lia THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD ENDOWMENT FUND MISCELLANEOUS PIECES, I N VERSE AND PROSE, THE THIRD EDITION. LONDON: Printed for J. DODSLEY, at Tully's Head, in Pall-Mall> M.DCC.LXX. CONTENTS. POEM S, Tpage HE Art of Dancing. - 3 An Epiflle to Lord Lovelace -^- 7 An Efiay oh Virtue ' 37 The' Modern Fine Gentleman '47 'Fhe Modern Fine Lady ~ i ~ 55 Horace, Epift. I. Lib. IL imitated 64 To the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Chefterfield, on his being inftalled Knight of the Garter 90 To a Lady in Town, foon after her leaving the Country 9 1 To a Lady. Sent with a prefent of Shells and Stones defigned for a Grotto 95 To a Lady, in Anfwer to a Letter wrote in a very fine Hand 97 To the Right Hon. the Lady Margaret Cavendifh Harley, pretented with a Collection of Poems 99 Horace, Lib. II. Od, XVI. imitated lot Horace, Lib. IV. Od. VIII. imitated 108 To the Hon. Mifs Yoike, on her Marriage to Lord An'bri 114 C-hloe to Strephon j a Song 115 Ai CONTENTS. Pag A Song * 116 A Song 117 The Choice 118 To a young Lady, going to the Weft-Indies 120 Chloe Angling. 122 Chloe Hunting 124 On Lucinda's Recovery from the Small-Pox 125 Written in Mr. Locke's Effay on Human Under- ftanding 127 Written in a Lady's Volume of Tragedies 128 Cupid reliev'd -* ibid. The Way to be Wife 129 The Snow-ball. From Petronius Afrahius 130 Anacreon, Ode XX. 131 A Tran flat ion of fome Latin Verfes on the Camera Obfcura '132 The Temple of Venus - 135 On a Nofegay in the Countefs of Coventry's Breaft. In Imitation of Waller 137 The 'Squire and the Parfon ; an Eclogue 13$ On the Immortality of the Soul. Tranced from the Latin of Ifaac Hawkins Browne, Efqj 143 PIECES, RELIGIOUS, MORAL, and METAPHYSICAL. Five Eflays publifhed in a Weekly Paper, called The World _ 181 2 A Free CONTENTS. Pag* A Free Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil $ in Six Letters to . 221 Preface 223 Letter I. On Evil in general 243 Letter II. On Evils of Imperfe&ion 259 Letter III. On Natural Evils tt;r Letter IV. On Moral Evils 293 Letter V. On Political Evils 323 Letter VI. On Religious Evils 341 Philofophical Confiderations on the Nature of Time 371 Reflections on feveral Subje&s 393 POLITICAL TRACTS. Short but ferious Reafons for a National Militia 409 Objections to the Taxation of our American Colo- nies, by the Legiflature of Great- Britain, briefly confidered 421 Thoughts on the Caufes and Confequences of the High Price of Provifion* 435 POEMS. ' - ~ I POEMS. . THE ART of DANCING. POEM. InceJJu patuit Dea. VIRG. Written in the Year 1730. B THE ART of D A N C I N G. A P O E M. INSCRIBED. TO The Rt. Hon. the Lady FANNY FIELDING. CANTO I. IN the fiiiooth dance to move with graceful mien, Eafy with care, and fprighdy tho' ferene, To mark th' inflruclions echoing {trains convey, And with juft fteps each tuneful note obey, I teach ; be prdent, all ye facred Choir, Blow the ibft flute, and ftrike the founding lyre : V> 7 hen FIELDIXC bids, your kind affiftance bring, And at her feet the lowly tribute fiing; Oh may her eyes (to her this yerfc is due) What firit thernleivcE infpir'd, vcuchfafe to .view! Hail lovelkft art ! that can'ft all hearts infnare, And make die faireil ilill appear more fair. B 2 Beauty 4 THEARTOF Beauty can little execution do, Unlefs (he borrows half her arms from, you; Few, like PYGMALION, doat on lifelefs charms, Or care to clafp a ftatue in their arms ; But breafts of flint muft melt with fierce defire, When art and motion wake the fleeping fire : A VENUS drawn by great Apelles' hand, May for a while our wond'ring eyes command, But ftill, tho' form'd with all the pow'rs of art, The lifelefs piece can never warm the heart ; So a fair nymph, perhaps, may pleafe the eye, Whilft all her beauteous limbs una&ive lie, But when her charms are in the dance difplay'd, Then ev'ry heart adores the lovely maid : This fets her beauty in the faireil light, And mews each grace in full perfection bright j Then, as me turns around, from ev'ry part, Like porcupines, me fends a piercing dart ; In vain, alas ! the fond fpectator tries* To Ihun the pleafing dangers of her eyes, For, PARTHIAN like, me wounds as fure behind, With flowing curls, and ivory neck reclin'd : Whether her fteps the Minuet's mazes trace, Or the flow Louvre's more majeftic pace, Whether the Rigadoon employs her care, Or fprightly Jigg difplays the nimble fair, At every ftep new beauties we explore, And worlhip now, what we admir'd before : So when ^ENEAS in the TYRIAN grove, Fair VENUS met, the charming queen of Love, The DANCING. J[ The beauteous Goddefs, whilft unmov'd me flood, Seem'd Ibme fair nymph, the guardian of the wood, But when fhe mov'd, at once her heav'nly mien, And graceful ftep confefs bright Beauty's queen, New glories o'er her form each moment rife, And all the Goddefs opens ro his eyes. Now hafte, my Mufe, purfue thy deftin'd way, What dreflfes beft become the dancer, fay, The rules of drefs forget not to impart, A leiTon previous to the dancing art. The foldier's fcarlet glowing from afar, Shews that his bloody occupation's war ; Whilft the lawn band, beneath a double chin, As plainly fpeaks divinity within , The milk-maid fafe thro* driving rains and fnows, Wrapp'd in her cloak, and prop'd on pattens goes ; While the foft Belle immur'd in velvet chair, Needs but the filken fhoe, and trufts her bofom bare : The woolly drab, and Englifh broad-cloth warm, Guard well the horfeman from the beating dorm, But load the dancer with too great a weight, And call from ev'ry pore the dewy fweat ; Rather let him his active limbs difplay In camblet thin, or glofiy paduafoy, Let no unweildy pride his moulders prefs, But airy, light, and eafy be his drefs ; Thin be his yielding fole, and low his heel, So fhall he nimbly bound, and fafely wheel. B 3 But * THEARTOF But let not precepts known my verfe prolong, Precepts which ufe will better teach than Cong ., For why mould I the gallant fpark command, With clean white gloves to fit his ready hand ? Or in his fobb enlivening ipirits wear, And pungent falts to raife the fainting fair ? Or hint, the fword that dangles at his fide, Should from its fiiken bondage be unty'd ? Why fhould my lays the youthful tribe advife, Left fnowy clouds from out their wigs arile : So mall their partners mourn their laces fpotl'd, And mining filks with greafy powder foil'd ? Nor need 1, fore, bid prudent youths beware, Left with creeled tongues their buckles flare, The pointed Heel fhall oft their dockings rend, And oft th* approaching petticoat oiix a od. And now, ye youthful fair, I fing to you, With pleafing frniies my ufeful labours view ; For you the fiik-worms fine- wrought webs difplay, And lab'ring fpin their little lives away, For you bright gems with radiant colours gicvv, Fair as the dies that paint the heav'nly bow, For you the fea refigns it's pearly ftore, And earth unlocks her mines of trealur'd ore - 9 In vain yet nature thus her gifts -beftows, Unlefs yourfelves with art thoie gifts difpofe. Yet think not, Nymphs, that in t!*e glitt'ring ball, One form of dne& preicrib'd can fuic with all $ One DANCING. 7 One brightest mines when wealth and art combine i To make fhe finim'd piece compleatly fine ; When leaft adorn'd, another fteals our hearts, And rich in native beauties, wants not arts ; In fome are fuch red-Aids graces found, That in all drefies they are fare to wound ; Their perfect forms all foreign aids defpife, And gems but borrow luftre from their eyes. Let the fair nymph in whofe plump cheeks is feen A conilant blufh, be clad in chearful green ; f n fuch a drefs the fportive fea-nymphs go ; 60 in their grafiy bed frem roles blow : The lafs whofe Ikin is like the hasel brown, With brighter yellow fhould o'ercome her own ; While maids grown pale with ficknefs or defpair, Th fable's mournful dye lliould chufe to wear ; So the pale moon fiill fliines with pureft light, Cloath'd in the duficy mantle of the night. But far from you be all thofe treacherous arts, That wound with painted charms unwary hearts ; Dancing's a touchftone that true beauty tries, Nor fuffers charms that nature's hand denies : Tho' for a while v/e may with wonder view The rofy blufh, and fkin of lovely hue, Yet foon the dance will caufe the cheeks -to glow, And melt the waxen lips, and neck of fnow: So fnine the fields in icy fetters bound, Whilft frozen gems bdpangle all the ground ; B 4 Thro* 8 THE ART OF Thro' the clear cryftal of the glitt'ring fnow, With fcarlet dye the blufhing hawthorns glow j O'er all the plains unnumber'd glories rife, And a new bright creation charms our eyes ; Till ZEPHYR breathes, then all at once decay The fplendid fcenes, their glories fade away, The fields refign the beauties not their own, And all their fnowy charms run trickling down. Dare I in fuch momentous points ad vife, I mould condemn the hoop's enormous fize : Of ills I fpeak by long experience found, Oft' have I trod th' immeafurable round, And mourn'd my fhins bruis'd black with many a wound. Nor mould the tighten'd flays, too flraitly lac'd, In whale-bone bondage gall the flender waift ; Nor waving lappets fhou'd the dancing fair, Nor ruffles edg'd with dangling fringes wear j Oft will the cobweb ornaments catch hold On the approaching button rough with gold, Nor force, nor art can then the bonds divide, When once th' intangled Gordian knot is ty'd. So the unhappy pair, by HYMEN'S power, Together join'd in fome ill-fated hour, The more they ftrive their freedom to regain, The fafter binds th' indiffoluble chain. Let each fair maid, who fears to be difgrac'd, Ever be fure to tye her garters faft, Left DANCING. 9 Le(t the loos'd firing, amidft the public ball, A wifti'd for prize to fome proud fop mould fall, Who the rich treafure fhall triumphant fhew ; And with warm blufhes caufe her cheeks to glow. But yet, (as Fortune by the felf-fame ways She humbles many, fome delights to raife) It happen'd once, a fair illuftrious dame By fuch neglect acquired immortal fame. And hence the radiant Star and Garter blue BRITANNIA'S nobles grace, if fame fays true : Hence ftill, PLANT AC ENET, thy beauties bloom, Tho' long fince moulder'ci in the dufky tomb, Still thy loft Garter is thy fovereign's care, And what each royal breaft is proud to wear. But let me now my lovely charge remind ; Left they forgetful leave their fans behind j Lay not, ye fair, the pretty toy afide, A toy at once difplay'd, for ufe and pride, A wond'rous engine, that by magic charms, Cools your own breafts, and ev'ry other's warms. What daring bard mail e'er attempt to tell The pow'rs that in this little weapon dwell ? What verfe can e'er explain its various parts, Its num'rous ufes, motions, charms and arts ? Its painted folds, that oft extended wide, Th' afflicted fair one's blubber'd beauties hide, When fecret forrows her fad bofom fill, If STREPHON is unkind, or SHOCK, is ill : It* io T fJ A R T 6 F Its ftickfi, oft which her eyes dejected pore, And pointing fingers number o'er and o'er, When the kind virgin burns with feeret Die? to confent, yet fears to own her flame ; Its fhake triumphant, its victorious clap, Its angry flutter, and its wanton tap ? Forbear, my mule, th' extenfive theme to fing* Nor truft in fuch a flight thy tender wing ; Rather do you in humble lines proclaim, From whence this engine took it form and name, Say from what caufe it firft deriv'd its birth, How fotm'd ifl heav'n, how thence deduc'd to earth; Once in ARCADJA, that fam'4 feat of love, There liv'd a nymph the pride of all the grove* A lovely nymph, odorn'd wjth ev^ry grace^ An eafy fhape, and fweetly-blooming face ; FANNY, the daiwfel's name, as chafte as fair, Each virgin's envy, and each (wain's defpair 5 To charm her ear the rival fhepherds fmg, Blow the foft flute, and wake the trembling tiri For Jier they leave their wand'ring flocks to rove, Whilst FANNY'S name re founds thro j ev'ry grove Andfpreads on ev'ry tree, inclos'd in knots of lov As Fit,piff-c's now, her eyes all hearts Like her m beamy, as alike in name. J 'Twas wJaen the fummer fun now mounted high, With fiercer beams had fcorch'd the glowing (ky, 5 Beneath DANCING. it Beneath the covert of a cooling (hade, To fhun the heat, this lovely nymph was laid ; The fultry weather o'er her cheeks had fpread A blufh, that added to their native red, And her fair breaft as polifh'd marble white, Was half conceal'd, and half expos'd to fight : .?EOLUS the mighty God, whom winds obey, Obferv'd the beauteous maid, as thus fhe lay ; O'er all her charms he gaz'd with fond delight, And fuck'd in poifon at the dangerous fight ; He fighs, he burns ; at laft declares his pain, But ftiil he fighs, and ftill he wooes in vain ; The cruel nymph, regardlefs of his moan, Minds not his flame, uneafy with her own ; But ftill complains, that he who rul'd the air Would not command one ZEPHYR to repair Around her face, nor gentle breeze to play Thro' the dark glade, to cool the fultry day; By love incited, and the hopes of joy, Th' ingenious God contriv'd this pretty toy, With gales incefiant to relieve her flame ; And call'd it FAN, from lovely FANNY'S name. CANTO 12 T H E A R T O CANTO II. NOW fee prepar'd to lead the fprightly dance. The lovely nymphs, and well-drefs'd youths advance ; The fpacious room receives its jovial gueft, And the floor makes with pleafing weight opprefl : Thick rang'd on ev'ry fide, with various dyes The fair in glofly filks our fight furprize ; So, in a garden bath'd with genial fhow'rs, A thoufand forts of variegated flow'rs, JonquiUs, carnations, pinks, and tulips rife, And in a gay confufion char.n our eyes. High o'er their heads, with num'rous candles bright, Large fconces ftied their fparkling beams of light, Their fparkling beams, that ftill more brightly glow, Reflected back from gems, and eyes below : Unnumber'd fans to cool the crowded fair, With breathing ZEPHYRS move the circling air; The fprightly riddle, and the founding lyre, Each youthful breaft with gen'rous warmth infpire ; Fraught with all joys the blifsful moments fly, Whilft mufic melts the ear, and beauty charms the eye. Now let the youth, to whofe fuperior place It firft belongs the fplendid ball to grace, 5 With. DANCING. 13 With humble bow, and ready hand prepare, Forth from the crowd to lead his chofen fair-, The fair fhall not his kind requeft deny, But to the pleafmg toil with equal ardour fly. But flay, rafh pair, nor yet untaught advance, Firft hear the mufe, ere you attempt to dance : * By art directed o'er the foaming tide, Secure from rocks the painted veflels glide ; By art the chariot fcours the dufty plain, Springs at the whip, and -f hears the ftrait'ning rein ; To art our bodies muft obedient prove, - If e'er we hope with graceful eafe to move. Long was the dancing art unfixt, and free, Hence loft in error, and uncertainty ; No precepts did it mind, or rules obey, But ev'ry mafter taught a different way ; Hence ere each new-born dance was fully try'd, The lovely product ev'n in blooming dy'd ; Thro' various hands in wild confufion toil, Its fleps were alter'd, and its beauties loft , Till J FUILLET, the pride of GALLIA, rofe, And did the dance in characters compofe , Each lovely grace by certain marks he taught, And ev'ry ftep in lafting volumes v/rote : * Arte citae veloque rates remoque moventur, Arte leves currus. OVID. f Nee audit currus habenas. VIRG. t Fuillet wrote the Art of Dancing by Characters, in French, fince translated by Weaver, Hence 14 THE ART O t Hence o'er the worjd this pleafing art (hall fpread, And ev'ry dance in ev'ry clime be read, By diflant matters fhall each Hep be feen, Tho' mountains rife, and oceans roar between -, Hence with her fitter arts, fhall dancing claim An equal right to univerfal fame j And ISAAC'S rigadoon fhall live as long, As RAPHAEL'S painting, or as VIRGIL'S fong. Wife Nature ever, with a prudent hand, Difpenfes various gifts to ev'ry land ; To ev'ry nation frugally imparts, A genius fit for fome peculiar arts ; To trade the DUTCH incline, the Swiss to arms, Mufic and verfe are foft ITALIA'S charms ; BRITANNIA juftly glories to have found Lands unexplor'd, and fail'd the globe around j But none will fure prefume to rival FRANCE, Whether fhe forms, or executes the dance ; To her exalted genius 'tis we owe The fprighdy Rigadoon and Louvre flour. The Boree, and Courant unprsclis'd long, Th* im mortal Minuet, and fmooth Bretagnc, With all diofe dances of illuilrious fame, * Which from their native country take tlieir name j With thefe let ev'ry ball be iirft begun, Nor country dance intrude till thefe are done. * French Danges. lac* DANCING 15 Each cautious bard, ere he attempts to fing, Firft gently flutt'ring tries his tender wing j And if he finds that with uncommon fire The Mufes all his raptur'd foul inijpire, At once to heav'n he foars in lofty odes, And fings alone of* heroes and of gods ; But if he trembling fears a flight fo high, He then defcends to foftef elegy , And if in elegy he can't fucceed, In paftoral he ftill may tune the oaten reed ; So mould the dancer, ere he tries to move, With care his ftrength, his weight and genius prove ^ Then, if he finds kind Nature's gifts impart Endowments proper for the dancing art, If in himfelf he feels together join'd, An active body and ambitious mind, In nimble Rigadoons he may advance, Or in the Louvre's flow majeftic dance -, If thefe he fears to reach, with eafy pace Let him the Minuet's circling mazes trace : Is this too hard ? this too let him forbear, And to the country dance confine his care. Would you in dancing ev'ry fault avoid, To keep true time be firft your thoughts ernploy'd $ All other errors they in vain lhall mend, Who in this one important point offend ; For this, when now united hand in hand Eager to flan the youthful couple ftand, i6 THEARTOF Let them a while their nimble feet reftrain, And with foft taps beat time to ev'ry ftrain : So for the race prepar'd two courfers ftand, And with impatient pawings fpurn the fand. In vain a mafter fhall employ his care, Where nature has once fix'd a clumfy air; Rather let fuch to country fports confin'd, Purfue the flying hare or tim'rous hind: Nor yet, while I the rural 'fquire defpife, A mien effeminate would I adviie : With equal fcorn I would the fop deride, Nor let him dance, but on the woman's fide. And you, fair nymphs, avoid with equal care, A ftupid dullnefs, and a coquet air ; Neither with eyes, that ever love the ground, Afleep, like fpinning tops, run round and round, Nor yet with giddy looks and wanton pride, Stare all around, and Ikip from fide to fide. True dancing, like true wit, is beft expreft By nature only to advantage dreft -, 'Tis not a nimble bound, or caper high, That can pretend to pleafe a curious eye, Good judges no fuch tumblers tricks regard, Or think them beautiful, becaufe they're hard. 'Tis not enough that ev'ry ftander-by No glaring errors in your iteps can fpy, The DANCING. 17 The dance and mufic muft fo nicely meet, Each note fhould feem an echo to her feet ; A namelefs grace muft in each movement dwell, Which words can ne'er exprefs, or precepts tell, Not to be taught, but ever to be feen In FLAVIA'S air, and CHLOE'S eafy mien ; 'Tis fuch an air that makes her thoufands fall, When FIELDING dances at a birthnight ball ; Smooth as CAMILLA me fkims o'er the plain, And flies like her thro' crowds of heroes flaim Now when the Minuet oft repeated o'er, (Like all terreftrial joys) can pleafe no more, And ev'ry nymph, refufmg to expand Her charms, declines the circulating hand ; Then let the jovial Country-dance begin, And the loud fiddles call each ftraggler in : But ere they come, permit me to difclofe, How firft, as legends tell, this paftime rofe. In ancient times (fuch times are now no more) When ALBION'S crown illuftrions ARTHUR wore, In fome fair op'ning glade, each fummer's night, Where the pale moon diffus'd her filver light, On the foft carpet of a grafTy field^ The fporting Fairies their afiemblies held : Some lightly tripping with their >igmy queen^ In circling ringlets mark'd the level green, Some w^th foft notes bade mellow pipes refound, And mufic warble thro' the groves around i C Oft , THE ART OF Oft lonely mepherds by the foreft fide, Belated peafants oft their revels fpy'd, And home returning o'er their nut-brown ale, Their guefts diverted with the wond'rous tale. Inftrucled hence, throughout the Britifh ifle, And fond to imitate the pleafmg toil, Round where the trembling may-pole fix'd on high* Uplifts its flow'ry honours to the fky, The ruddy maids, and fun-burnt fwains refort, And praclife ev'ry night the lovely fport j On ev'ry fide JEolian artifts ftand, Whofe active elbows fwelling winds commandj The fwelling winds harmonious pipes infpire, And blow in ev'ry bread a gen'rous fire. Thus taught, at firfl the Country-dance began, And hence to cities and to courts it ran ; Succeeding ages did in time impart Various improvements to the lovely art ; From fields and groves to palaces remov'd, Great ones the pleafmg exerciie approv'd : Hence the loud fiddle, and ilirill trumpet's founds, Are made companions of the dancer's bounds ; Hence gems, and filks, brocades, and ribbons join> To make the ball with perfect luftre mine. So rude at firir, the Tragic mufe appeared, Her voice alone by ruftic rabble heard, Where twifting trees a cooling arbour made, 4 The pleas'd fpedators fat beneath the made \ The DANCING, 19 The homely ftage with rufhes green was ftrew'd, And in a care the ftrolling actors rode : Till time at length improv'd the great defign, And bade the fcenes with painted lahdikips fhine 5 Then art did all the bright machines difpofe, And theatres of Parian marble rofe, Then mimic thunder fhook the canvas fky, And Gods defcended from their tow'rs on high* With caution now let ev'ry youth prepare To chufe a partner from the mingled fair ; Vain wou'd be here th' inflecting Mufe's voice", If me pretended to direct his choice : Beauty alone by fancy is expreft, And charms in different forms each different breaft ', A fnowy fkin this am'rous youth admires, Whilft nut-brown cheeks ariother's bofom fires, "Small waifts, and (lender limbs fome hearts infnare, Whilft others love the more fubftantial fair. But let not outward charms your judgment fway/, Your reafon rather than your eyes obey, And in the dance as in the marriage noofe, Rather for merit, than for beauty, choofe : Be her your choice, who knows with perfect {kill When {he mould move, and when fhe fhould be ftill, Who uninftructed can perform her (hare, And kindly half the pleafing burthen bear. Unhappy is that hopelefs wretch's fate, Who fetter'd in the matrimonial ftate C 2 With 20 THE ART OF With a poor, flmple, unexperienc'd wife, Is forc'd to lead the tedious dance of life ; And fuch is his, with fuch a partner join'dy A moving puppet, but without a mind : Still mud his hand be pointing out the way, Yet ne'er can teach fo faft as me can flray , Beneath her follies he muft ever groan, And ever blulh for errors not his own. But now behold united hand in hand, Rang'd on each fide, the well-pair'd couples ftand ( Each youthful bofom beating with delight, "Waits the brifk fignal for the pleafmg fight ; While lovely eyes, that flam unufual rays, And fnowy bubbles pull'd above the flays, Quick bufy hands, and bridling heads declare The fond impatience of the ftarting fair. And fee, the fprightly dance is now begun ! Now here, now there the giddy maze they run, Now with flow fteps they pace the circling ring, Now all confus'd, too fwift for fight they fpring ; So, in a wheel with rapid fury tort, The undiftinguifh'd fpokes are in the motion loft.- The dancer here no more requires a Guide, To no Uriel: fteps his nimble feet are ty'd, The Mufe's precepts here would uielefs be, Where all is fancy'd, unconfin'd, and free - r Let him but to the mufic's voice attend, By this inftructed he can ne'er offend ^ If DANCING. 21 If to his fhare it falls the dance to lead, In well-known paths he may be fure to tread , If others lead let him their motions view, And in their fteps the winding maze purfue. In every Country-dance a ferious mind, Turn'd for reflection, can a moral find, In Hunt-the-Squirrel thus the nymph we view, Seeks when we fly, but flies when we purfue : Thus in round-dances where our partners change, And unconfin'd from fair to fair we range, As foon as one from his own confort flies, Another feizes on the lovely prize , A while the fav'rite youth enjoys her charms, Till the next comer (teals her from his arms, New ones fucceed, the laft is ftill her care ; How true an emblem of th' inconfiftant fair ! Where can philofophers, and fages wife, Who read the curious volumes of the fkies, A model more exact than dancing name Of the creation's univerfal frame ? Where world's unnumber'd o'er th' ^therial way, In a bright regular confufion ftray ; Now here, now there they whirl along the fky, Now near approach, and now far aidant fly, Now meet in the fame order they begun, And then the great celeftial dance is done. Where can the Mor'lift find a jufter plan Of the vain labours, and the life of man > C 3 A while THEARTOF A while thro* juftling crowds we toil, and fweat, And eagerly puriue we know not what, Then when our trifling fhort-liv'd race is run, Quite tir'd fit down, juft where we firft begun. Tho' to your arms kind fate's indulgent care Has giv'n a partner exquifitely fair, Let not her charms fo much engage your heart. That you neglect the fkilful dancer's part; Be not, when you the tuneful notes would hear, Still whifp'ring idle prattle in her ear ; When you ihoul4 be employ'd, be not at play, Nor for your joys all other fteps delay , But when the finifh'd dance you once have done, And with applaufe thro' ev'ry couple run, There reft a while ; there fnatch the fleeting blifs, The tender whifper, and the balmy kifs ; Each fecret wifh, each fofter hope confefs, And her moift palm with eager fingers prefs ; With fmiles the fair mail hear your warm defires, \Vhen mufic melts her foul, and dancing fires. Thus mix'd with love, the pleafing toil purfue, Till the unwelcome morn appears in view , Then, when approaciiing day its beams difplays. And the dull candles mine with fainter rays, Then, when the fun juft rifcs o'er the deep ; ' And each bright eye is almoft iet in fleep, With ready hand obfequious youths prepare "1 Safe to her coach to lead each chofen fair, > And guard her from the morn's inclement air : J Let DANCING. 33 Let a warm hood enwrap her lovely head, And o'er her neck a handkerchief be fpread, Around her Ihoulders let this arm be caft, Whilft that from cold defends her (lender waifl ; With kiiTes warm her balmy lips mall glow, Unchill'd by nightly damps or wintry fnow, While gen'rous white-wine, mull'd with ginger warm, Safely protects her inward frame from harm. But ever let my lovely pupils fear To chill their mantling blood with cold fmall-beer, Ah, thoughtlefs fair ! the tempting draught refufe, When thus fore-warn'd by my experienc'd mufe : Let the fad confequence your thoughts employ, Nor hazard future pains, for prefent joy j Deftruction lurks within the pois'nous dofe, A fatal fever, or a pimpled nofe. Thus thro' each precept of the dancing art The mufe has play'd the kind inftrudor's part, Thro* ev'ry maze her pupils me has led, And pointed out the fureft paths to tread ; No more remains , no more the gcddefs fmgs, But drops her pinions, and unfurls her wings ; On downy beds the weary'd dancers lie, And Deep's filk cords tye down each drowfy eye, Delightful dreams their pleafmg fports reftore, And ev'n in fleep they feem to dance once more. And now the work compleatly finim'd lies, Which the devouring teeth of time defies ; C 4 Whilft 14 T H E A R T O F, &c. Whilfl birds in air, or fifh in ftreams we find, Or damfels fret with aged partners join'd ; As long as nymphs fhall with attentive ear A fiddle rather than a fermon hear : So long the brighteft eyes fhall oft perufe Thefe ufeful lines of my inftruftive mufe ; Each belle fhall wear them wrote upon her fan, And each bright beau fhall read them if he can. A N A N EPISTLE T O Lord LOVELACE. A N EPISTLE, Written in the COUNTRY, + To the Right Hon. the Lord LOVELACE then in TOWN. SEPTEMBER, 1735. IN days, my Lord, when mother Time, Tho' now grown old, was in her prime, When SATURN firft began to rule, And JOVE was hardly come from fchool, How happy was a country life ! How free from wickednefs and ftrife ! Then each man liv'd upon his farm, And thought and did no mortal harm ; On mofly banks fair virgins flept j As harmlefs as the flocks they kept ; Then love was all they had to do, And nymphs were chafte, and fwains were true. But now, whatever poets write, J Tis fure the cafe is alter'd quite, Virtue 2 8 AN EPISTLE TO Virtue no more in rural plains, Or innocence, or peace remains ; But vice is in the cottage found, And country girls are oft unfound ; Fierce party rage each village fires, With wars of juftices and 'fquires j Attorneys, for a barley ilraw, Whole ages hamper folks in law, And ev'ry neighbour's in a Aflame About their rates, or tythes, or game : Some quarrel for their hares and pigeons, And fome for difference in religions : Some hold their parfon the belt preacher, The tinker fome a better teacher , Thefe to the church they fight for ftrangers, Have faith in nothing but her dangers ; While thofe a more believing people, Can fwallow all things but a fteeple. But I, my Lord, who, as you know. Care little how thefe matters go, And equally deteft the ftrife And ufual joys of country life, Have by good fortune little mare Of its diverfions, or its care ; For feldom I with 'fquires unite, Who hunt all day and drink all night ; Nor reckon wonderful inviting, A quarter feflions, or cock-fighting , 3 LORD LOVELACE. 29 But then no farm I occupy, With fheep to rot, and cows to die : Nor rage I much or much defpair, Tho* in my hedge I find a fnare ; Nor view I, with due admiration, All the high honours here in falhion; The great commifiions of the quorum, Terrors to all who come before 'em ; Militia fcarlet edg'd with gold, Or the white ftaff high meriffs hold ; The reprefentative's careffing, The judge's bow, the bifhop's blefiing ; Nor can I for my foul delight In the dull feaft of neighb'ring knight, Who, if you fend three days before, In white gloves meets you at the door, With fuperfluity of breeding Firft makes you fick,. and then with feeding ; Or if with ceremony cloy'd, You wou'd next time fuch plagues avoid, And vifit without previous notice, JOHN, JOHN, a coach! I can't think who 'tis-, My lady cries, who fpies your coach, Ere you the avenue approach ; Lord, how unlucky ! warning day ! And all the men are in the hay ! Entrance to gain is fomething hard, The dogs all bark, the gates are barr'd j The yard's with lines of linen crofs'd, The hall door's lock'd, the key is loft j Thefe I* AttEPlSTL'ETd Thefe difficulties all o'ercome, We reach at length the drawing room; Then there's fuch trampling over-head, Madam you'd fwear was brought to bed $ Mifs in a hurry burfts her lock, To get clean fleeves to hide her fmock 5 The fervants run, the pewter clatters, My lady drefies, calls and chatters *, The cook-maid raves for want of butter, Pigs fqueak, fowls fcream, and green geefe flutter. Now after three hours tedious waiting, On all our neighbours faults debating, And having nine times view'd the garden, In which there's nothing worth a farthing, In comes my lady, and the pudden : You will excufe, fir, on a fudden Then, that we may have four and four, The bacon, fowls, and collyflow'r Their ancient unity divide, The top one graces, one each fide -, And by and by, the fecond courfe Comes lagging like a diftanc'd horfe y A falver then to church and king, The butler fweats, the glaffes ringj The cloth remov'd, the toafts go round, Bawdy and politics abound ; And as the knight more tipfy waxes* We damn all minifters and taxes. At laft the ruddy fun quite lunk s The coachman tolerably drunk, 3 Whirling LORD LOVELACE. 31 Whirling o'er hillocks, ruts, and ftoneJ, Enough to diflocate one's bones, We home return, a wond'rous tokert Of Heaven's kind care, with limbs unbroken* Afflid us not, ye Gods, tho* fmners, With many days like this, or dinners I But if civilities thus teaze me, Nor bufinefs, nor diverfions pleafc md: You'll aflc, my Lord, how time I fpcndJ I anfwer, with a book or friend : The circulating hours dividing, 'Twixt reading, walking, eating, riding; But books are ftill my higheft joy* Thefe earlieft pleafe, and lateft cloy. Sometimes o'er diftant climes I ftray, By guides experienc'd taught the way j The wonders of each region view, From frozen LAPLAND to PERU $ Bound o'er rough feas, and mountains bare, Yet ne'er forfake my elbow chair. Sometimes fome fam'd hiftorian's pen Recalls paft ages back agen, Where all I fee, thro* ev'ry page, Is but how men, with fenfelefs rage, Each other rob, deftroy, and burn, To ferve a prieft's, or flatefman's turn ; Tho' loaded with a different aim, Yet always afles much the fame. Sometimes 3 a AN EPISTLE TO Sometimes I view with much delight, Divines their holy game-cocks fight ; Here faith and works at variance fet, Strive hard who mall the vift'ry get j Prefbytery and epifcopacy They fight fo long, it would amaze ye J Here free-will holds a fierce difputc With reprobation abfolute j There fenfe kicks tranfubftantiation, And reafon pecks at revelation. With learned NEWTON now I fly O'er all the rolling orbs on high, Vifit new worlds, and for a minute This old one fcorn, and all that's in it j And now with lab'ring BOYLE I trace Nature through ev'ry winding maze, The latent qualities admire Of vapours, water, air, and fire ; With pleafing admiration fee Matter's fnrprifmg fubtilty j As how the fmalleft lamp difplays, For miles around, it's fcatter'd rays 5 Or how (the cafe flill.more t' explain) * A fart, that weighs not half a grain. The atmofphere will oft perfume , Of a whole fpacious drawing room. Sometimes I pafs a whole long day In happy indolence away, * See Boyle's Experiments. In LORD LOVELACE. 33 In fondly meditating o'er Pad pleafures, and in hoping more : Or wander thro* the fields and woods, And gardens bath'd in circling floods, There blooming flowers with rapture view, And fparkling gems of morning dew, Whence in my mind ideas rife Of CILIA'S cheeks, and CHLOE'S eyes. 'Tis thus, my Lord, I free from ftrife Spend an inglorious country life ; Thefe are the joys I ftill purfue, When abfent from the town and you ; Thus pafs long fummer funs away, Bufily idle, calmly gay : Nor great, nor mean, nor rich, nor poor, Not having much, nor wifhing more j Except that you, when weary grown Of all the follies of the town, And feeing, in all public places, The fame vain fops and painted faces, Wou'd fometimes kindly condefcend To vifit a dull country friend : Here you'll be ever fure to meet A hearty welcome tho* no treat, One who has nothing elfe to do, But to divert himfelf and you : A houfe, where quiet guards the door, No rural wits fmoak, drink, and roar, Choice books, fafe horfes, wholefome liquor, Clean girls, backgammon, and the vicar. D AN A N E S S A O N VIRTUE. a utilitasjujtiprofe mater & *qri. HOR: D 2 V E R A N O ti A U E. To the Hon. PHILIP Yo R K E, E TffO U, whorii nor honours, Wealth, Tior youth can -Tpoil With the leaft vice df each luxuriant foil, Say, YORKE, (for fure, if any, thou canft tell) What Virtue is, who practife it fo well ; Say, where inhabits this Sultana queen ; Prais'd and ador'd by all, but rarely feen : By what fure mark her eflfence can we trace, When each religion, faction, age, and place Sets up fome fancy'd idol of its own, A vain pretender to her facred throne ? In man too oft a well dilTembled part, A felf-denying pride in woman's heart; In fynods faith, and in the fields of fame Valour ufurps her honours, and her name, D 3 Whoe'er 3$ AN ESSAY ON Whoe'er their fenfe of virtue wou'd exprefs, 'Tis ftill by fomething they themfelves pofiefs. Hence youth good-humour, frugal craft old-age, Warm politicians term it party-rage, True churchmen zeal right orthodox , and hence Fools think it gravity, and wits pretence j To conftancy alone fond lovers join it, And maids unafk'd to chaftity confine it. But have we then no law befides our will ? No juft criterion fix'd to good and ill ? As well at noon we may obftruft our fight, Then doubt if fuch a thing exifts as light ; For no lefs plain wou'd nature's law appear As the meridian fun unchang'd, and clear, Wou'd we but fearch for what we were defign'd, And for what end th' Almighty form'd mankind ; A rule of life we then mould plainly fee, For to purfue that end muft virtue be. Then what is that ? not want of power, or fame, Or worlds- unnumber'd to applaud his name, But a defire his bleffings to diffufe, And fear leaft millions mou'd exiftcnce lofe j His goodnefs only cou'd his power employ, And an eternal warmth to propagate his joy. Hence foul and fenfe duTus'd thro' ev'ry place* Make happineis as infinite as fpace ; Thoufands VIRTUE. 39 Thoufands of funs beyond each other blaze, Orbs roll o'er orbs, and glow with mutual rays ; Each is a world, where form'd with wond'rous art, Unnumber'd fpecies live thro' ev'ry part : In ev'ry trac"l of ocean, earth, and fkies, Myriads of creatures dill fuccefflve rife : Scarce buds a leaf, or.fprings the vileft weed, But little flocks upon its verdure feed , No fruit our palate courts, or flow'r our fmell, But on its fragrant bofom nations dwell, All form'd with proper faculties to fhare The daily bounties of their Maker's care : The great Creator from his heav'nly throne, Pleas'd on the wide-expanded joy looks down, And his eternal law is only this, That all contribute to the general blifs. Nature fo plain this primal law difplays, Each living creature fees it, and obeys ; Each, form'd for all, promotes thro* private care The public good, and juftly taftes its mare. All underftand their great Creator's will, Strive to be happy, and in that fulfill ; Mankind excepted, lord of all befide, | But only flave to folly, vice, and pride ; 'Tis he that's deaf to this command alone, Delights in others woe, and courts his own -, Racks and deftroys with tort'ring fteel and flame, For lux'ry brutes, and man himlelf for fame j D 4- Setr, ,40 AN 'ESSAY 'ON Sets Superftltion high on Virtue's throne, Then thinks his Maker's temper like his o'wn 5 Hence are his altars fta'in'd with reeking gore, As if he cou'd atone for crimes by more : Hence whilft offended heav'n he ftrives'in vain ft T'appeafe by fafts 'and voluntary pain, *> Ev'n iri repenting he -provokes again. J How eafy is our yoke ! how light our load ! Did we not ftrive to mend the laws of God : For his own fake no duty he can afk, The common welfare is our only tafk : For this fole end his precepts, kind as juft, Forbid intemperance, murder, theft, and luft > With ev*ry a<5b injurious to our own Or others good, for fuch are crimes alone : For this are peace, love, charity enjoin'd, With all that can fecure and blefs mankind. Thus is the-public fafety Virtue's caufe, And happinefs'the end of all her laws ; For fuch by nature is the human frame, Our duty and our infreft are the fame. But hold, cries out fome Puritan divine, Whofe well-ftuff'd cheeks with eafe and plenty {Jiine, Is this to faft, to mortify, refrain ? And work falvation out with fear and pain ? We own the rigid lefibns of their fchools Are widely diff'rent from thefe eafy rules ; i Virtue, VIRTU E. 41 Virtue, .with them, is only to abfta"in From all that nature afks, and covet pairrj Pleafure and vice are ever near a-kih, And, if we thirft, cold water is a 'fin : Heav'n's path is rough and intricate, they fey, Yet all 'are damn'd that trip, or rnifs their way ; God is a Being cruel and fevere, And man a wretch, by his command plac'd 'here, In fun-lhine for a while to take a turn, Only to dry and make him firto'bttrn. Miftaken men, too pioufty fevere ! Thro* craft mifleading, or miftetl by 'fear ; * How little they God's courifels c!:orriprehen&, Our univerfal parent, guardian, friend ! Who, forming by degrees to blifs mankind, This globe our fportive nurfery afllgn'd, Where for a while his fond paternal care Feafts us with ev'ry joy our ftate can bear : Each fenfe, touch, tafte, and fmell difpenfe "delight, Mufic our hearing, beauty charms our fight ; Trees, herbs, and flow'rs to us their fpoils refign, Its pearl the rock prefents, its gold the mine 5 Beafts, fowl, and fifh their daily tribute give Of food and cloaths, and die that we may live : Seafons but change, new pleafures to prbxhioe, And elements contend to ferve our ufe : Love's gentle {hafts, ambition's towring wings, The pomps of fenates, churches, courts, and kings, All 42 AN ESSAY ON All that our rev'rence, joy, or hope create, Are the gay play-things of this infant ftate. Scarcely an ill to human life belongs, But what our follies caufe, or mutual wrongs ^ Or if fome ftripes from providence we feel, He ftrikes with pity, and but wounds to heal -, Kindly perhaps fometimes afflifts us here, To guide our views to a fublimer fphere, In more exalted joys to fix our tafte, And wean us from delights that cannot laft. Our prefent good the eafy talk is made, To earn fuperior blifs, when this mail fade ; For, foon as e'er thefe mortal pleafures cloy, His hand fhall lead us to fublimer joy : Snatch us from all our little forrows here, Calm ev'ry grief, and dry each childifh tear - 9 Waft us to regions of eternal peace, Where blifs and virtue grow with like increafe ; From flrength to ftrength our fouls for ever guide, Thro* wondrous fcenes of Being yet untry'd, Where in each flage we fnall more perfect grow, And new perfections, new delights beftow. Oh ! would mankind but make thefe truths their guide, And force the helm from prejudice and pride, Were once thefe maxims fix'd, that God's our friend, Virtue our good, and happinefs our end, How foon mufl reafon o'qr the world prevail, And error, fraud, and fuperftition fail ! i None VIRTUE. 43 None wou'd hereafter then with groundlefs fear, Defcribe th' Almighty cruel and fevere, Predeftinatmg fome without pretence To Heav'n, and fome to Hell for no offence ; Inflicting endlefs pains for tranfient crimes, And favouring feels or nations, men or times. To pleafe him none would foolifhly forbear Or food, or reft, or itch in fhirts of hair, Or deem it merit to believe or teach What reafon contradicts, or cannot reach*; None would fierce zeal for piety miftake, Or malice for whatever tenets fake, Or think falvation to one feet confin'd, And Heav'n too narrow to contain mankind. No more then nymphs, by long neglect grown nice, Wou'd in one female frailty fum up vice, And cenfure thofe, who nearer to the right, Think virtue is but to difpenfe delight f. No fervile tenets would admittance find, Deftructive of the rights of human kind ; Of power divine, hereditary right, And non-refiftance to a tyrant's might : * It is apprehended, that genuine Chriftianity requires not the belief pf any fuch proportions. f Thefe lines mean only, taat Cenforioufnefs is a vice more odious than Unchaftity ; this always proceeding from malevolence, that fometimes from too much good-nature and compliance. For j|4 A N E S $ A'Y* fee. For fare that aH fhou'd thus for orfe Is but great nature's No mcraHfbthen righteous to exeefs, Wou'd fhew fair Virtue in fo black a drefe, That they, Hke boys, who fofrie feign'd fpright array, Firfi from the fpectre fly themfelves away : No preachers in the terrible delight, But chufe to win by'reafon, not affright-, Not, conjurers like, in fife and brimftone dwell, And draw each moving argument from -hell. No more our fage interpreters of laws, Wou'd fatten -on obfcurities, 'and flaws, But rather nobly careful of their truft, 1 Strive -to wipe -off the long contracted duft, > And be, like HARDWICKE, guardians of 'the juft. J No more And talks of games of whift, and pig-tail pies. J Plays all the night, nor doubts each law to break, Himfelf unknowingly has help'd to make ; Trembling and anxious, ftakes his utmoft groat, Peeps o'er his cards, and looks as if he thought. Next morn difowns the lofles of the night, Becaufe the fool would fain be thought a bite. * Parody on &eJ lines of Sir John Denham. Tho' deep, yet glear, tho' gentle yet not dull, Strong without. i$g> without o'erflowing full. Devoted FINE GENTLEMAN. 49 Devoted thus to politics, and cards, Nor mirth, nor wine, nor women, he regards, So far is ev'ry virtue from his heart, That not a gen'rous vice can claim a part j Nay, left one human paflion e'er mould move His foul to friendfhip, tendernefs, or love, To FIGG and BROUGHTON he commits his breaft, To fteel it to the fafliionable teft. Thus poor in wealth, he labours to no end, Wretched alone, in crowds without a friend , Infenfible to all that's good or kind, Deaf to all merit, to all beauty blind , For love too bufy, and for wit too grave, A harden'd, fober, proud, luxurious knave; By little actions ftriving to be great, And proud to be, and to be thought a cheat. And yet in this fo bad is his fuccefs, That as his fame improves, his rents grow lefs i On parchment wings his acres take their flight, And his unpeopled groves admit the light , With his eftate his int'reft too is done, His honeft borough feeks a warmer fun 5 For him, now cafh and liquor flows no more, His independent voters ceafe to roar : And BRITAIN foon muft want the great defence Of all his honefty, and eloquence, E But 50 THE MODERN But that the gen'rous youth more anxious grown 1 For public liberty, than for his own, } Marries fome jointur'd antiquated crone : J And boldly, when his country is at (lake, Braves the deep yawning gulph, like CURTIUS, for its fake. 'Quickly again diftrefs'd for want of coin, He digs no longer in th' exhaufted mine, But feeks preferment, as the laft refort, 1 Cringes each morn at levees, bows at court, V And, from the hand he hates, implores fupport : J The minifter, well pleas'd at fmall expence To filence fo much rude impertinence, With fqueeze and whifper yields to his demands, And on the venal lift enroll'd he ftands j A ribband and a penfion buy the flave, This bribes the fool about. him, that the knave. And now arriv'd at his meridian glory, He finks apace, defpis'd by Whig and Tory ; Of independence now he talks no more, Nor fhakes the Senate with his patriot roar, But filent votes, and with court-trappings hung, Eyes his own glitt'ring fear, and holds his tongue. In craft political a Bankrupt made, He flicks to gaming, as the furer trade ; Turns downright (harper, lives by fucking blood, And grows, in fhort, the very thing he woti'd : Hunts out young heirs, who have their fortunes fpent, And lends them ready calh at cent per cent, 3 Lays FINE GENTLEMAN. 