known in Europe: It is therefore probable that thefe books of Apoftolical Conftitutions, known to the Oriental churches of Afia and Africa, may be the fame, and that translations of them are not to be found in the writings of the Greek fathers, at least ac cording to their prefent arrangement. It is to be further noted, that thefe becks of Clemens are not the fame with his Epiftles, or thofe under his name.

Sir,

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. Carlisle, the Secretary of the Antiquarian Society, has made confiderable progrefs in a Topographical Hiftory of Ireland.

The Rev. W. Kirby, author of "Monographia Apum Anglice," and Mr. IV. Spence, are preparing an Introduction to Entomology, on a popular plan. It is intended to include every thing ufeful or interefting to the entomological student, except defcriptions of genera and fpecies, which are foreign to the nature of fuch a work.

A work entitled, County annual Archives, will appear in the month of April, which by clafling every event, public proceeding, and memoirs of eminent men who died during the year, under the name of the county to which they refpectively belong, is intended to furnish a regular annual hiftory of every county in the kingdom.

An additional volume to Dr. Ruffell's Hiftory of Modern Europe, being a continuation of that work to the treaty of Amiens, by Dr. Cote, will be published in a few days.

The Rev, I'm. Bawdwen his completed the first volume of his Tranflation of Domesday Book. The work is to be comprifed in ten quarto volumes. An index will be given to each county, and a gloffary with the laft volume.

Mr. Donovan has been fometime engaged in the preparation of a very comprehenfive work on the Natural History of the British Ifles, on a popular as well as fcientific plan. The undermentioned publications will appear in the month of March.

The Prifon, or Times of Terror, from the French, by the author of the Letters of the Swedish Court.

A third edition of Lord Byron's fatire, entitled English Bards and Scotch Reviewers.

Henry Count de Kolinfki, a Polish tale, by Mrs. Murray. The Daughters of Ifenberg, a Romance, by the author of Hufband and the Lover.

A fourteenth volume of Mr. Donovan's Hiftory of Britifa Infects.

THE

BRITISH CRITIC,

For MARCH, 1810.

Studiis officiifque Scientiæ præponenda funt officia Juftitiæ, que pertinent ad hominum utilitatem; qua nihil homini debet effe antiquius." CICERO.

The caufe of Literature itfelf is inferior to that of Juftice and Public Utility, above which nothing fhould be held in eftima tion.

ART. 1. Characters of the late Charles James Fox felected, and in part written, by Philopatris Varvicenfis. 2 Vols. 8vo. Price 11. Mawman. 1809.

WE have paufed a little upon this book. Nor is it wonderful that we fhould. It is reported, and we believe truly, to have been produced not only by a refpected friend of ours, but by one who has in public avowed himself AN OCCASIONAL WRITER in the British Critic; and who, we earneftly hope, may write there again. Yet we differ from him moft widely as to the fubject of the prefent book. The public character which he extols we reprobate. The conduct which he regards as the fummit of political wifdom, we deteft, as the very bafe ftring of political depravity. Between fentiments fo diametrically oppofite, there cannot

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BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXV. MARCH, 1810.

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be a compromife. Our opinions alfo on thefe fubjects are known. We could not, if we were fo inclined, which certainly we are not, either diffemble or deny them. How then hall we declare our fentiments, and retain our friend? evidently, by the fair and manly method of afferting for ourfelves the fame right to publifh our opinions, that he has exercifed in his own writings. This claim, from his known liberality, we confidently expect him to allow, in its fulleft extent while we avoid, as by inclination we fhall avoid, all perional reflection upon hini, or attempt to deduce from his opinions any confequences which he would not acKnowledge. We cenfure him not for differing from us, as we have always known him to differ, in thefe matters: and to fome readers it may appear perhaps a curious fpeculation, to obferve in how oppofite lights the very fame acts may be regarded by different perfons.

Thefe preliminaries being fettled, we proceed to ftate our general fentiments on the character of Mr. Fox, from which it will be fufficiently gathered how totally we diffent from many things afferted or collected by our friend in this book.

We declare then, without hefitation or palliation, that, through the chief part of Mr. Fox's political career, we have uniformly regarded him as one of the molt mifchievous Matelmen, whom this country has ever produced. This opinion, long ago drawn from facts, has been continually

engthened by new facts throughout his public life; and left us, at his death, fully fettled in the conviction, that we had never, for a moment, misjudged him. We fay not this to offend any man, nor ought it to give offence; the actions of public men are liable to be judged by their countrymen, according to their fixed notions of rectitude. If the motions are wrong let them be refuted, but let it not be deemed offenfive to ftate them, efpecially when they can no longer injure the individual to whom they are applied. A few of the facts on which we ground our opinion thall here be itated, as they occur to recollection, to convince our readers that we have not judged capricioufly: and we are much mistaken, if, however we may differ from our refpected Friend, we fhall not at the fame time ftate the opinion of a large part of Mr Fox's countrymen.

