fembly, he pronounces a difcourfe on the fubject of the festival. What an affecting gravity, what an awful impreffion does the language of the priest (who in fuch a moment celebrates the praifes of wisdom,) make upon the minds of his hearers! he holds the crown in his hand, while virtue waits kneeling at his feet ; all the fpectators are affected, tears in every eye, perfuafion in every heart; then is the moment of lafting impreffions; and at that instant he places the crown upon her head. "After this begins a Te Deum, during which the proceffion is refumed. "The queen, with the crown upon her head, and attended in the fame manner as fhe was when going to receive it, returns the way the came; her triumph ftill increafing as the paffes along, till fhe again enters the church, and occupies the fame place in the middle of the choir, till the end of the fervice. "She has new homage to receive, and, going forth, is attended to a particular piece of ground, where crowned innocence finds expecting vaffals prepared to offer her prefents. They are fimple gifts, but their fingularity proves the antiquity of the custom; a nofegay of flowers, a dart, two balls, &c. &c. "From thence the is conducted, with the fame pomp, and led back to her relations, and, in her own houfe, if the thinks proper, gives a rural collation to her conductor and her re tinue. "This festival is of a fingular kind, of which there is no model elsewhere. It is intended to encourage wisdom, by bcftowing public honours, and for fuch a purpose they ought to be boundless. Where virtue reigns there is no rival, and whoever wishes for diftinction in her prefence, cannot be fufficiently fenfible of what is due to her triumph. "The diftinguishing characteristic of this feftival is, that every part of it is referable to the queen, that every thing is eclipfed by her prefence; her fplendour is direct, not reflected; her glory borrows nothing from diftinction of ranks; fhe has no need of any one to make her great and refpectable; in one word, it is the image of virtue which fhines, and every thing difappears before her.". This is a curious little hiftory, and exhibits a pleafing paftoral scene that carries with it a dramatic air, and feem to promise a good foundation for that fpecies of the comic opera which has lately been fo well received amongst us. If properly executed it would probably meet with fuccefs on our own ftage. Mad. de Genlis has made that ufe of the fable which was most fuitable to her plan, and drawn fome ufeful inftructions from it in a few ferious fcenes that may be of fervice to her young female pupils. The following extract may ferve as a fpecimen of this ingenious author's manner of treat ing ing her fubject, which, though it does not abound in that laboured wit and ftudied repartee which are to be found in fome of our modern comedies, is, notwithstanding, replete with good fenfe and morality. After premifing that Helen is the heroine of the piece, the Prior (the judge appointed to beftow the crown of roses) and Monica, a very old woman, a peafant of Salency, we shall present our readers with the laft fcene of the first act of this little piece. SCENE VI. The Prior, Mrs. Dummer, Mary, Monica, Helen, Therefa. (Monica fupported by Helen, who has hold of Mary by the hand on the other fide.) "The Prior. Good day, Mother Monica; how do you do? • Monica. Thank you, Mr. Prior, e'en but so so. Marry, by next Louis's day, I fhall be fourfcore, and that is an age to make one feel; my limbs fail me, and I can scarce walk. 6 Mrs. Dummer. Set a chair for her. • Mon. Thank you, Madam, I'll e'en fit down then with your good leave. (Helen places a chair near the prefs. Monica fits down.) • Prior. Mother Monica, we fent Helen to beg the key of your prefs. Mon. Why, truly, I don't give the key of our treasure so readily to fuch young folks; it will be time enough when she is Queen of the Rofe, if it please God that I live to fee that day; but I have brought you the key; here it is, Mr. Prior. • Prior. Now, Mrs. Dummer, you fhall fee the fairest familytitles that exist in the world; look here. Mrs. Dum. (looking into the prefs.) Ha! what is that under all these little niches of glafs? Prior. Dried Crowns of Roses. Mon. O yes, they are dry, for fome of them have been there much more than a hundred years! Mary. O, Mama, it is pretty for relies. they are just like a shrine • Prior. Well, Mrs. Dummer, you don't fay any thing. Mrs. Dum. I am quite confounded!- -How is this! Have there been as many Queens of the Rofe in this family, as fee crowns here? 'Mon. Ah, Madam, there are many more; I had another daughter, who is dead, who had a number of daughters; all the crowns of that fide of the houfe are wanting; and then, my father married again, and his children, as was but right, have inherited fome of the crowns; we have only those of the direct line. Mrs. Dum, (fill looking in the prefs.) They all have labels. labels. • Mrs. • Mon. Mr. Prior, you, who know all this as well as your Pater-nofter, fhew Madam the crown of Mary-Jean Bocard; it is the oldeft, I helieve. • Prior. Is it not at the top of the prefs? Mon. Yes. Can you reach it? Let us fee the date.. < Prior. Yes, yes, I have it.