absolutely idle hours, with which he has to reproach himself, have been given to this pleasing science; they have increased his knowledge of it, and he has obtained some acquaintance of its history. Mr. Salomon paid him the great compliment of saying, that "he was among the "seven best listeners to music he had known." To Salomon's own performance he certainly always listened with delight.He had, however, long abandoned music altogether, when an accidental circumstance recalled his thoughts to it, and occasioned his committing to paper, during a long vacation, "A letter to a lady on ancient " and modern music." As it has never been printed separately, we shall insert it in the Appendix.*

XXX.

THE BLUE BOOKS-AND SOME MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS ON THE CONCERNS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLICS.

THE Reminiscent also appeared as an author, during the disputes which took place among the Roman Catholics, respecting the act which was passed for their relief in 1791-they gave occasion to the publications intituled "The Blue Books."

The Reminiscent has given in his Historical Memoirs of the English Catholics, a succinct account of these disputes :-he has now only to mention some publications, occasioned by them, in which he was partially concerned.

In the course of this controversy, the members of the committee of the English Catholics thought themselves obliged, on several occasions, to address in print, some

* APPENDIX, Note V.

times the vicars apostolic, and sometimes the Catholic public at large, in order to explain and justify their conduct.

1. The Reminiscent had previously, with the express permission of bishop James Talbot, addressed to the vicars apostolic, a letter on the subject of the protestation and the oath formed upon it.-This was never printed, and has been seen by few; being bound in red, it acquired the appellation of the Red Book.

2. The Blue Books acquired this appellation from their having had a covering of that colour.*

The first, contains a letter from the committee to the Catholics of England, dated the 25th of November 1790-and one from the committee to the four apostolic vicars, of the same date:

The second Blue Book contains two letters from the committee, the first to Dr. Douglas; the second to Dr. Walmesley, Dr. Gibson, and Dr. Douglas, the three vicars apostolic who objected to the oath neither Dr. Thomas Talbot, the other English vicar apostolic, nor Dr. Charles Berrington, his coadjutor, thought it objectionable :

The third Blue Book contains a letter from the committee to the Catholics of England, dated the 21st of April 1792.

All were written by the reverend Mr. Joseph Wilkes, a Benedictine monk, and the Reminiscent, with great care; all were most seriously and attentively perused by all the noblemen and gentlemen who signed them.

By the Italians, who had occasion to mention them, they were called livri turchini. This gave occasion to a ridiculous mistake of a divine, more pious than learned in the Italian language. He read the words livri torchini, and construed them to mean books that were torches of heterodoxy!

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They were circulated extensively among the English Catholics but the Catholic committee cautiously abstained from circulating them among the Scottish or Irish Catholics. They were not sold, till the first and second of them were re-published for sale in 8vo. by Stockdale, in 1812. The Reminiscent has never heard, nor has he any guess, who was the editor.

3. The Buff Book was another publication to which this controversy gave rise; it acquired that appellation from the colour of its cover. It contains a report which some respectable gentlemen, who assumed the amiable office of peace-makers in these differences, made of their proceedings and their result.

A further mention of this controversy does not suit these pages but the Reminiscent begs leave to add, that, in the last of the Blue Books, the committee announced their resolution of quitting the controversy altogether, and that they and all their advocates have adhered most rigidly to this resolution.

It was impossible for the Reminiscent not to mention this dispute in his "Historical Memoirs ;" but he has the satisfaction of knowing that his readers think he could not have done it in fewer lines, or in terms which less provoked discussion.

On some other occasions, the Reminiscent has advocated in print the cause of the Roman Catholics. 1. In 1795, he published an "Historical Account of the Laws "respecting Roman Catholics," 8vo. since reprinted : 2. In 1801, he published a " Letter to an Irish Noble"man," 8vo. on the subject of the penal laws against the Irish Roman Catholics: 3. And in 1803, an "Ad"dress to the Roman Catholics in Ireland," 8vo. object of this address was to show the futility of the arguments, which some agitators of the public troubles in

The

that kingdom, had used, to induce the Roman Catholics to join the troops of Napoleon, in case of an invasion. His late majesty's ministers were so satisfied with this publication, that they caused a large impression of it to be distributed in the parts of the kingdom that were supposed to be most inclined to disaffection: 4." A Let“ter to an Irish Gentleman on the Fifth Resolution of the "English Catholics, at their Meeting of the 31st of Janu66 ary, 1810." This fifth resolution was, by strange misconception, considered to be an adoption of the Veto, or negative power in the election of bishops, which the prelates of Ireland had, in their resolutions of 1799, expressed a willingness to admit, but afterward declared to be" inexpedient." The object of the pamphlet of the Reminiscent, was, not to advocate the Veto --but to show, (what is most certainly the fact,) that the Fifth Resolution did not pledge the English Catholics to the Veto, or to any one specific measure of any description 5. In 1822, while Mr. Canning's bill,--for rendering it unnecessary for peers to take the oath of supremacy, and to make and subscribe the declaration against transubstantiation and popery, contained in the 30th of Charles the second, previously to their sitting and voting in the house of lords,-was pending in parliament, the Reminiscent published An Inquiry whether the Declaration against Transubstantiation, contained in that Act, could be conscientiously taken by any sincere Protestant. If it can be conscientiously taken, it must be with a considerable latitude of interpretation.

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XXXI.

MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLE.

BEFORE the Reminiscent proceeds to the article which closes the present publication, he begs leave to submit to his readers some observations, which have, at different times, been the subject of his literary musings they principally relate to, 1. The eras of Greek, Roman, Saracenic, and French Literature: 2. The era of British literature: 3. The comparative excellence of the writers during that era, and the writers of the age of Louis the fourteenth: 4. The present general diffusion of learning among all ranks of persons in Great Britain : 5. And particularly its general diffusion among the British ladies: 6. He will then suggest an historical work on the grand Manichean conspiracy, which began in the third century, and has from that time been always more or less in activity; has wonderfully convulsed our own age, and will probably agitate many of the years which are to come.

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XXXI. 1.

The Eras of Greek, Roman, Saracenic, and French

Literature.

EVERY learned reader is aware that history presents several eras, in which the powers of the human mind have been eminently displayed in various branches of knowledge. 1. Among these, may be reckoned the age of Homer: his poems are the only memorial of it which have reached us: but it is impossible that they .should have been the single instance of genius and taste produced during the period, in which that poet lived :