inclination of forming the leaft notion, or of making the leaft dif tinction (fo requifite in all cafes where the public tranquillity is concerned, to be made) between the falutarinefs of order, and the madnefs of anarchy." Let not our readers mistake either us or the author, nor fuppofe us capable of any inclination to that fyftem which would treat the people as a "fwinish multitude;" from the people all authority flows, as certainly as that all authority, without the power of the people to fupport it, would be nothing. To them inftruction is due ; it is an obligation on government to procure it for them; and, if they be ignorant and uninformed, the author lays the blame not on them, but on their rulers, who are refponfible as well for the defects as for the abuse of a national fyftem. That the penner of this addrefs is a true friend to the liberties of all mankind appears from many paff ages, but particularly from page 4, to which we refer the reader. He laments that he should be under the neceffity of taking it for a datum that the people are uninformed: but he thinks that they are fo in fact, and he confiders it as being as lamentable as it is true. He therefore condemns the forcible appeals made to them by the reformers, and obferves that the unlettered head and the unprincipled heart can have little occafion for any extraneous temptations' to mifchief. He fays that it is much easier to difturb than to reftore public quiet; and therefore he most earnestly entreats the friends of reform to beware how they fet in motion a body which may afterward baffle all their efforts to check or reftrain it. He expreffes his fears that even annual parliaments and univerfal reprefentation would prove an inadequate remedy for the cure of corruption; and he strengthens. the grounds of his fears on this head by the authority of Mr. Archdeacon Paley, who goes fo far as to doubt "whether the influence fo loudly complained of can be deftroyed, or even much diminished, without danger to the ftate;" adding that "many wife and virtuous politicians deem a confiderable portion of it to be a neceffary part of the British conftitution-to be that, indeed, which gives cohesion and folidity to the whole." Whether this be a libel on human nature, or on the constitution, or on both, we will leave it to the feelings and judgment of our readers to decide; our author fpeaks of it in these forcible terms-A forrowful reflection this, gentlemen, that the edifice of English liberty, which we vainly trufted had been founded on the rock of ages, fhould be indebted for its prefervation to the very nuifance we have fo long wifhed and fo repeatedly endeavoured to exterminate! When I behold fuch a temple polluted by fuch a reptile-fuch a glorious conftitution debased, and at the fame time confolidated by fuch a stain on its integrity, in the energetic language of Mr. Burke, I feel all the pride of power fink, and all prefumption in the wifdom of human contrivance melt and die away within me*? For our part, we have always reprobated the doctrine" that the end fanctifies the means"; we have ever confidered it as a departure from the law of morality; and we are very much difpofed to pro lonies.' Speech on moving his refolutions for conciliation with the co nounce that end not to be good, which can be attained only by wicked means. Could we bring ourselves to believe with Mr. Paley, that the British conftitution cannot be maintained without corruption, we would rather wish for its annihilation, than to fee it a living monument of the corrupt nature of man, triumphing over every moral obligation:-but we think better of human kind, and of our own countrymen in particular, to admit for a moment that, deaf to the voice of honour, reason, and duty, they would refuse even to do good without the inducement of a bribe; and therefore we reject with indignation the affertion that the British conftitution is to be kept together by corrupt influence only. Our author, with all his abilities, and they are certainly very powerful, does not appear to be entirely free from inconfiftency; for, though in page 17 he endeavours to imprefs on the minds of the friends of reform the melancholy but ufeful apprehenfion, that even annual parliaments and univerfal reprefentation may prove an inadequate remedy for the cure of corruption,' yet he afterward exhorts the reformers (pages 26-27) to state the extent of their object, to fhew that it is virtuous, that its accomplishment is poffible- In the purfuit thereof (says he,) be firm, be cautious, be perfevering, and you must carry your point at laft.' We wish to know of what use it would be to them, or to the public, to fucceed in carrying through parliament a measure that might prove inadequate to the cure of the diforder which it was its object to remove. The affociated Friends of the People, whom the author has principally in view, have repeatedly declared that the end, to which they directed their attention, was the deftruction of corruption in the house of commons; and the means by which they hoped to attain it-a reform of the reprefentation of the people in parliament. If fuch means cannot lead to fuch an end, and if the deftruction of corruption would be followed by the downfall of the British conftitution, why should he call on men to perfevere in a pursuit which has for its objects, the annihilation of former, and the falvation and stability of the