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MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 



HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 



Letters and Works of Lady Mary Montagu. Edited by Lord 

 WHARNCLIFFE. 3 vols. 8vo. 



IT has seldom fallen to our lot to turn over the pages of a more interesting 

 work than that before us. The letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu are so 

 well known and so universally esteemed as models of easy, elegant, and witty 

 letter- writing, that they need no word of prefatory praise from the critic of 

 to-day. Haying already stood the test of time and like good wine improved 

 by keeping, they will continue to receive tributes of admiration even from our 

 children's children. The writer of these celebrated letters lived in times and 

 among men that would of themselves impart a singular interest to any corre- 

 spondence ; but she was, besides, a being of the most extraordinary mental 

 composition. She was mistress of the most brilliant wit ; but it was tem- 

 pered with the soundest discretion : she could unite the coldness of a Cynic 

 with the voluptuousness of the beauties of southern Europe : and she proved 

 by her own case, that mad-cap vivacity is not incompatible with a wary vigi- 

 lance and acute observation of character. No letter- writer, that we know in 

 our language, displays so perfect a knowledge of the character of those to 

 whom she writes. We see the portrait of the person addressed as vividly im- 

 pressed on the letter, as if his likeness "in small" were contained with in its 

 folds. She plays with the foibles of her friends as easily as if they were 

 shuttlecocks. Nor does she forget that her learned and talented correspond- 

 ents require grave and critical remarks on what she observes, that people of 

 fashion and connected with the court desire to be enlightened respecting the 

 manners and etiquette of foreign courts : in short, for all she has a budget of 

 observations, chit-chat, advice, or literary criticism, just as the writer hits the 

 character of her correspondents. But we do not intend to confine our eulo- 

 gium to Lady Montagu's epistolary abilities. She was an able and pointed 

 satirist in print, as well as in social life ; and her ballads and light poetry 

 may be compared with the productions of our best authors. In fine, Lady 

 M. W. Montagu must be allowed to hold a very exalted station among the 

 lady- writers of England ; and we shall not perhaps be deemed extravagant in 

 placing her as respects her European education in the same rank with 

 Madame de Stael. Of Lady W. Montagu's notions of Ethics we entertain 

 no very favourable opinion. Her theory (is very latitudinarian ; and out of 

 regard to so excellent a lady, we will not say further, than that she wa con- 

 sistent in her conduct with her views of morality. Public scandal blotted her 

 fair fame during her life-time : time will not wash away the stain. 



The edition, that we now notice, contains much that has not yet met the 

 public eye ; and we may fairly pronounce it to be perfect, inasmuch as it 

 contains all that her family can bring forward to illustrate the subject. We 

 have no room at present for extracts from this nonpareil of biographies; but 

 we recommend all our readers to peruse the volumes with as little delay as 

 possible. 



Introduction to the Literature of Europe. By HENRY HALLAM. 

 VoL I. Murray. 



THIS is one of those works which education and improvement have rendered 

 necessary to the library of the Gentleman. In using this word, our readers 



