Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

them in acknowledging and lamenting the failings of that unfortunate princels. The additional arguments with which Dr Robertfon has lately condefcended to fupport his opinions concerning the character and conduct of Mary, concur with those formerly produced, to raise the evidence on this fide of the queftion to a very high degree of probability. It is at prefent, indeed, the fashion, to defend and magnify her virtues, and to vilify thofe characters to whofe noble exertions we owe that fimple and rational religion which is profeffed, and that happy form of church-government which is established in Scotland:Nay, to whom we are farther indebted for enjoying, at this day, that civil liberty which is fo well fecured to every member of the British conftitution, inftead of being the flaves and dependants of the French monarch. But happily, fashions which originate from caprice, envy, and petulant ignorance, generally fink, in a fhort time, into lafting oblivion. This female hiftorian, however, merits confiderable praise for the induftry with which he has collected her information, and for that good fenfe and political difcernment which the generally difplays. She is fometimes too diffuse and particular; her style, without vigour or elevation, cannot fail to fatigue the attention by its monotonous and unvaried uniformity: Yet the critics of her own nation fcruple not to declare, that few modern publications merit the fame degree of the public esteem; and to foretell, that her work will obtain a very favourable reception among all the nations of Europe.

The fame lady, whofe attention is, doubtlefs, much more earnestly directed to the acquifition of knowledge and the literary entertainment of the public, than to the adorning of her person, the soft amuse ments of gallantry, or the cares of housewifery, has alfo publifhed, with

in these few months, the three first volumes of a Collection, in which the endeavours to call the attention of the world upon the principal writings of thofe French ladies who have diftinguished themfeltes by learning or genius. The whole collection, when completed, will confift of thirty-fix octavo volumes. It is introduced by a preliminary difcourfe, in which Mile de Keralio traces the hiftory of French literature, from the earliest times, through its various dark and brilliant periods, to the twelfth century. While the art of writing was either wholly unknown, or at lealt very little cultiva ted in ancient Gaul, the Bards were their poets, philofophers, and legifla tors; with their fongs they compofed civil difcords, or reconciled hoftile tribes, infpired the warrior with fortitude and valour, and perpetuated the memory and the glory of thofe heroes who conquered or fell in defence of their country. They alfo taught the arts of peace; the duties of juftice and benevolence, as well as the rites and obligations of religion.

When the fierce valour of the Gauls yielded to the hardy difcipline and martial fpirit of Rome, and their country became a Roman province, the language, the arts, and the literature of Rome were introduced into Gaul. They took root and flourished; and in the days of Juvenal, the fchools of rhetoric in Gaul were no lefs refpectable than those in Italy. In the reign of the Emperor Claudius, a number of the principal inhabitants of Gaul were admitted into the Roman fenate; and their eloquence and political knowledge were fuch as did honour to that refpectable body. The fame caufes which occafioned the cor ruption and decline of learning at Rome, at length produced the fame unhappy effects on the literature of the Gauls; the univerfal prevalence of luxury and licentious diffipation, the military government of the Emperors, and at laft the inroads and set

tlement

[ocr errors]

tlement of the Barbarians. A new language and a new fyltem of government and manners were gradually eftablished. Charlemagne at length appeared; and while, by the force of arms, he extended his empire over Germany, France, and Italy, he alfo cultivated the arts of peace, and difcovered a foul not infenfible to the charms of literature: He laboured to civilize and to enlighten his fubjects, invited learned men to his court, and treated them with condefcenfion and favour: He had the glory of patronifing Alcuin and Peter of Pifa, as well as several other men of learning and genius who were at that time the luminaries of Europe. His efforts were not unfuccefsful, and the clouds of ignorance began to be dispelled. Under him poetry began to be cultivat ed, and rhyme was introduced. So highly were the ears of Charlemagne's fubjects delighted with the melody of rhyme, that not only the praises of heroes and the complaints of lovers, but even juridical pleadings were compofed in rhymes. But literature did not receive the fame encouragement and protection from the fucceffors of Charlemagne, and the darkness of ignorance again overfpread France and and the rest of Europe. The monks, and other ecclefiaftics, though nar*row-minded, selfish, and fuperftitious, contributed to preferve the dying 'flame of learning from being wholly extinguished. At length, towards the twelfth century, feveral circumftances confpired to awake, among the French, an eager curiofity for knowledge, and to prompt them to indefa, tigable induftry in the purfuit of learning: St Bernard, the Abbé Suger, and the celebrated Abelard appeared. Mademoiselle Keralio begins her collection with the letters of Eloifa, the lovely mistress of Abelard. They difplay a vigour of genius, and a warmth and tenderness of fentiment, which are highly interesting. Pope has collected fome detached paffages of thofe celc

