• have it without the coherence of principles, of confequences, of proof, or of comparifon, which they had in the period, and which conftituted its prevailing character. The paffage is as follows.

• Sed ne cui veftrum mirum effe videatur me, in quæftione legi‹ tima, et in judicio publico, cum res agatur apud prætorem po• puli Romani, le&tiffimum virum, et apud feveriffimos judices, • tanto conventu hominum ac frequentiá, hoc uti genere dicendi, • quod non modo a confuetudine judiciorum, verum etiam à forenfi • fermone abhorreat; quæfo à vobis, ut in hac caufa mihi detis <bant veniam, accommodatam huic reo, vobis, quemadmodum spe

ro, non moleftam; ut me, pro fummo poeta, atque eruditiffimo • bomine dicent.m, hoc concurfu hominum literatiffimorum," hac • veftrà humanitate, hoc denique prætore exercente judicium, pa• tiamini, de ftudiis humanitatis ac literarum, paulo loqui liberius, et in ejufmodi perfona, quæ propter otium ac fiudium mi• nime in judiciis periculifque tractata eft, uti prope novo quidam et inufitats genere dicendi.

Let us try to tranflate this period without dividing it.

Mais comme l'affaire que je plaide eft une queftion de droit, une caufe publique qui eft portée au tribunal du préteur du peuple Romain, et devant les juges les plus aufleres, et que cependant j'ai deffein de la traiter d'une maniere peu conferme à l'ufage du barreau; j'ai, Meffieurs, à vous demander une grace, que vous ne pouvez me refufer, eú égard à la condition de celui que je defends, et dont j'efpere que vous ne vous repentirez pas vous-même; et c'eft, qu'ayant à parler pour un poete célébre, pour un fant, en prefence de gens de lettres, devant des juges fi pelis, et un préteur fi éclairé, vous me permettiez de m'étendre avec quelque • liberté fur le mérite des lettres; et que, comme je représente un bomme qui eft étranger dans les affaires, et qui ne connoit que • l'etude et les livres, vous trouviez bon que je m'exprimer * moi• même d'une maniere nouvelle, et qui pourra paroitre étrangere • dans le barréau. "But left it fhould appear ftrange to any "of you, that, in a queftion of law, and in a public trial "before the Prætor of the Roman people, I fhould, in de"fending a Gentleman, before the most impartial Judges, in

fo great an affize, and in fo crouded an audience, ufe this "kind of pleading, which is not only different from what is ufual in trials, but from the ftyle at the bar; I beg to be "allowed this liberty, which I hope will not be offenfive to you, and is eveh due to this Defendant, that in pleading "for a celebrated Poet, and a man of great erudition, before this very learned and polite affembly, and fo eminent a Exprimer in the infinitive must be an error of the prefs.

3

❝ Prætor

"Prætor fitting in judgment, you would allow me to enlarge fomewhat freely upon polite literature and liberal "knowlege; and that, reprefenting a man, who, by rea"fon of a ftudious and inactive life, is quite unacquainted "with dangers and judicial trials, Ifhould exprefs myself in a manner fomewhat new and unusual at the bar."

Now this French tranflation feems to have very little of the fpirit and elegance, and, in fome places, not even the sense of the original. The force of the words Ne cui veftrum mirum, is entirely loft in the verfion. It fhould be remembered, that Cicero, in the opening of this oration, expreffes his obligations to the Poet, and makes this elegant observation,— Omnes artes que ad humanitatem pertinent, habent quoddam commune Vinculum, & quafi cognatione quadam inter fe continentur. He then artfully recollects himself, as if conscious that his Judges would wonder at his expatiating into matter feemingly foreign to the caufe, and he obviates their furprize in thefe words, Sed ne cui veftrum mirum, &c. This is natural and forcible, but in the tranflation the beginning is flat and bald.

Cicero not only pays a compliment to his Judges, but to all his Auditors, in these words, "Tanto conventu hominum aç

frequentia," which in the tranflation are entirely funk.— In Cicero, the words boc uti genere dicendi," are words of reference, and relate to the liberal and unjuridical manner in which he opened his oration. But the tranflation has neither preferved the letter nor the fpirit.-Cicero acknowleges that his manner of pleading not only A forenfi Sermone abhorreat, but also a confuctudine judiciorum; which laft emphatical words are dropped in the tranflation.-Cicero begs leave to enlarge on the ftudy of polite literature, "Vobis, quemadmodum fpero, "non moleftam." Thefe words, we conceive, include a diftant compliment to his Judges, and imply that they, whom he afterwards files bomines literatiffimi, will not find fuch a fubject tirefome. But here the Tranflator has added a phrase, • Que vous ne pouvez me refufer, not to be found in the original, and has rendered the reft infipidly thus, & dont j'efpere que vous ne vous repentirez pas vous meme.'-Cicero's concluding words refer to the Genus dicendi he used in his Exordium; but what is a reference in the original, is a repetition in the tranflation; Qui pourra paroitre etrangere dans le barreau, is but an echo of peu conforme a l'ufage du barreau. Cicero was too great a mafter to be guilty of fuch a rei

teration.

Of the English tranflation we have only room to obferve, that it is much truer to the fenfe, but has, perhaps, as little

of

of the energy and elegance of the original, as the French. Of the tranflator of this French treatise in general, we must freely own, that his version is too fervile, and, by retaining the French idiom, abounds in Gallicifms and bad arrange

ments.

