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better than in Sicily, and the cold of the winter, which our travellers spent in this fouthern part of Europe, where they, had been fent to avoid the inclemency of higher latitudes, was extreme. They fuffered more feverely by being in a country where chimnies are confidered as fuperfluities, where the houses are constructed fo as to avoid the effects of extreme heat, rather than to guard against or counteract the feverity of cold, At Morano, our author tells us, that the fine weather brought the green lizards from their receffes. These animals, whofe bodies are green burnished with gold, and whose head is a bright polished blue, are very beautiful; but Mr. Hill is mif taken when he tells us that the medicine called Venice treacle prepared from the flesh of these animals, and others of the ferpent kind, boiled to a jelly. In the ancient Venice treacle the bellies of a kind of lizard, the fckink, was an ingredient; and on the spot it may now become the only one. The expreffion, however, if it is fo, must be condemned as too general, Little elfe occurs which particularly merits our notice in this place. The whole concludes with the ceremonies of the holy week, as they were celebrated last year with peculiar brilliancy, owing to the prefence of the king and queen of Naples, and Mefdames de France. Thefe mummeries excite our pity, and fometimes indignation, which we truft arifes from a proper fense of religion. Holy kiffing makes a large part of the ceremony. The pope kiffes the cardinals, and actually almost devours with the fondeft kiffes the foot of a Roman conful, now fince he has been regularly christened, taken or mistaken for a ftatue of St. Peter. Many parts of the defcription are, however, by no means new, and the whole is too trifling to detain us. The fhort excurfion to Tivoli is, on the contrary, very pleafing, and the defcription of this claffic ground highly interefting. We fhall conclude thefe Travels, which we have read with great pleasure, and which we think highly deferving of the public attention, by a description of the celebrated caf çade at Tivoli.

The town of Tivoli, once a place of great note, but now inconfiderable, is beautifully fituated upon the fide of the Apennine hills. It is famous for one of the finest cascades in Europe, different views of which have been taken by most of the landscape painters in Italy. The Tiverrone, called by Horace Anio, of which it is compofed, and which is about the fize of the Avon at Bath, first takes one moderate leap about twenty feet, and thence, a few yards farther, precipitates itself under the arch of a bridge with great rapidity among broken rocks, which close by degrees, and conceal it from view, ill it foams again into fight from under a great natural vault, called Neptune's cave. It there finds a

fmall

fmall fhelf, or ledge, from whence it falls again as high as the first time. The magnificence of the fcenery is at this place increafed by a collateral ftream, which tumbles from an high perpendicular rock. These two currents, thus joined, shortly fall again, and once more after that, force their way through a vast ftony mafs, which lies across their channel. This little fequeftered fpot, amidst the roar of fo many cafcades, and fo clofely embraced by rocks and mountains, is furely the highest treat that a lover of romantic profpects can enjoy. There are indeed few large trees to ornament the fcene, but a variety of shrubs, and fome vineyards.'

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Speeches of M. de Mirabeau the Elder, pronounced in the National Affembly of France. To which is prefixed, a Sketch of bis Life and Character. Tranlated from the French Edition of M. Mejan. By James White, Efq. 8vo. 5s. Boards. Debrett. 1792.

GREAT abilities are developed by events; and, in a fuit

able fituation, the peculiar talents and temper of every one are displayed, in proportion as the exigencies of the moment call for their exertion. Those who looked at the rough exterior, and the aukward air of Cromwell, when he at first appeared in parliament, thofe who attended to his confused and embarraffed elocution, could not fee the clear decifion of his refolves, the warm impetuofity of his enthufiafm, which hurried away the minds of his hearers and companions, and left reafon coolly to follow, fometimes to condemn. Nor would thefe qualities, in other times, have led him to be the protector of a great kingdom: talents, perhaps equal, have been loft in the intrepid sportsman, and elocution, equally embarraffed, has only raised the smile at a veftry. We are not now to look at Mirabeau as the fpy on the French ambafiador at Berlin, or as raifing doubts refpecting the navigation of the Scheld,' but as the impetuous leader of an oppreffed people in the recovery of their liberties, enthusiastic in the purfuit, and at laft, perhaps, like vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself, alighting in licentioufnefs. His indifcretion may have fuggefted doubts of his integrity, or the former part of his life may have led both his friends and his enemies to fufpect whether his principles were fo firmly fixed as to fecure him from temptation. This is not our prefent business; we must look at M. de Mirabeau as an orator only, as a diftinguifhed actor in a revolution hitherto unequalled in the annals of the world.

The tranflator, Mr. White, we have already followed in the conflict of words, in his verfion of Cicero's Philippics,

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where the accomplished orator leaves the calm road of perfuafion, and elegant argument, for the more powerful indignant ftyle of Demofthenes. In this almoft congenial attempt, he has fucceeded better, if we may be allowed to fay fo, when we can only judge of the fidelity of the tranflation from fome extracts quoted by foreign journalists, and the few original fentences added in the margin. So far as these affift us, we think his verfion free, animated, and often uncommonly happy. The nervous energy of his ftyle, accompanied by an apparently eafy flow of words, give great force to the arguments: we are hurried away in the ftrain of indignant oratory, and catch, for a moment, the animation, the paffion of the Ipeaker. Mr. White obferves, that thefe fpeeches, which are an extract from a voluminous collection, may be confidered as having gained rather than loft by tranflation,' modeftly adding as a reafon, fince they are now adopted into a language, which has for ages been the language of liberty.'