latter? We will conclude our review of this address, which is unqueftion, ably a piece of good writing, with a fhort extract; in which the author deprecates, in terms equally energetic and patriotic, every meafure which by poffibility might lead to civil war in this country: England, Gentlemen, looks up to you with an imploring, but a fearful eye. She requests you to preferve her freedom, but the forbids you to disturb her peace. "Stand forward, my fons," the exclaims," in defence of my juft rights-ftem with determined vigor the baneful flood of corruption-fhew a noble firmnefs in refifting op preffion-fupport with patient and perfevering refolution freedom of enquiry, the liberty of the prefs, and all thofe conftitutional and ineftimable privileges which have raised me high above the nations of the earth-But, my fons! as you regard my welfare-as you value my bleffing-as you deprecate my curfe-beware how you wound me through the humbleft of my children! beware how you advance me to glory by fpilling the blood that, not shed in my defence, is fhed to my difhonour." Art, Art. 24. Hopes and Expectations, grounded on the present Situation of the Emigrant Members of the Roman Catholic Church, now refident in England. 8vo. 6d. Faulder. 1793. This writer appears to be animated with a truly christian hope that at least one happy consequence may attend the calamities brought on the church of France by the revolution: he thinks that, the emigrant clergy having experienced fo brotherly a reception in this country, and the afperity of controverfy being smoothed by humanity on one fide and gratitude on the other, the time is now come when an event long defired by the friends of peace and concord may at length take place a reunion in the Western church. As nothing, in our opinion, has been more injurious to the cause of christianity in general, than the multiplicity of religious fyftems founded on it, each affuming to itfelf the appellation of the pure and unadulterated doctrine of Christ, and dogmatically branding with the name of error or herefy every tenet that was not measured by its own particular standard, fo we think that an union between the great national churches of Europe might tend to fettle more firmly the belief of mankind in the mysteries of the christian religion. Unquestionably, the two brightest luminaries of the Western world were the churches of England and France; a divifion between bodies fo learned muft naturally have led many to fcepticism, as each reprobated that which the other moft revered; and thus an indifference about religion was infenfibly generated by the very controversies that had been fet on foot for the purpose of ascertaining which mode of worthipping the Almighty was moft conformable to his divine will revealed in holy writ; controverfies which, while they boafted that chriftian charity was their guide, clearly proved the extinction of it in the minds of the polemical writers, and the existence of a fpirit of rancour fubverfive of all religion. We fincerely wish that a reunion of the great western churches may be effected but we dare not hope for it; there is a degree of tenacity about man, which makes him backward to give up points for which he has long contended. The defired reunion cannot take place unless conceffions be made on one fide; it probably will be expected that they should be mutual: but our author feems to think, though he does not go fo far as to fay it in exprefs terms, that they ought to be all on one fide, and that the French clergy fhould concede every thing which has hitherto been the ground of feparation between the two churches: for he fays, (page 9) my hope is that they, whom we thus regard, may enter into a ferious and fevere confideration, whether the most eager adverfaries of our church, who in past times have stood forth against us, have ever been able to fix the charge of heresy upon us, with any fhew of colour. Whether they could ever make good and prove against us one point of deviation from the fundamental truths of chriftianity. Whether they could ever fhew one wrong definition in our mode of commenting the catholic creed.' From this it is pretty evident that the church of England, if the author be right, has ever poffeffed infallibility de facto, though the laid no claim to it dejure, if be true that he has not been wrong in one fingle point fince the day of her establishment to the prefent. It is not poffible, then, that the should make any conceffions; nay it would be abfurd to expect that Ii 4 right right should concede to wrong. How, then, is the reunion to be effected? We fee but one way, and that is a complete abjuration on the part of the French clergy of all the articles of their faith, in which they have hitherto differed from the church of England. Is it likely that they will confent to an union on those terms? Would it be generous to require it under their prefent circumstances? Abjuration of error fhould be the refult of conviction, not a facrifice to gratitude. It would not be reputable in us to fay-" Gentlemen, when you fled from perfecution we opened to you a hofpitable afylum in this country; we lodged, we clothed, and we fed you; in return, all we afk is that you will renounce your faith, and join our commu. nion." For our part, we think that converfions under fuch circumftances might well be fufpected of infincerity, and ought rather to be discountenanced