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these men was magnified; and a belief | pay my part of it with a great deal less was created, that a division would take dissatisfaction. The following is the arplace. This hope, however, has failed; ticle:-"The reports of the intended mar and you will have the pleasure to see, in riage of Mrs. Perceval are, we believe, a short time, this faction plunged into irre- " quite unfounded. They have arisen from trievable disgrace and ruin. "her intercourse with a neighbour's faHaving now endeavoured to place in a "mily, that of the Rev. Mr. Carr, the clear light, the cause of the war, and the Clergyman of Ealing, where Mrs. Percauses of its continuance after the Euro-" ceval lives. Mr. Carr has some charmpean peace, I shall, in another letter, state ing daughters, and to them Mrs. Perthe causes of the реасе, and its probable" ceval has within the last two months important consequences. "shewn particular attention, visiting, and

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In the meanwhile I remain, with the" having them at home with her frequently. greatest respect, and most sincere attach-"The Rev. Mr. Carr has two sons, one a ment, your faithful and obedient servant, "Colonel, the other a Major in the Army. WM. COBBETT." The latter, now at home, is a remarkably handsome man, about thirty, and he "is the person whom the town tattle has "destined as the bridegroom, merely be

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MRS. SPENCER PERCEVAL.

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Ye lovers of cant! Ye hypocrites," cause, on his sisters' account, he has religious, moral, and political! Draw" shewn becoming respect, which has been near and regale yourselves with a treat. "becomingly received by Mrs. Perceval. Here is one who surpasses you all." But Mrs. Perceval is twelve years older The following paragraph from the Courier" than he is, with twelve children, the of the 4th instant, on the subject of" children of our late excellent Prime this lady's reported intended marriage, "Minister, who fell by the hands of an will make every man of sense and sincerity" assassin. Mrs. Perceval's love of her laugh. It is clearly discernable, that the "children, her reverence for the memory of canting fellow believes the report to be" an adored husband, whom she lost under true, and that his object is to frighten the circumstances so awful, would be sure safelady with the condemnation of public opi- " guards for her conduct, even if it were posnion. Ladies, in such cases, are not so "sible to forget the exalted place she occueasily frightened, let me tell him; and "pies in the eye of society. The heavy grief, they would be fools if they were. "The turning her almost to stone, which she felt "country has voted a large pension." He" for the loss of her husband, the conspimeans the Members of Parliament. But "cuous part she has taken among the most what then? Was it made a condition, that "religious, moral, and amiable class; the exshe should not fall in love with a "hand-"ample her conduct has set in all respects, some Major 2" Away, you paltry, snivel-"renders it impossible to believe she will ling hypocrite, whoever you may be ; and," take a step so contrary to the course she perhaps, you may be a rival of the lady." has hitherto pursued. The Country has Things much more unlikely have been;" done every thing kind and honourable tricks more strange have been played off to her, voting her a large pension during through the press of London, which has life, providing for her children, &c.frequently been made the tool in the hands" of those who wished to break off, or to make up matches.Well, Madam, (for, I am sure, you are no man) suppose the lady is twelve years older than the Major, could you not have left him to find that out? And suppose she has twelve children, did not the Major know that, think you? No; no; you'll never persuade the lady, that her reputation will suffer from marry-employment of German troops is liable, in ing a handsome young man. The public some cases, to give offence; but a bare rewill pay her pension as cheerfully when she cital of facts, without observations, surely is Mrs. CARR, as if she had remained Mrs. no reasonable being can object to. PERCEVAL; and, for my own part, I shall pressed with this idea, I conceive I may be

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Among the children of her late Lord, "she finds the highest consolation for his "loss, and she is the last person who will forget him so far as to throw herself inta "the arms of any other Gentleman, however deserving.".

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GERMAN TROOPS.

