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cious movables, and all the slaves who could prove

their title to the name of barbarians.

of the senate presumed to1 ask in a

The ministers

modest and suppliant tone, "If such, O King! are your demands,3 what do you intend to leave us?"-Your lives !" 4 replied the haughty conqueror. They trembled and

retired.

GIBBON," Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”

MARIE ANTOINETTE, QUEEN OF FRANCE.

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It is now sixteen or seventeen years since 5 I saw the Queen of France, then the dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she just began to move in-glittering like the morning star, full of life, and splendour, and joy. Oh! what a revolution! And what a heart must I have, to contemplate without emotion that elevation and that fall! Little did I dream, when she added titles of veneration to that enthusiastic, distant, respectful love, that she should ever be obliged to carry the sharp antidote against disgrace concealed in that bosom ; little did I dream that I should have lived to see 9 such disasters fallen 10 upon her in 11 a nation of men of honour and of cavaliers. I thought ten thousand

1 Presumed to, se hasardèrent à-2 in a, d'un-3 if such......are your demands, si c'est là......ce que vous exigez-4 your lives, la vie!

5 It is now......since, il s'est écoulé...... depuis le jour où-6 decorating and cheering, l'ornement et la joie de-7 little did I dream, j'étais loin de songer-8 that she should ever be, qu'elle dût jamais être- that I should have lived to see, que jamais de ma vie je verrais-10 fallen, tomber-1 in, au milieu d'.

CHIVALRY AND MODERN MANNERS.

215

swords must have leaped1 from their scabbards to avenge even a look that threatened 2 her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone.3 That of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded; and the glory of Europe is extinguished for ever. Never, never more shall we behold that generous loyalty to 5 rank and sex, that proud submission, that dignified obedience, that subordination of the heart, which kept alive, even in servitude itself, the spirit of an exalted freedom. The unbought grace of life," the cheap defence of nations, the nurse of manly sentiment and heroic enterprise, is gone! It is gone, that sensibility of principle, that chastity of honour, which felt a stain like a wound, which inspired courage whilst it mitigated ferocity, which ennobled whatever it touched, and under which 10 vice itself lost half its evil by losing all its grossness.

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EDMUND BURKE.

CHIVALRY AND MODERN MANNERS.

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The collision of armed multitudes terminated in 11 unforeseen excesses and execrable crimes. In the eye of Mr. Burke, however, these crimes and excesses assume an aspect far more important than can be communicated to them by their own insulated guilt.13 They form, in his opinion, the crisis of a revolution far more important than any change of government—a revolution in which the sentiments and opinions that have formed

1 Must have leaped, auraient bondi-2 threatened, menaçât-3 gone, passé 4 never more shall we behold, jamais plus nous ne verronsto, envers-6 kept alive, even in, entretenait, jusque dans-7 the unbought grace of life, "that grace of (the) life which (the) gold does not buy" is gone, a disparu-9 felt, eût ressenti-10 under which, sous l'influence de laquelle.

11 Terminated in, aboutit à—12 in the eye, aux yeux-13 than, etc. ......guilt, que ne le comporte leur caractère, pris isolément.

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the manners of the European nations are to perish.1 "The age of chivalry is gone, and the glory of Europe extinguished for ever." He follows this exclamation by an eloquent eulogium on chivalry, and by gloomy predictions of the future state of Europe, when the nation that has been so long accustomed to give her the tone in arts and manners is thus debased and corrupted. A caviller might remark that ages much more near the meridian fervour of chivalry than ours have witnessed a treatment of queens as little gallant and generous as that of the Parisian mob. He might remind Mr. Burke that in the age and country of Sir Philip Sydney, a queen of France, whom no blindness to accomplishments, no malignity of detraction, could reduce to 10 the level of Maria Antoinette, was, by a 11 "nation of men of honour and cavaliers," permitted to 12 languish in captivity, and expire on a scaffold; and he might add that the manners of a country are more surely indicated by the systematic cruelty of a sovereign, than by the licentious frenzy of a mob. He might remark that the mild system of 13 modern manners which survived the massacres with which fanaticism had for a century desolated and almost barbarized Europe,14 might perhaps resist the shock of one day's excesses committed by a delirious populace.

SIR JAMES MACKINTOSH, "Vindicia Gallica."

