Charles,) you have undertaken a cause which cannot be defended. You have also a sturdy opponent to deal with. This good man (lay. ing his hand on Mr. Willis's shoulder) is skilful at his weapon. He wrested my sword very fairly, some years ago, out of my hand; and I am wicked enough, for my own credit's sake, to rejoice when I see him gain an advantage over others, But now suppose, colonel, we take the cause in question into a lower court of judicature, than that of Christianity. Suppose we carry it before an heathen tribunal. I should be glad to know, whether you find any traces of duelling among the Greeks and Romans? I am not indeed deeply read in ancient history: but I do not recollect one instance of a duel recorded by any of my classical friends.

"Why, sir, (said the colonel,) the ancient Greeks were gross fel. lows. They had none of the deli. cate feelings and polished manners of gentlemen. Homer, who gives us, I suppose, an exact picture of ancient Greece, tells us what blackguards (if I may use the expression) his heroes were; and what foul of fensive language they commonly used. As far too as any anecdotes of quarrels in the later times of Greece and Rome have come down to us, I believe the same coarse mode of repressing injury may be traced.

"Only with this difference (replied sir Charles), that as the age polished, the mode of reproof polished with it. The cutting irony -the sarcastic sneer-the biting repartee the sly insinuation-or, where necessary, the valid argu.

ment--with other modes of refined reproof, became the weapons of offence.

And what does all this prove, but that, according to the dictates of truth, every man should repel an injury with those wea. pons with which he had been assaulted? If a man attack you with his tongue, with your tongue defend yourself. If, like an assassin, he draw his sword upon you, draw your's in your own defence. Now the old Roman knew all this system of injury and reproof perfectly well; and how to adjust the one to the other. It remained for the Christian to invert this order, and draw his rapier against the sting of a wasp.

met lately, in a history of Greenland (said Mr. Willis), a mode of deciding quarrels, which pleased me much; and, I dare say, it will please you, sir Charles, as it is very agreeable to the sentiments you have just been recommending. The honest Greenlanders seldom quarrel: but when any offence has been given, or taken, they never meddle with swords and pistols. The duellists challenge each other before proper judges, to a kind of satirical contest. The challenger begins, and opens the ground of his complaint in a sort of comical doggerel verse; for the Greenlanders are represented to be people of humour. The adversary then defends himself in the same kind of doggerel. Rejoinders are sometimes made. Sentence is then passed; and he who has had least to say for himself, begs pardon. The duellists then shake hands; and the day generally ends in some kind of merriment.

"Excellent! (said sir Charles).

If poor Ingram, who gave occasion to this conversation, had acted with the wisdom of a Greenlander, all had been well, He was certainly guilty of a petty breach of good manners, by thrusting his finger and thumb into a gentleman's snuff. box, without his leave, It was not an offensive expression indeed, but an offensive action, which comes to the same thing: and the Scotch gentleman reproved it very neatly, as I suppose an old Roman, or perhaps a Greenlander, would have done by another action, Ingram should have made a slight apology, which, no doubt, would have been well taken. But the foolish fellow chose to introduce his sword into the business; and his life paid the forfeit of his folly.

"There is an excellent story, much in point, told of the late ge neral Oglethorpe. When a very young officer, he was at table, in Germany, with one of the princes of Wirtemberg. As they were drinking after dinner, the prince jocosely dipped his finger in a glass of wine, and fillipped it into Oglethorpe's face. Oglethorpe did not at first know how to take it; but on a moment's recollection, he said, Your highness has passed a very good jest; but we do it much bet. ter in England; and then threw a full glass of wine into the prince's face. The prince was startled a little at first, but before he had time to speak,-Come, come, said an old general officer who was present-it is all well, your highness began first.

But pray (said the colonel) how would you have advised Mr. Forbes to have acted in this business? As to Ingram, I entirely give up his cause: but I see not how

Forbes, pushed as he was, could have acted otherwise than he did.

"I think (replied sir Charles), the story Mr. Willis hath just told us, of the gentleman who com. plained to the court of King'sbench, points out a very proper line of conduct. Am I to risk my life at the desire of any inso. lent fellow, who wishes to fire a pistol at me?

"But he gives you a blow (said the colonel).

