tertain fome latent defire to recover the former privileges of their ancestors, or endeavour to diffolve the intervening obstacle, whenever a fair opportunity may offer itself for that purpose? What is there more than a statute or two of either nation in the way? The noble and ancient families of Scotland have a very great power and influence in their country: There fubfifts among them, from the remains of the feudal tenures, as likewife from fome local causes,a clanfhip, an attachment and dependence totally unknown to us in England. Should however any thing like the measure now prefumed to be hinted at take place, thefe prevalent paffions and inducements would be engaged on the favourable fide, and the fame honourable perfons become the ftrongeft links in the chain of the prefent union. They will by this means be legiflators of a more extenfive government; will prefide over the fouthern, as well as the northern part of our island; will have a wider field for their power, and a more confpicuous scene of their ambition; but when do fuch caufes not produce their due effects in breasts compofed of human materials ? • The writer is led to these obfervations, not only by the importance of the matter,, but by a circumftance that has lately happened, and which concerns this fubject. The Duke of Hamilton was, foon after the union, created by Queen Anne, an English, or properly a British duke, by the title of Brandon. This incident brought before the House of Lords a new point; that is to fay, whether a British could with full effect be engrafted on a Scottish peerage; I mean, whether fuch a grant would confer a right to fit and vote in our House of Peers. However any impartial and unprejudiced perfon may, on confidering the cafe, now wonder at fuch a doubt or question, it was nevertheless then determined in the negative. I will make no further, reflection on that head, than to remark that it happened in the year seventeen hundred and eleven, at a moft critical time with refpect to the two parties of whig and tory; when their contentions ran exceedingly high, and the numbers and balance were among our peers very nearly equal between them. This refolution however prevented any more Scotch from being made British peers; until lately, that the prefent Duke of Hamilton, in the year 1782, again renewed by petition to the House of Peers the fame queftion concerning his dukedom of Brandon; when the affair took a contrary turn, and was decided in favour of his grace's claim. It may appear prefumptuous in a private perfon to fignify even his approbation of a sentence given by fo high and auguft an affembly, as our upper and hereditary House of Legiflature; but the writer cannot refufe himself the fatisfaction to fay, in the fituation of a difinterefted Englishman, that this latter feems a moft juft judgment in itself, as likewife wife and prudent with regard to its general and political confequences; which are in his opinion of great importance. The crown now has by that determination confeffedly the full and free prerogative of confer. ring effectually British peerages on Scottish peers, and therefore also the means and opportunity of confirming, ftrengthening and improving the prefent affociation or incorporation between these two portions of our nation.' On On this publication, which furpaffes in genius, and enlarged fyftematical views, moft political productions, we might obferve, that the ftile is careless, flovenly, and not always perfectly grammatical, did not the dignity of the fentiments, the grandeur of the defign, and the boldness and novelty of project which it contains, absorb and hide all minute literary defects. Some parts of our author's plans appear both ingenious and practicable; others, though noble, and in theory .captivating, feem not fo eafily reducible to practice. FOREIGN LITERATURE. ART. XV. Mon Bonnet de Nuit. Par Mr. Mercier 2 vols. 8vo. A Neuchatel. De l'Imprimerie de la Societé Typographique. 