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stantially useful, than Mrs. M's. preceding observations appear to admit ?

We have our doubts, whether the censure on Henry V. for his severity to the celebrated Lord Cobham, may not be too strongly expressed. We own that we should hesitate, before we applied the epithet of illustrious to the latter, or that of unfeeling persecutor to the former personage. That Lord C. possessed the qualities of a hero, we shall not dispute; and that he was devoted to what he conceived to be religious truth, cannot be questioned: but that he did honour to his cause, by the meekness of his spirit, or the gentleness of his demeanour, is by no means so clear; nor, of course, is it certain, that deficiencies in these respects might not have had their share in alienating the affections of a monarch, who, till then, had entertained for him a very particular regard. If we remember right, Lord C. offered to maintain his principles, by single combat with any who should accuse him and we believe it also to be stated, that he defended himself, as long as he was able, against those who were sent to apprehend him. We are ready to make every allowance for the times in which he lived: but surely, it is not from such questionable confessors, that Religion derives its glory.

We shall add only one more observation. Mrs. M. in mentioning The Arabian Tales, has remarked, that we learn from them," what was the specific religion of the people" whom they describe;" how much they made religion enter into the ordinary concerns of life; and how observant, characters professing religion were, of its peculiarities and its worship." This, Mrs. M. thinks, is a merit, which might justly be wished for," in some of the novels of a country nearer home." With the sentiments of the author in these remarks, we sincerely accord. But we beg leave to ask, whether the prominent appearance, which the Mahometan religion makes in the compositions referred to, may not be the necessary consequence of its low, ceremonial character? A religion of this kind, necessarily shews itself in common life; because it prescribes rules for so many common actions:-and there is nothing in vice, however gross, to keep such a religion at a distance; as ceremonial observances have, at all times, been intermingled with the most immoral conduct. We do not, therefore, literally concur in Mrs. M's. wish, respecting the novels of our country. It is indeed our earnest desire, to see the Spirit of our Divine Religion transposed into every species of useful writing; and we lament sincerely, that this has very rarely taken place: yet, still, we feel satisfaction in the thought, that our religion is such as must be introduced in the spirit of it, or not at all. This is our glory as Christians;

and

A novel,

and it is still more especially so, as Protestants. describing the actions of Roman Catholics, might have references to religion, where an English novel could have none;because the religion of Rome has in it so much of ceremonial observance, and of course, so inuch that admits of being intermingled with a life of profligacy. Genuine Christianity, on the contrary, can never be made to blend either with vice or folly so long, therefore, as either of these evils prevails in any description of human manners, that very prevalence implies, by a happy necessity of nature, a corresponding absence of our pure and undefiled religion.

We take leave of Mrs. M.'s work with sincere wishes, that, even before it shall please God to remove her to a state of final reward, she may have the happiness of seeing, not only a distinguished individual, but a whole nation, the better, for her wise and pious labours.

Art. VI. Original Anecdotes of Frederic the Second, King of Prussia, and of his Family, his Court, his Ministers, his Academies, and his Literary Friends; collected during a familiar intercourse of Twenty Years with that Prince. Translated from the French of Dieudonné Thiebault, Professor of Belles Lettres in the Royal Academy of Berlin. 2 vols. 8vo. pp. above 1000. London. Johnson. price 16s. 1805.

ALTHOUGH the character of Frederic the Second was not, in our opinion, such as to entitle him to the epithet of "Great," yet we have always done him the justice to distinguish him as a genius of no common rank, and a monarch of no ordinary description. In the work before us, we have the observations of a man of understanding, who, while sufficiently favourable to his patron, professes to record events as they occurred, without restraint or partiality. M. T. even affirms, that he often suppressed, by his respectful silence, the sarcastic sallies of the king on religious subjects; and that he never was required to deny that faith, which very few who were intimate with the Royal Infidel could steadfastly maintain. He also presumes, that by his prudent firmness he preserved the king's good opinion, which others who were abundantly more compliant lost, by the very means which they employed to secure it. We believe this is no uncommon event: the dignified reserve of a man of integrity, holds in check many a reprobate; and is ultimately more beneficial to himself, as well as more favourable to his principles, than the temporizing acquiescence of a servile parasite, whose flattery may please for the moment, but, on reflection, must excite disgust.

