FOREIGN

LITERATURE

ART. XIII. St. PETERSBURG.

THE imperial academy of Ruffia continues to labour with fuccefs in the production of the grand etymological and critical dictionary of the Ruffian language, of which already many fheets have been prefented to the world. The Princess de Dafchkaw, its prefident and founder, Mfgr. le Metropolite de Novogorod et de St. Petersburg Gabriel, and the perpetual fecretary M. le Confeiller de Cour Lepechin, are particularly diftinguished by their zeal and their activity. A committee affembles almost every week at the houfe of the prefident, the purpose of which is to examine minutely each word, to discover its etymology, and to fix its proper fignification. At one of these meetings they were defirous of defining the word virtue; they analyzed every definition of it which both the ancient and modern philofophers have given; they cons fulted the Encyclopedia, that treasure which ought to be fufficient for every intellectual want, but which often, as in the prefent inftance, prefents only a magnificent display of brilliant declamation. In thefe refearches this ingenious fociety only found itself the more embarraffed; and one of the academicians already decifively afferted, that the fignification of the word virtue could not poffibly be determined, fince different nations, in times remote from each other, had given various interpretations of it, and applied it in a very different manner. At laft, the Princefs de Dafchkaw offered her fentiments upon the queftion, which were applauded in so high a degree, that the affembly unanimously requested that the would preferve them in writing. This request being complied with, the academy, with her permiffion, hung up the paper for public infpection, perfuaded that it would afford both matter of amufement and inftruction..

The Princess de Dafchkaw's opinion is, that the word virtue has a decifive meaning, which cannot fuffer change; that virtue is the fame in all times, and amongst all nations; that, as a celeftial effence, it admits not variation; that it alone elevates man to a degree of fuperiority independent of every power, event, or opinion whatfoever. That if different nations have defined it differently, it is because they have taken an attribute or shoot of virtue for virtue itself. In fine, that, if the word virtue needed any other term by which it should be diftinguifhed, fhe would give the following definition :

Virtue,

Virtue, Juftice, Truth, taking them as fynonymous; or rather exhibiting its meaning by the fubfequent genealogy:

Behold, fays the princefs, what a picture the term virtue presents to my imagination! It is with this view of it that my mind is penetrated; and I confider it as that justice, which is the root or trunk from which fpring all the best qualities. of the foul. A moment's reflection will convince you, that, if a firm attachment to juftice be once established, the prac tice of every focial virtue will cease to be difficult. Every eftimable quality, every great and noble action, is naturally derived from this facred fource. They are the pure ftreams from a divine fountain. The juft man is humane, honeft, and compaffionate, without difficulty. Juftice is the true bafis of all these virtues; the only immoveable and folid principle which can comprehend different ages and opinions under one perfpicuous and determinate point of view. It is uniformly the fame, and fhall remain fo to all eternity! It alone can be the fource of every thing which deferves our reverence; it alone is productive of whatever is useful to mankind. Without justice, utility would not exist; and were it not natural to the human heart, when uncorrupted, all those branches which have fprung from it had been unknown. If justice were no more, if this fecret monitor ceased to fpeak to our confcience, the abfence of every virtue would foon be the refult. The juft man, accustomed to weigh his own actions, thofe of his friends, and of his enemies, in the fame balance, which he always fufpends by the hand of truth, far from blackening merit, feels, on the contrary, a pure delight which exalts him in his own eyes when he renders juftice to the good actions or intentions even of his enemies. He acknowledges frankly that fuperiority which others have over himfelf; he fees, without envy, merit receive its reward. The moft rigid duties ceafe to him to appear difficult; and his felf-love finds no longer any facrifice oppreffive, Vice only can trouble the repofe of the juft man's heart. Humanity renders him indulgent to human weakness. He is the enemy only of the vicious; and if jufENG, REV, Vol. IX. Jan. 1787.

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tice be the fource of every virtue, vice is its oppofite; and this oppofition, though in an imperfect manner, proves the excellence and the fuperiority of virtue. I know," added fhe," that there are thofe who have declared, that the Greeks, even in their heroic times, had no idea of virtue or of vice; and they have endeavoured to prove their affertion by exhibiting their groffness and ferocity: they pretend also, that the Greek language had no words to exprefs thefe ideas; that the terms Areti and Kakia * meant only—the former, valour, and an ardour to encounter difficulty-the latter, the natural defects of the human body, and disagreeable fenfations. But I am perfuaded that the just man in Greece, as well as in other countries, and in other ages, if he had sufficient light to know virtue, attributed it to a meaning more extenfive and more worthy. Gratitude, that fentiment fo delightful to a virtuous man, hath been, in all times, and amongst all people, even the most favage, felt and revered. This fentiment is doubtless a virtue; it is a branch from the fame tree, although it be not what we understand by the term valour, and ftill lefs by that of phyfical ftrength. Far from confenting to defpoil the Greeks of thofe ideas which can alone elevate and enlighten the human mind, I cannot allow myfelf to ufe the fame argument, and to say, that the Latins and the French had no juft idea of virtue, becaufe virtus, in its original meaning, expreffed only force, courage, and valour. But I am firmly fatisfied that the Romans, the French, the Greeks, and the Ruffians, enlightened by truth, and animated by juftice, (perhaps without knowing how to defcribe their fentiments) have felt, and will feel to the end of time, the meaning of virtue, however it may be enfeebled by thofe abftract terms which are attached to it by the imperfection of language.'

