The work alluded to is, Hiftorical and Political Difcourfes, by Nathaniel Bacon, mentioned by Nicolfon in his Hiflorical Library; who fays, the first part, from the first times to the reign of Edw. Iil. was published in 4to, Lond. 1647, and the fecond part, to the end of queen Eliz. ibid. 2° 1651. Both reprinted in folio, Lond. 1695.-Nicolion gives the following unfavourable account of it: "There are," fays he, feveral witty, political, and moral reflections in his book, which difcover a peculiar art in drawing very notable and weighty conclutions from weak and airy premifes. His remarks on the Clergy, upon all occafions, are fo full of bitternefs and invective, as might have become Mr. Selden himself, and are an evident argument of the author's having a mind to ape even the very paffions of that angry great man. Some favourable expreflions of Monarchy drop from him unawares; but whenever this happens, he is manifeftly out of his way. His main defign was, to blacken all our kings, and to fhew that they had nothing lovely in them but what was derived from the favour and careffes of the people." Nicolson then cites a long paffage, which, he fays, is the fum and fubftance of this admired book." An account of an infurrection in Virginia in the reign of Charles II. headed by a gentleman of the name of Bacon, niay be found in Burke's "6 European Settlements," and other books. In a MS note of Oldys to the article of Mrs. Behn, in Langbaine's Dramatic Author (according to the copy in my po feffion, formerly George Steevens's), are the following paffages. "There was an infurrection in Virginia, made by one Nathaniel Bacon, a great oppofer of the Royal party there, in conjunction with Drummond, a Scot, and many others. Bacon died there in 1675, as near as I can compute; or 1676, as others; and his accomplices, being routed or fubdued by the Foyal party, were 13 of them hanged; fome fays There were two or three pamphlets publifhed on the tubject; one called, Strange News from Virginia, being a Relation of all Occurrences in that Country fince the Death of Nathaniel Bacon; with an Account of 13 Perfous tried and executed for their Rebellion there." 4to. one fheet, 16;6. "The account in this pamphlet is extracted from a letter written by fir John Berry, the admiral who tranfported fome foldiers thither. He arrived there on the 29th of January; and fays, that Bacon had been dead two months before. Query, if the Bacon before-mentioned was not that Nathaniel Bacon of Gray's Inn, who in 1647 and 1651 publifhed his two volumes, 4to, of the Hiftorical Difcourfe on the Government of England, in which he was blackened. It has been twice reprinted in folio; and 'tis faid Mr. Selden affifted him in it*: but I think that does not evidently appear. "Mr. Nathaniel Bacon of Gray's Inn has affured me, that this Nathaniel Bacon did go over to Virginia, but he could not remember what he had heard he did there. "Or was not this man's fon the infurgent? For the infurgent is called, in the Hiflory of the American Plantations, 2 vols. 8vo. Nathaniel Bacon junior, and colonel Bacon, a young fpritely man, who had been a lawyer too."OLDYS. He had been bred (fays the author of the European Settlements) to the law; was an agreeable man, of a graceful prefence, and winning carriage; had a lively and fluent expreffion, fit to fet off a popular canfe, and to influence men who were ready to hear whatever could. be faid to colour, in a proper manner, what was already firongly drawn by their own feelings. Every thing (he adds) was now hafiening to a civil war, when all was quieted, in as public a manner as it had been begun, by the natural death of Bacon, in the very height of the confufion. SAMUEL-EGERTON BRYDGES. Mr. URBAN, Fiec-fireet, Sept. 6. HILE the finject of Vaccination has of late excited very general attention, and been introduced in different periodical publications, in confequence of fome inaccurate ftatements made againit it, as mentioned in your Magazine, p. 517, give me leave to call on you to infert a copy of a cafe read to us yesterday at the Quarterly Court of the Royal Jennerian Society. I tranf* In the Bodleian Catalogue is, of the Kingdom, or Cuftoms of our AuRights cettors, touching our Kings and Parliaments, Lond. 1682, 4to. by of Gray's Inn." Bacon, mit mit it to you, from the confideration of your Journal's finding its way into the cabinets or librari of the great, with whom the evil report, now most fatiffactorily answered, for a time made fome impreffion. Let me inform you, that it had even reached the ears of our gracious Patrons. A GOVERNOR. Report of Meffs RING and ADDING TON, on the Cafes of Mr. MONTAGUE's Children. "By our former Report, dated June 2, 1803, it will appear, that we had waited on Mr. Montague of Portmanfquare, in order to enquire into the cafes of two of his children, who were faid to have had the Small-pox after Vaccination. Mrs. Montague's confine ment prevented us from purfuing our enquiries further in the family at that time; but Mr. Montague affured us, that as foon as Mrs. Montague was fufficiently recovered, we fhould be permitted to wait on her, and to examine the arms of the children, agreeably to our request. He added, that Mrs Montague, as the natural confequence of maternal attention, muft neceffarily have the most accurate recollection of the particulars of thofe cafes; but