Each day after dinner and fupper, catches and glees, as well as folo finging, in the very highest perfection, were introduced, and could not fail of adding, as they evidently did, fuch a zeft to the royal fatis faction, as could no where elfe be fo completely accomplished. His royal highness left that old and hofpitable feat, on Friday laft at noon, with the moft marked expret fions of the pleasure, he had received in his vifit, and of regret at leaving it; expreffing, however, his hopes of fpeedily re-vifiting this manfion of mirth, and again participating in thofe fcenes of convivialitý which are always to be found there..

It must be obferved, that the former mot to of Lord Sandwich's private theatre was,

"Renafcentur quæ jam cecidere.”

The pieces ordered for reprefentation on the evening of the prince's departure, were the Mock Doctor and the Virgin Unmafk'd. Each day of performing," an hundred · tickets were delivered to the gentlemen and their families in the neighbourhood; for, whom a repaft was provided, with every other evident proof of an hofpitable and generous mind."

Hiftories of the Tête-à-Téte annexed; or Memoirs of the Methodifiical Seducer, and the Juvenile Profelyte.

TH

HE encreafe of religious fectaries, fhould long fince have given an alarm to the minifters of the eftablished church; but our regular divines, from the right reverend, their graces, the fathers in God, down to the ftarving curate at ten pounds per annum, feem to have been feized with a kind of ftupor, at leaft poffeffed of a liftleffness under the influence of which the interes of poor mother church, and her fons and daughters, have been thamefully leted.

politics of the times have in a great

meafure contributed to this negligence. Their lawn fleeved reverences, attached more to the good things of this world, than the profpective bleffings of kingdom come, neglect their cathedral and diocefan duties, to exercife the privileges of their lay baronies, by difputing for loaves and fishes in the fenate; while the inferior dignitaries and their fubordinates, abandon their parifh churches and chapels of cafe, to attend county meetings, and influence the votes of freemen and freeholders at parliamentary elections.

No wonder then, that the pure and unadulterated religion, professed in this country, fhould not be followed. No wonder that weak and vifionary minds fhould be feduced by cunning hypocritical impoftors, by tinkers, taylors, and other idlers, who from an averfion to work, become vagrant hedge-preachers, and gospel-mongers, terrifying the vulgar, and preying upon their credulity, by holding forth on the terrors of brimftone and fire, from stools and trunks of trees.

One of thofe fleek-haired, fmooth-faced, oily-tongued impofters, who has raised himself from a ftool into a pulpit, is a principal fubject in this tête-à-téte.- This reverend gentleman, with the conftitution of a horfe, and the head of an ass, has been long able by force of braying enthufiaftic nonfenfe, to collect a nightly audience at one of the public tabernacles, where he firft faw the frail and unfortunate girl, who has become the object of his libidinous defires.

Nancy is fcarce fifteen, but displays an inviting ripenefs like a forward fpring, thewing at once buds, leaves, flowers, and fruit, to delight the eye, and pleafe the pa-. late. Tho' Nancy cannot boast of delicacy, yet health and robuftness, infpire defire, and folicit the paffions to fin. Doctor Hircus felt the force of her charms, and refolved to rifle them.

To devife a means required the utmoft exless nights did he experience, in racking his ertion of his cunning, and many flumberinvention, till at laft he refolved to raife a flame within her bofom by force of the fpirit, and when at the height, to affuage it by the operation of the A.

To confummate his purpofe, he became a frequent vifitor at her father's house, a fanatical old widower, refiding in the city, whofe wife had brought him forth this daughter, in the fecond year of their marriage, and it must be acknowledged, though Mifs did not refemble papa, the bore many features strongly similar to one of his neighbours, owing, as mama ufed to fay, to her feeing him frequently during her pregnancy.