Mr. T. does not mean to present us with a History of the prince whose character he depicts: but he offers a variety

of anecdotes which are extremely amusing, and interesting. Having been at times, in the habit of daily conversing with the king, and being always sent for, when his majesty came to Berlin, he had opportunities of knowing some things, personally, and of acquiring information concerning others, from the very best sources. He divides his work into parts and chapters, wherein he describes Frederic in his ordinary conversation, in his literary studies, in his youth, in his domestic life, in his old age and death the family of Prussia, the court, the travellers, and the ambassadors. He then adverts to the government, civil, and military, of this sovereign; to his finances; his generals; his academy, schools, and friends, literary and philosophical. Though we cannot say, that every thing comprised in these volumes is new to us; yet we find many things viewed more closely than travellers in general have had opportunities of doing. There is also an air of good sense and integrity accompanying the whole, which inclines us to think favourably of Frederic's judgment in selecting M. T. as a familiar companion of his leisure hours. Our author resided twenty years at Berlin; was received into the best company there, and was, in fact, regarded as a naturalized Prussian. He afterwards returned to France, his native country, where he published those Recollections which compose the substance of the present work.

We shall not more particularly analyse these volumes: but, as some of the anecdotes afford instruction as well as amusement, we shall offer a selection of them to our readers.

M. T. admits that the king was of a suspicious temper; which he sometimes indulged to an unreasonable degree. In his own family, he suspected his brothers, and punished them as if they had been guilty of faults; when, in fact, they ought to have been commended. He was jealous of his officers, because he knew he had corrupted the officers of rival powers: and he was perpetually mistrustful of the intentions of other sovereigns; the principles of which mistrust rankled in his own bosom. Although his vigilance was extreme; yet he was more than once deceived. He carried his contempt of personal liberty so far, as to enlist by force, as common soldiers, strangers passing through his dominions, though not military men; and they who were once enlisted, had no other way to escape than by counterfeiting death or deadly diseases. During war he used the talents of those who offered their services; and rewarded them at the return of peace by expulsion; because they were not noble. Yet Frederic had friends, who admired his talents: he was jocose, frank and affable: he was intentionally just, and often actually so, long after the parties to whom justice was due, had relinquished the expectation of it. He had also more sympathy in his composition, than the world attributed to him;

and

and he was free, in M. T.'s opinion, from those enormities which have been laid to his charge. He certainly left his country in a state, very different from that in which he found it. He augmented and consolidated the Prussian power, as well in its interior management, as in its exterior relations; to a degree which it has seldom fallen to the lot of any one sovereign to accomplish.

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• Frederic,' says M. T. divided his books into two classes, for study or for amusement. The second class, which was infinitely the most numerous; he read only once: the first was considerably less extensive, and was composed of books (which) he wished to study and have recourse to from time to time during his life; these he took down one after the other, in the order in which they stood, except when he wanted to verify, cite, or imitate, some passage. He had five libraries, all exactly alike, and containing the same books, ranged in the same order; one at Potsdam, a second at Sans Souci, a third at Berlin, a fourth at Charlottenburg, and a fifth at Breslaw. On removing to either of these places, he had only to make a note of the part of his subject at which he left off, to pursue it without interruption on his arrival.'....' Frederic knew very little of Latin, and not a word of Greek.' Vol. i. p. 80.