he wifhed it to be understood, that, in the opinion of Mrs. Montague and himfelf, Vaccine Inoculation had not, in thefe inftances, afforded a fatisfactory refult. In our former Report we ftated, that, by the advice of Mr. Montague, we had allo waited on Mr. Walker, apothecary, of St. James's-ftreet, by whom the children were inoculated for the Small-pox, in order to know his opinion of the effect of that inoculation. Mr. Walker informed us, that an eruption had taken place in both children; but, as we wifhed for as accurate an account of the particulars as poffible, we requested him to favour us with the cafes in writing; informing him, at the fame time, that we were deputed by this Society to enquire into the fubject. Mr. Walker faid, he had given a ftatement of the cafes in writing to Mr. Birch; from whom he promifed to cure a copy, and tranfmit it to us: notwithstanding we wrote to him twice feveral months ago, reminding him of his promile, and again requefting the ftatement, we have not yet received an anfwer. In the courfe of laft fummer, Mr. Montague called on Mr. Ring; and informed him, that as foon as Mrs. Montague was fufficiently recovered, it had been thought neceffary for her to go into the country. He added, that when his family returned to town, the propofed enquiry fhould take place. The Board of Directors having lately fent a meffage to the Medical Council, defiring to know whether a Report had been received concerning these cafes, we thought it incumbent on us to renew our application to Mr. Montague. We accordingly wrote to him on the 234 of last month; but we have not hitherto received any anfwer. By a letter from Mr. Bunny of Newbury, dated June 23, 1803, we learn that the two children of Mr. Montague had been inoculated by him about three years before with Cow-pock matter, taken on the thirteenth day; that the arms of the children inflamed, and came forward towards 'fuppuration; and that one, if not both of them, rubbed off the head of the puftule on the fourth day. Mr. Bunny does not recollect any thing further concerning the puftules. He confeffes he was at that time inexperienced in Vaccine Inoculation. He then thought infection had taken place in thefe cafes; but he now thinks otherwife. By a letter from Dr. Jenner, dated June 24, 1803, we are informed, that early in the fummer of 1801, Mrs. Montague confulted him concerning thefe children. On examining their arms, he obferved, that in the eldest the cicatrix, which the Vaccine veficle invariably leaves behind, was totally wanting; and that, in the other, the impreflion was much more fuperficial than common. He therefore advifed, that they fhould both be inoculated again; and that, in the mean time, every precaution fhould be taken to avoid the Small-pox. This Report we deem it our duty to make without further delay. We regret the reluctance of the parties to afford fuch information as would enable us to fulfil our commiffion. Could the whole evidence of the cafes be obtained, there is every reafon to believe it would be fufficient to remove every doubt that has arifen on this subject, and to vindicate the character of Vaccination. May 25, 1804. JOHN RING. JOHN ADDINGTON. To the Medical Council of the Royal Jenne an Soc ely for the Extermination of the Smuli-pox. Mr. TOUR TO THE NETHERLANDS, ufed to replenifh his coffers: preaching IN THE AUTUMN OF 1793. THAVE not yet done with Antwerp: The apartments of the abbot were fplendid enough for the refidence of the pope himfelf. The refectory, or hall 66 one day before an immenfe multitude, he difplayed an image of the Virgin Mary, to which he made the following apostrophe: Bleffed Virgin! I this day take thee for my fpoufe." Then turning to his hearers, he thus addreffed them: Virgin; it remains with you inftantly Behold, I have efpouled the holy to defray the expences of our nuptials:" on which he fixed two boxes on each fide of the image-continuing his harangue as follows; "Let the men put into one box, and the women into the whatever they may be difpofed to give other; then I fhall know which of the two fexes has the greatefl regard for the new-married pair." Upon this they eagerly rufbed forwards with their contributions; outdo he metr, ftripped themfelves of and the women, emulous to their necklaces and ear-rings. St. Norbert combated his wild exceffes with fuch effect as to drive him out of the country; and the unhappy man, after wandering about for fome time, was afaffinated by the hand of a priest. Mofheim fays, that the enormities atcredible, and therefore cannot be true. tributed to Tanquelin are abfolutely inBut why incredible? Grant that he where the monks fat down to eat, is a noble room 90 feet long and 27 broad, and full of pictures by John Erafmus Quillim, brother of the famous feulptor Arnold Quillin. The abbey of St. Michael was founded in the 12th century by St. Norbert, who inftituted the order of the Premontrés, or Præmonfratenfes, and who came by invitation to Antwerp in order to combat the extravagancies of a spiritual madman named Tanchelin or Tanquelin, who made no finall fir in his day. The 12th century, which is diflinguished by the rife of thofe generous advocates of religious liberty, the Waldenfes and the Albigenfes, is alfo memorable for having produced fome of the wildelt fanatics that are recorded in the annals of ecclefiaftical hiftory. Among