of Liberty which makes them juftly be looked upon as Enemies to the Peace and Happiness of the World. But upon a thorough and impartial View it will be found that their Endeavours, instead of advancing the Cause of Liberty and Truth, tend only to introduce Slavery and Error among Men. There are two Parts in our Nature, the Bafer, which confists of our Senfes and Paffions, and the more Noble and Rational, which is properly the Human Part, the other being common to us with Brutes. The inferior Part is generally much ftronger, and has always the ftart of Reafon, which, if in the perpetual Struggle between them, it were not aided from Heaven by Religion, wou'd almoft univerfally be vanquifh'd, and Man become a Slave to his Paffions, which as it is the moft grievous and fhameful Slavery, fo it is the genuine Refult of that Liberty which is propofed by overturning Religion. Nor is the other Part of their Defign better executed. Look into their pretended Truths; are they not fo many wretched Abfurdities, maintained in Oppofition to the Light of Nature and Divine Revelation by fly Innuendos and cold Jefts, by fuch pitiful Sophifms and fuch confufed and indigefted Notions, that one would vehemently fufpect those Men ufurped the Name of Free-Thinkers, with the fame View that Hypocrites do that of Gedlinefs, that it may ferve for a Cloak to cover the contrary Defect.

I fhall clofe this Difcourfe with a Parallel Reflection on these three Species, who feem to be allied, by a certain Agreement, in Mediocrity of Understanding. A Critick is intirely given up to the Purfuit of Learning, when he has got it, is his Judgment clearer, his Imagination livelier, or his Manners more polite than thofe of other Men? Is it obferved that a Mifer, when he has acquired his fuperfluous Eftate, eats, drinks, or fleeps with more Satiffaction, that he has a chearfuller Mind, or relifhes any of the Enjoyments of Life better than his Neighbours? The Free-Thinkers plead hard for a Licence to think freely; they have it; but what Ufe do they make of it? Are they eminent for any fublime Difcoveries in any of the Arts and Sciences? Have they been Authors of any Inventions that conduce to the Well-being of Mankind? Do their Writings fhew a greater depth of Defign, a clearer Me

thod,

thod, or more juft and correct Reafoning than thofe of other Men?

THERE is a great Resemblance in their Genius, but the Critick and Mifer are only Ridiculous and Contempti ble Creatures, while the Free-Thinker is also a Pernici

ous one.

N° 84.

Wednesday, June 17.

Non miffura cutem nifi plena cruoris hirudo.

To the Honoured NESTOR IRONSIDE, Efq;

SIR,

'PR

6

Hor.

Middle-Temple, June 121 RESUMING you may fometimes condefcend to take Cognizance of fmall Enormities, I herelay one before you, which I proceed to without further Apology, as well knowing that the best Compliment to a Man of Bufinefs is to come to the Point.

6

THERE is a filly Habit among many of our Minor Orators, who display their Eloquence in the feveral • Coffee-houfes of this fair City, to the no fmall Annoyance of confiderable Numbers of her Majefty's fpruce ⚫ and loving Subjects, and that is a Humour they have got of twisting off your Buttons. Thefe Ingenious Gentlemen are not able to advance three Words till they have got faft hold of one of your Buttons; but as foon as they have procured fuch an excellent handle for Difcourfe, they will indeed proceed with great Elocution. I know not how well fome may have efcaped, but for my part I have often met with them to my Coft; having I believe within these three Years laft paft been argued out of feveral Dozens; infomuch that I have for fome Time • ordered my Taylor to bring me home with every Suit a dozen at least of fpare ones, to fupply the Place of fuch as from time to time are detatched as an Help to Dif course, by the vehement Gentlemen before-mentioned, This way of holding a Man in Difcourfe is much practifed in the Coffee-houfes within the City, and does not indeed fo much prevail at the politer End of the Town:

