389 The Monthly Catalogue for Auguft, 1752. furnished to the British troops during the last war, and the like fum for the frates-general on the fame account. This demand on the maritime powers will take up fome time to fettle. The court of Vienna, through regard for the king, and alfo with a view to accelerate the election of a king of the Romans, difcovers lefs averfion than formerly to the giving territories to the elector palatine for the indemnification he requires; and it is thought that the emprefs may cede Pleyften to him upon certain conditions. The earl of Hyndford is to continue at Vienna till this affair be concluded; and as it is hoped it will foon be adjusted, we alfo reckon fhortly to fix a term for convoking the electoral diet, -25. The earl of Hyndford ar rived here yesterday from Vienna, and repaired immediately to Herenhausen, where he was received by the king with great diftinction. The following article of news will give us fome idea of the character of the prefent archbishop of Paris, who has raisedfuch a combuftion in France. Paris, August 1. A very odd affair has happened here, which, it is thought, will have confiderable confequences. Our archbishop demanded of the provost of the merchants (refembling the office of I. lord mayor) a larger quantity of water There's Hague, Auguft 29. We are informed by letters received this morning from Dieren, that her royal highnefs the princefs governante, and her children, continue there in perfect health, and that her royal highnefs made a tour laft week to the feat of M. Bout, deputy to the affembly of the ftates general on the part of the province of Zealand. The Monthly Catalogue for Auguft, 1752. DIVINITY and CONTROVERSY. LETTER to the Mayor and CorA poration of Deale, in Kent, in relation to their Opinion upon the Trinity, pr. 6d. Shuckburgh. 2. A critical Expofition of the 9th Chapter to the Romans. By J. Fawcet, pr. Is. Noon. MISCELLANEOUS. 3. A genuine Account of Anne Whale, and Sarah Pledge, executed for Murder at Horham, Auguft 7, 1752, pr. éd. Cooper. (See p. 382.) 4. A Petition to the high Court of Tournelle, in Paris. By E. W. Montague, and Theobald Taaffe, Efqrs. pr. is. 6d. Robinson. 5. Mr. La Touche's Addrefs to the Duke of Dorfet, pr. 6d. Owen. 6. Differtatio philologica de Linguæ Heb ee natalibus punctifque vocalibus ad eam docendam difcendamque fumme neceifaris. Edidit J. G. Kals, V. D. M. pr. s. 6d. Baldwin. 7. The famous Bull Unigenitus, put forth by Pope Clement XI. pr. 2s. 6d. Ofwald. 8. A Letter from an Hutchinfonian to his Friend, relating to the remarkable` Prophecy lately fulfilled, pr. 6d. Baldwin. 9. Remarks on the Sentence given in Favour of E. W. M. and T. T. at Paris, pr. 6d. Johnfon. 10. An Apology for Dancing, tranflated into English by J. Peyton, pr. 15. Bouquet. II. * Letters on the ftudy and use of Hiftory. By Lord Bolingbroke, pr. 6s. Millar. 12. The Hebrew Guide; or, an English Hebrew Grammar. By P. Petit, M. A. pr. 2s. 6d. Whifton. 13. The Art of Midwifry. By George Counfell, pr. 35. 6d. Bathurst. POETRY. 14. The Hours of Love. In four Elegies, pr. 1s. Cooper. 15. * Love of Fame the univerfal Paffion. In feven Satires. By Dr. Young, in 12mo. pr. 28. Tonfon. SERMONS. 16. The temporal Encouragement and Reward of Charity, in a Sermon preached at Croydon. By N. Collier, M. A. pr.. 6d. Davis. 17. A Sermon at Little St. Helen's, Aug. 1. 1752. By J. Richardfon, pr. 6d. . Buckland. The LONDON MAGAZINE: Or, GENTLEMAN's Monthly Intelligencer. For SEPTEMBER, To be Continued. 1752. (Price Six Pence each Moti) Containing, (Greater Variety, and more in Quantity, than any Monthly Book of the same Price.) 1. Answer to Lord Bolingbroke's Reflec- III. Of infurances upon Lives. V. Obfervations on Government. VI. Explanation of the VIEW of the British "Fishery, VII. The JOURNAL of a Learned and Political CLUB, &c. continued: Containing the SPEECHES of A. Pofthumius, and C. Plinius Cæcilius, in the DEBATE on the Bill for vefting certain forfeited Estates in Scotland unalienably in the Crown. VIII: Encomium on useful Projectors. IX. Electrical Experiment at Bologna. X. Address of the Park to the Town. XI. Hiftory of the Eaft-India Company. XII. Mr. la Touche's Addrefs to the Duke of Dorset, in Behalf of the Citizens of Dublin. XIII. Conclufion of the Summary of the most important Affairs in the laft Seffion of Parliament. XIV. Difaftrous Story of two Lovers. XV. Mathematical Queftions. XVI. Mr. Dryden's Life and Writings, XVII. Importance of fecuring an healthy XVIII. Letter from a Lady travelling in a XIX. Remarkable Period of the Commence- XX. Important Advices from the East Indies. XXII. General Meeting of the Society of XXIII. POETRY: A new Ballad; the and the Rofe; the Welch Miners; XXVI. Prices of