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FREE THOUGHTS

UPON THE

BRUTE-CREATION.

LETTER I.

MADAM,

I

DARE fay you have made many a merry Reflection upon the good Company and Conversation we lately enjoyed at B-ton; for my own part, I can never think of it without laughing.

Me

thinks I hear my little Doctor pouring forth all his Rhetoric and Logic upon an abftrufe Question, which I was fure he had not Capacity enough to understand. I fee, and hear, and admire, his modeft Affurance, uncapable of Contradiction, affirming without Proof, and concluding without Premises, that all the Animal Functions and Operations of the Brute-Creation (which

different

different Philofophers had afcribed to different Caufes, fuch as Mechanifm, Inftinct, fubftantial Forms, &c.) were intirely owing to the Operation of evil Spirits, who are the moving Principle in every one of them.

this Thought was quite new to me, and perfectly oppofite to all the Sentiments I had ever entertained upon that Queftion, I could not for my Life imagine where he had picked up this new Philofophy, which had almost frighted fome of the Company out of their Senfes. I fhall never forget the puzzled afflicted Face of the honeft Juftice, who, though a very good Proteftant, and, in all other Refpects, of blameless Life and Conversation, had spent so many Years in following a Pack of Devils, which he had innocently mistaken for a Pack of harmless Beagles.-But the whimsical Distresses of the poor Ladies gave me no finall Diversion. Sweet Mifs Jenny, who has lavished away more Kiffes upon her favourite Cat, than fhe would beftow upon the best Man in the Parish, felt fome Compunction within herself, that fhe had been wantonly, and almoft maliciously, throwing away thofe Careffes upon an evil Spirit, which many a good Christian would have been glad of. Dear Mifs Harriot had the fame Regret for her beloved Monkey, and poor Dolly for her Parrot; and refolved, one and all, never to hold Commerce or Correfpondence with evil Spirits for the future, in whatever amiable Shape or Figure they might appear; which, I apprehend, could end in nothing less than an intire Destruction of ` all the favourite Domeftics of the Family; whilst you, with a chearful Composure of Mind and Countenance, infeparable from Good-nature and good Senfe, fat finiling at the empty Harangue of the

Orator,

Orator, and the fantastical Sufferings of the Audience.

Well! home I went, full of this abfurd, unphilofophical Scheme, wondering how my learned Friend, who, with very moderate Talents, affects to be thought a very great Scholar, and profound Philosopher, could ever fall into this uncommon Way of Thinking. But as I chanced, a few Days after, to ftrole into a Bookseller's Shop, I fpied a little Pamphlet lying upon the Counter, intitled, A Philofophical Amusement, concerning the Language of Birds and Beafts. Written originally in French by Father Bougeant, d learned Jefuit, &c. I quickly perceived where my learned Friend had picked up his new Philofophy, from what Fountain all this profound Erudition was drawn. The honest Man has a very prepofterous Ambition to be famous; and as he is conscious that he has no Chance to attain any Degree of Distinction from the proper and regular Ufe of his intellectual Faculties, he therefore attempts a nearer Cut to Fame, by engaging the Attention of the Unlearned to fomething that has a new and marvellous Appearance: This has given him an Itch after Novelty, and an Affection for uncommon Notions, more than common Senfe. No Wonder, therefore, he was immediately ftruck with this furprising Sentiment, which he refolved to put off at the next Tea-table for his own, affuring himself that neither the Ladies, nor myfelf (whofe Obfcurity he heartily defpifes) fhould ever find him out, but admire him for a moft profound Philofopher. I took my Pamphlet home with me, and read it over and over, with the greated Care and Candour; and, upon the whole, muft needs fay, that I never fhould have VOL. I.

M

fufpected

fufpected the Author (if he had not told us fo himfelf) to be a Jefuit, much less a famous Jefuit. He has done no Credit to his Order; the Gentlemen of that Society owe him but little Thanks; they generally acquit themselves much better upon any Subject they undertake. He has treated a noble Subject loosely and fuperficially, to fay no worfe; for I might add idly and profanely; and, had I been his proper Superior, I fhould have changed his Confinement at La Fleche, for a more proper Habitation at Morefields.

But this (fay you) is libelling without Proof, condemning at Random: Let us come to Particulars; make good your Charge; fhew us, if you can, the Defects of his Scheme, and try if you can strike us out a better.

With all my Heart, Madam. But before I proceed to a more particular Examination of his Scheme, I must freely acknowledge, that there are a great many just and sprightly Things fcattered up and down through his whole Performance; but favouring more of the Vivacity of the Frenchman, than the Piety and Solidity of a Christian Philosopher. He juftly and fmartly ridicules the unintelligible Trumpery of Me-. chanifm, Instinct, fubftantial Forms, and what not, of Ariftotelian and Cartefian Philofophy, which, like occult Qualities, are hard Words without a Meaning, intended only as a thin Difguife for Ignorance and Affectation: But what has he advanced in the room of them? Why fomething equally abfurd, but not equally innocent; fomething fhocking to a Philofopher, and offenfive to a Chriftian, in direct Contradiction to Reafon and Revelation, as I fhall endeavour to make appear. Nor is he lefs offenfive in Point of Delicacy;

3

Delicacy; his Ideas and Sentiments are often fo low, his Images fo indecent, his Expreffions so coarse, as could hardly be expected from a polite Frenchman and an Ecclefiaftic to a fine Lady, whom, at the same time, he feems to confider as a Perfon of Difcernment and Diftinction. Let us now follow him his own Way. His first Chapter is,

Of the Understanding of Brutes.

He begins with this Question: Have Brutes any Understanding? I am convinced (fays he) that you will not fo much as hesitate upon this Question; fairly prefuming fhe would answer in the Affirmative; and as I dare venture to affirm that his fair Correspondent had not a better Understanding than mine, I will venture to presume the fame for you. An Understanding they certainly have of fuch a Kind or Degree at leaft, as is fufficient for their State and Rank in the univerfal System, and the several Duties and Offices for which they were intended by their Creator. Lefs than this, I think, cannot be faid, and who prefumes to fay more? Though I have known many an honeft Fellow that made a good Figure in his Neighbourhood, who yet has hardly discovered more Reason, a better Understanding, or half so much Virtue as the Beaft he rode on. Take any Man of a plain natural good Understanding, without the Prejudices of Philofophy, and propofe the fame Question to him; I dare fay he would stare at you, and think you were bantering him; or, if he thought you were in carneft, he would not fo much as demur upon it. In fhort, however we may affect to puzzle ourselves or others