ART. XI.

Hiftoire d'Elifabeth, Reine d'Angleterre, &c. i. e. The Hiftory of Elizabeth Queen of England, compiled from original English Writings, Acts, Deeds, Letters, and other Manufcripts, never before published. By Mademoiselle de Keralio. Vols. I, II, and III. 8vo. Paris. 1787.

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ANY circumftances concur to render it highly probable, that fome important political revolution, in France, is at no great diftance. The fyftem of government which there prevails, is by no means adapted to the enlightened spirit of the people. The clofe intercourfe which has long fubfifted between literary perfons in that country and in this, made it impoffible to prevent our neighbours from imbibing, from the writings and private correfpondence of our countrymen, the principles of freedom, and an interefting idea of the natural rights of mankind: nor can thofe ideas, when they have once taken poffeffion of the human mind, be ever eradicated by any exertion of authority or defpotifm. Fear, indeed, may in fome measure prevent them from being freely expreffed in public; but that very fear will tend to caufe them to be cherished, with an increafing degree of favour, in private: nor is it, perhaps, poffible, by any ftretch of power, in a kingdom of fuch extent, and fo circumftanced as France, to prevent those who have a ftrong conviction of the injury they fuftain by being deprived of fome of the moft natural privileges of men, from communicating their ideas, in one way or other, to their bofom friends and intimate acquaintance. Like a fmothered flame, therefore, this kind of contagion may fpread far and wide before it is difcovered, and at the moment it openly breaks forth, it may have acquired fo much strength as to baffle all attempts to reprefs it.

The experience of more than half a century paft, ought to have convinced the French government, that fuch a fpirit of freedom was fecretly cherifhed among perfons of liberal education in France, and that, though this was in fome measure repreffed among them by a refpect for the King, and a defire to preferve good order in the ftate, yet it might have been obvious, that if occafion fhould ever be given to bring fpeculations of this fort within the reach of the vulgar, it would be a matter of the utmoft difficulty to retain them within the bounds of moderation and decorum, or to prevent them from afferting their rights by every means within their reach. Thefe confiderations ought certainly to have induced the rulers of France to have acted, on a late occafion, with an extraordinary degree of caution, if they meant to preserve undiminished the regal authority in that country. But men will ever be influenced by paffions and prejudices, which will frequently fifle, for a time, the fuggeftions of found APP. Rev. Vol. LXXVII. policy.

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policy. When the French adminiftration faw Britain engaged in a ftruggle with her colonies, concerning the extent of her jurifdiction over them, the fpirit of inimical rivalfhip prevailed over every other confideration, and the opportunity appeared fo favourable for humbling that dreaded rival, as not to admit of a doubt about the propriety of their openly appearing in support of thofe colonies. Inftead, therefore, of fecretly affording the Americans a fmall fupport, that might have ferved to protract the difpute, and thus probably at laft effect the purpose they aimed at, they fent numerous bodies of French troops, to act, for many years together, in a country where questions concerning the prerogatives of fovereignty, and the rights of the subject, were agitated with the most unbounded freedom, among all claffes of men; and in which difputes the arguments in favour of the people were fure to prevail. In confequence of that interference, Britain, happily for her felf, was forced to relinquish a fovereignty, which ferved only to reprefs her own internal induftry, and retard her profperity; while France, in return for the boon fhe had thus undefignedly conferred on her rival, imported into her own dominions, at the clofe of the war, an hoft of political reformers, whofe zeal cannot be supposed to be moderated by prudence, and who, by being difperfed through all the provinces of the kingdom, muft foon obtain fuch a numerous body of profelytes as will quickly command refpect. The fruits of this plan of conduct begin already to appear, and will in the end, we doubt not, be productive of much good to the people of that extenfive and refpectable kingdom, though we fear the ftruggle for power on both fides may for a time tend to difturb the public tranquillity. The prospect of these troubles may perhaps afford pleafure to political fpeculators; for our own part, as members of the republic of letters, whose native country is THE GLOBE, we can take pleasure in nothing that tends to difturb the tranquillity of mankind; and we fhall therefore rejoice to fee a fpeedy termination of thefe difputes, by a liberal extenfion of thofe privileges in France, which have tended fo much to promote fcience, and to the improvement of uteful arts in Britain.