5* Lays wagers on his own, and others lives, Fights uncles, fathers, grandmothers, and wives, Till death at length indignant to be made The daily fubject of his fport and trade, Veils with his fable hand the wretch's eyes, And, groaning for the betts he lofes by't, he E 2 T H E THE MODERN FINE LADY. Miferi quibus Intentata nltes. HOR. Written in the Year 1750. [ 55 ] THE MODERN FINE LADY. SKILL'D in each art, that can adorn the fair, The fprightly dance, the foft Italian air, The Tofs of quality and high-bred fleer, Now Lady HARRIOT reach'd her fifteenth Year : Wing'd with diverfions all her moments flew,, Each, as it pafs'd, prefenting fomething new; Breakfafts and auctions wear the morn away, Each ev'ning gives an opera, or a play ; Then Brag's, eternal joys all night remain, And kindly ufher in the morn again. For love no time has me, or inclination, Yet mud coquet it for the fake of fafhion ; For this me liftens to each fop that's near, ") Th* embroider'd colonel flatters with a fneer, > And the cropt enfign nuzzels in her ear. J E 4 But B C THE MODERN But witn moft warmth her drefs and airs infpire Th' ambitious bofom of the landed 'fquire, Who fain wou'd quit plump DOLLY'S fofter charms* For wither'd lean Right Honourable arms ; He bows with reverence at her facred fhrine, And treats her as if fprung from race divine, Which fhe returns with infolence and fcorn, Nor deigns to fmile on a Plebeian born. Ere long by friends, by cards, and lovers crofs'd, Her fortune, health, and reputation loft j Her money gone, yet not a tradefman paid, Her fame, yet flie ftill damn'd to be a maid, Her fpirits fink, her nerves are fo unftrung, * She weeps, if but a handfome thief is hung : By mercers, lacemen, mantua-makers preft, But moft for ready cam for play diftreft, Where can fhe turn ! The 'Squire muft all repair, "J She c.ondefcends to liften to his pray'r, f And marries him at length in mere defpair, 3 But foon th' endearments of a hufband cloy, Her foul, her frame incapable of joy : She feels no tranfports in the bridal-bed, Of which fo oft fn'has heard, fo much has read \ Then vex'd, that fhe mould be condemn'd alone TO feek in vain this philofophic ftone, * Some of the brighteft eyes were at this time in tears for one JUaclcan, condemned for a robbery or> the high-way. 3 To FINE LADY. 57 To abler tutors fhe refolves t' apply, A proftitute from curiofity : Hence men of ev'ry fort, and ev'ry fize, * Impatient for heav'n's cordial drop, fhe tries i The fribbling beau, the rough unwieldy clown, The ruddy templar newly on the town, The Hibernian captain of gigantic make, The brimful parfon, and th* exhaufted rake. But flill malignant fate her wifti denies, 1 Cards yield fuperior joys, to cards me flies ; All night from rout to rout her chairmen run, Again fhe plays, and is again undone. Behold her now in ruin's frightful jaws ! Bonds, judgments, executions ope their paws j Seize jewels, furniture, and plate, nor fpare The gilded chariot, or the tofiel'd chair; For lonely feat fhe's forc'd to quit the town, And -f- TUBES conveys the wretched exile down. Now rumbling o'er the ftones of tyburn-Road, Ne'er preft with a more griev'd or guilty load, She bids adieu to all the well-known ftreets, And envy's ev'ry cinder-wench fhe meets : * The cordial drop heav'n in our cup has thrown, To make the naufeous draught of life go down. ROCK. f A perfon well known for fupplying people of quality with hired equipages. And 58 THE MODERN And now the dreaded country firft appears, With fighs unfeign'd the dying noife me hears Of diftant coaches fainter by degrees, Then ftarts, and trembles at the fight of trees. Silent and fallen, like fome captive queen, She's drawn along unwilling to be feen, Until at length appears the ruin'd Hall Within the grafs-green moat and ivy'd wall, The doleful prifon where for ever me, But not, alas J her griefs, muft bury'd be. Her coach the curate and the tradefmen meet, 1 Great-coated tenants her arrival greet, f And boys with ftubble bonfires light the ftreet, J While bells her ears with tongues difcordant grate, Types of the nuptial tyes they celebrate : But no rejoicings can unbend her brow, Nor deigns fhe to return one aukward bow, But bounces in, difdaining once to fpeak, And wipes the trickling tear from off her cheek. Now fee her in the fad decline of life, A peevifh miftrefs, and a fulky wife ; Her nerves unbrac'd, her faded cheek grown pale With many a real, and many a fancy'd ail ; Of cards, admirers, equipage bereft, Her infolence, and title only left ; Severely humbled to her one-horfe chair, And the low paftimes of a country fair : . Too F I N E L A D Y. 59 Too wretched to endure one lonely day, "1 Too proud one friendly vifit to repay, > Too indolent to read, too criminal to pray, J At length half dead, half mad, and quite confin'd, Shunning, and fhun'd by all of human kind, Ev'n rob'd of the laft comfort of her life, Infulting the poor curate's callous wife, Pride, difappointed pride, now flops her breath, And with true fcorpion rage fhe ftings herfelf to death. Horatii Horatn Ep. I. Lib. II. ad Auguftum. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF THE . Second Book of H O R A C E, IMITATED. To the RIGHT HONOURABLE PHILIP, Lord H A R D W I C K E, Lord High Chancellor of GREAT-BRITAIN. Writtei) in the Year 1748. ADVERTISEMENT. / | ^HE following piece is a burlefque imita- J[ tion : a fpecies of poetry, whofe chief excellence confifts in a lucky and humourous application of the words and fentiments of any author to a new fubjecl totally different from the original. This is what is ufually forgot both by the writers and readers of thefe kind of compofitions , the firft of whom are apt to ftrike out new and independent thoughts of their own, and the latter to admire fuch inju- dicious excrefcencies : thefe immediately lofe fight of their original, and thofe fcarce ever caft an eye towards him at all* It is thought proper therefore to advertife the reader, that in the following epiftle he is to expect nothing more * than an appofite converfion of the ferious fen- timents of Horace on the Roman poetry, into more ludicrous ones on the fubjecl of Englifh politicks ; and if he thinks it not worth while to compare it line for line with the original, he will find in it neither wit, humour, nor even common fenfe; all the little merit it can pre- tend to con fitting folely in the clofenefs of fo long, and uninterrupted an imitation. HORATII [ 64 j H O R A T I I Ep. I. Lib. II. Ad AUGUSTUM. tot fuftineas, & tanta negotia folus, Res Italas armis tuteris, moribus ornes, Legibus emcndes, in publica commoda peccem, Si longo fermone morer tua tempora, Caefar. b Romulus, & Liber pater, & cum Caftore Pollux, Poft ingentia fada, deorum in templa recepti, Dum terras hominumque colunt genus, afpera bella Componunt, agros affignant, oppida condunt, Ploravere THE FIRST EPISTLE OF THE Second Book of HORACE, IMITATED, a YY7HILST you, my lord, fuch various toils V V fuftain, Prefide o'er Britain's Peers, her laws explain* With ev'ry virtue ev'ry heart engage, And live the bright example of the age* With tedious verfe to trefpais on your time, 5 Is fure impertinence, if not a crime. b All the fam'd heroes, flatefmen, admirals, Who after death within the facred walls Of WESTMINSTER with kings have been receiv'd, Met with but forry treatment, while they liv'd , I o And tho' they labour'd in their country's caufe, With arms defended her, and form'd with law., F Yet 66 H O R A T 1 1 Epift, I. Lib. II. Ploravere iuis non refpondere favorem Speratum meritis : c diram qui contudit hydrarrlj Notaque fatal! portenta labore fubegit, Comperit invidiam fupremo fine domari : d Urit enim fulgore fuo qui praegravat arces, Infra fe pofitas ; extindlus amabitur idem. e Prefenti tibi maturos largimur honores, Jurandafque tuum per nomen ponimus aras, f Nil oriturum alias, nil ortum tale fatentes. 8 Sed tuits hie populds fapiens & jdftus in tmo^ Te noftrisvducibus, te Graiis ante ferendo, Castera nequaquani fimili ratione mddoqtie ^Eftimat, & nifi quse terris femota, fuifque Xemporibus defuntfla videt, faftidit, & odit. h Sic fautor veterum, ut tabulas peccare vetantea Qnas bis quinque viri fanxerunt, fdera regum Vel Gabiis, vel cum rigidis sequata Sabinis, Pontificum libros, annofa volumi'na Vaturri, Dicli'tet Albano Mufis in monte locutas. 1 Si quia Graecorum funt antiquiflima quacque Scripu Vel optima, Romani pcnfantur eadem Scriptorci IMITATED. 6; Yet ever mourn'd they till'd a barren foil, And left the world ungrateful to their toil. c Ev'n * He, who long the houfe of Com~ns led, 1 5 That Hydra dire, with many a gaping head, Found by experience to his lateft breath, Envy could only be fubdu'd by death. d Great men whilil living muft expect diigraces, Dead they're ador'd when none defire their places. 20 ' This common fate, my lord, attends not you Above all equal, and all envy too , With fuch unrivall'd eminence you mine, That in this truth alone all parties join, The feat of juftice in no former reign 25 f Was e'er fo greatly fill'd, nor ever can agi rain. s But tho' the people are fo juft to you, To none befides will they allow their due, No minifter approve, who is not dead, Nor till h' has loft it, own he had a head ; 3$ h Yet fuch refpec! they bear to ancient things, They've fome for former minifters and kings ; And, with a kind of fuperftitious awe, Deem Magna Charta ftill a facred law. 1 But, if becaufe the government was beft 35 Of old in FRANCE, when freedom me pofiTeft, F 2 in 68 H O R A T 1 1 Epift, I. Lib. II. Scriptores trutina non eft quod multa loquamur Nil intra eft oleatn, nil extra eft in mice duri : k Venimus ad fummam fortunae pingimus atque 1 Pfallimus, &; ludamur Achivis dodtior ipfis. m Si meliora dies, ut vina poemata reddit Scire velim, pretium chartis quotus arroget annus ? Scriptor abhinc annos centum, qui decidit, inter Perfeftos, veterefne referri debet ? an inter Viles, atque novos ? excludat jurgia finis. n Eft vetus, atque probus, centum qui perficit annos - Quid qui deperiit minor uno menfe, vel anno, Inter quos referendus erit ? veterefne poetas, An quos & praefens, & poftera refpuet astas ? Ifte quidem veteres inter ponetur honefte Qui vel menfe brevi, vel toto eft junior anno Utor permifib, caudaeque pilos ut equinse Paulatim vello, & demo unum, demo etiam unirm, Dum cadat elufus ratione ruenis acervi Qui redit ad faftos, & virtutem eftimat annis, Miraturque nihil, nifi quod Libitina facravit. p Ennius & fapiens, & fortis, & alter Homerus, Ut critici dicunt, leviter curare videtur, Quo promifia cadant, & fomnia Pythagorea : q Nasvius in manibus non eft, & mentibus hasret Pene recens, adeo fandtum eft vetus omne poema. r Ambigitur quoties uter utro fit prior ; aufert Pacuvius dodti famam fenis, Accius alti : Dicitur IMITATED. 69 In the fame fcale refolv'd to weigh our own, ENGLAND'S we judge was fo, who then had none-, Into moft flrange abfurdities we fall, 40 Unworthy to be reafon'd with at all. k Brought to perfection in thefe days we fee All arts, and their great parent liberty, 1 With fkill profound we fmg, eat, drefs, and dance, And in each gout polite, excel ev'n FRANCE. m If age of minifters is then the teft, 45 And, as of wines, the oldeft are the bell, Let's try and fix fome aera, if we can, When good ones were extinct, and bad began : n Are they all wicked fmce ELIZA'S days ? Did none in CHARLES', or JAMES'S merit praife ? 50 Or are they knaves but fmce the revolution ? If none of thefe are facts then all's confufion > And by the felf-fame rule one cannot fail, Q To pluck each hair out fmgly from the tail. p Wife CECIL, lov'd by people and by prince, 55 As often broke his word as any fmce : q Of ARTHUR'S days we almoft nothing know, Yet fmg their praife, becaufe they're long ago. r Oft as 'tis doubted in their feveral ways Which of paft orators beft merit praife, 60 We find it to decide extremely hard, If HARLEY'S head deferv'd the moft regard, F 3 Or 70 H O R A T 1 1 Epift. I. Lib. II. Dicitur Afrani toga convenifle Menandro , Plautus ad exemplar Siculi properare Epicharmi j 1 Vincere Cascilius gravitate, Terentius arte. 1 Hos edifcit, & hos arfto ftipata theatro Spectat Roma potens , habet hos numeratque pcetss Ad noftrum tempus Livii fcriptoris ab svo. u Interdum vulgus reclum videt ; eft ubi peccat : w Si veteres ita miratur, laudatque poetas, Uc nihil anteferat, nihil illis comparet , errat : x Si quaedam nimis antique, fi pleraque durc Dicere credit eos, igriave multa fatetur , Et iapit, & mecum facit & Jove judicat "sequo. y Non equidem infeftor, delendaque carmina Livi^ ElTe reor, memini qnae plagofum mihi parvo z Orbilium di6litare , fed emendata videri Pulchraque, & exad:is minimum diftantia, miror. a Inter quse verbum emicuit fi forte decorum, & Si verfus paulos concinnior unus, & alter Injufte totum ducit, venditque poema. b Indignor quicquam reprehendi, non qui craffe Compofuum illepideve putetur fed quia nuper : Nee veniam antiquis, fed honorem & prasmia pofci. Rede IMITATED. 7,1 Or WINDHAM'S tongue, or JEKYL'S patriot heart, 5 Old SHIPPEN'S gravity, or WALPOLE'S art. ' Thefe were ador'd by all with whom they voted, 65 And in the fuJleil hgufes fliil are quoted ; Thefe have been fam'd from ANNA'S days till ours, When PELHAM has improv'd, with unkno.wn pow'rs, The art of minlftcrial eloquence, By adding honed truth to nervous fenfe. yp u Oft are the vulgar wrong, yet fometimes right i The late rebellion in the trued light By chance they faw -, but were not once fo wiir, Unknown, unheard, in damning the exciie : w If former reigns they fancy had no fault, 70 I think their judgment is not worth a groat : * But if they frankly own their politicks Like ours, might have fome blunders, and fome tricks, With fuch impartial fentiments I join, And their opinions tally juft with mine. 80 y I wou'd by no means church or king deltroy, And yet the doctrines, taught me when a boy z By CRAB the curate, now feem wond'rous odd, That either came immediately from God : a In all the writings of thofe high-flown ages 85 You meet with now and then fome fcatter'd pares Wrote with fome fpirit and with fenfe enough ; Thefe fell the book, the reft is wretched {luff: h I'm quite provok'd, when principles, tho' true, Muft ftand impeach'd by fools, becaufe they're new. F 4 Shou'd 72 HORATII Epift. I. Lib. II. c Recle necne crocum florefque perambulat Attas Kabula fi dubitem, clamant periifle pudorem Cuncti pene patres, ea cum reprendere coner Quas gravis ^Efopus, quae doctus Rofcius egit. Vel quia nil rectum, nifi quod placuit fibi, ducunt, d Vel quia turpe putant parere minoribus, & quae Imberbes didicere, fenes perdenda fateri. e Jam Saliare Numae carmen qui laudat, & illud Quod mecum ignorat, folup vult fcire viden ; Ingeniis non ille favet plauditque fepultis, Noftra fed impugnat, nos noflraque lividis odit. f Quod fi tarn Grascis novitas invifa fuiflet <^iiam nobis, quid nunc eflet vetus ? aut quid haberct Quod legeret, tereretque viritim publicus ufus ? * Ut primum pofitis nugari Grascia bellis Ccepit, & in vitium fortuna labier sequa, h Nunc athletarum ftudiis, nunc arfit equorum, 1 Marmoris, ut eboris fabros, ut asris amavit : Sufpendit picl:a vultum mentcmque tabella : k Nunc tibicinibus, nunc eft gavifa tragcedis : J Sub nutrice puella velut fi luderet infans, Quod cupide petiit, mature plena reliquit : Quid placet, aut odio eft, quod non mutabile crcdas ? ? Hoc paces habuere bonas, ventique fecundi. 5 u Romas IMITATED. 73 c Shou'd I but queftion, only for a joke, If all was flow'rs, when pompous HANMER fpoke, If things went right, when St. JOHN trod the ftage, How the old tories all would ftorm and rage ! o d They ftiun conviction, or becaufe a truth 95 Confefs'd in age implies they err'd in youth j Or that they fcorn to learn of junior wits : What ! to be taught by LYTTELTONS and PITTS, e When angry patriots or in profe or rhymes, Extoll the virtuous deeds of former times, i oo They only mean the prefent to difgrace, And look with envious hate on all in place : f But had the patriots of thofe ancient days, Play'd the fame game for profit, or for praife, The trade, tho' now fo flourishing and new, 105 Had long been ruin'd and the nation too. s ENGLAND, when once of peace and wealth pofleft, Began to think frugality a jeft, So grew polite ; hence all her well-bred heirs, h Gamefters, and jockeys turn'd, and cricket play'rs ; j Pictures and bufts in ev'ry houfe were feen ; in What fhou'd have paid the butcher, bought POUSSIN j k Now operas, now plays were all the fafhion, Then whift became the bus'nefs of the nation, 1 That, like a froward child, in wanton play 115 Now cries for toys, then tories them away -, Each hour we chang'd our pleafures, drefs, and diet j n Thefe were the bleft effects of being quiet. "Not 74 H OK A T 1 1 Epift. I. Lib. II. n Roma? duke diu fuit, & folenne reclufa Mane domo vigilare, client! promere jura, Cautos nominibus certis expendere nummos -, Majores audire, minores dicere per quas Crefcere res poflet minui damnofa libido. p Mutavit mentem populus levis ; & calet unp Scribendi fludio ; pueri, patrefque feveri q Fronde comas vindli ccenant, &; carmina didlant, r Ipfe ego, qui nullus me affirmo fcribere verfus, Invenior Parthis mendacior ; & prius orto Sole, vigil calamum, & chartas, & fcrinia pofco. * Navem agere ignarus navis timet ; abrotonum Non audet, nifi qui didicit, dare ; quod medicorum eft Promittunt medici : tracrtant fabrilia fabri , Scribimus indofti, dodlique poemata paflim. 1 Hie error tamen, & levis base infania quantas Yirtutes habeat, fie collige : Vatis avarus u Non IMITATED. 75 "Not thus behav'd the true old Englifh ? fquire, He fmoak'd his pipe each morrrby his own Hre, 120. There juftice to difpenfe was ever willing, And for his warrants pick'd up many a (hilling : To teach his younger neighbours always glad, Where for their corn beft markets might be had, And from experienc'd age as glad to learn,. 125 How to defraud unfeen the paribn's barn. p But now the world's quite alter'd, all are bent To leave their feats, and fly to parliament: Old men and boys in this alone agree, And vainly courting popularity, 130 Ply their obftrep'rous voters all night long q With bumpers, toafts, and now and then a fong : r Kv*n I, who fwear thefe follies I delpife, Than ftatefmen, or their porters, tell more lies ; And, for the fafhion-fake, in fpite of nature, 135 Commence fomctimes a moft important creature, Bufy as CAR w rave for ink and quills, And fluff my head and pockets full of bills. 8 Few land-men go to fea unlefs they're preft, And quacks in all profeffions are a jeft-, 143 None dare to kill, except moft learn'd phyficians, Learn'd, or unlearn'd, we all are politicians : There's not a foul but thinks, cou'd he be fent, H' has parts enough to fhine in parliament. 1 Tho' many ills this modern tafte produces, 145 Yet dill, my lord, 'tis not without its ufes ; 5 ." Thefe 76 H O R A T 1 1 Epift. I. Lib. II. u Non temere eft animus : verfus amat, hoc ftudet unum : w Detrimenta, fugas fervorum, incendia ridet ; x Non fraudem focio, puerove incogitat ullum Pupillo : y vivit filiquis, & pane fecundo ; z Militias quanquam piger, & malus^ utilis urbi. * Si das hoc parvis quoque rebus magna juvari, b Os tenerum pueri balbumque poeta figurat, c Torquet ab obfccenis jam nunc fermonibus aurem, * Mox etiam pectus prasceptis format amicis, Afperitatis, & invidias corrector, & iras : e Refte facia refert , orientia tempora notis Inftruit exemplis ; f inopem folatur & asgrum. - s Caftis cum pueris ignara puella mariti Difceret unde preces, vatem ni mufa dedifiet ? Pofcit opem chorus, & prasfentia numine fentir, k Cceleftes implorat aquas docta prece blandus"-, 1 Avertit IMITATED, 77 * Thefe minor politicians are a kind Not much to felfifh avarice inclin'd ; Do but allow them with applaufe to fpeak, w They little care, tho' all their tenants break ; 1 50 x They form intrigues with no man's wife, or daughter, y And live on pudden, chicken-broth, and water i 2 Fierce Jacobites, as far as bluft'ring words, But loth in any caufe to draw their fwords. a Were fmaller matters worthy of attention, 155 A thoufand other ufes I cou'd mention ; For inftance, in each monthly magazine Their effays and orations frill are feen, b And magazines teach boys and girls to read, And are the canons of each tradefman's creed ; 1 6s Apprentices they ferve to entertain, c Inftead of fmutty tales, and plays profane -, d InftrucT: them how their paffions to command, And to hate none but thofe who rule the land: * Fafts they record, births, marriages, and deaths, 165 f Sometimes receipts for claps, and ftinking breaths. 2 When with her brothers mifs comes up to town, How for each play can me afford a crown ? Where find diverfions gratis, and yet pretty, Unlefs me goes to church, or a committee ; 1 70 And fure committees better entertain, h Than hearing a dull parfon pray for rain, 1 Or 7 S HORATII Epift. I. Lib.'II; 4 Avertit morbos, metuenda pericula pellit. k Impetrat & pacem, & locupletem frugibus annurrl : 1 Carmine Dii fuperi placantur, carmine Manes. m Agricolas prifci, fortes, parvoque beati, n Condita pofc frumenta, levantes tempore feflo Corpus, & ipfum animum fpe finis dura ferenterri Cum fociis operum, & pueris, & conjuge fida Tellurem porco, Sylvanum lacte piabant, Floribus, &: vino, Genium memorem brevis sevi; Fefcennina per hunc inventa licentia morem Verfibus alternis opprobria ruftica fudit ; * Libertafque recurrentes accepta per annos ILufit amabilker j donee jam faevus apertam q In rabiem verti ccepit jocus, & per honeftas Ire domos impune minax 5 doluere cruento r Dent<: lacefTiti : fuit intadlis quoq-ue cura Conditione fuper communi ; quin etiam lex ' Poenaque lata, malo qus nollet carmine quenqnatri Defcribi; vertere modum fofmidine fuftis Ad bene dicendum, delecflandumque reducti. 1 Grascia capta ferum viclorem cepit, & artes Intulit agrefti Latio^ fie horridus ille u e Defluxit numerus Saturnius, & grave virus Munditise pepulere : fed in longum tamen xvaim w Manferunt, hodieque manent vefrigia ruris. x Serus IMITATED. 73 1 Or whining beg deliverance from battle, Dangers, and fins, and ficknefs amongft cattle ; At church me hears with unattentive ear 1 75 k The pray'rs for peace, and for a plenteous year, But here quite charm'd with fo much wit and fenfe, She falls a victim foon to eloquence ; Well may me fall ; fince eloquence has power 1 To govern both the upper houfe and lower. 180 m Our ancient gentry, frugal, bold, and rough, Were farmers, yet liv'd happily enough , "They, when in barns their corn was fafely lay'd^ For harveft-homes great entertainments made, The well-rubb'd tables crack'd with beef and pork, And all the fupper mar'd who mar'd the work , 1 86 This gave freeholders firit a tafte for eating^ And was the fource of all election-treating , p A while their jefts, tho' merry, yet were wife, And they took none but decent liberties. 190 Brandy and punch at length fuch riots bred, q No fober family cou'd fleep in bed : r All were alarm'd, ev'n thofe who had no hurt * CalFd in the law, to flop fuch dang'rous fport. * Rich citizens at length new arts brought down 195 With ready cam, to win each country town -, u This lefs diforders caus'd than downright drink, Freemen grew civil, and began to think -, w But flill all canvamng produc'd confufion, The relicts of its ruftic inflitvition. 200 "Tis 8o H O R A T 1 1 Epift. I. Lib. II. x Serus enim Grascis admovit acumina chartis, Et poft Punica bella quietus, quserere coepit, Quid Sophoclis, & Thefpis, & JEfchylus utile ferrent ; Tentavit quoque rem fi dighe vertere poflet, y Et placuit fibi natura fublimis, & acer, Nam fpirat tragicum fatis, & fcliciter audet : z Sed turpem putat in fcriptis, metuitque liturain. a Creditur ex medio quia res arcefiit, habere b Sudoris minimum , fed habet Comcedia tanto Plus oneris, quanto venise minus : c Afpice Plautus * Quo padlo partes tutetnr amantis ephebi ! e Ut patris attend, f lenonis ut infidiofi ; Quantus fit Dorfennus 8 edacibus in parafitis ! h Quam non adftrido percurrat pulpita focco : 1 Geftit enim nummos in loculos demittere, pofl hoc Securus cadat, an redto ftet fabula talo* k Quern tulit ad fcenam ventofo gloria curru, Exanimat lentus fpeftator, fedulus inftat - t Sic IMITATED. 8x 2 'Tis but of late, fince thirty years of peace: To ufeful fciences have giv'n increafe, That w'have inquir'd how ROME'S loft fons of old Barter'd their liberties for feafts and gold ; What treats proud SYLLA, C^LSAR, CRASSUS gave, And try'd, like them, to buy each hungryknave ; 206 Nor try'd in vain , y too fortunately bold Many have purchas'd votes, and many fold ; No laws can now amend this venal land, 2 That dreads the touch of a reforming hand. 210 Some think an int'reft m?.y be form'd with a Becaufe the vulgar we mud chiefly pleafe ; b But for that reaibn 'tis the harder tafk. For fuch will neither pardon grant, nor afk. c See how Sir W - maftcr of this art, 2 1 By different methods wins each C- - n heart. d He tells raw youths, that whoring is no harm, e And teaches their attentive fires to farm j To his own table lovingly invites, f Infidious pimps, and 8 hungry parafites : 22o h Sometimes in flippers, and a morning gown, He pays his early vifits round a Town, At every houfe relates Ms itories over, Of place-bills, taxes, turnips, and HANOVER -, 1 If tales will money lave, and bufmefs do, 225 It matters little, are they falfe or true. k Whoe'er prefers a clam'rons mob's applaufe To his own confcience, or his country's caufe, G Is 82 H O R A T 1 1 Epift. I. Lib. IT. I Sic leve, fie parvum eft, animum quod laudis avarum Subruit aut reficit : m Valeat res ludicra, fi me Palma negata macrum, donata reducit opimum. " Ssepe etiam audacem fugat hoc, terretque poetam Quod numero plures, virtute & honore minores, Indocli, ftolidique, & depugnare parati, Si difcordet eques, media inter carmina pofcunt Aut urfum, aut pugiles ; narn his plebecula gaudet. p Verum equitis quoque jam migravit ab aure voluptas Omnis ad incertos oculos, & gaudia vana : Quatuor aut plures Aulasa premuntur in horas, q Dum fugiunt equitum turmae, peditumque catervae^ Mox trahitur manibus regum fortuna retortis, EfTeda feftinant, pilenta, petorrita, naves, r Captivum portatur ebur, captiva Corinthus. Si foret in terris rideret Democritus, feu Diverfum confufa genus panthera, camelo Sive elephas albus vulgi converterer ora Speftaret populum ludis attentius ipfis ; Ut fibi prebentem mimo fpeclacula plura. Scriptores autem narrare putaret afello * Fabellam furdo ; nam quse pervincere voces Evalucre fonum, referent quem noftra theatra ? Garganum mugire putes nemus, aut mare Tufcum , Tanto cum ftrepitu ludi fpe6lantur, & artes Divitiseque peregrinse : r quibus oblitus actor Quum ftetit in fcena, concurrit dexterat lasva?. I I Dixit adhuc aliquid ? Nil fane : quid placet ergo ? Lana IMITATED. 3 Is foon elated, and as foon cad down By every drunken cobler's fmilc, or frown j 230 J So fmall a matter can deprefs or raife A mind, that's meanly covetous of praife : But if my quiet miift dependent be On the vain breath of popularity, A wind each hour to difPrent quarters Veering, 23^ m Adieu, fay I, to all Electioneering. " The boldeft orator it difconcerts, To find the many, tho* of meaneft parts, Illit'rate, fquabbling, difcontehted prigs, Fitter t' attend a boxing match at FIGG'SJ 240 To all good fenfe, and reafon fhut their ears, Yet take delight in S D M'S bulls and bears. p Young knights now fent from many a diftant {hire Are better pleas'd with what they fee than hear ; Their joy's to view his majefty approach, 245 Drawn by eight milk-white fteeds in gilded cdach, The pageant fhow and buftle to behold, * The gudrds both horfe and foot lac'd o'er with gold* The rich inflgnia from the Tower brought down, r The iv'ry fcepter and the radiant crown. 250 The mob huzza, the thund'ring cannons roar, And bufmefs is delay'd at leaft an hour , The Speaker calls indeed to mind what pafies, 5 But might as well read orders to deaf afles< * But now fee honeft V fife to joke ! 255 The houfe all laugh \ u what fays he ? has he fpoke ? G 2 No 84 H O R A T 1 1 Epift. I. Lib. II. Lana Tarentino violas irnitata vcneno. w Ac ne forte putes me, qus facere ipfe recufem, Quum I'efte traftcnt alii, laudare maligne ; x Ille per extentum funem mihi pofie videtur Ire poetam, meum qui pesftus inaniter angit. * Irritat, mulcet, a falfis terroribus implet, y Ut magus, & b modo me Thebis, modo ponit Athenis. c Verum age, &: his qui fe leclori credere malunt, Quam fpedatoris faftidia ferre fuperbi, Curam redde brevem ; d fi munus Apolline dignum Vis complere libris, c & vatibus addere calcar, Ut ftudio majore petant Helicona virentem : f Multa quidem nobis facimus mala faspe poets, g (Ut vineta egomet caedam mea) quum tibi librum h Sollicito damus, aut felTo ! quum laedimur, unum 1 Siquis amicorum eft aufus reprendere verfum : k Quum loca, jam recitata revolvimus inrevocati v 1 'Quum larnentamur, non apparere labores Noftros, & tenui dedufta poemata filo : m Quum IMITATED. 85 No not a word ; then whence this fudden mirth ? His phyz foretells fome jell's approaching birth. w But left I feem thefe orators to wrong, Envious becaufe I mare no gift of tongue, 260 * Is there a MAN whofe eloquence has pow'r To clear the fulled houfe in half an hour, Who now appears to rave and now to weep, 2 Who feme times makes us fwear, and fometimes fleep, Now fills our heads with falfe alarms from FRANCE, a Then conjurer like b to INDIA bids us dance, 267 All eulogies on him we own are true, For furely he does all that man can do. c But whilft, my lord, thefe makers of our laws, Thus fpeak themfelves into the world's applaufe, 270 4 Let bards for fuch attempts too modeft fhare What more they prize, your patronage and care, e If you would ipur them up the mufe's hill, Or afk their aid your library to fill. f We poets are in ev'ry age, and nation, 275 A mod abfurd, wrong-headed generation ; This in a thoufand inftances is (hewn, 1 (Myfelf as guilty as the reft I own) As when on you our nonfenfe we impofe, h Tir'd with the nonfenfe you have heard in profe , j When w' are offended, if fome honeft friend Prefumes one unharmonious verfe to mend , k When undefir'd our labours we repeat, 1 Grieve they're no more regarded by the Great, G 3 "'And 86 H O R A T 1 1 Epift. I. ^ib. II. m Quum fperamus eo rem ventnram, ut fimul atque Carmina refcieris nos fingere com modus uitro ArcefTas, & egere vetes, & fcribere cogas, n Sed tamen eft operas pretium cognofcere quales JEdituos habeat belli, fpectata domique Virtus, indigno non committenda poetas. Gratus Alexandro regi Magno fuit ille Choerilus, inculds qui verfibus & male natis Rettulit acceptos, regale numilrna, Philippos. Sed veluti tractata notam labemque remittunt Atramenta, fere fcriptores carmine fcedo Splendida fa6la linunt;. idem rex ille, poema Qui tarn ridiculum tam care prodigus emit, Edifto vetuit, nequis fe praeter Apellem Pingeret, aut alius Lyfippo duceret asra p Fortis Alexandri vukum fimulantia ; quod fi Judicium fubtile videndis artibus illud Ad libros, & ad base Mufarum dona vocares, 9 Basotum in craffo jurares aere natum. r At neque dedecorant tua de fe judicia, atque Munera, quas multa dantis cum laude tulerunt, "Delecli tibi Virgilius, Variufque poets : s Nee magis exprefli vultus per aenea figna Quam per vatis opus mores animique virorum Clarorum apparent. l Nee fermones ego mallem Repentes per humum, quam res componere geftas Terrarumque fitus, & fiumina dicere, & arces Montibus impofitas, 8c barbara regna, tuifque x Aufpiciis IMITATED. 87 13 And fancy, fhou'd You once but fee our faces, 285 You'd bid us write, and pay us all with places. n 'Tis your's, my lord, to form the foul to verfe, Who have fuch num'rous virtues to rehearfe ; Great ALEXANDER once, in ancient days, Pay'd CHOERILUS for daubing him with praife ; 290 And yet the fame fam'd heroe made a law, None but APELLES mou'd his picture draw; p None but LYSIPPUS caft his royal head In brafs : it had been treafon if in lead ; A prince he was in valour ne'er furpafs'd, 295 And had in painting too perhaps fome tafte ; But as to verfe, undoubted is the matter, * He muft be dull, as a Dutch commentator. r Bur you, my lord, a fav'rite of the mule, Wou'd chufe good poets, were there good to chufe ; 8 You know they paint the great man's foul as like, As can his features KNELLER, or VANDYKE. 302 1 Had 1 fuch pov/'r, I never wou'd compofe Such creeping lines as thefe, nor verfe, nor profe -, Ikit rather try to celebrate your praife, 305 u And with your juft encomiums fwell my lays : Had I a genius equal to my will, Gladly would I exert my utmoft fkill To confecrate to fame BRITANNIA'S land Receiving law from your impartial hand; 310 By your wife councils once more pow'rful made, Her fleets rever'd, and flouriming her trade ; G 4 * Ex- 88 H O R A T 1 1 Epift. I. Lib. II. x Aufpiciis totum confec~la duella per orbcm, Clauftraque cuftodem pads cohibentia Janum, w Et formidatam Parthis te principe Romam : u Si quantum cuperem, poffem quoque : y fed neque parvum Carmen majeftas recipit tua, nee meus audet Hem tentare pudor quam vires ferre -recufent. z Sedulitas autem, (hike quern diligit, urguet Pragcipue cum fe numeris commendat &: arte : Difcit enim citius meminitque libentius, illud Quod quis deridet, quam quod probat & veneratur. Nil moror officium quod me gravat : ac neque fido In pejus vultu proponi cereus ufquam, Nee prave faftis decorari verfibus opto : Ne rubeam pingui donatus munere, & una Cum fcriptore meo, capfa porreftus aperra, a Deferar in vicum vendentem thus & odores, Et piper, & quicquid chartis amicitur ineptis. IMITATED. 89 w Exhaufted nations trembling at her fword, * And * PEACE long wifh'd-for to the world reflor'd. y But your true greatnefs fuffers no fuch praife, 315 * My verfe would fink the theme it meant to raife ; Unequal to the tafk wou'd furely meet Deferv'd contempt, and each prefumptuous meet Could ferve for nothing, fcrawl'd with lines fo fimple, a Unlefs to wrap up fugar-loaves for Wimple. 320 , * A general peace was at this time juft concluded at Aix la Chapelle. [ 9 ] 7i the Right Honourable the E A R L of CHESTERFIELD, on his being in- flatted KNIGHT of the GARTER. THESE trophies, STANHOPE, of a lovely dame, Once the bright object of a monarch's flame, Who with fuch juft propriety can wear, As thou the darling of the gay and fair ? See ev'ry friend to wit, politenefs, love, With one confent thy Sovereign's choice approve ! And liv'd PLANTAGENET her voice to join, Hcrfelf, and GARTER, both were furely thine. [ 9* )K#**^*#)fc'*3(*>3c**(*)(( To a Lady in Town, foon after her leaving the WHILST you, 4ear maid, o'er thoufands born to reign, For the gay town exchange the rural plain, The cooling breeze, and ev'ning walk forfake For ftifling crowds, which your own beauties make -, Thro' circling joys while you incefTant ftray, Charm in the Mall, and fparkle at the play ; Think (if fucceffive vanities can fpare One thought to love) what cruel pangs I bear, Left in thefe plains all wretched, and alone, To weep with fountains, and with echos groan, And mourn incefifantly that fatal day, That all my blifs with CHLOE match'd away. Say by what arts I can relieve my pain, Mufic, verfe, all I try, but try in vain ; In vain the breathing flute my hand employs, Late the companion of my CHLOE'S voice, Nor 92 POEMS. Nor HANDEL'S nor CORELLI'S tuneful airs Can harmonize my foul, or footh my cares ; Thofe once-lov'd med'cines unfuccefsful prove, Mufick, alas, is but the voice of love ! In vain I oft harmonious lines perufe, And leek for aid from POPE'S, and PRIOR'S mufe ; Their treach'rous numbers but afilft the foe, And call forth fcenes of fympathifing woe : Here HELOISE mourns her abfent lover's charms, There parting EMMA fighs in HENRY'S arms j Their loves like mine ill-fated I bemoan, And in their tender forrows read my own. Reftlefs fometimes, as oft the mournful dove Forfakes her nefl forfaken by her love, I fly from home, and feek the facrcd fields Where CAM'S old urn its filver current yields, "Where folemn tow'rs o'erlook each moffy grove, As if to guard ,it from-th' aflaults of love ; Yet guard in vain, for there my CHLOE'S eyes But lately made whole colleges her prize ; Her fons, tho' few, not PALLAS cou'd defend, Nor DULLNESS fuccour to her thoufands lend ; Love like a fever with infectious rage Scorch'd up the young, and thaw'd the froft of age ? To gaze at her, ev'n DONNS were feen to run, And leave unfinim'd pipes, and authors - fcarce begun. * So POEMS. 93 * So HELEN look'd, and mov'd with fuch a grace, When the grave feniors of the Trojan race Were forc'd thofe fatal beauties to admire, That all their youth confum'd, and fet their town on fire. *' At fam'd NEWMARKET oft I fpend the day An unconcern'd fpedator of the play ; There pitilefs obferve the ruin'd heir With anger fir'd, or melting with defpair ; For how fhou'd I his trivial lofs bemoan, Who feel one, fo much greater, of my own ? There while the golden heaps, a glorious prize, Wait the decifion of two rival dice, Whilft long difputes 'twixtfeven and/w remain, And each, like parties, have their friends for gain, Without one wifh I fee the guineas mine, Fate, keep your gold, I cry, make CHLOE mine. Now fee, prepar'd their utmoft fpeed to try, O'er the fnicoth turf the bounding racers fly ! Now more and more their (lender limbs they ftrain, And foaming ftretch along the velvet plain ! Ah (lay ! fwift Heeds, your rapid flight delay, No more the jockey's fmarting lam obey : But rather let my hand direct the rein, And guide your fteps a nobler prize to gain , Then fwift as eagles cut the yielding air, Bear me, oh bear me to the abfent fair. * Vid. Horn. IL. Lib. in. Ver. 150. Now ** P E M S. Now when the Wind's are hufh'd, the air ferene, And chearful fun-beams gild the beateous fcent* Penfive o'er all the neighb'ring fields I ftray, Where-e'er or choice, or chaAce directs the way : Or view the op'ning lawns, or private woods, Or diftant bluifh hills, or filver floods : Now harmlefs birds in filken nets infnare, "J Now with fwift dogs purfue the flying hare : > Dull fpofts ! for oh my CHLOE is not there ! J Fatigu'd at length I willingly retire To a fmall fludy, and a chearful fire, There o'er fome folio 0r, I pore 'tis true, But oh my thoughts are fled, and fled to you t I hear you, fee you, feaft upon your eyes, And clafp with eager arms the lovely prize ; Here for a while I cou'd forget my pain, Whilft I by dear reflection live again : But ev'n thefe joys are too fublime to laft, And quickly fade, like all the real ones paft ; For juft when now beneath fome filent grove I hear you talk and talk perhaps of love, Or charm with thrilling notes the lift'ning ear, Sv/eeter than angels fing, or angels hear, My treach'rous hand its weighty charge lets go, The book falls thund'ring on the floor below, The pleafing vifion in a moment's gofie, And I once more am wretched, and alone. So POEMS. 95 So when glad ORPHEUS from th* infernal made Had juft recall'd his long-lamented maid, Soon as' her charms had reach'd his eager eyes, Loft in eternal night again me dies. To a LADY. Sent with a Prefent of Shells and Stones defigrid for a GROTTO. WITH gifts like thefe, the fpoils of ncighb'ring- mores, The Indian fwain his fable love adores. Off'rings well fuited to the dufky mrine Of his rude goddefs, but unworthy mine : And yet they feem not fuch a worthlefs prize, If nicely view'd by philofophic eyes ; And fuch are yours, that nature's works admire With warmth like that, which they themfelves infpire. To fuch how fair appears each grain of fand, Or humbled weed as wrought by nature's hand ! How far fuperior to all human pow'r Springs the green blade, or buds the painted flow'r ! In all her births, tho* of the meaneft kinds, A juft obferver entertainment finds, With 96 P O E M S. With fond delight her low productions fees, And how Ihe gently rifes by degrees ; A fhell, or ftone he can with pleafure view, Hence trace her nobleft works, the heav'ns and you* Behold, how bright thefe gaudy trifles fhine, The lovely fportings of a hand divine ! See with what art each curious fhell is made, Here carv'd in fretwork, there with pearl inlaid I What vivid ftreaks th' enamell'd ftones adorn, Fair as the paintings of the purple morn ! Yet ftill not half their charms can reach our eyes, While thus confus'd the fparkling chaos lies ; Doubly they'll pleafe, when in your grotto plac'd, They plainly fpeak their fair difpofer's tafte; Then glories yet unfeen fhall o'er them rife, New order from your hand, new luftre from your eyes. How fweet, how charming will appear this Grot, When by your art to full perfection brought ; Here verdant plants, and blooming flow'rs will grow, There bubbling currents thro' the (hell-work flow ; Here coral mixt with fhells of various dyes, There polifh'd ftones will charm our wand'ring eyes j Delightful bow'r of blifs ! fecure retreat ! Fit for the Mufes, and ST AT IRA'S featr But ftill how good muft be that fair one's mind, Who thus in folitude can pleafure find ! The mufe her company, good-fenfe her guide, Refiftlefs charms her pow'r, but not her pride : i Who POEMS, 97 Who thus forfakes the town, the park, and play, In filent lhades to pafs her hours away ; Who better likes to breathe frefh country air j Than ride imprifon'd in a velvet chair, And makes the warbling nightingale her choice. Before the thrills of FARINELLI'S voice ; Prefers her books, and cpnfcience void of ill, To conforts, balls, aflemblies, and quadrille : Sweet bow'rs more pleas'd than gilded chariots fees, For groves the playhoufe quits, and beaus for trees. Bleft is the man, whom heav'n mail grant one hour With fuch a lovely nymph, in fuch a lovely bow'r ! QftAftft^^ To a LADY, In Anfwer to a Letter wrote in a very fine Hand. WHILST well-wrote lines our wond'ring eyes, command, The beauteous work of CHLOE'S artful hand, Throughout the finim'd piece we fee difplay'd Th' exa<5beft image of the lovely maid , Such is her wit, and fuch her form divine, This pure, as flows the ftyle thro* ev'ry line, That like each letter, exquifitely fine, H 9 5 POEMS. See with what art the fable currents (lain In wand'ring mazes all the milk-white plain I Thus o'er the meadows wrap'd in filver fnow Unfrozen brooks in dark meanders flow , Thus jetty curls in mining ringlets deck The ivory plain of lovely CHLOE'S neck : See, like fome virgin, whofe unmeaning charms Receive new luftre from a lover's arms, The yielding paper's pure, but vacant breaft, By her fair hand and flowing pen impreft, At ev'ry touch more animated grows, And with new life and new ideas glows, Frelh beauties from the kind defiler gains, And .mines each moment brighter from its ftains. Let mighty Love no longer boaft his darts, That ftrike unerring, aim'd at mortal hearts ; CHLOE, your quill can equal wonders do, Wound full as fure, and at a diftance too : Arm'd with your feather'd weapons in your hands, From pole to pole you fend your great commands, To diftant climes in vain the lover flies, Your pen o'ertakes him, if he 'fcapes your eyes -, So thofe, who from the fword in battle run But perifli victims to the diftant gun. Beauty's a fbort-liv'd blaze, a fading flowV, But thefe are charms no ages can devour ; Thefe far fuperior to the brighteft face, Triumph alike o'er time as well as fpace. When.' POEMS 99 When that fair form, which thoufands now adore, By years decay'd, mall tyrannize no more, Thefe lovely lines fhall future ages view, And eyes unborn, like ours, be charm'd by you. How oft do I admire with fond delight The curious piece, and wifh like you to write ! Alas, vain hope ! that might as well afpire To copy PAULO'S ftroke, or TITIAN'S fire : Ev'n now your fplendid lines before me lie, And I in vain to imitate them try ; Believe me, fair, I'm practifing this art, To fteal your hand, in hopes to fteal your heart. To the Right Honourable the Lady MARGARET CAVENDISH HARLEY, prefented with a Collection of POEMS. THE tuneful throng was ever beauty's care, And verfe a tribute facred to the fair ; Hence in each age the lovelieft nymph has been, By undifputed right, the mufes queen ; Her fmiles have all poetic bofoms fir'd, And patronis'd the verfe themfelves infpir'd: LESBIA prefided thus in Roman times, Thus SACHARISSA reign'd o'er Britifh rhymes, And prefent bards to MARGARETTA bow, For, what they were of old, is HARLEY now, H 2 From joo POEMS. From OXFORD'S houfe, in thefe dull bufy days, Alone we hope for patronage, or praife* He to our flighted labours ftill is kind, Beneath his roof w* are ever fure to find (Reward fufficient for the world's neglect) Charms to infpire, and goodnefs to protect ; Your eyes with rapture animate our lays, Your fire's kind hand uprears our drooping bays i Form'd for our glory and fupport, ye feem, Our conftant patron he, and you our theme. Where Ihou'd poetic homage then be pay'd ? Where ev'ry verfe, but at your feet, be lay'd ? A do'uble right you to this empire bear, As firft in beauty, and as OXFORD'S heir. Illuflrious maid ! in whofe fole perfon join'd Ev'ry perfection of the fair we find, Charms that might warrant all her fex's pride, Without one foible of her fe to hide ; Good nature artlefs as the bloom that dyes Her cheeks, and wit as piercing as her eyes. Oh HA R LEY ! cou'd but you thefe lines approve, Thefe children fprung from idlenefs and love, Cou'd they, (but ah how vain is the defign !) Hope to amufe your hours, as once they've mine, ' Th' ill judging world's applaufe, and critics blame? Alike I'd fcorn : Your approbation's fame. HORACE, HORACE, BOOK II. ODE XVI. IMITATED, [ 202 ] H O R A T I I, LIB. II. OD. XVI. 1. /^VTIUM divos rogat in patenti \*J Prenfus ^Egeo, fimul atra nubes Condidit Lunam, neque certa fulgent Sidera nautis. 2. Otium bello furiofa Thrace, Otium Medi pharetra decori Grofphe, non gemmis, neque purpura ve- nale, nee auro. 3. Non enim gazae, neque confularis Summovet liftor miferos tumnltus Mentis, & curas laqueata circum Te6ta volantes. 4. Vivitur parvo bene cui paternum Splendit in mensa tenui falinum, leves fomnos timor, aut cupido Sordidus aufert. 3 Quid t I0 3 'J HORACE, B O O K II. ODE XVI. IMITATED. To the Hon. PHILIP YORKE, Efq; Soon after the General Ele&ion in 1747. i.TT^OR quiet, YORKE, the failor cries, C When gathering ftbrms obfcure the fides, The ftars no more appearing j 2. The candidate for quiet prays, Sick of the bumpers and huzza's, Of bleft electioneering. 3. Who thinks, that from the Speaker's chair The Serjeant's mace can keep off care, Is wond'rouQy miftaken : 4. Alas ! he is not half fo bleft As thofe, wh' have liberty, and reft, And dine on beans and bacon. H 4 5. Why 104 H O R AT 1 1 Lib. II. Ode i& Quid brevi fortes jaculamur asvo Multa ? quid terras alio calente 5. Sole mutamus ? patrise quis exul Se quoque fngit ? 6. Scandit seratas vitiofa naves Gura: nee turmas equitum relinquit, Ocyor cervis, & agente nimbos Ocyor Euro. 7. Lsetus in praefens animus, quod ultra eft Oderit curare, & amara lento Temperet rifu. Nihil eft ab omni 8. Parte beatum. 