402 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



Ah ! if it be pofllble for one fingle man to con- 

 ftitute, on this earth, the hope of the Human 

 Race, that Man is a King of France. He reigns 



over 



plating the probable fuccefs and influence of a good Book, his 

 own produélion ; nay, I can make allowance for a good Catho- 

 lic, exalting a Saint upon Earth into an Interceflbr in Heaven : 

 But who can forbear fmiling, or rather weeping, at the airy vi- 

 fions of a returning golden age, on the very eve of an explofion 

 of the age of iron, clothed in every circumftance of horror ? Who 

 but muft be kindled into indignation, at feeing genius degraded 

 into a fervile minifter, of fulfome adulation, to the vileft of wo- 

 men ? Who but muft deride the pretenfions fo frequently ad- 

 vanced, by the wife and by the unwife, and as frequently expofed, 

 to the gift of predicting future events. 



In Latin, the fame word, Vates^ denotes both Poet and Pro- 

 phet ; and the two charaders are by no means incompatible. 

 Our Author is no mean Poet, he is a firft-rate Naturalift, he is 

 an eloquent Writer, and, what is above all, he is a good and efti- 

 mable Man ; but events have demonftrated, that he is but a 

 wretched Prophet, A few fnort years have fcattered his fond 

 prognoftics " into air, thin air." He makes it one of the glo- 

 ries of the reign of Louis XVI. that he " fupported the opprelîèd 

 *« Americans." Whatever political fagacity might have dic- 

 tated, or predided, at the time, refpeéling his interference in the 

 difpute between Great-Britain and her American Colonies, the 

 ifTue lias demonftrated, that this interference was injudicious and 

 impolitic, as far as he v>'as perfonally concerned. The fupport 

 which he gave to opprcjfcd America, laid an accumulated weight 

 on opprcj/ed Yrdiwcc, and precipitated that Revolution, which, by 

 progreffive fteps, abridged his power, annihilated his fplendor, 

 hurled him from his throne, fubjecled his neck to the axe, and 



blafted 



