1786. Letter in Defence of the Church of Scotland: nius of prefbyterianifm, as Dr. Johnson's objection pointedly infers, by no means follows. Any charch party, under the fame political circumftances, would fall into the very fame predicament; and no fooner did this ignorant and canting generation begin to die out, than their places were fupplied from the Scottish univerfities with men of other characters. The writings of Addifon and others of the English claffics began, in the reign of queen Anne, to be univerfally admired in Scotland, and the fermons of Tillotfon and other eminent divines of the church of England were perufed with avidity by the rifing clergy. And though neither Dr Johnson, Lord Auchinleck, nor his fon Mr. Bofwell, knew it, feveral elegant and refpectable fermors and religious controverfy were published by prefbyterians, in the reign of George II. Witnefs the tracts of Campbell and Wallace against David Hume, by whom both are highly complimented. In the reign of George I. the rev. Mr. Wodrow wrote a Hiftory of the Church of Scotland: a candid and very refpectable work; greatly fuperior in merit to the hiftories of Echard, or any of his competitors in England. The reputation of the Scottish clergy of the prefent reign for their literary abilities is too well known to be here fpecified. The notoriety of their eminence affords an unanfwerable comment on the following quotation from Mr. Bofwell's Tour, firft edit. p. 307: "After fupper, (fays Mr. B.) I talked of the affiduity of the Scottish clergy in vifiting and privately inftructing their parishioners, and obferved how much in this they excelled the English clergy. Dr. Johnson would not let this pafs. He tried to turn it off by faying, "there are different ways of inftruct ing.Our clergy pray and preach." MLeod and I preffed the fubject; upon which he grew warm, and broke forth, "I do not believe your people are better inftructed. If they are, it is the blind leading the blind; for your clergy are not inftructed themselves." Thinking he had gone a little too far, he checked himself, and added, when I talk of the ignorance of your clergy, I talk of them as a body; I do not mean that there are no individuals who are learned (looking at Mr. M'Queen)-I fuppofe there are fuch among the clergy in Mofcovy. The clergy of England have produced the moft valuable books in fupport of religion, both in theory and practice. What have your clergy done, fince you funk into prefbyterianim? Can you name one book of any value on a religious fubject written by them?"-We were filent." I'll help you. Forbes wrote very well; but I believe he wrote before epifcopacy was quite extinguished."--And then pausing a little, he Appendix, 1786. 697 faid, "Yes, you have Wishart against Repentance." The above rant of the good prejudiced doctor is not more infolent than futile. The Scottish clergy never denied that thofe of England" had produced the most valuable books in fupport of religion." But that they have done fo is no proof that the Scottish clergy are ignorant, which was the point the doctor meant to establish. Many books of value on religious fubjects written by Scottifi clergy might easily be named. MKnight's Harmony of the Gospels was published before Dr. Johnfon faw Scotland; and the paucity of good writers among the Scottish clergy for many years after the Revolution has been accounted for above, in a manner which reflects little honour on the doctor's candour. Who that knows how the Barrows and Tillotions and other dignified clergymen of England lived in high affluence and ease, while the prefbyterian clergy were cruy perfecuted and hunted from place to place, without home or income, during the reigns of the two Charles's and James II. and who knows what an illiterate herd, from political neceffity, crept into the prefbyterian pulpits at the Revolution; who knows these things, I fay, but must be aftonished at the poverty of the doctor's triumph, on view of the writings of the English clergy, and the unfairness of his upbraiding the Scotch for not, as it were, making bricks without fraw. But, tho' sager and hafty to condemn, the doctor has not been able to conceal his great ignorance of Scottifh affairs. Forbes, he believed," wrote before epifcopacy was quite extinguifhed." What a vague expreffion! Epifcopacy is extinguished in Scotland in the fame manner as the diffenters meetings are extinguifhed in England. The doctor, talking of the Scotch clergy, evidently fuppofes Forbes to be one of them, though he does not know but he might have been an epifcopalian. The truth is, the Scottish author of that name, who wrote fome able treatiles in support of Chriftianity, was an eminent lawyer, rofe to be one of the Scotch Judges, or Lords of Seffion, of which court he died prefident fo late as the year 1748*: and the mention of Dr. Wishart is perverfenefs itself. That learned and refpectable N 0 T E. *This truly patriotic character, of whom Dr. J. knew fo little, was the patron of Thomfon, who has celebrated him in his Seafons, and of polite literature. By the