an adventure which occurred to him, when a very young man, and on a journey through a part of France, with his friend Le Chevalier de la Borde. The travellers attend a wedding dinner of one of the Chevalier's friends at Montbazon. Among the different fubjects of converfation (fays Mr. Du tens) On parloit des nouvelles de la province; et un officier raconta que M. le Baron de C, Seigneur de Saint Maure, ve. noit de fe couvrir de ridicule. Il avoit, difoit on, retiré du couvent fa femme, qu'il avoit fait enfermer trois ans auparavant, pour caufe d'infidélité. Un gentilhomme de Cahors, qui fe trouvoit là, prit la parole, et dit: Vous vous trompez, je fais T'hiftoire; et la raconta avec fi peu de difference, que cela ne parut pas mériter que l'on donnât un démenti à un officier. Celui-ci ne trouva pas le commentaire plaifant; et, foit qu'il fût offenfé, ou qu'il crût devoir le paroitre, il adreffa la parole à l'homme de Cahors, et lui dit: Je vous trouve bien hardi, Monfieur, d'ofer ainfi me donner le démenti; fi j'etois prés de vous, je vous donnerois un foufflet, pour vous apprendre à vivre; et tenez-le-vous pour donné. Toute la compagnie trembla pour les fuites d'un fi rude compliment; mais le Gafcon, loin d'en paroître inquiet ou démonté, prenant un air férieux: Et moi Monfieur, dit-il, pour vous punir de votre infolence, d'ici je vous paffe mon épée au travers du corps, et tenez-vous pour mort. La fingularité de la repartie, et cette nouvelle maniêre de fe venger d'un soufflet, furprit autant qu'elle réjouit la compagnie; l'officier même entra dans la plaifanterie: on les fit embraffer l'un l'autre. Le repas fini, le Chevalier et moi fui. vîmes notre route. La nuit s'avancoit; nous fumes obligés de nous arrêter à coucher à Saint-Maure. Le gite étoit affez médiocre, et nous étions menacés de faire un mauvais fouper: fur quoi le Chevalier dit qu'il alloit envoyer favoir fi un gentil homme de fes amis étoit à Saint-Maure; ajoutant qu'en ce cas il étoit fûr qu'il feroit bien aife de nous donner à fouper: en effet, on nous fit dire qu'on feroit charmé de nous voir; et fans plus de cérémonie, nous nous rendîmes à l'invitation. Nous ne trouvâmes d'autre compagnie que le maître de la maison et fa femme; en forte que le fouper fut affez férieux, malgré la bonne humeur du Chevalier, Quand on eut defferyi, on parla de nouvelles; et moi, croyant egayer la compagnie, je racontai ce qui s'étoit paffé au diner de noces, et ne manquai pas d'appuyer fur toutes les circonftances de l'aventure du Baron de C**, et des plaifanteries que l'on avoit faites fur l'intrigue de fa femme, fur fon reffentiment contre elle, et fur la foibleffe qu'il venoit de faire voir en la retirant du couvent; mais j'avois beau vouloir ètre plaifant, perfonne e rioit, dont j'enrageois : j'allois reK k BRIT, CRIT. VOL. XXVIII. Nov. 1806. com commencer, quand je me fentis marcher fur le pied assez rude. ment; c'étoit le Chevalier qui m'avertiffoit; mais moi, fans profiter de l'avis je le priai de prendre garde, lui difant qu'il avoit penfé m'eftropier. Ne pouvant plus y tenir, il se leva, en me faifant remarquer qu'il étoit tard; et à peine fûmes-nous fortis, qu'il s'écria: Que diable avez-vous fait ? aviez-vous perdu l'efprit? L'homme chez qui vous avez foupé eft ce pauvre Baron de C**, lui-même, à qui vous avez raconté fa malheureuse aventure; et la dame qui ne rioit point, eft la propre heroine du roman. Où aviez-vous donc les yeux, pour ne pas avoir apercu tous les fignes que je vous faifois quand vous avez commencé votre conte fi mal à propos?" Vol. 1. p. 25. Mr. Dutens is of a refpectable proteftant family in France*. Excluded, as the French proteftants were, from the privi leges and advantages of fociety, his father had prepared to renounce a country where he was perfecuted, and to fix in England, where he had an opulent brother then refident in Leicester Fields. The climate, however, did not fuit him. He returned; fettled in France, married, and became the father of feven children; one of whom is the author and fubject of thefe memoirs. Mr. D. took an early opportunity of executing what his father had only projected; and quitted a country where the proteftants were treated with fo much cruelty and injuftice. He came to his uncle in Leicefter Fields; and, foon after, accepted the fituation of tutor to the fon of Mr. Wyche. The death, however, of his pupil put an end to his occupation, but not to his connection with the family; where he continued until in 1758, he accompanied, as fecretary, Mr. Mackenzie, (Lord Bute's