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were heard again in a different strain, after all the world had obtained the persuasion that the improvement of Europe must be effected by means of a totally different nature. It would have been as becoming the gravity of the German nation, if its poets had been more sparing in their abuse of Napoleon after his fall. The Germans possess, however, one elegant piece of oratory respecting Napoleon, composed at the time when he had attained to the acme of his glory, by one of their most popular bards. We mean the discourse delivered by Kosegarten in the year 1809, on the birth-day of Napoleon; which, though a composition in prose, may properly be called a poem, it being, with regard to diction, one of the finest and most elaborate effusions of the genius of its author. It is notorious in Germany, how severely Kosegarten was censured both at home and abroad, on account of the tenour of this discourse, which with great propriety might be called a lyrical panegyric. Now that the inspired orator in the silent and protecting grave is inaccessible both to censure and to praise, every candid reader will readily do justice to this discourse, which contains many excellent and maturely weighed ideas, expressed in a masterly style, and gives ample evidence of a reflecting mind. Though the poet may be said to supersede, rather too strikingly, the orator in some passages; yet, if we make proper allowance for some singularities and a few exaggerations, the remainder will stand a fair chance of approbation at the tribunal of history. The second part of this discourse, in particular, is profoundly conceived and admirably expressed. We do not know of an author on the continent who, at that period, ventured to tell the then ruler of nearly all Europe, truths more severe than those our orator both uttered and published in print, whilst he was surrounded by the warriors of that powerful man. He says, amongst others: May, in the mean time, the great man, whose nativity is celebrating to day, not only by ourselves, but by the nations extending from the Ebro to the Vistula, in what remains of his career, justify the confidence placed in him by his admirers, and appease those, who, as yet, remain estranged from him! May he be indefatigable in healing, by the wisdom of his laws, the wounds mankind have received from his sword! May, along with the rising superiority of his station, his views be exalted, and his great mind be enlarged, so as to comprehend both the intellectual and the physical prosperity of the whole human race! May he be soon enabled to exchange the laurel, bought almost too dearly, for the palm of peace. May he save his heart under the load of cares that are crowding upon him, and out of the carnage of so many battles carry off his humanity, as the most valuable trophy. May he reverence the tribunal of history, and stand in awe of the scourge of Nemesis, and spare the dearest privilege of man, the privilege of a free press! May he bear in mind, that he is answerable to God, and never forget, that he too cannot escape the last fatal hour.'

These serious admonitions of the poet and orator remind us of the equally important words addressed to Napoleon at Lyons, in 1802, by the excellent Ugo Fuscolo, the spokesman of the Cisalpine republic, when he, with Demosthenian energy thus harangued him:- If many of these great men (he mentions here the names of Alexander, Cæsar, Augustus, Tiberius, Marcus Aurelius, Alfred, Leo X., &c. &c.) did not keep themselves unstained by crimes, it must be considered, that they were mortals like yourself; and it was not the hope, or the awe of their contemporaries, but fearless posterity, that inscribed their sentence upon their tombs. Countless instances, known to all, have already sanctioned this saying of the ancient sages: No man is to be esteemed virtuous, previously to his death.' Passing over in silence your glorious deeds, I fearlessly purpose praising you for what you intend to do for the benefit of our republic. For could we be grateful to you for any thing else? And what else but prosperity could our country expect of you, in whose veins Italian blood is flowing. Glory and power, forsooth, are easily gained, if wrested from general

