the Greeks, though it has come somewhat late; and we cannot do better than conclude our observations in his own words: Whatever may be the determinations of policy, the cause of the Greeks has become popular every where. The undying names of Sparta and Athens seem to have touched the whole world: in every quarter of Europe societies are formed in aid of the Hellenists: their sufferings and their valor have attached every heart to their liberty. Prayers for their success, and contributions for their support, reach them from the coasts of India, and even from the bosom of the wilds of America: this universal piety of mankind towards her puts the seal to the glory of Greece.' ART. V. Le Diable Diplomate. Par un ancien Ministre. Londres. 8vo. G. Schulze. pp. 144. 1825. THI HIS is an allegory ingeniously framed, and developed in features of true comic force, with, however, a political aspect that impairs the recommendations of its graceful and delicate wit. The design is not original: it is suggested by the Belphegor of La Fontaine, but the details form a substantial variance from the performance of the poet, and fairly vindicate it from the imputation of plagiarism. His Majesty, so runs this malicious fiction - his Majesty the King of all the Furnaces, Autocrat of the Scorching Empire, chose one day to hold a court. It was an imperial" at home," a superb convocation, consisting of all the persons of fashion who had as yet graduated thither from this mortal sphere. There are few but actual 'personages' in the torrid kingdom; it is a thriving colony from all the west ends of all the terrestrial capitals. Little wonder, then, that there was crowding and elbowing; that the heat almost suffocating' in the chambers of the sulphureous palace. The monarch of Pandemonium was, however, the pink of politeness,―he outdid himself in courtesy on the occasion, and the ladies (every one of them had been free of the ton, and was a veteran of the mode while on earth,) voted him the best bred gentleman that ever issued cards of invitation. All of a sudden a courier arrives, mounted on a postdragon, charged with despatches from the earthly Minister for Foreign Affairs. His Majesty of Darkness, after perusing the contents, summons his council, and delivers a most exemplary king's speech. After the usual royal phrases about "friendly assurances" and "amicable relations," the Prince informs his council that the corps diplomatique on earth stands in need of an increase. Two tried statesmen, Asrasrafel and Dur-aux-Hommes, are appointed, by acclam acclamation, to the offices of Ambassador and Secretary of Legation. They are commissioned to omit no opportunity of extending the relations of the King their master. "Where shall we go?" asks the Secretary, when setting out on their mission. "Any where for amusement," replies the Ambassador. "If that be so," rejoins Dur-aux-Hommes," make yourself easy it is not for nothing that I am your secretary." So casting their eyes towards the Ottoman empire, they behold its capital very flourishing, and making vast strides towards permanent prosperity. "This will never do," says the Ambassador."Never," echoes his companion. They forthwith pounce down upon earth; and, after employing all the arts of intrigue among the chief persons, and blowing the coals of dissension, which had been then just enkindled by the introduction of vaccination, they succeed in establishing complete disorder in the country, and leave it in a most promising state of advancement to certain destruction. "Ainsi," says our author," ces deux diplomates distinguès quitterent le pays avec cette paix interieure que donne une conscience pure, et la certitude d'avoir efficacement rempli les devoirs qui leur etoient imposès."' Thence the diplomatists proceed to Greece, they approach it in the midst of war, and are in ecstasies at the sight of the carnage. They are agreeably lighted on their way to the Pacha, with whom our Secretary is already acquainted, by the conflagration of a number of villages. This chief receives his guests with the greatest respect, and dissipates the time with some very pleasing cruelties: hanging, drowning, and sabreing, and many other similar exercises, are exhibited before them in convenient alternation. Grateful for these marks of respect, the legation take leave of the Pacha: they retire to the west, and make a sojourn in Germany, where they meet with nothing but learned metaphysicians and doctors of philosophy. They pass to Vienna, where a congress happened to be sitting at the time of their arrival. Mingling in its councils, they are heard with respect, and, finally, having unfolded all their political endowments, with admiration. Ascending to the country of the Ostrogoths (Russia), our statesmen are received at court with high consideration, The rogue of an ambassador gets round Alexander by many satisfactory admonitions, but above all, by presenting him with a treatise of his own composition, intitled "The Beauties of Absolute Government contrasted with the Nonsense of Liberty, adapted for the Use of Kings." The Empress at a drawing-room asks Dur-aux-Hommes if his country was a cold one, and how they were off for firing. The Secretary has enough to do to keep from laughing, but with simplicity he replied that frost and snow were rather unknown in his part part of the world. The invasion of the country is threatened by the Velches (the French). Asrasrafel offers to see and provide that it shall turn out a failure. He pledges himself by hail, and frost, and snow, aided by a seasonable application of arson, (that being his particular line,) to dispose of the assailants. As soon as the army has advanced to the southern capital, the fulfilment of his promises begins, and, accordingly, whole columns are laid stiff, and towns are burned without mercy. While the Russians and French are embarrassing themselves about the authorship of the conflagration, here is Asrasrafel to claim the honor. The sanguinary, the dreadful havoc which ensues, is too good an event to be left to find its way to the regions below by the ordinary means of intelligence. A courier is sent off to announce the news to the ruler of Pandemonium, and returns with the great riband of the Order of Sulphur, and the title of Prince of the SatanicEmpire, for Asrasrafel. The reverses sustained by the invading power terminate in a humiliating visit of her enemies to her capital. We pass over the allied proceedings to the second and effectual fall of Napoleon, they are of too sanguinary a tint to harmonize with the pleasant