Clergy; wherein will be fet forth at large, That all our Diffenfions are owing to the Laziness of Perfons in the facred Miniftry, and that none of the prefent Schisms could have crept into the Flock, but by the Negligence of the Paftors. There is a Digreffion in this Treatise, proving, That the Pretences made by the Priesthood from Time to Time, that the Church was in Danger, is only a Trick to make the Laity paffionate for that of which they themselves have been negli gent. The whole concludes with an Exhortation to the Clergy, to the Study of Eloquence, and Practice of Piety, as the only Method to fupport the highest of all Honours, that of a Prieft, who lives and acts according to his Character.

IT

-Quid oportet

Nos facere, à vulgolongè latèque remotos ?

Saturday, September 17. 1709.

From my own Apartment, September 16.

is, as far as it relates to our prefent Being, the great End of Education to raise our felves above the Vulgar, but what is intended by the Vulgar, is not, methinks, enough understood. In me, indeed, that Wors raifes a quite different Idea from what it ufually does in others; but perhaps that proceeds from my being old, and beginning to want the Relifh of fuch Satisfactions as are the ordinary Entertainment of Men, However, fuch as my Opinion is in the Cafe, I will fpeak it; because it is poffible that Turn of Thought may be received by others, who may reap as much Satisfaction from it as I my felf.

IT is to me a very great Meannefs, and something much below a Philofopher, which is what I mean by a Gentleman, to rank a Man among the Vulgar for the Condition of Life he is in,and not according to his Beha

viour, his Thoughts and Sentiments, in that Condition. For if a Man be loaded with Riches and Honours, and in that State of Life has Thoughts and Inclinations below the meanest Artificer; is not fuch an Artificer, who within his Power is good to his Friends, moderate in his Demands for his Labour, and chearful in his Occupation, very much fuperior to him who lives for no other End but to serve himself, and affumes a Preference in all his Words and Actions to thofe, who act their Part with much more Grace than himfelf? Epictetus has made Ufe of the Similitude of a Stage-Play to human Life with much Spirit. It is not, fays he, to be confidered among the Actors, who is Prince, or who is Beggar, but who acts Prince or Beggar beft. The Circumftance of Life fhould not be that which gives us Place, but our Behaviour in that Circumftance is what fhould be our folid Diftinction. Thus, a wife Man fhould think no Man above him or below him, any further than it regards the outward Order or Difcipline of the World: For if we take too great an Idea of the Eminence of our Superiors, or Subordination of our Inferiors, it will have an ill Effect upon our Behaviour to both. He who thinks no Man above him but for his Virtue, none below him but for his Vice, can never be obfequious or affuming in a wrong Place, but will frequently emulate Men in Rank below him, and pity thofe above him.

THIS Senfe of Mankind is fo far from a levelling Principle, that it only fets us upon a true Bafis of Dif tinction, and doubles the Merit of fuch as become their Condition. A Man in Power, who can, without the ordinary Prepoffeffions which ftop the Way to the true Knowledge and Service of Mankind, over-look the little Distinctions of Fortune, raife obfcure Merit, and discountenance fuccefsful Indefert, has, in the Minds of knowing Men, the Figure of an Angel rather than a· Man, and is above the reft of Men in the highest Character he can be, even that of their Benefactor.

TURNING My Thoughts as I was taking my Pipe this Evening after this Manner, it was no fmall Delight to me to receive Advice from Felicia, That Eboracenfis was appointed a Governor of one of their Plantations.

E

N°62. As I am a great Lover of Mankind, I took Part in the Happiness of that People who were to be govern'd by one of fo great Humanity, Justice, and Honour. boracenfis has read all the Schemes which Writers have formed of Government and Order, and been long converfant with Men who have the Reins in their Hands; fo that he can very well diftinguish between Chimerical and Practical Politicks. It is a great Bleffing (when Men have to deal with fuch different Characters in the fame Species as thofe of Freemen and Slaves) that they who command have a just Sense of human Nature it felf, by which they can temper the Haughtiness of the Mafter, and foften the Servitude of the Slave. Ha tibi erunt Artes. This is the Notion with which those of the Plantation receive Eboracenfis: And as I have caft his Nativity, I find it will be a Record made of this Perfon's Administration; and on that Part of the Shore from whence he embarks to return from his Government, there will be a Monument with these Words: Here the People wept, and took Leave of Eboracenfis, the firft Governor our Mother Felicia fent, who, during his Command here, believed himself her Subject.

White's Chocolate-houfe, September 16. THE following Letter wants fuch fudden Dispatch, that all Things elfe must wait for this Time.

