that he stood forward is support of Eis brother, Chancellor William de Longchamp, blahop of Er. The allusion in Peter's Continuation to the writings of Averroes as being read at Cambridge in the early part of the twelfth century coot, of course, be supported; it is manifestly an interpriation.

The same writer also remarks, that "neither the introductory letter of Peter of Bois, nor the book itself, exhibit any of the peculiarities of style found in the works of Peter of Blola" Change of subject, however, may possibly have led in some degree to a variation in style; and the genius of the writer would be cramped by being confined to a mere complation of the materials to which Abbat Henry would most probably direct his attention, and perhaps place in his hands. Had the whole of this First Continuation been preserved, we should probably have been enabled to form a more decided opinion on the authorship: whoever the writer was, the concluding pages of it tend to shew that he was a person who had considerable acquaintance with the Norman history, and some knowledge of the literature of that country.

In conclusion, it is remarked by Sir Francis Palgrave, that in none of the Chronicles anterior to the fourteenth century can a single line be traced that is borrowed from Ingulph, and he is of opinion that if the work had existed at an earlier period, it would have scarcely been neglected by those inveterate compilers. The extreme paucity, however, of the known MSS. of the work tends very much to shew that it was never at any time extensively circulated; and indeed, as it was usual for each monastery to keep its own annals, in which were incorporated the more important events of state with those which transpired within its own walls, there do not appear to have been any grounds for giving it what would have been apparently an undue degree of importance, by obtruding it upon the world at large.

On the other hand, it can be readily imagined, that, after the compilation had been made in the form in which it now appears, and copies of the fictitious Charters had been incorporated with the History of the Sempects and the Chronicles of Egelric and Ingulph, the importance of the history would from that moment be much more strongly insisted on, and all the weight of its testimony be adduced, in favour of the genuineness of the Golden Charter and its fellows; although, at the same time, as already remarked, it is not improbable that a lingering fear would exist that the keen vision of the antiquarian or scholar might, if afforded the opportunity of a leisurely examination, detect some of the discrepancies that lurked within the compilation, and thus bring the narrative of Ingulph himself to bear witness against the possibility of the genuineness of the Mercian Charters. A cautious policy, therefore, may possibly have still restricted a knowledge of the existence of the compilation to the narrowest possible limits, by allowing few or even no copies of it to circulate beyond the precincts of the convent.

KEMBLE'S STATE PAPERS.

Ir has so long been the fashion for writers of history to confine themselves to certain time-honoured authorities, giving prominence to some and casting others into the shade, as their statements agree with or run counter to certain preconceived views, that the man who takes the trouble to collect original evidences, and then honestly brings them forward without fear or favour, well deserves the thanks of the community. To such a meed Mr. Kemble has long ago entitled himself by the publication of his Codex Diplomaticus Evi Saxonici, and its corollary "The Saxons in England;" and he has just rendered a fresh service to literature by printing a body of materials, the greater part till now inedited", which cast much light on the European history of a comparatively recent period, that, namely, from the Revolution of 1688 to the accession of the House of Hanover.

These materials are principally derived from the correspondence of the illustrious Leibnitz, preserved at Hanover, and among the writers or the persons addressed are many who were "named among the famousest" in their day. Beside minor names, we find the Electress Sophia, of Hanover; her sons George Louis (afterwards George I.), and Maximilian William ; her daughter Sophia Charlotte, queen of Prussia; her sister Louise Hollandine, abbess of Maubuisson; her niece Elizabeth, duchess of Orleans, and mother of the Regent; James II. and his queen; Queen Anne ; Frederick Augustus of Poland; Philippe, the Regent-duke; Caroline of Anspach (afterwards the queen of George II.); Sarah, duchess of Marlborough; Gilbert Burnet, bishop of Salisbury, and a gossiping kinsman, Thomas Burnet, of Kemney; diplomatists of every grade, English and foreign, from Hedges and Stepney to Patkul and De Fuchs; and among military men, the chivalrous Peterborough, Cavalier the Camisard, Schulenburg, the defender of Corfu against the Turks, and Bonneval the renegade, equally well known as Achmet Pasha.

