,,an ,,enquiry ,,into ,,the ,,origin    
,,of ,,honour ,,and ,the ,usefulness of 
,,christianity ,,in ,,war4  ,by the     
,author of the ,,fable of the ,,bees4   
,bernard ,mandeville   ,,the ,,preface4 
,i take it for granted1 that a          
,christian is not bound to believe any  
,thing to have been of ,divine          
,institution1 that has not been declared
 to be such in ,holy ,writ4 ,yet great  
,offence has been taken at an ,essay1 in
 the ,first ,part of the ,fable of the  
,bees1 call'd ,an ,enquiry into the     
,origin of ,moral ,virtue2              
notwithstanding the great ,caution it is
 wrote with4 ,since then1 it is thought 
,criminal to surmise1 that even ,heathen
 ,virtue was of ,human ,invention1 and  
the ,reader1 in the following           
,dialogues1 will find me to persist in  
the ,opinion1 that it was2 ,i beg his   
,patience to peruse what ,i have to say 
for my self on this ,head1 which is all 
,i shall trouble him with here4  ,the   
,word ,morality is either synonimous    

with ,virtue1 or signifies that ,part of
 ,philosophy1 which treats of it1 and   
teaches the ,regulation of ,manners2 and
 by the ,words ,moral ,virtue1 ,i mean  
the same ,thing which ,i believe ,every 
body else does4 ,i am likewise fully    
persuaded that to govern our selves     
according to the ,dictates of ,reason1  
is far better than to indulge the       
,passions without ,stop or ,controul1   
and consequently that ,virtue is more   
beneficial than ,vice1 not only for the 
,peace and real ,happiness of ,society  
in general1 but likewise for the        
,temporal ,felicity of every individual 
,member of it1 abstract from thee       
,consideration of a future ,state1 ,i am
 moreover convinced1 that all wise ,men 
ever were and ever will be of this      
,opinion2 and ,i shall never oppose ,any
 body1 who shall be pleased to call this
 an ,eternal ,truth4  ,having allow'd   
and own'd thus much1 ,i beg ,leave to   
make a short ,grammatical ,reflection on
 the ,sounds or ,letters we make use of 

to express this rational ,management of 
ourselves3 ,for tho' the ,truth of its  
,excellency is ,eternal1 the ,words     
,moral ,virtue themselves are not so1   
any more than ,speech or ,man himself4  
,permit me therefore to enquire which   
,way it is most probably1 they must have
 come into the ,world4  ,the ,word      
,moral1 without ,doubt1 comes from ,mos1
 and signifies every ,thing that relates
 to ,manners3 ,the ,word ,ethick is     
synonimous with ,moral1 and is derived  
from ,greek3 ithik1 which is exactly the
 same in ,greek1 that ,mos is in ,latin4
 ,the ,greek for ,virtu1 is ,greek3     
arete1 which is derived from ,greek3    
ares1 the ,god of ,war and properly     
signifies ,martial ,virtue4 ,the same   
,word in ,latin1 if we believe ,cicero1 
comes from ,vir2 and the genuine        
,signification likewise of the ,word    
,virtus is ,fortitude4 ,it is hardly to 
be conceived1 but that in the first     
,forming of all ,societies1 there must  
have been ,struggles for ,superiority2  

and therefore it is reasonable to       
imagine1 that in all the ,beginnings of 
,civil ,government1 and the ,infancy of 
,nations1 ,strength and ,courage must   
have been the most valuable             
,qualifications for some ,time4 ,this   
makes me think1 that ,virtus1 in its    
first ,acceptation1 might1 with great   
,justice and ,propriety1 be in ,english 
render'd ,manliness2 which fully        
expresses the ,original ,meaning of it1 
and shews the ,etymology equally with   
the ,latin2 and whoever is acquainted   
with that ,language must know1 that it  
was some ages before the ,romans used it
 in any other ,sense4 ,nay1 to this     
,day1 the ,word ,virtus by it self1 in  
any of their ,historians1 has the same  
,signification1 as if the ,word ,bellica
 had been added4 ,we have ,reason to    
think1 that1 as ,first1 ,nothing was    
meant by ,virtus1 but ,daring and       
,intrepidity1 right or wrong2 or else if
 could never have been made to signify  
,savageness1 and brutish ,courage2 as   

