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party, and the thoughts of it diverted me greatly. I had been a witness to many affignations of this kind; and I imagined this of his excellency and the female chevalier would be curious; but I was cruelly difappointed, and the day after this feast had like to have been the last day of my life.'

New misfortunes happen which introduces him to the. famous monfieur De Beau Marchais, with whom, and Dr. Franklin we have the following dialogue:

"The next morning, before we were rifen, Dr. Benjamin Franklin was announced, which obliged us to leave our bed immediately; where we had begun to entertain ourselves with new reflections. These two important perfonages had a very interest.ng. conference together; it was as follows:

"Dr. Franklin. It is abfolutely neceffary, my dear friend, that we should take more effectual measures, for hitherto we have done nothing; mean time the English get failors, build fhips, encrease their forces, and we are threatened with utter deftruction, unless France refolves to give us the most powerful affiftance.

"Beau Marchais. I have faithfully performed all that I have promifed you and firft, you have the count d'Eftaign's fleet in America, by which that of admiral Byron is blocked up.

"Dr. Franklin. How can you make that out? It is Byron that blocks up D'Eftaign.

you

"Beau Marchais. How little do understand of politics!Know what I have just told you is a certain fact; ard before the end of the year you will find it to be fo by the confequences. "Dr. Franklin, Heaven grant I may !

"Beau Marchais. In a fecond place I promised you that a new fleet fhould cruise in your feas; that we would threaten the English with a defcent upon their coafts: this will alarm them; their fleet under the command of Hardy, will not dare to venture far. This is all you can desire.

“Dr. Franklin. A fine beginning truly! and what will this lead to ?

"Beau Marchais. To maintain you in your own country; it will prevent the English from fending reinforcements to America ; it will put you in a condition to reduce them by famine, and to treat them as you have already treated Burgoyne,

"Dr. Franklin. Heaven grant it! but, in my opinion, we should do better if, inftead of a defcent upon Ireland, we should fend the troops now ready to embark, to Bofton; and with fuch a reinforcement we might drive the English out of our country for

ever.

"Beau Marchais, Well, we will think about it, provided you are reasonable. and that the Congrefs grants us what Sartine and I have fo long been demanding.

“Dr. Franklin. I have engaged my word for it; this ought to fatisfy you.

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"Beau Marchais. In the third place, I promised you I would oblige the king of Spain to declare open war against Great Britain; and you fee I have kept my word: can you defire any thing more? Dr. Franklin. But we agreed that count d'Orvillier's fleet fhould not join a divifion of the Spanish fleet, for that would do us more harm than good.

"Beau Marchais. My dear friend, you are very fhort fighted; it is eafy to discover that you do not fee an inch beyond your nofe I will talk to you no more on this fubject; but pray tell me how do you like the king of France's juftification of himself to all Europe?

"Dr. Franklin. I acknowledge that a bad cause cannot be better defended; but, in my opinion, it would have been wiser to have let it alone, because it will oblige the English to anfwer, and they have fo much to fay

"Beau Marchais. Aye, but not with fo much wit and elegance. "Dr. Franklin. I think your head feems to itch very much; have you been electrified?

"Beau Marchais. I amufed myfelf a little yefterday evening in that way, and I have been indisposed all night.

"Dr. Franklin. We must take care of that; you know I underderstand fomething of those matters; I could fhew you some curious things.

"Beau Marchais. If you have an inclination, I will fhew you this evening fome things ftill more curious.

"Dr. Franklin. With all my heart. Where? and at what hour? "Beau Marchais.. I will call, and take you up at eight o'clock." He then changes to a new mafter, who defcribes himself as paffionately devoted to the study of the Belles Lettres in preference to the more profitable employment of a phyfician: he fays,

"Poetry and the theatres delighted me; I wrote a comedy; in my judgment it was a masterpiece. I offered it to the French players, they refuted to receive it; I printed it, hoping that the public would be more difcerning than the comedians. My performance appeared on the counters in the bookfellers fhops, but no, body bought it can you guefs the reafon? It was because I had neglected to pay my refpects to the reviewers, and had not presented them with copies. They did not mention my play in their publi cation, and fo the town never heard of it.

"Mean time my father perceiving that I had no inclination for his profeffion, was offended, and asked me pofitively, how I intended to gain a fubfiftence, fince I had no fortune to depend upon ?

I told him I was refolved to apply myfelf wholly to literature." In confequence of this refolution Monfieur L-g-t. recommended him to go to London, saying,

"The fovereign of the English nation, may be compared to a man who fits alone at a table with a great many dogs at his feet; fome of them are favourites, and to these he diftributes the bones from his plate. Others, and they are the greatest number, keep a con

tinual

tinual barking, fometimes at the master, fometimes at thofe he favours, in order to have part of the good cheer. The poor man not being able to drive them out, is obliged to hear their noife; or if he would filence them, it can only be done by throwing fome bones under his table to them likewife.

"The ministers," purfued L-g-t," are feldom able to keep' their places long; do you, therefore, always engage with the party. that oppofes them; write for that party; they have not a French writer in their pay, and you will be very acceptable to them; you will be fure of a tolerably penfien immediately, which will be increased afterwards, if by the force of clamour and importunity they get the favourite minifters turned out, whofe places they want to fill. By this method a man may make his fortune in England, although in France it would conduct him to the Baftile or Bistre."

In confequence of this he fets out for England, and vifits the Duke of Au-b -gné, who informs him of the ftate of the English nation, and in confidence communicates the following letter:

"Letter from the count de V- -g- -nes, minifter for foreign affairs, to the duke d'A—gne at London.

