A GREAT FAVORITE WITH THE ARABS.

463

of fiction, the beauties of which can scarcely be appreciated by an European. The late enterprising traveller, John Lewis Burckhardt, during his residence in Syria, amused himself by translating "Robinson Crusoe" into the Arabic, in order to facilitate his acquaintance with the language. (P) “While he was composing it, he used to read passages of his work to his Arab friends, when they came to sit at his gate in the cool hours of evening; and the most learned and the most ignorant of them, says he, expressed great delight and admiration. The most bigotted lovers of Oriental literature could not help confessing, that the Frankish story-teller had afforded them as much amusement as the historian of Sinbad, without ever having recourse to anything in the smallest degree improbable, and without ever writing one sentence less pregnant with instruction than amusement."*

That a work of so much celebrity, and so well calculated to please the taste of a numerous class of readers, should meet with imitations, was to be expected; and no less so, that they should all have been left in the back ground. The first candidate for rivalship, was "The Hermit: or the unparalleled Sufferings and surprising Adventures of Mr. Philip Quarll, an Englishman; who was lately discovered by Mr. Dorrington, a British Merchant, upon an uninhabited Island in the South Sea; where he has lived above Fifty years without any human assistance, still continues to reside, and will not come away. Containing-1. His

(P) Writing from Aleppo, July 2, 1810, he says, "I have for some time past been engaged in an Arabic exercise, which has proved of great utility to me; it is the metamorphosis of the well-known novel of Robinson Crusoe,' into an Arabian tale, adapted to Eastern taste and manners, A young Frank, born at Aleppo, who speaks Arabic like a native, but who neither reads nor writes it, has been my assistant in the undertaking. I take the liberty of sending you here enclosed a copy of this travestied Robinson, or as I call the book in Arabic, Dur el Bakur, the Pearl of the Seas." -Burckhardt's Travels in Nubia, p. 28.

*Pref. to Cadell's ed. iii.

464

PROFESSOR CAMPE'S FRENCH WORK.

Conferences with those who found him out, to whom he recites the most material circumstances of his life; as, that he was born in the parish of St. Giles's, educated by the charitable Contribution of a Lady, and put 'Prentice to a Lock-smith. II. How he left his Master and was taken up with a notoribus Housebreaker, who was hanged; how, after his Escape, he went to Sea a Cabin-boy, married a famous Whore, listed himself a common Soldier, turned Singingmaster, and married three Wives, for which he was tried and condemned at the Old Bailey. III. How he was pardoned by King Charles, II., turned Merchant, and was shipwrecked on this desolate Island, on the Coast of Mexico. With a curious Map of the Island, and other Cuts. Westminster: printed for T. Warner, &c. 1727." 8vo. This was the first edition of a work which has been often printed upon coarse paper for the common people, but never attained to any reputation. It is characterised by Dr. Beattie, as a paltry imitation of "Robinson Crusoe;" and it requires but little discernment to appreciate the justice of his remark. The preface sufficiently shews that it was suggested by envy at the popularity of De Foe's writings, which the author vainly imagined to supersede by his own lucubrations.

There have been also several imitations of the work, with the same title, of which the best, perhaps, is that of Mons. Campe, a Frenchman, who, taking some hints from Rousseau, composed a story upon the model of De Foe's romance, in which he professed to develope the resources of nature to a greater extent than had been done by the original writer. His work is cast in dialogues, and split into portions, adapted to evening conversations. One object of the writer was, to expunge from it every thing offensive to Catholics, that it might receive no obstruction from persons whose tenacity might lead them to reject it upon that account. It has accordingly been popular upon the continent, and translated

SPANISH AND LATIN TRANSLATIONS.

