But we are told," the exhortations and directions of a perfon, invested with the epifcopal character, would "be more readily and carefully ob"ferved by the parish minifters, than thofe are which proceed from their " equals." And yet, Dr. SECKER fays, "As to the matter of difcipline and jurifdiction over the clergy, "it would ftand juft as it has done hitherto, only with this difference." There is therefore some fort of divine power fuppofed to operate, by virtue of the epifcopal title, which commands reverence. And this is the Bishop of Oxford's idea: as appears from his apprehending "a danger of "Moravian bishops continually gain"ing converts, by the reverence of "their epifcopal character: which is an implicit confeffion, that a fupertitious regard to an epifcopal name, is thus propagated: fince he owns, that as to matter of difcipline and jurifdiction, it would stand just as it hath hitherto done. Now it is an inconteftible truth, that none but the King, as head of the church, can confer epifcopal powers. But Dr. Secker is cautious; his words are thefe, "The fact is notorious, that "all our temporal powers and privi"leges are merely conceffions from "the state." I will farther take the liberty of faying, that whatever fpiritual powers they have, which they had not before, are communicated by the King's Conge d'Elire. Or will it be faid, that the bishops, &c. concerned, in what is called confecration, do communicate any spiritual powers? This may be imagined by thofe who are fond of the fuperiority; but it will be impoffible to prove that any truly spiritual authority can be fo conveyed, by any number of men who themselves have been conftituted bishops by the state; and is there not an abfurdity, in men's affuming a right of exercising a spiritual jurifdiction over many of the parish clergy of far fuperior fenfe, learning, and piety, to themselves? But I have not done with this article of the bifhops deriving all their temporal powers and privileges, as mere conceffions from the state: crown: for the bishop fays, "r "believe the King has not a right "of ordering the bishop of London "to recall his commiffaries." Here then is an inftance of epifcopal independence on the ftate; and wherein the epifcopal power operates paramount to the regal. From whence, I should humbly offer it as more eligible, a matter far more honourable to the church, that commiffaries be continued, rather than bishops be sent to America, because in fuch cafe the epifcopal power muft facrifice to the regal. To proceed, bithop Secker owns, "that the colonists fled to America "from the oppreffions of ecclefiaftical power, exercised by bishops." But then he will have it they are now altered for the better. He does not indeed tell us to what that has been owing. Nor can he give us the leaft affurance, that the like evils may not follow from their establishment in America. All he is able to fay is this, "Upon the "whole, if the prefent difpofition of "his Majefty's minifters and fubjects " in relation to ecclefiaftical autho"rity continues the fame, as in all "likelihood it will, there can be no "danger from bifhops in America.. "And if that difpofition should alter "back to what it formerly hath been, " (which God forbid) they will be "eftablished with greater powers than "now are defired for them." This is altogether fufficient to raise the dread, and fix an averfion to the epifcopizing scheme. For what men could be fatisfied with a measure so extremely precarious, and pregnant with evil? One cannot wonder that the letter written January 9, 1750-1, fhould have had no more notice taken of it by the ministry, though fent to Horatio Walpole 18 years ago. And when we are able to add, fuch a tho rough change has taken place in the difpofition of the minifters of flate towards the Americans, to what it was at the time when that letter was written, we may well fay, God forbid! there fhould be any fuch epifcopal establishment in America. A Prefbyter of Old England, their being appointed by the January 9, 1750-1. Remarks Remarks on the latter Part of the Reign of JAMES II. to which is added the Addrefs of the Grand Jury of the County of Hertford, dated August 6, 1688. THE reign of James II. was not more ftigmatized by the ftrides which the miniftry made to introduce arbitrary power, than by the number of addreffes which countenanced their meafures: fo that it might be properly characterised as an addreffing as well as a defpotic reign. I may at a future time lay fome very curious addreffes before the public eye: but shall obferve at prefent, in the words of Toby Smollet, Efq; that the addreffes avere procured by the emiffaries of the minifiry. What he has obferved concerning the reign of James II. may poffibly hold good of the prefent time'; for it is true beyond contradiction, that the emiffaries of the prefent m y have been the procurers of the numerous addreffes, which, to