ANTI-JACOBIN Review and Magazine; &c. &c. &c. FOR AUGUST, 1799. Ταυτα πανθ ̓ ὑπερ Υμων, υπερ της Αλήθειας, ύπερ της υμετέρας Πολιτειας, και των Νόμων, και της Σωτηρίας, και της Ευσέβειας, και της Δόξης, και της Ελευθερίας, ύπερ των κοινή πασι Συμφερόντων ΑΚΡΙΒΟΛΟΓΟΥΜΑΙ ΚΑΙ ΔΙΕΞΕΡΧΟΜΑΙ. A ORIGINAL CRITICISM. ART. I. Somerville's Reign of Queen Anne. (Continued from г. 150.) Confiderable time elapfed before the fuccefs of Mr. Harley and his tool was afcertained; and it would, probably, have never been fo complete but for the concurrence of other favourable circumstances. Never, indeed, was the power of the Whig party fo great as when a mine was digging to fap its foundations. The thirteenth chapter begins with the effects of the Union, particularly in Scotland, where its benefits were not immediately perceived; and where two parties, very oppofite in principle and views, continued inimical to a measure, afterwards experimentally proved to have been fo falutary. The Jacobites lamented and execrated it as the bane of their hopes, because it guaranteed the fucceffion to thofe defcendants of the royal family who had not, by their religion, difqualified themselves for afcending to the throne of their anceftors; in other words, it fecured a Proteftant kingdom to Proteftant NO. XIV. VOL. III. Bb Proteftant heirs. The Prefbyterians, then deeply tinctured with that fanaticifm, which connection with England, and the confequent effufion of literature has fince fo fully corrected and moulded into rational Chriftianity, were apprehenfive that intercourfe with England might diminish the attachment of the most powerful men to the establishment of their church, and to their confeffion of faith. These particular views and prejudices, oppofite as they were to each other, combined to fhut the eyes of numbers to the real interefts of Scotland. The difcontents of the Scotch encouraged France to prepare for an invafion, in favour of the Pretender. A fleet failed for Scotland with the young Chevalier on board, and reached the mouth of the Forth; but being pursued by Sir George Byng, with a more powerful fquadron, did not attempt to effect a landing; and, failing round the island, returned to Dunkirk. Meanwhile, the first BRITISH Parliament met. That feffion was chiefly diftinguished by the predominance of the Whig party, the wife and liberal provifions made for expediting and facilitating the beneficial confequences to Scotland from the Union; and by the vigorous refolutions for profecuting the war. The Duke of Marlborough took the field' in Flanders, joined by Prince Eugene, equal to himself in MILITARY EXPERIENCE, and fecond to no other commander in GENIUS. France, encouraged by the fuccefs of the former year, made extraordinary preparations for the campaign of 1708. The combined Generals, in the Low Countries, completely defeated her armies, and captured, befide many other towns, Lifle, a fortrefs before deemed impregnable. In several -quarters, the want of concert among the different members of the confederacy, the purfuit by fome of them of private and partial interefts, inftead of the GRAND AND GENERAL OBJECT OF THE COMBINATION, obftructed efforts for the complete difcomfiture of France. Had the Duke of Savoy, and fome of the German potentates, acted upon the fame great and comprehenfive principles as the British cabinet and British leaders, France might have been, in 1708, compelled to accept of fuch terms of peace as the Allies fhould impose. The Emperor Jofeph I. except where Prince Eugene com *This is the tenor on which the prefent family hold the throne, and not the people's choice, as afferted by Democrats, with a view of rendering that Monarchy elective which is now hereditary, probably thinking they thereby might prepare the way for that total overthrow of kingly power which Democrats defire and feek. manded, mmanded, facrificed the wife policy on which the war had been undertaken, to very narrow and fhort-fighted views. In a word, the hiftory of foreign politics, in 1708, is pregnant with inftruction to confederacies, formed for fome important end, not to deviate from the primary purpose of their combination for fecondary advantages. During this and the preceding year, England was annoyed by a set of enthufiafts as inimical to found reafon and rational piety as the most fanatical votaries of methodifm; though, fortunately for that age, of only fhort duration. We fhall transcribe the account at full length, as it manifefts the hurtful extravagance of those who take their religion from their difordered fancies, instead of their understandings and confciences, coolly and fairly examining nature and revelation. The defcription, though different in fome specific abfurdities, yet, in its general principle, applies to the Independents and Fifth Monarchy Men of the last century: the Seceders, Bereans, Antinomians, Methodists, and other vifionary and puritanical religionists of the prefent age, whether their teachers be fieldpreachers or chapel-holders; as travelling pedlars, or as shopkeepers, vending their pernicious wares; as fixed quacks, or vagabond mountebanks, difperfing deleterious drugs among the votaries of ignorance and credulity : "About the end of the year 1706, feveral French Proteftants, from the country of the Cevennes, arrived in England. They were generally treated with tenderness and indulgence as fufferers for confcience Lake, till the extravagant pretenfions and frantic behaviour of fome of their leaders difturbed the public peace, and at length required the interference of the civil magiftrate. Elias Marion was the principal actor in this ftrange fcene of enthufiafm or impofture; for it is difficult to decide, whether he was the dupe of his own delirious imagination, or only acting a part in order to gratify a fpurious ambition by rendering himself the object of popular admiration. He pretended to be the infpired meffenger of Heaven, and to have received authority to denounce judgements, and foretell future events. John Cavalier and Durand Fage, only put in their claim as fubordinate inftruments in Marion's commiffion; and co-operated in attefting his authority, and propagating the doctrines revealed to him by the Spirit of God. Although