delivery of the articles; nor would he then have been paid, had not de L. been embroiled in fome affairs which made him defirous of hufhing up this.

The next article with which we fhall prefent our readers, will probably excite their curiosity more than any other. This is the hiftory of the man with the iron mafk, which occupies, the whole of the ninth number. No pofitive proof of who he was, has yet been obtained, though we own there is fome probability in the fuppofition here advanced, as founded on prefumptive proofs. After bringing fufficient arguments to fhow that he was not the duke of Beaufort, the duke of Monmouth, Fouquet, the fecretary of the duke of Mantua, the Armenian patriarch Avedik, who was carried off by the, jefuits, the count de Vermandois, natural fon to Louis XIV, a younger brother of Louis XIV, fon of Anne of Auftria, and cardinal Mazarin, or a twin brother of that monarch, each of whom has been afferted to have been the perfon, the editor advances, that the moft and ftrongeft probabilities are in favour of his having been an elder brother of Louis XIV. On this hypothefis the following is all we can gather of his hiftory. The duke of Buckingham, who went to France in 1625, to bring over the princeis Henrietta, wife to Charles I. openly paid great attention to the queen, Anne of Auftria, to whom his gallantry was not difpleafing. The fruit of this intrigue was a fon, born in the beginning of the year 1626. As it was well known, that the king and queen of France had long had feparate beds, the profoundeft iecrecy was ob ferved, and the child was educated in the moft private manner. Anne of Auftria died January 20, 1666. It appears, that the man with the iron mafk, was conveyed to Pignerol, previous to the year 1671, and not before 1666. Moft probably, therefore, it was foon after the death of Anne, Confided to the care of St. Mars, then governor of that place,. he appears always to have been entrusted to the fame perion, In 1686 he was transferred to the ifland of St. Marguerite, when St. Mars was promoted to that government, and it is remarkable that the prifon of the ifland of St. Marguerite was conftructed on that occafion. In 1698, St. Mars being removed to the Bastille, took his prifoner with him. Here he died, on the 19th of November, 1703. The following is an extract from the mortuary regifter of the royal and parochial church of St. Paul, at Paris. • An. 1703. Nov. 19. Marchialy, aged about forty five, died at the Baftille, and his corpfe was interred in the burying ground of this parish, the 20th of the faid month, in prefence of Mr. Rofarges, major of the Bastille, and of Mr. Reilh, furgeon-major of that place, who have figned this. Except Mr. St. Mars, Mr. Rofarges appears to be the only perfon who ever faw the prifoner.

He

In

He was major of Pignerol when the prifoner arrived there, and alfo accompanied him till he died. After his death, the floor of his apartment was taken up and burnt, with all its furniture, and the plafter was fcraped off the walls. fpeaking of this unfortunate perfon, we have called him, in conformity to cuftom, the man with the iron mafk, but many circumftances tend to show, that his mask was in fact of black velvet.

We shall conclude this article with fome account of what paffed the 14th of June, 1789. The Bastille was not taken by affault the gates were opened by the garrifon. Only one cannon was difcharged, and the garrifon made but a flight defence. They would have furrendered fooner, but the people, in their tumultuous fury, fired upon them repeatedly after they offered to deliver up the fortrefs, thus compelling the garrifon, as it were, to fire upon them in return. The story of a number of citizens being admitted within the walls, and maffacred in cold blood, we are happy to fay, is untrue. Some who had advanced with a flag of truce, were fired upon; but they had remained in an outer court, after the flag, with a party, had withdrawn, and the people had re-commenced their firing. On opening the prifon, only feven prifoners were found: all alive; no dead bodies; no skeletons; no men in chains. It is true there were fome anatomical preparations in a clofet, belonging to the furgeon, which probably gave rife to fuch reports. The prifoners were Tavernier, put into the Baftille Auguft 4, 1759: count de Salages, February 28, 1784: De Whyte, February 29, 1784: Béchade and La Roche, January 10, 1787: La Caurege, January 18, 1787: and Pujade, February 8, 1787. Of Tavernier we are only informed, that he was a natural fon of Paris-Duverney, brother to Paris-Montmartel, and that he is become infane. The count de S. was fhut up by his relations at Vincennes in 1782. De Whyte alfo came from Vincennes. The true name of Béchade is La Barte: he was accuted of forgery. La Roche, La Caurege, and Pujade, were confined as his accomplices. Amongst thefe there is not one who can poffibly be fuppofed to be the fame perfon with lord Matfarene, except De Whyte. But of him they fay; "this is the perfon who was for feveral days carried about Paris, and fhown at all the public places. He came with count de Solages, and the marquis de Sade, from Vincennes, where he had been confined we know not how long. We have never been able to discover who he was. For fome time his head has been deranged, and he has every day a new story. He was obliged to be conveyed to Charenton a few days after the taking of the Baftille. He speaks English very well, whence he is fuppofed to be an Irifh nan: we have been informed, that he is related to Mr. de Sartine."

