They are flaves in mind and body; are ignorant and stupid becaufe they are trampled upon, and are trampled upon becaufe they are ignorant and ftupid. Life is in them a habit of vegetation: could they feel they would die. In p. 75, M. Méhée begins a regular detail of the revolution, prepared by various arts; and the only merit of which is, by itrengthening the throne, to confolidate the government, and lend it more vigor. The fecret was kept among three hundred perfons for four months. Meanwhile all the victims of Ruffian tyranny were fedulously affembled at Warfaw. Peyfonnel's book, on the Danger of the political Balance of Europe, (afcribed to the late king of Sweden) was tranflated into Polifh, and eagerly read. Minifters at foreign courts were ordered to fend the moft alarming intelligence: on the fame day accounts were received from Peterfburg, Vienna, and Berlin, that a new partition of Poland was determined. On the third of May the diet met in a great ferment; the citizens were admitted, money was fcattered among the populace, cannons were placed in the court of the caftle. The alarming tidings were mentioned: a new conftitution was neceffary to fave the ftate the plan was prefented by the king, read and carried by : acclamation. Before the diet, the king owed only 14 millions of livres ; he now owes 34 millions. In return for this expence he now has a great fhare of the legiflative power, the fupreme exccutive power, the command of the army, abfolute inviolability, the veto, the difpofal of places of honour, of civil and military favours, of ecclefiaftic promotions. The Polish army even now exceeds not 30,000; the population of the country has much decreased of late; the peafantry or flaves our author only efti mates at eight millions. The remainder of the work is chiefly mifcellaneous. A.large extract from the writings of king Stanillaus is given, exhibiting a faithful detail of the miferies of the Polith pealants. Among other important matters, the king obferves the defect of population, and that near a quarter of the kingdom is uncultivated. A fketch of the prefent ftate of Poland next appears. Drinking and fmoaking form the chief amufement of the poor; drinking and gambling of the rich. From p. 2o we learn that the peafantry are flaves, not only in Poland but in Pomerania, Western Pruffia, Bohemia, Moravia, Galicia, and all the Ruflias, that is, among all Sarmatic nations. The fpeech of count Zakrzewski on the 3d of May 1791, p. 237, feq. is no bad fpecimen of Polish eloquence, arthrend are given fome illuftrations on the revenue of Poland: the total is 118,718,488 florins. Contes et Poefies du C. Collier, Commandant-General des Croifades du Bas Rhine. Saverne. 2 Vols. 12mo. 4s. 6d. fewed. Paris. Sold at London by Stace, Haymarket. 1792. THESE volumes, facetioufly afcribed to cardinal Necklace, or de Rohan, have no fmall poetical merit, and the manner of La Fontaine is most successfully imitated. In an advertisement we are informed that the various expeditions of a romantic life fupply materials for a history of the pretended author: and that all the world knows his political talents, accustomed to the management of the most concealed tranfactions in France and in Germany. With a great degree of the merit of La Fontaine, thefe tales and poems have alfo his chief defect, and frequently pass all the bounds of modefty. We mean not to leave human nature on the left hand, and to condemn a work of merit, because the author has preferred the improper examples of the Greek and Roman claffics to the fevere decency of modern times: but while the father may read this production with a smile, let him not leave it in the way of his children. There are few specimens which we can venture upon; but the following appears as unexceptionable as any. La Colere de Brama, • Conte. La loi fans doute eft des plus fages Qui, pour la paix de nos menages, Declare pere d'un enfant Le mari, fut il impuifant. Sans cela combien de vacarmes, De feparations, d'allarmes, Et de grabuges, pour un rien! Sans beaucoup rever, on voit bien Que le legiflateur etoit un bon chretien, Je ne garantis pas la chofe. Ce Dieu voyant contre fon gré Le fils d'un vifir revere, Nouvel Automedon, preffer dans la carriere Des courfiers tout couverts d'ecume et de pouffiere; Ou le fils d'un brave Pacha, En petite maifon, par dela la barriere, Folatrer Folatrer apres l'opera, Au lieu de fuivre la banniere, De mettre fin à ce difordre extreme. "On ne voit point, difoit il a Vistnou, Aux hommes d'aujourdhui les vertus de leurs peres, Un mouton ne naît point d'un loup. La faute par hafard viendroit elle des meres?" Il avoit vu le monde, et fes metamorphofes Dont le fexe charmant fait couvrir fes amours, "Puiffant Brama, dit-il, fuivant vos loix toujours Se permettent! Quoi donc? Viftnou, que dites vous? -Pour menager la fanté d'un epoux, Ou vieux, ou valetudinaire, Ou lui donne un adjoint, plus jeune, et fait pour plaire. -Oh! quelle horreur! Quoi, le fils du Vilir? -Doit la naifance au cocher de Fatime. -Et celui du fier Zeangir? -Au maitre a chanter de Zulime. Il dit et tout-a-coup, plus vite que l'eclair, Un irresistible pouvoir Le courtifan dans la fange se vautre: Quatre exceptés, tout le monde