A RAPID GLANCE AT FRENCH LITERATURE. 363 



Paroles d'tm croyant de Lamennais. — The bold priest with his brilliant 

 rhetoric, his ready, mendacious sophistry, displays in the region of thought 

 as much extravagance and impetuosity as he did at an earlier period of 

 his life in the real world. We can merely allude to the destructive and 

 sanguinary dogma of Lamennais's diatribe, Royer — CoUard, speaking 

 of the "Paroles d'un croyant," observed, " c'est du Babeuf prechepar 

 Isa'ie."* 



Les Hirondelles, par AlpJi. Esquiros. — A collection of poems. The 

 Parisian journals assure us that Alph. Esquiros possesses talent — that he 

 is a genuine poet ; but the ** Revue de Paris" warns him from putting 

 into rhyme the articles of the National and the Courier. 



De la Revolmion en Europe, par M. Laurentie. — Monsieur Laurentie was 

 formerly principal writer of the Quotidienne, in which his political 

 polemics were much more violent than they appear in this pamphlet, 

 whose object it is to reconcile parties. Who would have dreamt to behold 

 Laurentie a mediator — his articles in the Quotidienne led to no such 

 supposition. Quand le diahle devient vieu^, il sefait hermite. Perhaps he is 

 influenced by envy in seeing Lamennais taking the lead. With regard to 

 the latter, he now holds forth in favour of republicanism, seeing he cannot 

 establish a liberal theocracy ; he is, in fact, Robespierre clad in a monk*s 

 habit. Certainly this priest displays a singular talent for composition — a 

 powerful fancy lights up and burns within his sallow cranium, furrowed 

 and withered at the same time with intellectual and sensual irregularities. 



Elie Tobias — histoire allemande de 1516, par Chabot de Bouin. — A 

 modest, unassuming novel — no shedding of blood — none of the incest 

 horrors of the modern French school disgrace this production. The 

 hero is a Jew, who is at first induced to sacrifice his love to his religion, 

 but who at last prefers his inamorata to his creed. The story derives 

 importance from an assurance that it rests on a fact, which occurred 

 between a princess of Wirtemberg and a Jew. 



Clotilde par Madame de Thelusson. — A production as modest as the pre- 

 ceding one. It is an artless delineation of a true and natural love, 

 according to French notions, treated with that importance which the fair 

 sex never fail to bestow on it. The following is the story which possesses 

 the merit of some invention, and is worked up with skill and feeling. 

 Clotilda, a beautiful woman, with a highly noble and sensitive heart, was 

 married in her youth to a man considerably older than herself. He 

 becomes deranged — Clotilda withdraws into retirement. Here she 

 devotes herself exclusively to letters ; her fancy becomes inflamed with 

 a glowing passion for un Jiomme de lettres, whose works have excited great 

 attention. They meet, and the alliance is formed. But fate — inscruta- 

 ble — irresistible fate knocks at the door of the happy lovers; the 

 husband recovers his senses — Clotilda dies. 



This story reminds us of a true event, which occurred sometime ago 

 in the rue St. Lazare. A marrie.d woman fell in love with a youth not 

 more than half her age ; — ten years the adulterous intercourse had lasted, 

 when the father insisted on the connexion being broken, and that his 

 son should marry. A liaison de convenance is soon found — the day of 

 marriage approaches, but on the very eve of it the bodies of the young 

 man and his paramour are found in the Seine, locked in each other's 

 arms, ha vie ressemble plus souvent a un roman, qu 'un roman neressemble 

 h la vie. 



* Meaning the eloquence of Isaiah preaching religion in the style of the most 

 bloody of the revolutionists. We perceive with pleasure that the forthcoming 

 number of the "Quarterly Review" promises an article on this extraordinary 

 book. Justice will no doubt be done to it. 



