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but we never heard of" whole hecatombs of Roman lives" offered up "on the feast of St Peter and St Paul." In page 17 we meet with the following passage:-" For while the classical annals of Italy, with all their vices and crimes," (the "vices and crimes" of annals!) "make a part of the established education in England, the far nobler history of the Italian republics, les siècles des merites ignorées, remains but little known," &c. It is impossible to determine whether ignorance or nonsense predominate in this passage. "The classical annals of Italy," of which Lady Morgan knows about as much as the man in the moon, do certainly "make a part of the established education in England," and we rejoice that this is the case, and pray that it may long continue so; but we should certainly insult the understandings of our readers were we to attempt to vindicate the study of the" classical annals of Italy," teaming, as they do, with great and immortal examples of patriotism and virtue, or to expose the portentous ignorance which could describe the study of the history of the puny, ferocious, and sanguinary republics of modern Italy-of the crimes of such men as Duc di Valentino and Popes Alexander and Clement-as "far nobler" than that of Nuina, of Tarquin, of Brutus, of Cæsar, of Pompey, of Augustus, or of Cicero." The length of time," says Lady Morgan, p. 82, "which Leonardo da Vinci employed

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his Supper is an anecdote too well known to dwell upon." Our readers will doubtless feel curious to know how long this learned painter was occupied in eating his supper. We blush to say that we really cannot satisfy them, but history informs us that he was several years in painting his great masterpiece of CHRIST'S LAST SUPPER. We take examples quite at random; here follows a bright one:" In this department little remains for the future traveller to glean, but living, moving, breathing Italy offers the richest harvest," &c. "Moving Italy!"-"A decree went forth," says our author, p. 155, when speaking of the Austrian government of Italy, "a decree went forth to les douaniers des pensées, to seize Voltaire on the frontiers, and stop Gibbon on the Simplon." Indeed! So these arch-infidels

have been on a recent tour in Italy! This is truly an age of wonders! We trust Lady Morgan, notwithstanding her enormous importation of French scepticism and Italian flippancy and fiction, does, after all, believe in the doctrine of the resurrection, more especially considering that so decided a proof in its favour may, in all future times, be found in her Italy, where it is recorded that the "douaniers des pensées" were commissioned to apprehend the body of Voltaire, (the soul not being cognizable by a legal warrant,) travelling (" on the frontiers" of Italy, some forty odd years after his death! But to proceed-" The Republic of Genoa has seized on JaNUS for her founder, ABRAHAM for the contemporary of her highest prosperity, and ROME as a foil to her glory," Vol. I. p. 341. As we firmly believe that nothing we can say will

act

as a foil to the glory" of this notable aggregation of words, we shall pass on, and conclude this head by a short quotation or two, without note or comment. 'Descriptive poets belong only to free countries, where royal academies cannot put down nature' de par le roi,' nor royal academicians declare her inspirations faux et ignobles," Vol. II. p. 4.-" Here stood the patrician villa, and rose the imperial palace; here Lucullus enjoyed-and Horace sung his SORACTE!" Vol. II. p. 169.-" Mutius Scavola, and his burning hand," &c. Vol. II. p. 173. At the same place we learn that Rome was founded either by the Celts or the Jews. So much for Nonsense. We proceed now to our second head, of

2. IGNORANCE. As Miladi has beplastered her pages with whole trowel-fulls of French and Italian, we shall select the first example which turns up of the former language. "A Prussian renegado was made the teacher of the army; and a source of discontent was opened, never to be dried up, by the introduction of the coup de plat de sabre," Vol. II. p. 26. We can inform ber ladyship that a Frenchman would have said, des coups DU plat de sahre." Again, in p. 30, we find "qui se vende aqua VITA. We will not insult our readers by correcting the French and the Latin of this passage. At p. 57 we meet with the following outrageous

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attack, not more characterised by the Gothic ignorance, than the malevolence which it displays, against the late amiable and learned author of the Classical Tour in Italy: "Eustace, in his commentary upon the loss of the Court and Academy of Turin to the British youth, observed, that they served as an introduction to the manners and language of Italy. This is one of many instances of his fulse, flimsy, and pompous work, of his utter ignorance of Italy, or of his PRE

MEDITATED PERVERSION OF FACTS.

