it poffible for any English or Irish clergyman to remain for a fingle year feparated from the ancient church to which bis people muft have originally belonged. Twelve years, however, have now elapfed fince that period, and yet we find from the Bishop's Addrefs, that many fuch clergymen continue in their former ftate of feparation. The author alludes to, but does not ftate, the motives which continue this unhappy fchifm; and it therefore becomes impoffible for us to enter into them. Yet we may be allowed to exprefs our furprife, that perfons who received their ordination according to the admirable forms of our church, should be induced from any motives to act in fuch direct contradiction to the, principles which they fo folemnly profeffed before the Bishop who ordained them. They cannot furely believe that a civil establishment makes any dif ference in foro confcientia. The laws of England require and enforce the canonical obedience of the epifcopal clergy of England to their respective diocefans. But an authority fuperior to the laws of the land requires and enforces the fame thing, as has been abundantly and repeatedly proved by our ableft churchmen. They, therefore, who profefs epifcopacy in Scotland, are as much bound by this authority to fubmit to the tolerated Bishops there, as they are when in this part of the empire, to fubmit to our eftablifhed Bishops. In matters of confcience, the being eftablished or not established. makes no material difference; otherwife, on what principle was fubordination preferved in the primitive church, or by what authority was fubmiffion to the Bishops who governed it enforced? Not certainly by the civil power, but by the confcientious acquiefcence of those who profeffed the Chriftian faith. We cannot therefore believe, that any of those abfurd notions refpecting a church established and not established, which we have heard more than once alledged, can actuate the clergy in Scotland who continue to feparate from their ancient church. Even in the eye of the law, as Bishop Skinner juftly remarks, an epifcopal clergyman in Scotland, whether he have been ordained by an English, Irish, or Scotch Bilhop, is the fame. They are all merely tolerated Diffenters from the eftablished church of the land in which they live; and the one though ordained in an eftablished church of another land, can have no higher claim while he remains in Scotland than the other. The fpiritual authority to preach and adminifter the facraments is the fame, if they be lawfully called thereunto in the congregation in which they minifter. This lawful calling in England centres in the Bishop, fupported by the civil power. In Scotland it equally refts with the Bishop, though there there he is merely tolerated. When a clergyman in Scotland is chofen by a congregation, he is, or ought to be, instituted or licensed by his Bilhop, as we are in England when presented by the patron to a living. The obligation to canonical obedience in foro confcientia is the fame in both. Since we had written the above, we received the important letter which we publifhed without delay in our preceding volume, p. 581. We must therefore now fuppofe, that our brethren in Scotland had wifhed, before they made the important union which we have been recommending, to fee fome fuch authentic declaration, on the part of the Scotch epifcopal clergy, of their agreement with us in doctrine and difcipline. Of this agreement, we never had the fmalleft doubt. But we rejoice that fo decifive a step has been taken, and we confider the fchifm, which we have been lamenting, as now approaching to an end. For we believe it impoffible, after this, that any epifcopal clergyman can continue to deprive himfelf and his congregation of thofe benefits which flow from the fpiritual fuperintendence of a Bifhop, or that any congrega tion of ferious Epifcopalians will longer fubmit to fuch deprivation. If they were to derive no other advantage than that of having their children regularly and folemnly confirmed, it would, as Bifhop Skinner ftrongly argues, be a fufficient reafon for eagerly embracing the only means they can have of obtaining the difpenfation of that important and primitive ceremony. The great difficulty we well know, in all matters of this kind, is how to take the firft ftep, and much prudence is certainly requifite on the one fide and on the other. Of the prudence and moderation of Bifhop Skinner, and of his brethren, we can have no doubt, from the terms of the Address in his book, and from the unexceptionable articles of union which are added to it. We have further been informed, that one of the most refpectable of our brethren, officiating in Edinburgh, has, with a manly and becoming decifion, alalready come forward and fhown the example to the reft. The firft ftep then, which is the moft difficult, is over, and the others we cannot doubt will fhortly follow. The advantages of this union will foon appear both to the clergy and laity, and we are fully perfuaded that all parties will, at no diftant period, feel furprifed that fo defirable an event was not fooner accomplished. It is an event which will be highly useful to many, and cannot to any produce harm. A houfe divided against itself cannot ftand. The Scotch Epifcopalians thus united, though not a large, will be what Epifco palians palians ought always to be, a refpe&table and well-compacted body. They will enjoy within themselves all the fpiritual orders, ordinances, and authority, which diftinguish their profeffion, and claiming nothing but what is fpiritual, and what the fpirit of toleration happily established in this empire allows to all peaceable focieties, they can give no umbrage or just caufe of offence to any fect or party, and leaft of all to the enlightened members of the established church. True and enlightened Epifcopalians confider Bishops as neceffary officers in their church; becaufe, to the inferior clergy, among them certain powers have never been communicated. But the powers thus claimed are entirely fpiritual. They are united indeed among us with temporal authority, rank, and dignity. But this union, though we truft it will never be broken in our part of the island, is not originally neceffary. It adds nothing to the fpiritual powers, and the want of it takes nothing away. A Bishop merely tolerated therefore, as in Scotland, though