• The fast-mentioned circumftances gave birth to a fuppofition that Hercules was more celebrated for science than for valour, and that he was a great Philofopher. But this mistake was pardonable on account of that obscurity in which the history of this hero was involved.

If the Romans celebrated the feast of Hercules a little after the fummer folitice, the Sabines in like manner kept it in the fame month, the fifth of June. It was undoubtedly the fame with other

nations.

This celebration of this Divinity appropriated to that feason, affords a new proof that the fun in his full force in the fign of Leo, was the genuine Hercules who triumphed over fuch formidable: Beings, and whofe courfe nothing could obstruct.'

With regard to THE FIRST LABOUR OF HERCULES, the CON QUEST OF THE NEMEAN LION, our Author obferves that the Lion tamed was an emblem of the earth cultivated, and answered to the toils of the labourer.. The Ancients themselves tell us this. The tame lions that followed Rhea, fays Varro in a remarkable paffage, teach men that there is no foil which may not be fubdued and rendered ufeful.

Thus we find the car of Rhea or Cybele drawn by lions, for the fame reason. It is true, it is fometimes drawn by tigers; but the reafon our Author affigns for this is, in our opinion, puerile and unworthy of him:-He fays it is to reprefent the different colours of the earth, more variegated than the fkin of the tiger.

This firft labour, then, alludes to the first labours of the hufbandman, thofe rude and toilfome labours which alone can bring the earth into a state of cultivation.

Our Readers must be contented with these imperfect sketches of this learned and laborious work; as our limits will not allow of further quotations.

AR T. II.

Les Loifirs du Chevalier D'Eon, &c.-The literary Amusements of the Chevalier D'Eon de Beaumont, late Minifter Plenipotentiary from the Court of France, on divers important Subjects during his Refidence in England. 8vo. 14 Vols. Amfterdam: 1774. Sold by Becket, &c. in London.

O

F the first and fecond of thefe volumes, which were published a few years ago, we have already taken fome curfory notice; [See Rev. vol. xliii. p. 237.] but this large and important collection of what may be called National Materials, deferves a more ferious and more respectful attention. A man of letters, spirit, and taste, a man of political fagacity and courtly knowledge, converfant in the negociations, and the interefts of Princes, even though he were difqualified for the latter by a foul too ingenuous for low intrigue, muft yet be extremely

extremely entertaining, extremely interefting, and inftructive in the clafet.

This copious publication may therefore be confidered as a kind of library of the knowledge of the modern world.

The first volume contains a defcription of Poland, and historical inquiries concerning the Province of Alface.

The fecond is a review of the kingdom of Naples and Sicily.

The third contains a chronological abridgment of the records of the Old Teftament, and a compendium of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

The fourth confifts of observations general and particular on Commerce, obfervations on Commerce and Navigation in general, reflections on the means of obtaining a knowledge of the fituation or balance of Commerce, &c. obfervations on the Roads in France, on Silks, on Public Credit, &c. &c.

The fifth is a differtation on the Laws and Commerce of Ruffia.

In the first of thefe differtations, after defcribing the barbarous and deplorable fituation of the Ruffian laws, in which a man might, without impunity, oblige his wife to put on a shift fteeped in brandy, and then fet fire to it, and let her perish in the flames, the Author proceeds to the happier era of Peter the Great:

Such, fays he, was the fituation of Ruffia when Peter the First afcended the throne. He paffed the early part of his reign in culti vating, as much as circumstances would permit, the Sciences, for which he had a natural tafte. He then travelled into foreign countries, and, on his return, he found fufficient employment in the war between his own State and the Kingdoms of Sweden and Poland.

This rupture laid him under the neceffity of attending to military bufinefs and making foldiers, and to this he applied himself altogether.

Well knowing that the example of a Prince is the best lesson far his fubjects, he not only attended his army in perfon, but went fo effectually about the bufinefs of regulating military difcipline, that he fubmitted to it himself. Such regulations and fuch a conduct could not but produce the happieft effects. He had foon the fatisfaction of feeing emulation diffuse itself through the Nobility, and of finding himself followed by his Nobles to thofe wars which they had formerly left to the decifion of their vaffals.