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The historical and topographieal de tails, and even the classical quotations of Eustace's work, are most generally copied from Lalande's cumbrous, and, therefore, neglected Voyage en Italie.' But the projected renovation of Latin, as the common language of Europe, and the restoration of the Pope to his ancient supremacy, are all his own. The true character of this production (and it is less painful to make the assertion, as its author's ear is no longer alive either to praise or censure) is to be found in the 4th Canto of Childe Harold; and Lord Byron's long residence in Italy, and his intimate knowledge of the country, leave HIS testimony on this occasion beyond appeal." Now, on this passage, we beg leave to remark, in the first place, that "the testimony beyond appeal" is NOT that of Lord Byron, but of Mr John Cam Hobhouse, who wrote the note to which the above passage refers; and, in the second place, to accuse a clergyman of a "premediated perversion of facts," because death has put a seal on his earthly career, and his " is no longer alive either to praise or censure," and that too without one particle of evidence produced in justification of so grave a charge, is an act of wanton and unprincipled atrocity, of which we really did not, for a moment, suppose Lady Morgan capable. Mr Hobhouse's remarks were occasioned by the following passage in the Classical Tour, Vol. II. Chap. IX. p. 355, 3d edition : "Of Boccacio, the modern Petronius, we say nothing; the abuse of genius is more odious and contemptible than its absence; and it imports little where the impure remains of a licentious author are consigned to their kindred dust. For the same reason, the traveller

ear

may pass unnoticed the tomb of the malignant Aretino." Mr Hobhouse objects, first, to "evoking the shade of Boccacio, in company with that of Aretine;" and, secondly, to Mr Eustace not giving the "modern Petronius" the full benefit of his subsequent "repentance," which he thinks ought to "have arrested his exhumation;" but he, nevertheless, speaks, with the courtesy of a gentleman, of the literary merits of the amiable and intelligent author of the Classical Tour. The truth is, the Decameron of Boccacio is one of the most impure and licentious books (the NouVELLE HELOISE only excepted) extant in any language. But Boccacio is defended on two points-his style, and his repentance-for having written a book offensive to modesty. With regard to his style, there can be no question that it is excellent, and that he is the father of Tuscan prose; but it remains to be shewn that a pure style ought to be made a vehicle for the dissemination of impure thoughts and ideas. The excellence of the style is, in fact, a deep aggra vation of the author's guilt, for it tends to give currency to the poison, which otherwise might have slumber ed in happy concealment, among the moths and cobwebs of some ancient library. Boccacio and Rousseau are dangerous by the perversion of the highest gifts. Nor is it an extenuation of the offence of the former, that he repented of what he had done:for so does the felon at the gibbet. Mr Eustace would have been a dishonour and a stain to his profession had he written otherwise than he has done. At the same time, there is a very natural reason why he should have been exceedingly disagreeable both to Hobhouse and this woman. His "Antigallican Philippics necessarily rendered him obnoxious to the former, and his habitual respect for taste, decency, religion, and regular government, to the latter. But to proceed with our ungrateful task. We have already given a specimen of Lady Morgan's French. Her Italian is, if possible, worse. We find "conciliatori" used once and again in the singular number; and instead of "niente per la dogana?" which her Ladyship takes care to repeat on all occasions, she ought to have written

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“ha lei qualche cosa per la dogana?" In p. 129 we have the following words:" The canon returned in grand pontificalibus."-At p. 143, imposition foncière" is used instead of impôt foncière, or contribution foncière. Her Ladyship will permit us to inform her that these words mean the land-tax. Throughout both these quartos we constantly meet with cavaliere servante, for cavaliere servente. "Servante" means "keeping," whereas "servente" signifies" serving." We ought, certainly, to apologise for these minute, and some may think, hypercritical remarks, but they tend to show the gross and deplorable ignorance of this arrogant woman, who has spoken so bitterly, and rashly, and falsely, of the late Mr Eustace. At p. 204 we find Pavia stated as the "Insubrian Capital." Pavia was certainly one of the principal towns of the Insubres, but there cannot be a shadow of doubt that Milan (Mediolanum) was their capital. So much for Miladi's knowledge of ancient geography. The citizens of Pavia must, however, feel very grateful to the inventive genius of this Irish woman, who has baptized their "good town' with a new name-"THE INSUBRIAN ATHENS."-The next blunder which falls to be exposed is of a graver sort, as it indicates that aversion to the reception of religious truth engendered by the baleful influence of French scepticism." The first well-authenticated martyrdoms occurred only after the establishment of a paid hierarchy," p. 234. In a note upon this passage, we see the cloven foot still more distinctly: "The punishment of fanatical inroads upon the established religious worship of the country, or of tumultuary outrages against the public peace, have been falsely coloured as persecutions, by the writers on this subject; and these form nearly the whole of the well-authenticated cases of Pagan violence." This statement is utterly false, as may be shown by the authority of Tacitus himself, who was so far from being friendly to Christianity, that he describes it as "exitiabilis superstitio." If Lady Morgan can translate it, the following passage ought to call into her face a blush of shame, for having hazarded an assertion equally incompatible with a regard to truth, and a reverence for re

