from 300 men, having just before their arrival quitted the house where he ufually refided: A ninth had his houfe furrounded in the dead of night by 100 men for feveral hours, who endeavoured to force his gates; the terror nearly occafioned the death of his daughter, who was brought to bed the night before (a fact which the affailants, who were his near neighbours, muft have known), and, by his anxiety for her, impaired the health of the father. Though he fent word. to the infurgents, that he would give up the whole of his tithes rather than endanger the life of his child, they did not forbear their vifits; but repeated them, with the addition of fhocking cruelty to a poor labourer employed by him, whom they took naked out of his bed, brought to the gate of this clergyman, and whipt him feverely there, requiring him at every stroke to cry out to his mafter, though they knew the cries would be heard by his daughter, who was ftill confined to her bed: A tenth received a written meffage from the White-Boys, declaring, with their ufual imprecations, that if he intended fuch villany as to fet tithe at the old rates, they had prepared a pitched fhirt for him, in which they would fet him on fire The eleventh, (a gentleman ftill more refpectable for his character, than his very advanced age), after 44 years refidence in his parifh, where he had been a conftant benefactor to the poor, received repeated meffages, that his barn (a thatched building contiguous to his houfe) fhould be burnt, and he taken out of his bed: and he exhibited a fpectacle, which would have difgraced the moft uncivilized country, of the dwelling of a man fo venerable, protected for a length of time by a mi

litary guard. A band of 300 White-Boys advanced within a mile of his houfe, on the first night appointed for the attack of it; but turned back, on hearing that it was guarded by foldiers. This outrage happened within 13 miles of Cork, on the very day that Lord Luttrel left that city on his progrefs to Kerry.--In the diocefes of Cork and Rofs, two clergymen, resident on their refpective glebes, were attacked by numerous bodies of White-Boys, and compelled to fwear that they would conform to their rules. Two others were obliged to retain military guards for a confiderable length of time in their houfes; one of whom had five of his horfes cropped, from fpite that his houfe was fecure. The houfes of both thefe gentlemen were vifited by the infurgents. A fifth may be faid to have narrowly efcaped a perfonal attack; for another gentleman, who was mistaken for him, was knocked off his horfe, and very feverely beaten; and, but for a timely difcovery of the mistake, by the affailants mentioning the name of the clergyman, would probably have been killed. Many of the clergymen of thefe diocefes, received threatening letters and meffages in confequence of which menaces, two of them took refuge in Cork. * A clergyman, now refident in Cork, a fortnight fince received a White-Boy meflage, that his ears should be cropped, and his tongue cut out of his mouth. On the whole, all the clergy in the extenfive county of Cork (of whom only I fpeak with the fupport of authentic proofs), whofe places of refidence

*Of this last fact I have no other voucher, than a printed paper tranfmitted to me by a dignified clergyman in the diocese of Cork. But I am convinced of the truth of it.

fidence were in the country, were under continual alarm, and obliged to arm themselves in the best manner they could; and had they not yielded to the violence of the infurgents, I am perfuaded would have been perfonally ill-treated; perhaps buried in those graves, which were in many places dug (profeffedly) for their reception.

P. 105, 106.-The Letter-writer reproaches Theophilus feverely, for calling these lawless people

a Popish banditti, fpirited up by agitating friars, "and Romish miffionaries, fent hither on pur"pofe to fow fedition." I cannot help thinking the Letter-writer goes far, in afferting that no fuch friars or miffionaries have been found in this country. Though I do not know on what authority Theophilus fpeaks, I can very well conceive, that he may think the letters of Mr O'Leary calculated to fow fedition. I do not fay that the reverend author intends, much less that he is fent hither on purpose; but in my poor opinion, (which has however the fanction of every rational man, with whom I have conversed on the fubject), his publications tend (and if fuch were his defign, are moft artfully contrived) to produce that effect.-That the Letter-writer and the public may judge from Mr O'Leary's general pofitions, the Bishop gives them in his own words, from p. 106.-111. Addreffing himself to the infurgents, whom he conceives to be of his own religious perfuafion, at that time affembled in numerous armed bodies, for the avowed purpose of robbing the established clergy of their rights, he fays, "I know you are "oppreffed and impoverished more than any "fet of the lower claffes of people upon earth. "These disturbances originate in the dues of

the

"the clergy.--I would rather pay my tithes, "let them be ever fo oppreffive, than put my "neck in the halter, by violating the laws of the "realm, let them be ever fo fevere.- -The fe<< verer the claufes of the White-Boy act are, the more you fhould be on your guard. Confider "the danger to which you are expofed from the "logic and eloquence of Crown lawyers, the

perjuries of witneffes, and the prejudices of ju"ries. I am informed that the one, who is to "fwear against fome of you who are in gaol, is 66 one of the greatest villains in the kingdom, and "efcaped the gallows fome years ago."--After expatiating on the feverity of the laws against them, as not being fit for a Chriftian country, and warning them that they could not expect a fair execution, even of thofe cruel ordinances, from the law-officers of the Crown, the witneffes or jury; I think one may fay with juftice, of his addrefs to the common people of Ireland, particularly fuch of them as are called White-Boys, printed Dublin 1786, that it is calculated to raise discontent and indignation in the Roman Catholic peafantry, against the National clergy, the Legislature, the executive power, and their Proteftant fellowfubjects. It is not entirely fuperfluous to obferve, how much fuch an impeachment of the character of a witness, by a man out of court, and not fworn, was calculated to give an unfair prejudice to the juries in favour of the White-Boys who were then in gaol.

NUM

NUMBER VII.

Traité de la verité de la religion Chretienne. Par JA. VERNET. Tom. 8. 9. Laufanne 1782, & Tom. 10. Genev. 1788. i. e. A Treatise on the Truth of the Chriftian Religion by James Vernet.

DR

R VERNET, Professor of divinity at Geneva, began the publishing of this work 1730. The firft feven volumes, defigned as an enlargement and improvement of the younger Turretine's Latin differtations on the truth of Christianity, though they poffefs confiderable merit, perhaps will not convey much new information to those who have perused the best English writers against Deifm.It is otherwife with the 8th, 9th, and 10th volumes.In them much light is caft on the rapid propagation of Christianity in the first centuries; on the evidence of the authenticity of the books of the New Testament, and of the certainty of the principal facts recorded in them, from the teftimonies and conduct of Jews and Heathens, who partially received, or wholly rejected the religion of Jefus; and on other important articles of church history. Indeed, Dr Lardner, in his large collection of Jewish and Heathen teftimonies, has engaged in these enquiries, with much greater extent of learning, and depth of criticism. Yet, the largenefs of that work, and of his credibility of the gofpel hiftory, has, in Scotland, prevented their being fo generally read and known, as their diftinguished excellence deferve; and even those best acquainted with Dr Lardner's writings, may find fome ingenious, and, if I mif

take