fians, or even the Ruffians, compared with the vicinity, There is a conftant and indifcriminate outcry against places We cannot take our leave of this lively and piquant work ART. XVIII. Sermons on practical Subjects; by the Rev. Philip The Rev, Philip Holland was defcended, in the maternal X See the Correspondance, Review for February. In In morals, he was attached to the benevolent fyftem of Hutchefon*, the celebrated profeffor of ethics in the University of Glasgow. In forming his opinions, Mr. Holland examined with diligence, and decided with deliberation. He laid little stress on principles which feemed to him doubtful, or of inferior confequence. From the general ftrain of his fermons, he might have been called the Chriftian moralift: but, where he thought proper to infift on controverted topics, he ufually endeavoured to keep out of fight his own opinion and authority, and laid down the evidence on each fide, with that impartiality and candour which might enable his hearers to form a fair judgment for themselves. He was a firm and fteady friend to civil and religious liberty, and, on feveral public occafions, ftrenuously exerted himself in its fupport. As a preceptor he had great merit. On the first principles of language and numbers, his ideas were remarkably clear and diftinct. Short grammars and long exercise books, a few rules, and many examples, were in his opinion the best means of attaining the knowlege of any language. He admired and he purfued the method of double tranflation. In catechetical exercifes for the purpose of religious inftruction, he made ufe of fhort difcourfes, or effays, with queftions placed at the end of each, to exercife the underftanding as well as the memory in difcovering and repeating the proper answers. A catechifm was, in his mind, a grammar of religion; and the works of nature and the word of God were the exercife books of examples. Of his public spirit he gave many proofs, particularly in his active exertions respecting a fund established for the benefit of the widows and children of diffenting minifters, and in behalf of the Warrington Academy, from its commencement to its diffolution.-The editors have not enabled us to add the dates of Mr. Holland's birth and death. The character of thefe fermons may be in fome measure inferred from the preceding particulars refpecting the author. The fubjects are, for the most part, practical; fuch as, the benefit of religious worship; the properties of heavenly wifdom; reproof; felf knowlege; friendship; on the duty of Chriftians as lights for the world, &c Thofe of a more theoretical caft are, on the goodness of God; the nature of the Chriftian inftitution; the converfion and character of St. Paul; the refurrection of Chrift; the teftimony of the Spirit; the teftimony of the Apostles. These fubjects are not treated in a loose and declamatory manner, but with great logical precifion. The He was not, as has been elsewhere erroneously ilated, a Hutchinfonian, or follower of Hutchinfon, the mystic. 1. 4 author author has ftudiously avoided all rhetorical ornament, and has even carried his fondness for fimplicity fo far as to enervate his ftyle but he feldom fails to exprefs himself with the ftricteft accuracy. His moral ideas and arguments are fometimes trite, but they are always adapted to practical ufe; and the difcourses on these topics bear ftrong marks of a folid judgment, and of a competent acquaintance with human life and manners. On controverfial fubjects, which are fparingly introduced, he declares his fentiments with great caution and diffidence. We add, as a fpecimen of Mr. Holland's ftyle, his explanation of the moral quality of gentleness: • Gentleness is the expreffion of humility and meeknefs in our converse with mankind. This virtue is vifible in the discourse of those who poffefs it. It preferves them from all harsh and fevere expreffions, and from every degree of cenforioufnefs aud uncharitableness. A man of gentle spirit will always fpeak to his neighbour, and of him, with the utmost candour. He will never mention the faults of any one but when it is neceffary. Even then, whether the person in fault be prefent or abfent, he will treat him with fuch tenderness, as to give no real caufe of offence. He is always defirous to please, when he cando it confiftently with integrity, and with the general good of mankind. He is always willing to be pleafed, and to put the beft conftruction upon the endeavours which are afed for this purpofe. Hence, thofe who wish to ferve him, however unsuccessful their endeavours may be, or however unhappily they be expreffed, in his opinion, confer an obligation upon him. Thofe, alfo, who defire and defign to hurt or difoblige him, will find that even his anger, or refentment, is tempered with gentlenefs, and that he will proceed to no greater extremities than reafon and benevolence will justify. In fome, this gentleness appears to be a kind of natural gift, fo as to render them almost incapable of any behaviour, or any language inconfiftent with it. In others, it is acquired by reflection and exercife. The former is generally more graceful and amiable, the latter is, at leaft, equally meritorious; the former will find a furer way to the hearts of men, the latter will bring the understanding and judgment over to its fide, and cause them to applaud the victory which a man has gained over himfelf. The fincere expreffions of it, whether from nature or habit, deferve approbation and love; but the counterfeit is not of the leaft value. There is no condition in life, in which this amiable difpofition may not be exercifed. Where is the man who has it not in his power to hurt any of his fellow-men? He may, therefore, exprefs the gentlenefs of his heart, by fteadily and uniformly abftaining from that conduct which will have this effect. But he may difcover the goodnefs of his heart towards thofe, alfo, whom he is not capable of hurting, by his care not to displease or grieve them, unneceffarily, and by his conftant attention to that line of behaviour by which he may please and gratify them. In