1809.) 
defects, and some others that were found 
in the body of the work, did not prevent 
this history from deserving and obtaining 
the commendation of the celebrated Gib-- 
bon, or the praise of a rival, M. He- 
gewisch, who has written in German an 
excellent history of the same emperor. 
From the grand ideas of the latter, which 
are frequently contrary to those of M. 
Gaillard, the opinions which he delivers 
on certain events, the manner in which 
he developes their causes and conse- 
guences, his work may be perused with 
great advantage after that of the French 
historian. 
The History of the Rivalship of France 
and Englund, which M. Gaillard pub- 
hshed previous to that of Charlemagne, 
from 1771 to 1777, was received with 
more general approbation, the justice of 
which, time has-since contirmed. This 
work, with the excellent introduction 
which precedes it, makes the reader ac- 
. quainted, not only with the endless quar- 
rels in which the two nations have been 
incessantly embroiled, from the reign of 
William the Congteror, when this rival- 
sip commenced, to the battle of La 
Tiogue ; but likewise with every thing of 
interest in their domestic history, and their 
relations with other nations. | If the au- 
thor, fraught with thatardent love of man- 
kind which animates his discourse on the 
evils of war and the advantages of peace, 
and which breathes more or less through 
all his other works, has suffered himselfin 
this performance to be hurried away too far 
by the vivacity of asentiment so laudable 
and glorious; if he seems to flatter him- 
self perhaps rather too much with being 
able, by his discourses to extinguish the 
national animosities, and open the eyes 
of men to the madness of war; it camot, 
however, be denied that he pleads the 
noble cause of reason and humanity with 
warmth and eloquence; and that if his 
undertaking be a folly, as he expresses 
himself, it is at. least a tender folly coin- 
bating acruel one. Asin nature, some 
good in general results from the yreatest 
evils; it were perhaps to be wished that 
aman of an understanding so sound and 
so enlightened as M. Gaillard, after de- 
monstrating the inutility and fatal effects 
of the long and sanguinary struggie in 
which the two nations have been in- 
cessantly engaged, had examined whe- 
ther some real advantages had not ac- 
crued, either to themselves or to 
other nations, from this very rivalship, 
which has brought upon them so many 
@isasters,. Pea Ne 
Memoirs of M. Gaillard, the French Historian. 
391 
The History of the Rivalship of France 
and Spain, is written on the same prine 
ciples, on the same plan, and with the 
same ability, as the preceding work. The 
style has perhaps even still more energy, — 
dignity, and variety, ard the conceptions 
are more grand and nervous, especially 
in the preliminary introduction. It also 
affords more food for curlosity, because 
the history of Spain is much less known, 
than that of England, with which the 
eminent talents of the authors, by whom 
it has been written, have made all Eu- 
rope thoroughly acquainted. ‘The His- 
tory of the Rivalship of France and Spain, 
likewise possesses the advantage of bring- 
ing forward, for the first time, several 
pieces of history, heretofore entirely un- 
known, and extracted from the manu- 
scripts in the imperial library, Such is 
the original and interesting picture, ex- 
hibited by the fierce and savage isiander, 
who governed Sardinia by the title 
of Judge, or Prince of Arborea, and 
whose manners and policy display the most . 
striking contrast, with those ef the Eu- 
ropean princes. Such are also the ne- 
gociations, relative to the kingdom of 
Majorea, between the ambassadors of 
the duke of ‘Anjou,’ brother of King 
Charles V. who claimed that kingdom 
for their master, and the King of Arras 
gon, by whom it had been usurped. Such 
are, moreover, the negociations with 
Spain, afier the assassination of the 
‘Guises, by the command of the imbecile 
Henry IIf. the very curious correspon- 
dence between Henry iV. and Queen 
Elizabeth of England, aud some other 
pieces equally interesting; all of which, 
M. Gaillard had designed to introduce 
into the collection, published by the 
committee of the Academy of Belles 
Lettres, appointed by Louis XVI. to 
draw up accurate and detailed notices 
of the manuscripts in his library; a col- 
lection since continued by the class of 
ancient history and literatare, which has 
sueceeded to the labours of that acae 
deny. 
This collection contains a great nume- 
ber of other notices, or analyses, from 
the pen of M. Gaillard: it would exceed 
ovr limits, to mention all their titles. 
For the same reason we shall abstain 
from noticing the nermerous articles 
which ke composed, for the Journal des 
Savans, and the Mercure de France, for 
the former of which he was engaged forty 
years. 
The Hislorical Dictionary of the Me- 
thodical Encyclopedia, in six quarto 
Wie? Merwe ee Ne Volumes, 