B 3

It is likewife more frequently made ufe of among the • fmall Politicians, than any other Body of Men: I am therefore fomething cautious of entering into a Controverfie with this Species of Statefmen, especially the younger Fry; for if you offer in the leaft to diffent from any thing that one of these advances, he immediately fteps up to you, takes hold of one of your Buttons, and • indeed will foon convince you of the Strength of his Argumentation. I remember upon the News of Dunkirk being delivered into our Hands, a brisk little Fellow, a Politician and an able Ingineer, had got into the • middle of Batfon's Coffee-houfe, and was fortifying Graveling, for the Service of the moft Chriftian King, with ⚫ all imaginable Expedition. The Work was carried on ⚫ with fuch Succefs, that in lefs than a quarter of an Hour's time he had made it almoft impregnable, and, in the • Opinion of feveral worthy Citizens who had gather'd round him, full as ftrong both by Sea and Land as Dun• kirk ever could pretend to be. I hapened, however, unadvisedly to attack fome of his Outworks; upon which, to fhew his great Skill likewife in the Offenfive Part, he immediately made an Affault upon one of my Buttons, and carried it in less than two Minutes, notwithstanding I made as handfome a Defence as was poffible: He had likewise invested a fecond, and would certainly have been Mafter of that too in a very little time, had not he ⚫ been diverted from this Enterprize by the Arrival of a Courier, who brought Advice that his Prefence was abfolutely neceffary in the Difpofal of a Beaver; upon ⚫ which he raised the Siege, and indeed retired with fome • Precipitation. In the Coffee-houses here about the Temple you may Harangue even among our Dablers in Poli ticks for about two Buttons a Day, and many times for lefs. I had yesterday the good Fortune to receive very ⚫ confiderable Additions to my Knowledge in State Affairs, and I find this Morning that it has not stood me in ⚫ above a Button. In most of the eminent Coffee-houfes at the other end of the Town, for example, to go no ⚫ farther than Will's in Covent Garden, the Company is fo refined, that you may hear and be heard, and not be a Button the worfe for it. Befides the Gentlemen before

mentioned,

' mentioned, there are others who are no less active in ⚫ their Harangues, but with gentle Services rather than Robberies. Thefe, while they are improving your Understanding, are at the fame time fetting off your Perfon; they will new pleat and adjuft your Neckcloth. 'BUT tho' I can bear with this kind of Orator, whe ⚫is fo humble as to aim at the good Will of his Hearer by being his Valet de Chambre, I must rebel against ano'ther Sort of them. There are fome, Sir, that do not 'ftick to take a Man by the Collar when they have a Mind to perfwade him. It is your Bufinefs, I humbly prefume, Mr. Ironfide, to interpose, that a Man is not brought over to his Opponent by force of Arms. It were re quifite therefore that you should name a certain Interval, which ought to be preserved between the Speaker and him to whom he fpeaks. For fure no Man has a Right, because I am not of his Opinion, to take any of my Cloaths from me, or drefs me according to his own liking. I affure you, the moft becoming thing to me in the World is in a Campaign Perriwig to wear one • Side before and the other caft upon the collateral Shoul• der. But there is a Friend of mine who never talks to me but he throws that which I wear forward upon my Shoulder, fo that in restoring it to its Place I lofe two or three Hairs out of the Lock upon my Buttons; though I never touched him in my whole Life, and have been acquainted with him this ten Year. I have feen my eager Friend in danger fometimes of a Quarrel by this ill Cuftom, for there are more young Gentlemen 'who can feel than can understand. It would be there'fore a good Office to my good Friend if you advised him not to Collar any Man but one who knows what he means, and give it him as a standing Precauti⚫on in Conversation, that none but a very good Friend will give him the Liberty of being feen, felt, heard, and understood all at once.

I am, SIR,

Your most humble Servant,

Johannes Mifochirofephus.

B 4

P. S. I

P. S. I have a Sifter who faves her felf from being handled by one of thefe manual Rhetoricians by giving him her Fan to play with; but I appeal to you in the behalf of us poor helpless Men.

I

May 15, 1713:

Am of Opinion, that no Orator or Speaker in Publick or Private has any Right to meddle with any Body's Cloaths but his own: I indulge Men in the Liberty of playing with their own Hats, fumbling in their own Pockets, fettling their own Perriwigs, toffing or twifting their Heads, and all other Gesticulations which may contribute to their Elocution, but pronounce it an Infringement of the English Liberty for a Man to keep his Neighbour's Perfon in Cuftody in order to force an Hearing; and farther declare, that all Affent given by an Auditor, under fuch Constraint, is of it self void and of no Effect. NESTOR IRONSIDE

N° 85.

T

Thursday, June 18.

Sed te decor ifte, quod optas,

Effe vetat, votoque tuo tua forma repugnat. Ovid.

O fuffer Scandal (fays fomebody) is the Tax which every Perfon of Merit pays to the Publick; and my Lord Verulam finely obferves, that a Man who has no Virtue in himself, ever envies Virtue in others. I know not how it comes to pafs but Detraction thro' all Ages has been found a Vice which the Fair Sex too eafily give into. Not the Roman Satyrift could use them with more Severity than they themselves do one another. Some audacious Criticks, in my Opinion, have launched out a little too far, when they take upon them to prove, in Oppofition to Hiftory, that Lais was a Woman of as much Virtue as Beauty, which violently difpleafing the Phrynes of those times, they fecretly prevailed with the Hiftorians to deliver her down to Pofterity under the infamous Character of an extorting Prostitute. But tho' I have the

greatest