MR. COBBETT,-To comment upon the

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permitted to state, that the people of this riot in question. And it ought to be furtown did not shew any extraordinary ther recorded, that the sailors confined symptoms of joy, on the arrival here of the their proceedings solely to the objects Brunswick Hussars, who were called in connected with their dispute; namely, the by the Mayor to assist in quelling the late preventing mariners from proceeding to riot-and several very respectable inha-sea at the reduced wages, and the liberatbitants, who had been summoned, and had ing their comrades who had been taken attended, in aid of the civil power, declined into custody; and that, in every other regiving any further assistance when the spect, they avoided offering the slightest foreign troops arrived, assigning, as the insult or molestation; for when, in the reason, their disapprobation of the mea-struggle to effect the release of their comsure. I do not pretend to say, whether panions, they had overcome every elïort of these persons thought or acted right or not; the civil power to resist them; when they neitber shall I undertake to decide with had thus become, as it were, masters of the whom originated the several disputes in place, they immediately retired with their which the Germans were engaged whilst rescued brethren, and the town became as here; but shall conclude my narrative by peaceable as if nothing had occurred. It stating, that some very unpleasant occur- is but justice to make these facts public; rences having taken place in the evening for, though the circumstance of breaking of Tuesday, December 13th, the Hussars open the prison cannot be denied, yet it is hastily and unexpectedly took their final hoped the above considerations may plead, (but very abrupt) departure from the town and plead strongly, in mitigation of punishabout midnight! To the events of that ment.-The writer in the Courier observes, evening is to be ascribed the circumstance that the Mayor and other Magistrates alluded to in the following paragraph which" deserve, from every peaceable and wellappeared this day in the Norfolk Chronicle" disposed inhabitant, the most sincere and Norwich Mercury newspapers, under" thanks, as their conduct was greatly to the head of Lynn news: The private "be admired.”—Now, Sir, though all "belonging to the 5th Dragoon Guards, this may be true, and though I believe the "who was seriously wounded here a short mass of the inhabitants of this town to be "time since, in a fray with the Brunswick as peaceable and well-disposed as most Hussars, we are glad to find is in a fair people, yet they seem not, at present, to 66 way of recovery.". I am, &c. have caught the enthusiasm of the Courier's correspondent. They feel attached to the character of the British seaman, with all his faults, and with all his errors, they enMR. COBBETT,-In your second Letter tertain a respect for some political opinions to the Cossack Priesthood of the State of their ancestors; but the "of Massachusetts," inserted in your" thanks" for the much-to-be-admired conREGISTER of Dec. 24th, you favoured duct above-mentioned, are yet to come.-them, and the world at large, with two ex-Though by no means deficient in the rights tracts from the Courier newspaper, respect- of hospitality, yet no expressions of their ing the late riot in this town.- Though admiration have hithes to burst forth at the all due deference should be paid to the jovial entertainment given by the Mayor Courier's Lynn Correspondent, who evi-(at his own house) to the German Officers, dently writes in a tone of dignified hateur, the day after their arrival.Now, Sir, and with a proper contempt for those below as animadverting upon certain local politi him, yet certainly the great majority of the cal occurrences, is sometimes a ticklish inhabitants of this populous town, do not point, which no man can more feelingly deappear to have imbibed his conception of scribe than yourself; and as placards and the subject.-As some of the sailors, or, sarcastic hand-bills are posting and flying (as this writer calls them) " poor deluded about here in various directions, it would FELLOWS," are to be tried for their lives, be friendly in you to act as a Monitor to it should be made known, that the mer the "delnded" inhabitants of this town, chans and ship-owners have voluntarily lest, peradventure, through any mistaken acceded to the terms which these " deluded zeal for the constitutional notions of their "FELLOWS" first demanded, and the re- ancestors, they should fall into perilous fusal to comply with which occasioned the error, by murmuring when they should

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Lynn, Dec. 31st.

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A BY-STANDER.

RIOT AT LYNN.

"sincere

offer their "most sincere thanks," and by
censuring proceedings which are "greatly
"to be admired!"I remain, Sir, a
friend to the real British Constitution,
and to social order, though
Lynn, Jan. 2, 1815.

NO GERMAN.

ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.
LETTER IV,
Nothing is more contrary to Religion than con-
straint."
JUSTIN MARTYR; Lib. 5.

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them, ought we not to have a still greater tenderness for what we consider their lost condition, instead of despising, rejecting, and punishing them? Priests may say what they please, but disinterested men will never agree to their positions as to people "turning a deaf ear," being “wilfully blind," or "hardening their own. hearts against the truth." It would be the grossest presumption in us to arrogate Whatever such a power over ourselves. appertains to us must be an effect, of SIR, HELVETIUS remarks "That which God, or the Devil by his permis"Governments are the judges of actions, sion, is the cause. And would it not be "and not of opinions. If FAITH (says he) much more consistent with Christian cha"be a gift of Heaven, they who have it rity, to view the different.notions of our not, deserve to he pitied; and not pu- brethren in this favourable light? Those "nished ;" and adds, it is the excess of who avow sentiments contrary to popular "inhumanity to persecute an unfortunate superstitions, and thus incur that contempt "person." Every age and country fur- and opprobrium which the bigotry of the nish us with proofs, that it is possible for vulgar always bestows, are by far more persons of opposite opinions to live in har-likely to be in earnest than they who conmony together, and with abundant testi- form to general customs and commonly monies that people entertaining the great-received opinions; and what impartial est diversity of tenets have been alike man can doubt the sincerity of the Deists good husbands, fathers, children, and citi- in their religious professions more than zens.-Governments are instituted for the any other class of people? preservation social order, consequently they have a right to look to our conduct, which, if they aro wise, they can sufficiently regulate by proper civil laws founded on the nature of man, his interests, and bis wants. If we deport our-like the Deists, cannot draw the same conselves in a manner compatible with the good of society, neither legislatures nor individuals have a just pretence, authoritatively, to interfere with our opinions, let them be ever so ridiculous or absurd. As to Faith, I would say the same of it as La Rochefoucault says of Love, it is perfectly involuntary, and therefore it is no more in our power to believe or disbelieve, than it is to love or to let it alone. Why, then, persccute a person for a defect in the understanding, or a bias he cannot help?-Will any reasonable person assert that man ever chooses evil for the sake of evil? or embraces error because it is error? No! we make choice of bad through our depraved taste, and we receive false doctrine because we think it true. If this be admitted, ought not those who deem others wrong, and conceive themselves to be blessed with a knowledge of what is right, to have compassion for such as have the misfortane to be deluded with mistaken notions? and if their faculties should be so benumbed with prejudice that we cannot convince

