an exemption from many of the pains and infirmities of old age, he had none of its defects. In so many months as I past continually in Ais company last year, I do not recollect a single instance of peevishness during the whole time. His temper always appeared equal. There was a perpetual flow of vivacity and good humour in his conversation, and the most attentive politeness in his behaviour. Nor was this the constrained effect of external and partial good breeding, but the natural turn of his mind; and operated so uni formly on all occasions, that I never heard him use a harsh, or even an uncivil, expression to any one of his servants.

"The world, without paying the tribute to his virtues, is, I find, sufficiently eloquent upon his faults; and his memory is severely treated. No partiality ought to make one defend what is not to be justified. Yet though his bounty was not equal to the great opportunities which he enjoyed of exerting it, he often did very kind and generous things. I know that a few days before his last illness he gave a hundred pounds to a man whom he knew only by character; and I have heard of many instances of the like sort.

"Indeed I believe his own disposition was naturally compassionate and generous; but his unfortunate connection with a wife of a very contrary disposition, and to whom he was too good-naturedly com pliant, had checked the tendency of his own heart, and induced a fatal habit, which he must find it difficult to alter at so advanced an age. Yet he nobly broke through it in paying above twenty thousand pounds of Lord Pulteney's debts, for which there could have been no legal demand on him. I know you will forgive me for saying so much on the subject of a friend for whose memory I shall always retain so high a degree of gratitude and affection. His loss appears so much the more grievous, as his death did not seem to be occasioned by the decay of old age. But God alone knows the proper time for all events."

It remains for us to offer a few remarks on the style in which this life is written. We have already objected to the minute and trivial circumstances occasionally related in it, as the public cannot be supposed to take much interest in them, however they may be treasured up in particular families. We should not have deemed it necessary to divert the reader from the narrative, by stating in a note that to Mrs. Montagu's friendship for Mrs. Carter, the author of these sheets is indebted for his Christian name, for many obliging attentions, and for a journey to Paris in 1776 still less should we have required another note in a distant part of the book, introduced, for the express purpose of relating that the said Mrs. Montagu, when performing the said journey, was not sea-sick on the passage from Dover to Calais; and we should fear that the diffidence of Mr. Hawkins Browne would be wounded at finding himself brought before the public, twice in one page, in the character of a charming little boy.' (p. 102.) The long 6 letters

letters from Tunbridge Wells, about Lady A, are full of witticisms that have lost their point, and might as well have been omitted. Though we are not insensible to the merit of economical exertions in a learned lady, we could have spared this author's-laboured panegyric on his heroine, for making a dozen shirts (p. 126.); and the complaint against the ravages of the bugs (p. 222.), as well as the ample register of her sentiments in reprobation of smuggling (p. 323). A vast number of the letters have neither use nor ornament, and we must observe in particular that Archbishop Secker appears to much. more advantage as a divine than as a man of wit. In the narrative we cannot omit to notice a great want of perspicuity; and a singular method is adopted of introducing the several characters to the reader, by describing their death in the first place, and then recounting the current incidents of their lives. Thus, no sooner is the first acquaintance of Mrs. Carter with Lord Lyttelton intimated, than the author gives the date of that nobleman's death in 1773, and inserts two long letters on that event in the nature of funeral orations; immediately after which we are amused with a most lively picture of his summer at Tunbridge in the year 1756. In the same manner, page 162 contains an account of the exit of Lord Bath, and the rumours that ensued: we naturally supposed that he had "fairly made his will," and quitted the stage altogether, but a very few pages elapse before he sets out on a journey to the continent, the youngest, the liveliest, and the healthiest of the whole travelling company.

We point out these defects, and desire to call the attention of the author to others of the same nature, because they may be easily remedied, not through any wish to detract from the merit of Mr. Pennington, who has executed his task with fidelity and general propriety. A little more time and care will make his life of Mrs. Carter a very attractive piece of biography; and we respect the unassuming modesty of his pretensions, as much as we honour the feelings of gratitude and veneration with which he always speaks of his excellent

relative and benefactress.

In the succeeding article, we shall contemplate an intimate friend and sister author of Mrs. Carter, with whom a strict correspondence was maintained, though it does not contribute to swell the pages of this volume.

ART.

ART. II. The Posthumous Works of Mrs. Chapone. Containing her Correspondence with Mr. Richardson, a Series of Letters to Mrs. Elizabeth Carter, and some fugitive Pieces never before published. Together with an Account of her Life and Character, drawn up by her own Family. Second Edition corrected, with some Additions. 12mo. 2 Vols. 8s. Boards. Murray. 1808.

WE E have perused these volumes with uncommon pleasure, since they display all the good sense and justness of thinking which we were prepared to expect by an acquaintance with the author's former productions, joined to the ease and unreserved frankness which compose the charm of confidential communications. The earlier letters are also distinguished by a brilliancy and a liveliness which are peculiar to the unclouded May of life; and in these we find it very amusing to contemplate the judgments passed on the works of authors who are now considered as classical, but were then awaiting, in trembling apprehension, the doom of public opinion. Richardson, Fielding, Young, Johnson, and many writers of inferior note, pass under the spirited examination of this fair reviewer; whose remarks have, in most instances, received the final sanction of the world at large.

