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THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For OCTOBER, 1764.

A Treatise on Religious Toleration. Occafioned by the Execution of the unfortunate John Calas: Unjustly condemned, and broken upon the Wheel, at Toulouse, for the fuppofed Murder of his own Son. Tranflated from the French of Mr. de Voltaire, by the Tranflator of Eloifa, Emilius, &c. 8vo. 3s. 6d. in Boards. Becket and de Hondt.

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MONG the various literary productions that are occafionly tranflated into Englifh, it is with peculiar propriety that a treatife on Toleration fhould be naturalized among a people justly tenacious of their civil and religious liberties. It is, indeed, generally fuppofed, that Writers who live under a popish and arbitrary government, can advance little worth notice, on a fubject that hath been fo often, and fo seriously, treated by thofe of our own nation. There are few fubjects, however, fo far exhaufted, that men of genius and reflection cannot find in them fome additional fource of information or improvement. And with respect to the restraint which Writers may be fuppofed to lie under in France, in regard to religious and political topics, the prefent treatife is a proof, among many others, that the difference between France and England in this particular, is at prefent by no means fo great as is generally imagined. It is very natural for thofe who are forging chains for the minds or confciences of their fellow-countrymen, to lull them into fecurity, by expatiating on the horrours of the Baftile, and the cruelties of popish inquifitions. These are bad enough, God knows, and may He ever preferve this nation from experiencing the like! But we are often deceived by imaginary diftinctions, without any real difference. We are not apprehenfive, indeed, of ever feeing an Auto da fè in Smithfield, but it is poffible, that Newgate and the Tower of London may, VOL. XXXI.

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under an oppreffive British Ministry, be put to as bad an use as ever the Baftile was in France. Nor need we look far back for an instance, of a mistaken Writer's being treated with all the severity of a popish inquifition.

It is not many years fince an act of parliament was in force againft wizards, witches, and other perfonal dealers with the devil. Nay, the legiflature are ftill fuch conjurers, that we have an act of parliament at this day unrepealed, and very lately put in force, that makes it, in effect, highly criminal to affert publicly, that two and two make four. A practical Barrister, indeed, may take upon him to deny the fact, and infift on it, that fuch affertion is not within the intent and meaning of the act; but, if Barristers were Logicians, and reafoned like other people, it might be fyllogiftically proved, that no plainer conftruction can be put upon the direct and exprefs terms of the faid act. The anathemas which are, at stated times, thundered out in our churches, against thofe deluded Theifts, who are weak enough to believe, that one and two neceffarily make three, might in a proteftant country, be defpifed; but acts of parliament are ferious things: at leaft the Lawyers, when they please, can make them fo. It is for this reafon, we can affure our Readers, that notwithstanding the many bold and fenfible tracts that have formerly been written on the fubject of religious Toleration in this country, we conceive that an Author would, at prefent, run no little hazard of incurring pains and penalties from the laws of England, for faying that which M. de Voltaire hath publicly faid, and fet his name to, on this subject, in France.

Having given a particular account of the defign and contents of the present treatise, in our last Appendix; we shall now only give a fpecimen or two of our Author's ingenuity, in treating fome problematical paffages in hiftory; which have been fometimes made ufe of, to give fanction to the most deftructive tenets, both in religion and politics.

In treating of a religious Toleration among the Romans, and the paucity of primitive Martyrs, Mr. de Voltaire observes, with regard to the martyrdom of St. Ignatius, that nothing can be more improbable, than the relation given us of that fact. The anonymous Author, fays he, of this relation, tells us, that " Trajan thought fomething would be wanting to his glory, if he did not fubject the God of the Chriftians to his power." What a ftrange idea! Was Trajan a man ambitious of triumphing over the Gods? When Ignatius appeared before the Emperor, this Prince is related to have faid to him, "Who art thou, thou unclean fpirit?" It is not likely that an Emperor

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should speak in that strain to a prisoner, nor that he should condemn him with his own mouth; fovereign Princes do not act in that manner. If Trajan fent for Ignatius, he certainly did not ask him, when he came, who he was. Again, the words unclean fpirit, are by no means in the ftyle of a Trajan, It is the expreffion of an exorcift or conjurer, which a Chriftian hath here put into the Mouth of an Emperor.

Can it be imagined alfo, that Ignatius fhould anfwer, that he was called Theophorus, because he bore Jefus always in his heart; and that Trajan fhould enter into a differtation with him about Chrift? At the clofe of the converfation, Trajan is faid to condemn the Saint, in the following terms: "We command that Ignatius, who glories in carrying about him the crucified, be put into irons," &c. A Sophift, who was an enemy to the Chriftians, might poffibly have called Jefus Chrift the crucified; but it is not likely fuch a term fhould be made ufe of in a formal fentence. Crucifixion was fo common a punishment among the Romans, that it was impoffible, in the ftile of the laws, to defign exclufively the object of the Chriftian worship by the general term the crucified. It is not thus that the laws or fovereigns pafs fentence.

