St. Peter does in his First Epistle) to the strangers scattered abroad in different places: others have imagined that Spartos was of the fame import with Spartanos; but it is not probable that the epistle of St. John, which is stiled General, was addressedito any one particular people: others, again, have observed, that by Spartos may be understood Parthos; and it is remarkable not only that St. Augustin makes mention of an Epistle of St. John addressed to the Parthians, and must have had the First Epistle in view, as he quotes several passages from it; but that Pofidius, his disciple, and the writer of his life, places in his lift of the works of that Father, De Epistola Johannis ad Parthos Sermones Decem. It may be, that St. Augustin obferving that the General Epistle of St. Peter was addressed to the inhabitants of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Afia, and Bithynia, abridged that long title in a general and comprehenfive denomination, even that of the Parthians; a name given to all the different nations subjected to that empire, of which Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia were provinces. Hence it is very poffible, that fince the time of St. Augustin, the title ad Parthos may have been given to the epiftle under confideration. It may alfo be observed farther, that the term Parthian fignifies fometimes the Perfians, whose empire was succeeded by theirs: St. John seems to allude to the opinions of the Persians and their philosophy, in his frequent use of figurative expreffions drawn from light and darkness. The two principal opinions, which contend respectively for the readings ad-Sparfos, or ad Parthos, may be reconciled; for the word Parthus fignifies diSperfed: Scythico Sermone Parthi exules dicuntur, Justin. lib. xli. See alfo Fourn. Litter. d'Allemagne, T. i. and Bibliotheque Rai Sonnée, T. xii.

But what deferves particular attention, in this manuscript, is that it contains the famous paffage of the three that bear witness, I. John v. 7 and 8, but placed in a different manner from that of our Bibles and posterior manuscripts. The 8the verfe is placed-before the 7th, and the words in earth are omitted. The whole paffage runs thus: Quia tres funt, qui teftimoniume dant, fpiritus et aqua et fanguis, et hi tres unum funt; et tres funt qui teftimonum perhibent in cælo, pater, verbum & fpiritus, et tres unum funt. The omiffion of the words in terra is quite natural;for, before the interpolation of the 7th verse, it was not necefsary to diftinguish the witnesses, and to mark the difference between the celestial and the earthly witnesses. And as to arrange ment of these verses, it is probable, that the interpolated verse was, at first, placed after that which belonged to the original text; but when it was read for fome time in the public affemblies, it is natural to conjecture, that, out of respect, they thought proper to place the celeftial witnesses before the terreftrial,

Sennebier's Catalogue of MSS. in the Library of Geneva. 547

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trial, and that the verses were transposed on that account. See concerning this interpolation, the New Testament of Mill and Wetstein. L'Europe Javant. Mai. 1718, and Biblioth. Ang. T. v. 317

• Subjoined to this manuscript are some curious records, and among these several acts placed in the margins to afcertain their authenticity. Of these M. SENNEBIER gives a particular account. The mixture of uncial and capital letters the frequent junction of different words, the frequent placing of an b before words that begin by vowels, particularly by the a, with feveral other circumstances, shew that this manufcript is not more recent than the ninth century.

• We shall give another specimen of this work from the 99th No. of the Latin manuscripts. It is a poem in honour of MAHOMET, under the following title-MARII PHILELPHI A. et I. U. Dočtoris, Equitis Curati, Poetæ Laureati ac Comitis, de Vita, Rebusque gestis Invictissimi Regis et Imperatoris, Clariffimi MAHOMETI, Turcarum Principis. This remarkable poem has been hitherto absolutely unknown, as appears by a letter from M. Tirabofchi, the librarian of Modena, to our Author, and also from what that learned man observes in his excellent literary hiftory of Italy, volume v. p. 296. -The prologue to this poem, which is in profe, is addressed to Mahomet, by Othman Lillus Anconitanus, who had engaged Marius Philelphus to fing the exploits of that conqueror. M, SENNEBIER gives an ample and interesting account of this epic, or rather hiftorical poem. It is divided into IV. Books, or Cantos. In the Ift, the poet rem lates the hiftory, of Mahomet, from his birth; and the book concludes with the defign formed by that great leader to overr turn the Grecian empire, The Ild begins with an account of the death of Amurath, the father of Mahomet, in 1451; it con tains a variety of interesting events, enumerated in our Author's Analysis, and ends with the death of Conftantine, and the tak ing of Conftantinople, The IIId Book relates the fending of Constantine's head to the Sultan of Babylon; the furrender of the Greeks; the divifions of Thomas and Demetrius, the brothers, of Conftantine, who had fled to Peloponnesus; the furrender of that peninsula to the arms of Mahomet;, his conqueft of the kingdom of Colchos, the city of Trebifond, Lesbos, Bosnja, and Sclavonia; and his fitting out a fleet to attack the Venetians., The IVth Book contains the reflections of the poet on the destiny of empires; with a description of the defeat of the Venetians by Mahomet, and a series of all the victories of that enterprising man.

