Poverty may contribute to the cause of Christ by its prayers, and even its privations. The petitions of the poor on behalf of the interests of the Redeemer, are as precious to him, as the exertions of the affluent; and none are so impoverished as not to be able to do something for him. The institutions of the present day are generally so constructed as to enable even the widow to throw her mite into the treasury. But there is another way in which the poor may aid the cause of Christ-and that is, by a patient perseverance in well-doing, and submission to the will of God-by personal attachment to the principles of his Gospel, and a holy victory over themselves. They will then preach by their example. All obedience does not consist in activity. There is a passive service to be rendered to religion. And he who suffers well the will of God; who possesses his soul in patience; who walks through the vale of humiliation with cheerfulness, renders this trtbute to the general interests of Christ; and has done what he could!

In fine, all may serve this cause, by improving the talents which they do possess, and applying them as opportunities arise to employ them. Every man must here judge and act for himself. But let him remember there is another Judge who cannot be deceived; whose tribunal is erecting; who says, "Occupy, till I come;" and who will distinguish between the faithful and slothful servant. Let him remember, that every one may be useful, and ought to be diligent. Remember he again the opportunity for improving and employing his talents, whatever they are, is fast passing away. If we look to the end, and measure our present operations by the judgment we shall then form of their actual importance, then those who have done most will feel that they have not done enough. Be we therefore, "diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;" and what we do, let us do quickly.

On the Character of Machiavel.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE INVESTIGATOR. GENTLEMEN,

It would gratify some of your readers, if you or your intelligent correspondents could throw any light on the character of that extraordinary man, Machiavel-but it will require

considerable acumen, depth of research, and patient investigation; a thorough acquaintance with his works; and with the contrary opinions that have been formed of him, where, I believe, Lord Bacon, and Mr. Roscoe in his Leo X. are completely at issue.

I have lately met with an article in the Harleian Miscellany of scarce tracts, with this title: "Machiavel's vindication of himself and his writings, published 1st April, 1537;" and as the original occupies eight 4to pages in double columns, I have selected and compressed the material parts of it; preserving the style of writing and phraseology as nearly as possible.

A question naturally arises, how is it to be reconciled with his general character, that a man avowing such true principles of civil and religious liberty, a professed admirer of Luther, and declaring himself most solemnly a Protestant and sincere Christian, should yet have been considered in the light of an enemy, and his name become a term of reproach, a by-word, and proverb for every thing that is base and Jesuitical; and that this opinion should have obtained, not only among Roman Catholics of the time, whose interest it might be to blacken him on account of the severity he uses towards the clergy and the Pope; but also among Protestants, Patriots, and Dissenters; among Whigs and Tories; that our greatest and most eminent champions of liberty, at the bar and in the senate, should so frequently make use of his name to designate a villanous character, or a crooked political transaction?

May not this opinion have arisen from the public having considered his famous work, "The Prince," in a literal sense, rather than as an ironical and satirical piece; as laying down principles and maxims of bad government, and a policy to be imitated, instead of his having therein designed and pourtrayed to the life the features and character of tyranny; or as a parody of the measures of Charles V. and the usurpations and intrigues of popery which he had so subtilely disguised and mixed up as to escape immediate detection; and this I believe was so completely the case, that the first edition was nearly sold at Rome, before the design was discovered. As Fenelon wrote his "Telemachus" for a model to good and virtuous princes, so Machiavel might write his "Prince" from another motive, to shew not merely the effects of tyranny and misrule on the happiness of the people, but the certain reaction which such measures would produce, when fully developed, upon

the tyrants themselves. "I have drawn them," says he, "to the life, in all their lineaments and colours, and I hope mankind will know them the better, so as to avoid them." But to proceed with the extracts from his Vindication of himself and his writings. "If princes," says he, "will seriously consider this matter, I make no question but they will rule with clemency and moderation, and return to that excellent maxim of the ancients, almost exploded in this age, that the interest of kings and of their people is the

same.

"What I conceive not to be rebellion.-Whosoever then takes up arins to maintain the politick constitution or government of the country in the condition it then is, I mean to defend it from being changed, or invaded by the craft or force of any man; although it be the prince or chief magistrate himself; provided that such taking up of arms be commanded, or authorised by those, who are, by the order of that government, legally entrusted with the custody of the liberty of the people, and foundation of the government-this I hold to be so far from rebellion, that I believe it laudable, nay the duty of every such member of the commonwealth."-"It would be of ill consequence to make every private man the judge when the rights of the people are invaded, (to which they have as lawful a claim as the prince to his,) which would be apt to produce frequent, and sometimes causeless tumults-therefore it hath been great wisdom to appoint guardians to their liberty-which ought to be understood to reside in the estates of the country-these are to assert and maintain the orders of the government, and the laws established: and if it cannot be done otherwise, to arm the people, to defend, and repel the force that is upon them."