[ocr errors]

brated letters, and attempted to ex prefs the character and romantic fentiments of this unfortunate lady, in his Epiftie from Eloifa to Abelard; but his imagination and feelings were wholly inadequate to the tafk. Rouffeau, and the author of the Sorrows of Werter, have better expreffed thofe romantic fentiments, and that enthufiaftic love which really animated the heart of the fair Eloifa. From Eloifa, Mademoifelle de Keralio continues the hiftory of French literature till the reign of Charles V. of France, when Chriftina of Pifan flourished; the next lady whofe writings form a part of the prefent collection; and in the fame order the proceeds to other ladies who have been diftinguifhed for learning or ge nius. Her collection, when completed on this plan, will doubtlefs do ho nour to the fair fex, to the French nation, and to herself."

"The Benedictines of the Congregation of St Maur, have lately published the 13th vol. of a collection of all the original writers of the French history from the earliest times, the former volumes of which have been already published at different times. The prefent volume contains the records of the hiftory of the three reigns of Philip I. Lewis VI. and Lewis VII. including a period of 120 years, from the year 1060 to 1180. The defign of thus reducing into one body the records of their ancient hiftory, is truly noble, and does honour to the French nation. The hiftorian, the politician, the antiquary, and the philofopher, will now have lefs difficulty to procure authorities and accurate information concerning the customs, laws, tranfactions, and revolutions of France. Instead of laboriously ransacking private libraries, or trufting to fecondhand information, they have only to open this collection, and find those particulars which they are defirous to know. The editors of this collection merit confiderable praife for the care with, which they have felected their

materials,

materials, and the judicious notes which they have interfperfed. No fimilar collection has yet been published in Britain, of the original writers of our history. We have among our countrymen and cotemporaries, elegant and judicious hiftorians, who have elucidated and adorned almoft every period of the hiftory of their country; but the original records,

from which every particular concerning the circumftances and tranfactions of the Scotch and English in former times must be derived, have not yet been prefented in one body to the eye of the Public. Such a collection, however, would be no less useful in Britain than in France; and the public would doubtlefs be ready to encouragé fo valuable an undertaking."

Continuation of Ned Drowfy.-A Story *:

LEFT Conftantia fomewhat abruptly rather in an awkward predicament; but as I do not like to interrupt young ladies in their blushes, I took occafion to call off the reader's attention from her, and bestowed it upon other ladies, who are not fubject to the fame embarrassments. Our party foon broke up after this event: Ned and I repaired to our apartments in the Poultry, Conftantia to thofe flumbers, which purity infpires, temperance endears, and devotion bleffes.

The next morning brought Ned to my levee; he had lain awake all night, but no noifes were complained of; they were not in the fault of having deprived him of his repofe.

He took up the Morning Paper, and the play-house advertisements caught his eye. He began to question me about The Clandeftine Marriage, which was up for the night at Drury Lane: Was it a comedy? I told him, Yes, and an admirable one. Then it ended happily, he prefumed: Certainly it did: a very amiable young woman was clandeftinely married to a deferving young man, and both parties at the clofe of the fable were reconciled to their friends and made happy in each other. And is all this reprefented on the ftage? cried Ned-All this with many more incidents is acted on the stage, and fo acted, let me affure you, as leaves the merit of the performers only to be exceeded by that of the poet;-This is fine indeed! replied he; then as fure as can be I will be there this very night, if you think they will admit a country clown like me.-There was no fear of that. Very well then; is not this the play of all plays for Conftantia? Oh that I had old Surly there too; what would I give to have her grand

father at her elbow! He was fo poffeffed air fo nimbly, that I could not find in my heart to dafh the vision by throwing any bar in it's way, though enough occurred to me, had I been difpofed to employ them.

Away pofted Ned-(quantum mutatus ab illo !) on the wings of love to Saint Mary Axe; what rhetoric he there made ufe of I cannot pretend to fay, but certainly he came back with a decree in his favour for Mrs Abrahams and Con ftantia to accompany him to the comedy, if I would undertake to convoy the party; for honest Abrahams, (though a dear lover of the mufe, and as much attached to ftage-plays as his countryman Shy lock was averfe from them) had an unlucky engagement elsewhere; and as for Mrs Goodifon, Ned had fagaciously difcovered that he had fome objection to the title of the comedy in her own particular, though the ftated none against her daughter's being there.

