The Press.
London, England, 1858-02-20 00:00:00

1858.

thinks be has. On this point the Duke is sagacious and
coldly polite. He has understood, and he intimates that
he has done so; but he will not do what Marshal Mar.
mont so ardently desires ; it does not suit him, besides,
to sae that Maimont doubts somewhat of the success of
the allies against the Emperor Napoleon; nevertheless,
this doubt, by which he is not flattered, partly dictates
him his reply, and he counsels Marmont to remain trail.
quil at Aixda•Chapelle to await events, King Louis XVIII.
and the allies having no command to give him.
Then Marshal Marmont confides to a foreigner what he
thinks of the policy of the King his master, and what he
thinks is ill; be obliges that foreigner to give him a lesson
of propriety by telling him that he exaggerates the faults
of the Restoration, and that he does so from personal
considerations. He intimates to a hostile general, leading
an army against France, the scruples he entertains against
bearing arms against his country, and he affords to that
hostile general the opportunity of expressing on France,
on ber army, and on the intentions, half friendly
hostile, of the allies, a theory and appreciations which are
at least sarcastic. Lastly, he exposes himself to causing
that foreigner, that enemy, to believe that he has need of
his help, that he asks for his intervention to regain the
favour of the King of France ; and yet all that lie obtains
is a polite and positive refusal. It is impossible to be
more awkward and more unfortunate than the Duke de
Ragusa. The fact, however, is that there are positions in
which it is very difficult for a man to maintain himself
with any dignity ; talent alone does not suffice—honour
is required as well. But it is true to say that men of
honour do not fall into this sort of pesition, in which they
can only act wildly between the reprobation of those they
betray and the disdain of those fur whom they have ruined
themselves.

The letter which we have literally produced, in spite of
the embarrassed French style in which it is written, dis-
plays the character of the eminent personage who wrote
it. He, though called by the English the I•on Duke, had
not that stiffness which does not yield to the obstacles and
vicissitudes of life ; he possessed really the suppleness and
the tact which, united to firmness, render it more circum-
spect and more efficacious. In this letter, the Duke of
Wellington mocks and dismisses unsatisfied Marshal Mar.
moat ; but he remains noble and friendly, and he does not
abuse the confidence of the man whom an inconsiderate
step has placed at his discretion.

The Duke's arguments were not sophisms
at all. In the case of civil war, neither party
can be said to be fighting against their coun-
try ; nor is secession from chic party to another
treason. Of treason to Nanoleon in person,
Marmont may have been guilty ; but to charge
him with treason to France is unjus•.
On the whole, it may be said that M.
Rapetti's essay contains an able argu-
ment on a delicate case, and that he
has executed his task with remarkable
skill. His copious and varied materials
are presented with the clearness of the
logician, are grouped with that regard to
effect which distinguishes the practical advo-
cate, and are adorned with the graces of the
literary artist. To conclude, we should say
that the book is destined to be not only eagerly
read by conteinporaries, hut to remain per-
manently in French literature as an ines-
timable contribution to the history of a most
eventful epoch,

The History of Ilerodotus. A New Eng!ish
Version, Edited with Copious Notes and
Appendices. By George Rawlinson, M.A.
Assisted by Colonel Sir Henry 11.1wlin-
son, K.C.8., and Sir J. G. Wilkinson,
F.R.S. In Four Vols. Vol. I. London :
Murray.
ALTHOUGH " seven years have elapsed since
" this work was first promised to the public,"
no one, probably, who reads it will regret that
the delay has taken place. So many fresh
pieces of information bearing on its subject
have during its progres3 been encited from
the Mesopotamian discoveries, that both the
plan and contents of the work have no doubt
been greatly enlarged since it was first under-
taken. Even now we should imagine it likely
that future researches would involve consider-
able additions, if not modifications, in a sub-
sequent edition. The present volume contains
only the First Book of Herodotus, but in dith
culty of elucidation, copiousness of materials,
and breadth of subject this is fully equal to
one-fourth, if not more, of the entire work.
The Second Book, on Egypt, may be expected
to occupy almost as much space as the ono
before us ; the remaining seven will doubtless
afford an easier and shorter task.
Of the translation itself little need be said,
except to note that it is executed with great
spirit and freedom It is by far the best we
have met with. Beloc's version is rattier
,a
paraphrase than a translation, and Mr. Cary 's