nating with the death of Julius Cæfar. His Moral Effays are highly pleafing, and abound with obfervations which difcover uncommon genius and penetration; and his Criticisms are truly claffical and judicious. In his Remarks upon Racine's Tragedy of Alexander the Great, he fcruples not to place that elegant poet, whom he nevertheless applauds with warmth and feeling, far below the level of the great Corneille, a point at that time much contested, though the fuperiority of Corneille is at prefent univerfally acknowledged. M. de Corneille, confcious of the juftice of his own claim, and gratified by the praifes and fuffrage of fo diftinguished a judge, wrote a complimentary letter upon the occafion to M. de St. Evremond; in which, with an excufable vanity, or rather a dig nified pride, he expreffes his firm affurance, that though his reputation fuffered a temporary injuryfrom the attacks of ignorance and detraction, he should receive from pofterity complete and ample justice. "Vous m'honorez," fays this celebrated genius, "de vôtre eftime en un tems où il femble qu'il

y ait un parti fait pour ne m'en laiffer aucune, "Vous me confoléz glorieufement de la délicatesse "de nôtre fiécle, quand vous daignez m'attribuer

le bon goût de l'antiquité. Je vous avoue après "cela, que je penfe avoir quelque droit de traiter de "ridicules ces vains trophées qu'on établit fur le "débris imaginaire des miens: & de regarder avec pitié ces opiniâtres entêtements qu'on avoit pour les anciens Héros refondus a notre mode." Y 3

The

The reply of St. Evremond is not a little remarkable" Je vous puis repondre que jamais réputa"tion n'a été fi bien établie que la vôtre en Ang"leterre & en Hollande, Les Anglois affez dif"pofés naturellement à eftimer ce qui leur appar"tient renoncent à cette opinion fouvent bien

fondée, & croyent faire honneur à leur Ben "Johnfon, de le nommer Le Corneille D'Ang"leterre." Was Shakespeare, then, the boaft and glory of the Drama; the ornament, not of England only, but the pride of all nature. Was that mighty and tranfcendent genius regarded as of fo little importance, that his name was not deemed worthy even of mention upon this occafion? Was the cold, the formal, the pedantic Johnson, to be fingled out as the champion of our literary fame, to enter the lifts of genius against the illuftrious Corneille? The well known preference given by the nation in general, during a great part of the laft century to Ben Johnfon, as well as his celebrated cotemporaries, Beaumont and Fletcher, with refpect to a writer fo prodigioufly fuperior, not only to them, but to every dramatic genius which the world ever faw, is a very curious literary phænomenon. We ufually fatisfy ourselves with attributing, in a general way, this remarkable error in judgment to the depravity of the reigning tafte. But the taste and judgment of the public had certainly upon the whole made a confiderable advance to maturity fince the age of Elizabeth, when the Dramas of Shake

speare

Ipeare excited univerfal delight and admiration. Several reafons might perhaps be affigned, if this were the proper place, which would, in fome meafure, account for this temporary preference fo injurious to the reputation of Shakespeare, and fo difgraceful to the good fenfe and difcernment of the nation. As to St. Evremond, it may well be queftioned whether he had even read the works of Shakespeare at the time this letter was written. He appears, indeed, notwithstanding the compliments he occasionally pays to the English nation, to have entertained no very high idea of English literature; and it must be acknowledged that France, at this brilliant period of the reign of Louis XIV. had made far greater advances in almost every department of tafte and literature than the furrounding nations, and that England, in particular, followed her with flow and unequal fteps.

Notwithstanding the favourable reception St. Evremond met with in this kingdom, and the flattering attention paid to him by persons of the most distinguished rank, he fighed in fecret at the recollection that he was a banished man; and the great object of his life, for many years, was to obtain permission to return to his beloved country. England, during almoft the whole period of St. Evremond's refidence here, was immerfed in politics. While the great questions of Liberty and Religion agitated the nation, both of which St. Evremond regarded with cold indifference, little leifure, as well as inclination, remained for the cultivation of the fine arts, or the belles lettres ; and

Y 4

and St. Evremond, amidst the noife and fury of contending factions, languished for the ferenity, the elegance, and urbanity of Paris. At length, however, he seems to have reconciled himself, in a great measure, to the manners and difpofition of the people amongst whom he had so long refided; and when the royal permiffion was at last granted to St. Evremond, after he had long ceafed his folicitations, to end his days in his native land, he refufed with becoming dignity to accept the offered pardon. He replied to the Comte de Grammont, through the medium of whom the pardon was notified, fays M. de Maizeaux, “qu'il ❝ étoit trop vieux pour fe tranfplanter; que d'ail"leurs il aimoit mieux refter par choix à "Londres, ou il étoit connu de ce qu'il y avoit "d'honnêtes gens; où l'on étoit accoûtumé a fa "loupe & à fes cheveux blancs, à fes manieres & ‹ à son tour d'éfprit, que de retourner en France

où il avoit perdu toutes fes habitudes; ou il "feroit comme etranger, & où à peine connoî"troit-il un autre courtifan que le Comte de "Grammont, lui-même."

At this time the Revolution had taken place, and St. Evremond was high in favour with the new King, William III, whom he appears to have regarded, not very confiftently indeed with the ideas of government which occafionally emerge in his writings, with the utmost esteem and admiration. The applause he lavishes upon that great Monarch might well pafs for flattery, had he been equally prodigal of praife in the former reigns; but as his

referve

referve in that refpect, notwithftanding his perfonal obligations, is remarkable, there is little reafon to doubt, that with fome allowance for poetical and courtly embellishment, he fpake the genuine fentiments of his heart. The heroic and magnanimous qualities of that Prince, and that fucceffion of great, ufeful, and memorable actions which distinguished his life, could not fail, in the estimation of a man fo capable of difcriminating as St. Evremond, totally to eclipfe the dazzling and delufive fplendors of the character of Louis XIV. whofe "glaring orb" had now paffed its meridian height.

From the various eulogiums upon our immortal Hero, to be met with in the works of St. Evremond, I fhall felect the following, as a compliment, equelly elegant and juft-" Don Antonio "de Cordoue difoit qu'il eft difficile de trouver ❝ un grand Héros: un grand Héros, & un bon "Roi enfemble prefque impoffible: un grand Hé

66

ros, un bon Roi, & un honnête homme; c'est “ce qu'on n'avoit jamais vû, & ce qu'on ne ver roit jamais.

"Vous n'aviez pas le don de prophetię

"Quand vous fites ce jugement;

"Antonio, fi vous etiez en vie

"Vous changeriez de sentiment;

"Antonio, ces talens difperfés

"Sont dans le Roi malgre vous ramaffés

On reconnoît, fans befoin qu'on le nomme

Le grand Héros, le bon Roi, l'honnête homme,"

of