Account of M. Barruel. 



]8'23.] 



advantage-ground wliich he would not 

 lose by false modesty. His coniage 

 would not let him deprive himself of that 

 strong language which he seemed entitled 

 to adopt. Barruel continued this work 

 with much zeal, with a bold and manly 

 spirit, to the month of July, 1792. During 

 that whole period, the Abb6 B. seems to 

 have been nearly the only party concerned 

 in the drawing np of this Journal, which 

 bad a very extensive circulation. The 

 author's sentiments were in opposition to 

 the revolution, but chiefly to the reforms 

 projected in the ecclesiastical establish- 

 ment. IJis opinions on this subject were 

 thought, in their consequences, to animate 

 the spirit of independence in many of the 

 clergy. And here the author's pretensions 

 to an honourable notoriety were not ill 

 founded ; he had chalked out for himself 

 a line of conduct to which he atUiered 

 uniformly and resolutely ; and, as a jour- 

 nalist, his discussion of public topics, 

 moral and religious, political and literary, 

 was fair and full. No one will be hardy 

 enough to deny him the laurels which he 

 had thus gained. Many of his articles 

 were distinct works, comprehensive in 

 design, and the result of study aud pro- 

 found thought. 



The author's zeal was, however, fre- 

 quently tinged with acrimony. His cha- 

 racter being established in the firmest 

 manner, he was consulted by nonjuring 

 bishops, and drew up papers for several 

 of them, with a most ingenuous negligence 

 of consequences. He had secret con- 

 ferences with Gobcl, ancient bishop of 

 Lydda, and then constitutional bishop of 

 Paris, to induce him, as was thought, to 

 make his recautation; but in this he failed 

 of success. 



After the 10th of August, Barruel was 

 obliged to conceal himself. Some days 

 he remained in Paris, perpetually chang- 

 ing his asylum, but at length found means 

 to escape into Normandy, and embarked 

 theuce fur England. There his zeal could 

 not remain inactive, and some of the 

 scenes that passed before him he com- 

 mented on with his usual ingenuity. His 

 " History of the French Clergy," during 

 the revolution, appeared in London in 

 1794. Some of the materials of which his 

 volume was formed have been found to 

 be dubious, and there are mistakes of 

 names and dates. The nlleged atrocity 

 of persons that were to have been burnt 

 on the Place Uauphinc, after the loih of 

 August, is entirely groundless; nur is this 

 the only instance of the kind. The au- 

 thor's zeal seems, in some dcjirce, to have 

 overshot the calmness with which a di- 

 ligent and impartial historian should ob- 

 serve events. 



To this labour succeeded another, which 

 afforded, as it promised, much matter 

 for critical speculation, It was intided, 



235 



" Memoirs to serve for a History of 

 Jacobinism;" the two first volumes ap- 

 peared in London in 1796, but the follow- 

 ing not till some years after. Herein the 

 author professes to have discovered a 

 triple conspiracy of intidels, that have 

 been at work since the beginning of the 

 last century, to overthrow Christianity; 

 of republicans and freemasons, to over- 

 throw royalty ; and of illuminati, to sub- 

 vert all religion aud authority ! The au- 

 thor was justly attacked on the two last 

 points, in England, France, and Germany. 

 Mounier entered the lists with him, in a 

 work, intitled, " On the Influence attri- 

 buted to Philosophers, Freemasons, and 

 the Illuminati, on the Revolution of 

 France, (at Tubingen, 1801.)" 



About the time that M. B. was finishing 

 his Memoirs, he became involved in a 

 contest with the French refugee clergy 

 in London. This hinged on the submission 

 required of priests in France, by the con- 

 sular government. The emigrant clergy 

 being divided on this point, M. B. de- 

 clared for the affirmative, maintaining his 

 opinions, with his usual earnestness, ia 

 diiferent pamphlets printed in Loudon. 

 This gave rise to controversial encotmters 

 with the Abb6 Lambert and Blanchard. 



M. Barruel persisted in the same ca- 

 reer, in what concerned the Concordat of 

 1801, in favour of which he published his 

 work, intitled, " Of the Pope and his 

 Rights." This was smartly assailed, both 

 in London and Paris, by, such as were 

 hostile to the Concordat. Its doctrines 

 were impugned by the advocates for the 

 Galliran church. 



In 1802 M. B. returned, for the .«econd 

 time, into France. From appearances, 

 he might have been thought a zealous 

 partisan of Bonaparte, but this was never 

 verified by proofs. Immediately, on re- 

 turning from his emigration, he was sent 

 to Versailles, where he soon obtained per- 

 mission to return to Paris. He was lield 

 en suri-eillance, beyond the fen years pre- 

 scribed by the seuatus consult, which 

 granted an amnesty to emigrants. He 

 never, at any time, took the oaths to 

 Bonaparte, nor held any place under him, 

 with pay annexed. He was once ar- 

 rested, in 1811, on occasion of the Brief 

 of Cardinal Manry, and was three weeks 

 in prison, till he was found to he entirely 

 a stranger to that matter. 



After the restoration, M. Barruel pub- 

 lished only some short pamphlets, against 

 certain principles of the revolution, or 

 against the anti-cnncordulaircs. A spirit 

 of acrimony pervaded ilie»e, which was 

 too often apparent in his other writings; 

 this was easily roused, but it was not 

 seconded here by as much merit of logic 

 and general erudition as had given value 

 to his earlier productions. In his last 

 years he was much occi'iiicd in drawing 



up 



