Retro[pect of Domeftic Literature.—Hiftory. 
ample of what a free people can do in’ 
its defence,” Aloys Reding thus ad- 
drefled them: ‘* Brave comrades, dear 
fellow citizens, the decifive moment is 
now at hand! Surrounded with ene- 
mies, abandoned by our friends, it re- 
mains for us only to. know if we can 
bravely follow the example which our 
anceftors left us at Morgarten. An al- 
moft certain death awaits us. If any 
one fears it, lethim retire; noreproaches 
on our part fhall attend him. Let us not 
mutualiy deceiveourfelvesat this folemn 
hour. I had rather have a hundred men 
prepared for every event, and upon 
whom I can rely, than five hundred who 
would fpread confufion by their flight, 
and by a perfidious retreat would fruit- 
Jefsly facrifice the brave men who ftill 
refitted, As to myfelf, I promife not 
to forfake you, even in the greateft 
peril. DeaTH AND NO RETREAT! If 
-you fhare my refolution, let two men 
come forth from your ranks and fwear 
to me in your name that you will be 
faithful to your words.” 
“ The foldiers,”’ fays M. Z{chokke, 
‘¢ refting on their arms, heard, ina kind 
of religious filence, the words of their 
chief, and fome of thefe hardy warriors 
were feen melted to tears: when he had 
ceafed, a thoufand voices were heard : 
and We awill Jhare your fate! we will 
never forfake you! refounded on gill 
fides. Two men then came from the 
ranks, and extended their hands to 
Reding, in fign of fidelity for lite and 
death. This treaty between the chief 
and his foldiers was fworn in the open 
air, and in the face of heaven, and bears 
the ftamp of patriarchal manners worthy 
ofthe golden age.’’ The fate of this 
patriot band, fu worthy of the com- 
mander who led them into battie, is 
well known: overrun with numbers, 
after many hard-fought (truggles, they 
fubmitted to an inevitable and honour- 
able capitulation; receiving from the 
General in Chief of the Helvetic army 
that homage which he acknowledged 
to be fo jultly due to their valour. Ge- 
neral Schawenburg rendered them juf- 
tice in feveral letters publifhed at that 
time, and, much to his own honour, 
became the friend of Aloys Reding, 
« the general of an army of herd{men 
whom he could never conquer.”’? With 
this capitulation the eloquent and moft 
interefting narrative of our author ends, 
but Dr. Aikin has very properly car 
ried the hiftory down to the prefent 
time in an appendix. We cannot {ketch 
the fubfequent events within the. brief 
05 
limits which confine us; fuffiice it to 
fay, that the revival of the democratic 
cantons evinces the fuccets which may 
fairly be expeéted at all times from de- 
termined valour and perfeverance when 
animated by an enthufiaftic {pirit of 
patriotifm, and of refiftance againft an 
unprincipled and infolent invader. 
“© An Hiftorical View of the Englijb 
Government from the Settlement of the 
Saxons in Britain to the Revolution in 
1688. To which are fubjoined, fome Dif- 
Jertations conneGed with the Hiftory of 
‘the Government, from the Revolution to 
the Prefent Time, by JouN MILLAR, 
Esq. Profeffor of Law, Gc. 4, vo}s.”’ 
In his life-time Profeffor, Millar an- 
nounced his intention of bringing down 
the Hiftory of the Englith Government 
from the Revolution to the prefent 
times. The editor of this pofthumous 
publication has informed us, that the 
manufcript of this portion of the work 
was not left in fuch a finifhed and cor- 
rect ftate as to be laid entire before the 
public. The Hiftorical View, there- 
fore, is only brought down to the revo- 
jution of 1688, and a felection from the 
materials for the fubfequent period is 
given in the dry form of feparate dif- 
fertations. Thetwo firft volumes con- 
tain that portion of the work which 
was publifhed in 1786, including the 
Hiftory of the Government previous to 
the acceffion of the houfe of Stuart ; 
and the two latter, the hiftory and dif- 
fertations that belong to the fubfe- 
quent period. 
It was Mr. Millar’s defign to exhi- 
bit an Hiftorical View of the Englifh 
Government from the earlieft periods 
of its independent exiftence to the pre- 
fent times. his fubject he has di- 
vided into three parts: the firft com- 
prehends the Hiftory of the Form of 
Government which prevailed from the 
Eftablithmeat of the Saxons down to 
the Norman Conquef. During this 
period the {cattered tribes and families 
of barbarians feem to have gradually 
arranged themfelves under the protec- 
tion of a few great leaders, and the go- 
vernment came gradually to be admi- 
niftered by a great feudal, ariflocracy. 
The fecond period extends. from the 
Conqueft to the Acceffion of the Houle 
of Stuart, and is diftinguifhed by the 
{truggles which took place between 
the Nobles and the. Sovereign, and the 
gradual predominancy of the latter 1 
confequence of the divifions which 
took place among the ariftocracy, and 
the authority that was acquired by a 
412 common 
