wonderful piece de interpretatione, which has the faculty of teaching its readers to find out a meaning in every thing but itself; like commentators on the Revelations, who proceed prophets without understanding a fyllable of the text. Brothers, faid he, you are to be informed, that of wills duo funt genera, nuncupatory and feriptory. That in the fcriptory will here before us, there is no precept or mention about gold-lace, conceditur: but, fi idem affirmetur de nuncupatoria, negatur. For, brothers, if you remember, we heard a fellow fay, when we were boys, that he heard my father's man fay, that he heard my father fay, that he would advife his fons to get gold-lace on their coats, as foon as ever they could procure money to buy it. By G-that is very true, cries the other; I remember it perfectly well, faid the third. And fo, without more ado, they got the largest gold-lace in the parish, and walked about as fine as lords.

;

A while after, there came up, all in fashion, a pretty fort of flame-coloured fattint for linings; and the mercer brought a pattern of it immediately to our three gentlemen: An' pleafe your Worships, faid he, my Lord C—, and Sir 7. W. had linings out of this very piece last night. It takes wonderfully and I shall not have a remnant left, enough to make my wife a pin-cushion, by to-morrow morning at ten a-clock. Upon this they fell again to rummage the will, becaufe the prefent cafe alfo required a politive precept, the lining being held by orthodox writers to be of the effence of the coat. After long fearch, they could fix upon nothing to the matter in hand, ex

By this is meant tradition, allowed to have equal authority with the fcripture, or rather greater.

+ This is purgatory, whereof he speaks more particularly hereafter; but here only to fhew how fcripture was perverted to prove it; which was done, by giving equal authority, with the canon, to Apocrypha, called here a codicil annexed.

It is likely the author, in every one of thefe changes in the brothers dreffes, refers to fome particular error in the church of Rome; though it is not eafy, I think, to apply them all. But by this of flame coloured fattin, is manifeftly intended purgatory; by gold lace may perhaps be understood, the lofty ornaments and plate in the churches. The fhoulder-knots and filver fringe are not fo obvious, at leaft to me. But the Indian figures of men, women, and children, plainly relate to the pictures in the Romish churches, of God like an old man, of the virgin Mary, and our Saviour as a child.

cept

cept a fhort advice of their father in the will, to take care of fire, and put out their candles before they went to fleep. This, though a good deal for the purpose, and helping very far towards felf-conviction, yet not feeming wholly of force to establish a command; (being refolved to avoid farther fcruple, as well as future occaLion for scandal), fays he that was the fcholar, I remem ber to have read in wills, of a codicil annexed; which is indeed a part of the will; and what it contains, hath equal authority with the reft. Now, I have been confidering of this fame will here before us; and I cannot reckon it to be complete for want of fuch a codicil. I will therefore faften one in its proper place very dextrously. I have had it by me fome time. It was written by a dog-keeper of my grandfather's; and talks a great deal, as good luck would have it, of this very flame-coloured futtin. The project was immediately approved by the other two; an old parchment fcroll was tagged on according to art, in the form of a codicil annexed, and the fattin bought and worn.

Next winter, a player, hired for the purpose by the corporation of fringe-makers, acted. his part in a new comedy, all covered with filver fringe; and, according to the laudable custom, gave rife to that fashion. Upon which, the brothers confulting their father's will; to their great aftonishment found thefe words: Item, I charge and command my faid three fans, to wear no fort of filver fringe upon or about their faid coats, &c. with a penalty, in cafe of difobedience, too long here to infert. However, after fome paufe, the brother fo often mentioned for his erudition, who was well skilled in - criticifms, had found in a certain author, which he said fhould be nameless, that the fame word, which in the will is called fringe, does alfo fignify a broom-stick ||; and doubtlefs ought to have the fame interpretation in this • That is, to take care of hell; and, in order to do that, to fubdue and extinguish their lufts.

I believe this refers to that part of the Apocrypha, where mention is made of Tobit and his dog.

This is certainly the farther introducing the pomps of habit and ornament.

The next fubject of our author's wit, is the gloffes and inter. pretations of fcripture, very many abfurd ones of which are allowed in the most authentic books of the church of Rome. W. Watton.

paragraph

paragraph. This another of the brothers difliked, be caufe of that epithet filver; which could not, he humbly conceived, in propriety of fpeech, be reafonably applied to a broom-flick. But it was replied upon him, that this epithet was understood in a mythological and allegorical fenfe. However, he objected again, why their father fhould forbid them to wear a broom-stick on their coats; a caution that feemed unnatural and impertinent. Upon which he was taken up short, as one that spoke irreve rently of a mystery; which doubtless was very useful and fignificant, but ought not to be over-curiously pried into, or nicely reasoned upon. And, in fhort, their father's authority being now confiderably funk, this expedient was allowed to ferve as a lawful difpenfation for wearing their full proportion of filver fringe.

