or two that we cannot allow ourselves to pass over. "It is not necessary," says the minister, (M. Savary, Duke de Rovigo) "to look for the cause of the order which I have notified to you, in the silence you have maintained with respect to the emperor in your last work,-it would be wrong-for there is no place in it that is worthy of him: but your exile is a natural consequence of the steps which you have been pursuing for these many years. It seems to me that the air of this country does not agree with you; and we are not yet reduced to look for models among the nations whom you admire. Your last is not a French work; it is myself who have stopped the publication. I regret the loss which the bookseller will hereby encounter, but I could not possibly let it appear. I lament, Madam, that you have obliged me to open my correspondence with you with an act of severity: it would have been more agreeable to me to have solely offered you proofs of the high consideration with which I have the honour to be, Madam, your very humble and very obedient servant, the Duke de Rovigo."This letter requires no comment : it shows us more than any thing else can do the miserable state to which the magnanimity of Napoleon, and the boasted constitution he has given to the country, have reduced the press and the people of France. A native of France-a woman—a woman of the highest personal distinction-the daughter of one of its most honest and most celebrated prime ministers-ordered to quit France at a moment's warning-not for writing against the tyrant who governs the country-but because she did not chuse to write in favour of him-for not having flattered his vanity in a work which relates to other countries alone-and which the minister himself, with a severity upon his master and his master's servile minions, which he did not intend, admits is not a French work. It is possible this might not be the only reason, but it seems to be the chief, and is the only reason avowed. Such is the first idea that cannot fail to occur to every one who peruses this curious piece of State History. The next idea that will probably arise in the mind will be a contempt of the French tyrant for his own officers and institutions: his appointing licencers of the press, and then befooling them by acting in direct opposition to their award, and all this without any suspicion of their having been too tender in the performance of their severe duty. And we cannot next fail to notice the open robbery committed upon the bookseller, whose property was thus forcibly taken from him and destroyed, without the smallest remuneration whatsover, although he had strictly complied with the law in relation to this kind of property, and had received the special guarantee of the official censors. We have dwelt so long upon the very curious political history of Madame de Staël's work, that we can afford but a very small space to a consideration of the work itself. It is strictly a survey of German literature, considered intrinsically, and in comparison with that of other countries chiefly England and France, though the former is far more frequently brought into the field of vision. It is divided into four parts. The first, which is nearly the shortest, is allotted to a description of the manners of the Germans, with an introductory chapter chapter on the face of the country. The second part, which is the longest, is devoted to German literature and arts-in the course of which the author examines, at some length, the question whence it is that the French have not done justice to German literature, while the English have done so? The general answer is, that few people in France read German, which is more cultivated in England: that the beauties of the German tongue, and especially in poetry, cannot be translated into French, which they can easily be into English, which is only another branch of Teutonic; and that while German literature has not existed in all its originality for more than about forty or fifty years, France has, for half this pe riod of time, been so overloaded with political events, as to suspend its attention to literary studies. The third part of the work before us is entitled Philosophy and Morals, in which we meet with far less information than we expected. The fourth part is allotted to the Religion and enthusiasm of Germany; this last term, however, signifying rather an ardent dithyrambic or rhapsodical feeling, than religious fanaticism and which the present state of Germany is, in our opinion, far more likely to cultivate than the subjugated and gloomy period in which these volumes were composed. The Germans are naturally enthusiastic: their enthusiasm has now taken a proper turn; it has been called off from imagination to facts; it is now interwoven into their patriotism; it will hence appear in the liberty which it will certainly work out for their country; and we have no doubt will equally influence their devotional feelings. The favourite poet of Madame de : Staël is Klopstock;-her favourite. philosopher Kant, of whose system she has given a brief account, comparing it with that of Locke, to whom, like almost all the writers on the continent, she erroneously ascribes the doctrine of deriving all our ideas from sensation, instead of only a part of them, and comparatively a very small part: the larger portion being in the system of Locke derived altogether from reflexion, or the operation of the mind upon its own powers or faculties. This error was, we believe, in the first place, sown by Condillac, and the views of Locke having in France, and even in Germany, been more