The king set the example to his subjects, by planting a prodigious number of the choicest wall-fruit trees, all exposed to a south aspect, in his gardens at Sans Souci. This kind of luxury proved extremely useful to the country, since it was the means of introducing, both at Potsdam and Berlin, and in the adjacent country, a cultivation both pleasing and salutary in its nature, and which was previously unknown in those climates, the principal productions of which were turnips, cabbages, and potatoes.' Vol. i. p. 137.

'It is related of William the Second, the nephew of Frederic, when prince, that he had his horse killed under him by a cannon shot, as he was galloping after his uncle. The king happening to turn his head, saw the prince and his horse fall into a sort of ditch, and exclaimed, still galloping, “Ah, the Prince of Prussia is killed! somebody take off the bridle and saddle of his horse.' Vol. i. p. 210.

Nevertheless the king was not void of feeling on all occasions: his sympathy with his dying friend Jordan, does him honour; as does also his subsequent regard to the interests of Jordan's family. The following anecdote is equally to his praise.

Frederic composed an eulogium on Prince Henry, second brother to the hereditary prince: it was to be read in a public sitting of the Academy, and he desired M. Thiebault to be the reader of it. The king designing to interest and instruct M. T. proposed to read it over to him: bút- -when he had got to the second or third page, his voice faultered, and his eyes filled with tears; he could not proceed without stopping, and he often had recourse to his handkerchief. But in vain he wiped his eyes, and coughed or spit; all his endeavours did not carry him to the end of the fourth page, before his eyes, gushing with tears, could no longer see, and his voice, suffocated and extinct. could no longer pronounce a word: at length, yielding to the sobs he found it impossible to

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repress, he held out the manuscript to me without being able to utter a syllable.' Vol, 1. p. 47.

The intimacy between the King of Prussia and Voltaire, may be thought to have had no inconsiderable influence on later - events, of the most calamitous kind to Europe. It began in raptures, but ended in acrimony:-the friendship of infidels! In Vol. ii. p. 448, we have a collision between the saving plan of Voltaire, and the frugal system of Frederic. The Philosopher stipulated that he should receive in compensation for his company at Berlin,

The chamberlain's key, and the cross of the order of merit; the ordinary appointments of a minister of state, about 20,000 livers per ann. apartments in the palace, a seat at the reyal table, wood for fuel, two candles per day, and so many pounds of sugur, coffee, tea, and chocolate, per month. M. de Voltaire had soon occasion to be dissatisfied with the commodities thus furnished him; the articles were extremely bad of their kind. He complained to the king; yet the evil continued : and he complained a second time, to no effect; the king affected to treat the matter jocosely, thought such trifles beueath a philosopher, and directed the discourse to other subjects.' ... From this time the practice of Voltaire was to sell the candles allowed him in parcels of twelve pounds each, just as he received them; and, as a supply for himself, he every evening made a point of leaving the king's apartment on some pretext, when he never failed to take one of the candles from the table, which he as constantly left in his own apartment, and which, had the question been brought forward, might be truly denominated his sugar and his coffee.'

Mr. T. considers this as the first cause of umbrage between these consociates; but, unless the king's mind had conceived some ideas which abated his admiration of his guest, it is hardly credible that the royal purveyors would have ventured to treat with disrespect "the man whom the king delighted to honour."

It appears that Voltaire and Frederic separated without reluctance the former sent off part of his effects; and, when ready to set out, he went to Potzdam, to take leave of the king. The latter was at the parade, when he was informed, "Sire, here is M, de Voltaire, who is come to receive the orders of your Majesty." The king, turning towards him, said, "Well, M. de Voltaire, you are then determined to leave us." "Sire, some necessary affairs, and above all my health, compel me to this measure."-" I wish you, Sir, a pleasant journey," This was all the regrets of these philosophical intimates.

Voltaire had habitually kept in his possession, a large quarto volume, in MS. containing the king's poetical productions: which he forgot to return, when he quitted Berlin; and the king, to recover it, was under the necessity of sending an order to his Chargè d'Affaires, at Frankfort, directing him to cause Voltaire

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