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that all the maritime powers were ex- | to see Mr. Madison deposed; therefore they

hausted by the war; that they stood in need of long repose to recover themselves; that, in fact, their fleet and seamen were nearly all gone; that now! now! NOW OR NEVER! was the motto; that, by a good hearty exertion, this Republic, this dangerous example to the world, might be for ever got rid of. There were many amongst these publishers and their patrons, who hoped for, who expected, and who encouraged the notion of, a re-colonization of the Republican States. They openly proclaimed this; and, indeed, I verily believe, that, about four months ago, a great part of the nation had been persuaded, that the project would be accomplished very speedily. Thus was the war rendered popular; and so popular, that, even in the city of London, and at a Common Hall, a motion for a petition against the continuance of the American war, though coupled with a call for the discontinuance of the Income Tax, which that war rendered indispensable, could not obtain a moment's hearing. The people were worked up to a senseless spirit of resentment, while those who had so worked them up, had in view the utter subversion of the American Republic, and with her, the last remains of political liberty.

wished to see an aristocratical faction raised up against the Republican Government; they thought, that war, necessarily producing taxes heavier than the Republicans had ever been used to, would furnish the aristocratical faction with a plausible ground of complaint; they were in hopes of thus producing, first, violent opposition to the war; next, something like open REBELLION; next, a division of the States; and, last, the conquest or overthrow of the whole. This was the main ground of hope with these malignant publishers; these enemies of real freedom; these sons and daughters of Bribery and Corruption, whose hearts overflowed with gall, whose eye-balls were seared by the sight of a people, who chose their representatives every twenty-four months, in the choosing of whom every man paying taxes had a voice, whose chief magistrate even was chosen from amongst his fellow-citizens every four years, without any pecuniary or religious qualification; and whose whole Government, civil, judicial, military, and naval, did not cost above a tenth part as much as the amount of the Civil List alone in England, though the population of the country was nearly equal to that of England. This was an object that blasted their sight. They could not endure it. They were mad at the thought of its being left in existence. They saw that, while this spectacle was in the world, they were never safe. It was useless, in their view of the matter, to have restored the Bourbons, the Pope, the Dominicans, and the Inquisition, while America remained an example and an asylum for the oppressed of all nations.

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Here, then, we have the real objects of the friends of tyranny; the sons and daughters of corruption; the race who never can be at heart's case while the sun shines upon one free country; upon one nation happy in the enjoyment of liberty. These people had seen liberty, and the very hope of liberty, destroyed in France; their long existing hopes of seeing that object accomplished had been just fully gratified; Hence these malignant writers left nobut they, who are as cunning as they are thing undone to urge the nation on to a wicked, clearly saw that nothing, and, per- continuation of the war. Every art was haps, worse than nothing, was done, unless made use of to encourage an acquiescence the free Constitution of the American Re-in the project Mr. Madison was held public could be destroyed. The sons and as the basest of men; as a traitor, who, daughters of corruption foresaw, that, while at a moment when England was in great this Republic existed, nothing was done; danger from the designs and the power of that the "example," to use the words of Napoleon, took advantage of our embarthe Times, " of the existence of such a Go-rassment, and declared war with a design vernment," would keep Bribery and Cor- to assist him in totally ruining us. ruption in constant dread and constant the great inducement, the great ground danger; that the example of a people living of hope of final seccess was, the expected under a Government such as that of Ame- division of the States. It was well known rica, without tumults, without commotions, that there was an aristocratical faction in would always be a handle for the friends the four States, called the New England, of reform to lay hold of; and, therefore, or Eastern States; that some very artful they anxiously wished for the overthrow of men, in that part of the Union, had stirred that Government; therefore they wished up a sort of rebellion. The influence of

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these men was magnified; and a belief pay my part of it with a great deal less was created, that a division would take dissatisfaction. The following is the arplace. This hope, however, has failed; ticle:"The reports of the intended mar and you will have the pleasure to see, in riage of Mrs. Perceval are, we believe, a short time, this faction plunged into irre-"quite unfounded. They have arisen from trievable disgrace and ruin. "her intercourse with a neighbour's faHaving now endeavoured to place in a "mily, that of the Rev. Mr. Carr, the clear light, the cause of the war, and the "Clergyman of Ealing, where Mrs. Percauses of its continuance after the Euro-" ceval lives. Mr. Carr has some charmpean peace, I shall, in another letter, state" ing daughters, and to them Mrs. Perthe causes of the peace, and its probable "ceval has within the last two months important consequences. "shewn particular attention, visiting, and In the meanwhile I remain, with the" having them at home with her frequently. greatest respect, and most sincere attach- "The Rev. Mr. Carr has two sons, one a ment, your faithful and obedient servant, "Colonel, the other a Major in the Army.