The

The profits of this work are appropriated to the widows and orphans of the citizens who fell at the taking of the Baftille, and to the indigent who were wounded on that occafion.

3.

ART. III. Louis XIV. fa Cour & le Régent.-The Court of Lewis XIV. and the Regency. By M. Anquetil. 4 vol. 12mo. 1587 p. Paris. 1789.

THIS book contains a variety of amufing anecdotes, felected from a number of the moft celebrated French memoirs, thrown into an hiftorical order, and the chronology is obferved with great exactnefs; so that the events of each year may be viewed at once, Sometimes, indeed, this rule is not ftrictly adhered to, when the author wishes to difmifs any particular perfonage, who has played his part out, and is to appear no more on the stage; but till this deviation occafions a little confufion.

M. Anquetil has attempted, by harmonizing a number of inconfiftent, if not contradictory, accounts of the fame period, to give a familiar hiftory, or clear view of it, unobfcured by the vanity and local paffions that, probably, clouded the judgment of the individuals who wrote in the heat of action, ever placing themselves in the centre of the vortex. But any arrangement, however judicious, has its difadvantages; and this work, for example, has neither the firm fteady tone of hiftory, nor the interefting egotifm of memoirs, by endeavouring to unite two diffimilar things in the fame work.

The authors are often allowed to speak for themselves, and their names appear in the margin; but, when they are very prolix, though a reference is made to them, only the purport of the relation is given, and the compiler labours with cold precifion to reconcile contradictions, foften farcafins, and filence the hiffes of envy. But all thefe endeavours lower the fpirit of the whole, and render many animated paffages very tame; for, as is ufually the cafe, candour carried too far, flides into infipidity; and fhifting from one author to another, weakens the intereft and diffipates the graces which give a charm to memoirs, that allures the reader to follow, though the little hero may lead him a wild-goofe chace.

We will now present our readers with the author's own account of a work, which they will undoubtedly find full of information, and amufing and characteristic anecdotes.

This work is an affemblage of quotations, a kind of Cento, compofed of paffages from different authors, fo connected and adapted as to form a whole of very different parts. The expreffions quoted from the various authors are fcrupulously obferved, though they have been foftened and refined. The motive for thus preferving them was not only to give variety to the ftyle, but that the authors might be known by themfelves, and in order that fecing them thus, in their dishabille,

it

if the phrafe is allowable, every one may form a judgment of what degree of reliance they deferve."

As for our work, we will not venture to give it the name of history, because many particulars below the dignity of this title are introduced: we fhall fimply fay that it is The Court of Lewis XIV. The Regency. It is not the monarch in his army, in his councils, in his administration, it is Lewis XIV. in his private life, with his family, his minifters, and his courtiers. It is the Court, that is to fay, the portraits, the adventures, character, and manners of the men and women, who approached him: not all, for then it would have been neceffary to have portrayed all the nobility of the kingdom; but thofe only who appeared to have diftinguished themfelves from the croud by their noble qualities, or fingularities, by their profperity or misfortunes; and fometimes merely by their caprices, fallies and bon mois.

Let us do juftice to the dead, fays the judicious d'Avrigny, and reafonable people will then find nothing to be difpleafed with. But every one has his own opinion, and the reader's does not always coincide with the author's. Different judgments must then be expected, but we dare flatter our felves, at least, that no reproach is merited, on account of prejudiced partiality, or want of veracity. Those who have read all we have read, may thank us for our reflections on certain facts, as well as for our retrenchments. In fhort, we will not deny, but that there were in the times we speak of, facts applicable to the present time, for men and women are always the fame.

