Yet he had faid a little before, that,

Although the greatest part of the Mafonic focieties have adopted fuperftitious reveries, they nevertheless, in fome French lodges, culti vated the fciences and literature before the Revolution. Their fraternal banquets had become the banquets of Epicurus, and their meetings, philofophical Lyceums; where, under the mask of Free-Mafonry, and free from all fpies, they difcuffed without reftraint all forts of Subjects"!

Is political liberty then no fort of fubject? Or is it a subject of fo little importance, as never to have been mentioned in the Lyceums of philofophifts, whofe minds were teeming with political innovations?

M. Mounier is certainly a man of talents, and hitherto has been a man of character. That such a man should write in this manner, on any fubject, is a very fingular phænomenon, for which we prefume not to account; but perhaps fome light may be thrown on his conduct, by a due confideration of the circumftances under which his book was composed. After being driven from Swifferland, where he had taken refuge when obliged to quit his own country, he found an afylum at Weimar, among the conftellations of German literature. He there affociated with writers of very different principles, all patronized by the Dutchefs, who is ambitious of acting, in her little court, the part acted by Maecenas in the court of Auguftus. As it would ill become her protegés to quarrel among themselves, Mounier feems to have felt it incumbent upon him to speak refpectfully of men, whom, at a former period of his life, and in a different fituation, he would not probably have deemed objects of panegyric. Hence his eulogy of Wieland, who, though irreproachable in his focial and domeftic conduct, has fo very bad a heart, that he cannot, as Mr. Walker and Mounier well know, hear the Chriftian religion mentioned, without expreffing the most violent indignation! The prefent author is probably a Deift himself; but we are perfuaded that he looks upon Christianity as entitled to a fair hearing, for the fake of the matchlefs morality which it aims to introduce; nor can we conceive a good heart enraged at fuch an impafture. Of the truth of Chriftianity, we think it impoffible for any man to harbour a doubt who has, with due care, inquired into its evidence; but, fuppofing it falfe, ftill what a paradife would this world be, if the morals of the Gofpel were the manners of its inhabitants?

If then, to pleafe her Serene Highnefs, Mounier, notwithftanding his defire to advance "the progrefs of the human mind," has yet praifed the man who falls into a rage at the very mention of this morality, may not he have been influenced

by

by the fame motive to attempt a vindication of French and German Masonry? On this fuppofition, and we give it for nothing more, his contradictions and empty declamations, fo unworthy of his former character, may all be accounted for ; fince the greatest ingenuity will not enable a man to write confiftently and logically, when attempting to defend what his own judgment affures him is incapable of defence.

We will not follow this author through the section which treats of the German Illuminés, though we might there glean a larger harvest of contradictions, than is to be found perhaps in any other work extant. But it is enough for our purpose to obferve, that he admits, what cannot indeed be denied, the authenticity of the papers refpecting the order, which were published by the Court of Bavaria; as well as the immoralities not only practifed, but enjoined by Spartacus and his Areopagites, to all their difciples. Yet he has the audacity to call the project of Weishaupt a noble plan, and to cenfure those who attribute indifcriminately to the order the reveries of the chiefs;" though he exprefsly admits, that to thofe reveries every individual of the order was folemnly fworn to pay plicit obedience!!

He is very angry with Dr. Robifon and M. Barruel, for writing as they have done of Weishaupt, after he has fallen under misfortune; but has he fallen under any other misfortune than that which, by his machinations, he brought upon himself? We might, with as much propriety, whine over the misfortunes of a telon, because he is under fentence of death, as over the misfortunes of Weithaupt, because he is banished from Bavaria. But he is protected by the Duke of Saxe Gotha! Very true; and the fame Duke of Saxe Gotha paid 1500 dahlers for Mafonic Archives; a circumftance, which makes his protection of Weishaupt a proof, that the protegé is no longer Spartacus approving of fecret facieties!

In that character, indeed, while at the head of his order, he

was

"conftantly exhorting his difciples to become perfect in virtue— to contribute, by their example, to the re-establishment of good morals, he nevertheless encouraged one of them to feal, for the library of the order, fome books from a monastery; and it is not in this alone that he has fwerved from the principles of morality. He wishes to reform the world, to deftroy vice, and render virtue all powerful-yet he obeys his paffions, and, in order to fave his own honor, and that of an unfortunate woman (his fifter-in-law) he renders himself guilty of the crime of abortion. It belongs to magiftrates to punish criminal actions-it belongs to men of honor to brand with ignominy triumphant vice; but he whom the laws have not affected, who repents of his faults

(Weishaupt

(Weishaupt is a penitent!) and who is fallen into misfortune, ought no longer to infpire any other fentiment but indulgence and pity"!!!

We are told in this work, that fome time after 1784, when fecret focieties were prohibited in Bavaria,

"four of the Illuminati, difcontented with their chiefs, and who had not been admitted to the higher degrees, made their declarations. According to them, the members of the fociety hated princes and priefts, and were the apologifts of fuicide. One of the fuperiors had faid, that if they had 6co profelytes in Bavaria, nothing could refift them. They had the intention of feizing on all public employ ments they would have reduced the princes to be mere flaves. They rejected every religious idea, and threatened to take vengeance on those who fhould wish to betray them. A blind fubmiflion to the orders of the fuperiors was exacted. The Marquis de Conftanza had faid, that nothing more was neceffary in Germany, but two illuminated princes furrounded with Illuminati. The higher degrees were not given to those who did not approve of the plan of delivering the people from princes, priests, and nobles, of establishing an equality of conditions, and of rendering men free and happy. Thefe teftimonies had doubtlefs fome foundation in truth"!

