fhould end, in the orthodox ftile, with a prayer. And the very mention of a marmoset and a bonze, throws me into a fit of devotion.'

Here followeth the prayer, with a running comment.- O God, who feeft my heart,' which I have ufed every means to corrupt, and my underftanding, which I have employed, for many years, against thee who gave it to me; pardon my offences,' (not that I have any thoughts of repentance and reformation) as I pardon thofe of that coxcomb Rouffeau; and grant that I may always ferve thee in my fellow creatures; as I have hitherto done, and do at this prefent writing. Who can read Thomas a Kempis after this?

Finally, I believe that the fun may fhine at noon-day, and a blind man know nothing of the matter.' Of the truth of this article, I think we need no other proof, than that a perfon, living in a Chriftian country, fhould write fuch a Confeflion of Faith as that we have been confidering. Such as it is, however, it expreffes the fentiments of the Voltaires, the D'Alemberts, and others, on our fide of the water. For which reafon, it is hoped, that remarks made upon it will not be without their ufe. It is published with Mr. Voltaire's name; taking it therefore to be his, I have treated it accordingly; and can only fay, as an honeft gentleman faid to a fharper at cards, after having with a fork nailed his hand to the ta ble: Sir, if you have not the knave under your hand, I ask your pardon,'

infinity to prove, that this opinion bears not the femblance of hypothefis. To enumerate only a thousandth part, would be entering into a greater field than either my abilities or plan include: a few will anfwer to demonftrate full clearly the truth of thefe obfervations.

What motive actuated Alexander the great to march through the dreary and fandy defarts of Lybia, to the tem ple of Jupiter Ammon, but the love of fame?

We even read of fome who, certain of death by purfuing the means to be come celebrated, have willingly fallen the victims of popularity; as an inftance of which, Heroftratus, on the night of Alexander's birth, fet fire to the celebrated temple of Diana at Ephe fus, merely to perpetuate his name to pofterity. He muft have been aware, previous to the act, that death would be the confequence of it.

The history of a neighbouring coun try has on its page an event which, to me, juftifies what has already been no ticed: when Edward III. took Calais, he infifted that fix of the citizens fhould bring the keys of the town to his tent bare-headed, and with ropes about their necks; only on fuch conditions were the lives of the inhabitants remaining to be spared. Six men voluntarily of fered themselves as a facrifice to appeafe the monarch's rage; but through the tears and intreaties of Edward's queen, their lives were fpared. If the motives that ftimulated them to meet (as they expected) a certain death could be known, I have not on my own misd a doubt, but that the idea of being talked of in after times, and being confidered as eminent and great men, as much affifted to make them undertake fuch a rath enterprize, as true and ge nuine patriotifm.

But once more to revert to antient hiftory: the orations of Demofthenes were many of them written with incre dible labour. Secluded in a cell tor many days and rights, by the light of lamps he composed his fineft fpeeches, which were heard with enthufiaftic rap ture and read with admiration by the Athenians his countrymen.

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love of his country fo much the predominant motive with him as the love of fame? I am inclined to think not.

Ariftides was a pattern of fevere juftice; the revenues of Athens were neither diminished by profligacy, expended wantonly, nor embezzled by him, to whofe care they were entrusted. It we anfwer ingenuoufly, whether honefty and a love of juice alone acted fupe. rior in his bofom, or the thought of becoming celebrious by fuch actions, I think we mult adjudge in favour of the latter.

The great heroes of antiquity, whofe lives were devoted to the fervice of military labour, whofe education was concentrated to the knowledge of military tactics, who butchered their thoufands and their tens of thousands, who have marched over mountains that before were confidered impaffable, though at the hazard of lofing half of their armies, appear to have been influenced more by a defire of acquiring popularity than by motives of patriotifm: witnefs the expedition of Hannibal into Italy, whofe army, before it defcended into the fertile plains of Rome's territory, was reduced by more than one half was it the intereft of Carthage that produced this, or ambition, and the thoughts of being called great? The fequel of his life juftifies the latter opinion of him. When the public opinion was not in his favour, when he found his popularity on the decline, he, coward like, deprived himfelf of exiftence, being unable to live where the funfhine of adulation had no beams for him.

