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66

Remarks on Cobbett's Weekly Register.

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"weakest." Mr. COBBETT after making this quotation abuses Mr. Roscoz as follows:-" Now Sir, my firm belief is, that this is a falsehood of your own inventing . . . . . that any gentleman of the University should make "those assertions in the pulpit, is what I do not believe, and what I am con"vinced will not be believed by any one of your readers, whose ignorance or whose sectarian prejudices, and bitterness do not disqualify him for "the forming an impartial judgment in the case." Now, if Mr. C. is not utterly lost to all sense of shame, if he is not absolutely incapable of blushing, with what confusion must his face be covered, when he is informed, that we ourselves heard the very sermon Mr. R. has quoted, preached before the University of Cambridge, and the judges at the assizes; and that the sermon was afterwards printed. Let Mr. C. read the following extract, and then " hide his diminished head!"

"We see lying on the surface of the earth immense masses of strength, not inert, or cumbered with their size, but quick and living, not torpid or lethargic, but moving, heaving, restless, never slumbering. The prophet Daniel in his visions, had brought before him beasts of terrible figure, as the emblems of states and empires. And, in truth, it appears, that they are apter emblems, than at first might be thought. What other resemblances indeed, can be more apt? These living masses of strength, nations and empires, lie couched on the earth's plane with their eye and aspect ever on each other. They have the horn, with which to push, the wing, with which to fly to their prey, and the iron teeth, with which to break in pieces and devour; they have too, the roar of terror. They are active to assault and annoy; they are greedy of sustenance; they never have enough; of courage too, to suffer pain, privation, hunger; to be struck, and not to yield, to be wounded, and not to faint. Neither are they sinew or muscle only; from their wounds and gashes can flow streams of blood.

“These however, are not all the points of likeness. There remains one more for our thoughts of a nature sufficient to appal them. The lion and the tiger in their roam for prey, in their chace of the herd, or in their fight, sin not. Neither do nations sin in their battle or in their conquest!

"It is plain, there is no guilt to the beasts of the forest, for they are under no law. Of the animal creation, it has pleased God to subject man alone to law and precept. Man is the only sacred animal. The rest are delivered over, in displeasure, to be hunted, to be torn, to be trampled on, to be slaughtered, and to be devoured by man and by one another. In every instante, excepting one, law and precept are provided to regulate human actions, to controul the exercise and impulse of man's strength. The exception is the case, where the strength is employed in a nation's war; where the actions are the actions of battle.

"As to the subject's strength, there is a law for his fear of the go. vernors' authority, for his submission to all other law, God's and man's, political or religious law, for his reverence to the pure doctrines and insti tutes of religion, as well as to the ordinary, and perhaps, not easier principles of justice; there is a law for his assistance to the governors' strength, for contribution, for payments which are to support and feed it. Nay more, he is held to go heartily to battle with his governors, to burn, to destroy, to waste the enemy's strength, not necessarily to put on armour, but to be ready for the call to battle, to be in battle with them in his spirit, in his temper, in his prayers!

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Remarks on Cobbett's Weekly Register.

"As to the governors' strength, which is always the main fighting strength of the state, the strength, which is usually put in array for actual battle, it is clearly exempt from all law on this point. There is none for it to obey, either in Scripture, or in just conclusions from it... It is under no law, as to engaging in war. It may sheath, or unsheath the sword at its own discretion. It may assemble its armies, which are a part of the govern- . ment; it may point its artillery, which are a part of its strength, according to the impulse of appetite, to the view of advantage, to the lust of spoil, to the feelings of hunger or affront, to the caprice of its own rupacious nature.When such terms, as ambition, injustice, are applied to a nation's conduct in going to war, they are not in strictness, ever true! These terms suppose the existence of a law which is violated. We repeat the Scripture maxim; "where no law is, there is no transgression." There is no law for beasts of prey, they cannot sin "as such !"*›

