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r other pretences; in the courfe of which, deftruction dire falls on their refpective countries, their people, and a large portion of their Sellows of the brute creation; and famine and peftilence, not an uncommon confequence! The religious worship eftablished in each of the kingdoms of thefe belligerent powers fupplicates the DEITY to fanction, affilt, and fupport their infernal operations, and Te Deum on each fide is fung for their various fucceffes and triumphs in the glorious and pious thirft and purfuit of blood and defolation. Can the peculiar providence of a benevolent God be poffibly conceived to act or interfere in fuch icenes of horror '

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This argument might be readily anfwered, if it was our province to contradict and confute; but, as we profefs only to give our, readers a fair account of publications, we shall leave the task of commenting to them..

To gt over the objections that may be ftarted against his hypothefis, from the exiftence of prophets, priests, &c. he argues

thus.

⚫he fallen spirits animating this tribe (ftiled by themselves the men of God) we may, with the highest certainty, conclude, were the very prime projectors, leaders, and most active abettors of the revolt in heaven; and failing in their attempt against their God and Creator, but ftill influenced by the fame principles, namely, an infatiable thirst for power and dominion, they meditated how they fhould fubject their fellow rebels to their fway and government here below: This they did by flaming an external fanctity of manners, pretending frequent and familiar intercourfe with the Deity, "inculcating the principle of God's peculiar and partial providence, perpetually interfering in the tranfactions of individuals, and that their daily interpofition was effentially neceffary to foften and deprecate his wrath and vengeance. Thus, by flow but fure degrees, they reached the fummit of their wishes, and retain their dominion until this hour over ninety-nine hundredth parts of this habitable globe.'

Permit us' fays he in another place, to expatiate on the various miferies, perfecutions, and cruelties, excited and perpetrated by the malignant leaders of the Chriftian church on every oppofer of the various changes they have rung on the pure, plain, fimple dictates and doctrines of Chrift, for the space of teventeen centuries back. The recollection pains the imagination; humanity ftarts at the idea of the numerous maffacres aud ruin poured on the heads of focieties and individuals; infomuch that a benevolent mind cannot avoid execrating the fatal diftinction of Catholic and Protefiant, with their mischievous tribe of diffenters under every denomination. The fubject is too ferious and important to provoke to mirth; but philanthropy may without offence beltow a pitying smile on the early divifion and later subdivision of the Chriftian church, and its profeffors, into Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, independent, puritan, prefbyterian, anabaptift, quaker, methodist, Moravian, Sandimonian, with a long et cætera; all harbouring bitter rancour in their hearts against each other; each of this motley tribe claiming infallibility from fcraps taken from the fame fcriptures, varioufly interpreted by the vain, dark, defigning, felf-interested,

malignant

malignant fpirit at their head, as the different genius of each pointed out to their enthusiastic and crafty brain, finking the others to everlafting. perdition.'

In order to ftimulate, according to our author, the genius, ftudy and abilities of men to more worthy pursuits, he arraigns the folly and inutility of all arts and fciences. Aftronomy, fays he, has done more harm than good; "of what real ufe or im portance is it to mankind in general, to know whether the fun moves round the planets, or the planets round the fun, &c ?" Aftronomy introduced aftrology, and aftrology has injured thoufands. What has navigation done? little but counteract the defigns of the deity," which were to plant the different regions of this globe with the fallen fpirits :" and that they should have no communication with each other, he placed the great and tempeftuous ocean as a barrier between them. Of what use has been the art of printing; but to fow diffentions, civil and religious, moral and divine, in the bofoms of contending mortals, and to fill the world with cruelty, blood-fhed and murder? Mufic, fays he, and poetry, lead aftray the minds of youth from more useful and effential applications. Politics are the dirty arts of legerdemain, circumvention and fraud; tactics the art of war and murder; and painting was conceived by indolence, brought forth by vanity, is nurfed by affectation, and fupported by pride, oftentation, and prodigality, In this manner he proceeds with the reft.

