Google
This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project
to make the world's books discoverable online.
It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject
to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books
are our gateways to the past, representing a wealth of history, culture and knowledge that's often difficult to discover.
Marks, notations and other maiginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the
publisher to a library and finally to you.
Usage guidelines
Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the
public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing tliis resource, we liave taken steps to
prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying.
We also ask that you:
+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for
personal, non-commercial purposes.
+ Refrain fivm automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine
translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the
use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.
+ Maintain attributionTht GoogXt "watermark" you see on each file is essential for in forming people about this project and helping them find
additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.
+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just
because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other
countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of
any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner
anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liabili^ can be quite severe.
About Google Book Search
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers
discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web
at|http: //books .google .com/I
113
THE
INVESTIGATOR;
OR,
Auattnl^ ;i)ftaga^ne.
VOL. VIII.
JANUARY TO OCTOBER, 1824.
" Whatsoever things ire tnie, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things
are jnst, whatsoever things are pore, whatsoever things are lovelj, whatsoever
things are of good report'
>»
EDJTEX) BY
THE REV. WILLIAM BENGO' COLLYER, D.D
LL.D. F.A.S.
THE REV. THOMAS RAFFLES, LL.D.
(of LIVERPOOL,)
AND ^^
JAMES BALDWIN BROWN, ESQ. LL.D
I r^
LONDON :
Prmi$d at th4 Ctuetom Pr§$s, fijf fiimry FUker,
PUBLISHED BT THOMAS AND OEOROE UNDERWOOD, 32, FLEET-STREET ;
OOLE, DUNCAN, AND CO., AND SHERWOOD AND CO., PATBRNOS-
TBR-ROW; BLACK, KINOSBURT, PARBURY, AND ALLEN, LEADEN-
BALI/-STREET ; F. WESTLET, STATIONERS' COURT ; B. I. H0LD8W0RTH,
BT. Paul's church-tard; wauoh and innes, Edinburgh; wood,
MARLBOROUOH-STREBT, DUBUN ; AND MANNINOy CHAPEL-LANE,
BELPAST.
1824.
PREFACE.
After making trial for a twelvemonth of the practicability
of conducting their Journal on a reduced scale, without an
undue interference with the rapid increase of their profes-
sional and private engagements, the Editors of the Iiivesti-
gator, at the close of the eighteenth number, and Eighth
Volume of their work, are reluctantly, but imperatively,
compelled to say, " Here our labours terminate/' Their
wish would have been to proceed, but the great inconveni-
ence of superintending a periodical work through the press,
whilst hastily removing from place to place, at a distance of
two hundred miles from home, and in tne midst of the bustle
and complexity of the business which regularly calls him
^ence, has rendered it impossible for the final Editor longer
to continue at a post, from which his colleagues have as
little leisure to relieve him. With sincere thanks, therefore,
to their friends and contributors, for the support they have
experienced for the last five years — and with the hope, that
in a period in which splendid talents have been shamelessly
prostituted to the cause of vice and irreligion, their efforts
to counteract its pestilential influence have not been alto-
gether in vain — in that editorial capacity, which has but
more strongly cemented the ties of an early and most inti-
mate friendship, they bid their readers an unwilling, yet a
final adieu ; referring them for a continuation of several of
the articles commenced in this work, to the Philomathic
Journal, a' quarterly publication, edited at an institution, of
which they are all honorary members, and over which one of
them presides. Where their wishes or recommendation can
have any weight, that journal will succeed, on the shelves of
their suDscribers, the one they now abandon.
September 24, 1824.
"■"^*^J-*^,„._^^ ,
Zieiif- Governor of 3aici^olfn . ^c.
^t ]Ettli«i»ttg:aliir«
JAinr ART, 1824.
Memoir qf Sm Thomas Stamford Raffles, Knt, F.R.
and A.S., Lieut.^Govemor qf Bencookn,S^c.lfc,S^c»
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was born on board
the ship Ann, at sea, off the harbour of puort Morant, in the
island of Jamaica, on the 6th of July, 1781. His father,
Benjamin Raffles, was one of the oldest captains in the
West India trade, from the port of London. Sir Stamford
received his educalioii principally under Dr. Anderson,
who presided over a respectable academy at Hammersmith.
At an early age he was admitted on the establishment at the
East India House, where his talents and his industry
obtained for him the esteem and confidence of the then
secretary, the late Wm. Ramsfiy, Esq., through whose in-
terest, in 1805, the directors gave him the handsome and
flattering appoin.tment of assistant^secretary to the govern-
ment in Prince of Walea's Island, together willi the rank of
Snior mierchant, and an eventual succession to council,
e had not been long in that settlement before he became
chief secretary.
While there, he diligently applied himself to the study of
the Malay, and other languages of the Eastern Archipelago.
To these studies he was incited in no small degree by the
late lamented Dr. Leyden, with whom he formed a fnend-
ship the most endearing, which was unhappily terminated
by the death of that eminent scholar, who expired at Bata-
via in the arms of his friend. Such was the success with
which he cultivated the study of these languages, that he
was appointed Malay translator to the government; and
Lord Minto, then governor-general of India, honoured him
with especial notice in one of his anniversary discourses to
the college of Calcutta. Thus he became known to that
truly enlightened nobleman, whose highest regard and con-
fidence it was afterwards his happiness to enjoy> and in
whose death he has had to deplore the loss of a most steady
and inestimable friend.
In 181 U Sir Stamford was induced to visit Calcutta,
whence he accompanied Lord Minto in the expedition
against Java, in the capacity of private secretary to his
lordship, and his agent in the Malay states ; and in the
VOL. Vlll.— NO. 1. B
2 Memmr of Sir T. S. Raffles, Knt.
month 6f October ib thftt year^ he was appointed to die high
station of lieutenant-governor of that island, and its various
important dependencies. How he disChdtged the trust
reposed in him by this distinguished xmpointment is well
known; while the mildness anaequity oi his administration .
endeared him to the millions, amongst whom he then dis^
pensed the blessings of the British government^ to a degree
almost unexamplea in our colonial history.
During his residence in Java, b^ lost hit fiMt wife, to
iHiom he was united previous to his leaving ikm G^mtsttj ;
alid hi^ health having materially stdfered from the combiMcl
kifiueAce <tf domestie affliction, tad the severe duties of his
stiition, lie was induced to visit England^ He arrived at
Falmotttfi in tlie autumn of 1816, bringing with him the
R4den R4iia Dipiira, a Javanese prince, win his wait; ond
a more sple&did and extensive edileetion of specioiens kX
five piroduc^tionB, costMoe, &c. of the Eastern Artlnpeb^^
iSum had ever befine been received into a British port. The
reception *witfa which he m^ in England, must have kfeetk
highly gratifying io ktJtk. He had tihe pleasure to see tinvt
his memoes were appreciated by tiie public, while from f>er*
sons, of all ranks tiM dassee xK society, he received the
Aiost flattering markfi of kind and respectful atteudoti.
During his stay in this quarter of Ae glot)e,
standing the numerous engagements by which he wa&
oppressed, be found leisure to accotbplish a tour on the
Contineirt;, the details of "whidi l^we beefti ^ven to the
public by one of the party, — ^and to publii^h his History of
Java in two large quurto tolumes, containi&g ub imtiieitiM
mass of valuable information relative to that iateresting
country. He also, while in En^and, bad the haippiness to
tbtOk a matrimonial connexion tvith a most amiable lady,
Sophia, the daughter of J. Watson Hull, Esq. late ^ (Sveait
!baddo^, in Essex.
As an acknowledgment <^ his services, and as the best
appointment, after the remgnation of Java, nt their oommiind^
€he East India Company confirmed bis 'notmnation to
Beticoolen, in Sumatra, which bad been held in ^resUfve for
him, in the anticipation that such an ev«iil might ^possibly
occur. With this appointment, the runk ttud title of li««i*
tenant-governor was conferred upon him. <He ahoFeo^ived
the honour of knighthood from his Mtijesty, tb^u {Prince
Regent, who graciously permitted the dedkation of 'bis
History of Java to himself.
Sir StttlsoioTd left the shores of Engtatid for his new
Memoir i^^if T- S. {Uiles, Knt 3
etetioD. in ^or^vph^t, 1817, h^mg \m^ Ae^samA ^ fM-
WPutb by contrwy wind^, loqig enough i,o r^oeiye tb^ n^plim-
choly intelligence of the death pf the laweilted Piruic^jas
Charloitt^, whqse friendship, tpgetbftr witfc tjiait pf hpr iUm-
tn€>u$ cpnsort, he had the diAting^i^ed g^tiilc^pii to
enjoy i ai»d hid first public act, pn his arrivp,! in hif ^^V
governmeiit, Wft3 ti^e f(»niirardi.&g of an j^^d^f^s pf fiOf^olefkGe
f/p hi9 m^eet^y on Ilie.t pioati^o^jiriUul m^t-
Sinee \h^ cpfnii^nceineilt of his adminigU^ion ii^ Siuy^-
tm, Sijr Stsup^ord ha^ been|xic^tl«bpriovBly and fii^epe^fiiUy
eBq>loyed in re9i9ii9g the um^^^rraQt^Le iftg^reiisiow of th^
J)ut€h— te promotinjg; friesidily iQ^r^pur^e with the nativ^ pf
that vast island — ^in improving the moral and social cppdi|iaii
of the people — and advancing, by all the methods which a
liberal aiid enlightened policy ooiud suggest, the cop.ipeirdjd
jintere$tis of Britain in the Easter^ seas. Of all his ineasyres,
that of establishing the fpree port pf Singapore, at the ex-
tremity of ihe Malay peninsula, is perhaps the most impor-
tant. This settlement has already prospered to an aston-
jffhii^ degree, and promises, if continued lender ^ii|:ish
patronage^ to become the eQipprwa and pride of t)^ C^^.
There ^, perh^s. no place in the known worhl nip^e ?idva^-
t9geousl¥ ^ituajted for the purposes of comiperce. Jt pppa-
jjtands tae straits of Malacca, places our interco:M^8|& with
China h^yond risk or annoyance, and may become the
.(^qz^ecting l^nk and grand entrepot between Europe, A^l4,
andX/hina — it is in factfa^ beconu^g fi|o, for me^rohants jGrqm
^11 parts are resorting to it, a^ eatablishipg tii^i;D^v€\B
^here, while yessels come from China to Singapp^^^ u^ fiy^
jdays, to pufchstse their goods.
Amidst these important commercial affairs. Sir Sta^lford
has not been unmindful of the claiins of sci^n^c^. ^fatural
philosophy, in its various department^ of Botany, Zoology,
^Entomology, &c. has been greatly enriched by hi^ ow|i
le8learche^, and those of scientific individuals who l^^yp
enjoyed his patronaff^. Considerable collections from thp
interior of Sumatra have already reached this country, and
description^ pf some of the loost carious and spi^xu}id
articles have been presented to the public. 7>9^or should we
omit to mention^ the decided protection which he has always
e^teA^ed to the accredited Missionaries pf eyery deiH)nMna-
tiou-^r-nrpipoting their views to th^ utmost possible ejKtent,
apd affording them the most efficient aid in the prpeejcutioii
of their sacred and benevolent desi^s.
We lament, and every friend of we hun^an race and lover
of his country must lament with us, that, in the midst of so
4 V History of Ethics :
inuch usefulness, the subject of this brief memoir htts been
awfully warned by disease and death to quit the scene of his
honourable labours. Three, out of four, of his children
have been torn from him by a malignant climate; of his
personal friends, scarcely one remains ; and he himself, with
nis amiable lady, have been in a state of health the most
alarming and critical. Under these distressing circum-
stances,. Sir Stamford has deemed it an imperious duty to
forward his resi^ation to the East India House ; and his
last movement, or which we have received intelligence, was
a voyage to Singapore, to make suitable arrai^ements
there, prior to his final departure from the Eastern Archi-
pelago.
The History of Ethics: a Lecture delivered at the 'Surrey
and Philomathic Institutions. By the Re»erejid William
Bengo' Collyer, D.D.LL.D., PrcwVfen^ of the Philo-
mathic Institution, S^c. Ifc.'Sfc.
When i undertook to lecture on Ethics, I had not the
presumption to hope that it would be in my power to pre-
sent to my auditory any thing absolutely new ; but it Was
my object, and it remains so, to produce, on a subject silwavs
important, something which may be generally useful. Tne
syllabus which has been submitted to your consideration is
of so general a kind, as to preclude any very close discus-
sion of those hypotheses which it will be necessary to
examine : and the whole that can be attempted will be, to
define principles as clearly as possible, and to trace their
action, as well upon the various branches of society, as
upon the individual himself influenced by them. If I shall
he able to do this at all to your satisfaction — if, in beguiling
a few wintry hours, I shall awaken the attention of any one
individual to the great law of his nature, which associates
him with his fellow-men, and with his God, and succeed in
explaining the duties inseparable firom it — I shall be Inore
than compensated; and your indulgent patience will not foe
exercised in vain. Such are my humble pretensions, and I
submit them to your candour.
The term Etincs signifies manners — or rather, the refla-
tion and cultivation of manners — which attention to conduct,
deeply influencing both ourselves and others, is expressed
better by the appellation of morals. Plato distinguishes
them into three branches. Moral Philosophy, regarding
man in his individual capacity, was called Ethics — when ft
A Lecture, by the Rev- Dr. Collyer. 5 ,
related to him in his family-relations, it was denominated
(Economics: but extending to the larger confederation of
general society » it received the name of Politics. To the^
latter of these, Plato principally directed his attention,
although he wrote upon the whole. These distinctions have
been less respected in modern disquisitions ; and Ethics
have been properly understood to comprehend morals in all
their branches, emanating from the individual, diffusing
themselves through his immediate connexions, and spread-
ing over all the face of society. Nor does it appear possible
to separate morals in their principle, from an operation as
extensive as the relations of life, and the influence of the
individual^— his duties being commensurate with his capa-
cities.
In tracing the History of Morals, which is the subject of
|iie present lecture, the mind naturally reposes upon So-,
cntes, as the first philosopher who reduced morals to
system, uncovered their source, and applied them practically
to the duties of the individual, and his relations to others.
The philosophy which preceded this illustrious man, related
to nature, and might be called speculative ; but he directed
knowledge to purposes of moral utility — ^renouncejl such
sciences as appeared to him to conduce little or nothing to
this great design — ^gathered the scattered precepts of ^
remote antiquity — ^reduced them to order — established their
truth, or refuted their sophistry — ^inferred from them prac«
tical results ; and, to use the language of Cicero, was the
first who led the studies of mankind to the important
inquiries after virtue and vice, and to the establishiment
of the distinctions and the boundaries of good and evil.*
As this unriyalled philosopher wrote nothing, we. muat
be satisfied to learn the outline of his ^Ethics from Plato,
by whom they were adopted and recorded. Morals ^them?
selves are as old as man's existence, and have be^n ob-
jects of inquiry and of speculation in all ages ; but the
reduption of v^em to forpi, (if we except the sacred
writings, the oldest of all, and from which there are strong
reasons to conclude, they W0re all borrowed^) must be
referred to Socrates amppg the Grecians. He becomes,
therefore, a pentral point — equally removed from the scat-
tered elements to be found among his predecessors, who
borrowed thein from the eastern world, apd the modern
writers on this interesting subject, who seem substantially
ip hj^ve adopted his principles, with the advantages {wx*
* pio. Acad. Quest. i(^
6 HiBtory of Ethics :
nraH^d by the ilicreasin^ etperiencer of ages, and the mote
poW^ftil ai>)si^t£ltlce^ tiot always acknowledged, sometiindd
par^itij^toriiy deti)ed> btit tldt the less red and influential^
of th^ ^bliiiie code of Christianity. I take my stated upon
the ^ifhple and beautiful system of Socrates — as apon an
elevation from t^rhich J may myself dee^ and be able to point
dut to you, iti every direction, the moral Isindscape stretched
all around it — losing itself, on the one hand, among the
shadoWt^ 6f the teinotest antiquity, and extending, on the
dtheir, to thfe a^e iii which we live, to the coutitry in which
it is dtrr privilege to dwell, and to the Very leeture-room in
^Hlch #e )ire now asdembled*
Pythagoras idtands nearest Socrat^s> as his preonrsor in
this study ; and claims the highest attention and respecty
iVhether i^e consider the extent of his scientific reseatobes,
Olr th^ accuracy of his judgment^ or th^ yriue of bis preceptd^
6r the zeal \fhich ptompted him to ex][)lot'e the most distant
latid^, find to bring home the i^Hsdotn collected with such
tbil,{h)ih die most celebrated tend the most copious sotir<^es.
^^yehii^ testiinony alsd to the 6tiperiority of this science
&i^er Ml other researches; imd deemed that philosophy
#hidh c'ottld hot cure, at lieast ftome of the human passions^
kA wbtij^tess ^s that theditiile tr hich has no effect npcm
Bodily di^eafee/* He touched upon aH the branohes ©f
MtiMM Virtually, although not inetiteodicaHy ; and his ttfdd«
of I'ecommei^din^ moral duti'es, as irell al» 6t dining th%m>,
Wks by figures— -by a symbolical and etoblemsitical metkord
of in^&nction. To the individual who rei^s^d his advid^,
Md ab^tidon^d his Acfaool Ibr ^enstial iiidtitgenees, h« ap-
peticfd by addyefti^in^ tli*e sehseil ; and pfoeing m fmpty
tdffih in the l^eat which h^ hd,d been accttstomed to occupy,
as the ismbleni of that state 6t moral death to Which he con^
fiidered tlie mind of the unhaf)py j^rofligate 16 be reducedt
He waib accnst6med to represent tihe friendship, and
Mion, and harmony, which should prevail am^ng his scho-
kai^, by siting ^idt befbre thcfta. He eji:pre6sed moral pre^
ceptHh tiie same parabolic mloliner. Sli^h, he liepmved by
the admoiiition, '* Receive not a swallow into your hotme."
The swallow sportft but for a seaison, soon disappears, and
ift stipposed to oe torpid dtiring th^ grfeatet* part of th>e yeftr.
He gtiarded ihem againist pramktftg the irrttable ernd the
•potberflil, by advising, '* Stnr not the fire with a sword.*'
He cautioned against corroding and tiselesft cares, by tn-
1iorti%4 ** Eat not the heart.'' He recommended a firtricft
A Lecture, iy th^ Rcy. Dr. CoUyer. 7
regard to justice, by the oommand» '* Paat not over the
fafliaAce.'- The " concord of sweet somuls/' the harmonies
of ii^usic, were with him &TOurite images of moral excellen-
cies. These symbols might be multiplied^ if it were njBces-
sary to our present purpose ; ];)ut such as have been adduced
are sufficient to establish and illustrate the emblematical
and parabolic mode of instruction relative to morals em-
ployed by Pythagoras.*
Nor did Pythagoras stand alone in this appeal to tiie
understanding through the medium of the senses. Plato
•ealia virtue, uie iarmony (opfioifMr^) and mmic of the soul.
{intx^ fjuMfunv,) Temperance, he describes as a certain sym-
phony and concord of the affections* (wvfifittvianviy k^u of^fUivui.)
Plato himself demands of those who read his allegories,
that diey should not rest satisfied with the image, but pene-
trate the hidden meaning of the truth so veiled.f And it
was therefore justly observed, that ** He is no Platonist
who thinks that Plato must not be understood allegorically,
onlese he will, with Aristotle, triumph over Plato's words,
and not regard his {Nrofoupd sense.'^: The philosophy of
Socrates was plain and simple, and proceeded upon a mediod
pecnliar to maaseif, of asking questions, until he obtained
the induction which he desired, nrom the eoncessions of his
opponents. That of Plato was more dogmatioal, more
ORmmented, and often allegonoal. His symbols, indeed,
were much less obscure than tiiose of Pythagotaa* But
Aristotle was the first who udioUy laid allegory aside; and
in icpiisidering Plato as the representative of die morals of
Sfwmtes, we mast not for^t that he has added to his
master's principles mnch of ms own manner.
The sages who obtained the distingjuished title of Ae
Seven Wise Men of Greece, diceeted their attention princi-
pally to morals ; and coimyed th^ir precepts in the shape
ctf shoet and pointed aphorisms. Quintilian esteema them
certain rules of life. ** As yet,'' said that eloauent writer,
^ dispiitation had not obtained — but couching tneir instroe-
tiona in a few expvessiv^e terms, they were presented as so
aaaur religious mysteries."^ One grand sentence may be
mwmoed, ascribed by some to Tbales, and by others to
Chilo, which while it explains this aphonatic mode of
-tea<4iing, immoi'talizes the wisdom in which it originated-^
"** Know thyself r This was one of those precepts read in the
temple of Delphos ; and which Ciqero so esteemed as to
* Gale, b. ii. c. 7. vol. ii. p. 107. &c. t Plato. Phced. and Repab.
t. and 10. X Coel. Redig. lib. 9. cap. 12. § Quint, tib. 5. c. 11.
8 History of Ethics :
call it the precept of Apollo ; and he remarks, with singular
beauty» that it was given not exclusively to humble man by
sendiog^him into his bosom to learn its^ weakness, but prin-
cipally^ to urge him. to form an acquaintance with his own
soul, m all the majesty of its powers, and all the importance
of their application.*
These characteristics of the earliest method of teaching
morals, lead us still higher towards their , indisputable
source. The parabolic mode of instruction is notoriously
oriental : so also is the proverJ^ial form chosen by the seven
Grecian Sages. The institutes of Menu may afford a suffi-
cient evidence of the latter ; while the gorgeous imagery
interwoven with the very texture of Eastern composition,
E roves the former. The Grecian fioets, older than these
istorians and philosophers, (for even Thales, Chilo, and
his celebrated associates, lived more than than three cen-
turies after Hesiod,) chose allegory, the very garb of
poetry, as the grand vehicle of their moral sentiments.
And while their mythological traditions may be distinctly
traced to an oriental origin, their fables were regarded by
the sases of Greece as containing philosophical truths,
under we veil of fiction. Doubtless they -drew their ethics
from the sources whence they derived their philosophy; and
the very form in which Hesiod gives his moral precepts,
combines both the characteristics of aphorism and poetry.
Thales, althoi^h said to be bom at Miletus, is cont^tded
to have been of Phenician extract ; and it is certain, that he
travelled into .Asia to acquire oriental wisdom. PyUii^ras
is known to have traversed various countries in that direc-
tion, and to have extended his researches as far as India.
I^ato visited Egypt, then the receptacle of the learning of
the world — ^having received her knowledge from the latter —
and confesses that the principles of his philosophy, as well
as the use of symbols,^ were derived from older nations,
whom, in conformity to the usage of the Greeks, relative to
all people except themselves, he calls Barbarians. The
Phenicians, as tne earliest navi^tors, carried the sciemces,
and the symbols under which they were couched, from the
oriental world, and from Egypt immediately to Greece, and
even to Britain.; whose Druids, more ancient than those of
Gaul, resembled in many striking points^ as well of philo-
sophy, as of religious observances, the Hindus ; and shew
in^e most obvious particulars, the oriental origin of their
system.
* Cic. Tuacab. I. 72, &c.
A Lecture, by the Rev. Dr. CoUyer. 9
; It is di£ELcalt to obtain ii^formation relative to the origi-
nation of ancient science, from any records except those of
sacred history. From whatever fountains the sages of
India drew their theories, it is evident that those of Greece
drank of the same wells of knowledge. The philosophical
schools of the East comprise the metaphysics of the dif-
ferent sects of Grecian philosophy ; and, as oriental systems
afe unqaestionably older than those of Greece, if a real
analogy subsists, it must have been imparted to the latter :
it could not have been derived from them by the former.
The grand and favourite doctrine of Py thagaras, relative to
the transmigration of souls, adopted even in the purer and
more simple philosophy of Plato, is so evidently of Eastern
origin, thatitbeeoifes a powerful argument in suoport of
4he hypothesis of the derivation of other parts of the same
system^from the same quarter. And with the general prin*
ciples of philosophy, came their Ethics, both as to substance
and to the form . of communication. Coniecture and hypo-
thesis may, however, be well spared, when we have the
testimony of Diodorus Sicul us. direct to this point. ** All
those,", he says, '' who were renowned among the Greeks for
wisdom and learning, did in ancient time resort to Egypt,
thence to deduce philosophy and laws.'' The peculiar dog-
jnas of the Grecian philosophers are respectively acquired
from Effypt, Phenicia, Chaldea, India, and Persia. The
Bun of KJiowledge rose, like the orb of day, in the East.
Certain terms, and even the names of their idols, are by the
Grecians borrowed from the Egyptians, between whose
language, and that of the Phenicians and Chaldeans, is such
an affinity, that:they may, with little difficulty, be traced to
an Hebrew oriffin.
Having touoned upon this. point, I will. venture to remind
you, that there ia a book, the most ancient of all existing
records-*-{br even should its inspiration be denied^ none
pretend .to question its antiquity — in which the purest
moral.precepts, and the most sublime religious truths, are
seen veiled in parables, couched under symbols, and commu-
nicated in proverbs. To this book may be traced as well ther
traditions of the East, as the systems of Greece; and as an
important fact, it it is necessary to remark, that if we are
desirous of following the history of morals up to its spring
head, sound learning and diligent research have found, m
this neglected volume, the grand and inexhanatible source
after which the world has been so long lookii^g; and which,
like the fountains of the Nile, lay concealed from ages and
generations.
10 History of Ethic$ :
Tbe EleuBmiaB and Bacohie mysteries^ those aotonkking
and ckaniGtemtic parts of Grecian reli^on^ were syniboii«-
cal representations of things moral and philosophical. They
were an attempt to ^ound a sublime philosophy upon a
mass of fabulous tradition ; and so far the attempt was cor**
rect, in that those very fables originated in either scientific
researches, natural phenomena^ or moral truths, symboli-
cally expressed. Plato represents these mysteries as typi*-
fyingthe external eyih associated with material existence-*-
the rices and humiliation of the spirit in its corporeal
anLon--'and the future transformations through whicn it is
to pass. In the mecm time, while philosophical and moral
tcoths were intended to be taught, the mind was corrupted,
amd the passions inflamed, by tne indecencies and sensuali^
ties encouraged, as symbolizing the communication of divine
energies to the various forms of intellectual being. The
flame exposition has been already suggested of the fables of
the poetSy and of the whole Grecian mythology — moral pre-
cepts, philosophical truths, and natural sciences, are all
conveyed by these parables. Such is precisely the reiigioii
of t^ Hindus at this hour. It is philosophical in its cha-
racter^ closely allied with aetvonomy, and moral in its pmp-
Iposea. fiist to whom does it bear these features of virtue
and snblimtty? To the Bramins, who, like the Brttidi
Oruids, (evidemdy tif the same family,) are. at once the
priests and tbe philoeopherB of tiheicoui]^; to the select
number, who« like the initittted into the Elensiaian mys-
teries, have the conoeeded physical and moral trudis es-
phufied,; while these symbols am to the Eastern mttUitade,
wdbat Gorrefiponding symbols were to the Grecian populaoe,
the organs of gross idolatry and of irrational euperstitioB.
Tlie coBformBty^ however, <n tbe eventer and lesser myste-
lies «o ceU)rated in antiquity, with the eadsting practicea 'Of
India» both covering morals with the veil 'Of fiction, belh
aimBing the awititude witih fables, and degeneratiDg i|i
ordinary mse inio itiie grossest Ucestiousness, sheiVB-agai^
the originatioQ of these moral symbols in the East.
In omrfbtmi^ with this oriental method of representatioii,
we find the propfaeta of the Odid Testament symbolinng in
like manner, virtues and vices, judgments and deliverances,
things spiritual and futore. it was the genius of <d>at
oounArf, it lemaiu so, and it was evidently transplanted
'tbenoeio'Gi«eoe and Rone; this luxwriant moral viegeiar
tinmi spiangnig originally in a wanner chme, and from a
richer aoil, tlmn Snope x^ould boast. The conquerora vA»^
have successively plundered the East, have brovght beoie
A Lecture^ by tbeRer. Dr. CoUyer. 11
mcMTe Yali]»ible spoili than het stlTef, and her gdld» sad her
gema; and Greeee had the meaimead to atesJ her morabt
and her philosc^y^ add then to brand her aa barbariav^
They did not even leave behind the beautiful and many-
coloured rest in which she clothed her 8yBteiii£l> wrought in
the loom of her own splendid imagination^ and nmigled bfce
tiie radiant hues of her own dayspring; and when they had
deootated themselves with her intellectual and BEMoral riohesy
they put her out of the pale of their privileged society : for
if the ienti batbarian did not mean with thom, as wtth Us,
the absence of civilisation — ^it siraified emj^hatieally, a
foreignet — and drew a broad line ofdistinction between. heir
and her imperious elislavers. Nay, Aridtode justified tha
pelicy whioh then pr&vailed^ by laying down as a fundament
tal sLnd self-evident nuuiim^ that *' iCfatuxe intended barba**
liahs to be slaves*^
I have sUready directed your attention to one signifioaiiil
symbol employed by Pythagoras, which ykBM the use of Bali
as the embleiti of the union aiid harmony which ought to
subsist among the members of his phttolophical scfaooK
'fhls is so truly oriental^ that it at once shews whence it was
deiivedi Salt is still the symbol employed in the East to
denote the confirmation of any engagement, and it remaina
die pledge of inviolable friendship. Treachery woaid be
stigmatised by this fieure : and as we sfaoteld sar* that he
who ate of onr btead had forgotten us; they woi:dd(aiarii the
iacratitude by sayings that the offender nad eaten of tha
salt oi the iajuted pcnrty* No man, of whatever rank, who
had any regard to his charaoter, to public opinion, ot to
sacred obligatioas, nl^^uld ventnie to break a promise vsta*-
biished by this significant sj^nboK It is one of the most
solen^ foctes of mt oath-»^the persoa swearing inoeives into
his month .a little salt^ placed for that purpose upon tkt
blade af a seyiateter, imprecating his own deatii, if lie shall
prove imiaitbfai to his ei^^emeat, or a violator of trtrtilu
Sait stood in the moat BaGttedrelaAiotiB,a8 itwas inscoarabia
from 8aeri£kse» land the symbol of covenaHts of the nighest
Qffder> reHgioUs as well aa eivtl. If we coimeot <ihese uaafg^s
With the tfistinet and important a»e of this symbol ia tha
i^iimh durrch^ v^ith whicti Pythagoras and Plato were wiell
aofuainted^ and to whieh they both «ttude^ sometimes oafting
theih Giliddeansv and sometimes Syrians, because of tha
abhorrtaos in which Ihey held the Jews> as separating
Aeaisekes from all other pcjcpte by their atrici and singidat
insititaiioriB^ and to oooceal tha focmtatatt ^hao^a they
12 History of Ethics :
drew their knowledge of' morals and religion, we shall dis-
cover that it was indeed a most significant emblem. It
implied confederation, as salt was the sealof a covenant-—
communion, as it was a bond of friendship — sanctity, as it
was inseparable from sacrifice — and perpetuity, from its pro-
perties of preservation — a covenant of salt, si^ifying not
only a confirmed agreement, but an indissoluble engage-
ment— the use of the symbol in the sacred writings implying
eternity.
I have thus, taking my stand upon the Ethics of
Socrates, looked back upon the history of morals, before his
day, so far as it can be discerned. It is fairly traced to the
East, and I should not fear, were this the time or the place,
to enter into the discussion, to prove the origination of the
general philosophy of all ages, in revelation, either oral or
written — traditional indeed to these nations, but recorded
upon the imperishable pages of inspiration ; and I advance
this sentiment with the greater confidence, because it is not
out of order, that distinguished philosopher himself, upon
whose system of Ethics we have taken our stand, referring
all illumination to the Deity, confessing the want of a
divine teacher, and expressing his confident expectation that
such an instructor would appear.
When Socrates devoted the powers of his mighty mind to
morals exclusively, it wzs not from any conscious deficiency
in the other branches of science ana philosophy. It was
not the effort of an uncultivated intellect, labouring to con-r
ceal its literary poverty under the covering of an interest in
moral attainments which left neither time, nor taste, for
oth^ pursuits. Socrates was rich in all. He studied imder
Anaxftgoras and Archelaus, the most distinguished physio-
logists; and we have the testimony of Plato and of Xeno-
phon, rivals and opponents on all other questions, but agrees*
ingin this, confirmed' long after by the judgment of Cicero,
that this great inan was skilled in all sciences, eminent for
all learning, distinguished as well for his literary acquire-
ments as for his mental endowments, and that to whatever
he applied himself, in that he was sure to excel. Such was
his acknowledged jpre-eminence, that he was pronounced
by the oracle, the wisest of men. It arose, then, from a noble
dtfdain of those pursuits, which, however ingenious and
applauded, terminated in speculation, or closed without
producing a moral benefit. Socrates had one grand object^
which was to reduce philosophy to practice; therefore he
cultivated exclusively the science of morals, and bent to it
A Lecture, by the Rev. Dr. CoUyer. 13
alike tbe sublime powers of his mind, and the extensive
acquisitions which he had made. What was, with philo-
sophers preceding him, wrapped up in dark sayings, he
reduced to the plainest terms ; what was with them inciden-
tal and occasional, was with him a study, and the work of
a life; a work, moreover, to which. he finally sacrificed that
life. He had one ^eat subject— I call it one, because
although it divides jtself into two parts, these are insepa-
rable ; and out of their relation all morals arise. This su6-
ject was, the consideration of God, and of Man. The first
was the object of his most intense contemplation ; the
second, he became acquainted with by the most intimate
and familiar conversation. The one formed the substance
of his metaphysics ; the other, laid the basis of his morals.
PkUo had the spirit of his master, but he covered it with
his own magnificent mantle. The Cynics, acknowledging
.Antisthenes as their head, imbibed the noble sentiment of
Socrates, that all philosophy ou^ht to be resolved into
•moral. Whatever coarseness might attach, itself to their
contempt of present .things — and Diogenes justified fully
the censure, that there was at least as much illrnature as
•sincerity in. the sect — they deserve the praise of regarding
science only in so far as it, can conduce to the moral benefit
of man. ** Why," said this severe Cynic to an astronomer,
" do you look after the moon and sUirs, and disregard the
things which are under your feet ?" To another, speculatii^
upon. dreams, and seduced by astrology, (a study, moreover,
which was .transplanted from Chaldea,) he observed with
pointed indignation, *^ You are curious to define the import
of ^our dreams, but you pay no regard to your waking
actions/' ** To liye according to virtue," (to kut* apeniv (riv,)
was their grand maxim, as the very end of our being.*
.Such a philosophy deserved to be separated firom brutality;
such attention to morals, from a disregard to manners, that
-thus their science might merit the name of Ethics ; and such
elevation of sentiment, from a contempt of literature.
Neither morals nor religion require that the forms of polish-
ed society should be laid ae^ide, or the common sympathies
of our np.ture be renounced ; but both, the one as the prin-
ciple, aud the other as its application, will, when rightly
received and exercised, soften the manners, while they
purify the heart.
The /S^oa^ followed the Cynics, and formed a close.alliance
with theipi, dismissing their contempt for literature. . Their
* Gale, yoL ii. h. 4. c. ii. p 422.
14 History (^EthkMi
htsA muB Zeno; their title was taken bmd tiiie poroh im
whiok they ^Mt» similar circumstancea giving the name nf
iU^ademiofi to the school of Plato, and the distinctive appeL-
latioo of other sects of Grecian philosopheni* Althoieh
diserinriBttted by some pecuiiarities, the j^hdos of Ztauo wr
themiost part resembled those of Socrates ; and Mrhile Cicena
is ati iliuatrious disciple of the Ax^ademics, E^ictetas is as
aplewlid a repveseBta^ve of the Stoics.
We fldust not forget, in the history of morals, a most
abused name, Epicurus ; a man whose life was al9 pm^e, ai|
jsiis principle was sound, if it be taken in the sense in which
he evidenliy proposed it, and of wi^icfa his whole character
«!«s a viable mterpretation. He made the eod ^f life to he
pleasure ; but he commanded it to be sought in the pedi of
Tirtue^ There were who adopted his principle, and disre-
garded its operation; who profossing enjoyment as the
great object of being, sought it in the ^ssest aensttality^
and transasitted the name of Epieunis mth dishonour, to a
fKNiterity that would otherwise have done justice to hispari»-
ciples, and Tenerated his personal chanicter» A man who
held, that ^ the principal happiness is in God,'*' thai the
anblimest pleasuies are mental, and that these is aii insepan
lahle connexion between enjoyment and virtue; however
he ooay have been misconceived, misrepresented, tmd tmisap-
|died, held no principles destructive of morels, nor indiich
wdeed differed widely from ihe received bases of Ethics.;
Audto these aentimen^, his irreproachable charaeter ga^e
ihe most ample and decided testimony.* The blcmiw in
jiis system was hit atheietic tenets, which, whenever they
ase adopted, cannot fail to neutrcdise monils. Nothing
-.coiuld be more demonstrative of this ^ct, than the sdmse <f£
im own Ethics, and the immorality of his own professed
disciples. Those who adopted his atheism, soon fipsgot im
jQQorau; and avowing pleasure to consist in sensuality,
aaoiificed reason to the passions, and philosophy to licen-
.tioiisness.
Among -die^secte of philosophers who arose a^ber Socrates,
riKMie negleoted morals, nor failed to consider Sthics as a
eoienoe, and to blend the study of it with their philosophy^
mih the exception of the Sceptics — properiy ^o oalled^ecaiise
they doubted of every thing. The nune whidh has been
preserved to an ignoble immortality, in this connexion, ip
Tyrrho. They denied that truth could be discovered —
denied that any thing was just, or Unjust, moral or the con-
* Laertivs, aad Gale, vol. il. p. 444.
A Lecture, bjf the Rev. Dr. CoUyer. IS
travy-'i-denied any rule of action, and any end of bein^.
Every thins wai denied, and nodiing establiahed^-every
tking |idilra down, and nothing built up in its room. The
sect, alas, has not confined itself to Greece, nor perished
widn Pyrrho. And where tlus unfortunate perversion of
powers, this obliquity of intellect, obtains, the happiMess of
ike individnal, and the well-^bein^ of society, are alike endan**
gcred. It is ako a punmit which requires neither genius
nor «ttderstaiMiing. it is easy to unravel tibe web which has
been wrought, with the greatest skill, into the most perfect
beauty. iS is easier to demolish a temple, than to coswtruot
a faoveL That whi<ch requires ao little knowledge, can con^
fier no xenown ; but unmrtunatdy, the damage to society
bears no proportion to the facility of the operation : that
which co^» «K) labour, does neverdidiess incaiculaible ison
I h&Te purposely delayed naamng Ariiiotie until the {hs<«
sent flMonent, although he preceded some of the last^mesH
tioned sects in point of time^ because of the entire change
whoi^ he vntKMUsced into his philosophy in sespect mifonu
Under this distsngsaicdied leader, the Peripatetics ranged
liieuiselves* His mighty and isomprehensive genius •em-
bmced aH«iils3<ects« We find htm in all the walks ofscienccr*^
Physics, Metaphysics, Bthics, all oooupied his sttentMia*
What profession does not tsace some of its dsments to has
indactfy and talents ? luTespeot of the subjectinimedia^eljy
voder loonsideration, his principles were «ubaitaBtiaUy those
of Soorates ; but he changed tne whole -order of commusi*
cation, and razed the usages of M. antiquity. The gfeai
pnncijde which he established was, tibiat nolhtitg .should 'be
taken from tradition, bat every thing demonstrated by
reaiBon. The eatablvshment of this prtuoiple caused mem to
lose^sightof tiie origination of llhat very philosophy which
be hnd himself embraced. All Gseeoe feeeived her infoiana'c
tion f«om trndifcion, or ratherfrom those who had tfaemsehnos
so 'gattbered it. Her dependence upon the East, thei04Nin*
tiy of (tradition, was evident from uie forms in which she
clothed her precepts, and which she borrowed, with the
Srino^ples tnemselvieB. With -perfect consistency, when
iriistotle Defused tradition, he decried the symbolical <madb
of instruction. With hdm originated those dogieal subtile
ttesyand those metaphysioal disquisitions, which captivated
and distinguished the schoolmen, so many centuries afifcer^p
wavds^ andimpeded the progress of knowledge, while they
assumed her name— -banished the substance, while Uiey
16 History of Ethics :
worshipped the shadow, until the immortal Lord Bacott
arose, and once more appealing to nature and to truth,
emancipated philosophy from the trammels of hypothesis,,
and placed her upon the immoveable basis of experiment.
Such were the principal Grecian philosophers, and such
their modes of moral instruction, oocrates being still the
central point. The Romans conquered Greece, and learned
her philosophy* The illuutrious names of Cicero, Seneca^
Pliny, and others no less distinguished, (for who can enu*-
merate the stars in that constellation, of every thing majes*-
tic and imperishable, comprised in the eternal 'name of
Rome ?) confessed these Grecian sages to be their masters,
and manifested towards them all the warm affections of
disciples. After the fall of the Roman empire, an awful
blank occurs in the history of morals ; and it was not until
ages elapsed, that the fountains of ancient philosophy were
again broken up, and syllogistic wrangUngs yielded to the
new impressions received from systems which had been long
forgotten, but not one of whose immortal features time. had
been able to injure, although he had succeeded for some
centuries in obscuring them. The immediate effects of this
restoration of the old philosophy to the light of day, I have
already anticipated. The disciples of the Grove, of the
Stoa, and of tne Lyceum, could not more eagerly .contend
for the characteristic distinctions of their schools, than did
these new Academics, Stoics, Peripatetics, for the respec-
tive dogmas of antiquity. The results of Bacon's bold and
steady investigation overthrew the whole system of physics,
and opened the path of knowledge before the pupil of
science, broad and unobstructed. In respect of Ethics, the
event was far different. The very freedom of inquiry which
demonstrated the physical absurdities of antiquity, displayed
to the ^eatest advantage the general grandeur and truth of
its Ethics. And it would be injustice to the greieit nances
which have been produced, not to confess, that of all the
modem systems ot Ethics, not one is to be found which
does not, directly or indirectly, emanate from the principles
of one or other of the schools.
I grant all the advantages arising from our nearer approxi-
mation to the eternal rountain of light and trutn — and
this is a superiority for which I shall contend, before the
present course of Lectures closes — ^but the general princi-
ples were derived from tradition, approved and adopted by
these illustrious minds, and have received, with the applause
of ages, the sanctipn of modern mo^ltlists. I never read
A Lecture, by the Rev. Dr. Colly er. 17
the Offices of Cicero, without feeling that Grotius, Puffen-
dorf, and some of our brightest luminaries, have borrowed
no small portion of their splendour from this brilliant orb.
And while some of our professed writers on Ethics have
adopted the characteristic distinctions of the respective'
schools, as their fancy, or their judgment, guided them:
there have been found those, who nave not scrupled to
patronize the principles of Pyrrho, and to attempt to bring'
again the shadows of scepticism over the dayspring of
revelation. They have imbibed the atheism of Epicurus
witiiout his morals ; and employed the sophistry of Stilpo, to
establish the laxities of Protagoras. Of this unhappy class
is the theory of Hobbes, whose metaphysical atneism,
exposed by various writers, has been combated by hone'
more successfully than by the learned and distinguished
Cndworth, supported by Dr.* Clarke and Dr. Price. Lord
Shaftesbury and Hutcheson take other grounds, into the
detail of which it does not comport with a simple histori^cal
sketch, such as is the present Lecture, to enter. These
were followed by Mr. Hume ; contemporary with him, &.nd
since his day, we have had a Butler, a Paley^ a Priestley^
a Hartley, a Smith, a Cogan, a Stewart, a Ueid — some of
whom are spared to the world of letters, while others have
passed away with former generations. I have mentioned
these slightly, and have omitted others, because they will
come before us in their order hereafter, when their principles
«hall demand investigation. Having conducted the history
of morals dawn to modern times, I m^ close the outline
which 1 have attempted, and not intrdde any further obser-
vations upon facts which are generally known, and names
aniversaUy familiar, whose merits, as morialists, will be the
subjects of future discussion.
ft was the ^reat object of Socrates to lead the coijten^-
pkrions of his school to the Deity. From his Being, and
our relation to him, he argued moral obligations ; and iin^
pelled by a sense of duty so arising, he reduced speculative
philosophy to practice ; and renouncing those disputations^
whidi V^re merely . intelleptual, or related to science fis
irrespective of any active result, he bent the whole force of
his rigorous mincj to render men wiser, better, and therefore
happier, than he found them. He referred them to the
Deity as the fountain of good — to his will, as the grand rule
of morals. He said expressly, that " virtue came by Divine
inspiration ;*' and whatever we are to understand by that
mysterious demon, which he affirmed constantly intimated
VOL. Vill. — NO. 1, c
18 History of Ethics:
to him what he should or should not do, it is evident in
generals that this professed and supernatural impulse was
part of his adopted system, that referred all things excel-
lent in man to the iJivine Being. It was this conviction
that induced him to devote himself to the study of morals, in
preference to any other branch of science ; and which im-
parted that purity and sublimity to his Ethics, which dis-
tinguished him above all other philosophers.
I call Socrates the first who reduced morals to system^
only by courtesy, as he was the first among heathen philo-
sapners who effected this; by that kind of courtesy too,
which has, in my opinion, been carried too far, and deprived
the Bible of its due rank in the world of science, its just
share in the discussion of morals, not to say, the fair claim
of having be^n the first, as well in point of antiquity as of
success, m the field of Ethics. It has every way the supe-
riority over the system of Socrates, as over every other ; and
it is shameful cowardice in the friends of revelation to dismiss
so lightly its pretensions in connexion with the great ques-
tion of morals, when no pains are spared on the part of those
writers on Ethics who deny its authority, to nullify its
influence on the subject. The same delicacy is not
pbswved on the part of those who would exclude it from
the moral code, and they at least set us the example of
boldly speaking out those sentiments which we hold in
respect of its claims. If it shall hereafter appear, that this
book stands closely allied with Ethics ; that it states clearer
principles, furnishes more certain rules, and produces more
extended and decided results, than any other system of morals
which has yet appeared — ^to pass it over, as unworthy atten-
tion— ^to yield its superiority, without investi^ting the
ground on which it is assumed — to dismiss it, without
observing the stand which it takes — is not merely treating
the book without candour, but doing the subject itself
irreparable injustice.
Should its inspiration be disputed, or even denied, its
system of Ethics lies before us for examination, in common
with that of Socrates, or of any other philosopher, and has
at least an eijual right to be heard, and equal claims to
respect. It is abundantly more ancient than any other
system. It is the code whence most of the principles of
jurisprudence have been taken, and from which all law-
fivers have borrowed the substance of their legislation,
iven the moral system of Socrates proceeds upon princi-
ples which may be distinctly traced to a scriptural origin^
A Lecture, by the Rev. Jit, Collyer. 19
«nd the way in wbkh it was derived may be easily conceived,
after what* has been said respecting tiie deduction of Gre-
eian philosophy frooi Eastern nations, and by the confession
of Plato from the Syrians. Socrated laid down four great
principles, whi^h were obviously the same with those
established in the Bible; and as he flourished a century
and a half later than the destruction of the Jewish empire by
Nebuchadnezzar, it is evident with whom the principles,
ccsmmon to both, originated. These four leading sentiments
were. First, the spiritual, infinite, and eternal nature of
Deity, together with the doctrine of his unity, for whicll
this distinguished man may be said to have died a martyr.
This is the grand doctrine of t&e Scriptures. Secondly, the
corruption of human nature, (kokov efttpvrov, &c.) a fundamen-
tal foct* affirmed at the very con^encement of the Jewish
records. Thirdly, a native blindness in which all men are
enveloped ; the natural result of the former principle, if that
be conceded, and constantly insisted upon in the HebreW
writings. Fourthly, that virtue was not attainable by nature
or art, but is the product of a Divine inspiration ; an opinion
which has been eeneralljr considered peculiar to tlie volume
of revelation. These things Socrates asserted as the basis
of his philosophy; and they are so allied to the sentiments
h^d by the Hebrews, that one can scarcely fail of the con-
clifsion, that they were traditionally derived thence, through
some of the channels opened by l^e Phenicians, or acquiml
by the personal intercourse of ilh^ principarl sa?es of ureece
themselv^, with the oriental nation^r. If, therefore, thd
principles of the greatest of the Healfheh philosophers ap-
pear to be borrowed from the Scriptures ; or if it be only
evident, that there is a striking coincidence between the
Ethics of Solvates and the doctrines and precepts of liie
Bible, in giving the history of morak, it was impossible to
overlook the latter; and if it be at dl noticed, its native
grandeur will not fail to entitle it to rank first in the scale
of moral disquisitions.
These rematks will have tenfold weight, if they are applied
to the New Testament, where the superiority of its moral
system is so striking, that it is maintained with the most
affecting eloquence by Rousseau himself, in the person of
a Savoyard priest, and in a work in which it Was evidently
intended that the imaginary speaker should convey the
sentiments of the philosophical author. He states justly,
that Socrates, who had been considered by some as the
inventor of moralily, was in fact, which we have now
20 On the Results of Artp
represented him, only the first who reduced it to sysfem
among the Greeks ] and he supports this remarkf by produ-
cing some splendid examples of justice, patriotism, tempe-^
ranee, and the moral virtues, as practised long before he had
framed his scheme of Ethics. He maintains a superiority
80 great on the part of the Son of Mary, over the Son of
Sophronisca, that it will not admit of a comparison between
them : and, to use his own words, he confessed, that *' the
majesty of the Scriptures filled him with admiration, and
that the sanctity of tne gospel addressed itself tp his b^art/'
f f Rousseau thus thought and spake of the moral system of
the Bible; if he could add, that ** the works of philosophers,
with all their affectation of greatness, appeared to him
mean, when compared with that volume ;" I repeat, it would
liave been inexcusable indeed, on my part, to have passed it
by unnoticed, in professing to give a history of morals.
If it be important to learn the crude elements, out of
which mighty empires have been composed;, ifit be inte-
resting to trace grand political results to their secret source,
a source sometimes as obscure as the effects are tremendous
and astonisliing; if nothing is indifferent which associates
itself with the faculties of men,. and points out the march of
intellect; if we caimot contemplate the sublime operations of
human skill and industry, without being anxious to ascertain
by what mind they were conceived, an5 Uy what hand they,
were executed, that the immortality of the artist may be co-
extended with that of his work — a nobler principle than
curiosity impels us to learn the history of morala. When
the pyramids of E^pt shall be covered with the siands of
the desert which drift upon them, or, yielding at last to that
influence of time which they have so long resisted, even
these stupendous monuments of ancient science shall sink
under the weight of accumulated ages, the structure of
morals, whose S)undations are laid in eternity, shall rear it9'
awful head in the heavens ; and, standing unmoved amidst
the shock of elements, surviving the dissolution of nature,*
remain alone, majestic, and uninjured, surrounded by the
wrecks of the material universe.
On the Results of Art, as connected with tine Happiness of the
Human Race in general^
The progress of Invention and Discovery, the results of
human Art^ and the transactions of mankind, have been
as ca^mected with Human Happiness. 3^1-
generally viewed through a medium, too partial and patti-^
cular, not sufficiently generalized, and either too sanginine,
too despondent, or too disdainful. There have been som^
gloomy prophets, who, with melancholy broodings, have
predicted the ruin and downfall of every thing terrestrial ;
who are constantly pointing to the ages of excellence,
ages long gone by, and moralizing; upon the degeneracy of
recent times ; who pronounce every innovation pernicious, and
every deviation from the past, an approximation to ruin !
On the other hand, we have dreams of human pterfectibi"
lity ; of an indefinite and interminable advancement towards
perfection, though never to be attained. Here every step
18 an improvement, every change beneficial — all science is
progressing^ every art advancing — ^virtue is triumphant, and
vice abashed and diminished ! In a word, '' the world is
grown honest.'' Again, we have had pictures drawn of the
golden age ; yet the best authority has told us^ that the first
man who was bom into the world slew the second, and it has
rather provokingly been asked, when were the times of sim-
plicity, of innocence, and of peace?
Rousseau, in his first memorable production, contended,
that the savage state was more happy than the civilized.
This was undoubtedly a paradox, Ue reasoned from false?
premises ; his description of savage nature was disguised
and decorated in the flowing periods of his matchless elo-*
quence, whilst the picture of cultivated man was distorted
and caricatured by the pencil of exaggeration. His defini-
tion of Happiness might, also, require some critical exami-
nation, and probably very few would agree in its accuracy.
It is not oy any means certain, that man ever did live in
ti purely savage state. Either we must believe the account
presented in the sacred writings, which describes man as
created, and created perfect; or we must believe that he
existed through all eternity — ^there is no choice, no medium
between the two. If, then, man was created perfect, where
is the evidence of his primitive ignorance? If he existed
from all eternity, is it reasonable to conclude that it was
reserved for the present, or any recent period, to discover
the important knowledge of the means of happiness?
There are, indeed, abundant statements to be found in the
books of travellers, of men who live, even now, in a state
very different to that which we term civilized. But the wh6le
subject is one of the most vague and indefinite description/
It is, at the best, entirely comparative : we know of no me»
who are absolutely and strictly uncivilized. Th|^ Romans used
20 On the RestdtB of Art,
to call all the rest of the world '' barbafiiep^/' anf] justified
their wars under the pretence of introdpcing civilization in
the train of conqueat* Those who compose a society,
state^ or dan, and live nnder the dominion of aoci^l tiea,
however limited in extent, are so far civilised. They are
influenced by the wishes and approbation of each pther ;
they learn from experience, however rude and confined, some
principles of moral and social order, and some knowledge of
the distinctions between right and wrong. In the very
lowest state of human society; out of th^ common association
in the cdms€;» or in the mean$ of pbtaij»ing subsistence, there
would arise something resembling concert and order. But
the number of those who have been found in this rude con*
ditiop. is comparatively few, and unworthy of estimation v^
any general viqw of human society ; and it is obvious to
femark> that the advantages of refinement being unknown
in the ruder $^s, they would be und^8ired> and their
absence consequently unregretted. Our present happiness
ia never affected by any unascertained good, which may be
discovered in the lapse of future time. But, leaving this
point as a matter in dispute* the leading proposition intended
to be maintained, is, that no arts, inventions, discoveries, 09
attainments of mankind, ofwfnck we.can trace thej&rst em^t&ue,
^ which can be claimed by any particular ag^, have ii^
cueased the general stock of human happii^ess, AH tlmt
those, arts ai3 attainments have done, has been merely to
chmgty not to intproye, the Sitate or condition of hunian
existence, to vary it in seme particular features, to modify
and refeshion old customs and habits, and by new combina*
tions and manners, to alter the external aspect and mere
surface of artificial life* — It will not be necessary to review
the two extremes of human society, to contrast the supposed
period when nature existed in all its wild)nese> and when art
](» asserted to have been yet unborn* with that er«^ in which
the latter had attained its greatest eminence. We may
observe, however, in passing, that the advocates o£ the high
benefits derived from human acquisitions^ very natumSy
select the most favourable period and country upon which
to found their argument. On the other hand, they would
drive us to choose the opposite extreme of imputed barba-
rity ; but the existence or both extremes, is questionahle.
Let us, however, alk>w that some few indiTiduals, unfa-
vourably circumstanced, may experience the misery arising
firom a total ignorance of the arts of life. Allow that
others, *' happily boirn," derive superior enjoyment from the
as connected vyith Human Happiness. 23
possession of all the refinements of poKshed society. These,
surely, are not the results of human art, at tvhich there can
be any canse, or reason, to rejoice — one person in a hundred
thousand rendered happier than the rest of the species.
This is a noble result, worthy of the exultation of the patriot
and philanthropist !
It IS, however, no fair consideration of the general ques-
tion, to contrast the two extremes. Let us vitew the ageft
described in the pages of Homer and Ossian, or in the
historians of the earliest times, and compare those periods
with the supreme elevation of moderfi refinement. Look at
the time when literature scarcely existed, when every thing
mental Was centred in the songs of the bard, the mini^treC
and the prophet ; when there was some splendour and maff-
nificence, but little taste or elegance ; wnen there was evi-
dent abundance, but little luxury — yet when there were
the same distinctions amongst men ad in the present period^
the same gradations of rank, the same inequalities of wealth,
and the same varied degrees of renown — when there were,
also, the same kindred and social ties, and when the same
passions, feelings, and faculties existed as at the presettt
day.-^There was a period Which might be callefd the empire
of the sword. In that age, valour was' the chief quality id
estimation, and it consequently attained the highest reward.
Comparatively speaking, there now exists over a large part
of the habitable ^obe, the reign of mind. The mode by
which it governs is opinion, and talent is now the chief
quality in request ; yet infiuence, i^ot reason, is the ageilt
by which its purposes are effected.
In rude ages mankind obtained their objects by physical,
not mental, force : hence it followed, that strength, activity;
and bravery, were so highlv estimable. In polished times,
wealth, public opinion, and influence, in general, bear sway;
yet the object, at both periods, is the same — to enable the
few to govern, perhaps, sometimes, to enslave, the many.
The criterion by which we may try the value of human
art, and of all that it has accomplished, is the degree of hap-
piness which has resulted to mankind in general. There is
no test, except this, by which we can ascertain the merit of
any production. Every thing should be estimated by the
quantum of innocent pleasure it affords to the human race.
All art and science is encouraged in proportion as it admi-
nisters to the real, or supposed, satisfaction and convenience
of society. The encouragement is sometimes fastidious,
and ill-placed, but it always assumes the existence of
24 On the Results of Art,
practical good. No one i» such a Bedlamite as to like what
does not please bim. But it is just possible^, tbat be may
affect to be pleased* when he is not really so — that he jnay
be regulated in his choice^ and in the clamour of his ap*-
plause* by the opinion of others*
It has always been considered extremely difficult to define
happiness. The difference of opinion has obviously arisen
from the variety of' means whicn each person requires to
constitute his own; but, by whatever meaus it may be pro*
duced, all will allow that it consists in agreeable thoughts and
sensations. In other words, we are happy when we are,
thoroughly pleased. Now all the faculties and feelings, on
the exercise of which happiness is dependent, were of the
sanie nature and extent, in the earliest times, as they are at
present. The objects by which they were aroused, may be.
chianged or altered^ or differently modified, but the capacity
for happiness remains the same. There is the same amount
of pleasure and pain, the same amount of hope and fear, the
same amount oi expectation and disappointment; and it
would appear, therefore, that the elements being the same,
and the general combination of those elements being similar^
there must, with the exception of some slight modincations,
be a corresponding result.
Leaving this general view of the subject, let us ask what
portion 01 mankind is it, whose happiness has been improved
by the progressive advances of art i Are those who possess
great capacity and most exquisite feeling, in possession of higher
or more numerous means of enjoyment ? They were equally
gratified in the rudest times, as in the most refined. The
heroes of Homer and Ossian were as much elated with their
distinctions as the most gifted moderns : they possessed
equal objects of ambition. The plumed warrior, who drag-
ged his captives at his chariot wheels, received as loud and
swelling a shout of human applause, as ever greeted the
ear of a modern orator or a modern statesman. If refinement
has increased the number offactitious gratifications to those
who possess great sensibility, who have more softness of
heart than energy of head; if it enables them
" To fill the languid pause with finer joy,**
the same refinement has created, with its gratifications*
endless wants — with more numerous expectations, more
numerous disappointments — with a greater variety of amuse*
ments and pleasures, a correspondent share of languor,
pain, andvexatipn.
a$ connected, mth Human Happiness, 25
Therq is certainly- a large portion of mankind who are not
much visited with Uie delicate susceptibilities to which we
lutve adverted. They are in the lowest class. They have
been the most numerous and most oppressed in all ages and
in all countries. It will not be contended that art or inven-
tion has done much for them* Will any one say, that *' the
lean unwashed artificer/' the pallid mechanic, or the squal-
Hd manufacturer^ who crowd the great towns and cities of
modem refinement — will any one assert that these are supe-
rior in thought or sensation to even a wild manof thewoods^
to the intrepid and fiery savage, to him who depends on his
bow and his arrow, or on t£e bounties of a fertile though
uncultivated soil? — or will you analyze the gratifications of
the vassal of a military cliieftain, or a feudal lord, and com-
Mjre him either with the former or with the latter? If art
ni^ .the convenience of its cities, nature bestows the flow-
ing health of its fields, the inspiring brightness and sublunity
of its. prospects, its endless grandeur, and its exhaustless
variety.
Happiness, as we hiive seen, consists in agreeable thoughts
and sensations. But these thoughts and sensations must
have con^spondent n]^ans and causes. Many of our agree-
able sensatipn^ may be vecy easily traced to the cornucopia
of plenty. Famine is not so well adapted to afford plea-
sure, nor is the prospect of it even in the very lap of ease an
agreeaUe thought. The means of subsistence administer to
the appetites and the gratification of the senses. Now, in all
ages, the means of subsistence are nearly equal. The sup-
ply is generally proportioned to tl^ demand. No one age
can in this respect, boast much over another. There haa
been occasional famine and disaster at all periods.
But agreeable thoughts and sensations are produced, in a
considerable degree, by the approbation and sympathy of our
fellow-beings. The praise of the praiseworthy is a fit and
meritorious object of ambition. We never act without
motive, and the applause of the good and wise is a powerful
incetntive to action; but the approbation of men is not
always sufficiently discriminating. It sometimes adminis-
ters to the petty follies of vanity, it sometimes arouses the
malice of envy, it sometimes swells the selfishness of pride^
an4 it flpn^ietiines gratifies the ignoble ambition of possessing
qualities in themselves utterly valueless, and often perni-
cious, though admired because of rare and difficult attain*
ment. But this approbation and sympathy of our fellow-
beings is not the result of art, or a discovery that belongs
26 On the Results of Art,
to any particular age, much less to any recent one. Men
have sought for applause^ and have been applauded, ina)!'
ages, and the amount of this desirable object has been tbe*
same throughout all time. The attainments which have
Eroduced it have, indeed, been diflTerent. Circumstances
ave changed the means by which it was obtained^ but
have neither increased or diminished its value or ext^t.
At one period superior skill in hunting, or in war, has beew
the supposed perfection of the human character, — at another,
excellence in the fine arts, in science, in literature, *' beariv
the palm alone." The civilian then surpasses the wamor,
and " the gown triumphs over the sword ;" yet this is ai
mere change of the means — the end remains the same-^thef
path of the race is altered, but the goal stands immutable.
The accumulation of facts, the extension of what is €alle4
knowledge, is esteemed by many as incontrovercibly advan^
tageous to the human race. It would be as unnecessary, ai^
laborious, to walk the extensive round of the sciences. la
few words, however, we may advert to two of them^ and
I)robably in the selection it will not be alleged, th^t the
east important, or the most easily depreciat^, have beefi
chosen. Astronomy and chemistry ate among the too^
eminent of the sciences. The one, as it were, grasping
within its range the whole material universe, and me oihet
analyzing the nature even of its minutest particle. The
one calculated to fill the mind of the sublimest genius, and
the other to occupy the attention of the most inquisitive and
active observer.
To some few persons it is doubtless satisfactory, that the
solar system has been so well explained. It is undoubtedly
true, that when the mind is contemplating the stupendous
nature of that system, it derives a high and positive gratifi-
cation. But this is a pleasure enjoyed cmly by a few, and
if the thought which we are now examining had never
existed, who is prepared to say, that the happiness of tbos^
few cultivated minds would nave been less ? The same
mind that is occupied in the admiration of the system thus
developed, would not have been vacant. It woura have been
filled by some other thought, and it is the exertion cf She
faculty that constitutes the pleasure. Besides, it is by no
means clear that the explanation of tiie theory of the tm^
verse is, in itself, an object of much pleasure. The fyt
greater part of the agreeable thought is made up of that t6
which we are not indebted to art. It consists in the posi-
tive pleasure we derive, first, from the exertion oft^ mental
as cofineet^ with Human Haziness, 27
power; and secondly^ of the corporeal organ; and the ein->
ploymeni of the latter depends on tliat 6ood of light which
IS ev^ry. where poured on the visual sense. What satisfac*
tion would a blind man have in contemplating the abstract
theory of the univi^rse ? Independent of this^ too, our own
sensations are, after all, the most important in the produc*
tion of the agreeable idea. What does a man, amidst the
writhiqgs of tortnre, care for the Newtonian system? When
he is happy, when the train of his thoughts is agreeable,
when he enioys '^ the sunshine of the soul," when ** his
bosom's lord si^ lightly on his throne," there is no art, no
invention, no discov^, nq acquisition that can by possibi-
lity add to the amount of his happiness.
The ancient chemists reduced, as they thought, the
ibatafia) world into four elemental substances. The modern
chymists have discovered a great many more ; but it does
not ft>lIow, that the substantial interests of the human race
are mvteh jaUTected by it. Whether there be four, or forty, oi
fwr hundred primitive substances, does not appear to be of
iftneh Qonsequenee. We cannot alter the substances them-*
selves, nor can we prevent the combinations amongst those
substsmces which take place in the general operations of the
siatdrial worM. It is not the mere nomooclature that is
so very important. The names by which they are called,
whether few or many, can make no difference in the utility
of their nature. Perhaps it will be said, that chemistry has
been applied to the purposes of life, to cookery and medi-
cine. Of the former, it may be sufficient to say, that the
ages Qf]^pieum& and LucuUus were amply advanced in all
ib^ %rts p£ ihe baiftquet, for any purposes^ either useful of
ple^simable. Glui;tony and drunkenness are not of modem
discoviery; neither is; sin^plicity of diet. Those who have
been edifted by a recent jproduction, called ** Death t» the
Poi" will not be very pcone to boast of modem excellence
in the wis Qf the kitchen. But chemistry is useful in the
matemi mMn^ti. One would wonder, indeed, amongst so
m^^y discoreries, hio^ people can be so extremely foolish
aato remam sick, or, under any circumstances, to give up
tile ghoat ! Yet p/erbaps we snail, ailer all* arrive at the
omclttsipn^ that tk^ ww» and wounded, and the deaths, have
been very neariv equal at all periods of the known wovld.
Thelimiits of an>lBssay do not allow of more than a very
bri^f refereBce to the Arts. There are some which are
useful to the few, and some which are useful to the many.
liotbing ap{>eara more delightful than music, painting.
28 0» the RemlH of Art,
poetry, and rfietoric. One remark which' may b© made is^'
that mankind are as well pleaded, if not more pleased, in the
origin and rise of these arts, by the rudest efforts, as when
they attain their utmost perfection. As th« arts advance,
the knowledge of them advances — with superior artists, rise
up superior critics. The blissful ignorance of wonder, the
enthusiasm of unlettered novelty> is no more. Thepain/of
the artist, in attaining perfection^ is as great a& thepieas^te^
of the amateur in beholding it.
Architecture is an ornamental, as well as a nseilil aft;
but is any one the better, or wiser, or happier, for the five
orders of architecture? Suppose there had been only one-^— '
suppose the art had terminated with the invention of tiie
Tuscan order, and we had heard nothing of the I>oric, or
the rest ; is tiiere any person whose real advantages woul«|(
have undergone the slightest reduction?
But, then, there are happily others, the culinary and A/Xtt-
rious arts* We have sumptuous fare, fine dresses, sjrfendid
houses, and brilliant equipages. Unfortunately, however^
the possessors of these things think very little of them, and
perhaps the most illustrious amongst them have no moi^
agreeable thoughts or sensations in entering the greart halk
ot their ancestors, than we have in entering the humblest
cottage.
" Some are^ and must be, greater than the rest — . ., .
More rich, more wise — but who infers from heBce,
That such are happier, shocks all common sense.'^
The invention of the alphabetic and numeral characters
has been generally considered as very important. Letters
were a great improvement upon hieroglyphics, in- the facility
of conducting business : yet so far as amusement- tod inge-
nuity are concerned, we are not perhaps much the gainetsl
It is more agreeable to look at a picture than at a great A.
The Chinese are said to have 80i060 characters, and cer-
tainly if novelty and variety be, as we generally suppdse,
agreeable, the Chinese have the advantage. The aequi«i-
tion of them would, it is true, be rather operose ; yet the
number of arts and accomplishments, which some attaiti
amongst us, do not demand a less consumption of time ahd
trouble. But, apart from this, does any one suppose that
the Egyptians, or the Chinese are less happy than we ire,
because they are not blessed with the subbme invention o^
our A, B, c? '
There is another art, connected with the use of these
as connected with Human Happiness. 2&
A^B^c's, which it is still more dangerous to undervalue, the art
of printing. Its utility, of course, can only consist in the
difTusion of knowledge. Now, the facts and principles
which ai'e really known, or discovered, are very easily
difiiised — those facts and principles, so fax as they are
important, are few in number, and capable of being easily
disseminated. The necessity of printed books may there-
fore at least be questioned. It may even be thought that
their number is becoming an evil — that there is far more
error, prejudice, and falsehood, now issued from the press,
than accuracy, correct judgment, or truth. That which is
good in moderation, is an evil in excess; and the extreme
fondness for books, so far as it extends, is a diminution of
the pleasures of social intercourse. The studious character
in general either shuns society, or, when he enters it, is
useless or unamiable.
Amongst the discoveries of mankind, that of the continent'
of America was undoubtedly the greatest. In reading its
history, even as described by the admirable pen of Dr.
Robertson, and in viewing its general effects on the old, as
well as the new world, we are compelled to conclude, that it
has hithertQ only carried war and devastation into the
regions of the West, and opened the pernicious floodgates of
new wealth and new luxuries, upon the nations of the East-
em Hemisphere: Well might the Americans reject the
European promise of bettering their condition. " They
boast they come but to improve our state, enlarge our
thought, and free us from tlie yoke of error. Yes! they
will give enlightened freedom to our minds, who are them-
selves the slaves of passion, avarice, and pride ! Tliey offer
us their protection. Yes ! such protection as vultures give
to lambs— covering and devounng them !" " If Europe,"
says Montesquieu, '* has benefited much by America, Spain
must have derived still greater advantages. Yet Philip the
Second was obliged to make the nation bankrupt. This
is owing to an inherent and physical defect in the nature of
riches, which renders them vam — a defect which increases
every day. Gold and silver are either a fictitious or a repre-
sentative wealth. The representative signs of wealth are
durable. But the more they are multiplied, the more they
lose dieir value, because the fewer are the things which they
represent. Spain behaved like the foolish king, who desired
that every thing he touched mi^ht be converted into gold,
and who was obliged to beg of the gods to put an end to his
misery." It may l;>e urged, that the productions of America
30 On the ReiuUs of Art,
are useful, because they increase the number df ou^ gtaiifi*
cations. But, 'tis doubtful whether there be any thing im-
ported from the new world that was not to be found in the
old. Let us see what was the state of anciesbt commerce
whilst it was limited to the Eastern hemisphere* Its pro-
ductions appear to have been numerous enough to satisfy
the most luxurious and voluptuous. Those prodoctions^
have scarcely been surpassed since the discovery of^Ame^
rica. The following is an abridged description of the traffic
of the Eastern nations : " The Phoenicians, coasting the
peninsula of Arabia^ bent their voyages to the Persian GvM,
and imported from thence the pearls of Havila, the gold of
Saba and Opfair, the aromatics and precious gems of Cey-^
Ion, the diamonds of Golconda, the silver, the gold dust of
Africa. By the Black Sea» in ships of Egypt and.Syria^
were exported those commodities which constituted the
opulence of Thebes, Memphis, and Jerusalem. Sometimes,
ascending the course of the Tigris and Euphrates, they
awaked the activity of the Assyrians, the Medes^ the Chsi-
deans, and the Persians ; and, accordii^ as they were ubed
or abused, cherished or overturned their wealth and pros-
perity. Hence grew up the magnificence of Pjersepohs, of
Ecbfl^AXML, of Babylon, of Nineveh, and of the melancholy and
memorable Palmyra." It may be urged> that mtaAy of these
sources are dried up or exhausted: an answer may be
Suoted from the same author : " Do the mountains retain
leir springs ? are the streams dried up ? and do the plants
no more bear fruit and seed ? Has heaven denied to th<9
earth, and the earth to its isihabitaiUs, the blessings thiat
were formerly dispersed?"
If it be still contended that America itself, or that
Europe, has been benefited by the discovery, we should
recollect some oi the evils that followed in its train. In
order to work the mines of America, to cultivate its lands,
and manufacture its productions, it has been considered
necessary to depopulate the villages of Africa. The prac-
tice has generally been to destroy, or drive into the woods
and mountains, the natives of the nevflj fnvoured o6utitry,
to take possession of their territories, and import the poor
neg3X)es to cuUivute and work them. It is not essentaal'to
sketch the picture of the horrors of the slave trade. It ^
may be necessary only to remind those, who, in the exul-
tation of partial abolitirOn, have forgotten its former, and itis
still existing, atrocities, that it was conducted by treaJohery,
by fraud, rapine, and violence : — that the^ miserable beings
as connected with Human H^finess. 31
were torn from their native land, ** nor wife» nor children
more did they behold, nor friends, nor happy home." They
were driven, chained in herds, like cattle, to the sea-shore,
and embarked, like cargoes of senseless logs, to a distant
and uohealthful region.
If our attention be pointed to the luxuries we derive from
this extension of commerce, let us recollect that the same
wave tibat bears to one man a new source of sensual gratiii-'
cation, rolls over the ruined hopes and fortunes of another :
that multitudes perish in attempting to reach those fatal
shores : that multitudes die a sudden or lingering death in
its heated and pestiferous or ungenial climates : that multi-
tudes sink beneath the waters in the un^ratified wish to
regain the land of their sires. Count togemer these human
calamities, and add the loss of property, and of health,
which others sustain in this boasted traffic, and then deter-
min;e which should preponderate in the scales of good and
evii
'' In the savage state,'' it was said by Lord Kaims, '* that
man is almost all body, with a very sinall portion of mind.
In the maturity of civil society, he is complete both in mind
and body. In a state of degeneracy, by luxury and volup-
tuousness, he is neither mind nor body." — ^Now, the tendency
of the intercourse with America, has merely been to increase
the quantum of luxury, already sufficiently great.
^^ HtiTB ve not seen rcmnd Britain's peopled shore,
Her useful scms exchanged lor useless ors ?
The wealth of climes, where savage nations roam,
Pillag'd from slaves, to purchase slaves at home ?
Ye friends to truth, ye statesmen who survey
The rich man's joy increase, the poor's decay ;
TTia your's to judge, how wide the limits stand
Between a splendid and a happy land : —
Proud swells the tide with loads of freighted ore,
And shouting folly hails them from her shore —
Yet count our gains — this wealth is but a name,
That leaves our useftd products still the same."
Let us, to complete the picture, view»the stability of this
great comm^^al discovery* Look to the facts enregi»*
tetedon.the pages of history. It has been well said, tnat
*' commerce has wings." It fliew from Egypt, frotn PhcBni-
cia, from Carthage. It fled from the Pisans, the Florentines,
theGienoese, the Venetians, the Hanseatics. Do we expect
it will now change its nature, or that its advantages will
remain whesn it has changed its abode ?
J2 On the Reitdts of Art,
If the prodactipns of human art, in the courde of so many
centuries, comprised even in authentic history, have been
eo beneficial to mankind, and so progressive in their im-
provement, probably some one will indulge us by saying
what it is they have permanently effected in the mental or
the moral condition of human nature. Is health increased^
or life prolonged, by the labours or the discoveries of the
sons of Esculapius? They are not, however, to blame:
Their chief occupation is to correct the evils of excessive
luxury and refinement. They cannot add to sound health;
or lengthen the allotted span of human existence. It would
be unreasonable to expect it. The changes effected in the
culture of the earth, in edifices, in furniture, in dresses, in
equipages, in luxurious living, are enjoyed by a few only/
If there were no attendant and correspondent evil, such a
result would be an advantage. To produce the unmixed
happiness of one individual, unconnected with the misery or
inconvenience of another, would be something gained. But
the enjoyments of the few are unhappily obtained at the
eevei^ labour and expense of the many. '
In the mental progress of the world, we take the .credit of
being now more correct in our ideas than at a former
period. Let us pass the egotism of judging upon our own
merits ; let us look to the state of the facts, and we shaW
find, that the age has not g6ne by in which one set of
mental philosophers deny the exiistenoe of mind, and another
the existence of matter. How far then are we superior to the
ancients i Are our mental attainments more agreeable and
pleasant than those of our ancestors ? Are they more numerous,
are they more novel and intense, aat well as more numerous ?
It is probable we may all recollect the time when we had
fewer thoughts to occupy our minds, or, it might be said,
fewer to distract them. I3ut we may doubt the memory, or
the candour, of the person who asserts, that in the spring-
time of life, when every thing appeared " new and strange,'*
he was less pleased with the few bright and novel ideas
with which tlie mind was filled and delighted, than at a
later period, when, indeed, the number was increased, but
certainly neither their intensity nor their pleasure.
But this is contemplating the subject with respect to the
individual. Our business is strictly of a more general
nature. Has any new idea been added to the stock ? Has
the genius of the present enlightened times suggested any
single thought that was before unknown ? Have we not
been going on, from age to age, borrowing of one another?
as cofutecfed wUk Hitman Happiness. 33
Have we done any thing more (even if we liaye dome that)
than vary a littk the arrangement of our' mental stores'?'
Can it be proved, that the most learned, or the most scien*
tific, are the happiest? Select in your mind the most
eminent man of the present age, in this or any other coun-
try, and if he be really happy, you will find his felicity veiy
little dependent upon his leanung, his science^ or his skill
in any art whatever. '
We come next to the moral improvements which are sup*-
posed to have been effected. The benefits of Christianity
cannot be appealed to on the present occasion. That
purest and best religion, that system of moral perfection;
whose precepts, if made the universal rule of conduct;
would humanize the world, and create another paradise in
this vale of tears, was revealed, and never could have been
discovered. It is not the production of imperfect man. It
is no art, and no science ; but is above them all. Ind^pen^^
dent of this revealed system, what new truth in morals has
been discovered? The earliest of all moralists suggested
all that the latest enjoin. In all ages it has been taught, in
all' ages it has been known, that our happiness depended
on the practice of virtue. What new maxims have b^en
discovered i What new motives of action ? At all periods of
the world, recorded in profane history, there have been
folly, vice, and crime. Religion has denounced- the wratil
of eternity. All laws have iissued their thunders : yet fblly,
vice, and crime, have still existed. They have varied only in
mode and object. They have changed with the times; and
been proportioned to the pressure of dis^iress, and- the itemp^
tationotrelief.'. ^ ..!.••
Advancing even to higher ground, what has the wildest
system of legislation effected, what .have all the forms >of
government accomplished ? Unequal and oppressive lawii,
and despotic rule, are considered as tremendous evils*; Bat
the general principles of justice-pervade alllaws> and thei^e
** when best administered are beat." Liberty can. oply be
esteemed as- a means of happiness. No one would admire
it, if misery were its natural coxLsequence* It is the ikct,
however, that in eVery age persons have called aloud for
better laws and more. liberty; yet >^
*y How small, of all that human hearts endure^ ,
That part which kings, or laws, can cause' or cure/*
If we consult the catalogue of complaints at the present
period it would appear, that so far foorn our possessing more
VOL. VIII. — NO. L D
34 Oh tie MesuUi of Art,
^»tic««iid liberty than any anteoedent age, ^^aince the
great flood/' we are pOEatively fffoaning under the weiffht
of the moet oppressive system or law and gOTeroment wai
^Fer plagued the human species !
An argometuk of no small force is to be derived from the
^Oi^eptioD we must have of the goodness of ** the great
First Cause/' No one will dispute, that the end and object
of our creation was evidently the production of happiness.
To suppose otherwise, is to suppose an}r thing but good-
neap, tiow, is it cooceivable, tnat mankind should be left
%Q grope their way in the dark, in search of this staamum
bmum ; that the very purpose of their being should be left to
the uncertain cultivation and progress of countless ages ?
Where w^uld be the justice of leaving all the early races of
ipankind to struggle through comparative infelicity, and
reserve the possession of happiness to some remote, genora^
tion ? We may thoroughly understand, why the happiness
of eaeh iadividnal shotdd, in a great degree, depend on
himself; but it is incomprehensible, to every natiuru feeling
^pd notion of justice, that one race of men, as deserving as
f^nother, should possess a less degree ottk^ reward of virtue.
la fevonr of our position, we may refer to the argument
pffered by the analogy in the appearance of the universe.
Th^re every thing was created, at first, as perfectly as was
moessejfy. The material world remains the same. It n^
ther imf>rQve0,nor retrogrades : it undergoes a partial diiange,
but in its general features it is immutable. In the kmg
jbips^ of time, mountains may be raised or leveUed, the
^evation of a biU# or the depth of a valley, may be increaaed
or diminished ; but these appearances of nature still exist.
The species may change, but the genus continues the same.
The great ocean may roll its mighty waves into new chanr
nals. but its natnse, and its magnitude, are unchanged.
The waters sometimes produce fertility, and sometimes
dastructioa. The periods and the modes of operation
i^ai^e, but the general result is the same. The earthquake,
the tempest, .the toomado, the pestilence, visit di£Ebrent not-
tiotis ofthe globe ; ^ey change the site and scone of tneir
devastation, bat in no we has tiie*whole earth been exempt
from their influence. Tnejian is not increased in briffhtnesi,
nor are the stars diminished in lustre. They have illumined
the world, they have shone on man's fitful life for many
thdusimd years — they still shine in the same splendour.
The vegetable kingdom, and all die tribes of lover animals,
beire remained the same. It is reasonable, tb^[efere» ^
as connected with Human Happiness, 35
infer that human nature^ its passions^ its thoughts, its feel-
ings, and itd happtniBsb, baTe been, are no^, and will com-^
tinue to the end of time to be, as they were at the beginnifig.
Yet, notwithstanding these views'^o^ ait and seienee, and
human ao<)uisition6, it must be attowed that the w^rtd is
greatly indebted to those ingenious, active*, and enterprising
spirits, who,, in all ages, haire exerted flieir faculties to
amuse or gratif]^ the human species* The strains of music
charm and captivate the ear — the eye is delighted with the
exlubitions of the pencil — the fancy is dazzlea and elevated
by the " fiaaje- frenzy" of the poetic lay — the understanding
is gratified by the skill of the rhetorician, and the heart by
the eloquence of the orator. — Science has done much. It
has amused, as well as been useful. literature in general
is asource of gratification,, very important to an age of high
refiniiement,, and it sometimes removes the leaden languor of
idleness.
But stiiU we must contend against the assumption^ that
the welfiire of society, and o^f the human species m general,.
can matexiaHy depend on the eminence or the extension
either of art, science, or literature. The attainments and
supposed advantages of the present age, are not superior
to those of fpnaaer periods. Throughout all autnentic
time^ the arts hare existed in all the extent and perfection
that can be necessary or useful in the production of human
enj<ranent, and the promotion of human happineGts. The
w^Uue of mankind, the utmost nm^e of its felicity^ the
trnestand most permanent interest orthe species^ eonsists^
not ia. the perfection of art. It depends on
*^ What nothing eartfily gives, or c€l& destroy.
The soul's caln^ sunshine, and the heartfelt jc^."
It doei^ not depend upon the most boiHidlesa extend of
ridi^8«-it d^^ not depend on the utmost sunnnit of worldly
wisd(Hn. It is to be KMind in all clime# and all aituatioQfr-—
in eireiy ^efi, and in every period of the world. It is the
^t of Hewren itsalf It cannot either be destroyed, ot
utipFoved, by the vicissitudes of human invention. It
ve^^es only to. be rightly appreciated, and to be ^empe-
M9My ei^oyed. In fijoe*
" That virtue only m&kes our bliss below,
And all our knowledge is mrsetves to know,*
R. M.
36
The Mischievous Effects of Gaming: a Charge delivered to
. the Grand Jury of the County of Berks, in the State jof
Pennsylvania. BytheHoif. Jacob Rush, President of the
Third District of the Court of Common Pleas and Quarter
Session for the State of Pennsylvania,
[The lamentable instance of the effects of gaming, which
has for many weeks past superseded all other topics of
general conversation and public interest, has induced us to
select the present moment for presenting to our readers the
following excellent charge, by an American Judge whose
name is well known in England, and highly respected there,
as it deserves to be, for the boldness with whicn he has ever
maintained from the seat of justice, the distinguishing, and
what, in the estimation of the world, are deemed the oppro*
brious doctrines of the gospel. His judicial charges were
published at Philadelphia, at the particular recommendation
of the Presbyterian clergy of that city, as " enforcing a
number of moral and religious duties, in a manner that will
appear to many at once new, just, and striking,'' as " parti-
cularly and highly estimable, as they demonstrate the con-
nexion between the principles of religion and those of
social happiness, to be necessary and indispensable,'' and
from their being " well calculated to render every person
who seriously and candidly reads them, both a better Chris-
tian and a better citizen;" and though they have since
been reprinted at New- York, we are assured, that to most of
our readers, if not to all, they will be perfectly new, as we
from time to time commend the most striking and generally
interesting of them, to their notice.] ;, > • .
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury,
The practice of gaming, with the long train of evils
fenerally resulting from it, have been pointed out and
eplored, not more frequently by the divine and the mora^
list, than by the statesman and the patriot.- Whether the
love of this pernicious amusement be deeply implanted in
human nature, as some have supposed, or be altogether the
effect of habit, as others believe, it is certain, when once it
gets (>ossession of the mind, there is no vice that tyrannizeB
over its miserable votaries with more uncontrolled sway-
Such is the infatuation which often attends it, that innume-
rable instances might be mentioned, of persons, who, by ven-
turing'their all upon this ocean of chances, have been
reduced from opulence to poverty and wretchedness, in the
The Mkefiiewms Effects of Gaming. 37
short space of a few minutes. And though such desperate
-scenes of guilt and folly do AOt- often occur in our country,
yet as all vice is in its natuf epro^essive, and We are making
rapid advances in every kind of luxury, there is reason to
fear we shall, lere long, rival our European brethren in this,
-as well as in every other rbode of criminal dissipation.
-There is, however, a species of ^gaming conducted on a
lovger scale, which abounds estresiely' among us, is chiefly
carried on at taverns, and is nractised by persons of all
descriptions, high and ioiw, tick and poor, old and young.
It is to this scandalous violation of tne laws of the land,
this open insult upon govemm^it, I m^n at this time to
• turn your attentioh, as to an evil of growing magnitude,
which threatens our country with very calamitous effects.
It would consume too much time, and is not my intention,
to go into a full discussion of the innumerable evils flowing
to society from the practice of gaming. They are so
obvious, as to present themselves to the understanding of
the most unreflecting person. Let it sufiice to observe,
generally, that as it springs chiefly from idleness, the fruit-
ful, the mexhaustible source of almost every vice, so it has
a natural tendency to produce idleness. It operates as
cause and efiect, and is at once both parent and offspring.
When the heart is once thoroughly possessed of this passion,
every thing is sacrificed to its gratification. In the mad
pursuit, health wad constitution are gradually destroyed by
irregular hours, and disorderly conduct. Sleepless nights,
corroding passions, and a neglect of business, accompanied
with the mtemperateuse of ardent spirits, soon plunge both
the gamester and his family into one common ruin.*
It would be a fortunate circumstance, if the detail of
* The pernicious consequences of play, have been frequently
described in the strongest terms, and illustrated by the most striking^
examples. Seldom, however, have* they been rq>resented on so
large a scale, as in the account of the fate of a great body ofaame^
iters at Hamburgh, which an intelligent spectator has published
io a Germau Gazette, as the result of his attentive examination,
. during a period of two years. Of six hundred individuals , who were
in the habit of frequenting gaming-houses, he states, that nearly one
half not only lost considerable sums, but were finally stripped of all
means of subsistence, and ended their days by self-mnrder. Of the
rest, not less than an hundred finished their career by becoming
swindlers or robbers on the highway. The remnant of this nnfortn-
, nate group perished ; some by apoplexy ; but the greater part by
chagru and despair. He mentions, that during the whole space of
two years, to which his journal is confined, he did not see one of
these six hundred gamesters with a single new dress. — See Relfs
Gazette of February % l'S02.
38 TM MkeUewm Effeeto^afGiamug.
.ouscbUfe ^eiKled m the 4^trueikm ef iik% ctmstiiutiM end
temporal <^onoems of the ramUe^ : bat the case is finr otbeis-
wifie« The ftital effects c« ^aiping extend beyemd the grare.
The «»in J i^ deeply coBtunmated, and eentimente, the most
ho»tile to \X»fnal peace and happiness^ ate harboumd and
indulged. The gambler is frequently tcHrtiured mth par
roi:y mg of rage agaioat Heaven ; the effect of raaaed expecta-
tion being suddenly dashnd ftt a dritieal moment : maam«hile
his aountenanoe is aknoat as much distorted with agcmy, as
that of a person snffering on the lack : from which we may
form a [pretty got rect idea» what must be the sensations that
are tearing his heart; aod how infinitely injurions their
effect must be on the temper asd dispo3ition of the souL la
sl^rt, I must be permitted to i«mark, however dispkasin^ the
. observation may be, that a gaming-tsbie geeerally exhibits a
scfone of great immoiaiity, where the most criminal passions
rage um^ontroUed, sind dreadAil onlha and impreeations
burst from almost erery tongne. That this is not a false, or
exaggerated description, candomr itself must acknowledge-^
woAJi think, it must at the same time be as readily acknow-
ledged tQ be the duty of eyery friend oi virtue and. his
country, to abstain from an amasement pregnant with the
stron^st temptations to avarice, firana, lying, cursing,
swearing, contention, fretfalness, and every emotion that
can disordler the heart* Even the stern jAilosopher, who is
supposed to consult nothing so nioch as the tranqnillity of
his own ^osoiTi, woukl do well to avoid it, as dangerous, if not
destructive, to that serene and unruffled enjoyment of mind,
which he affiscts snpremelv to puisoe. He who volontarily
and unnecessarily places nimself in a situation ^isaare his
Jntlocence may be lost, or his feelings become the sport of
blind impierioui^ chance, acts a ps^rt neither compatible with
the character of sound wisdom, or virtuous circmnspection*
The ideas of the great philosopher, Mr. Locke, should not,
therefore be hastily reprobated ; who, after examining this
subject with his usual acuteness, declares it to be his
opinioHf that in order to avoid all temptation, tbe best way is,
never to learn to play a single card.
Impressed, no doubt, by these, or other considerations
still more forcible, the legislature of our state nave endea-
_youred to abolish evenr species of earning. The ase has
been laid to the root of the evil by ttie law of April, 1794,
intitled, '* An Act for the Prevention of Vice and Immora-
lity, and of unlawful Gaming, and to restrain disorderly
Sports and Dissipations,'' which has rendered it ^ompleiely»
TAe 3Bschieims EJflsa$ i^ Gmnklg, d$
and to aU inteato and purposes* ualtrarful in PMMylvoia.