death of an elder brother he became a Highland chief, and was greatly intrumental in preventing feveral of the clans from joining the Pretender in 1745. It was upon his eftate, and in light of his manfion, that the battle of Culloden was fought. His theological principles were Hechinfonian. gentlema ttt gentleman was Principal of the College of Edinburgh, and his fermons will be admired while elegance of diction and folid reafoning have power to gain applaufe. Sherlock's celebrated Treatife on Death is intended throughout to prove the inefficacy and danger of a death-bed repentance, and that without bolinefs of life no man fball fee the Lord; and to the fame fentiments Dr. Wifhart adds fome juft tho' severe doubts of the fincerity and reality of the repentance of thofe criminals who end their days under the hands of the executioner. In Scotland, almoft every criminal dies a great Saint, and is a brand plucked out of the fire. To make bolinefs, without which, as the apoftle affures us, no man fball fee the Lord, fo very eafily attained, has a very bad effect on the morals of the vulgar; and a rational treatise like that of Dr. Wifhart, was much wanted in that country, and has not been without its good effect. herd of Peace, as he fat on the cliff of the rock that rifes over the valley of Kedar; his flocks were feeding beneath, and the rifing fun fhewed half his face behind the edge d the mountain. The eyes of Mezarad we contemplatively fixed; and his heart, concert with his lips, gave praife to the mercy of Alla; when the light fluttering t a robe near at hand drew down his attention.. and fastened it on a meaner object. H turned haftily round, and beheld, looking over him the form of a female, whom the glow of beauty enlivened, and the finger e genius might defcribe. Her garments we light, but fringed with gold; and a zone the fame precious metal encircled her wait on her head rofe a diademn of various be and a golden fceptre beamed in her hand, fcorn and perfuafion ftrove on her countr nance, while from her opening lips burt forth thefe accents- Foolish Morand that can take delight in thy wretchedness,ani A few lines after the above citation, Mr. defpife the glories which Alla beftows ca he Bofwell tells us, he still infifted on the fupe- favourites! unworthy, from thy mean rior affiduity of the Scottish clergy (a fact of foul, to tafte the bleffings of power, z which admits of no difpute among thofe who mocked even by him whofe partial beneihave refided in the country parts of both cence thou canst praise! Look around thee. England and Scotland), and that the Doc- how many are like thee-how few have tor replied to him, "I'fee you have not been riches or might! Thinkeft thou the mor well taught, for you have not charity.-' -" elevated joys are diftributed most frequen How deep is the blindness of prejudice! and among the children of men? Is it not th with what accumulated force does not this principle of every foul to rife? Awake, a charge of the want of charity recoil upon wake! no longer lie fupinely here on the the doctor himself, and the whole tenor of fun-fcorched rock; but afcend with me his farcafms on the church of Scotland! the topmoft cliff, and there behold the proI am, &c. pects of the Genius of Ambition. The Story of Mozarad, the Shepherd. LESSED be thy name, O Alla! for thy power beftoweth not life more on us, than thy benevolence rendereth it a bleffing. To the great thou giveft the ability of imitating thy mercy; and to the lowly, undifturbed peace and contentment. None esteemeft thou beneath thy care, or too mean to enjoy thy gifts. Yon glorious fun rifes over the palace of our mighty monarch, and gilds, with his long-darting rays, the gardens of the magnificent feraglio; but to Mozarad alfo he dawns, and difpels the horror of his gloomy night-watch. To Zamrin the Proud haft thou given riches and might: his palaces fhine with gold, his bowers are cooled by the never-ceafing fountain, and emulative nations proffer their faireft beauties to his leifure; his armies spread terror over the earth, and their foldiers in number equal the ftars of thy heaven. On Mozarad none of thefe bleffings haft thou bestowed; but, through thee, the light of chearfulness beams through his bofom his arm is nerved by the genius of health, and his paftures are watered by the fprings of plenty.' 