The Queen arrived here on Wednesday morning about eight of the clock, and being retired into her apartments, remained there till one, repofing, and preparing herfelf for the new fatigues of the day. The mufic and heralds-at-arms began the proceflion, from the King's apartment, though Francis the Fir's gallery, to the chapel. Thefe were followed by the Knights of the Holy Ghost, not in the habits of the order, though dreit, old as well as young, in the utmost magnificence. The Prince of Conti, and the Counts Charolois and Clermont immediately preceded the King; the Duke of Orleans and Mr. Le Duc being employed in fupporting the Queen. His moft Christian Majefly, dreft in a brocade d'or, embroidered in every part with gold, with a short golden robe of the order, clofed this first part of the spectacle: his ftar, his Holy Ghott, and the buttons of his coat, were all of diamonds; and what exceeded all this leffer magnificence, was Pitt's fingle diamond, fluck, instead of a button, in his hat.

The Queen advanced flowly under the load of her garments. Her train, that was fupported by Madame la Ducheffe, and other Princeffes, fwept half the gallery. Her crown was very small, and feemed to incommode her more by being ill fet on, than by its weight. She was followed by the Duchefs of Orleans, and the Princeffes Dowagers of Conti; and the Dames de Palais clofed the march.

The Queen finding herfelf fick at chapel, gave her new fubjects the opportunity of fhewing their early zeal by an expeditious demolition of all the windows. Cardinal de Rohan performed the fervice, as he had done before at Strafbourg, accompanied with an exhortatory harangue to their molt Chriflian Majellies. The royal couple dined afterwards in public, where the Princeffes of the Blood were admitted to table. The evening's entertainment was a comedy and a fine firework, which laft is faid to have coft 140,000 livres; the lamps, that were placed in rows, diftributed through the parterres of the garden, amounted to 62,000, at a livre each. The r Majefties fupped in public, as they had dined; and about one o'clock in the morning the young bridegroom retired to the myfterious part of the ceremony.

There was not any visible morning at court. On Thursday, about one o'clock, their moft Chriftian Majesties returned to chapel, dined by themselves in ceremony, the evening concluding with a promenade in the Park, the Queen in a phaeton, the King and all the gentlemen on horseback; and the night ended with a concert of mufic and a public apartment.

To-day the King and all the court hunt the boar; the beginning of next week will be employed in receiving the public compliments; and the fhort mourning that is to follow for the young Duke D'Aofte will bring things back again to their ufual channel.

His Excellency orders me to make you his compliments, and I have nothing to add, but to defire you will do me the juice to believe me with the greatest truth and refpect, Your's, &c.

From the Same to the Same.

Fountainbleau, Sept. 16, 1725, N. S. I have nothing particular to trouble you with fince my last, his

Excellency

Excellency having been pleafed to fend Lord Townfhend, of which. his Grace has copies, full accounts of the audience of the foreign minitters, and of what paffed, or rather did not pafs, upon that occafion. His moft Chriftian Majelty was going to hunt; the Ambaffadors and other Ministers being introduced to his bed-chamber, formed two lines, through which his Majesty paffed into another room. They had the honour to fee the French King: the French King paffed by them, and thus ended the firft audience. In that of the Queen, the Minifters all crowded together in a little chamber very much crowded already, and being named and prefented as each could make up, were at laft, when ail drawn together, found in a demi-circle, the Queen ftanding between the two extremities. The Queen faw the Minifters, the Minifters had the honour to fee her Majefty; fhe curtefied; they bowed; and here ended the fecond audience. An arch Italian propofed printing the fpeeches, but methinks thefe dumb compliments procured them more honour than Meffire Portal, firft Prefident of the Parliament of Paris, got by all his cloquence; he told the King that the Infanta, who was fent back to Spain, was fo precious and dear to the Parliament, that there was not one of that auguft company that would not have spared as many of his own years as were wanting to complete her age. The King continues his hunting in the forest, whither he is returned, and the Queen has mitigated his abfence with wholefome and repeated acts of devotion. She makes no more of a dozen maffes in a morning, than Hotfpur did of as many Lowland Scotchmen for his breakfall. Belides which the frequently retires into her oratcire, and leaves the middle of a party of quadrille, to throw off a fhort ejaculation in the next room, with as much eafe as ether ladies retire upon other occafions. This conftant affiduity at prayer, &c. may prove per nicious, if there happens to be more bigotry than true devotion in it. King Stanislaus leaves Wiffemburg the 20th, to proceed on his journey to Chambor, which place is preparing for his reception and retirement.

