that seruice, as became one of his birth and place, being a Prince of the bloud, and Peere of France: he therfore most humbly craued pardon, and that hee would pray for his Maiesties prosperous successe, which was all he could doe. Well, saith the King, Dautaut que les prieres ne seruent point sans ieusne, il faut qu'il ieusne de la pension de ses 5000 escus: Seeing prayer is not acceptable without fasting, my couzin shall hereafter fast from his pension of fiue thousand Crownes."

It is a celebrated observation of Burke's, that "the King of France should always be on horseback," and he seems to have gathered it from the contemplation of the temper and habits of Henry IV., whom Dallington very enthusiastically praises for his "valour and princely courage, such as never any of his predecessors on the throne of France could match; who, for the space of almost thirty yeares hath, as one would say, never beene unarmed, without his foote in the stirrop," &c. He, however, condemns him for his degrading familiarity, giving the two following singular instances, of the first of which he seems to have been an eye-witness.

"You saw here in Orleans, when the Italian Comedians were to play before him, how himselfe came whifling with a small wand to scowre the coast, and make place for the rascall Players (for indeed these were the worst company, and such as in their owne Countrey are out of request) you haue not seene in the Innes of Court a Hall better made: a thing, me thought, most derogatory to the Majesty of a King of France.

"And lately at Paris (as they tell vs) when the Spanish Hostages were to be entertayned, he did Vsher it in the great Chamber, as he bad done here before; and espying the Chayre not to stand well vnder the State, mended it handsomly himselfe, and then set him downe to giue them audience."

We are compelled, from deficiency of space, to pass over all that the author says of the internal government of the country, which however is least important, as comparatively few traces of it are left behind. We omit also his observations upon the nobility and clergy, and proceed to what he remarks of the great mass of the people, whose dispositions and habits have, it will be seen, remained nearly the same from that time to this. Such, indeed, is the natural course of things. Even trifling peculiarities have been preserved by them, for Stafford, in his "Niobe dissolved into a Nilus," (reviewed in our last Number) mentions the "French shrug" as a characteristic in 1611, and so it has continued. First, Dallington censures the unlicensed, talkativeness (which led him to the etymology before inserted) and idle

curiosity of the French, defects they have not yet corrected: then he adverts to their meats and cookery.

"Concerning the French diet, it is, to keepe no diet: for they feede at all times, there being among them very few, which besides their ordinary of dinner and supper, do not gouster, as they call it, and make collations, three or foure times the day, a thing as vsuall with the women as men, whome ye shall see in open streetes before their dores, eate and drinke together. No maruell therefore, though the Italian cals them the onely gourmands.

"The French fashion (as you see dayly) is to larde all meats, whose prouision ordinarily is not so plentifull as ours, nor his table so well furnished: howbeit, in banquets they farre exceed vs; for he is as friand (licourish) as the Trencher-men of Media, or Aesope the Tragedian, who spent fifteene thousand Crownes at one feast, in the toungs of Birds onely. He liueth not like the Italian, with roots chiefly and herbes."

The variety and gayness of his apparel are also censured.

"And heereof it commeth, that when ye see all other Nations paynted in the proper habit of their countrey, the French man is alwayes pictured with a paire of sheeres in his hand, to signify, that hee hath no peculiar habit of his own, nor contenteth himselfe long with the habit of any other, but according to his cappriccious humour, deuiseth daily new fashions."

This satirical representation has been given by one of our early poets, Andrew Boord, to an Englishman, and he inscribed under the figure these lines:

"I am an Englishman and naked I stand here
Musing in my minde what garment I shall weare,

For now I will weare this, and now I will weare that,
Now I will weare I cannot tell what;

All new fashions be pleasant to me

I will have them whether I thrive or thee," &c.

The Frenchman's inordinate love of dancing, and his ge neral lightness of conduct and deportment, are remarked upon at some length, as well as the inconstancy of his temper: his aptness to scoff and to turn the most sacred things into jest, (a disposition completely exemplified in the popu larity of some of Voltaire's works,) do not escape severe reprobation. The two following amusing instances, with which we must close our article, are given as proofs.

"One being very sicke, &, as was thought, in danger of death, his ghostly father comes to him with his Corpus domini, and tels him, that hearing of the extremitie wherein he was, he had

brought him his Sauiour, to comfort him before his departure. The sicke Gentleman withdrawing the Curtaine, and seeing there the fat lubberly Frier with the Oast in his hand, answereth, I know it is our Saviour; he comes to me as he went to Ierusalem, C'est vn asne qui le porte: He is carried by an Asse.

