cannot be long checked in its increafing value. And I particularly recommend it to fuch of the legatees (under the claufe of my will) as can make it convenient, to take each a share of my stock in the Potomac company, in preference to the amount of what it might fell for, being thoroughly convinced myfelf, that no ufes to which the money be applied will be fo productive as the tolls arifing from this navigation when in full operation, (and this, from the nature of things, it must be ere long, and more efpecially if that of the Shenandoah is added thereto.

can

The family vault at Mount Vernon requiring repairs, and being improperly fituated befides, I defire that a new one of brick, upon a larger fcale, may be built at the foot of what is commonly called the Vineyard-Inclosure, on the ground which is marked out; in which my remains, with thofe of my deceafed relations (now in the old vault) and fuch others of my family as may chufe to be entombed there, may be depofited. And it is my exprefs defire that my corple may be interred in a private manner, without parade or funeral oration.

Laftly, I conftitute and appoint my dearly beloved wife, Martha Washington, my nephews, William Auguftine Washington, Bushrod Washington, George Steptoe Wafhington, Samuel Washington, and Lawrence Lewis, and my ward, George Washington Park Cuftis, (when he fhall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years,) executrix and executors of this will and tel

tament.

In witnefs of all, and each of the things herein contained, I have let my hand and feal, this ninth day of July, in the year one thousand feven hundred and ninety *, and

of the independence of the
United States the twenty-
fourth.

George Washington,
(Seal)

Character of Marmontel. Mallet du Pan.

M

By J.

ARMONTEL, who was a member and the perpetual fecretary of the French academy, till the philofopher of the revolution exterminated the academies, finished his career at the age of feventy, in Normandy, in the month of December last,

The public opinion of the numerous works of this writer of the first clafs being fettled, it would be fuperfluous here to examine his literary merit. Few authors produce more, becaufe few are fo laborious. Although Marmontel did not fucceed in all the modes of writing he attempted, he is in the number of writers whofe titles will be reviewed and acknowledged by pofterity.. He has been equally fuccefsful in works of imagination and didactic ones. The beft courfe of literature we have in French, is that which he has inferted in the Encyclopédie Méthodique. He has the great merit of clearnefs, juftnefs of expreffion, wit, and tafte; in fhort, a precifion the reyerle of that frothy verbolenefs fo frequent in the fa

mous

The revolution robbed Marmon tel of his place, falaries, fortune, and refources. The old government had been juft and liberal towards him, and he was not ungrateful: from fentiment as well as reflection he was no partaker either in the enthufiafm or errors into which the events of 1789 led fo many men of letters. Grateful for the magnanimous conceffions which the king had made to his fubjects in the month of December, 1783, he was not deceived by the firange inaovations, the cftablishment of which was prepared by confpirators and the difciples of anarchy.

However, he had it in his power to take a part in that ftormy fcene, and to go through it with more fuccefs than his companion Bailly, whofe approaching popular fortune he little fufpected, and to whom he was far fuperior in political knowledge, firmnefs of character, and jufinefs of thought. They were both appointed electors by the TiersEtat of the commune of Paris. Mar montel appeared at the electoral affembly with diftinguished marks of favour; he was generally pointed out as one of the deputies who would be elected; this popularity lafted fix days.

The electoral body, ufurping the rights and the language of an independent political body, took it into their heads that they would govern the ftate and the king. Upon an incendiary motion, made by the declaimer Target, it was refolved, among other things, to give orders to his majefty, that, without delay, the prefs fiould be allowed unlimited liberty.

Marmontel oppofed, with all his power and eloquence, a conduct fo feditious. He found himfelf alone in this opinion in which he perfifted: his credit vanifhed; and he was ftruck from the lift of candidates.

Neither fear, nor feduction, nor policy could fhake his mind. He loudly profeffed his principles, his contempt of thofe that prevailed, and his horror at the criminal means by which they were made to prevail. I have heard him confounding, with all the weight of a found aid noble reafon, dangerous men, whofe averfion was not to be incurred with impunity.

About the end of the year 1791, when he thought that all was irrecoverably loft, he retired with his wife and children, to a cottage which he had purchafed in Normandy. In 1792, finding that anarchy made rapid ftrides, he thought of leaving France and taking refuge in Switzerland: a project which I perfuaded him to relinquifh, as the mallnefs of his fortune and the fate of his family would not permit it.