⚫ I am, with the trueft and most fincere respect, From the Same to the Same.

Your's, &c.'

Fountainbleau, C&tober 20th, 1725, N. S. The arrival of King Stanislaus at Beuron, a feat belonging to Mr. Beringhen, about two leagues from hence, has drawn thither all the court daily ever fince Tuesday laft; and perhaps the abfence or occupation of the Ministers, upon that account, was the reafon of fo long delaying this meffenger. The French King, when he went to fee his father in law, was met by him at the coach door, and conducted to the apartment above itairs, where the French Queen's mother attended to receive his moft Chriflian Majelty. There were four feats placed for their most Christian and Polish Majefties. The first interview continued an hour; the converfation turning most upon hunting, and the French King difcourfing more than ufually with much gaiety and life; but it was obferved he did not take great notice, or addreffed himself much to the Queen, his mother in law. On Wednesday the 17th, King Stanislaus came incognito in the dufk of the evening to Fountainbleau, where he was Received by the young King with the utmost affection, embraces

palling

paffing upon embraces at the royal rencontre. The King left Beuron yefterday morning, which was kept a fecret from her most Christian Majefty, to fpare her the trouble and affliction of parting; but her Majesty is faid to have perceived, at leaving him on Thurfday night, that he was to fee him no more, and expreffed her concern in a fhower of tears. I am ever, with the trueft and most perfect refpect, Your's, &c.'

We must now take our leave of this entertaining and valuable collection of State Papers, after informing our Readers, that the Editor of them is generally understood to be the Earl of Hardwicke.

*The letters, &c. of Lord Stair deferve distinguished notice; but, we have been fufficiently liberal in our extracts. E.

ART. II. A Letter to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry; wherein the Importance of the Prophecies of the New Tellament, and the Nature of the Grand Apoftacy predicted in them, are particularly and impartially confidered. By Edward Evanfon, A. M. 8vo. 2s. Law. 1777.

HEN we confider that, in matters of religious con

W troverfy, the holy Scriptures ought to be, among

Chriftians, the fole criterion by which fuch controverfies are to be determined; when we alfo obferve the different accounts which are given by wife and learned men, of fsome subjects of faith, for the fupport of which all appeal to the declarations of Scripture; we cannot but infer, that the conclufions or accufations, implied, if not expreffed, in even the most candid debates, are too fevere, and in a great measure groundless. While in the Trinitarian difpute, the orthodox, as they are termed, are apt to regard their opponents as blafphemous, thofe on the other fide the queftion confider them as chargeable with idolatry. May it not with some appearance at least of juftice and truth be inferred, that the facred writings to which each appeal, have not with fufficient precifion determined on a fubject which has been fo long and fo warmly contefted, that it is not requifite to form thofe exact ideas concerning it which both fides feem to be labouring for, but that each should content themselves with the expreffions and words of Revelation? If this is indeed the cafe, or in truth whether it be or not, it appears that no fociety or ftate have a right to form a dogma or article concerning it, by which they require all perfons to fquare their belief: for mere political or ftate religion, we apprehend, is in fact no religion at all, but feems rather fubverfive of real piety and integrity.To reflections of this kind we have been led by the ingenious pamphlet before us, the purpose of which is, the Author tells us, to endeavour to bring the main object of the religious controverfy, mentioned above, into one common, obvious point of view, and extricate it from that obfcurity, in which fuperftition

ftition and fophiftry have too long involved it.' Mr. Evanson gives his reafons for addreffing this letter to the Bishop of Litchheld and Coventry, in the following paffage:

