thofe who foared too high were moft expofed to fall, and that the even tenor of fmaller duties, well performed, required as great ftrength as heroic deeds, and was attended with more peaceful and happy fruits, and that it was infinitely more eligible to obtain the esteem of men, than to be fometimes the objects of their admiration.' Good leffons! had they been reduced to practice. They, however, left profound traces in the mind of our fublime vagabond, and were certainly a prefervative against the temptations that affailed him.

He now entered into the family of the Count de Gouvon, first Equerry to the Queen, and head of the illuftrious house of Solar. The fon of this nobleman, who was an Abbé, and a man of letters, raised him from the state of domeftic, in which he was for fome time, to a better rank, or, at leaft, treated him as one in whom he might one day place confidence and employ in a reputable fphere. He taught him Latin, more or lefs (for Rouffeau never made any confiderable proficiency in that language), was pleafed with his capacity and genius, gave him inftructions in the Belles Lettres, and particularly in Italian literature, in which our difciple made a great progrefs. Every thing in this new fituation had the most promifing afpect with refpect to his future fortune: he was esteemed in the family univerfally, was looked upon as a young man of whom the highest expectations might be entertained, and was defigned to be employed as a perfon of capacity and confidence, under fuch of the branches of that noble Houfe as might be promoted to embaffies or minifterial departments. But (fays he) these profpects were too folid for my head, which was always running after uncommon adventures: they required a long fubjection, and the plan appeared to me tedious and infipid, as I faw no woman concerned in it. That is the very circumstance that ought to have recommended it, if I had not been destitute of common fenfe.' In the mean time, what happened? A comical fellow from Geneva called Bacle, fell in his way at Turin, and amufed him with his buffoonery and lively humour. He contracted fuch an attachment for this merry companion, that he refolved to break all his prefent connections, and to fet off with him from Turin, for, he knew not where. Accordingly, he neglected his duty, his profpects, and his benefactors, got himself turned out of doors, and after having wandered from place to place with this vagabond, during fix weeks, he returned with fear, and almoft with defpair, to the house of Mrs. Warens at Annecy, for whom he had ftill retained a tender affection, and of whom (as he had faid at parting from her) he confidered himself as the pupil, the friend, if not the lover.The lover, certainly, in the whole extent of that term. The paradoxical refinements of this paffion in his brain, its ferment

ation in the reft of his frame, the manner of living of this Dulcinea, with a thousand trifling incidents, which are circumftantially related (that nothing, forfooth, which can contribute to make this important perfonage, our Author, known may be concealed from the public) occupy a confiderable number of pages.

Mrs. Warens formed fchemes for placing Rouffeau, who was now advanced in his 19th year. A relation of hers, M. D'Aubonne, a man of parts and enterprize, who paffed through Annecy in his way to Turin, examined the young man at her request, and pronounced him fo deftitute of acquired knowledge, and fo fcantily furnished with parts and ideas, that he did not feem deftined for any thing more exalted than the curacy of a village. On this occafion Rouffeau gives an account of his intellects, which, no doubt, will furprize the Reader. By this account it appears, that he was as flow in thinking as he was quick and lively in feeling,-that he arranged his ideas with the greateft difficulty,-that he wrote with pain and labour, as the innumerable blots and corrections in his manufcripts, and the neceffity he was under of tranfcribing them four or five times, before they went to the prefs, abundantly teftify,—that the formation of a fingle period fometimes coft him three or four nights-that he could never attain to the quick facility and readiness which are effential to the epiftolary ftile, and that all his writings were carried on and finifhed by dint of labour, flowly and painfully. Who will believe this who knows that bold thought and ftrong feeling force expreffion, nay force it rapidly? But our Author, it seems, was a fingular man, and unlike any other individual of his fpecies; and to perfuade us of this (which is his favourite idea, his hobby horfe), we really believe that he fometimes tells fibs, without knowing it.

Mrs Warens difappears for fome time: fome fecret views car, - ried her fuddenly to Paris. During her abfence Rouffeau wandered about from place to place, teaching mufic, of which, as yet, he knew very little, to gain a fubfiftence, that was fcarcely fuch as kept him above sharp indigence. In the environs of Laufanne he met with a Greek bifhop, who was making a collection for the reftoration of the holy fepulchre. The prelate and our Author took a liking to each other, and our adventurer thus became affiftant and interpreter to the archmandrite of Jerufalem. He would probably have visited the Holy Land, had not the Marquis of Bonac, the French ambaffador at Soleure, perfuaded him to renounce this new employment, and taken him into his houfe with a view to provide for him. Our pilgrim remained, however, but a fhort time with the Marquis, who, perhaps, on perceiving his impatience and romantick caft of mind, was fatisfied to get rid of him.

