In the translation noticed in the preceding article, the fenfe of the paffages is probably given more accurately as follows:

-

This man entered into converfation with me while I took fome refreshment, and, perceiving that I had read a little, he expreffed towards me confiderable interest and friendship. Some volumes against Deism fell into my hands: they were faid to be the fubftance of fermons preached at Boyle's Lecture. -It was in folio, on pro patria paper, and in the pica letter, with heavy notes on the smallest type.

The continuation of the life of Franklin, and the fubfequent papers, are compiled, with no great degree either of judgment in the felection, or of care in the arrangement, chiefly from the Doctor's works, and from French publications. Among the more valuable articles, are Condorcet's character of Dr. Franklin, and the Abbé Fauchet's Eulogium on this truly great Man. "E.

THE

ART.XIV. Democratic Rage, or Louis the Unfortunate, a Tragedy. By William Prefton, Efq. 8vo. pp. 91. 1s. 6d. Miller. 1793. "HE author of this political tragedy certainly had not accurately examined on which fide he intended to write. In general, he fuppofes himself a very fincere and zealous ariftocrat: but, when declaiming in the character of Sieyes, he extends his views fo undauntedly as almoft, we fufpect, to convert himself. Let him fpeak in his own behalf:

A&t. IV. Scene III.

Enter Kerfaint, with Sieyes.

SIEYES. 'Tis not a time to ponder what were beft

If men were free to chufe, we muit select

Amidst a choice of ills, and call it wisdom;
Such various motives and difcordant aims
Divide th' Affembly, where the jarring atoms
And embryon elements of action mix.-
Ev'n virtuous, wife, and patriotic minds.
Moft ftrangely differ, as the diff'rent force
Of birth, profeflion, education, ftudies,
Habits of life, purfuits, and temper lead.-
It much imports the honeft few to guard
Each avenue, that, to the public mind,
An access yields; left knaves and fools obtain
Supreme and fatal fway.-

KERSAINT. And why is this, that nature teems with ill

Why tow'rs the poifon plant infecting air?

Why form the hooded inake, the crocodile,

The tyger, the hyena, and Marat?—
Marat an aggregate of every crime,

A fummary of noxious properties,

Horror

Horror and guilt with brand indelible

Have mark'd him for their own, with glance oblique,
Scowl in his downcaft eye, and add a gloom
To his dark vifage; the tumultuous workings
Of his volcanic mind, thro' face and limbs
Distorted hideously, convulfions spread,-
Yet thus diftorted cannot they express
The ftrange obliquities, the wild diftortions
Of monfter-breeding fancy. 'Tis moft ftrange,
This minature of horror fhould poffels
The gen'ral confidence, when nature's tongue
In ev'ry feature and in ev'ry limb,
So plainly cries" beware."

SIEYES. The voice of reason

Again shall reach our hearts. We then shall mourn
Our wild exceffes, and with hatred view
The fatal inftruments that urg'd us on
To drown the civic wreath in royal blood.

I can predict the downfall of these men

Whose word is now a law, whofe frown is death.
Virtue mean time nor fhrinks, nor quits the bark,
As of the state defpairing; 'tis her boast
And nobleft pride to combat difficulties,
Wrestle with danger, and despise the praise
That living tongues may lavish. We are call'd
To double efforts; and the lefs our hope
The more our duty, with our best exertions
To labour for the ftate, the more our praise;
Succeeding in thofe efforts, and the more
'Thofe efforts failing, is the confolation

That fhall endear our fall, if heav'n fhould doom us..
To feal with blood our civic piety.

KERSAINT.-The ftate is too unwieldy, and too vaft

For democratic fway; the huge machine
Demands a fingle head. The luxury
Of crowded Paris, and the capitals
That vie with Paris in our provinces,
Hath indifpos'd us for the fober forms
And felf-denials of a common weal,
That needs a grave and hallow'd character,
Where patriot wisdom, on the folid base
Of private virtues, builds with happy hand
The glorious ftructure of the public good.-
And what are we that emulate the Romans?
A fkipping, dancing, diffipated crew,
With burfts of wild ferocious levity.

SIEYES.-Thy cenfure is unjuft; our nation boafls
Th' exalted aims and comprehenfive views

Of mild philofophy, with lib'ral arms

Embracing all mankind-the ftatefman's kill
In council and in treaty-science led

Y 3

From

From the fequefter'd lamp and barren toils,
To wed with commerce in productive union
And great inventions both for peace
and war,
Are their glad progeny, Among the crowd,
If luxury prevail and levity,

Blame a corrrupted court, from age to age
With bafe examples of unblufhing vice,
And wild extravagance exhaufting art,
Tainting the public eyes and public mind
With grofs pollutions, canft thou wonder then,
If yet fome stains are found? the foes of freedom
With triumph mark them, and on freedom charge
What want of freedom caus'd.

KERSAINT.-Affert thyfelf.

Profound research and a commanding foul
Are thine; and wilt thou ftoop to practise arts
That dignify fuch things as Robespierre?
Refift with firmnefs the vile populace;
Oppose thy bofom to the roaring torrent.-
Were glorious talents, philofophic views,
And mild humanity ordain'd to follow
The guidance of the rabble?

