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fome principles which tended to atheism, took up his pen against them both, and published a piece to that purpose, intitled, Certamen philofophicum adverjus J. B. Principia. But the difpute which he held with the celebrated Philip Limborch against the Chriftian religion made the greateft noife. Here he exerted the utmoft force of his metaphyfical genius, and

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carried himself with great temper. The three papers which he wrote on the occafion were afterward printed by his antagonist, in an account which he published of the controverfy, under the title of Amica Collatio cum Judæo. This extraordinary man, who fuffered fo much under the horrid cruelties of the inquifition, at laft ended his days, in the year 1687.

ON DUELLING.

LETTER III. FTER having in my two laft letters reviewed the various queftions, which have been agitated on this fubject, it would be quite fufficient to close the whole with a recapitulation of the principal arguments, which tend to prove that duelling is exprefsly contrary to the laws of God and man, and not only fo, but in itself a very abfurd practice, and incapable of producing the effect propoled by it, either as a mode of fatisfaction, or of revenge. With respect to its being contrary to the laws of man, it is obfervable, that it is almost the only crime which is prohibit ed by equal penalties and punishments under all the governments of Europe. In France, during the reign of Louis XIV, when the point of honour was better understood, and more ftrongly contefted, than in, perhaps, any kingdom of Europe, we find a moft severe law given at St. Germain's, and regiftered in parliament, against duelling, and which remained in full force until the revolution. The preamble of this law is expreffed in the following fingular terms:

As we acknowledge that one of the greatest gifts which we have received from God for the government and conduct of our dominions, is that steadfastness which he has been pleafed to give us to maintain the ftatutes against duels, and private combats, and feverely to punish those who have offended against laws fo juft and neceffary for the prefervation of our

nobility and gentry; we are firmly refolved carefully to cherish fo fingular a grace, which gives us ground to hope that we may be able, during our reign, utterly to abolish that crime, &c. &c.'

These are remarkable words, as coming from the court of France in the year 1679, and it is still more remarkable that a practice ftigmatifed by fo many laws in all countries, fhould yet be confidered as the prefervative of honour.-But enough has been faid on this part of the subject. At the conclufion of my laft letter, I promised to make fome obfervations on the cruel neceffity of duelling, impofed upon that useful body of men, the officers of the army and navy. This merits our most serious confideration, yet it is to be feared that mere confideration, mere argument only, will avail little, unless the ftrong hand of power be raised to crush the most difgraceful enemy of thefe liberal profeffions.

That the neceffity of which I complain exis, it is not requifite to prove; but what remedy fhall we apply to remove it? It is eafily demonftrable that any perfon, not in the army, can have no regular call to fight a duel, because the boncur of other perfons is not connected, even in idea, with courage. Some filly apprentices, and puppyish tradesmen, have lately called one another out, but fuch duels are objects of ridicule, and I question whether any man has yet arrived at fuch a degree of abfurdity as to give credit to a man

merely

merely because he has fought a duel. It is otherwife in the army. It is there fuppofed that honour is intimately connected with perfonal courage, and that personal courage means nothing more than a cheerful acceptance of a challenge, and an undaunted appearance upon the field of action. He that performs this, has established his honour, whether the confequences be fatal or otherwife. And this is the ground upon which officers proceed; at least it is the only rational excufe we can form for their endeavouring to kill one another, upon account of private infults, instead of referving the proof of their courage to the day of battle, with the enemies of their

country.

Now if we examine this excufe we fhall find that it is liable to many objections. In the first place, it is liable to all the general objections to duelling, which have been stated in my former letters. And fecondly, it will admit of fome which are peculiar to itself. It is fuppofed that to accept a challenge and fight a duel is a proof of perfonal courage. But this may be doubted, becaufe the only propelling motive is fame, and that we know in all cafes is fo itrong as to drive men of the most placid tempers to defperate acts, and to make brave men of cowards. Shame, or the fear of contempt and reproach, is almost irresistible; no reafoning, nor argu. ment, no duty, nor principle can fland against it. And as it is the only motive for the acceptance of a challenge, or for giving one, it is evident that we must drop entirely the confideration of perfonal courage, and look upon a duel as nothing more than an expedient, which has been invented to difpel the fear of fhame and reproach.