than encouraged. If a man, in his conscience, feels that he has lived in error, let him in God's name renounce it : but let us not tempt neceffitous men to act in oppofition to their confcience, for the fake of a miferable fubfiftence. We do not mean to throw the leaft imputation on the moral principles of the French clergy; if they, for confcience fake, have renounced their establishments, their relations, their friends, and their country, it is not likely that they would facrifice that confcience for a pittance in a foreign land, when, by a fimilar facrifice, they might have retained the comforts of life in their own. Still we would not lead them into temptation; particularly we would not call on them to embrace our doctrine, while they felt themselves actuated by a fenfe of obligation.. As funshine was more powerful than the wind to make the traveller throw off his great coat, fo gratitude might have more force than argument in the cafe to which our author alludes; and it is a cafe in which we would leave argument alone to decide. AFFAIRS OF FRANCE. Art. 25. A Tour through the Theatre of the War, in the Months of November and December, 1792, and January, 1793. Interfperfed with Military and other Anecdotes. To which is fubjoined an exact and authentic Account of the Death of Louis XVI. The Second Edition. 8vo. 3. Bew. In our Review for April laft, we gave an account of this entertaining tour, from the former edition. The author has now given an Appendix, containing a statement of the temper and refources of the French nation, at the commencement of hoftilities between France and England; with fome confiderations on the relative fituation of the two countries.' The chief points of his prefent inveftigation are the fuppofed want of hands to cultivate the lands in France; the inattention of the French to agriculture; their atheism; their indifcriminating cruelty; the fmallness of the republican party; and their want of refources of every kind :' on these general heads, the articles of belief, in our political creed, are freely examined, and declared to be erroneous. If this mifbelief, he obferves, • did not influence our actions, its importance would be nothing; but unfortu nately, by encouraging our temerity, it becomes a creed, which, if perfevered in, may chance to damn the nation.' He proceedsAvailing myself, therefore, of a very long and intimate acquaint ance reader ance with our rival nation, I fhall endeavour to present to my the real state of the above particulars, at the moment when this deplorable war broke out, and when I was ftill in France; leaving him to allow for posterior occurrences.'- Need 'we add that the author is no friend to the prefent prevailing fyftem. He writes, however, whether party-man or not, like a perfon of good fenfe and obfervation. THEOLOGY, &c. Art. 26. The Chriftian's Confolation in the Hour of Domeflic Diftrefs. A Difcourfe read to the Author's Family, foon after the Death of a beloved and most affectionate Wife, who died in Childbed. By a Layman. 8vo. Is. Rivingtons. 1793. The value of religious confolation is never more powerfully experienced, than on fuch occafions as that which produced the prefent difcourfe. The genuine fentiments of chriftian piety, as well as the tender forrow and regret of conjugal affection, mourning the lofs of its beloved object, are here expreffed in ftrong but natural and unaffected language. The pamphlet will be read with fympathetic pleasure by thofe who have experienced, or are capable of conceiving, the feelings by which it was dictated.-The profits, if any, arifing from the circulation of this difcourfe, are intended for a charitable purpose. LAW. Art. 27: A Letter to the Right Hon. William Pitt, upon the proposed Tax on the Admiffion of Attornies. 8vo. 6d. Ramlay. This writer's objections to that part of the propofed tax, which makes it necessary for every attorney now articled to pay 100l. on his admission to practice, are removed by the minister's having fince difpenfed with that particular. The tax will now only affect those who may be articled after the paffing of the act; as it flood before, it had an ex poft facto operation. The author contends, with much fpirit, that it is inexpedient to ftigmatize a whole body, because fome corrupt members may be found among them; and points out the advantages refulting from the punishment of the criminal, as fuperior to those which may be expected from fuch an attempt to prevent crimes. Art. 28. The Trial of Daniel Ifaac Eaton, for publishing a fuppofed Libel, entitled Politics for the People; or, Hog's Wath: at Juftice Hall in the Old Bailey, February twenty-fourth, 1794. 8vo. pp. 62. 1. Eaton. The firft count, on which the defendant was indicted, charges him with having grossly libelled his majefty, under the character of a game cock, a haughty, fanguinary tyrant, nurfed in blood and flaughter from his infancy; fond of wars and rebellions, into which he would fometimes drive his fubjects by his oppreffive obftinacy, &c. Another count contained the following expreffions : Kings are wolf fhepherds; Homer ftiles them devourers of the people; and they do not appear to have loft their original tafte.' Mr. Fielding and Mr. Gurney very ably supported their respective fides, the former as counfel for the profecution, the latter for the prifoner. The jury retired for an hour, and then brought in a verdict of Not Guilty, Art. |