1 In which......are to perish, dans laquelle doivent périr......-2 he follows, il fait suivre-3 by, de-4 on, de-5 of, sur-6 when, alors que (see note ", p. 49)—7 ages.... near the meridian fervour, des époques ......rapprochées de l'apogée-9 have witnessed, etc.......that of, ont vu traiter des reines avec aussi peu de galanterie et de générosité que l'a fait-9 no blindness to accomplishments, ni une injustice aveugle pour ses qualités-10 could reduce to, ne sauraient faire descendre à-11 by a, au milieu d'une-12 permitted to, condamnée à— 13 the mild system of, le caractère de douceur dans les 14 with which, etc......Europe, par lesquels le fanatisme avait durant un siècle ensanglanté et presque abruti l'Europe.

CHARACTER OF MAHOMET.

217

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CHARACTER OF MAHOMET.

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If we are far from considering, Mahomet the gross and impious impostor that some have represented him,1 so also are we indisposed to give him credit for 2 vast 3 forecast, and for that deeply-concerted scheme of universal conquest which has been ascribed to him. He was undoubtedly a man of great genius and a suggestive imagination; but it appears to us that he was, in a great degree, the creature of impulse and excitement,5 and very much at the mercy of circumstances. His schemes grew out of his fortunes, and not his fortunes out of his schemes. He was forty years of age before he first broached his doctrines. He suffered year after year to steal away before he promulgated them out of his own family. When he fled from Mecca,10 thirteen years had elapsed from the announcement of his mission, and from being a wealthy merchant, he had sunk to be a 11 ruined fugitive. When he reached 12 Medina he had no idea of the worldly power that awaited him; his only thought was to build a humble mosque where he might preach; and his only hope that he might be suffered to 13 preach with impunity. When power suddenly broke upon him,14

1 That some have represented him, que quelques-uns ont vu en lui 2 so also, etc......for, nous ne sommes guère disposé non plus à lui accorder le mérite de-3 see note %, p. 44—4 he was, c'était-5 it appears to us, etc......excitement, il nous paraît avoir eu, à un haut degré, pour mobile l'impulsion d'un ardent tempérament-6 and very much, et avoir été fort-7 his, etc.....schemes, ce fut sa fortune qui suscita ses plans et non ses plans qui fondèrent sa fortune-8 before, lorsque-he, etc......to steal away, il laissa s'écouler de nombreuses années 10 Mecca, la Mecque- from being, etc......to be a, du rang de riche négociant il était tombé à l'état de—12 when he reached, à son arrivée à—13 that he might be suffered to, qu'on le laisserait14 when power suddenly broke upon him, quand le pouvoir lui tomba tout-à-coup dans les mains.

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he used it for a time in petty forays and local feuds. His military plans expanded with his resources, but were by no means masterly, and were sometimes unsuccessful. They were not struck out 2 with boldness, nor executed with decision; but were often changed in deference to the opinions of warlike men about him,3 and sometimes at the suggestion of inferior minds, who occasionally led him wrong. Had he, indeed, conceived from the outset the idea of binding up the scattered and conflicting 7 tribes of Arabia into one nation by a brotherhood of faith, for the purpose of carrying out a scheme of external conquest, he would have been one of the first of military projectors; but the idea of extended conquest9 seems to have been an afterthought, produced by success.10 The moment he 11 proclaimed the religion of the sword, and gave the predatory 12 Arabs a 13 taste of foreign plunder,14 that moment 15 he was 16 launched in a career of conquest, which carried him forward with its own irresistible impetus.17 The fanatic zeal with which he had inspired 18 his followers 19 did more for 20 his success than his military science their belief in 21 his doctrine of predestination produced victories which no military calculation could have anticipated. In his dubious outset, as a prophet, he had been encouraged by the crafty counsels

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1 Were sometimes unsuccessful, ils échouèrent parfois-2 struck out, tracés-3 about him, qui l'entouraient-4 at the suggestion, à l'instigation-5 who occasionally led him wrong, qui plus d'une fois l'égarèrent had he, indeed, s'il avait réellement-7 conflicting, rivales- one of the first of military projectors, un des plus grands génies militaires- extended conquest, conquêtes lointaines-10 an after-thought, produced by success, ultérieurement conçue, à la suite du succès-11 the moment he, du moment qu'il-12 predatory, avides de butin-13 a, le-14 of foreign plunder, du pillage en terre étrangère _15 that moment, dès ce moment-16 he was, il se trouva-17 with its own......impetus, dans son......élan-18 see note ", p. 7-19 followers, adeptes-20 did......for, contribua......à-21 belief in, croyance à.

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