It will not be ioipn^er to Uj boibre you a brief Bketcbi of tb;^
kw <Hi this inibjeot.
The fifth section forbids fighting cocks* for moneyr or
(^her vahiafale coosideratmi» under the penalty of three dol*
lars; and as it is notorious, that nothioj? so miich encouira^es
this inhuman and bcutal diversion^ as laying bets« and that
eock*figfating is often the result of a spqcakting, gambling
temper, any wwgif on the evea^ is proliibite^ wider a like
penalty. Flaying at cards, dice« btlliards, bowls, shuffle-
board, bijdlets, and any ^ame of address or hazard for money,
or other valuable coosiderationg is also forbidden, under a
penalty of three dollars. With respeet to playing bullets
on the h^dkway, the act forbids it under the like penalty,
whether &ere be any bet laid or not* The remedy in thas
case, is what the law calls cumulatiye or additional. Fori
as piayine bullets in the highway obstructs die road, and
ineommoms pasaeagers and trayellers, it is an ofience, inds^
pendent of the act, for which the parties are liable to indict<-
nent a«d fine at common law> A penalty of twenty dollars
IB also annexed to the offence of horse-racing, for money or
other TaluaUe considerationtf
* In England, this inhaman and bmtafislng sport is a fkvourft^
anasenient with many of our gentry ; nay, we ourselves oooM, with-
oat diffieahy, naoM S nobleman, in whose veins flow the blood of as
ittastrioaa aBoestij as oar peerage oan produce, — who is himself the
lord-lieutenant of one of the most extensive and most important
counties in the kingdom, and as such is placed at the head of, and
has the virtual nomination of, its magistracy,^who it regularly to be
seea at eveiy ooek«pit withm his leaeb, igfathig the most bretlsb and
desperate maias, asd bettiag en their event, in the most hail^fellaw-
well-met familiarity, with some of the gn^eatest blacklegs and black-
guards in tbe kingdom. Some years ago, a legal friend of ours, in
another part of the country than that tp which we have just alhided,
happening to be attending a court of quarter session as an adnt)eaie^
doling the vase week^ ia the town wiere those sessions we^e held,
dined at tjie ordinary^ where a magistrate of the county, who had not
even shewn himself in court, asked him, if he had been at the cock-
pit " No, indeed, 1 have not," replied our friend, ** for I have been
very diflerently engaged, in drawing an indictment against some
people ^r eock-ighting/' ** For eeeb-fig^tiag!" exelsi«e4 the ex-
pounder of the law, with mingled astonishment and alarm,' (for his
morning had been devoted to the cock-pit, rather than to tiie eomrt,
where the biisiness was adjourned to the morrow for want of justices,)
^atiddoyou mean to say that cock-fighting is IHegair' '*T<y be
imre I do/' repUed the barrister, ** and if you will do us the honour
to attend at the next quarter sessions, yea may assist In seatenoiim
the people who have been guilty 6(f it, to fine and impriseament far
their cfence/'-^EDiT.
-f This, as our readers will perceive from sooftlier article » the
40 The Mkchievimi Efftdit of Gamhig.
' The sixth section, after declaring that the variouft detcrip-
iions of gaming mentioned in the act, are frequently pro-
moted and held at public-houses, or near them, imposes a
penalty of fourteen dollars, and a loss of license for one
year, upon every tayem-keeper, wh6 shall promote any thing
bf the Kind, or 9haH fomish drink to persons so employed^
ot shall allow any sort of gaming for money, or other Tcduable
(Consideration, in his dwelling-house, or in any out-bouse
belonging tb him. In case of a second offence, he is subject
to a fine of twenty-eight dollars, and is rendered for ever
incapable of keeping a tavern in the state of Pennsylvania.
The seventh section^ still keeping in view iaverm as the
grand theatre of gaming, forbids bilTiard-tables, E O tables^
OT other devices being kept in public-houses, for the purpose
of playing for money, on pain of forfeiting the instrument of
such play, and the sum of twenty-six dollars.
* By the subsequent provisions of this law, a person bsing
money, or other valuable thing, at any of the games speci-
fied in the act, shall not be obliged to pay, or make good
the same, or to discharge any security given liierefore. And
even if the loser has actually paid the money, or delivered
the article to the winner, he may sue within ten days, and
recover the same back again.
This, gentlemen, is a brief, but correct summary of our laws
upon the subject of gaming, made for the best purposes, and
with the best intentions. And thus anxiously and benevolently
have the legislature of our country endeavoured to extirpate
the evil, root and branch. You will, however, perceive,
they have not prohibited playing merely for amusement at
any of the games specified ; not even horse-racing, where
amusement is the only object. It is only when money, or
any thing of value, is played for, that it is absolutely for-
bidden.
And now, gentlemen, let us pause a few moments, and
seriously ask ourselves this single question — Is it our duty,
ias good citizens, to yield obedience to this law of our coun-
try, or is it not?
Many persons, I well know, are ready at once to exclaim,
present number of our work, is an offence panisbable by law in most
of the United States. In England it is not so, save where the race is
run for a less sum than £60, in which ease, the owner of every horse
•lanniilg, is, by 13 Geo. II. c. 19. sabjeoted to a penaity of £200; and
every person advertising snch race, to a penalty of half the amount.
Newmarket and Blackhambleton courses are, however, expressly
excepted from the operation of an act, which legalizes this specie^ af
gaming upon a larger, by sapprBssing it on a smaller scale. — Edit.
The Mischiewm EffeeU ^f Gaming. 41
the htw ifi foolish and absurd, and we are resolved to treat
it as sttoh a law deserves to be treated^ with coatempt and
Beglect*
Waving for the present any inqairy into the merits or pro-
priety of the law^ we proceed to observe, that' conduct of
lAis sort strikes at the very root of government,. inasmuch
%B it makes our obedience depend not upon the law itself,
and its binding force upon constitutional principles, but on
the opinion a man may form of its wisdom or expediency —
which in effect is to assert, that private judgment shall
defeat piiA/ic authority, should they happen to clash with
each other. The legislature have decuied the pointy that
gaming is injurious to the sooial and moral interests of our
country :• aiid to tiiis decision, every citizen is bound re-
spectfully to submit, unless he means to set himself up
e^one the government in all those cases where they differ in
opinion. Laws, in their vei^ nature, are intended to operate
as restraints upon the will and inclination* But this can
never happen, if certain propensities and attachments are
admitted to be good reasons for not yielding obedience :to
them. In jhct, this would set mankind free from all law
whatever. The gainbler reprobates the law against gaming,
because it interferes with his habits and his passions, and
insists there is no harm in it. All he asks is, that he may
be indulged in disobedience to the law in ihiS' single point,
and he is willing to behave as a good citizea in every other
respect. Why, gentlemen, this is the very language of the
.thief and the highwayman. They, like tne ^mbler, only
plead an exemption in behalf of tJiat vice to which they have
the 8tr6ngest attachment, and which affords them the greatest
pleasure. It is well known, the common swearer, the adul-
terer, the slanderer, and the wicked of every other ^lass and
description, shelter themselves behind the ^ame excuse, viz.
that tneir vices are harmless, and they have a particular
fondness for them.
To reconcile us further to the obedience of this, law, it
should be remembered, that it is not the imperious mandate
of an arbitrary monarch, or an. edict of the dark age of igno>-
rance and superstition, but the law of a free people, passed
by one of the most enlightened governments upon earth' —
a law flowing from the deliberate act of our own representor
tives» selected from every part of the sti^e for the sole pu^-
pose of legislation. In our republican governments, he only
,is a good citi^n who obeys all the laws — ^those he dislikes,
as well af those that meet his approbation. Upon the
42 The Mkchii9»ui Effe^ of Gaming.
gromid of obedience, he mietkea no disiinetioo* Obnviiiced
that even the best government requires a eonsteat sacrifica
of the will of one part of society to tiiat jof the other, he is
ready on all occasions to take up his cross and fellow his
country. Obedience indeed is a very easy thing when it
fiaills in with our particular habits and views, and in sudi
cases there is no danger the law will prove a '^stonle ot
stumbling, and rock of offence*'' But what sort of a eitiaeM
is that man, who obeys only those laws which please his
humour or his taste, and deliberately violates those he dis*
approves? I vrill venture boldly to assert, a person of <Mf
description has not a single drop of federal or repubUoaa
blood in his veins, or benevolence in his beart*^id he
possess a particle of either, he would cheerfully acquiesoe
in every law that has any tendency • to promote the geneial
good. If I were asked, what is the^rs^ part of the du^ of
a good citizen? I would BQ,y, obedience. If I were asked^
wlmt is the second part? I would say, obedience* If I were
askedy what is the third part? I wonkl reply, obedience. In
short, it is the very essence and consummation' of the chsK
racter of a good citizen in a republiean goil^emment. We
are told, that in the school of Pythagoras, bis eutes epbe,
that is, his bare opinion, was deemed such decisive evidence
of truth as to adjust every controversy that arose among his
captious and disputing pupils. Such precisely shouki be
the profound respect paid to the laws m our government.
*' It is the law; the legislature have said so"-^shoukl
silence every objection, stop every mouth, and restrain
every hand and foot. Has the law, for example, said.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Loan thy God in
vain, or swear by any other name or thing? he that tnmsH
S esses it, is neither a good HHten nor a good man* Has
e LAW said. Thou shalt do no unnecessary work, n^
practise any eport or diversion on Sunday? He that offends
in those instances, against both heaven smd earth, is a bad
citizen, and a bad man* I speak plainly, gentlemen. In
defendinff the laws of God, and my country, I am noil to be
deterred by the censures of any map, or set of men, from
using any language, or freedom of speech, not tnconsistent
^ith truth and decency. I therefore repeat, that a perdoh
who breaks the laws of God and man, can have no better
pretensions to the character of a virtuous good ciHien, than
Ae felonious robber on the highway. They both submit to
the laws in general, and the hi^mayman, Kke the gambler,
only breaks them where they oppose his^/immfife pursait.
Museum H&un. 43
which is just the case with erery other immoral man. Tb»j
are both bad citizens, though there may be a difierence in
the nature and degree of their crimes.
[n estimating the character of a man as a citizen, it is his
conduct only that is decisive eridence for or against him.
Professions are of no sort of consequence. What would it
si^ify for a person boldly to assert he was an honest man,
while he was notoriously addicted to lying and stealing?
or to take an oath of fidelity to goreniment, while be was
in open arms against it? Equally absurd and ridicnloos is
it to talk of patriots and good citizens^ where the life and
practice are m any respect at war with the laws of our coun-
try ; and they are treated with insolence and contempt, for no
otner reason, but because they happen not to accord with
the selfish riews of one man, or the mci&us and abandoMd
inclinations of aiiother.
Both in religion and patriotism^ obedience constitutes the
unerring touchstone of sincerity. It is the principle thut
tries the spirit of a man, and draws an infallible line of dis«
tinction between the hypocritical pretender on the one
hand, and tiie genuine fnend of virtue, religion, and his
country, on the other.
Upon the whole. Gentlemen, obedience was made for man
by his Creator, and man was made for obedience. It is the
influence of this principle, diffused through all the works of
God, that supports tne universe, and maintains perfect
harmony in his boundless dominions. It was disobedience
hurled the apostate angels from heaven ; and disobedienoe
to his law is, at this moment, the cause of all the vice, war,
and confusion, that aeitate and convulse this unhappy globe,
on which it is our lot to reside. Order is heaven's ^/i'rst
law, and should be the first law of earth. Universal
obedience to his inflnitely holy and unerring laws, is neces-
sarily ptoductive of universal order — ^and nniversal order is
necessarily productive of universal happiness.
MUSEUM HOURS, No. I.
Beading Rooms of the British Museum — their Regulatiom
and Attendants — History, Condition, and Contents of the
Cottonian library of Manuscripts,
Thb Reading-room of the British Museum is one of those
scenes of quiet literary labour, into which the crowd of idly
curious visitors, who flock there three timet a week to see
44 ,Mfueum Hours.
ihe curiosities and monstrosities of the other departments
of this, national institution, are not permitted to intrude.
On the public days, (that is, with the exception of holidays,
^and the summer, or rather the autumnal vacation of two
.months, on every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the
year,) the student in the gallery of antiquities, or half cellar
and half barn-like buildings in which the Elgin marbles are
deposited, is interrupted in his pursuits by those impertinent
gazinss of idle saunterers through these, receptacles of clas-
sical fragments and vestiges of all times, for which our coun-
Smen and countrywomen are so universally distinguish-
As we have occasionally escorted some of our country
.friends to see, amongst the other lions of the metropolis,
.these antiquities, which it is infinitely more disgraceful not
..to have visited, than not to know a syllable more of their
history, or that of the persons or scenes which they repre-
:sent, than does each lifeless statue of its silent and senseless
^neighbour, we have blushed for the rudeness of many of the
.company, whose dress at least indicated that they ought to
have known better, in staring over the shoulder of a modest
and unassuming artist, at the copy he is engaged in making
of some statues, at which it would have been at least as
modedt in the female gazers not to have looked at all, either
in the original or imitation. Once or twice, ii^deed, we have
been seriously alarmed, lest a young student, perched upon
two boards loosely placed one upon the other, and scarcely
tall enough, with this assistance, (the best, it is to be pre-
sumed, that the institution can afford him,) to reach the top
of his outstretched canvass, should be tumbled to the ground
by the rude jostling of some little curious urchin against
his ticklish standing-place, whilst plucking the tail of his or
her equally curious mamma, to ask, " what that little boy is
abput with the long stick in his hand?" or to. exclaim, " La,
Ma, what a funny face that man is painting, do but look at
him ;*' and the mother, who ought to correct such imperti-
nence, accordingly looks, wonders, and admires with equal
rudeness as her hopeful ill-mannerly child. Thus much,
by way of contrast, for the reading-rooms happily exhibit, in
most respects, a striking contrast to this lamentable want of
politeness, no where more strongly exhibited than in those
public spectacles to which the English are indiscriminately
admitted. To the reading-rooms, (for a second has lately
been added, though as yet it scarcely has been used,) none
are admitted but those who have tickets granted them,
renewable every six months, on the recommendation of a
Musewn Hour$. 45'
trustee or officer of the institution ; a restriction, it is sLppre-^'
handed, which can scarcely exclude from them any one to'
whom the facilities to study and literary researcn which'
they afford, can be a real benefit, as few such inen of any:
respectability are without the means of obtaining an ihti'o-
duction to at least one of these noblemen or gentlemen,
from forty to fifty in number, and who evince the great-
est readiness in forwarding the wished of proper applicants.
In France, we know, and in many parts of the contmentalso,
no such introduction is needled, but the public repositories;
of literature are thrown open to every persoil who wishes to
consult them ; and much popular clamour has been excited
here, by complaints against the illiberality which prevents
the adoption of a similar course in England. That clamoUr
is, however, most unjust — the practice it would force upon
the trustees of this national institution, most impracticable ;
and that we hesitate not to say, because the difference of
national character, or rather perhaps of the populace, in
England and on the continent, renders that liberality safe ii^
the one instance, which would be destructive of the safety
of the collection in the other. Yielding to none in genuine
patriotism, we are yet sufficiently citizens of the world to
avow our honest conviction, that the English ought not to b^
admitted indiscriminately, or even where respectability of
appearance is the oiily passport, to the various monuments
of their own national munificence. We appeal, in support
of our assertion, to the names scratched, sometimes in ben-
cil, sometimes with knives, over the monumente< in Westi^
minster Abbey and St. PauFs Cathedral, and tiie* books,
which, with all the caution that can be exercised by officers'
of societies where the admission is select, have either beeffi
taken away altogether, or materially injured by the abstrac-
tion of plates or leavea in the London/ the British, and 6ther
of our literary institutions. Ko one can indeed have been
lon^ a subscriber even to a circulating library, >nthout
having had occasion to blush for the character oi his coun-
trymen, in the necessity which exists for the prdpriietors'^to
damage their property by stamping their names. See. upon
the front of every plate, with which the books in their col-
lection are illustrated or ornamented, thatbybein^ rehdei*^
thus useless to collectors, they may escape being vUftifn;
as would otherwise be their inevitable fate. We iiideed
ourseiyes recollect being exceedingly mortified at finding a
volume of Pennant's works, belonging to a very' valuable
sety in one of the first libraries in the metropolis/ des];ft)ile4
40 Mmeam Houf$,
■
of «v«ry plate« whieb the thief bad beea ^i qo much trcMible.
Ui ciirtiiBg outj that a part of the paper oa whkb they were
worked was left as a fraipe^ to prevent the book from appear-r
uig thinner than when it was taken from the library,, or the
librarian from diseoyering that any plate had been etoleaj,
tunlefia he bad mijaiitely examined the volume for the very
purpose* Nay. it is a matter of public notoriiety» that one of
the librarians of this very institutieoiy now no more aa
inhabitant of a world whicn his writii^s and learning con-*
tribuled at onoe to instruct and adorn, was dismissed froo^
bis situation, in eonsequeSfCe of felonies and depredations
committed by some persons, of no mean reputation in the
Uterary cireles„upon valuable prints aiaKl manuscripts which
he bad permitted them to nave access to at their own
bouses. C^ontrary to the rules of the Museum.
Thus far in. vindication of a restriction, the benefit of
which is daily experienced by those who have occasionr
to make researchea in the roonif^ in which you -will oou'-'
s4antly find a great variety of characters labouring for
the public, or for their own aauiaemeat and improvement*
in tne different departments of literature, to which taster
inclinntion, or circumstances may have directed them*
Here you will (ee the asealoma and laborious antiquary
twnma^ing amongst ebarteva and musty parchments, for the
avthentibei^ont it may be, of & date, of as little inmortance^
but to bis bietbren^ as that of the day on which Kling John
shewed the first epicucean attachment to laiiapceys> by
whicti, it is said« Eufflaml waa^ eventually ridden at once of
at|(nuit and a Ibol. There,.a second member of the same inde^
fiiitigiihle fin^tefnityAksea attentively engaged i«.a microscopic
Mmpanaon of the sed of an old cWter vrith the copy
wbioh be baa tskem of it, ^crupulQusly an&ioua that not a
V^l^ aheuld be stcsiigbter or more evodied than the vene*
nbU ofiginai of some mitred bigot, who fatt^ied, lived
notQiialy»and ftif ed sumpteously every day, upon the revenues
of a church, which he disgr^ed at once by his. ignorance
and his pride^ The neatly' folded manuscript that lies
beside bim, gives^ however, an importance to bis employ^
ment, m as' much as it autboriaea l^e hope that he may be
^bout to add anotbei! effort to oempleite the seriea of our
county histories^ which the tllnrequiited toil of such Hercu-'
lewi labours sttti leatcs lamentabLy ^fioiant. For our own
parts. We have not viewed with equal complacency, the
numerous tribe of hemldie draftsmen and geaealogv hnn^
teiUi wbo are at work early and latcu-^y after day, and week
Mmeum Hours. 47
Meceecfiiig week, to aacertain whetker some thick-headed
ancestor S[ m thick-headed a squire, bore for hit anas a
Boa rampant, or deminrampant only; or whether at great a
fool, though bearing a title which he disgraced, gave, acme
ive hundred years ago, the name of John or Thomas to
his first'bom booby and eldest son, or took a Mary or Catha-
rine for his wife. GeaersUy speaking, the men engaged in
these edifying pursuits are evidenUy labouring in their
Tocation, and for hire ; thankful, therefore, that their lot ia
not ours, we pity them, and let them pass. Now and then»
however, dunng ihe sitting of Parliament, we have seen the
room graced by the presence of some man of title and cf
femily, determined to trust to no one but himself, the task
of making out a pedigree, than which his manner plainly
shews that nothing can in his estimation be of equal im-*
portance, save perhaps it be that of his race^horses and his
dogs.
By the side of such a self-important idler, (for suck in
truth he is, though busy as a bee,) will perhaps be seated
BOOM toilsome laoourer in the field of literature, in which
both his person and his coat evince that lie is well-nirii
worn out, ere he has gained from its cultivation a reasonaue
certainty of where he can get his next day's dinner, or how
long he may hardly earn his daily bread. Every thing
bespeaks in him his having at length sunk to that most
hafdees condition into which a man of letters can fall;
(perhwB, indeed, he never had talents or oppertunitr to rise
above tt,)and we have hardly been able to supi^eea tiie wish,
that he speedily might have applied to himself the epitaph
of Goldsmith upon poor Ned Furdon, a wretdied member
^f a tribe, upon whose miseries that oharmnig writer Ml
ftelingly could speak,— «who
.^ '. — , . " from misery freed.
Was no longer a bookseller's hack;
For he had sack a horrible Hfe in this world,
That he never could wish to come back.''
He ia psobaUy a death-hunter, a chronicler of births and
marriages for magazines and aimual registara— as the lady
who baa takani^r seat4>ppo«te to bim« undau]fcted> m th^
msl of her pursuit of leanang, by being sunounded by forty
or fifty gentlemen^ herself the only femals in the rqom, may
pc^dventure be the concoctor of some new b|9tQrical ro-
mance, fpr Uie incidents of which she is spoiling th^ pithy bat
obsQl^te historian! of the oldm time. AdmivHig her literary
48 Museum Hqutsk
turn, we have sometimes wished that proper acconunodatiajB^
were afforded ia a separate room for female readers ; and we.
doubt not» but that a portion of the leisure which so many of
the sex enjoy, and waate in fashionable triflings, would, tben«
at least for themselves, be more profitably devoted to the,
improvement of their minds, in a place affording such faci-
lities for the purpose. Biographers, historians, lawyers^
medical students, lexicographers, poets, translators^ and we
know not what besides, make up the group of those who
here quietly and. patiently collect the materials for works^
which may hereafter purchase for some of them a deathlesii
immortality — to others, the vexation of neglect — for some
again, the mortification of their vanity, in a merited expoisure
of their incapacity for the task they undertook. But be-*
sides these working-bees, this hive contains several who are
but sipping the dew from every flower, to form their honey
at a future day — young students in every profession, laudr
ably preparing themselves for distinction in the discharge of
their duties, by recondite researches not elsewhere U> he
pursued, and which none but persons, bent, like themselves,
on excellence, pursue at all. It has also here and there an
idle :drone-^men evidently availing themselves of a gratui-
tous admission to this ample storehouse of learning and of
literature,, to pass away their time by turning over the pages
of the last new pamphlet, or reauing through the most
popular novel of the day. These are confessedly few. in
number, imd w&y be known by their poring over the cata*-
.logues as a gourmand ponders over his bill of fare, puzzled
what to fix upon, because they have no. definite object of
-pursuit. .Half their, time. IS occupied in obc^erving others
jDOre busy. than themselves; ana we have e^en knoi^ti
some of them evince so little regard to politeness, aB
to take up the books lying by. the side of another gentle-
man, evidently to ascertain what he was about. They
occupy, tpo, the seats nearest the fire, in front of whicn
they will sometimes sit and loiunge with so little considera-
tion for the comfort of others, as to require a very broad hint
from the librarian, who is in constant attendance in th^
room, that gentlemen at the lower end of the table may be
cold as well as themselves. 'Several of these are dandiies and
dandizets, animals who, some how or other, have intruded
ihemselves into every circle; but some are older and graver
men, firotn whom better manners might reasonably have been
expefcted.
With the exception, however, of iheir rudenesses, and
Museum Hours. 49
the occasional bleach of decorum in some one or two men^ of
gre«it importance in their own estimation^ talking to the
servac^s of th6 itistitution, who bring tli^m the books for
which" they v^rite, or to th^ir personal friends, in as loud k
totie as they would in their own parlour, or to their footmen*
if they have either, (^hich, by tne way, their gross want or
common politeness would induce us to supp6se is not the'
case,) every thing is usually conducted her6^ with tii6
greatest regularity and decorum, in strict accordance with
the rule of the institution, which requires silence in a place
devofed to study. Once indeed, and once only, do we
recollect to have witnessed any continued and unrepressedf
breach of so essential a regulation; and in the midst of the
interruption it occasioned us in our recondite pursuits,
W^ could not repress a smile at its cause, which wad
file pacing of the reading-room in its length and breadth,
for some ten or- a dozen minutes, by a certain eccentric
bkrd of the last generation, at least as distinguished for dirli
as for genius, for the shabbiness of his dress and his singular
otrfr^ appearance, as the extient of his attainments; — the
poet's eye, in the meanwhile, in so fine a frenzy rolling, as to
render him totally unobservant alike of the frowns and the
smiles' Which every other countenance exhibited, during
the continuance of his fervid locomotion.
Enough, however, of sketches of men and manners, that
miay induce our brother readers to suppose^ that we intend
tb adopt the very appropriate motto of Maistef Jedediah
Cleishbotham, schoolmaster and' parish-clerk of Gander-
cleugh, to the inimitable tales which the master-genius of
our tiines has done him the honour of fathering upon him^
'' A chiers amatig ye takin notes,
Aq' faith he'li prent it."
PasB we on now, therefore, to a Srifef account of the various!
collections of manuscripts and printed books, to which the
sinid^nt has, in these rooms, the freest and readiest access^
atid from which (as they come in our way, in the course of
til'* more regular pursuits that have long led us here,) We
punpose, eimer by extracts or otherwise, to give our readers,
under thfe title of ''Museum Hours," some such occasional
articles, as may enable them to pass away a feW of their own
hours with pleasure, and we hope, at times, with profit also.
The first of these, in point, perhaps at once ot antiquity
^tid importance, is, the Cottonian Library, th6 ipanuscripti^
df whi<^ are deposited in twenty^'One presses, in the same
VOL. VIII.— NO. 1. E
50 Museum Hours.
room with those of the Royal Library. It is on the second
floor of the building, and the public have access to it,
on account of the great curiosity it contains, in the
original copy of Magna Charta, secured in a glazed frame,
on a table m the centre, with the well-known fac-simile of
Pine by its side. Here also, against one of the presses, i&
exhibited to public inspection, the original of the articles
agreed upon by the barons, preparatory to the signing of
tne great charter, perfect botn in the instrument itself and
its seaL This valuable document formed, however, no part
of either of the collections of ms. deposited here, but was
presented to the Museum in 1769> by Earl Stanhope.
Few of our readers will need to be reminded, that the
first of these collections was formed by the industry and
perseverance of Sir Robert Cotton, the friend and fellow-
traveller of the celebrated Camden, who, living shortly after
the dissolution of monasteries, the visitation of our univer-
sities, colleges, and schools, and surviving also such indefa-
tigable collectors of antiquities, as Joceline, Noel, Lam-
barde, Bowyer, Elsinge, and Camden, from whose libraries^
either by legacy or purchase, he selected their choicest
treasures, had every opportunity his laudable curio-
sity could desire, of forming a collection of chronicles,
charterlaries, and other muniments of the dissolved houses,
which have since proved an invaluable treasure to the
historian and the antiquary, and been of little less utility
in the ascertainment and settlement of private rights.
This collection was so highly valued, even in the lifetime
of its founder, that in the arbitrary times of the Stuarts and
the star-chamber, its public-spirited collector had the morti-
fication of being excluded from his own library, by an order
of the privy council, for the locking of it up, on the ground
that its contents were of too ^reat public importance to be
exposed, as Sir Robert permitted it to be, to any one who
wished to consult it; in consequence of which liberality, it
was alleged, that in the time of James the. First, some valu-
able state papers had been communicated to the Spanish
ambassador, who had caused them to be translated into his
native tongue. On this latter account. Sir Robert was
himself imprisoned, though it would seem but for a. short
time, and on his release, the interdict was taken off which
mostunconstitutionallyprevented bis reading his own books,
or entering his study. Fourteen years after, it was, however,
renewed with increased severity, for a pamphlet having
been circulated in ms. in 1629, under the title of " A
Museum Hours. 61
Project how a Prince may make himself an absolute
Tyrant;" it was traced to the Cottonian library, into which
it appeared to have found admission, without the knowledge
of its owner, as a tract, written at Florence in 16 13, by the Duke
of North umberland, under the less exceptionable title of
** Propositions for his Majesty's Service, to bridle the Imper-
tinency of Parliaments," and having been discovered there
by some persons, to whom access to the collection had been
granted, with its proprietor's accustomed liberality, (and there
is room for suspicion that the celebrated Selden was one of
them, for a copy seems to have been found upon him,) a bribe
to a faithless librarian had procured permission to take two or
three copies of it, which were handed about, under a title that
never belonged to it. For this. Sir Robert was a second
time taken into custody, but being able soon to establish
his own innocence in the transaction, even to the satisfaction
of the odious inquisition of the star-chamber, before which
he was brought, he was released, although, under the old
pretext of his library not being of a nature to be exposed to
public inspection, it was a second time placed under seques-
tration, being sealed up by some of the oflBcers of the royal
household, under whose vigilant surveillance it remained
until the death of its ill-used collector. That death hap-
pened in 1631, nearly two years after he had been thus un-
justly and tyrannically excluded from the use of those
literary treasures which he had spent his life in amassiiig,
and for which, though he could scarcely set a value upon ,
them beyond their mtrinsic worth, he felt all the attach-
ment of a scholar to his books, and a collector to a
collection, unique, as it was curious and extensive. Few
things, indeed, can be more interesting or affecting to minds
imbued with the love of letters, than the simple narrative
given by his brother antiquary. Sir Symonds D Ewes, of the
effect produced upon the mind and health of this distin-
guished lover and friend of literature, by his being excluded
from his wonted sources of enjoyment. " When," says the
annalist of Elizabeth, in a ms. account of his own life, still
preserved in the same national repository which contains
the rich collection of the friend whom he wished to console,
** I went several times to visit and comfort him in the year
1630, he would tell me ' they had broken his heart, that had
locked up his library from him.' I easily guessed the
reason, because his honour and esteem were much impaired
by this fatal accident; and his house, that Was' formerly
frequented by great and honourable petsonages, as by
S2 Museum Hours.
learned men of all sorts, remained now upon the matter^
desolate and empty. He was so outworn within a few
months^ with anguish and grief» as his face, which had been
formerly ruddy and well-coloured, (such as the picture I
have of him shews,) was wholly changed into a green-
blackish paleness, near to the resemblance and hue of a
dead visage." Thus he pined and wasted away, dying as
clearly broken-hearted, for the loss of his books, as ever did
the most devoted lover, or the fondest wife, for husband, or
for mistress, however bitterly regretted or tenderly beloved.
This, indeed, is not matter of inference, but of fact, for on
his death-bed he directed his friend. Sir Henry Spelman»
celebrated alike as an antiquary and a jurist, to inform the
lords of the council, that " their so long detaining of his
books from him, without rendering any reason for the same>
had been the cause of his mental malady." This touching
message was immediately delivered, ana wrought in those
whose conduct had given occasion to it, an unavailing
repentance ; for when the lord privy seal came to comfort
tne dying man with a message from the king, he found that
he was half an hour too late, as the victim of the tyranny
of the council was no more ; and all he could do was, to
assure his weeping son, that, as the king, had loved his
father, so he would continue to love him.
He gave not, however^ very early tokens of that love, of
a less equivocal description than those which had brought
the former object of its caprices in sorrow to the grave;
for although its late possessor had entailed his library upon
his heir, who also was his only son, the sequestration of it
was still continued with unabated rigour, until, upon a
petition being presented, statins, that liis study had long
been, and yet was locked up, and he himself denied the us^
of the books it contained, though all of them were his
undoubted property, it was restored to Sir Thomas Cotton,
the collector's son, who continued in quiet possession of it
to the day of his death, which happened in the year 1662.
During the ccmvulsion of the civil wars, in which, after the
success of the parliament, and the overthrow of the monar*
chical, and the establishment of a republican government, all
documents relative to the constitution and laws of the
country were industriously sought after and destroyed, it
was carefully removed, principally by the zeal .of-* *
Bromsall, Esq. of Blunham, high-sheriff of the qounty of
Bedford, in loSO, for the preservation of so inestin^ab/e. a
treasure, to Stratton, in that county, whereJt was keg^ in a
Mus&im Hmirs. 53
-faoQBe of the eldest son of its possessor, (afterwards Sir John
Ootton,) who had married Dorothy, daughter of" Edmund
Anderson, Esa. of that place.
By him, as nad previously been the case with his father.
Sir Thomas also, this collection was greatly enlarged,
«nd ten years before his death, its value was so duly esti-
mated by the gbvernment and legislature, that, on his
expressing a wish to carry into efiect tiie liberal and public-
i^tited desire and intention of his father and his grand-
fitther, to have it preserved for the use of the nation, under
^e name of the tlottonian Library, an act of parliament
(12 and 13 W. III. c. 7.) was passed in 1700, '' for the better
settling and preserving of the library, (described in the
preamble t<> the act, as ' of great use and service for the
knowledge and preservation of our constitution both in
church and state, ) kept in the house at Westminster, called
Cotton House, in the name and family of the Cottons, for
the benefit of the public/' Sir John Cotton> the donor of
this spleiidid ^ift to the country, died in 1702, when, in
pursuance df the provisions of this act, the Library was
vested in trustees, namely, in the hotd Chancellor or Keeper,
Hie Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench, and the
Speakerof the House of Commons, for the time being, and four
ot the Cotton family, named in the act, whose places were,
from time to time, to be 'supplied by the heir male in posses-
sion of the house in which the library was to be preserved,
in the custody of a keeper, for the use of the public, who
were to have convenient access to the room in which it was
deposited. At Cotton House, situate at the back of the
House of Commons, and still preserving its name, although
long since converted into a residence for the chief-clerk of
the House, the library remained in this state for between
three and four years, when, in consequence of a report of
Matthew Hutton, John Anstis, and Humphrey Wantey, the
three most celebrated antiquaries of their day, who, on that
account, were appointed to inspect the collection, which
they certified to be ill arranged, partly in decay, and not
kept in a place calculated for its preservation, another act
6f p^liament was passed, (5 Anne, c. 30.) " for the better
securiA^ of her Majesty's purchase of Cotton House in
Westminster.'' That purchase had been previously effected
for the sum of £4500, and provision was now made by the
legislature for the erection of " a convenient library in the
bouse," to ''the intent so great a treasure of books and
manuscripts, so generously given for the public service.
54 Museum Hours.
might not remain any longer useless, and in danger of perish-
ing for want of due care, and that it may be in her Majesty's
power to make this most valuable collection usjeful to her
own subjects, and to all learned strangers."
Five years after the passing of this act, the library,
whether whilst a new building was to be prepared for its
reception, or with what other view is not now known, was
removed to Essex House, in Essex-street, in the Strand,
where it remained from the year 1712 to 1729, when it was
deposited in Ashburnham House, in Little D<ean's-Yard,
purchased by the Crown of Lord Ashburnham ; and here,
shortly after its removal, namely, on the morning of the 23d
of October, 1731, a fire broke out, which destroyed seve-
ral, and damaged many of the manuscripts, and amongst
the latter the celebrated original of Magna Charta, which
bears evident marks of the injury it has sustained. The
whole collection would, in all human probability, h^^ve
perished, but for the great exertions made to save as much
of it as possible from uie flames, especially by Mr. Speaker
Onslow, who repaired immediately to the spot, and per-
sonally assisted in rescuing from the fire, the manuscnpts,
of which he was then an official trustee. Such of them
as could be saved from the devouring element, (and not a
quarter of the collection was materially injured by its rava-
ges, 114 out of 958 volumes being destroyed, and 08 consi-
derably damaged,) were immediately removed, at the solici-
tation of the trustees, and by permission of the dean and
chapter, into a room intended for the dormitory of Westmin-
ster school. The former took also, without delay, the most
efficient steps in their power, to repair, as far as it was repar- ,
able, the serious injury which this valua.ble national collec-
tion had sustained ; and their laudable object was most
cordially seconded by the House of Commons, to which, in
little more than six months after the accident, namely, on the
9th of May, 1732, a report was made by a committee of its
members appointed for the purpose, on the damage done by
the fire, and the remedies whicn had been proposed, giving,
by way of appendix, an accurate account of the mss.
wholly destroyed or materially injured, in order that persons
possessed of copies of them might have an opportunity of
contributing to the reparation of the loss by communicating
their transcripts.
The library does not appear to have been again removed,
until the year 1763, when, on the formation of the British
Museum, in consequence of the will of Sir Hans Sloane,
Museum Hoursp 55
it was» by direction of the act of parliament passed for its
regulation, removed to the new national establishment, two
trustees, nominated in succession by the representatives of
the Cotton fatnily, being thereby for ever added to those
appointed by the act for carrying its provisions into execu-
tion. Of that family, the male line has long since been
extinct, the elder branch in 1731, with Sir John Cotton,
Bart., the great-great-srandson of Sir Robert, who then
died without issue; the younger in 1762, with his first
cousin. Sir John Cotton, Bart, (standing in the same degree
of kindred to the founder with the other Sir John, through
the second son of the donor of the library,) who left issue
but a daughter, married to one of the respectable and
literary family of the Bowdlers. The representative of the
elder branch was, until lately, Francis Annesley, Esq. LL.D.
M.P. for Reading, who, through his great-grandmother, the
daughter of Sir George Downing, and wife of John the
great-grandson of Sir Hobert Cotton, had also the singular
food fortune to be the> representative of the founder of
>owning College, Cambridge, of which he was the first
master. He was himself one of the family trustees. Those
now acting, are G. B. Tyndale. Esq. and the Rev. Arthur
Annesley.
Of this collection, three catalogues have been printed;
the first, in Latin, by Dr. Thomas Smith, in the year I696,
eight years before Sir John Cotton had given it to the
nation : this is a folio volume of 236 pages. The second
was a neat 8vo. volume, printed by Samuel Hooper in 1777,
from manuscripts furnished by the celebrated Astle, con-
taining something like a systematic arrangement of Dr.
Smith 8 catalogue, the corrections and additions of Mr.
Casley, printed in 1734, with a list of the destroyed and
damaged articles, as an appendix to his catalogue of the
Royal Library of manuscripts; and an alphabetical list of
the charters then first printed, from the original MS. of the
Rev. Mr. Widmore, who had for many years the care of
this inestimable collection. The third, and most ample,
which has indeed entirely superseded the others, is that
printed by command of his late Majei^ty, in conseauence of
an address from the House of Commons, founded on a
recommendation of the Commissioners of Public Records,
from that prepared in 1793, and some following years, by
Joseph Planta, Esq., the historian of Switzerland, to whose
care the collection was confided, on its being deposited in the
Museum, as keeper of the manuscripts ; an office from which
66 Museum Hour$.
})e was reiQpyed, }>^t to t}^e chief libiariansbip o^tiie insti*
iution, which he still fills, with equal credit to himi^elf aad
a4Tantage to thQ puj^lic §(|eryice and accommpdaibioD. For
the priepaj^atioQ of that cataLpgue, be weQt mpst carefully
oyer the cojilejction, reduced by the fir^ we have ar^ady notir
ped, to 8.61 volumes, of.^i^hich 105 were damaged bundles
pf*eseiTed in ca^es. Of tjbese, the public are most deeply
fndebtied to bis sj&ill ancj perseverance, for the restoration
of fifty-one, (even vphere, as is ^he cas^ with several*, parts
haye peen coi^sumed or defaced by fire, so fat 9B to give
puch useful infonqatiion,) whiph he directed to be bound up
if^ fof ty-fpHr voluQies. The oihpr sixty-one appeared to bioi
irretrievabk, al)ihough our regret for their loss 16 eonsir
derably lightened by the assurance of so compet$^nt a judg^e^
that they consist for the most part of Qbspur(& tracts j and frag**
ments of little or no importance. They are now coatatned
in 62 cases. The articles enumerated in Dr. Smith's cata-
logue yfexe about 6200, although Mr. Planta has es:tende4
those of thp remnant pf a library then entire, to above four
times that number, an improvement mainly owing to most
of the 170 voli|mes pf state papers and small detached tracts*
having been entered ])}it once as single articles, whereas, in
point of fact, they consisted, on an average, of a hundred
distinct pieces at the least. He has also corrected several
errors of his predecessors, so grqss» that besides ascribing to
Chancer a volume of poems by Hampole and others, and enter-
ing I^ydgate's siege of Troy as an anonymous production*
they give us Comestor's Bible Historiaux as a common French
version of the Bible, and (worse and worse !) Marbod99ns de
Gemmis as a work of Evax, king of Arabia. Some of these
errors had not escaped the observation of other learned
men, who bitterly deplored the existence pf such blunders,
as greatly diminishing the utility of a catalogue, in which
accuracy is every thing; but although honest Humphrey
Wanley was so concerned at the misdescription of the
valuably Saxon manuscripts contained in this collection, in
the catalogues extant in h^s time, as to publish a more cor^-
rect one m the second volume of the Thesaurus of Dr.
Hicks, whilst pther antiquaries, from time to time, contri^
buted their additions to a list of errors as absuvd as they,
were numeroue^, it was reserved for the learning aod indus^y
of Mr. Planta^ to give to th^ world a reference to this spAeor
did collection, which should make it really useful to those
lyho wish to consuU it. By his direction, the volumes have
^11 b^en accurately repaged; and of th^ 26,00Q articles.
I^iEraM of lii« Rev. Edward Williams, D.D. 57
which the library contains, he has given ns a catalogue occu-
pying 708 large folio pages. In its compilation, he has
taken great and laudable pains to discover the real authors
ef anonymous and pseudo^-nonyniouB works, and to give
references to the books in which any of the manuscripts
have been printed. Dates of letters and state papers^
where, as was too often the case in the two last centuries,
die writers have omitted them, have also, as fkr as possible,
been inserted in the catalogue, in which even approxima-
tions have been given, with notes of interrogation affixed,
when the real date could not be discovered. The supposed
age of Mss. previous to the I5th century, have also been
noticed in the same manner, wherever it could be ascertained
with any degree of probability. A full and accurate Index
of seventy-five pages, of three columns each, completes thifei
most useful catalogue of a library, richer than any other
which England, or probably the world, can boast, in
illustrations of the antiquities and early history of his coun-
try, to which it is the noble memorial of the learning and
munificence of its illustrious, but ill-requited founder.
V.
aggga.i.i ;,i iM.gggg
Account of the Death, and a List of the Works, of the Rev.
Edward Williams, D.D., late Theological Tutor in the
Independent College, Rotherham. The former contained in
a Letter from a Friend, to a near relative of the deceased*
' Yo u need not be informed, my dear — — , that Dr. Williams
lived constantly as in the immediate view of eternity.
There never appeared to be a time, when he might not have
joylally hailed the approach of the angel of death. So prae-
tioally and effectually was he convinced, that infinite wis-
dom and boundless goodness superintend all things, that he
had no other will but that of Ood. His life was one most
active and undeviating aim to promote the divine glory.
Of such a man, the testimonies of a death-bed, so earnestly
sought after on other occasions, were not needed. His
death, be it what it might, could not speak so loudly, nor so
effectually, as his life. However, in this case, his d^eath was
such as added a glorious emphasis to the language pro-
claimed by his life. The activity of his mind continued
unabated to the last day he was spared to his friends on
earth. It even seemed to have increased in the liveliness
of its conceptions, the rapidity of its movements, and the
intensenesB of its ardour, during his last illness. He him-
/
58 Bmh of the Rev. Edward Williams^ D.D.
self was sensible^ that his feeble nature was sinking under
the overpowering energy of the immortal part. '' One pre-
itoription/' said be, ** which would be most of all effectual,
none of you have thought of — to restrain the ardour of the
mind." It was busily employed in devising plans for the
food of the church. To the last day of his leaving his
ed-room, he continued to employ his pen, as his strength
allowed, for. its bienefit. On the Wednesday before his
departure, I believe you know, the paroxysm of pain was
long and dreadful. He told me, the following morning, he
thought nature could not have sustained it. Ever after
this period, it became indispensably necessary that he
should be as still as possible. Few persons saw him, and
all interrogatories were studiously avoided. However, to
his dear wife he said, '^ I am happy in God, but I cannot
talk:" and on a friend's coming iu, and asking him how he
was, he said most cheerfully, " I am in the hands of a
sovereign God, and he will perfect that which concerns
HE, and MINE, and the church, and all His.'' On another
occasion he observed — '* For some time, my mind has been
engaged about personal concerns, now it is taken up with
anxiety about God's public glory, and the affairs of his
church ; and this leads me to conjecture, he may have some-
thing more for me to do on earth." "Well," said that
friend, " Paul would say, ' for me to live is Christ, and for
me to die is gain.*" " Yes," rejoined he, " and for me too,
as well as Paul, ' to live is Cnrist, and to die is gain.'"
His physician. Dr. Youn^, observed the unabated vigour
and intense activity of his mind, while his strength was
momentarily sinking, and declared that this alarmed him
most; this was the chief thing he had to contend i^ainst.
To preach the necessity of suspending all mental effort, he
said, was easy; but, in this case, the practice, he was afraid,
was most difficult. Thus he continued till the Tuesday,
when he remarked, " I know not how it is, but my mind,
hitherto so much engaged, has now ceased to work. It is
quite still." That, said his dear companion, is what we
wished. If it rests, strength will again revive. But, alas !
this hope was fallacious. Its work on earth was done, and
before the close of that day, its energies were destined to
unfold under incs^lculable advantages, — unrestrained by a
dying body, and amidst the light ofneavenly glory.
G.
Dr. WiUiams's Worki. 59
A CA-fALOGVE OF WORKS PUBLISHED BY DS. WIlLIAHS^r
1. .Social Religion ExempV^d; written originally by the
Rev. Matthias Maurice. Revised, corrected^ and abridged^
with occasional Notes, a copious Index, and a Preface con-
taining some account of the Author. 5th edit. 12mo.
2. Antipadobaptism Examined: or a strict and impartial
Inquiry into the Nature and Design, Subjects and Mode^ of
Baptism. 2 vols. 12mo.
3. An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews ; with the
preliminary Exercitations. By John Owen, D.D. Revised
and abridged, with a full and interesting Life of the Author,
a copious Index, &c. Including two Letters, the one to
Dr. Priestley, and the other to Mr. David Levi, respecting
this work. 4 vols. 8vo.
4. A Discourse on the Influence of Religious Practice upon
our Inquiries after Truth. With an Appendix, addressed
to the Rev. Mr. Belsham.
5. A Discourse on the Christian's Reasons for glorying
in the Cross of Christ.
6. A Circular Letter, from the Independent Ministers
assembled at Nuneaton, Aug. 6, 1793, to the Associated
Churches in Warwickshire. With a Postscript, recom-
mending the sending of Missionaries among the Heathen. ..
7. An Introductory Discourse on the Nature of an Ordina-
tion, delivered at the Ordination of the Rev. Daniel Fleming.
8. A Charge addressed to the First Missionaries to the
Islands of the South Seas.
9. An Account of the Old Yorkshire Academy, and the
New Rotherham Academy.
10 A Charge at the Ordination of the Rev. Samuel
Bradley.
11. The Christian Preacher; or, Discourses on Preaching,
by several eminent Divines, revised and abridged, with an
Appendix on the choice of Books. 2d edition. 12mo.
12. The. Kingdom of Christ: or, the Certainty of the
Resurrection argued from the Nature of Christ's Mediato-
rial Kingdom; a Sermon preached at Nottingham.
13. A Collection of above six hundred Hymns, designed ac^
a Supplement to Dr. Watts's Psalms and Hymns. 4tb.
edition.
14. The Psalms and Hymns of Dr. Watts: containing,
twenty additional Hymns by the same Author — a Table of
the first line, not only of every Psalm and Hymn, but also
oC every Stanza in uie Work ; a new Arrangement of tba
60 Dr. WiltiainB*s Works.
whole in a eonveni^nt Table prelGixed ; with i];Qpra¥ed bdiex^
of Subjects and of Scriptures. 2 vols.
15. Musical Hints, designed to excite the lauclable curio-
sity of Young People in reference to Sacred Musick ; with
a Musical Index to above 250 tunes, (corresponding with
Dr. Miller's two volumes of Tunes, original and collected,)
adapted to all Dr. Watts' Psalms and Hymns, and the Sup-
plement.
16. Predestination t6 Life ; a Sermon preached at Sheffield.
With Explanatory Notes on iPredestination, the Origin of
Moral Evil, 8cc. 2d edition.
17. Apostolic Zeal Recommended; a Sermon preached in
London, at the eleventh General Meeting of the Missionary
Society.
18. Thoughts on a General and Explicit Union of Congre-
gational Churches.
19. The Works of Dr. Doddridge complete. With Notes
Illustrative, Theological, and Philosophical, on the Preach*
ing Lectures ; and an accurate, copious Index. lO vols;
20. National Reform; a Sermon preached at Masborough
on the Fast Day, 1809.
21. Christian C/nantmiYyJSecomme^idedf; a Discourse preach-
ed before the Annual Meeting of the General Congregational
Union, London.
22. An Essay on the Equity of Divine Govemmfetit, and
the Sovereignty of Divine Grace.
23. The Christian Minister's Main Study ; a Charge de-
livered at the Ordination of the Re?. John Hawksley.
24. Apostolic Benevolence towards the Jews, recomimended
for imitation ; a Sermon at the Jews' Chapel, Spitalfields,
liOndon.
25. The Works of President Edwards, complete. Includ-
ing Memoirs of the Life, Experience;, land Character of the
Author, by Dr. Hopkins, reviewed, corrected, and enlarged ;
a Sketch of Mrs. Edwards's Life atid Character; a bi^ief
Account of their Daiighter, Mrs. Burr ; the Life and Cha-
racter of the Author's Son, Dr, Jonathan Edwards; with
occasional Notes on controverted Subjects, and an accurate
copious Index. 8 vols.
26. The Parent's Help/ or the young Chfld's Krst Cate-
chism, founded on familiar Scripture Characters. Seventh
edition.
27. The Union Catechism ; First Part, the Church €ate-»
ehism abridged, and adapted to the capacities of voung
<ihildren; Second Part, the Assembly's Catechism abrni^d.
Review.— State of New^ England and New^Yorh- 0)
and adapted ta the capacities of young chiUin^n. Sixth
edition.
28. The Older Child^s Catechism; founded on Scripture
Characters and Important Facts.
29. An Exposition of the Assemt)ly's Catechism^ compre-
hending a concise Body of Divinitjr.
30. JSeripture Questions; containing a familiar Introduc-
tion to the Divine Dispensations^ from the beginning of
Genesis to the end of Revelations ; accompanied with En-
graved Charts^ chronological^ historical, and biographical,
and an Explanation of the Charts. Second edition.
31. A Defence of Modern Calvinism; containing an Exa-
mination of the Bishop of Lincoln's Work, entitled, •' A Refu-
tation of Calvinism.''
Dr. WilHams had prepared a New Edition of the " Essay
on the Equity of Divine Government, and the Sovereignty
of Divine Grace," corrected and improved ; and was prepar-
ing for publication, a work, to have been entitled, " The
Principles of Moral Science."
J. B. W.
i^...;; m
REVIEW.
Travels in New -England and New -York. By Timothy
D wight, S.T.D. LL.D., late President of Yale College,
Author of Theology Explained and Defended. 4 vols.
8vo. pp. 515, 615, 626^ 525. London, 182?. Baynes.
and Son.
Memorable Da^ in America: being a Journal rf a Tour to
the Unit^ States, principally umertaken to ascertain by
positive evidence the. Conxion and probable Pukspects of
British. Emigrants; including an Account of Mr. Birkbeck's
Settlement in the Illinois, and intended to shew Men and
Things as they are, in America. By W. Faux, an English
Farmer. 8vo. pp. 504. London, 1823. Simpkin and
Marshall.
'^To she^ things as they really are in America," has,
from itS' first establishment, been one of the particular
objects of this journal ; and its editors trust, that they have'
not altogether tailed in its attiaiilment. This also is the
a^owedrobj,«ct of both the works before us; the one the'
elaborate production of an American' divine, w^iose- tbeolo^
gi(^ .^itiUgs have kmg sincd made hisn advtotagebuslst'
64 Review.-^tate of NenhEngJmid and New^York.
stAftiMl, iOittt it is not to be fbtind 4fi AteiaHea. The ra-
pidity df Uie . gicKwth of lihe jshoots fro^ old Wttimps of a
cleared^ yet ei^er-living forest; erecuring on gbod gronn'd af
iifoofated supply of fuel once in fourteen years, considerably
lessens, however, the inconvenience from the want of coat
which would otherwise be felt. • '
At Ridgfield, in Connecticut, there is a mine of iron so pnfei
as to produce at the first forging 43teel of an excellent
quality* Dr. Dwight saw indeed a very good and ser-
viceable penknife made from the ore, as it came -from the
mine. Forest trees are abundant, and many of theni-grow
to that extraordinary size which is characteristic of the
pf pductipns of the' new world. The whitie pine, the nbblest
tree in New England, and probably in the world,. is 'fre-^
quently si:( feet in diameter, and two hundred and fifty feet
in height. "The sound of the wind," says Dr.. Dwightj^
" in a grove of white pines, has all tlie magnificence which*
attends, the disitant roar of the ocean." Besidefe the tr^es^
of Qrdinaiy growth in England, cedails and tulip trees there,
flpurish in great abundance*. The. latter flowers n^o^t beau-
tifully, the blossoms of its yellow species appearing ^t^a
distance as^ of burnished gold. From the black mapTe,
stigar is obtained, at times, to the extent of fourteen pounds^
a season, from a single tree. Most of our fruits are success*
fully cultivated there ; the meadow-strawberty of the doun-
tgffjsmngt foF instance, brought to sueh ti stdte of pei^dti6n[
a0 to (have inereosed to twice its originat s^z^,« Uotte bliib^
fiwii* inches and^ a h^df iii 'cifcnmfference, m^ny fou^, aha
lyashels between three and four. Apples' also ate so abtiii^
dant, that although cider is the common beverage of thef
country, rith and poor alike, in a fruitful year they are
ofleo given' to those who. will gather them', ana form, bi^shel^
aft^r bushel,; a delicious though n^t uooonuuon food fek^.
cat-tle and for awiae; and if dieiv flocks isofd henist^are
feasted' with ^ome of those exqtiimte Newtown fipj^in^y^ on
lyhioh'it^ has fsequedtly beeHn our good^fotlunis to legate
oifti!8«iiv1eS! inc. £i^;knd,! w«^ tsoniiot but' abs^efve, eHf p^firiii
tlMftl wendain^ ttem their desert; Ocmtdopes, 9eV6'raf iWrie^
iim' of? aietbnsv amongA; wMch'are watef-ittefoiis* "w^igKitg'
fifty pounds, figs/ ahnoiids, butter-"nuts, prunes, vegetable
^ggs> mandrakes, winter and stimm^Y^ squashes, and lover
apples, seem to be tbe principal firuits growing -wild or cul-'
tivat^d there, which we eitfaar have liot in England a,t all;
or do not cultivate to any extent;
Their vegetftblies are pretty mUcK thd gaVne as duN, and
Travels igf Dn Bwight and Mr. Faux. 65
witk the exeqition of the artichoke, grows laxuriantly, and
in some cases, in the cauliflower parttcularlv, to greater
perfection than with «. In the produce of nirms, we see
not much difference between the countries, as to its species,
except that a great quantity of maize is grown in New^
England, in most parts of which the Hessian fly has been so
destmctive to the wheat, as to compel the discontinuance
of its cnltiratton in districts so extensive as the greater
part of Connecticut To peas also, the hugs are yery fatal
enemies, and neither barley nor oats are very generally
^own. But besides these formidable foes to agriculture,
New-England has others, to whose ruinous inroads the
readers of the former series of our work will recollect that
the ancient Israelites were also subject. We allude to the
pahner-worm and the canker-worm. Of the appearance of
the former in 1770, its only visit in his recollection.
Dr. Dwight gives the following particulars, which we the
rather extract here, in that Uie ingenious essay of the
▼duable correspondent to whom we are indebted for the
treatise on the agriculture of the Israelites, which has
enriched the former numbers of our work, gives but little
information respecting them; and this would not, we are as-*
sured, have been the case, had the various writers, whom he
consulted for the composition of his elaborate article^ col-
lected any thing important upon the subject.
^* It spread over a great part of the country, and was stopped in
its progress only by death, or by ploughing a trench before it, up
the side of which it was unable to climb; the small particles of
earth yielding to its feet, and falling with it into the trench. This
worm was a caterpillar nearly two inches in length, striped longitu-
dinally with a very deep brown and white ; its eyes very large, bright,
and piercing, its movements very rapid, and its numbers infinite.
Its march was from west to east. Walls and fences were no
obstruction to its course, nor indeed was anything else, except the
sides of trenches. It destroyed, rather than devoured, ascending
a stalk of gprass, or grain, cutting it off in a moment, and, without
staying; to eat any part of it, rapidly repeating the same process on
all which stood in its way. The meadows, where it most abound-
scattenng,
In some places, immense multitudes of these animals <fied in the
trenches which were formed to stop their progress, and were left
uaCbvered. The mass soon became fetid, and loathsome ; and was
supposed, in several instances, to produce a fever, usually distress^
ing, and sometimes fatal.'^ [vol, i.p. 49.]
VOL. VIII. — NO. 1. F
G6 Review.-rSMe cf Hiw^Bnghud and New- York.
Thes^ ravttges ^m an evU of the ^eater mmaitude, from
the lamentable want of jagricuUvral skill which per^adeB
the New-Englaud farmers^ with few, if any, Qxaeptioiia.
The prodiiice of ti^ir farina is confesisedly inferior to that
,o£ ouFs; a circumstaace which Dr. Dwight very justly
^attributes rather to the inferiority of their husbandry, than
ih^ poverty of their soil, which is ^aid (and there appears t»
]t>e no reason for douhtiog the truth of the assertion) to be
inatur^Ily as rich and prMUctive as that of Englaodi Their
Thasbandry m«st be miserable indeed^ when a writer, evi-
dently disposed to put the best face upon the condition of
^8 country as is Dir. Dwight, admits that' its farmers are
generally igaorant of what crops will best succeed each
other, whilst their fields are ooveredwith a growth of weeds
'SO r^nk and rapikl, a& that they often far exceed the crop in
weaght.
Of medictnal, and other plants, i:he ispecies ImowQ hefre
are ^most innun^rable.
On the subject of the quadrupeds of the "country, we
^shall, in justice to America, allow Dr. Dwight to correct, in
.hi9 own expressions, a gross mistatement to whibh Eiiro*-
.pean ignoras^e and prejudice have given rise.
^ It fs oommotily asserted by the zoologists a( Europe, thdt
•Ameirina, by a mjisterioas anii 'malignant influewoe, deriv^ed ^rom
I know not what, and ecaeited i icoDv not hpw> diminishes tike size
and deteriorates the qualities- of all animals, both native, and jm-
'poi'ted, I beg leave to assure you, that New-England comes in
/fer no.i^are of diis charge. To an Ameriean it is amusing enough
*to see how far your writers have imbibed an opinion, which in its
'own na^ture Bets probability at defiance. In Guthrie's Geography,
*^the fpllowing declarations have gone through fifteen editions : —
'^'"Kie caribou is the largest native animal in America, and i§ np
•bigger than a calf a year old.' * The elk is a nativ'e of America,
^d is as'^big as a horse.' Now, whether a calf a year old is in
^teat Britain as h\^ as a horse, or not, the editors of this work will
'tindoubt^dly daim a right to dietermine, to which I can make no
'pretensions, since I have never seen a feritish calf exacfly of this
'a^e. In this country a horse is certainly much larger than such ia
'c^alf ; und hence I vejiture to conctude, that the' caribou is not
'the *l^rge^t native animal of America. Cert^iply he is not bo
♦large Us the elk. 1 should judge from looking at Ais ianimaj, of
• yhidh 1 have sefen several, that he would weigh from one thousand
*:^o eifet^en hundred pounds. The moose, which is only a variety of
^tbe same kind,. wilf prob^ly* Weigh fourteen hundred pounds. A
'catalogire has beeh published bj^ the Rev. Dr. Williams, m his
"Hisftory of Vermont, which very strongly illustrates the soundness
of this philosophy. It is the following : —
Tfmv0b by Dr. Dwlgbt an4 Mr- Fau«. 67
lbs. oz. Ips. oz.
Thebear., ...15S 7 45i6 d
Wolf.... .69 9 92 0
Deer... ........28S 8 3d8 0
Fox,red ^. 13 6 30 0
Porcupine U fl IQ 0
Martiav f*. •.,../, } 9 ^4
It oleoftt •*. ••««.9iif««j».«f.» o o 7 8
Rabbit,.,. /...,.... 3 4 7 0
Weasel 2 2 12 0
Flyiiigaqittrn^U.*^..^.,.*., 2 % Ip Q
BeaYer«.......,,.,.,t.^. l^ 5 63 8
OU«r ..,««..,.,,,, 8 9 , 29 3
'^ The weight of these aBin^is in Eiismte is givea br M. ,De
Bttftm, and wHl therefore not be qiie.tlionea. That of the AinerL-
can animals is giTen by Dr. Wtiliaips, and .^aayof oouf se bd i^ganUd
as nndoi^btedlyjast. Yon see ikaX the oompanson is not a little
vnftivourable to the eastern contiaeot. If any conclusion is to be
drawn from it, America is much more favourable to the growth of
animals than Europe. At the saoae time you will remember, that
the white pine and the cypress 6f this country are giants, in compa-
rison with the trees of the eastern continent. What if we shon)d
tuni the tables on you, and insist that your continent is grows too
old to yield the prodnetioAS of nature in thieir fuH size, whiie ounr,
young, if yon please, certaifily vigorous, noarkhes thma to a stale
of cpmparative perfection ? Besides, were you once to behold the
skeleton of our laamfaoth, 3^ would be atradt with aatonisliiieaty
«Bil regard tiie ammads oi Europe oa a ooBaction of pifn^ies.
*' Tkere was last veaor raised in a town bord^ii^g Qt^ thia, ^ ox
jcif the eommonfaroed, generally na9Qi^4 tb^ s^aU hr/^ed, ip. dis^oQ-
tioo foni a }argftr bfsr^tpfoi^ cpqfiiQaon ^ tfiis coi^t^, ^timat^sd %
,akiK9ljtt^^ to y^pi^ ajive tju*^ ^housan^ five hun4re4 ppwnij^.
Thiere w^s fdso, a few weeks sinpe, ki^ed jin this tpwn^ fi ho^,
wbicji weighf d more )h^ ^i^bt b^n^i^d an<) fifty pounds,
" To jgive you ray opinion on this subject^ I readily believe; thit
4)|i both cpptinepts, it you choose the proper clhnate, species, and
food, you may raise any of thjese anim^iU to its Ml si2^. - In the
view of a sober^ American, the contrary ppinion, ti\oi^ dip|iitfied by
die name of philosophy, and maxje the subject of grave disciissioifs
of gn^e men, ranks With the stories of Lflliput and Brobdingna;^,
and would be readHy supposed 4o kavehad its ^rfgin is the' Maud
oflaputa.*^ {vol. i. pp. 24—24.]
We fear that this comparison of rtte growth of animals
ivjU. ig&^^v^\ff (Npe^kiqg, }^ With te»» ^d^Wtefflepug^ to
69 Review. -^Stait of VfeuhEngland and NevhYork*
our American writet, when contrasted with the misrepresen-
tation and illiberality which have lone pervaded most of our
English accounts or that quarter of the globe. Of birds of
prey, New-*England has several formidable ones, and amongst
them, the bald eagle, measuring sometimes nine feet be-
tween the extremities of its winss, and abundantly strongr
and bold enough to attack and destroy lambs, sheep, and
calves. But even this gigantic marauder has an opponent
more than his equal, in a curious, little, but very gallant
bird, of which our author gives us the following account : —
** Birds of prey in this coantry are of mimy kinds; yet, if we
Except the common or hen^hawk, they are few in mtmber. It is a
remarkable fact, that the king^bit d, or bee-heater, is aft ovennatch
for anv of them* This little animal^ possessed of ^a ahaip beak,
furivalled activity, and a spirit eqiialiy unrivalled, boldly attacks
every other bird,, and is always secure of victory^ . It is not a Uttle
anmsniff to see an'enemy, so dispropoKtioned insise and strength,
vatiquish the crow, the hawk, and tpe eagle. While oa the wiqg
he always rises above them, and, at ^ short intervals, darting upon
them with wonderful celerity, pierces them with bis bill on the back
.and neck so painfully, that they make.no efforts but to , escape.
Whenever, they alight, he alights immediately over them, and
quietly waits until they again take win^. Then he repeats the ^ame
sevcse discipline, until, satisfied with victory and revenge, he returns
to his nest.. This bird is an excellent defence of a garden against
«vefy enemy of the feathered kind." [voLi. p. 27.]
There are a few odiier omitbological singularities of the
country, which; on so respectable authoffity as thai' of Dr.
•Bwfght^ we hesitate not to extract as facts, new and ex-
traordinary as some of them appear. Thus we are told, that
ih^ crow is'ther^ easily taught to epeak as wetland volubly
as the parrot; and that a bird so difficult to be approached,
as not to admit of a more accurate description than that it
is of a browri colour, and in size scarcely so large as the
rpbjn^ sings at once so exquisitively and so sweetly, as to
excised in voice the tone of any instrument, save,. only the
J^^.banp* .But this is not alC for it forms a concerjt with
ipi^ apd sometip^aa with two of its companions ; U^e voice of
9iie in tbe.forioerrinataiiH^. being elevated a Uiird greatcsr
:above that of the. other,' and in the. trio the . same perfbriner
raisins his voice a fifth above the first, and of course a third
less above the second. .
'' In this manner,'' says Dr< D wight, ''a given set of. notes is
:rqpeated' altematriy by them -all at eqaal intervals^ and with iniiai-
Trateh by Drl Dwigfat and Mr. Faux. 69
t^te svnwttiest <>f 'jMwad» ^ fimtttng, it ii MGtted/ Ad' neatest
t^ipioaoh to iKEABoay ibuod atocrngst tbe^dielted ettotkm. I have
named diii bird the wn^iter qftke woods/* [Vol. i. p. 38;]
And w^IIf we would add» if this account of its perforaumcea
be s^ccurate, as we cannot doubt but that it is> does it merit
a title so distinctive, as to induce us very earnestly td wish
that we could be present at one of those extiraordinary
concerts of birds, in comparison with whom we should
hold the black swan of Horace very littie of a rara avis in
terfd:
Rattlesnakes are amongst the most formidable of the
reptiles of which New-England has its full share, though
Dr. Dwiffht, with somewhat more of nationality, we cannotbut
think, man of justice, says that though *^ commonly,'^ it has
beeft '' errorieoasly supuosed to be very dangerous to man.''
** His bite is, indeed,* he admits, ** a strong poison ;" yet
h^ adds, for th^ consolation of those whb may be etposedf to
it, that it is " both certainly and easily cured ;" besides the
further assurance, that the animal ^'is so clumsy, as to be
avoided without any difficulty." On these accounts, we
find, that the rattlesnake has long ceased to be an object of
curiosity in these states; notwithstanding which, from want
perhaps of a familiarity with them, of which, while they are
Iivin|r, we are by no means ambitious, we should place our
chief security in their being rarely met with^ except in
solitary places.
Most of our readers must have heard or read of the nup-
pobed power of snakes to Ceiscinate birds, and will not^ we
are persuaded, be displeased widi us^ for extracting thfe
following facts upon the subject, from the pages of Br.
Dwi^ht, who gives unoualified credence to the statement,
whida he had received trom a student of Yale College/
^ ** As this young gentleman, together with some companions, was
walklngone morning through a grove, in the summer season, they
beard a bird scream^ in an wiusual manner. Upon ezamination,
diey fotmd a hlue jay flying in a horizontal direction, about fifteen
feet from the fipround, from a certain tree; and, after having
extended its flight about thirty rods, returning again to the same
tree. Its excursions, however, became in every instance shorter,
and its flight at eveiy return was directed to a particular part of
the tree. This naturally led the yOung gendemen to search for
the cause of ^o remarkable a phenomenon. They found in that
part of the tree a lar|^ black snake, extended upon a limb, at the
neight at whteh Uie bird flew. Curiosity induced them to continue
obser^tttion, until the bird became nearly exbanstedi and
i^peared to l?e on thd pdint of b^comln^ a prey to Its ttaaaw. OUa^
of the company then threw a cfab into the tiNse^ and tbvus dhrcfttd
the attention of both the taake and the btrdb The ohtfnn^ Ifl may
be permitted to use this langaage, was immediately dissolyedy and
Ilia Hlt^nded ific^ esc^>e<f withbut any diffibaltf.'* [¥ol. i. p.-W.}
irhe insects of these states are not remarkable either for
variety, number* or mialigQity. Hornets and wasps existp
tnit do not abound there ; and although we question not tho
truth of the Doctor^B assertion, that there are fewer noxious
insects of aiiy kind in New-England than in most countries
in the Eastern continent, we cannot but think that it would
be a more desirable place of residence, if freed from those
sWarms of musquitos, not unreasonably dreaded and dis-
liked by our countrymen, when their bitei.is occasionally so
venomous as to renqet it neoessatV to cut tlie sleeve of a
coaty before it can be taken oft the swollen arm which ii
covered, Ix)tusts, too,, as far as comfort is concerned,
might. We should think, be dispensed witb« although the
injuries they do are confined to regular visitations every
seventeenth year, prodi|ctive only^ we are told> of " a little
mischief to tJbe forest trees.**
*She fish in the waters of New-^Englaud are proverbially
numerous, and many of them delicious.
On the subject of climate and seasons, our author enters
into details far too minute for us to follow; too minute
also^ we should think, for the majority of those who are
likely to be his readers. The results and prUicipal featnres
ihay be stated in a few words. The heat of summer is
admitted to be somewhat greater than in European climes,
a circumstance which, as liar as England has been concerned
for some >^edAs past, is in favour of America; although the
advantage is morQ than, cpunterbfeilanced by ihe^ gr^at^r
degree of cold whicli prevails there at times, and still more
stroo^ly by the e^ttreme varia%l^€M of the ^tji&ia1e> which
sometimes ^havigtel mote thii«itbirty'-4dlh& amouht even«)f
*M*tyueight dfegrfees in fotit-atod-tt#teiM;yhOttr». During tbfetold
winds, of freqtnent recnrreticfe, and wiilth, from the severity
of tWtr eiJFefCts, atfe not 5tiapt)ropriatfely termed blasts, rapid
streams ate sometimesso completely frozen ovfer in anight,^
to bie crossed upon ice tJie morning after they had been flow-
ing uncoDigealed and uninterrupted in their wonted course.
These winds Wve beeti known to blow for a continuance of
one-and-twenty days; and whe9& Qfl ^^ fi>^queatly tibe «ase,
thqy ftfe violtat, houses prdstrated> othiHrs UnMdfed^ ^elMfc-
derafbh tracts -of forest ievdlled to ike ^round^ asd elctensiVe
proofs.' of ibjeir ^eilUuctiy^ ravages* Bui with their ruioQiis
mavch^.H i^ but justice to contrast Pir. Pwight*s very bea^r
tiful de^riptioa o( tli^f . tbun4^<-stprins of his oouptry.}
objects with u& not nasally prodticlfive of plaasufaWe^ sii^Q*-
tionsy at least to the great majority of tnose who wit^^sa.
them.
** Tim thuader-atonos of Hkm oowtry, gei^emUy bo itykd ber
cause ac«Hnidmtble number qI tbem are aQilivally storois, ace ia
meet cssQs equally beneficial and deligktiuK Aj^l imniense grsa-.
dear invests them during the time of their approach. They are
so frequeni in qrdin&ry aeasoi^ as to Curni.sh an ample nupply of
rain fof the dems^ids of vegetation. The wind which biripgs tbf np,;
an4 which blows one or two days after they have passed over, is
remarkably pure, refreshing, and healthy. The earth, particularly
in the months of May and June, the richest season of vegetaitioo,
IS beautiful beyond description. The verdure glows with new
life — the flowers exult with additional beauty and fragrance —
^ The hirds their notes renew ; and hleating heiids
Attest their joy, that hill and valley rings/'
The sun, in the mean time, beams through the purified atmo-
sphere with a peculiar splendour. One, and often two rainbows
are finely painted on the reverse of the departing storm. The clouds
in the western regions; wrought into the boldest figures, and
tinged in different places with all the elegant hues of the prismatic
image, present to the eye mountains with summits of gold, and
precipices of fire. To these storms the people of this country owe
^ir general exemption from drought, which seems so much more
frequently to afflict those of the eastern continent." [vol. i. p. 48.]
The seasons seem to be as variable as with us, March
having been occasionally the pleasantest, and June the most
unpleasant month of tne twelve. Notwithstanding this,
however^ New-England is ^ very healthy country, and many
of its inhabitants attiain to a great age, though not, it would
seem, in a larger, if in qnite so large, a proportion as in
our own country. To earthquakes and storms these states
have not infrequently been exposed^— the former have,
however, seldoi^ done very extensive mischief, though the
ravages of the latter have often been considerable, but not
greater than those of similar convulsions of the elements in
urope. Nor are its tornadoes, the most formidable shocks
of the atmosphere known in that country^ by any noiean^
equal in violence to those which have frequently aesQlate4
large tracts of our own West Indian possessions.
The history of the colonization of New-England is given
72 Re^Oew^—Siait rf Nem^EnglMi aild i^gw-York.
te^ tlMM6 tncreb witfcr mndi' wifrateness 4lf 'detail, in mhUk
Ss6e& 18 done f6 the eibaraeterof Ihe' P^ritans^ Ikina wkoRi
r. Dwighl.iEi n^t«0htfitied of diving hits deic^nt. Nor
iteed be tb 1>e'80;'foi^'i}fet^l)6lmiracter oTtbe first Entfbp^il
settlers ih Ms cotmtry^ is tmly giTen by bfan in this short
sentence.
. • .' . - ' , . ■
** Piety was indeed the common character, not itnsulfied by
errors and faults, but nobly distinguished by that patient, regular,
attd ooiisci^ntiOttS'cOntimiahce in welldoing; wbieb lii^tf'the -Mr
iMmdadoD for fiitare glory, hoooitry aadimiii€itriiiiyl'*{?ol. i-.^* 1 19^}
This Is not, however, the obaracter which tbeyhaTe? borae
ui'thie world, end least of all in the country whence bigolty
and tyranny drove them forth, to seek a refuge firom oppres*^
siop, and contumely, and wrong, in the wilds of Amesi^ica,.
amidst the rude habitations of fierce and savage men.
The New-Englanders have certainly, from their fimt
settlement downwards, laboured under a heavy weight of
obloquy, for the double crime of Puritanism andRepublican^
ism. So long ago as the latter end of the seventeenth and
fhe beginning of the eighteenth century, the witty, but pre-
i'udiced and bigoted Sputh, was in the habit of going out of
lis way to abuse them in stroog^y vituperfitive termsiir ip
soj^ of the most, eloquent discourses which. he delivered
jftom the pulpit; and his vigorous fulminations. carry with
them to many minda a perpetuity of repvoMb. Very diSth
mat feelings wiU> however, be awakened in the minds of
those who set a proper estimate on all tfaey did and awfei^
for liberty and conscience' sake. Of those s^ifierings, the
fi^HovriDg animated sketch; in Dr. Dwighfd best lirtyle^
glances not at the half.
ff The greatest of all the evils which they suifi^ed were detfVed
from the savages. These people, of whom £ur<^ieaiis still -ibicm
very imperfect concej^tions, kept the colonists, after the first 'hos-
tilities commenced, in almost perpetual terror and alann. ..Tl^e
first annunciation of an Indian war is its actual commencem^at*
In the hour of security, silence, and sleep, when your en^mie^ are
supposed to be friends, quietly employed in hunting and .fishing ;
when they are believed to be at the distance of several hundrefl
miles, and perfectly thoughtless of you or yours; when thus un-
suspecting, thus at ease, slumbering on your pillow, yottr sle^b is
broken up by the whar<-whoop, your bouse and village are set on nre,
your family and Mends are butchered and scalped, yourself and'a
few other wretched survivors are hurried! into captivity, to be
roasted flive at the fltake>. or have your body stuck luIl ofakesstis
TVmeb % Dt* iDwiglitaiMl Mr. Fauai; - 7&
iM^d «( tr^ ID d>i^ hour flf vPflfef^t/fM^p^
p^^W , di^coy^ their half-cpnfuip^d \fqi^% >P»9gH^ ^^^ . 1*^
ashes ot your dwellings or your wife murclefed, and your little ones
lying beside her, after having been dashed against a tree/' {vol.
SQch vf&ce the men who plapted tbe^e colonies ; such the
dangers they braved; such the difficuUlea they siinnoanfetL
Of theeffects of their viev^s and principles upon tbeirdescend-
attts^ Dr. Dw%1it grres th4e following represeniatio<i/feit the
ell>8e of n very complete vihdiceLti6n df toe conduct and'^h^
nfcCDer of those original settlerd/ocenpyiiig the 10th«llth.
12th) and 13th letters of the first volume of his journal^ to
which we refer such of our readers aa miiy be »iixi^us fbr
further information upon the subject.
, << Of the piety or the New^EiiglaQd peoplei their accusers baire
furnished abundant evidence. Change tne words siiperstitioxiy
fanaticism^ enthusiasm/ and bigotry, into piety, (the thing aImo«kt
invariably meant by them all,) and vqu will find from their enemieis
themselves ample testimony, that the objects of their calumny wer^
distinguished tor this superior kind of excellence. The numerous
icb<trchei^ in this eottntry, a great part of them good, and man^ df
Iton handsome buildings, are a strong illustration of the spirit of
^mhabkints cottceming the subject of religion. The number of
idiese structures idready exceeds fourteen huMred, and \» atfnually
jacKtMtng* In idmost every part of die oountrr, eieept where t&e
sff^tl^rac^v^ are qvite new, they are found at the distance of five,
ak^ and seven miiesi and with their hwcidsom^ spipes and eupolan,
almost universally white, add an exquisite beauty to the landsoapey
and peqietually refresh the eye of a traveller." [pp. 142, 143. j
*' TowAwtetbe clbise of bia work, he gives also, in oiie-aLhd-
fwenty iWers, occujjyin^ upwards' of 200 pages, (vol; iV,
)>y 265-^^482,) a most elaborate dtsquisition on the language,
learning, mbtals, reK^on, arid characteristic features, of tne
iiifikl>itant8 of New-England, on which we of course can
cast Ijutth^ merest glance, referring bur readers to the work
;itseir£or a vindication of his countrymen, upon wlbichi the
T)octor h^ beatowed a degree of labaur equal tQ thazeal
w))ich be unilEbrmiy manifests in their cause.
,; That. j^eal will readily b^ admitjbed to be as aetiye aa auv
Ktw-finglander could wiidi, when the firat propostti<m which
4i promptsrfaim to nudntaniia; tbe bcdd, and tans somewhat
«tacti!i% bne, that- the Englirii ^* Isagua^ is j^rotiouaeed
2* JRetietiNr-S^fjrts qf N^i^E^gfimia^JiimhXork.
WKua i^OYrcteily .^AiTd Ibim^ia Kngboui ^^^ ajid ibia h« fwoiffm
)jiy.«kri&fereooe to P«gge'a rotable oatalogUieof Cpcknttyiams^
■Kluding, bestdoflr the wom^oiit jokes^ of *' weal. Tine, and
irine^ar, are wery good whittles I wow" and " Villiaaa,.! rant
my r^^, the yite Tig in the voodea v4g-1bc»r» vich I yore
last T^dnesday yas a yeek at the weatry,^ such ^ncied
or obsolete yuigaiisms, as ** partender'' for partner^ ^* pee*
aches" for piazzas, ''i?emon" foryenom, '' disgruntled for
offended, *' nolus bolus^" for nolens , yoleps ^ expression^i
\^bich we neyer heard during a residence of twenty, years in
London, and which we will undertake to say, neyer were
beard from the lips of any but the yery lowest of the ca-
naille. Had we a similar list of the yutgarisms of Boston
and Newbiaven (][uays and pot-houses, we doubt not that
they would be <|uite as ridiculous. To thQ charge of coining-
new words, giying new meanings to old ones, and retaining
many that are obsolete. Dr. D wight pleads guilty ^ but puts
upon record a justificatory plea in the necessity of the cajse,
IcoiH the different circumBtaxicea of the twonations^ though,
we apprehend^ that if he were now living, be would not do
able to demonstrate the necessity for some of his own
departures from the classical phraseology of our best English
wnters, to which we shall refer before we close our notice
of his work.
The greatest attention appears to be paid throughout the
atates of this division of America, to the important subject
of education, much more so indeed than even in these aa^s
of active exertion for the promotion pf this g^reat object^ is
shown with n^, the country being every where divided into
societies, for the establishment of parochial and district
schools,, the districts having power to tax themselves for
their mwtenanee, towards which, the state also contributes
a small proportion of its funds. The result of this
system is, that the children of New-England are universally
taught to read and write^ pr at least educajtibn is as nearly
universal as it is possible to be, without a law compelling the
education of every jcbiM under a severe, penalty. The nu)n«
ber of acadenodes, or public-schools resembling our endowed
grammar-schools, in the di£[erent states, was, in 1812, be-
tween ninet]^ and an hundred ; its uniyersities and colleges
eigbt, of which Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massapbu*
setts, is the principal, th$it ofVermont, at Burlington, the
least considerable. The former hps seven academical* . and
as many medical professors/ the number of students bejng
near upon nine hundred. There is also a law-school at
Iiiclifield; in Oonneetieni^ far blitket* condvet^ tfabB oiiy
inwtif €<nirt, where the itad^nt iMied do neibine but eat a
given rnkmber of dihnerft in a. given nmnber or yeare^ te
qualify fatm ^t the bar; Wli^ir^as m the KeW^Engiaiid iB8ti<*
ttttion, Hot only is la\v tengiit ne a well««onyptiicted eyetem
and a ecience^ bht the students are initialed into its pmetice
with its theory. For this purpose, cooits Un constituted, itt
which iliotioisB aire bfde|(ht fmd eondncted th^pcKigh a re^lat
prooese, andnic^ questions of judicial teobnicaKty aretaised^
(or, to usetbe phraseology applied to similar exercises inUie
goodold tioaeeof our ownlaw societies,wben they were souie^
what more than mere eating-houses of state, are tMoted,)
and thus they are regularly trained to the duties of the advo<»
eate, the knowledge of which, as far as any steps taken to
sidTancent fay the societies/ of one or other of which oar
atudents are and mul^t be members, is conoemed, they gain
by .intuition, er from the stars^ The mc|dieal promsion
has also three societies, fbimed expressly for ite impnote-
inent-^agriculture and philosophy, two^^istory, (a braneli
of literature for whose encouragement no nrotision ^atever
has been teade with us,) one« Social liDtaries, somewhat
nnilar it would seem to our reading societies, exist in many
of the towita and parishes, 16 whose inhabitants they have
natumlly imparted a literary taste. That taste is, however,
confessedly gratified, diieny by the productions of writers
of our own country, the deaxth of native authors, arising,
as Dr. Dwight' contends, (and we go along with him in the
mgorpart of hie argument^) from the great mass of people in
• New^fingtand being men of business, with little time for study
or for much desultory readiag-^the want of Ideure from
^&e very laborious duties of their cffice, and of libmries, in
the dergy-M^of the lettered ease, which the rich endowments
of «ur own uaivcrsiiiies so abundantly fismish to the man of
study and teseescb, amd a ooueequent deficiency of patron-
-i^e to the few iodividuehi who, in Amerka, have been
authors by^ rofessioU) if indeed, wiA Ubie e^^eptieti of one
epiendid genius, lately transplanted to our own more genial
noil, amtiiom by profession ehe can be said to have produoed
amy. • •
A distinct letter is devoted to a contradiction of the bold
.und not very libeiul aslertion of the Biinbwrgh Rchriewers,
that though ^ all thst federal Atxierice hais wiitten were
obHteralied ibem the re^onds df leering, there would ^e^:-
cept the woxics oFPranklin) be no po^tive dwninution of the
SMMilal or <Am SigreealUie/' whilst ^ tiie destruction of her
T6 £€vtetd.^5^al^.#^w«£iig^
whpfe litemtiura woold.iHrt; oec&s^^^ ommIi T6gfetM w«
feel for the loss of a few leaves firom an ancibiit dasetCb''
To this sweeping, anathema^ Dh Dwight opposes the worka
of presidient Edwards^ (too well known in thiB'4^outttly to
need more than th^ being named,) bat lie is the only
author,-*— with die exceDtion of Franklin, whom tiie oeasora
themselves except, ana the ingenions natural pbilosdiiiier
Bittenhouse,^ — known on this side of Ae Atlantio, whom he
does, or whom he probably pould adduce* ProfiisioTs Win*»
tiiorp and Williams, of the univeiaity of Canibridge^ are
also quoted as natural philosophers, who would have done
honour to any country ; and we are referred to -a- certaaa
poem of M^*Fingal, as not inferior in wit and humour to
Hudibras, whilst in every other respect it is supetior. * This
is certsinly no slight praise; but in the absence of all
means of formiBg a judgment upon the merits of such a
€u>nstellaiion of poelical excellence as Dr. B wight describes
a po«n to he, never heard of, we believe, in England before',
we caanot help suspecting his character of it to be tinctured
with die same pardonable nationality, that induced the
somewhat vaunting assertion, that ** President Edwards
has more enlarged the science of theoiogy than any divine
of whom either England or Scotland can boast/^ and that
Marshall's . life of Wae^ington (tedious and hmvy as we
have ever thought it) " will not su&r by a comparison widi
any piece of biography written in Great ftitaiui-w^ the
exception of those of Johnson." We wish not, ]u>wey(er^ to
prplong an unpleasant, useless, and acrimonious discus-
sion, and cannot better termbate it, iets far as we ai« con-
cemedf than bv expressing a conviction, in whidh we are
satisfied that all our readers who know any thine of Ameri-
can literature will agree, that puttinj; this list of Americui
literati altogether cmt of the question. Dr. Dwiglit's own
woritingft* trose of Prs. Mason and Romeyn, ihe mtyvels of
Browne, and the sprightly essays uid sketches of 'Washing^
ton Irvine, are in tnemselves sufficient to jpve a direeir eon-
tradiction to the grossly illiberal and mounded dictum of
our northern Zoiluses, that his country " has done neddng
either to extend, diversify, or embellish the sphere of human
knowledge/'
But to confine ourselves more strictly to Kew^Eiigland.
The jp^ople in general appear to be remarkably honeat^ia
proor of which Dr. Dwignt adduces a practice, which we
eoiik) not recommend to adoption in Old England, of two-
tfahrds of the inhabitants sleeping the year round without
^nm&Ay Dr.Dwie^ ami Mr. Fmut. 77
locking: thtir dMfs> ttad ihattoo in Imttes eouti^ing hfget
qiwMitiea of pvopfMriy easily rmnovable^ They iaust also
be quiet, peftceeMe* end orderly, es, in joumeyiiig twdye
tho^keeiid milet^ he ne;rer saw tm> men fighting, and indeed
neTer witnessed such an exhibttioa^ of evevy day's occurs
rence in oer. streets, more than onice in his Kfe; On this
subject, it is but jnstioe to the New-£nglaiiders^ thongfa it
is as disgraceful to the inhabitants of our own country, to
giye.tbe ooojbrairt, whii^ our author dius briefly draws.
"■** Now pstniit ihe taoaU yoiir eye to your own newspapers, and
ebsttre how often their oetumns are omatmented ^th the feats of
Ijhnnphrifls • and Msndosa, Orib and M(Aine«dt. What a grave
aspeot is- given to the acoQunts which deaofibes the brutal contests
of^t^ese, billies I Observe also, that not the mob only> not th^
laiddle ranks of life only, but gsntleinen, noblestes, and even
Srinces of the blood,* have been present at these fsneouaters. I
o hot believe that a gentleman of New*£pglaad.oouki be per*
suaded tp be preient at such a scene by any ijKlucement whatever,
unless to perform his duty, as a magistrate, in committiiig and
punishing such disturbers of society." [vol. iv. pp. 324^ 326^}
When we rsmember how often these prize-fights, thus
aererely, though justly reprcfeated, have terminated in the
death of dne/of the combatants, we cannot but hold it a dis-
fsaoe to ouff law4 and our police, that such brutal exhibir*
tionsate permitted, as is also the continuaxiee of such sportii
as are thus aliuded to in another parallel, equally to our
disadvantage^
'^^ In New-fingland, horse-racing js almost, and. cock-fighting
ejhselately, unknown. I need not remind vou to what a degree
Hksse barbarous and profligate sports prevail in Great Britain. In
ttsw^Bogtand there never was such a thing as a bull-haititig.
H^Sap, mt. to rdesU to year. Remembrance the debates, n6t' loiik
juoee held u> the British parliamest 6n this subject, the dedMon '<^
^at mgnkst Mjs and tbs speech deUvteedattiisilitimeby'lhe
Hon, Mr. Win4ham." [vol. iv, p. 3a6»] ' ■ ••.'- I
. . Aft withus, Ae poor are here effecthidly pit>vtdi6d for by htW,
svhilsl ohafiitable iBstkntaotts are hua«raus, though cotifdsitf-
edlr supported on a less Uberal scale than in Great BritaU.
. for his ooantrymen. Dr. Dwight clainfs a marked supe-
riority over ours, in affability, facility of acpess, sociality,
andiiBacfiiiesa to oblige friends, points on which we hav^ per-
annally had few op^rtnnities of fornring a^ndgmeflt by cod-
* '^A horse-race^ a fox-cbase, or a boxlng-matoh, is never ...^
itk trahis jof reverend attendants."^— Xerter# to the RC Hon* Mr*
JP^pysstM.'
- » - -
IS Reviem^SMe of Nmt^BngUmi mkl N^m^York.
tewl; bntMthese«Biabi)itief 6ffltfe«renot'stlea«t tbe moai
cbtMracteristio virtual of <aii Englisbmoiii^ but tbo«e> on th0
eoiktrary« in nUcli be it fturexcelled by Deighboniing Euro*
pean aattcmsr^ vbo j><mhm6b not balf bi« storting wortb, we
fthaU not contemd m precedence here ; mot do we doubt
but that the desoendantt of our pious ferefiUhers^ recewtlv
placed under new and popular forme of gofenunent, which
Cf ery citizen faas a direct mtereet to preserve inviolate^ are
at the present period more orderly, qaiet> and peaceful, and
governed with i^9s difficulty^ and by milder meaeures* than
f » the ^uparabui^ant populatiea of ihe parent state. What
tj^y will be^ however, wnen their ggiv«ffnnttnt has, likie ouro,
stood the test of a tbomsand years, aad only improved by
the ttany fruitless atteeftpte made to subvert it, is a eeeret
ia . the womb of futurity, to be revealed t0 'the present
inhabitaiits of both eoutitr^, but when they shaU know alt
things, and shall themselves be known of all.
