ples on which his arguments against any infringements of the liberties of man were founded. His writings breathe any thing but the spirit of a partial advocate for a favourite class, and it is impossible to conceive that such a man, if conscious of even a momentary concession to arbitrary or temporizing policy, should not attempt to shield himself from the obvious charge of inconsistency by some apology or palliation.

The acts of Las Casas, in this very year, form a striking comment on what must have been his feelings upon the question, and the means which suggested themselves to his mind, as most honourable to his country, and most consistent with sound policy as well as enlightened humanity. We actually find him zealously employed in collecting a number of Spanish labourers, to whom, by the permission of government, he held out inducements to proceed with him to the colonies; and, if this plan failed, it was not for want of the unwearied exertions of this disinterested friend of his species.

The seeds of error were, however, sown, and historians found the topic favourable for declamation. The tale would turn a paragraph with effect, and no one inquired whether it

was true.

Las Casas had many enemies; two centuries later he would have had still more, for cruelty and rapaciousness would have had more time to know the value of the ill-gotten plunder, which his efforts were directed towards preventing. It is not very probable, that all would have refrained from the practical answer which his conduct would have offered to his arguments. We find they were not slow in fixing the blame of their enormities at the door of others. One of their earliest resources was to ascribe the desolation and depopulation of America to the intolerant and fanatic zeal of the church. How willing would they have been to attribute the miseries of their slaves to Las Casas, the indefatigable labourer in the benevolent task of conciliating and civilizing the minds of the natives; of whom he observes, that it was far easier to make them Christians, than to keep their oppressors so!

Nothing is more unfounded than the charges attempted to be brought by the oppressors of America against the missionaries, who spread over the country in the pious work of conversion. Above all, the Dominicans are entitled to the highest praise, and their mode of conversion is worthy of imitation, even in these more enlightened days of zeal for bringing in the Heathen. Their plan was to conciliate the natives by perpetual and unwearied acts of kindness, to teach them useful arts, and to better their temporal, as well as spiritual, condition: whatever became of their doctrines, they did good, and paved the way for the reception of higher degrees of moral improvement.

Marmontel has lent his name to the absurd and ignorant X cry against fanaticism, as the cause of the destruction of the Indians. The time is, we hope, past, when any one who has learned to repeat with emphasis the words superstition and fanaticism, can set up for a philosopher. No assertion was ever more unjust, and opposed to every line of authentic history. Almost without exception, the ecclesiastics of America were the active, nay (if in any thing), the fanatic opposers of the cruelty, avarice, and ambition of the settlers. It was not religion which brought on the misery of the natives; on the contrary, it was religion, and religion alone, which lifted up its voice and its exertions against the oppressors, and has received its reward in all the calumnies which thwarted vice could heap upon the men who stood in the gap of destruction.

Having thus taken a view of the allegations against Las Casas, we willingly leave it with any impartial judge to say, whether they can be considered as proved against a man, whose works and writings were always founded on honest, straight-forward principles of attachment to liberty on the widest basis. On all occasions, we have found him strenuously advocate the equal rights of all men, without distinction of colour, religion, or country; in short, every principle which he professed gives the lie to the calumny attached to his name.

Few men have employed so long a life in such eminent services towards mankind. The friends of religion, morality, and liberty, owe the tribute of the deepest respect to his memory. He was the ornament and benefactor of America, and deserves to be the glory of Europe which gave him birth. We discharge this duty to his memory, not only because we think it of some importance that history should be a tissue of truth rather than of falsehood, but because we feel a consolation in observing, that the enormities practised on America were not without their counterbalance in the heroic virtue of some of the champions of freedom and humanity. We have a duty to discharge, as well towards the departed as towards posterity, and none more sacred than that of tearing down the mark of disgrace, that would disfigure the escutcheon of a great and good man who has descended into the tomb. His talents and virtues often place him in advance of the age in which he lives, and his only appeal for protection and due estimation is to posterity; to it descend his good deeds and his example, and with them should pass the obligation of rendering that debt of homage and respect, which was denied to him by his cotemporaries.

ART. VII.-The Life of Bishop Latimer, as compiled from Fox's Book of Martyrs. Three Volumes, folio, (black letter) 1641.

The worthy champion, and old practised soldier of Christ, Master Hugh Latimer, was the son of one Hugh Latimer, of Thureaston, in the county of Leicester, a husbandman of right good estimation; with whom also he was brought up until he was of the age of four years or thereabouts. At which time his parents (having him as then left for their only son, with six daughters,) seeing his ready, prompt, and sharp wit, purposed to train him up in erudition and knowledge of good literature; wherein he so profited in his youth, at the common schools of his own county, that at the age of fourteen years, he was sent to the university of Cambridge; where, after some continuance of exercises in other things, he gave himself to the study of such school divinity as the ignorance of that age did suffer. Zealous he was then in the Popish religion, and therewith so scrupulous, as himself confessed, that being a priest, and using to say mass, he was so servile an observer of the Romish decrees, that he thought he had never sufficiently mingled his massing wine with water; and, moreover, that he should never be damned if he were a professed friar, with divers such superstitious fantasies. And in this blind zeal he was a very enemy to the professors of Christ's gospel, as both his oration made when he proceeded bachelor of divinity against Philip Melancthon, and also his other works, did plainly declare. But, especially, his popish zeal could in no case abide in those days good Master Stafford, reader of the Divinity Lectures in Cambridge; most spitefully railing against him, and willing the youth of Cambridge in no wise to believe him. Notwithstanding such was the goodness and merciful purpose of God, that when he saw his good time, by the which way he thought to have utterly defaced the professors of the gospel and true church of Christ, he was at length himself, by a member of the same, prettily caught in the blessed net of God's word. For Mr. Thomas Bilney, being at that time a trier out of Satan's subtilities, and a secret overthrower of Antichrist's kingdom, seeing Master Latimer to have a zeal in his ways, although without knowledge, was stricken with a brotherly pity towards him, and bethought by what means he might best win this zealous ignorant brother to the true knowledge of Christ. Wherefore, after a short time, he came to Master Latimer's study, and desired him to hear him make his confession. Which thing he willingly granted; by hearing whereof he was, through the good spirit of God, so touched, that hereupon he forsook

