a ¥ 
Retrospect of Fr ench eratape Oy ante, 
public; the formation of au auxiliary 
Russian army for the service of Poland ; 
the vast projects of the empress relative 
to Moldavia, Wallachia, and the Morea; 
the violence committed against the Polish 
nobles; in short, the famous Declaration 
of the 2d of September, 1772, a monu- 
ment of miquity, that aroused the whole 
nation, and produced the fatal epoch 
when the first partition of territory took 
place,” 
The editor, who is perhaps rather in- 
duced by the occurrence of recent events, 
than the love*of liberty, to attack the’ 
courts of Berlin and Petersburgh, con- 
cludes with a quotation from Burke, in 
which that orator observes, “ that the 
states of Europe will, some day lament 
that they had tolerated the consummation 
of so. great an iniquity, and those more 
especially which had taken an active part 
iit,” 
DRAMA. 
“Via Mort du Henri TV~ Tragédie en 
cing actes, & ‘en vers.".—The Death of 
Henry IV. a Tragedy of five’ ‘Acts, in 
Verse. “By'M. Lecovve, of the Institute, 
This tragedy, the composition of one 
of the most celebrated liter ary men 
now existing in France, has given birth 
to many quarrels and much abuse among 
the Parisian eritics. It is termed by one 
party, a most excellent dramatic. work, 
1a point of structure, while the poetry 
is accounted very fine, and the whole: 
deemed worthy of the talents of the 
author, 
On the other hand, it has been assert- 
ed, that M. Legouvé has violated history, 
as the assassination of his hero proceeded. 
not from a conspiracy, but the misguided 
fanaticism of a single, insulated, and de- 
Juded wretch. “It is added at the same 
time, that the ¢ putes between Henry 
and his quecn were mere domestic jars, 
calculated for a comedy alone. 
To this their opponents rejoin, that the 
proofs of a horrid and successful combi- 
uation are founded on the authorities of 
Daniel, De Bury, De Mézerai, De Prefixe. 
To these, they say, may be sated: nes 
Mémoires de Sally & de Condé, 6 Tig 
Journal de Henti IV.” “1 VEtoilé, ees (Le 
Mercure de France, année 1610,” «6 L’His- 
toire Uiiiverselle .”</Totrigue de Cabinet, pr 
&c. They at the same time affirm, in 
respect to the second charge, that ac- 
cording to the mode of reasoning adopted 
on this occasion, the fine travedies of 
Andromaque, Mithridate, and Zaire, 
ought never to have been written. In 
short, if we are to give credit, to some 
Montuty Mage. No. 159 
place during the reign of terror. 
695 
part of the recrimination, a most extraor- 
diary class of men has sprung up in 
France : 
“ A collection of pedants and of 
monks,” say they, “escaped from the 
abolished cloisters and colleges, have 
united to speculate relative to those fol- 
hes of which they are the apostles. Some 
of them, the younger children of Loyola, 
wish to revive in France the ridiculous 
quarrels relative to quietism ; others, the 
sanguine disciples of the Sorbonne, en- 
deavour to restore the theological inqui- 
sition: all labour for the same end—to 
mislead public opinion, to foment hatred, 
and to take advantage of disorder, 
“‘ The private lives of peaceable citi- 
zens are not sheltered from their research- 
es; their writings are exactly in the same 
style as those. homicidal denunciations, 
those perfidious accusations, which took 
And is 
this astonishing? One of their colleagues 
was secretary to the infamous Marat. 
‘© Although they appear to unite in the 
praises of the hero of France, yet some 
of them still carry in their pockets, either 
on bonnet-rouxe, which covered their 
eads while members of the revolutionary 
Bee ese or the amnesty of the Bour- 
bons, whose cause they have advocated. 
They proclaim themselves the apostles of 
religion, the friends of morals and of their 
country; and yet we behold among them 
those furious men who invited foreigners. 
into. France; those fanatics: who caused 
the unhappy Vendeans to be murdered; 
those spies, paid by all parties, and who 
by turus wore the'livery of all! I” 
We now return, after this short digrems | 
sion, to the tr agedy i in question. 
Henry announces to his council the 
design he had long meditated, of repair- 
ing to Flanders, where he intends to at- 
tack the Spaniards, who had assembled 
a numberous body of troops’there. On 
the departure of the other members, the 
prince remains closetted with Sully and, 
opening his mind to that minister, dis« 
closes the chagrin experienced, in conse= 
quence of the jealousy and haughtiness of 
Mary de Medicis, his consort. The duke 
in some measure exculpates the queen, 
by reminding the sovereign of his own ine 
discretions; afterwards “he advises his 
majesty to conciliate her affection. An 
interview accordingly takes place, when 
Henry addresses his consort as follows 
LE ROI. 
af Reine, avant de partir 
Pour les bords of la guerre est prete a re- 
tentir, 
Je 
4 T 
