ART. VIII. The pofthumous Works of Mrs. Chapone. Contain ing her Correfpondence with Mr. Richardfon; a Series of Letters to Mrs. Elizabeth Carter; and fome fugitive Pieces never before published. Together with an Account of her Life and Character, drawn up by her own Family. 2 vols. fmall 8vo. 7s. 6d. Murray, Fleet-ftreet; Conftable and Co. Edinburgh. 1807.

THE editors of thefe volumes may juftly hope, " that the productions of a pen fo unfullied, and the genuine difplay of a character fo refpectable as that of Mrs. Chapone, will maintain their ground on the prefent ftage of English literature." P. v.

"Such language and fuch arguments as thefe letters contain, can hardly fail to excite admiration, if not to afford confiderable gratification in the perufal, when the reader recollects that they come from the pen of a lady, who at the age of twenty-two, with a very few of the flender advantages of the education even of that moment, had difcernment to detect, and courage to combat the errors of a work received with fo general, nay, even enthufiaftic approbation as the Hiftory of Clariffa Harlowe.'" P. viii.

The editors complain ftrongly, concerning a late narrative, mifcalled the Life of Mrs. Chapone; "written without the fanction of her relations; and publifhed in open defiance of the remonftrances of her friends; being prefixed to a new edition of her Letters on the Mind :"" which narrative, excepting the circumstances that he was born, that the was married to Mr. Chapone, and that he died,-contains fcarcely a fingle fentence that has any foundation in truth, from the beginning to the end." Pp. ix. x.

66

"Mrs. Chapone's family have been induced to avail themselves of the kindness of the celebrated Mrs. Eliza Carter's executor, who has obligingly furnished them with all Mrs. Chapone's letters to that lady; beginning at an early age, and continued till within a year or two of her death.

"From these letters, a series of extracts has been selected, by which the reader may be enabled to form his own judgment of the folidity of her understanding, the vivacity of her imagina tion, and the affection, te tenderness of her temper and difpofition.

"To thefe is added a plain unvarnished tale' of the real circumftances of her life, the readers of which may reft affured that they will find nothing in it but what is authentic, nothing but what is ftrictly true. The public will therefore, we cannot

doubt,

doubt, receive it with indulgence; as defigned fimply to dojuftice to the character of Mrs. Chapone, to rescue it from unmerited reproach, and preferve her memory as it ought to be preferved, unfullied as her life." P. xi.

Such an object is worthy of her family; and we doubt not that it will be fully attained by this publication. The honour of a family is its beft inheritance; and that honour, derived from the merits of its good and ufeful members, fhould ever be the object of their warmeft anxiety.

"Thomas Mulfo, Efq. of Twywell, in the county of Northampton, the father of Mrs. Chapone, was, at the time of her birth, the only fon of the reprefentative of a family established in that county before the reign of Edward the Firft, and ori. ginally poffeffed of landed property, in that and the adjacent counties, to the amount of eight thousand pounds a-year; but, of which, from alienation, by means of heireffes, and other causes, only an inconfiderable portion remains to the present poffeffor." P. I.

Hefter Mulfo (afterwards Mrs. Chapone) was born in 1727. Specimens, from the letters here prefented to us, will best enable our readers to judge concerning the talents of a young woman, who had very few, even of the fmall advantages of education, attainable about the middle of the last century; when females were generally debarred from learning. Whether, in the present times, their learning be in the other extreme, too general and fuperficial, is a point which we need not here difcufs.

