with deliverance from another yoke, not lefs oppreffive, and more ignominious, fubjection to our vices. A return to the follies of fuperftition, in these times of improved knowledge, is not much to be feared our danger now arifes from the oppofite extreme, from licentious principles and degenerate manners, which have well nigh destroyed the reverence which was wont to be paid to civil government as well as to revealed religion, and have given the most serious alarms to every real lover of his country. Whether the ftate of our morals be fo far corrupted, as to render us unfit to be longer trufted with thofe advantages, which we have fo much abused, is a matter that ought to be well confidered by all, who have in any degree contributed to the general depravity. Other nations like our own, have enjoyed the light of christianity, and again relapsed into pagan darknefs. Such was the cafe of the Afiatic churches, to whom St. John addreffes the former part of his revelation; all of whom were once inftructed in the faving truths of the gospel, but have fince become, the fynagogue of Satan, the patrons and promoters of vice and error. The exhortations and threatenings which were directed by the fpirit of God to them, were meant as warnings to chriftians in all ages, and the admonition which was given to the church of Sardis in particular, is, with equal propriety, applicable to ourselves.'-Rev. iii. 1, 2, 3. We have only to remark on this volume, that though it does not prefent us with truths abfolutely new, it contains thofe which are very important, and highly deferving our attention; and if it has not all the elegance, the eafe and energy of diction which diftinguish the productions of Dr. Hurd, it is, notwithstanding, learned, fenfible, judicious, and worthy of the inftitution which has given birth to it. ART. VI. Conclufion of the Account of Mr. Gibbon's Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. HA AVING, in two former articles, given a general view of what is contained in the ten firft chapters of this excellent work, we now proceed to lay before our Readers a sketch of the remaining chapters. The Roman Empire, under the deplorable reigns of Valerian and Gallienus, was oppreffed and almoft deftroyed by the foldiers, the tyrants, and the Barbarians. It was faved by a feries of great princes, who derived their obfcure origin from the nartial provinces of Illyricum. Within a period of about thirty years, Claudius, Aurelian, Probus, Diocletian and his colleagues, triumphed over the foreign and domeftic enemies of the ftate, re-established with the military difcipline, the strength of the frontiers, and deferved the glorious title of reftorers of the Roman world. The general plan of our Author's work does not permit him to relate minutely the actions of every emperor after he afcended the throne, much lefs to deduce the various fortunes of his private private life. The Reader, however, will find, in the 11th, 12th, and 13th chapters of this history, a very diftin&t though general view of the reign of Claudius, the victories and triumph of Aurelian, the conduct of the army and fenate after the death of Aurelian, the reigns of Tacitus, Probus, Carus and his fons; the reign of Diocletian and his three affociates, Maximian, Galerius, and Conftantius; the Perfian war, victory, and triumph; the new form of adminiftration; the abdication and retirement of Diocletian and Maximian. We shall not attempt to abridge these chapters; they are indeed incapable of being abbreviated in fuch a manner as to convey any diftinct information to the Reader; it is fufficient to say, that we know of no performance, which, within so small a compafs, gives fo fatisfactory an account of this part of the Roman hiftory. The principal events are selected with great judgment, and arranged with perfpicuity and diftinctness. We cannot deny ourselves the pleasure, however, of inserting the account which is given of the celebration of the Roman games by Carinus; it conveys a clear idea of Roman magnificence, and cannot fail of being acceptable to every class of Readers. The only merit of the administration of Carinus, fays our Author, that history could record or poetry celebrate, was the uncommon fplendour with which, in his own and his brother's name, he exhibited the Roman games of the theatre, the circus, and the amphitheatre. More than twenty years afterwards, when the courtiers of Diocletian reprefented to their frugal fovereign the fame and pcpularity of his munificent predeceffor, he acknowledged, that the reign of Carinus had indeed been a reign of pleasure. But this vain prodigality, which the prudence of Diocletian might justly despise, was enjoyed with furprife and tranfport by the Roman people. The oldeft of the citizens, recollecting the fpectacles of former days, the triumphal pomp of Probus or Aurelian, and the fecular games of the emperor Philip, acknowledged that they were all furpaffed by the fuperior magnificence of Carinus. The fpectacles of Carinus may therefore be beft illuftrated by the obfervation of fome particulars, which history has condefcended to relate concerning thofe of his predeceffors. If we confine ourselves folely to the hunting of wild beafts, however we may