not referring to the expreffions, a borrowed cap, and a drawn fox, under the words cap and drawn. The laft of these expreffions is only inferted under the word fox; though drawn is the doubtful word. The former is not to be found under either word. Borrowed is not inferted, because this edition reads, with those who have fubftituted their own conjecture for what Shakspeare wrote, borrowers: but if the fpurious word be regiftered, furely the original word has as good a right to a place in the index. Perhaps, in fuch cafes, it might be as well to refer to both readings. In this expreffion, the word cap is not inferted, because all the commentators thought they understood it when they gave it its ordinary meaning, and therefore they wafted their efforts on the wrong word. It was the term cap, however, that created all the difficulty. (See our Review, vol. lxxv. p. 94.)

Indeed, we are inclined to think, that an index to Shakspeare, or to any other ancient author, to be complete, fhould contain almost every word; at least every word of every paffage where there is the smalleft difficulty, or even the flightest fufpicion of difficulty:-but, fays the prefent editor, on this plan more than feven hundred thousand references would have been neceffary; a work dreadful in the profpect.' True: if we confine it to a fingle attempt of a fingle individual: but labour, however great, becomes light and eafy by being broken into parts, and thared among many hands. In the prefent infant state of this index, we do not look for this perfection: but that is no reafon why it may not arrive at fuch maturity in future. What is already done has exceeded our expectation; and in revising Mr. Ayscough's labours, we feel no other emotions but those of gratitude. The omiffions which we have noticed, are not brought forward with the moft diftant view of cenfuring or objecting to the work: but are intended to refer to what ought hereafter to be done, rather than to what is now fo well effected. Had the compiler, in his first attempt, attended to all which we have mentioned, he might perhaps have neglected fome more important points; or have fallen fhort of that accuracy which diftinguishes his work: in which all the references appear to be made with the greatest exactness, not only to the play, act, and feene, but also to the particular page, column, and even line, in which a word occurs. In fine, we are confident that Mr. Ayfcough, who has, more than once before, executed fimilar works with fuccefs, will derive additional credit from this performance; and we hope that Mr. Stockdale will meet with fuch encouragement as may induce him to carry it on to its full perfection. Pear..

ART.

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ART. XII. Letters to the Right Hon. Edmund Burke, occafioned by his Reflections on the Revolution in France, &c. By Jofeph Priestley, LL.D F.R.S. &c. 8vo. pp.152. 2s. 6d. Johnson. 1791. 'HOUGH Dr. Priestley, in these letters, does not wholly neglect the question of civil government, as far as it respects the English and French revolutions, yet he profefles that his principal intention, is, more particularly, to examine what Mr.. Burke has advanced on the fubject of ecclefiaftical establishments; or, as it is frequently termed, "the alliance between church and ftate:" a fubject which, he fays, is not generally. understood; and to the difcuffion of which, he, therefore, after delivering his own opinions, invites all politicians and divines; declaring, that if Mr. Burke will lay afide the character of a mere rhetorician, and adopt that of a philofopher, it will be very agreeable to have him refume his pen, and make one of the party.

After obferving that the defpifed and oppreffed Diffenters think themselves happy that they have at length been able to obtain from their adverfary, what the patient and calumniated Job wifhed in vain to obtain from his, viz. that he would write a book; and after thanking Mr. Burke for the opportunity that he has now given them, of collecting the reafoning of the fenator, not from the mutilated, and often falfe, accounts of the newfpapers, but from the fenator himself: Dr. Priefley condenfes and analyzes feveral of the Right Hon. Gentleman's highly rarified and attenuated vapours; and finds them to contain a greater quantity of noxious and impure gas, than of wholefome, refpirable air. Having remarked, what we had remarked before, and what, indeed, could fcarcely escape the most fuperficial reader of the "Reflections on the Revolution in France," that Mr. Burke perpetually confounds religion itself, with the civil eftablishment of it; [a confufion of ideas which, however pardonable in a carelefs and inattentive obferver, who, when he beholds a venerable oak completely covered with a luxuriant ivy, difcerns nothing but the latter, was not to be expected from a mind improved like that poffeffed by Mr. Burke; the Doctor proceeds to fhew, that the civil magiftrate ought not, on any occafion, nor in any way, to interfere in matters of religion: that religion requires no civil eftablishment whatever: that its beneficial operation is injured by fuch eftablishment; and the more in proportion to its riches: that eftablishments, inftead of being advantages, are incumbrances, to ftates, and highly unfavourable to their liberties; and that they were altogether unknown in the early ages of Chriftianity, and gained ground by very flow degrees, as other corruptions and abufes ftole into the fystem.

