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HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF FRENCH LITERATURE. 



HISTORY. And, fecondly, A cone^ account of 



" TTISTOIREdesGauIoiSjdepuisleur -all imporsant events. 



JLlL crigmejufq'.ra !eur melange avtc Out of thefe labours lias arifen the pre- 



les Fiancs, ct jufqu'aa Coninitncemtnt de fent hiftoiy, and he has cariied it dowa 



la Monarchic Frar-^ii'ei fuivie de Details to the epoch ot the eftablifhmeat of tlie 



lor le Ciin\3t de la Gaule, fur la Nature .:!e monarchy, and (he entire and complete 



fcs Produai.r.u, fur le Caraa^ve de fes mixture of the Fianks with the G.uils, 



Habitans, ieurs Moejrs, Ictir Gouvfrne- under Ciovis. 



ment, Icur Religion, les Sciences et les The work itfelf is divided into two 



Alts qu'ils out cultives," &c.— The pares : the firft contains hiftorical events 



Hiftory of the Gauls, from their Ori0n from the eailiefb perioHs until the conclii- 



to their Mixture 'vith tlie Franks, &c. By fion of the leign of Ciovis, the Prince 



M. PiCOT, Prof.fl:.r of Hliory and Sta- jull aliuded to. The fecond comprehends 



tiiticks in ihs City of Geneva. 3 vols, a Ifatiitical account of ancient Gaul, the 



Svo. government, cuftoms, rtiigion, and na'u- 



The hiftory of France is very obfcure ra\ produftions of the country, trgethir 

 until the time of Ci-.arlemagne. What with the ftite of its acquifi;ions of all 

 we know of the preceding reigns has been kinds; in fiiort no hing is omitted, 

 tranlrn'ttcd by a few ignorant and ine- If we are to give full credit to M. Pi- 

 refled monks, and therefore merits but cot, the ancient Gauls undertook memo- 

 iitrle confidence. On ^fcending three rable expeditions i^Uo Spain, England, 

 hundred years higher, we difciiver the and even Afia. We are told that 600 

 epoch when the Franks obtained pifTefli ..n years before the ChrilUan aera, and at the 

 of a part of Gaul, and contened their period when the Phocians founded Mar- 

 own name upon it. They fettled there feilles, a leader of ihs name of Sigovefius 

 becaufc that rich and cultivated country eftabliflied himfelf in the South of Italy, 

 appeared far preferable to the foil which while Bellovefi'is iubjogated the Noith, 

 gave them birth. Thty did nut deftroy v/nich thenceforth received the name of 

 The people who had fubmitted, but only Cifalpine Gaul. There he built Milan, 

 impofed chiefs upon them, and changed Coma, Verona, &c. and formed that rc- 

 their chaiafter and habits by degrees, doubtable powe- that burnt -the city of 

 Ttiey even adopted Come of their hws, and Rome and laid (iege to the capitol. 

 conformed themftlvei in many rcfpeds to On the other hand, the. Gauls eftablifn- 

 their fjcial oiganizatim. ed on the borders of the Danube extended 



If we are to give credit to the French, their conquefts to Macedonia and Greece, 



with an exception of the Hebrews and attacked the temple of Delphos, obtained 



the Greeks alone, the records of no other poiTciTion of a large traft of country, and 



natin extends fo high, nor does any peo- at length befieged and pillaged Byzan- 



ple appear to have played a greater pait tium. 



in Europe, and that too at a ti|ne when After having thus traced the progrefs of 



the Romans were not known GUI of Itsly. the conquefts and eftablifhments of the 



Unfoititnately, iiowever, rhey did not cul- Gauls in Europe and Alia, M.Picot can- 



tivate leitcrs ; we thereftre are unable to didly undertakes to purfue a fair ft itement 



learn from themfelves what was the nu- of their misfortunes. By ftiugglingwith 



ture 01 their government, and the (cries the Romans during Tome centuries, they 



of their exploits. But although deftitute were taught how to conquer them. They 



of original wriieis, the hiltoriaiis of Greece alw.iys difplayed the fame audacity, the 



and Rome have fri^quntly mentioned fame intrepidity ; but being deftitiite of a 



them, and recorded their explii's. It is fixed plan, and frtquently difunited a'nong 



by coliecfiiig and comparing their tefti- themlLlvcs, they bcc me enfeebled by 



monies, as well as by bilancing one means of their v:i£lo iis, and did not 



agairft the other, that we are enabled to learn how to profit by their advantages, 



obtain fuitable refults. The Romans, en the contrary, drew in- 



Thc author of the pref-nt work, being rtruflion from defeat ; ef^ablilhtd in the 



anxious tuobtain prtciCe ideas onttiis fub- capital of the world, under a govtfJnment 



jefl, determined to abandon the perufal of at one- free and regular, they made duty 



all the modern wnter*, anti recur to the progrefs in civilizition and the aits, and 



ancients alone. From thefe he was at the eiilured their domination by coullancy and 



piins carefully to exirafl all the paflagi-s difcipline. 



relative to the G.iuls, and to arrange tlum The Cimbri and Teutones, ihofe bar- 



W fuch a manner, as to form bnrians of the North, ravaged the coun- 



Firlt, Achrunologicalftriesj try of the Gauls, and ctrtaidy undireJ 



K 2 itif 



