The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-26 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

THE WORKS OF MONTAIGNE. PART I.

Templeman. London, 1841.
Few works are more deserving of republication
than Cotton's Translation of the Essays of Mon-
taigne—a delightful production, fbr the trans-
lator had almost every requisite for the task,
possessing, in addition to his various information
and natural liveliness of fancy, much of that
simplicity and bonhommie of character which we
admire so much in the original. The Editor of
the present Edition announces—as we perceive
by his prefatory address—h7s intention of alter-
ing Cotton's version, on the plea that it is fre-
quently careless and inaccurate; we hope he
will not he too liberal of his alterations;
for, with all its faults, the translation
in question is an admirable one, and it is not
very likely we shall get a better. As regards
the original, we are, it seems, to have, not only
the Essays of Montaigne, but his letters also,.
together with his journey through Italy, all
which are. to be duly illustrated with notes. With
• the Essays only of this celebrated writer we are
acquainted, and of these we may say, that few
more attractive works of the kind have
ever appeared in print. Their style is conversa-
tional without being unduly negligent or pleo-
nastic; they are full of egotism, but of the most
cheerful and unaffected character; and exhibit
constant indications of subtle and ingenious,
though not very bold or profound think-
ing. Montaigne is the best of all au-
thors to lounge over by one's snug fire-side
in an easy arm-chair, for, in the first place,
he is anything but a precise formalist in
manner; and secondly, in taking up his volume,
you need not begin with the beginning, but may
dip into it just where you please, and so go ram-
bling-on, now hurrying forward, now going back
a page or two, as may happen to suit the
caprices or indolence of the moment. With the
exception, perhaps, of " Tristram Shandy," and
Boswell's "Life ofjohnson," we know of scarcely
one work that can be safely read in this lounging,
desultory way. The only fault we find with
Montaigne, is his incessant habit of quoting,
which diverts the stream of his thoughts, and at
times—for not a few of his quotations are inappo-
site—wears the aspect of pedantry.

OPINIONS OF LORD HOLLAND.
Ridgway, London, 1841.
This volume contains Lord Holland's protest
in the House of Peers against the various public
measures of the Tory party, from the year 1798
down to the year 1839. A liberal, consistent
spirit pervades all these protests, which, besides,
display unequivocal proofs of his Lordship's
flu-sighted sagacity as a statesman, and fully
justify the Editor's remark, that though
he had spent upwards of forty years
in public life, Lord Holland does not seem to
have ever recorded an opinion which, at any
subsequent period of his life, he could have de-
sired to blot from the Journals.

THE WORLD IN THE YEAR 1840.
Fraser, London, 1841.

In this pamphlet we have a retrospect of
the chief civil, religious, and political events
of the past year, arranged in chronological
order, and taken from successive numbers
of the Britannia, a well known weekly Con-
servative newspaper. Some of the incidents
included in this retrospect are detailed in a
very lively manner, particularly the account
of Prince Louis Bonapa,rte's attempted invasion
of France last autumn, which throws this Quixo-
tic attempt into very proper ridicule.

MORN LNG EDITION,