afterwards became. We fhall give an account of it in the writer's words, though we must be obliged to abridge the description.

It happened, that, for his fins, our Gerund was favoured with the notice, and afterwards with the intimacy of Friar Blas a Predicador Mayor (greater preacher) of the convent; a coxcomb of about the fame ftanding with the lecturer, but of very different ideas, tafte, and character. This Father Predicador Mayor was in the flower of his age, juft turned of three and thirty; tall, robuft, and corpulent,-with ftrait neck and erect gait ;-his habit always clean, and the folds long and regular; a neat shoe, and, above all, his filken fkull-cap adorned with much and beautiful needle-work,-all the happy labour of certain bleffed nuns, who were dying for their their Predicador Mayor. In fhort, he was a moft gallant fpark; and adding to all this a clear and fonorous voice, fomething of a lifp, a particular grace in telling a ftory, a known talent at mimickry, eafy and free action,- boldness of thought, without ever forgetting to well-fprinkle his fermons with tales, jefts, proverbs and fire-fide phrafes, moft gracefully brought in, he not only drew multitudes after him, but bore the bell in all converfation with the ladies. He was one of those polite preachers who never cite the holy fathers, nor even the facred Evangelifts, by their proper names, thinking that this is vulgar. St. Matthew, he called The hiftorian Angel; St. Mark, The evangelic Bull; St. Luke, The most divine Brush; St. John, The Eagle of Patmos ; St. Jerom, The Purple of Belen; St. Ambrofe, The Honey-comb of Doctors; and St. Gregory, the Allegorical Tiara.—But to fail putting the two first fingers of his right hand, with a foppifh air, between his neck and the collar of his habit, as if to eafe his refpiration, to fail making a couple of affected toffes of the head, whilft he was propofing his fubject,-to be most nicely trimmed and fpruced up,-and after making, or not making, his private fhort ejaculation as foon as he entered the pulpit,-to caft around him a haughty glance, heightened with a little frown, and make a beginning with, "Before all things bieffed, praifed, glorified be the holy facrament," &c. and conclude with, "In the primitive inflantaneous being of his natural animation."-No! The reverend Father Predicador Mayor would not have omitted a tittle of all thefe things, though St. Paul himself had ftrenuously maintained that they were all, to fay the leaft of them, fo many evidences of his not having a grain of gravity, a drop of devotion, a crumb of confcience, a morfel of marrow, or a pinch of penetration.-Yes, perfuade him to it if you could! When he faw as plain as the nofe in your face, that with this preliminary apparatus alone he drew large concourfes, gained loud applaufes, won hearts for himself, and

that

3

that there was not a circle, vifit, or party, in which the laft fermon he had preached did not become the topic.

"It was well known to be a favourite maxim with him to begin his fermon with fome jeft, or fome proverb, or some winehoufe witticism, or fome emphatic or divided clause, which, at first fight, fhould feem blafphemy, impiety, or madness; and, after having kept the audience for a while in expectation, he would finish the claufe, or come out with an explanation, which terminated in a miferable infipidity.-In a fermon upon the incarnation, he began in this manner," To your healths, gentlemen!" And as all the audience laughed ready to split their fides, (for he faid it as a Merry Andrew would,) he added, "There is nothing to laugh at; for to your healths, and mine, and the healths of all, did Jefus Chrift come down from heaven, and was incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary. It is an article of faith."-At hearing this they were all ftruck with pleafing furprize, and fuch a murmur of applaufe, with complacent noddings, ran round the church as wanted but little of breaking out into public acclamation.'