We learn from this poem, that Mahomet neither understood Latin, nor the sciences of his times; that the taking of Constantinople was owing to the inteftine divifions of the Greeks; to their weak defence; and their false security; that the conqueror tranfported his gallies by land into the Gulph of Ceratinum; and we see here the terror that Mahomet spread through Italy, displayed in the most lively colours. We find here also (fays our Author) the circumstances that attended, the taking of Moncaftro, or Bialogorod, in Bessarabia; which place was abandoned and burned by the inhabitants, at the approach of Mahomet. Historians are filent as to this fact; but, in all the reft, their accounts are conformable to the poetical relation of Philelphus. This bard was born at Conftantinople, in the year 1426.'

ART. XII.

BIBLIOTHEQUE ORIENTALE, ou Dictionaire Universelle, contenant tout ce qui fait connoitre les Peuples de l'Orient, &c. -The Oriental Library, or, Universal Dictionary, containing every Thing requifite to the Knowledge of the Eastern Nations, their History, Traditions, Religions, and Sects, - their forms of Government, Politics, Laws, Manners, and Revolutions, their Arts and Sciences, Theology, Phyfic, Mythology, Magic, Natural Philofophy, Morality, Mathematics, Natural History, Chronology, Geography, Astronomical Observations, Grammar, and Rhetoric; alfo the Lives of their Philosophers, Poets, Historians, and Military Commanders, with Extracts of their Writings in the Arabic, Turkish, and Perfian Languages. By Mefl. C. VISDELOU and A. GALAND. Folio and Quarto. Hague. 1779.

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HE quarto impression of this learned work makes the fourth volume, or Supplement, to the elegant, correct, and improved edition which Meff. Neaulme and Van Daalen have published, at the Hague, of HERBELOT'S Oriental Library. This fourth volume (which is also printed in folio for the advantage of those who have the folio edition of Herbelot), was compofed by CLAUDE VISDELOU, known by the titular denomination of Bishop of Clandiopolis, and who was one of the miffionaries sent to China, in the year 1685, by Lewis the XIVth; and it was designed by him as a supplement to Herbelot. The contents of this supplemental volume are, ist, Observations of M. de VISDELOU on Twelve Articles of the ORIENTAL LIBRARY, relative to China.-2dly, A History of Great Tartary, that extensive Region, known to the Ancients under the Name of Scythia, and whose Sovereigns twice subdued China: 3dly, A Differtation on the Title of KHAN, in Ufe in the East.-4thly, Observations on Forty-one Articles of the above-mentioned Library, more or less relative to China. 5thly, The famous Monument of Chriftianity in China, with a Paraphrafe, and learned Notes, and alfo a Description of the Roman Empire, according to the Chinese.-6thly, A Defcription of the Chinese Empire, in a Letter addressed to the late Prince

Prince EUGENE of Savoy. -7thly, Two Treatises of the late M. GALAND, which are become exceedingly rare: the one entitled, REMARKABLE SAYINGS OF THE EASTERNS, and the other ORIENTAL MAXIMS. - It must not be omitted, that this 4to edition of HERBELOT has the peculiar advantage of being improved by the ADDITIONS of M. SCHULTENS, lately chosen professor of the oriental Languages at Leyden, in the place of his learned and worthy father; and who reflects new honour on the very respectable name he bears. This learned profeffor, whose taste is as elegant as his erudition is extensive, has furnished new articles to the work before us, and corrected some of the old ones.

