so complete a specimen of the heroic, the poetic, the romantic, that she could not be touched by art or modified by fancy, without being in some degree1 profaned. As to art, I never saw yet? any representation of "Jeanne la grande Pastoure," except, perhaps, the lovely statue by the Princess of Wurtemburg,* which I could endure to look at ;3 and even that gives us the contemplative simplicity, but not the power, intellect, and energy which must have formed 5 so large a part of the character. Then as to the poets 6-what shall be said of them? First, Shakspeare, writing for the English stage, took up the popular idea of the character as it prevailed in England in his own time. Into the hypothesis that the greater part of Henry VI. is not by Shakspeare, there is no occasion 10 to enter here; the original conception of the character of Joan of Arc may not be his, but he has left it untouched 12 in its principal features. The English hated the memory of the French heroine, because she had caused the loss of France, and humiliated us as a 13 nation; and our chroniclers revenged themselves and healed their wounded self-love by 14 imputing her victories to witchcraft.

MRS. JAMESON, "Notes on Art."

1 In some degree, jusqu'à un certain point-2 I never saw yet, jamais jusqu'à présent je n'ai vu-3 which I could endure to look at, dont je pusse supporter la vue and even that gives us, et encore celle-ci nous donne-t-elle which must have formed, qui ont dû former-6 then as to the poets, et quant à ce qui est des poëtes-7 what shall be said, que dire-8 in his own, de son- by, de-10 there is no occasion, il n'y a pas lieu- his, son œuvre-12 untouched, intacte13 as a, comme—14 by, en.

* Daughter of King Louis-Philippe.

9

THE PROGRESS OF TRUTH.

6

When a great truth is to be revealed,1 it does not flash at once on the race, but dawns and brightens on3 a superior understanding, from which it is to emanate and to illuminate future ages. On the faithfulness of great minds to this awful function, the progress and happiness of men chiefly depend.5 The most illustrious benefactors of the race have been men who, having risen to great truths, have held them as a sacred trust for their kind, and have borne witness to them amidst general darkness, under scorn and persecution, perhaps in the face of death. Such men, indeed, have not always made contributions to literature, for their condition has not allowed them to be authors; but we owe the transmission, perpetuity, and immortal power of their new and high thoughts to kindred spirits, who have concentrated and fixed them in books.

RIENZI IN POWER (A.D. 1347).

CHANNING.

"In intoxication," says the proverb, "men betray their real characters." There is a no less honest and truth-revealing intoxication in prosperity than in

1 To be revealed, à révéler-2 it does not flash at once on the race, elle n'éclate pas tout d'un coup sur l'espèce humaine-3 but dawns and brightens on, mais elle se lève et répand son êclat sur-4 from which it is to, d'où elle doit-5 on the faithfulness of great minds to this awful function, the progress and......chiefly depend, c'est de la fidélité qu'apportent les grands esprits à ce devoir solennel que dépendent principalement le progrès et...... -6 their kind, leurs semblables7 made contributions, contribué-8 kindred, sympathiques.

9 And truth-revealing, et non moins révélatrice.

wine. The varnish of power brings forth1 at once the defects and the beauties of the human portrait.

The unprecedented and almost miraculous rise of Rienzi from the rank of the pontiff's official to the2 Lord of Rome, would have been accompanied with3 a yet greater miracle, if it had not somewhat dazzled and seduced the object it elevated. When, as in well-ordered states and tranquil times, men rise1 slowly step by step,5 they accustom themselves to their growing fortunes. But the leap of an hour from a citizen to a prince-from the victim of oppression to the dispenser of justice-is a transition so sudden, as to render dizzy the most sober brain. And, perhaps, in proportion to the imagination, the enthusiasm, the genius of the man, will the suddenness be dangerous-excite 10 too extravagant a hope -and lead to too chimerical an ambition. The qualities that made him rise hurry him to his fall; and victory at the Marengo of his fortunes urges him to destruction at its Moscow.

