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A a a, 
HALF.YEARLY RETROSPECT OF FRENCH LITERATURE. 
HISTORY. ; 
HISTO OIRE des Principaux Euétnemens, 
&c.— The Hiftory of the Principal Events 
of the Reign of Frederick Williamil.King 
of Pruffia ; ; to which is added, a Political 
Defeription | of Europe, froth 1786 to 
3796, or the feurth year of the French 
Republic ; siaeanipeadd a fummary of the 
Reval of Holland, Brabant, Poland, 
and France, by L. P. Segur, the Biter’ 
Ex-am bafiador. Paris ninth year (1800). 
<¢ Tf a man be defirous to write biegra- 
phy (lays M. Segur) it may be proper to 
{elect the lives of the moft illuftrious men; 
but when one is deftined to compofe hif- 
tory, no epoch cught to be negle&ted. If 
force prepares and direéts great events, 
vreaknefs, on the other hand, invites them; 
and Tacitus infpires as much intereft 
when he paints the uncertainty of Clau- 
dius, and the difafters that enfue, as 
when he depiéts the fombre and profound 
politics of Tiberius. In defcriptions of 
this kind (adds he), I fee no other diffe- 
rence than what is to be found in ihe title- 
pages affixed to them: TI gacconsinely 
would have written the Hiflory of Frede- 
ric the Great, and I now publifh that of 
Frederic William II. | One of thefe has 
left a great name behind him; the other 
only occupied a great place. The former 
achieved great deeds ; the latter affifted at 
great events : but both of them cught to 
excite our curiohty, both having influenc- 
ed our deftinies, the one by his genius, the 
other by his weaknefs.” 
This is the juftificati on a adopted by M. 
de Segur, relative to the acted he has 
made of an epoch; and he is at great 
’ pains to affure us of his love of ‘truth, and 
his regard to im partiali ity: 
¢* Quid verum, atque decens curo et rogo, 
et omnis in hocfum.” Hor. Epitt. 
The Citizen Ex-Ambaffador § Segur firtt 
traces the houfe of Brandenbu roh up to 
the celebrated Burggraf of Nuremberg, 
the head of the family of Hohenzollern, 
and then notices the rapid and predigious 
rife of thatilluftvious houfe. Defcending 
prea this common anceftor to Frederick 
the Great, he prefents -his readers witha 
fuccinét defeription cf ailthofe fevereigns 
whoie fage economy, and unity of plans, 
founded that power whicha man of genius 
at length carried to the greateft pitch of 
glory. He next comes to Frederic Wil- 
re who afcended the throne at the age 
= ~ 
of forty-two, amidft the plaudits of ana- 
tion, which they were foon taught to blufh, 
for; and he feizes this opportunity to pay 
many compliments to Prince Henry, who 
has acquired much of his efteem. 
The amours of Frederic William are 
not forgotten ; ; neither does he omit to 
particularife the adminiftration of the 
Count de Hertzberg, more efpecially thofe 
few moments of funthine which his de- 
clining age enjoyed under the fucceffor of 
the Great Frederic. 
While Segur defcribes the ambitious 
projeéts of Catherine II. he does not ne- 
gleét to mention the part which he himfelf 
took with refpe&t to the war with the 
Turks, and he frankly confefles that he 
was not averfe from that conteft. We then 
‘recur to the Revolution which took place 
in Holland in 1788; but the. particulars 
of this event are unfortunately huddled 
together in a bulky diplomatic Memoir, 
which of itfelf is capable of forming a 
hiftory. Having, after this, made men- 
tion of the triple alliance between Eng- 
land, Holland, and Pruffia, he recurs to 
a neighbouring nation, afcends to the 
early hiftory of the Franks, and traces 
this people to the epoch of the late memo- 
rable Revolution, of which he prefents a 
fummary, and proves himfelf to be a par- 
tifan. The philofophical reforms of Jo- 
feph Ii. and the changes in Brabant, next 
engage his attention. Of the Prince jut 
alluded to, he gives the following portraits 
_— Ambitious, without genius ; enter- 
prifing, without conftancy ; and warlike, 
without fuccefs—the Emperor never 
allowed a fingle moment’s repofe to Eu- 
rope, was perpetually charging his plans, 
and failed in nearly all his projeéts. The . 
war of Bavaria added laurels to the 
crown of Frederic the Great, but produced 
not a fingle leaf for him; he menaced 
Holland, which difarmed him by means of 
a few cannen-fhot, and a pally tribute. 
The dread of the arms of Pruffia forced 
him to make feveral impolitic conceffions 
to Ruffia, in order to purchafe her alli- 
ance. Hethen became a courtier to Ca- 
therine, facilitated her conqueft of the 
Crimea, adorned the triumphal pomp of 
her journey into Tartary, &c. permitted 
himfelf to be inveigled by her into a dif- 
_aftrous war, which coft himzo0o0,coo men, 
exhaulled_ his treafares, and expoied the 
Houfe of Auftria to the danger, and even 
2 
the certainty, of ruin, if Frederic Wil- 
SPs. 
er ham 