I know not that any other definition can be given of a duel; and if we admit it, we fhall be led very foon into various abfurdities and contradictions. If, for example, we confider the nature and genius of courage, we hall find that it confifts of two

kinds, perfonal and mental courage.
The former is nothing more than a
contempt of life; which we find a-
mong the vilet of mankind, and in-
deed, perhaps only among fuch. The
latter embraces every virtue of the
head or heart, which go to compote
true fortitude and dignity.
If we
look into private life, we meet with
many virtuous perfons whofe tempers
incline them to be fretful, and anxious
about what the world fays of them;
as if a virtuous action, or an action
done with a virtuous intent, which is
just the fame thing, could not stand
by itself without the buttress of gof-
fiping opinion. Among the men
whom this letter principally regards,
we find the fame anxiety, and found-
ed on no better principles. An un-
guarded expreffion drops from the
mouth of an officer, in a moment of
levity; the perfon to whom it is ad-
dreffed, or on whom it is fuppofed to
reflect, has too much fenfe to resent
what was either not meant to injure,
or if meant could not produce the ef-
fect. But the bystanders infift that
he fhall call the speaker out. This is
the general provocative to duels in the
army, provided the parties happen
not to have irafcibility fufficient to
challenge each other, without such in-
tervention, which, however, they
moftly have, because to require a
hint of the kind is in itself confidered
as a deficiency in courage.
therefore, is no room left for the ope-
ration of reafon or common fenfe.
Long established prejudice has deter-
mined the mode of action, and it must
be adopted, although nothing can be
fo barbarous and irrational as for a
man who has devoted his life to the
fervice of his country, to expofe it
merely for an idle word, or an im-
pertinent jeft. Such men, instead of
being deemed men of courage, ought
to be marked with indignity, as be-
ing very valiant where no courage is
required, and flinking from the only
duty which their country requires of
them.

Here,

But prejudice, alas! is ftrong, and

no prejudice fo ftrong as that which of honour. Undoubtedly, in the moexifts from generation to generation ral world, we are difpofed to wink at by a common and hereditary confent, certain prejudices, and to leave it to independent of law, or reafon. It is the farther progress of reason and phia prejudice which must ever be la- lofophy to diffipate them gradually; mented. It must be lamented that but these are generally harmless premen of fenfe, education, polished judices; whereas the prefent, as it manners, and genuine bravery, are affects life, cannot be confidered in that fhackled by a law fo repulfive to prin- light. Nor is it very refpectful to ciple and duty, to continue a practice fuppofe that men belonging to a liwhich always threatens, and often beral profeffion, and generally pofhas deprived them of life, before they feffed of education and fenfe, ought to knew its value, and their country of be treated like children, and have fervices, which might have been re- their own will contrary to all reafon corded with honour to the lateft pof- and argument. Far lefs is it proper terity. That the practice of duelling to establish a prejudice which tends is repugnant to the principles of every immediately to emancipate a whole man of fenfe in the army, I am fully body of men from obedience to the perfuaded; for that which will not laws of God; which must, however, bear the teft of argument, no man of be the cafe, if we defend, inftead of fenfe can pretend to vindicate. It oppofing, the common practice of may, therefore, be prefumed that there fighting duels upon frivolous preis a great majority against it, and why texts. it should nevertheless remain an opprobrium to the profeffion of arms, cannot eafily be accounted for. Those who drew up the articles of war, certainly confidered this matter in its true light. For, at the fame time that they enact the punishment of death for cowardice, which is understood to mean cowardice in the exercise of their profeffion, (and it would be difficult to fuppofe any other) they alfo added the following claufe in the nineteenth article:

• Nor shall any officer or foldier upbraid another for refufing a challenge; fince, according to thefe our orders, they do but the duty of foldiers, who ought to fubject themselves to difcipline: and we do acquit and discharge all men who have quarrels offered, or challenges fent to them, of all difgrace or opinion of disadvantage in their obedience hereunto: and whoever shall upbraid them, or offend in this cafe, fhall be punished as a challenger.'

But it has been faid, that it is better that young officers should be allowed to indulge a prejudice which tends to make them careful of their words and actions, and entertain a proper fenfe

This laft is a confideration which, it is hoped, will not feem unimportant. The title of Chriftian foldier is not a contemptible one. I know it would be in vain to represent the folly of indulging groundlefs prejudices; or to combat them by fuch arguments as thefe, that a mind conscious of its own rectitude is the only foundation for true courage; that fenfe and understanding shine the more confpicuous for being affailed by impertinence and ignorance, and that he who performs his duty has little to fear from the reproaches of the world. But it may not be an improper confideration, at the prefent time, that, as from the infatuated conduct of a neighbouring kingdom, we have been induced to make more open and zealous profeffions of religion, it becomes us to vindicate our regard for it, by fomething more impreffive than words. To retain among us, by connivance, a barbarous and abfurd cuflom, forbidden by all laws human and divine,' fanctioned by no arguments, and defenfible by no proofs of actual utility, is a forry fpecimen of our zeal for that religion, the defence of which is our profeffed object.

