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Show 488 Bos.~uet and Robert Hall. [AuGUST, great praise, Hall. in my opinion, manifests a deci- French misrres~, she had aiM_d in i~1clucing him to ded superioriry 1n•er Bussnet. 1t is in the power of make a treaty chsgracefulto IHmse!l and dangP_rous generalization, of connecting exp<nlsive and noble to his country, a treat_y by which the King of Engsentiments with particular ideas aud f3ets. On no laud became the penswner of France. There was OC!!asinn can this facu!ly Oe more usefully and im- nothiug like thi,; in Charlntre to palliate or conceal. pre.ssi\·e!y displayPd, than in the compositiun of such Ua\1 spoke the sentiment of the English nation, discourses. The death of nne indi\·idual seems a concerning its lamented favorite, and in la nguage matt e r of comparative insiguificance to those who which few, if any other Englishmen could have see many daily falling around them. But it is spoken thetrL Bossuet has certainly elevated his when the preacher carries our minds from the subject by his clocpteuce, but he has, at the same individual instance to the uni\•c rsal law, when time, lowered himself. Few men occupying his he points to the universal necessity of a prepara- position would ha\'e shown more independence. tion fur eternity, and the general neglect of that llut the palm must ccrt::~inly be given to the man preparJtion that our minds arc impressed with of equal genius, whose independence was untramthe solemn inqJOrt:111ce of the scene at which we melled. are present. In pointing out the mysterious con- Having pointed out what seem to me the advantradic tions of the human mind on this solemn sub- tages of the Englishman, T will , by a selection and jcct, Robert Hall displays a clearuess, originality comparison of p;tssages, enable the reader to judge and mighty grasp of intellect, and a. chaste, yet sub- how jar those advantages have been a,·a iling. Jime eiO<JUf'nce, which none has e'·er surpassed. If ''e look for evidcuces of an adulatory spirit, Dossuet indeed does nut want. elnquent and solemn we shall find them thickly scattered in Bussnet. reflections suggested by the melancholy e\'ent which Let us see what he says of the Dutchess' birth. had o_ccurred. But those refiectiuns have_ the ~ir "Every th ing, which not only Uirlh and fur1tme, of betng- b~oug:h~ forward more for rhetoncal <Its- but qualities of mind greater than either C!ln conplay than tor thetr own sake. Hall clothes the vast tribn1e towards. t he elev:~.tion of a Princess, is found conceptions of his great mind in diction, which no t~nited and then annihilated in ours. T n whatever Jess a man than Dugald Stewart has pronounced d~re<'tio~ 1 fi,llow th~ traces o~ her illustrious ori" the perfection of the Ennlish JanfJUfl<Te.'' But gm, 1 discm•er nothtng .b1~t ktng-s, and am every ther~ is no etfor~ at 11_1ere. effect; his i,e~t. as well ~~~~~~:,~s~az:l:~e bj~1~1~7o~:~lt~riSr~~;~~ b~;;~~~~g01~~~ ~s Ius head flnd tma gm~twn, s.eems t~ be Interested parison the greatest in the univer.~e, a.nd to whidt 111 the solemn truths whtch he lS uttermg, and press- the most powerful houses can yield wtthout envy, ing home upon his auditory. since they are contentf'd tn tleri\'e their glory from Bossuet's imagination was capable of the highest that source: 1 see the l;in~s of Scotland, thC! kings ~ights; .his .un.derstanding g.rasped the mightiest ~~e~~~~'l00~.· t~7!'oml;l:~;ew:~;~::dn:~i~r:so r~a~;e a~~~~i~ Jdeas; hts dtctwn was. rnag~rficent, .worthy of the verse, still more by their courage than hy the ausecond Augustan age tn winch he hved. But he thority of their sceptw. But this Princess, born has the faults of all ages lilw the Augustan. His upon _the throne , had a. miud and heart higher th an eagle pinions were trammelled by the necessity of her bmh." pleasing men; the pure emanations of his genius Is this the language of a preacher intending to were corrupted by the foul atmosphere which he impress us with the instability of human affair~. or breathed. Hall's powers were cramped by no such of a courtier eag:er to 1\auer the ancestral pride neces~ity, arising either from his own situation, or of the royal family, in whose