vi PREFACE. 
prehension. Among innumerable interesting events, the 
annalist must makeaselection of suchas aremost interesting : 
and in making this selection, he must of necessity be 
guided by his own genius and habitual way of thinking. 
Some things may appear most striking to one mind; and 
other things the most important to another: whence it is 
possible, and sometimes happens, that of the same times 
we may have histories widely differing from each other, 
both in matter and style, and yet both of them at once 
pleasing and instructive. 
The great effect, or impression, that remains on the 
mind, after reviewing any series of events which impels 
either the historian or epic poet to communicate his sen- 
timents and emotions to others, serves as ‘a bond of union 
among the transactions and occurrences which he involves 
in the stream of his composition. On a review of the 
affairs of Europe, from 1790 to 1793, we are chiefly im- 
pressed with the rapid progress of public opinion and pub- 
lic spirit on the one hand; and, on the other, with the 
efforts that were made by the old governments to resist 
them. Amidst the thick and entangled forest, this divi- 
sion opens some prospects. The revolutionary spirit may 
be traced from Paris to the provinces and foreign depend- 
encies of France, to her armies, and to other nations; and 
the re-action marked of its various effects on the people, 
and public councils of France, and other countries. Guid- 
ed by these vistas, we have easy opportunities of taking oc- 
casional views of whatever is most remarkable in the 
different quarters of Europe, without losing sight of the 
main object. 
In ordinary times, the great chain of events may often 
be traced to mean and pitiful intrigues: the investigation 
of which, however, cannot be very interesting to any others 
than 
