was a man who could challenge this proportion loft its popularity under honour to himself, I believe it to be Louis XIV. by the bad management him and if there exifts a man capable of the revenues, by the opprelive of giving an impartial and candid hi- taxes, and fcandalous morals of the tory of the dreadful convulfious of his princes, and the greatest part of his country, it is he. In the beginning of courtiers. He refolved to put an end the Revolution, he took a very active to the power of the courts of justice; part; and though his exertions, firft to but it was in order to fave a guilty perrender his country free, and thus to fon, and the public opinion was in their preferve it from falling into anarchy, favour. Louis XVI. yielding to the were unfuccefsful, all impartial men intreaties of thofe about him, was fo have mentioned his labours with their imprudent as to re-eftablith them. fulleft approbation. His conduct has With the pureft intentious, he had no been much misreprefented; but his firmness in the execution of his plans. numerous works are the belt aufwer The virtuous Truget was facrificed to and ampleft proof of his integrity and the clamours of parliaments and privicare, and of the juftice and impartiality liged individuals. Necker, who wished of his principles. It can carcely now the legiflature might no longer have to be doubted, that had the King, and compound with 13 parliaments, and all thofe members of the affembly who laboured to refiore economy, was dewere really well difpofed, had the vi- prived of his uruation, notwithstanding gour to follow his advice and example, the general efieem which he enjoyed. which they fully approved, France The Aflembly of the Notables, comwould have foon been delivered from pofed as the belt manner to reduce the the influence of thofe fanguinary mon- intereft of the crown, was hofile, and fters, whole triumph has been fo fatal by no means concealed its difalfection. to that country, and to Europe." (p. xii- Calonne was difinifted, and Brienne xviii) M. Mounier's object is, to fhew, fucceeded; but could not force them to that the Revolution, and all the crimes fanction new taxes. The States Genewhich it has produced, are not to be ral were called; but they were about attributed to modern Philofophers, to become difpenfers of the whole Freematons, and the Illuminati. True public revenues, and confequently malPhilofophers have conferred many be- ters of the main fprings of authority. nefits and improvements on France, The whole nation demanded that they but not completely fo. The fall of the, fhould be periodical, and fhare the leantient government was preceded by giflative authority with the King, and a flow and gradual diminution of the that the minifter Thould be refpontible. authority of the monarch. The higher If the Prince had conducted himtelf courts of justice were become the rivals with firmness and prudence, the moof the throne, after having been the in-narchy might have efcaped deftruction ; ftruments of its power; they had fuc- but minitiors undertook to refiore the ceeded in forming themfelves into in- King to unlimited power; and they faw dependent bodies, in referving to them-the clergy, nobility, metropolis," and felves the choice of their members, as majority of the towns, and even a great well as the inveftigation of the charges number of the country, declare againft browht against them. The edicts pub- them, The French had for a long lifhed by the prince did not become time beer lovers of liberty, without an laws but by their approbation. They exact knowledge of it. As a proof obeved thefe laws only fo far as they that the Revolution was not the refult thought proper. They made laws of a confpiracy, nobody in France without waiting for the King's appro- thought, in 1787, of the means of bation. They punified fuch of his changing the government; nor did the agents as refuted to acknowledge their committee, in the houfe of baron Holfupremacy. They could, without dan bach, meet with fuch views; nor the ger, violate all the forms which pro- economilis, who placed a fingle tax on tected innocence, when they were de- land;. nor the friends of the blacks; ciding for their own intereft, against nor those who extolled the principles of perious who expofed themfelyes to their the British Confiitation; nor Rouleau, batred, by contefting the legitimacy of who conûdered the English as flaves; their powers They had acquired ge- and even the illuftrious Montefquien, neral popularity by refifting the new have been confidered as confpirators. axes; and the royal authority had in Voltaire cannot be thought a friend to

liberty.