The subjects touched on in this correspondence are of course exceedingly varied. Questions of European policy in its widest sense, and the petty squabbles of the German courts; portraits of royal personages by other "royal and noble authors;" literary criticism and philology; gossip and scandal; the intrigues to forward or to hinder the Hanoverian succession b; all this, and more, is to be found agreeably detailed in the volume before us. It might be supposed that its intrinsic value would secure for it a favourable reception, but Mr. Kemble offers it with a diffidence, which we trust he will find was uncalled for. He, however, alleges that the “reading public" dislikes the trouble of dealing with original matter, and therefore he feels obliged to enter on a formal apology for publishing these "State Papers and Correspondence, illustrative of the Political and Social State of Enrope, from the Revolution to the Accession of the House of Hanover. Edited, with Historical Introduction, Memoirs, and Notes, by J. M. Kemble, M.A." (London : John W. Parker & Son.)

a

One of the most curious letters in this collection is from Roger Acherley, a noted Whig pamphleteer, who claims a reward for having devised the moving for a writ for the Electoral Prince, at which, he says, "the Queen was vexed and frighted, and that put a stop to her gouty humours, that were at that time beginning to disperse into her hands and feet, and turned them up into her head, and killed her as effectually and almost as suddenly as if she had been shot with a pistol." Like other thorough-going partisans, this amiable gentleman was not rewarded according to his own estimate of his merits, and he pitifully begs a testimonial from Leibnitz of his activity in the service of the House of Hanover.

things instead of basing thereon a flowing and perhaps one-sided History, such as we already have by the dozen :

"I am aware that it is not the present fashion to like what are called 'the materials for history,' and that in general we prefer to take our history ready made. The plan is no doubt a convenient one, and spares trouble; but whether it is the most conducive to the discovery and establishment of truth, may be doubted. More than one work of good repute, in these days, might be named, which would have assumed other proportions, had a due study of historical materials either preceded its composition, or been likely to expose its deficiencies. But this evil tendency of our light literature does not dispense those who have been educated in a different school from doing what they believe to be necessary for the honest pursuit of historical truth. For my own part, I do not regret that the fear of finding very few readers did not for a moment cause me to waver in compiling the Anglo-Saxon Charters; and I feel daily that the wide use made of that work fully justifies all the labour bestowed upon it. Who is there who will say that Ellis's Letters, or still older collections, such as Macpherson's, are not indispensable contributions to historical science? Or who will undervalue the admirable publications of similar materials which have been produced in France, both by the industry of private inquirers, and the active interference of the Government ? There is nothing which can more clearly prove the want of some such complete collection than the shortcomings of some of our most celebrated modern histories, when they deal with the continental relations between the Thirty Years' and the Seven Years' Wars. Nothing has tended to put certain portions of English history in a clearer light than Mr. Bruce's late most interesting revelations respecting Charles the First.”(pp. xlv., xlvi.)

Except a life of Leibnitz himself, which is probably omitted from want of space, the reader is amply provided with the helps necessary to the due appreciation of these State Papers, and he is not abandoned, as has been often done by less conscientious editors, to make his way as he best can amid the mazes of diplomacy. A vigorously written Historical Introduction puts him fairly in possession of the general aspect of affairs in Germany in particular, at the period when the mad ambition of Louis le Grand had called up the Grand Alliance, of which William III. was the acknowledged head, and the vacillating and ambiguous conduct of many of the princes of the Empire and of the Northern Courts is fairly and satisfactorily accounted for. Brief biographies supply the necessary information regarding minor personages; but with regard to those of more note, we have a number of carefully prepared memoirs, which offer a gallery of historical portraits that we would fain see more extensive. A "necessity," however, has confined the work to a single volume, and we have thus lost, (for the present only, we trust,) "a very great number of documents and several biographies;" but we are fortunate enough to have in it, inter alia, a sketch in which the Electress Sophia, her relatives and her court, are depicted in lively colours; a memoir of John Reinhold von Patkul, where much new matter regarding that unfortunate noble is to be found; a notice of the strange career of Bonneval, in turn sailor, soldier, traitor, renegade, and exile; and a biography of Cavalier the Camisard, which furnishes a graphic sketch of the war in the Cevennes.