"Aye, let him, if he dare (re. plied sir Charles); and I shall request the lord chief justice to give him another and we will see, who strikes hardest.-Depend upon it, colonel, a few such examples, from men of character, would make these fiery sparks a little more careful of meddling with gunpowder, and would contribute more than any thing else, to teach them better manners, and rid society of such pests.

"I can however (said Mr. Wil. lis) help the colonel to one duel in Roman times, which will at least shew the idea the Romans had of this species of fighting. In Cæsar's camp, at that time besieged, two officers quarrelled. I forget the ground of their animosity; but I believe one had called the other a coward. Let the army, said the affronted officer, judge between us; and bidding his antagonist follow him, leaped down from the rampart among a party of the enemy. The other followed; and they fought like lions. One being overpowered, the other ran to his relief, and kept the enemy at bay, till they were both relieved, and got safe to the camp-where they shook hands went merrily to their mess-talked over their duel

and were ever afterwards good friends. I know not whether I tell the story exactly right; I have not read it, I believe, since I left school.

"You have given us, however, (said sir Charles,) the outline of it, which is all we want.-You may add also, if you please, on the sub. ject, that the Romans could not place duelling in a more contemp. tible light, than by making it, as they did, the business only of slaves. A school of gladiators would certainly throw the same stigma on duelling at Rome, which intoxicating their slaves did upon drunkenness at Sparta. And yet we, of this polished age, and polished country, consider this barbarous practice as gentlemanly!

"But you will remember (said the colonel), that knights, senators, and even emperors, did not disdain to draw their swords in a gladiatorian school.

"I remember it well (replied sir Charles); and I remember, also, with what high panegyric they are handed down by historians, for their prize-fighting, charioteering, and other noble feats of that kind. Degrading, how ever, as their practice of duelling was, it was certainly superior to the duels of our days. They had not the rancour of savages in their breast: they were only ridiculous fellows, and fought for fame.

"After all (said the colonel), I see not what advantage you get by a comparison with the Greeks and Romans. Their revenge often led them to assassination which, I doubt not, you will consider as a worse crime than duelling.

"I do not mean (replied sir Charles) to enter into a defence of

the virtue of the Greeks and Romans. But you will observe one thing, that poisoning and stabbing were always considered as deeds of darkness-they durst not face the day. Whereas, we are talking of a crime that stalks in open daylight -that assumes an honourable name

that is defended-that is even ranked in a catalogue of virtues; and tends, of course, to corrupt the manners of the public. It is on this I chiefly lay my finger. The Christian vindicates a crime of which the heathen was ashamed. Besides, many moralists consider duelling, in itself, as a crime very little, if at all removed from the guilt of assassination.

"The colonel not making an immediate reply, sir Charles went on. As it seems very plain, therefore, that duelling is neither of Christian, nor of classical origin, I will endea vour to shew you, as well as I can, from what noble origin it did spring. When the trumpet of the holy wars sounded over Europe, and inspired its inhabitants, from one end to the other, with a frantic zeal for war, nothing was heard, or seen, but what had a military cast. The air, the dress, the language, the amusements of men, were all martial. Then first the tournament came in use. It was intended as the great school for the Saracen expedition--a kind of drill to train the armies of Europe. Its laws were established, and it became a legal institution. But, as I have heard, that in the noble diversion of cock-fighting, besides the main, as they call it, there aro many bye-battles allowed, so, in the noble institution of the tournament, many private quarrels were introduced, and decided under the

sanction

sanction of the lists. The thing, though not legal, was winked at for the honour of arms; till at length it rose to such a height, that it was forbidden by law, as early, if I remember right, as Cœur-deLion's time. But though forbid. den, it could not be repressed. The whole nation was then mad; and, in this instance, continues so.. For though duelling is still forbid. den by law, it is still practised. Thus you see from what a Gothic stock it originally sprang; it ought, indeed, long ago to have been ashamed of its ancestry, and to have hidden its head.

