and the dry annalit Wagexar in hiftory, 
are ftill their great patterns. It is already 
known in what manner they have tranflated 
the Greek and Roman claffics, and which, 
in {pight of the examples of Hesafferhurs, 
Rburkens, and Wyttezbachs, confitt rather 
of a laborious attempt to acquire certain 
words, forms of exprefion, and fentences, 
than deeply to enter mto the fenfe and {pi- 
rit of che ancients, and accurately cormprefs 
them together into one whele: 
Tt was not fo-much a cenvition of the 
want of national conflitution, or of the 
truth of their. political cpinions, which, 
fince the year 1789, has procured the 
French fo many fyiends and partizans in 
Holland; as the hope by the affiftance of 
that nation to crufh the detefted Orange 
party > ¢ind it was not im the leaft confi- 
dered, that with that was neceflarily con- 
nected the entire change of the political 
union, and the introduction of 2 new order 
of things, which raight break the chains 
of their former habits. The Dutch had 
too high an opinion of the power and con- 
fequence of the republic, to refle€t that 
the great republic, after its congueft, 
would retam-a direct or indirect authority 
over its protected fifter. During the con 
teft of parties im France, the partiality of ’ 
the Dutch patriots was unchenged, and 
ther applaute followed the vitorious 
party whoever they were. When it be- 
came necefiary, after the abolition ef the 
Stadtholder’s authority, to new-model the 
conflitution, then the attachment to this 
fyftem fhewed itfelf on all fides. 
‘There are cuftoms and forms which bu- 
finefs indeed generally promotes, lefs at-~ 
tachment to which, and more boldnefs of 
fpeculation may be the caufe why in Hol- 
land there are more examples of Englith, 
GSermans and French, who have fettled 
there, gaining rapid fortunes, than of the 
native Hollanders. The rich Dutchman 
who has imherited the greateft part of his 
fortune, and on titat account ftrives with © 
lefs difficulty to increafe his patrimony, by 
the accultomed means. 
With this inclination to preferve fayor- 
ite cuftoms, is conneéted a certain obfti- 
nacy and ftubbornefs which are found es 
well in individuals, and even in children, 
asin the nationai charaéter. There are 
no people who adhere more pertinacioufly 
to their firft impreffions of diflike or ef- 
teem than the Hollanders. Their cold 
blood runs too flowly to permit thofe hafty 
_changes of fentiment, and that. rapid 
adeption of every external impreffion 
which pafies over them, for which more 
fouthern nations are indebted to their 
On the national Charaéer of the Dutch. 
f October, 
I 
warm Imaginations, their more fulcepti- 
ble and irritable fenfes, and to the incon- 
ftancy oftheir tempers. Even this cold- 
nefs of temperament promotes conftancy, 
by preventing thofe paffionate excefles of 
fenfibility, which are fo injurious to the 
amiable. What other nations effeét by 
the ftrength of their paffions and their con- 
ftitutional energy, the Dutch are able ta~ 
attain by the permanence of their feelings. 
And no other people, {carcely, could have 
maintained with fuch undaunted firmnefs 
their long ftruggle again& their Spanifh 
opprefiors. 
In the mean while, the Dutch are in 
this refpect like all other perfons of limited 
knowlege, and without principles ; that 
what they fancy they know, what they 
have received wpon credit\as juft and true, 
and through cuftom and habit have main- 
tained ; or what flatters their habitual and 
powerful feelings, are fo deeply rooted in 
them, that the mo cogent arguments 
cannot, convince them to the centrary. 
On the other hand, on fubjeéts which © 
they do not profefs to unterfiand, where 
they are not governed by habit, cuftom or 
fafhion, and particularly where it refpeéts _ 
propriety in their ordinary condu&t ; they 
eafily and contentedly fuffer themfelves to 
be directed by others. With this limita- 
tion, what Kiem, p. 373, fays of the 
Dutch, may be perfectly true, that of all 
people they are the moft tra€table: But 
when it is cenfidered, how few things 
there are which men do not believe they 
underfand, and how few cafes can occur 
in this country, over which cuftom and 
habit have not complete authority; this 
general docility finks almoft to nothing. 
Alfo in matters of fentiment, where the 
female fex is fo much fuperior to ours, a 
Dutchman will more readily be guided by 
his wife; and flanderers even aflert of 
many a one, that in the totally new cha- 
racter of a reprefentative he has become . 
only her echo. 
The Hollander’s fenfe of freedom, at 
Jeaft at prefent, is for the moft part the 
love of eafe.. The true love of liberty, 
which once prevailed in Greece and Rome, 
is No where in modern Europe in fo great 
a perfeftion as in England: But the Eng- 
hithman, when he confiders liberty to con- 
fift in the freedom of his native country 
from foreign power, and the-fecurity of 
individuals again{ft the government, pati- 
ently fubmits to the inconveniences which 
flow from it, becaufe the removal of them 
would occafion more. efflential injury ; and 
he fhuns no faerifice to maintain this li- 
berty in its original purity. On the other 
hand, 