In his greatness, Rienzi did not so much acquire new qualities, as develope in brighter light and deeper shadow 12 those which he had always exhi

1 Brings forth, fait ressortir-2 to the, à celui de-3 would have been accompanied with, eût été signalée par when, as in......men rise, quand les hommes s'élèvent......comme il arrive dans......5 step by step, pas à pas-6 their growing fortunes, l'accroissement de leur fortune the leap of an hour from a citizen to a......from the......to the......is, bondir en une heure de l'état de citoyen à celui de......de ....devenir le......c'est là-8 so sudden as to, assez soudaine pour9 perhaps, in proportion to......, will the suddenness be, il se peut qu'en raison même de......, cette soudaineté soit d'autant plus-10 excite, qu'elle fasse naître-11 that made him rise hurry him, qui l'ont élevé le précipitent-12 in his greatness Rienzi did not so much acquire new qualities, as develope in brighter light and deeper shadow, ce n'est pas que dans son élévation Rienzi ait déployé tant de nouvelles qualités, mais il développa et mit plus fortement en relief.

new tax.

bited. On the one hand1 he was just, resolute, the friend of the oppressed, the terror of the oppressor. His wonderful intellect illumined everything it touched. By rooting out abuse, and by searching examination and wise arrangement, he had trebled the revenues of the city without imposing a single Faithful to his idol of liberty, he had not been betrayed by the wish of the people into3 despotic authority; but had, as we had seen, formally revived, and established with new powers, the Parliamentary Council of the city. However extensive1 his own authority, he referred its exercise to the people; in their name he alone declared himself to govern, and he never executed any signal action without submitting to them its reasons or its justification. No less faithful to his desire to restore prosperity as well as freedom to Rome, he had seized the first dazzling epoch of his power to propose that great federative league with the Italian states which would, as he rightly said, have raised Rome to the indisputable head of European nations. Under his rule trade was secure, literature was welcome, art began to rise.

5

8

6

On the other hand, the prosperity which made more apparent his justice, his integrity, his patriotism, his virtues, and his genius, brought out no less glaringly his arrogant consciousness of superiority,

1 On the one hand, d'un côté 2 by searching examination, en instituant un examen sévère-3 he had not been betrayed......into, il ne s'était pas laissé entrainer......à-4 however extensive, quelque étendue que fût-5 in their name he alone declared himself to govern, il déclarait de son propre accord qu'il gouvernait au nom du peuple to them, lui- to the indisputable head, incontestablement à la tête-8 on the other hand, de l'autre côté-9 brought out no less glaringly, exposa également au grand jour.

_6

his love of display, and the wild and daring insolence of his ambition. Though too just to avenge himself by retaliating on the1 patricians their own violence ; though, in his troubled and stormy tribuneship, not one unmerited or illegal execution of baron or citizen could be alleged against him, even by his enemies, yet he could not deny his proud heart the pleasure of humiliating those who had ridiculed him as a buffoon, despised him as a2 plebeian, and who, even now, slaves to his face, were cynics behind his back. "They stood before him while he sat," says his biographer; "all these barons, bareheaded; their hands crossed upon their breasts; their looks downcast ;oh, how frightened they were!" A picture more disgraceful to the servile cowardice of the nobles. than the haughty sternness of the tribune. It might be that he deemed it policy to break the spirit of his foes, and to awe those whom it was a vain hope to conciliate.

BULWER, "Rienzi, the last of the Tribunes."

DR. JOHNSON* TO LORD CHESTERFIELD.+

8

MY LORD, I have lately been informed by the proprietor of the World, that two papers, in which my "Dictionary" is recommended to the public, were written by your Lordship. To be so distinguished9

1 By retaliating on the, en rendant aux- _2 as a......as a, comme un ..comme-3 a to be left out-4 to, pour-5 it might be, il se peut6 he deemed it policy, il considérait comme d'une bonne politique7 whom it was a vain hope to, qu'il eût été inutile d'espérer.

8 Papers, articles-9 to be so distinguished, une semblable distinction.

* Samuel Johnson was born at Lichfield in 1709, and died in 1784. + Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, was born in 1694, and died in 1773.