To -Us feir countrywomen, as in gallantry he wab bounds
imr learned tourist attrH:mtes every excellence of the
sex, save that he gently intimates an apprehension, that
ij^lT domistic ecoscny .may be radier JLob aysteiaatical
.f^ pearfeot tJiao o«n^ aad that ibeir actvrit^ may also
Jbe sP9iewbttt le$e. ekdfuHy dioe^woU than with me-; bat
ijti^He are peinis upmi nvjbieh we can asswie his cMtktKy^
^emh (fwuld* for their inteoeet, and tluit of t)ie 'Ohrua-
tim iA^tf^ thomglb not fab Mmn, we icould assure haxtt)
our fashionable mode of female education witt not leerrc
them Jong behind ua,- unless indeed similar £itlse st^s '(of
whxGh» by ttie way, in hU strictui^s> on the edwfttioa of
'* yonag miiSAsSi" tbeDoctoi? eeems (to haare teraced the esa>
U(9r Qum^i aheiald b» rapidly unfit ike daughter fior the
mother sAdtlhe wife, iosd convert, a«, genevaHy speaking; it
haadaae iwith ue^ laidiea' Jboardin^^eehooils (we beg par*
•dony " «iilibli(diiseiitB' we* should have eaid«) to nittsanees,
instead of benefits. It is hardly worth notice, but aa some
,of4>ur]ieAdMi jaHkyffida Ibttfe oariosEfy BMa^besnUect,
.we wtill ftat^ in awoed, Aat tbeiadies of NciwHEngland laie
m^i, for the mioet part, iio be re^ariy &atiiittd,^q^ely, tnd
iiieqiiepHly handsome; not so fiiir indeed. as Bntiahy Wt, to
we tb0 veryjphsase of ^basc Americaa panegjfndst,^ ^ jsensibty
JQiM^er tbM /frenoh woamn/^ It is. adiaittedi he«re«ier> ikmM,
Jike due women of other Americaii atatei^ jdiey lose fthe baii^
liancv of their beauty and of youth at an earlier period of
^Kfe tnw did thc»9e of Englj^d, m^ny of them sheddmg iibfiix
teeth and growing old at thirty. IBxcessive abatettieni-
Trateh ig Dr. Hwigfat ani lir. iPwjm. 99
Hess, ttnd y^mit -i^ exercise, ' (weHcing bikng iNstf* U^tle pv»&4-
tised, and riditig on toweback oextoAy known among them,)
are judiciousiy spggested as Home of the -preVaiUng eaBttses
of this national difference in the sex.
But pass w^ now from beauty which fadeth as a flow6r^
to thq^l which shiheth as the brightness of the sun^ increase
ii^ more and more unto the perfect day. The religious
character of the<New-£i^laB4^<s is that in which, we jJoubt
tkok, WT i*eade«s will feel most interested ; and o^ ihii
fmnt ShTi. Dwight has eateted into a wiAute detail of near
■% handred okwe)^ pvinted fukgaft, from whieh W(& mu hu/t
iwrybvicAy (Mdraottfae revult* To tfae iii6ax of foMtgnesB
during >lhe war i« Attierioa between the JPtfenoh and fii^
inh, 'from 1765 to 176:9, of- whom the diastpaled ami 'oftm
«eeptical officers of onr own army wei^ Bot the least 4«ijh^
rions, Biid during that revdutyonary one also, -which temri-
tiated in the independence of out colonies; — ^to the rapid
spread of 4he irreligious and infidel tenets which were sp
uniformly blended with the political ones of the French
xe voluJbion,~-aDd in a degree at least not inferior to the poli-
jtical 4i83^Q8ioqs and- party spirit which long jprevailed at
home-^Br. Dwi^ht vecy sen^bly iujributes a aetexiori^tioa
in the religious character of the Americans, affecting, how-
ever,-as mi^t Tiaturatly be -expe^Jted; less mfiteritflly than
•any otfecr state bf the Umon, 'the New-England 4e«ottKl«iitfe
of tmr expatriated Punfeins. As a people, Ifcey ^H 'misfit
*the characti^ristic 'distinclionof 'aTelt^ious biie, and one of
4hdse extensive :revivals,'of whidh from Ateerioa wie'reid'«6
•touch, -and* in lihfe eKperi'enceof oufr own couwtry, where«%h^
progress ofiiie gospel *as of late yeare^been slow and sure,
ratiwr dmn mcmced by its rapidity aiid edat, we kiMm «o
lTtt}e,-<4)appHy t^ouirterActcd ^e ^ngerona ^eibi^ <]^ lSie>s^
^powetM:a^tsdf IhfideHty; itttfd 1h^^ l^f^^he ebm«li 4lliFe^
moreiMmterous thanieT«r ft'was, aiM '(tx> ad^pt an Amor^
camsttf, *j)atdonafc^ T>erhapfi iiAien Mrritiag <m Ameri^^)
irttft progremng in 'nhmbers, and- we%itt wouM hope, in ^ely
ttivd'^eat; ■ Inflie^fcrstof these Christian ^aces> "WenevM*-
"^less diisp^t)/ tfid¥iefer*attfltining%> the stature 'of thek
fdrefiiiheni,'thotigh'tbey trare alseacly^^Bf^pasded them in tilie
-pfroper direction of the hitter. What those ifrere, mnd- iheste
tore, how far they rc^semble'^ach dtb^r, and in what'^fhejr
•diflfiEor, let the fdflowing wdl^drawn paw«<9 of ©r. 'I^ighl,
'iiiforms lis: . • , '
i<<
mi; pnpeiitifttate'of jodrmioad xndTdigion^icdMMBdar oaooott
60 B4smem.^St^ of Hem^Enghad Mi N^ac- York.
peiliiqpsy te more ftdvuitageously iQuttrated, thao by a conqparUoai
of it with that of oar ancestors. The religion of former times was
more zealous, rind, scrupulous, and uniform. At the same time
it was less cathoTic, gentle, indulgent in lawful cases, graceful, and
amiable. The strictness, the energy, the commanding character of
their religion, we have in a great measure lost. Where they stood
firmly against the blast, we bend to escape its force. Wh^ they
watched, we are asleep. Where they Ibught manfully, we are
employed in parleying. Where they triumphed, we are satisfied
with a drawn battle. On the other hand, we have, in some
respects, advantageously relaxed from their austerity and rigour.
We live more kindly and evangelically with Christians of odier
denominations. Our religious controversies are less violent^ mod
we regard fewer things as fundamental pounds of difference. On
the ouier hand, they educated their families more virtuously, r^^<-
lated society with greater skill, executed laws with more exactness,
and settled the affairs of men on a more solid foundation. They
chiefly exhibited the magnanimous, we the gentler virtues. Ours
are more amiable, but less firm. Theirs were rough and uninviting,
but more to be relied on. In justice to these excellent men, it
ought to be added, that to them we are indebted for almost every
thing in our character which merits commendation. In some
respects we have polished, but, upon the whole, instead of improv-
ing, we have impaired their system.** [vol. iv. pp. 378, 379.]
In one important points the due observance of the sab-
bath, it is but justice to the present race of New-£ngland-
ers to state, that^ like their forefathers, they stand honourably
distinguished from most other people of the world. In
the two principal states, of Massachusetts and Connecticut,
travelling upon that day (with us.perhi^B, in South Britain,
the greatest travelling da^ of the seven,) is peremptorily
forbidden by the law ; and in every other respect its aacredf-
ness is generally observed with so great sobriety and strict-
nesBtthat — assembling in companies, as is done to so shameful
.an extent in the dinner and musical parties of England —
Soinff to taverns, or receiving guests there, are all of them
name offences; parents and guardians being also required
to correct their cnildren for breaches of the acts for the due
observance of the sabbath, (from convictions upon which
there is no appeal,) under the penalty of half a aollar. In
•those states, provision is made oy law, for the erection of
places of worship, and the support of a regular ministry
amoqgst.every sect, for which purpose the states are divided
into parishes, consisting of one or more religious societies
of the same or different denominations, the majority of
whose members, rated on a real estate of ninot or a personal
oM* «f 19% dollM^per «imiiitt^ ijn ^itV^Mrettd to dk^os^ itbe
mioiffters of tM tooieties to iivliieb thof fespeotiv^ly iH^o&gv
and tty letjjr taxes i^ their support, fOid the re^t of dieir
chmrch, (n>f adl are chorches here^) had &e mainteDan^Se oJT
public' l^OrsMp/ there. Within a year aft^r attaimag tbo
Bge^ .of ^wefitY-oQ,e, becoming a widow^ or sejttling in a parish^
aQ.pejrsoQB ^ve liberty to^ enroll their names m that religi«^
OjDta Mioietv of ithe pla^se which tl^y prefer ; or^ in default of
ai^ycii eiiroM8i4te tte 90ii belongs to, {he religious .aebiety of
ti^ fatbes4 ^ ;i¥iidow to that Qf her de^^aased husbi^id ; the
aew; 9etdMiitOi Ihe lovteei^ oa itbe list;. and lA of covuraa
taxable wilh Ihem by the vote of .the snajority.ahceadf
eKidftinfid^ whose - ads, a«fr these atfaielies ^sdra for loarioua
.|m|ioees> hodies/^orporste intheaoselires^are iMAditig moii
their ''•fiiio0^sor8> Fev theooUeotioB^f what we, in Eof^
tttadf should eall their ehfurch^rato, taX'^atiierers are regi>^
lafly apbdinied; aad persOn$ refusing to take upon tbeilj^
aelves mis or any other ofSce in the ohureh, are as regit^
larly fined, as in our parishes are those who refuse to aerre
as constables Or overseer^. . Negligent., eollpetors of the
miiuaW^'/9 /sslpijcy mb liable to ba?e a distress taken out
against th^^ by .the con\mittee for .ma^agin^ .the. ten^^prat
lities of the church, and to make up the denoiencies occa«
sieaed by ^eir Mgkrot o«tof tiieirown estate«4 aa^arethe
connbiltae - tbeiailSt>es« ' shoold l&ey he .guilty of a fitoiikr
i|egiigeaoe« fo ^sase of a •eoUeotor not b^ag obos^a^ the«oi vil
aiaeistrate, in Ihe shape either of a eeleetman or a ^jupfeiek
er&epeaoe^appoints oae^ Nor is this theioiily ittsftaaoeaf
iheinterfereacoof the eecuhr- authority with vie eoneeras
of the^ehMob* for where there is tot enie seeiety in a towtt,
its aeleptiiieii *0r chief ci^l aiNibiMntiea^ am er i^io tiie
xsemmitlee <if tiie ohupeh ; and a% iiat. all olfherjoa^efl^face*
bounds %^ «tteh> cemmittee, to see the' tax for payifeig 4b»
jaia^ftM;ev> 'saSary speedily oeUected^ and that salary duly
j^ttiii "withia two-months after ithaa become due. Wherever
also a» sKKsiety shall htffe voted* thie eteetioa of a plaoo.of
^rship, the oi^il auth^E^ty Of the eoart of fsMamon pleas
dl»|beHailiea its eite; aad hi oase of any attem|A ateiaotiag
dtie. without its^approbatioa ferit had 'and Obtwsed^^ £ne'<SP
6Be*h4liidred ami twenty-four dollars; (sonwwtett more than
thtt^'P^undair) is levied <0Q the offendets;'whihit$ for emit-
ting to biiild "after 4t8 aaaotion^has heea ffoeosed, the
^a«t oeMifies iheiceatempt to the ^general asaeoiUky of tiie
<}OBgregailbfoiai chiivdhes^ by whose authority a saffioie0t
iaX'is wd ilpeiri'tiiesoci4ty,f«id-eiq[iettded uMer-the ditaei-
VOL. VIII. — NO. 1. 6
82 Review. — State of NeuhEngkmd and New^ York.
iibn, or l^y the appomtmefit, of the assembly. That eccle-
siastical body has power also to determine what salary shall be
paid to their minister, by societies or churches, which have
made no agreement wiu, or do not support their pastor;
^ilst they further direct what tax shall be laid upon
destitate churches, for the support of the ministry amongst
tibem. On their certificate ot permission, churches unable
to support a minister have leave to tax themselves for
the preaching of the gospel, and other necessary purposes,
«nd they have a concurrent jurisdiction with the separate
churches, in allowing members to withdraw from the church
to which they belong.
It will be perceived at a glance, how essentially these
legislative provisions, so singularly combining and con-
founding lay and ecclesiastical authorities, church and
state, differ — ^the Congre^ationalists of New-England, (for
they form by far the majonty of the inhabitants, though fre-
<][uently, and somewhat indiscriminately, termed Presbyte-
rians,) from the Independents or Congregationalists of our
own country, imiongst whom no parochial taxations — no
connexion with a church or congregation but by your own
ftct, when arrived at years of discretion, and nothing like a
compulsory contribution either to support a place of wor-
ship, or its minister, — are known. Much of this, we are
aware, is fiiirly to be attributed to the different condition of
the denomination in the two countries; in one, as the preva-
lent, and formerly the established — in the other, but a
merely tolerated sect — yet are we anxious to claim for our-
selves the firmer adherence to the principles of the old
Independents, who would, we are satisfied, have exhibited
in their countenances other indications of astonishment,
than the smile which relaxes ours, at the argument em-
ployed by Dr. Dwi^ht in favour of the practice of his coun-
try whicn we have just described, in a long and very elabo-
rate letter in "vindication of the establishment of the public
worship of God by law,** — that St. Paul, in his first epistle
to the Corinthians, (c. xvi. v. 2.) in thus providing for '' the
collection for the saints,*' ''upon the first day of the week,
let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him, that there be no ^therings when I come,'*
nas determined, '' that a tax is a right and proper measure"
for providing tiie salaries of ministers, although, could we
bring ourselves to believe that the text had any thing to do
with the matter in hand, we should draw a diametrically
opposite conclusicm in favour of voluntary contributions only.
Ihm& iy Dr. Dwight oiuf Mr. Faux. 8ft
The education of youngjnen for the minittry of the goff»el
is CfHuiucted'in a Terj similarmaimer to that pursued m thei
Dissenting academiies of England^ saye that their collets
grant academical degrees, for which no extent of learning
or infonnatioa is deemed with us sufficient to qualify any
man, . unless he can conscientiously, or will unconsci^^-
tiously, subscribe to his belief in eyery iota of the articles,
lituTj^, and homilies, of the established faith ; clogs upon
learning, which America happily has shaken o£f. In the comn
mencement of their ministnitions, the. Scotch Presbyterian
inode of licensing to preach for a giyen time is followed^
and the call of a. particular church to any such licentiate,
(which call is determined upon, and given, in our English
Congregational form,) is submitted to the decision of a
standing committee of ministers of the district, called the
Conao<»ation, by whom, if they approve his settlement, the
candidate is exunined, and ultimately ordained. The aver*
age salary of the minister, is four hundred dollars, (£90,)
thomgh sometimes it does not amount to 250 dollars, (sixty-
eight pounds fifteen shillings of our currency,) and in a few
cases may reach 1100 dollars, or nearly £260. This at least
is the general amount of their remuneration in (3onneoticut,
and that state has, throughout the present description of the
religion of ^ew«Ei^land, been referred to as a specimen
of the whole, because, as it was the one with which
Dr. Dwight was most familiarly acquainted, he himself
has selected it foi the purpose; assuring us at the same
tine, that, save where we nave followed him in paxticu*
larly noticing it, the other states differ but immaterially
from it.
In doctrine, the Coxigregational churches of New-England
adopt, in substance, the doctrinal articles of the Wesminster
land Sienroy confessions ; but in discipline more nearly ap-
Cximate the Presbyterian than the Independent form,
iug consociations m lieu of synods, and a general asso*
ciation in place of the general assembly. The ministers
have also separate associations among themselves, meeting
twice a year at least, to consult concerning the duties of
their office, the common interest of the churdies, to examine
and license candidates for the ministry, to superintend
destitute churches, and recommend proper pastors, and to
take cognizance of the accusations of any of their own body
of heresy or scandal, and, if they see occasion, to direct the
calling of the (X)nsociation, to proceed against them. This
system of doctrine and discipline was, soon after its formar
d4 RevieWi^Staie of New-Emgland and Nm^York.
a^mmifOB, adopted^ Tecogiuzed, and established by latv;
9^euxirLg, however, at the same time> to all churches soberly
differing and dissenting from it, the full right of exercising
worship and dtiicipline in their own wc^y, according to their
eonscieoces. Formerly the churches of New-^Engnnd were
divided, in opinion and practice, with respect to ruling
elders, some of them admitting, others rejecting th^m ; but
they' are now utterly discarded, to the great dissatisfaction
of Dr. Dwigbt, who holds the office io be of apostolic in^
stitution. Tor our own parts, we, however, are much more
disposed to join in his censures of th^ singular eeclesiastical
eourt of appeal in the second instance, which, after an
appeal from a single church to the association, permits ikt
case to be reheard by the same consociation, and a neigh*-
bourin^ one invited to assist their deliberations as assessors ;
which IS, in fact, little better than an appeal from the Pope,
to the Pope better advised. The general association is but
a deliberative, or, as Dr. Dwight has it, advisary body;
although their recommendations have great influence ;faiiid,
by means of delegates, they are connected with the other
states of New-England.
. On the letter containing a *' comparison of the state ef
religion in England with that in New-England,^' we shaU
make no remarks; because that comparison is instituted
between our established church ia its worst features, and
the Congregationalists of New-England in tiidr best; and
for the mode in which the chapels are attended in our uni*-
versities, the profanation of the sacrament, in its compul-
sory reception by every student there, the state of patronage,
and neglect of ecclesiastical discipline in the church, and
bon-residence, we are any thing but advocates; though we
should be disponed to add, the numerous pluralities in Old
as in New-England, to this catalogue of ecclesiasttcai
grievances, which, if not reformed in time, will speedily
refonn themselves. We give, however, from this letter, a
single sentence of its account of the sermiops of New-
£hgland preachers, because it contains a short, but jisst
tsharacter of the compositions of two of our Own divines.
. " None of them can boast the eloquence and sublimity of Robert
fiall ; but some of them are eloquent smd sublime. At the same
time, they are rarely trifling ; rarely are they merely attempts te
display the preacher to advantage. We have no Sidney Smith
sermons ; gewgaws intoided to be shewn hke a diamond-riag or
snaff-box, to proTe that the preacher is the owner of sachtiidssts;''
£voL iv. p. 4m,]
Trw»ls by Dr. Dwight and. Mc. Faux^ 801^
Ofthe other sects of New-Eogland, our zeaknis Preqbvr
terian tourist eives a very brief eiccount, and we must nei^da -
be still more brief. Several Arminiaus and Unitarians^ are .
to be found in its eastern parts, especially in Massachusetts..
The Episcopalians principally inlmbit the northern districtn,.
and are generally Armimans, or of our hish-church. party.
The Baptists are as generally Calyinists, though severnl o£
tiiem are Armiaians, To the former especially, Sfr^ Dwight
attributes an excessive spirit of proselytizing rather to their.
party, than to the church of Ood. The latter have adopted,
the creed of a sect recently sprung up in Vermont and New*
Hampshire, who hold for their prominent tenet, ** that the
iricked will be destroyed on the day of judgment/' This.
MetiiiodiBts are principally Wesleyans, the followers q£
Whitfield bein^ very few. The leaven of Antinomianiam is.
here but too. widely spread, amongst the churches, especially,
of the Separatitis, as those who avail themselves of ths
p^nnission of the law to avoid the support of a minister,
are wnaUb^ termed. The Friends have several societies in.
New^-Bndand ; the Roman Catholics and Independents one
or tw:o^ we Moravians and Jews a single congregation each.
These, iwith. the eweption of the ShaJ^ers^, of whom more
bes^fif^T, lomi nearly aU the sects dispersed over itsdiffei-
ent sjMes.
Thus mueb for the civil and religious ipstitutionaof ^i^Wr
England, and the general character of its inhajbritants,
althooflji upon the latter point we wish .to add a particutaur.
Qltttio before we quit the subieot, which we have reserved to.
ijbie la$t» because they may oe important to those who aedb
to mend their fortune bjr emigration to the United States^
Thj$ price of labour is high throughout the. states of New«
Englaod, but the labourers are almost universally! iiiie,,
diseased, or vicious. They mi^t work> but they will'
not, saye for the attainment of a bare subsistence^ yetf
ea^iIy obtained. The mechanics are, however, industriouir
and prosperous. The tiJUers are, almost witbcHtit exception,
the owners of the laild, which i^ universally held: in feen
simple, and descends by law in equal shares among all die
children. It: is not necessary for us to remark, hpw.very;
little encouragement this statement affords to the emigm-.
tion of English agriculturists.
Few of our reMers need perhaps to be reminded, that
New*>£ngland embraces the stages of Connecticutt, Rhode
Island, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, arid Ne^-Hamp-
sbire» through each of which we shall accomgaiiy our
86 Retief».— State ofNeto-Bngland and Jtew-Votk.
reverend and ingenious tourist, for tlie purpose of extracting
from his pages Mrhatever information may appear to ns'
most interesting to an English reader^ beginning, as he
does, with Connecticut, of -which Hartford and New-HaTcn
are the capitals. Amongst the laws of this state which we
deem worthy of notice, is one imposing upon the inhabiHints'
of the different counties, the burden of defraying the ex-
Sense incurred in consequence of prisoners confined for
ebt escaping through the insufficiency of the gaol. On a
similarly equitable principle, townships upon whom i« 1m-'
posed, as (generally speaking, is the case also with us,) the
duty of making and keeping in repair the bridges and
hignways within /their limits, are compellable to pay to the
surviving relations of every person whose life is lost in con-
sequence of any defectiveness in either, 344dollarsi(e£77. 8s.
sterling,) as a fine for their neglect; and where carriage,
goods, or cattle, are lost fromUie same cause, they are to'
pay double damages as a fine and compensation. : Its laws;
with respect to me poor and strangers, are very strict, we
should say, tyrannical ; as every person not an inhabitant of
a town from oirth, the vote of tne inhabitants, consent of
the selectmen and civil authorities in public meetmg dissem-
bled, or by being chosen into some office, or having duritig
his residence in it possessed an estate in fee of one hundred
dollars value, or supported himself and family there for six
years, is removable by the civil authority of the town, or the.
selectmen; the latter of whom have also the power* to warn
all persons, not inhabitants of the state, to depart out of thefts*
town, under the penalty of forfeiting about seven shillinrgs
of our currency per week, so long as they neglect to do so ;'
or, possessing no property, yet refusing to depart, of bein^
publicly whipped. Those who hire or entertain any suck
inhabitants ofother states, (apprentices and servants Dougint*
for a time alone excepted,) and refusing to give security to
the satisfaction of the civil authorities and selectmen, to
save the town from expense on their account, are subjected
to the like pecuniary penalty per week ; and for having en-
tertained any such person for fourteen days without reporting
him to the selectmen, shall themselves provide wnatever
relief the stranger may afterwards require. For a free
republican state, these, we cannot help thinking, are mea-^
sures for preventing vagrancy and parochial burdens, rather
stronger than (even since the passing of the new vagrant
act,) an English legislature would ventare to adopt, or our
English population would patiently submit to. We apply
Travels bjf Dr. Dwigjit and Mr. FauK. 97
not, however, the same character to another IfgislatiTie
provision of the state, which enables the selectmen to,
apprentice out, or place in service, the children of poor
inhabitants, who either cannot or will not bring them up to
(Bome honest and profitable calling, and properly provide for
them, or such as live idly, or are exposed to want and distress.
This IS a very wholesome power entrusted to their hands,
and we equally approve ot the eqidtable provision against
the abuse of their office, by directing, that if they do not
truly account for the town's money entrusted to their hands,
and pay over the balance to their successors, they shall be
committed to gaol at their own costs and charges, until they
do 80. '* Their powers," says Dr. Dwight, '^ at first sight
may seem enormous ;" to us, we confess, they do even upon
a sober leyiew; and it requires all the high respect which we
unfeijgnedly entertain for nis character, and the firm reliance
which we place on his veracity, to believe that he never
knew them abused, especially as their services, which mi^st
be arduous, are generally gratuitous. A somewhat singu-r
)ar, yet in our opinion a very judicious, regulation pervades
this republican state, in the appointment of these and other
officers of its various towns, in the prohibition of any debate
at their election, save on the right of persons tendermg their
votes, no discussion being consequently permitted on. the
merits of the candidates, who are merely put in nomination.
Undue influence in procuring votes for a representative in
the state, legislature, or in congress, is very properly punishr
ed by a fine of seven dollars. The latter are nominated
seven months before the day of voting ; a precaution peculiar
this state, and Judiciously preventmg elections from the
popular fury of uie moment, or from the intrigues of factious
clubs, which generally guide the choice of other states of
the Union. . Strong efforts have, however, of late years been
made to remove these obstacles to bribery and corruption,
the almost inseparable .attendants on popular elections.
Dr. Dwight, with the foresight natural to a superior mind
like his, apprehended great evil from these attempts; and
we. have reason to believe, that, since his death, the cause for
supb apprehension has been very much augmented. The
elections are, however^ still conducted with an order and
decorum forming a striking contrast to those of our own
coimtry, and even of other states of the Union. Dr. Dwight
assures us, that he never saw an individual intoxicatea or
quarrelling, or heard a profane or indecent word, or even a
noisy conversation, at any of them. When will this be said
Si Review4 — Siaie vfUe^BngUmd ^nd Niw* York.
ef us i tix6 pow^M of iuAtioeft of tiie peace use neatly t Vkt
same as in Eti^land^ mtb this alteratioot* howeres, (it maj
perluEips also be an iiidpro^t^ementy) tbat i^ey bave eo^ttzapee
6f all civil actions in wbicb land- is notconoerned> wbetethe
demand does not exceed fifteen^ or^ on bopd or note, wbere
it does not exceed tbirty-^^® dollars.
Tbe criminal code of Connecticut was oriemall^ con-
structed on tbat ne^ approximation tp the Ji^wisa law,
which distinguished the legislative institutions of Pnritaii
settlements : and worshipping false gods, witchcrafts blas«-
pliemy, adulteiy, where one of the parties was a iiM|rried
woman, cursing or smiting father or mother, save when they
bad grossly neglected the offending child or his education^
provoked him bv cruelty, or forced him to strike in his own
defence, — iemd filial stubbornness and rebellion/— were ac-
cordingly puiiished with death. This, however, is no longer
the case ; but at present the only crimes not puqished with
deatii in Eneland, which are capital in Gonneoticiat> ar^
perjury, witn a desiCT to take away life, disabling tbe
tongue^ and voluntarily depriving any one of bis- sight.
Neither robbery, burglary, nor forge^, are there punishable
with death, but with imprisonment ror a tenn not exceed^
ing three years for the first offence, and for life for a sec<md,
Oriyberever violence is used or threatened ; forgers paying
also double damages for the injury they have done, anabeing
rendered incapable of giving evidence, or serving as jurori^
within the state* Simple thefi, and the receiving of stolen
goods, are, on the same principles of penal jurisprudenee,
punished by a fine not exceeding sev^n dollars, and the
payment of treble damages. Where the offender is not able,
6r refuses to pay tbe fine, he i& punished by whipping, not
exceeding ten stripes ; and if unable to pay tbe damages,
must msd^e satis&ction by personal service. • In lliese
Vespepts^ it is obvious tbat the code of Connecticut is at
once milder, more scriptural, and, we are indined also to
think, more equitable and efficacious, than our own ; bat by
it manslaughter is more severely and less justly pnnisked
than it is with us, even now that a very wholesome statute,
recently passed^ enables our j udges, in aggravated cases, to
transport for it; tbe offender, in addition to the forfeiture of
goods and lands, whipping and branding with tihe leltet Mb
m the hand, being diere subject to a perpetual disability to
give a verdict or evidence in any court of justice,r~a penidty
itifihitely too severe, for a child being run over by a cart,
through the negligent driving of a carter, although we will
. Tfwkh^b^ Br» iHdgkt cmi^Mr. Faux. 89^-
veadilyi admits that it is by no meanB Bereve enoagh for t^e
duelist, who, in Sogfamd^ generally escapes, under a verdict
of Bumslaushter, with a short impTisonment, the sentence ol
death, to which as a murderer, m the eye of God andiinaa,
those laws condemn him. In America, howe^er^ he rarely
meets with any punishment whate^r, although in Conneo-
tieut a^e law contains an express provision against an
offence, which is a still more crying sin in the country of
which she forms a constituent state, than it is in Bngland;
fordueling is there pr6hibited miderafine of l^iree thc^tisuid
dollars, by die person accepting, or^ven knowingly delivi^r-
ing a cbwenge, as well as he who gave it> and are perpe-'
toally disablra from holding aipy office of profit or honour in
the state ; and where unable to pay the fbrfeiture, are sub-
ject to close imprisonment for a year* Th^ princif^als in a
challenge are also very properly requiped to give security
for theiv good behaviour during hfe*
Oilier kws of this state appear singular to us^ though we
wish t)iat their principle, if not their details, were richer
familiar than uwnown to our criminal code. Thus, adul*-
tery with a married woman, here but a gvound for a ci^vil^
action, for damages, for an injury which no damages ea»
eompensate, is there punished in both parties, by whipping,
branding the letter A in the forehead, and weaving a halter
round the neck during their abode in the state, which
sprely cannot be long, when, if found s^road there
withput the degrading and revy significant badge of theif"
crime about their necks, they are liable to receive a public
wUpj^i^g Qf tfeir^ sjtripesy Biganoff , with us a clergyable
Gff. tramportable. felony, is^ puau^b^ m the saitte manner.
Homeoia^ingy wfaeise any bet or wager, is laid, is an offence-
praBeribed.l^ the laws,, under the effectual penalty of for-*
£ri^g the horeesranning, and the stakes for which they
run, tt^ether* with a fine of fifty dollars upon every person
subscribing to s[bch stake^ and of thirty dollars each by
erefry stake-holder, rider of the horses^ and prii^ter or.other
advertiseir o^ the: race. These are puiiishments and prohib^-
tionSji at which we are aware that the lovers, of this popular
but most demoralizing national amusement will smile: in^
<}9iijtf;mp^ aixd ^corn,, branding them> as tU^y do sio> a^ pnri-
t^i3u<5al ahd ioethpdistip^} Y^^ ^^ wo,v^d apk. eveft. the^,^
Wbetfeer.tl^y fp^noija pei^t.of a.n?A?e ^9nfti.i|t^nt sys^t^n^ qfi
Cbisiatisyn legislfttion^. tb^^. doe^s. tb^ cQndi:Kit, qS o»r onKk
royaL Defenders o£ the F^th, who issue; proclamations with
one. breath for the suppression of all vice and immoraiky.
90 Remew^^State of Nevh England and Neuh' York.
especially 6f all gaining eo^nomine, and with the oCber, ^«•-
oiously furnish from the royal purse, some twenty or thirty
king's plates, to be run for at races, most notoriously
andpre-^minenily the scenes of the very worst vices, in their
very worst enormities, of which earning is the fruitful
parent. One other singular law of this state we copy rather
tor its curiosity, and to shew the minute attention paid by
its legislators, the earlier ones especially, to every thing
that regards morals and decorum, than from any wish to see
U adopted here, although it might not be without its bene-
fits in putting a stop to at least one of the violations of
decency so common in our places of theatrical amusement.
We allude to that which prohibits the appearance of one
sex in the dress of the other, under penalty of a fine not
exceeding seventeen dollars.
In most other respects the laws of the state are very closely
assimilated to those of England, of which the. common law
is that also of Connecticut, wherever its own statutes are
silent ; and where that also is silent, our statutes passed
before the settlement of the American colonies, are some-
times appealed to and admitted as law— a tribute to the
merit oi our jurisprudence, mot by any means confined to
this state of the Union. Whilst on this point, we cannot
deny ourselves the gratification of quoting from Dr.
Dwight's valuable pi^s, the following liberal, though
stricuy just acknowledgment of the advantages derived by
Americans from their former connexion with, and origina-
tion from. Great Britain.
'* The present race of Americans can never be sufficiently thank-
ful, that their ancestors came jErom Great Britain, and not nom any
other country in Europe. In Great ^Britain they fonned^most of
their ideas of liberty and jurisprudence. There, also, tliey found
their learning and their religion, their morals and their manners*.
The very language which they learned in that country, opens to
their descendants, as in a' great degree it^had opened to thero,
more valuable literature, science, and sound wisdom, than could be,
found in all the languac^es of Europe united. In some branches
of learning, the British have been excelled ; in all Chey' have
not been equalled. In science and sound wisdom they have no
rivals.
''It is with no small satisfaction, that I see this language planted in
every quarter of the globe. Those who speak it, are almost abso-
lutely ue only persons who appear solicitous to spread Christianity
among nations to whom it is unknown. By this dispensation of
Providence, a preparation is; I think, evidently making for the
establishment of a. general vehicle of comn^unication for mankind^
Travels by Dr. D wight and Mr. Faux. 91
by nteans of trhich the religion of the crops may, in its parity, be
diffused over both contiBents." [vol. i. pp. 259, 260.]
The same candour which dictated this general acknowledg-
ment, induced the estimable and lamented author of these
travels, to admit also in detail, that although the processes
in the courts of Connecticut are often simpler than those of
the country whence they are derived, they are so, in some
cases, with manifest disadvantage, though in others, advan-
tiageously.
** Generally,'* says he, '^ there i| kss regularity in them, and
therefore less perfection. At the same time, they are usuidUy
much less expensive. It ought to be observjsd, that they are
gradually approximating towards the system of the British courts.''
{vol. i. p. 260.]
• For our own parts. We should hold it an improvement in
their laws, were that approximation to extend to the limita-
tion of ajitstification of a libel by its truth to the remedy by
action, although we are too well aware of the prevalence in
this country of an opinion, that it should be extended also
to indictments, to enter now into the grounds of the views
which we take of the subject, though in support" of them an
opportunity may, on some future occasion, be afforded us of
saying a word or two. Other defects, however, are too obvious
to require more than pointing them out as we pass on ; such,
for instance, as the dependence of the judiciary on the execu-
ciutive department of the govemnient, alike in the tenure, and
the emoluments of the offices of its minister^-^the confine-'
ment of criminals convicted of serious offences, in a dreary
cavern uiider ground ; although we are free to admit, that
the general systein of prison discipline of the state is very
8t|p^rior'to our own, especially in the care which is taken
effectually to separate the sexes by confining women in
totally distinct gaols. But aldlefect producing more serious
evilfir, is the law relative to divorces, which ever since the
year 1667 have been granted not only for adultery, fraudu-
fcnt contract of mama^e, or an absence of either party for
seven years without bem^ heard of, but for a wilful deser-
tion of husband or wife, tor tdree years, or the omission of
that care and provision for each other and their family,
wliiifeh is incumbent upon those who have contracted so near,
and as, save for scriptural causes, it ought to be so indisso-
luble a connexion, i^aiast the demoralizing tendency of
this law. Dr. Dwight has entered a strong protest, equally
creditable to him as a divine, a patriot, and « politician.
92 Review.*-^ State of N&m-'jSmglani and New- York.
Befote we quit the institations ofiliis^ state of t^e Union,
we would just remark, as very important departures from
our own legislation and policy^ (in England at least,)^
that marriages are celebrated by magistrates and ordained
ministers indifferently, but that to render them valid, they
must have been previously published before tji^ congregatipn .
assembled in some plac^ of religious worship in the town oi
parish in which each of the parties dweu, or have been,
publicly notified in writing, in or near the door of some
church or meeting-house there, for eight days previous to
tib.e celebration of the rite^i Minors must also have obtained
Hbe consent of their parents or guardians. And what more
liiftn this, we would ask, can reaiionably or equitably be
required from Dissenters here? Nothing, certainly, ^save
perhaps a longer notice,) to guard against iitoproper mar-
liages.; all th^ the state can be couLC^^rned tp- prevent,
whatever influence pr emolument the church, ms^y. &a|* tOt
lose. The last things we HPtioe ar^, the religjioii^ cha^^ei}
of the inhabitants,, w^ch ha$. occasioned tlji^.^lectipn in mpE^t;
ins|ta]pi,ces of m^iiL of probity to the hi^he^t offi<^e9 of, the^
statpj veyy frequently fiyed, alsp by persons^ eooi^^nt fpr;
iheir piety; the ^^eadiine^^, of th^ir atte^c^un^nt tp. fyitkri
fnl servants, evinced in tjie ofl^ce of secretary of sts^t^* ^h^
though, annually elective, ii^vi^gbe^Qi filled by 09/e fSsl^ily^
tharpugh ^hree g§p,€jriBbt^^]^p%-rtbat of op^ , iufdiFidwl having
for mc^e tha^ fifty years bei^n ^W^en a meo4)er of the l^gi^n
lature, ojid ajbriiori^ of ii^ j^4gfiB,i^ cbpiien»
to their office, seldom hpl^i^g ^t office hut for UferHW^t
fu^ally, of the very trilling sjsj^i^s p^id to the goy?n¥;>ir m^
chief-justice; tte. foi;nxer i:^Qeivi»g. b,ut 1200dolla|?9,.(£27Q)
the latter but a thpusaad, p^ t^obupdj^ed a^it^^ely? ]ppui^a,
of cxuif cui^eppy ; a re^iun^atipn .infinitely le^fii thaii iQ paid,
for their services to i^anii of oiyr ns^rcantile. cl^rk^^ aD[d about
hdJ^f as mnch as^ is m^ by th? h^lf'P^^?^ a°d h^lfnseryants^
of our leading barristers^.. waiting a9 th^y dp„ Qiea|iwhil%
behind their master's phair a.t di^i^r, attending to thQ dpq^
of his chambers, sx^^ bra^h^ng the lOitid. off .^e U^ilpf h^M
great coali. Of ii^i^ economy, ^onjy? Ai9y9i^<^Q^ ^t^ apt ta>
boast, a£f,a striding m^i of tbie Bpn^AOrlike sijpftpUfiity w4t
purity of tb^ir ]^i^li<^an gpyernpn^nfr. Not sq» baM^ereiu
does so. candid an4 ^es^ibli^ ^ m^ a^ I^> Jimf^pMx U^
very judiciously observes^ t^
** Itc^uwoty however, be qtsstioiiedv that this system has beeni
carried too; far* ThQ salaries of Ae priacipal. public offioers ought,.
without a question^ be consid/erftbly iQcreased. The very leait
vUeh wisdom or justice can admit is, that they shoald be sufficient
to famish such a support for the incumbents as is decently suited
to their respective stations." [p. 258.]
Another glaring defect in the goyermnent of this «tate^
¥^hich iseems to have escaped our obBervance, though com-
mon we believe to every state in America, is the resort to
lotteries, for providing for public improvements, suchas thid
building of piers, &c. Here also, as in some other states of
New-England, a very mischievous practice has long ^pre-
vailed, of dividing and subdividing counfties and parishes
into diistriotSi too small to afford respectable representativeti
in the legislature in the one instance, or adequately to pro^-
vide for the building of churches and the liHaintenance of
^tfieir ministers, in the other.
The prevallerrt religious denominations in this state are the
Presbyterian and Congregational. When Dr. Dwight wrote,
in 1812, it contained 216 Congregational, 9 Independent>
61 Episcopalian, and 67 Baptist churches, besides whioh, a
few Methodists are scattered over the state, in which no
material alteration in these numbers lias since been made.
Though America is alike without the advantages and the
disadvantages of an established faith and mode of worship,
(whatever raiey severally may be,) she is not altogether free
from what many in this country consider one of the greatest
abuses of such a provision, the appointment of pastors to
flocks which they cannot feed ; as, of the Episcopal churches
of Connecticut, more than half, and of the Presbyterian iK>t
^ few, are held by pluralists. Of the ministers of the
Baptist churches. Dr. Dwight, who was a staunch and
thorough-paced Presbyterian, speaks with more cont^x^
than libevatity, representing their preachers as ** farmeris
«tnd mechanics, not a whit better qualified itx the tlesk,
fmless hv superior volnbilitv, than their hearers, taken at an
average,^' g^oferally unpaid for their services, and uneducated
for their sacred office. We rejoice, however, to leiam from
a note of the publisher, tbat ten years has wrought a very
favourable revolution in a body of Christians, which in our
own country can boast of a Hall, a Ryland, a Carey, and,
alas ! that we must onlv add, could boast of a Fuller, and a
IV^ard ; and that considerably more attention is now paid to
the education of their teachers in holy things. Education
generally is so well attended to, that there is scarcely a child
u the stale who ia not taught reading, writing, aud arithme-
•tic, in imC'Of the schools, which in nusubder amount to about
2600^ oofttdiniBg about 78,000 scholars. . . >
94 Beview.-^Siaie of New^Englmnd md Nm* York.
Newhaven^ one of the capitals of this state, exhibits a
scene no less delightful than it is singular, in the re-erectioQ»
by mutual consent, of the places of worship of the different
^ects on the same side of the same street, where the elegafkxce
of their structure contributes greatly to the beauty of one .
of the handsomest parts of the city. *' Rarely/' says our
author^ and in fancy we realize the scene, ''is a more beauti-
ful object presented to the eye, (I havQ never met with one^)
than the multitudes crossing the green' in different direc-
tions to the house of God/' Religion flourished extea-
i»ively in Newhaven^ the place of his residence, and scene of
his labours^ for many years^ in his time ; and we are happy to
learn, that its friends have since considerably increased,
both in number, in unanimity, and in zeal. ** Behold how
^ood and pleasant a thing it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity.'' In the spirit of this text, the Methodists were
here enabled to erect their church by the liberal cpntribu-
tion of their fellow-citizens of different and eten opposing
sects; and as those sects live together in harmony, they
are interred in one common cemetry, the description of which
is too striking not to be extracted.
'^ The Honourable James Hillhouse, one of the inhabitants, to
whom the town, the state, and the country, owe more than to
almost any of their citizens, in the year 1 796, purchased, near the
north-western corner of the town, a Held of ten acres, which,
aided by several respectable gentlemen, he levelled and enclosed.
The field was then divided into parallelograms, handsomely railed,
and separated by alleys of sufficient breadth to permit carriages to
pass each other. The whole field, except four lots given to the
several congregations and the college, and a lot destined for the
reception of the poor, was distributed into family burying-places,
purchased at the expense actually incurred, and secured by law
from every civil process. Each parallelogram is sixty-four ree't in
breadth, and thirty^five feet in length. Each family burying-
ground is thirty-two feet in length, and eighteen in breadth ; and
against each an opening is made to admit a funeral procession. At
the divisions, between the lots, trees are set out in the alleys, and
the name of each proprietor is marked on the railing. The monu-
ments in this ground are almost universally of marble, in a few
instances from Italy; in the rest, found in this and the neighbour-
ing states. A considerable number are obelisks, others are tables,
and others slabs placed at the head and foot of the grave. The
obelisks are placed universally on the middle line of me lots, and
thus stand in a line successively through the parallelograms. The
top of each post, and the railing, are painted white; the remainder
of the post black. After the lots were laid out, they were aU
Traveh fy Dr. Dwight and Mr. Faux. 9S
Arown into a ccmtaon stock. A meetiag was then summoned of
such inhabitants as wished to become proprietors. Such as attend-
ed drew for their lots, and located them at their pleasure. Others
in great numbers have since purchased them, so that a great part
of the field is now taken up.
^^ It is believed, that this cemetery is altogether a singularity in
the world. I have accompanied many Americans and many
foreigners into it, not one of whom had ever seen or heard of any
thing of a similar nature. It is incomparably more solemn and
impressive than any spot of the same kind within my knowledge;
and, if I am to credit the declarations of others> within theirs. An
exquisite taste for propriety is discovered in every thiAg belonging
to it, exhibiting a regard for the dead, reverential but not osteata*-
tious, and happily fitted to influence the views and feelings of
«ucceeding generations." [vol. i. pp. 160> 161.]
To this singularly interesting spot, the monuments erected
to the memory of the dead, in the church-yard, placed
injudiciously, though in strict conformity with our £fng4ish
ciivstom, as absurd as it is general, in one of the finest and
most crowded parts of the city, were all removed about two
years a^o. This town, like most of those of Connecticut,
and indeed of New-England generally, is so thinly inhabit-
ed, compared with the larger towns of our own country,
that the houses are built at very considerable distances from
each other, in streets, which in summer are as verdant as
the fields.
Near Montville, lived towards the close of the seventeenth
century, Uncas, sahem or chief of the Pe^uod and Moha-
gan Indians, a firm friend to the English, with whom he was
too prudent to quarrel, but who had no occasion to be proud
of their ally, on the score of superior civilization or huma-
nitj ; for having defeated and taken prisoner a Narrhagansett
chief, who attacked him with twice his numbers, he put
him to death, and then, cutting a piece of fiesh from his
shoulders, roasted jand ate it, declaring, after he had done
so, in the true spirit of a savage, that it was the sweetest
meat he had ever tasted.
. The conflicting claims of two towns in this state,
Ly*me and New-London, to certain lands, formerly belong-
ing to the Indians, gave rise, it appears, to a species of
settlement of title, which we apprehend to be new in the
annals of civilized nations*
" The land," says Dr. Dwight, '* though now of considerable
value, was then regarded as a hifling object. The expense of
appointing agents to manage the cause before the legislature, was
96 Review.— State tf. Ht^-SngUmi and Hm^Xork.
x^nsiderablet and tjbe haxcurd of the jottRMqr w«« QotAvHatU Spi
this ftituatioa, theiuhabltaots of both townsbips agrieed to. settle
their lespective titles to the lands in Coutrove^sjf, by It ooihbat
between two champions, to be chosen by each for that purpose,
New-London selected two men, of the ndmes of Picket alid
Latimer: Lyme committed its oause to two others, named Oris-
wold and Ely. On a day, mntually appointed, the ehftn^ioils
appeared in the field, and fought with their, fidts, ItH yictory
declared in favoar of each of the Lyme eoihbat«ats. I^yiBae then
guietly took {tossession of the controverted tract, -and has hM it
)indisputed to th^ {nresent day. This, it is pr^sumedl it; tfie onlgf
instance in which a public controreeay ^as itfoi 4eeiikidift'!Newr
England by pugilism." [yoI. ii. p. 498.] . t
Gorton, a town on the bordejifs of Rhode I^landy a^e^ms to
have su&red from its proxiinity to a state in which a re^*
lar ^provision for a gospel ministry is held in abomina-
tion ; for when Dr. Dwight was there^ it had been for a lon^
period without a minister, the last who ^had officiateci^
though a very worthy man, being obliged to leave his people
ff^r want of support, although they could, without iBeonve*-
nience.to themselves, have maintained three ministers at
leai^t. It is but justice, however, to ad<l, that hi the state
of Coimecticut, a similar diestitntioB of ther means of reli^-
gious instruction, from a shmlliT cause, is of very tare
occurTenoe ; and that before our ajudior died, it no longer
existed here. In the adjoining township of Stontngtoii>
reside, partly in small ragged and unhealthy wigwams,
and partly on the farms of the white inhabitants, in nouses
built purposely for them, the wretched remnant of the
Pequod Indians, the original proprietors of the land, and
for a series of years the most formidable enemies of the
Ei^lish eettlers on the territory of their forefathers. Lazy,
idishonest, prodigal, thieves, liars, and drunkards ; Irving
together without marriage, or any tie but their own lost,
hedf-naked and often half-starved, the former proud heroie
spirit of their race, terrible even to the prouder and more
heroic spirits around them, is sunk into the tameness and
torpor of a half-reasoning brute ; all the vice of the original
being left, ailber all its eneirgy has vanished.
The township of Stamford, containing near dOOO inhabit*
^ts, ^affords an instance of the inanner in which great part
of America was obtained by the Europeans who peqpled
it,. for it was purchased of the Indians by the agent of .the
feoteny of Newhaven, for twelve coats, twelve hoes, twelve
hatchets, twelve knives, two kettles, and four fathom oF
Travek by Dr. Dwight and Mr. Faux. 97
white wampum. The inhabitants of this state are« gene-
rally speaking, industrious, moral, and religious, but in
many of its districts, the prevalent practice oftheir inhabit-
ants to lead the wandenng lives of hawkers and pedlars,
has had a demoralizing effect upon their principles, conduct,
and manners;
Massachusetts, the largest and most populous of the
New-England states, differs not in any material part of its
constitution from that of Connecticut. Its representatives
in the legislature are, however, far too numerous, equalling
in number those of Great Britain, with a population at
the least twenty times as large. Each town having, in the
elegant language of America, 150 ratable polls, sends one
member, and another for every 226 additional polls. Educa*
tion is provided for by law, in a most exemplary and effectual
manner ; every town or district in the state, containing fifty
householders, being required to provide a schoolmaster to
teach children reading, writing, and arithmetic, six months
in every year. Those containingone hundred householders,
are obliged to do the same for twelve months ; those which
have 130, two such schools, one for six, and the other for
twelve months ; and those having 200, an English school-
master, and another well qualified to teach Latin, Greek,
and English, in a grammar-school, each of them for twelve
months. Failing in this, or negligently performing the
duty, they are liable to penalties of from ten to thirty pounds.
Persons keeping schools, either for boys or girls, on their
own account, are required to be citizens of the state, and to
be furnished with a certificate of competency for their
office, from two ministers in the vicinity, and as to moral
character, from the minister, or a selectman, of the place to
which they belong. The academies already described, are
more numerous and better endowed than in Connecticut.
As to the provision for ministers, the laws respecting it are
essentially the same in both states, as indeed are their
legal institutions in general. Nor is there any very material
difference in the character of their inhabitants, save that
those of Massachusetts are somewhat more ardent, im-
passioned, and sudden in their affections and actions,
than those of Connecticut.
Of Boston, the celebrated capital of this state. Dr. Dwight
gives a minute description, for no part of which have we
room in our pages, save for the following very creditable
testimony to the detestation manifested by its inhabitants,
VOL. VIII. — NO. 1. H
9$ RevievQ^ — ^at^ of New^Enghnd and New-York.
of a pmctiee which seems to be <m$ of the crying ^ias of
their countrymen.
^^ An honourable specimen of the Bofitonian character was lately
eschibited. Two young gentlemen, natives, fought a duel : dne of
tbem was killed, the. other fled. The inhabitants, with one voicey
manifested an unequivocal wish to have the law executed upon the
survivor. Even his own friends are said to have made no efforts
l^ his favour. It is doubted, whether the same opposition to this
crime, and the same respect for the decisions of law, would be
found, in a similar case, in any other town of equal distinction. It
di^ght to be remarked, that the survivor was intensely provoked,
and had made numerous, unusual, and very patient exertions to
prevent the unhappy catastrophe." [vol. i. p. 470.]
Religion, pure and undefiled^ formerly flourished in a
most remarkable degree in this great commercial city, but
of late years Socinianism has made sad inroads and havoc
^here; but vigorous efforts ha,ve> for some time past^ been
making, to stem its progress and counteract its influence,
and most ardently do we wish them every possible success.
We regret, however, to have occasion to extract, from th^
inore recent tour of Mr, Faux, . the following account of a
Bostonian sabbathi in the year 1819.
• " I accompanied one gentleman to- ehurch, an ediflce inwardly
and outwardly splendid, and the congregation fashionable ; but I
thought the saryice and sermon vejry dull and insipid, and the
worship altogether inanimate. As Sunday here vanishes, wdth the
daylight, I went in the evening to the Town-hall, to Caucus, t
grand political meeting of thousands of the mohocracyy met to
deliberate upon the choice of a state- governor, &c. The orators^
on the present occasion, being principally well-educated federalists,
seemed, some of them, eloquent and ingenious abusers of the
democrats, who angrily retorted on their opponents. Thus I found
two strong parties, which I am at present unable to de6ne,except as
mutual haters of each other, like Whigs and Tories in England.'*
[Faux, pp. 28, 29.]
i
To the beauty^ elegance, and conveniencet of this great
commeroi^l city, and its nqble harbour, our English tourist
hears aiapk testimony ; but of its inhabitants, he says, that
they are tbtual^ul for nothing, or, at least, they do not shew
that they are grateful for any thing. " The poor," he adds,
on the authonty of a domiciled Scotch landlord of an inn,
** are not wanted th^e> nor any where in the state of Massa*
dra^etts, where niany ^re unemployed, and nobody i& mtv^^
fied." He accordingly dissuades his countrymen from
.Trai^c& 6jf Dr. Dwight awd Mr. Fausr. Qd
^mightting tUitber, unless they cto bring Mrith tbem ftotd
fiveliundred to a tbonsand pounds.
To his account of the character and manners of the in-
habitants of this city, with which, on the whole, they have
every reason to be satisfied. Dr. Dwight has appended a
letter on fashionable education, written in his very best
style, and equally adapted to the meridian of London as of
Boston. We therefore, very warmly commend it to the
attentive perusal of our readers; to such of thenl, more
especially, as sustain the weight of the parental charac-*
ter; whilst it contains many hints which might be profitably
perused by alU though we cannot but wish that less occa*
sion had beeii afforded for the severity of its remarks.
In this state, as in Connecticut, and indeed throughout
America, lotteries seem to be the favourite mode of effect-^
ing public improvements, for by it the South Hadley canal
was mainly constructed, or rather rendered an efficient navi-
gation, it was at Hadley, one of the first townships in this
state,, visited by our observing tourist, that the English
regicides, Goffe and Whalley, found for many years a renige,
in the house of the Rev. Mr. Russell, the then minister of
the place; and during their close seclusion there, the follow-
ing singular event is traditionally said to have occurred.
" In the cburse' of Philip's war, which involved almost all the
ladian tribes in New-England, and among others, those in the
neighbourhood of this town, the inhabitants thought it proper to
ob^rve the 1st of September, 1675, as a day of fasting and prayer.
While they were in the church, and employed in their worship, they
were surprised by a band of savages. The people instantly betook
themselves to their arms^ which, according to the custom of the
times, they had carried with them to the church, and, rushing out
(^the house, attacked their invaders. The panic under which they
began the confiict was however s6 great, and their number was s<y
disproportioned to thatof their enemies, that they fought doubtfully
at nrst, and in a short time began evidently to give way. At this
moment, an ancient man with hoary locks, of a most venerable and
dignified aspect, and in a dress widely differing from that of the
inhabitants, appeared suddenly at their head, and with a firm
voice, and an example of undoubted resolution, reanimated their
spirits, led them again to the conflict, arid totally routed the
savages. Wh^nthe battle was ended, the stranger disappeared, and
no person knew whence he had come, or whither he had gone.
The relief wfcis so timely, so sudden, so unexpected, and so provi-
cfential; the appearance, and the retreat of him who furnished it, '
were sa unice6imta6le ; his person wad so dignified dnd command-
ing, his resolution so superior, and his interference so decisive ;
100 Remew.— State of New-England and New-York.
that the inhabitants, without any uncommon exercise of credulity,
readily believed him to be an angel sent by Heayen for their pre-
servation. Nor was this opinion seriously controverted, until it
was discovered several years afterward, that Gofie and Whalley
had been lodged in the bouse of Mr. Russell. Then it was known
that^their deliverer was GoffCyWhalley having become superannuated
some time before the event took place.'' [vol. i. pp. 317, 318.]
The bones of the former of these determined republicans,
on the house in which Mr. Russell lived having been pulled
down aboat thirty years a^o, were found buried just with-
out the cellar wall, in a kind of tomb formed of mason's
work, and covered with flags of hewn stone. It was said
also, that Ooffe was interred near the spot, but— as he is
reported to have gone into Connecticut after the death of
his companion, thence to have removed to the neighbour-
hood of New- York, where, thoagh, the better to disguise
himself, he sometimes carri<ed vegetables to market, he was
discovered, and on that discovery, to have retired secretly to
Rhode Island, lived there with a son of Whalley during
the remainder of his life — the traditions respecting him are
too obscure and doubtful to be relied upon. But be this as
it may, the place of their first retreat seems to have been
well adapted to their concealment, though surrounded by
bqautiful scenery, which the strictness of that concealment
would not permit them to enjoy.
Dr. Dwight expressly disclaims all attempts to render his
tour interesting, by filling it with landscapes, a fault with
which he charges, and we fear with but too much reason^
many of our European travellers, who would, he observes,
and observes correctly, " have been more agreeable writers,
had they been less liberal of their garnishing, and furnished
us to a greater extent with more solid entertainment.'' It
would, nowever, be an act of gross injustice, at once to his
powers of observation and to the scenery of his country, not
to direct the attention of our readers to his vfery glowing
description of the view from Mount Hoylake, three miles to
the southward of Hadley, with which, in richness and gran-
deur, we apprehend that few scenes in England can com-
fiete. It is too long, however, for extraction, we can there-
ore only recommend its perusal, in a work firom which, but
for a like reason, several others of equal beauty might be
selected. Yet, to picturesque effect, the agriculture of the
countrv, which is mat also of most of the other 'states of
New-England, presents one very material obstacle, in the
walls of stone rudely laid together, (as with us, in some of
Traveh by Dr. Dwight and Mr. Faux. 101
the mountainous regions of Cumberland, Westmoreland^
Lancashire, and Yorkshire, and even in the hilly districts of
Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and midland counties,) being
substituted for die beautifiil hedges, so generally used as
enclosures in England. In some of the districts of this
state, these hedges are formed by the natural growth of the
barberiT, often spreading itself an unwelcome visitant
over a fifth, sixth, and even a fourth of the surface of fields,
from which it is extirpated with difficulty, save from the
stone enclosures, under which pass its bushes, and spring
up so numerously, as to render it almost impossible to eradi-
cate them.- Their blossoms are said to emit an effluvium so
acrimonious, as to blast both wheat and rye, and even to
prevent esculent roots and other vegetables from living.
At Haverhill, the last town of this state, on the borders
of New-Hampshire, a natural curiosity is presented, in a
small island, situated in the midst of a lake, which has from
time immemorial floated from shore to shore, whenever it
was impelled by a violent wind. Trees and shrubs grow on
it, and it is covered with fresh verdure, bo as, during its alter-
nations, to exhibit a scene picturesque as it is extraordinary.
Salem, the most ancient town in this extensive state, except
Plymouth, and the next in size to Boston,was unce the scene
of the ministerial labours of the celebrated Hugh Peters, the
eccentric chaplain of Oliver Cromwell, who here originated
many improvements in the affairs of his parishioners, di-
recting tliem by his exhortation, and stUl more strong-
ly by his own successful example, into new channels of in-
dustry, and thereby laying the toundationof that commercial
prosperity which has rendered Salem, for its size, one of
the most industrious and thriving places in the Union.
The neighbouring town of Danvers is remarkable for a
supposed prevalence of witchcraft therein 1692, in conse-
quence .of which, nineteen persons, the majority of them
members of Christian churcnes, and people of unblemished
character, were executed in the town or its neighbourhood,
whilst one man, according to the humane practice of our
then common law, was pressed to death, for refusing to plead
to so absurd a charge. Yet although the absurdity of pre-
ferring that charge was here carried so far as to lead to the
imprisonment of a child of between four and five years old,
as a witch, let not Europeans laugh at that instance of folly
in Americans — let not, especially. Englishmen place them-
selves on any superiority, in this respect, over their trans-
atlantic descendants, when it is remembered, that the philo-
102 Review. -^State qJ New^Englmd ami New York.
»opher9, the legislators, the divines, of every i^xkntryi were
at this period devout believers in the extensive diffusion of
this singular crime, for which, in. our own country, and
in the same age, so profound a scholar, so ilavQut a Chris-
tian, and so humane a judge, as Sir Matthew Hale, con-
demned to death, and delivered over to the exeeu^on^r,
more than one of his innocent and persecuted fellow cr^-
tures^ unlamented victims of a superstition, to whose deadly
influence even his master mind willingly surrendered afl,
its mighty powers.
This state appears not to have adopted such severe
measures for the suppression of horse-racipg,.as that of
Connecticut, as, at liynn. Dr. Dwigbt passed one of the
only two spots used as a race^course.
In noticing the condition of Williams's college, on the
borders of this state, occasion is given to our author to
point out the defects of that and other collegiate institutions
of. this country, in being all but utterly destitute of fellow-
. ships, or any other endowments by which students may be
enabled to pursue literary inquiries to any extent; the pro-
.fessorships alone excepted, and even they are, generally
speaking, but very moderately and inadequately supportecf,
^and impose much active exertion upon thoso who enjoy
them.
On the side of Saddle mountain, in the immediate neigh-
bourhood of this university. Dr. Dwight procured an »n-
>teresting account of the ravages of a. singular deluge of
rain, descending in a moment, to which the mountsin-
ous parts of New-England are occasionally subject, and
there called the bursting of a cloud ; nor, unpbilosophical
.ss the term confessedly is, would it be easy to nnd one more
characteristic of a phenomenon, of which we extract the
iollowing description.
** In the autumn of 1784, in the latter part of the night, a delage
of water descended from this mountain. A family, which lived in
a house at some distance from the foot of the mountain, not far
from a brook, were suddenly awaked out of their sleep by the
united roaring of the wind and the torrent. In their fright, th^y
hastily dressed themselves, and escaped from the house, the g;rou])(£-
floor of which was, by this time, six inches under water, and fled to
that of a neighbouring inhabitant. When they returned in the
];noming, they found their own dwelling so completely swept away,
that no part of it was left. The brook, through the channel of
which this flood discharged itself, had never before, not even in
the highest freshets, approached the house by a considera()le
distance.
/ Tfoveh by Dr. Dwight and Mr. Faux. ' 108
'* Mr. C , in his excursion to ibis niountkin, on the day
when we le£t Williamstown, followed the path (^6 this tatseat from
its commencement, through the principtd part of the tract which U
ravaged. He informed me^ that the channel worn hy these wafers,
began instantaneously a little below the summit* and w(|s there^
and in various other places, as he judged, twenty feet deep, and^
where widest, at least twenty feet in breadth. A tract of about ten
acres was entirely desolated of its trees, which the flood and the
storm had thrown down, and which were lying on the lowest part
of the tract in heaps of confusion. The face of this ground was
now either bare, or covered with small shrubs, apparently Sprung
up since the period of this devastation. Every appearance which
met his eye, corresponded with the opinion and language of the
people in the vicinity." [vol. iii. pp. 234, 235.]
Maine, the next division of New- England in population
and importance, but which in his time, and indeed until the
year 1820, when it was admitted into the Union as an inde-^
Eendent state, formed a part of Massachusetts; seems not to
are stood very high in our author's estimation, although
we cannot help suspecting, that religious prejudices bad
some effect upon his judgment^ as his complaints are prin*
eipally directed against schism among the people, or, as we
should term it, thehr exercising the undoubted right which
they possess, of thinking and acting in religious matters as
they please ; the influx of" ignorant, wandering, and unprin-
cipled preachers, too lazy to labour, blown up with spiritual
pride, and assuming to themselves the character and em-
ployment of religious teachers, because they believe them-
selves, as peculiar favourites, to receive immediate communi-
cations from Heaven," and, above all, (a point on which we
observe that the reverend Doctor is always peculiarly
sore) the dependence of the clergy upon the precarious
pittance furnished at the good pleasure of their bearers,
rather than by the more sure mode of a compulsory payment
by legislative enactments. In this latter predicament,
however, the entire dissenting ministry of England (with the
very few exceptions of endowments,) stand at this moment,
and, we most ardently hope, will ever continue to stand.
The inhabitants of many parts of this state are, it appears,
very improvident with their wood ; a fault so general, indeed,
in most districts of America^ that our author expresses con-
siderable apprehension of its hereafter putting a final stop
to the progress of population, before it will have reached
to its natural height. The evil id, it appears, generally
acknowledged, and yet not a siagle efficadous measure haa
104 Review. — SttUe of New- England and New- York.
hitherto been taken to stop its abamine progress. But few
circumstances of the journeys of Dr»X) wight through this
state, are particularly interesting.
The town of Lichfield affords a singular instance of the
manner in which settlements have been formed in this coun-
try, as, of upwards of one thousand inhabitants, not one had
a better title to house or land, than was derived from what,
in the middle and northern states of America, is called
squatting, that is, planting yourself in the wilderness on
any piece of ground you may chuse, without purchase
from, or even the consent of, the proprietor. To this pre-
datory invasion of undisputed rights, the weakness of new
governments compelled a submission at the time, which it
would now be alike impolitic and unjust to attempt to
supersede.
Amongst the natural curiosities of the state of Vebmont,
one of the most singular is Mount Toby, extending about
thirty miles, and chiefly composed of breccia, or pudding*
stone, with a cave in it, undoubtedly forkned by some violent
shock, and reaching directly across one part of the moun-
tain from east to west. At Bennington, another lusus na-^
tura presented itself, in the ravages of swarms of ^asshop-
pers of a peculiar kind, whose operations are thus described
Dy our tourist.
** Bennington, and its neighbourhood, have for some time past
been infested by grasshoppers, of a kind with which I had before
been wholly unacquainted. At least, their history, given by
respectable persons, is in a great measure novel. They appear at
different periods, in different years, but the time of their con-
tinuance seems to be the same. This year (1798) they came four
weeks earlier than in 1797, and disappeared four weeks sooner. As
I had no opportunity of examining them, I cannot describe their
form or their size : their favourite food is clover and maize. Of
the latter, tliey devour the part which is called the silk, the imme-
diate means of fecundating the ear, and thus prevent the kernel
from coming to perfection. But their voracity extends toalmost
every vegetable, even to the tobacco plant and the burdock.
Nor are they confined to vegetables alone. The garments of
labourers, hung up in the field while they are at work, these insects
destroy in a few hours, and with the same voracity they devour
the loose particles which the saw leaves upon the surface of pine
boards, and which, when separated, are termed sawdust. The
appearance of a board fence, from which the particles had been
eaten in this manner, and which I saw, was novel and singular, and
seemed the result, not of the operations of the plane, but of attri*
tion, the cause of which I was unaUe to conjecture.
^ Traveb by Dr. Dwight and Mr. Faux. 106
- ^* At timesy particularly a little before tlieir dieabpearance, they
collect in cloatUy rise hign lathe atmoephere^ ana takeexleiisive
flights, of which neither the cause nor the direction has .hitherto
b^n discovered. I was authentically informed in Shaftesbury,
that some persons, employed in raising the steeple of the church
in Williamstown, were, while standing near the yane, covered by
ihem ; and saw, at the same time, vast swarms of them fl3ring far
above their heads. The customary flight of grasshoppers rarely
exceeds four or five yards, and their wings are apparently so
weak, as to forbid excursions extended much beyond these limits.
It is to be observed, however, that they customarily return, and
perish on the very grounds which they have ravaged.*' [vol. ii.
pp. 384, 386.]
SuAderlandi a town in this atate^ was formerly the resi-
dence of Colonel Ethen Allen, who was taken priaoner by
the British, on a mad attempt, which he made during the
American war, at the head of but one hundred men, to get
possession of Montreal. He was an avowed Deist, tand
author of the first work published on the other side of tbe
Atlantic, against the Cnristian religion. The foUowiiM^
ja£fecting anecdote evinces, however, the little faith which
he reposed in his own tenets in the hour of danger and of
death.
" Dr. Elliot, who removed from Guildford in Connecticut, to
Vermont, was well acquainted with Colonel Allen, and made him a
visit at a time when his daughter was sick, and near to death. He
was introduced to the library, where the Colonel read to him some
of his writings with much self-complacency, and asked. Is not that
well done? While they were thus employed, a messenger entered,
and informed Colonel Allen, that his daughter was dying, and
desired to speak with him. He immediately went to her chamber,
accompanied by Dr. Elliot, who was desirous of witnessing the
interview. The wife of Colonel Allen was a pious woman, and had
instructed her daughter in the principles of Christianity. As soon
^ her father appeared at her bedside, she said to him, ' I am
about to die ; snail I believe in the principles you have taught me,
or shall I believe in what my mother has taught me V He became
extremely agitated; his chm quivered; his whole frame shook;
and, after waiting a few moments, he replied, ' Believe what your
mother has taught you.'" [vol. ii. pp. 389, 390.]
. Of the legislature of this state, at least of the legislature
as it existea some twelve or fourteen years ago, the follow-
ing passage in Dr» Dwight's descnption of Vergennes,
^ves. us no very exalted idea. It is, however, the repre*
fientation of an American and a New-Eqglander, and there-
lOj^ Review.^Sti^e of New-tlf^lmd And Afetn^ York.
|qi9 we may quote it at leogtb, without any risk of sub-
jecting ourselveft to the charge of libelling our republicaa
Ihendfl.
'^ Itwasy ind^dy intended for. the seat of government^ and so
are half a dozen other places. Whether any of them will ever
•become what they so ardently covet> whether there will be a seat
of government in the state, or whether the legislature will continue
to roll upon wheels from town to town, as they have hitherto done,
no human foresight can determine. The legislature itself has been
at least equally freakish with the projector of this city, and seems
at present little niore inclined to settle, than any other bird of pas-
sage." [vol. ii. p. 401, 402.]
Neither of the ^overument of Vermont, however, nor its
inhabitants, does the Doctor, himself a devout believer in
the superiority of his own state of Connecticut over every
existing government, entertain any favourable opinion, for
through at least a dozen pages he expostulates practically
on the vices of all new settlements, from their being com^
posed of the very refuse of the older states, with so much
severity, that although we could safely recommend the cen*
sure to our aristoccatical readers, we would advise its being
passed over by those, who expect from American writers,
any thing like the sentiments termed radical and Jacobini-
cal on this side the Atlantic. His portrait of a genuine
democrat, and would-be patriot, dissatisfied vrith every
thing, and to whom nothing can give pleasure, is at least as
highly coloured as it could have been by the most violent
antnacobin in this country.
'the constitution of the state of Nbw-Hampshirb is
altogether one of the best in the Union, the two branches
of me legislature, the house of assembly, and the senate,
having each of them a negative on the bills passed by the
bther, and the jndges holding their offices dunug their good
behaviour ; a provision Tery much needed in some of the
larger states. In the limitation of seats in the senate to
Protestants, we trace however a restrictive spirit, ill accor-
dant witii the geperal liberality of the American states, and
irreconcileable, as it appears to us,, with the declaration of
its own constitution, that ** every denomination of Chris-
tians, demeaning themselves as good subjects of the state,
sbalt be equally under its protection, ana entitled to equal
privileges^ and that no sect shalLeverbe legally subordi«-
na^ed to another." In the same juat and equitable spMirit^
another article provides, that no persanr of any n" '
Tra^b by Ik. Dvig^t and Mr. FaitK* 107
denoniiimti(m shall be eompdled fb pay towafdatbe support
^f any minister, or place of worship, of a religions persiia^
sion to which he himself does not belong.
Portsmouth, the principal town and seaport of the state
of New-Hampshire, is, like most of the towns of BTew-Eng-
land, built cniefly, if not entirely, of wood ; we need not
therefore be surprised to learn, that conflagrations have
ftecj^uently destroyed largQ portioils of this ill-constructed
capital.
At Dover, a party of Indians once committed as gross an
outrage as ever disgraced the most sa^vag^ horde of any tipa^
or region of the globe. Deing then professedly at peace
with England, one of their sachems or chiefs, and two
women, applied to Major Waldron, formerly governor of
Ifew«^Hampshire, for a night's lodging; whion was granted
with equal readiness and good will. In reward, however, for
this kindness, these fiends in human shape, whilst the family
were asleep, admitted a body of their warriors into his
house, and having knocked down their gallant and venerable
host, who was then in his eightieth year, by striking him on
the head from behind, whilst he was valiantly but ineffec-
tually resisting his numerous and brutal assailants, they
seated him in an elbow-chair upon the table, cut him acrosp
the breast and stomach whilst he was still alive« severed
bis nose and ears, and forced them into his mouth, and
finally, by placing his sword under him as he fell, teitqi^
nated his honourable and most useful life. To finish their
work of destruction, they then killed or captured the rc^
mainder of the family, and set fire to their habitation.
Early in the next year, the neighbouring town of Bruns*-
wick was attacked by a body of French, powerfully sup-
ported by these their fearful allies ; but they were driven
back, after they had killed about thirty and captured fifty
of the inhabitants. The treatment received by the latter
from their savage captors, though acting as the coadjiitors
of men professing to be Christians^ was horrible beyond
conception, and would scarcely be credible, were it de«
tailed Tbiy a writer of less unquestionably veracity than he
who thus affectingly relates it.
^' One of the prisoners, named Robert Rogers, a corpulent
Bian, beinff loaded with a heavy pack, found it impossible to keep
pace with nit captors. When he had fallen behind them, thtnkiisg
himself out q^ their reach, he threw down his ktad, a]id attempted to
Dft^k^ hi9 ^iiia|pe. The savages pursned him to a hoUow tree^ iif
>l)^ he endeavoured U^ conceal himself, and^ forcing bum out.
108 Review. — State of New^England and New- York.
stripped him, beat him, and pricked him forward on the joamey,
until the erening arrived. They then made a feast for themselves,
and, tying the prisoner to a tree, (his hands being fastened behind
is back,) sa&g» shouted, and danced around him* When they had
sufficiently amused themselves in this manner, they made a great
fire near me unfortunate man, bade him take leave of his friends,
and allowed him a momentary respite to offer up his prayers to
his God. After this, they moved the fire fovward, and roasted him
by degrees; and when they found him failing, .withdrew the fire
again to a greater distance. Then they danced around him ; cut,
at each turn, pieces of flesh from his perishing frame ; laughed at
his agonies, and added new pangs to this horrible death, by
insults and mockeries. With a refinement in cruelty, not obvious
to civilized man, they placed the rest of the prisoners just without
the fire, that they might be witnesses of the catastrophe. With
the same spirit, after his death, they seated his body, still bound to
the tree, on the burning coals, tifa^t his friends might, at some
future time, be racked by the sight.
'' Such was one, among innumerable specimens of India^ cruelty.
Such are the benefits of that state of savageness, which approxi-
mates nearest to the state of nature. Let modern philosophers
look on, and learn here how romantically innocent, gentle, and
amiable, man becomes in this, which they have been pleased to
extol as the state of human perfection. In the next panegyric,
which is pronounced on the state of nature by one of these gentle-
men, it is to be hoped, that he will recite, as a proof of its bene-
ficent and delightful influence, the story of Robert Rogers:" [vol. i.
pp. 387, 388.]
' To such would-be philosophers, men who, in erecting
their theories, overlook all fact, and contradict all experience,
we very earnestly commend this wholesome advice, which
has been our principal inducement to extract the passage
containing it.
At Somersworth,the next stage in his journey, our traveller
was entertained, much to his satisfaction, at an inn kept by
a Captain R. a circumstance which induces him to enter
into an explanation and justification of the inns of this state,
and indeed of most others in New-England, and even
throughout the Union, being kept by persons whose titles
indicate them to be men of some consequence. This he
does with much zeal ; but although we are fully ready to
admit with him, the propriety of houses of accommodation
for travellers being kept by persons of respectable charac-
ter, we are not convinced by any arguments which he has
adduced, that there can be the least (necessity for their
being kept by landlords, whose education and feelings as
gentlemen, would in most other countries be an insuperable
Traveh by Dr. Dwight and Mr. Faux. 109
bar to their following such a pureuit. Colonel A. of theT
Bear and Billet, Captain B. of the Goose and Gridiron, and
Mr. Justice C. of the Crown and Magpie, would, in any
country in Europe, appear so absurd an anomaly, that our
American friends must bear with our smiles at a combina-
tion of which, we doubt not, but that when their middling
classes shall have attained to the respectability of that grade
in old established communities, they will themselves be
ashamed, however they may affect to glory in it now.
Near Hinsdale, a border town of this state, an irruption of
the Indians, in 1775, issued, in the capture, amongst other
persons, of a Mrs. Howe, whose subsequent sufferings and
history are detailed in so interesting and affecting a man-
ner, that we cannot but refer such of our readers to it as
may wish to combine all the witching interest of a novel,
witn a faithful detail of some of those extraordinary trans-
actions which occasionally form the romance of real life.
They will find it in the second volume of the work, pages
70 to 76.
Dartmouth college, near Lebanon, originally founded in
1769, by the exertions of the Rev. Dr. Eleazar Wheelock,
of Lebanon, in Connecticut, under the patronage of the good
Earl of Dartmouth, for the purpose of educating Indians, and
Missionaries to them, has faued of answering its purpose,
two natives only having ever graduated here ; and it beii^
found difficult, and almost impossible, to get students from
among them, whilst missionary education was necessarily
interrupted by the breaking out of the American war, soon
after the foundation of the college, the work has since been
advantageously carried on by omer societies, and through
other channels. By the education of from fourteen to fifteen
hundred young men, of whom a fourth devoted themselves
to the ministry, the college has, nevertheless, in another
way, conferred, most important benefits upon the state in
which it is erected, and the Union of whicn that state is a
part* •
In the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, a town not fai* dis-
tant from the White Mountains, Dr. Dwight found the roads
in a very bad condition, which leads to some observations
that cannot, we think, be uninteresting to our readers,
pointing out, as they very forcibly do, some of the difficul-
ties which their forefathers, by whose perseverance those
vast trans-atlantic regions were peopled, cultivated, and civi-
lized, encountered and overcame.
'^ A reflecting traveller, passing over these roadS; is naturally
110 Review^-Staie of tiflo^Etigland ^Hid NeUSr York.
induced to recollect fhe situation of the first coioaifl^d m Nevrt
England, and to realize some of the hardships, which those intre*-
pid people endured in settling this country. Among the di£Bcul-
ties which they had to encounter, bad roads were no contemptible
one. Almost all the roads in which they travelled, passed through
deep forests, and over rough hills and mountains, often over trou-
blesome and dangerous streams, and not unfreqXiently through
swamps, miry and hazardous, where wolves, bears, and cata-
mounts, haunted and alarmed their passage. The forests they could
jiot cut down, the rocks they could not remove, the swamps they
c6Uld not causey, and over the streams they could not erect
bridges. Men, women, and children, ventured daily dirough thii
combination of evils, penetrated the recesses of the wildetntss;
climbed the hills, wound their way among the rocks, straggled
dtfough the mire, and swam on horseback through deep and rapid
jiv^rs, by which they were sometimes carried away. To all these
evils was added, one more distressing than all. In the silence and
solitude of the forest, the Indian often lurli;ed in ambush near their
path, and from behind a neighbouring tree, took the fatal aim,
while his victim, perhaps, was perfectly unconscious of danger^'
[vol. ii- pp. 280, 281.]
At Davis'^i Farm, a station in this thinly popnlaied dis-
trict^ be met with another novel illustration of those bard^
ships, some of which are still entailed on the descendants of
these bold, laborious, and nniGh^ndurnig men, in a tracts
recently ravaged by one of those destroctive fires, which
kindled originally by the bnntei^e to drive the prey from
their coverts, often do incalculable and irreparable mischief
to the neighbourhood, which they lay desolate and waste for
many miles aronnd.
"When," says Dr. Dwight, " we had reached Davis' farm, we
were presented with an object entirely new, and not a little inte-^
resting. A fire, which had not long before been kindled in its
skirts, had spread over an extensive Region Of mounteuns on the
tiorth-east, destroyed in its progress all the vegetation, and con-
sumed most of the soil, consisting chiefly of vegetable mould. The
whole tract, from the base to the summit, was alternately white and
dappled, while the melancholy remains of half-burnt trees, which
hung here and there on- the sides of the immense steeps, finished
the picture of barrenness and ^ath." [vol. ii. pw 282.]
. The state of RBonE Island differs from most other states
in Newf*£ngland, of which it is the most insignificanit aotict
the leasts in that the sabbath is there neither noticed by ike
law, nor sanctioned by any general religious observaneej
hence, when Dr. Dwignt wrote, maay years had not ^lapsed
Travels 6y Dr. Owiglit and Mr. Faux. 111.
since the market^ the streets, and wharfs^ of Proridence^
its capital, were little less freqaented, as marts and scenes •
of business, on the Sunday, than on any Ofther day. The
general feeling of the inhabitants had, howeyer, so strongly
manifested itself against this profieniatian of the day of rest,
that but few carts were then seen entering the town, (which,
contrary to the usual ixder of things, and to experience
also, was more moral than the surrounding country,) and
their numbers had been yearly decreasing. The Khode-*
Islanders appear to be. great sticklers for liberty, and even
carry their attachment to it to the het^t ot absurdity,
having for many years gone without a most useful turnpikes-
road, throuffh the very heart of their state, because turn--
pikes, and tne establishment of religions worship, had their
origin in. Great Britain, the government of which was a mo*
narchy, and the inhabitants were, as theyxonsidered, slaves f
as were also tlKMse of the neighbouring states of Masacfausettsi
and Connecticut, frombeing compelled by law to support mi-^
nisters, and pay turnpikes. These, argued they, if they chose
to be slaves, undoubtedly had a right to their choice, but
freefbom Khode-Islanders ought never submit to be priest*
ridden, nor to pay for the privilege of riding on the high<«
way. They aceordingly jogged on in mud and mire, and
liberty, until 1805> when, the impassability of their roads
compelled them to bow their free4iom necks to the horrid
slavery of toavelUng on good, in preference to. bad ones*
With a spirit so opposed to all improvement, and so inca*'
pable of enjoying real, whilst it prompts to xmfounded
clamour after fancied liberty, we are not at all surprised to
find, that the general features of this state were mean houses,
ill repaired miserable bams by the roadrside^ misnomered
churches, chiefly of the Baptist denomination, and a culti*-
vation of a piece with every thine else, rarely, if ever^
exhibiting to the eye proofs either of skill or of success.
" Every thing,'^ says Dr. Dwight, in passing the boundary of
his own state, to enter that of Rhode Island, " indicates a want of
energy, a destitution of all views and efforts towards improvem<^Dt,
a sluggish acquiescence in inconveniences and imperfections, which
& more vigoroos disposition would easily remove, [vol. iii. p. 28.]
Less attention is paid to education in this state than in
any oilier of New-England, in consequenice . of wliichy iis
inbabitantaare moare viciona, and its . tahurohes. worae snjp>*
plied With Bunisteis, than its neigbhonrs. Hors^racing. la
here a fovourite pursuit. '* Thoa gross amaseoient/' s^ya
1 12 Review. — State of New-England and New^York.
Qur author, aad we quote his words fot the benefit of such
of our countrymen as are enamoured of the sport, ** turns
polished men into clowns, and clowns into brutes." The
sabbath was at this time, with very many of the people, but
a day of visiting and sport, and, with others, regularly de-
yoted to their customary labour. So little, indeed weve
sacred tilings regarded there, that some of the mis«ionary
societies of the, neighbouring states treated, and not, it
would seem, without abundant reason, Rhode Island as
missionary ground. Our readers will not, howevery be sur-
prised at the wretchedness of its moral and religious condi-*'
tipn, when we inform them, that a conaidembleiQumber of
the inhabitants, of its trading towns viere ei^ged ill that
bana to .ev^ thing that is jvirtuous or good, the sl«ve tmde.
Yet we are assured, that they will rejoice with vus,. at^
a very, considerable amelioration in the oonditkii'of'this-
state, in the twenty years which have transpired «tnAe'tli0'
account of.it was given, increasing wealth harin^, as we
kam from, a note of the American pubUsher of this work;
imparted more liberal views to its inhabitants, piBttknlarly:
of the large towns, with respect to the impoitance of ed^oa--
tion to the oommunity. Revivals of religion.hare also 4idcen
place^ within these few years, in several parta of the state: '
Turn. we now from New-England to* ^Nbw-'Yosk,
On the constitution of this state, we need not ta make many
remarks, after the full account already given of tlmt of
Connecticut, as a sample of the government of ihevsepa*
rate states of the Union, which, di£Pering as they do from
each other in minute particulars, have the . same general
republican and elective features. New- York has a council
of revision, composed of the governor, ehanoeUoi^ tmd
judges of tilie supreme court, to which all bills^must be sent-
before they, are passed into a law by the legidature, and if
returned within ten days to the senate,or house of assembly,
according as the bill ma)r have originated m the one or the
other of those bodies, with their objections in writing, to
its jpassing into a. law, these objections must be considered,
and recorded, in the nature of iat protest, upon the minutes of
the hquse ; but if tworthirds of the members still adhere 4o
the bill, it passes. Of this, the nearest i^pproximkitil^n' to
our .third B^ate, that a republican goveromMI can pet^lltfps'
admit, we are inclined very cordially to approve ; though we
join iWtth Dri .Dwight* iU sepvobaiting the fraotioe of 'keep-
ing the jndges.depaadent upon the ^execvtive'for the tenure
of their offices ; aiavlt common, we believe, to most of the
Travek bjf Dr. Dwight andMt. Faiix/ 113
United StaWs? and tw other wovisions of the constitiition
oF this vety important one. iTiese are, the cotincil of ap-
pointment, fbrmed of a senator fVoiti each of the four dis-\
tricts of Ae state, annually elected by th^ house of assetiibly^
in wbom, with the chief of the executive for the titnei beiYig, '
tlKmgh he has, as president, but a casting vote^ the sole
patronage is vested of the ereat mijority of offices through-
out the state; a^U, indeed, out such as are elective ia the
people, or by the legislature. The consequence of this
r^dfttion is, theiafiuencing of elections to the house of-
assembly and the senatb, of persons likely to serve the
ekctort ;Miid we have the respectable authority of : Dr.
Dwtght^assetting, that to seizure this important Mtrt^nhage
to men ttkely to promote the self-interested views of its
members, '<3ie house of assembly ii^ itself rendered a scene
of <^bal and intrigue, often issuing in measured openly,
subversive of "law, principle, and decency/' The other
ejrroris little less fatal to tne stability of the constitution^,
with which the due and impartial administration pf just^CQ.
is intimately and inseDarably connected; and ii^ a laige
commercial p^tate like New- York, that ol^ect can liever bd
acoomplished by a supreme court of errors, constituted
of the. aenate^ihe chancellor, and the judges of the superior *
court, in which the deliberate decisions df the ablest and
wisest judicial tribunals are frequently reversed by a
majority of farming, mercantile, speculating, an4 .6j9Sce-
hunting senators, some of them without suifficient no^nesty,'
and all of them wanting inlegal knowledge, for i|ie judgment
of the last resort, which it is their duty to pronounce. These
defects must be remedied, or they will remedy themselves
in a way not very propitious to the safety of the go v^nimeiit,
many of whose provisions exhibit great equi^ aitd wisdom;
Such, in our judgment at l^t^t, is the ineligibitity of minis-
ters of the gospel to any^ civil employment m the state, and
the enjoym^t of perfectly equal rights and privileges by
members of every religious sect, without disc^rimination or
preference. 'T6 these every Englishman will be disposedji
with OS, to add, the preservati6n of the great palladium of
our liberties, tihe trialbyjury,inviola,te;aiidthe recognitiooA
as par:t of .the la^s of the state, of such parts of our owii
cqmmon and statute law as Were in fotce there in April.
1775. ^ '
■ Pass Ve now to the ecclesiastical arrangementj? of the
•tate» ?Evhiic;)i^ as they respect tlie maintenance of inihis-!
ters of the gospel, differ very widely from those of New-
VOi.VXU.Tr-NO. 1. 1
114 Review.— SiaU of New-Ettgland and NeuhYork.
RnglaiKl, uid have a much Dearer confonnity to the'Biode.
of supportiag them, in use amoogst the Dissenters of our
own country, though, if men of talent, piety, and probity,
th^ here experience but in a very slight dc^ee ; evils,
the most distant apprehension of which iQstinctiyely ezciten
our reverend to^rist s wrath. Thus, for exi|u:i^>le,in describi<ig ;
the town of Paris, he says,
-'^ There are three PresbyteriaD congregations in this township,
and two clergymen. These gentlemen, though held in high esti-^
iHatien, and deservedly loved by their parishioners, consider fhem-
selves as holding their comiezion with their congregations by a:
very precarious tenure. , The laws of this state conceming the sup^
Krt of clergymen are so loosely, and so unwisely fonned, as to
ivetbem in a great measure dependent on the fluctuating feetiogs
of parishioners, rendered much more fluctuating by the laws tben^
selves. 'A voluntary contribution, except in a large town, is aa
uncertain as- the wind; and a chameleon only can. expect .to derive^
a' permanent support from this source. By several very respect-.
adi>le gentlemen, with whom I conversed largely on this subject, I
was informed, that the opposition to supporting clergymen by law
had lately very much increased among tne New-England people of
this region. My informants believed, that not more than one-tenth'
of the principal inhabitants, and not more than a twentieth of the
people at large, are in favour of this system. ^ This is a lamentable
degeneracy.'^ [vol. iii. p. 177—178.] i '
' Nor is the reverend Doctor better satisfied with the legis*.
lative provision, authorizing religious societies of everv de-
nomination to appoint trustees of their property, which may
be held to the amount of 30Q0. dollars, (nearly .£640) per
annum, although such trystees are made corporati^ bodies,
with a conimon seal, and empowered to regulate pewrreQts^
perquisites, and all matters connected with the temporal
concerns of their respective churches. How infinitely less
are the' legal rights with which the Congregation.alists and,
Other dissenters in England are obliged to be content ! (qjc
their places oif worship cannot be endowed with jands even
to the value of a shilling by the year, and are moreover liaUei
to vexatious assessments for the relief of the poor« and eve^
for the building and irepairs of the parochial places of wox-
ship belonging to the Establishment.
' "nie Sabbath is, however, directed by law to.be strictly
observed ; and a proof that it is so in practice, more to the
satisfaction of the tourist than this mode of proceeding
for^the maintenance of the clergy, was aflforded on his jour-;
: neying. with his companions from. Saratoga to CAmbndgei
Travehby Dr. Dwiglitand Mr. Faux. 116
«
on accouDst of the latter containing a place of Evan^ielical
worship, which the former wanted. We give it in his own
words.
^' On our way, a decent Scotsman came np to ns on horsefaacky
and very civilly, inquired why we trarell^d on the sabbath ; observ*
ing^ to us at the same time, that such travelling was forbidden by
the law of the state« and that the people of that vicinity had deter-
mined to carry the law into execution. We easily satisfied him,
and were not a little pleased to find, that there were people in this
vicinity, who regardea the law of the land and the law of God with
90 much respect." [voU iii. p. 222.]
The most numerous denomination of Christians in this
state, as in New-England, is the Congre^tionalist, although
ill. the luimber of meir churches t£e Baptists far exceed
them ; but then, those churches very frequently consisting
only of three or four families, but occasionally visited by
itinerant preachers, the number of members of course
bears a less proportion to that of their congregations than
in any other sect. As in New-England, the Baptist minis*
ters are generally uneducated men. Episcopalians, Quakers,
ana Methodists, are the next numerous sects, Br. Dwight*s
catalogue of which is closed by *' a considerable number of
Nibiiists,'^ a term, we presun^e, ingeniously invented to de^
scribe that most numerous of our English sects, those who
have no creed, and make no profession, at all.