REV. APRIL 1791.

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Allowing,

Allowing, with Mr. Burke, that "government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants," Dr. P. nevertheless, juftly obferves, that it is not the bufinefs of government to provide for all these wants, but that it must be left to every individual to fupply many of them himself as for inftance, thofe which relate to food, cloathing, medicine, and, among others, thofe which relate to the worship of God. By the former advocates for establishments, it was faid that the magiftrate ought to protect and support that religion which was the true one but when it was urged that the magistrate is an inadequate judge of the true religion; that he was liable to be deceived by ignorant or defigning priests; and that different magiftrates, judging differently on the fubject, might fucceffively change the form of religion; the ground was fhifted; and of late it has been maintained, and by Mr. Burke among others, that the magiftrate ought to fupport the religion profeffed by the majority. On this principle, fays Dr. Prieftley, the Roman Catholic religion ought to be eftablished in Ireland; in Turkey,' the magiftrate ought to fupport and enforce the religion of Mohammed; and, in Tartary, the worfhip of the grand Lama.

The great wealth of the church, and the power of " exalting her mitted front in courts and Parliaments," which Mr. Burke affirms to be the natural human means of making religion eftimable, Dr. Priestley confiders as that which has contributed, more. that any thing elfe, to render it contemptible. Befide adducing feveral arguments to confirm his affèrtion, he appeals to facts: he affirms, on the authority of Dr. Adam Smith, that the Scotch clergy are more refpected than the English; and on his own authority, he declares, that the diffenting minifters are more respected than the clergy of the eftablishment, notwithstanding the great fuperiority of the latter in point of riches and fplendour. Have thefe natural buman means of eftimation, he afks, induced, or have they enabled the clergy to ftop the progress of infidelity among the higher ranks of mankind? Or, on the contrary, have not infidelity and irreligion been most notorious in thofe ftations of life, and in thofe countries, where the clergy have been the most affuent? Do not their riches operate detrimentally on the manners of the clergy themfelves, fo as to affimilate them, in many inftances, and in a great degree, to the corrupt manners of the world? In foreign countries, where the ftablishments have been the moft fplendid, are not numbers, in the higher order of the clergy, unbelievers? are the fuperior lergy in this country wholly exempt from fuch a fufpicion? Do not establishments make the clergy dependent and fervile, always fiding with the court, and fupporting the measures of government, whatever they may be, in hopes of attaining

greater

greater preferment? In countries where democracy prevails, will not an established clergy be as ftrenuous advocates for that form of government, as for a monarchy where the ruling powers are monarchical? Is not this actually verified in the cafe of Holland; where the established minifters are as zealous for republicanifin, as the English Bishops of the prefent day are for the powers that be; and as thofe of the days of Charles I. and I. were for paffive obedience and non-refiftance? With what colour of reafon then, can Mr. Burke contend that an establishment is necessary to make the clergy independent; and more neceffary in democratical governments, or in those which partake of that form, than in others? As to the poor, an esta» blifhment, inftead of being ufeful, is oppreffive to them; on account of the taxes with which it burdens them, and the fmall tithes that are often exacted with inflexible feverity: evils which, in Ireland, have arifen to fuch a height, as to be the chief caufes of the infurrections of thofe poor Catholics who are called White Boys;-and as to the religious inftruction of the poor, it is chiefly derived from the Methodifts, and not from the established clergy.

