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mind, who having collected all facts together, prefents them a object of Retrofpedion to the public! Of those who turn them over, how different, how numerous will be the vourite hero, his beft-remembered incenfures! while each expects his fa cident, to be dilated and brought forward; inftead of which, others perhaps appear, and take the lead.

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"Different obfervers attach to every obiect different degrees of importance. Taking a country walk one day in a remote province, the fteward advised tree. Oh!' cried out a gentleman in speedy removal of an ugly ftag-horned company who was taking views-pray fpare the favourite feature in my landscape.- - You have been, Sir, a 'friend to the diftreffed,' faid another of our party, who profeffed natural philofophy, in faving from the axe thofe old dry boughs; for there are birds which will not perch among horned tree like this, their feat o thick foliage, making rather a ftag. delight all fummer.'

from 1492, to 1525.-V. Popes, and other European Princes, to A. D. 1550.-VI. Progrefs of Science, Progreis of Difcovery, and Turkith Empire reviewed, from 1550 to 1600. -VII. Italy, Germany, Spain, England, France, and the North-Progrefs of Reformation-From A. D. 1550 to 1600.-VIII. First Portion of the feventeenth Century; its Effects on England, Scotland, Holland, France, and Portugal; with a Sketch of the Changes in common Life, and Progrefs of Science.-IX. Portugal, Perfia, India, China, Turkey, Africa, and Rome, to 1650.-X. Sweden, Germany, France, and America, down to 1650.-XL. Great Britain only, to 1659.-XII. France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, from 1650 to 1700. --XIII. Eft, Weft, and North, from 1650 to 1700-Progrefs of Science, Manners, &c.XIV. Spain, Portugal, Germany, Holland, and Great Britain, from 1650 to 1700. -XV. Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Ruffia, and Turkey, from 1700 to 1725-XVI. France, England, Spain, Holland, Italy and Auftria, from 1700 to 1725.-XVII. America, Afia, Africa, and general Sketch of Improvements in Europe, from 1725 to 1750-XVIII. Sketch of the Situation of Auftria, Turkey, Ruffia, France, and Italy, from 1725 to 1750-XIX. Great Britain, Ireland, and America, from 1750 to 1780.-XX. Sketch of the Situation of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany, from 1750 to 1780. XXI. Review of Tranfactions in the East and North, from 1750 to 1780.-XXII. General Retrofpect, from 1780 to 1790.-XXIII. Sketch of Events from 1790 to 1796.and Rome, where fhall we find place XXIV. Laft four Years of the Century, from 1796 to 1800.

EXTRACT FROM THE PREFACE.

"IF the Rambler is right when he fays, That no man ever ob

tains more from his moft zealous endeavours, than a painful conviction of his own defects,' how ftrongly muft that conviction prefs upon her

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to my mind; but the die is now cast, "This conversation has come ofter and complaints are vain. If, however, Ifhould have made improper choice of facts, and if I fhall be found at length moft to refemble Maifter Fabyan of old, who writing the Life of Henry V. cock fet up on St. Paul's fteeple during lays heaviest stress on a new weatherthat eventful reign; my book munt fhare the fate of his, and be like that forgotten: reminding, before its death perhaps, a friend or two, of a poor man living in later times, that Dr. Johnfon ufed to tell us of; who being advised to take fubfcriptions for a new geographical dictionary, haftened to having liftened carefully for half an Bolt Court and begged advice. There, hour, Ah, but, dear Sir!' exclaimed the admiring parafite, if I am to make all this eloquent ado about Athens

do you think for Richmond or Aixla-Chapelle? The perplexity was laughable enough; yet such are the perplexities of a compiler; and for a quarto volumes, the apology must be mere compilation ftretched to two a ferious one. It will be found howfo far from laughable and ludicrous, ever, but among things and fituations that they appear even awfully impreffive.

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"To an of profound peace and literary qui fhould have confidered fuch an abridgment as infulting: to our difturbed and bufy days abridgfa-ments only can be ufeful. No one has inleifure to read better books. Young peofor- ple are called out to act before they

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know, before they could have learned how thofe have acted who have lived er before them. Hiftory is voluminous, and fashionable extracts are fo perpetually feparated from each other by verfes or by effays, that they leave little trace of information on the mind; a natural confequence, and manifeft difadvantage attendant upon all felections, where no one thing having any reference to another thing, each lofes much of its effect by ftanding completely infulated from all the reft. Our work, though but a frontispiece and ruin, contains between the two fome fhaded drawings, fuch as we find in rudiments of painting, and will, like them, be good for young beginners. Perhaps too, those who long ago have read, and long ago defifted from reading hiftories well known, may like to please their fancies with the Retrofpe of what they feel connected in their minds with youthful ftudy, and that fweet remembrance of early-dawning knowledge on the foul." P. iii.