Mr. Kemble expresses his hope that his "small contribution to history" will not be without its value. He justly remarks that the public acts of sovereigns, or statesmen, or ministers, will not suffice to give us a clear idea of the stupendous movement begun with the Thirty Years' War and not yet ended; letters he considers the most important material for history, particularly when, as here, they are the production of actors in the scenes described::

"In one respect particularly this collection of letters seems to me to deserve the attention of thinking men, and most of all those who have studied the philosophy of the eighteenth century. They contain traits for a picture of one of its great heroes.

They supply a good deal of illustration of one side (hitherto little noticed) of a great man's character. We have seen abundant materials for a life of Leibnitz as jurist, mathematician, historian, philosopher, and theologian; but we see him here, nearly for the first time, as politician, courtier, gentleman, and accomplished man of the world. It was due to his memory that this slight reparation should be made him by a fellow-countryman of those who have never shewn a disposition to do him the justice he deserved. I can only lament that, the limits imposed upon me have prevented its being more extensive and ample.”—(p. xlviii.)

A brief extract from the notice of the Electress Sophia's court brings the great Leibnitz with dignity upon the stage:

"Her court of Hanover, and still more her intimate circle at Herrenhausen, were celebrated throughout Europe for the dignified and graceful intercourse with men of good breeding and learning, in which she personally appeared to so much advantage. Here were gathered round her women of lofty station and cultivated manners, remarkable for their grace and beauty, or distinguished by their wit. Sophie Charlotte of Prussia, as amiable and as clever as her mother, took refuge here from the wearisome pomp of her own court, and the pedantry of her heavy husband; here Caroline, the future queen of England, her beloved daughter-in-law, hung on the eloquent lips of Leibnitz discussing the providential scheme of the world, the perfectibility of man, and drawing even out of evil proofs of the wisdom, justice, and mercy of God. Here were to be found the light, vivacious Frenchman, the grave and travelled Englishman, attracted by the fame of her society and the charms of her conversation; and here was the central point to which news of every description from every corner of Europe continually flowed, to be again continually dispersed for the amusement and instruction of her correspondents. In this society the pious and learned Molanus, the polished and deeply-read Hortensio Mauro, laid aside for awhile their severer studies; here Handel preluded to those sublime strains which have given to him among composers the same rank which Milton occupies among poets; and here, above all throned, the great intellectual giant of the age, to whom questions touching the profoundest metaphysics or the lightest art were equally welcome and familiar; who was as well versed in the history of ancient realms and peoples as in the politics of his own day, the intrigues or the gossip of contemporary courts; who devised stupendous machinery to-day for the mines in the Hartz whence the Electors derived their wealth, and to-morrow must inevitably be consulted as to the hanging of a picture or the furnishing of a boudoir; who founded academies of science and art, and laboured in vain with Bossuet to find some common ground of reconciliation between Protestant and Catholic, yet refused a cardinal's hat and the librarianship of the Vatican, offered him on condition of apostacy; the friend of Bernoulli; the correspondent, and, unhappily, at length the opponent, of Newton; the dexterous negotiator, and the most lively and amusing of letter-writers; the most universal man perhaps of whom the history of letters has to tell."-(pp. 21-23.)

If, as we think, the justification of some parts of this lofty eulogium is to be sought elsewhere than in his letters embraced in this collection, they at least testify the versatile talents of Leibnitz, and exhibit him as a rare and happy compound of the man of letters and the man of the world. We have him at one time discussing questions of military strategy with Schulenburg, at another entering on literary matters with Stepney, but mixing up with them such matter-of-fact affairs as the lead and tin trade of Germany and England, and how its monopoly may be secured. Then we see him criticising "a book by a celebrated Englishman named Mr. Locke, entitled An Essay on the Human Understanding,'" with whose philosophy 'This country-house, about two miles from Hanover, is built in the stiff French style, with large gardens, decorated, or deformed, by a profusion of bad statues, fountains, and clipped beech and hornbeam hedges. These, however, were, and still are, full of nightingales, which the Electress loved. Her apartments in this château have lately been restored to the state in which they were when she talked pleasant scandal here with her daughter, the Queen of Prussia, and Caroline of Anspach, or laughed at Leibnitz's jests, and dictated her correspondence with half the beaux esprits of Europe." 8 M

с

GENT. MAG. VOL. CCII.

he says his own does not agree over well; and again we have him writing the following lively description of a masquerade: it is addressed to the Electress Sophia, and not only shews what were the courtly amusements of those days, but the cordial and easy intercourse that subsisted between the parties:

"LEIBNITZ TO THE ELECTRESS SOPHIA.