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general cowardice; conquerors and tyrants are, however, neither happy nor scarce; nor were you intended to aim at common glory. You are still wanting the only laurel that never yet graced the head of a mortal-that of being the saviour of conquered nations.'.... Envious tyranny is hostile to all that is great, nay to all magnanimity and every spark of greatness; neither does it rest until all are extinguished. There is yet time given you for doing good. Do not commit the seed of happiness to the guardianship of men, but to that of the law; not to the generosity of nations, but to its inherent powers; lest you should expose the stability of your creation to the ingratitude of men, and to the caprices of fickle fortune.'. . . . Therefore strive to advance our prosperity, whilst you are providing for your own glory. Of this nature let your laws be; of this complexion your example.'. ... Since you cannot live for us for ever, be, at least, the surety of our liberty, by not invading it yourself. And, my whole country agrees with me, when I declare, that our liberty consists in having no chief, (save Buonaparte,) who is not also our fellow-citizen. Although there should be one mortal possessing the most unblemished character, yet not being a citizen subject to our common laws, and invested with power over us under the title of general, or deputy, he would in a short time overturn all military regulations; nay, the state itself.-No! no! there is neither liberty nor property, nor life in any country whatever in which national independence is fettered, though it were in the possession of the freest form of government.'. ... Should the French government retain any right over us (save that of demanding our gratitude), be it ever so little, or distant-ah!—with what a deluge of blood would our grandchildren see the Adige and the Po overflow their banks; especially, when the terror of your name should have left us along with your person, and the surrounding nations should rise again to dispute with us our fields, our garments, and the example of France prove the excitement to, and the pretence for future horrid wars. How? should your numerous wonderful deeds yield us nothing but misery, slaughter, and tears? And the hope of Italian glory, should it again be reduced to the certainty of unavoidable disgrace? Oh! what an inglorious night would cover your name, if, one day, the Cisalpine nation were compelled to exclaim, "Why did not you leave us prostrate in our accustomed drowsy slavery, instead of rousing us to the acquisition of a tempestuous and transient liberty?" Passages of a like tenour also occur in the spirited Letters of Jacopo Orti,' by Ugo Foscolo. Among the voices of contemporaries referring to Napoleon, the words of Foscolo deserve being recorded, who dared to address those weighty words to Napoleon, and to remind him of the august names of Moreau and Massena, as patterns of imitation, and of their having been sharers in his success and triumphs.

Whoever reads the five poems contained in this collection, will readily allow, that each of them possesses high poetical merit, different as the views of the authors are of the man to whom they refer. The great value of Manzoni's ode has been acknowledged not only in Italy, but all over Europe, especially in Germany, whose most eminent poets, with Göthe at their head, have rivalled each other in translating it into their mother-tongue.

Don Juan und Faust. Eine Tragödie von Grabbe. Frankfurt am M., 1829. Hermannsche Buchhandlung.

WITHIN the last few years, the euphonious name of Grabbe has been considerably noised abroad in Germany. The 'Hallische Litteraturzeitung,' one of the most influential periodicals of that country, when reviewing this author's first production (Dramatische Dichtungen,' 2 Bände, 1827), placed him above Byron, in point of power and reckless daring. As to foolhardiness and ridicu lous rant, Mr. Grabbe is a match for any man living; as to power, the old gentlewoman of Halle may rank him above Byron and Shakspeare, and we wish

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him joy of his elevation, knowing as we do that his tumbling time is nigh at hand. The Dichtungen' in question teem with extravagance, and were a very fitting preparative for the tragedy named at the head of this article.

The subject is sufficiently indicated by the title, and the poet has probably conceived that Göthe and Byron were liable to censure for making the gay gentleman and the learned gentleman distinct heroes, and in two distinct languages. Wherefore the bountiful-minded Grabbe hath made these two mad fellows subservient to his tragic designs, presenting us at once with the sensual Don Juan and the supersensual Faust. Donna Anna, the daughter of Don Guzman, is brought upon the moving scene, in order that both heroes may fall in love with her. This they do, and she, like a girl of discrimination, gives her heart to Juan, whom, from principle, she despises, and rejects Faust, who had conveyed her to a magic palace on Mont Blanc. The ruler of spirits kills the unrequiting object of his love, and immediately experiences the most cruel remorse for his own violence. Don Juan is more of a philosopher, comforting himself with the thought that there are a thousand beauties yet existing; he bears the account of the death of his mistress without even breaking up his banquet, to which he had recklessly invited the statue of Don Guzman, as in Mozart's celebrated opera. The career of the two heroes terminates as in the legend (i. e. they go to the devil), Don Juan's last exclamation being

" König und Ruhm und Vaterland und Liebe.'