Before we quit this subject, we cannot deny ourselves the
gratification of extracting a short passage, exculpatory of a
body of Christians, some of whose ministers we have the
pleasure to number amongst our friends and correspondents,
from the <^nsure which our author pronounces upon most
other sects, for not making a proper provision for their
ministers. '
^^ The Dutch congregations are to be regarded as a general ex-
ception to these remarks. This sober, stedfast peopte, deriving
their birth from the United Netherlands, where the wisest plan for
supporting the ministry of the Gospel, which the world has ever
known, had been long adopted, came to America with fixed habits
coaceming this . subject, and have hitherto retained them. They
pay the salary, which they have once engaged, so long as th^
minister lives, whether he be able or unable to officiate. In this
honourable conduct,' it is believed, they stand alone, and exhibit
an example worthy of being followed by those of every other reli-
gious denomination.'* [vol. iii. p. 261. J
No state- of the Union has discovered a more munificent
Hpirit in the promotion of leamincr, than that of New-York,
116 Reviett.-^State of New-England and NeunYork.
ih which a corporation has lon^ e^tisted iipder the title of
^' The tlegents of the Universitj of New- York/' invested
with full power to establish colleges and academies in
every part of the state, in which they may think tttem ne-
cesftaty* It is also charged with the gMeral superintend*
encie of literature, and ahntially reports the condition of its
seminaries to the legislature of the state, whifeh has pro-"
vided with a liberal hand for the three colleges and fifty
academies already established, besides famishing very large
funds for the support of the common schools.
Murder and treason are the only two^ crimes now capi-
tal here; felonies of all other descriptions being punished
by confinement in the State Prison for life ; and most othet
subordinate offences, by a similar confinement there for
fiborter periods.
Ih morals, it seems not, however, to be so e^templary aa
New-England ; for at Weymouth, Dr. Dwight was surpnsed
to. find a considerable number of men and women of the
neighbourhood assembled round a table in the inn at which
lie stopped, playing at cards, a thing he had never seen at
^h^ of the numerous inns at which he had sojourned, in jour«
heyings of at least fifteen thousand miles — a fact which we
notice to the credit of the New-Englanders.
' Near Stockbridge, he visited a village of Shakers, or
Shaking Quakers^ to whose enthusiastic vagaries be de*-
votes twenty pages of his work, where those . who are
feurious in tracing the singular aberrations of the human
itnnd, alike from sound reason and the plainest truths of the
gospel, will find much that may at once both please and
insti'udt them. Our limits compel us to be very brief in
our notice of this singular combination of blasphemv and
enthusiasm, which has happily confined itself, and win, we
hopie, ever be confined, to the new world. The sect derives
Us name, in which, unlike the epithets ^ven to most sectarian
distinctions, they glory^froiA one of the leading tenets of its
thembers. that ** the work which God promised to accom-^
^' plish in the latter day, was nnivetsally marked out by the
** prophets to be a work of shaking;" in support of which
opinion they quote Haggai ii. 7. " I will shake all nations,
'" and the desire of all nations shall come,'' and in fact every
text, indiscriminately, that happens to contain the word
shaken, or any of its derivatives. Their great head was,
and though she has.long since been dead, still is, with them,
'Anne Lee, the daughter and wife of a blacksmith, at Man-
chester; who, after having been imprisoned and confined in
Traveh by Dr. Dwigbt and Mr. Faux, ; Vl;?!
a mad-house in this country^ passed over to America in 1774«
and became the Johanna oonthcott of another h«aiii9phere<
She declared, and, wfaAt is more extraordinary, hnndit^dsr
beliet^d^and still believe, her blai^faemons declaration, that
she was the Word spoken of in scnptttre,-^that in her Ghrislx
appeared a second tine, — that there are two petsoiis in tlsv
Godhead; the Father and Wisdom, or the Holy Ofaost, who
is a woman, and held the place of the mother of whon^ Christ
was bom the Son of the Deity; as was also Anne Lee, the
blacksmith's wife, and the mother of four children, the
daughter, by whom the Holy Ghost or mother is revealed, as
the Son is by theTather. But why pollute our pa^es with such
blasphemous absurdities ? Suffice it to say, tnat after having;
pretended to miraculous gifts, and proved her title to them;|
by predicting the destruction of the world at a perjod long
smce gone by, and with a claim- to perfection whicli li^if
followers devoutly believe in having repeatedly got drunk
with spirituous liquors, which she called one of God's g9od
creature^, this woman, notwithstanding the confident expec-r
tations of her disciples that she was immortal, went the
way of all flesh in the year 1781, leaving her gifts to her
successors, who still lay claim to perfection, the miraculous
power of healing and speaking in unknown tongues. Some
of their tenets and practices closely resemble the very
worst features and dogmas of popery ; such, for instance; aa
the infallibility of their leader — the denial of all right p^
private judgment — the lawfulness of doing that which 19
wrong, to promote the good of the church — the eternal
damnation of all without their pale — confession of siiis
to the elders, (to whom they assert, that angels and de-
parted spirits also make confession of their transgres-
sions,) and penance in inflicting flagellations on their
disciples, ana even making them scourge themselves^ In
others, ihey resemble the New Jerusalem church, suohapi'
hearing angels and departed spirits sing, and enjoying visions
of the invisible world. In some points of discipline, and a
few of doctrine also, the Quakers have evidently been their
model, though they have pushed the constant influence . of
the Spirit, even in Uie minutest concerns of life, to a pdint of
absurdity to which the wildest fanatic in the early histoiy
of the society of Friends never approached; as witness the
following ludicrous tale, which we should not have vepturedf
to extract from the pages of a writer whose veracity was not'
so unquestionable as uiat of Dr. Dwight.
* • • •
** Among their other early peculiarities^ this was one, th^t they
118 Review, — State of New^England and New-York,
were always under the immediate and inspiring guidance of ^lie
Spirit of Gk>d. The direction of this diyine agent was made known
to them by an inrohmtary extension of the riffht arm, pointing
always towards some object, or business, which, uioagh abaolately
unknown to themselves, demanded, wkh a call from Heayen,. Abeir
iaunediale attentioa. A vava, of my ae^aiatancey wh^se tsavi had
alwi^s been wandering, who had gone from sect to. sect, to find. one
sufficiently religious, and from doctrine to doctrine, to find a scheme
sufficiently rigid for his own taste, ultimajtelv attached himself to thia
fraternity. A gentleman, at whose house he was with aome other
company, askea him to drink some punch. He declined, the pror
posal, and said, that the Spirit did not move him to drink punch,.
but to something else. In an instant his right arm was stretched
out, and he arose and followed the direction. It led him out of the
door, in a straight line, to a hog-trough, by the side of which he
dropped upon his knees, and m&de a hearty draught of the swill,
with a number of pigs, who were regaling themselves on the same
beverage.** [vol. iii. pp. 144, 146c}
They have, howlever, more successfally cdpied the neat
and industrious habits of so highly respectable, if some-
what enthusiastical body of Christians, as are the society of
Friends, maintaining themselviesr in a comnion fund by con-
stant labour, highly creditable to their own characters, and
advatitageouB to the whole community.' Amongst thefnsdVeS,
they live in great liannony, and their treatment of othefs is
fitif, sincere, and obliging. If, on the one hand, they are so
fanatical as to term a succession of unmeaning, half-^rt:-
culated sounds gotten by heart, and jigged out to the tuiie
of Nancy Dawson, singing by inspiration ill an unknown
tongue ; it is but candid to state, on the other, that they h6ld
more soberly, that a dirty, slovenly, careless, indolent person
cannot be religious, and every member of their society* is
accordingly required to be continually employed in hiode-
rate labour. They have several establishments in New-
England, Ohio, and other parts of the Union. * * * .
in this respect, at least, theii' practice seems to t>e, far
bettet than that of their neighbours, wbo bet\veeh theii' set-
tlenieilt and Utica, a distance of mor^ than' one hundred
miles, were generally in a low condition, both as to ihqrals
and religion; fathers and sons being not infrequently seen
at the same ga-ming table, swearing at^ ahd endeavouring to;
win money froin each pthef, aiid aealiiVg out by whotesale
mutual recriminations for cheating and lying, whilst remain-
ing at the ale-house to a late hour of the night, in a state of
bea;8tly intoxication. In close connexion with this spirit
of low gambling, a taste foi* horse-racing very generally
Traveb by Dr. Dwight d/irf Mr. Faiix, 1 19
pervaded this district, and, as usual, caDs for a severe vi^-
peratioA from the highly moral and religious tourist, whpHe
indignant censures of $t diversion pre-emiJQ^^tly Ebglish, vfi^
shall extract, for the edi^cation of iovefs. of. tl|e Wr.La^t
home* ■. .<•<••.••.;. . ,.i
"Among the causes .which hcfreascfeinMe m«khndes with'h^fa
pulsations of hope and pleasure, a horse-race is one of the most
memorable.' This diversion, when least exceptionable, is a depl<)«-
rabl^ dxhibitibi) of human debasement; The gentleman here dwin-
dles at once into a jockey; imbibes his spirit; assUtnes his station;
and, what is worse, sinks to the level of hit mor^Ht^. The (^ain
jBatt, at the same, heoomes a mere brute; sweats, ^ewises^ climts,
lies, and gets drank; extinguishing at once vtnue, reason^ and
character. Horse-racing is the box of Pandora, frem w^ch moite
and greater mischiefs flow than any man ever counted or mett-
sured.'^ [vol. in, pp. 161— 162;] i
, At BrothertowD, Dr. Dwight visited an. Indian settkmeM
of forty families, in a considerable degree of comfort and
civilization, and following the peaceful pursuits of agricul-
ture. This interesting village, formed a part of the town-
ship of Paris, whence a few hours' ride across and by the
banks of. the Mohawk, brought them to Rome, a very hum-
ble riviil of the eternal city, containing twenty houses at
the niost. /
In his visit to Long Island, which contains three of the
southern counties of this state, our observant traveller had
occasion to remark the ravages of the Hessian-fly j which
by regularly depositing its eggs in the autumn, just above
the first joint of the wheat, in the spring above the second,
and in summer above the third, aepnves the ear of its
jQutriment to such an alarming extent,' as well ni^h to have
compelled the discontinuance of its cultivation in Connec7
ticut, and materially to have diminished its produce in other
parts of New-England and New-York; to the amount of a
nundred thousand dollars a year.
' The religious and moral conditio^ of the inhabitants of
this Islana is very different tb'that of most other districts
of the important state of which it forms a part. This the Dr.
attributes to its insular si tiiati on— a strong attachment to
horse-taicing— the attractive' influience of the city of New-;-
Yorki separated fVom it but by a'narrow strait,, on person^
of intelligence a^d property — and, though Iast,not least, the
splitting up^ ad he nas it, of the people into' sects, leaving
the congrcigations small, and their ministers biit ill-siip-;
ported. Et hinc ilia dolores.
120 Meview. — SteUe of New-England and NetO'York.
'<In various parts of th^se two counties iix^ sabbal^is /coofider^
by tnady of tbe hihabitdnts as scarcely ^listainiog a sacrea charac-
ter. It is devoted ett^nsively to visiting, to ainusement, (inq,
dttifffg the seasons of mowing and harvest, not unfrequehtly to
labour. lb some places diere are, fbi^ long periods, no ministersi;
in others the people are the prey of i^orant teachers, recommended
by n9diiBg but ardour and vociferation* [vol. iii. p,'318«]
^ Iq traversing Lalce George, Dr. D wi^ht had an opporio-
tiity of witnessing a mode of stag-hunting, as new to us aA
it was to bim.
•
./<TbQ huntsmett wilii their hounds," he tellsuft, ^^roilte tiiem
from Uieic retr^ts in the fii^rest: when they invaedbtely beiaihe
tbeniselves to the waiter, ai^- tfwim towai>ds this eppoaike shore.
Qther buntamett, jsngagedl in the business, plaoe themselfies ontthe
points^ to watch their entrance iald the lake. Each: of thesis
provided with a small, light batteau, which he is able to row.fasisr
than the deer can swim. When he has overtaken, the deer, he
despitches him with si stroke or two of his oar,' and then tbWs him
back to the beach." [vol. in. pw 326.]
Bears ar^ caught here in the same manner, except that,
t)eing too dangerous to approach, they are shot.
To the description, of iNew-York, the capital of this sllate,
two letters are devoted^ iu. which the reader wUl fipd the
lQ[iost minute statistical plarticulars of its condition, at the
feriod of its beine visited l^y Di:. Bwight^ althpugli our «z-
audted limits, will allow of our npticing but few. One of its
jmdst attractjive objciC^ts to the curious visitor, is the Sta.^
Prison; but we have given so much more recent an account of
its condition in our pages, that we rather notice here^ a
sihgular provision or two of the city Bridewell, in the abo-
lition of whipping offenders there> fron^ its heing found
tevolting to th^ feelings of the community — the .punishmeut
of idleness in the task-work which they are compelled to
pettoTtii, by lessening their allowance, of fopd.; their emptoy-
iment ih repairing th^ public roads ; and the entrance eveii
jnto this place of punishment and disgrace of AioDericaii
j)ride of colpuri in i)ot permitting a white, rogue and va-
gabond, liM^Ie, &t the pleasure of .the municipality, to. be
chained to a barrow, as he wheels it along theipubUcstieeta,
to he subjected to the greater degradation of bcang locked
u|^ in the same prison-room, or associated.in work, of othei^-
Wise, with his fellow thief and vag^boqd the black* In tWe
city alms (or, as in England wo should call it, poor) boue^,
tt appears, that paupers are actually set to vforkj instead of
living in a state of idleness and ins^ctiou/ f^ they do witli us ;
Trateb hf Dr. Dwight and Mt. FimiX* \%\
in direct contradiction at once to the letter and ^he 8|^t
of the statute which humanity provided for tl^eii; relief, ..
The benevolent societies of this capital .aret v^ry nii^tr
ou8» and many of them (esf^^ially thqse vpde^ ^e directjm
of the ladies,) are productive pf great benefit to ih^ ofc^Wf
of their bounty. We regret, however, to find«: that ^aimHiffst
the other sex, societies professedly established for cbaritapl^
purposes ere inade most convement and effectual political
et^i^iiies in influencing electrons. .
The inhabitants of New- York are remarkable for their
industry^ but not so for economy^ the magnificent a^d
es^pensive style of Uvio^, which has of late years been so
extensively ,i|itroduced into most of our laige commercial
towns, (where they are also sea ports, especially,) haviirg
induced many of them to live far above their means; though
Dr; D wight gives to its mercbantSji a character for<&ir apd
honourable trading, which we have every reason tq. believe
to be their due. Tbey.are distinguished for hospitalit]^*
and, generally speaking, by a virtue not always its associ-
ate, sobriety. The clergy of all denomination^ are ^herf
highly esteemed, a|id treated with very great respect^.as
we should expect would be the case in a metropolis, a very
large p]X)portion of whose inhabitants are on the best
grounds believed to be religious; and where we are fejoiced
to heax And know, that evangelical religion and vital godli-
ness are nsakiog rapid progress. The vanities and ftmuse*
ment&of this world are nevertheless pursued here, at least
wiih as rnxkok avidity as in most other large towns ; theatric
cal aitertainments, assemblies, balls, concerts, and other
modes of killing time, being more favourite objects *of
attachment and pursuit, than consists either with the pro-
fession of religion, or the possession, with a due attentioil
to its dictates, of common sense.
** The general attachment to learning*' is said, by Dr.
Dwight^ *' to be less vigorous in this city than in Boston ;
commerce having originally taken a mone entire possessioo
of the minds of its inhabitants/' He admits, however, that
the character of those inhiabltants has for some tame past
been> materially and advantageowsly changing in this respect;
and, as far as we can judge by a very extensive coms^pofld*
ence Wfth both cities, the love and the enltitatioki ofhlfefa*
ture is now pretty equally diffused through the capitals of
Massachusett and of mw-York.
Columbia college, established in thi^ city, is attended by
very manjf of the children of the m6i'0 opulent ihhabitants.
i22 R^view.'^Siaie iff NeUhEngtand^id New* York.
• • •
lint it has the dis&dvantffges of having n6 other tutors
than the professors, and of leaving the students to lodge
Inhere they can in the city; a practice subversive of acade-
lbi<^al discipline, diongh one, we ar^ fully aware/shared ttl
tebmmon with our Scotch Universities, atid from whieii
Cambridge itself is hot enth-ely free WiihUU the Paci-
lities for instruction so abundantly furnished' her^, many
|>6rsons can yet neither read nor write, though, to theii*
shame be it added, most of them are Europeans. It can
Scarcely be necessary 16^ remind our readers, ere we quit
New- York, of the celebrity of its steam*boats, which afiord
a ready and very convenient mode of conveyance thence
to the most distant parts of the United States, and to
Europe. . With the spirit of improvement and of enter-
prise, which has prompted them thus extensively to avail
thetnselves of this important invention, we are surprised to
fihd that the inhabitants of this great city are still miser-
ably supplied with water, one of the first objects, we should
have thought, to which patriotic speculation would have
been directed.
In journeying throtlgh this state to the majestic falls of
Niagara, Dr. Dwight experienced some of those inconveni-
ences of meeting with inna but in names and signs, to
which travellers through the less frequent^^d parts of out
own country, are (as we have often painfully experienced)
somewhat ihore thati occasionally exposed; and the contract
which they exhibited to the inns of his native state, seems^
as we should guess from the fallowing vituperative philip-
pic, father to have disturbed the wonted equanimity of hid
temper.
"About four miles from the ferry, we came to an inn, kept by a
Scotchmaii, tiam^d Hanna. Within this distance we called at
several others; none of which could furnish us a dinner. I call
them inns, because this name is given to them by the laws of the
state; and because each of them hung out' a sign, challenging- this
title; But the law has nicknamed. Uiem, and the signs are liars;
It is said^ aad I suppose truly, that in this state aiiy aian, who' will
pay for an innkeeper's license, obtains .'one of course. In conse-
quence of this, practice, the numbec of bouses^ wbic^ bear the
appellation, is already enoroiQus. Too m.an3( of. then^.fice.nieref
dram-shpps; of no otl^er use thaii to deceive, disappoint, and. vejX^
S»vellers,4nd to spread little circles of drunkenness throughput
e state: The government probably derives from thei;n a small
pfsewiary benefit; but the purpose, for which the license is given,*
18 frustrated, No inquiries, if I am correctly informed, are made
Concerning the character of those, to whom ihey are distributed.
Traveb by Dr. D wight and Mr. Faux. 123
Not a quention is asked, whellier they are iable or unable to enter^
tain travellers; whetlier they are men of 'lair repataticMi, or of ttoae.
No ay stem is formed, noreatrietioos are preaeribed^ The -ol^jefet vi
leftta ohaiieey and the- licenses are offered forsaley as goods, waoes;
md merchaiidise. llie affects of this oegHgence in the govero-
ment of tha state wte^ daplp^^l^^ A traveller,ia£ter passrog from
inn to inn in a tedious succession, finds that he can g^t nothing, for
his horse, and nothing for Jiimself. At the same time he is po*
lested, by jaight and by day, by a collection of dram-drinkers, who
offend his eye by their drunkenness, and his ear with their profane-
ness and obscenity ; while they prevent or disturb his sleep, by the
noise and tiot of their intoxication.' In many parts of this state,
whether the object of the traveller be food or lodg-iftg, he must dili-
gently inquire, at a sufficient previous distatice, for a. comfortable
place of entertainment; and must shorten or lengthen his jour-
ney, so as to suit these indispensable purposes/' [vol. iv. p. 15.]
, These, however, are some of the ordinary ijuisances of
travellers in every country, even iti bur o^n, where travel-
ling is confessedly more convenient thati in any other in
ihe world : pass we therefore, to some not quite so common,
in the treating of wolves around the path of* our tourist'i|
party, as they *journ eyed tihfough the WesteiH* regi6ns of this
state, where the^e animals often do much 'mischief to the
flocks of sheep and 'other smaller cattle, and are sometimes
ao bold as to attack men at day-light; wtiilst at night, com-
panies of tb^m frequently compel individuals travelling
alone, to betake themselves to tre^s for safety; and have
confined them to their unpleasant lodging until the morning
ddwned. Prom such an attack' by day, and such a lodging
for the night, the present party was* sufficiently secured by
its number^, and reached in safety the falls of Niagara, which
have beeni too frequently described, to permit of pur taking
any further notice of them in this extended article, (wit5
the main objects of which they are also utterly uncon-
nected,) thah earnisstly to recommend to our readers, the
very minute ^yet; spirited sketch of them, drawn by Dr,
Dwight, on whose well-sto'red mind, their siiblimiiy pro-
duced an effect *6iiilila'r. to the disturbance^ of the mighty
waters beneath, anU the ibnely gi"andeur of every tning
around him. ' *' *^ .\. . \^[
The western states of NeW- York, through Which the tra-
vellers retrafced their homeward steps, exhibit' frequent inr
staniies of the lingular disease $b common in some of the
mountainous districts df Switzerland, and there calle4
goHres; and We learn, from information collected by Pr*.
Dwight, that the same extraordinary and most unsightly
124 Review.'-^State &f Nm-S^lcnd md N^uh. York.
sweUjQg of the Qeckr eta exieiif ively pervadie»greftt purt of the
regioiM9 lying north of tfie Ohio, and veil of the Alleghany
loountaiiia. Womea are here mom severely afflieted with
tbia disease ihaa meD, feeble than vigoroua persona, cbflv
dren than adulta ; nor though in its later stages it increases
to great personal deformity, not only as an ntinaturai pro-
tuberance, but by imparting a diMigreeable cast or distor-:
tion to the features of the face, does any method of
cnre appear to have been discovered, save in the re-
moval of the patient to a part of the country where the
disease is unknown, when it not uncommonly docreasesj,
and sometimes totally disappears. This ci^rciun^t^Qce shews^
that, as in Switzerland, the disorder depends upon some-
thing peculiar in the soil ; and the fact, that ev^ry diatrict pf
America, wherein this singular affaclion prevails, is calca^
reous, tends very strongly to confirm the ingenious sugges-
tion of Mr. Coxe, that the' disorder is caused in Switzerland
by matter of that description there called tuff.
We are fully conscious of having far exceeded the litiaits
of a Veview in this present article, and .therefoi'e bring it
to a. close, by briefly stating our reasons for this departure
from our usual course. Anxious to give our readers a correct
notion of the state of things in America, we have e;itraeted
from ^ work of upwards of two thousand very closely
printed pages, the most interesting particulars of a native
American's account of New-England and New-York, as im-
portant as any of the states of the Union ; apd the singular
character and arrangement of that work has compelled u^
to do this at unwonted length, or to leave our o4]ject in***
complete and unattained. The travels of Or. I) wight con^
tain a great mass of valuable information, and many very
eloquent ftnd entertaining passages; but it is, withal so
unusually rheavy a composition ; so full of minute and tedi-
ous details of insignificant circumstances, that we fear few
persons, unassured of their sterling merit, will have r,eaolu-
tion to encounter the fatigue of wading through an accurate
enumeration of the various traders in lumber, butchers'^
schools, inns, tallow chandlers, Windsor -chair makers^
tailors, barbers, clergymen, lawyers, physicians, and sur-
geons— or, of (the number of horses, oxeju, aad cows,
within the limits of a particular township. Nor will their
tedium be very sensibly relieved by long biographical no-:
tices of men, whose lives furnish not incidents, and whose
names are not important enougb« for an obituary in a ma-
gazine.
Traveb by- Dr. Dwight and Mr. Faux . 126
With somje of these notices of men who took an acttye
{)art in the American Revolution, or who are otherwise
amiliar to English ears, they will, however, we douht dot, be
as pleased as we have been, especially with those of the
Edwards, Bedell, Colonel Allen, Generals Am61d, Lyman,
Patham, and Sir William Johnstone; nor will their author's
very detailed, if somewhat national account of the prin*
cipal battles and leading incidents of the Retolation, and
the preceding wars with the French, be less amusing and
instractive. Most Englishmen will also be delighted with
the antigalican and antijaoobin spirit pervading a work,
which, as the production of a zealous American, they would
have ej^pected to exhibit other, and very opposite prejudices.
It also abounds with sketches of the nistory, character^
manners, and habits of the Indian aborigines of the coun-^
try, as interesting as in most instances they are novel to*
E^lish readers.
Of the Americanisms, and other defects of its style, let the
following ihstances suffice: — ^' sinuous ingenuity of the
French,* *' with water round the year,*' instead or the year
round ; " semi-annUal,'* *' semi-cfapital,*' " lives at a provi-
dent disftance within his income,'' ** continually receiving
benefits "for the efficacy of a moderate sum/' ** govermental
measures," " rectilinear integrity," *Hhe prisoners are confined
to hard labour, the avails of which go to their support/'
" we 'arrived at sun-down," '* unwkrpin^ public spirit/'
** the Iqdians killed and captiTated,'* (meaning, captured, •'a
half-shire town,"* *' often they will not come together at
all/' ** and wears the aspect of thrift," ** attest to the justice
of these observations,*' " views and intentions wholly diverse
from/* **anew bridge crosses the Connecticut against the
city,** ''well-appearing houses," " the swamps they could
not causey,"" the property designated in this bequest was
loaned on interest, " with a snail-like progress, therefore
we trembled through this part of our way," " any legal meet-
in^ warned for that purpose," ^a good degree of pro-
pnety,'**^* a good share of information," 8tc. ''a eountiitg-
room," " a well-appearing man," '* aside from the change of
hue/' "sparsely formed,' ''the usual powers attached ta the
gabematorial chair," " the waters of Lake George are fine
airf potable," "^ 206 killed outright," " the school-law hereto-
fore recited," " scarcely at all inhabited," " a few other dis-
eases are rife in this conntry/' ** its site -is a handsome
plain, limited westward by hills/' "of this township We sair
nothing but a skirt."
126 Review^ — New Method (^acquiring the Reading of
. To. th^sei i¥e may add the fbllonfiog entire sentences, or
niateri^I parts of them: — " Sand appears, I think, evidently,
to be a congeries of multifarious materials ;*' " in sufficient
season for (Hvine service;'' " nor did I ever before mistrust
how mach a human being can resemble a monkey ;" *' out
travellers pursued their stag with entire decency;" *'bur com-
panions were even uncensurs^le for their wishes ;" " the water
IS of an elegit hue, and appearing as if a soft lustre un-
dulated every where on its surface, with a continual and
brilliant emanation;" "the beauties of the shore and of
the islands are at least double, by being arranged in the
fine expanse, below which they are seen in perpetual suc^
cession, depending, with additional exquisiteness of form,
and firmness of colouring ;" ''those who. can get along
with some aid, short of an entire subsistence, are left at
home, and called out-door poor/'
Of Mr. Faux's book, we can only say at present, that it
is well worUiy the attention of Englishmen proposing to
emigrate to America, though we intend to resume our notice
of it on a future occasion, in connexion with some Ame-
rican and English works, enabling us to give as complete
a view of the other states of the American Union, as we
have now done of its eastern ones, and the most impor-
tant of its middle division.
The length to which this has unexpectedly extended ^^
will, we are assured, excuse our substituting this review,
for our usual American intelligence; or rather, for not
adding, under that head, to the information collected here.
LA New Method of acquiring the Readingof Hebrew ^itti
the Vowel Points, accordingto the ancient Practice. By ui
Experienced Teacher. On a Folio Sheet. London, 1822.
. Ogle and Duncan.
2. An Easy Method of acquiring the Reading of Syriac with
. the Vowel Points, oy an Experienced Teacher of Oriental
. Languages. On a Folio Sheet. London, 1822* Ogle
and Duncan.
3. An Easy Method of acquiring the Reading of Arabic with
the Vowel Points. By an Experienced Teacher of Oriental
. Languages. On a Folio Sneet. London, 1823. Ogle
. and jDuncan.
' We consider these modest and unassuming tables ad-
mirably calculated to answer the purpose for which they
seem mainly to have been constructed the ansistance of
Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic^ ioUh Vowel Points. 127
schools aad.pri]Kate families, id the insl^ietipn of.vo«ith of.
both sexes^ (for we rejoice to know* tWit the study of the
Hebrew laoguage at least is occupying sonue portion of that
time which, in female tuition, was formerly wasted on mere
accomplishments, and even on more frivolous pursuits.) in
the acquisition of the three most inckportant of the Oriental,
languages, with the vowel points ; a mode of reading them,
the knowledge of which, to say the least of it, can do no
harm. These tables are divided into three lessons, the
second in each case containing the vowel points of the
language, (in the Syriac,both the ancient and modern ones,)
with the rules for their pronunciation, well illustrated
in the third, by their annexation to every letter of the alpha*
bet, the pronunciation of which is given in small Roman
letters under it. The Hebrew table coijitains .for its first
lesson, the different alphabets in use among the Jews,
i.e. besides the one. commonly adopted, the Rabinical
character, so called from its use by the Rabins, both in
printing and in manuscript, though tne latter is now chiefly
confined to the Portuguese and Eastern Jews ; and the Ger-
man Hebrew, employed by the German and PoliiA Jews in
works printed in their vernacular tongues. The other two
contain for their first lessons, the forms final, (separate and
joint) medial, and initial, of each letter, with its sound and
pronunciation, in Roman letters, which are also given in
the two laat columns of the firHt Hebrew lesson.
From this brief account of their contents, and we cannot
from their very ndture give more, the self-instructing student
in these Oriental Languages, and even those who have made
considerable advances in their acquisition, will be enabled
to determine, whether the small sum of four shillings and
sixpence, (for they are published at so low a price as eigh-
teaa pence each,) would be thrown away in giving them a
place upon the walls of their study. We thijy^ not; but on
the contrary, very cordially commend them to. the notice of
every one engaged in the acquisition of the Hebrew, Syriac,
and Arabic languages.
From the imprint, we conclude that their author is Mr.
Borrentslein,m08t probably a German teacher of languages,
in the metropolis; and though we never heard of his name
before, we are so pleased with the design and execution of
these cheap and very useful tables, as to.receive, with pecu
liar satisfaction, the announcement of a concise Grammar
of the three tongues to which those tables relate, divided
into easy lessons, as a work which he is now pfeparing for
res Pottty.
the prefts. Several oriental grammars have, we are aware,
been published within a few years, some of them books of
great merit; but they are so critical, abstruse, dissertational,
and witbal so expensive, that for the work of tuition, we cannot
but consider, a cheap and practical grammar of the Hebrew^
Syriac, and Arabic, by a practical man, a desideratum.
POETRY.
AFFLICTION.
*^ WHOM HI LOVETH, HE CH^STISSTH V*
Ah, why, when I feel the soft hand of mv God^
Should I murmur because of the psun f
Oh, no !— let me cheerfully bow to the rod,
As I kiss it again and again.
The hand of a Father, in mercy is laid,
On the son whom he loves, to chastise;
And though I go down the dark valley to tread,
I've a rod, and a staff, and a prize.
That prize is not gold, nor is it diamonds rare.
Nor riches, nor honour, nor fame ;
Nor garments made costly by silver so fair.
The Mammon of earthly acclaim !
Tis a crown, starr'd with wonders of rickier arrays
Than all this vain world can afford;
More bright than the orient splendours of day,
And sure as the oath of his word. ^
His bow in the cloud is his promise to man,
I have seen it stretch'd over die sky,
And gaz'd with ecstatic delight on the span.
As the brilliant arch mounted on high.
Its colours have faded, but not in my mind
Has so faded the promise of rest;
For traces are left on my bosom behind.
Of the way to the land of die blest.
The cross on the mountain, — when darkness was nigh.
And Jehovah groan'd under the load ;
When endless compassion gave Jesus to die,
And Heaven spread weeping abroad I —
PiK^ry. 129
When blood was the sacrifice, — Christ was the L^mb,
And all nature beheld him expire,
An atonement for sin, — by the promise h/s came.
As *^ with burning and fuel of fire/'
And will not my God, with his Son, freely give.
Whatsoever is needful for me ;
When he bids me drink deep at the fountain, and live,
Of his grace, and for ever be Iree?
Peace, peace, doubting heart, and no longer complftin.
Thy Father is loving and Idnd ;
He bids thee look up, and give sorrow and pain.
And thy sighs, to the wings of the wind.
Then, on thy dear bosom, my Lord, 111 recline^
Till doubt shall distress me no more ;
Already, by faith, the great promise is mine.
And I long to behold and adore.
There, there I shall dwell in inefiabl^ light.
And range the wide palace abroad ;
And ever be thine, and be blest with die sight,
And the smiles, and the glory of God.
ffistoih R* M*
EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY HOPES.
Soft was the slumVring dream, a gaudy train
Of exhalations, from a youthful brain,
Pass*d closely round my couch, and Hehk wove
Her roseate gtoland, — Genius stood with Fame
Painting a thousand rainbows, — that my name
Would travel through the world, and hallow'd love.
With silken toils and lambent wings, would move
Elysian hopes. When, lo I they cruel fled
Quick as the vanish'd spirits of the dead.
I woke in tears, — ^I saw a heavenly ray,
Not bright, but pure; the dawning of a day
Free from illusion, and a gentle voice,—
O ! 'twas the sweetest music^^whisper'd peace,
And on my ravish'd senses still increas'd.
And bade n^e look for everlasting joys.
And antedate a bliss that never cloys.
I gaze, and am not mock'd, — a light is g^ven,
A stream of glory from the throne of Heaven,
J.K.F.
VOL. VIII. — NO, 1. K
ISO P&^ttf.
THE ADVICE OF JJUSHIREWAN TO HIS SON HORMUZ,
JtJST BEFOR£ flIS D&ATH.
From the Boitan, or Garden of the Persian Poet Sadi.
Hear, thou, my Son, the orphan's crie«>
And wipe the widow's jteerful eyes ;
Nor think the moDarfsh can be blest.
Who lolls him on the couch of rest ;
For, if the careless sheph^d sleep,
Whe^ wolres are near.-^who guards the sheep ?
Protect the people, — they alone
Secure thine empire, :^d thy thronis ;
Thou art t^e tree» a^ Aej Ijhe roots,
FrofB which thy branch of grsmdeiir shoots*
/3.
TftE SUSCEPTIBLE MINB.
Frqa "Jlortl Pi«aM, in Pfoie ud Vene, by Lydu Homtlby," of Jbrf^brtf.
Connecticut,
Hast thou seen the Mimosa, within its soft cell^
AU lihrkikiiig<aiid ^iffifering stand,
And draw in its tendrils, «nd fold its young leaves,
, From the toueh of 4he keedfiMTcWt kMndl
Hast tbou seen the jo»mf >A4pea ihal 'tiembks and sigh
Qn the bi^th of the liaperjiiig wind ?
Oh! these a«e but emblemed in^ocfeot and fiaint.
Of the fil>riiikiiig dadsesisitiviedaitad.
* ■ '/ I
filPE.
Ifre
'I 'Hi ii
4>iie is iik&ia paidled dream,
Like ^he^fapid maaaakBr-gtB
i^kit ihe lisslBag meleorls otiy^
Like ^he 'shaHest^wiitter^s tdsf ,
LilB the 'fitful kscOs» Ifaat
Iske (the 'wcwenug rflame tliat
•Daitmg^-^vfazalitig oh tjhe^gya,
Fading in Eternity.
cc
Om the Standard of Taste. " An Essay intended ta compete
for a Prize, given by the University of Glasgow, By the
late William Fhienp Dubant. Pabt I.*
" It is with g^ood reason, sa^s Sancbo to the Squire with the great note, du^
t pretend to have a jadgraent in wine : this is a qaalitj bereditarj in oar fiiinil j*
Two of vj kinsisan were once eailed to give Iheir opinion of a hogshead, which was
supposed to be excellent, being old, and of a good Yintue. One of theqn tastes il^
considers it; and, after matare reflection, prononnces the wine to be good* were it
ADt for a small taste of leather, which he perceived in it. The other, after asing
the same precaation, gives his verdict in favoor of the wine; bat with the reserve St
a taste of iron, which he coald easiljr distingaish. Yon cannot imagine how maoV
the^ wore both ridicoled for their iodgment. But who laoghed in the end? Oli
emptjiog the hogshead^ there was foimd at the bottosi an wd kej with a leatlieiy
thong tied to it!" .
What is the Standard of Taste ? Is it to be ascertained by
attending to that constitution, in consequence of which the
" common nature'* appears at once '' invariable" and '^yex^
fect?'*t Or, if "some particular forms or qualities nom
the original structure of the internal fabric are calculated
to please, and others to displease ;" and, *' if in the sound
state of the organ there be an entire or considerable unifor-
mity of sentiment among men"j: — ^in what way can we so
aocuraiely determine the original constitution of the human
mind, as to be justified, in considering decidedly erroneous
every thing diot deviates from one standard ? Can we, from
what we know of the human mind, safely deduce the prin-'
»
* Our limits compel us to make a division which does not exist
in the original Essay. Of that Essay, the father of its lamented
author, gives the following account in his most interesting memoir
<»f bis ffingularly gifted son: — ** Though the Essay could not he pre-
sented for competition, hoth Dr. Wardlaw and I thought it not
undesirahle, that a few of the professors, who knew and respected
my son, should see it. In a letter, dated ' March 2, Dr. Wardlaw
says, ' I have this morning sent the exercise on Taste to Mr. Mylne,
accompained with an explanatory letter. It is one, I think, whioh
Wll more th^u maintain (dear lamented youth I) the high reputation
he had acquired. Alas ! that that reputation should now attach to
the memory only, instead of attending, as we fondly hut vainly hoped,
the living author, through an active, and brilliant, and (what is best of
all) useful career ! The perusal of it has only served to awaken aU
my hitter, and, I had almost said, and I fear I might say, with too
much tmth, i$^del regret^. But, oh ! if all were as clear U> us, as it
Is to the Supreme Disposer himseU^ where would be the trial of faith?
where the room for the exercise of trust? * Be still, and know that
I am God.' ^ f Elements of Cri^cism, f«ii. 36t. <
I Hume's Essays and Treatises part i. ep^ ?9* . .
VOL. Vlli. — NO. 2. L
132 The Standard of Taste ;
ciples of criticism ? Is it strictly true» that '' none of the
rules of composition are fixed by reasonings aprioriV* Is
" Taste a sort of compound power, in which the light of the
understanding always mingles more or less with the feelings
of sentiment? t Or, ought a line of distinction to be drawn
between "Taste and the natural sensibility to beauty?'^:): so
that the presence of the latter " does not necessarily imply"
the existence of the former? Such are a few of the ques-
tions, to which our attention is demanded.
To avoid the perplexity which metaphysicians have intro-
duced into this subject, I shall take the liberty of stating
what I conceive to be the real object of our present inquiry.
Thus throwing out the extraneous matter which disputants
have so copiously introduced, — our labour will be consider-
ably diminished. How can we, in any instance, ascertain
the correctness of taste ? Here the subject naturally divides
Itself into two branches; to each of which it will be neces-
sary to devote a share of attention. Our first inquiry, then,
^bail be. In what sense can Taste be denominated correct ?
Our second. By what common standard is its correctness, in
any particular instance, to be estimated?
First.-— /n what sense can Taste be denominated correct.
, Dependent as Mind is, for her first ideas, on those mate-
rial organs which are, from their nature, solely couvertant
with t^e phenomena of the material world, all our nations
on the subjects of mental science have necessarily a very
4itrong atfiaity to those tmins of thought by which the atten-
tion 18 ?Jiore usually occupied. Few things, however, have
E roved more injurious to the interests of knowledge, thian
as analogical reasoning from the movements of matter, to
the operations of the thinking principle. Any attempt to
eiuciaate the latter by a reference to the former, is apt, un-
less managed with extreme caution, to degenerate into, a
mere series of affected and iinmeaning conceits. Never, I
ithink, has the truth of this position been more fully db-
played than by the writers who have discussed the question
we are about to consider. These reasoners, not content
with establishing a metaphysical doctrine on nothing better
than the ambiguous meaning attached to a single werd —
determined to push to its utmost extreme the fancied ana-
logy betwefen the external senses and the internal. Finding
themselves pressed by unconquerable difficulties, they have
• Hume, ibitfem. f BlaiVs Rhetoric, lecture h*.
X Suwart'f Phil.Eftsayg, Essay iii. on Taste, chap; 3.
An Essay, by W. F. Durant. 135
inecourse to reasonings as inconclusive as they are unneces-
sary ; and« at last, are satisfied with evasion instead of reply.
The analogy between the sensations of the palate^ and the
ensotions <rf beauty — ^incomplete as it is — might, had it been
steadily prosecuted, have conducted them to a correct result.
But when met by objections, they attempt to account, on
principles already admitted, for facts apparently irreconcile-
able ; and never seem to have examined the foundation of
their system, or to have suspected any defect in the premises,
of which their whole argument presupposed the correctness.
I ought, perhaps, to apologize for speaking so strongly with
reference to men of such undoubted superiority, as were
-some of those to whose sentiments I have alluded. If,
therefore, I am occasionally compelled to express my decided
convictions on so delicate a subject, let it be understood
that my reflections are intended to dpply^ not to individuals^
but to opinions.
No maxim seems to have been at once more offensive,
and more perplexing, than the proverb, that '' there is no
disputing about tastes." The analogy, which some writers
have been at such pains to verify, seems here completely to
fail. It may, however, throw no little light on the sub-
ject, if, without entirely deserting an illustration which
plac<
sensation can be, in strict philosophical accuracy, denomi-
'tiated correct, or incorrect. ** If any one," (I quote from
Dr. Blair) '' should assert that sugar was bitter, and tobacco
was sweet, no reasoning could avail to prove it."* Nor, I
would add, to disprove it; if the assertion mean no more
than that the substances referred to, produce, in the parti-
cular instance of the individual who makes that assertion,
the effects here ascribed to them. If he be, however, para-
doxical enough to assure us that tho taste of others resembles
his own ; in what way do we answer him ? Not by appeal-
ing to some common standard, of which he is so constituted
as immediately to recognize the authority ; but by referring
him to facts. The question, we should say, is one that
must be decided by experience ; and, to reason about it, is
foolish and unnecessary, beeanse the testimony of all man-
kind is against you.
' With tne emotions of Taste, the cause is exactly similar.
Were any man to tell me that a Chinese temple, with its
* Blair's Leeturss on Rbet; &e. lee. ii.
134 The Standard of Taste:
frippery ornaments^ appears to him more beautiful thao tlie
simple and majestic elegance of the Parthenon; I would
not attempt to disprove the asserted fact. The fact is, wi^
him, a matter of consciousness ; and, feeling as he doe8«-r-
he can no more doubt that the Chinese temple is, as far as
his sentiments are concerned, the more beautiful building of
the two ; than, in the case above mentioned, he could quei^
tion the sweetness of tobacco, or the bitterness of sugar .-^
If he were^ however, to ^o any farther, and to assert, that
the object of his admiration excited the same emotions in
the breasts of others, I should again say, that this is a
question of individual consciousness; and that his state-
ment is opposed to the almost universal exp^ence of
mankind.
How then does it happen, it will be asked, that, in cases
so strictly analogous, such different modes of treatment are
adopted ? No argument will alter the taste of my friend, in
the one case ; and, however convinced he may oe, that the
peculiarity of his sensations arises from some malforroati<m
of the organ, those sensations remain unaltered. In the
other case, however, argument or thought may, and probably
will, be effectual in removing the first impression, and in
producii^ a relish for purer and simpler beauties : so far
from despairing of my object, I exert myself with the hope
of effecting it. I endeavour to shew him, that his present
sentiments are inconsistent with his feelings under ana-
logous circumstances ; and deduce the conclusion^ that his
mistake arises from some unmarked association that has
influenced his decision. I point out the proofs Qf wisdavi
which he may previously have overlooked* I shew him 4be
intended expression, to which his habits of thought may
have rendered him hitherto insensible* I trace, m every
portion of the edifice, the marks of supenor intelligence;
and display, in the united whole, harmony of parts^ and
uniformity of design* If I am able to convince ais untd^r^
standing, a new emotion succeeds to that which he before
cherished; his bosom swells with sentiments of adakirationk;
and his feelings undergo a change corresponding to that
which has taken place in his intelkctual habits*
The reason of this is sufficiently obvious : imf»!essioDS on
the external organ are. uniformly succeeded by sentmlioli.
Emotion, on the contrary, is never excited withcmt a pre-
vious intellectual operatic^. The same imi^ession on the
mat^ri^l organ, umformly produices the saaaei sensaiioii;
and the same judgment, or conception of the mind, is as
An Iksay, hy W. F. Dahmt. iB^
VBifermly followed by the same emotion* While, howoTer;
the same material sobstance, in contact with the organ,
generally produces the same effect on thai organ ; and while
the same material effect is always followed by the same
sensation; sensations themselres are not connected by so
close a tie with the conceptions to whi<^ they give rise ;
nor, of consequence, with the emotions by whicn tnese con-
ceptions are sncceeded. By producing a change, therefore,
kk the judgments which we form with regard to the objeota '
of any of our senses, we produce a correspondent change in:
the emotions to which the perception or the recollection of
diese objects gires rise. An alteration in the intellectual
process affects the subsequent emotion as entirdy as the
substitution of one body for another would affect the move-*
aaents of the nervous system, and the sensation conse-^^
qnent. I should scarcely have deemed it worth my while
to expend so much time on the establishment of a proposi«
tion apparently so obvious, did it not appear that inatten-
tion has often betrayed the best writers into a strange con-
fasion of ideas, or, at least, into remarkable ambiguity of
expression.
Lord Eaimes, ia his Elements of Criticism, commence*
ffici essay, on the standard of Taste, with the following^
remarks : ** That theoe is no disputing about tas(tea-r*-meaib*
iitg taste in its figurative as well as proper senoie-^is a si^-i
in^ so generally reoeifved, as to haye beccHne a provetb. Ond
thing, even at first view, is evident, that if the proverb hold
true witJi respect to Taste in its proper meaning, it mqfwt
hold true with respect to our other external senses : if the
pleasures of the palate disdain a comparative trial, and
reject all cidticism, the pleasures of toiuek, of smeU^ of
sound, and .even of sight, must be equally privileged. At
that rate, a man is not within the reach of censure, eiren)
where be prefers the Saracen's heiad upon a sign-poet^'
before the best taUature of Raphael; or a rude Gothic
tower, before the finest Grecian building ; or where he pre-)
fets the smell of a rotten .caix>ase .before that of the mpst
odoriferous flower; or discords before the most eixquisite
harmony."* Now, without at present iioticing <the general
tendency of the reasonii^ heiie introduced — what a confu-*
taxm is here of things tluit most essentiaUy differ-r-of the
mere organic .pleasme, and the emotions of beauty and sub<>>
limity ! The author evidently, gives us to understand,, that
we approve of an exquisite painting-^are charmed with a
^ Elements of Giit. ebap. 36.
136 . The Standard of Tasie :
saUime and expressive piece of musical composition — pre-
fer the architecture of a polished and intellectual people,
before th^t of military barbarians, in the infancy of civilisa-
tion— enjoy the delightful sensations com>mumcated by .a
fragrant nosegay, and shrink with disgust from die stench
of a rotten carcase-^all on one and the same principle. For
this inadvertence, I find it difficult to account, sinee^ how
close soever might be the .supposed analogy between the
senses and the refiex senses — between the '' conviction*' aiWIt
admiration of what Lord Kaimes denominates '^ the common
nature," and that adaptation by means of which physical
gratifications are, through the external, organ, derived firom
its appropriate objects ;r— no mau, surely, would confound
the sensation with the emotion; the physical with the in-
tdlectual pleasure. The distinction between internal and
external senses (how obscure soever that distinctiod may be)
is, at least, a proof that a difference between them is ac-
knowledged to exist. Every argument adduced recognizes
the distinction by impliedly allowing that, the subject is
capable of elucidation. And it surely need not be repeated^
that sensation is not susceptible of analysis, or of any proof,
illustration, or stand abd, beyond the feelings and testi-
mony of the individual. It is^ therefore, certainly desirable
to attend to the distinction which I have just attempted to
lay down; because, although every author may not have
been led into errors so remarkable as those to which I have
just adverted, — scarcely any have, till of very late years,
expressed themselves at all unobjectionably. When Mr.
Hume, who was himself adverse to the notion of any new
or peculiar sense— after, having come to the important,
although imperfect, conclusion that " reason, if not an essen-
tial part of Taste, is at least requisite to the operations of the
latter iaculty"*-^soes on to speak of the organs of internal
sensation, and of their labouring under some defect, or being
^'vitiated by some disorder ;''. can we help regretting that he
is encumbered with this technical phraseology. Does not
even his penetration appear to have have suffered from the
^influence of this forced analogy?
In a word, nothing can be truer than an assertion of Dr.
Blair's, of which, indeed, his own subsequent reasonings
afford a practical illustration— >that ''there are few subjects
on which men. talk more loosely and indistinctly than on
Taste.^t This indistinctness is^ as I have before hinted,
*' Ham^'s Essays and Treatises, p. 2. Essay xxiii.
t Blair's Lectures on Rhet. lect. ii.
.2
.4
I
«
An Essay, iy W. F. Dunmt. 137
attributable to the strange confasion of emolion with tetME*
tioD. That this obscuhty was the consequenoe less of in*
advertence than of a mistake which lay at the root of the
syatem^ may, I think, be gathered from the style of reason*.
iQg by which these writers support the opinions of which
they are the advocates. Dr. Blair has been pleased to give
us, in the following passage, some insight into the meaning.
which he attaches to the term thus frequently employed:
" Taste," says he, ** may be defined, the power of receiving
pleasure from the beauties of nature and of art. The first
question that occurs concerning it, is, whether it is to be
constidered as an internal sense, or as an exertion of reason ?
KeasQn.is a very general term, but if we understand by it
that power of the mind, which, in speculative matters, ais-
covers truth, and, in practical matters, judges of the fitness
of means to an end, I apprehend the question may be easily
answered. For nothing is more clear than that Taste is not
resolvable into any such operation of reason. It is not
merely through a discovery of the understanding, or a de*
duption of argument, that the mind receives pleasure from a
beautiful prospect, or a fine poem. Such objects often
strike us intuitively, and make a strong impression, when
we are unable to assign the reasons of our being pleased.
They sometimes strike, in the same manner, the philosopher
and the peasant, the boy and the man. Hence, the faculty by
which we relish such beauties, seems more nearly allied to a
feeling of sense, thauto a process of the understanding."* /
Now* this argument either proves an undisputed fact, or it
proves > nothing whatever: If Dr. Blair merely mean, that
the emotions of beauty and sublimity are essentially different
from the intellectual process by which they: are preceded, he
is a^uing for the admission oi a truth, so self^evidei^t as to
be, I should conceive, wholly undeniable. If, on the odier
hand, he intend to ass^^t that emotion, like sensation, imme*-
diaitely follows ; the external impression, without the inter*
veatiou of any intellectual operation — his argument is not
merely, inconclusive, but wholly irrelevant. Nay, if his
meaning be that the sensation itself,, without any subse*
quent judgment of the mind, is followed by the emotion of
pe4uty-r-hiB argument is equally irrelevant. The sophistry
lies in. the sdectipnof terms calculated entirely to mislead
the inquirer. If by "a. discovery of the understanding,"
and ''a deduction of argument," be meant those formal pro«
cesses of thought; which.it is sometimes necessary to con^
* Qlair, lioe. ii..
IS& The Standard of Ta$U :
dact« and those important conclusions to Which such* pro-
cesses may occasionally lead,— I am ready to admit, that the
emotions of Taste are rarely, if ever, consequences of these
intellectual operations. If, on the other hand> we are, under
the terms employed, to include those momentary judgments^
every trace of which vanishes with the consciousfieBS that
accompanied their formation; — those habitual reasonings^
which take place with a rapidity the metaphysician alone
can correctly estimate; and those trains of assodiat^d
thought, which naturally present themselves in unbroken
su^ccession— I must beg leave to dissent from the opinion.
True it is, that the objects of taste sometimes strike, in the
same manner, the philosopher and the peasant, the boy and
the man ;"♦ but do no other objects *' strike, in the same
manner, the philosopher and the peasant, the boy and ^e
man?" Is there no combination of circumstances whicAi
Universally produces alarm ? Would not a certain concur-
rence of events inspire every human breast with the animat^^
ing emotions of hope, of gratitude^ or of joy ? And should
we, therefore, be entitled to appropriate different internal
senses to the emotions accompanymg these different pas^
sions, and to speak of the sepse of fear-^the sense of joy — the
grateful sense? Yet, as far as this reasoning goes, the con-
clusion would be as legitimate in the one case as in the
other; and the analogy, on which the latter phntseology
would rest, quite as little exposed to objection, as is that
which has given occasion to the former.
It is, I confess, not very easy to attach to the statement
before us any definite meaning. This obscurity of expres*
sion probably arises from indistinctness of thought. The
author appears ta entertain one, of two notions. He con«
ceives, either that the impression on the organ is followed
by the sentiments of taste, simultaneously wil£ the sensaition
which that impression produces : or, (and this is, I presume,
his real meaning) — that the sensation is invariably and im*^
ICED! ATELY folTowcd by soms correspondent emotion. That
certain sensations give rise to certain emotions, I am ex^
ceedingly willing to allow. I would, however, contend thai
it so happens, not because there is in the sensation itself
any thing necessarily productive of this consequence ; but
because, constituted and circnmstiElnced as we are, oertain
sensations suggest certain ideas, and excite, according to
the fixed laws of mind, associated trains of thought. These
intellectual operations are, as has been before stated, th^
* l^ee ahoie, pugs 137.
An Essay, by W. F. Durant. 139
ittMbeidi^te anteceileiitA of emotioii; and when these are
exdiV^A, they naturally draw in their train thoee rapturous
feeli»^8 which are produced by the perceptions of beauty or
of sumimity* While on this part of the subject, it may not
be iixifproper to remark, that the feelings of Taste are, accord*
kig to fny ideas, restricted to emotion ; that is, to those
feeliligs or sentiments which succeed an intellectual opera-
tion. Taste is, of course, like every other word, an arbi-
trary sign of thought; and its meaning must, therefore, be
fixed by orditvary usage. But while ordinary usage appears
to sanction the restriction which has been proposed, diffi*^
ctilties innumerable seem to attend its removal. All Out
itierely organic pleasures may claim a place among the
giatincations of taste ; and thus present a field of inquiry,
including the varied phenomena of sensation, and nearly
coextensive with the circle of human enjoymenits* I ieim
awftre, that I have high authority against me. Speaking of
the beauty of colour and form, Mr. Stewart obseryes, " WitJh
the greater part of Mr. Alison's remarks on these qualities,
I perfectly agree ; although in the case of the first, 1 am dis-
pofited to ascribe more to the mere organic impression, inde-
pendently of any association ot expressit^n whatever, than
Be de«jms willing to allow :"* and again, "The circum-
stances which please, in objects of Taste, are of twO Very
differenft kinds* First, thoise which derive their effect from
tiie organical adaptation of the human frame to the ex-^
temal universe.^t To differ firom Mr. Stewart, is, under
any circumstances, perilous ; nor should I, perhaps, have
ventured to make a single remark on the passages I have
cited, had I not the consolation df knowing that if I err,
it is after the example of Mr. Alison. Mr. Stewart has
stated, not merely with his ustial temperance, but even with
considerable reserve, the point on which he differs firom
Mr, Alison.
From the terms empldyed in one of the passages cited
above, it would appear that Mr. Alison is himself disposed
to attribute something to "the mere organic impression.*'
That much of our pleasure is ascribed by him to tnis cause,
I am quite ready to admit : the real question, however, is
simply, whether he would choose to give the denomination
of beauty to any of those qualities, from Which this imme-
diate pleasure is derived. It is not ^ways easy to sele<5t
from a considerable work, any <nie passage sufficiently deci-
^ Stewart's Fhil. Biisays^ part ii. eSi^ay i. p. 1. cliap. ii.
t Ibid. Essay ill. chap, ill.
140 The Standard of Tasie :
aive to s^rve for the foundation of au argument like the
present. Under this difficulty, however, it does appear
to me, that we do not at present labour ; and I will mere-*
fore take the liberty of citing Mr. Alison's pwn words^
both because the auotation appears to me peculiarly appo-
site to the immeaiate subject of inquiry, and because it,
contains a luminous exposition of sentiments the most phi-
losophical, and the most important to our subsequent rea-
sonings. '' >yith the emotions of Taste, in. almost every
instance," says this elegant and philosophical writer, "many
other emotions of pleasure are united : the various simple plea-
sures that arise from other qualities of the object; thepka"
sure of agreeable conversation, in the case of material objects ;
and in all that pleasure which, by the constitution of our
naturie, is annexed to the exercise of our faculties. Unless,
therefore, we have previously acquired a distinct and accu-
rate conception of that peculiar effect which is produced
in our minds when the emotions of Taste are felt, and can
precisely distinguish it from the effects that ar« produced
Dy these accidental qualities, we must necessarily include in
the causes of such emotions, those qualities also which are
the causes of the accidental pleasure with which this emo-
tion is accompanied.""^ If tne passage^ just quoted should
leave any doubt with regard to the writer's real opinions on
the subject more immediately under consideration, that
doubt will be removed by what I am about to adduce. The.
emotion of beauty .'' involves, in all cases, 1st, The pro-
duction of some simple emotion, or the exercise of some
moral affection ; and, 2dly, The consequent excitement of
a peculiar exercise of the imagination :"t and a liittie farther
on, '^ I shall, endeavour to shew that all the phenomena are
reducible to the same general principle, and that the qua^
lities of matter are not beautiful or sublime in themselves*
but as they are by various means the signs or expressions
of qualities capable of producing emotion." j:
The question at issue, therefore, between these two
writers, is not — in what proportion does the mere organic
impression contribute to that complex feeling, whic£ we
denominate die emotion of beauty ? But — Does the mere
organic impression contribute any thing at all to this effect ?
— llaving thus shielded myself under so considerable an
example, I may venture humbly to state my reckons for dis-,
senting'from the opinion of Mr. Stewart.
* Alison's Essays on the Nature aod Principles of Taste ; intro-
duction, t l^id. i Ibid.
An Essai/, by W. F. Durtnt. 141
The only notion I can attach to the (phrase, ''mere orga*
uio hnfHiessioii," is, that it is intended to express the mental
change which takes place, when an organ of sense has been,
affected by someinaierial object. This change, whether ac-
companied by pleasure or by pain, cannot, it appears to me,
be in any respect different from sensation. I do not suppose
that Mr. Stewart himself would give any other definition
of it; or that the oi%aiiic gratification, which he reckons
among the constituents of beauty, is intended, in his use of
it, to signify any thing more t£ian an s^reeable 8ensali<m«
My chief objection to the required conpession, is founded
on the. difficulty of assigning any limit to the admissions
which seem to be its natural consequences. If any class
of sensations is to be considered one of the constituent:
elements of beauty, no good reason can be giyen^ why. every
other class of sensations may not be allowed to occupy a
similar rank : and if sensations be indiscriminately admitted^
the pleasures of Taste must soon come to comprehend all
the varieties of human enjoyment. The leading idea which,
this snppb^ion is intended to confirm and illustrate, stands
in .mo need of such corroborative evidence. This theory is,
if I. fully comprehend the writer's intention, of the following
kind: — , .
"The epithet, beautiful," says Mr. Stewart, "literally
denotes what, is .pleasing to the eye.^"* This last phrase is,
I confess^ somewhat ambiguous, sittce it may refer to those
pleasuresi which, although dependent on thought and emo*
tion, are ultimately traceable td a sensation communicated
throu^' the organ of sight, and sugg^ting a long train of
associated thought. It may, however, mean — ^and this idea
it is, I believe, intended here to convey — a pleasure strictly
organic — ^in other words, an agreeable sensation imme-
diately arising from. Boaie material effect on the visual
organs. After this word, then, had been appropriated to
a particular class of what are ordinarily termed physical
gFatifications, its meaning was extended, in consequence of
discovered resemblances, or analogies, between certain cha-
racteristics of these peculiar sensations, or of their causes,
and certain qualities found to exist in other objects of our
attention. The name, once having been trcmsferred to
objects . possessed of thefte . qualities~--other objects were
discovered, having some one property in common, not with
that class to which the appellation was originallv restricted,
but with that second dass to which it nad oeen subse-r
* Stewart's Phil. Ess. p. 2. . Essay i. p. 1. e. ii.
142 The Standard of Taste :
qnently applied : and hence arose another tramithn, and' a
nirther extension of nieanin^. Havitig thus traced the term
in question to this simple origin, Mr. Stewart seens to biTe
retained an affection for the ''mere organic impressions;*'
which induces him to give them a place among the eiements
of beauty.
Before I conclude, it will be my duty to offer sOme
strictures on his theory of "trainsrtions;" or, rather^
on some inferences whicn are drawn from it, and which
are most intimately connected with out present iBqoiry.
Just now, faoweyer, my only object will be, to shew that
tiie conclusion, to which 1 have already objected, does
not naturally flow from the facts which have just been
noticed. Allow me to illustrate my mearang by a quo-
tation, on which I intend to found a few observations.
" I shall begin by supposing," says Mr. Stewart, ''that A,
B, c, B, E, denote a series of objects— ^that a possesses sone
one quality in common with b ; b, a quality in common with
c ; c, a quality in common with d ; d, a quality in common
with B ; while at the same thne, no quality can be fonnd
which belongs in common to any three c^jects in the series.
Is it not conceivable that the affinity between a and b may
produce a transference of the name of the first to the se-
cond ; and that, in consequence of the other affinities which
may connect the remaihii^ objects together, the same nam^
may pass in succession from b to c, from c to n, from d to e 1
In this manner a common appellation will Arise between a
and E, although the two objebts may, in their nature and
properties, be so widely distant fVom each other, that no
stretch of imagination can conc^rive how the thou^ts wme
led from the former to the latter/** Now, then, let a istahd
for the primary meaning of the word under oonsideratioii^
and B, or any of the intermediate letters, for that other idea
to which the term beauty is transitively apphed. Is it not
possible that the im^rtance of this lost idea may be so
great, and the necessity of discrimffnating ^heen a and b be
so apparent, as esEclusively to appropnate to the latter, tfaaA
term by which the former was or^inally desigteted ?
This subject we shajl soon have an opportunity of nmre
fully considering : but does not even this snperncial view
teach us, that allowing all Mr. Stewavt has demanded^ no
prodf, nor indeed a»y presumptifon, exists in favour of this
extern of application ? It is admrlted that Oe last appedl
lies to ordifnary usage ; and, if that be against us, that ai^-*
* Phtl. Bm. p. 2. Bssay i. p. I. ckap, i.
An Emv, h ^vF- Doirant. 143
meat, on the one ^ide^ is BYiperflttous and hypothetical ; or
a priori reaaoaings, oa the other side, entirely futile. J
feel convinced, however, that this usage is decidedly in our
favour ; and unwilling as I am to speak dogmatically, espe^
cially on any point connected with philological inquiry, I
shoidd not shrink from challenging our opponents to adduce
a single instance in which the epithet ** oeautiful" is given
to any ''organic impression," except where that impressiop
is compounded with other element^.
In this latter case, is it unnatural to conclude that the
epithet is intended to designate, not the organic impression
to which, in a simple state, it is never applied; but the
union of those other elements, which enter into the compo-
sitiop pf the complex feeling.
That ordinary usage is as has been stated, observation
teaches us. The phrase, a beautiful sensation, would be
considered a solecism — yet what but sensation is the ''mere
oiganic impression?" Those organic impressions which
rarely:, if ever, awaken a subsequent train of thought and
emotion, are never denominated oeautiful ; while this deaig-
Dation is reserved for those sensations by which such trains
are excited. The mere physipal pjes^sure attendant on
the sensations of taste, or even of smell, is, I apprehend,
much more considerable than any immediate sensual grati-
Acation, which is derived from harmonious sounds^ or froqpi
splendid colours: yet the term "beauty" is never correctly
applied to the objects of the two former senses. These
remarks on Mr. Stewart's <^inions, I have hazarded with
considerable diffidence. These opinions have incidentally
come under onr notice, in cons^uence of their bearings
toward a distinction which lies at the root of our system.*
The principles they are intended to uphold, and the conclu^
sions to the support of which they are rendered subservieckt,
will, ere long, come again under copsideration.
On the whole« then — the distinction which I have been
labouring to establish^ is simply of the following kind.
Writers om Taete seem generally to have considerea sensi*
hility to beauty and sublimity, as a simple uncompounded
act pf the WM. I hftve, on t^e contrary, endeavoured to
aheiw« that wb^ver b^Mty ia».y be» some intellisctual.pro^
^S8 Atlfit n^ces^^ily tajke place, before the emotions of
!(^te aie eo^perienced. To reiider this distinction the more
iji^M^QUH, I have endieavoured. to dr^w a line between these
^VQ^tion^, iM>d those pieasHr^ of Stefibsation by which they
pay k^ apcid«B^y ^^QPpmpsw^ Itf {n^ceded ; and^ to
144 The Standard of Taste :
accomplish my object, have endeavoured to trace the ordi-
nary indistinctness of ideas on this sabject, to what appears
to have been at once a consequence and a source of con-
fttsion-^I refer to the introduction of an internal, or reflex
sense.
My great object in making this distinction, has been to
justify the application of the epithet *'correci,** as used in
connexion with the emotions ot Taste. This I have attempt-
ed to effect, by considering emotions in general, and the
emotions of Taste in particular, as consequences of <^ertain
intellectual states to which they owe their existence ; and
on which they depend for their distinctive characteristics.
The epithet in question, then, is, in striotness, applicable,
not to the emotions of beauty or of sublimity, but to those
intellectual states, which are the immediate antecedents of
these emotions.
As these trains of thought are, however, so rapid, as in
almost every case to elude ordinary observation, and some-
times to defy metaphysical analysis; that tenn, which is, in
philosophic strictness, applied to the process, is ultimately
transferred to the result, or rather to that compound sentt-
ment of taste, in which both process and result — both
thought and emotion-— are included. The objections which
may, perhaps, at first suggest themselves, will, I think,
VMiish as we proceed in the inquiry, and apply to the 9nb-
jeot which w« are to investigate the principles here laid
down, as preliminary to further discussion. The great diffi-
culty, however, still remains untouched — ^What is the nature
of this intellectual process ? Wherein consists its correct-
ness? With what objects is it conversant? I am aware
that an answer to these inquiries seems to involve a discus-
sion of that question which we have reserved for subsequent
consideration. There are, however, some points more imme-
diately connected with this part of our subject, which require
immediate attention, and wnich must be disposed bf, before
it will be possible to make any further progress. Suppos-
ing our previous re^oning to have been admitted, the most
obvious reply to this list of queries will immediately pre-
sent itself to every mind. Beauty and sublimity, it will be
said, are the objects of this intellectual operation ; and its
correctness consists in forming an accurate estimate of the
degree in which these qualities are found in different ob-
jects. No thinking man, however, will suffer himself to
be detained for one moment on the threshold, by an tinswer
so vague and unsatisfactory. — What is beauty i What is
An Essay, by W. F. Durant. 145
soblimity? are questions naturally suggested by the very
terms oi the reply ; and till these are set at rest» no pro-
gress whatever has been effected.
To enter fully into this subject, would not consist with
the more limited plan of the present Essay; and I shall
therefore restrict myself to such remarks as are absolutely
necessary for the purposes of our argument. Philosophers
seem at one time to nave imagined, that there is some one
quality in the various objects of Taste ; and that of this
quality, wherever it may be presented, certain emotions are
the inseparable consequences. This theory was almost
necessary to the uniformity of a system, which had ^ pro-
vided reflex senses for almost every modification of feeling
that was not directly traceablie to a material cause. A
variety of mistakes w^re the result of this radical error ;
and while this one quality was eagerly sought for, each
theorist possessed his own secret, by means of which the
great discovery was to be effected.
Led astray by the same incorrect hypothesis, some phi-
losophers resolve the emotion, or, as it should in that case
be denominated, the sensation of beauty, into relaxation of
the fibres ; and that of sublimity, into muscular tension or
contraction. All such opinions iseem to me to have arisen
from a defective analysis. Writers had created certain
internal principles, for which it was necessary to find a
specific field of action ; and phenomena were, therefore,
tortured till they gave evidence in favour of the system
which they were adduced to support. As particular exter-
nal organs are appropriated to the perception of particular
qualities of matter, so beauty and sublimity were conceived
to be peculiar qualities, the appropriate objects of a certain
internal sense — just as the quality of hardness is perceived
by meims of touch, and that of colour by means of sight
alone.
Mr. Burke, who has gone well nigh to complete what his
predecessors had commenced — who substitutes for the
internal, the external organ ^who concludes, " that beauty
is, for the most part, some merely sensible quality, acting
mechanically upon the human mind by the intervention of
the senses ;''* yet, as if willing, as far as was consistent
ynih his system, to adhere to the opinion of his predeces-
sors, assures us, " that there is a chain in all our sensations ;"
,tha.t " they are but different kinds of feeling, calculated to
be affected by various sorts of objects, but all to be affected
* Burke's Phil. Enquiry, &o, partiii. sect. 12.
146 The Standard of Taste :
after the same manner."* On this principle it is» that this
distinguished writer so unwarrantably extends the applica*
tion 01 the term beautifuL Findings or fancying, an ana-
logy between the qualities by whicn impressions are made
on the different external organs, he seems to conclude^
that where some one property of matter, acting on som^
one of our senses, is ordinarily followed by the emotions of
beauty— this property will have the same effect, whenever
it is so presented as to affect any of our other senses.
Thus, in pursuit of this remarkable analogy of the senses^
he denominates sweetness, *' the beautiful of the Taste/'-f
Nor is such a conclusion by any means unnatural, if the pre-
mises be once admitted ; and if the opinion, to which we
have so often alluded, be adhered to. For if beauty be a
merely sensible quality, and if it be at the same time ^
distinct quality or the object abstractedly considered, there
seems no good reason why each of the senses should not
be capable of transmitting the sensation which this quality
is fitted to produce ; unless, indeed, there be, as in the
case of odours, colours, and of all our ordinary sensations^
some one or^an, of which, and of which alone, tliis quality is
the appropriate object. Now, as it is impossible to point
out any such organ, the conclusion to wnich Mr. Burke'^
reasonings seem to tend, appears to me the natural, not t9
say the inevitable, consequence of the theory he has
^yanced, when it is taken in coimexion with the preju-
dice by which he appears to have been influenced.
There is, hQwever, another, and, as far as I am able tp
form a judgment, an equally erroneous extreme. It has
{*ust been remarked, that the older metaphysicians seem to
lave cojisidered beauty as a peculiar quality productive of
certain effects on reflex senses, which were, by a strange
sort of intellectual mechanism, adapted to the perception of
their object. Another class of philosophers, not content
with the analogy, in tracing which their predecessors had
been so sedulousl]r employed — and living at a period, whea
it had become fashionabl^e to look to physical discoveries, not
as illustrative, but sts explanatory of mental phenomena —
^eem to have altogether excluded emotion, in the sense
which J h^ve,attacaed to it, from among the constituents
of beauty, and to have considered the objects of Taste as
little, if any thing, more th^n one class of sensual pleasures.
Whether it arise from attachment to a peculiar theory, tp
which we shall not at present advert, or from a dread pf
« Burke, S|it>. a^ Beftut p, iii. sect 94. t Ibid. p. iv. sect S2.
An Address, by W. F. Duraht. 147
of that extreme toward which the speculations of- former
writers had tended, I am unable to determine. It does,
howerer, I confess, appear to me, that Mr« Stewart is at
least equally remote trom truth on the other side of the
question. It may be a mistaken view of his theory, which
induces me to regard it with aversion ; but to me it ap-
pears, that if carried out into all its consequences, it would
destroy not only the precision, but the utility, of langimge.
It will be unnecessary to trouble the reader, with many
additional quotations, since I have already stated, in Mr«
Stewart's own words, the substance, or at least the founda«
tion, of his argument. He conceives, that where a com-
mon name is ^ven to objects or qualities apparently dis-
tinct from each other, there is not, as most philosophers
have supposed, some common property to which that name
is in fact appropriated. On the contrary, he imagines that
an analogy, that is discovered between the object to which
the name was originally given, and some other object,
produces an extension, or transitioh, of the meaning, so M
to include that second object which has some one point of
coincidence with the first. In time, however, another idea
is found to possess something in common with that second
idea to which the application of the word has now been
extended. The process of generalization is thus carried
forward, and notions indiscriminately connected, but with-
out any common bond of union, are denoted by one word
which is indiscriminately applied to each of them* Thus
far I am fully prepared to acquiesce in the decisions of this
distinguished writer ; but we shall soon be called to notice
tho&|^ points, in relation to which I am forced to dissent
from his opinions. Unfortunately, the discussion of these
questions is intimately connected with a subject the most
mysterious in the whole of mental science. To go into the
controversy regarding general terms and abstract ideas^
which has so long divided the literary world, and thus to
enter on a field of inquiry which has employed the atten-
tion of so many gifted individuals, and from which, after
all this labour, the unintelligible paradoxes of the school^
men have been swept away, only to make room for modem
paradoxes almost equally unintelligible, would be as muek
opposed to my inclination, as it is placed beyond the reach
of my abilities. Confining myself, therefore, to the exami-
nation of that word which is the immediate obgect of our
present inquiry, I shall carefully exclude the more genend
▼iews' wUcn might otherwise attract a share of our attea-
VOL. VIII. — NO. 2. M
I4t On ^erimn 'tUgubiiions ik
tioii; iind> without accommodating my cdncliisioiii 1^6 tiHf
particular system^ shall seek only to render them iMrcofdaitt-
with truth. I shall, therefore, proceed to offer a few
retnark&« which may appear so obvious as to be unworthy
of notice^ I know that I am suggesting nothing new^-^-
nothing which is not anticipated in the reasonings, fo sofM
Earts of which I am bold enough to object. It is n()4«^
owever, always unnecessary, nor uninteresting, to deve-
lop and examine principles, which, although neither im^
kiiown nor misapplied, may have failed to attract a dM
idiarcf of attention and regard.
€hi certiain Regtdations in Dit. Williams's Librartfi iii
Red Cross^street.
Wb have been unfeignedly concerned to fittd, thal^ oirtr
netioe of the death of Dr. Morgan, the late excellenf
iibratian of the libra;ry founded by the late Dr. Williamsi and
long since deposited in Red Cross-street, has been eoii*
stlrued into at least an implied censure of the conduct -of
the Rev. Mr. CoATEs, his saccessor; than which nothing
oould be further from the intention of the author of Ae
Becrological retrospect, of which that notice formed apart;
Itie allusions to changes in the Institution, since the Doc*
tbr^s death, were evidently meant for, and expressljr directed
tb, the trustees ; and whilst we feel the most anxious wish
tb remove every impression that could give pain to a ge^
ddman, for whom, from his uniform urbanity and attenttoa
it the only pne of the editors of this work who has had
the hisippiness of a personal acquaintance with him, we
eitertain the bighest respect, we da not feel ourselveii
called upon to modify in auffht, our admonitory protesl
JKgiainst the changes of which he is not the author, but the
ti&re official instrument of their execution. We have every
reason to beliere, that the present librarian of the Instftu^
tkm willso conduct himself in the execution of bis office; ii
to merit at our hands the same praise which we readiljf
bestowed upon his predecessor, namely, that '' no man
^uld fulfil the duties of that office with more care, ur^
banity, gentlemanly attention, and liberality, towards att
men, whatever their sentiments, political or religious $'-
thoughwe. hope it will -be very long l)efore we have td
finish the sentence with, *' than he did.*' Th^^ he^daM0l
ftH^iktn& so satisiactbrtiy, to^ thbse geat^meik mho kir%
I>r. WilH imB% XOnify. 1«
oeeasi^ti to ^onixit ihe most .TBloable p<^oii of An Ujbrarjr^
as did Im predecessor* is no fault of his, but*-4iF faisUt
there be any--^f the trustees* by whom the regulations of
the library are exclusively framed* Of those regulations
ia tlie times of Dv. Morgan, when we ourselves have had
fi^uent occasion to benefit by their liberality, the follow*
ing is a copy :
jKK/tff vj ihe Library* — I. The library shall be open from
ten o*c]ock in the forenoon till three in the afternoon, on
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, in every week
throughout the year, except Christmas and Whitsaalidei
weeks, and the month of August; and the librarian (unless
prevented by sickness) shall constantly attend the library
^such times. Nevertheless, a trustee shall have access
to the library whenever he thinks proper.
II, All persons shall be admitted during the appointed
h^urs, upon producing to the librarian a written oider from
mie of the trustees ; but they shall not be permitted to «nter
the back library, except in the presence of a trustee, or of
the librarian.
III. Persons who are admitted by a trustee's order U^
eonsult the books, shall be introduced into the fnmt library;
which shall be uaed as a reading room. They shall deliver
tothe librarian a paper, on which is written the title of ths^
work they wish to inspect, the date, their names, and placet
of abode. The book shall then be brought to them to the
front library, there to be consulted or perused. No papet
shall be Isid on the book when any extracts are madi^*
The written orders for books which may be thus delivered
to the librarian^ shall be carefully preserved by him on a
file, to he afterwards referred to in case any work named
in them should be discovered to have been mutilated ps
damaged*
V ly. No book shall be taken out of the library, except by
one pr the ^trustees, on his giving a receipt for it to m
l^mriim i and such book shall be returned at or before the
next qnarterly^ meeting, except the same be in the actoal
possession of such -trustee. '
: V. The librsrian shall keep a correct account of aU bpokf
taken oiit of the library, witn the time when taken, and thf
lisme of die trustee taking the same ; and of applicationa
for bookS: alr^dy taken out. Such accounts uul be laid
before die libfary committee previoasliy to- every ^uaiteriy
iw^ltiPftofrtbttruste^^^^^^ :: . .
/irvVl.rAU bcNsks * given- or ^purchnsed £si the use of^ tfaf
liO Off certain Begulaiion$ in
Vixnry, shall be immediately, on sacb gift or parcbaae;
inaertod by the librarian in the catalogue, in their proper
tlaces, and atamped or marked ; and also entered in the
Dook of benefactionB, in which shall be specified the tiaie
when, and the name of the person by wfaom» given : and
such book of benefaclions shall be laid, on the table at
every meeting of the trustees, and of the book committee.
VIL The hbrarian shall not receive any money, or other
gnttnity, from any person, for the use of this library.
Hie completion of the inquiries which led us to the
library has prevented our personal observation of the
the mlode in which these rules have been enforced, since the
decease of Dr. Morgan* and indeed, from knowing how
they were acted upon daring the latter period of his life;
but we have heard from several of our ^ friends and fellow
labourers there, that to the last day of his appearance in the
discharge of his official duties, the late librarian ot the
Institution continued to afford the same facility of access
to every part of the collection under his care, which was
most fiiUy, and even kindly, granteid during the period of
onr acquaintance with it ana him. We have also great
pleasure in adding, that all our inquiries and information
(for we have had no personal experience upon the subject,)
abundantly satisfies us, that the same urbane and liberal
eoursp has been uniformly pursued by his successor; in as
far aa the printed books in me library are concerned ; and
if this has not been the case with the manmcripts, it is, we
are as fully assured, because a new regulation of the trus-
teeahas prevented him from rendering the same assistance,
lor forwarding the reseftrches of those who wish to consult
them,, as he appears ever most cheerfully to have afforded
to such readers as confined their inquiries to the other
department of this collection.
On that regulation, we deem it a duty which we equally
owe to the public, and to the trustees of the library, to
oflSer a few remarks. Few of our readers need perhs^,
to be informed, that the library in Red Cross*street, con-»
tains several manuscripts of the older nonconformist divines^
at die most interesting period in the histoiy of Protestant
dissent, and also seventi valuable statistical details of thtf
condition of the same body in later times ; and these, until
recently, every person woo had a regular admission to the
library was permitted to consult, with as little difficulty as
he could refer to a ^printed book upon the library shelves— ^
save that, where he wtas not so well Icnoif n to the librarian*
Dr. Willtamis's LUrary^ HI
as to be sftfely left to himself, the second of tha^ules
which we have here reprinted was carried into strict exe-
cution,' by the librarian contimiing with the reader in th^
back library the whole of the time that the manuscript was
in use. The election of another librarian upon his death
might not unnaturally lead the trustees to revise the regu*>
lations upon which he had acted^ and then it was tnat^
the alterations were introduced, against which many per-
sons are disposed, with us, to remonstrate. The formev
rales contained, it will be observed, nothing like a distinc-
tion between the printed books and manuscripts, and, witii
the slight and prudent exception already stated, none waif
observed in practice ; but it is widely different now. We^
have not been able to procure a copy of the new regulations,
which are not yet printed ; but we are assured, nom goodf
authority, that the changes introduced are very trifling;
except m the requisition of a special order from a trustee^
for me inspection of any manuscript^ b]^ those who, on af
similar order, have a general and unlimited access t6 th^'
printed books. Now, this restriction we conceive to be^
.inconvenient, unnecessary, and unwarranted by the pre-
cedent of any public library, with whose reguktions we aye
acq^uainted. The library of manuscripts in the Britrshf
Museum is, or we should rather say, the libraries are, of i^
thousand times the value and importance of that at Red
Gross-street; yet every individual who has an admis-
sion to the reading-room of that national and noble insti-
tution, has precisely the same right to consult, and Ae
same facility afforded him in consulting, the most valuable
manuscript, in eillier of its magnificent collections, atf
he has to refer to the commonest printed book, or pam^
phlet, upon ittf shelves. The manuscripts of the library of
the Inner Temple are also as numerous, at the least, as
diose placed under the care of Dr. Williams's trusteeii, and
are to the full ^s valuable to a lawyer, as are the l&tter t& U
divine or ecclesiastical historian, yet are they as eaiiy of
accesa as those in the national library ; nor are we aware of
any stricter rule for regulating the care of those in th^
libraries of the other law soeiieties, save perhaps, that the
fiohibition of publishing toy of the manuscripts of Sir
latdiew Hale, imposed by their donor, may render
creater caution necessary witn respect to them, At lanoofe's
Inn.
With such examples 4ieforethem>'Wl|at reason, we catl^
act ibnt ask;. h«ve tha tni^tets of ihe Red CiOMHStitet
/ in^rarfi fdr thci ftdditiofial restmints ivliidi • tli«)r kate im*
posed upcm the^ use of the jnannAoripts by those for whose
oenefit they are committed to their care. Is it the fear of
tiieir being injured or abstracted ? Those who would do'
either, are certainly most unfit persons to be admitted int<$
the library at all ; as, if they would pocket a manuscript,
Ibey are just as likely to secrete a scarce and valuable
pamphlet, or to abstract a plate from a printed book, and
tbey'have moreover far better opportunitiles of doing so, as
diey are often left alone for hours in the room whidi;
toHtains the major part of the library, on open shelveSr
''Whilst, unless very well known to him, they cohsiAt the
ibaiiuscripts but m presence of thcf libi^rian. Ho th^f
fear lest an improper use should be made of themt Why
not adopts then, the very prudent and 'proper rules of the
other public libraries to which we have referred, which;:
jpirohibiting the transcription of any entire manuscript, of
even a considerable portion of one, without express pe^^
mission of the trustees for the purpose, leaves open lo alt
readers the right of consulting, and of making ejctfacts
from, any and every part of tlie collection* This has long
beieii found a sufficient control over the largest and most
valuable collection of manuscripts in the kingdom ; and if
those to. whose care one of the smallest and lesust important
lis intrusted, go beyond it^ by^determioing whatindividuals,
deemed by themselves- proper persons for admisftien ittto
(he library, shall bepermitled to oonselt the mai^u^crietti
Md "Which of those manuscriptii they may refer tOr ^e)r
aisunie -to theitrselves a power which we believe to M
unprecedented^ unnecessary, and ineompattble with Kbe
droper dischargeof their duties, as mere trustees for th#
eenefit of the public. Mor shall any false notions. of
delicacy, or affectation^ of candour, induce us to witiihold
the expression of our opinion, tlmt these remarks apniy
with double fcmse, in that the manuscripts to wnich
th^e, instructions apply, contain theological seiftiments
diame^cally opposite to those avowed by tte majority of
the tnisteea who imposed tbem, if indeed diere be amongtt
them a single exception to the remark.
; J)u Wilkama, the feodder of this library ;> was a Pre8«>
byterian; but be was a Trinitarian^ - From ^ the designa^
ti^ of the trustees to carry into, execution; and perpetuate
the "purposes of his will, by a distinction, foutfd^d ratheriOA
theit mode ^ church discipline^ tfaan'thie natiirer'of^their
4M»^iii«^<for UiUe^Mul^ be teMr« entiairMedt w t:iUde'«:
•mamtion en di^oe potQta, as has ^sioce lod^i^ plaM 0|^ tluis
Mde tiie Tweed,) tne major part, if not the ivhfAe o{ tha^
trustees, are n^w Unitarians, or at least, are not yeiy
UttfaTourably inclined to that form of doctrine $ and,withf
every possible respect for them as men, they cannot be
surprised, that Trinitarians view with peculiar jealousy
Iheir absolute control over manuscripts containing poiatci
of &ith important to tlieir side of the controversy.
: Some of their body have already been refused access to
manuscripts, which they formerly consulted in the.compor
sittott of works, illustrative of the peculiar yiew^ of th^
writers of them; and in days in which such extraprdinai^
efforts hare been made, and are making, to proves what they
consider the heterodoxy of some of the most eminent of
fbe old divines, it can surely be no matter of complaint j
that they wish the unpublished records of their senti?
ments to be readily accessible to every one ; especially as it
does so hi^ppen, that in the case of the Henry family, some
interesting documeqt« of this nature, which were in the
libmrv a very few years ago, are not fortt^coin.inff f|ow»
Wither they baye strayed unto th^ portfolios of somfai
autograph colledtor, in this autograpfaical mania age, we
know noti but this at least is certain, they are not to be
foand*
BfXt we said also« that the restriction was inconvenient^
and every one engaged in literary researches will see in n
minute that it is so« His wish to consult a manuscript
nay suddenly arise (it has often done so with ourselves, ait
baat, in th4^ British Museum,) in the course of bis examine*
lion of printed books ; yet will he be prevented from gratir
fyipg it by not being furnished with the order of a trustee^
for permission to refer to a deoui^ent deposited in the
Utot room to that in which be is sitting, It is, we believe,
hf persona from the country, thiit the manuscripts have
ediefly been referred to, and to them, whose visits, to the
metropolis are neither ver^ frequent, nor of a lopg cpnt
tinuance, the reatriction is pecvliarly inconvenient; fojr
though furmshed with tn gejieral order of admi^sipii. to |he
library, they cannot now ^nfiiVll (b^ manuscripts which
may alone be the object; of their visiting, it, until they have
first been there to examine ^he caUlog^e^.tqascffrtftin if
what they want be there; and tl>en they must set oi^ tin
search of a trustee, to obtaiojt apeciat pi^mission to refier to
iu Happily we lire mot in d%ya> when to the Trinitarian
attdbUnitariten^ be awliedb t|M. «!iide^ Uae v^^
154 Unitariamsm and TrimUaHtmiink compared,
existing in the ancient diurck, when '' the Jews had no
dealings with the Samaritans;'* yet is it very probable*
that a minister of the former sentiments, from a distant part
of the country, wonld be put to considerable trouble, vexa-
tion, and loss of time, in obtaining an introduction to a
trustee of the latter denomination, and then in procuring
from him the order, without which his general and standing
admission to the library would be^to him of little use*
Having thus freely stated our views of this restriction,
for the consideration of those who imposed it, we have a
more gratifying part of our duty to perform, in acknow-
ledging the obligation conferred upon the public by the
trustees and their present librarian, in the preparation and
printing of a catalogue of the manuscripts ; tmis approxima-
ting nearer to that facility of consulting them, so comj)let#
at tile British Museum, that we earnestly wish to have it aa
perfectly established in the library at Red Cross-street.
Vnitarianism and Trinitarianism, compared in their Ten--
. dency to Convert Turks, Pagans, Jews, and Infidek, to
Christianity.
The subject of this Essay, is the comparison of the two
systems of Unitarianism and Trinitlirianism, in their ten-
ancy to promote the conversion of professed nnbelievevs^
such as Jews, Turks, Pagans, and Inndels.
At the outset of our remarks, we beg leave to premise^
that we should lay no stress upon the superior tendeney
Of the latter system to proselyte, as a proof of its troth;
except God had declared that " the knowledge. of the Lofd
should cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea."
Indeed, a Christian will be the last man in the world, that
16 likely to do it; for^if such a principle were once admit-
ted, it would go immediately to overthrow the end it was
intended to subserve ; and prove as dangerous to our owa
system, as to that to which it stands opposed. Cast your
eyes upon the world, and you will find^ that many systems
have been infinitely more successful, in proselyting, than
the Christian. Look into the realms of Paganism, and ^ou
will find it has converted infinitely more than Christtaiiity^
and Mahometanism has done the same. If, then, we were
for a moment to proceed on the principle that a superior
tendency to proselyte, is a proof of the truth of aay syBtem*
we must pluck the pahn oat ef tiie hand of the ChiistifMii
in}heir Tenden^ to Camm Turk$,Pagmu,^c. 165
religion^ and put it mto that of the Pagan, or Mahometan ;
for these sti^nd in the front rank of proselyting systemSt
andf compared with their converts, those of Christianity are
as a little handful, compared with a mighty army.
That this principle is totally inadmissible,, will fi^rther
appear, from the consideration, that every system must
have some proofs to render it plausible, or confirm its truth,
before it can hope to make any proselytes at all. It cannot
have proselytes to start with ; it must have something else,
some evidences on which it is built, and to which it appeals ;
and by these, and Uiese only, it must either stand or fell.
Again, a Christian, who believes in the necessity of an atone*
meirt, is the most unlikely man in the world to adopt this
mode of thinking, because the very fundamental principle
of his religion, proceeds upon a fact, which precludes the
possibility of his doing it, and that is, universal depravity.
if he believes that the heart of man is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked ; that the carnal mind is
enmity against God — that every imaginaticm of his heart is
oxAy evil, and that continually — and that there is none that
doeth good, no, not one, (ana he is no Christian, who does
not beueve these declarations,) he will be the last man in
the world to think that religion the true one, which makes^
eif is calculated to make^ the most proselytes from amongst
men of this description; for if they be so bad, they will be
most likely to fall in wiUi a bad religion, such an one as ac<-
eommodates itself to the gratification of their propensities;
libat winks at their crimes, while it creeps into their favour;
jfchat prcMnises them peace, while it permits theoi to sin; that
passes iu^ eulogiums upon their dignity^ and says nothing
dbout their degradatipn. And this, lets us at once into the
Kason why Christianity ha3 made so few converts ; because
kiisso unaccommodatmg^—its spirituality stands opposed
to carnality— rits dogmatism to freethinking — its simplicity
to refinement—its plainness to pomp-r-its holiness to immo-
lality — its heavenly mindedness to worldly mindedness — ^and
its humility to pride. We merely make these preliminary
dbsenrations to shew, that although pur system has made,
and in our humble opinion is calculated to make^ infinitely
more converts th^ that of our opponents, yet that we lay
no more stress upon this circumstance, than is warranted
.by scrq>ture« God has said, yea,'he has sworuji that to him
every knee shall bow, and every tongue confes>s, Thait
a vatem, then, which has the greatest t^deney to promote
this end, must of course be tlm spriptwnU^ and the true sys-
186 UnUariamm and Truiitoriamim campaind,
tern. It ifl our iBtentioa to compare the two syvtemt under
our taotice, in this point of lignt — ^which of them has the
greatest persuasives to present to professed unbelievers^ to
renounce their present delusions, and embrace Christianity.