,tacitus1 in the ,fourth ,book of his   
,history1 makes use of it manifestly in 
that ,sense4 ,even ,wild ,beasts1 says  
he1 if you keep them shut up1 will lose 
their ,fierceness4 ,etiam sera animalia1
 si clausa teneas1 virtutis             
obliviseuntur4  ,what the ,great ,men of
 ,rome valued themselves upon was active
 and passive ,bravery1 ,warlike ,virtue1
 which is so strongly express'd in the  
,words of ,livy3 ,et facere  pati fortia
 ,romanum est4 ,but besides the         
,consideration of the great ,service1   
,all ,warriours received from this      
,virtue1 there is a very good ,reason in
 the ,nature of the ,thing it self1 why 
it should be in far higher ,esteem than 
any other4 ,the ,passion it has to      
struggle with1 is the most violent and  
stubborn1 and consequently the hardest  
to be conquer'd1 the ,fear of ,death3   
,the least ,conflict with it is harsh   
,work1 and a difficult ,task2 and it is 
in ,regard to this1 that ,cicero1 in his
 ,offices1 calls ,modesty1 ,justice and 

,temperance1 the softer and easier      
,virtues4 ,qui virtutibus bis lenioribus
 erit ornatus1 modestia1 justitia       
temperantia1 c4 ,justice and ,temperance
 require ,professors as grave and       
solemnn1 and demand as much ,strictness 
and ,observance as any other ,virtues4  
,why lenioribus then2 but that they are 
more mild and gentle in the ,restrain   
they lay upon our ,inclinations1 and    
that the ,self-denial they require is   
more practicable and less mortifying    
than that of ,virtue itself1 as it is   
taken in it proper and genuine ,sense8  
,to be ,just or ,temperate1 we have     
,temptations to encounter1 and          
,difficulties to surmount1 that are     
troublesome3 ,but the ,efforts we are   
oblig'd to make upon our selves to be   
truyly ,valiant are infinitely greater2 
and1 in order to it1 we are overcome the
 ,first1 the strongest and most lasting 
,passion1 that has been implanted in us2
 for tho' we may hate and have ,aversion
 to many ,things by ,instinct1 yet this 

is ,nothing so generally terrible1 and  
so generally dreadful to all ,creatures1
 rational or not rational1 as the       
,dissolution of their ,being4  ,upon due
 ,consideration of what has been said1  
it will be easy to imagine how and why1 
soon after ,fortitude had been honoured 
with the ,name of ,virtue1 all the other
 ,branches of ,conquest over our selves 
were dignify'd with the same ,title4 ,we
 may see in it likewise the ,reason of  
what ,i have always so strenuously      
insisted upon1 viz4 ,that no ,practice1 
no ,action or good ,quality1 how useful 
or beneficial soever they may be in them
 selves1 can ever deserve the ,name of  
,virtue1 strictly speaking1 where there 
is not a palpable ,self-denial to be    
seen4 ,in ,tract of ,time1 the ,sense of
 the ,word ,virtus received still a     
grated ,latitude2 and it signify'd      
,worth1 ,strength1 ,authority1 and      
,goodness of all ,kinds3 ,plautus makes 
use of it1 for ,assistance4 ,virtute    
,dem1 by the ,help of the ,gods4 ,by    