brother) then appointed envoy-extraordinary to the court of Turin. Upon the return of Mr. Mackenzie to England, he filled the honorable fituation of Chargé d'Affaires at Turin; in which he continued until May 1762; when Lord Rivers (then Mr. George Pitt) being appointed envoy-extraordinary to that court, Mr. Dutens returned to London, to the fociety of his excellent friend Mr. Mackenzie, and to a participation of his labours, as one of the members of Lord Bute's adminiftration. He foon after accepted an offer of re-occupying his former fituation of chargé d'affaires at Turin, where he continued two years. Before he returned to England, he learnt that the kindnefs of Mr. Mackenzie had obtained for him of the Duke of Northumberland, the He calls himself in this work, Duchillou. living of Elfdon, in the diocese of Durham. He returned to take poffeffion of his benefice; and, foon after, accompanied Lord Algernon Percy, in a fhort journey through a part of France, and afterwards in the tour of Europe. He was again quietly settled in his rectory house at Elfdon, when Lord Mountftuart was appointed envoy-extraordinary to his favorite court of Turin; and notwithstanding the many refolutions which he had formed, he yielded to the invitation of the new envoy; and prepared to accompany him as his friend, but without any official fituation, except (upon the emergency of Lord Mountftuart's being called to England upon private bufinefs) his again filling for a fhort period the fituation of chargé d'affaires. Upon Lord Mount ftuart's return, Mr. Dutens appears to have quitted Turin; and, after a refidence in Lombardy and France, to have joined his friends in England. The appointment of Lord Walfingham, ambaffador to Spain, in 1786, had very nearly again involved him, as fecretary of the embaffy, in the duties of public life. Ministerial ́arrangements, however, interfered. Lord Walfingham was removed to a more defirable fituation, and Lord Auckland went to Madrid; a circumftance which left Mr. Dutens to that literary retirement and focial intercourse, which he has fince fo happily enjoyed. It was in his way through France with Lord Mountftuart, that Mr. Dutens had an opportunity of collecting fome anecdotes, which fupply a more fatisfactory explication refpecting the hiftory of the " Mafque de Fer," than the industry and ingenuity of Voltaire, and of a thousand other writers, has been able to produce. We fhall cite it from the English edition, in order to give an idea of that, as well as of the French original. "About the year 1685, the Duke of Mantua, wishing to oppofe the defigns of France, fent his prime minifter to all the courts of Italy, to engage them to form a league against their common enemy. This perfon, who was a very skilful nego. ciator, fucceeded in perfuading all the powers of Italy to enter into the views of his mafter. None remained but the Duke of Savoy, and the Mantuan minifter came to Turin to detach him from the intereft of France. The cabinet of Verfailles, on being informed of the proceedings of this minifter, gave inftructions upon the fubject to the Marquis d'Arcy, then ambaffador from France at Turin. The latter began by many civilities to the minifter of the Duke of Mantua: he invited him to many par ties; and among others to a hunt, which led them to the borders of Pignerol, a wn then belonging to France. As foon as they were upon the territories of France, fome men, who had been hired for the purpofe, carried off the Mantuan minifter, conducted him to Pignerol, and thence to the ifle of Saint Marguerite; where he remained under the care of St. Mark and Major Rofarges till 1690, when they received orders to bring him to the Baftille. For two years the world was ignorant of the fate of the Mantuan minifter; when, in 1687, there appeared in the Histoire abrégé de l'Europe, a letter written from Turin, which gave an account of the manner in which he had difappeared. But as the French ambassador had concerted his measures with fo much precaution, that it was almoft impoffible to furnish proof of this fact, it was thought prudent to deny it positively; left all fovereigns, whofe prerogatives and dignity had been thus attacked by fo manifeft a violation of the law of nations, might be incenfed against the cabinet of Versailles. "On the 19th of November, 1703, the Iron Mask died in the Bastille, and was interred next day in the burial ground of St. Paul. This we learn from the journal of Dujonca, lieutenant of the Baftille. It is proper to weigh that circumftance well with the