ligion. "Pereuntibus addita ludibria, ut ferarum tergis contecti, laniata canum interirent, aut crucibus affixi, aut flammandi, atque ubi defecisset dies, in usum nocturni luminis uterentur. HORTOS SUOS EI SPECTACULO NERO OBTULERAT, et Circense Ludicrum edebat, habitu aurigae permixtus plebi, vel curriculo insistens. Unde miseratio oriebatur, TANQUAM NON UTILITE PUBLICA, SED IN SÆVITIAM UNIUS ABSUMERENTUR." C. Corn. Tacit. Ann. Lib. XV. c. 44. This ignorant and foolish woman, who talks of the "fanatical inroads" and "tumultuary outrages" of the primitive Christians, either does not know, or wilfully suppresses, the facts admitted by Gibbon, that all they contended for was" the unalienable rights of conscience and private judgment,' and permission to decline holding " any communion with the gods of Rome and of the empire;" and that Nero, (who was universally believed, by his own subjects, to have fired Rome,) in order "to divert a suspicion," which, (as Gibbon justly res marks, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. II. p. 337. 8vo edition,)" the power of despotism was unable to suppress, resolved to substitute, IN HIS OWN PLACE, Some FICTITIOUS Criminals." So far from a shadow of guilt being attachable to the Christians at Rome,-so far from their disturbing the public peace by their " fanatical inroads" and " tumultuary outrages," we find, that even Pliny himself can discover no better ground for their punishment, than their heroic and "inflexible" adlerence to their cause. “Neque enim dubitabam,” says he, “quodcunque esset quod faterentur, pervicaciam certe et

INFLEXIBILEM OBSTINATIONEM DE

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BERE PUNIRE.' Much has been said of the tolerating genius of Polytheism, and all the world knows, that both Hume and Gibbon have exhausted their ingenuity, in extenuating the horrible crimes perpetrated by the Idolaters, against the meek and suffering Disciples of the Cross; but we appeal to every unprejudiced mind, if the spirit displayed even by the philosophical Tacitus himself throughout the whole of the chapter from which we have made the above extract, be not of the most ferocious and persecuting character. The punishments

inflicted, indeed, prove the cause from which they sprung. They do not be tray the steady, but severe policy of a great and enlightened people, but ra. ther indicate the resentful barbarity of an Oriental despot tottering on his Musnud, if, indeed, any despot ever indicted on his unhappy subjects such hideous tortures as those practised by the Roman emperors against the primitive converts to the religion of Christ.

Having said so much on this subject, we can hardly permit ourselves again to descend to matters of inferior interest and concernment. That our strictures, however, may not be supposed to be founded on passages too curiously culled" to make a show," we shall just once more turn up a volume at random. In p. 336, Vol. I. her Ladyship speaks of" QUEEN SHEBA," and in p. 339, we find "THE CANTICLES OF JOB" reckoned among the canonical books of the Old Testament. In p. 280, the concluding line of the first paragraph of " Paradise Lost,"

And justify the ways of God to men, is ascribed to Pope; and in p. 152, Vol. II. Hannibal's attack on the Romans at the lake Thrasymenus, (hodie Perugia,) is put down as one battle, while we are informed that another "fierce contest took place between the Carthagenians and the Roman forces" at Passignano. How will the reader be surprised to learn, that Passignano is on the borders of the lake Perugia, and was the identical scene of the memorable ambuscade and battle that broke the fine legions of the rash Flaminius, and shook the power of Rome! After the gross and almost incredible ignorance of history and general knowledge which we have so fully exemplified, it cannot be a matter of wonder that these volumes should set every rule of English composition at defiance. For a few glaring specimens of errors in language, for which the birch would have been most mercilessly applied to a school-boy on the first form, we refer the reader to pp. 116, Note, 128, 215, and 230, of Vol. I. and to p. 93, Vol. II. We select these from myriads of others. It is superfluous to point them out every reader will discover them for him or herself.-In

the course of our toilsome journey
through the miserable trash indited
by this woman, we have encountered
the following outlandish words, all
the legitimate offspring (we beg par-
don for employing such an anti-re-
volutionary word) of her Ladyship's
own cranium:
"Ultramontains,
"Pact,"
Corporators of times,"-
"Savagery,"-" Dominate,"-" CE-
conomies of existence,"-" Protocan-
onic,"-" Elementary explosion,"-
"Actrices,"- Adhesion to a prin-
ciple," "Fluttering infirmities,"
"(fluttering," active positum,
"Ductile dullness meandering,"
"the pis-aller of unappropriated roy-
alties,"" A church embroidered
with sculpture," Dukery,"
"Domesticity,"-" Caducity,"
"To hiccup away dominions,'
"Tuscisms,"—" Romanticism,'

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Obscurantism,' "Deserts do

minated,"-"Impudicity,"-"Lovemaking through philological varieties," &c. &c. &c. Our next head is,

3. INDECENCY. This may appear an extraordinary category under which to class the sins of" a woman's work;" yet truth compels us to speak out. Many of the passages in this book are of a kind to shame a rake of any sense and judgment, and whenever an opportunity occurs, we invariably find her Ladyship sporting her badinage, her lascivious descriptions, and double entendres with a freedom, facility, and expertness, that may startle weak nerves. We shall only produce one of the least exceptionable instances of this sort of transgressions, and refer our readers to the rest. We dare not pollute our pages with the odious stuff which this ultra-radical in petticoats disports so much, con amore.

