J 821.] The German Sludenl, No. XIX.— Herder on Shakespeare. 109 



In this same month of September 

 died K. James II. and the immediate 

 recognition of his son by Lewis XIV. 

 as kingof (iieat Britain, excited in this 

 country such passionate resentment as 

 to render a Avar witli France highly 

 popular. A new parliament Avas con- 

 vened for the 30th Dec. (1701,) at the 

 opening of which K. William delivered 

 that celebrated speecli of which the 

 praises resounded throughout Europe. 

 " We will," said tlie commons in their 

 subsequent address, " to the utmost of 

 our power, enable your Majesty to 

 make good all those alliances your ma- 

 jesty has made or shall make, for the 

 preserving the liberties of Europe, and 

 reducing the exorbitant power of 

 France." 



At this period the dethronement of 

 the K. of Spain was not in the most 

 distant mauner alluded to by any party 

 or any individual ; nor was the restora- 

 tion of the whole Spanish monarchy to 

 the House of Austria so much as men- 

 tioned in any speech or address of either 

 house for some j^ears after the war began. 

 Indeed this rasli and unjust project, so 

 confidently, and we must in candour 

 suppose so ignorantly, attributed by 

 Mr. Hume to K.William, that great mo- 

 narcli not only never proposed as the 

 object of the Grand Alliance, but it was 

 such as in all probability he never would 

 have assented to ; an object, which, 

 after ten j'ears of victory, and an im- 

 mense expenditure of blood and trea- 

 suie, was relinquished as wholly im- 

 practicable. 



An attempt to justify the conduct 

 of Charlc'- 1, in any point of comparison, 

 by an appeal to that of K. William, is 

 an insult to truth, and even to common 

 sense. The sole aim of the former 

 was to enslave his country ; of the lat- 

 ter to rescuehis country, and eventually 

 Britain, and Europe itself froiii slavery ; 

 and whatever exists of liberty, civil or 

 religious, at this day in the world, may 

 be said, without the slightest flatteiy or 

 exaggeration, to be owing to his perse- 

 vering and lieroic exertions. It is diffi- 

 cult to conjecture what could have in- 

 duced Mr, Hume to amuse and bewil- 

 der liis readers by so laboured an apo- 

 logy for despotism ; and instead of a 

 cle^r and simple statement of facts, to 

 substitute a subtle and sophistical 

 pleading. In the present instance lie 

 does not even state intelligibly the 

 matter of accusation ; but merely says 

 in his NOTK before mentioned, " the 

 king's letter intercepted at Nascby oc- 



casioned much clamour." And/or the 

 letter he refers his readers to the text ; 

 from the tenor of which one might 

 really suppose that the king was 

 charged and chargeable only " A\'ith a 

 legitimate aflFection, avowed by the 

 laws of (lod and man, towards a woman 

 of beauty and spirit, though a papist," 

 for no other offence is specified. But 

 such is Mr. Hume's manner of writing 

 this portion at least of his history. 

 Throughout the whole work, however, 

 we may discern tlie lurking and artful 

 advocate of despotism, not indeed that 

 of Henry VIII. or Philip II. No, his 

 deau ideal of perfect government is de- 

 rived from the former part of the reign 

 of Lewis XIV. " A despotism proudly 

 arrayed in manners, gallantry, splen- 

 dour, magnificence, and even covered 

 over with the imposing robes of science 

 and literature." He can shed " a 

 generous tear" over the fate of the 

 martyred Charles and his merciless 

 ministers. Laud and Strafford ; (who 

 by the way were never suspected of 

 shedding a tear over the sufferings 

 which tliey themselves inflicted) but 

 for the fate of the martyrs of liberty, 

 of an Elliot, a Hampden, a Russel, or 

 a Sydney, he has neither sigh nor tear, 

 respect nor pity, except, indeed, for 

 their folly in sacrificing themselves for 

 the sake of the public. Such is the his- 

 toiy and such the historian, by whose 

 polished periods the sterling work of 

 the faithful and impartial, but inelegant 

 Rapin, is now superseded in the 

 fashionable world. M. M. 



» 



For the Monthly Magazine. 



THE GERMAN STUDENT. 



No. XIX. 



A FRAGMENT On SHAKESPEARE, from 



the German of HERDER, who had 

 the merit of finding the point of view 

 afterwards adopted by SCHLEGEL. 



WHEN I think on that sublime 

 image " high seated on the sum- 

 mit of a rock ! at his feet storms, tem- 

 pests, and the roaring of the sea! but 

 his head in the rays of heaven !" I think 

 on Shakespeare; with this addition, 

 however, that at the foot of his rocky 

 throne crowds are murmuring, who ex- 

 plain, excuse, condemn, adore, slander, 

 or blaspheme him, — all unheard by 

 him. 



What a library lias already been writ- 

 ten upon, for, and against him ! I 

 have no mind to incre.ise it. I would 

 wish, on the contrary, tliat, in the small 

 circle where this will be read, no one 



was 



