Vol. V.] Retrofpect of French Literature.-Belles Lettres.

preffed bodies, and of particular emigrants, and ruined perfons, diminishes by twothirds the fale, which was affured to works of labour and folidity, on their firft appearance. The new rich people have either not yet learned to read, or trouble themselves very little about inftruction. The ravages of war have withdrawn from foreigners the means, and almoft the de fire, of purchasing the modern productions of our prefs. As long as the reign of affignats lafted, they purchafed from us many books, which, as they were procured for almost nothing, tended to the real detriment of our trade; now they hardly buy a few pamphlets, and their whole correfpondence is not capable of Occupying or maintaining two or three fhops in this capital (Paris). The book fellers, who, notwithstanding this state of things, ftill wish to hazard fome enterprifes, cannot raife money, except at an exorbitant intereft of fo much by the month, and can procure no credit with the paper-maker, or printer, fo that it is impoflible for them to accomplish any great object.

"Men of letters are not in a fituation Jefs deplorable. After having loft, for the most part, their annuities or penfions, their places, their scholars, &c. and fome even their books, they have only a precarious existence, which has compelled many to embrace profeffions little analogous to their tafte; others, and thofe are the greater number, abandon their toils enFirely, defpairing of deriving any advantage from them, or of ever feeing the fruits of their labours. If this ftate of things fhould continue, they will even furvive, as one may fay, their own thoughts; and the iffue of their long ftudies will be loft for this age and for pofterity. Young men of letters, alarmed at the profpect, muft, of neceffity, renounce a career, to which, in former times, glory, fame, which fometimes fupplies its place, confideration, fometimes even intereft invited them. What fhould they do now in that career? In a fhort time they will find neither judges, nor fpectators, nor crowns; foon becoming as deferted as the ancient ftadium of Olympia, this career will only refound with the difcordant voices of fome barbarians."

It must not, however, be concealed, that the journal whence this extract is taken (Magazin Encyclopedique) is not favourable to the prefent order of things in France. That the property in works of vain erudition, and no utility to mankind, fhould have evaporated, cannot be an

539

object of much regret; and the new literary inftitutions muft certainly furnish occupation and bread to greater numbers of men of letters, than the ancient regimen.

Lettres de Platon, &c. Letters of Plato, tranflated from the Greek by A. J. Du gour, formerly Profeffor in the College of La Fleche, 12mo. Thefe letters are well known to the learned. The general reader will be chiefly attracted by fome paffages on the Sicilian government, ap plicable to the prefent ftate of affairs in France.

Effai fur les Ouvrages, &c. An Effay on the Phyfico-mathematical Works of Leonarde de Vinci, with Fragments from his Manufcripts, brought from Italy; by J. B. Venturi, 4to. pamphlet. Among the prizes derived from the French war in Italy, are thirteen volumes by the cele brated Leonardo da Vinci, who, endowed with extraordinary talents, was not only a capital painter, but alfo a sculpter, mufi cian, mathematician, philofopher, excel. lent engineer. Venturi, rending in France, obtained leave to infpect thefe volumes; and having extracted all that appeared worthy of publication, propofes to publifh, in feparate and complete trea tifes, all that concerns mechanics, hydrau lics, and optics. It appears from the prefent pamphlet, that Vinci, by his fublime genius, had, before the year 1500, forestalled many difcoveries, esteemed honourable to the two fucceeding centuries. At the end, Venturi gives a cata logue of Vinci's pictures and drawings, and the prints taken from them, and forms a juft and high eftimate of the perfections of this furprising painter. Rubens seems juftly to have faid, that it was impoffible to exaggerate his praife, or to imitate his fkill.

Effai fur les Antiquités, &c. An Effay on the Antiquities of the North, and on the ancient Northern Tongues, by Charles Pongeus, 8vo. This little work prefents a fhort analysis of works on Northern Antiquities. But the French antiquarians are not much verfed in this branch of learning; and we must warn them against two radical errors, 1. The runic piece on the ftory of Hialmar, republished by Hickes, and often referred to as a genuine monument, is a mere forgery: many late Danish antiquarians have put this beyond all doubt: 2. A far more important error is, that the French antiquaries, mifled by Pellontier, confound the two grand divifions of Scythic and Celtic nations. The former fpake the Gothic tongue, from which spring the German, 34a

Englib

540

Retrofpect of French Literature.-Poetry.

