Retrospect of &rench Literature—Biography. 
vival, he finds discipline neglected, and 
every thing wrong; aretorm immediately 
takes place, on which jis officers become 
discontented, the Minister at War de- 
clares himself his enemy, and he disco- 
vers, to his cost, that of all despotisms 
ministerial despotism is the greatest! 
To divert himself, he now forms a 
connexion, and that too with another 
man’s wife! and in the mean time his 
own enters into all the gaiety of the 
capital, and takes a gallant. Qn. this 
he separates from her and lives by him. 
self, in order to enjoy all the comforts 
of celibacy. But here again he is un- 
happy; for he is troubled with the recital 
of other peoples’ misfortunes, exposed to. 
peop 3 
a thousand petty jealousies, and expe- 
riences ingratitude from. alinost every one. 
The stranger, disgusted-with the capi- 
tal, now rejoins his regitvient, and enters 
on a campaign in Germany. <A favour. 
able occasion presents itself; he distin- 
guishes himself and contributes greatly 
to the gaining of a battle; but in the 
moment of victory he recieves a wound, 
is carries! off the field, and on his reco- 
very finds that his bosom friend, thinking 
he was dead, had arrogated to himself 
all the merit, and obtained the rank of a 
General from court. In addition to this, 
he learns at the same time, that Madame 
de Rennon, to whom he was so dearly 
attached, has withdrawn from the world 
and retired to a convent. On this he 
is seized with a fit of devotion, sends for 
# priest, and becomes very religious; but 
on his recovery, he relapses into ‘his 
former habits of life. 
Having resigned his commission in 
disgust, on his retarn home he beholds 
Js wife on her death-bed; and soon after 
this, he marries his son to a young wo- 
man more distinguished for wealth than 
any other. qualification. She and her 
relations at first produce a coolness in 
the family, which soon leads to a law- 
guit: on this our splenetic friend enters 
into asecond marriage; but here is again 
disappoited, for ns new wife’s whcle 
fortune is swept away in the course of a 
single day, by che failure of a commercial 
house, and she herself falls a prey to at- 
fliction. 
fle now flies to books for consolation, 
but here again he is disappointed. “[ 
soon become disgusted with history, on 
perceiving the truth of some of the 
most interesting incidents appertain- 
ing to it questioned, and even over- 
turned, by the critics. On this, I sub 
Stitute natural philosopby ip its stead ; 
Bx 
6419 
I behold all the curious phenomena; but 
on discovering that I was now making. 
myself master of facts alone, without 
Jearning the principles on which they were 
founded, this also was abandoned. Na- 
tural history presented me with nothing 
more than a mere nomenclature. Me- 
tapbysics occupied but little of my atten- 
tion, as I was soon bewildered in the 
obscure consequences arising out of a 
vague hypothesis. Geometry, although 
it satished my mind for the time, yet 
absorbed my faculnes too much; morals, 
by developing the huinan heart, repro- 
duced but too hvely an image of the 
cause of my afflictions: and, in short, I 
did not 6nd that consolation which I 
looked for in study. Irecurred there- 
fore to other objects of amusement. I 
purchased dogs, pictures, and china; in 
short, [ acqmred all those agreeable but 
useless and ridiculous things which con- 
stitute the sole merit of half the world. 
Yet here again [ proved unfortunate, 
for I broke my leg while hunting, on 
which my pack of hounds became useless; 
-and I immediately renounced shooting, 
in consequence of putting out the eyes 
of one of my gamekeepers, who hap- 
pened to be concealed from my sieht 
in a neighbourimg copse, while- I was 
levelling at a partridge ! 
“© On this I attached all my happiness 
to the enjoyment of those consolations 
that still remained; but the amateurs 
had by this time found out that my col- 
lection of originals were all copies except 
ove, which was spoiled in cleaning; 
while the whole of my porcelain was de- 
stroyed in a single night,. by their proving 
too heavy for the wall of the saloon in 
which they were displayed. . 
“ Perceiving now that I inyself was not 
born to be happy, I determined at least 
to make othersso. I fled the society of 
mankind; but seeing the many vexatious 
- prosecations to which the unhappy pea- 
santry were subjected by those unposts 
produced by the luxury of individuals 
rather. than the necessities of the state, 
I determined to protect and to solace 
them. JLaccordingly addressed myself’ + 
to those hard-hearted and indolent des- 
pats, who, in consequence of tie accumu. 
Jated misfortunes of a too extensive so- 
ciety, have been entrusted with an un. 
linnted degree of authority, But the 
intendants attempted todemonstrate the 
necessity of that cruel law, inseparable, 
according to them, from all order—the 
sacrifice of the interest of individuals tu 
the general good. Although forced to 
yield 
