vantage and at great length, and which he has scarcely fuffered to be combated by a single argument, are thus concluded. Take it from me as an oracle, which long age and experience enable me to deliver with all affurance, Whoever, in fucceeding times, fhall form himfelf on the plan here given, fhall meet with the safety, credit, applaufe, and, if he chufes, honour and fortune in the world, which may be promised indeed, but never will be obtained, by any other method". And certainly it will be readily conceded to the author of the Dialogues, that an obfervation of what is paffing in the world, and an acquaintance with hiftory, concur in informing us, that the brightest talents and the moft folid learning are often fuffered to languish in the fhade of privacy and under the frowns of fortune; that very different qualifications, and fuch as are beft taught in the fchool of the world, are far more requifite for such as afpire to the favour of statesmen and princes; and that by him who is preffing forward as a candidate for titles and preferment, a ftrict fyftem of morals will affuredly be found to serve no other purpose, than to retard and to encumber.

Would his lordship of Worcester condescend to apply to the juftification of his own conduct and his own consistency those arguments, by which he has fo ingeniously,

For himself he freely owns he is apt to kindle as he writes; and would even blush to repel an infult on fenfe and virtue with lefs vigour, than every honeft man is expected to fhew in his own cafe.' Rem. on Mr. David Hume's Eff. on the Nat. Hift. of Rel. 1777, p. 12. Of this pamphlet Mr. Hume juftly fays in his Life (he is politely called by Dr. Hurda 6 Puny Dialectician from the North'), that it is written with all the illiberal petulance, arrogance, and fcurrility, which diftinguish the War'burtonian school.' The entire honour of having written this pamphlet the bishop of Worcester does not claim. The greater part of it was written by Warburton, and is inserted in bp. Hurd's edition of his works,

69 P. 14, 20, 35, 37.

and

and with fo much eloquence, vindicated the infincerities and inconfiftencies of Mr. Waller's life; he would certainly add new laurels to his literary fame, and be secure of awakening a more than usual degree of the public curiofity and attention. Scarcely is his lordship himself aware, till he undertakes it, how copious is the theme, and how numerous are the perfons, within the fphere of his own observation, who have distinguished themselves by dexterity of deceit and flexibility of principle.

If, when a private man, he could frame such plaufible pleas, by way of apology for diffimulation and a departure from principle, what may not be expected from him, now that he has fo long poffeffed a feat in the house of lords and on the bench of bishops, where he has feen thofe arts of accommodation, and that versatility of principle, the advantages of which he difplays, practised with the most unremitting perfeverance, and the happiest succefs? Even to the most experienced proficients in duplicity fuch a work would be acceptable. To different. members of the cabinet, to the dukes of Richmond and Portland, and to the prime minifter of the country, it would be peculiarly interefting, executed, as it would be, with the greateft elegance of diction and variety of materials. And furely our prelate is too uniformly polite, and has too ftrong a fenfe of the propriety of accommodating himself to the wishes of his majefty's minifters, that he fhould difcover the smalleft reluctance to oblige or to entertain them. It would alfo be an object worthy of his distinguished talents, to endeavour to render political apoftafy as fashionable in the lower ranks of society, as it already is in the higher.

His lordship is known to be animated by the love of fame. Let him then once more call forth his wonted energy, and be excited by it to apply the whole force of his genius, and the conclufions of his experience, to a

mafter

mafter-piece of art, for the execution of which he is eminently qualified. Having long fince attained to a familiarity with greatness; having long been acquainted with the interior of a palace, with its vices, its manners, and the caft of its converfation; let him complete his unfinished picture of a Court, which, though little more than an outline, is at once bold and correct, and plainly sketched by the hand of a mafter. Let him add to it those exquifite touches, which he who copies from life is alone capable of giving. It is true, he needs entertain no fears, left the colours he has used fhould be evanefcent, or left the picture, in its present state, should be denied, by any honest and competent judge, to be a strong resemblance of the scene and the characters it was intended to reprefent. But numerous as are the figures which he has introduced into it, it will fill admit the addition of new characters and new perfonages: harmonious as is the group of objects which he has pourtrayed, it is still poffible for him to arrange them with greater skill and to more advantage: dark as is the colouring, and large as is the proportion of fhade, ftill the former may with propriety be heightened, and the gradations of the latter may be yet more copiously scattered.

CHAPTER XV.

ON DANIEL'S PREDICTION

OF THE FALL OF

THE PAPACY.

ILLUSTRATIONS LLUSTRATIONS have been given of feveral prophecies, which, as they foretell the deftruction of all ecclefiaftical tyranny in Europe, of courfe include the demolition of the papal power. But there is a prediction,

T

diction, written by a prophet, who lived 600 years before the Chriftian æra, and in a peculiar manner enjoyed the favour of Almighty God', which announces the latter event in particular.

Daniel, in defcribing his vifion of the four Beafts, or the four great monarchies, which they fymbolically reprefented, relates, that the Fourth Beaft had Ten Horns, that is to fay, the Fourth empire was divided into Ten Kingdoms, and that there came up among them another little horn, the emblem of the papacy. Of this he prophefies in the fame chapter (ch. vii.) that in point of time he fhall rife after them; that he fhall be diverfe2 from the other kings; and having a look more ftout than his fellows, fhall make war with the faints and prevail against them.—And he fhall Speak great words against the most High, and fhall wear out the faints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they fhall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall fit, and they fhall take away his dominion, to confume and to deftroy it unto the end.

The Four Kings (ver. 17),3' says bp. Newton, are not four fingle kings, but kingdoms; and fo the Ten 'Horns or Kings (ver. 24), are not Ten fingle kings, but kingdoms; and fo likewise the little Horn is not a fingle king, but a kingdom, not a single man but a fucceffion of men, exercifing fuch powers, and performing fuch actions, as are here defcribed.' This 'horn, fays bp. Hallifax, was not to arife till after the Roman empire had been broken into many independent fovereignties and it is an undoubted fa&t, notorious

See Dan. ix. 23; x. 11.

It will be diverfe from other forms of government; îl e. it will be of au ecclefiaftical nature.

3 Dan, ch. vii.

4. Vol. I. p. 488.

in hiftory, that no fooner had that government, by means of the fierce and free nations of the North, ex'perienced this fatal change, than the Roman church, * taking advantage of fuch diftractions, began to rear its head, and grow up to the full fize and ftature of the 'man of fin". On many points Mr. Evanfon differs in opinion from the prelates whom I have juft quoted; and the reader needs fcarcely to be told, for he will collect it from the tenor of the paffages which I before extracted from him, that he is extremely wary in applying any prophecies exclufively to the church or to the pontiffs of Rome. But the following citation from him will be fufficient to fhew, that his fentiments on the recently cited prophecy of Daniel perfectly harmonize with the statements of bishops Newton and Hallifax. With respect 'to Daniel, it must be remarked, that if we except the 'celebrated prediction of the feventy weeks, the avowed objects of all his prophecies are the great revolutions 'of civil government under the four universal mo'narchies of Babylon, Perfia, Greece, and Rome. It

4

is therefore reasonable to conclude, that no circum⚫ftances are introduced by the prophet, but such as coincide, or are neceffarily connected with the main scope of his predictions. Now fince the Ten Horns of his fourth visionary Beaft are declared to be emblems of 'the many feparate kingdoms, into which this prophet, 'fo many ages before the event, repeatedly foretold the European, Roman empire would be divided, it will reas dily be granted, that the little horn reprefenting a temporal principality arifing upon the ruins of some of the ' various governments, into which the body of the empire was at firft broken, differing from the other king'doms of the West, and though little, that is, inferior

6

* P. 92. Te