'B' Such were the words of the young Shep Mozarad, abafhed, rose up, and followed where the led. Her fteps conducted him t the most elevated point, where never ført before had trodden, except by her guidance and from whence they could clearly ma the royal city beneath the palaces, the ge dens, and pavilions, were all thronged wi innumerable courtiers and flaves, whofe ge ments had been wrought by the hand of Ar at the order of Magnificence. Look down,' poor fhepherd,' cried the Genius, conten plate the trappings of luxury, the bowers & eafe, and the ftately domes of power: then furn thine eyes on thyfelf; behold th reptile garb, thy barren dwelling, and fubjects over whom thou commandeft! La hearken unto my voice: fpeed thee to feraglio; proffer thyfelf to labour in # gardens of Zamrin the Proud, and leave reft to me. From time to time I will renes my inspirations in thy bofom: Fortune fil through me, fmile on thy endeavours; 29 through me, fhalt thou rife to wealth, rank, and to power!' Whilft the yet fpoke, they beheld adva” cing towards them the figure of an aged habited in the manner of a dervise, with b eyes bent downward on the earth. Thoug 1786. The Story of the time had frozen over his head, yet his brows feemed smoothed by the balm of Peace: he marked the Genius and the Shepherd, and quickened his pace; whilft fhe, on obferving him, frowned; and drawing forth from beneath her robe a powder, which haftily the blew across the eyes of Mozarad, bade him farewel, and funk from fight amidft the crags of the rock.- Unhappy youth!' cried the venerable Khorassan; fay not I am come too late. Curfed is that Genius who, has left thee; and curfed art thou if her dictates have taken root in thy heart! her wiles will undo thee; fhe will lead thy fteps through the mazes of error into the gulph of evil, and leave thee there to bewail thy folly. Like thine, my cheek was once unfurrowed by age; and, like thine, my bofom beat high in the hope of future glory. As thou doft, I guided my daily flock over the mountain, and fat to mark its wanderings, and the hafty tread of the traveller acrofs the defert. She came, and conducted me where thou ftandeft; bade me gaze on the city beneath, and infpired me with the madnels of her guilty race. I yielded to perfuafions that I then thought proceeded from a friend; and abandoning my flock, my fheep-hook, and abode of peace, fped, as fhe bade me, to the gardens of the palace. The chief eunuch accepted my proffered flavery, and affigned my portion of labour beneath the windows of the women's apart ments. There for two moons I toiled; when the favourite fultana obferved me one evening, as I was refting on the grafs, and according my voice to the warblings of a flute which I had received from the chief eunuch, Every night after this did the fair, but alas! delufive fultana, come to the window to hear my fong; till, in concert with the Genius that undid me, or overpowered by the force of licentioufnels, the commanded her flaves to contrive my entrance into her apartment. Many times, fcreened by the gloom of night, was I admitted into that facred inclofure, and loved the fultana with an unfeigned paf-fion: yet my happiness was not compleat; I panted more for power than for love; and cach day the limits of my ambition were extended by the fight of the nobles who thronged about the feraglio, and even of their lovereign himself. First to be an inferior officer was the with of my foul; but the glory of the vizier effaced it; and I fighed to be next in rank to the ruler of the people. Thus far dared I to lift my defires; when the fultanefs, in the hour of tenderness, ex claimed-"Oh that thou wert as the Lord of India, and I fill the object of thy love! then might my paffion be unfettered by the fhackles of reftraint, and the bright countenance of day illuminate our now fecret meetings!" Why fpake the words fo fatal to my 699 Shepherd Mozarad.” "Never meant I to delude thee," cried the Genius of Ambition, who at that inftant appeared befide me; take this talifman, thrice happy Khoraffan; remove into the prefence of the fovereign of India, and on touching him he hall become as dead before thee: for over his life I can impart no influence unto thee. But at the moment when the fufpenfion of his powers fhall commence, his femblance fhall be caft over thee, and thou be honoured as the real fultan. Arife; go thy way, and repine not." In an evil hour I took the talifman from the hand of the Genius, intruded myfelf into the royal · prefence, and proftrating myself before the fovereign, contrived to approach it near his perfon. At the touch, he funk as the Genius had foretold, and my form and robes became as his. The fultana entered the apartment: I acquainted her with the truth, and faw the ray of pleasure brighten over her brow. "My beloved Khoraffan," fhe cried, "here fecrete we the perfon who is no more. Let us faften up this quarter of the feraglio, and appoint flaves to guard it, while thou receiveft the homage of thy peaple, and the adoration of thy love. But firft, lend me thy hand, and I will guide thee to the fecret vault where the royal treafures lie concealed, where the fceptre and the diadem are depofited." I acquiefced with her will, and the conducted me-Oh, hepherd, be not feduced by the pro nifes of Ambition!