er and smaller, equality and comparison, that is to say, of the art of computing?

Lys.----All this discourse seems notional. For real abilities of every kind, it is well known we have the brightest men of the age among us. But all thofe, who know the world, do calculate, that what you call a good christian, who hath neither a large confcience nor unprejudiced mind, must be unfit for the affairs of it. Thus you fee, while you compute yourselves out of pleasure, others compute you out of business. What then are you good for, with all your computation?

EUPH.----I have all imaginable respect for the abilities of free-thinkers. My only fear was, their parts might be too lively for fuch flow talents as forecast and computation, the gifts of ordinary men.

XIX. CRI.-I cannot make the fame compliment that Euphranor does. For though I shall not pretend to characterize the whole fect, yet thus much I may truly affirm: That thofe, who have fallen in my way, have been mostly raw men of pleasure, old fharpers in business, or a third fort of lazy fciolifts, who are neither men of business, nor men of speculation, but set up for judges, or critics, in all kinds, without having made a progrefs in any. These, among men of the world, pass for profound theorists, and, among fpeculative men, would feem to know the world: a conceited race, equally useless to the affairs and studies of mankind! Such as these, for the most part, feem to be fectaries of the Minute Philofophy. I will not deny that, now and then, you may meet a man of easy manners, that, without those faults and affectations, is carried into the party by the mere stream of education, fashion, or company; all which do, in this age, prejudice men against religion, even thofe who mechanically rail at prejudice. I muft not forget, that the Minute Philofophers have also a ftrong party among the beaux and fine ladies; and, as affectations out of character are often the ftrongeft, there is

nothing fo dogmatical and inconvincible as one of these fine things, when it fets up for free-thinking. But, be thefe profeffors of the fect never fo dogmatical, their authority must needs be small with men of fenfe. Who would choose, for his guide, in the fearch of truth, one whose thoughts and time are taken up with dress, vifits, and diverfions? Or whofe education hath been behind a counter, or in an office? Or whose speculations have been employed on the forms of business, who is only well read in the ways and commerce of mankind, in stock-jobbing, purloining, fupplanting, bribing! Or would any man in his fenfes give a fig for meditations and discoveries, made over a bottle? And yet it is certain, that instead of thought, books, and study, most free-thinkers are the profelytes of a drinking club. Their principles are often fettled, and decisions on the deepest points made, when they are not fit to make a bargain.

LYS.-You forget our writers, Crito. They make a world of profelytes.

Alas!

CRI. So would worse writers in fuch a cause. how few read! and of thefe, how few are able to judge! how many wish your notions true! How many had rather be diverted than inftructed! how many are convinced by a title! I may allow your reafons to be effectual, without allowing them to be good. Arguments, in themselves of small weight, have great effect, when they are recommended by a mistaken intereft, when they are pleaded for by paffion, when they are countenanced by the humor of the age: and, above all, with some fort of men, when they are against law, government, and established opinions: things which, as a wife or good man would not depart from without clear evidence, a weak or a bad man, will affect to disparage on the flighteft grounds.

Lys. And yet the arguments of our Philofophers

alarm.

CRI. The force of their reasoning is not what alarms:

their contempt of laws and government is alarming: their application to the young and ignorant is dangerous.

EUPH. But without difputing or disparaging their talent at ratiocination, it feems very poffible their success might not be owing to that alone. May it not, in fome measure, be afcribed to the defects of others, as well as to their own perfections? My friend, Eucrate, ufed to say, that the church would thrive and flourish beyond all oppofition, if fome certain perfons minded piety more than politics, practics than polemics, fundamentals than confectaries, fubftance than circumftance, things than notions, and notions than words.

LYS.-Whatever may be the caufe, the effects are too plain to be denied. And when a confidering man observes that our notions do, in this most learned and knowing age, fpread and multiply, in oppofition to established laws, and every day gain ground against a body fo numerous, so learned, fo well supported, protected, encouraged, for the service and defence of religion: I fay, when a man observes and confiders all this, he will be apt to ascribe it to the force of truth, and the merits of our caufe; which, had it been fupported with the revenues and establishments of the church and univerfities, you may guess what a figure it would make, by the figure that it makes without them.

