complain that he did not imitate the accuracy of Niebuhr in giving the names of places in the Oriental as well as European character. The confufion that arifes from the different power of letters cannot be too carefully avoided.

For the prefent we take leave of our adventurer at Mafuah, whence he is to begin his Ethiopian expedition. We hope to trace the annals of Abyffinia in our next number, which will carry us to the end of the fourth, from the beginning of the fecond book.

ART. II. Gallery of Portraits of the National Affembly; fuppofed to be written by Count de Mirabeau. Tranflated from the French. 8vo. 2 vols. 6s. boards. Robinfons. London, 1790. WHEN we reflect on the late unlooked-for revolution in

what we have been accustomed to call a rival kingdom; fee men, hitherto only anxious for the grandeur of an individual, with one confent ftrip him of all but his trappings; hear them demand rights one almoft wonders their language retains a name for; when we view a nation of frivolity and etiquette gravely canvaffing the most important points, and deftroying that order which we fancied almost effential to their existence; we are forced to admit the weakness of the obfervations of politicians, and the infufficiency of philofophical fpeculations. In vain has the man of humour laughed, the wary Fabius dreaded, and the fceptic doubted; the operation of fecond caufes exhibits an event that delights every true patriot, and astonishes all the world. Whence! we exclaim as if recovering from a delufion, whence this liberality of sentiment in a nation of priests? this cry for liberty which pervades even the army itself, this language of the natural equality of mankind in the face of the moft powerful ariftocracy that ever oppreffed the true ftrength of a community? Nor is this all-during the long period of Gallic humiliation, when all the bolder energies of the mind were checked, we were in the habit of fuppofing one national trait characterised every individual, or that to have feen one was to have furveyed a nation. We are forced either to reject our hypothefis, or to fuppofe every individual endued with political knowledge fufficient to direct an empire under the most critical of all circumstances. At fuch a time can an object be prefented more gratifying to the mind than the portraits of those characters who have been moft inftrumental in these important changes, and by whofe industry and talents the new commonwealth has not proved the total annihilation of order. We need not reprefent the difficulty that must attend every attempt at acquiring an impartial defcription of so many and fuch elevated perfonages. Few could be found hardy enough to undertake it. The Count de Mirabeau, of a character perhaps the most intricate, but of talents at least equal to any, is reputed the author of the work before

us;

us; and there is fufficient internal evidence to give more than a colour to fuch a conjecture. Diftant as we are from the scene of action, and recent as many of the originals appear on the political horizon, it would be prefumptuous to fit in judgment on many of them, we fhall only obferve in general that we cannot help wifhing the impartiality of the noble author had been equal to his talents. That though the work abounds with the beft chofen expreffions, the moft glowing colourings, and most pointed epithets, yet there is difcoverable throughout a difpofition to leffen every popular character; and, where there can be no competition from the mediocrity of talents, an affectation of candour, a readiness to heighten virtues which scarcely exift, and to bring forward abilities which were never before fufpected. Could neither the laudable warmth of juvenile patriotifin, the well-known and well-tried courage, the difinterested conduct, and the manly firmnefs at the moft trying period, procure the Marquis de la Fayette one folitary encomium? Grant that his abilities are inconfiderable in the cabinet, that he is greedy of popular applaufe, and that he has exhibited more boldnefs than conduct in his various enterprifes; is there any thing in these that should leffen our esteem for urbanity of manners, genuine benevolence, and the most active exertions in what he conceived the best of caufes! But let our readers judge:

PHIL ARETA S.

(The Marquis de la Fayette, Commandant of the Militia of the City of Paris.)

• Philaretas, finding that he had all on a fudden become a hero at a very cheap rate, conceived that it would be equally eafy to país himself for a statefman. There is no war at prefent, and in the interim he has turned politician. Nature has organised him no better for an orator than fhe had formed him for the school of Mars; but, in fpite of nature, he has declaimed just as he conquered. ́

The misfortune of Philaretas is, to have great pretenfions and trite ideas. He has undertaken to protect the caufe of liberty; not that he feels any vocation in her favour, not that he wishes to foster and affift her; but he hopes, by taking the fide of the least numerous party, to be better obferved; and, if he be condemned to be filent at Paris, at least he is determined to be known in the country, where he raves like one poffeffed.

