thefe principles in their own vindication. The established churches among proteftants, being founded in an age when the minds of men were heated with theological controversy, and when the rights of confcience were little understood, even by those who claimed them, breathe a fpirit of intolerance little inferior to that of the church of Rome. Indeed, in moft protestant countries, government has been induced to tolerate other perfuafions: but the partial manner in which this is done, proves that it refults not from liberal ideas of religious right, but merely from motives of political expediency; with which, fortunately for mankind, perfecution is feldom confiftent. M. KUIPER, one of the contributors to the volume before us, reproaches the church of England with the intolerant spirit displayed in fome of its canons; and we are forry that we cannot refute the charge; though we know not an eftablifhed church which is not, in this refpect, equally, if not more, guilty. With us, however, the intolerance of the church, at leaft with regard to its effects, is greatly mitigated by many circumstances which have confpired to humanize the clergy, and to foften that prieftly domineering fpirit, which is ever deftructive to the freedom and happiness of mankind: hence we feldom find them inculcating the belief of myfterious and controverted points of divinity, as effentially neceffary to falvation; their fermons and writings are, in general, free from offenfive dogmatism, and contain liberal and rational views of religion. The articles of the church remain unaltered: but many of them have, in a great measure, loft their harfhnefs; because most of the clergy, unrestrained by the apprehenfion of the cenfure of ecclefiaftical affemblies for their want of orthodoxy, either avoid difcourfing on them, or interpret them in a much more liberal sense than was perhaps annexed to them by their original authors :-but the Belgic church retains all the primitive feverity of Calvinism; its moft myfterious and controverted articles are conftantly inculcated, with as much avowed contempt of reason, and with as much inflexible zeal, as in the earlieft periods of its exiftence; by the frequent fynodical affemblies of its clergy, the moft odious part of their profeffional fpirit is preferved in full vigour, and they conftitute a formidable body, inimical to every opinion that varies from their ftandard of orthodoxy. Their authority, indeed, extends no farther than to thofe of their own communion, and is chiefly exerted over thofe of their own order. By thefe affemblies, cenfors are appointed to examine every work relative to religion, that is published by any of their corps; and if a clergyman be found to maintain, either in the pulpit, or from the prefs, any opinions which his brethren deem heretical, he must openly recant them, or be exposed to a moft

a moft vexatious perfecution, which may terminate in the lofs of his benefice. Thus, though the ftate extends civil toleration to all diffenters, excepting to Socinians, who, by a most iniquitous law, are liable to be punished for their opinions, the church is, within itself, as intolerant as ever; and a very confiderable alteration muft take place in the administration of ecclefiaftical government, as well as in the fentiments and manners of the clergy, before they can, in general, be real friends to the propofition maintained in this volume. There are moderate and liberal men among them, who, if freed from the tyranny of prefbyteries and fynods, would introduce a more rational and tolerant fpirit into their church; and who would gradually abolish that bigotted attachment to human creeds and confeffions of faith, which is the worst error of the Roman catholics, and that which proteftants fhould be most anxious to avoid.

ART. VI. Correspondance d'un Habitant de Paris, &c. i. e. Letters from an Inhabitant of Paris to his Friends in Switzerland and England, on the Events of the Years 1789, 1790, and down to the 4th of April 1791. 8vo. pp. 475. Paris.

A MONG the various publications, to which the late revolu tion in France has given occafion, the volume before us has been much read, and, by many, has been highly praifed, as one of the best that has appeared. We cannot confider it in this refpectable light; and, however forry we are to deprive a work of any part of the celebrity which it may have acquired, juftice obliges us to fay, that these letters have very little merit, even as an historical account, and none at all in a political and philofophical view.

An anonymous account of political events must labour under confiderable disadvantages: we know not what degree of credit may be due to the narrative, any farther than as it is cor roborated by the evidence of other writers, who are neither afhamed nor afraid to authenticate their accounts by their names. Of the letters under confideration, we can only ob ferve that thofe, in which the most remarkable events of the revolution are described, agree in the main with the beft and moft impartial accounts which we have feen; and there appears a degree of candour and moderation in the author's manner, which disposes us to rely with greater confidence on his reprefentations, than we fhould have done, had he betrayed an enthufiaftical attachment to either party. He feems perfectly fenfible of the wretched tyrannical abufes which prevailed under the former government, and of the neceffity of fome revolution

in it: he rejoices in the deftruction of the Baftile, and appears to approve the conduct of the National Affembly, till the decree of the 19th of June 1790, by which the nobles were deprived of their hereditary titles and honours: by the manner in which he frequently declaims against this measure, we should imagine he muft belong to their order. He afferts, that he was an eye-witness to most of the scenes which he relates; and he defcribes them with a minute attention to trivial and perfonal circumftances, but, at the fame time, with a fuperficiality which indicates more livelinefs of imagination, than accuracy of judgment: the events which he relates, are chiefly thofe that give him an opportunity of fpeaking of himself and of his own feelings; and thus his account, though in some respects more particular, is, on the whole, lefs complete and comprehenfive, than others which we have perufed. As most of these events have been repeatedly refcued from the falfe light in which Mr. Burke's heated imagination mifreprefented them, we fhall not detain our readers with any particulars, except fuch as are lefs generally known.

This writer afferts, that the fearcity, which prevailed in Paris in the month of April 1789, and the riots to which it gave occafion, were caused by the machinations of perfons whom the favour of the court had enabled to acquire immenfe wealth; whose interests were materially affected by the reforms which the States-general were expected to make, and who were therefore ready to adopt any method, however iniquitous, to prevent this affembly from acting for this purpose; they tried the means of intrigue, cabal, and corruption; and while they foreftalled the corn-markets, in order to create an artificial famine, by means of which they might caft an adium on the minifter of finance, they exerted every endeavour to excite infurrections among the populace.

