newspaper of yesterday." Extract of a | Bourbons, the next. He did not want any "Letter from Paris, November 24.- of those gentlemen, who hailed their coun"Much has been said by the newspapers try's invaders as its " generous allies."lately relative to an arrest of a French Our newspapers are accusing the French "General and others for treason. This people of ingratitude, because they appear "latter part of the story must be a pure delighted at the success of the Republicans “addition of the English tale-bearers :-- of America.The gallant defence of "there never was the slightest mention in the General Armstrong privateer, at "Paris of General Dufour, and 40 asso- Fayal, has produced a great sensation "ciates, being taken up for an attempt to amongst all well-informed people. To hear, "overturn the King's authority in France. that 90 Republicans killed 120 and wound"There were two stories afloat:-one that ed 90 of our people, with the loss of only "he had been engaged in procuring natives two killed and seven wounded, is, indeed, "of Belgium, settled in France, or once in enough to produce a sensation. the French service, to join the Belgic "armies under the Prince of Orange ;"the other account was that he had busied

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himself in a similar way, to get French "officers for the service of the United "States of America. If the latter had "been the case, the time and labour of the "General would have been most foolishly "thrown away: for I happen to know, as

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06

ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION. "It is the greatest impiety to deprive man"kind of Liberty in matters of Religion, "or to hinder them from chusing what Divinity they may please to worship; "neither God nor Man is desirous of con"strained service."

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Tertullian's Apology, chap. 14.

LETTER I.

a matter of fact, that several officers have "returned to France, disappointed in their hopes of employment in the American SIR, Voltaire has told us that martyrs "armies ;-the Republicans being so jea- are productive of proselytes, and the his"lous of foreigners--so confident in their tory of every age proves the assertion. own strength-and, alas in the feeble If a man lose either life or liberty, for measures of their adversary, that they maintaining and promulgating his opinions, "have refused to appoint any of these the circumstance naturally creates enquiry "French Gentlemen even to a serjeant's concerning those opinions, which neither pike. But with regard to General Du- the gloom of a dungeon, nor the fear of "four's arrest, I can assure you that he death, could induce him to abjure. Marwas seen and spoken to by a friend of tyrdom is certainly an evidence of the zeal "mine the day after that on which it was and resolution with which men embark in "said to have happened. These mis- the cause for which they suffer; and "chievous statements prove only the ma- evinces their sincere belief in the doctrines "lice of their inventors, but nothing what-they maintain; consequently, all those of "ever as to the state of France. You see their own party become more attached to by the arrival of the Fingal what I have doctrines, the truth of which has been atlong prophesied, that both parties in tested with blood, while curiosity gains "America have actually coalesced-and over the indifferent. Yet martyrdom is "that if you wish to preserve the Canadas, no proof of Truth; and our Divines are so or a foot of ground on the Northern well aware of this, that they seldom make "Continent, you must put forth the whole use of it in any learned reply to the scoffs "strength of the British Empire.-God and jeers of Infidels; being well aware "grant that even so you may succeed.--. that martyrs have died in support of How pious he is! Distances old Mother dogmas directly opposite to each other; Cole a whole neck!" God grant!" How and, therefore, it only proves that the perpious! We are famed for many quali- sons so immolated, confidently relied on ties; but our piety, upon such occasions, is the virtue of their cause, and had enthuthe most distinctive trait in our character. siasm enough to carry it to death. The So, they refused the "French gentlemen application of the term martyr depends even a serjeant's pike!"-Yes; Jona- entirely upon time, place, and circunthan did not stand in need of these gentle- stance. Charles the First is a blessed He wanted of those who cried martyr with the sticklers for hereditary vive l'Empereur, one day, vivent les kingship and arbitrary power, and in our

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men.

none

church service is profanely compared with the lowly Jesus; while the Friends of Freedom describe him as a monster, justly executed for committing high treason against the rights of the people. Every sect looks upon that man as a martyr, who falls in the propagation of its tenets, and every opposing sect brands the martyrs of the other with the name of vile heretics, and blaspheming infidels. It is customary with us to boast of the present being a very enlightened era, that a general circulation of knowledge has taken place, which has made mens minds so liberal and humane, that it is impossible for the tragedies of Smithfield again to be performed; all which blessings we constantly attribute to the complete liberty of the press, which we enjoy. Yet what can we term the late prosecution of Mr. George Houston, for diting a Life of Christ, entitled Ecce Homo, but the spirit of the dark ages revived; and who knows but he may be considered as a martyr by a great portion of society? Why should not the Deists have their martyrs as well as the Christians?

