another. For God knows confidence is fo far from a certain mark of truth, that 'tis often the feducer into falfhood, none being fo apt to lofe their way as thofe who out of an ungrounded prefumtion of knowing it, defpife all direction from others.

7. LET all this be weighed, and the refult will be, that this peremtoriness is a thing that can befit no form of underftanding. It renders Wife men disobliging and troublefom, and fools ridiculous and contemtible. It cafts a prejudice upon the most solid reasoning, and it renders the lighter more notoriously despicable. 'Tis pity good parts fhould be leven'd by it, made a fnare to the owners, and useless to others. And 'tis pity too that weak parts fhould by it be condemn'd to be alwaies fo, by defpifing thofe Aids which should improve them. Since therefore 'tis fo ill calculated for every Meridian, would God all Climes might be purged from it.

8. AND as there are weighty objections against it in refpect of its effects, fo there are no inconfiderable prejudice in relation to its caufes, of which we may reckon Pride to be the most certain

and universal; for what ever elfe cafually occurs to it, this is the fundamental conftitutive principle; nothing but a great overweening of a mans own understanding being able to inftate him in that imaginary empire over other mens. For here fure we may ask the Apoftles queftion, Who made thee to differ from another? When God has made Rationality the common portion of mankind, how came it to be thy inclofure? or what Signature has he fet upon thine, what mark of excellence, that thine fhould be paramount? Doubtless if thou fanciest thou hast that part of Jacobs bleffing, To be Lord of thy brethren, and that all thy mothers fons should bow down to thee, Gen. 27.29. thou haft got it more furreptitiously then he did, and with lefs effect: for tho Ifaac could not retract his mistaken benediction, God will never ratify that fantastic, thou haft pronounced to thy felf, with his reall effective

one.

9. But there happens many times to be another ingredient befides Pride, and that is Ignorance: for thofe qualities however they may feem at war, do often very closely combine.He who has nar

row

row notions, that knows but a few things, and has no glimpse of any beyond him, thinks there are no fuch: and therefore as if he had (like Alexander) no want but that of worlds to conquer, he thinks himself the abfolute Monarch of all knowledg. And this is of all others the most unhappy compofition: for ignorance being of its felf like ftiff clay, an infertile foile, when Pride comes to scorch and harden it, it grows perfectly impenetrable: and accordingly we fee none are so inconvincible as your half-witted people; who know just enough to excite their pride, but not fo much as to cure their ignorance.

10. THERE remains yet a 2akind of Peremtorinefs which I am to fpeak to, and that is of those who can make no relation without an atteftation of its certainty: a fort of hofpitable people, who entertain all the idlé vagrant reports, and fend them out with pafsports and testimonials, who when they have once adopted a story, will have it pafs for legitimate how spurious foever it originally was. Thefe fomewhat refemble thofe Hofpitals in Italy, where all baftards are fure of reception, and fuch a provision Bb 2

as

as may enable them to fubfift in the world: and were it not for fuch men, many a Fatherless lie would be ftifled in its birth. It is indeed strange to fee, how fuddenly loofe rumors knit into formal stories, and from thence grow to certainties; but 'tis ftranger to fee that men can be of fuch profligated impudence, as knowingly to give them that advance. And yet 'tis no rarity to meet with fuch men who will pawn their honor, their fouls, for that unworthy purpose: nay and that too with as much impertinence as basenefs, when no intereft of their own, or perhaps any mans elfe is to be ferved by it.

10. THIS is fo prodigious a thing, as feems to excite ones Curiofity to inquire the caufe of fo wonderful an effect. And here, as in other unnatural productions, there are feveral concurrents. If we trace it from its original, its first Element seems to be Idlenefs: this diverting a man from ferious ufeful entertainments, forces him upon (the usual refuge of vacant Perfons (the inquiring after News; which when he has got, the venting of it is his next business. If he be of a credulous Nature, and believe

it himself, he do's the more innocently impofe it on others: yet then to fecure himself from the imputation of Levity and too eafy Faith, he is often temted to lend fome probable circumftance. Nay if he be of a proud humor, and have that miferable vanity of loving to speak big, and to be thought a man of greater correfpondence and intelligence then his Neighbors, he will not bate an Ace of abfolute certainty; but however doubtfoul or improbable the thing is, coming from him it must go for an indifputable truth. This feems to be the descent of this unhappy folly, which yet is often nurft up by a mean or imprudent Education. A man that hath converft only with that lower fort of company, who durft not difpute his veracity, thinks the fame falfe Coin will pafs over the world, which went currant among his Fathers Servants or Tenants: and therefore we may obferve that this is most usuall in young men, who have come raw into company with good fortunes and ill breeding. But it is too true alfo that too many never lofe that habit, but are as morofely pofitive in their Age, as they were childishly fo in their Youth. In

deed