Excerpt from Critical and Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. 4 It must, indeed, be acknowledged, in justice to the writers of whom we have spoken thus severely, that they were, to a great extent, the creatures of their age. And if it be asked why that age encouraged immorality which no other age Would have tolerated, we have no hesitation in answering that this great depravation of the national taste was the effect of the prevalence of Puritanism under the Common Wealth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Critical and Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. 4 of 5 The next picture that strikes na is not a family-piece, but a battle-piece: deutsch-wagram, in the hot weather of 1809; whither Varnhagen, with a great change of place and plan, has wended, purposing now to be a soldier, and rise by fighting the tyrannous French. It is a fine picture; with the author's best talent in it. Deutsch-wagram village is filled with soldiers of every uniform and grade; in all manner of movements and employments; arch-duke Karl is heard fantasying for an hour on the pianoforte, before his serious generalissimo duties begin. The Marchfeld has its Mp, the Marchfeld is one great camp of many nations, - Germans, Hungarians, Italians, Mad shars; advanced sentinels walk steady, drill-sergeants bustle, drums beat; Austrian generals gallop, in blue-gray coat and red breeches, combining simplicity with conspicuousness. Faint on our southwestern horizon appears the Stephane thurm (saint-stephen's Steeple) of Vienna; south, over the Danube, are seen endless French hosts defiling towards as, with dust and glitter, along the hill-roads; one may hope. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1877.

Excerpt from Critical, Historical and Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. 4 of 6 The volumes before us are fairly entitled to the praise of diligence, care, good sense, and impartiality; and these qualities are sufficient to make a book valua ble, but not quite sufficient to make it readable. Mr. Courtenay has not sufficiently studied the arts of selec tion and compression. The information with which he furnishes us, must still, we apprehend, be considered as so much raw material. To manufacturers it will be highly useful; but it is not yet in such a form that it can be enjoyed by the idle consumer. To drop meta phor, we are afraid that this work will be less accept able to those who read for the sake of reading, than to those who read in order to write. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.