64

liberty. Irreligion is not allowed to be a caufe of the Revolution But one caufe is faid to be the rage of genealogies, and the great number of falle certificates of nobility that were purchafed; and nobody was prefented to the king but fuch as could give proofs of nobility from the year 1400 and thefe new rezulations were extended to the army and clergy. "At this lati period of aflembling the States General, 1789, the fituation of the finances giving them more authority than they have ever exereifed, and the progress of fcience and induftry affording to the commons the means of rivalling the nobility, by not granting them a double reprefentation, and by making them deliberate feparately, the fame misfortune would have occurred from which the union of the orders has not been able to deliver France, and from which, perhaps, it might have fecured it had it not been for other caufes." (p. 80.)

"The king's minifiers did not calculate the confequences of the double reprefentation, nor force that it would bring about the forced coalition of the clergy and nobility. They took no meatures to direct the votes of the elec-, tors, to agree beforehand with the moft enlightened deputies, to keep out or to gain over fuch as were dangerous. They allowed all the deputies to arrive at Verfailles, and opened the States General before the forms of their deliberations had been determined on, though they were informed that the one party had folemnly engaged to count the Votes by number, and the other by order: they did not even feem to suspect the volcanes which were burning round them. The too great number of deputies, the too great publicity of the difcutions, were not the fault of the king's minifters in particular. What man, in the midft of the political troubies of France, and of the numberlefs difliculties which every day prefented them felves, could have flattered himfelf he was infallible? I do not mean entirely to exculpate M. Necker: I am convinced he was at the bottom of his heart inclined to place the monarch at the head of the popular party, which would have been the only nieans of fafety both for the prince and the proprietors of every clafs, which would have infured the friends of liberty the means of obtaining it, and have rallied them all in favour of the royal authority against the partizans of anarchy;

but he probably faw too many obftacles notwithstanding the king's goodnets of heart, who was deceived by falfe reports, and was too indecifive in his refolutions. He then abandoned the National Affeably to the fhocks of its contending elements. He had too much confidence in his own talents. credit, and popularity, an ephemeral advantage which he hoped to maintain, and confidered as the certain means of calming every form. When the troubles increated, he knew no other means but that of appealing to the confcience of the demagogues, on which he vainly endeavoured to excite re:norie; he always advited yielding to them in the moment of danger," (pp. 86, 87.)

"The want of plan, of which the whole council of Louis XVI. might be accufed, is one of the principal canfes of the misfortunes of Primes, and that of which the left is faid. By a variety of contradictory meatures the toval nuthority was Foll. By fittering the hopes of every party, by forouring and abandoning them by turns, the adminitration rendered Vain all the efforts of the fe who withed to ferve, and encouraged thofe who withed their roin. (p. 89.) The confequences of this weaknefs, and the exceces of an armed mob, are well reprefented. "Let thofe, who may flid with in different fates of Europe for fudden and violent changes in their inflitutions, well confider that, in the midft of luxury, corruption, and egoiifim, nothing can preferve them from the evils France has foffered." (p. 107) "We have feen among the partizans of abfolute monarchy perfons formerly known for their attachment to the opinions of the most celebrated philofophers of the age, as we have found in the number of the oft factious, perfons who till that time had appeared zealous for the effablished religion and fubmillion to the authority of the monarch. But it may be faid in general of thole who have diftinguithed themfelses by a love of liberty, feigned or fincere. that their errors or their crimes have been, as might be expected, in the inverfe ratio of their knowledge. What fort of philofophers were Robespierre, Petion, and fome other fanatics, who from the first days of the National, Aflembly incited the people to every excels, and food forth the defenders of robbery and of murder? What fort of philofophers were those tyrants united in a committee, ami de

livering

430

Review of New Publications.

livering over every day to their executioners a great number of innocent victims, deftroying all means of education, fending indifcriminately to the fcaffold old men, women, aud children, fparing neither talents nor learning, youth nor beauty? Will it be faid, that in this fierce delirium they exaggerated certain errors of fome modern philofophers? Yes, as the authors of the matfacre of St. Bartholomew exaggerated the errors of fome theologians. But what ought we to conclude from hence, unlefs that the moft dreadful calamities which can betal a people in a political revolution is to fee power ufurped by wretches without experience, and void of any principles of morality and religion, who appropriate to themselves in the different fyfiems, as venomous reptiles in the juice of vegetables, whatever cau be turned into poifon." (pp. 111, 112.)