"As I neither can nor wish to do any thing without confulting you, my lord duke, I have fent you the plan formed by our committee, which we fubmit to your judgment, and intreat you to fend obfervations upon it as foon as poffible..

us your

As foon as we have made ourselves masters of the kingdom, and have got the perfons of the king and queen, and all the royal family in our hands, they are to be conducted, with all the honours due to their former dignity, to Saint Germain en Lay, where they will have fuch a court as their revenue will enable them to maintain; and if they chufe to live in amity with the king our master, they will be received with distinction at Verfailles, and at any of his country refidences.

"The king our master will fettle a revenue of two millions of livres upon them, which fhall be duly paid every quarter.

"King George on his fide, fhall refign the electorate of Hanover to his fon, the prefent prince of Wales, on thofe conditions: first, that this young prince fhall renounce his principality of Wales, and never afterwards bear the title. Secondly, that he fhall refide conftantly in France, and spend the revenue of his electorate there, King George's other male children, after abjuring the proteftant religion, fhall all enter into the ecclefiaftical flate. The beft bishopricks in France shall be given them; and the king our master will engage to procure for each of them a cardinal's hat.

66

"The daughters of the faid king George fhall be married to the French princes; and the king our mafter will engage to give to each a portion of two millions of livers.

"Thefe articles concluded. in order to avoid all occafion for fedition and revolts, you are to be appointed viceroy of England,

where

where a goverment purely monarchical shall be established, as best calculated for the happinefs of the people.

"To prevent the ill defigns of your enemies, you shall be empowered to bring the prefent minifters to a trial for high treafon against the people of England, and you fhall hang them all up at Tyburn, amidst the fhouts and acclamations of all present at their

execution.

"All the taxes at prefent levied in England fhall be continued, till it shall please the king our mafter to relieve his fubjects, by taking fome of them off, except the duties upon French wines exported into England, it being reafonable that nations fubject to the fame monarch fhould enjoy the fruits of their refpective countries.

In order to maintain the authority of the king our master, and to fecure him in the full poffeffion of it, it must be your first care to fortify ftrongly the Tower of London, to caufe forts to be built in it, and to put it in every refpect upon the footing of the Baftile in Paris.

"Lettres de cachet fhall take place in England as in France, which you are to diftribute as you pleafe, according to particular exigencies, and with your ufual prudence.

"As to the article of religion, it being clear that mankind believe no longer in the fuperftitions of the former ages, all fects, therefore, fhall be tolerated in England, with this distinction only, that fuch perfons as are not members of the Roman church, fhall be incapable of holding any employment in the ftate. Your grace, therefore, is entreated to give the first example of that fubmiffion to the will of him whofe perfon you are to reprefent.

"In order to deftroy every idea of rebellion, to preserve the interior peace of the kingdom, and to prevent all diffentions and civil broils, there fhall be no more parliaments in England in the form of that fubfifting at prefent; but there fhall be feparate parliaments established in the feveral provinces of the kingdom, in which the employments fhall be fet to fale, as they are in the parliaments of France.

"The bufinefs of thefe parliaments fhall be to determine fuits at law between private perfons, and regifter merely and fimply the declarations of the king upon the first requifition that shall be made.

"If they think it neceffary to make any remonftrances in behalf of the people, it must not be till after the edicts have been registered; and if they prefume to act contrary to this order, they fhall be fuppreft, the purchafe money for their employments fhall be confifcated for the king's ufe, and other parliaments fhall be created, who will be more reasonable and more fubmiffive.

"The viceroy fhall appoint to all the pofts, employments and governments, both civil and military; provided however that the perfons whom he has nominated, fhall procure his majesty's confirmation of his choice within fix months afterwards.

"That there may be no longer any animofity between the two nations, nor any apparent diftinction paid to one more than the other, in the publick acts that shall be made in his majesty's name,

his

:

280

The Deferted City. A Poem.

his stile fhall be king of England, France and Navarre; and the city of London, called his good city, as well as the city of Paris.

"There fhall be a ftanding army of fifty thousand regular troops, exclufive of the militia, kept up in England; thefe troops are to be in readiness to march any where at the viceroy's first order. Such, my lord duke, are his majesty's defigns, which we hope to carrry into execution immediately upon his being acknowledged fovereign of your country. It is your part to do every thing in. your power to haften this event. You will receive by the fame courier a letter from the king, filled, doubtlefs, with thofe expreffions of esteem and affection, which your fervices and your faithful attachment to his majesty fo justly merit.

I am, &c.

De V-G-NES.' 19 On the whole this fry of a new species has a happy talent for ridicule, which he has bestowed pretty plentifully on the prefent oppofition.

R.

The Deferted City. A Poem. Printed for the Author, and fold at No. 3. Chapter Court, St. Paul's, 4to. Is. 6d.

Some circumftances attendant on the efforts of genius to follow the line of an admired author, obliges us to confider more particularly the merit of the poem before us. Prejudice in favour of an original is very apt to bias the judgment against the merit of an imitation. But it is the bufinefs of Reviewers to difperfe the mift of prejudice, in order to difplay genius while they expofe dulnefs.

When an author is fenfible of his own defects, and promifes amendment, what better claim can he have for our indulgence? Therefore, before we proceed, let us attend to his letter to us, which now lies on our desk, and is as follows:

Sir,

To the Editor of the London Review.

I beg leave to prefent you with a poem entitled, The Deferted City. If you will fpare your cenfure on the following lines, I promise amendment in the next edition. I remain, Sir,

Moft refpectfully,

Your obedient humble fervant,
THE AUTHOR..

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