The reason why the mass of mankind doubt whether there be such persons as fervent Deists, is because they are not aware of their mode of reasoning; or, if they are, they do not feel its force; and,

clusions from the same premises that they do. Deism has had nearly as long standing in this country as the Reformation. It was first promulgated in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and is said to have been imported from Italy, perhaps from the circumstance of this country being about that time honoured by the visit of several eminent Italian philosophers, among whom we can name the celebrated Doctors Lucilio Vanini and Giordano Bruno, both of whom were ultimately led to the stake and received the crown of martyrdom; the first at Toulouse, through the good offices of an Attorney-General, and the last at Venice, from the hands of Inquisitors, for stedfastly adhering to the Doctrines they had broached.* The first English writer upon the subject was Lord Herbert, of Cherbury, whose book, “ De Ventate," was published in 1624; since which they have had among their number many of the greatest

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* See the Lives of Bruno, Vanini, Spinoza, Bodin, and Campanella, in Bayle's General Dictionary.

and best men this country has produced. " ism, and bring ism, and bring on the ruin of their pomp-Within the last twenty years Deists ous ceremonies."-When we consider have become very numerous; probably the change which time makes in every more so than is generally suspected, as thing; when we reflect upon what Chrismany thousands of them do not openly tianity then was, and what Deism is now, avow their convictions on account of the shall we wonder if the Deists, at the preprejudices excited against them by the sent day, apply these passages, in their priesthood, who, of course, cannot be much schools, to their own unfortunate case. attached to persons whose opinions are op- They, like the early Christians, are moral posed to their interests. But whether they and sincere; but their morality and sinmake a public profession of their sentiments, cerity is no protection. Who shall decide or only impart them to the liberal minded, in matters of opinion? Not the law: it I have generally found them to have a will justify the Jews against the Chrisstricter sense of justice, honour, and motians, and they will have cause to comrality, than, I am sorry to say, the greater plain. A little further Mosheim says, part of my fellow-Christians possess.- "The Christians persecuted by the priests, Whether their general good conduct arises" and the people set on to persecute them from their consciousness that the Philistines keep a jealous eye upon them, and would take a malignant pleasure in magnifying their indiscretions ; or whether it is a consequence of the morality taught by the religion of NATURE being unsophisticated In the same chapter he tells us, that by dogmas, creeds, or the mysterious Nero was the first Roman Emperor who wonders of faith, I will not pretend to de-enacted laws against the Christians, and termine; but merely, as an humble aspirer says, "The principal reason why the Romans persecuted the Christians, seems to have been the abhorrence and con

server of man.

"in the most vehement manner."-The

Deists may, for aught I know, rank some of our priests with the savages of those days; but I should be sorry to go so far myself.

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to the charity of Jesus, bear witness of the fact, and doubt not of my testimony being corroborated by every unbiassed ob-"tempt with which the latter regarded the religion of the empire, which was so inHaving said thus much, and having in "timately connected avith the form, and, my last given a slight sketch of the plain indeed, with the essence of its political and simple tenets of these people, might I “ constitution."-The Jews and the Ronot ask, whether the conduct of Christian mans, like us, had costly temples, altars, States in persecuting the Deists, does not sculptures, paintings, solemn forms, grand subject them to the same reproaches which ceremonies, sublime mysteries, innumerthey have bestowed on those who persecuted able priests with fine garments, expensive their predecessors? To illustrate this ques-offerings, tythes, and rates; but the early tion, I shall occasionally make a few ex- Christians, like our simple Deists, did tracts from the pious and learned Dr. not know the inestimable value and imMosheim, late Chancellor of the Univer-portant advantages of these things, sity of Gottingen, who stands without a which the Romans seemed duly to apcompetitor as a writer of ecclesiastical preciate, as appears by the following:-~history. When treating of the calamitous "Another circumstance which irritated events which happened to the Church," the Romans against the Christians, was during the first century, he has these re"the simplicity of their worship, which remarkable words: *_" The innocence and "sembled in nothing the sacred rites of any virtue that distinguished so eminently" other people. The Christians had neither "the lives of Christians, and the spotless sacrifices nor temples, nor images, nor "purity of the doctrine they taught, could oracles, nor sacerdotal orders; and this "not defend them against the virulence was sufficient to bring upon them the re"and malignity of the Jews ;" and again, proaches of an ignorant multitude, who "This odious malignity of the Jewish "imagined that there could be no religion "doctors was undoubtedly owing to a secret "without them: thus they were apprehension that the progress of Chrislooked hanity would destroy the credit of Juda-"

