generally rather broad than neat,) absurdities of opinion and argument, which would be, we grant, simply ridiculous, if they were not in truth deplorable. As to making quotations from this part of the volume, we might no doubt readily afford our readers some pages of entertainment. But indeed, there is so incessant a jumbling of the most serious and affecting truths of religion, with the Punchinello rattle to which the Author is necessitated to degrade himself in the execution of his design, that we plainly assure him, that though it may suit his feelings and his conscience to write thus, it does not suit either our feelings or our conscience, to retail what he has written. We feel fully persuaded that he will discover, (perhaps he has already discovered,) from the opinion of the better part of the religious public, that he has made a sad mistake; that he has transgressed alike against good taste and right feeling. The offensive burlesquing of Holy Scripture, which abounds in the volume, is the inevitable sin of his plan, and should therefore have condemned the attempt to treat religious opinions ironically. Upon some instances of grossness of expression, and two or three instances of profaneness, we may waive remark. We presume it to be unnecessary to add any thing to the compunction which the Author no doubt already feels, at the thought of having afforded to his opponents so very fair an occasion for saying of himself and of his cause, the severest things to which their irritated feelings may prompt them.

The Ieropaideia' comes more within the lawful range of Satire; and we may afford our readers the amusement of some quotations. It consists of A Letter to the Parents of Young Gentlemen intended for the Ministry-A Letter to Young Gentlemen intended for the Ministry-A Letter to Dashing Merry Parsons-A Letter to Serious Moderate Anti-calvinistic Clergymen-and, General Hints for supporting the Established Church against Calvinism.'

Thus, from the first Letter to Parents.

As your son is intended for a learned profession, you had better have him taught to read and write; indeed, the word Clergy is derived from Clericus, a clerk, which comprehends both those branches of literature, without a moderate knowledge of which, I am not sure that any interest could procure him a degree either in Oxford or Cambridge, or even in Trinity College, Dublin. He ought to be taught arithmetic very carefully, the importance of this will appear, when you recollect that he will have such a weight of tithes to manage; and if you have high connexions, who knows but he may get on the bench, where a perfect knowledge of that science is of indispensible importance, both from the magnitude of his revenue, and from the necessary disbursement of it in town houses, and palaces, and carriages, and horses, and servants, which his rank and dignity oblige him to keep up; not to mention the round of parties and

entertainments which he will be forced to give, in order to fulfil the Scripture, which declares, that a Bishop must be "a lover of hospitality." But as your son may not be able to command sufficient interest, to place him at once on the bench, I shall give you directions for his education, which will preserve him from Calvinism, procure him friends and connexions, and, perhaps, as many an unexpected prize turns up in the lottery of life, so confirm and enlarge the circle of his supporters, as ultimately to bring him to the highest dignities. With this laudable view, you cannot pay too much attention to his manners-manners, depend on it, "manners make the man." Suppose your son in a curacy. Suppose him going to the palace, to pay his devoirs to the Bishop: a brother Parson happens to get there before him, a mope of a fellow with the Talmud and Chaldee at his finger's end, or a Calvinistic dog with the Greek Testament by heart; the door is thrown open-your son is announced the Rev. Lovelace Tucker, my Lord.” His air, his mien, his attire, his address, at once proclaim the finished gentleman, the man of fashion, the man who has seen the first company; can the Bishop hesitate a moment, which to take by the hand? ask yourself which must make the most favourable impression? The probability is, if his Lordship was, as indeed, all Bishops are, quick in discriminating and prompt in rewarding real merit, that your son would be the first man provided for in the diocese, after his lordship's own list of clients had been disposed of.

One of thesc, (accomplishments indispensible in the education of a Clergyman,) and not the least important, is the art of dancing gracefully. We know, that in proportion as the muscles and sinews gradually arrive at maturity of strength, they lose that flexibility which is indispensably necessary to perfection in that accomplishment; and, therefore, it would be impossible for your son ever to regain, after the age of ordination, which is twenty-three, that golden opportunity which your negligence has thrown away; so that it is plain, the duty of having him instructed in this useful and important branch of education, with any reasonable prospect of proficiency, (and a most highly imperative duty it is,) devolves entirely on you, his parents or guardians, and which if you neglect, it may be matter of endless remorse to him, and, perhaps, of self-reproach to you as long as you live: for, consider the consequences-yes, and the probable consequences resulting from such neglect. Let me suppose, for instance, that you and your son should be invited to a ball at the palace of some lay peer; the bishops are too pious to give balls;) suppose the lady of the house, or his lordship, should ask, "Lovelace, won't you dance?" what a pretty sheep-faced clown he would appear, to answer, "In-in-de-ed, my lord, I-1-1-do-nt know how." Or, if he were

