Letter from M. TELLER, an eminent and learned Divine at • Berlin.

• REVEREND SIR,

◄ I HAVE just now received your Liturgy, which you have pleased to prefent me; and I thank you for it in the molt obliged manner. I was already, by way of the newspapers, informed of your purpose to establish a worship for univerfal believers of the Deity; and I am very glad to see this now performed, and the external form of devotion, according to your intention, very well executed. For it cannot be denied that the belief of the one Supreme Being, and the study of univerfal benevolence, are the most important articles of the well-understanded Christian religion itself.

• But I am now very defirous to know what approbation your worfhip has found in the public.

I fend you, by this occafion, a fpecimen of like form of worship propofed by Mr. Basedow, at Deffau, in the principality of Anhalt. 1 with that it may have your approbation, and that all your endeayours for promoting a reasonable religion may fucceed.

• Berlin, July 29, 1776.

I am, with great esteem,

Your most humble and obedient fervant,

TELLER.

• Note from Mr. RASPE, a German Philosopher in London. Mr. Bode, at Hamburgh, writes to me under the 30th of Auguft:

I congratulate you on the good reception of your account of the German volcanos. I gave the copy which you fent me to Mr. Brydone, whom I met at Leipzig. It was an agreeable present to him. You must fend me another copy. My hearty compliments to your good-natured and benevolent Samaritan Williams; and my thanks for his Liturgy. His name fhall be known in Germany, and meet with that justice in our papers which his public fpirit deferves. Bafedow is expected here in a few days; and then more for you and

Williams.'

• Give me leave to add to this what Mr. de Catt wrote me from Potzdam, under the 10th Auguft:

• Vous voila donc avec ces braves Anglais, et en connoiffance avec Mr. Williams, qui par ce qu'il dit dans fes lettres et par ce qu'il ecrit dans fon ouvrage merite l'attachement et l'eftime de ceux qui favent bien penfer et bien ecrire.'

We now take a hearty leave of this reverend gentleman, not without forrow that so much time has been abused, and fo little understanding fo ill managed, and fo ill husbanded. The bad health of which he complains, we receive in part as an excufe for the many petulancies into which he has been betrayed. As Reviewers we hope and truft our acquaintance will drop here. As members of the community we confider the defire expreffed by the author, that thofe who like not his principles may pafs his door without entering, as a punishment of no great account, fince the hafty and violent manner of this philofopher might produce much inconvenience to thofe of his vifitors who fhould prefume to entertain opposite opinions.

ART. II. Accounts and Extracts of the Manufcripts in the Library of the King of France. Publifhed under the Inspection of a Committee of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris. Tranflated from the French. 8vo. 2 vols. 12s. boards, Faulder.

London, 1789.

BURCHARD's Journal is followed by an account of a Greek Lexicon. By M. de Rochfort. The author of the account feems inclined to magnify the merit of this manuscript lexicon, which, in reality, fo far as he has specified, contains nothing worthy of attention.

The next article is, An Hiftorical Chain of Countries, Seas, and Fishes; with a Treatife of the Science of the Sphere; a Collection of different Works; and particularly of Two Voyages f to India and China in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries. By M. de Guignes.-In the year 1718 a work was published by the Abbé Renaudot entitled Ancient Relations of India and China, by two Mahometan Travellers who went thither in the Ninth Century; tranflated from the Arabic, with Remarks on the principal Parts of thefe Relations.' The tranflator of the manufcript, with refpect to what is related of the Chinese, endeavoured, in his remarks, to deftroy the high idea which the miffionaries have given us of the Chinese nation. Fathers Premau and Parennin thought themselves obliged to refute him; the former even pretending that the two Arabian travellers had never been in China. The learned in Europe have carried the feverity of criticism ftill farther; for in England, Italy, and France, they have doubted the existence of the Arabian manufcript, and fufpected it to be fpurious. The Abbé Renaudot, in his preface, contented himself with faying, that the manufcript

was

was extracted from the library of M. le Comte de Segnelay, without marking either the title or the number; fo that it could not be discovered in the king's library, whither the manuscripts of Colbert, alias Segnelay, have been transferred. And as the Abbé Renaudot had been detected in fome chronological errors, the fufpicion against him was increased, M. de Guignes, at the request of feveral learned men, fought a long while for this manufcript in the catalogue of the library; but without fuccefs. Stimulated, however, by farther applications from different quarters, he renewed his inquiries, and at laft difcovered the manuscript mentioned in the prefent article, and which has excited fo many doubts among the learned. It was bought at Aleppo, and in 1673 placed in the library of Colbert.

The fucceeding article is An Account of the Manuscript of Efchylus, in the King's Library. By M. Vauvilliers. This manufcript is in quarto, on paper of the fixteenth century, and contains the Prometheus, the Seven at Thebes, and the Perfians, without any deficiency. The author, whoever he was, makes Efchylus to be born at Elufina, in the fortieth olympiad; to fight at Marathon in the fixty-fecond, and at Salamine in the feventy-fifth; that is, he makes the poet live one hundred and fifty years. Yet he tells us afterwards that he died at the age of fixty-five; and concludes with informing us that he lived fixty-three years; though, according to Father Corfini, in his Attic Fafti, he was born in the fixty-third olympiad, at Decelia, and not at Elufina, and died in the feventy-eighth olympiad, at the age of fifty-nine years. The manufcript differs from the authority of others in a number of words; and, notwithstanding the errors abovementioned, affords fome interesting variations. It is followed by an account of five other manuscripts of the fame tragic poet; in which, however, we meet with little of any consequence.

