which are deemed incompatible with secular occupation. The days being too sacred for labour, and too long for devotion, a great part of the time is yawned away in listless ennui.

The consecration of days is a custom of barbarous origin; and the pious enthusiasm of the first Christians gave it the sanction of their own observance. The church of England, which has had the merit of restoring to society the days and weeks hallowed by bigot. ry, still retains some few, which she refuses to secularize, and which serve, like the ancient hangings in a modernized mansion, to mark the date of the edifice, and perpe. tuate the taste of those who under. took its reform. It is plain, the contract between priest and people in those regions of superstition, is very much in favour of the former, though equally to the satisfaction of each. The latter surrender without reluctance the fruits of their labour to the use of the former, who only engage for an unde. fined retribution-a bright rever. sion in the sky-at some future and distant period.

amongst each other, they are obliged to admit; but in their intercourse with strangers, they struggle very hard for specie.

I turned into the shop of a mar. chande de modes to purchase some articles. The bargain was struck, the several particulars wrapped up, and I was searching in my pocket for the money; when observing me draw out some paper by acci. dent, she laid immediate hold upon the packet I had purchased, and demanded with haste, "Allezvous me payer en papier, mon. sieur ?"

"Si fait," said I. "Eh

bien donc," replied she, " je garderai ma marchandise." I soon relieved her of the anxiety she felt, and brought a glow upon her cheek, by counting out upon the table the sum agreed. This is indeed the greatest-I had almost said the only-grievance that I have discovered among them; and they scruple not to predict that the very favourable sale of the national domains will raise the credit of their paper, and give them as much money as they have liberty.

I must assure you, that I found the state of the people in this part of France very different from what it had been represented. At Manheim and Worms, reports pre

The general complaint at Stras. burgh was want of money. No. thing is to be found in circulation but paper and copper. "Tout iroit bien," said an old man, "si on avoit de l'argent." At all the shops, the greatest apprehensions afe entertained of being paid for their merchandize.in paper. This,

now reigning in France; and we were more than once cautioned against trusting ourselves amongst a canaille, who would hang us up at the lamp-post for a word or a look. This statement has so little connexion with truth, that every thing passes with the utmost order; and, so far as I can judge from observation and report, freedom of remark encounters less danger here than at the court of Manheim. Nothing

Nothing could surpass the strictness which prevailed in every quarter where the fugitive nobility are received; and if I might draw conclusions respecting the country at large from what I see around me, restraint of opinion is exiled with those who owed to its existence their guilty pre-eminence.

The day after our arrival was rendered festive by a new enrolment of national guards. This was formed out of the citizens above the age of eighteen years, and was effected without the least symptom of disorder. Beside the guard thus regularly embodied, the citizens are seen every evening in different parts of the town, learning, against an emergency, the use of arms. It certainly is animating to read, in a thousand conspicuous places, proclamations setting forth the right of private judgment; allowing to every man the free exercise of his opinion in matters of religion; and establish. ing to each individual the liberty of adopting that mode of worship he best approves.

This would, however, be nugatory and ridiculous, were the slightest encouragement given to This has contumacy and disorder. been said out of the country; but the contrary has appeared wherever I have inquired. I read upon the door of the cathedral at Strasburg an advertisement, which stated, "That a young man having be. haved improperly in the cathedral during the performance of divine service; and, after admonition from the centinel, persisted in a conduct unbecoming the solemnity of the place and occasion, was, by the officers of the police, sentenced to imprisonment for this insult of VOL, XXXVIII,

fered to religious worship." This accords but ill with a toleration of disorder.

Account of the Public Eating-house at Vienna. From the same.

In

IN all these houses the custom is, to give every man his portion se parate; insomuch that though numbers dine at the same table, they seldom dine in common. almost all the dining-houses here, a bill of fare, containing a vast collection of dishes, is written out, and the prices affixed to each article. As the people of Vienna eat of variety, the calculation at the conclusion of the repast would appear somewhat embarrassing; this, however, is done by mechanical habit with great speed. The custom is, for the party who has dined to name the dishes, his quantity The keller, of bread and wine.

who attends on this occasion, follows every article you name, with the sum which this adds to the calculation; and the whole is formed, to whatever amount, with out ink or paper. It is curious to hear this ceremony, which is mut. tered with great gravity, yet per. formed with accuracy and dispatch. It is inconceivable how numerous these houses are in Vienna, to which we have in England nothing that corresponds exactly. There is something remarkably pleasant in this mode of living. An evening seldom passes in these houses with out music, and the German dances have an air of vivacity and cheer, fulness superior to all others.

