"Who, in the deep dead hour of folemn night, " (When only lust and sanguine flaughter wake,) "Rolls clamorous along, with fuddled reel, "With the big bludgeon, thund'ring, bursts the door, "And at my window roars the raving catch.

"Spleen o'er my foul her shadowy mantle throws, "As yonder fluttering Lady I remark; "So tender, and fo timid, that the breeze "Soft-breathing from the balmy-blowing South,

"Seems the rude rush of Winter's with'ring blaft; "Gods! what a swimming step, a luring leer,

"An air all delicate, an eye all sweet, How prettily the trifler plays the fool! "Yet shall this painted thing of filk and down,

"Adoring myriads to perdition draw! "Fresh fops and flaves shall spring from

the embrace,

"In all hereditary vices rich,

Such is too often the language, or at least fuch are the fentiments, of him whom vexations have foured, or difap. pointments disgusted. It is very common for men, in the fretfulness ot impatience, to break forth into paroxyfms like those I have written, while under the influence of the fame fantastical mifery. A fplenetic man will fall out with his own shadow, rather than seem to want occafion of offence; and in his vapourish fit, he looks at every thing with an eye of prejudice, and with a falfe mirror, in

herit," appears totally deftitute; and divested of every natural and moral beauty, his petulance prevents him from enjoying any thing rational, and his pride makes him unwilling to confefs that there is any object upon earth that deserves defire.

Thus peevish and mistaken, the hypochondriac withdraws from company to his clofet, and refolves, in the firft moment of phrenzy, to quit society for ever; and, in the enthusiasin of hope, concludes that he shall leave all inquietude behind. He flies to folitude and to shades, as a natural refource, and there he fancies he shall find the rofes of happiness growing without thorns, and health bloffoming upon every bough: he wishes to bury himself from human commerce, and is only folicitous to enjoy the negative fatisfaction of the brutes around him. But alas! felicity is too fleet to be overtaken, and her visits must be voluntary, if we with her smiles; for the enjoyments which are forced (like those fruits which are ripen'd in the hotbed without the influence of the Sun) are always infipid and tasteless. He who has not found happiness in society, will feldom meet her in a foreft; nor can the bubble of a brook, or the warble of a bird, the blush of the morning, or the perfumes of a flower,

flower, afford much comfort to the man who disavows any defire to impart either joy or confolation to the rest of his fpecies, and who is indeed disgusted with himself.

Such a being would carry into his retreat a mind industrious to deceive and dittress him, and which would turn into fubitantial forrow all the gaiety of his rural visions; till whatever the most luxuriant country could bestow, would foon be found infufficient to fecure that tranquillity which a conftant ferenity and calm of foul only can afford. A man of a spleenful cast always carries a tormenting inake in his own bofom, and an endeavour to relieve his misery by changing his fituation, is as ineffectual as the fick man's attempts to mitigate his malady, by tofling in his bed, or varying his pofture.

It is the observation of a very virtuous and elegant pen, that "Virtue is not reft but action:" nothing is more evident. He who, from motives of mere ill-humour and peevisiness, allows his powers to rutt in a fullen fupineness and unufetul inaction, may be justly charged as a robber of the public, whose pleature er profit he refufes either to perpetuate

or promote. He is one who bafely deferts his poft, while he ought to be upon duty.

There is no living creature of so little importance but that his well exerted endeavours may add fomething to the felicity, or abate something of the anguilla of life: opportunities of attesting the goodness of our hearts are for ever happening: fickness may be foothed, or mifery foftened, joy increased, or oppreffion prevented; by him who mixes with mankind. Society abounds with occafions, by which our humanity may be kept in continual exercise; nor should any man refuse to display his faculties, because his powers are contracted, fince he who to the uttermost promotes the cause of virtue, and of benevolence, is a character of equal dignity with him whom fortune has more greatly favoured, and from whom, therefore, greater things are expected. Let every man, therefore, be as liberal as his fate will let him; and let those, whose wishes exceed their capacities, remember, that a finall alittance may often help the wretched; and that where but a "little is given, little can be required."

