cant. Frey's departure had occasioned the office of strangers' director to be vaIt was intimated that it was intended for me, and my natural frankness had not permitted me to conceal that I should be glad to accept it, and that I was in expectation of it. Nevertheless, the majority of votes gave it to M. Roel Hollandois. I saw that they had taken advantage of the very first moment the laws allowed for balloting, and that, if I had wished to assemble my friends, I might have gained it; but I know, at the same time, that I should have had it three months ago without a moment's care about it. My reputation is, with some reason, declining here, and I have enemies. September 25.1-I have passed the afternoon at Madame de *****8. I had not seen her since the 14th of this month. She has not spoken a single word about me, or appeared to have noticed my absence. This silence has hurt me. I had a very good reputation here for morality, but I see they now begin to confound me with my fellow-countrymen, and to look пpon me as a man who loves wine and dissipation. October 15.]-I have passed the afternoon at Madame de Mesery's. She wished to introduce me to a young French lady, whom she had invited to supper. This young lady, who calls herself Le Franc, is six feet high. Her stature, countenance, voice, and conversation, all announce the most de termined grenadier, but a grenadier who has talent, intelligence, and knowledge of the world. So that her sex, name, and condition are all a mystery. She says she is a Parisian lady of quality, who has retired into this country on account of her religion May it not rather be on account of an affair of honour? Lausanne, December 1763.]-I got up late, and a very friendly visit from M. de Chandieu Villars* took away what was left of the morning. M. de. Chandieu has served with distinction in France, and retired with the rank of field-marshal. He is a man of great politeness, of a free and lively spirit; and now, at sixty, he would form the agreeable attraction in a company of young ladies. He is almost the only foreigner who has suc ceeded in acquiring the ease of French manners, without at the same time falling into bullying and blustering airs. Lausanne, December, 18, 1763,]-This was Communion Sunday. Religious ceremonies are well observed in this country. They are rare, and * The father of Madame de Severy, whose family were Mr. Gibbon's most intimate friends, after he had settled at Lausanne in the year 1783.-S. on that very account more respected. Old folks complain, indeed, of the cooling of devotion; but a day like this still affords an edifying spectacle. There is neither business nor parties; and they interdict even whist, so necessary to the very existence of a Lausannese. December 31.]-Let us glance back at this year 1763, and see how I have employed this portion of my existence, which is passed away, and will never return. The month of January was spent in the bosom of my family, to whom I was forced to sacrifice all my time, for it was the last part of my stay, and mingled with the cares of departure and the bustle of a journey. In that journey, however, I found means of reading the letters of Busequius, imperial minister at the Port. They are equally interesting and instructive. I remained at Paris from the 28th of January to the 9th of May. During all this time, I did not study at all. Amusements took up a great deal of my time, and the habit of dissipation, which is so easily acquired in large cities, did not allow me to profit by what remained. Indeed, if I turned over but few books, the observation of all the curious objects which are presented to view in a large metropolis, and conversation with the greatest men of the age, taught me many things that are not to be found in books. The last seven or eight months of the year have been more tranquil. When I found myself settled at Lausanne, I undertook a consecutive course of study on the ancient geography of Italy. My enthusiasm kept up very well for six weeks, till the end of the month of June. Then, a journey to Geneva a little interrupted my diligence. Mesery's dwelling presented a thousand attractions, and Saussure's society put the finishing stroke to the loss of my time. I resumed my work at this Journal about the middle of August, and from that time to the beginning of November, I put every instant to profit. I must confess, that during the last two months my ardour is a little slackened. I. In this course of study I read, 1. Nearly two books of Strabo's Geography upon Italy, twice over. 2. Part of the second book of Pliny's Natural History. 3. The fourth chapter of the second book of Pomponious Mela. 4. The Itineraries of Antoninus and Jerusalem, as far as regards Italy. I read them with the Commentaries of Wesselling, &c. I have extracted tables of all the great roads in Italy, every where reducing the Roman into English miles, according to the calculations of M. d'Anville. 5. The History of the Great Roman Empire, by M. Bergier, 2 vols. 4to. 6. Some select extracts from Cicero, Livy, Velleius Paterculus, Tacitus, and the two Plinies. The Roma Vetus of Nardini, and several other little treatises on the same sub 12. ject, which compose almost all the fourth volume of Grævius' Trésor des Antiquités Romaines. 7. The Italia Antiqua of Cluverius, 2 vols. folio. 8. The Iter (or Journey) of Claudius Rutilius Numatianus among the Gauls. 9. Virgil's Catalogues. 10. That of Silius Italicus. 