yield to their paradoxical positions, I was still able to follow the rules dictated to me by humanity; I accordingly paid the imposts levied on my own peasantry, reserving the right of reimbursing myself during a fruitful harvest. General gratitude was the consequence in the spring; but this was followed by general inurmurs among my vassals in the autumn, when I demanded re-payment. In short, one of the peasants whom I had reprehended on account of his bad conduct, cut down two favourite cherry-trees in my orchard, and then abandoned his habitation. “To complete my sorrows, I fell in love once more; and that too with Ca. therine, the daughter of my gardener: but I soon discovered that she was attached to Thomas, the sou of a neigh bouring farmer; in short, I found that while old age blunts our senses in respect to pleasures, it leaves us all our sensibility in regard to chagrin. With a view of being just, I united the two lovers; I portioned the maiden, and let some fruitful lands to her young spouse. at an easy rate. A few weeks after, how ever, happening to pass by their cottage, 1 was attracted by the screams of Cathe rine, and on entering inmediately scized on her husband, who was beating her most unmercifully. There is no state,' exclaimed I, which does not exhibit a series of miseries, although they present themselves under different forms. In the metropolis, Catherine would have shed tears in consequence of the perfidy of her husband, here she is made to cry out from the excesses of his brutality; and since the society of men is every where the same, I am determined to fly from it for ever.' Of all places Paris appeared to me to be the best calculated for this purpose. The immense number of people who inhabit this city, and the continual succession of occupations, af ford full liberty of being unknown and in seclusion, without experiencing the horrors of solitude. During the two years I have resided here, you are the very first mau to whom I have spoken!", The next article consists of political and military speculations. The author, instead of being astonished at the small number of great captains, is surprised that so many should have existed, seeing that such extraordinary requisites are demanded in the composition of a General. "In respect to states, they are elevated and supported by the virtue of the citizens, and by this virtue I understand simplicity of manners and patriotism. But no sooner do states refine than men begin to calculate; and it is soon discovered that the honour produced by the exercise of these virtues, is little better than a chimera! From the moment that every citizen thinks only of himself, the whole social body necessarily languishes: the machine indeed will operate sometime longer by its own proper movement, but at the least shock disorganization is likely to ensue." After this the Baron draws a lively picture of France, such as it was at least anterior to the revolution. He at the same time observes, that although the English constitute the nation who have given the severest blows to France, yet their manners are no more chaste, nor their writings less licentious, than those of the French: it is the audacity of their pens which seems to have emboldened our French authors. As to their morals too, they seem to push debauchery to a greater length; but the firmness of character peculiar to this people, preserves it from effiminacy and corruption, which are the inevitable rocks of French frivolity. The English, who are profound calculators, feel the necessity of a submission to those laws which constitute the preservation of society, while the French, ignorant and frivolous, must fear in order not to violate them. A little after this, he exclaims as follows: "Non, je le repète, il n'y a qu'un miracle qui puisse sauver la France!" Our author next recurs to the history of France; and observes, that “Cardinal Richlieu finding that country torn to pieces by civil wars, which were continually fomented by the too powerful nobility, he, in conformity to his nature, which was harsh and cruel, cut off the heads of many of them. Knowing however, that this at best was but a temporary remedy, he attracted the grandees to court by means of honourable and advantageous employments, which rendered them dependant on the king. During the minority of Louis XIV. the civil wars were renewed, and no sooner did this monarch appease them, than he followed the route which the cardinal had chalked out. "But under the reign of Louis XV. the system ought to have been changed; for these same nobles, being convinced that they had no other existence than that which the favour of their master bestowed, instead of courageous barons, became vile and servile courtiers. Nay, they did not stop there; for they made themselves themselves the creatures of the ministers, The next article we shall notice con- 1. The laws are like cobwebs the small fish are taken in the meshes, but the great ones break through. 2. "The success of Racine only serves to prove to what a degree the great Corneille was inimitable. S. "Hope deceives us, for it prevents enjoyment. 4." The magic of style, occasions all the success of our modern dramas. 5. "Happiness is a term at once lofty and vain, it is a daring invasion of the rights of Heaven. 6. "Do you wish to escape from folly? then act so as if you were dealing with a creditor who makes you pay dearly for the delay he grants. 7. "The degree of happiness ought to be measured by the degree of sensibility, 8. "Those who have loved the ladies with ardour, can scarcely love any thing else. 9. "In such a case nothing can replace their favours; not even those of fortune. Harlequin become a king, regrets his maccaroons; Cincinnatus his plough. 