• Philaretas has had the ingenuity to perfuade himself that he is the author of the American revolution; and accordingly he prepares to be one of the prime actors in the revolution of France. He mistakes clamour for glory; the furprise of a cottage for a martial victory; the compliment of a fword for an undecaying monument; the language of ceremony for the breath of immortal fame; the routine of promotion for the reward of virtue; and the difplay of constitutional valour for the confummation of heroifm.

He loves not the court, because he feels himself a stranger to it; he loves not fociety, because every man is there confined to his D d niche;

ENG. REY. VOL. XV. JUNE 1799.

nicke; he loves not the sex, because, if they do not lead to fortune, they fubtract from reputation. On the other hand, he loves clubs, because there one gathers up the ideas of other men, to produce them, upon a proper occafion, as our own; he loves foreigners, because they are not very strict and scrupulous in anatomifing us; he loves fools, becaufe they are contented to liften and admire.

Philaretas is no author; becaufe to the character of an author there are required argumentation, difquifition, ftyle. The world judges of authors with feverity. Are they frigid? they are despised; do they commit mistakes? they are laughed at. But in conversation fire is rather defired than accuracy, and ornament than depth. The man of accurate diftinctions is there treated as a pedant; and to reafon ill is effentially neceffary to him that would converfe agreeably.

Philaretas will remain faithful to the party he has chofen, without being very able to affign to himself the reafons for that fidelity. He knows not the full meaning and force of the word conftitution; he knows not the degree of power that muft neceffarily be referved to the executive authority. But the word liberty' lights up in him the train of ambition; and he will endeavour to know what to do with it when he thinks he has got it.

*

He formerly attacked a minifter in difgrace with as little malice as he now displays difcernment. Perfons at firft imagined that some great project was about to difclofe itfelf, and that extraordinary difcoveries would fpeedily be made. No fuch thing. Philaretas was

in no fort vindictive, and he poffeffed no information. He thought of nothing but of filling with his name the mouths of the coffee-houfe orators, and reflection came too late to remind him that the character of the unfortunate is regarded as facred by the man of true delicacy.

What can fuch a man as Philaretas do in a national affembly? Neither good nor harm. His opinion will exactly coincide with that of the majority of his party. There is a fet of people totally incapacitated to think for themselves; they have juft the ability to defend the opinion that another has dictated to them, and no more; and they fecretly do themselves the juftice to believe that they should too frequently tarnish their reputation if they adhered faithfully to their own dubious and uncertain reflections.

Such is Philaretas. He deferves a fort of renown because he has furpaffed the majority of his rivals. Perhaps he is himfelf unacquainted with the reafon of the indulgence he has obtained. It is, that he has done a great deal with the humble means with which/ nature furnished him. The world has applauded in him what he defired to be, and not what he was. Befide, he has the exterior of modefty; and connoiffeurs only know what opinion to form upon that article.

The outlines of his military reputation are only fketched, and the first war that occurs must decide upon its value. His reputation

M. de la Fayette produced an impeachment against M. de Calonne in the Affembly of Notables, in April 1787, a few days after his difmiffion from office.

as

as a ftatefman is finished and complete. He will never go beyond what we have already feen him. Scanty of invention, of art, of energy, and of lungs, and ever on the hunt after petty fucceffes, the dimenfions of his closet are the exact counterpart of the dimenfions of his mind.'

Though the following partakes, in fome measure, of the fame levelling difpofition we before accufed the author of, yet it abounds with so many ftrong and judicious aphorifms, not immediately connected with the character, that we cannot but offer it to our readers:

STEPHANO.

(Mr. Rabaud de Saint Etienne, one of the Minifters of the French Proteftant Church.)

Stephano writes in an agreeable and interefting ftyle; he speaks with fweetnefs and ease; but he is by no means a man of reflection, ftill lefs a statesman, and leaft of all a philofopher. He conceives nothing confiderable or fublime, but he makes his advantages of circumstances as they occur. He has not become an author from the love of his country; he has merely written a book. With him the benefit of the ftate and his own individual advantage go hand in hand; and, if no favourable revolution occur in government, he at leaft hopes for a revolution in his private affairs. Does any one fpeak of Stephano? We are ready to join in his applaufe. Is it Stephano himself with whom we converfe? We fecretly condemn the precipitation of our judgment.

