These Vestals are the successors of the ancient Vestals the Nuns. Their love of delicacies and liqueurs is well known. Redi, in his quality of

physician, saw a good deal of the little flattering passions and hectic imbecilities that survive every thing else in convents. See the goodnatured raillery of Gresset, in his poem entitled Ver-Vert; and the graver sympathies of a manly and interesting writer, who has lately published some Letters in Spain under the name of Don Leucadio Doblado.

And for those

Of the lily and rose

Who rejoice the banks of the Thames.

The compliment in the original to our lovely countrywomen is very distinct. The author saw English beauties in Florence, and had accounts of them from his friend Magalotti and others, who visited the court of Charles the Second. A Frenchwoman, with all her piquancy, stands no chance with an Italian by the side of our red and white, and our more sentimental composure. The Italian genius, notwithstanding its greater physical vivacity, has in reality more alliance with the gravity and melancholy of the English character, than with its dancing neighbours. Our schools of poetry have much that is in common: and there is a greater sympathy with the imaginative part of their devotion in our very heresies and infidelities, than in the orthodoxy and strange cynicism, equally volatile, of the French. Since Alfieri created a dramatic spirit among his countrymen, Shakspeare has

found an access in Italy, which he only wanted because it had no drama at all. His robust

universality, the justice he does to every thing, great or small, like the plastic spirit of nature,sometimes startles the Italian, but never excites him to the flippant want of reverence of the Frenchman. He thinks of his great poet Dante, and concludes, that the "bizarre" passage, as the other calls it, "hath warrant" somewhere in our minds. The translators of Milton are emulous and numerous. He frightens a good Abate now and then with his want of consideration for monkish cloth," black, white, and grey, with all their trumpery," (a point in which Shakspeare is more considerate); but they understand and reverence him thoroughly, and translate him well. The French began to speak with admiration of Milton, partly because Voltaire wanted them to like epics of all sorts, (for the sake of puzzling

opinion, and introducing the steanade), and partly because they were afraid they should be behind-hand with a fashion. The revolutionary spirit has made them more universal: but they do not take kindly to any world, that is not a French world. Nature and art both must come and draw at their toilet. The Abbe Delille made Adam talk as if he went about Eden in a cocked hat. Spencer would not do in French. The languid part of his essence would evaporate into tiresomeness, and the rest be unintelligible. They would see nothing but his allegory, and cut jokes on his Concoction and Malbecco. But the thoughtful sunny evenings of Italy would wel.. come his hermits and spirits, and his long trains of knights and ladies, glittering like visions along cloistered hills.

H

Note 20, page 6.

Nerveless, colourless, and sickly,
Oversweet, it cloys too quickly.

Redi says he only speaks as Bacchus might be supposed to do of these wines, Pisciancio and Pisciarello, which are ladies' wines, and very respectable. It is curious to see these literal anxieties to be polite and considerate. He cannot, after all, help giving us to understand, that he does not like them. He quotes a Tuscan proverb;

This he says is spoken of wine that is not