loathfome. But the point here is, that he was mistaken in the man; in himself, Bolingbroke was only political in his understanding, but now at all fo in his character. With a frength of head capable of the high ft reafon, he was conftitutionally reduced below even the common ftandard of mankind by fome of its loweft paffions. While an aftonishing comprehenfivenefs of mind enabled him to embrace, in fpeculation, a whole univerfe, the egotifm of his character contracted that immenfe fphere to a point, to an atom, to himfelf. Thence it was that he was ever capitally deficient in that indifpenfable qualification for Government, efpecially in this country, the focial cement: a vanity extremely worthy of fuch great talents, with which it is, generally fpeaking, juftly enough held incompatible, fare as it eternally is to defeat their effect; his vanity, I fay, loft him the fupport of others, who, with lefs pretenfions to merit, were equally, though therefore the lefs fhamefully, vain. Thefe could not forgive him that fuperiority of his, of which his impolitic difplay offended their felf-love too much to let them do juftice to his merit, whenever his intereft or his ambition came in competition with theirs, Then it was that they took their advantage of all his faults against all his merits, which many, however, when there was nothing to be loft by confelling an admiration of them, would not fcruple to admire, for the fake of the air or of the fun of admiring them. of admiring them. The truth then was, that the excellence of his head was ever de rimental to himfelf, for, his not having in his heart any thing of that indifpenf able, focial virtue, a due deference and refpect for the judgment of others. This was totally excluded by the paramount opinion he had of his own fufficiency, which gave him an impatience of contradiction that made him the Taquin of fociety. The weakness then of fuch vanity alone O VOL. XIV. No. 82. t was abundantly unfavourable to his pretenfions to govern a nation; but the greater weaknefs yet of letting it be felt, mach augmented the disqualification. There was more yet against him. His egotiin tainted his politics, and, even in them, mechanically fubordinated to perfonality his better knowledge and underlanding. Knowing perfectly the French Government, he cordially defpifed its defpotifm, and its mode of adminiftration; and yet the circumftance of his refidence in France had fo Frenchified his politics, that, probably without himself being fenfible of the warp, it had given him a fort of predilection for the Court of Verfailles, which made him fee the faults to us of Auftria in too alienating a light. But had his place of refoge been in Vienna in lieu of Paris, and he had married a German lady, inftead of a French one, there is all the reafon to think that, from mere egotifm, his local and perfonal ideas of politics would have taken the Antigallican impreffion as ftrongly, and with infinitely more good policy, than they did the Anti-Auftrian. It was this political herefy that, at leaft, appears to have been caught from him by one of his pupils, the penfioned orator, who, without knowledge or examination, fervilely took that doctrine upon truft from him, and, with infinitely inferior talents and abilities, aped him in his prefumption of fuperiority enough to govern nations";" his fuccefs in which molt impudent claim would have been a fine joke to Bolingbroke, if he had lived to fee it. 66 It has been elsewhere noted, how he came to be introduced to the late Prince of Wales, from whom he received great favours, which he repaid, by apparendy intecting his Court with a partiality for France, which, it is much t be feared, is, at this moment operating, and than which there can hardly be conceived a weakness more pregnant with danger and detriment to As to Mr Pope, the attribution to him of political talents, either in actuality or poffibility, is entirely in Bolingbroke's character, of which Self was conftantly, even to a degree of blindness, the centre. It was literally himself that he was extolling in that great poet, who, in politics and philofophy looked up to him as to his to our national fyftem. Both Great few, he was ftill a God, compared to Britain and Hanover have already had fuch idiots as we have fince feen in abundantly reafon to execrate the fa- place, favour, and power. crifice of the House of Auftria, and its confequent alienation from their common intereft in a stedfast oppofition to the Houfe of Bourbon, who have been wife enough to avail themfelves of that egregious folly; a folly of which there is great reafon to conjecture that Britain and Hanover have not yet done with feeling the pernicious confequences. Unhappily this Mafter and Guide." Upon those is one of thofe ufeful truths which, two objects, in matter of opinion, for their being fo, are but the more Pope, in verfe, was the duplicate of likely to be caft away on the invete- Bolingbroke in profe. Dazzled by the racy of an early prejudice, or the falfe brilliancy of his parts, and captivated Honour of obftinacy in error, and on by his admiration of them, Pope fathe want of vigour of mind to expel crificed to him any fenfe he might a poifon it has once received:-Mean- have of his own, with fuch unreserve while, is there not fome reafon to fufed fubmiffion, as to tame even the pect that an undue complaifance to the French Coart muft have been at the bottom of that fcandalous Quebec Act? The fuffering fuch a religion in the British dominions, on the principles of juftice and humanity, might be very right, efpecially as bare fufferance implies