vately drew my conclufions from the filence of an unbelieving age. I have affembled the preparatory studies, directly or indirectly relative to my history; but, in strict equity, they must be spread beyond this period of my life, over the two fummers (1771 and 1772) that elapsed between my father's death and my settlement in London.”

His election for the borough of Liskeard, in 1775, did not much interrupt the progress of his hiftory, the first volume of which was published Feb. 17, 1776, and received by the public with such avidity that a second edition in June, and a third foon after, were fcarcely adequate to the demand. To ufe his own language, his book was on every table, and almost on every toilette; the hiftorian was crowned by the taste or fashion of the day. From the ample praises of Dr. Robertson and of Mr. Hume, he appears to have derived more fubftantial fatisfaction. Hume anticipates the objections that would be made to the fif teenth and fixteenth chapters, with his ufual arrogance and contempt of religion. "When I heard of your undertaking (which was fome time ago), I own I was a little curious to fee how you would extricate yourself from the fubject of your two laft chapters. I think you have observed a very prudent temperament; but it was impossible to treat the fubject so as not to give grounds of suspicion against you, and you may expect that a clamour will arife. This, if any thing, will retard your fuccefs with the public; for, in every other respect, your work is calculated to be popular. But among many other marks of decline, the prevalence of superstition in England prognofticates the fall of philofophy and decay of taste; and though nobody be more capable than you to revive them, you will probably find a struggle in your first advances."

Mr. Gibbon's reflections on this fubject, in his Memoirs, are not very intelligible, unless we confider him as employing irony. He affects not to have believed that the majority of English readers were fo fondly attached even to

the

the name and fhadow of Christianity; and not to have forefeen that the pious, the timid, and the prudent would feel, or affect to feel with fuch exquifite fenfibility. If he had foreseen all this, he condefcends to inform us that " he might have foftened the two invidious chapters." He seems to rejoice that "if the voice of our priests was clamorous and bitter, their hands were disarmed from the power of perfecution;" and adhered to the refolution of, trusting himself and his writings to the candour of the public, until Mr. Davies, of Oxford, prefumed to attack, "not the faith, but the fidelity of the hiftorian." He then published his "Vindication," which, he fays, "expreffive of less anger than contempt, amused for a while the bufy and idle metropolis.” Of his other antagonists he speaks with equal contempt. "A victory over fuch antagonists was a fufficient humiliation."

It is not, however, quite certain that he obtained this victory; the filence of an author is nearly on a par with the flight of a warrior; and it is evident that the contempt which Mr. Gibbon has fo lavifhly poured on his antagonists, in his Memoirs, has more of paffionate refentment than of conscious fuperiority. Of his first resentments and his last feelings, he thus fpeaks: "Let me frankly own that I was startled at the first discharge of ecclefiaftical ordnance; but as foon as I found that this empty noise was mifchievous only in the intention, my fear was converted into indignation, and every feeling of indignation or curiofity has long fince fubfided into pure and placid indifference."

It may not be unuseful to give in this place the titles at least, of the principal writings which his bold and difingenuous attack on Christianity called forth. These were, I. "Remarks on the Two laft Chapters of Mr. Gibbon's history. In a Letter to a Friend." (See Art. 8.) II." An Apology for Christianity, in a Series of Letters addreffed to Edward Gibbon, Efq. By R. Watson, D.D.

F.R.S. and Regius Profeffor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge (now Bishop of Llandaff)," 12mo. 1776. III. "The History of the Establishment of Christianity, compiled from Jewish and Heathen Authors only. Translated from the French of Profeffor Bullet, &c. By William Salisbury, B.D. With Notes by the Translator, and fome Strictures on Mr. Gibbon's Account of Christianity, and its First Teachers," 8vo. 1776. IV. "A Reply to the Reasonings of Mr. Gibbon in his History, &c. which seem to affect the Truth of Christianity, but have not been noticed in the Anfwer which Dr. Watfon hath given to that Book. By Smyth Loftus, M.A. Vicar of Coolock," 8vo. Dublin, 1778. V. "Letters on the Prevalence of Christianity, before its Civil Eftablishment. With Obfervations on a late History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. By Eaft Apthorpe, M.A. Vicar of Croydon," 8vo. 1778. VI. "An Examination of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Chapters of Mr. Gibbon's History, in which his View of the Progrefs of the Chriftian Religion is fhewn to be founded on the Mifrepresentation of the Authors he cites; and numerous Inftances of his Inaccuracy and Plagiarifm are produced. By Henry Edward Davies, B.A. of Baliol College, Oxford," 8vo. 1778. VII. "A few Remarks on the Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Relative chiefly to the Two laft Chapters. By a Gentleman," 8vo. VIII. "Remarks on the Two laft Chapters of Mr. Gibbon's History. By James Chelfum, D.D. Student of Christ Church, Oxford, and Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of Worcester. The Second Edition enlarged," 12mo. 1778. This is a fecond edition of the anonymous remarks mentioned in the first article, and contains additional remarks by Dr. Randolph, Lady Margaret's Profeffor of Divinity in the University of Oxford.

