fions to a profeffion, which refolution, perfeverance, activity in going about the duty of it, and above all, defpair of changing, will not fubdue: yet there are fome fuch. Wherefore, a child who refpects his parent's judgment, and is tender, as he ought' to be, of his happiness, owes, at least, fo much deference to his will, as to try fairly and faithfully, in one case, whether time and abfence will not quench his affection ? and in the other, whether a longer continuance in his profeffion may not reconcile him to it? The whole depends upon the experiment being made on the child's part with fincerity; and not merely with a defign of compaffing his purpose at laft, by means of a fimulated and temporary compliance. It is the nature of love and hatred, and of all violent affections, to delude the mind with a perfuafion that we shall always continue to feel them, as we feel them at prefent. We cannot conceive that they will either change or ceafe. Experience of fimilar or greater changes in ourselves, or a habit of giving credit to what our parents, or tutors, or books teach us, may controul this perfuafion; otherwise it renders youth very untractable: for they fee clearly and truly, that it is impoffible they thould be happy under the circumstances propofed to them in their present state of mind.After a fincere, but ineffectual endeavour, by the child, to ac commodate his inclination to his parent's pleasure, he ought not to suffer in his parent's affection, or in his fortunes. The parent, when he has reasonable proof of this, fhould acquiefce: at all events, the child is then at liberty to provide for his own happiness.

Parents have, on no account, a right to urge their children upon marriages, to which they are averfe; nor ought, in any fhape, to refent the children's disobedience of fuch commands. This is a different cafe from oppofing a match of inclination, because the child's mifery is a much more probable confequence; it being easier to live without a perfon that we love, than with one whom we hate. Add to this, that compulfion in marriage leads to prevarication; as the reluctant party promifes an affection, which neither exists, nor is expected to take place and parental, like all human, authority ceafes at the point, where obedience becomes criminal.'

Though we wished to have concluded our account of this valuable work in one article, yet we find that much still remains; so that we shall refume it at another opportunity.

Effays Hiftorical and Moral. By G. Gregory. 8vo.

Johnson.

55.

WE have received much pleasure from the perusal of these

Effays. The author, if not always exact or original, is generally entertaining and inftructive: if he does not penetrate the depth of his subject, and strike us with astonishment

at the novelty and comprehenfion of his ideas, we ought to remember that he writes only lighter effays; and we foon perceive, that he aims rather at an elegant concifeness, than at the more diffufe mode of compofition, which would leave nothing farther to add. He attempts to investigate the principles of moral action, through the medium of historical evidence,' and to difcriminate caufes' inftead of accumulating facts. Yet he fometimes fpeculates, and fometimes errs: his knowlege and learning are confiderable; the chief errors, and they are far from numerous, are in the deductions from facts. We mean not to blame the author even for his mistakes; to think with able men of different ages, may be no fault; though authority, on the other hand, cannot fanction errors. A deep penetration will detect them, and a happy boldness expofe them in their native colours; but many, who perceive the fault, are afraid of contradicting the concurrent opinion of ages, and it will require fomewhat more than difcernment to oppofe, with fuccefs, the moft rooted prejudices. Our author too often creeps with the croud, and, too cautious of a ftorm, feems afraid to foar above them.

of

The first Effay is on the Progrefs of Manners and Society. We are taught, he fays, that the human race is derived from one original stock; this opinion, our author thinks, is most agreeable to the great fimplicity obfervable in the works of Providence, and fupported by the moft ancient tradition of all nations. A more intimate acquaintance, however, with nature, feems to have raifed doubts on this fubject; and Mr. Gregory's reafoning, though defigned to remove, has rather strengthened them. He thinks, there is no evidence that the power climate is incapable of producing a difference in the external appearance, answerable to that which characterises the inhabitants of the different regions of the earth. We do not fufpect our author of having artfully increased the difficulty, by veiling it in a negative proportion. His ufual candour forbids it; but we shall add, that we have no reason to fuppofe a climate capable of producing this change: no inftance has yet been adduced, and different races of men, of different colours, fhapes, and manners, have been found in fituations very fimilar. The author again recurs to the subject, in a future esfay; and then alleges a ftrong argument in its favour, viz. the fertility of children, born from a mixed race; the contrary is, we know, obferved in animals of different species. This fact of natural hiftory is not, however, fo general as has been apprehended; but fince we are not now contending on the fubject, and only expreffing fome difficulties to direct future enquirers, we shall purfue our author's reafoning. Mr, Gre

gory

Our au

gory traces the different stages of society with accuracy, from the relation of different voyagers; but we strongly miftruft those observers, who tell us of nations without any trace of religion. It is remarkable that this hafty decifion very generally occurs, where the acquaintance is flight, and the opinion has been often retracted after frequent vifits. The fact is only of importance in the hiftory of the human mind: religion or infidelity would gain little by its establishment. thor feems to have little respect for the patriarchal form of government; and, in his opinion, a ftrong argument against it is, that a ftate of anarchy generally preceded the feudal fyf tem. But this mistake seems to have arifen from his not tracing the fubject to its fource. We shall have another occafion to refume it; and it will appear probable that, if the patriarchal fcheme is to be confidered as the first form of government, it must have preceded the ftate of anarchy. It is peculiar to this scheme, that, in the earlier ftages of population, it was the most obvious and most immediate preservation against confufion. The practical improvement to be deduced from our author's reafoning is of great confequence, and is worth tranfcribing.

