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LIFE Of

viewing his rising fame with jealousy, promoted it with libera!commendation. But, in the midst of this triumph, his twochapters concerning the growth and progress of Christianity raised a storm against him, which he seems riot to have fore-seen, and, when it fell, to have regarded with some alarm.A number of antagonists arose, of different degrees of hosti-lity and acrimony ; some, enlisted in the defence of a churchwhich was to reward their zeal; some, the voluntary cham-pions of a revered faith. As he professed to have touchedupon this subject only as an historian, he declined enteringupon it as a controversialist; and the only reply he madewas to Mr. Davis, who had in very unmeasured terms at-tacked “ not the faith, but the fidelity, of the historian.’’His Vindication against this opponent was greatly admired,as a model of keen and polished retort; and it was generallyadmitted, that he successfully repelled the principal charges,and returned them upon his foe. With respect to the generalspirit and design of the two chapters, we shall only observe,that the suggestion of secondary causes, by which the spreadof Christianity was peculiarly favoured, had been alreadyadopted by some undoubted believers in its divine origin:and that, although there can be no doubt that Gibbon was areal enemy to revelation under the mask of a believer, yet,while penal laws subsist against an open declaration of opi-nion, however requisite this might appear, the practice of aprudential disguise cannot so much be wondered at.

A second visit to Paris soon followed the publicationof his first volume, and he appeared in no haste to re-sume his historical task. After it was begun again, ashort interruption took place from his composing, at therequest of the ministers a Memoire Justificatif, intendedas an answer to the manifesto of the court of France on its declaration of hostilities. This piece, written inFrench , was admired both for its style and its reasoning,and was delivered as a state paper to the courts of Eu-rope . For this service, joined to his literary celebrity, he re-ceived the appointment of one of the Lords of Trade, bywhich a haudsome addition was made to his income, and little,to his engagements. At the beginning of 1781, the secondand third volumes of the History appeared ; and thoughmany readers judged them to be inferior in point of compois-