9. Abftulit clarum cita mors Achillerrij 10. Longa Tithonum minuit feneftiis ; Et mihi forfan, tibi quod negarit, Porriget hora. ii. Te IMITATED. 105 5. Why mould we then to London run, And quit our chearful country fun For bufmefs, dirt, and fmoke? Can we, by changing place, and air, Ourfelves get rid of, or our care ; In troth 'tis all a joke. 6. Care climbs proud mips of mightieft force, And mounts behind the general's horfe, Outftrips huflars, and pandours ; Far fwifter than the bounding hind, Swifter than clouds before the wind, Or before th'Highlanders. 7. A man, when once he's fafely chofe, Shou'd laugh at all his threatning foes, Nor think of future evil : Each good has its attendant ill ; 8. A feat is no bad thing, but ftill Elections are the devil. 9. Its gifts with hand impartial heav'n Divides : to ORFORD it was giv'n To die in full-blown glory; 10. To ' indeed a longer date, But then with unrelenting hate Purfu'd by Whig and Tory. ii. The io6 : T O R A T 1 1 Lib. II. Ode 1 6. ' 11. Te greges centum, Siculaeque circum Mugiunt vaccse : tibi tollit hinnitum 12. Apta quadrigis equa : te bis Afro Munce tindbe * Veftiunt lanae : 13. mihi parva rura 14. Spiritum Graiae tenuem Camoenas Parca non mendax dedit, & malignum Spernere vulgus. HORATII, IMITATED. 107 11. The gods to you with bounteous hand Have granted feats, and parks, and land j Brocades and filks you wear ; With claret, and ragouts you treat, 12. Six neighing fteeds with nimble feet Whirl on your gilded car : 13. To me they've giv'n a fmall retreat, Good port and mutton, bed of meat, With broad-cloth on my moulders, A foul that fcorns a dirty job, 14. Loves a good rhyme, and hates a mob, I mean who an't freeholders. HORACE, C 108 ] H O R A T I I, LIB. IV. OD. VIII. i. TP\ONAREM pateras grataque commodus, JL/ Cenforine, . meis sera fodalibus : Donarem tripodas, pra^mia fortium Grajorum -, 2. neque tu peffima munernm Ferres, me divite fcilicet artium, Quas aut Parrhafius protulit aut fcopas 3. Hie faxo, liquidis ille coloribus vSolers nunc hominem ponere, nunc deum. 4. Sec* HORACE, B O O K IV. ODE VIII. IMITATED. [ To the Same. ] r. 1P\ID but kind fate to me impart \J Wealth equal to my gen'rous heart, Some curious gift to ev'ry friend, A token of my love, I'd fend , 2. But ftill the choiceft and the beft Shou'd be conlign'd to friends at WREST. An organ, which, if right I guefs, Wou'd beft pleafe lady MARCHIONESS, Shou'd rirft be fent by my command, Worthy of her infpiring hand : To lady BELL of niceft mould A coral fet in burnifh'd gold : To you, well knowing what you like, 1 3. Portraits by LELY or VANDYKE, > A curious bronze, or buft antique. J 4. But ito HORATII Lib.IV. OdeS. 4. Sed non haec mihi vis, nee tibi talium Res eft, aut animus deliciarum cgens Gaudes carminibus, carmina pofllimus Donare, 5. & pretium dicere muneri. 6. Non incifa notis marmora publicis Per quas fpiritus & vita fedit bonis Poft mortem ducibus : non celeres fugas Rejedasque retrorfum Annibalis minse Non incendia Carthaginis impias Ejus, qui domita nomen ab Africa Lucratus rediit, clarius indicant Laudes, quam Calabras Pierides, neque 7. Si charts fileant quod bene feceris Mercedem tuleres. 8. Quid foret Ilise Mavortifque puer fi taciturnitas Obftaret meritis invida Romuli ? Ereptum Stygiis fluftibus ^acurn Virtus & favor & lingua potentium Vatum divitibus confecrat infuiis. 9. Dignum IMITATED. in 4. But fmce thefe gifts exceed my power, And you, who need not wifh for more, Already bleft with all that's fine, Are pleas'd with verfe, tho' fuch as mine 5 As poets us'd in ancient times, I'll make my prefents all in rhymes j 5. And left you fhou'd forget their worth, Like them I'll fet their value forth. 6. Not monumental brafs or ftones, The guardians of heroic bones, Not victories won by MARLBRO'S fword, Nor titles which thefe feats record, Such glories o'er the dead diffufe, As can the labours of the mufe. 7. But if me fhou'd her aid deny, With you your virtues all muft die, Nor tongues unborn mail ever fay How wife, how good, was lady GREY* 8. What now had been th* ignoble doom Of him who built imperial ROME ? Or him deferving ten times more, Who fed the hungry, cloth'd the poor, Clear'd ftreams, and bridges laid acrofs, And built the little church of Ross ? Did not th' eternal powers of verfe From age to age their deeds rehearfe. 9. The ii2 HORATII Lib. IV. Ode 8. 9. Dignum laude virum Mufa vetat mori, Ccelo mufa beat: 10. Sic Jovis intereft Optatis epulis impiger Hercules Clarum Tyndaridas fidus ab infimis Quafias eripiunt sequoribus rates. Ornatus viridi tempora pampino Liber vota bonos ducit ad exitus. IMITATED. 113 9. The mufe forbids the brave to die, Beftowing immortality ; 10. Still by her aid in bled abodes ALCIDES feails among the Gods ; And royal ARTHUR itill is able To fill his hofpitable table With Englim beef, and Englim knights, And looks with pity down on WHITE'S* [ "4 ] "To the Hon. Mifs Y o R K E, on her Marriage to Lord A N s o N. TTICTORIOUS ANSON fee returns V From the fubjected main ! With joy each Britifh bofom burns, Fearlefs of FRANCE and SPAIN. Honours his grateful Sovereign's hand, Conqueft his own beftows, Applaufe unfeign'd his native land, Unenvy'd wealth her foes. But ftill, my fon, BRITANNIA cries, Still more thy merits claim ; Thy deeds deferve a richer prize, Than titles, wealth, or fame : Twice wafted fafe from pole to pole Th* haft fail'd the globe around ; Contains it ought can charm thy foul ? Thy fondeft. wiflies bound ? F O E M S. Is there a treafure Worth thy care Within th' incircling line ? Say, and I'll weary heav'n with pray'r, To make that treafure thine. Heav'n lifteh'd to BRITANNIA'S voice, Agreed that more was due : He chofe - - the gods approv'd his choice, And pay'd him all in You. CHLOE to STREP H ON, A SONG. TOO plain, dear youth, thefe tell-tale eyes My heart your own declare ; But for heav'n's fake let it fuffice, You reign triumphant there. forbear yolir utmoft pow'r to try, Nor farther urge your fway ; Prefs not for what I mull deny, For fear I fhou'd obey. Could all your arts fuccefsful prove. Wou'd you a maid undo ? Whofe greateft failing is her love, And that her love for you. I 2 Sav, n6 POEMS. Say, would you life that very pcw'r You from her fondneis claim, To ruin, in one fatal hour, A life of fpotlefs fame ? Ah ! ceafe, my dear, to do an ill, Becaufe perhaps you may ; But rather try your utmoil fkill To fave me, than betray. Be you yourfelf my virtue's guard, Defend, and not purfue ; Since 'tis a tafk for me too hard, To fight with love and you. ( A SONG. CEASE, SALLY, thy charms to expand, All thy arts and thy witchcraft forbear, Hide thofe eyes, hide that neck and that hand. And thofe fweet flowing trefTes of hair. Oh ! torture me not for Love's fake, With the fmrrk of thofe delicate lips, With that head's dear fignificant fhake, And the tofs of the hoop and the hips. Oh! POEMS. 117 Oh ! fight flill more fatal ! look there O'er her tucker what murderers peep ! So now there's an end of my care, 1 fhall never more eat, drink, or fleep. D'you fing too ? ah mifchievous thought ! Touch me, touch me not there any more ; Who the devil can 'fcape being caught In a trap that's thus baited all o'er ? But why to advife jhou'd I try ? What nature ordains we muft prove ; You no more can help charming, than I Can help being charm'd, and in love. A SONG. WHEN firft I fought fair C/ELIA'S love, And ev'ry charm was new, I fwore by all the gods above To be for ever true. But long in vain did I adore, Long wept and figh'd in vain, She Hill protefted, vow'd, and fwore, She ne'er would eafe my pain. I 3 At O E M S s At laft o'ercome fhe made me And yielded all her charms, And I forfook her when pofieft, And fled to others arms. , But let not this, dear C^ELIA, now To rage -thy breaft incline , For why, fince you forget your vow, Shou'd I remember mine ? The CHOICE. HAD I, PYGMALION like, the pow'r To make the nymph I wou'd adore j The model fhou'd be thus defign'd, Like this her form, like this her mind. Her fkin fhou'd be as lilies fair, With rofy cheeks and jetty hair, Her lips with pure vermilion fpread, And foft and moift, as well as red -, Her eyes fhou'd mine with vivid light At once both languiming, and bright , Her Ihape fhou'd be exacl and fmall, Her ftature rather low than tall ; Her limbs well turned, her air and mien At once both fprightly and fere- ; Befides all this, a namelefs grace Shou'd be diffus'd all o'er her face ; Tq POEMS. 119 To make the lovely piece complete, Not only beautiful, but fweet. This for her form ; now for her mind -, I'd have it open, gen'rous, kind, Void of all coquettifh arts, And vain defigns of conquering hearts, Not fway'd by any views of gain, Nor fond of giving others pain ; But foft, rho' bright, like her own eyes, Difcreetly witty, gayly wife. I'd have her ikill'd in ev'ry art That can engage a wand'ring heart ; Know all the fciences of love, Yet ever willing to improve ; To prefs the hand, and roll the eye, And drop fometimes an amorous figh, To lengthen out the balmy kifs, And heighten ev'ry tender blifs; And yet I'd have the charmer be By nature only taught, or me. I'd have her to flric~t honour ty'd, And yet without one fpark of pride i In company well dreft and fine, Yet not ambitious to outfhine ; In private always neat and clean, And quite a ftranger to the fpleen-, I 4 Well- j20 P O E M S, Well-pleas'd to grace the park, and play, And dance fometimes the nijit away, But oftner fond to fpend her hours In folitude, and fhady bovv'rs, And there beneath fome filent grove, Delight in poetry, and love. Some fparks of the poetick fire I fain would have her foul infpire, Enough, at leaft, to let her know What joys- from love and virtue flow ; Enough, at leaft, to make her wife, And fops, and fopperies defpife ; Prefer her books, and her own mufe To vifits, fcanual, chat, and news -, Above her fex exalt her mind, And make her more than woman-kind, >C>(X>0 Yet ftill, fo learn'd, herfelf me little knew, 'Till LOCKE'S unerring pen the portrait drew. So beauteous EVE, a while in Eden ftray'd, And all her great Creator's works furvey'd \ By fun, and moon, me knew to mark the hour, She knew the genus of each plant and flow'r j She knew, when fporting on the verdant lawn, The tender lambkin, and the nimble fawn : But ftill a ftranger to her own bright face, She guefs'd not at its form, nor what me was ; 'Till led at length to fome clear fountain^ fide,. She view'd her beauties in the cryftal tick.; The mining mirror all her charms difplays, And her eyes catch their own rebounded rays. [ 128 ] Written In a L A D vV Volume of TRAGEDIES. SINCE thou, relentlefs maid, can'ft daily hear Thy flave's complaints without one figh or tear, Why beats thy breaft, or thy bright eyes o'erfiow At thefe imaginary fcenes of woe ? Rather teach thefe to weep and that 'to heave, At real pains themfelves to thoufands give ; And if fuch pity to feign'd love is due, Confider how much more ou owe to true. CUPID reliev'd. AS once young CUPID went aftray The little god I found ; I took his bow and mafts away, And faft his pinions bound. At CHLOE'S feet my fpoils I caft, My conqueft proud to mew ; She faw his godfhip fetter'd faft, And fmil'd to fee him Ib. But POEMS. 129 But ah ! that fmile fuch frefh fupplies Of arms refiftlefs gave ! I'm forc'd again to yield my prize, And fall again his Have. *++^^ The WAY to be WISE. Imitated from LA FONTAINE. POOR JENNY, am'roiis, young, and gayj Having by man been led aftray, To nun'ry dark retir'd ; There liv'd, and look'd fo like a maid, So feklom eat, fo often pray'd, She was by all adrmVd. The lady ABBESS oft would cry, If any filter trod awry, Or prov'd an idle flattefn 5 See wife, and pious Mrs. JANE, A life fo drift, fo grave a mien Is fure a worthy pattern. A pert young flut at length replies, Experience, madam, makes folks wife, 'Tis that has made her fuch -, And we, poof fouls, no doubt mou'd be As pious, and as wife, as ilie, If we had feen as much. K The The S N O W-B A L L. From PETRONIUS WHITE as her hancl fair JULIA threw A ball of filver fnow > The frozen globe ftr'd as it flew, My bofom felt it glow. Strange pow'r of love ! whofe great command Can thus a fnow-ball arm ; When fent, fair JULIA from thine hand, Ev'n ice itfelf can Warm. How mould we then fecure our hearts ? Love's pow'r we all muft feel, Who thus can, by ftrange magick arts, In ice his flames conceal. 'Tis thou alone, fair JULIA, know, ' Canft quench my fierce defire, But not with water, ice, or fnow, But with an equal fire, ANACREON, t '31 ] A N A C R E O N, Ode XX, A Rock on Phrygian plains we fee That once was beauteous NIOBE i And PROGNE, too revengeful fair ! Now flits a wand'ring bird in air: Thus I a looking-glafs wou'd be, That you, dear maid, might gaze on me j Be changM to flays, that fbraitly lac'd, I might embrace thy (lender waift.; A filver flream I'd bathe thee, fair, Or mine pomatum on thy hair ; In a foft fable's tippet's form I'd kifs thy fnowy bubbies warm ; In Ihape of pearl thy bofom deck, And hang for ever round thy neck : Pleas'd, to be ought, that touches you, Your glove, your garter, or your (hoe. K 2 [ '32 ] A Tranjtation of fame LATIN VERSES on the CAMERA OBSCURA. THE various pow'rs of blended made, and light, The fkilful ZEUXIS of the dufky night j The lovely forms, that paint the fnowy plain Free from the pencil's violating (lain, In tuneful lines harmonious PHOEBUS, fing, At once of light, and verfe celeftial king. Divin ; APOLLO I let thy facred fire Thy youthful bard's unfkilful breaft infpire, Like the fair empty fheet he hangs to view, Void, and unfurnilh'd, till infpir'd by you ; O let one beam, one kind inlightning ray At once upon his mind, and paper play ! Hence fhall his breaft with bright ideas glow, Hence numerous forms the filver field mall ftrew. But now the mufe's ufeful precepts view, And with juft care the pleafmg work purfue. Firft chufe a window that convenient lyes, And to the north directs the wand'ring eyes, Dark be the room, let not a ftraggling ray Intrude, to chafe the Ihadowy forms away, 5 Except POEMS. 133 Except one bright, refulgent blaze convey'd, Thro f a ftrait paflage in the mutter made, In which th' ingenious artift firft muft place A little, convex, round, tranfparent glafs, And juft behind th' extended paper lay, On which his art mall all its pow'r difplay : There* rays reflected from all parts fhall meet, And paint their objects on the filver meet ; A thoufand forms fhall in a moment rife, And magick landfkips charm our wand'ring eyes ; 'Tis thus from ev'ry object that we view, 'If EPICURUS' doctrine teaches true, The fubtile parts upon our organs play, And to our minds th' external forms convey. But from what caufes all thefe wonders flow, 'Tis not permitted idle bards to know, How thro' the center of the convex glafs, The piercing rays together twitted pafs, Or why revers'd the lovely fcenes appear, Or why the fun's approaching light they fear j Let grave philofophers the caufe enquire, Enough for us to fee, and to admire. See then what forms with various colours (lain The painted furface of the paper plain ! Now bright, and gay, as mines the heav'nly bow, So late a wide, unpeopled wafte of fnow : Here verdant groves, there golden crops of corn The new uncultivated fields adorn ; K 3 Here i$4 POEM S. Here gardens deckt with flow'rs of various dyes, There (lender tow'rs, and little cities rife : But all with tops inverted downward bend, Earth mounts aloft, and fkies and clouds defcend : Thus the wile vulgar on a pendent land Imagine our antipodes to (land, And wonder much, how they fecurely go, And not fall headlong on the hcav'ns below. The charms of motion here exalt each part Above the reach of great APELLES' art ; Zephyrs the waving harveft gently blow, The waters curl, and brooks inceflfant flow ; Men, beads, and birds in fair confufion ft ray, Some rife to fight, whilft others pafs away. On all we feize that comes within our reach, The rolling coach we ftop, the horfe-man catch ; Compel the pofting traveller to flay ; But the fhort vifit caufes no delay, Again, behold what lovely profpects rife ! Now with the lovelieft f'eaft your longing- eyqs, Nor let ftricl modefty be here afraid, To view upon her head a beauteous maid : See in fmall folds her waving garments flow, And all her (lender limbs ftili flend'rer grow ; Contracted in one little orb is found The fpacious hoop, once five vaft ells around ; But think not to embrace the flying fair, Soon will (he quit your arms unfeen as air, la P Q E M. S. i,3 In this refembling too a tender maid, Coy to the lover's touch, and of his hand afraid. Enough w' have fen, now let th' intruding clay Chafe all the lovely magic icenes away , Again th' unpeopled fnowy wafte returns, And the lone plajn its faded glories mourns, The bright creation in a moment flies, And all the pigmy generation dies. Thus, when dill night her gloomy mantle fpreads, The fairies dance around the flow'ry meads ! But when the day returns, they wing their flight; To diflant lands, and Ihun th' unwelcome light. TEMPLE of VENUS. IN her own ifle's rernoteft grove Stands VENUS' lovely Ihrine, Sacred to beauty, joy, and love, And built by hands divine. The polifh'd ftructure, fair and bright As her own ivory fkin, Without is alabafter white, And ruby all within. K 4 Above, , 3 6 POEMS, Above, a cupola charms the view, "Wjiite as unfully'd fnow ; Two columns of the fame fair hue Support the dome below. Its walls a trickling fountain laves, In which fuch virtue reigns, That, bath'd in its balfamic waves. No lover feels his pains. Before th* unfolding gates there fpreads A fragrant fpicy grove, That with it's curling branches (hades The labyrinths of Love. Bright Beauty here her captives holds. Who kifs their eafy chains, And in fofteft clofeft folds Her willing flaves detains. Would'ft thou, who ne'er thefe feas haft try'd. Find where this ifland lies, Let pilot Love the rudder guide, And (leer by CHLOE'S eyes. I 137 ] On a NOSEGAY in the Count efs of COVENTRY'S Breajt. In Imitation of WA L L E R. DElightful fcene ! in which appear At once all beauties of the year! See how the Zephyrs of her breath Fan gently all the flow'rs beneath ! See the gay fiow'rs, how bright they glow, Tho' planted in a bed of fnow ! Yet fee how foon they fade, and die, Scorch'd by the fimfhine of her eye ! No wonder if, o'ercome with blifs, They droop their heads to fleal a kifs ; Who would not die on that dear bread ? Who would not die to be fo bleft ? The The 'SQUIRE and the PARSON. An ECLOGUE. Written on the Conclufion of the Peace, 1748. BY his hall chimney, where in rufty grate Green faggots wept their own untimely fate 3 In elbow-chair, the penfive 'fquire reclin'd, Revolving debts and taxes in his mind : A pipe juft fill'd upon a table near Lay by the London-Evening ftain'd with beer, With half a bible, on whofe remnants torn Each parifh round was annually forfworn. The gate now claps, as ev'ning juft grew dark, Tray ftarts, and with a growl prepares to bark ; But foon difcerning with fagacious nofe, "I The well-known favour of the parfon's toes, > Lays down his head, and finks in foft repofe : J. The doctor ent'ring, to the tankard ran, Takes a good hearty pull, and thus began : PARSON. Why fit'ft thou, thus forlorn and dull, my friend, Now war's rapacious reign is at an end ? Hark, how the diftant bells infpire delight ! See bonfires fpangle o'er the veil of night ! 'SQUIRE. POEMS. What's peace, alas ! in foreign parts to me ? At home, nor peace, nor plenty can I fee ; Joylefs, I hear drums, bells, and fiddles found, 'Tjs all the fame Four Ihillings in trie pound. My wheels, tho' old, are clog'd with a new tax ; My oaks, tho' young, mw-ft groan beneath the axe : My barns are half unthatch'd, untyPd my houfe, Loft by this fatal ficknefs all my cows : See there's the bill my late damn'd lawfuit coft ! Long as the land contended for, and loft: Ev'n Ormond's head I can frequent no more, So fhort my pocket is, fo long the fcore ; At fhops all round I owe for fifty things. This comes of fetching Hanoverian kings. PARSON. I muft confefs the times are bad indeed, No wonder ; when we fcarce believe our creed , When purblind reafon's deem'd the fureft guide, And heav'n-born faith at her tribunal try'd ; When all church-pow'r is thought to make men (laves, Saints, martyrs, fathers, all call'd fools, and knaves. 'S QJU i R E. Come, preach no more, but drink, and hold your tongue : I'm for the church : but think the parfons wrong. PARSON, 14$ POEMS. PARSON. See there ! free-thinking now fo rank is grown, It ipreads infection thro' each country town ; Deiftic feoffs fly round at rural boards, 'Squires, and their tenants too, profane as lords, Vent impious jokes on every facred thing ; 'Soju IR E. Come drink -, PARSON. Here's to you then, to church and king : S S <*v i R E. Here's church and king ; I hate the glafs fhou'd ftand, Tho' one takes tythes, and t'other taxes land. PARSON*. Heav'n with new plagues will fcourgc this finful nation, Unlefs we foon repeal the toleration, And to the church reftore th^ convocation : i 'Sqjtf i R E. Plagues we fhou'd feel fufficient, on my word, Starv'd by two houfes, prieft-rid by a third. For better days we lately had a chance, Had not the honeft Plajds been trick'd by France. PARSON. POEMS. 141 PARSON. Is not mofl gracious GEORGE^UF faith's defender ? You love the church, yet wilh for the pretender ! *S QJLT i R E. Preferment, I fuppofe, is what you mean ; Turn whig, and you, perhaps, may be a dean : But you muft firft learn how to treat your betters. What's here ? fure fome ftrange news, a boy with letters ; Oh, ho ! here's one, I fee, from parfon SLY : " My rev'rend neighbour SQUAB being like to die; " I hope, if heav'n mould pleafe to take him hence, " To alk the living wou'd be no offence." PA R SON. Have you not fwore, that I fhou'd SQUAB fucceed ? Think how for this I taught your fons to read - t How oft difcover'd pufs on new-plow'd land, -v How oft fupported you with friendly hand , / When I cou'd fcarcely go, nor cou'd your worfhip f ftand. 'S QJU I R E. 'Twas yours, had you been honeft, wife, or civil ; Now ev'n go court the bilhops or the devil. PA R SON. If I meant any thing, now let me die ; "1 I'm blunt, and cannot fawn and cant, not I, > Like that old Prefbyterian rafcal SLY. J I am 1 4 2 POEMS. I am, you know, a right -true-hearted tory, Love a good glafs, a merry long, or ilory. 'S QJU i R -E. Thou art an hone-ft dog, that's truth indeed Talk no more .nonfenfe then about -the creed. I can't, I think, deny thy firft r-equeft -, 'Tis thine , but -firft a bumper to the befl. PA R SON. Moft noble 'Squire,'mor gen'rous than your wine, How pleafing's the condition you afilgn ? Give me 'the fparkling glafs, and here, d'ye fee, With joy I drink it on my bended knee : Great queen ! who governeft this earthly ball, And mak'ft both kings, and kingdoms, rife and fall ; Whofe wond'rous pow'r in fecret all things rules, Makes fools of mighty peers, and peers of fools ; -Difpenfes -mitres, 'coronets, and ftars ; .Involves far ; diftant realms in bloody wars, Then bids the fnaky trefles eeafe to hifs, And gives them peace again * nay gav*ft us this : Whofe health does health to all mankind impart, Here's to thy much-lov'd health : *S QJU IRE, rubbing his bands. . With all my heart. * l Madatn de P mp dour. O N ON THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. Tranflated from the Latin of ISAAC HAWKINS BROWNE, E% [ 145 ] ON THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SO U L. TrafifUted from the Latin of ISAAC HAWKINS BROWNE, Efqj BOOK I. TO all inferior animals 'tis giv'n T' enjoy the ftate allotted them by Heav'flj No vain refearches e'er difturb their reft, No fears of dark futurity moleft. Man, only Man, felicitous to know The fprings whence Nature's operations flow, Plods thro' a dreary wafte with toil and pain, And reafons, hopes, and thinks, and lives in vain } For fable Death ftill hov'ring o'er his head, Cuts fliort his progrefs, with his vital thread. L Where- ,e> niA ear, > n fear?'' 3 146 ON THE IMMORTALITY Wherefore, fince Nature errs not, do we find 'it Thefe feeds of Science in the human mind, If no congenial fruits are predefign'd ? von n * v j For what avails to man this pow'r to roam Thro' ages paft, and ages yet to come, T* explore new worlds o'er all th' jEtherial way, Chain'd to a fpot, and living but a day ? Since all muft perilli in one common grave, Nor can thefe long laborious fearches fave Were it not wifer far, fupinely laid, To fport with Phillis in the noontide made ? Or at thy jovial feftivals appear, Great Bacchus, who alone the foul can clear, From all that it has felt, and all that it can Come on then, let us feafi : let Chloe fmg, And foft Nesera touch the trembling firing ; Enjoy the prefent hour, nor feek to know What good or ill to-morrow may beftow. But thefe delights foon pall upon the tafle ; Let's try then if more ferious cannot lafl : Wealth let us heap on wealth, or Tame purlue, Let pow'r and glory be our points in view ; In courts, in camps, in fenates let us live, Our levees crowded like the buzzing hive : Each weak attempt the fame fad leiibn brings ! Alas, what vanity in human things ! What means then mall we try ? where hope to find A friendly harbour for the refllefs mind ? 3 Who OF THE SOUL. 147 Who ftill, you fee, impatient to obtain ICnowledge immenfe, (fo Nature's laws ordain) Ev'n now, tho' fetter'd in corporeal clay, 1 Climbs ftep by ftep the profped to furvey, f And feeks unweary'd Trtnh's eternal ray. J No fleeting joys me afks which muft depend On the frail fenfes, and with them muft end 5 But fuch as fuit her own immortal fame, Free from all change eternally the fame. Take courage then, thefe joys we (hall attain ; Almighty wifdom never acts in vain ; Nor mall the foul on which it has beftow'd Such pow'rs e'er perifli like an earthly clod ; But purg'd at length from foul corruption's ftain, Freed from her prifon and unbound her chain, She mail her native ftrength, and native fkies regain To hcav'n an old inhabitant return, And draw nectareous ftreams from truth's perpetual 1 urn; ftain, 1 tin, > r eo;ain : J Whilft life remains, (if life it can be call'd T' exift in flefhly bondage thus enthrall'd) Tir'd with the dull purfuit of worldly things, The foul fcarce wakes, or opes her gladfome wings, Yet ftill the godlike exile in difgrace Retains fome marks of her celeftial race , Elfe whence from mem'ry's ftore can me produce Such various thoughts, or range thm fo for ufe ? L 2 Can i 4 8 ON THE IMMORTALITY Can matter thefe contain, difpofe, apply ? Can in her cells fuch mighty treafures lye ? Or can her native force produce them to the eye ' 1 > the eve ?J Whence is this pow'r, this foundrefs of all arts, Serving, adorning life, thro* all its parts, Which names impos'd, by letters mark'd thofe names,. Adjufted properly by legal claims, From woods and wilds collected rude mankind, And cities, laws, and governments defign'd ? What can this be, but fome bright ray from heav'n, Some emanation from Omnifcience given ? When now the rapid ftream of Eloquence Bears all before it, pafilon, reafon, fenfe, Can its dread thunder, or its lightning's force Derive their effence from a mortal fource ? "What think you of the bard's enchanting art, Which, whether he attempts to warm the heart With fabled fcenes, or charm the ear with rhyme, Breathes all pathetic, lovely, and fublime ? Whilft things on earth roll round from age to age, The fame dull farce repeated on the ftage ; The poet gives us a creation new, More pleafing, and more perfect than the true ; The mind, who always to perfection haftes, Perfection, fuch as here fhe never taftes, With gratitude accepts the kind deceit, And thence foreices a fyftem more compleat. Of OF THE SOUL. 149 Of thole what think you, who the circling race 1 t)f funs, and their revolving planets trace, > And comets journeying thro' unbounded fpace ? J Say, canyon doubt, but that th' all-fearching foul, That now can traverfe heav'n from pole to pole, From thence defcending vifits but this earth, And fhall once more regain the regions of her birth ? Cou'd flie thus aft, unlefs fome Power unknown, From matter quite diftinft and all her own, Supported, and impelPd her ? She approves Self confcious, and condemns; me hates, and loves, Mourns, and rejoices, hopes, and is afraid, Without the body's unrequefted aid : Her own internal ftrength her reafon guides, By this me now compares things, now divides ; Truth's fcatter'd fragments piece by piece collefts, Rejoins, and thence her edifice erefts ; Piles arts on arts, effects to caufes ties, And rears th' afpiring fabric to the fkies : From whence, as on a diftant plain below, She fees from caufes confeqnences flow, And the whole chain diftindlly comprehends, Which from the Almighty's throne to earth defcends : And laflly, turning inwardly her eyes, Perceives how all her own ideas rife, Contemplates what (lie is, and whence me came, And almoft comprehends her own amazing frame. Can mere machines be with fuch pow'rs endu'd, Or confcious of thofe pow'rs; fuppole they cou'd ? L 3 For 150 ON THE IMMORTALITY For body is but a machine alone Mov'd by external force, and impulfe not its own. Rate not th' extenfion of the human mind By the Plebeian ftandard of mankind, But by the fize of thofe gigantic few, Whom Greece and Rome ftill offer to our view ; Or Britain well-deferving equal praife. Parent of heroes too in better days. Why ftiou'd I try her num'rous fons to name By verfe, law, eloquence confign'd to fame ? Or who have forc'd fair Science into fight Long loft in darknefs, and afraid of light. O'er all fuperior, like the folar ray, T Firft Bacon ulher'd in the dawning day, 5 A ad drove the mifts of fophiftry away ; J Pervaded nature with amazing force, Following experience ftill throughout his courfe, And finiihing at length his deftin'd way To Newton he bequeath'd the radiant lamp of day. Illuftrious fouls ! if any tender cares Affect angelic breafts for man's affairs, If in your prefent happy heav'nly ftate, You're not regardlefs quite of Britain's fate. Let this degenerate land again be bleft With that true vigour which me once pofleft ; Compel us to unfold our flumb'ring eyes And to orir ancient dignity to rife. Such O F THE SOUL. 151 Such wond'rous pow'rs as thefe muft fure be giv'n For.moft important purpofes by heav'n -, Who bids thefe ftars as bright examples fhine Befprinkled thinly by the hand divine, To form to virtue each degenerate time, And point out to the foul its origin fublime. That there's a felf which after death fhall live, All are concern'd about, and all believe j That fome'ihing's ours, when we from life depart, This all conceive, all feel it at the heart ; The wife of learn'd antiquity proclaim This truth, the public voice declares the fame ; No land fo rude but looks beyond the tomb For future profpefts in a world to come. Hence, without hopes to be in life repaid, We plant flow oaks pofterity to lhade ; And hence vaft pyramids afpiring high Lift their proud heads aloft, and time defy. Hence is our love of fame, a love fo ftrong, We think no dangers great, or labors long, By which we hope our beings to extend, And to remoteft times in glory to defcend. For fame the wretch beneath the gallows lies, Difowning ev'ry crime for which he dies ; Of life profufe, tenacious of a name, Fearlefs of death, and yet afraid of fliame. Nature has wove into the human mind This anxious care for names we leave behind, T' extend our narrow views beyond the tomb, And give an earneft of a life to come : L 4 For 152 ON THE IMMORTALITY For if when dead we are but duft or clay, Why think of what pofterity fhall fay ? Her praife or cenfure cannot us concern, Nor ever penetrate the filent urn. What mean the nodding plumes, the fun'ral train, And marble monument that fpeaks in vain, With all thofe cares which ev'ry nation pays To their unfeeling dead in different ways ! Some in the flo wer-ftrewn grave the corpfe have lay'd, 1 And annual obfequies around it pay'd, f As if to pleafe the poor departed made , J Others on blazing piles the body burn, And ftore their afhes in the faithful urn v But all in one great principle agree To give a fancy'd Immortality. Why fhou'd I mention thofe, whofe ouzy foil Is render'd fertile by th' o'erflowing Nile y Their dead they bury not, nor burn with fires, No graves they dig, erect no fun'ral pires, But warning firft th' cmbowel'd body clean, Gums, fpice, and melted pitch they pour within j Then with ftrong fillets bind it round and round, TO make each flaccid part compact and found ; And laftly paint the varnifh'd furface o'er With the fame features, which in life it wore : So ftrong their prefage of a future ftate, And that our nobler part furvives the body's fate. Nations behold remote from reafon's beams, Where Indian Ganges rolls his fandy ftreams, Of. OF THE SOUL. 153 Of life impatient rum into the fire, And willing vi&ims to their gods expire ! Perfuaded the loos'd foul to regions flies, Bleft with eternal fpring, and cloudlefs Ikies. Nor is lefs fam'd the oriental wife For ftedfaft virtue, and contempt of life : Thefe heroines mourn not with loud female cries Their hufbands loft, or with o'erflowing eyes. But, ftrange to tell ! their funeral piles afcend, And in the fame fad flames their forrows end ; In hopes with them beneath the lhades to rove, And there renew their interrupted love. In climes where Boreas breathes eternal cold, See num'rous nations, warlike, fierce, and bold, To battle all unanimoufly run, Nor fire, nor fword, nor inftant death they fhun : Whence this difdain of life in ev'ry breaft, "1 But from a notion on their minds impreft, > That all who for their country die, are bleft. J Add too to thefe the once prevailing dreams, Of fweet Elyfian groves, and Stygian ftreams : All fliew with what confent mankind agree In the firm hope of Immortality. Grant thefe th' inventions of the crafty prieft, Yet fuch inventions never cou'd fubfift, Unlefs fome glimm'rings of a future ftate, Were with the mind ccasval, and innate : F"or ev'ry fiction, which can long perfuade, In truth muft have its firft foundations laid. 3 Becaufe 154 ON THE IMMORTALITY Becaufe we are unable to conceive, How unembody'd fouls can act, and live, The vulgar give them forms, and limbs, and faces, And habitations in peculiar places ; Hence reas'ners more refin'd, but not more wife, Struck with the glare of fuch abfurdit'ues, Their whole exiftence fabulous fufpect, And truth and falfehood in a lump reject , Too indolent to learn what may be known, Or elfe too proud that ignorance to own. For hard's the tafk the daubing to pervade Folly and fraud on Truth's fair form have laid ; Yet let that talk be our's j for great the prize ; 1 Nor let us Truth's celeftial charms defpife, > Becaufe that priefts or poets may difguife, J That there's 3 God from Nature's voice is clear, And yet what errors to this truth adhere ? How have the fears- and follies of mankind "1 Now multiply'd their gods, and now fubjoin'd / To each the frailties of the human mind ? J Nay fuperftition fpread at length fo wide, Beads, birds, and onions too were deify'd. Th' Athenian fage, revolving in his mind This weaknefs, blindnefs, madnefs of mankind, foretold, that in maturer days, tho' late, When Time mould ripen the decrees of Fate, Some God would light us, like the rifing day, Thro' errors maze, and chafe thefe clouds away, Long OF THE SOUL. 155 Long fince has time fulfilPd this great decree, And brought us aid from this Divinity. Well worth our fearch difcoveries may be made By Nature, void of this celeftial aid : Let's try what her conjectures then can reach, Nor fcorn plain Reafon, when me deigns to teach* That mind and body often fympathize Is plain ; fuch is this union nature ties : But then as often too they difagree, Which proves the foul's fuperior progeny. Sometimes the body in full ftrength we find, Whilft various ails debilitate the mind ; At others, whilft the mind its force retains, The body finks with ficknefs and with pains : Now did one common fate their beings end, Alike they'd ficken, and alike they'd mend. But fure experience, on the flighted view, Shews us, that the reverfe of this is true ; For when the body oft expiring lies, Its limbs quite fenfelefs, and half closed its eyes, The mind new force and eloquence acquires, And with prophetic voice the dying lips infpires. Of like materials were they both compos'd, How comes it, that the mind, when fleep has clos'd Each avenue of fenfe, expatiates wide jHer liberty reftor'd, her bonds unty'd ? And like fome bird who from its prifon flies, laps her exulting wings, and mounts the fkies. Grant i 5 6 ON THE IMMORTALITY Grant that corporeal is the human mind, It muft have parts in infinitum join'd ; And each of thefe muft will, perceive, defign, And draw confus'dly in a different line > Which then can claim dominion o'er the reft, Or ftamp the ruling paffion in the breaft ? Perhaps the mind is form'd by various arts Of modelling and figuring thefe parts ; Juft as if circles wifer were than fquares ; But furely common fenfe aloud declares That fite and figure are as foreign quite From mental pow'rs, as colours black or white. Allow that motion is the caufe of thought, With what ftrange pow'rs muft motion then be fraught ? Reafon, fenfe, fcience, muft derive their fource From the wheel's rapid whirl, or pully's force; Tops whip'd by fchool-boys fages muft commence,! Their hoops, like them, be cudgel'd into fenfe, > And boiling pots o'erflow with eloquence. J Whence can this very motion take its birth ? Not fure from matter, from dull clods of earth ; But from a living fpirit lodg'd within, Which governs all the bodily machine : Juft as th' Almighty Univerfal Soul Informs, directs, and animates the whole. Ceafe OF THE SOUL. 157 Ceafe then to wonder how th' immortal mind Can live, when from the body quite disjoin'd ; But rather wonder, if fhe e'er cou'd die, So fram'd fo fafhion'd for eternity ; Self-mov'd, not form'd of parts together ty'd, Which time can difllpate, and force divide ; For beings of this make can never die, Whofe pow'rs within themfelves, and their awn effence lie : If to conceive how any thing can be "J From fhape extracted and locality > Is hard ; what think you of the Deity ? 3 His Being not the leaft relation bears, As far as to the human mind appears, To fhape, or fize, fimilitude or place, Cloath'd in no form, and bounded by no fpace. Such then is God, a Spirit pure refin'd From all material drofs, and fuch the human mind. For in what part of effence can we fee More certain marks of Immortality ? Ev'n from this dark confinement with delight She looks abroad, and prunes herfelf for flight 5 Like an unwilling inmate longs to roam From this dull earth, and feek her native home, Go then forgetful of its toil and ftrife, Purfue the joys of this fallacious life i 7 > J 158 ON THE IMMORTALITY Like fome poor fly, who lives but for a day "7 Sip the frefh dewsv and in the funfliine play, - ; ; > And into nothing then diflblve away. J Are thefe our great purfuitSj is this to live ? rwquB Thefe all the hopes this much lov'd world can give ! How much more worthy envy is their fate, Who fearch for truth in a fuperior ftate ?>n Not groping -ftep by ftep, as We purfue, And following reafon's much entangled clue, But with one great, and inftantaneous view. But how can fenfe remain, perhaps you'll fay, -\ Corporeal organs if we take away .! wolf, Since it frorri them proceeds, and with them muft f decay. J Why not ? or why may not the foul receive New organs, fince ev'n art can tfrefe retrieve? *The filver trumpet aids th' obftrufted ear, And optic glades the dim eye can clear ; Thefe in mankind new faculties create, And lift him far above his native ftate >, Call down revolving planets from the fky, Earth's fecret treafures open to his eye, The whole minute creation make his own, With all the wonders of a world unknown. .'- How cou'd the mind, did me alone depend' On fenfe, the errors of thofe fenfes mend ? Yet oft, we fee, thofe fenfes me corrects,- And oft their information quite rejects. In OF THE SOUL. 159 lp diftances of things, their mapes, and fize, dt j 9ur reafon judges better than our eyes, qi Declares not this the foul's pre-eminence Superior to, and quite diftind from fenfe ? ?i For fure 'tis likely, that, fmce now fo high Clog'd and unfledg'd me dares her wings to try, Loos'd and mature me mall her ftrength difplay, And foar at length to Truth's refulgent ray. fan/ Inquire you how thefe pow'rs we mall attain, 'Tis not for us to know ; our fearch is vain : Can any now remember or relate How he exifted in the embryo ftate ? Or one from birth infenfible of day Conceive ideas of the folar ray ? That light's deny'd to him, which others fee* He knows, perhaps you'll fay, and fo do we. The mind contemplative finds nothing here !j On earth that's worthy of a wifh or fear : He, whofe fublime purfuit is God and truth, on/ Burns, like fome abfent and impatient youth, To join the object of his warm defires, Thence to fequefter'd fhades, and ftreams retires* And there delights his paffion to rehearfe In Wifdom's facred voice, or in harmonious verfe. To me moft happy therefore he appears, Who having once, unmov'd by hopes or fears, Survey'd ifo ON THE IMMORTALITY Survcy'd this fun, earth, ocean, clouds, and flame 1 , Well-fatisfy'd returns from whence he came. Is life an hundred years, or e'er fo few, 'Tis repetition all, and nothing new : A fair where thoufands meet, but none can ftay, An inn, where travellers bait, then poft away, A fea where man perpetually is toft, Now plung'd in bufinefs, now in trifles loft : Who leave it firft, the peaceful port firft gain; Hold then ! no farther launch into the main : Contract your fails ; life nothing can beftow By long continuance, but continu'd woe : The wretched privilege daily to deplore The fun'rals of our friends, who go before ; Difeafes, pains, anxieties, and cares, And age furrounded with a thoufand fnares, But whither hurry'd by a gen'rous fcorn Of this vain world, ah whither am I borne ? Let's not unbid th* Almighty's ftandard quit* Howe'er fevere our poft, we muft fubmit, Cou'd I a firm perfuafion once attain That after death no Being wou'd remain ; To thofe dark fhades I'd willingly defcend, Where all muft deep, this drama at an end j Nor life accept altho' renew'd by Fate Ev'n from its earlieft, and its happieft ftate, Might OF THE SOUL. 161 Might I from Fortune's bounteous hand receive Each boon, each blefiing in her pow'f to give, Genius, and fcience, morals, and good-fenfe, Unenvy'd honors, wit, and eloquence, A num'rous offspring to the world well known Both for paternal virtues, and their own : Ev'n at this mighty price I'd not be bound To tread the fame dull circle round, and round ; The foul requires enjoyments more fublime, By fpace .unbounded, undeftroy'd by time. M BOOK 162 ON THE IMMORTALITY BOOK II. GOD then thro' all creation gives, we find, Sufficient marks of an indulgent mind, Excepting in ourfelves -, ourfelves of all His works the chief on this terreftrial ball, His own bright image, who alone unbleft Feel ills perpetual, happy all the reft. But hold, prefumptuous ! charge not heavVs decree With fuch injuftice, fuch partiality. / Yet true it is, furvey we life around, Whole hofts of ills on ev'ry fide are found ; Who wound not here and there by chance a foe y But at the fpecies meditate the blow: What millions periih by each others hands In War's fierce rage ? or by the dread commands Of tyrants languifh out their lives in chains,. Or lole them in variety of pains ? What numbers pinch'd by want and hunger die, In fpite of Nature's liberality ? (Thofe, ftill more numerous, I to name difdain, By kwdnefs and intemperance juftly (lain;) What numbers, guiltlefs of their own difeafe Are fnatch'd by fudden death, or wafte by flow degrees ? Where then- is Virtue's well deferv'd reward ! Let's pay to Virtue ev'ry due regard,. That O F T H E S O U L. 16 That flie enables man, let us confefs, To bear thofe evils, which flie can't redrefs, Gives hope, and confcious peace, and can afluage Th' impetuous tempefts both of luft and rage ; Yet flic's a guard fo far from being lure, That oft her friends peculiar ills endure : Where Vice prevails fevereft is their fate, Tyrants purfue them with a three-fold hate j How many ftruggling in their country's caufe, And from their country meriting applaufe, Have fall'n by wretches fond to be inflav'd, And perifh'd by the hands themfelves had fav'd ? Soon as fuperior worth appears in view, See knaves and fools united to purfue ! The man fo form'd they all confpire to blame, And envy's pois'nous tooth attacks his fame -, Shou'd he at length, fo truly good and great, Prevail, and rule with honeft views the ftate, Then muft he toil for an ungrateful race, Submit to clamor, libels, and difgrace, Threaten'd, oppos'd, defeated in his ends, By foes feditious, and afpiring friends. Hear this, and tremble ! all who wou'd be great, Yet know not what attends that dan^'rous wretched ftate. Is private life from all thefe evils free ? Vice of all kinds, rage, envy there we fee, Deceit, that Friendihip's mafic infidious wears,. Quarrels, and feuds, and laws entangling fnares. M 2 But 1 64 ON THE IMMORTALITY But there are pleafures ftill in human life, Domeflic eafe, a tender loving wife, Children whofe dawning fmiles your heart engage. The grace and comfort of foft-ftealing age : If happinefs exifts,, 'tis furely here, But are thefe joys exempt from care and fear ? Need I the miferies of that ftate declare, When- different paffions draw the wedded pair ? Or fay how hard thofe paffions to difcern, Ere the dye's caft, and 'tis too late to learn ?. Who can infure, that what is right, and good,. Thefe children {hall purfue ? or if they fhou'd, Death comes when lead you fear fo black a day, And all your blooming hopes are fnatch'd away. We % not,, that thefe ills from Virtue flow ; Did her wife precepts rule the world, we know The golden ages would again begin j But 'tis our lot in this to fuffer, and to fin. Obferving this, fome fages have decreed That all things from two caufes muft proceed i Two principles with equal pow'r endu'd, This wholly evil, that fupremely good. From this arife the miferies we endure, Whilft that adminifters a friendly cure ; Hence life is chequer'd ftill with blifs, and woe, Hence tares with golden crops promifcuous grow, And pois'nous ferpents make their dread repofe Beneath the covert of the fragrant rofe. Cm OF THE SOUL. 1 65 Can fuch a fyflem fatisfy the mind ? Are both thefe Gods in equal pow'r conjoin'd, Or one fuperior ? Equal if you lay, Chaos returns, fince neither will obey ; Is orre fuperior ? good, or ill muft reign, Eternal joy, or everlafting pain. Whiche'er is conquer'd muft entirely yield, And the victorious God enjoy the field : Hence with thefe fictions of the Magi's brain ! Hence ouzy Nile, with all her monflrous train 1 Or comes the Stoic nearer to the right ? He holds, that whatfoever yields delight, Wealth, fame, externals all, are ufelefs things , Himfelf 'half ftarving happier far than kings. 