hound, brought them intelligence that they were vigorously pursued. They climbed up a tree, and beheld, at some distance up the river, three men on horseback, preceded by a large dog, who, true to the scent, was following steadily on their footsteps. The animal stopped at the part of the bank where Fox and his companion had plunged in; but the horsemen, who observed the violence of the current at that spot, concluded either that the dog was mistaken, or that if the party had attempted to cross they could not escape drowning, abandoned the pursuit, and returned home. The remainder of this beautiful legend is so well told by Mr. Roby, that we must give it in his own words.

'Seaton could not but recognise the very finger of Providence, which had pointed out the means of preservation. No other way was left, apparently, for their escape. Whatsoever course they had taken, save this, must have inevitably thrown them into the very toils of their pursuers; and he determined to follow, fearlessly and without question, the future impulse of his companion.

"Shall we attempt to flee, or must we tarry here a space?" he hesitatingly enquired.

6.66

Nay, friend," said his guide, "I wis not yet what we shall do; but, methinks, we are to abide here until morning."

"

'Seaton shivered at this intimation. His clothes were drenched, and his whole frame stiffened and benumbed with cold. His position, too, crouching amongst decayed branches and alder twigs, was none of the most eligible or easy to sustain. He felt fully resolved, however, to follow the leadings of his friend, being convinced that his ultimate safety depended on a strict adherence to this determination.

The country was very thinly inhabited, and their enemies were in possession of the only outlets by which they could escape to the nearest village. Aided, too, by the sagacity of the dog, their track would inevitably be discovered before day-light enabled them to find shelter. These considerations were too important to be overlooked, and Seaton quietly resolved to make himself as comfortable as circumstances would permit. He wrung out the wet from his clothes, chafed his limbs, and ere long, to his inexpressible relief, the first symptoms of the dawn were visible in the east. Just as a glowing rim of light was gliding above the horizon, they ventured to peep forth, cautiously, from their retreat. To their great mortification they saw, at a considerable distance, a horseman stationed on the brow of a neighbouring hill, evidently for the purpose of a more extended scrutiny. Signals would inevitably betray their route, should they emerge from their concealment; and escape now seemed as hopeless as ever.

In this fresh difficulty, Seaton again sought counsel from his friend, who replied with great earnestness

"There is yet another and a more grievous trial;"-he lifted up his eyes, darkening already with the energy of his spirit ;—" but, I trust, our deliverance draweth nigh. We must return!"

"Return!" cried Seaton, his lips quivering with amazement. "Whither? Not to the den we have just left?"

"Even so," said the other, with great composure.

"Then all hope is lost!" mournfully returned the enquirer.

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Nay," replied his companion, "but let me ask what chance, even according to thine own natural and unaided sense, there is of deliverance in our present condition? Hemmed in on every hand, without a guide, and strangers to the path we should take, if the watchman from the hill miss our track, there is the hound upon our scent!"

'There was no gainsaying these suggestions; but still a proposal that they should return to the cabin, whence they had with such pains and difficulty made their escape, in itself was so absurd and inexplicable a piece of manoeuvring, that common sense and common prudence alike forbade the attempt. Yet, on the other hand, common sense and common prudence appeared to be equally unavailing, as to any mode of escape from the toils in which they were entangled.

'Again he determined to follow his friend's guidance; who, addressing himself immediately to the task, made the best of his way to the ford, which he had refused to cross the preceding night. They now took the direct road to the house. The morning was sharp and clear. Seaton felt the cold and raw atmosphere cling to his frame, already chilled to an alarming degree; but the excitation he had undergone prevented further mischief than the temporary inconvenience he then suffered. As they came nearer the hut, his very faculties seemed to escape from his control. A sense of danger, imminent and almost insupportable, came upon him. Bewildered, and actuated with that unaccountable but instinctive desperation which urges on to some inevitable doom, he rushed wildly into the dwelling. It was not as they had left it. Several horses were quietly standing by the door; and a party, who had merely called for the purpose of half an hour's rest and refreshment, were then making preparations to depart. Seaton took one of them aside, and disclosed the terrible circumstance we have related. By a judicious, but prompt application of their forces, they prevented any one from leaving the house, and were prepared to seize all who should return thither. A close search soon betrayed the quality and calling of its inmates. A vast hoard of plunder was discovered, and proofs too abundant were found, that deeds had been there perpetrated of which we forbear the recital. The old woman was seized, and her capture was followed by the apprehension of the whole gang, who, shortly after, met with the retribution merited by their crimes,