SIEYES.-Yet, my friend,

That guiding rabble is conjoin'd by fate
With freedom's caufe.

KERSAINT.-Then defperate is that caufe
If fuch fupport it needs—a worthless rabble,
The minifters of luxury, the spawn

Of diffipation join'd with fudden famine!

SIEYES.-We may not all at once the habits form That flow from fteady freedom. It will need

Experience, time, and chief, calamity,

That ftern but useful teacher, to restrain

The wild exub'rance and impatient warmth

Of public mind, intoxicated now

With copious draughts of power; but we shall fee
A British fpirit fill the Gallic breast.

As yet their liberty, like fumptuous garments
Giv'n to fome mendicant, restrains and
Th' unpractis'd wearer.

galls

KERSAINT.-True, the paft oppreffion
Disfigured and embruted human kind;
Profcribing free research and lib'ral thought,
And virtuous motive, binding up the tongue
In abject terror, that the feaft of reafon
And holy interchange of mind with mind
Were bere unknown; and frivolous delights,
The dice, the dance, and vague licentious love,
Were call'd in aid to banish rifing thought
That told men they were flaves; and idle noise

And

And mirth diffembled drown'd the hated cry
Of jealous defpotifm, refounding ever
In tones fevere and hollow, to the fears,
Freezing the heart's warm currents as they flow'd.-
But why fhould Louis expiate the crimes.
Of tyrants that preceded?-We are witness
He meekly bore his faculties, and lean'd
To wholesome counfels,

SIEYES. I know it-but the common herd retain

A favage mem'ry of the past oppreffions;

Hence their exceffes, hence the mournful wafte
Of noble blood. - Ye rulers of mankind,

Oh, never drive the people to defpair:

Feed them with hope and they will much endure,
Still teach them to look upward to their king
For cure of evils; let them not be taught

To right themselves and know their dangerous ftrength,
A fatal fecret for the governor,

And for the crowd themfelves; for that once known,
First they remove their wrongs and grievances,
They next fecure their rights; but this perform'd,
Good in itself, injurious in the means,

They reft not here content, but, flufh'd with conquest,
From bond-flaves, they commence infulting tyrants,
And ufe their pow'r with infolence, proportion'd
To their past abject ftate.

KERSAINT.-The death of Louis

Would blot the Gallic fame to latest times.

May we not hope by timely oppofition

To ftem the people's rage? Will they not feel

His peaceful virtues? will they not recall

His large conceffions to the public voice?

SIEYES.- Marat prevails, and all attempts are vain

To fave his destin'd life; ruin to us,

Perdition to our country, waits th' attempt,

The crowd demand a victim; we shall perish
After a vain attempt to ftem the torrent
With him we should preferve. We must retain
The public confidence, our only hope
In this conjuncture; better yield a while
To wind and tide, and deviate from the course
That brings the vessel to her deftin'd port,
Than by impatience drive her on the rocks
Where certain fhipwrecks wait her; better join
The people ev'n in wrong, that we may turn them
From wrongs yet greater, and their own perdition,
Than by desertion in the fatal hour

Hazard the lofs of all. To guide the people

We must not only feem to follow them,

But yield in part to do fo.

Confidence,

.

(

If by complacence won, and confidence
Confirm'd by ufe, becomes authority.

◄ KERSAINT.-Mistaken hope, to rule the populace
By yielding to their rage! This fatal act
Will fcatter wide the feeds of civil war.-

And fhall this land, the feat of polish'd arts,
And mild philofophy, and focial joys,
Become the refidence of brutal rage,
Devouring anarchy, and deadly carnage?

SIEYES.-Defpond not thus ;-our civic bands fublim'd
By bright enthufiaftic fire, will brave

Danger, and want, and raging elements,

With daring more than human.

KERSAINT.-Surrounded as we are by puiffant foes,

We need the rule of one; the times demand

A fummary and vig'rous promptitude,

A brief and dextrous fecrecy in council,

A calm and rapid concert in the field;
Such as we may not hope from loud debate,
Manag'd by theorifts and demagogues
In mix'd tumultuous meetings.

SIEYES.-We must own

If ancient maxims are receiv'd on truft,
That wide extended ftates by monarchy
Are beft adminifter'd;-but future times
Shall fee th' example of our common-weal
Refute the prejudice, and give an inftance
Of vigour, fecrecy, and promptitude,
Surpaffing all belief.

KERSAINT. I would preferve

The kingly pow'r as true fupport of freedom;
Calm, fober freedom, not licentious rage,
Verging to tyranny in the worst form.

Our Maker tells us that fupremacy

Should be concenter'd in a narrow space,
And rais'd aloft confpicuous; thus we fee
The ruling head furmounts the graceful fabric
Of man, divinely form'd within itself,
Comprising fenfe and life; imperial fource
Of thought, volition, reason, fantasy;
Sovereign to fway, and provident to guide
Each vital function with unquestion'd pow'r
And kingly promptitude, it fends abroad
Its mighty mandates thro' th' obedient limbs.

SIEYES.-If thou would't argue from the works of nature,
They fpeak more ftrongly for a common-weal. -

Nature's great author in his works hath taught us
That elements fhould mix, and adverse pow'rs
Temper each other; in all kinds that breathe
And live, and ev'n in things unorganiz'd

And