fucceffion of bad princes. What monfters were the first fucceffors of Auguftus! a Tiberius, a Caligula, a Claudius, a Nero! But, as birth or adoption gave them a right recognised by the people, the empire, under thefe odious princes, was not torn by civil wars; and, when we reflect on the fhocking diforders which attended the elections of Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vefpafian, we are tempted to confider the death of Nero as a public calamity. Under this head our author inftances the change of fucceffion made in England, in 1688; and he obferves, that, although the Englifh excluded the pofterity of the Stuarts, they were convinced of the neceffity of preferving hereditary right. He thus proceeds: Under Charles VII. and Henry IV. France was faved by hereditary right, and ftill Providence has preferved, and points out to France, a faviour in the perfon of Louis XVIII. who, to the right of birth, unites all that can give fplendor and virtue to an elective crown. us not doubt that the force of events, the afcendency of reafon, the voice of intereft, will bring back the French to the government of their fathers. What do I fay? The directors themselves inform all Europe, that already the national wish is extended to the lawful king.'

Let

These brief extracts will afford an idea of the author's mode of reafoning upon topics connected with the revolution of his country. That he fometimes argues fenfibly cannot be denied; but his prejudices in favour of the aneien régime are too ftrong to allow him to be impartial, and they fometimes occafion a blindness to facts, which we regret in a writer who has certainly fome claims to praise. In his extreme fondness for the monarchy, he afferts, that, in France, Calvinifm enjoyed all the toleration which the rights of confcience required, and the good of the state permitted. The rigorous edicts of Louis XIV. were mollified by the jurifprudence of parliaments; and the members of that reftlefs fect were not perfecuted.' Has our author forgotten the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and the numerous perfecutions of proteftants in different periods of the French hiftory?

Les Voeux Téméraires, ou L'Enthoufiafme, par Madame de Genlis, Auteur de Theatre d'Education, d'Adele et Theodore, &c. Hambourg. 1798.

Rafh Vows, or Enthufiafm. By Madame de Genlis, Authorefs of the Theatre of Education, Adela and Theodore, &c. 2 Vols. 8vo. Imported by L'Homme.

IN the dedication, the writer does not fcruple to call this work the most moral novel in the language, and perhaps the

enly one which all young perfons might be permitted to read. It has been her aim to enforce the opinion, that, without wifdom and moderation, fenfibility is only a fatal gift; and that, without reason, virtue itself, lofing its noble character, and rejecting the invariable principles which ought to direct it, acts with the imprudence and impetuofity of the blindeft paffions, and, entangling itself in devious and perilous ways, becomes, fooner or later, the victim of its own rafhnefs. A sketch of the novel may thus be given.

The world envied Sainville: he was of illuftrious birth, poffeffed ample riches, and was univerfally admired and loved for his talents and difpofition; but he was not happy: his heart wanted an object: even Paris became infipid to him, and he retired, with the baron de Verceil, to his paternal feat in Languedoc.

Curiofity first roufed him from the liftleffness of ennui. An English lady had for fome months refided on his estate; but the avoided fociety; and, in her walks, a veil concealed her face. The baron's romantic imagination immediately conceived her to be beautiful, but Sainville had become cynical, and unwillingly fuffered himself to be interested by the incognita. He met her at church, and prefented the holy water to her; as the dipped her finger in it, fhe dif played a hand and arm, delicately beautiful; and Sainville was convinced that he was young. The malicious furmifes of the women who did not know her, the interefting account given of her by her physician, and, above all, her attention to the wants of the poor, at length excited his curiofity. He went to fee her; but the fervant who announced monfieur le marquis, was informed that she faw no company; and Sainville thought that, though the might be interefting, the certainly was not well-bred.

This myfterious lady had a little girl with her, the fubject of fcandalous fufpicions. Sainville met both in his walks, and found the child to be the daughter of his nurse. Thus introduced, by accident, he heard the voice of the Lady; but the veil was ftill down, and his curiofity was increased, not fatisfied. As fhe was accuftomed to walk by moon-light in the garden, the baron and Sainville fecreted themselves where they might fee her: fhe appeared unveiled, and nothing could be mofe beautiful than Conftance. She fang, and Sainville lamented his ignorance of the English language.

In the mean time, Conftance furnished conversation for the country. The intendant of the province requested to speak with Sainville in private. When they were alone, the intendant faid, "I wish to ask you for fome account of his foreign lady who lives in your neighbourhood,”

"What has been mentioned of her?" faid the marquis."A * thousand extraordinary things have been faid," replied, the intendant" and it is particularly affirmed that he is paid by the English government as a fpy."—"A fpy ?""Yes; this idea is founded upon the extreme curiofity that the difcovered with regard to our manufactures, in all the towns through which the paffed. I am certain, that the made memoranda of whatever the faw; and this circumstance, added to the mystery of her conduct, has occafioned fuch fufpicions of her, that the minifter has written to me, to acquire information upon the fubject. So ftrange an account has been given of her at Versailles, that, if we were at war with England, fhe would be fecured by a lettre-decachet."" Admirable ! to fhut up a young woman in the Baftille, because the loves the arts and retirement, may be a very prudent action in time of war; but, as we are now in perfect peace, what have we to fear?"" At all times, you must allow, the fecrets of our manufactures are of great importance to our commerce." The intendant, who had not an enlarged understanding, made this remark in a tone of fuch fagacious folly, that Sainville could not avoid smiling contemptuously." Monfieur intendant, (faid he) you may remove the apprehenfions of the minifter, by affuring him that this lady is highly refpectable, notwithstanding her tafte for manufactures and retirement, and that I will anfwer for her, though I have not the honour of knowing her perfonally, and though fhe has refused to receive my vifits. But I know who the is; and I can venture to af firm, that there exifts no woman more entitled to the protection of government, and to the efteem of all."-To pre ferve Conftance from an abfurd perfecution, Sainville was guilty of a flight falfehood, in faying that he was not unknown to him; but his contemptuous manner, exciting the anger of the intendant, gave him not a more favourable difpofition towards Conftance: on the contrary, it changed a trifling prepoffeffion into averfion. That officer now wrote to the minifter, declaring that Conftance was an intriguing adventurer, and that Sainville protected her, be Cause he was her lover'.