11. Horace's Journey to Brundusium. N. B. These last three I read twice over. D'Anville's Treatise on the Itinerary Measures, and some Memoires of the Académie des Belles Lettres. II. I had to wait for Nardini from the library of Geneva; I wished to fill up this spare moment in reading Juvenal, a poet whom I as yet knew only by reputation. I read him twice over carefully, and with pleasure. III. During the year, I have read some periodicals; among others, the Journal Etranger, from its commencement, a volume of Bayle's. Nouvelles, and the first 35 volumes of the Bibliothèque raisonnée. IV. I have written a great deal of my Recueil Géogarphique d'Italie, which is already very ample, and tolerably curious. V. I ought not to forget this very Journal, which has grown into a book; 214 well filled pages, in four months and a half, are a considerable object. For, without reckoning a great number of detached observations, there are in it several learned and orderly dissertations. That upon Hannibal's expedition includes ten pages, and that on the civil war twelve. But these pieces are too long, and the Journal itself stands in need of a reform, which should retrench from it a number of pieces that are foreign to its real plan. After having reflected some time upon the subject, here are some rules that I have made on the objects that are proper for it. I. All my domestic and private life, my amusements, connexions, and even my rambles; as well as all the reflections that strike me on subjects that are merely personal. I allow that all this is interesting only to myself, but then it is only for myself that I write this Journal. II. All that I learn by observation and conversation. With respect to this, I shall only put down what I have from persons, who are at once both perfectly well informed and honest, when it regards facts, or from that small number who merit the title of great men, when it regards sentiments and opinions. III. I shall carefully put in it all that may be termed the material part of my studies; how many hours I have worked, how many pages I have written or read, with a short notice of their contents. IV. I should be sorry to read without reflecting on my readings, giving correct judgments upon my authors, and carefully culling their ideas and expressions. But all reading does not alike furnish them. There are books to be skimmed over, and books to be read. My observations on those of the first class can only ? be short and detached. These will be proper for the Journal. Those on the second class will only enter it so far as they may come under the same character. V. My reflections on those few classic authors that are to be carefully meditated upon, will naturally be deeper, and more consecutive. For them, and for more lengthy and original dissertations, which reading or reflection may give rise to, I shall make a separate collection. I shall, nevertheless, preserve its connexion with the Journal by constant references which will mark the number of each treatise, together with the time and occasion of its composition. Making use of these precautions, my Journal cannot but be useful to me. This exact account of my time will make me more justly appreciate its value it will, by its minuteness, dissipate the illusion that we fall into of looking only at months and years, and neglecting hours and days. I say nothing of the pleasure of it. It is, however, a very great one to be able to review each epoch of one's life, and, whenever we please, to place ourselves in the midst of all the little scenes that we have formerly acted, or seen acted. April 6, 1764.]-I was awakened by Pavilliard and H****, in order to put a stop to an unfortunate affair, which took place at the ball after we left. G****, who has for a long time paid his addresses to Miss ****, was grieved to see that **** threatened to supplant him. He replied to his rival's politeness only by rudeness; and, at last, on a dispute for Miss ****'s hand, he treated him in the worst possible manner, and called him, before every body, "a fool," &c. I understood from Pavilliard, that **** had sent him a challenge, and, that G****'s answer not having satisfied him, they were to have a meeting at five o'clock this evening. Being exceedingly vexed to see my friend engaged in an affair which could not but do him wrong, I hastened to the house of M. de Crousaz, where **** lived. I soon saw that it merely needed a very slight explanation, added to some sort of apology from G****, to appease him, and I went to the house of the latter with H****, to request him to give it. We convinced him that the acknowldgment of a real fault was never injurious to honour, and that his insult to the ladies, as well as to was inexcusable. I dictated to him an appropriate note, but without the least meanness, which I carried to the Dutchman. He laid down his arms immediately, returned him the most polite answer, and thanked me a thousand times for the part I had acted. Indeed, he is by no means an untractable man. After dinner, I saw the ladies, to whom I took an **** apologizing note. The mother was willing to accept G****'s excuses; but Miss **** is afflicted at the injury this affair may do her with the world, This business has cccupied me the whole day; but could it have been better employed than in saving the life, perhaps, of two persons, and in preserving a friend's reputation? Besides, I have seen deeply into more than one character. G**** is brave, true, and sensible, but has an impetuosity that is only the more dangerous for being ordinarily suppressed. C**** is as rude as a school-boy. De S**** has an indifference, which is much more attributable to a defect of sensibility than to an excess of reason. I have conceived a real friendship for H****. He has a high degree of rationality and honourable sentiments, with one of the best regulated hearts, 1 |