buftling about fomething or another. I remember, very well, the infinite pains he took to perfuade the world that the Pereaus were innocent. He must have been very young when Junius's letters were written. All who knew him must think the notion of his being the author of Junius's letters too abfurd for difcuffion. It has appeared ftrange, that government could not difcover Junius, through the medium of the Poft-Office. Upon this I muft obferve, that I know a lady, who, for a long period of time, received by the poft, anonymous letters, fome of thein written in blood, accufing her of the moft atrocious crimes. She was nearly related to a nobleman, very high in office; by his defire all the powers of government were. exerted to difcover the writer of the letters, but without fuccefs. You are aware, that the perfon now fufpected of being the author of Junius's letters is a Mr. Dyer, an intimate of the Burkes. It is faid, that on Mr. Dyer's deceafe, the Burkes fhewed infinite anxiety to get his papers into their hands; all this may be very true, but I have never heard it from good authority. I am, Dear Sir, your's moft fincerely, . July, 1799. I SIR, TO THE EDITOR. Troubled you with a former letter, refpecting a paffage in the life of the Rev. W. B. Cadogan, and fhall be happy if any informa tion I can furnish, may tear off the mafk from the imaginary fons of purity and perfection, who modeftly call themfelves exclufively Gofpel Minifters. It may, perhaps, be known to fome of your readers, that Mr. Kay, of Edmund-Hall, who was expelled from thence with five more, having had a regular education in a fchool, was recommended to a Bishop as a candidate for orders, upon a folemn declaration that he recanted. The parishes in which he afterwards officiated can teftify his duplicity. Another of fimilar defcription, finding fome difficulty in his application for orders, on account of his peculiar notions concerning free grace, availed himself of the information of a brother candidate, and pretendedly coincided with him in opinion. The examining chaplain, as well as the Bishop, fufpected the fincerity of fuch a coincidence, but what could they do? He was ordained and is an enthufiaft, though not very violent, A third, being one fummer in the North of England, offered his affiftance as a preacher to a clergyman, who had the care of two chur ches. The clergyman ingenuously told him, that, as their opinions were different, he could not properly accept fuch an offer. But upon being affured that nothing would be delivered which he could poffibly object to, he gave his confent. The promife was violated, and the clergyman, even against experience, gave this faint an opportunity of deceiving him again, and his fecond fermon was more ranting than the firft. Upon this, they feparated as friends and acquaintance for ever The double-tongued divine is lately preferred by a noble Earl, the de luded patron of fuch worthies, to a living in the county of Bucks. John Wetley complained in one of his journals, that the curate of his father's church, at Epworth, refufed him the pulpit after his father's death, and charges him with ingratitude. Is this a fair ftatement? The diverfity of opinion was a fufficient juftification, and the philofophic faint harangued the people on his father's tomb-ftone in the church-yard. Who would not have cenfured his own brother under fuch circumstances? Indeed, there was an instance fome years ago, of one brother being obliged to fuperfede another, on account of their diverfity of opinions. If future times fhould judge of the preaching of Wesley and Whitfield, from their printed fermons, they will be much deceived. Moft of the fabulæ aniles, the old woman's tales delivered in the pulpit, are left out in print. The trash which I myself have heard from Wesley, would have difgraced attainments much inferior to his. Whitfield, if poffible, was ftill coarfer. I know the holy ones would startle, were I to speak of a gentleman in the pulpit, but I know two divines at least, of an enthufiaftic turn, who never forget that they are gentlemen but when they are in the pulpit. Then it is that they babble forth the most filly, nugatory, low-lived sentiments, Yet, "Hi tamen ad melius poterant tranfcurrere quondam.” I have lately taken up a publication entitled Public Charac ters for the Year 1798-9. With fome truth, this book contains innumerable errors and wrong ftatements. My prefent concern is with the account there given of Dr. Haweis. It is afferted, that the report of his conduct in retaining the living of Aldwinkle ceases to be believed. Ifhould willingly learn upon what ground and whofe authority it is difbelieved. This is fo far from being true, that the Bishops after that time were more cautious than ever, to prevent im proper purchases and Simoniacal contracts. To put the matter out of all doubt, the following account may be depended upon. The Doctor was a member