Not that by merely embracing Christianity, a man becomes
converted to God, for in order to this, *' he is born again {
Sutctened out of a death of trespasses and sins, by the
pirit of God.'* Yet this Spirit always operates upon us
as rational creatures^ and always addresses us» in his word»
as such.
We now proceed to examine these two systems, in this
their tendency. These professed unbelievers, Turks, Pa*-
gans, Jews, and Infidels, are destitute of the truths of Chris-
tianity. No truths can act where they are not — these truths
must, if they operate at all on their minds, be carried to
them — ^we have then to place these systems side by side |
in the first place, as they will operate on our minds, to cause
1X8 to send them to these individuals ; and in the second, af
they will operate on their minds, when they reach them. In
the first place, then, we ask. How will they operate on our
minds, in inducing us to send them to these poor deluded
devotees? This will depend entirely upon another ques*
tion, viz. the light in which they cause us to look upontheQ|i
in their present moral condition ; for our exertions will be
regulated by our feelings— our feelings by our views— our
views by our creeds — and our creeds by our systems. Ex^
amine we then the systems, and first the Unitarian oo«l
Let us gather our light from a sun in this system, Dr« Joseph
Priestley—*' If," says the Doctor, " we could be so happy;
is to beheve there are no errors, but what men aiay be S9
circumstanced as to be innocently betrayed into ; ^at any
mtstilke of the head is perfectly consistent with rectitnde of
heart, and that all differences in modes of worship, may be
only the different method Si which different men, who are
equally the offspring of God, are endeavouring to honou?
and obey their common parent ; our differences of opinion
would have no tendency to lessen our natural love and ea*
teem."* Now, it is certain it would not ; but then it would
couch our minds, and make us perfectly easy about the
conversion of the individuals in question ; for, according to
this aentiment, all the false religions under heaven may be
harmless, there being no errors into which men may not
be so circumstanced, as to be innocently betrayed, Tb^
Began, Mflhometan, Popish, and every <^her rekgion, mi^y
* Dif.orOpiaiea,seoct.
n
im ikdr Tendency (6 ConwBri Tarki, Pn^Mh ifc. t67
Iheii be perftetl^ Itsirmless. Harmtoi^g religion; the Pagaii;
whose morality is suicide and murder — wnose worship ii
druehy and debauchery — whose priests are baechi^naliaas^^
whose temples are brothels — ^whose annual festivities gorge
Vultures and tigers with human flesh-^and whiten and
btatich the surrounding soil with human bones! Harmless
Religion, the Mahometan, which was originally establistted
kmongst the nations With fire and sword, and propagated by
a bigoted band of human butchers, guided by the bloody
dictates of the impostor's koran! Harmless religion^tbe
Popish, which established the itrfernal inijuisition; tor-
tured its unhappy tictims, on instruments which had satamo"
ingenuity displayed in their invention, and satanic maligmtjf
%imibited in their design ; and which had overwhelined whole
Mtibiis in promiscuous bloodslied, carnage, devastation, and
inassacre ! Harmless religiohs the$e !— ^'' so many different
Ittodee in which diiFerent men are honouring and obeying
their common parent!** One stands perfectly astonished^
Chat atiy man could utter such a sentiment. While Untta^i
li^ns can^ With such a philosophical composure as this;
look upon the deluded devotees of these cruel superstitions^
if is not likely they will make any efforts towards their ccm^*
Versidn-. Their creed and conduct are perfectly consistent
#ith each other. What efforts liave they made for the
icriptural illumination of these poor wretches, that are iptt*
tfng in darkness, and in the valley of the shadow of deadi?
What missionary society have they fonned ? Into whal
teifguages have they translated the scriptures of tratk?
Wbata^as have their missionaries navigated? What mooa«>
fiiiis havHft tltey climbed f What rivers have they forded I
.What Ibrests have they traversed f What deserts have they
Hrdfrsed? ' With what sincerity mtist they pray, *' thy kiiig^
«iiilc6mer'
'' Turn to the other system, which teaches its disciples to
\(Mk upon the heiathen, ks rebels against God^-transgressors
dfthe^ first coimmandment of the law— an such, exposed to
Gdd^s earliest curse— liable to perish everlastingly— and
i^ist on the lyrink of hell. Such a belief as this, causes the
fiearts of Trinitarians to bleed -^their eyes to weep— ^theif
bowels to yearn-wtheir heads to plan, and hailds to exeoutei
i(teasutes for their conversion. Hence they have fomwd^
ahd zealously support, their missionary societies, those
frftiamentil bf i?he ag^— the glories of the country— the lights
if^ef^nvch-^he b^heTaetors of the world. Their wih'
sionaries havedimtedflOjOQiitai^ ttkeTWost rugged, crossed
168 Umiariitnkm and Triniiariamsm campaml,
deeerU the most inhogpitable, forded rivers the most dan*
Krousy traversed forests the most pathless; their agents
ve sent us home, as so many standajpds captured
from the enemy, the idols that were formerly worshipped 3
their missionaries have many of them laid down the shatter^
ed remai<is of a worn-out constitution in a distant land, and
maliy at this moment are ''reclaiming another and another
from the wastes of dark and fallen humanity; and are
widening the domains of gospel light, and gospel principle,
amongst them ; and are spreading a moral beauty around
the very spot, where they pitch their lowly tabernacle ; and
are, at length, compelling even the eye and testimony of
giinsayers, by the success .pf their noble enterprise; and
are forcing the exclamation of delighted surprise from the
dumned and arrested traveller, as he looks at the softening
tints they are now spreading over the wilderness, and as he
hears the sound of the.chapel bell, and as in those haunts,
liehere at the distance of half a generation a^, savages
would have scowled upon his path, he resales himself witti
^bte hum of missionary schools, and the lovely prospect of
peaceful and Christian villages.''
. We are not boasting of what they have done, for there is
no room to boast, but plenty for shame to ourselves that
tUs was not done long ago; and to our shame be it spoken^
that these thinjgs are so novel amongst us. But has any
thing of thi» kind been produced by Unitarianism i It cer-
tainly has not yet. But is it likely to be? It is true, we
<»innot tell what is yet to come, for we know no more what
a system will bring forth, than an hour. But if there Im$
Miy thing to be done by it, it is certainly yet to come. Let
W then grant the utmost they can require, and that we can
bestow^ viz. .that efforts, equally as great as our own> will
be made by Unitarians, for the conversion of the heathen ;
which will bring us to the second thing to be noticed — the
effect of these different systems upon Turks, Pagans, and
so On : we will then contrast them in their tendency to lay
hold of the attention, understandings, imaginaticms^ feel^
ings, and fears« of these individuals^ — all of which they toe
in possession. And of the effect they would produce on
ibeir understandings, imaginations, feelings, and fears, our
readers may judge by the effect they produce upon their
^wn«
. Let tt^ look at their tendency to arrest the attentipn of
these poor infatuated men. Attention is first created, in
tbe oiainary c(^»ae of things^by ^ missionary teaebier} that
in Mitr JWuZmcy to Concert TufkB, Pi^nm^Sfc. 169
gtteilticm is now engrossed, wh<dly by their own idolatrous
superstitions, their minds are bound in a thoasand invisible
chains, and locked up, as it were in iron. Which of thescf
two systems is the most calculated to arrest the attention
of these men ? Both of them are equally destitute of exter«»
nal pomp, and glitter, and dazzle, and parade. Which of
them, then, will strike the minds of these men the most^
who hare beard neither of them before i That of course
which is the most different from any they have erer heard
before ; which of the two would that be ? That which says
Christ was a mere man, his mission' that of a prophet, his
holiness mere morality, his life that of an exemplar, his
death that of a martyr, and that since he was raised ttom
the dead, we do not know what is become of him; or that
system, which says, this same Christ was God and maa^
united together in one person ; truly God who made us and
all things else, and truly man, bone of our bone, and flesh
of our flesh; that he had eyes like ours, and with them he
shed the tears of affection, at the grave of friendship ; ears
hke ours, and vrith them he listened to the tale of woe f
bands like ours, and with them he staunched the bleeding
wounds of dismembered relationship, and steadied the knees
Aat were feeble ; feet like ours, and with them he went
abont ameliorating human wretchedness, aiid lessening th0
magnitude of human suffering ; a soul like ours, that found
this world too poverty-stricken to satisfy its wants; and too
navrow to give ample range -to its faculties : that his life was
obedience, perfect obedience to the law we had broken ;
his death, atonement for the sins we had committed ; his
resurrection from the dead, the grand seal of his messiah«»
ship ; has ascension to and reception in heaven, a proof that
his work was accepted ; his intercession, the source of all
blessings to his church ; and his second coming to adminis-
ter justice, vindicate providence, fulfil prophecy, and sub*
UmeW ccmsummate redemption, the last grand act that
should be performed upon the moving theatre of life.
Which of these would strike the attention the most power-
ftdly ? To hear of a mere man, a prophet, a teacher, a mar-
tyr, would not strike the minds of those so powerfully, who
Kad heard of men, and prophets, and teachers, and martyrs,
thousands of times before. But wh^n they hieard of a per-
son who was God and Man together, and of his atonement
and righteousness, and all that branches from his divinity,
diey would have something they had never heard before ;
they weuld see4n it something they had oiever seen before {
tbejr would feel firom it wbut the; oerer felt befi>re; Ihiy
wre in a system altogether new in a moioent* ci»d atlention
is ioimediately put vtnder arrest. From the supreme divinity
of Christ bfdiiff an integral part of the system^ it has a
dbaracter pecmtarl]^ its own; nothing like it will be found
in heaven above* or in the earth beneath* or in the waters,
under the earth; it can never be incorporated with any other
aystem; its difference from all other systems on earthjs so
striking and so peculiar* that it can never be confounded
wiUi them by sophistry* demolished by familiarity* or crum«
Ued by time.
Let us now look at the appeal these systems make .to the
understandings of these men. ** There is a spirit in man*
and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understand*:
ilig/' It hath pleased Almighty God to erant these men
an ordinary portion of human understandiog* whi<^ dia-
plays.itself in every thing except their debasing supersti*
tiops. These systems address themselves to tbisiwttky.
Every system proceeds on the sround that man is a sinner^
and professes to find a remedy for the disorder* one in tbia
way* another in that way* and another in the other wa^;
fbr every system has its paradise and its perdition* in . a
future world; its perdition recognizes him; as a sinner; iim
paradise* as a beUever in, and participator : of* the remdj^
provided. Now* this sin, so universally recognised in. ei:ery:
system of religion, necessarily supposes a law ; " for sin is
a transgression of law**' that law cannot be. human* for meft
would never make a law to condemn themselves.-— as it t»
not heman* it must be divine; as it is divine, itmustbe*.]iiker:
its author* holy, just* and good; as such* God* w1k>< is Uie:
moral governor of the universe* must of necessity enforce it
in every point, for if he could dispense with one point* 1^
could dispense with all. These men have broken this law, and.
it cannot recede from any of its requirementa; the.4raiM-e
gressors are therefore liable to the punishment it has, de»
nounced, even eternal death. Now then for the remedy
provided by Unitarianism in this distressing dilemma* within
the bounds of which men seem irrecoverably Iwmul up* U^*
tells us that repentance is a satisfaction to d^e law for trans*
agressions ; repentance, of the intensity of which* of theduia?!
tion of which* of the depth of which* of the, number of sig^
he must fetch* or of the number of tears he must slnd^tte
of the number of groans he must heave* the.|>enit€»ct ia Ihra
oidyjndge. Repentaoce* of whi<^ there: are different :dfrr
grees# todvconsequently dtffeivnt degrees lofaatisfcotioA
in ffajr IVMefeney to Omoert 3WJb, R^igtmi^ifc. UQ^
whidi it Bibsord, for sfttisfaction to a l«w miist be
definite, epecific, and known; or else it it a. burleaque on
le^siation : repentance a tatitfaction to a broken law i a^
tbing never admitted, or perhaps scarcely ever dreamt of;
in hainan codes^ although they are imperfect like the man who
nutkes them, and tlie man who breaas them.; while the law
of Gpd is an absolutely pei/irc/ law*
Let US nowlook at the remedy provided bytheTrinitariatt^
scheme. We have already observed* that satisfaction to' a;
law must be something specific and defintte, and with such a
satisfaction this system presents us, in the death of the man'
Christ Jesusv who *' being without sin, and no guile found in
his mouth," voluntarily became a substitute in the stead of
die sinner; and who, by being God and man, not only madtf
satisfaetion to the awakened justice of God, for the sins of
oaeman^ which, had he been man only, he might have domsi
but could do no more^-but made a satisfaction ta the lair,
sufficient for the sins of all mankind. Thus his death )>re*
seats the understanding with a definite satisfaction to tiWI
awakened justice of Jehovah; the law is satisfied; sin
punished; the difine government honoured; and the sinnef
saved. Now all this commends itself to the understanding^
in every point as luminous, as light, and as clear as crystal,
e^ept tm incarnation of Christ, which, it is confessed, is
amystery ; but if the fact of that incarnation is established by
the most indubitable evidence, as it easilj may be, the mode
of the fact'will never render it objectionable to a hutnble
rad consistent understanding, for the creation of God is
full of mysteries equally incomprehensible with the incarna^
tioD, all of which are nevertheless believed ; for to disbe^
lieve them, would be an unnatural rebellion against thlT
demonstrations of the senses. Every time a man sets hi¥
foot to the ground, he covers thousands of mysteries ; f^
ev^ry atom on which he treads, is a mystery equally incom*
pnehensible with the incarnation of Jesus Christ*
Thus we have examined these systems, in the appeal
which they make to the understanding. Let us now took
atthem in another point of view.
■■ Nothing is plainer, or may more easily be made so, than
diat if the laws of God were uniformly and universal^
dbeyed, all lying, swearing, stealing, murder, drunkenness,
sabbath^brsakinff, blasphemy, infidelity, covetousness, war,
fetisitiation, aduhery, swindling, treason, malice^ i>ppres*
sion, and the whole long and black cat»dagae of faiiipan^
vices, wotdd iftishppear fVom the land of the Hfing^^^^at the^
102 VnkBTHtmsm and Trimiarianifm eomparedp
golden age^ which has existed only in the dreams of poets,
would be realized— our assizes would be all maiden as-
sizes—our sessions mere forms — our judges and magistrates
mere ciphers — our prisons empty and useless — our news-
papers nothing but the undeformed and unvarying records *
of human excellence ; that asylums for the distressed, and
hospitals for the sick, and Sunday-schools for the gratai-*
tons instruction of the ignorant, and benevolent societies
for feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, and sano<*
tuaries for the worship of the living God, would break out
in all directions like stars on a winter's night, shedding
round, about them the blessings of science, humanity, and
religion, over Uie face of this well-peopled world. If all
this delightful vision would be realized, then, by a perfect
obedience to the law of God, of which we are as satisfied
as of our own existence, nothing can be plainer, than that the
system which honours this law the most, and inspires men
with the greatest respect for it, and supplies the strongest
motives to its observation, must commend itself the most to
the understandings of Turks, Pagans, Jews, and Infidels, and
to all who have any understanding. The Unitarian systeai
inculcates, that the law of God, which, in the Bible, de*
maads perfect obedience ; ** for cursed is every one that
continuethnot in all things written in the book of the law
to do them," will be satisfied with sincere obedience.
Now, what is sincere obedience? We take it for granted,
it is not perfect obedience, else it would have been called
such. But if it is not perfect obedience; it must be im-
perfect obedience; so then the law of God will be satisfied
with imperfect obedience : but this proceeds on the CTound
that the law is relaxed. But to what extent is it relaxed ?
Every man must be judge for himself. Yet is it not highly
paradoxical to suppose, that a system which recognizes an
undefined relaxation of the law, can be favourable to ob^
dience? or that it can inspire men with respect for die
law ? The law is sunk, by such a system, in the eye of the
subject; for although, in the first place, it demandctdjiei/€«;^
obedience, yet, as it cannot get that, it will be satisfi^
with sincere^ which, mean what it may, cannot mean more
than all it can get ; reminding us (pardon the comparison)
of the itinerating pedlar who comes to your door, and, in the
first place, asks a high price for his article, but whom you
may neat down from price to price, till at length he takes
what you please to give him.
But we gladly turn from a system which thus sink« the
in tkeir Temieueif to Cowoert Jew^ Pagma, Sfc. 163
la;vry to one that migixifie» it, akid ttkakes it faotxmraUe ; that
IB, the Tritiitainan system^ whieh goes upon the-'groundy
tiiat the law iniitt have perfect obedience in every putic*
tilioy from the swaddling band to the shroud ; that it is of
no use what men say,— ^tbat they are good at the bottom,^
except they are good at the top, and good all the way from
the bottom to the top; that perfect obedience was paid to
it by Christ, and is imputed to every one that believes in
him — and that the strongest motives to perfect obedience
are supplied by the Redeemer's agony and sofferings.
«
There strongest motives stiag.
** There sacred violence assaults the soul/' Young.
It will scarcely be necessary ta stop> and ask which of
these two will commend itself most to the understandings of
these poor deluded devotees of cruel superstitions.
As we flatter ourselves that we hare thus laid the foandU'*
tien deep and sound in the judgment, we may now appeal to
another faculty, the imagination, for the possession of which
oriental nnbdievers are celebrated. But here we are aware,
that the soundness of this ground may be questioned by
some, though we confess that we do not think it questionabie^
All the works of God are calculated, Arom their beingf
awfully vast or elegantly Kttle, to fill the imagination wttn
the most sublime, and kindling* and admiring conoeptioAS,
and may be legitimately used for that purpose^r *'Tbe
heavens that he hath meted out with a span, the waters
that he hath measured in the hollow of his band, the
mountains Uiat he hath weighed in scales, and the liifle
that he has poised in a balance,'' All the imagination with
the highest conceptions of his power, and wisdom, aih4
goodness, and majesty, '*who hath the heaven fbr bia
throne, and the earth for his footstool ; the cloud fof his
chariot, and the winds for the wtn^s" on wbid^i be fltea
through the univerae, ^* glorious m hoHness, fearft»l in
praises, doing wondem." Why is it, then, that redemptioti
— redemption of immortal soula from hell flameSp ie tbe
only work of Ood that foils within the range of htmian
knowiedge^-^be only work of God that may not be legi-
timately employed to fill the imagination with the most
sublime and exalted conceptions of him who accom^
pliehed it ? Is it the (tBT, that being so glorious a work,
It should fill the imagination with too exalted ooneep*
tions and sentiments of him who accompliahed itt Or id
it the fear, that it should raise expectations in the rnsnd^
VOL. VIII. — NO. 2. N
VS4 Vnitarianism and Trimtarianwn eomparedy
which the next world will not satifify? Or what? &urely»
if '* the wave of mighty forests, and the rush of soumUng
water&Us/' and distant glimpses of human territory, and
pinnacles of everlasting snow, and the sweep of that
circling horizon, which folds in its ample emorace the
whole of this noble amphitheatre, are employed, and
legitimately too, to give birth to the most exalted and
majestic conceptions of God ; then the incarnation of the
Son of God, and his atonement -for sin, and his resurrec*
tion from the dead, and his ascension to heaven — and his
second coming to judge the world, and take his saints to a
glory, of which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, — may be
employed to kindle it also. Yes, they will set the imagina-
tion of the believer on fire, in spite of all the cold water
that men of no imagination, who are philosophically hard,
and scientifically insensibl^, may throw upon it. With
which of these two systems would the imaginations of
these deluded devotees be interested, elevated, delighted,
^d kindledi Would it be with that which represents
Christ a mere man— his mission that of a prophet — nis holir
ness mere morality — his death a mere example of patience;
and that, since his resurrection, we don't know where he is f
Or with that which represents him as God, who, though he
was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, in the assumption
of. pur natures—that he first appeared amongst us in the
form of a little child — that, from his. swaddling band to. hia
shroud, he -buffeted with the billows of trouble, that be
might know how to sympathize with us in our calamities —
that he went about, God and man in one person, working
miracles as benevolent as they were bright, and ddivering
J arables as instructive as they were true — ^that he died in
is human nature for our sins, and rose again from the
dead on the third day for our j ustification — that he asoendedi
to heaven, where, above that high ar4)h, under which we
sleep in our cradles, and worship.in our sanctuaries, and rot
in our graves, he intercedes at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty — and that from thence . he will come to .
judge the quick and the dead, separate the precious and
the vile, and.raise his saints to heaven, where, in their own
nature, he shall shine for ever the object of their adoration,
the source of their joys, the ornament of creation, and the
wonder of the universe; while. they shall sing, the song,
f^Unto him that redeemed us, and washed us from our
sins, in his oifvn blood, be honour and glory for ever and 4
in their Tendency to Convert Jews, Pagans, Sfc. 165
«Ter, in hallelujahs lofty as the them« they celelirate/' and
countless as the ages through which they shall roll.
We scarcely need stay to ask which system will (ill their
imaginations with the most sublime^ ravishing, and rich
conceptions*
Let us now look at them, in the appeal they make to the
feeling of these individuals— that feeline which constitutes
all the difference there is between fallen men and fallen
angels ; feeUnff, the only surviving lineament of original
excellence, which has escaped the catastrophe of the fall,
like the solitary servant of Job, escaped from the destruc-'
tion in which his fellows were overwhelmed, and which,
like him, if it could speak, would finish its tale of woe,
by saying, '* I, only I, am escaped alone to tell thee/'
Upon this feeling, how would these different systems
operate ? In order to judge, listen to the different state-
ments they give of human ruin and human redemption.
The Unitarian scheme represents man as being createa with
the principal part of the appetites he possesses, except a
few which he may have contracted by education and
example — and that God is so easy on the subject of sin,
that although it is the bitter cause of all our calamities,
yet he will pardon it without any mark of his decisive hatred
against it, on our repentance, although its first object is
to de&rone God, ana its next to destroy man. The other
system represents man as having fallen from original excel*
lence and happiness into sin, which is the source, the proli-
fic, the frightfully prolific source of all his sorrows ; but that
God -SO loved the world, and so hated sin, as to give his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might
not pensh, but have everlasting life. That " herein was
love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and setit
his Son to be the propitiation for all our sins/' Which of
these two would operate most powerfully on the feelings of
that poor Pagan, who stands with outstretched hands and
horriole contortions, muttering his deadly incantations at
the shrines of devils, hardening his heart with cruelty,
and dyeing his hands with blood? or upon that poor TurK,
who is paying a visit to Mecca, and, on his bended knees,
is gabbling over a detached passage from the Koran, which
is another rivet to his chain, another fetter to his delu-
sion, another sin to his list? or upon the feelings of that
Soor Jew, who is seeking for justification by tbe law of
loses, although just when he seems to have arrived at the
summit of his wishes, down all falls to the dust, owing to
\6Q . Vniturianism and Trmitarianism ecmipared.
tS^ eommiBsioii of some sin, the oinissibn of sotie cliity»
like the wretch in the fabled Pagan mjrtbolo^y, who was
doomed to roll a stone up to a certain eminence, and
always, whenever it seemed just at the top, down it rolled
to the bottom. We leave our readers to jud^e which will
operate most powerfully on the feelings of unbelievers, by
the mai^ner they operate upon their own.
Lastly, let us look at them, as they are calculated to
operate u{>on the fears of mankind, is there any thing in
the Unitarian system to make men, who are naturally in
love with sin, airaid of c<nnmitting it ? Will they be afraid
of offending God by it? No; i^r he is ao easy and so
kind, that li^ cannot at least be soon offended. Will they
be qfraid of future punishment? No; for there is none,
according to this scheme, or next to none, even for the finally
impenitent. What is there th^n to alarm their fears, if they
comniit sin I Nothing, comparatively speakins,— nothing.
L^t us now look at the other system, ana see hew it
alarms the sinner. It points us to the Saviour on tha
cross ; and who, with that affecting spectacle before his
eyes, can doubt for sk moment, whetber it is, or is not, God's
intention severely to punish sin ? Who that sees the Saviour
swelled viith strokes, pale with death, besmeared with
spittlejt ftnd stained with blood, for sin, can doubt it for a
moment? This determination severely to punish sin, is
eminently calculated to work on the fears ot mankind, for
it is got, not from our own speculations about the matter,
but from a fact ; the same fact by which the feelings are
op^rat^d upon, and that is, the crucifixion of Christ. It
decides in a moment, in the mind of the man that believes
Christ was cruqified for sin, that it is God's determination
severely to punish it — and although this fact does not say,
thai; tb!e punishment will be everlasting, yet still it c(m-
vinces us, that it could not be from a punishment of short
duration, that all this scale of continued miracles was con-
structed, or else there would be such a huge disproportion be-
tween the means and end. It must have been, nrom a punish-^
ment truly dreadful, and which is explained by the Saviour,
the gentle Saviour, himself ; and it is remarkable, that his
language is the mmt awful that is to be Sound any where on
the subject; " there their worm dieth not, and their fire ia
not quenched." Wbich of these systems then will operata
most pow^fttUy on the fears of these men ; the Unitarian,
which pr^mhesies smooth things, or the Trinitarian, which
9lH6a Fire I fire! in the ears of the sinner? ^ .
Hora Juridic4Ct 16?
For the reasons thus t^tated at length, though we arc^
apprehensiine that they have been but too feebly enforced^
we think it abundantly plain, that the Trinitarian ficheiM
will operate most nowerfully on the understandings, and
imaginations, and reelings, and 6ear8>'of unconrerted men,
to whom, be they Pagans, Mahometans, Roman Catho-^
lies, or mere nominal professors of a purer form of Chris^
tianity> we would say, that the gospel answer to the qnes^'
tion, '* What must I do to be saved ?" i8> ** Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be savied !"
jfcjMiMi
UORJE JURIDlC-aS,— No* I.
0/1 the Origin and Principles of the Law of Libel; and the
Punishment of Defamation amongst the Jews, Egyptians,
ancient Persians, and Lydians.
Thos£ persons can have formed but a very imperfect
notion of the nature aad objects of Legislation, in a civilizecl
state, who conceive that the pains and penalties of its vin-^
dictive sanction should be principally, if not exclusively,
applied to those injuries which immediately alFect tiie lives^
the persons, or the property of individual members of the
commiQiiity. True it is, indeed, Uiat in the earlier stages of
society, the criminal code of every country was strictly
confined within these limits ; and it was so confined, for a
reason at once sufficient and obvious. Tliere were^ then, no
other rights for the lawless to violate^ or which ilie peace-
ful subject could wish to defend. The *^koneste vivere:
aiteruni non ladere: sunm cuique tribuere*^ — ^three short
maxims, to which the Justinian code has reduced the whole
elements of jurisprudence, has a higher origin, and a more
binding authority, than that of a system which weakened
every principle of equity it contained — ^and they weie nei-
ther few, nor difficult to be applied — by a mafk of tyranny
in the sovereign, and of slavery in tfie people, which, con-
ceived in but few words, was in itself capable of annihi-
lating the liberty of the one, and establishing the despotism
of the other : ** quod principi plaeuit, legis hahet vigorem,**f
In fact, notwithstanding the various speculations of cer-
tain writers, who have shrewdly suspected that theft is not
prohibited by the law of nature, it might easily be shewn,
were this the place to enter on the disquisition, tiliat these
maxims constitute the elements, we had almost saidllie fouh-
* Inst. i. 3. t Inst. 11. 6.
168 Hori^ Juridtt^.
dation, of those ^tenial, immutable principles of right
and wrong, with which the revealed law of God accords,
and every human law should harmonize^ or lose its hold
upon the consciences of men. These principles of justice
are adapted^ therefore, to every stage of society, and should,
at all periods, form the basis of its laws. But the particu-
lar duties which thev require to be performed \ the variety
of injuries they may be made to prohibit; the incitements
necessary to be held forth, the punishments to be denoun*
ced, to secure the performance of the duty, and to prevent
the commission ot the crime, are not so fixed, but must
change with the chan^ng manners of a peo|>le advancing
from oarbarism to civilization ; from civilization to refine-
ment ; and from refinement but too often sinking into pre-
mature decay.
8ome considerable time would, for instance, elapse, ere
the savage of the desert would be induced to admit the su-
Jerior right of his brother savage to the skin of the beast he
ad slain in die chase, for a moment longer than actual posses-
sion demonstrated his intention of appropriatiDg it to him-
self. His readiness and ability to maintain that possession^
against any one who should attempt to strip from his back
the trophy of his skill, and the only shelter of his person
from the inclemency of the weather, would perhaps, too,
after all, be the best protection of a property, so transient,
so ill-defined, and so ill-protected by laws, which can only
derive a permanent and effectual sanction from mutual com-
pact, which, originating in mutual danger, ascertains mu-
tual rights, and establishes, on an equitable basis, the
mutual relations of civil and of social life. The terms of
that compact must have been pretty well understood ; the
extent ot those rights accurately^ however disproportion-
ately, ascertained ; and the duties of those relations defined
with a considerable degree of precision, before the legis-
lative code of any nation could have provided remedies
for those ioiuries, or punishments for those crimes, which
have not a direct and immediate, but an indirect and more
remote, effect upon the happiness of individuals, and the
peace of society. If we Iook, therefore, to the earlier pro-
visions of our own, or of any other body of laws, we shall
find them chiefly, if not solely, directed to the prevention,
or rather to the punishment, of offences committed by the
Btcong arm of open and lawless violence, the tendency of
which to put in jeopardy the lives and property of the
more honest and peaceable members of the community, is
Hof^ Jtmdica. l(3$i
neither Gonceakd, nor attempted to be coneealed^ rsUher thair
to guard agaiost those more subtle devices which effectuate'
the same purpose by art instead of force,, cloaking themi*
selves the vrhiie with pretences sq specious, and having so
little about them to awaken the caution of the most pru-
dent, that their real object is not immediately discovered.
It never has been, and in the nature of things it never could
be, a characteristic of those provisions, that they embraced
circumstances which never could arise, iniuries whicb could
have no existence, until the manners and habits of the peo--
pie, for the regulation of whose conduct they were epacted«,
VI the slow, but certain march of civilization,, of moral and
intellectual refinement, and of commercial enterprise, hadi
assumed very different features to those to which they
could, and ought alone, to adapt themselves.
Legislation is a progressive work;. and from its intimate
connexion' with the changing manners and circumstances ^f
mankind, its advancement to perfection, if even to the
standard of human perfection it ever can attain, must
inevitably be slow. In its earlier stages, the protection of
the lives, the persons, and the properties of individuals
from the effects of inunediate violation^ and the prevention
of direct attempts to subvert the government established, or
rather permitted to have an uncertain existence, (suspended
as it were by a single thread, which the sword of any power-
ful leader might cut, or the storm of popular ccMumotioti
could in an instant tear asunder,) by pains and penalties
the most effectual which the narrow capacities of tne legis'^
lators could devise^ or the imperfect subordination of the
people would permit them to enact, — ^is all we must look for,
and all that we shall ever find. But as civilisation advances,
as the arts are cultivated, as commerce extends itself, a
new order of things arises ; and it is discovered, that there
are other and often more effectual means of gratifying a
malicious, an envious, or a revengeful disposition, than by
openly, or even secretly, though directly, attacking the peiw
sons or property of those at whose prosperity the heart sick-
ens, or whose interests a malevolent spirit would seek to under-
mine. As the intercourse and connexion of men^witb each
other, for the purposes of social life, or of commercial, traffic,
strengthen and extend themselves, the necessity for mutual
confidence attaches a value to individual reputation, which
in a savage and uncommercial state of society must have
been at its lowest ebb, if indeed it can be said to have had
any existence at all. But as the value of thi& personal
ITO iibrtf Juridica.
leputation, and the great imparlance of edtablbhing aind
maintaining a national character for the strict observance
of public faitii, would increase in an exact ratio with the
intercourse of indifidaals, of public bodies, of governments,
and of nations, it most be selr-evident, that whatever coold
contribute to extend this intercouse, would in an e^ual
degree enlarge the means, and increase the opportunities,
of injuring another, in a point which, under some circum-
stances, may be dearer to him than life, and often of more
value than all the property he may possess. Upon the
character he maintains in the world, the future enjoyment
of the one, and the increase or even the continuance of the
other, may indeed frequently be feimd most essentially to
depend. It might also be demonstrated with equal ease,
for it is a fact equally obvious, that whatever gives genend
&cility to an attack upon personal reputation, must open, to
such as are inclined to avail themselves of it, a wider field
for attempts to excite in the minds of the people sentiments
of dissatisfaction with the government under which they live,
and thus to weaken its authority : but the point is too clear
to need illustration.
In the combined operation of these two causes, the neees<»
sity of protecting the character of individuals from unjust
and unwarrantable attacks, and governments from being
brought into contempt and jeopardy, originated those legis*
lative provisions^ which are usually classed under the head
of the Lnw of Scandal, and of Libel. Of that law it is the
intention of the present article of our lucubrations, and of
a (kw of its successors, to trace the history, wit^ a view, from
the practices of other nations, to illustrate and to defend
some supposed peculiarities in our own. Against these
the voice of faction and of ignorance Ihls raised the clamour
of innovation, when, in point of fact, the principles on which
they Q(re founded — for it is principles, and not mere techni*:
ealities, which we wish to discuss — are s^tfaered fVom the
collective wisdom of ages, and sanctioned by the usage of
every nation and kindred of the civilixed world. The asser-
tion may be bold, but we hope to prove it to be true, to the
satisfhction of every unprejudiced mind, and to an extent
of which even our lawyers are not fully aware*
That the subject which is thus proposed for consideration
is an important one to every person who takes the smallest
share in our public affiiirs, or in the poiitical discussions
Which they engender, or who, in the daily intercourse and
mere private relations of life, is called upon to enter into
Horm Juridical* 171
oominaniostions Upon the chafacter of another, it cannot
surely be needfiil to demonstrate. Independent too of the
.immediate and personal interest which we may all of us
take in its inTestigation, there is attached to the subject, a
question of deep public interest, and of very general im«
portance, inyolring no less than the liberty of the press
on the one hand, and the check of its licentiousness on the
other.
In discussing such a subject, it can scarcely be necessary
to observe, that the term libel, which, to a modem ear, is
apt as it were intuitively to convey the idea of a publica-
tion of some criminal matter, is, in its literal meaning,
perfectly harmless, being but a mere diminutive of the
Latin word iiber, and signifying nothing more than a
written composition, or litUe book.* And even on its firet
adoption as a technical term by the Roman lawyers, its
import was very different to that which we now attach to it,
for they employed it as the distinctive apnellation of the
roll delivered to the praetor in open court, oy the plaintiff
or accuser, in every cause which was brought before him ;*t'
answering in substance to the declarations, indictments,
and infonnations ex officio of our modem law, and indeed^
when reduced to writing, to legal proceedings in general.;^
Bnt in the fonims, and the codes of the Roman emperors,
the term thus engrafted on the law soon acquired a more
exclusive application to those writings which reflected
upon the conduct of persons in autborityy or on the cha^
racters of individ«als,§ though in its general application k
was still variovsly, and, as it would seem, indifferently,
employed to denote petitions and remonstrances to, and
written answers or messages from, the emperors and other
persons of rank ;||*--inforoiations, state papers, and writings
of a publio nature in general ^ briefs or instructions of the
* Enaius Fragm. Horace Carm. v. 8, 15 ; Epist. i. 13, 4. 9, 17, &g.
Ovid, Fast, i, \M, ii. 549; ex Foot. iv. xxi. 25. et passim; Phae-
drus t. ptol. 3.; Cicero pro Clement. 51; Ausonias, EpSg. ix. 1.
xxiv. 3. &c.
t Horace, Sat 1.4, 66. ; Plin. Epist. vii. 27. x. 6, 5. ; Javenal,
Sat. vi. 143. ; Qaintiliaa, lost. vi. 2. xii. 8. ; Tacitus Add. ii. 44.
X Plaotus Carculio i. 2, 6. ; Juvenal, Sat. xxxi. 107. ; Suetonius
Nero, 15. ; Claud. 37. Cicero is Ycrr. i. 6.
% Tacitus, Ann. i. 72.; Saet. Aug. 55.
ft Quint Inst. vL 3.; Martial viii. 31, S2. xi. 1.; Cieero ad Attic.
XYi. 16. ; Pliu. i. 10. Bpist iii. 18. v. 14. vii. 12. x. 297, ^. ; Juf enal.
Sat xiv. 193»
1[ Ovid. Ibis. 39.; Tacitus i. 11, 74 ; ii. 30. vi. 8.; Saetonias,
Galb. 80. ; Florus, iv. 12.
l7d Hora. Juridica,
wlvocates;* written papers held in the bandit mere
memoranda ; I a packet or parcel ;§ epigrams, and the
little satirical effusions which have since oeen denomina-
ted pasquinades ; II advertisements of spectacles,^ and
public notifications in general;** booksellers' shops; ft
the pro^mma of the meatres, and painted exhibitions of,
every kind.jji
The very derivation of the term, upon which, for a
wonder, our legal antiquaries are perfectly agreed, and have
no shrewd surmises to offer, makes it self-evident that libel-
ling, according to the strict definition of the term adopted
by our law from the later of the Roman jurists, could not
prevail to any. very alarming extent, but with, a people,
amount whom the art of writing was pretty genearally
practised. In the earlier of the ancient codes, as well- as
in those of more modern nations, before that art was in any
very extensive use, we must not therefore be surpriseo,
that we find, but very little upon the subject* Most of
diem contain, however, provisions more or less severe, for
the suppression of that disposition, which, by no means
deficient in the will, wanted but. the means to -diffuse and
perpetuate the slander, which, from pure necessity, was
confined to a verbal publication, injurious and malicious
in-a greater or a. less proportion, according.to the circum-
stances of time and place under which it might be made.
To those ruder enactments asrainst scandal and defama-
tion, which may not inaptly oe termed the law of libels^
non scripti, we shall therefore direct some portion of the
reader's attention, inasmuch as they were the foundation of
the more finished system of laws for preventing the publi-
cation of those libelli scripti, which, in modem days, have
extended themselves, with the extension - of writing and
printing, to a.degree that has alarmed some of the most
zealous supporters of the liberty of the press, who wish not
that its licentiousness should be pemutted to attack, with
equal impunity, the throne and the altar; whilst it affords
a secure protection to the vilifier of his prince, the insulter
* Juvenal, Sat. vi. 243.; vii. 107.; Martial, v. 61. 1.; Quint. Inst,
vi. 2. ; xii. 8.
t Pliny, Epist. vi. 5. ; Quint. Inst. x. 7. J Suet. Aug. 84.
§ Cicero, Attic, xi. I.
II Juvenai, Sat. i. 92. ; Soetonius, Domit. 14. ; Quint. Inst. viiL 6.
4 Gatulias, liii. 4. ^* Cicejro, Philipp. li. 38.
tt Cicero pro Quint. 6, 15, 19. ; Senec. de Benef. iv. 12. ; Pctro»
nius, Sat. 28.
II Horace, Sat. i. 41. ; Suetonius, Tib. 306.
Hora Juridica, 173
of his country's laws* and the bold blasphemer of bis God.
This course will, too, in some measure, prepare them for the
remarks which we intend to offer, on what we cannot but con*
sider one of the most glaring errors of our own law for the.
punishment of defamation generally ; in the wide distinction
which they make in the punishment of scandal spoken, and
the same scandal when reduced to writing; a distinction
which, as we shall then endeavour to prove, is not founded
on any correct principles of reasoning, but which, on the
contrary, in its practical application, is productive of the
greatest evils, as well as pregnant with the grossest
absurdity.
In all historical investigations, a believer in revelation>
is naturally^ led to look, in the first place, to the Jewish
records, as by far the most ancient in existence; and of the
state of the law. of defamation amongst that extraordinary
people, who for a long period had the Almighty at once
for their lawgiver and King, the following account has been
given by Mr. Holt, in the Introduction to his Treatise on
the Law of libel.'*''
" Amongst the Jews, to whom a distinct revelation was
made, one of the main purposes of which was to revive,
the characters of the law of nature, and to retrace those
laws which were defaced and almost obliterated by corrupt
traditions, — to slander any one, particularly those in author
rity, was expressly forbidden, and the suSject of a curse,
by the law of Moses."
We have, however, carefully examined the 22d and 25d
chapters of Exodus, referred to in support of this statement;
but neither there, nor in any other part of the Pentateuch,
can we find any very express, provision against slandering
another. '* Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the
ruler of thy.people,"t is the only passage in the first, which
has any relation to the subject; but surely, cursing the
gods or rulers of the people, (fdr here, as in some other
parts of the sacred writings, those terms are synonymous,)
IS a very difierent thing from expressly prohibiting to
slander any one, and rendering that prohibition the subject
of a curse. In the earlier of the legislative codes, the
first of these offences is raised into a species of lasa
majestas, or high treason ; whilst of the latter — for they
took much better care of kings, and those in authority under
them, than of the people — tney scarcely make the slightest
mention. Nor does the second chapter afford much better
* Pa^e 3. t Bxodus, xxii. 26.
174 Hora Juridicdd4
gtontid for the assertion, since the first verse alone can at
any rate be pressed into the service ; and it may reasonably
be doubted whether the enactment contained in its former
clause, " tbou shalt not raise a false report/' does not much
more nearly approach to the^&a clamor, than to the scan-
dal or defamation of our law ; whilst there can be no hesita-
tion in identifying that of the latter, ** jmt not thy hand
with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness,'' with the
penary, and subornation of perjury, of modem times.
The laws of the ancient Egyptians, as far as we are
acquainted with their provisions, are equally silent upon the
subject of simple, defamation. That aggravated specie^
of It, which was sought to be effected by rendering the
courts of Justice the unconscious ministers of personal
malice, or by calling in the sanction of an oath to support
a charge falsely preferred arainst another, was visited with
great, and, in so advanced a stage of society, with very
unnecessary severity. Perjury, . partly from a religious,
amd partly from a political motive, was m all cases punished
by death, it being looked upon as a crime little less de-
structive of the peace of the community, than it was
insulting to the majesty of the gods. In the like vindic*
tive spirit, false accusers were punished in the same manner
as those whom they accused would have been, had they
been convicted — an application of the lex talionis, by no
means peculiar to this remote period of the history of the
world, inasmuch as it still pervades the <iodes of several
of the northern nations, and was once attempted in our
own.'"' It may, however, be questioned, whether these laws
for the punishment of perjury and false accusations, severe
as they unquestionably are, would have been sufficient to
prevent the evil resulting from individual reputation, being
in other points left open to attack, amongst a people
whose progress in the arts would abundantly furhish them
with the m^ans, as the extent of their commerce would
readily supply the inducement, to traduce and undermine
the character of their neighbours. But here the precau-
tions of their well-arranged, Ibough arbitrary system of
police, aided the defective legislation of this singular
* By 37 Edw. III. o. 18. which provided, that such as preferred any
8ug;§^e9tioiis to the kinj^'s great council, should put in pledgos of
taliation, to incur the same punishment as would have been iniicied
upon the persons whom they accused , in case of 4beir conviction,
should the char^i^ prove to foe untrue. But after the trial of a single
year, this law was repealed.
Hora Juridica. 175
people, ihftsmuch a9 the strict injunction upon eTery indi*
vidual to give in, to the gorernor of his ni ovince, a true and
correct account of the manner in which ne gained his liveli-
hood, under pain of death, if that account should in any
lespect be false, would effectually prevent men of talent,
witnout principle, from carrying on the trade of a common
libeller, which, after all, is far more injurious to personal
reputation, and to the safety of the state, than any attack
that might be feared from the tongues of persons envious
of individual prosperity, or who conceived themselves
called upon to revenge their own real or imaginary wrongs,
by bcrfdmg up to tike contempt of the people the govern-
ment wbidb had inflicted them. In the one instance, you
have, it is true, plenty of combustible matter, but it may
remwi innoxious for ever, for want of the spark to explode
it ; in the other, you have the torch and the train always
ready to be applied to every inflammatory substance,
which waited but the first touch of ignition, to spread
abroad in every direction a destructive volume of smoke and
flame.
*' The Persians," says the writer already referred to,*
in the Introduction to his work, " had a law which declared
it infamous to be detected in a lie. A people enacting a
positive law in mere morals, could not be unprovided with
a punishment for defamation."
This certainly seems to be a very natural and legitimate
conclusion : we would accompany it, however, by this obser-
vation, that the extraordinary attention bestowed by the
ancient Persians, in training up their children in the public
seminaries, to an habitual direction of their views to the
public good; the military spirit of their nation^ which
appears for a long period to have been an utter stranger to
commerce, and never tp have pursued it to any extent;
and, above all, their blind obedience to everv indication of
their monarch's will, and the awe with which they contem-
plated its nnnisters, — would, in all probability, render the
infamy attached to detection in a lie, sufficient to prevent
an inclination to public or private defamation from gaining
much ground amongst them. It was the character also of
the laws of the ancient Persians, according to the repre-
sentations of Xenophon, who had sufficient opportunities
of making himself acquainted with them, that they tended
more than those of any other nation to prevent, rather than
to punish, crime; to deter men from the commission of
* Holt's Treatise on the Law of Libel, p^ 3, 4.
17G Hodge's Dissertation on the
eiil, by iaspiring them with q, love of virtae and a hatred of
yice^ rather than by a hope of reward, or fear of punish-
ment.*
In a very short note upon a case in his twelfth Report,+
my Lord Coke informs us, that the law of the Lydians
was, " that he who slanders another shall be let blood in
the tongue, and he who hears it, and assents to it, in the
ear, &c.," but as he does not refer us to the authority upon
which he makes this assertion, we have not been able to
discover at what period of their history this law was
enacted, though from its singular, and, if we may so apply
the term, quaint infliction of punishment upon the very
organs which were the immediate instruments in commit-
ting the offence, we should be inclined to ascribe it to an
early stage bf their legislation. There is every reason to
conclude, that the Lydians were a far more commercial
people than were their conquerors the Persians, and this
circumstance may account for the pains taken by their
lawgivers to prevent defamation, though the remedy they
applied must have been somewhat more curious than effi*
cacious.
/J.
A Dissertation on the Importance of Biblical Literature.
By Charles Hodge, A.M., Teacher of the Original Lan^
guages of Scripture; in the Theolosical Seminary of the
Presbyterian Church, at Princeton, New-Jersey.
Biblical Literature is usually divided into two great parts,
denominated Criticism, and Interpretation, orHermeneutics.
The object of the former, is to determine what is the
genuine text of sacred scripture ; of the latter, to discover
and exhibit its meaning.
The series of books which compose the sacred volume
were written at different times, during a period of sixteen
hund: .d years. The latest of these productions, therefore,
have come down to us through a series of more than seven*
teen centuries ; and the earliest have been preserved for
more than three thousand years. During this long period,
they have undergone innumerable transcriptions in almost
every part of the world, and by every description of per**
sons. We find, from our own experience, that it is difficult
to transcribe a single page without making some mistake ;
and that to transcribe a volume without an error, would be
* Anab. lib. i. f PaS* 36.
Impafriance of Bihlicul Literature. 177
almost impossible. That the sacred scriptaires, therefore,
should have be^i exempted from all errors of this nature,
would haye required a miraculous superintendence of every
one who undertook to transcribe them. We hare the most
convincing proof, that no such miraculous influence has
ever been granted. It has been found, on the collation of
the numerous maiiuscripts still extant, and on the exami-
nation of other sources of information, that the number of
discrepances is very great, and indeed at first view appal-
ling. It becomes, therefore, a matter of great difficulty and
impdrtance, to determine, amidst this vast multitude, which
is the true reading, and to fix with certainty the text which'
proceeded from the sacred penmen. The importance o£
this subject is such, that it early forced itself on the atten«
tion of uxe friends of revelation. Even as early as the time
of Origen, the discrepances between the several copies of
the Septuagint were so numerous and serious, that he was
induced to devote more than twenty-eight years of his life
to a laborious attempt to restore its purity, and bring it to
a nearer coincidence with the Hebrew, in this department
of sacred criticism^ he was followed by Lucian of Antioch,
and Hesychius of Egypt, whose revised editions became
^e standard conies of their respective countries, and seem
to have included the New Testament as well as the Sep-
tuagint.
The same disagreement which Origen had found in the
Greek scriptures, Jerome complains of in the Latin. As
this ancient version had been made from the Septuagint,
ivhich was then the standard both of the Eastern and Westv
ern churches, Jerome at first had courage to attempt no-
thing more than a correction of this translation, from the
improved text of the Greek scriptures, fomished by the'
labours of Origen. But his manuscripts being lost or
destroyed, he embraced the bolder resolution of making a
version from the Hebrew text itself. This translation,
about the year six hundred, received the sanction of the
Bishop of Rome^ and became the standard of the Roman-
church.
Previously to the time of Jerome, though at what pre-
cise period is unknown, the Jews had begun to devote much
attention to the cultivation of the Hebrew language, and
the preservation of their sacred writings. The two prin-
cipal, seats of their learning ^ere, Tiberias, for the western
Jews^ and Babylon for the eastern. At the former of these
places was composed the Jerusalem Talmud, at the latter
17S Hodge^s Dissertation on the
the Babylonish ; contaimng the traditionary law of tfae Jeirs,
with the comments of their doctors. Bot what at present
we are more interested in, is the incredible labour they
devoted to fix the text of the Hebrew scriptures, and to pre*
serre it immaculate. The Masora, which is one of the
most surprising monuments of human industry, contains
the result of their labours. It embraces the enticisms on
the text, which had been handed down from their ances-
tors ; the most minute details respecting the size, form, and
position of the letters ; the number of letters in each book,
and in the whole Bible ; how often each letter occurs ; and
the rules to be observed in transcribing the sacred rolmne ;
m shorty nothing seems to have been omitted, which inge-
nuity and industry could devise and accomptish, to preserve
the Hebrew scriptures from the slightest alteration. When
these Jews were driven from the east, they carried with
them to the southern parts of Spain, their fondness for Bib-
lical criticism, and rendered the twelfth century famons, by
the writings of Maimonides, Aben Etra, David Kimcfai, 8co«
Such was the effect of the labours of the Masorites, that
the Jews generally imbibed the belief of the perfect exemp-*
tion o^the Hebrew Bible from all errors in letters, points,
and accents. On* the revival of Hebrew literature among
the. Christians, shortly befcHre the Reformation, the same
belief of the immaculate purity of the sacred text was em-
braced by them. It was not until the Samaritan Pentateuch
was discovered, and brought into Europe, in sixteen hun-
dred and twenty, that much diversity of opinion on thia
subject seems to have existed. As this copy of the law of
Moees was vnritten in the Hebrew language, but without
the vowel points, and in the Samaritan charact^, critics
were led to question the antiquity both of the Hebrew
points and letters. As it was still farther observed, that
the Samaritan and Hebrew Pentateuchs differed frequently
in thrir readings, Morinus was led to infer from this fact,
and from the diversity which existed between the Hebrew
and the Septuagint, that the former was much corrupted.
In the year sixteen hundred and fifty, Capellus published
his Cntica Sacra, in which he took the more moderate
ground of maintaining, that the Hebrew scriptures had de-
scended to us with the usual inaccuracies attendant on all
works frequently transcribed. The opposition made to
these sentiments by Buxtorf and others, was of the most
serious kind. The doctrines of Capellus, however, were
soon adopted by Walton, and since that period have rapidly
Imfm^hcmt^ 0/ lUhlkdt tAiefdinre. i7^
g&ifl«d pmtiti. The pr^irdeaee of the§e cpttthM nsHftffalfy
SLW ri^e to thfe denire of ftnowiitg the am^ stsf^ df tih^
d^rew text, «ad the dt«o«in€ of ^e dfi^ersity trbich r^dlly
esMted« Tbid led fo the {mbG^fltion of KetxtAt6tfn isde^
Wated editkm of the HebrefW BrUe; fofttied f^om* atl exten-
sive colltttioM of mitawsttlpt^, both m ^ghmd ttid otr {frd
eontiDeiif* Thwvwork wae^ fiflaUy cotfri|lefed m s^evenrt^eiiett
huRd^ed and eighty, attefided wi^ an httmenif e tttimber of
Varro w» readidgs, tbow^h fe^ of them are of Ae ItAtit ithpat-
Umce. Tbie eoRecCtoiy has been etiftvsidtnSsfy intreMea bt
the laboars of I>e Roam,, wbo has been fbHowed by J. s,
Mighacfw, and ESehhom, in Ais departmeftf .
Thfe* high fdev enfeitc^ived of iSve ptmty of the Hetffetr
«Mi, WW to- a coMiderable exterd tmngfeired to- die recefted
text ot the Vew Tefitaiiieat, idirch was supposi^d, by Chris-
liams geneinA^, tb be as ftere from ail imperfet^4iotf, aa iSi6
My Tefigvott it reeorded. This* tefxt became fixedF iiv fh^
BlzeTir edyiioir of shrteeti^ hundred audf twenty-lotnr. IPhti
faiaCory of the f^miation of the reee«^df teid, ^ ^x&iftit^d
i« thfe edition, ia tlHiB' briefly attmmed ttp- by Qriesbaob' oti
fti^ kffty^w&of hfrPVolegomena. "The ©Ttevfr* editioii
was fofiaed from filaf of tkta^ and tbe thitdf of l^pben^:
Beza follofW* t!fie» thrttf of aStephen^, with^ very ffetr aite-
ratiods. TtM edMott of Stephens wa^ tfte* fifth of l^s-
iiiuB retrriated, wiA the exeepttovr of (lire few tn^tantei
in- ^iAtifch be pt«ii%rfed the^ Cbmpfui^inrikn. Btcsmutf forttfed
hh text froffi 8'few mocfertrmaimscript]^, nvith tbe assiinstnob
of Ihe £a«ki: Tulgate, and the wrrting^ of d; few of tbe
fathers iiSEiCCiirately edited."*'
Shortly after tfie formation of \be receirerf text, i»r the
Sfaevir editiorr in arxteerr hundred and twenty-fbttr, Bfbfi^
cal Literature received- a conardenlbre accessron, in the ptrb-
Ifteatron of Wsitoi/a Folyglott, and sdbseqaently of Father
Binvon's CVitical Histories' of die €9<f Testament and ffew
Tesitoienlis. The attention bestowed on tbfsr snbject gra-
dtaill^ increased, and tfre ntrmber of disctefpances was found
to be more and more- conaitferable. The* received text waa
gradually obtaining the sanctity of age; and die atLtht>rity
. * CkitsbacKysry properly EMDarJupthat ao- edkien ft# eatided* t9
aajr autBerity of Hseff^ bat iir to be- estimated by the value of the
amt^alk from wMcb it wa^ formed tt has providentially happened,
aecordin£to &e opinion of later critics, that the manugcripts whence
ftraannn, and the other earfy edltonr, formeif their edi'fions, bisloog
lb therery cfass, wHfbbrof alT others i^ of the most valde»and t&al
therefore the rccervet^ text is* better enttned to' .our confidence, tfian
any other which has yet been formed.
VOL. VIII. — ^o. 2. o
}80^ Hodge's Duseriatwn an iht
of loDg jcootmued acceptance, when the Christian world
was aroused by the appearance of the edition of Dr. MilU
with its thirty thousand various readings. The subject now
assumed so serious an aspect, that the enemies of the truth
stood in wishful expectation to see the very foundation pf
the church undermined, and the pious were turning them-*
pelves to God as their last refuge. As this subject, for a
•time, almost engrossed the attention of Christendom, it
was pursued with the greatest ardour. The materials of
this science have thus not only been greatly increased, but
reduced to the order of a regular system, by the labours of
Wetstein, Bengel, Semler, and especially of Griesbach.
Although the various readings have been made to amount
to no less than one hundred and fifty thousand, yet since
it has been found, that rules or criteria could easily be de-
termined upon, whose application would decide, in almost
every important instance, which was the original reading,
and that the vast majority of these discrepances were of
no importance, relating to mere differences of orthography,
arrangement of words^ or other trivial particulars, the hopes
and fears of the enemies and the friends of the truth, have
alike subsided, and the church with more confidence than
ever can exclaim — Verbum Dei manet in atemumJ*
. It surely will not be considered an unreasonable requi-
sition, that we review the course of this investigation, and
follow the steps which have led to this delightful result;
that we carefully consider the evidence, that the Bible we
now have, is essentially the Bible which proceeded from
the sacred writers. To lead us over this course, and «xhi<-
bit this evidence, is the 6ffice of sacred criticism. As this
is a subject -of great interest and importance, it is also
one of considerable extent, requiring,
,. 1. As it regards the Old Testament, a history of the
sacred text, through different periods, from its formation to
the present day, including an account of the manner in
whicn the several books were originally written, compiled,
and preserved, and the various means devised for maintain-
ing or restoring their purity.
The first pomt of interest on this subject, is the consi-
deration of the question respecting the purity of the Hebrew
text; and having come to' the conclusion, now universally
' * It should be stated, that these errors do not affect the integrity of
the text. Because, to almost every instance, they are the mere mis-
takes of transcribers ; and the true reading ^ though lost in one copy,
is preserved in another.
Importance of Biblical Lileraiure. 181
admitted, that there is no such thing as a text immaculatdy
pure, to inquire into the various sources of the errors found
to exists and to arrange them in their proper classes.
Our second object should be^ the consideration of the
means by which the purity of the text may be restored*
This requires a knowledge of the sources whence its origi*
nal state is to^ be learnt, such as ancient manuscripts, yer*
sions, and quotations.
With regard to manuscripts, we must learn the circum-
stances by which their comparative authority is to be deter-
mined ; as, their antiquity, the care with wnich they have
been written and preserved, and the particular family or
class to which they belong.
The consideration of the ancient versions leads us into
die extensive history of the LXX. Whether this version
derived its name from the belief^ that seventy-two persons *
were engaged in the translation, or from its being made
mider the sanction of the council of seventy elders, is un-
certain. It is strongly recommended to our atttention, by-
its hi^h antiquity ; by the authori^ it so long maintained,
both in the Jewish and Christian church; by the influence
it has had on the style of the New Testament; and its
importance in ascertaining the ancient readings of the Old.
The other versions of importance are, the Gredk translations
of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion — the ancient Latin,,
the Syriac, and the Chaldee Paraphrases, or Jewish Tar-
g^ms. Each of these versions is considered as in s(nne
measure exhibiting the text, at the period in which they
were respectively made. In this connexion should be mea-
tioaed tne Stfmaritan Pentateuchf which is the Hebrew,
text in the Samaritan character, and, as is generally sup-
posed, the ancient Hebrew character* As this Pentateuch
nas come down through a channel entirely distinct from
diat by which the Jewish scriptures have been received,
and as it has had considerable influence in regulating the
course of sacred criticism, it becomes one of the most
interesting docundents connected with this subject. The
principal quotations of importance from the Hebrew scrip-
tures are to be found in the Jewish Talmuds. In addition
to these sources of information, should be mentioned, the
Masora, which contains the critical apparatus of the Jews^
for restoring and preserving the purity of the text*
After attending to these various means of arriving at a
knowledge of the original state of the Hebrew ScriptureSt
we are next to consider their relative value, and the rule*
Its. Hocige'a DisseKtatim m the
to b^ adopted in s^keting fh>m tke varioua rttdinga they
zSoxd. ""
And, ftnaUy* wa are to review the history of the acliiai
api^licdtioB of these means., to the restiajraition of the test,
whioh inirohres an acoouat of the eafly critical laheim of
the Jews, and the suhseqneat labouia of Chiistiiiii0f which,
can obW be given in an aeoount of the YariouB orilaoal edi-
tions of the Hebrew Bible.
When we turn to the oriticiain of the New Testamonit we
meet a subject of fkr greater extent and imiportatiee» aL^-
thoagb'wa shall have the same g^aeral coucae' ta paraue :
esaniinnigy fimt, the sources oC the eraora; eecooidly, the
means of their correction ; and ^bordlyy the history of the>
abdication of these means.
' moait ot the souicea of ^ror, whiok affected the CUd Tea**;
tamcnt^ have 9^ operated on the Kew, and mangt'of thoab
to a iBUch ^eater extent ; because the New Teataoiettt wa»
mote widely diffiued, mora firequeatly and leaa carelnUy;
tiabsofibed. The attention the, Jewa detoted td the cor-
reotnesa of th^v maaufeicMtsy was carried to. a pnparatiAoiis.
extent. The rales which thejy preaenbed to thein travK.
aiGAbevs^ embraced the most uiinuAev particulars^ sadb aat;
the size and fcpm of the letters^ tbi^. numher to he ceaapBised;
in each Uae, their distaoca fiEoaa ea^k oihuexi, be. Tbb lan'
borlous^ attention jeinad wsdi the iaftaettea exerted by thsj
pMidtictioiia of tha nbin^ aa to the^ sesidi ofi the. least misn
take, i^dabed a decree of smpuioas care, aAicK wa^;
n^ver extended te thel>ooka of the New TesHsateat. l^Ma
ciiNiutnstaiMie^ logether with the great aMkiplkatififk of th*
eopi» of the New Testatnen^ would lead va to expect, tliel:
tfa0 dii^repanQea b^a^eeik these copiee wcMildi be more serin
oiia than the various readiaga of tlie> QU Testament. The;
means of correcting whatever esrors. reaHy> may exmk, and!
of^arripwig at the knowledge^ of tho< original text^'may<agaUfe
be referred t^ the sev^Bl heada off manuauip^ vessionsi;
and ^uotatiitMis*
In esttm^tiBg Ae vahia of maaAiacci|^, we momt^ m before^
atteikd ta their aatiqauty; the cafe< wiik which they^w^rq
wpiitlea; their purity, or freedom from cotrecticlnai or iaieai
polntioaa^ and the class to. whioh they beloagk. Thia hM
subjiect rises iato iufcfdoalable' HDpeiitanee, ftom the tstot^
that critics, do not hesitatq to. inerge. odq hundaedb BMmiH
fl^nf>ts into ona testimony, and tamake one counterb^ttce
an bufiidred, aecording to the paitibuloi! elas&to. wbidi they
belong* In other words, in judging of a»y pastkrohtE reao^
Imptf/ianct ofBitUddl Lit^ikre. liB^
ing» tte Aumbto cf individuU BiafciitBcHpili iti Ikrdlj^ tiAk^
into tb<e iLcioubt; the odiy qatetida is^ by bdWMWy dakil^
or recensions Is it wpportra ? ^ thds^ 6tklf im cicminddl^A
luB indep^disnt witnesses. Foir thk,. there is deAHf impdi^-
ianl reason^ sintb it wbnld bt «te tttipfober Ix) wdtioe ftk
separate testiitiottyv the sevi^rd transcti^ of tbe skM^
mantistHpt, »l the several copies of ^k satue (^ditioii of
any printed work. But the difficulty UeS in fltidibg sUffi^
eient eritefiia for sepajratiog tike lieteml tna^ttsdript^ infb
iiieiir distitiofc classed. Thet« is certainly d^iiiger (^( eit^Iting
to the rank of independent Witnessesi thoi^e wbid^ 'i&re iiot
«ntitlidd to thill iuthorily. Bengel flfst prbbt»6«d t&is pHi^
cip}^ of classttScHtiiMu He was followed by Seliitet'^ yid
aftarwairds by Oii^sbAch. These ori^^ii> obfeerv'mg aii^oh^
the attmeroas ^nnrioas raaditigs exhibited by ekteti^ toAnvL-
scriptSi dittt in cbaracteristio #eadiligs tMAy d£ thsm Hgf e^,
aad that ihk ooi«i4ide0oe Was so t^arkedj Ihat it fce^ald htfi
hare been fortnitaue ; thi mimoseripts thus dgte^ibg^ they
referred to the same clie^l^, ihtiiilyi or i^iietisioii^ And thisy
still farther tetaark^^ that thds^ iaanttseiipts wlbibh k^t^b
in thsir chlira^teristic readii&gS) tAtAe frofti the sam^ 6ottti-
try« and coincide with the set^ml V»si&hs> khA with th^
writings of the fathers which belofig to tteir #^6)^d^i>^^
districts/ Hedoe diese r^censiotis 4re esJled the Weston ;
the Al^andrine^ and the Byzahtii^e, kn pr^v&ili^g ih Hmk
seretal lections of the ^huit^ha lliid is Grie^belt^h'i didtiibti^
tioHi The tnanasclipts belonging to the twd fettner ^( tltede
olasees, are CxtreiixelV few, yet on the suppcdilioh th&t th^jr
are separate and independent Witiiessei> these few^ i^ Case
i0f tikcir coincidence, are made to oidtWei^ die Mtdtitnde
#hioh belong to the B]i!zantihe ditision. It is on this CoiiW
eidenee that the authoritjr of Griesbath's tel^t id fbiriidcd.
It is plaitii tiiefefori9| thaf tbis authority may be destroys,
aithef by shewing that there is no Miffi^ient gtoutid kk
thus separating manuscripts into distinct classes, Whkh
wtts tbe opinion of Matth«iy and odim* distitigtiished men^
ahd which is the tendenoy 'Of a ^eai part of Dr. Lattteiice'i^
Essaj on this sttbjeotfon admitting tbftt tbe/C is goCd tek-
son for this classification, by shewifig that SOitie Cf these
ndtnesites afe unwoithy of credit. ThiS/ Mf. Volkh has
4tteiiptedj ia his work on the Integrity 6f the Greek Vul-
gate. His objeot Was to prove^ that tb« BytHntiM text,
which h that followed in the teeeiTSd tett of the N^w Tes^
tattenty i^ the only one which has oome d^Wn iincotr^pted,
and supported by the uniform traditionary testimtmy 6f the
:184 Hodge*e Dissertation vn tlte
.church. Instead of calling the first two classes Western
and Alexandrine^ he calls them Egyptian and Palestine,
and gives (page 105) a satisfactory reason for the preva^
lence of the first in the Western church, and of the second
in Alexandria. By thus changing the birth-place of these
two recensions, he is enabled to give an historical account
of their origin. The Egyptian text be ascribes to the revi^
sion of Hesychius, the ralestine to that of Eusebius. The
Byzantine was edited by Lucianus. The last-mentioned
eaitor, he supposes, published the then authorized text,
without alteration ; whereas both the others corrected their
copies a^eeably to their own views, and to the state of
opinion m their respective countries^ with which he shews
they very strikingly correspond. In thus assi^ing to
Oriesbacn's two most important classes a recent origin, and
endeavouring to fix on them the charge of systematic cor-
ruption, he has attempted to undermine the authority of his
principles for settling the text. How far he has succeeded
m this attempt, must be left for others to decide : it may,
however, be safely asserted, that enough has been accom*
{>lished, to make the friends of truth nesitate to acknow-
edge the exclusive authority of a text, which is the result
of so questionable a system.
After the manuscripts, the next source of information is
the early versions, of which the most important are, the
Syriac, the old Latin or Italick, the Sahidic, and the Latin
Vulgate, Each of these is made to contribute an important
fiart^in settling the sacred text. The history of each, there-
ore, calls for our serious attention.
Quotations from the New Testament in the early fathers,
is the third source, and one which has given rise to much
discussion, and exerted great influence on the theories of
eminent critics. It is one, also, of peculiar difficulty, owing
to the loose memoriter manner in which these quotations
were frequently made.
After consicfering these sources of information as to the
original state of the sacred text ; we are next to attend to
the rules by which we are to be governed in our choice of
the various readings they afford.
To learn what has been done in attempting to restore the
purity of the text, we must study the principles on which
the most important editions of the New Testament were
conducted, and their respective histories, especially those
of Ximenes, Erasmus, Stephens, Mill, Wetstein, and
Griesbach.
Imparitmce of Bibtiehl LUerature. 1^3
Such is a very imperitBci 6tttline of the first division* of
this subject. Before prooeeding to say any thing on inter-^
pretation, I would mention two or three subjects, on which
our minds' should be previously made up, viz. the canonical
authority, the genuineness, ana the inspiration, of the sacred
scriptures.
With respect to the first, it is evidently proper that we
know what books are to be recognized as scripture, before
we proceed to consider the principles on which the sacred
writings are to be explained. The consideration of the
second subject, is little more than the extension of the appli^
cation of tne ]^rinciples of sacred criticism, ascending from
the investigation oi the genuineness of particular passages
to the genuineness of entire books.
The reason for placing the inspiration of the sacred scrip>-
tures in this part of our course, is two-fold : Ist, that we
may study them under the deep impression that they are
the word of God ; and 2dly, because it may be found that
the divine origin of the scriptures should exert a consider-
able influence on the principles by which they are to be in^
terpreted. It is one of the first principles of interpretation,
thatin explaining any work, respect is to be had to the cha-
racter of its autnor. But if the doctrine of the plenary
inspiration be true, God is the real author of the sacred
sonptures. It is readily admitted, that this fact does not
interfere with their having been written according to the
common principles of language, which the object they were
intended to answer rendered absolutely necessary. • In
translating the sacred writings, therefore, the principle inr
question mav not exert any great influence ; but when we
come to explain them, it will be found of esssential impor-
tance. The rules of interpretation, which arise out of the
divine origin of the Bible, are as clearly ascertained, and as-
well founded, as those which arise from any other source,
resting on the authority of the sacred writers themselves.
It is from them we learn, that the old dispensation wa»
preparatory to the new ; that the law was *' a shadow of
good things to come," and is to be explained accordingly.
Before entering, therefore, on the second department of
this subject, we should be convinced of the canonical>
authority, authenticity, and inspiration, of the sacred scrip*^
tures, thai we may be able to take their divine authority a&
proved.
I am now to endeavour, briefly, to state the course to be
pursued in the Interpretation: of the Bible.
eq^fotvik <HP highly wpn^lmt in. tli^ ' JAtarpretft biowtlf ;
iHj ifiBl^ » Jui9«4^g(» m t)ie >lMg;iMce» in Mtbieh the fiiUe
WMi>fiJi^ifisUly.ff9iftePf ^y.oM wb^ netd^ a wonk in »
and'phrases ot no two languages exactly correspond iimd Hm
f^vii^T i^omhiwi'UQTmp it i« ]mp09f»liJo a ?eremi ishould
ff^ny Witliattt <liv^Ui«>9 9» f bif wigectp it ie suffiomyt to
appeiJl to Cli^^xMiie^QQ Qf eyi^ry OM acq«amted wiib ajqr
ti^Q Im^ffmig^f^ Whitt^^tp How would tkb Itnomnt claamiem
Wp .«f tim^tMi if j iMig^ by fi ifitaral tvanaJaAmi ? H« shoitki
«W im Acftit^ivt^d wHb tbe «bArftcfe«r ftud bi«tory of tibe
several sacred writers, wijdi ik^ «tfrte of q^ioQ in thfi a^
ii» wbi^ tbey lived* Tbii is <^ pioodiiar importance m
ri^af d tK> tb^ ^^w Tei»ta«ieQt« and iocludea a knowl^dg^ of
tb« «Q6ts m4 ppiiniaiM of tb^ Jewft, of tbe ««rly CbmiiMii
io(^iTvsm» and of Ihe wdy hero^ies- He «bonld aiao bo
a^ufOAt^d witb tbe mftnneni aiid ewitosns« tbft biw«# cba-*
trnUf^ wd oivcwiPtAQoea of ib^ pmapi to iwbom (be aaef ed
l¥riti»g0 v^sre «d4r9fi«ed« tb^if civil history, witb that of
n§ig^bOufii)g n^iiQW^ ti^ther Intb whatever Ug^ gao^
gmihy^ ebroMU>gy* oatitrtd biotoiy, jmd pbilosopfay, can
CHiM Q» tb^ SftCI^ T0lu«|i^
Th^ ii^berpret^r of iKsript^rQ ahould.be diicriminattng and
ewtious; bo fbonld bo bumble nod teacbablci, atiwiUe of
bia »ee4of diyii^ 4»obiag^ Md mxipu^ to obtain it» Of
9)1 qu^JiSottioQ^^ tho moat in^portani are, piety, and a firm
oonfi^tion pf tb^ divlm origin of tbe aonptwras : withcmt
^so WO'CW MY^ «nter into the fedingo aaui Ticywa «f tho
&4orod wntont. nor have any pooper imfwcssiona as to tbe
4^gPA of tbo Biblo, and tbereforo «aimor be. praj)ared to
Ol^p^^ iti Thu fintt duly of m intcirpreter ia to beacome
a^u^ted with tba «Maniog of wmda> tiie •QTend dasaes
iiip^V) which tb^ ara^ natvfally divided^ and to beeomo fami-»
UftV wi^ the goooral prviGipiea of IttBgmige.
We mwt nexiotteM to Ae oommoii acoeptaiion of worda
aqd pbraao9»»iid tbe aonroea of infonnatioaonthia subject;
wo «b»«14 inquira into the qiroumatfiiuwi hv wbioh the
import of words and pbiaaea is st gnlated in all langua^a ;
s^ob M tba optnionq^ laws* and cuatoma of the {>eople, the
PfKHdif^r oireumituiQOS of thia natnra^ itbioh hav« inflnenoad
the language and modes of expression characteristic of. tho
"B&yli^. Esf^eoioJljr wa sboald aitend to the paisuliar phraae-
ology of the T^ew l^Mammt, the soui»09 whence it Ma haaq
dcfived/M Uk Hsbttmm olfigin <of die atered wrilen> Anit
fcniiHaiity miih the Sepblagintv ^e mflneiifser of tiMur wtH^
gioas McHt; and their iBtemmoBe widi Jiefe^bomtig niitioiab
We* slK>uld study the means by whteh the Jninguftge of the
New Testament is to be iUustmted ; su6b aa» die wiibhge
of e€KtcB»6nry aiithoiB, ihe phrmseoidgy of the (Md Teeta-
Bosnt, boui ID die 'Greek and Hdnev^ and the general olm*
racter of the eastern idiom.
. Hairmg considered these subjects^ and ihced in ous rai&dt
the geaeral principles of interpretatitm, whether appliiAble
to all writings, or peculiar to the eaored ycdnme, we mxxst
attend to tbe inteipretation of figuraim langnaf^, tiie am*
aeatioti between the literal and figsoratiTe meanitig of words^
iSke ctrcmmstanoes in which tbe latter is to be rworted to^
Su3. This will lead to tbe consideration of the ptinoipail
figures of epeecb, each as metaphor and allegory^ nnd em^
enlly the parables of onr Savionr, whioh hare been en often
perrerted as any part of the saered Tolame. It is dsere«-
fore neeeesary nint we ^Kmld h«we distinctly befbre us tbe
tulee by whicn these figures are to be espfadned*
These are only preuminary subjeels, which lead to tiba
more oxteosiye pnnetplea of interpretation, i^pficslde tO
whole departments of the word of Qod, as the ruka te
historical, doctrinal, typical, and prophetieal intervietn^
tion. The two latter are peeufiarly ^portant;. . We flnouU
0x in onr minds the precise definition of a type^ leom whoA
persons, inatitations, and civeumstances of uie Old Testai^
inent are to be coasidei ed as typical; determiiie niSiethee
we are to confine this character to the particular untanoes
specified in the New Testament, or are at liberty to: extesol
it, and how &r. Witb r^ard to prophecy, it is untaeoei^
saiy to say that it will require much laDorious study^ inchid«^
' ing two oi the most difficult sabjeets connected with this
w€oie department, im.'«^the doctrine o£ double seane^nnd
the modes of quotation adopted by tihe sacred writers of
the New Testament; And, finally, we must consider l3ie
systems of interpretation to which the whole Bible has
been liiade to submit, as the cabbalistic ; the allegorical ;
tiie mys^al, which either deserts entirely the grsoMnatical
sense, er exalts some inward feeKng above the word; tba
dogmatical, which makes any system of doctrine annadiohi
ittative rule of interpretation; ae the RomMi churchy tbe
Sstem which they believe to have been handed down m
eior traditions ; and tbe philosopbi<$aI, which nudees omr
preconceived opinions the rule of fiulh ; which incfa^dee
Ids Hodge's DiaerMion, ifc. .
the eonsidftration of the proper office of reason in the iater««
pfetetion of seriptuie. The histonry and olaims of diese
several systems, and their respective influence on the church,
open to us as instructiye a field of investigation, as any
which ecclesiastical history affords.
• We may conclude the general outline of this department,
by stating the most important and interesting of me duties
it enjoins, viz. the immediate study of the word of God.
With this we are to be occupied from the commencement
to the close of our course. The object of Biblical Litera*
ture, is to enable us to do this with the best advantage.
Not contented with prescribing rules of interpretation, and
furnishing the various means for the illustration of the
Bible, it IS a great part of her duty to oversee our actual
application of them. It is, therefore, to the delightful
eniployment of studying the scriptures that she invites us.
i I have not forgotten, that, the professed object of thi»
Dissertation is to exhibit the importance of Biblical Litera-*
tuie. But I feel that 1 have already nearly completed the
task assigned me, by shewing, as &r as my knowledge of
the subject would permit, what Biblical Literature is;
because I conceive tne feeblest statement of its nature is
demonstrative of its importance. The importance of a
ccmrse of study, whose object. is to fix with cei;tainty the
sacred text, and exhibit the evidence that the Bible we
now have, is the Bible which Ood delivered to hi s> church;
to assist us in discovering and exhibiting its. meaning, by
prescribing the principles by which it is to be explamra,
and bringing within our reach the various means of illus**
tration; and, above all, which leads us so much to the im«
mediate study of the word itself :—7the importance of such
a course, is surely a subject on which diversity of opinion
is impossible. It is my intention, therefore, on a future
occasion, to make some remarks, intended to impress on
our minds the necessity of paying particular attention to
this subject, the importance of which we must all admit.
[The above essay, with that which we hope soon to sive
in continuation of it, was delivered to a society, formed in
the theological seminary in which its author is a tutor, for
improvement in Biblical Literature, by dissertations on
important subjects connected with it, and tmnslations and
expositions of sacred scripture, performed by the members
in alphabetical order! a plan well worthy of imitation in
our.own country. — Enix.]
189
REVIEW.
1 • Characteristics, in the Manner of Rocfiefoucault's Maximsm
F'cap. 8vo. pp. 156, Londfon, 1823, Simpkin and
Marshall.
2. Outlines of Character: consisting of, the Great Charac-s
ter — the English Character — Characteristic Classes m Rela^
iion to Happiness — the Gentleman — External Indications of
Character — Craniology — the Poet — the Orator — Literary
Characters — the Periodical Critic — the Man of GeniuSf
By a Member of the PhilomathiQ Institution. 8vo*
pp.320. London, 1823. Longman. , i.
*' It is not easy to write Essays like Montaigne^ nor Maxims
' in the manner of the Duke de la Rochefoucault ;'' so rttnii
the three hundred and seventy-eighth of the four hundred
and twenty-four Characteristics in this volume ; but it is
strangely misplaced towards the close of the book^ when it
should nave stood at the head, as a text, upon which we
have a hundred and fifty pages of practical comment. Save,
indeed, in a few particulars, better honoured in the breach
.than in the observance, nothing can conveniently be less
V in the manner of Hochefoucaulf s Maxims,'' than these
professed imiitations of them. Of the style, and^ as far as
execution is concerned, the spirit of those celebrated pro*
ductious, wehave ever been as ardent admirers as the author
before us can be, though despairing of seeing them equal-
led in their beauties, whilst their defects were avoided.- To
this rare excellence, he, however, ambitiously aspires, though
confessedly aware of the difficulties of so bold a flight;
f* A thought," says he in his preface, ^' must tell at once, or
jiot at all;'« and he observes with as accurate a taste, that
in the construction of maxims, whilst '* the style must be
sententious and epigrammatic, it is equally necessary to
avoid paradox or cdmmon-place." By these canons of
criticism he cannot object to be tried, for they are hifr
own ; yet strangely do we deceive ourselves, if, ere we
have done with him, be is not most satisfactorily proved to
have violated both. "Commencer par le commencement,*^
then, we can say little, either for the elegant or the epigram-'
matic turn of such expressions, as " want of confidence in
themselves, which is upset and kicks the beam, if the
smallest particle of praise is thrown into another's scale ;'*
nor does the following singular rope of metaphors, which
190 Review. — GhltractemticB :
immediately follow the words just qi;oted> strike us as very
axiomatic, or particwltfly « la ftcMUidbucault. " They are
poor feeble insects, tottering oa the road to fame, that are
crushed by the shadow of opposition, or stopped 1^ a
whisper of rivaUhi^/* To out vulgar ^ste, and dull ama*
^nations also, the idea and the ^^pression deems equally
unhappy, of a woman " throwing herself unblushingly at
Otnr heads,*' though Bome heads, oy the way, would not be
much injured by a far heavier concussion. Whether that
might be the case with the authot's, our readers must deter-
mine for. themselves, as they proceed with our remarks upon
Ibis production.
^ llie desire to say what he considers a smart thing, and
to follow out a favourite thought through every possible
ramifiottioii, fraqoently lebds him into amardity and para<-
dox ; as wberej in the^tWeBtyHsaoMld mlixlm, to prove Aat
envy i« tha moat umvdnial patsioii, he roandly a(SsertM» ikM
V we envy IbUv and conoeitf tmj^ w« ^ lo ntir as to envy
whatever eon^m distiiHftioa or iiotoriety, even Vice and
infamy/^ If this be true, we e&ty the lounging fo^ in
BoD4-stveei!4 whotn ^nr^rj tnaa of sense desptsos ; and oj^
sdmost willing to be huag ind anatomtEed^ to aecjiire the
notoriety of the perpetrators of iJte htte horrid murdek?.
In IiIls jcaat^iefj et^rv day'a ex|»erieii&e . ooniiradiets an
lu^s^rtian, foundied eitber Upon this oonatatit liitnling flfier
prettyisms and wUtkis!iDB^ or afi certaia rumours, heraSbr to
be stated, lead us t<> stuspect, upon personal piqut^ ** that
if a maa i^ didliked by otto Mroman, bie will Buceeed with
none. The aex (one abd all) harve. die same secret ot
Iree-oiaaoBfy in judging of meo." This is downright no^«-
senstt* N<>r can ire oonoeive of dnv thin^ so v6ltttUe aad
m^rcwal as our a«thor mtist b€f> if ae venfi^s^ in hia owtl
versatility, the assertion of his oktielih oh&ratteristi^
tWt *' we often bestow the most opprobrious epithets oA our
^st &iondo> and retract them twenty timei^ in. the course of
a day# while the man hiiUself remaina the same/' Sorely he
vntBt havo drawn soiae at least of the views of humui lifii
and oharfieter fitom the interior of bediain, for witboutaide
its walls, no one, who ought not to b^ within them^ dan act
in thia and eeversi other respects* as he teipresents th^
whole biman lace to do. Other of hia aketehes satisfy ui^
indeed, that he uust have kept strange company, or we never
ahould have had a grave denunciation of aasociating with
footinen, thus happily ezpreSEred, " Livery servants (1 ooo^
|i(ea U) are the only people I do not like to sit in eompany
in the Manuer 9f Roebcfimcwlt'fi. Maxims. 191*
with« Tli«y oSmA not only by tlleir own meMoieBs^ bnt:
by tb^ ofttfiotatiiQua display of the pxide of thor oww
naa^ci.'* Wk^iul p«blic4ifiaMt the wrker may be in;
the habit of £raqittotiiig, to amoke Ua pipe aai take hia.
^aaa» we know not ; but it lautt have beoii in &e tap-rpooaa/^
or acme aach place of lorn tesar^ tkat he ccmld alone ho.
sohjetted to tim affroaut; «iid if ho aou|;ht ittcheompattfr
ha at leaat ought not to complaiii of their intrvaiqiw Wa
should^ hovireTer^ be astonutied at vo> ineaagriii^ in the eon^
doct, ^tea» or aiaociatioaa of a man, who ^MilMimtely telk&
i»« aa the result of hie. obaairTatioa. of hjaoiaiiL chamater^
" ao that wo excke a stion^ eimotioa ift the breasts of oAen,,
we caie Uttie of what kiiad ifr ia^ or by vhatmeana we. pvodBCA
k'y^ aa that it is a mattet of perfeet isikiflereiice, whetlwe
we excite the waimest aivd beet, fomnded adasiation,. or
the strongest and most merited disguat, by the auhlimast
yirt»e% on. the one hajod^ or the. moBJt deteatable yicea ota thor
Qtheir- The nhihuitjhropiat and. the mivderer-^-tbe pro-
fymidteat scholar, ai^d the moet dejctere^ua thieif,7-4lQ]ilKacdi
and C^olooi^l Qb^rtreai Milt<iM» and Bill S^eamesk are eqiaaUah
e^vi^ible, heeauae equallor an^^ceaefid in attaiioa^ Ae ^dMofi
object of human pursuit in life ; and, if there were any truth
ia the following Beunago of nonsenae-, wosJd boi on tiiei sttne
QOwmoD level at thai»d)eaths«
*^ People, in th|^ grasp of death wish all tba evil they have d^ne
(as wqU as aljt the good) to bq knowa, not to make atQivement h^
confession, but to excite one more strong sensatibiv before thej^
die, and to leave t^eftr ititerests and passiqns a legacy to posterity,
when lliey themseKcs are exe;mpt from the consequences." [pp**
66, 67.] . - '
CoQspared ««tk suchi wnetched aaaralkty, or ralher gvoail
imflaQfaUty«r^BO oemplcte a nerveraioa o^ comnioii. sanso^
a^di caricaAafic of ii» prifioifuea o£ koflHia aoliaA^-«^-e« thiav
MaodevoAle^ ItochdGouoault,. epd Chaatatfieldy winb alk the
eynucism* settsbness, and laxity o£ their lyitsta of* etMoe^
ace^ ^ters. who caa da no haam.
The) wifih of gensraliziag^ri^^na aiia afe cafiwnagittg aft tiMft
can be said on any; subjeee^ into m uni^abeliL-^bas led all
ataxiMHnakeis and axiainaidtti wiitBra, Rofthefimcanil by no
aaeana excepted* ta lay down aalea aa^ universally) appnoaM
ble^ aduuchareLbttiiveiy pai)tia%'80vaBdiGonMfmcAQd^ taqoinB
aonds wttrlefyation aa|d qnahfyingv Thup, wb^n Hbm aMbat
l^eiora ua tetta UB,Uiat ^' we ana q«i(he«aa«ipttO'beieae'Whal
we dread, as whatwa bope^'^ everyone what thiaka^ai alt aiaHrt
192. Reviiw.-^Cbaracteristm:
see^ in a moment, that this mainly depends upon constttu-'
tional temperament, some persons as habitually hoping even
against hope, as others are sunk into the depth of despair
by the slightest disappointment or uncertainty. The
nerves, indeed, have often as much to do with our hopes
and fears, as the character of the mind. We the rather
wonder, too, at his overlooking this obvious fact, as in
another part of his book, he accidentally gives to the nervous
system a most fearfiil preponderance in the regulation of
our conduct, where, in undertaking a new explanation of
the classical confession of the obnoxious and unclassical
doctrine of human depravity, ** video meliora probo^ue,
deteriara sequar," he, in the following sublimely unintelligi--
ble rant, says, of the generally received opinion, that we do
from passion the things of which our reason disapproves, —
** Nothing like it. The course that persons in the situation of
Medea pursue, has often as little to do with inclination as with
judgment; but they are led astray by some object of a dhturbed
imagination, that shocks their feelings and staggers their belief,
and they grasp the phantom, to put an end to this state of tor--^
meating suspense, and to see whether it is human or not.'^ [p. 58.}
A shaved head and a strait waistcoat would be the fittest
regimen, at once for the author, and the subjects, of this new
theory of morals.
In this species of writing, especially, brevity is the soul of
wit; and we have often thought, that some of the latter
maxims of Rochefoucault have been very faulty, from their
wide departure from this rule ; but a much larger proportion
of those of his imitator are in the like dilemma, of losing
most of whatever point and force they may possess, by their
lenethiness. Of this, he would himself seem to be aware,
for he has divided several of them into two, three, four, and
even five separate maxims or characteristics, although they
are so evidently consecutive parts of the same proposition,
as to be commenced with an *' or it often arises," *' this
negative system leads ;" " others make ;*' '* it doea not
render the person less contemptible ;" ** are we to infer from
thi^?" ** the foregoing maxim shews," &c.
In those maxims we are furnished vnth abundance of
truisms, some of them as novel and instructive, as that a
man cannot produce a fine picture, or solve an abstruse
problem, by giving himself airs of importance ; a discovery
for which feiw, we ajpprehend, will hold themselves very
deeply indebted to this new Rochefoucault.
fit tlie Manner q/" Rochefoucault's Maxims. 193
Others are at once trifling, little-minded, useless, an^'
absurd ; e. s. ** The expression of a Frenchman's face is
often as melancholy when he is by himself, as it is lively in
conversation. The instant he ceases to talk, he becomes
* quite chop-fallen/ " It would have been equally impor-^
taut and instructive to have recorded as an axiom, that
** the appearance of an Hessian boot is often as dull, when
it has been rained upon for an hour, as it is glossy when
sent out of the maker's shop. The instant it has had ar
thorough soaking, it becomes as duU as though it nevec
had a brush upon it."
Nor are we much more edified by the oracular assurance^
that Russel could play nothing but Jerry Sneak ; and that
it was ridiculous to set up Mr. Kean as a rival to Mr.
Kemble, a text, upon which we have a page of comment; or
struck with astonishment, by the italic prodigious appended
to the name of Listen, as an illustration of a character-
istic, the burden of which is, that '* comic^ actors have
generally attempted tragedy parts, and have a hankering
after it to the last.
Enough, however, of instances to prove, that this maker
of maxims is no Rochefoucault, although he has succeeded
in copying dome of the faults, without having ability to
imitate the beauties, of that agreeable writer* Thus draw-
ing sketches of human character from the worst features of
its worst specimens, they have, though with different
degrees of talent and success, formed rules for the conduct
of mankind, admirably calculated to render them what
they represent them naturally to be, self-interested hypor
crites. Such, for instance, are principles of morality like
the following : — " It signifies little what we say of our
acquaintances, so that we do not tell them what others say
against them ;" or in other words, it is unimportant whe-
ther we speak truth or falsehood. On the same system,
we are told, that " mankind are a herd of knaves ajid fools.