After an early dinner with Abrahams, we repaired to the theatre, four in number, and whilft the fecond music was playing, pofted ourfelves with all due precaution on the third row of one of the front boxes, where places had been kept for us; Mrs Abrahams on my left hand against the partition of the box, and Conflantia on the other hand between her admirer and me.

There is fomething captivating in that burft of fplendor, fcenery, human beauty and feftivity, which a royal theatre difplays to every fpectator on his entrance; what then must have been the stroke on his optics who never entered one before? Ned looked about him with furprife, and had there not been a central point of attraction, to which his eyes Obferver, Vol, IV,

were

were neceffarily impelled by laws not lefs irrefiftible than thofe of gravitation, there might have been no speedy ftop to the eccentricity of their motions. It was not indeed one of thofe delightfullycrowded houfes, which theatrical advertifers announce fo rapturously to draw fucceeding audiences to the comforts of fucceeding crowds, there to enjoy the peals of the loudeft plaudits and moft roaring burfts of laughter, beftowed upon the tricks of a harlequin or the gib berish of a buffoon; but it was a full affembly of rational beings, convened for the enjoyment of a rational entertain ment, where the ears were not in danger of being infulted by ribaldry, nor the underftandingiibelled by theffpectacle offolly. Ned was charmed with the comedy, and foon became deeply interefted for Lovewell and Fanny, on whofe diftrefsful fituation he made many natural remarks to his fair neighbour, and fhe on her part beflowed more attention on the fcene than was ftrictly reconcileable to modern high-breeding. The reprefentative of Lord Ogleby put him into fome alarm at firft, and he whispered in my ear, that he hoped the merry old gentleman was not really fo ill as he feemed to be; for I am fure, adds he, he would be the best actor in the world, was he to recover his health, fince he can make fo good a ftand even at death's door. put his heart to reft by affuring him that his fickness was all a fiction, and that the fame old decrepid invalid, when he had washed the wrinkles out of his face, was as gay and fprightly as the beft, aye, added 1, and in his real character one of the best into the bargain. I am glad of it, I am glad of it to my heart, anfwered Ned, I hope he will never have one half of the complaints which he counterfeits; but 'tis furprising what fome men can do.

I

In the interval of the fecond act, an aged gentleman of a grave and fenatorial appearance, in a full-dreffed fuit of purple rateen and a flowing white wig, entered the box alone, and as he was looking out for a feat, it was with pleasure I obferved the young idlers at the back pay respect to his age and perfon by making way for him, and pointing to a fpare place on our bench, to which he advanced, and after fome apologies natural to a well-bred man took his feat on

[blocks in formation]

her with more than a common degree of fenfibility and attention; he watched for opportunities of speaking to her every now and then, at the shifting of a feene or the exit of a performer; he asked her opinion of the actors of the comedy; and at the conclufion of the act faid to her, I dare believe, young lady, you are no friend to the title of this comedy. I fhould be no friend to it, repli ed Conftantia, if the author had drawn fo unnatural a character as an unrelen ing father. One fuch monfter in an age, cried Ned, taking up the difcourfe, is one too many. When I overheard thefe words, and noticed the effect which they had upon him, combining it alfo with his emotions at certain times, when he examined the features of Conftantia with a fixed attention, a thought arofe in my mind of a romantic nature, which I kept to myself, that we might poffibly be in company with the father of Mrs Goodifon, and that Ned's prophetic wishes were actually verified. When Fanny is discovered to be a married woman at the clofe of the comedy, and the father in his fury cries out to her hufband-' Lovewell, you shall leave my houfe directly; and you shall follow him, Madam'-Ned could not refrain himself from exclaiming, O, the hardened monfter!--but whilft the words were on his lips, Lord Ogleby immediately replied to the father in the very words which benevolence would have dictated~ And if they do, I will receive 'them into mine,' whereupon the whole theatre gave a loud applause, and Conftantia, whilft the tear of fenfibility and gratitude started in her eye, taking advantage of the general noife to addrefs. herfelf to Ned without being overheards remarked to him-That this was an effufion of generosity she could not fcruple to applaud, fince the had an example in her eye which convinced her it was in nature. Pardon me, replied Ned, I find nothing in the fentiment to call for my applaufe, every man would act as Lord Ogleby does, but there is only one fa ther living who would play the part of that brute Sterling, and I with old Goodifon was here at my elbow to fee the copy of his own hateful features. It was evident that the stranger who fat next to Ned overheard this reply, for he gave a fudden ftart, which fhook his frame, and darting an angry glance, fuddenly exclaimed-Sir!-and then as fuddenly recollecting himself, checked his fpeech and bit his lips in fudden filenes.

