To geography, books of travels may be added. In that kind, the collections made by our countrymen, Hackluyt and Purchas, are very good. There is also a very good collection made by Thevenot in folio, in French; and by Ramuzio, in Italian; whether translated into English or no, I know not. There are also several good books of travels of Englishmen published, as Sandys, Roe, Brown, Gage, and Dampier. There are also several voyages in French, which are very good, as Pyrard, Bergeron †, Sagardt, Bernier, &c. whether all of them are translated into English, I know not. There is at present a very good "collection of voyages and travels," never before in English, and such as are out of print; now printing by Mr. Churchill §. There are besides these a vast number of other travels; a sort of books that have a very good mixture of delight and usefulness. To set them down all, would take up too much time and room. Those I have mentioned are enough to begin with. As to chronology, I think Helvicus the best for common use; which is not a book to be read, but to lie by, And be consulted upon occasion. He that hath a mind to look farther into chronology, may get Tallent's "Tables," and Strauchius's "Breviarium Temporum," and may to those add Scaliger "De Emendatione Temporum," and Petavius, if he hath a mind to engage deeper in that study. Those, who are accounted to have writ best particular parts of our English history, are Bacon, of Henry * "Voyage de Francois Pyrard de Laval. Contenant sa navigation aux Indes Orientales, Maldives, Moluques, Bresil." Paris 1619, 8vo. 3d edit. "Relation des Voyages en Tartarie, &c. Le tout recueilli par Pierre Bergeron." Paris 1634, 8vo. "Le grand voyage des Hurons, situés en l'Amerique, &c. Par F. Gab. Sagard Theodat." Paris 1632, 8vo. "Memoires de l'empire du Grand Mogol, &c. par Francois Bernier." Paris 1670 & 1671, 3 vol. in 12mo. That collection of voyages and travels was published in 1704, in 4 vol. in fol. VII; and Herbert of Henry VIII. Daniel also is commended; and Burnet's "History of the Reformation." Mariana's "History of Spain," and Thuanus's "His"tory of his own Time," and Philip de Comines; are of great and deserved reputation. There are also several French and English memoirs and collections, such as la Rochefoucault, Melvil, Rushworth, &c. which give a great light to those who have a mind to look into what hath past in Europe this last age. To fit a gentleman for the conduct of himself, whether as a private man, or as interested in the government of his country, nothing can be more necessary than the knowledge of men; which, though it be to be had chiefly from experience, and, next to that, from a judicious reading of history; yet there are books that of purpose treat of human nature, which help to give an insight into it. Such are those treating of the passions, and how they are moved; whereof Aristotle in his second book of Rhetoric hath admirably discoursed, and that in a little compass. I think this Rhetoric is translated into English; if not, it may be had in Greek and Latin to gether. La Bruyere's" Characters" are also an admirable piece of painting; I think it is also translated out of French into English. Satyrical writings also, such as Juvenal and Persius, and above all Horace; though they paint the deformities of men, yet they thereby teach us to know them. There is another use of reading, which is for diversion and delight. Such are poetical writings, especially dramatic, if they be free from prophaneness, obscenity, and what corrupts good manners; for such pitch should not be handled. Of all the books of fiction, I know none that equals "Cervantes's History of Don Quixote," in usefulness, pleasantry, and a constant decorum. And indeed no writings can be pleasant, which have not nature at the bottom, and are not drawn after her copy. There is another sort of books, which I had almost forgot, with which a gentleman's study ought to be well furnished, viz. dictionaries of all kinds. For the Latin tongue, Littleton, Cooper, Calepin, and Robert Stephens's "Thesaurus Lingua Latine," and " Vossii Etymologicum Lingua Latina." Skinner's "Lexi"con Etymologicum," is an excellent one of that kind, for the English tongue. Cowel's "Interpreter" is useful for the law terms. Spelman's "Glossary" is a very useful and learned book. And Selden's "Titles of "Honour," a gentleman should not be without. Baudrand hath a very good Geographical Dictionary." And there are several historical ones, which are of use; as Lloyd's, Hoffman's, Moreri's. And Bayle's incomparable dictionary, is something of the same kind. He that hath occasion to look into books written in Latin since the decay of the Roman empire, and the purity of the Latin tongue, cannot be well without Du Cange's "Glossarium mediæ & infimæ Latinitatis." Among the books above set down, I mentioned Vossius's " Etymologicum Linguæ Latinæ;" all his works are lately printed in Holland in six tomes. They are fit books for a gentleman's library, containing very learned discourses concerning all the sciences. ELE |