The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-10-15
FLEETWOOD,
or THE NEW MIN OF FEELING.
By WILLIAM GOODWIN.


The .utereQing litte novel is eqentiay diHeren,
in iory from the other celebrated novels Of the
ia,,s aathne. MIR. Goodwin co.feies that there i,
0e c1ntion which he has particularly fought ex-
escife to repeat himieE" Caleb Williams was
aorY of very furpriins and uncommon events, but
whcb were tuppofed TO be entirely within the law,
and sabhihed eourle of nature, e.. operates in the
planet we inhabit The iiory of 81. Leon is Of the
miraculous ea&; and its deIign to mix human
feelings and paiions with incredible G,ua,;ons and
si.us render them mprelIve andintereaing" The
ttcry OF Fleetwood the contrary is fad by the
author to conGt Of fuch adventures for the mo!l
part have occurred asleaR half of the Englih-
men exiting, who of the fame rank Of life as
his hero There is Of courfe, according its author,
very little 60 elevate and furprfe" and If it has
any merit il NUT eonfA in the lvelinefs with which
It brings things home to the imagination, and the re-
: atty it gives to the fcenes II pourrrays How far
this eloquent and ingenious writer has fueeeeded
in his and adventurous enterpre, we aall leave
1t to more competent critics to decide. On one
point, however, can pronounce our opinion /:
shar much Of the intere Of his tale is derived from
chat very foarce, which he Poieiles give up the
miraculous creations OF his c@n magnificent fancy
Fleetwood was born and educated in Merioneth-
hire in Wales the fubiinie aud romantic fcenery
OF Cader Idris. Here he became the pupil and the
ad,nire Of the external Univerie the friend of hu.
mainly the glowing and devoted worihipper of
every thing that was magnificent in or fub-
lime IN the actions OF man. Tranfplanted to the
lssrned but diI6pated Theatre of Oxford. the
whole tone OF his mind became fPeedy changed
Ehe fine edge of his fenlibility was worn away;
the divine virtue which had re;gned within his boon,
became mixed and corrupted with the grofs and diff
cutting debluchery OF which he participated Oh
Cadir Idris exclaimed the vitiated convert Oh !
genius of the mountains Oh, divinity that preGdea
over the coutelations, the neteors and .he ocean
how was your pupil fallen how the aye-nruck and
ardent worlhipper of the God, who inrouds him.
ief IN darknes changed into the drinker and the de-
bauehee, the manufacturer ola fool-born" Jeff and
the haneeis roarcr of lieentious catch From the
grois debauchetes of Oxford he is now translated TO
the more fubte and effenlinate corruptions of the
metropolis OF France. Here he becomes the adorer
and the victim of the fraiities of the fair: Can.
tivated by their beauty and their attractions, he
hnd' himief in every cafe and there n,oR where
: he had mott garnered up his heart" the mferabe
fave of their caprces and nfideity. AT length he
r@tres to the wild and deloate fcenery OF the Alps
10 much refemblins the tone of his native mountains
and 10 well calculated TO revive the npreflions of
ms earlier years Amid thefe fcenes he meets with
Mr. Rulisny, the friend of his father.
CHAPTER TX
The fecond day after my arrival, NJ. Ruffgny con-
A Quoted me ON Little tour to the lake of Uri. NV
eountry, fad he makes but petty figure in the map
OF the globe aud perhaps it may be frivolous Tort
OF pride in me, that makes me feel complacency in
<recoileaing that am burgher of Uri do not
merely exul; that am Swifs, but l fometimes in
ouige nyleit IN a Fabulous comparifon between my
native cantcn and the more fpacous and opuent re-
Pnohcs OF Zurich and Berne. The little fate which
inhab't is 'aeary one culer of rugged and inhof-
Pabie yet this is the ditria in which the
Swiis liberty was engendered and from hence as a
centre 1t h fpread every ide to the furthe boun
daries OF thsl union am mye!f defended from tn.
Patri2s wh;, feeured Independence my native FOIL
AS William Tell married the younger OF the daugh-
ters of Walker Furt of the three immortal lead
ers, who in 1908 conpred for The deverance of their
country, 10 AN anceRor of mine in the direct line
yosrred the elder. know that the precautions of an
ilutrious ai,celfry is too often chimerical boat
know that, wherever a pedigree is preferved or a
dittuguiihei3 complication is conferred il is in the
nature of thaugs almot impoible that in few gene
ratons rage ihould not degenerate and that fools
or villains hould not corrupt the blood of the pro-
foundet fae,es and the mott dilintereRed citizens
know that wherever this is the cafe wherever licen
tiontneis or nbecilty has croned the glorious breed
every tim. iuch defendant hears the repetition of
has name, ne hears more deadly and outrageous IA
tire, than the malice Of his WORT enemy could invent
againt him. Forgive me, my friend-I feel that this
cenlure dDes faiten If have not the pub
lie merits of Fura and Tell, have their pno
eence OF TANNERS, and my life has been ulefly and
honorably fpent.
Z<uIiSiA, loaue, ana lone or our more Opulent
cantons are full CT manufactures and ndultry tbev
contain maly citizens who are comparatively veal
thy and the ayie of living of fevera of thefe would
not !hame the capitals Of Paris London My CO.
bafghers are all feeders OF ocks cutivators of the
earth; there are among them who are opulent &
non who infer the evils OF poverty and their tables
are fuch as bring before the uncorrupted plain
Defs Of pa,rarchal times Ihaye vifted many coun-
tries Of the globe but this, inttead of dtatne me
toward tho implicitly Of my early years. has made
reii'h it the Like true Swifs of the ear
lier tim Is, have returned home, and hidden adieu
without Ugh the refnements and oltentaton of
other climates.
In the courie Of our excurlion M. Ruffigny point-
ed the various spots til 70 dear to the ge-
MUS Of q eedon Gruti, the village where the three
heroes of Switzerland planned their undertaking
Brunnen, where the fundamental league betyeen
their re,Petfive eantons concluded; KuHiIacht,
the fcere where an arrow from the bow of1Tell
|. reached the heart of Ge1er, his own oppreHor.
aud the opprellor of his country ; and Morgarten
| snd Sempaeh, the fields in which thofe celebrated
ecnba,s we're fought, that fixed the liberties Of Swift
zerland BATS which has endured the flock of
ages. All the(e places were within f1ch a diaance.
that either actually viited them in the courfe Of
the day. diicerned them, slmot in full detail from,
the tops ofth- neighboriug emnences.