Now

Account of the prefent State of the Church of Ireland. By Richard Lord Bishop of Cloyne. (Continued from Page 681 of our Appendix.) UT fuppofe the commiffioners impartial,

Band the coexion in the part the Country, in which they are refpectively to act: Are they to value the property of both Laity and Clergy in places, where they are catire Strangers, and of courfe incompetent to judge? or are they to impannel a Jury of the Vicinage, who are fuppofed to know facts; and leave it to the confciences of the tenants or followers of the landed Gentle man, to adjust this complicated business between him, themselves, and the Parson of their parih? On what evidence, are the moft impartial Commiffioners and Jury to afcertain the average value of a Living? Are they to rely on the Oath of the Minif ter? Perhaps the Parishioners might not think that quite fair, in a matter of Property; nor would it be ftrictly confiftent with legal impartiality. But the clergyman may be lately inftituted or coʻlated. In that cafe, are they to refer to the books of the Predeceffor? Perhaps he kept none, or very confufed ones, and he or his reprefentatives, if he be dead, may refuse information; from influence, especially in the cafe of private patrons, or from a difpute with the fuccef for. Is the late proctor or Tithe-farmer to be reforted to, for evidence? Perhaps even the Proctor, whofe office is at an end by the fuppofition, will not give any; for it can fcarce be expected, that he will incur the permanent hatred of all his powerful or favage neighbours, in order to ferve a man, who came yesterday, and may be gone tomorrow. Will he, from a difinterefted and intrepid purfuit of juftice, expofe himfelf to have his house burnt, his cattle houghed, to lose his ears, or be buried alive? As for the Tube-Farmer, he certainly will not reveal his profit, with no poffibility of advantage to himfelf, but on the contrary, with a certainty of being abhorred for what is called Extortion, and being punished by the mob, as if it really were fuch; and at the fame time, of difcovering to his late employer, how much he had impofed on him. It seems to me in most inftances impoffible for the Clergyman to procure such evidences of the average value, as would not leave latitude enough to fuch Juries, as are likely to be impannelled, to deprive him of half his income. I leave this point to the confcience of any man, fufficiently converfant with trials at Law in this country to be able to draw up an act of Parliament.

But if the value of the Living were afcer tained, how is the Equivalent to be railed I can conceive only three modes; a falary out of the publick treafury, a rate on the

Hih Mag Jan 1987

Parish, or a portion of Land. In the first cafe, the inhabitant of Dublin or Cork, who pays his own Minifter by a rate on his houfe, would likewife pay the country clergyman his quota by a new tax. Or if minifter's

money were abolithed, and the tax were raised on general confumption, it would be as unequal and unfair to the reputable inhabitants of great Towns---A large parish in the country, the property of an Abfentee Landlord, and inhabited by Beggars, would contribute as little to the Écclefiaftical eftablishment, as it now does to the Civil and Military, or to the Poor. If

N от E.

A Corn-Rent, recommended in general terms by the learned Archdeacon of Carlifle, (in his Moral and Political Philofophy) is not fufficiently explained by him, to be fairly examined. If it means, what is generally understood by that term, a rate for Tithe of corn, payable like Rent, it is not a Commutation, but a Modus. The operation of a Modus is well known to the Clergy by fatal experience. If it be perpetual, it is unequal to fucceffive incumbents, as it does not vary with the value of money; and at all times it is unequal to the occupiers of land of different degrees of fertility: in different seafons, it is an unequal burden on the fame farm, as it does not vary with the value of the crop. It bears hardest on the poreft lands, the tillage of which will be difcouraged. The proprietor will of course fuffer, by the dimi nution of rent; the publick, by the lofs of cultivation. It bears hardeft on the pooreft farmers, who have not the means of manuring highly; and in addition to the landlord's rent, would be infupportable to the lower tenantry. It bears hardest in bad feasons, because it takes the fame fum out of a crop of fmaller value. In every view, the burden lies heaviest on thofe, who are leaft able to bear it. This furely is calculated to grind the faces of the poor; and in point of equi ty, as well as charity, bears no competition with the old fyftem..--But further, what remedy can the clergyman have, in cafe of non-payment of this corn-rent? At prefent, he has either his Tenth, or a civil bill Proces for the compofition, or for the value proved in case of Substraction. But how is he in future to recover his deht? Is it by diftrefs? The prior demand of the landlord will in all doubtful debts defeat him. Is it by perfonal action? And is the Clergyman to arreft his parishioner, and carry him to Gaol ? This doubtiefs would ferve to endear him to his parith, and take off the obloquy. which he now fuffers merely for proceffing him to the affizes! But will not fome on be found ready to report to the Legislat the number of perfons imprisoned at the