,degrees it was applied not only to     
,brutes1 ,est in juveneis1 est in equis 
patrum ,virtus1 but likewise to ,things 
inanimate and was made ,use of to       
express the ,power1 and peculiar        
,qualities of ,vegetables and ,minerals 
of all ,sorts1 as it continues to be to 
this ,day4 ,the ,virtue of the          
,loadstone1 the ,virtue of ,opium1 c4   
,it is highly probable1 that the ,word  
,moral1 either in ,greek or ,latin1     
never was thought of before the         
,signification of the ,word ,virtue had 
been extended so far beyond its         
,original2 and then in speaking of the  
,virtues of our ,species1 the ,addition 
of that ,epithet became necessary1 to   
denote the ,relation they had to our    
,manners1 and distinguish them from the 
,properties and ,efficacy of ,plants1   
,stones1 c4 which were likewise call'd  
,virtues4  ,if ,i am wrong1 ,i shall be 
glad to see a better ,account1 how this 
,adjective and ,substantive came to be  
join'd together4 ,in the mean ,time1 ,i 

am very sure1 that this is ,nothing     
strain'd or forc'd in my ,supposition4  
,that the ,words1 in ,tract of ,time1   
are be come of greater ,importance1 ,i  
don't deny4 ,the ,words ,clown and      
,villain have opprobrious ,meanings     
annex'd to them1 that were never implied
 in ,colonus and ,villanus1 from which  
they were undoubtedly derived4 ,moral1  
for ought ,i know1 may now signify      
,virtue1 in the same ,manner and for the
 same ,reason1 that ,panic signifies    
,fear4  ,that this ,conjecture or       
,opinion of mine1 should be detracting  
from the ,dignity of ,moral ,virtue1 or 
have a ,tendency to bring it into       
,disrepute1 ,i can not see4 ,i have     
already own'd1 that it ever was and ever
 will be preferable to ,vice1 in the    
,opinion of all wise ,men4 ,but to call 
,virtue it self ,eternal1 can not be    
done without a strangely ,figurative    
,way of ,speaking4 ,there is no ,doubt1 
but all ,mathematical ,truths are       
,eternal1 yet they are taught2 and some 

of them are very abstruse1 and the      
,knowledge of them never was acquir'd   
without great ,labour and ,depth of     
,thought4 ,euclid had his ,merit2 and it
 does not appear that the ,doctrine of  
the ,fluxions was known before ,sir     
,isaac ,newton discover'd that concise  
,way of ,computation2 and it is not     
impossible that there should be another 
,method1 as yet unknown1 still more     
compendious1 that may not be found out  
these ,thousand ,years4  ,all           
,propositions1 not confin'd to ,time or 
,place1 that are once true1 must be     
always so2 even in the silliest and most
 abject ,things in the ,world2 as for   
,example1 ,it is wrong to under-roast   
,mutton for ,people who love to have    
their ,meat well done4 ,the ,truth of   
this1 which is the most trifling ,thing 
,i can readily think on1 is as much     
,eternal1 as that of the ,sublimest     
,virtue4 ,if you ask me1 where this     
,truth was1 before there was ,mutton1 or
 ,people to dress or eat it1 ,i answer1 

in the same ,place where ,chastity was1 
before there were any ,creatures that   
had an ,appetite to procreate their     
,species4 ,this puts me in mind of the  
inconsiderate ,zeal of some ,men1 who   
even in ,metaphysicks1 know not how to  
think abstractly1 and cannot forebear   
mixing their own ,meanness and          
,imbecillities1 with the ,idea's they   
form of the ,supreme ,being4  ,there is 
no ,virtue that has a ,name1 but it     
curbs1 regulates1 or subdues some       
,passion that is peculiar to ,humane    
,nature2 and therefore to say1 that ,god
 has all the ,virtues in the highest    
,perfection1 wants as much the ,apology1
 that it is an ,expression accommodated 
to vulgar ,capacities1 as that he has   
,hands and ,feet1 and is angry4 ,for as 
,god has not a ,body1 nor any ,thing    
that is ,corporeal belonging to his     
,essence1 so he is entirely free from   
,passions and ,fralities4 ,with what    
,propriety then can we attribute any    
,thing to him that was invented1 or at  

