potifm in an age fo very corrupt, that all his talents would then have been employed to promote the glory, and fecure the liberty of his country. Fabricius, on the contrary, fhall I dare to utter fo blafphemous a thought? might poffibly have been a Cæfar, had he been placed in the fame circum ftances with that oppreffor of the republic. I do not believe he would; for there are fouls fo privileged, and there is a temper fo perfect, as to remain virtuous in the midst of the moft infamous corruption. I pleafe myfelf with thinking, that Fabricius would have been a Cato, and that the horror he would have conceived for the vices of his contemporaries would have induced him to feek an afylum in the most rigid stoicifm; and I have not brought together thefe two men, or rather placed them in circumftances fo different from thofe in which they lived, but for the fake of making what I mean more obvious and intelligible. "Permit me to obferve by the way, my dear friends, that I am rather fond of making thefe imaginary changes; and that I conceive myself to derive from them, an information of great importance to the properly estimating the manners of mankind, and to the building the fcience of morals upon certain and unquestionable principles. I fometimes tranfport our most celebrated men, our Guifes, our Coligny, Sully, Richelieu, Mazarin, Condè, Turenne, Luxembourg, Catinat, into the moft glorious periods of Greece and Rome. It is not without a high degree of pleasure that I perceive, what they would have been in breathing the fame air with the illuftrious ancients. I think I fee them growing greater than ever. I next conduct to Paris, an Ariftides, a Themiftocles, Epaminondas, Phocion, Camillus, Fabius, Marcellus, the Scipios, Paulus Emilius, and Cæfar. I employ myself in imagining what we fhould have done with all thefe great perfonages, and in what manner they would mould themselves to circumftances, and bend to our manners, that they might not appear too foreign. I am perfuaded, that they would have loft by the exchange. I fometimes enquire, what the men I meet with in the world would have been, in circumftances entirely different from their own, and I frequently find nothing at all. In vain, at the pleasure of my imagination, I place them fometimes high, and fometimes low, it is just the fame; nature certainly intended them only to vegetate. Now and then, on the contrary, I think I fee, I think I feel, that the unkindnefs of fortune, has ftifled, and rendered ufclefs, the benefits of nature. Through the drapery that every man draws about him as clofe as he can, I love to fee that which he conceals. Many of my heros vanish in the experiment: but but I confole myfelf; there fpring up others under my hands, where I did not fufpect it. 66 Proceeding with this idea, M. de Mably felects for his examination, the character of Cromwell, and fuppofes him to have been placed in times the moft peaceable and fubmiffive, "He would have contented himfelf," fays our author, "with obtaining a feat in parliament, as he contented him"felf with a fubaltern rank in the army." [Be pleafed to obferve that Cromwell had a feat in parliament, before he had any rank in the army.] Difcovering in his first fuc"ceffes the extent of his hopes, his génius would have pointed out to him his path to advancement. He would have "led his countrymen wherever he pleafed, by the profundity "cf his politics, and the enthufiafin of his eloquence." [[f abbe Mably had condefcended to read that hiftory of Hume, which he fo much defpifes, he would have found, that Cromwell had no eloquence at all.] Cromwell would "not have been bought off, either by a penfion or a peerage, becaufe he had neither the ambition of a courtier, nor the ambition of a tradefman." [This is a ftroke of fatire at the character of the earl of Chatham, who had at least as little of the ambition of a tradefman as Cromwell himself. We now fee how Cromwell came by the enthufiafm of his eloquence.] 66 From the extracts we have given, the reader will perceive that the work is not deftitute of neatnefs, and eafe of compofition. In particular, much dexterity is fhewn in the introduction of any thing that is meaned to be communicated. The dialogue form does not, indeed, here fubfift in its greateft glory. The converfation is not conducted with. much probability; there is no animation of controversy; and the greater part of each dialogue is little elfe than a regular difcourfe, delivered by one of the interlocutors. The author is alfo guilty of another impropriety in his plan; there are three inftructors, and but one scholar, three tutors and one pupil. The perfons of the dialogue, however, are fometimes kilfully employed. A fpecimen, as happy as any, of this merit, is contained in the period with which the work commences. "I fhall not now prefent you, my dear "Cleanthes," fays the relator to his correfpondent, with "the reflections that Eugenius promifed, and I anuanced to you, upon the nature of the virtues: Ariftus has thrown every thing out of its intended order." In thefe few words are artfully introduced a fummary plan of the whole performance, and an elegant apology for any triteness that might appear in the firft dialogue. This tritenefs, however, accompanies us in fome degree through the whole work. Nor 66 does does the author compenfate for the defect by any picturesque defcription, by any enthufiafm of eloquence, or any fublime and energetic language. Tritenefs is however more excufeable in a treatife of morals, than upon any other fubject, and, we apprehend, that it has already appeared, from the analyfis we have given, and the extracts we have made, that the time which shall be employed in the perufal, will not be thrown away. 0. ART. XV. Voyages autour du Monde, et ver les Deux Poles; par THE HESE voyages are written with a degree of minutenefs which will be found fomewhat tedious to readers. in general, though this circumftance, may, perhaps, render them valuable to thofe who have occafion to vifit the countries which are here defcribed. They are, however, occafionally interfperfed with reflections, and anecdotes, which make them fometimes very interefting and entertaining. The two following inftances of well-authenticated heroifm, will not, we apprehend, be unpleafing to our readers. Our author arrived at the Cape of Good Hope the very evening when the firft of thefe was performed, and