presence he was the habits of the age in which he lived. Accord- speaking. ingly we fine\ combined with the elegance of an Again he thus speaks of Henrietta's visit to Engaccomplished scholar and the eloquence of a real land , one of the principal objects of \vhich was, as orator, the earnestness of a preacher who felt his has been mentitlned. to seduce her hrother Charles responsibility, not to the Grand :\lonarque, IJut to into a betrayal of her native country and his own the King of Kings. \Vhile we have endeavored kingdom, by becoming the pensioned viceroy of to show why Hall de,·oted so much leds of bis dis- Fr:mce. The means which she employed were course to mere praise, we maintain that the passages worthy of the end. Knowing the licentious !!pirit in which he speal.::s of the Princess Charlotte, prove of Charles, by the direction of Louis, equally licenhim equal, if not superior in the department of eulo- tious, but spoken of in terms approa~hing idolatry gy. According to universal admission, there was by Bossuet, she takes in her train a beautiful lady, no occasion in his suiJject to co\·er vices with that whnse charms she knew would fascinate the Eng'' arnish which genius so often spreads over them. lish monarch. The IJase king caught at the bait, She who was so warmly praised by Bossuet from created this French mi st ress Duchess of Portsthe sacred desk, was one who bnt a. short time be- mouth, installed her as his favorite for life, and fore had been used hy Lewis to make the licen- accepted the dishonorable conditions which w~re tious pas~ions nf her own brother, Charles li, the alTered him. Yet we find Bossuet, doubtless, With instrument of h is disgrace. By gi>ing him a the full knowledge of all these facts, as indeed be I8·J5.] Bossuet and Robert lfall. 489 pretty clearly imim::~tes, speaking 1 -· journey. t LUS of that t.ha~ she identified hc rsf'lf with this great nation n • whwh she wa~ horn to govern; and that while she "<' l Junk n.ot that r intend to speak of the vo arre ?ontemplatcd. tts.prci:imincnt lu s.tre in arts and arms, to. L.nglnnd 10 the style of one who would rdsl/, Jts arms encJrcltn_g the globe, !Is colonies diffused p1 !f ,'nto ~~a~~ sccrcts, or to imitate those 8 lCct~ thr.ou~h ~oth. hcm1sphcr~s, and the beneficial effect /at11e polttlCJ,Jns. who armnge the counsels of\.inos of~~~ JnstJtnttons extending to the \\'hole earth; she a:cnrd1ng t.o their o~n1 ideas, and compose the a~- ~onstdered them as 50 many c(lmponcnt parts of her !MIS of .their age .wnhout any Teal inli1rmntion 011 "' randcnr. ll er h~arr, Wfl ~nay well conceive, would the su~Ject. 1 '''tl! not spe~k of til is glorious vov- ~:ten be ruf!led wnh crn~t1ons of trembling ecstasy, nge .except to say that du~ 1 !1 g her stay, she w;s \ h?n she reflected that 1t was her province to Jive a~nmc~ more than over.. I hey never spoke, Uut ~nttrely for others. t~ compose the felicity of a 1111!1 tr,m~port of th? .k.mdness of this Princess ~reat people, to move u~ a. sphere which would a.fwhtch spit~ of the dtviston too common in courts' ford scope for .the exerc1se of philanthropy the most at ?nee ga~ned h~r. :dl hearts. They were neve; c:ll~rged, of wtsrlom the most enlightcncd; and that sattsfied wilh pra1s1ng- her incredible dexte ·1 • ~~ lnlc others nrc doomed to pass lhrou<Th the world managing the t~ost delicate affairs, in ·re~~~~i,:~ It~ obscurity. sl.JC wns to .snp],ly the ~natcrials of that concealed dtstrust which often holds tl ·"' htstory, anr~ to 1m part tiHlltmpnlse to society which suspense, ~nd in te.r!l'inating all difiCrence~eri~l 1 ~ i~~s to ~cc1de the ~l?stiny of future gene;ations. manne r winch conctltated the most oppos·te · t tre.d l\tth the amh1t1nn of eqnallin{J' or e\·en surest. But who can think without tears 1 of 11~u~;~ ~asstng thf'l m~>st di stingui~hed of h;r predecessors, marks of esteem flnd tenderness aivcn to 1 1 ·he probably dtd not dcspaJr of rc\·ivina the rememher br~ther 1 Th.is greal J,·ing, t~ore sensi~~: ~~ hrarwe of the bri~htest parts of their"'stor)', and of the ch111ns of mentthan even those of IJiood . !lnce more attachtng the epoch of Dritish rr\ory to nel'er weary of admiring the excellent qualitie;~} the annals ~fa female reign. It is ncedle;stoadtl Madam." that ~he natiOn w~nt \tith hl'r and even outstripped , . . her m these r!eltghtful anticipations. \Ve fond! 11llS of a k1ng whose reign has been thus no less hope~, that a li~e !'O inestimable \VOuld be protractc~ truly than eloquently described by f\lacaulay. ~ 0 a<hs~ant.yenod, and .that after <liffusi ng the bless- ,, , m~s of a JUSt aTHI cnltghtrncd arlminislrfltion, and . 