"The firocco (fouth-eaft wind) prevails in September, and renders the air denfe and damp. Perfons with flat narrow chefts, or those who have difeafes in their lungs, fuch as fchirri, vomicæ, ulcers, water in the breaft, &c. feel uneafy on days when this wind blows, because the atmosphere is damp, and has a smaller proportion of oxygen than it ought to have."

It feldom, however, continues long. Thunder-ftorms and gales of wind rarely occur.

"The foil is dry, for the whole country confifts of a calcareous rock, where two feet of earth is reckoned an ordinary depth; when in fome inftances even it is found deeper, it is not fufficiently fo to harbour damp. Befides, there being in the island neither rivers, lakes, ponds, moraffes, ftagnant water, nor forefts; and upon the fea, hardly any water plant, confequently there is no caufe of rendering the foil moist. This is alfo the reason that the atmosphere is nearly always dry and clear. The sky is hardly ever covered with clouds, and the inhabitants have conftantly the felicity of beholding a brilliant fun, a fplendid moon, and glit tering ftars, and this in a more perfect manner, I think, than is the cafe in any European country, Italy not excepted; an equality of climate, of which we fee too much of the reverfe in England."

No endemic disease has ever been obferved in the island, and the only epidemic which the author noticed was smallpox, "which, however, was much checked by a general inoculation of the vaccine."

The most favourable time to leave England is ftated to be the middle of Auguft. A packet fails from Falmouth every three weeks, and arrives after about a month's voyage, which often proves extremely beneficial in confumption, hæmoptœ, chronic dyfentery, diarrhoea, mania, &c.

The fecond chapter treats of Medical Affiftance and Diet. It is pleasant to know, that upon landing we may find some comfortable inns at Valetta. The medical profeffion, however, does not rank high in this author's cftimation; he gives a fort of biographical notice, of three or four lines each, of the three principal phyficians, Dr. Naudi, Dr. Caruana, and Dr. Gravagna. "The others are not worth being named; one fingle confultation fhows them to be phyficians without knowledge and judgment." Surgery, it feems, is in a ftill more degraded flate.

Having felected out of this forry lift fix physicians and furgeons, Dr. Domeier concludes, that the convalefcent "ought to know fomething about his provifions." These will be found cheap, in abundance, and in fufficient variety to fuit every palate. This agreeable part of the book

Rr 2

occupies

occupies 15 pages. We did not obferve any new articles of food in this bill of fare, except young owls and polypi, which we do not remember to have tafted in this country.

66

The third chapter describes "Amusements, without bodily Excrcife." Of thefe, two public libraries ftand firft; they are well provided with books, and conducted on liberal principles. Befides thefe, are two private libraries. Mufic; the Italian Opera, with ballets between the acts and at the end of the Opera; coffee-houfes; dinner parties; fociety; halls, (the author furely has forgotten the head of his chapter;) card parties, &c. &c. conduce to enable the invalids as well as the healthy vifitants at Malta to pafs the day with as little ennui as is compatible with complete idlenels. The fourth chapter treats" of Pleafures combined with bodily Exercife." The means of obtaining these seem to be, at leaft, as various and as numerous as at Brighton or Margate. There are carriages, horfes, mules, and affes in the ftreets, and boats on the water, all in readiness for customers. Many pleafant rides, and pretty objects of attention, are pointed out to the tourift. One of the first tours, commonly made in company with fome friends, (either in caleeffes or on horfeback is to a beautiful spot, called Bofchetto, about feven miles from Valetta, formerly one of the fummer refidences of the Grand Mafter." The company take with them the materials for a cold collation, which they partake of very romantically in a grotto in the gardens, and are ferenaded during their repait by muficians, "who (kind fouls) not only endeavour to amufe, during dinner, with their har monious founds, but play alfo, for the reward of a few fhillings, when the dinner is over, to a rural dance." But the principal amufement is on St. John's Day, when parties of the natives affemble for the purpofes of feftivity from all parts of the land. The day is paffed in conviviality, of which all perfons are invited to partake. The effect of this is very delightful, and this author affures us, that "every body, provided he does not fuffer by hypochondriafis, muft get merry, by feeing fo much merriment in all parts of that extenfive garden."

Another interefting object is Civita Vecchia, where, befides a cathedral, built in a rich, Gothic style, are fome an cient catacombs. The villages are numerous, and every part of the island is well cultivated, though the traveller is not gratified with any fine profpects. A botanical garden is kept up in fome degree of order, but it feems to be reforted to rather as an agreeable lounge, than for the purpose of infiruction.

The

The inhabitants of Valetta have frequent opportunities of difplaying the outward fhow of devotion, by proceffions in honour of Chrift, of the Holy Virgin, or of Saints; in thefe pious exhibitions," the bifhop, canons, clergy, friars, and the public at large," carry ftatues and pictures of Chrift, of the Virgin, of St. Paul, &c. crucifixes, lanterns, torches, ftandards, while boys running by the fide of the candles catch the drops of melted wax. The Carnival is kept up with fpirit, and the goddefs of Paphos is then the favourite deity. The author recommends the wholefome exercife of billiards as a ufeful amufement to invalids, and finishes the chapter by defcribing "a recreation of great intereft to the man of feeling: I mean (he fays) the examination of the poor-houfes." When we had concluded this chapter we were furprifed with a fecond Chap. IV. " Of the Schools, of the Medical Faculty, of the Univerfity, and of the Hofpital."

