Animadverfions on Mr. Phillips's Hiftory of the Life of Cardinal Pole. By Timothy Neve, D. D. Rector of Middleton-Stoney, Oxfordshire. 8vo. 6s. Oxford printed, and fold by Robfon in London.

WE

VE entirely agree, with the learned Dr. Jortin*, that although the life of Pole, by Mr. Phillips, is a performance which feems not to forebode any evil at all to our church and ftate; yet it deferves to be examined and confuted. Such fort of writings are generally attended with good effects; they have given occafion, as Dr. J. farther remarks, to excellent anfwers, and furnished materials for the Stillingfleets, the Tillotfons, &c.' to whom we may add the Ridleys and the Neves.

The notorious fophiftry and fallacioufnefs of the late history of Reginald Pole, however, feems to have rendered Dr. N. thoroughly fenfible, that fome apology was neceflary, for his having condefcended to take the pains of writing fo elaborate a refutation of it. The performance, indeed, fays he, hath nothing in it that may alarm us, or give us apprehenfions of its doing mischief; but as every thing of that nature is looked upon as a kind of defiance, and, if not particularly confidered, as a triumph too, the author of the following theets has ventured to accept the challenge.' Pref.

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Dr. Neve appears to have been animated to take up the gauntlet thrown out by this champion of Rome, from a reflection which hath occurred to many others, fince the publication of Pole's life; and which our Author hath thus very justly expreffed: The restless emiffaries of the fee of Rome, not content with the liberty of confcience indulged them, are continually reviving the controverfy between their church and ours, and making encroachments upon us. Among the many attacks to which their eagerness hath prompted them, and which of late hath been very open and indecent, there is no one, continues the Doctor, in which the exploded errors of popery are worked up in a more artful and infidious manner, than the Hiftory of the Life of Cardinal Pole; which is a laboured, plaufible infult, both upon the civil and ecclefiaftical liberties of this country.'

In his remarks on Phillips's book, communicated to Dr. N. and printed at the end of these Animadverfions:-in which remarks, Dr. J. obferves, that much fuch a work as Phillips's, in fome respects, was The Life of Wolfey, written at a critical time, by our Fiddes, a Proteflantpapift (the expreflion is as proper at least as Roman-catholic) to prepare us for popery and the pretender: a book which had no other effect, than to expofe the author and his patrons."

One great point, with our learned Animadverter, was, to vindicate the doctrine and character of our principal Reformers, from the falfe reprefentation, and injurious reflections of Mr. Phillips; and in this attempt we believe he hath fucceeded, to the fatisfaction of every impartial reader: although we are far from thinking the private virtues or failings of any leading men, will weigh fo much, with the rational enquirer after the truth of the principles they publickly efpoufed, as they commonly do, in the estimation of their more zealous and more implicit followers. Nor ought the credit of the reformation itself to be at all rested on the private lives, the natural tempers, or prevailing peculiarities of thofe mere men, to whom, under GOD, we are indebted for that great and happy work. The glorious edifice which they reared, flands upon a much furer foundation. It hath truth for its bafis, with the facred feriptures on the one hand, and right reafon on the other; its fafe and never-failing fupports!

Dr. Neve is not one of thofe lively and declamatory writers, whofe flourishes often ferve to captivate the fancy of unwary readers, and miflead their judgment. If his ftyle is not perfectly elegant, it is plain, manly, and fuited to the precifion of critical enquiry, and clofe examination. Confcious that his production may be thought fomewhat dry, by the admirers of ornament in writing; and that probably fome inaccuracies of language may have flipped from his pen, through his greater attention to matter than to words; he declares, by way of apology, that he hath confidered himself as concerned only with hiftorical evidence;' and that he thought matter of fact, when plainly and faithfully related, would be more acceptable to those readers, whom alone it is his defire to pleafe, than the gaudy decorations of affected eloquence :' adding, that he fhall think his end fufficiently anfwered, if the pains he hath taken prove any ways inftrumental in promoting that facred cause which it is his ambition to ferve.'

