Such is the rude outline of a work, which we have, from a pretfure of other matter, hitherto been unable to notice, but from which we have derived confiderable amufement, Its author evinces no common thare of talent; and, with a lively imagination and a very fertile fancy, appears to poffefs a fufficient knowledge of the world, and of ancient and modern history. Her language is often elegant and nervous, and her fentiments are juft, liberal, and pleafing; at the fame time we are forced to obferve, that the fometimes foars beyond all human comprehenfion, and is too fublime to be intelligible: much of rhapsody, fomewhat of bombast, and an affectation of fine phrafeology, here and there deform her ftyle, and combine to leffen the interest which her genius had awakened.

Her heroine is no "faultlefs monfter," but much the child of Nature, ardent, impetuous, and alive to all the better feelings of the foul; even her errors have a charm, for "they fpring from the vir tues of her character, and are fuch as the world only could make dangerous to their poffeffor." There are, however, in this publication paffages which we have read with mingled amazement and reprobation. The author we understand to be a young woman, and unmarried; we are therefore furprifed by a glow of colouring and as ardor of expreffion by no means to be expected from the pen of a refpectable female; and we are forced to pass on fuch parts of the work our strongest and most unlimited cenfure.

The more fplendid the native and acquired talents of an author, the more is to be dreaded the poifon they may infufe with the enthufiafm of feeling and the bewildering effufions of extravagant fentimentality: the fafcinations of the tory, the bewitching scenery fo tastefully depictured, the fociety fo well introduced, the artful interweavings of points of history, ever interefting to the young and romantic fpirit, imperceptibly feduce to the contemplation of language, where paffion reigns to the injury of fimple purity, if not to the violation of delicacy.

What parent would willingly place in the hands of a young and innocent girl effufions like the following?" Delightful enthufiaft! fanciful but bewitching being! how ectatic to thare with thee thy ' raptured hour;' to participate in thy fairy vifions; to live beneath the warm beam of thine eye, and hang upon the melting murmur of thy voice; to fpurn the cold forms of a world for which thou wert never created; and to range with thee through all the yet unconjectured bounds of feeling, fentiment, and paion!" Page 102. Or again :-" Give then, lovely maid! thy tears, thy fighs, to me; for his fufferings [Abelard's] are mine, but not his joys: Mifery raised not her bitter cup to his lips, till he had quaffed the very draught of blifs to its laft precious drop. But, ah! it is only for him to complain, who has never felt the tranfport of reciprocal paffion; whofe ardent, glowing feelings prey on themfelves; and whofe tender, impaffioned heart is confumed by a facred, fecret, unrequited love!" But we forbear, perfuaded that the good fenfe of the fair author will spare us in future the exertion of the most unpleasant part of our

duty to the public. A too lively imagination, unchaftifed, perchance, by the wholesome leffons of experience, has betrayed her into error. The remedy is, however, in her own hands: we believe her equal to the compofition of a work that fhall at once please the fancy, fatisfy the judgment, and amend the heart. In the meanwhile it would be unjust to remain tilent on those parts of the book which we conceive to poffefs real merit, or to withhold from our readers a specimen of the better parts of a work, of which we have named the objectionable. Our young readers will feel convinced of the beauty and truth of the under-written observation, and even thofe of more mature life will not fail to acknowledge its force. "Love knows no inequality; it discovers in, or beflows on, its object every thing that excites intereft or conftitutes perfection. The fympathies of the heart are deaf to the arbitrary fuggeftions of pride; and even the difadvantages of birth or fortune serve but as basso relievo, which raife their poffeffor fuperior to deftiny, and mark him the favourite of Heaven, though reckless of the world's perithable treafures."

Equally juft and happy is the author's affertion, that “ Reason, when fuffered to take its courfe, will ever confirm the universal principles of truth and nature, and diftinguith, amidst the various docu ments of human education, the good from the bad; adhering with firmness to the former, and rejecting the latter with humility."

In fhort, while we have found much to condemn, we repeat there is much to approve; and as Mifs Owenfon can never be classed among thofe novel writers whole ephemeral productions glare on the literary hemifphere, and are forgotten, as equally unworthy of applaufe or cenfure, we lament that we cannot offer more undivided praife, or recommend "The Novice of St. Dominick" to indifcriminate perufal; full, as it is our with but to excite to higher excellence the evidently brilliant talents of its author, we conclude with the hope that we may henceforth be able to appear only in the lift of her admirers.

I.

11.

MISCELLANEOUS.