of Magdalen Hall, and during part of his refidence in Oxford, was curate to Mr. Jane, a fanatical ftudent of Christ Church, in Magdalen Parish Church. There he preached on Thursday evenings, and the younger part of the univerfity attended, but not always fo peaceably as might have been wifhed. The Doctor left the uni verfity without taking a degree, and, in procefs of time, married a widow with a handfome jointure. He then went in his carriage to Magdalen Hall, waited upon the principal, who, of courfe, requefted the attendance of his facetious Vice Principal. The latter, learning his errand, delivered himself nearly in the following terms :-" Sir, confidering your behaviour in Oxford, and your behaviour refpecting the living of Aldwinkle, you must have more impudence than falls to the thare of a common man, to expect a degree from hence. If you think yourself aggrieved, go to the Vice Chancellor." Did he make any reply to this? He neither did nor could. He was afterwards more fuccefsful fuccefsful in Cambridge, and 1 would willingly hope that the fociety from which he went out to the fenate house did not know his real character. The univerfities fhould cordially fupport each other, but meri fometimes finuggle degrees, as was the cafe with a clergyman, who at the time was reader in Lady H.'s Chapel at Bath. It is faid in the publication above-mentioned that the Doctor is M. D. as well as L. L. D. in order that he may be allowed to confult with the faculty. I hope the faculty know their own dignity better than to confult with any man who has not had a regular medical education. I am, Sir, your humble fervant, MISO FANATICUS. P. S. The Vice Principal had been applied to before on the subject of Haweis's degree. His answer to the perfon applying was nearly in the following terms: "SIR, "I am of opinion, that your friend Haweis cannot have a degree in the University of Oxford. He muft, therefore, either apply to the fhops of Scotland, or dive in the lake of Geneva, for that honour which he does not deferve. "I am, Sir, &c. 86 JOHN ALLEN." N. B. I wish fome of your readers would give us a regular account of the Doctor's miniftry, in what was called the city Pantheon, wherein he pretended to officiate as L. H.'s Chaplain, from which he was oufted by the Ecclefiaftical court. SIR, YOUR TO THE EDITOR. VOUR correfpondent, G. has given us his opinion, that your review is the moft ufeful part of your excellent periodical ftrictures. We have, indeed, in that to thank you, Sir, for breaking through the abominable combination and confpiracy against the liberty of the prefs, by which the Jacobins had fecured its influence exclu fively in favour of their own nefarious publications, by checking the circulation of all thofe which militated againft them; but I apprehend a part of your defign to be to give likewife to young ingenuous minds, an opportunity of making their firft effays in favour of our excellent confti u ion, and equally excellent establishment, under your more immediate patronage and aufpices. However grating this may poffibly be to your correfpondent, there are affuredly many of your readers who will be greatly gratified by obferving, at length, our fincere fons of the church, acquiring fo vigilant a matter, that difcipline and expertnefs in the art of defence, which, not only the long meditated exertions of Socinian blafphemy, but the more mafked, and, confequently, more dangerous, efforts of a well-known publication, perhaps, profanely termed evangelic, have long proclaimed to be immediately requi Lite for the fecurity of genuine chriftianity or pure religion. I am happy happy to find that your young recruits already handle their arms with a degree of cafe and gracefulness in politics, which their opponents, though regularly drilled for years, have never attained; but, perhaps, it is the beauty of truth, which accompanies all their exertions, that places them fo much above the level with men hackneyed in sophistry and trained to impiety. The combat in literature, feems, at prefent, to bear a strong affinity to the military campaign on the continent. Bold from prefumption, and flufhed with fuccefs, the enemy had ad. vanced fo far, that the moment he found his retreat in danger of being cut off, he was panic ftruck, and fled in every direction, leaving the fresh levies under your command completely mafters of the field. Scarce has he yet made an attempt to rally in any one Review; but in compliance with the temper of the times, (for which, in part, we are under obligation to you,) his high toned pride is melted down to mo deration, and the check to his gains, to which he has been fo feelingly alive, appears to have brought him, at leaft, for a feafon, to his fober fenfes. His athletic antagonist, in your number for May, treated his feeble efforts to make a ftand, fo much in the true ftyle of the Auftriax art, that I fufpect you will be fhortly under the