THE EUROPEAN MAGAZINE, AND LONDON REVI E W, For FEBRUARY 1793. JEA MEMOIRS OF M. MOSNIER, PEINTRE DU ROI. EAN LAURENT MOSNIER, Painter to the late unfortunate and masacred Louis XVI. King of France, was born at Paris in 1743, and exhibited his firft Picture at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in that metropolis in 1786. It was à Portrait of himself and of his wife. He was admitted a Member of that ingenious body in 1788, and prefented the Academy with the Portraits of M. Lagrenee, Director of the French Academy of Rome, and of Mr. Bridaut, Sculptor, as his Reception Pictures. M. Mofnier had the honour to paint the Portrait of the beautiful and unfortunate Marie Antoinette, the prefent Queen of France. This Picture was much efteemed by the Connoiffeurs, as well as thofe he painted of the Duc and Ducheffe de Beaufort, and of M. le Baron de Breteuil, the late War Minister of France. The Picture, how ever, of M. Mofnier's that appears to have given the greatest fatisfaction to the judges of art of any of his productions, is that of a Girl with a straw hat. It was exhibited in the faloon of the French Academy in 1789, and in that of our Royal Academy in 1791. It has fince been purchased for a confiderable fum of money by that excel lent Connoiffeur the Duke of Dorfet. M. Mofnier was married in 1786 to a very ex. cellent and amiable Frenchwoman, of the name of Pafquier, a name well known to the French lawyers. M. Mofnier, on the breaking out of the prefent troubles in France, took refuge in this country, as the happy feat of liberty, opulence, and munificence; and, as if compelled by the genius of the place, took up his firft refidence in Το SIR, To the EDITOR of the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. As a Collector for the Public of what is curious, I am surprised you have not, as most of the newfpapers and fone of your competitors have done, reprinted the extraordinary completion of a Prophecy in the Revelations, originally pointed out in THE WHITEHALL EVENING POST of the 15th of January 1793, from a religious difcourfe by Robert Fleming, V.D M. printed by Andrew Bell, Cornhill, 8vo. 1701. The coincidence of circumstances is very remarkable. On the fubject of the pouring out of the fourth phial, p. 68, he fays, "So that there is ground to hope, that about the beginning of another fuch century things may again alter for the better: for I cannot but hope that fome new mortification of the chief fupporters of Anti-chrift will then happen; and perhaps the French Monarchy may begin to be confiderably humbled about that time: that whereas the prefent French King takes the fun for his emblem and this for his mottoNec pluribus impar, he may at length, or rather his fucceffors, and the Monarchy itself (at least before the year 1794), be forced to acknowledge that (in refpect to neighbouring Potentates) he is even fingulis impar. gave his fpeculations of what is fu ture no higher character than gucffes;" and at p. 74, he adds, "Therefore in the fourth and laft place we may juftly fuppofe, that the French Monarchy, after it has fcorched others, will itself confume by doing fo; its fire, and that which is the fuel that maintains it, wafting infenfibly till it be exhaufted at laft towards the end of this century, as the Spanish Monarchy did before, towards the end of the fixteenth age.' "But as to the expiration of this phial, I do fear it will not be until the year 1794. The reafon of which conjecture is this, that I find the Pope got a new foundation of exaltation when Juftinian, upon his conqueft of Italy, left it in a great meafure to the Pope's management, being willing to eclipfe his own authority to advance that of this haughty Prelate. Now this being in the year 552, this, by the addition of the 1260 years, reaches down to the year 1811; which, according to prophetical account, is the year 1794. And then I do fuppofe the fourth phial will end, and the fifth commence, by a new mortification of the Papacy, after this phial has lafted 118 vears; which indeed is long in comparifon with the former phials; but if it be confidered in relation to the fourth, fifth, and fixth trumpets, it is but fhort, fecing the fourth afted 190 years, the fifth 302, and the fixth 393. It fou!! be obferved of this author, that he in mediately fubjoins, that he Concerning the author of this work fome enquiries have been made, but without much fuccefs. The little I have been able to collect is as follows: That he was a Diffenting Divine in the city of London, and, by the dedication of the before-cited volume to John Lord Carmichael, Principal Secretary of State for the kingdom of Scotland, appears