Many other particulars have we concerning this Predicador Mayor, his conceits, his rules for preaching, his fermons, and the inftructions he gave to the young Friar. From the account juft tranfcribed the reader may conclude, that Gerund was likely to profit greatly under fuch hopeful tuition. There was, we are told, in this convent, a grave, religious, learned, and judicious father, who was called Father Ex-provincial; he, among others, pitied the deplorable error of the Predicador Mayor, and charitably undertook to correct it. He propofes to Friar Blas the queftion, What end a Chriftian orator ought to have in view, in his fermons? The Predicador pertinently replies, To gratify his audience, to give pleasure to all, and to conciliate their favour. I, at leaft, fays he, in my fermons propole no other end ;-and truly I do not fucceed ill, for there is never wanting in my cell a pinch of good fnuff, or a cup of rich chocolate; there are two changes of white linen, it is well provided with flafks, and finally my little drawer is never without a few doublons for a cafe of neceffity.' The pious Exprovincial fcarcely hears the difcourfe without tears: rifing from his feat, he locks his cell, and taking Friar Blas by the hand, leads him into his ftudy, fets him in a chair, and feating himself in another juft by him, with that authority to which he was entitled by his hoary locks, his learning, his virtue, his employments, his credit, addreffes to him an exhortation which conftitutes no fhort chapter of the volume. It is indeed fenfible, pathetic and excellent, of which however we can give only two brief quotations. In fhort, fays he, Father Predicador,

the

the orator is no other than the man dedicated by his profeffion to inftruct other men, and make them better than they are. And, let me afk you, Will they be made better by him, who as foon as he fhews himself in the pulpit, fhews, too, that he is as much fubjected as the vileft of his hearers, to the lowest of the human paffions? Will he make the vain and proud man humble, who, in all his words and actions, breathes nothing but vanity and prefumption? Will be correct the diforder of profane ornaments and cofmetics, who prefents himself in the pulpit as a beau? Will he extirpate the paffion of avarice from the breafts of others, who is known to make a traffic of his miniftry, who preaches for intereft, and canvaffes and buftles for functions of the greatest pay? Finally, whom will be perfuade that we ought to please God alone, who confesses, that even in his fermons he has no other end than to please men?

Very urgent, very ferious indeed, is the conclufion of this difcourfe; fome, perhaps, may think, too ferious, if confidered in connection with other parts of the book; though certainly not too grave for the fubject. Part of it is in these terms: Therefore, if my dear Father Predicador has any zeal for the falvation of the fouls which Jefus Chrift redeemed by his most precious blood, if his own folid and real reputation deferves any regard, I conjure him, that he will change his conduct: Let the end he aims at in his fermons be more noble, more Chriftian, more religious, and very different will be his difpofition; let him preach Chrift crucified, and not preach himself, and he certainly will not beftow fo much pains on the affected adorning of his perfon; let him feek no other interest than that of fouls, and I am confident he will preach in another manner; let him not be folicitous for applaufes, but converfions, and he may be affured that he will not only procure the converfions he is anxious for, but the applaufes alfo for which he is unanxious; and thefe of an order much fuperior to the popular and vain praises, in which he at prefent finds fo many charms.'

The good father's labour was loft upon Friar Blas, who, retiring to his young friend Gerund, treated the grave Ex-provincial as an old Grey-beard, a Mumpfimus, Codger, and Antediluvian; and he determined to perfift in his old way. He adminiftered the fame advice, with great and repeated affiduity, to Gerund Zotes; whofe pliable and fimple mind, already too well prepared, yielded eafily to his inftructions. He readily learned that he was always to call the fea, the Salfuginous Element; Aaron's rod, the Aaronit fh wand; the decree of the creation, Futurized Adam; his creation itself, the Adamitifh foundation; the creation of all creatures, the univerfal Opifice; blind nature, Twinkling nature; and an ardently inflamed defire, the

ignited

ignited wings of Appetite. In thefe and numberlefs other follies our Friar made confiderable attainments. He was at length appointed to give a fpecimen of his abilities for the pulpit, before the members of the convent. That part of his fermon which is here exhibited to public view is curious enough.

Several of the good fathers exert themfelves to give the young preacher a different turn; and among the reft the Father Mafter Prudentio takes him in hand, and difcovers much knowledge and good fenfe in his converfations: he particularly recommends to his pupil the reading the fermons of the best preachers, but appears to have been very unhappy in his choice, when, among others, he particularly diftinguishes thofe of Father Antonio Vieyra; with one of whofe difcourfes the reader is prefented, stuffed up with popifh tales, and very difagreeable to a proteftant; though written in a ftyle and manner greatly different from thofe of Friar Blas, and poor Gerund.