ashamed to confess that, as indeed he well might, and that shame absolutely made him brave an attempt to go down a set; suppose him. so fortunate as to obtain the hand of the lovely Miss, whether she be the sister, or daughter, or niece, or cousin of his lordship: when it came to her turn to lead off, I ask you, as a parent, what would be your sensations, to behold your son ignorant of the figure? every step out of time; floundering, as if he had a stone of lead to his heels, down two or three couple, to the amazement and annoyance of fid

dlers, and dancers, and all; and then, after all his partner's skill and good-nature had proved ineffectual to extricate him from his blunders, compelled, at last, to sneak down to the foot of the set, to the utter confusion of the lady, the unspeakable mortification of her friends, and his own eternal disgrace? I ask you as a parent, what would be your sensations? What can you conceive would be his? What would be Miss's report of him the next morning at breakfast, or at the raking pot of tea, when the company had gone away? What could all his lordship's charity urge in his defence? What would his reception be, the next visit he paid at the palace, if, indeed, he could have the con. fidence to visit there again? How would you like to see a titter go round the room at his expense, which the best manners could scarcely forbear? Can you possibly conceive such a Solomon Lob of a fellow getting forward in the world-and all because you had been so scandalously negligent, although intending him for the Church, as not to have him taught to dance!!!'

After much to the same purpose, we have the letter of instructions addressed to the young Gentleman himself.

A-propos of Divinity Lectures; whatever little divinity you do read, let it be the Bishop of Lincoln's work on the Articles, for though you take no interest in works of that description, (and it would be highly unreasonable to expect you should at your time of life,) yet the time may come when it shall (will) be useful to have studied the able writings of that prelate, who supplies you with many able arguments, to prove that the Calvinistic mode of taking the Articles in their plain and literal import is highly improper; for that they do not mean spiritually, virtually, and philosophically what they seem to express in words, that they are to be taken quite cum grano salis, which considerably promotes their digestion. Calvinists, indeed, have the stomach of a horse, they will swallow any thing; but you will find the writings of this pious Prelate of considerable importance, if you should ever after come in contact with one of them who attempts, as they all do, to enlist our Articles in their service; for he not only saves you the trouble of comparing the Articles with the Scriptures yourself, but he also supplies you with that fine rule of Prosody," Auctoritate," whose value and efficacy I have hinted at before. However, my dear lad, it is a pity to over-cast the sunshine of youth and festivity with the cloud of religion: for even in the Bishop of Lincoln's works, there is enough about God and eternity to make one melancholy; for, at your time of life, any thing in the shape of religion is enough to put a man into the blue devils, and it is full time enough for you to trouble yourself about it. I only recommended his works as the most eligible, in case you might ever think of looking into any of those things. But if you have learned to play, to sing, to dance, besides the various games and small plays I spoke of; if you skim a little out of the reviews, and dip now and then into any of the pamphlets or newspapers of the day, these will occupy as much of a man's time as he can reasonably spare from the theatre, and opera, and dinners, and balls, and concerts, and masquerades; besides, you know, it would be a horrid bore to get up early in the

morning after a man has been worn to a silk thread over-night; it is quite impossible to stir out of bed till one has got a dish of coffee about twelve. However, take it all in all, though divinity lectures are miserably stupid at the best, a man may make out the time tolerably well. If you have more time to spare, as you cannot well be ordained till twenty-three, a trip to the continent would be delightful; a man could take a fine fling there, you know, and nobody be a tittle the wiser one is soon tired of Bond Street; one's face is soon quite common on the Pavé. I hope you do not forget to say your prayers at night it is a very good habit, for a man going into the church, you cannot think how much it does for one's character sometimes, and it is no such great trouble after all.'

