ideas which it is impossible to convey to mortals; and yet to judge from their discussions, they seem to have remained precisely where death found them. Their conversations overflow with their old prejudices. This is essential indeed to the author's purpose, of affording a correct picture of the great men of old Rome; and for that reason we object to the plan of bringing their spirits forward personally, in the eighteenth century, when they must have been long exposed to the operation of causes, able to work an entire change in their character. The author also appears to us on too familiar a footing with the mighty dead. Cicero and he seem to be intimate friends, and with the other illustrious spirits, he converses and argues on perfectly equal terms. We object, moreover, to a dissertation on the state of modern Europe from Pompey, in which he displays much too intimate an acquaintance with the subject, considering that he was profoundly ignorant of it, till he had heard our author treat of it a few moments before. Considered as a series of historical portraits, this work is respectable. The martial fierceness of Romulus, and the philosophic mildness of Numa, the stern independence of Brutus and Cato, the savage and haughty spirit of Marius and Sylla, are well displayed. The stories of the Vestal and the Parricide, though horrid, are interesting. As descriptive of the feelings, with which the great men of antiquity would regard the altered condition of their city, the ruins of its ancient splendour, and the growth of new arts, manners, and institutions, this book has no small merit. The lamentation of the shades over the Comitium and the Forum, now turned into a pasture for cattle; over the ruins of ancient magnificence, stripped of their ornaments, to add to the beauty of modern edifices; the dissertation of Vitruvius upon modern architecture; the ideas of Cæsar, Pompey, and Brutus upon the changes in government and manners, in military and civil institutions, which have occurred since their decease; the angry disappearance of Romulus, when he finds the city which he had left proud of its military sway, now become the centre of a religious dominion; the apparition of Jugurtha reproaching the venality of Rome; the judgment of Atticus upon the conduct of Coriolanus,-are characteristic and striking. The religious elevation of Rome is well compared, in the author's concluding address, with it ancient military glory. The translation appears to us to be executed with spirit and fidelity, and to be on the whole a desirable accession to our literature. MISCELLANY. SNEEZING. "OVIDIUS NASO was the man: and why indeed Naso;" because he could sneeze, sweet Shakspeare might have said, if he had known as well as I do, the pleasure arising from the sternutatory operations of the nasal membrane. What can be more delightful, than the sensation experienced in waiting with open mouth and eyes half shut, and every faculty of mind and body on the tiptoe of expectation, for one of those tremendous explosions, which an agreeable titillation of the nostrils has fairly warned us is about to take place. But what more vexatious disappointment than to be compelled to resume our usual attitude and occupation without arriving at the supreme felicity of a sneeze, after having paid the most respectful attention for some ten or fifteen minutes, to the intimations of that self-willed gentleman, Le Nez. I was led into these reflections by two accidental, but propitious sneezes, which happened a few moments since; and truly, Mr Editor, I am persuaded that the result of a hasty inquiry into the origin and progress of these nasal explosions will afford thy readers much amusement and instruction; if not, it is certainly no fault of mine. The art of sneezing must have been a very early discovery. Indeed some authors have laboured to prove that Adam was first made sensible of his own existence by a violent fit of sternutation. Others have asserted, that men never sneezed till after the deluge. Unfortunately for the advancement of literature, we do not at the present day possess sufficient information to decide with regard to this important point. Certain it is, however, that when Prometheus had finished his noble statue, he gave it life and animation by means of a sneeze. Probably snuff was not then invented, or he would never have had recourse to the expedient of stealing a bottle of the sun's rays, which he uncorked immediately beneath the nose of his image, and was overjoyed at the loud reports which succeeded this lucky manœuvre. An ancient Chinese manuscript relates, that about twenty thousand years ago, Fong-hi, Emperor of China, suddenly awoke from one of his long periodical trances, and threw the whole empire into consternation, by a sneeze. In times somewhat more modern, the Prince of Monomotapa, whenever he sneezed at meal-times, was wont to set the table in a roar, not indeed of laughter, but of pious prayers and holy ejaculations, and loud supplications for health and long life to his most illustrious majesty. It would seem that this operation of the nasal faculties could not have been so common an occurrence among the ancient Greeks and Romans as it is with us, or they would not have regarded it with so much awe and veneration. The practice of observing all sorts of sneezes, and drawing from them " conclusions most forbidden," was early cherished by these "patres venerandi" of all modern lore. Theocritus makes mention of a very happy sneeze which took place at the marriage of Menelaus with the lovely Helena; To bless her bed, from all the princely crowd And Homer relates, that when Penelope, harassed by the importunities of her suitors, was pouring forth entreaties for the return of Ulysses, the fortunate sneeze of her son Telemachus was hailed with joy, as the most favourable answer to her pious supplications. Telemachus then sneezed aloud; Constrained, his nostrils echoed through the crowd. The smiling queen the happy omen blessed. Pope. In those polite ages it was customary whenever a man sneezed, to cry, Zne, May you live; or Ze carov, "God bless us." The following epigram of the Greek poet Ammian, on a man who had a proboscis of extraordinary length, alludes to this custom. Οὐδὲ λέγει, Ζεῦ σῶσον, ὅταν πταρῇ, οὐ γὰρ ἀκούει Τῆς ῥινὸς, πολὺ γὰρ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἀπέχει. He never cries, God bless us, when he sneezes, The same practice prevailed among the Romans, and Strada has written a very learned dissertation on the subject, intituled, Cur sternutamentis salutentur. Aristotle has many sage remarks, that are very much to the point, and observes that the Greeks worshipped 'OПraguès, or "The Sneeze," as one of their