Greek, and Italian; and she was able, very early in life, to understand and relish all the beauties of the best writers in thofe languages. She married Mr. Dacier, a young pupil of her father's, and who was the fon of a proteftant gentleman in Languedoc. Mrs. Thickneffe gives an account of the different productions of this literary heroine, who died in 1720, univerfally esteemed for her uncommon learning and abilities. For the gratification of our readers, we fhall prefent them with an extract from those sketches, on a character which has fo much, and fo defervedly, attracted public notice. • Mademoiselle le Fevre, (who we shall in future, call ma dam Dacier,) fome time after the death of her father, came to Paris-where fhe renewed those ftudies, by which the gained the highest reputation. The first thing she applied herself to, was to give a translation of Callimachus, which she shewed in manuscript to the dauphin's fub-governor, (fince bishop D' Avranches,) and to many other learned men, who exceedingly applauded her undertaking, among which number, was the duke de Montaufier, who earneftly recommended it to her, to tranflate fome Latin authors for the ufe of the young prince. In 1674, fhe published Le Florus, which was foon followed by another work, intitled Eutrope. These performances proved fufficient to spread the fame of madam Dacier, throughout Europe. Queen Chriftina of Sweden expreffed her admiration of her fuperior talents in a very polite letter, in which that princess made her the most advantageous offers to induce her to fettle at her court, at the same time expreffing her wishes that madam Dacier would embrace the catholic religion. Her fhining talents received ftill greater luftre from her amiable virtues. Her piety, modefty, courage, and fortitude, made her revered by all ranks of people. Her charity towards the poor was so unbounded, that she often suffered great inconvenience, and denied herself many of the comforts of life, that she might be enabled to fuccour those who were unfortunate and diftreffed. • Monfieur Dacier, one day representing to her the neceffity there was in being less liberal towards others, confidering the narrowness of their circumftances, fhe replied: "Ce n'eft pas les biens que nous avons qui nous She was as modeft as she was wife, for fhe feldom or ever converfed upon any topic by way of fhewing her erudition; and particularly in the company of her own fex, was ever VOL. LII. Nov. 1781. A a cautions cautious of difplaying her fuperior knowledge, but adapted herself to the capacities of those with whom the converfed. They report a fingular anecdote of her, which is a convincing proof not only of her modesty, but her judgment. In the age she lived, it was customary it seems for men of learning to carry a book with them when they travelled, and whenever they visited fuch perfons who were distinguished for their learning, they used to cntreat the favour of them to write their name down in the book, and to add also a sentence to it. One time when a learned German went to madam Dacier, he prefented her his book, and begged the would do him the honour to write her name, and also a sentence; but when fhe beheld the names of most of the learned men in Europe, the was startled, faying, fhe fhould blush to think of puting her name among thofe of fo many illuftrious men. The German would not be refused, the more the endeavoured to excufe herfelf from complying with his request, the more he preffed her, til at laft, being prevailed upon by his importunities, fhe took the pen and wrote down her name, to which she added the following line from Sophocles. "Le filence eft l'ornement des femmes." Silence is the ornament of women. In 1680, the published Dictys Cretenfis, and Dares Phrygius. In 1681, he gave Aurelius Victor, and alfo a tranflation of Anacreon, which met with the greatest success. This was foon followed by three comedies tranflated from Plautus, with remarks, which did her the highest honour. She was foon after received as a member of the academy at Padua. The fame year, she gave a translation of Homer, with remarks on the fuperior beauties of that great poet. This performance gave rife to that famous difpute between her and that celebrated writer, Monfieur de la Motte. Never was any literary dispute carried to fuch lengths, or had made fo much noife in the world. Each had their partifans, and each maintained their caufe with uncommon fpirit, wit, and erudition. This literary quarrel produced another compofition from the pen of madam Dacier, intitled, Des Caufes de la Corruption dù Goût. In 1711, the finished the Iliad; and the Odyssey, appeared in 1716, and was thought by the best judges equal to the Iliad. She also tranflated Ariftophanes, Terence, and Callimachus: her comparison between Plautus and Terence is drawn in a masterly manner. Amidst these occupations, madam Dacier did not omit that important and material duty, the education of her own children-whofe natural genius gave her every reafon to believe th that they would have been an ornament to fociety. But while the fondly indulged herfelf with the pleafing idea of enjoying the fruits of her labour, death put a period to all her hopes.