throwing twelve battalions into Fri- different constitutions. What a vabourg. After so many battles for riety, in culture, in population, and thirteen years, the troops of the em- in credit! The title of Emperor does pire were themselves nothing but not bring with it a single man nor a recruits. The best of my entrench- kreutzer. He must even negociate ments at Holgraben being forced, with his empire that it may not bethere was nothing to stop the march come French; with the Bohemians, of Villars through the Black Forest, that they may not take refuge in and he opened the trench before Prussia or in Saxony, for fear of beFribourg on the 1st of October. coming soldiers; with his Lombards, Harsch disputed the ground foot by ready to become Savoyards; with his foot. On the night of the 14th and Hungarians, ready to become Turks; 15th, the covered way was taken by and with his Flemings, ready to beassault, and one thousand seven hun- come Dutchmen. dred men were lost. When the in- La Houssaie was deputed to try the habitants saw that Harsch waited, ground, on the part of Louis XIV.; before he surrendered, the assault of and, on that of Charles VI. Undheim, the town guard, who were mowed the minister palatine. The former down by bullets, the most aged priest, named Villars to negociate with me at carrying the holy sacrament, and the Rastadt, to which place I was named magistrate, women, and children, re- at the same time. Villars arrived paired to his quarters. The fire from there first, to do the honors of the the ramparts continued as before, castle, as he told me, and he came to and when the breach was large receive me at the foot of the stairs. enough to enter by companies, they Never did two men embrace with abandoned the city on the 1st of No- more soldier-like sincerity, and, I vember, and retired into the castle. will venture to say, with more esteem They defended themselves, they and tenderness. The friendship of fought, they wrote, they demanded, our youth, our companionship of they refused, they granted, they pro- arms in Hungary, and at the court of longed the suspension of arms until Vienna, when he was ambassador the 21st, and then they capitulated. there, interrupted by some brilliant Adieu the empire! adieu its two feats of arms on both sides, rendered bulwarks! was the general exclama- this interview so affecting, that the tion at all the German courts, where officers and soldiers of our escorts they were dying with fear. Why are also embraced each other with cordithey incorrigible? If the petty mi- ality. An hour's conversation in my nisters, or the great and petty mis- apartment, (whither Villars conducttresses, had not been bought by ed me) laid the foundation_of_the France, they might have sent a hun- treaty. "I expected," said I to Vildred thousand men to defend, at lars, smiling, "your exorbitant defirst, the passage of the Rhine, and mands, and I regard them as not then, the fortresses that were made and to be made. There are some very bad Germans in Germany.

actually to take place; for, you will feel that mine are very reasonable. You shall send a courier to carry inThese same courts and states of the telligence of my refusal: he will reempire having thwarted me, in the turn with an order to assent to same manner as they did, some years nothing that I propose to you: your before, Prince Louis of Baden, I was next will bring you the information totally incapable of affording any as- that they begin to hear reason at Versistance to these two places. I con- sailles, and we shall sign.". All that fess that this gave me a most furious I had predicted partly happened; disgust of war, and that I was among and, while waiting for the rest, I said the foremost to advise the Emperor to him," Permit me, niy dear Marto make peace. France had made shal, to go, meanwhile, and keep the some prodigious efforts, because her carnival at Stutgard, along with the resources are infinite. It is the will Duke of Wurtemberg. My body of a single head and of a single na- has need of repose: but, for these tion. The Austrian monarchy is two years past, thanks to you, my composed of five or six, which have mind needs it still more." "Very

"They will never change," said I

well," said he;" and I shall go to divert myself at Strasbourg, till Con- to him; "but some advantage may be drawn from them notwithstanding. If a Pacha, a renegado, or a general of the allies of the Porte,were to form platoons in their manner, in the second line in the intervals of the first, and others in the third line in the intervals of the second, and then, also, reserves and their spahis on the wings, with their cursed yells of Allah! Allah! and their manner of advancing with fifty men, and a small flag, they would be invincible."

tades, whom I have sent to the king, brings me back some new instruc. tions. And permit me, also, to give a ball this evening, that it may look as if were not likely to fight these fifteen days. They will think our Sovereigns the best friends in the world, while it will be only their ambassadors who are so, if you will consent, my lord, that I take this title, which is very dear to my heart."

