that one sentiment of agonizing grief which had overborne all the faculties of the soul. Such are the chief beauties which Mad. de Staël discovers in Shakespeare; and though they are not perhaps exactly what an English reader would think of bringing most into notice, it is interesting to know what strikes an intelligent foreigner, in pieces with which we ourselves have always been familiar. The chief fault she imputes to him, besides the mixture of low buffoonery with tragic passion, are occasional tediousness and repetition-too much visible horror and bloodshed-and the personal deformity of Caliban and Richard III.; for all which we shall leave it to our readers to make the best apology they can. Mad. de Staël thinks very poorly of our talent for pleasantry; and is not very successful in her delineation of what we call humour. The greater part of the nation, she says, lives either in the serious occupations of business and politics, or in the tranquil circle of family affection. What is called society, therefore, has scarcely any existence among them; and yet it is in that sphere of idleness and frivolity, that taste is matured, and gayety made elegant. They are not at all trained, therefore, to observe the finer shades of character and of ridicule in real life; and consequently neither think of delineating them in their compositions, nor are aware of their merit when delineated by others. We are unwilling to think this perfectly just; and are encouraged to suspect, that the judgment of the ingenious author may not be altogether without appeal on such a subject, by observing, that she represents the paltry flippancy and disgusting affectation of Sterne, as the purest specimen of true English humour; and classes the character of Falstaff along with that of Pistol, as instances of that vulgar caricature from which the English still condescend to receive amusement. It is more just, however, to observe, that the humour, and in general the pleasantry, of our nation, has very frequently a sarcastic and even misanthrophic character, which distinguishes it from the mere playfulness and constitutional gayety of our French neighbours; and that we have not, for the most part, succeeded in our attempts to imitate the graceful pleasantry and agreeable trifling of that people. We develop every thing, she maintains, a great deal too laboriously; and give a harsh and painful colouring to those parts which the very nature of their style requires to be but lightly touched and delicately shaded. We never think we are heard, unless we cry out;-nor understood, if we leave any thing untold :—an excess of diffuseness and labour which could never be endured out of our own island. It is curious enough, indeed, to observe, that men who have nothing to do with their time but to get rid of it in amusement, are always much more impatient of any kind of tediousness in their entertainers, than those who have but little leisure for entertainment. The reason is, we suppose, that familiarity with business makes the latter habitually tolerant of tediousness; while the pursuits of the former, in order to retain any degree of interest, require a very rapid succession and constant variety. On the whole, we do not think Mad. de Staël very correct in her notions of English gayety; and cannot help suspecting, that she must have been rather unfortunate in her society during her visit to this country. Her estimate of our poetry, and our works of fiction, is more unexceptionable. She does not allow us much invention, in the strictest sense of that word; and still less grace and sprightliness in works of a light and playful character-But, for glowing descriptions of nature-for the pure language of the affectionsfor profound thought and lofty sentiment, she admits, that the greater poets of England are superior to any thing else that the world has yet exhibited. Milton, Young, Thomson, Goldsmith, and Gray, seem to be her chief favourites. We do not find that Cowper, or any later author, had come to her knowledge. The best of them, however, she says, are chargeable with the national faults of exaggeration, and des longueurs. She overrates the merit, we think, of our novels, when she says, that with the exception of La Nouvelle Heloise, which belongs exclusively to the genius of the singular individual who produced it, and has no relation to the character of his nation, all the novels that have succeeded in France have been undisguised imitations of the English, to whom she ascribes, without qualification, the honour of that meritorious invention. Ce sont eux qui ont osé croire les premiers, qu'il suffisoit du tableau des affections privées, pour intéresser l'esprit et le cœur de l'homme; que ni l'illustration des personages, ni