the miniſter labouring at his defk. Pa. upon objects of the general politics of pers and books lay upon his efcritoire; Europe---enlightened views of the prefent and an hungarian cap with gold. borders fituation of Rates---bold decisions on the and taffels; fuch as the deputies of the new foreign relations of the French repub- convention formerly wore on their mif- lic, and a penetrating glance cait at the fions: :---a large fword belaging to this treaties formed between this state and coftume was hanging againit the wall, foreign powers, conftituted the topics of and behind his arm-chair, a profile of the feveral converfations I held with Voltaire badly executed in wax. Sieyes; which certain confiderations for- bid me to publish. The look of his large black eye is strong and steady; with weak lungs that render public speaking difficult to him, his voice in a room and in the ardour of converfation, is full and forci- ble; his action is quick, and his pale vi- fage replete with animation and mind. Converfation with Sieyes is eafy; he enters readily into difcourte, and treats every fubject with a philofophical, clear- nefs, and the penetration of a man well acquainted with mankind, and illuftrates it with new ideas.---Many foreigners complained to me of his laconitim, his ill-humour and even of his want of po- liteness. I paid him frequent vifits, but had no reafon to complain of this.--- There were moments in our converfation, when his harth decifions, and paffionate, unjust reproaches and declarations, com- pelled me to inquire of myfelf, whether this could be the fame man, who once fo nobly exclaimed against the convention: Ils veulent être libres, et ne fuvent pas être juftes* But this converfation was intro- duced by topics relating to individuals' and perfonal concerns, which cannot be explained here. And in the fame memo- rable hour, the form of his mind ceased, and I again beheld the man in the gentle lowering of the tone of his difcourfe, as if he were defirous of foftening the im- preffion his violence and extravagance had left upon his own feelings. A firm reliance on his own novel opini ons on his judgment, deliberately formed They want to be free and know not how to be juft. Sieyes feldom neglects to attend the fit- tings of the council of five hundred, but except on important debates, I never faw him there above half an hour. He no longer afcends the tribune; but he ap- peared feveral times in the committee of fecrecy to deliver accounts from the coin miffion that had been appointed to exa- mine treaties of peace.-- On important and unimportant debates of the council, the philofopher fat rapt in thought, or peruing printed papers. Even during the stormy scene of the 23d of Germinal, I beheld him fitting in apparent indiffe- rence.
Sieyes declined the directorfhip from a love of a tranquil life, unconftrainedness in his pursuits, cafe, which the precarious ftate of his health requires, and from diflike to all the pompous folemnities at- tached to that fituation. As an addi- tional reason for his refufal, his perfonal diflike of Rewbell the director has been affigned. E. M.
ORIGINAL POETRY.
RUNIC SAGAS.
MR. Cottle's Icelandic Poetry is by this time in the hands of every lover of wild imagery and harmonious verse. It is a rimed paraphrase of the Latin version of Sœmund's Edda, published in 1787, at Copenhagen. As this interpretation departs widely from the text, it may not appear superfluous to the curious in antiquity, to attempt a less free translation of the first and most curious of these sagas, which unfolds the Gothic cosmogony.
The Runic alphabet is of uncertain origin; but as most of the inscriptions in this character which have been discovered on the Scandinavian rocks, record the fortunes of some soldier who had been in the service of the[1] Greek emperor, it may be presumed, that the art of writing was derived by the Goths from Constantinople. Antiquaries, however, have ascribed to far[2] earlier periods the literary firstlings of the north, and consider the sagas, or mythic songs, which constitute the Edda, as productions contemporary with the heroes whom they celebrate.
The age and history of Odin is again liable
- ↑ Schlötzer's Nordische Geschichte, p. 550.
- ↑ The Runic alphabet expreffes only the long vowels a, o, and u: it has but one cha- rafter for band p, but one for dand t, but one forg and t, and in all fixteen letters. This ftructure countenances the hypotheſis of an Oriental origin. The Phoenicians, as appears from the Aufculcationes mirabiles afcribed to Ariftotle, came to fish on the coafts of Thule (probably, Norway), falted there the Thyn- nus which they caught, and carried it to the Mediterranean. From them, perhaps, the Runes.
