Sir A. Elton's injudicious praise induced me to read, is contained so much nonsense or real ignorance, that I cannot avoid saying it disgustingly lies throughout. That she was paid there can be no doubt. No hireling, to render the war popular, (and the child unborn may rue the day it became so) could be more venal, or less respect truth and decency. Christianity and philosophy owe her no obligation, she has profited little from both; and in H. More's VILLAGE POLITICs, they are equally unamiable.

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If she had any regard for human happiness, or her own reputation, for truth or intelligence, she would, instead of introducing it into her works, have disowned the piece.

She, however, appears not to be ignorant of what liberality and charity mean; and this renders her perversion of fact, and studious and deliberate falsehood, the more lamentable. In a work of imagination, she was at liberty to form and cast her characters in her own moulds; but in an argument of facts to falsifie, is a demonstration of wretched venality. Although but few Britons covet republicanism, no man but for hire will deny that mankind have lived as happily under a democratical form of government as any other. Had she forgot, or did she ever learn, that the world owes all its knowledge in arts and science, all its civilization to the Grecian and Roman republics? Has man tasted no happiness in Carthage, Venice, Switzerland or Holland; and are the inhabitants of the United States, because their government is representative, to be wretched and contemptible? The

writer of this is a sincere and strenuous friend to the mixed form of government established in Britain; and he belongs to two privileged orders; but he is also a friend to truth, justice, and liberality. Excellence, sublimity of genius, elegant taste, eminence in arts and sciences, are confined to no country or political constitution.

But the war-whoop of party must be sung; the dogs of war must be let loose; France was a fine subject of partition, a spacious theatre for the ambitious, an immense source of endless plunder for the rapacious soldier: war is an inexhaustible mine for the voracious contractor, who is to be enriched by the ruin of millions, to be made happy by the miseries of mankind, and for the hordes of the profligate and needy, ready at all times to engage in any cause where exists the prospect of fattening on slaughter, and revelling in blood, rising on their country's ruin; and H. More, must also, for a mite, sound her hoarse ministerial rattle, shew her, self a woman of contracted philosophy, of religion without charity, of piety without mercy, of knowledge without discrimination, by joining in the cry, and vociferate, with Amazonian fury, Hark! forward! Out come "Tommy Bull's advice to Johnny Bull" Village Politics, and other trash, of a more fatally inebriating quality than the gin of which she complains; and Jack Anvil, and Tom Hod, and millions more, are infatuated and deluded to join in the chace, and continue in the delirious attempt of teaching others how to arrange their domestic affairs and cook their victuals, what they shall eat and drink for nine long years, till after having had

their own heads and their neighbour's broken, and spent more money than they will be ever able to pay, when they return from the public-house, and find that the OLD MANSION, the constitution, instead of being improved in their absence, has greatly dilapidated by their dissipation and neglect. How much more amiable and becoming her profession of christianity, and more characteristic of female feeling; how much would humanity now owe to her, supposing her to have influence, if she had exerted herself in favour of peace, and against the shedding of human blood! But her innate disposition and her venality, led her to sanguinary deeds, and whenever she heard of a battle, instead of retiring to shed tears over the miseries which pride, ambition, and injustice, were bringing on the human race, and praying that the whole earth might be re-christianized, and the kingdoms of the world become kingdoms of Christ, she brought her punch in a "lordly dish," and like the uneducated and unbaptized companion of an Indian chief, boasting of her number of scalps, she rejoiced over the havoc, and taught the people to thirst for more! This is well known. Not such the conduct of the brave and virtuous, the true christian.

In this manner a revolution become necessary by ages of tyranny, effected without a drop of bloodshed, by promising immediate happiness not only to twenty-four millions of Frenchmen, but probably to all the nations of the earth, became an object of envy and hatred to the surrounding nations; individuals, therefore, conspire against it, and crusades are undertaken to defeat its establishment, and

heaven and earth are moved, and the pens and the tongues of the venal employed to blacken and disgrace the very name of liberty; insomuch, that it was profane and criminal, even in England, to pronounce the word; and the people of that nation are instigated to massacre one another. All these crimes are charged to liberty; and to these H. M. gave her voice. No man abhors more than I do the French enormities.

That this criticism may not be considered as malicious, let the reader only look at the answer she makes her Jack Anvil give to Tom Hod's question of "What dost thou take French liberty to be?" and the seven following interrogatories, and then, giving the devil his due, let him judge and pronounce whether she be a temporizing venal creature. Let him read also the answer to the question, "Dost thou then believe they are as cruel as some folks pretend?" And let him determine whether she be hypocrite, christian, liar or what. Has she not leaped for joy when she heard of the slaughter of thousands on both sides? All this is in direct opposition to the principles of christianity, of which she makes so much profession.

It would seem that superstition had hitherto been a necessary ingredient in every, even the purest religion. This drove men to a contempt of all religion, to infidelity and atheism, with which the French are charged. But if religion were purified of superstition and refined to pure christianity, then philosophers would become christians.

VOL. II. DRAMAS.

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ABOUT this time Miss H. More was attending the play-houses, picking up all the knowledge she could meet with, to qualify herself for a play-wright. She had, it is said, more than one offer of matrimony. A gentleman on the stage made her proposals, which were listened to for a considerable time but his troop decamping, on his departure with them, a sea captain next presented himself. During the sailor's visits, and while his vessel was prepáring for her voyage, a man of good fortune made his appearance, and being dressed in a red coat, always ensnaring of the female heart, every attention was paid him, and love obtained an easy victory; but after a long and tedious courtship, whether owing to her violence of temper, or to what cause, I have not been able to discover, it ended in a separation. I have, however, heard many anecdotes not worth relating. It was at this time too, she met with an advantageous bargain, by purchasing an annuity of 2001. a year for her life, at a very easy rate.

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She was now, on the addition of 2001. a year, and her interest in the school, increasing her larity daily, for money recommends; and her sacred dramas, which were much puffed by her party among the methodists, contributed to her advancement.

Her books, though trifling, always added to her income, for the saints took care to buy them. Her plays, and her attachment to the play-house, as her finances permitted it, induced her to pass a