-we have no doubt but that this is very entertaining; and particularly to the friends of toleration. But our ideas of comedy have been formed in another school. We are dull enough to think, too, that it is more innocent to exile Ps, than to offend conscience, and destroy human happiness. The scheme of baptizing with beef-broth is about as brutal and preposterous, as the assertion that you may vilify the gods and priests of the Hindoos with safety, provided you do not meddle with their turbans and toupees (which are cherished solely on a principle of religion), is silly and contemptible. After all, if the Mahometan did persecute the Hindoo with impunity, is that any precedent of safety to a government that offends every feeling both of Mahometan and Hinloo at the same time? You have tiger and a buffalo in the same enthasure; and the tiger drives the buffalo before him;-is it therefore prudent

(all Atheists, and disciples of Voltaire, of course) are so entirely of our way of thinking, that the most peremptory orders have been issued to send all the missionaries home upon the slightest appearance of disturbance. Those who have sons and brothers in India may now sleep in peace. Upon the transmission of this order, Mr. Styles is said to have destroyed himself with a kime.

HANNAH MORE. (E. REVIEW, 1809.) Calebs in Search of a Wife; comprehend

ing Observations on Domestic Habits and Manners, Religion and Morals. 2 Vols. London, 1809. THIS book is written, or supposed to be written (for we would speak timidly of the mysteries of superior beings), by the celebrated Mrs. Hannah More! We shall probably give great offence

you to do that which will irritate by such indiscretion; but still we must them both, and bring their united be excused for treating it as a book trength upon you?

merely human -an uninspired proIn answer to all the low malignity duction-the result of mortality left of this author, we have only to reply, to itself, and depending on its own that we are, as we always have been, limited resources. In taking up the sincere friends to the conversion of the subject in this point of view, we Hindoos. We admit the Hindoo re- solemnly disclaim the slightest intenligion to be full of follies, and full of tion of indulging in any indecorous enormities;-we think conversion a levity, or of wounding the religious great duty; and should think it, if it feelings of a large class of very res tld be effected, a great blessing; but pectable persons. It is the only method our opinion of the missionaries and of in which we can possibly make this their employer is such, that we most work a proper object of criticism. We army believe, in less than twenty years, have the strongest possible doubts of for the conversion of a few degraded the attributes usually ascribed to this retches, who would be neither Me- authoress; and we think it more simple tylists nor Hindoos, they would in- and manly to say so at once, than to bly produce the massacre of every admit nominally superlunary claims, European in India; the loss of our which, in the progress of our remarks, chance of that slow, solid, and temelements; and, consequently, of the we should virtually deny. Colebs wants a wife; and, after the perate introduction of Christianity, death of his father, quits his estate in which the superiority of the European Northumberland to see the world, and character may ultimately effect in the to seek for one of its best productions, a Eastern world. The Board of Control woman, who may add materially to the happiness of his future life. His first Every opponent says, of Major Scott's journey is to London, where, in the What a dangerous book! the arrival midst of the gay society of the metroat Calcutta may throw the whole polis, of course, he does not find a wife; entire into confusion;"-and yet and his next journey is to the family these are the people whose religious preof Mr. Stanley, the head of the MeL

Juices may be insulted with impunity.

VOL.

L

thodists, a serious people, where, of| Temples to friendship and virtue course, he does find a wife. The must be totally laid aside, for many exaltation, therefore, of what the au-years to come, in novels. Mr. Lane, thoress deems to be the religious, and of the Minerva press, has given them the depreciation of what she considers up long since; and we were quite surto be the worldly character, and the prised to find such a writer as Mrs. influence of both upon matrimonial More busied in moral brick and mortar. happiness, form the subject of this novel Such an idea, at first, was merely -rather of this dramatic sermon. juvenile; the second time a little nauThe machinery upon which the dis-seous, but the ten-thousandth time it is course is suspended is of the slightest quite intolerable Celebs, upon his and most inartificial texture, bearing every mark of haste, and possessing not the slightest claim to merit. Events there are none; and scarcely a character of any interest. The book is intended to convey religious advice; and no more labour appears to have been bestowed upon the story, than was merely sufficient to throw it out of the dry, didactic form. Lucilla is totally uninteresting; so is Mr. Stanley; Dr. Barlow still worse; and Calebs a mere clod or dolt. Sir John and Lady Belfield are rather more interesting and for a very obvious reason: they have some faults; - they put us in mind of men and women ;- -they seem to belong to one common nature with | ourselves. As we read, we seem to think we might act as such people act, and therefore we attend; whereas imitation is hopeless in the more perfect characters which Mrs. More has set before us; and therefore they inspire us with very little interest.

