riod, a work in circulation, the principles of which are in violent opposition to the systems adopted by our excellent government, and have a manifest tendency to excite dissatisfaction with its measures, and defeat its plans. This work is not circulated in secret; but, on the contrary, numerous societies are formed for its dispersion, whose proceedings are even ostentatiously laid be. fore the public, so that no one who is able to read can possibly remain ignorant of them. Yet such is the lenity, I had almost said the remissness, of Sir Vicary, and so tender is he of touching the liberty of the press, that he has hitherto given no indications of an intention to employ the formidable powers with which he is invested, for the suppression of the work, and the condign punishment of its promoters. In order to justify the character I have given of it, I shall lay before your readers some of its most prominent doctrines and precepts. It is at present generally admitted that nothing can be a more decisive proof of disaffection to the government than expressing a wish for peace; but the work in question pronounces an absolute benediction on peace-makers, and frequently represents peace as the most desirable object in human life. It even goes so far in securing this point, as to enjoin, in the most positive language, the forgiveness of injuries, and a patient endurance of the grossest insults and affronts, without any attempt to retaliate them. How opposite this doctrine is to all the rules of honour, and what consequences it would produce were such a disposition to prevail among our soldiers and sailors, it is scarcely necessary for me to remark. Only conceive the feelings of a captain of a man of war if his crew were to refuse to return an enemy's broadside on the pretext of a command not to resist evil, and when smitten on one cheek, to turn the other. And yet it is among this class of men that the societies above alluded to seem particularly solicitous to distribute this dangerous book, notwithstanding the jealousy the government is known to entertain of every attempt to make them judge of right or wrong otherwise than as they are ordered by their superiors. I must, indeed, acknowledge, that together with these precepts of non-resistance there is joined one, of which the minister of finance may be glad to avail himself; "if any one take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also ;" but were all wars brought to a conclusion, his operations would be so little burthensome that he would not need such an auxiliary. Another fundamental maxim to be met with in this book, is that of "doing in all cases as we would be done unto." This may sem a harmless rule enough in private life, but every one must be sensible how it would cramp the schemes of enlightened politicians. What scope, for example, would it give to such laudable exploits as bombarding a friendly capital, and carrying off off its whole navy; as well as many other strokes of refined policy which have been found so useful in all the just and necessary wars in which we have been engaged? Indeed, it is manifest that the principal benefits of superiority in power would be lost, if the possessors of it thought themselves bound to act towards the weak upon the same principles that they would expect the weak to be governed by in their conduct towards them. Another kindred precept in the same production, is that of ❝loving our neighbour as ourselves;" which, applied to states, would obviously subvert the noble principle of patriotism; since this, as we all know, requires a preference of the smallest inte. rest of our own country, to the welfare of all the world besides. I do not think it improbable that the notion of general philan thropy, which has been so justly decried and ridiculed by some excellent moralists, has in great measure originated from the work in question. Further, whereas the extraordinary prosperity of this country has been greatly owing to the enterprising spirit of our merchants, whose projects no space of land or sea can limit, and whose exalted desires no measure of fortune can satiate; can it be endured that the minds of our youth shall be narrowed, and their emulation repressed, by being familiarized with a writing which perpetually enjoins the utmost moderation in the pursuit of worldly emolument, and even pursues this idea so far, as to pronounce it scarcely possible for a rich man to go to heaven? What will become of that passion for commercial speculation, the effects of which we are at this time particularly enjoying, if the rising generation is to be imbued with maxims inspiring a contempt, or even a terror, of wealth? It is unnecessary for me to point out all the instances in which this dangerous book inculcates principles absolutely incompatible with those which are the rules of conduct with us both in public and in private life; whence it may be justly regarded as forming, by inuendo, a perpetual libel on our manners and institu tions. It may, indeed, be pleaded, that it could not have been written with that intention, since its composition was considera. bly anterior to the present times; but the law of libels will not allow such a justification of those who republish a work with an evident purpose of producing effects on the existing generation. The learned and conscientious person who now fills the highest legal station in this kingdom, when attorney-general, thought himself called upon by imperious motives of duty (as he took care, with due solemnity, to inform the court) to prosecute a distinguished scholar for his application of a fable of one sop, an ancient philosopher,-which scholar, it is also to be remarked, was known to be an assiduous student of the book now com plained of, and had derived from it a most unpatriotic detestation of war. This example will, I trust, exert a proper influence on his worthy successor; and we may hope soon to be gratified with an information ex-officio against the printers, publishers, dispersers, &c. of a certain libellous and seditious book entitled the New Testament. I can anticipate only one objection that can be urged against a legal interference in this case; which is, that it being notorious that the said book, after a long unchecked circulation, has in fact produced no change whatever in the popular notions of right and justice, there exists no present necessity of resorting to a measure which might perhaps give offence to some weak and prejudiced members of the community. But it should be considered, that a thing in its nature mischievous ought to be supposed al. ways capable of doing mischief, though circumstances may have suspended its operation. Moreover, examples may be produced in which the work in question has actually given rise to some of the consequences that might