it would have been to little purpose. Enough has already been done by Sismondi, Bouterwek, and others, to give a general idea of them. It only now remains to make that acquaintance more particular, by bringing some of them before the public in an English dress; and certainly, we hope, without the barbarism of curtailing them to suit any foreign rules or taste. That theatre, whose pomp, romance, brilliant description, and captivating poetry were once the admiration of Europe, is no longer studied in England; and France, the country of Corneille, Racine, and Molière, regards as barbarous that stage, of which its own was but the beautiful firstborn. To the scholar, who studies the Spanish drama with some higher aim than a mere passing interest or superficial curiosity, the mind of this great Castilian will probably seem, notwithstanding the ridicule of Voltaire, as much endowed by nature with that instinct of perfection, called genius, as that of the author of 'Zaire,' though he did not compose his plays after the strictest models of Grecian taste. Without going the length of the eminent German critic, who places him next to Shakspeare, we would, nevertheless, assign to him a foremost rank among the imaginative and the wise of the earth

Those starry lights of virtue that diffuse

Through the dark depth of time their vivid flame.

And conclude, by again expressing regret, that an author, so well known and translated on the continent, should not have found admirers in England, to point out to the lovers of poetry the many beautiful compositions that issued from his pen. No poet, after his death, appeared in Spain to form an era in the drama, as Metastasio or Alfieri in Italy. He was the last representative of true Spanish genius. The introduction of French rules and criticism, with a Bourbon dynasty, cast into the shade the national comedies; which, after a long interval, revived in the two Moratins-we fear only to fall into a second slumber at their decease.

ART. VII. De l'Origine de la Nature du Progrès de la Puissance Ecclésiastique en France. Par M. le Comte de Montlosier. Paris. 1829.

HAT country must be lapsing towards a dangerous crisis where the middling classes of society have not only lost all love of God, but even discarded all outward semblance of religious

religious duties. The highest and the lowest ranks are, in this respect, but uncertain landmarks for the guidance of a right judgment. The aristocracy are the Corinthian capital of society,' according to the eloquent similitude of Burke; yet its beauty is lost entirely, if it be suffered to lie on the ground, and eaten away by corrosion, or if it be not placed on its elevating shaft. When there, however, and raised aloft for the admiration of spectators, its exquisite ornaments and florid workmanship will not lose aught of their effect, or be less the subject for commendation, notwithstanding that certain specks and flaws do really exist in the sculptured imagery, which, to be closely inspected, requires an altitude equal to its own elevation. The base, again, derives all its beauty from the elegance of the shaft, and the shaft is the means of connexion between the lofty capital and the lowly pediment: without the shaft, or if the shaft be broken, these two would be entirely useless. The perfect shaft, therefore, is the principal feature in the composition of a perfect column.

By the similitude of the column may be here signified, Society; by the shaft, the Middle Rank; and the conclusion is equally forcible.

The middle classes in France are in a woful condition; they seem not to have preserved amongst them one particle of religion; there is neither manifestation of God's worship in their churches, nor an evidence of its existence in their hearts. Old men, with one foot in the grave, or women or children, are the only persons seen within her temples of belief. The commands of the Church are disobeyed, fast days are never observed, confession is seldom attended to;-there is a thorough disregard of religion.

These circumstances are grievous signs in a nation; yet they exist, and are manifested in every day's intercourse, in France. A change, too, has come over the phase of the superficial character of the people: the citizen of France has cast off that sprightliness and gaiety, which were formerly his mark of nationality; he has become a moody, stern thinker; a talker of privileges and rights which are denied him; and he curses the priesthood-the ministers of that very religion, under whose influence his ancestors incurred the inexpiable guilt of a St. Barthélemi. These things we have ourselves witnessed in a late visit to the metropolis of France; and the whole secret of the mischief is to be explained in one short sentence-the patience of the people has been exhausted by the tyranny of the priesthood. If the griefs of that people be well sifted and examined,

examined, we think it will be manifest, that they are severally to be traced to this one pernicious, deadly fountain!

Turn we now to M. de Montlosier's book on the power of the priesthood in France; the whole drift of which is, to prove the force and accuracy of the above statement. The author traces priestly domination to the most ancient times of the French history. That religious power has not only been part and parcel of civil power, but has been, from the earliest period, the primum mobile, the grand actuating principle of every law and institution, we think can hardly be denied by any one, particularly by him who is conversant with the process of the growth of Jesuitism among our continental neighbours. This is proved in Count de Montlosier's book, by the adduction of ample testimony. After shewing in what manner the priesthood of Rome tyrannized over kings and their subjects, having, in the fears of the ignorant and superstitious, powerful auxiliaries and allies, Count Montlosier's fourth chapter treats of Ecclesiastical Invasions, assisted by the Rules of Discipline.'

To die,' he says, without bestowing gifts on the church, was reputed a crime; and as some, in order to avoid this law, died intestate, this was declared the height of impiety, and they who thus died were deprived at their burial of the rites of sepulture. To do away with such a stain, heirs constantly repaired to the parish priests, requesting them to make the will in the name and on behalf of the deceased. In after times, the Council of Trent absolutely consecrated this law, declaring, in canon viii. session 22, all bishops testamentary executors by legal right. It was added, that this was authorised by a commission of the Holy See.