ART. XIV. Extract of a Letter from Germany.

THE wars in which the Germans have ever been engaged, have long retarded their progrefs in polite literature; and, in their philofophical writings, they have adopted an arrangement of phrafes fo complicated and unwieldy, that, without long practice, a ftranger can never underftand thein. The affinity between our language (the English] and the German, has been of great fervice to me

аредня мальва

in reading the productions of this country; and I have now got over all difficulties in it, The German tafte is more akin to ours than the French. France can boaft of no fuch poet as Klopstock, who may, in many refpects, be put on a level with Milton. Geffner is all fweetnefs and fimplicity. The lyric poems of Rambler are excellent. Their dramatic compofitions are but moderate.. Pretending to imitate Shakespeare, many of their writers have mistaken extravagance for genius, and unintelligible abfurdity for the fublime. Goethe, the author of The Sorrows of Werter, is foon to publifh a new edition of Werter, much enlarged, with other new pieces, making in all eight volumes octavo. Goethe lives juft in our neighbourhood; is a pleafing companion, and a worthy member of fociety. Wieland, the Voltaire of Germany, is engaged in tranflating Lucian, who he thinks furnishes the beft counterpoifon to that fanaticifm, jefuitifm, fcepticism, and free-mafonry, which make fo much noife here. The metaphyfics of Profeffor Kant, at Koenigsberg, gain ground. A parfon in Brandenburg has been fufpended from his office for endeavouring to prove to his peafants, that, upon Kant's principles, there exifts no God. The prefent king of Pruffia is believed to be a jefuit, and for certain named a Saxon general of the Roman Catholic religion to be governor to the prince-royal of Prussia. You cannot conceive what an alarm is fpread through Germany, and how much free-mafons and jefits are dreaded, Upon receipt of this, I hope you will write me another long letter, with as large a parcel of news as you can cram into a fheet. Send the books as foon as poffible, with orders to be forwarded from Hamburgh immediately. Let mine be in a parcel feparate from thofe addreffed to Profeffor Schutz, Lord —— offers you his best compliments.

Jan. 1787.

I am, &c.

ART. XV. To the Editors of the English Review. Gentlemen,

Could not obferve, without fome concern and furprife, that, in your criticism on the " Effay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species," in Auguft, you feem indirectly to allow the neceffity of cultivating our Weft-Indiaiflands fome degree of weight in palliation of that infernal fyftem of cruelty and oppreffion! Permit me to expoftulate. Is there any revelation from the Divinity vefting either the

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aggregate of the British nation, or that felect part of them the Weft-India planters, with a right to appropriate and treat their fellow-creatures, of any country or complexion, merely as cattle; and their treatment is worse than that of cattle, exclufive of the aggravation induced by their faculty of reflecting on their hopclefs mifery? Can Chriftians, who, in their prayers, make their measure of treatment of their neighbour the ground and rule of their own hopes from the Deity, be fo felfishly abfurd to imagine that this cruelty will be palliated in His eftimation by the neceffity of their making more gain by their fugar and rum?

Can these favage oppreffors produce a charter from that God who we are told from reafon, as well as by revelation, is no refpecter of perfons, for thus annihilating the common rights of their fpecies for the emolument and indulgence of their predeceffors, themfelves, and pofterity, from the first discovery and poffeffion of thofe iflands?

The arrogance, folly, and impudence, of faying to the inhabitants of another quarter of the globe, "We have lately discovered and taken poffeffion of certain islands, the cultivation of which will redound greatly to the indulgence of our palates, as well as to our profit; and therefore, finding the climate not fuitable to the exercise of fo.. much labour by our own people as to turn it to much account, and having found by experience that it does not agree with our conftitution or humour to undergo the fatigue that it requires; there is therefore a clear and abfolute neceffity, founded on the law of God, as well as the common reciprocal rights of the species, that we should convert you into a faleable commodity like cattle, and facrifice your well-being to our wants and wishes!"

Perhaps I have already enlarged too much on a point which does not require the elucidation of laboured argument. I am, Gentlemen, with much efteem, and wifhes of fuccefs to your publications, which wear the appearance of candour, Your obedient, humble servant,

HUMANUS.

We have willingly inferted HUMANUs's letter, being of opinion that a difinterefted advocate, claiming the rights of manity for a wretched and helpless race of men, who, in our Weft-India islands, and other places, feem to be almost totally deprived of them, is a truly dignified character, and cannot be too feriously attended to. Nor will zeal or warmth, in fuch a eaufe, ftand in need of apology.

MONTHLY