The

This class of letters is addressed to Mrs. Carter, with whom a very intimate friendship did not prevent her correspondent from differing in many particular sentiments, as well as in their general systems of considering human affairs. former adopted the severe morality of her friend the Rambler, and pronounced the majority of mankind to be depraved and profligate; while the latter was more inclined to attribute the undeniable vices of her fellow creatures to weakness than to any natural propensity to evil, and was ready to make large allowance for unfortunate circumstances and strong temptations. This controversy forms the leading subject of discussion -between the two young ladies; and, though we are here presented with only the indulgent side of the question, (Mrs. Carter's letters having probably been destroyed at her own desire,) it is obvious that much spirit and ingenuity were displayed by both. The observations on Louis XIV. will enable the reader to form a pretty accurate judgment of the system adopted by Mrs. Chapone, (then Miss Mulso,) and will prove that her arguments were sometimes followed up with much subtlety, and with all the boldness of metaphysical adventure:

I am but now reading Voltaire's Louis XIV. which every body else has read long ago. How amazing it is to me that mankind should agree to dignify with the epithets of great and glorious, so black a character! Yet how if this man himself, the scourge RAY, JULY, 1808.

R

and

and enemy of human kind, should have been able to persuade himself, or suffer others to persuade him, that he was really acting a laudable and glorious part! Supposing this possible, is he not rather an object of compassion than of hatred, and should we not rather lament human blindness than exclaim against human wickedness? I am fond of this supposition, because it saves poor Louis some part of his guilt. Do tell me I am right, and let me fancy I have found an excuse or palliation even for a conqueror and persecutor.'

To this letter it appears that the stern accuser of human nature replied, by a general assertion that no circumstances could amount to a pailiation of vice on the plea of ignorance, because it is possible for every one to discover and understand his duties. I never can believe (said Mrs. Carter) that the infinitely good God should have placed any reasonable creature in such circumstances, as to be under an impossibility of distinguishing right from wrong, an impossibility of being virtuous, of being happy!" This broad general doctrine is seriously examined in the following judicious sentences:

Whoever acts agreeably to the best light he is able to obtain, and sincerely desires and intends to do what is right, is virtuous, and will, I doubt not, be happy. But that God has placed many human beings in such circumstances as make it impossible for them to distinguish right from wrong in all cases, and that even some of the wisest men, unassisted by the light of revelation, are liable to mistake in many important points of morality, is I think, undeniably true. It is an argument made use of by yourself, for the necessity of a divine revelation, that man, in his present depraved state, is not able of himself to discover all the truths which are requisite for him to know, in order to the regulation of his moral conduct. And this is certainly true of mankind in general, allowing that some few men, of great abilities, and much leisure from the common occupations of life, have, by slow deductions and laborious reasoning, discovered all the great duties of morality; and though great part of the world is now enlightened by the gospel, yet whole nations still remain in darkness, whom you cannot suppose accountable for all the immoralities which their ignorance, and the superstition they were bred up in, makes them commit, whilst their hearts are perhaps innocent of any evil intention. And though this was not the case of Louis, who must have had opportunities of knowing the truth, yet surely some extenuation of his crimes may be allowed, from the corruption of flattery, and the strength the passions gain by being continually fed and indulged. How plausible every argument appears which coincides with inclination, and how easily the understanding may be dazzled by plausibility, every one must at some period of their lives have experienced. Now, though no one can be perfectly innocent, who from indolence, or any other cause, neglects to employ the whole powers of his mind in the search of moral truth, and the detection of false arguments that tend to mislead his conduct, yet surely he who thus weakly or carelessly suffers himself to be misled, is less guilty

than

than he who knowingly and wilfully seeks the hurt and destruction of his fellow-creatures, and defies the commands of the living God, This mitigation of guilt was all I meant to plead for, with regard to poor Louis. But I think much more may be allowed for many of our fellow creatures, who, by the consequences of your argument, wonld stand condemned. That error may be innocent, both in faith and practice, is, in my opinion, as certain as that God is just and merciful, and will demand an account of no more than he has entrusted his servants with. That he has not made all his human creatures capable of equal perfection, is no more an imputation on his justice, than that he did not make them equal to the angels. The intention of the heart, which only the great Searcher of hearts can know, is surely that by which every individual shall be judged, and it is for this reason, I suppose, that we are repeatedly forbidden to judge and condemn one another.'

It argues a very uncommon degree of modesty that this lady was shaken in the opinion so elaborately and clearly expressed, by the authority of the person with whom she disagreed; 'and we may be inclined to suspect that the two antagonists might possibly exchange opinions, as the Catholic and Protestant brothers are said to have terminated an angry religious conference by each embracing the other's creed: but our fair moralist was still beset by doubts and perplexities, which are stated in a striking manner in a letter which evidently refers to the before mentioned disputes:

I think there was always a difference in our opinions concerning the innocence of error. My own has been much staggered by the reverence I have for yours on all subjects of this kind; and I have now no firm and settled opinion about it. The merit of faith, if you confine the sense of the word to mere belief, always appeared to me a point of great difficulty. I wish you would give me your thoughts at large on the subject; particularly I would ask wherein the merit of belief consists? how far is it voluntary and also, whether you do not think it possible for demonstrable truths to be proposed to a mind incapable of perceiving the demonstration, though willing to receive truth, and this, exclusive of the cases of lunacy and folly?-incapacity must of course be innocent. And there are circumstances which I believe may render a person of sound understanding, incapable of sound reasoning on some one subject; and these circumstances may not be matter of choice, but necessity as for example, the strong bias of education and early prejudices. Experience shews us how very difficult it is to get the better of these; and the question with me is, whether it is even possible to some minds to get the better of them. When I see the strange absurdities the human mind is capable of, and the infinite variety of opinions that prevail amongst men, I shudder at the thought of condemning any person for his opinion; and yet when I consider that opinion is that which governs all our actions, it should seem that opinion alone constitutes the man good or bad, and that on the due