Stocks for each Day. With a VIEW of the BRITISH FISHERY off the South Coaft of SHETLAND, and the HEAD of DRYDEN, neatly engraved. MULTUM IN PARVO. LONDON: Printed for R. BALDWIN, jun. at the Rofe in Pater-Nofter-Row. Of whom may be had, compleat Sets from the Beginning to this Time, neatly Bound, or Stitch'd, or any fingle Month to complete Sets. 434, 435 Efq; from Tun Merchants petition against an abuse in re- ther proposed 416 Monthly bill of mortality M. Buffon's table of the probabilities of the duration of the life of man 417 436 We have received another confutation of lord Bolingbroke's Pamphlet concerning innate moral principles; and a letter in relation to Mr. Penrofe's Hypothefis concerning attraction and gravitation: Both which shall be in our next ; with feveral other things our correspondents are fo kind qa to favour us with. S THE LONDON MAGAZINE. SEPTEMBER, 1752. To the AUTHOR of the LONDON SIR, I B Doubt much whether the Reflections concerning innate Moral Principles, of which A you gave us fome extracts in your Magazine for July laft, (p. 315317.) were ever wrote, either in French or Englifh, by the late lord Bolingbroke; because it plainly appears, that the author did not understand the common terms of the fubject he treats of. He may as well fay, that a raven's building her neft in the fpring, and providing for her young till they can provide for themselves, is a moral principle, as that our love of pleasure and aversion to pain is a moral principle. We can have no moral principle, until we have once formed an idea of our duty in this life, and from thence established the principles or rules upon which we are to act during the rest of our lives; confequently, no moral principle can be innate. But God Almighty has indued the mind. of every animal with certain paffions and affections, all of which, when properly governed, tend towards inducing that animal to answer the ends of its creation,. and this of feeking pleasure and efchew- D ing pain is one of the most general. Thofe paffions and affections which are communicated to the mind by the organs of fenfation, are called fenfations ; for feeling or feeing are affections of the mind, as much as the love of pleasure or averfion to pain; because, were it poffible to form a machine, exactly the fame with an animal body, yet without a mind, that machine could neither feel nor fee, no more than it could love pleasure or avoid pain. The other paffions and affections which are implanted in, and depend upon the September, 1752 mind alone, ftill retain the general name of paffions or affections; and thefe in the brute creation we call instincts, because moft brutes are invariably, and in fome measure neceffarily, directed by them; and when they happen to be contrary, the brute is generally directed by the right one. But mankind have a more extensive forefight, and a more abfolute power over all the paffions and affections of the mind. In fo much, that almost every paffion or affection of the human mind, may by indulgence, ufe, and habit be very much ftrengthened and improved, or by neglect, or the too great indulgence of fome other paffion, very much weakened, if not altogether extinguished: And we often allow ourselves to be directed by one paffion or affection, when we ought to be directed by another, which may in that inftance be called its contrary. 4 Now, were it made a queftion, whether the paffions and affections of the human mind, or any one of them, be innate, I should readily anfwer, that they are all fo, as much as our fenfations. It is true, a particular man may be born without any particular paffion or affection, as well as a particular man may be born without eyes or ears For example, a particular man may be born without that affection we call compaffion; but if he is, I will fay, that he never can acquire it, no more than a man born without eyes, can ever acquire the fenfe or affection or feeing. He may learn to talk of objects of compaffion, as a blind man may learn to talk of colours; but he can never feel that pain, which a compaffionate man feels at the thought of fuffering innocence, nor that joy which a compaffionate man feels from having adminiftered relief. And fo whimsical are the customs of na tions in this refpect, that I could mention one nation where their hofpitals fhew, that when they are a dying, or prepar D dd 2 ing 392 Anfwer to Lord B.'s innate Moral Princip'es. Sept. ing for death, they have great compaffion; but their prifons daily convince us, that whilft they are alive, and not thinking of death, they generally have not the leaft tincture of it. As particular men may be born without compaffion, fo in particular men, or indeed in whole nations, this natural af- A fecion may in fome cafes be