ble! Then it must be falsehood; and as such, not deserving the support of mankind. If I had followed your advice, I should not have been so well provided in waste paper as at present, by several old Bibles: for these, I can assure you, were the first that staggered my faith. You say, there are individuals who have no faith, of which you are sorry (no doubt!) to say there are instances in this town. You advise, in regard to them, as little connexion; or as little conversation as possible; for fear of being infected with the poison of infidelity! If they wish to continue the same ignorant, miserable dupes of imposition, as the generality of them now are; then, I believe yours is the best advice they can follow.

I caunot follow you in your sublime descriptions of heaven, as I have never visited it; neither do I know exactly where it is situated. You speak of it as up-over head; but as ours is a revolving globe, at what hour is it over head? Mid-day, or Mid-night, or what hour? It is necessary that you should precisely settle this point, for, when you invoke prayer, you say, "lift up your hands toward heaven;" consequently, you ought to apprise us at what hour heaven is over head; that we may not hold our hands in the wrong direction; nor offer up our prayers when we cannot be seen. You say, "it is impossible to describe the joys of the elect in heaven;" yet, you say, "they are to sing praises to all eternity without ceasing!" if this be correct, this is all their joy there can be no time for any thing else! If I am to judge of the singing of saints in heaven, by that of the saints in Cerne Church, I must have a fresh taste for music before it will afford me even a momentary pleasure; whilst this continued singing, I should think must prove insipid, even to those who are most fond of it. It is surprising to me, that amongst so many very learned men who are coutinually preaching about heaven and hell, that not one has given us a correct account of what is doing in these different countries: for believe me, I do not think your singing scheme can be exactly correct. To constitute pleasure, there must be a variety. We feel no pleasure, except we have before felt its opposite, which we call pain: for, whatever it be which we call pleasure, it soon becomes pain, if the scene be not changed. In company, when conversation gets dull, we feel a pleasure in hearing a good song; but this, if continued, beyond au ordinary length, becomes tiresome and painful. And so in all cases. From these few hints, you may be likely to perceive the necessity of inventing some more fascinating scheme, than continual singing.

As I have never heard of your producing, either in, or out of the pulpit, any thing worthy the name of argument, I do not consider you a champion of Christianity. My only motive in addressing you, is to attempt to shew that assertion is not argument; and that no assertion, however confident the assertion may appear to be, is worthy the attention, or has any claim on the belief of mankind, except supported by proofs. You are continually telling us of this, that, and the other, of which we have not the least conception: and when we call on you for explanation or proof, we are called Infidels and Atheists! But the day is rapidly approaching, when men will be satisfied with nothing short of demonstrative proof; and when, being branded with epithets, will not deter them from bringing every question to this test. In a letter, a short time since received from a friend of yours, (and I believe, your best, your bosom friend, your dear self!) the writer says: "Mr. Davis is a teacher sent from God:" if so, certainly, you would not be sent without something to adduce in proof of your mission. It is this proof for which we call on you; and till you adduce it, we must continue what we are-Infidels to the doctrine you preach. Till then, it shall be my endeavour to persuade others not to countenance or support that which is so evidently false. And, happiness is the principal thing to be desired-the end to which all our actions should lead, as a preparatory step, I would advise them to discard the mentally and bodily torturing dogmas of Christianity, and in their place, to learn, practice, and teach morality.

R. HASSELL, JUNIOR.

as

THE FOLLOWING IS THE LETTER ALLUDED TO BY MR. HASSELL. IT HAD THE NAME AS A SIGNATURE, OF AN INHABITANT OF CERNE; BUT OF ONE WHO IS WELL KNOWN TO BE UNEQUAL TO THE WRITING OF SUCH A LETTER; AND WHO IS VERY INTIMATE WITH, AND MUCH AT THE COMMAND OF THE VICAR.

SIR,

Cerne, Dec. 6, 1823.

I HEREWITH return you the three numbers of the Republican, and I thank you for the loan.

The doctrine they hold forth is dangerous in the extreme, it is blasphemous, and cannot be supported by argumeut or reason:

I think your friend (as you stile him) is your greatest enemy, and I am surprised to think that your father should permit you to hold converse with such an infidel. Permit me to admonish you; beware of the dreadful precipice you are now standing on. Have

you ever heard or read of the awful and fearful deaths of such characters as Mr. C? O! young man, I tremble at your state! If you cannot fully comprehend the doctrines of our most holy religion, yet it is your duty as a creature, to bow to your Creator, and say, "what I know not, teach thou me." Let me beseech you in love, not to be deterred by the suggestions of satan, but attend diligently to the instructions of your worthy minister, (Mr. Davis) he is a teacher sent from God, and his preaching is agreeable to the "word of the most high." Mr. C's. plan is to remove the fear of God from before your eyes, by telling you there is no God; and after a person is so deluded, he can easily be enticed to advance step by step, in the paths of sin and unbelief; and unless the grace of God prevent, the infidel is frequently brought to an ignominious death! Hear the declaration of the dying criminal!" It is by sabbath breaking and by neglecting the practices and duties of religion, that I have been brought to this untimely end."