deities. Plutarch relates, that when three beautiful captives were brought to Themistocles, Euphrantides the Soothsayer, perceiving that a bright flame blazed out from the victims, while a sneezing was heard to the right, ordered that they should be sacrificed to Bacchus Omestes, telling him, that thus the Greeks might be assured of victory. These sternutatory eruptions were not always considered such fortunate omens, but were variously interpreted, according to innumerable circumstances of time and place. Once, while Xenophon was making a speech, a full, round sneeze from the nose of one of his soldiers was sufficient to make him a general; but again, when he was exhorting his troops to rush upon the enemy, a most unlucky sneeze had like to have put the whole army to flight; and nothing but public prayers and sacrifices could expiate this dangerous omen. Theocritus says, that the mischievous Cupids had almost broken the heart of a disconsolate lover, by sneezing on him while he was paying his devoirs to his captivating mistress. With us moderns, even the art of sneezing has not escaped the lamentable decay, which, in our degenerate days, has fallen on every invention of ancient brains, and every production of classic climes. Yet it ought to be cherished and venerated, were it only for the beneficial influence it has hitherto exerted on human society. The Prince of Hungary was once saved from assassination by a violent fit of sneezing, which attacked one of his intended murderers, who were concealed within the arras of his bed-room. It has often been the means of extinguishing the animosities of kingdoms, and calming the most turbulent dissensions of domestic life. The demon of Socrates always informed him by a sly sneeze whenever a fit of scolding was about to come upon his wife Xantippe, so that he was frequently enabled to get out of the way before the tremendous storm which was brewing had fairly commenced. In our day the disgusting practice of snuff-taking has in most nasal organs completely destroyed the power of sternutation, as well as that of sensation in the olfactory nerves. What benefit or pleasure there can be in having one's "fine pate full of fine dirt," I never could conceive. Now and then to take a moderate pinch, just often enough to provoke at each repetition a good, hearty sneeze, would be very well. But to make the nose, that sacred depository of superabundant good humour, that venerable deity of ancient mythology, that precious organ through which we catch the sweetness of the spicy groves, the fragrance of the flowers,to convert the nose into a vile receptacle for pulverized tobacco! O! it is a practice "abominable,' —a violation of all classic authorities,―as great a profanation as it would be to turn the temple of Minerva into a sheepfold. Suppose a member of the court of Areopagus to drop down into the midst of one of our modern halls of justice, what would be his amazement to behold each member gravely tapping the lid of his anti-sternutation pouch, and shovelling into his nostrils with a "voracious, pig-like snort," such immense quantities of its black and dusty contents! In former times, on any occasion of emergency, a happy sneeze was sufficient to set all things right, and the most important state affairs were managed with all the despatch and harmony imaginable by means of a few decisive sneeze-votes. At the present day the wise men of the earth are ruled in their deliberations altogether by the tongue, a most unruly member, and our statesmen are led by the nose, full as often as it guides them. If they would only consult its oracular responses, what perplexities might they not escape! what a waste of eloquence would then be avoided,-how many cubic feet of patriotic breath might be saved! their nights of solitary study, and the fearful wear and tear of their lungs in the day-time would all be needless. Instead of being compelled to sit for a fortnight on the benches of Panama, or to gaze a whole month at the sour aspect of the constitution, a few energetic, patriotic sneezes might relieve their anxieties, and forever prevent the recurrence of similar embarrassments. There would be but one difficulty in the way,-designing and intriguing men might possibly sneeze themselves into preferment, and our offices of trust and honour would sometimes be filled, with only an unwieldy snout, as they sometimes now are, by a pannel of uncommon protuberance and rotundity. I regret exceedingly that my limits will not permit me to pursue this interesting subject any farther. Some of my readers may be disposed to think rather lightly of these speculations; but I can tell them this paper is not to be sneezed at. And if you, Mr Editor, happen to be of the same opinion,-which, I declare to you, I can hardly doubt,— it will be but an act of kindness to the public, to print it for their perusal. C. PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE. LANGUAGE is the expression, by visible, audible, or tangible signs, of the thoughts, feelings, or state of our mind, in order to excite the conception of them in another. It is either symbolical or arbitrary. In the first case it excites by the mere power of resemblance or analogy, the ideas which it is intended to communicate. Just as a portrait represents an absent friend; or, as stretching out the arms horizontally denotes extent; or, as imitating the action of eating expresses the real action itself. In the other case, language derives its significancy, either from a previous agreement between the parties, who use it, or from an actual explanation at the time. This agreement, and this explanation, can be made only by the presence of the object, which the sign is intended to denote, or by another symbolical sign, immediately expressive of the object, by its resemblance or analogy to it; thus the word hat must have originally derived its meaning from the actual sight of a hat, or from a picture of it, or from its appropriate delineation by certain motions of the hands, describing its shape and use, or by a definition, all the words of which must themselves have been explained by the presence of some objects or pictures, or by the exhibition of appropriate bodily signs and gestures. Precisely in the same manner when the word, power, or one of its synonyms, is first presented to the eye by visible marks, or to the ear by audible sounds, it would be unmeaning, unless there were a simultaneous exhibition to the mind of the person addressed, of an apparent exercise of power, or of a picture of it, or of a delineation of it by the countenance, position of the muscles, and motion of the limbs. This is also true of all the terms which denote any of the states, affections, |