Let that book be thy constant study and meditation. Remember what certain affurances thou haft that it came to thee from Him who cannot lie: remember that it contains every thing which it is necef fary for thee to know for thy foul's peace. Whenever thou findeft thyself in any ftrait, read in that book, and it fhall be taught thee - what it behoveth thee to do: for, though the things which are come upon the earth feem ftrange unto men, yet were they from the be ginning foreseen and provided againft by Him, whofe eye beholdeth at one glance all time and all space. Since His will is not that any fhould perish, His mercy will at all times uphold in His paths the goings of thofe, who fincerely feek to know and to perform his pleafure; nor fhall any temptation befal fuch, but that with the temptation He will alfo make a way to escape, that they may be able to bear it.

Whatever may happen to thee, therefore, preferve that book, though it be at the hazard of thy life; for if once thou fuffer it to be taken from thee, thou art at the mercy of thy enemies; thou wilt lofe, not the force only, but even the inclination, to repel their at tacks; and thou wilt have forfeited all claim to the protection of Him, whofe laws thou hast despised, and whose covenant thou haft caft behind thy back.'

Let us now follow our Pilgrim to the house of Mr. Philofophy, whofe birth and education, as given by Falfe Reafoning, contrafted with the account of it as given by the interpreter, we will lay before our readers.

The place of his

"He is the fon of REASON and of NATURE. birth is not certainly known; but it is generally believed that his infancy was spent in Egypt, where he was nurfed by FABLE; and that he afterwards paffed his youth in Greece, where the SCIENCES train ed him to maturity. After that, various misfortunes befel him, and he lived many years in an obfcure and tedious exile; but lately, having been invited by LEARNING to return into Europe, he has been univerfally received with fuch honours as have amply repaid him for the unmerited flights which had formerly been fhewn him. There is one country in particular, of which he has been appointed fovereign law-giver, and where divine honours are paid to him. Yet fuch is his zeal for the general intereft of mankind, that he does not reftrict his fervices to any fingle nation, but has built this palace by the fide of the high road, for the reception of pilgrims from all regions of the earth; and, as his knowledge is univerfal, he readily imparts to all his guests such inftructions, as they may be either willing or able to

receive.'

you

And as for the account, which was given you by the way, of Mr. PHILOSOPHY himself, his very appearance might have convinced of its falfhood; for you could not but fee that his face wore no traces of that venerable age to which he pretends. In truth there was one who bore the fame name, and who lived in Greece about three thoufand years ago; but with him this impoftor hath not even any affinity;

C 4

only

only he coveteth to wear robes of the fame fashion, and to mimic the tones of his voice. Neither are his parents fuch as he pretends, REASON indeed will fometimes, when he is intoxicated, call him his fon; but when he is fober, he constantly denies that he is any way connected with him; and as for NATURE, whom he would claim for his mother, she never faw him. His true father is no other than Lu CIFER, from whom he inheriteth his pride, and his rebellious spirit; but his mother was a mortal nymph, called NONSENSE; and by her he was firft inftructed in the doctrines, which now he teacheth to the world.'

We fhall only remark upon this, that the philofophers of old, "profefling themfelves to be wife, became fools;" but what fhall we fay to thofe who err against revelation, and the glorious light of the gospel? Surely, their heart is waxed grofs, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed." Acts xxviii. 27.

Good Intent, after his efcape from Mr. Philofophy, and "legions of foul fiends," arrived at the Interpreter's house, where many things were explained to him, and many doubts cleared up. He had afterwards fome difficulty in refifting Lady Fashion with the pleafures in her train; but breaking from them he afcended the hill Difficulty by the affiftance of Self-Denial, and came to a houfe where dwelt three fifters, Philanthropy, Mental Energy, and Senfibility.