"I have heard (said Mr. Willis) that duelling, and throwing at cocks, came into England at the same time; but I am not solicitous to ascertain its birth and parentage. All' I am solicitous about is, to shew that it is no way related to Christianity. On this head, the honest confession of a young gentleman pleased me more than all I ever heard said in defence of duel. ling. He had been educated under

a religious father; but not making a proper use of the advantages he had received, he launched out into the fashionable vices of the age: and though he was not of a quar. relsome disposition, yet, in one of his frolics, he got into a fray, which ended in a duel. His father, shocked at this thing, expostulated with him, for having acted in defiance of the laws both of God and man. The young gentleman honestly replied; Sir, I know that duelling is a breach of the Chris. tian law; and that it is, of course, a wicked action. But what would the world say of me, if I, who have certainly not been a correct ob. server of the precepts of Christi

anity, on other occasions, should, in this single instance, have sheltered myself behind its authority?

"The colonel making no reply, sir Charles, looking at his watch, said he was afraid they should make the tea-table wait. He got up, therefore, and taking the colonel by one arm, in a jocular way, desired Mr. Willis to hold him by the other; and they would take him into custody, and deliver him over, as a disturber of the public peace, to the ladies, who should pass sen. tence upon him.

"The colonel begged and prayed they would not treat him with so much severity; and said, he would promise any thing to be set at liber. ty, provided they would not whis. per it abroad, that he had given up the noble cause of duelling."

ON THE PROGRESS OF SOCIETY.

[Extracted from Inquiries Historical and Moral, by Hugh Murray.] MR. MURRAY maintains that.

though the aspect of human : society be continually changing, and though particular nations may have remained for a long time sta. tionary, nay, may have even ex. perienced a temporary retrograda.. tion, still, however, society is be. coming more numerous, more splen. did, and more civilized!

With regard to the process (says he) above alluded to, there is, I think, every reason to trust that its effects will be ultimately and greatly beneficial. But this im-: provement is certainly far from being regular and constant; nay, there are many circumstances which would lead us to a conclusion di

rectly

rectly opposite. We daily observe, that poor and rude nations are often more virtuous than the opulent and civilized; that often, nay, general. ly, as nations advance in wealth and prosperity, their morals are corrupted instead of being improved. Upon the whole, it almost appears to me, that there is, in human society, a process of corruption, previous to the process of improvement, and arising from the first operation of the same causes; and that every thing, which ulti. mately tends most to improve the character and condition of man, is positively injurious in its first ope

ration.

We discover in those who live remote from the splendid and crowded scenes of human life, a certain rude simplicity and native innocence, which, when contrasted with the numerous vices and disor. ders that spring up in a more advanced stage, merit a decided preference. The atmosphere of great cities has been always branded as pestilential to innocence. In the young and inexperienced, who are transported thither from a scene of rural retirement, a process of corruption rapidly takes place. Courts, cities, camps, the great and crowd. ed scenes of human life, have always abounded in violent passions, and vicious indulgences.

Nations, as they advance in numbers and wealth, are commonly found to become more dissolute and immoral. Now, generally speak. ing, in consequence of principles deeply implanted in human nature, an increase in these particulars is continually taking place. For some time, therefore, there is, as it were, a continual progress downwards, a perpetual multiplication of vices

and disorders. And this effect would be still more evident, were it not for the influence of certain restraints, which are seasonably brought into action. After a certain period, however, new principles operate. From amid this chaos, order begins to arise; a gradual re finement takes place; arts, sciences, and philosophy, rear their head; which, though in their imperfect and crescent state, they may tend rather to increase the disorder, yet, when improved and perfected, seem destined to raise the human race to a condition much superior to that rude simplicity from which they had emerged. This improvement springs up, as it were, in the bo. som of the preceding corruption, and, for a long time, co-exists along with it. At first almost insensible, it prevails more and more, till, there seems reason to hope, that it may at last attain a very considerable ascendency.

The progressive Principles.

The view which I have now given, is, I think, sufficiently consonant to the general aspect of his. tory, and of human things. At the same time, to establish it by a suffi cient induction, as well as to make the proper applications, a much greater detail will be requisite. The first object, as already stated, must be to enquire, what these circumstances are, which thus pro. duce corruption in the first instance, and ultimate improvement; and to ascertain the manner in which they operate. To these, for the sake of conciseness, I shall give the name of PROGRESSIVE PRINCI

PLES.