During the time that we remained together, I returned his balls and sup- You will be angry," said Villars pers; but he gave better cheer than one day, "at what I am now going to I did. Mine was too much in the tell you. Do you know the foolish German fashion: I knew no other. story which has been circulated at To see us in the evenings together,no your expense, concerning the loss of one would think we were disputing the battle of Denain?"-" It will all the mornings. During the enter amuse me," said I. Very well; it tainments which he prepared for me, is said that you had a mistress at his conversation appeared unusually Marchiennes; an Italian dancer, brilliant and interesting. It was im- beautiful as the day, and she had her possible to be more so than his was. quarters there; and you had troops We spoke one day upon the differ- at this post only for her safety and ence between our two nations.- your own, when you went to pass the Yours," said Villars to me, 66 ap- night with her." I laughed heartily pears to me to be incapable of much with him, at this anecdote. "Truly," excitation, acting only more or less said I, "I must have taken it very perfectly right, never very bad."- late into my head to catch this fever "And yours," said I, "is never the of fools, called love. I had better same. You have two characters: have had it at Venice; and at Vienna, one, capable of discipline, fatigue, in our time. You had ladies there, if and enthusiasm, when commanded I recollect rightly: but it was without by a Villars, a Vendome, and a Catinat; and another, such as displayed itself at Blenheim, and Ramillies, when there was something of Versailles mingled with your affairs.

"The vivacity, and the spirit of your Frenchmen, may sometimes be hurtful to them, because they judge of every thing, and always too rapidly. For example: if I were again engaged with you, I would dress some of my dragoons in the French uniform, who should cry out in your rear, We are cut off! But after all, with so much valour, and a man like you, my dear Marshal, you are very dangerous gentlemen."

"We talk together without any suspicion," said he; "like Hannibal and Scipio, I think.

"What do you think of the Turks? Are they always such fools as they were in my time, when I first began, Sir, to admire you?"

loving them, or being loved, for they attach themselves to Frenchmen from fashion."-"That often happens to us in France," replied he. "It is a fashion there also; it is even a trade, when we have nothing else to do: it is almost indispensible to save our reputation. Consider what they have said of M. de Vendome and of Catinat.”

"

I uttered some pleasantries respecting his friend,Madame de Maintenon, lard ascended to reconnoitre me; and and upon the steeple which Chamil I made great sport of the Duke of and La Feiullade. Burgundy, Villeroy, Tallard, Marsin, "I was glad,' said I, "to hear that you were slaughtering the Huguenots and converting them in the Cevennes, rather than facing me at Hochstet." I had no difficulty in making him confess that, but for his wound, he would have beaten me at Malplaquet; but he had more difficulty in wishing to

prove to me that I had committed no of a few hardy theorists or adven. error at Denain. turers; nay, we, perhaps, do not even Perhaps these little flatteries and wish to go the whole length of the courtesies served the Emperor to make a favourable postscript in his dispatch to Louis XIV. I insinuated to him, in conversation, that I was not very well acquainted with this Emperor, and that he appeared to me to be extremely headstrong. It was with pleasure that I saw Villars discoursing with some members of the Estates of the Empire. I strongly suspected that he would hear that I had obtained five millions to commence the war, should it be absolutely necessary; and thus we parted.

constitution, as it was practised in the time of Alfred, or in the times of Henry VI. for we find, by looking into the Statute Book, that in those times, the election of knights of the shire had begun to be made by tumultuous, riotous, and excessive numbers of people, who being freeholders had all votes, and therefore we find that it was requisite to limit the right of voting to such as could spend 40 shillings by the year, and even that not being found sufficient to put an end to the aforesaid tumults, the legislature had recourse to a further limitation of the right of voting, and restricted it to such as possessed 40 shillings by the year; which has, freehold property to the amount of for counties, continued to be the law ever since; and if that were the sole