them figures the above-mentioned enthufiaft or impoftor, who made Antwerp the chief fcene of his adventures. The following particulars of this lay Herefiarch, as he has been termed, are extracted from a work entitled "Les deJices des Pays Bas," publifhed at Liege in 1759. He affumed the office of an itinerant preacher, in the exercife of which, his favourite topics of declamation were the following: that the facraments of the Catholic Church were nothing but inventions of the devil; that the fpiritual prerogative of the Priefhood was a grofs ufurpation of the rights of the people; and that tithes ought not to be paid. Being poffeffed of very popular talents, his followers foon became numerous; and he is faid to have availed him felf of the afcendancy he had gained over the people, for the most flagitious purposes. He peared in public with the trappings and enfigus of royalty, and efcorted by an armed guard of not less than 8000 men : when he preached, a fiandard was unfurled, and his guards displayed their naked fwords. The following is given as a fpecimen of the means which he ар perfonated the fon of God--What then? Had the learned hiftorian forgotten the blafphemous pretentions of Simon Magus, the dreams of Montanus in the third? Had he forgotten that Eon of fecond century, and of Manes in the tended to be the judge of the quick and Brittany in the twelfth century, predead; that in the following century Holy Ghoft was become incarnate in Wilhelmina, of Milan, gave out that the ferenteenth century the quaker Naylor her perfon and that fo late as the the everlasting fon of righteousness, the was hailed by his fanatical admirers as prince of pace, the only begotten fan of God, the fairest among ten thousand? Nor can the horrid crimes with which Tanquelin is charged be thought incredible, fo long as the proceedings of the Anabaptifts at Manfier in the fixteenth ufe the words of an elegant hiftorian *, century ftand upon record, when, to luptuoufnefs was engrafted on religion, by a monftrous conjunction, roand diffolute riot accompanied the aufterities of fanatical devotion, and every pallions of men are capable when reexcefs was committed of which the Robertion's Charles the Vth. frained ftrained neither by the authority of laws, nor the fenfe of decency." The crimes of Matthias, Boccold, and Chipperdoling, may fairly be opposed to the incredibility of the enormities attributed to Tanquelin of Antwerp. Antwerp was the fcene of many dreadful commotions on the fcore of religion during the fixteenth century; but Popery at length obtained a complete afcendency over every attempt that had been made to establish the principles of the Reformation; and Antwerp hath ever fince remained in a state of devoted fubmiffion to the Romish pontiff. It was conflituted an epifcopal fee in the reign of Philip the Second. Antwerp hath produced many illuftrious scholars, among whom we may reckon Ortelius, the celebrated geographer, who flourithed in the fixteenth century, and was called the Ptoleiny of the age; Gramaye the hiftorian, and Gruter; nor muft I pals over in filence that admirable printer Chriftopher Plantin, to whom the republic of letters is fo eminently indebted. Towards the clofe of the fixteenth century, Antwerp had the honour of producing a writer whole memory ought to be revered by every found and confiftent Proteftant-the name of this worthy champion for the canfe of primitive Chriftianity was Erafmus Joannes, rector of the grammarfchool at Antwerp, who, in 1584, pub lifhed a book, the defign of which was to thew that the reign of Anti-chrift had commenced foon after the death of the Apofiles; and confequendly that the writings of thofe called the Fathers, and all the councils which had met fince, were infected with anti-chriftian errors, not excepting the famous council of Nice. He therefore propofed † that, in order to introduce a true and folid reformation, the new phrafes and new ways of fpeaking, which had been invented and introduced into the church by the Fathers, fhould be wholly fuppreffed and buried in oblivion, and that all religious propofitions fhould be expreffed according to the fimplicity of Jefus Chrift and his Apofiles. He protefled against any unfair conclufion that might be drawn from his premifes, as if he ineant to condemn the Fathers and their writings in the lump; fo far from it, faid the good man, that if we perufe the writings of St. Cyprian, St. Auguf + Brandt de la reformation des Pays Bas; and the Confeffional, page 23. tine, and other antient doctors, we must be fenfible that they could not have written fo well, had they not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit; they are therefore to be regarded as pious and fincere Chriftians, who fought God with all their heart and found him. But, as he very properly fubjoins, this is no reafon why we fhould be tied down to think and fpeak in all refpecs as they did; and why thofe, who receive the Scriptures as the word of God, fhould be called heretics for difcarding their terms of art. Upon the whole, he affirms that if any man thinks himfelf obliged to ufe new terms to express the articles of his faith, fo that the words of the Prophets and Apofiles are not fufficient for him, it is certain that his doctrine is new as well as his terms, otherwife he might eafily find, in the Scripture, language proper enough