this way, may a child, a fervant or a subject, fhow himfelf gentle towards a father, a mafter, or a governor; and, in like manner, any other inferior towards his fuperior. But the higher fituations of life afford the most ample field for the cultivation and exercise of this branch of benevolence. It is one of the offices of charity which appears with the greatest beauty in those who have it most in their power to act contrary to it. The father of a family, whole heart is poffeffed with this virtue, will exercife his authority feadily, but with tenderness. He will not fail to notice the faults of his children, and will take every method, which his prudence can fuggeft, to prevent the repetition of them, but he will very carefully obferve the apoftolic injunction, not to provoke his children to wrath, or to discover any bitterness to them. If he ever treat them with any feverity, as foon as they fhall appear to be humbled by it, he will encourage them by his returning kindnefs, and convince them that he does a violence to his own heart, when he ufes any other language, or adopts any other behaviour to them than what is moft kind and affectionate. The gentleness of a mafter to his fervants will, in like manner, direct to that behaviour which will make a state of subjection the eafieft to them, and the remembrance of their dependance the least irksome to their minds. To make them a just return for their fervices, according to mutual agreement, and to add a proper acknowledgment for any extraordinary labour, is no more than common equity. Nor will a gentle nature fail to pay a certain attention which, particularly in fickness, domeftics have a right to require. Their faults fhould be blamed in a manner fitted to encourage their return to their duty, and to make their fubjection fit as eafy upon their minds as is confiftent with the nature and defign of the relation between masters and fervants. The effect of gentlenefs in higher governors is eafily conceived, and, after what has been obferved, needs not to be defcribed. Its influence on the intercourse between equals and friends, and the pleafing direction which it will give to all their endeavours to ferve and please one, another, are fufficiently obvious.' To thofe readers who have a tafte for moral truth, in a plain. and fimple drefs, we recommend thefe difcourfes as adapted to afford them no fmall degree of pleafure and improvement. ART. XIX. A Narrative of Facts relating to a Profecution for High Treafon; including the Addrefs to the Jury, which the Court refufed to hear: with Letters to the Attorney General, Lord Chief Juftice Eyre, Mr. Serjeant Adair, the Honourable Thomas Erskine, and Vicary Gibbs, Efq. and the Defence the Author had prepared, if he had been brought to Trial. By Thomas Holcroft. 8vo. 3s. 6d. Symonds. 1795. WE learn from hiftory that, at various periods, the people of this country have been alarmed by reports of plots and confpiracies, which in the end were found to be completely imaginary; that the alarms were generally propagated by factious individuals, to answer fome immediate political purpose; and that the well-meaning many were made the dupes of the defigning few. The fecrets of thofe periods being laid open to us E. us by hiftorians, we are not at a lofs to account for the events recorded by them. We fee one unprincipled party endeavouring to fupplant another as unprincipled perhaps as itself, and employing, without fcruple or remorfe, every means, however wicked and infamous, that were likely to conduce to fuch an end. The cafe of the late profecutions for treason is of a very different complexion indeed, and will probably puzzle our lateft pofterity. The exiftence of a confpiracy in our days to overturn the Conftitution has been afferted, not merely by this or that faction, not by this or that defcription of men, but by the united voice of the King, Lords, and Commons of the land; who made it a ground for paffing a new act, empowering the crown to imprifon fufpected perfons, without being obliged to bring them to trial within the time limited by law, or allowing them the other benefits of the habeas corpus act. The declaration thus folemnly made by the legislature was confirmed by a grand jury of the county of Middlefex, who found a billagainst twelve individuals charged with the guilt of imagining the death of the king, and confpiring to effect a forcible diffolution of the prefent form of government. Reafoning, à priori, no man could with propriety fuppofe that a conspiracy, attefted by fuch authorities, could be imaginary; every man muft, on the contrary, be difpofed to prefume that however innocent the particular individuals accufed might eventually appear, the exiftence of the conspiracy itself must be established beyond a doubt. How great, then, must be his furprife on finding that three fucceffive petit juries were not able to discover a trace or shadow of a plot fo authoritatively afferted by the legislature to exift, and fo ftrongly countenanced by the conduct of a grand jury? The facts contained in the report made by the Committee of the Houfe of Commons, and which were urged as the groundwork of the act of parliament that we have already mentioned, were almost all either proved or admitted on the trials: but the juries, fo far from inferring from them the existence of a treafonable confpiracy, fully difcharged the accufation, and acquitted the prisoners. It is evident that the Attorney-general himself was convinced that the verdicts went not merely to the acquittal of the accufed, but flruck at the very foundation of the charge itfelf; for he allowed four of the perfons indicted to be ditcharged without trial, declining to bring against them that evidence which he had found to be infufficient to convict the three who were fuppofed to have been moft guilty. In a word, with refpect to them, the charge was completely abandoned; and their innocence was acknowleged by him whofe duty it was to procure a verdict against them, had it been in his power fo to do by legal means. This recognition of their innocence goes |