ftood alone in the aforefaid tranfaction, and that the motives of my conduct were fuch as he defcribes them The reverend gentleman comes forward, in the character of the CONDUCTOR of the Hampshire Repofitory, with a formal invective against me, which occupies eleven close octavo pages (befides about 20 more that are employed in reviewing fome of my publications). He begins with bitterly complaining that I have confounded him, the conductor, with his fubordinate reviewer, and thereby charged him with the grofs errors and abfurdities contained in the aforefaid review, which I have had occafion to expofe. The truth is, the public never heard before now of this diftinction of perfonages, as it is here explained; and after having heard of it, they will ftill very juftly confider the conductor as accountable for the truth and propriety of every article which appears in his work. They will even confider him as the author of it, where there is no evidence, fignature, or reference, to point out a different writer. For my own part, I did not mention any name, nor fo much as allude to any particular perfon, in the anfwer which I made to the ftrictures in the Hampshire Repofitory, but addreffed my Zoilus, whoever he might be, under the appellation of the HAMPSHIRE CRITIC. Neverthelefs, if I muft tell my real opi nion of the matter, I did think, and I do think still, that those interminable and inexplicable periods, which mark many parts of the faid ftrictures, could come from no other pen than that of the Reverend Conductor. I shall make no farther answer to the ridiculous charge of my having afcribed the old duodecimo Hiftory of Winchester to Mr. Wavell, nor to that of my having feveral years ago questi oned the authenticity of a certain inftrument in the Museum, as I have already difcuffed thofe points with gentlemen who understand them much better than my present adversary does. I shall barely remark that the latter is guilty of a shameful calumny when he afferts that I charged "the Catholic Committee, with having falfified" that inftrument. He next revives the story of Meffre, a revolutionary French prieft, who, after various religious changes, and repeated cenfures from the Catholic prelates for his improper and irreligious behaviour, was received by the reverend gentleman into the established communion, and celebrated by him, in 20 columns of clofe print, as an edifying convert, who did infinite credit to it. The points here alluded to I fully proved in the Appendix to my firft edition of the prefent work; and it is plain that I have excited the bile of my opponent, in the fame proportion as he feels himself unable to refute them to have been, he winds up his Supplement with imputations upon my fincerity and loyalty which would refute my statement of them. Indeed he fays, referring to this account," The only point in which we (the conductor and myfelf) feem perfonally at iffue together is the circumftance under which I opened and read the bishop of St. Pol de Leon's letter fent to me, that is, whether thinking or not thinking it was meant for me." p. 136. It will appear upon referring to the first volume of the Repofitory, p. 133, that the letter of the French bishop, addreffed to a familiar friend of his, a French priest of the name of Ponthus, then refident at the King's-houfe, which the reverend gentleman opened, read, and even answered under pretence of his really and bond fide conceiving it to be intended for him, relates to quite a different business, viz. that of Mons. Couvet. So confufed are his ideas as well as his language on the subjects that he writes upon! However, as he has mentioned this matter, I fhall briefly observe, that even should he fucceed in working up our credulity, by his folemn declarations, to believe, that neither from the directions of the letter, nor from the familiar ftyle of it, nor from the fingular contents of it, nor from the order to pay money contained in it, he once fufpected that the letter was not written to him, the moft important circumftance of all will yet remain for him to explain, namely, his publishing in the Hampshire Repository the private correfpondence of other perfons, which had fallen into his hands without their permiffion. If it be thought fo indecent to pry into other people's fecrets, what idea must we form of communicating them to the public! Little more remains to be faid concerning the cafe of the above-mentioned Couvet, or concerning a fimilar cafe of Monf. Fleury, which has more recently occurred, after the difcuffion which the former has undergone in my Appendix, and the latter in the House of Commons, on the 23d of June, 1800. Not all the indignation which the reverend gentleman expreffes at the very mention of bigotry and intolerance, can clear the conduct which he boafts of having held with refpect to thofe pious men, from the faid charges. All that can be collected from his indignant language on thefe fubjects is, that we are frequently fuch ftraugers, to what paffes in our own bofoms, as to hate moft, in theory, the vices which are predominant in them. Not, however, to deprive the gentleman of the advantage of his defence: I must mention, that he urges his hofpitality to feveral of the emigrant clergy whom he frequently receives at his table, and his having published in his Repofitory a long poem concerning them, (fo long indeed that I never met with any perfon who had read to the would justify much warmer language than I have used or shall here use against him. "Such persons," he the end of it) called the THE KING's HOUSE. I admit the truth of both these particulars, and I am happy to add, as the circumstances of these poor good men induce them to prefer folid pudding to empty praife, there is every reafon to believe that his dinners are much better than his verfes. I must here mention that in the conclufion of this article the reverend gentleman brings forward a private hiftory, which, under all the circumftances, I fhould have thought he wished to continue fo, though the obvious intent of it is to transfer the character of a perfecutor from his own fhoulders to mine. Some years ago, at a time when it was very juftly fufpected that the French Directory was not without a fpy in the city of Winchefter, a lay emigrant made his appearance there, who though "not justly recommended," as the gentleman admits, “was received and entertained" by him, "beyond his merits." Without entering into farther particulars of this bufinefs, it is fufficient to fay, that certain very decent people with whom this foreigner lodged and familiarly converfed, declared that he made ufe of the most treafonable language and threats; and feeing fome mathematical figures amongit his papers, they expreffed an apprehenfion that thefe might be plans of Englifh fortifications for the ufe of the French army, which then threatened an invafion. Thefe