PUBLISHKD WRI >\' I- Si>A Y \ \ '
[No. T 04, of VoJ. lI.J
Discourses on Davila—No. 52.
BUT amidst all these scenes of anarchy, car
nage and defolatiori, aiul aniidit so many
pretentions to reformation, were there no pro
jects to change the form of government?— Yes,
there were ; and lonie persons appeared as zea
lous to deltroy the monarchy and nobility at that
time, as any of the national allembly, any of the
men of letters, or public creditors of the present
day in Fiance. One of these has left an ellaylo
■very curious that it is worth preserving : It con
tains all that can be said or thought, as far as I
know, against monarchy and nobility, and (liows
that the dodtrines which now prevail in France
are no new discoveries or inventions : They are
nearly two hundred and fifty years old. Neither
Turgot, Rochefoucaulr, or Condorcet, have the
merit of these invention?. Stephen Boetius, as
we learn from his friend Montaigne, died in
1563. His vehement Philippic against monarchy
and ariltocracy, mult have been written therefore
more than 230 years ago—it mult have been writ
ten an hundred years before Marchement Ned
ham's Right Constitution of a Commonwealth.
Inllead of taking praise to themselves, the men
of letters in France, if their present systems fuc
ceecLand prosper, ought to eredl statues and llrike
medals to Boetius and Nedham, whose political
dilciples they certainly are.
If by divine power a man flioukl be miracu
loufly formed of mature reason and full informa
tion of every thing, but men, nations and go
vernments : and you Ihould aik hiin, what he
thought of tWenty-five millions of men, compo
fmg the whole of a great nation, furrenderii.g
the whole sovereign legislative and executive
power over themselves to one individual, and or
daining that all that power should descend to his
male pofteriry forever ; he would probably think
it the moll irrational, and ridiculous idea ima
ginable. If you were to tell him that alrriofl:
all the nations of the earth had done it, he mull
be aftonilhed and very inquisitive to be informed
of the causes, physical, moral or political,
■which could have prevailed upon reasonable
creatures to consent to such an inllitution. Is
there any other answer that could be given to
him than this ? Mankind found by experience,
government necellary to the preservation of their
lives, liberties and properties, from the iujuftice
of one another. That they had tried all poffi
ble'experiments of elections of Governors and
Senates: But that they had found so much di
■verfity of opinion and sentiment among them.
So much emulation in every heart, so many ri
valries among the principal men, such divisions,
confufions and miseries, that they had almoll
unanimously been convinced that hereditary fuc
cefiion was attended with fewer evils than fre
quent elections. This is the true answer, and
the only one, as 1 believe.
It is to be regretted that Boetius, who disco
vered so much ingenuity in reasoning against the
one, and the few, had not told the many, how
they (hould govern themselves. He is for pujl
ingdown, but (hows not how to build up. That
lie who abates a writ ihould give a better, is as
reasonable a rule in legislation as in law. If
Boetius, or the National Mlembly had proposed
a sovereignty in three branches forming a mutual
balance, whi?h would have prevenred the one,
the few and many from running into the fins
that molt easily beset them ; they would have
teen justly applauded : but to throw the whole
power into the hands of a majority of that mul
titude against which Boeiius raves with more in
temperance, if poflible, he does against
Kings, is an experiment which must be fully tri
ed and found beneficial before it can be appro
ved. But as the reader will be more entertained
and inftrurted by the discourse of Boetius, than
w ith the discourse on Davila, he shall be no long
er detained from it.
LONDON, March 3.
Extra!} <sj a litter jrom Paris, January 7.
T[Tranflated from ilu- Lt sden Gazette.]
HE oath to be taken by the Ecclesiastics, is
the cause of much dillurbance, and it is, as
Jet, difficult to determine, what turn this affair
take, or what may be the final consequences.