MRS. SPENCER PERCEVAL.

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WM. COBBETT." The latter, now at home, is a remark"ably handsome man, about thirty, and he "is the person whom the town tattle has "destined as the bridegroom, merely beYe lovers of cant! Ye hypocrites, cause, on his sisters' account, he has religious, moral, and political! Draw" shewn becoming respect, which has been near and regale yourselves with a treat. "becomingly received by Mrs. Perceval. Here is one who surpasses you all. "But Mrs. Perceval is twelve years older The following paragraph from the Courier" than he is, with twelve children, the of the 4th instant, on the subject of" children of our late excellent Prime this lady's reported intended marriage," Minister, who fell by the hands of an will make every man of sense and sincerity" assassin. Mrs. Perceval's love of her laugh. It is clearly discernable, that the" children, her reverence for the memory of canting fellow believes the report to be" an adored husband, whom she lost under true, and that his object is to frighten the circumstances so awful, would be sure safelady with the condemnation of public opi- "guards for her conduct, even if it were posnion. Ladies, in such cases, are not so "sible to forget the exalted place she occueasily frightened, let me tell him; and "pies in the eye of society. The heavy grief, they would be fools if they were. "The "turning her almost to stone, which she felt country has voted a large pension." He" for the loss of her husband, the conspimeans the Members of Parliament. But "cuous part she has taken among the most what then? Was it made a condition, that "religious, moral, and amiable class; the exshe should not fall in love with a "hand-"ample her conduct has set in all respects, some Major ?" Away, you paltry, snivel-"renders it impossible to believe she will ling hypocrite, whoever you may be ; and," take a step so contrary to the course she perhaps, you may be a rival of the lady. "has hitherto pursued. The Country has Things much more unlikely have been; "done every thing kind and honourable tricks more strange have been played off" to her, voting her a large pension during through the press of London, which has life, providing for her children, &c.frequently been made the tool in the hands "Among the children of her late Lord, of those who wished to break off, or to "she finds the highest consolation for his make up matches.—Well, Madam, (for, |" loss, and she is the last person who will I am sure, you are no man) suppose the " forget him so far as to throw herself into lady is twelve years older than the Major," the arms of any other Gentleman, howcould you not have left him to find that " ever deserving."

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GERMAN TROOPS.

MR. COBRETT,-To comment upon the

out? And suppose she has twelve children, did not the Major know that, think you? No; no; you'll never persuade the lady, that her reputation will suffer from marry-employment of German troops is liable, in ing a handsome young man. The public some cases, to give offence; but a bare rewill pay her pension as cheerfully when she cital of facts, without observations, surely is Mrs. CARR, as if she had remained Mrs. no reasonable being can object to. PERCEVAL; and, for my own part, I shall pressed with this idea, I conceive I may be

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permitted to state, that the people of this | riot in question. And it ought to be furtown did not shew any extraordinary ther recorded, that the sailors confined symptoms of joy, on the arrival here of the their proceedings solely to the objects Brunswick Hussars, who were called in connected with their dispute; namely, the by the Mayor to assist in quelling the late preventing mariners from proceeding to riot;-and several very respectable inha-sea at the reduced wages, and the liberatbitants, who had been summoned, and hading their comrades who had been taken attended, in aid of the civil power, declined into custody; and that, in every other regiving any further assistance when the spect, they avoided offering the slightest Foreign troops arrived, assigning, as the insult or molestation; for when, in the reason, their disapprobation of the mea- struggle to effect the release of their com sure. I do not pretend to say, whether panions, they had overcome every effort of these persons thought or acted right or not; the civil power to resist them; when they neither shall I undertake to decide with had thus become, as it were, masters of the whom originated the several disputes in place, they immediately retired with their which the Germans were engaged whilst rescued brethren, and the town became as here; but shall conclude my narrative by peaceable as if nothing had occurred. It stating, that some very unpleasant occur- is but justice to make these facts public; rences having taken place in the evening for, though the circumstance of breaking of Tuesday, December 13th, the Hussars open the prison cannot be denied, yet it is hastily and unexpectedly took their final hoped the above considerations may plead, (but very abrupt) departure from the town and plead strongly, in mitigation of punishabout midnight! To the events of that ment.-The writer in the Courier observes, evening is to be ascribed the circumstance that the Mayor and other Magistrates alluded to in the following paragraph which" deserve, from every peaceable and wellappeared this day in the Norfolk Chronicle" disposed inhabitant, the most sincere and Norwich Mercury newspapers, under" thanks, as their conduct was greatly to the head of Lynn news:- "The private belonging to the 5th Dragoon Guards, "who was seriously wounded here a short "time since, in a fray with the Brunswick "Hussars, we are glad to find is in a fair way of recovery.". I am, &c. Lynn, Dec. 31st.