At the fame time, left we fhould be thought entirely prejudiced, let us begin by allowing, with the fulleft affent, every thing that can be claimed for this perfonage in point of talents. If we were to make any abatement from the fum of Mr. F.'s mental powers, it would be by denying the entire foundne's of his judgment; becaufe, in feveral inftances,

his actions tended directly, in our apprehenfion, to defeat his own purposes. We fear, however, that this was, in a great measure occafioned by a total want of fixed principle, by which his judgment ought to have been directed. It has been attributed by fome to an eafinefs of temper, inclining him to yield too readily to the opinions of his friends; which might, in part be the cafe; and certainly the lefs he had to fix him in one confiftent line of his own, the more readily, under that acknowledged facility of temper, would he adopt whatever might be ftrongly urged upon him, as expedient.

We allow indeed, in the fulleft degree the mildness of his temper, and the fascination of his private manners. It is clear to us, by abundant teftimony of thofe who intimately knew him, that nothing could refift the engaging fuavity of his addrefs, or the captivating variety of his converfation; rich in natural and acquired accomplishments, and flowing from him with unaffected eafe and readinefs. Long have we known this, and often alfo have we regretted it, conceiving that these extraordinary talents were employed for very dangerous purpofes. Affifted by thefe powers, oppofed to the unaccommodating greatness of his chief opponent, the fociety of Mr. Fox had an attraction, by which all the promifing youth of his time was conftantly collected round him. It was an inftrument by which his opinions, if pernicious, as we frequently efteemed them, were propagated with irrefiftible effect. Mr. Pitt, to the very few, the five or fix, who intimately knew him, was alfo amiable and delightful in fociety, but to the reft of mankind repulfive and unbending. Mr. Fox, to all who approached him, whether for relaxation or bufinefs, was irrefiftibly pleafing; and the effect of thefe oppofite qualities was more than can cafily be calculated. It was, in our eflimation, calamitous; fince it generally made the opinions of Mr. Fox prevalent and popular, among the young men who were just entering upon the exercife of political functions, in either houfe of Parliament; who inftead of finding any difficulty in approaching to his fociety, were rather invited to enjoy it.

Having conceded the belt qualities we could recolle& in Mr. Fox, meaning to include, under the fame conceflion, all poffible commendation of his claflical attainments, original genius, and other fhining talents; we have nothing more of importance that we can allow to him. The remainder of our preface to this article muft contain a sketch of the facts and reafons on which we ground our fixed difapprobation of him, to use no fronger word, as a flatefmen and poti

tician.

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First

First then he was, not perhaps the inventor, but certainly the conflant abettor and most invariable example of that abominable maxim in British politics, which has brought more odium upon our Legislative Affemblies than any other circumftance connected with their proceedings. We mean the waxim, that, to render an opposition effectual, it is neceffa y and JUSTIFIABLE to make it violent and indifcrimi. nate, By means of this maxim, long afted upon with firange pertinacity, the public has ufually had the inelancholy certainty, that the best and wifeft meafures of the ableft and moft upright minifters, if of any political importance, would eagerly and unblufhingly be reprefented, by a party, as atro cious attacks upon the conftitution, and liberties of the fubject; or as measures of intrinfic wickednefs or folly; and that the fuccefs of laws, moft neceffary for the welfare of the nation, would depend upon the ability of minifters to refift interefied mifrepiefentation, and repel the most virulent torrents of abuse. This fhameful yet fhameless warfare did Mr. Fox carry on, through the whole of the American war; in the courfe of which many of his fallies against the minifter were fo outrageous and extravagant, as to cover him with merited ridicule and difgrace, when, for his own interested purposes, he dared to form a frict union with the man whom he had thus traduced *. It is falfe and fallacious to represent. an oppofition as ftanding in the fituation of a counsel, whofe office it is to advocate one fide of a caufe. In that cafe the counsellor takes the brief and the reprefentations of his clients, and is bound to make the beft of their caufe, as they have laid it before him, which is neceflary, that both fides may be fully heard. Further, he is not expected to enquire or to know. But the duty of a Senator is to feek and know the truth. He is to think and judge, even for those who can do neither for themfelves, and who will be milled in thoufands by his errors or deception: and a leader of oppofition, refifting a measure of utility, muft generally know that he is fo doing; must be refifting his own conviction and his confcience, and acting as the determined advocate of falfe

The public indignation on this occafion was demonftrated, in various ways; and thousands of copies of the "beauties of Fox, North, and Burke," a tract, in which it was happily dif played, were eagerly bought up by an infulted nation. The cen fure did not adhere to Lord North, for he had never made any fimilar declarations. To Mr. Burke it did, equally with Mr. Fox.

hood.