It is matter of furprife, that in the midft of thofe establishments which required fuch a variety of attention, this creative genius did nothing towards effecting thofe changes, which he found indifpenfably neceffary in the political department, and in the adminiftration of juftice. This Monarch, who with all the qualities of the hero united the most profound policy and fagacity, though inwardly convinced, that the evils which injuftice brings upon a State are much more to be dreaded than those of the moft fanguinary war, faw with regret that he must wait for a proper time to rectify his Courts of

Juftice,

Juftice, if he would not do it at the hazard of his kingdom. After triumphing over his enemies, after enlarging his empire, after filling the world with the glory of his name and arms, this great Prince confidered himself only as in the midst of his career to that immor. tality after which he afpired; and to the title of the CONQUEROR, his firft ambition was to add that of LEGISLATOR.

In 1698, he fhewed his influence with the people by engaging them to adopt the cuftom, prevalent in other European nations, of beginning the year with the month of January, which, with them, had ufually commenced in September. But this was an inconfiderable reform. In 1711, he fhewed both his power and his wisdom more effectually by striking at the vices of legislation.

He conftituted a Senate, over which he prefided himseif, and which, in his abfence, was charged with the adminiftration both of public and private bufinefs, of which an account was to be rendered at his return. Senfible that the new difpofitions he wanted to make in this department of administration would meet with great difficulties, instead of leffening the power of the Court of Boyards, he abolished it entirely, and compofed a new tribunal of men of knowledge and integrity, on whom he could depend, without any, regard to rank or birth, which had been the objects of all his Predeceffors.

After the year 1714 excellent laws were established through all the departments of government, among which were feveral that he had either written or dictated himself; particularly on the administration of justice, on military difcipline, and the education of youth.

• Whatever defects he found in the Oulogeny, whilft he was defirous at once to put an end to diforder, he allowed it all its rights by premifing that the conftitution of his Predeceffors, or the arrets of Sovereign Courts, which had fince intervened, deserved to be attended to no farther than they were conformable to the original code published by Alexis. This was the ready way to abolish all the abuses which arbitrary power might introduce into the Courts of Justice. He declared for a new edition of the Oulogeny, in which the fubfequent decifions of cafes fhould be annexed to each article to make a more complete code, at least one that should ferve as a rule, till time would permit the obvious defects to be rectified. This work was accomplished in 1720, but remained in M. S under the title of Swodnoe Oulogenie, or the Concordance of the Laws.

• As he had too much penetration to be ignorant that the compilation of a Code, fuch as he wished it to be, required a good deal of time, and the affiftance of men converfant in the practice of the laws to attend the execution of it, he availed himself of the interval which the difpofitions he had taken allowed, to publish divers ordinances relative to the great end he propofed to accomplish.

He inftituted the Office of Attorney General, and appointed him four Affiftants for the business of government; alfo a certain number of fubordinate officers of the fame denomination, to be fettled in the feveral governments and even in the towns. Thefe had orders to lodge informations of all crimes and mifdemeanors that might hap pen in their department, either contrary to the laws, or prejudicial to the State.

• He

• He regulated the fucceflions of families, and as he had much at heart their prefervation, he made ufe of the means which he had feen practifed in England, to keep his Nobility in their genuine luftre and purity. He ordained that the real estates of the deceased parents should not be divided in equal portions among their children, but that they should defcend to one of the fons, or, in default of fuch, to one of the daughters: leaving to the father or the mother, or the furvivor of thefe, the right of chufing, among the boys, if there were more than one, or among the daughters, if there were no fons, him or her whom they fhould think proper to appoint the heir. And, if the parents died without making thefe difpofitions, the right of feniority regulated the inheritance.

This Ordinance had another end, which was to oblige the younger fons, or those who were not called to the fucceffion, to devote themselves entirely to the military life, or to make their for tunes by applying themselves to politics or commerce. Afterwards, by the regulation of the fale of eftates, it is faid that the younger children, or those who were excluded from fucceffion, could not purchafe their family-eftates, till after a limited time of military fervice, and that thofe who had indolently refused to bear arms, could never be admitted.

