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whether mild, equitable, and protective; or cruel, perfidious, and deftuctive; have not only refted on his true bafis,' but is declared by the Scriptures to have been the ordinance of of God.' (p. 423.). For,' fays he, Julius Cæfar, Auguftus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, were all ufurpers, yet every one of them was, in effect, declared by the Scriptures to be the ordinance of God; as far, I mean, as the duty of allegiance and fubjection was concerned.' And, in p. 426, he thus exercifes his cafuiftry; Cæfar is the actual and peaceable poffeffor of the throne. This is the point to be fuppofed, and allowed : but it is alfo confeffed, that his title is founded in bloodthed and ufurpation. What therefore is a private person to do in such a cafe? He hath but three things to chufe: that is, he must either refufe to yield to the conqueror, and obftinately refolve to accept of no protection and no quarter from him;-or he muft fubmit in appearance, with an intention nevertheless to rife up and rebel as foon as an opportunity fhall offer:-or, laftly, he muft fubmit in fincerity, and confcientiously refolve to be faithful and obedient to the power which prefides over, and protects him.'

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Having rejected the two firft, he tells us, p. 428, Thirdly,There is but one choice more to make, namely, That every individual, if in the fituation above defcribed, ought to be fubject in Chrißian fincerity, without guile or fraud, to the higher powers, the powers for the time being; notwithstanding any defect of title imputed to them Of this third choice, therefore, I thall fay the less, as every part of the foregoing treatife has a reference thereto.-Only let me be permitted to remind my readers at the clofe of the whole, that notwithstanding any little cavils and objections which may be made against this doctrine, it is the only fcheme that ever was, or ever can be REDUCED TO PRACTICE;-and it is alfo the LAW OF THE LAND.'

He has elsewhere, p. 86, with regard to rulers, reminded us, that if ordained of God, the people ought to obey them under peril of damnation.' We fhall fay little upon the protection to be expected from fovereigns, whofe titles are founded in bloodshed and ufurpation,' or of that which the Romans experienced from a Caligula or a Nero; or the Moors from one of their modern Emperors (Abdallah, as we think), who, fometimes by way of punishment, fometimes in wrath, and fometimes in fport, or to fhew his dexterity at decollation with a fabre, is reported to have flain, with his own hand, feventeen hundred of his fubjects in the course of his reign: fuffice it then, that we are to take this protection for granted, and to OBEY :aye, we must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for confcience fake.'-This, we confefs, is a little extraordi

That governments, whofe principles are the reverse of each other, and that all the varieties of them, should reft on one and the fame bafis, is a curious difcovery to be fure.

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pary; and that mankind ought first paffively to fuffer a tyrant to wreath his yoke around their necks, and deprive them of the means of refiftance, before they attempt it. What! after all this fubjection to the powers that be, this ordinance of God in favour of devils, and this penalty of damnation in cafe of refiftance, may we after all refift a tyrant, that is, REBEL against him? Yea, verily, the reverend Dean himself tells us we may; for, fuppofing,' fays he, p. 420, that thefe vicegerents should act contrary to their commiffion: fuppofing that they fhould no longer conduct themselves, as the minifters of God for good: in fuch a cale, what is to be done? I answer, it is very apparent from the terms of their commiffion, That they are no longer entitled to the obedience of the fubject, as a point of duty and confcience. But nothing farther can be inferred from the mere words of Scripture; all the reft being left to men's natural feelings and difcretion, to do the best they can in fuch an unhappy fituation.'