But it is not merely the credit of Mr. P.'s work, in point of veracity and honefty of reprefentation, that is here attacked; the reputation of that author, as a writer, is alfo ftruck at, by this his learned and diligent antagonist: who hath endeavoured to fhew, that the celebrated hiftory of Reginald Pole, is little more than a piece of patch-work plagiarifm, a collection from other writers, for the moft part unacknowledged by the fly pilferer. There are not many notes, fays Dr. N. and but few pages, for which he is not indebted to them: their references are taken, but their names induftrioufly concealed. Thus, for inftance, Quirini's preliminary difcourfes to every volume of his edition of Pole's Letters, are only once openly referred to, though they furnished Mr. Phillips with the greatest part of his mate

rials-This detection is an ugly circumstance; and we do not fee how Mr. P. will be able to retrieve his literary character, in this respect.

But although our Author is keen in his ftrictures on the hif torian, he is equally candid in his conceffions, in favour of the bero, whom Mr. Phillips hath fo fondly celebrated. We shall give fome part of what he hath faid, in his general review of Pole's character, at the conclufion of these animadverfions; which may ferve as a fpecimen of our Author's manner, and of the temper in which he ufually expreffes himself.

Dr. Neve allows, that there is no part of Cardinal Pole's character more amiable than when we view him in his retirements, and in the focial intercourfes with private friends: here he appeared to great advantage, and displayed all the endearing good qualities of the polite fcholar, the chearful companion, and the fincere friend. His fame would have been handed down to pofterity with undiminished luftre, if he had never engaged in the turbulent, active fcenes of life; for which he either was not defigned by nature, or had rendered himself unfit by indulging an indolent and timid difpofition. His rank and station indeed frequently forced him upon public employments, in which he feldom answered the high opinion conceived of him. At the two councils of Trent, where he prefided as one of the pope's legates, nothing memorable or material is recorded of him; no traces are to be found of his vigour and activity. He left the fecond council, pleading his ill ftate of health, before any of the most interefting articles were debated, to the great regret of his colleagues, who were difpleafed at his departure. That we are not mistaken in thus charging Cardinal Pole with indolence and inactivity; let us confider what his behaviour was in England, when invefted with his legantine powers. He bewailed indeed the fins of the nation, he reunited it to the papal church, and abfolved it from the grievous crime of herefy: this he could not help doing himself: but he did nothing further belonging to his fpiritual jurifdiction; he neither ordained, nor confecrated; nor did he vifit, even his own fmall diocese, or his peculiars; but performed all these branches of his duty by commiffion. His pen, however, was not idle: he was perpetually employed in writing volumes of canons, articles, injunctions, and letters. He could be active enough upon paper and here all his vigour spent itself,'

He goes on to animadvert on what the Cardinal's panegyrift has faid with regard to his remarkable mildnefs, and his lenient arts, to those who diffented from the doctrine of his church;' but our Author, on the contrary, quotes fuch inftances of frantic zeal, and infolent, inhuman perfecutions of heretics, as are by no means confiftent with the gentle idea