64

Brother Abraham's Anfuer to leter Plymley, Efq.; in Two Letters: to which is prefixed a Pojiluminious" Preface. Svo, pp. 63. Cradock and Joy, and Hatchard. 1808.

Authentic Documents relative to the Miraculous Cure of Winefrid White, of Wolverhampton, at St. Winefrid's Well, alias Holywell, in Flintshire, on the 28th of June, 1805; with Obfervations thereon. By the R. R. J- M——————————, D.D., V.A., F.S.A, Lond., aud C. Acad. Rome. THIRD EDITION!!!!!! 8vo, pp. 42. Keating and Co.

III. A Serious Expoftulation with the Rev. Jofeph Berington upon his

Theological Errors concerning Miracles; and other Subjects. By the Rev. John Milner, F.S.A. 12mo, pp. 137. 2s. Coghlan.

WE have thought proper to unite these three tracts in one article, because the author of the fift has taken fome notice of the two laft in his "Poftliminious" Preface; a lucky idea, which he has, no doubt, adopted from the fprightly hiftorian of Ireland, Mr. Plowden. Of the Anfwer to Peter Plymley we have nothing to fay, as the first letter of it appeared in one of our late Numbers, and, of courfe, our readers are as competent as ourselves to judge of its merit. In its new form, it is dedicated, very appropriately, "To the Right Rev. Father in God, Henry Lord Bishop of Norwich, and the Rev. Sydney Smith, Esq., as a teftimony of their well-founded claims, and a precurior to more adequate remuneration, from the Catholic Committee." We have no doubt that the worthy prelate will receive this tribute of gratitude from "A True Catholic" with that liberal fpirit which fo honoura-, bly marks his character, and which forbids him to make any odious diftinétion between Chriftian and Infidel, Proteftant and Papift; and which induces him to adhere firmly to his new Whig principles, without knowing, or caring, good man, why or wherefore; which stimulates him at one time to vote with his family against his opinions, and at another to vote according to his opinions against his family and against the Established Church; and which finally renders him peculiarly attentive to the fcriptural admonition, "make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteoufnefs," which we recommend to his Lord hip as an appropriate text for his next epifcopal charge. As to that Prince Pretty man of Theology, that fweet fprig of divinity, that pert lecturer of his betters, that gentle retailer of moral feraps, that by poacher in the philofophical fields of Paley, that pretty protege of Lady Holland, or, to fum up the whole in one, that POPULAR PREACHER, Mr. Sydney Smith, we doubt not that he will fmile moft pleafantly at the new appellation of Efquire bere beftowed upon him. But, why waste our breath upon-ex nihilo nihil fit. Let Mr. Smith rufticate-he has accepted a living in the country; let him do his duty-obey the mandate of his diocefan, quit the pleasures of London, and RESIDE; but, above all, we caution him to print no more fermons, and to exchange the morality of the SCHOOLS for the morality of JESUS CHRIST.

The editor of the "Reply" before us, willing to afford to the Bifhop, the Prieft, and their co-adjutors in the fupport of Popery, fome little portion of that knowledge of which they evidently ftand fo much in need, devotes a part of his preface to a brief sketch of the merits of a few of thofe faints, the voluminous and wonderful accounts of whofe lives, as detailed by Popish writers, every Papift implicitly believes;, and to whofe images every Papift pays, in defiance of the Second Commandment, devout worship.

"It may not be improper to give a few characteristic traits of the Popith gods, in order to develope the minds of Papifts. According to Croifet and Canturami, who published their lives of the faints about

the commencement of the last century, the number of gods in the Papal calendar exceeded 600 (not includi: g the local and family gods, which are much more numerous); and fince that time they have confiderably augmented. All these denies are fuppofed to have much more power in heaven than the Penates and Lares of the ancients had over Defliny, and as much more influence than they had with Jupiter. The local deities of the Papifts are alfo more potent, and the black Lady of Montferrat is a grand improvement of the Diana of Ephesus. The characters of thefe divinities are full more fimilar.

