cowardice (the main-springs of revolution), those, who under happier circumstances might have been innocent, respectable, amiable, and useful, become perverted, depraved, demonized-abhorred of God and man-the scourges of their kind, and the tormentors and executioners of themselves!

To such deplorable apostacy does the infirmity of our nature expose us, that none of our most respectable moral reformersnone of our humane mitigators of the criminal code-none of our purest advocates of civil and religious liberty, can be more zealous, more disinterested, nor probably more sagacious and sincere, than were MARAT and ROBESPIERRE, when they commenced their innovating career with these benevolent speculations. Their earlier writings inculcate nothing but morality, humanity, and rational liberty; but the intoxicating whirl of revolutionary success, and the giddy heights of revolutionary peril, turned their heads, and transformed them from philosophers and philanthropists—into madmen and monsters!

And let us not-as a nation-be so presumptuous as to say, that if the flood-gates are once opened the torrent will be less violent or less bloody. England has never yet been tried in a radical revolution: we hope-but can we be assured ?—that she would bear such an intoxication better than the once gay and good-natured people of France. If the miseries of that people were a divine chastisement, what claim have we to plead for a lighter punishment?—if they were the mere work of human frailty and crime, what reason have we to expect that we shall be less guilty? Let us, then, endeavour to curb the curiosity of innovation-to restrain the frenzy of presumption—to humble the arrogance of self-confidence-to control by constitutional checks the extravagances of political ambition and popular fury-and to endeavour to maintain--through our ancient and approved institutions-the respect and reverence of our people for their laws, their king, their church, and their God.

INDEX

TO THE FIFTY-FOURTH VOLUME.

cowardice (the main-springs of revolution), those, who underh
pier circumstances might have been innocent, respectable, amia
and useful, become perverted, depraved, demonized-abho
of God and man-the scourges of their kind, and the tormen
and executioners of themselves!

To such deplorable apostacy does the infirmity of our
expose us, that none of our most respectable moral reforme
none of our humane mitigators of the criminal code-none of
purest advocates of civil and religious liberty, can be more zeal
more disinterested, nor probably more sagacious and sincere,
were MARAT and ROBESPIERRE, when they commenced
innovating career with these benevolent speculations. Their e
writings inculcate nothing but morality, humanity, and rat
liberty; but the intoxicating whirl of revolutionary success, and
giddy heights of revolutionary peril, turned their heads, and t
formed them-from philosophers and philanthropists-into
men and monsters!

And let us not-as a nation-be so presumptuous as to say,
if the flood-gates are once opened the torrent will be less viole
less bloody. England has never yet been tried in a radical re
tion: we hope-but can we be assured?—that she would bear
an intoxication better than the once gay and good-natured peop
France. If the miseries of that people were a divine chastisen
what claim have we to plead for a lighter punishment?—if
were the mere work of human frailty and crime, what reason
we to expect that we shall be less guilty? Let us, then, endea
to curb the curiosity of innovation-to restrain the frenzy of
sumption to humble the arrogance of self-confidence-to co
by constitutional checks the extravagances of political amb
and popular fury-and to endeavour to maintain--through
ancient and approved institutions-the respect and reveren
our people for their laws, their king, their church, and their