1 hen c:une those dflys never to he recalled bemg smr~unded by a numerous pro{J'env she would wtthout a blush--:-the ?aysuf servitude without loy- gra.dually, rna good old ag-e, sink un~ler'tile horizon, alty, a.nd s~nsu~ltt.y Without love, of {lwarfish taleuts a:ILI?st th~ embraces of her familv. and the IJeneanJ gtgau.IJC Vice.;, the paradise of cold hearts :wd d~c~wns ol her country. Rut alas~ t.hese delinhtfnl n~rrow mtnds, the gold;n aa-e of the coward, the ' 'ISLOns have fl~d, and what do we heho\d in~their b1 got, anrl.the slave. 1 he king cringf'd 10 his rit•al, room, !mt the f~merJI pall :Jnd shroud. a palace in tl~at he mtgl!t trample on his people, sunk int 0 a · mourn1ng, a natwn in IE:ars, and the shadow of death, ~tceroy of 1• ranee; an? pocketed with complacent sett!ed over both like a cloud ! 0 the unspeakable mfa~y her degradwg lnstdt, and her still more de- vanity of human hopes! the incurable blindness ~radmg- gold. The caresses of harlots, and the nf ~an to .fu tur i.ry! e\·.e~ doomed to grasp at shaJeSts of buff~ons, reg-.ulatcd .t~JC measur<'s of a go\·· dO\\S, t.n se.Jze wnh andi!y what turns to dust and ern~ent, w~n?h had JUSt abdtty enough to deceive, ash.es 1•11 l1:s bpnd, 'to sow the wind and reap the a~d JUSt re.hgwn enough to persecute. The prin- wl:~rlww~- ctple~ of IJbe rty were the scoff of e \·erv grinnin<T . Hot\ .must the heart of the royal p:trent be torn court.ter, and the Anathema. l\laranath:i of e\•erj Wtth angutsh on this occasion: dt'prived ofadaurrhf~~\' ntng ?ean. In every high place, worship was t~r, who ?ombined every quality suited to eng;!!e p.ud to Charles and James-Belial and MoJo ·I . Ins aff~ctton , and ele\·ate his hopes· an only chiiJ ~nd E~gland propitiat~rl those obscene and cr~1~j the hc1r of his throne; and d.oomed apparently t~ J~ols With .the blood of her best and IJravest chi I- behold th~ sceptre pa.ss from lue: postcritv into other (\~en. Crt.me succeeded to crime and disgrace to hands: his sorrow must be such as words are inad( tsgrace, 1111 th? race, accursed of God and man equate to portra)·." tas af second tune driven IOrth. to wander nn th~ 't~ 0 I the earth, and to be a by-word and shakin<T Here is sympathy such as the wor~t may claim 0 t Je lead to the nations." "' but not a. word aiJout the greatness of the Prine~ If we turn now to a corrcs ondina as Regent, or his peculiar .~ensibibty to merit. Hall, we shall see nothin<T b t I .., P. sage ~f 1n another passage he speaks of the reigning country,_ as became every., pat~io;:': 1j 1:~ta~:~bt~;e htl; monarch in another strain. ~:~~::r~t 0 ~ ~Princess universally respected, as ,.,. "'.\"~Jilst we were engaged in the fearful strug- Jmircd, an~ sympathy, not flattery for her ole "h~ch has IJeen at length so successful ly lennifather, George the Fourth, who was too much lil;:e nated, Jt pleased the great ruler of nations .to visit Charles the Second to b . J b l . our aged, beloved and re\•ered monflrch, with one and independent E 'r h e praise Y 1 10 upnght of the m11st <lreadful calamities incident to human ngJs man. nature;.thc pressure of which still continues we u ~lis no imputation 011 the Prin fear, wtth unabated severity. While we ar~ so thattn her early dawn, with the,, de:ess to snppos~ deeply moved at the awful spectacle of majesty las'o fresh upon her, she anticipated a 1~f ~er,r.nuth bonng under a permanent an~ hnpeless eclipse, we }Cars, and expected 1 b I d 1 n.., scnes of arc <'Onsoled wtth the reflcct1no that he walked in scenes of cn~hantrne ~ ~- e tbtrough successh:e the light, while he possessed the Jirrht; that as lorw fascination and bean~ ' njtn~ a ovc each olher rn as the exercise of reason was co~tinued, he com: Y· t IS natural to suppose muned with eternal truth; and that from the shades VoL. XI-G2 |