I find your friend (as you stile him) is a great puffer for human reason, and he would endeavour to persuade us that "reason alone is sufficient to direct and make men happy." This argument no one can support. Can Mr. C. give any satisfactory reason why the original natives of North and South America, Africa, and the Islands in the South seas, are in such a degraded state? Is it not plain that reason (unassisted by true religion) will lead a people to wickedness; and that Christianity (not mixed with superstition) guiding and encouraging reason will lead the same people into a state of peace, happiness, and love. Again: if men (universally) be taught, that there is no hereafter, and that they will not be required to give an account of their actions, we shall soon find this country filled with confusion; yea, after a time the inhabitants would be so degraded as to be quite barbarians! A door would then be opened to immorality of every sort; indeed, it would be a field of blood.

This disorder and ruin is the very thing the devil and his agents are aiming at.

I

May God grant that such monstrous notions be removed from us, and that he in his mercy may impart to us a spirit of grace and of supplication; a spirit of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. suppose what I have now advanced will be turned into ridicule, (be it so) and in return I will make mention of you at a throne of grace: and may God in mercy hear, is the sincere desire of, Sir,

To Mr. R. Hassell Jun.

Your well wisher and Friend.

P. S. I have to request that you will not make this letter public; it is not addressed to Mr. Carlile but to yourself, and my object in writing it is to endeavour to persuade you to break off your connexion with a person who is an enemy to religion and a destroyer of all comfort; for sure I am, that without a well grounded hope of immortality through Jesus Christ, this present life must be a burthen to us; and there can be no real happiness without a lively faith in God's mercy through Christ. As I write to you as a friend, you will oblige me by attending to my request.

T. P.

TO THE REVEREND JOHN DAVIS, VICAR OF CERNE, AND JUSTICE OF THE PEACE FOR OUR LORD THE KING*.

I

Dorchester Gaol, March 25-Our Lady's Day-the anniversary of the miraculous conception of him who was "begotten not made" say you; but, I say, neither begotten nor made. neither believe St. Luke, Celsus, nor the Toldoth Jesu, as to the begetting of Jesus. Year 1824 of the fabled Jesus: 1724 of his first being preached.

REVEREND SIRRAH!† I SHALL strive to do two things: to make the GREAT BILLY GALPIN of Dorchester, the BREWER OF BAD ALE, as famous in song, as JOHNNY GILPIN; and the VICAR OF CERNE, as common in story, as the VICAR OF WAKEFIELD. I have the advantage of Cowper and Goldsmith. Theirs were paper heroes: mine are real, both alive and cursing me, their scribe and critical patron! their abused corrector and instructor!

I am informed, that the tickling which I gave Neighbour Galpin in the nose and ear, with the feather of my Goose Quill, engendered the bursting of a blood vessel; for, his vessels are all well filled with a fiery blood that has not been produced by his bad ale, though perhaps from the profit on

*God bless and take, or take and bless, Vicar, Justice, Lord and King: and all Vicars, such Justices, all Lords and Kings.

+ Johnson says, this is a term of reproach; but I never heard it applied before, unless to mischievous boys, cunning little rogues, &c. by their grandfathers. I believe it went out of date two generations ago. Terms change when they are revived again!

it; he laughed until there was an actual danger of his splitting or bursting vessels, trunk and all! and then he sweated drop by drop' from the excitement! The delight of seeing his immortality before him, almost overcame him with joy; but again, on reflection, he was cut to the quick, in being posted as a brewer of bad ale. No comic actor could play the part that Neighbour Galpin played from accident and the excitement of his natural passions. Such was the impression made by the tickling of the feather, and the cutting of the nib of a pen, that our neighbour actually set out for London to see my shop, to see if my friendly letter to him was there on sale, to buy a copy, and to see the walls of London stuck over with, "AN EXPOSURE OF THE TRICKS OF GALPIN THE DORCHESTER BREWER OF BAD ALE!"

Some friend in Dorchester* has sent me the particulars in song, and though, once a year, I forswear the further introduction of poetry into this publication, I must again be frail: "to err is human"-" poor human nature!" she is always leading us into the broad road to destruction-to destroy our identities! Come, come, no cant, no sympathizing, no hypocrisy: let us have the song, it corresponds with this ludicrous and burlesque, though most true, subject. TO MR RICHARD CARLILE, DORCHESTER GAOL.

Dorchester, March 16, 1824.

SUBSTITUTE FOR ARGUMENT,

BEING THE ADMIRABLE PLAN OF GALPIN THE DORCHESTER

BREWER OF BAD ALE.

ONE day, said Galpin to a friend,
Thy patient ears, I pray thee lend,
To know how I'm perplex'd.
Have I not ample cause to wail?
That rascal Carlile up in jail!

God damn him and his text!

The BREWER OF BAD ALE's the theme,
The text on which he built his scheme,
To ruin my fair name.

Lord! don't you think I turned pale?
"GALPIN THE BREWER OF BAD ALE!"

On ev'ry wall the same!

* I have friends in Dorchester, as well as in Cerne, my Reverend Vicar! I do not mean Mr. Richman, nor the Visiting Magistrates! nor the Gaoler, nor any friend that is his, or theirs, or yours.