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Now we have paffed from the lower ranks of fociety to treat of great men, a large field opens to our view: let us, therefore, indulge ourselves in a few remarks, and again return to whence

we came.

Empires, kingdoms, and republics furnifh innumerable inftances of men ufing every means to catch the public notice; leaving no art untried to arrive at the goal of their wifhes; every species of villainy has been practifed under the fallacious appearance of rigid virtue, to become the idol of mankind. Kings have fallen by the arm of affaffination;

kingdoms have been embroiled; the laws have been abrogated by men whose intention in fo doing was not the refult of public good, but that of becoming eminent for performing fuch great atchieve-. ments. Was a paltry crown of parfley a fufficient inducement for men divefted of this aim to engage in the fevere ren-. counters of the Olympic games? No! It was the honours and the popularity which the Grecian nation bestowed on the victors, that made men engage in fuch terrible exercifes.

In the dark ages of fuperftition we are again furnished with innumerable proofs that fubftantiate the foregoing opinions on popularity. Monafteries and houfes of religious worship were founded, not from a defire of pleafing God, but man. The most hardened and profligate monsters who acquired riches through oceans of blood have hindered their infulted countrymen from wreaking their juft vengeance on their heads, by founding churches, monatteries, &c. which with the ignorant was fuppofed to be the effect of real religi ous motives. If the fcheme fucceeded, the men who were before held in utter execration and deteftation afterwards became the objects of idolization with thofe by whom before they stood in a critical fituation. Even with us moderns, infcriptions in our churches ftare us in the face, with the names of men who have fpared from large fortunes a few pounds to be thought charitable ; but with Pope

Who builds a church to God, and not to fame, [name. Will never mark the marble with his

erudition. Did thofe men who have compofed her literati make fuch deep refearches into every fcience, from the idea that mankind would be the better for their difcoveries, or from the idea that popular notice would be attracted? The latter is moft probable. Would fo many thousands of volumes be written on the fame fubject, if it were not from a notion in the writers that each will excel his coemporary, and thofe who have written before him? Did Johnson compofe his voluminous and excellent dictionary of the English Language merely to elucidate the fubject, and to inftruct mankind? If we impartially and minutely inveftigate the matter, we muft fay, that the thoughts of acquiring literary fame as much influenced his refolves to commence fuch a vaft undertaking, as any other motive.

So far has popularity biaffed the opinions of mankind, that whole nations have been infected with its contagion. France, which had been the feat of monarchy for centuries, willed to effect a revolution throughout church and state. In fo doing the only followed the Americans; but the fubverfion of things in that country allured the attention of all the known world more than that of the Americans, from the amazing difference of flavery which France laboured

under.

If we may judge from the afpect that general fentiment bore, prior to the enormities committed in France, revolutions would have become general, not

from the idea that neceffity called for a revolution of old fyftems, but from popular motives. Ambitious men would then have had an opportunity to head factions, and to make a noife in the world.

Monarchy at that period was apparently in its wane; republics were held up as the only feats of happinefs; the multitude, deceived and mifguided by fuch fallacious deferiptions, expected foon to fee a golden age. The ftandard of revolt was hoifled where peace be fore was wont to dwell; a general agitation affected the four quarters of the globe; all were defirous of putting in practice what was theoretically popular; but France, who began, cured the

difeafe. Murder, confifcation of proper ty, were the order of the day in that un happy country. Thousands and tens of thoufands were immolated at the fhrine of ambitious popularity. The moft hardened and corrupt villains that ever difgraced the hiftory of man took their turn to rule the infatuated multitude, who, in the furor of their delu fion, paid implicit obedience to theit obdurate tafk-mafters; the termination of whofe career was effected by men who wished to ftand in the places of their rivals, and to be extolled by the deceived /pectators.

Europe has fickened at fuch fights Man for a while is philofophized; u great a revolution is effected in favout of monarchical fyftems as was before against it.

But to clofe: turn wherever we will, every circumftance concurs to prese that popularity is the main object o man in all his actions. I here antic pate a remark that naturally occurs in the breaft of every one, that my aim in publifhing this is the fame as the fubject on which I have written. I not deny the fuggeftion, believing that moft of the actions of man are fim lated by it.

