writers of the French nation, and in the Provençal poets and romances, are foreign to the author's purpose.

The Dictionary would have been more complete if the author had tranfcribed fentences from the documents which afforded so excellent a collection. It must however be confeffed, that by thofe means the work would have been magnified, and of neceffity rendered more expenfive. The author acknowleges that fuch a mode would have helped to point out the different epochs when fuch and fuch words first affumed fuch a fenfe, as well as given the reader an opportunity of comparing the words themselves with the context:'• but (continues Mr. Kelham) my only view in making this compilation is to promote hiftorical knowlege, and enable the ftudious to read with fatisfaction, and understand many interesting and curious records, which, for want of fome affistance of this kind, lofe much of their force: if this end is answered without making thofe numerous quotations which the obferving the above order would have occafioned, I hope the want of it will be readily excufed.'

That this publication will facilitate the reading of our ancient records, law books and MSS. cannot be questionedthat it has restored the true fenfe and meaning of many words, hitherto deemed quite obfcure, must be obvious to every perfon in the least converfant with fuch fubjects-and that it may incite the ftudents of the law to attain a perfect knowlege of the ancient Norman French, is our moft fervent wish.

To this work is added the laws of William the Conqueror, with notes and references, by Mr. Kelham.

The laws of William are difpofed in three columns; viz. the laws themselves in the Norman language, with Dr. Wilkins's Latin tranflation in oppofite columns, and an English translation in another column, with notes :-the references are made from each law, to the Anglo-Saxon laws.-The 5zd, 55th, 59th, and 63d laws of William, laws which towards the end of his reign he added to thofe of Edward the Confeffor, and by which he established the feudal fyftem in England, are also tranflated into English, with a great number of occafional obfervations.

The English translation of these laws is as chafte as the subject would admit; the references are correct, and the notes are in general very appofite and judicious.

Letters

Letters from an Officer in the Guards to his Friend in England: containing fome Accounts of France and Italy. 8vo. 35. boards. Cadell.

OF

all the candidates for literary fame, the tourist seems to have the fewett difficulties to encounter. He has no great variety of materials to arrange; no difcordant ideas to reconcile; no received opinions to combat or expofe; he has no established hypothefis to fupplant, or new one, to fupport: his road appears plain and even before him. His province, it is fuppofed, is merely to describe the various objects that fucceffively present themselves to his view, to communicate anecdotes of the company he is introduced into, and to relate incidental occurrences that offer themselves to his notice. And yet, humble as this province may appear, it requires talents which fall not to the fhare of every itinerant author. To defcribe with accuracy and precision the productions of nature or art, a previous knowlege of the fubjects defcribed is indif penfibly neceffary; to difcriminate and felect anecdotes wort' y of communication, requires judgement and tafte; and to interest and amufe with the relation of incidental occurrences, it is neceffary they should be, what in the nature of things they rarely will be, new or important.-Nor is this all-they will lose their effect, unless the relater poffefs the fingular felicity of communicating to others the fame impreffions which thofe occurrences excited in himself. If fuch be the qualifications expected from him who afpires to no higher character than merely that of a journalist, how difficult must be the task of the philofophic traveller? Befides the qualifications already enumerated, he muft poffefs attainments of a much fuperior order; he must be a man of profound knowlege and extenfive learning, of acute penetration and accurate discernment: he must be acquainted with human nature in different periods of its exiftence, and as it appears in different countries; elfe how fhall he be able to compare paft ages with the prefent, to develope the human heart, and penetrate the various disguises that it affumes? In painting the manners of a people, he must be able to diftinguish between the fpontaneous exertions of nature and the endless modification of character that originates from diverfity of climate, education, govern ment, or religion.

Having pointed out the diftinction between the philofophic traveller and the amusing journalist, that our readers may form fome idea to which clafs Mr. Ayscough belongs, or whether, indeed, he belong to either, we shall furnish them with a few extracts, taken from different parts of his performance. VOL. XLVII. June, 1779. E e

After

After obferving that he had ever found mere defcription was tedious, he tells us he fhall interfperfe his Letters with anecdotes, remarks, and obfervations, hoping thereby to render them more entertaining, if not more inftructive. He then adds,

During this and feveral former expeditions to the continent, I have ftudied the manners of the French nation, and I have found them volatile, even to a degree of childishnefs. To alt rules there are, doubtless, exceptions; but a Frenchman is, in general, an unlettered prejudiced fop, though frequently a pretended philofopher. It is more uncommon to fee the lower fort out of fpirits than out of elbows; for in this country (ftrange to relate!) the fong and the dance are the companions to flavery and poverty. All ranks of men, almost of all ages, feek after pleasure, or rather amufement, with a wonderful avidity; and there are many who debar themfelves of neceffaries, in order to lavish their fols on the fpectacle, or the comedie. Of this I faw at Lifle a very ftriking inftance: on the Grande Place there was a puppet-show, and a very courteous gentlewoman invited the company by thefe expreffions; "Entrez donc vite chez les grandes marionets. Il y des places à doux fols pour la nobleffe, des places à fix fols pour meffieurs les bourgeois de la ville, et il y a auffi des places à deux fols pour meffieurs les militaires, et pour meffieurs les enfans!"

There was, I affure you, a larger number of their honours the foldiers, than of their honours the children, who crouded into this little temple of diffipation; and the former, who have but five fols a day, choose rather to give two of them to live on offal, than better their fare, and not partake of the grossiereté of Punch, and the bon mots of Harlequin.