least signifies a ,strength or ,ability 
to conquer or govern ,passions and      
,fralities8 ,the ,holiness of ,god1 and 
all his ,perfections1 as well as the    
,beatitude he exists in1 belong to his  
,nature2 and there is no ,virtue but    
what is acquired4 ,it signifies ,nothing
 to add1 that ,god has those ,virtues in
 the highest ,perfection2 let them be   
what they will1 as to ,perfection1 they 
must still be ,virtues2 which1 for the  
aforesaid ,reasons1 it is impertinent to
 ascribe to the ,diety4 ,our ,thoughts  
of ,god should be as worthy of him as we
 are able to frame them2 and as they can
 not be adequate to his ,greatness1 so  
they oughts at least to be abstract from
 every ,thing that does or can belong to
 silly1 reptile ,man3 ,and it is        
sufficient1 whenever we venture to speak
 of a ,subject so immensly far beyond   
our ,reach1 to say1 that there is a     
perfect and compleat ,goodness in the   
,divine ,nature1 infinitely surpassing  
not only the highest ,perfection1 which 

the most virtuous ,men can arrive at1   
but likewise every ,thing that ,mortals 
can conceive about it4  ,i recommend the
 fore-going ,paragraph to the           
,consideration of the ,advocates for the
 ,eternity and ,divine ,original of     
,virtue2 assuring them1 that1 if ,i am  
mistaken1 it is not owing to any        
,perverseness of my ,will1 but ,want of 
,understanding4  ,the ,opinion1 that    
there can be no ,virtue without         
,self-denial1 is more advantagious to   
,society than the contrary ,doctrine1   
which is a vast ,inlet to ,hypocrisy1 as
 ,i have shewn at large #a3 ,yet ,i am  
willing to allow1 that ,men may contract
 a ,habit of ,virtue1 so as to practise 
it1 without being sensible of           
,self-denial1 and even that they may    
take ,pleasure in ,actions that would be
 impracticable to the ,vicious3 ,but    
then it is manifest1 that this ,habit is
 the ,work of ,art1 ,education and      
,custom2 and it never was acquired1     
where the ,conquest over the ,passions  

had not be already made4 ,there is no   
,virtuous ,man of ,forty ,years1 but he 
may remember the ,conflict he had with  
some ,appetites before he was ,twenty4  
,how natural seem all ,civilities to be 
a ,gentleman6 ,yet ,time was1 that he   
would not have made his ,bow1 if he had 
not been bid4  ,footnote #a3 ,fable of  
the ,bees4 p4 ii4 ,p4 #ajf4  ,whoever   
has read the ,second ,part of the ,fable
 of the ,bees1 will see1 that in these  
,dialogues ,i make ,use of the same     
,persons1 who are the ,interlocutors    
there1 and whose ,characters have been  
already draw in the ,preface of that    
,book4     ,the ,,contents ,,of ,,the   
,,first ,,dialogue4   ,honour is built  
upon a ,passion in ,human ,nature1 for  
which there is no ,name  ,the ,author's 
,reasons for ,coining the ,word         
,self-liking  ,how the ,passion of      
,self-liking is discovered in ,infants  
,a ,definition of ,honour1 and what it  
is in ,substance  ,the ,author's        
,opinion illustrated by what we know of 

,dishonour or ,shame  ,the different    
,symptoms of ,pride and ,shame in the   
,mechanism of ,man  ,are both the       
,result of the same ,passion  ,the ,word
 ,honour1 as it signifies a ,principle  
of ,courage and ,virtue1 is of ,gothick 
,extraction  ,all ,societies of ,men are
 perpetually in ,quest after ,happiness 
,the true ,reason1 why no ,nations can  
be govern'd without ,religion1 enquired 
into  ,why no one ,sort or ,degree of   
,idolatry can be more or less absurd    
than another  ,for what ,purpose all    
,religions may be equally serviceable   
,all ,men are born with the ,fear of an 
invisible ,cause  ,the ,usefulness of   
that ,fear1 as to ,religion  ,the       
,impossibility of making ,atheism       
universally received  ,religion no      
,invention of ,politicians  ,the        
,benefit expected from the ,notions of  
,honour  ,the ,reasonableness of ,mens  
,actions examined  ,how the ,strictness 
of the ,gospel came to be first         
disapproved of1 and the ,consequence    