'Crimes of every kind, particularly those against the clergy, whilst they were generally punished by excommunication, served, by the regulations which they induced on the part of the priests, to increase yet further the extent of their power. Every excommunicated person being obliged to obtain absolution, whenever this could not be effected, save through arbitrary conditions of penitence and reparation, numbers refused. In such cases, want of faith constituted heresy. Now this crime, as Fleury remarks, caused, even in regard to kings, loss of goods, rights, and seignory. Rigorous casuists decided thus harshly for even simple excommunication. St. Thomas of Canterbury adjudged, that for the slightest offence in this respect princes forfeited their crowns.

While the clergy thus levied exactions on society by selfassumed rights, and laws thence derived, it entered yet more deeply into the spirit of the object which it proposed, through means of the rites, the worship, and the discipline which it imposed. Thus regarded, we may very well understand, that the simple religion of Christ was not sufficient for its purposes. Christianity is eminently a social religion. Now, it was social life which was to be dissolved, 2 H human

VOL. V.-NO. X

human life which was to be crushed. From that moment every thing was precipitated into asceticism. The constant effort was to make, not a people of Christians, not a people of citizens, but a people of monks. The vulgar, naturally linked to exaggerated superstitions, were not the only agents in that sphere-the higher classes were drawn into the vortex. All who were Christians among the higher ranks of society repeated the breviary, and assisted at several masses daily. The priests repeated, therefore, as many as they could. I know not which of the popes said nine. St. Louis assisted at all the offices, and compelled his children to do so likewise. He rose at midnight to repeat matins and lauds with his chaplains; after that he heard two or three masses. They sounded the tierce, the sexte, the none, as they now strike the mass and vespers. Many of the princes, particularly the Duke of Orleans who was assassinated at Paris, told their breviary daily. In times which more closely approximate to us, the Constable de Montmorency commanded armies with a long chaplet, which hung down to the ground, and he did not think it good, says Brantôme, to turn away from his paternosters. Further, every month of the year was so full of vigils and fête-days, that there remained not sufficient time for labour, and after these came every kind of abstinence.' pp. 35, 36.

This was, roundly, the state of devotion in France, and bitter has been the fruit of the tree, whose taste,' the people of experience, well say, as far whose taste,'

that country may, from the saddest as they are themselves concerned,

Brought death into the world and all our woe,
With loss of Eden,'

'But to return to the Roman Catholics,' says Dryden, in his Preface to his "Religio Laici," after dwelling on the tendency of the followers of Romanism to form plots against the liberties of king and state, 'how can we be secure from the practices of Jesuited papists in that religion? For not two or three of that order, as some of them would impose upon us, but almost the whole body of them are of opinion, that their infallible master has a right over kings, not only in spirituals but temporals. Not to name Mariano, Bellarmine, Emanuel Sa, Molina, Santaret, Simanca, and at least twenty others of foreign countries, we can produce of our own nation, Campian and Doleman, or Parsons; besides many are named, whom I have not named, who all of them attest this doctrine, that the pope can depose and give away the right of any sovereign prince, si vel paulùm deflexerit, if he shall never so little warp; but if he once comes to be excommunicated, then the bond of obedience is taken off from subjects, and they may and ought to drive him, like another Nebuchadnezzar, er hominum Christianorum dominatu, from exercising dominion over Christians; and to this they are bound by virtue of divine precept, and by all the ties of conscience, under no less penalty than damnation.'

Hooker's opinion is of the same nature with Dryden's,

Jeremy

Jeremy Taylor with both, and a host of other writers might be immediately adduced, were such a course necessary; but the opinions of English writers are altogether irrelevant to the end which we have here in view, and that is, simply to shew, that the political supremacy of the pope was attempted to be established in every country under heaven, wherever the priests of that power were sufficiently successful in gaining a footing. The same thing was observable in Italy, where, curiously enough, the very greatest names of which that country can boast, are arrayed in bitter hostility against the head of their own church, the Bishop of Rome*. In Spain, we have only to peruse the works of Dr. Villanueva, and we shall see, that the pope has not only counted the kings of Spain amongst the humblest of his slaves, but that he has, literally speaking, impoverished the country, by the enormous exactions which he has been wont to levy from the pockets of the credulous and superstitious people. And lately, we have heard of certain demands for money made by his holiness on the kings of Sardinia and the Two Sicilies. The conduct of Rome, therefore, has been uniform from the earliest period down to the moment of our writing this paper.

Constituted as France is, her aristocracy are sure of following the example set by the monarch, whether it be for belief or scepticism, for bigotry or impiety. The aristocracy is not composed of the same materials as the like class in this country: here, we have old standing names, and immense lauded possessions, and hereditary rank; there, we behold poverty-stricken nobles, and, though with many exceptions, still a mushroom peerage. What hope of emolument or riches have its component members, save through the indulgences and favours of a place-dispensing monarch? Approximating in rank to that monarch, and following, in the weakness of their hearts, the suggestions of false pride, they throng around the king, and would scorn the middle rank but that body, which it considers in the light of a bourgeoisie, will not suffer itself to be treated with contempt, or scorned, inasmuch as, though it be a bourgeoisie, it is one ennoblie par force de richesses;' and it knows full well that the contest between wealth and poverty is always terminated in favour of the former. Man never entirely loses his native independence of spirit: it may appear to slumber when circumstance is too powerful to be opposed; but when the fitting opportunity does actually arrive, he never fails to give, not only the word,'

* In the fourteenth century, we see Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Franco Sanhetti; in the sixteenth, Ariosto, Machiavelli, Sarpi, Aretino; in the seventeenth, Fortiguerra; in the eighteenth and nineteenth, Giannone, the Neapolitan historian, Genevesi, the Neapolitan philosopher, Casti, Alfieri, Monti, Pindemonti.

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