leffening, have a direct tendency to augment the quantity of our fhipping, and the number of our feamen. It muft alfo be obferved, that when the other parts of this GREAT DESIGN are executed; and the principal ports and manufacturing towns of the kingdom, come to have a reciprocal inland communication, by water; then, though the coafting trade may be diminished, the export trade will not only be inconceivably enlarged, but the internal national commerce be carried on with much more ease and dispatch; less exposed to expensive and hazardous delays; and perfectly fecure, in time of war, from the depredations of an enemy.' Upon the whole, there has not, for many years, been a more interesting publication than this little treatife. The fubject is of fuch great and national importance, as of itself to command attention; and the manner in which it is treated, will render that attention agreeable. R-d. A Review of Mr. Phillips's Hiftory of the Life of Reginald Pole. By Glocefter Ridley, L.L. B. 8vo. 5s. Whifton. THE HE Review we have given of Mr. Phillips's life of this celebrated cardinal, must, in great measure, preclude the neceffity of our enlarging on the prefent article. It will be fufficient that we apprize our Readers, in general terms, of the merit of Mr. Ridley's performance: a performance which we have perufed with equal fatisfaction and entertainment! The learned and ingenious Author Bath critically and circumftantially fcrutinized the artful production of the wily Catholic, through every page; traced the Romish fox in all his windings and doublings; and hath purfued him with fo much fpirit and fuccefs, that we imagine we fhall hear no more of Maker Reynard, in this country. As It is justly obferved, by our Author, that the biographer's general defign was to recommend the popifh doctrines. the beft mean,' fays he, to recommend them, he, [Mr. Phillips] endeavours to establish the pope's fupremacy; and the method he ufes to excite his readers to attempt the recovery of this fupremacy to the pope, is the example of Reginald Pole.' In oppofition to this general defign, our Author undertakes to fhew, that the doctrines Mr. P. would recommend, are unfcriptural; that the mean to eftablish them is feditious and treasonable; and that the hiftory framed to excite his readers, abounds with mifreprefentations and falfhoods. As characters, like pictures, often appear different from the different fituations of the fpectators, fo, fays Mr. Ridley, it has happened, with refpect to Reginald Pole; for, befides the prejudices of papifts and proteftants, his life was fo caft betwixt England and Italy, that neither his countrymen nor foreigners faw the whole of him: his birth, parentage, ancestors, obligations, views and connections in England imprefs a form upon his conduct, of which the Italians, as ftrangers, were incompetent judges; his qualities and accomplishments, which in great measure he acquired in Italy, and chiefly displayed there, were lefs feen in England, where he chofe not, to exert them. The Italians therefore are apt to dwell with rapture on these; which the English deny not to have been fhining, but were too diftant from their obfervation to make equally strong impreffions while they look with horror on the former, as exhibiting the strongest features of ingratitude, refentment, and treason; which the Italians, although they fee them, yet, the distance foftening them to their eyes, are wont to extenuate or overlook. That milder merit of the heart, which diftinguifhed him among his favourites at Padua, is loft to us amidst that most illiberal abufe, with which he foams against his King and benefactor: the appearances of humanity and difintereftednefs, which he put on at Rome, drop off when we look at him travelling from court to court, to rouse up the Princes of Europe to invade his country, to spirit up civil wars in the bowels of it; and during his fhort adminiftration here, bathing his hands in the blood of his countrymen. Yet all this can bigotry and fuperftition confecrate into virtue, nay into Patriotifm, nay into a tender love for that very King, and as the least equivocal pledge of his loyalty and affection. Be it, that he was naturally of a mild and humane difpofition: what was able to drive him fo violently from his natural bent? Mr. Phillips reprefents it as proceeding from his zeal for religion, his affection to his King, and his love of his country. Thefe will offer themselves to examination in the courfe of this Review. At prefent it must appear a paradox, to urge a zeal for religion as the defence of rebellion; an affection for his King as the caufe of attempting to depofe him; and invafions, civil wars, and cruel executions, as the proofs of his love for his country. A Review of his life, as related by Mr. Phillips himfeif, may perhaps difcover a caufe more adequate, and lefs equivocal, powerful enough to change his natural bent, and which is fupported fufficiently by history.' Our Author now proceeds to his Review of the Cardinal's life, as related by his Biographer, Mr. Phillips; and whoever shall attentively and impartially perufe this very acute, elaborate, and masterly Review, will gather from it a very different, and, we really believe, a much truer idea of the character, principles, and and conduct of Cardinal Pole, than what might naturally be collected from an implicit regard to the artful and fpecious representations of Mr. Phillips.-It would be in vain for us to attempt, in a work circumftanced and limited like ours, to aim at giving an adequate view of even the principal points here debated; and therefore we shall content ourselves with an extract from Mr. Ridley's expoftulatory conclufion, as a fpecimen. of the Author's manner, in controverfial writing. Addreffing himself, then, to his antagonist, he thus draws towards a conclufion of his work: Having now, fays he, finished my Review of The life of Reginald Pole, and fhewn that the Author of it has greatly mifreprefented facts and authorities, to recommend his hero to our esteem and imitation; in order to infpire his Readers with a love of thofe corruptions in religion which he embraced, and with a defire to restore them in this kingdom, by thofe means, without which they cannot be fupported, a reconciliation with the Pope and the re-eftablishment of his fupremacy: means, which if perfuafion has not force enough to recommend, ought (in his opinion) to be introduced even by fedition and rebellion, from the encouraging examples of that great Patrict, St. Thomas of Canterbury, and thofe Martyrs alfo who were hanged for treafon under Queen Elizabeth ;-Permit me, Mr. Phillips, to leave your book, and apply myself to you, in teftimony of my Chriftian charity and good will to your perfon, however juftly I may refent