That general unbelief, fays he, of revealed religion among the higher orders of our countrymen, which, however your Lordship and I might differ in our manner of accounting for it, is too notorious for either of us to doubt of, hath, by a neceffary confequence, produced in the majority of our prefent legiflators, an abfolute indifference towards religious queftions of every kind. They regard religion merely in a political light; and inftead of thinking every individual concerned and interested in articles of theology, confider them as the bufinefs of ecclefiaftics only, as forming a particular department of the state. They are therefore no more inclined to hearken to remonftrances, fug gefted by the confcientious fcruples of any of the inferior clergy, while the Bishops, Deans, and Archdeacons continue to approve the doctrines remonftrated againft, than they would be to attend to the complaints of a few fubalterns in the army or navy, on a point, which all the fuperior officers fhould pronounce effentially neceffary to the fervice. From thefe circumftances there feems too much reason to apprehend, that no proposal for the revifal and amendment of our theology and mode of public worship will be attended to by Parliament, unless it originates from, or, at least, is fupported by that Right Reverend Bench, of which your Lordship is one of the moft diftinguifhed ornaments. I muft add, that should such a proposal ever proceed from your Lordthips, the very indifference above mentioned would fecure it an eafy paffage through both Houfes, as a mère official business. It greatly behoves your Lordships, therefore, to be well affured, that every thing in our religious eftablishment is right in the fight of God; for fhould it prove otherwife, the guilt of preventing the neceffary reformation must reft chiefly upon your Lordfhips. Confiderations of this kind naturally turned my attention on this occafion, towards the members of your facred order; and the fincere efteem, which I very early contracted for your Lordship's elegant manners and amiable difpofition, together with a veneration of your great learning and eminent abilities, foon fixed it on your Lordship. Befides, after your Lordship's public difcourfes on the subject of our articles, in Lincoln's-Inn chapel, and your well attefted patronage and commendation of Mr. Burgh's defence of Athanafiafm, your Lordfhip must be regarded as one of the avowed, as well as ableft champions of the established theology. Your Lordship, alfo, is well known to have made the Prophecies of the New Teftament your particular ftudy: and they are moft intimately connected with the fubject of the present debate,'

. It will not be improper here to infert what this Author fays in another place, concerning the Scripture Prophecies, as connected particularly with the ftudies and labours of his Lordship:

The greateft fervice that can be done the cause of true Christianity, feems to be to turn the public attention to the Prophefics of Sacred Writ, and to thofe particularly, wherein the profeffors of the Chriftian faith are clearly and in an especial manner concerned. For this reafon, I confider the lectures founded by your Right Reverend and profoundly learned friend, of which your Lordihip hath favoured the public with the firft courfe, as the most important inftitution of the kind that hath ever taken place among us. Yet, at the fame time, my Lord, I cannot forbear lamenting the unworthy narrownefs of its main view, which, fo far as I can judge from the deed of truft, is confined merely to the object of proving the church of papal Rome to be the apoftate, antichriftian Church, predicted by the Prophets, both of the Old Teftament and the New. During the feeble, infant state of Proteftantifin, its abettors did very right to adopt every juftifiable method of defence against the hoftile attacks of the Roman Catholics. And it was then natural, it was then neceffary, to point out to the world thofe prophetic fignatures, which fo ftrongly characterize papal Rome. But now, in thefe days of fecurity, as well as eftablishment, it were furely a more liberal way of studying the prophecies, to aim at difcovering what their real meaning is, than to predetermine them to one particular fenfe. And it would undoubtedly be far more ufeful to us, and much more becoming us as Chriftians, to examine whether we ourselves are right, rather than amufe ourfelves with difcovering what other churches are wrong.'

By this time, we imagine, our readers perceive fomewhat of the main defign of this publication; a view of which we wifhed to lay before them, and perhaps cannot do it better than by inferting a paffage at the clofe of the pamphlet; in which the writer fays, To bring the whole into one point of view, the cafe appears to me to ftand thus: Both in the Jewish and Chriftian fcriptures an appeal is made to the completion of predicted events, as the only infallible criterion between a real and pretended Revelation; and we are, in an efpecial manner, referred to the spirit of prophecy, as the teftimony of Jefus. From hence it neceffarily follows, that either thofe predictions of the Gofpel, which ought to have occurred before the prefent date of the Chriftian æra, must have really come to pass, or else the Gofpel itfelf is falfe. The grand object of thofe prophecies is a Catholic apoftacy, from the true and rational religion of Jefus Chrift, to a mysterious, blafphemous, idolatrous fuperflition, under the delufive influence of which the people would turn away their

ears