I have been often regaled by a strolling band at one of these houses; where, deeming myself totally unknown, I was accustomed

Α.

to

to pass an evening hour. I usually entered them, wrapped in my cloak, and took my seat in a corner of the room, where I might register what passed without attracting notice. A principal part of my amusement arose from the warm debates of some worthy citizens, who, having dispatched the business of the day, were relaxing their minds with a little politics. I was diverted to hear these great personages regulating the affairs of empires-leading the combined armies into the heart of France, by a shorter cut than the Duke of Brunswick had taken making the rebels own their lawful king, and receive their expatriated princes. I had remarked every night that I frequented one house, a little man of uncouth figure, and unpropitious physiognomy; and had observed him constantly twirling a large key over his finger, whenever he entered into conversation, and striking this forcibly against the table, when he wished to establish his argument or silence his adversary. I was astonished to find so much wit and pleasantry in his discourse. He rallied with much vivacity all nations, and all governments-but his own. He thought that France and Switzerland, which boasted of the purest constitutions, had less liberty than the Austrians, whose constitution of government he owned was the worst. "In Swit zerland," said he, a man cannot speak his sentiments without ha. zard of imprisonment, nor in France without the danger of decapitation; while in Vienna a man may indulge himself in all freedom of remark, and runs no risk, till he lends his aid to plots, cabals, and conspiracies."

There are, however, discontents at Vienna; and, were there all that freedom of speech on which the orator insisted, the coffee-houses would resound with the complaints and remonstrances of the people. On the various topics he ran over, he expressed himself with great vehemence, took much snuff, and smote frequently with his key. Some intelligence which I picked up from the house has acquainted me, that he has lately married a very pretty woman; and that every evening when he leaves her, he locks the door, and pockets the key. I will make no apology for these colorings after nature-how. ever remote from the splendid scenes of life: my fortune has at present thrown me into those walks of society, where higher incidents cannot occur.

The Life and Writings of the Abbé Barthelemy by the Duke de Ni..

vernois.

John James Barthelemy was born January 20, 1716, at Cassis, a small sea-port in Provence, situated between Toulon and Marseilles ; his family had long been establish. ed at Aubagne, a pleasant town in that neighbourhood, where they were much respected; his mother, Magdalen Rastit, was the daugh ter of a merchant at Cassis; he lost her at four years of age. At 12, his father sent him to school at Marseilles, where he made some progress in his studies under the Père Renaud, at the college of the Oratoire; but, being destined for the church, and M. de Belzunce, the bishop of Marseilles, objecting to admit the students of that se minary into orders, he was remov

ed

edwith regret to the college of the Jesuits there he fell into bad hands, and was therefore happily induced to form a plan of study for himself, independent of the pro fessors of the college, and devoted himself to the study of the ancient languages, the Greek, Hebrew, Syriae, and Chaidean, with so great ardour, that it nearly cost him his life; nor did he recover his health till the period of his entering the seminaay in which he received the tonsure. There, he became inti. mately acquainted with a young Maronite, who had been educated at Rome, and now resided with his uncle, a Turkish merchant, at Marseilles, from whom he acquired a fundamental knowledge of the Arabic language, and learned to speak it with facility. By the re. commendation of this young man, he go by heart several Arabic ser. mons, which he preached to a congregation of Arabian and Arme nian Catholics, who did not un. derstand the French language. After he had finished his academic studies, Barthelemy retired to Au. bagne, where he resided some time, often paying visits at Marseilles to those learned academicians with whom a similarity of literary pur. suits had naturally connected him; among the rest with M. Cary, a great collector of medals, and with Père Sigaloux, of the convent of Minims, with whom he studied astronomy. In 1744, he went to Paris with a letter of recommendation to M. de Boze, keeper of the cabinet of medals, and secretary of the acade my of Inscriptions and Belles Let. tres; by whom he was very kindly received, and introduced to the most distinguished members of the academy. The age and infirmities of M. de Boze calling for some assist