he bear the fame fpiritual name and character with those who, in our eftablished church, have the rank and place of temporal peers, has no temporal claim or right fuperior to that of a Prefbyterian minifter, ordained by the eftablished Church of Scotland: who officiates in England, and enjoys with his brethren the full fpiritual and merely tolerated powers and authority which the fpiritual conftitution of his church allows him. This neceffary diftinction feems often to be overlooked. It obviates at once numerous difficulties, objections, and prejudices, which we have heard ftarted and have known to be propagated with fome zeal. But whenever it is pointed out, and it never ought to be out of fight, it affords a complete and fatisfactory answer to all the difficulties, objections, and prejudices, which have been railed by confounding powers, characters, and claims which have no natural or neceffary connection. While, therefore, the Scotch Epifcopalians fubmit themselves to the faithful difcharge of the fpiritual duties of their profeflion, which are ftrictly compatible with all the established laws and orders of the ftate and church, both in their and in our part of the ifland, every good man in general, and every true fon of our church in particular, will cordially "wifh them good luck in the name of the Lord." ART. VIII. Oriental Tales. Tranflated into English Verfe. By J. Hoppner, Efq. R. A. Crown 8vo. 123 pp. 75. Hatchard. 1805. IT Tis confoling, anidft the unavoidable obstacles of war, to fee the fine arts making efforts to emerge, under the protection of a frong and flourishing government; like plants, which under the fhelter of a noble building, grow in fecurity, while all without is torn by forms, or chilled by frofts. As it is the general cultivation of the mind which can alone raise any art to its perfection, it appears to us particularly important that English artists are beginning to fignalize themfelves in literary productions; not that we would have them too much divide their attention between their own art and that of writing, but because the ftudies which guide the pen are likely alfo to give claffical correctnefs to the fancy of the painter. Thinking in this manner, it cannot be doubted that we muft approve the following paffage in Mr. Hoppner's Preface, adding only that, though he may have no prefent intention to appear again as an author, we by no means with or advife him to form any refolution against it. Salvator Rofa fhone equally as painter and as a poet. "Let it not however", he fays, " be inferred from this, that I have the flighteft intention of ever making my appearance before the public again as a poet. I have too great a reverence for this art to fuppofe that I may attain, at my leifure, what men with greater advantages have not been able to acquire after the most diligent study. My object in publishing thefe trifles was rather to prove my love than difplay my fkill: and when I am called upon to fhew" fome vanity of mine art", it shall be in a mode in which I have a more legitimate claim to attention and public favour. If it be urged that this demonftration of attachment to excellence out of my peculiar line of ftudy was unneceffary, I reply that I cannot think fo. Every thing that artists may hope to achieve with the view of raifing themselves in the juft eftimation of a public, fo little difpofed in their favour, fhould be attempted. The general opinion entertained of the extent of our acquifitions is fufficiently indicated in the judgment paffed upon Sir Joshua Reynolds's Lectures: for, fince they cannot be ftyled clumfy performances, the honour of having written them has been awarded to others, not only against the evidence of common fenfe, but of men of the highest refpectability, who had ample means of better information." P. v. Mr. H.then adverts, and, in our opinion,with great propriety, to the manner in which our annual exhibitions are received: for true it is, that for the fake of affuming a moft contemptible pretence to connoiffeurship, the great majority of fpectators affect affect to condemn in the grofs thofe performances, not one of which they are able in the flighteft degree to appreciate, much lefs to criticize. We have often felt afhamed and angry to hear those persons dogmatically condemn the works of very ingenious men, whom we knew to be poffeffed of no fingle principle of judgment belonging to the art. There is no cloke for ignorance fo impenetrable as general condemnation; but they who dare to put it on ought, if we could prevail, at once to be fet afide as incompetent to deliver any opinion. Mr. H. hefitates not, as a connoiffeur, to declare the present French fchool of painting greatly inferior to the English; and though he may be confidered as interested in the question, yet when a man of reputation ventures fo to declare himself, it may be prefumed that his opinion has been well weighed. Certainly if the minute reprefentation of ftill life, fuch as clothes, furniture, and other incidental parts of a picture, which he objects to a celebrated female artist, be a prevalent manner in that school, there can be no doubt that it ought to be condemed, as perfectly repugnant to good taste. We refpect to the Tales, we have read them with great plea fure. In an eafy ftyle of poetical narrative, often enlivened by incidental ftrokes of original reflection, this author has verfified eight Tales; feveral of them well known, but all rendered plealing, and in fome measure new, by the mode of narration. They are taken, as he acknowledges in the Preface, from various books. The firft, fecond, fourth, and fixth, from the Tooti Nameh, or Tales of the Parrot; the third from one related in the fecond volume of Mr. Beloe's Mifcellanies; the fifth from the Heetopades; and the feventh and eighth from the Fabliaux of Le Grand, transferring the fcenery to the East for the fake of uniformity. The firft Tale, of the Afs and the Stag, we had feen and admired, when anonymoufly printed in the Pic-Nic. It is told with great humour. The determined refolution of the afs to fing, in fpite of the remonstrances of his companion upon the danger of it, is extremely laughable; and reminds us of fome adventures we have occafionally had with authors. The picture of the long-earned songfer is very characteristic. "Impatience tung the warbler's foul, |