CCA Pciy aspect of French Literature — Poetrj/. 



rniflfion d'Inftrnftion Publiqiic, pour los After having given, as it were, the 

 Lvc^es et Irs Ecoles Secoiidaires. Pub- krxf t;> the <loctriiie of M. Barthez, wo 

 hees par F. RocFR. Merabre de la Com- (i:ail heie take a rapid review of his 

 HiiiliDn." — Excerpta ; or, Select Fables "'^rk. In a preliruinary difeourfe, the 

 from La Fontaine ; with new Notes, &c. author expofes the means and the me- 

 Ihe Coileflion of Fables of La Fori- thod by whieh we ouglit to be guided in 

 taine, is jrc^ierally one of the firft books our inquiry refpectiiig man. After re- 

 put into the hands of children in France; ferring to the manner in whicii natural 

 and it appears from the llelertion here hiftory is ftudied, the author, fuppurting 

 inade by the Commilfion of Public In- his doctrine on the balis eltabiirtied ii» 

 riruCtion, that he is flill held in high elti- his introduction, attempts to detnonllrate 

 Biation. that no mechanical law is to be received 



But as fome of his fittions are not con- "s explanatory of the phenomena of the 

 fidered as well calculated to form the living body. Thus tl;e doctrine of the 

 tafte of youth, and others are thought to " iriitability oi' the fibres" g»es for uo- 

 contribute but little to cither their mo- thing. 



rals or their isillruction, many of them The faculty of thought, too, is here 

 have been very properly denied admilTion faid to appertain to a fjiec.es of pheiio- 

 into tl, la little work. M.Roger, who is menon entirely dit^ercnt from that of the 

 the editor, has thought proper to give a iutrinlic vitality of the organs; and caiw 

 preference to thofe faijles, the fuhjeiJi of not, therefore, be alligned as one of the 

 vhieh has been taken by La Fontaine caufes of the movements and vital tunc- 

 froin PhoDdrus. tions which take place in man, iude- 



Notcs are here appended, in order to peiKieiitly of his volition, 

 explani thofe fa^ts, cither hirtoricai or After having conlidered the energy of. 

 Hiytholoi;icai, which occiu-, as well as to the vital principle, both in theflr.ids and 

 interpret thofe obfo'cte lerins whieh have I he folids of on;anized bodies, M. Barthez 

 of late fallen into difrtpntc. The whole iJirows great light on the influence of 

 is preceded hv a Ihnr' :ind well-written the faine principle in refpeft to the nii- 

 notice, in wl;ich the autlior prefents very nierous lyiupathies which condantly exill 

 juft ideas relative to the origin of apo- between diiferent organs of the living 

 Jogues, as well as that particular fpccies body, &c. 



ot talent fo admirably djfplayed by Lsi The bounds of our review will not 

 3'ontaine, in relpett to this fpecics of permit us to enter mlo the caufes of 

 oornpol'.tion. llecping. and waking ; the periodical 



" XouveauT Elerncns do la Science nuii)bnefs of certain animals ; the difl'er- 

 de I'liomnie." — New Elements of tlie tation on the inlhience of habit and tern- 

 Science of Man ; by P. J. Bakthf.z, perament ; on death, its figiis and con- 

 Phyfician to the Emperor and King, and iequcnccs ; on the probability of the 

 the Government, &c. 2 vols. <3vo. dur<<tion of human life, calculated ac- 



Profelfur Barthez, who ohierves that cording to mortuary regifters, (!tc.&c. 

 man has ever been a problem to tnan, roErttY. 



endeavours, in the work before us to " Chanfons cho;lies dc M. de Pus." — 

 folve the enigma, and difclofe the ferret. Select Poclry by M. de Piis. 2 vol.-*. 8vo. 

 He, howevei-, dees not pretend to hnro It is not a litiie remarkable, that tin re 

 unvicled all the phyfiological myfterits were never fo many fuiigs compofed in 

 ■which have fii lon»- puzzled ninnkind, France as during the revolution, and yet 

 and he compl-.tins th:i:t nny one fliotild it is pretty evident that there were but 

 have conceived the idea that fuch was few fubjecls of merriment. The author 

 the intent of his work. of the '' Coitrs de Litterulvre" (M. de la 



lie refers all the phenomena of living Ilarpe) fiid not think it beneath him to 

 inu) to the action of tiie viful principle, treat of fong-writing ; he even compofed 

 vhich fome afcrihe to caufes purely chr- a diHertation on the Vaudeville, and it 

 inical or mechanical, and oflieis to the is fomewliat curious that the account of 

 efflc^t of the mind on the body ; while a Fnvart is rather longer than that of 

 third clafs attributes the whole to an Homer. 



uiiiveiral, but occult, agent. He, how- M. Piis, who is an Imitator ofFavart 

 ever, does not pretend to explain by this in refpect to tl;e VandcvUk Draniutique, 

 vital principle, confuleied as an nniver- has aifo had Panard in his eye ; and, 

 fal tbrce, all thofe phenomena wliich like him, he is ever attentive to introduce 

 would not then have, by reafon of their the ridiculous : fo that, notwitJiftanding 

 cxiftcnce, but a general, and confequent the immenfe numbir nf his fong-^ they all 

 Jy, an indeterminute c<\ufe. poQeis an au- of originality. 



1 The 