The work before us affords, we would fain hope, a happy prefage of the near approach of that defirable period, which we 1o fincerely wish to fee. Like many other productions of French authors, which do honour to the republic of letters, the Hiftory of Elizabeth, by Mademoitelle de Keralio*, abounds with just

fhis lady is, we fuppofe, the daughter of M. de Keralio, member of the Academy of Belles Lettres, &c. and author of the Hiftory of the Wars between the Ruffians and Imperialifts against the Turks, in 1736, 7, 8, and 9. See Review, vol. Ivi. p. 52.

reflections,

reflections, and, throughout the whole, difcovers the warmest approbation of thofe principles of legiflation and government which tend to protect the weak against the arm of power, and to infure the natural privileges of mankind. Her expreffions on thefe heads are clear, forcible, and undifguifed; the principles of civil and of religious liberty are inculcated with an equal degree of energy, and on all occafions this is done with a calm dignity, that appears fuperior to disguise of any fort. No idea feems to have occurred to her mind, that he was either afhamed to difcover, or afraid to exprefs; and, as fhe has in no part of her work, as far as we have yet feen (for the whole is not before us), thrown out the smallest infinuation that can lead to licentioufnefs, either in a political or moral fenfe; fo neither does the feem to have fuppreffed any reflection that tended to establish the principles of genuine freedom; though fome of the wild rhapfodifts in this country will think he has not gone the lengths they could have wifhed. We rejoice to find that a book of this nature was printed AT PARIS, avec approbation & privilege du Roy, which, we cannot help thinking, affords a ftrong prefumption, that the time approaches, in which freedom of thought on political fubjects, when devoid of licentioufnefs, will not be prohibited.

From these few remarks our Readers will obferve that we have formed a favourable opinion of the very refpectable work that is now under confideration. We have often had occafion to beftow our juft tribute of applaufe on the writings of the fair fex (in France) on fubjects of tafte and works of entertainment; and we are now happy to find, that without any fear of our judgment being impeached, we are able to follow our inclination, by beftowing a very high degree of applaufe on this important hiftorical production of a female pen. Mr. Hume (who feems indeed to have been but little fufceptible of the force of female charms, or acquainted with the powers of the female mind) complains that women delighted fo much in works of imagination, and fictitious tales, that they could not be induced. by any means to liften with patience to a true ftory, or to take any pleasure in reading hiftory. But had he been alive at the prefent period, he would have found that they not only could read, but could alfo write hiftory, and examine authorities with fo much attention, as to be able to convict him, not only of negligence on his part, but of many miftakes and wilful perverfions. Nor could he have availed himfelf of the plaufible plea, which he might allege against anfwering fimilar imputations from Mrs. Macaulay, becaufe of the apparent party fpirit with which the was influenced. Mademoifelle de Keralio has indeed bestowed on her fubject an uncommon degree of attention, and has examined authors with fuch accuracy, as to let few circumftances

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ftances escape her. And though the on no occafion discover's any rancour or prejudice against former writers, yet the fteady impartiality obfervable in other particulars is here confpicuous. If the brings no malevolent or groundless accufations against any one, fo neither does a deference for names, however highly they may be efteemed, influence her in any fort to disguise the truth fo that the admirers of Buchannan, Hume, and Robertfon, in refpecting her impartiality, may be forced to deplore her juftice. Convinced, fhe fays in her preface, that the principal quality of an hiftorian is the defire of truth, she has spared nothing to fatisfy it, and has read all the English historians who could inftruct her in the general hiftory of their country. She has ftudied all thofe whom the judgment of their nation has placed in the first rank; fhe has compared them with each other; fhe has fearched for the truth in examining their different opinions, and above all, in the original pieces extracted from ftate papers: the afterwards fubjoins the following farther account of the authorities on which the relied, and the new fources of information fhe has obtained:

A la fin du troifieme volume, je donnerai une notice raisonnée de tous les ouvrages imprimés & manufcrits que j'ai confultés, avec un précis des jugemens que j'ai cru devoir en porter. J'ai été guidée dans leur choix par des avis èclairès; le feul objet du compte que j'en rendrai, eft de fervir à montoir de guide à ceux qui voudront traiter le méme fujet, de leur indiquer les fources où ils peuvent puifer la vérité, et de les faire parvenir plus facilement à la développer mieux que je ne l'aurai pu faire: j'ai eu des fecours inconnus ou negligès par quelques-uns des biftoriens qui m'ont fervi de guides, & j'ai peut-être tirè de ces fecours l'avantage d'éclaircir des faits qu'ils ont cru douteux, & de confirmer ou de detruire des jugements incertains. La bibliotheque du roi m'a fourni un grand nombre des plus précieux monumens de l'hiftoire de France, d'Efpagne, de Hollande, et de l'hiftoire ecclefiaftique; les manufcrits qu'elle renferme m'ont été d'une très grande utilité, quant à la connoiffance de l'hiftoire de ces pays, & j'ai de grandes obligations à M. l'Abbé des Aulnays, & à M. Bejot, dont le zèle actif pour les connoiffances, accueille favorife les plus foibles efforts qu'infpire l'amour des lettres. M. Bouchard, de l'Académie des Infcriptions & Belles lettres, animé par le méme zèle, m'a indiqué les papiers uniques que renferme le dépôt de la maifon Ecoffeife de Paris, & d'ont M. l'Abbe de Gordon m'a communiqué un grand nombre, inconnus encore, fur l'hiftoire de Marie Stuart. M. de Brequigny, de l'Académie Françoife. & de celle des Belles Lettres, Lonnu par l'honnêteté de fon caractère & far fes travaux importans, m'a communiqué le recueil qu'il a fait à la tour de Londres, des princi ales pieces manufcrites concernant l'hiftoire de France d'Angleterre, permis de faire imprimer celles qui concernent le règne d'Elifabeth.

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It fails to our province to add, that our fair hiftorian seems to have made the best use of the valuable materials, and that the exactitude mentioned is not a vain pretenfion in her. The authorities feem not only to have been fearched for with diligence,

and

and confulted with care, but they are alfo every-where referred to with a fcrupulous exactness, that has of late been seldom judged neceffary; and as fhe does not quote, fimply, that fingle authority the herfelf has chofen to follow, but alfo refers particularly to all the others where the fame subject is treated, the reader who wishes to inveftigate any particular point, is enabled eafily to fatisfy himself in that refpect. A conduct fo candid, and fo well calculated for the difcovery of truth, deferves the highest applause.

In her introductory difcourfe, Mademoifelle de Keralio gives a fuccin& hiftorical account of the conftitution of Great Britain, delineating, from ancient records and collateral notices, the nature of thole diftinctions of rank which originally took place among the Britons, and the authority which refpectively belonged to each: then tracing the gradual changes which the courfe of events, and the viciffitude of manners and circumftances of the people, neceffarily produced in the form of government, and the political regulations that were neceffary to preferve good order in the fociety, concludes it with a general view of the British conftitution as it ftands at prefent, marking, however, the particulars in respect to which it has been improved fince the reign of Eliazbeth.In the latter part of this Effay he has chiefly followed Blackftone and De Lolme as her guides, but without rejecting other authorities. Though the English reader, who has made a particular ftudy of this interefting department of our hiftory, will not, perhaps, here meet with many obfervations that have not occurred to himself, yet to foreigners, for whom this Hiftory is chiefly calculated, it must prove not lefs interefting than inAructive. Nor do we know any elementary treatife on the subject that could with more propriety be put into the hands of our British youth. The arrangement is clear; the facts, in general, are felected with a judicious difcernment; the language is plain; the reflections are just, and equally favourable to the principles of moral virtue and political freedom. Like every writer who has accurately examined this subject, our Authoress beftows a just tribute of applaufe on the equitable principles of the British conftitution; but her good fenfe prevents her from beftowing on it thofe extravagant marks of unbounded admiration, which many foreigners, contemplating it at a distance, have frequently done: like a lover, rapt in the fond idea of his

* The valuable work of Profeffor Millar on the fame fubject, on account of its great bulk, and the intricacy of thofe nice difquifitions it contains, is lefs proper for youth than for grown men, who have been acquainted with deep hiftorical investigations. The work of Dr. Gilbert Stuart on the fame fubject is yet deeper and more intricate.