Having thus found fault with the prefent ftate of things, he goes on to recommend a reform, but this feems to be confined' chiefly to the church. He would have all diftinctions in the profeffors of religion, fave that of Doctor in Divinity, abolished, and all their temporalities vefted in the ftate. He would put an end to fubfcription, degrees, and epifcopal ordination, and have the ministers appointed by the crown as head of the church, with a falary of 500l. a year to each married prieft, and a house well furnished, and 300l. a year to each unmarried one; and advises that the number of churches be reduced, and each made independent; that there fhould be but one incumbent to each church; and that the reduced dignitaries fhould be appointed in preference to others, according to their prefent rank; and that fuch clergy, as would in this cafe have no preferment, should have a penfion of one hundred pounds a year.

He next proceeds to reform the national worship, by a total alteration, and has annexed a liturgy (founded upon the prefent one) in conformity to his plan, which is as follows: That the bible fhould not be read in divine fervice; that no adoration fhould be paid to the fecond perfon in the trinity; that the doctrine of mediation, and atonement fhould be abolished; that the services for the fifth of November, the thirtieth of January,

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January, and the twenty-ninth of May, fhould be expunged; that the facrament of the Lord's fupper and baptism should undergo an alteration; that the ceremony of matrimony fhould not be a religious one; that the churching of women should be private; and that the other forms of the church fhould be altered, fo as to correfpond with the doctrines he has advanced.

These are the heads of the tract now before us; and though, with fenfible men, a perufal may do no great harm, with weak and unfettled minds it may occafion an irreparable injury. It is fuch works that fhew the utility of an imprimatur, and the disadvantage of a univerfal freedom of the prefs.

ART. X. Inferior Polities: or, Confiderations on the Wretchedness and Profligacy of the Poor in London and its Vicinity: On the Defects in the prefent Syftem of Parochial and Penal Laws: On the confequent Increafe of Robbery and other Crimes: And on the Means of redreffing thefe public Grievances. With an Appendix, containing a Plan for the Reduction of the National Debt. By Hewling Lufon, of the Navy-Office. 8vo. is. 6d. Bladon.

ONE would think that the author of this tract was a lawyer, from his circumlocution, and the declamation he difplays throughout. There is, notwithstanding, a good deal of found reasoning in it, fome judicious improvements pointed out, and the language is flowery and pleafing.

After fpeaking highly of the conftitution of this country, and lamenting how greatly it is abused by the present mode of electing its representatives, and the venality of parliament in confequence of it, he enters into the depravity of the times, launches out in praife of ruftic innocence, and gives us a picture of London in its brightest scenes of feftivity among the wealthy, and then contrafts it with the diftreffed fituation of its poorer inhabitants. This part, as a specimen of the author's language, we will tranfcribe.

Such are the brilliant fcenes, fays he, we may fuppofe to behold in London, at a feafon when the ocean whitens with the furious ftorm; when the driving fnow and rattling hail beat dark December,' and the gloom of night adds horror to the black inclement nights of winter. But let us quit the house of joy and feftivity for the street, and we shall meet with objects to excite far different ideas.

There ftand the pallid, emaciated children of poverty, shivering at the wintery blaft, many of whom feel the complicated evils of hunger, cold, and pain, and whofe appearance too plainly indicates this fad variety of wretchednefs.' In this deplorable community of human mifery, many of all ages, from the tendereft infancy to that enfeebled decrepitude which approaches the fecond childishness,' are to be found. Here the hardy veteran or mutilated feaman becomes the

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melancholy

melancholy affociate of thofe, who, by accidents or natural defects, are afflicted with fimilar calamities, or deprived of the light of heaven!

Look down upon these thy children with an eye of mercy, O Being of beings! and if, in thy unfathomable wisdom, thou feeft fit to afflict them here, may they be amply recompenfed in fome kingdom of reafon to come!'