would have done, provided it had not been prohibited. Therefore, I contend, that this prosecution was dictated by a weak, narrow, and mistaken policy; because, if the object were to suppress the doctrines, it has completely failed, and advertised the work to those, who would otherwise, probably, never have heard of it. It is betraying a great ignorance of human nature to think the world can be informed of the existence of a curious book, and be, at the same time, forbidden to read, without creating an anxious desire to do so. State persecutors should keep in mind the pretty little tale of our grandmother, Eve, and the tree of knowledge. She was commanded not to taste of that fruit which would open her eyes, but female curiosity could not resist the temptation to disobey, though the penalty attached was so severe. Will our priests admit that they are suppressing opinions for the same reason, and that their efforts are thwarted in a similar manner? Of what import can be the animadversions of a single pen, against the truth of our holy faith? Is it not built Mr. Houston, I am informed, has six upon the rock of ages, and does it not children to support, with no other means carry with it an internal evidence of its than the extremely precarious emolument acknowledged truth and authenticity? derived from literary pursuits; his two Why fear the efforts, then, of puny man, and years imprisonment will, of course, greatly bring in question the divine origin of our increase his expences, and be a considerable religion, by the human frailty of its perbar to his exertions for the maintenance of secuting and pusilanimous professors? It himself and family; but this is not all inspires an idea, that our priests are an when this horrible deprivation of liberty is ignorant, or an indolent set of beings, when expired, according to the first part of the they resort to persecution for proof, insentence, he may still he detained for the stead of employing their learning and their remainder of his life, or until the King energies to confute misrepresentation, or dies, if the real Christian, the Republican, remove doubt, and prevent suspicion of the Freethinker, or the Philanthropist, their faith by the purity of their lives. It does not come forward to assist him in has a bad look with it; and I, as a Chrispaying a fine of 2001. to the Crown. May tian, cannot easily forgive their shortsightnot all these circumstances, I would ask, edness in thus cherishing, by their mishave a tendency to excite compassion in management, the very things which in the public mind for the sufferings of the their hearts they detest. If it were posindividual; and, at the same time, an ar- sible, for a moment, to suppose they could dent curiosity to be acquainted with the not answer this book, and made their inawork which has been the cause of his pro- bility a plea for the disgraceful remedy of secution. Our venerable Milten, who was persecution, still they act unwisely. They a good Christian and a staunch Republican, should then affect to treat it with contempt has said that "A forbidden writing is to designate it as too frivolous and vague "thought to be à certain spark of truth, "that flies up in the face of thera who "seek to tread it out." I appeal to the experience of all men, whether they have not always perused a condemned book with more attention, and consequently received a greater impression from it, than they

:

to deserve reply that they pitied and prayed for its deluded author, who had only attacked what he could not injure, and whose crucible had only tried, not evaporated, the pure gold of the infallible Christian faith..

The number of the established, or State

priesthood, in Eagland alone, is upwards | of Laut, which he ertainly did with great