generally obtained from Condillac than from Locke himself, the present as well as various other misinterpretations are common to almost all the continental writers. M. de Staël has given a pretty long account of the Kantian hypothesis, and has endeavoured, though in our opinion unsuccessfully, to represent it as an original system. For ourselves we have laboured at it for some years, but have scarcely been able to trace one idea that does not occur in Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, or Mallebranche. She has well observed, however, that the philosophy of Plato is more poetical than that of Kant, and the philosophy of Mallebranche more religious. La Philosophie de Platon est plus poétique que celle de Kant, la philosophie de Mallebranche plus religieuse." Upon the whole, we far more fully concur with M. Degerando, whose view of Kant we perused about eight or nine years ago, in regarding the whole system as a general mass of eclectism or pillage from other schools. It is but justice, however, to the fair author before us to observe, that she reprobates his absurd technology technology, and is not quite pleased with him for keeping so perfectly clear of every thing that relates to religion. It is not much to the credit of German theology that M. de Staël does not appear able to find a single favourite among any of the three classes to which she has chiefly devoted this part of her work, the protestants, the Moravian brethren, and the catholics. Upon the whole, Herder and Stolberg seem principally to divide her attention, fet the first is scarcely orthodox enough, and the second, though a liberal catholic, is still a catholic. The length of this review is the best proof we can offer of the respect we entertain for the work before us, and the general talents of its author. She discovers considerable research, great rapidity in seizing ideas, a comprehensive mind, a correct taste, a judgment not often erroneous, and an elegant and spirited style. The work ought to be translated into English, and, while writing this sentence, we perceive a translation advertised. “Nouveaux Elémens de Littéra. ture, &c." New Elements of Literature: or Analysis of the different kinds of Literary Composition, and of the best classical works, ancient and modern, French and foreign: containing extracts from translations of the most esteemed authors. Partly translated from the German of Eschenburg. By M. Breton, 12mo Ovolumes." Imported, price 11. 45. The work of M. Eschenburg here referred to was published not long since under the title of Beyspiel-Sammlung zur Theorieder schonen Wissenschaften; and treats of literary productions of all kinds under their respective names, -whether fable, tale, epigram, idyl, ode, epopee: the respective theories are then added to the different divi sions from the most approved critics; and the whole closes with spe cimens borrowed from German authors and translators. From the vast cargo of German literature which the late subjugation of the continent threw into the bosom of France, M. Breton has selected this production of M. Eschenburg, as his text book; he has compressed many parts, and enlarged others chiefly from La Harpe's Cours de la Littérature. The work is valuable, and we should like to see it translated into our own tongue. It affords, upon the whole, a fair picture not only of the different kinds of literature, but of the different tastes and powers of different nations - it evinces au extensive range of reading, and knowledge of languages; and a judgment highly creditable to the author. In his appreciation of the merits of our vernacular writers it is not often that we have had occasion to differ from him. Like all foreigners, the original author, or compiler, or both, are least acquainted with the eloquence of the English palpit: the best orators here enumerated under this class are Tillotson and Littleton. Tillotson every one knows, and every one reveres; less, however, for his popular oratory than for his perspicuity and unfeigned piety. But of Littleton no one knows any thing except as the author not of a series of sermons, but of a quarto Latin dictionary, which laid the foundation for Ainsworth's. Some other name was probably intended; but whether Hooker or Hall, Bunyan or Barrow, it is impossible to determine. This division of the work is the lowest and most erroneous part of it. “Tableau de la Littérature Francaise pendant le Dixuitième Siècle." "Sketch of French Litera ture ture during the Eighteenth Century." 8vo. 1813. It is sufficient to point out the merit of this work to notice that it has already acquired a second, we believe a third edition on the continent, and has had two impressions in our own metropolis. It presents us with a sort of brief abstract of the intellectual causes which conspired to produce that turn of thinking in the eighteenth century, particularly on religious, moral, metaphysical, and political subjects, which alienated the reason and the sympathies of the people. from the existing civil and ecclesiastical institutions; and at length produced the revolution by which they were overwhelmed. The persons whose writings, perhaps, chiefly contributed to this calamitous effect were Buffon, Montesquieu, Roussean, and Voltaire: of these the talents of Voltaire enabled him to embrace the widest circumference, and operated with a greater or less vivacity of impression or extent of influence on a multitude of all classes from the prince to the scavenger; for there was no style, whether of prose or poetry, which he was not capable of employing; no subject which he