• Every curate longs for a benefice; every abbé wishes to be a bishop; every bishop defires a cardinal's hat: and every cardinal afpires to the papal chair. Do the principles of our fect exclude us from thefe honours? We fubftitute the name of a patriarch for that of a pope. For whom shall this office be created, if not for a zealous politician, who preaches against vaffalage juft as he preached against popery?

6

Stephano is unlike the majority of his cloth, because he loves toleration as much as they love the principles of exclufion and monopoly; whether it be that one of the religions is really lefs mild than the other, or that the religion of the minority has been fo long humbled, as to aim at nothing but deliverance from its prefent degradation. Stephano, the pillar of proteftantifm, does not, like his haughty rivals, reft his feet upon a footstool of gold, and bear his head higher than the clouds.

In almost all bodies of men officious mediocrity gains more vicories than a decided genius. Genius, confident in its advantages, employs the tone of defpotism and abufes its rights; mediocrity confeffes its own weakness, proposes its ideas with modeft hefitation, and feeks rather to earn than to arreft the fuffrages of mankind. In flattering the vanity of the great we make ourselves acceptable to them, and in foothing the weakness of the ignorant vulgar we incline them to our opinion.

Stephano ufhered in his perfonal appearance by the publication. of a book. This book tells us nothing that we did not know before. Dd z But

But it has collected in one point of view what was faid in books of difquifition and difcovery. The mind of man, ever difpofed to indolence, is grateful to him that fpares it the labour of research and furnishes a chain of popular reafoning that we may repeat with eclat to a fet of auditors lefs enlightened than ourselves.

Stephano has a portion of genius, though not of that fort which is equal to the prefent fituation of France. But the habit of commenting upon, and illuftrating the ordinary topics of theology, wears out the understanding, confumes our valuable time, and weakens the energies of the intellectual faculty. Why fhould we deny that the national affembly has dwelt too much upon the minuteness of detail, and that the paffion of difplaying oratorical powers has fpun out and procrailinated the decifion of principles? Of all the men who enter thofe walls, Stephano would be molt puzzled to exculpate himself from this accufation.

• The existence which he defires is in the opinion of mankind. Firft a miffionary, then an apoflle, laft of all a pontiff, he afpires to another fort of glory. We pretend not to affign the exact bounds of Iris fuccefs. At any rate he has fucceeded in refcuing his name from the level of the obfcure multitude, and ranking it among those of the acknowledged coadjutors of the prefent revolution; a revolution refpecting which no one can fix the precife period when it will take place, and few can even tell whether it will take place at all.

If we had not faid that we are wholly filent on the article of probity, becaufe we take it for granted that it belongs to the whole affembly, we fhould be bound in all juftice to do homage to the robity of Stephano.'

But let us fee how the fuppofed author defcribes himself:

IRA M B A.

⚫ (Count de Mirabeau, Author of Confiderations on the Order of Cincinnatus; Doubts refpecting the Navigation of the Schelde; Difquifitions on the Bank of St. Charles, on the Water-works of Paris, and on the the Caife d'Efcompte; Impeachment of the Stock-jobbers; Thoughts on Lettres de Cachet; on the Office of Stadtholder, on the Pruffian Monarchy; Secret Hiftory of the Court of Berlin, &e. Sc. &c.)

framba would have been one of the most useful men that ever exifted if his unruly paffions had not always been at war with his genius. Like the bee, he extracts honey from every thing around him, without the bafenefs of theft, or the infliction of injury. He resembles thofe rivers that, in their majestic course, receive the tribute of a thousand ftreams, and the diverfified wealth of every neighbouring mountain; and then pour into the ocean with an expanfion of furface that is at once aftonishing and fublime. Controverfy animates Iramba, and gives new energy to his mind. Ardent and vigorous, he draws out the latent force of his adverfary. The antagonit excels himself, collects all his powers and qualifications, and employs every expedient of artifice and conviction. Iramba liftens, reflects, is inftructed; he either defeats his opponent with his own weapons, or paffes quietly on and referves them for a more impertant occafion.

• He