different fituations of the fpectators, fo, fays Mr. Ridley, it has happened, with refpect to Reginald Pole; for, befides the prejudices of papifts and proteftants, his life was fo caft betwixt England and Italy, that neither his countrymen nor foreigners faw the whole of him: his birth, parentage, ancestors, obligations, views and connections in England imprefs a form upon his conduct, of which the Italians, as ftrangers, were incompetent judges; his qualities and accomplishments, which in great measure he acquired in Italy, and chiefly difplayed there, were lefs feen in England, where he chofe not to exert them. The Italians therefore are apt to dwell with rapture on theft; which the English deny not to have been fhining, but were too diftant from their obfervation to make equally ftrong impreffions while they look with horror on the former, as exhibiting the strongest features of ingratitude, refentment, and treafon; which the Italians, although they fee them, yet, the distance foftening them to their eyes, are wont to extenuate or overlook. That milder merit of the heart, which diftinguifhed him among his favourites at Padua, is loft to us amidit that moft illiberal abufe, with which he foams against his King and benefactor: the appearances of humanity and difintercfted nefs, which he put on at Rome, drop off when we look at him travelling from court to court, to roufe up the Princes of Europe to invade bis country, to fpirit up civil wars in the bowels of it; and during his fhort adminiftration here, bathing his hands in the blood of his countrymen. Yet all this can bigotry and fuperftition confecrate into virtue, nay into Patriotifm, nay into a tender love for that very King, and as the least equivocal pledge of his loyalty and affection.

Be it, that he was naturally of a mild and humane difpo fition what was able to drive him fo violently from his natural bent? Mr. Phillips reprefents it as proceeding from his zeal for religion, his affection to his King, and his love of his country. Thete will offer themfelves to examination in the courfe of this Review. At prefent it muft appear a paradox, to urge a zcal for religion as the defence of rebellion; an affection for his King as the caufe of attempting to depofe him; and invafions, civil wars, and cruel executions, as the proofs of his love for his country. A Review of his life, as related by Mr. Phillips himfcif, may perhaps difcover a caufe more adæquate, and less æquivocal, powerful enough to change his natural bent, and which is fupported fufficiently by hiftory.'

Our Author now proceeds to his Review of the Cardinal's life, as related by his Biographer, Mr. Phillips; and whoever fhall attentively and impartially perufe this very acute, elaborate, and mafterly Review, will gather from it a very different, and, we really believe, a much truer idea of the character, principles,

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and conduct of Cardinal Pole, than what might naturally be collected from an implicit regard to the artful and fpecious reprefentations of Mr. Phillips.-It would be in vain for us to attempt, in a work circunftanced and limited like ours, to aim at giving an adequate view of even the principal points here debated; and therefore we fhall content ourselves with an extract from Mr. Ridley's expoftulatory conclufion, as a specimen of the Author's manner, in controverfial writing.

Addreffing himself, then, to his antagonist, he thus draws towards a conclufion of his work: Having now, fays he, finished my Review of The life of Reginald Pole, and fhewn that the Author of it has greatly misreprefented facts and authorities, to recommend his hero to our cfteem and imitation; in order to infpire his Readers with a love of thofe corruptions in religion which he embraced, and with a defire to restore them in this kingdom, by thofe means, without which they cannot be fupported, a reconciliation with the Pope and the re-eflablishment of his fupremacy: means, which if perfuafion has not force enough to recommend, ought (in his opinion) to be introduced even by fedition and rebellion, from the encouraging examples of that great Patriot, St. Thomas of Canterbury, and thofe Martyrs alfo who were hanged for treafon under Queen Elizabeth;-Permit me, Mr. Phillips, to leave your book, and apply myself to you, in teftimony of my Christian charity and good will to your perfon, however juftly I may refent your attempt as a Polemical Hiftorian. There are connections betwixt us, which give me a title to addrefs you, as my countryman, my fellow-fubject, and a Chriftian brother.

