Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-06-09
FOR THE GAZETTE.


telligent friend Of mine upon the subject
Of that uuaecountable composition OF
weakness. wickedness and bigotry, Fer.
dinand Villa young gentleman who
happened to be present, With furious
Indignation natural enough to the ardor
O! youth, the purity Of enc unpractised
in the ways of man, and the impetuas'ty
of iuexperience, burst forth in an eI'
p!osion of the most foul and bitter in
vective, and the most passionate invoca-
tions of the wrath of heaven upon the
head Of that monster, as ne was pleased
TO denominate that unfortunate sove-
reign of an ensiayed and degraded peo-
pie.
Having patiently heard the young man
to the end Of his volley OF abuse, my
friend took occasion to animadvert with
great force, and yet great mildLess upon
the error Of condelnning by wholesale,
in the very worst terms which language
can afford, the motives Of any one, with
out entirely understanding them-ac-
knowledging at the same time that the
conduct of Ferdinand was despicable
and abominable, but denying in the most
positive manner that it followed as ne
cessary consequence that his motives
were incapable OF palliation to his own
mind or that by early distortions OF the
judgment, pernicious prejudices, and vi.
tiated habits of reasoning, he might not
have been led to conclude that the very
acts which drew upon him the censure
and execration Of the world, were, in
some way or other, even meri,orious.
My friend supported his position BY q
multitude of instances in the history Of
the human race, of the mo,t mad and
Inischievous tenets and the most atro-
cious and sanguinary acts being estab.
iished as matter OF national institution,
pubic Law, and religious ordinance-the
fruits not So much of human vice a. of
human infrmity. And he very justly
observed that the various superstitions Of
the EAST, and particularly the laws aud
customs of that mildest race Of the chill
dren Of Adam, the Gentons, were full OF
them And indeed, on the grounds Of
religious imPosture, what is there which
the subtIety Of dextrous unprinciPled
iogician may not impress upon weak
INDEPENDENTLY if it be made to coin
eide with that mans uniform past preju-
dlces aud present convenience--as ire
sistibly a. if it we're warranted by proofs,
OF holy WRITE Even our own divine re.
ligion has often been wrested BY the So
phistry Of cunning, bad men, to the sane
lion of evil, add profauelv tortured into
q sanction of the NEST barbarOus crimes.
The history Of the Romish inqu'sition is
a. thickIy set, as is the armament with
stars, with instances OF this gross kind
Of perversion.
have often thought that it was impos-
sible for Ferdinand to bend his con.
science to such abominable transgres-
sious os the ordinary laws of justice,
humanity and gratitude il he were not
recouciled to them by the Internal logic
alluded to.
In ANeuETrL's memoirs Of the Court
of France, an anecdote is related Of that
splendid character, Louis w., which
comes home close to this point, and will
serve to throw a light upon that system
under which so many atrocioas enormi-
ties have been perpetrated BY men, in
other respects, not remarkably deficient
in the feelings Of humanity, the Princi-
pies Of morality, or the tender charities
so farcibly enjoined in every chapter Of
our glorious christian code.
In the distress Of France. under the
adverse fortune experienced by LOUIS.
,surnamed the great, towards the close Of
his reign. q tenth was added to the op-
pressive taxes under rhich the peopie
;croaned, an the ehict for it was framed
with pains and penalties against such de-
lisquenN as should be brought to convic-