better, or would be more pleas'd to contribute any ways to your fatisfaction or fervice.

of page

my

col

third edi

I return you your Milton, which, upon lation, I find to be revised, and augmented, in feveral places, as the title tion pretends it to be. When I fee you next, I will fhew you the feveral paffages alter'd, and added by the author, befide what you mentioned to me.

I proteft to you, this laft perufal of him has given me fuch new degrees, I will not fay of pleasure but of admiration and aftonishment, that I look upon the fublimity of Homer, and the majefty of Virgil with fomewhat lefs reverence than I used to do. I challenge you, with all your partiality, to fhew me in the first of thefe any thing equal to the Allegory of Sin and Death, either as to the greatnefs and juftness of the invention, or the height and beauty of the colouring. What I look'd upon as a rant of Barrow's, I now begin to think a ferious truth, and could almoft venture to fet to it,

my

hand

Hæc quicunque legit, tantum ceciniffe putabit
Maoniden Ranas, Virgilium Culices.

But more of this when we meet.

the town the D. of Buckingham

When I left

continued for

ill that he receiv'd no meffages; oblige me fo

1

far

far as to let me know how he does; at the fame time I fhall know how you do, and that will be a double fatisfaction to

Your, &c.

I

LETTER IV.

MY LORD,

The Answer.

Nov. 20, 1717.

Am truly obliged by your kind condolence on my Father's death, and the defire you express that I should improve this incident to my advantage. I know your Lordship's friendship to me is fo extensive, that you include in that wish both my fpiritual and my temporal advantage; and it is what I owe to that friendship, to open my mind unreservedly to you on this head. It is true, I have loft a parent for whom no gains I could make would be any equivalent. But that was not my only tye: I thank God another still remains (and long may it remain) of the fame tender nature: Genitrix eft mibi---and excufe me if I fay with Euryalus,

nequeam lacrymas perferre parentis,

A rigid divine may call it a carnal tye, but fure it is a virtuous one: at least I am more certain

that it is a duty of nature to preferve a good parent's life and happiness, than I am of any fpeculative point whatever.

Ignaram bujus quodcunque pericli
Hanc ego, nunc, linquam?

For fhe, my Lord, would think this feparation more grievous than any other, and I, for my part, know as little as poor Euryalus did, of the fuccefs of fuch an adventure, (for an Adventure it is, and no fmall one, in spite of the most positive divinity.) Whether the change would be to my spiritual advantage, God only knows this I know, that I mean as well in the religion I now profefs, as I can poffibly ever do in another. Can a man who thinks fo, justify a change, even if he thought both equally good? To fuch an one, the part of Joyning with any one body of Chriftians might perhaps be easy, but I think it would not be so, to Renounce the other.

Your Lordship has formerly advis'd me to read the beft controverfies between the Churches. Shall I tell you a fecret? I did fo at fourteen years old, (for I loved reading, and my father had no other books) there was a collection of all that had been written on both fides in the reign of King James the fecond: I warm'd my head with them, and the confequence was, that I found

I

I found myself a Papist and a Proteftant by turns, according to the last book I read . am afraid most Seekers are in the fame cafe, and when they ftop, they are not fo properly converted, as out-witted. You fee 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 fo, if they did but talk enough together every day; and had nothing to do together, but to ferve God, and live in peace with their neighbour.

As to the temporal fide of the question, I can have no dispute 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 myfelf to fancy, what I think you do but fancy, that I have any talents for active life, I want heaith for it; and besides it is a real truth, I have lefs Inclination (if poffible) than Ability. Contemplative life is not only my fcene, 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 Am

This is an admirable de- | principles on which a right fcription of every Reader la- judgment of the points in bouring in religious contro- queftion is to be regulated. verfy, without poffeffing the

bition: 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 fentiments in a few words. In my politics, I think no further than how to preferve 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 mustbe by greater inftruments than I am. I am not a Papist, for I renounce the temporal invafions of the Papal power, and deteft their arrogated authority over Princes and States. I am a Catholic in the ftrictest sense of the word. If I was born under an abfolute prince, I would be a quict subject; 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 fee are not a Roman 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 Ma

jesties;