If the Equivalent is to be raised within the Parish, are the Grafs-lands to pay, and the politick and conftitutional regulation of Tithes of Agiftment to be defeated? Will the purchafer or renter of fuch lands (fuppofed, though not really, Tithe-free by virtue of that Vote) like to be fubjected to a new tax? If that fhould not be thought equitable, Is the farm under Grain at the first applotment, to lie under a perpetual tax, though it should afterwards be converted to pafture; and the grazing farm to remain for ever free, though afterwards, ploughed? Or is there to be a new applotment every year? What if a great part, or the whole of a parifh, lately under corn, be converted to pafture, in confequence of the increase of a neighbouring town; Is the old rate to be continued? If not, and the adjoining parish, which in confequence of the alteration, now fupplies the town with grain, be more ploughed; will the equity of the new regulation give to the aggregate of the provifion for the Clergy, an increafe in that fecond parish, adequate to its lofs in the first? Will the farmers of the fecond parish reft content; and not become Whiteboys, on a little proper encouragement? And when that Encouragement has been found fo profitable to themselves, and fo injurious to the proteflant religion, in the year 1786, is it likely to be wanting in future? What a Chaos of confufion will such an innovation create! and after all, produce a fpecies of payment, that not only will not vary in a reafonable proportion to the times; but will vary in a ratio, the reverse of right. The money paid to the Clergy will be worth lefs, in proportion as the other claffes of fociety are rifing in affluence; and they of courfe will fink in their relative fituation. If it be faid, a new valuation must be made, at a reafonaN 0 T E.

of the Clergy; in hopes of taking away that which was given, on former reprefen tations, in lieu of their Tithe? Let any man, converfant with the manners of our lower people, figure to himself the fituation of a parith, in which the incumbent is neceffitated to caufe to be arrefted the fame number of his debtors, as he is now obliged to procefs. If a bailiff could be found defperate enough to begin, can it be imagined that the prifoner would not be inftantly rescued by fuch a multitude of his fellow debtors? The impoffibility of recovering would be a virtual release of all Tithe-debts. The attempt to recover, if once made, would never be repeated; and the minifter must fit down quiet (as is the cafe at prefent in feveral parifhes, through the violence of the White Boys) under the lofs of his whole income. regulation tends to the extinction of Order.

ble interval; then the general Confufion is to return periodically, like a general Election. But I fancy, if once tried, it would never be repeated for the mere purpose of keeping up the income of the Clergy, efpecially if a general Canvas were at hand. And fhould it be attempted, by what gauge is the new valuation to be regulated? That of average is at an end.

It appears to me, that if Tithes, that is, a part of the Produce of the land, be withdrawn from the Parochial Clergy, the only other endowment,equal in fucceffion, muft be a portion of the Land itfelf. And if the valuation were fairly made, the exchange would certainly be advantageous to the prefent Incumbents of parishes; yet it would be the duty of the Clergy, and every Proteftant, to oppofe it, as by limiting the quantity of land to the prefent value of Tithes, it would in most cafes limit to its prefent low ftandard the Proteftant Eftablifhment, In all the grazing countries, for inftance, fhould the clerical incomes be fixed by a portion of land, merely equal to the prefent tillage, and the lands hereafter be broke up, and ftocked with inhabitants, there would be no fund to pay additional Proteftant Clergymen: The Proteftant religion muft either be for ever stopped in its progrefs, or fome new burden laid on the nation at large.

But further; how would the Laity like to be forced to fell their property? What difficulties and difcontents would attend a general Commutation through the realm! No one can form an idea of it, but a Lawyer who had taken into confideration the difficulties attending the Act of Settlement in this kingdom. What Body of men could be found, fit to be entrusted with the whole property of the nation, lay, as well as clerical, to deal it out as they shall think proper? Are they to judge, like the Perambulators of the boundaries of a parish, with out appeal; and the whole realm to lie ab folutely at their mercy? If an appeal lie, to whom, and at whofe expense? Is a new Court of Claims to be erected, to adjust the Titles of the parties to the refpective lands, and to afcertain the feveral incumbrances affecting the fame? Is every Clergyman in the kingdom to be exposed to a law-fuit with his whole parish (at a time when his en

N O Τ E.

The refpectable authority of the Dean of Gloucefter has been quoted, in favour of a commutation of Tithe for Glebe, but his propofal is only for a voluntary exchange; and it is by no means clear, that fo judicious a man would with even that to take place in this Kingdom, where the circumstances of the established Church are fo widely diffe rent from those of the Church of England.

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