his former studying of the school doctors, and other such fopperies, and became an earnest student of true divinity, as he himself, as well in his conference with Master Ridley, as also in his first sermon made upon the Paternoster, doth confess.

So that whereas before he was an enemy, and almost a persecutor, of Christ, he was now a zealous seeker after him; changing his old manner of reviling and railing, into a diligent kind of conferring, both with Master Bilney and others, and came also to Master Stafford, before he died, and desired him to forgive him. After this his winning to Christ, he was not satisfied with his own conversion only, but, like a true disciple of the blessed Samaritan, pitied the misery of others, and therefore became both a public preacher, and also a private instructor to the rest of his brethren within the university, by the space of three years, spending his time partly in the Latin tongue among the learned, and partly amongst the simple people in his natural and vulgar language. Howbeit, as Satan never sleepeth when he seeth his kingdom to begin to decay: so likewise now, seeing that this worthy member of Christ would be a shrewd shaker thereof, he raised up his impious imps to molest and trouble him. Amongst these there was an Augustine friar, who took occasion, upon certain sermons that Master Latimer made about Christmas, 1529, as well in the church of St. Edward, as also in St. Augustine's, within the university of Cambridge, to inveigh against him; for that Master Latimer, in the said sermons, alluding to the common usage of the season, gave the people certain cards out of the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of St. Matthew, whereupon they might, not only then but always else occupy their time. For the chief triumph in the cards he limited the heart, as the principal thing, that they should serve God withal; whereby he quite overthrew all hypocritical and external ceremonies not tending to the necessary furtherance of God's holy word and sacraments. For the better attaining hereof, he wished the scriptures to be in English, whereby the common people might the better learn their duties, as well to God as their neighbours.

The handling of this matter was so apt for the time, and so pleasantly applied of him, that not only it declared a singular towardness of wit in the preacher, but also wrought in the hearers much fruit, to the overthrow of popish superstition, and setting up of perfect religion.

This was upon the Sunday before Christmas day; on which day, coming to the church, and causing the bell to be tolled to a sermon, he entered into the pulpit, taking for his text the words of the gospel aforesaid, read in the church that day; Tu quis es, &c. In delivering the which cards, as is abovesaid, he made the heart to be triumph, exhorting and in

viting all men thereby to serve the Lord with inward heart and true affection, and not with outward ceremonies; adding, moreover, to the praise of that triumph, that though it were never so small, yet it would take up the best court card beside in the bunch, yea, though it were the king of clubs; i. e. meaning thereby how the Lord would be worshipped and served in simplicity of heart and verity, wherein consisteth true Christian religion, and not in the outward deeds of the letter only, or in the glistering show of man's traditions or pardons, pilgrimages, ceremonies, bows, devotions, voluntary works, and works of supererogation, foundations, oblations, the pope's supremacy, i. e. so that all these either were needless where the other is present, or else were of small estimation in comparison of the other.

It would ask a long discourse to declare what a stir there was in Cambridge upon this preaching of Master Latimer. Belike Satan began to feel himself and his kingdom to be touched too near, and therefore thought it time to look about him, and to make out his men of arms. First came out the prior of the black friars called Buckneham, otherwise surnamed Domine Dewface, who, thinking to make a great head against M. Latimer, about the same time of Christmas, when M. Latimer brought forth his cards to deface belike the doings of the other, brought out his Christmas dice, casting them to his audience cinque and quater; meaning by the cinque five places of the New Testament, and the four doctors by the quater; by which his cinque quater, he would prove that it was not expedient for the Scripture to be in English, lest the ignorant vulgar sort, through the occasion thereof, might haply be brought in danger to leave their vocation, or else to run into some inconvenience: as for example: The ploughman, when he heareth this in the gospel, No man that layeth his hand on the plough and Looketh back is meet for the kingdom of God;' might, peradventure, hearing this, cease from the plough. Likewise, the baker, when he hears that a little leaven corrupted a whole lump of dough, may, percase, leave our bread unleavened; and so our bodies shall be unseasoned. Also, the simple man, when he heareth the gospel, If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee,' may make himself blind and so fill the world full of beggars. These with more this clerkly friar brought out, to the number of five, to prove his purpose. M. Latimer hearing this friarly sermon of Dr. Buckneham, cometh again the afternoon, or shortly after, to the church, to answer the friar, where resorted to him a great multitude, as well of the university as of the town, both doctors and other graduates, with great expectation to hear what he could say; among whom, alsó directly in the face of Latimer, underneath the