the greatest elevation or depreffion in the obferver's abfence; as no journal can be complete unless it contains the indications of fuch an inftrument. The whole quantity of rain during the year was 17.128; of which none fell from the 18th of May to the 17th of June. The interval between the 3d of October and the 30th of the fame month was alfo free from rain. The Hygrometical journal was first published in 1793; the obfervations being made with Mr. de Luc's hygrometer. It is now regularly continued. In the year 1793 its greatest. height was in April, when it stood at 85, at 7 on the morning of the 18; in May and July it was down to 43. An interruption happened in the observations of this inftrument from the 16th of January to the 3d of February, " occafioned by one end of the whalebone having flipped out of the pincers by which it is held."

ART. IV. The Hiftory of the Clergy, during the French Revolution. A Work dedicated to the English Nation, by the Abbé Barruel, Almoner to her Serene Highness the Princess of Conti. 8vo. PP. 579. 7s 6d. Debrett, &c. 1794.

THIS

HIS is, indeed, a very affecting hiftory*. It recites at large the bloody triumphs of French philofophers and affaffins over a body of virtuous, patient, unrefifting fellow-citizens.Painful as the task is of reading fuch recitals, it is in the prefent times a moft falutary employment. Englishmen must endure this fympathetic torture of mind, that they may be excited to watch againft, and repel from their country, the actual miferies which befel these poor fufferers. We have indeed repelled them in their first approaches; and our future vigilance and exertion will doubtlefs be proportioned to our strong fenfe of the once impending danger. The preface properly opens the plan.

"This hiftory is divided into three parts: the firft contains every thing interefting relative to religion, which was done by the National Affembly, commonly called the Conftituent Affembly; that is, from May, 1789, to the end of September 1791. The fecond part ends on the 10th of Auguft, 1792. The third period comprehends the maf facre and banishment of the Clergy." Pref. p. 1.

The following declaration is explicit and manly, and indeed neceffary to be premifed, as the reader of the book will have feveral occafions of obferving "I every where fpeak the language of a Roman Catholic. After having been obliged

* It has been published before in French.

to

to leave my country for my faith, I could speak no other lan◄ guage.". Pref. p. 6.

In the first words of his hiftory the author ftates, concisely and ftrongly," the object of this work."

"One hundred and thirty-eight bishops and archbishops, fixtyfour thousand curates or vicars driven from their fees, their parishes, for refufing to take an oath by which they must have incurred the guilt of perjury and apoftacy; all the clergy, all the religious of both fexes robbed of the patrimony of the Church and forced from their retreats; the temples of the Lord converted into capacious prifons for the reception of his minifters; three hundred of his priests maffacred in one day, in one city; all the other pastors, who remained faithful to their God, either facrificed or banished their country, feeking, through a thousand dangers a refuge among foreign nations; fuch is the fpectacle exhibited to the world by the French Revolution. I will trace thefe events to their real caufes, I will follow the progrefs of this catastrophe, not with a view to excite the indignation of mankind against its authors, but to guard other nations against the admiffion of the like horrors." P. 1.

Shocking as this fpectacle is, it is obvious that a like Revo-` lution in Great Britain would be, on one account, far more calamitous; as it would involve in its confequences the wives and children of the clergy, and other perfons of affinity with them to an incalculable extent.

We shall give a few extracts, by which a judgment may be formed concerning the work in general.

"Mirabeau was a politician: but there was another fect of philo fophers diftinguifhed by their impiety, and a noted hatred of Chriftianity. Thefe puny defcendants of Bayle and Voltaire would rather have fuffered a hundred Neros on the throne, than one prieft at the altar. Their whole merit confifted in the hatred of Jefus Chrift, and the only triumph they fought was the deftruction of all his temples.

"Among thefe odious fophifts we faw a Condorcet, that bastard of Lametrie, of Hobbes, and of other atheifts, and a Ceruti, whose laft words, applauded by the assembled legislators, were thofe of an ex-" piring demon. The only regret I find on quitting the world is that E leave a religion on earth. A hundred others we know from the apoftate Chabot, who only waited for a favourable opportunity to move in the Jacobin Club the extermination of every prieft of every religion, down to the infamous Dupont, who anticipated in idea the hoour of mounting the tribune of the National Affembly, to pronounce that there is no God in the world.