"Their employments occafioned new furprise to GoOD-INTENT. PHILANTHROPY fat in the window with a telescope, looking through the fhades of night, which had now totally overspread the earth, for invifible objects of benevolence, in unknown regions. MENTALENERGY held in her hands a flint and steel, and struck out sparks, which, when her foftering breath had blown them into flame, had power to cause the heart to beat with tenfold violence; while the fumes of the fmoke, afcending to the head, occafioned a dizziness of the brain, and a fufpenfion of the reaforing faculties. SENSIBILITY lay on a fopha, half bending herself over a young afs's colt, which The tenderly careffed, and bedewed with a copious fhower of

tears.'

The behaviour of each of thefe fifters is very appropriate.

"PHILANTHROPY had fo much weakened her eyes by the continual use of her telescope, that fhe was now become unable to dif cern any but diftant objects; advancing, therefore, haftily to receive the gueft, whom REFINEMENT announced to her, fhe ran full againft him, not perceiving where he ftood, and almoft pufhed him down: MENTAL-ENERGY, difdaining common forms, took little notice of him; but foft SENSIBILITY eagerly threw her arms around the youth, and, gazing on his comely form, forgot her afs, and wept over him,"

We

We will felect one paffage more from the account given of these fifters, because it will ferve, in a great measure, to confirm the obfervation made by our author, in his preface, and which we have already noticed, viz. the adoption of falfe names, for the purpose of introducing into the world, false ideas.

"GOOD-INTENT was confiderably furprized, on entering the room, that the first object on which he caft his eyes fhould be a heap of cannon-balls and grape-fhot, and beside it a pile of swords and pikes, dropping with recent blood. He could not forbear asking how ladies of fuch compaffionate difpofitions could have afforded a place in their repofitory to thofe inftruments of death.

We honour thefe," faid MENTAL-ENERGY,

as inftruments of inftruction; and, as fuch, fome of our most valued friends have made a glorious ufe of them, in fubverting the prejudice of infatuated nations, who could no otherwife be taught to prefer light to darknefs, and emancipation to bondage.'

"What light, or what emancipation," cried the Pilgrim, can have been communicated to the perfons, whofe blood is still reeking on thofe fatal blades ?'

"The fufferings of individuals are of no importance," anfwered MENTAL-ENERGY, when put in competition with the univerfal good of the human fpecies. A mind truly great will rife above the paltry confideration of the deftruction of a few quiet, but meanfpirited, nations by fire and fword, if by fuch means the power of the guardians of LIBERTY can be extended.'

Now GOOD-INTENT, during this time, had fixed his eyes on an engine which was new to him. In its form it refembled an axe ; but it was fufpended by ropes within a wooden frame; and he asked his conductreffes for what use it was intended.

"That," faid PHILANTHROPY, is an inftrument dear to humanity; for by it more than a million of the enemies of the human race have been swept from the earth.'

"What enemies?" faid the Pilgrim ; is it defigned as a gin for the deftruction of wolves or of ferpents?'

"Of monsters more deteftable than either," replied PHILANTHROPY; of defpots and their minions.'

"While fhe spoke, GOOD-INTENT looked into a basket which ftood behind the axe; and behold! it was full of human heads. What do I fee?" cried he; do you, who call yourselves the friends of humanity, authorise fuch a flaughter as this? I perceive the heads of men, of women, nay of children ;—where fhall we feek for the enemies of the human fpecies, if not among those who have perpetrated this execrable massacre ?'

In giving my fanction to it," said PHILANTHROPY, "I confider not the prefent race of men, which might probably have enjoyed greater tranquillity, had the ancient order of things been fuffered to continue; but my enlarged view comprehends at one glance all

future

future ages. The human fpecies, thus purged of its drofs, will gradually refine itfelf, till it thall have attained univerfal perfection; and when no trace, even of the pofterity of the foes of LIBERTY, shall be left upon the earth, her friends will feast undisturbed on the fruits of her glorious tree, which can flourish in no foil where its roots are not moistened with the blood of traitors.'

“GOOD-INTENT now turned from PHILANTHROPY with horhor; and obferving a bottle placed on a shelf above, he demanded of SENSIBILITY what were its contents. The tears of captive princes and their orphan children,' replied the. Doubtlefs,' faid he, your own, which flow fo freely, are mixed with them.' 'O no!? faid fhe; during the filling of that bottle, I was engaged as chief mourner at the funeral of an affaffin; and all my tears were shed for him."