Alfo, p. 138, But if you only meant to fay, that bad laws, if any, ought to be repealed, and good laws enacted, and faithfully and impartially executed;-and that, when governors fhall abuse their power to the detriment of the people, they ought to be stopped in their career, and even to be called to an account for their misconduct, in proportion to the detriment received. If this be all you meant to fay, when you talked about original, unalienable rights, focial compacts, &c. &c. we are agreed again.' And, in p. 89, he fays, 'The grand objections against King James the Second were, that his go vernment was tyrannical, and his proceedings illegal ;-that he af fumed powers which the Conftitution had exprefsly denied him ;that he had repeatedly broken his folemn coronation-oath, and for feited his royal word;-and that, in fhort, his actions proved him to be an enemy both to civil liberty, and to the Proteftant religion, Now grant thefe objections to be well founded (which I think no man at this day, even the warmest friend of the Stuart family, will pretend to deny), and the inference is plain, that fuch a Prince deferved to be depofed, and that the nation did very right in depofing him. -So far therefore we are all agreed.' Lally, p. 110, For even Sir Robert Filmer, and the Jacobites, do not fay that fuch rulers are at all excufable-nay, they expressly fay the contrary; and are as ready at denouncing Hell and damnation against fuch wicked tyrants, as the Lockians themselves: indeed, they protest against any punishment whatever being inflicted on tyrants, efpecially on royal tyrants, during the prefent life, by the hands of men: for which ill-judged tendernejš, and miflaken points of confcience, they are highly to blame: and therefore their tencts of abfolute and unlimited paffive obedience and non-refiftance are defervedly had in deteftation: but, nevertheless, they make no wrong judgment concerning the nature of, and the punishment due to, the crimes of tyranny; though they are fo weak as to maintain, that this punishment ought to be deferred, till the criminals themselves are removed into another world, when the punishment due to fuch offences can be no terror to thofe evil-doers who furvive, and who therefore ought to be deterred by fuch examples from attempting to do the like."

Now

4

Now, perhaps, either a Chriftian, a philofophic, a rational, or an humane Reader may think, it would be full as well, did our country always take care to preserve her freedom unviolated and entire; fo that, by a true and equitable representation in parliament of the whole mafs of the Commons, their real interefts might be understood, and their real fentiments known there; that their house of parliament, as intended by the Conftitution, might prove an effectual check and counterpoife to the Crown; and thereby PREVENT tyranny and oppreffion ;rather than, by a ftupid acquiefcence in ufurpations on their elective franchife, to lofe the effence and vital powers of their liberty, which muft expofe them to the conftant and irrefiftible encroachments of tyranny, and confequently of oppreffion until at length there be no alternative left, but abfolute flavery or a bloody civil war. The former is conformable to Mr. Locke's fyftem; the latter to that of the Dean of Glocefter.

[To be continued.]

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MrC.t.t.

ART. V. The Art of War: a Poem, in Six Books; tranflated from the French of the King of Pruffia: with a Critique on the Poem, by the Comte Algarotti, tranflated from the Italian. 4to. 2s. 6d. Riley. 1780.

FOR

OR this well-executed Tranflation the Public is indebted to an Officer (if we conjecture rightly) of the Militia, who wrote it at his leisure hours during the encampment at Coxheath in 1778. The original is well known. Whether it be re

garded as a didactic effay, or a poetical effufion, it is entitled to confiderable praife. As a fyftem of military fcience, the celebrity of its Royal Author must render its precepts, which have fo often and fo fugeefsfully been exemplified in his own conduct, indifputable.

It is fomewhat remarkable, that in a poem treating of the art of war, and in which all the great commanders of ancient and modern times are occafionally introduced, no heroes of English ftory are fo much as once mentioned, not even the glorious Marlborough; though the very generals he fo frequently defeated have refpectable places affigned them in this temple of Fame. It is not to be fuppofed that this filence, with respect to Marlborough, proceeded from invidious motives; we rather think that his Pruffian Majefty confidered him as a general who understood only part of his profeffion, having never given any proof of his fkill in conducting a retreat.

Prefixed to this work is a Critique on the poem, by the Compte Algarotti. The influence of a respectable name was never in any inftance more confpicuous than in the prefent: had this Critique been written by a lefs celebrated pen, no one would

read

read it twice. It is a very fuperficial and trifling perform

ance.

