1829.] 



Domestic and Foreigti. 



331 



encumber us, like many we could name, he 

 has made a skilPil and a very agreeable use 

 of his historical and literary studies among 

 French and English writers of the last cen- 

 tury. The new volumes before us are con- 

 cerned mainly with recorded existence, and 

 bring into active and characteristic dialogue 

 many of the distinguished individuals of 

 England and the Continent, in the early 

 part of the century. But the chief person- 

 age, introduced in every stage of his career, 

 is Bolingbroke, whom the author has taken 

 under his especial patronage, and is resolved 

 to whitewash — a man, indeed, whose cha- 

 racter deserves discussion, and has never 

 had it — fairly, we mean. iMaterials for the 

 purpose abound ; and we could scarcely 

 name a man more competent, in acquire- 

 ment and temper, than Mr. B. himself. 

 Bolingbroke's ambition was as large, we 

 were going to say, as the universe : his 

 aims, unquestionably, were to be the fore- 

 most man of all the world in politics, lite- 

 rature, conversation — folly even. In Deve- 

 reux we have him, in office, as secretary of 

 state, and scheming for the premiership ; 

 in private hfe, at dinners and parties ; in 

 the theatre, at a new play ; at a bookseller's, 

 in quest of a new edition of the classics ; 

 in his closet, with philoso])hers, discussing 

 metaphysics ; and with a fiiend, professing 

 to bare his bosom thoughts. In exile, we 

 have him again the welcome guest of all 

 parties — the gayest of the gay — flirting and 

 bandying compliments with the women, and 

 fixing the admiration ofold and young. Again, 

 we meet him joining the Pretender — intrac- 

 table in office — dismissed — and raving at the 

 treatment he received : and, finally, in 

 England we discover him, thirty miles from 

 town, cultivating a farm in domestic felicity, 

 the husband of Madame Maintenon's niece ; 

 but, even in retirement, and excluded from 

 his place in Parliament, still busy in oppos- 

 ing and exposing his bitter and immitigable 

 foes, tlie Whigs. He is exhibited, in short, 

 in all his Protean shapes ; and, in aU his 

 changes and caprices, zealously defended, 

 while his adversaries are as zealously de- 

 preciated. This is, perhaps, on the whole, 

 but fair — necessary even to counterbalance 

 prejudice. Bolingbroke is known to mcr age 

 mainly a.s a mischievous but baffled states- 

 man, and a profligate moraUst — that is, 

 juxt as his political opponents, the AVhigs, 

 who for fifty years ruled the roast, shewed 

 liim up. Such was the virulence of party 

 during that period, that no Tory had a 

 chance for fair dealing. The spite and ma- 

 lignity of the Whig were as infernally ac- 

 tive against the Tory as, within our me- 

 mory, his were against the M'hig and Ja- 

 cobin. 



Mr. B.'s firHt object is, obviously, to ex- 

 hibit public characters, and record his own 

 judgmcntK of tliein — with a fling occasionally 

 at (lie biax and perversions of modern scrib- 

 blers. The hero — who tells liis ow n talc — 

 haa a love-story, of course ; but this love- 



story is judiciously despatched early, and the 

 disentanglement of its involutions — whicli, 

 by the way, are fidl of extravagance — is not 

 suffered to occupy any great share of the 

 pages. Count Devereux is the son of an 

 English Catholic, who had, by his gallan- 

 try, won a marshal's baton and a title, 

 in the service of Louis XIV. At his 

 father's death, the young count and his 

 two brothers, came with their mother to 

 England, and took up tlieir residence witli 

 an uncle, the head of the family — a widower, 

 without a family, and possessed of immense 

 estates. He was a good-natured and gay 

 old man, who, after mixing with the follies 

 and vices of Charles's court, and suffering 

 from them, withdrew to the country, and dwelt 

 with delight upon the memory of his early dis- 

 sipations. The children were treated with all 

 possible indulgence ; and for the eldest, his 

 favoiu-ite, his estates were apparently des- 

 tined. Out of these, however, he was 

 jockeyed by the artifices of the family-con- 

 fessor — a Jesuit, and one of the cunningest 

 of his tribe, in due conformity with the Je- 

 suit character, in novels and novel-like his- 

 tories. He was a confidential agent of the 

 exiled Stuarts ; and his object, to secure 

 the potent family and property of the Deve- 

 reux to theii interests. To keep an indivi- 

 dual hold upon the boys, he had excited 

 jealousies among them from their childhood ; 

 and the two eldest, in consequence, hated 

 each other heartily. The youngest, a lad 

 of a more delicate temperament, seemed de- 

 voted to prayer and penance, and apparently 

 entered into no contests or rivalries of any 

 kind. The young coimt — very precociously 

 — falls in love with a Spanish girl, and 

 speedily discovers, as he tliinks, he has a 

 rival in his twin brother ; and abundance of 

 intrigue, and many outbreaks of hatred and 

 passion, foUow. In London, the count 

 marries the young lady privately, and con- 

 ceals her in the outskirts of the town ; and, 

 in the meanwhile, the old uncle dies, and the 

 whole property, save a legacy or two, is left to 

 the twin brother. Of the fraud he enter- 

 tains no doubt, nor of the authors ; and he 

 accordingly challenges with it both his bro- 

 ther and the Jesuit. But railing wUl not 

 bring back the estates. He makes the best 

 of his disappointment, and wends his way 

 back to his bride. Within a few weeks, 

 however, his uncle's attorney dies, and the 

 real will is put into the count's hands ; but 

 before he can make the proper use of it, his 

 house is broken into, his papers are seized, 

 his wife is pierced through and tlirough, and 

 himself left with wounds enough to kill any 

 common mortal. iVU seems the act and out- 

 rage of his brotlier and the .Jesuit; but no- 

 tliing can be brought to proof. 



Thus stripped of liis wife and property, 

 on his recovery, nothing daunted, he sets 

 out to seek his fortunes. The world is all 

 before him — his oyster; and, like I'lilol, 

 with liis good sword— a splendid present, by 

 the way, from Louis Ic Orand -- he mcanii to 



2 U -1 