'Tis fine indeed to be fo wcnd'rous wife ! By the fame reafoning too he pain denies ; Roaft him, or fiea him, break him on the wheel. Retract he will not, tho' he can't but feel : Pain's not an ill, he utters with a groan ; What then ? an inconvenience *tis, he'll own- What vigour, health, and -beauty ? are -rhefe good ? No : they may be accepted, not purfued : Abfurd to fquabble thus about a name, Quibbling with diff'rent words that mean the fame. "Stoic, were you not fram'd of flem and blood, You might be bleft without external good v But know, be felf-fufficient as you can, TOU are act fpirit quite, but frail, and mortal man. M 3 But 166 ON THE IMMORTALITY But fmce thefe fages, fo abfurdly wife, Vainly pretend enjoyments to defpife, Becauie externals, and in Fortune's pow'r, Now mine, now thine, the bleffings of an hour ; Why value then, that ftrength of mind, they boaftv As often varying, and as quickly loft ? A head-ach hurts it, or a rainy day, And a flow fever wipes it quite away. See a one whofe councils, one b whofe conqu'ring hand Once fav'd Britannia's almoft finking land : Examples of the mind's extenfive pow'r, Examples too how quickly fades that flow'r. Him let me add, whom late we faw excel c In each politer kind of writing well ; Whether he drove our follies to expofe In eafy verfe, or droll, and hum'rciis profe ; Few years alas ! compel his throne to quit This mighty monarch o'er the realms of "wit, See felf-iurviving he's an ideot grown ! A melancholy proof our parts are not our own, - Thy tenets, Stoic, yet we may forgive, If in a future ftate we ceafe to live. For here the virtuous fuffer much, tis plain If pain is evil, this muft God arraign , And on this principle confefs we muft, Pain can no evil be, or God muft be unjuft. * Lord Somers. b Duke of Marlborough. c Dean Swift. Blind OF THE SOUL. 167 Blind man! whofe reafon fuch ftralt bounds- confine, That ere it touches truth's extremeft line, It flops amaz'd, and quits the great defign. Own you not, Stoic, God is juft and true ? Dare to proceed , fecure this path purfue : "Twill foon conduct you far beyond the tomb, To future juftice, and a life to come. This. path, you fay, is hid in endlefs night, 'Tis felf-conceit alone obftructs your fight: You ftop, ere half your deftin'd courfe is run, And triumph when the conqueft is not won - 9 By this the Sophifts were of old mifled : See what a monftrous race from one miftake is bred 1 Hear then my argument: confefs we muft, A God there is, fupremely wife and juft : If fo, however things affect our fight, As fings our bard, whatever is, is right. But is it right, what here fo oft appears, That vice fhou'd triumph, virtue fink in tears ? The inference then, that clofes this debate, Is, that there muft exift a future ftate. The wife extending their enquiries wide See how both ftates are by connection ty'd , Fools view but part, and not the whole furvey, So crowd exiftence all into a day. Hence are they led to hope, but hope in vain, That juftice never will refume her reign ; M 4 On i68 ON THE IMMORTALITY On this vain hope adulterers, thieves rely, And to this altar vile affaflins fly. " But rules not God by general laws divine : " Man's vice or virtue change not the defign :** What laws are thefe ? inftruct us if you can : There's one defign'd for brutes, and one for man : Another guides inactive matter's courfe, Attracting, and attracted by its force : Hence mutual gravity fubfifts between Far diftant worlds, and ties the vaft machine. The laws of life, why need I call to mind, Obey'd by birds, and beads of ev'ry kind ? By all the fandy defarts favage brood, And all the numerous offspring of the flood i Of thefe none uncontroul'd, and lawlefs rove, But .to fome deftin'd end ipontaneous move : Led by that inftindl, heav'n itfelf infpires, Or io much reaion, as their ftate requires * See all with Ikill acquire their daily food, Ail ule thofe arms, which Nature has beftow'd ; Produce their tender progeny, and feed "With care parental, whilft that care they need j In thefe lov'd^ offices compleatly bleft, No hopes beyond them, nor vain fears molefl. Man o'er a wider field extends his views ; God thro' the wonders of his works purfues, Exploring thence his attributes, and laws, , loves, imitates th' Eternal Caufe ; For O F T H E S O U L. 169 For fure in nothing we approach fo nigh The great example of divinity, As in benevolence : the patriot's foul T Knows not felf-center'd for itfelf to roll, > But warms, enlightens, animates the whole : J Its mighty orb embraces firft his friends, 1 His country next, then man ; nor here it ends, > But to the meaneft animal dcfcends. J W T ife Nature has this focial law confirm'd By forming man fo helplefs, and unarm'd ; His want of others' aid, and pow'r of fpeech T'implore that aid this lefTon daily teach : Mankind with other animals compare, Single how weak, and impotent they are ! But view them in their complicated ftate, Thdr pow'rs how wond'rous, and their ftrength how great, When focial virtue individuals joins, And in one folid mafs, like gravity combines ! This then's the firft great law by Nature giv'n, Stamp'd on our fouls, and ratify'd by Heav'n ; All from utility this law approve, As ev'ry private blifs muft fpring from focial love. Why deviate then fo many from this law ? See paflions, cuilom, vice and folly draw ! Survey the rolling globe from Eaft to Weft, How few, alas ! how v, ry few are bleft ? Beneath the frozen poles, and burning line, What poverty and indolence combine, To 170 ON THE IMMORTALITY To cloud with Error's mifts the human mind ? No trace of man, but in the form we find; And are we free from error and diftrefs, Whom Heav'n with clearer light has pleas'd to blefs ? Whom true Religion leads ? (for me but leads By foft perfuafion, not by force proceeds ;) Behold how we avoid this radiant fun, 1 This proffer'd guide how obftinately iliun, > And after Sophiftry's vain fyftems run ! J For thefe as for eflentials we engage In wars, and mafiacres with holy rage ; Brothers by brothers' impious hands are (lain, Miftaken Zeal how favage is thy reign ! Unpunim'd vices here fo much abound, All right, and wrong, all order they confound ; Thefe are the giants, who the gods defy, And mountains heap on mountains to the fky ; Sees this th' Almighty Judge, or feeing fpares, And deems the crimes of Man beneath his cares ? He fees , and will at laft rewards beftow, And punimments, not lefs afTur'd for being flow. Nor doubt I, tho' this ftate confus'd appears, That ev'n in this God fometimes interferes ; Sometimes, left man fhou'd quite his pow'r difown, He makes that pow'r to trembling nations known : Bat rarely this , not for each vulgar end, As Superftition's idle tales pretend, Who thinks all foes to God who are her own, Directs his thunder, and ufurps 'his throne. Nor OF THE SOUL. 171 Nor know I not how much a confcious mind Avails to punim, or reward mankind ; Ev'n in this life thou, impious wretch, muft feel The Fury's fcourges, and th' infernal wheel -, From man's tribunal, tho' thou hop'ft to run, Thyfelf thou can'ft not, nor thy confcience fhun : What muft thou fuffer when each dire difeafe, The progeny of Vice, thy fabric feize ? Confumption, fever, and the wreaking pain Of fpafms, and gout, and ftone, a frightful train ! When life new tortures can alone fupply, Life thy fole hope thou'lt hate, yet dread to die. Shou'd fuch a wretch to num'rous years arrive, It can be little worth his while to live : No honours, no regards his age attend, Companions fly , he ne'er could have a friend : His flatterers leave him, and with wild affright He looks within, and fhudders at the fight : When threatning Death uplifts his pointed dart, With what impatience he applies to art, Life to prolong amidft diieafe and pains ! Why this, if after it no fenfe remains ? Why ihou'd he chufe thefe miferies to endure, If Death cou'd grant an everlafting cure ? 'Tis plain there's fomething whifpers in his ear, (Tho' fain he'd hide it) he has much to fear. See the reverfe how happy thofe we find, Who know by merit to engage mankind ? Prais'd xyi ON THE IMMORTALITY Frais'd by each tongue, by ev'ry heart belov'd, For virtues praHs'd, and for Arts improv'd : Their eafy afpects mine with fmiles ferene, And all is peace, and happinefs within : Their fleep is ne'er difturb'd by fears, or ftrife, Nor luft, nor wine, impair the fprings of life. Him Fortune cannot fink, nor much elate, Whofe views extend beyond this mortal ftate ; By age when fummon'd to refign his breath, Calm, and ferene, he fees approaching death, As the fafe port, the peaceful filent fhore, Where he may reft, life's tedious voyage o'er : He, and he only, is of death afraid, Whom his own confcience has a coward made -, Whilft he, who Virtue's radiant courfe has run, Defcends like a ferenely fetting fun, His thoughts triumphant Heav'n alone employs, A.nd Hope anticipates his future joys. So good, fo bled th' illuftrious a Hcugh we find, Whofe image dwells with pleafure on my mind i The mitre's glory, Freedom's conftant friend, In times which ai k'd a champion to defend ; Who after near an hundred virtuous years, His fenles perfect, free from pains and fears, Replete with life, with honours, and with age, Like an applauded actor left the ftage , Or like fome victor in th' Olympic gaTes, Who, having run his courfe, the crown of Glory claims. Bifliop of Worcefler. From OF THE SOUL. 173 From this juft contraft plainly it appears, How conference can infpire both hopes and fears ; But whence proceed thefe hopes, or whence this dread, If nothing really can affect the dead ? See all things join to promife, and prefage The fure arrival of a future age ! Whate'er their lot is here, the good and wife, Nor doat on life, nor peevifhly defpife. An honed man, when Fortune's florms begin, Has Confolation always fure within, And, if (he fends a more propitious gale, He's pleas'd, but not forgetful it may fail. Nor fear that he, who fits fo loofe to life, Shou'd too much fhun its labours, and its drifej And fcorning wealth, contented to be mean, Shrink from the duties of this buftling fcene ; Or, when his country's fafety claims his aid, Avoid the fight inglorious, and afraid : Who fcorns life moft muft furely be mod brave, And he, who pow'r contemns, be lead a flave : Virtue will lead him to Ambition's ends, And prompt him to defend his country and his friends. But dill his merit you can not regard, Who thus purfues a podhumous reward j His foul, you cry, is uncorrupt and great, Who quite uninfluenc'd by a future date, Embraces Virtue from a nobler fenfe Of her abdrafted, native excellence, 3 From 174 ON THE IMMORTALITY From the felf-confcious joy her eflence brings, The beauty, fitnefs, harmony of things. It may be fo : yet he deferves applaufe, Who follows where inftruftive Nature draws ; Aims at rewards by her indulgence giv'n, And foars triumphant on her wings to heav'n.. Say what this venal virtuous man purfues, No mean rewards, no mercenary views ; Not wealth uiurious, or a num'rous train, Not fame by fraud acquir'd, or title vain f He follows but where Nature points the road, Riling in Virtue's fchool, till he afcends to God, But we th' inglorious common herd of Man, Sail without compafs, toil without a plan ; In Fortune's varying ftorms for ever toft, Shadows purfue, that in purfuit are loft i Mere infants all, till life's extremeft day, Scrambling for : toys, then toffing them away. Who refts of Immortality afllir'd Is fafe, whatever ilk are here endur'd : He hopes not vainly in a world like' this, jTo meet with pure' uninterrupted blifs , For good and ill, in this imperfect ftatc-, Are ever mix'd by the decrees of fate. With Wifdom's richeft harveft Folly grows, And baleful hemlock mingles with the rofe ; All things are blended, changeable, and vain, No hope, no wifh we perfectly obtain ; God OF THE SOUL, 175 God may perhaps (might human Reafon's line Pretend to fathom infinite defign) Have thus ordain'd things, that the reftlefs mind No happinefs compleat on earth may find ; And, by this friendly chaftifement made wife, To heav'n her fafeft heft retreat may rife. Come then, fmce now in fafety we have paft Thro' Error's rocks, and fee the port at laft, Let us review and recollect the whole. Thus ftands my argument. The thinking foul Cannot terreftrial, or material be, But claims by Nature Immortality ; God, who created it, can make it end, We queftion not, but cannot apprehend He will ; becaufe It is by him endued With ftrong Ideas of all perfect Good : With wond'rous pow'rs to know and calculate Things too remote from this our earthly ftate v With fure prefages of a life to come,. All falfe and ufelefs ; if beyond the tomb Our beings ceafe : we therefore can't believe God either acts in vain, or can deceive. If ev'ry rule of equity demands, That Vice and Virtue from the Almighty's handv Shou'd due rewards, and punifhments receive, And this by no means happens whilft we live y It follows that a time muft furely come, When each fhall meet their well adjufted doom : Then 176 ON THE IMMORTALITY, &c. Then fhall this fcene, which now to human fight Seems fo unworthy Wifdom infinite, A fyftem of confummate fkill appear, And ev'ry cloud difpers'd, be beautiful and clear. Doubt we of this ! what folid proof remains, That o'er the world a wife dilpofer reigns ? Whilft all Creation fpeaks a pow'r divine, Is it deficient in the main defign ? Not fo : the day fhall come, (pretend not now Prefumptuous to enquire or when, or how) But after death fhall come th' important day, When God to all his juftice fhall difplay ; Each aftion with impartial eyes regard, And in a juft proportion punifh and reward. PIECES PIECES, RELIGIOUS, MORAL, AN METAPHYSICAL, N ESSAYS PUBLISHED IN A WEEKLY PAPER, CALLED* THE WORLD. N 2 THE WORLD. NUMBER CXXV. HAD the many wife philofophers of antiquity, who have fo often and fo juftly compared the life of man to a race, lived in the prefent times, they would have feen the propriety of that fimile greatly augmented : for if we obferve the behaviour of the polite part of this nation (that is, of all the nation) we mall fee that their whole lives are one continued race ; in which every one is endeavouring to diftance all behind him, and to overtake, or pafs by, all who are before him : every one is flying from his inferiors, in purfuit of his fuperiors, who fly from Him with equal alacrity. WERE not the confequences of this ridiculous pride of the mod definitive nature to the public, the fcene would be really entertaining. Every tradef- man is a merchant, every merchant is a gentleman, and every gentleman one of the noblefs. We are a N 3 nation i8i * H E W O R L B. nation of gentry, popufas generoforum : we have uo fuch thing as common people amongft us : be^ tween vanity and gin, the fpecies is utterly de- flroyed. The fons of our lo\yeft mechanics, ac- quiring with their learning at charity-fchools, the laudable ambition of becoming gentle-folks, de- fpife their paternal occupations, an.d are all folicit- ingforthe honourable employments of tidewaiters and excifemen. Their girls are all milliners, mantua-makers, or lady's women j or prefump- tuoufly exercife that genteel profefFjon, which ufed to be peculiarly referved for the politely- educated, but unportioned daughters of their fuperiors. Attorneys clerks and city prentices drefs like cornets of dragoons, keep their miftreffes and their hunters, criticife at the play, and toaft at the tavern. The merchant leaves his compting- houfe for St. James's ; and the country-gentleman his own affairs for thofe of the public, by which neither of them receive much benefit. Every commoner of diftinclion is impatient for a peerage, and treads hard upon the heels of quality in drefs, -equipage and expences of every kind. The no- bility, who can aim no higher, plunge themlelves into debt and dependance, to preferve their rank ; and are even there quickly overtaken by their un- rnerciful purfuers. THE fame foolim Vanity, that thus prompts MS to imitate our fuperiors, induces us alfo to be, or THE WORLD. 183 but every little lodging-houfe in town, of two roams and a clofet on a floor, or rather of two clofets and a cupboard, teemed with card tables, and overflowed with company : and as making a crowd. was the great point here principally aimed at, the fmalkr the houfes, and the more indifferent the company, this point was the more eaJQly effected. Nor could intrufion be better guarded againft, than imitation , for by fome means or ether, either by the force of beauty or of drefs, of wealth or impudence, of fally enough to lofe great fums at play, or of knavery enough to win them, or of fome fuch eminent and extraordinary qualifications, their plebeian enemies foon broke through the ftrongeil of their barriers, and min- gled in the thickeft of their ranks, to the utter deflruclion of all fuperiohty and diftinction. BUT though it muft be owned that the affairs of the good company are now in a very bad fituation, yet I would not have them defpair, nor perpetually carry about the marks of their defeat in their countenances, fo vifible in a mixture of fierte and dejection. They have ftill one afylum left to fly to, which with all their advantages of birth and education, it is furprifing they fhould not long fince have difcovered , but fmce they have not, I fhall beg leave to point it out , and it is this : that they once more retire to the long deferted forts 5 T H E - W O R L D. 187 forts of true Britifh grandeur, their princely feats and magnificent caftles in their feveral countries, and there, arming themselves with religion and virtue, hofpitality and charity, civility and friend^ (hip, bid defiance to their impertinent purfuer? : and though I will not undertake that they mall not, even here, be followed in time, and imitated by their inferiors, yet fo averfe are all ranks of people at prefent to this fort of retirement, fo totally difufed from the exercife of thefe kinds of arms, and fo unwilling to return to it, that I will venture to promife, it will be very long before they can be overtaken or attacked ; but that here, and here only, they may enjoy their favourite fin- gularity, unmolefted for half a century to come. T H E THE W O R L D, NUMBER CLIII. HAVING been frequently prefled by Sir John Jolly, (an old friend of mine poffefTecfc of a fine feat, a large park, and a plentiful eftate) to pafs a few weeks with him in the country, I de- termined laft autumn to accept his invitation, propofing to myfelf the 'higheft pleafure from changing the noife and hurry of this buttling me- tropolis, for the agreeable filence, and foothing indolence of a rural retirement. I accordingly fet out one morning, and pretty early the .next arrived at the habitation of my friend, fituated in a moil delicious and romantic fpot, which (the owner having fortunately no TASTE) is not yet defaced by IMPROVEMENTS. On my approach, I abated a little of my travelling pace, to look round me, and admire the tow'ring hills, and fertile THE WORLD. ig 9 fertile vales, the winding ftreams, the ftately woods, and fpacious lawns, which, gilded by the fun mine of a beautiful morning, on every fide afforded a mod enchanting profpect ; and I pleafed myfelf with the thoughts of the happy hours I fhould fpend amidft thefe paftoral fcenes, in reading, in meditation, or in foft repofe, in- fpired by the lowing of diftant herds, the falls of waters, and the melody of birds. I WAS received with a hearty welcome, and many makes by the hand by my old friend, whom I had not feen for many years, except once, when he was called to tcv"" oy a profecution in the King's bench, for mifunderftanding the fenfe of an act of parliament, which, on examination, -was found to be nonfenfe. He is an honeft gen- tleman of a middle age, a hale conftitution, good natural parts, and abundant ipirits ; a keen fportf- man, an active magiftrate, and a tolerable farmer, not without fome ambition of acquiring a feat in parliament, by his intereil in a neighbouring bo- rough : fo that between his purfuits of game, of juftice, and popularity, befides the management of a large quantity of land, which he keeps in his own hands, as he terms it, for amufement, every moment of his time is fufficiently employed. His wife is an agreeable woman, of about the fame age, and has been handfome; but though years have fomewhat impaired her charms, they have ig6 THE WORLD. have not in the leaft her relifh for company, cards, balls, and all manner of public diverfions. ON my arrival^ I was firft conducted into the breakfaft room, which, with fome furprife, I faw quite filled with genteel perfons of both fexes, in difhabille, with their hair in papers , the caufe of which I was quickly informed of, by the many apologies of my lady for the meannefs of the apartment me was obliged to allot me^ ** By rea- " fon the houfe was fo crouded with company " during the time of their races, which, me faid, *' began that very day for the whole week, and *' for which they were immediately preparing." 1 was inftartriy attacked by all prefent with one voice, or rather with many voices at the fame time, to accompany them thither; to which I ina'de no opposition, thinking it would be attended with more trouble than the expedition hfelf. As foori as the ladies artd the equipages were ready, we ifiued forth in a rhoft magnificent ca- valcade ; and after travelling five or fix miles through bad roads, we arrived at the Red 'Lion, juft as the ordinary was making it's appearance on the table. The ceremonials of this fumptuotfs entertainment, which confided of cold fifh, lean chickens, rufly hams, raw venifon, ftale game, green fruit, and gf'apelefs wines, deftroyed at leaft two hours, with five times that number of heads, ruffles. THE WORLD. 191 ruffles, and fuits of cloaths, by the unfortunate effufion of butter and gravy. From hence we proceeded a few miles farther to the race-ground, where nothing, I think, extraordinary happened, but that amongft much diforder and drunkennefs, few limbs, and no necks were broken : and from thefe Olympic games, which, to the great emolu- ment of pick-pockets, lafted till it was dark, we galloped back to the town through a foaking fhower, to drefs for the affembly. But this I found no eafy tafk ; nor could I poffibly accom- pliih it, before my cloaths were quite dried upon my back ; my fervant flaying behind to fettle his betts, and having ftowtd my portmanteau into the boot of fome coach, which he could not find, to fave himfelf both the trouble and indignity of carrying it. BEING at laft equipped, I entered the ball-room^ where the fmell of a ftable over which it was built, the favour of the neighbouring kitchen, the fumes of tallow candles, rum-punch and tobacco difperfed over the whole houfe, and the balfamic effluvia's from many fweet creature* who were dancing,, with almoft equal ftrength contended for fupe- riority. The company was numerous and well- dreft, and differed not in any refpect from that of the moft brilliant afiembly in London, but in- feeming better pleafed, and more defirous of pleafingi that is, happier in themfelves, and ci- villeir tcj4 f H E W O R L D. viller to each other. I obferved the door was blocked up the whole night by a few famionable young men, whofe faces I remember to have feen about town, who would neither dance, drink tea, play at cards, nor fpeak to any one, except now and then in whifpers to a young lady, who fat in filence at the upper end of the room, in a hat and negligee, with her back againft the wall, her arms a-kimbo, her legs thruft out, a fneer on her lips, a fcowl on her forehead, and an invin- cible affurance in her eyes. This lady I had alfo frequently met with, but could not then recollect where ; but have fmce learnt, that me had been toad-eater to a woman of quality, and turned off for too clofe and prefumptuous an imitation of her betters. Their behaviour affronted moft of the company, yet obtained the defired effect : for I overheard feveral of the country ladies fay " It " was a pity they were fo proud \ for to be fure ec they were prodigious well-bred people and had *' an immenfe deal of wit." A miftake they could never have fallen into, had thefe patterns of politenefs condefcended to have entered into any converfation. Dancing and cards-, with the re- fremment of cold chickens and negus about twelve, carried us on till day-break, when our coaches being ready, with much felicitation, and more fqueezing, I obtained a place in one, in which no more than fix had before artificially feated themfelves ; and about five in the morning,- 5 through THE W.O R L D. 193 through many and great perils, we arrived fafely at home. IT was now the middle of harveft, which had not a little fuffered by our diverfions , and there-, fore our coach-horfes were immediately degraded to a cart , and having relied during our fatigues, by a juft diftribution of things, were now obliged to labour, while we were at reft. I mean not in. this number to include myfelf; for, though I hurried immediately to bed, no reft could I obtain for fome time, for the rumbling of carts, and the converfation of their drivers juft under my window. Fatigue at length got the better of ail obftacles, and I fell afieep , but had fcarce clofed my eyes, when I was awaked by a much louder noife, which was that of a whole pack of hounds, with their vociferous attendants, fetting out to meet my friend, and fome choice fpirits, whom we had juft left behind at the aflembly, and who chofe this manner of refreshment after a night's debauch, rather than the more ufual and inglorious one of going to bed. Thefe founds dying away by their diftance, I again compofed myfelf to reft ; but was prefently again roufed by more difcordant tongues, uttering all the groffhefs of Drury-lane, and fcurrility of Billinfgate. I now waked indeed with fomewhat more fatisfaction, at firft thinking, by this unpaftoral dialogue, that I was once more returned fafe to London i but I foon perceived O my 194 THE WORLD, my miflake, and underftood that thefe were fome innocent and honeft neighbours of Sir John's, who were coming to determine their gentle difputes before his tribunal, and being ordered to wait till his return from hunting, were refolved to make all pcffible ufe of this fufpenfion of juftice. It being now towards noon, I gave up all thoughts of fleep ; and it was well I did ; for I was pre- ft ncly alarmed by a confufion of voices, as loud, though fomewhat fweeter than the former. As they proceeded from the parlour under me, amidft much giggling, laughing, fqueaking, and fcream- ing, I could diftinguifh only the few following in- coherent words horrible frightful ridiculous Friefland hen rouge red-lion at Brentford -flays padded ram s -loom famy minx impertinent cox- comb. I ftarted up, dreffed me, and went down, where I found the fame polite company, who breakfaiied there the day before, in the fame at- titude, difcourfing of their friends, with whom they had fo agreeably fpent the laft night, and to whom they were again haftening with the utmofl: impatience. I was fainted with a how d'ye from them all at the fame inftant, and again prefied into the fervice of the day. , IN this manner I went through the perfections of the whole week, with the fufferings and refolu- tion, but not with the reward of a martyr, as I found no peace at the laft : for at the concluftoa of- it, Sir John obligingly- requefted me to make my THE \V O R L D. igj rny (lay with him as long as I pofiibly could, a/Turing me, that though the races were" now over^ I mould not want diverfions , for that next week he expected Lord Rattle, Sir Harry Bumper, and a large fox-hunting party ; and that the week after, being the full moon, they mould pay and receive all their neighbouring vifits, and fpend their evenings very fociably together ; by which is fignified, in the country dialect, eating, drinking, and playing at cards all night. My lady added with a fmile, and much delight in her eyes, that me believed they mould not be alone one hour in the whole week, and that me hoped I. mould not think the country fo dull and melancholy a place as I expected. Upon this information I refolved to leave it immediately, and told them, I was extremely forry that I was hindered by particular bufmefs from any longer enjoying fo much polite and agreeable company -, but that I had received a letter, which made it necefiary for me to be iri town. My friend faid he was no lefs concerned ; but that I muft not pofitively go, till after to- morrow-, for that he then expected the mayor and aldermen of his corporation, forrie of whom were facetious companions, and fung well. This determined me to fet out that very evenihg j which I did with much fatisfaction , and made all poffible hafte, in fearch of filcnce and folitude, to my lodgings, nc;:t dcor to a brafier's at Charing-crofs. O 2 THE 196 THE WORLD. NUMBER CLVII. ONE can fcarce pafs an hour in any company, without hearing it frequently afTerted, that the prefent generation of fervants in this country are the proudeft, and the lazieft, the mod profli- gate, infolent, and extravagant let of mortals any where to be found on the face of the globe : to which indifputable truth I always readily give my afTent, with but one fingle exception, which is that of their matters and ladies. Now, though by this exception I have incurred the contemp- tuous fmiles of many a wife face, and the indig- nant frowns of many a pretty one, yet I fhall here venture to mew, that the pride and lazinefs of our fervants, from whence their profligacy, infolence and extravagance muft unavoidably proceed, are entirely owing, not only to our ex- ample, but to our cultivation, and are but the natural T H E W O R L D. 197 fiatural productions of the fame imperfections in ourfelves. IN the firft place then, pride has put it into our heads, that it is moll honourable to be waited on by gentlemen and ladies ; and all, who are really fiich by birth or education, having alfo too much of the fame pride, however necefiitous, to fubmit to any fervitude however eafy, we are obliged to take the loweft of the people, and convert them by our own ingenuity into the genteel perfonages, we think proper fhould attend us. Hence our very footmen are adorned with gold and filver, with bags, toupees, and ruffles : the valet de chambre cannot be diftinguifhed from his matter, but by being better drcft ; and Joan, who ufed to be but as good as my lady in the dark, is now by no means her inferior in the day-light. In great fa- milies I have frequently intreated the maitre d' Hotel to go before me, and have pulled a chair for the butler, imagining them to be part, and not the lead genteel part of the company. Their diver- fions too are no lefs polite than their appearance ; in the country they are fportfmen, in town they frequent plays, opera's, and taverns, and at home have their routs and their gaming-tables. BUT left thus exalting our fervants to an equality with ourfelves mould not fufficiently augment their pride, and deftroy all fubordination, we take O 3 another igB THE WORLD. another method flill more effectually to compleaH the work, which is, debafing ourfelves to their meannefs by a ridiculous imitation of their dreffes ad occupations. Hence were derived the flapped hat, and cropped hair, the green frock, the long ftaff, and buckfkin breeches : hence, amongft the ladies, the round-eared cap, the Huff night-gown, white apron, and black-leather fhoe : and hence many perfons of the higheft rank daily employ themfelves in riding matches, driving coaches, or in running before them, in order to convince their domeftics how greatly they are inferior to them in the execution of thefe honourable offices. Since then we make ufe of fo much art to corrupt our fervants, have we reafon to be angry with their concurrence ? Since we take fo much pains to in- form them of their fuperiority, and our weaknefs, can we be furprifed that they defpife us, or dif-r pleafed with their infolence and impertinence ? As the pride of fervants thus proceeds from the pride, fo does their lazinefs from the lazinefs, of their matters : and indeed, if there is any cha- racteriftic peculiar to the young people of fafliion of the prefent age, it is their lazinefs, or an extreme unwillingnefs to attend to any thing that can give them the leaft trouble, or difquietude ; without any degree of which they would fain enjoy all the luxuries of life, in contradiction to the difpofitions )f providence, and the nature of things. They would THE WORLD. 199 would have great eftates without any management, great expences without any accounts, and great families without any difcipline or ceconomy, in ihort, they are fit only to be inhabitants of Lubber- land, where, as the child's geography informs us, men lie upon their backs with their mouths open, and it rains fat pigs, ready roafted. From this principle, when the pride they have infufed into their fervants has produced a proportionable de- gree of lazinefs, their own lazinefs is too prevalent, to fuffer them to -druggie with that of their fer- vants ; and they rather chufe that all bufmefs fhould be neglected, than to enforce the perform- ance of it ; and to give up all authority, rather than take the pains to fupport it : from whence it happens, that in great and noble families, where the domeftics are very numerous, they will not fo much as wait upon themfelves ; and was it not for the friendly afllflance of chair-women, porters, chair-men, and moc-blacks, procured by a generous diftribution of coals, candles and provifions, the common offices of life could never be executed. In fuch it is often as difficult to procure convenien- ces, as in a defart ifland -, and one frequently wants neceflaries in the midft of profufenefs and extra- vagance. In fuch families I have fometimes been fhut up in a cold room, and interdicted from the life of fice and water for half a day ; and, though during my imprifonment I have feen numberlefs Jcrvants continually pafling by, the utmoft I could O 4 procure 200 T H E W O R L D. procure of them was, a promife that they would lend fomebody to relieve my necefTities, which they never performed. In fiich I have feen, when a favourite dog has difcharged a too plentiful din- ner in the drawing-room, at the frequent ringing of the bell numerous attendants make their appear- ance, all intreated to depute fome one to remove the nufance with the utmoft expedition, but no one has been found in fuch a houle mean enough to undertake fuch an employment ; and fo it has lain fmoking under the notes- of the illuftrious company during the whole evening. I COULD produce innumerable inftances, minute indeed and unobferved, but well worthy obferva- tion, of the encroachments of our fervants on our eafmefs and indolence, in the introdu6tion of moft of the falhions that have prevailed for feveral years paft in our equipages, and domeftic ceconomy ; all which are entirely calculated for their pleafuie, eafe, or advantage, in direct contradiction to our own. To mention but a few : our coaches are made yneafy, but light, that they may whirl us along with the utmoft rapidity, for their own amufement. Glafles before are laid afide, and we are immured in the dark, that the coachman may no longer be under our infpeftion, but be drunk or afleep with- out any obfervation. Family liveries are difcarded, becaufe badges of fervility, which might give in- formation to whom their wearers belonged, and to 2 whom THE W O R L D. 2ot whom complaints might be addrefTed of their enor- mities. By their careleflfnefs and idlenefs they have obliged us to hire all our horfes, and fo have got rid of the labour of looking after them. By their impofitions on the road they have forced us into poft-chaifes, by which means they are at liberty to travel by themfelves, as it beft fuits their own eafe and convenience. By their impertinence, which we have not patience to endure, nor refolution to reprefs, they have reduced us to dumb-waiters, that is, to wait upon ourfelves ; by which means they have fhaken off the trouble and condefcenfion of attending us. By their profufion and mifmanage- ment in houfe-keeping, they have compelled us to allow them board-wages ; by which means they have obtained a conftant excufe to loiter at public- houfes, and money in their pockets to fquander there in gaming, drunkennefs, and extravagance. The lad of thefe is an evil of fo gigantic a fize, fo conducive to the univerfal corruption of the lower part of this nation, and fo entirely definitive of all family order, decency, and ceconorny, that it well deferves the confideration of a legiflature, who are not themfelves under the influence of their iervants, and can pay them their wages with- out any inconvenience. FROM what has been faid, it plainly appears, that every man in this country is ill-fcrved in pro- portion to the number and dignity of hi- fcrvants , the 202 THE W O R L D. the paribn, or the tradefman, who keeps but two maids and a boy, not exceeding twelve years old, is ufually very well waited on ; the private gentle- man infinitely worfe , but perfons of great fortunes or quality, afraid of the idols of their own fetting \ip, are neglected, abufed and impoverifhed by their dependents ; and the King himfelf, as is due to his exalted ftation, is more impofed on, and \vorfe attended, than any one of his fubjects, THE [ 203 THE WORLD. NUMBER CLXIII. THERE was an ancient feet of philofophers, the difciples of Pythagoras, who held, that the fouls of men, and all other animals exifted in a ftate of perpetual tranfmigration ; and that when by death they were diQodged from one corporeal habitation, they were immediately reinftated in an- other, happier or more miferable, according to their behaviour in the former : fo that when any perfon made his exit from the ftage of this world, he was fuppofed only to retire behind the fcenes to be new-drefTed, and to have had a new part afligned him, more or lefs agreeable, in proportion to the merit of his performance in the laft. THIS doctrine of tranfmigration, I muft own, was always a very favourite tenet of mine, and al- ways appeared to me one of the mod rational guefles 204 THE WORLD. guefles of the human mind into a future ftate. I fhall here therefore endeavour to mew the great probability of its truth, from the following con- fiderations. Firft from its juftice, fecondly from its utility, and laftly from the difficulty we lie under to account for the fufferings of many inno- cent creatures without it. FIRST then, the juftice of this fyftem exceeds that of all others , becaufe by it the great law of retaliation may be more ftrictly adhered to : for by means of this metamorphofis, men may furTer in one life the very fame injuries which they have in- flicted in another ; and that too in the very fame perfons, by a change only of fituation. Thus, for inftance, the cruel tyrant who in one life has fported with the mift'ries of his (laves, may in the next feel all the miieries of flavery under a mafter as unmerciful as himfelf. The relentlefs and unjuft judge may be imprifoned, condemned and hanged in his turn. Divines may be compelled by fire and faggot to believe the creeds and articles they have compofed for the edification of others ; and foldiers may be plundered and ravifhed in the per- fons of defencelefs peafanrs, and innocent virgins. The lawyer reviving in the character of a client, may be tormented with delay, expence, uncertainty and disappointment , and the phyfician, who in one life )ias taken exorbitant fees, may be obliged to take phyfic in another. All thofe who under the THE WORLD. 2.05 the honourable denomination of fportfmen, have entertained themfelves with the miferics and de- finition of innocent animals, may be terrified and murthered in the fhapes of hares, partridges and woodcocks ; and all thofe, who under the more illuilrious title of heroes, have delighted in the devailation of their own fpecies, may be maflacred by each other in the forms of invincible game- cocks, and pertinacious bull dogs. As for flatef- men, minifters, and all great men devoted to great bufmefs, they, however guilty, cannot be more properly, nor more feverely punimed, than by be- ing obliged to reafiume their former characters, and to live the very fame lives over again. IN the next place, the utility of this fyftem is equal to its juftice, and happily coincides with it : for by means of this tranfmigration, all the necef- fary inconveniencies,and all theburthenfome offices of life being impofed on thofe only, who by their mifbehaviour in a former ftate have deferved them, become at once juft punifhments to Them, and at the fame time benefits to fociety ; and fo all thofe who have injured the public in one life by their vices, are obliged in another to make reparation by their fufferings. Thus the tyrant, who by his power has opprefTed his country in the fituation of a prince, in that of a Have may be compelled to do it fome fervice by his labour. The high- wayman who has flopped and plundered tra\ ellers, may loS f H E W O L EL may expedite and affift them in the fhape of poft-horfe. The metaphorical buck, who has ter- rified fober citizens by his exploits, converted into a real one, may make them fome compenfation by his haunches > and mighty conquerors, who have laid wafte the world by their fvvords, may be obliged, by a fmall alteration in fex and fituation, to contribute to its repeopling, by the qualms of breeding, and the pains of child-birth. FOR my own part, I verily believe this to be the cafe. I make no doubt but that Louis the fourteenth is now chained to an oar in the galleys of France, and that Hernando Cortez is digging gold in the mines of Peru or Mexico. That Tur- pin the highwayman is feveral times a day fpurred backwards and forwards between London and Epping-, and that Lord *** and Sir Harry **** are now actually roafting for a city feaft. I queftion not but that Alexander the Great, and Julius Casfar have died many times in child-bed fince their ap- pearance in thofe illuftrious and depopulating cha- racters ; that Charles the twelfth is at this inftant a curate's wife in fome remote vilkge, with a nu- merous and increafmg family ; and that Kouli Khan is now whipped from parifh to parifh, in the perfon of a big bellied beggar-woman, with two children in her arms, and three at her back, . LASTLY, the probability of this fyftem appear^ from the difficulty of accounting for the fufferings 2 of THE WORLD. 207 of many innocent creatures without it : for if we look round us, we cannot but obferve a great and wretched variety of this kind ; numberlefs animals fubjefted, by their own natures, to many miferies, and by our cruelties to many more , incapable of crimes, and confequently incapable of deferving them > called into being, as far as we can difcover, only to be miferable for the fervice or diverfion of others lefs meritorious than themfelves ; without any poflibility of preventing, deferving, or receiv- ing recompence for their unhappy lot, if their whole exiftence is comprehended in the narrow and wretched circle of their prefent life. But the theory here inculcated, removes all thefe difficulties, and re- conciles allthefe feemingly unjuft difpenfetions with the ftricteft juftice : it informs us, that thefe their iufferings may be by no means undeferved, but the juft punifhments of their former mifbehaviour in a ftate, where, by means of their very vices, they may have efcaped them. It teaches us that the purfued and perfecuted fox was once probably fome crafty and rapacious minifter, who had pur- chafed by his ill-acquired wealth that fafety, which he cannot now procure by his flight : that the bull, baited with all the cruelties that human ingenuity, or human malevolence can invent, was once fome relentlefs tyrant, who had inflicted all the tortures which he now endures : that the poor bird, blind- ed, imprifoned, and at laft ftarved to death, in a cage, may have been fom-e unforgiving creditor 1 ; and 2o8 THE WORLD. and the widowed turtle, pining away life for tlitf lofs of her mate, fome fafhionable wife, rejoicing at the death of her hufband, which her own ill- ufage had occafioned. NEVER can the delicious repaft of roafted lob- flers excite my appetite, whilft the ideas of the tor- tures in which thofe innocent creatures have ex- pired, prefent themfelves to my imagination. But when I confider that they muft have once probably been Spaniards at Mexico, or Dutchmen at Am- boyna, I fall to, both with a good ftomach and a good confcierice, and pleafe myfelf with the thoughts, that I am thus offering up a facrirke acceptable to the Manes of many millions of maf- facred Indians. Never can I repofe myfelf with fatisfaction in a poft-chaife, whilft I look upon the ftarved, foundered, ulcerated, and excoriated ani- mals, who draw it, as mere horfes, condemned to fuch exquilite and unmerited torments for my con- venience , but when I reflect, that they orice muft undoubtedly have exifted in the characters of turn- keys of Newgate, or fathers of the holy inquifition, I gallop on with as much eafe, as expedition ; and am perfectly fatisfied, that in purfuing my journey, 1 am but the executioner of the ftricteft juftice. I VERY well know that thefe fentiments will be' treated as ludicrous by many of my readers, and looked upon only as the productions of an exube- rant THE WORLD. 209 rant imagination , but I know likewife, that this is owing to ill-grounded pride, and falfe notions of the dignity of human nature : for they are in themfelves juft and ferious, and carry with them the ftrongeft probability of their truth : fo ftrong is it, that I cannot but hope it will have fome good effect on the conduct of thofe polite people, who are too fagacious, learned and couragious to be kept in awe by the threats of hell and damnation : and I exhort every fine lady to confider how wretched will be her condition, if after twenty or thirty years fpent at cards, in elegant roohis, kept warm by good fires and foft carpets, fhe fhould at laft be obliged to change places with one of her coach-horfes ; and every fine gentleman to reflect how much more wretched would be his, if after wafting his eftate, his health and his life in extravagance, indolence and luxury, he mould again revive in the fituation of one of his cre- ditors. THE [ 210 ] THE W O R L D, N U M B E R CLXXVIII. NOT long fmce, I met at St. James's cofFee- honie, an old acquaintance of mine, Sir Harry Prigg; who having been long rufticated, and much alt-ereti, I flK>uld never have recollected, had it net been for the information of a fine old coat y in which I remembered him to have made a figure about town many years ago. After the ufual civi- lities had patted between us, amongft many other queftions, he afked me when I had feen our old fchool-follow, Sir John Jolly a . I anfwered, that I had laft fu miner fpent fome days with him at his country-feat, in a manner which would have been highly agreeable to a perfon of a more famionable turn, but was to me rather fatiguing from its ex- cefs of gaiety and hofpitali:y, which, according to' a See Number 15.3. my THE WORLD. 