[May,

advantages which procure influence, become motives of profcription, merely becaufe the perfons who poffefled them did not belong to their feet, and might one day obtain the affections of the people." (p. 120.) Yet M. Mounier diftinguifles Jacobinism from democracy,

dicate Freemafous from the charge of He proceeds in a fecond part to vinbeing acceffary to the Revolution." All that he fay about the origin of Freemafonry ferves but to let it in a moft ridiculous light; but this will never prove that a feet, where mytery and fecrecy are indifpentible requifites, may not be perverted to the work of purpoïes; nor will it be eafy to vindicate empirics of various natious rom a charge of grofs violation of decency. We shall leave his readers to reconcile his atfert on, p. 139, that "it is, more efpecially in the prefent century, that quacks or fools, maintaining that they alone enjoy it, fhunning the light of feience, and have theltered themfelves in the fhades of Freemafonry, in order to deceive fome dupes and ignorant perfons by their impoftures and their lies," with his perfuafion, p. 149, "that fecret focieties are dangerous," and with the tenets/ fpecified by him as profefled in various lodges; or that the Duke of Orleans was at the head of one merely from their fonducts of feeing at their head a man of illuftrious rank notwithftanding their pretended zeal for equality.

Whatever M. Mounier collects in vindication of philofophers from having had any fhare in the French revolution, he cannot conceal the true character of the Jacobins, a fet of men who, in 1790, "wifhed to prepare France for great changes, formed in the metropolis a fociety in order to deliberate on public affairs, and affembled in a convent of religious perfons denominated Jacobins. This name was conferred on them by derision: they gloried in it, and this denomination was extended to all the focieties of the fame kind established in the provinces. They fome pains to vindicate from the charge M. Mounier, however, is at were compofed of enthufiafts, a great of being revolutionary Freemafons number of ignorant perfons eafily mif- Pailli, Barneve, Defpremeuil, l'Abbé led, and of many covetous and cruel Maury, and himself; and declares fomen, who difguiled their ambition un- lemnly, that he has never been either der the appearance of an ardent zeal for. Freemiafon or Martinift; it is enough for the general happinefs. The members him to obey the laws, and to acknowof thefe focieties corrupted and bribed ledge the fuperiors which they give the populace of the cities, whom it was fo eaty to render ferocious. Become of increafing the number of thofe to him. He has by no means any intent the chiefs of a numerous troop of bri- whofe will he fhould be bound to congands, they firuck all the citizens with form. He is fond of enjoying all the terror, and fubjugated the legislative independence which the public order aflembly. They caufed thofe to be put can guarantee to individuals; and he to death without pity who oppofed will not expofe it to the fancies of a their opinions, thofe whofe riches they grand mafier, of a fuperintending browifhed to feize, thofe who difapproved ther, or of a terrible brother. He deof their fury, thofe even who refufed to tells oaths which are not indifpenfible, approve of them, their own affociates, and every thing which reftrains within order to punish them for having top-out neceflity the liberty of fpeaking as ped in the career of their crimes from laffitude or remorfe, or in order to diminith the number of their rivals. In the eyes of thofe tyrants all the qualities which command respect, all the

he thinks." (p. 168.) But does all this amount to conviction that the name of Freemafon may not have been, or was not, abufed to revolutionary purposes? or can it be faid that the Illuminati did