Although totally abforbed in the education of his children and in literary labours, he was perfecuted in his retreat, and more than once imprifoned. At length, revolutionary tyranny having blunted its bloody fword, before it could whet a new-modelled one, France feemed to breathe for fome days. It was, in that fhort interval, during the fpring of 1797, that Marmontel, by the voice of the worthy people of his department, was returned a deputy to the legislature. He yielded to the preffing intreaties of his electors much more than to their illufion, in which he was not a partaker. Coolly difcriminating circumflances, plans, and obftacles,

he

he forefaw the cataftrophe which put an end to the dream of the legiflative body. His age, and fome remaining confideration for his talents, faved him from tranfportation; but his election was annulled.

Reftored to liberty and his family, he haftened back to his rural retreat, where, with a tranquil confcience, he died on the 30th of December last, at the age of 69 years; a good father, an affectionate hufband, and a Christian.

Here let me remove one of those flanders engendered by the prejudices of fect and party, which from the French papers has found its way to thofe of other countries. They accufed Marmontel of hypocrify, for defending the interefts of religion in the legislative body, after having, they fay, attacked it in his works. Nothing is more abfurd and falfe than this aflertion.

But fuppofing that a writer in the effervefcence of youth, and hurried away by example, or the paffions, had taken unwarrantable liberties with religious principles, would it follow, that when matured by age and reafon, when taught by dreadful experience the effects of incredulity, he fhould not acknowledge the danger of it, and oppofe it without being guilty of hypocrify? It was the cale of another academician, whofe converfion made ftill more noife than his errors.

But, as for Marmontel, he never had grounds to lament his publications. He never fheltered himself by writing anonymoufly; and in which of his acknowledged works fhall we find a proof to fupport the

imputation I am refuting? Will any one venture to adduce the cenfure of Belifarius by the doctors of the Sorbonne, who with a rage and abfurdity worthy of the tenth century, anathematized the maxims of toleration difplayed by the author of it, and which were adopted by all enlightened Chriftians awake to the fpirit of the Gofpel?

To liften to the crowd of declaimers and ignorant perfons who pretend to explain the causes of the revolution, we fhould believe it to be the refult of an univerfal confpiracy of men of learning and fcience against the throne and the altar, They are, no doubt, right," according to their meaning; for in their eyes, whoever requires that the power of the laws fhould be fuperior to that of a minifter, or of a lieutenant de police, is a rebel and and a jacobin; juft as they, with equal fagacity, pronounce him an atheist who wrote againft the jefuits, or laughed at the legend.

Fact is the anfwer to thefe abfurd affertions. In fpite of the interefted declamations and invectives of the Linguets, Merciers, and Chamforts, it is certain that the French academy was compofed of men the moft diftinguifhed by their literary talents. Mark then; of 37. members, the number of that body in 1790, only eight embraced and ferved the revolution.* Moft of the members of the Academy of Infcriptions and Belle Lettres were clear of all participation in it. The Academy of Sciences alone merited that reproach which was fo unjuftly thrown upon men of letters worthy of the title: and to its everlafting

shame

fhame, it produced three of Robefpierre's minifters, namely Monge, Meufnier, and Fourcroy.,

As for the crowd of compofers of ballads and romances, college tutors, private teachers, club-philofophers, rhetoricians, and infpired jurifts, who have devoted their genius to the improvement of fociety, it is carrying the indulgence of language too far to call them men of letters.

Account of George Steevens, Efq. the Editor of Shakespeare.

G

EORGE Steevens, efq. F. R. and A. SS. was only fon of G. Steevens, efq. of Stepney, many years an Eaft-India captain, and afterwards a director of the EaftIndia company, who died in 1768, He was born at Stepney and admitted of King's college, Cambridge, about 1751 or 1752. But he is best known as editor of Shakefpeare's plays, 20 of which he publifhed, 1766, in 4 vol. 8vo. A year before the appearance of this edition, Dr. Johnton had published an edition, with notes, in 8 vol. 8vo. A coalition between thefe two editors having been negociated, another edition, known by the name of Johnson and Steevens's edition, made its appearance, in 10 vol. 8vo. 1773. It was reprinted by thefe gentlemen, in the fame number of volumes, five years after; and again, 1785, under the care of Ifaac Reed, efq. of Staple-Inn, who, at the requeft of his friends Mr. Steevens and Dr. Farmer, undertook the office of editor. A fourth edition of this work, with great additions and improvements, was published by Mr. Steevens, in 15 vol. 8vo. 1793, which is the most complete