SIR,

Sept. 13. Equal Day and Night. HERE are two Ladies, who having a good Opinion of your Tafte and Judgment, defire you to make Ufe of them in the following Particular, which perhaps you may allow very extraordinary. The two Ladies before-mention'd have a confidera⚫ble Time fince contracted a more fincere and conftant Friendship than their Adverfaries the Men will allow confiftent with the Frailty of Female Nature; and being from a long Acquaintance convinced of the perfect Agreement of their Tempers, have thought upon an Expedient to prevent their Separation, and cannot think any fo effectual (fince 'tis common for Love to deftroy Friendship) as to give · up both their Liberties to the fame Perfon in Marriage. The Gentleman they have pitch'd upon is neither well-bred nor agreeable, his Understanding mo# ⚫derate,

derate, and his Perfon never defigned to charm Women; but having fo much Self-Intereft in his Nature, as to be fatisfied with making double Contracts, upon Condition of receiving double Fortunes; and moit Men being fo far fenfible of the Uneafiness that one Woman occafions, they think him for thefe Reafons the most likely Perfon of their Acquaintance to receive these Propofals. Upon all other Accounts, he is the laft Man either of them would chufe, yet for this preferable to all the rest. They defire to know your Opinion the next Post, refolving to defer farther Proceeding, till they have received it. I am,,

SIR,

Your Unknown,
Unthought of,
Humble Servant,

Bridget Eitherfide. THIS is very extraordinary, and much might be objected by me, who am fomething of a Civilian, to the Cafe of two Marrying the fame Man; but thefe Ladies are, Iperceive, Free-Thinkers, and therefore I shall speak only to the prudential Part of this Defign, meerly as a Philofopher, without entring into the Merit of it in the Ecclefiaftical or Civil Law. These constant Friends, Phyladea and Oreftea, are at a constant Lofs to preferve their Friendship from the Encroachments of Love, for which End they have refolved upon a Fellow who cannot be the Object of Affection or Efteem to either, and confequently cannot rob one of the Place each has in her Friend's Heart. But in all my Reading, (and I have read all that the Sages in Love have writ) I have found the greatest Danger in Jealoufy. The Ladies indeed, to avoid this Passion, chufe a fad Fellow, but if they would be advised by me, they had better have each their worthless Man; otherwife, he that was defpicable while he was indifferent to them, will become valuable when he feems to prefer one to the other.

I remember in the Hiftory of Don Quixot of the Manca, there is a memorable Paffage which opens to us the Weakness of our Nature in fuch Particulars. The Don falls into Difcourse with a Gentleman whom he salls the Knight of the Green-Caffeck, and is invited into

his Houfe. When he comes there, he runs into Discourfe and Panegyrick upon the OEconomy, the Government and Order of his Family, the Education of his Children; and laftly, on the fingular Wifdom of him who difpofed Things with that Exactness. The Gentleman makes a Soliloquy to him, O irrefiftible Power of Flattery! Though I know this is a Mad-man, I cannot help being taken with his Applaufe. The Ladies will find this much more true in the Cafe of their Lover; and the Woman he most likes, will certainly be more pleased; fhe whom he flights, more offended, than fhe can imagine before fhe has tried. Now I humbly propofe, that they both marry Coxcombs whom they are fure they cannot like, and then they may be pretty fecure again.. the Change of Affection, which they fear; and by that Means, preferving the Temperature under which they now write, enjoy during Life, Equal Day and Night.

St. James's Coffee-house, September 16.

THERE is no Manner of News; but People now fpend their Time in Coffee-houfes in Reflections upon the Particulars of the late glorious Day, and collecting the feveral Parts of the Action, as they are produced in Letters from private Hands, or Notices given to us by Accounts in publick Papers. A pleasant Gentleman, alluding to the great Fences through which we pierced, faid this Evening, The French thought themselves on the right Side of the Hedge, but it proved otherwise. Mr. Kidney who has long converfed with, and filled Tea for the moft confummate Politicians, was pleafed to give me an Account of this Piece of Ribaldry, and defired me on that Occafion to write a whole Paper on the Subject of Valour, and explain how that Quality, which must be poffeffed by whole Armies, is fo highly preferable in one Man rather than another, and how the fame Actions are but meer Acts of Duty in fome, and Inftances of the most Heroick Virtue in others. He advised me not to fail in this Difcourfe to mention the Gallantry of the Prince of Naffau in this laft Engagement, who (when a Battalion made an Halt in the Face of the Enemy) fnatched the Colours out of the Hands of the Enfign, and planted them juft before the Line of

the