fhew more good fenfe and folidity of reflection, no Jefs than greater impartiality and love of truth, than most of the celebrated writers of later times. In a word, Sit, can we suppose those ages to have been deftitute either of learning or tafte, which produced, and knew how to admiré, an Anfelm, a Bernard, a John of Salisbury, an Aquinas, (1) a Gerfon, a Toftatus, (2) a Dante, a Petrarch, and a Chaucer?

If, from furveying the ftate of literature during the ages, which you fpeak of with fo much contempt, we turn our eyes to the condition of the arts, we fhall find, in the mouldering monuments of thent, fpecimens capable of humbling our pride

at

the English hiftorians whom he was acquainted with, both for judicioufnefs and fidelity. Rer. Anglic. Scrip. Ep. Dea. In our own times Warburton has affirmed the fame of Mathew Paris.]

(1) It is very much the fashion with modern writers to ridicule the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, as fpecimens of falfe reafoning and nonfenfe, who, at the fame time, have never fo much as looked into them, which Dr. S. acknowledges to be the cafe with himfelf, p. 66. Were it in my power to perfuade any of these gentlemen to try their skill in refuting the first half dozen conclufions they meet with, in the Summa Theologia, I am perfuaded they would that the book with a much better opinion of the author's talents than they opened it. If after this they will take the trouble to analyfe, in a regular logical way, the arguments of fome of the most celebrated treatifes and difcourfes of the prefent day, and obferve in what manner the conclufions are frequently drawn from the premises, they will difcover the advantage of the ancient fyllogiftic method of inveftigating truth over the vague and inconclufive flyle that has prevailed in later ages.

(2) Alphonfus Toftatus was a Spanish divine of the 15th century, of fuch univerfal and profound learning, that he has been allowed to be worthy of the following epitaph, which was made upon him :

"Hic ftupor eft mundi, qui fcibile difcutit omne.”

at the prefent day, with all our fuperior advan tages. (1) Look at the works of Wykeham and of Fox, or at the chanteries of Beaufort and Waynfete in our own cathedral. Survey King's College chapel, Lincoln cathedral, or York minfter, and reflect, Sir, what fublimity of invention, what mathematical precision and combination, and what delicacy of execution, were requifite to make those facred edifices what they originally were. If York minster were now deftroyed, it is acknowledged, that all the fcience and art of the Royal Academy could not restore it. And if architects and artists were even found for the work, it would exhauft the purfe of a fovereign to carry it into execution.

The most important part, however, of the prefent inquiry is, that which regards the ftate of religion and morality during the middle ages. Yon, Sir, with most modern writers, reprefent these as funk into fuperftition (2) and vice, and you argue

as

(1) Amongst other arts or useful inventions, for which we are abfolutely indebted to the middle ages, are printing, the mariner's compafs, gunpowder, artillery, fpectacles, telescopes, looking-glaffes, glafs windows to our houfes, bells, organs, the musical scale, clocks, watches. Nor are we lefs indebted to them for what they have abolished, namely, flavery, gladiators, wars of extermination, &c.

(2) On the fubject of fuperftition Dr. S. refers me to Tetzel's Thefes, which he knows to have been condemned by the Pope's nuncio, Miltitz himfelf, and to the Rev. Mr. Townsend's Travels, whofe reflections in general on fubjects of religion, partly from prejudice, and partly from mifapprehenfion, are a-kin to thofe of Dr. S. himself. [Dr. S. now fays, p. 142, "Indeed I did not know it;" viz, that Miltitz condemned Tetzel's extravagancies. He will however find this to have, been the cafe on confulting Mofheim by Maclaine, Fleury's Continuation, Maimbourg, and the hiftorians of the period in general, who reprefent Tetzel to have died of chagrin in confequence of his treatment.]

