Man alive knows how far it may reach, or where it will end.

In answer to all which, with Deference to wiser Judgments; I think this rather fhews the Neceffity of a nominal Religion among us. Great Wits love to be free with the highest Objects; and if they cannot be allowed a God to revile or renounce; they will speak Evil of Dignities, abuse the Government, and reflect upon the Miniftry; which I am. fure, few will deny to be of much more pernicious Confequence; according to the Saying of Tiberius, Deorum offenfa Diis curæ. As to the particular Fact related; I think it is not fair to argue from one Inftance; perhaps another cannot be produced; yet (to the Comfort of all thofe, who may be apprehenfive of Perfecution) Blasphemy we know is freely fpoke a Million of Times in every Coffee-House, and Tavern, or where-ever else good Company meet. It must be allowed indeed, that to break an English Free-born Officer only for Blafphemy, was, to fpeak the gentleft of fuch an Action, a very high Strain of abfolute Power. Little can be faid in Excuse for the General; perhaps he was afraid it might give Offence to the Allies, among whom, for ought I know, it may be the Custom of the Country to believe a GOD. But if he argued, as fome have done, upon a mistaken Principle, that an Officer, who is guilty of speaking Blafphemy, may, fome Time or other, proceed fo far as to raise a Mutiny; the Confequence is, by no Means, to be admitted: For, furely the Commander of an English Army is like to be but ill obeyed, whose Soldiers fear and reverence him as little as they do a Deity.

Ir is further objected against the Gospel Syftem, that it obligeth Men to the Belief of Things too dif ficult

ficult for Free-Thinkers, and fuch who have shaken off the Prejudices that ufually cling to a confined Education. To which I anfwer, that Men should be cautious how they raise Objections, which reflect upon the Wisdom of the Nation. Is not every Body freely allowed to believe whatever he pleafeth; and to publifh his Belief to the World whenever he thinks fit; efpecially if it ferve to strengthen the Party which is in the Right? Would any indifferent Foreigner, who should read the Trumpery lately written by Afgill, Tindall, Toland, Coward, and Forty more, imagine the Gospel to be our Rule of Faith, and confirmed by Parliaments? Doth any Man either believe, or fay he believes, or defire to have it thought that he fays he believes, one Syllable of the Matter? And is any Man worfe received upon that Score; or does he find his Want of Nominal Faith a Disadvantage to him, in the Pursuit of any Civil, or Military Employment? What if there be an old dormant Statute or two against him? Are they not now obsolete, to a Degree, that Empfon and Dudley themselves, if they were now alive, would find it impoffible to put them in Execution?

It is likewife urged, that there are, by Computation, in this Kingdom, above ten Thoufand Parfons; whofe Revenues added to those of my Lords the Bishops, would fuffice to maintain, at leaft, two hundred young Gentlemen of Wit and Pleasure, and Free-thinking; Enemies to Prieft. craft, narrow Principles, Pedantry, and Prejudices; who might be an Ornament to the Court and Town: And then again, so great a Number of able (bodied) Divines might be a Recruit to our Fleet and Armies. This, indeed, appears to be a Confideration of fome Weight: But then, on

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the other Side, feveral Things deferve to be confidered likewife: As, Firft, Whether it may not be thought neceffary, that in certain Tracts of Country, like what we call Parishes, there fhould be one Man at least, of Abilities to read and write. Then, it seems a wrong Computation, that the Revenues of the Church throughout this Island, would be large enough to maintain two hundred young Gentlemen, or even half that Number, after the prefent refined Way of Living; that is, to allow each of them fuch a Rent, as in the modern Form of Speech, would make them easy. But ftill, there is in this Project a greater Mischief behind; and we ought to beware of the Woman's Folly, who killed the Hen, that every Morning laid her a golden Egg. For, pray, what would become of the Race of Men in the next Age, if we had nothing to truft to, befides the fcrophulous confumptive Productions furnished by our Men of Wit and Pleasure; when having fquandered away their Vigour, Health, and Eftates; they are forced, by fome disagreeable Marriage, to piece up their broken Fortunes, and entail Rottennefs and Politeness on their Pofterity? Now, here are ten thousand Perfons reduced by the wise Regulations of Henry the Eighth, to the Neceffity of a low Diet, and moderate Exercife, who are the only great Reftorers of our Breed; without which, the Nation would, in an Age or two, become but one great Hospital.