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EXTRACTS.

THE FOURTH CENTURY, FROM CON-
STANTINE TO THEODOSIUS.

"WHILST enervate softness marked
the Eaft, a rougher scenery difplayed
itself in Scotland, whence Eugenius
and Euthodius were cruelly thruft out,
and exiled to perish with hunger in the
ifle of Man; till Romachus, the petty
tyrant of Caledonia, having offended
his barons by this act of treafon against
youths of a royal blood, they cut his
head off, carrying it in triumph upon
z pike's end, according to the true
fpirit of fuch irregular and turbulent
times. The fons, meanwhile, of Cy-
actha Weledig, whofe mother Gwawl*
was fifter to St. Helena, ruled on the
haggy top of Mona high, where the
Loegrian Britons had retired from
fury and encroachment of the Saxon
chiefs; having firft cleared the island
from piratic rovers from the Irish coaft,

they fettled, and Caswallon then obtained (fome fay) the appellation of Draco Infularum. I thought the dragon creft and perhaps rouge dragon had been derived from him; but Pennant, who best knows fuch matters, brings them from Uther Pendragon: he has himfelf a right to bear it, as I have read or heard, deriving his long-traced lineage from Vortigern; and it should feem that dragons were not new to the world after crufading times, by this'; though Warton thinks they were. Yet 'tis hard to believe, because Brofcia Brixia gaye it for an ensign in early days, if we believe the testimony of Rubæus. Be this as it may, fcience had certainly begun to dawn among the barbarous nations; and a faint diftant light, as Rome began rolling back towards opacity, might be difcerned to promife day among the Goths, when Athanaricus, the Cecrops of modern ages, fixing in Thrace, encou raged Ulphilus, an Arian bishop, to invent runic characters, and had the fatisfaction of feeing thofe arts of civi lization fown, which were deftined to revive after the grand deluge of darknefs, urged onwards by the Huns and Vandals, fhould be dried off. But before then the timid Valens was confumed in a small house he had retired to from rage of war, which foon purfued him there and burned with fire. His rugged coileague Valentinian died. in an agony of paffion, bursting a blood-veffel with his own violence at feeing himself forced to receive ambaffadors from favage leaders of armies he at once defpifed and feared; but hav ing affociated Gratian his fon and fucceffor, the lofs was felt the lefs; while furious Maximin, a name that ever calls to mind ideas of tyranny, ruled but a little while. One of these femibarbarous emperors, I forget which, had for his favourites two fhapelefs bears, probably lefs ferocious than himself; and excellent at ridding their master of friends or of petitioners he liked not. That nothing may appear impoffible, I can myself recollect hearing of a country gentleman refiding in Lancashire or Chefhire fome threefcore years ago, who had the fame tafte of domeftic amusement; and when more wine was called for than he wished to give, Call Dolly in,' faid he, to

* "Gwawl means Giulia, Julia, Juliana: the Gillian of our English ballads."

B 2

• fweep

to various individuals, who maintained their portions independent of fuperior power, and Charlemagne fwayed a fceptre fupported by barons: he fhook not his truncheon over trembling flaves the form of things was changed

-The ceafe of Majefty

'Dies not alone, but like a gulf doth draw

'What's near it, with it. 'Tis a maffy wheel

Fix'd on the fummit of the highest mount,

whofe huge spokes ten thousand leffer things

Are mortic'd and adjoin'd.'

fweep the room.' Immediately a high huge female bear, walking on two hind feet, with a long broomstick between her fore paws, entered the door, and quickly fent away the terrified fpectators. But we return to feeble Gratian, who, as might be expected, foon fell before fuch force as Maximin's; but like Nerva, he had been careful to provide the world a mafter, rich in every endowment, ftrong in every ingredient that constitutes true courage; wife to conduct thefe gifts to the best purpose, and learned to obtain new lights from read-To ing, fhould his own prove infufficient. In Theodofius, a Spaniard like himfelf, even the remembrance of Trajan might be funk; he was the laft emperor that went out with the Roman armies, and he lived till four hundred years were paft fince our redemption. Various in talents, though fingle in excellence; he encouraged piety, he practifed morality, he rewarded valour, and fupported for a while expiring knowledge. He called the Church of Chrift the Catholic, or general, or comprchenfive Church Univerfal. Happy, and pleafing, and fortunate appellative! which he will wear yet to the end of time, and against which the force of men or of dæmons never fhall prevail." Vol. i. p. 112.