particulars coming to my knowledge from a very respectable quarter, I difregarded the latter part of them, because I knew the relaters of it were not judges of mathematics, but with refpect to the former part I conceived myself bound by my oath of allegiance, to lay them before fome intelligent and trufty magiftrate, because I knew the accusers to have a great fhare both of good fenfe and honefty. The magiftrate whom I preferred for the aforefaid purpofe was Dr. S. who, in conclufion, told me, that as the party accufed was under the protection of the reverend gentleman, he fhould lay the whole bufinefs before him, and leave him to fettle it. In fhort, having performed my duty, I here left the affair, and I had utterly loft fight of it, when this gentleman informed the world in his Repofitory, that my communications were regularly laid before him, and that he refused to grant a warrant against his client, though he owns "he was afhamed of him." In my opinion, however, the question was not fo much about the propriety of a warrant against the party, as of an inquiry whether he were or were not of that defcription of perfons against whom the Alien A&t was framed? But he tells us, that he did examine the pretended hiero glyphics, he fays," (namely those who are fuppofed to be under the old prejudices difclaimed in the Proteftation) "excite glyphics, and verified that they were drawn out of Euclid. The truth however is, my information, delivered to Dr. S. did not regard hieroglyphics at all, but certain treasonable speeches and threats of the most daring kind, the reality of which is the more probable, as the perfon accused, by the gentleman's own account, "turned out to be an impoftor." See Repofitory, p. 143. To pass over the other charges or infinuations brought against me in this invective; I fhall confine myself to that which regards the Javefe Indians, whom I converted and baptifed five years ago. Thefe poor favages, who were brought from the Cape of Good Hope in the Dutch fleet captured by lord Keith, being convicted of the murder of one of their companions, it was thought a pity by religious perfons of all communions that they should be left to die without at least fome efforts to convert them, and prepare them for their awful change. The worthy ordinary had great difficulties to overcome in undertaking fuch a charge, as the prifoners understood no European language, and as his time was other wife taken up in attending another wretch who was to fuffer at the fame time with them. In fhort, no other perfon presenting himfelf, I begged leave to visit the convicts, and I was thanked for my offer and fervices by the refpectable gentleman who fuperintended the execution. I paffed a great deal of time with them at different intervals during the three days that they furvived. At first I took with me a French miffionary who had preached the gofpel in China and other parts of the Eaft Indies, but I foon found that I could proceed much fafter and better in my undertaking, by means of a conventional language, fettled amongst ourfelves, confifting chiefly of figns, with a few English words that I introduced, than by the help of an interpreter. If the gentleman cannot comprehend how this could be affected, I refer him to the experience of circumnavigators of the globe. They will tell him how foon the wildeft favages, by the help of conventional figns, may be made to understand all matters of commerce, treaties, and other things the most abftrufe. I found the poor creatures not deftitute of the idea of a Supreme Being, and it was my business to ftrengthen and enlarge that idea, to fuggeft fuitable acts of homage to him, with those of contrition for having offended him, particularly, by the murder for which they were about to suffer. I proceeded to infinuate fuch ideas concerning the incarnation and death of Chrift for us, as even civilized Chriftians are capable of forming, and likewife concerning the neceffity and effects of baptism, which, in conclufion, they received at my hands with a vifi ble "excite fufpicions of their general fincerity. The public is not fatisfied with profeffions, if it ever fees them ble comfort and devotion, that few perfons except the man who officiated as their sponsor and myself, can form an idea of. When they were conducted to execution, the circumstances of which I took care to explain to them, that they might know how to behave themselves under them, I put into the hands of each of them a little print of Chrift dying on the crofs, not as the object of their idolatry, according to the charitable interpretation of the gentleman, but as the memorial of their Redeemer and model whom they had been well instructed to adore in the highest heavens. In fact, St. Auguftine calls pictures the books of the unlearned. To conclude, these poor Indians, after repeating their various devotional acts, which I have faid were chiefly marked by geftures rather than words, died with a refignation and devotion, that has feldom been exceeded by any perfons whomfoever in their fituation. And this now is the fcene which the reverend gentleman makes the subject of his violent declamation and indecent ridicule, faying that it was " a mockery of religion and a disgrace of the police." P. 140. Did he then wifh thefe poor unenlightened and unbaptized wretches to die in their paganifm? If, on the other hand, he was confcious of poffeffing a more refined fpecies of metaphyfics for communicating ideas, as well as a more pure Chrif tianity, than what I was master of, why did not he offer his minifterial fervices? He knows very well that in this case he mult have fupplanted me. It would be real matter of furprise that he fhould forget himself, as a clergyman, to fuch a degree as to ridicule fo important and fo awful a tranfaction, if he had not exprefsly informed us of his earnest defire to turn the laugh against me" for having laid open the history and character of Meffre. The fame circumstance will account for his forgetting himself, as a gentleman, on this occafion, by defcending to the fcurrility of calling names, as when he terms me "a moving mountebank, a captain of falvation, a fanatic fugilman," &c. But no circumstance at all, that I am acquainted with, can account for the bold confidence with which he tells the most palpable untruths, fuch as can be difproved by public records and the ocular teftimony of thousands. Thus" he pledges himself, as an eye witnefs of the pitiable proceffion, and as having credibly heard the remainder," for the truth of the following particulars, amongst others equally falfe, viz. that the convict Indians where " three" in number; whereas the records of the courts of justice and of the gaol will prove that they were four, independently of a foldier who was executed with them for a different crime. He fignifies that I was in the cart with the convicts |