-Innumerable ftairs we defcended, never lightened by the face of day, and sped through ten apartments, in each of which a fingle lamp was burning; till at the farther end of the laft we were stopped by an iron door, against which the fultana knocking, it was inftantly opened by a black flave, who clofed it violently on our entrance-Oh! gentle Mozarad, why am not I permitted to fay farther to thee? The fecret of that chamber none may reveal. I found Ambition a traitrefs; her counfellings poifon, and her Tttta promifes promiles a dream. Twenty years have I fince exifted; ten on this rock, endeavouring to expiate my guilt, by deterring others from listening to her dictates; and bewailing, alas! the partner of my youth, who pierced the accurfed limits of the palace with her infant child, in fearch of the wretched Khoraffan. Oh, youth! fuffer not my accents unprofitably to found in thine ear: forget not what I have revealed to thee, and truft to my experience. The hour of morning meditation calls me hence; but when evening cafts her long fhades over the valley beneath, and thy flocks are at reft in the field, then ftill let me behold thee here, and ftrengthen thee farther against the wiles of the foe of men? Thus ended Khoraffan, and turned away from the mufing fhepherd, who hung a long while fufpended, uncertain which courfe to pursue. The mystery of the eleventh chamber awakened his utmost curiofity. He earneitiy wifhed to explore the fecrets of it; and at length bethought himself of this argüment in favour of what he defired. Khoraffan,' he exclaimed, has there met with difficulties, which he was either too weak to fubdue, or too fearful to brave; and in what ourfelves have failed, we love not that others fhould have a chance to fucceed.' Thus reafoned the foolih Mozarad, who beheld every object in a 'falle light; and at length fuffered the enticements of the 'Genius to overcome the friendly advice of the fage. He hesitated no more; but defcended the rock with hafty fieps, and reached the outer gate of the royal gardens, from whence, at his requeft, he was brought before the chief eunuch, and admitted to labour as a flave beneath the windows of the feraglio. Three rights he fung near the lodgings of the favourite fultana, a daughter of her who had feduced Khorafian; and, on the third, was noticed for the melody of his voice. The next evening, a flave of the beautiful Zalima came where he fat, and bade him arife and follow her. He went, and was conducted to the favourite ; who, by her charms, finally fteeled him againft the calls of virtue, and the reproots of conscience. Their connection lafted not long; for foon Mozarad, anxious to receive the talifman that was to fufpend the powers of the fultan, fortned the fatal with of Khorafan. The Genius attended at his word, and he with trembling eagerness accepted her prefent. Impatient to prove its virtue, he flew immediately to the pavilion where Zamrin he knew was retired, and proftrating himself before him, touched him with the magic inftrument. The effect anfwered his expectation; he beheld the fultan fink infenfible, and then hafted to the apartment of Zalima, to comsnunicate his fuccefs, and the change of his form; for the fecret of the táliíman be hid acquainted her with before. She blefied the friendly Genius, overwhelmed the devoted Mozarád with careffes, and inftantly offered to conduct him where the treasures of the crown were concealed. The heart of the new sultan beat high at her words. Filled with hope and courage, he gave her ha hand; and, winding through an alley which he had never obferved before, they reached the ftairs, and haftened through the ten gloomy vaults. At fight of the iron doet, his courage increased, and his hopes beamed anew. He impatiently knocked; and the black flave opening to them, they entered when the door inftantly clofed. Mozara then looked around him, and beheld with transport not to be described, by the light of torches that equalled in number the plan of the heavens, riches exceeding the utm limit of his thought. Crowns, fceptre jewels, ingots of gold, and mountains filver, met his eye on every fide, and when ed him in a fea of delight. Oh, treache rous Khoraffan!' he then exclaimed, 'how wouldst thou have mifled me?" So fpeaking he advanced towards the crown, his favor ite object; and, feizing it, was going to place it on his head, when the ground he food on fhook, and a fudden blaft arifing blew out every taper but one, which faintly gleamed, and prefented to the fight of the terrified fhepherd, inftead of the diadem had grafped, a humán kull. Where befeste thone the treasures, human bones lay leat tered; where the fultana had food, the form of an old and loathfome female p peared; and a fcorpion, armed with in merable trs, fupplied the place of the flave. Mozarad funk oppreffed; but the tortures they inflicted foon arouzed him. bewailed his fortune, they reproached hi he ftrove to efcape, and they bound him the floor. Of all his grandeur, nothing re mained but the form and the robes of the Sultan of India. For one whole year the wretched Mezarad was detained in this dungeon, to recal to mind the friendly. Khoraflan, and bewail the weakneffes of youth. His feanty food w watered by the tears of remerie; and the fun, as it rofe, fo it fet upon his lamenting. One night he was rouzed from his unquiet reft, by the fhriekings of a female voice, tha feemed to proceed from fente one very net him. He farted up, for they had not com tinued his fetters; the hag was flumbers on the ground, and the fcorpion offered uit to prevent him. He went to the door; liftening, difcovered that the founds of 18trefs came from the adjoining vault. which, undeliberating, he gently fole th key from his fleeping perfecutrefs, and after turning the lock, beheld in the tenth chat ber 786. British Theatre. er an aged woman of majestic appearance, nd a beautiful slave, with whom a young nan, clad in royal robes, was ftruggling. Unmanly wretch!' cried Mozarad, defift.' At the found of his voice, the young man tarted in astonishment, and fuddenly exlaiming My father!' left the terrified rey, and fled. The flave proftrated herself efore the imaginary fultan.