terwards, when matters went worse in France, evince that he never was moderate or even candid; but he was subtle, and took advantage very naturally of Mr. Burke, where he laid himself open; his great forte lay, not in supporting new establishments with ability, but in a coarse, popular sort of ridicule, with which he attacked those that already existed.

Any man who was made Agent in Chief for disseminating Jacobin principles at that time must have made a noise in the world, and must have had friends and enemies, though his friends are all wise enough to conceal that his principles were not new, but that Wat Tyler, Jack Straw, and other democratic heroes, had proclaimed the same principles long before, though not under such propitious circumstances, or with such support.

The opinions of Paine being, as it were, embodied with the democratic principles of the first leaders of the French Revolution, and having made many proselytes, it is important to state as a positive fact, that Paine did not owe his reputation to the merit of his Work, but to the circumstance of that Work being a sort of Manifesto of the French Nation at the moment when the lustre of the philanthropic plans was not tarnished by the experience of their imprac ticability. It was resolved in Paris to send over Paine to England, to publish his Book, first on good paper, and then on inferior, and sell the

copies as cheap as possible. This was the very plan by which the philosophers had for many years been undermining the Christian religion by the distribution of sceptical books amongst the lower orders, and therefore, when converts were wanted in England, the same method was adopted, and Paine was chosen on account of his reputation for the publication of Common Sense, his connection with La Fayette, and his known hatred to monarchy. This plan was publicly mentioned in Paris before it was executed, and therefore the noise made by the Work, and the propagation of the opinions, are not to be attributed to their wisdom or solidity, but to the uncommon and powerful means employed to disseminate them.

• Mr. Paine's work is too well known to require extracts. As to a review, Mr. Burke and Mr. Arthur Young have done much towards that, but time and experience have done still more They have proved that Mr. Paine was nothing more than a political charlatan, selling his Orvietan to every passenger at the best price that he could obtain.

MR. CHRISTIE.

MR. CHRISTIE.

THIS Gentleman in historical matters seems to be intitled to as little credit as it is possible to give to any writer. "To sum it up," he asks, "When did mankind gain so much at so small a price?"-It would indeed be difficulty to answer this question; but it ought to be asked, How any man in his senses conceived at that time either that the thing was got or the price paid?

Mr. Christie was one of the enthusiasts of his day, who mistook figures in the clouds for solid substances; and he would not have been named, had it not been that even he had his admirers, to shew that nothing was too mad or extravagant at one period.

ANONYMOUS.

ANONYMOUS.

THIS unknown Gentleman is not only true as a historian, but the most moderate man amongst the whole; and though far more reasonable than Mr. Burke, he is a most able assistant to him: for when Mr. Burke appealed to the fancy, this unknown Writer appealed to fact; and we have not seen, that, in any case he did so unfairly; and therefore, in order to judge of the others, we advise the Reader to peruse all that Mr. Anonymous has said, for it will, in many cases, enable him to judge between the other parties.

DR. PRIESTLEY.

1

DR. PRIESTLEY,

FROM his reputation and rank in the literary world must be noticed; and his attack on Mr. Burke, from the peculiar lesson it is calculated to give, highly deserves notice, for it shews how ignorant a man of abilities may shew himself when he espouses a cause before he knows the right of the matter, and begins to plead before inquiring into facts.

Priestley, indeed, seems to have written e ther through thinking contemptuously of Mr. Burke, or wishing to be named as an advocate in the cause; but the letter is below any terms of which it can be spoken.

Dr. Priestley says, "first, that the only difficulty for the Assembly is from the debts, but those originated with the former bad Government." If the good Doctor had exerted the patience of an experimental philosopher, he would soon have seen, that this difficulty became the greatest advantage. The Doctor thought they meant to pay those debts, like a friend of his, who proclaimed, that he had gold in his crucible when it was only dross.

In attacking Mr. Burke, for saying "that the French Assembly had nothing of the nature of a Senate," he says, "I do not see that, while they