New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-05-25


French Liternry E,ems-Tattors in Pres.
PAiIs May L. lse6.
The second volume Of the H,stoire de Jus Cesar VIII
DC delivered to the public tomorrow soge'her with an
,as Of % maps and plans il he period from the
departure for the Gallo campaigns TO the passage Of the
Ruheon In It's woold character Of ancient hstorj and
modern political pamphlet Of superior interest to the
Erst volume Regarded as commentary on Casars com
uentares that mastery Of reports Of ten years cam
paening and victories it is along with The accompanying
aiaps and plans truly valuable work, which classical
and military scholars and students Of archaeology should
% thankful fol- IL the execution Of this part Of his woS
Napoleon has had at command The aid Of various learned
classical antquarans, of all sorts Of typographical ana
military engineers, and of numberless diggers ana delivers
Rv their help be has made the Gaul Of Caesars
lime IN its geographical features ana the bi'ue
grounds and Roman camps as vSby ih'eAeiuic
rs we could desire. This is good soma N VOTE.
But the greater interest Of the work does 10y Ae ID @
mart OF H. but in the authors treatment me poucd
rendition and events of this decisive PERIOD I'd e history
u Rome and his hero The present volume = 10 luch
ereatcr degree than was the first defense of CNsarsm
H. much more autOborepMcI, l couu Almost s"!'
Parallels between the Caesar and now the hst Npoeou
now the author, more frequently introduced ny "dn-
sparent almson by suggest on y drec' cecaiauon As
'every artist paints himself tie portrait o. lis stVf
20 here we have the Traits Of tie living Cesar IN TINS Gaze
fully lovingly-ahorel portrait Of his glea mode Wmch
certainly is good deal atercd for some Of nc naturally
neIer features This is apt TO be the case IN biographies
bv member Of the family AID. indeed, ID any bo-Ia-
my the sabicct of which ia ayo-ite WITH the wnlcI
And must be confessed that the best biographies are
goeray aboT of love Thc author ncc1s "a be interested
N his subject 20 fidelity 10 make the labor OF re-
search tolcrahc and from interest to sympathy! ana 80
On TO love and partisanshp, easy stages NOBODY bt
partisan Of an tie CIsars VIII pretend that ms is an
impartial life Of Caesar But VINO has wntten an IN
partial life If him that IS so alive has LIVING interest iOt
Inc reader II presents CasaI from Caesar point Of view
makes kis best best Of him, and IS all important ne"
holm for rs Ia u u
took likely warp the Judgment Of reader Of ordinary
intelligence who has usual information at0G tsl su'
information he may gather from good bosiaphlcaI
dictionary OF course the reader be hln'sel asslon
Ate patisan-f Bruus for instanee-why hls Jnoemen'
already warped What mean Is ,ei toIe y nces
surprise the reader IL IL as natural as II Is cACese was
70 be expected and is easily guarded against fo the
rest II is rather al amiable quality:
81 quol sit vitium, ron iastdire suaponem
And f Sepoeon is ycrv kind 10 the virtues and more
ZION little Blind the faults of his hero, TIE present
volume shows that he rs 30 with al the slLcny Oh Si
indulgence. Not only In his justification, his auuaton
f Caesars passage Of the Rubeon, based Oh the general
argument ably sustained, that the Republic was aeaA!
destroyed by social corruption and pohuc@' ldNti'h
patiently paraleled justification OF DIS co"P aC@-
don't say an apology for u; but IN tie details OF MS ac
count Of the conduct Cesar and Of his motives epaTa
tory OF preceding that decisive step be porays-one
TEMPTED TO believe Involuntary betTays-ntna'c TRAITS
Napoleons theory Of the providenta man iuhstory,
namely that human is the test oi GODS approval
rle question how long, not being asked we were ini-
lar with. 1t is not peculiar 70 Inn OF JON MicntH "
Thomas Carlyle. Like any theory held 10 ny sven otheI-
WISE wdev-separated classes If men a. these three repre-
cent has It's side Of truth. In certain sense, that t.