use Toby's words again, have been wafted to the king from all corners of the iland. This King's misfortunes are a ftanding leffon to all other monarchs; and fhew, too plainly fhew, how little bought compliments are to be depend. ed on, and how precarious extorted approbation will always be found. the higheft humanity. That I may not be fufpected of advancing what I cannot prove, I have fubjoined an Address, which was printed in the Gazette, from Tuesday, Auguft 2, to Monday, August 6, 1688, no lefs curious for its compofition, than execrable for its fentiments: James had exercifed the difpenfing power; favoured the catholics; trampled upon the rights of his fubjects by the establishment of the ecclefiaftic court; endeavoured to make profelytes to the Romish religion; weakened the eftablished church by the declaration for liberty of confcience; violated the laws of the universities by endeavouring to force a papift on Magdalen College, Oxford, for their prefdent; had endeavoured to fap one of the bulwarks of the conftitution, by influencing the election of members for a new parliament; had received the Pope's nuncio in a public manner; and intended to abolish the penal laws and the teft, which at that time was the palladium of the English conftitution: he had perpetrated all this, and more than this; but notwithstanding fome men were wicked enough to addrefs him for all these encroachments on the conftitution, and to applaud these measures as inftances of the profoundest wisdom, and arguments of To the King's Moft Excellent Majefty. The humble Address of the Grand Jury for the county Hertford, at the Affizes held at Hertford, the 23d day of July, in the fourth year of your Majesty's reign. SIR, HAD not a party, averse to comply with your Majefty's gracious incltnations, been too prevalent in this county, an Address would have been fooner made unto your moft facred Majefty, for your Majefty's most gracious declaration of indulgence; and though we are too, too late, yet hope we fhall not be unwelcome in making a due and juft return of our most humble and hearty thanks, and grateful acknowledgments for your Majefty's gracious intentions to your fubject, in general, in abrogating the penal laws and teft. We will not (like others) go about thanking your Majefty for your particular favours of promifing to maintain the eftablished religion of of the church of England only, but do freely, willingly, and unanimously, give our beft thanks, and without any reftriction whatsoever. We are neither for defigning evil, nor for carrying it on, when it is begun; therefore do promife to use our utmoft endeavours (when your Majefty fhall, in your great wisdom, think fit to call a parliament) to chufe, and promote the chufing, of fuch reprefentatives AS WILL IN ALL RESPECTS COMPLY WITH YOUR DESIRES, &c. The above addrefs fhews that the tools of a my will never be permitted to do their business by halves: "They must drink deep, or taste not "the ministerial fpring." And it is an an obfervation which will always hold good, that when a man fells himself to a -y, he never cares how much he does for his money. The above Addrefs fuffi iently eftablishes the truth of this observation; and at the fame time introduces another equally true, and equally alarining; that nothing but a parliament can rivet the fetters of a kingdom once free, or give the leaft hopes of fuccefs to defpotifm. James knew this; he endeavoured to have a parliament that would concur with him in his defigns; and the county of Hertford very patriotically tell him, that he should have fuch a one as he could wish. We have lately met with a county not quite fo courtly; a county which is both the first in rank, as well as the first in fame. Undaunted by menacés, un♣. corrupted by favours, unmoved by murders committed in violation of the freedom of election, they have returned again and again a man, who they knew was obnoxious to the Great, and was the victim of a power judicially pronounced illegal. Fired with the fpirit of heroes, they would not fubmit, like the Hertfordfhire petitioners, to chufe, and promote the chufing of, fuch reprefentatives as would in all respects comply with the defires of a court; but left that choice to be made by those whom they had in vefted, as their reprefentative, with every power, but the power of choofing reprefentative for them. Staines, July 15, 1769. a An ESSAY on ORATORY. D. Cur cum priora fecula tot enimentium oratorum ingeniis gloriaque effloruerint, noftra potiffimum atas deferta, vix nomen oratoris retineat. is matter of general aftonishment, that the fcience of Oratory, in a country fuch as ours is, where freedom of debate is allowed, fhould fo greatly, and almost univerfally, be neglected; and more particularly when we confider that it has always been efteemed the fure and infallible remedy to honours and preferment, If we examine the annals of