"The bleed St. Forget,' the fwindler of Mentz, became a faint to fave himself from the gallows; St. Mena, in the laudable de fire to propagate his faintship with one of his fair penitents whom he had made a faintes, produced a numerous progeny; St. Balthazar was killed in flagrant delit by a foolish husband, who did not know that bis bed was honoured by a faint; St. Gonzales was hanged for being a fpy; the demi-faint Gombar was chafed out of Tofcany for unnatural crimes; St. Peter of Aviles was a fwindling bankrupt; St. Mariana declared that " king-killing is a glorious, heroic, and laudable act, of which he lamented that there were fo few capable;" St. Santarel and St. Suares profeffed the fame principles; and Mr. St. Lorrin was a fill more fanguinary moniter. St. Guerret was the confeffor and teacher of the bletted John Chatel, the profeffor of regicidism; St. Gonthieri, in his fermon before Henry IV, moft piously exhorted the king to exterminate all the Huguenots; Sts. Boitet and Comolet were the glorious trumpets of the holy league of extermination; St. Aubigny was tranflated among the Papal gods for being the confeffor of the regicide Ravaillac; and St. Guignard was deified through the ' execrable libels' he published on Henry III and IV of France, for which he was only hanged and quartered; St. Varade encouraged and blessed Barriere to attempt the affaffination of Henry IV; St. Alagon generously promifed fifty thoufand crowns and the honour of grandee of Spain to Captain La Garde to affiilinate the fame prince; St. Ignatius, when he became knight of the black Lady of Montferrai, hung up his fword and dagger, with which he had treacheroutly murdered his companion, at one of the pillars of her altar; for this faint act the negrefs lady generously plucks a foul out of purgatory, with as much addrefs as an angler does ith out of a river, every time that mafs is faid in that privileged altar.

"Over the adventures of St. Girard and his daughter decency draws & veil; not fo the infamous St. Criminal, who flaughtered the Indians, and fell himself in the combat. St. Perfonni is now a divinity for having endeavoured, although in vain, to excite a rebellion in this country in favour of Pope Pius IV and the King of Spain; the glorious and ever bleffed faints Meffis. Holt, Walpole, Briant, Kirwin, and Campion, have gained the fare honours for fimilar fervices, as well as the pious faints Gerard, Dejmond, Garnet, and Holdecorne: the two" latter were hanged and quartered confpirators.

But it were endlefs to enumerate the atrocities of the Papal deities;yet it is the worshippers of thefe gods that the philofophers would now

have us to make legiflators, generals, and chiefs of the nation! It will be evident from this very flight fketch that the deities of modern Rome are equally corrupt and licentious as thofe of ancient times. Nor are the amours of the Papal gods and goddeffes lefs notorious than those of the heathen mythology. Mrs. Saint Theresa, another Eloifa, but poffeffed of much greater talents and learning, lived two years in a ftate of prostitution even in her father's houfe, till the death of her lover difcovered her amour, when her father immediately fent her to become an Auguftine nun. In that miferable confinement, limited folely to the stolen embraces of fome indolent monks, the languished eighteen years, till time had wrought thofe phyfical changes in her conftitution that her vices left her; and the then began to write prayers, devotions, and pious exhortations, with all the energy and elegance fhe had formerly written love-letters. Her fanctity was now eftablished; the founded or directed numerous devotional inftitutions, and died in odour of fanctity. She was immediately canonized as a faint virgin by the Pope, and is now worshipped among the first order of Popish goddeffes.

"Mifs St. Clara, another diftinguifhed virgin deity of Papal theogony, the countrywoman and chere amie of St Francis, was much lefs fortunate in her amours than St. Therefa; and although she was announced as a faintefs even when in her mother's womb*, she either gave to or received from St. Francis the venereal disease, fo bad that The died with it! Even St. Francist himself was diftorted by his vices, although his order boafted, two centuries ago, of having 27 faints canonized or deities, 606 beatified, 920 martyrs, 1630 confeffors and workers of miracles, 6 popes, 57 cardinals, 128 archbishops, 590 bishops, 4 emperors, 20 kings, 20 queens, 55 fons and daughters of kings, 7 princes, 5,426 convents, &c."

The author's remarks on the effects of the enthusiasm of Papists upon their conduct are eminently juft; and we concur with him in thinking that the doctrine of tranfubftantiation is as irrational as the worthip of animals by Pagans-"Why might they not as rationally and as jully recommend his majefty to make legiflators and gover

See Canturani, Vite de' Sancti.".

"Volumes might be filled with the ridiculous tales, abfurd and indecent acts and reputed miracles, which are related and firmly believed of this worthlefs and defigning man. To prove that he had not one grain of the spirit of Chriftianity in him, it is only neceflary to cite one anecdote. A woman, it is related, one day rung a bell when he was preaching, and he, enraged, immediately ordered the devil to carry her off; which was done! Francifco prædicante mulier cymbalum pulfabat. Francifcus juffit illam tacere, et noluit. Tunc dixit Francifcus; tolle, tolle, Diabole, quod tuum eft. Statim capta eft mulier mifera, in ærem levata, ampliùs non vifa eft.' BARTH. PISAN., p.