fports about Charon at the close of his life. Was this to shew, that he died a philofopher as he had lived; and could ridicule the dreams about futurity, with which others are haunted, at this trying crifis?-there was certainly fome bravado, fome parade of magnanimity, in this; as I fufpect there was, when, fpeaking of his laft illness, which was a diarrhoea of more than a year's ftanding, he fays, that, "were he to name the period of his life, which he fhould moft chufe to pafs over again, he might be tempted to point to this later period." Is this conceivable-fcire tuum nihil eft, nifi te fcire id fciat alter? is philofophy then nothing, unless exhibited oftentatiously to the public ?' We have been much entertained by this work; and, as plantations are now encouraged by premiums, we must also encourage this author to increase his grove till it attains the fize and dignity of a foreft, by the premium of our applause. Pou Rou an Hiftorical and Critical Enquiry into the Phyfiology and Pathology of Parliaments. Including a new Plan for a Conftitutional Reform, in Two Parts. 800. 45. in Boards. Stockdale. THIS HIS is a whimfical title; but we shall not follow our author, and keep the reader in anxiety for its meaning. It is the original term for the executive power in Egypt; and fuitable to his defign, fince he wishes to extend the prerogatives of majesty, in fubjection only to the laws. The treatife contains much good fenfe, and many accurate observations: there is a fanciful peculiarity in the whole, which stamps it as an original; an acuteness, and an extent of information, which renders it interefting, with too fmall a fhare of that steady judgment and accurate difcrimination which would characterize it as convincing. The author speaks of the conftitution of parliaments, their defects, and the means of removing the diseases to which they are subject. His accounts are seldom accurately true, and yet fo near the truth as to render his deductions fpecious and impofing. In every part he combats the doctrines of popular reformers; he would render the house of commons fubfervient to the peers, by allowing them to influence elections openly, while both houses are to be under the influence of the king. He admits of virtual rather than actual representation; and reprobates, with equal juftness and firmnefs, the plans of those who would allow to every individual the right of voting for their reprefentative. To do this, he endeavours to demolish the ground-work of the demagogues; to fhow that men are not by nature free, equal, or in general qualified on the smallest scale, to be their own le legiflators. It must be confeffed, that whatever becomes of the question in a general or a theoretical view, that the minds of men differ more in their qualifications than their bodies ; and that fuperiority in corporeal ftrength is at least not more uncommon than fuperiority in force, vigour, and energy of mind. If this be true, politicians may establish what they please; there must be monarchs, and there must be flaves; those who dictate, and those who are commanded. The origin of fociety he afferts to have been felf-defence, from the horrors of the inconveniencies attending natural liberty; and the first forms of government to have been monarchies. These were undoubtedly the firft forms which we find on record; and, in the most favage tribes, they are often fo in effect, if not in, appearance, from the very cause which we have pointed out, viz. the fuperiority of perfonal and mental qualifications. We believe the inftitution of an affiftant council rather to have arifen from policy than inclination: it is the jealousy which numerous competitors for the fame dignity mutually feel, that makes them join in fupporting one head. A mixed government, he thinks, and perhaps with reafon, is a refinement: a republic, unless in very fmall ftates, has often been defcribed, but feldom exifted: a pure republic is a creature of the imagination, and will probably never be realized. The origin of parliaments was the great council of the king; the noblemen, fages, and at laft the churchmen. The church, like the Scottish nobility, is at prefent only reprefented as the convocations are filent, our author would admit the clergy, to the lower-house. The firft regular writs were undoubtedly iffued in the reign of Henry III. but there are prior inftances, fome of which are noticed in this volume, of the interference of the people. The commons increased in dignity; and, while they were contented with their own place, and had not yet conceived the flattering, but pernicious idea of a popular government,' our author thinks that the British parliament had attained its perfection. It funk under the firm adminiftration of the Tudors, and the licentious tribunitian power, which our author always fpeaks of with dif approbation, almost with deteftation, forms the decline and death of that parliament, which, in his opinion, alone de ferves the name. Let us ftop and take a view of the regions we have paffed. Behold two oppofite and contrafted pictures :-fubordination, peace, industry, profperity-political frenzy, difcord, idleness, ruin. On one fide; thofe glorious parliaments that, originating as they ought from the fountain of honour, conducted the public bulinefs for a feries of reigns, and had not yet loft their diVol. LXIII. April, 1787. T ftin ftinguishing characteristic, under the princes of the house of Tudor. That magnanimous line were at once too firm to be dependent on their people, and too generous not to submit to their reasonable pretenfions. The last of that illuftrious house, though perhaps the most defpotic of all our princes; raised England to a height of glory and of happiness that has been feldom equalled, certainly never exceeded fince. Such a parliament was at once calculated to add fplendor to the throne, ftability to the government, and fecurity to the fubject. The king could not be in danger from the fteadiness of his adminiftration; the people need not be afraid while they hold the fword in their hand. Such a parliament, it is true, could not be the road to unrefpectable honour, but it could never fail of its due cnofequence, while it poffeffed the power of originating laws and the difpofal of the public money: let us take leave of it with the elogium it deferves. "Et ille quidem plenus annis abiit plenus honoribus illis etiam quos recufavit !" 