harvest song of the peasants of Languedoc, we are unhappy? Oh, how much are you the burden of which was: "Accordez-moi donc, ma mère, "Dear mother, for my husband give "The little girl lifted up to her mother her charming eyes as she sung these words; her countenance was all innocence, but educated by parents who live only on affection, she had already in her voice and look that melancholy which is so interesting at such an age, that melancholy, which is a presage of the fate that threatens the unconscious infant: the mother took up the same burden, singing, Pour ton époux, ton amant ; Tu l'aimeras tendrement, Ainsi qu'elle aime ton père. "Dear girl, I, for your husband, give The youth whose constant vows you prove ; Fondly you'll love him while you live; As I your father fondly love. "At these words there was something so impassioned in the look of Madame de Belmont, and so much modesty immediately succeeded the emotion, that I felt myself penetrated with enthusiastic respect for these family ties, of which we may be so proud while they render us happy. At length the father sung in his turn. "Ma fille, imite ta mère, Prends pour époux ton amant; Et chéris-le tendrement, Comme elle a chéri ton père. Dear girl, your mother's steps pursue; Take the fond youth whose vows you prove; And love him with affection true, For such to me your mother's love. "The voice of M. de Belmont was lostas he uttered these words, and it was not without a considerable effort he recovered it, so as for all three to repeat the burden together to a mountain air, in which fancy seemed to hear the echoes of the Pyrences. gave a mascu "Their voices were perfectly true, and the sonorous base of the husband's line dignity to the softer tones of the females; their situation, the expression of their countenances, all was in harmony with the purest sensibility, from which nothing distracted the imagination, or even left it any thing to desire. Delphine has since told me that she was so much affected by this perfect union of every thing capable of moving the heart, that she wanted power to support it. Her tears had nearly suffocated her, when Madame de Belmont, almost throwing herself into her arms, said to her,-Amiable Delphine, I know you well, but do you suppose mistaken! And as if the music had in an instant established an intimacy between us, she seated herself by Madame d'Albéinar, and said to her, When I knew you ten years ago, M. de Belmont had already loved me for some years, but as it was apprehended he would lose his sight, my relations objected to our marriage. He became completely blind, and I then no longer paid any attention to my family. Every moment's delay, when I was become so necessary to him, appeared to me insupportable; and as I had neither father nor mother, I thought I had a right to determine for myself. I married him without the knowledge of my relations, and for some time I suffered enough from their threats to annul the marriage: but when they were thoroughly convinced that it was not in their power, they endeavoured all they could to ruin us, and succeeded. However, as I had been for some time under apprehensions that they would effect a separation between me and M. de Belmont, I was scarcely sensible of the loss of our fortune, my imagination being struck only with the misfortune I had escaped. 66 My husband,' she continued, instructed his son, I educated my daughter, and ourp rpoverty naturally bringing us closer to our children, affords us new enjoyments. When we are perfectly happy in our affections, perhaps certain misfortunes, which strengthen our ties by the power of circumstances, are favours of Providence. I should not venture to say so before M. de Belmont, did I not know that his blindness does not render him unhappy; but this accident fixes him in the bosom of his family; it renders my arm, my voice, my presence necessary to him every instant: he has seen me in the days of my early youth, he will always retain the same remembrance of me, and I may be permitted to love him with all the enthusiasm of affection, without the expression of my sentiments being checked by that timidity, which the loss of personal charms induces. I will say it before M. de Belmont, madamn, he must hear what I think of him, for I will not quit him an instant, even to indulge myself in the pleasure of praising him. The first happiness of a woman is to have married. a man whom she respects as much as she loves him; who is superior to her in talents and frame of mind, and who decides on every thing for her, not domineering over her will, but enlightening her understanding, and supporting her weakness. Even on occasions when her opinion differs from his, she yields with pleasure and confidence to him who is responsible for their common lot, and can alone repair an error, even if he should commit one. That marriage may fulfil the design of nature, the husband should possess a superiority over his wife by his real merit, a superiority which she may acknowledge, and by which she may profit; unhappy the women obliged to conduct themselves through life to conceal the defects and littleness of their husbands, or to emancipate themselves from it by supporting the weight of existence alone. The greatest of pleasures is that cordial admiration which fills up every moment, gives an end to every action, is a continual spur to self-improvement, and imparts that true glory, the approbation of a friend who honours you by his love. Amiable Delphine, judge not of the happiness or unhappiness of families by the goods of fortune or of nature; learn the degree of affection, which conjugal love gives them to enjoy, and then you will know their share of earthly felicity.' "She has not told you all, my sweet friend,' said M. de Belmont: she has not spoken to you of the pleasure which she has found in the exercise of an unexampled generosity she has sacrificed every thing for me, who had nothing to offer her but a life of continual sacrifices. Rich, young, and shining, she