, in quarto, and dedicated to Sir Ifaac Newton; it was reprinted in 178 with great additions and improvements; a third edition with additions and a "Treatife on Annuities" was dedicated to Lord Carpenter.-Pope did not overlook this Mathematician; 46 "Sure as De Moivre.". Of this very eminent man we know but little, except from his writings: his being appointed by the Royal Society to determine the contest between two of the greatest men in the world, at that time, is a fufficient proof of the esteem in which he was held by *We fupply the Day: November 27. + Our biographers might have obferved, that his first paper in the Philofophical Tranfactions, fo early as March 1695, is a most learned production. It contains the method for the quadrature of curvilinear figures, the dimenfions of folids generated by them, and alfo the application of fluxions to many other important purposes. We always icoked upon this paper as a remarkable effort of genius in (we believe) a felf-taught young mathematician, who had not yet filled his 28th year. that that learned body; the particulars of that conteft, with Demoivre's decifion of it, might afford matter of fatisfaction to the mathematicians of the prefent day: a future edition of the work before us, may, perhaps, fupply this defect. A uniform tenor, and confiftency, is effentially neceffary in works of this kind, not only with refpect to facts, but to fentiments of things, and general principles. The reader who is anxious with regard to the abovementioned decifion of Demoivre's, and who wishes to be informed how that great controversy, which engaged the attention of all the mathematicians in Europe, was finally determined, might expect to find it here recorded, either in the life of Newton, or of Leibnitz, or of Demoivre: nothing, however, appears on the fubject, in the prefent edition : unless it is to be found in fome other article, which we have not perufed. We mean not, by the foregoing little exceptions, to depreciate the general merit of this useful publication; which may be confidered as a ftore-house of valuable materials for the information and entertainment of its readers,-many articles of which are not elsewhere, collectively, to be met with In a word we cannot but look on the work as a very acceptable addition to the public ftock of biographical literature. ART. IV. An Eftimate of the comparative Strength of Great Britain, during the prefent, and four preceeding Reigns, and of the Loffes of her Trade from every War fince the Revolution. By George Chalmers. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Stockdale. 1786. MR R. Chalmers is well known by his laborious and accurate investigations of hiftorical, political, and commercial fubjects. He here putfues the fame line of inquiry, and maintains the fame principles which he laid down in his former works. He combats the gloomy and defponding notions [as he deems them] adopted by Dr. Price and his followers; and, by a chain of facts, corroborated by many collateral circumftances, he proves, we think, in as clear a manner as the nature of the fubject admits, that ever fince the revolution, Great Britain has been in a continually progreffive ftate with regard to population and induftry; and he adduces very probable reafons to fhew, that at the prefent moment, the manufactures and trade of this country are, perhaps, in a more flourishing ftate, upon the whole, than at any former period. The facts ftated in this publication are fo numerous and important, that we cannot attempt to do juftice to the author by abridging them, but muft refer the curious reader to the work itfelf, which will afford a rich fund of valuable materials to every political fpeculator. We cannot, however, avoid taking notice, that |