-Her lamentation for the lofs of a favourite daughter, who died at the age of eighteen, is written in the most pathetic ftyle. In her, fays madam Dacier, were united all thofe virtues and talents, which can render a woman truly amiable. This inconfolable mother has immortalized her own grief and the merit of her daughter in her preface to the Iliad, in which fhe has raised a monument to her memory, more durable than either bronze or marble. This elogium has been efteemed as a chef-d'œuvre, not inferior to any thing of the kind, either ancient or modern.' Next follow, Mademoiselle Catherine Bernard, the countefs de Murat, Madame Dunoyer, and several others of infe rior reputation, with whom concludes the fecond volume of thofe Sketches. The third volume opens with Mademoiselle Heritier, who was born at Paris in 1664. She is celebrated, not only for poetical talents, but for beauty of perfon, and elegance of manners. This lady is fucceeded by Madam Durand, who compofed a number of novels, which were much admired in France. She alfo wrote a little hiftory, entitled, Les Belles Grecques, or the Grecian Beauties; confifting of anecdotes collected from Greek and Latin authors. We are afterwards prefented with the Marchionefs de Vielbourg, Madame de Rochechouard, Madame de Gomez, Madame de Staal, the countefs de Fontaines, and a number of other ladies, who are all more or less distinguished as writers of romance, memoirs of their own times, or poetical compofitions. From the great number of literary ladies mentioned by Mrs. Thickneffe, one would almost be inclined to imagine, that the ladies in France were diftinguished by the peculiar privilege of being born writers. But there feems strong reafon to conclude, that this has been more owing to the fashion of affecting mental accomplishments, than to the real endowments of nature: and it is obfervable, that the fucceffion of literary ladies in France has declined in the fame proportion in which that of England has advanced.Whether this proceeds from the fuperior abilities of fome Englifh ladies, whom our neighbours on the continent have defpaired of rivalling, we fhall not determine. If fuch a mul titude of examples, however, can excite emulation, Mrs. Thickneffe may have the merit of rouzing all the latent ta A a 2 lents lents of her fex; and of infpiring her contemporaries with an enthusiasm for that literary fame, which fhe has endeavoured to perpetuate, by this ingenious and pleafing monument erected to the memory of the French ladies. Mifcellanies by the Honourable Daines Barrington. 4to. 185. White. THIS volume contains a variety of mifcellaneous effays on geographical difcoveries, ornithology, and other curious and ufeful fubjects. Some of the first articles are tracts on the poffibility of reaching the North Pole; first published in 1775 and 1776, and now reprinted with additional observations. Navigators have penetrated into the arctic circle, and acquired fome knowledge of Nova Zembla, West Greenland, and Spitzbergen or Eaft Greenland. But their navigation has terminated at a confiderable distance from the pole; and it is generally fuppofed, that the greatest efforts of human industry can never furmount the barriers, with which nature feems to have encircled thofe regions. But a true philofopher will never defpair of making farther advances. Every attempt for this purpose is laudable, and may be attended with no inconfiderable advantage with refpect to navigation and geography. There is a spacious field for investigation. A very confiderable part of our hemisphere is yet unknown. We may still fay with Seneca, · Venient annis fecula feris, quibus oceanus Pateat tellus, Tiphyfque novos Sen. Med. v. 374. • Seneca adds: Nec fit terris Our author, having occasion to mention Thule, supposes it to be Ireland; and endeavours to fupport his opinion by a paffage in Statius, Sylv. v. 317. But this notion is utterly inconfiftent with the account, which is given of Thule, and of Iërne, Juverna, or Hibernia, by Strabo, Pliny, Mela, Solinus, Dionyfius, and other Greek and Roman writers. Some take Thule to be Iceland, and others Schetland. From the fabulous and contradictory accounts of the ancients, it is probable, that this famous ifland was with them a fort of poetical region, or a terra incognita, like the Infula Atlantica of Plato. Not Notwithstanding our modern discoveries, which have amply verified this remarkable prediction, many more will certainly be made by future navigators, of which we have at present no idea. And an accident may bring us to the knowlege of what could never be fuggefted by arguments à priori. The ingenious author of these tracts appears to be a zealous advocate for profecuting our geographical researches, efpecially towards the north pole. Among other general reafons, which he produces in favour of his opinion, that the polar feas are navigable, or not covered with perpetual ice, he mentions the following: Nothing has been fuppofed to fhew more ftrongly the wisdom of a beneficent Creator, than that every part of this globe, fhould (taking the year throughout) have an equal proportion of the fun's light. 'It is admitted, that the equatorial parts have rather too much heat for the comfort of the inhabitants, and those within the polar circles too little; but as we know that the tropical limits are peopled, it should seem, that the two polar circles are equally deftined for the fame purpose; or, if not for the benefit of man, at least for the fuftinence of certain animals. The largest of thefe, in the whole scale of creation, is the whale, which, though a fish, cannot live long under water, without occafionally raising its head into another element, for the purpose of respiration *: most other fish alfo occafionally approach the furface of the water. If the ice therefore extends from N. lat. 80 to the pole †, all the intermediate fpace is denied to the Spitzbergen whales, as well perhaps as to other fish: and is that glorious luminary, the fun, to fhine in vain for half the year upon ten degrees of latitude round each of the poles, without contributing either to animal life or vegetation? For neither can take place upon this dreary expanfe of ice. I beg leave also to rely much on the neceffity of the ice's yielding to the conftant reciprocation of the tides; becaufe no fea was ever known to be frozen but the Black Sea, and some small parts of the Baltic; neither of which have any tides; at the fame time, that the waters of both contain much less falt, than thofe of other feas, from the great * Sometimes the ice is fixed, where there are but few whales feen; for underneath the ice they cannot breathe Martens's Voyage to Spitzbergen. The limits of the voyage towards the North Pole, performed by captain Phipps, now lord Mulgrave, in 1773, if we rightly recollect, were 80° 48'. |