There are books, however, of all kinds; and those may not be unwisely planned which set before us very pure models. They are less probable, and therefore less amusing, than ordinary stories; but they are more amusing than plain, unfabled precept. Sir Charles Grandison is less agreeable than Tom Jones; but it is more agreeable than Sherlock and Tillotson; and teaches religion and morality to many who would not seek it in the productions of these professional writers.

But, making every allowance for the difficulty of the task which Mrs. More has prescribed to herself, the book abounds with marks of negligence and want of skill; with representations of life and manners which are either false or trite.

first arrival in London, dines outmeets with a bad dinner-supposes the cause of that bad dinner to be the erudition of the ladies of the housetalks to them upon learned subjects, and finds them as dull and ignorant as if they had piqued themselves upon all the mysteries of housewifery. We humbly submit to Mrs. More, that this is not humorous, but strained and unnatural. Philippics against frugivorous children after dinner are too common. Lady Melbury has been introduced into every novel for these four years last past. Peace to her ashes!

The characters in this novel which evince the greatest skill are unquestionably those of Mrs. Ranby and her daughters. There are some scenes in this part of the book extremely well painted, and which evince that Mrs. More could amuse, in no common degree, if amusement was her object.

"At tea I found the young ladies took no more interest in the conversation than they had done at dinner, but sat whispering and laughing, and netting white silk gloves, till they were summoned to the harpsichord. Despairing of getting on with them in company, I proposed a walk in the garden. I now found them as willing to talk as destitute of anything to say. Their conversation was vapid and frivolous. They laid great have no shades in their understanding, but stress on small things. They seemed to used the strongest terms for the commonest occasions; and admiration was excited by things hardly worthy to command attention. They were extremely glad and extremely sorry, on subjects not calculated to excite affections of any kind. They were animated about trifles, and indifferent on confess, frank and good natured; but it things of importance. They were, I must was evident that, as they were too open to have anything to conceal, so they were too uninformed to have anything to produce;

and I was resolved not to risk my happiness | thinks she can only make herself intelwith a woman who could not contribute ligible to those to whom certain peculiar her full share towards spending a wet wister cheerfully in the country."-(Vol. I. pp. 54, 55.)

phrases are familiar: and though her friends may be correct, devout, and both doctrinally and practically pious; yet, if This trait of character appears to us they cannot catch a certain mystic meanto be very good. The following pas-ligence between her and them-if they do ing-if there is not a sympathy of intelsage is still better.

"In the evening, Mrs. Ranby was lamenting in general, in rather customary terms, her own exceeding sinfulness. Mr. Ranby said, 'You accuse yourself rather too heavily, my dear; you have sins to be sure.' And pray what sins have I, Mr. Ranby? said she, turning upon him with so much vickness that the poor man started. Nay,' said he meekly, 'I did not mean to ad you; so far from it, that, hearing you condemn yourself so grievously, I intended to comfort you, and to say that, acept a few faults'And pray what faults?' interrupted she, continuing to speak, however, lest he should catch an interval to tell them. I defy you, Mr. Panby, to produce one." My dear,' replied he, as you charged yourself with all, I thought it would be letting you off cheaply, by naming only two or three, such as Here, fearing matters would go too far, I terposed; and, softening things as much as I could for the lady, said, 'I conceive fast Mr. Ranby meant, that though she partook of the general corruption Here Ranby, interrupting me with more spirit than I thought he possessed, said, General corruption, sir, must be the source of particular corruption. I did not mean that my wife was worse than other women.' -Worse, Mr. Ranby, worse?' cried she. Ranby, for the first time in his life, not minding her, went on, 'As she is always sisting that the whole species is corrupt, she cannot help allowing that she herself has not quite escaped the infection. Now, to be a sinner in the gross, and a saint in the detail-that is, to have all sins, and no falts-is a thing I do not quite compre

not fully conceive of impressions, and cannot respond to mysterious communications, she holds them unworthy of intercourse with her. She does not so much insist on high and moral excellence as the criterion of their worth, as on their own account of their internal feelings."— (Vol. I. pp. 60— 63.)

