Retrofpect of French Literature—Poetry. | 
Achilles, as the greateft of the Grecks ; 
on this, Ajax, overcome with fage and 
vexation, puts himfelf to death. The Poet 
defcribes the funeral of the hero. 
Canto VI. Calchas propofes. that 
WNeoptolemus, the fon of Achilles, fhould 
be invited to join the Greeks, and Ulyfies 
and Diomede fet off, in order to conduct 
him tothe camp. In the mean time the 
Trojans, being encouraged by the prefence 
of Eurypilus, grandfon of Hercules, at- 
tack the befiegers, and kill feveral of 
their chiefs. _ to 
Canto VII. The Trojans continue to 
prefs the Greeks, and drive them behind 
their entrenchments, but on the arrival of 
Achilles, fortune becomes le{s favourable 
to the befieged. 
Canto VIIT. Combat between Eury- 
pilus and Neoptolemus, in which the 
latter falls. 
Canto IX. New battles; victory de- 
claring againt the Greeks, an embafly, 
confilting of Diomede and Ulyffes, by the 
advice of Calchas, .is difpatched to Phi- 
loctetes, who had been left-in'the Ifle of 
Lemnos; thefe two warriors at length 
fucceed in calming the refentment of the 
hero, who poffefles the arrows of Her- 
cules, and ne is brought to the camp, 
where he ‘is cured of his wounds by Poli- 
darus. 
Canto X. Combat between Philoctetes 
and Paris, in which. the latter, being 
wounded, quits the field of battle. 
Canto XI. A new affault on the part 
of the befiegers ;—this is the moft unin-- 
terefting portion of the whole poem. 
Canto XII. Calchas advifes the Greeks 
no longer to think of taking Troy by 
force, but to recur to ftratagem. On this, 
Ulyffes conceives the expedient of a 
wooden horfe. 
Canto XIII. The city being taken, is 
facked and burnt ; -the defcription of the 
accompanying horrors éc¢cupies the whcle 
oi this Canto. 
In the XIVth and laft Canto, the van- 
quifhers. divide among them the fpoils of 
the captives ; the departure of the fleet ; 
an account of the ftorm that enfues; the 
difperfion and ruin of the fhips, and the 
death of a multitude of the Greeks, in 
conlequence of the intervention of the 
Deities favourable to the Trojans. 
Louife, Poeme Champetre, en trois Idylles. 
—Louria, a rural] Poem, in three Idylls, 
tranflated trom the German of M. Voss, 
1 vol. r8mo. 
The French formerly defpifed German 
literature, but by the tranflatien of this 
and a variety of other pieces into their 
621 
own language, it appears that they are 
beginning to cultivate a tafte for the pro- 
ductions of their neighbours. 
Contes et Opufcuics en Vers, &c.—Tales 
and Trifles in Verfe, &c. to which are 
added, fome Fugitive Poetry,by Andrieu, 
a Member of the National Inftitute. 
The author of this little volume had 
alrealy obtained great reputation by the 
workentitled, Jes Etourdis; and this will not 
be in the leaft diminithed by the following 
pieces contained in the prefent collection, 
viz. ‘* Les Francois aux Bords-du Scioto,” 
—‘Epitre au Pape,’’—‘* L’Hopital- des 
Fous,”—‘¢ Le Doyen de Bajadox,”’ and 
‘¢ Le Dialogue fur les Mots Monfieur et 
Citoyen.” 
Hermann et Dorothée, &c.—Herman 
and Dorothea, a Poem, in nine Cantos, 
tranflated from the German cf Gothe, by 
BirauBe, a Member of the National In- | 
ftitute of France, and of the Royal Aca- 
demy of Sciences and Belles Lettres of 
Pruffia, t vol. 12mo. Paris and, Straf- 
burgh 
The French for a long time affected to 
defpife German literature, but they were 
at length taught by, the Idylls of Gefner, 
the Romance of Werter, the Death of 
Abel, &c. that they had undervalued. the 
genius and the talents of their neigh- 
bours.. Thefe confiderations have re- 
duced Bitaubé to give a French Verfion 
“of Hermann and Dorothea, which is faid 
to be the mafter-piece of Gothe, and he 
muft be allowed to have executed his in- 
tentions with equal ability and fuccefs, 
An Englifh tranilation, by Mr. Holcroft, 
has jult appeared in this country. 
Les Helwvetiens, en buit Chants, &c.— 
The Helvetians, in eight Cantos, with 
Hiftorical Notes, by C. F. P. Masson, 
x vol.-12mo. : 2 
The fubject of this Poem is the bloody 
war which Charlesle Temeraire, Duke of - 
Burgundy, carried on againft. the Swifs, 
with an intention to fubdue them :—a 
war, in the courfe of which, he fought 
three pitched battles, in the laft of which 
he loft his life under the walls of Nancy, 
in 1478. This memorable conteft has 
been treated of in Latin, by Fuerre de 
Blarus under the title of the Nanceide ; 
and merited a far better Mufe. 
The National Inftirute liftened with 
great attention to feveral paffages of this 
work, which were read before them, and - 
received- with the moft flattering marks 
of refpect. The author, who is embued 
with the f{pirit of the times, while cele- 
bratinig the independence of one people, 
has endeavoured to confecrate fuch max- 
4 M2 ims 
