A Belfield, a Monckton, a Morrice, and several other personages of
the admired Cecilia, will scarcely yield to the most finished draughts
of the greatest writers. In comedy, in tragedy, Miss Burney alike
excels. And the union of them both in the Vauxhall scene of the death of
Harrel ranks among the first efforts of human genius. Of consequence we
may safely pronounce that the reputation of this lady is by no means
dependent upon fashion or caprice, but will last as long as there is
understanding to discern, and taste to relish the beauties of fiction.

It must be acknowledged that her defects are scarcely less conspicuous
than her excellencies. In her underplots she generally miscarries. We
can trace nothing of Miss Burney in the stories of Macartney, Albany,
and the Hills. Her comedy sometimes deviates into farce. The character
of Briggs in particular, though it very successfully excites our
laughter, certainly deforms a work, which in its principal constituents
ranks in the very highest species of composition. Her style is often
affected, and in the serious is sometimes so laboured and figurative, as
to cost the reader a very strict attention to discover the meaning,
without perfectly repaying his trouble. These faults are most
conspicuous in Cecilia, which upon the whole we esteem by much her
greatest performance. In Evelina she wrote more from inartificial
nature. And we are happy to observe in the present publication, that the
masculine sense, by which Miss Burney is distinguished, has raised her
almost wholly above these little errors. The style of Louisa is more
polished than that of Evelina, and more consonant to true taste than
that of Cecilia.

The principal story of Louisa, like that of Cecilia, is very simple, but
adorned with a thousand beautiful episodes. As the great action of the
latter is Cecilia's sacrifice of fortune to a virtuous and laudable
attachment, so that of the former is the sacrifice of rank, in the
marriage of the heroine to a young man of the most distinguished merit,
but neither conspicuous by birth, nor favoured by fortune. The event,
romantic and inconsistent with the manners of polished society as it may
appear, is introduced by such a train of incidents, that it is
impossible not to commend and admire the conduct of the heroine.

Her character is that of inflexible vivacity and wit, accompanied with a
spice of coquetry and affectation. And though this line of portrait
seemed exhaus