fions, a grateful fenfe of his obligations to him. But there are fome paffages in his works, in which he fpeaks of Mr. Locke's philofophy with great feverity*.

:

* In the "letters written by a nobleman to a young man at the "univerfity," published 1716, which are now known to be Lord Shaftesbury's, having obferved that Dr. Tindal's principles, whatever they were as to church-government, yet in morals and theology were very different from the author's of the "Rhapfody," he proceeds thus: "In general, truly it has happened, that all thofe they call "free writers now-a-days have efpoufed these principles which Mr. "Hobbes fet a-foot in this last age. Mr. Locke, as much as I hone our him on account of his other writings (viz.on Government, Policy, Trade, Coin, Education, Toleration, &c.) and as well as I "knew him, and can aħswer for his fincerity as a most zealous Chrif"tian, and believer, did however go in the felf-fame track, and is "followed by the Tindals, and all the other ingenious free authors, of our time. It was Mr. Locke that ftruck the home-blow; for Mr. "Hobbes's character, and bafe flavish principles on government, took "off the poifon of his philosophy. It was Mr. Locke that ftruck at "the fundamentals, threw all order and virtue out of the world, and "made the very ideas of these (which are the fame as those of God) "unnatural, and without foundation in our minds. "Innate" is a "word he poorly plays upon the right word, though lefs ufed, "is" connatural." For what has birth, or progrefs of the fœtus out " of the womb, to do in this cafe? The question is not about the time "the ideas entered, or the moment that one body came out of the "other; but whether the conftitution of men be fuch, that being "adult, and grown up, at fuch or fuch a time, fooner or later (no mat"ter when) the idea and sense of order, administration, and a God, "will not infallibly, inevitably, neceffarily, fpring up in him. Then " comes the credulous Mr. Locke, with his Indian barbarian stories " of wild nations, that have no fuch idea (as travellers, learned au"thors! and men of truth! and great philofophers ! have informed "him); not confidering, that this is but a negative upon a hearsay, "and fo circumftantiated, that the faith of the Indian denier may be as well queftioned as the veracity of the judgment of the relater, "who cannot be supposed to know fufficiently the myfteries and fe"crets of thofe barbarians, whofe language they but imperfectly "know, and to whom we good Chriftians have, by our little mercy, given fufficient reason to conceal many fecrets from us, as we know “particularly in refpect of fimples and vegetables, of which, though "we got the Peruvian bark, and some other noble remedies, yet it " is certain, that through the cruelty of the Spaniards, as they have "owned themselves, many fecrets in medicinal affairs have been & fuppreffed." And again, "But Mr. Locke, who had more faith, " and was more learned in modern wonder-writers, than in ancient "philofophy, gave up an argument for the Deity, which Cicero, though a profeffed fceptic, would not explode, and which even the

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" chief

In 1670 and the year following, our author began to form a plan of his "Effay on Human Understand"ing," at the earnest request of Mr.Tyrrell, Dr.Thomas, and fome other friends, who met frequently in his chamber to converfe together on philofophical fubjects; but his employments and avocations prevented him from finishing it then. About this time, it is fuppofed, he was made a fellow of the Royal Society.

In 1672, his great patron, Lord Afhley, was created Earl of Shaftesbury, and Lord High Chancellor of England, who appointed him Secretary of the Presentation of Benefices; which place he held till the end of the year 1673, when his Lordship refigned the Great Seal. Mr. Locke, to whom the Earl had communicated his most secret affairs, was difgraced together with him; and affifted the Earl in publishing fome treatifes, which were defigned to excite the people to watch the conduct of the Roman Catholics, and to oppose the arbitrary defigns of the Court.

"chief of the Atheistic philofophers anciently acknowledged, and folved only by their "primus in orbe Deos fecit timor." Thus "virtue, according to Mr. Locke, has no other measure, law, or "rule, than fashion and cuftom. Morality, juftice, equity, depend only on law and will :" and God indeed is a perfect "free agent" in his fenfe ; i. e. free to any thing, however ill; for if he wills it, "it will be made good: virtue may be vice, and vice virtue in its 68 turn, if he pleases and thus, neither right nor wrong, virtue nor "vice, are any thing in themselves; nor is there any trace or idea of them naturally imprinted on human minds. Experience and our « Catechifm teaches all! I fuppofe it is fomething of the like kind, "which teaches birds their nefts, and how to fly the minute they "have full feathers. Your Theocles (one of the interlocutors in that rhapfody) whom you commend fo much, laughs at this, and as modeftly as he can, afks a Lockift, whether the idea of women, and "what is fought after in women, be not taught alfo by fome cate"chifm, and dictated to the man. Perhaps, if we had no fchool of "Venus, nor fuch horrid lewd books, and lewd companions, we might "have no understanding of this, till we were taught by our parents; " and if the tradition fhould happen to be loft, the race of mankind might perish in a fober nation. This is very poor philofophy. But "the gibberish of the schools for these several centuries has, in these "later days of liberty, made any contrary philofophy of good relish, * and highly favoury with all men of wit, fuch as have been emanci"pated from that egregious form of intellectual bondage." How

ever,

In 1675, he travelled into France, on account of his health. At Montpelier he ftayed a confiderable time; and there his firft acquaintance arofe with Mr. Herbert, afterwards Earl of Pembroke, to whom he dedicated his Effay on Human Understanding, having the higheft refpect for that Noble Lord. From Montpelier he went to Paris, where he contracted a friendship with Mr. Juftel, whofe house was at that time the place of refort for men of letters; and there he faw M. Guenelon, the famous phyfician of Amfterdam, who read lectures in anatomy with great applaufe. He became acquainted likewife with Mr. Soignard, who fhowed him a copy of his "Harmonia Evangelica," which gave great pleasure to Mr. Locke, as he had a high value for the fcriptures. The Earl of Shaftefbury being reftored to favour at Court, and made Prefident at the Council in 1679, thought proper to fend for Mr. Locke to London: but that Nobleman did not continue long in his poft; for refufing to comply with the defigns of the Court, which aimed at the establishment of popery, and arbitrary power, fresh crimes were laid to his charge, and he was fent to the Tower; when the Earl obtained his discharge from that place, he retired to Holland; and Mr. Locke, not thinking himself safe in England, followed his Noble patron thither, who died foon after. During our author's ftay in Holland, he renewed his atquaintance with M. Guenelon, who introduced him to many learned perfons of Amfterdam. Here Mr.