ACCOUNT of FOREIGN BOOKS.

Les Philofophes, Comedie en trois Actes, en vers. Reprefentée pour la première fois par les Comediens François ordinaires du Roi, le 2 May 1760. Par M. Paliffot de Montenoy, de plusieurs

Academies. Or,

The Philofophers a Comedy, in three Acts, reprefented for the first Time on the French Theatre, by the King's Company of Comedians, the 2d of May 1760. Written in Verfe by Mr. Paliffot de Montenoy, Member of several Académies. To be had of the Bookfellers in London; Price I s. 6 d.

T

HE representation of this performance hath made much noife in France; and given occafion to feveral fatirical publications, for and against the Author.

The defign of it is to ridicule, among others, the Encyclopedifts (as they are called) or the Authors of the celebrated work entitled Encyclopedie; the publication of which has been fome time fince prohibited.

The Author, in a letter addreffed to the public, by way of preface to his work, introduces his reasons for writing this comedy.

"There is an imperious fect, fays he, raifed up under the fhade of a work, the execution of which might have done honour to the age, that have taken upon them to exercise a defpotic rule over the fciences, literature, arts, and man

ners.

"Arm'd with the torch of philofophy, instead of enlightening, they have inflamed the minds of their readers: attacking at once religion, law and morality; preaching up Pyrrhonifm and liberty of fentiment, while at the fame time they are ufurping an universal tyranny over the opinions of

others.

"Not fatisfied with publishing their own notions with pride and oftentation, they have declared war with all those who

4

de

do not bow the knee to their idol. The Encyclopedia, a book which ought to have been calculated for the perufal of the whole nation, is become the fcandal of it: while from its afhes we fee profelytes arife, under the appellation of wits and free-thinkers, to infpire women and fools with the notions of anarchy and materialism..

"These new philofophers have taken upon themselves to confer fame, diftributing reputation and laurels, at their plea-` fure; to which, however, no one must pretend who is not' enrolled in their fect. In fact, they have gained fo extenfive an influence among all ranks of people, that their fuffrage prevails over a great part of the nation, who think only as they are inftructed by these their oracles. The only way. left to fubdue this powerful party is to attack them with the weapons of ridicule, and to expofe them agreeable to the. purposes for which the theatre was at firft inftituted, to public view on the stage."

Ridicule properly applied and fuccefsfully managed, is doubtless a powerful offenfive weapon: but Mr. Paliffot would have done better to have called it in as an affiftant, than to have made it the fole inftrument of offence.

Ridicule is a good fecond to reafon; and, if the Author had firft folidly confuted his adverfaries, he might have laughed at them with a better grace than he does at prefent. But thofe, who do nothing but laugh, may be certain to be laughed at in turn; and will find that the fhafts of ridicule rebound with a double force on those, who aim at objects, capable of repelling them.

It is not impoffible, alfo, that, when Mr. Palisfot tells us of the new philofophers diftributing reputations fo arbitrarily, he drops a hirt of the true caufe of the prefent attack. They may not, probably, think fo highly of the talents of this member of feveral academies as he himself conceives they deferve.

May we not say, Hinc illa lachrymæ ?

But, fuppofing the fole motive to this undertaking to have been, as the author pretends, an ardent love for the public good; it furely behoved him to be cautious, in juftifying his defign, of advancing nothing but the truth: and yet the quotation, he makes from the preliminary difcourfe of the Encyclopedia, has been fince publicly difowned by Mr. d'Alembert, Author of that Difcourfe; who denies that it is contained therein, or in any other of his writings.

With

With refpect to the piece itfelf, the defign and principal characters feem to be taken from the Learned Ladies of Moliére.-Cydalife, the mother of Rofalie, having promis'd her daughter in marriage to Damis, changes her mind, on becoming acquainted with fome impoftors, who pafs on her for philofophers, and flatter her into an extravagant opinion of her capacity. To one of thefe, who has engaged the reft to affift him in the plot, Cydalife determines to marry her daughter. By the affiduity of Damis, however, with the help of Crifpin, his valet, and Marton, Rofalie's waiting woman, the real characters of the pretended philofophers, and their defign on the perfons and fortunes of the mother and daughter, are discovered: in confequence of which they are difgraced, and Damis is rewarded with Rofalie.

We have selected the two following paffages, as a specimen of the performance.

The firft is part of the conversation between the impoftor and his man Frontin, who paffes alfo, before Cydalife, for a philofopher under the name of M. Carondas.

M. CARONDA S.

Quoi! Monfieur, l'intérêt doit feul être écouté ?

VALERE.

La Nature en a fait une néceffité.

M. CARON DAS.

J'avais quelque regret à tromper Cydalife;

Mais je vois clairement

que la chofe eft permife.

VALERE.

La Fortune t'appelle, il faut la prendre au mot.

Oui, Monfieur.

M. CARON DAS.

VALERE.

La franchise eft la vertu d'un fot.

M. CARONDAS, se disposant à le voler.

Oui, Monfieur mais toujours je fens quelque fcrupule
Que voudrait m'arreter.

M. CAR ONDAS.

Quoi! véritablement ?
VALERE.

Il s'agit d'être heureux, il n'importe comment.

M. CARON D A S.

Tout de bon.

VALER I.