1809.] 
entertained him with a horrible repre- 
sentation of it: and though he travelled to 
Rome in his younger years, he bad first 
read the mystery of Iniquity in France: 
Let us, if possible, pardon the misfortune 
of his birth, and bad education, upon 
the account of his excellent accomplish- 
ments otherways, and let us pray God, 
to be merciful to him: for if the reasons 
given in his Leviathan, against the Aca- 
demicians, and. Ecclesiasticks, could but 
extirpate those of his own sect, and gnaw 
off the gangreen of the church, they 
might serve for a sovereign remedy, to 
wcivil. society, in the northern parts of 
the Christian world. But let us return 
to his adversary: the Doctor has less in 
him of the gailantman, than Mr, Liobhbs ; 
and if. you should see him with his Uni. 
versity cap on his head, as if he hada 
portfemlle on, covered with black cloth, 
and sowed to his ealot, you would be as 
much inclined to laugh at this diverting 
sight, as you would be ready to entertain 
the excellency and civility of my friend, 
with esteem and affection. What I have 
said concerning Dr. Wallis, is not in- 
tended in the least to derogate from the 
praises due to one of the greatest ma- 
thematicians in the world; and who 
being yet no more than forty years of 
age, nay advance his studies much far- 
ther, and become polite, if purified by 
the air of the court at London. For I 
must tell you, Sir, that that of the Uni. 
versity stands in need of it; and that 
those who are not purified otherways, 
have naturally strong breaths that are 
“noxious in conversation. This I plainly 
discerned, by having an opportunity to 
compare this subtle and learned) Pro= 
fessor, with Mr. Lockey, the Oxford 
librarian, who had learnt at court, and 
in France, to put on an obliging air, and 
courteous behaviour. He had the good- 
ness, not only to conduct me to the 
library, but all the colleges, and to in- 
troduce me to all the professors I vi- 
sited.” 
In other paragraphs, we have the au- 
thor’s’ reflections on the court, and no- 
bility of England; on the difference be- 
tween the Earl of Bristol, and Lord 
Chancellor Clarendon; on the origin of 
the power of the House of Commons; on 
the nature of the people; the Restoration; 
and Cromwell’s government. Bat on 
every one of these subjects, we find his 
views narrow, his reasonings partial, and 
his mind altogether hostile to England. 
The Earl of Devonshire’s civilities at 
#lgthicld, however, appear to bave ex- 
Scarce Tracts, &e. 
495 
torted from M. Sorbiere, an extraordi- 
nary portion of praise. ile represents 
the very fishes in the ponds to have 
leaped out of the water in the air, ta 
behold, and to delight themselves, with 
the beauties of the plac | 
He returns from it to the metropolis: 
as he says, to view two or three things 
over again, which he thought he bad not 
so well considered before; but, in fact, 
only fo pass a censure on the English 
Stage. 
The play-house, he tells us, is diver- 
st places 
women 
company; the stage is very handsome, 
being covered with green-cloth, and the 
scenes often change, and you are regaled 
with new perspectives. The musick 
with which you are entertained, diverts. 
your time till the play begins, and people 
chuse to go in betimes to hear it, The 
actors and actresses perform their parts 
to admiration, as I have been laformed = 
and so far as I myself could judge of 
them, by their westures and speech. 
But the players here, would be of little 
esteem in France ; so jar short the Kings 
lish come of the French in this way. The 
poets laugh at the uniformity of the 
place, and the rules of times. | Their 
plays contain the actions of five and 
twenty years; and after that, in the first 
act, they represent the marriage of a 
priace ; they bring in his son fighting in 
the second, and having travelled over 
many countries. But above all things, 
they set up for characterizing the pas. 
sions, virtues, and vices of inankind, ad- 
mirably well; and indeed do not. fall 
much short in the performance. Th ree 
presenting a imiser, they make him guilt 
of all the basest actions that have been 
practised in several ages upun eceasions, 
and in different professions. They do 
not matter, though it be a hodtch-potch, 
for they say, they mind onty the parts as 
they come‘on, one after another, and | 
have no regard to the whole composi- 
tion,” 
Vhe Engheh language itself is next 
attacked, Bat on a sudden, we find the 
author at Dover, preparing to re-pass the 
seas. Hie finishes his jourmey at Rheims, 
where he found jeisure to revise hig 
Journal, and send a relation of it to a 
friend, : 
Afier the specimens which have been 
quoted, it surely need not excite sur. 
prise, that Louis XIV. wlio was then in 
good understanding with the English 
conrt, 
