The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-10 00:00:00

himself against the frosts an heats of the external.'
Studying, wrtiing, in this moot, though grim scarcity
looked in on him through the windows, be ever looked out
again on that fiend with n quiet, half satirical eye. Surely,
we should find it ha►d to wish any generous nature such
fortune ; yet is one such man, nursed Into manhood, amid
these stern, truth-telling influences, worth a thousand
popular ballad-mongers, an sle-k literary gentlemen, kept
in perpetual boyhood by influences that always lie."

" Phu,ler's History of the Diamond," displays
research, on a point however, more curious than
" The French Cabinet" is a tem-
perate remonstrance with the great European
Powers for their neglect of Turkey during the
late memorable struggle between that kingdom
and Russia. In the course of his remarks, the
Reviewer observes that " Prussia will one clay be
the Princedom dominant of Europe," an asser-
tion which is best answered by a reference to
her geographical position. The observations
that " second-rate men" make generally the
" best Ministers," with the reasoning on and
explanation of this opinion, is neatly and spi-
ritedly put forth. " Animal Magnetism" is a
scientific history of a science, or rather quackery,
once popular but now exploded. " Montaigne's
Essays" is from the pen of a writer manifestly
well acquainted with his subject. He is far
from being an enthusiast in praise of " old Mon-
taigne"—as Pope, for no reason that we can
discover, calls him—which is somewhat singular,
inasmuch as the admirers of the French philo-
sopher, like those of Wordsworth, are un-
bounded in the expression of their admiration,
Montaigne, indeed, mixes up simplicity with
shrewdness, ignorance with learning, shallow-
ness—this will startle same of his devotees--with
profundity, decision with vacillation, and energy
with feebleness, iu so extraordinary, so unnacount-
able a fashion, that those who enter into the spirit of
his eccentricities naturally account him a pheno-
menon. Though an egotist, he is the most de-
lightful of speculative writers. Singularly free
in his fancies, a great and original thinker, he
either carries the reader, heart and soul, along
with him, or disgusts him at the very threshold
of his reflections. He has no exclusive theory
of morals or mental physiology, but here de-
fends, and there impugns, a system, upon
grounds intelligible only to those deeply versed
in the style and spirit of his writings. His
intellect is not of a continuous character ;
it is unequal to long and sustained exertions,
but gains the empyreum by a succession
of quick and active flights, rather than by one
pains-taking, protracted struggle. On his road to
fame he perpetually halts to refresh himself. His
egotism is not like Rousseau's, selfish, cheerless,
and all-engrossing ; it is healthy, volatile, and re-
plete with " the quips and right-merrie conceits"
of a sound but fantastic benevolence. He feels

instructive.

that there are other resplendent intellects in the
world besides his own, whereas the misanthropist
of the Hermitage imagined that he only was
worthy of nature, which to all but himself was a
sealed book. We need only add, that the pre-
sent analysis of Montaigne's mind is ably though
somewhat feebly written, by a gentleman of good
sense rather than of fancy or ingenuity. The
remaining articles in the number, to which we
have not space to advert, are of the usual calibre.

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