ANOTHER Advantage propofed by the abolishing of Christianity, is, the clear Gain of one Day in Seven, which is now entirely loft, and confequently the Kingdom one Seventh lefs confiderable in Trade, Bufinefs, and Pleafure; befide the Lofs to the Publick of so many stately Structures now in the Hands of the Clergy; which might be converted into VOL. 1. Theatres,

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Theatres, Exchanges, Market-houfes, com Dormitories, and other publick Edifices.

I HOPE, I fhall be forgiven a hard Word, call this a perfect Cavil. I readily own there h been an old Cuftom, Time out of Mind, for P ple to affemble in the Churches every Sunday, that Shops are ftill frequently fhut; in order, as conceived, to preferve the Memory of that anti Practice; but how this can prove a Hindrance Business, or Pleasure, is hard to imagine. W if the Men of Pleasure are forced, one Day in Week, to game at home, instead of the Chocol Houfe? Are not the Taverns and Coffee-Ho open? Can there be a more convenient Seafon taking a Dose of Phyfick? Are fewer Claps. upon Sundays than other Days? Is not that the ch Day for Traders to fum up the Accounts of Week; and for Lawyers to prepare their Brie But I would fain know how it can be pretend that the Churches are mifapplied. Where are mo Appointments and Rendezvouzes of Gallantr Where more Care to appear in the foremost B with greater Advantage of Drefs? Where m Meetings for Bufinefs? Where more Bargains d ven of all Sorts? And where fo many Convenie cies, or Incitements to fleep?

THERE is one Advantage, greater than any the foregoing, propofed by the abolishing of Ch ftianity; that it will utterly extinguish Parties amo us, by removing thofe factious Diftinctions of His and Low Church, of Whig and Tory, Prefbyteri and Church-of England; which are now fo ma grievous Clogs upon publick Proceedings, and d pofe Men to prefer the gratifying themselves, depreffing their Adverfaries, before the moft in portant Interest of the State.

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I CONFESS, if it were certain that fo great an Advantage would redound to the Nation by this Expedient, I would fubmit and be filent: But, will any Man fay, that if the Words Whoring, Drinking, Cheating, Lying, Stealing, were, by Act of Parliament, ejected out of the English Tongue and Dictionaries; we fhould all awake next Morning chafte and temperate, honeft and juft, and Lovers of Truth. Is this a fair Confequence? Or if the Phyficians would forbid us to pronounce the Words Pox, Gout, Rheumatism, and Stone; would that Expedient ferve like fo many Talifmans to deftroy the Diseases themselves? Are Party and Faction rooted in Mens Hearts no deeper than Phrases borrowed from Religion; or founded upon no firmer Principles? And is our Language fo poor, that we cannot find other Terms to express them? Are Envy, Pride, Avarice and Ambition, fuch ill Nomenclators, that they cannot furnish Appellations for their Owners? Will not Heydukes and Mamalukes, Mandarins, and Potfhaws, or any other Words formed at Pleasure, ferve to diftinguish those who are in the Ministry from others, who would be in it if they could? What, for Inftance, is easier than to vary the Form of Speech; and instead of the Word Church, make it a Question in Politicks, Whether the Monument be in Danger? Because Religion was nearest at Hand to furnish a few convenient Phrases; is our Invention fo barren, we can find no other: Suppose, for Argument Sake, that the Tories favoured Margarita, the Whigs Mrs. Tofts and the Trimmers, Valentini; would not Margaritians, Toftians, and Valentinians, be very tolerable. Marks of Diftinction? The Prafini and Veneti, H 2

*

Italian Singers then in Vogue.

two