principles and motives, and without the documents, references, and evidences, which accompany every page of thefe volumes. Mr. Adolphus has produced an ufeful and important work; in which, with equal ability and candour, and in a plain and manly narrative, he has placed before the reader the portraits of the principal actors in this moft fanguinary tragedy. With equal judgment alfo, as he goes along, he points out to the more careful and inquifitive examiner the authorities from which he derives his information. He has brought together, with great skill, and arranged with no mean contrivance, materials which must have been fought in different languages, and in various places; and there can be no doubt, but that hereafter thefe Memoirs will be confulted and referred to as books of hiftorical authority, and important value.

The writer commences, as may be fuppofed, with the Royal Family, whofe misfortunes no good mind will ever cease to deplore. He then proceeds, alphabetically, from Bailly to Robespierre.

The following will ferve as a fpecimen of the author's flyle and powers of writing.

"After the death of Louis, Condorcet was principally employed in framing a new conititution. So much reliance was placed on his abilities and judgment, that the committee permitted him to affume the principal merit of the work. His production was fubmitted to the convention, where the conftitutional act obtained feeble approba tion; but the Jacobin club, among whom his party had lefs influence, voted it deteftable*. Their judgment was well founded; and it is justly obferved by an English writer, not unfavourable to Condorcet's faction, that it was a mafs of metaphyfical abfurditiest.

"Condorcet was one of the committee of public fafety, and was employed to draw up a declaration from the national convention retpecting the violation of the law of nations, in detaining the commiffioners whom Dumouriez had caused to be arrested‡.

66

During the conteft between the Mountain and the Briffotines, Condorcet maintained a cautious filence. For eight months he hardly fpoke in the convention; and feems to have been fingularly wary in not rifking an opinion on any party queftions. At length he was fo far roufed by the indignities which the legislative body daily endured, that he propofed the diffolution of the convention, and the calling of a new one. This probably exafperated the Mountain to fuch an excefs, that, in a fubfequent infurrection, his printing office was destroy

*The Conduct of France towards Great Britain examined, by Miles, p. 150. +Impartial Hiftory, vol. ii. p. 310. ‡ Debates. Briffot à fes Commettans, p. 25. Garat's Memoirs, p. 165. Debates."

ed. He was not, however, included in the lift of profcribed députies; nor was he one of the members who figned the famous protest against the proceedings on the thirty-firft of May.

Yet though he could conquer every fentiment of friendship, and Rifle every indignant fenfation at the deftruction of his party, his vanity as an author propelled him to a fatal exertion. When the conftitution, commonly called the conftitution of 1793, had been accepted, he published an Addrefs to all French Citizens, reprobating the extreme rapidity and want of confideration with which it had been framed and accepted; and detailing the numerous acts of violence by which the prevailing party in the convention had established their influence. This rafh act placed him in the power of the Mountain; Chabot denounced the publication, and moved for a decree of accusation against Condorcet; which was immediately granted.

"He escaped from the arreft, and concealed himself nine months in the house of a woman in Paris, who, though the knew him only by name, had the extraordinary generofity to rifk her life, and fuftain all the inconveniences atifing from his refidence with her. At length a domiciliary vifit was threatened, and he was obliged to quit his afylum. He had the good fortune, though unprovided with a paffport or civic card, to escape through the barrier, and went to the country-house of a friend on the plain of Mont-Rouge. Unfortunately his friend was in Paris at the time, and not expected to return in lefs than three days, during which the fugitive was obliged to wander about, expofed to hunger, cold, fufpenfe, and the pain arifing from a wound in his foot. At length his friend returned into the country, and found him; but confidering it dangerous to take him to his houfe in the day-time, requested him to wait till night, and then he would receive and conceal him.` Condorcet, on the day his friend had fixed as the end of his miferies, forgot the dictates of prudence; he went to an inn at Clamars, where he ordered an omelette, His fqualid appearance, dirty cap, torn clothes, leannefs, and voracity, fixed the attention of fome perfons prefent; one of whom, a municipal officer, afked him whence he came, whither he was going, and if he had a paffport? His confufion at thefe interrogatories betrayed him, and caufed him to be apprehended. He was confined in a dungeon that night, and in the morning found dead. He always carried a dofe of poifon about him, which had been given him by Garat, and with which he terminated his existence, to avoid a trial before the revolutionary tribunal, and to fhun the gra dual approach of inevitable deftruction.