(He reads.) fifteen hundred and twenty. Mrs. Dum. holding the Crown, which is under a glass. One thousand five hundred and twenty! Mon. This is a valuable piece, is it not? Mary, looking at the Crown. What is that a Rofe? How it is changed! • Mon. Helen, fhew that of Catharine Javelle; it ftands below Helen. Yes, grandmother. Mon. Catharine Javelle was my mother's fifter, and died very young: her story is comical. Prior. Tell it us, mother Monica. Mon. You must know then, fhe was washing linen at the great pond; fhe had no body with her but a little boy of seven years old, to carry the linen; when, all of a fudden, little John(his name was Johnny, he was the fon of Michael.) Prior. He is ftill living; that Johnny, is now goodman ny A Ruffel? Mon. Juft fo history! poor -But, Mr. Prior, you know the whole Prior. No matter, go on mother Monica. Mrs. Dum. I pray you do, Mrs. Monica. Helen. Grandmother, you was at, when all of a fudden, and at the brink of the pond. Mon. Ay-behold, all of a fudden, Johnny fell into the pond head foremost, Aounce, there he was in the water— -upon which, by my troth, my aunt Catharine Javelle did not make two fteps of it, but threw herself headlong after him, and then fished up Johnny, like a gudgeon, and brought him fafe to the shore. Mrs. Dum. O heavens ! Prior. You must know this pond is exceffively deep. It was In fhort fhe laid him upon the grafs; but Johnny had fwallowed fo much water, fo very much, that he was in a fwoon- -My Aunt said to herself, what fhall I do with this child, and likewife with my linen ? late, the must return home, she had a mile and a half to go, and nobody to help her, fhe was trembling, and all in confufion; but, however, he took Johnny aftraddle on her fhoulders, and, leaving all her linen behind her, came back in that manner to the village. Mrs. Dum. I hope fhe was Queen that year ? Mon. O, my God, yes. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good, as the faying is; it is very fortunate for a young girl to find find fuch opportunities; marry, the like don't happen every day. Mrs. Dum. Ah, Mr. Prior, what is most curious in Salency, is not the proceffion of the festival, but to fee and to hear these things. Prior. I told you fo is twelve o'clock; we must go. (He looks at his watch.) But it 'Mrs. Dum. I can't take my eyes off that prefs. Prior. To be fure, these refpectable titles, thofe proofs of merit, are as valuable as the pieces of old parchment, of which fome people are so vain. Mrs. Dum. Upon my life, I could fee all the parchments in the world with a dry eye, though I have fome; but in looking at thefe dried Rofes, I find the tears start! am I that Mary is not five or fix Ah, how forry been fenfible of this. years older! She would have Mary. Mama, you must bring me back when I grow bigger. Prior. She is right; it is very good for a young girl to breathe the air of Salency.-Farewell, mother Monica. • Mon. My God, Mr. Prior, Gertrude will be very sorry.— Prior. I fhall return. • Mon. Mr. Prior, the declaration, however, is to be at five o'clock ? Prior. Yes, mother Monica. (He takes her by the band.) My worthy woman, be perfectly easy-I beg of you— Mon. O good Lord! • Prior. Farewell-till by and by. Mrs. Dum. Farewell, my dear Mrs. Monica. • Mon. Your fervant, Madam. (Mrs. Dummer and the Prior go out. Helen goes to open the door for them, and makes feveral courtefies, which Mrs. Dummer returns, after having embraced her. In the mean time, Monica remains alone at the front of the ftage. • Mon. Mr. Prior bid me be perfectly eafy; that is a good fign! May God Almighty grant it!--(to Helen, who returns.) Helen, did you hear what Mr. Prior faid? "Helen. O God, yes, grandmother; I am fill all in confufion. He took hold of your hand. Mon. And he fqueezed it, my child—I dared not speak to him of you, because of the lady being present. Helen. O grandmother-I have very agreeable forebodings! • Mon. And fo have I.—O Lord, I shall fee in five hours, with the crown of rofes!-After that I fhall die you this very day, content. But heark'ee child, don't go to be vain of this; don't therefore fancy yourself better than Therefa or Urfula; that would spoil all. Helen. Why fhould I be vain of it? If I am crowned, I fhall owe it to you and my mother; I am only vain of being both daughter and hers your • Mon. Mon. Poor little dear!. come and kifs me-God will blefs you, you deserve it. be in tears? you feem to Helen. It is very true. that if you should flatter yourself with the hope of my getting the crown, and unhappily I do not gain it—you will be fo uneafy, fo forely vexed I am thinking now, Mon. Do not fob fo for that.- -Well, my child, if you do not get it, we must fubmit; that is no reafon for murmuring against Providence. But the Prior bid me be perfectly easy; I promife you he did not fay that for nothing. Come, my girl, and fhut the prefs, for you must go and get dinner ready.— Is not your brother come back yet? Helen. No, grandmother, he is always at the other end of the village with poor Robert, who is very fick, and knows no comfort but when Bafil is with him; and my brother, who loves Robert as he does his eyes, wishes to remain with him till the time of the ceremony. Mon. That is very right, very right, indeed. Give me my key-I hope I fhall open that prefs this night yet, to lock up your crown in it. Helen. O dear grandmother! • Mon. Give me your arm, my girl. Come, let us go. (They go out.)' Though this is by no means the most shining part of the performance before us, the reader will perceive in it a great deal of nature and fimplicity; which, together with a peculiar, elegance of fentiment and diction, runs through the whole work. We would recommend it, therefore, to the few parents and guardians left amongst us, who, in the education. of their children and pupils, have a regard for their moral character, and above all to the school-miftreffes in this metropolis and its environs, who, we think, cannot employ their scholars better than in reading and repeating these entertaining and inftructive comedies. The private Life of Lewis XV. Tranflated from the French by J. O. Juftamond, F. R. S. 4 vols. 8v0. 1l, in boards. Dilly. THIS hiftory, as the original editor obferves, performs much more than it promifes: for while we might expect from it only anecdotes of a private nature, it prefents us chiefly with a narrative of the public tranfactions in the reign of Lewis the Fifteenth. It appears that this prince, in the early part of his life, was of a delicate conítitution; on which ac |