an import somewhat similar, and leading to a similar conclusion, was made to the Reminiscent by Mr. Porson :—“ The number of ancient writers,” said that gentleman, "who have reached us, is so small, that we "cannot be judges of the expressions, or even of the "words appropriated to any particular style. Many, "suited to the general style of Livy, would not be suited "to that of Tacitus of this, we necessarily are, in a 66 'great measure, insensible; and use them indiscrimi

nately. This must be wrong; when therefore we "write in the Latin language, our style should be most "unambitious; we should carefully avoid all fine words "and expressions; we should use the most obvious and "most simple diction; beyond this, we should not as"pire: if we cannot present a resemblance, let us not "exhibit a caricature."

It was a remark of Boileau, that if the French had become a dead language, and few only of its approved writers had survived, a poet, who wished to describe a person gathering sand on the bank of a river, might mention him,

"Sur la rive du fleuve amassant de l'arène;" and justify the line, by producing, from approved authors, every word it contained. "But now," said Boileau, "the most ordinary writer knows that the expressions "rive dufleuve and amassant de l'arène, are insupportably "bad; and would write Sur le bord de la rivière and "amassant du sable.'"

Such is the subject which we presume to suggest; it must be admitted to be singularly important and interesting; a proper execution of it will require great previous knowledge, long application, extensive research, and, probably, some foreign travel.-But,

"Est quâdam prodire tenus, si non datur ultra;"

HORACE

while we wait for the execution of this work, on the extensive plan we have suggested, it is much to be wished that some gentleman, properly qualified, would favour us with an outline of it: one of our literary journals would be a very proper place for its insertion.*

The late abbé Barruel, in his curious "Mémoires pour "servir à l'Histoire du Jacobinisme," professes to trace the German Illuminés, of whom the public have heard so much, through the Freemasons, Albigenses, and Knights-templars, to the Manicheans. The templar extraction of the Freemasons had been previously asserted by several German writers, but it seems to be completely disproved by the researches of the professors Moldenhawer and Münter. The abbé Barruel overdid the work, by supposing the foreign Masons and Illuminés to be the authors and principal factors of the French revolution. They co-operated in it; but, if there never had been a mason or an illuminé, the French revolution would have equally taken place. So long ago as during Cromwell's usurpation, Harrington, in his Oceana, no

*On this subject, Bossuet's "Variations," 1. 11. 14, and father Persons' "Three Conversions of England," part iii. c. 3, on one side, and Basnage's "Histoire des Eglises Réformées," and the "History of the Anabaptists or Memnonites," in Dr. Maclaine's translation of "Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History," vol. iv. p. 129, on the other,may be usefully consulted.

↑ See Monthly Review, vol. xxv. p. 303. 501; vol. xxvii. p. 509.

ticed the germ of it in France: The "Commentaire du "Chevalier Folard sur Polybe," published in 1727, contains the following prediction :-"A conspiracy is ac"tually forming in Europe, by means at once so subtle "and so effectual, that I grieve for not having come thirty years later into the world. It must be confessed "that the sovereigns of Europe wear very bad specta"cles. The proofs of it amount to mathematical demon

66

stration, if such proofs ever were of a conspiracy."* If there were not another and a better world," the Reminiscent would feel and acknowledge a regret similar to this of the French commentator.

XXXII.

THE HISTORICAL MEMOIRS OF THE ENGLISH, IRISH, AND SCOTTISH CATHOLICS.

THE Reminiscent has now reached his Historical Memoirs of the English, Irish, and Scottish Catholics,—his last literary labour.

During a period of forty-three years, he has taken an active part in the concerns of the English Catholics, particularly in their attempts to obtain the repeal of the penal laws remaining in force against them, in consequence of their religious principles. It necessarily became his duty to obtain the best knowledge, within his power, of

*The letter of cardinal Julian to pope Eugenius, copied by Bossuet, in almost the first page of his Variations, is a remarkable monument of foresight. "The minds of men," says the cardinal, "are big with the expectation of what measures will be taken, and are ripe for something tragical. I see the axe is at the root; the tree begins to bend; and instead of propping it, whilst we may, we hasten its fall." A clear prediction of the Reformation.

the external and internal occurrences in which the English Catholics have been particularly interested, since the era of the reformation.

Mr. Dodd's Church History of England contains all, or at least almost all the information, which we possess upon these subjects. It is executed with ability and industry:-the labour of procuring the materials, which he used in the composition of it, must have been great, and the expense attending it considerable: this, it is said, was defrayed, in a great measure, by Mr. Constable, of Burton-Constable, in Yorkshire, and Mr. Sheldon, of Beoley, in Warwickshire.

for

The difficulty of making the collections necessary the execution of his work must have been so great, that it has ever been a matter of surprise to the Reminiscent how Mr. Dodd surmounted it. The present scarcity of books, throwing any light on the history of the Catholics anterior to the time when his "Church History" ap'peared, is not to be conceived by those, who have not been engaged in a similar pursuit. It is principally owing to two circumstances,--the destruction of Catholic books and documents, by the pursuivants, during the reigns of the two Charleses, and the usurpation; and the destruction of them by the Catholics themselves, from the dread of the heavy penalties to which the law subjected them, if any Catholic documents should be found in their custody. The best collection of such materials is at Burton-Constable: the Reminiscent has heard of others, but has not been able to ascertain their extent or value.

The Reminiscent must also remark, that, if the extent and accuracy of the information contained in Dodd's History be sometimes very great, the deficiency of it, when

most desirable, and most to be expected, is sometimes surprising. Few events in the history of the English Catholics are more important than the intrigues of what may be termed the Spanish faction, of English Catholic exiles, at the court of Madrid,-the six questions proposed to the priests, who suffered in the reigns of Elizabeth and James the first,-the protestation proposed to be tendered to government by the English Catholics during the usurpation,-and their attempts for relief at the restoration of Charles the second. The information furnished by Mr. Dodd on these topics, is extremely scanty. The Reminiscent has endeavoured to supply the deficiency; but, on every head, found too great reason to complain of a scarcity of materials. It cannot be supposed that in Dodd's time this existed, in the same degree.

Mr. Dodd has been accused of partiality to the secu lar, and of prejudice against the regular clergy: the Reminiscent inclines to think that there is not much foundation for this charge. If it be really founded, it is excusable in some measure, as the regulars generally withheld their historical treasures from him, while the seculars communicated theirs to him without reserve. Thus, his history would naturally exhibit more of the secular than the regular feeling, on the points, upon which there had been differences between them; and his language would naturally be that of his materials. Still, all must acknowledge, that he shows the fierce polemic less than most of his contemporaries.

The greatest defect of his work is, its want of order. By classifying the subjects of his history under various distinct heads, he has destroyed its unity. To obtain a full knowledge of any one transaction of importance