Mirabeau is, in my mind, an orator of the first rank. He appears to me to be, in many parts of his orations, highly Ciceronian, and, in fome paragraphs, even towers to a pitch of fplendour and fublimity, which feems to equalize him with Demofthenes. (The period quoted in the title-page is fuch a one as Demofthenes might have gloried in delivering.) I think I find in him, at times, the fatirical energy of Grattan, the imperious logic of Flood, the grand and irrefiftible enthusiasm of Chatham.

If, as Cicero fo justly observes, the whole business of an orator is comprised in these three points, to inform, to please, to agitate, docere, delectare, permovere; the laft of which, he affirms, is infinitely the most important, M, de Mirabeau is an orator in the completeft fenfe. The two former of thefe three qualities, infifts the Roman orator, are of little avail without the third; but the third, without the former two, is very frequently adequate to the acquifition of victory.

Had Mirabeau been a mere man of argument, or had he been only a pretty speaker, he never could have fo powerfully influenced the French nation, as we know he did. Like Demofthenes, he fpoke to the feelings of his fellow-citizens, as well as to their reafon while he informed their understandings, he animated their hearts.'

Mirabeau fpoke extempore, with little preparation; he fpoke to the feelings, the paflions, and fpoke to those who felt like himself. Who fhall then wonder at his fuccefs? and if in the moment of liberty, licentioufnefs could have been fuppreffed, if the cordial draught had been temperately fipped, without intoxication; if, in the moment of profperity,

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the band of patriots had known how to have checked their career, and stopped fafely within the bounds of a fober temperate liberty, checked by an aristocracy, controuled by law, and regulated by a refpected monarchy, we fhould have hailed de itar, rifing and fpreading its beneficent beams, with an adoration truly Perfian. At prefent--but we must no longer wander from the fubject. The original editor apologifes for fome lefs polished expreffions, which the orator, in his hafte, hazarded, and the tranflator has foftened, fubjoining, however, in thefe inftances, and where the language of Mirabeau was remarkably strong and pointed, the original in the mar gin. To each fpeech, a fhort account of the occafion on which it was delivered is prefixed, and these render the fubftance easily intelligible, befides forming a very concife abstract of the principal events. We can only extract fome paffages from this entertaining volume; and, if they fhould appear numerous, the fpirit of the orations, and the circumstances which gave occafion to the exertion of the orator's abilities, must be our excufe. The firft fpecch of Mirabeau was delivered when the returns had been verified, when a few only of the clergy had feceded to the commons, when it was neceffary to act, and difficult to determine in what character the exer tions were to commence. He recommended the title of reprefentatives of the people of France; and his argument refts on the dignity, the majefty of the people, a theme at that time new in France, at which even the more violent demagogues ftarted with furprife and apprehenfion.

Affume not an alarming appellation. Look out for one which cannot be difputed with you, one which, more mild, and no lefs impofing in its plenitude, may be applicable to all times, may agree with every improvement which events will fuffer you to make, and may, in the hour of need, ferve as a weapon to defend the rights and principles of the nation.

Such is, in my opinion, the following formulary: Reprefentatives of the people of France.

"Who can difpute this title with you? What will it not become, when your principles fhall be known, when you shall have propofed good laws, when you fhall have acquired the confidence of the public?-How will the other two orders then conduct themfelves?-Will they join you? They must do it; and, if they are fenfible of that neceffity, what more will it cost them to join you in regular form? Will they refuse to join you?-We will give fentence againft them, when the world at large shall be able to form an opinion of both parties."

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The fecond part of the speech on the fame fubject difplays an accuracy of diftinction, and a clearness of reafoning,

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which,

which, if the fpeech were really extempore, is highly commendable. Mr. Fox, even in his beft replies, which are often truly excellent, never excelled the French orator in thefe points.

When the king commanded (commanded, alas! for the laft time) the affembly to quit the hall, and the mafter of the ceremonies reminded the prefident of this injunction, Mirabeau's reply, which muft have been unpremeditated, is

excellent.

M. de Mirabeau. (Addreffing himself to M. de Breze.) "The commons of France have determined to debate: we have heard the intentions which have been fuggefted to the king; and you who cannot be his inftrument at the national affembly, you who have here neither place, nor voice, nor right to speak, are not the kind of person to remind us of his speech. Go tell your master, that we are here by the power of the people, and that nothing shall expel us but the power of the bayonet.”

The following extracts from a speech on the addrefs for removing the foldiers, we cannot praise too highly: they difplay an intimate knowledge of human nature, confummate art, and just reasoning.

"What occafion, at this moment, for the foldiery? Never had the people more reafon to be calm, to be tranquil, to be confident; every thing announces to them the end of their calamities; every thing promises them the regeneration of the kingdom: their eyes, their hopes, their wishes reft on us. Ought we not to be confidered as the beft fecurity to the fovereign, for the confidence, the obedience, the fidelity of his people? If he ever could have doubted them, he can no longer do so now: our presence is the pledge of public peace, and undoubtedly there never will exift a better. Yes, let them affemble troops in order to fubjugate the people to the dreadful defigns of defpotifm! but let them not drag the beft of princes to commence the prosperity, the li berty of the nation, with the inaufpicious apparatus of tyranny!

"Indeed, I am not yet acquainted with all the pretexts, all the artifices of the enemies of the people, as I cannot divine with what plaufible reafon they can colour over the pretended neceffity for the troops, at the moment when not only the uselessnefs, but the danger of them also makes an impreffion upon every heart. With what eyes will a people, affailed by fo many miferies, fee that multitude of idle foldiers coming to difpute with it the relics of its fubfiftence? The contraft created by the plenty on the one fide (bread, in the eyes of him who is famifhing, is plenty), the contraft of plenty on the one fide, and of indigence on the other, of the unconcern of the foldier, into whofe lap

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