180G."j jRetrospeSiive View of Hijloincal IVrilers. 



S25 



folomn ftillneCs of the fnrrounding fcene- 

 ry, combine with ancicat romance to 

 impart an awt'ul grandeur to this retired 

 I'pot. On the illand of Schwanau, the 

 hirgeft of the two, are the ruins of an old 

 caitie beloiiging to abaililVj who, amongft 

 other exceifes, Itule a young girl froia 

 Art, and facriticed her to Iiis kilt ; after 

 which, being puil'ued by the girl's bro- 

 thers, iie throw himfelf into the lake. 

 Tl:e Schwyt7crs took the caftle, and, de- 

 (Iroying it all except osie tower, built a 

 hermitage in its place, which has fcarccly 

 ever wanted an inhabitant. '1 lie lall 

 l)crinit, an old man of eiglily, died a (liort 

 lime before the revolution, and was bu-^ 

 ricd in the chapel belon<iing to the her- 

 mitage. His fucceffor was foon weary of 

 fcclulion, and entered aaain into the bu- 

 fy world. The French found the iiiand 

 uninhabited, and the chapel enjpty ; but, 

 fancying that great trcafures were buried 

 there, they dug up and turned every 

 tiling over and over, not even I'pariug the 

 gra\ e of the late hermit. Proving un- 

 iliccefsful in their fcarch, they were en-r 

 raged at their difappointnient, and de- 

 ftroyed whatever came in their way, 

 dadiijig tJie pictures of the ciiapel in 

 jjieces, breaking open the hermitage, 

 contaminating it with hlth, and carrying 

 uway the cover from the lliigle mifcrable 

 inattrefs there remaining. The hermitage 

 is now inhaijited by a peafant, vvitii his 

 A'ife and two children, v\ho, after having 

 loll their honfe by fire, and all their ct- 

 fects by plunder, except one fiiiglc bed, 

 fousht an aiylum in tins (ijlitary abode. 



Tiie i'ccond iiiand, which is dill liiiall- 

 er, had, in like manner, it? hermit's cell 

 and its hermit, who lias difappearcd for 

 fome years. It was formerly a cliff 

 wiithout earth, tliat h-.is been gradually 

 coiivcite<l, by art and labour, into a ha- 

 bitable fpot, capable of bearing a vine 

 and fruit-trees. It is at prcfent in no 

 better condition than Schwanau, having 

 experienced fimilar depredations. 



Ilcrc eiuiod my cxcurliou from Lu- 

 cerne into the Alps. After having tra- 

 verfed for an hour the beautiful coun- 

 try leading from Schwitz to Brunnen, I 

 fmbarked on the Lake of the Four Can- 

 tons for this city. Tliis lake, nine 

 leagues in length, and elevated 1320 

 fiet above the fea, is franipcd by nature 

 with an nfpect both fublime ami terrific, 

 that renders it at the fame tiuie pictu- 

 rtltpie and romantic. During tin; revo- 

 liition its waters trembled with the thun- 

 der of tiie liuiiile cannon, its banks were 

 ^luuiincd with the dailies of coall-j«,ra- 



tion, and its whole neighbourhood re- 

 ibunded with the cries and groans of the 

 wretched inhabitants perifliing from fa- 

 mine and the fword. Brunnen, where 

 the three cantons of Schwitz, IJri, and 

 tfndcrwalden, formerly fworc to a perpe-? 

 tual alliance, v.as twice pillaged, and the 

 lall time in a tireadful manner that beg- 

 gars all defcription. II.- 



For the Aloutlilij Mai'fizine. 



OBSERVATIONS O/l //iC WKITIXGS of nts-^ 



TORi.ws of' all ACES aiuf countries, 

 chiefly with a view lo </(e AccuRAcy 

 of their military descriptions, and 

 their knowledge of the art of' was. 



Bl/ GENERAL ANDUEOSSI. 



A Kill AN has corrected many of 

 ' Juintus Curtius's inaccuracies, and 

 is much more perfect throughout his 

 work, us his relations are founded on— 

 notes fupplied him by the oliicers of 

 Alexander. Indeed a careful perufal of 

 this hiftory will inilriict the reader in his 

 progrefs through Alexander's various I'tra- 

 lagems of v.-ar. In a Jhort addrcfs made 

 by that hero to his army, he developes 

 the whole plan of the conqueft of Afia, 

 founded on the moll folid principles of 

 genius and art. Indeed botii of tJiefe 

 writers prefent a model to tlie world of 

 an accomplillied foldier. Alexander 

 fubdued Greece by never deferring till 

 the morrow what could be done to-day. 

 His humanity towards his wounded fol- 

 lowers, the economy of his table, and his 

 munificence in rewarding merit, g-ained 

 him the hearts of all around him. His 

 paffions never maftcrcd his realbn. The 

 fpirit of enterprize never robbed him of 

 his prudence ; while a fteady and uni- 

 form attention to difcipline enabled him 

 to vanquilh numbers. 'Viien he vvas 

 weak, lie left nothing to chance ; when 

 fortunate, he followed up his vicioi'y. 

 After the battle of Iflus he permits Da- 

 rius to retreat ; but fo regulates his 

 plans, that, on the fucceeding battle of 

 Arbella, the king is ib hemmed in on 

 every fide, he is unable to make a iingle 

 movement. Alexander removed the idle 

 prepoflellions which had prcviouflv riif- 

 unired the countries he conquered ; he 

 refpccted tiicir cidtoms, and united thtin 

 in tlie tendereft bonds of friendfliip. 

 ]■" ven the mother and the wives of a great 

 monarch, as well as tributary nations, 

 wept on the death of the hero who had 

 dethroned their fovercign. Arrian has 

 abridged the Greek tactics with more 

 merit than is nfually afcribed to him 3 

 and although the i'ubjcdt has appeared in 

 4 mauy 