"There is nothing fo painful as diftruft, to a frank and honeft mind; and yet one is perpetually feeling the neseffity of it, or fuffering for the want of it. One feldom fails to fee it grow upon people with their years, and obferve that the longer the world is known, the lefs it is liked, and the lefs it is trufted. I am staggered and frighted at the difficulty of hitting the true medium, betwixt a credulity and confidence, which expofes one to perpetual difappointments and inconveniences, and a caution and diftruft, which would murder friendship, wound benevolence, and deftroy all the pleasures of fociety. Yet I had much rather fuffer by the firft, (as indeed I have more than once done) than fall into the other most uncomfortable extreme. Affift me, dear Mifs Carter, to avoid both, and, above all, let us both avoid a fruitlefs difcontent at the present state of things, and the neceffary condition of humanity; for this our foher reafon will tell us (whenever we are calm enough to hear it) is equally painful and criminal." P. 37.

" Mr. tells me that you are a friend to Fielding's Amelia. I love the woman, but for the book-it muft have

f

merit,

merit, fince Mifs Carter and fome few more good judges approve of it. Are not you angry with the author, for giving his fa vourite character fuch a lord and master? and is it quite natural that she should be fo perfectly happy and pleased with such a wretch? A fellow without principles, or understanding, with no other merit in the world but a natural good temper, and whofe violent love for his wife could not keep him from injuring her in the most effential points, and that in circumstances that render him utterly inexcufable. Can you forgive his amour with that dreadful, fhocking monfter, Mifs Mathews? Are we to look upon thefe crimes as the failings of human nature, as Fielding feems to do, who takes his notions of human nature from the moft depraved and corrupted part of it, and feems to think no characters natural, but fuch as are a difgrace to the human species ? Don't you think Booth's fudden converfion a mere botch to fave the author's credit as a moral writer? And is there not a tendency in all his works to foften the deformity of vice, by placing characters in an amiable light, that are deftitute of every virtue except good nature?" P. 45.

"I am extremely obliged to you for gratifying my curiofity with your reafons for fpeaking fo favourably of Amelia, though, at the fame time, I am not a little mortified to find that I cannot affent to all you fay. I am afraid I have lefs mercy in my dif pofition than you, for I cannot think with fo much lenity of the character of Booth, which, though plainly defigned as an amiable one by the author, is in my opinion contemptible and wicked. Rather frail than wicked!' Dear Mifs Carter ! that is what I complain of, that Fielding contrives to glofs over grofs and monftrous faults in fuch a manner, that even his virtuous readers fhall call them frailties. How bad may be the confequence of fuch reprefentations to thofe who are interested in the deception, and glad to find that their favourite vices are kept in countenance by a character which is defigned to engage the esteem and good wishes of the reader." P. 48..

We fhould with pleasure extract the remainder of this letter, if our limits would permit. We muft now, however, make an extract of fome length.

"I will grant you that there is very little virtue, and a great deal of iniquity and corruption to be found amongst those who are engaged in public life; provided you will allow me. that thofe are not the people in whom we ought to look for virtue, and that human nature is not to be judged of by the moft corrupted part of it. A man that is thoroughly engaged in the purfuit of intereft, and whose principal end is the attainment of riches or power, whatever good inclinations he might fet out with, will in all likelihood fo often facrifice them to this darling fcheme, or at beft find fo little leifure to nourish and