The mere statement of a libel which Mr. Cobbett has cast on the me mory of Mr. Fox will be its sufficient refutation. He presents us with a letter from a writer who sufficiently shews of what materials his heart is formed by his signature-“ No sham Philanthropist," in which it is asserted, "that the whole of Mr. Fox's statement respecting the assassin who 66 offered to take away the life of Bonaparte, was a pure fabrication of his

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"own, in order to commence a correspondence with the French government "for a negociation for peace; and that had he succeeded in making peace, and the fact been known, he would have been praised for his ingenuity, as he is now by Mr. Roscoe for his humanity!" The whole evidence brought forward to substantiate this charge is as follows:-The " No "sham Philanthropist heard a king's messenger, a chief, or favorite, say "about a year ago, that no one ever could discover that there was any such person as the one described by Mr. Fox; that he, the messenger, had in"quired of all the other messengers, and that they had made every inquiry ; "that no one could find such a person had been in custody-that they were all persuaded that no such person ever appeared before Mr. Fox, "Neither at the alien office could such a person be found." We are reminded on this occasion of the evidence of the three brothers, Peter, Martin, and Jack, in Swift's Tale of a Tub, by which they wished to establish a favourite point, and which it will be readily acknowledged, was far superior to the evidence of the No sham Philanthropist :-"When we were boys, we heard a man say, that he heard our father's man say, "that he heard our father say, &c." Such is the evidence which that good man Mr. COBBETT, so readily docs his mind open to conviction, declares" he is staggered with." Is he, however, really weak enough to ber lieve, as he suggests," that an inquiry on the subject is necessary not only "to the vindication of the conduct of Mr. Fox, but also to that of the cha"racter of the English government!"

Harlow, March 30.

Various Reflections on the state of affairs in Europe, and America, we are obliged to defer till our next.

Reflections on Wur, &c. A Sermon preached before the University of Cambridge, and before the Judges on Fast Day, 1800. By RICHARD RAMSDEN, M. A. Fellow of Trinity College.

REVIEW OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE STATE OF EUROPE.

WHATEVER may be the indifference discovered by the m

part of mankind respecting political subjects, and however de rooted may be the prejudices, or vicious the inclinations of a c derable part of those who are actively engaged in political conce it is to be hoped, there are in all countries, some thinking, im tial, virtuous persons, who consider the great and only valuable of governinent, the good of the governed; who are firmly convin amidst all the changes of systems, and the fluctuations of parties the importance of some grand truths, some foundation, uncha able principles of justice and morality, the strict observanc which constitutes the virtuous character in private, and the p otic citizen in public life. To such persons the swiftly-revol events of the present era, are such as to demand calm reflectio steady course, and persevering resolution in the paths of integ justice, and patriotism.

The French Revolution, however its progress, owing to th forts of its inveterate foes from without, and its false friends within, might have been stained with crimes and follies, we will maintain, was, in its origin, an event which demanded the ad tion of f every friend to the best interests of the human race; when we take an enlarged view of the subject, we are still of nion, that, in its result, its advantages will be found to outw its disadvantages; and that the changes which have taken pla most of the governments of Europe in consequence thereof, wi productive of general, and of lasting benefit. Although our 1 prevent us from entering into particulars, we shall at all time ready to maintain and defend the position here advanced. the present we shall only remark on this part of the subject, with respect to the country which commenced the revolutio course, FRANCE, her inhabitants in general are now experien its benefits, and although much remains to be done to secure solid foundation their privileges, civil and religious, it is to be h

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were for ages endured under the old despotism, a corrupt system of statecraft and priestcraft united, will never be revived, will never again be endured by the inhabitants of that vast and extended empire.

REVOLUTION IN SPAIN.

