1054 Retro/peét of Domeftic Literature... Novels and Romances. 
ftyle (particularly Mifs Sophia’s) is feme- 
times turgid, and even cbicure, from being 
overloaded with ornamenr, proceeding 
from a paffion for fine writing. We truft 
they will bear in mind, in future, that 
real beauty confifts in fimplicity. 
We are forry thar Mr. WILLIAM 
WENNINGTON fhould have given him- 
felf the trouble of tranflating from the 
German, MILTENBERG’s ‘* Man of Na- 
ture.”” Its extravagance, improbability, 
and, in many inftances, indelicacy, ren- 
der it a very unworthy pretent for the 
Enghith public. 
A tranflation has appeared of Madame 
de GENLIs’ * Young Exiles, or Corre- 
ipondence of fome juvenile Emigrants,” 
which will highly intereft young readers, 
and may be fafely put into their hands, 
being unexceptionable in point of mora- 
ity. 
We fhould have fearcely have been 
induced to mention Mr.PROByY’s “‘ My- 
fterious Seal,’ but to expre(s our furprife, 
that a perfon who wrote fo refpectable a 
pamphlet as was this-gentleman’s anfwer 
to Mr. Godwin fhouid have produced fo 
contemptible a novel. 
Mifs Gunwine’s “ Gipfey Countefs” 
i$ an interefting and weil-told tale of do- 
meftic manners. The character of Julia 
is well drawn. The language throughout 
is f{pivited, and generally correét, and 
teany of the fentiments are original, and 
happily applied. 
We fhall conclude this article with 
“The Travels _of St. Leon,’’ a novel, 
by WiLLiam GopwiIn, which . will 
probably excite the public attention in a 
very high degree. Mr. Godwin’s grand 
objeét has been zowvelty, and this he has 
eertainly attained; but at the expence, 
not merely of probability, but of poffibi- 
lity itfelf. The chimerical dreams of al- 
ehemy are here fuppofed to be realifed, 
vand even exceeded ; for the hero poffeffes 
the power, not only of fetting old age at 
defiance, but of creating gold. ‘The al- 
chemiits never profefled to do more than 
to tranfmute cther metals into gold; but 
St. Leon, in circumftances tn which no 
other/metal is at hand, creates heaps of 
gold fufficient to gratify the rapacity of 
avarice itlelf. However, if it be poitible 
for the reader to forget the impcfitbility 
of the principal events on which the hi- 
fiory hinges, he will find parts of this 
novel of the moft firiking and interefting 
kind. If _he is poffeffed of a fpark of 
feeling, he cannot fail to contemplate 
with delight the exquifite charaGer of 
Marguerite, and to experience a glow 
of admiration. at the high tone of fen- 
timent and noble conduét of Charles. 
Difapproving, 2s we have done in the 
moft decided manner, thofe parts of Mr. 
~Godwin’s Political Juftice which facri- 
ficed the private affections on the altar 
of univerfal philaathropy, we cannot help 
rejoicing thet his candid mind has experi- 
enced fome cuange on this fubje&, and 
admiring the franknefs with which he 
avows the alteration. Moft cordially do 
we agree with him, “ that philanthropy 
is a godlike virtue, and can never be too 
loudly commended, or too ardently en- 
joined ;’’ but‘ natural affection winds 
itfelf in fo many foids about the heart, 
and is the parent of fo complicated, of fo 
various, and fo exguifite emotions, that 
he who fhould attempt to diveft himfelf 
of it will find that he is divefting him- 
felf of all that is moft to be coveted in 
exiftence.”’ Sentiments of fimilar ten- 
dency occur in various parts of the novel, 
and will, we truft, tend to arreft that 
flood of obloquy with which the author 
of ‘ Political Juftice” has of late been 
overwhelmed. It is not new to cefcribe 
the evils attending gaming; but we never 
recolleét to have feen its pernicious effects © 
exemplified in fo ftriking and fo mafterly 
a manner as in this novel. We were 
particularly ftruck with the final fcene of 
St. Leon’s gaming career, though we 
think his wandering about Paris after- 
wards an obvious imitation of Emulius, 
after the difeovery of Sophia’s infidelity. 
The principal moral of the work, which 
fhows that the poffefion cf boundlefs 
wealth produces, inftead of happineds, 
the moft exquifite mifery, 1s unexcep- 
ticnable ; but we highly difapprove Mr. 
Godwin’s putting his peculiar fentiments 
on religion in the mouth of St. Leon. 
They are as unnatural in a catholic noble- 
ntan ef the fixteenth century as they are 
untrue and pernicious in themfelves. 
With refpect to the literary merit ef 
this novel, it appears to us various and 
_vnequal. ‘There are many pafiages of 
the moft glowing eloquence. - Mar- 
guerite’s expoftulation with her hufband; 
St. Leon’s extafy when firft put in pof- 
feffion of the fatal fecret ; the defcriptiom 
of his fenfations when he firft drinks the 
lixim of life, and finds his body, broken 
down by his confinement in the prifons 
of the Inquifition, again animated with 
the glow of youth; are mafter-pieces. 
But, in general, St. Leon is but Caleb 
Williams im new circumftances; or, ras 
ther, it is the folemn, fententious, verbofe 
Mr. Godwin, throughout. We did not 
expect 
