486 



LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1878. 



sieians ancient and modern. M. Wurtz's chem- 

 ical dictionary is now completed. M. Bail- 

 Ion's botanical lexicon promises to be a stand- 

 ard authority. Writers on the history of phi- 

 losophy are M. Guyau on Epicurus, a charac- 

 teristic account of the whole Epicurean school, 

 and M. Marion on the relation of Locke to the 

 development of modern thought. In Oriental 

 studies there are M. Gustave Dergat's histo- 

 ry of Mussulman philosophy, the Elzevirian 

 " Bibliotheque Orientale " of M. Ernest Leroux, 

 and the Abbe Ancessi's interesting monograph, 

 " L'Egypte et le Livre de Job." The Catholic 

 party and the Liberal school have each its re- 

 spective periodical, the "Revue des Questions 

 Historiques" and the " Revue Historique," and 

 both groups are represented by men of ability 

 and erudition. 



In ancient history, M. Duruy's " Histoire des 

 Remains " is not yet finished, but has already 

 obtained the honor of an illustrated edition. 

 M. Henri Baudrillart, treating a subject con- 

 nected with political economy ("Histoire du 

 Luxe Public et Prive "), is led to study the civ- 

 ilizations of Judea, Assyria, Egypt, Phoenicia, 

 and Greece. M. Francois Lenormant has 

 treated " LaMonnaie dans 1'Antiquite " ; M. Du- 

 pont, the Roman magistracies during the Re- 

 public ; and M. de la Berge, the Emperor Tra- 

 jan. 



M. Desjardins, in his work on the geography 

 ot Roman Gaul, may be said to have revolu- 

 tionized ancient, as M. Reclus has modern, 

 geography. M. Auguste Longnon's " G6ogra- 

 phie de laGaule au VI 6 Siecle," is a commen- 

 tary on the geography of Gregorius Turonen- 

 sis. M. Ulysse Chevalier has begun to publish a 

 useful "Repertoire des Sources Historiques du 

 Moyen Age." The history of the Hussite wars 

 M. Ernest Denis has treated with success, and 

 his work is composed not from second-hand 

 authorities, but from original documents. The 

 history of Florence by M. Perrens brings the 

 subject down to the death of Henry VII. of 

 Germany in 1313. In modern history, M. 

 Rambaud's history of Russia is worthy of note. 

 M. Wiesener's history of Queen Elizabeth's 

 early life is based on a study of Simon Re- 

 nard's MS. correspondence and other impor- 

 tant documents. The eighth volume of Merle 

 d'Aubigne's "History of the Calvinist Refor- 

 mation," completing the work, and M. Roget's 

 " Histoire du Peuple de Geneve depuis la Re- 

 forme jusqu'd 1'Escalade," treat of the reli- 

 gious movement of the sixteenth century. 

 The memoirs of La Huguerye, just published, 

 give a key to the secret and diplomatic history 

 of the Reformation in France. The history of 

 Protestantism is also illustrated by the diary of 

 Charlotte Amelie, Comtesse d'Altenburg, and 

 a volume on Jeanne d'Albret, mother of Hen- 

 ry of Navarre ; also by the publication by M. 

 Berthold Zeller of dispatches preserved in the 

 Florence State -Paper Office, "Henri IV. et 

 Marie de Medicis, d'apres des Documents Nou- 

 veaux." M. Gaillardin's voluminous history 



of Louis XIV. is written from an Ultramon- 

 tane standpoint. On the reign of Louis XV. 

 there are interesting duodecimos of MM. de 

 C-oncourt ("Madame de Pompadour," "La 

 Dubarry ") and the Duke de Broglie's " Secret 

 du Roi," where, with the help of family pa- 

 pers, the author has been able to complete the 

 details given by the late M. Boutaric several 

 years ago on the occult policy of Louis XV. 

 "With the Revolution is associated M. Taine's 

 " Origines de la France Contemporaine," the 

 first volume of which has so irritated the Roy- 

 alists, while the second has equally disapoint- 

 ed the Republicans ; also the book by M. Jo- 

 bez on Louis XVL, and more particulaly on 

 Turgot's reforms; M. Vuitry's "Etudes sur le 

 Regime Financier de la France avant la R6 vo- 

 lution " ; and the memoirs of Count de Fer- 

 sen. M. Vielcastel has at last finished his his- 

 tory of the Restoration. The Second Repub- 

 lic has found in M. Victor Pierre an impartial 

 judge. M. Victor Hugo's " Histoire d'un Crime," 

 M. Maxime Ducamp's " Convulsions de Paris," 

 and M. Jules Simon's " Gouvernement de M. 

 Thiers" are the most effective works on re- 

 cent history. 



In philology, MM. Maisonneuve and Leroux 

 are editing grammars of the Zend, the Cara'ibe, 

 the modern Greek, and other languages, and 

 translations of Sanskrit, Hindustani, Persian, 

 and Arabic texts; and M. Gidel traces the 

 progress of Hellenic thought to our own day 

 in his "Etudes sur la Litt6rature Grecque 

 Moderne." M. Schwab continues his anno- 

 tated translation of the Talmud of Babylon. 

 M. Michel Br6al's " Melanges de Mythologie 

 et de Linguistique " shows deep learning and 

 clear judgement. The supplement to M. Lit- 

 tre's French lexicon brings to a conclusion the 

 greatest, perhaps, among the literary under- 

 takings of the age ; and the Academie Fran- 

 caise publishes a new edition of its own dic- 

 tionary. M. Ch. Aubertin discusses the whole 

 subject of medieval literature in two volumes. 



In poetry M. Victor Hugo's "Le Pape," 

 notwithstanding many splendid passages, is 

 equal neither to "L' Art d'etre Grand-Pere" 

 nor to the " Legende des Siecles." M. Cop- 

 pee, in his " Recits et Elegies," maintains the 

 qualities of his sober, clear, and exact style. 

 "Les Fourchambault," one of M. Augier's 

 best plays, was the chief dramatic novelty. 

 M. Octave Feuillet's "Journal d'une Femme" 

 was one of the novels most remarked. Ma- 

 dame Henri Greville continues her sketches of 

 Russian life ("Ariadne"); M. Smile Zola's 

 "Pages d' Amour," coming after "L'Assom- 

 moir," reads like an idyl ; and M. Paul Feval, 

 converted to Catholicism, displays in his re- 

 cent tales ("Jean," "La Premiere Commu- 

 nion") all the zeal of a neophyte, blended with 

 his well-known talent for describing sensa- 

 tional scenes. 



GERMANY. Two old masters in poetrv the 

 author of "Wlasta," Carl Egon Ebert, and 

 the author of " Lieder eines kosmopolitischen 



