to fhow, that the diffenters are no ways concerned in occafional conformity. The controverfy, which in those days occafioned fuch vehement contests between the two Houfes of Parliament, is probably filenced for ever; but De Foe opens this tract with a fentiment which ought never to be forgotten: "He, that opposes his own judgment against the current of the times, ought to be backed with unanfwerable truths; and he, that has that truth on his fide, is a fool, as well as a coward, if he is afraid to own it, because of the multitude of other men's opinions. "Tis hard for a man to fay, all the world is mistaken but himself; but if it be fo, who can help it." During the previous twenty years of his life, De Foc had bufied himself unconfcioufly in charging a mine, which now blew himfelf and family into air. He had fought for Monmouth; he had oppofed king James; he had vindicated the revolution; he had panegyrized king William; he had defended the rights of the collective body of the people; he had difpleafed the treafurer and the general, by objecting to the Flanders war; he had bantered fir Edward Seymour and fir Christopher Mufgrave, the toryleaders of the Commons; he had just ridiculed all the high flyers in the kingdom, and he was obliged to feek for fhelter from the indignation of perfons and parties, thus overpowering and refiftlefs. A proclamation was iffued, in January, 1702-3, offering a reward of fifty pounds for difcovering his cenfure of the book, and fome peo ple are like to come under the dif pleafure of the government for it; in juftice to those who are in danger to fuffer by it; in fubmiffion to the parliament and council who may be offended at it; and courtefie to all mistaken people, who, it feems, have not penetrated into the real defign; the author presents the world with the genuine meaning of the paper, which he hopes may allay the anger of government, or at least fatisfy the minds of fuch as imagine and defign to inflame and divide us :" and protesting the honefty of his purpofe, he refolved, if the people now in trouble might be excufed, to throw himself upon the favour of government, rather than others fhould be ruined for his mistakes. Neither his fubmifivenefs to the ruling powers, nor his generofity with regard to his printers, was a fufficient fhield from the refentment of his enemies. was found guilty of a libel, fentenced to the pillory, and adjudged to be fined and imprifoned.' He' "While, as our author tells, he lay friendlefs and diftreffed in the prifon of Newgate, his family ruined, and himself without hopes of deliverance, a meffage was brought him from a perfon of honour, whom till that time he had not the leaft knowledge of. This was no lefs a perfon than fir Robert Harley, the fpeaker of the House of Commons, who was foon made fecretary of ftate, and who afterwards became lord treasurer and earl of Oxford. Harley approved probably of the principles and conduct of De Foe, and doubtlefs forefaw, that, during a factious age, fuch a genius could be converted to many ufes. And he fent a verbal meffage to the prifoner, defiring to know what he could do for him. Our author readily wrote the flory of the blind man in the Gospel, concluding: Lord, that I may receive my fight. "When the high-flyers were driven from the eminence which enabled them to do mifchief rather than good, Harley became fecretary of state, in 1704. He had now frequent opportunities of reprefenting the unmerited fufferings of De Foe, to the queen and to the treasurer. Yet our author continued four months longer in gaol. The queen, however, inquired into his circumftances, and lord Godolphin fent, as he thankfully acknowiedges, a confiderable fum to his wife and family, and to him money to pay his fine, and the expence of his difcharge. Here is the foundation, fays he, on which he built his first fenfe of duty to the queen, and the indelible bond of gratitude to his benefactor. "To be relieved from gaol, must have been a circumftance fufficiently pleafing but, to be employed by fuch minifters, to be approved of, and rewarded, and employed again, while his old enemies the high-flyers were in difgrace, must have been extremely flattering to a mind at once ardent and grateful. That he was engaged in feveral honourable, though fecret fervices, by the interpofition of his first benefactor; that he was fent abroad, and ran perfonal rifques equal to thofe of a grenadier on the counterfcarp, he himself affures us: but of the bufinefs, which our author did not think fit to explain, no knowledge can now be gained from the filence of the grave. "It is faid, though perhaps without fufficient authority, that the vigorous remoftrances of De Foe procured the act for the encouragement of learning, by vefting the copies of printed books in the authors or their affigns. The vanity of an adminiftration, which affected to patronize the learned, concurring with the mutual interest of authors and bookfellers, produced at length this falutary Îaw, that our author alone had called for without