scenery, is enraptured by the poetical descriptions which present a transcript of all that had so often charmed the imagination.

'new.'

The elevated sentiments and sub. lime ideas of the poet give, on the other hand, a number of new associations, which are henceforth called up by the scenes of nature, and become to the mind of sensibility a new and inexhaustible source of delight.

"By the ideas associated with them, a thousand sounds that are in themselves indiferent, nay, some that are rather in their natures disagreeable, become pregnant with delight. I have for this last half hour been leaning on my elbow, listening to the distant tinkling of a sheepbell, a sound so perfectly in unison with the surrounding scenery, as to appear enchantingly beautiful. Upon reflection, I believe it to be just such a bell as is tied to the pie-man's basket, which I have often in town deemed an execrable nuisance.

The

different emotions which it now excites can only be resolved into the different trains of ideas with which the sound is associated." 317-319.

This reasoning is applied to music and the fine arts, and further illustrated thus:" Every person of taste, who has heard the Messiah of Handel at Westminster-abbey and at the play-house, must be sensible of the advantage with which this sublime composition was heard at the former place, where every object tended to produce associations in unison with the tone of the performance. At the play-house, these associations were forcibly broken, trains of discordant ideas obtruded themselves on the mind, and thus the effect was lost.

always for this reason adopt the mode of the present fashion; but it will adopt it under such limitations, as are agreeable to its general principles. Wherever cultivated taste prevails, one general sentiment, whether of simplicity or magnificence, will pervade the scene. In the furniture of the house, in the economy of the table, the same predominant idea will be expressed; and every ornament will be rejected, that does not give additional force to the expression. If inanimate objects can be so disposed as to produce an undivided emotion, surely the decorations of the human form ought to be able to produce the same effect. Their true taste must revolt with inexpressible disgust from whatever does not perfectly harmonize with the character. Where purity, modesty, and virtue, dwell in the heart, it is not taste that will decorate the form with the fleering dress of the wanton.

"A knowledge of the principles of taste would teach our sex to preserve the appearance of modesty at least, even if the reality were wanting. In female beauty, I believe no one will deny, that softness graced with dignity, modesty, gentleness, and purity, are ideas that perfectly harmonize with the object. Let these associations be broken by discordant images, and the emotion of beauty will be no longer felt.

But,' says Miss Pert, young men are strangers to the emotions of taste, to please them other associations must be excited. By dressing ་ in the stile of women of a certain description, we call up trains of • ideas favourable to passion.'

True, young woman; but know that she who glories in this species of conquest, degrades herself beneath the rank of those she imitates, and stands upon the brink of a precipice, with nothing but a little pride betwixt her and destruction. Few, however, very few of the numbers who adopt modes of dress incongruous with sentiments of modesty, are influenced by any other motive than the desire of being in the very extreme of fashion. The cultivation of taste would mo

Letter XII. Character of those who object to the Cultivation of the Reasoning Faculty in the Female Sex.-Other Objections stated and examined. Means to be employed in preparing the Mind for the Exercise of Abstraction. Among other instances St. Paul's Discourse at Athens is employed by the author to define a suitable mode of reasoning; the nature of the subject is described, and in both letters the use of abstract reasoning is applied in general, and its peculiar advantages for domestic purposes clearly evidenced in particular.

Letter XIII. REFLECTIONS. Dif. ferent Applications of the Term.-Sense in which it is at present used.-Advan tages of Reflection.-Foundation of it to be laid in early Life.-Inutility of Reflection, when not exercised under the Influence of religious Principle. Illustrations. Conclusion.

The principal part of this letter is occupied in shewing how far the ad. vantage to be derived from the exercise of reflection is increased or diminished by religious principle; on which subject Miss H. argues, I presume it will on all hands be admitted, that whatever tends to aug ment the benevolent affections, and to destroy the influence of the malevolent passions, has likewise a tendency to increase the happiness of the individual and of society. When a person, whose notions of moral obligation are founded on the selfish principle, takes a view of the operations of his own mind, and perceives the unworthiness of the motives by which his best actions have been sometimes influenced; when he is made sensible of the errors of his judgment, and the fallacy of his reasoning; what is the result? Instead of humbling himself before the Searcher of hearts, and imploring the divine assistance, he looks round upon the world, and in the follies and VOL. I.

the crimes of others, finds excuse and consolation. A sense of his own. weakness diminishes not the force of pride, or abates the arrogance of presumption. If obliged to confess that some appear to act more wisely or more virtuously than himself, it is to superior cunning, or superior good. fortune, that he attributes the difference. The knowledge of his own motives produces suspicion with regard to the motives of others. The consciousness of his own erroneous. judgment begets scepticism with re gard to their opinions. These feel-. ings and associations are not of a nature to inspire benevolence, they are, on the contrary, intimately allied to all the malignant and dissocial passions.