qualification for voters throughout

myself compelled to give my reasons Great Britain, we should not much why I think the society, which met grumble. As to Ireland, we wish to at the Freemason's Tavern, should leave her to herself, thinking that she have given their ideas on the nature has sufficient wisdom to govern herof the reform most desirable to be self, and if she should be found to adopted. It is evident that the minds have not so much as was supposed, of many men are yet unsettled as to we might soon take the means of the particulars of the reform they hindering her from allying herself to wish to see take place in the House France. As to parliaments, though of Commons; and as we all know they were once annual, we find that that the generality of men are much our ancestors, in the time of Charles I. influenced in their opinions, not only when they might have had them by those whom they consider their as they pleased, were content to have superiors, but by those whom they them triennial; and our ancestors, in believe to possess superior means of the time of William III. were coninformation; it would have been well tent with the same; till our grandif a society, originating in the me- fathers, in the time of George I. were tropolis and composed of men of su- rascals enough to give up even that perior talents and property, had at safeguard of liberty; and therefore least given their ideas on the subject we, country gentlemen, are quite of reform, as it is probable they would, satisfied with a limited franchise and from that circumstance, have given triennial parliaments; and if you, the tone and temper to other meetings great men in the metropolis, wished in the country; at least they would for more, you ought to have told us have given their country friends some so, for if you will not be satisfied idea of what they meant to be at, and by that means have put it in their power to determine how far they chose to follow them; for though many of us honest people in the country, wish well to the cause of reform, we by no means wish to go too far, or to endanger the constitution merely to gratify the speculations UNIVERSAL MAO. VOL. XVI.

with moderate things at first, but dash at once into all the untried spe culations of reform, or rather into such as have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; we must and will say we had rather be what we are, than, by aiming at too much, run the risk of being worse; let us have some standard to go by, and

then we can tell whether we will The WANDERINGS and OPINIONS of conform to it or not. ALGERNON: a SEEKER of WISDOM.

I remain, &c.

W. BURDON.

SIR,

H'
ERBERT Croft, in a printed,
but unpublished, letter to the
late Mr. Pitt, on his proposed New
Dictionary of the English Language;
remarks, "The following passage, I
may say, perhaps, that I have reco-
vered to the language, along with the
word mispence." He adds, Though
you undoubtedly well know the va-
lue of time, you will not dislike to
see this passage; especially, when I
assure you, Sir, that the same forgot-
ten writer has written folios which
are scarcely known, containing innu-
merable passages of the same value:"
Houres have wings, and fly up to
the author of time, and carry news
of our usage.
All our prayers cannot
entreat one of them either to returne
or slacken his pace: the mispence of
every minute is a new record against
us in heaven. Sure, if we thought
thus, we would dismisse them with
better report, and not suffer them
either to goe away empty, or laden
with dangerous intelligence! How
happy is it that every houre should
convey up not only the message but
the fruits of good, and stay with the
ancient of days, to speak for us before
his glorious throne.'

Now, Sir, though I have very little
desire to see the nine thousand words,
"good, bad, and indifferent," which
Mr. Croft has collected, and which
he informs Mr. Pitt are not in John-
son's Dictionary, yet, from this ex-
quisite specimen of his discoveries, I
confess I am most anxious to be in-
troduced to the treasures he has found,
and, above all, I should be greatly
obliged to you, or any of your readers,
who would make me acquainted with
the forgotten writer," who has
written folios which are scarcely
known, containing innumerable pas-
sages of equal value with the one
above quoted.
I am, Sir,

Jure, 1811.

R. H. C.

LETTER VI.

Edinburgh, Jan. 1811. REJOICE to hear that you have received an accession to your family, and I will write a short letter to tell you so. By this last addition you are five times a more effective member of society than myself. If to envy those whom I see surrounded with a healthy offspring, and enjoy. ing, in domestic privacy, the highest. bliss of life, be to sin, I am, as Hotspur says, "the most offending soul alive." None can tell a parent's joy, but those who have felt the pure de light of beholding the rosy offspring of a mutual flame, sportive and lovely, innocent and gay, grow in their sight, and wanton in their smiles. I never contemplate such a picture without emotions of peculiar complacency. I look upon a man and woman, who pass their life in limited retirement, with a few chosen friends, and em ployed in all the delightful duties attendant upon the rearing of a family, as fulfilling the primary business of life, and as moving in a circle, in which alone true bliss is to be found; for out of it only the mask of happiness is worn.