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A BY-STANDer.

RIOT AT LYNN.

"be admired."Now, Sir, though all this may be true, and though I believe the mass of the inhabitants of this town to be as peaceable and well-disposed as most people, yet they seem not, at present, to have caught the enthusiasm of the Courier's correspondent. They feel attached to the character of the British seaman, with all his faults, and with all his errors, they entertain a respect for some political opinions of their ancestors; but the "sincere "thanks" for the much-to-be-admired conduct above-mentioned, are yet to come.Though by no means deficient in the rights of hospitality, yet no expressions of their admiration have hitherto burst forth at the jovial entertainment given by the Mayor (at his own house) to the German Officers, the day after their arrival.Now, Sir, as animadverting upon certain local political occurrences, is sometimes a ticklish point, which no man can more feelingly describe than yourself; and as placards and sarcastic hand-bills are posting and flying about here in various directions, it would be friendly in you to act as a Monitor to

MR. COBBETT,-In your second Letter "to the Cossack Priesthood of the State "of Massachusetts," inserted in your REGISTER of Dec. 24th, you favoured them, and the world at large, with two extracts from the Courier newspaper, respecting the late riot in this town.. Though all due deference should be paid to the Courier's Lynn Correspondent, who evidently writes in a tone of dignified hateur, and with a proper contempt for those below him, yet certainly the great majority of the inhabitants of this populous town, do not appear to have imbibed his conception of the subject.-As some of the sailors, or, (as this writer calls them) "poor deluded FELLOWS," are to be tried for their lives, it should be made known, that the mer-the "deluded" inhabitants of this town, chants and ship-owners have voluntarily acceded to the terms which these " deluded "FELLOWS" first demanded, and the refusal to comply with which occasioned the

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lest, peradventure, through any mistaken zeal for the constitutional notions of their ancestors, they should fall into perilous error, by murmuring when they should

offer their “most sincere thanks," and by
ceasuring proceedings which are "greatly
"to be admired!"I remain, Sir, a
friend to the real British Constitution,
and to social order, though
Lynn, Jan. 2, 1815.

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No GERMAN.

ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.

straint."

LETTER IV.

JUSTIN MARTYR; Lib. 5.

form to general customs and commonly received opinions; and what impartial man can doubt the sincerity of the Deists in their religious professions more than any other class of people ?

them, ought we not to have a still greater tenderness for what we consider their lost condition, instead of despising, rejecting, Priests may say and punishing them? what they please, but disinterested men will never agree to their positions as to people "turning a deaf ear," being “wilfully blind," or "hardening their own hearts against the truth." It would be the to arrogate Nothing is more contrary to Religion than con- grossest presumption in us such a power over ourselves. Whatever appertains to us must be an effect, of SIR, HELVETIUS remarks "That which God, or the Devil by his permis"Governments are the judges of actions, sion, is the cause. And would it not be and not of opinions. If FAITH (says he) much more consistent with Christian cha"be a gift of Heaven, they who have it rity, to view the different notions of our not, deserve to be pitied; and not pu- brethren in this favourable light? Those "nished ;" and adds, "it is the excess of who avow sentiments contrary to popular "inhumanity to persecute an unfortunate superstitions, and thus incur that contempt person." Every age and country fur- and opprobrium which the bigotry of the nish us with proofs, that it is possible for vulgar always bestows, are by far more persons of opposite opinions to live in har-likely to be in earnest than they who conmony together, and with abundant testimonies that people entertaining the greatest diversity of tenets have been alike good husbands, fathers, children, and citizens.---Governments are instituted for the preservation of social order, consequently The reason why the mass of mankind they have a right to look to our conduct, doubt whether there be such persons as which, if they are wise, they can suffi- fervent Deists, is because they are not ciently regulate by proper civil laws aware of their mode of reasoning; or, if founded on the nature of man, his inte- they are, they do not feel its force; and, rests, and his wants. If we deport our-like the Deists, cannot draw the same conselves in a manner compatible with the clusions from the same premises that they good of society, neither legislatures nor do. Deism has had nearly as long standindividuals have a just pretence, authori-ing in this country as the Reformation. tatively, to interfere with our opinions, let It was first promulgated in the reign of them be ever so ridiculous or absurd. As Queen Elizabeth, and is said to have to Faith, I would say the same of it as La been imported from Italy, perhaps from Rochefoucault says of Love, it is perfectly the circumstance of this country being involuntary, and therefore it is no more in about that time honoured by the visit of our power to believe or disbelieve, than it several eminent Italian philosophers, among is to love or to let it alone. Why, then, per- whom we can name the celebrated Doctors secute a person for a defect in the under- Lucilio Vaninand Giordano Bruno, both standing, or a bias he cannot help?-Will of whom we ultimately led to the stake any reasonable person assert that man and received the crown of martyrdom; the ever chooses evil for the sake of evil? or first at Toulouse, through the good offices of embraces error because it is error? No! an Attorney-General, and the last at Venice, we make choice of bad through our de- from the hands of Inquisitors, for stedpraved taste, and we receive false doc- fastly adhering to the Doctrines they had trine because we think it true. If this be broached.* The first English writer upon admitted, ought not those who deem others the subject was Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, wrong, and conceive themselves to be whose book, " De Ventate," was published blessed with a knowledge of what is right, in 1624; since which they have had to have compassion for such as have the misamong their number many of the greatest fortune to be deluded with mistaken notions? and if their faculties should be so benumbed with prejudice that we cannot convince