It commences with an account of the public fchool, of the day-fchools, and of the private teachers in Valetta. We are informed, that

"Mrs. O'Brian has eftablished an English ladies fchool, where fhe, however, receives boys too, for which Government, to fupport her undertaking, has very properly granted her the houfe. The price for the fchool is ten shillings per month, for which the teaches fpelling, reading, and needle-work. All other lessons in dancing, writing, &c. must be paid feparately. The children go twice a day, and remain there three hours in the morning, and two in the afternoon."

After fome further intelligence of this fort, the author, perhaps recollecting the head of his chapter, obferves, "I muft not omit to fay fomething of the Medical Faculty, of the University," &c. We find in the fequel, indeed, that little is to be faid on the fubject. There is but one lecturer, Dr. Abela, and the author very juftly remarks, "How is it poffible that one perfon, even if he were a Solomon, can be able to teach in two hours a day all branches of the healing ait, much less Dr. Abela ?” "A fecond defect is the want of an anatomical theatre; a third, that of clinical lectures; and a fourth, that of a profefforfhip of natural history, and of experimental philofophy."

Dr. Domeier's remarks upon the hofpitals are judicious. The medical officers are changed every month; the confequence is, that the patients often fall into other hands, the plan of treatment is altered, fometimes to the detriment of the fick; and with the illiberality which generally attaches to ignorant and uneducated men, the phyficians and furRr3

geons

geons who fucceed in rotation abuse and reverse the practice of their colleagues without juft occafion. As a fpecimen of the furgical department, the following may fuffice.

I have been prefent," fays Dr. D. "at the furgical vifit after two o'clock in the afternoon in fummer, when the furgeon was obliged to drefs the patients by candle-light. He faw the only window of the end of the ward open, and ordered it to be immediately fhut, adding, that he was no friend to fresh air for furgical patients. This philofopher is a native of Sicily." P. 113.

The perufal of this unaffuming publication has afforded us fome ainufement. The author, we prefume, is a foreigner, and on this account we refrain from offering any animadverfion on his style, which is diffufe, and in fome places confufed and incorrect.

ART. VIII. Illuftrations of the Lives and Writings of Gower and Chaucer. Collected from Authentick Documents. By the Rev. Henry J. Todd, M. A. F. S. A. Svo. 441 pp. 15s. Rivingtons, &c. 1810.

TH

THAT the fuccefsful editor of Milton and Spenfer, should extend his researches to the most famous of our still earlier poets, will be regarded by all perfons capable of judg ing, as a circumftance highly propitious to our national literature. The diligence of Mr. Todd, accompanied as it is with tafle, judgement and accuracy, and embellished by a modefly, which does not for fake him, even when he makes difcoveries, qualifies him in an eminent degree for critical refearches; and the honourable circumftances that give him ready access to fome of the moit remarkable collections, enable him at once to gratify his own literary propenfities, and to enlighten as well as amufe the public.

The prefent volume of "Illuftrations" confifts of the following particulars. 1. The very interesting and valuable animadverfions of Mr. Francis Thynne, (an eminent Herald and Antiquary *) on the work of Chaucer; addreffed to his editor, Speght. This article is taken from a MS. preferved

* Author of feveral learned difcourfes among those collected by Thomas Hearne. In Mr. Evans's Edition, 1773, are alio No. 76, On Epitaphs; and Vol. II. No. 5, On the Office of High Steward. No. 23, On that of Earl Marshall, befides thofe mentioned by Mr. Todd.

in the Afhridge Collection, and now in the poffeffion of the Marquis of Stafford. In this curious document it appears clearly that Thynne attributed the Pilgrim's Tale to Chaucer *, which Mr. Tyrwhitt argued against receiving as his; and gave fufficient reafons for its omiffion. But it may fomething weaken the teftimony of Thynne, that he feems to confider the Plowman's Tale the genuine work of Chaucer, which modern critics have determined not to belong to him. He pofitively denies that it was the work of Sir Thomas Wyat, the elder, as fome had fuppofed. Thynne's paper confifts alfo of Animadverfions on the Life of Chaucer, as given by Speght; and of explanations of difficult words, very dif. ferent from those which had been offered by that editor. This paper is altogether extremely valuable. Of its curious contents, an idea will be formed from one or two speci.

mens.

"IN THE TITLE OF CHAUCERS MARIAGE you faye, you cannot fynde the name of the Gentlewomanne whom he maryed. Trulye, yf I did followe the concey te of others, I fhoulde fuppofe her name was Elizabethe, a way tinge womanne of Quene Philippe, wyfe to Edwarde the thirde and daughter to Willia erle of Henalte. But I favor not their opynyone. For, although I fynde a recorde of the pellis exitus, in the tyme of Edwarde the thirde, of a yerely ftypende to Elizabethe Charcere, domicelle regine Philippe, whiche domicella dothe fignyfye one of her waytinge gentlewomen; yet I cannott for this tyme thinke this was his wyfe, but rather his fifter or kinf-womanne, who after the deathe of her myftreffe Quene Philippe did forfake the worlde, and became a nonne at Seinte Helens in London, accordinge as you have touched one of that profefsōne primo of kinge Richarde the feconde." P. 26.

The following note of Mr. Thynne ftands in oppofition to an obfervation of Mr. Tyrwhitt on the fame paffage, but it by no means clears up the difficulty, for there is no reason to believe that Sir William Windfore was well enough known. in France to be noticed by Guil, de Lorris, Mr. Tyrwhitt's note ftands at the end of his third volume in the 8vo. edition, p. 514. Thynne's is as follows.

"Fo: 122. pa: 2. The lordes fonne of Windefore. Vppon these wordes you faye, this maye feme ftrange bothe in refpecte that yt is not in the Frenche, as alfo for that there was no lorde of

It had been printed by W. Thynne the father of Francis, in an edition inferted for him in 1542, in one column.