As my countryman, pray for the peace of our Jerufalem; for your brethren and companions fakes with her profperity: nor endeavour to prevent her, by fuch publications as thefe, or any other feditious attempts, from being a city at unity with itself. You must be fenfible, that though we have borne with thofe of your Communion, whilst they appeared too few to do us any mifchief, yet you cannot increase without danger to us. The methods therefore which you, and others of you, are taking to add to your numbers, muft diminish the likelihood of your living in tranquillity amongft us: we know we cannot be fafe, if yours become the prevailing profeffion; and therefore we mut, when we fee it attempted, and you may be affured we fhall, execute fuch of our laws against you as are neccilary for our own prefervation, or enact fuch as may be more properly executed. You have made a very bad ufe of our long fufpenfion of the old ones, and should be cautious of provoking us to new provisions; for if you imagine that we fhall continue fupine, till you are a match for us, you may find yourfelves great

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ly mistaken; and if ever a conteft happens on this point, it will be a dreadful one.

Can you then wish to see your country plunged in the hor rors of civil war? can you attempt to excite a new pilgrimage of grace, zealously contending to ravifh from us that liberty, which, in indulgence to your hereditary prejudices, reaches out its civil protection to you? You exprefs a fenfe of your happiness in living under the equity and moderation of thefe times; perhaps multitudes of your friends are flying from the refentment of their respective states to bask in the fun-fhine of English liberty; live and enjoy it: but use not this liberty as a cloke of malicioufness, nor grudge it to your countrymen, while they extend it to you. How would Roman Catholic powers treat their Proteftant fubjects, were they firft to give them fuch a protection as you enjoy here, and then receive fuch a return for it, as you and thofe of your communion make here? How would they treat the Author of a book written in such a manner againft their eftablished church and laws, as yours is against ours? How would you think he ought to be treated? Be fo good as to confider these questions, and what plane anfwer can be returned to them.

• Confider further, in what confusion and disturbance of preperty you are labouring to embroil your country: you tell us the Abbey and Church lands, by the mediation of Pole, have been fecured to the poffeffors and confirmed by the Pope but we know the precarious tenure when your Pope shall be able to give effect to the decrees of his predeceffors; the fecurity granted was intended to be but temporary, Pole himself perfuaded the poffeffors to give back the apple, and threatning if they did not, that it should be taken from them, and the lofers whipped into the bargain if they pretended to cry.

But above all confider, have you a heart capable of undertaking to bring the brand to kindle thofe dreadful fires again through the kingdom, which difgraced the administration of your Patriot Hero; and to facrifice in them your fellow ci izens, friends, and benefactors. Should Popery once moe prevale in England, the Proteftant caufe would be funk fo low, that a return of all the old barbarities might juftly be feared. Can you then defire the revival of them? Are you really fo much of the fame spirit with your predeceffors in Queen Mary's days? how much efteem do you hope to conciliate from wishes of this complection? what thanks do you conceive your country is indebted to you for labours to fo bloody a purpose?

As my fellow fubject, dare you openly avow an allegiance. to a foreign potentate, and endeavour to perfuade Englishmen fubmit to any earthly Prince as above their natural King? Does

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Does the duty of fubmitting to the King as fupreme allow you to withdraw your own allegiance, and to employ your abilities to withdraw that of others from him, and yield it to an alien ufurper? do you regard the example of Pole more than the precept of St. Peter himfelf?

Is your loyalty no better instructed than to wish to appro→ priate a third part of the revenues of his kingdom in the fupport of a Monaftic ftanding army, confifting of fome hundred thou fand perfons, banded together to defend the REGALIA STI. PETRI, in oppofition to their King; and to yield, as to Peter, the pence ftamped with the image and fuperfcription of Cæfar?