Speaking of those unfortunate women who traverse the ftreets by night, he says,

There alfo is that numerous tribe of wretched females who fubfift by common proftitution; who experience by turns the extremes of luxury and poverty, and whose bofoms alternately heave with the tumultuous tranfports of pleasure, or the agonizing throbs of guilt and defpair! Ill-fated votaries of delufive vice! Perhaps, from your earlieft infancy, by parental vanity or folly, feduced by flattery, or deceived by falfehood, you might, with proper education and timely warning, have escaped the fatal fnare! May the virtuous fair, who are the brightest ornaments of the human race, and heaven's laft. beft gift to man,' while they are admonished by your fall, fpare their too rigid cenfures; let them rather regard you with an eye of pity than difdain; they may be happy they escaped the fevere conflict, but let them not exult in an imaginary triumph, fince, though exempt from your guilt, they escaped your trials.'

Having laid before us the miferies attending the poor in general, and the infufficiency and abufe of the laws respecting them, he recommends a reform of thofe laws, and points out fome judicious amendments, not only to the benefit of the poor, but to that of the community. Inftead of paffing a vagrant to his own parish, as is now done, let that parish be as diftant as it may, he would have every parifh obliged to maintain the poor that live in it; or, he would have the fums annually collected, which amount to near three millions, lodged in the hands of government, and proper perfons appointed by the ftate to take care of the poor. By this means they would not be at the difpofal of unfeeling parifh officers, and mercenary governors of workhouses. He is of opinion, and we think justly fo, that, if each parifh was obliged to fupport the poor that are there refident, when they become chargeable, whether they belong to that parish or not, all the complicated hardships refulting from vexatious removals, all the trouble and expence attending litigated fettlements and riding paffes, would be avoided, and the public would be relieved from beggars, who now wander about for alms, because they cannot apply to the parish where they are, for relief. Were even the laws of fettlement to continue as they are, it would be better to call on the parish to whom a pauper belongs, for a reimbursement

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of.

of the expence of maintenance, than remove him to any confiderable diftance.

From the subject of paupers he proceeds to that of criminals, fhews the inconvenience and abfurdity of the penal laws, and urges a revifal and amendment, in which the prevention of crimes fhould be more attended to than their punishment. To effect this, he would have our ftreets patrolled, at night, by the inhabitants, in rotation. The Dutch do this, and find their account in it. He would make no offences capital but murder, rebellion, burglary, fetting fire to houses, forgeries, robberies attended with wanton cruelty, robbing of mails, coining, and thofe crimes now deemed capital, in which nature and decency are equally violated. In cafes of murder and wanton barbarity, he would introduce the law of retaliation. Transportation he would have abolished, and the convicts employed fo as to be useful to the state. For this purpose, fays he, penitentiary houfes fhould be erected, where criminals might be confined, for certain periods, according to their crimes, and made to work; and the produce of their labours, after defraying the expences attending them, should be appropriated to the maintenance of their families. And to prevent these families being further corrupted, or forming ruinous connections, he would have them provided for by the state..

His mode of paying off the national debt, is by paying a greater intereft during the lives of fuch holders as approve of it, according to their age, and the capital to be funk at their decease; twenty millions fo purchased, at feventy per cent. and nine per cent. intereft paid for it, on an average, would, in the space of twenty years, be thus paid off. The extra intereft would be 660,000l. which he would have paid out of the finking fund. This, he afferts, would be a fpeedier way liquidating the debt, than buying in the stock wholly.

of

ART. XI. The History of Ancient Greece, its Colonies, and Conquefts; from the earliest Accounts till the Divifion of the Macedonian Empire in the East. Including the Hiftory of Literature, Philofophy, and the fine Arts. By John Gillies, L. L. D. 4to. 2 vols. 21. 2s. boards. Cadell, 1786.

(Continued.)

THE HE political principles which Dr. Gillies has adopted, and of which he is fo oftentatious in the course of his work, appear very fingular and extraordinary in a hiftorian of Greece. He feems to have imbibed the fame averfion to liberty and free governments, which the Greeks had conceived for tyrants. The once celebrated, but now forgotten, Mr. Hobbes, advifes

a def

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