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But the Work now before us is a remarkable Instance, that a Writer of real Genius and Erudition need not despair of a favourable Reception from the Public: Witness the fplendid and learned Names of both Sexes *, which crowd the Lift of Subfcribers prefixed to these Travels; a Lift fcarce equalled by any of late Years, fince that to the celebrated (tho' prohibited) Tragedy of Guftavus Vafa. Such illuftrious Suffrages in its Favour fecure it from the Attacks of nibbling Critics, or at least place the Author above the Neceffity of attending to them.

His great Modesty appears from the Title Page, where he only profelles to attempt to treat of the Antiquities and other Contingencies of Conftantinople, Syria, &c. and tho' the Contents of his Chapters embrace, we may fay, the whole Circle of Science, his running Title is no more than of the Ottoman Empire.

Dr Perry, towards the beginning of his Preface, contradicts, tho' with due Deference, our Countryman Mr Profeffor Greaves, upon the Subject of the Pyramids. And indeed that learned Author has mistaken the true Shape of the largest of them, (which the Doctor has difcovered to be a fquare Cone) and has likewife miffed a moft pertinent Obfervation, that the Egyptian Architects, contrary to thofe of Laputa (and others the fame begin to build from the Bottom, regularly and gradually, ab imo ad fummum The Doctor feems to have been favoured, (we prefume from the Secretary,) with an unpublished Volume of the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences, whence he gives us a long Extract of Father Sicard; whole View of Egypt the Curious have only been able to find in the Letters of the Mif fionaries.

He defigned to vifit many other Places as Samos, Delos, Delphos, Arges, to all which we fuppofe, Euphonia gratia, he chufes to give the fame Termination.-but two Motives prevented him from complying with the Impulses of bis Curiofity; Firit, the Badness of the Roads and Danger of Robbers in the Winter Seafon; and Secondly, the Heat and Ardour of his Defires was cooled and affwaged by fome Accounts, which he received from one of his Retinue, that there was nothing to be seen there.

Another Inftance of his Modefty and Judgment appears in fubmitting his Manufcripts to feveral Men of Senfe and Letters, fome of whom read ever Jome Part of it and fome others; and at the fame Time in not acquiefcing to tally, tho' he did in fome Measure, in their Objections to fome rapturous and exftatic Expreffions, which, he informs us, were well relifked by fome others, fome of whom we defire to be esteemed. In mentioning the Egyptian Hieroglyphics, our Author bestows a fingular Commen dation on the learned Mr Warburton, (who, we doubt not, will be pleased with this Teftimony a laudato viro) where he fays, we expect abundantly more from that Rev. ingenious Gentleman, than we ourselves or any other Perfons we have met with feem capable of performing. He concludes the Preface by expreffing his Gratitude to fome noble Perfonages by Name, for their MEDIATION and INTERCESSION; and as to the Reft, contents himself with paying them the Tribute of his fecret and mental Acknowledgements only.

With

We are the lefs to wonder at the Number of the Fair Sex in his Lift, when, in the midft of his Theological Difcourfe upon Ifis, he takes Occafion to pay them fo handfome a Compliment: "Woman is acknowledged univerfally to be the most excellent and perfect *Kind of Being upon Earth." P450 Note by the Journalist.

With Regard to feveral of the Subjects contained in this Book e. g. the Conftitution of the Turkish Government, his chronological Deduction of the Ottoman Kings, his Chronicle of the Mamlucs, the Egyptian and Abbafide Caliphs, we have (to ufe our Author's Words upon a like Occasion,) for the Sake of the Connoiffeurs, whofe Libraries are, generally speaking, furnished with Books in that way, chofen to leave them entirely out.

We fhall proceed to fatisfy the Curiofity of the Public, and enable it to form an Idea of our Author's Taste and Manner, by laying before it fome Specimens under four general Heads, his Defcriptions; Reflections; Religions, Political and Natural;-Erudition, and Style.

We cannot set out better, than with the Picture the Doctor gives of a remarkable Curiofity in the Way to Tripoli. It is a Rock in the Dog River; which, as Fame goes, was once de facto a Dog, but was miraculoujby tranfubftantiated, or, as jome fay improperly, metamorphofed into a Rock of the jame Form, P. 138. But the Part, wherein he difplays his mafterly Talent, is amongst the Ruins of Old Egypt; and those we prefume may be fome of the Paffages objected to by the Doctor's Friends, and fo judiciously preferved by him. Speaking of the Temple of Carnac or Luxor il Kadim, he fays, We went a Shore, and marching along, with great Avidity, directly to it, we found the most fately, magnificent and furprizing Temple, that ever Eye beheld. 'Tis impoffible to think, speak, or write of this Edifice without Transport and Rapture; for, its Splendor, Glory, and Magnificence are fuch, as are truly unspeakable, and perhaps unconceiveable. P. 341. and lower-Good God! How were we aftonished, ravished and transported at the Sight of this! This furely was emulating, if not equaling celestial Glory and Splendor. P. 342. The Egyptian Sculpture particularly affects our Author; upon that Subject (to ufe a favourite Word of his,) he thus explores; P. 350. You fee in divers Places, Perfens mounted on Cars of War lafhing the Horfes, aud driving on with unpeakable Fury, and fome Diflance before them you fee the vanquifked Foes agonizing and dying in an infinite Variety of most moving Poftures. We must confess never to have feen Death (fays he, as much a Phylician as he is,) in fo many exquifite, and fuch affecting Shapes. This alone would afford an ample Field for the Painters to take Lessons from; and this perhaps is the beft School they could go to. In this Temple were feveral large female Staues, as appears from their Fragments, &c.

