OR

A REVIEW

OF THE

MOST STRIKING AND IMPORTANT
EVENTS, CHARACTERS, SITUATIONS,

AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES,

· A la vérité ce n'est ici qu'un fragment, mais dans les travaux les plus achevés des hommes
il n'y a que des fragments. L'histoire d'un roi-n'est qu'un fragment de celle de sa dynastie,
celle de sa dynastie de celle de son royaume, celle de son royaume de celle du genre humain ;
qui n'est elle-même qu’un fragment de celle des êtres qui habitent le globe, dont l'histoire uni-
verselle ne serait après tout qu'un bien petit chapitre de l'histoire des astres innombrables qui
roulent sur nos têtes à des distances qu'on ne peut assigner. St Pierre.

BY HESTER LYNCH PIOZZI.

WITH A PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

London:
PRINTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY.

1801.

PREF A C E.

If the Rambler is right when he says, “ That no man

“ever obtains more from his most zealous endea“ vours, than a painful conviction of his own defects,” how strongly must that conviction press upon her mind, who having collected all these facts together, presents them as an object of Retrospection to the Publick. Of those who turn them over, how different, how numerous will be the censures! while each expects his favourite hero, his best-remembered incident to be dilated and brought forward ;--instead of which others perhaps appear, and take the lead.

Different observers attach to every object, different degrees of importance. Taking a country-walk one day in a remote province, the steward advised speedy removal of an ugly stag-horned tree. “Oh!” cried out a gentleman in company who was taking views_" pray spare

" the