great deal of it extremely fine: the numbers did not answer to the merit: the new friends, the duke of Newcastle and Mr. Fox, had 311 to 105. The bon-mot in fashion is, that the staff was very good, but they wanted private men. Pitt furpaffed himself, and then I need not tell you that he furpaffed Cicero and Demofthenes. What a figure would they, with their formal, laboured, cabinet orations, make vis-à-vis his manly vivacity and dashing eloquence at one o'clock in the morning, after fitting in that heat for eleven hours! He fpoke above an hour and a half, with fcarce a bad fentence: the most admired part was a comparison he drew of the two parts of the new administration, to the conflux of the Rhone and the Saone; "the latter a gentle, feeble, languid ftream, languid but not deep; the other a boisterous and overbearing torrent: but they join at laft; and long may they continue united, to the comfort of each other, and to the glory, honour and happiness of this nation!" I hope you are not mean fpirited enough to dread an invasion, when the fenatorial contests are reviving in the temple of Concord.-But will it make a party? Yes, truly; I never faw fo promifing a profpect.' Vol. v. P. 346.

The letters to and from Mr. Gray commence only in 1746, and end in 1768. We therefore lofe the earlier part of the correspondence; but the letters which are preferved are important, as they contain the confidential opinions of the two friends on many literary fubjects. With refpect to the Hiftoric Doubts, which are canvaffed in fome of these letters, we find that Mr. Gray cannot acquit Richard of, the murder of Henry VI. We regret that this correfpondence was not more, frequent.

The letters to Mr. Chute extend from 1753 to 1771. They are chiefly interefting at the period of Mr. Walpole's travels; and we have remarked, that, in his correfpondence from the continent, the fame circumftances are feldom repeated, or, if they again occur, are placed in a varied light: yet, in one place, he speaks of copying a part of a letter for another perfon.

In a letter from Paris, dated October 3, 1765, are these paffages:-

'What strikes me the most upon the whole is, the total difference of manners between them (the French) and us, from the greatest object to the leaft. There is not the fmalleft fimilitude in the twentyfour hours. It is obvious in every triffe:, Servants carry their lady's train, and put her into her coach with their hat on. They walk about the streets in the rain with umbrellas to avoid putting on their hats; driving themselves in open chaifes in the country without hats, in the rain too, and yet often wear them in a chariot in Paris when it does not rain. The very footmen are powdered from the break of day, and yet wait behind their mafter, as I faw the duc of CRIT. REY. VOL. XXIV. O. 1798.

L

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Praflin's do, with a red pocket handkerchief about their necks. Verfailles, like every thing elfe, is a mixture of parade and poverty, and in every inftance exhibits fomething moft diffonant from our manners. In the colonnades, upon the staircafes, nay in the anti-chambers of the royal family, there are people felling all forts of wares. While we were waiting in the dauphin's fumptuous bed-chamber, till his dreffing-room door fhould be opened, two fellows were fweeping it, and dancing about in fabots to rub the floor.

You perceive that I have been prefented. The queen took great notice of me; none of the reft faid a fyllable. You are let into the king's bed-chamber just as he has put on his fhirt; he dreffes and talks good-humouredly to a few, glares at ftrangers, goes to mafs, to dinner, and a hunting. The good old queen, who is like lady Primrofe in the face, and queen Caroline in the immenfity of her cap, is at her dreffing-table, attended by two or three old ladies, who are languifhing to be in Abraham's bofom, as the only man's bofom to whom they can hope for admittance. Thence you go to the dauphin, for all is done in an hour. He fcarce ftays a minute; indeed, poor creature, he is a ghoft, and cannot poffibly laft three months. The dauphinefs is in her bedchamber, but dreffed and ftanding; looks crois, is not civil, and has the true Weftphalian grace and accents. The four mefdames, who are clumfy plump old wenches, with a bad likeness to their father, ftand in a bed-chamber in a row, with black cloaks and knotting bags, looking good-humoured, not knowing what to say, and wriggling as if they wanted to make water. This ceremony too is very fhort: then you are carried to the dauphin's three boys, ho you may be fure only bow and stare. The duke of Berry looks weak and weak-eyed: the count de Provence is a fine boy; the count d'Artois well enough. The whole concludes with feeing the dauphin's little girl dine, who is as round and fat as a pudding. Vol. v. P. 417.