l'importance des intérêts, ni le merveilleux des événemens n'étoient nécessaires pour captiver l'imagination, et qu'il y avoit dans la puissance d'aimer de quoi renouveler sans cesse et les tableaux et les situations, sans jamais lasser la curiosité. Ce sont les Anglais enfin qui ont fait des romans des ouvrages de morale, où les vertus et les destinées obscures peuvent trouver des motifs d'exaltation, et se créer un genre d'héroïsme. Il règne dans ces écrits une sensibilité calme et fière, énergique et touchante. Nulle part on ne sent mieux le charme de cet amour protecteur, qui dispensant l'être foible de veiller à sa propre destinée, concentre tous ses desirs dans l'estime et la tendresse de son défenseur.' Tome 1. p. 321. The last chapter upon English literature relates to their philosophy and eloquence; and here, though the learned author seems that one sentiment of agonizing grief which had overborne all the faculties of the soul. Such are the chief beauties which Mad. de Staël discovers in Shakespeare; and though they are not perhaps exactly what an English reader would think of bringing most into notice, it is interesting to know what strikes an intelligent foreigner, in pieces with which we ourselves have always been familiar. The chief fault she imputes to him, besides the mixture of low buffoonery with tragic passion, are occasional tediousness and repetition-too much visible horror and bloodshed-and the personal deformity of Caliban and Richard III.; for all which we shall leave it to our readers to make the best apology they can. Mad. de Staël thinks very poorly of our talent for pleasantry; and is not very successful in her delineation of what we call humour. The greater part of the nation, she says, lives either in the serious occupations of business and politics, or in the tranquil circle of family affection. What is called society, therefore, has scarcely any existence among them; and yet it is in that sphere of idleness and frivolity, that taste is matured, and gayety uade elegant. They are not at all trained, therefore, to observe the finer shades of character and of ridicule in real life; and consequently neither think of delineating them in their compositions, nor are aware of their merit when delineated by others. We are unwilling to think this perfectly just; and are encouraged to suspect, that the judgment of the ingenious author may not be altogether without appeal on such a subject, by observing, that she represents the paltry flippancy and disgusting affectation of Sterne, as the purest specimen of true English humour; and classes the character of Falstaff along with that of Pistol, as instances of that vulgar caricature from which the English still condescend to receive amusement. It is more just, however, to observe, that the humour, and in general the pleasantry, of our nation, has very frequently a sarcastic and even misanthrophic character, which distinguishes it from the mere playfulness and constitutional gayety of our French neighbours; and that we have not, for the most part, succeeded in our attempts to imitate the graceful pleasantry and agreeable trifling of that people. We develop every thing, she maintains, a great deal too laboriously; and give a harsh and painful colouring to those parts which the very nature of their style requires to be but lightly touched and delicately shaded. We never think we are heard, unless we cry out;-nor understood, if we leave any thing untold :-an excess of diffuseness and labour which could never be endured out of our own island. It is curious enough, indeed, to observe, that men who have nothing to do with their time but to get rid of it in amusement, are always much more impatient of any kind of tediousness in their entertainers, than those who have but little leisure for entertainment. The reason is, we suppose, that familiarity with business makes the latter habitually tolerant of tediousness; while the pursuits of the former, in order to retain any degree of interest, require a very rapid succession and constant variety. On the whole, we do not think Mad. de Staël very correct in her notions of English gayety and cannot help suspecting, that she must have been rather unfortunate in her society during her visit to this country. Her estimate of our poetry, and our works of fiction, is more unexceptionable. She does not allow us much invention, in the strictest sense of that word; and still less grace and sprightliness in works of a light and playful character:-But, for glowing descriptions of nature-for the pure language of the affections for profound thought and lofty sentiment, she admits, that the greater poets of England are superior to any thing else that the world has yet