Another despotic government of Europe, the next, perhaps, in importance to France, is now in a revolutionary state. So little, however, of the springs, the motives, and the nature of the change are we yet acquainted with, that it would be premature to hazard more than a single observation respecting the result. We will, however, venture to predict, that no change in that vile system of despotism in church and state, the old government of Spain, can well be for the worse; and as in most of the changes which have taken place in the various governments of Europe, the dominion of priests has been diminished, and as must inevitably be the consequence, the dominion of reason has been extended, we cannot but entertain the pleasing expectation, that a country so favoured by the God of nature as Spain, will by the destruction of the most prominent abuses which from age to age have disgraced the ecclesiastical state, and by the restoration of some of those political and civil rights which her inhabitants once enjoyed, that the condition of this long oppressed, degraded, impoverished, and insulted part of Europe, will be ameliorated. Kings and Emperors, when success crowns their ambitious projects, we are happy to find, pay such a deference to the dignity of human nature, as to profess, at least, a regard for the welfare even of the inhabitants of the countries conquered, and to promise them various privileges which they either never enjoyed or have been long deprived of. No reflections, no misrepresentations, no abuse shall ever prevent us from rendering that just tribute of praise due to the Emperor of FRANCE for what he has effected towards the downfal of ecclesiastical tyranny, and the advancement of religious freedom. Toleration has uniformly accompanied him in his career; the effects are already glorious, and we doubt not will increase in glory.

Although various details have been published respecting this new revolution, all that at present can be ascertained respecting it is as follows:-The principal grandees, and the best and most respected statesmen in the kingdom, have, by their persuasions and measures, induced the King of SPAIN to resign his crown, and have placed it on the head of his son, the Prince of ASTURIAS. Some of the old court favourites are in disgrace, and one of them in particular, the PRINCE OF THE PEACE, whose character has, for his tyrannical measures and notorious peculations, been long held in detestation throughout Europe, is in a state of confinement, and has already

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been compelled to disgorge that mass of wealth, to the amount it is reported, of three millions sterling, which he had wrung from the vitals of an impoverished people. Although, as it may naturally be supposed, some commotions appear to have attended these important events, they have been effected without bloodshed. May the Almighty Director and Ruler of nations incline the different ranks in Spain, to take warning from the example of France, and enable them heartily to unite in advancing the amelioration of their country, in peaceably conducting the revolution to a glorious termination!

How far the Emperor of France has effected or influenced this revolution is a question of considerable curiosity and interest. The accounts published a few months since in which most of our journalists positively assured us that the Emperor had plotted against the life of the Prince, of Asturias, and which we were reproved by one of our correspondents for not implicitly believing, were shortly contradicted, and now appear to have been utterly unfounded. The editor of the principal ministerial print, the Morning Post, now affirms, in his usual dogmatical style, that-" The wretched "imbecile Prince of ASTURIAS, the new King, will be permitted "to reign for a short time as the Viceroy of BONAPARTE in Spain, "and it is by no means unlikely that he will be compelled to marry "6 the niece of Madame BONAPARTE, who is now with her father "at Madrid; but whatever temporary arrangements may take "place, the ultimate fate of Spain will be to receive a Sovereign "from the family of BONAPARTE, and become an actual province of "France." The writer adds, "what a striking similarity of occurrences do the affairs of Spain, at the present moment, and those "of France at the commencement of the French Revolution, exhibit. "The unhappy deposed Monarch of the former, like the unfortu "nate Louis of the latter, meditated an escape from the tyranny ❝ by which he was oppressed, and like him will probably, ere long, "be forced to yield his head to the scaffold; and fortunate will it "be for his wretched son, if he do not in the end suffer the same "fate; for neither those who quietly submit, nor those who man"fully resist the ambitious projects of BONAPARTE, are exempt "from the vengeance of that cruel and most unprincipled tyrant !” By the language of the Editor of the Morning Post, its readers might be apt to imagine, that BONAPARTE, was the director of the principal events during the early progress of the French revolution, of those in particular which relate to LOUIS XVI. "when "he meditated an escape from the tyranny by which he was oppressed," or as it should have been expressed, when he so unadvisedly violated his solemn engagements with the people of France, by his ignominious flight from Paris, at the time the new constitu

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