It is necessary to join the crowd, or get out of their way,
in order not to be trampled to death by them." After such
a sweeping condemnation of* the whole race of which he is
an individual, it can be no breach of charity to say, that the
author of this characteristic must either be a fool or knave ;
and our perusal of his work would induce us to ask him, as
some wit of the last century asked one of its anti-social
philosophers, who had pronounced a somewhat similar libel
upon liis species, '' Pray, sir, may not a man be both ?"
That he may, is indeed admitted, by another of these charac-
{94 Mei9iew.'^Ciafa€tenstk$:
iemticf^m wbich there 10 at once utoie truth a»i seMe ; *' I
am always afraid of a fmir one cannot be sare that lie
k^ not a knave as weB f and in compliance with this fnem&fy
caiaiioD, we abaN take espedal caro ta keep out et idm
aathov^s way.
la atio^f respect be resembles Rochefaaeattii; sfad
those satirists who know Kttle of women buA Ae teftise of
Ate sex ; aod hence attribute to the most chaste and ^iv^
taous the inclinalioAfi and vioes of the most degradM--4iM
necessity for disguising the one, aad refraining itceii^ psne
other, constituting, according to their slanderous th^oryi
the> enly^ diffareBce between the modest teoman and the
shaaislesa pfostitate, the hitter of Whom has evidelitly thitf
adfantiags, that she hr nO' hypocnte. " Women,** we are
told, ^ never reason/^and thererare, addsenr astute k^icisB^
^they are comparatrrely seldom wrong/' Yet ether* of
his fetches of tiie sex, represent themr as everlastingi^
talking about their dress; as neither consalHaRg the head
mot heart; bet mere hvmoorand: fancy; in love, though with
them it is '* the great business of life," in which they ccnin
stanrify make mistakes, and ;^et, marvdh>u» ta say, only
asfss^miarbingprofbuiid discoveries^ h«t ^' dsnotiavoilfethein^
selves in gcosi^ absurdities/* These are paradoxes beyond
ear mean commen sense to reconcile, or to sdve i peraaps,
however, tbatnamefesequalifioation of Ae* other sex, which
is soperior to* reason, may enable them to^ d^ it more to
Ibeis'satisftbction, thaU' we fear iiie fblfowing^ extracts ftom
this work wiU he to- the anlhor^s, rf Iheir appmbatien is
among the vavied objects e# his singular ambitkm;
^Wbmen have as Gate AnaginatiDn as they hsnre reason. T^X
arepare egotists. Tbey cannot go oat of themsefares. There is
ngs* insCttRce of a woman haring done any thing great in poetry or
{philosophy. They can act tragedy, because tnie depends r&j
muohsB l^» physical expression or die* passions— 4liey' can- sing;
te'they hsire ftsaiblk thooats. and aioe eam^— they can wnte vch-
uumses. abDut loTK)-~and' talk foe ever afasufc notUng^^WamsB
ares not phflosopham or poets». palnota^ nrarali]^, «r pilitisiaas^-
thef age- simply womenJ' ^i. L14i]'
** Womesuhave^ no speculative &cuUy or fiartitttde. of sudd, and
wherevtc tbev exercise a aontinual and paiameunt swayv. all naial;
be soon laughed out of. cauntenance, but the* immediatel]} inteUi/e
ffbh^ and" agreeable — but tbe> sbewy incefig^bn,. the lax in morals,
and the superficiaT in phirosopliy. The texture ofwomen'^s minds,
as welY as of their boaies, is softer than« that of 'menu's ; but they
have not f^e same strength of nerve, of uadeistandihg, or of move)
purpose*.'** fp. ir5.J
in the Maumr of Rockefoucault't Maxims. 19^
*^ Women do not become abandoned with the mere lots of
character. They only discover the vicious propensities^ which
they before were boiiDd to conceal. Thev do not (al) at onoe) part
with their virtue, buit throw aside the veil of affectation and pru-^
dery.'' [p. 131.]
Bat still, more strongly do we protest against the anti-
Christian^ and worse tnan heathenish, cast of this work.
Worse than heathenish, we deliberately repeat^ for the
philosophers -of ancient Greece and Bome, unaided by the
light of revelation which we enjoy, were too wi&e to hav-e
written, as this would-be philosopher writes : ** Death is
the greatest evil, because it cuts off hope." Now, if this
means any thing — ^thoueh we have often suspected the
wretched school to whioh this writer evidently belongs, of
having no meaning ia a great part of what they say — it
must mean, that death is annihilation ; and happy would it
belbr them, 'COttld they prove it to be so ; and that, eonse-
quently, death, whilst it cuts off hope, puts an end also
to fear. Bnt it is not tiius Aat death acts either upon the
wicked or the rt^teous; its approaches b^ng to the one
a fearful looking-for of judgment and of fiery indignation^
to be revealed in the last day; to the other, a hope full of
immortality. To the Christian, therefore, the arrival of
death is not the greatest evil, but strongly as the ties of
kindred, weeping friends, and beloved companions, may
attach him to this life, it is yet the greatest gQod ; not the
end of hope, but the connecting Idnk betwe^i Us ddiglitful^
though lingering promises^ and their full and rapturous fru-
ition. To strive to believe a cootrary doctrine^ because the
dUttciMisiiess of a mispent life indbces them to wish it
weee true, ia a fearfal illustration of one of the scripture
characteristics of the wicked, that '' tihey lay the flattering
unction to their aouls,^' quoted, in tibese characteristics, with
the levity which marks the writings of scoffers at die truths
of the Bible, of whose sublime and happy phraseology
they frequently avail themselves, ** to round a period, or
adorn a tale.^' To the doctrines of that sacred volume^ the
writer before us not only shews a marked neglecl^ but an
open hostility* disposing in a very summary way> ijQ two oi
bis characteristics, of origiaal sia, as a '' jiegaiiiFe sys-
tem of virtue, leading to a rery low style of mtoral aenti-
ment ;" wb^eas it is'One of the |)illar8 on wbich the sublime
notraUty of the iscriptures rests. Burt of liis ^polemical at-
tainments, our readers will be able to f^Mm a correct judg-
^ient, from the following very satisfactory solution of all
VOL. VIII. — NO. 2. P
196 Review. — Characteristics :
the difficolties attending some of the nicest questions, that
in all ages of the church have perplexed and divided the
wisest and the best of men, and formed a Gordian knot,
which it was reserved for the superior illumination of this
new philosopher thus dexterously to untie.
/^ The theological doctrines of Original Sifiy of Grace, and
Election^ adroit of a moral and natural solution. Outward acts
or events hardly reach the inward disposition, or fitness for good
or evil. Humanity is to be met with in a den of robbers, nay,
modesty in a brothel. Nature prevails, and vindicates its rights
to the last.'' [p. 131.]
Was ever such arrant unintelligible fustian put in print,
since poor Mat. Lee, in one of his fits of lunacy, exclaimed^
«
Arise, t) Jupiter, and snuff the moon?'
If any of our readers can understand it, we do not envy
them their understanding.
To avoid the very suspicion of prejudice, we will now^
however, extract a few of the best of the maxims wlich
this book contains.
** Popularity disarms envy in well-disposed minds. Those are
ever the most ready to do justice to others, who feel that the world
has done them justice. When success has not this effect in open-
ing the mind, it is a sign that it has been ill-deserved." [p. 4.]
** What passes in the world for talent, or dexterity, or enterprise,
is often only a want of moral principle. We may succeed where
others fail, not from a greater share of invention, but from not
being nice in the choice of expedients." [p. 42.]
" The truly proud n^n knows neither superiors nor inferiors.
The first he does not admit of: the last ne does not concern
himself about." [p. 50.]
'^ Animal spirits are continually taken for wit and fancy; and
the want of them, for sense and judgment." [p. 59.]
** In public speaking, we must appeal either to the prejudices of
others, or to the love of truth and justice. If we think merely of
displaying our own ability, we shallruineyery cause we underuJce.**
[Ibid.]
** A man's reputation is not in his own keeping, but lies at the
mercy on the profligacy of others. Calumny requires no proof.
The throwing out mabcious imputations against any character
leaves a stain, which no after-refutation can wipe out. To create
an unfavourable impression, it is not necessary that certain things
should be trusy but that they have been said* The imagination is
of so delicate a texture, that even words wound it.'' [pp. 75, 77.}
<< Nothing gives such a blow to friendship as the detecting
in the Manner of Rochefoucault's Maxims. 107
another in an tntruth. It strikes at the root of our confidence
ever alter." Fp. 77.]
^* People oo not persist in their vices because thev are not weary
of them* but because they cannot leave them off. It is the nature of
vice to leave us no resource but in itself." [p. 94.]
'< Habitual liars invent falsehoods, not to gain any end^ or even
to deceive their hearers, but to amuse themselves. It is partly
practice and partly habit. It requires an effort m them to speak
truth." [p. 96.]
** Those only deserve a monument who do not need one ; that
is, who have raised themselves a monument in the minds and
memories of men." [p. 139.]
** Those who can command themselves, command others***
[p.l44j
There is also much good sense in the following refutation'
of the leading principTe of Rochefoucault's selfish system^
although in form it is more like an essay than a maxim.
" It is ridiculous to say, that compassion, friendship, &c. are at
bottom only selfishness in disguise, because it is we who feel
pleasure or pain in the good or evil of others ; for the meaning of
self-love is not that it is I who love, but that I love myself. The
motive is no more selfish because it is I who feel it, than the action
is selfish, because it is I who perform it. To prove a man selfish,
it is not surely enough to say^ that it -is he who feelsy (this is a
mere quibble,) but to shew that he does not fttXjor another; that
is, that the idea of the suffering or welfare of others does not excite
any feeling whatever of pleasure or pain in his mind, except from
some reference to, or reflection on, himself* Self-love, or the
love of self, means, that I have an immediate interest in the con-
templation of my own good, and that this is a motive to action ;
and benevolence, or the love of others, means in like manner, that
I have an immediate interest in the idea of the good or evil that
may befal them, and a disposition to assist them, in consequence.
Self-love, in a word, is symi>athy with myself, that is, it is I who
feel it, and X who am the object of it : in oenevolence or compas-
sion, it is X who still feel sympathy, but another (not myselt) is
the object of it If I feel sym|^athy with otliers at all, it must be
disinterested. The pleasure it may ^ve me is the consequence^
not the cause, of my feeling it. To msist that sympathy is self-
love, because we cannot feel for others, without being ourselves
affected pleasurably or painfully, is to make nonsense of the
question : for it is to insist, that in order to feel for others properly
and truly, we must in the first place feel nothing. Cest une
mauvaise plakanterie. That the reeling exists in the mdividual
must be granted, and never admitted of a question: the only
question is, how that feeling is caused, and what is its object-^
and it is to express the two opinions that may be entertained on
\96 Remew.'^CharacterhHcs :
this subject, that tlie terms, sdf-Icve and beneisoiewx, have beett
appropriated. Any other interpretation of them is an evident
Bbuse of language, and a subtei^ge in tegament, which, driven
'<hmi the ftiir field of faet and observation^ takes shelter in verbal
sophistry/' [pp.45- 47*]
Had the work contained many sentiments like these, we
should have given a very different, character of it; but
inasmuch as it only overturns one false system of morality
to set up another, (if atiy thing like a system it contains,)
we should not have said^ so much as we have done about a
book of very little value, but that it is generally attributed
to a writer who ' has obtained b very extensive reputation*
and who certainly possesses considerable talents, although
they have been miserably misapplied. We allude to Mr«
Hazlitt ; and these characteristics contain internal evidence,
'which, though circumstantial, is abundantly sufficient to
prove the correctness of this appropriation. He is one of
the many literary characters of the present day, who, from
their merit having been excessively overrated at their first
appearance, have now sunk perhaps as much beneath their
proper level ; and he bears a degradation, for which he may
in a ^reat measure thank himself, with a very ill grace,
repaying with contempt and abuse the public neglect of
hinxself and his productions. '* Nothing,'' he tells us, at
the close of one of his characteristics, ** is more unjust
and capricious than public opinion ;'' and the next is but
a reiteration of the same complaint, in. the sweeping con-
demnation, that ** the public have neither sense nor gra-
titude." For our own parts, we think vary differently
upon the subject; but if authors, on account of the real or
supposed beauties of their compositions, because either with
or without meri£ it was fashionable to admire them, haTe
presumed upon this indulgence, and exacted undiminished
admiration for whatever trash the^^ chose to publish, they
must nor murmur at meeting with the fate which many
a scornful beauty and coquettish flirt has bitterly but inef-
fectually lamented that she provoked, when she, m her turn,
is neglected and despised.
. Lord Byron was the first of those miserably mistaken
men, who, intoxicated by praises too extravagant and in-
discriminating to last, imagined themselves sucn favourites
with the public, that they might do what they pleased.
After they had bome> therefore, with quietness, the irreli-
gious ana misanthropic sentiments of Childe Harold, and
others of his earlier productions,, he presumed on the^r tole-
Outlines ff Charticier. " 199
fating, with equal complaoency, the senBeless ribaldry of
Don Jitan, and the grosa ixapiety and cold-blooded mali^-*
nancy of his contributions to the Liberal. But this insult
to public taste and feeling has deservedly recoiled upoa
himself^ and, as an author, he has sunk — wnere, but for his
own folly, no other man could have sunk him — beneath con-,
tempt. Thither the writer, now more immediately under
our notice, is rapidly following him ; and his only consola-
tion in his merited degradation will be, that as he never
rose so high, he cannot have so severe a fall, as the noble.
Jet most Ignoble bard, who, in his animated, though vin-
ictive satire on the colleagues of Mr. Hazlitt in the Edin-
burgh Review, seems prophetically, though most uninten-
tionally, to have anticipated his own fate, when he indig-
nantly asks>
^' Shall peers or princes tiead pollution's path.
And 'scape alike the law's and mu8e*s wrath ?
Nor blaze with guilty glare throngfa £iiture time,
Eternal beacons of consumnate crime ?"
But from Mr. Hazlitt, and his feeble imitation of the
Characteristics of Rochefoucault, we gladly pass to anothei;
work, formed more upon the model of Tbeophrastus and La
Bruyere, under the very modest and unassuming title of
" Outlines of Character, by a Member of the Philomathic
Institution ;" though we are h^py to find that its author
has met with sufficient encouragement, in what would
appear to be his first appearance before the public, to
avow himself, in a seoooa edition of his work, wnich bears
upon its title-page the name of Mr. Robert Maugham, the
secretary to tlie sooiety. His cmtlines are sketched with
a bold and masterly hand, in a style nervous, yet graceful^
axiomatical, yet by no means devoid of eloquence, though
sometimes verging on the bombastic. They are not indeed
all cf equal merit, though none of them are so devoid of
interest as not to repay the trouble of perusing .them,
eiUier by ^ome new ideas which they. contain, or by the apt,
and frequently also the very i^ovel and striking illustration
of those which have no clainas to originality. In that upon
the Eni^ish Character, (evidently drawn by.anEiB^lisbnum,}
the opinion mainUuned by many writers of eminence,
that the character and conditijon of nations chiefly depend
upon the form of their government, is ccmtroyerted with
ability and snccess. From the very ingenious essay which
follows, intituled, '' Characteristic Classes in Relation to
Happiness/' in which the man of talent and susceptibility^
200 Review^^CharacterUtics^:
the man of talent without snsceptibilitv — ^the snaceptible
without talent — the connnon-placeand the clods, — are suc-
cessively passed in review before us^.we select the following
very fair specimen of the author's style, forming a part of
his estimate of the share of happiness enjoyra by the
dangerously gifted individuals of his first class : —
" Let no man envy the occasional exultations, the few fleeting
moments of renown and honour, which are snatched by the fore-
most few in the race of distinction. The purchase is made at the
expense of a more solid, if a less brilliant satisfaction — of a more
permanent, if a less elevated emotion. Could we witness the
anxieties which precede and follow these * longings after fame,^
the possessors of the reward would deserve our pity^ rather than
our admiration. We see only the beauty of the fabric. The
scaffolding is removed — the labour is not seen — the consuming
care that formed the design; the heahh, the comfort, the hilarity,
the portion even of /t/f, that has been sacrificed to raise the
wonder of a moment, is not the subject of human cognizance. We
see the ^ndeur of Uie object, and may wish to have the merit of
its creation; but will this idle envy, this ' momentary buz2 of vain
renown,' repay the sacrifice by which it has been purchased t
The happiness of these individuals will, in truth, be proportioned
to the measure of their intellect. However strong the feelings,
if the mind still maintain its preponderance, the equanimity of the
character may be preserved. Strong feelings are the g;eneral
attendants of great talent; but, though strong and impetuous,
they do not always lead to despondency, still less to despair.
Among beings, however, of diis order, the imaginative faculty is
oftten predominant; and thoup^h it Uirows numberless charms
around the dull realities of life, it increases the vividness of disap->
pointed feeling, and adds new acnteness to the intensity of Buf«
f(ttping." [pp. 61—63,]
From *' the Gentleman," we give another short passaffe,
worthy alike of commendation, from the correctness of its
conceptions, and the spirit of its execution.
"It is worth inquiring, whether a character, adapted for the
highest display of heroic virtue, might not be perverted, and
perhaps destroyed, by aii attempt to graft upon it a stock of the
graceful and ornamental qualities. There are also characters
formed by nature or accident, or peihaps by the influence of both,
which appear peculiarly adapted to acquire all that is brilliant in
wit and fancy, and all that is fascinating in elegancy and acomn-
plisfament Are not these beings, however produced, by nature^
accident, or habit, obviously of an opposite and uncongenial cha-
racter, incapable of uniting in the same individual, without Ike
Outlines of Chamcter. 201
4e8tructioo of tjkc jnincipal quabUes of each? The rofinements of
art destroy the di^ty of nature — ^they aspire to charm only^ not to
oxalt. The poet, whose excellence consists in the elegance and
liveliness of his imaginatian — ^the painter, whose characteristics
are delicacj of touch, and brilliancy of coloiiring — the musician,
whose strams are only meltrog and harmonious — can never mount
to the regions of active heroism. The appropriate scenes of their
exploits, are the enamelled lawn, the margin of the rippling stream,
the shady bower, and the luxurious almes of wealth and indo-
lence. Even the accomplished orator, from whose public exercise
we might expect better things, is lost in the very refinement and
polish of his art. ^tness the yain and cowardly Cicero — the
bribed and fugitive Demosthenes 1 [pp.82, 83.]
The essay on *' External Indications of Character,'' gives
opportunity for the introduction of the author's belief in the
system once denominated Craniology, but now endeayour-
ing to establish itself under the newer term of Phrenology^
Of that system. Dr. Gall is well known to be the inyentor*
Dn Spurzheim, the improver, and yery zealous propaga-
tor» wnikt, amonest their warmest and naost deyoted dis-?
ciples, they need not be afihamed to rank the ingenious
author of this yolume, who closes a specious detence of
their singular discoyery, by the following very intelligible^
though not peculiarly modest, statement of its high pre-
tensions.
** To sum up, — ^it will be observed, that the general proposition
advanced by the theory is, — ^that the moral qualities and intellecr
tiial powers of human beings can be ascertained by an inspection
f^ the external form of the head. That the station of the percep-
tive iacnteies « in the region of the eye-'^-of the superior ^ulties,
on the summit of the brow — of the sentiments, on tne crown of the
head — and the propensities behind. That, as the organs of sense
UNdiy transmit impfessions to the interoal faculties*, Uie diAoovery
of thoQ^ HKOulties is. a step farther in tracing the nature of tbiSt
wonderful essence — the wind oj man. That the brain is the seat
of all the powers, moral and intellectual. That the faculties are
seated io peculiar portions of the brain, as the congeries of organs
or instruments by which all mental phenomena are performed*
That, on the state, and in proportion to the size and the activity of
the brain, depend the pe^ection, the suspension, the derangement,
or the annihilation of mind. That, the skull, being ductile till
long after the brain is formed, becoming ossified by degrees, and
oonstantly undergoing change and renovation, till a late stage of
life, it is consequently modified and manifested in proportion
to the degree of force, <^ energy, and of the continued action of
the bndn; smd, in the reauk, ^ese operati<ms present a form of
202 Meckm^^GImraUemiUs :
head coMuiteiit with the me»Ul and numl dbracter of tte
iodundvaL
^* Such n the ftystem, softported, it wocdd seem, by Ae evidenee
of indUpiitabl^ laicts, exbibited in nvmercms^ iastasces^ galiheved
from all part» of the globe. The living have been scrutinised m
aetioiiy and the dead have been dissected. Cblkctions have been
formed of the skalls of all nations. The experience ci men of
science has testified in fiiirour' of the theory, and She reasonings of
Humy able anthors have siveeessfally supported it.'' [ppw Yt5y 12^.]
Now all this is very satisfactory and conclusive, pro^vided
it»! assertions were proofs, though Mr. Maugham, who, w«
believe, is a lawyer^musl bei^well. aware o£ themae&I diis'*
tinction, which gives to the weakest evidence a decided
anp^oiity oTer the bold^t declaration, unsupported Iby
testimony or erperienee. In the first place, it has beert
rery properly objected to the new system of our iie%h-^
bours, that it has taken for granted, a pokit oo whic^ the
ablest anatomists have been divided in c^piniofl ever since
their science was cultivated', and will, in all probability,
renwiia so, (for the theon^ is not capable of demonstration,)
vutil it shall cease to be numbered with the oHects iA
hiuman pursuit — namely, tiiat the organs of mtelleef
reside in the brain, and not in the nervous system, or some
other part of the wonderfully complicated machinery of
man. That it does not, can no more oe proved, than that it
ijloes ; and in the anatomical part of the theory, this diffi-
culty stares those in the face» who bottom themselves en-,
tirely upon having given to the mental faculties.an exGla<«
aive local habitation in thei brain — that many persons have
lost oousid^rable portioits of that organ, and, to use a fani-?
liar, colloquial expcessfion, have bee» none the worse Car it^
eahibitiiig, aft» soch loss, no atteiation, either in their
noPHitaf)/ or wh<tl is eqiiatty fatal to the phrenologist, in ttieir
ttiQval powers. Say they^ that the common cofisent of
mankind, with the exception of a few sceptical individuals,
has established the seat of intellect for which they contend P
If e should be tempted to meet so unphilosophical an^
argument with the objection, that for the establishing such!
a superstructure sis you intend to raise upon this founda-
tion, we caa have nothing to do with consents or admls-
^ons, or hypotheses, or opinions, buvt with the most con-
elusive and convincing deixu)BStration. With another view,
we are wilUag^ however, to wave the objection, and to sajr
tatbe Granicfelogist, (we be^ ten thousand pardons, we shonld?
have said, the Phrenologist,) cooceding to yon, on iUe.
giraDcl, l3i« dote of youv theory of tiie mhid, the vefy ee^
cearioB desteoyi^ tlie more BOTel wad more importaiil part of
yonr system, umtlbe brain is ako tbe seat of all the moral
powers, or, in the words of one of Mr. Maugham'ii expHma-
tory notes, ''of thonght, of sensation, and Titality;'' for by
tbe same common consent of all mankind, with still fewer
exceptions of the sceptical or perrersely hypothetical, the
latter are seated in the heart. To our author, who irery
properly settles the dispute upon the origin and diversity
of language with ''the scriptwes have deeid<ed,^* (pv S95,)
we may not improperly make anther .am>ea1, and ask. With
^s consent does not the revealed will of God accord?
Is not its langaage, "The k^art of man is deceitful above
all things, aind despemtely wicked,'' not the head. ** Out of
the hemrt/* not, again, the head, "proceed all manner of evU
speaking, lies^ muitier, tbefk, admkery,''^ Stc. " I will take
away the keoH of stone ; a ftew heart will I give him,'^ not
a new hraia^ " saith the Lord." Throughout the Bible,
in fact, thovgh tbe understanding is to^ be enliehtened, it is
the heart that is to be changed ; and whilst folly aware of
Ae answer likely to be made to the remark, — ^that thiil
language is uniformly fignrative. Or aeeommodating ifself
to tbe imperfect knowledge of mankind, and Iherelbre et
part is put for Ae whole ; we in our turn must ask, whether,
as the scriptures were written under the inspiration of the
Almighty, it is not probable that tbe right part would
have been used, when it was as easy to use rt as the wrong,
and no end could possibly have been answered by the mi»^
representation? Wo are not of the number of those whd
appeal to the Bible as a book of minute scientific accuracy,
for such it never pretended to be, as its object was more
Oixalted than the suUimest speculations ol mere bmnan
learning, when directed to the perishing interests and em^
pk^^inents, rather than the eternal delst»iiy> of sian;* btif
w4iiht we refer not to> 4t, tihevefore, for ansltomieal or phy*^
siolog^I fkcts, nothing short of actual demonstration can
convince us of the inaccuracy of its langui^e, when speak^-*
iag figuratively and incidentally upon the structure of the
creatures of His hand, by whose iaspiration all scripture was
given for our instruotion. And even admitting that the
mtiforin language of scripture, in speaking of the seat of the
affections, uie passions, the vices, and the virtues of man*
kind, is not to be prayed in aid of any argument tending to
abew their real position in the human (Vame, we are but left
where we were, in that unoertainty> as to the mysterious
204 Bmi€»» — CharacUritiiu:
imion of the body and the soul^ — ^diis ^'Titel apaik of hem*
Tenly flame/' and the material dements which shall mingle
into the dust from whence they sprung, when the sjpirit
shall return to God who gave it— of materiality and imma-
teriality, corruption and incorruption — ^in which we were
left by our Creator, for this perhaps, amongst other reasons,
that we might not bend the imperfect knowledge, the
prejudices, and the pride, of finite and erring beings, to the
formation of systems for judging our fellow<*creatures, in
opposition to, and derogation from, that judgment which
betongeth alone to our maker and our God.
After these observations, our readers will not need to be
informed, that we are no supporters of the new system of
Craniology, or Phrenok)gy, call it which you will; nor,
though some of them are infinitely less dbjectionable> and
more plausible, were we ever the advocates of physio^omy^
palmistry, or that other ology^ or ixifjf, (whose oistinctive ap-
pellation we have forgotten, if ever it had an^rO which pro*-
fesses to determine the character of an individual hy that
of his hand-writing ; a conclusion, by the way, which, if it
could be established, would be highly gratifying to some
of our very intimate friends, and indeed ot our literary
associates in this journal, who would thai be fairly intitkd
at least to this distinction, that they were chasacters staoidU
ibg alone in the wide world, for as no one ever wrote, so
no one could ever be, like them* To all of these ingenious
speculations we have one objection, which, to our mindg^
has ever been conclusive as to the fallacy of their preten-
sions, namely, that if well-founded, and reduced to nrao*
tice, they mast be injurious to the happiness of man nere»
and fatal to his prospects for hereafter. To this we know
it will be rejoined, that in our search after tmth, we have
nothing to do with its consequences, but are bound to fol-
low wherever it may lead us ; nor do we deny the correelness
of the assertion : — ^but life is, uiibrtunately, too short Ux the
attainment of all truth, men must therefore be satisfied with
directing their attention to that which is most essential to
the welfare of themselves and of their species in this worlds
and in the world to come. Those, therefore, who wish to
make the best use of their time, which, with the loI^;est
liver, is but too short for the acqmsition of knowledge
really useful to its possessor, will do wisely to ask them-
selves the cui bono of every invention or pursuit presented
to their investigation jx adoption. To this we, for our
own guidance, have long a^ed another rule, of looking lo
OuiUnes of Character^ 206
the consequences of the establishment of any new theory;
and if we have found that these are detrimental to the
best interests of our race^ we have made up our minds^ that
it cannot be worth the pains of minutely examining its
pretensions, as the time occupied in discovering and ex-
posing its fallacies might be much better employed^ botli
for ourselves and others.
Now, in applying these principles to Phrenology, the
obvious answer to its cut bono, is, that it enables us to form a
correct notion of the characters of men from the formation
of their skulls ; and were its pretensions well-founded, we
should be furnished with a royal and easy road to the
attainment of that grand arcanum of legislation, the pre*
vention of crime ; for, as all writers en politicstl science
and jurisprudence have agreed, that prevention, and not
revenge, should be the object of human punishments, it
would be at once a justifiable and beneficial course, to
indict and convict men, not for murdering their fellow
creatures, or despoiling them of their property, but for that
they ** in and upon the several back parts of the several
heads of them, the said a. b. c« d. ana £. f. severally had
one bump, of the length of one inch, the breadth of half an
inch, and the height of one*quaFter of an inch, by reason of
which said bump, called the organ of destructiveness, they
the said a.b. c.d. and b« f. upon any provocation to them
inconsiderately offered, were severally likely to murder, or
attempt to murder, kill, and slay, the liege subjects of our
lord tne king, tibem so offending, to the great danger of
all the lieges of our said lord the king, and also against his
peace, his crown and dignity." Ludicrous as such a charge
must now appear, could the new science for measuring and
mapping out Dumps and lumps on the head, as the only dure
indications of character, be once reduced to that matbema*
tical certainty, witibout which it is worse than useless-^we
should seriously recommend such a svtftem of legislation^
as the wisest and mildest that could be pursued. But
startled perhaps at the absurdity which would result firom
following out their own principles to all its consequences,
we question much whether the ablest and most confident
amongst them would venture to hire a servant upon the
mere conformity of the craniimi with the gauge and gamut
of his system, however uncharitably he might be disposed
to exercise it upon those in whom he felt no other interest,
than, at all risks to their characters and his own candour,
to make them illustrations of its truth. Yet if they do not
20$
Biiieb mare than this, their boitfited disccyvery can be pio-
dnetifne of no real adTantage to others or to tbenselves,
and the time bestowed upon die study of it is time com-
pletely thr&WD' away.
But we hai^ charged it with Bomethiug infinitely worse^
a» a reason why it snould not be par saed, — i. e. a manifest
tendency to injure the best interests of our race, for time,
and for eternity. And this, if true, it must do, by barring
the door to all repentance and change of heart, which is not
evidenced by a corres]K)ndent change in the ossification oS
the head. What Christian,, bnt from the records of the
inspired volume — the exj)res6 declaration of our Saviour —
ana his own observation in the world, but believes in that
regeneration, or new formation of the character, (to avoid
all disputation about tenns> we say not cbange of head or
heart,) by which .the drunkard becomes sober — the lasci**
vious chaste — the violent peaceable — the tibief honest-— the
idle active — and even the miser benevolent, and the morose*
kind. This change frequently takes place, if not instan-'
taneously, very suddenly ; elBected, as it often is, by the
agency of some unexpected incident or momentary im*
pression. Is that change then, we ask Phrenologists, of
which the altered conduct of the man compels every one to<
take notice, accompanied by a correspondent change in the*
surface and protuberance of his head ? if not, what be-
comes of the truth or value of their system i Yet that it is,
what mail in his senses can brieve, or how will they under--
take to demonstrate it? They will, therefore,. be compelled*
to give tiie same charneter of the man tlms singularly
changed, the year after his c6nyerfik>n, and even down tO)
the period wketi he shall ctese the witness of a^ good ooom
fi^dton, though it be of thd- chief of sinners saved b]rgi(a)ee/
by a triumpmnt deaths whi^htliey would have given ofi
him the motae«it bsftoe' ttiat conversiiOBy ' when be wasiia*^
dutging every wicked and sinfol lust anid passion of «
depraved a^d unregenerated nature.. Couldwe ieatronsitdv
a subject, we would * ask them,; if> andongsl; their organs
indicative of character, they have one iimicative of that
great change which divides the liinner from the saint? If
not, wherever the abandoned and open profligate is turned
from the eiror of his ways, their system must oe worse than
useless, for it is deceptive, mischievous, uncharitable, and
fiailse.
We have been led so far beyond our original intentions
in discussing the merits of this new theory, that wo shall
(hiiiinesiff,ChMP€icier. 207
not be able to devote mvck space to tlie remakiiiig coiileiiift
of this interesting yolume, the penisal of which bro«giil
that theory incidentally beneath o«t notice. in ** the
Orator^^ we meet with several j udicious remarkson the oouh
parative state of eloquence in ancient and modem times/
and a very satisfactory reason for its declension at the hwr,
since the days in which Demosthenes and Cicero exhibited
there the noblest triumphs of the art. We give the passage
entire, as a specimen at once of the correctness of our
author's reasonings and the neatness of his style :-r-
" The style of oratory at the Bar is characteristic of the subjects
on which it is exercised. It partakes of all the dryness ^ich
belongs to an intricate science, and all the subtlety which attaches
to an abstruse art. The causes of the dearth of forensic oratory^
are obvious on the surface. Unlike the pAeadeis of antiquity^
those who exercise it are bound in l^e letters df precedent* Instead
of reason, they refer to authority; and the declMOns of an igno*
rant agf , become a staadard for that which is enlightened. Wis-
dom and virtue are supposed to be o^s^roc^, not relative, qualities;
and what was wise and good yesterday, must, on legislative
authority, be so to-day, and for ever.
'^Though all admire the display of eloquence, the forensic
orator, however brilliaiiit m speech, if ignorant of the subtleties of
his profession^ would in general reonain neglected and unemployed.
For, after all that the man of taste may say in favour of the oma*
mental, even he, when self-interest is importantly concerned,
would prefer the useful and efficient. No man would relish libe
loss of his cause, and consequently of his pro|^erty, and peifcaps
his life, for the sake of the most pathetic, Uie most brilliant, and
ttke most sublime oration, that was ever pronounced by the genius
of man.
'^ We need not be surprised, therefore, that what is not required
or encouraged, should cease to exist. The ancient pleaders soon
acc(aired a sufficient knowledge of the few siaRile principles df
their nmnicipal jurispmdenoe, and the rules oi law and prac-
tice which eousted in their days. The rest of thek time was
dev€^d to the study of eloquence^ and to all those arts with which
it is connected, and by which it might be advanced and adorned,
^otso the forensic student of modern times. The professional
education of a barrister, is decidedly opposed to the acquisition of
oratorical graces. A whole life is insufficient to master the exten-
sive range of our complicate system oF jurisprudence : and, since
it is more important to know the law, than to descant on it eloquent-
ly, the student prefers his duty and interest, to his gratification.
** The wide extent of legal controversy denies to the practitioner,
'in general, the leisure of studying to embellish his speeches. The
interest, also, of forensic avocations, is 'diminished, by their
208 Rmew^^^Charaeimiiie^, S^c^
coiuitaiit recmrence* Tbey become mere matters of common-
place; and a legal advocate perhaps thinks no more of tropes and
figures, tones and gestures, than a mechanic does of the line of
beauty, or the standard and the principles of taste." [pp.
188— 191.1
There is much severity of truth in Mr. Maugham's re-*
marks on the literary character of the age, which he de-
scribes, we fear, but too correctly, as one of book-making
and of books, though we doubt whether he has been suffi-
ciently behind the curtain to know how the system of pub-
lishing and concocting is carried on in the Row, as, for
brevity's sake, the street of bibliopolists, in which most of
the leading houses in the trade have their establishments,
is generally called. At least, it is not, as he suspects, by
authors eiuer reviewing their own works^ or furnishing an
outline of them, and selecting the passages which Uiey think
most favourable for quotation ; though, of other modes of
puffing, we doubt not there are enough in use. We are
more inclined, however, to agree with him in the opinion
which he thus gives, of the state and probable fate of litera-
ture amongst us.
** The inundation of books already exceeds all useful purposes;
The supply will become too great for the demand; and tne result
must be, that authors, less liberally remunerated, will cease to
labour. Such must ever be the case, when the article produced is
out of all proportion superabundant. Neither will the decline be
confined to the decrease of new productions. Those already
written will accelerate the decline iif value, and the fastidiousness
of taste will fly from what is within the reach of the odious vulgar,**
[pp. 225, 226.]
He will hardly expect us, however, to extend our approba*
tion to the next article, intitled, " the Periodical Critic,"
on whose labours he sets but very little store. We, however,
naturally estimating them more highly, are determined not
to devote to the defence of our fraternity, any portion of
that time which misht be more usefully directed to the dis-
charge of their unpleasant, but important functions. Our
author is of opinion, that nothing could be more serviceable
to the cause of literature, ''than the establishment of a
work, which should annually review the reviewers, rejudge
their decisions, and constitute, as it were, a court of literary
appeal;" a suggestion which we cordially meet with a ''Try
the experiment, good sir, and right heartily do we wish yon
i;ood speed.-' Commending also the entire article to the atten-
Letters on Earfy Rising, 209
live perusal of those who may be disposed to treat the tribe
to wiiich we belongs with as little reverence as our author,
we in our turn take a very gentle vengeance upon him» for
his presumptuous attack upon reviewers in general, by
begging him to review his own composition, wim a view to
correct some errors in it, which he ought to be grateful,
even to critics by profession, for pointing out. The following
sentence, for instance, requires pruning of much of its some-
what inconeruous exuberance, ''Their cacdethes hquendi
is latent, and the hidden spring must be effectually touched,
ere its stream can flow to the surface, or the gathering tor*
rent pour forth its exuberance in the waters of eloquence/'
To ttie same judicious process, we would also commend
" the stream of eloquence, which flowed and gathered in
its progress the tears of the initiated ;'' — " touch but those
springs of action, those master-chords by which the human
lyre is moved and agitated, and we produce all those effects
which are the outward and visible signs of energy and
genius ;" — ** his soul is not attuned to the strings of sympa-
fliy, and he knows but few, if any, of the notes within the
compass of the heart's melody .''
On the whole, however, we have been so much pleased
with these Outlines, that we dismiss them with our warm
commendation, saying to our readers^ Legite, et nobiscum
plamUie.
1. Letters on the Importance JDuttf and Advantages, of Early
Rising. Addressed to Heads oj Families, the Man of Btist-
fiess, the Lover of Nature, the . Student, and the Christian*
Fourth Edition. F'cap. 8vo. pp. 210. London, 1822.
Taylor and Hessey.
2. Earbf Rising recommended; a Tract, written immediately on
Returning from an agreeable Morning Walk, in the Neigh^
bourhood of London. By the Rev. Jacob Snelgar. F'cap.
8vo. pp. 24. London, 1822. Westley.
We regret to say, that these two publications have laid
upon our table, until the author of one of them has changed
the scene at once of his ministerial labours, and his matin
lucubrations ; whilst the writer of the other has passed into
that better world, where we doubt not that he is reaping
some of the fruits of the due emplovment of the compara-
tively short portion of time allottea to him in this the only
scene of preparation for the blessedness or misery of an
f^jbemsj -Btaie* Tlie delay kas^ ob <Mif parte, hetu uttayoid*
able; but the dawBiagx>f spring after tbe comiaeDcemeali^
at ojqice >of « new year» a^d a new aeries af •pur joaraaJ^ baa
been 'CpAftidei^d a |Mroper period for recoiaBieiidiag to om
readers the adoption of what we apprebead will, to mangr
of them, be aaew practice^ that of early rising.
Tbefiistof the treatises enforcing so salutary and bene*
ficial a habit, is the production of the late Mr. Alfred Cecil
Bucklaindy a member of the inferior branch of the legal pro*
fesBiQa^ who in early life, and in the midst of his nsefnlness,
was taken from hisJabours to his rest^ though not» we tmat#
before much good had been effected by the dispcHraion of
foar editions of a work« from which, we candidly aonfess,
that we ourselves have experienced considearaUe pvaotioal
benefit; and therefore do we the more earnestly ^OBVuend
it to the atteotive jierusal of oth^a.
''^ Shoidd he,'* says the ingenious aaithot of letters, of which
lie modestly and unafiectedly expresses his conviction, ** that his
name is net of suffident importance to give celebrity to his woiic,
an4 oonsoioas that ^s work ^iU erer be too obscure to reflect
lustre upon his name,'* — *^ wheu smigltng hereafter in society, ever
ha^e the happiness to bear one jtareut say, in aUnaioa to these
pages, * By diem I was first iled to knproYe those boars wfaiok
prer^ .fonpmy consum^ in :aleep, and thus. I have mot lonly been
able to perform with ease the duties which before wese ^iftea
neglectea, but I have also experienced the satisfaction of having
set a good example to nify <5htldrenf — Should he ever hear one
lover ofncUure observe, — * To them I am indebted for the con-
templation of scenes more lovely 4han I bad ever beheld, and the
pictfires which ereadoB now unfolds to my sight are more beauti-
M "diaa those whic^ poetic imagery OBoe presented to my fancy:'
•— ^SSiDuU he ever hear one shident jemark, * Theoe was a time
when my health was impaired in the same^apoarfioaasmylaiow-
ledge increased, but they taught me to promote at once, the
vigour of my body, and the improvement of my mind :* — but ^espe-
cially, shcuild he ever hear one Christian dedare, ' My devotions
have never been so ardent, and my faith has never been so strong,
as in those seasons which they persuaded me to snatch from obu-
iBin,'-«4ie wiil hot coonder his time msspent, 'Or his iabiMir ift-
boitowed.'' [pp. ix.xi, xii,]
That he laboured not altogether in vsain^ we can testify ;
and if iJie new series of our work should amell les)^ of l^e
lamp than 4id the old one, to him wiU we gladly ottrilMite
the chief merit of tbe change, altheijigb he is now fisr
jbeyond tbe influence of our ansignificaat aduatowledgmeAts*
Letters on. Early Rising. 2H
We have too high an opinion of the good sense of our
readers, to waste a moment of that time, for the improve-
ment of which we are urgent advocates, by a statement of
the evils of lying in bed to a late hour in the morning,
Kriiere that habit is a mere indulgence. Scarcely need a
child be told, that the hours wasted in needless sleep, are
time lost, never to be recovered, yet, doubtless, to be ac-
counted for hereafter, besides that the individual who so
wastes them, is encouraging a habit that will steal imper-
ceptibly upon him — is enervating his frame — enfeeblinjg
the powers of his mind— diminishing his usefulness, and,
from the consciousness of laziness wnich all idle persons
feel, is souring his' temper; in fact is realiring the mischiefs
eanmmrated by the author of the Letters on Early Rising,
with a fidelity which even the pitiable victims o£ the indo-
lence he deservedly reprobates must adcnowldge.
** Each morning, instead of being commenced with sentiments
of gratitude to that kind and paternal Being who has added another
day to his former mercies, is accompanied with a bitter reflection
on bis again becoming the slave of a habit which he detests, but
is unwilling to relinquish. A softness is thrown over the disposi-
tion, altogether inconsistent with the courage and strength which
the daily ecfncems of business require. A dissatisfaction with
srif » produced, which sours the temper, and which is opposed to
/every thing amiable and pleasing. Every object that presents
itselfis veiled in a gloom, which invests it in a peciuliar melan-
choly hue, and deprives it of the power of bestowing the pleasures
that it fnay be really calculated to afford. The mutual endear-
ments of the social circle are suspended ; and very often the brows
of the more aged are knit into a frown at the artless cheerfulness
of the young, arising from an envy of their happiness, a near re-
semblance to which might have been enjoyed by themselves. The
day thus commenced, cannot be expected to be spent With satis-
faction, or to be finished with self-approbation." [pp. 25, 26.]
. That lying long in bed is injurfous to the constitution,
«ve.ry medical man will tell us ; and we fully agree with our
aaUior in-referring that lon^ train of indescribable maladies,
80 prevalent sis wdl -as fftsfaaonable in the times in which we
live,-— tfaovgh BC^cely known in th(9 good old days of our
robuster forefathers, wad which, in the absence of a more
«pecifi6 term, are ranked under the general aiid compas-
sionating name of nervou8,-^to the inordinate portion of
time spent in bed. On the effect of this habit oh the con-
stitution, our author judiciously gives us the following
high professional authority.
VOL. VIII.— NO. 2. Q
•" N6thittg/' 0Byft Dr. CHi^yiie, '< can he Aior^ prejudiciai tb feo^
der cooslitiitidnd, studious and contemplative fiierson^, than lyii^
lcn|»'in bed, lotting and soaking m v^eeis altar any one is dis^
tiactky awake, or has slel[^ a due and reflfsoaable time. U fiecei^
sarily thiekeos the juices^ enervates ihe solids, and weakens die
constitution. A free open air is a kind x>f cold balb, especially
af^r rising out of a warm bed, and cooseqitfenlly makes the circa*
kttioQ brii^r and more aomidete,. and brsuoes up the .solids, whei>
S^iag in bed dissolves mid soaks them in moisture. This is evw
ent from the appetite and hunger those that rise early feeVbeyon^
that wliich they get by lying long in bed.*^ — Etsay on Heaiik ank
long Hfe, b. iii. s.6. [p^ eU]
Of the medical skiH dTMr.WeskjF, s^lelof Im Prnii«ir«
Physic^ we enteftaiDilk Tfery low opuiioQ, yet are ivediiiduied
to gifire maeh weight to the ei^petienee of so obactsvant •
man, who from the nenfous weakneBS of 'his /sight in '^mtif
life, and its great strength to the elose of a» existence as
actively passed, perhs^ps, as'fhat of aay of the sons of Adam^
eoucTudes> that sleeping^ or lying too long iik bed,, ie injik-
rious to the eye-si^ht Wpukl Uiat the advice of the doo:
tor, and the es^penence of the divine, could iB^liftoe 8<mie
of out nervoDs females, those especially whose sight ia
afiected by theiv disease, to tvyhow much asoie^tbeir oODSti-
tntioos would be 'strengthened by exertion than iaiiulgience,.
tly^early vUtng, than late lying in bed* We catt<a8sase tbem^
that several instances have come to Our knowled^, of the
incalculable benefits of this vcfry cheap Stfbstiltlte fbf afiti*
nervous pitls,'hartshotn,. lavender,, valerian, and saWolatlle,.
With the abundant use df which we have known headaches
to be incessant, which a few breathings of pare moining
air have speedily removed. To our own testimony, we
add also a very striking one from the woik now under
review*
^ As aa lastance of the eoo^ effects of the habits of early rismg^
*«veti upon persons afl^cted with 'the malculies whkft'rha^ sup-
'^sed' the neglect of It to produce,.! wiU relate toyea dke^etoe ef a
^jKmkgladywhobaddiseplyMttbdifbtttiefolmflttsatoe. iShe^wasie-
tdweed to saohextietne weeUoiessyaeitOirequtseassistaMein walk^
ing acrosathe^rbom; and 'imagining' 80 aafsebWbastaftaieqttifed a
lasgev portion of steis. she generally higr etght <ir 'nine hMis».ibat
in^e-monungfeHBd^nwif 801 relaxed aM ^'piglitt.
>nd uaaHfS to di^ss without the leUef of sssliiiig two es^ three timfiMk
On reading Wesley's serosa on early rising,, she was so perfectly
.convinte^ of the propriety of the reasoniiig, that by risine ^gra-
*iAually earlier every morning, she soon lessened the time of sleep
la six hours ; htr strength daily increaseil, and by persevering in
Letters on &$rfy Rising, 213'
up oisorderK which had /id long afflietea h^ v^r^ reiftov^ ; mi
deeply sensible of the great cental aod bodily advimtpig^ of e^Hy
lisiag, oidy regrets that the habit had not been fo^qmaq^^t a ixmcft
earlier period of her life." Jjpp. 63, 64.]
Bat tli€ evils entailed by tkis erimiiMtl indulgence upon
the body^ bear no proportion to the injury £)ne to the
mind, iheJt epark of tminortal flame^ which ii| iUxe spirit shfl^
return to God who gavse it. Few persons^ ittmy, can snatch
iitom the ordinary avooations of life, die time they j^ould
wish to devote to its improvement; but every hour and every
mimite consumed «MUieeessarily in ^ed^ is 4 portion of time
which theynughteedeem for thismost important purpose^und
for the ^waste of which they m«^t answer to Iheif own c<«-
science here^ and he«e%fter most account at the bar of Ood.
This responsibility every individual incurs^ ^vefi dioee (if
any such there be) whose slumbering away their Jime> but
inconvenicQces and affects themselves^ But to parents,
mastevs, heads^ and mMnbers of Aimilies^ this inconveni-
ence and jresponmlnlfity will be alike increased. Lazy self-in-
dulging masters and mistresses will maSie, and should not
eomtpkun of, lazy and 'Self^ndulgin^ servants ; nor can the
eaok or bousemaid of die family, where the breaikfast things
aee put<en*lhe table at iiine o clock, and wait there until
ton, ^and ofiten to amidpii slater hoinr, be scolded with a very
good grace, for not fretting up herself at six, or even foit
aimultaaeouelijr opeuA^g iher own oyes and the window-
ditttters of the house, sAer the clock has struck seven.
Euamplr, thou^ a silent, is a most po wecfiil teacher of bad
habiti^ as well as ctf good ones ; hence, wJiere the heads of
a fimiily (are la$e risers, the servants fnrjil aeldom, if ever, be
eaiiyones; and k wiU be as vein as it is ridiculous, to
pseaeh Jto the -nurseryimaid the very admirable doctrine of
the vgpeait iooportance ^ef «^y 'rising, and waiks -before breaic-'
fiurt,'to^thie iieaith of bbildren, while- the sun has risen many
haujw of ihe iakest sumn^er mornings, whilst papa andmaita-
Hia^are «ioo»iig very jcomfontably hi bed, depeMlng altoge-
ther ^npoaithe vjera^ftViof their seavants, for d|e ti^ne at whick
tfre.ohildreaiwereitaken jto ^their morning's walk. Whilst
tooytouBig .to dress ilhemselveSf.diese drildren, eontrarv to
express orders, butin aecordaiioe to the practice o€|heir
patents, AUay therefore, and t&e^ueiitly wiili, be deprived of
ooeof AeimostjeiMieaitial requidtasto the formafion of a
robttst And hardy oonstilMtion, fcom^the eniminal negKgence
of their parents, in omittiiig, for tbdr own in4«1g^n<^i ^
214 Review.
vigilant inspection of the execution of their orders. In
ibwncy, when bracing of the frame is of the most impor-
tance.-^and nothing contributes to it so essentially as the
pure balm of the morning air, the sufferers, — from a decep-
tion as injurious as it is ]^robable, cannot, and when they get
older, will not, assist in its detection ; and the parents will,
we fear, in many instances; be further answerable for temp-
tations to lying, preirarication, arti6ce, and concealmerit»
both in their servants and their children, whose slothful
indulgence is, after all, very far from going the full length
of their own mischievous example. As the former grow up
into life, is it not also reasonable to expect that they will
do as their parents do or did, rather tnan as they say or
8Md,and neglect those precepts on improving time, on which
the practical waste of it, constantly before their eyes, is
hourly reading so mischievous a comment. These plain
hinfts may sumce for. indolent lie-a-beds, but we are fully
conficious of having a more difficult task to accomplish, in
attempting to convince another class, who fancy they have
a sufficient excuse, and who really have a ^ very plausible
one, for taking in die rabmii^ the rest of yrhich they de-
prive theipselves at night. We allude to studious and lite-
rary men, whose first slumber often commences but as the
ploughman and the industrious labourer, at the dawn of
day, hie them to their work, whistling full cheerily as they
go, and who, by their early toil, have added largely to their
stock of health and strength, ere the pale votary of learning
has with much effort roused himself from his leverish and
unrefreshing sleep. Many such have we known,7->with
several of them we are still living in habits of intimacy; — ^but
recollections of a most painful nature crowd upon our minds,
as we count the number of those who are not. Whilst lit
up with the irradiations of fancy and genius, — whilst beam-
ing with satisfaction at the conquest of difficulties long
pamfuUy pursued, and at length laboriously overcome,«-^we
saw on their countenances the aspect of. cheerfulness, we
found from their conversation thsat their spirits were buoy-
ant with hope, yet was diere a worm preying at the heart,
whose unobserved yet deadly • gnawings were gradually
undermining constitutions, the hardiest of which could
struggle but for a few short years, with an ^nemy, the more
dangerous, ia that itl» operations were slow, and were not
seen. A continued and habitual indxdgence in nocturnal
studies^ w.a8, we doubt not, the wonn which preyed upon—
the worm which eventually destroyed tlieir existence. Thus,
Letters on Early Rising. 215
again> and again, and again> have we seen the fair yerndi
bud, which promised a lovely flower to the aummeF, and as
rich fruit to the autumn, cut off and withered, not by the
cold frosts of winter, but by one of those deadlier bliehts
which often destroy the richest blossoms of the sprmg*
Would from what we have seen and known,* — would from
what they themselves must at the least- have read of the
baneful effects of this too prevalent practice, — the votaries
of science, happily for themselves, and for die world, who
no, sooner learn their worth, than they are called upon to
deplore their loss, — ^would leam^^tbat tne avidity with which
we pursue an object, frequently prevents the success^
which slower, but more regular advances, seldom fail in
securing. Certe sed Sente, is too important a maxim, to be
confined to the motto of an armorial bearing, op a seal, or a
carriage ; it should be inscribed in letters of. gold, over the
study door of every man of genius* For want of. attention
to so useful a memento, many a.youn? ntan of talent, whilst
catching at the laurel, to form a, wreath for bis brow, has but
encircled in a.gra^p that cap never be unloosed, the. cypress
bougl^. soon to be planted by his grave.
We .are aware,., that amongst, the class of self-destroyers
to whom we are addressing ourselves^ many? justify the
means they, employ, by the end they are wishing to attain*
We would, however,, remind them, that as the sacrifice was
not the less sanguinary, because the victims were led to the
altar bedecked with glands and flowers ; so their sel&
destruction is not the less criminal in them, or less afflict-
ihg to their friends, because it is made in the acquisition of
knowledee, or the gaining to themselves an imperishable
name. Many of them, again, we doubt not, will argue that^
provided you take a sufficient portion of rest, it signifies
not at what part of the twenty-four hours it is taken; and
«o once thought we : nature, however, has its propter season
for every Uiing; apd seed-time, and Harvest- t;im^, .suppnior;
and winter, cannot be. more appropriately confqunded wUh.
each other, dian in the use maae of its hours, can night in-
nocuously be turned into day. It is. the natural, season
f(»r'rest; and during its darkness, its coolness, (for even
during the heat of summer, it is infinitely cooler than the
day,) and its quiet, sleep is more refreshing than it can be at
any other time. We have known those who, at two or three
and twenty, had for some years *been in the habit of sitting
up every alternate night, at. the least to one, two, tiisee,
four, five, and even six o'clock in the morning, and one
216 RtvkuHi
Who •v«n had sat at hUi desk for 9^ytoty-lwo h^wrs, with
Ihe intenniasioa of six hours' repose ; but nt tbr^e-and'^
ibirty^ headftcbes^ swimminffs ia.Ihe bead^ myrefreshing
sleeps disturbed by th^ Imu of countless noises in; theif ears^
had tftueht them wisdom ere it. was too Iate« and they nOw
riee at the period when they not imfreqaently went to rest^
Other reasons ia fatrout. of moinins^ mth^ than of boo*
ftumal stodies, are ably urged in Mn Buddand's invaluable
iitde book>-^in the oheenidness of disposition. geoeraQy
eKperiended then^ ere the temper has b^n raffled by th!s
business and anxieties of the day> and the extruorcHhary
Eower of the memory at that period^ which every schoot^
oy, Who htB conned <>ver his task soon after risieg frdari
kis bedi can well attest*
But example is j adioiously quoted, to enforce these whole-
edme precepts, and we bhall ettract tb^m for the benefit of
our readers^ ia the author's wordsu . .
^'Bishop Gurnet} the autbor of *The History of his OwnlHmes/
Wad ati habitual eaHy dsen Whilst be was at coll^^ his father
ttsed to atoase him to his studies every morning at four Vclcck,
and he continued the practice during the reiuaiimer of his life. It
Is to this halMt that we are iadebtea to Bn Deddridg^ for tieariv
the whek of his vaiuaMs works, who, notwiUiiftaadiBg m
^siieus kbeanit both as a minister sad a tutor, has left as many
pffoo£i of his talents as an author** Bishop Jewell regaiarly rose
to study at foar. Sir Thomas Mor^ usually rose at the ssme
^arly heup", and yet he remitrkf, in his preface to the Utopia, that
be had completed that work by stealing time from his sle^ and his
lo^eals ; and he appeared to be so well satisfied of iht excellence o^
the habit, that he represents the Utopians as attending public teo-
tures every morning before day-)>Teak.
^ '' Dr. Parkhurst, the philologist, rose regularly at five in summer
and winter, and in the latter season made bis owni fire. It is re-
corded of John, Lotd Hertey, Ih^ Mn tho^e early bouts, wheh all
airotmd were hushed in sleep, he seized the opportunity of that
ilMikHy as the most fefbutame season tor stttdy> msA frequency
^peiit an useful day, belbre •odi^M began to enjoy lt»H*
** Do ^tt not rc«iiemi>er Paky's eeeouat of the early paft ethss
ttoflege life? * I speat,' said he, when ^onveninfg wjtik seme of > his
IHends, ' I ^pent the first two yeass bf my uttderrgrsdoateshqi hep-
pdy, bufc uoprofitaHy^ I Was constantly ix^ society, whete we
were not is^moraf , ba^ idle and rather e^peasiye. 4t the com-
meneement of my third year, however, after haying left the usual
• * Doddiidge's Family jfopesitor. Note to Reomrks, Rom. xiii. 19.
t MMdMon^DedisationtolieJbifeof Cicere.
LMen m SlV^ Rising. ^Ij
pcrtf. a% mtber a late home i» ik^ aTening^^ I ^u diiffikv^ ^^ 6^
ii tn# mprniiig by one oG my cotapanipii^ w1^ 9too4 at^mj
bad-side, and aaid, — * Paky, I bav^ bean ftinkwig wb^t a fipplyo^
4ke lift I lead: yoi) ootid do eyety tf^iag, aod ^i|Ono^ afford i^
I have bad no tleep dimdg A^ iirtaolo 1^^% oa ^qopiie^ «^ ^^^
feSeclaona, and aUR now coma volemnly to inform yojUj tbt^ iyf yp«
fieraial in voor indolMce, I m«ilt Me^ovga^ yopc ^t^J^ ^ | wj^
ao atarock. Dr. Pabsy cpntiaiiod* ^ wi^ ibe viait an^' tb? X^^*
tiuil I lay ki bed gwit part of ^a dt^y* ^4 formed my pljs^n. |
ordered my faed-iaafci^ to>l4|r my fir« ^iret^rev^i^, ii^ ord^ tbai
ilr mi^t be Ugbted by. my^oE J oroi^ afjiv^ rafi4 during thj^
wbole of ^ day^ tF^^ ^<^ bojurs %$ chape) and ball reqviirecl^
^Qttiu to eac^ portion of time its peculisMr branch of study ; and
juat bdtQre the ck^g of the ^aties (nine oclock) \ went to a
neighboaring coffee-house, where I constantly regaled upon a mut-
ton chop, said t. dose of mSk punch, and then^ on tajung my bache-
lor's deme, I became senior wran^en^
^^f might refer yo« to tha optntons and practice of the fttrnpua
Franktia, and Priestley, and ma^r others ; but you wiH, perhaps^
prefer aa asampla talc^n from one in ^o^ orh professiod. Sir
tiattbeir Hak, that great and learMd tawy<¥>¥y and pipti^ Qhrl^r
tian, whilst at linoolnv loa, p^eipariiig bim^^lf for the bar, s^udj^
aistoeii. howt in tha day, T}m§l very ear^y ev^ momipgi'' [pp<.
■ To these, the names of John Wesley, atid aeyeral other
lif'hts of the world, and beaefhctors of mankind, nii^t be
added ;bqt we sif all satisfy ourselves with ttie mention of
Howard the philanthropist, who was seldom in bed alRfcer
four in the piof ning. Bat grefl|4;er es^amples tlian that of even
Hpward, fihougli h6 perhaps was tl^e most illustrious imita-
tor of his divine Ma8ter,^ij going about doing good, that
the records 9f the world eAibit since the apotitolrc ag:^,
are thas enuineratad, for 1}ie imitation of the Chriatian, in
the pi^es now under our feviow.
'fAtefhafa^^at np aar4y in Jb^. i^P^lBS/t . ^!^^
fastimei
-Lsban
tha moming.lf Job rose up early in the morning,
k^ ppfftf^uf^J^ , qi(^n * TQfe^ up early in the lAorpi^e-'tf
JofVtt? '»»« eyly ifi ikf mprnmg.'itt SMnuel 'rose earlj fp
* Meadley^s Memoirs of Dr. Paley, p. l^f , 6.
t Qe^ xix. ay. ; xxi. 14. ; xxii. 3. t Cfgn- ^Kxvi. n.
i Heji. xxyiu. 18. 11 4ea. xxxL 66. IT BxQfi. xxiv. 4;; f xxir. 4.
2» SAul ^ if Judgesyi. 28, 33. " '
U Jasbiia iii. 1. ; vi. 12. ; vu. 16. ; vili. 10.
218 ' JteoiM.
meet Saul kk the moraiiig.^ David ^ * roee-iip earlj in Ae mora*-'
ing/f Jetemiah continued in the- habit of ^rising early and
apealung' for twenty-three yean,}' Nehemiah and his fellow-
labourers Maboured from* the rising of the morning till the stars
appeared.'^ And our- blessed Saviour is represented as having^
risen early, affording a practical illustration of his own precept,
' work whilst it is day/ It was ^ at the break of day that he call-
ed to him his disciples, and chose of them tweWe, whom he call-
ed appstles.1l It was * early in the mommg that the people came
to him in the temple to hear him.'1F • It wa^ * e&rly m the munming
that Jesus came into the temple^ and all the people came* unto
him :*** and it was ^ in the morning, a gr<dat i^Ue before day;
that he went out to a solitary |4ace to pray/ "t| [pp^ 168-9.]
To the Christian, however, we surely need tiot say any
thing on the sin of sloth, or the dub^ of improving to the
utmost the short portion of time allotted for preparation
for another, and an eternal state of existence, if, however,
any arguments are necessary tp prove the impprtanc^ of
early rising to those who profess '' to work, while it j«
called day/' because *' the night cometh wherein no man
can work,' they cannot be furnished with more cogent <tf
convincing ones than aire contained in the four Jast
of the letters of Mr. Buckland, and^inthe very sensible
little pamphlet of Mr. Snelg^r, which, in the form of a
tract, IS a short but very judicious sermon on Psalm lxiii« 1.
** Early will I seek thee,' in which the author very satisfac-
torily i^hews that there is a pleasure to be enjoyed in early
rising, because it is refreshing to the body, cheering to
the spirits, and an agreeable nreparation for every succeeds
ing event of the day. The design of the practice recom-
mended from the example of David, is then stated as. for
purposes of piety; because of the serenity of the morning;
and on account of the importance of religion : to which suc-
ceeds a brief statement of the advants^es resulting from
early rising — froni its improving our temporal prosperity—
advancing our spiritual welitEtre — being our best preparation
for the public worship of Qod — ^imlicative of pefsonal
religion,*<^-and a good course, productive of the best ter-
mination.
With such motives before them as have been stated in
the course of this article, who that regards hiel best interests,
* 1 Sam. ix. 26. ; xv. 12.
t I Sam. xtU. 20. Psalms v. 3. ; Iv. 17.; Hx; 10.; Ixxxviii. 13.;
xcii. 1,2.; cxix. 147. ; cxiiii. 8. I Jer. xxf . 3. ; vii. 13.
§ Neh. iv. 21. 11 liake vi. 13. f Luke xxi. 38,
♦• John viii. 2. tt Mark i. 36.
The Modtm 'Pravdkr. 219
for time'mri for i^tenitty/bttt would wi«h to put : the etraeit
reeommendatioim ^of these two Tery useful writers ' into ita-
mediate practice. But how is thiB to be done, we may be
asked, wnere a long course of indulgence, either in noc-
turnal studies or morning sluggishness, has engendered a
habit of lying in bed, difficult, and, as those who have given
way to it will think, impossible to overcome. The author
of the Letters on Early Kising shall answer the question.
** You must conauer by degrees* Rise fire minutes eariier ever^
morning, till you nave arrived at the hour which kppiears to you
"Uiost ehgtble. You wfll thus accomplish the work wnieh you ' are
soaiiztottsto effiict. The daily subtraction from Sleep witt be so
trifling, that it will not occasion that drowsiness on the succeeding
morning, which the, sudden change from rising at eight to fire
must necessarily produce. You will thus reach the object of
your wishes, in the sarest and easiest manner. You wiU be daily
undermining a very injurious habit, and confirmme a very useful
one. A short period will make such a sensible difference in the
time you have gained, that you will beein to feel the pleasure of
victory, before you are scarcely conscious oS having commenced
the combat. Ihe last day in each week will be half an hour lon-
ger than the first, and at the termination of a month you will
.become an early riser, with the additional advantage of having
formed the habit in sudi a manner that there is little danger of its
being relinquhihed.'' [pp. 137*8.]
On the merits of this plan, we simply add our probatum
est, and, having done so, unequivocally commend the work
whence this excellent recipe for the cure of laziness is
extracted, together with its humble, but still very useful
and cheap companion, to the attentive perusal and delibie-
rate consideration of our readers. Ere we close our re-
marks, we would just hint, however, to Mr. Snelgar, in the
the hope that his very useful little tract will soon go into
another edition, that the braying of the ass might, we
should think, be omitted, without injury to the thousand
pleasing associations which gave to his early morning
walks Siat peculiar and inexpressible interest, which we
hope he will long continue to enjoy himself, whilst, through
the press, he is the very useful instrument in imparting it
to others.
The Modem Travelkr. Palestine. Parti. 18mo. Lon-
don, 1824*. Duncan, pp.180.
Few books are, perhaps, more generally interesting than
voyages and- travels;, and no period of our .literature has
92Q HtnkUt^
liMft moBt pM^iuctiM #t <liia i^ected <rf jM»«I9$1 m4 gQHenl
rateYyammnl AtA tlie {Mwawt. Sciwtjifi^ entHpvMwg^
%ad uitdUgMii hm*, hnve yiditad erery qnwrter of ibfi
globe; and the rMetrchos of meb weU-i^uilifi^ tQUi»$lii
fts PaUM» Gierke^ J>odw«Il« Eusteee, m4 Hi:^)^9» i|k Sut
rope} Moriet^ ElphiuiilQm, Biiohma^^ Fm^er, Poiitinger*
€k»r« Oittely, KtiiMir» and Poster, m Awt,; BelzQUi, I^rd
ValAntim^ nirckbiirdi Richardson, jQUfiV»» Dei^OEiH m4
Chateaubriaadrmf^gypt and the adjjc^^eut cQiuit^ie^xI'^^is,
Md Clsirke^ Pike, JcmeH. FrapkU«, apd Humboldt, in Aj^^t
irioa^w^^ve Cumi«ibed the moat extensive %nd imBortaute ^4t
ditioni to o«v geogmfihieiA knowledgQ, tQ n^hioV i^lsc^ thi»
laboHin of our niasiiQttarieg, though devoted to mwk higher
objects, have iBoideatally dontnhnted no small ^aie of
curious and valuable intbrnHition* But^ alas^ the knowr
ledge of foreign dimes, which most peoplo feel a great
and laudable curiosity to obtain, is procurable but by very
few ; as, of a}l books, (law-books perhaps alone excepted^)
voyages and travels are the most costly, and conseqiientlv
the most unattainable by the ordinary clas^ of readers. To
remedy this inconvenience^ various plans have bee^ hit
upon«1^i)t hitherto witho^i any very di9tinguishe4 succewj.
Jin the year 1300| tir. MavQr published w abri4gi?aent cf
the most popular voyages andj tr^^vels then ^^tant^in t^^PLtVi-
4^ight volumeSf in 18mo. j but at least ^Cty others, upoi^ the
same plan, would be requisite to bring down the collection
to the present time. jPipkerton's more formic(able and
very heavy wor]^, in sevei^teen £]^uartb voluinei^, is also
very Qoqsiqerably in arrear; and tp make it compUt^, it
would be placed stllJ further beyond the reach of tnoiie for
whose use such cpUeptions ar^ pip^t rec^ui^ite^ and that is
iJtogedier needless,
But independent pf such well-foupd^d objections t^'the
t)Ulk and e^peivse of iheffe epUectjoq^^ we hij^ve loqg b?en of
opinion^ that something more than the mere work of ^bri^g-
ment was necessjary to give those,, who hs^ve not the leii^ure
pr th^ mesm of consiuting th^ mul^plicitr of ponderous
and expensive 4parto vpyag^s^ travels^ aii^ toar$; which a^
constantly appearing in rapid succession, the means of
knowing what disgxMEeiieg ux& msk]c\n^ in the wolrld. "WW
had therefore fgnpedf in our Qw;if min^s, a plan for a con-
densation of th^ most generally ipjteresting^and ValumYe
intelligence, contained m these volumes, id the form of a
rej^ular narrative, Choa^, as we a^e neyer likely to haw
kisuffs for carrying it into execution, we are very happy lo
jT&e Modem TiraveUer. SSI
fifid, Attt M fliniiiir Befceme km ragmliid ilwlf to ««Imm;
tad that it is now in prpgrfw in Mcb a style of esree^mse,
titttrtt^y Md topogfttpfaidttf^ M to rtedev stny olhelr attemf»t
Irorse than sup^rfliKyna. One prfnetpal ground of our
objection to the etifttin|f collections of ro^ages and tmvels,
h, that in mere abridgments of the narratiiredf of travellers,
who have taken the same route, and described the same
scenery, repetition is inevitable ; and conflicting accounts of
the same tnings are repeatedly given^ without any directions
to the reader as to which is worthy of preference^ or how
fiur their discrepances ma^ be reconciled or accounted for*
To obviate these difflcnltiesg the prssent work proposes to
^ve 4 cinnplete description of the diffei^ilit countriesi fbras*
iDg an accurate and sufficiency minute cosmovamic view of
their present actual state. This object is effected partly
ky adopting the details given by travellers, who have visited
tne different places, in theii* own langnage, and very IVe-
qtiently by a combination of their venous accoimts in the
language Of the editor ; to whom, thodgh we have not the
slightest conception of who or what he is, this commenda*
tion at the least is due, that he has executed bis task with
great accuracy and judgment. But of this^ we will enable
our readers to form an opinion for themselves, b^ extracting
a part of that account of Jerusalemi which^ with its envir
ronsy occupies upwards of one hundred pages of the present
portion of this most interesting work >^
** The Jerusalem of sacred history is, in fact, no more. Not
a vestige remains of the calpital of David and SoTomon; not a
monument of Jewish times is standing. The Very course of the
Mis is chfmed, and Ike boundaries of the andent city are
become doafatniL The monks pretend to shew the sites ol ^
uionA j^aces ; bat Asither Calvsiy, nor the Holy BepvlebBi, mlck
less di# Dolorous Way, the house of CaiaDNis» &ci.» baive Ae
slightest pretensions to even a probaUe identity w|tih the real
places to which the tradition refers. Dr. Claijks has iha merit tf
being the first modem tmveller, who ventured to speaifL of the pi^
posterous lejfends and clumsy forgeries of the prie$t8« with the
Contempt which they merit. * To men interested m tracing^, vrithii^
the walls, antiquities referred to by the documents of sacred hj8|>
tery, no/spectacle,* remarks the learned trateller, ^can be moie
toortif]fhig than the dty in Its present state. Ihe mistaken piety
of theeany<^kri8laans,in atteaipdng to preserve, has either con-
Aised or amihikted the memorials it was anxious to render con-^
spiouoos. Viewing the havoc thus made, it nay now be rseretted
tiiat the Hely Land was evcriesened from the dominien of Sara«-
oenk, who were far ksf harioArmts thasi iUu ctmtfmnn^ fke
3SI Remw.
abnir&y,for«Kiaq)ie,of lMiriDg;thei«cbof.JiAea bto ibiiiw
aod chapdt, and of diwniiiiig Ibe fttcc of Dstnre with painled
domei, and gilded tnarbla coTeriog*, bj way of coiniiienu>ratiii|;
the scenes of our Saviour's life and dew, is so evident and so
lamentable, that eTeo Sandys, with all his creduUty, could not
avoid a happy application of the reproof conveyed by the Ronnut
satirist, against a similar violation of the Egerian fountain.'
" Di. Clarke, however, thoughhe discovers his sound judgment
in these remarks, has contributed very little to the illustratjon of
Ibe topc^raphy of Jerusalem. His jjfan is extremely inaccurate,
and hit hypothesis respecting the site of the ancient Zion alto-
gether baselriss. It is quite evident that he trusted to' his recol-
fectioB iodrawiit^ up the account of Jerusalem, and that his
memory has misldd him. By far the best account which has
been given o( the sacred oi^, is that furnished by Dr Richardson,
who, by virtue of his professioiial (fancier as. a physician,— s
character esteemed sacred all over the east,— was pennitted four
times to enter, in company with soipe of Ibe principal Turks in Jeru-
salem, the sacred encJosure of the Stoa Sakhara, the mosque of
Omar. With the exception of Ali Bey, who pass^ for a Hoslemi
though really a Spaniard, Dr. R. is the only Frank whose feet
have trodden the coaseciated ground with unpunity, since the
days of the Crusades. A Jev or a Christian entering within its
precincts, must, if discovered, forfeit either his religion or his life.
• Sir F. Henniker states, that a few days before he visited Jerusalem,
a Greek Christian entered the tnosque. ' He was a Turkish sub-
ject, and servant to a Turk : he was invited to chanee his religion^
but refused, and was immediately murderiid by the mob. - His
body remained exposed in the street ', and a passiag Mossujman,
kicking up the head, exclaimed, ' That is the way I would serve all
ChrisUans.'" [pp. 75— 77.]
DesiffDed) and Terr properly ao, rather fbr apopular and
vaefdl, man a Botentific oompikation, it is intended to si^xat
into tluB vroric anfhentic aatcdotes, serving ' to ilhiBtraM
nationel cbuvcter; and oUier details of amusing,' whilst the^
are also of an instructive nature ; thoagh every attention is
at the same'time to be paid to topi^aphTcal accuracy, and
to an object, which we regret to say that there ib much rea-
son for' never overlooking, — the rectifying those mistakes.
Which are to be found in great abniidaiice, and sufficient
grossnessB, in the most poptilar of our geographical works.
Brief historical notices will also he prenxed to the descrip-
tion of eveiy country, including its ancient geography, its
supposed aborigines, and the principat revolutions of which
it has b«eD the meatre, whilst, with respect to the unciyilixed
portions of the habitaUe globe,- diis sketch will exhibit also
the prepress of discotvery. In every case, the natoral faia*
The Modem Traveller. 223
tory, botany» geological features, volcanic pbenomena, and
other natural curiosities ' of the country^ will, as far ad
possible, be fully described; together with the costume,
physiognomy, and domestic habits of the natives ; their
traditions, religion, and literature ; their public buildings,
arts, and ancient monuments : in fact, all the multifarious
information for which we are indebted to the indefatigable
researches of modem travellers.
In the execution of this most judicious and comprehen-
sive plan, biographical sketches of individuals who have,
by remarkable actions, identified themselves with the his-
tory of the portions of the globe described, should not of
course be omitted ; and we doubt not, from the following
brief, yet accurate notice of Djezzar Pasha, the remorseless
tyrant of Acre, that this part of the work will receive a due
portionof the editor's attention: —
"Dr. E. D. Clarke, who visited Palestine in th6 summer of
1801, landed at Acre, then under the dominion of the notorious
Djezzar Pasha — an appellation explained by himself as si^ifying
the butcher. This execrable tyrant, whose name carried terror
with it over all the Holy Land, at one time, shut up in his fortress
at Acre, defied the whole power of Turkey, deriding the menaces
of the Capudan Pasha, though he affected to venerate the
authority of the sultan. His real name was Achmed. He was
a native of Bosnia, and spoke the Sclavonian language better than
any other. At an early period of his life, he sold himself to a
slave-merchant in Constantinople, and being purchased by Ali
Bey in Egypt, rose from the humble situation of a Mameluke slave
to be governor of Cairo. In this situation, according to his own
account given to Dr. Clarke, he distinguished himself by the most
rigorous administration of justice ; realizing the stories related of
Omental caliphs, by minglmg in disguise with the inhabitants of
the city, and thus making himself master of all that was said con-
cerning himself, or transacted by his officers. So far back as 1784,
when M. Volney visited the Holy Land, he was pasha of Siede
(Sidon) and Acre.* At that time, his cavalry amounted to 900
Bosnian and Anaut horsemen ; by sea, he had a frigate, two galiots,
and a zebeck; and his revenue amounted to £400,000. At the
time of Dr. Clarke's arrival, he was upwards of sixty years of age,
and vain of the vigour which he still retained. Of forty-three
pashas of three tails then living in the Turkish empire, he was, by
* Dr. Clarke says : ** He has been improperly considered as pasha
of Acre : Ms real pashalic was that of Seide, but at the time of oar
arrival, he was also lord of Damascus, Berytus, Tyre, and Sidon.''
Borokhardt, however, represents the pashalic of Siede to be the
same as that of Akka. .
tSt Beviem.
(O^vii BeeouDt^ the leBMr.. 'WefawiA hioa/ s«ys Or. Claike,
^^ealed on a mat, io a little chamber •d«^tiiie of 4he meaA^st actt-
cte.4»f Aisiiitiiiny ^locaptif^ a^Qoan^»»pciBOiig, eaHbeqiprai^ yestal for
cooUaff tha water Jbe acci^OBally 4raak. |ie was sucrounded by
persau auimed and di»%H«d.' Bome without a nc^ otheis with-
out an arniy with one ear t)]:dj, or one eye ; marked men, j^ he.
termed them — persons bearing signs of thek havin j^ been instructed
to serve their master with fidelity. ' He scarcely loolced up to
notice our entrance, bat x^ontinued his employment of drawing
upon the floor, for one of his engineers, a plan of some works he
was then constructing. His form was athtetic, and fats kmg white
beaid ^ntiieW covered his hreast. Ifis habit was that f>f a com-*
mon Arab, plain, iMit <llean, consisting of a w4nte capulet over a
ooMen «assoek« liis tufbaa was also wUte. IKetther cnahion nor
caqpet deceratad tbeaudced boatds of fab difaa. In fais givdle fae
wore at fioniani set with, diawonds ; ihuA dus be apo)ogiaad for esU^
biting, saying it was fais badge-of ofBce m gpv^)iM>r of Aas^ ai^
therefore could not be laid aside. Having ended his .orders to
fhe engineer, we wete directed to sit lipoh the end of the divan;
find Signor Bertocino, his dragoman, kneeling by his side, he pr^
pared to hear the cause of our visit.* "•^ ^Qpp. 18— 2Cl]
" Djezzar was the Herod of his (day. At one period, having
reason to suspect the .fidelity of his wives, he put seven of them to
death with his own hands. No .person in Acre knew the nuifiber
of his women, but from the circumstanoe of a certain number of
covers bein^ daily placed in a kind of wheel, or turning cylinder,
so contrived. as to convey dishes totfae interior, without any pos-
sibility of observing the person who received them. If aiiy of them
died, ih^ event was kept as secret as when he massacred them
with his own fasmds. In his public works he aimed at munificence.
He built, the mosque, the bazai:, and and an elej^nt public fountain
at Acre, using the ei^tensive remsdns of Cesarea as a quarry. In
all these works he was himself both the engineer and tHe architect^
he formed the plans, drew the designs, and supermtended the
execution. He was his own minister, chancellor, .treasurer, and
isecretary ; often his own cook and gardener; and not unfrequently
, both judge and executioner inthe same inst^t. ,Sudiis,thiBaccoui^t
given of this extraordinary man by Baron de Tott,Tolney, and Dx.
Clarke. Tet with the.short-si^hted and narrow-minded .policy o(f
an Oriental despot, he sacrificed to his avarice ih^ permanent
prosperity of ^he districts which he, governed. During the latter
vears of his administratioi^, miQre especially, towi^s that »had once
been flourishing, were reduced by his oppression to a few cottagesy
and luxuriant plains were abanaoned to die wandering Arab3."
*Si|iE|h is the lOuQi^e of , the uudect|tkil)g» .idth Mliioh .wp
•re ao mmsh dielaghlfid* lh%t/w^ thMO .pot lo^t.^ 99^^11^ tkt
* Travels in various Countries, part ii.^'i.-€liftp'8. ■ •
The MoOem frmeller. &9S
commending it to the notice aiid cordial support of our
reiiders.
i^ale&tine has tcfry properly becfn selected as the first
comitry to be noticed ; and i^faen vfe infbrm out readers^
that in the present part of the Modem Traveller, and that
i¥hich will ne published on the same da^ with our journal^
— supposing it executed with equal spirit and fidelity as
his spedmen, as we hare no teason to doubt that it will be, —
they Nvill have an accotmt of die Holy Land, comprising all
that is most durious, and generally interesting, m the tra-
vels of Maundrell, Pococke, Sandys, Hasselqtriist, Vohtey»
Srown, Dr. Clarke, the psetido AH Bey, Chateaubriand,
Diirckhardt, Joliffe, Dr. Kichardson, Buckingham, Irby
Mangles, l^ilr F. Hetmiker, and others, throtign this most
attraetive region of the earth, at lelist in a Christian'^ eye^
in a neat pocSiet volume, of between three 'and four hundred
closely printed pages, at the low "price Of five sArillings, we
fbel assured, that tney will soon enable tliemselves to judge
of the justice of our encomiums, which, though somewhat
warmer perhaps than is our wont, have been excited by the
uncommon merits of what we consider a fiyotur in the lite-
tarv world. Tet warm as that commendation has 'been,
and as We intended that it should be^ it would be a gross
injustice to close this review wiibout noticing, in terms of
the highest praise, the very superior merit of the typogra-
phical department of this woric, ^hich is from the very
accurate press of Mr. Moyes, a.nd iti a '^tyte Of neatness
which we liave seldom seen surpassed, even in the most
e^^pensive wofks. It is also illustrated i>y a rery well
executed view of Jerusalem, and a small Irt^t accurate map
of l^alestine, embellishments which we areliappy to learn
that it is the intention of the publisher to continue through-
out the series, at the rate of a plate Ht the least to every
part, and occasionally of more.
To the icontinuation of the series, we shall lierei^er
direc^t the attention of our readers, ss^tisfied as we are, that
if executed with the taste and spirit which ^hasmaifked its
commencemeiit, it will be decidedly the best and most
useful of those cabinet and nocket compilations, on which
•so much attention has been oedtowed oi late years by the
booksellers, and So large a portion of psitronage by the
Jmblic. If, in that "patronage, the Modem Traveller, so
ong as it is conducted as it is *begun, does not very
largely participate, the feult wilVbe with the public, upon
#hose taste we shall consider the negleot of its very supe-
rior claims no light imputation.
296 Review.
A Letter to the Editor of the British Reoiew, occasioned by
the Notice of " No Fiction/' and '' Martha/* in the last
Number of that Work. By Andrew Reed. 8vo. Lon- -
doa, 1824. Westley. pp. 80.
In our early attention to this Pamphlet, it is by no means
our purpose to enter into the merits of the case between
the author and our brethren of the British Review, the
latter: of whom we leave to fight their own battles, as we
doubt not that they are quite able to do^ though we say not
with what success against an antagonist like Mr. Keed#
who has advanced very serious, charges of misrepresentt^-
tion and prejudic0 against . them^ supjported by evidence^
which, to say the least of it, ixiakes put a very strong />rii?ia
facie case on his behalf. Nor shall we . touch upon, that
part of his address which relates to the second of his publi-
cations, as we have not yet had leisure to notice '* Martha,?
although .we hope it will not long lay amongst the heap of
neglected books, which have for some time, thoiich un*^
avoidably, acciiqiulated on our table. But we do think ii
du^,;in justice to Mr. Reed, to our readers, and to ourselves,
not' to defer to a more convenient oppbrtuhity, an exami^
nation of the charges which have long been in general cir-
culation against him, for the publication of ^* No Fiction,*'
a work, which appearing anonymously at first, was very pro-
perly avowed oy.its author, the ' moment that' avowal
seemed likely to involve him in danger and difficulty.
Those charges have been divided with sufficient accuracy
for oiir purpose, into the following heads : — 1st. That the
credulity ot the public has been imposed upon ; 2dly. That
Mr. Bamett, (the hero of the tale) has been injured ; an<)
SdljT. That the author has sought to eulogize himself and
family.
The first of the charges imputes to Mr. Reed, the imposi-
tion upon the public, as a '' narrative founded on recent
and interesting facts ;** of a collection of fictions, and gross
distortions, and^ exaggerations^ for which there was but
slender ^foundation in. the real occurrences, whence itd
author professed to dra^w his materials. To this Mr. Reed
opposfs the following statement, pn the correctness of
which, as well from.our. knowledge of his character, as the
acquaintance we have elsewhere obtained, with the princi-
pal facts to which he appeals, we place the firmest reliance.
** It is true, that the acquaintance between Lefevre and Douglaf
began as is described. It is true, that their friendship, was car<!>
Keed's Leiier to /Ar £AW oftht JBriikh Remew. 887
iiedfi>Hiraid by meant and ikicidcfiil& afatiilar to Ifaote iiilioAaoed.
It is tme» dial tbey mado m cxcoriioii to a diataat pa<|t ^ ^§
eaamtxfivk.ei Tiait to Mia« LtfeTi»».irho wa9 vliat»h^ s r«(»ra-r
aaated to bcL k it tnia^ that Lefene faeUla place in an offioa in
LoiidoB, and resided with Mr* and Mrs* Rnttell; and tbat he was
happj wkile he conlinaed in the paths of usefnlnets and reUgion*
It IB tfoe, diat he and Doiig;lat separaited; mi thai; aftenrards h9
beg;a». to decline, firomi hit formtir purtuita tnd pleasures. It it
txue, that iheRustells and Dcmglaits often remonstrated as they
are represented; and that die correspondence frooa Plyokouth on
an alleged ^ impropriety' really existed. It is true, that Lefevre
contended with many resolves to fietrace his steps, but that
he orercame them, forsook his religious comiexioaB, and was grin
dutily drawn into the paths of woridly plauure. It is true, that
he became entangled in debit the coBversation on this tmbjecft it
sdmoflt fifarally given : and H is time, though he nevier knew iL
that Donglat became boond, in word and honour^ for the largest
amount he ever owed. It is true, that Lefewe left, the Russelit
similarly to the way described, and very much for the reato^
given. It is true, that he formed, an ettaohment, that it had ^>
beneficial influence on his mind and conduct, and that he sought
his friend Douglas, and made him acquainted with his prospects.
It is true, that when Douglas was expecting to hear of nis settle-
men^ and to see its good effects, he was aroused at midnight to
feceive Lefevre in the state described; that he voluntarily con-
fessed, that w^at he had formerly dented was actually true ; that
he had been subject to rebuke in one office, that his accbunts had
been unexpectedly calked for ^elsewhere, and be >was not then
|iM|»ared to vender them ; and that ihe connexion to which he had
%eeB tooktng, was broken off fot ever* H Is tnt^ that Douglat
dud every tinng to tranqaiUise him ; and in ihe morning awidcened
himt and induced him to say he would return to hit duties;
but that he went home, and remained in a similar state of mind
fcr soma time. It is true, that he eloped from his friends; ram-
bled in a state of mental desperation in the environs of llochester^
was advertised, and at last found, and brought home by Mr*
perry. It is ti^ue, that his mother and Douglas found him as
described^ that he remained in this state till he agaio forsook his
home, and was not heard of, after the most>anxious inquiry. It
is true, that he wandered far away, enjisted in the army, and went
over to Canada; that he became the subject of reflection ; that he
fcn in with an excellent missionary, who waH of great use to hitn;
iibd Ibaa he wrote home to his niends penitential and pleasing
letum. it b*true, that his relative piueured hit diaeharge, dttt
ha iBtumed heme, mid though diierenlily received by his different
friends, he was joyAiHy received by thorn alL It it true, that
Wilton wiat Inflnenced by Lefevre's example, and that his state of
mind, in his last affliction^ was similar to what is given.
VOL. vlii. — NO. 2. R
238 Itemw.-^Ueed*fi Letter totke
/'^Mttdi^Yery^imidit bMii«» what tkialiftaly skeldi inoloAes, is
eqetMy troe. The letters and conTenHttionsj though not literaUj
rendered, are, with few^xoepti^nSy subUantiaIfy true} while the con-
tents of a letter hate sometimes heen tfirown into a dialogue, and
the body of manv conTers&tibnsre^uoed to a letter. The spirit is
generally true, where the form of representation is most affected
by variety. Even the sketches from nature are mostly from
memory ; and those few parts of the work, which are of the nature
of episode, are commonly real incidents, though first founded in
union with other circumstances/' [pp. 1^ — 16,]
To erery oandid i&ind> this statement must < present ad
abundantly! suffieient refutation of the charge of ^nposi-
ti(Hi.on the public credulity, though it doiea niot by any
mesBB free its author irom the mcnretMiablevftDd more' im-
|K>rtsiit ones, of improperly publishing, facto celaling to
another, which he ovgnt not in prudence os delicacy to
have 80 used ; and that is the. charge* to whidbi.in our nottoe
of his work,^ we distinctly allnded, as a very serious on^,
extending even to the hdtiout and honesty of the auth<»r,
though in fitvour of them, we then decided, on the stren^h
of the assurance contained in his advertisement to the tiburd
edition o£ this work, that the true key to it '' W€^ thai in
bis poBsession-rthat it had never been in th|» ppw^ of any
other .person-^-and that it never should be, wbJle.di^ cciisti^g
raupKHM continued for withholding it/'. A mori^ minute
atatemoit. of. those foota^is. now pubUsbed* .and. we. are
therefore anxious to review a judgment pronoiufieied upon
partial - evidtioiee, whtoh we ar& nowfully in possessftDH of
the means of ^onfirmingy modifying, or reversing,: as full
and authentic admissions and testimony upon thef subject,
may call upon us to do.
It now stands admitted on all hands^ that Lefevre, the
hero of '^ No Fiction,*' is Mr. Barnett, once an intimate friend
of Mr. Reed, who performed towards him, in its general
outline, the kind part attributed, in the narrativ^^'to Doug-
las;— ^that between them the correspondence inserted in» or
interwoven with, the work, substantially took place^ tbougb
the letters are not ^cactly copied, or always used even m
the epistolary form; — that the work was published without
Mr. Batnett's consent, or any. application. to him for it,
tfabugh subetantially oontaining.the chief incidodits. of his
eventful history, and his correspondence with the author,
who beiliev^d him at that time to be residing within ^wo
hundred miles from him. Now, upon th^s plain statement of
Vol. li. p. 359.
of ike JMHsk Review. 229
'«dniitlid JJMts^ we thmild aMndiettd, that not eyMi the
most prejiidifoed iHeiid of Mr; Reed clui consoieiitiowily
scqint hiiQ* of indelicacy uid imprtideiice.