A Traveller, who has the Faculty of defcribing in fo lively and picturcfque a Manner, makes us not regret, that, as he confeffes, he had no Painter with him, nor was himself skilled in the Art of Drawing. Those Qualifications may be of Ufe in a Le Bruyn, or a Nording, but are fuperfeded by the Imagination and Vivacity of our Author: He has however, given us one Delign, which is a correct Chart of the Nile. It is indeed an Original. He has placed Alexandria, Rofetta, and Damietta (contrary to the erroneous Opinion of vulgar Geographers) entirely within Land, and gives the Nile, instead of the fevén Mouths of the Antients, none at all; fo that when even the crufading Humor is revived to recover or rather to gain this Land, as the Doctor piously wishes, P. 6 and 7, it is to be hoped the Chriftians will restore the Communication between thofe Places and the Sea.

Our Author feems to be an equal Mafler of the Chriftian and Egyptian Theology. Of the former he fays (P. 390.) that the Refurrection of all

Bodies,

Bodies, as infinuated in Holy Writ, and as typified, or rather specified by our Bleffed Savior, is to happen and must be compleated on one certain Day &c. The latter, he confeffes, degenerated by Time into a little innocent Superftition, for Men's Opinions are as liable to Excrefcencies, as the Bodies of Animals, Trees, and Plants; and though God held them in Abomination, as not being of the Type and Effence of frict Purity and Truth; yet fince be bad not been pleafed to manifeft himself to thofe People, as he did to the Jews, fo that may plead in Apology for them. P. 391, 393.

He goes further than an Excufe, and even fhews a Refemblance be tween the two Religions. Thofe Notions (lays he) and Practices of the an tient Egyptians feem to have been typical of the bleffed Trinity. P. 454. And in this he is authorized by the deeply-learned Dr Stukeley, who not only demonstrates the moft orthodox Form of this Doctrine to have been known and embraced by the Druids here, but also that it was brought originally from Egypt by Abraham's Friend, Hercules Tyrius, and his Son, that Patriarch's Godfon.*

As for political Reflections, we do not find any in Machiavel, or Cardinal de Rets of equal Depth with the following. 'Tis owing to these mutual Jealoufies, Animofities and Divifions, that the whole Country is kept in Peace, Quiet and Subjection. P. 158.

Of political Arithmetic take this Specimen; a curious Calculator has ventured to give an Eftimate of the Number of their Affes and Mosques, both morally, tho' not equally, impoffible to be known. P. 232.

Natural Obiervations are the peculiar Province of a Phyfician; nor has our Author been sparing of them. Let the Wind, fays he, P. 273. blow where and as long as it lifts, if it is not charged with Clouds, it will never produce Rain; a Truth no Naturalift will pretend to controvert. The following may admit fome Doubt; if the keen northerly Winds with us ferve to actuate and irritate the rational Faculties, and fo promote the Exertion of them, the fouthern Gales of this Clime, on the other hand, ferve to maturate and ripen them; without which Help many bright Thoughts, and Flowers of keeneft Wit, might have remained in Embryo, of bave been buried in Oblivion to all Eternity. Few Perfons have enjoyed the Benefits of both Climates; the Faculties of our Physician by a fingular Felicity feem equally irritated and maturated.

Our third general Head was Erudition, and his Intelligence in Matters of the highest Antiquity is very extenfive and particular: We are well affured (fays he, poffibly from fome Hierogrammatic Gazette of Pharoah's Court) that in the Time of Jofeph there were feven Granaries, each like unto what we now fee. P. 230. He likewife afcertains, P. 480. the Study and Dormitory of Hippocrates,

He discovers P. 492. many Cities of the Name of Athens. But how ever, fays he, the Athens in Question was ftyled, by way of Eminence, A. thena Attica, (a Writer, who had never been upon the Place, would have given it a plural Termination) fo that in paft Ages, as well as the prefent, whenever Athens was spoken of without any explanatory Epithet, this was always understood. In P. 122. he has an Anecdote of no lefs Confequence relating to our own Hiftory; that St George's Church at Lydda was built by King Edward the Confeffor in a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. All our Hiftorians are unpardonable in having paffed over fo re

N

Ser Stukeley's Abury,

'markable

markable a Particular in the Life of that pious Prince, and having only fent two of our Monarchs, Richard and Edward the First, to theHoly Land.

