religion; as he mentions a Carthagenian council, about A. D. 400, when even the bishops were prohibited from reading the works of the heathen writers. He shows, that had that infamous and barbarous resolution been thoroughly executed, as it was, to a considerable degree, to what a depth of meanness it would have reduced the world, depriving it of so many inimitable historians, orators, philosophers, and poets; the repositories of inestimable treasures, consisting of warlike and heroic deeds, the best and wisest rules of government, the most perfect rules and examples of eloquence and politeness, and such divine lectures of wisdom and virtue, that the loss of CICERO'S works alone, or those of LIVY, could not be repaired by all the fathers of the church. He proceeds to show, that where, in process of time, the clergy were exalted even above the chief magistrate himself, they burnt and destroyed every thing which did not favour their power or superstition; and laid a restraint upon reading, as well as upon writing, without excepting the very BIBLE. Nor did they stop in their course till the inquisition reduced this abominable practice to the perfection of an art, by expurgatory indexes and licensing. He then shows, that all the consequences of such tyranny had been produced in England, such as depriving men of their natural liberty, stifling their parts, introducing of igno

rance, engrossing all advantages to one party, and the like; and that all these objections had been made by the Presbyterians against the prelates before the civil wars; but now, finding themselves in the bishops' pulpits, and possessed of their power, they exercised the same authority, and even with more intolerable rigour and severity. Then, after having given the history of the origin, progress, and mischief of licensing, he proves, that if we regard the reasons usually alleged, to prohibit the publishing of any books besides, on the subjects he first excepted, such as the fear of wresting, or mistaking their meaning, then we must be prohibited from reading the Bible, the Fa· thers, or almost any other sort of books. He then, in the second place, shows that the ends proposed by licensing the press, could not by that means be attained. In the third place he contends, that no man is fit to be a licenser, nor in any one singlefaculty, unless he is universally learned, or a better scholar than all the authors whose labours he is to licence; and that admitting these things to be possible, which he did not grant, he would neither find strength nor time enough to peruse all books; and should he use deputies, he was most likely to have ignorant, lazy, and mercenary fellows. He then points out the various discouragements which follow to all literature, and any new discoveries which is the pretence, in po

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pish countries, and even to the not re-printing of ancient authors in any language, and comes to the conclusion, that licensing is both unjust in itself, and dishonourable to a free government. He exposes this practice with all the felicity of language, by a number of different representations. "A man," says he, may be an heretic in the truth; and if he believes only because his pastor says so, or the Assembly' so determines, without knowing any other reason, though his belief be true, yet the very truth he holds becomes his heresy. There is not any burden that some would gladlier put off to another, than the charge and care of their religion. Who knows not that there be some Protestants who live in as arrant implicit faith as any lay papist of Loretto? A wealthy man, addicted to his pleasures and his profits, finds religion to be a traffic so entangled, and of so many piddling accounts, that of all mysteries he cannot bear to keep a stock going upon that trade; what does he therefore, but resolves to give over toiling, and to find out some factor, to whose care and credit he may commit the whole management of his religious affairs, and that must be some divine of note and estimation! To him he adheres, resigns the whole warehouse of his religion, with all the locks and keys, into his custody, and indeed makes the very person of that man his religion, esteem his associating with him a suffi

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cient evidence and commendation of his own piety; so that a man may say his religion is now no more within himself, but is become a dividual moveable, and goes and comes near him as that good man frequents the house. He entertains him, gives him gifts, feasts him, lodges him; his religion comes home at night, prays, is liberally supped, and sumptuously laid to sleep; rises, and is saluted, and (after the malmsy, or some well-spiced beverage, and better breakfasted than he whose morning appetite would have gladly fed on green figs between Bethany and Jerusalem,) his religion walks abroad at eight, and leaves his kind entertainer in the shop, trading all day without his religion!

"Nor much better will be the consequence among the clergy themselves. It is no new thing, never heard of before, for a parochial minister who has his reward, and is at his Hercules Pillars in a warm benefice, to be easily inclinable (if he has nothing else to rouse up his studies) to finish his circuit in an English concordance, and a Topic folio. The gatherings and sayings of a sober graduateship, a harmony, and a Catina, treading the constant round of certain common doctrinal heads, attended with their uses, motives, marks, and means; out of which, as out of an alphabet, or sol fa mi, by forming and transforming, joining and disjoining variously, a

little book-craft, and two hours' meditation, he might furnish himself unspeakably to the performance of more than a weekly charge of sermoning; not to reckon up the infinite helps of interlinearies, breviaries, cynopses, and other loitering gear. But, as for the multitude of sermons already printed on every text that is not difficult, he need never fear penury of pulpit provision; yet if his rear and flanks be not inspected, if his back-door be not secured by the rigid Licenser, but that a bold book may now and then issue forth, and give an assault to some of his old collections in their trenches, it will concern him to keep waking, to stand in watch, to set good guards and centinels about his received opinions, to walk the round and counterround with his fellow-inspectors, fearing lest any of his flock be seduced, who also then would be better instructed, better exercised and disciplined: and God send that the fear of this diligence, which must then be used, do not make us effect the laziness of a licensing church.'

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The following burst of noble eloquence is perhaps unrivalled in sublimity of thought and adaptedness of words :-" Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks methinks I see her as an eagle mewing