as if they were extinct and no longer to be found upon the earth, until they were revived by the agency of fuch reformers as were Luther, Calvin, Henry VIII, Cranmer, the duke of Somerset, and queen Elizabeth! The very idea is revolting to perfons converfant with the hiftory of the ages in queftion. To convince yourself of your error, let me request you to turn to the canon of the councils that were fo frequently held during thofe ages, and to examine whether the vital principles and the genuine fpirit of Christianity were not conftantly maintained and enforced in thefe reprefentative affemblies of the univer-fal church. Read the works of the most celebrated afcetical writers of the times, viz. thofe of a Bernard, a Bonaventure, an Antoninus, a Vincent Ferrier, a Thaulerus, a Gerfon, and a Thomas of Kempis. (1) Perufe the accounts that have been left us of their lives, with thofe of their contemporaries who have been equally celebrated for their fanctity, fuch as an Edmund Rich, a Thomas Cantelupe, a Richard de Wyche, a Francis of Afiffium, a Louis IX of France, or a Henry VI of England, and tell me, whether

(1) Amongst numerous other works of this author, written in the fame fpirit, was the celebrated one under the name of The Following of Chrift, which has been translated into most modern languages, and is well known to Proteftants as well as to Catholics. Dr. S. affigns as one of the causes of the Reformation, the difperfion of the learned Greeks throughout the Weft, on the capture of Conftantinople. But if they contributed to reform us, why did not they make any advances towards reforming themfelves? It is an indifputable fact, that the Greek church, feparated as it has almoft always been from the Latin church, fince the 9th century, has nevertheless uniformly maintained every one of the distinctive articles which Catholics fupport against the different claffes of the Reformation.

whether the practice of all the Chriftian virtues, inculcated by our Saviour Chrift in his divine fermon on the mountain, (1) could be more strongly recommended both by precept and by example than they were by the writers and the holy perfonages whom I have mentioned. But not to go out of the precincts of our own city, tell me, Sir, fincerely, whether you think that its first prelates of the reformed perfuafion, viz. Poynet, Horne, Watfon, Cooper, and Bilfon, are to be preferred to, or even compared with, their predeceffors, White, (2) Fox, Langton, Courtney, Waynflete, Beaufort, (3) and Wykeham, for affiduity in prayer and other fpiritual functions, for chastity, felf-denial, meeknefs, and works of piety and charity in general.

I grant, however, there was an increasing spirit of irreligion and immorality amongft different nations, and in none more fo than in our own, during a confiderable time previous to the Reformation. But the question, Sir, is, whether this fpirit contributed to produce that event, as a caufe which produces its effect, or merely as an occafion, namely, by exciting men of piety and morality to counteract it? In order to decide this question we cannot make ufe of a better criterion than that which is laid down in the gospel, viz. to judge of the tree by its fruits. If

(1) St. Mat. chapters iv, v, vi.

(2) I do not fpeak of Gardiner, because he played a double part, having been equally active and violent on both fides.

(3) See a Vindication of Beaufort's religious character, from the misreprefentations of Shakespear. Hift. vol. i, pp. 301, 302.

If then the authors and abettors of the Reformation were found to be the perfons moft diftinguished in each country for their piety and purity of life, or if even a vifible amendment in their religious and moral conduct was the confequence of their embracing it; in a word, if the bulk of the people who went over to this caufe were proved to be thereby more. addicted to prayer and alms deeds, more chaste, more temperate, more meek, and patient, imore fub-. miffive to their lawful fùperiors, and more amenable to the laws of the respective states under which they lived, than they had been whilft they were Catholics, this will form a strong prefumption of their being influenced by motives of religion and genuine reformation in the choice they made, and that this work was truly the work of God. But if it appear, that the Reformation was in every place where. it prevailed, attended with precifely the oppofite confequences, I fhall leave you, Sir, to draw the conclufion. To elucidate this important fubject I will not here, have recourfe to Catholic authors, or indeed to any others except to those whom you yourfelf have celebrated, namely, the fathers, founders, and chief abettors of this very caufe.

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Let us first hear Martin, Luther,, who is well. known to have fet on foot thefe religious changes in, Germany, in the year 1517. Some of his words to the prefent purpose are thefe: "The world grows every day worfe and worfe. It is plain that men are much more covetous, malicious, and refentful, much more unruly, fhameless, and full of vice, than

they