folutions !. A snake curled in many intricate mazes, ready to fting a traveller, and to hifs him in the pangs of death, is no unfit emblem of fuch an artful, unfearchable projectors Were to chufe an enemy, whether fhould with for one that would stab me fuddenly, or one that would give me an Italian poifon, fubtle an 1 ling. ering, yet as certainly fatal as the ffroke of a filletto? Let the reader determine the doubt în his own mind

There is yet a third fort of revenge, if it may be called a third, which is compounded of the other two; Fmean the mistaken honour which hath too often a place in generous breafts, Men of good education, though paturally choleric, reftrain their wrath fo far as to feck Convenient times for vengeance. The fagle combat feems fo generous a way of ending controverfies, that till we have ftricter laws, the number of widows and orplans, and I wish I could not fay of wretched fpiritss will be increased. Of all the medals which have been ftruck in honour of a neighbouring monarch, there is not one which can give him fo true renown as that up on the fuccefs of his edicts for abolishing the impious Practice of duelling,

What inclined me at prefent to write upen this fubject, was the fight of the following letters. which I can affure the reader to be genuine. They concern two noble names among us; but the crime of which the gentlemen are guilty, bears too prevalently the name of honour, to need an apology to their relations for reviv ing the mention of their duel. But the dignity of wrath, and the cool and deliberate p preparation (by paffing dif ferent climes, and waiting convenient feafons) for mur dering each other, when we confider them as moved by a fenfe of honour, mult raife in the reader as much compaffion as horror.

A Monfieur Monfieur Sackville,

That am in France hear how much you attribute to leave to ring your praises ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶******* If you call to memory, whereas I gave you my hand last, I told you I referved the heart for a truer reconciliation,

No 119. Now be that noble gentleman my love once (poke you, and come and do him right that could reaite the trials you owe your birth and country, were I not confident your honour gives you the fame courage to do me right, that it did to do me wrong. Be master of your own weapons and time; the place wherefoever I will wait on you. By doing this you fhall fhorten revenge, and clear the idle opinion the world hath of both our worths. ED. BRUCE.

A

A Mr Monfieur le Baron de Kinlofs.

Sit fhall be always far from me to feek a quarrel, fo will I always be ready to meet with any that defire to make trial of my valeur by fo fair a course as you require. A witnefs whereof yourfelf fhall be, who within a month fhall receive a strict account of time, place, and weapon, where you fhall find me ready difpofed to give you honourable fatisfaction, by him that fhall conduct you thither. In the mean time be as fecret of the appointment as it seems you are defirous of it.

ED. SACKVILLE,

A Mr Monfieur le Baron de Kinlofs.

I am ation your word can render you, accom

Am ready at Tergofa, a town in Zealand, to give you

panied with a worthy gentleman my fecond, in degree a knight and for your coming I will not limit you a peremptory day; but defire you to make a definite and fpeedy repair, for your own honour, and fear of pre vention; until which time you fhall find me there.

Tergofa, 10th of August 1613. ED. SACKVILLE,

A Mr Monfieur Sackville.

Have received your letter by your man, and acknow

Vacuum finemente popellum. Mufæ Anglicane. An empty, thoughtless tribe.

S the greatest part of mankind are more affected by

As the greatch Park the fenfes, than by excellences

that are to be discerned by reafon and thought, they form very erroneous judgments, when they compare the one with the other. An eminent inftance of this is, that vulgar notion, that men addicted to contemplation are lefs ufeful members of fociety than thofe of a different courfe of life. The bufinefs therefore of my present paper shall be, to compare the diftinct merits of the fpe culative and the active parts of mankind.