to have been related to his Lordthip, by whom he had been defigned for the office of Principal of the College of Glafgow, which preferment he had declined. His principles of Non-conformity were moderate, and his Chriftian fentiments might be recommended to the prefent race of Diffenters. In an Addrefs to a fubfequent work he fays, "And furely it must be pure malice in itself, that can incite any man fo much as to infinuate, that I am for any material change in the Established Church any more than in the State. I were not indeed a Diffenter from it, if I did not think that forme circumftantials might be altered for the better. But feeing the guides thereof are of another mind, I can differ from them in fuch circumftantials and ceremonials, and yet honour and efteem them in other refpecs: for I am fure I agree with them in all the effentials of the Chriftian Faith, which I am more concerned for a thoufand times over than the rituals of any party what foever." I have not been able to learn when he died. He was the author of feveral works. The following is as full a lift as can be at prefent obtained. 1. The Mirror of Divine Love Unvailed, 8vo. 1691; in which is contained a dramatic poem entitled, "The Monarchical Image, or Nebuchadnezzar's Dream." 2. Theocraty, or the Divine Government vernment of Nations, &c. dedicated to King William. 3. A Practical Difcourfe occafioned by the Death of King William, wherein a character of him is given. To which is added, a poetical Effay on his Me mo.v. 4. Chriftology: A Difcourfe concerning Chrift; confidered, ift, In himfelf; 2d, In his Government; and, 3d, In relation to his Subjects and their Duty to him. In Six Books. Being a new Effay towards a farther revival and Re-introduction of Primitive Scriptural Divinity by way of fpecimen. Dedicated to Queen Anne. 8vo. 5. Difcourfes on feveral Subjects. The firft, containing an account of the Rife and Fall of Papacy.-The fecond, upon God's Dwelling with Men.-The third, concerning the Ministerial Office. SIR, The fourth, being a brief account of Religion as it centers in the Lord Jefus Chrift, 8vo. 1701. 6. The Rod or the Sword, the prefent Dilemma of thefe Nations, &c. 7. Seculum Davidicum Redivivum, or the Divine Right of the Revolution Evinced and Applied; in a Difcourfe occafioned by the late glorious Victory at Ramilly, and the other Succeffes of the Arms of her Majefty and her Allies in the Spanish Netherlands, under the command of his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, and by the other Succeffes in Spain under the conduct of the Earls of Peterborough and Galloway. The fum whereof was delivered in a Sermon on the general Thanksgiving Day, June 26, 1706; 8vo. 1706. I am, &c. To the EDITOR of the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE. C. D. the free and equal principle of the very Government which he adminiftered. PUBLICOLA in his laft Paper printed in the Bofton Columbian Centinel, where t whole first appeared, writes, "The Papers under the fignature of PUBLICOLA have called forth a torrent of abufe, not upon the real author, nor upon the fentiments they exprefs; but upon a fuppofed author, and fuppofed feutiments. With respect to the author, not one of the conjectures that have appeared in the public prints has been well grounded. The Vice-Prefident neither wrote nor corrected them; he did not give his fanction to an individual fentiment contained in them, nor did they go to the Prefs under the affumed patronage of his Son." I HAVE before me a pamphlet entitled "An Answer to Paine's Rights of Man, by John Adams, Efq. originally printed in America." FaYour me with a little room in your Magazine to acquaint the Public, in jftice to my friend Mr. John Adams, that the Anfwer, I apprehend, is no other than a number of publications figned PUBLICOLA, published in the Gazette of the United States, vol. III. between June 8th and August 6th inclufive, 1791. July 23d, 1791, the Gazette republished from Dunlap's American Daily Advertifer a Paper figned AGRICOLA against PUBLICOLA, in which the former firongly infinuates that PUBICOLA was no other than the Vice-Prefident, John Adams, Eiq. whom he virulently charges with emploring his whole force of art, genius, and erudition, in direct oppofition to ANECDOTES of the LAST TWENTY-FOUR HOURS of the LIFE of LOUIS the SIXTEENTH. HAVING promifed to you a full ac count of what paffed previous to the Murder of His Molt Chriftian Majefty, as foon as authentic details of those melancholy fcenes could be procured, I now tranimit them to you, under the fanction of the most refpectable authorities. On the 20th of January, near four o'clock