,how ,mens ,actions may be inconsistent 
with their ,belief  ,that many bad      
,christians were yet kept in ,awe by the
 ,fear of ,shame1 gave the first ,handle
 to the ,invention of ,honour as a      
,principle  ,what it is we are afraid of
 in the ,fear of ,shame  ,why the       
,principle of ,honour has been of more  
,use to ,society than that of ,virtue   
,the ,principle of ,honour1 clashing    
with ,christianity  ,reasons why the    
,church of ,rome endeavour'd to         
reconcile them  ,the real ,design of    
,legends and ,romances  ,the ,stratagems
 of the ,church of ,rome to enslave the 
,laity  ,what gave ,rise to the ,custom 
of ,duelling     ,the ,contents of the  
,second ,dialogue4   ,of the ,principle 
of ,honour in the fair ,sex  ,the       
,motives of ,women who turn ,nuns1      
seldom ,religious  ,which is most       
serviceable to the ,preservation of     
,chastity in ,women1 ,religion1 or      
,self-liking  ,how the ,notions         
concerning the ,principle of ,honour    

came to be commonly received  ,the      
,qualifications thought ,necessary in a 
,man of ,honour  ,but ,courage alone is 
sufficient to obtain the ,title  ,when  
the ,fashion of ,duelling was at its    
greatest ,height  ,courts of ,honour    
erected in ,france  ,laws of ,honour    
made by them to prevent ,duelling  ,why 
those ,laws were the ,reverse of all    
others  ,the ,laws of ,honour introduced
 as speaking  ,the ,effect such ,laws   
must have on ,human ,nature  ,the       
,arguments a true ,christian would make 
use of to dissuade ,men from ,duelling  
,the ,reasons why ,men are despised who 
take ,affronts without resenting them   
,no ,scarcity of ,believers in ,christ  
,the ,principle of ,honour contrary to  
,christianity  ,why the ,principle of   
,honour is of greater ,efficacy upon    
many than ,religion  ,how ,men may adore
 themselves  ,equivalents for ,swearing 
,a ludicrous ,proposal of ,horatio upon 
the ,supposition1 that ,honor is an     
,idol  ,a ,passage in the ,fable of the 

,bees ,defended  ,satyr as little to be 
depended upon as ,panegyrick  ,whatever 
belongs to ,honour or ,shame1 has its   
,foundation in the ,passion of          
,self-liking  ,the ,church of ,rome's   
cunning in consulting and humouring     
,human ,nature  ,heraldry of great      
influence on the ,passion of            
,self-liking  ,of ,canonizations of     
,saint1 and the different ,purposes they
 serve  ,the want of ,foresight in the  
first ,reformers  ,the worldly ,wisdom  
of the ,church of ,rome  ,hor4 owning   
the ,self-denial required in the ,gospel
 in a literal ,sense  ,the great ,use   
she has made of it  ,the ,analogy       
between the ,popish ,religion and a     
,manufacture  ,the ,danger there is in  
explaining away the ,self-denial of the 
,gospel  ,how the ,self-denial of some  
may seem to be of use to others that    
practise none  ,easy ,casuists can only 
satisfy the ,beau ,monde  ,jesuits      
don't1 explain away ,self-denial in     
,general  ,what sort of ,preachers will 

soonest gain ,credit among the          
,multitude  ,men may easily be taught to
 believe what is not ,clashing with     
received ,opinions  ,the force of       
,education as to ,self-denial  ,the     
,advantage the ,church of ,rome has made
 from vulgar ,nations  ,divines1 who    
appeal to ,men's ,reason1 ought to      
behave differently from those1 who teach
 implicite ,faith4  ,why the ,luxury of 
a ,popish ,clergy gives less ,offence to
 the ,laity1 than that of ,protestants  
,what the ,church of ,rome seems no to  
dispair of  ,the ,politicks of ,rome    
more formidable than any other  ,what   
must always keep up the ,popish         
,interest in ,great-,britain  ,the most 
probable ,maxims to hinder the ,growth  
as well as ,irreligion and ,impiety as  
of ,popery and ,superstition  ,when the 
literal ,sense of ,words is to be       
prefer'd to the figurative  ,what the   
,reformers might have foreseen  ,what   
has been and ever will be the ,fate of  
all ,sects     ,the ,contents of the    