ever, he fpeaks very highly of Mr. Locke's Effay on Human Underftanding.- -Says," that it may as well qualify men for bufinefs and "the world, as for the fciences and univerfity." "No one," fays he, "has done more towards the recalling of philofophy from barbar. ity into the ufe and practice of the world, and into the company "of the better and politer fort, who might well be ashamed of it in "its other drefs. No one has opened a better and clearer way to reafoning. Thefe letters, which are full of good inftruction, were written by Lord Shaftesbury to Mr.Ainsworth, then a student at the univerfity at that Lord's own expenfe. He was the fon of a domestic fervant of that noble Lord, to whom he gave a learned education; and he proved a good and pious man, though he never distinguished himself according to his patron's expectations.

Locke contracted a friendship with Mr. Limborch, profeffor of divinity among the remonftrants, and the most learned Mr. Le Clerc, which he cultivated after his return into England, and continued to the end of his life.

During his refidence in Holland, he was accused at Court of having written certain tracts against the government, which were afterwards difcovered to be written by another perfon; and upon that fufpicion he was deprived of his place of student of Chrift 'Church.

After the death of King Charles II. Mr. William Penn, who had known our author at the University, used his intereft with King James to procure a pardon for him; and would have obtained it, if Mr. Locke had not answered that he had no occafion for a pardon, fince he had not been guilty of any crime. In the year 1685, when the Duke of Monmouth and his party were making preparations in Holland for his unfortu nate enterprife, the English Envoy at the Hague had orders to demand Mr. Locke and eighty-three other perfons to be delivered up to the States General, upon which he lay concealed to the year following*. During this confinement, our author wrote his letter of

* Mr. Le Clerc obferves, that Mr. Locke had no correspondence with the Duke of Monmouth, having no great opinion of his undertaking. Befides, his natural temper was timorous, not refolute, and he was far from being fond of commotions. He had been at the end of the year 1684 at Utrecht, and returned in the fpring to Amfterdam, with a defign to go again to Utrecht, as he actually did, to avoid being charged with having any fhare in the Duke of Monmouth's enterprise. He had before fome inclination to lodge with his friend M. Guenelon; but he excufed himself, it not being the cuftom of that city to admit ftrangers to lodge, though he received Mr. Locke with great civility. But when M. Guenelon faw that his friend was in real danger, he ferved him with great generofity. He spoke to Mr. Veen his father-in-law, and engaged him to receive Mr. Locke into his houfe. Upon this Mr. Locke came to Amfterdam, where he lay concealed at Mr. Veen's houfe two or three months. In the mean time, Mr. Limborch took care to deliver him the letters which were written to him, and had the cuftody of Mr. Locke's will, who defired him to fend it to fome of his relations, whom he named, if he fhould die. One of the principal magistrates of the city was confulted,

Toleration, which was first published in Latin, and entitled, " Epiftola de Tolerantia ad Clariffimum Vi"rum, T. A. R. P. T. O. L. A. Scripta a P. A. P. O. I. L. A." The first letters fignify, "Theologiæ "apud Remonstrantes Profefforem, Tyrannidis Oforem "Limburguim Amftelodamenfem; and the latter, "Pacis Amico, Perfecutionis Ofore, Johanne Locke Anglo." This letter he afterwerds tranflated into English, and published at London in the year 1690*. At Amfterdam he formed a weekly affembly, confifting of Mr. Limborch, Mr. Le Clerc, and others, for converfation upon important fubjects: but these conferences were much interrupted, by the frequent changes he was forced to make of the places of his refidence.

Our author's great work, the "Effay concerning Human Understanding," he had been employed about for fome years, and he finished it in Holland about the end of the year 1687. He made an abridgment of it himself, which his friend Mr. Le Clerc tranflated into, French, and inferted in one of his "Bibliothiques."

confulted, whether he might continue there in fafety; but that magistrate answered, "That they could not protect him, if the king of "England fhould demand him; however, that he fhould not be be trayed, and that his landlord fhould have timely notice when there "fhould be occafion." This gave him fome kind of confidence, and he continued with Mr. Veen for fome time, without going abroad, except at night, for fear of being known. In the mean time he was perfuaded to go to Cleves, but returned in about two months time, and lodged again at Mr. Veen's. At the end of the year he went to live with M. Guenelon, where he was likewife the year following. In 1686 he began to appear again in public, because it was fufficiently known that he had no fhare in the Duke of Monmouth's invafion. In autumn he went to Utrecht, and at the end of the year returned to Amfterdam, and lodged at M. Guenelon's as before.

This letter was fo highly approved of in Holland, that it was immediately tranflated into Dutch. But it was very severely attacked by a clergyman of Oxford, who wrote no less than three pamphlets against it; two of which our author answered, defending his principles with invincible strength of argument; and though he was in a declining state of health, when his antagonist, after twelve years filence, published his third pamphlet againft it, yet he began to reply to him in a "fourth letter concerning Toleration." Though this was not finished, yet the fragment, is published in Desmaizeaux's colléction of his works.