You may, perhaps, take the following anecdote for a fable, but I affure you it is a real fact. At Lifle, during the whole time the prieft was faying mafs on a Sunday morning, except juft the minute when the hoft or facrament was elevated, the mufic of the regiments was playing cotillions in a gallery in the church; and to thefe jovial founds the people feemed more attentive, than to their devotions, as the one was well fuited to their volatile turn, and the other too ferious to have any powers of attraction.

But they are all attached to trifles of different natures; even the pretended philofophers, (of which there are a great many, it being the ton, or fashion, to affume that character) even they confine their minds to the fcrutinizing of the most infignificant objects, and employ their time in little ufelefs ftadies, making very often the moft futile obfervations, whereby they think to demonftrate their fuperior learning and difcernOf this I will give you a moft laughable example: one of thefe philofophers, foi difants, asked me the following queftion, Monfieur, Sçavez vous ce qu'un homme fait quand

ment.

il piffe?" I tried in vain to answer or expound this difficult problem; I made feveral ridiculous replies to no purpose; but at length this deep refearcher into the hidden fecrets of nature let me know his curious discovery in these terms, " Il ferre cul."

• I remember another who looked over a cabinet of curiofities, obferved to its proprietor that he admired his repofitory, but that he himself had a gufto of a different nature: and following its dictates, he had made another kind of extraordinary collection, and this was of knives, of which he had great quantities, and, literally, fixteen in his pockets at that moment: this he ftiled the culto-manie, or knife-madness; and, truly, I think that he was a proper patient for the Hospital des Fous.

There are now at Paris amongst the people of quality, many who are infected with the Anglo-manie, or a mad rage for aping English cuftoms, manners, and habits, whereby they run into follies and extremes, of which poor John Bull never had any idea; even when they affect to drefs themselves à l'Angloife, it either bears no refemblance, or else it is outré'd in the most extravagant manner. As a proof of the former, I faw a lady of high rank, with a hat about twice as big as the palm of one's hand, which was pinn'd on one fide of her head, adorned with artificial flowers, like a fhepherdefs, and in this attire she deemed herself an abfolute English woman. As a proof of the latter, I faw a young count a few days ago at Paris, with three footmen in boots and jockey caps behind his chariot.'

At Lyons our traveller meets with variety of amufements: after beftowing encomiums upon the place and its inhabitants which they justly feem to claim from him, he gives a hint which we hope future travellers may profit by.

There is but one objection I have to this place, which, after the many encomiums I have beftowed on it, I think it but just to mention; and that objection is, a continual defire of gaming, which poffeffes both fexes, and to that degree, that I firmly believe there is scarce an individual, of any degree of fashion, that has not the fureur de jeu burning in their bofom : even I, who am far from a gamefter, caught the infection, and loft a good deal of money; but I have at last corrected my error, and can now fay without repining, fpes et fortuna, valete! The game they play at is a very dull and foolish one: it is called vingt et un, and is not unlike our one and thirty. At this they play for confiderable fums every evening without the leaft variation and their very footmen in the hall follow the bad example of their mafters and mistreffes in the parlour : nay, the fight of the winning cards at this fashionable game is so very agreeable, that they have exhibited them even at the theatre, in a fort of ftage-dance. They were there, indeed, large enough for the ufe of the inhabitants of Brobdignag, and were no other than fcreens painted like cards, which were placed before men E e 2

and

and women, so as totally to hide their bodies, and, of course, the beautiful faces of the females, behind them; and as they prefented to view the enchanting countenances of the ace of spades, queen of diamonds, &c. &c. the fpectators were better fatisfied, and were highly delighted to fee them mingle in a confused dance, as it bore a striking resemblance to a fhuffle of the deities they fo much adored.'

Let our discontented countrymen, who know not how to value the bleffings of that freedom which they enjoy under a conftitution of government perhaps the most faultless in the univerfe, read what Mr. Afcough fays of the state prifon at Lyons. We cannot help exclaiming,

O fortunatos nimium, fua fi bona norint,

Angliacos!

There is here a very famous ftate prison called Pierre Encife, an old French term fignifying perhaps cut-ftone, for it is built on a very high rock, and you afcend to the outer gate by two hundred and twenty-two steps. It is here the nobleffe who offend the king or his miftrefs, or the minifter or his mistress, or her dependants, are confined during pleafure, without the leaft trial, or perhaps even reafon affigned for their punishment: nay, young men are often fent hither from Paris on the most trivial complaints from their relations.

I own I had a great inclination to view not only this chateau, but its inhabitants, and as I was acquainted with the governor, I asked his permiffion, who gave it me moft freely, and at the fame time requested my company to dinner. This I willingly accepted, and repaired thither at the hour appointed, and having delivered up my fword to the corporal of the guard mounted on the prifoners, I gained admittance, when (to my utter aftonishment) I found no immediate marks of forrow, no weeping or wailing, but an excellent dinner prepared in an admirable jalle à manger, at which the governor and about ten gentlemen prifoners were prefent, all of whom were in as high spirits as if they had been at a bal masqué at Paris. The mere confinement indeed appeared the greatest evil, for they had all tolerable convenient apartments; they were allowed the freedom of a little garden; the air they breathed was pure and healthful, and the profpect from fo great an eminence as delightful as it was extenfive. But thefe were most of them shut up only for a certain period, and were to be released when it was imagined they had had fufficient time for reflection and repentance. Two of them were fent there (as they told me) on account of their having had duels with their fuperior officers; and one, who was a youth of about twenty, and a person of confiderable rank, was fecured because he paid his addreffes in an honourable manner to a Parisian barber's fair daughter. How long he remained there I know not, but he was far from being cured of his dislem

per.