changea. Sexe charmant qu' à Paris on adore, Qui même en nous trompant nous raviffez encore, En ces lieux vous pouvez en pleine liberté Le vrai Dieu ne fait pas pareille espieglerie.' Hiftoire de la Nobleffe Hereditaire, et Succeffive des Gaulois, des Francois, et des autres Peuples de l'Europe, &c. Par M. l'Abbé C. J. de Bevy. Tome I. 4to. Liege, 1791. THE HE author of this prolix work informs us, in his preface, that his original intention was only to compose a preliminary difcourfe, to ferve as an introduction to his Alphabetical and Chronological Dictionary of noble names; but at a time, in which the philofophical fyftem of equality of conditions is revived, (we use the abbe's inaccurate expreffions,) and fupported by the opinion of four writers, Du Bos, Henault, Velly, and Mably, who date the commencement of nobility in France, only in the eighth, or even in the tenth century, he has been induced to examine the fubject upon a more extenfive fcale.' If the authors, fays he, who deny the existence of nobility among the Franks, under pretence that the Salic and Ripuarian law's make no mention of that order, had observed that the Saxons, the Verini, the Frifi, the Burgundians, the Goths, the Vifigoths, the Anglo-Saxons, certainly admitted it; and that the Francic monuments, which fpeak in every page of proceres, optimates, magnates, illuftres, dux, comes, centenarius, decennarius, foldurii or vaffalli, had no other terms to defign their nobility; they might have allowed the existence of that rank, as fufficiently characterised by thefe expreffions. The Capitularia diftinguith the nobles from the people with fuflicient exactnefs. It may be remarked, conti nues M. de Bevy, that of all the European nations, the Englifh alone have preferved the primitive character of nobility, becaufe the nobles of England have been wife enough to refpect the rights of the people. The prefent revolution, which threatens all Europe, and the plan of which has been long philofophically combined upon the falfe maxims of the Albigeois, the Vandois, the Wiclefites, the Huffites, &c. &c. followed in part by Luther, and carried to a greater extent by Calvin, feems to have no view but the deftruction of religion, and the annihilation of thrones and of the nobility. I have, therefore, thought proper to expofe its falfehood, in illuft.ating the origin of ecciefiaftical property, the rights of kings, the boundaries of the two powers, &c, On recapitulating the exploits of the knights, I have endea voured to difcover the commencement of that title, so much defired by the nobles, and the caufes of its fall.' This paragraph fufficiently betrays the fingular prejudices of the author, who, though a benedictine, might have been expected to fhew greater liberality of thought in this (the eighteenth) century. The connexion between the French revolution, the work chiefly of philofophical deifts, who view all religions with equal indifference, and Luther or Calvin, is rather an extraordinary pofition; but when we find the Albigeois, &c. alfo introduced, we must regard fuch ideas as thofe of a bigotted Catholic, whoindulges in his gloomy cell his rancour against reafon and liberty. M. de Bevy would have been far more strong, had he been lefs violent; and his work would have been more convincing, had it been more accurate and scientific, and less pro lix. In proceeding to the work itself, we shall begin with obferving, that the author's manner is extremely void of precifion, and betrays hafty compofition; blemishes which are likewife of ten remarkable in his quotations, notes, and references. Thefe faults are particularly unufual in the compofitions of the benedictines of St. Maur, to which fociety M. de Bevy belongs, and which has been long diftinguifhed by a fucceffion of learn ed authors. The first chapter prefents the various opinions concerning the antiquity of the Franks, and of their nobility. The Gilence of the Salic and Ripuarian laws concerning nobility, our author endeavours to account for, by observing that though the Franks and Ripuarii, or people inhabiting the banks of the Rhine, diftinguished a noble in focial order, yet they did not difcriminate him in civil order: in the eyes of the law there was no difference between the nobleman and the ingenuus or freeman. In p. 9, our author produces the strong teftimony of the learned M. de Valois, who, in knowledge of the antiquities of the middle ages, yields only to Du Cange; In the Salic law, there is no mention of nobles, not because among the Franks there were no nobles, nor perfons honoured by deftinctions, but because there was no order of nobles feparate from the people. In the kingdom of the Franks, there was no body of nobility diftinct from the people: all the Franks were only divided into two orders, the clergy, and the laics.' No We cannot follow the author minutely, in this large and ill. digefted work, but shall extract the firft fentence of the fecond chapter, as a specimen of his lax mode of writing. one contradicts the origin of the Franks who came from Germany and Germany, according to Cafar, was formerly peo pled by the Gauls.' For the latter fingular affertion, a loofe reference is thus made, (Caf. lib. de Bell, Gall.) and M. de |