,third ,dialog   ,the ,beginning of all 
,earthly ,things was mean  ,the ,reason 
of the high ,value ,men have for things 
in which they have but the least ,share 
,whether the best ,christians make the  
best ,soldiers  ,remarks on the ,word   
,difference  ,an excursion of ,horatio  
,why ,religious ,wars are the most      
,cruel  ,the ,pretensions of the        
,huguenot ,army in ,france1 and that of 
the ,roundheads in ,england near the    
same  ,what was answered by their       
,adversaries  ,what would be the natural
 ,consequeuce of such ,differences  ,the
 ,effect which such a ,contrariety of   
,interests would always have on the     
sober ,party  ,superstition and         
,enthusiasm may make ,men fight1 but the
 ,doctrine of ,christ never can  ,what  
is required in a ,soldier to be call'd  
virtuous and good  ,instances where     
debauch'd ,fellows and the greatest     
,rogues have fought well  ,what is      
connived at in ,soldiers and what not   
,divines in ,armies seldom rigid        

,casuists  ,how ,troops may aquire the  
,character of being good ,christians    
,why ,divines are necessary in ,armies  
,why the worst ,religion is more        
beneficial to ,society than ,atheism    
,whether ,preachers of the ,gospel ever 
made ,men ,fight  ,the use that may be  
made of the ,old ,testament  ,an        
everlasting ,maxim in ,politicks  ,when 
the ,gospel is preach'd to military     
,men1 and when it is let aside  ,whether
 ,cromwel's ,views in promoting an      
outward ,shew of ,piety were ,religious 
or ,political  ,the ,foundation of the  
,quarrels that occasion'd the ,civil    
,war  ,how ,men who are sincere in their
 ,religion may be made to ,act contrary 
to the ,precept of it  ,when the ,gospel
 ought no longer to be appeald to  ,a   
promise to prove what seems to be a     
,paradox  ,what all ,priests have       
labour'd at in all ,armies  ,the        
,sentiments that were instill'd into the
 ,minds of the ,roundheads  ,the ,use   
which it is probable1 a crafty wicked   

,general would make of a ,conjucture1 as
 here hinted at  ,how ,men may be       
sincere and in many ,respects morally   
good1 and bad ,christians  ,how an      
obsure ,man might raise himself to the  
highest ,post in an ,army1 and be       
thought a ,saint tho' he was an ,atheist
  ,how wicked men may be useful soldiers
  ,how the most obdurate ,wretch might  
receive benefit as a soldier from an    
outward ,shew of ,devotion in others    
,that ,men may be sincere ,believers and
 yet lead wicked ,lives  ,few ,men are  
wicked from a desire to be so  ,how even
 bad ,men may be chear'd up by          
,preaching  ,hyopcrites to save an      
outward ,appearance may be as useful as 
,men of ,sincerity  ,there are two sorts
 of ,hypocrites very different from one 
another     ,the ,contents of the       
,fourth ,dialogue4   ,an ,objection of  
,horatio1 concerning ,fast-,days  ,what 
,war they would be useful in1 if duely  
kept  ,how ,christianity may be made    
serviceable to ,anti-,christian         

,purposes  ,what is understood in       
,england by keeping a ,fast-,day  ,the  
real ,doctrine of ,christ can give no   
,encouragement for ,fighting            
,instances1 where ,divines seem not to  
think themselves strictly tied to the   
,gospel  ,the ,art of ,preaching in     
,armies  ,the ,use which ,politicians   
may make of extraordinary ,days of      
,devotion1 abstract from all ,thoughts  
of ,religion  ,the miserable ,nations1  
which many of the ,vulgar have of       
,religion  ,how the ,rememberance of a  
,fast-,day may affect a ,wicked ,soldier
  ,the ,power which ,preaching may have 
upon ignorant ,well-wishers to ,religion
  ,the ,days of ,supplication among the 
,ancients  ,a general ,show of ,religion
 cannot be procured at all ,times  ,what
 ,conjuncture it is only practicable in 
,a ,character of ,oliver ,cromwell  ,a  
,spirit of ,gentility introduced among  
,military ,men  ,an improvement in the  
,art of ,flattery  ,a ,demonstration    
that what made the ,men fight well in   