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* See the Lives of Brung, Vanini, Spinoza, Bodin, and Campanella, in Bayle's General Dietionary.

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"ism, and bring on the ruin of their pompous ceremonies."-When we consider the change which time makes in every thing; when we reflect upon what Christianity then was, and what Deism is now, shall we wonder if the Deists, at the present day, apply these passages, in their schools, to their own unfortunate case. They, like the early Christians, are moral and sincere ; but their morality and sincerity is no protection. Who shall decide in matters of opinion? Not the law: it will justify the Jews against the Christians, and they will have cause to complain. A little further Mosheim says,

and best men this country has produced. -Within the last twenty years Deists have become very numerous; probably more so than is generally suspected, as many thousands of them do not openly avow their convictions on account of the prejudices excited against them by the priesthood, who, of course, cannot be much attached to persons whose opinions are opposed to their interests. But whether they make a public profession of their sentiments, or only impart them to the liberal minded, I have generally found them to have a stricter sense of justice, honour, and morality, than, I am sorry to say, the greater part of my fellow-Christians possess.-Whether their general good conduct arises from their consciousness that the Philistines keep a jealous eye upon them, and would take a malignant pleasure in magnifying their indiscretions; or whether it is a consequence of the morality taught by the religion of NATURE being unsophisticated In the same chapter he tells us, that by dogmas, creeds, or the mysterious Nero was the first Roman Emperor who wonders of faith, I will not pretend to de-enacted laws against the Christians, and termine; but merely, as an humble aspirer says, "The principal reason why the Roto the charity of Jesus, bear witness of mans persecuted the Christians, seems the fact, and doubt not of my testimony being corroborated by every unbiassed observer of man.

The Christians persecuted by the priests, "and the people set on to persecute them "in the most vehement manner."-The Deists may, for aught I know, rank some of our priests with the savages of those days; but I should be sorry to go so far myself.

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to have been the abhorrence and con"tempt with which the latter regarded the "religion of the empire, which was so inHaving said thus much, and having intimately connected with the form, and, my last given a slight sketch of the plain" indeed, with the essence of its political and simple tenets of these people, might I "constitution."-The Jews and the Ronot ask, whether the conduct of Christian mans, like us, had costly temples, altars, States in persecuting the Deists, does not sculptures, paintings, solemn forms, grand subject them to the same reproaches which ceremonies, sublime mysteries, innumerthey have bestowed on those who persecuted able priests with fine garments, expensive their predecessors? To illustrate this ques- offerings, tythes, and rates; but the early tion, I shall occasionally make a few ex- Christians, like our simple Deists, did tracts from the pious and learned Dr. not know the inestimable value and imMosheim, late Chancellor of the Univer- portant advantages of these things, sity of Gottingen, who stands without a which the Romans seemed duly to apcompetitor as a writer of ecclesiastical preciate, as appears by the following:history. When treating of the calamitous "Another circumstance which irritated events which happened to the Church, "the Romans against the Christians, was during the first century, he has these re"the simplicity of their worship, which remarkable words: *" The innocence and "sembled in nothing the sacred rites of any "virtue that distinguished so eminently "other people. The Christians had neither "the lives of Christians, and the spotless sacrifices nor temples, nor images, nor "purity of the doctrine they taught, could "oracles, nor sacerdotal orders; and this "not defend them against the virulence" was sufficient to bring upon them the re"and malignity of the Jews ;" and again,"proaches of proaches of an ignorant multitude, who "This odious malignity of the Jewish "imagined that there could be no religion "doctors was undoubtedly owing to a secret "without them: thus they were locked apprehension that the progress of Chris-" upon as a set of Atheists.". "But this

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"tianity would destroy the credit of Juda-"was not all; (continues Mosheim) the

→ Vol. I. cent 1. part 1. chap. v.

"sordid interests of a multitude of selfish "and lazy priests, were immediately con

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