THE REIGN OF CHARLEMAGNE.

"LIFE takes a new appearance under the reign of Charlemagne. Knights, joufts, tournaments, minftrels, ladies; characters which have yet fcarcely croffed over our little camera obfcura, now act their, parts, and crowd forward to the view of Retrospection. Yet this new colour, if we call it such, that gives a future tint to manners and to life, is but the fhading off to gentler orange of that blood red, which marked fo long the now merely nominal Roman empire. When the inhabitants of Germany's black forefts firft left their native woods for the rich vales of Italy, they carried to the fcene of action, with their refiftlefs genius for conqueft, a fettled intent to bestow modes of living, not accept them. Their purpofe did fucceed furprisingly, old cuftoms were broken up and died away, and a new fyftem was establishg itself apace in all the nations of Europe. The earth was parcelled out,

SHAKESPEAR.

"The feudatorial fyftem of highfpirited nobles, who each commanded a large troop of vaffals, and bound themfelves to bring them forth at a great leader's call, for defence of their.. own territories, or for the acquifition of new ones, had a ferocious appearance upon the whole; but the general inclination for war was foftened by the respect paid to beauty, which they confidered as their juft and bright reward. Each generous bofom beat at the call of valour, but could not by his own authority seize on the fighedfor privilege, or bear arms without permiffion. Birth, age, and qualifications were to be examined, and while difficulty irritated defire, the lady languifhed for a gallant lover, diftinguifhed by his martial talents, and the youth panted for the happy moment when once adorned by the bright lance and fhield, he should throw at her feet a hero, acknowledged fuch by his comrades, a knight refpected even by his fovereign. Chriftianity was likewife young in the world, openly and with violence attacked by Saracens, tacitly fneered at by unbelieving Jews, detested as a fuccefsful enemy by Pagans. The votaries of religion thought it was man's first duty to protect her; Turpin, Archbishop of Rheims, fought valiantly in the field, by fide of Charlemagne, and 'tis on that principle. that we even yet fee the fword drawn in Poland at the moment of pronouncing the creed.

"Theology thus mingling itself with perfonal courage, and enthusiastic piety. inflamed by romantic love, not only fent innumerable warriors to contend in the field of battle, for palms of

valour and prizes of beauty; but difpofed mankind to think befide that conqueft denoted the approbation, as well as the care of Heaven, Private quarrels were adjufted, not by cold equity, but martial prowefs; a champion was granted to females, who could not defend themfelves from injury, and the next kinfman commonly preffed forward to take on him the commendable office. Single combats whetted the general keennefs for renown, and all concluded that he who fell had merited his fate. When fword and fhield were thus effential to exift ence, when they were confidered as fole arbitrators of honour, fole inftruments of happiness, what wonder if we find them cherished to abfurdity? Marks of diftinction, devices, and impreffes, were affixed upon the fecond, by which to know each other in the battle; and baptifm was, I fear, very folemnly bestowed upon the firft. Thus Roland called his favourite fword Durandal: we know Joyeufe was the name of that worn by Charlemagne. Hamburgh was built by this extraordinary character, and Halberstadt famed for its pied Piper in 1376. Charlemagne's twelve peers are, by romance, given to our Arthur; they are indeed to neceffary to the old writers of thefe times, that I queftion whether Sir

Elizabeth; our tutelary faint made his
full famous in all ballad story,-

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When George, he fhav'd the dragon's
beard,

And Afkelon was his razor.'
But it was not peculiar to Chriftianity,
Mahomet had nine fwords; the name
of one was death, of another piercing
ruin; and Odegir, the Dane, a Pagan
I believe, called his keen weapon Spa-
tha: whence spada, and espada, and
path buckler, corrupted in our old
plays to fwash buckler. Charlemagne,
meanwhile, though a mere foldier,
fcorned not thofe arts which he for-
bore to cultivate; but brought to
France mafters of arithmetic, and fome
fay grammar. He was likewife, al-
though a warlike prince, eminently gen
the tempered + and indulgent to his chil-
and her lover is related in the Specta-
dren. A pretty ftory of Princefs Imma
tor from Marquahand Freher. The

gallant was Eginhart, who fays of his he could fpeak Latin as cafily as his. fovereign when he writes his life, that he had a bad pronunciation. When own native Frankish, but that in Greek at the death of this great man the empire was again divided among his children, he charged them to live well with one another; and having fpilt deluges of blood in order to unite the twelve peers each. Thefeus, indeed, teftament parted it among his fons, Weft under one head, he willingly by thofe authors made a faint of; but giving to Pepin Italy alone, to Louis faints and knights were all that pofle Debonnaire, France, with the ex