voluntarily devoted her life to a blind man without fortune, and who was the occasion of her losing that which she possessed. Among the treasures of heaven existed one of inestimable worth; and this has been bestowed on me to compensate a misfortune, which so many unhappy persons have experienced in a solitary state. And such is the power of a profound and pure affection, that it converts the most real afflictions of life into enjoyments; I please myself with thinking, that I cannot walk a step without the hand of my wife, and that I could not even feed myself, if she did not give me my food. No new idea would reanimate my imagination, did she not read to me the books with which I wish to be acquainted; no thought would reach my mind without the charms her voice gives it; all my moral existence, the image of herself, comes to me through her, and Providence, when it gave me existence, left to my wife the task of completing the present, which would be useless and painful without her assistance. It "I believe,' added M. de Belmont, 'I love better than any person, for all my being is concentred in this sentiment; but how is it that all men do not endeavour to find happiness amid their family? is true that my wife, and my wife alone could render marriage such a delightful state. Yet I have been deprived of the pleasure of ever seeing my children, but 1 persuade myself that they are all like their mother! Of all the images that my eyes have formerly admitted, only one has remained perfectly distinct in my memory, which is the person of my wife. I do not imagine myself blind when with her, so lively is the idea I form of her features. Have you remarked the sweet tone of her voice? when she speaks she modulates it with softness and grace, as if she delighted in paying attention to the pleasures that are left me; I feel every thing, I forget nothing, a squeeze of the hand, an accent of emotion, is never effaced from my memory. Oh, how happy a state of existence, thus to taste affection and its charms! to enjoy it without ever experiencing those inconsistencies of the heart, which are sometimes produced by the splendours of wealth, or natural excellencies! "Nevertheless, though my lot cannot be compared to that of any one upon earth, I must say to the young, the handsome, and the great, there is no happiness during life except in the marriage bonds, except in that affection of our children which is only perfect when we love their mother. Men, much more at liberty than women, think they may easily supply the enjoyments of domestic life; but I know not by what sweet power implanted by Providence in morality, the circumstances of life appear independent of it, yet ultimately they are determined by it alone. All bonds except those of marriage, want durability; some shocking event, or natural disgust, breaks ties presumed to be the most solid; opinion pursues you, opinion some way or other insinuates its poisons into your happiness; and should it be possible to escape its power, can the pleasure of seeing one another a few hours, be compared with the perfect intimacy of marriage? What would have become of me without her? of me who could only carry my misfortunes to one who was capable of being proud to share them. How should I have been able to struggle against the laws of society, disarmed as I am by nature? How necessary was the shelter of constant and sure virtues to me, unable to acquire any thing, and having to hope only the happiness that would not come to seek me! But I possess felicity, not consolations; and I boldly repeat, he who is not made happy by marriage is alone, yes, every where alone; for he is threatened sooner or later with living unbeloved." We have not seen this work in the original, in which we have heard that it possesses the merit of a remarkably pure and elegant style. Of this advantage it is unluckily deprived in the present translation. The translator deprecates criticism for the first volume, the manuscript of which was destroyed by fire and replaced hastily. Unfortunately he has not the same excuse for the second and third. CHAPTER XIII PHILOLOGY AND CRITICISM. THE most important article in this chapter is Mr. Astle's splendid volume on the "Origin and Progress of Writing," which contains much curious information, yet scarcely adequate to the extent of its title. In Dr. Aikin's " Letters on English Poetry, addressed to a young Lady," will be found many valuable observations on this species of writing in general, and on the characteristic faults and excellencies of our native poets, illustrated by references to such of their productions as will inform and refine the taste, without running any risque of sullying the purity or impairing the delicacy of the moral sense. The posthumous work of Mr. Pegge, entitled, "Anecdotes of the English Language," is rather amusing than useful and accurate; and the Baroness de Stael's "Observations on ancient and modern Literature," exhibit almost equal ignorance in the author and her translator. Se ART. I. The Origin and Progress of Writing, as well hieroglyphic as elementary; illustrated by Engravings taken from Marbles, Manuscripts and Charters, ancient and modern. cond Edition with Additions. By THOMAS ASTLE, Esq. F. R. S. F.A. S. and Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London. 