of the afternoon, the King, after hearing the Sentence of Death, obtained permiffion to fee his Wife, his Sifter, and his Children, who were entirely ignorant Feb. 13, 1793. I am, &c. H. of his approaching fate. When His Majefty entered their apartment, these unfortunate Princefles were induced from the ferene and tranquil air of the King to imagine that he came to announce.19. them his acquittal, and they gave hole to the joy fuch a hope would naturally create in them; but His Majefty foon informed them of their error, and acquainted them, that, on the contrary, he was come to take his latt farewell of them. I shall not attempt to defcribe the defpair pair of the auguft fufferers. The Queen, The King paffed two hours with his Family: it was for the first time fince his imprisonment that he had been allowed to fee them without witneffes. Dreadful indeed was the moment in which he tore himself from them, although they hoped to fee him once more on the following morning. The Queen, delirious and conyulfed, embraced the King's ces with fo much violence, that two men obliged to use all their force to tear the King from her arms. Madame Elizabeth and the Dauphin iay extended on the ground at his feet, uttering the most dreadful fcreams: Madame Royale fenfelefs on her bed. Such was the fituation of this family when His Majefty took his laft farewell of them! were The King returned to his apartment without uttering a fingle word. His face was hid in his hand. On entering it, he flung himself directly on his knees, and paffed almost the whole evening in prayrs. He undrelled, and went to bed at midnight, and flept for fome hours. When his Valet-de-Chambre entered his apartment the next morning drowned in tears, the King took him by the hand and faid, "You are in the wrong, Cleri, to be thus affected; thofe, whoje kindness fill induces them to love me, ought rather to rejoice that I am at laft arrived at the end of all my fufferings." He then prayed again to God, and at eight o'clock he was informed that all was ready. He walked with a steady ftep through the different Courts, and often turned his eyes towards the Tower which contained his Wife and Children. He then made a kind of convulfive motion, as if to recall his firmness, and got into the Carriage of the Mayor, with his Confeffor and two Officers of the Gendarmerie Nationale, who had orders to put him to death, if they faw the leaft popular tumult in his favour. The road from the Temple to the Place Louis XV. which is near three miles, was lined with troops four deep, and with out any intervals. On every countenance was difmay, and fome wept; but tears were the only marks of pity they gave to the unparalleled misfortunes of the most virtuous amongst the 66 Kings who have governed France. The King was two hours in going from the Temple to the place of execution; during this time he talked to his Confeffor, and repeated from a book the prayers appropriated to those who are at the last agony. When he arrived at the scaffold, as his prayers were not ended, he finished them with great tranquillity; got out of the carriage with a calm and ferene counte nance; took off his great coat, undid his ftock, and opened his thirt in such a manner, as to leave bare his neck and shoulders; and then knelt down to receive the laft Bleffing of his Confeffor. That over, he got up, and mounted the fcaffold without any affiftance. It was in that moment of horror that his Confeffor, infpired by the fublime courage and virtue of the King, flung himself on his knees, his hands and eyes elevated towards him, and cried with a loud voice," Son of St. Louis, you afcend to Heaven?" When the King was on the fcaffold, he faid he wanted to speak to the people. The three Soldiers who were to put him to death (for the common Executioners had refuted the office) informed him, that it was first of all neceffary to tie his hands and cut off his hair.--" Tie my hands!” exclaimed the King, with fome anger; but recollecting himself he added, "do what you please 'tis the laft facrifice."-When His Majefty's hair was cut off, and his hands tied, he faid, "I bope at present I may speak?" and immediately going to the left of the fatal inftrument, he or dered, with a firm and elevated voice, the drummers who furrounded the scaffold, to be filent: from an involuntary fenti, ment of respect, they immediately obeyed this laft order of their King. He pro fited of that moment to fay—" I die perfectly innocent of all the pretended crimes which are laid to my charge-I forgive those who bave caused my misfortunes-I even hope that the bedding of my blood may be useful to the happiness of France i and |