confpiring againft Chrift, coalefced with the Sophifters who, with the Occult Mafons, confpired against both Chrift and Kings. It was the coalition of the adepts of impiety, of the adepts of rebellion, and the adepts of anarchy, which formed the CLUB of the JACOBINS. Under this name, common to the triple fect (originating from the name of the order, whofe convent they had feized upon to hold their fittings), we shall fee the adepts following up their triple confpiracy against God, the King, and Society. Such was the origin, fuch the progrefs of that fect, fince become fo dreadfully famous under the name of JACOBIN."

The Memoirs before us treat in fucceffive order of these three confpiracies, and develope their authors, their objects, their means, and the whole courfe of their operations. We have rarely feen a work more judiciously methodized, and by which the attention is more anxiously excited, or the understanding better informed. The ftyle is fpirited, the reafoning powerful, the proofs (all extracted from the records and avowals of the confpirators themselves) irrefragable. To give credibility to enormities which Stagger the human mind, the Author has very properly accompanied every quotation with a direct reference to fome printed letter, or other production of the party concerned.

:

In a preliminary difcourfe the Author declares the chiefs of the confpiracy to have been Voltaire, D'Alembert, Frederic II. King of Pruffia, and Diderot the firit of thefe, he tells us, hated religion because he was jealous of its Author; the fecond, because his cold heart was incapable of affection; the third, because he had never feen it, but through the medium of its enemies; the fourth, becaufe, doating on nature, and enthufiaftically wedded to the chaos of his own ideas, he chofe rather to build his fyftem on chimeras, and form myfteries of his own, than fubmit to the light of the Gofpel.

The characters of these four perfonages are depicted in moft ftriking colours to the contemplation of mankind, and to the deteftation of all who wish well to the dearest interests of human life. D'Alembert and Frederic do not appear to have committed themselves fo much in their public writings, as in their literary correfpondence; to a very confiderable part of which correfpondence our Author muft have had access.

VOL. XXXII. AUG. 1797.

In a sketch of the progrefs of Voltaire through life, M. Barruel has given us one of the most able exposures of that man's inveterate and blafphemous fpirit we ever met with. His book is on this account particularly to be recommended to the attention of perfons at that time of life when principles are about to take root in the mind; as it proves, that the virulence of Voltaire against Our Bleffed Saviour (of whom he feldom writes or fpeaks but as the wretch, L'Infame) and our Holy Religion, was not the effect of any ferious and mifguided investigation, but a wanton, ufelefs blafphemy, fupported by the moft deteftable hypocrify. Indeed fo early did Voltaire begin to exhibit figns of what was to be expected from him, that while a student in rhetoric in the College of Louis le Grand, he drew from the Jefuit Le Jay, who was his tutor, this rebuke: Unfortunate young man, you will one day come to be the standard-bearer of Infidelity." And furely never was oracle more completely fulfilled.

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It was the policy of the confpirators to proceed by degrees to fap the foundations of religion.

"Convinced (fays our Author) of the neceffity of this gradation, D'Alembert bethought himfelf of the Encyclopedia, as the grand means of philofophizing mankind, and crushing the wretch. His project is no fooner conceived, than enthufiaftically embraced by Diderot; and Voltaire animated their drooping courage more than once, by his conftant attention to the undertaking.

"To judge of what amazing importance the fuccefs of this famous dictionary was to the confpiring chiefs, we must be acquainted with the plan, the method of its execution, and how it was to become the infallible agent of incredulity, and its moft powerful weapon in perverting the public opinion, or overturning all the principles of Chriftianity.

"The Encyclopedia is at firít ufhered into the world as the aggregate, as the complete treasure of all human arts and fciences, of Religion, Divinity, Physics, Hiftory, Geography, Aftronomy, or Commerce; in a word, of whatever may conftitute a Science of Poetry, Ora tory, Grammar, Painting, Architecture, Manufactures, or of whatever can be the object of useful or pleafing arts. This great work was to comprehend the very minutiæ of different trades, from the manufacturer to the labourer; it was of itfelf to be an immenfe library, and fupP

ply

ply the place of one. It was to be the

work of men the moft fcientific and the moft profound in every branch, that France could produce. The difcourfe in which it was announced by D'Alembert to all Europe, was written with fo much art; had been fo profoundly meditated and nicely weighed; the concatenation of the fciences and the progrefs of the human mind appeared fo properly delineated; whatever he had borrowed from Bacon or Chambers on the filiation of ideas fo

perfectly difguifed; in fine, the plagiary fophifter had to perfectly decked himielf in the riches of others, that the prospectus of the Encyclopedia was looked upon as a masterpiece, and its author as the most proper perfon to prefide over fo fupendous a work.

"Such were their mighty promifes, but promifes never intended to be fulfilled; while, on the other fide, they had their fecret object, and that they were determined to accomplish. This was to convert the Encyclopedia into a vast emporium of all the fophifms, errors, or calumnies, which ever had been invented againft religion, from the first schools of impiety until the day of their enterprize; and thefe were to be fo artfully concealed, that the reader fhould infenfibly imbibe the poifon without the leaft fufpicion. To prevent difcovery, the error was never to be found where it might be fuppofed; religion was not only to be refpected but even fupported in all direct difcuffions, though fometimes the difcuffion is fo handled, that the objection they feem to refute is more forcibly impreffed on the mind of the reader. The more to impofe on the unthinking, D'Alembert and Diderot artfully engaged feveral men of unblemished character to partake in this vast undertaking. Such was Mr. de Jeaucourt, a man of great learning and probity, who has furnifhed a number of articles to the Encyclopedia: his name alone could have been thought a fufficient guarantee against all the art and perfidy of its principles; in fhort, it was declared that all points of religion were to be difcuffed by divines, well known for their learning and orthodoxy.

