HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
ter of friend and orator of the hu- 
man race; and inculcated in his 
speeches universal fraternization 
with all tribes and nations. 
In England, the leading doctrines 
of the French revolution were 
maintained by several members of 
parliament, as well as by a consi- 
derable number of writers; Paine, 
Barlow, Godwin, and others: all 
of\ whom, both pamphleteers and 
politicians, considered it as an era 
auspicious to mankind. The po- 
litical doctrines of France and 
Germany, and the hopes conceived 
from the energy of human reason, 
were carried in England, by cer- 
tain distempered spirits, to the 
length of extravagance and mad- 
ness. In a seminary, established 
at Hackney for the education of 
young men for the dissenting 
church, certain of the professors, 
and others who were associated with 
them, as friends to that institution, 
maintained, that by a due exertion 
and direction of the human facul- 
ties, it was possible, and that a pe- 
riod would probably arrive when 
they would obtain a complete tri- 
umph over disease, and even death, 
For their own parts, although they 
did not positively predicttheir own 
immortality, they did not hesitate 
to express a lively hope that they 
should be able to prolong their 
own, greatly beyond the usual pe- 
riod of human life, and to live as 
long as they could wish. Among 
this number of happy mortals, 
was Godwin (already mentioned) 
author of a large work on poli- 
tical justice; in which there is, 
in reality, as little sense as in his 
doctrine of immortality ; since it 
would be as impossible for his sys- 
tein of government, were it possi- 
[7 
ble to make the experiment, to 
maintain itself, in opposition to the 
strongest passions and propensities 
of human nature, as it would be 
for any effort of human reason to. 
set disease and death at defiance. 
Mr. Godwin, being bred among 
the dissenters, was naturally led to 
a lively conviction and sense of the 
right of private judgment in mat- 
ters of religion. This principle 
he has extended in its utmost la- 
titude to politics. Though he had 
long been devoted to political stu- 
dies, he tells us, he was not made 
aware of the desireableness of a 
government in the utmost degree 
simple, but by ideas suggested by 
the French revolution. To the 
same event, he adds, he owes the 
determination of mind which gave 
existence to his work. ‘ He hopes 
that men may one day be governed 
by the purity of their own minds, 
and the moderation of their own 
desires, without all external coer- 
cion.” There is no authority, ac- 
cording to him, ‘but that of rea- 
son; and no legislators, but philo- 
sophers and propagators of truth,’” 
He thinks it unjust to be influenced 
by any particular sensations, pro- 
pensitics, affections, and passions: 
and in all cases considers and calcu- 
lates, not what may be good for an 
individual or any part of society,. 
but what is due to the whole. ‘ It 
cannotindeed (he admits) be defini- 
tively affirmed, whether it be 
known in such astate of society, 
who is the father of each individual: 
child; but it may be affirmed, that 
such knowledge will be of no im- 
portance.—It is aristocracy, self- 
love and family pride, that teach 
us to set a value upon it at present. 
I ought to prefer no human being 
[B] 4 to 
