summer, they took their seats in court. At ten o'clock the beadle entered the court, and announced the hour, and they retired to dine. After dinner, they returned to their seats; at six o'clock, the business of the courts was closed; the rest of the day was devoted to their families, and literary pursuits were their only relaxation." "To feel," says the Abbé Gédoyn, in one of his entertaining memoirs, "that magistrates were, in those days, more addicted, than they are in our times, to professional and literary studies, it is sufficient to compare the state of Paris at that time with its present state. At the time we speak of, the police of Paris was very bad; the city was ill built, and had not half either of the houses or the inhabitants which it now contains. The streets were ill laid out, excessively dirty, never lighted, and therefore, after dusk, very unsafe. The only public spectacles were vulgar farces, after which the populace, ran with avidity, but which all decent persons avoided. Their meals were very frugal; there was nothing in them to attract company; the fortunes of individuals were small, and parsimony was the only means of increasing them. A coach of any kind was hardly seen; persons of high rank walked on foot, in galôches, or in small boots, which, when they paid a visit of ceremony, they left in the antichamber, and resumed when they quitted it. The magistrates rode on mules when they went to the courts of justice or returned from them. It followed that, when a magistrate, after the sittings of the court, returned to his family, he had little temptation to stir again from home. His library was necessarily his sole resource; his books, his only company. Speaking generally, he had studied hard at college; and had acquired there a taste for literature which never forsook him. To this austere and retired life we owe the Chancellor de l'Hôpital, the President de Thou, Pasquier, Loisel, the Pithous, and many other ornaments of the magistracy. These days are passed; and they are passed because the dissipation of Paris is extreme. Is a young man of family now destined for the law? Before he attains his 16th year, a charge is obtained for him, and he sports a chariot. With such facilities of going and coming, what a a wish must there be to be in every place where pleasure calls! Consider only the time given, even by persons of decent habits of life, to music, and the opera! What a subtraction it is from that portion of time, which the magistrates of old gave to professional study and literature !"'

Of the important office finally attained by M. de l' Hôpital, it is remarked:

The rank of chancellor was in France, as it is in England, the highest dignity to which a subject could attain; but in the nature of those offices, as they were finally constituted in the two kingdoms, there is a considerable distinction. In both, the chancellor is the first dignitary of the state; the guardian of his majesty's conscience, and generally has the custody of the great seal. In addition to which, the chancellor in England is, in right of the king, visitor of all hospitals and colleges in the king's foundation, is patron of all the king's livings under a certain yearly value, is general guardian of all

X 4

infants

infants and lunatics, and has the general superintendence of all the charitable foundations in the kingdom. Several of these important functions belong, in some manner, to the chancellor of France; but over all these, the chancellor of England exercises, in a judicial capacity, a vast and extensive jurisdiction in the court of chancery, partly as a court of common law, but principally as a court of equity. The chancellor of France had no such exclusive court; but he had the universal superintendence over all that related to the administration of justice in the kingdom."

The religious troubles in France had just begun when De l'Hôpital was appointed to this high office; and he had to contend with all the influence and vehemence of the Princes of Guise, who were the declared enemies of the Protestants, and even wished to introduce the Inquisition. The admirable contrast afforded by the Chancellor's conduct gives Mr. Butler occasion to enter (pp. 28, 29, 30.) into an exposition of the true principles of toleration. This virtuous and intelligent magistrate laboured likewise at that most desirable object, a simplification of the method of administering justice. In France, previously to the late Revolution, the situation of Judge was hereditary in many cases, and in others attainable by purchase. When the king established a new court of justice, he regularly fixed the number of Judges, and the specific sums to be paid by them for their respective offices: on compliance with which, a grant was made out to the parties by letters under the great seal, and the offices continued hereditary in the families of the grantees until they chose to dispose of it by sale. It is fair, at the same time, to add that considerable care was taken to ascertain that the person admitted to purchase should be properly qualified for the discharge of the duties of Judge.

Sometimes the Chancellor himself examined the persons appointed offices, on their competency. "One day," says Brantôme, "I called on M. Le Chancelier de l'Hôpital, with Mareschal Strozzi, who was among his favourites, and he invited us to dine. For our dinner he gave us an excellent bouillie, and nothing more; but his conversation was excellent; fine words, fine sentences in abundance, and now and then a gentle joke. After dinner, a couple of counsellors just chosen into their offices were announced; he ordered them in, and, without desiring them to sit down, called for the code, and questioned the two gentlemen, who were trembling all the while as a leaf, on different articles in it. Their answers did not shew much knowledge; and he gave them such a lecture! Though the young est of them was fifty years old, he sent them back to their studies. Strozzi and I stood by the fire-side highly diverted with the scene, and particularly with the rueful countenances of the two magistrates; they had all the appearance of men going to be hanged. At length the Chancellor packed them off with a frown; and assured them that he would inform the king how ignorant they were, and would see

that

that their charges should be given to others. As soon as they were Sout of hearing, he told us they were two great asses; and that it was against conscience that the king should name such persons for Judges. We suggested to him that the game which he had offered them was too strong for their palates. Far from it, said the Chancellor; I questioned them on no point, on which a tyro in the law should not be fully informed."'

Another curious circumstance in the administration of justice in France, and one which still continues, is the admission of the suitors to a personal interview with the Judge at the house of the latter, for the avowed purpose of urging their claims. As females perform so prominent a part in matters of business in France, they are said to figure very conspicuously on these occasions also: but the whole, we are assured, is of little avail, the French Judges bearing in general a fair character, and finding means to decide according to their conviction, without any other modification than an assumption of ceremonious politeness, little adapted, we confess, to the character of a Judge, and with which they would have no occasion to trouble themselves, were the business conducted as it is in England.

