Iis claim to it is, however, problematical, and has given rise to more than one hundred and fifty publications. The controversy has been recently revived in France, and carried on with great learning and spirit. The highest encomium which any book has yet received, was pronounced on this little work by Fontenelle,*"C'est "le livre le plus beau qui soit sorti de la main d'un "homme, puisque l'evangile n'en vient pas." "It is,” says Leibniz, "one of the most excellent treatises that "have been composed.-Happy is he, who puts its con"tents into practice, and is not satisfied with merely ad"miring them." The translation of the Imitation by Wesley or Paine is greatly to be preferred to Stanhope's: that of the late Dr. Challoner is, or should be, in the hands of every Roman Catholic. A very learned and curious treatise on the Imitation, and the French translations of it, was published at Paris, in the year 1812, intituled, Dissertation sur soixante Traductions Françaises de l'Imitation de Jesus Christ, dediée à sa Majesté l'Imperatrice et Reine. Par Ant. Alex. Barbier, Bibliothécaire de sa Majesté l'Empereur et Roi, et de son Conseil d'Etat. Suivie de considerations sur la question relative à l'auteur de l'Imitation. XXVII. BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF THE REVEREND ALBAN BUT- Saints, though a voluminous work,-(12 vols. 8vo.)—has undergone numerous editions: two different translations of it into the French language have been published; it has also been translated into Spanish, and the Reminiscent believes, into the Italian languages. Several abridgments of it have been published. The only objection made to it is, its alleged admission of too many miracles and visions. To those, who deny the existence of miracles, we do not now address ourselves,-all other Christians may be confidently asked, on what principle they admit the evidence for the miracles of the three first centuries, and reject the miracles of the subsequent ages? Why they deny to St. Austin, St. Gregory, the venerable Bede, or St. Bernard, the confidence which they place in Justin, St. Irenæus, Theodoret, or Eusebius? The last volume of the Lives of the Saints, which appeared in the life-time of Mr. Alban Butler, was published in 1759. A continuation of it being loudly called for both in England and the continent, the Reminiscent published, in the present year,-"A continuation of the "Rev. Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints to the present "time, with some biographical accounts of the Holy Fami"ly, Pope Pius the sixth, Cardinal Ximénes, Cardinal "Bellarmine, Bartholomew de Martyribus, and St. Vin"cent of Paul;-with a re-publication of Historical Me"moirs of the Society of Jesus." Oct. 1823. The style of the "Lives of the Saints" is excellent ; it partakes more of that of the writers of the seventeenth century, than that of the modern style of writing. Mr. Gibbon mentioned it to the Reminiscent in warm terms of commendation, and was astonished when he heard how much of the life of Mr. Alban Butler had been spent abroad. Speaking of the "Lives of the Saints," he calls it "a work of merit, the sense and learning be"long to the author, his prejudices are those of his pro"fession." As it is known what prejudice means in Mr. Gibbon's vocabulary, Mr. Alban Butler's relatives accept the character. XXVIII. BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF THE CHANCELLOR L'HÔPITAL : --AND OF THE CHANCELLOR D'AGUESSEAU,-WITH A SHORT HISTORICAL NOTICE OF THE SCHEME. XXVIII. 1. The Chancellor L'Hôpital. MISSISSIPPI THIS venerable magistrate, elegant scholar, and excellent man, has been always considered in France, as one of the greatest personages, whom the nation has produced. On the Reminiscent's intimating to the late sir Samuel Romilly, that he was in want of a literary hobby,-(the horse, the Englishman's friend, has never employed much of his time,)—for his amusement in the long vacation, which was just opening to them, that eminent and amiable person recommended the life of l'Hôpital to his attention, and furnished him with some materials for its composition. It is gratifying to the Reminiscent to recollect that, when he presented the result of his labours to sir Samuel, it received the honour of his approbation. It is observable that, in the literature of France, panegyrics and funeral orations fill a considerable space: those, who are most disposed to contest her claim to universal pre-eminence in the belles-lettres, acknowledge that, in these branches of eloquence, she has con siderably excelled all her literary rivals. Few works of taste or genius are more admired than the funeral orations of Bossuet: those of Fléchier are of an inferior cast; but, after its twentieth perusal, his oration on the death of Turenne will again be perused with pleasure. The élôges of distinguished academicians, by Fontenelle and d'Alembert do not aspire to eloquence; they profess no more than to give a short view of the lives of the authors whom they celebrate, a very summary account of their principal works, and a slight mention of the events in the literary world, with which, in some manner or other, they were connected. The former are reproached for too frequent prettiness; the latter, for a general tameness of manner; but both occasionally abound in touches of great delicacy, and are so agreeably written, that we doubt whether any reader has pe rused a single élôge composed by either, without lamenting its brevity. With these works, however, our praise of French panegyric must close. About the middle of the last century a new field was opened to it, by the prizes, which the academy then began to hold out to those, who should produce the best panegyric of the hero, (for they were never less than literary heroes,)-whom the academy assigned for the theme of praise. This set all the wits of France at work: but the result was not very favourable to their reputation. The number of these encomiastic performances, which obtained the approbation of the public, is very small; if any are now read, they are the éloges composed by M. Thomas. The notes, with which he has accompanied them, are interesting; and, if his incessant attempts, in the text, at the sublime, generally fail, they also sometimes succeed. Thus, in his élôge of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, he mentions the celebrated expression of the emperor Titus," I have lost a day; for during this day, I have "done good to none.". "What dost thou say?" exclaims the orator,-" The day, in which those words were pronounced, was not lost; on no day wast thou "so great, or so useful to the world, as when thou gavest "that eternal lesson to kings." In this passage there is both sense and grandeur; but in the writings of its author such passages are not often found. 66 The magistrate, whose life is the subject of the present article, was proposed by the French Academy in the year 1777, for the subject of an élôge. M. Guibert and l'abbé Rémi contended for the prize. It was adjudged to the latter; but he had the good sense not to print his work. M. Guibert was less prudent; his performance appeared in print soon after the prize was assigned; but, though it was evidently the production of a scholar of Voltaire, both Voltaire and la Harpe, his echo, expressed their contempt of it. The celebrated Condorcet afterward entered the lists, but with equal want of success. In 1807, M. Bernardi published his 66 Essai sur la Vie, les Ecrits, et les Loix de Michel de "l'Hôpital, Chancelier de France," in one volume octavo. It is written with taste and judgment; and places the magistrate both in an amiable and a respectable point of view; but it relates more to his private and literary life, than his public character. Of this, a very good account had been given in the "Vie du Chancelier "l'Hôpital," published by an anonymous French writer, in 1764. Many interesting particulars of l'Hôpital are to be found in Brantome; Bayle has assigned to him an article in his dictionary. From these publications, the |