1784. My Nightcap. MR. Mercier is already well known in the literarary world, by his Tableau de Paris, Portraits des Rois de France, L'an deux Mille quatre cent quarante, and other works, which have been well received by the public. The public will be able to form a judgment of the nature of the work, by what the author fays in the commencement of his introduction. "I have 66 "contracted the habit," fays Mr. Mercier," of writing "down every night, before I go to bed, what remains to me "of the impreffions of the day. My pen is ready: whatever "I have seen, felt, thought or heard; in fhort, the result of my ftudies and converfation, is all committed to paper." From this account, the reader is led to expect a very mifcellaneous publication; nor will he be disappointed in his expectations. The active mind of the writer expands itself over a most extenfive field. Though not always correct, though feldom profound, yet he never fails in giving interest to his fubject. He communicates to it that warmth and ardour, which fpring from the virtuous and liberal enthusiafm of his own mind; and often leads us, by the allurement of his manner, through paffages which poffefs no other merit than that allure ment. The variety of entertainment which is to be met with in this publication will be best discovered by the following table of contents. "Introduction. The Ocean. The laft JudgFire. Sleep. Economy. Horace. Confcience, "Hymn to the Spring. The Whale. The Sailor. The ❝ment. "Bird. The Globe. The Firmanent. Optimism, a Dream. "The Fear of God. Ruins. The Pope. Friendship. War, 66 a Dream. Suicide. Printing. Love, a Dream. Dia"logue between a Philofopher and his Gardener. Fortune and "Glory, a Dream. a Dream. Anatomy. Againft Homer, tranflated "into French. Difcourfe pronounced by Mr. for his "Reception at the Academy of. Epistle to a Friend. "The laft Letter of the Romance of Julia, or of the New "Helcife. Letter of Ovid in exile, to a Friend. Writing. "Writers. Fables; the dying Father and his two Sons; the "Denier and the Louis d'or; the Cuckow and the Swallow; "the Man and the Bufh; and the Ape and the Oyfter. The "Shortness of Life. Abdication. Converfation. Milton. The "Laconic Stile. The Tragedy of Brutus. Battles. On "Duelling. Elementary Books. Stirrups. Modefty. Ta"citus. Roman Emperors. Commerce. Officers. Country Clergy, Vol. 1. The Pillow. Feeling. Thought. "The World. Infects. Interior Senfes. Rivers. The "Hand. Marriage. The Satirift. The Law of Requital. "Gunpowder. Vanity. Party-Spirit. Dialogue of the "Dead. Between a Faquir and a Veftal. Science. The "Tears of Milton on the Lofs of his Sight. Of Regal Power "and Tyranny. An Idyl. Good Kings. Hofpitality. George "Dandin. Phyfiognomy. Love. Old Age. On the #6 Country. Thirft of Gain. Gefture. Aftronomy. On "the inequality of the Human Understanding. Phyfical "Evil. Liberality. Meannefs. Of a happy World, a "Dream. A Vifion. An Apoftrophe. Literary Fame. "Boileau. Unreafonable Fetters. Of Greece. Of Perfia. "Temples. Semiramis, a Dream. The Fine Arts. Anfon. Pain. Profperity. Staficrates. On French Poetry. Mo"rality. Plato. Readers. A Dream. On the Saying, "There is nothing new. A Profpect. Infancy. The Lake "of Nantua. Critics. On the Femmes Savantes of Mo દ liere. Facility. Turenne. The Hiftorians. Taverniere. "Montefquieu. Lycurgus. To ugly Women. Painting of "a Battle. Popifh Bulls. Wisdom. Romances. Egotifm, "a Dream. A Madrigal. Drunkards. An Epithalamium. Opulence, a Dream. On Hiftory. Indolence. Lucan. Mahomet, a Dream. The Politician. Independance. દ Montgolfier's Balloon. My Window." Vol. 2. દ To give fome idea of the manner in which these effays are written, we fhall prefent our readers with the authors fhort fpeculation on old age: they will find in it, if we mistake not, eafe, philofophy, and good fenfe. VIEILLES E. VIEILLES E. Qu'un financier concuffionnaire vieilliffe & perde tout le feu de fon apre génie, il n'y a pas de mal à cela: mais figurez-vous Newton retombant en enfance, & n'ayant plus la moindre idée des vérités fublimes qu'il a découvertes; quelle humiliation pour la nature humaine! La vieilleffe, ôtant aux organes leur force & leur reffort, change du moins en mort douce & tranquille, ces morts douloureufes & violentes, où la vie lutte avec effort contre la deftruction, où la lumiere tremble, vacille, s'évapore & s'éteint. La nature, à notre infu, fait nous réfigner, & nous facilite ce paffage par des gradations lentes & imperceptibles. L'habitude de vivre éloigne l'idée de la fin de fa carriere; on y touche, & l'on croit avoir encore un long espace à parcourir. L'efpérance même devient plus vive à mefure que le terme avance. Un vieillard de quarte-vingt quinze ans ouvre la gazette, & y lit qu'un homme a vécu cent dix-huit ans ; il fe flatte d'un femblable privilege, & il fe confirme dans cette idée, en lifant, porte clole, l'almanach des centenaires. Cependant, fans la mort qui, douce & charitable, vient délivrer le vieillard de la progreffion inévitable des loix du mouvement, il fe trouveroit enfeveli dans fon propre corps: les canaux qui s'obftruent, les fluides qui s'épaiffiffent, les cartilages qui s'offifient, les muscles qui fe roidiffent, le fang qui fe deffeche, tout métamorphoferoit en ftatue ce corps autrefois fi fouple, fi flexible; & fon