A while after, was revived an old fashion, long antiquated, of embroidery with Indian figures of men, wo men, and children *. Here they remembered but too well, how their father had always abhorred this fashion; that he made feveral paragraphs on purpose, importing his utter deteftation of it, and bestowing his everlafting eurfe to his fons, whenever they should wear it. For all this, in a few days, they appeared higher in the fashion than any body elfe in the town. But they folved the matter, by faying, that these figures were not at all the fame with thofe that were formerly worn, and were meant in the will. Besides, they did not wear them in the sense as forbidden by their father; but as they were a commendable custom, and of great ufe to the public. That thefe rigorous claufes in the will did therefore require fome allowance, and a favourable interpretation, and ought to be understood cum grano falis.

But fashions perpetually altering in that age, the fcholaftic brother grew weary of fearching farther eva fions, and folving everlafting contradictions. Refolved therefore, at all hazards, to comply with the modes of the world, they concerted matters together, and a

The images of faints, the blessed virgin, and our Saviour an infant.

Ibid. Images in the church of Rome give him but too fair a handle, The brothers remembered, &c. The allegory here is di rea. W. Wotton.

greed

greed unanimously, to lock up their father's will in a frong box, brought out of Greece or Italy, I have for gotten which; and trouble themselves no farther to examine it, but only refer to its authority whenever they thought fit. In confequence whereof, a while after, it grew a general mode to wear an infinite number of points, most of them tagged with filver. Upon which, the scholar pronounced ex cathedra +, that points were abfolutely jure paterno, as they might very well remembers true, indeed, the fashion prefcribed fomewhat more than were directly named in the will; however, that they, as heirs general of their father, had power to make and add certain clauses for public emolument, though not deducible, totidem vanbis, from the letter of the will; or elfe multa abfurda fequerentur. This was understood for canonical; and therefore on the following Sunday they came to church alb covered with points.

It is

The learned brother, for often mentioned, was reckoned the beft fcholar in all that, or the next street to it; infomuch, as having run fomething behind-hand in the world, he obtained the favour of a certain lord ‡, to receive him into his house, and to teach his children. A while after, the land died; and he, by long practice of his father's will, found the way of contriving a deed of conveyance of that houfe to himfelf and his heirs. Upon which he took poffeffion, turned the young 'fquires out, and received his brothers in their ftead.

SEOT.

The Papifts formerly forbad the people the ufe of fcripture in a vulgar tongue; Peter therefore locks up his father's will in a Strong box, brought out of Greece or Italy. Thefe countries are named, because the New Teftament is written in Greek; and the vulgar Latin, which is the authentic edition of the Bible in the Church of Rome, is in the language of old Italy. W. Watton.

The Popes, in their decretals and bulls, have given their fanetion to very many gainful do&rines, which are now received in the church of Rome, that are not mentioned in fcripture, and are unknown to the primitive church. Peter accordingly pronounces ex cathedra, that points tagged with filver were abfolutely jure paterno; and fo they wore them in great numbers. W. Wotton.

This was Conftantine the Great, from whom the Popes presend a donation of St. Peter's patrimony, which they have been never able to produce."

Ibid. The bishops of Rome enjoyed their privileges in Rome

at

SE C T. III.

A digreffion concerning critics *.

Although I have been hitherto as cautious as I could,

upon all occafions, moft nicely to follow the rules. and methods of writing laid down by the example of our illuftrious moderns; yet has the unhappy fhortness of my memory led me into an error, from which I mult extricate myfelf, before I can decently pursue my principal fubject. I confefs, with fhame, it was an unpardonable omiffion to proceed fo far as I have already done, before I had performed the due difcourfes, expoftulatory, fupplicatory, or deprecatory, with my good lords the critics. Towards fome atonement for this grievous neglect, I do here make humbly bold to prefent them with a fhort account of themselves and their art, by looking into the original and pedigree of the word, as it is generally understood among us, and very briefly confidering the ancient and prefent ftate thereof.

By the word critic, at this day so frequent in all converfations, there have fometimes been distinguished three very different fpecies of mortal men, according as I have read in ancient books and pamphlets. For, firit, by this term was understood fuch perfons as invented or drew up rules for themselves and the world by obferving which, a careful reader might be able to pronounce upon the productions of the learned, form his tafte to a true relish of the fublime and the admirable, and divide every beauty of matter or of style from the corruption that apes it in their common perufal of books, fingling out the errors and defects, the naufeous, the fulfome, the dull, and the impertinent, with the caution of a

first by the favour of the emperors, whom at laft they shut out of their own capital city, and then forged a donation from Conftantine the Great, the better to justify what they did. In imitation of this, Peter, having run fomething behind-hand in the world, obtained leave of a certain lord, &c. W. Wetton.

2

The feveral digreffions are written in ridicule of bad critics, dull commentators, and the whole fraternity of Grubstreet phi........., dofophers. Orrery

P

man