The advantages ariling from the labours of generals and politicians, are confined to narrow tracts of the earth; and while they promote the intereft of their own country, they leffen or obftract that of other nations. Whereas the light and knowledge that fpring from fpe. culation, are not limited to any fingle spot, but equally diffufed to the benefit of the whole globe. Befides, for the most part, the renown only of men of action is tranf mitted to diftant, pofterity, their great exploits either dying with themfelves, or foon after them; whereas Speculative men continue to deferve well of the world thousands of years after they have left it. Their merits are propagated with their fame, which is due to them, but a free gift to those whofe beneficence has not outlived their perfons, s toto bong # 773

This

What benefit do we receive from the renowned deeds of Cæfar or Alexander, that we should make them the conftant themes of our praife? while the name of Pythas goras is more fparingly celebrated, though it be to him that we are indebted for our trade and riches. may feem strange to a vulgar reader; but the following reflection will make it plain. That philofopher invented the forty feyenth propolition of the trit book of Euclid which is the foundation of trigonometry, and confequenti P. 3. 20

ly of navigation, upon which the commerce of GreatBritain depends.f:

The mathematics are fo useful and ornamental to human life, that the ingenious Sir William Temple acknowledges, in fome part of his writings, all thofe advantages which distinguish polite nations from barbarians to be derived from them. But as thefe fciences cultivate the exterior parts of life, there are others of a more excellent nature, that endue the heart with rudi ments of virtue; and by opening our profpects, and awakening our hopes, produce generous emotions andfublime fentiments in the foul.

The divine fages of antiquity, who, by tranfmitting down to us their fpeculations upon good and evil, upon providence, and the dignity and duration of thinking beings, bave imprinted an idea of moral excellence on the minds of men, are most eminent benefactors to human. nature; and however overlooked in the loud and thoughtlefs applaufes that are every day bestowed on the flaughterers and difturbers of mankind, they will never want. the esteem and approbation of the wife and virtuous.

This apology in behalf of the fpeculative part of mankind, who make useful truth the end of their being. and its acquifition the business as well as entertainment of their lives, feems not improper, in order to rectify the mistake of those, who measure merit by noise and outward appearance, and are too apt to depreciate and ridicule men of thought and retirement. The rallery and reproaches which are thrown on that species by those who abound in the animal life, would incline one to think the world not fufficiently convinced, that whatfoever is good or excellent proceeds from reafon and res flection, onay.

Even those who only regard truth as fuch, without communicating their thoughts, or applying them to practice, will feem worthy members of the common♣ wealth, if we compare the innocence and tranquillity. with which they påfs their lives, with the fraud and inpertinence of other men. But the number of those who by abftracted thoughts become useless, is inconfiderable in respect of them who are hurtful to mankied by an active and reitlels difpofition,

1

As in the distribution of other things, fo in this the wifdom of providence appears, that men addicted to intellectual pursuits, bear a fmall proportion to those who rejoice in exerting the force and activity of their corpo real organs: for operations of the latter fort are limited to a narrow extent of time and place; whereas thofe of the mind are permanent and univerfal. Plato and Euclid enjoy a fort of immortality upon earth, and at this day read lectures to the world.

But if to inform the understanding, and regulate the will, is the most lasting and diffusive benefit, there will not be found so useful and excellent an institution as that of the Chriftian priesthood, which is now become the fcorn of fools. That a numerous order of men fhould be confecrated to the study of the most fublime and beneficial truths, with a defign to propagate them by their discourses and writings, to inform their fellow-creatures of the being and attributes of the Deity, to poffels their minds with the fenfe of a future ftate, and not only to explain the nature of every virtue and moral duty, but likewife to perfuade mankind to the practice of them by the most powerful and engaging motives, is a thing fo excellent, and neceffary to the well-being of the world, that no body but a modern free thinker could have the forehead or folly to turn it into ridicule

1

The light in which thefe points fhould be expofed to the view of one who is prejudiced against the names, religion, church, prieft, and the like, is to confider the clergy as fo many philofophers, the churches as schools, and their fermons as lectures, for the information and improvement of the audience How would the heart of Socrates or Tully have rejoiced, had they lived in a na tion, where the law had made provifion for philofophers, to read lectures of morality and theology every feventh day, in several thousands of schools erected at the pub. lic charge throughout the whole country, at which lectures all ranks and fexes, without diftinction, were obliged to be prefent for their general improvement? And what wicked wretches would they think thofe men who would endeavour to defeat the purpose of fo divine van inftitution?Q1 201

It is indeed ufual with that low tribe of writers, to