acorns and accordingly thanked the gods for such an unexpected and beneficial present. After this the Athenian kings thinking it more glorious to govern a small state wisely, than to aggrandize themselves by foreign conquests, withdrew their subjects from war, and employed them solely in; cultivating the earth. This constant application carried agriculture to a considerable degree of perfection, and soon reduced it into an art.Hesiod, who is generally thought to have been contemporary with Homer, was the first among the Greeks who wrote on this subject. He calls his poem, " Works and Days;" because agriculture requires exact observations of times and seasons.The other eminent Greek writers upon agriculture, are Democritus of Abdera, Socraticus, Xenophon, Tarentinus, Architas, Aristotle, and Theophrastus, from whom the art received considerable improvements; as also from Hieron, Epicharmus, Philomctor, and Attalus. Via the old Romans and its decline in the Middle Ages, agriculture arose from its dormant state in the Renaissance, "when Crescenzio published an excellent performance on agriculture at Florence. He was soon followed by several of his countrymen, among whom Tatti, Stefano, Agustino Gallo, Sansovino, Lauro, and Tarello, deserve particular honour." This further evolved in Britain, The Flemings, France, Ireland etc. until its state of that time. Reception One of the first reviews of this work by Tobias George Smollett (1768) gave the following summary of the specific topics of The Complete Farmer: The whole is ranged in alphabetical order, and every thing, relating to the fame subject is contained in one article. Thus the reader will find under the articles Wheat, Barley, Rye, Pease, Beans, Turnips, etc. the whole method of cultivation, and the various improvements that have been made with regard to each respectively. Under the article Husbandry, a very full and accurate comparison is given, from a variety of authors, between the profits arising from the different methods of cultivation, according to the precepts of the old and new husbandry. Nor is this treatise confined to the different species of grain and vegetables cultivated in almost every part of the kingdom – those that are more uncommon, and confined as it were to particular districts, are also considered in a very full and ample manner ; such as Hemp, Flax, Hops, Madder, Maize, Potatoes, Saffron, Teazle, or Fuller's Thistle, Weld, or Dyer's Weed, etc. And also: We have also here accounts of the advantages of cultivating Bore-cole, Cabbages, Carrots, Parsnips,