fuccefs. "Our author was soon after engaged in more important, becaufe much more ufeful bulinefs. Lord Godolphin fent him to Scotland, on an errand which, as he fays, was far from being unfit for a fovereign to direct, or an honest man to perform. His knowledge of commerce and revenue, his powers of infinuation, and, above all, his readiness of pen, were deemed of no fmall utility, in promoting the Union. And we fhall find him no inconfiderable actor in the performance of that greatest of all good works. He attended the committees of parliament, for whofe ufe he made feveral of the calculations on the fubject of trade and taxes. He complains, however, that when afterwards fome clamour was raised upon the inequality of the propor tions, and the contrivers began to be blamed, and a little threatened a-la-mob, that it was D. F. made it all, and he was to be stoned for it. He endeavoured to confute all that was published by the popular writers in Scotland against the Union and he had his fhare of danger, and, as he fays, he was watched by the mob, in order to know where to find him; had his chamber windows infulted: but, by the prudence of his friends, and God's providence, he escaped. In the midt of this great scene of business and tumult, he collected the documents, which he afterwards publifhed for the inftruction of pofterity, with regard to one of the most difficult, and, at the fame time, the most moft fortunate tranfactions in our annals. "How he was rewarded for all thefe fervices, and all this rifque, he does not tell; and cannot now be eafily known. He already enjoyed an appointment, which had been formerly made in confideration of a fpecial fervice of no fmall danger: yet is there reafon to think, that he had a penfion rather than an office, fince his name is not in the red-book of the queen; and he folemnly avers, in his appeal, that he had not intereit enough with lord Oxford to procure him the arrears due to him in the time of the former ministry. This appointment, whatever it was, he is ftudious to tell, he originally owed to Harley: he, however, thankfully acknowledges, that lord Godolphin continued his favour to him after the unhappy breach that feparated his first benefactor from the minifter, who for three years continued in power. "The nation, which was thus filled with combustible matter, burft into flame, the moment of that memorable feparation, in 1707. In the midst of this conflagration our author was not inactive. He waited on Harley, after he had been driven from power, who generously advised him to continue his fervices to the queen, which he fuppofed would have no relation to perfonal differences among ftatefmen. Godolphin received him with equal kindness by faying,-I always think a man honeft till I find the contrary. And if we may credit De Foe's affeverations, in the prefence of thofe who could have convicted him of falsehood, he for three years held no correfpondence with his principal benefactor, which the great man never took ill of him. "When Godolphin was in his turn expelled, our author in the fame manner waited on the ex-miniter, who obligingly faid to him, That he had the fame good will, but not the fame power to affit him: and Godolphin told him, what was of more real use, to wait till he faw things fettled, and then to receive the Queen's commands from her confidential fervants. It naturally occurred to De Foe, that it was his duty to go along with every ministry, while, as he fays, they did not break in on the conftitution. And who can blame a very fubordinate officer (if indeed he held an office), who had a wife and fix children to maintain with very fcanty means? He was thus, fays he, caft back providentially on his first benefactor, who laid his cafe before her Majefty, whereby he preferved his interest without a ny engagement. "De Foe now lived at Newing ton, in comfortable circumflances, preparing fome works for the prefs, and publishing the Reviews: in this fituation he gave and received many wounds, during the pen and ink war of that contentious period. "Our author found leifure at length to republifh, in 1712, a Hiftory of the Union, which, as he fays, lay longer in the prefs than he expected; and which is now pu blished a third time, when a fimilar union has become the topic of pub. lic debate and private converfation. It feems to have been but little noticed when it first appeared: for as the preface states, it had many dif ficulties in the way; many factions to encounter, and parties to please. The fubject of this work is the completion of a meafure, which was carried into effect, notwithstanding obstructions apparently infurmount able, and tumults approaching to rebellion: "The year 11 may be regarded as the period of our author's political life. Faction henceforth found other advocates, and parties procured other writes to diffeminate their fuggeflions, or to propagate their falsehoods. De Foe now lived, discountenanced and diftreffed, at Newington, and comforted only by a wife, whom he loved, and by fix children, whom