Loix de Platon. The Laws of Plato. ART. VII. Par le Traducteur de la Republique. Octavo. 2 Vols. Amfterdam, printed by Rey. 1769. HIS work only reached us a few days ago, fo that we TH have not had time to compare the tranflation with the original. The character given of it, however, by Ruhnkenius and Valckenaer will be much more fatisfactory to our Readers, than any thing we could have faid of it, even if it had come to hand much sooner. In the advertisement prefixed to this work, the Bookfeller (Mr. Rey) acquaints us, that before he determined to fend it to the prefs, he begged the favour of profeffor Ruhnkenius, and profeffor Valckenaer, to examine it, and to give him their opinion of it. They complied, he tells us, with his request, and encouraged him to publifh it, by the following teftimony: "We have examined this translation of Plato's book of laws, and are confirmed in the good opinion we conceived of the Author upon reading his tranflation of the Republic. In this new work we find the fame knowledge of the Greek language, and of the Platonic philofophy, which the public admired in the preceding. Mr. Grou would do an important fervice to society, if he would take the trouble of tranflating all the other dialogues of Plato in the fame manner. The most elegant of the Greek authors would lofe nothing of his beauty, by being tranflated into French by fo faithful a pen." DAVID RUHNKENIUS. The fubftance of the Tranflator's preface is as follows:Plato wrote his book of laws in his old age. There is not, perhaps, that fublimity of genius in it, that fire, that beauty of imagination, which fhine in the greateft part of his dialogues, especially in his Republic. There is, however, more good fenfe in it, more folid views, and jufter reflections. Without confidering what may appear more beautiful and perfect in fpeculation, Plato confines himself to what is more practicable, more proportioned to human frailty.-His treatife of laws may be defined-The art of making a ftate happy, not by riches, the glory of arms, or extent of dominion, but by practiling what is good, and avoiding what is evil. Such is the general idea of his work, which I am far from thinking free from faults, or comparable, in any respect, to the laws of Mofes; far lefs to the fublime precepts of the Chriftian religion as I hope one day to be able to prove. Plato neither Nn3 thews fhews man the foundation of his duty, by teaching him that he is made for God, and that the great end of his being is to know, to love, and to ferve him; nor the fource of authority, and the principle of dependence, viz. that God, the Author both of natural and civil fociety, has established an inequality of condition, and a fubordination among men; that kings and magiftrates are God's viceroys upon earth; and that as they ought to use their authority with the fame gentleness and equity, fo their fubjects ought to obey them with the fame punctuality and fubmiffion, as they would obey their Maker, in every thing that is not contrary to their confciences. Nor does Plato point out the most powerful motive to union and harmony among men, namely, that we are all members of one family, all the children of one Father, who is God; and, confequently, that we are obliged to love one another in him. But we must not expect to find Lany thing like this in a Pagan writer. Plato has undoubtedly gone farther than any other philofopher in the knowledge of the law of nature, and has, in fome measure, furpaffed himself in his book of laws; his preambles to the most important of them, especially, are almoft all of them perfect pieces of morality. If our modern philofophers, who have much fuperior advantages, had the fame upright intentions as Plato, they would not, when treating of laws and civil policy, run into fuch wild and extravagant notions as this wife Heathen would have blushed at. This work has not yet appeared in our language, as far as I know, and I do not think that it can be understood in the verfions of Ficinus and Serranus. I have tranflated it with as much, nay with more, care than I did the Republic. I have added few notes in comparison of what I might have added my learned Readers will perhaps be diffatisfied with me upon this account, but I write not for them, nor do I flatter myself fo much as to think that I am capable of it. Thofe Readers whom I have in view will be pleased with me for feldom turning that attention, which they will readily beftow on Plato, to learned or critical obfervations which have no charms for them. I have endeavoured, however, to omit nothing that I thought neceffary for understanding the text.'. It would be great injuftice to the Editor, not to remark, that this work is very handfomely printed: We have not seen many books that exceed it, in point of neatness, particularly with regard to the prefs-work, AR T. VIII. Efprit de Marivaux, ou Analectes de fes Ouvrages ; précédè de la vie biftorique de l'Auteur, The Genius of Marivaux, or felect Extracts Extracts from his Works, with an hiftorical Life of the Author. 8vo. Paris. 1769. TH HE works of Marivaux are too well known, even in this kingdom, to make an account of these extracts neceffary; and their merit is too generally acknowledged, to require a critical examination to afcertain it. The extracts feem to have been well felected; they confift of characters, letters, thoughts, and reflections on various fubjects, which are scattered in his works, but have no neceffary dependance upon preceding or fubfequent parts, nor any connection with them that appears to be broken when they are read as diftinct pieces. There are alfo fome short tales and effays, both moral and entertaining. The life of Marivaux, which is prefixed, is a new work, compiled principally from anecdotes communicated by persons of the first reputation, who were his intimate acquaintance; and of that, therefore, we fhall give fuch an abstract as we hope will be entertaining to our Readers. Peter Carlet de Marivaux was born in the parish of St. Gervais at Paris, in the year 1688. His father was of a good family in Normandy, his fortune was confiderable, and he spared nothing in the education of his fon, who discovered uncommon talents, and a moft amiable difpofition. He did not chufe literature, fays the Writer of his life, as a profeffion, but he was drawn into it, by its natural power over him, and he became an author, not lefs to the furprise of himself than others. His first work was a romance called the Modern Don Quixotte, in which