"Very different is the improvement that will be made by the man, of religious principle, from the con scientious exercise of the power of reflection. A sense of the many instances in which he has been influenced by those passions which it has been his endeavour to subdue, will beget contrition and humility: conscious that his actions are known to the world, while his contrition and repentance are unknown to all, save GOD and his own heart, he will naturally suppose it to be the same with others, and will, accordingly, be inclined to pity rather than to censure. The difficulty he finds in keeping his good resolutions, and in acting up to the calm decisions of enlightened judgment, will lead him to reverence and esteem those whose conduct evinces a greater degree of energy and consistency; while, at the same time, it will render him careful of attributing bad motives to all who are guilty of improper conduct. In tracing the source of his erroneous judgments, he will discover so many associations originating in circumstances over which he had little.or no controui, that he will view the prejudices of others with as much candour as he considers their actions. Never will the person who is capable of the exercise of philosophical reflection, presume to take the prerogative of judgment from the Most High; never will he arrogantly decide upon the acceptance or reprobation of a fellow mortal, on account of the speculative opinions he may have embraced. Every emotion excited, every affection produced, by T

The conduct of King James is stated and considered at large, with other political occurrences.

Part II. OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL CONSTITUTION OF THIS REALM.

Chap. I Of the choice, and the civil sanction and establishment of religion. On liberty of conscience it is argued, that "One of the natural rights, which each individual retains independently of the society of which he is a member, is the uninterrupted intercourse of the soul with its Creator. We need not recur to schoolmen to understand or admit this universal maxim of religion, that our dependance upon the Creator demands a grateful acknowledgment of our existence, and an unqualified resolution to follow the light and grace, which God may communicate to us. In this man cannot be controlled by other human beings, collectively or individually, who stand in the same predicament of exclusive responsibility to their Creator. The right, therefore, which each individual possesses of this free and uninterrupted communication and intercourse with his Creator, is essentially paramount to all human, civil, or political power whatever.

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"Every human being is under an indispensible obligation of adopting that religious cult, or mode of worship, which, after due deliberation in the sincerity of his heart, he thinks his Creator requires of him; it follows of course, that a society composed of such individuals must, collectively taken, be under the same duty and obligation." p. 187. It is also maintained, that the truth of religion is not af fected by the establishment of it, and that while submission to the laws enforcing the established religion is enjoined, so far as relates to our paying Laxes for the support of it, and not resisting it, yet, we are at liberty to exercise religious worship, in the way we conceive to be most agreeable to the will of God.

Chap. II. Of the nature and effects of spiritual power, with reference to the state of it before and since the establishment of Christianity. Our Author professes to treat religious opinions historically not polemically, and descants upon the Jewish theocracy, and the separation of the spiritual and civil powers under Chris

"To a candid observer of events it appears to be not the least striking feature of God's providence over his church, that for the first three hundred years it subsisted without the actual protection of any civil power, or without any civil sanction or establishment of any sort of alliance or incorporation with the state. As, therefore, during this space of time, it received no civil establishment whatsoever, it seems fair to conclude, that such establishment was neither necessary for its institution or continuance. Few will contend that the Christian religion was less perfect during the three first centuries after its institution, than it has been since that period. Nor do I conceive that many of unbiassed thoughts are convinced of the utility or advantage which the Christian religion has received by being sanctioned and supported by the civi magistrate.

"The scriptural accounts of the first propagation of the Gospel are pointed, in marking its independence upon any, and its aptitude to all avil governments, by collecting together into the first sheaf of the Christian harvest, individuals of the most distant, discordant, desperate, and hostile states, such as Jews, Greeks, Romans, Parthians, &c. But the example of our divine legislator himself is still a more striking lesson of the independence of his doctrines and laws upon any civil power or authority: he assumed or exercised none in his own person; and on no occasion did he call in aid of his mission the arm of the civil magistrate. He did every thing in the reverse: he kept up the appearance and the reality of poverty from the cradle to the cross: he humbled himself, washing the feet of his disciples: when the multitude would make him a temporal king, he absconded, and made his escape: he would not execute the office of a judge, or administer temporal justice; he declined to arbitrate upon civil matters between individuals; he paid taxes to the Roman emperor, and permitted himself to be judged and executed by the executive govern