DYONISIUS.

SIR,

of him for his public degrees, or pre scribed by his tutor for private instruction, and yet be very deficient in that kind of knowledge which is neceffary to form the public-Ipirited citizen, the enlightened fenator, and the real patriot: and what is still worse, the greater his zeal, without fuch knowledge, the more liable he will be to purfue wrong mea. fures, injurious to his country and to mankind, though with the best intentions ot doing what is right.

To remedy these inconveniences, at least in part, the following proposals are humbly fubmitted to the judgment of the public. The author himself hath been long of the opinion, that the subjects here propofed, or fome others of the fame tendency, are proper for instructing young smen of letters of every denomination in the real interests and true policy, not only of Great Britain, but of all the nations upon earth. But as he makes no preten tions to infallibility, he shall await the public decifion with that deference and refpect which duty enjoins and decency requires; happy in the confcioufness of

his own mind, of having meant the best.

FIRST SUBJECT.

Whether a strict attention to Agriculture and Manufactures, and to their in separable concomitant, a free, extended, and national Commerce, can be made compatible with a spirit of Heroisin, and great Military Glory? And in cafe there thould be found an incongruity between them, Which ought to have the preference?-Conquest, colonies, and a widely extended empire? or, domestic industry and frugality, a free trade, and great internal population?

SECOND SUBJECT.

What kind and quantity of military force feem to be fufficient for guarding from toreign invafion, or domestic robbery, the agriculture and manufactures, the hipping and commerce of that particular country, whose sole aim is to excel in the arts of peace, without attempting to give laws to other nations, or to exult over them either by land or fea, and not pretending to regulate the balance of power between the contending nations of the world?

THIRD SUBJECT.

Whether an examination into the nature of the above fubjects doth or doth not lead to conclufions favourable to the

H

SIR,

AVING been informed that in your fourth Volume of "The History of Jacobinism," p. 523 and following, you have taken notice of a book which I wrote in 1797, entitled "Elements of Critical Philofophy," (London, Longman and Rees,) I have read, not without aftonishment, the mifrepresentation you have given of Kant's principles, and the inferences you have drawn from fragments of a mutilated tranflation.

On Wednelday latt, when I paid you a vifit with my learned countryman Mr. Nitich, we requested you to explain to ws, how you could be fo grossly mitled, as to reprefent the system of the VENE. RABLE * KANT as dangerous to the moral, religious, and political Conftitution of Europe. But as you have gone a step farther, and branded the disciples of Kant as a species of Jacobins, we had an additional motive to demand your proofs of to invidious an affertion. We have in plain and familiar terms explained to you the nature and tendency of Kant's fyftem; disclaimed its connection with WEISHAUPT's, or any other philosophical theory; and protested against the authenticity of your quota tions from the "Spectateur du Nord:" it will therefore be an act of justice you owe to us and the public, to acknowledge that you have been mifled by a false translation; and that, confequently, your

inferences are deduced from false premises. There are severe demands; but they are they such as every honest man has a right to make in fimilar circumftances. It was not our wish to draw from you infincere conceffions, or fuch as your confcience might not approve; but it will appear, from the proofs annexed to this letter,

1. That your quotations are taken piecemeal from a mutilated French tranflation.

2. That Kant is so far from oppofing the belief in Revelation, Immortality, and the existence of a Deity, that he endeavours to prove the fubjective conviction of these truths by the most cogent and conclufive arguments; while he strongly reprobates the prevailing method of reafoning, by which fubjective proofs are confounded with objective, fo that the ideas of pure, or what you may call abstract reasoning, are continually croffed and intermingled with the perceptions of fenfe.