our country, we fhall find that scarce any perfon, either at the bar, the pulpit, or the fenate, who had any pretenfions to this noble and manly fcience, ever failed receiving ample rewards for his application and study in this branch of literature. Such high honours were paid at Athens in its moft flourishing ftate to perfons who diftinguished themfelves by their eloquence, that they were efteemed the guardians of their country. Did not Demofthenes, merely by the force of his Oratory, baffle all the efforts of Philip of Macedon, and his armies, that formidable enemy of the Athenians? Was not Pericles held in the highest efteem and veneration by the fame people on account of his great ability as an Orator? In fhort, the Athenians confidered the fate of their country to depend upon their Orators; QUINTILIAN. and this talent they efteemed of the greatest importance to the state, next to eminent abilities in the art of war. The Romans paid the fame honours and respect to fuch as excelled in eioquence, and were no lefs industrious and careful to qualify themselves for this arduous employ; and, indeed, fuch as arrived at perfection never failed filling the most honourable offices in that state, and being held in the highest efteen, veneration, and refpect. Such was the powerful effect of Demofthenes' Oratory, that Philip of Macedon declared it hurt him more than all the armies and fleets of the Athenians. His harangues, he said, were like machines of war, and batteries raised at a diftance against him, by which he overthrew all his projects, and ruined his enterprizes, without it being poffible to prevent its effects: For I myself, fays Philip of him, had I been prefent, and heard that vehement Orator declaim, fhould have been the firft to conclude, that it was indif penfably neceflary to declare war against me. Antipater spoke to the fame effect of him. I value not, faid he, the Piræum, the gallies, and armies of the Athenians: for what have we to fear from Oratory. : 47 gaged in any points that are not strictly effential, ought to frame his ftile by the taste of his audience; and did not believe that the genius of his times was confiftent with fuch a rigid exactnefs; he therefore judged it neceffary to accommodate himself in fome measure to the ears and delicacy of his auditors, who required more grace and elegance in his difcourfe for which reafon he had fome regard to the agreeable; but at the fame time never loft fight of any important point in the caufe he pleaded. He ever thought that this qualified him for promoting the intereft of his country; and was not mistaken, as to please is one of the moft certain means of perfuading; but at the fame time he laboured for his own reputation, and never forgot himfelf. Ejay on from a people continually employed in games, feaft, and bacchanals? Demofthenes alones gives me pain. But this prince of Orators, as he is ftiled, did not arrive at this extraordinary perfection till after repeated trials and disappointments. He ftudied under a variety of the most eminent mafters of rhetoric, and applied with uncommon pains and affiduity before his orations came to be received with applaufe, and to gain that irresistible force which Philip and Antipater seem to attribute to them. Quintilian has drawn a parallel between these two great Orators of Greece and Rome, Demofthenes and Cicero. After having fhewn that the great and effential qualities of an Orator are common to them both, he marks out the particular difference between them with refpect to ftile and elocution. The one, fays he, is more precife; the other more luxuriant: one crouds all his forces into a fmall compass when he attacks his adverfary; the other chufes a larger field for the affault: the one always endeavours in a manner to transfix him with the vivacity of his stile; the other frequently overwhelms him with the weight of his difcourfe. Nothing can be retrenched from the one; nothing can be added to the other. In Demofthenes we difcover more labour and study; in Cicero more nature and genius. That which characterizes Demofthenes more than any other circumftance, and in which he has never beenimitated, is fuch an abfolute oblivion of himself, and fo fcrupulous and conftant a folicitude to fupprefs all oftentation of wit. In a word, fuch a perpetual care to confine the attention of his auditors to his cause, and not to the Orator, that he never suffers any one turn of thought or expreffion to escape him, for no other view than merely to please and fhine. This reserve and moderation in fo amiable a genius as Demofthenes, and in matters fo fufceptible of grace and eloquence, adds perfection to his merit, and renders him fuperior to all praife. Cicero was fenfible of all the eftimation due to the eloquence of Demofthenes, and experienced all its force and beauty. But as he was perfuaded that an Orator, when he is enVOL. III, Thus have I