Faust is a caricature of-what we need not say. Don Juan is, as he has ever been with playwrights and tale-tellers of all kinds, a witty, sensual villain. Leperello is the same merry fellow we have all met, and hope to meet again. Goosey Guzman is the worthy father of an unfortunate young woman, who died as we have observed, without destroying Don Juan's appetite for supper.

It is pleasing to see pretty stories, which have delighted so many juvenile readers and pantomime frequenters, thus coming forward in the still more queer and ticklish dress of tragic fustian. A genuflexion is due to this grave appearance, ' and shortly after

A most unoriental roar of laughter,'

will be found very appropriate and delectable.

Dramatiske Digte. Hauch; Copenhagen, 1829.

THE author's name is already known to many of our readers, and he is welldeserving of the celebrity which he enjoys in his own country. His works display excellences rarely found united in the same person. He possesses a correct knowledge of ancient literature, as well as of the human heart and its passions; and his diction is vigorous, warm, and highly poetical. The two volumes before us contain four dramas: Bajazet, Tiberius, Gregory VII., and Don Juan. In the first the characters of Bajazet and Tamerlane are very skilfully exhibited. In the second he has portrayed the gloomy tyrant, but, at the same time, delineated a picture of the Roman Colossus, as it was destroyed by the abomination and absurdity of its idolatry. To the powerful Hildebrand he has imparted that haughty vivacity, that energy of character, that persuasive eloquence, which gave to this impetuous pope such great power over the events of his time. The character of Don Juan has been portrayed more vigorously by our author than by some other poets who have treated the same subject. He is not represented by him, as by Moliere and others, as a giddy and licentious young man, but as a downright villain inured to the perpetration of crimes. Although these dramas were not intended for the stage, Tiberius has been acted with great applause at Copenhagen.

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Skyggebilleder af Frederik Schaldemose. Kjöbenhavn, 1829.

MR. SCHALDEMOSE has been long advantageously known as the author of se veral works, in verse and prose. In the work before us he has furnished a new collection of poems, under the title Phantoms, consisting of fables, lyrical pieces and sketches, and of the poem the Jomsvikings, The chief merit of this author consists in a style at once simple and interesting; but the great variety of subjects chosen for the Skyggebilleder, would seem to have prevented his giving any marked character to these productions of his muse. In the Jomsvikings he takes a more determined course, and one which we could wish to see him follow in his future productions. The work is inscribed to the Princess Royal, Carolina, in a dedication called the Sacrifice,' which is very beautifully written.

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Digtninger af Christian Wilster. Kjöbenhavn.

WE, in a former number, took occasion to mention the poems of Mr. Winther, and we now have to announce those of an author, much resembling him in style and poetic tendency. Beauty and elegance of diction, and a pure and earnest spirit, distinguish the productions of both. In the collection before us we would direct attention to the pieces, 'When I was great,' written with reference to Baggesen's celebrated song, When I was little;' 'Where art thou?' addressed to the ideal of the bard; and The Prayer of the Childless Mother.'

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Pamientniki Janezara. Warschau, 1829.

WHEN Ladislaus III., having been absolved by the Pope from his oath that he would continue on terms of peace with the Turks, surprised them in 1444, and in the battle of Warna was slain, together with the flower of his people, a young nobleman, among many more noble Poles, was taken prisoner by the Turks, assumed the turban to save himself from slavery, and entered the ranks of the Janizaries. The above work contains his journal during the siege and taking of Constantinople. It details many interesting facts. Although these memoirs do not throw any considerable light upon the history of that period, yet they are remarkable as a monument of the lingua vernacula of the fifteenth century, when in Poland all writers made use only of the Latin language. The author did not stay long in Turkey, returning to his native country after the conclusion of peace. The editor of the manuscript has retained the antiquated orthography and language of the author, but with a modern translation of the text on the opposite page.