He gives a Derivation of Jupiter Ammon, P. 353. which has escaped all the Etymologifts; "We fet out for Arment to vifit the celebrated Temple "there, which, as fome fay, was dedicated to Jupiter:" Hence Jupiter Arment, or, according to the modern corrupt Expreffion, Jupiter Ammon.

The Doctor, like other great Authors, has a Peculiarity in his Spelling; what our vulgar Italian Travellers call the mal Aria (the bad antumnal Air about Rome) he calls the mal Areum; what common Books of Antiquity write the Panathena a [the Athenian Games] his critical Nicety corrects into Panathenafe; and for Quadriga, [the four Horfe Chariot] he, fuo periculo, reads Quadrigium.

Though the Doctor profeffes not to enter minutely into the Confideration of Medals and Intaglias, yet he fhews his Taste and Value for them in a Digreffion, which is one of the most curious Parts of his Work; we fhall reduce it to a bort Calculus. He observes the great Use of metallic Coins is from the Phyfiognomies of antient Heroes in general, or their feveral Lines and Features in particular.-To form a Judgment how far these outward and visible Characters may be fuppofed to indicate their great Altions and Virtues, P. 515. he exactly enumerates, P. 517. the chief People among the Antients, who ftruck Medals, viz. the Hebrews, the Punics, Greeks and Romans, to whom fome add the Barbarians. He is no lefs exact in diflinguishing the different Sorts of Rings, worn by the different Ranks of Men in primitive Times; Priefts had their Gods, Princes and Heroes their Paramours, Citizens their Founders, People in common their Fathers, Grandfathers, &c. P. 516.

This Extract has already grown fo large under our Hands, that we can by no means do Juftice to the Doctor's Style; fhould we cite every fhining Turn of Expreffion, every Verbum ardens, we must tranfcribe from every Page. His favourite Figure is Amplification, P. 154. They [the Egypti ans] generally unite and are unanimous in oppofing the Views, Defigns, Power and Authority of the Babaw. Again, many and great Commotions, Intrigues, Troubles and Treacheries. P. 164.

Sometimes he defcends, leviore Plectro, to the Familiar; as, the whole is a damned Lie. P. 219. Mr Lucas is a Lyar, and the Truth is not in him, 363. As great as John of Gaunt, and as big as Bull-beef, P. 224. At other Times he raises the meaneft Things; a fine Path way, just recovered from the Dishonours of a Shower of Rain. P. 225. Was obliged to ftand under the Adoption of fcurrilous Language. P. 222.

He no lefs, excells in the Metaphor; we fhall give but one Instance, and that taken from his own Profeffion. Speaking of the Depravities and Diftemperatures in the Government of Egypt, he fays; tho' the redundant Humors being thus difcharged, the Plethora is affwaged, for a Time; get as the original Stamina, leven, or morbific Principle, yet remains inherent in the Conftitution; fo it will daily vegetate and increase, till a Sufficiency is heaped up to form and produce another Fit, P. 155.

This Work is defective only in two Particulars, fome Pages of commendatory Verfes at the Beginning, and a compieat Index at the End. The former was fupplied to a celebrated Traveller of the laft Age, Tom Coryat, by fome of the moft fhining Wits and greatest Perfonages of the Time; thofe of our Days have ufhered in thefe Travels with a more fub

ftantial

ftantial Encouragement; and we have attempted a Supplement to the Index.

We cannot take leave of our Author without the Reflection, that fince learned Men, as he has most judicioufly obferved of Phyficians, may be divided into real and nominal, notwithstanding all the Cavils of thofe, who spending their Time idly at Home, envy Travellers that Fame, which they have fo dearly purchased and fo juftly deferved, it will eafily appear from this faithful, though fhort Abstract of his Work, to which, alas! the ingenious Author belongs.

INDE X.

A

Angels fan English Coin] a Legion of them good Proxies or Procurators

at Cairo

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Page 198

142

449

232

ibid.

58

485

236

ibid.

Beard, the Ambassador of Schah Thamas's is black and well furnished
Belly and Barrel, Arms and Ammunition for

Boats, Company in them great, fmall, and middling
Parade upon the Water inftead of dry Land

C

Cairo Grand, a fad and perilous Place for the Profecution of Intrigues and Amours

be

212

Bashaw of, what he is, what he ought to be, and what he would

Capigy Bafhaw, fent back with a Flea in his Ear

Cafum-lay, an Egyptian Whigg

Chriftians and Circaffians, by Birth are of base Metals

159, 160

159

160

153

Country Mountains, no Hindrance to the Multiplication of the human Species, especially under the gracious Difpenfation of Mabomet

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Harangue, long one of M. la Pluche, reduced to a fhort Calculus by our

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Infcriptions ancient, intirely left out by our Author

452

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Inter-rumping, a tyrannical Practice as old as Pififtratus
Ifis, engaging Poftures of

naked to the bottom of her Belly

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