Many have been the complaints, that, fince the revolution, the King has been deprived of liberty: but, in truth, he seems to have been as much a flave to his minifters before this period, as he could poffibly be afterward to the National Affembly. Ifit be faid, that he is now confidered as a prifoner of state, we may obferve, that he was then governed as a child by his worthless courtiers, who made him their mere tool; and, when falfehoods and flattery would not anfwer their purpofe, frightened him with bugbears into a compliance with their views. These were the means by which, this author fays, they forced him to order troops to invest Paris, and to fend for Marshal Broglio; and fo completely had they terrified him on this occafion, that when the Marshal entered the room, the King threw himself into his arms, and burft out into tears, crying, I am miferable,

miferable, I bave lost my all; I have no longer the hearts of my fubjects; I have neither finances nor foldiers left! In order to deceive his Majefty with refpect to the state of affairs, during the adminiftration of the Baron De Breteuil, play bills were printed and brought to him, of plays acted in the feveral theatres of Paris, on the days when they were all fhut up; false lifts of prices of stocks were fhewn to him; by which he was led to believe that they had rifen very much in confequence of M. Necker's difmiffion and the change of the miniftry. Of the sentiments of the people, of the deftruction of the Baftile, and of every thing that happened at Paris on the 14th of July, he was kept entirely ignorant, till toward midnight; when the Duke De Liancourt infifted on seeing him, and informed him of these events. are here told that, at nine o'clock, that evening, M. Berthier, the Intendant of Paris, came to pay his court, and that, on his Majefty's faying, Well, M. Berthier! what news have you? what are they about at Paris? what are become of all the disturbances there? he answered, Every thing, Sire, is quiet; there have indeed been fame flight commotions: but they were foon fuppressed, and are of no confequence.

We

Of M. De Mirabeau's abilities and refolution, the letterwriter speaks in the higheft terms, and feverely blames the nobles for having rejected him as one of the deputies of their order to the states-general. As an inftance of this gentleman's fpirit, he relates, that when the King fent an order to the deputies of the states to break up their affembly and leave the hall, the nobles and clergy inftantly obeyed: but the commons remained in their places undetermined how to act, till the Marquis De Breze was fent to them, who repeated the King's command that they should withdraw. On this, Mirabeau rofe and faid, What right have you, Sir, to deliver orders here? Do know to whom you address them? Do you confider that you Speak to your fovereign? We, Sir, are the reprefentatives of the nation; as fuch we claim respect and obedience: a nation gives orders, but receives them not: then, looking round with dignity, You, gentlemen, must determine for your felves: as for me, resuming his feat, I will part with my life, fooner than be forced out of this place. Afterward, turning to M. De Breze, he added, Go, Sir, and tell thofe who fent you, what you have just heard!

you

It is well known that, on the 5th of October 1789, when the fish-women and proftitutes of Paris marched to Verfailles, they forced their way into the hall where the National Aflembly were fitting. This author tells us, that one of thefe ladies, having demanded leave to fpeak, addreffed herfelf to the bifhops in the following plain but fenfible language. "My lords! the nation has fent you hither to affift in forming a conftitution that may render us free and happy. It is faid that you fecretly

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oppofe and retard this, because it will diminish your revenues, and perhaps oblige you to practise a little of what you preach up with fo much zeal to others. Though our circumftances lead us to frequent taverns and places of ill fame, yet we carry thither the love of our country, and infpire others with it. You, under the facred roofs of your temples, and in the habitual prefence of your God, are most of you bad citizens. If you carried on your business as loyally as we do ours, we should long have had As a part of the people, we fpeak peace and abundance. to you in the name of the people. The wealth, with which You live in splendour, in the you overflow, is torn from us. midst of luxury and pleasures, while, to us, you preach up huYou exhort us to fuffer mility, penance, and mortification. without repining, to bear our misfortunes with patience and refignation, and, on thefe terms, you promife us paradife :-but, my lords, if our inceflant labour is to be the fupport of your ease and enjoyment, if your enormous fuperfluity of riches be to confift of the portions drawn from our poverty, it is plain that you make your paradife in this world, and at our expence; nay, in this cafe, it is ftill more plain that you fcarcely believe a future life. I fear, my lords! God forgive me! that you fo ftrongly recommend another world, and fo eagerly wish to remove us thither, only because you want to get rid of us in this."

This oration ferved rather to confound, than to edify, the reverend fathers, whofe countenances indicated no very enviable fenfations: they were, however, foon relieved from their embarraffinent by M. De Mirabeau, who, in an authoritative manner, reproved these fair patriots for their irregular and riotous intrufion, and defired the prefident, who was a bishop, to order the door-keepers either to turn them out of the hall, or to command them to be filent.

The fpeculative part of this volume is chiefly employed in declaiming against the declaration of rights, the application of philofophical principles to government and religion, and the abolition of the nobility. The first of these subjects, it is evident, our author either cannot, or will not, understand; for, like moft of those who are inimical to this declaration, he grossly mifrepresents its tendency, and argues on an hypothefis so foreign to every liberal idea of government, that, were we difpofed to difpute the matter with him, we should be at a lofs to find out a principle, on which we could agree to fet out together. His favourite opinion is, that moral and political order are not only totally different, but alfo fo oppofite, that what is His obconfiftent with the one, is deftructive of the other. fervations, in fupport of this obviously falfe and pernicious maxim, are fo vague and unimportant, that we fhall not detain

the