to exprefs his notions." Thefe were bold fentiments for the time in which they were publithed. They were not only highly obnoxious to the Papifis, but to many of the worthy fathers of our Proteftant Ifrael, who could fcarcely bear a reflection to be call upon the primitive Fathers or the early Councils; and to this day we have too many bigots in our Eftablished Church as well as among the Diffenters, to whom fuch fentiments are very obnoxious, and who will not give the right hand of fellowfhip to any who refufe to adopt all their phrafes as well as fentiments. have reafon, however, to bless God, that we live in better times than did the fchoclmafter of Antwerp, who, finding that climate 100 hot for his theological conftitution, prudently migrated to another country. Our excellent countryman, William Tyndale, whofe name will ever be dear to the Proteftant church of England, while engaged in tranflating the New Teftament into English, found a fafe retreat at Antwerp, from whence his books found their way into England, and diffufed a glorious light throughout the kingdom. At Antwerp Tyndale might have ended his days in peace, but for the intrigues of English emiffaries who caufed him to be apprehended as an heretic; and in 1536 he was firangled and burned to ashes at Vilvorden between Antwerp and Bruffels. There are few men in the annals of our English reformation whole inemory I revere more than that of Villiam Tyndale; and perhaps it might be We difficult difficult to mention one in whom were united fuch exalted piety, fuch difinter efted zeal, and extenfive learning; and, had the leaders of that great work been more deeply imbued with the fpirit of Tyndale, the Protettan churches would probably have been cleared of a good deal of rubbish, which hath ftuck to all of them more or lefs, and will probably stick to all Chriftian focieties in this imperfect ftate to the end of time. But let me not lofe fight of Antwerp: this city will ever be memorable in the hiftory of the fine arts as a noble fchool of painting, wherein Rubens and Vandyck hold inconteftibly the firft rank. The merits of thofe illuftrious artifts are juftly appreciated in the following beautiful lines of Mr. Hayley, in his epiftle to Romney: Proud of the praise by Rubens' pencil won, Let Flanders boaft her bold inventive fon, Whofe glowing hues magnificently shine With warmth congenial to bis rich defign, And him, her fecond pride, whole milder With all the virtues of enduring o l. The defcent from the cross, by Rubens, in the church of Notre Dame, is indeed a mafter-piece, and would alone ham's tour. have fufficed to immortalize his name. The fall of the angels, by Floris, in the fame church, is a noble picture, and I mention it for the fake of introducing the following paffage from Mr. Peck"On the thigh of one of the fallen angels is a large hornet, painted by Quintin Matzys, the noted blackfmith of Antwerp, who fell in love with the daughter of Florio, and demanded her in marriage; the painter refufed him becaufe he was not of his own profeffion : Matzys therefore changed his hammer for the pallet, and ftudied under the Italian maflers for two years. On his return, he painted this hornet, unknown to Florio, who by miftake was going to brush it off, thinking it alive; he was fo pleafed with the execution of it, that he immediately gave him his daughter in marriage. Matzys was buried on the outfide of the western door of the church, where there is a plain ftone with this epitaph ; "Connubialis amor de Mulcibre fecit Apellem.” This anecdote reminds us of the hiftory of the maid of Corinth and her father, and is thus exhibited in verfe by the which is tranfmitted to us by Pliny, poetic pencil of Hayley : Oh, Love! it was thy glory to impart Her boding heart his near departure knew, And drawing doated on the form the Nor, as the glow'd with no forbidden fire, Conceal'd the fimple picture from her fire; His kindred fancy, ftil! to nature just, Copied her line, and form'd the mimic bust. Thus from thy infpiration, Love, we trace The modell' image, and the pencill'd face! After I had gratified my curiofity at Antwerp, I took my place in the flage for Bruffels, which was full of paffengers male and female. Juft as we were fetting out, my notice was attracted by a proceffion of men clad in furplices and with lighted torches, finging as they walked along; the paffengers in the ftreet fell down upon their knees, and continued in that pofture till the proceffion was gone by. It was the confecrated hoft, which I fuppofed they were carrying to fome fick perfon. The country for fome miles beyond Antwerp appeared like a garden. We were conveyed across the river Demer, and then got into a barge on the Bruffels canal, in which were very commodious apartments, where I could read or write with as much eafe as in the At parlour of an inn. After gliding along in this barge for fome miles, we were fhifted into another which was fill more commodious and elegant. the place of embarkation there was a houfe which furnished the paffengers with dinners ready-dreffed to take on board with them. The country on each fide of the canal was delightful and highly cultivated; and after a very pleafant journey I arrived early in the evening at Bruffels ; but my obfervations on this place must be referved for another letter. I am, &c. CLERICUS LEICESTRIENSIS. Mr. |