not fo properly converted, as out-witted. You see how little glory you would gain by my converfion. And after all, I verily believe your Lordship and I are both of the fame religion, if we were thoroughly understood by one another, and that all honeft and reasonable christians would be so, if they did but talk enough to gether every day; and had nothing to do together, but to serve God, and live in peace with their neighbour. As to the temporal fide of the question, I can have no difpute with you; it is certain, all the beneficial circumftances of life, and all the fhining ones, lie on the part you would invite me to. But if I could bring myself to fancy, what I think you do but fancy, that I have any talents for active life, I want health for it; and befides it is a real truth, I have lefs Inclination (if poffible) than Ability. Contemplative life is not only my scene, but it is my habit too. I begun my life where moft people end theirs, with a dif-relish of all that the world ́calls Ambition: I don't know why 'tis called fo, for to me it always feem'd to be rather stooping than climbing. I'll tell you my politic and religious fentiinents in a few words. In my politics, I think no further than how to preserve the peace of my life, in any government under which I live; nor in my religion, than to preserve the peace of my confcience, in any church with which I communicate. I hope all churches and all governments are so far of God, as they are rightly understood, and rightly adminiftred: and where they are, or may be wrong, I leave it to God alone to mend or reform them; which whenever he does, it must be by greater inftruments than I am. I am not a Papist, for I renounce the temporal invasions of the Papal power, and detest their arrogated authority over Princes and States. I am a Catholic in the stricteft fenfe of the word. If I was born under an abfolute prince, I would be a quiet fub* ject; but I thank God I was not. I have a due fenfe of the excellence of the British conftitution. In a word, the things I have always wifhed to see are not a Romant Catholic, or a French Catholic, or a Spanish Catholic, but a true Catholic: and not a King of Whigs, or a King of Tories, but a King of England. Which God of his mercy grant his prefent Majefty may be, and all future Majefties: You fee, my Lord, I end-like a preacher this is Sermo ad Clerum, not ad Popu lum. ^ Believe me, with infinite obligation and fincere thanks, ever Your, &c. I the volumes of av infances Hope you have fome time ago receiv'd the Sulphur; fmall ones foever) that I wish you both health and dis verfion. What I now fend for your perufal, I fhall fay nothing of; not to foreftall by a fingle word what you promis'd to faynpon that fubject. Your Lordship may criticife from Virgil to thefe Tales; as Solomon wrote of every thing from the cedar to the hyffop. I have fome caufe, fince I laft waited on you at Bromley, to look upon you as a prophet in that retreat, from whom oracles are to be had, were mankind wife enough to go thither to consult you :The fate of the South-fea Sche me has, much fooner than I expected, verify'd what you told me. Most people thought the time would come, but no man prepared for it; no man confidered it would come like a Thief in the Night, exactly as it hap pens in the cafe of our death. Methinks God has pu nifh'd the avaricious, as he often punishes finners, in their own way, in the very fin itself: the thirst of gain was their crime, that thirst continued became their pus nishment and ruin. As for the few who have the good fortune, to remain with half of what they imagined they had (among whom is your humble fervant) I would ha ve them fenfible of their felicity, and convinced of the truth of old Hefiod's maxim, who, after half his estate was fwallowed by the Directors of those days, refolv❜d, that half to be more than the whole. Does not the fate of thefe people put you in mind of two paffages, one în Job the other from the Pfalmift? Men Shall groan out of the CITY, and hifs them out of their PLACE. They have dreamed out their dream, and awakening have found nothing in their hands. Indeed the univerfal poverty, which is the confequen. ce of univerfal avarice, and which will fall hardest upon the guiltless and induffrious part of mankind, is truly lamentable. The univerfal deluge of the S. Sea, contrary to the old deluge, has drowned all except a few Unrighteous men but it is fome comfort to me that-I am not one of them; even tho' I were to furvive and rule the world by it. I am much pleas'd with a thought of Dr. Arbuthnot's; he fays the government and South 1 Sea company have only lock'd up the money of the peo ple, upon conviction of their Lunacy (as is ufual in the cafe of Lunatics) and intend to restore them as inuch as may be fit for fuch people, as fast as they fhall fee them return to their senses. The latter part of your letter does me fo much ho nour, and fhews me fo much kindness, that I muft both be proud and pleas'd, in a great degree; but I affure you, , my Lord, much more the laft than the first. For I certainly know, and feel, from my own heart which truly respects you, that there may be a ground for your partiality, one way; but I find not the leaft fymptoms in my head, of any foundation for the other. In a word, the best reason I know for my being pleas'd, is, that you continue your favour toward me; the best I know for being proud, would be that you might cure me of it; for I have found you to be fuch a phyfi. cian as does not only repair, but improve. I am, with the fincereft efteem, and moft grateful acknow ledgement, Your, &c. LETTER VI. From the Bishop of ROCHESTER. HE Arabian Tales, and Mr. Gay's books, I re THE ceiv'd not till Monday night, together with your letter; for which I thank you. I have had a fit of the gout upon me ever fince I returned hither from Westminfter on Saturday night laft: it has found its way into my hands as well as legs, so that I have been ut terly incapable of writing. This is the first letter that I have ventured upon; which will be written, I fear, vacillantibus literis, as, Tully fays, Tyro's letters were, after his Recovery from an illness. What I faid to you in mine about the Monument, was intended only to quicken, not to alarm you. It is not worth your while to know what I meant by it: but when I fee you, you Thall. I hope you may be at the Deanry, towards the end of October, by which time, I think of fettling there for the winter. What do you think of fome fuch fhort inscription as this in latin, which may, in a few words, fay all that is to be faid of Dryden, and yet nothing more than he deferves? 10 HANNI DRYDENIO, CVI POESIS ANGLICANA VIM SVAM AC VENERES DEBET; ET SIQVA IN POSTERVM AVGEBITVR LAVDE. EST ADHVC DEBITVRA: HONORIS ERGO P. &c. To fhew you that I am as much in carnest in the affair, as you yourself, something I will fend you too of this kind in English. If your design holds of fixing Dryden's name only below, and his Buíto above not lines like these be grav'd just under the name? A may This Sheffield rais'd, to Dryden's askes just, |