Some particulars refpecting the mlancholy Death of Lord Chari Townshend, (Son of the Marquis f Townshend.)

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Thursday, May 26, his lordsbis, after being re elected one of the reprefentatives for the town of Yar mouth, fet off for town in his ow chaife, accompanied by his brother lord Frederick, and accompanied by t fervants on horseback. At Ipfaica they ftopped to dine, and not finding freth horfes fuficient for both carriag and fervants, left the latter behind, wi orders to follow as foon as a suppi could be procured.

Next morning, about four o'clock, the chaife ftopped at Illford to change horfes, at which time lord Frederics only was feen in it, who did not alight but ordered the horfes to be put to, ap gave directions to the drivers to go to Hanover iquare: at Mile-end by

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were alarmed by the report of a piftol clofe to them, and turning their heads, faw lord Frederick throw a piftol out of the carriage; but thinking no other perfon was in the chaife, except him felf, they continued without ftopping, till they came into Oxford-ftreet, near Argyle-ftreet, where they pulled up, to know in what part of Hanover-fquare they were to ftop at, when his lordthip told them to drive to the houfe of the bithop of Norwich; and on their fay ing they did not know which fide of the fquare it was, he jumped out of the chaife, ftruck the man on the wheel horfe, and then proceeded to ftrip himfelf naked to fight him, which bringing fome people about, and the door of the chaife being left open, the body of lord Charles was difcovered in the bottom of the chaife, with his brains blown

Lord Frederick was immediately fecured, and taken to Mary-le-bone watch-houfe, where he faid that his brother had shot himself as they were coming to town, on account of fome religious difpute that took place between them on the road, and that he had endeavoured to do the fame, but the piftol would not go off.

At about eleven o'clock, his lordship was brought to the police office, Marlborough-fireet, but kept in private, appearing to be in a very deranged ftate of mind.

The feveral witneffes who related the foregoing circumftances, two of whom were their lordfhip's fervants, left at Ipfwich, but who had come to town, underwent an examination before Mr. Conant, the fitting magiftrate.

Sir Edward Layton, mayor of Yarmouth, was alfo prefent, and flated that the conduct of their lordships was fuch during the time they were at that place, that left little doubt in his mind of their being lunatics; and that perceiving them fet off for town unattended by any friend, and being fearful of fome accident, he followed them in the mailcoach, and heard of their behaving in a very extraordinary manner at every place he stopped at, till they came near

zown.

Sir Edward faid, that he went down Hib. Mag. June, 1796.

with lords Charles and Frederick Townshend to Yarmouth; he never faw a ftronger affection than there always had been between the brothers, nor had they any difference while at Yarmouth. They joined in the feftivity at the election too much, and betrayed, both of them, but particularly lord Charles, the most indubitable symptoms of infanity, and chiefly after dinner and fupper. They frequently went alone about Yarmouth, crying, that their ene mies were their best friends, difpenfing their money lavishly, and without dif tinction; and lord Charles went into one of the houfes belonging to the oppofition candidate, and narrowly escaped being thrown out of the window by the oppofition party. The day before the election his friends obferved him to be fo much deranged that they were afraid he could not ftand the poll; however, there was no oppofition. After the election he talked wildly after dinner; and, that night, the family was difturbed by his conftantly opening and fhutting the window-fhutters; the next morning he was in fuch a state, that his friends locked the door on him.

James Vaughan affifted in conveying the dead body to the house of Mr. Barnham, chymift, corner of Argyle ftreet. It appeared to him, that the piftol was put into the mouth of the deceafed, and the bullet came out at the back part of the top of his head; the teeth were not hurt.

Laurant Parnel, who has been lord Frederick's fervant for fix years, faid, that he went down to Yarmouth with him, and that James May, lord Charles's fervant, alfo accompanied them. He corroborated what had been faid refpecting the infane conduct of lord Charles, at Yarmouth, and added, that his mafter, lord F. had been confined for infanity about two years ago, when he had a trait waistcoat on, and was attended by a man from Dr. Monro's. He alfo faid, that from his conduct in Yarmouth, he fufpected another fit of infanity was coming on. He and the other fervant returned from Yarmouth with their mafter, whom they accompanied on horfeback as far as Woodbridge, but there being a fearcity Yyy