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The Freemasons' Magazine, And Cabinet Of Universal Literature,
THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE , AND CABINET OF UNIVERSAL LITERATURE ,
FOR DECEMBER 1796 . BRIEF MEMOIRS OF - MARIE ANTOINETTE , LATE QUEEN OF FRANCE ,
WITH A PORTRAIT .
'"THE history of exalted Characters has ever been sought after with £ - avidity , and regarded as one source of useful knowledge ; but it has not often been in the power of cotempontries to examine their actions with that candour , impartiality , and precision , which falls to the lot of posterity . Time removes the veil which covers the designs of the great , and exposes them to the eyes of mankind in their true colours . Placed so near the period when the unfortunate Queen
, who is the subject of these brief Memoirs , shone forth in meridian splendour , and still nearer to the time when she fell a victim to the sanguinary decrees of a set " of monsters , lusting for murder and de- > li g hting in blood , the difficjlties that oppose our endeavours to form a true estimate of her character , are in a manner insurmountable ; and we must , therefore , content ourselves with sketching a mere outline
of the most conspicuous parts of her life , leaving the minuter examina-. tion of them to that solemn tribunal of posterity , which will judge with equal impartiality of virtues or of crimes . Marie Antoinette was the daughter of the illustrious Maria Theresa , Empress of Germany ; a woman whose ambition at one time aspired to annex the greater part of Germany , together with the
kingdoms of Prussia and Poland , to the hereditary Dominions of the House of Austria . These bold attempts , however , were in the event , entirely frustrated by the warlike and persevering genius of the immortal Frederick , aided by the vast resources of Great Britain . It has been veiv justly observed , that children often partake of the virtues or vices of their parents ; and in no instance d ' je . g this observe
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Freemasons' Magazine, And Cabinet Of Universal Literature,
THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE , AND CABINET OF UNIVERSAL LITERATURE ,
FOR DECEMBER 1796 . BRIEF MEMOIRS OF - MARIE ANTOINETTE , LATE QUEEN OF FRANCE ,
WITH A PORTRAIT .
'"THE history of exalted Characters has ever been sought after with £ - avidity , and regarded as one source of useful knowledge ; but it has not often been in the power of cotempontries to examine their actions with that candour , impartiality , and precision , which falls to the lot of posterity . Time removes the veil which covers the designs of the great , and exposes them to the eyes of mankind in their true colours . Placed so near the period when the unfortunate Queen
, who is the subject of these brief Memoirs , shone forth in meridian splendour , and still nearer to the time when she fell a victim to the sanguinary decrees of a set " of monsters , lusting for murder and de- > li g hting in blood , the difficjlties that oppose our endeavours to form a true estimate of her character , are in a manner insurmountable ; and we must , therefore , content ourselves with sketching a mere outline
of the most conspicuous parts of her life , leaving the minuter examina-. tion of them to that solemn tribunal of posterity , which will judge with equal impartiality of virtues or of crimes . Marie Antoinette was the daughter of the illustrious Maria Theresa , Empress of Germany ; a woman whose ambition at one time aspired to annex the greater part of Germany , together with the
kingdoms of Prussia and Poland , to the hereditary Dominions of the House of Austria . These bold attempts , however , were in the event , entirely frustrated by the warlike and persevering genius of the immortal Frederick , aided by the vast resources of Great Britain . It has been veiv justly observed , that children often partake of the virtues or vices of their parents ; and in no instance d ' je . g this observe