61k 
_ évery man’s mind in perusing the title- 
page to these, volumes, will be the pro- 
digious confidence of the, writer, not 
merely in her.own talents, (of those Ma- 
dame Stael has a right to be confident) 
but in her own extensive and omnifa- 
rious erudition. A Treatise on Ancient 
and Medern: Literature! setting Eng- 
lishwomen aside, we believe, in our consci- 
ence, that there fs not aman in England 
who would be impudent enough to affix 
sucha title to his book. But impudence is 
a word, whose meaning is subject to geo- 
graphical modifications, and with little 
danger to morals, we may allow it to be 
under the influence of climate and situ- 
ation ; what would be immodest in Eng- 
land, is not even indecorous in France. 
The baroness writes as volubly as she 
converses ; this is often the case with our 
own countrywomen, buthappily they do 
not think themselves at all times privi-. 
leged to talk and to publish. 
It cannot be supposed, that Madame 
Stael is acquainted with the subject upon 
which she writes; she can, however, rea- 
son upon it, as if, and probably as well 
as if she was. This trick of pretending 
to look for the philosophy of things, 
without understanding the things them- 
selves, is one of the characteristics of the 
age. Young men catch a few metaphy- 
sical phrases and technical terms, and 
set up forthwith for philosophers; just 
as many a rascal, who can prepare a 
‘mercurial pill, advertises himself as a 
physician. This it is that has rendered 
_ metaphysics’so common and so perfectly 
worthless: no preparatory study, no pre- 
vious knowledge is required; as in the 
Cabala, a few words are sufficient to 
open the storehouses of science and na- 
turel.... 
Not having the original work before 
Us, We cannot always tell whom we are 
to accuse of ignorance, the -authoress or 
‘the translator. | It is probably Madame 
Stael who tells us, that “the monotony 
of the Pindaric hymns, which is so irk- 
some and fatiguing to us, was esteemed 
-quite the reverse at the Grecian festi- 
vals:’”’ of course, this lady must be a 
judge of Greek metres and Greek music! 
“« We are told that Luripidess a. tragedy 
of JEschylus, had such an astonishing 
effect on the spectators, that pregnant 
women were fearful of the consequences 
that might attend their bemg ‘present at 
its representation, but its terrors ‘were 
ehose ré8embling the infernal regions.” 
’ This complication of inaccuracies must 
PHILOLOGY AND CRITICISM. , 
exist in the original. “ Death held forth 
a much less gloomy aspect to the anci- 
ents than to the moderns; their belief in* 
paganism calmed their fears, by repre- 
senting a future state in the most bril- 
liant and pleasing colours.” This also 
is Madame Stael’s mistake ; she has read’ 
Homer, and forgotten the ghost of 
Achilles. But when we see that Alcestis 
is, in one sentence, made of both genders, 
and in another find schylus mentioned. 
as living after Sophocles and Euripides, 
we perceive that the translator is even 
more ignorant than the writer. This 
last passage is a complete specimen of 
mistranslation. 
«« There is a very visible improvement in 
the three great tragedians, Aésclrylus, Sopho- 
cles, and Euripides; there is even too much 
distance between AZschylus and the two lat- 
ter, to be able to account for his superiority 
by the natural progress, of the haman mind, 
in so short a space of time; but /Eschylus 
had seen nothing but the prosperity of Athens; 
Sophocles,and Euripides [ieheld their reverse, 
their dramatic genius’ was ‘brought forward 
and ripened, calamity has its fecundity ; no 
moral conclusion can be drawn from the 
works of Aischylus, he searcely ever unites 
the sufferings of the body with those of the 
mind by any reflections.”’ 
It must be the translator also who 
says, that the comedy of Nurees prepared 
the minds of the populace for the accu- 
sation vf Socrates. We know not which 
of the two has been erudite enough to 
rank Tacitus among ‘the Greek histo- 
rians. Suchblundersas Regner, Lodbroy, 
and Sopes de Vega are probably Eng- 
lish. ‘These volumes have no eéfrata, 
and we are left to guess at the meanin 
of such inexplicable riddles as the follow- 
ing: ‘* Persecutions, calumnies, suffer- 
ings of every hue, wovld become the la- 
mentable lot of those who boldly think 
and soundly éorcalize.’ 
The praise of style is also to be divid- 
ed between the French and English wri- 
ter. “The whole moral man swells 
with the pride of virtue, and swims in 
the overflowings of happiness.” This 
Persian flower has been rearedin a French 
hot-house. “* With what fine bursts of 
indignation has not the aspect of Crime 
filled the mouth of Eloquence !”’ This too 
is exotic eloquence; but when. we read 
of * mistress cities,” of “the sound 
writings of accomplished wits,” and:find 
esprit every where fendered «eitythe vile 
and vulgar phrase must not be imputed 
to Madame Staelh ~~ deat 
* tee wee 