So far is an establishment from being effential to religion, as Mr. Burke affirms, that every article of it, fays Dr. Priestley, is an innovation. The Chriftian religion flourished vigorously for many centuries, in every country of Chriftendom, without its aid; and continues to flourish in feveral countries, at this day, among various denominations of Chriftians, in fpite of its frigorifick influence. Tithes, he fhews to be of a comparatively modern date; that they were not general, in this country, till the reign of K. John; and are now unknown in the ecclefiaftical ftates of Italy, and in Sicily. The power which temporal princes have affumed of nominating Bishops, and of fetting themselves up for heads of the church; as well as the power of civil legiflatures to prefcribe articles of faith; are proved, by Dr. Priestley, to be recent ufurpations; and he thence concludes that,

The whole fyftem of the civil establishment of religion had its origin at a time when neither religion nor civil government was much understood. It was the confequence of the feudal Rates of Europe becoming Chriftian in an age where we find little of Chriftianity, befides the name; its genuine doctrines and its spirit having equally difappeared.

Every article, therefore, within the compafs of the civil establishment of Chriftianity, is evidently an innovation; and as fyttems are reformed by reverting to their first principles, Christianity can never be reftored to its priftine ftate, and recover its real dignity and efficiency, till it be difengaged from all connexion with civil power. This establishment, therefore, may be compared to a fungus, or a para

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fitical

fitical plant, which is fo far from being coeval with the tree on which it has faftened itself, that it feized upon it in its weak and languid state, and if it be not cut off in time, will exhauft all its juices, and destroy it.

Writing to an orator, I naturally think of metaphors and comparisons, and therefore I will give you two or three more. So far is a civil establishment from being friendly to Chriftianity, that it may be compared to the animal, called the Sloth, which, when it gets upon any tree, will not leave it till it has devoured even the leaves and the bark, fo that it prefently perifhes. Rather, it is the animal called a glutton, which falling from a tree (in which it generally conceals itfelf) upon fome noble animal, immediately begins to tear it, and fuck its blood; and if it be not foon fhaken off (which sometimes every effort fails to effect) it infallibly kills its prey.

Now, when I fee this fungus of an establishment upon the noble plant of Chriftianity, draining its best juices; when I fee this Sloth upon its ftately branches, gnawing it, and ftripping it bare; or, to change my comparifon, when I fee the Glutton upon the fhoulders of this noble animal, the blood flowing down, and its very vitals in danger; if I wish to preferve the tree, or the animal, muft I not, without delay, extirpate the fungus, deftroy the Sloth, and kill the Glutton. Indeed, Sir, fay, or write, what you please, fuch vermin deserve no mercy. You may ftand by, and weep for the fate of your favourite fungus, your Sloth, or your Glutton, but I fhall not spare them.

În your idea, a civil eftablishment is the very basis, or foundation of religion. But when any ftructure is to be raised, the foundation is the first thing that is laid; whereas this was evidently the very Jaft. Inflead, therefore, of its being the foundation, or even the buttress, it may rather be faid to refemble the heavy stone roof, preffing with an enormous weight upon the walls, which on that account require many buttreffes to fupport it, and after all proves to be fo heavy, and is now become fo ruinous, that it will be found abfolutely neceflary to take it all down, if the building is to be preferved. Nay, as in the late taking down of the ftone roof of the cathedral, I think, of Hereford, if the greatest care be not taken, the attempt to meddle with this cumbrous roof will be hazardous, both to those who remove it, and those who fland near it.'

In the remaining letters, Dr. Priestley confiders the cafe of an elective clergy, in which he fees none of thofe evils that Mr. Burke predicts; and he infers, from what took place in the firft ages of Chriftianity, and from what now prevails among Diffenters, that it is more favourable to religion, morality, and fcience, that each congregation fhould choofe its own minifter, than that the clergy fhould be appointed according to the mode purfued by the establishment: he then makes fome obfervations on the nature of monaftic inftitutions, and of fuperftition; and maintains the right of the ftate to dispose of the revenues of the church.

Thefe