neceffity of turning the attention of your forces towards the few fortified places, the enemy has left behind him; and, from the fpecimens we have already had of Jacobin prowefs, we may reafonably hope they will make but a feeble. refiftance. Aware of the tricks of the enemy, we must not, Sir, be alarmed at mifreprefentations, though fanctioned with the venerable name of Locke, much lefs by the pedantic dictates of the fhallower intellect of Montefquieu. The latter of thefe, I fufpect, has milled not a few, by the peremptory but unfounded affertion that honour is the principle of a monarchy, virtue that of a republic. For, if this were indeed true, the beft of men (fince honour can at this day hardly be ranked amongst the virtues) from the dictates of confcience would be neceffarily prejudiced in favour of democracy. The experiment, melancholy beyond precedent in its effects, which has been fo rafhly tried in France has, however, removed a great deal of the shade in which this fubject has been heretofore involved. The principle upon which the republic was formed in that devoted country, and the prin ciple by which it has been actuated all through the ftorms and tempefts which have laid Europe in ruins, has been, most evidently, ambition; and this, Sir, generalifed as much as poffible, I apprehend to be really the principle upon which every democratic government is founded, and that by which it is likewife actuated; and the oppofite virtue, fubmiffion in fome inftances, perhaps, to an extreme, is not lefs certainly the principle upon which monarchy is eftablished. We have only to inquire, whether ambition thus generally diffufed, or a manly fubmif. fion founded upon a fenfe of its general utility, is likely to contribute more towards real and durable happiness in a nation, to determine which form of government, a republic or a limited monarchy, ought to be preferred. I am aware, that the fubject involves a multiplicity of confiderations of too complicated a nature to be fully difcuffed within the limits prescribed upon this occafion to my pen. The advantages of great exertion would be claimed by the advocates for ambition, and the evils of flavery urged against an abfolute monarchy. But, under a limited monarchy like ours, the ufeful parts of the two principles are fo happily blended, that ambition, unruly when left to itself, is chaftifed into exertions of the most inoffenfive and effectual nature, by fubmiffion to the laws and executive power, while the executive power itfelf is made accountable to the people, and, in fome measure, directed by them through the medium of their reprefentatives. In fuch a ftate of things, arbitrary power is not acknowledged to exift. The main fpring is, as it should be, concealed within the interior of the cabinet, though a difcerning mind will easily discover that the vox populi has always the weight it ought to have in a conftitution evidently founded upon this falutary maxim, "falus populi eft fuprema lex." Here, Sir, it is, that freedom exifts, if any where upon the face of the globe; for where there is no arbitrary power there can be no abfolute flavery. The The experiment upon the continent is completed, and affords a fair opportunity of contrafting the British conftitution with a conftitution founded upon the rights of man too abftractedly confidered. comparison will be fatisfactory to an Englishman, for he will find that ambition made too general, has, in this inftance, as in all others, been not only productive of inteftine commotions and foreign wars, but it has likewife unhinged the very foundation of civilization, deftroyed the relations betwixt man and man, and dreadfully weakened every divine and moral tie. Even in our afpects to each other, a modeft and courteous demeanour is much more agreeable than felf-conceited arrogance. While the former foftens the rigours of human life by the perception that others are interested in our welfare, the latter tends to infulate man from man, and, in the midst of fociety, leaves him to confole himself with the folitary comforts of a defert. A. TO THE EDITOR. SIR, Writer who calls himfelf A Friend to Truth, in your Review A to for May, has endeavoured to fix a charge of Jacobinical principles on a fociety at Cambridge, eminent for talents and encouragement of learning. His letter confifts of a note extracted, as it is faid, from fome pamphlet, and his obfervations upon it. I fhall confider the whole as written by the fame perfon. The defence of the learned body above alluded to I leave to its own members, many of whom, I doubt not, will be eager to undertake it. I enter the lifts in behalf of a fociety, whom the writer has commended indeed at the expence, of every other college in the univerfity; but with what he calls compliment, he has mixed fo much of another fort, that no Johnian will think himfelf obliged. To make ufe of praife only as introductory NO. XIII. VOL. III. A a to |