"Fetaway Abdur-Rahim. Constantinople, Nov. 1821. 2 vols. Folio. THE history of printing at Constantinople is rather singular. The first press was established by Jews, who published only new editions of old Hebrew works. Greeks and Armenians soon followed their example. In 1720, when MohamedEffendi was sent to Paris as ambassador, he was accompanied by his son Said, and resided seven years in the capital of France. He visited manufactories, &c., but there was nothing that interested him more strongly than the operations of the press. After his return to Constantinople, the Sultan gave him leave to erect this wonderful machine, and to print several books. The principal of these were vocabularies, grammars, travels, and historical works. There exists a work on America, printed by him, which, in spite of the prohibition of the Koran, is ornamented with prints. The latest work that has issued from the Turkish press, is a justification of the innovations attempted by the present Sultan, by whose command it was printed. It is entitled The ground pillar of victory. Its contents are calculated to recommend the reforms of the monarch to the people, and to represent them as ordinances of the Prophet. The Fetwas of Abdur-Rahim are nothing else than specimens of Turkish jurisprudence. They

contain

contain a collection of sentences by the celebrated Mufti, or Sheik Ulisbam (chief of the elect), whose proper name was Mentish Fadeh Abdur-Rahim Effendi, He was a long time chief justice of the east, and died in 1717. The present collection is divided into 944 sections, and contains about 20,000 Fetwas, mostly in questions and answers.

Parallèle du Christianisme et du Rationalisme sous le rapport dogmatique. Par J. Tissot. Paris, 1829.

THE theologies of mere reason are here brought into comparison with that of Christianity, and the coincidences pointed out, though rather sparingly, and with but a scanty knowledge of the heathen philosophies. The author is a good deal more copious on their points of difference, in other words, on the errors of Rationalism. To unaided reason, he opposes reason improved and enlightened by Christianity; but reason still,-reason against itself-the butterfly against the caterpillar. We have here, however, far more than the title promises; not only comparison, but argument. M. Tissot cannot compare without a preference; and, either with the loquacity of his countrymen, or according to the custom of philosophers, he cannot prefer, without rendering a reason. So reason we have in abundance. The points on which the comparison is instituted are the nature of the first cause, the attributes of the Deity, the creation of the world, the immortality of the soul, and future punishments, with other divergent doctrines, such as those of Providence, Purgatory, a Good and Evil Principle, &c. We are not aware, however, that there is any novelty in the views of M. Tissot on any one point of the comparison. His merit is that of an able redacteur, who has brought into one treatise the whole matter of his subject already prepared to his hand, and displayed it in his own manner clearly, concisely, and completely. This work, indeed, is somewhat ostentatiously argumentative; but while the argument is convincing, we are not much disposed to quarrel with any singularities in the manner. It has, throughout, one other claim to respect, which every reader will acknowledge, and that is, the laudable ambition of the author to do a service to revealed religion, at the utmost stretch of his abilities.

The topics, as we have said, are all very trite; and, perhaps, the reader could very well dispense with even the most summary allusion to them.

The first remarkable thing in the Pagan theologies is, that in none of them do we find the doctrine of God having created the world out of nothing; he is only conceived to have organized it out of chaos, which preceded all intelligence. Even the immortality of the gods was disputed by the most enlightened. They were not immortal by their own natures, said the Epicureans, but they became so by attaining, after a long course of experience, to a knowledge of the means of self-preservation. Probably the author of Political Justice' had this precedent in view, when he ventured to predict an immortality to men even in the present life.

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It is certain that the attribute of immutability was taught by Plato and his disciples; that of infinity by Socrates, and a hundred besides. But the unity of the Deity was recognized somewhat equivocally by the ancients, many being of opinion that all before the era of Christianity were polytheists, except the Hebrews.

The cosmogonies of the ancients were extremely capricious, as they behoved to be, while the fundamental ideas of Deity and matter were unsettled. Sometimes the Creator was a presiding intelligence; sometimes an innate faculty in matter: fire, water, air, and chance, each had its turn of divinity. The world was a machine self-constituted, a vegetable, an intelligent animal without liberty, a fiery horse impatient of the reins. And how were organized bodies informed with life, and occupied by intelligent souls? Pythagoras represented

the

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