"Condorcet's character is thus emphatically defcribed by Madame Roland. The genius of Condorcet is equal to the comprehenfion of the greatest truths; but he has no other characteristic besides fear.

"Goudemetz's Epochs.

+ Debates. See alfo Impartial Hiftory, vol. ii. p. 307.

This account is principally derived from Talma's Chronology, p. 140. See alfo Garat's Memoirs, p. 49.

Appel à l'Impartiale Pofterité, vol. ii. p. 130."

BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XIII. MAY, 1799.

It may be faid of his understanding combined with his perfon, that it is a fine effence absorbed in cotton. No one will fay of him, that in a feeble body be difplays great courage; his heart and conftitution are equally weak. The timidity which forms the bafis of his character, and which he difplays even in company, on his countenance and ia his attitudes, does not refult from his frame alone, but feems to be inherent in his foul; and his talents furnish him with no means of fubduing it. Thus, after having deduced a principle, or demonftrated a fact it the affembly, he would give a vote decidedly oppofite, overawed by the thunder of the tribunes, armed with infults, and prodigal of threats. The propereft place for him was the fecretaryship of the academy. Such men fhould be employed to write, but never permitted to aft; it is a happiness to be able to draw fome utility from them; even that is not to be done with all timid perfons; in general, they are good for nothing.' Barrue!, after mentioning the violence of his atheifm, fays*, It might be thought that he was defirous to avenge himself on the Supreme Being for the heart he had given him. Hard, ungrateful, infenfible, cold, the affaffin of friendfhip, and of his bene factors; had it been in his power, he would have treated the Deity as he treated la Rochefoucauld.'

"Whether Condorcet was in reality a republican, of only affected to efpoufe that form of government, in order to forward the views of Orleans, is not eafily decided. There is fuch an involution of politics, and reduplication of fentiments in the whole faction of Orleanifts, that their real opinions cannot always be defined. It is probable that Con dorcet thought a republican form of government beft fitted for the diffufion of his fpeculations in religion and morals; but that he would, with equal pleasure, have promoted the domination of a profligate and unprincipled confpirator, over whom he could acquire unlimited afcendancy, and by whofe means he could combine his views of publié inftruction with thofe of individual aggrandifement.

"Those who are willing to praise Condorcet moft highly, abandon his political and perfonal, to defcant on his literary character. His Letters to the King of Pruffia indicate no fuperiority of genius; and his Life of Voltaire, independent of the principles it conveys, is not confpicuous as an effort of biography. His Eulogium of Franklin abounds with faults, as well grammatical as rhetoricalt; and Batruel fpeaks of his ftyle; particularly that of his earlier performances, with great contempt. During his feclufion in Paris, Condorcet wrote his famous sketch of the Progrefs of the Human Mind, to which even Barruel allows the praife of correct compofitions. The object of this work is to enforce a belief of the perfectibility of man; and the author carried this chimerical delufion so far, as to affert that longevity

"Memoires du Jacobinifme, vol. i. p. 316.

+ See Mercure François Literaire, No. du 24 Decembre 1791 Memoires du Jacobinisme, vol. i, p. 317.

$ Ibid."

and

ind every defirable perfonal quality were attainable. The end of Condorcet himself forms a remarkable refutation of his abfurd doctrine; for although he had fo recently philofophized on the subject, and might be fuppofed thoroughly imbued with the principles he was defirous to enforce, he threw away his life by wanting ftrength to refift the importunities of hunger for a few hours." P. 305.

The enfuing extract, from the life of Mirabeau, details fome new facts, throws. fome new lights on the character of La Fayette, and gives a very curious view of the effects which might have been produced by the activity and genius of the former, had not his days been fuddenly abridged by fate or treachery.