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* Vol. I. cent 1. part 1. chap. v.

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upon as a set of Atheists."" But this was not all; (continues Mosheim) the "sordid interests of a multitude of selfish “and lazy priests, were immediately con

"nected with the ruin of the Christian | designated Unbelievers, the latter, in pro"cause."- --He then goes on to tell us, portion to numerical strength, would be that to accomplish the more speedy ruin "of the Christians, those whose interests "were incompatible with the progress of "the Gospel loaded them with most oppro"brious calumnics; and these (adds he) "were the only arms they had to oppose "the TRUTH."

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found to have produced the most GOOD
MEN.-With fervent prayers for the cause
of Civil and Religious Liberty, I am,
Dear Sir, your sincere Friend,
London, Jan. 1815. ERASMUS PErkins.

EDIPUS JUDAICUS.

thought proper to introduce a defence of Sir William Drummond into your REGISTER, of the 14th inst. He has cast some free expressions on the Rev. G. D'Oyly, Christian Advocate in the University of Cambridge, who has publicly animadverted on the EDIPUS JUDAICUS, and has in

How sorry I am, in reading the history of my own church, to find in its infancy MR. COBBETT,-One of your Corressuch a strong parallel between the beha-pondents, who signs himself VARRO, has viour of the Romans towards the Christians, and the conduct of by far too many professors of our holy religion, in the present day, towards those unfortunate people whom we stigmatize with the name of DEISTS OF THEISTS, because they acknowledge but one God, in opposition to us who are Tritheists. How many books have we inserted in your REGISTER a rather full ex-. this country wherein these unhappy persons are branded with every odious epithet that the imagination can devise, and charged with conspiring against the eternal peace and happiness of their fellow creatures, when we know their works breathe nothing but the most unbounded philanthropy and benevolence. The general tenor of their writings approaches much nearer to the mildness and charity of our blessed Saviour than the sermons of many of the most eminent divines.—Have not philosophers, whose labours have been devoted to the improvement of mankind, whose dispositions have been most amiable, and whose lives most exemplary, been held up to the execration of the public as impious wretches, unworthy of existence? I grieve for the injury the cause of Christ has sustained by those who profess to be his ministers or disciples, descending to such unworthy measures, and promise, if God is pleased to spare me, and bless me with health and resolution, to vindicate genuine Christianity from the disgrace it has incurred from weak and wicked pretenders; but, at the same time, for the honour of my faith, to prove to the world, that an humble follower of Jesus is capable of writing "An "impartial, biographical, and critical ac"count of all those persons denominated infidels, who have flourished since the "birth of our Lord;" a work for which I have been collecting materials during the last twenty years; and I have little doubt I shall be able to shew, that if the numbers of those calling themselves Christians could be analysed and compared with those

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tract of violent, and, as I think, most unjust abuse of him, which has been poured forth by some anonymous writer. As I conceive the statement which VARRO has conveyed to you to be extremely unfair, I venture to trouble you with what I conceive to be a far more just and true representation of the matter. I trust to your candour to take the earliest opportunity of making this letter public, in compliance with your avowed wish, on every occasion, of letting both sides of the question be fairly heard. It is pretty well known that, two or three years ago, Sir William Drummond printed, and privately circulated, his book, entitled EDIPUS JUDAICUS, in which he endeavoured to prove the Bible to contain nothing but fable, allegory, and romance; and treated it with as profane and blasphemous ribaldry, as had ever been done by the most inveterate of infidels. Although this book was not publicly sold, yet it was clear that the author's forbearance did not proceed from tenderness to the Bible, but from his prudent regard to his own safety, and his desire of sheltering himself from animadversion; for he, and others acting_for him, distributed the work at first without scruple, whenever they deemed the quarter a safe one, and even took singular pains, in some instances, to extend its circulation. Thus the book passed into a number of hands, became of public notoriety, and was, in some instances, the more eagerly sought for, from the secret manner of its distribution. Under these circumstances, what was to be done?

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