ame, rendue captive par le principe terreux de la vieilleffe, foupireroit dans une froide maffe, & crieroit aprés fa délivrance. Nous fommes conduits à la vieilleffe par une pente infenfible; nous perdons nos goûts, nous oublions nos befoins; avec la faculté de les fatisfaire. Ce qu'on eût regardé dans la jeuneffe comme des privations, n'en font plus alors: le cœur qui defiroit beaucoup, defire peu; il fe fait un nouveau monde de l'efpace étroit qu'il occupe; cet espace lui fuffit. Il lui falloit de vaftes projets aujourd'hui une robe-dechambre, le caquet d'une voifine racontant les nouvelles du quartier, remplacent les deffeins ambitieux. Ce que la vieilleffe a de fatal, c'eft qu'elle fait entrer dans notre cerveau les idées dont nous étions le plus éloignés; c'eft qu'elle éteint en nous le fentiment, l'amour des nôtres; c'elt, difons le mot terrible, qu'elle nous ôte les vertus qui tiennent à la fenfibilité. 6 Quand tu as vu quelque tour du rouage de l'univers, tu as tout vu, dit Montaigne, la nature ne fait plus que recommencer. Je ne fais, il y a dans ces mots on arrêt tout-a-la fois plaifant & folemnel La philofophie, que l'on dédaigne dans les années brillantes de la vie, vient offrir fes fecours à la vieilleffe; elle eft feule, & délaiffée. Heureux alors le fage qui a cultivé fon efprit! Il retrouvé autour de lui ces jouiffances que les années n'ôtent point. Pourquoi la plupart des vieillards font ils chagrins & de mauvaife humeur ? C'eft qu'ils n'ont jamais appris à vivre avec eux-mêmes; ils ne fe font point créé des reffources pour cet âge rigoureux; ils ont cru, en amaffant une grande fortune, avoir pourvu à tout; ils n'ont travaillé que pour des héritiers avides & ingrats. ENG, REV. Vol. VI. March 1786. • L'homme L'homme qui a fu orner fon efprit, jouir dans fa vieilleffe des fruits de l'étude: prefque tous les gens de lettres terminent leur carriere par des ouvrages gais & plaifans. Le fecret de la vie humaine leur eft, pour ainfi dire, dévoilé: ils fourient du paffé, & de ces paffions qui les agitoient; leur tête, éclairée par plufieurs faits devient un creufet où tout s'eft épuré; ils lancent la faillie fur ces mêmes objets qui leur avoient paru fi graves, fi importans ; ils femblent avoir trouvé la véri table proportion des choles. Autant le vieillard qui n'a fongé qu'à l'or paroît ftupide & déjà enfoncé dans la nuit du tombeau, autant le vieillard instruit brille au milieu de fes nouveaux contemporains: fon ame, perfectionnée par l'expérience d'une longue vie, femble receler plus de lumiere lorsqu'elle `n'a plus qu'un pas à faire pour entrer dans le féjour de la vérité. Il compare deux ou trois générations, il rapproche des époques éloignées ; & s'il manic encore la plume, la piquante ironie a pris la place de l'aigreur. La critique du jeune homme eft ordinairement dure, altiere, emportée; celle du vieillard eft enjouée & légere. Si l'on étoit fûr de mourir jeune, on pourroit fe difpenfer du foin de cultiver les lettres; mais comme on peut vieillir, il est important de fe créer de loin cette inépuisable reffource, lorique le monde nous aban donnera & que nous nous trouverons feuls au milieu d'une nouvelle génération. Que deviennant à foixante ans la jolie femme & l'homme à la mode? L'ennui les tue. Entendez cette cenfure amere du préfent, qui cache les legrets du paffé, & qui accufe l'emploi d'une vie fri vole. • On les fuit, on n'a pas tort Comment eftimer un vieillard dont la tête est encore vuide après tant d'années, qui n'a fu rien voir, rien retenir, lorsque le fpectacle de la nature s'eft tant de fois renouvellé fous fes regards; qui ne peut pas parler à la génération naiffante, ni diftribuer les leçons de l'expérience? On détourne les regards de cet étre malheureux, parce qu'il n'a pas fu mettre à profit cette foule d'évé◄ nemens qui ont paffé fur fa tête avec une indifférence honteuse. Préparous nous de bonne heure à la vieilleffe: que les lettres confolatrices, les arts, la gaieté, l'amitié, c'eft dans cet áge qu'on fent ton prix ineftimable! Heureux qui termine fa carriere dans le bras de fon ancien ami! • Si nous avons perdu ce tréfor, créonf-nous du moins quelques occupations utiles. La Fontaine repréfent un octogénaire plantant des arbres. Comme cette image eft touchante ! Mes arriere neveux me devront cet ombrage. Eh quoi! defendez-vous au fage De fe donner foins pour le plaifir d'autrui ? The adulation of monarchy, or rather of defpotifm, with a difgufting and unjuft contempt of the literature and genius of other nations, ftrongly marked the character of the French writers in the age of Lewis IVth. Their authors of the pre fent |