IN seIse necessarily uncertain 20 our finite SENSE tEs
theory of The povidential man, Of successful might ooLs
night If the "success only lasts 70 the END j. Tue true
81 fstaismtrue what has been dec eed, aied spoken
ans gArase and there end Only Il would te 30 oe-
satle 10 be sure of an authorized Interpreter uAe InaN
sefiuspred Thomas l.. \. b. who could show papers
daily ned by the Inefabe the Providence, that J, mas
gifted Thomas Carlyle or l. n H. 10 re evidence
Official onc Okers before and after Their unleaeo eyes
anonted with divine cOllyTum. Lacking such passport
e. our confidence these gentlemen do surely seem TO a
into the eassat the head of the class as suTyo when
KanzoRi's Donna Prassedi and Dickenss MI Podsnap
LET alone numberless American elergymen and editors
aud respectable females are prominent scholars As
tbe often said TO herself and 10 Others IT Donna Pas
fed who speaks her sole desire % further the VIII o
heaven but she often enough fell into terrible eqnVoqUe
Oi taking her brain Tor heaven As 80 ehlAeL'f ~
Ieciable man, Mr.. Podsnap II need not say that II If
Dickens who speaks his)was sensible OF s heLg required
Cf him to take Providence under MS proteeoA CoAse
0nenty he ALWAYS knew exactly what Providence meant
Inferior and less respectable might ta short o. that
mark but Mr. POdsnap was always up 10 IT. Ara u was
very remarkable and must have been very comfortable
that what Providence meant was invariably what MI.
Podsnap meant
Fortius et melus magnas pleruuCue secat Tes.
Pray don't mind honored TRIBUNE OF the people such
frequent recurrence to Horace IN tins letter Oh semi o-
man theme. was the point Of Juggling III the other
lines from the first satre-quanquam yidenem ana Tie
rest fit To return 10 the two Caesars, ana noteworthy
quality in this ones book about that one. mean that
quality whereby he depicts his inner self by the prominence
he gives in his historical picture Of Roman Caar to some
traits popularity supposed to mark his own nature hut Tor
whose existence in the other we have but doubtful
authority.
This second volume closes said, with the final de-
csion Of julius Caesar TO the klbcon TO rke the
coup deta in the year of the city O5 b. {. ~. And
what ia curousy tewOrthy now, Is not the constant
paaess between that ancient revolutionary act and ms
revolutionary blow Of 1851 which the Emperor indicates
suggests lays out defines in the preceding pages o The
work, but the prominence and unquesuoned Importance OF
bearing final revolutionary act that be gives 70
CmsaIs the night before and TO oens III the SKY
The poor authority Of poet and gossipng historian,
Iercoin and Suetouius such cloudy mystic matters is
sravely cited in the foonOtes This will not surprise
those who have studied Napoleon character TINS strong
touch Of mysticism any more than the almost admirable
lack throughout this second throughout ne hrs volume
o any proof Of moral sense on the part OF the sutho
Fatalism almost admirably free Of cant.
With all its faults Napoleons Life Of Cesar IS the best
on the whole that yet have. So far as style goes u
has not any that is in the French sense Of the word style
Narration with comments is well held together N unex
septonabe ma az 90 @ M ~ g
IN the foot notes There is no attempt as there would
have been no felicity at fine writing Everything is SAID
elearly-wbieh is not considered merit, only want
Of ceaness an objectionable fault ID FTance-with
sOt Of unprentous simplicity that Is quite as
seemingly eunninger ingenuity OF phrase IL looks so
honest Whatever critics may ray OF the pooS' ms
Majesty can well bear comparison with hsToya and noble
PREDECESSORS who have treated the theme Charles
VII the Emperor Charles ", Sultan Solyman H.,
Henry w. Louis XIV the Great Condo. Queen Christine
Of Sweden Philippe Egalite and Napoleon ]. None oil
these set Nd indeed for so exhaustive a history.
In quite other kind is the most solid, entertaining, IN
structve volume Of Pierre Clement entitled In P0lce
sous Loais KY. NJ. Clement Is historian and scholar
not ax-grnder and politician. He studies and complies,
and with calm Judgment, prudeniy concludes N the sole
interest of truth His last volume with the unpecEtous
title lust given does beyond any other volume Of the
came size let the reader into what may be called the
inner life" Of that astonishing dazzling humtug known
n the age of Louis Fourteenth, 1t Roe Sof'd what
spots on that sun What foul spots sinks aud qnagmres
rocking with poisonous fumes and the smoke OF burned
infants offered TO MolOch within the very precincts OF ls