2U iriy impolite tafte, were by no means confident with the foft and ierious pleafures of a rural re- tirement. He faid, he perfectly agreed with me in my fentiments, and paffed his time in the coun- try in conformity to them : his mariner of life, he v/as fure, would exactly fuit me, and obligingly begged I would make the experiment ; adding., that he ftiould go down in a few days, and would carry me with him in his chariot. I accepted his invitation, not fo much out of inclination, as cu- riofity to fe a new fcene of country life.; formed on principles fo oppofite to what I had before ex- perienced, and promifed to attend him at the time appointed. BUT firft It will be proper to give fome account of the birth, parentage, and education of my friend. He came young to his title, and a fmall Htate, and was foon after fent to the univerfity ; where his title abfurdly giving him the rank of nobility, and his eftate, though fmall, an allow- ance fufficient to fupport that rank at that place, he there contracted an affectation of grandeur, and a pert kind of feif-importance, which he has ever fmce retained, and which neither poverty nor fo- litude has yet been able to conquer. Having in two or three years acquired the ufual advantages of that fort of education, fuch as the arts of fporting, toafting, billiards and coachmanmip, he came to London, entered into the gay world, and had P z addrds 2T 2 THE WORLD. addrefs and qualifications fufficient to introduce himfelf into what he ftill calls the beft company ; that is, the company of fmarts, bucks, jockeys and gamefters. Nor was he deficient in point of gallantry , for he foon commenced an intrigue with the fitter of one of thefe his friends. Whe- ther his intentions were at firft honourable, is not perfectly clear; but he was quickly obliged to declare them fo, being acquainted, that a lady of her rank was not to be trifled with, and that he muft either fight or marry ; the latter of which he courageoufly chofe, as being the moft daring action of the two. This lady had more gentility than beauty, more beauty than underftanding, more underftanding than fortune, and a fortune about equal to her reputation. She was tall and well-fhaped, carried her head very high, and be- ing the younger daughter of the younger fon of the firft coufm of an Irifh baron, looked upon herfelf as a woman of quality. In a little time Sir Harry heartily hated her for compelling him to marry : and Ihe no lefs defpifed him for being compelled: fo that finding little happinefs at home, they were obliged to feek it abroad at plays and routs, operas and gaming tables, at no fmall ex- pence. This could not continue long ; fo that before one winter was at an end, they difcovered that the town-air would not agree with them, and fo retired to their country feat, about forty miles from London j whither I (hall now conduct my reader.. THE WORLD. 213 : ON the morning appointed, I attended early at their lodgings in town, where I found the poft- chariot at the door, and my friend Handing by it, with a long whip in his hand, ready to mount the box; faying at the fame time, that coachmen were fuch infolent and expenfive rafcals, there was no keeping them, and that therefore he al- ways chofe to be his own. In the parlour fat my lady, and colonel Macfhean, a gentleman who had long been very intimate with Sir Harry, and not lefs fo with her ladyfhip ; and in the paffage ftood her French woman, in a fack and long ruffles, with her arms full of band-boxes and bundles \vhich were no fooner difpofed of in various parts of the chariot, than my lady and myfelf, with her woman on a low flool at our feet, were fluffed into the little room that was left. Sir Harry mounted the box, his valet de chambre rode by, and a fniveling footboy climbed up behind. Thus the whole family, with their baggage, and myfelf into the bargain, were conveyed without the ex- pence of either a ftage-coach or a waggon. NOTHING pafTed during our journey worth re- lating. Her ladyfhip fpoke little, and that little was only complaints of her bad nerves, and ill ftate of health ; to which, having no expectation of a fee, I paid little attention. They both declared, that nobody but a carrier would dine at P 3 an 2i 4 THE WORLD. an inn, wherefore they never flopped on the road : fo with the affiftance of a frefli pair of horfcs, that had come twenty miles that morning without a bait, about fun-fet we arrived at our journey's end. The colonel got there before us, having rode poft : for Sir Harry frequently declared to us both, that, tho' his friends were welcome, he never entertained their horfes ; that it was not the iamion of that country , neither my Lord * *, nor the Duke of * * *, nor himfelf did it. IT was not long before the dinner made its ap- pearance j which was fo very genteel, that had it not been rendered uneatable by a bad affectation of French cookery, ip would not haye been half fufficient, after fo many miles travelling, and fq long failing. At the conclufion we had meed, which pa0ed for tokay, and elder wine, which Sir Harry fwore was the bed Burgundy in England, and that he himfelf had imported it, in conjunction with a noble lord in the neighbourhood. Over a glais of this, the cloth being removed, he informed us, " that when the fmoke of London, and the " bad hours incident to keeping good company, " would no longer agree with his own or his wife's " conftitution, he had determined to leek health " and quiet in an elegant retirement. He had f been offer'd indeed a feat in parliament, and ?' a conficlerable employment ; but his crazy con- " ftitution would not permit him to accept of the " one, T H E W O R L D. 215 w one, nor his found principles of the other. " Retirement was their object ; therefore all they " dreaded was the horrible irruptions of a coun- " try neighbourhood j but this they had happily " prevented. That indeed on their firft coming, " every family within ten miles round, tormented " them with their impertinent vifits ; but they *' returned none, affronted them all, and fo got " rid of them. Don't you think we did right, " my dear ? " turning to his wife. " I think," anfwered fhe in a furly and dejected voice, " that *' it is better to forget the ule of one's tongue, " than to converfe with fquires wives, and paribns " daughters." " You are right, madam," added the colonel, with an oath and a loud laugh; " for what can one learn in fuch a damned com- *' pany ? " " To-morrow," fays my friend, ad- drefling himfelf to me, " you Ihall fee that we " want no company, and that we can fufficiently " amufe ourfelves with building and planting, " with improvements and alterations, which I ** dare fay will be honoured with your approba- " tion." ACCORDINGLY the next morning, as foon as breakfaft was finiflied, my lady and the colonel retired into her dreffing-room to cribbage, and Sir Harry and myfelf to reconnoitre the place. The houfe ftands at the end of a dirty village, and clofe by it are a few tame deer, impounded in an orch- P 4 ard, 216 T H E W O R L D. ard 7 to which he gives the' pompons title of a park. Behind is a fen, which he calls a piece of water, and before it a goofe-common, on which he beftows the name of a lawn. It was built in that deplorable asra of Englifh architecture which introduced high doors, long windows, fmall rooms, and corner chimneys ; and of gardening, which projected gravel walks, dipt yews, and ftrait-lined avenues, with a profufion of brick walls, iron pa- lifado's and leaden images. But all thefe defects, and many others, he has now corrected by a ju- dicious application of modern tafte. His doors are fo reduced, you cannot enter with your hat on ; and his windows fo contracted, that you have fcarce light enough to find it, if you pull it off. In the midft of the front, one large bow-window is ftuck on, refembling a piece of whited brown paper plaiftered on a broken nofe , and a great room is added behind to dine in, which, was it ever in- habited, would make all the little ones appear ftill lefs : but having never yet been finjihed, for want both of cam and credit, it remains at prefent only a repofitory for broken china, a pair of backgam- mon tables, and the children's play-things. His brick-walls are converted into chimneys and ovens, and his yew-trees fupply them with faggots : his iron-work is fold to the blackfmiths, and his hea- then gods to the plumber, for the pious ufc of covering the parifh-church : his gravel walks are jfown with grafs ; and he frequently repeats that frugal. THE WORLD. 217 frugal, yet genteel maxim, that fheep are the beft gardeners. His horfe-pond being made ferpentine, is become ufelefs, left it mould be trod up , and his fences, being all Chinefe, are no fences at all *, the horfes leaping over, and the hogs walking un- der them at their pleafure. The tranfplanted avenue is expiring in leaflefs platoons ; the kitchen- garden, for conveniency, is removed two furlongs from the houfe , and the kitchen itfelf unjuftly turned out of doors, for fmelling of victuals ; a crime of which it has ever been acquitted by the voice of the whole country. WHEN our furvey was finimed, our amufements were all at an end , for within doors the pleafures both of fociety and folitude were equally wanting. Of our conversation I have given a fpecimen ; and books there were none, except a fmall one con- taining tunes for the French horn, belonging to Sir Harry, and the third volume of Peregrine Pickle, and a methodift prayer-book, the property of her ladyfhip. I began now to wifh for a little of my friend Sir John's hofpitality, of which there was not here the leaft appearance. We heard not of a human creature, except by their injuries and infults, not altogether indeed unprovoked ; for the pantry and the cellar, though ufually empty, were always locked. Strong- beer there was none; and the fmall, though nobody at home could drink it, was not fuffered to be given away. The fervants were 2i8 THE WORLD. were always out of humour, and frequently changing -, and the tradefmen who brought their bills, were paid only by a wrangle, or a draught on fome tenant who owed no rent. There was not a neighbour very near, except the parfon of the parifh, and alderman Grub, a rich citizen, who had purchafed a confiderable part of it from Sir Harry. With thefe they lived in a ftate of perpetual hoftilities : they quarrelled with the al- derman for prefuming to buy an eftate which they wanted to fell j and the parfon quarrelled with them, becaufe he was in pofTefTion of the only living in the gift of Sir Harry, and the alderman had a much better to difpofe of. By the encou- ragement of thefe good neighbours, and their own ill conduct, confirming of a flrange mixture of infolence and avarice, of meannefs and mag- nificence, they were defpifed, perfecuted and af- fronted by all around them. Their pig's were worried, their poultry murdered, their dogs poi- foned, their game deftroy'd, their hedges broke, and their hay-ftacks let on fire. They were hiiTcd and hooted at; and now and then a great pair of horns were fixed on their gates ; an infult at which they were highly enraged, but the meaning of which neither Sir Harry, nor my lady, not even with the affiftance of tli N polonel, could ever guefs at. THE WORLD. 219 I SOON grew weary of this land of contention and uneafmefs ; and having recourfe to the old excufe of urgent bufmefs, I took my leave, and went poft to town ; reflecting all the way with furprife on the ingenuity of mankind, to render themfelves at once miferable and ridiculous ; and lamenting that the happinefs and innocence of rural life are now fcarce any where to be found,, T H E FREE IN Q_U I R Y INTO THE NATURE and ORIGIN O F E V In SIX LETTERS to ; The FIFTH EDITION. With an additional Preface, and feme explanatory Notes. , [ "3 1 PREFACE To the FOURTH EDITION. THE author of the following letters is too well acquainted with human nature, to be in the teaft furprifed at the reception they have met with -, that is, that they have been much liked, much cenfnred, and little afiented to : Truth, he knows, has at all times been ib received ; for, tho' by her native beauty me is fure to charm, yet from her repugnancy to molt men's interefb, me is feldom welcome : politicians are afraid of her, parties deteil her, and all profelFions agree, that me is mad, and very dangerous if funrred to go about in public : he knows, that mankind live all in mafquerade, and that whoever prefumes to come amongft them barefaced muft expect to be abufed by the whole afiembty : he could there- fore have no motive for thus imparting his free fentiments to the public, except the diflates of his own heart, which tell him, that it is every man's duty, who comes into the world* to ufe his beft 5 endea* 224 PREFACE. endeavours, however infignificant, to leave it as much wifer, and as much better as he can. In- duced by this motive alone, he at firft undertook this Inquiry; and now, actuated by the fame principle, and unprovoked by all the fenfelefs mifapprehenfions, and malicious mifconftructions, with which it has been tortured, he will here, with all pofiible concifenefs, endeavour to explain thofe parts of it, which have been fo mifunder- ftood, or mifreprefented, and give fatisfaction to all, who are either able or willing to underftand it. THE firft letter treats of Evils in general, and endeavours to prove, that they all owe their exift- ence, not to any voluntary admhTion of a bene- volent Creator, but to the necefllty of their own natures, that is, to the impoffibility of excluding them from any fyftem of created Beings what- ever ; and that in all fuch fyftems, however wifely contrived, they muft have, and muft at all times have had a place. Againft this, but one mate- rial objection has been urged ; which is this, that, in order to make room for this necefllty of Evil, the real exiftence of a paradifiacal ftate is repre- fented as at all times impofiible ; and ccnfequently, the Mofaic Account of that ftate is utterly ex- ploded, on which the whole fabric of the Chrif- tian Religion is erected. How far the literal be- lief of that account is eflfential to the true faith of a Chriftian, need not be here decided , be- r caufe PREFACE; 225 caufe not the leafl mention of it is made in this letter: and therefore this objection is intirely founded on a miftake. The argument there made ufe of, is only this, that fome have endea- voured to juftify the goodnefs of God from the introduction of Evil, by aflerting, that at the beginning there was no fuch thing, but that, at firft, all creation came out of his omnipotent hand, endued with abfolute perfection, and free from all Evil, both natural and moral : to mew, that this was an ancient opinion, fome lines are quoted from Ovid's Metamorphofis, defcribing the Golden Age, in fuch a (late of perfect happinefs and in- nocence ; on which the Author, thinking them to be no part of any one's creed, imagined himfelf at liberty to obferve, that from the nature of man, and the nature of this terreflrial globe, which he inhabits, the real exiftence of fuch a ftate feemed impofilble ; and therefore, that thefe defcriptions of it could be nothing more, than amufmg dreams, and inchanting fables. This bears not the leaft reference to the Mofaic account of Paradife, in which fuch a ftate of abfolute perfection, void of all Evil, is fo far from being defcribed, that the Serpent, or the Devil, the parent of all Evil, is one of the principal characters of that Hiftory ; which therefore by no means contradicts the pro- pofition here aflerted. Q THE 226 PREFACE. THE fecond Letter undertakes to mew, that Evils of Imperfection are in truth no Evils at all ; but only the abfence of comparative good, re- fulting folely from the neceffary inferiority of fome Beings with regard to others, which cannot be prevented in a fyftem of creation, whofe very efTence confifts in a chain of fubordination, de- fcending from infinite perfection to abfolute no- thing. To this likewife one objection only has been made ; which is, that no fuch chain of fubordinate Beings, reaching from infinite perfec- tion to abfolute nothing, can, in fact, exift , for this notable reafon : becaufe no being can approach next to infinite perfection ; nor any be contiguous to nothing. But this argument being no more than a quibble on metaphyfical terms, to which no precife ideas are affixed, neither deferves, nor is capable of an anfwer. The third Letter treats of Natural Evils -, and attempts to fhew that moft of thefe, which we complain of, are derived likewife from the fame fource-, that is, from the imperfection of our natures, and our flation in the univerfal fyftem : to this are added three conjectures j firft, that many of our miferies may be owing to fome fecret, but invincible difpofition in the nature of things, that renders it impracticable to produce pleafure exclufive of pain j a certain degree of which P R E F A* C E. 227 which mud therefore be endured by individuals, for the happinefs and well-being of 'the whole: fecondly, that many other of our miferies may be inflicted on us by the agency of fuperior Beings* to whofe benefit they may poflibly be as conducive as the deaths and fufferings of inferior animals are to ours , and, laftly, that by the ancient doc- trine of Tranfmigration, the miferies, which for the fake of general utility we are obliged to fuffer in one life, may be recompenced in another, and fo the divine goodnefs be fufficiently juftified from the admifllon of them all. To every one of thefe fome objections have been made : againit the firit, it has been alledged, that this impracti- cability to produce pleafure, without pain, whence arifes this utility of the fufferings of individuals for the good of the whole, is merely a production of the Author's own daring imagination, founded on no reafon, and fupported by no proof. To which he anfvvers, that he propofes it as a conjec- ture only ; but cannot think it ill-founded, fince it is confirmed by the appearance of every thing around us, and fince it is reafonable to believe, that a benevolent Creator would not have per- mitted his creatures to have fuffered on any other terms. In ridicule of the fecond conjecture, it has been afked, with an air of humour, whether we can think it credible, that fuperior beings fhould ride, or hunt, or roaft, or eat us, as we make ufe of inferior animals ? Which queftion 2 is 228 PREFACE* is moft properly to be anfwered by another : whe- ther, in the unbounded fyftem of creation, there may not be numberlefs methods, by which beings of different orders may be fubfervient to each others ufes, totally above the reach of our comprehen- fions ? To doubt of which would be like the in- credulity of the ignorant peafant, who can fcarce be perfuaded to believe that there is any thing in the world, fome fpecimen of which he has not beheld within the narrow limits of his own parifh. To the laft it is objected, that the doctrine of Tranfmigration being only the fanciful and ex- ploded opinion of fome ancient Philofophers, in the times of darknefs, ought not, by the Author, to have been here advanced in direct contradiction to the faith and tenets of the Chriftian religion : to which he replies, that he neither propofes this doctrine as an article of his own belief, or im- pofes it on others , but mentions it only as the moft rational conjecture of the human mind, uninformed by fupernatural affiftance concerning a future ftate : that it is confirmed by Revelation he does not pretend, but that it directly contradicts it, by no means^ appears -, fo filent are the Scriptures concerning the ftate of the foul between death and the refurrection, that the moft learned divines ftill widely differ on that fubject ; fome maintain- ing that it enters immediately into a ftate of retri- bution ; others, of fleep ; and others, of purgation from paft offences : why therefore is it more re- pugnant PREFACE. 229 pugnant to the fenfe of thefe writings, to fuppofe, that it may poflibly animate other bodies during that period, and, at the lad day, receive fuch pu^ nimments or rewards as is due on the whole ac- count of its pad behaviour ? Thus the probability of every one of thefe conjectures feems to be fuffi- ciently edablifhed, and they appear perfectly con- fident with reafon, and not at all contradictory to revelation. THE fourth Letter endeavours to account for Moral Evil : the mod arduous Part of the whole undertaking; to which end it attempts to mew, that the common opinion, which derives it folely from the abufe of free-will in man, is ineffectual for that purpofe , and that therefore, though its very eflence confids in the production of natural Evil, yet it could never have been admitted into the works of a juft and beneficent Creator, if it had not fome remote and collateral tendency to univerfal good, by anfwering fome ends beneficial ,to the immenfe, and incomprehensible whole : one of which may poflibly be the converfion of unpreventable miferies into juft punilhments by the production of guilt, without which they mud have been inflicted on perfect innocence. To this account of the origin of Moral Evil, not only many weighty objections have been made, but on it many imputations have been laid, of a mqft formidable nature, as that it makes God the caufe 0.3 f 230 PREFACE. of all wickednefs, deftroys Free-will in man, and confequently roots up the foundation of all Vir- tue, and Morality whatever , and it is, moreover, charged with inconfiftency and felf-contradiftion thro' every part. To all this the Author replies only, that he is aflured, that, if any intelligent reader will perufe the whole Letter together with candor, and attention, it will evidently appear, that thefe accufations are entirely groundlefs. He makes no manner of doubt, but that man is en- dued with Free-will, and is juftly punifhable for the abufe of it-, and hopes he has fo exprefTed himfelf,- through this whole piece, as to leave no uncertainty of his opinion on that queltion : all he means is, that though the abufe of Free-will is undoubtedly the immediate caufe of Moral Evil, yet it cannot from thence derive its original admifllori into the works of a benevolent Creator ; becaufe man, not being a felf-exiftent and inde- pendent being, muft receive that Will itfelf, to- gether with his nature and formation, from the iupreme Author of all things : for which reafon fre cannot apprehend, that the general wickednefs of mankind can be an accident proceeding from their unforefeen wrong elections, by which the whole benevolent fyftem is defeated , but muft be a part, and a material part too, of the original plan of creation, wifely calculated by the incom- prehenfible operations of vice, and punimment, fo promote the good and happinefs of the whole. For, PREFACE. 231 For, to aflert, that any thing has happened which God did not intend, or that he intended any thing which did not happen, is a language, which may be allowed to the Poet or the Orator, but never to the Philofopher ; unlefs we can fuppofe, that Omnifcience can be difappointed, and Omnipo- tence defeated. As to inconfiftency, he denies not the charge ; but believes he is not more in- confiftent than all who have undertaken to write on the fame fubje<5t : the Scriptures themfelves are guilty of the fame feeming inconfiftency on this head ; they all reprefent man as a Being per- fectly free, punifhable, and punifhed for his mif- behaviour; yet as conftantly fpeak of him as a creature deriving all his thought, will, and difpo- fitions from his Creator, and under his perpetual influence, and direction ; the appearance of incon- fiftency, in which two propofitions, both undoubt- edly true, proceeds only from our ignorance in the nature, and limits of free-will, and divine in- fluence, and our inability to comprehend them. In the latter part of this Letter a few hints are flung out, to mew that on the principles of the foregoing theoiy fome of the moft abftrufe doc- trines of the chriftian revelation, of original fin, grace, predeftination, and vicarious punimment, might be rendered reconcileable to the ftrideft reafon ; a propofal from whence furely much ad- vantage might accrue to the caufe ef chriftianity Q.4 i Q 232 PREFACE. jn general, and by which poflibiy fome articles of our own Church might be proved to be much lefs incompatible with common fenfe than they are thought to be by all thofe, who will not fub- fcribe them, and by many, who do : with this, two claffes of men are particularly offended , the rational difienters, as they pleafe to call them- felves, and the methodifts : the former of thefe having arbitrarily expunged out of their Bibles every thing, which appears to them contradictory to reafon, that is, to their own reafon, or, in other words, every thing which they cannot un- derftand, are difpleafed to fee thofe tenets ex- plained, which they have thought -proper to re- ject : the latter having embraced thefe very doc- trines only becaufe they appeared unintelligible, are unwilling to fee them cleared up, and afraid left thofe dark and thorny covers mould be laid open, under which they have fo long flickered themfelves from the rays of reafon : with either of thefe all debate would be vain, and ufelefs, becaufe the firft, though for the moft part honeft, religious, and learned men, are unable po com- prehend any reafoning, which foars above the li- mits of their own confined literature, and educa- tion ; and the others are determined to lifteri to no reafoning at all, having with all reafon and common fenfe declared eternal warfare. THE PREFACE. THE defign of the fifth Letter is to fhew, that in the government of fuch imperfect creatures as men over each other there muft be much unavoid- able Evil : that all human governments, whether of the monarchcial, popular, or mixed kinds, were at firft founded on force or intereft, and muft ever be fupported by the fame means, that is, by .compulfion, or corruption, both of which muft be productive of innumerable Evils ; that thefe ought not to be imputed to God, becaufe he could not have prevented them without the total alter- ation of human nature; much lefs can they be eradicated by men , but that they may in fome meafure be leflened by the diminution of moral Evil, from which all political Evils are derived ; and therefore that we ought quietly to fubmit to thefe Evils, when they do not arife to any intoler^ able degree, and to apply principally that remedy to the faults of government, which is ever the moft effectual, that is, the amendment cf our own. It is no wonder, that a leffon fo difagree- able to the reftlefs humours of moft men, and fo repugnant to the arts, and ends of faction, mould call up againft the Author, many opponents, who have liberally beftowed on him the titles of an enemy to Liberty, and an advocate for corruption, with the fame juftice that a phyfician might be {tiled an enemy to health, and an advocate for the gout, who in that diftemper prefcribes pa- tience, PREFACE. tience, and temperance, rather than fuch inflaming medicines as might convert it into a more danger- ous difeafe. All that he has afierted in this Let- ter amounts to no more than this : that no go- vernment can fubfift without fome principle of governing ; that is, that men cannot be governed without fome means by which their obedience can be obtained ; a proportion, which feems as in- conteftible, as that every effect muft have a caufe. That all government muft be difagreeable to thofe who are governed, is demonftrable from the nature and eflfence of government itfelf, which being nothing more, than a compulfion of individuals to act in fuch a manner in fupport of fociety, as they are neither wife, nor honeft enough to do from the fuggeftions of their own heads, or hearts, this compulfion muft be contrary to both their judgments, and inclinations, and confequently difagreeable, and for that reafon perpetually re- fifted : fome method muft therefore be made ufe of to. overcome this refiftance, and what that me- thod can be, except force, or intereft, he cannot find out : he is an advocate for neither, except from their necefiity , and, if any one will point out another, he will readily declare his difappro- bation of diem both. The lixth and laft Letter proceeds upon the fame plan as the reft, and endeavours to fliew, that religious Evils, that is, the defects fo vifible in PREFACE. 235 in all human religions, and the mifchievous con- fequences refulting from them, are not owing to any want of wifdom or goodnefs in our Creator, but proceed, like all others, from our nature, and fituation, and the impracticability of giving a perfect religion to an imperfect creature. In order to explain this, it was neceflary to point out the particular imperfections, which in fact do exift in all human religions, whether natural or revealed ; not with any defign to depreciate the one, or to invalidate the authority of the other, but only to account for them confidently with God's wifdom, and benevolence : thofe charged upon natural re- ligion have been readily enough agreed to, but thofe imputed to revelation have offended many, who have from thence confidered the whole of this inquiry as intended fecretly to undermine the foundations of Chriftianity, than which nothing can be more averfe from the intentions, as well as from the fentiments of the Author , but indeed many late deiftical writers have attacked that re- ligion fo unfairly, by infmuating many cavils, which they dared not exprefs, that they have made it very difficult for any one to treat freely on that fubject, without incurring the fulpicion of the fame infmcc rity : of all fuch difingenuous ar- tifices the Author fmcerely declares his utmoft de- teftation, arid begs to be underftood to mean all that he exprefies, and nothing more : he folemnly profefTes, that by recounting thefe imperfections, he 236 PREFACE. he is fo far from entertaining any fecret defigns deftructive to that facred institution, that by it he intended not only to wreft out of the hands of infidelity thofe weapons, with which it has ever been moft fuccefsfully aflaulted, but alfo to ob- viate all thofe doubts and difficulties, which fre- quently occur to the minds of thinking men, though no infidels, on viewing the deplorable Hate in which all human religion has continued throughout all ages, and the ineffectual afliftance it has received even from this divine interpofition itfelf, by no means exempted from numberlefs Evils, and Imperfections : to thofe, who perceive none of thefe Imperfections, and confequential Evils, he means not to write, nor defires to let in any new light on their tender organs, which can ferve only to diflurb their prefent repofe ; nor does he afpire to th*e honour of working for thole middle-fized understandings, who can be well fitted with ready-made arguments from every Pulpit : to the learned, impartial, fagacious, and inquifitive, he alone applies, the eftabliming one af whom in a rational and well-grounded belief of the Chriftian Religion does more real fervice to that caufe, than the enlifting legions under that denomination whofe immoveable faith proceeds only from their ignorance ; that is, who believing without any reafon, can poflibly have no reafon for doubting. To Account for the Corruption of re- ligion, it was neeefiary to fpecify the particular 2 abufes, PREFACE. 237 i abufes, and abufcrs of it : and here the Author could fcarcely overlook the Clergy : but he hopes that nothing has efcaped his pen, that can throw the leaft reflection upon them as Clergy, but as men only, fubject to the fame imperfections, and actuated by the fame paflions as other men, and purfuing the ends of felf-intereft and ambition by the fame paths, in which all others would have trod, conducted by the fame temptations, and opportunities : he has treated them with no more freedom than he has done Princes and Parlia- ments, Minifters and Patriots, Conquerors and Heroes, and his work would admit of no partial- ity -, fure he is, that nothing he has faid can bear the moft diftant relation to the prefent Clergy of this country, whom he fmcerely thinks are a body of men as honeft, learned, and unprejudiced, as ever exifted, and for whofe perfons, and profeffion, he has the higheft regard. In another part of this Letter there is an aflertion, which has given fome offence , which is, that every religion muft be corrupted as foon as it becomes eftablifh- ed , this has been thought a reflection upon all national churches, and a perfuafion to fchifm, and difiention , but thofe, who think thus, totally mifapprehend the tenor of this whole work, which endeavours to prove, that every thing human mull be attended with Evils, which therefore ought to be fubmitted to with patience and refig- nation -, that many imperfections will adhere to all govern- 238 PREFACE. governments and religions in the hands of men, but that thefe, unlefs they rife to an intolerable degree, will not juftify our refiftance to the one, or our difTention from the other : the afiertion it- felf, the Author cannot retract, but the inference, which he defires may be drawn from it, is by no means favourable to difientions, becaufe from them he can perceive no remedy, which can ac- crue to thefe Evils : for if it was every one's duty to defert a national church on account of thofe corruptions which proceed from its eftablimment, and this duty was universally complied with, let us fee the confequence ! one of thefe things muft neceflarily follow : either that fome diftention of fuperior purity, which ufually arifes from its be- ing a diffention, muft be eftablifhed in its room ; or no religion muft be eftabliihed at all : if the firft of thefe methods mould take place, the end propofed by it would by itfelf be entirely defeat- ed , becaufe that purer religion which was efta- blimed would by that very eftablimment become equally corrupt with that, which was deferted, and fo the fame reafon would eternally remain for a new difTention : if the latter mould be taken, that is, to eftablifh no religion at all ; this would be fo far from producing the intended reformation, that it would let in fuch an inundation of enthufiafm, and contradictory abfurdities, as muft in a fhort time deftroy not only all religion, but all peace, and morality whatever : of which no one can entertain 2 the PREFACE. 239 the leaft doubt, who is not totally unacquainted both with the nature, and hiftory of mankind. From whence it is plain, that all difientions from a na- tional church, not in itfelf fmful, arife from igno- rance ; that is, from a kind of fhort-fightednefs, which enables men to pry out every imperfection within their reach, but prevents their difcerning the more remote neceflity for thofe imperfections, and the danger of amending them. To conclude, the Author of this inquiry hav- ing heard it fo much, and as he thought fo unjuftly calumniated, has reviewed it with all pofiible care, and impartiality, and though he finds many things in the ftyle, and compofition, which have need enough of amendment, he fees nothing in the fen- timents which ought to be retracted. His inten- tentions were to reconcile the numerous Evils fo confpicuous in the Creation, with the wifdom, power, and goodnefs of the Creator ; to mew, that no more of them are admitted by him, than are neceflary towards promoting univerfal good; and from thence to perfuade men to an intire re- fignation to his all- wife, but incomprehenfible difpenfations. To afcertain the nature of virtue, and to enforce the practice of it : to prove the certainty of a future ftate, and the juftice of the rewards and punimments that will attend it: to recommend fubmifiion to national governments, and conformity to national religions, notwith- ftanding 240 PREFACE. ftanding the Evils and Defects, which muft un* avoidably adhere to them , and laftly, to mew the excellence and credibility of the Chriftian re- velation, to reconcile fome of its mofl abftrufe doctrines with reafon, and to anfwer all thofe ob- jections to its authority, which have been drawn from its imperfections, and abufes. Thefe, and thefe only, were the intentions of the Author ; and if, after all, a work fo defigned, however unably executed, mould by the united force of ignorance, and malevolence, of faction, bigotry, and-enthu* ^ fiafm, be reprefented as introductive of fatalifmj immorality, flavery> corruption, and infidelity, he mall be little concerned, and mail only look upon it as an additional inflance of that Imper- fection of mankind, which he has here treated of: from them he defires only an exemption from ca- lumny : honour and applaufe he has not the vanity to hope for ; thefe, he knows, they beftow not on their benefactors, or inftructors, but referve for thofe alone, who deceive, difturb, and deftroy them. LET- LETTER I O N EVIL in general. R [ 243 J LETTER L On EVIL in general, s I R, HAVING enjoyed the pleafure of many acci- dental conferences with you on metaphyfical, moral, political, and religious fubjects ; on which you ever feemed to converie with more fagacity, as well as more candor, than is ufual on the like occafionsj I imagined it might not be unenter- taining either to you, or myfelf, to put together my fentiments on thefe important topics, and communicate them to you from time to time as the abfence of bufmefs, or of more agreeable amufements may afford me opportunity. This 1 propofe to do under the general Title of an Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil ; an Inquiry, which will comprehend them all, and R 2 which. 244 THE NATURE AND which, I think, has never been attended to with that diligence it deferves, nor with that fuccefs, which might have been hoped for from that little that has been beftowed upon it. The right un- derftanding of this abftnife fpeculation, I look upon to be the only folid foundation, on which any rational fyftem of Ethicks can be built; for it feems impoffible, that men mould ever arrive. at any juft ideas of their Creator, or his Attributes, any proper notions of their relation to him, or their duty to each other, without firfl fettling in their minds fqme fatisfactory folution of this im- portant queflion, Whence came Evil? Whilft we find ourfelves liable to innumerable miferies in this life ; apprehenfive of ftill greater in another, and can give no probable account of this our wretched Situation, what fentiments muft we en- tertain of the juiiice and benevolence of our Creator, who placed us in it, without our felicit- ations, or confent? The Works of the Creation fufficiently demonftrate his exiftence , their beauty, perfection and magnificence, his infinite power and wifdom , but it is the Happinefs only, which we enjoy, or hope 'for, which can convince us of h;s Goodhefs. IT is the folution therefore of this important quefiion alone, that can afccftain the moral Cha- racteriftic of God, and upon that only muft all human Virtue"etrnally depend. If ORIGIN OF EVIL. 245 eiriirij I f ri-) : T . , _ - If therms a Power above us, (And that there is all Nature cries aloud Thro 1 all her works) he tnuft delight in Virtue, And that which he delights in, muft be happy. But fhould this divine reafoning of the philofopher be at lafl inconclufive ; could we once entertain fuch blafphemous notions of the Supreme Being, as that He might not delight in Virtue^ neither adhere to it himfelf, nor reward it in others ; that He could make any part of his creation miferable, or fuffer them to make themfelves fo without a juft caufe, and a benevolent end ; all moral confiderations muft be vain, and ufelefs ; we can have no rule by which to direct our actions, nor, if we had, any kind of obligation to purfue it : nor in this cafe can any Revelation in the leaft afiift us, the belief of all Revelation being in its own nature fubfequent, not only to the belief of God's exiftence, but of his juftice and veracity ; for if God can injure us, he may alfo deceive us \ and then there is an end of all diftinclions be- tween good and evil, truth and falfehocd, and of all confidence in God or Man. . I MEA-tf not by this to infmuate the leaft pofii- bility of a doubt concerning the Juftice or Good- nefs of our Creator, but only to mew the impor- tance of this Inquiry, and the utility of it towards I\ 3 fettling 246 THE NATURE AND fettling our notions of his Attributes, and the re^ gulation of our own behaviour in conformity to them. I intend not by it to prove the benevolence of God, but to reconcile the mileries we fee and fuffer, with that uncontrovertable benevolence : I defign not to (hew that God approves Virtue, but that the admifiion of moral Evil is not irc- confiflent with that undoubted approbation : nor would I be underflood ta afiert, that our obliga- tion to be virtuous depends on this abftrufe Spe- culation, but only that our right underftanding 1 it will remove all doubts concerning the nature of Virtue, and our obligation to purfue it, and fix them on the moft firm, and immoveable Bafis. To find out therefore how Evil of any kind can be the production of infinite Goodnefs, joined \vith infinite Power, mould be the firft ftep in all our religious inquiries ; the examination into- which wonderful paradox will lead us into many ufeful and fublime truths ; and its perfect com- prehenfion, was that pofiible for our narrow ca- pacities, would, I doubt not, make as furprifing difcoveries in the Moral World, as mathematical and phyfical knowledge have in the Natural. To clear up this difficulty, fome ancient Phi- lofophers have had recourfe to the fuppofition- of two firft Caufes, one Good, and the other Evil, perpetually counteracting each other's defigns. This ORIGIN OF EVIL; 247 This fyftem was afterwards adopted by the Mani- ch*an Herefy, and has fince been defended by the ingenious Monf. Bayk : but as the fuppofition of two firft Caufes is even in itfelf a contradiction, and as the whole fcheme has been demonftrated by the beft metaphyfical Writers to be as falfe-as it is impious, all further arguments to difprove it would be needlefs. Others have endeavoured to account for this by the introduction of a Golden Age, or Paradi- faical State, in which all was innocence and hap- pinefs. Pcena wetufque aberant, nee verba minacia fxo Mre legebantury me fuppkx turba timebant Jndicis orafui : fed er ant fine vindice tuti. When Man yet new, T No rule but uncorrupted reafon knew, > And with a native bent did Good purfue j J Unforc'd by punifhment, unaw'd by fear, His words were fimple, and his foul fincere : Needlefs was written law, when none oppreft, The law of Man was written in his breaft : No fuppliant crowds before the Judge appear'J, No court erefted yet, nor caufe was heard, But all was fafe, for Confcience was their Guard. Ver erat ^ternum^ placidifque tepentibus auris Mulcslant Zephyr: nates fine femlne feres , R 4 248 THE NATURE AND Mcx etiam fruges tellus inarata /afe us to the fervile condition of inferior animals, in ORIGIN OF EVIL. 289 in whofe forms we may be feverely punifhed for the injuries we have done to Mankind when amongft them, and be obliged in fome meafure to repair them, by performing the drudgeries ty- rannically impofed upon us for their fervice. FROM what has been faid, I think, it plainly appears that numberlefs Evils do adually exift, which could not have been excluded from the works of infinite goodnefs even by infinite power ; and from hence it may be concluded, that there are none which could ; but that God has exerted all his omnipotence to introduce all poflible hap- pinefs, and, as far as the imperfection of created things would permit, to exclude all mifery, that is, all natural Evil, from the univerfal fyftem , which notwithftanding will introduce itfelf in many cir- cumftances, even in oppofition to infinite Power. THE Origin of Moral Evil lies much deeper, and I will venture to aflert has never yet been fa- thomed by the fhort line of human understanding. That I mall be able to reach it, I have by no means the vanity to imagine : but, laying afide all pre-conceived opinions and fyftematical preju- dice, 1 will in my next endeavour to come as near it as lies in the power of, S I R, &c. U I. E T- LETTER IV. O N MORAL EVIL. U 2 LETTER IV. On MORAL EVIL. S I IMuft now leave that plain and eafy road thro* which I have hitherto conducted you, and carry you thro' unfrequented paths, and ways un- trodden by philofophic feet. Already, I think, the exiftence of Natural Evil has been fufficiently accounted for, without any derogation from the power, wifdom, or goodnefs of God* What next remains to be cleared up, is the Origin of Moral Evil; which, confiftently with the fame Divine Attributes, I have never feen accounted for by any Author ancient or modern, in a manner that could give tolerable fatisfaction to a rational In- quirer. Nor indeed can this be ever effectually performed, without at the fame time taking into confideration all thofe mofl abftrufe fpeculations U 3 con- 294 THE NATURE AND concerning the nature of Virtue, Free-will, Fatr, Grace, and Predeftination, the debates of ages, and matter of innumerable folio's. To attempt this, therefore, in the compafs of a Letter would be the higheft prefumption, did not I well know the clear and ready comprehenfion of the perfon to whom it is addrefied ; and a?fo, that the moft difficult of thefe kinds of difquifitions are ufually better explained in a few lines, than by a thoufand pages. IN order therefore to find out the true Origin of Moral Evil, it will be neceffary, in the firft place, to inquire into its nature and effence j or what it is that conftitutes one action Evil, and another Good. Various have been the opinions of various Authors on this Criterion of Virtue ; and this variety has rendered that doubtful, which muft otherwiie have been ckar and manifeft to the meaneft capacity. Some indeed have denied that there is any fuch thing, becaufe different ages and nations have entertained different fenti- ments concerning it : but this is juft as reafon- able as to affert, that there are neither Sun, Moon, nor Stars, becaufe Aflronomers have fupported different fyftems of the motions and magnitudes of thefe celeftial bodies. Some have placed it in conformity to truth, fome