10. "Many sentences and maxims have succeeded in consequence of a certain enigmatical tone, which solaces the petty vanity of the reader, in consequence of the satisfaction arising from the hope Thus of penetrating the meaning. Rochefoucault tells us, that gravity is a mystery of the body, invented for the purpose of concealing the defects of the mind.' M. de Fontenille also gives us the following: All religions would be destroyed, provided those who professed them were obliged to love one another.' 11."A man without an object on whom he sets his affections, and at the same time destitute of friends, exactly resembles an apartment with figures wrought in tapestry. 6 12. "All on earth is but shadow: beyond it every thing is substance. 13. "Nothing is more eloquent than the silence of the tombs. 14. "Women are always combating 1 love, and would be exceedingly sorry On the whole, the Baron de Bosenval "Essai Historique sur Henri Saint John, &c."-An Ilistorical Essay rela tive to Henry St. John, Viscount BoImported by J. De Boffe, ingbroke. French bookseller, Nassau-street, Soho. In a former article we gave an account of the lettres, historiques, politiques, philosophyques, &c. of this celebrated man. (See Appendix to Monthly Magazine for January, 1810.) We seize the present opportunity to complete our labours, by means of a Life of one of the most extraordinary men that England has ever produced. The family of St. John, or more properly speaking St. Jean, was of great antiquity in the duchy of Normandy. One of its members occupied an employ ment of trust and consequence in the army of the Conqueror, and distinguished himself greatly during the battle of Hastings, which was fought on the 14th of October, 1066, and in consequence of the events of that day, William I. was placed on the throne of England. Lands were bestowed by the victor on all his followers; and St. John received such a portion, as is supposed, to have enabled him to make good his pretensions to the heiress of the family of Portt, which was Their deone of the most affluent, we are told, then existing in England. scendants formed still more illustrious alliances; for the mother of one of them was also that of Henry VII, who claimed the crown in virtue of his mother, Margueritte de Beaufort, daughter of John de Somerset, of the house of Lancaster. This princess was daughter, by a second marriage, of another Margaret, who in consequence of the former one, had two sons, who formed two separate branches, the St. Johns of Bletsoe, and Tregoze. Walter St. John, the grandfather of the viscount, and descended from the latter of these, sat as knight of the shire for the county of Wilts, during the reigns of Charles II. James II. and William III. He died at Battersea, near London, July 3, 1708, at the age of eightyseven, and was a man of considerable talents. His son Henry, who also possessed the reputation of abilities, espoused lady Mary, da ghter of Robert They had Rich earl of Warwick. several several children, the eldest of whom and the subject of the present memoir, was born* 1672, and called Henry, after his father. Young St. John was at first educated under the eyes of his parents, who afterwards sent him to Eton and Oxford, in succession. He distinguished himself while there, we are told, by great sagacity in point of understanding, as well as by the astonishing facility with which he learned every thing. His memory was prodigious. On his entrance into the world, he rendered himself remarkable by his handsome person, a certain noble and graceful aspect, an extraordinary fund of knowledge, together with an agreeable mixture of wit and learning. He also displayed an intimate acquaintance with the best Greek and Roman authors, and could quote them in such a manner as not to savour of pedantry. Yet notwith-, standing all these advantages, his family was greatly alarmed by his ardent temperament and love of the fair sex. But his attachment to his pleasures hever stifled in him the love of literature, and a certain passion for public affairs. In the midst of his follies, he was ever ready to exclaim with Horace: Solve senes centem, mature, sanus equum re In the years 1698 and 1699, Mr. St. John travelled on the Continent, with the view of completing his education; and in the course of his journey visited both France and Italy. During his youth, he formed an acquaintance with all the wits of his time, particularly Dryden; and we are assured that he not only esteemed this great poet, but when William III. deprived him of his pension, he assisted him with his purse and credit, and never ceased to give him the most convincing proofs of his attachment. Pope, Swift, and other celebrated men of letters, were afterwards numbered among his friends. In the beginning of the year 1700, the relations of Mr. St. John prevailed on him to marry Miss Frances Winchescomb, a rich heiress, and he was nearly at the same time nominated representative for Wotton Basset, in Wiltshire, in which quality he sat during the fifth parliament of William III. * At this pe "On ignore même en Angleterre, le date precise de la naissancedu Lord Bolingbroke," riod of his life he condemned the treaty for the partition of the Spanish monarchy. On the accession of queen Anne, the subject of this memoir began to distinguish himself by bis eloquence. Nature had conferred on him many of the properties of a great orator, and as the queen was sensible of his parts she courted his attachment. As a proof of the high degree of favour