ples, temper, and views of Jefus Notwithstanding the caution which the circumftances of the times impofed upon them, they fcrupled not to condemn fome things that were fanctioned by the law. They feverely reprobated thofe relating to divorce, and cenfured no lefs violently the matrimonial conpections, formed by ecclefiaflics, during the diforders of the revolu tion, and the licentioufnefs of manners it had occafioned. They fig matized, as guilty of facrilege, thofe laymen who had taken upon them to officiate as the minifters of religion, in the meetings held for the celebration of divine fervice, and in the abfence of regular clergymen. This latter was deemed an act of unfeasonable severity, by the impartial, who difregarding the fcrupulous nicety that dictated it, thought that it betrayed too marked a prepoffeffion for the dignity of the ecclefiaftical order. This occafional exercife of the prieftly function was denominated laicifm, and reprefented as facrilegious ufurpation of the facredotal rights. The ultimate intent of the conftitutional prelates, who had been concerned in thofe meetings and publications, was, to procure a convention of a more numerous alfembly than their own, which confifted only of thirty-four, in order to fettle definitively the affairs of the Gallican church: but the government did not incline to permit the formation of any body of men into a national fynod or council. It apprehended that the claims of fuch a meeting might be fuch, and its influence to prevailing, as to endanger the authority of the flate, and to create diflurbances that might lead to ferious confequences. The advocates of government pleaded on this occafion the precedent of England, where the convocation of its bifhops and clergy has for many years, though fuffered to meet, been prohibited to act. For thefe reafons, the directory ordered a number of ecclefiaftics, met for the purpose of holding a fynod, to be difperfed: this happened in the month of March, 1796; fince when, no other meeting of this nature has been attempted. The public approved this exertion of authority, without inquiring into the reafons alleged by thofe who argued for the propriety of thefe meetings. They dreaded that fpirit of obftinacy with which the generality of divines are apt to maintain their opinions, and to difre gard the mifchiefs that may be occafioned by infifting on the obliga. tion of receiving them as orthodox, and binding on the confciences of men. Though the revolution had diminished, in a great measure, the fuperftitious difpofition of the times, enough remained to fet the nation in flames; and it was the duty of its rulers to discountenance and fupprefs all religious difcuffions of this kind, which invariably tended to involve men in quarrels, and feldom elucidated the fubjects about which they contended. The conforming and the nonjuring clergy fully confirmed thefe apprehenfions, by the animofity they reciprocally difplayed. The latter efpecially exhibited fcenes of bigotry, that could not have been exceeded in the darkest ages. Those who abjured the party of their antagonists, were not admitted into the congregation of the faithful, as they ftyled themselves, until they had been formally exorcifed: a cere mony which they deemed neceffary to expel the evil fpirit that might ftill be lurking within them. But what was ftill more fcandalous, as well as more abfurd, they would fometimes dig out of their graves, the bodies of those who had been buried by conformifts, and give them a fresh interment, in order to infure their repose. Such abfurdities, at the clofe of the eighteenth century, amply refuted the affertions of those who reprefented the clergy of France as a rational and enlightened body of men. This might be true of numbers; but till the revolution had empowered men to think, an incomparable majority of both clergy and laity were plunged in the deepeft ignorance and credulity. Some have thought there was more of hypocrify than perfuafion among the former: but their late fufferings have proved their fincerity. The conforming clergy feem, however, to gain ground. Their tenets appear more reasonable to the reflecting, and several of them are alfo decided republicans. Chriftianity has been by fome of them described as the great charter of the original rights of man, and the union of church and state as antiChriftian, and inimical to liberty. While fuch principles are avowed by ecclefiaftics, and countenanced by government, it can hardly be doubted but they will finally preponderate: the fooner indeed, that all ideas of perfecution are dropped, and the fanatical party left to indulge in all its extravagancies, without the leaft notice on the part of the state, which tracts them with a filent contempt, that more effectually expofes them to ridicule, than could be done by the measures of restraint. This revolutionary fpirit, in religious matters, was not, in the mean time, confined to France. It had long been making a concealed progrels in Italy and Germany, and the French revolution gave it fresh: vigour. In the Auftrian Netherlands, the influence of the Romish clergy, and the fubmiffive difpofition of the natives, in the concerns of re ligion. ligion, preferved it from alterations. But, in the united provinces, the freedom allowed to all perfuafions had fo completely paved the way for innovations of this kind, that, on the irruption of the French, and the revolution effected in the Dutch government, the religion of the state was immediately abolished, and all fects declared upon a footing of equality. The ftipends of their refpective minifters were to be paid by their followers, and no other interference exercised by the ruling power, than to maintain liberty of worship to all who paid obedience to the laws of the country. A fyftem fo new to the ideas of all the nations in Europe, fo repugnant to the temporal interests of an immenfe portion of the established clergy, and reputed by numbers in all claffes fo inimical to religion itself, could not fail to call forth the indignation of multitudes. The approbation of perhaps a majority of thofe literary men, who are not members of the ecclefiaftical body, has powerfully conduced to give this new fyftem a confiderable degree of popularity. As it does not appear hoftile to Chriftianity itfelf, few, if any, of those sects that are not connected with the state, by a regular establishment, can be fuppofed inimical to the introduction of it into countries, where they exift themselves merely upon fufferance, and certainly can lole nothing by being placed on a level with all other fectaries, in point of emolument and importance. The Ro man catholic ftates, being all monarchical, are thofe that have hitherto oppofed it with most violence: as the ecclefiaftical establishments there, form part of the political fyftem, a disjunction of the church from the ftate cannot be effected, without confiderably weakening the latter; the authority of which depends effentially on the fupport given it by the former, whofe attachment, therefore, is remunerated and fecured, by