"Thefe enemies of God and of his Chrift were joined by another fect known by the name of Economifts. These were difciples of Turgot, had spent thirty years in harraffing France under a pretence of reforming its government, by improving its finances, by projects which ruined its monarchy and exhaufted its treafures. The net produce was the watch-word of thofe contemptible fophifts, and the

net

net produce of their calculations ended in the fubverfion of Chriftianity and the introduction of a religion, which they ftyled natural, as the net produce of their fpeculations to enrich the nation, terminated in robbing the altar and perfecuting the priests.

"The nobility of Paris too generally fupported the doctrine of those sects, because they had long adopted the diffolution of their manners. They abandoned the churches to the people, instead of encouraging them by their example to frequent them; fervants mimicked the vices of their masters, and the contagion foon spread to the humble cottage of the peafant. The citizen, the merchant, and his clerk, all affected to be witty on religious fubjects, and miniftry confidered only as fruits of national industry thofe productions, which were deftroying the religion and morals of the people. The magiftrates who were themselves not free from infection, winked at the infraction of the laws, and fuffered the poifon to fpread through all the ranks of the people. France was finking into an abyfs of impiety and corruption." P. 5. Part I*.

"That memorable day (Jan. 4, 1790) recorded in the annals of the French clergy, will ever bear an honourable teltimony to their loyalty and their love of religion. The mob engaged in the fervice of the popular demagogues had taken poft at an early hour, had furrounded the hall, befieged the avenues, and fecured the terrace of the Feuillans in the Thuilleries. Through thefe diforderly ranks the bifhops and priests were to pass to the Affembly-room, and through the whole of their progrefs their ears were faluted by the moft licentious infults and the moft horrid threats againft fuch of them as remained faithful to their duty. The hour approaches, and the hired ruffians rend the air with the moft hideous fhouts of To the lamp-poft! to the lamp-poft those bishops and priests who fhall refufe to take the oath. This fignal awakens the attention of the Prefident, and he obferves the clock has ftruck. He gives notice he is going to call over the names, and the horrid din recommences. Some of the lay members take notice of the indecency of these fanguinary clamours, and move that the proper officers put an end to this violence, that the clergy may appear to act freely on this important occafion. They were thanked for their generous interference, but were told that the clergy were little concerned at the fenfelefs clamour of a deluded people; that ignorance and noife fhould never direct their confcience.

"The Prefident rifes from his feat and takes up the lift of the priests who had not been fworn. The first named was Monf. de Bonnac, Bishop of Agen. The mob directed to let the answer of the clergy be heard, obferved a profound filence. "Gentlemen," fays the Bishop, "Ilament not the lofs of my fortune: there is another lofs "which would hurt me exceedingly; the lofs I mean of your esteem "and my faith; I could not fail to lose both if I took the oath pro"pofed to me."

"This grave, this decent, firm, and well-bred speech excited fentiments of admiration, and for an inftant the members of the left hand felt their rancour fufpended. A curate of the fame diocefe, named Fournet, was called next. "Gentlemen, you tell us that your "wifh is to recal us to the virtues of the earliest ages of Chriftianity.. N. B. In each of the three parts of this work the pages recommence.

"In

"In all the fimplicity of that happy æra of the church I declare to "you that I think it an honour to follow the example of my bishop. "I will tread in his footsteps, as Laurence the deacon did in thofe of his bifhop Sixtus; I will follow him even unto martyrdom."

"This refolute answer excited fome commotion on the left fide, and the Jacobins feemed to repent of having afforded the clergy an opportunity of giving fuch public, fuch honourable proofs of their conftancy in their faith. However fome hopes are ftill entertained, that of fuch a number of priests fome will be found lefs difpofed to bid defiance to the legiflators in their prefence, and in the feat of their omnipotence. The Prefident calls upon M. Le Clerc, curate of La Cambe, in the diocese of Sees, who thus addressed himself to the Affembly: "I was born a Roman Catholic, and am determined "to die in that communion. This I can never do if I take the oath "you propofe to me."

