The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-01 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Ea opera tedium cogno•tcrt.

Ho a.

DELPHINE, BY MADAME DE STAFL HOLSTEIN.

This celebrated novel has for some time been he•
five the public ; and is known to almost every reader
of fic:itioas narrative, who is conversant with the
French language. It is now translated ; and all Our
ftir country-women, who wish to sigh over a taleof
disastrous love, may possess themselves of the elo-
quent pages of Madame de Stael. DEL Pulls a, as
we understand, has been the object, in France, not
only of much attention from the interest sof its corn.
position, but of much censure from the tendency of
et 4 morals t and the complexion of its politics. In
neither of these respeth can it be the occasion of
mischief or of apprehension in England. Its politics*
occupy so small a place in the work, and arc, in fact,
of so innocent a nature, that we are surprised at their
exciting any jealousy even in the Cabinet of the Con-
sul : and on the subject of its morality we can only
hope that the religious principle of our English la-
dies is too firmly rooted to be shaken by the example
of a fair and amiable Deist, whose heart, indeed,
seems to be always right, but whose conduct is ge-
nerally erroneous ; and who concludes a' life of
nearly uniform wretchedness by the desperate ad of
her own hand.

The picture presented to us by this work, is fo-
reign ; and the whole canvas is occupied with a na-
ture, which we immediately recognize not to be the
general property of the human world, or indeed of
any country than that of France. By the force,
however, of its composition; it seizes strongly on the
attention - and many of its sentiments will find an
echo in the sensitive and virtoons bosom.

The story seems to be intended for an illustration
of its motto, which is borrowed front a work of Ma-
dame Neckar that a manipught to beable to brave
public opinion, and a woman to submit to it.' From
the acute feeling of the opinion of the world, which
controls the hero of the piece, and from the complete '
independence on this capricious but forMidable
power, which is asserted by the heroine, arise all the
complication and distress of the fable. The accom-
plished and beautiful Delphinc, a young, and a vir-
gin widow, presents a considerable fortune to the
daughter of her relation and friend Madame de Ver-
non, for the purpose of promoting the marriage of
the young lady with Leonce de Mondoville, at that
time equally unknown to the betrothed and to her
generous benefactress. On an acquaintance, how-
ever, with this captivating youth, Delplaine (for Ma-
dame D'Albeniau) becomes deeply enamoured of
him, and, inspiring him with a mutual flame, enjoys
the near prospect of being united to the man, whom
nature seemed, of all his species, to have destitiedfor
her, and by whom her love was requited with a pas-
sion of equal fervency and force. But this prospect
of happiness is entirely intereepted by the manage-
ment of Madame de Vernon ; who, making a pow-
erful understanding; and the most fascinating man-
ners, the working instruments of a had heart, ads
upon the weaknesses of Leonce, and impels him, in
a fit of delirious jealousy, of which Delphine is the
object, to lead Mademoiselle de Vernon to the altar.
On the subsequ.mt disCoverri4 Madame deVernon's
perfidy and misrepresentations, Leonce and Delphine
agree to alleviate their irreparable calamity by the
indulgence of as intimate an intercourse as could be
made,, consistent with purity and with the essential
interests of Madame de Mondoville. For the exe-
cution of their plan, Delphine retires to her country-
house, within a few miles of Paris, and thew she re-
ceives the daily visits of Leonce ; whose wife. cold
and unsuspicious, and absorbed in the duties of reli-
gion, is unconscious of his absences, and a stranger
to the alienation of his heart. What escapes
Madame de Mondoville, however, is lacoverei
by a prying and rnalirßunt c.orannwity c ;mil the ,
whisper which is in ctrtidation, by affeding the
reputation of Drlpiiiae, distresses the in-khe cf her
hover. IVISICVCIIIII42II,C4 kStracmly entoi.ed with
the remossierASlOtS of Madame cis Moudoviite, ssl
is at 'earth awakened iota raiser, by the l'lntiJiD-
lodge .aits boakamo's; cossiaa, inJuces ihaickiate
re:ostacc OIL Sewing Loor,ce. triakoiat ircoartiag le Lam
.fir Sat/maim, or she place of her retreat, tilse
er..cou.s her desir, aud.