part of the work is, however, the remarks on the characters and conduct of different perfons, who were distinguished either in the military, political, and literary department, during the reign of Louis XIV. In these cur author is clear, seemingly well-informed, and entertaining. But many of thefe perfonages are now fading in the public eye; and to afcertain their exact proportion of honefty or of ability, is not a very interesting tak. In this difficulty we fhall endeavour to select some paffages which will probably lead our readers to the work itself, which if it lie in the parlour-window or the dreffing-room, will furnish a very agreeable entertainment for moments which might otherwife be dedicated to indolence or ennui. The work too, will not be without its ufe to the more minute hiftorian, to the literary enquirer, or to the fpeculatift.

The caufe of the publication of the memoirs of M. Joly, fecretary to cardinal de Retz, is not perhaps, generally known.

The appearance of fincerity which runs through this (the cardinal's) work, feduced and delighted men's minds. Although the ftyle be neither pure no brilliant, it was read with pleasure and avidity; and what is ftill more, there were people who were fo enraptured with the character of the cardinal de Retz, that they thought ferioufly of imitating him; and as the cardinal had not been difgufted with the characters of the Gracchi, of Cataline, and the count de Fiefque, nor with the unhappy fate which befel them; fo his difgraces did not difcourage thofe who were inclined to take him for a model, although they had not perhaps his fpirit of intrigue. Government perceived this in the year 1718, and the regent fpoke of it again to my father, who was become keeper of the feals; a new remedy was fought for the bad effects which the Memoirs had produced. It was propofed to print the Memoirs of Joly, who had been his fecreary; they were alfo in the library of M. de Caumartin, who made fome difficulty in giving them up the cardinal is treated more feverely in them than in his own; but the regent was determined to ruin entirely the reputation of the cardinal de Retz, to make known his real character, and to difguft those who were difpofed to imitate him. The Memoirs of Joly did not produce this effect, being written in a manner lefs pleating than thofe of the cardinal, they brought an dium upon the author: he was looked upon as an ungrateful and faithlefs fervant, who injured the reputation of him who had for a confiderable time given him bread: the franknefs of the cardinal had, on the contrary, interested people in his behalf; and notwithstanding every thing that was done, men of turbulent difpofitions continued to love him, and to imitate his conduct at the rifque of every thing that could befal them; and no perfon ever declared himself in favour of M. Joly,'

The

The following reflection will be received as prophetic by those who are not admirers of Montefquieu : it may be styled the most severe side of truth.

• We have good inftitutes of the Ronan civil laws; we have tolerable ones in the French laws; but we have none published of general or univerfal ones. We have no Esprit des Loix, and I doubt much of our friend Montefquieu's giving us one which will ferve as a guide and compass to all the legiflators of the world. I know him to have all poffible art; he has acquired vast knowledge in his travels, and in his retreats to the country; but I predict once more, that he will not give us the book we want, although there will be found in what he is compofing, many profound ideas, new thoughts, ftriking images, fallies of wit and genius, and an infinity of curious facts, whofe application fuppofes ftill more taste than study.'

Let us add one other paffage, which is only in its conclufion prophetic; we hope it was not added while the book was in the prefs.

The English have very little ftyle, and fill lefs method; but they have strong and elevated thoughts: accuftomed to overlook prejudices in matters of policy and government, their daring genius is the fame in every refpect. Their pleafantries are neither mild nor cautious; their fatire is violent, but sometimes very delightful. We are already acquainted with Dean Swift, one of their moft ingenious and fatirical authors. His work is well enough tranflated into French. It is generally more cafy to render English pleafantries into other languages than to tranflate, for instance, Italian ones into French, and ours into any language whatfoever, becaufe English fatire falls upon things, and the perfons are well defcribed, and in very friking colours, whereas the Italians play upon words, and the French flutter round the object at which they laugh; they joke and play with it as a cat does with a moufe; confequently thefe pleasantries are very difficult to understand and render. Nothing can be better written, or more agreeable to read, than the papers of the Spectator. If the English had many like this, we could not be too anxious to become acquainted with them but I foresee that we shall have many bad tranflations of this first and excellent English author; that from hence a new taste of literature will be established among us; that the French, who never know how to check their enthufiafm, will anglify themfelves, and that we fhall lofe many of our graces in acquiring fome of their fpirit, ideas, and liberty of thinking and writing. Voltaire has already faid, that when men think forcibly, they express themfelves forcibly alfo; this is true; but ftrength of thought may be carried too far, and become equally rude and difgufting in ideas and ftyle.'

We

We must finish as we began, by recommending this work as generally pleafing, and in fome parts interefting and informing-we must add too, that it feems to be tranflated with much accuracy and attention.

Twelve Sermons preached on Particular Occafions, by the Rev.. Edward Barry, A. M. and M. D. Svo. 45. Bew.