One extract more fhall be fufficient. The fhepherds of the delectable mountains conducted Good-Intent to the tower of revealed religion, which stood on the mountain of Evidence. It was fupported by two mighty pillars of ada

mant.

"One of thefe, which fronted the country through which he had already pait, was called the pillar of Hiftory; and the other which ftood on the fide that looked towards the Cæleftial City was called the pillar of Prophecy. Each of thefe was curiously engraven from the top to the bottom. The infcriptions on the pillar of History were very legible; and GooD-INTENT read thereon the ftory of all thofe events which were recorded in the book which he carried in his bofom, in various characters, and in many different languages; but all agreeing together in the fame purport. Nay, fome of thofe infcriptions, which fet out with queftioning or denying the authority of that book, did finifh by recounting fuch facts, as did the moft clearly establish its authenticity; thereby confirming what it appeared, the intention of their writers to confute."

"The fhepherds led the Pilgrim to the pillar of Prophecy, which they told him, was confiderably the most ancient of the two, though it appeared erected on the foundation of the other. When firft he caft his eyes upon it, he defpaired of being able to comprehend what was engraven thereon; for that pillar was not, like the former, infcribed with legible characters, but was covered with ftrange hieroglyphics, and the likeneffes of many things which belonged both to the heavens above, and to the earth beneath. However, when he had confidered it awhile, he plainly perceived that many of these figures were representations of the events which he had feen recorded on the pillar of Hiftory; and continuing to examine them, with the affiftance of the fhepherds, he foon understood the teftimony which that pillar alfo bore to the life and doctrines of Him, to whom gave all the prophets witnefs, from the foundation of the world. He alfo beheld there, vifibly depictured, the great revolutions of such states and empires, as had, from the earlieft ages, been employed, though they themselves knew not of it, as inftru

ments

ments in the hand of the great King of all the universe, for the accomplishment of fuch things as He would have done on earth. Yet could not GOOD-INTENT trace all the figures with which the pillar of Prophecy was adorned; for, from above a certain height, they were fo indiftinct, and confused one with the other, that he could not with any certainty difcover what they were defigned to represent; and the top of the pillar itfelf was entirely veiled from his fight, by a cloud which refted on it, and on which he could not steadily fix his eyes, by reafon of its brightnefs."

The limits of a Review will not permit us to dwell longer on an article, which has already taken up too much room We hope, that, from the paffages which we have extracted, some of our readers will be tempted to perufe the book itself. For ourselves, we may venture to fay, that we have feldom met with any volume, in which entertainment is more closely united with inftruction, and the utile foftened by the dulce. The allegory is well futtained throughout, if we except the diftinguishing of the streets at Vanity Fair into French-Row, Britain-Street, &c. The characters are admirably felected and delineated, and their fpeeches and behaviour perfectly appropriate. The language is very well adapted to the fubject, and the defcriptions in many places, particularly those of Atheism, Anarchy, Deifm, &c. attain a degree of fublimity.

We are forry that we are ignorant of the author; and we understand he is not likely to be known. We cannot, however, conclude, without thanking him for his prefent production, and hoping for a further acquaintance with him as an author.

ART. V. The Italian: or the Confeffional of the Black Penitents. A Romance. By Ann Radcliffe, Author of the Myfteries of Udolpho. In three Volumes. 8vo. Cadell and Davies. London.

THE HE romance of "the Myfteries of Udolpho" hath been long received, as a first-rate production: and its merits have not been too highly appreciated. It was the reputation of this work, which, at length, induced us to honour Mrs. Radcliffe's Italian," with our attentive perufal :-fo may we be allowed to exprefs ourselves. For we, grave Reviewers, very feldom look into novels or romances for any other purpose, than to difcover and point out their moral tendency, and offer to the fex our ferious admonitions; which, we fear, are, for the most part, unavailing.

In the present inftance, we read from curiofity, and shall criticise from tafte,

"The