cenfure the vanity of the defign or the cruelty of the execution, we are obliged to confefs, that neither before nor fince the time of the Romans, fo much art and expence have ever been lavished for the amusement of the people. By the order of Probus, a great quantity of large trees, torn up by the roots, were tranfplanted into the midst of the circus. The fpacious and shady forest was immediately filled with a thousand oftriches, a thousand tags, a thousand fallow deer, and a thousand wild boars; and all this variety of game was abandoned to the riotous impetuofity of the multitude. The tragedy of the fucceeding day confifted in the maffacre of an hundred lions, an equal number of lioneffes, two hundred leopards, and three hundred bears. bears. The collection prepared by the younger Gordian for his triumph, and which his fucceffor exhibited in the fecular games, was lefs remarkable by the number than by the fingularity of the animals. Twenty zebras displayed their elegant forms and variegated beauty to the eyes of the Roman people. Ten elks, and as many camelopards, the loftieft and most harmless creatures that wander over the plains of Sarmatia and Æthiopia, were contrafted with thirty African hyænas, and ten Indian tygers, the most implacable favages of the torrid zone. The unoffending ftrength with which Nature has endowed the greater quadrupeds, was admired in the rhinoceros, the hippopotamus of the Nile, and a majestic troop of thirty-two elephants. While the populace gazed with ftupid wonder on the fplendid show, the naturalift might indeed obferve the figure and properties of fo many different fpecies, tranfported from every part of the ancient world into the amphitheatre of Rome. But this accidental benefit, which fcience might derive from folly, is furely infufficient to justify fuch a wanton abuse of the public riches. There occurs, however, a fingle inftance in the first Punic war, in which the fenate wifely connected this amusement of the multitude with the intereft of the ftate. A confiderable number of elephants, taken in the defeat of the Carthaginian army, were driven through the circus by a few flaves, armed only with blunt javelins. The useful fpectacle ferved to imprefs the Roman foldier with a juft contempt for thofe unwieldy animals; and he no longer dreaded to encounter them in the ranks of war. The hunting or exhibition of wild beafts, was conducted with a magnificence fuitable to a people who ftyled themfelves the matters of the world; nor was the edifice appropriated to that entertainment lefs expreffive of Roman greatnefs. Poflerity admires, and will long admire, the awful remains of the amphitheatre of Titus, which fo well deferved the epithet of Coloffal. It was a building of an elliptic figure, five hundred and fixty-four feet in length. and four hundred and fixty-feven in breadth, founded on fourfcore arches, and rifing. with four fucceffive orders of architecture to the height of one hundred and forty feet. The outfide of the edifice was encrusted with marble, and decorated with statues. The flopes of the vast concave, which formed the infide, were filled and furrounded with fixty or eighty rows of feats of marble likewife, covered with cafhions, and capable of receiving with eafe above four core thoufand fpe&tators. Sixty four vomitories (for by that name the doors were very aptly diftinguished) poured forth the immenfe multitude; and the entrances, paffages, and flair-cafes, were contrived with fuch exquifite kill, that each perfon, whether of the fenatorial, the equefirian, or the plebeian order, arrived at his defined place withcut trouble or confufion. Nothing was omitted which, in any refpect, could be fubfervient to the convenience and pleasure of the fpectators. They were protected from the fun and rain by an ample canopy, occafionally drawn over their heads. The air was continually refreshed by the playing of fountains, and profufely impregnated by the grateful fcent of aromatics. In the centre of the edifice, the areza, or flage, was ftrewed with the fineft fand, and fucceflively affumed the most different forms. At one moment it feemed to rile Out out of the earth, like the garden of the Hefperides, and was afterwards broken into the rocks and caverns of Thrace. The fubterraneous pipes conveyed an inexhaustible fupply of water; and what had just before appeared a level plain, might be fuddenly converted into a wide lake, covered with armed veffels, and replenished with the monsters of the deep. In the decoration of thefe fcenes, the Roman emperors difplayed their wealth and liberality; and we read on various occafions, that the whole furniture of the amphitheatre confifted either of filver, or of gold, or of amber. The poet who defcribes the games of Carinus, in the character of a shepherd attracted to the capital by the fame of their magnificence, affirms, that the nets defigned as a defence against the wild beasts, were of gold wire; that the porticos were gilded, and that the belt or circle which divided the feveral ranks of spectators from each other, was studded with a precious Mofaic of beautiful ftones. In the midst of this glittering pageantry, the emperor Carinus, fecure of his fortune, enjoyed the acclamations