Thefeus and Sir Alefaundre had not

felfed men's minds

With ftore of ladies, whofe bright

eyes

'Rain influence and judge the prize
In wit or arms, whilst all contend
• To win her grace whom all com-
mend,'

"The peers were twelve, becaufe the apoftles had been twelve, appointed by our Saviour to fit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifracl. Christening fwords was fearcely left off till towards the time of our Queen

*

ception of Normandy, which went
with Auftria, Saxony, and Bavaria, to

Charles. That there might be no
murderous difputes among them after
his deceafe, he left a frict command
behind, that if they differed about any
thing, the youth who fhould be able
and willing longest to support the pof-
ture in which our Saviour fuffered cru-
cifixion, was to obtain without further
inquiry the purpofe they contended
for. This mode of decifion afterwards
grew'common, and was called jugement
de la croix. The French language now

"Odin's horfe, and Odin's fword, had names; Sleipner (Лleep ne'er) and Tirfing: I don't know what tirfing meant. The daughter of Hialmar comes in the night for Tirfing; it was made by the dwarfs, and had peculiar properties, difpofing her to disturb the dead that the might obtain it."

"Charlemagne was himself of an amorous difpofition, had many miftreffes, and two or three wives. L'amour de Dieu et des dames went together in those days."

began

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began to fupplant the Latin, on whofe wreck 't was raised; verfes were written and fongs were fung in praife of love and valour; while bards, troubadours, tale-tellers and minstrels, softening the ferocious temper of the times, foon taught each warrior spirit how to bend before a diftant and difficultlyacquired fair one; mufic lent her aid befide to animate and to inspire devotion. The French fingers however, even then, had the characteristic roughnefs peculiar to their nation, and made the toffe di capra, as Italians ftill call a coarfe bad shake. Trilletaccio! say they: at Paris Gluck, in my own time, faid to his scholars, Ne chevrotez pas*. Our English have a joke on Wales and Welshmen that expreffes this fault with much accuracy. Waaaales, replies the goat, when his Anglo-Saxon neighbours travelling over Snowdon, afk him,How d'ye call this country?" and at the fame time shake him by the

beard. While thus the Weft began,

at leaft in fome refpects, to emerge out of that fad Cimmerian darkness in which he had long dropt inert and lifeless, Irene's death hung heavy on her fucceffor, who, born her vaffal, was never by the Queen's subjects willingly obeyed. Bardanes was proclaimed emperor; but foon, after a fruitless conteft for the purple, funk bis pretenfions in a monaftery. The rebel chamberlain, however, fared no better; and Michael, Leo, and Theophilus, were only other names for wickedness and impious folly. This laft being born of mean parents, fired a rich fhip loaded with merchandise, that no one might suspect his natural inclination for commerce, and made his fubjects cut the hair from their heads, because his own was thin. Notwithstanding thefe mad caprices, he made war not unfuccefsfully against the Saracens, although in these days they built Candy, and gave new name to ancient Crete, head-quarters of pagan mythology. The labyrinth how ever yet remained upon their coins and arms: Rubæus fays 't was their device in his time, and he lived in 1690. The popes, meanwhile, increased their influence daily; nor was it influence now, but firm authority. Charlemagne's fons could not agree, and Gregory IV.

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FIRST Part.-Chap. I. The Au

thor departs for the Cape of Good Hope-Arrival there, and Caufe of his Defertion.--II. Sets out for the Interior of Africa-Paffes the Nights in the Kraals of the Hottentots-Remarks on Le Vaillant.-III. Course eastward, towards Fish River-Manners and Cuftoms of the Hottentots -The Caffres-A fuccefsful Journey in Search of a ftranded Veffel-In great Favour with the whole Kraal.

IV. Dangers-True Limits of Caffraria, &c.-Kraals of the Yamatians, and their Customs.-V. Enter the Country of Mahotians--Bodies of five murdered Europeans---Being maltreated, runs away and arrives at Makumbo--Enter fome Villages of the Kamtorrians-Their Character, Cuftoins, &c.-VI. Cuftoms of the Kamtorrians in War-Buhagari, the first Town in the Kingdom of BiriKindly received--Character of the

* "Don't fing like a goat."

Gohawans

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