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ried her "respectable old man" "without any particular view," say in a year after she was deserted; her daughter is now seventeen, so that we can guess pretty nearly how old is our inflammable friend Edward. He ought to be ashamed of himself! But I am hurrying on too fast; I haven't told you what a middle-aged Don Giovanni the rascal turns out.

The Captain came; the Captain did this, the Captain did that—was so deep, so learned, so witty, so genteel, he might have passed for Captain O'Doherty. Ottilie also comes, "fair as the first that fell of womankind," that is, according to Goethe's notions of fairness; full and round as a Hebe, very young, very innocent, and a little stupid—planting, building, digging lakes, and creating scenery, go on more charmingly than ever, and in the course of a very short time, the Captain and the sensible Charlotte are burning like a couple of phcenixes, and Edward and Ottilie are over head and ears in love. To trace the windings and effects of those two passions is the task the delicate-minded author has chosen his readers' sympathies are enlisted as strongly as possible on the side of Ottilie and Edward —their walks, their conversations, mingled with much crying and kissing, according to the German recipe for love-making, occupy the greater part of the book. But not the whole of it.—Bless you, my dear sir! there are very few subjects that do not receive a moderate share of notice in the course of the story, particularly the proper mode of educating young ladies; with hints to mistresses of boarding-schools, and the masters engaged for the various accomplishments. But you seem to look incredulous. True as gospel, I assure you; for I beg you to observe—and that was the thing I started with, two tumblers ago—that the monster has not the remotest idea that the personages of his story are vicious or immortal. They are all four held up to us as paragons of perfection. Their modes of going on are spoken of as nothing out of the common way, indeed they are rather pointed out to us as miracles of chastity and decorum; for Ottilie and Edward, resolving to be united according to law, confess their attachment to Charlotte, and beg her to separate from her husband, and by so doing make the Captain and Edward happy at the same time! With an effort of virtue almost super-human —at all events super-German—she refuses and Edward, not to be outdone, determines to exile himself from his own house, on condition that Ottilie and Charlotte remain in it as friends. There's a sacrifice, sir!—What have the Romans to show that can compare to this? His domus et placens uxor, and his children—for the hero is a father as well as a husband are all left behind. But, though we hear of his children, we are only made acquainted with one of them; and a history more full of horror and debauchery never disgraced any of the French novels that the world has united in condemning. As near as I can tell you the details, without making your venerable cheeks purple with shame, I will trace out the fate of the poor child.

The four lovers—the Captain and Charlotte; Edward and Ottilie—are interrupted in their quiet enjoyments, by the visit of a certain Graf or Count, and a certain Baroness. On the arrival of the letter announcing their approach, the Captain enquires who they are? Listen to the answer, and then talk of Goethe's prolific imagination. 'Tis Edward's story over again.

"They had for some time, both of them being married, been passionately in love. A double marriage was not to be broken without trouble; a separation was thought of. The Baroness succeeded in obtaining one, the Count failed. They were therefore forced to appear to live apart, but their connexion still continued; and, though they could not live together in the capital in the winter, they made up for it in summer at the baths, and in pleasure excursions. They were both a little older than Edward and Charlotte, who had never cooled towards them in affection, though they did not quite approve of their proceedings. It was only now that their visit was disagreeable; and if Charlotte had examined into the cause of her dissatisfaction, she would have found that it was on Ottilie's account. The innocent darling child should not so early have such an example set before her."

Not so early?—quaere, at what age are such examples thought useful?—But you will find, sir, that the "innocent darling child" was very forward