1796. ] 
land, prefented an Addrefs to the Lord 
Protector, recognizing his authority, 
and foliciting his protection: ‘ For our 
“< people (fays he) did in their own minds 
‘prefage, that the kingly government 
** being now changed into that of a com- 
“‘ monwealth, the ancient hatred toward 
“‘them, would alfo be changed into 
“good-will: that thofe rigourous laws, 
“if any there be yet extant, made under 
‘‘the kings, againft fo innocent a peo- 
“ ple, would happily be repealed.”’ He 
alfo prefented, printed, and difperfed, a 
declaration to the commonwealth, and a 
treatife containing feveral arguments for 
toleration, addrefied to the juftice of the 
. principled, to the prudence of the re- 
fleéting, and to the prejudices of the 
multitude *, Onthe 4th of December, 
1655, Cromwell fummoned a convention, 
meeting, or privy council, confifting of 
two lawyers, feven citizens, and fourteen 
noted preachers, to confult upon this re- 
queft of the Jews. Among the latter, 
Mr. Godwin and Mr. Peters (whofe 
works were burned along with thofe of 
Milton at the reftoration) and Mr. Nye 
(of celebrated beard) particularly exerted 
themfelves in favour of putting the Jews 
upon the like footing with other feéts. So 
many {fymptoms of prejudice and intole- 
rance efcaped from others, that, after a 
conference of four days, Cromwell began 
to think the meafure would not be intro- 
duced to the people from the pulpits, in a 
manner to affift its popularity ; and there- 
fore difmiffed the meeting, faying, they 
had rendered the matter more doubtful to 
him than it was before. Onthe 1ft of April 
he took leave of Manaffch, by a polite, 
but evafive anfwer. Whilft this affair was 
pending, the Rabbeée Jacob Ben Azahel 
profeffed to entertain fufpicions that 
Cromwell was the expeéted Meffiah, an 
opinion propagated, no doubt, for the 
purpofe of attracting a vaft concourfe of 
the lower claffes of Jews into England, 
in cafe the political equality, for which 
Manaffeh petitioned, could have been 
obtained. Some few muf, from this pe- 
tiod, have fettled in London by conniv- 
ance, fince, in 1663, their regifter of births 
contained twelve names: and during the 
whole reign of Charles II, who intro- 
duced the fale of patents of denization, 
their numbers increafed. 
essa ERTS BIN SMA aN te os RO Sten ER RN 
* The notorious pamphlet in favour of fab- 
batizing, declared by the votes of the houfe, 
in March, 1649, to be erroneous, fcandalous, 
and profane, does not appear to have had the 
flighteft. conne@tion with the views of Manaf- 
teh and his employers, 
4. 
On the Prifimatic Colours. 
103 
In 1684, James the fecond: (who loft 
the affections of the bigotted people, as 
much by his difpofition“to tolerate both 
catholics and diffenters, as by his political 
intolerance to the adherents of Mon- 
mouth) remitted the alien duty upon all 
goods exported, in favour of the Jews. 
This was univerfally refented by the 
Englifh merchants, who were apprehen- 
five that the fame duties would alfo be 
remitted upon all imported goods. Peti- 
tions from the Hamburgh company, 
from the Eaft-land company, from fifty- 
feven of the leading merchants in the 
city, from the weft, and from the north, 
were offered to the king againft this 
equitable regulation. Thete illiberal 
beings were glad, under any pretext, to 
defraud fome of their neighbours of the 
privilege to trade upon the fame terms 
with themfelves : remembering the home- 
ly proverb, ‘‘the fewer the better cheer,”’ 
they were naturally very glad to fee the 
number of candidates leffened for the ad. 
vantages they were themfelves ftriving 
to obtain. After the revolution, this 
order was fuperfeded, to the great joy of 
the Chriftian merchants. 
In the firft year of Queen Anne, a de- 
teftable ftatute was paffed, to. encourage 
the converfion of young Jews, by eman- 
cipating fuch converts from all depen- 
dence upon their parents. And in the 
fixth year of George II, Reafons were 
offered to the Lord Mayor and court of 
Aldermen, for applying to Peg amin 
for the fuppreffion of Jew-brokers. No 
public proceeding however  enfued: 
equity for once overpowered felfithnels : 
it feemed the dawn of rifing liberality ; 
but, like the twilight of a winter’s morn 
within the arétic-circle, was to be fuc- 
ceeded by no effectual fun-fhine. 
[ To be concluded im our next. | 
SE I em 
Lo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ey 
me CELEBRATED Artift, whofe 
Leétures, from the inftruétion with 
which they abound, and the noble and 
liberal principles, which they conftantly 
inculcate, are an honour to this metro- 
polis, {urprifed me in his laft le€ture by 
2 polition, with which, till then, I had 
been unacquainted.. The difcovery of 
our great philofopher, Sir Ifaac Newton, 
on the peculiar refrangibility of the rays 
of light, had, in appearance, eftablithed 
the now generally received doétrine, 
that there are feve primary fpecies of 
colour-making rays; and this doétrine 
is 