have been expected from it. There is a well-known sect among us which, interpreting its precepts rigorously, absolutely rejects the use of arms, even in defensive war; and though these people in some measure compensate for this deduction from the national force by the exactness with which they perform other social duties, yet it is obvious that if the doctrine were to be received by a majority of our country. men, we should be rendered unable to carry on those martial operations from which we are at present deriving so much honour and advantage. The blow given to commercial enterprize by the abolition of that gainful, and therefore laudable, traffic, the slave trade, may also be in great measure ascribed to the influence of the same book; on which account, I doubt not that it has been heartily execrated by many of the most active and ener. getic of our fellow-subjects. To revert to the topic with which I began, the lenity and indulgence displayed by the Attorney-General in the discharge of his official duties,-I flatter myself that the case I have pointed out affords an undeniable proof of the fact; for had it been his desire to multiply prosecutions, it cannot be supposed that he would have overlooked the open dispersion of innumerable copies of so objectionable a work, while he was pursuing such petty game as newspaper essayists on the military discipline of flogging. I shall just hint that the dangerous tendency of the book in question was clearly discerned in a former reign, when all the copies that could be found of it were burnt in the same fire that consumed consumed its votaries; and although that mode of dealing with obnoxious persons is become obsolete, yet there are recent instances of the same treatment bestowed on an obnoxious book. Your's, &c. INDAGATOR. DRESS AND CHARACTER :—A ȘLIGHT SKETCH, MR. REFLECTor, “A suit of mourning," says the Vicar of Wakefield, speaking of his daughters, "would convert my coquet into a prude, and a new set of ribbands has given her youngest sister more than na tural vivacity."-This remark, which is carelessly thrown out by the Vicar, evinces considerable acuteness and knowledge of life; what is commonly called character being frequently more in fluenced by external circumstances, and particularly by that seem, ingly trifling one of dress, than by meditation or reflection on ourselves or others. Some satirical observers have indeed gone so far as to insinuate, that the dress constitutes the whole of the character; from such men, no doubt, originated that biting witticism of antiquity-" Why is this man a philosopher? Because he wears a thread,bare cloak and a beard." Ill-natured men may, perhaps, even now, look abroad among mankind, and tell us, that they see some divines whose whole theology consists in their wig, some lawyers whose legal lore resides solely in their long gown,-and some great generals who put on their mili tary qualities only with their cockaded hat. Not being myself very conversant with men and manners, I will not venture to say that such things do not exist, but shall leave such ill-natured satirists to their own speculations, which, however, I will not deny may be rendered very agreeable to persons who feel a malignant pleasure in observing the dark side of. human nature. Your readers and myself are, of course, of a very different temper of mind I shall, therefore, present you, not with the picture of an impostor (if indeed there be any such man) who derives his whole consequence in society from his external garb and appearance, but with a slight delineation of a very harmless character, who neither deceives, nor intends to deceive, by a hypocritical exte rior, but whose opinions and manners undergo as various changes from his dress, as the cameleon is said to take hues from the air which it inhales. * Ουτος φιλόσοφος διατι ; τριβωνα μεν έχει και κόμην. Pumilio Pumilio is an easy, spritely, young gentleman, and I have no doubt, that should he appear even in puris naturalibus, he would be by no means deficient in vivacity. But not to enter into so abstruse a discussion, let us describe the man as he he is. Some summers ago, either from the influence of caprice, or of that destiny which rules us in spite of ourselves, he abandoned his legs to a pair of military boots with brass spurs. Those who have seen Lewis on the stage, in his most extravagant parts, can alone form an idea of his vivacity and dash on this occasion: no room, no bed, could confine his restlessness: he dashed about from place to place: talked of expeditions to Tunbridge, Brighton, Bath, Cheltenham,-nay, I am inclined to think, that had not the ocean intervened, and the nation been most unluckily engaged in a war with France, even Paris would scarce have bounded his am. bitious eagerness of travel. But, as several wise men, both of old and present times, have observed, all things have an end; the spurs were broken, the boots grew old and shabby, and were succeeded by sober black gaiters, when the restless traveller sunk into a quiet, domestic student, who scarce ever left his room except on pressing business, or to make an occasional call. Last summer he disturbed the quiet and shocked the prejudices of a very rational party, by an animated and elaborate defence of adultery as we knew our friend to be as moral as most men of his age and situation, and very little inclined to ruin the peace of families, we were considerably astonished and puzzled to ac count for the strangeness of his opinions, when one of us fixing his eyes upon him, discovered a new pair of flesh-coloured pantaloons, with which he had invested the lower half of his person. This immediately solved the difficulty; the change had not taken place in his mind, but was an adjunct of his person put on with his dress. Another time, one very hot day,—for the weather has some share in governing his opinions,-he discoursed very fluently and valourously on duelling, honour, battles, death, and all that. As Pumilio is a pacific man, this sudden and ferocious revolution in his sentiments surprised and startled us. We devised several reasons for the explication of the phenomenon. One suggested delirium induced by the heat of the dog-days; another the presence of ladies, to whom such subjects are said to be particularly grateful; and a third, the most plausible, mentioned his recent intercourse with a young ensign who had fleshed his maiden-sword at Talavera but none of these causes being entirely satisfactory, we had recourse once more to his dress, when we observed a flaming buff-waistcoat which glittered in the sun-beams, no mean rival of his meridian splendour. Since that time, we have a perfect clue for all the difficulties and mysteries of his character, a barometer by which we can measure all the variations in his man ners |