'On the other fide, a parliament that profeffes itself to originate merely from the people, whofe members confider themfelves as tribunes appointed to act in oppofition to the other departments of government; however it may pretend to fupport the interefts of the people, is in fact taking the most rapid itrides to their and its own deftruction. What can be the effect of thefe republican councils, but the fame military tyranny that was formerly fo fatal to Rome and Greece? what is it but a revival of the Trojan horfe with an armed convention in its belly? "O patria! O divum domus Ilium et inclyta bello Mania Dardanidum!" But while I am expreffing my concern at the political violence of those who stand at the corner of the streets, With open mouth fwallowing a Taylor's news" I am fallen infenfibly into the practice I condemn; let us have done with this melancholy topic,-" Gods, I grow a talker!" We have selected this paffage as a fpecimen of our author's manner the reader will obferve a little too great fondness for quotations of a common kind, which break the connection, without adding to the fpirit and energy of the language in other paffages, he will obferve a little propenfity to a pun. The Samnites, he says, were supposed to be elected by a diet; and he wifely adds, that the diet must have been hard of digeftion.' The fubjects of Procruftes, he fays, found that their monarch was too tall; fo they took him fhorter by a head. Sometimes the allufions are of a better kind, and well fupported. 6 Upon the death of Charles I. the popular foundation fwelled again how much better had it ftopped before it was grown to a tympany! it continued fwelling without intermiffion till it rofe rofe into an immenfe pyramidal balloon; and that nothing might again impede its exaltation, it was charged by the aeroftats of that day with a combuftible fanatical fpirit. A political pyramid, no less than a geometrical, one however high it may be, how its bafis may be extended, muft at length terminate in a point. That sharp point the nation felt in the tyranny of Cromwell. But luckily for the nation and royal family, the point broke off before the wound Became fatal to both; the balloon burft, and the inflammable gaz evaporated.' Though the author fpeaks with fo little refpect of the licentious, reforming, tribunitian spirit; yet he seems to think that parliament wants a reform, and this spirit should be excluded from it; the copia verborum, where fo much is spoken, and fo little faid,' requires alfo an amendment: the fimple Saxon jurifprudence fhould be adopted, inftead of the complicated Norman laws, fo often added to, and so often amended. In fhort, he enquires into the ftate of parliaments in their perfection, and at prefent: the preference is given to that state. when the English conftitution fcarcely exifted, or, if in exiftence, was not developed. It was the embryo; which contained the future organs; but they formed only a fhapeless inactive mafs. This work is, however, important, if it is only to ftand at the other end of the beam, to counterbalance the wildness of modern reformers, by a wildness little inferior on the oppofite fide. In the pathological part, he ftates the real and fuppofed defects, to which he adds his plan of reform; but we have already mentioned his opinions. The boroughs are to remain ; for the influence supposed to prevail in them is effential (hear him) to the British empire. If the dignity of this order (the commercial) of fociety is then peculiarly acknowledged by the conftitution of Britain; how unjust would it be to deprive them of that franchise that is fo originally their own? yet it is allowed by Blackstone, who is, however, in general little favourable to boroughs, that the electors of citizens and burgeffes are the mercantile and trading interest of these kingdoms. What a fatal stroke would that abolition of boroughs be to fo important an intereft! and I will affert, if merchants themselves are of contrary opinion, merchants themselves are little acquainted with their own intereft. If they are left as they ought to be in full poffeffion of this intereft, they cannot employ it, unless to return to parliament either themselves or others. But though this feful order of men are justly confidered as more enlightned and refpectable than they could be in ancient Rome; yet they are not wholly free from that difqualifying erugo, that was imputed by Horace to the merchants of his day, and which is doubtless to be attributed only to a defective education. This acknowleged im 1 perfection has had, in general, the natural effect of inducing them to follow the just advice of Virgil, with which I began, "Pietate gravem ac meritis fi forte virum quem," &c. in chofing fome refpectable delegate to fupport that intereft for them in parliament, which they are incompetent to fupport fo advantageously themfelves: this is, indeed, that influence against which the tribunes fo much exclaim; but it is a juft, a natural, a neceffary, and a conftitutional influence :-shall we deftroy fuch an influence at the inftance of the tribunes? fhall we not rather strengthen it against them?' We have given pretty extenfive specimens of the opinions of this peculiar author, who wants only the affiftance of a popular name to be much attended to. We have fo often marked his peculiarity, that we have fufpected him of irony he feems to be ironical on fome occafions; but we cannot perceive that he continues long in this ftrain. If it was his defign, he has carried it on fo well as to defeat his own purpose. La Pucelle; or, the Maid of Orleans: from the French of Voltaire. 4to. 55. Faulder. IN N our Sixtieth Volume, p. 210, we examined the first Canto of this tranflation: it was published as a specimen; but, fince it experienced only a languid circulation in the dogdays, and, as the tranflator thinks, the novelty was leffened by a former verfion, it did not undergo that teft he was fo ambitious of, and pledged himself to acquiefce in.' He has, therefore, published four other Cantos of this merry poem ; and executed this part of his task alfo with great ability: he is, as ufual, lively and entertaining; diffufe and roguish. The tranflation of the additional Cantos is not, however, fo much amplified as that of the first. The tranflator, probably by fresh attention, and repeated examination, has greatly curtailed his own luxuriance. We cannot, for obvious reafons, felect indifcriminately. In the following paffage he has preserved the manner of Voltaire very fuccessfully, with very little addition. We shall subjoin the original. • The friar then his conj'ring book When advocates are hoarfe with pleading, Pro |