of this fufpenfion of the work, is fufficiently obvious. Every nominal fubfcriber muft perceive it; though, to fmother the fense of his own meanness, he is moft clamorous in complaining of the delay."

We collect from this paffage, what private information confirms to us, that folicited by flatteries, and ftimulated by promifes, as Mr. Polwhele was, he has been feebly fupported by the gentlemen of Devonshire. His fubfcriptions from them have not been half, we believe, of what were actually expected, and were naturally to be expected, from fuch folicitations and fuch promifes. Even the enthusiasm of a right honourable correfpondent, whofe hypothetical letters are enlivened with profeffions of friendfhip and promifes of patronage,' became all fobered down in the performance, as appears, into "profeffions" without practice, and into "patronage" without profit. We therefore beg leave to add, from our ardour of zeal for provincial hiftories in general, and for the History of Devonshire in particular, that to fuffer fuch a writer, under fuch folicitations and fuch promifes, for want of vigorous fupport to proceed in the work, at the lofs (which we understand he will incur) of several hundreds of pounds, to his fmall patrimony, fmall preferment, and large family, would fix an indelible difgrace upon the authors of his disappointment, and this county for ever.

(To be continued.}

ART. XV. A Tale of the Times. By the Author of A GofJip's Story. 3 Vols. 12mo. 10s. 6d. Longman. 1799.

THE

'HE writer of thefe volumes has before received the praise of the British Critic, for great ingenuity, and a correct knowledge of the human character. She now appears before the public with more exalted claims, as the ftrenuous advocate of religion and good morals, and the powerful enemy of unfound and vicious principles, however difguifed or denomi nated. It has before been examined and fubftantiated, in the pages of our volumes, that a regular fyftem, in oppofition to religion and civil order, has been carried on and propagated on the Continent. It is no lefs certain, that the writers of France, as well as of Germany, whofe defign was to conciliate the attention by interefting narratives, concur in their endeavours to poifer, the fources of piety and morality, to palliate the feductive influence of vice, and to allure the wander

G 2

ings

ings of youthful fancy, by fpecious reprefentations of false fentiments and profligate philofophy.

To fuch writers and fuch principles these volumes, from the pen of Mrs. Weft, present themselves with pure and perfua Give fentiments, of fufficient efficacy, it might be fuppofed, to confound, convince, and reform. Genius is here employed in its proper station, namely, in the defence of virtue, and the overthrow of vicious sophistry.

"

Virtutis veræ cuftos rigidufque fatelles.

The tale is fimple, and not at all encumbered with artificial decoration, or uninteresting episodes. A young lady of birth, beauty, and accomplishments, is the victim of a modern philofopher, who, acting on the cold unfeeling principles of his fect, facrifices to his own felfish and folitary gratification every facred obligation of honour and of duty. The refult is, that a whole family is involved in the deepeft mifery, and more par ticularly fo, the unfortunate object on whom he more immediately fmiles, and fmiles to be a villain," He himself finally is compelled to fly his country, and meets with an unpitied and miferable end, on the very theatre from whence he imbibed his pernicious maxims, and from the very individuals of whom he was at once the affociate, the inftrument, and the victim. We will gratify ourselves with felecting a few specimens of the ftv'e ard fentiments. The following paffage well delineates the latitude which the profeffors of moral rectitude, in oppofition to religious duty, and the equalizing advocates of democracy, allow themselves.

"One prime article in his creed was, that an adept did not study to lefs advantage for poffeffing the good things of this life. Indeed, as his views were not very clear on the subject of a fu'ure ftate, he confidered it to be his bounden duty to embrace all the advantages which the prefent afforded. Gentlemen of his principles do not mean by their general declamations in favour of liberality, honour, and philofophical equanimity, to convey the precife idea, that fuch quali ties are indifpenfably requifite in their own characters: for they know, that the exterior refemblance exactly anfwers he fame end. Superficial obfervers (and the major part of mankind belong to this class) will give you credit for poffeffing a virtue, provided you are loud in your cenfures of an oppofite vice. Good notions of public liberty give the licence which permits you to be private tyrant. The daring atheift and fophifticating fceptic may alike shelter under the veil of religious moderation: and provided the words honour, fentiment, and philanthropy be upon your tongue, you may difturb the repofe of mankind, either individually or collectively, with impunity." Vol. ii,

P. 102.

The following alfo is no lefs happily introduced.

