To keep the minds of the Parifians in the fever of diffolute gaiety, they are at more expence from the national treasury for the fupport of the fixty theatres, than all the penfions and honorary offices in Britain, three times told, amount to. Between the tenth of Auguft 1792, and the first of January 1794, upwards of two hundred new plays were acted in the Parifian theatres. Their immorality and their barbarifm exceed all conception. All the voluptuous fenfuality of antient Rome was brought upon the flage. No decoration was fpared, that could dazzle the eye, and the dialogue and representation, were calculated for inflaming the paffions and nourishing the hatred of all fubordination"." The confequences of this state of morals are shewn in a striking manner, by the calculation in 1793-that one hundred and fifty divorces took place in every month in Paris, after the decree relative to mar-. riage. After the downfal of Robefpierre, the effufion of blood began to abate. On the twenty-eighth of May, 1795, Lanjuinais z Robifon, p. 252. obtained obtained a decree for the freedom of religious worship and on the twenty-feventh of June following, the churches in Paris were opened, and service was performed with great ceremony. "The Convention authorized the different Communes to make ufe of the churches not fold, for the purposes of worship, and subjected the minifters to a declaration only, before the municipality, of their fubmiffion to the laws. This appearance of toleration in the government diffused general fatisfaction, and facilitated the peace with the infurgent western departments. "In the spring of 1795, the Constitutional Bishops published a circular letter, or provifionary code, as a guide for the faithful. The whole of the doctrines taught by the Apostolic and Roman church, defined by the œcumenical councils, and explained by Boffuet, were adopted as the ftandard of Catholic belief.-A fecond encyclical letter appeared at the end of the year. The authority of the church, according to the Robespierre had acted the part of Pontiff at a feftival to the Eternal, in order to fatisfy the people, by feeming to put an end to Atheism. fyftem fystem of these reformers, refides in the body of the Bishops; and although the Bifhop of Rome holds the first place in this community, his titles, or claims of being the Universal Bishop, or Bishop of Bishops, have no foundation in truth.-Thefe circular letters are figned by thirty-four Bifhops. "A number of ecclefiaftics, who had affembled in the month of March, at Verfailles, for the purpose of holding a Synod, were dispersed by an order from the executive power; fince which no Public Af fembly of divines has been held.-Great animofities prevail between the diffenters, or non-conformists, and the intruders, or constitutional priefts. Paftoral letters have been published by Bishops, in which Chriftianity is reprefented as being the original declaration of the Rights of Man '—and the union of the throne and the altar is represented as the most Antichriftian of political or religious inftitutions." The Government feems to ftand aloof from the See Weishaupt's Chriftianity in the former part of this chapter, p. 182, 183. New Ann. Reg. 1796, p. 241, 242, &c. con conteft; but, from what we have feen of ploy ployments, vagabonds and libertines, who had not found admittance into civilized fociety." Of the actual ftate of France at this moment, we can beft judge by the public declarations and public conduct of its rulers. Certain it is, that the tyranny of the Directory was never more abfolute, and that the Directorial palace, notwithstanding their pretended equality, is the feat of the most exceffive tyranny, as well as of every vice which can disgrace mankind; and that the poverty of the people is extreme --That the Directors themselves are more perfidious, and more difpofed to be corrupted, than the moft venal minifters ever were, we may appeal to America, and to Switzerland-Harper, Pickering, and Lavater, who feel a noble indignation at the wrongs intended, or inflicted upon their injured countries, atteft the baseness and the dif * Their language begins now to take the tone of defpotism. The Address of the French Proconful to the five Directors at Rome, on their late removal, concludes thus; "the Great Nation wills it, and its will must be obeyed." |