To perpetuate the great families, he ordained that when the laft heir male fhould be without iffue, he might convey his fortune to a perfon of the other fex, provided he were of the fame family, but on condition that the husband fhould take upon him the name of the family, from which the eftate defcended, that it might not be extinct. We have feen feveral inftances in the branches of Golowkin, Romandanowsky, Balck, Polet, and others. There was reafon to foresee that this meafure would produce the effect the great Monarch had promised himself. But that general liberty which parents had of chufing their fucceffors indifferently, occafioned, afterwards, fuch confufion and cabals, that the Empress Ann was perfuaded in the year 1731 to put the order of fucceffion on the ancient footing.

The Ordinance which Peter I. caused to be published the 24th of December 17.14 against the corruption of the Judges, is one, of thofe that merit the highest attention. The different Conflitations made after the publication of the Oulogeny had opened to the Judges a large field for the gratification of their avarice: And this evil, fo dangerous to the State, had gained imperceptibly on all manner of bufinefs, infomuch that the greatest part of it was tranfacted entirely by the fpirit of Party, and it was well known that juftice would be knocked down to the best bidder. The Prince, defirous to ftrike at the root of a cuftom at once fo fcandalous and fo pernicious, forbade the Judges and all others who were in any official capacity to take the leaft confideration from the client on any pretext whatever: he likewife forbade the client to attempt to corrupt the Judge, and the pains and penalties on the perfon convicted either of giving or receiving a bribe, were death and confiícation of goods. The Judges were to content themselves with the emoluments which the Prince had been pleased to annex to their appointments; and that none of thofe, who came of courfe and as their turn to the Judicial Offices, might excufe himself through ignorance of that regulation, it was

ordained

ordained that no person should be admitted to any Place in a Court of Judicature, who had not figned that Ordinance with his own hand. In 1716 he took new precautions against this abuse, by forbidding the Judges to determine any affair in their own chambers, requiring that every thing of this kind fhould be tranfacted in the Courts of Judicature publicly, and in the presence of thofe who compofed

them.

Peter comprehended every thing in his plan, and nothing efcaped his attention. It would be endless to specify all the edicts he published within the fpace of feven years, on the detention of criminals, on the means of taking highway men, on the measures to be taken with those who were accused of the crime of lefe Majefty, on peculation, on the manner of announcing in full Senate the Idiots of either fex, who were declared incapable of fucceffion or contracting marriage, on compulfory marriages of children and fervants, and on the attention to be paid by the Judges to the reformation of criminal juftice.

• All these edicts fhewed how zealous the Monarch was to have the administration of juftice in his dominions conformed to the plan of other European Nations; but as thefe various regulations ferved only to pave the way to the great object he propofed, I pass them flightly over to see him march with hafty fteps, poffibly too ardent for the purpose, towards its execution.

In the year 1718, Peter being, after the matureft reflections, determined to adopt the model of the Swedish Government in preference to others, ordered a collection to be made at Stockholm of all the regulations and all the edicts, which he thought might be of any fervice to him. For the ancient Courts of Justice, which they called Pirakes, he fubftituted Colleges, which he diftinguifhed by the names of those several affairs, whereof they had the refpective cognizance; for inftance, the College of Foreign Affairs, of War, of the Admiralty, of the Finances, of Juftice, of Commerce, of Mines and Manufactures, to which he afterwards added the Exchequer, the Synod, and the Magiftracy.

He determined what cafes fhould belong to the department of each College, afcertained the number of Members of which each fhould be compofed; and for fear the new Judges fhould pass the bounds of the authority repofed in them, he published what was called a general regulation, which entered minutely into the duties of their respective charges.

More than this, he fent feveral perfons of credit into Germany, and to other European Courts, in order to engage men of learning and abilities, whom they fhould find worthy of filling Places in thefe new Colleges; and he allowed the Swedish prisoners who were in his dominions to be Candidates, provided they understood the language of the country.

It was an object with this wonderful man to have in Place a mixture of ftrangers and natives; perfuaded that the latter by modelling themselves upon the former, would acquire the civility and intelligence which they wanted, and that the others, by conforming themfelves to the customs of the country, would fall habitually into the character and idea of Citizens.

• To

1