As a corollary from the preceding Effay, it seems to follow, that improper means have ufually been employed for the civi lization of barbarous nations. Miffionaries have been fent among them, and schools have been erected for their inftruction, without effect. They are found incapable of receiving abstract ideas, or attending to any chain of reafoning on moral or religious topics. It is of little purpose to give a literary education to a few of the children of favages, fince it only ferves to render them different from the reft of the community, and unfit for that stage of fociety in which they are engaged. A nation, it appears, muft arrive at knowledge and civilization by proper gradations. The first application of which the mind feems capable, in a rude ftate, is to the mechanic arts, The introduction of these among uncivilized people will excite their curiofity and their emulation; and the conveniencies procured by means of these arts will always be a fufficient recommendation of them. If, therefore, it be the object of any government, or public inftitution, to civilize and inftruct a barbarous nation, let it not attempt to make divines and philofophers of the younger favages; let them be made carpenters, fmiths, boatbuilders, wheel-wrights, &c. and let the females be taught to fpin and to weave. The introduction of thefe arts will render the fociety ftationary, and an application to agriculture will fucceed.

"It is a fact now generally allowed, that Christianity can only be received by people whofe minds are difciplined, and capable of more continued attention than favages generally are. It is

D 4

found

found by experience too, that the moft fuccessful teachers of Christianity among rude nations, are the enthufiaftic and po pular. The oratory which is calculated to make an impreffion upon them, is inconfiftent with taste and science; nor are their minds fufficiently stayed and fedate for the cool regularity of established worship,'

The second Effay is on the Influence of Phyfical and Moral Causes on the human Mind.' The opinion of Montesquieu on this fubject is now nearly exploded: the effect is flight or tranfitory, and may be eafily counteracted. Mr. Gregory's arguments are juft; but not fufficiently remarkable to induce us to felect them.

⚫ Remarks on the History of Superftition' follow; but this is too extenfive a fubject for an Effay. The most remarkable circumstances, infifted on by our author, are polytheism, idolatry, divination and ordeal trials, facrifices, and the fabulpus tales of miraculous and terrific appearances.-The author's account of these subjects is generally correct and satisfactory; but he does not feem aware, that in more than one inftance he has followed the lively and excentric Voltaire. The following account is to be recommended for its judgment and exactness. It is not new, but an old acquaintance in an attractive and elegant attire.

Another, perhaps better, folution of the difficulty may be fought for on principles already noted in thefe Efays. It has been remarked, that the principle of barbarian juftice is revenge. It is therefore probable, that, figuring the Deity like themselves, a facrifice might be meant to appease his anger, as he could not be fatisfied without fome retribution. The Egyp tians imprecated the fins of the people upon the head of the lacrificed beaft; which indicates that they originally meant him to fuffer as a fubftitute for themselves. They alfo beat and mortified themselves during the facrifice, which has little appearance of a joyous ceremony in gratitude to Providence, or a convivial entertainment defigned for the Gods.

Probably, on the idea of atonement, human facrifices preceded every other. The nations which were extirpated by the Ifraelites ufed them, and we do not know that they used any other. This circumftance feems alluded to by one of the Jewish prophets, who, fpeaking in the character of a fuperftitious perfon, exclaims, "Shall I give my firft-born for my tranfgreffions? the fruit of my body for the fin of my foul?" The notion of vifiting the fins of the fathers upon the children feems intimately connected with this idea; and that fuch a notion was univerfal in the remote periods of antiquity, we have every reason to believe.

It has been already remarked, that human facrifices have been common, at one time or other, in every Pagan nation up,

on

on earth. The Magi who accompanied Xerxes, at a place call-ed The Nine Ways, facrificed nine youths, and as many vir gins, after the Persian manner, burying them alive. Ameftris the wife of Xerxes, arriving at an advanced age, facrificed in the fame manner fourteen noble children to that God, who they fay is beneath the earth. The circumftances attending the performance of this horrid rite, in most nations, afford additional proof, that the original intent of facrifice was to appease a malignant deity. We are well affured, that the o cafion was, in general, when fome public calamity befel the nation; and one perfon was felected to bear the fins or the misfortunes of the multitude. In Otaheite, on certain folemn days, the priest enters the morai, or temple, and, after staying fome time, returns and informs the people, that the deity demands a human facrifice; he then indicates the perfon, who is immediately feized, and beaten till he is dead. This dangerous power, we may well fuppofe, is much abused by the priests; and, to confirm it, the fuperftitious people are perfuaded, that if the priests invoke the evil genius, he will kill, by fudden death, him whom they chufe to mark out as a victim. We may readily imagine in what manner, and by what means, the intentions of his infernal majefty are fulfilled.

The first relaxation of this rigid branch of fuperftition is, when the exercife of it is confined to captives, or very inferior perfons: beasts are afterwards fubftituted; and at last the gods are fuppofed to content themfelves with an offering of the fimple fruits of the earth.

The confecration of particular perfons to the Deity, feems to be only a refinement upon the practice of offering human facrifices. I before had occafion to fhew, that the purest and most innocent perfons were originally fingled out as victims to the gods. The fame refinement takes place in the confecration of living offerings, if I may be allowed the expreffion. As foon as the idea of pollution came to be annexed to the intercourse of the fexes, it became a leading principle to dedicate to the gods the chaite and unpolluted.'

The next Effay is on certain moral Prejudices: it is connected with the former, fince they are both mental errors, though on different fubjects. Mr. Gregory fufpects a political motive to have been the original fource of many of thefe, particularly facrificing the immediate attendants of a king, on his death; or even the voluntary burning of the widow, which the neceffity of cuftom, fome time fince, had rendered indif penfable.

The fifth Effay contains, Obfervations on the Effects of Civilifation, and the Character of the prefent Times.' In this Effay, the author does not in general appear either ,а bigotted enthufiaft, or a splenetic fatirist. He examines with caution, and appreciates with justice. It is a melancholy re

mark,