But I will not tire you with tedious truths. I will conclude in form. Present my best and affectionate rémembrance to Maria. Tell her I rejoice at her calamity, being past, and that I shall hardly sorrow when it comes again. Heaven bless you both! May every honest wish be gratified, and every virtuous hope be realised; and when I implore this for you, my friend, I know that I ask a never-ceasing round of bliss, for that heart never yet formed a wish that honesty could blush at, or a hope which virtue would disclaim.-Farewell!

LETTER VII.

Edinburgh, March, 1811. "Almost two months have now elapsed," you say, "and yet you have told me nothing of how you succeed in your new plan: how many youthful Pitts and Foxes you are training to eloquence: what fame, or what wealth you are acquiring? Surely, in all this time you have been able to form

some idea how far you are likely to prosper; whether you are to be a naturalized Caledonian for a few years, or whether disappointment is to turn your capricious steps back again to London? Do enlighten my mind upon all these points, and let me, at least, know your immediate situation, views, and hopes."

Thus you begin your letter, half taunting, half reproachful, half friendly; and what shall I reply to it? Truth, unblushing truth. Then, my dearest friend, I have little to tell you that will give you pleasure. I have, indeed, as you say, been now almost two months in this capital; but alas! the hopes with which I entered it have much abated. Not only my sanguine, but even my moderate hopes are blighted; and they have consequently assumed an humble tone. I now begin to perceive what you, my friend, often urged to me, but in vain, when I first unfolded my project to you.

with the same placid indifference, and the same happy acquiescence. Do not deceive yourself. By an early indulgence in those high-strained notions which you partly owe to nature, but more to volition, you have considerably narrowed the sphere of your activity; there are but a few peculiar circles of action in which you can appear with happiness or with advantage to yourself; beyond those you become not only miserable, but must degenerate into a behaviour which would be called affected, and which most men would very justly censure. You expect, for example, that in your projected plan you will be able to unite two extremes which must for ever repel each other. You imagine that it will be easy to preserve ad your present ideas of dignity and independence of character, with that conduct which your new situation will exact from you. You may do it, and I have no doubt will; but if you do it, it will prove a rock on which you "You are going to a country," you must infallibly split. Do not so said, "where every face will be strange strangely confound situations. That to you-where there will not be one line of behaviour, which in one is human being to lend you an assisting highly proper, and even confers imor a directing hand; and you are go- portance upon a person, becomes in ing with the vain expectation of ac- another ridiculous and inconsistent. quiring, by your industry, such a In your present station in society, you competency for the passing day, as may indulge in those feelings which you deem necessary. The thing is by I have described with safety, and you no means impossible to many men, can scarcely carry them too far as long but I fear much it is so to you. You as they produce happiness to yourself, have adopted from meditation, from for you are completely independent books, and from nature, sentiments in the only intelligible meaning of which I can neither wholly approve the word. But if you do what you nor wholly condemn. They are of a propose, you totally alter the case, structure very ill fitted for the active and you must immediately model scenes of life. You have indulged a your conduct to your affairs, or your morbid delicacy of feeling, by no affairs cannot prosper. Judge dispasmeans compatible with a happy exist- sionately, and you will see that this ence in this world. You are like must be so; look round the world, a man who fancies he can exist only from the highest to the lowest, and in a particular atmospheric tempera- you will see that it is written with inture, and who must consequently al- delible characters upon the destiny of ways keep to his own chamber. I man. Great and superlative merit will not deny that this refinement is alone can entitle a man to deviate the source of many pleasures to the from the common road, and even possessor, and confers a certain cha- then the world merely tolerates him; racter, which is attractive and amia- it never approves, but often wonders, ble; but I am convinced the pain and sometimes pities. To great, or to overbalances the pleasure. Without superlative merit, you do not, I know, reflecting upon this particular quality, pretend, in the line of exertion which which thus distinguishes you, you you have chosen, and even if you posimagine that it is easy to tread the sessed it, you would be constrained same path as your fellow travellers; since it has hitherto remained untied

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