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upon wolves among the several species of beasts." A British writer would be very justly charged with want of politeness, who, in return to this civility, should look upon the French as that part of mankind which answers to a species in the brute creation, whom we call in English by the name of monkeys. If the French load us with these indignities, we may observe, for our comfort, that they give the rest of their borderers no better quarter. If we are a dull, heavy, phlegmatic people, we are, it seems, no worse than our neighbours. As an instance, I shall set down at large a remarkable passage in a famous book entitled Chevræana, written many years ago by the celebrated Monsieur Chevreau; after having advertised my reader, that the Duchess of Hanover, and the Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia, who are mentioned in it, were the late excellent Princess Sophia and her sister.

par sa nation.

"Tilenus pour un Allemand, parle et ecrit bien François," dit Scaliger: "Gretzer a bien de l'esprit pour un Allemand,” dit le Cardinal du Perron: Et le P. Bouhours met en question, si un Allemand peut être bel esprit? on ne doit juger ni bien ni mal d'une nation par un particulier ni d'un particulier Il y a des Allemands, comme des François, qui n'ont point d'esprit ; des Allemands, qui ont scú plus d' Hebreu, plus de Grec, que Scaliger et le Cardinal du Perron: J'honore fort le P. Bouhours, qui a du merite; mais j'ose dire, que la France n'a point de plus bel Esprit que Madame la Duchesse de Hanovre d'aujourdhui, ni de personne plus solidement savante en philosophie que l'étoit Madame la Princesse Elizabeth de Boheme, sa Sœur: Et je ne crois que 'on refuse le même titre à beaucoup d'Academiciens d'Allemagne dont les Ouvrages meriteroient bien d'être traduits. Il y a d'autres Princesses en Allemagne, qui ont infiniment de l'esprit. Les François disent c'est un Allemand, pour exprimer un homme pesant, brutal; et les Allemands comme les Italiens, c'est un François, pour dire un fou et un etourdi. C'est aller trop loin: comme le Prince de Salé dit de Ruyter, Il est honnête homme, c'est bien dommage qu'il soit Chrétien. Chevæana, tom. I.

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"Tilenus,' says Scaliger, 'speaks and writes well for a German.' C Gretzer has a great deal of wit for a German,' says Cardinal Perron. And Father Bouhours makes it a question, whether a German can be a wit? One ought not, to judge well or ill of a nation from a particular person, nor

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of a particular person from his nation. There are Germans, as there are French, who have no wit; and Germans who are better skilled in Greek and Hebrew than either Scaliger or the Cardinal du Perron. I have a great honour for Father Bouhours, who is a man of merit; but will be bold to say, that there is not in all France a person of more wit than the present Duchess of Hanover; nor more thoroughly knowing in philosophy than was the late Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia, her sister; and I believe none can refuse the same title to many academicians in Germany, whose works very well deserve to be translated into our tongue. There are other Princesses in Germany, who have also an infinite deal of wit. The French say of a man, that he is a German, when they would signify that he is dull and heavy; and the Germans, as well as the Italians, when they would call a man a hair-brained coxcomb, say he is a Frenchman. This is going too far, and is like the governor of Sallee's saying of De Ruyter, the Dutch Admiral, 'He is an honest man, 'tis a great pity he is a Christian.""

Having already run my paper out to its usual length, I have not room for many reflections on that which is the subject of it. The last-cited author has been beforehand with me in its proper moral. I shall only add to it, that there has been an unaccountable disposition among the English of late years, to fetch the fashion from the French, not only in their dress and behaviour, but even in their judgments and opinions of mankind. It will, however, be reasonable for us, if we concur with them in their contempt of other neighbouring nations, that we should likewise regard ourselves1 under the same view in which they are wont to place us. The representations they make of us, are as of a nation the least favoured by them; and, as these are agreeable to the natural aversion they have for us, are more disadvantageous than the pictures they have drawn of any other people in Europe. should regard ourselves.] Improperly exreasonable that we should regard ourselves. regard ourselves.

1 Reasonable for us, that we pressed. It should either be Or else reasonable for us to

END OF VOL. IV.

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