This work is divided into four periods, each of which forms a volume.

The first contains the brilliant days of Lewis XIV.

• The fecond, the happy time of his life juft as it was beginning to change.

The third, his misfortunes.

The fourth, the regency, with obfervations on the étiquette of the Court of Lewis XIV, his finances, and political character.'

The extracts from the Duke de Saint-Simon's memoirs, are very curious and copious-it may perhaps gratify our readers to hear in his own words, how Lewis fpent the day; indeed, in the hiftory of his private life, this account is introduced with great propriety.

At eight o'clock, the first valet de chambre in waiting, who alone flept in the king's chamber, waked him. The principal phyfician, the principal furgeon, and his nurfe, who lived to a very advanced age, entered; the latter embraced him, and the others enquired concerning his health. At a quarter paft eight the grand chamberlain was called, or if he was ablent, the first gentleman in waiting, and at the fame time the grandees entered. One of them drew back the curtains, which had been clofed again, and after prefenting the holy water, and the book of the fervice of Saint-Esprit, they all retired into the cabinet. After this fervice, which was very fhort, the king called them back again, and the fame perfon, who had prefented him with the holy water, gave him his morning gown. Then the officers of ftate, &c. entered with their difpatches, afterwards the people of confequence, and every one who had been introduced.

The

The king put on his own ftockings and fhoes, and did almost every thing for himfelf with much grace and addrefs. From an idea of decency he never appeared even in bed, or when he was indifpofed, without a little fhort wig. He never fat before a toilet, a glafs only was held before him, he always dreffed in dark colours, often in black velvet lightly embroidered, with a waiftcoat of cloth or fattin, either red or white, with a flight border of embroidery. He never wore any rings, nor even jewels, excepting the buckles of his fhoes; but his hat, was laced with gold, with a white plume of feathers. He always wore his cordon blue beneath his waiftcoat, excepting on gala days, when he wore it above, decorated with eight or ten millions of jewels; he was the only perfon who habitually concealed it, none of the court imitated him.

As foon as he was dreffed, he proftrated himself at the foot of his bed to pray to God. All the clergy, as well as the cardinal, kneeled, the laity continued standing, and the captain of the guard ftood by the bedpolt. After prayers he went into his cabinet, where all those were affeinbled whofe place it was to attend him there and there were a great number. There he gave the order for the day, fo that people. knew in lefs than half a quarter of an hour, what the king intended to do, and what they were to do themselves. Every one then went out, excepting his children, their tutors, and his most familiar friends, and foon after entered by the back door, the architects, gardeners, &c. This was the time for thefe people to ask a favor, fometimes alfo this interval was filled up with fecret audiences which were thus called to distinguish them from thofe given in the bed-chamber, which were called particular audiences.

During thefe converfations, or audiences, all the court at Versailles, waited in the gallery till the king gave them notice that he was going to mafs, then the captain of the guard entered and accompanied them to the chapel. The king never went below, but on great festivals, or on account of fome ceremony. He behaved very refpectfully at church, and towards the latter end of his life, he read a little and counted his beads. Every one was obliged to kneel at the Sanctus, and to continue fo till after the communion of the pricft. The leaft noise excited his attention, and he always expreffed his difpleafure at it. In going to and from mafs, any body spoke to him, provided they had firft fpoken to the captain of the guard, if they were not men of diftinguished rank. The minifters aflembled themfelves during the mafs in the chamber of council, where they might be feen and spoken to; but only for a fhort time, becaufe the king feldom flopped as he returned from the chapel. Then the ceremonies of the morning ended.

There was a council of flate on Sundays, and often on Monday, Tuesday the council of finances, on Wednesday the council of state, and on Saturday the council of finances again. Two very rarely occurred on the fame day, nor were any held on Thurfday or Friday, excepting on particular occafions. Once or twice in the month, there was a council of difpatches on Monday morning. The orders which the fecretary of ftate took fometime in the morning, between the time of the king's rifing, and the mafs, very much diminished the bufinefs of this council. At this council all the minifters were feated according to their rank, but at the council of difpatches every one flood whilft it lafted, except Monfieur, Monfeigneur, and the duke of Bourgoyne when they came,

3

which