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PRINTED BY J. SMITH, 16, RUE MONTMORENCY.

CONTENTS.

On the difference between Authors, and the Impression conveyed of

them by their Works

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The Choice of Phylias

Lake Leman, and its Associations

The true Ordeal of Love, a Moral Tale for Married People
On the want of Sympathy

On Ill Health, and its Consolations

The Law of Arrest. A Tale

On Satiety

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On Infidelity in Love

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Fi-ho-ti; or, the Pleasures of Reputation. A Chinese Tale

On the Knowledge of the World in Men and Books

The Tale of Kosem Kesamim, the Magician

On the Passion for the Universal

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Ferdinand Fitzroy; or, too Handsome for any thing

The New Phædo; or, Conversations on things Human and Divine, with one Condemned

CONVERSATION THE FIRST.

The universality of Evil in the World-Is no less visible in the lesser
creatures than in man-
n-The hope of perfectibility-Change in the
temperament of LWhat is pleasant when recalled is often weari-
some when acted-Love-The influence of Custom on the connubial
state-Society exacts in proportion as it is prepared to admire-
L's sadness-Distinctions between Wit and Humour-Love of
conversational argument less in vogue than formerly-Our inability
to conceive the nature of our happiness hereafter-Anecdote of
Fuseli-Plato-Quotation from Lord Herbert of Cherbury-The
sentiment that our faculties cannot content themselves in this life,
visible in the works of genius-This sentiment more common in the
English than the Continental Poets The spirituality of Goethe's
genius-Observations in the Wilhelm Meister-Scott's poetry greater

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than his prose-The painter Blake and his Illustrations of the Night Thoughts-Young-His gloom spreads only over this world, without darkening the next

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151

CONVERSATION THE SECOND.

L's increase of illness-Remarks on a passage in Bacon-Advantages in the belief of immortality-An idea in the last Conversation followed out- A characteristic of the Sublime- - Feelings in one dying at the restlessness of life around.

162

CONVERSATION THE THIRD.

The French worldly philosophers-The first step in wisdom is to learn to think, no matter how-Thought corrects itself-Brilliant writers less dangerous than dull ones-Why-Faults of certain philosophers -L-, the respectful affection he excites-The heart turns from death-Passage in Bolingbroke-Private life does not afford a vent for all our susceptibilities-A touching thought in Milton's Latin Poems-Remarks on Byron, and the characteristics of a true poet for the present day-Portrait of a hero in the service of truth.

168

CONVERSATION THE FOURTH.

Containing L--'s history

CONVERSATION THE FIFTH.

The history of L-continued in his intellectual pursuits-Helvetius
-His faults and merits-The Materialists-The Philosophy of Faith.

174

193

CONVERSATION THE SIXTH.

The history concluded-Progress from Morals to History-A state of doubt most favourable to the study of the Past-Philosophical historians dangerous-Hume and Gibbon-The advantages of Tacitus and Polybius in actual experience-Bolingbroke the first English Utilitarian-History the accuser of mankind-The Greeks -Portrait of Themistocles - Patriotism and Philanthropy — The errors of old-The divine hope of the future

197

CONVERSATION THE SEVENTH.

Description of an English landscape-The animal enjoyment of life-
Solitary persons the least repining-Cowley on the town and country
L's mental progress from history to works of imagination-

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He is inspired to emulation, not by the fame of genius, but by the luxury of composition Genius is peculiarly susceptible of enjoyment-It even enjoys sadness-L-'s studies interrupted

205

CONVERSATION THE EICHTH.

L's occasional restlessness at the thought of death-Anecdote of the last hours of a man unwilling to die-L- -'s gratitude that the gradual decay of his powers prepares him for his end-Criticism on the "Night Thoughts"-Survey of contemporaneous poetry-Remarkable distinction between the blank verse and rhyme of the same period-The former more English-Peculiarities of the old English Muse-Its quaint love of classical allusion-Its mixture of the grave and gay-Its minuteness in rural description, &c.-Pope compared with Thompson; Akenside with Johnson-Young-His tendency to the ambitious-The views of life more gloomy in the Greek than the Roman poets-The English Muse rather adopts those of the former-Young imbued with our earlier poetry-The sublimest poets abound with the homeliest images-And, in modern literature, also with the most exaggerated conceits-Young therefore justified by their example in his homeliness and quaintness-His sublime power of personification-His terseness-Difference between the rank of the poet and that of the poem-The grandeur of the conception of the Night Thoughts as compared with Childe Harold and other didactic poems-The poet's conception is sustained throughout— The wisdom of his maxims-The beauty of his diction-Concluding remarks on Young's character-Apology for retailing L――'s criticisms

211

CONVERSATION THE NINTH.

The Memory becomes more acute as we approach death-L▬▬'s observations on the saying that life is a jest'-The vanity of ambitionOur errors arise from our desire to be greater than we are--Thoughts on Superstition-The early astrologers-Philanthropy -The fear of assisting in changes of which the good to a future generation may not compensate the evil to the present-Contrast between the tranquil lives of men of genius and the revolutions their works effect— The hope of intercourse with great minds in a future state-The sanctity of the grave-the Phædo of Plato-The picture of the last moments of Socrates-The unsatisfactory arguments of the Heathen for the immortality of the soul-Revealed religion has led men more logically to the arguments drawn from natural theology-Disbelief involves us in greater difficulties than faith Our doubts do not dishearten us if we once believe in God-L-'s last hours-His farewell to Nature-His death

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The adored delight of Europe's mightiest king,-
Thou canst not bear it!

DUCHESS DE LA VALLIÈRE.

I have borne much worse

Thy change and thy desertion!-Let it pass!
There is no terror in the things without;
Our souls alone the palace or the prison;
And the one thought, that I have fled from sin
Will fill the cell with images more glorious,
And haunt its silence with a mightier music,
Than ever thronged illumined halls, or broke
From harps by mortal strung!

LOUIS..

I will not hear thee!

I cannot brave these thoughts. Thy angel voice

But tells me what a sun of heavenly beauty

Glides from the earth, and leaves my soul to darkness.
This is my work!-'twas I for whom that soul
Forsook its native element; for me,

Sorrow consumed thy youth, and conscience knawed
That patient, tender, unreproachful heart.

And now this crowns the whole ! the priest-the altar-
The sacrifice-the victim! Touch me not!
Speak not! I am unmann'd enough already.

I-I-I choke! These tears-let them speak for me.
Now! now thy hand-O, God! farewell, for ever!

DUCHESS DE LA VALLIÈRE.

For ever! till the angel's trump shall wake
Affection from the grave. Ah! blessed thought.
For ever! that's no word for earth; but angels
Shall cry 'for ever' when we meet again :

Be firm, my heart, be firm!

[Exit.

(After a pause, turning to Bragelone, with a slight smile.)

'Tis past! we've conquered!

(The Duchess de La Vallière re-ascends to the altar-the crowd

close around.)

Music.

CHORUS. Hark! to the nuptial train are opened wide
The Eternal Gates. Hosanna to the bride!

GRAMMONT.

She has ta'en the veil-the last dread rite is done.

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