given

given of him, in Mr. Phillips's encomium on his character. But, adds our Author, a veil is thrown upon these actions of Pole which I have been relating, in the panegyrical narration before us: and others of the fame tendency are flurred over with this apology, that they were the refult of his deference to the laws and conftitutions of his country, which did not allow him to firain the tender Strings of government, nor exert an undue authority on any pretext whatever (p. 132). Whereas Pole, by the general powers given him for reconciling the nation to the church of Rome, was invested with a plenitude of authority over temporal, as well as ecclefiaftical courts: he had it therefore in his power to be as mild and merciful as he pleased. But he had fo terrible a notion of herefy, that he seemed to look upon it as an unpardonable crime: it was this prevailing bias, which led him to fome illnatured and harfh feverities against the poor fufferers for religion, at the time of their execution; and to fome uncharitable reflections upon their fortitude under it. Thus he writes to a nameless bishop; "that fome of the heretics did as much harm to the people by their deaths as by their lives: a preacher therefore, he fays, fhould be provided against the time of their fufferings, who fhould declare the occafion of their death, their wicked life and obftinacy, and the pains taken to bring them to repentance: .. that by these means an act of compaffion may to the last be offered to the heretics, and the people rescued from the danger of that offence, they fo eafily fall into, when, without a preacher to declare this, they only fee the conftancy of a wretched perfon in fuffering torment, and do not perceive, under this falfe appearance of piety and refolution, the power and cunning of the devil." Thus he alfo writes to King Philip; and informs him, that Father Soto had been with the two condemned heretics at Oxford, (Ridley and Latimer he means) one of whom would not fo much as fpeak to him; that with the other he had fome converfation, but to no effect: by which, faith the mild and Chriftian Pole, it is manifest that no one can fave those whom God hath rejected, and therefore (he adds,) they fay the people beheld their execution with pleasure, when they underflood that nothing was omitted which could contribute to their falvation.'

The Doctor next proceeds to confider the boafted patriot fpirit of this cardinal; and he fhews that Pole had very little if any title to the character of a true lover of his country. Nevertheless, though a juft regard to the truth of hiftory has conftrained him to cenfure the actions of Pole,' yet our Author appears to be no way blind to his real merits." The excellency of his morals, fays Dr. N. the natural goodness of his heart, and the piety of his difpofition, are chearfully confeffed; his behaviour in his last moments fhewed, that his religion, though ill-directed

The

ill-directed, was fincere and genuine. It is with pleasure we can take our leave of him by a fair and favourable acknowledgment of his virtue and piety. We are forry to think, fo wellmeaning and fo good a man fhould labour under fuch inveterate prejudices and that, to fpare his character, thofe allowances must be made for his conduct, which he, with all his lenity and good nature, knew not how to grant to any who differed from him. His good name and reputation have hitherto been tenderly treated his biographer hath occafioned them to be more minutely examined. How they will bear this enquiry, let him look to it, who hath thus difturbed his afhes, and made the elogium of his hero the vehicle of fcornfully traducing the religion of his country, of infulting the memory of thofe worthies who are fo juftly dear to it, and of recommending those horrid intolerant principles, which enforced the naturally mild and eafy Pole to become an inquifitor and a perfecutor. cruelties, however, which were fo wantonly exercised by him and others, in their day of power, have been attended with many providentially good effects, which are ftill felt amongst us: they difcovered the true fanguinary fpirit of popery; they promoted the cause of the reformation, and excited in our anceftors, the utmoft indignation againft and contempt for that religion, which took inhuman methods to preferve its establishment. The blood of the martyrs proved the feed of the proteftant church: many, who in the beginning of Mary's reign were rigid papifts, were converted by the cruel executions, and patient fufferings of those whom they faw condemned to the flames for no crime; but only for confcience fake: and fome made an atonement for their former blindness and fuperftition, and died in defence of that religion they had before opposed. By these means, to use the words of the venerable, expiring Latimer, fuch a candle was lighted in England, as, we truft, by God's grace fhall never be extinguished. AMEN!

This fummary view of Pole's character appears to be so candid as well as juft, that we think it cannot fail of doing honour to that of our Author himself: of whom we here take leave;-with our hearty thanks for the fatisfaction afforded us in the perusal of a work which appears to have been compiled with great labour, finished with equal accuracy, and penned with as much fpirit and vivacity as can poffibly be expected in a composition of fuch a nature.

For our account of the first part of Mr. Phillips's work, we refer to Review, Vol. XXXI. p. 130;-of the second part, to Vol. XXXII. p. 139: fee alfo our account of Mr. Ridley's Review of the fame work, in our thirty-third Vol. p. 473.