Retrospect of Domestic Literature — Biography, 635 



Montagu fling ; but after he loft him, 

 when lie was prevailed on tD touch the 

 violoncello, he was always difcoiitentcd 

 vith his own pcitbnnance, and at lail 

 fecmcd to be uiiliappy when he heard it. 

 I'he only en|oyinent he feenied to have 

 was ill Ijoo.vb, and the Ibcicty ol' a very 

 few old tViends." 



Dr. Bcattie's fuirering^ were now draw- 

 ing to a conciulion. In the beginning of 

 April, \799, he had a ftroke of pally, 

 which for eight days fo aftetted liis fpeech 

 that he could not make hiinfelf under- 

 ftood, and even forgot ibme of the aioll 

 material words of every fentence. At 

 dirteient periods after this, he had re- 

 turns. Tlic lull took place on the ;')th of 

 Oftobcr, lo0'2 : it deprived him altoge- 

 ther of the power of motion ; and he 

 continued to languilli in this melancholy 

 condition till the Iblh of Augull, 180;i, 

 when lie died, in the 68th year of his 

 age, without any paia or apparent llrug- 

 file. 



At the clofe of the work, which is ac- 

 companied by a portrait and fac-fimile 

 of Dr. Beatlie's writing, Sir William 

 Forbes has iubjoined a large appendix of 

 notes and illulLrations; tbrining altoge- 

 ther one of :he moft valuable works we 

 have ever perufed in biography. There 

 are parts alfo w-hich exhibit Sir William 

 Forbes hiinfelf in a light fcarcely iefs 

 amiable than that in which he has fliewn 

 the labours and the attions of his friend. 

 — Alas ! fince our review was written, 

 the bioirrapher is, ^limfelf, no more. 



A more eater^tainiug work than the 

 " Memoirs of' a Travt/ltr noxc in lictire- 

 mcnt,'" will not calily be found. It is 

 the Life of M. Du'jkns, or (as he calls 

 hiinfelf tlirouiihout) Ducldllou ; known 

 to the literary world, not only for the 

 variety but the merit of his publications, 

 and particularly as the collector and edi- 

 tor of Leibnitz. The memoirs them- 

 I'clves were written between the years 

 1775 and 1805. M. Dutens' family were 

 protcftaiits. His father, at an early pe- 

 riod of life, feeling hiinfelf deprived of 

 many advantages iu France on account 

 of his religion, determined to fettle in 

 England ; but found the clinmto of the 

 country fo unfavourable to his health, 

 that he was neceHitatcd to return. JL 

 Dutens himlelf, however, who was a 

 younger fon, took an early opportunity 

 of executing what his father had only 

 projected, and wiiii little reluct nice quit- 

 ted a country where every avenue to 

 fortuiii." and dillinCtion was doled aL'ainlt 

 fciiu. The liiltoiy of JtJicarli'.T yciirs we 



fliall pals over, obferving only that tlie 

 defcription of tliein is exprelled very 

 much in the manner of Le Sage. Tliejr 

 appear to have formed a lingular tili'ue 

 of adventure. On his firll arrival m 

 Eii'iland, he was recoruniended to the 

 celebrated Mr. Pitt, afterwards Earl of 

 Chatham. From private interference, 

 however, he became neglected, and went 

 back to his native country in chagrin; 

 but being recalled by letters from his 

 uncle, he was at lalt recommended as 

 private tutor to the fon of Mr. VVyche. 

 Ilis defcriptiou of hiiulelf in this por- 

 tion of the work is at ouce frank and 

 modelt. 



" It was then (he obfervcs) that, in- 

 quiring of myfelf what knowledge I had 

 to coinuuinicate to another, I llood con- 

 founded at my own ignorance. Except- 

 ing hiltory, poetry, and romance, I had 

 read notl^inii; I hud fo neglected my 

 Latin, that 1 had alinoft forgotten even 

 tliat ; and it was with this inii'erable Itock 

 of learning, that I pretended to let myfelf 

 up for a tutor, to iiiftruct the mind of a 

 young man of fortune. The fentiments 

 of honour and truth, upon which I prid- 

 ed myfelf, ahnoft induced me to avoiv 

 my incapacity ; but I was cmbrjldened 

 by the rellection, that it was not too 

 late to remedy thefe defects. I was 

 young, and had fonie talents; now was 

 the tune to employ them. I conlidcred 

 tliat my pupil was only twelve years old ; 

 thdt he was not in a Hate to deteA my 

 deficiency, and that before he had e\- 

 hauflcd iny prefent llock of learning, I 

 fliould have confiderably added to it. J, 

 therefore, inllantly fet about to recover 

 my Latin, which colt; nie but little ap- 

 plication ; I roic conltantly at day-break, 

 and devoted to the Itudy of the bell au- 

 thors all the time that could be fpared 

 from my pupil. I then directed his at- 

 tention "to the ftudy of hifiory and geo- 

 graphy; aiid f acquired a knowledge of 

 the latter Iriencc myfelf while I was 

 teaching it to him. I gave him leUbns 

 in Latin, and his father was dclirous that 

 I lliould alfo teach him Greek and the 

 niatheinatic- ; but I always found fome 

 excufe for dererring thofe Itudics. I was 

 obliged at lalt to co'nfefs the Uuth; and, 

 when I expeiHed to hear the reproaches 

 of Mr. Wyche, ho laid, ' Do not let 

 tlmtdillrcfsyou: I would myfelf under- 

 take thefe "branches of his education, 

 but to teach children is no eafy talk ; I 

 had, thereiure, rnthcr make you my pu- 

 pil, aixl you will then teach him. It 

 will ulibrd itie pk-afurc to read over the 

 dairies: 