4to. pp. 210, 32 Plates. THIS book treats better of the progress than of the origin of writing; and is rather to be classed among the efforts of the antiquary than of the philosopher. It is a work of great information, curiously compiled and curiously illustrated; yet the erudition is often of that crude and antiquated sort, which the bolder researches of modern sagacity have in a great degree exploded. Mr. Astle leans much on the compilers of the Universal History: they have stated well the opinions of their time; but a great mist has since been dispersed from the historic horizon. The introduction contains very interesting anecdotes of the fortunes of literature and libraries; and thus sketches the plan of the ensuing work. "The first and second chapters are founded on principles of philosophy, supported by facts, deduced from the histories of different nations. "In the third chapter, which treats of the antiquity of writing, it was necessary to have recourse to the most antient historians, both sacred and prophane; the latter of which are so involved in fable, that it was extremely However, the most respectable authors have difficult to separate the ore from the dross. been consulted, from whom has been selected such evidence, as appeared to be most rational, and to deserve the most credit. Several particulars concerning the civilization of antient nations, occur in the course of this chapter, which may appear interesting, not only to the historian and antiquary, but also to the philosopher. all alphabets are not derived from one, but "In the fourth chapter it appears, that that most of those now used, are derived from the Phenician. This chapter contains a general account of such as are supposed to have arisen from that source, which furnishes many important facts relative to the history, population, and the progress of arts and sciences, in the most celebrated nations. "The fifth chapter, contains the History of Writing in different ages and countries, proved from antient inscriptions, manuscripts, and other authentic documents, of which engraved specimens are given, and several rules are laid down, which may ena ble our readers to judge of their age and authenticity. This chapter necessarily contains much ancient history, and establishes many important truths, hitherto little known or attended to." "The sixth chapter treats of the writing of the Chinese, and of various Characters and Literary Signs, used both by the antients and moderns, for brevity, expedition, or secrecy. The facts which appear in the course of this chapter, fully confirm the doctrine laid down in the second and fourth chapters, that all marks whatever are significantly compact, and that LETTERS do not derive their powers from their forms, but from the sounds which men have agreed to annex to them. "The seventh chapter treats of Numerals, and of Numeral Characters, which were probably used before letters. "The eighth chapter treats of the Librarii, Notarii, and Antiquarii, among the antients of Paintings and Ornaments: of the materials for writing upon of Instruments for writing with: and some account of Inks, both antient and modern." The first step toward the invention of alphabetic writing was indubitably pic ture-writing: this invention is thus trac ed. "It will presently be demonstrated that men, even in their most uncivilized state, display a faculty of imitation, which enables them to delineate objects, and communicate information by rude pictures or representations. For example, a man who had seen a 'strange animal, plant, or any other new object, for which he wanted a name, would have been almost mechanically led to illustrate his description by signs: and, if they were not readily comprehended, by a rude delincation in the sand, on the bark of a tree, on a slate, or a bone, or on such materials as first presented themselves: these being handed about, naturally suggested the hint of using this method of conveying intelligence to a distant friend. The exercise of this faculty of imitation, so eminently conspicuous in the human species, will be found, on an accurate investigation, to have been common to all nations, and perhaps coeval with the first societies or communities of mankind. more knowledge, and attempted to describe qualities, as well as sensible objects, these delineations were more figuratively explained; then the figure of the sun, besides its original meaning, denoted glory and genial warmth; that of the lion, courage; and that of the dog, fidelity. "A still further improvement in civilization occasioned these delineations to become too voluminous; every new object requiring a new picture, this induced the delineator to abridge the representations, retaining so much of each figure as would express its species. Thus, for example, instead of an accurate representation of a lion, a slight sketch, or more general figure of that animal was substituted; and for a serpent, either a spiral or crooked line, like the letter S. Besides this, as there occurred a number of ideas, not to be repre sented by painting, for these it was necessary to affix arbitrary signs. "The transition was not so great as at first it may appear. In all probability these signs were introduced slowly, and by degrees, and in such manner, as to be always explained by the context, until generally known and adopted. That such was the origin and progress of this invention, history, and the journals of travellers, furnish us with variety of proofs; hieroglyphics, in all their different stages, being found in very distant parts of the globe. Of these we shall mention some instances. 66 Jacob d'Acosta relates, that on the first arrival of the Spanish squadron on the coast of Mexico, expresses were sent to Montezuma, with exact representations of the ships, painted on cloth; in which manner they kept their records, histories, and calendars; representing things that had bodily shapes in their proper figures, and those that had none, in arbitrary significant characters. It is here to be observed, that the Mexicans had long been a civilized people; so that this kind of writing may be considered among them as almost advanced to its most perfect state. Specimens of Mexican painting have been given by Purchas in sixty-six plates. His work is divided into three parts. The first contains the history of the Mexican empire, under its ten monarchs: the second is a tribute-roll, representing what each conquered town paid into the royal treasury: and the third is a code of their institutions, civil, political, and military. "It is not probable that the art of pictureAnother specimen of Mexican writing was brought to any degree of perfection by one man or nation, or even by one