"All this might have been true, and the work only prove the more perfidious, D'Alembert and Diderot referving to themtelves a three-fold refource to forward their Antichriftian Confpiracy.

"Their firft refource was that of infinuating error and infidelity into thofe articles deemed the leaft fufceptible of them; fuch, for example, as Hillory or

Natural Philofophy, even into Chemistry and Geography, where fuch danger could not even have been furmifed. The fecond was that of references, an art fo precious, by which after having placed fome religious truths under the reader's eye, he is tempted to feek further information in articles of a quite different caft. Sometimes the mere reference was an epigram or a farcalm. They would, after having treated a religious fubject with all poflible refpect, fimply add, See the art. PREJUDICE, or SUPERSTITION, OF FANATICISM; laftly, when our referring Sophifters feared this fhift could not avail them, they would not hesitate at falifying and altering the difcuffion of a virtuous co-operator, or at adding an article of their own, whofe apparent ob. ject was to defend, while the real was to refute, what had already been written on the fubject. In fine, impiety was to be fufficiently veiled to make it attractive, while it left place for excufe and fubterfuge. This was the peculiar art of our barking fophifter D'Alembert. Diderot, more daring, was at firft countenanced in the mad flights of his impiety, but in cooler moments, his articles were to be revifed; he was then to add fome apparent restriction in favour of religion, fome of thofe high-founding and reverential words, but which left the whole of the impiety to fubfift. If he was above that care, D'Alembert, as fupervifor-general, took it upon himself.

"Peculiar care was to be taken in the redaction of the first volumes, left the clergy, or thofe men of prejudice, as they were called, fhould take the aların. As they proceeded in the work they were to grow more bold; and if circumstances did not favor them, nor allow them to fay all they wished to fay, they were to refort to fupplements, and to foreign editions, which would at the fame time render this dangerous work more common, and lefs coftly to the generality of readers.

"The Encyclopedia, perpetually recommended and cried up by the adepts, was to be a standing book in all libraries, and infenfibly the learned was to be converted into the Antichriftian world. If the project was well conceived, it was impoffible to fee one more faithfully executed.

"It is now our duty to lay before the reader proofs, firit as to the fact, fecondly as to the intention. For the firft, it will be fufficient to caft the eye on divers ar ticles of this immenfe collection, efpecially where the principal tenets of Christianity,

Encyclopedia, and these two men were Perault and Boindin. The merits of the latter are more confpicuous than thofe of the former. Boindin, born in 1676, had lately died a reputed Atheift, and had been refufed Chriftian burial. The notoriety of his principles had fhut the French academy against him, and with fuch titles he could not have failed being a worthy co-operator.

"Such then was the object, such the intention of the confpiring authors. We fee by their own confeffion, that they did not wish to compile for fcience, but to compile for incredulity; that it was not the advancement of arts they fought, but to feize the moment, when the attention of the ruling authorities were drawn off, to propagate their impious calumnies againft religion. They hypocritically utter fome few religious truths; they print the contrary of what they believed on Christianity, but only the better to cover the fophifms they printed against it.

"At length the Encyclopedia was brought to a conclufion, and it made its appearance under the fanction of a public privilege. Triumphant in their first step, the confpirators faw in it but the forerunner of their future fucceffes against religion."

Of the celebrated Abbé Raynal, a man to whofe name the world has been long accustomed to pay respect, an anecdote is related, not very creditable to his honour or honesty.

"Left any one fhould doubt of the particular drift of this compilation [the Encyclopedia], the reader must be informed of the co-operators chofen by D'Alembert and Diderot, and that ef pecially for the religious part. Their firft divine was Raynal, a man just expelled from the order of the Jefuits on account of his impiety, his chief and ftrongest recommendation to D'Alembert. Every one, unfortunately, knows how much he verified the judgement of his former brethren, by his atrocious declamations against Chriftianity; but few are acquainted with the anecdote of his

expulfion from among the co-operators, and that connects his story with that of another divine, who, without being im pious himself, had been unfortunately drawn into the company of the fophifters.

"This was the Abbé Yvon, an odd metaphyfician, but an inoffenfive and upright man; often in extreme indigence, and living by his pen, when he thought he could do it with decency. In the fimplicity of his heart he had written The Defence of the Abbé de Prades. I have heard him affert that not a single error could be found in that' work, and on the first argument give up the point. With the fame fimplicity I have heard him relate, by what means he had co-operated to the Encyclopedia. I was in want of money (said he); Raynal met me and perfuaded me to write a few articles, promifing me a good reward; I acceded, and, my work delivered at Raynal's ftudy, I received twenty-five Louis-d'ors. Thinking myfelf very well paid, I imparted my good fortune to one of the bookfellers employed for the Encyclopedia, who seemed much furprised that the articles furnished by Raynal fhould not be his own. was furious at the trick he furmifed. few days after I was fent for to the office; and Raynal, who had received a thousand crowns for his pretended work, was obliged to refund me the hundred Louis-d'ors he had kept for himself.'

He

A

"This anecdote will not surprise those who are acquainted with Raynal's pla giary talents. His impiety was not fufficient to prevent his dimiffion, but it preferved him within the pale of the fraternal embrace."

Of the expulfion of the Jefuits much fecret hiftory is here brought to light. That expulfion appears clearly to have been the Icheme of the confpirators; they threw imputations on that learned order, that by removing its members from the inftruction of youth, the principles of the junto might find easier accefs with the rifing generation.

(To be continued.)

ABOUT forty years ago a number of ingenious men in France employed themfelves in ipeculations refpecting the ideal perfection of the focial order, and

hence acquired the name of economists. It was in France that both Mr. Hume and Dr. Adam Smith were led, by the prevailing speculations of the times, to

turn