crease of unitarians, whose sentiments are the most opposite to those of the Church of England, has been in much more than a ten-fold proportion. These converts to unitarianism consist chiefly of the middle, and some of the higher rank of persons, men who are known to read, and think for themselves, and who of course have influence with others; so that there is now a moral certainty of this doctrine continuing to prevail in this and other countries.

*

*

"I did not so much as hear of the intention of applying to Parliament for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, till it was determined upon by the dissenters of London.

"Had I been consulted, I should rather have advised for the repeal of that Act of King William, which makes it actually confiscation of goods, and imprisonment for life, to deny the doctrine of the trinity. ·

*

"They who in their speeches in parliament quoted my writings, as an authority with the

dissenters in general, were as ignorant of the dissenters, as they were of the maxims of sound policy. If I had had any weight with the body of dissenters at that time, we should have joined the catholics, who generously made the proposal, in applying for the repeal of all the penal laws in matters of religion. But that golden opportunity was suffered to pass by, and I fear will never

"It being usual on the 5th of November to give our congregations a discourse on some subject relating to religious liberty, I made choice of that of the Test Act, and at the request of my hearers the discourse was published. But I will venture to say, that it is one of the calmest and most moderate of all discourses that were ever written on a political subject.

What, now, was the conduct of the clergy throughout England, and especially at Birmingham, on this occasion? Endeavours were used to render the dissenters the objects not only of exclusion from civil offices, but of general odium and punishment.

P

"Dr. Price and myself were particularly pointed out as seditious and dangerous persons, the very pests of society, and unworthy the protection of government.

"Being particularly pointed out by Mr. Madan, and both friends and enemies looking upon me as called upon to make some reply, I did it with great reluctance, as to a clergyman, whom, on other accounts, I truly respected, and whom, as living in the same town with me, I might occasionally meet. This reply I made in a series of Familiar Letters to the Inhabitants of Birmingham,' and I appeal to any person who has the least pretension to impartiality, whether they be not a mild, and good-humoured reply to unprovoked invective.

"The effect of this controversy upon the common people in Birmingham, who were made to believe, that some way or other, both the church. and the state were in danger, and that my ob-. ject was the utter destruction of both, was great and visible enough. On the walls of houses, &c..

and especially where I usually went, were to be seen in large characters, MADAN FOR EVER, DAMN PRIESTLEY; NO PRESBYTERIANS; DAMN THE PRESBYTERIANS, &c. &c. and at one time I was followed by a number of boys, who left their play, repeating what they had seen on the walls, and shouting out, Damn Priestley, dumn him, damn him, for ever, for ever, &c. &c. This was no doubt a lesson which they had been taught by their parents, and what these, I fear, had learned from their superiors. Such things as these were certainly unpleasant to me; but I was conscious I had done nothing to deserve such treatment; and despising mere obloquy, I was far from suspecting that it would ever lead to the outrages which have since taken place."

Dr. Priestley narrates the principal circumstances of the riot at Birmingham, but as a sufficient account of that disgraceful transaction has been already given (see p. p. 25-27), we shall merely give another extract, which is parlarly interesting.

"What I regretted most was the loss, as I then supposed, of all my manuscript papers, for which no reparation could be made. They consisted of the following particulars:

I. My Diaries from the

year

1752.

II. Several large Common-place Books, containing the fruits of my reading, almost ever since I could read with any degree of judgment.

III. The Register of my Philosophical Experiments, and hints for new ones.

IV. All my Sermons, Prayers, and Forms for Administering the Lord's Supper, &c.

V. Notes and a Paraphrase on the whole of the New Testament, excepting the book of Revelation.

VI. A New Translation of the Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.

VII. A Series of Letters to the Members of the New Jerusalem Church, which was lately opened in Birmingham. A rough draft of a great part of these Letters happened to be preserved, in consequence of taking a copy of them by Mess. Boulton & Watt's machine, and from this I have lately published them.