reprobation; but furely for a British Parliament to ENACT the fupport of it was going rather too far. To tolerate is only a connivance, but to establish is an approbation. Lord There is not, however, here meant a minute difcuffion of all the reafons which grew out of facts, for not acceding to Bolingbroke's opinion of his own capacity, in a political light, for "governing Nations." That would carry me too far. Chesterfield, who admired him, could not, on obferving the great difparity between his understanding and character, help crying out pathetically, "Ah! la pauvre Humanité !" "alas! for poor humankind!" (an exclamation, the juftice of which, by the way, was not a little "exemplified in Chesterfield himself.) Yet, not to be unjuft, Jet Bolingbroke have, at least, the benefit of contraft. With all his faults, which were neither little nor 199 natural ferocity of Bolingbroke's ge- Thrice happy Baid! Happy in hav ing ing, by a predemife to Bolingbroke, poffible not to defpife; faved him from the horror of feeing the triumphs of impofture, whether in the fuccefs of Mock-Patriats, or of FALSE FRIENDS, falfities thefe of incomparably the wort confequences, fince whole` nations are affected by them. A play on words may be only a fin againít wit; but the fporting of fentiments is treafon to mankind. efcaped the pain it must have given him to discover the perfidy and inhumanity of a man whom, he had fo much admired, esteemed, and confidered as his friend!Happy, in not living to fee the fad accomplishment of his own prediction of a general Dunciad to a public that appear ed to him even then at its laft yawns; as he could even then, in the manifeftly growing and perfealy natural union between fordid avarice and rank stupidity, easily forefee that depravity of tafte fo likely to replunge the land into thofe depths of barbarifm and darkness, but of which it had emerged through the immortal geniufes of a Shakespeare, Milton, and other luminaries of other times than thefe; times in which true wit, fublime nature, feem to be leaving the field to that eternal refuse of tafte, frigid conceits, ftrained allufions, childish gingles of founds, and even to puns, that loweft of all, the vile attempts of dullness at wit and humour. --Once more Happy Bard! in this, that friendly death faved him from the vexation and ignominy of a fubjection to a fcarce interrupted feries of fuck men in power as it was hardly Here I ought not to conclude without fome elucidation of the character of Monf Pouilly de Champeaux, the third Member of Lord Bolingbroke's imperial, triumvirate. But as that. difcution would come more authentically from his countrymen who beft knew him, I fhall but just mention that he was a writer much efteemed for the elegance and spirit of humanity that breathe throughout his literary productions; the generally moft, efteemed of which is his Theory of Agreeable Senfations. As to his political powers, I cannot fay I ever heard of their being fo celebrated as to authorife this more than compliment to him on Lord Bolingbroke's part. This then I am forced to leave under the uncertainty to which my not knowing more of him naturally condemns me. Addrefs to the People of England, by the Diffenters in the Wet Riding of Yorkshire. property of our brethren in that part of the kingdom by a deluded populace the civil Judge has already decided in the regular exercife of his office; and we fincerely compaffionate the unhappy wretches, who, as a falutary example to others, have been fentenced to expiate their crimes with their lives. But we deem it ftill neceflary, on our part, to obviate the invidious mifeprefentations of our principles and conduct which have produced this fanatical fpirit, and which appear to us to have a higher origin, as they are ftill industriously circulated, for the moft part by anonymous writers, in fome of the public prints. The fpecious cry of Church and King hath been artfully affumed by our enemies, with an evident defign to make the ignorant believe that we are enemies to both, and that neither can be safe while we are fuffered to exift. That we are not members of the Church of England we have always openly avowed, by the cleareft and moft decifive of all declarations, an uniform couple of conduct. We cannot fubmit to her authority in matters of faith. We cannot appropriate to oartelves, in a folemn act of religious worship, a Form of Prayer which we fhould not be permitted to adapt to our own views, by the alteration or omillion of a fingle fentence. We cannot difcover in the difcourfes of Chrift, or the writings of his Apoltles, any foundation for that distinction of ranks in the Chriftian Miniftry which is prescribed in the epifcopal form of church government. We cannot accede to rules of faith or modes of wowhip, in which the civil Magiftrate claims a right of interference. In our religious fentiments, and in fuch of our actions as are purely religious, we call no man Mafter upon carth; we reft entirely on the fufficiency of the fcriptures, and the right of private judgment. This is a right which the Reformers of the English Church themfelves exercifed, when they feparated from the Church of Rome; and it is the only right which que affume as the ground of our diffent. In the exercise of it we are led to a great adverfity of fentiment: and we certainly difagree with each other in religious opinions more than fome of us differ from the doctrinal parts of the eftablished Creed. But in this we acquiefce, as the unavoidable effect pf perfonal enquiry in the prefent flate of the human understanding. It is li berty which