he had taken great pains to edu cate. In this retirement he is fuppofed to have written the well-known Life and furprising Adventures of Robinfon Crufoe; the first part of which was publifhed in 1719, and the fecond before the end of the year. The reception of it was popular, and the fale was great i for the ftory, fays the preface, rebellion; and which has produced who, having entangled themfelves the ends defigned, beyond expecta- in names, bade defiance to common tion, whether we confider its in- fenfe. fluence on the government, or on the happiness of the governed. The language of this narrative, if it wants the dignity of the great hiftorians of the prefent day, has greater sweetnefs; if it is not fometimes grammatical, it is always precife; and if it is thought des fective in ftrength, it must be allowed to poffefs in a high degree an eafy flow of entertaining periods. Confidering the factioufnels of the age, the author's candour is admirable. He is at once learned and intelligent. And the minutenefs with which he defcribes what he faw and heard on the turbulent ftage, where he acted a confpicuous part, is extremely interefting to us, who wish to know what actually paffed, however this circumftantiality may have difgufted contemporaneous readers. Hiftory is chiefly valuable as it tranfmits a faithful copy of the manners and fentiments of every age. This narrative of De Foe is a drama, in which he introduces the highest peers and the lowest peasants, fpeaking and acting according as they were each actuated by their characteristic paffions; and while the man of taste is amufed by his manner, the man of bufinefs may draw inftruction from the documents, which are appended to the end, and interfperfed in every page. "Unhappily for his fame, De Foe's connection with the pillory has tranfmitted his name with no good report to pofterity. If we could diveft ourselves of hereditary prejudice, and judge of him by what he faid and did, we fhould fee him rife fuperior, as a statesman, to the great men of both fides, 1786. was told with mod fty and fe rioufnefs, and with religious application of events to the ufes to which wife men always apply them; the inftruction of others by example, and the juftification of Providence in all the different circumftances, during the fufferings of this world." The attention is fixed either by the fimplicity of the narrative, or by the variety of the incidents; the heart is amended by a vindication of the ways of God to man, and the understanding is informed by various inftances of the fuperiority of the ufeful over the ornamental arts: the young are inftructed, while the old are a mufed. "How De Foe employed his. latter years, it is now impoffible to know. If he published The Family Inftructor and the Plan of Commerce, with other finaller tracts, which are attributed to him, it may be truly affirmed, that his old old age was usefully spent. He died, in Apil 1731, within the parith of St. Giles's Cripplegate, London, at an age, if he was born in 1663, when it was time to prepare for his laft voyage. He left a widow, Sufannah, who did not long furvive him; and fix fons and daughters, whom he boasts of having educated as well as his circumstances would admit. "It is no eafy tafk to afcertain the value, or the titles of many of our author's writings, if we except thofe which he corrected him e'f and published in his life-time. His poems, whether we regard propriety of fentiment, or fweetnefs of numbers, may, without much lofs of pleasure or profit, be refigned to thofe, who in imitation of Pope, poach in the fields of obsolete poetry for brilliant thoughts, felicitics of phrafe, or for happy rhymes. De Foe's ecclefiattical Pamphlets may be relinquished to the perufal of thofe who delight in ecclefiaftical polemics. But his tracts, political and commercial, the lovers of that liberty which he ably defended, and the friends of that trade which he liberally explained, muft wish to fee rescued from oblivion, and republifhed without the contamination of matter lefs engaging and instructive.” 66 The LIFE of ALI BEY. [Extracted from SAVARY'S LETTERS ON EGYPT.] LI BEY was born in Na the Turkish and Arabic languages, "Atolia, in 1728, and receiv- and of horfemanfhip. Compelled ed at his birth the name of Joufeph, Jofeph. Daoud his father, a Greek prieft, of one of the most distin. guifhed families in the country, defigned him to fucceed to his dignity, and neglected no part of his education, but fate had otherrife ordained. At thirteen years old, Jofeph, hurried on by the ardour of his age, was hunting with other young men in a neighbouring foreft: robbers fell upon them, and carried them off, in fpite of their cries and their refiftance. The fon of Daoud being taken to Grand Cairo, was fold to Ibrahim Kiaia, a lieutenant of the Janizaries, who had him circumcifed, clothed him in the drefs of the Mamalukes, and called him by the name of Ali, under which he has been fince known. He gave him mafters of 2 to give way, he deplored in his talents, |