664 Retrospect of French, 8c: Literature—Miscellanecus. 
“ Qui naguere assiégoit sa superbe cité; 
“¢ Rempli d'une fureur a le prendre animée, . 
** Charles dans son camp méme assiégeoit 
son armée: 
** Lorsque deux Sarrazins nés de tristes 
parents, ° 
“ Qui dans Ptolémais tenoient les derniers 
fangs, 
“ Par leur tendre amitié, &c.” 
Perhaps the English reader may be 
desirous to know in what manner our 
great national epic poet is taught to 
speak in a foreign idiom? Here follows 
a short specimen: . 
“ Alors Milton, prenant sa lyre entre 
ses mains, ; 
“Se prépare a chanter le premier des 
humains: 
“La foule avidement‘et Dentoure & le 
Tesse ; . 
$ I} exhale en ce mots sa poétique ivresse. 
“ Le mont d’Eden s’éleve en des champs 
fortunés, ‘ 
“Ses pieds sont de buissons partout en- 
vironnés, , 
“ Et, partout lTentourant, d’inaccessibles 
roches 
“ De ses flanes escarpés defendent les ap- 
proches: 
* Sur ses ‘fiancs s‘elevoient de longs & noirs 
sapins, 
“De cedres, des palmiers, de venerables 
pins, 
Qui montant par degrés formoient de 
verds etages, © 
“ Levoient pompeusement ombrages, sur 
ombrages, &c. 
“ Tettres ecrites de l Itulve, pendant les 
années 1801 ef 1805.” Letters from Italy, 
written between thé years 1801 and 
1805. By P. F. Rehfues, Zurich, 1809. 
The author is already known in the 
hiterary world, by his work, “ Sur Vetat 
gctuel de la Sicile,” published in 1807. 
Several of the letters in the present vo- 
lume, have already appeared in the two 
German Journals edited by M. Rehtues, 
under the separate titles of “ De Italie, 
& Melanges Italiens.’ They now re-ap- 
pear, with many emendations, and are 
at the same time censiderably enlarged. 
We are here presented with accurate 
aescripuons of the cities of Leghorn, 
Florence, and Genea. The first letter 
contains a general description of the 
Tralian ladies; the second gives an ac- 
eount ef the carnival at Leghorn; and 
mm the diird, the author has treated 
& Sur Part domproviser,” which he con- 
siders as a simple mechanical habit, that 
presupposes no talent whatsoever for 
poetry. The next letter 1s dedicated to 
2 description ef the ancient pictures of 
Campo Santo; and the-Baths of Pisa; 
next follows an account of the quarriés 
of marble at Massa, where there is at 
this very time an academy of sculpture. 
From Lerici, on the gulph of Spezzia, 
the author repaired to Genoa; and his’ 
‘remarks on the characters of the Ge- 
hoese, are extremely imteresting. A 
journey to Rome furnishes him with an 
Opportunity of detailing a variety of Fre- 
remarks relative to the spirit which pre- 
vailed in the various religious orders, as 
well as of the rivalship which subsisted. 
among them. The want of cultivation 
in the Campagna di Roma, is attributed 
partly to the siege of that city in 1597, 
and partly to the residence of the Popes 
at Avignon. 
Our traveller next visits Florence, 
which he considers as a city,better cal- 
culated for social intercourse than Rome, 
while the latter is a stperior abode for 
such as are attached to the study of the 
fine arts. The gallery of the pictures 
appertaining to the marchioness of Ge- 
rinl, is described with great minuténess, 
as is also that of Cambrucchini at Leg- . 
horn. The appendix contains disserta- 
tions on the social state in Italy, and on 
the Jews of Lechorn. 
“ Tableau de Naples, & des ses En- 
virons, &c.” A Description of Naples 
and its Environs, by P. J. Rehfues, 3 
vols. Svo. 1808. This work has been 
already ‘alluded to in the preceding arti- 
cle, ‘The author, after a variety of par- 
ticulars relative to the situation, climate, 
-and,bistory of Naples, estimates the po- 
pulation of tha€ city, in 1605, at 443,421 
inhabitants, without reckoning foreign- 
ers. Those resident in the country are 
calculated at 123,730, among whom are 
included 2000 secular ecclesiastics, more 
than 5000 monks, and upwards of 4500 
nuns. . 
_ After this the author gives an account 
of the various public places; the means 
of provisioning the city; the feast of St. 
Januanius, and the Neapolitan women. 
These appear to him to be less comely. 
than the men: they are represented as 
little, and brown-complexioned, bat 'very 
lively and very spirited. ‘The Neapoli- 
_tans in general are described as super 
stitious, high-polished, much addicted to 
litigation, and often cruel and deceitful. 
They pretend that their dialect is far 
superior to the Tuscan, and possess a 
natural talent for the language’ of -gesti- 
cultition. In their songs they celebrate 
their horses, their limpid fountains, and 
their mistresses. The article respecting 
. public 
iy 