we equally give and take ▾ for we dare not judge another's fervant, knowing that to his own maftej he muft ftand or fall; we fhould think it impious to intrude between the confcience of a brother, and that venerable Being who alone knoweth his heart. އ With thefe fentiments it is impoffible that we fhould have an unfriendly difpofition to the members of the esta. blifhment. We cannot deny them that right to a perfonal choice which we exert ourfelves. We may efttem it our duty to addrefs them by rgument, and to, urge upon them the reafons of our own belief and practice; but we cannot, without a total dereliction of our principles, and a fhameless op ofition to all our profeffions, have recourfe to violence, or employ any illiberal artifice in fupport of our caufe. While they retain their prefent opinions, we must be earnettly flicitous that they may preferve the undisturbed enjoyment of their articles, their liturgy, and their epifcopal go- . vernment. We have, indeed, no pri vate intereft which can fimulate us to acts of unchriflian hoftility. We have no defire that our own opinions, or mode of worship fhould Be fupported by the civil magulrate, or by the act of a legal import. We are willing to trust their prefervation and ipereale to the force of truth, and the conviction of mankind. And whatever may be our views concerning the abfolute authority, or general expedience of a religious eftalifhment, we rejoice in the benefits which are actually produced by the diligent inftruction and exemplary conduct of its Minifters, We efteem a clergyman who refides in his parifh, and is at once the friend, the guide, and, the pattern of his flock, to be one of the most refpectable, becaufe he ranks with the most useful of human characters. We are fo far from wifning ill to any of the Clergy of the English eftablifhment, that we (hould feel lively pleafure in the re moval of every circumflance which appears to us at prefent to impede their comfort and ufefuluefs. We will not hesitate to declare, that, in our apprchenfion, their fir uations would be lia ble to much fewer objections. if they were left to the free fudy of the Sacred Writings, unfettered by ful for ption to human explanations: if plura, lities were abfolutely prohibited; if the poorer livings were encreafed, by a diftribution of the ample revenues which are now attached to finecure dignities; and if their ftipends were not faifed in a mode which has a manifeftendency to perpetuate jealoulies between them and the occupiers of land. In fuggefting thefe imperfections in the prefent adminiftration of the church, without any view of entering ourselves into its communion, we do not conceive that we are acting the part of its enemies; for whatever increafes its ufetuinefs, muft furely add so is ftrength and ftatility: but if we fhould happen to be mistaken in the probable effect of all or any of thefe changes, our error cannot produce any juft occafion for alarm. Not being included within its pale, we have no pretence for taking an active part in its concerns: all that we can with propriety do, is to offer our impartial opinion, and to express our benevolent withes: If the Church of England be ever found to, waot refor mation, that reformation must originate in the wifdlom, and be compleated by the virtue of its own adhe rents. Such are the reafons of our diffent, and fuch are our fentiments concerning the ecclefiaftical, establishment of this country. And we are confident, that there is nothing in them which can render us enemies to the State. We have as dear an intereft in the public peace and profperity, as the proudest and moft elevated of our countrymen. The aggregate of the property which is poffeffed by individual Diffenters, is far from incon fiderable. It is, moreover, for the most part of that kind which would be the fooneft affected by civil contentions: It is chiefly vetted in commercial flock, or the machinery of manufactories; and much of it may be diffipated in an hour, by the fury of bigotted, or the rapacity of unprincipled infurgents. The tate, therefore, has a valuable pledge for our good behaviour, and might reft fecure from any apprehenfion that we are inclined to disturb its tranquilly, even if our past conduct had not furnifhd fo ftrong a prefumption of our pacific difpofition. But the experience of a century has witnessed our quict fubmiffion to the laws, and our active regard to the welfare of our country. We have been engaged in no reb lion. We have favoured no infurrections. We are not averfe to acknowledge, that, in conjunction with many eminent characters who have no connection with us in our religious capacity, we fincerely congratulate the inhabitants of a neighbouring country, on their late deliverance from the power of a defpotic government, and their prefent flattering profpect of being bleffed with the poffeflion of leg berty. We have not the arrogance to believe that we are competent judges of all the meatures that have been employed for the attainment of that invaluable good; we are well aware that many imper.ections have always attended the bell deviled schemes of human policy. But whatever may be the errors, the defects, or the inexpedience of fome of these plans, we think it fuffici,ntly evident, that more than twenty millions of people, who have long been political flaves, are now become freemen. Inthisaufpicious gewe anticipate a glorious addition to the general happiness of mankind. We exult in the reflection that we live in an age, which has produced a body of Legiflators, who, by directly difclaiming all offenfive wars, have prefented |