ance in his laborious occupation, he pitched upon Barthelemy for an associate in the care and arrange. ment of the cabinet; and his ap pointment was confirmed by M, de Maurepas, minister of that de, partment. Barthelemy lost no time in arranging in perfect order the large and valuable collection of M. D'Etrées and the Abbé de Ro. thelin, which lay in confused heaps in boxes. These he separated, compared, and described in a supplementary catalogue. While he was thus occupied in a manner so congenial to his taste and his talents, he was apprehensive he should be drawn off from these pursuits to enter on a very different career. His friend and countryman, M. de Bausset, had engaged to promote him in the church; and, being now bishop of Béziers, invited him to accept the office of his vicar-general. Barthe lemy, having promised to follow the fortunes of his friend, had no inten tion of retracting his engagement; but, wishing to be released from it, and to be left at liberty to fol. low his favourite studies, he sub. mitted himself entirely to the decision of the worthy prelate, who had too much good sense, and too warm an affection for his friend, not to comply with his wishes.

In 1747, on the death of M. Burette, he was elected associate of the academy of inscriptions, M. le Beau having very handsomely de clined in his favour: and when M. de Bougainville resigned the office of secretary,

and recommended Barthelemy to M. D'Argenson as his successor, Barthelemy, with equal generosity, yielded to M. le Beau, to whom he afterwards suc ceeded; and his annual labours in that office were in no degree checkA 2 2

ed

ed by the daily and laborious occupations, in which he was engaged in the cabinet of Medals, and in which he displayed such critical acumen and profound eru, dition.

In 1753, on the death of M. de Boze, with whom he had been associated for seven years, he was made keeper of the cabinet of Medals, to which office he was pro. moted, notwithstanding some opposition, by the zeal of his illustri. ous friends, M.'de Malesherbes, M. de Stainville, afterwards mini. 'ster and Duc de Choiseul, and M. de Gontacq, brother to the, last Maréchal de Biron.

not

In 1754, M. de Stainville, being appointed ambassador at Rome, invited Barthelemy to accompany him to Italy an offer which his duty and avocations would permit him to accept. In the year 1755, however, he was ena.bled to take this journey with his friend M. de Cotte; and his residence in Italy was made particu. larly agreeable by the continuance of M. de Stainville, who introduced him to the amiable and celebrated Pope Benedict XIV. At Naples he became acquainted with Mazocchi, who was then occupied in the task of unfolding the numerous ancient MSS. that had been found in Herculaneum. Mazocchi had decyphered two or three, which containing matter of little importance, the work was on the point of being abandoned at that time but for the zealous encouragement of Barthelemy, who, if the Marquis Carraciola, then minister at Naples, and who had the matter much at heart, had lived, would certainly have been the means of the work's going on with ardour and effect. As a proof of Barthe

lemy's retentive powers; having applied in vain for the liberty to copy one of these manuscripts, in order to send a fac simile of the ancient writing to the learned in France, and, being only suffered to examine it, he read it over at. tentively five or six times, and, suddenly leaving the apartment, copied the fragment from memory, and correcting, when he came back, some slight errors, he sent it the same day to the academy of Belles lettres; enjoining secrecy, however, that no blame might attach to Mazocchi: At Rome he had the pleasure and honour to give a new and satisfactory explanation of the beautiful Mosaic of Palestina, which is printed in the thirteenth volume of the academy of inscriptions.

M. de Stainville, on his return to Paris in 1757, being named to the embassy of Vienna, Barthelemy joined him there with Madame de Stainville, who had remained behind at Rome: and a very flattering offer was then made him to undertake a voyage to Greece, and up the Levant, at the king's expence; but he declined it, as incompatible with the duties of his office.

In 1758, M. de Stainville, then Duc de Choiseul, having succeeded to the ministry in the room of Cardinal de Bernis, he determined to provide for Barthelemy; which he accordingly did, by granting him successively pensions on the archbishoprick of Abby, and upon the treasury of St. Martin of Tours, and finally, the place of secretarygeneral of the Swiss; besides which, he enjoyed a pension of 5000 livres on the Mercure.

In 1771, M. de Choiseul was displaced in the ministry by M. D'Aiguillon,