"The other Gentleman vpon like danger of sicknesse, hauing the Frier come to him to instruct him in the Faith, and after, to giue him the Oast, and then the extreme vnction (it was on a Friday) tolde him that hee must belecue, that this Corpus domini which he brought, was the very reall flesh, blood and bone of our Sauiour. Which after the sicke man had freely confessed, the Frier offered it him to receyue for his comfort. Nay, quoth the other, Vous m'excuseréz, car ie ne mange point de chair le vendredi: You shall excuse me, for I eate no flesh on Fridayes. So that yee see the French will rather lose his god, then his good iest."

J. P. C.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

ART. 12.-An Olio of Bibliographical and Literary Anecdotes and Memoranda, original and selected. By WM. DAVIS. 2d edit. London, Davis, 1817. 12mo. pp. 150. THIS work is not strictly confined to matters of bibliographical inquiry, but is extended to general literary information. We are not aware of a single fact that is new in the whole of this collection of anecdotes; but they are all of them entertaining, and some of them instructive, and will be both amusing and useful to those who are not much conversant in this sort of history. We do not quite approve the name of "The Olio," which the author has given to his publication, as it indicates rich and high seasoning in the culinary art, but in the concoction here given we have nothing but what would seem poor and meagre to palates accustomed to the best literary diet. It will be observed, that the date 1817 appears in the title-page, as if the book were intended to be published in the approaching year. Novelty is a charm of so powerful a character, that these artificial expedients are sometimes improperly resorted to, in order to retain the appearance of it.

EDUCATION.

ART. 13.-1. The Oracle, or the Friend of Youth. By the Author of "A Cup of Sweets," London, Darton, Harvey, and Darton, 1816. 18mo. pp. 122.

2. The Infant Minstrel, or Poetry for Young Minds. By various Female Writers. London, Darton, Harvey, and Darton, 1816. 18mo. pp. 106.

3. Dialogues on Curious Subjects in Natural History. London, Darton, Harvey, and Darton, 1816. Pp. 151.

18mo.

THESE are pretty little books, abounding both in instruction and entertainment. The first, called The Oracle, gives some account of a respectable old woman, who, after losses and disappointments of various kinds, with a deranged and diminished fortune, settled in a retired village; where she was largely useful to her neighbours, by the exercise of good temper and good sense, under numerous circumstances, when they applied to her for assistance; and the advice she gives on the simple transactions of rustic life, and particularly where young people are parties, affords admirable rules of conduct.

The Infant Minstrel contains a series of little stories in verse, many of them in the nature of fables. It was objected by Rousseau to the popular compositions of this kind, that the moral was frequently bad, and that they corrupted and destroyed what they were designed to cherish and preserve. No objection of that kind applies to this publication.

The illustrations of Natural History disclose in a familiar manner some facts on subjects within the reach of juvenile observation; and if they do not supply much knowledge, they are calculated to awaken a spirit of inquiry in young persons, which is perhaps all that is necessary or proper at the period of life for which they are intended.

ART. 14.-The Grandfather; or the Christmas Holidays; a Tale. By E. SANDHAM, Author of "The Twin Sisters," &c. &c. London, Bowdery and Kirby, 1816.

pp. 192.

12mo.

THIS little work is adapted to the instruction of children of eight or ten years of age, and is particularly intended to

give an insight into Grecian history. The information on this subject appears to us to be principally derived from the admirable production which has appeared in the English version under the title of the Travels of Anacharsis the Younger.

MISCELLANEOUS.

ART. 15.-The Portfolio, Political and Literary; being a General Miscellany and Collection of Original and Fugitive Productions; including Criticisms on New Works and Select Essays from the Newspapers. No. 1. London, Simpkin and Marshall, 1816. royal 8vo. pp. 24.

IN the year 1731, on the 1st of January, the Gentleman's Magazine was introduced to the public, when a principal feature of its composition was, as the title-page imported, "Select Essays from the Newspapers." This surviving parent of our English periodical publications has long since discontinued such extracts, and there was no publication in which this scheme was adopted until, at the commencement of the month, the Portfolio, Political and Literary, made its appearance. Its plan, however, is not entirely restricted to such selections. We observe from the prospectus, that it is to contain information from other sources, and a restricted portion of original matter on politics, political economy, statistics, history, chronology, biography, antiquities, and we know not how many other subjects. The articles in the number before us are judiciously chosen; and among them are, the History of Newspapers in England, Strictures on Mr. Coleridge's expected Lay Sermon, Cowper and Suicide, from a recent piece of autography, Remarks on the Office of the Lord Mayor of London, a Dissertation on English Manufactures, from a German paper; with several other interesting pieces.