"Wishing to visit the triumphal arch at Susa, (the first and almost the last perfect monument of antiquity to be seen in Italy till Rome is reached,) we were told that it stood in the gardens of the Gover nor, behind the fort. On ascending to its gates, we were received by a veteran, who, for a trifling douceur, admitted us within the walls, and presented us, not to the 'warder bold,' but to the Governor's seemed to hang from her smart French The keys of the fortress housekeeper. apron, and some visitants might have found that there was more peril in her eye than fifty of their swords.' There was a saucy mock humility about her, indicating one, who, though hired to serve, remained to

rule. As we returned, under her escort, from visiting the arch, we encountered the Governor, a most admirable dramatic figure, in full uniform, and powdered toupee. • Shall I present you?' said she, and, without waiting our answer, tripped up to him, continuing, Here are two Signiori, [does her Ladyship mean two gen tlemen?] who wish extremely to see your Belvedere.' The arch look with which she said this, let us into the secret of the Governor, that his belvedere was, for the present, his cheval de battaille. It was a little pavilion at the extremity of a bastion: beneath were the Pas [Quære pays] de Suze, and the vales of Piedmont; above hung the snowy Alps; and torrents fell, and streams trickled on every side. The Governor was the very epitome of the Vieille Cour. He walked with his hat off, shewed us his flower-knots, and praised the English, by whose advice and whose assistance' fortresses once more rose, and gallant governors and pretty housekeepers ruled them. Nothing could be more theatric than the whole scene. The old sentinel, with one arm, smoking his pipe, under a broken arch; an old gardener, in a faded regiinental, tying up a vine to the ramparts, were touches of high finish; for all here was old and mouldering, except the flowers and the housekeeper, who were alike misplaced amongst such objects and such imagery." Vol. I. p. 31.

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characterised.

4. IRRELIGION. In p. 3, Vol. I. the Christian church is described as "founded in sacrifices enforced by persecution, with terror for its spring, and human degradation for its object, dark, despotic, exclusive, and sanguinary, and arrogating to itself a divine origin." This is pretty distinct as to her Ladyship's creed: and though compelled to do so in our justification, we cannot but solicit the indulgence of all serious and religious persons who may take the trouble to wade through this article, for contaminating our pages with the following, the last extract which we shall produce under this head, referring merely to the pages, where further examples may

be found in abundance, by all those who desire more. devotee, who paid dearly for the pri "Meantime, some vilege, tottered under the burden of life; while another pious athlete bore an immense black Christ, larger than Vol. I. p. 249. At his leisure, the a white Christ of equal dimensions !" reader who desires further specimens, may consult the following pages of Vol. I. 23, 30, 188, 200, and 249; and of Vol. II. 86, 149, 179, 211, 274, and, except this woman, there is not, and 412. This last is quite horrible, we are convinced, another English writer that would have penned so atrocious an outrage on all religion and decency. Our very blood almost curdled to read it. But we must advance with our ungrateful examination.

5. JACOBINISM. As Lady Morgan has appropriated this epithet to herself, we need have no hesitation or deher imbecile hostility to the laws, relicacy on the subject. She boasts of ligion, and government, of her native country; eulogises the revolutionary spirit wherever it has shown itself, and with whatever crimes and atrocities it has been attended; lauds the upstart minions of the fallen military dynasty of France; abuses every thing high and pre-eminent in point of talent and rank in this country; and absolutely glories in her " Jacobinical Cranium!!" The following story we are convinced would hardly pass current in the purlieus of the Palais Royal.

iterated details that there was no feudality,

"At length, however, convinced by re

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no corvée, no gabelle, no convents, no stilettos, and no asylums; that nobles were obliged to ask permission to go to Milan; obliged to pay their debts, and were not and that nothing remained of the ancient institutions, but an heavy taxation, a military conscription, and a trammelled presshe invoked every Saint in the Calendar to witness his astonishment and indignation ; and called upon his bosom's counsellor, his better self,' Cerutti, to know what was cient structure were to be collected, how to be done, how the fragments of the anlaughed at the royal consternation; and put together, and by whom. Cerutti told the King that for about sixpence of Piedmontese money, he would build up the ancient government di bel nuovo. The sixpence advanced, the old minister hobbled off, and in less than an hour returned

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