We are told afterwards, that St. Ignatius, when in cuftody, wrote a long letter to the Chriftians of Rome; to whom he fays, "I write to you, tho' in chains." But if he was permited to write to the Chriftians of Rome, thefe Chriftians could not be much fecreted nor fought for. It appears therefore, that Trajan had no defign of fubjecting the God of the Chriftians to his authority: otherwife St. Ignatius committed a great blunder, in writing to the Chriftians, if they really were under the rod of perfecution, as by this means he became an informer against them, expofing them to their enemies.

The Writers who digefted thefe facts, do not feem fuffici ently to have attended to probabilities. The martyrdom of St. Polycarp is liable to ftill greater objections. It is faid, that a voice from heaven was heard to cry out, Polycarp, have courage!" Not that all the by-ftanders heard it, tho' fome Chrif tians did. It is related farther, that when he was faftened to the flake, and the pile was fet on fire, the flames kept at a distance from his body, and formed an arch over his head, out of which flew a dove; that the body of the Saint, in this fituation, diffused an aromatic odour, which perfumed the whole affembly; but that after all the reverence fhewn to this Saint by the fire, he fell a facrifice by the fword. Certainly we ought to pardon those who conceive there is more piety than truth in these relations,'

By this judicious method of examining into the probability of facts, our Author hath thrown new lights on many interesting paffages of history. For, as he elsewhere observes, it is to no purpofe that a parcel of idle tales are fucceffively copied into different books: this by no means renders them more probable. It appears to us, nevertheless, that his defire of calling things into question, hath fometimes carried him too far. Thus, in fpeaking of the martyrdom of St. Simon, he doubts the truth of the ftory, for the following reafon :

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St. Simon, fays he, was accufed before King Saporus, of being a fpy for the Romans: on which Saporus propofed, that he fhould clear himfelf of the acculation by worshipping the fun. Now, it is well known, fays our Author, that the Perfians do not worship the fun; but that they regard it only as an emblem of the good Principle, Oromafes, or the Creator.'

But might not Mr. de Voltaire as well queftion the truth of any Proteftant's having fuffered in the popifh inquifitions, for refufing to worship images on the fame principle? Might he not fay, that the Roman Catholics do not really worship the images themfelves, but regard them only as emblems of the proper objects of worship?

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We should here take leave of this valuable and entertaining work, but cannot omit the fhort relation of what Mr. Voltaire calls one of the moft aftonishing inftances of fanaticifm, that are to be met with in hiftory; the principle of which was, notwithstanding, the beft in the world. This was of a little fect in Denmark, who, as our Author informs us, were defirous of procuring eternal falvation for their brethren; but the confequences of this motive were very fingular. They knew that those young children who die without being baptized, must be damned, and that fuch as are fo happy as to die immediately after baptifm, enjoy eternal life: they went about therefore cutting the throats of all the newly-baptized infants they could lay their hands on. By this method they, doubtlefs, procured them the greatest happiness they were capable of; as they preferved them at once from committing fin, from the miferies of the world, and from hell-fire. But thefe charitable people did not reflect, that we are not even to do a little evil for the fake of a great good; that they had no right over the lives of those children; that most fathers and mothers are fo carnally minded, that they had rather clafp their fons and daughters in their arms, than fee their throats cut, in order to go to Paradife; and that finally, it is the duty of the civil Magiftrate to punish homicide by death, however charitable might be the intention of the murderer.'

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An Hiftory of England, in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son. 12mo. 2 Vols. 6s. Newbery.

W prefixed to thefe Letters, that the greater part of them

E are informed, in a kind of epiftolary advertisement

were for fome time handed about in manufcript; having been originally written by a Nobleman, to his fon at the university. Who this Nobleman was, we are not informed; nor, indeed, is it any great matter; as the reputation his Grace or his Lordship might juftly acquire by this performance, would be no very diftinguishing feather in the cap even of a Commoner. The anonymous Editor, however, who hath taken upon him to compleat the Letter-Writer's defign, by adding to the number of thefe epiftles, takes upon him alfo to affure the Publisher, and, at the fame time, the public," that they are written with more judgment, spirit, and accuracy, than any which have yet appeared upon this fubject." But this encomium, he poffibly thought himself entitled to make, on account of his modeft confeffion that his own were inferiour to his Lordship's. We conceive he might be offended, nevertheless, fhould we say, ne'er a barrel the better herring: but, in truth, we are fo far inclined to be of his opinion, that we think fome of the former Letters much better than fome of the last; but, whether they are the labours of the fame or a different hand, whether of an honourable Peer or a profeffed Author, we judge it too problematical for us to determine.

Be this, however, as it may, the work feems well enough calculated for the use of schools; for, as the Editor obferves, the more voluminous Hiftories of England are quite unfuited to a juvenile capacity; and the fhorter abridgments are chiefly a crowded collection of facts, totally dry and unentertaining.

How far these inconveniencies are here removed, by throwing hiftory into the form of letters, our Readers may judge from the enfuing fpecimens.

In one of the Letters, attributed to the anonymous noble Writer, we have the following account of the ancient inhabitants of this island.

All that we find related by credible witneffes and fufficient authority, before the Romans entered this ifland, is, that the country was filled with incredible numbers of people, and their fields ftored with great plenty of animals, favage and domeftic. Their houfes were meanly built, and fcattered, as if accidentally, over the country, without obfervance, diftance, or order, The only motives of their choice, were the peculiar fertility of

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