The next article is An Account of an Autographical Chronicle of Bernard Iterius, Librarian to the Abby of Saint Martial of Limoges, in the Thirteenth Century. By M. de Brequigny. This is another manufcript of very little importance, though M. de Brequigny endeavours to display it in the most advantageous light.

Then follows the Book of Counfels, by the Scheik Ferideddin. Mohammed Ben Ibrakin alatter alnifchabouri. By M. Silvester de Sacy. This manufcript is a moral poem in Perfian verfe; comprifing an abridgment of the moral and religious rules of the law of Mahomet. M. Silvefter de Sacy efteems it a claffical production, and propofes publishing a translation of it, accompanied with the Perfian text.

The second volume begins with the Book of the Wandering Stars, containing the Hiftory of Egypt and Cairo. By M. Sylvefter de Sacy.-The fubjects contained in this manuscript are detailed at great length by M. Silvefter de Sacy, and indeed with a degree of precifion that exceeds the importance of the work; though it must be acknowledged that, in feveral parts, the narrative is not uninterefting. The original hiftory ends the first day of the year of the Hegira 1063, and of Christ 1652-3; but it has been continued to a later period by the copyift.

We next meet with Inftructions given to Moreau de Wiffant, Chamberlain; Peter Roger de Lyffac, Master of the Household of the Duke of Anjou; and Theobald Hocie, or Hocre, Secretary to the King, fent by Loys I. Duke of Anjou, to Henry King of Caftile, refpecting the Kingdoms of Majorca and Minorca, and the Counties of Rouffillon and of Cerdaigne, poffeffed by the King of Arragon; with the Answers of the King of Caftile.

Relation of the Embaffy of Arnold D'Efpagne, Lord of Montefpan, Seneschale of Carcaffone; Raymond Bernard le Flamenc and Jehan Foreft, fent by Loys Duke of Anjou to Henry King of Caftile, and John I. King of Portugal, touching the Kingdoms of Maillorque and of Minorca; in the Month of January 1377.

Relation of the Embaffy of Migon de Rochefort, Lord de la Pomerade, and of William Gayan, Counsellors of the Duke of Anjou, to the Judge of Arborea, to conclude an Alliance with that Prince against the King of Arragon, in the Month of August, 1378.

Thefe different negociations, all relative to the fame objects, are fo much the more worthy of attention as they appear to have been little known to historians; but they are not of sufficient importance to merit any particular detail.

The manufcript immediately following is, A Narrative of the Death of Richard II. King of England, in the Year 1399. By M. Gaillard.This narrative appears to have been written by a perfon who was a contemporary, and an ocular witness to feveral of the facts which he mentions. The following account of Richard's domeftic arrangements, before his departure for Ireland, appears, from its fimplicity, to be genuine :

He left his uncle, the Duke of York, lieutenant of the realm in his abfence. Ifabella of France, his wife, he recommended to him and Scroop, chancellor of the exchequer, to fee that fhe and her people wanted nothing. And the king ordered a phyfician, one Matter Pool, to take care of the queen as of himself; and gave orders to Philip la Vache, the queen's chamberlain, that Master Pool and the confeffor were fupreme guardians of the queen.

'He

• He then took these three perfons to his clofet, and, after having made them fwear to fpeak the truth to what he should ask, ordered them to tell him whether they thought the Dame de Courcy, the queen's governante, of whom he had apparently fome fufpicion, was good, accomplished, and prudent enough to be the guardian and miftrefs of fuch a perfonage as the queen of England.' To this Philip la Vache and Mafter Pool replied, Right worthy Sire, the confeffor knows foreign ladies better than we; let him fpeak • what he thinks proper.' The confeffor begged the king to make Philip la Vache or Mafter Pool speak, as the lady might owe him a grudge for it.

This was faying enough; and, being preffed anew by the king, they all three declared she was unworthy fo noble an employ. The reafons they affign are very remarkable. She lives in greater fplendour,' fay they, one thing with another, than the queen; for the has eighteen horfes by your order, befides the livery of her husband, whenever he comes or goes; and keeps two or three goldsmiths, feven or eight embroiderers, two or three cutlers, and two or three furriers, as well as you and the queen; and fhe is • alfo building a chapel that will coft fourteen hundred nobles; this, • if she had remained in France, fhe would have difpenfed with.' The king gave orders that fhe fhould be fent back to France, and that all her debts fhould be paid. He put the Dame Mortimer in her place.

The king and queen, before they feparated, affifted at divine fervice together, with the canons of St. George. The king chanted a collect, then made his offering, and taking the queen in his arms, very amorously kiffed her more than forty times, faying, in a forrowful tone, Adieu, madam, think of me till we meet again;' the queen began to weep, and faid to the king, Alas! Sir, will you leave me here!' At this the king's eyes were full of tears, and he could scarce forbear weeping. The king and queen then took wine and fpices together, ftanding at the door of the church, and afterwards the king ftooped down, lifted the queen from the ground, and, holding her a long time in his arms, kiffed her at least ten times, frequently repeating, Adieu, Madam, till we meet again.? He then fet her down, and kiffed her three times more; and, by our lady, I never faw fo great a lord make fo great a feaft, nor fhew fo much love for a lady, as king Richard did for the queen.'

Various accounts have been delivered by hiftorians concerning the death of this unfortunate prince. The most general opinion is that he was ftarved; but the author of the manufcript confirms the report that he was affaffinated by order of Henry, The tranfaction is thus related in the volume before us:

• A knight, named Peter d'Exton, or Exton, fent by King Henry, arrived at Pomfret Caftle, with feven other affaffins. Richard was at table. Exton called the carver, and gave him orders, on the part of Henry, not to tafte the meat ferved at Richard's table, as he had been accustomed to do; For,' faid he, he will not eat 6 ' much