the topics infifted upon by these selfcommiffioned prophets were frivolous or unintelligible; their expreffions confufed, abrupt, and incoherent; and the attitudes and motions with which they were accompanied, wild and eccentric; but, at the fame time, fuch as might have been acquired by artifice and habit; yet they met with wonderful fuccefs in collecting a multitude of followers of low rank, and even in making a few profelytes refpectable for station and character. "The Minifters and Elders of the French chapel in the Savoy began to be uneasy on account of these irregularities, left they should bring Bb 2 reproach reproach upon their own congregation, and give authority to preje dices, unfavourable to the Proteftant refugees, which fome of the eftablished church difcovered a ftrong inclination to foment. The leading members of that congregation applied to the Bishop of London, as their ecclefiaftical fuperior, that they might be enabled to take effectual meafures for fuppreffing an impofture, fo injurious to their own particular credit, and the intereft of the reformed religion in general. Having received powers for this purpose, they summoned the three perfons already named to appear before them, and give an account of their pretentions. Elias Marion only appeared, and with a fullen obftinacy maintained his claim to divine illumination. The Commiffioners condemned his pretenfions as blafphemous and dange rous; and ordained their fentence to be entered in their register, and to be read in the feveral Proteftant chapels with which they were connected. "Instead of being checked or overawed by the cenfures of their Proteftant brethren, the pretended prophets became more bold, infolent, and affiduous in the propagation of their tenets, and in their zeal to make profelytes. They now delivered their exhortations and prophecies every day in the streets to credulous and increafing multitudes; they inveighed against the Ministers of the established church; they denounced woeful judgements against the city of London and the English nation; and they committed their difcourfes to the prefs, to give them a diffufive circulation. "This laft ftep furnished the Proteftant congregations, whofe indignation was inflamed by the contempt with which their authority was treated, with grounds for calling in the aid of the civil magiftrate." P. 302-304. In 1709, the Whigs ftill continued pre-eminent in power; and thereby very vigorous preparations were made for the campaign. The French King having, during the winter, propofed to open a negociation for peace, fent the Marquis de Torcy to the Hague. Lord Townfhend was appointed to act jointly with the Duke of Marlborough as Plenipotentiaries for the Queen of Britain. The terms offered by the Minifters of the feveral confederates were fuch as they could not have believed France would admit, and fhew that the Allies did not really wifh for peace. Louis thus finding a peace unattainable, except on fuch terms as he could not concede, as indeed they were fubverfive of his own honour and the independence of his people, had recourfe to the loyalty of his fubjects, who, by contributions, and every other effort, endeavoured to empower their Monarch to defend him and themfelves from the neceffity of fubmitting to fuch exorbitant demands. An army was prepared under Marthal Villars, which, though ultimately unfuccefsful, made a more obftinate ftand against Marlborough and Eugene than they ever expe rienced rienced jointly; Marlborough feparately, or, indeed, Eugene feparately, but once. The battle of Malplaquet, though, at laft, decided in favour of the confederates, was more bloody to them than even to the French; the former having loft eighteen thousand men, the latter fifteen thoufand. In Spain, and at fea, Britain, and her Allies, were alfo fuperior. At the opening of the feffion, 1709-10, a decline of the Whig intereft began to appear, and diffatisfaction to fhew itfelf among the people. Many circumftances concurred to nourish this fpirit of discontent, and to quicken it into action. The non-performance of engagements, of which the allies had been repeatedly convicted, notwithstanding the fuperior advantages procured to them by that fuccefs to which England had molt profufely contributed, excited difguft and impatience for a feparation of interefts. The rapacious difpofition and unprecedented emoluments of the General tarnished the honour of his matchless talents in the field, and of his eminent fervices to his country. The overgrown fortunes of other individuals who had been employed in the public service, imprudently and oftentatiously displayed, excited envious fufpicions of the partiality and extravagance of thofe minifters under whofe patronage they had been acquired. The fruitless refult of the late negociations, notwithstanding the conceflions made by the French King, evinced the difinclination of the prefent minifters to put an end to the war, and constrained impartial men to affociate that event with their difmiffion. To thefe caufes in the conduct of the Whig partifans various others not depending on them added great weight. The influence of German refugees, driven by famine from their own country, and admitted here, by the generous hofpitality of England, was fuppofed to have increafed the fcarcity of provifions, then very dear, from the badness of the preceding season. The people were incited againft them by the leaders of the oppofite party, who reprefented the charity afforded them as arifing from bad motives, and interfering with the donations, of which, they alledged, the poor of the country ought to have been the exclufive objects. Of the incentives to difcord," agitated at this period, none were more banefully fuccefsful than those which wrought upon the religious prejudices of the people. The hiftory and state of opinions refpecting the church, from the acceflion of William III. to this period, is concifely exhibited. The author attempts to delicate the character of Dr. Henry Sacheverell, and the influence which he had obtained over the public mind. But his own prejudices prevent him from difplaying that portion of judgement and temper which is indifpentibly necellary for the proper dif Bb3 cuffion |