The great object kept in view, throughout the whole of this introduction, is the enforcement of religious principle, and the condemnation of a life lavished in dissipation and fashionable amusement. In the pursuit of this object, it appears to us that Mrs. More is much too severe upon the ordinary amusements of mankind, many of which she does not object to in this or that degree, but altogether. Cœlebs and Lucilla, her optimus and optima, never dance, and never go to the play. They not only stay away from the comedies of Congreve and Farquhar, for which they may easily enough be forgiven; but they never go to see Mrs. Siddons in the Gamester, or in Jane Shore. The finest exhibition of talent and the most beautiful moral lessons, are interdicted at the theatre. There is something in the word Playhouse which seems so closely connected, in the minds of these people, with sin and Satan, that it stands in their vocabulary for every species of abomination. And yet why? Where is every feeling more roused in favour of virtue than at a good play? Where is goodness so feelingly, so enthusiastically learnt ? What so solemn as to see the excellent passions of the human heart called forth by a great actor, animated by a great poet? To hear Siddons repeat what Shakspeare wrote! To behold the child and his mother-the noble Mrs. Ranby, I found, seems to consider and his subjects, all ages and all ranks and the poor artisan- the monarch Christianity as a kind of free-masonry; convulsed with one common passion— and therefore thinks it superfluous to speak on serious subjects to any but the wrung with one common anguish, and, initiated. If they do not return the sign, with loud sobs and cries, doing inshe gives them up as blind and dead. She voluntary homage to the God that

bead.'

After he had left the room, which he did as the shortest way of allaying the Storm, she, apologising for him, said, 'He was a well-meaning man, and acted up to the little light he had;' but added, that he was unacquainted with religious feelgs, and knew little of the nature of con

version.'

We do not by any means intend to obliged to work through, in our articles apply these contemptuous epithets to upon the Methodists and Missionaries, the Society for the Suppression. That we are generally conceived to have there are among their numbers some rendered an useful service to the cause very odious hypocrites, is not impos- of rational religion. Every one, howsible; that many men who believe they ever, at all acquainted with the true come there from the love of virtue, do character of Methodism, must have really join the Society from the love of known the extent of the abuse and power, we do not doubt: but we see misrepresentation to which we exposed no reason to doubt that the great mass ourselves in such a service. All this of subscribers consists of persons who obloquy, however, we were very willhave very sincere intentions of doing ing to encounter, from our conviction good. That they have, in some in- of the necessity of exposing and corstances, done a great deal of good, we recting the growing evil of fanaticism. admit with the greatest pleasure. We In spite of all misrepresentation, we believe, that in the hands of truly have ever been, and ever shall be, the honest, intrepid, and, above all, discreet sincere friends of sober and rational men, such a society might become a Christianity. We are quite ready, if valuable institution, improve in some any fair opportunity occur, to defend degree the public morals, and increase it, to the best of our ability, from the the public happiness. So many quali-tiger-spring of infidelity; and we are ties, however, are required to carry it quite determined, if we can prevent on well, the temptations to absurdity such an evil, that it shall not be eaten and impertinence are so very great,-up by the nasty and numerous vermin that we ever despair of seeing our of Methodism. For this purpose, we wishes upon this subject realised. In shall proceed to make a few short the present instance, our object has remarks upon the sacred and silly been to suppress the arrogance of suppressers, -to keep them within due bounds, to show them that to do good requires a little more talent and reflection than they are aware of,-and, above all, to impress upon them that true zeal for virtue knows no distinction between the rich and the poor; and that the cowardly and the mean can never be the true friends of morality, and the promoters of human happiness. If they attend to these rough doctrines they will ever find in the writers of this Journal their warmest admirers, and their most sincere advocates and friends.

METHODISM. (E. REVIEW, 1809.) Strictures on two Critiques in the Edinburgh Review, on the Subject of Methodism and Missions; with Remarks on the Influence of Reviews, in general, on Morals and Happiness. By John Styles. Svo. London, 1809.