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The correspondence with the earl of Strafford is continued from 1756 to 1790, and connected chiefly with domestic politics.

The letters to Mifs Lepel, afterwards lady Hervey, are extremely lively and pleafing; thofe to the countefs dowager of Aylesbury are equally fo. The laft of the feries, which are addreffed to Mifs Hannah More, did not greatly entertain us. Mr. Walpole's vivacity feemed falling into the fear, the yellow leaf. He labours to be gay, witty, and polite: perhaps he is fometimes ironical. What he has faid of Mrs. Yeardley is judicious.

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Seriously, madam, I am furprised-and chiefly at the kind of genius of this unhappy female. Her ear, as you remark, is perfect

Wooden shoes.

but that being a gift of nature, amazes me lefs. Her expreffions are more exalted than poetic; and difcover tafte, as you fay, rather than discover flights of fancy and wild ideas, as one should expect. I fhould therefore advife her quitting blank verfe, which wants the highest colouring to diftinguish it from profe; whereas her tafte, and probably good fenfe, might give fufficient beauty to her rhymes.

• Her not being learned is another reafon against her writing in blank verfe. Milton employed all his reading, nay all his geogra phic knowledge, to enrich his language and fucceeded. They who have imitated him in that particular, have been mere monkeys; and they who neglected it, flat and poor.

• Were I not perfuaded by the famples you have fent me, madam, that this woman has talents, I fhould not advife her encou raging her propenfity, left it should divert her from the care of of her family, and, after the novelty is over, leave her worse than the was, When the late queen patronifed Stephen Duck, who was only a wonder at first, and had not genius enough to support the character he had promised, twenty artifans and labourers turned poets and ftarved. Your poetess can scarce be more miferable than fhe is, and even the reputation of being an authorefs may procure her customers: but as poetry is one of your leaft excellencies, madam (your virtues will forgive me), I am fure you will not only give her counfels for her works, but for her conduct; and your gentleness will blend them so judiciously, that she will mind the friend as well as the mistress. She must remember that fhe is a Lactilla, not a Paftora; and is to tend real cows, not Arcadian fheep.' Vol. v. P. 579.

The laft part of the volume contains mifcellaneous letters and in this clafs we find two from Voltaire. It has been faid that Voltaire began the correfpondence, and, in his letter to the duchefs of Choiseul, spoke disrespectfully of Mr. Walpole, infinuating, that to his own extraordinary merit the firft overture from Mr. Walpole was to be attributed. In reality, Voltaire's letter to the duchefs was only a lively method of requesting a conveyance, as the intercourfe between the two countries was not then open; and, having spoken of himself with his ufual vanity, he did not feel an equal impulfe to speak of his correfpondent in a complimentary way. The first letter came from Voltaire, requesting a copy of the Hiftoric Doubts, in modeft, refpectful, and even flattering terms. Mr. Walpole replied with equal propriety and good sense, adding to the parcel the romance of the Caftle of Otranto; the preface to which contained fome remarks upon Voltaire's criticisms on Shakspeare. He thus undoubtedly threw down the gauntlet; and it is not furprifing, that the critic thould reply. The answer is in fome points fatisfactory.

In the letter refpecting the application from Dr. Robertson, are fome obfervations, mingled with too much contempt of the hiftorian's ability, and fome farcafms on his political integrity. Of this letter, which is addreffed to Mr. Mafon, we Thall tranfcribe the greater part.