10

edition extant of Shakespeare's plays, The diligent editor has taken al! poffible pains to render his work full, clear, and convenient; and, whoever confiders the prolegomena and notes, joined to the elcgance of the typographical execution, will be of opinion that our immortal bard is edited in a manner worthy his fame. But this talent at explaining and illuftrating the difficulties and beauties of Shakespeare, was difgraced by the worft of foils, a feverity of latire, which too strongly marked a malevolence of heart, from which his best friends cannot vindicate the editor.

Mr. Steevens was a moft valuable member of the literary world, and a bright ftar in the conftellation of editors of that century in which the names of Pope, Theobald, Rowe, Warburton, Garrick, Johnfon, Capel, and Malone are confpicuous. Adorned with a verfatility of talents, he was eminent both by his pen and his pencil; with the one there was nothing he could not compofe, and with the other, nothing he could not imitate fo clofely, as to leave a doubt which was the original and which the copy. But his chief excellence lay in his critical knowledge of an author's text, and the best pattern of his great abilities is his edition of Shakefpeare, in which he has left every competitor far behind him; and even Johnfon, with his giant ftrides, could not walk by his fide.

Mr. Steevens was a man of the greatest perfeverance in every thing he undertook; often conftant, but not always confiftent, as he would fometimes break off his longeft habits without any oftenfible reason. He difcontinued his daily visits to White's, the bookfeller, after many

years

years regular attendance, for no real caule; and left Stockdale, whom he took up on quitting White, all at once in the fame eccentric and unaccountable manner. He never took a pinch of fnuff after he loft his box in St. Paul's churchyard, though it had been the custom of his life, and he was much addicted to the practice, and in the habit of making his memorandums by bits of paper in his box. He was rich in books and prints. He bought largely at Mr. Baker's auction of fir Clement Dormer's library, collected by general Dormer, where he got the French tranflation of Xenophon's works, by Pyramus de Candale, Cologn, 1613, bound in Morocco and gilt leaves, worth 401. and upwards for 127. 12s. He had the fecond folio of Shakespeare, with notes, and alterations of the fcenes by Charles II. in his own hand. He never would fit for his picture, but had no objection to il luftrate his own Shakespeare with 1500 portraits of all the perfons in the notes and text, of which he could make drawings or procure engravings. His fet of Hogarth alfo is fuppofed to be the most complete of any that ever was collected; and his commentary on the productions of that inimitable painter, which accompanies Mr. Nichols's" Biographical Anecdotes," would alone have ftamped a lafting fame on his critical acumen. He had a happy memory, richly ftored, was a very plealant tête-à-tête companion, communicative of his knowledge, but jealous of other men's. Mr. Steevens has bequeathed his valuable Shakespeare to earl Spencer; his Hogarth (perfect, with the exception of one or two pieces) to Mr. Windham; and his corrected copy

of Shakespeare to Mr. Reed, together with a bequeft of 200 guineas. To his niece, Mifs Steevens, who is his refiduary legatee, he has left the bulk of his fortune, including his library of curious and rare books (which has been fold by auction by Mr. King. There are only two or three other fmall legacies in money.

The early editors of Shakespeare looked to little more than verbal accuracy; and eren Warburton confined the fagacity of his mighty mind to the reftoring uncertain readings, and explaining dubious paffages. Johnson, who poffelled more of the knowledge neceflary to an editor of Shakespeare than those who had preceded him in that character, was found wanting; and his firft edition of Shakespeare's plays, which had been expected with much impatience, brought difappointment along with it. In a fubfequent edition, he accepted the affiftance of Mr. Steevens; and confented that the name of that gentleman fhould be in editorial conjuction with his own. Mr. Steevens poffeffed that knowledge which qualified him in a fuperior de gree for the illuftration of our divine poet, and without which the utmoft critical acumen would prove abortive. He had, in fhort, ftudied the age of Shakespeare, and had employed his perfevering induftry in becoming acquainted with the writings, manners, and laws, of that period, as well as the provincial peculiarities, whether of language or cuftom, which prevailed in different parts of the kingdom, but more particularly in thofe where Shakespeare paffed the early years of his life. This ftore of knowledge he was continually increafing by the acqui