To form a jnil idea of what iyay be the effe<fts,
on e must go back to the original cause of this
piocedure. When the clergy werefirftdeprived
A W. No. b.j HI&H-STREF.T, BETWEEN SICOS'D AND THIRD STREETS. PHI! AIiFI.PHIA
Wednesday, April 27, 1791.
of their properly, that is to fay before their civil
government was determined on, several Bifliops
b'gan to thunder foith their Anathemas againii
the proceedings of the National Aflembly, under
cover of" certain writings called Mandates, or
P ditoral letters. The refufal of the National As
fembly to eltablifti the Roman C atholic religion,
furniihed them with an occasion for writing and
circularing their inflammatory productions, the
whole view and design of which was to alarm
weak understandings and by universally spread
ing discontent throughout the Nation, to obligt
the Aflembly to defiit from their determination
of granting freeclorji of conscience. In the large
cities, and even in the Provinces, where the pen
pie were not wholly unenlightened, the poison of.
those Holy mj n could do no harm •; but in the
cantons where ignorance and superstition (till
maintain their influence over the minds of men
(places, fortunately, at this day no more than in
fignificant fpotsin thevaft extent of France) there
it was that disquiet took pofleflion of every bo
som, and the interested cauf'e of theJ'e gowned
hypocrites was made the cause of the God of
peace and purify ! —lf the disturbances at Nitnes
and Montauban had not been extinguished at their
firft appearance, again should we have witnefled
those horrid scenes which dif'graced Prance in
the fifteenth century ; but thanks be to God, the
vigilance and zeal of some neighboring towns,
more enlightened by the benevolent philosophy of
the present age, and principally Bourdc-aux, had
the ability to prevent those cruel excefies. No
sooner where these tumults allayed than the Civil
Constitution of the Clergy afforded another pre
text for infurrecftion. The National Aflembly
having divided the Kingdom into departments,
to destroy, root and branch, those former di
visions called Provinces, had thought proper al
so to direcft a new division of Dioceses. I hey
had remarked that the Bifliops had always ex
ercised over the Clergy of the second older a de
gree of authority littie ffoort of defpotifin, and
which appertained neither to the ipirit of reli
gion nor the Constitution ; In consequence of
which they decreed that the Bifliops fliould ef
tablifli permanent and regular courts, but (hould
pais, no aifis of authority till the second order
had been admitted into a fliare of their deliber
ations. It was to no purpose that the Bilhops
ftrennuoufly opposed those innovations (as they
termed them) and complained of an invasion of
the spiritual jurifdidiiun and that the Aflembly
encroached upon the authority of the Church.
They were deaf to their complaints and remon
strances ; and referred them for an answer to
the authority of Charlemagne and the ancient
discipline—Upon this the Episcopal Mandates
and Pastoral letters suddenly made their appear
ance again, (luffed with complaints more violent,
and refiecftions more bitter than ever ; but the
difcentented Clergy perceiving their letters dil
regarded and not answering the purpose intend
ed, fell upon other means of blowing up the
flames of discord. They flattered themselves
that a Proteflation, worded equivocally, and with
a plain title, and signed by some of the more ftt'ict
Clergy would have both a surer and readier ef
fect. And hence originated the famous Decla
ration, which at firft was only signed by those
refractory Bishops, who were deputed to the Na
tional Aflembly. This piece proposed a coalition,
and by that means gained some attention ; but
altho' it was publiflied throughout the Kingdom
to a degree of l'atiety, it made few converts, and
only received in general terms the approbation
of those whose opinions were already fixed 011
the fide of the Bilhops—So much clamour, secret
machination, felf-interefted opposition, and the
apprehension of flill greater evils, have at length
determined the Aflembly to take efFet r tual men
fures humble the High Clergy. Kor this pur
pose they have decreed, that all Ecclefiaflics ant!
public officers of the Church should be compelled
to take an oath " to support not only the gene
ral government of the Kingdom, but also their
own particular constitution 011 penalty of being
deprived of theirplacesandlivings." 1 h:s seems
to be the last remedy in a desperate cafe, the on
ly probable means of accelerating and confoli
datino- the re-establishment of order in the King
dom.—However (to speak the truth) there is no
EXTREME REMEDY without danger ; and it is
poflible that some recent proceedings in the As
sembly may be followed by a violent concussion
All the Bishops (excepting only the Bifhopof An
tun) have perfilted in refufing the oath—The As
829
[Whole Mo. 2o£.]
fembly refufes to give them any longer time :
and thus all the High Cletoy, and not a few of
the second order also, are upon the point of fee
ing themselves deprived of all thei, places and
of all their revenues."