- O mighty ord,' he cried, by miracles reftored, pro& thy servant!'—Nor withhold, continued he elder form, that freedom thou hast ›romised so long.' Be free,' returned the dready captivated Mozarad. I will intantly lead ye forth.' So replying, he conucted them through the vaults, and by the winding alley led them into the courts of the alace; from whence, concealed by the loom of night, they made their efcape from he city, and croffing the plain, began to af end the rock. The fhepherd now enquired of his wondering companions the meaning of what he had lately witnessed; and was infwered by the aged flave, who better fuppreffed her aftonishment at his proceeding han the other, that on his fuppofed death, the young fultan, his fon, becoming enanoured of her daughter Azora, had refused hem the freedom that he himself had pro mited; and, after repeated perfecutions, had that night come to a refolution of obtaining by force what had been denied to his request. Soon after this, they arrived at the cave of Khoraffan, who was fitting at the mouth of it on the ground: the moon then fhone clear, and he would have prof trated himself before Mozarad, when his eye chanced to mark the features of the aged flave-Zadira!' he exclaimed; my wife! Powerful Alla! is it her? After twenty years of wretchednefs, do I again behold the partner of my youth, the much-loved fufferer of my guilt and from him, too, do I receive her, whofe amorous paffion forbade her return with me, when ten years had expiated the crime I committed against his fa ther!'-Aftonishment filled the breaft of the before them. 701 would incite thee to alter the lot he has marked out for thee, would, either through ignorance or evil-defigning, miflead thy fteps from the paths of virtue and content to the dungeons of mifery and guilt. Khoraffan, the heart of Mozarad is corrected of its folly; beftow on him the daughter of thy youth, and he will impart happinefs to the years thou haft yet to wander among the children of men.' MR The British Theatre. October 30. R. MOSS from the theatre in Dublin, lane in the character of the Miler. Mr. Mofs appeared the first time in Druryfuftained the part with fpirit, and poffeffed a confiderable degree of vis comica". The frantic fcene upon the difcovery of the lofs of his treafure was happily executed, and he received great applaufe from the audience. Nov. 13. Mrs. Belfill, from the Norwich theatre, alfo made her first appearance in Be inda, to Ryder's Sir John Reftlefs, in Murphy's pleating comedy of "All in the Wrong." She poffefles a good figure, has a pleafing ftage face, is tolerably polished, cellent fubftitute in fecond parts of genteel and we may fafely pronounce her an excomedy. A Mr.King from Dublin, and Mr. Hooke, a gentleman well known among the ban vivants of the metropolis, made their firft in the characters of young Meadows and appearances at Covent Garden, this month, Hawthorn, in the comic opera of Love in a Village. but his acting and general deportment was Mr. King has a good voice, and fung well; very aukward and unpolished; however we hope a little familiarity with the boards, will render him a ufeful performer in Eng lith operas. Mr. Hooke was not fo happily received; his voice is more calculated for private than public finging; and from his not appearing a fecond time, we fuppofe he has given up the purfuit of the ftage. united much more of the art and fpirit of Mrs. Billington, in the character of Rofetta fuppofed faltan, whilft Zadira embraced her husband, and the young Azora wept for joy. Thus, as they mingled their tears, and the fhepherd gazed with wonder, a celeftial form the comedian, than the ever before exhibitclad in robes of light, fudden'y flood in robes ed. Her, "Go, naughty man," is of itself an invincible proof of her ability, in the Mozarad,' fhe exclaimed, I am the Genius Gelinoflar. I have watched double capacity of actress and finger. over thy ways, and would before now have fixed thee happy, hadft thou not liftened to the delufions of Ambition. Thy misfortunes now are overpaffed, for thy good action has expiated thy guilt. His own form is at this inftant returning to the Sultan of India, and thou appeareft as the thepherd of the valley of Kedar. With this inftruction I leave thee. There is no Genius equal in wifdóm to Alla, the Lord of heaven; and whoever The Mourning Bride, has been performed at were as follow: Don Alexis, Mr. King. Wife |