A

MEDITATION

UPON A

BROOM-STICK.

According to the ftyle and manner of the honourable Robert Boyle's Meditations *.

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HIS fingle ftick, which you now behold ingloriously lying in that neglected corner, I once knew in a flourishing state in a foreft: it was full of fap, full of leaves, and full of boughs: but now in vain does the busy art of man pretend to vye with nature, by tying that withered bundle of twigs to its faplefs trunk: it is now at beft but the reverse of what it was, a tree turned upfide down, the branches on the earth, and the root in the air; it is now handled by every dirty wench, condemned to do her drudgery, and, by a capricious kind of fate, deftined to make her things clean, and be nafty itself;

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The fword of wit like the fcythe of time cuts down friend and foe, and attacks every object that accidentally lies in its way: but, fharp and irrefiftible as the edge of it may be, Mr. Boyle will always re main invulnerable, ORRERY.

at length worn out to the ftumps in the fervice of the maids, it is either thrown out of doors, or condemned to the laft ufe, of kindling a fire. When I beheld this, I fighed, and said within myself, Surely mortal Man is a Broom-flick! nature fent him into the world ftrong and lufty, in a thriving condition, wearing his own hair on his head, the proper branches of this reasoning vegetable, until the axe of intemperance has lopped off his green boughs, and left him a withered trunk: he then flies to art, and puts on a perriwig, valuing himself upon an unnatural bundle of hairs, all covered with powder, that never grew on his head; but now should this our broom-flick pretend to enter the scene, proud of thofe birchen spoils it never bore, and all covered with duft, though the sweepings of the finest lady's chamber, we should be apt to ridicule and despise its vanity. Partial judges that we are of our own excellencies, and other men's defaults!

But a broom-flick, perhaps you will fay, is an emblem of a tree ftanding on its head; and pray what is man, but a topsy-turvey creature, his animal faculties perpetually. mounted on his rational, his head where his heels fhould be, groveling on the earth! and yet, with all his faults, he fets up to be an univerfal reformer and corrector of abuses, a remover of grievances, rakes into every flut's corner of nature, bringing hidden corruptions to the light, and raises a mighty duft where

there

there was none before, fharing deeply all the while in the very fame pollutions he pretends to sweep away: his last days are spent in flavery to women, and generally the least deferving; till worn to the ftumps, like his brother beefom, he is either kicked out of doors, or made use of to kindle flames for others to warm themselves by.

A

PROPOSAL

For correcting, improving, and ascertaining the

ENGLISH TONGUE.

In a letter to the moft honourable Robert earl of Oxford and Mortimer, lord high treasurer of Great Britain.

To the moft bonourable Robert earl of Oxford, etc.

My Lord,

'HAT I had the honour of mention

Wing to your lordship fome time ago

in converfation, was not a new thought, just then started by accident or occafion, but the refult of long reflection, and I have been confirmed in my fentiments by the opinion of fome very judicious perfons, with whom I confulted. They all agreed, that nothing would be of greater use towards the improvement of knowledge and politeness, than fome effectual method for correcting, enlarging, and afcertaining our language; and they think it a work very poffible to be compaffed under the protection of a prince, the countenance and encouragement of a ministry, and the care of proper perfons chofen for fuch an undertaking. I was glad to find your lordship's an

fwer

fwer in fo different a ftyle, from what hath been commonly made ufe of on the like occafions for fome years paft, That all fuch thoughts must be deferred to a time of peace: a topic which fome have carried fo far, that they would not have us by any means think of preferving our civil or religious conftitution, because we are engaged in a war abroad. It will be among the distinguishing marks of your miniftry, my lord, that you have a genius above all fuch regards, and that no reasonable propofal for the honour, the advantage, or the ornament of your country, however foreign to your more immediate office, was ever neglected by you. I confefs the merit of this candour and condefcenfion is very much leffened, because your lordship hardly leaves us room to offer our good wishes: removing all our difficulties, and supplying our wants, fafter than the vifionary projector can adjuft his fchemes. And therefore, my lord, the design of this paper is not so much to offer you ways and means, as to complain of a grievance, the redreffing of which is to be your own work as much as that of paying the nation's debts, or opening a trade into the South-Sea; and though not of such immediate benefit, as either of thefe, or any other of your glorious actions, yet perhaps in future ages not lefs to your honour.

My lord, I do here in the name of all the learned and polite perfons of the nation complain to your lordship as firft minifter, that our language is extremely imperfect; that its