606 
in so fond, and so simple a shepherdess : 
after this, hands are joined, and all par- 
ties made happy. 
We have detailed the story of this ro- 
mance thus fully, for the purpose of ex- 
posing the false and dangerous principles 
of conduct adopted even by those French 
writers who seem to pique themselves on 
decency and morality ; for, by how many 
besides Florian, is the “ legal prostitu- 
tion”? of a marriage, against which the 
heart revolts, cried up as the most heroic 
of sacrifices, at the same time that the 
first love is represented as unconquera- 
ble, and the obstinate perseverance in it, 
after the most sacred vows have been ex- 
changed with another object, this adul- 
tery of the heart, is made the test of ex- 
alted sentiment, and a soul superior to 
the common kind! Thus, by an absurd 
and cruel contradiction, the most amia- 
ble characters are rendered at the same 
time the slaves both of duty and passion, 
on the success of which attempt, “ to 
serve two masters,” the manners of mo- 
dern France afford an ample comment. 
Wiser was the attempt of Madame de 
ROMANCES AND NOVELS. 
Genlis utterly to expel the tende# pas 
sion from the female bosom at least, in 
“a state of society which afforded scarce’ 
a hope of its innocent gratification! 
Wiser still, and much more consonant 
with the best feelings of our natures, is 
the system of the English law, which, » 
by restricting the authority of parents 
within moderate bounds, and enabling 
young persons to follow, in a considera- 
ble degree, the dictates of their own 
hearts, spares the anguish of concealed 
and hopeless love, while it checks the 
frenzy of illicit passion. 
Long may the indulgence of our laws 
guard the strictness of our manners ; and 
while we spurn our neighbours’ fetters, 
on one hand, let us not adopt, on the 
other, that unbridled licentfousness which 
slavery has produced, and slavery alone 
can palliate, 
We are not displeased to conclude this 
article, by pronouncing, that the execu- 
tion of the translation is little calculated. 
to recommend the design of the original. 
The prose is very bald French Englishy. - 
and the verse is contemptible. 
Arr. VITI. St. Clair of the Isles; or, the Outlaws of Barra, a Scottish Tradition. By 
EvizabetTH Heme. 
AMID the masses of dulness and 
vulgarity intruded on the public under 
the title of novels and romances, it is 
not a little refreshing’ to us to meet with 
any thing that relieves our weariness, 
and interests our feelings. ‘The demand 
for works of this class is much too large 
to be entirely supplied by first-rate arti- 
ficers ; when, therefore, a picce comes 
to hand, free from stain and mildew, and 
turned out in a.conscientious and work- 
man-like manner, we are eager to recom- 
mend it to our customers, even though 
it should be found deficient in perfect 
symmetry of pattern, exquisite brilliancy 
of colouring, and laborious accuracy of 
finishing. 
The tradition on which the romance 
before us is founded, possesses both inte- 
rest and novelty: the characters are 
sketched with considerable strength, and 
blended and contrasted not unhappily. . 
The scene is laid in North-Britain, dur- 
ing the 15th century ; but the manners 
4: vols. 12mo. 
and language are those of an age and 
nation much more refined. than Scotland: 
under the two first Jameses. This is a 
kind of anachronism, however, which it. 
would be idle to represent in a heinous 
light, when the genuine language of the 
country could not be understood by an 
Englishman, nor the unvarnished man- 
ners of the times tolerated by a modern. 
The style of Mrs. Helme is deficient 
in grace, in polish, and. sometimes im 
grammiar ; but itisclear and unaffected, 
and displays the fluency of a practised 
writer, though net the accuracy of a 
scholar. The heroine may be thought 
somewhat too forward, and more eager 
than beseems a modest damsel to share 
the fortunes of “a banished man cori-+ 
demned in woods to roam.” 
But on the whole, we may promise . 
the readers of these volumes a consider- 
able share of entertainment, enjoyed free 
of expense to morality, propriety, or: 
common sense. 
Arr. IX. Letters of Miss Riversdale, a Novel, in three Volumes, 12mo, about 370° 
pages each. 
THIS novel is not ta be confounded 
with the yulgar trash of the day: the 
author is one of those who have seen the: 
mores hominum multorum, SF urlesy and whe- 