following. It has been found by the register of the parish of St. Paul, that on the 20th of November, 1703, a man of about forty-five years of age named Marchiali, had been buried there, in the prefence of Major Rofarges, and the furgeon of the Baftille. Now Rofarges was the perfon who had kept the Iron Mask ever fince he had been conducted to the Ifle af Saint Marguerite. The name of Marchiali being Italian, increases the prefumption; and the comparison of the journal of Dujonca with the register of the parish of St. Paul, leaves us no doubt that this Marchiali was the minifter of the duke of Mantua, carried off and confined in the above manner. The court of France had too much interest in burying in the most profound filence fuch a fact as this, not to have led the public attention aftray in all the accounts relative to the Iron Mak; and in order to annihilate with one word, all the fuppofitions which have hitherto been raised to folve this hiftorical problem, I fhall only fay, that the Duke du Choifeul feveral times told me that Louis the XVth had one day faid, that he was informed of the truth of the hif tory of the Iron Mafk. The duke was very curious to penetrate the mystery, and went as far as he could to beg his majefty to reveal it to him; but the king would never fay any thing more; except that, among all the conjectures which had hitherto been made upon the fubject, there was none true. But fome time after, Madame de Pompadour having preffed the king upon the matter, he told her that the Iron Mafk was a minifter of a prince of Italy; and Madame de Pompadour mentioned this to the Duke de Choifeul. "To ftrengthen this conjecture, I will add, that the Abbé Barthélemy informed me, that being acquainted with the Marquis de de Caftellane, governor of the Ifle of Saint Marguerite, he begged him to procure what tradition might have been preserved of the Iron Mafk. Upon his return, the marquis gave him a memoir, which I have feen, written by a man of the name of 'Claudę Souchon, then seventy-nine years old; the fon of Jaques Souchon, a cadet in the independent company of Caftellane, who had been in the fecret of M. de St. Mark, relative to this fubject. Claude Souchon fays, in this memoir, that he frequently heard it faid by his father and by the Sieur Favre, chaplain to M. de St. Mark, that the prifoner kept with fo much care and mystery in the Ifle of St. Marguerite, and whom he calls the Iron Mask, was an envoy from the Empire to the court of Turin; and he relates the carrying off of that minifter, with almost all the circumftances mentioned in the letter above cited. This inferior officer confounded an envoy from the Duke of Mantua, who was a prince of the Empire, with an envoy from the Empire. He adds, that the minifter was given in charge to M. de St. Mark, near Fenestrelles: and that M. de St. Mark obliged him, under pain of death, to write to his fecretary at Turin to bring him his papers; in confequence of which, the fecretary arrived with the papers, which were fent immediately to M. de Louvois. Souchon fays befides, that the Iron Mafk died nine years after, in the Ifle of St Marguerite; and contradicts feveral affertions of Voltaire: among others the ftory of the plate and the fifherman, and that that the Iron Mask had been conducted to the Baftille by M. de St. Mark. Now if Voltaire is fo effentially mistaken, relative to the circumftances which he has affured us he had from fuch good authority, we may well call in queftion a great part of what he has added, to give an air of the marvellous to this cele. brated anecdote. "Let the reader weigh well the connection between all these teftimonies, fo diftant from each other in time and place the letter from Turin, the memoir of Souchon, the declaration of Louis the XVth, all authentic, and agreeing fo well together; and the conjecture that the Iron Mafk was no other than the prime minifter of the Duke of Mantua, becomes evidently cor rect." Part 5. Chap. 6, The third volume of the French, and the fifth of the English, contains anecdotes, felections, and critical invefligations, fome of confiderable intereft. The evidences, in oppofition to the paradoxical Warburton, that the immor tality of the foul made a part of the creed of the Jews, and the conjecture that Shem, the fon of Noah, was the fame perfonage who, afterwards, was fo diftinguifhed by the name of Melchizedech, are given with candour and ingenuity. The account of a fummer spent at Chanteloup, the country feat of the Duke of Choifeul, and many other of the anec Kk 3 dotes, |