An impoftor orders this murder, and the promised recompence is the enjoyment of incestuous

love.

I own this is introducing horror on the stage; and your majesty is conscious that tragedy should not confift merely in a declaration of love, a fit of jealoufy, and a marriage.

Our hiftorians mention actions still more criminal than the one I have invented. Seide *, at leaft, is ignorant that it is his father he kills, and as foon as he commits the fact, he feels a repentance equal to the heinousness of his crime. But Mezeray relates, that at Melun a father murdered his fon for his religion, without feeling afterwards the leaft regret. The story of the two

brothers Diaz is well known; one of whom was at Rome, and the other in Germany, in the beginning of the troubles caused by Luther. Bartholomew Diaz having heard at Rome, that his brother entered into the opinions of Luther, at Francfort, fets out from Rome with a design to affaffinate him, arrives and kills him. I have read in Herrera a Spanish author, that this "Bartholomew Diaz run a great risk in this action, but that nothing can shake the refolutions of a man of honour, when probity conducts him."

Herrera, in a religion all holy, and an enemy to perfecution and cruelty, in a religion that teaches to fuffer without feeking revenge, was, then, of opinion, that probity could lead to murder and parricide! And yet people will not

The name he gives to the above-mentioned young man in Mahomet.

exclaim from every fide against such infernal maxims. Maxims! that put the ponyard into the hand of the monfter who deprived France of Henry the great; that placed the picture of James Clement* on the altar, and his name in the calendar of faints. Such maxims loft the life of William, prince of Orange, founder of the liberty and of the grandeur of the Dutch. Salcede first wounded him in the forehead with a piftol fhot: Strada relates in these very words, "that Salcede would not undertake this action till after purifying his foul by confession at the foot of a dominican friar, and fortifying it by the holy facrament." Herrera fays something still more wicked and impious, " eftendo firme con el exemplo de nueftro Salvadore Jefu Chrifto y de fu fanctos." Being ftrengthened by the example of our Saviour Jefus Christ, and of his faints.

Balthazar Girard, who took away the life of this great man, prepared himself in the fame manner as Salcede.

I have remarked that all thofe who have committed the like crimes, from inward perfuafion, were young men like Seide. Balthazar Girard was about twenty. The four Spaniards who had agreed with him to kill the prince of Orange,

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* Clement affaffinated Henry the third of France, at the time he was befieging the city of Paris, whose inhabitants had revolted from his power, and joined the duke of Guife. The Parifians placed the statue of Clement on the altar next to the crucifix, and wore his picture hanging to a ribbon about their necks, as that of a faint and of a deliverer.

exclaim from every fide against such infernal maxims. Maxims! that put the ponyard into the hand of the monster who deprived France of Henry the great; that placed the picture of James Clement* on the altar, and his name in the calendar of faints. Such maxims loft the life of William, prince of Orange, founder of the liberty and of the grandeur of the Dutch. Salcede first wounded him in the forehead with a piftol fhot: Strada relates in these very words, " that Salcede would not undertake this action till after purifying his foul by confession at the foot of a dominican friar, and fortifying it by the holy facrament." Herrera fays fomething still more wicked and impious, "eftendo firme con el exemplo de nueftro Salvadore Jefu Chrifto y de fu fanctos." Being ftrengthened by the example of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, and of his faints.

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Balthazar Girard, who took away the life of this great man, prepared himself in the fame manner as Salcede.

I have remarked that all thofe who have com. mitted the like crimes, from inward perfuafion, were young men like Seide. Balthazar Girard was about twenty. The four Spaniards who had agreed with him to kill the prince of Orange,

I. 3

* Clement affaffinated Henry the third of France, at the time he was befieging the city of Paris, whofe inhabitants had revolted from his power, and joined the duke of Guife. The Parifians placed the ftatue of Clement on the altar next to the crucifix, and wore his picture hanging to a ribbon about their necks, as that of a faint and of a deliverer.

were of the fame age.

bed Henry the third,

The monster who stab was but twenty-four

Poltrot, who was the affaffin of the duke of Guife, was five and twenty; it is the aera of illufion and enthusiastic rage.

I have been almoft a witnefs in England, to what the force of fanaticifm can bring a young and weakly imagination. A boy of fixteen, named Shepherd, undertook to murder George the first, your relation. What could have induced Shepherd to fuch a horrible crime? merely because he happened to be not of the fame religion with the king. His youth was pitied, his pardon was offered him, and he was a long time urged to repentance; but he still perfifted in faying, that it was better to obey the commands of God, than follow the dictates of men; and that if he was free, the first use he would make of his liberty fhould be, to kill his fove. reign. The government was obliged to put him to death as a wild beast, whofe favage nature could not be subdued.

I dare affert, that whoever has much lived in the world, muft have taken notice, how ready people are to facrifice humanity to fuperftition. How many fathers have hated and difinherited their children! How many brothers have per fecuted their brothers from this fole motive! I have seen examples of it in many families.

If fuperftition is not always remarkable for thefe exceffes, which are numbered in the hiftory of crimes, yet it is, every day, the spring of many little evils in fociety. It difunites friends; it divides relations; it perfecutes the wife man,