His answer to the charge of Atheism.

"I do not deny but I have very frequently in my writings laid the blame upon the Church of Rome, not only for all the misgovernment of Christendom, but even for the depravation, and almost total destruction of the Christian religion-but that this doth, or can tend to teach men atheism, peremptorily deny."

gion

His Creed.

"I do undoubtedly hope, by the merits of Christ, and by faith in him, to attain eternal salvation. I believe that all divine virtues are contained in the books of the Holy Scriptures as they are now extant, and received among us. From them I understand, that God created man in purity and in

nocence, that they (our first parents) lost their integrity, and their paradise, and entailed sin and misery upon their posterity: that Almighty God, to repair this loss, did, out of his infinite mercy and goodness, send his only begotten Son into the world, to die for the salvation of mankind; and to give us the Holy Spirit, to regenerate our hearts, support our faith, and lead us into all truth."

His inferences from, and application of, these principles. "As our first parents did disappoint the good intention of God, in making a pure world, and brought in the corruptions that are now in it; so likewise the Bishops of Rôme, by their insatiable ambition and avarice, have frustrated the merciful purpose he had in the happy restoration he intended the world by his Son; and they have wholly defaced and spoiled the Christian religion, and made it a worldly and heathenish thing. If, I say, this do appear, I know no reason, why I, for detecting thus much, and giving warning to the world, should be accused of impiety, or atheism; or why his Holiness should be so enraged against the poor inhabitants of the valleys of Savoy, and against the Albigenses for calling him Antichrist. That the Popes have corrupted the Christian religion, we need but read the New Testament; and there we shall see that the faith, and religion, preached by Christ, and settled by his apostles, and cultivated in their epistles, is so different a thing from the Christianity now professed and taught at Rome, that we should be convinced, that if those holy men should be sent by God again into the world, they would take more pains to confute this, than ever they did to preach down the traditions of the Pharisees, and the fables and idolatry of the Gentiles; and would, in all probability, suffer a new martyrdom in that city under the vicar of Christ. This spurious religion, brought in upon the ruins of Christianity by the Popes, hath deformed the face of the governments of Europe, destroying all the good principles and morality left us by the Heathens; whereby they have subjected mankind, and even great princes and states, to their own empire, and never suffered any orders or maxims to take place (where they have power) that might make a nation wise, honest, great, or wealthy."-"The Pope judges infallibly of divine truth, and assumes to forgive sins as Christ didthen to be the head of all ecclesiastical persons and causes in the world, and so have absolute jurisdiction over all the affairs in Christendom, while it is plain, that in the whole New Testament there is no description made of any such

officer in the church, except it be in the prophecy of the Apocalypse, or in St. Paul's epistle, where he says, who it is that shall sit in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."-"That in the latter days, some shall depart from the faith, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving."-" But all these things, and many other abuses, brought in by these perverters of Christianity, will I hope ere long be inquired into, by some of the disciples of that bold friar (Luther) who thundered against their indulgencies," &c." Another of the most hellish of all the innovations brought in by the Popes, is the clergy: these are a sort of men, who, under pretence of ministering to the people in holy things, are set apart and separated from the rest of mankind, (from whom they have a very distinct, and a very opposite interest,) by a human ceremony, called by a divine name, viz. Ordination-these, wherever they are found, make a band, which may be called the Janizaries of the papacy-these have been the causes of all the immoralities in government, and of all the impieties and abominations in religion, and by consequence of all the disorder, villany, and corruption, we suffer under in this detestable age-they have crept into all the governments of Christendom, and made themselves a third estate, that is, they have by their temporalities, which are almost a third part of all the land in Europe; sometimes even authorising the people to rise up in arms, and constrain their governors to a submission."- "It would almost astonish a wise man to imagine, how these folks should acquire an empire so destructive to the Christian religion, and so pernicious to the interests of men; but it will not seem so miraculous to those who shall seriously consider, that the clergy have been for more than this thousand years upon the catch, and formed a united corporation, against the purity of religion, and the interest of mankind; and have not only wrested the Holy Scriptures to their own advantage, which they have kept from the laity, but made use of the ambition and avarice of the Christian princes, stirring them up one against another, and sending them upon foolish errands to the Holy Land to lose their lives, and to leave their dominions in the mean time exposed to themselves and their accomplices." -"Stifling the light of the Gospel, crying down moral virtues as splendid sins, defacing human policy, destroying the purity of the Christian faith and profession, and all that was virtuous, prudent, regular, and orderly upon earth;