"Mirabeau had now entirely diffolved his connexion with Orleans, though he found it neceffary to maintain an appearance of cordiality with him, and even to attach himfelf to the Lameths, and fome other leaders of the Jacobins, in order to counterbalance the influence of la Fayette, of whofe duplicity and ambition he was justly apprehensive. Senfible of the diforganizing power which Orleans, by dint of corruption, had acquired in the army, Mirabeau propofed the bold brt falutary measure of difbanding the whole military body, and re-eftablishing it on conftitutional principles. This plan would not have been difagreeable to la Fayette, but when it was propofed in the affembly, most of the members were terrified at its audacity, and it was rejected by all parties. The price Mirabeau received from the crown for his fervices was fix hundred thoufand livres (26,250l.) in prompt payment, and an allowance of fifty thousand livres (21871.) a-month. The king had much repugnance to overcome before he could repose an entire confidence in Mirabeau, or refolve to rely on a man of his character; but the marquis de Bouillé, to whom Mirabeau's junction with the court, was communicated, was immediately fenfible of its beneficial tendency. He was of opinion that the genius, talents, and firmnefs of Mirabeau, were equal to the greatnefs of the emergency; and that if any man could fave the king and monarchy it was he. The following comparifon between the characters of Mirabeau and la Fayette is fo fagacious, and juft, that I give it in M. de Bouillé's own words: It will appear aftonishing, without doubt, that I should act with fo much confidence towards Mirabeau, when my conduct towards la Fayette was marked with such diftruft. The reafon is obvious; avarice and ambition were the reigning paffions of the former, and thefe the king could amply gratify when re-feated on his throne: now very well knew that Mirabeau poffeffed too much difcernment not to perceive that the gratitude and favours of a prince, whom he should have contributed to reftore to his power and authority, were much to

* In which he has been followed, to a degree of abfurdity almoft incredible, by Mr. Godwin. Mr. G. afferts that we grow old, or are fick, only because we consent to do fo. See his Polit. Juftice. ̈ Rev.

be

be preferred to popular favour, and the temporary fituation of leader of a party. La Fayette, on the contrary, was an enthusiast, and intoxicated with felf-love; whofe price could neither be known or reached; a defcription of men at all times dangerous, but particularly fo during a revolution."'

The plan which Mirabeau propofed to adopt for reftoring the king to liberty and political importance, and the means and refources he poffeffed for putting it in execution, are thus faithfully difplayed by the fame candid and judicious author: The intention of Mirabeau was to procure the diffolution of the affembly and the liberty of the king, by the force and will of the nation itself; establishing this principle, that the reprefentatives of the people at this affembly were not poffeffed of the powers neceffary to make a change in the ancient conftitution, fuch a meafure being contrary to the inftructions given by all the provinces to the deputies fent by them to the ftates-general, which inftructions had neither been altered nor revoked; and that the king, being deprived of his perfonal liberty, could not inveft with his authority the new laws that had been enacted. The validity of this objection being admitted, he then intended to procure addresses from the different departments, praying that the prefent affembly might be diffolved; a new one convoked, with the powers requifite for making fuch alterations in the conftitution as fhould appear neceffary; and that the king should be restored to his liberty, and the enjoyment of a reasonable authority. Thefe addreffes, were to be fupported by the people of Paris, whom Mirabeau feemed to think at his difpofal, when he fhould have removed fome of the leading men of the Jacobin faction, whom he had already denouneed to the affembly. Mirabeau reckoned fix and-thirty departments whofe conduct he could direct, and I myself could depend upon fix; befides, as I have already obs ferved, there was hardly a department in the kingdom which was not well affected to the royal caufe. Mirabeau was further to deliver to me the king and royal family either at Compeigne or Fontainbleau, where I fhould have furrounded them with my beft troops.' In this whole plan there was no violence meditated either against the af fembly or individuals; the people were to be reforted to that they might remedy the evils which an ufurping body had committed in their name. Nor could it with propriety be termed a counter-revolution, but merely a corrective measure, tending to restrain the vices and defects which had originated in rafhnefs, violence, and ignorance. A new affembly, duly elected and authorized for the purpose, could have framed a con ftitution with greater probability of fuccefs than that which already exifted. Obtaining their authority without a ftruggle, they would have proceeded to bufinefs without rancour, and inttead of destroying every thing without referve, they would have endeavoured to combine existing laws and establishments with fuch reforms as the difpofition of the people and the neceffity of the times fuggefted. Enlightened by the experience of their predeceffors, they would have avoided their faults; while from a contemplation of the danger into which the kingdom had been plunged by precipitation, jealousy, and party-fpirit, they would have learned moderation, forbearance, and mutual confidence. Thus the firft national affembly would not have exifted in vain,

and