English, Scandinavian, Icelandic, &c.; the latter the Celtic, of which the Irish, Welch, Armoric, are daughters. For ample illuftrations on this fubject, we must refer them to Bishop Percy's preface to the "Northern Antiquities," London, 1770, 2 vols. 8vo. and to Pinkerton's Differtation on the Scythians, London, 1787, 8vo. An English reader cannot help being impreffed with the idea of profound ignorance, when he fees the Edda quoted as a Celtic monument, and the Gothic languages denominated Celtic, which is juft the fame as to fay, that the people of London speak Welsh!!!

La France Litteraire, &c. Only the first volume of this work is published: it is an alphabetic account of all the French authors, who wrote between 1771 and 1796. The author, M. Erfch, is a learned German.

Oeuvres, &c. The complete Works of Du Maroces, 7 vols. 8vo. The works of this philofophical grammarian had not been before collected.

Choix de Coftumes, &c. A Collection of the Coftume, civil and military, of ancient Nations; with their Furniture, and the interior Decorations of their Houfes; taken from ancient Monuments, and accompanied with a Defcription derived from ancient Authors, drawn, engraved, and illuftrated by N. X. Willemin, fmall folio. This ufeful work is commenced, and will contain 150 plates. A work of the fame kind, for the middle ages, would be of great ufe, our artifis erring daily in the coftume, in fpite of the publications of Montfaucon and Strutt.

Mémoires, ou Efais fur le Mufique, &c. Memoirs, or Effays, on Mufic, by the Cit. Geotry, Member of the National Inftitute of France, 3 vols. 8vo. This is a most interesting work, difplaying the gradual reform of French mufic, which now presents an union of German and Italian harmony. Gluck was the mafter, who, with an Herculean club, broke the old barbarous idol. Geotry fucceeded. What mighty genius fhall teach the French the charms of blank verfe, fo fuperlative in epic and dramatic poetry, and familiar to all the other nations of Europe How much is it to be regretted, that the modern univerfal language fhould be deficient in most important advantages!

Oeuvres Poftbumes de Montesquieu, &c. The Pofthumous Works of Montefquieu, to ferve as a Supplement to former Editions, 12mo. These pieces, undoubtadly genuine, were found among the

[Sup.

family papers. One of the chief is a chapter belonging to the work, On the Grandeur and Decline of the Roman Power; it is intituled, "On the Politics of the Romans with regard to Religion," and was too bold to be printed under the old government. Montefquieu fhews, that the Egyptians and Jews were the only ancient nations, among whom the priests were a feparate and peculiar body. of men: and he evinces the great advantages of the Roman policy, in blending the facerdotal with the civil character and duties; others are an culogy on the duke de la Ferer, and fome memoirs on literature, read in the academy at Bourdeaux. At the end are thoughts on different fubjects, among which are the following:

Timidity has always been the fcourge of my life: it seems even to obfcurè my organs, tie my tongue, cloud my thoughts, derange my expreflions. I was lefs fubject to thefe lowneffes before people of wit, than in the company of fools, because I hoped that people of wit would find fome in me: this gave me confidence."

"I have a fingular difeate, that of making books, and being ashamed of them afterwards.”

POETRY.

Le Docteur Pancrace, &c. Dr. Panc race, a fatire by Chenier, 8vo. This poet is efteemed one of the best modern fatirifts, but is fometimes too perfonal, and has more of the fpirit of Pope and Voltaire, than of Horace and Juvenal.

Epitre aux Femmes, &c. An Epistle to the Women, by the female citizen Pipelet, 8vo. The cause of the ladies is here defended in very tolerable verfe. The authorefs infers an abfolute equality between the fexes; if fo, it is surprising that the equality remains to be proved. The ancient Amazons, how unhappily, left be hind them no monument of science, or art, or even conqueft.

Les Francs, &c. The Franks, an he roic poem, in ten cantos, by the Citizen LESUR, 8vo. This is a hiftory, in verfe, of the conquefts of the French in this war, clofing with the taking of Mantua. In the fpirit of freedom it rivals Lucan; but is far inferior in point of poetry.

Effais, en vers, &c. Effays, in verfe and profe, by Jofeph Rouget Delife; Paris, printed by Didot, 8vo. This author is at once, poet, musician, and friend of freedom. The Chant des Combats; or Marcellois Hymn; the fong of Roland at Roncevaux, &c. are known, all over Europe.

Epitre fur l'Italie, &c. An Epiftle on

Vol. V.]

Retrofpect of French Literature.-Novels, &c.

