votion, and many a good Proteftant has thought to be divinely infpired. For was not Socrates, by his preaching up moral virtue, and by his dying to bear witnefs to the unity of the Godhead, made to the Grecian people, (and by means of their extended commerce of politenefs) to the rest of mankind, wifdem and righteousness? And what more was Jefus ? For, according to the principles of this paganized Christianity, his titles of Meffiah and Redeemer are reduced to mere figurative and accommodated terms.As this theology degrades Jefus to the low condition of a Grecian Sophift; fo, we are told, it renders his religion obnoxious to the infults of every daring Impoftor. He was fent, fay thefe new Doctors of the Church, to teach mankind the worship of the true God, and the practice of moral righteoufnefs. This will be readily allowed, replies an understanding Mahometan: and on this very principle, we hold, that when Jefus had done his office, and mankind had again relapsed into antichriftian idolatry and polytheism, as before into pagan, God fent our Prophet, who worked the like fudden and fenfible reformation in the northeaft, as your prophet did in the north-west.

To inftruct the world in wisdom and righteousness, his Lordfhip fays, was but the fecondary end of Chrift's miffion. The first and primary, was to become its Sanctification and Redemption; that muft needs be common to every revelation coming from God; this is peculiar to the Chriftian; and this cannot poffibly be fruftrated, or rendered ineffectual.

Modern Univerfal Hiftory, Vols. XXXIV. XXXV. XXXVI. and XXXVII.

N our last month's Review, we gave fome account of the thirty-fecond and thirty-third volumes of this work; including the kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark. The thirtyfourth volume contains the Hiftory of Poland; and feems to be drawn up with more accuracy, and written with more spirit, than fome of the other volumes.

The character of the Polish nation is here juftly delineated, and painted in lively colours." This people, fay our Authors, have been long celebrated for their courage, their ftrength, and their longevity; no country in the world af fording more extraordinary proofs of bodily vigour, and an

uninter

uninterrupted flow of health, which are juftly afcribed to the temperature of the climate, the temperance of the vulgar, and the conftant habit in manly, exercifes. The continual ufe of the cold bath, even in the coldeft parts of Poland, is fuppofed Jikewife to contribute greatly to that mufcular, frength for which they are fo remarkable. The nobility are open, affable, liberal, and hofpitable; polite to ftrangers, rigid to their dependents, punctilious in points of honour, vain, oftentatious, and magnificent in their apparel, equipages, and living, though that magnificence favours ftrongly of barbarifin. They are early initiated in letters, fpeak impure Latin with fluency; but feldom make any progress in matters of tafle or fcience. Paffionately fond of liberty, the Poles live in a perpetual state of fervitude to their avarice, their profufion, and their neceflities, whereby they are ren-, dered the infamous penfioners of foreign ftates, the creatures of their own Monarchs, or the hireling tools of fome political faction. Their political conftitution has been the fource of continual misfortunes; yet are they attached to it to a degree of enthufiafin, and efpecially thofe parts, which produce the greatest inconveniences. Poor in the midst of a fertile country, they abhor the notion of improving their circumftances by trade, and are the only nation in the world who have provided by law against raising a maritime power, Prodigality and debauchery are not reputed vices among this martial nobility: they borrow without intention, of paying, with the fame freedom they fquander. Conftant in their friendfhips, bitter in their enmity, open to impofition, unsuspicious, opinionated, and haughty, their only care is to diftinguish themselves in arms, in finery, equipage, and fplendor. As to the vulgar, they are mean, mercenary, ignorant, indolent, and indigent."

It is likewife remarked, that few political conftitutions are fo little understood as that of Poland; and yet that no form of government more deferves attention, on account of its fingularity; fome particulars, therefore, of a ftate which bears little refemblance to any other model, ancient or modern, cannot be altogether unacceptable to fuch of our Readers as are not already well acquainted with this peculiar fystem.

"The Poles have a Sovereign, and yet the government is called with great propriety a Republic. The nobility of this country have more power than the great of any other; yet they deteft the thoughts of ariftocracy, because they all reck

on

7

on themselves upon a level, every Polish Gentleman regarding himself as inferior only to the Monarch. The Republic is compofed of the King, the Senate, and the Nobility, or Polish Gentlemen, the Peafants being admitted to no share of the government. Upon every new election the royal prerogative has been retrenched, and the liberties of the Diet and Senate proportionably extended. This idea of indepen-' deney is pushed fo far as to hazard the general fecurity of the kingdom, the Monarch not being permitted to garrifon even the most remote and neceffary frontier towns; whence we fee Poland has in all ages been made a kind of public route for the paffage of hoftile armies. Upon the death of the Sovereign, the whole body of the Nobility affemble on horseback, for the choice of a Succeffor; and the unanimous voice conftitutes a legitimate election, though there have been inftances where a majority has been deemed fufficient. Here the Nobility affume a power of altering the government, and impofing fuch conditions on the new Monarch as they think proper, and these they call the Patta Conventa. This contract is drawn up, methodized, and approved by the Senate and Nobility, after which it is read aloud to the King by the great Marechal, and fworn to before the ceremony of his proclamation. We fhall enumerate the principle articles, as this contract may be deemed the great charter of Poland, and the barrier of the privileges of the people againft the encroachments of the Crown. The firft is, that the King fhall not attempt to encroach on the liberty of the people, by rendering the crown hereditary in his family; but that he thall preferve all the cuftoms, laws, and ordonnances refpecting the freedom of election: that he shall ratify all treaties fubfifting with foreign powers which are approved by the Diet: that it fhall be his chief study to cultivate peace, preserve the public tranquillity, and promote the intereft of the realm: that he shall not coin money, except in the name of the Republic, or appropriate to himself the advantages arifing from coinage: that in declaring war, concluding peace, levying troops, hiring auxiliaries, or admitting foreign troops upon any pretext within the Polish dominions, the confent of the Diet and Senate fhall be neceffary: that all offices and preferments fhall be given to natives of Poland and Lithuania; and that no pretence shall excufe or palliate the crime of introducing foreigners into the King's Council, or the departments of the Republic that the officers of his Majefty's guards fhall be Poles or Lithuanians, and that the Colonel fhall abfolutely