then enjoyed by him, he was one of the persons of quality selected soon after by her majesty, to accompany her to Bath. He now joined that party which was so well known by the appellation of the Tories, the principles of which, if not correspondent to his character, were at least favourable to his views; and ac cordingly, although both his father and grandfather bad been Whigs, he acted in direct opposition to their system of government. In 1704 he was noninated a member of the administration, and became intimately connected with the Duke of Marlborough, the first General of his age, who was then at the head of the British armies. "Descended from a noble family, but without being illustrious, and at the same time destitute of fortune, the latter had now attained the highest eminence which an individual could aspire to. A friendship between him and St. John had been originally formed at the little court of Aune, while princess of Denmark, and it is not at all unlikely that the credit of Churchill and his wife, contributed greatly to make him a minister. It may be said of Marlborough that he had become a great warrior from instinct alone, for he had never either studied his art, or read any of the celebrated treatises on it. Most assuredly he had never perused Xenophon, and perhaps never looked into the narrative of any modern war; but during his youth, he had served under Turenne, and was distinguished by his notice." On the disgrace of this great man, Bolingbroke, if he did not take part against his friend, at least sided with the court, and became secretary of state for foreign affairs during the adminis tration of the celebrated Harley, earl of Oxford. On this occasion, he had not only the management of continental bu siness, and of all the negociations for peace, but also of the House of Commons, of which his oratory, and still more his influence, had rendered bim the oracle. Ile also was enabled by means means of Mrs. Mastam, to keep up his intercourse, and increase his favour with the queen; but a mutual jealousy already subsisted between him and the First Lord of the Treasury, which it was never in the power of Dr. Swift, the common friend of both, to eradicate; although, perhaps, he might tend to mode rate it. A pacification was at this period the grand object of the new administration, and for that purpose they immediately convoked a parliament more devoted to them, and less attached to the Whigs, than the preceding one. "St. John now publicly declared, that the glory of taking cities, and gaining battles, ought to be measured by the degree of utility resulting from these splendid achievements, which at one and the same time might reflect honour on the arms, and shame on the councils, of a nation; that the wisdom of a government consists in regula. ting its projects by its interests and its strength, and in proportioning the means of execution to the object which it proposes, and the vigour it is to display. He declared that England had lost sight of those rules, and that motives of selfishness and ambition had seduced the grand part of the alliance to depart from the principles which had been agreed upon. He added, that all ideas of conquering Spain ought to be renounced and relinquished, as General Stanhope had just declared, that the people were so attached to Philip V. and professed such a degree of aversion to the Archduke, that the country might be overrun until the day of judgment,' without being conquered. As Spain was the object of the war, and its subversion hopeless, it was therefore his opinion, that peace ought to be instantly thought of." St. John perceiving that the new parliament was favourable to his views, sent over the Abbe Gaultier to Paris in 1711, and by means of his agency, and that of Mr. Prior, he carried on a correspondence with M. de Torcy, and signified to the French minister, that England would treat independently of, and without the concurrence, of Holland. No sooner did the Dutch learn that the English had commenced a negociation for peace, than they themselves wished to renew the conferences for a treaty; but their ministers were repulsed, and obliged to solicit a participation in the diplomatic engagements of England. Meanwhile the queen was so well MONTHLY MAG. No. 201. pleased with the conduct of her ministers, that Harley was created an earl, and nominated First Lord of the Treasury, in addition to his former office of Chancel. lor of the Exchequer. Although St. John had been overlooked on this occasion, yet be determined to press the bu siness of peace, and accordingly sent Prior the poet, once more to the court of Versailles, with a memorial, in which he laid down the principles on which it could alone be obtained. That gentle man accordingly repaired to Fontain bleau at the latter end of July 1711, and having ascertained that Louis XIV. had received full powers from his grandson, Philip V. returned immediately with Monsieur Mesnager, to whom the English Secretary for Foreign Affairs observed: "We desire peace, and France stands in need of it; to obtain this, all intrigue and finesse must be banished. England will not either resume or renew the insupportable pretensions maintained by the Dutch at the former conferences, but she expects a reasonable compensation for herself on account of her expences, and equitable advantages for her allies; in fine, such terms as may be required for their own security, and such indeed as the present situation of affairs entitle them to." A provisional negociation was the consequence; and preliminaries of peace between England and France were signed soon after, on the