exhibited. Milton, Young, Thomson, Goldsmith, and Gray, seem to be her chief favourites. We do not find that Cowper, or any later author, had come to her knowledge. The best of them, however, she says, are chargeable with the national faults of exaggeration, and 'des longueurs. She overrates the merit, we think, of our novels, when she says, that with the exception of La Nouvelle Heloise, which belongs exclusively to the genius of the singular individual who produced it, and has no relation to the character of his nation, all the novels that have succeeded in France have been undisguised imitations of the English, to whom she ascribes, without qualification, the honour of that meritorious invention. Ce sont eux qui ont osé croire les premiers, qu'il suffisoit du tableau des affections privées, pour intéresser l'esprit et le cœur de l'homme; que ni l'illustration des personages, ni l'importance des intérêts, ni le merveilleux des événemens n'étoient nécessaires pour captiver l'imagination, et qu'il y avoit dans la puissance d'aimer de quoi renouveler sans cesse et les tableaux et les situations, sans jamais lasser la curiosité. Ce sont les Anglais enfin qui ont fait des romans des ouvrages de morale, où les vertus et les destinées obscures peuvent trouver des motifs d'exaltation, et se créer un genre d'héroïsme. Il règne dans ces écrits une sensibilité calme et fière, énergique et touchante. Nulle part on ne sent mieux le charme de cet amour protecteur, qui dispensant l'être foible de veiller à sa propre destinée, concentre tous ses desirs dans l'estime et la tendresse de son défenseur.' Tome 1. p. 321. The last chapter upon English literature relates to their philosophy and eloquence; and here, though the learned author seems aware of the transcendent merit of Bacon, we rather think she proves herself to be unacquainted with that of his illustrious contemporaries or immediate successors, Hooker, Taylor and Barrow-for she places Bacon as the only luminary of our sphere in the period preceding the Usurpation, and considers the true era of British philosophy as commencing with the reign of King William. We cannot admit the accuracy of this intellectual chronology. The character of the English philosophy is to be patient, profound, and always guided by a view to utility. They have done wonders in the metaphysic of the understanding; but have not equalled De Retz, La Bruyere, or even Montaigne, in their analysis of the passions and dispositions. The following short passage is full of sagacity and talent. 6 Les Anglais ont avancé dans les sciences philosophiques comme dans l'industrie commerciale, à l'aide de la patience et du temps. Le penchant de leurs philosophes pour les abstractions sembloit devoir les entrainer dans des systêmes qui pouvoient être contraires à la raison; mais l'esprit de calcul, qui régularise, dans leur applica tion, les combinaisons abstraites, la moralité, qui est la plus expérimentale de toutes les idées humaines, l'intérêt du commerce, l'amour de la liberté, ont toujours ramené les philosophes anglais à des ré sultats pratiques. Que d'ouvrages entrepris pour servir utilement les hommes, pour l'éducation des enfans, pour le soulagement des malheureux, pour l'économie politique, la législation criminelle, les sciences, la morale, la métaphysique! Quelle philosophie dans les conceptions! quel respect pour l'expérience dans le choix des moyens! C'est à la liberté qu'il faut attribuer cette émulation et cette sagesse. On pouvoit si rarement se flatter en France d'influer par ses écrits sur les institutions de son pays, qu'on ne songeoit qu'à montrer de l'esprit dans les discussions même les plus sérieuses. On poussoit jusqu'au paradoxe un systême vrai dans une certaine mesure; la raison ne pouvant avoir un effet utile, on vouloit au moins que le paradoxe fût brillant. D'ailleurs sous une monarchie absolue, on pouvoit sans danger vanter, comme dans le Contrat Social, la démocratie pure; mais on n'auroit point osé approcher des idées possibles. Tout étoit jeu d'esprit en France, hors les arrêts du conseil du roi tandis qu'en Angleterre, chacun pouvant agir d'une manière quelconque sur les résolutions de ses représentans, l'on prend l'habitude de comparer la pensée avec l'action, et l'on s'accoutume à l'amour du bien public par l'espoir d'y contribuer.' II. 5-7. She returns again, however, to her former imputation of longueurs, and repetitions, and excessive development; and maintains, that the greater part of English books are obscure, in consequence of their prolixity, and of the author's extreme anxiety to be perfectly understood. We suspect a part of the confusion is owing to a want of familiarity with the language. In point of fact, we know of no French author so concise as |