Such are the grounds upon which I demand your unconditional disavowal of the mischievous tendency you have afcribed to the principles of Kant: for even admitting that the Critical System is liable to mitreprefentation, in common with all other philofophic theories, nay, that it has actually been made inftrumental in the propagation of false doctrines, while it has confused the heads of the weak, and especially the fanatic, does

it

it thence follow, that the System itself deferves the cenfure and condemnation of those who do not understand it? There would be an end to all reafoning, if man were not permitted to exercife that faculty, in order to diftinguish one species of knowledge from another; and if this diftinction were imputed to motives that had a tendency to fubvert established governments and religions. Farther, as you have candidly admitted, before Mr. Nitich and myself, that, you have not saken your quotations fiom the original writings of Profeffor Kant, but from a French tranflation, and as you have conbelled that you are unacquainted with the fundamental principles and fpirit of Critical Philofophy, we trust you will not give us an evative answer.

Another point I cannot pass over in flence: Why did you not make your quotations from my own work, or that of Mr. Nitsch? What apology can you effer for having quoted an anonymous periodical work, in preference to others which are fanctioned by the names of their authors, whom you point out as promoters of dangerous principles, and yet will not do them the justice to lay their own words and opinions before the public? Latily, with refpect to the im putation you have fuggefted, that I have ter bats purposely fupprefled the account of Kant's Plan of a General Hijiory in Cojpropohtical View," I have already aflored you, and am willing to prove, that I have never had an opportunity of reading that Effay, though the original was published as late as the year 1784; cortequently, in this cafe alto, your Imagination or fufpicion has led you farther than reaton could warrant. For I Lope, in the lequel, to give fuch conLucing proofs of your mistake from this very Luay, as will perfectly fatisty the Benders of your volumés, as well as the public mind, which is always open to conviction. At the fame time I cannot emit to mention, that it was yesterday nly when I had the good fortune to obtain the Eflay alluded to, by the favour of Dr. Metz, a phyfician of Würzburg, wow refident in London, who accommodated me with "Immanuel Kant's MifGellaneous Writings," where this paper s contained, in the 2d Volume, p. 661 and following.

I remain, Sir, with due esteem,
Your's, &c.

A. F. M. WILLICH.

Lerden, Jan. 3, 1800..

PROOFS.

1. That it was unjust to afcribe ima moral motives to Profeffor Kant; to comfound bis System with others; and to im pute a mischievous tendency to bis zuritings.

The following declaration was given by Kant to the late King of Pruffia, FREDERIC WILLIAM II. who had been informed by his depraved and fanatical minifter, MR. WOELLNER, now difmiffed, that the Philofopher of Koenigfberg had, in his work entitled "Religion within the Boundaries of pure Reason, 8vo. 1792, attempted to vilify the prin. cipal and fundamental doctrines of the Bible and Chriftianity. The King's letter was presented to Kant on the rath of October, 1794; to which an immediate anfwer was returned,

"That this book cannot contain a depreciation of Chriftianity, as it does not enquire into its principles; being devoted only to the investigation of Natural Religion. This mistake could arife only in consequence of the quotation of feveral paflages from the Bible, which have been made with a view to cortoborate certain, purely rational, doétrines of Religion. But the late MICHAELIS, who adopted a fimilar method in his Moral Philofophy, has explained himself to this effect, that by juch a process of reasoning it was neither intended to introduce any thing maintained in the Bible into Philosophy; nor to deduce any philofophical maxims from the Bible: but his intention was to judge, illustrate, and confirm rational principles by a true or fuppofed coincidence with other writers, whether they be poets or orators.' So far the authority of Michaelis.

"That I," continues Kant, "hare evinced my veneration for the Chriftian doctrines of the Bible, will, besides what I have done on other occafions, he manifeft from the opinion I have given in the work before mentioned; where I have praised the Bible as the best means of establishing and preferving in all tuture ages, (unabfebliche Zeiten,) a religious fyftem in a country, whose inhabitants afpire to the true improvement of the mind. Hence I have feverely cenfured the mischievous and arrogant attempt to raise doubts and objections against those theoretical doctrines of Sacred Writ, which are involved in mystery; whether this be practifed in schools, from the pulpit, or in popular writings: bus

the