As the Reviewer of this article neither underftands the trade of blood, nor can be delighted with its myfteries, the fpecimen of this fpirited and elegant translation which will be laid before our Readers fhall be, the warrior in bis domeftic enjoyments. • While the bold chief, intent on new alarms, With care arrays his levied force for arms, Each generous leader now at ease reclines, And 'midft his laurel wreaths the myrtle twines; His faithful confort, full of blufhing charms, Forgets the pains of abfence in his arms: Ah happy hours! ah moments doubly dear! Purchased by many a pang, and many a tear, What joy an end of guthing grief to know, Dried by the hand whofe dangers made it flow! To hear his glorious deeds with new delight, Prid of the war, and honour of the fight, To feel that heart, which danger ne'er could move, Pant 'midft the charming agonies of Love! With kiffes fweet, in amorous rapture prefs'd, To stop that voice which steel'd the foldier's breaft, Rous'd him to gallant deeds with martial breath, And taught the way to victory, or to death! While on his faithful partner's breast reclin'd

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Refls the brave head to peaceful thoughts refign'd,
Pleas'd with his prefence, round him jocund move
The beauteous pledges of connubial love :
His hands victorious now endearing feize,
Or with their infant arms embrace his knees,
And burn to tread the thorny path that leads
To martial honours and immortal deeds:
A thousand little arts they fmiling try,
While every motion charms a parent's eye,
'That rears the buckler with a feeble hand,
This tries in vain to wield the fhining brand,
Or lift the helmet, while their breasts afpire
To trace the glorious footsteps of their fire.

Thus tender HYMEN knows with gentle power
On faithful hearts unnumber'd joys to shower,
When fond efteem in every look's exprefs'd,
And mutual paffion fires each feeling breaft,
Joys to thofe trifling tribes of youth unknown,
Who pay their vows to Change's fickle throne';
Chafte is the blifs that fires the hero's heart,
And pure that love where weakness has no part:
He knows the bonds of luxury to defpife,
And fwift to arms at honour's mandate flies.'

Some apology is due not only to the ingenious Tranflator, but to the Public alfo, for not noticing this performance in our Journal at a more early period. The fact was, that the

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first copy we were fupplied with happened to be miflaid, and loft:-a circumftance which, in the multiplicity of matter that comes before us, will fometimes unavoidably occur. C..t..t

ART. VI. The Critic: or, A Tragedy Rebearfed. A Dramatic Piece, in Three Acts. As it is performed at the Theatre-Royal in Drury Lane. By Richard Brinley Sheridan, Efq. 8vo. I s. 6d. Becket. 1781.

TH

HIS Tragedy Rehearfed proceeds too closely in the beaten track of the Duke of Buckingham's Rehearsal. The mode and objects of ridicule are generally the fame; except that the Author of the Critic has too indifcriminately attacked Tragedy in general, and levelled fome of his fevereft traits against the very best modern tragedy in our language, we mean the tragedy of Douglas! The theatrical rage, however, for fituation, attitude, difcoveries, proceffions, &c. is properly and humorously exposed.

Leaving, however, the Tragedy Rehearsed, which occupies the two laft Acts of this dramatic piece, we revert with pleasure to the firft of the three, which abounds with wit, humour, and a mafterly display of character. Mr. and Mrs. Dangle, though not very original, are natural and fpirited; Sneer is drawn with a finer pencil; the Unintelligible Interpreter is truly pleasant; and the treatise on panegyric, delivered by Puff, is lively, fhrewd, and fatirical, though rather narrative, than dramatic. From his own delineation of his character in the first Act, we should not expect to see him dwindle into the Bayes of the two laft. That part might perhaps have been more properly fuftained by Sir Fretful Plagiary-for whofe fake, we are inclined to believe that the whole piece was written.

In order to do juftice to a picture, so highly finished, we must give it at full length:

Enter Servant.

Serv. Sir Fretful Plagiary, Sir.

Dangle. Beg him to walk up.-[Exit Servant.] Now, Mrs. Dangle, Sir Fretful Plagiary is an author to your own taste.

Mrs. Dangle. I confefs he is a favourite of mine, because every body else abuses him.

Sneer. Very much to the credit of your charity, Madam, if not of your judgment.

Dangle. But, egad, he allows no merit to any author but himfelf, that's the truth on't-though he's my friend.

Sneer. Never. He is as envious as an old maid verging on the defperation of fix-and-thirty: and then the infidious humility with which he feduces you to give a free opinion on any of his works, can be exceeded only by the petulant arrogance with which he is fure to reject your obfervations,

• Dangle,

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