The maniac proved to be a son of the old beldame. At times, the cloud unhappily clearing from his mental vision, had left him for a short space fearfully cognisant of the transactions he was then doomed to witness. On that night to which our history refers, a sudden providential gleam of intelligence flashed upon him, and an unknown impulse prompted his interference in behalf of the unfortunate, and, as he thought, unsuspecting victims. Ere leaving the country, they saw him comfortably provided for; and, as far as the nature of his malady would permit, his mind was soothed, and his darkest moments partly relieved from the horrors which humanity alone could mitigate, but not prevent.'-vol. ii. pp. 106–110.

It would be the greatest injustice to this work if we did not notice the series of beautiful illustrations which adorn it. The designs are drawn by Pickering, and the engravings are executed by Finden. Having mentioned these names, we need scarcely add, that these plates deserve to be ranked amongst the very best specimens of modern art.

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ART. V.-Conjuration d'Etienne Marcel contre l'Autorité Royale; ou, Histoire des Etats Généraux de la France pendant les Années 1355 à 1358. Par J. Naudel, Professeur de Rhétorique au Collège de Henri IV. 2de Edition.

Paris: 8vo. 1830.

ONE of the greatest wants in the literature of history, is a good account of the attempts at civil and religious reform, which were made in Germany, Italy, France, and England, at different times preceding the grand Reformation, which took place in the beginning of the 16th century. These attempts are generally described by several eminent German writers as the Reformatio ante Reformationem. In the preface to Beausobre's History of Lutheranism, we are informed, that this eminent writer had composed a work upon this subject, and left it behind him in a state quite ready for the press. We have made enquiries for it both in the London and foreign markets, but without success. The most important publications on this subject, of which we have any information, are, Bossuet's History of the Variations of the Protestant Churches, and Baillet's History of the Reform Churches. Each of these productions discovers the prejudices of its author; but each is written with learning and moderation. Mr. Gibbon has assigned to the same subject his chapter on the Paulicians; it has all the merit and defects ascribed to his celebrated work. It is a great treat to those to whom the subject is familiar; but to those to whom it is new, it presents little distinct information. More is given us by Mosheim. He generally informs us, that about the time of the Reformation, there lay concealed in almost every part of Europe, particularly in Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland, and Germany, many persons, who adhered tenaciously to the doctrines which the Waldenses, Wickliffites, and Hussites had maintained; some, in a disguised, and others in a more open and public manner; that the kingdom of Christ was an assembly of true and real saints, and ought, therefore, to be inaccessible to the wicked and unrighteous; and also exempt from all those institutions, which human prudence suggests, to oppose the progress of iniquity, or to correct and reform transgressions. These tenets are more fully particularized by other writers; but, generally speaking, they dwell entirely on the religious opinions of those sectaries, and are almost silent on their political opinions. The Abbé Barruel has attempted, in his Memoirs of Jacobinism, to show, that the doctrines of liberty and equality so fearfully propounded in our times, were not unknown to the Knights Templars, the Albigenses, and the Lollards. But the Abbé was a man of an ardent imagination, and too much inclined to believe, without sufficient evidence, all he hoped or feared. We wish some one of our own countrymen would take the subject in hand, and make it the theme of a full and elaborate history; we are sure that it would repay his trouble. But we think it probable, that to do it complete justice, it would be necessary for him to examine

the printed and manuscript treasures of the continent. We know no person better qualified for this task than Dr. Macrie, the author of many works on the early history of Protestantism. But the subject is open to all.

The work before us describes the jacquerie, or the war of the peasantry in France towards the middle of the fourteenth century. It is agreeably written, and is, upon many accounts, highly interesting. In an introduction, the author presents us with a succint view, drawn by the hand of a master, of the state of France at the period which immediately preceded the events it describes, and which directly led to them. His account of them shews that there was, at that time, a greater ferment of mind, more information, and a more determined disposition to improve the state of society, and the forms of government, than is generally supposed.

