The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1816-09-04

/" The day wheh thou imperial Troy g.
must bend,
F" And see thy warriors fall. thy glories
end"
Polybius asked Scipio what he meantk
He replied, {" that he feared Rome
would meet with the same fate as Car
thsge." The greatest states" said
he 4" hsve their periods, after which
fortune ovcrthrows what she took plea.
sure in raising" His apprehensions
have since been realised, and in the
luminous pages Of Gibbon, th, affect.
ing story is told
In the days of EUgeIius the fourth.
two of his learned friends descended
the Capitoline hill, and viewed houl
! that commanding height, the wide and
various prospect of desolation. " The
| hill Of the capitol on which We now sit.'
and one OF them, twas formerly the
! head of the Roman empire the dicta--
,orS OF the earth, the terrors Of kings,
| illustrated by the footsteps Of so many
| triumphs, enriched with the spoils
and t'ibutes OF so many nations 1 his
spectacle OF the world, how il is fallenL
how changed !"
Alas ! such is the end Of human
| greatness and earthly grandeur 1t
! these examples do 10, give lessons of
instruction, where are they to be found:
Let England, in the zenith of her now
er, and at the moment OF her triumphs,
with all Europe under her cSntroi, fruns
the proud commence on which She.
| stands, contemplate the day when her
trident may be b' oxen, e5 her sway ,er-
minated The late wa, with this RE.
| ing country ought TO give her timely
warming, cad teach her moderation.
In modern umcs, also we IA I'VE wit
messed secret and more sudden cuan.
yes. HE transitions have been SO RIA.
p!d and unexpected as 10 Give 10 heir
history the appearance Of fictinHs
Kingdoms and empires have risen and
fallen in succession, like tie waves OF
the ocean.
When the concert Of princes, who
! may be considered as accsssIIy 10 tho
! death at the amiebic and unfortunate
! Louis XVI was first formed to exlin-
guish me fame Ut liberty in France.
Ihe consequences were beyond all hu.
man calculation In the dreadful strugs
gle for national independence, against
| the iawlesS interference of foreign
| powers, many cruel scenes. affecting TO
every friend Of humanity, stained the
annals OF France. The time OF confict.
however, is The season in which nature
delights in her grsndest productions.
| From tile earliest account of time 10
'he preSent day, the most. resplendane
powers OF man have been displayed IN
| periods OF the greatest difficulty and
danger. The var waged by dcspols
made France nation Of soldiers, and
she was invincibie as long as she con.
| inusd republic. But in her political
hotI2Gn new Individual arose eclips.
! Ing, by his deeds Of war, the bravese
| achievements OF The heroes Of autiqui-
| ty--hls superior talents and towering
genius, al length formed an empire OF
the mingled ruins of The republic and
the throne. AS il possessed of tho
power OF magic, this political tall man
made and destroyed Kingdoms at plea.
sure. He formed them with less trou.
BILE than Promelheus and he produce
ed soidiers.to support them with the
! ceIerity OF CadTus. But hrs kings
were Fut up as you would serve pins.
20 DO" down according 10 his caprice.
Cursed by the demon OF imveterate ard
lnsatiste ambition, he became infatuat--
ed' Quos Deus vah tcTdeye trrius
demenfdte." In his delirium he strovs
10 grasp the sceptre of the world, and
IN the vain perilous attempt, he dropt,
| a falling star from The splendid frma.
meDt his genius had erected.
To the svrprize of all a Bourbon was
| again placed by forign force upon the
| throne O! France. A stranger in hi.
| country after an absence Of more than
20 years surrounded by the the minis
tiers OF the enemies of France, with
| councils waVeTing and unsteady, his
! measures gave unusual dissatisfaction
and produced state Of general anaea
! chye In less than one year France res
troga ded century in civilization. IA
soon as the foreign mercinaries whose
footsteps polluted her sacred sol! had
returned home BoDaparge arrived from
Eioa. L he sovereign &c this obscure
island came with his conquering Eagles
10 reclaim the empire he had abdicateg
ALTER bioodlsss campaign of few
days he made his triumphan entry H..
the capital. The atFrighted monarch