time to ftand at arms length with her majesty, and in clofe conjunction with those who oppofe her.

as we can.

I take the answer to be eafy; in all contefts, the fafeft way is to put thofe we difpute with, as much in the wrong, When her Majefty fhall have offered fuch or the like conceffions as I have above mentioned, in order to remove thofe fcruples,artificially raised in the mind of the expectant heir, and to divide him from that faction by which he is fuppofed to have been mifled; he hath done as much as any prince can do, and more than any other would probably do in her cafe; and will be justified before God and man, whatever be the event. The equitable part of thofe who now fide against the court, will probably be more temperate; and, if a due dispatch be made in placing the civil and military power in the hands of fuch as wifh well to the conftitution, it cannot be way for the quiet or intereft of a fucceffor to gratify fo finall a faction, as will probably then remain, at the expence of a much more numerous and confiderable part of his fubjects. Neither do I fee how the principles of fuch a party, either in religion or government, will prove very agreeable, because I think Luther and Calvin feem to have differed as much as any two among the reformers: and because a German prince will probably be fufpicious of those who think they can never deprefs the prerogative enough.

any

But fuppofing, once for all, as far as possible, that the elector fhould utterly refuse to be upon any terms of confidence with the prefent miniftry, and all others of their principles, as enemies to him and the fucceffion; nor ealy with the queen herfelf, but upon fuch conditions as will not be thought confiftent with her fafety and honour ; and continue to place all his hopes and trust in the discontented party: I think it were humbly to be wished, that whenever the fucceffion fhall take place, the alterations intended by the new prince fhould be made by himfelf, and not by his deputies; because I am of opinion, that the claufe empowering the fucceffor to appoint a latent unlimited number, additional to the feven regents named in the act, went upon a fuppofition, that the fecret committee would be of fuch, whofe enmity and contrary principles difpofed them to confound the reft. King

William

William, whofe title was much more controverted than that of her Majesty's fucceffor can ever probably be, did for feveral years leave the administration of the kingdom in the hands of Lords Juftices, during the height of a war, and while the abdicated prince himself was fre quently attempting an invasion: from whence one might imagine, that the regents appointed by parliament upon the demife of the crown, would be able to keep the peace during an abfence of a few weeks without any colleagues. However, I am pretty confident that the only reafon, why a power was given of ebufing dormant viceroys, was to take away all pretence of a neceffity to invite over any of the family here, during her Majefty's life. So that I I do not well apprehend what arguments the elector can ufe to infift upon both.

To conclude; the only way of fecuring the conftitution in church and state, and confequently this very Protestant fucceffion itself, will be by leffening the power of our domestic adversaries as much as can poffibly confift with the lenity of our government; and if this be not speedily done, it will be easy to point where the nation is to fix the blame; for we are well affured, that fince the accounti her Majefty received of the cabals, the triumphs, the in folent behaviour of the whole faction during her late illnefs at Windfor, fhe hath been as willing to fee them deprived of all power to do mischief, as any of her most zear lous and loyal fubjects can desire.

THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS on VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

WE

E have juft enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

Reflect on things paft, as wars, negociations, factions, &c. we enter fo little into those interests, that we wonder how men could poffibly be fo bufy and concerned for things fo tranfitory; look on the prefent times, we find the fame humour, yet wonder not at all.

A wife man endeavours, by confidering all circumftanees, to make conjectures, and form conclufions; but the fnalleft accident interveening (and in the course of affairs it is impoffible to foresee all) does often produce fuch turnsand changes, that at laft he is just so much in doubt of events as the most ignorant and unexperienced perfon.

Pofitiveness is a good quality for preachers and orators, because he that would obtrude his thoughts and reasons upon a multitude, will convince others the more, as he appears convinced himself.

How is it poffible to expect that mankind will take advice, when they will not fo much as take warning? I forget whether advice be among the loft things which Ariftotle fays are to be found in the moon; that and time ought to have been there.