Thefe firm unequivocal profeffions of faith were ill calculated to allay the ferment. The Jacobins lofe all patience, and by the most importunate noife interrupt a call which had brought nothing but defpair to the hearts of Camus, Treillard, Voidel, and their party.Their own confciences would have fhrunk from the trial, and they could not conceive that other men could profefs fuch firmness of mind, or perfift in fuch propriety of conduct. They blame their own imprudence in bringing on a fpectacle fo humiliating, and clamorously move that an end be now put to the call of the members and the fummons of individuals. M. Beaupoil de St. Aulaire, bishop of Poitiers, fearing he might lofe fo fair an opportunity of bearing teftimony to his faith, advanced with an eagerness which made him infenfible to the weight of his years, towards the tribune. There, calling upon the Prefident to command filence, he said, "Gentlemen, "I am seventy years old; I have been thirty years a bishop: I will "not difgrace my grey hairs by the oath you have decreed. I will ". never take it." Upon this all the clerical members of the right rife from their feats, applaud the last speaker, and declare that he had expressed their unanimous fentiments." P. 57. Part I.

The following account of one of thofe maffacres, which unhappily were not uncommon, is full of ftriking circumstances.. "A virtuous prieft, one of those men whom the empire of fanctity holds up to veneration on earth as bleffed in heaven, M. Nolhac, formerly rector of the noviciate of the Jefuits at Toulouse, then in the eightieth year of his age, and for thirty years paft curate of St. Symphorien, of that parish, which he had preferred to all others, because it was a parish of poor people, M. Nolhac, who for thirty years past had been in that town the father and refuge of all the indigent, the comforter of the afflicted, the counfel and friend of all honeft citizens, though repeatedly urged by his friends, refufed to quit them after the arrival of the Jacobin banditti, and Jourdan. He never could make up his mind to abandon his parishioners, and efpecially those whofe confidence he enjoyed; he would not fuffer them to be deprived of their paftor in the first confufion of the fchifm, and much lefs fo when under the tyranny of the Jacobins they were bereft of every comfort

of

of religious duties. Martyrdom, the glory of fpilling his blood for Jefus Chrift, for his church, and for the faithful, was the final accomplishment of the most ardent wishes he had ever formed in life, fentiments with which he had inspired all thofe whom he had directed in the paths of perfection. His whole life had been one continued martyrdom, concealed under a ferenity of countenance, peace of confcience, and angelic comforts. Naturally of a ftrong conftitution, he had been able to fupport all the fatigue, watching, and activity of a paftor, together with the penitential life of an anchoret, daily employed before the rifing fun in the meditation of divine truths, daily vifiting the fick and poor, and never quitting them without adding to fpiritual comforts fome temporal affiftance, which the confidence of the faithful multiplied in his hands, always poor in his own regard, and rich with regard to others, it was time for him to confummate the facrifice of a life, which had been totally devoted to charity and his duty to God. His last moments were fanctified and comforted by one of thofe prodigies, with which providence has fometimes favoured chofen fouls.

"M. Nolhac, whofe fanctity till then had been refpected even by the banditti, was confined in the caftle the eve of the day, on which the fix hundred victims were to be facrificed. His appearance was, for all thofe perfecuted perfons who were perfectly acquainted with him, and who had all the greateft refpect for him, that of a confoling angel. His firft words were thofe of an apofile of fouls fent to prepare them to appear before the fovereign Judge of the living and the dead. "I am come to die with you, my children, we fhall all foon appear together in the prefence of God. Thanks to his providence for having fent me to prepare your fouls to appear before his tribunal. Every moment is precious. To-morrow-perhaps to day -we fhall be no longer in this world: let us therefore difpofe ourfelves by a fincere repentance to be happy in the next. Add to the hope I have of being received myself into the bofom of God, the happiness of rendering you all worthy of his divine mercy." At thefe words they all proftrate themselves at his feet, and embrace him as their father. Worthily difpofed by a fincere repentance, they all receive the facrament of penance by his adminiftration with that tendernefs and compaffion which he always had for finners. That undefçribable pleasure, that peace which God alone can give, when he has ratified in heaven the abfolution given by his priest on earth, banished all marks of fear, and fhone bright on every countenance, when the banditti called out the first victims of their fury. On the right and left of the prifon gate ftood two executioners, who with bars of maffive iron, knocked down the prifoners as they were ordered to advance forward. Their bodies were then delivered over to other ruffians, who tore and disfigured them with their fabres, that they might not afterwards be known by their friends or children, and finally were all promifcuously hurled into a pit called the Ice-houfe.In the interior prifon M. Nolhac exhorted, embraced, and encou raged all as they were called out, and had the happiness to be prefented before God the laft of thofe fix hundred fouls, who had all preceded him in heaven, the joyful harbingers of his heroic zeal, and unalterable conftancy." P. 156. Part I.

The