the riches and fplendor annexed to it. Opinion being the foundation of all power, and ecclefiaftics in thofe countries poffeffing a notorious influence over the community, fovereigns are too fenfible of their own intereft to fuffer the diffolution of a tie, that binds their subjects to them fo efficaioufly, and will, therefore, ftrenuoufly exert themfelves to prevent the propogation of a fyftem, that would deprive them of fuch able defenders. The fettlement of ecclefiaftical affairs, in France, was confidered, by moft men, as an object of the highest importance. Though great liberty was affumed by numbers, in the exercife of that latitude of thinking, which was countenanced by the ruling powers, and the fpirit of the conftitution, and who paid little regard to the interefts of religion : yet the majority, throughout the nation. were extremely defirous to fee a total and unfettered freedom of worship granted to all perfons who fubmitted to the established fyftem. The government was fo thoroughly convinced of the neceffity of coinciding with the general fenfe of the community on this fubje&t, that, notwithstanding the multiplicity of weighty concerns that occupied it in the courte of this year, it carefully bestowed its attention upon the termination of this business. The fatisfaction exprefied by the public, on this account, proved the rectitude of the meatures they had adopted. СНАР. CHAP. XIII. In France, a General wish for Peace.-But the Popularity of the War with England fill continued.—Overture of Peace from England to the French Republic.-Negociation for Peace at Paris. Abruptly broken › off.— Affairs, Maritime and Colonial, French and British.-Infidelity of the French Government to their Engagements to the Dutch-French Preparations and Expedition for an Invafion of Ireland.-Defeated.-The Death of Catharine II.-And of the Refignation of General Washington. HE directory were very fenfible which they had in fo great a meafure effected in the affairs of religion, the nation would expect that they fhould proceed with equal folicitude to reftore peace between the ftate and its numerous enemies: victories enough had been obtained to teach these the inefficacy of their endeavours to fubvert the fyftem now fettled in France; the adherence to which, by the mafs of the people, was fufficiently proved, by the zeal with which they fupported it, and the fufferings to which they had chearfully fubmitted, during the truggle against its many and potent adverfaries. It was time to come to a conclufion of fo deftructive a war, and to conclude a peace upon reafonable conditions. This was a language that began to diffufe itlelf every where. The popularity of the war against England, which was looked upon as the power under the aufpices of which it had been chiefly promoted, was not diminished: but as the ruinous expences of this terrible conteft, had proved fo fruitlefs, for the pur ancient it was now hoped, that he would defist from attempts that had already coft him fo much blood and treasure. To perfift in them, muft finally plunge him into far more ferious difficulties than he had yet encountered. His refources, however great, were not fufficient to fubfidize the immenfe combination of powers that he muft bring into action. He might keep them together fome time longer; but the greatnefs of his efforts muft neceflarily exhauft him, and he would then be compelled to agree to a much more difadvantageous peace, than if he were willing, while yet on a refpectable footing, to enter into pacific negociations. Such were the fentiments of the moderate party in France, but there were others who entertained na other ideas, than of an entire fubjugation of England. To humble it would not fatisfy them. The French, in their opinion, were entitled to wreak the mott fignal vengeance on a people that had excited all Europe against them, that had loaded loaded them with the most opprobrious afperfions, that had fought their utter ruin, and not only to deprive them of their hard earned liberty, but to parcel them out among the European defpots. Fortune having declared for the republicans, it was equally their duty and their intereft to inflict the fevereft punishment on thofe who had formed fo iniquitous a defign. While England fubfifted, it would prove an everlafting and irreconcileable enemy. It would unite with every power that harboured malevolent intentions to France. It would foment and fupport that rebellious and fanatic party among the French, which thought ittelf bound, in conIcience, to oppofe the pretent government, and to rettore the houle of Bourbon. No medium remained between a precarious exifience of the republic, and the total reduction of England. Having forced all their other enemies to fubmit, it were fhameful to fuffer this, their moft deadly one, to retain the power of compelling them to undergo another trial for their independence. With arguments of this kind did the violent among the republicans plead for the propriety of making an attempt upon England iticit; alleging, at the fame time, the number of partifans and well-withers the republic might rely upon, among the English malcontents; whole numbers were immenfe, and daily augmenting, through the preffures which the war inceflantly accumulated upon the nation. But that circumftance which moft irritated all parties in France at this juncture, and deftroyed the confidence of their, government in the good faith of that of England, ati was the miffion of Mr. Hammond, to Berlin, in order to procure, as they firmly afferted, the re-union of Pruffia to the coalition. His failure, they faid, was the real caufe of the English miniftry's determination to make overtures for a treaty. Influenced by this fufpicion, though the Directory permitted the French minifter for foreign affairs to grant a palport for an agent from England, at the requeft of the Englith miniftry, yet this was done much more to obviate the complaints that would have arifen upon their refufal, than from any expectation of a profperous iffue to the negociation. Lord Malmbury, the perfon commiffioned on the part of Great Britain, to negociate a peace with France, arrived at Paris, on the twenty-fecond of October, and was, on his arrival, received by the people of that city with every demonftration of joy: but the government, far from treating him with cordiality, indirectly countenanced a variety of furmiles, fo prejudicial to his errand and official character, 'that he was neceffitated formally to complain of them, before it thought proper to filence and difavow them." The negociation was opened, on the twenty-fourth of October, by lord Malmíbary's propofing to De la Croix, the French minifter of the foreign department, to fix upon fome principles whereon to found the conditions of the treaty, and recominending that of reciprocal reftoration of what had been loft and taken by each of the Belligerent parties, as the most ufually adopted on fuch occafions. He obferved, that Great Britain having, in the courfe of this war, made conquefts upon France of the higheft value and |