of the people, the flattery of his courtiers, and the fongs of the poets, who, for want of a more effential merit, were reduced to celebrate the divine graces of his perfon. In the fame hour, but at the distance of nine hundred miles from Rome, his brother expired; and a fudden revolution transferred into the hands of a stranger the fceptre of the houfe of Carus.' In the fourteenth chapter, the fucceffive fteps of the elevation of Conftantine, from his firft affuming the purple at York, to the refignation of Licinius Nicomedia, are related with fome minutenefs and precifion, not only as the events are in themselves both interefting and important, but ftill more as they contributed to the decline of the empire by the expence of blood and treafure, and by the perpetual increafe as well of the taxes as of the mi litary eftablishment. The two laft chapters, as they are the longeft, fo they are likewife, in many respects, the most interefting of the whole work, and will, no doubt, be read attentively by many, who will give but flight attention to the preceding parts of it. The fubject of the firft is-the progrefs of the chriflian religion, and the fentiments, manners, numbers, and condition, of the primitive chriftians- a fubject extremely curious and important, but of a very delicate nature. It is indeed fcarce poffible for an impartial hiftorian to treat it in fuch a manner as to be approved by all the different denominations of chriftians;-fuch is the diverfity of their views, prejudices, and interefts! The account, for example, which Mr. Gibbon gives of the rife and progress of the hierarchy, though in our opinion a very juft and candid account, muft, it may be reafonably prefumed, prove unfatisfactory to a very large and refpectable clafs of readers, many of whom may probably cenfure the whole performance on this account, though they may think it prudent to conceal the real ground of their difapprobation. This we mention only as one inftance, out out of many to which we might refer to fhew the great difficulty, or rather the utter impoffibility of giving univerfal fatiffaction on fuch a fubject as that of our author's fifteenth chapter. It is introduced, in the following manner : A candid but rational inquiry into the progrefs and establishment of chriftianity, may be confidered as a very effential part of the hiftory of the Roman empire. While that great body was invaded by open violence, or undermined by flow decay, a pure and humble religion gently infinuated itself into the minds of men, grew up in filence and obfcurity, derived new vigour from oppofition, and finally erected the triumphant banner of the crofs on the ruins of the Capitol. Nor was the influence of chriftianity confined to the period or to the limits of the Roman empire. After a revolution of thirteen or fourteen centuries, that religion is ftill profeffed by the nations of Europe, the most diftinguished portion of human kind in arts and learning as well as in arms. By the industry and zeal of the Europeans, it has been widely diffufed to the most diftant fhores of Afia and Africa; and by the means of their colonies has been firmly eftablished from Canada to Chili, in a world unknown to the ancients. But this inquiry, however useful or entertaining, is attended with two peculiar difficulties. The fcanty and fufpicious materials of ecclefiaftical history feldom enable us to difpel the dark cloud that hangs over the firft age of the church. The great law of impartiality too often obliges us to reveal the imperfections of the uninfpired teachers and believers of the gofpel; and, to a careless obferver, their faults may feem to caft a fhade on the faith which they profeffed. But the fcandal of the pious Chriflian, and the fallacious triumph of the Infidel, fhould ceafe as foon as they recollect not only by whom, but likewife to whom, the Divine Revelation was given. The theologian may indulge the pleafing taik of defcribing religion as the defcended from Heaven, arrayed in her native purity. A more melancholy duty is impofed on the hiftorian. He must difcover the inevitable mixture of error and corruption, which the contracted in a long refidence upon earth, among a weak and degenerate race of beings. Our curiofity is naturally prompted to inquire by what means the Chriftian faith obtained fo remarkable a victory over the established religions of the earth. To this inquiry, an obvious but fatisfactory answer may be returned; that it was owing to the convincing evidence of the doctrine itself, and to the ruling providence of its great Author. But as truth and reafon feldom find fo favourable a reception in the world, and as the wifdom of providence frequently condescends to use the paffions of the human heart, and the general circumftances of mankind, as inftruments to execute its purpose; we may ftill be permitted, though with becoming fubmiffion, to afk, not indeed what were the firft, but what were the fecondary causes of the rapid growth of the christian church. It will, perhaps, appear, that it was most effectually favoured and affifted by the five following caufes: I. The inflexible, and, if we may ufe the expreffion, the intolerant zeal of the Chriftians, derived, it is true, from the 9 Jewif |