This

he

he effected by recommending him to an old Swifs Colonel at Paris, who fought a tutor for his nephew. This plan did not fucceed; fo that after many attempts to find a fubfiftence, he returned back to his dear Mrs. Warens, who was now fettled at Chamberry, and there, by her means, he obtained the place of one of the writers or fecretaries, to a commiffion which the King of Sardinia had appointed for furveying and taxing the lands. In this employment he applied himself to the study of arithmetic and geometry, and feveral occafions were prefented of improving his mufical knowledge. In fhort, mufic became his paffion, and after having laboured two years in his fcribbling vocation, which was infipid and even difguiting by its circumftances, he refigned it, and became mufic mafter at Chamberry. This change he had no reason to repent of his income was rather increafed than diminished by his new vocation, which, befides, introduced him into the belt company, where he was well received. Here he spent near eight years in mufic, and the ftudy of modern philofophy, and in the most intimate connexion with Mrs. Warens, from which, however, he made digreffions that did little honour to his pretended delicacy of fentiment. At length a coldness took place between them, which ended in his removal to Lyons, where, by the recommendation of this lady, he was appointed tutor to the children of M. de Mably.- Here the confeffions end; they go no farther than Rouffeau's 30th year, and are terminated by an obfcure fentence, which infinuates, that there is fome reafon for carrying them no farther. mory (fays he) is handed down to pofterity, it known what I had farther to fay, and why I lence.'

6

If my mewill then be now keep fi

We shall give fome extracts from the walks and reveries in a fucceeding Review-and a farther account of this extraordinary

man.

AR T. VIII.

Cofmographie Elémentaire divifée en parties Aftronomique et Geographique, &c.-The Elements of Cofmography, Aftronomical, and Geographical, in which the principal Truths, in the Theory of Aftronomy, are made intelligible to thofe who are unacquainted with Mathematics. With Plates and Maps. Dedicated to the Duke d'Angouleme, by M. Mentelle, Hiftoriographer to the Count d'Artois, and Member of the Academy of Sciences and Belles Lettres, in Rouen. Svo. 75. fewed. Paris, 1782. Imported by Becket.

THE HE judicious and ufeful elementary work here offered to the public is divided into two parts. In the first part, which treats of aftronomy, the Author relates briefly, but with

much

much clearness, the principal phænomena of the folar fyftem and fixed ftars; explains the laws of gravitation, and, as far as was practicable, without introducing mathematical demonftrations or calculations, draws a diftinct outline of the Newtonian theory. To this the Author has added a brief historical view of the progrefs of aftronomical knowledge, and a defcription of fome of the most useful aftronomical inftruments. The method is clear, the language is plain and perfpicuous,—and the treatise, on the whole, as a general popular view of aftronomy, has great merit. The geographical part of the work is drawn up with concifenefs, and includes only what is properly elementary in this branch of fcience. This book may be made ufe of with great advantage, where the object is, to obtain a general idea of aftronomy and geography, without entering into the fcientific labours of the fchools.

ART. IX.

Lettres de Quelques Juifs Portugais, Allemand et Polonois à M. de Voltaire.-Letters of certain Portuguefe, German, and Polish Jews, to M. de Voltaire. With a fhort Commentary, extracted from a greater. The 5th Edition revifed, corrected, and much enlarged. In 3 Volumes. Svo. Paris. 1781.

S we have formerly taken notice of this work, written by the ingenious Abbé Gueneè, we now only mention it to inform our Readers, that in the prefent edition it appears with many material corrections and editions; particularly a further juftification of Mofes and the Jewish law, against the cenfures of Voltaire, in his Old Man of Caucafus.

ART. X.

Hiftoire Philofophique et Politique des Eftabliffemens et du Commerce des Europeans dans les deux Indes. Par Guillaume-Thomas Raynal. 8vo. 10 Vols. Geneva. 1781. Sold by T. Becket, London.

HIS great work, which has engaged fo general an attention throughout Europe, and which, amidft the different opinions which men of different religions or political principles have formed concerning its doctrines, is univerfally acknowledged to be the production of an eminent mafter, is now brought to a conclufion. In this edition, confifting of ten volumes, the two laft are new. In the ninth volume, the Author treats of the original fettlement and prefent ftate of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

See Review, Vol. XLI. p. 562.

2

This

volume

volume likewife contains a general view of the natural history of North Ameria, with reflections on its prefent ftate with refpect to population, manners and commerce. These reflections introduce a feries of obfervations on the prefent interefting contest between Great Britain and America, of which, as a feparate work, an English tranflation has been given, under the title of, The Revolution of America, printed for L. Davis: a publication which we have already noticed, with fome intimation of a fufpicion, which then feemed to us well-grounded, but which now appears to have been taken up without fufficient foundation. To this volume are prefixed the following tables: The ftate of the French fisheries in Newfoundland, &c. The imports and exports between Great Britain and her Colonies, from 1697 to 1773: The trade of North-America with the WeftIndies, Africa, Great Britain, and the Continent of Europe, for the year 1769; and a general table of the shipping of NorthAmerica for the fame year. This laft table contains fuch useful information, that we fhall lay it before our Readers.