to the fitnefs of things, and others to the will of God. But all this is merely fuperfkial : they refolve us not why truth, or ORIGIN OF EVIL. 29$ or the fitnefs of things, are either eligible or ob- ligatory, or why God Ihould require us to aft in one manner rather than another. The true rea* fon of which can pofiibly be no other than this, becaufe fome actions produce happinefs, and others mifery : fo that all Moral Good and Evil are nothing more than the production of Natural. This alone it is that makes truth preferable to falfhood, this that determines the fitnefs of things, and this that induces God to command fome actions and forbid others. They who extol the truth, beauty, and harmony of Virtue, exclufive of its confequences, deal but in pompous non- fenfe ; and they who would perfuade us, that Good and Evil are things indifferent, depending wholly on the will of God, do but confound the nature of things, as well as all our notions of God himfelf, by reprefenting him capable of willing contradictions ; that is, that we mould be, and be happy, and at the fame time that we Ihould torment and deitroy each other; for inju- ries cannot be made benefits, pain cannot be made pleafure, and confequently vice cannot be made virtue by any power whatever. It is the confe- quences therefore of all human actions that muft ftamp their value. So far as the general practice of any action tends to produce Good, and intro- duce happinefs into the world, fo far we may pro- nounce it virtuous ; fo much Evil as it occafions, fuch is the degree of vice it contains. I fay the U 4 general 396 THE NATURE AND general practice, becaufe we muft always remem- ber in judging by this rule, to apply it only to the general fpecies of actions, and not to particular actions , for the infinite wifdom of God, defirous to fet bounds to the deftructive confequences which muft otherwife have followed from the univerfal depravity of mankind, has fo wonderfully contrived the nature of things, that our moil vitious actions may fometimes accidentally and collaterally produce Good. Thus, for inftance, robbery may difperfe ufelefs hoards to the benefit of the public-, Adultery m -y bring heirs, and good humour too, into many families, where they would otherwife have been wanting ; and Murder free the world from tyrants and oppreflbrs. Luxury maintains its thoufands, and Vanity its ten thoufands. Superftition and Arbitrary Power contribute to the grandeur of many nations, and the liberties of others are pre- ferved by the perpetual contentions of avarice, knavery, felfifhnefs, and ambition : and thus the worft of vices, and the worft of Men, are often compelled by Providence to ferve the mod bene- ficial purpofes, contrary to their own malevolent tendencies and inclinations ; and thus private vices become public benefits by the force only of acci- dental circum (lances. But this impeaches not the truth of the Criterion of Virtue before mentioned, the only folid foundation on which any true fyftem of ethicks can be built, the only plain, fimple, and uniform rule by which we can pafs any judg- ment ORIGIN OF EVIL. 297 ment on our actions ; but by this we may be en- abled, not only to determine which are good, and which are evil, but almoft mathematically to demonltrate the proportion of Virtue or Vice which belongs to each, by comparing them with the degrees of happinefs or mifery which they oc- cadon. But tho* the production of happinefs is the Eflence of virtue, it is by no means the End : the great End is the probation of Mankind, or the giving them an opportunity of exalting or degrading themfelves in another ftate by their be- haviour in the prefent. And thus indeed it an- fwers two moft important purpofes ; thofe are, the confervation of our happinefs, and the teft of our obedience : for had not fuch a teft feemed neceflary to God's infinite wifdom, and produc- tive of univerfal Good, he would never have per- mitted the happinefs of Men, even in this life, to have depended on fo precarious a tenure, as their mutual good behaviour to each other. For it is obfervable, that he who beft knows our form- ation, has trufted no one thing of importance to our reafon or virtue : he trufts only to our appe- tites for the fupport of the individual, and the continuance of our fpecies ; to our vanity, or compaflion, for our bounty to others -, and to our fears, for the prefervation of ourfelves ; often to our vices for the fupport of Government, and fcrnetimes to our follies for the prefervation of our Religion. But fince fome teft of our obe- dience * 9 3 THE NATURE AND dience was neceffary, nothing fure could have been commanded for that end fo fit and proper, and at the fame time fo ufeful, as the practice of virtue; nothing have been fo juftly rewarded with happinefs, as the production of happinefs in con- formity to the will of God. It is this conformity alone which adds merit to virtue, and conftitutes the cffential difference between Morality and Re- ligion. Morality obliges Men to live honeftly and foberly, becaufe fuch behaviour is moft con- ducive to public happinefs, and confequently to their own ; Religion, to purfue the fame courfe, becaufe conformable to the will of their Creator. Morality induces them to embrace Virtue from prudential confiderations , Religion, from thofe of gratitude and obedience. Morality therefore, en- tirely abftracted from Religion, can have nothing meritorious in it > it being but wifdom, prudence, or good ceconomy, which, like health, beauty, or riches, are rather obligations conferred upon us by God, than merits in us towards him ; for tho' we may be juftly puniflied for injuring our- felves, we can claim no reward for felf-preferva- tion ; as filicide deferves punifhment and infamy, but a Man deferves no reward or honours for not being guilty of it. This I take to be the mean- ing of all thofe pafiages in our Scriptures in which Works are reprefented to have no merit without Faith , that is, not without believing in hiftorical facts, in creeds, and articles j but without being ORIGIN OF EVIL. 299 being done in purfuance of our belief in God, and in obedience to his commands a . And now, hav- ing mentioned Scripture, I cannot omit obferving, that the Chriftian is the only religious or moral Inftitution in the world that ever fet in a right light thefe two material points, the EfTence, and the End of Virtue ; that ever founded the one in the production of happinefs, that is, in univerfal benevolence, or, in their language, Charity to all Men , the other, in the probation of Man, and his obedience to his Creator. Sublime and mag- nificent as was the philofophy of the Ancients, all their moral fyftems were deficient in thefe two important articles. They were all built on the fandy foundations of the innate beauty of virtue, What was that Faith which the Author of the Chriftian Religion indifpenfably required in all his difciples ? It could not be a literal and implicit belief of the divine infpiration of all the Books of the Old Teftament ; and confequently of all the Hiftory, Chronology, Geography, and Philofophy con- tained in them ; becaufe to thefe the Jews, who rejected it, adhered with the moft fuperftitious exa&nefs : it could not be the fame kind of belief in the Writings of the New Teftament, becaufe thefe in his Life-time had no exiftence: much lefs could it confift in a blind aflent to the numberlefs explanations of thefe Books, and leaft of all in the Belief of Creeds, Ar- ticles, and theological Syftems founded on fuch explanations ; for all thefe were the productions of later Ages. It muft therefore have been this, and this alone ; a fincere Belief in, the divine Authority of his Miffion, and a conftant practice of all Moral Duties from a fenfe of their being agreeable to his commands. > or 3 oo THE NATURE AND or enthufiaftic patriotifm ; and their great point, in view was the contemptible reward of human glory -, foundations which were by no means able to fupport the magnificent ftructures which they erected upon them ; for the beauty of virtue, independent of its effects, is unmeaning nonfenfe ; patriotifm which injures mankind in general for the fake of a particular country, is but a more extended felfifhnefs, and really criminal ; and all human glory but a mean and ridiculous delufion. The whole affair then of Religion and Morality, the fubjecl of fo many thoufand volumes, is in fhort no more than this : the Supreme Being, infinitely good, as well as powerful, defirous to diffufe happinefs by all poffibk means, has created innumerable ranks and orders of Beings, all fub- fervient to each other by proper fubordination. One of thefe TS occupied by Man, a creature en- dued with fuch a certain degree of knowledge, reafon, and free-will, as is fuitable to his fituation, and placed for a time on this globe as in a fchool of probation and education. Here he has an op- portunity given him of improving or debafing his nature, in fuch a manner as to render himfelf fit for a rank of higher perfection and happinefs, or to degrade himfelf to a ftate of greater imperfec- tion and mifery j neceffary indeed towards carry- ing on the bufmefs of the Univerfe, but very grievous and burthenfome to thofe individuals, who, by their own mifconduct, are obliged to 2 fubmit ORIGIN OF EVIL. 301 fubmit to it. The teft of this his behaviour, is doing good, that is, co-operating with his Creator, as far as his narrow fphere of aftion will permit, in the production of happinefs. And thus the happinefs and mifery of a future ftate will be the juft reward or punifhment of promoting or pre- venting happinefs in this. So artificially by this means is the nature of all human virtue and vice contrived, that their rewards and punifhments are woven as it were into their very efTence ; their im- mediate effects give us a foretafte of their future ; and their fruits in the prefent life, are the proper famples of what they muft unavoidably produce in another. We have Reafon given us to diftin- guifh thefe confequences, and regulate our con- duel: ; and left that mould neglecl its poft, Con- fcience is alfo appointed as an inftinflive kind of monitor, perpetually to remind us both of our jntereft and our duty. WHEN we confider how wonderfully the prac- tice of Virtue is thus inforced by our great Cre- ator, and that all which he requires of us under that title is only to be happy, that is, to make each other fo ; and when at the fame time we look round us, and fee the whole race of mankind thro* every fucceflive generation tormenting, injur- ing, and deftroying each other, and perpetually counteracting the gracious defigns of their Maker, jt is a moft aftonifhing paradox how all this comes to 3 o2 THE NATURE AND to pafs ; why God mould fuffer himfelf to be thus defeated in his beft purpofes by creatures of his own making , or why Man fhould be made with difpofitions to defeat them at the expence of his own prefent and future happinefs ; why infinite Goodnefs fhould form Creatures inclined to op- pofe its own benevolent defigns, or why infinite Power mould thus fuffer itfelf to be oppofed. THERE are fome, I know, who extricate them- felves from this difficulty very concifely by aflert- ing, that there is in fact no fuch original depravity, no fuch innate propenfity to vice in human nature ; but as this afiertion is directly contrary to the ex- prefs declaration of the Scriptures, to the opinion of the Philofophers and Moralifts of all ages,, and to the moft conftant, and unvariable experience of every hour , I think they no more deferve an anfwer, than they who would affirm, that a ftone has no tendency to the center by its natural gra- vity, or that flame has no inclination to alcend. BUT the ufual folution applied to this difficulty by the ableft Philofophers and Divines, with which they themfelves, and moft of their readers, feem perfectly fatisned, is comprehended in the following reafoning: That Man came perfect out of the hands of his Creator, both in virtue and happinefs; but it being more eligible that he mould be a free-agent than a mere machine, God endued him with Free- 2 dom ORIGIN OF EVIL. 303 dom of will ; from the abufe of which Freedom, all Mifery and Sin, that is, all Natural and Moral Evils, derive their exiftence : from all fuch there- fore the Divine Goodnefs is fumciently juftified, by reafon they could not be prevented without the lofs of fuperior Good, for to create Men free, and at the fame time compel them to be virtuous, is utterly impoffible. BUT whatever air of demonftraticn this argu- ment may afTume, by whatever fam'd Preachers it may have been ufed, or by whatever learned Audiences it may have been approved, I will ven- ture to affirm, that it is falfe in all its Principles, and in its Conclufion alfo , and I think it may be clearly fhewn, that God did not make Man ab- folutely perfect, nor abfolutely free : nor, if he had, would this in the leaft have juftified the in- troduction of wickednefs and mifery. THAT Man came perfect, that is, endued with all pomble perfections, out of the hands of his Creator, is evidently a falfe notion derived from the Philofophers of the firft ages, founded on their ignorance of the Origin of Evil, and inability to account for it on any other hypothelis : they underftood not that the univerfal Syfte.n required Subordination, and confequently comparative Im- perfections i nor that in the Scale of Beings there muft be fomewhere fuch a creature as Man with all 304 THE NATURE AND all his infirmities about him : that the total re- moval of thefe would be altering his very nature ; and that as foon as he became perfect he muft ceafe to be Man. The truth of this, I think, has been fufficiently proved ; and befides, the very fuppofition of a Being originally perfect, and yet capable of rendering itfelf wicked and mifer- able, is undoubtedly a Contradiction, that very power being the higheft imperfection imaginable. THAT God made Man perfectly free is no Idfs falfe : Men have certainly fuch a degree of Free- will as to make them accountable, and juflly pu- nifhable for the abufe of it; but abfolute and independent Free-will is what, I believe, no created Being can be pofiefled of. Our actions proceed from our Wills, but our Wills muft be derived from the natural difpofitions implanted in us by the Author of our Being : wrong elec- tions proceed from wrong apprehenfions, or un- ruly paffions ; and thefe from our original Frame or accidental Education : thefe muft determine all our actions, for we have no power to act differently, thefe previous circumftances continuing exactly the fame. Had God thought proper to have made all Men with the fame heads, and the fame hearts, which he has given to the moft virtuous of the fpecies, they would all have excelled in the fame virtues : or had the Bias implanted in Humaft Nature drawn as fcrongly towards the good ORIGIN OF EVIL. 305 ^ood fide, as it now apparently does towards the bad, it would have operated as fuccefsfuliy, and \vith as little infringement on human Liberty : Men, as well as all other animals, are exaclly fitted for the purpofes they are defigned for ; and inclinations and difpbfitions given them ac- cordingly : lie, who implanted patience in the lamb, obedience in the horfe, fidelity in the dog, and innocence in the dove, might as eafily have ihfpired the breaft of Man with thefe and all other virtues , and then his actions would have certainly correfponded with his Formation : there- fore, in the ftricl: philofophical Strife, we have certainly no Free-will ; that is, none independent of our Framej our Natures, and the Author of them. BUT were both thefe propofitions tfiie, were Men originally created both perfect and free, yet this would by no means juftify the introduction of moral Evil ; becaufe, if his perfection was imme- diately to be deftroyed by his Free-will, he might: as well never have been pofTeft of the orie, and much better have been prevented from making ufe of the other : let us difpute therefore as long as we pleafe, it muft eternally be the fame thing, whether a Creator of infinite power and know- ledge, created Beings originally wicked and mi- ferable, or gave them a power to make tfiemiclve* fo, fore-knowing they would employ that power to their own deftruction. X Ir 306 THE NATURE AND IF moral Evil therefore cannot be derived from the Abufe of Free-will in Man, from whence can we trace its origin ? Can it proceed from a juft, a wife, and a benevolent God ? Can fuch a God form Creatures with difpofitions to do Evil, and then punifh them for acting in conformity to thofe Evil difpofitions ? Strange and aftoniming indeed mult this appear to us, who know fo little of the univerfal Plan ! but it is far, I think, from being irreconcilable with the juftice of the Su- preme difpcfer of all things : for let us but once acknowledge the truth of our firft great propofi- tion, (and moft certainly true it is) that natural Evils exift from Ibme neceffity in the nature of things, which no power can difpenfe with or pre- vent, the expediency of moral Evil will perhaps ipllow on courfe : for if mifery could not be ex- cluded from the works of a benevolent Creator by infinite power, thefe miferies muft be endured by fome creatures or other for the good of the whole : and if there were none capable of wicked- nefs, then they muft fall to the mare of thofe who are perfectly innocent. Here again we fee our difficulties arife from our wrong notions of Omnipotence, and forgetting how many difficulties it has to contend with : in the prelent inftance it is obliged either to afflict Innocence, or be the canfe of Wickednefs -, it has plainly no other Option : what then could infinite Wifdom, Juftice, and Goodnefs do in this fituation more confident with ORIGIN OF EVIL. 307 with itfelf, than to call into being Creatures formed Vvith fuch depravity, in their difpofitions, as to induce many of them to ac~t in fuch a manner as to render themfelves proper fubjects for fuch ne- ceflary fufterings, and yet at the fame time en- dued with fuch a degree a of Reafon and Free- will as to put it in the power of every individual to efcape them by their good behaviour : fuch a Creature is Man ; fo corrupt, bafe, cruel and wicked as to convert thefe unavoidable miferies into juft punifhments, and at the fairje time fo fenfible of his own depravity and the fatal confe- a Some have averted that there can- be no degrees of Free- will, but that every Being mail be abfolutely free, or poffefTed of no Freedom at all : and this feems to have been the prin- cipal error that has led thofe who have fupported both fides of this Qiieltion into fo many abfurdkies ; as it well might, fince they were both equally wrong in eipoufmg a proportion, whicii contradicts both reafon, and experience. Brutes have a cer- tain degree of Free-will; elfe why do we corred them for their jni {behaviour, or why do -they amend upon correftion ? Yet certainly they have not fo great a degree, as ourfelves. A man raving mad is not, nor is confid^rcd as a Free-agent ; a man lefs mad lias a greater portion of Freedom ; and a man not mad at all has the greatelt ; but ftill the degree of his Freedom muft bear a proportion to the weakncfs of his undef- itanding, and the flrength of his paflions, and prejudices ; all which arc a perverfion of reafon, and madnefs as far as they extend, and operate on Free-will in the very fame manner : fo that it is fo far from being true, that all men are equally free, that probably there are no two men, who are p'oftciFeJ of cx- aclly the fame degree oi Freedom. X 2 quences 3 c8 THE NATURE ANt) quenccs of guilt, as to be well able to corre<5t the one, and to avoid the other. Here we fee a fubftantial Reafon for the depravity of Man, and the admittance of Moral Evil in thefe circum- ftances feems not only compatible with the juflice of God, but one of the higheft inltances of his confummate wifdom in ordering and difpofing all things in the beft manner their imperfect natures will admit. I PRESUME not by what has been here faid to determine -on the councils of the Almighty, to triumph in the compleat difcovery of the Origin of Moral Evil, or to aflert that this is the certain or fole caufe of its exiftence ; I propofe it only as a Guefs concerning the reafon of its admiffion, more probable, and lefs derogatory from the di- vine wifdom, and juftice, than any, that has hi- therto been offered for that purpofe. THERE is undoubtedly ibmething farther in the general Depravity of Mankind than we are aware of, and probably many great and wife ends are anfwered by it to us totally incomprehenfible. God, as has been fhewn, would never have per- mitted the exiftence of Natural Evil, but from the impofiibility of preventing it without the lofs of fuperior Good : and on the fame principle the admiffioR of Moral Evil is equally confiftent 5 with ORIGIN OF EVIL. 309 with the divine Goodnefs : and who is he fo knowing in the whole ftupendous fyftem of Na- ture as to affert, that the Wickednefs of fome Beings may not, by means unconceivable to us, be beneficial to innumerable unknown Orders of others ? or that the Punifhments of fome may not contribute to the Fejicity of numbers infinitely fuperior ? To this purpofe the learned Hugenius fays with great fagacity, Prxterea credibile eft, ipfa ilia amrni vitia magn nay in its nature incapable of re- in iffion, without a penal fatisfaction from fome Being or other ; nor does its co-operation with the defigns of Providence render it lefs criminal, or lefs worthy of his juft indignation : all Hiftories are fillecl with inflanccs of the wickednefs of Men cpnfpiring to bring about the Councils of the Al- inighty ; fuch were the ambition and ferocity of the Rojnans, the obflinacy of the Jews, the cruelty of Herod, and the treache.ry of Judas , yet were thefe never efteemed for that reafon meritorious, cr innocent. FROM this important propofition, that all Da- tura! Evil derives its exiftence from necefllty, and all Moral from expediency arifing from that ne- cefllty j I fay, from this important propofition, well confidered and purfued, fuch new lights might be ftruck out as could not fail, if directed by the hands of Learning and Impartiality, tq lead the human Mind thro' the unknown regions of fpeculatibn, and to produce the moft furprifing and uieful difcoveries in Ethics, Metaphyfics, and jn Chriftianity too : I add Chriftianity, becaufe it is a Mafter-Key, which will, I am certain, at once Vinlock all the myfterious ^nd perplexing doctrines of that amazing Inflitution, and explain fairly, without ORIGIN OF EVIL; 313 without the leaft afliftance from theological artifice, all thofe abftrufe fpeculations of Original Sin, Qrace, and Predefti nation, and vicarious punifh- ments, which the mod learned, for want of this clue, have never yet been able to makq confiftent with Reafon or Common-fenfe. IN the firft place, for inftance, the Dodlrinc a of Original Sin is really nothing more than the very Syftem here laid down, into which we have been led by clofely purfuing Reafon, and without which the Origin of Moral Evil cannot be ac- counted for on any principle whatever. Indeed, according to the common notions of the abfolute Omnipotence of God, and the abfolute Free-will in Man, it is moft abfurd and impious, as it re- prefents the Deity voluntarily bringing Men into Being with depraved Difpofitions, tending to no good purpofes, and then arbitrarily punifliing them for the fins which they occafion with tor- ments which anfwer no ends, either of their re- formation or utility to the Univerfe : but when we fee, by the foregoing explanation, the difficul- ties with which Omnipotence was environed, and ;hat it was obliged by the necefllty of Natural a Original Sin is a contradifliop in terms ; original fsgnify- ing innate, and fin the aft of an accountable Being : by this exprefiion therefore of Original Sin cannot be meant original or innate Guilt, for that is abfolute nonfenfe, but only an original depravity, or an innate difpofition to Sin. Evils 3 i4-. THE NATURE AND Evils to admit Moral, all thefe abfurdities at once vanifli, and the Original Depravity of Man ap- pears fairly 'confident with the Juftice and even Goodnefs of his Creator. THE Doctrines of Predeftination and Grace as- fet forth in the Scriptures, on the moil impartial Interpretation, I take to be thefe : that fome Men corfle into the world with difpofitions fo extremely bad, that God foreknows that they will certainly be guilty of many crimes, and in confequence be punifhed for them -, that to others He has given better difpofitions, and moreover protects them from Vice by a powerful but invifible influence, in the language of thofe writings, called Grace : this Scheme has appeared to many fo partial and xinjuft, that they have totally rejected it, and en- deavoured, by forced interpretations, to explain it quite out of the Bible, in contradiction to all the fenfe of language, and the whole tenour of thofc writings : and indeed, on the old plan of God's abfolute Omnipotence, uncontrolled by any previous neceffity, in the nature of things, to admit both Natural and Moral Evil, it is highly derogatory from His wifdom and goodnefs ; but, on the fuppofition .of that previous Necefiity, there appears nothing incredible in it, nor the lead inconfiftent with divine Juftice ; becaule if God was obliged by the nature of things, and for the good of the whole, to fuffer fome to be wicked. ORIGIN OF EVIL. 315 wicked, and confequently miserable, he certainly might protect others both from guilt and punim- ment. He in this light may be compared to the commander of a numerous army, who, tho' he is obliged to expofe many to danger, and fome to deftruction, yet protects others with ram- parts and covert-ways ; but fo long as he exercifes this power for the good of the whole, thefe di- flinftions amongft individuals ought never to be imputed to Partiality or Injuftice. THE Doctrine a of Sacrifice, or Vicarious Pu- niihment, is the moft univerfal, and yet exclufive of this plan the moft abfurd, of all religious Tenets that ever entered into the Mind of Man ; fo ab- furd is it, that how it came to be fo univerfal is not eafy to be accounted for: Pagans, Jews, and Chrjftians, have all agreed in this one point, tho' differing in all others > and have all treated it as a felf-evident principle, that the Sins of one Creature might be atoned for by the Sufferings of another : but from whence they derived this ftrange opinion, none of them have pretended to give any account, or to produce in its defence the * If the punifhments of the wicked ferve not fome ends with which we are unacquainted, the fufferings of the innocent can pofiibly bear no manner of relation to them ; and confe- quently the words Sacrifice, Atonement, Propitiation, and Vicarious Punimments can no more have any ideas affixed to them than the ringing of a bell, or the blowing of a trumpet, but are mere founds, withour any meaning at all, 5 leaft 3 i6 THE NATURE AND leaft madow of a Reafon , for that there mould be any manner of connexion between the Miferies of one Being and the Guilt of another , or that the punifhing the Innocent, and excufmg the Guilty, fhould be a mark of God's Deteftation of Sin v or, that two acts of the higheft Injuftice mould make one of Juftice, is fo fundamentally wrong, fo diametrically oppofite to common-fen fe, and all our ideas of juftice, that it is equally aftonifhing that fo many mould believe it them- ielves or impofe it upon others. But on the fore- going theory this alfo may be a little cleared up, and will by no means appear fo very inconfiftent with reafon : for if a certain 'quantity of Mifery in fome part of the Univerfal Syftem is necefiary to the Happinefs and Well-being of the Whole ; and if this necefiity arifes from its anfwering fome purpofes incomprehenfible to the human Under- Handing \ I will alk any impartial Reafoner, Why the Sufferings of one Being may not anfwer the fame Ends, or be as effectual towards promoting Univerfal Good, as the Sufferings of another ? If the Miferies of Individuals are to be looked upon as taxes which they are obliged to pay towards the fupport of the Public, why may not the Sufferings of one Creature ferve the fame purpofes, or abfolve as much of that neceffary tax, as the Sufferings of ano- ther, and on that account be accepted as a payment or fatisfaction for their fufferings i that is, for the Bufferings due to the Publick Utility from the ORIGIN OF EVIL. 317 punifhment of their crimes, without which the Happinefs of the whole could not fubfift, unlefs they fhould be replaced by the Sufferings of others ? As we are entirely ignorant why mifery has any exiftence at all, or what intereft it ferves in the general Syftem of things, this" may poflibly be the cafe, for any thing we know -, and that it is not, I am certain no one can affirm with Reafon: Reafon indeed cannot inform us that it is fo, but that it may be, is undoubtedly no contradiction to Reafon. IF I miftake not, it might be fhewn, that tnis principle of the neceflity of Moral Evil, and its punimment, is the foundation on which the whole fabric of the Chriftian Difpenfation is creeled; the principle itfelf is avowed by the Author of that Difpenfation in clear, and exprefs words : It muft needs be^ fays he, ikat Offences come ; but woe unto that Man by whom the Offence cometb. That is, it is neceflary towards compleating the defigns of providence, that fome Men mould commit crimes ; but as no Individual is compelled by ne- ceflity to commit them, Woe unto all, who are thus guilty. He came, by his excellent precepts, and example, to diminim the quantity of Moral Evil in the World, and of Mifery confequential from its punimment, but found it neceflary to replace that Mifery in fome degree by his own voluntary, and unmerited Sufferings : and perhaps the S i8 THE NATURE AND the unparalelled tortures inflicted on his difciples and followers might be alfo necefiary, and fubfer- vient to the fame purpofes. FROM what has been here faid, I think, it is evident that the Origin of Evil is by no means fo difficult to account for as at firft fight it appears ; for it has been plainly fhewn that mod of thofe we ufually complain of are Evils of Imperfection, which are rather the abfence of comparative Ad- vantages than pofitive Evils, and therefore, pro- perly fpeaking, no Evils at all ; and as fuch, ought to be intirely ftruck out of the Catalogue. It has likewife been made appear, that of Natural Evils, which are the fufferings of fenfitive Beings, many are but the confequences naturally refulting from the particular circumftances of particular ranks in the fcale of Exiflence, which could not have been omitted without the deitruction of the Whole ; and that many more are in all probability neceflary, by means to us incomprehenfible, to the production of Univerfal Good. Laftly, it has been fuggefted, that from this neceflity of Natural Evils, may arife the expediency of Moral, without which thofe neceflary Sufferings mufl have been with lefs juftice inflicted on perfect innocence j and moreover, that it is probable Moral Evil, as well as Natural, may have fome ultimate tendency to the Good of the Whole ; and that the crime and punifhments of fome Beings may, by forr mea ORIGIN OF EVIL. 319 means or other, totally beyond the reach of our narrow capacities, contribute to the Felicity of much greater Numbers. THIS plan, Sir, I am perfuaded is not far diftant from the Truth , and on this Foundation, if I miftake not, a Syftem of Morality and Religion, more compleat and folid, more confiftent with Reafon, and with Chriftianity too, might be erected than any which has yet appeared : I heartily wifli that fome perfon of more learning, abilities and leifure than myfelf, (and much more, I am fure, of all it would require) encouraged by your Fa- vour, and aflifted by your Sagacity, would under- take it, and condefcend to fill up thefe out-lines fo inaccurately fketched out by, S I R, &c. LET- LETTER v. O N POLITICAL EVILS. 3*3 ] LETTER V. On POLITICAL EVILS* S I R, ACCORDING to' my proposed Plan there ftill remain two forts of Evils to be accounted for, Political and Religious j under which heads* (if you are not already tired with fo abftrufe and imentertaining a correfpondence) I fhall endeavour to fhew you, that it is utterly impoflible, even for Omnipotence itfelf, to give a perfect Govern- ment, or a perfect Religion to an imperfect Crea- ture-, and therefore, that the numberlefs imper- fections inherent in all human Governments and Religions, are riot imputable to God, nor any defect of power, wifdom, or goodnefs in Him ; but only to the inferiority of Man's ftation in the Univerie, which necefiarily expofes him to Na- tural and Moral Evils, and muft, for the fame Rcafon, to Political and Religious -, which arc y 2 indeed 324 THE NATURE AND indeed but the Confequenccs of the other. Superior Beings may probably form to themfelves, or receive from their Creator, Government without Tyranny or Corruption, and Religions without Delufions or Abfurdities , but Man cannot : God indeed may remove him into fo exalted a Society ; but whilft he continues to be Man, he muft be fubjecl: to innumerable Evils , amongft which thofe I call Political and Religious are far from being the lead. BUT as thefe two kinds of Evils are very diffe- rent, they will require different confiderations , I mall therefore in the prefent confine myfelf to the Political onlyj by which I mean all thofe grievous burthens of Tyranny and Opprefilon, of Violence and Corruption, of War and Defo- lation, under which all Ages and Nations have ever groaned on account of Government : little lefs deftructive perhaps to the happinefs of Man- kind, than even Anarchy itfelf , but which, notwith- ftanding, are fo woven into the very Effence of all Human Governments from the Depravity of Man, that without them none can be either eftablimed, maintained or adminiftered, nor confequently can they be prevented without changing that Depravity into perfection ; that is, without a compleat Al- teration in Human Nature. How this comes to pafs may be eafily explained by a fhort examination firft into the nature and origin of Government in general, ORIGIN OF EVIL. 325 general, and afterwards into thofe of particular Forms and Policies , than which nothing has been more commonly mifunderftood and mifreprefented. As to Government in general, it is no wonder, that it is fo productive of Evil, fmce its very Na- ture confifts of Power trufted in the hands of fuch imperfect and vicious Creatures as Men, and exercifed over others as imperfect and vicious as themfelves ; in which there mufl be Pride, Avarice and Cruelty on one Side , Envy, Ignorance and Obftinacy on the other; and Injuftice and Self- Intereft on both. Its Origin alfo arifes from the fame impure fource of human Imperfection ; that is, Men being neither wife nor honed enough, to purfue their common or mutual inierefts without Compulfion, are obliged to fubmit to fome, in order to fecure their lives and properties from the depredations of all : but tho* this Neceffity drives them into fome kind of Government, yet it can never decide who {hall govern, becaufe all Men being by nature equal, every one "has an equal right to this fuperiority : this therefore can be determined only by more Imperfections ; that is, by the Struggles of Ambition, Treachery, Vio- lence and Corruption ; from fuccefs in which uni- verfal fcramble are derived all the mighty Empires of the Earth : One Man at firft by fome of thefe methods acquiring the command over a few, then by their aid extending his power over greater Y 3 numbers, 326 THE NATURE AND numbers, ancl at laft by the afliftance of thofe numbers, united by the advantage of plundering others, fubduing all oppofition : and thus we fee all human Government is the Offspring of Vio- lence and Corruption, and rnuft inherit the imper- fection of both its parents. It is plain alfo that national Governments can never be fupported by any other methods than thofe by which they . ut firft raifed ; for, being all independent of other, and retaining ftill their original incli- nation to devour each other ; and having no fupe- rior tribunal to refer to for juftice, they can have/ no means to fecure their own poffeflions, or to repel their mutual encroachments, but by force, which is called the Right of War ; that is, the right of doing all the wrong that lies in their power : for war, however dignified with honours and encomiums by conquerors and their flatterers y is in fact nothing elfe but robbery and murder. Nations Jiaving no more right to plunder each other than Parifhes, nor Men to kill one another in their political than in their private capacities. IF we look into the internal conftitutions of all thefe Governments, we fhall find likewife, that they muft be adminiftered by the fame violence and corruption to which they are indebted for their Origin ; that is, by hiring one part of the jbciety to force the other into iubjection j and that ORIGIN OF EVIL. 327 that none of them ever fubfifted any longer than whilfl the ftronger part, not always the mod nu- merous, found it for their advantage to keep the weaker in obedience : for it fhould be ever re- membered, as the fundamental of all politics, that Men will never fubmit to each other merely for the fake of public Utility % too remote a be- nefit to make any impreffion on the dull fenfes of the multitude-, but muft be always beat or bribed into obedience. Higher orders of Beings may fubmit to each other on nobler motives, from their fenfe of Virtue or of univerfal Benefit , but Man can be governed by nothing but the Fear of Punimment or the hopes of Reward ; that is, by Self-iritereil, the great Principle that operates in the political World in the fame manner that At- traction does in the natural, preferving order and reftraining every thing to its proper courfe by the a If any one is fo ignorant of human nature, as to fancy that they will, let him make the experiment in a fingle parilh, and there, if without Power or Compulfion, Intereft or Gra- tuity, folely by the ftrength of Reafon, and motives of public Advantage, he can perfuade the Inhabitants to fubmit to equal and neceffary taxes, to repair roads, build bridges, inclofe commons, drain maHhes, employ their poor, or perform any works of general Utility : if he can accomplifli this, let him. retain his opinion ; but if he find* it utterly impracticable, let him not expeft, that it can ever be done in a whole Nation, in which there are fo many more factions, intereits and absurdities to contend with. Y 4 COrtr 328 THE NATURE AND continual endeavours of every individual to draw all power and property to himfelf a . IF we defcend to the examination of particular forms of government, we fhall fee them all exactly correfpond with this general plan -, we fhall find that none of them owe their Origin to patriarchal power, the divine right of Princes, or the unin- fluenced choice of the People; things which never exifted but in the idle dreams of vifionary politicians ; but all to the ftruggles of Ambition and Self-Intereft, fubfiding at laft into fome kind of Policy ; either into abfolute Monarchy, or fome fpecies of popular Government more or lefs remote from it, as the different parts of it have had Strength or Fortune to prevail-, all which muft be carried on by the fame vitious methods of Violence or Corruption, and confequently be productive of numberlefs, if not of equal, Evils. IN abfolute Monarchies, for inftance, great vio- lence muft be exercifed to keep men, by nature equal, in fo unnatural a Subjection ; this muft produce plots, rebellions, civil wars, and mafTa- CKS i and thefe muft require more Violence to a There is indeed one other method of Government fre- quently made ufe of by the moil illuftrious Princes and Le- giflators, that is Fraud : but, as this operates only by the ap- pearance of Self-Intereft, it may properly be comprehended pnder that head. reprefs ORIGIN OF EVIL. 329 reprefs them : but this Violence cannot be ufed without much Corruption , for it is not the per- fon of the fovereign, his crown and fcepter, that can preferve his authority, nor can he deftroy thousands with his own hand, like a Hero in -a, Romance -, a powerful army muft be kept in pay to enflave the people, and a numerous clergy to deceive them a ; whofe ambition, avarice, luxury and cruelty muft be fatiated with the blood and treafures of that very People as a reward for their fervices : hence infinite Evils muft arife, the lives, liberties and properties of all muft be dependent on the capricious will of One, or, what is worfe, on the wills of his pimps, flatterers and favourites : juftice muft be perverted by favour, and that fa- vour can feldom be obtained but by adulation, fervility and treachery ; this produces all kinds of Moral Evils, and thefe beget more Political. IN Democratical Governments, if there is lefs Violence there is more Corruption ; which in thefe indeed is the Bafts of all Power, and productive of the moft mifchievous effects ; here all things a It has been reprefented as if the Author by this defigned to infmuate, that the whole bufinefs of the Clergy was to de- ceive the people ; than which nothing can be more diftant from his intentions : all that he means is, that Men will not eafily fubmit to Tyranny unlefs their confciences arc firfl in- flaved ; or that Popery is the moft effectual fupport of arbitrary power : a propofuion which he fuppofes no one will prefume to contradict. are $ 3 o THE NATURE AND are at the difpofal of an ignorant and giddy Mul- titude, always led to their own deftruction by the flimfy eloquence and pretended patriotifm of Knaves, Fools, and enthufiaftic Madmen ; or com- monly of fome extraordinary Genius, formed for popularity by a lucky compofition of all thefe excellent ingredients ; all fubordination is fub- verted ; and the moft infolent and vitious of the people muft be carefied, bribed and intoxicated, and by that means rendered flill more infolent and vitious ; and all who by thefe methods acquire their favour, muft be no lefs vitious than them- felves. If in Defpotic Governments Power cannot be attained but by Servility and Adulation, in Dernocratical it can never be acquired but by the more pernicious Vices of Turbulence and Faction j for which reafon thefe are ever fure to be governed by the moft wicked, ambitious, avaricious and mifchievous of their Members. i t\ MIXED Governments, tho' perhaps productive of fewer Evils than either of the former, yet muii necerTarily partake of thofe belonging to both, and be fupported by more or lefs of Violence, as they more or lefs approach the Defpotic i or of Corruption, as they come nearer to the Dernocra- tical Principles : the further they fhrink from the iron fcourges of the one, the more will they be entangled in the golden fetters of the other ; for Corruption muft always increafe in due proportion t;q ORIGIN OF EVIL. 334 to the decreafe of arbitrary Power, fince where there is lefs Power to command obedience, there muft be more bribery to purchafe it, or there cap. be no Government at all. Thefe have befides many Evils peculiar to themfelves, the very ex- cellence of thefe fort of Constitutions being pro- ductive of inconveniences ; for this excellence confifting principally in this, that their different parts are able to counteract each others mifchie- vous intentions, the reins of Government are kept tight only by each pulling a different way, and they fubfift by a perpetual contention, like a body kept alive by the oppofite effects of contrary poi- fons : a very precarious and uneafy kind of exift- ence ! This expofes them in fome meafure to all the Evils incident to both abfolute and popular Governments, tho' in a lefs degree : to the op- preffion of the one, and the licentioufnefs of the other, to factions at home, weal^nefs abroad, and infinite expence in all parts of their adminiftration : yet are thefe mixed conftitutions the very beft that human wifdom could ever difcover for the regulation of human Societies. ALL thefe Evils arife from the nature of Things and the nature of Man, and not from the Weak- nefs or Wickednefs of particular Men, or their accidental afcendency in particular Governments : the degrees of them may indeed be owing to thefe, but their exiftence is immutable. So long as the Imper- 332 THE NATURE AND Imperfection of human nature continues, fo long will Princes, for the mod part, convert that power with which they are trufted for the fake of pub- lic Utility, to the ignoble ends of their own ava- rice, luxury or ambition , fo long will the people prefer prefent Self-intereft to remote benefits arifing from national profperity ; and fo long will corrupt minifters employ this popular venality to their own private advantage j and how many foever are lopt off, Non deficit aureus alter. IT is the mifapprehenfion of this, that is the fundamental error of all ignorant, but well-mean- ing, fpeculative politicians % of all others the moft untractable in government, and mifchievous in bufmefs, the engines with which knaves work, a It is a ftrange, but a certain Truth, that in politics moft principles fpeculatively right are practically wrong : to give a few inftances of this kind out of many commonly adopted : viz. that thofe who are pofleft of moft property will fight bell in its defence : that national bufinefs is moft fuccefsfully car- ried on by aflemblies of Men uninfluenced and unconnected : that unbounded Liberty, civil and ecclefiaftical, is moft con- ducive to public happinefs and virtue : all thefe propositions have reafon on their fide, but experience againft them : they all captivate vulgar minds, becaufe they look like truth, and they look like truth, becaufe they would be true if mankind in general aded upon honeft or even upon rational principles ; but as in faft they do neither, they are utterly falfe, and all po- litical ftruftures built on fuch unftable foundations will inevit- ably fall to the ground. -' 5 and ORIGIN OF EVIL. 333 and the ladders on which they mount to prefer- ment : who endeavour to deftroy all governments, becaufe they are not perfect , and oppofe all ad- miniftrations, becaufe they cannot govern men by fuch means as they are not defigned, or formed to be governed by : who, by a Syfiphasan kind of politics, are ever labouring to roll up a ftone, that muft recoil upon them j and to render that faultlefs, which infinite power and wifdom cannot exempt from inconveniences, abufes, and imper- fections. SHOULD one enumerate all of this kind, which cannot be excluded from Government without the total alteration of human nature, they would be endlefs ; to inftance but a few : all political bodies, like the natural, muft have the feeds of their own difiblution