EUPH. It is much to be pitied, that the learned profeffors of your fect do not meet with the encouragement they deferve.

LYS.All in due time. People begin to open their eyes. It is not impoffible those revenues that, in ignorant times, were applied to a wrong use, may, in a more enlightened age, be applied to a better.

CRI. But why profeffors and encouragement for what needs no teaching? An acquaintance of mine has a most ingenious footman, that can neither write nor read, who learned your whole system in half an hour: He knows when and how to nod, fhake his head, fmile, and give a

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hint, as well as the ableft fceptic, and is, in fact, a very Minute Philofopher.

LYS.-Pardon me, it takes time to unlearn religious prejudices, and requires a ftrong head.

CRI.----I do not know how it might have been, once upon a time. But in the prefent laudable education, I know several, who have been imbued with no religious notions at all; and others, who have had them fo very flight, that they rubbed off without the least pains.

XX. Panope, young and beautiful, under the care of her aunt, an admirer of the Minute Philofophy, was kept from learning the principles of religion, that she might not be accustomed to believe without a reafon, nor affent to what she did not comprehend. Panope was not, indeed, prejudiced with religious notions, but got a notion of intriguing, and a notion of play, which ruined her reputation by fourteen, and her fortune by four and twenty. I have often reflected on the different fate of two brothers in my neighborhood. Cleon, the elder, being defigned an accomplished gentleman, was fent to town, had the first part of his education in a great school: What religion he learned there, was foon unlearned in a certain celebrated society, which, till we have a better, may pass for a nursery of Minute Philofophers. Clean dreffed well, could cheat at cards, had a nice palate, understood the mystery of the die, was a mighty man in the Minute Philofophy. And having fhined a few years, in these accomplishments, he died before thirty, childless and rotten, expreffing the utmost indignation that he could not outlive that old dog, his father; who, having a great notion of polite manners, and knowledge of the world, had purchased them to his favorite fon, with much expense, but had been more frugal in the education of Charephon, the younger fon; who was brought up at a country-school, and entered a commoner in the univerfity, where he qualified himself for a parfon

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age

in his father's gift, which he is now poffeffed of, together with the estate of the family, and a numerous offfpring.

Lys.-A pack of unpolished cubs, I warrant.

CRI.-Lefs polished, perhaps, but more found, more honest, and likely to be more useful, than many who pass for fine gentlemen. Crates, a worthy juftice of the peace, in this county, having had a fon mifcarry at London, by the converfation of a Minute Philofopher, ufed to fay, with a great air of complaint, if a man fpoils my corn, or hurts my cattle, I have a remedy against him; but if he fpoils my children, I have none.

Lys. I warrant you, he was for penal methods: He would have had a law to perfecute tender consciences.

CRI. The tender confcience of a Minute Philofopher! He, who tutored the fon of Crates, soon after did justice on himself. For he taught Lycidas, a modeft young man, the principles of his fect. Lycidas, in return, debauched his daughter, an only child: Upon which, Charmides, (that was the Minute Philofopher's name) hanged himself. Old Bubalion, in the city, is carking, and ftarving, and cheating, that his fon may drink and game, keep mistreffes, hounds, and horfes, and die in a jail. Bubalion, nevertheless, thinks himself wife, and paffeth for one that minds the main chance. He is a Minute Philofopher, which learning he acquired behind the counter, from the works of Prodicus and Tryphon. This fame Bubalion was one night at fupper, talking against the immortality of the foul, with two or three grave citizens, one of whom, the next day, declared himself bankrupt, with five thousand pound of Bubalion's in his hands; and the night following, he received a note from a fervant, who had, during his lecture, waited at table, demanding the sum of fifty guineas to be laid under a ftone, and concluding with moft terrible threats and imprecations.

Lys. Not to repeat what hath been already demon