5

improve

improve them, that in time they will languish and die, and cease to be a part of his nature. Bad habits and artificial evil by degrees poffefs the place of natural paffions, and thus the man becomes totally depraved, who perhaps fet, out with an amiable benevolent mind, in purfuit of what he fuppofed the means of happiness, that univerfal object of defire. Should we then fee him in this ftate of depravity, facrificing to fome petty interest of his own the intereft of his country, adding to stores which he knows no rational ufe for, the fpoils of the poor; perfecuting with inveterate hatred the virtue that dares to reprove or oppofe him, unattracted by the charins of innocence, and unmoved by the tears of diftrefs; fhould we, from his example, pronounce man to be a malign, felfish being, by nature corrupt, wicked, malevolent? You, my dear, have already allowed that mankind, as formed by the hand of heaven, are amiable and good," and that even the worft have fome unconquerable good qua lities, which entitle them to fome degree of tenderness and efteem.' I know not whether any good qualities are uncon.. querable, their effects at least are matters of choice, aud fhould not therefore, even in the worst of men, be ftript of all their merit. All our good is certainly derived from the eternal fountain of good, but fince heaven gave it, it may be termed our own.. We are placed in a ftate of warfare, furrounded with temptations and treacherous enemies; those who ftand their ground de ferve our esteem, affection, and applaufe; and those who fall feem rather to demand our pity than our hatred. Benevolence feems due to all; and I cannot help being angry with all reprefentations of human nature which tend to weaken this divine affection, which muft conftitute the happiness as well as duty of a focial being. You, my dear Mifs Carter, can never be a mifanthrope, the moft deteftable of characters, the only one indeed which feems to juftify our hatred. Human nature is ftill capable of exalted virtue, and great is the number of those, who, though they reach not the fummit of perfection, are neverthe lefs, in the main, good and amiable, innocent from the great offence, and defirous to perform their duty. Whilft fuch are eafy to be found, I will not hate the world, nor endeavour to fupprefs the tenderness of my heart for every creature that wears the human form." P. 57.

The following remark is very applicable to the present times: There is, without doubt, abundance of folly and levity in the world; but I hope lefs malignity than the cenfors of it seem to fuppofe." P. 62. In this letter, Mifs Mulfo differs ftrongly in opinion from the author of the Rambler; and against him, as well as against Mr. Richard fon and Mrs. Carter, he maintains her fentiments in an admirable manner.

" I shall

"I fhall almoft make you think me running headlong into fatalifm, and all manner of abfurdities, but it is no fuch matter. I ftop fhort in my career, and content myself with doubts and ignorance on thefe points; without fuffering my doubts to overturn certain clear and demonftrable doctrines, which are the rocks in which I fix my anchor, and can fee the waves fluctuate about me without any great difcompofure. When I have thought, and wondered, and conjectured, till I am giddy, I change the fubject of my cogitations; and am as eafy as if I had found out the whole fcheme of Providence; in the full affurance that thofe things of which I am fo ignorant, are adjusted exactly as they fhould be, and that nothing is neceffary for me to know, but that which God has revealed to me." P. 81.

About the end of the year 1760, Mifs Mulfo became. Mrs. Chapone: and within ten months, fpent in connubial affection and happinefs, the became a widow. Several letters, from Mifs Burrows to Mrs. Carter, teftify the unalterable attachment of Mrs. Chapone to her husband, and of the fincerity of her forrow at his death.

"Adieu, my dear Mrs. Carter; haften to town: this world has nothing for me but a few friends, and I grudge the abfence of any of them. De not imagine from this laft fentence that I am in a state of gloom or difcontent. I thank God that is not the cafe. My defires of happinefs are as ardent as ever. The world offers not a fhadow to content them; but the hopes of a chriftian keep them from preying on the foul, and producing that reftless anxiety which always attends them whiift any thing on earth is their object. Yet at times a certain weariness of life, and a fenfe of infignificance and infipidity, deject my fpirits. On fuch occafions, I recal that beautiful thought of Milton's, in the fonnet which concludes with They alfo ferve who ftand and wait.' And then I conclude that the kindest of Beings has placed me exactly in the ftation fitteft for me, and that it is my own fault if I do not find both occupation and enjoyment in ferving him in the way he has allotted for me." P. 148.

We recommend, and infift, that the words " or even apostles," at p. 179, be omitted in the next edition, which will probably foon be called for. Inadvertencies may be excufed, if they be not perfifted in. Here we may notice another overfight at p. 148, of Vol. II. "I do not, in the manner of fome creed-makers, anathematize all those who differ from me; nor abhor, deteft, or abjure their opinions." This is not a happy allufion to the oath of fupremacy. Mifs Mulfo could not have hefitated to abhor, deteft, and ab jure the impious doctrine,-that Princes, excommunicated

by