though not a witnefs of it, he had fufficient evidence of its truth, from public atteftation, and from that juft enthufiasm which he perceived it had lighted up in the breast of every one. "There had been a ftorm of wind," fays he, "fo vio"lent, that three veffels from Holland, which were in the "harbour of the Cape, were torn from their anchors. One "of them was thrown upon its fide, and dashed in pieces "by the violence of the waves. The greater part of the crew was fwallowed up by the fea, but a few endeavoured "to ftruggle with death, by clinging to the wreck of the "veffel. The waves ran fo high, and the ftorm was fo 66 impetuous, that no boat durft venture out to afford them "any fuccour. It happened that a Hollander, who was "rather advanced in years, and had been a long time an in"habitant of the colony, came on horfeback to the fea fhore, "to be a fpectator only of the fhipwreck. Touched with the "fituation of the unhappy fufferers, and confiding in the courage and strength of his horfe, he formed the hardy 46 “ refo "refolution of affording them affiftance. He poured bran "dy upon the noftrils of the animal, and standing upon his "ftirrups, rufhed dauntless into the waves, His deter "mined refolution, and the ftrength of his horfe, carried "him to the wreck of the veffel, He took two men from "it, and making one of them hold by one of his boots, and the other by the other, he brought them fafe to land, He repeated the fame dangerous expedition feven times, and faved the lives of fourteen men; but on his return from vifiting the wreck the eighth time, his horfe was "overturned by the violence of the waves, and he and his "companions were feen no more. The horfe alone return"ed fafe to land." The other inftance of fortitude, though inferior to that which has been mentioned, is well worthy of being recorded. A Creole, who lived at a great diftance from the city, had, from a neglected wound, a mortification in his hand. He found that an amputation of his arm was his only refource; he was fatisfied, at the fame time, that he *was too far removed from any aid he might receive from chirurgical affiftance; and he determined, therefore, to "perform the operation himfelf. He prepared herbs, and other materials proper to be used after the amputation, and "with one blow of an ax fevered his arm from his body. He took no other precaution than that of procuring a negroe to hold his arm. He afterwards applied the remedies he had prepared, and received a perfect cure. I have, continues our author," seen him myself at Simon's Bay, "in perfect health,” MONTHLY CATALOGUE, [For MAY, 1784.] MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 16, The Independent, A Novel. 12mo. 25. 6d. Cadell, London. Elliot, Edinburgh. THE HIS novel is fuperior to the common run of productions which go by that name. The character of the Independent is well marked, but not fufficiently difplayed in a performance of which he is the Hero. Lord Fanfare, a Lord of the Bon Ton, is described with much fpirit and ridicule, and Adam Hobby is a comic portrait not unworthy of the hand of Smollet. There is a regular plot in this novel continually advancing, which pleafes us the more as it is concealed till the laft. The incidents, however, are too much huddled together. The mind wanders from fcene to feene; a confufed feries of fenfations is produced, and no permanent impreffion is. made made upon the reader. The author poffeffes a confiderable portion of humour, and writes English with purity and perfpicuty. There is a fermon introduced into this performance after the Shandean manner, but without the levity of Sterne. It contains many good ideas, but they are not fufficiently dwelt upon and illustrated. We would advife the author of the Independent, if he meditates Any future attempt of a fimilar nature, to truft lefs (but not to neg lect them altogether) to incident and fituation; more to defeription, characteristical or moral painting and fentiment. The former pleafes only at a first reading; the latter have a permanent power over the imagination and the heart. The author of this novel is Mr. M'Donald, an Epifcopal Clergyman in the city of Glafgow, who publifhed fome time ago Felina, a Poetical fragment of fome merit. Art. 17. Dangerous Connections; or, Letters collected in a Society, and Published for the Inftruction of other Societies. By M. C**** De L***. 4 vols. 1os. fewed. Hookham. If the minute expofition of infamy contributed to the purposes of moral improvement, this novel might rank high in the eftimation of moralifts. But we are afraid that where vice is drest in all its allurements, men will be more win by the example than terrified by the punishment. It has been long an opinion with the writers of novels, that all they have to do in rendering vice odious, is to defcribe it with accuracy, paint its progrefs in glowing colours, and punish it at laft with ruin. That this method is calculated to promote vice, we have not the fhadow of a doubt, because the paffions are inflamed and the mind corrupted by the glowing colours of an amo rous painting, while the punishment is not felt and makes no impreffion. In point of ftile, conduct and artifice of tale, this novel is fuperior to all its contemporaries, but whether thefe qualities are a fufficient compenfation for the mifchief it may do by fertilizing the genius of the feducer and animating his defigns, we leave to others to determine. We confefs we have been highly entertained by it, and to those who prize entertainment above inftruction, this book will prove a very pleasing addition to their libraries. As the story is neceflarily connected and intricate, it does not admit of an extract. Art 18. The Generous Ruftic. A Novel. Elliot. Edinburgh. The most infipid of all infipid love-tales that ever an infipid author wrote for infipid readers. Art. 19. The Annals of Gallantry. Vol. I. Memoirs of Perdita. 2s. 6d. Lifter. Whether these Annals, and Memoirs, are founded in truth, or not, we must leave to the author of them to determine; but we can: not help thinking, that if the Memoirs were burnt by the hands of the hangman, and the collector of them pilloried, justice both critical and moral would be fulfilled. The prevailing feature in this work, is uninterrupted infipidity, and an intention to corrupt the minds of young readers, without even the pleasing cloquence of feduction. Art: |