Retrospect of French Literature—Biography. 
little advantage: it is the same with 
Jearning as with riches, for it is less by 
its extent and its. mass, than by its 
employment, that it merits our. es- 
teem. It is not sufficient to collect 
facts and dates, or to explain monu- 
inents 5 if is necessary that a philoso- 
phical spirit should connect the scat- 
“tered rays of knowledee, guide them 
towards one common end, and thus 
give them an useful direction. — It 
was this that constituted the great 
‘merit of the colleague whose loss we 
now bewail. He was not alone ad- 
mirable, ou account of his profound 
penetration and his extensive know. 
ledge ; but also by the happy appli- 
cation of the result of his labours, he 
new how to aggrandise every thing 
of which he treated, and to render 
every thing discovered by him useful. 
It sometimes happened, that a sub- 
ject ‘which seemed scarcely susceptible 
of a short dissertation, in his hands 
afforded materials for a great work. 
It, was this, that in appearing to treat 
only of the historians of Alexander, he 
himself actually became the lumi- 
nous and profound historian of one of 
the most brilliant epochs of ancient 
times, and one of the greatest men 
which any age has produced. 
“ Erudition in him seemed only a 
secondary quality, which he employed 
for no other purpose than to render 
his other merits more conspicuous, 
and to fortify or to extend the medita- 
‘tions of his mind: he often at one and 
the same time employed his pen in 
Political economy, in the sciences of 
government and of law. At one time 
his genius retraces the fate of the co- 
lonies of ancient nations; he developes 
in a methodical manner the true prin- 
ciples of the social institutions, and at 
the same time exposing the motives of | 
the founders, he presents memorable 
examples and judicious lessons for 
futurity, At other times he repro- 
duces the spirit and character of the 
‘religion of Crete, and we think that 
we are reading Montesquieu. The 
conditions which produced a federal 
Union among certain of the states of 
Greece, are Lraced by his elegant pen 
with the same ability as if they had 
been jaid down by one of our best pub- 
Jicists.”’ 
The nayal power of England, also, | 
we jind, became av object of bis re- 
_ searches ; and he wrote ihe history of 
it, we are told, with equal justice, im- 
699 
partiality, and profoundness. ‘* He 
seems to have extracted from that ri- 
val nation the secrets of its prosperity, . 
and presented the means to patriotisin, 
and the genius of snatching from it the 
sceptre, by means of which it has but 
too long swayed the empire of the 
seas.’”” In addition to this, he cast a 
philosophic eye over the religions of 
ancient nations, and to a certain degree 
explained the mysteries of paganism, 
which have given birth to so many 
systems, and awakened so many con- 
jectures. But while the learned men 
in Europs applauded those labours 
which the Institute honoured with its 
approbation, the indefatigable M. de 
‘Sainte Croix was employed in new. re- 
searches: he was content with all the 
world but himself. ie 
«« The. fatal malady which ravished 
him from us, at length interrupted his 
efforts, and he died regretting his ina- 
bility to finish it according to the new. 
plan be himseif had formed, that, to 
adopt his own words, ‘* he might 
found his glory on some legitimate 
pretension,” 
«¢ Hducated, asit were, inthe bosom 
of antiquity, M. de Sainte Croix ap- 
pears to have adopted its noble charac- 
ter; he imight have been taken for a 
scholar of the Portico, if he had not 
evinced so much indulgence, and fora 
disciple of Plato, had he, possessed 
less simplicity. He was austere in his 
manners, modest in his conduct, with- 
out any. other ambition than that of 
glory, without any other passion than 
that of virtue. He did not possess an 
aifection that was not pure, a senti- 
ment that was not generous; his mind 
was noble and elevated, his heart be. 
neficent, and replete with sensibi- 
_ lity. 
‘‘ But, alas! end it is cruel to repeat 
it, this excellent man, so worthy of ese 
teem, veneration, and attachment, was 
not unifornily happy; for glory is not 
happiness, and renown itself is often no- 
thing more than a splendid bauble. 
These cannot cure the wounds of the 
mind, or replace the inestimable hap. 
piness of private life. Without doubt 
he was a happy husband, and when his 
eyes were closed for ever, his hand still 
_ squeezed the hands of a beloved wife ; 
but he was unfortunate as a father, 
for he beheld his children snatched 
from him in the flower of their youth, 
_and he exclaimed, ‘1 have peopled 
‘only the tomb, but I console myself | 
with 
