ments, confifted of the moft worthless individuals; and that the alledged vices are the natural and neceffary confequences of our political inftitutions. If, in his Hugh Trevor, Holcroft spoke truth, a fubverfion of those establishments would be abfolutely neceffary. If the British conftitution, made men wicked, it ought to be deftroyed; admit Holcroft's premises, the direct inference is, that it is our duty to oVERTURN OUR CONSTITUTION. Having in his novel exhibited the higher ranks as generally vicious, and afcribed that viciousness to their political fituation, he in his play goes a step farther, and makes them refponfible, not only for their own wickedness (enormous as he represents it) but for the vices and unhappinefs of all other members of the community; for all the imputed fin and mifery. Riches and even reputation are, ac cording to the play before us, the refult of fuccefsful roguery. Lords are unprincipled, profligate, and abandoned. The vices and villainy of the rich and noble are the causes both of the mifery of the poor in their oppreffions and diftreffes, and their wickedness from example, felf-defence, or retaliation. Every impartial examiner of the whole play, but more especially of those scenes in which Monrofe promulgates his opinions and fentiments, will, we doubt not, concur in this interpretation of his doctrines. If we admit thefe, the direct inference from fuch premifes is, LEVEL RANK AND PROPERTY. Such is the tendency of the work, fuch the object, in the pursuit of which Holcroft and his coadjutors are confiftent. It is not the end only that is the fame in Hugh Trevor, and in the play, but the means also. His mode of reasoning is the fame in both. In both it refolves itself into that fpecies of fophiftry, which from a few particulars (either fuppofed or real) forms a general conclufion. Ex uno difce omnes; he has known or fuppofed bad individuals, and endeavours to make these the representatives of whole claffes. Did Holcroft poffefs equal fertility of genius as steadiness of intention, it is probable he might vary his fophiftry, which is at prefent fo common place as to imply barrenness of invention. All who are converfant with real life know that all the nobility are not as he reprefents debauchees and fwindlers, and that all monied men are not cheats. Either the author is unacquainted with mankind, and profeffes to draw pictures, without knowing originals, or knowing fome individuals to be vicious, concludes that all are fo, and thus fhews himself a futile reafoner; or elfe, with knowledge of men and powers of deduction, intentionally perverts truth. It belongs not to us to investigate motives, except fo far as they have obviously ufurped the place of reafons. We must, however, do the in E 3 tentions tentions of the author the juftice to fay, that though his doctrines may in part originate in his will, yet they in a confiderable degree proceed from the understanding. Erroneous obfervation and falfe reafoning are not confined to politics, but extend to fubjects in which mifreprefentation could ferve no purpose. He is an accurate obferver, and fufficiently skilful painter of local and temporary follies and fashions; he hits off with dexterity the patois of a horse-jockey, and the vanity of an old coquette: he excels in that fpecies of comedy which ufurps the place of farce; but neither in his novels nor plays does he manifeft a deep insight into human nature in its lefs obvious operations and its latent fprings. He appears wholly uninftructed in hiftory, unacquainted with man in the complicated variety of relations and circumstances which occur in real life, unhabituated to generalization, and unmatured by moral fcience: confequently he is not qualified to investigate and exhibit moral and political caufes, actions, and effects. Not knowing man, he has fuppofed him to be what he is not. Hypothefis requires much lefs power and exertion of intellect, than experimental knowledge and practical wifdom: the fpider from himself weaves his flimfey web with an industry and fkill, much inferior to thofe with which the bee, rangeing over nature, culls the conftituents of light and sweetness. Superficial, falfe, or fanciful as the writings of Holcroft are, as they may do much mischief among certain claffes of readers, it is to be hoped by every friend to his country, that, if they continue to contain fimilar fentiments with the piece before us, they will ever from Britons meet a fimilar reception. We recommend it to the author, if he wifh to fucceed on the flage, to cultivate his talents for ludicrous painting and broad humour, and leave politics and philofophy to men of deeper knowledge, and greater compafs of underftanding. We mean no retrofpective allufion when we quote to him THE REVIEWERS REVIEWED: Ergo, inquit Socrates, inter homines eft MENDACIUM? Eft, ait Euthydemus. Adfuefce verum dicere, haud mendacium. Cum vera poffis, falfa noli dicere. Diu latere non queunt mendacia. T was our intention to prefix fome remarks to this divifion ufeful, and, indeed, the moft neceffary part of our plan,) for the purpose of explaining, more at large, than we have in our Profpectus, the motives which induced us to undertake it. In the performance of this task, we meant to select some of the leading principles of the Reviewers, to expose their fallacy, and to point out their dangerous tendency. But having received a letter on the fubject, from a very intelligent friendin conjunction with whom the Conductors of this publication had, more than twelve months ago, conceived and digested the plan of a Newspaper, propofed to be entitled " THE ANTIJACOBIN," and embracing all the fame objects as the excellent paper which was afterwards published under that name-we have determined to adopt it as a substitute for our intended prefatory obfervations; requesting our readers to receive it as an expofition of our political principles, and as expreffive of our fentiments of the objects of our