Акт. XIII.

Des Moyens que la faine Medecine, &c. Concerning the Means that may be employed by a wife Practitioner in Medicine, to render the Individuals of one Sex more numerous than those of the other. By M. SAURI, M. D. Correspondent Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Montpellier. Paris. 1779. (Price 1 Livre 10 Sols.)

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HIS is the Sixth Part or Number of the Opufcula of Dr. Sauri; and a curious piece it is, both with refpect to the nature of the subject, and the manner of treatingit: more curious, indeed, than important; for the present proportion between the numbers of the two sexes, seems to be well enough arranged for the purposes of fociety, and the merit, manners, spirit, and genius of the male and female orders in our islands, as well as elsewhere, are become so equal, both in kind and degree, that it seems of no great consequence which of the two be most stocked with individuals. However, if, in any future time, it should become a matter of moment to have more caps than wigs, or the vice verfa (which is more likely to be the cafe, all things confidered), M. SAURI'S book will deserve the attention of our political economists. His method of proceeding is as follows: After expofing to view the different hypotheses of philofophers, with refpect to the nature and mechanism of generation, and adopting that of M. Buffon, with certain modifications which do not alter it effentially, he concludes, from that theory and his own repeated observations, that the individual of the two sexes who poffefses the generative faculty in the highest degree (we suppose he means at the time of their union), gives his or her sex to the off-spring; and, if we may believe Dr. SAURI, this takes place both in the human and the animal species. The consequence is, that if medical science can give a fuperiority to the generative faculty of male or female, it must be capable of determining the sex of their progeniture. Our Author thinks he has difcovered a method of giving the medical art this

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this fingular influence; nay, the means prescribed are remarkable for their fimplicity. Those who defire information on this head, may confult the work itself, for which they must apply to the Author; who acknowledges no copies to be genuine, that do not bear his fignature. He lives at Paris, in the street Richlieu-Sorbonne, in the College des Treforiers.

ART. XIV.

Observations fur la Formation des Montagnes et les Changemens arrivés au Globe, &c. - Observations on the Formation of Mountains, and the Changes and Revolutions which have taken place in our Globe; composed with a View to the Natural History of M. de Buffon By P. S. PALLAS, Member of the Academy of Peterf. burg, in 12mo. pp. 90. Price 24 Livres. Printed at Paris. 1779

T HIS laborious and intelligent Author, who by the order and peculiar encouragement of the Empress of Ruffia, travelled through her dominions in Europe and Afia, to examine the state of Nature in these vast regions, has communicated to the Public, in the small work now before us, a confiderable number of important observations. The origin and formation of mountains, is the object that has more particularly employed his attention in this work. He undertakes to refute, by undoubted facts, the opinions, much in vogue, of certain Naturalifts, who suppose, that the mountains arose out of the waters, and derived existence and formation from the ocean. His ob. servations, repeated in different places, have convinced him that the great ridge or chain of primitive mountains, that binds together the various parts of the globe, as the beams do the masonry of a building, neither has been, nor could be, the production of the waters. This majestic chain, which he follows in an ample and interesting description, is all granite, with a basis of quartz, more or less mixed with fpars, mica, and little portions of basaltes, scattered without order, and in irregular fragments. This ancient rocky substance, and the fand produced by its decomposition, form (according to M. Pallas) the basis of all the continents. But this rocky granit is never found in ftrata or beds; it is either in blocks, or at least in masses, accumulated the one upon the other, and never exhibits the least mark or vestige of petrifaction, or of any organical impreffion whatever. Besides these primordial mountains, M. PALLAS maintains, that there are others of a more recent origin. These he calls fecondary and tertiary: the former, which are Schistous, were produced at the fides of the primordial mountains by the decompofition of the granites; the latter arife from the wrecks and contents of the fea, raised and tranfported by volcanic eruptions and confequent inundations.

1.

Here