lineaments of the volume itself. The second congress is held at Vienna, and, amongst other remarkable events, we are informed that his Majesty of the Bulgarians (King of Prussia) has manifested his determination to bring back the bodies as well as the minds of his subjects to the antient footing. For this end the King resolves to establish a museum for the antient costumes of his kingdom, especially for the remarkable tails worn at home and abroad. This is to encourage the rising generation to an imitation of the sacred principles, as well as the creditable toilet of their ancestors; for similar objects bring back similar ideas.' Our diplomatists knew his Majesty's predilection for tails, and with that delicacy of adulation that marks your born courtier, they appear at the levee set off with tails a-piece that are long enough to fold about the arms. The Museum is open to their inspection, and here they behold the tails of the known world represented by respective specimens. Three hundred and eighty thousand of the tail-species are here assembled, according to the catalogue in an adjacent library, which was filled with treatises upon this interesting subject. What an assemblage! Botany was beggared with her distinctions: there was the powdered tail, the unpowdered tail, the tail with pomatum, the plain tail, the tail au naturel, the twisted, the twirled, the tied, the fish, the swallow, the cloven, the APP. REV. VOL. CVII. K k pastoral. pastoral. It would take a winter's night, in a northern latitude, to number up the units of the tail-species that were here collected. - The King, seeing their astonishment, recollected his wigs, his museum of perukes, which were destroyed by an invasion, and he wept for the loss. A few fragments, a few curls, limbs of the great originals, however, were wrested from the wreck, and preserved with precious care, serving as models, like the fragments of antient sculpture, to fix the admiration and form the taste of ages to come. Dur-aux-Hommes resolves to surprize the King of the Bulgarians with some token of gratitude. He confers with Satan his master, who sends him the most magnificent of tails (to look at), smooth and shining, unexceptionable, except for a little flavour of sulphur, and for the emission of a little inordinate heat, to be presented to the royal host. It was graciously received, and deposited with the accumulated specimens of the tails of earth. What was the consequence? The Satanic present in due time takes fire, explodes, and the costly museum is consumed in a moment. The King is thrown into despair, and contracts a melancholy which he has the greatest mind in the world to make downright mortal. He abandons his pleasures and his agreeable labors;- no more tailoring; no more measuring; no more cutting out for his Majesty. The glory of collars and waists, of chalk, scissors, and lap-board, shall never reach him more. The doctors prescribe a wife. Well, the woman is taken, and his Majesty is no better for matrimony. The last, the sovereign remedy remains: a congress of princes is called about the bed of the royal patient, and one of them good naturedly presents him with a sugar-plumb of some rich provinces. The dose has the best effects, and his Majesty visibly improves. "Now," says the King of the Vandals, (Emperor of Austria,) "now that we have got rid of the important subject of tails, what if we do something about public liberty, as it is called." The patient-king bids them hold, for he had promised his people a constitution. The company instantly set it down as the promise of a madman, which it would be insanity to carry into effect, and they persuade him to think no more of it. It instantly vanishes for ever from his memory. The ambassador and his secretary, in pursuance of their commission, at last reach the country of the Centaurs (England). They descend upon the banks of the Thames, and are overwhelmed with perfect fright at the fertility of its banks, the noble edifices which adorn them, and the signs of a busy a busy and prosperous traffic which its course exhibits. They marvel, above all, at the approach of a singular machine which moves triumphantly towards them, a great sea. monster that appears to consume the waters as he advances. "What is that," they ask of a by-stander, who is too true a John Bull to give them the least satisfaction, but sullenly frowns on them for a pair of "stupids." Quickly, however, a pretty, prudish-looking woman steps up and informs them, "That 'ere's a steam-boat, your honors: you'll see plenty on em by-and-by."-" Oh! a steam-boat," and they are going. "Wont your honor leave something: pray remember the poor woman," and she stretched out her hand. Dur-aux-Hommes could scarcely restrain himself. "What it is to be in such a place! they are such thorough-going merchants, they wont give you common civility unless you buy it." Proceeding to the capital, Asrasrafel enjoys the smoke and the furnaces: they remind him of home; and but for the fashion which obliges him to lodge in the west end, he would have taken up his abode in the neighbourhood of Barclay's brewery. He is free of all the first circles; and Dur-aux-Hommes employs himself in looking after out-ofdoor manners. One day strolling about he met with a Centaur walking quietly along, rope in hand, and making for a tree. "What are you about, my friend?"-" Going to hang myself," was the reply. "I am too rich, too fat; altogether, I am so prosperous, there is no bearing it any longer," and he went and hanged himself, Dur-aux-Hommes adjusting the rope con amore. The next thing he sees is a "mill" in the street: he enjoys the thing, and absolutely bets. Soon after nothing would serve him but to attend a regular "fight" in the country, probably at Moulsey. He takes horse, makes a day of it, and returns to town in a hurry, distresses his horse, and finds himself in the jaws of the member for Galway. He is pulled up to Bow-Street, is fined in the mitigated penalty, and receives the largest possible lecture from Mr. Martin. Passing by the visit to the senate, the account of our elections, and the injustice that is done to the sense we entertain of the importance of gormandizing thereat, we approach Asrasrafel at the time that he is under the infliction of an interview with the agent of a company called the "Universal Undertakers." The project now on foot was a certain thing : the company was sending cargoes of sponge to the countries that were inundated by the late winter's rains: almost half Europe was under water. Sponge in consequence rose in |