\From Vol. 3, of " Memoirs of the Manchester Lit
" ' »» * " • / / n /-t
tsrary Society," just fubhjhcd.]
I REMEMBER it was fomc yeais since, men
tioned in this Society, that a method had bee.
recommended, but where 01 by whom I do not
ecolletft, of preventing the neceifiry of using
fpec r tacles in advanced age. Ii cot) lifted in the
practice of reading a very fmalJ punt by the
■ght ot a filial I candle. By this means the hu
mours of rhe eye being protruded, the cryftaline
'ens was supposed to be hindered from loiino; its
convex form, and ailuming that flainefs which
it acquires in old peifons.
I lately met with a gentleman, who, contrary
to what generally happens to men as they advance
in life/ was, at the age of fifty, become (ho: r-fight
ed ; whereas, when younger, his eyes hail not that
fault ; and w ho, instead of being obliged to use
convex glailes, had found it necelfary to employ
concave ones, and to procure them (till more the
older he grew. This change in his light, he in
formed in e, hefiilt obierved after having for
some time accufioined hinilelf to read a book
printed in a small character, and that frequent
ly in the close of the evening, when the li"hc
was not fav n-able for the pu pose.
As this is an uncommon fa iff, and may serve ro
confirm the prop-iety of the doiftrine I have"al
luded to, 1 thought it might be proper to com
municate it to the Society.
The sermon preached by the Bilhop of LandafF,
before the Humane Socie.y, at St. Martin's it! the.
Fields, on Sunday last, was one of the fine It and
moll impressive examples of Pulpit Oratqry we
have ever heard. His Lordthip's discourse v .is a
m )It happy compolition of theological learning,
pliilofophical difquifitiol), Clii illian inflrucftion,
and philanthropic exhortation, aided by the pow
erful influence of the molt graceful delivery.
The Queen has jtill: eftablHhed a Botanic Gar
den, with forcing houffes at Krogmore, where lier
Majesty and the Princefles frequently.pay vilirs.
HOUSE of COMMONS,
Monday, February 8.
AMERICAN Loyalists
• Sir Henry Clinton presented a petition from the
American Loyalilts, praying for farther relief.
Mr. Pitt said he had no objection that this pe
tition should be granted ; but he was much a
fraid it would not avail them. The time for re
ceiving such petitions had already been three
times enlarged. He did not know after all, but
that there might be cases which would deserve
the attention of the house.
Sir Henry Clinton said a few words upon this
petition ; after which it was received, and order
ed to lie on the table.
UNCLAIMED DIVIDEND BILL
The bill for appropriating to the public ser
vice 500,000/. of the unclaimed dividends was
read a firlt time, and was ordered to be printed.
Wednesday, March 2
AMERICAN INTERCOURSE BILL
Mr. Pitt brought in a bill for continuing the
laws regulating the trade between his Majesty's
fubjetfts of this country, and the inhabitants of the
United States of America.
This bill was read a sis It, and was ordered to
be read a second time to-morrow.
Alnioft all the clergy in Brittany, (France,)
whose influence on the people is vevy great, are
resolved not to conform to the decrees ofthe Na
tional Aflembly, refpec ( ting the civic oath, and
the civil confUtution of the church.
Between the people and the National
who vainly attempt to conquer this refratftory
f'pirit, desperate battles have already been fought
attended with bloodlhed.
In A 1 face, the Cardinal de Rohan, the clergy,
and vast numbersofthepeople are entirely ofthe
fame disposition as the Bretons, and resolved not
to submit to the decrees ofthe Rational Aflembly.
From the bey den Gazette, of February I.
Mr. Luzac, the Editor, after giving extracts
from the British papers on the fubjedb of the
WAR IN INDIA,
Inch as have been publiflied, adds, With ihefe
accounts, taken from English papers, it may be
S