be

be a native of Poland, and of the order of Nobility: that all the Officers fhall be fubordinate to the authority of the Mare chal: that no individual shall be vefted with more employ-" ments than the law allows that the King fhall not marry without the approbation of the Senate, agreeable to the an cient laws of the conftitution; and that the houshold of the Queen fhall be determined and regulated by the Republie: that the Sovereign shall never apply his private fignet to acts and papers of a public nature: that to preferve his power and dignity, the King fhall difpofe of the offices both of the Court and of the Republic; and regulate with the Senate the number of forces neceflary for the defence of the kingdom, infpecting likewife the difcipline obferved in the army: that he fhall administer juftice by the advice of the Senate and his Council," &c. i

To thefe articles are added a variety of others; our Authors, however, have thought it neceffary to recite only the ftanding conditions, which are fcarce ever altered, or omitted.. We leave our Readers to their own reflections on the articles, of this national contract; in which are fome reftrictions of the regal power which deferve the ferious confideration of every free people.-But this, perhaps, is a fubject too delicate, for the times, and too dangerous for us to difcufs with freedom., Yet, furely, it may be permitted us to remark, that no fcheme of policy can be faid to have provided fufficiently for the pub-. lic fafety, which leaves the most important of all national concerns, entirely to the difcretion and the will of one man!

The following account of the General Diet of Poland may alfo deferve the notice of our Readers.

The Diet is compofed of the King, the Senate, Bishops," and the Deputies of the Nobility or Gentry of every palatinate, and called, in their collective capacity, comitia togata;. that is, when the States affemble in the city without arms and horfes; or comitia paludata, when they meet in the fields armed, as during an inter-regnum, at the Diet of Election. It is a prerogative of the Crown to affemble the Diet at any particular place, except on occafion of a Coronation, which the cuftom of the country requires fhould be celebrated at the capital. For a number of years, indeed, the Diet regularly affembled at Warfaw; but, on complaint made by the Lithuanians, it was agreed, that every third Diet fhould be held at Grodno. The general rule is to meet once at least in three years, though there have been many exceptions. When, it is propofed to hold a General Diet, the King, or in case of

an

an inter-regnum, the Primate, iffues writs to the Palatines of the feveral provinces, fpecifying the time and place of the meeting. A sketch likewise is sent of the business to be deliberated by the affembly, the Senate is dónfulted in this particular, and fix weeks are allowed the members to prepare themfelves for the intended feffion. It is remarkable, that the Diet never fits more than fix weeks in the most critical conjunctures and preffing emergencies they have been known: to break up in the middle of an important debate, and to leave the bufinefs to a future meeting. This hath been justly. esteemed one of the greatest defects of the Polish constitution, which probably owes its origin to convenience; but is fuperftitiously regarded from whim and caprice. On receipt of the King's writ, the Palatine communicates the meeting of the Diet to all the Caftellans, Staroftas, and other inferior Officers and Gentry within his jurisdiction, requiring them to affemble on a certain day to elect Deputies, and take into confideration the bufinefs fpecified in the royal fummons. These meetings are called petty Diets, or Lantage, in the language of the country, every Gentleman poffeffing three acres of land having a vote, and matters being determined by a majority; whereas in the general Diet decrees are only valid when the whole body is unanimous. The indigent Gentry are always directed by fome perfon of fuperior fortune, influence, or ability. They feldom examine the fubject of debate; but remit it wholly to the judgment of their Reprefentative. Every Palatinate has three Reprefentatives: the bufinefs devolves on one, who is elected for his ability and experience; and the other two are added only to give weight to this leading Member, and do honour by their magnificent appearance to the palatinate they reprefent. As thefe Deputies, fince the reign of Cafimir III. have feats in the Diet, it naturally divides the general Affembly into two bodies, the upper and lower; the one being composed of the Senate, the fuperior Clergy, and the great Officers; the other of the Reprefentatives of the palatinates, who prepare all bufinefs for the fuperior body." Thus we fee how near an affinity the general conftitution of the Polish Diet hath to a British Parliament, and, indeed, to the original form of government among all northern nations, however they may vary in particular circumftances, and be altered by the influence of time *.”

There

"It is ufual to depute, from the general Diet, fixteen Senators, shofen out of the body of Bifhops, Palatines, and 'Caftellans, to at

tend