The  mild  purity  of  Fenelon, — the  lofty  spirit
of  Bossuet, — ^the  masculine  mind  of  &>ileau,
the  sublime  fetvour  of  Comeille,— *were  con-
founded by  the  contagion  of  ignominious  and
indiacriminate  servih^.  It  seemed  aa  i^  the
<  representative  majesty'  of  the  genius  and
intellect  of  man  were  prostrated  before  the
shrine  of  a  sanguinary  and  dissolute  t3nrant,
who  practised  Uie  corruption  of  courts  with-
out their  mildness,  and  mcurred  the  guilt  of
wars  without  their  gk>ry .  His  highest  praise
is  to'have  supported  the  stage  trick  of  Ro}*aLt^
with  effect :  and  it  is  surely  difficult  to  con-
ceive any  chacaeter  more  oJioue  and  dee|>ica-
ble,  than  that  of  a  puny  libertine,  who,  under
the  frown  of  a  strumpet,  or  a  Qionk,  issues
the  mandate  that  is  to  murder  virtuous  citi-
zens,— to  desolate  happy  and  peaceful  ham-
lets,— to  wring  agonising  tears  from  widows
and  orphans.  Heroism  has. a  splendour  that
almost  atones  for  ita  excesses :  but  what  shall
we  think  of  him,  who,  from  the  luxurious
and  dastardly  security  in  which  he  wallows
at  Versailles,  issues  with  calm  and  cniel
apathy  his  orders  to  butcher  the  Protestants
of  Laoguedoo,  or  to  lay  in  ashes  the  villages
of  the  Palatinate?  On  the  recollection  of
saeh  scenes,  as  a  echoktr,  I  blush  for  the
prostitution  of  letters, — as  a  man,  I  bhish  for
the  patience  of  humanity.
But  the  despotinn  of  this  reign  was  pr^-


nant  with  the  great  events  which  have  6%<*
nalii^ed  our  age:  it  fostered  that  literature
which  was  one  day  destined  to  destroy  it.
The  profligate  conquests  of  Louis  have  event-
ually proved  the  acquisitions  of  humanity:
and  his  usurpations  have  served  only  to  adu
a  laiiger  portion  to  the  great  body  of  n^enien.
