on all those who come more immediately under his obfervation, he occasionally extends his view to the neighbouring countries, that he may have an opportunity of bespattering their fovereigns and men in power. The Emperor, the Emprefs, the Duke of Courland, the Great Duke and Dutchefs of Ruffia, are fucceffively introduced, and fome of them made the fubject of moft fcandalous anecdotes. Even an English prince, who happened to vifit Berlin while the author was there, is pourtrayed in colours by no means brilliant. If we were to give implicit belief to our author, we must certainly fuppofe him, in poffeffion of the gift bestowed by the genius on Zadig, the power of obtaining every man's confidence at first fight. He is no fooner at Berlin than, to adopt his own words and manner of description, he has feen every thing, has difcovered every thing, and knows every thing; is the confidant of Prince Henry, the bofom friend of the Duke of Brunfwick, invited by the Dutch minister to negociate with the Princefs of Orange as the only man capable of fettling the difputes in Holland, and, by turns, ambaffador, fpy, and ftockjobber; is fometimes employed in investigating ftate fecrets, fometimes in calculating the price of stocks, fometimes in corrupting clerks in the public offices, and fometimes in raking up the bafe anecdotes of lackies and kept mitreffes. But a man who pretends to relate fecrets intrufted to him in confidence, destroys his own credit, and juftifies our believing his intelligence to be, in great part at least, the fruit of a fertile imagination. No doubt it was the only money he had to repay the falary which he received from M. de C-l-nne, and of the fmallness of which he continually complains, extolling at the fame time his great abilities in the most fulfome terms of eulogium, and foliciting a more important office with indefatigable importunity. But hear this modeft Frenchman speak of him

felf:

May 1 not expect, among the changes in the diplomatic body occafioned by M. d'Adhemard's vacancy, fomething more agreeable and lefs precarious than an unavowed commiffion, which will neceffarily terminate with the life of a minifter who advances towards his tomb with rapid ftrides *? I hope that your friendship will not be idle. To fpeak fincerely, a worse choice might be made. If you will take the trouble of reading over my dispatches, now they are written correctly, and not in cyphers, and will combine at the fame time all the difficulties of every kind I have had to overcome, and the fmallness" of the means afforded me by my cloudy pofition, you will not be diffa

Without doubt he means M. de Vergennes.

tisfied

tished with my correfpondence. For inftance: fince Selle has published the hiftory of the king's ficknefs, I have the fatisfaction of feeing that my information was perfectly good. It is true that, in the time of the late king, at the end of fo long a reign, a man knew whom to apply to; whereas at present it is neceflary to find out the proper doors to knock at. However, I think I have described men and things tolerably well. What could I not do in this way, and what could I not discover if my miffion were but avowed!'

In another place he talks of his celebrity, and intimate connexions with that woman-hero, Prince Henry. Indeed, we believe that to this high opinion of himself is, in a great meafure, owing the author's contempt of every body else.

The fame infidious difpofition that makes him place individuals in odious points of view, has perhaps induced him to convert an innocent fociety of the principal men of the court of Berlin into a deteftable fraternity of impoftors, who have revised the dark illufions of fpells, magic, and enchantment. Throughout his two volumes he throws out a number of hints refpecting them, but in fo vague and mysterious a manner, that it is difficult to define his exact meaning. But in a continuation or fupplement to his work he speaks out more plainly. We will present the cleareft paffage to our reader. If the author's infinuations are ill-founded, they will afford a further proof of his malignity; if grounded on facts, it will be curious to those who obferve the progrefs and errors of the human mind, to fee immediately after the death of a philofophical king, and at the end of the eighteenth century, an enlightened court reverting to the fantastical obfcurity of the ages of witchcraft, necromancers, and adepts.

Mr. Wollner, bending beneath the weight of state affairs, and unable to give any of his precious moments unless to Jew bankers, has nevertheless found time to decorate a mysterious apartment in his houfe for the purpose of raising spirits, and performing the ceremonies of the worship received among the Jefuits. This mafonnick house has been fold to the king, who is to make a present of it to Dubofc, one of the high-priests of this religion. Since his majesty's acceffion to the throne, this place has been confecrated to magic rites. But how reconcile Jefus and Belial? This is a queftion that does not at all embarrafs apoftles who have the fecret of making profelytes to their religion by hypocritical mildness. The form of the enchanted apartment is fquare, and it is provided with little ftoves, in which are confummated the mysteries of fumigation. In the midft of this temple is a fmall elevation, on which appears the fpirit, under a white veil manufactured in France, and fent for