No preacher is listened to but time, which gives us the fame train and turn of thought that elder people have

tried in vain to put into our heads before.

爨

When we defire or follicit any thing, our minds run wholly on the good fide or circumstances of it; when it is obtained, our minds run wholly on the bad ones.

In a glass-houfe the workmen often fling in a fmall quantity of fresh coals, which feems to disturb the fire, but very much enlivens it. This feems to allude to a gentle ftirring of the paflions, that the mind may not languish. Religion feems to have grown an infant with age, and requires miracles to nurse it as it had in its infancy. All fits of pleafure are balanced by an equal degree of

pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next year's revenue.

The latter part of a wife man's life is taken up in curing the follies, prejudices, and falle opinions he had contracted in the former.

Would a writer know how to behave himself with relation to pofterity, let hun confider in old books what he finds that he is glad to know, and what omiflions he most Taments.

Whatever the poets pretend, it is plain they give immortality to none but themselves: it is Homer and Virgil we reverence and admire, not Achilles or Æneas. With hiftorians it is quite the contrary; our thoughts are taken up with the actions, perfons, and events we read, and we little regard the authors.

When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this fign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.

Men who poffefs all the advantages of life, are in a ftate where there are many accidents to diforder and difcompofe, but few to pleafe thera:

It is unwife to punith cowards with ignominy; for if they had regarded that, they would not have been cowards: death is their proper punishment, because they fear it most.

The greatest inventions were produced in the times of ignorance; as the ufe of the compass, gun-powder, and printing; and by the dulleft nation, as the Germans.

One argument to prove that the common relations of ghofts and Spectres are generally falfe, may be drawn from the opinion held, that spirits are never feen by more than one perfon at a time; that is to fay, it feldom happens to above one person in a company to be poffeffed with any high degree of spleen or melancholy.

I am apt to think, that in the day of judgment there will be fmall allowance given to the wife for their want of morals, and to the ignorant for their want of faith, becaufe both are without excufe. This renders the advan-tages equal of ignorance and knowledge. But fome fcruples in the wife, and fome vices in the ignorant, will perhaps be forgiven upon the ftrength of temptation, to,

each

The

The value of several circumstances in ftory leffens very much by distance of time, though fome minute circumftances are very valuable; and it requires great judg ment in a writer to.diftinguifh.

It is grown a word of course, for writers to fay, This critical age, as divines fay, This finful age.

It is pleasant to obferve how free the prefent age is in laying taxes on the next: Future ages shall talk of this; this Jhall be famous to all poflerity: whereas their time and thoughts will be taken up about prefent things, as

ours are now.

The Cameleon, who is faid to feed upon nothing but air, hath of all animals the nimblest tongue.

When a man is made a spiritual peer he lofes his firname; when a temporal, his Christian name.

It is in difputes as in armies, where the weaker fide fets up falfe lights, and makes a great noile, to make the enemy believe them more numerous and ftrong than they really are.

Some men, under the notions of weeding out prejudices, eradicate virtue, honefty, and religion.

In all well-inftituted commonwealths, care has been taken to limit mens poffeffions; which is done for many reafons, and among the reft, for one which perhaps is not often confidered, that when bounds are fet to mens defires, after they have acquired as much as the laws will permit them, their private intereft is at an end, and they have nothing to do but take care of the public.

There are but three ways for a man to revenge himfelf of the cenfure of the world; to despise it, to return the like, or to endeavour to live fo as to avoid it: the first of these is ufually pretended, the laft is almost impoffible, the universal practice is for the fecond.

Herodotus tells us, that in cold countries beafts very feldom have horns, but in hot they have very large ones. This might bear a very pleafant application,

I never heard a finer piece of fatire againt lawyers, than that of aftrologers, when they pretend by rules of art to tell when a fuit will end, and whether to the ad, vantage of the plaintiff or defendant; thus making the matter depend entirely upon the influence of the fars, without the leaft regard to the merits of the caufe.

The