"Lützenburg, July 13, 1700. 'Madame,-Although I imagine that Madame the Electress will give your Electoral Highness a description of the comic masquerade or village-fair which was represented yesterday at the theatre of Lützenburg, I am determined also to say something about it. The director of it was M. d'Osten, he who was in the good graces of the late king of Denmark. The whole had been got up in a great hurry, in order to have it executed on the day appointed for keeping the Elector's birthday, that is to say, the 12th, although the 11th, which was last Sunday, is the real birthday: so they represented a fair in a village or a little town, where there were shops with signs, in which they sold (for nothing) hams, sausages, neats' tongues, wines and lemonade, tea, coffee, chocolate, and similar drugs. Mgr. the Margrave Christian Louis, M. d'Obedam, M. du Hamel, and others, were the shopkeepers. M. d'Osten, who acted the part of the quack-doctor, had his harlequins and saltimbanchi, amongst whom Mgr. the Margrave Albert took his part very agreeably; the doctor had also some tumblers, who were, if I am not mistaken, M. le Comte de Solms and M. de Wassenaer; but nothing could be prettier than his juggler: this was Mgr. the Electoral Prince, who, in fact, really has learned the hocus pocus.

"Madame the Electress was the doctoress, and kept the shop for the sale of orviétan. M. d'Alleurs acted his character of the tooth-drawer very well. At the opening of the theatre there appeared the solemn entry of the doctor, mounted upon a kind of elephant, and Madame the doctoress shewed herself also, carried in a litter by her Turks. The juggler, the tumblers, the buffoons, and the tooth-drawer came next; and when the doctor's whole suite had passed by, there was a little ballet of gipsy-girls, ladies of the court, under a chief, who was Madame the Princess of Hohenzollern; and some others joined them in order to dance. They also saw an astrologer make his appearance, with his spectacles or a telescope in his hand. This was to have been my character, but M. le Comte de Wittgenstein charitably took it off my hands: he made some predictions in favour of Mgr. the Elector, who was looking on from the nearest box. Madame the Princess of Hohenzollern, who was the principal gipsy, undertook to tell Madame the Electress's fortune in the most agreeable manner possible, in some very pretty German verses made by M. de Besser. M. de Quirini was the valet-de-chambre of Madame the doctoress. And as for me, I placed myself in a favourable position to see everything near with my little spectacles, in order to be able to give your Electoral Highness a report of it. Madame the Princess of Hohenzollern's lady had the toothache, and the tooth-drawer, doing his duty with a pair of farrier's tongs in his hand, produced a tooth which was about as thick as my arm, and, to tell the truth, it was a walrus's tooth. The doctor, praising the skill of his tooth-drawer, left the company to judge how adroit he must be to draw such a tooth as that without hurting anybody. Among the sick who wanted remedies were MM. d'Alefeld and de Fleming, the envoys of Denmark and Poland, and our M. d'Ilten, all dressed like peasants of their several countries, each Jack with his Jill. Madame the Grand Marshal was the wife of the tooth-drawer, and helped him to put his drugs and instruments in order: so it was with all the rest. Several skilfully intermingled compliments for the Elector and Electress; M. d'Obedam in Flemish, M. Fleming in good Pomeranian, for he wound up with

• Vivat Friderich und Charlot!

Wer's nicht recht meynt ist ein H-.

However, it was like the Tower of Babel, for every one was talking his own language; and M. d'Obedam, to please Madame the doctoress, sang the song out of L'Amour Médecin, which ends with 'La grande puissance de l'orviétan;' and indeed that which such a doctoress sold could not be without it. Towards the end came a Trouble-joy,M. de Reisewitz, the Saxon Envoy in Poland, representing the ordinary doctor of the place, or stadt-physicus, who fell upon the quack. It was a pleasant war of words enough: the quack having shewn his papers, his parchments, privileges, and certificates of emperors, kings, and princes, the stadt-physicus laughed him to scorn, and shewed him handsome medals of gold hanging from his neck and that of his wife, saying it