painting has been published, in thirty-two generation; but was gradually improved or plates, by the present archbishop of Toledo. extended, by the successive hands of indivi- To all these is annexed a full explanation of duals, in the societies through which it pass-what the figures were intended to represent, ed; and that more or less, according to the genius of people, and their state of civilization; the ruder nations requiring fewer signs or representations, than the more cultivated. At first, each figure meant specifically what it represented. Thus, the figure of the sun expressed or denoted that planet only; a lion or a dog, simply the animals there depicted : but in process of time, when men acquired which was obtained by the Spaniards from the Indians well acquainted with their own acts. The stile of painting in all these is the same; and they may be justly considered as the most curious monuments of art, brought from the new world." Our author proceeds to prove that alphabetic writing preceded the time of Moses, and consequently had not a supernatural origin. The passage is satis factory: "The first mention of writing recorded in scripture, will be found in Exodus xvii. v. 14. And the Lord said unto Moses, write this, for a memorial, in a book; and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; for I utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' This command was given immediately after the defeat of the Amalekites near Horeb, and before the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. It is observable, that there is not the least hint to induce us to believe that writing was then newly invented; on the contrary, we may conclude, that Moses understood what was meant by writing in a book, otherwise God would have instructed him, as he had done Noah in building the ark, for he would not have been commanded to write in a book, if he had been ignorunt of the art of writing: but Moses expressed no difficulty of comprehension, when he received this command. We also find that Moses wrote all the words and all the judgments of the Lord, contained in the twenty-first and the two following chapters of the book of Exodus, before the two written tables of stone were even so much as promised. The delivery of the tables is not mentioned till the eighteenth verse of the thirty-first chapter, after God had made an end of communing with him upon the Mount, though the ten commandments were promulgated immediately after his third descent. It is observable, that Moses no where mentions that the alphabet was a new thing in his time, much less that he was the inventor of it; on the contrary, he speaks of the art of writing as a thing well known, and in familiar use; for, Exodus xxviii. v. 21, he says, And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, TWELVE; according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, every one with his name, shall they be according to the twelve tribes. And again, v. 36, And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS 10 THE LORD.' Can language be more expressive? Would it not be absurd to deny that this sentence must have been in words and letters? But writing was known and practised by the people in general in the time of Moses, as appears from the following texts, Deut. chap. vi. v. 9.; chap. xi. v. 20.; chap. xvii. v. 18.; chap. xxiv. v. I.; chap. xxvii. v. 8. 8. By this last text the people are commanded to write the law on stones, and it is observable that some of the above texts relate to transactions previous to the delivery of the law at Mount Sinai. "If Moses had been the inventor of the alphabet, or received letters from God, which till then had been unknown to the Israelites, it would have been well worthy of his under standing, and very suitable to his character, ANN. REV. VOL. II. to have explained to them the nature and use of this invaluable art which God had communicated to him: and may we not naturally suppose, that he would have said, when he directed the workmen to engrave names and sentences on stones and gold, And in these engravings you shall use the alphabetic characters which God hath communicated to me, or which I have now invented, and taught you the use of?' But the truth is, he refers them to a model in familiar use, like the engravings of a signet; for the ancient people of the east engraved names and sentences on their seals in the same manner as is now practised by the great LAMA of Tartary, the princes in India, the emperor of Constantinople, and his subordinate rulers." He then analyses the difference be tween picture characters and alphabetic characters; and thus describes the progress of substitution. At present we shall pursue that part of our enquiry which relates to the formation of an alphabet. "Let us then premise, that arbitrary marks are of different kinds. First, those used by the Chinese, many of which were originally picture-characters. Secondly, those used by the notarii among the antients, and by the present short-hand writers; and thirdly, MARKS for SOUNDS; such as elementary characters or letters, and musical notes. "The marks of the first and second kind are very numerous, as will appear hereafter; those of the third are very few, as will presently be demonstrated. "It seems obvious, that whilst the picture or hieroglyphic presented itself to the sight, the writer's idea was confined to the figure or object itself; but when the picture was contracted into a mark, the sound annexed to the thing signified by such mark, would become familiar; and when the writer reflected, how small a number of sounds he made use of in speech to express all his ideas, it would occur, that a much fewer number of marks than he had been accustomed to use, would be sufficient for the notation of all the sounds which he could articulate. These considerations would induce him to reflect on the nature and power of sounds; and it would occur, that sounds being the matter of audible language, marks for them must be the elements of words. |