your at tempt as a Polemical Hiftorian. There are connections betwixt us, which give me a title to addrefs you, as my countryman, my fellow-fubject, and a Chriftian brother. As my countryman, pray for the peace of our Jerufalem; for your brethren and companions fakes with her profperity: nor endeavour to prevent her, by fuch publications as thefe, or any other feditious attempts, from being a city at unity with itself. You must be fenfible, that though we have borne with thofe of your Communion, whilft they appeared too few to do us any mifchief, yet you cannot increase without danger to us. The methods therefore which you, and others of you, are taking to add to your numbers, muft diminish the likelihood of your living in tranquillity amongst us: we know we cannot be fafe, if yours become the prevailing profeffion; and therefore we mut, when we fee it attempted, and you may be affured we fhall, execute fuch of our laws against you as are necetlary for our own prefervation, or enact fuch as may be more properly executed. You have made a very bad ufe of our long fufpenfion of the old ones, and fhould be cautious of provoking us to new provifions; for if you imagine that we shall continue fupine, till you are a match for us, you may find yourfeives greatIi 2 ly ly mistaken; and if ever a conteft happens on this point, will be a dreadful one. Can you then wish to see your country plunged in the horrors of civil war? can you attempt to excite a new pilgrimage of grace, zealously contending to ravifh from us that liberty, which, ip indulgence to your hereditary prejudices, reaches out its civil protection to you? You exprefs a fenfe of your happiness in living under the equity and moderation of these times; perhaps multitudes of your friends are flying from the refentment of their respective states to bask in the fun-fhine of English liberty; dive and enjoy it: but ufe not this liberty as a cloke of malicioufnefs, nor grudge it to your countrymen, while they extend it to you. How would Roman Catholic powers treat their Proteftant fubjects, were they first to give them fuch a protection as you enjoy here, and then receive fuch a return for it, as you and thofe of your communion make here? How would they treat the Author of a book written in fuch a manner against their established church and laws, as yours is against ours! How would you think he ought to be treated? Be fo good as to confider thefe queftions, and what plane answer can be returned to them. Confider further, in what confufion and difturbance of preferty you are labouring to embroil your country: you tell us the Abbey and Church lands, by the mediation of Pole, have been fecured to the pofleflors and confirmed by the Pope : but we know the precarious tenure when your Pope fhall be able to give effect to the decrees of his predeceffors; the fecurity granted was intended to be but temporary, Pole himself per fuaded the poffeffors to give back the apple, and threatning if they did not, that it should be taken from them, and the lofers whipped into the bargain if they pretended to cry. But above all confider, have you a heart capable of undertaking to bring the brand to kindle thofe dreadful fires again through the kingdom, which difgraced the adminiftration of your Patriot Hero; and to facrifice in them your fellow ci izens, friends, and benefactors. Should Popery once mo é prevale in England, the Proteftant caufe would be funk fo low, that a return of all the old barbarities might justly be feared. Can you then define the revival of them? Are you really fo much of the fame spirit with your predeceffors in Queen Mary's days? how much efteem do you hope to conciliate from wifhes of this complection? what thanks do you conceive your country is indebted to you for labours to fo bloody a purpose? As my fellow fubject, dare you openly avow an allegiance to a foreign potentate, and endeavour to perfuade Englishmen to fubmit to any earthly Prince as above their natural King? S Does Does the duty of fubmitting to the King as fupreme allow you to withdraw your own allegiance, and to employ your abilities to withdraw that of others from him, and yield it to an alien ufurper? do you regard the example of Pole more than the precept of St. Peter himself? Is your loyalty no better inftructed than to wish to appropriate a third part of the revenues of his kingdom in the fupport of a Monaftic ftanding army, confifting of fome hundred thou fand perfons, banded together to defend the REGALIA STI. PETRI, in oppofition to their King; and to yield, as to Peter, the pence ftamped with the image and fuperfcription of Cæfar? Muft the Kings of England again do homage to the Pope for their crowns, and hold them as vaffa's but at his pleasure ? Shall they be denied the commerce and affiftance of their fubjects at a nod of a fupreme tyrant, and be deprived of their kingdoms by virtue of a right which you contend for in his holiness, whenever his fuppofed univerfal fuperintendence shall perfuade him that it is proper to make use of fuch means; and when fancied provocations fhall fuggeft to his fubjects that this method of redress is lawful. Laftly, As a Chriftian brother, permit me to remind you of that exhortation of the Author of the Hebrews, obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit yourselves. The vifible church of Christ in this kingdom has its known fpiritual governours by regular fucceffion, whom you ought to remember, and whofe faith follow their faith is primitive, for next to the fcriptures the ancient creeds are their symbol and teft. It is a faith 1500 years older than the diftinguifhing creed of Pius IV. which, while it profeffes to approve them as the only foundation, would inconfiftently impofe novel doctrines, decreed to be articles of faith but 200 years ago; and all unknown to the church of Chrift for 600 years, moft of them for a thoufand. Our faith therefore is certainly right by your own acknowledgment; and your obedience is confequently due to thofe fpiritual governours, regularly fent and appointed over you; they watch for your fouls as they that must give account, yet knowing the bounds of their commiffion, they defire not to be Lords over your faith, but permit you to judge what they fay. It is your concern to discharge your heart of prejudices, that you do not obftinately profess errors at the expence of fchifm; for if the account they give of you be, through your fault, with grief, the event will be unprofitable to you. Learn from your favourite Cardinal, that the imperiousness of the court of Rome, and the fimony of its apoflolical chamber, are fuch flagrant abufes as to ftand in need of reformation; which was alfo the opinion of many members of your own church, who complained of them in every age for fix Ii 3 cen |
