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fraggling fums, for any matter, caufe, or thing, whatfoever, or whenfoever. A third is, you will make diligent fearch for a fon of mine who has turned Roman Catholic, broke his uncle's heart; but before his death my rafkallion ab fconded: his uncle adopted him his fole heir, by which he is entitled to the family eftate of twelve hundred per year, and ten thousand in ftock, which altogether is a pretty thing, no debts.

Hoft. What would you have me tranfact with your fon when I have found him, if he is to be found.

Luther. Frighten him with threats of confifcation and reprobation; he has, and ftands guilty of the moft heinous crime against the laws and conftitution of Great Britain; therefore, infift on his immediately affigning the whole, as far as his non-age will permit, to me, my heirs and affigns for ever; and an oath when he attains the age of twenty-one years, that he will confirm and establish my title.

Hoft. You fay Calvin and your fon by becoming Roman Catholics have forfeited their rights and privileges as fubjects, and are outlaws, and non-protected mifcreants; if this be the misfortune of thofe two, what threat have you to frighten Mofes into your defigns.

Luther. Jews and Papifts are almost in the fame predicament, being the only two that adhere to the old antedeluvian fcrip ures, by which jargon they bind the enes and keep them captives; fo that our enlightened age is ftill fhaded from the brains of the generality of

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the middling class of the human race, and lower and ignorant likewife. volw sin eshist aftoft This character to ftigmatize the Brie tifh conftitution and laws, are diametrically oppofite to the name it maintains in the large world; which is a fyftem of denity, freedom, and protection to mankind in general and particular: I cannot, you must excuse me, suppose your country wears the counterfeit face of peace and liberty, and within her bofom con ceal a dagger of the moft black hue, to fhackle, fetter, chain, and entangle the confciences of their fellow creatures; a direct carte-blanche to our holy religion: never mention it, for I have had the honour to attend in my life a number of English gentlemen, who, were you, though as you have given yourself out for the bishop of Canterbury, would hustle you, if you were not of fo enormous a bulk, in a blanket. There is not a nation who bears that exalted character, and more jealous of their liberty of confcience, than the English, EngJand never can fuffer fo grofs an infult, to form men into hypocrites.

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Luther. I hope nincom-poop, fcaramouch, faucy-box, buffoon, fcare-crow, pigmy, barbarian, favage, cruel and uncultivated villain, to lay the charge of combing mens confciences, and entangling their brains with fetters; uncivilized morality and inhumanity. I declare I have it is better in than out; however, I will cease my feverity, or you may put an end to your existence, and I go fupperlefs to bed, which would not be the most jocular compa

hion or bed fellow. O patience, what zeal poffeffes me whenever liberty ands no excife, istor arelendangered, butd ftill hope your intentions are not of that kind. I am florid, and it is difficult to keep my breath, if that quits, O al isover to us enlightened philofophers, of our enlightened hemifphere: moft certainly it is a moft jolly and buckfome philofophy: O the joy of my younger days; no difturbance or biting of confcience, all calm within; and the enjoyment to a glut brim-full, and running over of the five pipes; inftruments and conductors, or fenfe into the heart. This, men of learning and light call heaven, or the fullnefs and end of man; no fcripture bug-bears, but all fmooth water to them that will enjoy. Yet I confefs old Mofes dropped a story which has not a little difconcerted my notion of reafon; he proves from the tortoife, that will, memory, and understanding, do not depend and derive its fource or origin from the brain; for the turtle comes the nearest to man, in planing and carrying them into execution for the preferving their progeny, which goes far beyond the ape, who is confidered to come neareft man, which our philofophy teaches, having most brains proportionable to the fize. Mofes declares the tortoife have neither brains nor marrow.

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9 Hoft. I have often heard your new philofophers brag of their proofs from the brains, and lay it down as the ground and fundamental article of their faith, which raised my curioficy, hearing of the fubtlety and prudence of this

animal,

animal, to purchase the one you had one of your dinners dreffed in, that worked fuch wonderful effects both on you and your companion, and which liked to have been the death of Rabbi Mofes. I opened the head, and this is that you fee in the Phial, which is preferved in spirits, all that was contained in the head, and which is nothing more than like a fheath of a Tarantula, or web or membrane, containing neither brains or any other fubftance. The bones are alfo as the head, all folid as a stone.

Luther. I think it rather a refinement on Calvinifm; for although they ufe every precaution to ftifle the confcience by difavowing fin, unless hatched as a chick, through ignorance and folly, yet, when a foul, or immortality, is granted, we experience an interloper, who lurks about the heart, and, like a bufy-body, raifing an immediate buftle on the heel of every gratification that is forbid by fcripture or chritianity, this falls in of courfe; fo that we become dupes to the foul we cannot refrain, neither can we enjoy. I have, therefore, ever confidered the life of a Calvinift the life of a dog, who commonly receives his meal with fear of the whip. I am very ill from the flurry you urged me, doubting my veracity in laying before you the laws, and benign, gentle and meek conftitution of Great Britain. I am quite fpent, overcharging my ftomach, fo that I can paddle in it at my throat, and I find not my, old friend at hand, ftrong evacuation; I am fwelled and muft burft, unless I can blow heartily my fowgelder's horn, which would re

lieve. Take my common-prayer book, and at the head you will read two acts as a fpecimen of many more ftatutes for the uniformity and univerfality of our Sion, so that there may be one religion, both in prayer and facraments, without this conformity; you will there fee the penalties to be inflicted. The ft act was enacted under our gracious fovereign queen Elizabeth, the other under our gracious fovereign Charles the Second. So help me God. They were happy days. So be it.

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