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into most of its languages, that of Spain amongst the rest; it being the only version of Crusoe that is allowed to circulate in that country. (Q) There is an English translation, which has been often printed under the title of "The New Robinson Crusoe," which has been likewise altered; the colloquy being dropped, and the story thrown into a continued narrative. Of late years, an attempt has been made to render it a class-book for schools, both upon the continent and in England. For this purpose, it was turned into Latin by Professor Goffaux, chiefly from Campe's work. The difficulty of such an undertaking must be very apparent; but it is upon the whole well executed; the style is pure, neat and simple; and the subject being attractive, it is calculated to awaken the attention of the young, during the hours of recreation. Another imitation in the French language, in which the hero is a Frenchman, was published in Switzerland, under the following title: "La Robinson Français ou l'histoire d'une Famille Francoise habitant une isle de la mer du sud."

Like most of its fellows, it is made up of imaginary voyages, and marvellous adventures. But, instead of making its hero a solitary being, upon a desart island, whither he arrived through hair-breadth escapes, it places him upon a beautiful and fertile spot, finds him a partner, and peoples

(9) It is intitled, "El Nuevo Robinson, Historia Moral, Reducida a Dialogo para instruccion y entretenimento de Niños y Jóvenes de ambos sexôs: Escrita recentimente en Aleman Por el Señor Campe, Traducida al Ingles, al Italiano, y al Frances, y de éste al Castellano con varias correcciones. Por D. Tomas De Yriarte. Con las Licencias Necesarias. En Madrid: En la Imprenta de Benito Cano. Ano de 1789." 2 Tom. 12mo. Cuts. Yriarte, the translator, prefixed an original preface, in which he claimed for his countrymen the honour of furnishing the model for this ingenious work. The story is that of Peter Serrano, who lived seven years on a sandy island upon the coast of Peru: the particulars of which are to be found in the Royal Commentaries of Garcilasso De La Vega, from which work he produces an extract to justify his conjecture.

466

FRENCH TRANSLATIONS.

the island with his progeny. The morality of the work, however, is strictly attended to, and it is in some respects an agreeable performance. Amongst the varieties of the French press, is an edition of "Robinson Crusoe," with an interlineary translation by Mad. Montmorency Lavale, printed at her own house, in two volumes octavo. It bears the following title: "La Vie, et les tres surprennantes Aventures de Robinson Crusoe, en Anglais. Avec la Traduction Francaise interlineaire. Par G. E. J. M. L. 2 tom. a Dampierre. 1797." It is said, that only twenty-five copies were printed of this work, all upon fine Dutch writing-paper.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Account of Dickory Cronke.-Plausibility of De Foe's Narratives.-His Knowledge of Nautical Affairs.-He publishes the "Life and Piracies of Captain Singleton."-Account of the Work.-His "History of Duncan Campbell."-Fortune-Tellers of the Day.-Spy upon the Conjuror.-The Dumb Projector.-The Friendly Damon.-The Loadstone and Powder of Sympathy.-Campbell turned Doctor.-The Supernatural Philosopher.— Notice of William Bond.-Death of Duncan Campbell.—“ Secret Memoirs of the late Mr. Duncan Campbell."-De Foe's " Poem upon Painting." -Various Translations of Du Fresnoy's Work.-" Christian Conversation, in Six Dialogues."

1719-1720.

THE success of " Robinson Crusoe, " encouraged our author to persevere in the new line he had marked out for himself; and the fertility of his invention enabled him to supply the public with a series of works, as various in their nature, as they are ingenious in their contrivance.

The same year that produced his master-piece, gave birth to "The Dumb Philosopher; or, Great Britain's Wonder. Containing, I. A faithful and very surprizing Account how DICKORY CRON KE, a Tinner's son in the County of Cornwall, who was born Dumb, and continued so for 58 years; and how some days before he died, he came to his Speech; with Memoirs of his Life, and the Manner of his Death. II. A Declaration of his Faith and Principles in Religion: with a Collection of Select Meditations, composed in his Retirement. III. His Prophetical Observations upon the Affairs of Europe, more particularly of Great Britain, from