from

from that kingdom, where alone the properties attributed to it are to be found. This veil conceals from the eyes of the fpec'tator a man, who conveys himself upon the elevation when the hour of this myfterious cheat approaches. The impoftor who carries on this grofs deception is a ventrilogist, and imitates tolerably well the language credulity has attributed to fpirits. Independent of this innocent artifice, the corners of the temple are ornamented with magic mirrors, in which those who are conjured appear. A great perfonage is frequently present at this new-fashioned cabal; but the impreffion made upon him is so strong, that he cannot refift it without the affistance of restorative, drops. They are compofed by the ventrilogist Steiner, who receives a penfion of five hundred crowns for the diftilling of this myftical and cordial philter. Let it be underftood that this juggling wears all the outward appearance of a religious feaft; and that every precaution is made use of to envelope the whole in a cloud of myftery. Now what are we to think of a state in which the chiefs of this complicated impofture hold the first rank both in the civil and military departments? What can we fay when we fee the candidates for offices, chofen by Birchoffswerder and Wollner, pafs their examination at fuch a board as this? Thofe gentlemen have wondrous art in feducing minds that have any tendency to credulity, and in converting them to Jefuitifm. They make a dexterous mixture of their occult science and known intereft; they promise a fortune, or diftinction, draw in the firft perfons in the state, and make sure of a certain number of fuffrages for their guilty operations. In fhort, they hide their ungovernable ambition under an appearance of moderation, and confound free-masonry and the feat of the illuminated, with that of the Martinifts. They employ popular errors in their fystem, and yet, pretending to foar above them, call themselves citizens of the world. They impart their fecret, and make their preparations fecretly, and, with a great deal of art, are doubly prudent, fince, fome adepts of their order, unable to ftifle the cries of their confcience, and fhocked at the fight of the horrors naturalifed among them, have deferted their colours. But these virtuous apoftates dare not reveal their fecrets, either because they have taken an oath, or because their lives are in danger. This is evident from the manner in which they disguise their real fentiments.'

Though we are far from crediting thefe accufations in their full extent, yet it is difficult to conceive that fo many circumftances can be entirely void of foundation, efpecially as they are, in fome measure, confirmed by reports of a fimilar nature. But even allowing them to be true, and giving the author credit for a bold and original ftyle, and an apparently comprehensive and difcriminating

difcriminating judgment, we cannot help lamenting the ill ufe he has made of his talents, and regretting the entertainment we have received from his work. Excepting fome information conveyed in a few political details, and even thefe are of a doubtful nature, we do not apprehend any advantage can be derived from its perufal. A great part of it confifts of the various fymtoms of the great Frederick's fickness immediately before his death, and of political predictions; fome of which have been belied by the event; and others come in fo questionable a shape, after a lapse of two years, that we are juftifiable in fufpecting them to be ex poft facto prophecies.

By the burning this publication the penalty has fallen upon the innocent paper and print, the fale of the book has been extended, and its price enhanced. However, fhould the author be discovered, he will no doubt meet with his punishment in the abhorrence of all men of honour. Fænum habet in cornu, longe fuge.

ART. XIII. FOREIGN COMMUNICATION.

HERCULANEUM AND POMPEIA.

Naples, 13th Qa. 1789. THE unrolling and tranfcribing of the manuscripts found at Herculaneum advances but flowly, which indeed is not wonderful, as their ftate, reduced as they are almost to ashes, does not admit of fpeed. Great is the care, and very ingenious are the methods, employed; and yet, after all, there will be many hiatus, and would be many more if the writing were on both fides of the papyrus; but as the writing is only on one the unrolling of the fheets is much facilitated. Four only are as yet transcribed; one of them is printed, and will be published next year; the three others are in the prefs. The first is on mufic, two on rhetoric, and the fourth on moral philofophy. None of them is faid to be very important; but the one at prefent in hand, promises to be more interefting, as, from the little as yet unrolled, it appears that it treats of the education of youth. They are all in Greek, as well as what are in the mufeum at Portici, amounting to about fifteen hundred, of which only a small part are in a state that will admit their being made out. It is very remarkable that, in fo large a library found in a Roman town, there should be no books in the Latin language. It is much to be regretted that, among the discoveries daily made at Pompeia, no literary acquifitions are to be hoped for. The degree of heat of the ashes and earth in which that unfor

tunate

tunate town was buried, being different from that of the lava that overwhelmed Herculaneum, the manufcripts found in the former are reduced to a white afh that baffles all investigation. As only a fmall part of Herculaneum is explored, many im-, portant difcoveries might be made, if the excavations were continued; but unfortunately there are no intentions of proceeding further, because the palace and town of Portici ftanding upon the fame fite, there would be much danger of weakening the foundation of the buildings.

LIVY.

The Abbé Vely, in whofe poffeffion is the Arabic verfion of Livy, containing a great part of what is wanting of the Latin, is now at Naples. As very contradictory accounts have been given of the discovery and existence of that manufcript, it may not perhaps be fuperfluous to mention that it was found between the walls of fome old buildings at Conftantinople; that it was purchased and brought from thence to Malta by a merchant, who prefented it to the grand-mafter; and that it was given by him to the abovementioned ecclefiaftic, who is well versed in the Afiatic languages. In all probability the public curiofity would already have been gratified by the tranflation of fome part of it, had not the Abbé Vely been employed by the King of Naples in the decyphering of an ancient manufcript on the jurifprudence of Sicily; and he is now preparing to fet off for Morocco, by order of the fame monarch, in search of some other manuscripts faid to be in that empire.

ART. 14. The Sentimental Mother; a Comedy, in Five Acts; the Lea gacy of an old Friend, and his last moral Lesson to Mrs. Hefter Lynch Thrale, now Mrs. Hefler Lynch Piozzi. Svo. 3s. Ridgeway. London, 1789.

IT

Tis fometimes a misfortune to be too much spoken of. This is particularly the cafe with women. As many delicate plants, whofe natural fituation is the fhade, are injured by too much funfhine, fo females, when they burft from their domestic circle to glare in the public eye, are, for the most part, fufferers by the change. The original of the fhocking portrait now before us is unhappily in B b ENG. REV. VOL. XIV. NOV. 1789.

this