Mon ame paroît toute émue: Me frappe, me ravit, m'enchante? Mais qui pourroit te méconnoître ? Here the Poet gives a circumftantial account of all the facrifices offered by the Gods of Olimpus to the fhrine of mortal beauty; and then goes on: "De même qu'une fleur nouvelle, Les Ris, les Graces, la Jeuneffes Trop infenfé, qu'ofai-je faire? Ta Ta vue en dit plus que ma lyre; Heureux, pour prix d'un foible hommage, Kepandre quelqu'un de tes trails. The laft lines might have been more tenderly inforced; but we beg our readers to remember that, according to the code of Romifh bigotry, Bernis, as a man might feel, but as a priest dared not exprefs his fentiments. Mr. DESMAHIS, a poet of fome reputation, furnishes us with his thoughts on the difficulties ef leading a happy life. We are forry to see a Frenchman fo much out of humour with mankind, become the echo of that croaking man-hater Mr. O'BRIEN MAC MAHON *. Que le bonheur eft lain des hommes ! A qui demander le bonheur, Nous achetons bien cher de l'art De la plus faine antiquité : Nos bons aïeux, conftamment fages, We beg leave to throw fome stress on the name of O'BRIEN, in order to distinguish the mysantropifz author of the Depravity of Human Nature, English Candour difplayed, &c. from the peaceable PARKYNS MAC-MAHON, A. M. who, we can affure our readers, is perfectly reconciled to the frailties of human nature, and has the amazing fortitude to look on Englishmen as his brethren and fellow-fubjects. Iii 2 E Et nous l'exilons à la fois Ce qui regne encor adjourd'hui, Qn Dêtre D'être heureux fans le mériter, Ou de le mériter fans l'êbte. As Reviewers we have but too often occafion to prepare bitter pills for authors and readers; let us at least comfort the latter, and contraft these melancholy truths too well known to people in high life, by the picture of true happinefs obvious to every one who dares feek for it; the precepts of which are laid down by Horace, and recommended by that noble and amiable poet the Duke de Nivernois, in the following lines, which makes part of the poetical collection now before us. Puis fur un gazon frais & tendre Alors, mille rivaux d'Orphée, We must own that it is with a mixture of pleasure and furprize that we fee a courtier of the firft rank, beftow the epithet of frivolous on the advantages which are fought for at court: frivolous, nay ridiculous indeed, unless the Sovereign deferves to hear, and the courtier dares to speak truth. Dillionaire Hiftorique, &c. An Hiftorical Dictionary of the City of Paris and its environs; wherein is given the Decription of the various Monuments and Curiofities of that Capital, &c. &c. Dedicated to the Marefchal Duc de Briffac, By Meffrs. Hurtant, A. M. and Magny, late an Officer in the King's Revenue, 4 vols. 8vo. Paris apud Moutard, 24 Livres bound. Part of the articles contained in this compilation are well chofen, and properly digefted, nevertheless the work upon the whole, like most of this kind, abounds with errors, which however, may eafily be rectified in fome future edition. The compilers are ftrikingly erroneous in the biographical part of the French authors, born in Paris, placing among ft them Erebillon the elder, born at Digon in Burgundy; whilft they omit mentioning La Motte, fon to a hatter fettled in Paris, Quinault and the celebrated Moliere born in that metropolis. We fhall content ourselves with extracting one or two of the numerous anecdotes related in the above entertaining collection. Under the article Bourreau (Hangman) we read the following whimfical account.- "A man equally famous for his wealth and avarice, refolved to put a period to his wretched existence; yet he has still fenfe and reafon enough left to look on fuicide as an act equally repugnant to nature and honour. Nevertheless he remained in his former refolve of parting with a life which he thought hardly worth the expence he was at to fupport it. Thus divided in his own mind, determined, yet, not knowing how to die, he came to the following refolution, as ftrange as we think it unprecedented in the annals of human folly. He waited one morning on the |