Mr. Gibbon's Vindication now appeared under the title of "A Vindication of some Paffages in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth

Sixteenth Chapters of the Hiftory of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. By the Author," 8vo. 1779. This was immediately followed by, I. " A Short Appeal to the Public. By a Gentleman who is particularly addreffed in the Postscript of the Vindication," 8vo. 17791780. II." A Reply to Mr. Gibbon's Vindication, wherein the Charges brought against him in the Examination are confirmed, and further instances given of his Mifreprefentation, Inaccuracy, and Plagiarism. By Henry Edward Davies, B. A. of Baliol College, Oxford," 8vo. 1780. III. " A Reply to Mr. Gibbon's Vindication, &c. containing a Review of the Errors still retained in these Chapters. By James Chelfum, D.D. &c." 8vo. 1785.

The other most confiderable works levelled at the hiftory, upon general principles, were, I. "Thoughts on the Nature of the grand Apoftacy, with Reflections and Obfervations on the Fifteenth Chapter of Mr. Gibbon's Hiftory. By Henry Taylor, Rector of Crawley, and Vicar of Portsmouth in Hampshire, Author of Ben Mordecai's Apology for embracing Christianity," 8vo. 1781-2. II. " Gibbon's Account of Christianity confidered; together with fome Strictures on Hume's Dialogues concerning Natural Religion. By Jofeph Milner, A. M. Master of the Grammar School of Kingston upon Hull," 1781. 8vo. III." Letters to Edward Gibbon, Esq. in Defence of the Authenticity of the 7th Verse of the 5th Chapter of the First Epistle of St. John. By George Travis, A. M." 1784, 4to.* IV. " An Inquiry into the Secondary Caufes which Mr. Gibbon has affigned for the rapid growth of Christianity. By Sir David Dalrymple (Lord Hailes)," 4to. 1786.

* In his third volume Mr. Gibbon took an opportunity to deny the authenticity of the verse 1 John, v.7. "For there are three," &c. In support of this verfe, Mr. Archdeacon Travis addreffed "Letters to Edward Gibbon, Efq." which were answered by Mr. Profeffor Porfon, and produced a controverfy of confiderable warmth,

In

In addition to those antagonists, it may be mentioned that Dr. Priestly endeavoured to provoke Mr. Gibbon to a controversy. The letters which paffed between them are republished in the Memoirs, and are interesting because highly characteristic of both parties. The literary world has feldom feen polemic turbulence and sceptical arrogance fo ably contrafted. Of all Mr. Gibbon's antagonists, he speaks with refpect only of Dr. Watson. Davies, it is evident, gave him most uneasiness, because he was able to repel but a few of the many charges that writer brought against him. In found, manly reasoning, clear, perfpicuous, and well founded, without an atom of controverfial afperity, Sir David Dalrymple's Inquiry excels; and may perhaps be confidered as completely proving, what it is of most importance to prove, that Mr. Gibbon's attack on Christianity was unneceffary as to its connection with his hiftory, and is difingenuous as to the mode in which he conducted it. The controverfy was upon the whole beneficial; the public was put upon its guard, and through the thin veil of lofty contempt, it is very evident that Mr. Gibbon repented that he had made a false estimate of the public opinion on the subject of religion.

The profecution of his history was for fome time checked by an employment of a different nature, but for which his talents were thought preferable to that of any writer connected with administration. At the request of the ministers of state, he was induced to answer a manifefto which the French Court had iffued against Great Britain, preparatory to war. This Mr. Gibbon ably accomplished in a "Memoire Juftificatif," composed in French, which was delivered as a state paper to the courts of Europe. For this fervice, he was appointed one of the Lords Commiffioners of Trade and Plantations, a place worth about 700l. or 800l. a year, the duties of which

were