Accident foon procured the marquis a more intimate ac quaintance with Conftance. He refcued her from robbers, from one of whom he received a wound. She affifted the baron in removing him; and it was to her house that he was conveyed. From this time he faw her frequently; and eyery circumftance tended to ftrengthen his affection for her. To reprefs his love, the communicated to him her history.

The hiftory of Conftance, now known as lady Claren

don, is long and melancholy. We will not injure fo interefting a tale by attempting to abridge it. The flave of her feelings, and the victim of treachery, he had been expofed to the fufpicions of her husband, and' was at laft fepa rated from him. Circumftances put it in her power to vindicate herself completely to his fatisfaction: but lord Clarendon did not long furvive the reconciliation; and the lady refolved to abandon a country where her character was traduced, and all her actions and motives were ftudiously mifreprefented. She distributed among his relatives the property which he had left to her, and departed from London.

The ashes of lord Clarendon (faid his widow), tranfported to the burying-place of his ancestors, repofed at a little diftance from the walls of London, in a tomb which I had ordered to be erected; I went to fee this monument, and arrived before the break of day. I had previously informed the fexton of the church: he opened the door to me, and I entered alone into the gloomy and mournful place. The melancholy light of a lamp guided me; I perceived the monument which inclofed all that was dear to me-I threw myself proftrate upon the marble-it was then that I wished to confult my heart." O thou for whom I cherished a love which I thought unequaled, am I (I cried) ftill worthy of that perfect efteem which was thy faft feeling towards me? All the facrifices which I have made to thy memory ought, I think, to folace this unfortunate heart. I may ftill live in the world, and appear with fplendour, but can empty praise or frivolous incenfe make me forget what I have loft, and render fupportable à flavery, a conftraint, which haraffed me formerly even in the days of my happiness?"-Here I paufed, and, in filence, interrogated my heart, penetrating into its deepest recefles. As I developed my fecret fentiments, the terror which had feifed me difperfed like a dream: I recovered at once reafon and courage; and, delivered from the vile hum of an injurious fear, I blufhed only that I could have fo mistaken myfelf. I no longer employed myself with any thing but the fatal object before my eyes. My imagination was heated, was exalted: it offered me the idea of a new facrifice which I made with tranfport before I tore myself away from the fatal place! With the Roint of a knife I traced upon the tomb thefe words, which, by lord Selden's care, were afterwards engraven there in letters of gold.

"I have been able to contemplate this tomb without dy ing; but here I depofit, here I leave all that remains to me, an odious and fatal liberty!-Yes, in this temple, confe erated by piety, do I engage myself by every thing that religion and tendernefs can render inviolable, never to form

a new tie. All things change, or país away!-If time can triumph over my grief, at least this marble must survive me, and I engrave upon it a facred vow, never to be ef faced."

At this part of the hiftory, Sainville let the manufcript fall upon the table, and remained motionlefs for fome minutes: then rifing impetuously, and rapidly pacing the room, he exclaimed, "No hope remains for me -none!" He now threw himself into a chair, and was for fome time over powered with grief, At length returning to the table and cafting his eyes upon the manufcript, he faw the marks of the tears that he had fhed abundantly in reading it. "Ah! faid he) how fweet were thofe tears-for then I ftill could hope!"

But hope does not eafily abandon the heart of man; and Sainville had not the refolution to banish himself from the fociety of lady Clarendon. His daily and even hourly attentions, the delicacy with which he anticipated her wishes, and his endeavours to gain her efteem, gradually won her affection; and the repented of the vow by which the had bound herself. To Sainville, however, her conduct was ftill the fame: the manifefted a cordial friendfhip for him; and, though the fometimes involuntarily difcovered her own affection, fhe always repreffed his. He wrote to her, abandoning himself to an ungoverned paffion: the knew not how to reply: fuddenly the rofe, faying, "Let me feek a falutary advice.""

By the fide of her bed-chamber was a closet, of which the alone had the key. It was confecrated to prayer and meditation. It contained a chair, a bureau, and fome fhelves filled with books of piety. In this oratory was alfo a large picture, covered with black crape. This myfterious painting, executed by an able artift, reprefented the tomb of lord Clarendon the fatal vow was traced in large characters. Conftance, having received this picture on the eve of her departure from London, covered it the fame day with a crape which had never fince been removed. It was to this cabinet that she went to feck a refuge againft her own weaknefs. She approached the picture, and was for a fhort time motionless; then, feizing the veil, fhe uncovered the picture. At the fight of a painting which retraced to her eyes, for the first time during four years, the monument that inclofed the afhes of lord Clarendon, fhe fell on her knees, and fhed a torrent of tears. The remembrance of her lord alone made her tears flow. She forgot her weaknefs, her remorfe, and Sainville himself; an imagination ardent, strong, and powerfully impreffed, reftored to her for fome moments all the energy of an old grief and of an