I am aware that much of this may be confidered as a digreffion, and more of it as totally ufelefs, fince they for whom it may be fuppofed to be intended are neceffar ly obliged to conform to customs eftablished before their time. It may, however, meet the eye of fome whofe power may be as great as their inclination. Certain it is, that nothing is wanting to accomplish the difgrace of duelling, but a combination among the fuperiors of the army to difcourage it, by erecting a tribunal of honour from which there fhould be no appeal, and the oppofition to which should incur public in famy. Death, fays Addifon, is not fufficient to deter men, who make it their glory to despise it; but if every one that fought a duel were to ftand in the pillory, it would quickly leffen the number of thefe imaginary men of honour, and put an end to fo abfurd a practice. The fame author obferves that, when honour is a fupport to virtuous principles, and runs parallel with the laws of God and our country, it cannot be too much cherished and encouraged: but when the dictates of honour are contrary to thofe of religion and equity, they are the greatest depravations of hu

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man nature, by giving wrong, bitious, and falfe ideas of what is go and laudable; and should therefor be exploded by all governments, am driven out as the bane and plague c human fociety.

I may conclude this subject, with the introductory remark to my first letter We furely cannot boast much of the degree of light and knowledge, whic illuminates the clofe of the eighteent century, if the wifeft among us cotinue to fofter a prejudice, for whic nothing can be faid, that cannot be faid with equal propriety in favour every prejudice, that has been d pelled fince the dark ages; and a gainft which nothing has ever bee advanced, but what is perfectly con fiftent with the acknowledged pring ples of reafon and religion. I do therefore, presume to have; much to the stock of informati are already poffeffed of on the but if I have placed any com pic in a new light, or contr remove part of the veil ceals the deformity of fhall be more t1 dedicated f ation of

Hindon

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bonnets of the frivolous parifians, were all influenzas. The count de Vergennes, in a converfation, was defcribing the fingularity of this epide! mic diforder, and faid, it was called le mal Ruffe, because it first appeared at Peterburgh.-We are threatened, oblerved a duchefs prefent-With another malady, which will come from America. What is that madam? interrogated Vergennes,-The Independanza, replied the fair Caffandra; I am informed, that our troops in that country, are delighted in finding that every foldier may hope to become a general, if he fhews any talents for war; that the Americans acknowledge no diftinction of nobility and rank, and that all men are equal. This infinitely pleafes the French; in their return home, they will dwell with rapture on thefe events; they will tell their relations and friends all they have feen, and in what manner men become independent; they will teach here what they have learnt there.

-The count de Vergennes was greatly embarrassed at this effufion. This minifter had formerly perfuaded himfelf, that the feparation of the colonies from the Mother Country, and the war of France, would ever after have a fatal influence on the future existence of England. But our country fhewed refources of which our enemies appeared ignorant.

The government, on this occafion, lowered itfelf even to interfere and tyrannife over the fashions and glory of the fair fex. In 1777, a cceffure was announced of an allegorical nature, called aux infurgens; to the infurgents. This drefs, however, never appeared, as it was immediately forbidden by government! But, to prove the inconfiftency of this volatile adminiftration, fix months afterward a political engraving was advertised for by fubfcription, in which their triumph was celebrated, and called America Independent.'

An Account of SOMERSETSHIRE: With a neat and accurate MAP of that County.

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OMERSETSHIRE is bounded on the north-west by the Bristol channel; on the north by Gloucestershire, from which it is divided by the Avon; on the east by Wilts; on the fouth-eaft by Dorfet hire; and on the fouth-weft by Devonshire. It extends, from eaft to weft, fixty-five miles, and from north to fouth, forty-five. It lies in the dioceffes of Bristol and Bath and Wells; contains forty-two hundreds, three cities, thirty-one market-towns, and 385 parishes, and fends eighteen members to parliament. The air, in the lower grounds, is univerfally mild, and generally wholefome. The foil is various. The north-east quarter is euerally flony, and poffeffes a lofty ineral tract called the Mendip Hills. oward the centre of the county, on here its principal rivers unite, are ens and marthy moors of great extent. On the weft fide is the ridge of the Quantock Hills, with many downs and pen heaths; and, in the north-west

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quarter, ftands the bleak and steril region of Exmoor. The fouth part, toward Dorfetfhire, is high, but well. cultivated; and, throughout the county, efpecially in its fouth-west quarter, vales of the greatest fertility are interfperfed. The principal rivers are the Parret, Ivel, Thone, Brent, and Avon. The Mendip Hills afford abundance of coal, lead, calamine, copper, manganefe, bole, and red ochre. Chedder is celebrated for its cheefes. Cattle, nearly equal in fize to the Lincolnshire, are fed in the fine meadows about the head of the Parret. The best goofe feathers for beds come from the Somersetshire marshes. Cider is a common product of this county, and it has a confiderable fhare in the woollen munufactures. Bristol is the capital with respect to population and commerce; but Bath is the great mart for health and pleasure.

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