not

WE prefume these are the Sermons announced to be published by fubfcription, vol. LXIX. p. 601. If they have antwered the author's expeétation, we rejoice with him that he found near. 200 friends to take off his hauls eight fermons at 7s. The fidhjects are: 1, Public Worship, Palm xxvi. 8; 2, Divine Gooduefs vindicated, in the Affiction of the Righteous; and Profperity of the Wicked, Palm scil. 13, 44, S, the Golpel a Law of Libery, James i. 25*; 4, due Regulation of the Paftion of Grief, Eccl. P. 4; 5, the Benefits arifing from Indufiry, and the pernicions Effects of Idlenets, Prov. xii. 27; 6, the pacific tendency of the Gotpel, Luke ix. 56; 7, on the faft Judgment, Cor. xv. 52; 8, on the Atonement of Chrift, Dan. ix. 24: all but the last preached at Highgate Church, and are inferibed to the Princels of Wales. Mr. R. is preparing for the preis, in fix octavo volumes, Select Difcourfes by the most celebrated French Divines, tranflated from the French, with biographical Notes"

4. Memoirs of the Life of the Rev. William Grimthaw, B. A. Minister of Haworth, in the hep Riding of the County of York; itboccafional Reflections, by John Newton, Rector of St. Mary, Woolnoth; in Six Letters to the Rev. Henry Folter, Minifier ef Iong Acre Chapel.

MR. G. was a clergyman of unbounded zeal, unwearied in his labours, and in preaching "inftant in feafon and out of feafon.". In his two circuits of alternate preaching he preached in what he called his idle week 12 or 14 fermons, in his working or busy week 24 or 30. No wonder his neighbours called him a Methodist, or that the fiories here told of him en title him to the character of the ape of Whitfield and Welley. From fome of his actions we fhould be tempted to pronounce him a wag or arch fellow: but we cannot look on his glorious vifion from the third heaven as any thing

This fermon was printed by itself in 1798, fee vol LXVIII. p. 599; where may be found fome particulars of his works. See alfo LXX. 758. Mr. R. told fome home truths of his former affociates, deferted, and was deferted by them; and we fear has not benefited by the change. See, his "Obfervations on the political Conduct of the Diffenters."

more than the effect of exceffive fatigue and fafting in a September day.

a

65 Practical Oeconomy; or, Propofal for enabling the Pon to provide for thonjtives; with Remarks on b. Efabujhment of SoupHorses, and an investigation of the real Cufe of the prefent extravagant Confumption of fine Wheaten Bread by the People of thes Country By a Phyfician.

NOW we trave got prace, we shall have every thing. But though the enraptured multitude, in their firft trapfports, may inferibe peace and plenty on their walls and gates, we are very much afraid they may find monopoly as hard an enemy as Bonaparte himself. The writer concurs with us in his opiion of the disadvantages which have attended the toup-eftablishments, the good intentions of the fubicribers to which cannot be doubted, but the fuc cefs of them in bettering the condition of the poor may be called in queition. The time loft in procuring the foup mu be on an average efumated at three hours. A chair-trenian*, one of the most laborious and worst-paid occupations in the town, for whom the author had last year procured a foup-ticket, came after a few days to return it, obferving, that the loft more by wafle of time than the foup was worth to her. But this is not the only grievance in our opinion, as we well know the price of offal meat has been railed above the purchase of the middling claffes, who are alio above the relief of foup-houtes. The Doctor charges the confumption of fine breadto the ufe of tea. The advantage of using their farinaceous food boiled instead of baked might easily be fhewn by the rich to their poor neighbours; and if it were practicable to afford in towns or villages the proper quantity of milk (which we very much fear the abolition of fmall farms, and the rage for incloting every yard of wafle land, will cruelly leflen), there cannot be a doubt that the poor would recover their antient tafte, and feed on a more wholefome and a cheaper diet. Grain and milk boiled together form the clieapest.

We have always confidered char wa-' men (fo Dryden, Swift, and Johnson, Ipell the word) as better provided for than most labourers in the metropolis. Savants, whole work they alleviate, are fure to fupply them with plenty of broken vićimals ;7 and their employment is by no means uncertain or partial. EDIT.

nourishment