Muft the Kings of England again do homage to the Pope for their crowns, and hold them as vaffals but at his pleafure?. Shall they be denied the commerce and affiftance of their fubjects at a nod of a fupreme tyrant, and be deprived of their kingdoms by virtue of a right which you contend for in his holinefs, whenever his fuppofed univerfal fuperintendence fhall perfuade him that it is proper to make use of fuch means; and when fancied provocations fhall fuggeft to his fubjects that this method of redress is lawful.

Laftly, As a Chriftian brother, permit me to remind you of that exhortation of the Author of the Hebrews, obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit your felves. The vifible church of Chrift in this kingdom has its known fpiritual governours by regular fucceffion, whom you ought to remember, and whofe faith follow their faith is primitive, for next to the fcriptures the ancient creeds are their fymbol and teft. It is a faith 1500 years older than the diftinguishing creed of Pius IV. which, while it profeffes to approve them as the only foundation, would inconfiftently impofe novel doctrines, decreed to be articles of faith but 200 years ago; and all unknown to the church of Chrift for 600 years, most of them for a thousand. Our faith therefore is certainly right by your own acknowledgment; and your obedience is confequently due to thofe fpiritual governours, regularly ent and appointed over you; they watch for your fouls as they that must give account, yet knowing the bounds of their commiffion, they defire not to be Lords over your faith, but permit you to judge what they fay. It is your concern to discharge your heart of prejudices, that you do not obftinately profess errors at the expence of fchifm; for if the account they give of you be, through your fault, with grief, the event will be unprofitable to you. Learn from your favourite Cardinal, that the imperiousness of the court of Rome, and the fimony of its apoftolical chamber, are fuch flagrant abufes as to ftand in need of reformation; which was alfo the opinion of many members of your own church, who complained of them in every age for fix

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centuries before they were confirmed at Trent: but do not la bour, as the Cardinal inconfiftently did, to re-eftablish those corruptions again in that part of Chrift's church which has difcharged itself of them. Learn from him to reconcile St. Paul with St. James, and fee the neceffity of joining faith and works: but endeavour not with him, to burn thofe who wish to preferve them as infeparable as the fruit and the tree, knowing, that the fruit cannot be produced without the tree, nor can the tree be good that produces no fruit. And by forfaking acknowledged corruptions, and paying a due obedience to your provincial governours, endeavour to keep the unity of the faith, in the bond of peace.

But, if neither the natural regard which all men have for their country, the allegiance due to your Prince by the laws of God and of your country, nor the obedience required to your fpiritual governours by the apoftolical rules and ancient canons, have any influence upon you, what is there particular in the prefent crifis to provoke or tempt this fo extraordinary an effort of Popish zeal? provocation there can be none on the part of your governours; you yourself acknowledge the equity and moderation of the times. One would fufpect there was fomething remarkably favourable to your cause at this juncture, which makes fuch a preparatory incitement expedient. This may be from the late great increafe of your church in this kingdom: For doubtless it has increafed, though I am perfuaded lefs than its Partizans boaft, and fome good perfons fear, and fome illmeaning ones pretend; which increa'e may be owing partly to an indolent inattention, but certainly nothing worse, in fome of us of the clergy, and yet not in many of them: but in a much greater degree to the covert methods, in which artful emiffarics proceed; engaging fimple and ignorant perfons, beyond retreat, by falfe affertions and fophiftical arguments, by promifes and bribes, before their minifters have any knowlege of the attempt. In the large parishes of London and Weftminster Tuch knowlege is peculiarly difficult to procure. And further in thote great cities, it may be apprehended, that much of the evil is owing to the imprudence of fome of the upper fort, in committing the care of themfelves and their households to foreign fervants of that church, who will not lay out their masters money but with perfons of their own perfuafion; and take all other opportunities, of which they have many, for bringing over converts to it. Hence the great number of converts which were boafted of in the late rebellion; but a much greater progrefs in this work may be justly apprehended by the reinforcement of labourers in it furnished, or likely to be furnished, by a fociety fo dangerous to civil government, that the Princes of

Europe,