OUR

UR author unites the facred character with the more ufeful one of phyfician; and he tells us (indeed it seems to be the chief defign of his publication) that if he should obtain a living, it is his intention to dedicate his healing talents to the relief of the poor, without gratuity or fee.' We are not ufually fond of uniting two profeffions, for we know that the. rector of even a moderate parish, if he discharges his duty in all refpects confcientiously, has not many leisure hours; and, we should fufpect, that a knowledge of the practice of phyfic. is not easily caught in thofe moments fpared from fuperior avocations. If Dr. Barry obtains his wifhed-for rectory, we would recommend the exertion of his abilities to fecure the attendance and humanity of a skilful parish apothecary, rather than to the dividing his cares between two profeffions, whofe views and objects are not always related. At a distance from other relief, his medical talents would undoubtedly be useful. The Sermons are profeffedly preached on particular occafions, and fome of thefe have been already printed. It is needlefs to point out the fubjects, or to analyfe the discourses; for on popular occafions, an animated manner and a declama. tory ftyle are in general fufficient. Of Dr. Barry's powers in the first respect we cannot judge at a distance; but the laft is very confpicuous in the Sermons before us; and in more than one inftance it seems to border very nearly on the confines of enthusiasm. Our author too, is strictly, and often violently orthodox.

The Sermon preached on Good Friday, from John xix. 30. It is finished,' will furnish no improper fpecimen of our author's manner.

Gracious glorious news from our crucified God!—the pains of hell were laid upon him, and by his ftripes we are healed.— "It is finished!"-The atonement is fettled and accepted, and we are called upon to work out our falvation with fear and trembling. He has freed us from the tyranny of the law, and directed our footfeps to Canaan's ground. Let us walk therein, and not crucify him afresh, by continuing in our fins. He trode the wine-prefs alone, and none was with him.

• The

The dying language of Calvary is, " It is finished!". our existence this morning proves itall nature wears the richness of his blood.

The joy of heaven is, thas it is finished!-let us then, as finners, and commemorating the falvation offered to finners through Chrift, of which these facred elements are his humble and appointed reprefentatives, fhew that we have love and gratitude to celebrate she memory of our divine master, which the night before his death he confecrated in the facrament of his fupper, by which we obtain remiffion of fins, and all other benefits of his death and paffion.'

Dr. Barry complains, in the ufual ftyle, of the inequality of the preferments of the church; but complaints of this kind. are of little more importance than thofe of unequal strength or health; of difproportioned wealth or dignity in other refpects. We allow that thofe who preach the gospel fhould live by the gofpel; but we muft ftill allow of fuperior honours and wealth as the rewards of fuperior talents, more unremitting labour in the vineyard, and more ufeful exertions in the the cause of religion or of literature. That dignities and affluence do not always attend thefe acquifitions or thefe labours, we may regret; but we may also with pleasure reflect, from many in`ftances within our own remembrance, that they are not always mifapplied; for the ablest men in the church have attained fome of the highest ranks in it.

IN

Chefs. Vol. 11. 8vo. 5s. in Boards. Robinsons.

N our LXIVth volume, p. 190. we gave fome account of the first volume of this collection: the refearches of an amateur are endless; and the collection of anecdotes relating to the game feems to be no lefs fafcinating than the game itfelf. Our author, with incredible diligence, has availed himself of whatever he could find. We shall extract a few short paffages' which are either curious or amufing. The ladies will forgive us for giving the preference to the following lines; but they were the first which occurred.

'A DESCRIPTION of WOMEN.

All you that lovers bee, and love the amorous trade,
Come learne of mee, what women bee,

And whereof they are made.

Their head is made of rash,

Their toungs are made of fay,

Their love of filken changeable,

That lafteth but a day.

Their wit mockado is,

Of durance is their hate,

The food they feed on moft is carp,
Their gaming is check-mate.'

Mr. Twifs thinks that the panegyric of Lucan ad C. Pifo nem has no reference to Chefs:

Du Cange, however, in one of his notes to Joinville's Hif toire de St. Louis, fays that "Lucanus in Pareg. ad l'ifonem a decrit elegamment le jeu des Efches." They are likewife in Severins and in Verci's books, with all the arguments for and against the fuppofition that the g me there disputed was Cheis.

Notwithuanding Chefs is mentioned among other games in the English tranflation of Agrippa, quoted in p: 205. there is no fuch word in the original; the paffage appears to have been taken from John of Sa ibury's Policrat. whore, in chap. v. "of gaming, and its use and abufe," he says: now when the government of Afia was deftroyed, among the spoils of the conquered city, gaming in various forts pafied over to the Greeks. Hence the die, calcuíus, tables, urio or the Trojan game, tricolus, fenio, monarchus, orb cuti, teliorchus, vulpes, which thould rather be unlearnt than taught."

We shall felect the following paffage, because it is omitted in the English translation of La Peyrere's letter.

"The teeth of the morfe are artfully cut and used in the game of chefs, which all the northern nations play at, chiefly the princes and nobility, and that for various good reasons, one of which is, that by this means parents may examine the tempers of the wooers of their daughters. No perfon can, in that game, avoid giving fome fpecimen of his merit and patience in the cafes of profperity and adverfity.-

"I had almost forgot to mention one thing worth our obfervation among the Icelanders, viz. that they are great Chefsplayers, there being not a peafant in the country but what has a tet of it, which they make themfelves out of fith-bones. The whole difference betwixt theirs and ours, being only that our fools ftand for their bifhops; becaufe, fay they, the clergymen ought to be near the king's perfon. Their rooks reprefent litthe captains, whence the Iceland fcholars call them centuriones. They are reprefented with fwords on their fides, with bloated checks, as if they were blowing the horn they hold in both their

hands."

Our readers will now be able to judge for themselves of the value of this collection, which is, on the whole, very entertaining and interesting, to those who are fond of the game.

Essays

(