fown in their very efience, and like them be defrroyed by every excefs ; by excefs of poverty or riches, of flavery or liberty, of igno- rance or knowledge, of adverfity or profperity ; a ftrong proof of their imperfection, that they cannot bear excefs even of the greatefb good ; and yet they cannot be formed of more durable ma- terials, fo long as they are conitituted of human creatures. All power truftcd in the hands of fo imperfect a creature as Man, muft be pernicious and opprefiive, and yet fomewhere fuch power muft be trufted. All human Laws muft be liable to mifconftruction, and uncertainty, yet without Laws 554 THE NATURE AND Laws property cannot be fecured. All Elections muft be attended with corruption, li- centioufneft, and the perverfion of juftice, yet without them the liberty of rio country can be preferved. All national provifions for the poor mufl not only be encouragements to idlenefs, but productive of conteftsj and oftentimes of cruelty, yet without fuch many honed but unfortunate peo- ple muft inevitably perim. All religious tefls, and fubfcriptions, are in their own natures fubverfive of truth and morals , yet the folly of one part of mankind, and the knavery of the other, will fcarcely permit any Government to fubfift without them. Trade and wealth are the ftrerigth and the purfuit of every wife nation, yet thefe muft certainly pro- duce Luxury, which no lefs certainly muft pro- duce their deftruction. All War is a complication of all manner of Evils natural and moral, that is,' of mifery and wickednefs 5 yet without it national contentions can never be determined. No Go- vernment can be carried on, nor fu'bordi nation preferved, without forms, and ceremonials, pomp, and parade ; yet all fuch, from the inferiority of Human nature giving itfelf airs of grandeur and magnificence, and the defpicable expedients it is obliged to have recourfe to fupport it, muft al- ways have fomething mean and ridiculous in them to exalted underftandings. All Governments are in a great meafure upheld by abfurd notions in- fufed into the minds of the people, of the divine 5 righl ORIGIN OF EVIL. 335 right of fome particular perfon or family to reignr over them ; a fooliflh partiality for fome particular fpot of ground ; an outrageous zeal for fome re- ligion which they cannot underftand, or a fenfelefs purfuit of glory which they can never attain : thefe are all falfe principles > yet without them, or fome like them, no nation can long fubfift : they can never be defended by reafon, yet reafort can produce no others that can fupply their places. Every flouriming nation endeavours to improve Arts, and cultivate Reafon and Good Senfe ; yet, if thefe are extended too far, or too univerfally difrufed, no national Government or national Re- ligion can long ftand their ground , for it is with old Eftablifhments as with old Houfes, their de- formities are commonly their fupports, and thefe can never be removed without endangering the whole fabric. In fhort, no Government can be adminiftered without in fome degree deceiving the people, oppreffing the mean, indulging the great, corrupting the venal, oppofing factions to eachr other, and temporifmg with parties. IT is this neceffity for Evil in all Government, which gives that weight and popularity, which ufually attends all thofe who oppofe* and calum- niate any Government whatever \ appearing always to have reafon on their fide,, becaufe the Evils of all power are confpicuous to the rneaneft capacity > whereas the neceffity for thofe Evils are perceivable onJy 33 6 THE NATURE AND only to fuperior underftandings. Every one can feel the burthen of taxes, and fee the inconveniences of armies, places, and penfions, that muft encreafe them, but very few are able to comprehend that no Government can be fupported without them in a certain degree , and that the more liberty any nation enjoys, the greater muft be their num- ber, and necefiity. The mod ignorant can per- ceive the mifchiefs that muft arife from corrupt Minifters and venal Parliaments , but it requires fome fagacity to difcern, that aflemblies of men unconnected by felf-intereft, will no more draw together in the bufmeis of the public, than horfes without harnefs or bridles ; but like them, inftead of being quietly guided in the right road of ge^ neral utility, will immediately run riot, ftop the wheels of government, and tear all the political machine to pieces. FROM hence it comes to pafs that all ignorant wrongheaded people naturally run into oppofition and faction, whilft the wife man knows that thefe Evils cannot be eradicated, and that their excefs only can be prevented ; that thus far every honeft man will endeavour to his utmoft, but to proceed farther only fools will hope for, or knaves pretend. He knows that numbers of men muft always act in the fame manner, if in the fame circumftances ; that Politics are a Science as reducible to certainty as Mathematicks, and in them effects as invariably follow ORIGIN OF EVIL. 337 follow their caufes : that the operations of Will are as uniform, as thofe of matter and motion ; and that tho' the actions of individuals are con- tingencies, thofe of numbers are conftant, and invariable : that, tho' a fingle man may poffibly prefer public utility to private advantage, it is ut- terly impofllble, that the majority of numerous bodies fhould be actuated by the fame generous, and patriotic principles a ; thefe can fpring only from Virtue and Wifdom, benevolent hearts, and comprehenfive understandings , which, being the portion but of a few more exalted individuals, can never be found in the multitude to be governed : nor can they be beftowed in any extraordinary de- gree on thofe who govern, who would thereby be rendered unfit for their occupations : Statefmen and Minifters, who muft be hackney' tl in the a This may be demonftrated by a familiar inftance : It is by no means uncommon for a fingle Die to come up a Six, altho' the odds againft it are five to one, but that a Majority ct' five hundred Dice mould at the fame time come up Six's b fcarcely within the power of Fortune ; becawfe the OJJs againft each individual become almoR infinite when operating upon the whole five hundred together. For the fame reafon, fuppofing every Sixth Man to be wife, honeir, and public-fpi- rited, which furely in any country is a very liberal allowance, there would not Le the fmalleft probability that the Majority of any five hundred to be chofcn out of the whole, would be of that fort, tho' ele&ccl with the utmoft impartiality ; bur, if ambition, felf-intercft, and corruption interfere in the choice, as they moft infallibly wSl, thefe will render it totally impof- fole. Z in 338 THE NAT till E AND in the ways of men, cannot be made of fuch pure and refined materials ; peculiar muft be the com- pofition of that little creature called a Great Man. He muft be formed of all kinds of contradictions : he muft be indefatigable in bufinefs, to fit him for the labours of his itation, and at the fame tim fond of pleafures, to enable him to attach many to his intereils, by a participation of their vices : He muft be mailer of much artifice and knavery, his fituation requiring him to employ, and be em* ployed by, fo many knaves -, yet he muft have fome honefty, or thofe very knaves will be unwiL- ling to truft him : He muft be poffeiTed of great magnanimity perpetually to confront furrounding enemies, and impending dangers , yet of great meannefs, to flatter thofe enemies, and fuffer tamely continual injuries, and abufes : He muft 'be wife enough to conduct the great affairs of Mankind with fagacity and fuccefs, and to acquire riches and honours for his 'reward; and at the fame time foolifli enough to think it worth a wife man's while to meddle with fuch affairs at . all, and to accept of fuch imaginary rewards for real fufferings. Since then in all human Governments fuch muft the Governors, and fuch the Governed eternally be, it is certain they muft be ever big with numberlefs imperfections, and produclive of abundant Evils : and it is no lefs plain, that if infinite Goodnefs could not exclude Natural and Moral ORIGIN OF E VI L. 339 Moral Evils, infinite Power can never prevent Political. I HOPE, Sir, the picture I have here drawn of human nature, and human Government, will not appear to you too much of the Caricature kind : your experience in both muft inform you that it is like, tho' your good-nature may incline you to be forry that it is fo. I truft likewife to your good fenfe to diftinguifh, that what has here been faid of their imperfections, and abufes, is by no means intended as a defence of them, but meant only to ihew their neceflity : to this every wife man ought quietly to fubmit, endeavouring at the fame time to redrefs them to the utmoft of his power-, which can be effected by one method only , that is, by a. reformation of Manners : for as all Political Evils derive their Original from Moral, thefe can never be removed, until thofe are firft amended. He, therefore, who itrictly adheres to Virtue and So- briety in his conduct, and inforces them by hh example, does more real fervice to a State, than he who difplaces a bad Minifter, or dethrones a Tyrant , this gives but a temporary relief, but that exterminates the Caufe of the difeafe. No immoral Man then can pofiibly be a true patriot -, and all thofe who profefs outrageous zeal for the liberty and profperity of their Country, and at the Came time infringe her laws, affront her religion,. Z 2 and 340 THE NATURE, &c. and debauch her people, are but defpicable Quacks, by fraud or ignorance increafing the diforders they pretend to remedy : as fuch, I know, they have always appeared to your fuperior judgment, and fuch they are ever efteemed by, S I R, &c. , ./'. W -1 H T :*f qcwq t^rf /fDriucf ah bnc i^.' ^d LETTER VI. O N RELIGIOUS EVILS. M 343 J LETTER VI. On RELIGIOUS EVILS. S I R, I NOW come to my laft head of Evils, which I call Religious ; by which I mean all that madnefs,^ and folly, into which mankind have per- petually fallen under the name of Religion j to- gether with all thofe Perfections, MafTacres, and Martyrdoms, which fome have been induced to inflict, and others to fuflfer, from an Enthufiaftic Zeal for thofe errors and abfurdities : Evils of the moft enormous fize, and which of all others are the moft difficult to be accounted for, as their exiftence feems moft inconfiftent with infinite Goodnefs, and moft eafily preventable by infinite .power. For, tho' human nature could not be ex- empted from Natural and Mpral Evil (as has been fliewn) even by Omnipotence, yet, one would Z 4 think MATURE AND think, a far lefs degree of po\ver might have been fufficient to have defended it from Religious , by jmparting to Mankind a true, rational, and expli- cit fyftem of Theo]ogy, and Ethicks ; by which means all the abfurdities of falfe Religions, and all the calamities flowing from thofe abfurdities, would have been effectually prevented. Wonder- ful therefore muft it appear, fince the happinefs of Men, thro' every Part of their exiftence, fo much depends on their Religion, that is, on their entertaining rightnotions of God and his Attributes, of their duty to him, and their behaviour to each other , moft wonderful, I fay, and aftonifliing it muft appear, that a wife and benevolent Creator fhould fo far have deferted his Creatures on this important occafion, as to have fuffered them thro* all generations to have wandered amidft fuch pe- rilous precipices in the dark ; or if at any time he has vouchfafcd them any fupernatural light, that it mould have been fo faint and glimmering that it has rather ferved to terrify them with the gloomy profpcft of their danger, than to enable them to avoid it. IF we look back as far as hiftory will carry ns^ we fhall find all ages and nations practifing, under the name of Religion, fuch inhuman, obfcene, iTupid and execrable Idolatries that it would dif- grace human Nature; but to enumerate them : we ihall fee the wifeft Men of the vvifeft Countries confuting ORIGIN OF EVIL. 345 r onfulting Oracles of wood and ftone, and con- iiding in the foolim fuperftition af the flight of birds, the entrails of beads, and the pecking of chickens; we lhall fee them butchering their in- nocent herds and flocks as an atonement for their vices, and facrificing their enemies, their flaves, their children, and ibmetimes themfelves, to appeafe the wrath of their imaginary Deities, of \vhofe worfhip no cruelty was too horrid to be made a part ; and by whofe infamous examples no wickednefs was too execrable to be patronned. At length Chriftianity appeared, a fketch of Mo- rality the moft rational, and of Religion the moft fublime the World had ever feen i which, if ever God condefcended to reveal his Will to Man, un- doubtedly makes the faireft pretenfions to be that Revelation ; and indeed, if we ferioufly confider its internal Excellence, the reafonablenefs of its Morality, the fublimity of its Theology, that it alone has fixed the right Criterion of Virtue, alone difcovered the magnanimity of Forgivenefs : that its notions of the Deity, his attributes and dif- penfations, are fo unlike all that ever entered into the heads of the wifeft philofophers of preceding ages, and yet fo well confirmed by the learned difcoveries of all fucceeding rimes -, ib far exalted above all human reafon, and yet fo confonant with it, and what is moft conclufive, fo infinitely above the Capacities of thofe who publiihed them to the World ; 346 THE NATURE AND World ; if we add to this its obfcure rite and amazing progrefs, I think, we can fcarcely doubt but that there muft be fomething Supernatural in it : and yet, with all theie marks of Divinity {tamped upon it, far from anfwering that idea of Perfection which we might expect from the divine Interpofition, it was but a Sketch, whofe Out- lines indeed appear the Work of a confummate Mafter, but filled up from time to time by un- equal and injudicious hands. It had many defects in its inftitution, and was attended with many and great Evils in its confequences ; in its inftitution it wanted Univerfality, a Authenticity, b Perfpicuity a By want of Authenticity, is here meant only the want of that demonilrable, and infallible Authority, of which all hiftorical Fafts are in their own Natures incapable ; and which, had the friends of the Chriftian Revelation never pretended to bellow upon it, the truth of that Event had been no more dif- puted, than the truth of any other well-atteiled Hillary what- (oever. b The want of Perfpicuity in (his Revelation, needs furely no other teftimony, than the Millions of Writers, who for feventeen Centuries have laboured to demonftrate, harmonife, fyftemife, illuftrate and explain every one of its Doctrines ^ and the no lefs numberlefs, and various Opinions, that remain to this Day concerning them all : much indeed of this obfcurity has proceeded from Men's endeavours to make it what th^y fancied it mould have been, but for which it was never in- tended ; that is, a regular, clear and eolith body of moral^ and political Institutes. aod ORIGIN OF EVIL. 347 and * Policy, and in its confequences it was foon corrupted, and from that corruption productive of the mod mifchievous effects. Its great Author defigned it not to be exempted from any of thefe Imperfections. He revealed it only to a fmall and obfcure corner of the World in Parables and Myfteries : He guarded not its original Pun . which feems to have died with himfelf, by com- mitting it to any written Records, but left it in the hands of illiterate Men, who, tho' they were ho- neft enough to die for it, were never wife enough perfectly to underftand it. All Policy he difclaims in exprefs Words, faying, My Kingdom is not of a By Policy is here meant all Inftitutions and Regulations of human Government, both civil, and ecclefiaftical ; concerning which the Author of the Chriflian Religion has carefully avoided giving any directions. All thefe he has left to be or- dered by every State in fuch, a manner as (hall appear to them moft convenient, and has commanded his difcipies to be fubjedt, as Men, to their Ordinances, not only for Wrath, but for Con- fcience fake ; but forefeeing the infinite mifchiefs that mull arife from trufting human Creatures with a divine Power, he has forbid them, as Chriftians, either to exercife, or fubmit to any authority over each other, under any pretence of its being derived from himfelf : Ye know, he fays, that the Princes of the Gentiles exercife dominion over them, and they that are great exercife authority upon them ; but it Jhall not be fo among you, &c. Matt. xx. 25. And perhaps there is no (Ironger proof of the divine Wifdom of this great Inftrudlor of Mankind, than the extraordinary caution with which he has paffed over a fubjecl:, on which no rules could be prefcribed not inconfiftcnt either with Praftice or with Virtue : and yet a Subject which all other Legiflators have confidered as their moft important Objeft. I ibis , 4 8 Til E N A T U R E AND t&s World j that is, I meddle not with the cal Affairs of Mankind , I teach Men to defpife the World, but not to govern it. Nor did He expect any better confequences from its progrefs than thofe which actually followed : He was by no means ignorant of its future corruption, and that, tho' his primitive inftitution breathed nothing but Peace, and Forbearance, Good-will, and Be- nevolence , yet that in mixing with the Policies and Interefts of Mankind, it would be productive of tyranny and oppre01on, of martyrdoms and maflacres, of national wars, and family diflentions, Think not, fays he, / come to fend peace on Earth> I come not to fend peace but a Sword : for I am come to fet a man at Variance againft his father, and the daughter againft her mother, and the daughter-in-law againfl her mother-in-law. A Prophecy too fatally fulfilled ! i FROM what infcrutable fource can all thefe im- perfections, and all thcfe confequent Evils derive their exiflence ? On what incomprehenfible plan muft the wife Difpofer of all things proceed, to fuffer men thus to. bewilder themfelves in the la- byrinths of error, and from thence to plunge into the gulphs of wickednefs and miiery, when the lead direction from his omnipotent hand would lead them thro* the flowery paths of Truth to Virtue and Felicity ? Strange ! that he has not given them Reafon fnfficient to perform this important ORIGIN OF EVIL. important office ! Stranger ! that, if ever he con- defcended to affift that Reafon with his infinite Wifdom, even the Religion that refults from that fupernatural afiiftance, fhould be ftill deficient in almoft every one of the principal requifites ncceF- iary towards accomplifhing the great and beneficent ends it was defigned for ! that it fhould want Uni- verfality to render it impartial, Authenticity to make it demonftrable, Perfpicuity to make it in- telligible, and Policy to make it ufeful to Man- kind : that it fhould immediately have been cor- rupted, and from that corruption been productive of all the Mifery and Wickednefs it feemed cal- culated to prevent. But on examination we mail find, that thefe Evils, like all thofe of which we have before treated, owe their exiftence to no defeat of goodnefs or power in God, but to the imper- fection of Man, and their own neceflity : that is, to the impracticability of giving a perfect Religion to an imperfect Creature : from whence this im- practicability arifes, I will endeavour to explain. THERE are but two methods, that we know of, by which God can communicate a Religion to mankind : that is, either by the deductions which he has impowered him to make by the Force of that natural Reafon which he has implanted in him, or by the extraordinary interpofition of Di- vine Revelation : now from the firft of thefe lit- tle need be faid to ihew that nothing perfect can be expected : 350 THE NATURE AND expected : our Reafon is unftable in its foundations, and uncertain in its conclufions ; our lives are extremely fhort, and our progrefs in fcience no lefs tedious, and retarded by numberlefs obftacles : much of our time is employed in getting ideas, and much in acquiring language to exprefs them ; few Men have capacities to reafon, and fewer leifure : fome having fenfe but no learning, want materials to work with : others having learning and no fenfe, become more abfurd by having amaffed much matter to miftake about : fo that to raife any tolerable fyftem of Religion, or Mo- rals, from human Reafon, requires the labours of many generations j from all which have already pail how little truth can we collect ? and yet perhaps much of that little is owing to Reve- lation, which we are apt to think unneceflary from the very afiiftance we have received from it j like the Country-man who defpifed the Sun be- caufe it fhined in the day-time. We fee but a very fmall part of the great Whole, and fee that fmall part fo fuperncially, that we comprehend not theefTence of any thing , neither of a Body of Spirit, a Metaphyficians divide all Being into Spirit and Matter.: to Spirit they attribute motion, activity, fenflbiltty, thought, will, and reafon, free from all folidityj and e.xteniion ; to Mat- ter they afcribe foiidity and extcnfion oqly, void of all iclf-mo- tion, feafe, and perception : but thcfe defcriptions are qviite arbitrary, founded only upon ;heir. own imaginations, and by no means confiftent with experience ; for Spirit feeras to have many ORIGIN OF VIL. 351 Spirit, of b Space or Time, of c Infinity or Eter- nity ; we know fcarce any thing of any thing, and many properties not fo diftinct from Matter by its intimate Union with it in the compofitiofi of all animals j and Matter has certainly many qualities contradictory to this diftinction, fuch as cohefion, attraction, elafticity, electricity, ferment- ation, heat, and vegetation, none of which can be accounted for from the mere paffive principles of folidity and extenfion. b Many Philofophers have confidered Time and Space as feal Eflences ; whereas they have certainly no more than an imaginary exiftence, derived folely from the imperfection of human conceptions, and human language. They are in them- felves really nothing, and the attributes we beftow upon them are applicable with equal propriety to nothing: that is, nothing has neither beginning nor end, nor can be comprehended within any bounds. The intervening period between hiftori^a! facts we diftinguim by the names of days and years ; the dif- tances between places we call yards and miles ; and from this manner of expreffing ourfelves they gain the appearance of being fomething ; whereas abstracted from thofe facts, and places, they are really nothing : fo that if all things were an- nihilated, Space would immediately vanifh, and literally fpeaking Time would be na mere. c All the Ideas we have of Infinity and Eternity are acquired by adding in our imagination Miles to Miles, and Years to Years, by which means we come nevt r the nearer to them : for- no addition of parts can ever make any thing infinite or eter- nal ; no two objects can be placed at an infinite uiitance, he caufe they would then be the two ends of Infinity : an infinite number is a contradiction in terms, and therefore every thing that is infinite or eternal mud exijt in fome manner which bears no manner of relation to Space, or Time, and which muft therefore be to u$ totally incomprehcnfible, leaft 35 * THE NATURE AND leaft of all of the nature of God or ourfclves ; and therefore it is by no means furprifing that all Reli- gions derived from fuch a fource mould be full of Errors and Abfurdities. If it be afferted, thagt God might have given to Man a more comprehenfive Reafon, and a greater Infight into Nature and Futu- rity : I anfwer, he certainly might, and he might alfo have given him the ftrength of the Horfe, and the fv/iftnefs of the Stag, as well as, the junderflanding of an Angel , but then he had not continued to be Man , or if he had, he would have fuffered many fuperior Evils from thefe unhappy acqui- fitions. IF we confider the other method, by which God can communicate a Religion to Mankind, we (hall find it no lefs incapable of producing a perfect one ; becaufe tho' God is fufficiently able to give a perfect Religion, Man is utterly unable to re- ceive it. God cannot impart knowledge to Crea- tures, of which he himfelf has made them incapable by their nature and formation : he cannot inftruct a Mole in Aftronomy, or an Oyfter in MuJic, becaufe he has not given them Members, nor Fa- culties neceflary for the acquifuion of thofe fciences : neither is this any diminution of his Omnipotence, becaufe acting in fuch a manner would be willing Contrarieties at the fame time : it would be op- pofing his own Deiigns, making Creatures what they are not, and granting thcnr Powers which he i thought ORIGIN 1 OF EVIL. 355$ thought proper to deny them : a Revelation there- fore from God can never be fuch as we might ex- ped from infinite Power, Wifciom and Goodnefs, but muft condefcend to the Ignorance and InBrmi- ti^s .of Man. Was the wifeft Legiftator in the World to compofe Laws for a Nurfery, they muft'' : be childifh Laws : fo was God to reveal a Religion to Mankind, tho* the Revealer was divine, the Religion muft be human, or it eould be of no ufe to thofe for whofe fake it was revealed : and therefore, like them, it muft be liable to number- lefs Imperfections, amongft which all thofe De- ficiencies before-mentioned are abfolutely unavoid- able, and impoffible to be prevented by any power whatever : thefe are the Want of Univerfaiity, Authenticity, Perfpicuity and Policy -, its certain Corruption, with all that inundation of Wicked- iiefs and Mifcry which muft flov/ from that Cor- ruption. Great and numerous Evils ! from which it is not difficult to mew, that no Revelation communicated to Man can be exempted by an Omnipotent Revealer. FIRST then it muft want Univerfaiity : that is, however conducive it may be to the virtue and happinefs of Mankind in general, it cannot be alike communicated to all Men in all ages and all nations of the World ; becaufe, from the nature of things, it muft have a beginning and a pro- greffion : it muft at firft be revealed at ibme time A a and 354 THE' .NATURE, ANI> ' and in fome place , and whenever and wherever that is, there muft have been times and places int which it was not revealed; and therefore it is im- pofTible it can be Univerfal ; and. this not pro- ceeding from any impotence or partiality in the Kevealer, but from the modes of exigence of all hwma& affairs* it rrruft likewife want Authenticity, that is y . tho' its. divine Authority may be more or lefs ere-, dible according to the c ire um fiances of the evi- dence,, yet it can never be capable of a diredt or demonftrative proof; becaufe" God muft commu- nicate this Revelation to Mankind either by a ge- neral or a. particular Infpiration : that is, either by infpirine; all Men, or by infpiring a few to teach it to others : the firft of thefe methods, or a Uni- verfal Infpiration, is impofllble ia Nature, and abfurd even in imagination, and : would be the total alteration of human Nature : the other muft efcer be liable to infinite uncertainty, becaule tho' a Man may pofilbly know when he himfelf is in- fpired, (tho' that, I think, may be very well queilioned) yet, that he mould ever produce in- dubitable credentials of a Divine Commiffion to others, who are uninfpired,. feems utterly imprac- ticable, there being no marks by which the fa6t can be afcertained, nor any faculties in the human* mind which are able to diilinguifh it : the excel- lence of the Revelation he teaches, its beneficent ends,. ORIGIN OF EVIL. tmds, and the miratles he may work in its con- firmation, may all together render it more or lefs probable, but "can never amount to a certain proof, becaufe we know fo little of the ends and conic - quences of things, and fo much lefs of the nature of Miracles : we anderftand indeed nothing about them, but that we ourfclves are unable to p'erform them ; but what Beings of fuperior Orders may be able to do we cannot tell j nor yet what power, inclination or permifiion fuch Beings may have to deceive us. If it is impoffible therefore we can be certain of the divine Authority of a Revelation, even by a perfonal communication with its' firft Author, much lefs cafi we be a/lured of it thro* the fallacious mediums of Tradition or Hiftory 5 for whoever obferves the prtfpenfity Men have to impofe upon themfelves and others, how difficult it is to come at a true Reprefentation of the com- monefl fact, even at the diflance of a few miles, ftr a few years, will be eafily convinced, that all human Tradition can be nothing more than a Complication of defigried Fraud and inevitable Error , a Glafs which mifreprefenrts all objects by magnifying or diminifhing them, juft as it is placed by the hand of Knavery for the infpecTion of Folly and Credulity. Hiftory indeed carries with it a greater Authority, but muft ever be liable to infinite Imperfections : we can never be certain* that the Writers of it, being Men, were not im- ofed upon themfelves, or did not intend to impofe A a 2 orv 356 THE NATURE AND oft others , and therefore its original evidence can- not be conclufive, and muft grow daily weaker in proportion to its antiquity : it muft necenarily .be fubject: to all uncertainties proceeding from the variation of languages and cuftoms, ignorant tran- fcribers, falfe translations, interpolations and for- geries i and as the hiitories of Religions are more connected with Mens interefts than thofe of other occurrences, fo they muft be ever more fubject to thefe Frauds and Jmpofitions j for the fame reafon that a Bank-note is more likely to be counterfeited thaft a News-paper. It is therefore impoffible that Hiftory can afford us any certain proof of a fuper- natural and miraculous difpenfation, becaufe a Fact, unlikely to be true, can never be demon* flrated by a Relation not impofiible to be falfe. If it be faid, that God may infpire the writers of fuch important Records with Infallibility, I anfwer, the Proof that he has fo infpired them will be at- tended with no lefs difficulty, than the proof of that divine authority which is to be eftablimed by it , and it muft ever be abfurd to prove the truth of a Revelation by the infallibility of its Records, and the infallibility of its Records from the truth of the Revelation, It is plain therefore, that, tho* infinite Goodnefs may reveal a Religion to fo im- perfect a creature as Man, yet infinite Power can- not, by reafon of that Imperfection, give to that Revelation fuch a degree of Authenticity, that is, fuch a demonftrable proof of its divine Au- thority, ORIGIN OF EVIL. 357 thority, as fome Men unreafonably expect, and others as ridiculouQy bellow upon it ". IT mud want Perfpicuity : that is, it muft be much more obfcure both in its fpeculative and practical Doctrines, than might be expected from the interpofition of infinite wifdom, truth and be- nevolence. In its fpeculative Doctrines, Obfcurity mud be unavoidable, becaufe they muft treat of fubjects above the reach of our Comprehenfions : which neither eye has feen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of Man to conceive; and therefore no Power can impart to us clear and explicit Ideas of fuch things, without firft be- ftowing on us new faculties, and new fenfes ; that is, without the total alteration of our Natures. But what is moft of all extraordinary is, that it muft be likewife to a certain degree obfcure in its practical and moral precepts ; and this from a reafon not the lefs valid for having never before been infifted on ; which is, from the NecefTity of Moral Evil : that is, fmce God, as has been fliewn, was obliged by Neceffity to admit Moral Evil into a Nothing here offered is meant by any means to invalidate the authority ot" Revelation : that of the Chriftian is poflefled of as much certainty as the nature of the faft, and the nature of its evidence, will admit of. Thofe who endeavour to beftow more upon it, do in reality but make it lefs ; and, like unfkilful Architects, weaken a Building already fufficiently ftrong, by overloading it with unnecefiary fupporters. A a 3 the 358 THE NATURE AND the Creation, he muft probably be obliged, by the fame Neceflity, to jfuffer it in fome degree to continue ; and therefore cannot inforce the uni- verfal practice of Virtue by laws fo explicit, by threats and promifes fo glaring, and by commands fo inconteftably of divine Authority, as can ad- mit of no doubt j for thefe would be fo abfolutejy jrrefiftable as at once to eradicate all human Vice, which has already been proved to Jiave been ad- mitted only from the impofiibility of its exclufion, without the introduction of greater Evils, or the jofs of fnperior Goocl. If Omnipotence coulc) not prevent the exiftence of Moral Evil by the original formation of Man, totally to extirpate it by Revelation, woulcl be to counteract his own. wife, tho'. incomprehenfible defigns; and there- fore a Divine Revelation can never be a regular Body of practical Inilitutes, clear and perfpicuous, free from all doubts and altercations, inforced by perpetual Miracles, by vifible and immediate Rewards and Punifhments i but a fbill Voice whif r pering gentle Warnings, divine Admonitions, and fupernatural Truths ; a Light Chining in a dark place, illuminating to a certain degree the native Pbfcurity of the human Mind, and difcovering by faint glimmerings the Defigns of Providence, and a diftant profpeft of a future Life. -?T muft alfo want Policy : that is, it can never prefcribe political rules by which mankind can be conducted ORIGIN OF EVIL, Conducted in the Government of Nations, or their pretended rights of War and Peace, becaufe all thefe affairs being incapable (as has been fhevvn.) of being carried on by any other means thaft thofe of violence, fraud, and corruption , a Di- vine Revelation cannot poffibly give any directions about them , becaufe all fuch muft be necefiarily inconfiftent either with Virtue or with Practical bility : totally to forbid thefe methods of govern^ ing mankind, who can be governed by no other, would be deftructive of all Government; to allow them, of all Morality : and therefore it is necef- fary that Men mould be left to act in thefe matters at their peril, as particular circumftances may re- quire, with only a general fyftem of religion and morality for their guide. If a divine Revelation can give no laws for the management of Civil Government, much lefs can it inftitute any new policies peculiar to itfelf, under the names of SpU ritual or Ecclefiaftical , all which, however divine in their Original, muft neceffarily be adminifter'd, if adminifter'd by Man, by the fame unjuftifiable methods as others ; with this additional inconve- nience, that they could never be juftly refilled. God cannot therefore, I apprehend, delegate Spiritual power to Man, without patronifing all that Violence, Corruption, and Iniquity, which muft rcfult from it, and without which no power in the hands of Men can be exercifed over Men. For the imper-: feclicn of Man is incompatible with the purity of A a 4 a Di- 360 THE NATURE AND a Divine Government. The Government of all creatures muft correfpond with their natures , and it feems to me as impofllble that Societies of Men Jhould fubmit under a Divine Government, as that Wolves and Tygers fhould live together under the regulations of Human Policy : but moft of all impofiible it muft be that a divine and human Government mould fubfift together in the fame Society, for they muft immediately clam , arid whenever that happens, the leaft fpark of divine .authority, if really divine, muft infallibly con- fume all human power, and deftroy all Civil Go- vernment whatever. LASTLY, it muft very foon be corrupted, and from that corruption be productive of the moft mischievous effects : for, as the pureft ftrenm poured inp an impure yeflel, muft partake of its impurity ; fo muft the moft perfect Religion, that can be revealed by God to fo imperfect a Creature as Man, partake of ru's imperfection, and produce many and great Evils both natural and moral ; that is, much of that mifery, and wickednefs, which it was intended to prevent : this no wifdom can obviate, no power put a ftop to, fo long as that imperfection remains ; but it muft conftantly come to pafs form a train of unavoidable confe- quences, which muft invariably follow their caufes, fo.long as human nature continues what it is, Fox, ORIGIN OF EVIL. 361 FOR inftance, when a Divine Revelation is firft communicated to Mankind, it muft be received (if received at all) becaufe its precepts are apr proved, and its authority believed -, and all thofe nations who thus approve the one, and believe the other, muft efteem it both their intereft and their duty to encourage and fupport it. This they can effect by no other means than by granting pe- culiar privileges to all who profefs it, by forming from it their national Religion* and public worfhip, and by maintaining an Order of Men to preach that Religion, and minifter that worlhip to the people ; all which amounts to a National Eftablifh- ment. Now the moment any Religion becomes Rational, or eftablifhed, its purity muft certainly be loft, becaufe it is then impoflible to keep it un- connected with mens interefts ; and if connected, it muft inevitably be perverted by them. When- ever temporal advantages are annexed to any re- ligious profefllon, they will be fure to call in all thofe who have no religion at all: knaves will embrace it for the fake of intereft, fools will fol- low them for the fake of fafhion ; and when once it is in fuch hands, Omnipotence hfelf can never preferve its purity. That very Order of Men, who are maintained to fupport its interefts, will facrifice them to their own ; and being in the fole pofleflion of all its promifes, and all its terrors, and fiaving the tendernefs of Childhood, the weaknefs 5 f |62 THE NATURE AND of Age, and the ignorance of the vulgar to work upon i I fay, thefe Men, veiled with all thefe powers, yet being but Men, will not fail to con- vert all the mighty influence they muft derive from them to the fejfim ends of their own avarice and ambition, and confequently to the total de- $:rucT:ion of its Original Purity : from it they will lay claim to powers which it never defigned-them, and to pofieflions to which they have no right , to make good thefe falfe pretenfions, falfe hiftories nyill be forged, and fabulous traditions invented ; gro.undlefs terrors will be flung out to operate on fuperftition and timidity ; Creeds and Articles will be contrived to confound all Reafon, and tefts jrnpofed to fift out all who have honefty or cou- rage enough to refill thefe unwarrantable encroach- ments. Devotion will be turned into farce and pageantry, to captivate mens eyes, that their pockets may with more facility be invaded : they will convert Piety into Superftition, Zeal into Rancour, and this Religion, notwithflanding all its Divinity, into diabolical malevolence. By de- grees knaves will join them, fools believe them, and cowards be afraid of them -, and having gained fo confiderable a part of the World to their in- terefts, they will erecl an independent dominion among themfelves dangerous to the liberties of Mankind, and reprefenting all thofe who oppofe- their tyranny as God's enemies, teach it to be meritorious in his fight to perfecute them in this world,. ORIGIN OF E-VIL. 363 , and damn them in another. Hence muft Hierarchies, Inquifitions, and Popery ; for Popery is but the confummation of that tyranny which every religious Syftem in the hands 'of Men is in perpetual purfuit of, and whofe principles they are all ready to adopt whenever they are for- tunate enough to meet with it's fuccefs. THIS Tyranny cannot fubfift without fierce and formidable Oppofition, from whence innu- merable Seels, Schifms and DiiTentions will lift up their contentious heads, each gaping for that very power which they are fighting to deftroy, tho' unable either to acquire or retain it , and in- troductive only of their conftant concomitants, Jgnorance, Self-conceit, Ill-breeding, Obftinacy, Anarchy, and Confufion. From thefe contefts all kinds of Evils muft derive their exiftence, bjood-fhed and defolation, perfecutions, mafla- cres and martyrdoms. . ALL thefe Evils you fee are but the neceflary Confequences of the national Eftablifhment of any Religion which God can communicate to Man, in whofe hands its Divinity can never long pre- ferve its purity, or keep it unmixed with his im- perfeclions, his folly and wickednefs. Nay, fo far is the Divinity of a Revelation from being able to prevent its corruption, that it will but in- creafe and halten itj for the greater fhare of Divinity 3% THE NATURE AND Divinity it partakes, the greater muft be its Ex- cellence i the greater its Excellence, the more univerfal muft be its Approbation j the more it is approved, the more it muft be encouraged j the more it is encouraged, the fooner it will be efta- blimed ; and the fooner it is eftablillied, the fooner it muft be corrupted and made fubfervient to the worft purpofes of the worft Men j yet it is plain this Eftablifhment is no more than the con- fequence of its excellence, and Men's approba- tion ; no more than the alternative of its total extinction, and without which it cannot be pre- ferved at all; and therefore the corruption of every divine Revelation communicated to Man, is, by the nature of Man, clearly unavoidable, FROM what has been here faid it appears plainly, that all the numerous Evils which adhere to, and all the mifchievous effects which follow all human Religions, whether natural or revealed, by no means owe their exiftence to any want of power, wifdom or goodnefs in God, but, like all others, to the imperfection of Man , that is, to his folly and wickednefs, which muft inevitably corrupt them. It is alfo, I think, no lefs evident that all arguments levelled againft the divine Original of Chriilianity, founded on its imperfections and per- nicious confequences, (which are all, I think, that have any weight) may be proved to be vain and inconclufive ; and this not by concealing or denying thofe ORIGIN OF EVIL. 365 thofe imperfections and pernicious confequences, as many have abfurdly attempted, but by fairly fhewing, that they all proceed from the imperfec- tions of thofe Creatures to whom it is revealed i and that, fo long as thofe continue, thefe cannot be prevented by any wifdom, goodnefs or power whatever a . THUS, Sir, if I miftake not, I have fuffiriontly. tho s concifely, anfwered that moft abftrufe and important Queftion, Whence came Evil'? and proved, that all the Evils we feel, and all which we fee around us, derogate not in the leail from the wifdom, power, or goodnefs of our Creator ; but proceed entirely from that fubordination w hie ft is fo necefifary to the tappinefs, and even to the exiftence of the great and and incomprehenfible Whole. I have fhewn that all fubordination muft imply imperfection in fome Beings or other , and that all imperfection muft confift in the abfence of comparative Good, or the admiflion of pofi- a If we look into the Deiftieal Writings of all Times, we fliall find, that they have always attacked the Chriitian Reli- gion moft fuccefsfully from this Ground ; they have ftiewed the many Imperfections, that adhere to it, and then concluded, that nothing imperfeft could derive its Original from God: their adverfaries have injudicioufly denied thofe Imperfections, which for the moft part are true, and agreed to their conclu- fion, which is indifputably fa We ; for every thing we poflefs is derived from God, and yt we poffeft nothing endued with abfolnte perfection,' tive NATURE tive Evil. I have fhewh that moft of the we ufually complain of are of the firft kind -, the want only of thofe perfections we fee others enjoy, or imagine infinite power might have beftowed tipon ourfelves ; which zsre therefore in fact no' Evils at all : that thofe of the latter fort, or po- fitive Evils, are fuch as from the nature of things mud intrude themfelves into all Creation, and therefore that Omnipotence can do no more than make choice of that Syftem which admits the feweft 5 being obliged by the imperfection of alt Created Beings, the untractablenefs of Matter,' and fonie incomprehenfible connection between? Good and Evil, Hafypinefs and Mifery, to admit both, or to give exiftence to neither. I have hkewife mewn that Moral Evil may have its ne- ceffity arid utility as well as Natural , at leaft, that if Natural Evils are neceffary, Moral ones are expedient; to prevent that neceffary Mifery from falling to the mare of perfect Innocence, and to convert unavoidable fufferings into juft punifh- ments ; that tho* the effence of all Moral Evil confifts in the production of Natural, yet it may have fome collateral tendency to Good ; and that the Wicked, whilft they are jtfftty punifhed fof the miferies \yhich they cxrcafion, may probably,- by that very guilt and punimment, fome \vay re- motely contribute" to univerfal happinefs. I have ftewn that if Natural and Moral Evils could not be prevented, the exiftence of Poik-ic^ arid Re- ligious ORIGIN O? iHV.lL.' ligious Evils muft of courfe be unavoidable, they being but the certain confequences of the other: that all human Government muft be in the higheft degree imperfect, and big with all manner of Evils, being the dominion of ignorant and wicked creatures over each other -, that, as fuch creatures can be governed only by fear of puniftiment or hopes of reward, all Government amongft them' muft be founded on Violence or Corruption, and' ever fupported and adminiftred by the fame vi- tious and unjuftirlable methods : that no power; whatever can give a perfect Religion, to fo irnper-- fed a creature as Man, either by Nature or Re- velation , not by Nature, becaufe, whiift that is human Nature, he can never dilcover by Reafon> the Truths on which a perfect Syftem of Theology or Ethics can be erected; not by Revelation, be- caufe he wants faculties to comprehend fuch fu- pernatural difcoveries, altho* they Ihould be im- parted to him , that, was he capable of once receiving a perfect Religion, it is not poflible he could long retain it ; becaufe, if k could be kept entirely feparate from' his worldly intercfts, it would foon be neglected and perifh in oblivion v and, if it was not, fuch a connection would quickly corrupt its purity, and deftroy its eflence, fo that national eftablimments would be neceflary for its fupport, and yec infallibly productive of its deftruction. That all thefe evils proceed not from wrong difpofuions or accidental caufcs, but fingly 3 68 THE NATURE, &c. fingly and folely from the imperfection of Man y and yet that in the gradation from infinite per- fection to abfolute nothing, there muft be one rank occupied by fuch a Greature as Man with alt his imperfe&ions about him-, that thefe imper- fections muft be annexed to his fituation, and ad- here to every thing that relates to him, to his happinefs, to his morals, to his government, and to his religion : that, in like manner, all other created Beings muft have Evils and Imperfections peculiar to their ftations, and proportioned to their inferiority ; notwithstanding all which, there is as much Good, and as little Evil in the univerfaJ fyftem, as the nature of Creation v/ill admit of;- and that therefore it is a work equal to what we might expect from the Operations of infinite Be- nevolence joined with infinite Power. P II I L O- PHILOSOPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS O N T H E NATURE of TIME. Tcmpus item per fe non eft. LUCRET, B b [ 37' ] PHILOSOPHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE NATURE of TIME. WE are fo accuftomed to connect our Ideas of Time with the Hiftory of what pafTes in it, that is, to miftake a fuccefiion of Thoughts and Actions for Time, that we find it extremely difficult, perhaps impoflible, totally to feparate, or diftinguifh them from each other : and indeed had we power to effect this in our minds, all hu- man language is fo formed, that it would fail us in our exprefllon : yet certain it is, that Time, abftracted from the thoughts, actions, and motions which pafs in it, is actually nothing: it is only the Mode in which fome created Beings are or- dained to exift, but in itfelf has really no exiftence at all. THO* this Opinion may feem chimerical to many, who have not much confidered the fubject, yet B b 2, it S7 2 CONSIDERATIONS ON it is by no means new, for it was long fince adopted by fome of the mod celebrated Phitofophers of Antiquity, particularly by the Epicureans, and is thus well exprefled by Lucretius : Vempus item per fe non eft ; fed rebus ab ipfts Confequitur fenfus, tranfaftum quod fit in then if thoit haft not loft all feeling both mental and corporeal, thou canft not doubt but that fo much valour on one fide, and fo much beauty on the other, will certainly produce much mutual affection, and that this will as infallibly be the caufe of much pro- creation, and in a great meafure repair the loffes occafioned by our migrations to America, and the depredations of gin. If it be objected, that to balance this, many lives will be loft by the inftitu- tion of thefe forces, by the accidental difcharge of their firelocks, or the too valiant ufe of their fwords in drunken quarrels , I anfwer, thefe acci- dents may fometimes happen ; but, as on the moft moderate computation, every one in thefe corps will probably beget three children before he kills one man, it cannot fail to increafe the number of our people. Though this good effect of this truly national fcheme has not, that I know of, been ob- lerved. by any author, who has undertaken to re- commend it to the public, yt it has not efcaped the quick-fighted eyes of our fagacious legiflature % who, on this very account, have this year voted a large fum to the Foundling Hofpital, and propofe to increafe it ftill further as foon as thefe national forces begin to act in the fervice of their country. , c This feffions the parliament voted a much greater fum to the Foundling Hofpital, than had ever been before thought on. 2 LASTLY, NATIONAL MILITIA. 