IN routing out a nest of consecrated cobblers, and in bringing to light such a perilous heap of trash as we were

gentleman before us,-not, certainly, because we feel any sort of anxiety as to the effect of his strictures on our own credit or reputation, but because his direct and articulate defence of the principles and practices which we have condemned, affords us the fairest opportunity of exposing, still more clearly, both the extravagance and the danger of these popular sectaries.

These very impudent people have one' ruling canon, which pervades every thing they say and do. Whoever is unfriendly to Methodism, is an infidel and an atheist. This reasonable and amiable maxim, repeated in every form of dulness, and varied in every attitude of malignity, is the sum and substance of Mr. Styles's pamphlet. Whoever wishes to rescue religion from the hands of didactic artisans-whoever prefers a respectable clergyman for his teacher to a delirious mechanic-whoever wishes to keep the intervals between churches and lunatic asylums as wide as possible-all such men, in the estimation of Mr. Styles, are nothing better than open or concealed enemies of Christianity. His catechism is very

derision. We agree with him, that ridicule is not exactly the weapon to be used in matters of religion; but the use of it is excusable, when there is no other which can make fools tremble. Besides, he should remember the particular sort of ridicule we have used, which is nothing more than accurate quotation from the Methodists themselves. It is true, that this is the most severe and cutting ridicule to which we could have had recourse; but, whose fault is that?

simple. In what hoy do you navigate? | fully comprehends when he has become By what shoemaker or carpenter are the object of universal contempt and you instructed? What miracles have you to relate? Do you think it sinful to reduce Providence to an alternative, &c. &c. &c. Now, if we were to content ourselves with using to Mr. Styles, while he is dealing about his imputations of infidelity, the uncourtly language which is sometimes applied to those who are little curious about truth or falsehood, what Methodist would think the worse of him for such an attack? Who is there among them that would not glory to lie for the tabernacle? who that would not believe he was pleasing his Maker, by sacrificing truth, justice, and common sense to the interests of his own little chapel, and his own deranged instructor? Something more than contradiction or confutation, therefore, is necessary to discredit those charitable dogmatists, and to diminish their pernicious influence; and the first accusation against us is, that we have endeavoured to add ridicule to reasoning.

Nothing can be more disingenuous than the attacks Mr. Styles has made upon us for our use of Scripture language. Light and grace are certainly termis of Scripture. It is not to the words themselves that any ridicule can ever attach. It is from the preposterous application of those words, in the mouths of the most arrogant and ignorant of human beings;-it is from their use in the most trivial, low, and familiar scenes of life; it is from the illiterate and ungrammatical prelacy of Mr. John Styles, that any tinge of ridicule ever is or ever can be imparted to the sacred language of Scripture.

We are a good deal amused, indeed, with the extreme disrelish which Mr. John Styles exhibits to the humour and pleasantry with which he admits the Methodists to have been attacked; but We admit also, with this gentleman, Mr. John Styles should remember, that that it would certainly evince the most it is not the practice with destroyers of vulgar and contracted heart, to ridicule vermin to allow the little victims a veto any religious opinions, methodistical upon the weapons used against them. or otherwise, because they were the If this were otherwise, we should have opinions of the poor, and were conveyed one set of vermin banishing small- in the language of the poor. But are tooth combs; another protesting against we to respect the poor, when they wish mouse-traps; a third prohibiting the to step out of their province, and befinger and thumb; a fourth exclaiming come the teachers of the land?-when against the intolerable infamy of using men, whose proper "talk is of bullocks," soap and water. It is impossible, how- pretend to have "wisdom and underever, to listen to such pleas. They standing," is it not lawful to tell them inust all be caught, killed, and cracked, they have none? An ironmonger is in the manner, and by the instruments a very respectable man, so long as he which are found most efficacious to is merely an ironmonger,-an admirtheir destruction; and the more they able man, if he is a religious ironcry out, the greater plainly is the skill monger; but a great blockhead, if he used against them. We are convinced sets up for a bishop or a dean, and a little laughter will do them more lectures upon theology. It is not the harm than all the arguments in the poor we have attacked-but the writworld. Such men as the author before ing poor, the publishing poor-the us, cannot understand when they are limited arrogance which mistakes its out-argued; but he has given us a own trumpery sect for the world: nor specimen, from his irritability, that he have we attacked them for want of