Experiments, either in publick or in private, will -be furnished them. X. Each Member shall have a Year's Salary before-hand, to be paid out of the Fund of the Academy. They fhall have free Lodgings, and fufficient Fuel; and thofe that come from abroad, fhall have their travelling Charges defrayed. XI. They fhall not be empowered to make any Laws, but with the Confent of the whole Academy. The fetting the Imperial Crown on the Head of his Confort, who was doubtless a very extraordinary Woman, as it was vaftly to the Czar's Satisfaction, who had fixed on her for his immediate Succeffor, Lo it was one of the laft Gratifications of his Life, for he lived but fix Months after it. Our Historian has recorded nothing of him during that Interval, but his caufing a ftrict Search to be made for all the ancient Greek MSS. that had been hid for many Ages in the Grecian Convents, by reafon of the great Ignorance of the Monks; fuppreffing a Multitude of Religious Houfes, which eat up the Wealth of his Dominions, and retrenching within a very narrow Compafs the Revenues of those that he fpared, and laftly the betrothing his Daughter Anna Petrowna to the Duke of Holtein. The Rejoicings on this laft Account were fuddenly damped by the Apprehenfions of the greatest Calamity that could befall the Ruffian Nation, viz. the Lofs of that great Prince, who was truly the Father of his Country" for on the 16th "of January 1724-5, his Majefty was feized with a violent Cold, which brought on him a Fit of "the Cholick, and that fucceeded by a Stranguary, "occafioned by an Abfcefs in the Neck of his "Bladder; he continued in great Mifery for a "Week, without being once in Bed, when his Phy"ficians thought fit to break the Abfcefs with a "Probe, «Probe, which indeed brought out a great deal of "Matter, and gave him much Eafe, with Hopes " of Recovery; but the Application being made 66 too late, he fuffered moft violent Torture for "four Days more, and then (after caufing the Em"prefs to be recognized for his Succeffor) expired, on the 28th of February, 1724-5. giving all "the Tokens of perfect Refignation to the Will of "Heaven, and all along behaving with the fame "Courage and Piety that accompanied all his Ac"tions." To this Account of our Hero's Death, Mr. Mottley adds that of his Funeral Obfequies, which were performed with the utmoft Solemnity and Magnificence. He has annex'd to thefe, in Latin and English, his Epitaph, which he tells us was communicated to him fome Years ago by Chriftopher Wyvill, Efq; At the Clofe of all, is an Appendix, containing a Relation which was promifed in the firft Volume of this Work, of Mr. Ifbrant's Journey from Moscow to China, illuftrated with feveral Copper Plates. To the Author of the HISTORY of the WORKS of the LEARNED. I SIR, Have seen no other Edition of GORBODUC, but that printed for Robert Dodley, in the Year 1736; and therefore am at a lofs where to charge the Faults it abounds with; whether upon, the Printer, or the Copy he followed; but I am af fured the old Copy itself is ftill more incorrect, in many Places unintelligible: 'Tis Pity fo many into lerable lerable Errors fhould be fuffered to ftand uncorrected, and therefore I fhall remark on fome of them, in order to a correcter Edition. A&t I. Scene I. Page 2. "He griev'd thereat, is not content alone "To fpoil thee of thy Sight, my chiefest Joy, "But thee of Birth-right, Read -Me of thy Sight. Scene II. Page 11. "And oft' it hath been feen, that where Nature "Hath been perverted in disorder'd Wife; "When Fathers ceafe to know that they should <rule, "And Children cease to know they should obey, "And often our unkindly Tenderness, "Is Mother of unkindly Stubbornness. And oft' it hath been feen? What hath been seen? That we are not told. The Sentence is imperfect; and a Line at least seems to be wanting, where I have mark'd the Hiatus. One might perhaps fill up the Sentence, by reading That often in the laft Line but one, instead of And often: But I fhould not expect the Pardon of the Admirers of this Author, if I infifted upon a Correction, which would faften fuch a wretched double Repetition upon him, of Oft and Often, That and That. And off it hath been seen, that That often Act II. Scene I. Page 22. "To Spoil of Towns, and Reigns of mighty "Realms. Reigns and Realms are the fame. Did not our and Ruin of mighty Realms? Author write, 2. Murders, and violent Thefts, in private Men, Yet none Offence, but deck'd with glorious Of noble Conquefts, in the Hands of Kings. I have put these Lines in their right Order. The Figures fhew how they ftand in the late Edition. A& IV. Scene II. Page 39. "Lo here he comes, and Eubulus with him. The Syllable bu in Eubulus is fhort here, and every where else in this Tragedy. If it might have its right Quantity in this Place, a fmall Correction would make the Verse much better: "Lo here he cometh, and Eubulus with him, Page 40. "But this unhappy, 'mong fo many Heaps, "I muft content me with, moft wretched Man. This unhappy what? Where is the Subftantive? What is unhappy? The Printer, I think; or whofoever else it was, that converted the Poet's Subftantive into an Adjective. The true Reading is this: "But this Unhap, among so many Heaps, i.e. Heaps of Unhaps, or perhaps, "But this Unhap, among so many Unhaps. This looks like one of those Mistakes, observed in Manufcripts by the Criticks, arifing from a Similitude of Sound; when the Librarian did not write by the Eye, but by the Ear. For the Line, as I have corrected it, being read pretty fast, according to the old Spelling, and the Words unhappe emong blended together in the Pronounciation, the Sound will be the fame with that of the printed Reading. Page 42. "If my own Servant, hired to this Fact, "And mov'd by Truth, with Hate to work the « fame, "In Time had not bewray'd it unto me. Surely the Prefs was never delivered of a Monster more deform'd. What Nonfenfe is here? A Servant might be mov'd by Hate to kill his Mafter; but it would be wonderous ftrange indeed, if Truth, or a Senfe of Duty, fhould move him to do it. Whether or no I have hit the true Reading, in the following Conjecture, they can tell beft that have the old Editions to confult. "And mov'd by Ruth, with-held to work the "fame. Page 47. "As would have wrapp'd a filly Woman's "Thought. Rapp'd, rapt, ravish'd. A& V. Scene I. Page 53. "As prefent Age, and eke Pofterity, "May read with Horror, and Revenge for ever, "What justly then fhall on thefe Rebels fall. Certainly it ought to be, "May read with Horror the Revenge for ever "That justly then fhall on these Rebels fall. * But this Unhappe emong so many Heaps. Scene |