We have been often struck with a letter from Cardinal Julian to Pope Eugenius the Fourth, which Bossuet has inserted in one of the first pages of his History of the Variations. "The minds of men," says the cardinal, "are big with expectation of what measures will be taken, and are ripe for something tragical. I see the axe is at the root; the tree begins to bend, and instead of propping, while we may, we hasten its fall."

The passage affords us a singular instance of political foresight: might it not at present be addressed to the ministering powers of almost every state in Europe?

We have heard that, in the year 179.3, a lady of distinction asked Lord Mansfield, when the French revolution, which began about that time to disclose all its horrors, would terminate; and that Lord Mansfield replied, that it was impossible to foretel its termination, as it was an event without precedent, and therefore without prognostic. "History," continued his lordship, "abounds with relations of insurrections of the poor against the rich. Thus far there is a resemblance between those events and the present. But we have now the press, the post, and the post road; and each of these renders the present revolution a new event in the history of mankind." Is it not probable that, if the press, the post, and the post roads had existed at the time we have been speaking of, the jacquerie would have been much more extensive, and of much longer duration?

ART. VI.-Tales of My Landlord, Fourth and last Series, Collected and Arranged by Jedediah Cleishbotham, School-master and Parishclerk of Gandercleugh. In four volumes, 8vo. Edinburgh: Cadell. London: Whittaker. 1832.

2. The Romance of History. Italy. By Charles Macfarlane. In three volumes, 8vo. London: Bull. 1832.

3. The Usurer's Daughter. By a Contributor to "Blackwood's Magazine." In three volumes, 8vo. London: Simpkin & Marshall. 1832. VOL. I. (1832.) No. 1.

F

4. Cameron. A Novel. In three volumes, 8vo.

London: Bull. 1832.

1832.

5. The Algerines; or The Twins of Naples. By M. C. Green, Author of " Alibeg the Tempter," &c. In three volumes, 8vo. London : Newman & Co. 6. The Jew. In three volumes, 8vo. London: Bull. SIR WALTER SCOTT has taken his departure, we hope not for ever, from our shores, in a state of health which almost forbids us to think of commenting on his new and last' series of the 'Tales of My Landlord.' He who has now for nearly sixteen years been continually occupied in ministering to the rational amusement of the public, and thus occupied too, with degrees of success, which, if not always uniform, have still left most of his rivals far behind him, may perhaps be fairly allowed, after so great a length of service, to claim the indulgence of the critical tribunals. It could hardly be expected, that the imagination of man, limited as it is by the conditions of our existence, should be constantly exercised for so lengthened a period, without being in danger of exhaustion. If we should find in the present work too many proofs of this remark, we could hardly have been altogether unprepared for them. We confess that we have for some time lost much of the relish which, in common with a great majority of the reading world, we had once felt for the Waverley Novels. The spirit that animated the earlier volumes, seemed to us to be gradually fading away, in every one of those which have succeeded the "Pirate." In the tales now before us, we can with difficulty trace a single spark of the true Promethean fire.

They consist of two stories, Count Robert of Paris,' and 'Castle Dangerous. Upon the latter we think it superfluous to make any remark, as it is scarcely possible for any person to read it to the end, though it fills up but one of the four volumes. The scene is laid in Scotland, and the tale forms one of the thousand episodes which have been derived from the fortunes of the house of Douglas. It looks like a feeble and awkward imitation of the great painter of Scottish scenery and manners, rather than a work from his own hand. Sometimes the once divine inspiration of the poet seems struggling, as it were, to break through the clouds that surround it. But we find at once that the winter of its day has set in, and we see but a faint glimmer of the beams that in the summer were so resplendent. The same sort of hectic flushings occasionally lighten up the adventures of Count Robert of Paris;' but though not quite so decided a failure as Castle Dangerous,' it is upon the whole an unfortunate production. The scene is laid principally at Constantinople; and from the elaborate attempts which the author has made, to introduce into his narrative the matchless picturesque beauties of that capital, we should conjecture that these were the attractions which induced him to turn his attention to that quarter.

The history of France has so many counts named Robert, that it is difficult to know which of them the author has selected for his