We fhall close our account of the first volume with obferving, that the profane exclamations which fometimes occur in the converfations here related, will be disgusting to several of our readers, though they may be agreeable to the Spanish modes of converfation, and are indeed by much too frequent in proteftant as well as in popish countries.

[To be concluded in our next.]

ART. XIV. Confiderations on India Affairs; particularly refpecting the prefent State of Bengal and its Dependencies. With a Map of thofe Countries, chiefly from actual Surveys. By William Bolts, Merchant, and Alderman, or Judge of the Hon. the Mayor's Court of Calcutta. 4to. 12 s. in Boards. Almon. 1772.

TH

HE Eaft India Company have rifen, from very flender beginnings, to a ftate of the higheft importance: their concerns, fimple, at firft, are grown extremely complex, and are immenfely extended. They are no longer mere traders, and confined in their privileges; they are fovereigns over fertile and populous territories. In their original fituation, their affairs required little addrefs or penetration; in their prefent grandeur, they are objects of an embarraffing and difficult attention: and, as they are directed by men of difcernment and integrity, or by men of narrow capacity, and difpofed to gratify their private interefts and views, they may be productive of confequences in the highest degree, falutary, or pernicious, to this country.

For fome time paft, in the opinion of our Author, the management of the bufinefs of this Company has been marked with no traces of integrity or public fpirit. The officers, whom they had entrusted with power, practifed every art, however unworthy and criminal, by which they might enrich themselves.

The

The advantage of the Company was not only neglected; but even common humanity, and the moft facred and inviolable rights of mankind were infringed, and made the sport of a cruel tyranny. Nor have their iniquitous oppreffions been confined to the new fubjects which the kingdom has acquired in Afia. The British emigrants, who had gone to refide there, felt no lefs feverely the perfecutions of defpotifm. They were checked in the exercife of an honeft induftry; or, if they had arrived at wealth and independence, these bleffings were ravished from them by open force, or by the arts of low intrigue or policy. It seemed that they had braved dangers, and wafted their health and their time in these inhofpitable climates, in order to add to the power, and to the ftores, of a lordly oppreffor.

In Bengal, and its provinces, no freedom of trade is permitted; and this circumftance can alone, it is thought, render thefe fettlements flourishing, and of importance to Great Britain. Monopolies, of the most deftructive nature, are known and common; and the courts of law, which should vindicate the rights of the injured, are perverted to the purposes of revenge and injustice. In these distracted dominions every thing is hoftile to the governed: individuals are neither fecure in their perfons, nor in their property. The bonds of fociety are loofened, and the adminiftration of power, when pufhed to extremity, muft neceffarily lead to confufion and anarchy. Men, accuf tomed to liberty at home, will not ftoop to be enflaved abroad; and the natives, it is natural to think (and as our Author prophefies) will find an avenger among themselves, or will enlist under the banners and the protection of more favourable mafters. We are not difpofed to affirm, that the picture which Mr. Bolts has exhibited of the affairs of India, is, in every refpect, juft, and no where exaggerated; and that the colours he has employed, though warm and glowing, were always neceffary and proper for the fcenes he has painted. The truth may fometimes have perhaps inadvertently been hurt by the honest indignation with which he feems to have beheld the infolence and the encroachments of power; and fome allowance muft, doubt. lefs, be made for the refentment he feels for his own perfonal injuries.

But, allowing thefe exceptions to be taken in their fulleft and strongest fenfe, it muft, notwithstanding, be acknowledged, that the government of the affairs of the Company has been conducted on principles which point directly at the deftruction of our Afiatic trade and dominions; and, that the arrangements in that quarter of the globe are highly defective. If, in fome particular cafes, his candour may be difputed, it will yet be difficult, we conceive, to combat, on a folid foundation, his general pofitions and conclufions; and we cannot but agree with