part of St. John and the Earl of Dartmouth on one side, and the French Envoy on the other. Next day Mesnager was introduced to the queen, who received him in a private manner at Windsor. On the 30th of November, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs notified to the different ministers at the court of London, that negotiations for peace were about to take place at Utrecht; and notwithstanding the violent opposition that ensued on the part of the Count de Gallasch, the Austrian minister, and the Baunde Bothmar, Envoy from the court of Hanover; nay, although the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, with all the Whigs, together with the States General, resolutely opposed the measure, yet Anne and her ministers, as is weil known, succeeded in the project for a peace. The services of St. Johu upon this occasion were not forgotten, and ac cordingly her majesty, on the 14th of July, 1712, was pleased to create him a peer of England, by the style and title 4 P of of Baron of Lydia Fregoze in the county of Wilts, and Viscount Bolingbroke., This reward was considered as his due, in consequence of the basis of a new po litical balance established by him in Europe, which subsisted during a period of about fourscore years; and notwithstanding the frequent wars that intervened, was never wholly changed until the late revolution. Meanwhile, in consequence of a va riety of intrigues, the Earl of Oxford, who is here accused of keeping up a double correspondence with the Pretender and the House of Hanover at the same time, was about to be disgraced, and his enemy Bolingbroke to be elevated to the highest dignities in the state, when Anne died. This princess, according to the editor, who obtained his information from the late Mrs. Mallet, was greatly beloved by Bolingbroke, who exclaimed in her presence: "That the unfortunate queen was a model of all the virtues; that the unhappy house of Stuart had never produced a better sovereign; and that no princess ever deserved so little to be cruelly betrayed, as was the case with her late majesty." It is here also stated that her majesty's constitution was radically sapped and ruined by the use of strong liquors. The editor is at some pains to insinuate that her majesty did not die a natural death: but for this suspicion there never was any solid foundation whatsoever. On the accession of George I. Bolingbroke addressed a letter of congratulation to his Majesty, but instead of being treated the better for this mark of respect, his papers were sealed up, and he himself taught to expect the utmost severity of royal enmity. The subject of this memoir, on perceiving the storm, retired for awhile into the country; but on receiving secret intelligence from the Duke, of Marlborough, that it was not in his power to protect him from the rage of the Whigs, who had determined to punish him as the author of the late pacification, he determined to fly. His lordship accordingly embarked privately at Dover on the 7th of April, carrying with him property to the amount of about 500,000 franks, which was intended to support him during his exile. On his arrival at Paris, the Viscount waited on the English ambassador (the Earl of Stair,) and assured him that he did not intend to enter into any connexion whatsoever with the jacobites; and he wrote several letters to the same purpose to General Stanhope, then Secretary of State. Soon after this, his lordship retired to St. Clair, in Dau phiny; and during his residence there, was accused, together with the Earl of Oxford, of high treason, The latter was accordingly sent to the Tower; while against the former, a bill of attainder was carried. The Tories in England, greatly displeased at the conduct of the Whigs, who, in their turn, considered them all as suspected, now sent an agent to the Continent, who had an interview with the Pretender at Commerci, whence he repaired to St. Clair, with a letter signed James III. containing an invitation to Bolingbroke to assist at his councils. This once more awakened the ambition of the viscount, who set out for Commerci, although in a bad state of health, and thus threw an air of duplicity over his character, from which, notwithstanding his splendid talents, it could never after entirely recover. e "He was convinced," we are told, soon after his first interview, that the prince just alluded to, had neither plans nor views, and that the Tories themselves did not seem to act with more sagacity. He also perceived too, that although the Pretender lived in daily expectation of repairing either to England or Scotland, yet efficacious means had not as yet been taken for the countenance and support of France, without the aid of which, in respect both to arms and money, all his future enterprises must prove problematical. Bolingbroke, on being appointed minister, immediately repaired to Paris, to solicit succours of all kinds from Louis XIV. His embassy, however, did not prove completely successful; for although Something was obtained, yet the aged monarch was hastening fast towards the conclusion of his career, and had be come not only indisposed to a new war with France, but almost incapable of business. A little money, some arms, and one or two vessels fitted out by the merchants, constituted all the supplies he could obtain in the name of “King James." The regency of the Duke of Orleans, was still less favourable to the affairs of the exiles; and the keen and discerning eye of Bolingbroke had already antici, pated the disasters which soon after occurred to his party, both in England and Scotland. Bolingbroke did not accompany the |