quite extinguished by habit, or by the indulgence of fome contrary paffion or affection, fuch as hunger, avarice, ambition, revenge, or the love of diverfion. With regard to the laft, it is certain, that mankind in general are born with an affection or love for diversion, as exercife is neceflary for preferving the health both of the body and B mind; and by this affection the compainon not only of particular men, but of mankind in general, is in many cafes fo far extinguished, that we take delight in acts of cruelty. What but this could make a man delight in fetting two of thofe faithful creatures called dogs, or two of thofe beautiful and gallant creatures called cocks, to tear one another to pieces? What but this could make a man delight in hunting down that harmless creature, a hare, and in hearing without pity the mourntul cries of the poor animal, when he is almoft quite spent, and the hounds clofe at her heels? Yet thofe very men will in other cafes fhew, that they are ftrongly actuated by compaffion. D Such examples are therefore no proof, that compaffion is not a natural or innate affection of the human mind. We might for the fame reafon fay, that fear and courage are not innate affections of the human mind; because whole nations have fometimes acted as if they had no fear, and others as if they had no courage. In short, to talk of innate moral principles, or innate ideas, is ridiculous; but we may as well fay, that the faculties of the mind by which it afterwards receives and forms ideas, are not innate, as to fay, that the paffions and affections on The mind, by which it afterwards forms and is prompted to pursue moral principles, are not innate. It is, in truth, from a F que confideration of thefe innate paffions and affections, and the ufes for which they feem to have been defigned by the Author of nature, that we can form the most certain fyftem of right moral principles; and it is from fome of them that we often act in direct contradiction to what this author calls the only innate mo-G ral principle, meaning that affection of the mind, which prompts us to feek pleafure and avoid pain. Nothing therefore could ever have raifed a doubt about thefe affections being innate, but the miftaking the effects for the causes, as this author has done; and a mistake of a contrary kind made fome learned men formerly maintain, against the great Mr. Locke, that our ideas, or fome of them at least, are innate. It is from these very passions and affections, that our felfish gentlemen draw all their arguments for proving, that felflove is the fole caufe of human action; for thefe paflions and affections are fo wifely contrived by the Author of nature, that if we love ourselves we must follow them, according to that fubordination which he has appointed, and which our own reafon, if duly attended to, will point out. It is for this very purpose, that he has given to mankind fuch a fovereign power over all thefe paffions and affections; therefore, if we ever allow ourfelves to be directed by one paffion or affection, when we ought to be directed by another, we can plead no excuse; and we shall at last find, that in so doing we did not truly love ourselves, unless a man can be faid to love himself, who prefers a life of mifery and contempt, to a death of glory and renown; or, as Horace elegantly expreffes it, Et propter vitam, vivendi perdere caufas, And it is to this fovereign power, which the Author of nature has given us, over all the paffions and affections of the mind, and the abfolute power we have of chufing what paffion or affection we shall be governed by, with regard to any parti cular action, that we are to afcribe all the monstrous customs or habits, if there ever were any fuch, that travellers have amazed us with. From hunger an American murders and feeds upon his child: A Hottentot kills his aged father out of pity: And a Chriftian butcher, for gain, cuts the throat of an innocent lamb,. without the leaft compunction. Yet from thence we cannot justly argue, that compaffion is not an innate affection of the human mind; for all thefe men will upon other occafions not only fhew, but feel, that they have compaffion; and their not feeling it upon this occafion proceeds. from its being extinguished by custom and the prevalence of another pashun. Of thefe paffions and atfections fome are given us for felf prefervation, fome for the propagation of our fpreis, fome. for the prefervation of bur fecies, and fome for exciting us to the performance. of religious duties. No paffion or affechon is in itfelt vicious: it only becomes fo when we chule to be governed by it at a time when we ought to be governed by another; and it is upon the freedom *See Salmon's Modern Hiflery, Vol. 3. p. 24. we |