When he had told me his object, I faid, "Write the reign of king William, doctor Robertson! That is a great task! I look on him as the greatest man of modern times fince his ancestor William prince of Orange." I foon found the doctor had very little idea, of him, or had taken upon truft the pitiful partialities of Dalrymple and Macpherson. I faid, "Sir, I do not doubt but king William came over with a view to the crown. Nor was he called upón by patriotism, for he was not an Englishman, to affert our liberties. No; his patriotifm was of a higher rank. He aimed not at the crown of England from ambition, but to employ its forces and wealth against Louis the XIVth, for the common cause of the liberties of Europe. The whigs did not understand the extent of his views, and the tories betrayed him. He has been thought not to have understood us; but the truth was, he took either party as it was predominant, that he might fway the parliament to fupport his general plan." The doctor, fufpecting that I doubted his principles being enlarged enough to do justice to so great a character, told me he himself had been born and bred a whig, though he owned he was now a moderate one-I believe, a very moderate one. I faid Macpherson had done great injuftice to another hero, the duke of Marlborough, whom he accufes of betraying the defign on Breft to Louis XIV. The truth was, as I heard often in my youth from my father, my uncle, and old perfons who had lived in those times, that the duke trufted the duchefs with the fecret, and the her fifter the popish duchefs of Tyrconnel, who was as poor and as bigoted as a church moufe. A corroboration of this was the wife and fententious anfwer of king William to the duke, whom he taxed with having betrayed the fecret. "Upon my ho nour, fir," said the duke, "I told it to nobody but wife." my did not tell it to mine," faid the king.

"I

I added, that Macpherfon's and Dalrymple's invidious fcandals really ferve but to heighten the amazing greatnefs of the king's genius ;; for if they fay true, he maintained the crown on his head, though the nobility, the church-men, the country gentlemen, the people were againft him; and though almoft all his own minifters betrayed him" But," faid I, "nothing is fo filly as to fuppofe that the duke of Marlborough and lord Godolphin ever meant feriously to restore king James. Both had offended him too much to expect forgiveness, especially from fo remorfeless a nature. Yet a re-revolution was fo probable, that it is no wonder they kept up a correfpondence with him, at least to break their fall if he returned. But as they never did effectuate the least service in his

favour, when they had the fulleft power, nothing can be inferred but king James's folly in continuing to lean on them. To imagine they meant to facrifice his weak daughter, whom they governed abfolutely, to a man who was fure of being governed by others, one must have as little sense as James himself had.

The precife truth I take to have been this. Marlborough and Godolphin both knew the meannefs and credulity of James's character. They knew that he must be ever dealing for partifans; and they might be fure, that if he could hope for fupport from the ge neral and the lord treasurer, he must be less folicitous for more im potent fupporters. "Is it impoffible," faid I to the doctor, "but they might correfpond with the king even by Anne's own confent? Do not be furprifed, fir," faid I:"fuch things have happened. My own father often received letters from the pretender, which he always carried to George II. and had them indorsed by his majesty. I myself have feen them counterfigned by the king's own hand."

In short, I endeavoured to imprefs him with proper ideas of his fubject, and painted to him the difficulties, and the want of materials. But the booksellers will out-argue me, and the doctor will forget his education-Panem et Circenfes, if you will allow me to ufe the latter for those that are captivated by favour in the circle, will decide his writing and give the colour. I once wished he fhould write the Hiftory of King William; but his Charles V. and his America have opened my eyes, and the times have fhut his. Adieu!' Vol. v. p. 651.

Among the other epiftles we may diftinguish thofe to Mr. Pinkerton (for whom Mr. Walpole feems to have entertained a high refpect), to lady Craven, Mr. Rofcoe, and Mr. Beloe.

To fpeak particularly of Mr. Walpole's works would be unneceffary, as his merits and his faults have long been known. The prefent collection fhows him as he was a respectable man, and an entertaining, frequently an inftructive, author. The editor must not pafs unnoticed. The modest and judicious preface is, perhaps, exactly what Mr. Walpole would himself have approved; and thofe parts of the edition, which were not felected by himfelf, would perhaps have paffed even the ordeal of his fevere judgment. The volumes are fplendid, without fuperfluous ornaments. The old plates are in good preservation, or are well retouched; and the additional ones are executed with fidelity and elegance. The portraits of those to whom Mr. Walpole's letters are addreffed, or who are particularly mentioned in them, form very interefting embellishments; and the publication conftitutes a moft valuable and important addition to the flock of English literature,