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quiries after. -a phantom, which has hitherto eluded their grafp--or the latter the more refined delight they propose in their pious wrestlings and waitings for a good conceit of themselves: no reason to be scared by the fcornful fneer of thofe, or the more folemn frown of thefe. Let this Truth be my companion, and I will not be afhamed in the presence of all the fons of Socrates, though joined with thofe of Gamaliel. In company with this Truth, I dare act the part proper to I dare give free fcope to my confcience toward God, and look into his perfect law, as knowing that, however heavy the charge turn out against me, the refurrection of Jesus affords "the answer of a good confcience before God," as it fhews a righteousness to be already finished, by which God can appear just in justifying me, even in the worst view I can have of myself, or, which is more, even in the worst view I can appear in before him, who knows all things. By being thus encouraged to look into the "perfect law of liberty," and continue therein, I fee the extent of it to be vaftly wider than I was hitherto willing to notice. And by feeing what a righteousness was requifite to honour it, and what expence was needful to expiate every the leaft tranfgreffion of it, I am led to hold every precept of it more facred than ever I did before. I know that I cannot difregard any precept of it without, at the fame time, ditregarding the revealed righteoufnefs. I confider the perfect law, the law that requires godliness and humanity in perfection, as the facred and invariable rule of correspondence with God. And though on this fide the grave I cannot come before God at any time, and fay, I have no fin, yet the Truth both binds and encourages me to aim at no less than perfection. While I keep the perfect law in my view, which, like a faithful mirror, difcovers all my deformity, I can find no reafon to glory over the most infamous of mankind. The nearer I come to the light, which makes manifeft all things that are reproved, I have the more reafon to fay, Behold, I am vile. I can have no room for glorying, then, but in the bare TRUTH; and I have good reafon confidently to oppofe the righteoufnes revealed there, to all that is admired in its flead among

men.

(To be continued.)

LETTERS

LETTERS ON WOMEN,

LETTER II.

ACCOUNT OF THE FEMALE SOCIETY AT WISBEACH,

DEAR SIR,

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FEMALE benefit Society was formed in February, 1796, in Wisbeach, which has continued to the present time, and I hope will continue for many years to come. Thinking this inftitution, fo far as it extends, calculated to alleviate the diftreffes of and render useful to each other, the female part of the human fpecies, I will fend you fome account thereof. Perhaps it may not be deemed unworthy of imitation in other places.

The fociety I am about to describe confifts wholly of women, and all its affairs are tranfacted by them---the male fex having nothing to do with it---except that its ftock which is not wanted for immediate difburfement, is lodged upon interest in the hands of a man; and donations thereto are received from any perfon who chufes to contribute his mite towards its fupport.

The females who compofe this fociety are divided into two claffes. The firft clafs confifts of honorary members, i. e. thofe who contribute thereto without having any claim upon it for relief. On paying five fhillings for admiffion, fix-pence for a copy of the articles, and fix fhillings and fix-pence for a year's fubfcription in advance, a female is admitted as an honorary member, and by continuing to pay fix fhillings and fixpence each year in advance, honorary membership is continued. The fecond clafs confifts of those who become members with a view to receiving relief, according to the rules specified in the articles, which clafs is limited to one hundred persons, and is not to exceed that number at any one time. Any female who is not above forty-five years of age, and refides in the parifh, whofe character is decent, may be admitted a member of this clafs, until it be full, on paying two fillings and fixpence entrance, three pence for a copy of articles, and fix-pence half-penny per month afterwards. A fecretary and stewards are elected annually by the honorary members from among themfelves, which officers, with the rest of the honorary members, form a contmittee for tranfacting all the bufinefs of the fociety. The bufinefs of the fecretary and ftewards is to keep the accounts, receive and disburse the money, vifit the fick members, &c.

All

All the affairs of the fociety are regulated, not by will, but by written rules, which cannot be altered but by the confent of four parts out of five of the subscribers prefent, at an annual or fome special meeting, to be convened for that purpose. Their public meetings are held at the town-hall---their private bufinefs tranfacted at fuch places as the fecretary and stewards think moft proper to fix on.

