Retrospect of French Literature. —Miscellaneous. 
M. Luce de Lancival jhas on this, as 
on former occasions, both studied and 
copied the ancients. He has borrowed 
their sentiments and their manneys, and 
at may accordingly be said of him: 
‘6 €rest avoir profité gue de savoir s’y 
plaire.” 
In the character of Hector we be- 
hold a paraphrase of the Iliad; and the 
same submission to his father, the same 
espect -for the gods,“as inculcated ‘by 
Homer, is every where ineuleated and 
enferced. 
and disinterested; ever ready to con- 
found himeelf with. the croud, and never 
separating from them, unless when he is 
about to mmmolate himself to the happi- 
ness of all. Lere follows a specimen of 
the noble sentiments which are put into 
the mouth of a hero, whose constant cry 
is, ‘‘ Ilion avant tout!” 
“¢ Quand il’a consent on ouvrit la bar- 
riére, 
«Un guerrier ne peut plus regarder en ar- 
riére 3 3 
€¢ Sans balancer, i! vole au cride Ja valeur, 
e¢ Et meme avant les dieux il consulte l’hon- 
neur. 
<¢ Je n’affecterai point une vertu barbare : 
s* De tomt ce que j’aimai, si la mort me sé- 
pate, 
‘¢ Je sens tout mon malleur; fils, pére, époux 
heureux, 
** Mon ceeur tient ala vie, hélas! par trop 
de neeuds. 
We is depicted as generous, ” 
671 
€¢ Mais je dois jusqu’au bout remplir ma no# 
ble tache ; 
‘*‘Mais Hector ne peut vivre avec le nom de 
lache 5 
‘* Et quand .c "est au plus brave 4 subir le 
trépas, 
“Le trépas est un bien qu’Hector ne céde 
bas.” 
The moral of the whole tragedy is, 
‘* command your passions and obey the 
gods.” M. Luce represents Priam asa 
ravisher, and Helena as the victim, rae 
ther than the accomplice, of his crime. 
It is thus she expresses herself on this 
occasion: 
¢< Je hais Paris; par lui je suis infortunée 5 
‘¢ A mille affronts par lui je me vols cone 
damnée ; 
« A Pergame, a la Gréce objet trop odieux, 
*¢ A peine devant tol j’ose lever les yeux. 
<¢ Je le hais des malheuxs qu'il cause a ma 
patrie 5 
** Je le hais des soupcons dont ma gloire est 
flétrie 5 
‘© Et si je me rapelle un plus doux souvenir, 
S Je le hais de mavoir forcée a le hair.” 
Paris himself, is represented as gene- 
rous, noble, and brave, qualities which 
neither correspond with his received. 
character, nor indeed with history. On 
the other hand, the plot is unperplexed 
‘with extraordinary and wonderful inci- 
dents, and the author makes it -his boast 
to endeavour to restore to the stage all 
the original simplicity of Racine. 
GENERAL 