Aware

Fitzofborne de"Aware that it is much eafier to affail the opinions of others, than to bring forward a well-digested system of your own, termined to commence the attack. An opportunity foon offered for him to point fome of thofe contemptible but blafphemous farcafms which pafs for wit, against the Old Teftament, which infidelity is now pleafed to term an indefenfible outwork of the popular theology. A fcandalous tale of a married nobleman had found its way into a public paper; Fitzofborne pointed it out to Monteith by a fignificant glance, while he, with the pleasure common to offenders on difcovering a companion in guilt, honoured the wretched jest with which the paragraph concluded with a hearty laugh.

"Wha has entertained you, my lord," inquired the counters. "May we not partake of your mirth ?" Monteith haftily replied, that it would not amufe her; and Edward, toffing the paper among the other publications of the day, fagaciously obferved, that the conduct of the prefent age correfponded more with the practices recorded by the Jewith claffics than with the precepts of their auftere lawgiver. "which feem to give eclat to those "The offences," continued he, heroes who are recorded in the fongs of their bards, are in their legiflative code punishable with death, at least if we fuppofe thefe narrations literal. But we must allow, that the best critics, confidering the allegorizing temper of thofe people, are led to believe, that the whole compa's of their literature is fabulous, and by no means poffeffing that claim of high antiquity to which it pretends."

Henry's heart throbbed with indignation; but he determined to -wait his opportunity of interpofing when his audacious adversary was thrown off his guard. Warm with affectionate zeal for those truths from which her father had fo often drawn inftructive moral lessons, and the most auguft views of fuperintending Providence gradually unfolding its amazing defigns, Mifs Evans determined immediately to reply. "It cannot," thought fhe," be any dereliction of female modefty and delicacy to show an infidel that women may be ous in a facred caufe. Even my father's avowed opinion, that we ought to withdraw from controverfial topics, would change with the exigency of the prefent cafe, which calls me to repel the attacks of profligacy and impiety united for the deftruction of my unfufpecting friend."

courage

"Determined by these reflections, the addreffed Fitzofborne: "How long, fir, have thefe fagacious critics fucceeded in convincing the world that their Rile of reasoning was juft? My father has devoted his whole life to the attainment of facred learning; and I have heard him fay, that the attempts of fceptics ferved but to confirm the Stability of that heaven-erected edifice which they fought to under

mine.'

"The honour of an argument with Mifs Evans," returned Edward bowing," is too great a novelty for me to decline embracing it; and I cannot but lament that I have not been previously prepared for the conteft, by having obtained a knowledge of the arguments by which the fuperior judgment of Mr. Evans was decided. I am myfelf a fincere friend to religion, anxious for its real rights, and jealous of its true honour; and as fuch I have been tempted to wifh that fome untenable points were fairly given up, and that the profound theologifts

of

of the present day would felect thofe paffages which bear Aronger marks of infpiration. I confefs that I have often felt mortified at feeing the abilities of the order exerted in the defence of thofe parts of the fyftem which were more prudently abandoned by candid difputants."

"And I," faid Lucy," have been mortified too, when I have feen religion degraded by a mock defence." Vol. iii, p. 125.

Let all the advocates of the principles here expofed and reprobated, and females in particular, read the following words with the attention they deserve.

"Let me," continued fhe, "here, in this your favoured retreat, difclofe to you the hiftory of my errors. You need no warning; but the time will probably foon arrive, when the remembered confidence will ftill more endear this fpot.

