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PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS BY JOHN FENNO, No. 41, BROAD-STREET, NEAR THE EXCHANGE, NEW-YORK
[No. 36, cf Vol.. ll.j
EUR THE GAZETTE OF THE UNITED STATES.
DISCOURSES ON DAViLA. No. XVII
(CON C LUOID.)
Ses mains, autour du tione, avec A>nfufion,
Scmaient la jalousie, et !a division.
THE Admiral Gafpard de Coligni, had two
different governments ; that of the Isle of
France, and that of Picardie ; but as the laws of
the kingdom, permitted not tll< pofleflion of
more titan one dignity, or i.ne < o cverr»mcr r a'
y T - it m ihu iutc King had destined that
of Picardie, to the Prince de Con de, to appease
his resentment and foften his complaints. The
Prince earnestly desired this favor, to which, in
deed, he hadjuft |>retenfions. His father, and
the King of Navarre had successively held it ;
and the Admiral had resigned it, in considerati
on of ihe Prince. But the death of Henry lid.
happening near the fame time, had hindered the
effect of this arrangement, which had already
been made public. Francis the I Id. had no re
gard to it. At the solicitation of the Guises, and
by a manifeft injustice to the Prince, he granted
this place to Charles de Code, Marechal de Brif
fac, a captain of high reputation and great valor ;
but who having been promoted by the favor of
the Princes of Lorrain, was clolely attached to
them and served them with zeal. Nor was there
more attention paid to Francis of Montmoroncie,
the eldest son of the Constable. He had married
Diana, natural daughter of Henry lid. In con
sideration of this marriage, he had been promis
ed, the office of grand inalter of the King's house
hold, a place which had been long held by his
father. From the firft days of the reign of Fran
cis 11 d. the Duke of Guise, took it for hi in fe If,
that he might add this new eclat to his other
dignities, as well as deprive of it, an house which
he wished to depress. Thus the Duke and the
Cardinal, embraced with ardor, every occasion of
mortifying their rivals, and aggrandizing them
selves. The Oueen mother, who forefaw that
this unlimited ambition and this violent liatied,
mull have lata I e iirct.3, delired that they ihoukl
a«ft with more moderation, management and dex
terity ; but (lie dared not, in the beginning, op
pose herfelf to the wills, nor traverse the deiigns
of tliofe, whole influence was the pricipal lupport
of her authority.
At tliis time the Bourbons, excluded from all
parts of the government, banished from court,
and without hopes of carrying their complaints
to the foot of the throne, beginning to reflccl
upon the (ituation of their affairs, and the con
dud: of their enemies, who, not content with
their present grandeur, labored by all forts of
means to perpetuate it, resolved, to remain no
longer inactive fpeftators of their own misfor
tunes, but to prevent the ruin that threatened
them. To this purpose a convention was called,
and we (hall soon fee what kind of convention it
was. Anthony King of Navarre, after having
left in Beam his foia, yet an infant, under the
condudt of the Queen his wife, as in an asylum,
at a diitance from that conflagration, which they
fkw ready to be lighted up, in France, repaired
to Vendome, with the Prince of Conde, already
returned from hisembafly ; the Admiral, Dande
lot, and the Cardinal of Chatillon his brothers,
Charles Coinpte de la Rochefoucault, Francis
Vidame de Chartres, Antony Prince of Portien,
all relations or common friends, aflembled also,
with leveral other noblemen attached for many
years to the lioufes of Montmorencie aud Bour
bon. The Constable, who, altlio to all appear
ance wholly engaged in the delights of private
life, secretly set in motion all the springs of this
enterprize, had sent to this aflembly at Ardres,
Jiis ancient and confidential Secretary, with in-
ItrulHons concerning the affairs to be there agi
tated. They took into consideration the part
which it vvasneceflary to a<ft in the present con
junction of affairs. All agreed in the fame end,
but opinions as usual, were divided concerning
the means. All equally felt the atrocious affronts
committed a gain ft the Princes of the blood, from
whom the Guifej had not only taken the firfl.
places in the government, but the small number
of dignities which had remained to them.
