Retrofped? of German Literature.—Leipfic Fair. 
This little dramatic effort is at once mo- 
ral, interefting, and comic. The author, 
with a jut feverity, lafhes the frivolity of 
a modern French education, and more ef- 
pecially the importance attributed to the 
trifling, but now important, talent of 
dareng! : 
«© Le Congé.”"—The Difcharge. 
This is a little after-piece, produced 
by the late treaty of peace with England, 
when the foldier expected leave to return 
to the bofom of his family. 
** Monfieur le Mufard.”’-—The Loiterer, 
a Comedy, in One Act. 
The tisle of this httle entertainment 
fufficiently defignates the fpecies of ridi- 
cule here meant to be empioyed. There 
are a certain number of men of fortune in 
every great city, who continually affect to 
lament the rapidity of time, and yet con- 
fume it themfelves in the moft trivial oc- 
cupations. M. Picarp, the author, 
conceiving fuch to be a fair fubjeét for fa- 
tive, has very properly held them up to 
laughter. 
Monfeur Mufard always finds pretexts 
for retarding affairs even of the greatelt 
confequence. Inftead of acting, he is 
continually mufing, and then appears afto- 
nifhed that his fortune fhould tall into de- 
cay by his own folly. Monfieur le Rond, 
his neighbour, on the contrary, is in a 
conftant ftate of ativity, and not unfre- 
quently profits by the indolence of his 
friend. Thefe two at length difapree, 
but their children do not participate in 
their enmity, for Mademoifelle Mufard 
and young Le Rond entertain a paffion 
gor each other. 
No fooner had the father of the latter 
difcovered this, than, laying. afide every 
interefted motive, he inquires into the real 
ftate of M. Mufards affairs, and faves him 
from deftruétion. In confequence of his 
623 
generous intervention, the two families 
once more are on good terms, and the 
Loiterer, after ftarting a variety of difh- 
culties, is at length brought to approve 
of the intended union. 
“La Revue de An XI.’—The Re. 
view of the XIth Year. 
M. CuazeT, the author of this -piece, 
has attacked feveral of the public journals, 
and more efpecially the Decade, which 
he actually mentions by name in one of 
his ftanzas. In confequence of this, he 
himfelf was hiffed, and his farce cendemn- 
ed. Here follows the objectionable lines : 
“¢ De journaux j’avais fait un choix 
Je croyais en avoir l’élite ; 
J'ai voulu lire tout le mois 
Et j'ai dormi huit jours de fuite. 
Lire tout le meis ! quel plaifir! 
Mais vouz deviez €tre malade 5 
On eft déja fir de dormir 
Quand on littoute la Décade.” A 
“ La Dedaigneufe.”” — The Scornfyl 
Fair. 
This is a comedy, or rather an after- 
piece, of three acts, in verfe, which was 
performed at the Theatre Francais. 
The heroine, who appears extremely 
dificult in the choice of a hufband, on 
being interrogated by a fond futher as to 
the qualities fhe expected to find in one, 
gives fuch a defcription of his virtues, 
talents, temper, wealth, perfon, and beha-= 
viour, that the old gentleman immediately 
exclaims : 
“¢ Si ce Phenix vécut, il eft mort fans fae 
. mille. 
Renoncez a le voir, car vous refteriez fille.” 
The chief female chara&er is faid to 
be borrowed from ‘* L’Armande des 
Femmes Savantes, |’Enfant ¢4 ¢,”’ of De- 
ftouches, and *‘ La Belle Arlene,” of 
Favart. 
5) 
HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF GERMAN LITERATURE, 
EASTER AND MICHAELMAS FAIR, 1304. 
HIS, like the two laft Retrofpeéts, 
will include the bocks publithed at 
the two great Leipzig Fairs of the year 
1804. “The number of articles in the 
catalogues of both amounted to 4794; 
¥iZ. 3153 at Eafter, and 1641 at Michael- 
mas. The catalogue for the former con- 
iains the tit!es of 2635 in the German, 
Oriental, and ancient claffical languages 
in general ; among which we find 7 dra- 
matic works, and 273 novels orramances ; 
223 mufical publications, either theore- 
tical or praftical, asd 295 works m mo- 
dern foreign languages. Inthe catalogue 
for Michaelmas fair there appeared 172% 
publications in the German and Latin 
languages, 125 novels and romances, 7% 
dramas, 179 mulic-books and theoretico- 
mufical works, and 173 in modern foreign 
languages of Europe. Among this im 
menfe mals, of nearly 5000 produétions, 
there were, however, efpecially at the Bafter 
Fair, a great number of continuations ant 
new editions; and fome of the la:teronly 
pretended new editions, z. €. old ‘bovis 
with new tides: a trick, by which, im 
Gerinany 