given the parallel between thefe two celebrated Orators, to fhew wherein their different excellences confifted. To what can we attribute that total neglect of inftruction and application to this moft noble and useful fcience, where the honours and rewards attending a perfection in it are the first the state can confer or beftow? And though we have different masters for thofe lighter accomplishments, which tend neither to the benefit of the ftate, nor the advancement of individuals; but in this most important and neceffry of all endowments, our young nobility and gentry are left entirely to themfelves, deftitute of every affiftance, even in our univerfities, where we might expect fome attention would be paid to form them in what is fo effentially requifite to enable them to acquit themselves with propriety in these elevated stations in which they were to appear in the world. It is owing to this neglect that we have fo few at the bar, the pulpit, or in the fenate house, who really deferve the appellation of Orators. The encouragement at the bar is very great at prefent to fuch as are eminent; and yet out of fo great a number as appear in our courts of judicature, how very few are there that we can even bear to hear deliver their tedious harangues, without being affected with pain and difguft! C In the church, I think there are fewer fewer still in proportion, who have any pretenfions to true Oratory; there being no mean obferved between the unaffecting ftupid languor of fome, and the theatrical or enthusiastic wildnefs of others. And with refpect to the debates in our House of Commons, the whole bufinefs appears to be conducted by about a dozen perfons, out of five hundred and fifty, and upwards; the reft being in a manner mere cyphers, on account of their incapacity of delivering their fentiments upon the different fubjects that occur with grace and propriety. When Lord Chatham fat in that house, did he not by his highflown metaphors, bold affertions, and the irrefiftible power of his Oratory, intoxicate and enslave the whole houfe, and bring them to concur with him in any measure he propofed; infomuch that very few dared confide in their own judgments? And with refpect to our enemies the French in the late war, they confidered him in the fame light that Philip of Macedon did Demofthenes. This perfonage, as a reward for having out-ftripped the rest of his brother members of the House of Commons, held feveral lucrative em HIS GRACE's THINGS go confounded cross two of Wilkes's best friends chofen fheriffs-and the liverymen's petition unanimously agreed to and both carried without any oppofition. That curfed fellow in the King's Bench will be my overthrow at laft.-Surely that rafcal, Mungo, hath deceived me ;the dog may have pocketed the money I gave him to diftribute.-Thefe d-n'd Petitions will run like wildfire-one too likely from Surrey next and perhaps from every other English county. What must his M think of it? I can never ftand it :-What can be done?-Counter Addreffes have been tried in vain ;-the popular ftream runs 1 ploys in the state; received a legacy of ten thousand pounds from the duchess of Marlborough; a very confiderable landed eftate from Sir William Pynfent; had during his adininiftration a more abfolute power over the councils of this kingdom, and the lives and fortunes of its inhabitants, than any minifter ever had before; and this merely on account of fuperior ability in the fcience of Oratory. He then retired upon an earldom, and one of the moft honourable offices of the ftate, attended with little or no trouble in the difcharge; and this from no other foundation than a cornetcy of dragoons. I could enumerate feveral others who have advanced themselves by the fame means; for, in fhort, fo univerfal an afcendency has the power of eloquence over the minds of men, that a tolerable degree is admired and rewarded by fuitable advancement and encouragement, which might be a fuffi ient excitement, was there no other motive, to induce others to afpire at an excellency in a fcience fo highly honourable and beneficial, both to the state, and the individuals who profess it. SOLILOQUY. fo ftrong against me, all the money in the Twill not do ;-befides, there is now but little left there.I muft immediately call a private confultation of my fast friends.The Fox, Bullface, and the Beggar of Bloomsbury, thall be inftantly convened.- -What can they advife?I know not.We must call thefe Petitions disloyal, feditious, and traiterous-but fear we fhall not be believed.Things run fo very perverse, they distract me: They grieve me to the heart, they pain my head, And damp my vigour for the nuptial bed. To the EDITORS of the OXFORD MAGAZINE. (With the Political Wedding, an elegant Copper-plate) GENTLEMEN, WAS lately prefent at a very remarkable Wedding in Bedfordshire, and performed a fmall part in the ceremony. Herewith I fend you an ex |