of 20,000, and their wages amount to two in genuity, considering his age and infirmi millions auntally: besides these, who may ties, and the frequent interruptions of the be considered as regular traders in old Judge who presided. If the Age of Reason established concerns, there are innumer was a bad cook, the prosecutors of Eaton able adventurers and speculators in the occasioned the publication of a WORSE, besame line of business, who have by their cause they gave him the power of publishing industry and assiduity gained connections a full report of his defence, which can be and customers in every part of the country; circulated with impunity through all parts so that at present there is scarcely a parish of the country, and is by far a more elabo in the kingdom where they have not com- rate production than the pamphlet which menced an opposition. But although there was the ground of his offence, and w. I conmay be a certain degree of animosity be- tinue to be read with a lasting interest, as tween the old shop-keeper and the upstart, it contains a great variety of arguments, yet the principles of their craft are the drawn from the sentiments and opinions of same, consequently they are agreed in fall- the earliest Fathers of the Church, and ing foul on those who attack the tricks of from the works of the most liberal and entheir trade; and what can the united skill lightened Divines of different ages, in faof this redoubtable phalanx have to fear vour of a FREE TOLERATION as to matters from a work like Ecce Homo.-By the of faith, and against every species of reliconsternation this work has spread amongst gious persecution. The country we live in them, one would think its writer must have is called a Christian country, because that possessed talents of a very superior nature, religion is professed and protected by the as none of the modern philosophers appear Government; consequently we are supposed to alarm them half so much. The elegant to be the followers of Jesus, who is always characteristics of the accomplished Shafts- represented to have been so mild and humane, bury; the energetic style of Bolinbroke; that he uniformly discouraged every thing the brilliant wit and poignant humour of like violence and persecution, in dissemiVoltaire; the eloquence of Mirabaud, in nating his benevolent doctrine. Indeed, his System of Nature; the profound rea- he is described as being so meek, that he soning of Helvetius, in his Treatise on did not resent even the greatest injuries, Man; the general philanthropy of God- nor reviled those who ridiculed hini; enwin, in his Political Justice; the bold and deavouring rather to convert then by perliberal sentiments promulgated by the suasive argument, to gain their good will learned and impartial author of the Mate-by the suavity of his manners, to excite rials for Thinking; united with the facinating Reveries of Volney, in his Ruins of Empires, have not, altogether, struck them with so much terror as this trifling volume, which, by their impolitic efforts to suppress it, will be forced into an importance that all these authors have failed to obtain, though with the same object in view, and with more talent, and the liberty of being universally read. Hundreds of people have read, and, perhaps, imbibed, the opinions contained in the third part of Mr. Paine's Age of Reason, and from that circumstance have been induced to borrow and peruse his first and second parts, who knew nothing of either previous to the prosecution of Daniel Isaac Eaton, which advertised it to the world. Another effect of the impolicy of prosecuting Eaton, was the opportunity it gave him of publicly defending the principles he had published, and reprobating, what he called, the absurdities of the Bible before an open Court

their admiration and astonishment by the wonderful deeds he performed, and ultimately to convince them of his sincerity by voluntarily suffering an ignominious death at the hands of the common executioner, sooner than desert the great work he had embarked in. How absurd, then, is it for us, if we pretend to belong to any of the numberless sects who profess him to be their founder, to punish any man for writing as freely of our religion as we do of others! We cannot justify our conduct, by any thing that Christ is reported to have said or done, or by any of the writings attributed to his disciples, who went no further than to threaten the refractory with a warm birth in the devil's dominions ; therefore I think Voltaire was warranted in saying-"If you would resemble Jesus "Christ you must be martyrs and not exe"cutioners."

So liberal are our laws, that they permit us to worship the power or powers

above in our own way; yet, if that way tian-like opposition. What reply can such happen to be different from the State reli- men make to the question of Saint Augusgin, they are so liberal that they deny tine:-"Shall we persecute whom God many of our civil rights; therefore we "tolerates?" cannot boast of enjoying complete Tolera- Upon the whole, it seems to have tion, while we are mulet in one way for been the opinion of the wise and the what we receive in another; nor is it a good in all ages, that discussion can do little singular that our Protestant Govern- no harm to the cause of truth or morality, ment, who pride themselves so much for but, on the contrary, must, in the end, the purity and moderation of their system, be productive of great benefit to society. who profess to be so zealous in defending Does not the holy Apostle say," Prove the dignity of the Christian Faith, and to" all things, and bold fast that which is "all consider all kinds of fanaticism as a dis-" good." And how are we to be detergrace to religion, should encourage to such mined in our choice, if we are not allowed an extent the various sects that have se- to canvass and discuss the merits or deceded from the Church of England, and merits of particular systems? As I know undermined its foundation. The Metho- of no writers, either sacred or profane, dists are suffered to establish themselves who deny the loveliness of virtue and the in every village; the dreams of Emanuel immutability of truth, I shall conclude, for Sweedenbourg, the ravings and prophecies the present, with a sentiment of the learned of Joanna Southcott, and the wildest absur- and ingenious Toland :-" If it be a dedities are published with safety, provided" sirable thing to have truth told without they are pretended to be deduced from the " disguise, there is but one method to proJewish or Christian Scriptures. Even those "cure such a blessing. Let all men who deride with the Deist the doctrine of" freely speak what they think, without the Trinity, are now under the sanction of the law, provided their one God be the God of the Bible; though at the same time" they reject great part of that sacred book as forgeries and falschood. I would ask any rational man, whether our holy religion is not more likely to be brought into contempt by the conduct of such Sects, than by the toleration even of Deism itself, which is, at worst, never enthusiastic, nor likely to disturb the public pence; and if at any time it has been forced into notice, it has been through the intolerance of the Priesthood, in their ill-timed and unchris

