The immediate object which Fenelon proposed to himself in this undertaking, was disappointed by the untimely death of the young prince, whose education he superintended. It has not, however, on that account, been a fruitless labour. There can be no doubt of its having had a great and beneficial effect on the general spirit of the age. To it, perhaps, we may in some degree ascribe that humanity, and that concern for the welfare of their people, by which the sovereigns of Europe, during the eighteenth century, were so honourably distinguished.*

LE SAGE.

From Fenelon, we pass to one who has written in a different style, but with no less success; to Le Sage, the great painter of human life. The view of it given in his Gil Blas, is the most comprehensive that has appeared in this, or perhaps any other kind

* Gentz, Etat de l'Europe. Soulavi

of writing. Probably, indeed, such knowledge may be better acquired from the biography of private life, than from works of fiction. The former, however, has not, till of late, obtained much of the public attention. It may be better, therefore, that, in its absence, we should have recourse to the latter, provided they be able and well conducted, than in such an important branch of knowledge, be left entirely to personal observation. Besides, in the affairs of nations, fabulous, has generally preceded, and prepared the way for authentic, history. The case is perhaps the same with biography; for which these narratives, besides their immediate use, may be the means of gradually introducing

a taste.

Gil Blas is not free from those defects to which such compositions are liable. It is rather a satire upon human nature, than a just representation of it. The portrait, though bearing, no doubt, a striking resemblance to the original, is yet very strongly caricatured. There is a circumstance, indeed, which may make it appear more so to

us, than it really is. The scene of action is laid in Spain, and a correct view is given throughout of the manners of that ignorant and degraded people. Hence there may be at least local truth in the views which it exhibits, of the corruption of justice, of the extreme laziness and profligacy of the grandees, and of professional pedantry, presumption, and unskilfulness.

The plan which Le Sage has adopted, of leading his hero successively through the different scenes of life, enables him to include a wider range of information, than can be found in any other work. The character also, or rather want of character, in Gil Blas, is very judiciously adapted to his design. Had there been, in this, any thing peculiar and striking, it would have turned towards the hero too much of that attention, which the author, wished to fix upon the world in general. He has composed it, therefore, like the generality of characters in real life, of yielding and flexible materials, which readily take an impression from the objects with which he is conversant.

There are no characters in Gil Blas which can be safely proposed as patterns of conduct. The hero himself is not very exemplary; and his favourite companions, Fabricius, Scipio, and others, are all rogues. In this respect, it appears to fall even beneath the standard of real life.

ROUSSEAU.

We turn now to a singular and celebrated production, the Nouvelle Heloise. High powers of genius, an exquisite and extreme sensibility, together with an eccentric and visionary turn of mind, are conspicuous throughout this, as well as the other writings of Rousseau. He himself admits it to have great faults in the eye of a reader of taste; but it has several, of which, probably, he was not aware. There is too much philosophy, and too little nature; rather a laboured analysis of passion, than the simple expression of it. The letters do not vary in their tone, according to the different persons from whom they proceed; but are uniformly written in the same imperious and dogmatic

tone, which marks his general style. Yet, when forgetting philosophy, he resigns him-self to feeling, he certainly does often rise to a very high degree of eloquence and beauty. The most interesting part of the work ap-pears to me to be that which immediately follows St. Preux's return to his native country; and the letter in which he describes that return, the very finest of the whole.

Rousseau has, in his Memoirs, given a full account of the circumstances which led to the composition of this romance. Tired of Paris, he withdrew to a small countryhouse at some distance from it. Hence he excluded, as much as possible, all visitors, in order to give himself up entirely to his taste for solitude, and visionary enjoyments. Here he describes himself as seized with the most violent propensity to love; but, deprived, by age and situation, of any object on which to fix it. In this condition he had one resource left, of a nature extremely well suited to his character. He created an imaginary mistress, adorned with every charm which could be supplied by his glowing