To these chaises he pleads, Ist, > that the AamiiT^,
thoo^ an()iie8tionabIv founded on facts, and stfbsfantially
true m all its principal details, was pnrpOjiely so altered ni
dates, places, and minor connecting circumstances, as to
secure nk design of concealing from the pubtic the real
hero of the piece. That he intended this course to pro-
duce the efEdct he states, we do not for a moment doubt;
'7et,«^where some of the leading facts must have been known
to nmay besides himself, being of public notoriety-in the cirde
in which the then friendly, but now contending parlies,
noTed,-^ow he eoidd so decdire himself as to beliefe he
should succeed in his oUeot, is to us a niaittier of uafai^ed
astomshment* Nor could he long retnain in so nnaccount-
able a delusien, as the book hm scarcely issued from the
press, ere tike. key. to -its interpretation wan Atrmshed
to every one who associated with the religioas part of the
poipidatio« of the metropolis, whence it spread in a very
abort time to the wm» dass of pessdns in the larger towns
of the kingdom. To this natural, yet, as the aiithor assures
us, to him most untooked*-for events many circumstances,
speedy 'to be noticed, contributed ; though the one just
slated would, lb our estimatioii, have beett4{uite>eDoi^ to
produce it; in a degrse sufficiently injurious alike io Ae
author and'his hero*
The second plea «pon ike record is, that befbf e he deter-
mined «pon publishing, Jie sou^ a cooferenee witi^ die
latter, but fiiiled in procuring it. How and why he so
failed, he has not informed us, but we conclude it must have
been merely from^Ms not beia^ able to meetwith- Mr. Bar-
nett ; for, if any decree of coldness between lum and Mr.
Reed prevented the interview, the publication of this narra-
tive under such circumstances, was unjustifiable and un-
pardonable in dbe extreme ; as, in our view of the subject,
nothing can be ctfered in palliatien o£ the want, not only of
caution, but of proper feeling, exhibited in giving to. the
world the details of a cjonfidendal friendship of a peculiariy
delicate nature, without the full consent of all paurties coti-
cesned iu' it, than the honest conviction of the individual
who so published it, that its appearance would not at least
be dipagreeable to his friend; and that Mr. Reed himself
must, atone time, have been of this latter opinion; his meref
intention to apply for permission to print his narrative very
Iflaiiily ,pmfe4. Why Ibw 4iA bajdot oMaii^ 0v,^.ttie
)eaat, m4mt U? . " W hM Im 414 d«te«laim ^m tbo .publiM-
tioD^ Mr. B." hQ telU 110^, !* ^»9^ to.the :b«9l of Us koow-
.l^^K?* i^esi^^ng two hundred tx^ilM from Iion4(m/' . And
'.wbut tbefi ? Wie a^k ;. ^%^ ill^TQ no. poM lo OKmiF«y m Vetter to
^itPytwd iafotic or fire days to Vring back^bUiasidenil to^ or
disQ^nt £vom,.,th0 profioscMl p^VU^tio|]L><>F, kU hvijfeory>?
Uom^tigiai&bly tbere Hftust have l>f ^ ; find ht8;Mt baifdng
fty^Uod bimself of tbift ordinary mode, of tCK)BGMl»imicati«li
h^imten friends. «4pacated by ,di«fca«o^ toram upon -ptir
ii^ndf the unwelcome and painful sabpieion^ tbat.at.tbts
period Mr. Re^ aad Mr. Barn0U,co«(AAot bav^ bomi«n
terma of oQsdiality, .or.erm pf infcuna«y;,ia wbiob case
nplbing ooidd juiijUfy tb^ paMicatton.ctf '' IIoFicftion'! atameh
a Ji«^. Slevp^eting Mr* Be§d» how«ytr» hl^y aB .Mra do,
it will afiEpsd aa great ^satigfttetion to l^ni^ that oar aiiapi-
cipat are. witbput foundation/ and t«i . ba fittcniabad.with a
mora, siitisfaotory elucidation of a aayatfiry i^hi^b we aoe
unable otherwise to «olv0«
. His third plea ia, that bein^ disappointied in obtaiid^g «
.conference with bia fiiend^ his determination to print was
not formed till /'be. bad diatinctily taken the opjnion of
friends of discreet and matured judgisent on the question^
Whether there was. any deUoaey i^ submitling ^a body < .of
iacis so concealed, to the .public eye/' ''The aplnion/'
bn s^dds, '' of.cQurse waa, in each eaee, aush. as.iaiKHiariaed
the step I afterwards took.'' That it weaao».ite cannot Iw
a momelit doubt* Vr^eti, Mr. Reed so unequitooaUy asa^rts
the .fapt; but that it sboaid be, spj we can never. cease to
mar^U :proy:ided (which* from . our uafeimaed Deapeot ftr
Mrs Reed> M^e predicate, to have been the fi^) the cMe wan
fairly, stated to them* . If it was, let them never se4 up for
teachers in Israel* ''of discreet and matured Judgment^"
who did not counsel him* that the publication be contem-
plated wa$ in the highest degree ifidis<»reet and ittde"
unleas he had Mr. Barne^^t's permission for it» wbiob
and onsht to be applied for by the verjr next posti
Mr. Reed concludes this branch of his defence^ by saying
U> the Reviewer* to whom be addresees it, " Prudence*
perhaps* Sir, cpuU do little more than this :" to whidi
Vfit. answer* It oould do* and ought to have done* a gcest
deal more* and we need not recapitulate in what^ satisfied, as
we are* that most men of correct feeling will be o^ epinion
with us* that the pablication oC information with reapeot to
anathei;* obtained in the course of an iatimaAe " ' * ' '
EdUw of tie Briiish lUniew. 231
without hi* express pernliftBion, even where the fieidts stated
are preeminently and uoequiTocally honourable to hie dbu-
racter, ie a breach of confidence altogether incautioitti, inju*
dieioag^ and unwarrantable. We have spoken otronj^ly on
ihin point, much more no indeed than our regard m Mr*
Reed would have permitted us to do, but' in the ftdthAil
discharge of a pubhc duty, in which we knew nei Aier friend^
nor foe. But that his error was a mere erro|r of judgment, we
are as folly convinced^ as we are of that error baring beeii<
oommitted ; and henee we as unreserredly acquit him of di»
slightest intention of injuring any one, stiH less a friend
for whom be has done so much.
This naturally brings us to the second part of the charge ;
th^ injury inflicted upon Mr. Bamett,and the blame aitach*
ing itself to Mr. R^ed for that infliction. — And first, we
would inquire what is the injury done? We admit, at the
outset, that every person has a just ground of complaint^
whose private history is laid open to %e public, eidier by
firiend or foe, without his permission first had and obtained
for such a disclosure ; and afciiUm has he so, where tiial
disclosure is made in violation of the confidence of friend*^
ship. That Mr. Bamett might, therefore, very reasonably
complain of this publication, few unprejudiced persons
can, we tfppr^eno^ be disposed to question ; but on the
oHier hand, he alone can determine whetiier his fedings or
interests have been so affected, as to give him anv ground
of eomplaillt for a real injury sustained. Hie act done was,
as we contend, unjustifiable by the individual who did it}
iMit it does not, therefore, follow 4hat it was injurious to
any one; whilst, by assenting to it afterwards, the party
who might otherwise most justly have complained of
it, in as fiir as be was conoemed, supplied the defidaicy!
of a'ptevk>us application for his permission; and; as ajpinsi
hivMelf^ put the thing upon precisely the same footing as
l^ough he, by his consent, had originally been a |)ali;y tei
liie publication ; leaving, however, the other party still open
to tneehaqgeof indelicacy and precipitancy, in proceeding
without that assent. This, then, we conceive to be prc^
cicely the situation in which Mr. Reed and Mr. Bamett
sjt^d. The fonner bae precipitately and incautiously done
that, which/ as a minister of the gospel, and a gentleijaan,
be ongbt qotr to have done; but the latter has deprived
himself of the right of complaining of this n^isco^duct, in
that he ^deliberately ind advisedly sanctioned the jm^^tft
the menaejliit he was aware of its adoption. That be did no/
232 12evtet&.— Reed*8 Letter to the
KSj and tmreBerredly, admits not of a momeBt'ci doubt ;
for ne notoriously introduced himself, and suffered himself
tobe introdooed, into circles in which he had not previously
moved, as the Lefevre of No Fiction; conceiving, and we.
still tUnk« not erroneously. conceiving, diat the character
was on the whole more^ honourable to, him than disadvan-
tageouste Iiong» therefore, after .the appearance of the work,
aira his. own ^option of the principal chars.cter in it,, be
lived on terms of renewed intimacy with the friend by whom
Aat character was sketched, and himself widely circulated
tbe key. to it, which he and the author alone possessed, so
completely, as to apply all its characters and events to the
real nistory of their intercourse. During the whole of this
period, and it was not a short one, it is self-evident, there^
fore, thkt he never dreamt of an injury having been done
him by the publication, but, on the contrary, uniformly con*
sidered it a benefit ; and even had he subsequently disco-
vered that this impression upon the subject had been erro-
neous, he could have no more right to complain of the
publication, than he would have had in the event of his per-
mission having been previously and properly obtained; for,
as we have already intimated, bU subsequent, deliberate,
aaid long-oont&nued assent, wfis, at the very least, fully tantar
raR0unt> to a previous, free; consent ; an4: if the. latter^ be must
necessaiily have taken, without murmuring^ all the come*.
|)tt^ices. The evidence in this ease not only nq^tiyes the
infliction of any injury upon Mr. Barnett byti^ publi^a^
tton, but proves that, on tne contrary, it was highly advan*
tageous to him ; aHhough, we regret to add, that his own
subsequent misconduct has rendered that advantage un-
ftvailing. It is wdl known, we doubt not, to many of our
readers, that subsequent to the publication in question, and
hia own ready adoption of the .leading. character in it» thia
gentleman obtained a situation in the Londoii Orphan Aay*
lum, of which his friend Mr. Re,ed has long, been the very
active secretary. How that situation was obtained* and
lost, itis.but justice to the latter gentleman tg permit him
to atale; at length. .
^* Another head of injury to "which your reviewer refers, is con-
nected with Mr. B/s introduction to the London Orphan Asylum,
and which he thus expresses: —
/''When he offered himself as a candidate for the office of
assistant-secretary, it was objiected to him, that he was the hero of
No Fiction; that he had so misconducted himself in the Post-
office, that he was in danger of dismissal ; that he had embez-
EdUar rf tke BriHsh Eiview. i&a
iM the money of kis employers^ and that m idl respects he. was a
most imniorai character.'
*^ Now, it is.necessaxy for ,me to meet this statement with the
plain and bold ai^sertion, that it is Jake, and, as I shiJl shew, most
ungenerously false.
*' When die situation in question becabie vacant; Mr. Bartiett
applied for my advice in offering hhnself fbr tt.~^' It would/ he
said, ' take him from his brother's, where he was exposed to temp*
tation — ^it would restore him to his best oonneackms^l would be
all he desired.V
^* I apprized him, that the ground yas already occupied by a
very eligible eandidate-^-rthat I had no doubt, if he ventured to
emnpete with him, all his foniier life would be inqmred into^ and
bs^ii^t forward«*-tbat I diought, with steadiness of conduct, he
would be the more suitable of the two candidates — and that, with
this conviction, waving my own feelings, I should rega]:d myself
bound jto forward the object to the utmost, should he continue to
think it so desirable. I begged him to take time to consider it; and
having done so, he resolved to face whatever difficulties might
arise, and become a candidate. I immediately did what I have
liot done before or since, I wrote separately in his behalf to the
members of the Board, and gave him every assistance in his owd
personal canvass.
** Tlie night of election came. A* gentleman who snpported'the
o&er candidate, fromf his knowledge 4)f his exeelleAtckauniciiair,;lml
who did not know that such a book as No Fiction-waa in eaaatimsa,
stated he had heard, (it was the oommoR report when Mr. B»
eloped,) that he had been very unsteady, that be hadUefk his duty
ana hit country, and that he had even embedded moaeyto a large
amomut belonging to the Post-K>ffice* . Another gentlevoan^ to whom
Mr. B^ b^d imraduoed himseff indiscreetly as .the Lefevre oF No
Fiction, took occaJaion to say, there might possibly be some grouiid
for a pact of such reports, as he had been given to understand,
from good authority, that there were some allusions to him in an
ammymous worX he had lately seen. '
'' I was, of course, the only person who could meet tiiese charges;
and vindicate his character. I maintstined; without knowing of
Mr. B^'s admissions, thatno one was authoriEed in concluding any
thing for or against a living individuail, ft«m the wofkref^rrra to^
and that, in relation to tl^ reports which had been named, they
were paitly true, and partly false. I allowed that there had been
some irregularities: but I insisted, that the report of dishonesty
and embezzlement was wholly unfounded ; that I could prove this
by testimonials, which I read ; that I was willing to be one of his
sureties to any amount; and that I sincerely believed he deeply
regretted whatever might have been amiss in nis past conduct. '
HThe effect of this statement was, that Mr. B. was allowed to eo
to the\)allot immediatety 9xAunamimously\ and the issue of the
234 JBfl«tM.^BMd's Letter to ike
had no weak points of condact to be exposed, ana. kad vaAe eeiH
aMerldile iotm^Bt belbine ^he began; and tlie sataadon to vliieh be
wa9 thM appoiatedi w^yfot^neark^iowUf tteft af any ooa he
had ever possessed !
** Nawi*iir, what is 4lhe fttate of tiia case heye? Mf. B» after
fbfsakiag his coonenotia, se^s once more to be cowfortably set-
tled; his reported irregulaiities are, as was expected, brovglit
fotMidhy a petsoB who fand sot seen. No Factiooi, mned, as they
are sure to be, with great exaggerations. His friend stands np
aLofliey and oMeta all the .heat of feeing which an eieotion to a
valuable place commolkly gcnerales, aad eamestiy mdkates ecfa^*
dttot, whi(di4fc was difficah entirely to dweidale. This TmdaettCina
is so sttdoessfU, that he b admitted, wUhaut even a meehn la Ifta
0a»traryt to go to the ballot, and is elected to a sitaatiott better
every «;b5fi, than any one he had possessed in his best days. More
than this; this situation he would most certainly haye lost, had H
Hot be^n for the fayoarable impressions produced on the minds of
many who yo4ed, by his having amiounced hiaaself, or been an-
noaaoed by others, as the Lefevre of No Fiction !
" Thta sitaaiion Mr. B. might hate held to the present hoar, with
the gretitest comfort aad respetitafaility ; mnd patnfol as it may be^
I am perhaps bound to throw some light on the circumstaacea
atftettdmg his removai from it^ as some atraage and heavy in-
siauationa have been made respeetiag it^ and yoar renewsr seema
anxious. to ceoetve them. The effort has been to cast the Uame of
lolling an excellent appointoient on me; and that blame I oaghl
not to endure.
** For some montha after the election, Mr. B. performed the
duties of his office admiraMy, and cheerAiUy rendered me ali the
relief in his power ; aad so long as this was ihie case, he felt him-
Idf useful aad ha]|Kpy. Afterwards he aMowed Inmself iadulgeooea
linfkTOiiraUe to faedth, and uldmatdy fell into a state of anental
I was the first person he eaBed for. I aaw him ; etary
tioa, medical and otherwise, was given itt him; hsB state was
tsealed with die greatest tenderness and delicacy; I attended in
his place, end discharged all his duties till he rasovemd^ that no
one asight complain ; end when he did rcoorer, and I was. made
aware, by those Jtho lived with him, of the causeaof this distiesiung
afflictton, I wrote an affiectioaate and foithful ietler to hinu He
acknowledged it with tears of gratitude, and assured me, that he
would do honour to whatever my friendship had led me to say inhia
fovour.
** For about three moa^s he kept to his resolutiofls, and
assisted -greatly to promote die interests of the Charity. Then he
relap^d into a similar' state ; and it became necessary for him to
seaa in his resignation. That resignation was accepted widiont
EdUor cfOie BHtkh Amae. 33ft
r tad the Boaid vBUumbMlf iffvoied of tMrnouiaM
iliU<&iM«Bdi8«ni^pib;i^my.owtiiim; «ttd which are th» latk#
pMseMtti* I yr^Mf'md am still scasiU^f thai ijm dolfamte oopdnet
OB thair |Murt waa obaerred very laiielii in respeel to my iBeltB^t
and I shall always be grateful for it, exercised aa it was, mdef
ciicnmstances wmch gare me so much concern aod mortification*
^' During the whole term of his continuance, an unkind word
was not addressed to him ; whatever was omitted, I did, and utter*
ed no reproach ; and I hate his own acknowledgment in a casaal
note, when leaving the situation — ' That he kad only himself to
blame lor it;' and flie only feefing I had, or have on the subject, is
l!iat of deep regret, that he so little fulfiHed te expectations i^ed
concerning him, and frustrated no inconsiderable efforts made to
he^ and bless him." [pp. 30 — 36.]
On this statement, few of our readers will, we apprehend,
come to any other, conclusion, thau that at which we hav^
ai^rived, — that the conduct of the author of No Ficttou
towarda the hero of hi^^ work, was, in this transaction at
the least, so far from injurious, that it was kind, friendly,
and considerate^ in the extreme ; nor, through the whole of
their connexion, doea there appear the slightest reason to
suspect that it was ever intentionally otherwise* We be-
lieve, as fully as the warmest friend of Mr« Reed, and even
Mr; Reed himself, can do, that the character of Lefevre was
never sketched, or published, with a malignant band or
view, but, on the contrary, with a kind intention towards
it^ original, for whom^ until he strangely thrust Umiself
forward, under cirpumstances far less creditable to hin;i
than those in wbic^ his friend had placed and left hin\, th^
general ipipression was decidedly, if not univ^sally, of tbe
most favourable kind. By his n^4s* ^J the pnUi^jaad
even by himself, he was considered an example of the power
of religion in reclaiming the victim of those strong tempta-
tions, to which he was not singularly exposed, from the
error of his way« ; and an example so deltmated as to be
beneficial to others, whilst it was not discreditable to
him, at least in the estimation of those, whose judgment of
human character and actions is formed upon, and guided
by, the word of God. The misfortune of this well-meant
attempt has been, not that it failed in the latter, but the
former part of its object, by prematurely presenting a living
instance of Qxe power of d^ne grace in changing the heart
and life, ere the sincerity of that repentance, and amelioxa'^
tioo of conduct, which is the evidence of tlus regenaratiog
change, had stood tha test of time ; a faiLare whiw viil, me
296 Heview.—BjbeA'B iMUr to the
hope, detor others from the dai^ioiut, end irery improper
practice, of giving us exempies of the eovereign power of
Godi in this his inightiest work, ftom men still expoeed,
from the trials and temptations of life; at least to the
liability of making shipwreck of their faith/ and bringing
disgrace upon the Christian name*
In this view of the subject, we are aware of having argued
the case as between religious men, looking mainly, if not
Solely, to the approbation of the religious public, aad the
view which they are likely to take of their characters and
conduct ; and inasmuch as both the litigant parties, either
form, or profess to form, a part of this division of the
public, we apprehend, that in doing, so, we have not done
either of them wrong. But if Mr. Bamett, shifting
the ground which he has long occupied, and which we sup-
pose him anxious still to occupy, chooses now to say,
— -I appeal from the judgment of the sanctuary, to that of
the exchange, — from the people of God, to the men and
the maxims of the. world— he then unquestionably may
have been injured by the publication of his history; see-
ing that by such a tribunal, and such judges, as he will
thus have chosen, the vices of his character will alone be
considered, whilst the regetieratin^ influence of the Spirit
of God upon it, (a redeeming quality, in the estimation of
the Christian, above all comparison or price) is treated as
mere hypocrisy and cant. Ivor will he there be judged for
mere follies and dissipations, on which little, if any, censure
would be passed; for the work most undoubtedly con-
tains some charges, which no man of honour, or of busi-
ness, can look at, but with abhorrence; and it has been
urged against Mr. Reed, that one of these amounts to
felony. To this imputation, however^ he gives the following
direct denial.
** I distinctly assert, that there is no such charge in the wht^
work. Lefevre is mdeed said to have employed a small sum,
which he held for other purposes, to meet some passing claim on
him ; but he is stated to have done this, * in the integrity of his
heart/ and with the full design and prospect of restoring it before
he should have occasion to account fbr it. Now the object was
not to shew that this was a dishonest practice, but to warn youth
i^ainst it as a dangerous habit. To have called it neoessarily,
and in every case dishonest, would have been absurd^ as multi-
tudes act on the principle, whose uprightness of intention cannot
be questioned ; and even the danger is not in the thing itself, but in
the liability to an inconsiderate use of such monies, and, from the
EdiOnr of thk British Remew. 337:
posnUe. di^cnky of .returning the trifle ao b<»h>wed, ia the aki-'
mate eiponiie df one's integrity to temptation. Tbis is all I den
spgaed to convejr by the {Muragraph in question ; and if any word,
or sentence of mine really imports more, (which I cannot perceive,)
I freely acknowledge that it expresses more than I intendeds"
[pp. 27, 28.]
Of the intentions here expressed, we entertain not the
shadow of a doubt ; but in exeentin^ them, Mr. Reed has-
proved that he is at least a better divine than a lawyer ; for,>
adding to his statement the trifling fact, which, according
to our recollection of the history ofthe transaction given in
No Fiction, is there stated,— that this money was intrusted
to Mr. Barnett, as a confidential servant, .by, his employer,
and we have such a felony made out, as we have ourselves
known many a clerk convieted for,, under the embezzlement
act.
Having gone through the two first and more serious of
the charges against Mr. Reed, and shewn, as we flatter
ourselvesi that he is guilty but of imprudence, in the origi-
nal publication of Mr. Bamett's history without his per-
mission, we come now to the more venial one of vanity, in
eulo^zing himself and his family; Neither with himself nor*
his family has the writer of this article the slightest per-
sonal acquaintance; he therefore is unable to form any
judgment of the resemblance between them and certain
characters in No Fiction; yet has he every reason to
believe, from the information of others well qualified to
determine the point, that, as far iets his parents are concerned^
this resemblance is striking and minute. On the same
authority, we should say the same thing as to the general
features of character in Douglas and Mr. Reed himself;
and the general assent of his friends woqld.bear out the.
appropriation of this twiurhero of his story. He, however,
distinctiy disclaims all intention of having drawn .thia
character from himself; we must therefore take the resem-
blance to have been accidental, or rather unintentional.
Yet surely it would be '' passing strange," that whilst
fdving, in the guise of fiction,. the history of a most intimate"
riendship of many years, he should draw the character of
lus (riena so very faithfully that no one can mistake it, and
!ret avoid all resemblance to his own. Throughout his]
aboured repudiation of such resemblance, we observe,'
indeed, that Mr. Reed carefully abstains from every thing
like an' assertion, that, in as fistr as he knows himself, Doug-
las is in every respect an opposite character to his own :
288 JZemMOir^Aced'ft Leiti^ to iiei
and doiag, as he imdodbtodly did, what he Mpraseiito
Doughs to have done, some e«eh explieit deriafntwn —
some strong points of difference, fikmiKar tft least to his
fiuniliar friends, shonld be given, ere the world (and iVom
them we wish not to be severed) can be chargeable with
tmcharitableness, in ranking this unintentional resemblance
with the unintentional improprieties and indecorums, with
which alone we consider the author of No Fiction to be
chargeable.
This is the result of our honest and o&biassed judgmmt
upon the subject ; and regretting, as we unfeigpedly (uiould
do, the mode in which we have expressed it giving any
uneasiness to Mr. Reed, whom we believe to be a highly
honowaUe man, we dose our notice of his pamphlet, by
extracting from it, a d^enoe of fiction, as a mode of inca(*
eating moral and religious truths, by far the most masterly
that we ever read.
** The hxjlt of a tale, in my view, n not that it is a tab, but that
it is hnmorai or irreUgwu9* Let it be wisely devoted to the ifias-'
tration of good habits, good opinions, and good pcineiples, and 1
see in it BO evil, but much benefit. ladeed, most of those who are
disposed, from limited reading or unexamined prejudices, to eom*
plam of the dung, apart from its fidmiH^ abuses, ar0 not aware
now far their objection reaches. You, yourself. Sir, from whatever
cause, seem to have fdfku intp the same inconsistency. In thai
i^umber of the Review where you sanctiou reiparks against ficti-
tious works, you give your sanction and your praise to two con*
siderable poems ! Is it to be said, that they are not exactly the
same thing ? I reply, exactly so ; excepting only that they are in
metre, l^e poem and the novel are precisely of the' same class,
apd are to be approved or condemned, on the very same princi-
ples ; and tiiere is quite as much to censure, under the sulnring
dress of rhyme, as beneath the pkdner garb of prose.
^ If this point be admitted, and I wilt venture to pronounce it
incontestable, it will at once clear the way to the real questieify
and enable us to look at it in all its magnitude. That, queatiob
is*-whfltber works of fiction, of sucA, are, or are not, a laudable
and hiqppy saedium of illuminating the public mind? By works
of fiotbn, I unden^tand all such works as. profess to illustrate
moral and natural truth by the aid of the imaginaiiou; and it is
distinctly to be observed, that it is no part of the inquiry, whether
they are in meiUie or out of it; whether they are historic, dramatic,
descriptive, or allegorical ; whether &ej discover talent or not ;
i^ether they have, or have not, individually, a good or evil ten-
dency. We have nothing to do with the execution of any one
work; but with the simple principle on which all works oJF Ais
class necessarily depend.
Ediior 9fike Brki$h Jtmww i9S9
<< Jtk appMtnty 4ihtn^ duit bcfom drift ifneslion dm be ttitfliTtred
10 the negaiW0, we cnvat be pi«(iared i» flacrifice tke very best
§ixd leoil harmfeflfl ot prose fiotkne. ^6op, who hee eo hmg beflli
oonaidered en umocent.iiaMte of oar- nuraerieei; ^The Villt^
Diekgiieft/ which «re weU adapted to those for whom they aiie
designed ; ' Henrey's Meditatioas/ which, with whateTer faiills of
style, are still a fiiie specimen of piety and talent; * Rasselas/ not
the leait production of a mighty mind ; * Robinson Crusoe/ which
is Ao true to nature, though not to particular fact, that we eati
never think of it as a fiction; ^ The Pilgrim's Progress,' which fata
gained to itself applause frdm the philosophical and imagiaative,
the tlliteraie and the critical, the young and the old-^ which has
estAbJiehed Hfeelf in almost every dwelling, and is second only in
efaculation to the Bible, and Book of Common Prayer;— thesis
moat all be saenficed, before works of fiction, as such, eaU be cow-
denttied> for they are aU fictitious, they are all novelsk
<<On the sane pnaciple it will be, as we have intimated, indis-
pensable that wte should abandon at once, and for ever, all the
walks of poetry. All poetry is fiction; and our finest poems are
novels io verse, though, in most oases, resting on facts. Our
Viigil, Homer, and Milton, therefore, must be shot, to be opened
no mote ; and, we must cease to learn the lessons of wisdom or
Siety firom Pope and Addison, Cowper and Montgomery, Young,
lilaian, and Wordsworth. All, * firom the diverting story of John
Gilpin,* to the most sublime productions of human genms, must
pass under a common sentence of reprobation, before any one tide
can^ beemt$e ku a tale, be condemned.
^ More than this : — If this question is to be decided in the nepa-
iwif I wodd ask, what is to become of the fine arts generally?
Music, pamting, sculpture, what would these be widiout the ima-
gination? They all vest on the sounds, aod figures, and scenes
of nature; but they all depend essentially on the tmagmaiiony for
those combinations which impart to them their interest and sub-
limity. It is this power, that intuhiyely rejecting what is discord-
ant, feeble, or deformed, and as quickly snggestmg what is
beautiful, grand, or afiectinff, presents us wkh a hviag type, Qr
that ideal perfection which it has conceived; and without it, these
arts, and all their affinities, would be prostrated ill the dust —
would be a mere mechanical exercise, in which there could be no
place for the movements and inqNrations of a mind, dilated by its
own divine inventions. Yet, so far as the imaeination is oon-
oemed m tiiem, tliey are maaifesliy fictitious ; and if fiction nnst
not be written^ it must not be itMneaied; and the finest works of
iUphad, of Phidias, and of Handel, mast be proscribed ; and
Hicrn arts whidi contribute so largely, and, tmder due restrainti^,
-eo hmdcenily to eur intellectual «eB}oyment, and national dviliaa-
tioB, itiiisi.be permitted to expire^ or be reduced to a state woiae
thsfn eatinction.
240 iieti»tff.— Reed*s Letter to the
*'Ag«iB; IhafcmostserioinlytoMk^iftlieqoettUmbeibie us
18 to reeeWe an unfavowable aDSwer, how we ase to ditpoae of
.tiiOBeportioiiaof tiie holy Scriptures which mntl be afeelcd by
it? lliey cootaiii tablet, poetry, and paiaUet; tfiefe,we hate
•been incuned to think, add materially to the beauty aikl pathos
of tbe difine word; bat this opinion must necessarily be inflo-
enced by ^e way in which we determiiM on the principle— *that
triith may be lawfidly presented to the mind by means of fiction—
:for they axe evidently fictitious. Not to refer to the poetry* whidi
'dwells on the idide face of scriptore like a sacred hdo ; 1»e^d»les
of Jotham.and Nathan are beaatilul fictians, insinaating to the
4nind important moral tnith; and the parables of our Loid ai^
exaietly o^ the same class. These adnurable parables may hate
bem, in many cases, suggested by real oceurrtnces, hot who
would think it necessaiy that diey should shnply stale isot.
Mid desciibe living individuals? The affeeliBg jpavable of die
prodigal, for instance, it is not unlikely, was fntnnated to the
mind of the Saviour, by what he had Observed in human life,
and without doubt it would describe the leading follies of many
a youth, who lived in his time; yet, before this sketdi can be jus-
tified, must it be shewn diat the representation applies to' a parti-
cular individual, and a particular family? and must it be con-
demned, on finding any discrepances between it and. the living
example ? I reply, Certainly iiot; it was never meant thi^ these
sacred compositions sboidd be brought to such a standard. It is
not needful to shew that there was a Dives, a Lazarus, -and a Pro-
d^al, to justify these parables; die characters were meemt to .be
fictitious, while they were modelled after the finest and truest con-
ceptions of human nature. Yet this can enfy be numitained by
allowing that truik may be npneteKted by me&ns ofjietion; and
those mo reject thispsoposition, must be prepared ^ as they can,
to answer for a virtual, but undoubted^ rejection of no very incon-
siderable portion, of revelation.
*^ Finally, 1 desire to ask, if the imagination may not be em-
ployed for these and similar purposes, why was the. imagination
given? This noble focidty is possessed by us all; it is of its very
nature to be employed in fictitious and mventive combinations';
and its creations are without end. All that the oraitor has ex-
pressed, . or the artist delineated, or the au1h,or written of its
cbncejptions, are as nodiing, con^iared with those countless forma-
tions, which inhabit the deep- recesses of thought, and' which
never see the light. But why should this pow^r, the most aetive
and ethereal we know, be bestowed, if not for good? And how
can it be for good, if its most natural exercises are evil? And
. they must necessarily be evil, if fictitious combinations are to be
condemned; tor the very elanent in whidiiiit lives is fiction, as
much as reason, is the element of the understanding, and love of
the afiectioDs. On the principle we are considering^ it is noques*
Edkar of the British Btvkw. 241
tiOOf wbeAer Aob power k Itable.to abiiae^ nor vJielher its copcep-
tionB arebodied fortb ia descriptioii. If tbey are improper, to he
eaqn'eitedf then tbej are irapmper.to be MOj^riiMd; and ibefacuU^^
fir it^oum gakCf must come under reprehenaion.
** In aniyiiig at ike coacluBion, ^com tbese pre mises, I am nea%
ashamed, sir, focmallj.tQ inquire^ to which tide of Uie questioi)
you now determine. It sfaoidd seem an insult to.the understa&dr
ing of any man, to ask, wheliier in contending against the law-
fulness of fictitious productions, he is disposed to resist the use of
the imagination altogether, and, of course, to implicate the utility
and benefit of its very existence. Yet: I see no otlrar alternative*
Thepliun and incontestable oonclusion isr-rThat, before. any one
fiction can be censured, beoeaae H is a^itf«m,.all that is imagiaa-
lire in our best writers and artists, all that is imaginative in the
holy scriptures, and the yery nature of the imagiiiation in mam,
must be sttbnutted to condemnation! Indeed, the cooclusioo,
though so greatly resisted, is.so strong, and so much a part of
^ principle for which I am pleading, that to gijre them a sepacate
existence almost involres a paradox; — it is nearly saying, that fic-
tion dannot be ornidemned while fiction is appnored. And if I have
taken time to come to such a oondnsion, the blame must not be
feferred tome, but to those who have attempted to divide things so
essentiatlly united. • .
** Many b^iievdlent and pious persons, in their jealousy {or the
safety ana wel&re of yonth, have formed wrong opinions on this
subject, under Uie impulse of fear. Anadous to save the unsuspect-
ing from the sn»e of some fictitious writtngs> as well they miglit
be, they have hastily exelaiolked against o^ productions of the same
elass-; and sudi persons would now be disposed eagerly to in-
quire— ^If we once admit, that wodks of fiction are lawful and good,
what means have we of protecting, the reading cdmm«nityffroin
that large mass of licentious novels, which wjould afiect the whole
of it like contagion ? . I reply, Let them be oondemnedf severely
condemned; yet let them be condemned not as fictions, baton
their own separate offences. . If they are extravagant or silly ; if
they encourage morbid feeliag or. false senttmei]^; if they apolo-
gize for vice, while they compliment virtue ; if they spj^isticate the
plain maxims of morality, or trifle with and. impugn: the sacred
pinciples of reUgioh ; let the head of offending be shewn, and let
thein snffisr.for the crimes of which they are guilty,
"This, as it is the ji<s^ mode of procedure, is also the so/S^ one
Let a parent tell a child, that he objects to all novels or. tales,
because they are fictions, and therefore bad ; and he wiil at once
hazard the success of his most anxious, desires. He will ask too
much, iftnd be in danger of obtaining nothing. The child will soon
fall in with some fiction, to which no reasonable, obiection can be
vmade; or he will soon have sense, to know that his Virgil i^nd
' Homer are as much fictions or novels.as.any writings can be ; and
i/m Remm.'^BMii^B Letter to Ae
thtHfriH dtstroy his reapeot (bran opmion winch he liwi^dfeiide^
Iwt has fooDd ineonsistait. From haTingire^;ftrded an mjiulieiotts
Cfmon, he irill be templed unduly to despise k; and it b well, if
he does not satisfy binsdf forwhat he connderB needlese restntiMk,
by gtmtg \aB UMnrbed attention to works he woold nerer have
ipeady fasd he not thought them unjustly censored.
** As ^s is the safe mode of ptooeeaingy so it ia of moreezt8»-
«!«« applieaition. He who adopts it^ will not be driven to make
weaik and imtioaal distiaotioiis, where, if there aie great aecidental
dMbtences, there can be no esseniUU ones. He wiil not eKense a
, tale, and censure a no^el ; he wiH not justify a poem> nad arriagn
n story, or withhold his imprimatur from a historical vomeace'.
Admitliag the principle without iimitation, that no work of imagt-
nation is to be condemned because it is iraAginatcve, we shali at
^noe bring M works of imagination, whether of ^e pencS, thfe
^isel, or tiie pen, to a higher standard, and try each of l^em bj
its own peculiar daims and character. To do (ess dtan this, is to
betray liie cause we would defend, by our fears and moonsifitency^
to attempt more, would be to reject a poem, a statue, ^it a tale,
because it is such, and to expose our want of wisdom and of taste
to those whom we would infln^iee by our opinion*
^ And, surely, if works of imaguiation must be accepted as
legitimate, it is most unwise in the friends of religion, to relinr
quish this province of letters to the wcwldly and profeiMi They have
been disposed to coiufemn it; and, in their harte to do so, lliey have
not taken t^ most tenable position the swlNect aifords. It is
Yeadtily admitted, that there is mudi, very miicn, as thd case now
ii, to condemn; but may it not be fearly inquired, whether this
«vil has aot greatly arieen from the line of conduct pursued by
those who are «o earnest to censure ? They have nbandoned this
department of literature : and, ihetefare^ statuary bait been too
often indelicate, psMiting too often luscious, and fictitieiis writings,
wheHiMr in ibyme or pvose, have 'produced, in rank and unchecked
kixorianoe, afl die poisonous weeds of vice and lictetiouBaess.
Their hope undoubtedly was, by withholding their inAucnoe from
this braiK^h of letters, that it would wither and dKe; but the efieot
bas been only to leave its fruits to grow wild and noisome.
*' This eivor has remained the longer, and acted the more powei»-
ftilly, because it, has been sustained by another; what heas been
condemned has likewise been deqrised. Certainly no diapoaitien
Is less adapted to the subject tban thoit of contempt. Corrupted
as this portion of our literature unquestionably is, it still contaiiis
mote of eenius, and of pfailosoi^y too, than any other ; nad, from
libe^opaiar cbaraetor or ite productions^ it has exnited nnd will
exert, heynnd any other, an influence on die general niind. It tis
«tf ^ last tnpoitanoe, therefore, to a people, diatllm character of
Ih^r poKto litemtoio should be salutary and ^eod. The nmss of
n naltton wfll neiUher be moral nor nehgiona/tiU its Iftemmre bft-
Editor of <Ae Briiish Review. 243
QOIM ftoi VhA its litftlttlai« onn nkeymt be Mhttl^ CHr- ptoaii idlik
iMoffoed ttiid atMBcloiied by f^e firttfodi ^teligidti ttjul fMktityi
^ Let, tkeii) the toiBlakei wbieb have b^eft held otl Uie iiAgeist
bt venottAeed. "Aey kave had a mdM ^ittaftlroiig t^ideiiisy^ Md
thiy will woik iniidi more exte&si^e miMbief if jperftidlgd in* W4
have #ii4tibigh ta the ecale of civiliEall0a) l^d potile arts haV^
mach more of popular notice and admiration than eftUtt ^tatttii
aad imagiaaiMMi of the people ate ofcleasivdy eiidt^ ; lh«y are
eagerly deiMiiding^ to be ibd, and woebe ta tia^ if ite give ik^tm 4
aeoqHoa instead of bread I It HhiMt not be eaid at tlM# time of dayv
Ikai tbeae atfe iitt#boleaome appetite, and that otlM fiaeulliea
must be fosteled. No-^ey ttiaat all be teAi Poeti^ eaiitidt
dies 6etiOtt cannot dies the imitative arts oannot die$ aalelit itt*
teatiaa atid imagination sboald Ikat expire!
. ^ Let then the friends of rdtgion and of mankiitd gthiti ifbat U
dM t» this btfaa^ of knonledge. Let them tiot pot liteTttdiite atihi
teligioa in tnoH dangei>ou8 and anitatitral opposttioft^ let ihetH
Iftel the importande of bavwg polite learning on (heii^ skLi^, in Iheit
«ft«y against lax morals and bad principles. Let tbeo^ more itt A
laigef dtde than <hey harc' hitherto described ; let ih^tit Act be tod
fiwtidioui about means; lettfiem employ every talent, and comnkend
m^ effort, to vender irtMrks addressed to the idnaginatiett asb^tie-
ficial as they are influential. Let.tbem not «xact conftmnity in
every particular, before they will acknowledge. an auxitianr in -any.
He tn&t in not against good nense and right feeling, is Lor themi
inrtiatever the deld of his labour or the gifts of his mind. .
''^Tet, if somewhat like complaiiit is raised against the 6oiM6
^mtrtd by the serions aud the good, tt mustt be received witii cdn-^
liderMe qiialificatlon. There have always bei^il many of their
tuimber, who have thought it neither Wiee liOr #aie to leave s<9
impartant a f«pmr as die b&afiiiiatloa, Hi Iha baiMte xtf iii^deliq^
asndirioa; md by tbeir peAr &eir panoft, ^r thellr ttaiadoiw dtey
bbve done what wf ooidd to neatraliae an evU wlich they wesd
notable 10 Meveat^ Tbeit oaaalplo has been an aaefnl.as.lheit
iabouia. Numbers weia induced lo fbllW ift- their «tQps ^ i^bd ae^
centiy those numbers have been happily aectanuiatiag* No maail
division o( the more serious part of the community, have taken a
decided interest in the cause of re6ped literature; t^y hava
entered a protest against its monopoly by the frivolous vand licenr
tious ; atia they have demanded, that its productions should be so
amended as to become a medium of delight and iitiprovenient to
the most innocent add unwary.
' ^Already we have seen the good effe^t|{ of tbiii conduct, f^attiaf
aaif has been. The public taste fa«s beea 'pitHfied; the't6fie of
opiaioa has been strengthened ; and vice bae beei^ put out df
countenance by the steady frown of virtue. Those autfaonf^ wbeiO'
anly wish, perhaps, was to please, have been compelled to shift
dieir ground, if they would afford pleasure. Painting has become
VOL. VIII. — NO. 2. s
244 Rmew.
more chtuite ; poetry has been, in tome degree, restored to her
native and dignified position ; and prose fiction has received a new,
a better, if not an uneiEGeptioiiable, diaracter. And if any one
has dared to pass the bounds of decorum, and has sought to wound
the pubUc virtue, it has not been possible for him to ^cape, thoug^
the most gifted of mortals, without suffering a deeper wound in his
own reputation. .
" Besides — amongst the advocates of right sentiment and good
principles themselves, a band of persons have sprung up* who,
imbued with the importance of the undertaking, have determined to
employ works of imagination in favour of just morals ^tnd devotional
affections. They have had not only to labour, but to fight; and
have been called not merely to contend with their enemies,'but with
their allies. However, their efforts have not been in vain; and
ultimately they shall be duly appreciated. It is by such efforts,
sustained by irrepressible hope, that they shall become the censors
of the literary republic, and shall purify and invigorate the streams
of literature, till tliey shall carry refreshment, life, and healing, to
the most distant parts of the land. And when this shall be accom-
plished, we shall have little to desire ; the finer arts and deeper
sciences shall follow in the illustrious train of piety and truth, and
* every imagination,' as well as every thought, shall be brought
• into captivity to Christ V " [pp. 60—76.]
For an extract so very much longer than any we are
in the habit of making, we should think an apology most
justly due both to its author and our readers, but that, we
entertain a well-grounded expectation, that both the one
and the other will rather thank than blame us, for extiiacting
a. passage so highly creditable to the taste and talent of its
author, and so likely to interest all who peruse it, from a
woriL, which, being altogether a matter o/personal alterca*
tion, is not likely to get into general circulation. To divide
it was impossible, without fdto^ether destroying its effect;
and that, we apprehend, is so likely to be beneficial to the
best interests ot religion and of literature, as abundantly to
warrant a deviation nom our usual apportionment of quota-
tions, of which we are persuaded tnat our readers will
admit us to be rarely guilty. We intend also to make this
defence of a species of writing, which no one is better
calculated rightly to employ than its author, the basis
of a notice of some half dozen works of Fiction, now piled
upon our table; and therefore we insert it, an entire piece-
in our pages, rather as a separate essay, than an extract io
a review.
245
POETRY.
THE SMILE THAT WE LOVE IN OUR OWN DEAR
HOME.
AddrHsed to a Young Lady at ♦♦*♦•♦♦♦•*.
Whek tbe business of life compels us to roam
From the smile that we love in our own dear home,.
From husband or wife, from brother or friend.
More distancing still, as our footsteps bend ;
Oh I is it not sweet, for the eye to trace
That welcoming smile on a stranger's face, '
And, sweet to the heart the encouraging tone^
That assures us we are not quite alone ;
For that friends, though formed but. of yesterday^,.
Will try every art that can wile away
The grief we must feel, when compelled to roam
From the smile that we love in our own dear horoe^
Such welcoming smile^ such encouraging tone,
'Twas mine to trace-*to feel — shall be mine to own i
For when hither, from southern plains I came,
A stranger — known only at least by name, —
I found — ^how kindly found, from yours and yott^ '
Welcome warm-hearted, unaffected, true*
And often since then, as the Queen of the Night
Thrice waxes and wanes in her silvery lights
My round returns — I return but to find
A kindness, that well might dispel from the ttind
The grief we must fSeel, when compelled to roam
From the smile that we love in our own dear home^ *
And for kindness like this, what thanks I pray,.
Fair lady, can recreant minstrel pav ?
A minstrely Oh yes I I must love tne name^
Though years have rolled by since the minstrel flame^
So dimly that burned in the morning of Ufe,
Was quenched in the turmoils of legal strife.
I can out try my rude hand to fliug
Across my forsaken harp's breaking string,
To wake for thee, fair one, a parting strain, . [
From chords that my finger may touch not again ;
For sad would their notes be, while their master must roam.
From the smile that he loves in his own dear home*. ? •*
246 Pif^ry.
And but faiBtly they wake, whilst endearoiiring to give
Words to tiie wish, in kis kefurt tbat must live,
Whilst vibrates its pulse — ^that for yours and for you.
Kind sylphs (if there be sueh), or angels may strew
A pathway of fl<^wera :-^as cloudless a sky,
Twere vain that I wished ; ma^ the clouds swiftly pass by.
And the sun shine in splendour, though tempered its ray.
Bright — ^brightening still, to the perfection of day.
Whilst for yours, and for you, Mid fcr all that you love,
May the wish of the minstrel prophetical prove,
For the kindest oi wdcomcs, whcEnever you voam
Fron the sm^ tkatyoii love in yow own dear konse.
T*
Mouldering thy once honoured bard's fiyia|f finger, '
Cambriit I thy wild mountaon harp I woiUd vmke;
If yet around thee one spsrit should lii^r.
Blest be that spiiit-^bat harp for thy sake.
Torrents of foam to the summer-sun ^leaminjf.
Valleys of shads i» that kaip have rap lieiC
When thy bold pmphets had burst from their dieamiag.
And hurled the bold mqstc o'er tiiose that had died;
Years hav« rolled by sle.ce the brealh of fedse glory.
With war*s suUen tnimpet, has startled thy gkn ;
Long may it be ere thy record of story
Is hung with tl^e cypt^ss ef murder agidn.
1 passed ^y tliy onee splendid easjlle,'^ lAere title
And beafiity, and mirth held their ibstal-*-*but o'Jer
Its gate kuag ^le faaeral scuteheon-^and idle.
The echo that flung back the anthem of yore.
I passed by thy Abbey ;t die cowl and the mkfe
Had mingled Aielr dost vrttk tike haogkty onea tbera;
But its time-ftetted ateh in the sunset grew bri|fkter.
And the chiB weed of vai» swayed sweeth i» a^.
I passed by thy pillar,t flrm^planted to wfi^ent
Late memory ^flrleikdswfo in battlehad sunk)
But its rooting the visjil of Sunders kad skakoB,
And ai vmtS of the mountains kftd ahattered its tiraaki
* Chirk^Mile* t Akkejr VallaC^i^ | F^te^Eliseg.
Icrossfd in ito g)»dQQ«iitby Qee>^ai&,w«tof| ;
AU fresh in the fulnessof yeimit flO«iF(Mloiij . . -
But the hearts that oi^oe vomhipped' irore pemb«d m daughter^
The patriot — the chieftain-^lhe haspet irar« l^ooe*
Too like the lone Golumm wQnif bl«iik» (md dagxaded,
Which proudly to Heaven r^ik^ad itfl rich sc^pit«i«d bead ;
Man blossoms to-da^,. and Uhmonam Ue9 feded^
All blasted, his triiiinpbs» his gl^ri«a a)) flod.
Alone, in nnchangeable btoom o'er bin iuihaa»
Wild nature bve^ oa»T.-*-«Nad!epi««t and t]9^t
Tet the mountain still towers, — yet the broad river dashes.
Unsullied by slofua, and ufiAloopiiig to hi^
But countless and puoe aa tbo nior^xof tKat guftera
On thy hills, wlMra ^ ted ah^t (tf Ughtoingf is foiled.
Thy sons shall iospira the lao^wn ol their falilMam^
And be all that their ftitbtra have becA to ^ v«rld«
W.
GRATITUP^.
LINES WEITTEN ON r&Altniia SLIPS HOT aEftAVIOa AVa eOKV^AMCY, MEAE
THE 9a ATS Qf A VSUBBAata f B|Elf|».
From <' MoTAi Pieooi, in Ppn^ at4 Verte, liy JUyqu BQllT|.aY/' of Hart/ari^
Little plant of slender form,
Fair, and shrinking from the stpnn,
Lift thou here thine infknt head.
Bloom in thi^ uncultured \>ed.
Thou, of firmer spirit too.
Stronger texture, deeper hue.
Dreading not the vinds that cast
Cold shows o*er the frozen waste^,
Rise, and shield it fVoin the blast.
I^hriftk BOt from die awfol shades
Where the bones of men ave iatd :
Short like tbiaa their ttaniiieBt dale»
Keen has been the scythe of fate.
Forth like pknta in glory dreit
They came upovi the gteen eaitfa^s broa$t»
Sent forth their roots to reach tba $tn$m,
Their budste moat the riping be«ii>
They drank the monuDg'a babiy WfatH^
And sunk at ^mi im iritbering dotA*
348 Poetry:
Rest here/ meek plants, for few intrude
To trouble this deep solitude ;
But should the giday footstep tread
Upon the ashes of the dead,
Stdl let the hand of rashness spare
These little plants of love to tear,
Since fond affection with a tear,
Has placed them for an oflfeiing here.
Adorn the grave of her who sleeps
Unconscious, while remembrance weeps,
Though ever, ever did the feel,
And mourn those pangs she could not IimK
Seven times tKe sun, with sWift career.
Has marked the circle of the year,
Since first she presised her lowly bieri
. And seven times* sorrowing have I comcy*
Alone^and wandering through the gloom.
To pour my lays upon her tomb :
And I have sighed to see her bed
With brambles and with thorns o'erspread.
For surely round her place of rest,
I shoukl not let the coarse weed twine^
Who so the couch of pain has blest^
The path of want so freely drest.
And scattered such perfumes on mine.
It is not meet that she should be
Forgotten or unblest by me.
Ye plants, that in your hallowed beds.
Like strangers, lift your trembling heads,
Drink the pure dew that evening sheds,
And meet the morning's earliest ray.
And catch the sunbeams as they play;
And when your buds are moist with rain,
Oh shed those drops in tears again ;
And if the blast that sweeps the heath.
Too rudely o'er your leaves should breathe
Then sigh for her; and when you bloom.
Scatter your fragrance on her tomb.
But should you, smit with terror, cast
Your infant foliage on the blast,
Or faint beneath the vertic heat.
Or shrink when wintry tempests beat
There is a plant of constant bloom,
And it shall deck this lowly tomb,
AnecdoU. 249
Not blanched with frost, or drowned with rain,
Or by the breath of winter slain ;
Or by the sweeping gale annoyed.
Or by the giddy hand destroyed.
But every mom its buds renewed,
Are by the dops of evening dewed.
This IS the plant of Cfratitude.
ANECDOTE.
INDIAN Wrr AND GENEROSITY.
Not waokj years alter the connty of Litchfield began to be settled
by the English, a stranger Indian came one day into an inn, in the
dosk of the evening, and requested the hostess to furnish him with
some drink and a sapper. - At the same time he observed, that he
«onld pay for neither, as he had had no saceess in hunting $ but pro-
nised payment as soon as he should meet with better fortune. The
hostess refosed him both the drink and the supper ; called him a lasy,
drunken, good-for-nothing fellow ; and told him, that she ^d not
work so hard herself, to urow away her earnings upon such orea-
tnres as he was. A man who sat by, and observed that the Indian,
then turning about to leave ao inhospitable a place, shewed by his
countenance that he was suffering very severely from 'want and
weariness, directed the hostess to Supply hun with what he wished,
and engaged to pay the bill himself. She did so. When the Indian
had fimshed his supper, he turned to his benefactor, thanked him,
and assured him that he should remember his kindness, and, when-^
ever he was able, would faithfully recompense it For the present,
he observed, he could only reward him with a story, which, if the
hostess would give him leave, he wished to tell. The hostess, whose
complacency had been recaUed by the prospect of payment, con*
sented. The Indian, then addressing himself to his beneftictor, said,
" I supjpose you read the Bible.'^ The iban assented. ** Well,'' said
the Indian, ** the Bible say,'€tod made the world, and then he took
him, and looked on him, and say, * It's all yeiy good.' Then he
made light, and took him, and looked on him, and say, Mt's all very
good.' Then he made dry land and water, and sun and moon, and
grass and trees, and took himi, and looked on him, and say, ^Ifs all
very good.' Then he made beasts, and birds, and fishes, and took
him, and looked on 1dm, and say, * It's all very good.' Then he made
man, and took him, and looked on him, and say, * It's all very good.'
Then he made woman, and took him, and looked on him, and he no
dare say one such word." ,The Indian having told his story, with-
drew.
A few years after, the man who had befriended him, had occasion
to go some distance into the wilderness between Litchfield (then a
frontier settlement) and Albany, where he was taken prisoner by an
Indian scout, and carried to Canada. When he arrived at the prin-
cipal setflement of the tribe, on the southern border of the St
Lawrence, it was proposed by some of the captors that he should be
putio death. During the consultation, an old woman. demanded
eSO Ameriean LUerOtum ^md Intelligence.
that he shooid be flvM op to bor» Hum likd mi|^ Ado^ liim in the
place of a son, whom she had loat in the war. He was accordingly
given to her, and lived throogh the soooeediag yialef in her family,
experiencing the cnstomary effectf of savage hospitality. The fol-
lowing sommer, as he was at work in the forest alone, an unknown
Indian came up to him, and asked him to meiet him at a place which
he pointed out, upon a given day. The prisoner agreed to the pro-
posal, bat not without some apprehensions that ndsehief was in-
tended him. During die interval, these apprehensions increased to
such a degree, as to dissuade him effectually from fulfilling his en-
gagement Soon after, the same person found him at his work
again, and very gravely reproved him tor not performing his promise.
The man apologized awkwardly SBeugh, but in the best manner in
his power. The Indian toid hin^, that he shooJd be satisfied if he
would meet him at the same place on a future day, which he named.
The man pronueed to meet hfan^ and fulfilled his pioamse. When bo
anived at the spet, he lonnd the Indian provided with taro maskets^
ammenitioe lor them, and tero knapaaeka* Tlie Uttan oideeed him
ietakeoeeoCeaoh^andMlow him. The divectioB oi their laateh
WMM la the •fMkk The ammi followed wMboat the least knowledge of
what he was todo» 4ir «ffaitfaer he wai gnf ng; bat eendnded, thatt if
his <pondaetor intended him bam, he woeid hsve despaldied hkn^l
the beginiiing; end that at the worst, he was as safe where, he vms,
as he eoeid be in any other plaee. Within a short time* Ihereforet
lus feers inbsiided» aUheng^ the Indiaa observed a ipFrofodtfd And
iaysterioM silenee eoneeiAing the ol^eet of the uipeditUin^ In the
day-time iheir shot eveh gano ae oaeie in their way« and st ^gtit
kindled a ire* by iHlieh Aey slept. Alter a teiioita joomi^ of miuiy
dayst thef eame oneaseining to thie top off an emiaenee, preeentlitf a
pffespeeteftftcnlliifnted4ionlitryf innMeb^air m wsmber of bodseSi
The Indian aehedilds eOeipaeioM wihetther te knew tbe gooottd. He
iKplied eagerly « that it was litefafield. Hie gdide, tbefi« after iMOlnd^
iof him that he bad ao alany yeata before Mlieired the wants of a
liMBisbing Indian, Jit an ina in that town, enUjoined, ** I Unit Ittdlett I
DOW I pay yom! go bonuu'' Baping said thta^be bade hiw e^en^
IMd the .man jogrf ally jeliBned to bis own botiie.
■■nfeBttBemnfefeaBB
AMEftlCAU LlTERATtTRE AKd Hff'TOlLIAetlC^.
Wb bnye received from Nefw-York oome panpMetB in
defence of Bishop Hobart;^ but fte they ^te not compl^rte^ «
tre defer noticing them nntil our next 1n umber^ especially
as it would be impossible to do justice to the subject uow»
foxDi the dUtance of tke final editor from London rendering
it neoeseiuT to pablish the wotk with n eomewh&t smalWr
quantity of matter than usual, rather than risk a delay in
Us regular appearance^ by the transmission of prools nearly
50OimIes,
^$ $Hbt»titai0V,
Memoir of the late Miss Jane Buky, c^' Stockport.
[Though the subject of the following Memoir was unknown but in
the circles of private life, the knowledge which some of the editors bf
this work possessed of her talents, her virtues, and her piety, indu^ce
them most readily to comply with the wishes of her friends, to give a
plaice in their pages to a memorial of her worth, which will, they
flatter themselves, be instructive to the rioting generation of the female
sex, whilst it is not uninteresting to their readers of every age and
class.— Bmt.]
** The mind ^as well-hiformed, the passions held
Sabordinate, and -diligence waa choice." Cowpbr.
The biographer of Kirke White elegantly observes, that
'* just at the age when the painter would have wished to fix
his likeness, and the lover of poetry would delight to con-
template hioiy — in the morning of his virtues, the full spring
blossom of his hopes, — just at that age hath death set the
seal of eternity upon him, and the beautiful hath been made'
|)ermahent.^ Without asserting, that the excellent young
kdy, whose moral and intellectual worth it is the object of
the following record to exhibit, was equal to that celeorated
youth, it may be affirmed, that the passage just (quoted is
truly applicable to her, and that there was a striking simi-
larity between both the individuals, insobriety of judgment,
vigilant application, and substantial piety.
Miss Jane Bury was born at Hopehill, near Stockport,
in Cheshire, October 26, 1801. The days of childhood fur-
nished none of those romantic events, aind marvellous occur-
riences, which have been so frequently and injudiciously
published to the world as facts. It may suffice to remark,,
that she furnished occasion for rejoicing, not only in the!
possession of considerable energy of character, but, more
especially, as manifesting, with advancing maturity, those
amiable features of disposition, which indicated, by their
development, the principles of spiritual life. The natural
reservedness of Miss Bury's temper, together with a nervous
timidity, led to an habitual silence in company, and at the
same time render it impossible to delineate, with desirable
accuracy, the process of her mental improvement and reli-
gious experience. This deficiency, though for some reasons
VOL. VIII. — NO. 3. T
262 Memoir of Miss Jane Bury.
to be deplored, clothes her memory with additional interest,
by giving to her feminine excellency a polish, sacred in its
cnaracter, and impressive in its effects. Instead of mani-
festing a disposition to forwardness and tattling, or any
thing approaching to Mrs. More's happy delineation of the
*• Borderers," there was about Miss Bury a tact of delicacy
which prevented obtrusion, and a devotion to intellectual
pursuits, which gave to her faith a more vigorous exercise,
while ii received illustration and daily increase, by the
actings of a spirit eminently meek and quiet.
. The memorial of her juvenile days, embracing a faithful
sketch of her general character and attainments, will be
best exhibited m the language of one who intimately knew
her. " At a very early period," the narrative states, " she
discovered a strong bias for mental culture. This taste was
seconded by uncommon industry and perseverance. No
pursuit undertaken by her, was relinquished on account of
its difficulty. When a child, she took great pleasure in com-
mitting to memory long extracts from various authors ; and.
at the age of ten or eleven voluntarily learned, during her
play hours, the whole of the third book of Milton's Paradise
Lost. They who had the charge of instructing her at this
period well know how solicitous she was that no lesson
should be omitted, whether of a serious nature, or of lighter
accomplishment. She seemed, . indeed, to act intuitively,
upon the principle which so many learn only by experience,
and which Butler, among others, has so beautifully illustra-
ted in his * Analogy' — that the neglect and omission of one
season of our lives, however trivial, will necessarily and in-
^riably involve their respective consequences and regret
in a succeeding. The solidity of her judgment was remark-
able, and to her early conviction of the necessity of restrain-
iiig the imagination in its undue exercise, may be attributed
much of the useful and substantial knowledge she acquired.
She did not, perhaps, possess much originality of thought,
and of this she was aware, but her mind was constantly
active, and her understanding was clear, comprehehsive,and
uiiprejudiced. Works addressed specifically to the imagi-
nation were by her rarely perused. Thus, though in dispo-
sition afTectLOuate and susceptible, she gradually acquired a
mascuUne vigour, free, on the one hand, from false senti-
ment, and 6ii the other, from vain delusions."
*• Previousi to going to school, she occasionally enjoyed
the corn jiany of sensible arid intelligent ministers ; and the'
interest which, though so young, she took in their* conver-
''-•' .4'"'.' <i ■'.
Memoir of Miss Jttne Bury. 253
satioDi was evinced by an anira'ated countenance, and by
frequent recurrence, even in the last year Of h^r life, to sen-
timents ai^d facts which, at those seasons, had been «tated.^*
•* At school her ambition lo excel, was universally re-
marked; and such was her ardour in the pursuit of knoW*-
ledge, as sometimes to double, and even treble the appointed
lessons. The •biographical memoir of Mrs. Ramsay was now
perused, and it appears to have -materially inftuenced her
future habits. She frequently alluded with admiration l^
the^me'iital exertions of that excellent w6man, and to her
peculiar jfelicity in being able to support health with only
four hours sleep. It was Jane's ambition to imitate her, as
fer as circumstances would aMow; and during one winter
especially, she was usually engaged at her studies as early
as four br five o'clock.
** During the last four years and a half of her life, she
was^ assiduously employed as an instructor; but the hours
set apart for recreation, were still devoted to the increase
of her own stores, and existing memorials shew how well
they were occupied ^ Thes^ consist of voluminous extracts
from various authors, of which the historical works of Gib-
bon, Robertson, Rollin, &c. form a large proportion. Her
ettracts froto Boswell's Life of Johnson, Missl Aitkin's
Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth, Southey's Life
of Wesley, and other biographies, are occasionally inter-
spersed with remarks, which shew how well the 'sentiments
were weighed. Indeed, no hint calculated to facilitate im-
provement was lost, and the earliest opportunity was seized
for reducing it to practice. She was much attached to
natural philosophy and botarty, and her papers testify
steady exertionsfor impressing upon her memory every fact
connected with those subjects. At the" agie of nineteen she
was so much interested in an article in the EncyclopsedisL
Britannica, on Intellectutil BdiicatioYi, as to abridge it for
mor^ easy use. Nor were the numerous extracts^thus made^
treated as useless, but at stated periods were diligently re-
viewed; and thus the impressions first made were strength-
ened. Her very ready recollection of events has been attri-
buted by those who were unacquainted with her habits, to a
remarkably retentive memory; but those to whom she was
best known, more justly assigned it principally to unwearied
appUcs^ion.' Dlinng^ the last year of her life, she was en-
^ged in reading Locke's Essay on the Human Understand-*
log/the first volume of which she finished by devoting a
short time .before bteakfast to its perusal : of this work she
254 Memoir of Miss Jane Burg,
wrote an analysis. Never satisfied with present e(M|iiijreo
xaenta, she was continually looking forward, and she consi-
dered that time as lost, which was not diligently and duly
appropriated. Thus the moments of social intercourse were
devoted to the needle ; and it has been remarked by visitors,
that she was never unemployed. By the same habits she
acquired a competent knowledge of the Italian language, and
translated into the French several eissays, which remain spe«-
cimens alike of taste and skill."
" Her superior attainments in music will not be easily
forgotten, especially by those who know how very little tiaie
she thought \X right to devote to its charms. Her e?ieoutioR,
though not rapid, was clear and pleasing, and her touch
exquisitely light and graceful."*
The reader's attention shall now be directed to MisA
Bury*B MSS.
It was in the ycior 1819^ that her propensities to self^eulti*-
vation were more explicitly made known, as will be manifest
from the following letters. They were addressed lo on^ of
her relatives, ^.nd, while unfolding the writer's mind, will fur*
nish no unintereating G^peqimen of her habits of thiUiking*
" Jl% 13, 1819.
. ** I can assure you» my diear — ^^ that I never s^ down to
write with sq mi]^h satisfac^tion as at present; your ptopoaal
gave me mudi pl^Siaure. I bad long -wished to bs^vesoiiie
friendi to whom I could communicate my thoughts, attd
whos^ advice I might be favoured wi4h. I soitketlaies. think
I cou^d tell you every thing, but have aftervirai?ds bee9 de«
teri!^ by the idea that it would have top mvkh t^he ^f^pear^
aia^e of egotism^, atid th,at love of sdf wbieh is inhetent in
<lfi^ nature ; yet when reflecting that \ am writing to ^ — ^^— r^
Wikbo loves me /with ^1 my faults/ this dil3«uky pactly
if^^^ishe&A though I cannot say it is entirely remov^^
( '' I should be glad if you wofuld reeommjeod to liie aome
plM fpr iipaprovi^g the little time which may be called mf
cNf^H I am sensible of great, difficulty in things whic^ an« of
importance to my ststion> and often regret theil % d^ep sei^e
oft|j^ vfidije of iB^ti:u<rtioo« c^nd of tha^t time w^ieb Was en-*
tirely 4eto|ed;|Orit, hi^. not been, earlier impree^dJbli'an.yi
mi^i.bvit ^w that se^fiQQ is pafit^itfeere is no ^n^ltt \demsx
. " U; baSt freqi^ei^tly ecc^r^ ,to» noiei m «t bf^qliite
tighti to incjcijpftt(^: 1*3 pflre^?^^^ is^por* yPiM^gi pwp^i> tii^^
Ihe (}««ii:^,t^^ot^^j^ fcnQirf^dg€|ii# WdsMf^ aiidiai^iU ev«
Memair of Miss Jeffte Bury. '-iS5
i^eet with encouragement. This opinion is seldom found
suitable to those who are in the middle or lower ranks of
society, for if they fulfil the various duties of their station
in a conscientious manner^ the cultiViat^ion of their minds
will, of course, be n^lected* apd that considered of leasts
which was before maintained to be of the greatest import-
ar^ce,. Would it not be better to give them an accurate view,
of the subject, according to the situation they are to fill?
** i should like to know how far it is wrong to indulge a-
taste for soi^e particular studies which are not absolutely
mecessary to jbe ^cqi^ired.
'' I often wonder how it is thut sov^e people are so entirely
engrossed in the trivial occurreqces wnich pass every day»
as to think and talk of nothing else; for if it is ui^d, by
w^y of excuse> th^t tribes become of copsequence when
conpectpd with the concerns of life, yet surely a small por-
tion of time might be spent profitably, in discoursing upon
subjects that are worthy the attention^of a rational creature.
** I hope you will excuse all defects, and write a few lines
apon to Your ever affectionate, Janb."
It is impossible not to be struck with the good sense and
judicious observations embodied in the foregoing letter.
IS^or G^q that part of it which regards education be impressed
too forcibly upon persons so engaged, whether as instruct
tprs or as parents. To the one class it furnishes a useful
~ mt', to the other a safe guide. When will the manageys of
lunday and day schools sufficiently comprehend it$ pro**
pri^y?
" June 9, iSaO*
'' My ^^y desJTi — I have just finished reading a veir inr
t^iC^ting u'or^^ Sir W. Forbes' ' Life of J)t* Sc^tie^ and
have w^de soig^ ext^fiots from.it^ which if you have not rend^
you will lik^i to see. They will give you some idea of t^
charaAlter of this great and good man. Perhaps you will
ttMf k, ^s I do ^o^eti^peSi th^t I re^ top many books to
derive ^ny liastivg he^s^^t frpn^ them; but really it is v^ry.
4iffici^l^ tp r^ist the tei^^ptfktioni wbjep p. work of ^^iskipd
Q9in9f^ ^^ the Wjsy' I hope it hf^^ fiot Wen perused Yfifiko^ti
some profit.
. '' I J^^v^er before beend of tl^ ' A^id^strel/ It i^ highly
sppkf^ ofj sf^d I shoi^ild iikjB n^uob to compare the poifit #imI
iSi^ phUosopher* Tbi^ il^ipPi conpiideripg ^ciir distingitiahing
<^fpt^risl^x8e<8iaa#fl4i^Qsti9cp|pp<^ibl^ Thfit thss^iHhot
ofjB^n^s^^iPn .!f rw*, ?|Bd qthp? philoso.p)MCfilwrC?t^s,^wW*
256 Memoir of Miss Jane Bary.
tioh which constitute sotne of the requisite qualities of a
^►ocl po<it, is to Hie ft striking proof of the wonderful versa-
xiiity of some tninds.
>■'** It has often struck tne, that th^ 'frequent perusal of
poetry (though of the best kind) must produce much the
same effects as novels and romances, the larger portion
being addressed to the imagination. Imagination is evi-
dently an indispensable qualification in true poetry; for
without it the most harmonious verse would soon lose its
e0ect, and tlie ear be tired with the dull Uniformity of
rhyming syllables. Those poets, tlierefore, whdse warm and
lively firtictes can bring fortn abundant and diversified inia-
gery, and paint, the beautiful or the sublime in the most
glowing colours, will be the objects of most interest. This
i^ my conjecture. Though I have read but little, and can-
not attempt to argue on comparative merits, yet I think Dr.
Beattie confirms the opinion when hesays^ ' the end of
true poetry is to give pleasure rather than to convey in-
struction/ and that ' a poet must do a great deal for the sake
of pleasure only ; for if he fail to please, he may deserve
praise* on other accounts, but as a poet he has done nothing.'
He shews also that poetry exhibits a state of things some-
\rtiat different from what they really are. If so, will it not
oftt^b mislead the judgment, and produce a diisrelish for
plaiin and sober realities? In this manner many erroneous
ideas are formed, and the mind is perplexed, and often led
astray, when searching after truth.
" fiut I do not wish to depreciate the value of poetry,
whidh has always been a source of gratification to me, only
to suggest what I conceive to be the consequences of too
great a love for it. My ideas upon this subject are but im-
perfect, yet such as they are, I submit them to your inspec-
tion, and remain your ever affectionate and sincere friend,
"Jane."
•From ' this period more particularly, may be dated the
visible expansion of Miss Bury's mind ; her character was,
in fact, formed, and all her powers had received a direction
susceptible of pleasure from that only which was suited to
mental vigour, and to promote her best interests.
The art of self-cultivation seems to have been now at-
tempted with increased assiduity ; and her observations on
every thing connected with personal improvement hence-
forth testify alike the soundness of her judgment, and the
accuracy of her* taste. She was taught too; we trust, by the
h(Aj Spirit, " the vanity of man as mortal/' the insufficiency
Memoir of Miss Jane Bury. 257
of even human learning to furnish happiness, and the fear-
fill state of the heart by reason of transgression. Thus .th^
following extracts, instead of occasioning surprise! may
serve the twofold purpose of confirming spripture testjmpny,
and exhibiting, in a spirit of humility, the foundation of
that beautiful superstructure which was gradually advancing
to perfection.
To a careful perusal of the memoirs of Miss Hamilton,
and it is probable also of Miss Elizabeth Smith, may be
traced many of the succeeding observations.
" There appears to me," she writes, " to be very little
difficulty in convincing ourselves of the poverty of our un-
derstandings, and of the scanty supplies of knowledge with
which our minds are furnished. If we reflect on the vast
depths of knowledge, they will be found illimitable to our
capacities ; if we endeavour to range through the world of
science, they will appear immense and endless ; biit let us
only take a survey of one little spot, and it will discover to
our astonished view, stores apparently inexhaustible, and
amply sufficient to employ all our faculties during the period
of our earthly existence. But what are the effects which
such a contemplation should produce? Should we be so
overwhelmed with the boundless perspective, as to imagiuo
every attempt futile ; and bo contented, because we cannot
know every thing, to know nothing? Rather, let it excite in
us proper sehtiments with respect to our own ignorance, and
stimulate to fresh exertion."
' Almost immediately afterwards it is added : " To the
mind which is ever ready to receive instruction, innumerable
sources are opened, which were once barren and neglected.;
as in the world of nature every thing teems with life, and
affords full scope for philosophical research, so we may
derive instruction from the meanest object. This is well
calculated to inspire sentinients of wonder and admiration
at the wisdom, power, and goodness of our all-wise Creator.
But if these are so fully displayed in the works of his hands,
how much more so in the effects of his governing pow^r.
It is impossible to read the history of a nation, without being.
Convinced of this truth; and while we are often struck with
the surprising and unforeseen events which take their rise
from causes apparently remote and unconnected, we must
admit Chat they only furnish new and striking proofs of a^
siiperintending Providence, while they form another linl^ in
that grand* chain' of wonders which will one day be disclosed;
tb our* astonished view ?"
JJ$8 Memoir of Miss Jane Butjf*
'* With these reflections," she proceeds, " we may advan-
tageously open the pages of history, but ia no other way
yin\ they afford any real satisfi^ction. We shall often be
left in darkness and perplexity, unless we accept; willingly
the light of revelation. The glare of human reason is an
tgnisjatttus; it leads astray into labyrinths of error ; the more
We follow it, the more we recede from the path of truth.'*
In the preceding iremarks, we perceive a viable contra-
riety to the natural course of mankind. Man, like the demo-
niac who dwelt apriong the tombs, is prone to reverse tbiQ
sentiments thus expressed. Instead of depreciating his
own powers^ and subjecting his reason to the cpntrol of
revelation, he calls his reason, which is very darkness, light;
and the oracles of truth, the only illuminated path to heaven^
darkness. And it is only as the mind is influenced by divine
grace, that a restoration to sanity and spiritual vigour is
effected. Then only is it that divme effects are visible^ and
that the happy recipient will sit " at the feet of Jesus"
clothed, ana "in his right mind.'* How impressive is the
inducement for all, in youth especially, to seeK transforming
influence, and to the eternal renunciation of every deceitfm
gleam, to, lift up the earnest supplication, — " Oh! that my
ways were directed to keep thy statutes.** *' If,*' says Dr.
Manton, *' men were more sensible of their obligation, we
should have more prayers of the kind."
Mrs. More*s Strictures on the Modern System of Female
Education, particularly chap. vii. vol. i. seem to have been
read with special attention, and no inconsiderable part was,
with some yariations, transcribed.
In 1820 Miss Bury commenced a series of memoranda,
entitled, " Extracts and Observations.** The title sufficiently
desi^ates their object, and a perusal of the whole amply dis-
covers a combination of enviable qualities. The following
selection is characteristic : it originated in the Life of Wes-
ley, then recently published. Having freely commented on
several particulars, both as to the author and his subject«
she thus proceeds : —
'*' Soutney says, that no conqueror or poet was ever mora
ambitious than Mr. Wesley. This was certainly true, but.
his ambition was very different to that which influences con-
querors or poets. It was a true and laudable apibition,
which made nim devote all his time and talents to the service
of Gody and for the good of his fellow creatures, without ex*
pecting or hoping for the applause of the world ; he looked
to a higher recompense, buch ambition was worthy of
Memoir of Miss Jane Bury. 259
an immortal creature ; and it would be well far mankiod^ if
ipore were actuated by its powerful claims* They, likeliiai,
would tbeu seek to promote God*s glory in the salvation of
souls."
'* We should be particularly careful," she proceeds/' how
W9 judge of the motires which influence those who are
engaged in public life. Actions may be weighed and cen«
sureo, but their secret springs ought to be held sacred^ aa
known only to him who is acquainted with the heart."
We now return to the journal, and select a few extracts
almost at random.
" May 14, 1821.— The author of Miss Hamilton's Me-
moirs relates, that Miss H. considered herself as haying
received an education superior to what is usually allotted to
youn^ persons of her sex and station, since she had learned
to thmk. The want of this appears to be one of the great
defects in the modern system of education. Young persons
are taught all necessary outward accomplishments, and
many which are superfluous and useless, but very few there
are who haye learned to employ their reasoning faculties so
as to fulfil any of the great ends for which they wera
designed ; few attain that knowledge which, as Miss More
(;mpnatically expresses it, ' is burnt in/ "
" Jum 18, 1821. — I have just begun to read Bennett on
the Gospel Dispensation, and hope that, by prayer and
meditation, the work may be of great benefit to me. The
author shews, that the wnole of revelation is a moral plan
for ei^ercising the natural powers. It is remarked, that in
almost every view which can be taken of God's revealing bis
will, unbridled vanity might conceive of great possible addi-
tions to, and emendations of, what is actually found in tb^e
inspired volume. It cannot be doubted, that if God had
seen fit, he could easily have revealed divine truths, and
haye exhibited the blessings of salyation in such a manner,
as would irresistibly have instructed men to believe and
embrace them. And in our self-flatterii^ imagination, bow
ready are we to exclaim. What a complication of unpleasant
and painful circumstances mi^ht thus have been preyented!
What &cilities to the acquisition of knowledge, what sub-
sidiary means to the full assurance of und^8:UiiKUng in the
mysteries of the gospel, might thfus haye been a9Qrded>
What hannony of yiews, what uniformity of systei^, what
unison ol hearts in the possession of religious troth, loigjA
baye been secured! But the Author of reyelation bfta £f^
posed otherwise i and it was evident)^ in the neftmn vi bi«
260 Memoir of Miss Jane Bury.
wisdom that he adopted this mode of procedure towards'
intelligent creatures, though sunk in ignorance, guilt, and
wretchedness, because he saw it most consistent with their
rational nature, and eventually best adapted to the wise ends
of bis moral goyernment/'
** In this view the gospel dispensation, which includes the
whole revelation of God's will to sinful man, together with
the outward means which he has appointed for them to wait
upon him in, is a moral plan oi exercising their natural
powers, and is closely connected with his moral govern-
ment of intelligent, accountable creatures, the principles of
which are equity and wisdom, and the subjects of which
must be dealt with as moral agents, not impelled by neces-
sity even to a right mode of acting, or rendered incapable of
acting otherwise, but instructed and invited to a proper
mode of acting by suitable means and motives, or moral
considerations of duty and interest prescribed through the
medium of the understanding. Thus arises a proper ground
of responsibility."
Again she writes: " Oc^ 26, 1821. — ^This day I enter
upon my 21st year, and am, therefore, led to make some
reflections. I cannot but notice, with serious consideration,
the rapidity with which the different portions of my time
[move on] and mark my progress to the end of my days.
*' It seems as if the last two or three years of my life had
rolled on with greater speed than any of the former; but
this may perhaps be accounted for, from the uniform tenor
of my life, and the nature of my employments, which leave
not an hour unoccupied.
" I am now arrived at a period which, some years ago, I
should have thought the utmost boundary of my prospect'
into futurity, and probably at that time anticipated that I
should be hardly ^:he same being. But how vain are the
speculations of childhood and youth ! Instead of finding
myself arrived at that maturity ofjudgment which I expected,
instead of having those fixed and steady principles which I
hoped to attain, truth compels me to acknowledge that I
am yet very ignorant of many things which I ought to know,
relating to the affairs of the present life, and that my mind
is' filled with doubts and fears concerning the important
realities of a never-ending state of existence hereafter*
Surely it becomes me to inquire how I have spent the past,
since So large a portion of these fleeting shadows have dis-
apipeared, and I know not how many remain. I fear I* have'
not fulfilled 4;he end of my being, in living to the glory of
Memoir of Miss Jane Bury. 261
God, and making preparation for an eternal state ; I desire,
therefore, to enter upon this year with more solemn consi-
dei-ations than 1 have ever yet had, and to make religion my
chief concern. I have reason to be thankful, if I have, in
soine degree, been made sensible of my danger, and of the
etil of my heart, bat want to^ feel that deep humiliation on
account of sin, which leads to sincere and genuine repent-
ance, and that fear of falling into sin, which arises from a
kno\*ledge of its dreadful nature.
•' May the great searcher of hearts make me more and
more acquainted with the wickedness of my heart; and that
I may daily and hourly supplicate the direction and assist-
ance of the holy Spirit, without which I can do nothing.
May the Spirit of truth guide me into all truth, that I may
no longer walk in darkness, ignorance, and error, but as I
grow in years, grow in grace, and in the knowledge of my
&od and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom I desire to commit
all I have and hope for, through time and eternity. Amen/*
The next extract may be read with profit, and its recogni-
tion of principle furnishes a valuable clue to the writer's
state of mind.
** Feb. 7, 1822;-^— Having accidently overheard a question
proposed. What is the distinction to be made between the
amusements of the theatre and card -table, and those of
drawing and music, I have been led to consider the answer
that I should give to this question ; and how I would make
it appear, that a professing Christian may be justified in
pursuing the latter, and rejecting the former. I intend to
confine myself entirely to what may arise in my own mind,
without referring to the opinion of any author ; because I wish
afterwards to ascertain if my own reasonings are sufficiently
forcible to produce a conviction, or, at least, to silence the
objections of those who would endeavour to bring against
me the charge of inconsistency; —
'* I shall begin with theatrical amusements, and consider
their use, design, and evil tendency. To trace the progress
of improvement in the stage, from the first actor, who,
mounted on a cart, performed in the streets of Athens, would
be foreign to the purpose ; and were it not so, would suffi-
ciently attest my incompetency for the task. It is sufficient
to consider the end that was originally intended by these'
public exhibitions, and whether there is the same reason to
justify their continuance.
'' If we attentively observe the customs and manners of
the ancients, as i^ecorded in history, it will be seen that tbei^
263 Memoir of' Miss Jane Bur^^
habits took a tincture from their national character, ao4
even their amusements may be traced up to the same source.
Were they a warlike people ? Their delight was in martial
spectacles^ and in tho^e hardy and vigorous exercises wl^ich
fit the body for trials and danger. Were they peafseful?
Agriculture was their chief employment ; and rpral sporj^
tbeir chief amusements. Were they possessed of inventive
genius ? The arts were cultivated with eagerness, and every
tiding tending to promote their advancement was looked up
to as of primary importance^ Thus the Athenians were
particularly addicted to learning and sciencesi and became
thereby the most polished state of Greece.
'' In order to contribute to the advancement of les^ping,
they justly paid particular attention to the improrement of
their language, and oratory was held in high estimation.
" To tnis cause may be ascribed the invention of theatii*
cal amusements, which were, at first, mere exhibitions of
oratorial power, accompanied by such a modulation of vo^ce
aixd gesture as was calculated to impress the sentiments
more forcibly upon the hearers.
'' The subjects of such harangues were the more adapted
to excite attention, being generally drawn from human life ;
they were designed eloquently to set forth the ^dva^tage^
of virtue^ the duty of patriotism, and endeavouring to cpn-
tribute to its welfare and happiness; while, on ^e con-
traryj vice was painted in the most glowing coloi^*s, an4
depraved habits and principles were so exposed^ as thajt by
becoming just subjects of abhorrence, feelings pf disgust ap4
detestation might be excited.
'' If such were the causes and the design of theatrical
representations, it is surely n^cessary^ before we adi^ocate
i^em. on the same principles, to endeavour to prove how
far they can Ji^e appl^d to the present time^. I nave h^ar4
it alleged, that it is very useful to at;tend the thea^e, fyr the
pujcpose of acqulri];ig a taste for good ^ra^ory^ of Ibriping
tbe ear io a correct pronunciatiajii and a just delivery, anq
that it IB a mean of preserving our language fyovfi jc^r^tipT
tM^n^ and inoovaticau»* But this argm^eii^t lappeara fp w§afc
as Wdly to require refutaf^ion. Were we defi&tuitf ^.f v^ry
ojl*b«r jnean of prey«nti^g anch pa^fi^qju^ei;ice»« t)^ migl^t l^e
respited to as an. e)cpedient ; but wh^e w^ (can brii^ d^w^'^A
otter clauos of a f^j^^nor n24^T^, jv^ w^te»i tkf^i ^ .^i^ilii
give place to them.
,."tet ikkosn who de^sij^ to ^ht^ux a il;aste % fi^d ^^09y,
lUtfii to 9^r UciHlaJtors iftoo^^g %fb a^ champion ^
Memoir of Miss June Bury. 363
defence of their oountry, proolaiini»g her freedom, and coti-
tending fot her rights; armed » not with martial ifeapong,
but with the persuasive doqnenee of tnath, a plttri6tic Keal
glowing in their hearts. Let them go and bear our advo-
cates pleading the cause of the injured and defenceless; or
let them direct their steps to the sanctuary, and hear thfe
ministers of our holy religion engaged in a more glorious
theme, and pleading a fer nobler cause, with all the eld»-
qtieiioe which language can command, and all the force of
the majesty of truth proclaiming to a ruined wofd> Jesttb
Christ and him cnicifiedi
** But supposing itjustifiable on the grounds above niett-
tioned, to attend theatrical amus^ments^ a mind at all in^
flnenced by religions principka would find olnections suffi-
cient to outweigh eveiy other GOndidel*dtion. The theatre ik
one of the haums of vice and imntorality. This ought to
iaflvence thoee who are instrnoied bv the volume of inspira^
tion> not ' to enter into the p»th of Ine wicked, nor to go in
the way of evil tnen, but te avoid it, to pass by it, td tum
ftom it and pass Away.*
** It may be nrged^ that it is possible to attend the theatre
without aesociating with the gay and thoughtless, tind utiA*-
nut witnessing the licentious scenes which take place in thili
abode of impiety. (Granting th^ possibility, is it not enough
to know that all hinda6f wickedness are encouraged secretly,
if not exhibit^ openly? And, kmming this, is it not sanc^
ttoning ivtA practices to frequent the place of their resbrt ;
or at least, is it not declaring to the world that vice and inn-
moraUty are not held in their just abhorrence ? But tot the
sake M argument, let os concede all Uie olijeetioiis which
bsrvi been Drought forward, and suppose that theatvea wei^e
bendiicti^ on the best possible plan for the preservation of
the fMiUic motials, and were even deemed nnexceptionab}^
with respect to devistion from nobtic virtue, they woidd ncriE
then be fit places for ihe diecipie of Jesus^ Hm ttssipation
and vanity the Cbrififtiun would there meet» but iit acooNI
with that devotional spitit wM^ch he ahould chl$riish» He#
wonld he afterwards to filAed fi)r relimment and ittIfHsasititi'>>
niftkfn, wtteii the wothl and hs cc^ncerns shMld be shot 'otti^,
snsd h^ must seek for satrnfttdltoii ahd ent^yaknit ki higher
mmults ? Out bkssed Saviour exhorted his disutple^ne^M
Imw eft# m^M^ fwt ike things^ sf ike Vfo^ld^ !» public fhaseA
at tannsidiiiMt, everv thing il^ talMhited toi>ctoeriilif antf iu«^
eMaiie> thsftlove^ Ail tfaavosn pleaM the eye^ end timm, th«
ear, all that can captivate the senseaatid |>n9>duue adttint'-
264 Memoir of Miss Jane Buty,
tioD and delight, is exhibited, and contributes to entrance
the soul, and make itfcMrgetfal of its iooToortal nature, to
cause the Christian to OTerlook his condition as a( pilgrim
and a stranger upon earth, seeking, a better country.
'' We would here draw a line of demarcation, and attempt
to establish the opinion, that those amusements Biay be inr
dulged in, which nave not a tendency to increase a lovef of
the world, and conse(|uently to cause a disrelish for spiritoal
engagements, but which are rather calculated to raise the
afiectionsto the gracious Author. of all good, and to quicken
and promote a spirit of devotion and praise; in short, those
which do not stand opposed to the nighest interests: of an
immortal creature, but elevate his mind to m^re noble pur*
suits than the passing scenes of time, and can,<witibait
regret, be exchanged for the awful realities of eternity.
'' With respect to the card-table, little need be added, as
many of the arguments before advanced may be applied to
this amusement, and facts are not wanting to render the
application forcible. But its votaries^ who will coBtend
that dieir favourite pleasure is an inilocent one, I would ask,
* Cvji'that be innocent, which wastes the most preeioub gift
bestowed upon us ? And to those who have no better reascm
to bring forward, than that they engage in it to fill up iheir
time, .1 would appeal, ' Are there no regions in the world of
nature yet unexplored, no wonders that reinain.to beMn*
folded, no stores apparently inexhaustible, ; and iii^faichai^
well calculated to fill the mind with more exalted thp<ights
of that incomprehensible Bein^ who made all things, and to
awakepi.towards him feelings of adoration and reverence?'"
. ''While such subjects as these claim attention, can any
feel justified in spending a moment 'in shuffling about
painted paper ? One! would almost imagine that the title of
reasonable creature had been abandoned, before* such an
outr^e could be committed — even against reason !
. " Snt it may be urged, that this amusement isionly re*
sorted to in company where it would be impossible, to intror
duce subjects of a literary nature, and where you must either
join the party, or remain unemployed, and probably 'give
offence, not to say induce ihe charge of singularity .-^Were
this the case, it would be better to remain :unemployed^ than
to sanction that which serves only to kill .time: no one^
however, has occasion so to plead, but those. ^ho are afraid
to look into their own hearts, who never watch .their thoughtE^
and scrutinize their actions, in order to a^ertain the .motives
which give rise to them.
Memoir of Miss Jane Bury. 266
" The fear of giving offence, or of being accounted singu-
lar, is an argument which can only influence weak mindp,
and if we allow it any force in one instance, the same may
certainly be admitted in others, and it will at once justify
conformity to all the maxims of the world.
'' It now remains to consider, what distinction is to be
made between these amusements, and those of drawing aikl
music? . And here it may be observed, that the exception
is only granted, provided the subjects of it are not carried
to excess.
" We know it may be objected, that too great a love of
music has been attended with effects as pernicious as by
those amusements which we have condemned ; and we per-r
fectly agree with those who deem the oratorio as improper
a place for the Christian as the theatre.
" But why should it be inferred, that because a good
thing is abused, it becomes criminal. It is the abme of it,
from whence arises the criminality. Who will ai&rm, that
what the great Creator has deigned to employ as a mean of
imparting pleasure to bis rational creatures, and as tending
to elevate their views of his infinite goodness and perfec-
tion, has any thing improper in its nature? Yet however
strong thje assertion may. appear, we must tacitly acquiesce
in it, if we disallow of music and drawing on account of. the
impropriety of the amusements objected to. If we see no
beauty in the various appearances of nature, the rich colour-
ing 01 the . sky, the exquisite tints and delicate shades of a
flower, or the different objects combined in the finished
landscape ;if we derive no pleasure in listeniilg to the music
of some sweet songster, whose melodious notes seem to be
the voice of gratitude and praise, let us be contented to
resign the accomplishments of drawing and music, for they
will then cease to afford us innocent gratification. If the
pleasure derived from their pursuit, arise from no tiobler
cause than ambition, or a vain desire to obtain the praise
and approbation of men, it ought not to be cherished, bujt
abandoned, as springing from a sensual and impure source.
