ACCOUNT OF BOOKS. 



483 



whether we consider the wonders 

 of its sceneiy, its political peculiari- 

 ties, its early achievements the 

 influence which it had in its matu- 

 rity on the affairs of Europe, or its 

 recent calamities ? To give the 

 history of such a state is an arduous 

 undertaking : but it has found in 

 Mr. Planta an author who is fully 

 equal to the task. The reader will 

 here see not only fresh light thrown 

 on the affairs of other countries, and 

 his view of European history ren- 

 dered more complete, but will meet 

 with observations on characters, 

 events, and periods, which are new 

 and valuable ; and which are highly 

 creditable to the discernment and 

 judgement with which Mr. Planta 

 has read history. The early insti- 

 tutions of our rude ancestors, feodal 

 regulations, monastic institutions, 

 thegenius of the dark ages, civil and 

 religious dissentions, the grand sepa- 

 ration from the see of Rome, called 

 the Reformation, and the philosophy 

 which threatens all that we vene- 

 rate and cherish, come in the course 

 of his work under the author's no- 

 tice; and they are treated in a man- 

 ner which shews extensive informa- 

 tion, a sound j udgement, and a large 

 share of impartiality. 



Geography and chronology have 

 been aptly styled the ej'es of history. 

 There is another requisite, of which 

 we must be possessed, if we wish to 

 behold in full day the events which 

 thfr history of any particular coun- 

 try details; and that is a competent 

 knowledge of history in general, a 

 some whatminute acquaintance with 

 the transactions of adjoining states. 

 The history of Switzerland requires 

 also that we should take great pains 

 to make ourselves acquainted with 

 its topography ; since otherwise it 

 will confound and distract us. 



Perha])s Mr. Planta would hav? 

 better consulted the uniformity and 

 popularity of his woi-k, had he more 

 condensed the matter of the first 

 three chapters, and thrown it into 

 the form of an introduction ; as the 

 history does not properly begin till 

 we come to Chap. IV. 



We learn from Chap. I. and 11^ 

 that modern Helvetia includes, in 

 addition to the ancient, a large part 

 of Rhsetia ; that the Helvetii, after 

 their repulse by Caesar, found on 

 their return that their numbers were 

 reduced to a third ; and that the 

 RhiEti, who tiU the reign of Augus- 

 tus remained unmolested, were then 

 almost totally extirpated. About 

 the commencement of the 4th cen- 

 tury, the whole population of Hel- 

 vetia was swept away by some of 

 the barbarian tribes which at that 

 time over-ran Europe. In the course 

 of the 5th century, we find southern 

 Rhsetia occupied by the Ostrogoths ; 

 the northern, to the lake of Con- 

 stance, and across the Reuss as far 

 as the Aar, by the Alemanni ; and 

 the whole western part by the Bur- 

 gundians. 



Helvetia was subject to France 

 under the Merovingian and Carlo- 

 vingian kings. It next formed a 

 part of the new kingdom of Bur- 

 gundy ; the last monarch of which, 

 Rudolph III. bequeathed it to the 

 emperor, Henry II. This bequest 

 was the origin of the supremacy of 

 the empire over Helvetia. 



Though theauthorexpresseshim- 

 self cautiously, we may infer from 

 the following passage, that he ranks 

 with those who are more swayed by 

 the authority of Montesquieu than 

 by the arguments of Mably. 



' The king's councillors, his 

 friends, the mayors of the palace, 

 the chancellors, the counts of the 



I i 2 



