which fafting brought on a marafmus, or precipitated confumption. For this crime, and no other, the young man has been confined in a dark room by faid bailiff, from which he efcaped by the affiftance of an old faithful friend, called Ebus Corpus. He had wandered about the fireets for three days. When we came to the knowledge of faid vagrant, and upon his confeffion of having efcaped from prifon, we have committed him to the black hole, and taken away pen, ink, and paper, tying up both his hands, to prevent mifchief. He is now quite funk, but however, at times he roars and threatens us all. He mutters fomething about his Confiitution, and says, that if he gets loofe he will make a terrible change-we fuppofe fome revolution in Church or State.

The Medical Gentlemen are prayed to confider his case, and whether he should be committed as a felon, or a vagrant, or as a lunatic.

N. B. He had nothing in his pockets but a large piece of paper, which he calls his Magna Charta.

ORIGIN OF THE CAP OF LIBERTY.

IN former ages, Old Age was honourable; Caps became

marks of honour, none were deemed honorable who were not free. The Cap, by degrees, became the badge of Freedom, and when a flave was made a free man, he had a Cap given to him, which he was permitted to wear in public.

The PILIUS, or CAP of LIBERTY, is quite fimple in its form, common in its texture, and of a whitish colour; it is in the form of a fugar loaf, broad at bottom, ending in a cove. This prefigures,. that Freedom ftands on the broad basis of humanity, and runs up to a pyramid, the emblem of eternity, to fhew it ought to laft for ever. It is fimple, for LIBERTY is in itself, the moft thining ornament of man. It hath no gilded trappings, which too often mark the livery of defpo

tism.

F

tifm. It is the birth-right of the Shepherd, as well as the Se nator; and that Shepherds may fhear the fheep they protect, but ought not to skin them, that being the butchers employment. Laftly, the Cap of Liberty is whitish, the native colour of the wool undyed. This demonftrates that it fhould be natural, without deceiving glofs, unfpotted by faction, and unstained by tyranny..

A NEW SONG.

MAY the foes of fair Freedom and France,

Mect with nought but defeat and difafter,
Going on in their mad devil's dance,

May their troubles come thicker and fafter;
May supplies and refources all cease,

And their councils all end in contention,
"Till crouching for pardon and peace,

They are humbled before the Convention.

May the vipers who'd fting us to death,
The robbers who plunder the nation,
Who have poifon'd the land with their breath,
And reduc'd us to want and starvation;

May they speedily meet their deferts,

A loud caution to knaves to exhibit,
And difplay their fine powers and parts,
On the pillory-fcaffold-and GIBBET.
Then defcend ye fweet bleflings of peace,
Put an end to all war and confufion,
That murdering and mischiefs may ceafe,
And tyranny come to conclufion,
Let nation with nation combine,

To diffuse through the world information,

And the bright fun of Liberty shine

To the utmost extent of creation.

T

No. 27.

THE PHILANTHROPIST.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1795.

LONDON:

Printed for and fold by DANIEL ISAAC EATON, Printer and Bookfeller to the Supreme Majefty of the People, at the Cock and SWINE, No. 74, Newgate ftreet.

1795.

PRICE ONE PÉNNÝ.

For the PHILANTHROPIST.

AN ENIGMA.

IF you the name can understand,

Of him who injures moft this land;
And next, you can with clearness tell,
The term we fometimes ufe for hell;
And (their first letters prior plac'd
To what's a certain card at whift)
You then will quickly find what would
At this time give most general good.

AN EPIGRAM.-BY THE SAME.

FOOR Holland's in a doleful plight--
Some change for worse there must be fure!
When e'en the fruits are blafted quite,

That flourish'd and grew well before!
For ORANGES, which late would thrive,
Are now exotic, and would not,
Tranfplanted there again furvive,

But foon would wither, die, and rot.

J. E. W.

INFALLI

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST.

INFALLIBILITY PIUS VI.-INFALLIBILITY

As

GEORGE III.

If all Kings are by God appointed,

The Devil may be the Lord's anointed.

ROCHESTER,

S I do not recollect this curious fubject ever to have been investigated in any of your valuable publications, as a Democrat, and an occafional correfpondent, I fhall endeavour to give my ideas upon the Popes and Kings Infallibility. It is ncceffary to examine the reasons both alledged, when they pretended to divine appointment. The Popes, when their authority began to be extenfive in Europe, alledged, that Jefus Christ committed the care of his followers to the minifters of his Church, from whence these conclufions were drawn:

Firft, That the followers of Chrift ought to fubmit all matters of faith to thefe minifters.

Secondly, That laymen had no manner of right to decide, or even examine the doubts that might arise respecting matters of faith, but implicitly to follow the determination of priests in these matters.

This manifeftly fuppofes the infallibility of the minifters of the church. Now as fpiritual punishments were not always found fufficient to conquer the obstinacy of unbelief in hardened finners, it was neceffary for the glory of God, say these infallible priests, to make use of temporal punishments to force them into belief. Upon this foundation, and armed with this power, the Popes affumed this attribute of the Deity; and the wretch, who dared to doubt it, was not only damned to all eternity, but the arguments of the Inquifition of Torture, &c. were also made ufe of; which feldom failed, either to deliver the wretch to the keepers of hell, or convince him of the truth of papal infallibility.

This was a doctrine of too much excellence and ufe in tranfacting

tranfacting the bufinefs of government, long to be confined to Popes alone; for, no fooner was it eftablished with the fucceffors of Peter, than Kings and Emperors laid claim to divine origin-they did not indeed pretend to be begot by Gods, as Cæfar or Alexander. They alledged, that by the mufty writings of the Talmud, it appeared that two or three Kings were said to be appointed by God, confequently all Kings were appointed by God; and, as the proofs of the divine appointment were nearly equal with both, the Civilians of the times not only adopted that doctrine, but alfo improved upon it; for, fays Bracton (who was the EYRE, or ASHURST of the thirteenth century), the King is God's Vicegerent upon earth; God alone is above him.

I fhall give a fhort quotation from Blackftone, only to prove that the Kings' infallibility has its advocates in the eighteenth as well as the thirteenth century. In his Commentaries, he informs us, that, under every monarchical establishment, it "is neceffary to diftinguish the Prince from the Subject, not

only by the outward pomp and decorations of majesty, but "alfo by afcribing to him certain qualities, as adherent in his

royal capacity, diftinct from, and fuperior to any other indi"vidual in the nation; the law therefore aferibes to a King ❝ certain attributes of a great and tranfcendent nature, by

which the people are led to confider him in the light of a fu"perior being, and to pay him that awful refpect, to enable "him the better to carry on the business of government. The "KING (continues he) is abfolute perfection; he is not only uncapable of doing, but even of thinking wrong."

Human reason is furely ftruck with horror at fuch declarations! the confiderate mind muft revolt at fuch ftrange affertions! But as the argument of reafon is not always found fufficient to cram this monftrous axiom of kingly infallibility down our throats, the arguments of Newgate, and indictments for high treason, aid and abet whatever doctrines the Judges, or Bishops, think fit to preach.

So it is neceffary, and force points it out to us, that a Pope,