But if our ear is indeed tuned to the harmony of creation>
and our sight is ever ready to contemplate the wonders it
displays, we may, without injury to ourselves, . cultivate
these source^ of rational enjoyment, so far as^ they interfere
not with higher' duties and the great business of life. If on
a review of. the feelings that, have been excited while indulg-
ing in these amusements, we find that they have not dimiti-
ished, but rather increased our love to Qod and to his %&cr
366 Memoir ef Miss Jane Bury.
rice, thAl tbey have awakened teal, and qaickened al spirit
of devoliOB, we may affirm that the time occupied had not
beea speitt in vain.'^
Not only do the pfeeediD| pages manifest the Superior'
capacity and attainmenta of Miss Bury, but they also dis->
eavw, 88 we have just seen^ art habitual regard to higher
principles than those of ambition, or literary feme. The
tenov of her remarks, as already qnoted, shew a state of
Iselin^, and a conviction, too refined, and too spiritual, to be
conceived of apart from religious excellence. It is true,
there is among her papers no distinctire narration of a
** new birth unto righteousness '" but it mdtf be observed,
that when an indiridual has been early inured to habits of
fliental cultm^e, not to say, trained up in the nnrtore and
admonition of the Lord, it is commonly no easy matter, and,
indeed, frequently as impossible, to detail the all4mportant
pvoceaSf as rt is to define the progress of natitral ligh](, or to
ttariLi with aceuracy and distinctness, the exact boundary
between night and day. However, there is safety and wis^
doai in ascending from effects to their causes, not only to
sfttisiy the inquiriea of curiosity, but to jud^ correctly,
especially in things pertaining to the heaveiuy kingdom.
•• Df their fruits,'* said our Lord^ " shall ye know them."—
•• Miss BwM^/' observes one who knew her well, " from in-
fMiey was of a delicate constitution, possessing more than:
commoti irascibility of tetnyer, arising, f)erhaps, principally
from much nervous irritability ; but this, even oefore the
ineam of childhood were past, was considerably overcome
by her natural ^ood sense, seconding the restramts of edu-
«sitifont And, it is remarked by her mother, were there no
etfi^r evidence tfa^t in after years she became the subject
<yf a iffaange of heart, than the ^frr^ svMiigaiion of this
AtteMitg'flto, it would be quite satisfactory.^
Where a change of heart has been wrought, the mighty
irvent represented in scripture, as a ** new creation," cannot,
With<lhe appearance of rationality or piety, be ascribed to
fl«y dther influence than that which is divine. Nor can a
better 6t mdre infallible evidence be required, than '' the
ftuitt' of righteousness." Instead, therefore, of pronouncing;
t efefrtarti oourse of feeling, or a conformity to certain accre^
dtted modes of expression or experience, indispensable to
ftirnkh ground for the hopes of charity, let the inspired
standard be adhered to wttn unvarying stedfestness. Thnn
will- be dib^eHed,. «s with a ray of brightness, all Ibe niii^,
and eonfasidn, an\d error, whi^b aifee ftota elevating th^
rionfli 19 B«9t e^plaiMd, ftii itr M b^iSt d)8^6<9V^fdtmH-%' JM'
operathni. ^ ITte «?tW ^ti^efA' tefke^& ii Ikteih, Af^ fkM^
hearest the sound fkereofi bttt eartsf net i^lftihtTiet H comeih^
and loMikeritgdtth: Jo-tV emtirontflmlU 6^k dftke i'/**.'*'
Tfce Cftrhitiatlil^ of Misfl^1Scrfy< Will !h^ mi^^ «% mtttti^'
rented, hx ftAKtion to tire JOtfAtorWt txceietn^t dF het dego¥!f-*
meAt> Vjr gome ftrrfber artfectfewr ftomf He^ joiiiiiial^ Witfr'
these, tlTei*efcrt, tire |)rbcee(f.
^ HoMT mtK*,** Jilie write*', April 2&, *• have I rtttdto^ t^y
dfepbfe the hardiiless and in^eiWioiBty ef my hearts I fcnow^
that Ao Aittg but dfyiue grace? can Enable' me to^ do Whaif i^
right;, yet bdw hackw^if d azt^ I fh eeelting a^sistatiee' Uf taf
wtsak aiKd vtiiti eftdesbvoatd. The tt^ths' that 6<rilbeiiiy mihtf
fbtt^iftfy; and' rbtrse iiiy attention, ai^, by^ ihe most Hi^hriaF
decutrence, fotgottea; or, »t feaurtr, dtebrryied of thefts l^Mff
weight ahtT importance. Sutrh irthe kaidenii^ naftui^ of
sin. Conscience is sometimes awakened, but the eVflptO^^'
pensities^ of ai cfortupt liature' prefv^a^P in liHKbg re into its
fbmier state, and entfeaTOui^ to'Stiffe thb^ voiivregreta which'
thehieart, when^ contetted, canndt suppijesfe.' If we^coidd^
become, for a time, abstracted -from EieMifbf^ e^eets*, therc^
would be some reasOtt^ to hope tlM g^dOd rmpressiwiis, wKen
once received, would not! ht so ststoa efiaeed j we should he''
enabled tOCoHeet aH the^argrrtttent*' that nright be biotkg&ti
forwteird in order tty strerigtlen^ and ^ottfiito the W*riemi^
rfesofuttent and then, jwerhaj^i we need-not edmj^ia ifcat eur^
goodnesa was^ a^ ibe mor^i^ efond sand il» the early diet^
that passelJr aw«y: But als ft Js^ hnipfoirsiWte^ to fie^mttSif
diiiengaged ftoril- the- obj efett^ wfiich^afpe'cottti^iitffy sttrfdmsd-'
ing- us^, Aere i1« gteafter occasion fet* eonstant'wfffcift/trf/i^;
thut while our minds are engaged wJfli earAfy'cares, wetmky*
not lose si^ht of Ijiose important concerns- which inVofve
iJite eternal interests' of the soul !* M i*rtot' only the otttwrfrtf
itetiOns that must be sei^ere!)! dCi^fnisBed, but the thoughts^'
and dei^h'es of our heattis ; wHfcfr, tls they are only known to*
Hktt wh(^ searchetrb the* hfeart, rami! b^ judged by *e Word
of frtWh, in orderto asdertainwhethfet- they tt^' pui^ irihfs^
sight. Itk this difficult* taisk, we have more espeiJJaP ntetB
for divine assistance^ than in the regulation of the outward
conduct; for while the lattfer may be influenced by a dejsire,
toappear- fair before men, the former can oalv. pr^oeed jfrontt
the* roat of 3od^ and ar desire to>.(h> hia wiU in* aQr tlungs.
Our prayer should be — ^ £et the womlb of itiy tf ovtt, and^
VOL. VIII, — NO. 3. u /
2Q8 : Memoir of Mm Janefiurt/i
the meditatioi^STof my hfiartf be<apcepl^ble in ttiy sight, 0 ,
Lard;' and, if offered. up with sincerity, we might hppe for,,
that delightful consolatioii which the psalmist experienced,
when he said, ' In the multitude of my thoughts, &c.'."*
Shortly afterwards she writes, — ^'^ Another awful provi-
dence has occuired, which may well awaken serious reflec-: .
tions. Am I prepared for death, should it come thus sud«
den and unexpected ? Should I soon be called off the stage
of life, can I hope for admission into the heavenly kingdom?
Is not the fear of death an intimation that all is not right ?;
But what can take away this fear; what can depriv^e, the
enemy of his. deadly sting, and cause him to be viewed a^.a
peaceful messenger? The apostle says, that the sting. oC
death is sin. It is then sin which causes death to be looked,
Ht as an objiBct of terror, and sin must be removed ^re it will .
be: disarmed. We must have a living faith in the mente
and atonement of our Saviour, placing our whole. dep^n^l^
ence on him who hatb loved u$, and toashed away, o^r mis m^
his bloodJ* . ' X - ■
The following record gives a still more especial ,promi-
nence.to those sentiments which are dear to l^e>heart of a.
Christian, and, when fully realized,, indicate no, unenviablie;
state of religious attainment.
" Surely there is no occasion to complain, that o.pportuni*.
ties are wanting that may sefve to bresuc down the stubborn,
pride of the heart, and to warn us of the importance of cul-
tivating that first of Christian graces — humility. Yet how
frequently have we to deplore that these opportunities affect
us so little ; ov, if the impression be at first strong, it is only,
momentary, and has.no abiding influence on. our future con-
duct: we return insensibly to. the obdurs^te course v^hich,
was so .lately condemned. This perhaps arises, from^ our.
humility being only a conviction of the underst^p4iQg« ^'Qd
not of the heart; and if it be so, it will avail us littl^.. For
our minds, may be so. far enlightened by an acquaintance
with scripture, 'and by the experience which, results from,
observation, and a.comparjson made with others, as tp make
us feel sensible of our many deficiencies, and rea^y enou^
to allow the existence of evil; yet if this knowledge be not.
practically applied, if it. do not so influencie a^s to make us
* Wss Bury has here recognized an important fact, worthy of the
matuTcst consideration. The active exercise of Christian principles
is adapted to the present state : these ill accord with mc^ltestic se-
clnmov, and going oat of the iirorld^ It is the ovitfroOiiiing beKevar,-
not the oowai^, wlio will feo^ve^the erowji«
ahp Aft^r a gipwifig ooiffolttUytc^ tl^ ^dhitabKs^
in allithlngs-; it' tt' do not 'htimMe '^ts* before bui hedreetily
Ffttber.'it will be* of AOt-ase/^^ttutTttifarey'Mti^^to <njfir xttm^
demnation. How inndi doiv^need tbeboiitibiialitiffueoe^
of divine grace, to subdue in ue'aUTainvbobiMke&^;afi!d'>td
instnictns in the kaowledgerof ourselvesithktwe limy leant
the vanity of trusting in our own endteavbnra :-^Hib the'Loni
ulone u there either righteousness or strength. But sueh is^th^
conniption of our evil'nature, that we are oootimUtllT brittg^
ing'forward eome^ new claim to memitg^ and oar fboMeh hcHartH
ace oootimialh^ a^ggestioj^ aohie ^s^erie ]if etenakm to )utMaae^
rited favours. These frail supports may snstain for a shbtt
bne, bat they will be fomid insoffibiest m the hofa oft^p-
tation/- ' - ;'.';.*.';' :'-•»{; :l 1 '.)t «>>
. ^ Genuine humility will influence; our behaViiurtoWavdk
our fellow*creatures> and teach us d»l we are nothing, can
do nothiog»' and- have nothing to hope for, but through' thie
free and sovereign grace of Qod> by Jeaua' GUrtirt iMir Lord
and Saviour.V ; - » . [,'... :;,.-». ;:• -/^ m r-i i«^ i
• How Imjpresaive too ieire the follolfing obseihralienBb^^:^.
^' It is a tiMh admitted by. the wise and expeifeiiced^^biat
«eldon|>pfaelised even bytbose who are most ibiwar4 to
maintain its just claims, —that were persons, who ball tAimi-
adves the diciciples of ChiHIst, more anxious to • become
thoroughly acquainted with their own hearts, thaii toeon*^
dema others, there would kiot be so rmnV'wbo'wrmeneiy
professing Christians, and who^es^mplirjr so little of iiSb
Sower of religion in their daily conduct aad^sonveipatioMi.
he reason of which is obvious: when .viewing the <estMioir
conduct' of others with a severe and sdrutiniaingefye; we ^are
apt to draw comparisons which are sure to terminate ib biir
own advantage, and thus we become blind to ourselved^ or,
as the emphatical language of our Saviour esqpiteBcies ib;
we view the mote in our brother's eye. without cdsisidering tklt
-beam that is in our own. In fact, it is the want of oar tifr|i-
ing our thoughts within, that is the cause of bur. remaining
80 ignorant and deceived with respect to our true ebarab^
ters. Were we to keep in constant review the vain 'add
foolish thoughts which nave so frequently arisen/ and -lite
temptations which we have so oflen suffeted ourselves tq ftdi
into, we should be less liable to censure others for wh^^e
ourselves are guilty of, and it would tend to break down
that sinful vanity wnich will often persuade us that we are
wiser or better than they. . So prone is the huinan heart to
deceive itself, and ao unwilling toae^nowledge the decepticns^
»._
ntmtgi. . Bat MMteitdL #f odbMrimg. otii^A tipitb.% d^ifin to
forai iiieooipwiMn rilAA'iiiM;fitmaomBA^
tegt, if w^ onlijr deftertiutee to vtenr ounM^vvt liy tb« word df
toiilliU:aiid iMMt torlJbe dt cwioH of tbfr h^ly sefbtoMii i«
»:|Mrfadk steadtfd b]! ^n^bkh. we imuttbiirtfliftf^ be |wlg»cb
inpftH imcf: ifatf cmtwmUig!^ Eb^pemnoe^ totifcifteB the Ivrth
fioMhAlM chiorgt^ tl|o«gh {nride i» «tt»iljtee^ tof fldmn^
' Again flin cdnetrei^ ^ I lHiv>e. ifMk>B tti be tMdkMMd, tad
to feel humbled at the consideration, that within tbtaer laifc
ftv;da]rs thalFe aumy tisneiir ofcl Terjil brifiiiigr aeteadions^
nueiit wAjr to weong teiipers^ and ijKduIged m aiofel atigiuv
ThottgK ptritiq!>9> imperceptible to oftb^^ it was ttotleM
btddabe^ and ftened to aMraken tiie bad. pasaioBa of tfaft^sav^
and to create discord and tumnlt, instead of thattpHj^fe tod
•eraaiijr whiob afe aa deiimbte* Wbien X waaa^ dbild» my
M^kbd.temper ased to hveeft:. fortk on; eftery aaorifiae of my
Hill^ aad iiemnied ma disobedieali to »y paKtaAs^. qaaMst
aMM and akduad to c^iwtan^ and iHtaiaiablQ in aU my
MndfacrL Nanr^ to all ott^ioard appearaai^> tli» finsy e^ lay
tompat ia aebdmd^ my angcjr paMiaua bam tocrf; tbat aaf«il^
^faaaytwUchlbey oawabaflt Mrit tb^ettttlarkwotbinbi aaii
ai^ taidjvithea otcasioat catt$ themfoitii^ to iMva Aaiti Ihcf
hava^atdomiaaoii^ ovet mlr^ and can »areiiett ifo td die
iflfttDy ^i iay peMie. If wa wotdd aadteaiTaat ta ^aaotiMiii
tMr aapBA) winafa. leataaiM our e^il: tempem. fiod^bBaokiog
dMm 'mible.aeta^ itmM meiHly ba foaod topvaaaedfom
#MitiJ»^<'idmiaaiixc^t)f levaqr^ alnftj <pa8B)a»>-;aad Miifirom^a
,direaik«fi tfaa laMM^ofaaesiwhfch mi^f aiiaii^ W^iui
limMftuw^ tbat aftheik tba faMraiat is^a^taecmm^ -^-oor
<ipimQii(p) todi-na/'oaii act:wiihoa£ fear of ii^airisg Qtar!afcM>
ipKitnrfvitli thfisa wJMsa eateeak ^q wift.toobtabiwiiia not
oAttt piaciiaed. But birar aeUom do Ire mflecA timt by
iWMh iabcapiion» weannat aia againatbiir hoave^V.Fatbaa
aidi gnc^TO Ua holy Spitit. (Mil tbailr i tseinU fcet atoo^
Atispl^. di^ dnadfol oanaaqiaMQa. of cvfetaUbg a Babig sa
fjaeaik tod lioly. \ hw« ^qs4 caiiasa fi«r InHottbiitaii. wheai I
canaidbrbtfiw tcontititally I am. trti^iipreeMtng bt a csfsaiom^
laaata, aad; daii^ what is eidi in hastdgh/^. Itfay fbia be my
aoaatailtamLferYeatpatitifme to a thsdaa^tf giMe%4>' &eatei«a
tlieveeiitdifirftfl!, ftdd^te MsMatkMltlith'llibiajp^roal^litg^
iii%m38tiflfgiMd %enefl«)itl t«Aecfi^ii^ > i ^
*' Owing/' she Writes, *^ te^ tbe taflde MOiilOMa lit ft
lOfMvkl Qf^Hit habitation^ ttid a i^ttriety isf MiMr ^ib W^
•l8iic)M-lAi«li have tenifed lo didsiM^viy ttditdi andtttt^
Ihottghbr. 1%Hd' I wavd' Bttfl^Md att ks^^ftndt idntmi to pMi;
Mid «btidl9]«r «tag^ 4>f my Mfcf to begins withoM tefcln| ttdftaM
of it, tiiough so calculated to excite ^aiiisdilfeLtioft> ttM t^ «)iH
fW Btiici and faklrfW wl^examilt&tfon. Itt wv^gwiig 'the
e^e^itft of the pafit year, I have teas<»n «d ^sdtaim^lilii g*^^
necm and nierejr hai^ followed me. ^^1^ t6 ^sMjr^havift
been awftilty matched away hjr d«ath') wliiW so naum ffaMi^
Ke» teiTe been deptited tyf their ptteei{Mll «op^ott> it littVft
bad to ttoum over the graves ^ ttiose 11^9 aim 4mt <iffitt
eartyyon^, and by tSieir removal imW blighted ^Aee^MtiMA
p^ts of their fond parents <]iro«igh li<fe> I xTeslve to rMWif
wp&i ^Tftfitude, the preeervatton <of ttky Mdiids atid iMx^
ne!ticM, aAd«hecoii«imianGe of every "MtftUycotttfoit;^^: OM
tliat ^ese tmdeserv^d tti«rciea may nofcbs tnyloagiM'-paiii^
m^ in f[>rj^etfalne0s asfd nnoottoem. 'Afoy tlMy aiwakMmhl
fliy h^art f&elings of dewrat AeaMalittas ix» the <gi«atUi«H
thor- sf Mevery ^>od and 'perfect «ifl| ttvd tta; I Jb» i^tiablsiil
to lAiewforAfAs prsise by a Ufele^^ed 10 iipa servioet
'^ But While I recount these meteies> I wotrhl ttot fb^^
(he ^Hioertain tenure on wUoh f hoM evety Uessin^* i£i^
other year jaay dieprhro ine <)f some eat<My ^tmSm^ or 1 119^
B«1f may be called into aa e«snMd utttte. Ot hxfm nnaak
impoitanM i»ift,tlien^tbatIahoald'SO<lk atiiHteiiistinllMMii
tiiinga which ^an siOM oMippon me ia th» hfa«ir of triatl
Bow earaestly ^ottid I aeelL to f^Ml the <gveat end of my
Mistenn^K, to live to the gfory of Ckidd OhJiaMyilbemy
eMef eonceim, faenoeft)tth> fbr I have too ions nagkdDedH
Mid Kved ^ter the flesh. May the Bpi#it tead ma to Hm
ll^itte mid saving kncwledgeiof Him/wbose i am,«iii«rtiMii
Ml Iboited lo servo/'
^ Tlie tte!it effbrt of her pen WM^ to Mta tha ongsgomoiit*
' of the Christian sabbath. Instead of pursuing winaly; 01*
esleemittg lihe sacred hours ^ 0 wekfinM,^ ishie wtitoa thus
<yf Its oecupationa.
^* liuilt «abbath day i enjoyed ft gMkI prrviie^i^' tvhkli i
triiiit was not thrown away. I heard two exoelleifl ttsWMaf,
pmn f>i» qf Hia ^faitlftd wiustem of the; gfwpd/of Jetus
jChmt. A»:I tev« to peldoo^ of l«^i li^teoed to the truth
ei(;i^i9 in i(eia8i4eU¥eTfidfroiii^ the palmt» they ivere epjoyed
urith a 8«perior relish, a»d I sbaU endeavour (to recall Aowae
iifthe:leadiBeeeii|iiiiMtBd0n^^3^ '. , . ..
.^ft^Theintaiii^ diioo^pe was fomded 43iPon the Ifith
Meieefaf^tileiitxth chapter pf the epistle to; t}ie EpheMiuEis^
S'Eefcet^e aword of the fipurit» which is the word of Go^/
d(r*'R* observed, that the Christian's warfare was a spiritual
.oae*> . Hence the apostle exhorts the followers of Corist to
M* on the whole artnbur of God, and closes his exhortation
hf the words of the text/'
. '♦* He. ceosideredr-Firsl; Why the word of Gpdia com-
piased to it sword ?^^lBt. Because, as the sword of the warvior^
it serves to keep off the distant -attacks of the enemy. ^ The
Christian will often find hunself engaged in this species of
combat by those who dare not come to a closer engage^
inient, but who, by secret insinuations, or artful suspicions,
seek tO' undermine his faith, and make him distrust the pror
iDises-of God. But the word of God is a shield, and a s^re
w^aponifof defence, by which he may put to flight these dis-
tant foes/and , party eff the blo^s which are aiofied from alar.
8dly* As a $word,;it ia a^o effectuajl in close icombat.
When our j«uj^ineeiit8 are called in quej^tion, our £iith cour
diPmned, and the hopie of the^ gospel, in whidi we trusty is
the' subject of contempt and ri^ule, we must^not^nse veiar
liatipn,: hut apply to the word of God for refuge ; ^ad with
its blessed truths c^mibund and' disperse our most* daring
cDeiniesv ; We: have^tbe fsxample.of our blessed Redeemer
tOfteieourage us, iwho,!when he was te^ipted by the great
Hdimsary of eouls/replied always ip the words of the scfip^
|urefi(.ri(3(}ly* > A3 a: siv^rd/ ^e wtord of Ge^ ,is not only a
defeni|ive:lM«t aa'o^cinsi^e weapoii, and is found effectual in
t^ttt^g^down aU our foes. The apostle says, f the word of
Crod is <}«icik; and ipoweflul, and sharper than any twoi
edged;awbnd/ Sec. With this: weapon in our hands, we
mkistrwwr JE^;aii¥lt. all our carnal .and spiritufil enemies, omr
luAts.and passiomt wluioh, rise up affai^st us to disturb our
peace, and especially, when assailed by do.ubt8 and, templar
jtions, which) tMgneati enemy of spula sugge^ti^d, ia order to
•lead us iiirto sin»'r : ^ .. i t \ ,
'"**: Secondly-^ Consider why the. word of God is called the
sword of the Spirit. — Ist. Because it is a spiritual weapon: it
cssmefro^nGoa; or, to use themetaphor^itwassentfromthe
.armonry of heaven, and is die workmanship of God. The
Memoir of Miss Jane Bury* 278
pfToplitfts and apostles were inspired* by thie boly Spiritt
itrhen diey I^TOte, and 'went on their niis«ion^ or the former
eonid not have predicted eyenta which occarred in aucceed-
in^ ages, nor the latter have confirmed their divine corn-^
mission by the miracks which they wrought. The word of
God IS the sword of the Spirit^ because without the influ-
ente of -the divine Spirit, even this heavenly warfare will
becbhie of no effect. * To establish this fact> a reference was
made <o the first missionaries to Greenland; and the South
Seail^tands, whose labours were for many years unsuccess-
iol — ^ough they possessed this spiritual weapon — ^till it was
wielded by the almighty arm of God ; when it became irre-
sistible. It is the same with individuals who sit under the
soimd of the eospel ; they derive no spiritual benefit firom it till
it is blessed by the resistless energy of the holy Spirit. It is
thai that the word of God is powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, for it pierces the conscience; it
lays open &e inward parts; it pierces the stony heart,
and britfgs it to the Saviour: it breaks down the strong
holds of Satan, and brings every tiiought into captivit]^
onto* the obedience* of Christ. 3nd. What is meant by
taking this sword? It implies that we have it in our pos*
session. Christians of the preseiM; day ought to be sensi*
bUs of die blessings they enioy^ in having the word of God
so readily obtained, when they remember that their ances*
tors only enjoyed this privilege by the payment of a very
large sum ; yet so mucn was the Bible valued amon^ the
primitive Christians, that they Would rather have partedwith
the whole of their property, than have given up those per*
tibns'ofth^ scriptures which they possessed. 3rd. To take
tlust sword,' implies also that it i» in use. It will be of no
avail if we have the Bible in our possession, and yet neglect
to^stiidy Its contents. We must bring into constant and
dait^ use, and • endeavomr to store our minds with select
pH^rtiotts of it, which may be profitably applied when occa*-
sion Tequires: for the holy scriptures contain all things
necessary for doctrine, for reproof, fi)r correction, and f^*
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be
perfiecit, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. But we
itiust study theblessed word of God with humility and ear*
nest prayer for the illumination of the holy Spirit, without
which we 'Shall derive no real benefit from it* We must
earnestly seek to be taught of God, that his word may be
made c^ctual to our complete salvation.^'
• The other discourse was from Romans, chap, i. 19.^ The
f^f^^i^ip^^ ^ji^ f^v^\^\^^\ff, tih^ iw9^« 7b^ Jaw ¥^ 1^ iibtr
t^f{X jde^fi^ri^, Xlu^ P^} w^» tbe^ sfivi^ jv^fermoa iq tbf
fpff^e fifim W^^}^^ ^ i^%t' i# ♦^ke*» MHi^ W^*«4», ttte^jurt
di^Wf^ l?|Vf P^ |thi9 few deivmds petr/dc« fi^<)jeQM« Md
)b;e th^t i^ gMJUy i>f ppe ofience^ is li^blA to the pimUtgr
w.aS'^Bc^ 0^3(99^ up-^^-^^u the J^fMi^iof <9o4» H^b^ mtIMI &biiii
^cj^W^ the fp^d^tiaa qf t^ ^orldf .
;2pd* CoiKi4«r |;he Ufe thput he liead^. »8ittMi» aip yaid to
be ^9^ ia ^rei^p^sifQ^ aod fiips^ bujt ithe tfpte %eli#wer ia f^r
ixew^d to a ipiMii^^J lili^ iql Gkmi ^sai9« H0 Uws » life of
pci^^d, T)]H^ ,ia{)a«Ue^ k^ i^ fiftb obs^ipkr <»f ibi« (^i#lfei #ay«b
JS&f^HSii^d ^Jaiiki ^m fiwe ,p«w W(A <fH^4Af(M4eft our
f^4xrfL^Mm§ Chm^. The <7hn«twi ^^li^fr ^ojoya p^Me ^rf
CQ^sciancQ, iimiog iram ^ a^d^b of tbfl p»rdw pf W «iM
ti^r<M:i^l^ ^^ Uo0^ i^ hm^^f 9od k^ -£^9 eo uiwtird Mti AfM«*
ii^ 4H ikying ^ibtai^i^ .tJ»e fipivot^r of <:^« and beiw
s^dopW# lAto hi.^ f^milywwlMeh JA ibo peMe i)i«tt piuMtS
fi^j^a4ftqd»>& wl)i4^ ^e vvc^U ifa^. Millar giye Mf dddt
th^ b^^4» wd^orlMf hy4PTt9>^; Jtit 4biik fmA whi^b^aMM^
icm ib^lie^er; tooWi»d i«fiS<H>d wqrlps, t^ bMa^ne^e aMadbct
i» l^g ^aTf^tetiiop, hut 'th^y f^f^ from a ij^iure yrincipki -of dam
^ Qf)!4, ^pd ^ Mw ^^m >l9 !pii4AQt9 bis il^<»y m ik^ wot U»
li ^ ihii« Ahioyt Al^f^h^4^.'Mra8. J4aU4^ J^y w^<i, wihw ht
f)i;^ed uj^ Itis ^<^ lis^ii^- . I( i9< A^fMf^Ty to >0Wvftt^ Itei
|b« feitJi of 4^h^ telifff^ '» n^ abfv%f&i 4^Q (mm^rr^fwm m
^^ju^sr- cif <Qws^efih-ib^ tki«i doeis pot ^iu^^ his salvMliKio.kM
sure* It is his owAK^owoJiaiioe whi^h jiialifies Ji<tain.luMi
t
i»e0^» ««d 0i 9f>IM^«l»(P»» «tttob 6M Uiii &r ibe .mli«i»tfaioe
^U .lifOi altocb9i4nt to4iiri«ie d»iiiBB» kindly faaiier totoiiti
that charity which fiKtonJU io oib^vf 4fN4iA»to'Of tifceadvaaiiH
iiig0«« Ja ft. AWT^raattoA b«ld ooljr a few w#ek« be&ne Jier
4aatb» ph ^ 2)iopmtf of iduag meastti^s ioir "the bm^^tf
4b^ nfiii^honyhoad into wbkh the fiuoiiy had r^oeiUljr w-
iMv^ ^. WM Qby9oted» ihat, in prodteoof, -a mote k^
mate knowledge of the inbabitents ahwld bo pv^miniif
^^bMinad.* ^Sb^ f?pU^ with i9ome /vf^annth* imA aa if under
a prMMttQirat of e«irly dteao]iitjon» that -ah^ ''did Mit like
iJi^ i(Mi of any tifm bewg loat/' *' Can we »ot/' aaid «bi»
^'fi»dke a 'begwmia^ if it i^ only by the distribatioo of a
f«iw ifaoto ?" ai>d added^ '' tbat ake bad tbougbt ao «aneh of
A fdtti of TiaHing 4be poor, to eonveiaa mtb thmt ft)f ibeii'
Mpd, tba^ £a^ ibo two or tbpoo laat nighte, U b^iA pravantod
Aar firwi^^eapMig.''
tier diKgenoe. aa a iSiwclayHaobool toidM^r was mottt
<eawiplafy I and io aid in iia ongafomaaia* aba a^y and
sf|;i4ar)y . wfdkad^ iroeapaotiva of change ctf '«f atheje* ^a
Ulilafl'on ihaaabbatb AoomiAg^ • <Sha ol4ai»ed the affealMma
n^ 4lit fobildDen^ aind whan vamoyed froia 4ba aceno of tbote
Jbboniw toaana disUmee, ona of ihiwiaaid aba ^wonld any day
mkik Aina milai* *' if it ware only to look at ker^^ a firaa aad
baarly MttBranaa of f aeUng alike <erediiaUa to both pnrtiae.
Jfoi^oan 4to writer HHnii to iH;ate in ibia -oannanion^ tbat 4ita
fytimx of. a iitrtle girlj wkoea efiployjttent fm$ tbat of a gu^
dwtn^ pmianted to Miaa .Bory "a ^Mm ptot^ of .cnrafnl
f^nrii^ in 41 manner ^ffipreaiiYa of f^ituda and ^etoent*
Hnr4retard to the bclyaoriptaae9iie»enpea*eep0eieJrliotu)ci^
Vit vMi oba^roB^n naarnelatiiPn, '' viaible, a«d strongly
jnifkad^ : She wasiraiviaotlylannd readiogtba^bk/wian
^ .wa9 aiq>pQsnd aba bad »&tirad to ratU <&ha alaa faam«>
xaittodJaDgaporliQlMiof k to. nMsinoryt :Tba laat tinm oka
walked to Grosvenoa-aliraet eb9»d»* d»a aoaMnadaed <a eon^
tanMiony by ^oomotanljng -an itboae intor^^twig wdfdfi^ '''If
libaibrath <yf Ood bare move aboMdad tbfoagh my li^* unto
}da ^ory. why yeiaaa I alsq :Me^d m aaiAner ?" She tbw
ajno 9emarkna» *bai the a pistla to 4^Q Roin«M waa n. fa^M^
* MaacfaeHten ...
276 Ifemoir of Miss Jane Bury.
tite part of iiiBpiration^ lade^di %he vHholeof it Wasengra^
ven upon her memory^ and, in compliance "witb request, she
proceeded to repeat several chapters. The manner in
which she discoursed^ the' facility <with which she referred
to Tarious branches of the apostle's argument^ and the clear
view she seelned to hsLte of the wlme ammgenient, dis-
cohered how much it ted been the object of study. She
had proceeded' a considerable way in leaming die' Apoca*
lypse, when death arrested her progress.'^
Miss Bury diligently and punctdaily traversed the neigh-
bourhood of her residence several miles in circumference,
as a collector, for the distribution of the book of Ood. The
excellence of the last entry in her journal; will render any
apology for its introduction needless.
" Having heard it related of a young person, that there
was little ground of hope for her on a dying bed, since she ^
«was not self-dedicated, I have been led to apply the siibr
Sct to myself, and inquire. Am I self-dedicatea unto God?
o I desire to devote my time and talents unto his service?
Alas ! I fear I have too long substituted a form of godliness
ioi its power, and neglected his reasonable service. What
would De my condition, if I were called to give an accotint
of itiy stewardship? Perhaps similar to that of the voting
Yemaie^ whose awful state I heard related in such feeling
ierms. I too, like her, have lived under the sound of the
gofifpel, and, though I have been prevented from mixing in
tho'gaietieis of the world, as she did, has not my heart con«-
tinned in an unconverted state? Have I not remained ex-
perimentally ignorant of the truths of the goSpel> and; ther^
-fore^ been incapable of applying them as a rule of laith and
practice ? Does not my heart continue hard and insetisible
to a iust view of the dreadful consequences of siA, with the
^rath of an offended Ood ? I desire to be thankful that I
am brought to see my need of an atoning sacrifice, and my
«rtter inability to perform any good thing. But I want to
feel more deeply such a hatred of sin, as will make iae abhoi^
that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good, and ren«>
tier me more earnest in my entreaties at the thnme of grace,
far the influence of the holy Spirit, which can alone sub-
due the reigning corruptions of my heart."
Of Miss JSury it may now be remarked; as of the patriarch
Israel : " The time drew nigh that she must die.'- A <dboH
illness only preceded the event. SUe was in usual health,
and a lifeless corpse in five days ; thus furnishing a strik-
ing illustration or the uncertainty and rapid flight of oppor-
MeMah.i^lieMJvneBiiry. S77
iaokiM4 •> topic wttht'vt'lriol^ iiL healthy berxmhod :lnd' been
deeply impreaaed. : ,
' The. aoknmi pmcess of > dbsohition will be best detoribi^d
bv. one of her most intinate aad beloved velatives^-^''' Cooa^
pieteljfv did diyiAe.gfnoe. triumph thsoughottt her last indis^
poeitioii; not ,a nwnrmuri nor an impatient expitestion;
escaped. Though much in pain and weariness, from total
depnratioii of reaf^<f^'waa peace aad tmnqiiiUity ; thankful-
ness and calm serenity presided over her words and actions;
her mind was superior to suffering, and while preacribed
remedies were ineffectually applied, she read^. conversed,
and repeated, with uninterrupted activity.
** On the Saturday before her death, it. was observed to
her, that pain and sickness 'are not joyous, but grievous/
yet if sanctified, they frequently 'yield the peaceable firuits
of righteousness.' She replied, ' I have earnestly prayed
that this affliction might be sanctified, that should I recover,
I may more than ever devote myself to God. You know,
mamma, I have not had much illness, never such an one as
this.' * No, my dear^ Jane, you have not had those severe
paiils and sufferings which many pass through^ and this
calls for thankfulness.' * O yes, I know I ought to be thank-
ful, aiid I hope I am very thankful.'
. * ''On the same Saturday, speaking of the value of pure
water, she remarked, ' what innumerable blessings are held
out in' scripture under that emblem,' and proceeded to repeat
inan^ texts to die. purpose. That night, to the sister who sat
itp tvith her, siinilar observations were made, and she added, ' I
do not t^ink I shall ever get better, but I am not fit to die.'
' ''Being reminded that our fitiieds is of Christ, she quickly
rejoined, ' O yes, I know that; but I mean, I want to have
an assurance that my sins are forgiven me, and I do not
think that without this, it is possible to get above the fear
of death.'
" From several allusions made as to the uncertainty of her
teeov»ry, it shbuU seem she was moire fully aware of the
ganger of her situation, than the too sai^uine friends aroimd
heil*. These allusions did not discover auy. visible emotion,
pfobdbly because, in a season of health,' she had not shrunk
frbm: Ihe frequeniscontemplation of death.^
* >^' Obfiervittg her motfanr's afixiety to relieve her, sfaeiSadd^
wilih an earuestlook, imd peculiar . emphasis — * My dear
mamma, don't; be abxious; put your trust in the Lord, and
he will suppor.t you ; yes, he will.'
. "Being, exljiorted. to look to Jesus for s^vation, her
876 4fatetr.^<AfitfJ^Jfa#.
under heaven by which we can be sared/. Bayfm htlti»m
injr doHvtbatJieiBiaUe'tbinwTDtt? ^i;»o.btMWflBnt I
«MKt) an aasnanoe ifast be k«i paidoaed Idimysins^ Praj^
rndLina.' Hdr reqaaal^wto oqinplitf d wttb,«M) ojbfnui rang^
fi&iogtenie^^iika wonldaay; ^it aoothei'intf/iaid liie hjniui
bogtmring .'•....-
: 'When jidneta and idmenieiaNnida "*
. nriatranblnighoiaB^fcipiy/ '
«eemed mneh to please Iter.
^Su;eeHD the confidienceof faitii
To ti^t his firm decrees. , ^ /♦•
I ' AS'tbe^ ttr Ke passive in his naaflSy "' -
And kaowno will birt hrs/ * ' '
'*lt 18 conjectured, fwnn Jher intenee lobk?^ the. pect^Iiiur
ixianner wliidi accomDanied some of her aotioia^f and thr9.
fearue$tnesj8 with whicn she requested that every biie Jyoql^'
hasten to leave the room* but the eister who wfi9 to. ^i)t up
with }ier^ that she had intended to say something mor^
pointed on the subject of her ^pproacTiing c^iii^ge^ P^o-
pably, tod, ber incneased iHness, and the extreme aefii^iwjy
she had manifested duriiig her indisypjosition XXQ% jto ofiep^
^e feelings of other9» checked the expression pf her. own.
"The tamily had retired to rest^-^out the restlessness o^
death was on ner« and every five minutes some cba^ge i^
her position was made* * Oh 1 that I could isleep ; but np moine
aleep for me*^ I^o eooner was sh^ aware that every one had
quitted the xpom* than she renewed ber xeque^tp^ 'Now
repeat/ A line or two> Or a text, was repeated at intiarvals,
accoi^pwied by entreaties that abe would endeavour to com-
pose herself and cease to think* TCho following lities wer^
jthe^ xecitecU
* There is a land of pure delight,
, Wheiie saiats im^Dort^l ra^l^'
^'In «. hm ttee, «lie •said^ * Wt&jf ftr Me;' I Ao- ffn^jt I
have {prsjfiedi, and i jai0w <faatiny^raiyem.4iiieh«ard*«-*-¥ai^
Jsne,4faDttgh be fifaoidd lend youubraadi ibe :daik^vaUqr>
bewtt be thaneuto pioleiBt yom.' TJie &d Patdm vmibm
repeated ; soon after which iierinotiiier ma^ cal}ed> wbeaahe
askad 9fitb«bflie amciely**^* Bitty mumna/ do fwi think toy
miia ave forgivan ooelV Vim, :mv dear <diild, I koMv Aey
am* . 'duMt oame into the wond to he fliada a aaorifiea
for sin, that all who believe in him 0|igbt liave.f varlastiag
ivk.' ^Yai, mammal but not for me. Ohyi. ap a poor
Ifte wkti^ibeiwarUL &h^ ao* brokei oitt liM fti p)tH;fifr fbf
Ikifeh^ IKT itnrQiir of iiriHokiiiDn^^itttb^dDwwiftv \mi iiMst «did
can coTMBd V iinii|iii8( ^bm Mnftil MteikiM o£ mA an bMfC
It wasinwigud! iMh aevetali tcxiB of wmyturr vttelifi^ to
fekfe^Buch as^ 'I^idi ia tikm gift a€ Q^^* He^fbait b^e«u
eth.oa him Aaik Haver :4ie'-^0Lar^ ^rrc^ia^ faiti^'^O
Lord^. haste tuemyufOTL my fioor -s^aik^ and dG^bhtcMM
^Laihia not bis aabaoieil ivhen I oomai ibto Ay* pmtxkwi
Qhatj he td Ib^ Fathai^aod to« th& Sott^ and t^ the ]io^
Qhostl» A man*
*' McDMMty fedis totaccdl mast ofi wimit paMttd, anly^ iii^lif
Qspressiotia are eommitled to pa/pe^y aa oati ba^ vaHbaUt^
rasEieacibered. Th0« oomnibite ainiggle of di^ath aiNma^ea,
daring "which the tnemy laaa permitted t(»< es^i^cMe hsa' laat
Iiower^aadsararat doobtawace aagge&ted^ apebas^, ^ Ilia IM
ate nov'-^* i hove neglectad it too long/ But m la«a^ tibaii
tCB miniitea aH was agaui eahn, and ifr a lyaarOev of an bomr
ake brealiied her. fidorit into, the haiida of ke» SAtiotBv M
gently^ timtbcr fiimi«lo6ewpus.6caBccaly anaemti
'^ She sfeepa in Jrcaua^ and vre sonrow ao^ aa thosif tvho' Hire
na hope. Wd have planted her remains in die gmra^ in tha
mire axpecAatioo that she sbalt^ thvou|^ the ntierils< of her
Ilede«ncr, spring again: to bhNBilooi> in mmQiKal verdmre.^ >
This event t^ place^ April 126, 1823, m the StMl year of
her age. Its improvement from thepalBUi Aimi4he« addi^
iiaafil einAeixoe df Ae kfkathkBJb^ r egar&ef her aas*oeia^s,
atod cdso of hidk estimalioa by those who, inilhe>achoot. bad
hiceiveil.ha«lLtructians. .
Maooiy obaervelaona^ in addition to Ifeoae tfeead^ notieed;
ataod coinneoted with a lifiB like that befSi^ra us. Wetite
tantght tlm- misatisftctbry natu^ bfi eve» the fDOSt admired
tnH»ai|s«^t&e imponaaoaofi harmig th% alfeetiona re^ukited
oy taehstial; ligkt^^tbat the gvelttev' tbe- degree of iHumi^
nation, the more wiUthey be elevatisd>«0'tbmgf9^BoV^^^«^Ad
that ito proportion aii tbe> fleatifii^ eifcaMatattees'^ earthly
<A9eQt8aoeffealized,:tha anote dfe^ot will be <Mrf^ce^
tion ofilJK glovieaef 'the Sfamoat><md< the attre(otiafiS'6f th(^
invisible state. • r . /
But the remltffbsf mo9t.lBUubara)l^ aasdeiMed vrilli' the pre-
ceding nfiM.li3ec». bear ! upiQn.the: valuie of thiie, add its neht
improvement. It wmsi truly affirined ^f' Mi^df 33ury, that
'Hbeae who knew beir moat intiviMltely, wonld ^d it diffi-
cult to aay^ tln^ in dietctfuraitof ^e^ttuy sIm^ waa^ met seen
290 JkGMWr i^MusJ^Bury.
JA tHBe away, an kbtn"/' Bex -mdefiKfigdjfe ardottrlin. the
pufBciitof kaolnrledge, dkeoverean instibctiTeicfbiiBnrKnee of
Ihe apcwtoUc exhortation^ ^ Be aot cfailcbenmimdeiviand^
ing;" — and attention to thai, eanoonu^t onlviwithpctsBe-
yeringindflfttiy.andatifaabitttaliwtemptien.ofl^^ *
< An eniioent modern writer has snggeirted'hiots^in eonr-
nexion with this subject^ which cannot be too matiunely
weighed. ^'Very early rising*-«a . syatematic tdi^ision^-of
time--«abatinence fVpm reading, writings onwenihinldn^^ on
modem nolitics — and^aboTe, aiU ney^ peimxttiiig: a^.bit or
scrap of .tine to.Ue nhemployedy .h^ye suppliedi aa abun-
dance of literary hours. His literary acc^sitions/' con-
tinues Mr. Butler^ referring as a reministentio his o:*ii'ac-
quir^nents* '' whatever they are, may» perhapis^ be princi-
pally owing to the rigid performance of four rulei^ :*^t6 direct
nis attention to one literary object only at a:tifaieM:o read
the best book upon it, consulting others. as f little* as possi'-
ble— whi&re the stibject was contentions, to tead' the: best
book on each, side — to 'find out men of informational and
when in their sx>ciety, to listen,- not to talk/'f Such intinu^
tions, while peculiarly gratifying to an ardent student; ar^
capable of an^ easy adaptation to the varied eirctoistanc^s
and pursuits of all mankind. Nor should it* bi^ forffotteitv
that, to such a course as this. Bacon, and DoddrMj^c, Watts;
and Miss Smith, with a host of the learned, while benefiting
the public, gave a; zest- to their own existence, wbicU' is
unknown to trifling indolence. . :i!
A Course of activity and labour, it is true, wtll require
vigilant constancy : but' the Christian will anxiously re6oU
lect that for time — ^the most precious talent-^he .must acf
count. He will observe the order of the most High.in crea-
tion; six .days labour, and then rest: nor will it escape
notice, that 'the season for repose,' as expressed in > the
moral law, is deduced from preceding toil; '^ The presen|;
life is designed for action ; the world to come, for the ^tran-
quillity of perfect knowledge and everlasting bliss. : . ' u
Nor has any thing, it may bendded, such a direct ten-
dency to produce acourse like this, as an ever«abtdingopn-
yiction of the uncertainty, as well' as brevity, of our: abode
on earth.
*^ Time is dealt out by partides, and each,
Ere mingled with the streaming sands of life,
By fate's inviolable oath is sworn .
Deep silence, — ^where Eternity begins.'' youko.
* Renuaboences, by C. Bailer;, Esq. Svo. 1822. p. 3.
Horn Jutidke.. 281
What a scene,, obserrea Mis. More» wiUri^|ica';upoii. vs,;
wWd froiBQur eternal state we shall IooIl bji^ck ou.tfae use,
we .have . made oi time ! What a reyolutipn will he wrought
in qui: opiuioiis !, What a contrast will be exhibited, when
we shall take a clear retraspect of all. we have done^.ajid all .
we ought to. have done !*
J. B. W .
. ■
. HORiE JURIDICiE,— No. II.
Oh the Punishfinent of Defamation amongst the Hindus and
Chinese*
Havinq, in a former essay, travelled the route to which'
Mr. Holt's introductory chapter may be considered a mere,
road-book directory, — the whole of his observations upon,
the.Jewish, Persian, and Lydian codes, being comprised,
in about fourteen lines, — now we must^ for a while, part
company, ^d strike into a new and unfrequented, path,,
which we are not aware that the footsteps of any legal,
antiquary has yet trodden, in his endeavours to trape the
histoj^y of the Law of label and Defamation from remote,
ages to the present time, and to point out the different fea-:
tures which it has assumed, according to the circumstances
of different ages and nations of the world. We allwle to
the laws of some of the Oriental nations, with which, though'
of far higher- antiquity than any whose provisions, are still
extant, our acquaintance is comparatively of modern date.
The first of these is the code of Menu, the great fountain
of Hindu law, believed by the eastern pundits to have been
immediately revealed by Brahma to his son, whose name it
bears ; and which is beyond all doubt one of the most
ancient of the writings that we possess. And amidst all the
gross and ludicrous absurdity of the rites which it so mi-
nutely prescribes, and the singular and most unequal punish*
ments which it inflicts, that code contains many very sound
principles of morality, and several provisions well calculated
to promote the happiness of individuals, and to preserve the
peace of society. Amongst these are various enactinents
against defamation, but they are so strangely mingjed with
precise directions, to shun with equal care, m oblations to
the gods, a housebreaker — a giver of poison — a seller of the
moon-plant — a navigator of the ocean — a political encomiast,
an oilman, and a sul^omer of p^jury ;-Tto, avoid looking
* ChristUui Moralf, Works, vol. ily* p..iai. .
2Gfi^ Bow JutUScar.
at ^o^Y Mfe'lHtfle i^e in etttiitg, sneezmg; 6rTttwt3i^-^mid(
(MMr offeMeB of like prodigtotis enormity; Wnitli trraf titSg^
att' Hbidti ittto om^sma-^twenty mccessftre Hefts', or catfse his:
i«-^pe«nizice' Mon* ettrib m the slmpe' of 6ae-^tid«-twetity
JilTefettt beoitsi m tnm to dterotir atntJ to be diftycrtirfecf-^that'
it has g^ven us no small trouble to ascertfdirtheiftiattife ^flrd"
extetit. ' . .
One of the general directions of their legislator to the
Brahmins for tbd gmerniiieiit off fbeit coiidiMll^ in the fourth
section of this singular eode, bearing for its title " On
EhonQVlkui %xA Pmata MflNrtiia^'' in^ (addieHifagi tbemvimdi-
vidually) ''Let him keep in9ub|eetion his speech, his arm,
apd Jiis appetite ;"-^whence we may infer, that the injuriesr
occa»?onid liy a tregltect of either of these ditedSorts to fiJi
creatures;, more especially to. hiB immediate prfe^ts; Wis^
contrd^red^ equaTIv culj^able in the eye of Brahma. But
tfcat tboser wountls which might be inflicted upon the.
happiness' of individuals and the peace of society: by not'
attending to the first of these ptecepts, M'fere distinctly;
dohtemprated by the compiler of this codfe, whoever he
may hatia leien. Is' ertill more evident, from an express;
direction in: a pteceding- part of tMk very chapter.* -^^^ tetf
him say what is true, but let hnn* say what ib. plea^SirL
fet hha speak no disagreeable trutihf, nor let him spe^
dfeagreeabPe falffehood.^ Arid would the Kbeflers of >iio-*
dbm dtiys^but teep thts " primaf rufe of the Hitidii law***
in^ (heir constant' remembrance, they need nof ffear the ea?-
o/ffwo iW&rmatibns of the attbmey-gfeneral; noractions upon
me case fbr damages su^tainea m consequence of their
dtftmfng any bf hi's majesty's Rege and peatefuj subj'ects,'
of •• goocf name, feme, and ^eptitation.*^ '• let' him iiot,'*
sayff 3ie code of Menu to every Bhihman, as 'the doinmon*
and statute Ikw^ of England in fact say to cvety Kfceller, *' be
flippant in his speech, nor ihtelKgent in doing mi&cfiief.'
Let htm walk in the path of good men ; \vfiife he moves in
that path, he can give no oflferice."^ fti diib* system of
Hittdu law, the duty of brfdKnff the tongue,, and abstaining
from dfefitmation; or speaking; ill of anothor, is gtrongfy in-
^ntcuted upon all' classes and conditions of men.. To the^
jrnpfl ft says; *^ In whatever place, elthefr a ttrue but cetiso-
rious'^, or false and defamatory discourse, is held' concerning
Ms teatjher; let him there cover Ms ears, or remove to
anollier place. By censuring his preceptor^ though j,ustly *
lie wHl be born an ass ; by mUeFy defaming him, a dog.f^
* §. 138. ' ' fib, V. nr, a. X CBap. ii. %. 200, 201.
Hora Juridica. 263^
To Ae king himself it addresses this admonition : *' Bat-<
tery, defamation, and injury to property, let him alwaysf
eonsider the three most heinous (vices) in the set which
arises from wrath;"* whilst the very Brahmins, whom the
code of the son of their supreme god ranks far above kinga
and princes, are exhorted, when they have retired from its
active scenes, to prepare for their final departure from this
world, to ''bear a reproachful word with patience," and to
*' speak reproachfully to no man."t '
Such are tiie precepts of Menu ; but as his laws havo
declared pwmkment to be the perfection .of justice, in the
opinion of the wise, we cannot but devote a few minutes o£
our titn^, to those punishoients which he has provided for
the prevention of slander, which, coupled with assault, con-
stitutes the eleventh and twelfth of the eighteen principal
titles of the Hindu code of legislation. These pusiishments
dtflfer, as in. the code of sucn a people we must naturally
expect diey would do, accordmg to the rank or caste of the-
Serson defaming, and of the person defamed. A soldlelr'
e&ming a priest, is to be fined a hundted punas ; a priest
slandering a soldier, five hundred; whilst the punishment
of mutual abuse by men of these classes^ is td be at the
discretion of this king, ** the lowest on the priest, and the*
middlemost on the soldier;" A merchant abusing a priest,
is to be fined an hundred and fifty, ot two hundred panas ;
but being slandered in return, is to receive but twenty-five.
For slandeHn^ a man of the servile class, a priest is con-
demned to a mie of twelve panas ; but should ne, in his tum^
give a similar license to his tongue, ^' as a once bom man,'
who insults th^ twice bom" with gross invectives, let
him," says the righteous Menu, '* have his tongue slit; for
he is sprang firom the lowest part of Brahma ;" a sufficient
reason in his estimation for a punishment, which, unlike'
most others, that may be commuted, is declared to be •• a-
fixed rule." But this is not the worst. If he mentiona
iheir naihes and classes with contumely, as if he say, ' Oh^
Devadatta, thou refuse of Brfaihmins, ' an iron style, ten fin-
g€frs long, shall be thhist red-hot into his mouth. Shotild
fie, through pride,* gjive instructions to priests, concerning
their Juty,— *• let the king," says Menu, •* order sonkehotpu
to be dlropped into his mouth and his ear." Defamation of a
flither, a mother, a son, or a preceptor, is subiected to a fin^
of. an hxaidred panas : whilst A« is compelled to pay double
that sum ''who falsely decries, through msolence, the saor^d
* €hap. vu. § 51 . t Chap, viii* (332.
VOL. VIII. — NO. &. X
294. Hoia JuridiC0.
knowledge^ the country; the cWt; or the corporeal tnv»8tr«»
tare of a maa equal iii raak*' with himself. Fake and ma*
lignaat imputations upon the chastity of an umnarried
female^ are also fineable in an hundred panas, provided the
person who makes them cannot prove the truth of hit asser*.
tion.* In this case, the truth of the charge would seem to
be a sufficient defence of the party accused of making it ;
but it is the only one discoverable in the whole of the Hindu-
code, and a subsequent part of the law of defamation, as>
there laid down, clearly proves, that the contrary doctrine of
truth itself being in some cases a libel, is by no means,
peculiar to the age or country in which we live, ** If a man
call another blind with one eye," say the laws of the son of
Brahma, ** or lame, or defective in any similar way, he shall
pay the small fine of one pana, even thousth he $peak truth.^\
And this provision is the more remarkable, in that these
Uttmishes^ so far from being considered, as among us, mis-
fortunes to be commiserated, are expressly declared in this
very cod^, to be marks of Divine vengeance for crimes com->
mitted in that previous state of mortal existence^ from which
tl^ose who bear them mast have transmigrated.
'f Such iptthe law," declared by Menu, ''for the punish-
ment of defamatory .i^eech."t *hat this was considered a.
very serious offence,* the severity of its punishment, when
compared with that of crimes which have generally been
held to assume a much blacker dye, is in itself sufficient. to
evince. But the rank which it held in the scale of offences
proscribediby this singular code, is a matter not left to mere
deduction, since we find it expressly classed with those
which it is ihs Jirst duty of a sovereign to banish from his.
empire. ** That kipg," s^ys the Hindu legislator, '' in whose^
realm, lives no thief« no adulterer, no <2e/*ai7ier, no man guilty,
of atrocious violence, and no committer of assaults, attains-
the miinsions oif Sacra. By suppressing these five in his-
dominions, he gains royalty paramount oyer men of the same
kingly .rank, and spreads his fame through the world.":^.
*' In all cases of violence, of theft and adultery, ofdefama*
Abu. and assault^" th^ kiug^ says a previous. section of the.
same. chapter of the institutes, § '' must not examine too
minutely the competence of witnesses*"
^ It cannot, we should imagine, but strike the mind of evecyr
attentive reader of the preceding statement,.as a somewhs^
singular circumstance, that these legal provisions for the.
* Chap. Tii. i »86. t Chap. viiL ^ 20i«-5»:8. I lb.. §380, 7v
hV>' % 72.
preyjeation and punisbin^nt of slander, which' h&ve niore o£
the characteristics of a systematic arrangement* than ihose.
of any other of the ancient nations, should be found in the
legiskitiTe enactments of a people, amongst whom we should
be least disposed to lopk for them. Difficult, however, as
it may at first sight appear, this problem may perhaps easily
be solved ; at least, a few hints shall be offered for its solu*
tion. 1% is self-evident, that this code of Indian law, what-*
eyer xnuy have been the period of its composition, or the
name of its author, must nave been the work of a priest, or,
more probably, the joint production of a body of men of the
sa^rdotal order. It was, thei^fore, their principal object to;
secnre t^eir own aggmndiseiQjent,andtooDtainanunumited
dcnmnioti over the coi\Sieieaces>aiid conduct of men,.by im**
pressing their minds ^ with' blind.. veneration, for ihe com^
mandsof the superiondeity, whom they artfnlly represented
as the immediate SAthof of the code which they promul-
Sated in his qamew The unlettered. and superstitious Htur
us were accordingly toldji in* the name of Menu, the son of
Brahma, dieir god, that ^^ a Brahmin, whether learned or-
S' pprant, is a powevfliiL divinity, even as fire is a pomrerful
ivipil^, whether, aowecrated' or popular* Thus, although
Brahmins empb^ themsekes in ill. sorts of mean occupa-
tions^ they must myariably be honoured ; for they are some'-
thing transeendentfy divine.*** Hence, the ecclesiastical im-.
munity, that sure test for the discovery of unhallowed
priestcraft in the composition of human laws : *' Never shall
the king slay a Brahmin, though convicted of all possible
crimes ; — let him banish him from his realm, but witn all hi»
property secure and his body unhurt/'f It CQuId only have
been in an age of gross siliperstition and ignorance, that
claims like these cocdd have- oeen successfully advanced; —
but then, the priests by whom they were advanced, as in the
instance of the pop^and monks of the, dark ages of Europe^
must have.possessed a cunning and foresight perfectly cou"*
sistent with a degree of learning and information very limited
in its extent, though powerfi^l in its operation, from its ex-
clusive and zealous demotion to one ^r^d object of personal
and self-ittterjssted ambition^. Whilst therefore uiey en*
deavaured, by .eyeiy possible means, to prevent the general
difiusion of knowl^ge, which must, they knew, be destruc*
tive of their influence, they sought in some measure to arm
^mselves against its effects, by imposing, in anticipation,
the severest penalties oi| those who snould presmne tOhapply
f Chap. ix. S 317, 319. f CbM»« ^« ( 890.
286 Hortt Juridiva.
lit to expose' llie impudent of their pretensinns^ whiehr
they would readily interpret into ft defumation of their sacred
ohara<^ters, and» m their persons, a most outrageous insult
to the majesty of heaven. Hence then were the iron style,
the boiling oil, and the slitting of the tongue, prepared for
those who spoke with contumely of a priest, or presumed to
instruct him in any part of his duty, in other words, who
should Tenture to say or wrtlte any thing either of him or
Us office, which was not j^erfectly agreeable ta his own ftot-
ings. They were, however, folly aware of the importance Of
securing ihe* protection of that powerful class, who, by fol**
lowinflT the profession of arms, would at al) times rendei^
their favour desirable, and t&eiY enmity much to be dreaded.
Whilisi, therefore, thtey protected themselves as effeetoiG^
as they could agauist a power which they feared, by super-
addti^ to the general terM>rs of a future punishment, most
liberally denounced agiMotM; the oppressors and despisers of
^e priests of Brahma, an express provision tiiat — ''of «
military man, who raises his arm vtoieiitly on aHoccasionsr
against the priestly class, tb& priest himstlf shall be the
ehastteeff,^^-4bhe]r military pHde wa» flaltercKl by^eir bek^
nlai&ed, 4(hougb at « suflScfendy respectfur distftik^cf, the nex€
m rank to the superiors of kings, the divinities of this
tovi^er world. Last of tiie'ilitee twice'-born classes, ih^
rights of the merehants received from thiB priestly code
ihe- degree of protection necessary to enable* them to procure
those riches, upon which the wtats of the- Brahmins would
alwayahave the first* and the most sacred clakns. 'fhei^
ehamcters were, therefore, protected f^om defcmatioi> by the*
inferior castes, by the same ptintshment as wa9 to protectthe
seldiery from l^e license which the populace ttdght otherMifise
gtveta their tongues, by way of revenging' themselves for that
mfifepiority, which, in spite of Ih^ir systematic tilainibg to bear
itmth patience, as^ an irr^ver^ble decree of heaveh, they
could not but flBet to-be irksiottie and d^gi^ding. As they
wei«'ffNr tfiftriot, bowel^r, boUi itl i^nk and impottm6e, to t^
nfiiitBlty^ they went smbjetted^toa dbtbl^fine tbt abusit^ tt
ftmbd^il;^a^ ts t&e pi^e^ts Wei<e ittfiihvtely lesii litttibus t^
sedut# Aieir ^od win; tHey reserved to th^sm6el¥es a rigftf
io abUAe^^emi whe^^tierth^ehotiM' imfL^tf, 'otipkymtot of
)i«lM more^^thiati tWi^^ tUk* 4i^ in^l^bh ihey>%^^ by taW
MUlre&d fbs d<lfMitegorf^^^A4i'lM¥^« dad^^Si but Which
^a^P Uk ^\mi^fiT^'M% ^ tfi% litfitiiArf <iMI^. .TbtiA did &e
precautiosaiBtakitn b;^ thf se ecclsHiBi$tiea) kgifiliitofs, to pre-
Hora JMrkUcte, -267
»
•^ent the exposure of their own sdf^interested views, their
-vices,' their follies, and their embition, become Ae jaeuui of
4iitrodueiiig into the code of laws which they premulgated,
ftpfobibttionof defiunijtioQ.faraiore geneml in its objecte,
«ttore precise in its definitions, and more severe in its panish-^
4nent8, than any of ancient date, whose provisions have sur-
vived the wreck of aees, cutd veiy probabljr of any that ever
^faad existence. As uie fire,. which was tiveir favourite sym*-
bol, and in some measure an object of .their worship, if not
property confined, will consume in its fiiry every tning op^
posed to its destructive ravages^ they knew that a ctisposi^-
tion toecandal and defamatioa, if not checked on its very
fivst appearance, would in time treat witii but little reve^
^nce the sanctum iandarum of ihe ]»iestly character.
• The revolution of fifteen hundred years will introduce
gBeat alterations into the habits, manners, and opinions, of a
people, even as blindly attached to the tenets and cnstoma
of their forefathers as are the natione of Hindostui. The
{progress of improvement, by* the eecret extension of more
iberal notions, must, with such a lace of beings, be too
slow and eilent to be traced ; yet its (effects may be evident^
where Hscauses are enveloped iii uncertainty. That auch
an improvement has taken place, we may easily satisfy our-
selves, by Teforring to the code of Oentoo have, compiled
firatn thsji of Menu- md nineteen other more modem t^reav
tiee^ ef the Hinfdn lawycrrs, by the most celebrated pan*-
dite of the Bast, by oMer of Warren Hastily, when govern
aor^eneral'of India, ^nd tranalated into E^ish.imdir hie
direetAO«,c by > that learned 'btfteceeatrtc writer, Jisufimnssey
itttlhed>. . We ishalLtherefiiid, that the gmsaidieprc^rtioB
tliU suffered to <ejcist in the ipunishmest^' of defamaiioo^ 4U>
cording' to the .rank orcasie of the ^MBieons dctfamed and
defaming, is eempairiitivetv >4nit littte iiiflu^noed by Hheir
belonging to the saaerdotel e^derv provided tfiey areonem*
bers of one of. the Uiree principal aii^' only tiieocTOnlda
idMses^^lhe. priestly ,» the ttvimary , cind the mereaatile. For
sewli is^the nlttunil tendeneyef cMiiaien^'taidlevate in tha
futii^ «f 'secie^; thoi^e wSio,« by: aunoesefiilly eiigvgiiu^^ ih its
pursuits, >ac(|uiite*iisbeB tend* ififliieoce, llmt % metonast is
voifar4r<sm JMing plaoedi inthe ecaie of punidoia^for de*
faming die cbavaoteref a piveat,' neady on «I letel with Ji
«oodah,>or4nfm. of the servile eiAte; that llMittfcipIiaEe,ef
csmirfi%'a'9ed^i9titoni«iiQtO' Ihe mmith'Of^ttfe defamenre*
8emdbyMea«ilbrtbefei^r,iorp9^ instraetor
bf: :4lNi JiraftauMts^^fS % the ^ter inet&iitf s of: the ; Hindu
268 Hcr€R Juridke.
law^ indifferently awarded to the aUnderer of either of the
other aupeiior castes, with the further pumabmeat of the
.entire loss of the tongae, where the <»limmy excites: a soa^
.picion of the persoii»of whom it is propagated^ hara^been
guilty of either of the offences in the three. principal classes
of scandalous crimes. Those crimes are specified with a
dcj^ee of heterogeneous preciseness, which would force a
-smile from the most rigid stoic, in the fit'st section of the
chapter of the code, (or digest, for that would haye been a
far more appropriate appellation) of the Gentoo laws, which
bears for its title, ''Of scandalous and bitter expressions,'*
f. e* such expressions as it is a crime to utter. Here we
have three distinctions of the crinie of false accusation,
strangely jumbling together in the same class of moral guilt.
Incest, and robbins a Brahmin; murdering a friend, and
eating the Victuals of a washerwoman's caste ; killing a woman,
and uUing a cow ; injuring a Brahmin and striking a man
where schoolboys, whilst flogging was in fashion, occasion-
ally fdt the rod. For using any expression, in consequence
of which a man beccmies suspected of either of these crimes,
particular punishments are provided and apportioned with
great nicety to the particular offence of which he may be sus*
pected, and the caste and abilities of the accuser and the
accused ; persons slandering their inferiors in both these
respects, bein^ most righteously fined in but half the
penalty in which a man abusing his equal is amerced,
and only in one fourth of that levied upon those who
falsely cause their superiors to be suspected of any of those
enormous offences, it is a curiofus circumstance, however,
and one we should least expect to meet with in an oriental
code of laws, that the fine for falsely accusing a woman of
any of these crimes, or causing her to be suspected of them,
is visited .by the highest pecuniary punishment which the
law inflicts in^ cases of di^unation. In this, as in all its
enactments, the digest of the Hindu law of libel, or, more
technically sneaking, of defeunation, [carries wil^ it evident
ttarks of moaem arrangement, and reduction to a systema-
tic form; which, however opposed to justice and tiie prin-
ciples of sound reason, is perfectly consistent with itself,
mid complefo in all its parts. Thus the fine originally
directed ny Menu to be imposed upon those who should
reproach persons disfigured, by being deficient in certain
limbs, or in any of the sensual organs, or possessing them
inl>ut an imperfect state, is expressly extended to these,
who by ironical praise give additional keenness .to the wound
Hora JuritUca. 269
they seek to inflict. Thus, too» a fine is imposod u jpon those
who malicioasly attempt to undervalue the skill of aaofJber
ia.his urofession or calling* thougb measured by the singO)^
lar graoation of giiilt which we have already noticed. In
the same spirit of a more regular jurisprudence, it is pro*
yided, that "if a man speaks reproachfully of any country,
the magistrates shall fine, him two hundred puns of cow*
ries;" that where two persons mutually abuse or utter false
accusations i^ainst each other, the magistrate shall take an
equal fine from both parties ; and that if a man should have
spoken reproachfully of another, or should hare abused him»
and afterwards says, ** I spoke inconsiderately, or in a jest^
and I will not utter such expressions in future," themagistrats
shall take from him half the fine that had been specified foe
such fault. It is not, therefore, in the principle,. but in the
mode of punishing the crime of defamation, that the Hindu
law has experienced that change, which is always attendant
upon a general improvement in the habits and manners of a
nation, however slow may be its movements.. It does not
appear to be less criminal in the modern digest, of the Gen-
too laws, than it does in the more ancient code of Menu:
but the punishment is more systematically apportioned,
and adapted to the existin(f state of society, amongst the
singular people whose conduct it is meant to regulate. In
some respects that punishment is considerably aggravated,
by the imposition of additional pains and inconYeuienoes on
those who shall be found guilty, or even accused iof slandering
another/ They are forbidden, for instance^. to appear. by
vakeel, or attorney, but are compelled to make aMwer in
person, and that trntatUer, to the accusation preferred against
them; — being placed in this respect on a level with mur«
derer8» robbers, adulterers, and some others, whose offencea
we shall not name. If convicted, they are also rendered
incapable of becoming witnesses, as much ajs arxnan who bad
committed murder, Uieft, adultery^ and other crimes deemed
infamous in the eye of the law.
From the laws of Hindostan, we are naturally led to make
a few remarks upon those of China. What were the ancient
provisieos ,of this singular race, who seem .to be asitwiere
Eerfect aborigines in all their habits and. institutiQniB, wis
ave no means of ascertaining, though- there can be Utile
doubt but that with a people holding in such profound reve-
reikce' the opinions and customs, of their forefathers, -the
spirit of ^those provisions is very de^ly infused into, tba
more modem of their l^i^lative enactments* The " Tsing
390 Horm^ Jikridka.
Lea le^/' or pent! laoidd of China, for a trtirtltftioti of which
we aie indeht^ to( the learning and ettraordifiiary perse*
Yeratiee of Sir George Staunton, has a hook of one of ita
divisions,"* entirely <kYOted \x> the laws against abaatTe lan-i*
guage : and we are informed in one of the tmnsiator's notes^
tkat it is ohserved in the Chinese eommentaty, ** that aba-
site and insalting lflttg«ia|e, having naturally a tendency
to produce quarrels and afirays, this book of the laws is
expressly provided for its prevention and puniabnient/'
(p. 354.) And it is worthy of remark^ thatthe pij^ishinent
so provided, being entirety of a corporal nature, can have
beeQ awarded upon ho other ground than that of the injury
which the indnlgence of that propensity is Ukely to occasion
to the public peace ; the very principle upon which out own
law proceeds, in authorising private individuals, when slan**
dered by others^ to procera by way of indictment at the
suit of the king, for the breach of the peace, of which hfe is
the legal guardian, whenever they Uitnk proper to'wavii their
claim for pecuniary compensation for the injtiry they them-
selves may have sustained from the promulgation of the scan-
dal complained ^f. ''In ordinary cases,- says the section
of the uhiiiese laws ^hich bears for its title, 'On abusive
language between equals,* '' all persons guUty of employing
abusive language shall be Kabte to a pmiishment of ten
bloivs; and persons abusing each other, shall be punished
wil^ tenblowB respectively/' In the case of abuseaddressed
to an officer of igovemment^ civil or military, ^r to a magis-
trate> thQ punishment is increased to 6itty,'seventy> or one
hundred fold, according to'tfae rankihe oeonpies ; whilst th^
officers of the tribunals themselves tr e subject lo a fiiae of
from tiiiiiy'to sixty blows ^ for abasing each other, sud of
from fifty to- eighty for abusing their president, when in
the discharge of their reiip^ctive duties. Shiti^ aiJd faired
servants addressing abusive language to their masters' rela-
tions/are liable to a ptmii^fament of frdta forty to <»ie'httti-
dred blows, according to the degree <rf relaticnship. The
piinisbiaent of the' 8lave-is,in all cases, heavier; however, by
twenty blows than that of the servant; and to llie eighty
wluoh he is to ^receive for abusing his master's rdalions in
the first degree, is added two years' banishiaent,-^ pu-
nishment inlioted upon tihe servant but in the Instance of
his abusing his master; an ofibnce which the poor slave
is condemned by law to expiate wiA - bis life, '' I^ being
strangled at the usual period." The abaiie of one reltticii
* Book iv. dir. 0.
i'
by;aiiother, is also prohibited trnder pemity of a gwritotfam
of blows, regulated with the preetsion which diatniq^ttisbet
%he Chinese punii^bineiits, by the degree of affinity iieiweeii
the parties, provided the pei-son abused is himself jkhe cen-
plainant. The child, gratidchlld^ or wife, w4io shall address
abusive kingQage to a parent,--^ paternal ffitendiather or
giundinother, or tolbose of the husband, — ** uiall," says- the
Chinese code, '' in every case suffer death; provided always,''
adds> however, this singular law, ** that the persons abused
themselves complain thereof to the magistrates, atid had
themselves heanl the abusive language which has been
addressed to* them/' It is, we should imagine, to this,
and the other more severe enactments of the i^e, where, on
account of the particular relation in whieb the o^QKnkleifimi^
stand to him, the mere verbal abuse of another is ravs^ into
a capital offence, that Sir George Staunton refevsl in the'uote;,
in wnich he says, ** It is not, however, to be supposed, that
laws of this nature are often ver^ strictly enforced," (p. 356,)
!Por the credit of humanity, it is to be hoped th^y are not;
but in the laws of China, as, it is painful to add, is but too
much the case in our own, the sentence of death is but a
bugbear, which the yery offenders, upon whom itis-fchrmere
form's sake pronounced, know may be commuted for a cer-
tain number of blows with the bamboo, or by th6 payment
of so many ounces, and decimals of an ounce, of silver ; 'as
with us it is changed into a certain qttantum of imprisonment,
and, in the more atrocious cases', into a given period of
transportation. The requisition, that ihordertoMnViot'a
person of defiim'ation,' it is netessary that thef individual
defamed shotild himself hayfeli^ard the slander; ii^ not 'pecu*-
liar to the section of the Chinese law on abusive languam,
from which weliave a noted it; but applies equally ta^U tiie
oth^s, excepting, as it would seem, (for even here' the pbint
is somewhat doubtful,) to the ordinary cases. ' Tlis is an
addttioncU confirmation of lihe position bcffore'tfdtanced,
that the'Chinese consider deftim^tion to li& U; publib 'njury,
from its tendency to produce quarrels, ill-wSll, and* i cohse-
queftt breach 6( the peace. Whether,tbeir ci vilibtftitutions
give any piecuniary comp^Mationf for the injury si^dlaSnedlby
the individual whose reputation may* have he4n unwarirant-
ably attacked; we have no means of satisfting outsehres ;— ^but
eertairi it is, ihat the penal sanctions of their laws are no hx
ftt)m acting upon this principle, that to wcyer nuita wbus the
asaemblv in whos^ hes^ring the slander majr hliveleeii pro-
Hdunctid/it is never visited by any puiliftbment> at' least in
292 The, Standafd of Ta$U :
tkose cases in whiefa it is aggravs^ted by the rank or relation
of the person de&mod^ unless^ from having heard it himself>
he mignty in the heat of passion, have been tempted to become
the avenger of his own wrongs. The peculiar severity of these
pooishments may be referred to the genius of the govern-
menty and the people^ whose laws and manners were alike
moulded on the patriarchal plan, with the. addition of su0h
stretches of an arbitrary power, as a military government
wo^ld impose upon an abiect people, — and which accord-
ingly impreraed upon children Uie most submissive respect
for their parents, — ^upon wives the most absolute obedience
to their husbands, upon servants an entire dependence on
the, will of their masters; and upon aU, an habitual reverence
forthe emperofy as the gr^iat parent of the state. Still the
object was the public goodrwithout any reference to a repa-
ration for th(& private wrong. /8.
" On the Standard of TasteJ" An Essay intended to compete
for a Prize, given by the university of Glasgow. By the
late William Friend Dueant. Part IL
If the. procQS^ of generalization already described, wer^
wholly unchedked by any corrective influence, the conse-
quences would certainly be inconvenient, and would, per-
haps, be fiktal to the interests of our species. Objects so
numerous, are connected by points of individual resemblance;
and indeed, analogies so numberless are discovered by the
ingenuity, or invented by the fancy, of mankind, that it th^
principle to which we have adverted were employed without
restriction in the classification of objects, the vocabulary of
man would soon be contracted within a very narrow com*
pass, and yet each part of it would be filled with ambiguity
and confusion. It seems, then, evident that some counter-
acting power is in opeiatiop, to restrain, or rather to subdue^
that which is exerted in a contrary direction. "Nov need we
go fas .to (discover the obstacle which serves, eptirely to
prevent the progress of generalization. , When a word is^ im
ordinary Ifinguage, eitlwr metaphorically, or transitively,
applied to objects which have.no projperty in common, one
of two resi4ts necessarily follows. If the inqonyenienpe of
ambiguity be so apparent as. to preps itself on the attention
of mankind, some attempt is immediittely made to remove
it. The most, obvious, and the most ordinary remedy,. ii^
the inventioii .of a, new word to designate the one d^ (u
objects i^ and the appropriation to the o^^er, qf ;that which
An Essay, by W. F. Durant. 293
was once indiscriminately applied to either. In otk»cases>
however, little inconvenience arises from the double meaning
of the word : those different ideas which are designated by
the same* arbitrary sign, are so widely removed from each
other, and so rarely found in a state of proximity, that the
connexion of the term is almost always su£Bcient to indicate
its real meaning, and to preclude the possibility of miscon^
Btmction.
Thus, no new term is invented, because the danger of
ambiguity is not apoarent : the ends of language are, on the
whole, answered, ana no great solicitude is experienced about
the symmetry of its several parts. This one word, however,
is not at any one time so used as to include objects essen-
tially distinct from each other. It may here designate one
class of ideas, and in another place it may be the sign of ideas
totally different : but it cannot, in the same connexion, and
at the same time, stand to denote things which have in
common nothing but their name. To the substance of this
statement, I should not have imagined that any objection
could have been offered.
Mr. Stewart has, however, noticed what he conceives to be
a different procedure, and conducted on different principles.
I shall quote his own words ; both because I do not feel my*
self qualified to do justice to his reasonings, and because the
Eassage I am about to cite, states, vrith great simplicity and
eauty, some of the facts to which I have just alluded. ^' I shall
only add at present on thispreliminary topic,'' says this elegant
.and ingenious philosopher, " that according to the different
degrees of intimacy and of strength, in the associations on
which the transitions of language are founded, very different
effects may be expected to arise. Where the association
•is slight and casual, the several meaninss will remain dis-
tinct from each other ; and will often, m process of time,
assume the appearance of capricious varieties iti the use of
the same arbitrary sign. Where the transition is so natural
and habhual as to become virtually indissoluble, the transi-
tive meanings will coalesce into one complex conception ;
and every new transition will become a more comprehensive
generalization of the t^rm in question.^'* The. reader will
be good enough to .keep in mind that illustration whidi I
quoted in the preceding, part.of this essay^ and by means- of
which Mr. Stewart professes that he has been " attetnptihg
to conyey'' his ideas on this subject. On referring to that
iUuBtratidn, it does most evidently appear that the different
* Stewart's Pliil, Esiaysi part ii. esf ay it cbap. 1.
294 The Standard of Taste :
objecti c( the series have no common property, and no
miktuali relation. True it is, tliat a and c have a mutaal
relation-to B««^B>and.D, to €*— c ands, to d : but it is equally
true, that the extremes of the series are totally disoonisecled
from each other, and from s(Mne of its intermediate portions.
Jifot only have they no common property, but they have not
-even that stenderor bond of nnion, which a mutual i^htion
would supply; because the very force of the iUmtration
depends 4!>n the eircrnnstance that the concatenation of the
aeries ^oes not imply connedlion between any two of its
parts, where they are sepamted by the intervention of a
third. Mr. Stewart has in this very passage assured us, that
^Vwhereithe asssociatioii is slight and casual, the several
»eanitige!wiU^remiaia'distinctfrom each other ;'^ and, there-
lore, may. w« not concladey^ybneiort, that the same effects
wiU arise where there is no association at all ? Yet on what»
let meask^^caa an association be founded, where there is no
property in common between the objects associated, and
mrhere they are not mutually related to any other object?
I am fully aware of the answer which may be given to an
ar^mmeBt like that which has just been urged.
. Mr^ Stewcirt, it will be said, is enga^d in coipbatingt the
supposition, that ^ common name implies a common qiwlity
to the several objects to which that name is applied. To
shew the incorrectness of this liypothesis, he professes his
int^tioato '^select afew^of the cases in which the.pri«ci*
plenow iuiqcrestion appreais most pbvloosly and ,cmnpletely
to fikil :''* and^ in pursiaanoe ci the plan he has laid down,
addnces as a sin^Jacty il|ustfattve of what iie concerns to
bea^generaltruUi, the tsase to which you hawe^jtistislllttded.
It iSy tbeur unfair to conclude tiMt, ibecause tb^ existenoe of
en indissoluble a»^otatkNi isiBConsistejit with ithe ciroum->
stances of this partiitular fact, thereforei.it liamot^be con*
distent with iaoiatialogauaJMPbqess, wbichmayinc^ertlMtlcas,
berdiiBtiDffuifiheidbyisomei'msttute dif{ei?eBci» from that wiiich
faaayust been' wkder^ lOohsideralaoB. To thfesa <thnlsiri«tioiis»
I'Teply, in > the ^rst>niM)e>' that tUs Ulmtratkm, howevcir
apparently '^^ualffied ,07 the 'sentence i whieh immediateljr
precedes rt, is «viden4ily i^kftwaidf O0Bsideiiediiot.mm
a speoimen «of one^out of nHmy* methods, by iarhidi' thecsMse
lasaiha may' be prodsoefd, but ^ as , itself oonyo^pxig' the pe-
oisev idea whioh-we are to attach to the* aprtfaet .ttancdttre.
Ifloanedssilely rafter the*ase;of this itttistratson,'Mr>^S«ewait
.*'Pldi-SMsy8|f>a(rt'HieMS5 Lekap. 1.
Ah Essay, iy W. F. Durant. 295
his analytical inqairy into the principles oF taste, between
the transitive and metaphorical meanings of a word'/* ** The-
distinction/* proceeds Mr. Stewart, *• seems to me equally
just and important; and as the epithet fra/mfive expresses
clearly and happily the idea which I have been attempting
to convey by the preceding itittstration, I shall make no
scruple to adopt it, &c/**^ A^ this clearly identifies ti^e idea
attached to the epithet ^'tiiansitrre/'with that which is con«
▼eyed hj the preceding illustration, I am surely justified
when I take from that very illustration, the notion which
I attach to the term it is intended to elucidate ; and in
arguing against the possibility of an indissoluble as8o6iation
between " transitive meanings," found my opinion on the
circumstance that the very proceiiS, by which tjie transition
is supposed to be eflbcted, is inconsistent with the supposir
tion,. tnat such an association can take place between the
different ideas which are said thu» to coalesce into '^ one
complex conception/' Should we; however, even allow it
to be possible for an indissoluble association to exist, its
existence necessarily implies some assoQiatin? circumstance.
Whatever that circumstance may be— whether a common
prppetty, of a common relation— it must be, I apprehend,
something iii which each c>f the associated^ object? partici-
pated. Where this commotr circumstance exists, therefore,
IS it not more than probable, that the common designation
kf intended to point out that particular in which there is an.
agreement between all the objects to which' this designation
is given ; and that, whenever it is' employed, we are led to
view the obj'ecf to which it is applied in relation to tfie cir-
cumstance, in which^ that objebt participates with the other
indtvi duals that the same term is used to denote ?
My intention, however, as I have befbref remarked,.lB not
to take those general views which present themselre* inr
connexix>ri with our subject ; but to confine myself to such
observations as are absolutely essential to tts^ ePucidation.
Whatever, then, may be the decision of'tiie general question;
I shall be perfectly cotitent« if I can make it appear, that
flie word to which our attention is at present directed— haal
a defiffite, i, precise; and an assignable meaning; Those
iltustratibns which are intended to she^, that th& intimate
association may take place tn cases where the appfioaitibn
of the word has been thus trttnsitively exfended, and that,
cbhsequentW'* **^ *« Hcveral transittvo meaiiiogi^ xoaj
^Idttalesce inter one cbmptet* conception** — seem to me to
* nip. Iissays, piirt if. essty ii. cliap. %
296 The Standard vf Ta^ :
point oat a circtimstaDce sufBeiently important of itself to
justify the common appellation. This subject will deodand
a rather len^hened discussion, because it is intimately
connected with the conclusions at which we wish to arrive.
Some observations of Mr. Stewart,-^and his observations are;
invaluable^ even when we dissent from the opinion founded
on them, — will be our best guides in the prosecution of the
inquiry. The investigation may, perhaps, ultimately lead
us to imagine, that, at least iujUiis particular instance, the
common appellation is not bestowea on objects totally unr
cpnnected by any circumstance of agreement. *' In this
enlargement, too, of the signification of the word/' the tran-
sitive application of the word beauty to forms and moti<m,
'* it is pa^icularly worthy of remark, that it is not in conse-i
quence of the discovery of any quality belonging in com-'
mon to forms and to motion, considered abstractly, that the
same word is now applied to them indiscriminately. They»
all indeed agree in this^ that they give pleasure to the spec-
tator; but there cannot, I think, be a; doubt that they please
on principles essentially different; and that the transference
of tne word 'beauty,' from the .first to the last^ arises solely
from their undistinguishable co-operation in producing the
same agreeable effect, in consequence of their bein^ perceivr
ed by tne same organ, and. at tne same time/'"*^ JTam quite
ready to admit, that the objects of taste have, considered
abstractly, no common Quality. The theory before us,
however, remains unprovea, should it be found that there is
some one circumstance in which they all agree. •
A natural, and probably a correct, inference will be, that
in this agreement the common name originated ; and that
whenever that name, is useid, we view the object, in con-
nexion with that circumstanceby which the class is charac-
terized, in the instance immediately before us, Mr. Stewart;
admits, that " they all agree in this, that they give picture,
to the spect;ator ;' and speaks of " their indistinguishable
co-operation in producing the same agreeable effect." Here^
then, is a common effect ; and it is« J. should imagine, in,'
consequence of this common effect, that the common name
is applied to these different objects. Insteaci, therefore;, of
saying l^at the term '* beauty is employed with r^g^rd tq
eftcb of them in a different sense from that in which it ia
applied to any of the Others, or that the several ideas; de-
signated by the appellation, coalesce into one compliBX con-
ception ; I should rather imagine tl^at one and the same
* Phil, Eaaaysy part ii. essay i,. p. 1. chap, li*
An Essay, by W. F. Durant. 297
meaning is attached to the word in each of its several appli-
cations. When I denominate a colour beautiful — ^^I mean, if>
this opinion be correct— 'that it produces, or contributes to.
produce, a peculiar state of mental feeling. If I apply the.
same appellation to form, I do, in fact, only m^e, in rela-.
tion to it, the same assertion which I formerly. made in rela-
tion to colour. The same reasoning may be applied to mo-
tion, and to all those other qualities of which these are, in
the present instance, adduced as representEitiyes. In some:,
cases, all these qualities co-operate in the production of
one simultaneous effect; while they are> at other times,,
presented, both separately, and in every state of varied
combinfition. I am aware, that when united, they may be
denominated beautiful, when, if disjoined, each would be
excluded from any claim to the appellation; that in a dis-
joined state, each may be beautiful, whep combination would
produce positive ugliness ; an<d that, therefore, neither union,
nor separation, is in every case necessary to the result.
This admission, however, does not in the least affect thei
argument, unless it can also be shewn that the emotiom.
which each, when out of combination, produces, are essen-
tially different from those which are in other cases pro-.,
diuced, when many simple elements are combined. . But
''they please,'* it is said, ** on principles essentially differ-
ent.'^ . J3e it so — I can have no objection to the concession.
The word/' beauty" is, we assert, intended to denote, not.
any c6mmon.|)roperty in the objects to which it is applied-^,
not the identity in each several c^se, if tlie prinpiple on
which the pleasure they pccasionis founded-^but the gene*
ral similarity 6f result. .Perhaps I, cannot better explain,
myself than by referring to thete^rms " phasing dxidpleasmU'
7Ke««," as illiistrative of my meanjing. ..,..; . ' . r
: .Although no man would talk oi the j^leasing in objects,; aa
philosophers have talked of tlie beautiful, yet the cases are,
sufficiently, analogous for .pur present purpose. , The ,word&
lief^e us. are susceptible of application co-extensive wilii
the range of our pleasurable feelings. ' Every thing in nature^
or in art, that is capable of ministering to our grati^cation---
whether it be the poetry of Milton — flie sculpture of Praxi-.
telesrrror tfa^ Lowest object of mere animal appetite — is^^y
be denominated pleasing. Now, though the. sources, of
delight are infinitely varied— rthoush pleasures differ frpm
each .other, i^ot on^ in the mode of their production, but la
th^ir s^eral distinguishing: characteristica,rryetnp^z^^
would, I think, be %(M jeo^ngh to assert that there, is, nof
298 The Standard of Tasle :
sometliin^, however incapable we may be of defining it, which
distinguiimes aereeable sensations or emotions' froiii ftnv
other class of feelings. The word pleasing, when it is appliea,
not to the feeling itself, but to the object by which feeling iel
excited, has one simple and easily assignable sienifibation.'
It stands to denote the connexion which sotiiehoW 'Exists'
between the object to which it is applied, and a certain pecu-
liar state of mind. Here there is no trahsitiVe application of
the word. The propriety of its use depends indeed not ott
any thing in the object *' considered abstractly,'* but on the
connexion of that object with the state of mind produced
by it. This word, therefore, has in evety si Ration a single';
and a simple meaning. Whether it \>e applied to eblouri^j'
to sounds, to motion, to relishes, to odours, or t6 any'df
those thousand objects which, gratify our seqses, or adxjiinis-;
ter intellectual and moral enjoyments, the only meanih^ii
conveys is, that which I have pointed out-— the bohhe^adti
between these objects, and feelmgs of ri peci]iliar ordei*. If
I wish to give a more accurate idea of the eflects which ahy
df them produces, I add some wbrd§j of fimitatidh, — as,, that
it is pleasii^ to the touch, to the ta&te, to the smel)!^ ibiiii
affe(}tions, — and thus restrict the meaning of the more^efaersl
term; but that general term^ wherever' and ho\h^ever ^m^^
ployed, conveys the same idea. In the same WBiy, then, do
I conceive that objefets denominated beautiful, have all od^
cir^omstance in common, in consequence of their alf produ-
cing emotions, which, however varied, yet pdssess some
general chaiacteristic sufficient to distinguisn them frbin
feeling of any other order. Any object may in an indivi-
<faial instance be beautifal, jiist as any object may, perhaps^
under certain conceivable circumstances, be plea^rmg ; but
those object? only are^ ordinarily denominated beautifut;
which, in a majority of ca^es« produce that peculiar class pf
di|sotions which we denominate the sentiment of beauty-^
jy^t as the epithet '* pleasing'' is usually applied to thos<^
objects alone which are calculated to administer jpleasure to
the great mass of mankind.
Before we proceed, it may not be improper to/review the
ground over which we have already passed',
y We are at .present attempting to ascerti^in the 'sense m
hi which the epithet correct is applied to the emotionct. of
tatte. . Our first object was distinctlv to marh the df0ierence
between sensation and emotion, aha to shew that thelattcir
dtpenjls for its existence on a pievious intellectual procesis.
thence we deduced Ae inference, that correctnelBs is/ in
A H Essay, .byW.T. Durant. 299
•trictDess> Dredicable^ not of the emotion, but of the pre-
ceding intellectual process. The inauii^ here presented
. itself-— What i9 the nature of this inteUectual (Mrooess? and
. what is meant by its correctness? Here there is a prelimi-
nary discussion for the sake of ascertaining the object, or
. rather, perhaps, the exciting cause of the intellectual ope-
ration. Beauty and sublimity seem to afford a natural
answer to our inquiries* A collateral investigation into the
nature of sublimity and beauty was thus rendered necessary.
We were, then, obliged to notice some reasonings and con-
clusions, which would, i