The Letter to Dashing Merry Parsons, has as much humour as any part of the volume; and, as is very natural, betrays fewer symptoms of acrimony in the mind of the writer, than some other portions of it. Those of his readers who know little of the Established Church beyond the walls of the cities and large towns of the kingdom, may think the Author's irony is exaggerated, or at least that it is not called for by the frequency of the case against which it is directed. Such persons, if they wish to know what patronage and episcopacy are doing for the great mass of our countrymen-the agricultural part of the community,-should itinerate the country parishes, from the Land's End to the Tweed, and they will learn what is the real state of our Establishment, wherever it is removed out of the reach and counteraction of public opinion. Our Clergyman seems to know well what he is saying.

I suppose you have not time to bother your brains with writing sermons; indeed, no person of any moderation would expect you should. However, they are a commodity that a man can get for a trifle, quite a drug in the market; only take care how you buy them. Do not leave it to a bookseller, for the fellow might send you some of Whitfield's, or Cennick's, or Cooper's, or Walker's, or Burder's, or some such abominable stuff. No, no; get Blair, or Jortin, or Sterne, the one out of "Tristram Shandy "is very good; or you may buy Dr. Mant's, to have on state occasions, if there should be any Calvinists in your neighbourhood; there are Mr. Alison's, which are full of very pretty flowers for the ladies, and Mr. Jebb's, that are extremely classical and sentimental for the gentlemen; and then there are Sidney Smith's, that have very nice philosophy for both: all fine Christian sermons. I am sure you will find something about Jesus Christ in all, or at least, in some of them, just enough of him and not too much. The Calvinists preach about nothing else; it is quite tiresome to listen to them. I recommend you to cut the sermons out of the books, it is very troublesome to copy them, and just run your eye over them, if you can, before you preach them, lest that you might fall into the same blunder that a friend of mine ance did, a very nice parson too, as you could see in a day's chase. One Sunday, when we were just expecting he should conclude, when he

came to that part of the sermon which I suppose the Author intended for the application, "we have just now come," said he, "to the beginning of a new year," one began to stare, and another, and another, for we could scarcely believe our own ears, when we recollected that it was on or about the 20th day of October, that wo were listening to him; poor fellow, he soon began to discover his mistake himself, when he had got on with a sentence or two more; however, he dashed on, and it gave us a good laugh at him afterwards; he confessed he had not read it, or known it to be a new year's sermon; but we all agreed that a sermon that was good in January, could not be bad in October. It was no matter, as it happened to be in a country church, nobody was there, but friends; however, there are places a person might feel a little awkward in, on such an occasion, and where one would not just like to do it. Never let a sermon, if possible, exceed twelve or fourteen minutes; fifteen should be a ne plus ultra. When you come out of your pulpit always step into the aisle, and salute all your acquaintance in the gayest possible manner; this removes all formality, and divests religion of all gloom, which is most desirable and useful. Whenever you go out to a fox-hunt of a Saturday, leave your hunting cap and frock at home, and put on your hat and black coat, and put a sermon in your pocket, for the fox may run you so far from home, and keep you so late, that you will not be able to return till the next morning to church, and you might not have time to go home to change your dress. Take my advice, and never buy a horse that has not a good bottom; my friend above mentioned, the Honourable and Reverend Tom Tantivy, had a rascally little Garron that has tired with him sometimes, after a hard chase on Saturday, and kept him very late from Church the next day.'

In dealing with the serious, moderate, anti-Calvinistic clergy, much more delicacy of touch and adroitness are required. The Author has, we acknowledge, succeeded in uniting so much resemblance to so much carricature, as ensures the laugh at the expence of his sitters. The following is very descriptive, and really quite fair.

We preach the deformity of vice, the beauty of virtue, the rewards for the one, the punishment for the other, the self-accusation of guilt, the self-complacency of holiness, the miseries of profligacy and dis sipation, the pleasures of temperance and self-controul, the joys of giving to the poor, the sorrows of squandering on luxury, the impropriety of indulging in the follies of the world, the propriety of abstaining from them. We show the moral beauty of Jesus Christ's character, and point him out as an example, that if men follow his conduct they will surely go to heaven. Sometimes, on proper occasions, we speak of his atonement, which, through repentance, taith, and good works, will save men who have lost baptismal grace; and, indeed, through which alone our own good works could be allowed, as fitting us for heaven. We also speak of the Holy Spirit, of his aid and influence in making us holy. We speak of the obedience of Abraham, the morality of Moses, the vicissitudes of David, the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the poetical beauty