2

After a few more observations on the improvements which M. de l' Hôpital was desirous of introducing, Mr. Butler proceeds to mention that, tired at last by the continued opposition of the house of Guise, he withdrew from office in 1568, and died in 1573. He was suspected of being in his heart a Protestant: but he was regular in the observance of the Catholic forms of worship, and his friends insisted that the charge of protestantism was alleged merely to render him obnoxious at court. His death not having taken place till several months after the fatal day of St. Bartholomew, he experienced the most severe affliction at that event; and in a letter, written soon after it to a friend, he made use of the emphatic words, I have lived too long."

سلني

A

ART. XII. English Synonyms discriminated, by W. Taylor, Jun. of Norwich. Crown 8vo. pp. 294. 68. Boards. Pople. SHORT historical notice of various publications on synonyms, in different languages, introduces this volume. În former ages, Latin was the only language which in this respect engaged the attention of philologists: but, a century ago, the Abbé Girard set the example of applying habits of critical discrimination to his native tongue. His work, as Mr. Taylor observes, is executed with elegance, sagacity, and perspicuity; and it is only to be regretted that he did not deem it necessary to analyze the causes of his results, or to state them with a re ference to historical etymology. He relied too much on cur

rent

rent usage; so that his successor Roubaud, › who draws his conclusions from etymological data, particularly in the Latin language, is now consulted as a superior authority. In French, Italian, or Spanish, the task of discriminating is much facilitated by an accurate knowlege of Latin: but our own language requires a wider range of previous study, the Saxon forming a very material part of its structure. In this particular, considerable assistance may be derived from a knowlege of modern German; and from the study of the works of some philologists of that country, who have lately applied to the explanation of synonymous words those habits of care and attention which have so much benefited other departments of science. alorrek

Mr. Taylor has consequently found, in an acquaintance with German literature, the means of essentially facilitating the task of discriminating English words of kindred signification. Without laying claim to the merit of novelty in the greater portion of his work, he has brought forwards a sufficient share of original matter, and of perspicuous reasoning, to satisfy us that he has here provided a very useful manual for those who aim at speaking and writing their own language with accuracy; and we can readily illustrate this remark by a few instances.

Synonymous. Homonymous.

Words allied in signification are called synonymous, words allied in name only are called homonymous: synonym (from v and ova) meaning a fellow-name, and homonym (from μos and Ovo meaning a same name. In Latin, the words taurus, bull, and bos, ox, are synonyms; but the words Taurus, a mountain so called, and taurus, a bull, are homonyms. In English, the words lead-pigs and plumbeous ingots are synonymous; but lead-pigs and lead pigs (in the sense guide swine') are homonymous. Synonyms busy the ingenuity of the grammarian; homonyms, of the punster.'

ahrow Surprized. Astonished. Amazed. Confounded.

I am surprised at what is unexpected; I am astonished by what is striking; I am amazed in what is incomprehensible; I am confounded with what is embarrassing.

Surprised means overtaken, astonished means thunderstruck ; amazed means lost in a labyrinth; and confounded means melted together. For want of bearing in mind the original signification of these words, our writers frequently annex improper prepositions, such as are inconsistent with the metaphor employed'

Entertaining. Diverting.

A

That is entertaining which keeps up mirth between us; that is diverting which turns aside our attention. I am entertained by the conversation within; I am diverted by the bustle in the street. well-placed anecdote entertains; a pun diverts. An entertaining man is a correct companion; a diverting man is often a troublesome das no doam

one

one. Preparations are made to entertain; that which is unexpected diverts.'

Custom. Habit. Fashion. Usage.

Custom is a frequent repetition of the same act; habit is the effect of such repetition: fashion is the custom of numbers usage is the habit of numbers.

It is a good custom to rise early; this will produce a habit of so doing; and the example of a distinguished family may do much toward reviving the fashion, if not toward re-establishing the usage. Suere, apparently, means to dwell, to go under the same roof consuetudo, (whence custom) is therefore a common path, the way of the house, as as we analogously say. Habit means dress; fashion the cut of dress. Usage comes from utor, uti, to use, an abstract verb, of which the sensible idea is indecent.

Customary, habitual, fashionable, usual, are the appertaining adjectives; but fashionable is impurely formed, and ought to mean able to be fashioned: fashiony would be more analogous.'

A cure is the effect of a remedy: the one describes a beneficial constitutional change in the body, and the other the drug, application, or process which brought on the change.

These words would not require explaining, had not Dr. Trusler mis-stated their application; yet their derivation would justify some confusion in their use; for cura, care, is an efficacious remedy; and remedy, the thing curing, has acquired an abstract termination.'

• To observe. To remark.

To observe is to record with the eye, and to remark is to record with the pen; the one requires patient attention, (ob and servare) the other marked notice. We observe the weather-glass in order to remark the level of the quicksilver; we may remark the indications of to-day in order to observe the variation of to-morrow. It is the part of a General to observe the motions of the enemy, and to remark those of his men who distinguish themselves in battle. In old times there were more observers than remarkers; in the present state of literature there are more remarkers than observers. The statement of an individual fact is called a remark; and the statement of an inference, an observation.'

Civility. Urbanity. Politeness.

Civility is that deferential attention to others, which arises from being under civil subordination. Urbanity is that easier and less crouching deportment, which the habit of residing in cities brings on. Politeness is the still more exquisite smoothness and propriety, which is acquired by moving in the higher circles or in various nations. A man of civility is often too ceremonious, and fatigues by the affectation of useless attentions. A man of urbanity is often too free, and though he bears raillery with reciprocity, will hazard it with teazing sincerity. A man of politeness is not so courteous to his superiors as the man of civility; nor so affable to his inferiors as the man of urbanity; but he satisfies all by a behaviour, which

discri