415 LASTLY, That it may be carried into execution without any expence to the public, and this by a method fo extremely obvious, that it is furprifing the wifdom of Parliament has not difcovered it. The method I mean is no more than this : that as every man who attends on the days of exercife, and continues fober, is by the prefent bill to re- ceive fixpence, I would have it further enacted, that every one who is drunk on thofe days, mould pay the faid fum of fixpence, to be applied to- wards the fupport of this national force, a very fmall penalty, fure, for fo great a neglect of duty where the fafety of his country is at ftake. Now whoever has been prefent at a fair, a fefiions, a horfe-race, an aflizes, a cricket-match, or a vifit- ation, or any other numerous meeting in the coun- try, muft know, that on the moft enlarged com- putation, the number of fober cannot exceed the proportion of one in ten of thofe who are drunk ; and there is no reafon that I know of to fuppofe that the majority will be lefs on this occafion. If fo, the public, we fee, will receive nine times the fum every day that it will be required to pay, and confequently the remaining eight parts will amply fupply thefe forces with arms, ammunition, cloaths, and accoutrements. But if this fhould not be found quite fufficient, confidering how frequently they will probably be loft, a fmall matter laid on oaths, many of which they will readily learn from the inftrucTions of their ferjeants, would eafily 4i6 REASONS FOR A fupply all deficiences ; and if the landed officers of thefe corps would fubmit to the fame penalties* it would much increafe the fund : but as thefe gentlemen, who are to receive nothing for being ibber, may think it hard to pay fixpence for being drunk, I would by no means infift on their being included, efpecially as I doubt not but the fum thus raifed will be fufficient to defray all expences, and totally to indemnify the public revenues* THE objections made to this fcheme are fo fri- volous and abfurd, that they are by no means worthy of obfervation , but of one or two I will juft take notice. It is aflerted, that gentlemen of eflates in the country, will never fubmit to the duty of officers without pay , but whoever confi- ders how ready thefe gentlemen are, on all occa-^ fions, to execute the offices of juftices of the peace, commifiioners of taxes, and turnpikes , how earneft to fpend half their time, and all their eflates, to acquire feats, and to attend their duty in Parlia- ment, from whence no poffible advantage can ac- crue, muft be fatisfied that this is but an unjuft fufpicion, founded on no reafon, and inconfiftent with the true zeal which they have ever ihewn in the caufe of their country. IT is alfo apprehended, that many of thefe gen- tlemen, by indolence, corpulency, age, or gout, will be rendered incapable of righting ; but the very reverfe of this is certainly true, becaufe thefe very NATIONAL MILITIA. 417 very infirmities will make it impoflible for them to run away. AND now having demcnftrated the truth of every- one of my 'proportions beyond the power of all minifterial fcribblers to difprove, I mall conclude, by recommending this neceiTary fcheme to the protection of all true lovers of their country, ear- neftly wiihing, that nothing may prevent it from being put in execution as foon as poflible : then, O Britain, O my country, will I congratulate thee on the confummation of thy profperity, and the happy period of all thy calamities. Long have thy true patriots wiflied to fee thee engaged fmgly in a war with France, which, from thy natural fuperiority, muft always be attended with glory and fuccefs : long haft thou groaned under the oppreflions of mercenary allies abroad, and rapacious minifters at home : but at laft the time, the happy time i arrived, when our wifhes are all fulfilled, and our misfortunes wiped away , when we are in full poi- feflion of fuch a glorious war, without any allies, or any adminiftration at all. . quod optanti nemo pr omit t ere Divum Auderet, volvenda Dies en attulit ultra ! EC T 1 1 li . o THE OBJECTIONS TO THE TAXATION OF OUR AMERICAN COLONIES, BY THE Legiflature 0/* Great-Britain, BRIEFLY CONSIDERED. Written in the Year 1765. EC a THE OBJECTIONS TO THE TAXATION OF OUR AMERICAN COLONIES, BRIEFLY CONSIDERED. THE right of the legiflature of Great-Britain to impofe taxes on her American Colonies, and the expediency of exerting that right in the prefent conjuncture, are propofitions fo indifput- ably clear, that I fhould never have thought it necefTary to have undertaken their defence, had not many arguments been lately flung out, both in papers and converfation, which with infolence equal to their abfurdity deny them both. As thefe are ufually mixt up with feveral patriotic and favorite words, fuch as Liberty, Property, Englimmen, &c. which are apt to make ftrong im- preflions on that more numerous part of mankind, E e 3 who 422 OBJECTIONS TO THE who have ears but no underftanding, it will not, 1 think, be improper to give them fome anfwers : to this therefore I fhall fmgly confine myfelf, and do it in as few words as pofiible, being fenfible that the feweft will give leaft trouble to myfelf and probably moft information to my reader. THE great capital argument, which I find on this fubject, and which, like an Elephant at the head of a Nobob's army, being once overthrown, rnuft put the whole into confufion, is this : that no Englimman is, or c'an be taxed, but by his own confent : by which muft be meant one of thefe three propofitions ; either that no Englifii- man can be taxed without his own confent as an individual -, or that no Englimman can be taxed without the confent of the perfons he chufes to reprefent him: or that no Englimman can be taxed without the confent of the majority of all thofe, who are elected by himfelf and others of his fellow-fubjects to reprefent them. Now let us impartially confider, whether any one of thefe propofitions are in fact true: if not, then this wonderful ftructure which has been erected upon them, falls at once to the ground, and like ano- ther Babel, perifhes by a confufion of words, which the builders themfeives are unable to un- ckrftand. FIRST then, that no Englimman Is or can be taxed but by his own confent as an individual : this. AMERICAN TAX CONSIDERED. 423 this is fo far from being true, that it is the very reverfe of truth ; for no man that I know of is taxed by his own confent , and an Englimman, I believe, is as little likely to be fo taxed, as any man in the world. SECONDLY, that no Englifliman is, or can be taxed, but by the confent of thofe perfons, whom he has chofe to reprefent him ; for the truth of this I mail appeal only to the candid feprefenta- tives of thofe unfortunate counties which produce " T der, and (hall willingly acquiefce under their uetermination; LASTLY, that no Englimman is, or can be taxed, without the confent of the majority of thofe, who are elected by himfelf, and others of his fellow-fubjefts, to reprefent them. This is certainly as falfe as the other two ; for every Englimman is taxed, and not one in twenty re- prefented : copyholders, leafeholders, and all men pofTefled of perfonal property only, chufe no re- prefentatives , Manchefter, Birmingham, and many more of our richeft and moft flourifhing trading towns fend no members to parliament, confequently cannot confent by their reprefentatives, becaufe they chufe none to reprefent them ; yet are they not Englilhmen ? or are they not taxed ? I AM well aware, that I mail hear Locke, Sid- ney, Selden, and many other great names quoted, E e 4 to 4*4 OBJECTIONS TO THE to prove that every Englifhman, whether he has 3 right to vote for a representative, or not, is ftiU reprefented in the British parliament ; in which opinion they all agree : on what principle of com- mon fenfe this opinion is founded I comprehend not, but on the authority of fuch reSpectable names I mall acknowledge its truth , but then I will aSk one queftion, and on that I will reft the whole merits of the caufe : Why does not this imaginary representation extend to America, as well as over the whole iiland of Great-Britain ? If it can travel three hundred miles, why not three thoufknd ? if it can jump over rivers and moun- tains, why cannot it fail over the ocean ? If the towns of Manchefter and Birmingham fending no representatives to parliament, are notwithflanding there reprefented, why are not the cities of Albany and Bofton equally reprefented in that afTembly ? Are they not alike BritiSh Subjects ? are they not Englishmen ? or are they only Englifhmen, whert they follicit for protection, but not Englimmen, when taxes are required to enable this country to protect them ?. BUT it is urged, that the Colonies are by theif charters placed under diftinft Governments, each of which has a legislative power within itfelf, by which alone it ought to be taxed ; that if this pri- vilege is once given up, that liberty which every Englifhman has a right to, is torn from them, they are all flaves,. and all is loft, THE AMERICAN TAX CONSIDERED. 425 THE liberty of an Englifhman, is a phrafe of: fo various a fignification, having within thefe few years been ufed as a fynonymous term for blaf- phemy, bawdy, treafon, libels, ftrong beer, and cyder, that I fhall not here prefume to define its meaning i but I mall venture to affert what it cannot mean-, that is, an exemption from taxes impofed by the -authority of the Parliament of Great-Britain ; nor is there any charter, that ever pretended to grant fuch a privilege to any colony in America; and had they granted it, it could have had no force ; their charters being derived from the crown, and no charter from the Crown .can poflibly fuperfede the right of the whole Le- giflature : their charters are undoubtedly no more than thofe of all corporations, which empower them to make bye laws, and raife duties for the purpofes of their own police, for ever fubjecl: to the fuperior authority of parliament ; and in fome of their charters, the manner of exercifmg thefe powers is fpecified in thefe exprefs words, " according to the courfe of other corporations " in Great-Britain :" and therefore they can have no more pretence to plead an exemption from this parliamentary authority, than any other cor- poration in England. IT has been moreover alledged, that, though Parliament may have power to impofe taxes on the Colonies, they hare no right to ufe it, becaufc 426 OBJECTIONS TO THE becaufe it would be an unjuft tax * t and no fxi- preme or legislative power can have a right to enaft any law in its nature unjuft : to this, I mall only make this fhort reply, that if Parliament can impofe no taxes but what are equitable, and the perfons taxed are to be the judges Of that equity, they will in effect have no power to lay any tax at all. No tax can be impofed exactly equal on all ; and if it is not equal, it cannot be juft ; and if it is not juft, no power whatever can impofe it; by which fhort fyllogifm, all taxation is at an end; but why it fhould not be ufed by Englifhmen on this fide the Atlantic, as well as by thofe on the other, I do not comprehend. THUS much for the right. Let us now a little inquire into the expediency of this meafure , to which two objections have been made ; that the time is improper, and the manner wrong. As to the firft, can any time be more proper to require fome affiftance from our Colonies, to pre- ferve to themfelves their prefent fafety, than when this Country is almoft undone by procuring it ? Can any time be more proper to impofe fome tax upon their trade, than when they are enabled to rival us in our manufactures, by the encourage- ment and protection which we have given them ? Can any time be more proper to oblige them to fettle handfome incomes on their governors, than when- AMERICAN TAX CONSIDERED. 427 when we find them unable to procure a fubfiitence on any other terms than thofe of breaking all their inftrudtions, and betraying the rights of their fovercign ? Can there be a more proper time to compel them to fix certain falaries on their judges, than when we fee them fo dependent on the hu- mours of their aflemblies, that they can obtain a livelihood no longer than quam diu fe malegefferint? Can there be a more proper time to force them to maintain an army at their expence, than when that army is necefiary for their own protection, and we are utterly unable to fupport it ? Laftly, can there be a more proper time for this mother country to leave off feeding out of her own vitals, thefe children whom me has nurfed up, than when they are arrived at fuch ftrength and maturity as to be well able to provide for themfelves, and ought rather with filial duty to give fome afiiftance to her diftrefTes. As to the manner ; that is, the impofing taxes on the Colonies by the authority of Parliament, it is faid to be harm and arbitrary ; and that it would have been more confident with juftice,atleaft with maternal tendernefs, for Adminiftration here to have fettled quotas on each of the colonies, and have then tranfmitted them with injunctions, that the fums allotted mould be immediately raifed by their refpective legiflatures, on the penalty of their being impofed by Parliament, in cafe of their 2 non- 428 OBJECTIONS TO THE non-compliance ? But was this to be done, what would be the confequence ? Have their afiemblies fhewn fo much obedience to the orders of the Crt)wn, that we could reafbnably expect, that they Would immediately tax themfelves on the arbitrary command of a minifter ? Would it be poflible here to fettle thofe quotas with juftice, or would any one of the colonies fubmit to them, were they ever fo juft ? Should we not be compared to thofe Roman tyrants, who ufed to fend orders to their fubjects to murder themfelves within fo many hours, moft ob- ligingly leaving the method to their own choice, but on their difobedience threatening a more feverc fate from the hands of an executioner ? And ftiould we not receive votes, fpeeches, refolutions, petitions, and remonftrances in abundance, inftead of taxes ? In fhort, we either have a right to tax the Colonies, or we have not : if Parliament is pofiefied of this right, why mould it be exercifed with more delicacy in America, than it has ever been even in Great-Britain itfelf ? If on the other hand, they have no fuch right, fure it is below the dignity as well as juftice of the Legiflature, to intimidate the Colonies with vain threats, which they have really no right to put in execution. ONE method indeed has been hinted at, and but one, that might render the exercife of this power in a Britifh Parliament juft and legal, which, is the introduction of reprefentatives from the feveral AMERICAN TAX CONSIDERED. 429 feveral colonies into that body ; but as this has never ferioufly been propofed, I (hall not here confider the impracticability of this method, nor the effects of it, if it could be practifed ; but only fay, that I have lately feen fo many fpecimens of the great powers of fpeech, of which thefe Ame- rican gentlemen are pofTefTed, that I mould be much afraid, that the fudden importation of fo much eloquence at once, would greatly endanger the fafety and government of this country ; or in terms more falhionable, though lefs underflood, this our moft excellent conftitution. If we can avail ourfelves of thefe taxes on no other condition, I mall never look upon it as a meafure of frugality; being perfectly fatisfied, that in the end, it will be much cheaper for us to pay their army, than their orators. I CANNOT omit taking notice of one prudential reafon, which I have heard frequently urged againft this taxation of the Colonies, which is this: that if they are by this means impoverimed, they will be unable to purchafe our manufactures, and confequently we mall lofe that trade, from which the principal benefit which we receive from them muft arife. But furely, it requires but little faga- city to fee the weakncfs of this argument; for mould the Colonies raife taxes for the purpofes of their o\vn government and protection, would the money fo raifed be immediately annihilated ? What 430 OBJECTIONS TO THE What fome pay, would not others receive ? Would not thofe who ib receive it, ftand in need of as many of our manufactures, as thofe who pay ? Was the army there maintained at the expence of the Americans, would the foldiers want fewer coats, hats, Ihirts, or fhoes, than at prefent ? Had the judges falaries afcertained to them, would they not have occafion for as coftly periwigs, or robes of as expenfive fcarlet, as marks of their legal ^abilities, as they now wear in their prefent ftate of dependency ? Or had their governors better incomes fettled on them for obferving their in- ftruftions, than they can now with difficulty ob- tain for difobeying them, would they expend lefs money in their feveral governments, or bring home at their return lefs riches, to lay out in the manu- factories of their native country ? IT has been likewife aflerted, that every milling which our Colonies can raife either by cultivation or commerce, finally centers in this country ; and therefore it is argued, we can acquire nothing by their taxation, fmce we can have no more than their All , and whether this comes in by taxes or by trade, the confequence is the fame, But al- lowing this afTertion to be true, which it is not, yet the reafoning upon it is glaringly falfe : for furely it is not the fame, whether the wealth de- rived from thefe colonies flows immediately into the coffers of the public, or into the pockets of individuals. AMERICAN TAX CONSIDERED. 43, individuals, from whence it muft be fqueezed by various domeftic taxes before it can be rendered of any fervice to the nation : furely it is by 1:0 means the lame, whether this money brought in by taxes enables us to diminim part of that enormous debt contracted by the laft expenfive war, or whether coming in by trade it enables the merchant, by augmenting his influence together with his wealth, to plunge us into new wars and new debts for his private advantage. FROM what has been here faid, I think that not only the right of the Legiflature of Great-Britain to impofe taxes on her Colonies, not only the ex- pediency, but the abfolute necefiity of exercifing that right in the prefent conjuncture, has been fo clearly, though concifely proved, that it is to be hoped, that in this great and important queftion, all parties and factions, or, in the more polite and fafliionable term, all connections, will moft cor- dially unite , that every member of the Britifli Par- liament, whether in or out of humour with ad- miniftration, whether he has been turned out becaufe he has oppofed, or whether he oppofcs becaufe he has been turned out, will endeavour tq the utmoft of his power to fupport this meafure, A meafure which muft not only be approved by every man, who has any property or common fenfe, but which ought to be required by every Englifl* fubjcct of an Englifti adminiftration. THOUGHTS I THOUGHTS ON THE CAUSES AND CONSEQJJENCES OF THE PRESENT HIGH PRICE O F PROVISIONS. Prhatus illis cenfus erat brevis Commune magnum. Ff THOUGHTS ON THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE Prefent High Price of PROVISIONS. THE high price of provifions, and all the ne- ceflaries of life, is an evil fo inconvenient to all conditions of men, and fo intolerable to fome, that it is not furprifing that all fhould fuffer it with much difcontent, and many be drove by it into defpair, or into riots, rapine, and all kinds of diforders. The latter, indeed, we cannot but expect, if we confider, that the enemies of all' go- vernment and fubordination, fo numerous in this country, will not fail to avail themfelves of this favourable opportunity, to fpread univerfal difla- tisfaction, and inflame the minds of the people to feck redrefs by fuch infamous and dangerous methods. This they endeavour, too fuccelsfully, Ff 2 to 436 ON THE HIGH PRICE to effect, by daily reprefenting in the public papers, that this calamity arifes from the artifices of mo- nopolizers, regraters, foreftallers, and engrofiers, encouraged, or at leaft connived at, by minifters defirous of opprefiing the people, and parliaments unattentive to their complaints. It is hard to fay, whether the ignorance of thefe writers, or their malevolence, is fuperior-, or, whether the ab- furdity of their principles, or the mifchief of them, is the grcateft : but one may venture to affirm, that our people, notwithftanding the pre- fent fcarcity, are flill better fed than taught. This undoubtedly makes it necefiary, at this time, that the true caufes of this evil fhould be explained to them , which, if it leflens not their wants, may in fome rneafure abate their ill-iounded indignation. To this end I mall endeavour to mew, as con- cifely as pollible, that the prefent high price of provifions arifes principally from two fources j the increafe of our national debts, and the increafe of our riches ; that is, from the poverty of the pub- lic, and the wealth of private individuals. From what caufes thefe have been increafed, and what have been the effects of that increafe, (hall be the fubject of the few following pages. IT will furely be unneceflary to inquire into the caufes of the late immenfe increafe of our national debt ; whoever remembers the many millions an- nually OF PROVISIONS. 437 nu.ally borrowed, funded, and expended, during the hit war, can be under no difficulty to account for its increafe. To pay intereft for thefe new funds, new taxes were every year impofed, and additional burthe::.; laid on every comfort, and al- moft every neceiTary of life, by former taxes, oc- cafioned by former wars, before fufficiently loaded. Thefe mull unavoidably increafe the prices of them, and that in a much greater proportion than is ufually underftood : for a duty laid on any com- modity does not only add the value of that duty to the price of that commodity, but the dealer in it muft advance the price double or treble times that fum j for he muft not only repay hi ink If the original tax, but muft have compenfation for his lofles in trade by bad debts, and lofs of intereft by his increafed capital. Befides this, every new tax does not only aftecl the price of the commodity on which it is laid, but that of all others, whether taxed or not, and with which, at firft fight, it feems to have no manner of connection. Thus, for inftance, a tax on candles muft raifc the price of a coar, or a pair of breeches , becaufe, out of thefe, all the taxes on the candles of the wool- comber, weaver, and the taylor, muft be paid : a duty upon ale muft raiie the price of fhoes , be- caufe from them all the taxes upon ale drank by the tanner, leather-dreffer, and moemaker, which is not a little, muft be refunded. No tax is im- mediately laid upon corn, but the price of it F f 3 muft 43 8 ON THE HIGH PRICE muft neceffarily be advanced , becaufe, out of that, all the innumerable taxes paid by the farmer on windows, foap, candles, malt, hops, leather, fait, and a thoufand others, muft be repaid : fo that corn is as effectually taxed, as if a duty by the bufhel had been primarily laid upon it , for taxes, like the various dreams which form a ge- neral inundation, by whatever channels they fe- parately find admifiion, unite at laft,and overwhelm the whole. The man, therefore, who fold fand upon an afs, and raifed the price of it during the late war, though abufed for an impofition, moft certainly acted upon right reafons ; for, though there were no new taxes then impofed either on fand or afies, yet he found by experience, that, from the taxes laid on almoft all other things, he could neither maintain himfelf, his wife, or his afs, as cheap as formerly ; he was therefore under a neceflity of advancing the price of his fand, out of which alone all the taxes which he paid muft be refunded. Thus I think it is evident beyond all doubt, that the increafe of taxes muft increafe the price of every thing, whether taxed or not -, and that this is one principal caufe of the prefent extraordinary advance of provifions, and all the neceflkries of life. THE other great fource, from whence this ca- lamity arifes, is certainly our vaft increafe of riches - 9 the caufcs and confequences of which, I will now 5 briefly OF PROVISIONS. 439 briefly confider. That our riches are in fact amaz- ingly increafed within a few years, no one, who is in the lead acquainted with this country, can entertain a doubt : whoever will caft his eyes on our public works, our roads, our bridges, our pavements, and our hofpitals, the prodigious ex- tenfion of our capital, and in fome proportion that of every confiderable town in Great-Britain , who- ever will look into the poflcflions and expences of individuals, their houles, furniture, tables, equi- pages, parks, gardens, cloaths, plate, and jewels, will find every where round him fufficient marks to teftify to the truth of this propofition. This great increafe of private opulence is undoubtedly owing to the very fame caufe which increafed our national debt ; that is, to the enormous expences and unparalleled fuccefs of the late war ; and in- deed very much arifes from that very debt itfelf. Every million funded is in fact a new creation of fo much wealth to individuals, both of principal and intereft ; for the principal being eafily tranf- ferable, operates exactly as fo much cafh; and the intereft, by enabling fo many to conlume the commodities on which taxes are laid for the pay- ment of it, in a great meafure produces annually an income to difcharge itfelf. Of all the enormous fums then expended, little befides the fubfidies, granted to German princes, was loft to the indi- viduals of this country, though the whole was ir- recoverably alienated from the public -, all the reft F f 4 annually 440 ON THE HIGH PRICE annually returning into the pockets of the mer- chants, contractors, brokers, and flock-jobbers, enabled them to lend it again to the public on a new mortgage the following year. Every emilTion of paper-credit by bank-notes, exchequer and navy bills, fo long as they circulate, anfwers all the purpotes of fo much additional gold and Hlver as their value amounts to : if we add to thefe the immenfe riches daily flowing in fmce that period from our commerce, extended over every quarter of the globe, from the new channels of trade opened with America, and the amazing fums im- ported from the Eait Indies, it will not fure be difficult to account for the opulence of the pre- fent times, which has enabled men to increate their expences, and carry luxury to a pitch unknown to all former ages. THE effects of this vail and fudden increafe of riches, are no lefs evident than their caufe : the firft, and rnoft obvious effect of the increafe of money, is the decreafe of its value, like that of all other commodities -, for money being but 3 commodity, its value muft be relative, that is, dependent on the quantity of itfelf, and the quan- tity of the things to be purchafed with it. In every country where there is great plenty of provifions, and but little money, there provifions mud be cheap, that is, a great deal of them will be exchanged for a little money :, on the contrary, where OF PROVISIONS. 441 where there are but little provifions in proportion to the number of confumers, and a great plenty of money, or what pafles for money, there they will inevitably be dear-, that is, a great deal of money muft be given to purchafe them. Thefe eft-efts muft eternally follow their canfes in all ages and in all countries ; and that they have done fo, the hiftory of all countries in all ages fufficiently informs us. The value of money at the time of the Norman conqueft, was near twenty times greater than at prefent ; and it has been gradually de- creafing from that period, in proportion as our riches have increafed : it has decreafed not lefs than one third during the prefent century , and I believe one half at lead of that third fince the commencement of the laft war, which I doubt not, could it be exactly computed, would be found to be in due proportion to the increafe of its quan- tity, either in real or fictitious 1 cafli -, and that the price of provifions is advanced in the lame pro- portion, during the lame period. THE increafe of money does not only operate on the price of provifions by the diminution of its own value, but by enabling more people to purchafe, and confequently to coniume them , which muft unavoidably likewife increafe their icarcity, and that muft ftill add more to their price. Twenty rich families will confume ten times as much meat, bread, butter foap, and candles, 443 ON THE HIGH PRICE candles, as twenty poor families confuting of the lame number ; and the prices of all thefe muft certainly rife in proportion to the demand. This effect of the increafe of wealth in many countries of Europe, is very vifible at this day, and in none more than in the northern parts of this ifland, who having of late acquired riches by the intro- duction of trade, manufactures, and tillage, can now well afford to eat roaft beef, and therefore confume much of thofe cattle, with which they were formerly glad to fupply us , and will not part with the reft but at prices greatly advanced. The confumption of every thing is alfo amazingly increaied from the increafe of wealth in our me- tropolis, and indeed in every corner of this king- dom i and the manner of living, throughout all ranks and conditions of men, is no lefs amazingly altered : the merchant who formerly thought himfelf fortunate, if in a courfe of thirty or forty years, by a large trade and Uriel: ceconomy, he amafled together as many thoufand pounds, now acquires in a quarter of that time double that fum, or breaks for a greater, and vies all the while with the firft of our nobility, in his houfes, table, furniture, and equipage : the (hop-keeper, who uied to be well contented with one dim of mear, one fire, and one maid, has now two or three times as many of each -, his wife has her tea, her card- parties, and her drefling-room ; and his prentice has climbed from the kitchen-fire to the front-boxes at OF PROVISIONS. 443 at the play-houfe. The lowed manufacturer and meaneft mechanic will touch nothing but the very beft pieces of meat, and the fined white bread ; and, if he cannot obtain double the wages for being idle, to what he formerly received for work- ing hard, he thinks he has a right to feek for a redrefs of his grievances, by riot and rebellion. Since then the value of our money is decreafed by its quantity, our confumption increalcd by univerfal luxury, and the fupplies, which we ufed to receive from poorer countries, now allb grown rich, greatly diminimed, the prefent exorbitant price of all the necefiaries of life can be no wonder. FROM what has been here offered, I think this may be readily accounted for, without having re- courfe to foreftallers, regraters, engroffers, mo- nopolizers, higglers, badgers, bounties, poft- chaifes, turnpike-roads, enlarging of farms, and the extenfion of the metropolis, with all that ri- tficulous catalogue of caufes, which have been afiigned by efiay-writers to this evil, and frequently adopted by the abfurdity of their readers. How far all or any of thefe have accidentally, colla- terally, or locally contributed to augment the price of provifions, I cannot determine, nor do I think it of much importance to inquire , becaufe I am fatisfied, whatever may have been their ef- fefts, they could have had none at all, had they not been afiifted by the firft and great caufe, the increafe 444 ON THE HIGH PRICE increafe of riches -, for no artifices of traders can make their commodities dear in a poor country ; - that is, fell things for a great deal of money, where there is little to be found. It feems therefore to no purpofe, to fearch out for caufes of the prefent high price of provifions, from fads, whofe ope- rations are uncertain, and reafons at beft but fpe- culative, when it is fufficiently accounted for from thefe two great principles, the increafe of taxes, and the increafe of riches, principles as abfolutely indifputable, and as demonltrable as any mathe- matical problem. I SHALL now make fome curibry obfervations and fhort conclufions on the principles here ad- vanced, whichj allowing thefe to be true, can admit of no doubt. Firfl then, although the price of provifions is at prefent very high, they cannot with propriety be faid to be dear. Nothing, is properly dear, except fome commodity, which, either from real or fictitious fcarcity, bears a higher price than other things in the fame country, at the fame time. In the reign of Henry II. the value of 'money was about fifteen times greater than in the prefent age : a fowl then was fold for a penny, which cannot now be bought under fif- teen pence -, but fowls are not for that reafon dearer now, than they were at that time : becaufe one penny was then earned with as much labour, and when earned would fetch as much of every thincr OF PROVISIONS. 44- thing at market, as fifteen will in thefe days : was the value of money now as great, and the price of other things as fmall, as in thefe times, and provifions bore the fame price as at prefent, they would then be dear indeed, and the pamphleteers would have good reafon to impute their dearneis to the frauds of engrofiers and monopolizers ; but as the price of every thing befides, of houles, fur- ture, cloaths, horfes, coaches, fees, perquifites, and votes, are all equally advanced -, nay, as every pam- phlet, which ufed to be fold for one milling, has nowinfcribedon its title-page, price eighteen-pence, their own works are a confutation of theirargumenrs; for nonfenfe is a commodity in which there are too many dealers ever to fuffer it to be monopolized or engrorTed. It is certainly therefore improper to fay that provifions are dear, but we Ihould ra- ther affirm, what is the real fact, that money is cheap -, and if the complainants would ufe this expreffion inllead of the other, and at the fame time confider, that this anfl-s from the fuccefs of our arms, and the extenfion of cur trade, I am perfuaded, that if they \vcre not left diftrcflcd, they would certainly be lefs diflatisficd, and would, perhaps, by degrees, comprehend, that, in a country engaged in expenfive wars and fuccefs- ful commerce, there mud be heavy taxes, and great riches ; and that where there are taxes and riches, there the prices of provifions, and all other things, muft be high, in fpite of all the efforts of miniftcrs or parliaments, who ought by 5 no 44$ ON THE HIGH PRICE no means to be blamed, for not effecting impofil- bilities, and counteracting the nature of things. SECONDLY, this cheapnefs of money in its con- fequences affects different conditions of men in a very different manner ; to fome it operates exactly in the fame manner as real dearnefs and fcarcity, at the fame time that to others it gives confider- able advantages. All thofe who fubfift on fettled ftipends, muft inevitably be ruined by it : mer- chants, and traders of all kinds, are greatly be- nefited ; but the labourer and the land-owner are moft grievouQy opprefTed.- Thofe who fubfift on fettled ftipends muft be ruined ; becaufe, if their incomes cannot be advanced in propor- tion to the decreafe of the value of money, and the confequent increafe of the prices of every thing, the fame nominal fum which would afford affluence in one age, will not prevent ftarving in another-, of which we have numerous examples in our fchools, colleges* alms-houfes, and other charitable foundations. Merchants and traders are conftantly gainers by it ; becaufe they can al- ways raife the prices of whatever they deal in, fafter than the value of money decreafes : but the labourer, having nothing to fubfift on but his daily work, muft ever be behind-hand in advancing the price of his labour ; becaufe he is not able to wait till it acquires its due proportion of value, and therefore by it he muft fuffer extremely. The land-owner OF PROVISIONS. 447 land-owner likewife cannot raife his rents in any proportion to the fall of the value of money ; becaufe the charges of cultivation, the family- expences of the occupiers, and the maintenance of an increafmg poor, all burthens infeparable from his land, muft all rife in proportion to that fall , and thefe muft perpetually retard his pro- grefs. The price of labour and of land muft by degrees advance, as money decreafes in value-, but, as thefe are the laft that will feel its effects, the labourer muft, in the mean time, be miferably pinched, and the land-owner dreadfully impo- verifhed by it. This is not fpeculation, but a fact which is too well verified by experience at this time, through every part of this kingdom, where the labourer, with his utmoft induftry, can- not now procure a belly-full for himfelf and his family, and, notwithftanding all the late improve- ments in agriculture, the very fame eftates in land which formerly maintained a large family in fplendor and hofpitality, can now fcarce repair and pay window-tax for a fpacious manfion-houfr, and fupply the owner of it with the neceflfaries of life. When I hear a merchant, contractor, or broker calling out for war, arguing for new loan 9 and new taxes, I wonder not, becaufe I know that they are enriched by them, and I know alfo that they have fagacity enough to know it too : but when I hear a landed gentleman talk the fame language, when I fee him eager for war, which muft 44$ ON THE HIGH PRICE muft involve him in new diftrefTes, encouraging loans, vvhofe intereft he muft pay, pleading for taxes, which muft lie an eternal mortgage upon his eftate, exulting in acquifitions of territories and commerce, which muft daily increafe his expences, and diminifh his income, and triumph- ing in victories which muft undo him, I own I am furpriied, but at the fame time rejoice to find, that, in this enlightened age, there is igno- rance ftill left amongft us, fufficient to produce fo difmterefted a patriot. LASTLY, from the foregoing premifes one con- Icquence evidently appears, which feems to have efcaped the fagacity of our wifeft politicians, which is, that a nation may, nay muft inevitably be ruined, who every year increafes her debts, notwithftanding her acquifitions by conqueft or commerce bring in double or treble the ftims which me is obliged to borrow : and this by a chain of caufes and confequences, which the efforts of no human power or wifdom are able to difunite. New debts require new taxes ; and new taxes muft increafe the price of provisions : new acquifitions of wealth, by decreafing the value of money, ftill aggravate this evil, and render them ftill dearer -, this dearnefs of provifions muft aug- ment the price of labour ; this muft advance the price of all manufactures , and this muft deftroy trade , the deftruction of trade mu$- ftarve the poor, OF PROVISIONS. 449 poor, expel the manufactures, and introduce uni- verfal bankruptcy, riot, and confufion. Artificers of all kinds will, by degrees, migrate into cheaper countries : {he number of clergy, whofe education mult grow more expenfive, and incomes lei's va- luable, will be infufficient for parochial duty : the pay of navies and armies muft be augmented, or they will no longer defend a country which cannot maintain them -, but rather themfelves be- come her internal and moft dangerous enemies. FROM what has been here faid, I think it plainly appears, that the prefent exorbitant price of pro- vifions, and all the neceflaries of life, chiefly arifes from the increafe of our taxes, and of our riches -, that is, from public poverty and private opulence, the fatal difeafe which has put a period to all the greateft and moft flourifhing empires of the world: their deftructive effects have been fufficiently known in all ages; but the remedy fuecefsfully to be applied to them, is yet a fee ret. No acquifition of foreign wealth can be effectual for this purpofe : was our whole national debt to be at once paid off, by the introduction of all the treafures of the Eaft, it would but accelerate our deftruction , for fuch a vaft and fudden influx of riches would fo enhance our expences, and decreafe the value of money, that we mould at once be overwhelmed with luxury and want. The moft concife method of cure would be to take luperabundant wealth from individuals, and G g with 450 ON THE HIGH PRICE \vith it difcharge the debts of the public ; but here juftice, liberty, and law, would obftruft our progrefs with insurmountable difficulties. Who- ever therefore would attempt this falutary, but arduous undertaking, muft not begin by extirpat- ing engrofiers and regraters, nor by deftroying rats and fparrows, thofe great foreftallers of the public markets , but by gradually paying off that debt, not only by ceconomy, but by the moft avaritious parfimony, and as far as poffible, by narrowing thofe channels, through which riches have flowed in fuch torrents into the pockets of private men : he muft be deaf to all mercantile application for opening new inlets of commerce at the public expence ; he muft boldly refift all propofitions for fettling new colonies upon par- liamentary eftimates , and moft carefully avoid entering into new wars : in fhort, he muft obfti- nately refufe to add one hundred thoufand pounds to the national debt, though by that means mil- lions could be introduced through the hands of individuals. How far thefe meafures are practi- cable, or confiftent with the honour, dignity, or even advantage of this country in other refpects, I cannot determine ; but this I will venture to affirm, that by no others this calamity, fo loudly and fo juftly at this time complained of, can ever be redreffed. BY what has been here thrown out, I would by tio means be underftood to mean to difcourage the OF PROVISIONS. 45% the legislature from inquiring into abufes, of which I doubt not but there are many, and applying to them the mod efficacious and fpeedy remedies ; much lefs to difapprove the falutary meafures they have already taken to redrefs this evil, the wifcft, and perhaps the only ones which are practicable for that end. I propofe only to Jeften the unrea- fonable expectations many have formed of their fuccefs, and the indignation confequent from their mfappointment ; and to ftem a little thofe torrents of abfurdities, with which one is overwhelmed in all companies both male and female. Every po- litician at a coffee-houfe has a noftrum for this difeafe, which he pronounces infallible; and abufes adminiftration for not immediately adopting it. Projectors every day hold forth fchemes unintelli- gible and impracticable ; for not executing which, government is arraigned ; the ignorant fupport them, the factious make ufe of them, and oppo- fitions, knowing what it is to be hungry, patheti- cally bewail the miferies of the poor. The dow- ager at the quadrille-table inveighs loudly againft the cruelty of parliament, for difregarding the voice of the people, and fuffering provifions to continue at fo exorbitant a price; calls a king; and if me happens to be beafted, grows more out- rageous againft the mmiftry ; while the filent old general, her unfortunate partner, in three fentences recommends military execution on all butchers, bakers, poulterers, and fimmongers, as the mod equitable and moft effectual remedy. Were thefe 4. imper- 452 ON THE HIGH PRICE, &c< impertinences productive of no mifchief, they would be only ridiculous, and unworthy of a fe- rious confutation ; but as H