Every perfon of the second class, after being a fubfcriber to the fund one year, is, when fo far fick or lame as to be incapable of pursuing her ufual employment, entitled to three fhillings and fix-pence a week for the first month of her confinement, and afterwards two fhillings and fix-pence a week till fhe is recovered. Any member of this clafs, who is married, when brought to bed, is paid five fhillings a week for one month, and two fhillings and fix-pence a week if her illness continue for a longer time. But none of the weekly allowances are paid to any member who removes her refidence from Wifbeach. The fum of twenty fhillings is paid to a married woman on the death of her husband, and five fhillings for each of her children then living, under fourteen years of age. The monthly fubfcriptions of each fingle member and widow (who shall not have received any allowance from the fund upon her lying in, or the death of her husband) will ceafe when the arrives at the age of fifty-eight years; and if a married woman or widow, (having received relief as above) at fixty years of age; and the will then be paid the fum of four pounds a year for life, by four equal quarterly payments; but fuch member will not, at that time, receive any other allowance from the fociety. The rules ftri&ly prohibit one member's reproaching another for receiv.. ing relief from the fund, and guard against rude behaviour, by connecting with fuch conduct, admonitions, reprimands, fines, and even exclufion, if the perfon be found incorrigible. Unbecoming language, at the meetings of the fociety is guarded againft by fines. All fines go to the general fund.

Thofe who receive the benefits of this fociety must maintain a decent and moral character: hence its regulations are calculated to prevent notorious vice.

This fociety knows no religious diftinctions; but extends its benefits equally to members of the establishment and to dilfenters; as fuch it is calculated to abate party spirit and to promote liberality of fentiment and friendly intercourse.

It is likewife calculated to bring the rich to a better acquaintance with the fituation and diftreffes of the poor, confequently to excite to a greater feeling and practice of beneVOL. III. volence,

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volence, and to connect the different ranks of fociety more clofely together.

It may be faid, the plan would have been better if lefs reftricted; but the reftrictions were deemed neceffary to prevent its outgoings from destroying its resources.

The following was the ftate of the fociety and its affairs on February 1, 1799, as communicated to me by a friend--

Honorary members

Members of the fecond clafs
Laft year's receipts

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OVERY feeling mind muft fhudder at the details hiftorians have given us of the fanguinary executions of the Court of Inquifition, which we might pronounce the most detestible engine of cruelty that had ever exifted, were we not informed, that the court established by Charlemagne, called the Vhemic Court, even furpaffed it in wanton cruelty. The Vhemic Court went fo far as to punish every Saxon with death who was so wicked as to break his faft in Lent. "The fame law, (fays Voltaire) was established in Franche Compté, in the beginning of the seventeenth century. A poor gentleman, named Claude Guillon, being reduced to the utmoft poverty, and urged by the moft intolerable hunger, eat, on a fish day, a morfel of horfe-fleth." This crime being proved against him, he was fentenced to death, and was actually beheaded on the 28th of July, 1629. It must appear to every impartial perfon, the crime of eating a piece of horse-flefh, to keep a man from ftarving, though in a time of Lent, was not fo great a crime as fpending twenty or thirty pounds for a fupper of fea fish, in the fame time, and yet this was done, and the church herself had

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confcience enough to partake of it.

This bloody court was totally abolished in the reign of Maximilian the Firft. The Inquifition has almoft breathed its laft, and every friend to humanity will rejoice at its interment. We have been terri

fied by frightful ftories of Hottentots and New Zealanders--but did either of them commit the crimes which have difgraced a great part of the civilized, and what has, long been called ' the Chriftian world.

In reviewing these things one is led to afk, Of what use is all this feverity? Is the world bettered by it? Is the quantity of vice and crime leffened thereby? Is it at all calculated to reclaim the offender, and bring him to a fenfe of his duty?---With refpect to all thefe particulars, I think the contrary has been the fact. All punishments ought to be for the good of fociety, therefore should be calculated to produce that effect.How can the severity of punishment accomplish this? Will it deter others from vice? No; we have every year too many fad inftances to the contrary. Can the world be pleased with fpectacles of death? Can it be profited thereby? That scenes of cruelty operate against the common good of fociety, no one will deny; and capital punishments feem to produce the fame effect. People who once would have felt confiderable pain at feeing a fellow-creature bound and imprisoned, can now look calmly on, and fee a poor wretch fufpended between heaven and earth. If punishments are not proportioned to the nature and extent of the crime, fociety cannot be bettered by the infliction of them. That fyftem which teaches men to confound all distinctions, and to think that it is no greater crime to kill a father than to fteal a fheep---that to coin a fix-pence is as great a crime as to shoot a man, muft be fomewhere defective, and inadequate to answer the end that ought to be intended by punifhment. That fyftem muft certainly be the most likely to be useful, that allots a proportionate degree of punishment to a certain degree of crime---that would punish the robber much less than the murderer---that would correct the ferocity of the multitude by mild, and not by fanguinary measures. What effect had all the cruelty of the bloody tribunal in France, under the direction of the monfter Robefpiere? It has rendered his name detestable, and his memory will be loaded with execrations for ages to come. It is to be feared, the punishment of death has been productive of much evil to fociety. Upon this part of the fubject I hope I fhall be excufed by your readers if I exprefs myself in the words of a writer quoted in my laft; his book being in few hands, I hope will plead for

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me,

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