was not capable of writing upon, and of writing upon with considerable force and effect. Rousseau had not so many admirers as the philosopher of Ferney; but his votaries were generally men of a more impassioned temperament; and they supplied by enthusiasm what they wanted in numbers. The writings of Buffon tended, even in a more direct manner, (for he expressed himself more openly than either of the preceding philosophers) to discredit the Mosaic testimony, and disturb the foundation of the Christian faith. The works of Montesquieu evince a strong revolu 1813. tionary leaven. The best of them is his Spirit of Laws: yet even this assisted to put in motion a great part of the thinking multitude in France on the high subjects of government; and the comparisons which it excited, probably led many to speculate on some airy scheme of policy which might eclipse every existing code in the distribution of political power, and the extension of national liberty. Of the characters we have thus brought forward the present writer seems to entertain the worst opinion of Rousseau. He represents him as a concentration of vanity and selfishness, actuated at the same time by a fine imagination, and rapid facility of description. Though he possessed great sublimity of sentiment, he tells us that he was destitute of all personal benevolence. Virtue was painted in her highest lustre, and her most captivating forms in the focus of his fancy, but beyond that region all was a dark void, a deadness unanimated by the charities. He further affirms that "the life which he led was a tissue of egotism: that the pleasures which he sought had always something exclusive and solitary: that he never sacrificed his interest except to his pride: that he was envious of every thing which he did not possess, and which, in many instances, he had made no effort to obtain: that even his affections had the stamp of selfishness; and that what he loved was rather for his own gratification than for that of the object." "Histoire de la Littérature Espagnole, &c." “ History of Spanish Literature; translated from the German of M. Bouterweck, professor at the university of Göttingen." 8vo. 2 vols. Paris. Imported price 11. This, in many respects, bears a considerable resemblance to the pre 2 E ceding ceding work in regard to the manner in which it is offered to the public. The Göttingen professors undertook a few years ago to write conjoindy a literary history of modern Europe, at the suggestion of M. Eickhorn, who engaged to arrange and superintend their general labours. The department of scripture-criticism was undertaken by Meyer; that of mathematical science by Käsmer, and that of polite letters by Bouterweck. An introductory history of the progress of knowledge from the dark ages to the peace of 1490 was composed by M. Eickhorn himself; and was separately published under the title of "Geschichte der Cultur. The part executed by M. Bouterweck, as it is, perhaps, the most popular, and possessed of much real merit, bas peculiarly attracted the attention of the scholars of most European countries. That portion of it which gives the history of Italian literature has for some years been translated in an abridged form into French by M. Guinguené, with a few necessary corrections: and the success which has accompanied this has tempted the writer before us to make a similar experiment on the history of Spanish literature. The poetry of Spain, though never carried to the beight of excellence which was attained in Italy, is more truly national, self-derived, and original, than that of the Italians. It has an oriental colouring not to be traced in other European poetry; and its drama abounds with action and interest. Among its novelists many have attained a high, and Cervantes an unrivalled European rank; and no nation has availed itself so much of the supernatural agency of catholic Christianity, assembling on the stage, and embody-. ing to the eye, the saints and angels of their established religion. We have been pleased with the work before us, and have little doubt of its success. His "Correspondence Littérairé, Philosophique, &c." "Literary, Philosophical, and Critical Correspondence addressed to a German Sovereign, between the years 1770 and 1782. By the Baron Grimm and and by Diderot." 5 vols. 8vo. Paris, 1812. Of Diderot we need say but little; he is already sufficiently known to our readers. M. Grimm, a German by birth, and of obscure parentage, obtained an introduction into good society at Paris, from his being governor or tutor to the children of Count Schomberg. earliest intimacy, among the wits and philosophists of the day, was with Jean Jacques Rousseau, Diderot, to whom he was introduced by the former, Baron Holbach, and the principal authors of the Encyclopéaie. These connexions, aided by what his biographer calls la souplisse de son esprit,' were not long in opening to him une carrière brillante. During several years he was employed as secretary by the late Duke of Orleans; and was applied to by several of the German princes to transmit to them, in the way of free and lively correspondence, all the literary and philosophical gossip of Paris. Of the mass of informa tion and amusement which this miscellaneous correspondence must have contained, the editor tells us that it was not known that any portion existed until the discovery of the MSS. from which the present selection is made; and which, if printed entire, would extend to three times the present quantity. The selection might have been further abridged without much injury. The part contributed by M. Diderot is |
