ransport of delirium
it threw away, as if they had been idle gems, of use only when cast
into the public treasury, the privileges and prerogatives that had
formed the basis of the monarchy. Thenceforth the only effort was to
secure a _tabula rasa_ on which to rear that new and perfect state
of which the model was at hand, if only the proper materials could be
found and the foundations be laid. Of the men who acquired a temporary
mastery, three only, by the massive force of practical genius, were
able to free themselves from the fascination of the common ideal. But
Mirabeau and Danton were overborne by the full tide, and Napoleon,
when he arrested it in its languor, turned it into depths from
which it emerged the other day to sweep away his column in the Place
Vendome.

In thus glancing at the vast proportions of the subject, we have
wandered far from the range of Mr. Morley's work, which has a special
purpose with well-defined limits. It is not a complete biography of
Rousseau, much less a history of his times. It gives no full or vivid
portraiture of character, no adequate narrative of events, no summary
even of results. It is an analytical study, an examination of the life
and works of Rousseau with a view to determine their precise nature
and quality, rather than their relative value or bearings. Within
these limits it exhibits ample knowledge and skill, combined with
a searching but tolerant judgment. Without labored discussion or
passionate apology, it clears away entangling prejudices and current
misconceptions, to assume a position from which undistorted views may
be obtained. At times, indeed, Mr. Morley carries his impartiality
to the verge of indifference. His certificate of Grimm's "integrity"
rests on very slender grounds, and the Memoirs of Madame d'Epinay
are subjected to no such scrutiny as the circumstances of their
composition and preservation call for, before their statements can be
accepted as authority. But whatever minor defects may be found in the
book, the general spirit and execution are admirable. It is full of
interest and suggestiveness both for readers to whom the subject may
not be unfamiliar, and for those who may hitherto have neglected to
explore it. Above all, it is valuable as marking the line to which
English criticism has advanced, its capacity for treating complicated
and delicate questions with clearness, frankness and entire fairness.

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