acquaints us with the Reason of it, viz. their being born Sinners: But what Crimes can Beafts have committed by Birth, to be fubject to Evils fo very cruel? What are we then to think (p. 19.) of the horrible Exceffes of Miferies undergone by Beafts? Miferies, indeed, far greater than thofe of Men. This is in any other Syftem an incomprehenfible Mystery; whereas nothing is more eafy to be conceived from the Syftem I propofe. The rebellious Spirits deferve a Punishment ftill more rigorous, and happy it is for them that their Punishment is deferred; in a Word, God's Goodness is vindicated, Man himself is juftified: For what Right can we have without Neceffity, and often in the way of mere Diverfion, to take away the Life of Millions of Beafts, if God had not authorized us fo to do? And Beafts being as fenfible as ourfelves of Pain and Death, how could a juft and merciful God have given Man that Privilege, if they were not fo many guilty Victims of the Divine Vengeance?

But hear fill fomething more convincing, and of greater Confequence: Beafts, by Nature, are extremely vicious. We know well that they never fin, because they are not. free; but this is the only Condition wanting to make them Sinners. The voracious Birds and Beafts of Prey are cruel: Many Infects of one and the fame Species devour each other. Cats are perfidious and ungrateful, Monkeys are mischievous, Dogs are envious. All Beafts in general are jealous and revengeful to Excess; not to mention many other Vices we obferve in them; and at the fame time that they are by Nature fo very vicious, they have, fay we, neither the Liberty, nor any Helps, to refift the Bias that hurries them into fo many bad Actions. They are, according to the Schools, neceffitated

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to do Evil, to difconcert the general Order, to commit whatever is in Nature most contrary to the Notion we have of natural Justice, and to the Principles of Virtue. What Monsters are thefe, in a World originally created for Order and Justice to reign in? This is, in good part, what formerly perfuaded the Manicheans, that there were of Neceffity two Orders of Things, one good, and the other bad; and that Beafts were not the Work of. the good Principle. A monftrous Error! But how then fhall we believe that Beafts came out of the Hands of their Creator with Qualities fo very ftrange? If Man is fo very wicked and corrupt, it is because he has himself through Sin perverted the happy Nature God had given him at his Formation. Of two Things then we muft fay one: Either that God has taken Delight in making Beafts fo vicious as they are, and of giving us in them Models of what is most shameful in the World; or that they have, like Man, original Sin, which has perverted their primi

tive Nature.

The first of thefe Propofitions finds very difficult Accefs to the Mind, and is an exprefs Contradiction to the Holy Scriptures; which fay, that whatever came out of God's Hands, at the Time of the Creation of the World, was good, yea, very good. What Good can there be in a Monkey's being fo very mischievous, a Dog fo full of Envy, a Cat fo malicious? But then many Authors have pretended, that Beasts, before Man's Fall, were different from what they are now; and that it was in order to punish Man, that they are rendered fo wicked: But this Opinion is a mere Suppofition, of which there is not the leaft Footstep in Holy Scripture. It is a pitiful Subterfuge to elude a real Difficulty; this at most might be faid f the Beafts, with whom Man has a fort of Correspond

ence, but not at all of the Birds, Fishes, and Infects, which have no Manner of Relation to him. We must then have recourfe to the fecond Propofition, That the Nature of Beafts has, like that of Man, been corrupted by fome original Sin: Another Hypothefis, void of Foundation, and equally inconfiftent with Reason and Religion, in all the Systems which have been hitherto espoused concerning the Soul of Beafts. What Party are we to take? Why, admit of my Syftem, and all is explained. The Souls of Beafts are refractory Spirits, which have made themfelves guilty towards God. The Sin in Beafts is no original Sin, it is a perfonal Crime, which has corrupted and perverted their Nature in its whole Subfance; hence all the Vices and Corruption we obferve in them, though they can be no longer criminal, because God, by irrecoverably reprobating them, has, at the fame time, divested them of their Liberty.

You have here, Madam, a full View of our Author's Hypothefis, the rest being nothing but Flourish and Trifle, idle Anfwers to idle Objections, upon a Suppofition that his Scheme is demonstrably certain. And is it not a choice one, to answer fo many Purpofes, and folve fo many Difficulties in Philosophy and Scripture, and reconcile fo many apparent Contradictions in Reafon and Religion! Does not your very Heart recoil at the monstrous Thought? Can you view it in any Light without Abhorrence and Averfion. It was a juft Cenfure of a very great Man upon Des Carte's Philofophy, that if he were at a lofs for Reasons to oppose his Doctrine, that Brutes were mere Machines; this alone would be a fufficient Proof to himself, that it was making a Fest of fo great a Part of the Creation: But this Author has exceeded him

him with a Vengeance! Inftead of making a Fest, he has made them Devils; and in the Management of his Argument, there is fuch a Confusion of Sentiments, fuch a Jumble of Light and Darknefs, Truth and Error, Reason and Imagination, that one knows not where to begin, or in what Order to proceed, how to difentangle Truth from Error, to feparate the Precious from the Vile, to distinguish the cool Dictates of Reafon and Philofophy, from the wild Flights of Imagination and Fancy. To follow him through all his Excurfions, would be an endless and ufelefs Undertaking. Our best and shortest Way will be to examine the Goodness of the Foundation, and fee whether there be any Ground in Scripture or Reafon to support so monftrous a Superftructure; if not, it must fall to the Ground, and leave Room for a just and uniform Structure upon folid and lasting Foundations; which, if you approve of this, fhall be the Subject of a fecond Letter.

In the mean time, Madam, I affure myfelf, you will be in no Pain about the Event, You are too well acquainted with the Language and Genius of that lively Nation, as not to know that they have Gasconades in Philofophy, as well as in Gallantry, Romance, and Politics: You are bleffed with an Understanding too good to be imposed upon by vain Pretences to Reafon and Philofophy; you can eafily diftinguish betwixt empty Sounds, and folid Senfe; betwixt the wanton Sallies of a luxuriant Fancy, and the fevere Conclufions of Truth and Juftice. You have a Firmness of Mind, too great to be moved by the vain Terrors of a frighted Imagination, waich are too often the Curfe of weak and little Minds. Continue

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tinue, therefore, your wonted Care and Affection for your innocent Domestics; they look up to you for their Support; from your Hand they receive the flender Provisions of Life, without murmuring or repining, which they endeavour to repay with the fincereft Gratitude, the most faithful Services, and unfeigned Affections, that their Natures are capable of: If you are pleased, they rejoice with you: Do you caress them? they are transported with Pleasure. Do you frown? they tremble. Do you chide or punish them? they endeavour to appease you by the moft humble Proftration and Submiffion. Do not many of them discover more Gratitude, Sincerity, nay, I had almost faid Virtue, than many of their Mafters, who value themselves upon the Refinements of their Reason, the Improvements of their Understandings, and nice Senfe of Honour? Are they wretched as well as we? Are they exposed with us to the unavoidable Calamities of Life? They are not wretched through their own Faults; they are not the Authors of their own Mifery: They (as well as we) are made fubject to Vanity, but they not willingly, by a voluntary Abuse of their proper Faculties, but are, by a Neceffity of Nature, involved in the Guilt and Condemnation of their rebellious, attainted, natural Lord and Sovereign. Rom. viii. 20.

If you are not displeased with the Subject, tired with the Length, or difgufted with the Manner of this tedious Epistle, I fhall quickly do myself the Honour to fend you fome further Confiderations upon the fame Subject.

I am, with great Refpect, Madam,

Your most humble Servant,