Yes, Sir, they had fome foundation in truth, for they were, all corroborated by the chiefs of the order! Weithaupt himfelf corroborated them when he enjoined thofe, who were to fhow the schedule of their conftitution and principles to the Elector of Bavaria, to expunge the inftructions relating to princes and priests; and Knigge corroborated them, when he faid of the higher myfteries, that they were in the colours of Hell, and would feare the most intrepid"!

"

"But whatever accufations may have been brought against the Iluminati, how can it have been poffible to confound their doctrine with that of the Jacobins of France? In the inferior degrees, their object was to favor the progress of reason, and to caufe the public employments to be entrusted to the most enlightened perfons. It was in the higher degrees, that the dangerous principles were taught; but thofe principles were directly oppofite to the opinions that were diffufed in France"!

Were they indeed? Was the plan for "delivering the people from princes, priefts, and nobles, for eftablithing an equality of conditions, and rendering men," according to their pretences, "free and happy," directly opposite to the opinions which the Jacobins diffufed in France? Or has Mounier at laft difcovered, that the Jacobins were religious men, who could not poffibly coalefce with thofe by whom "every religious idea was rejected"?

This author is very indignant at thofe, who imagine that his countrymen ftood in need of the aid of the German Illumi

nati to produce the Revolution; for the vanity of a Frenchman does not permit him to acknowledge, in foreign nations, a fuperior even in the art of plotting mifchief! He has not, however, thought fit to account for the well-known fact, that the department of the Lower Rhine was completely revolutionized in fix or eight months, by feven Illuminés at Mentz, who betrayed that noble city to Cuftine; formed a convention of about two hundred and fifty of the lowest of the people; and by the pure operation of Jacobinifm, under the protection, indeed, but without the violent co operation of Cuftine's army, drove every man of property cut of the place! We would give this history at full length, as well as another refpecting the Propagandifts at Strafburg, who were fo liberally fupported by order of the Convention, did we not hope that Dr. Robifon or M. Barruel, who are better qualified to do juftice to the fubject, may be induced to give us fomething more on the Illuminati and their spawn. Such a work would be far from fuperfluous. The principles inculcated by the order are still secretly diffeminated, not only through Germany, but over all Europe; and we have not a doubt but that, among the fuperficial part of mankind, the work before us will give them additional currency. It is for this reason, that we have bestowed fo much time upon it; but, had we even room, “it would be too duil a mode of paffing our lives, to attempt to refute all the abfurdities which are related in one of the most dangerous publications," which, fince the commencement of our critical labours, have fallen under our review :-" nor fhould we be able to convince thofe ignorant perfons, who confider the once refpected name of Mounier as fufficient to fanction any thing, however incredible." We cannot however difmifs it, without noticing the following fentence, which occurs towards the end of the volume.

"Tell the people," fays Mounier, "that every fablished government is legitimate, even that which owes its origin to conqueft, when it has become neceffary for the public tranquillity and order--when it is the protector of property, the defender of perfonal liberty"!

Should the fentiment, avowed in this paffage, feem to any of our readers ftrange, as coming from the author of the Tennis-court oath, which annihilated the established authority of the virtuous Louis; they will acknowledge, that it is avowed with fingular propriety by the PREFECT OF A DISTRICT, under the established government of the Confuls. Such now is MoUNIER-that Mounier, who, at p. 223 of this volume, fays; "I lived at the first period of the Revolution among the friends of true liberty; and I hope that I shall have the honor of being reckoned in this number"!!

ART.

ART. VI. A Narrative of the Expedition to Holland, in the Autumn of the Year 1799. Illuftrated with a Map of North Holland, and Seven Views of the principal Places occupied by the British Forces. By E. Walsh, M. D. 4to. Robinfons. 1800.

AS S this is a document of an hiftorical nature, we shall not pafs it by, though it has been by accident delayed. A very well-written Advertisement announces it to be "nothing more than a journal, a little altered, so as to admit an account of various transactions and incidents connected with the fubject, but which could not poffibly altogether fall under the daily obfervance of any fingle perfon." In this, however, the author's modefty does not do fufficient juftice to his work; for the narrative, which is introduced by a general furvey of the conftitution of the United Provinces, and an impartial enquiry into the cause of the calamitous fituation into which it had fallen at the time when this expedition took place, poffeffes the connection which is neceffary, and the fimplicity which is the best ornament of hiftory; and we most readily give credit to the writer, when he tells us, that he was among the foremost of those who landed in the country, and among the last who left it.

The minute details of war are ufually rather uninterefting to all who have not engaged in it, or been perfonally on the fcene of action; but whether from the affecting manner in which the diftreffes of the army are related, or from the events having taken place on a spot fo near to this country, that many then confidered the war as brought home to his own door; from whichever of these causes it has arifen, we have read this fhort Narrative even with the intereft which arifes from a pathetic tragedy or well-conducted romance. Our view of the campaign is much affifted by a very clear and well-engraved map of North Holland, and the eye is amufed by feven pleafing views of towns and villages, the greater part engraved by Heath; in which however the defigner feems to have exhibited our good allies the Ruffians with the pencil of caricatura.

The Narrative, which comprifes 94 quarto pages, occupies about two thirds of the book, the remaining third containing the official accounts, from the London Gazette, which ferve as authentic documents to fupport the veracity of the relation. From fo concife a work long extras cannot be expected; but we thall felect three, which we think more immediately interefting, becaufe the firft ftates very candidly a point which was much difcufied at the time; the fecond exhibits perhaps a pro