"being ever branded or punished but for wicked practices, and leave their speculative opinions to be confuted or approved by whoever pleases; then you are sure to hear the whole truth; and, until then, but very scantily, or obscurely, if

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at all."

If you think the above remarks worthy insertion in your liberal Paper, I shall continue the subject, and be happy to incite the animadversions of any of your readers who may think proper to reply. Dec. 1, 1814.

ERASMUS PERKINS.

Printed and Published by J. MORTON, 94, Strand.

VOL. XXVI. No. 24.] LONDON, SATURDAY, DEC. 10, 1814. [Price 1s.

787]

TO THE

COSSACK PRIESTHOOD

OF THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

you,

[738

good, better, or worse, without the religion that you have taught; whether, discarding, as is the manner of some men, all mysteries, and believing in nothing, the Botley, England, Nov. 29, 1814. truth of which cannot be substantiated by GENTLEMEN,I perceive, that there undeniable facts, or by incontrovertible were held, in your State, and at your in- argument, they would have been as good, stigation, and under your guidance and mi- better, or worse, than they are, is a quesnistry, solemn fasts and thanksgivings on tion, which I will not meddle with. But account of the entrance of the Cossacks you will excuse me, if I observe, that, into Paris, and of the fall of Napoleon. while this can possibly be made a question Hence, I perceive, that you are called amongst rational men, you, who receive the Chaplains of the Cossacks; and, some-pay for your teaching of religion, ought times, the Cossack Priesthood. That to be very careful to excite no doubt in the who used to be regarded as some of the minds of mankind as to the purity of your best men in your Republic, and the purity views, or the sincerity of your faith. of whose religious motives were never even Your recent conduct does, however, apdoubted, should have exposed yourselves to pear to have excited such doubts in the the application of such titles, I extremely minds of your countrymen. I my mind regret to hear. But it is not my business it has done more. It has convinced me to give way to private feelings upon such that your motives are any thing rather an occasion. It is for me, as far as I am than pure; and that your professions are able, and as I dare, to make truth known a mere pretence; a trick to enable you to the world; and, as you, in this case, to live without labour upon the earnings of appear to me to have shewn a more de- those who do labour, just as are the tricks cided hostility to truth than any other set of Monks and Friars, and of all other im of men of whom I have heard, not ex-posers on popular credulity, from the cepting the Editors of the London news-golden-palmed showman of the Lady of papers, it is natural for me to address my-Loretto down to the lousy-cowled conseself to you upon the subject.

crators of halfpenny strings of beads, and The religion, of which you profess to the itinerant Protestant bawlers, whose be teachers, is the Presbyterian. I be- harangues are wholly incomprehensible, lieve, that there are three or four sorts of until they come round with their hat to Presbyterian Christians. To which of collect the means of recruiting the belly. these sorts you belong, or whether some of All the zeal of impostors of every kind; you are of the one sort and some of each all their calumnics of others; all their inof the others, I know not. Nor is it ma-numerable persecutions of those who have terial; it being well known, that, sub-endeavoured to withdraw the people from stantially, all these sorts are the same, and their degrading influence, have had this that the religion you professed has existed,great end in view to extract and secure and has been the generally prevailing re-to themselves the means of living well, ligion in the four Eastern States of the without labour, out of the earnings of those Republic, where there has been born and who do labour. I am very sorry to ascribe reared up an industrious, sober, humane, such a motive to you, whose forefathers gentle, kind, brave, and free people, dis- fled to a wilderness rather than violate tinguished, heretofore, above all others, for, the dictates of their conscience; but truth their right and clear understanding of the compels me to say, that yon appear to have principles of liberty, and for their zeal no claim to an exemption from the general and undaunted resolution in her cause. charge. Yet, I am not so unjust as to Whether the people would have been as suppose, much less to hold forth to the

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