there is much wit and humour, though it is not equal to other pieces of the fame kind which he produced afterwards. Soon after he had left college, he was in company where the writing a good comedy was faid to be a very difficult task: Marivaux inconfiderately answered, that he thought it was eafy; and fomebody prefent replied, that he talked like a young man. This reproach, which was well-deferved, piqued him, and in one day he drew the sketch of a dramatic performance called the Prudent Father. Having fhewn it to a friend, who encouraged him to finish the work, he completed it in eight days. This rapidity of compofition is the more remarkable, as it was ia verfe, and if it did not wholly excufe the faults and defects with which the piece abounds, it was at least an earnest of what the Author would be able to effect with more leifure and experience. Among the early performances of Marivaux, is Homer Traveflie, which feems to have been intended to fhew the facility with which the moft ferious and important fubjects may be Nn4 tuined turned into ridicule. The power, of Scarron's comic romance confifts more in the turn and expreffion, than in the things expreffed; that of the Traveftie more in the things expreffed, than in the turn and expreffion. Marivaux, in the year 1720, when he was about thirtytwo years old, attempted Tragedy. He wrote the death of Hannibal, which was reprefented, but not received with fufficient applause to encourage him to proceed: from this time he indulged the natural propenfity of his genius, which led him rather to the gay and agreeable, than the mournful and folemn. He alone fuftained the Italian theatre for a confiderable time, and he wrote for the French with equal fuccefs. Almost all his pieces have kept their ground upon the ftage ever fince, and feem to give new pleafure in the reprefentation. Thofe which, in his own opinion, deserved preference, are, The Double Inconftancy, two pieces called The Surprise of Love, The Mother turned Confidante, The Rafh Vows, The Plain Dealer [les Sinceres], and the Ifland of Slaves; and the public judgment has confirmed his own. Character having been exhaufted, Marivaux applied himself to produce incident and intrigue; in which he may be faid to have been his own model. If all his comedies had not equal fuecefs, it must be allowed that he has, in all, fubjected imagination to prudence, and wit to decency, having never used either but in the service of virtue. The Island of Reason, or The Little Men, a very ingenious comedy of this Author, was represented by the French comedians in 1727, but without fuccefs. A fiction against the fenfes could not be admitted: the fpectators could not suppose those to be pigmies, whom they faw of the common ftature. But tho' this piece, for the reafon affigned, could not fucceed upon the ftage, it cannot fail to give pleasure in the closet. Marivaux is accused of copying himself; and the Marquis d'Argens has fomewhere faid, that all his pieces may be called, The Surprife of Love; but the Writer of his life says the reproach is not just. Marivaux's first pieces were anonymous; he kept himself concealed with great care, and was at last discovered by an accident. He had given his firft Surprife of Love to the Italian theatre, and the players did not perfectly enter into the spirit of the dialogue, Mademoiselle Sylvia, an actress of great abilities, was fenfible of her defect, but could not fatisfy herfelf with any attempt to remove it. One of her friends, who was alfo a friend of Marivaux's, happened one night to be upon the ftage, and the faid to him very often, "I would give all the world to know the author of this piece." The friend gave no intimation that he knew knew the Author, but with fome difficulty prevailed upon him to pay Sylvia a vifit. They found her at her toilet, and after the first civilities, Marivaux, feeing a pamphlet lie near her, expreffed a defire to know what it was; it is the Surprife of Love, lays Sylvia, a charming comedy, but I am very angry with the author: we fhould play it a thousand times better if he would but read it to us. Marivaux took up the book, and began to read fome of Sylvia's part; fhe was immediately ftruck with the precifion, tafte, and turn of his pronunciation, which at once difcovered new fentiment, and enabled her to fupply all the defects of which he had been confcious, and more. You fhew me, Sir," faid fhe, with great expreffion of furprife and pleafure, all the beauties of my part, you enlighten me with new fentiment, you read as I wifhed it to be read, and as I feel that it ought to be acted; you are certainly the author of the piece, or the devil." Marivaux replied, dryly, that he was not the devil; fhe immediately drew the inference, and thus was Marivaux, for the firft time, known as a dramatic writer. Marianne, and The Fortunate Peafant [Payfan Parvenu] are two celebrated novels, of this Author: it is fcarce neceffary to apprife our Readers, that Marivaux did not write the 12th part of Marianne, and that he compofed only the five firft books of The Payfan Parvenu; the difference of the ftyle being too manifeft to be overlooked, Of The Payfan Parvenu we hall only fay, that the hero of the piece, being introduced into the great world, the author was afraid of the application that might be made of what honeft Truth fhould dictate to his pen; and his principles led him to prefer a quiet life to the fame he would have acquired by finishing a work which was fo ingeniously begun. The Carriage in a Slough [Voiture Embourbée] and The Reformed Coquet, are alfo performances of this Author, which fhew his great fkill in humour, and perfect acquaintance with the human heart. His French Spectator did him great honour, and in England placed him in the fame rank with the celebrated La Bruyère. In this work he has happily expofed, under a variety of images, the general depravity of manners, the falfehood of friendship, the artifices of ambition, and the mifery of avarice; the ingratitude of children, the capricious tyranny of parents, the treachery of the great, the inhumanity of the rich, and the wickedness of the poor: both fexes, and every age and condition, may find a faithful picture of their vices or defects in this work; but the Author treated his fubject in a manner fuitable to his character, and the fame amiable qualities appear in his writings as in his life. His temper was rather quiet and referved, yet he had all the arts of pleafing in converfation. He was remarkable for |