Italy, with fome other poems relative to that country, by Theodore Defarguro, 8vo. The author, who has travelled in Italy, and writes the Italian language, here pays a poetical tribute to that fair country, and the great men it has lately produced.

La Religion vengée, &c. Religion avenged, a Poem in ten cantos, 8vo. The first edition of this pofthumous work of Cardinal de Borius was printed at Parma by Bodau; the fubject is the triumph of religion over idolatry, atheism, &c. In the opinion of the French critics, it is inferior to the fimilar poem of Louis Racine. The celebrated poet Delille has published a new work at Bafle, his Georgiques Françoifes. From the extracts we have feen, it is worthy of the tranflator of Virgil's Georgic, and of the author of Les Jardins. France poffeffes an excellent lyric poet, Lebrun, whofe productions in the French journals breathe the real fpirit

of the ode.

NOVELS.

Peregrinus Protes, &c. Peregrine Proteus, tranflated from Wieland, 2 vols.

18mo.

Gerard de Velfen, &c. Gerard de Velfen, or the Origin of Amfterdam, an hiftorical novel, in feven books, by Mercier de Campiogne, 18mo.

La Religieufe, &c. The Nun, by Diderot; a new edition, 3 vols. 18mo. This has a portrait of the author, and other prints.

Les Bataves, &c. The Batavians, by Biraubé, 12mo. This is a kind of hiftorical romance, founded on the deliverance of the United Provinces from the power of Spain. The hiftorical romance is an unpleafing fpecies of compofition to read ers of genuine tafte, who would with to keep truth and fiction in their peculiar spheres.

Alpbonfe d'Armencourt, &c. Alfonfo d'Armencourt, or the Fair Widow, by Madame de Sancy, 18mo. This novel, far inferior to thofe of Madame Riccoboni, has nothing to recommend it either in plan, characters, or fituations.

541

Alexandrine de Bannay, &c. Alexandrina de Bannay, or Innocence and Wickednefs, an hiftorical Anecdote by Le Brun, Taffo, 12mo. The heroine of this novel, daughter of a country gentleman, and educated in the country by a devout mother, is feduced, or rather violated, by a curate, her confeffr; becoming preg nant, her feducer, to preferve his character of holiness, accufed her own brother, &c. The profligacy of the French clergy was fufficiently notorious, without adding invented crimes.

Marie de Sinclair, &c. Marie de Sinclair, 12mo. This novel is of the fentimental caft, and feems to have no particular claim to recommendation.

MISCELLANIES.

Effai fur la Propreté de Paris, &c. An Effay on cleanfing Paris, by Cit. CHALVET, 8vo. This pamphlet deferves great praife. The author begins with fhewing the advantages of cleanliness in general, in a moral and falutary way. In a more particular confideration of his fubject, he points out the defects in the capital, the dirtinefs occafioned by the want of drains and fewers, the height of the houfes, the narrowness of the streets, the filthy red with which the outside of the fhops is daubed, by way of ornament, stalls permitted even in narrow places, horfes fhoed in the street, carriages and cafks left flanding, clothes fcowering, and, of late, even butchers kiling and cleansing, skins fufpended by tanners, and linen by washerwomen. The author juftly obferves, that it is in vain to ornament a city with magnificent edifices, if the avenues be fuffered to remain thus obnoxious. "It is," fays he, "like hanging of fine paintings in a room fpread with fpider-webs."

Effai fur la Pb fiognomie, &c. An Effay on the Physiognomy of living Bodies, from Man down to Plants, &c. by J. J. SUE, &c. 8vo. The abfurdities of Lavater foon fell in England, but feem to thrive in France. Fielding fays, "we may look in a man's face, to fee if he have 'had the fmall-pox, but for nothing else.

Thefe Retrofpe&s will, in future Supplements, be extended to the State of Literature in the NORTH of EUROPE, ITALY, and AMERICA.

In one fhort view fubjected to our eye, Gods, emp'rors, heroes, fages, beauties lie. In like manner, the dates of remarkable events have been fixed, which, but for the light derived from ancient medals, would have been unknown; fo that the tudy of coins may affist chronology: the names of various cities have been restored, and light has been thrown on ancient geography; the remembrance of remarkable customs has been preferved; the form 4. The fourth use, that I shall mennot only of the Greek and Roman let-tion, to which the study of ancient medals ters, but of the Phoenician, the Hebrew, may be rendered fubfervient, is, to illuand Samaritan have been afcertained; ftrate the ancient poets. and other particulars, throwing light on history, have been elucidated, confirming dubious facts, or difproving erroneous