animadverfions. It will be found to involve a brief disquisition of the first principles of civil government, fupported by authorities, fome of which even our adverfaries, it is conceived, with all their temerity, will neither venture to difpute, nor attempt to invalidate. Unfettered by thofe reftraints which critics, from the moft felfish motives, have hitherto deemed it expedient to impofe upon themselves, and firmly refolved not to advance a fingle pofition that we are unable to fupport, we fhall court investigation, and folicit enquiry. Afpiring to the high character of CHAMPIONS OF TRUTH, while we feduloufly aim at the destruction of her enemies, we fhall studioully endeavour not to difgrace her cause. E 4 Te To the Editor of the Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine. SIR, A copy of your Profpectus has fallen into my hands. Of the neceffity of fuch a periodical publication, there cannot be two opinions among the friends of the prefent order of things; nor of the good confequences it must be attended with, if I be rightly informed of the refources you poffefs to carry your plan into execution. Of the intended divifions of your future work, each has its propriety either of use or ornament: and it is not that I diftinguish it with more approbation than any other, that I write my confiderations to you upon one of them pretty much at large. The fection I shall speak of is that in which you propofe to fubject the monthly publications of the oppofition and the Jacobins to a critical examination: among which you profefs to include the MONTHLY, the CRITICAL, and ANALYTICAL REVIEWS. Of the latter, the three literary journalists, I have been an occafional reader only: but certainly have had opportunity enough to become duly acquainted with the spirit and object of their principal writers, and to be convinced of the danger of the diffufion of many of the principles which they induftriously inculcate, to the prefent conftituted order of things, civil and religious. It is on this ground that I have long been decidedly certain of the neceffity of fuch an undertaking, as this part of your Profpectus announces; and had even formerly drawn. up fome notes upon it. The perufal of your paper has engaged me in a revifion of them, and to make fome confiderable additions to them. In this ftate I fubmit them to you. Of the whole or of any part of what I have written, you will avail yourself in your publication at your difcretion. That I may give to the obfervations I have made the little order they are fufceptible of receiving, I fhall arrange together fuch of them as relate to the caufe of the influence of the Reviews; the abuse they have made of it in diffufing principles, fubverfive of the national church and its conftitution of government; and the mode they have pursued to effect it, with fome of its collateral confequences. It is not to be denied that there are, here and there, in the publications of thefe journalists, fome picces which come up to what, from their feveral title-pages, their readers have a right conftantly to expect; and which fupport that priority of literary reputation which is allowed to us in Europe. Yet these thefe are very thinly fcattered, "apparent rari nantes in gurgite vaft." But, if we defcend to thofe of the fecond order, although they may deferve a relatively honourable rank, among fuch criticisms as theirs, ftill it must be faid of them, that a man weil verfed in the fubje& of the work under their confideration will difcernibly find, that the cenfor has come to his task with a very moderate and fuperficial previous knowledge of what relates to it: that his judgement is delivered in general terms only: and that he feldom attempts a complete delineation of the character of the piece before him--a decided judgement of its qualities as a whole; with a brief but well weighed account of the particular fpecies and degree of merit or demerit of its leading parts: a fummary, which a well qualified judge would not fail to give, and would give with facility, on every work of any diftinction which he had maturely confidered: and if at other times one of thefe writers does not care to leave fuch a tacit confeflion of his inequality to his subject upon record, but ventures into particulars; as he multiplies the features of the portrait, he gives many an exprefs and manifeft proof of it. Such are the characters of this fecond clafs of pieces of criticifin, which even rife with fome diftinction above the low, general level of the productions of thofe, who have long fince ventured to feat themselves in the tribunal of Bayle and Le Clerc. It may be queftioned how fuch writers have been able to attain the influence mentioned above: of themfelves they feem little qualified to do it. But an effect does not depend folely upon the power of the agent: the nature of the subject acted upon must enter into confideration with it, and the latter may be subject to such viciffitudes, that it will be strongly wrought upon at one time, by what it would be abfolutely impaffive to in any other state. If an inftrument have not a proper edge, or be made of that metal which cannot be tempered fo as to bear an edge, there are fome fubftances on which, in certain ftates, it will make no impreffion; but if they be foftened, it will enter into and cut them with the greatest facility. Such a change has been taking place in fociety during more than the last half century: literary topics have been much more frequently the matter of converfation, which has come to embrace, in their turns, almost every art and every science. Thus readers for converfation have been indefinitely multiplied, as it is not abfolutely neceffary to become ftudents for this purpose. That literary newspaper, a Review, furnishes this clafs, in two hours, with a ready-made ftock of hiftory, and wit, and wifdom, for the literary converfation of a whole month. Thus a via regia is found to the whole circle of the fciences, |