1823.] 
“¢ Discourse,” his clear and able exposition, 
and the polish of his style and language, 
although not free from a degree of affecta- 
tion.—(No. XLII. p. 323.) 
The Memoir of Signor Ferroni’s is also 
well and ably written, at once pithy and 
comprehensive.—(p. 335.) 
The author of the “‘ Eulogy on Signor 
Cocchi,” just lost to us, has evinced great 
richness and command of language, with an 
easy flow of composition.—-(No, XLIII. 
p- 29.) 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
531 
Among Mancini’s most bold and difficult 
translations, we must include that of 
‘‘Homer, in Ottave Rime,” in many 
points of view extremely valuable. Signor 
Carelli’s translation of ‘‘ Anacreon and 
Saffo,” is remarkable, also, for its poetical 
elegance and feeling, no less than for its 
typographical beauty.—( Ibid.) 
The Marchese Lucchesini's Pistory 
“¢ Della Confederazione Renana,” is a work 
of judgment and research, 
NEW BOOKS PUBLISHED IN DECEMBER: 
WITH AN HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL PROEMIUM. 
—— 
Authors or Publishers, desirous of seeing an early notice of their Works, ave 
requested to transmit copies before the 18th of the Month. 
— 
EMOIRS of the Life of Mary Queen 
of Scots, in two volumes, octavo, 
have just made their appearance from the 
pen of Miss BENGER, who is already 
known to the public as the author of the 
Memoirs of Anne Boleyn, Mrs. Hamilton, 
&c. The interesting period of- history 
comprised in these volumes, has, it is 
true, found many historians, but there are 
none who have treated it in the same 
lively and entertaining style as this lady, 
who has interwoven into her narrative a 
great deal of personal anecdote and ani- 
mated description. She may, perhaps, 
be pardoned for taking rather a_ partial 
view of the transactions in which her 
heroine was involved: a much more 
agreeable error for a biographer to fall 
into, than the contiary extreme. The 
work appears to have been hastily brought 
out; thus we have references to notes 
which are not to be found, and other si- 
milar errors. ‘The portrait of Mary, pre- 
fixed to the first volume, isan exceedingly 
interesting one. 
Too many of the writers of the present 
day depend so much upon the resources 
of their own minds, as, in a great mea- 
sure, to neglect the labour and applica- 
tion necessary to qualify them for their 
appearance before the public. Mr. J. 
D'[sRaexi is quite an exception to this 
remark. His works owe all their amusing 
character to his laborious researches, and 
not to his own unassisted natural talent. 
Whilst most of his contemporaries are 
racking their invention for novelty to 
entertain, he is employed in making ex- 
ertions to revive evanescent literary sub- 
jects, and in presenting them once more to 
the attention of the public ; and, though it 
is true that there is no great intermixture 
of his own ideas, yet the subjects being 
now new to inquiry, will afford us perhaps 
as much pleasure as if entirely original. 
We liave been much interested by his 
second series of Curiosities of Literature, 
consisling of Rescarches in Literary, Bio- 
2 
graphical, and Political, History; Critical 
and Philosophical Inquiries and Secret 
History. Among the Essays most de- 
serving of notice, is the History of the 
Caraccis. His Philosophy of Proverbs, 
and his Essay on Autograplis, possess su- 
perior merit, and will afford much amuse- 
ment. But perhaps the best treatise con- 
tained in these three volumes, is his Secret 
History of Sir Walter Rawleigh, a subject 
on which the author, from his intimate 
knowledge of it, is well entitled to speak. 
Our readers will receive from these re- 
searches of Mr. D?Israeli, a degree of 
amusement, as well as of instruction, 
which will amply repay the perusal. 
We observe a seasonable addition to 
the public stock of Christmas mirth and 
amusement, in a very agreeable pnbli- 
cation, entitled, Germun Popular Stories, 
translated from the Kinder und haus 
Marchen; collected by M. M. Grimm, 
from oral tradition. The motto to the 
work well expresses the object of the 
compilers, and the disposition and situa- 
tion in which it is expected that their 
readers shall discuss their !abours, and to 
which, we believe, few objections would 
be made. “Now you must imagine me 
to sit by a good fire, amongst a companye 
of good fellowes, over a well-spiced wassel 
bowle of Christmas ale, telling of these 
merrie tales, which hereafter follow,” 
To the luxuries of so enviable a position, 
these stories would certainly add a high 
zest.- Difficult as it is to draw any thing 
original from the ancient stories of le. 
gendary fiction, yet several of the pieces 
in this volume are quite new to us, and ip 
others which are current amongst us, the 
variations are such as to give them a claim 
to novelty. They are almost all distin- 
guished by that wild and somewhat gro- 
tesque imagination, which the Germans 
scem to possess beyond any other nation; 
and which, when well managed and de- 
licately refined, forms the great charm of 
such exquisite works as the Romances of 
La 