This had paffed without being obferved by Ned, who turning round at the word, which he conceived was addreffed to him, faid in a mild tone-Did you fpeak to me, Sir? to which the old gentleman making no answer, the matter paffed unnoticed, except by me.

As foon as the comedy was over, our box began to empty itfelf into the lobby, when the ftranger feeing the bench unoccupied behind me, left his place and planted himself at my back. I was now more than ever poffeffed with the idea of his being old Goodifon, and wifhed to afcertain if poffible the certainty of my guefs; I therefore made a pretence to the ladies of giving them more room, and ftept back to the bench on which he was fitting. After a few words in the way of apology, he asked me, if he might without offence request the name of the young lady he had juft quitted; with this I readily complied, and when I gave her name, methought he seemed prepared to accept it: He afked me if her mother was a widow? I told the was-Where was the at prefent, and in what con lition? She was at prefent in the house of a most benevolent creature, who had refcued her from the deepest diftrefs-Might he afk the name of the perfon who had done that good action? told him both his name and place of abode; defcribed in as few words as I could the fituation he had found her and Conftantia in; fpoke briefly, but warm ly, of his character, and omitted not to give him as many particulars of my friend Ned as I thought neceflary: In conclufion, I made myself alfo known to him, and explained what my fmall part had been in the tranfaction. He made his acknowledgments for thefe communications in very handfome terms, and then, after a fhort paufe, in which he feemed under difficulty how to proceed, he spoke to this effect:

"I am aware that I fhall introduce my felf to you under fome disadvantages, when I tell you I am the father of that young woman's mother; but if you are not a parent yourself, you cannot judge of a parent's feelings towards an unduti fal child; and if you are one, I hope you have not had, nor will have, the experience of what I have felt: Let that país therefore without further comment! I have now determined to fee my daugh ter, and I hope I may avail myself of your good offices in preparing her for the mterview; I wish it to take place to-morrow, and if you foresee no objection, VOL. VII. "No 41%

let our meeting be at the house of her benefactor Mr Abrahams; for to that worthy perfon, as you describe him to be, I have many neceffary apologies to make, and more thanks than I know, how to repay'; for the present, I must beg you will fay nothing about me in this place.

To all thefe points I gave him fatis factory affurances, and fettled the hour of twelve next day for the meeting : he then drew a fhagreen cafe out of his pocket, which he put into my hand, faying, that if I would compare that face with "Conftantia's I could not wonder at the agitation which fo strong a family-refemblance had given him; it was a portrait of his deceafed wife at Conftantia's age; the first glance he had of her features had flruck him to the heart; he could not keep his eyes from her fhe was indeed a perfect beauty he had never beheld any thing to com pare with her, but that counterpart of her image then in iny hand; he begged to leave it in my care till our meeting next morning; perhaps, added he, the fight of it will give a pang of fenfibility to my poor discarded child, but I think it will give her joy also, if you tender it as a pledge of my reconciliation and returning love.

Here his voice fhook, his eyes fwani in tears, and clafping my hand eagerly between his, he conjured me to remem ber what I had promifed, and haftened out of the house.

When I had parted from the old gentleman, I found Mrs Abrahams defirous to return home, being fomewhat indifpofed by the heat of the theatre, fo that I loft no time in getting her and Conftantia into the coach: In our way homewards, reported the converfation I had held with Mr Goodifon: the different effects it had upon my heaters were fuch as might be expected from their feveral characters; the gentle fpi rit of Conftantia found relief in tears; her grateful heart difcharged itself in praifes and thanksgivings to Providence : Mrs Abrahams forgot her head-ach, felie citated herself in having prevailed upon Mrs Goodifon to confent to her daugh ter's going to the play, declared the had a prefentiment that fomething fortunate would come to pafs, thought the title of the comedy was a lucky omen, congra❤ tulated Conftantia over and over, and begged to be indulged in the pleasure of telling these most joyful tidings to her goodman at home: Ned put in his claime

« ZurückWeiter »