They law evidently that the design was nothing
less, than to oppress these Princes and their par
tizans. All perceived the necessity of preventing
so preffinga danger, without waiting for the last
extremity. But they were not equally agreed
concerning the measures proper to ward it off.
SATURDAY, AUGUST, 14, 1790,
PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS
ON THE LATE
REVOLUTION IN FRANCE,
AND THE CONDU v r OF
THE DISSENTERS IN ENGLAND;
IN A LETTE* TO
THE REV. DR. PRIESTLEY.
BY J. COU RT E N A V
QUO, QUO SfELE
Llfl (faHi /'• "fr J
CONTINUED FROM OUR LAST.
I SHALL now proceed in. demAftrating, that
the Chriltian religion is to all intenrs and pur
poses aboliflied in Ki ance—-and that the Nation
al Allembly have covertly and infidioully intro
duced a fyftein of atheism in its Head. The Se
nate of democrats have commenced their impious
Scheme by abolishing tythes—a provision appro
priated and lantftified, jure divino, for the comfor
table Support of the clergy, by Heathens, Jews,
and Christians. They have sacrilegiously pre
sumed to seize on the ancient revenue of the
church, under the impious pretext of public good
—of encouraging agriculture, by easing the pea
sants of an unequal and oppressive ecclesiastical
■corvfi —and of providing a better and more Sui
table maintenance for the secular and parochial
priefts, who alone perform the refpe<ftive duties
of their fundliom Thus have the National Af
(embjy reduced atheism into afyftem, by seizing
on the lands of the clergy, with an avowed de
sign ofeither pledging them as afecurity for the
national debt, or felling them to Turks, Jews and
Infidels, for the difchargeof it Bertdes, ifbifh
ops, arch-birtiops, abbes, and the superior and dig
nified ranks of the hierarchy, are deprived of
riches, immunities, power, and grandeur, how
can they shew their contempt of them ? Youin
vidioufly snatch from these S:neca' t, tliefe Chris
tian rtoics, the sublime merit of optional virtue,
by compelling them to pradlice temperance and
moderation, not from choice, but necessity.
A limilar sacrilegious attempt to abolifli tythes
in Ireland, is a melancholy proof of the turbu
lent and innovating spirit of the present times.
The deprefled state of the clergj too evidently
appears by the style of their writings. Their
arguments are singly founded on the impolicy and
injustice of depriving them of a provision, sanc
tioned by antiquity, and solemnly entailed on
them by the laws of the land. They have given
up the vantage ground on which they stood,
ftript themselves, of the celestial armour, the pa
noply divine,with which they were clad, and have
rashly ventured into the field naked and unarmed.
They have succeeded accordingly. Ifthe cler
gy once weakly admit the profane interference
of parliament ; if they once admit, that this pro
vision may be modified, and even by
the fame authority ; if the contert is merely to
reft on the fallacious deductions of hum an reason,
it would indeed be difficult for the church to
maintain Even thefpeciousftate
ment of the celebrated author of the -wealth of na
ttors has little weight with me ; for'grantingthat
tythes are often a fifth, and even a fourth, instead
of a tenth ; though they are a check to industry,
&c. still the more enequal and more bppreffive
this sacred burthen may be, the more meritori
ous it is in those who fubmir. to it from a confci
entiousjmotive, without murmuring and repining.
A leading member of the Irilh House of Com
mons (Mr. Grattan) has expatiated in his uiual
stile of energetic, but delusive eloquence, on the
great advantage which the church would derive
from an a<ft of Commutation.—Law-suits, tftck
erings and aniruoimes, be affected, would c£afe
at once ; and the mild spirit of peace and Christi
an charity, would mutually endear the paflorand
his flock to each other. The clergy, no doubt,
are perfectly sensible of this ; and only perlift in
claiming tythes, as being their exclusive proper
ty by divine institution ; and thinking that by ac
cepting any commutation, however beneficial,
they would betray the cause of God and religion.
And now, Sir, permit me to address you, in the
most serious jnanner, on the most serious fubjetft.
What can the inadnefs of democracy alledge a
gainst episcopacy ? Were not bishops instituted
by the apostles themselves, to enlighten and go
vern the primitive church ? Though they soon
displayed an exterior pomp and splendour in
their vestments, and in the celebration of divine
worfliip ; though they a (Turned imperial grandeur,
inhabited palaoes. ascended their thrones, though
557
, ESQ. M. r.
