a good night's sleep, he will declare himself little obliged to those who administered the poisonous draught, that inflamed his brain with the phrenzy of breaking his own and his neighbour's head, and staying ten years at the public-house (a vice in another part of her works she by non-descriptisms desires to cure) to mortgage his estate to three hundred millions. "The child unborn may rue "the day." From the author of that pamphlet, except the reprobation of atheism, in which we all unite with her, no good can be expected. It is a farrago of falsehoods. From her blood-loving, hypocritical cant, the world, when she shall be better known, will learn but little virtue, little truth, little rational or true piety.

VOL. VII.

STRICTURES ON FEMALE EDUCATION:

TO correct the taste, to reform the manners, to revive the dormant religion of a nation, by endeavouring to stir up the gift of God which “was in them," is not only patriotic, but benevolent. But the question is, how to do this, by what means, and by whom; and whether that which is proposed, be a reformation or deformation of taste. That Mrs. More has strong feelings of piety, that she has benevolence, and that part of charity called alms-giving, I will not deny; but I much doubt whether that degree of nondescript puritanism, which she with considerable

address so earnestly labours to resuscitate, be not as dangerous to the present and future happiness of a people, as that universal indifference, the existence of which, she, to make her own nostrum more acceptable, endeavours to prove, even if we should not enquire whether she have or have not, as has been lately surmised, any GRAND SCHEME or private object in view. Viewing the temporary mania, for it was but temporary, that suddenly arose in France to disgrace the cool temper, wise means, the liberal and extensively benevolent objects of the first stages of the revolution, with that horror it so justly excited, and which the friends of war and bloodshed, the despotic and tyrannically inclined, in this and every other country, never failed to magnify and exaggerate, I should appear void of penetration, and deficient in logical discrimination, if I suffered a particular censure to pass as a general imputation. This indeed was the potion too long infused into the cup of the people, and which, as our present Minister, Mr. Addington, is reported to have publicly declared, "brought the nation " to the brink of ruin," and made necessary peace on any terms, which delirated the mass, perverted reason, corrupted integrity, and paralyzed individual virtue. Of this cup, H. More has, herself, copiously drank, and abundantly administered to the intoxication of others. It was a suitable theme for her violent and tragical temper; and were she to live a thousand years, and so earnestly pray as to sweat às it were " drops of blood," her

guilt, even in that respect, would not be expiated. Of the murders of thousands, which she favoured and promoted, may she " repent with a repentance "not to be repented of."

With this leaven she studies to leaven the whole mass of the people; and lest the errors of the church of Rome, by acts of our legislature long ago declared" damnable," should be cancelled, and replaced by other French errors equally damnable, (for in damnation, I conceive, there are no degrees) she recommends, even in "Strictures on Female "Education," p. 5, unanimity, " in boldly and

nobly opposing" the French hydra, this centaur, the enemy of " religion, order, and govern"ments," lest the Vicar of Christ should loose the guardianship of the keys of heaven and hell, whose priests impiously pronounced themselves, as history relates, greater than God, because they "could create God, by converting a wafer into "the body and blood of God." To describe then, with impartiality and a sincere regard to truth and justice, the professed and real object of the French revolution in the fewest words, as well as that of the war we have madly carried on, which began in iniquity, and has ended in disgrace, is to sayThe object of the French was the reformation of their own government, and the general amelioration of human society; but the neighbouring nations, to disgrace liberty, drove them to madness. England made war to monopolize the commerce of the world. Politics, however, now and then afford H. More a topic of declamation, and the popularity of her

works is thereby enhanced. But let us wait a little. Johnny Bull and Tommy Bull have not yet had a good night's rest. They have not had time to blink at each other's black eyes,

"So politic, as if one eye

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Upon the other were a spy;

That, to trepan the one to think

"The other blind, both strove to blink."

to bind up their wounds, and count the money in their pockets. When they shall have done this, with how much pleasure will they read " Cheap "Tracts," written manifestly to popularize war. This then is" seriousness," pure christianity, " evangelical virtues, self-abasement, secret habits "of self-controul, secret combat and silent victory, "vital christianity!"

Having been furnished with matter for a longer paragraph than usual, by duelling and single combat (p. 27) this re-christianizer of the British nation has a hard scratch (p. 33) at "General History, "Natural History, Travels, Voyages, Lives, Encyclopædias, Criticisms, and Romances," determined to make them all non-descripts, at all hazards.

"In animadverting farther on the reigning evils which ❝ the times more particularly demand that women of rank "and influence should repress, Christianity calls upon them "to bear their decided testimony against every thing which "is notoriously contributing to the public corruption. It "calls upon them to banish from their dressing-rooms, (and "oh, that their influence could banish from the libraries of "their sons and husbands!) that sober and unsuspected mass "of mischief, which, by assuming the plausible names of "Science, of Philosophy, of Arts, of Belles Lettres, is

gradually administering death to the principles of those "who would be on their guard, had the poison been labelled "with its own pernicious title, Avowed attacks upon re"velation are more easily resisted, because the malignity is

advertised. But who suspects the destruction which lurks 66 under the harmless or instructive names of General His"tory, Natural History, Travels, Voyages, Lives, Encyclopædias, Criticism, and Romance."

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Ye Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Dublin! O Eton and Westminster, Ye Royal and Antiquary Societies, Royal Academy and Institutes, Ye Walkers, Kirwans, and Beddoes! What is to become of you, and all your pupils and eleves! Ye Arts and Sciences, ye are now by Hannah More, for the nation is to follow the suggestions of her paper-kite strictures, or she will have her fits and scratch! Ye are to be dismissed for ever; and non-descript preachers, H. Young, and Mr. Harward, the holy fathers of the desart, the nine parsons, are to take your places. You are "avowed enemies," she says, " to revelation !"

"Who," she adds, "will deny that many of these works ❝ contain much admirable matter; brilliant passages, important facts, just descriptions, faithful pictures of nature, "and valuable illustrations of science? But while the "dead fly lies at the bottom,' the whole will exhale a "corrupt and pestilential stench."

Gentlemen! The British ladies are called upon by H. More, to

"Banish by their influence from their sons and husbands, "libraries, that sober and unsuspected mass of mischief, un"der the plausible names of Science, of Philosophy, of Arts, " of Belles Lettres, &c. Avowed attacks upon revelation