Retrofpelt of French Literature —Mifcellaneous. 
ered, in which an amorous. chevalier 
4s made to undertake a de{perate com- 
bat, on purpofe to fave the life of amif- 
trefs, whom henotwithftanding believes 
to be faithlefs! It appears indeed, that 
Voltaire is alfo indebted to this. romance 
for the fubject of another tragedy, that 
of Artemira, which did not prove fuc- 
celsful, 
The two laft volumes contain the 
productions of Madame de Tencin, a 
French woman, firft brought up in a 
convent, next a canone{s, then a lady 
of the court and an author, and always 
a female fond of gallantry and intrigue. 
The celebrated d’Alembert whom fhe 
abandoned, was the fruit of her amours. 
He was expoied on the fteps leading to 
the church of St. Roche, and taken care 
of by a poor, glazier, who. educated 
him. His talents, as is well known, ob- 
tained celebrity, and he foon began to 
be confidered as one of the firft geome- 
tricians in Europe. . Madame de Ten- 
cin’s vanity was fo much flattered by 
his extraordinary reputation, that. fhe 
now withed to recognize him as her 
fon, but he conftantly replied, “I have 
but one mother and that is the glazier’s 
wife.” It ought not to be omitted, 
that even after he had entered intoa 
- correfpondence with feverai of the fove-~ 
reigns of Europe, he continued to live 
along with his adopted parents, and 
conftantly evinced for them all the 
marks of refpect and tendernefs be- 
coming a fon. 
The works of Madame de Tencin 
confifts of the fiege of Calais, feveral 
novels, and a variety of letters, 
6 Lies (GQtuvres de Guibert,, &c.”’— 
The Military Works of Guibert, pub- 
lifhed by his Widow, from the Manu. 
icripts, with the laf corrections of the 
Author, 5 vols. 8vo. With portrait. 
The firit four volumes, comprehend 
The General Effay on. TaGtics, and a 
Defence of the modern Syftem of War- 
fare, works formerly, publithed and 
wellknown. Notwithftanding the real 
or pretended improvements accruing 
from the Jate war, yet thefe at this 
very day may be confidered as the bafes 
of the ordonuances. or regulations for 
the exercife of both infantry and caval- 
ry in France. Military men will here 
alfo find a moft Juminous difcuffion, 
relative to the primitive order of bat- 
tle; and alio a differtation on the or. 
are pfrofond, by which men may be 
drawn up to the belt advantage, ac- 
_Montury Mac, No, 13%. 
673 
cording to the regulations prefcribed 
by that made. | 
The author maintains however, that 
the difpofition of forces ought. to be 
modified, according to the nature of the 
ground, and’ the relative pofition and 
ftrength of the enemy. By way of elu- 
Cidation, we are told, that this {y fem 
has not only been adopted by the 
greateft captains in all ages, but thatin 
our own, a victorious general abandon- 
ing the method, by which he had over- 
come the Europeans who ufually com- 
bated in {quares, he adopted another, 
and thus encamped, marched, and over- 
came a barbarous enemy, which had 
but one way af fighting, while his own 
troops were furrounded by multitudes 
of cavalry. ; 
After this, Guibert enters into a cri- 
tical examination of the beft means of 
attack and defence, and points out the 
‘fimpleft, as well as the mot complex 
manoeuvres. He infifts on the inferi- 
ority of the parallel, to that of the ob- 
lique order, which he in general makes 
to confi in refufing certain parts of 
the line, in order to a& with greater 
vigour on a-given point, foas to break 
through, turn the flanks of, and rout 
the enemy. Heinfilts forcibly, on the 
inconvenience arifing out of an immu- 
table order of battle, formed before 
hand, and which is changed with great 
difficulty, afterthe enemy has had time 
to reconnoitre all the pofitions. He de. 
monftrates, that it is folely by manceu. 
vering in face of the adverfary, that it 
is poffible to deceive him,- produce 
falfe combinations, and infpire him with 
a fatal fecurity relative.to the real 
point of attack, which may be confider- 
ed.as a fure prognoftic of his defeat. 
He then thews, that itis pofible to ma- 
neeuvre without danger, and keep the. 
troops in regular columns ; that the en- 
gagement may be retarded at pleafure, 
and that too, in exact proportion tothe 
agility of the troops in their various 
operations 3; agility, therefore, becomes 
a characteriltic proof of the excellence 
of an army. 
This indeed is one of. the maxims of 
the great King of Pruffia, and was fre- 
quently ated upon by him, in the 
courfe of his many brilliant campaigns. 
Lloyd alfo, a countryman of our own, 
is of the fame opinion in his Memoirs, 
and hewill not allow that any army can 
be good, but in proportion to its 
ftrength, agility, and mobility. The 
48 fame 