JITIJ ?——Hon
) ' -i
they cenfurcd, controled, and excommunicated
emperors ; yet they only submitted to this pageau
try, and reluctantly exetcifed this temporal pow
er, merely to impress the congregation of the
faithful with a holy awe and veneration for the
majesty of the church; well knowing that found
morality and the social duties could left securely
on no other basis. Dr. Monflicim's mifrcprefen
tation on this very interelting point, is deferyed'
ly treated with contempt.—That bold andinfidi
ous writer, under the specious pretext of candour
and moderation, ini'pires his readers Vritli an a
verfon to all ecclefiaflical power, and with in
dignation against the clergy, for having invaria
bly fomented religious co'ntroverfy on my fieri -
ous unintelligible tenets ; for encouraging per
fccution, and promoting the misery of mankind
in this world, by infufing into their minds a spi
rit of hatred, malice, and nncharitablenefs ;
which at lalt became the theological cliaratteri
ftic of every variousdif-ordant feet of Cliriftiani
ty. But if this ecclesiastical liiftorian had been
candid, [even allowing the fact,] he should have
fairly acknowledged that the unrelenting viru
lence and imbittered rancour of persecution are
the molt infallible criterions of true belief, and
the belt proof of a fervent and lincere zeal for
religion. As each feet stigmatized its antagonist
by the odious denomination of heretic, —Arians 1
and Athanafians, mutually actuated by thepurell
motives of brotherly love and affection, inflicted
a momentary and transient punilhinent on the
bodies of each other, either by the sword or the
ltake ; left by continuing too long in their re
fpeitive fchifniatic opinions, they might forfeit
all hope of salvation.
Thus the lame actions, erroneously considered
on mere abftrait notions of philanthropy, may
well appear unjust, cruel, and barbarous ; but
their very eflence is changed when viewed
through this just theological medium; for the
genuine and benelicient spirit of orthodoxy cori
fecrates the apparent inhumanity of the aitiori,
by fanctifying the motive. /7*o be continued.)
FRANCE.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.
Sittings of May 26.
THE incendiary protestations of those who
style themselves Catholics of Nifines, and the
declarations of those difaffedicd to the Aflembly,
become more and more despicable. The city of
Louis-le-Saulnier seems itill to lay fonie stress on
these writings, in declaring all those traitors to
their country who dare to sign them.
Clcrj/tont terrand, who had subscribed five mil
lions to buy National domains, has by an Address
read this morning, offered to double the value
of its former donation.
M. Tour dn Pin made some complaints, ift.
Against the Municipality of Haguenau, which,
kept in the prison a huflar, for whose liberty
this minister fays he had given orders. This bu
siness was lent to the committee of reports. 2d.
Against the Municipality of Lyons, which has
written to him, that they think at present there
is some danger in putting into motion the troops
of the line, in consequence of which they refufe
to let the detachment of the Royal Guienne set
off. The intention of the Minister of the war
department was to fill their place by a detach
ment of the Penthievre dragoons. The Allem
bly made no decree on this grievance.
M. Bailly riling, exposed the disorders which
foi these three days past have troubled the ca
pital. A number of foreign vagabonds swarm ac
the bar : the people incline to the most cruel ex
ecutions. On Monday two men accused of theft
were hung without any form of law. Yesterday
another who was accused, had the fatal cord al
leady faftened, when M. de la Fayette came up
and laved his life : and when one of these mad
men, who stirred up the multitude, cried out,
that the unhappy wretch ought to be retaken,
the illustrious commander himfelf immediately
seized the disturber and conducted him to the
Chatelet. A new species of courage, and a fub
liine homage paid to the laws !
The debate on the order of the day, relative
to the Eclefiaftical plan, was about to be opened
but it was interrupted by the entrance of m!
Neckar, who read a discourse on the prefenc
of the Finances. The tone of that Minis
ter was changed—He no longer presented thole
gloomy and defpcrate pictures, which, fiace the
[Wholf. No. 140.]
May 29.