"I had not been long a wife before I discovered that my eye had betrayed my judgment fo far as to fruftrate my expectation of ever finding in marriage that communion of well-paired minds, that feast of reafon and that flow of foul which I had looked up to as the perfec tion of felicity. Every attempt to give lord Monteith a taste for intellectual pleafures was unfuccessful, But I was not unhappy. I remembered your excellent mother's precepts, and reconciled my felf to the limited enjoyments which this world affords. In every eccentricity I beheld myfelf the undifputed miftrefs of my husband's heart. In many inftances I faw my power over his determinations; and often a genuine trait of native goodnefs appeared in fomething apparently in confiftent and irregular. I compared my fituation with that of many married ladies whom I knew, and I found abundant reafon to be contented with my lot.

"I then firft faw Fitzofborne, and unhappily poffeffed fufficient confequence to attract his notice. He ftrove to pleafe, and foon grew interefting. Yet, weak as I have proved my felf to be, I think I fhould not have been the victim of his arts, had not my lord's behaviour to me been perceptibly changed. He was no longer the man who engaged my youthful love, or the hufband who claimed my respect and gratitude Then, and not till then, did I feel the power of contrast which I had hitherto indignantly avoided. The elegant commendations of Fitzofborne taught me, that I was not a being of a vulgar mould. His graceful attentions indicated the homage which merit like mine ought to receive. His glowing defcriptions, though delicate as the ear of purity itfelf could defire, pointed out a fairy region of felicity, the abode of congenial minds, where human foibles and human forrows never intrude. Infatuated by this unreal vifion, the blamelefs occupations by which I had previously diverted painful reflections became infipid. Wrongs were converted into unpardonable injuries, and inattentions grew into wrongs. I no longer recollected those who were lefs happy than myself. The pang of wounded love loft its tenderness, while it affumed the indignant fpirit of offended pride; and my rebel heart, imperceptibly alienated from its lawful poffeffor, admitted an ufurped claim,

"O, Lucy!

"O, Lucy! if my tale were told, it would not only ferve as a warning to our weak fex, whom vanity or fufceptibility generally betrays, but also to thofe hufbands who are anxious to guard their honour from reproach. I would bid them not entirely depend upon the ftability of our principles or the conftancy of our attachments, but to affift our virtue by that almost invincible defence which their behaviour to us would fupply. Might they not, without derogating from their own fuperiority, treat our foibles with generous lenity, and make even our faults conducive to our fecurity? Praife is never so grateful as from those we love. Attentions are never fo pleafing as from our dearest friends. Let them not, when they neglect us, fuppofe, that the affiduity of an agreeable follower is only welcome to the determined wanton. The delicate mind, that shrinks abhorrent from the thought of guilt, may divert the pangs of unrequited affection by indulging the unfufpected feelings of esteem and gratitude for an amiable obfervant friend. Modern manners justify thefe connections, and modern hiftory defcribes their refult. But let me not recriminate. My hopes of pardon are founded on my own penitence, not on the aggravation of my husband's errors. The fuperior advantages of my education, my habits of reflection, my fenfe of fhame, the acuteness of my fenfibility, were all entrusted talents; and I recollect with terror the awful affurance, that where much is given much will be required.” Vol. iii, p. 314.

Were we to extract all that we admire, we should cite a very confiderable portion of the work; we must be fatisfied therefore with a general recommendation of the performance, well affured that these volumes will be received into general circulation, and very confident that they will be attended with the moft beneficial operation.

ART. XVI. Family Sermons. By the Rev. E. W. Whitaker, late of Chrift Church, Oxford: now Rector of St. Mildred's and All Saints, Canterbury. Two Volumes. 8vo. 125. Ri vingtons. 1798 and 1799..

IN every work which has a tendency to revive and extend the

traly Chriftian practice of family devotion, we feel fo lively an intereft, that though the prefent is hitherto incomplete, being intended to confift of three volumes, we are determined no longer to delay our notice of it. The author, Mr. E. Whitaker*, has diftinguished himself by feveral publications, all dif playing a truly Chriftian zeal, well feafoned with Chriftian

Son of the late learned Serjeant at Law of that name.

knowledge