the late ,wars was not their ,religion  
,why no ,armies could subsist without   
,religion  ,a ,recapitulation of what   
has been advanced in this and the former
 ,dialogue  ,horatio's ,concurrence     
,,errata ,page #ha4 ,line #f4 read      
,influence4 ,p4 #id4 l4 #ab4 r4         
,proprtors4 ,p4 #agd4 l4 #c4 r4 ,rites4 
,the ,first ,dialogue ,between ,horatio 
and ,cleomenes4   ,horatio4 ,i ,wonder  
you never attempted to guess at the     
,origin of ,honour1 as you have done at 
that of ,politeness1 and your ,friend in
 his ,fable of the ,bees has done at the
 ,origin of ,virtue4  ,cleo4 ,i have    
often thought of it1 and am satisfied   
within my self1 that my ,conjecture     
about it is ,just2 but there are ,three 
substantial ,reasons1 why ,i have       
hitherto kept it to my ,self1 and never 
yet mention'd to any ,one1 what my      
,sentiments are concerning the ,origin  
of that charming ,sound4  ,hor4 ,let me 
hear your ,reasons however4  ,cleo4 ,the
 ,word ,honour1 is used in such         

different ,acceptations1 is now a ,verb1
 then a ,noun1 sometimes taken for the  
,reward of ,virtue1 sometimes for a     
,principle that leads to ,virtue1 and1  
at others again1 signifies ,virtue it   
self2 that it would be a very hard ,task
 to take in every ,thing that belongs to
 it1 and at the same ,time avoid        
,confusion in ,treating of it4 ,this is 
my ,first ,reason4 ,the ,second is3     
,that to set forth and explain my       
,opinion on this ,head to others with   
,perspicuity1 would take up so much     
,time1 that few ,people would have the  
,patience to hear it1 or think it worth 
their while to bestow so much           
,attention1 as it would require1 on what
 the greatest ,part of ,mankind would   
think very trifling4  ,hor4 ,this       
,second whets my ,curiosity3 pray1 what 
is your ,third ,reason8  ,cleo4 ,that   
the very ,thing1 to which1 in my        
,opinion1 ,honour owes its ,birth1 is a 
,passion in our ,nature1 for which there
 is no ,word coin'd yet1 no ,name that  

is commonly known and receiv'd in any   
,language4  ,hor4 ,that is very strange4
  ,cleo4 ,yet not less true4 ,do you    
remember what ,i said of ,self-liking in
 our ,third ,conversation1 when ,i spoke
 of the ,origin of ,politeness8  ,hor4  
,i do2 but you know1 ,i hate            
,affectation and ,singularity of all    
sorts4 ,some ,men are fond of uncouth   
,words of their own making1 when there  
are other ,words already known1 that    
sound better1 and would equally explain 
their ,meaning3 ,what you call'd then   
,self-liking at last prov'd to be       
,pride1 you know4  ,cleo4 ,self-liking  
,i have call'd that great ,value1 which 
all ,individuals set upon their own     
,persons2 that high ,esteem1 which ,i   
take all ,men to be born with for       
themselves4 ,i have proved from what is 
constantly observ'd in ,suicide1 that   
there is such a ,passion in ,human      
,nature1 and that it is plainly #b      
distinct from ,self-love4 ,when this    
,self-liking is excessive1 and so openly

 shewn as to give ,offence to others1 ,i
 know very well it is counted a ,vice   
and call'd ,pride3 ,but when it is kept 
out of ,sight1 or is so well disguis'd  
as not to appear in its own ,colours1 it
 has no ,name1 tho' ,men act from that  
and no other ,principle4  ,footnote #b3 
,fable of the ,bees1 part ,,ii4 p4 #ada 
,hor4 ,when what you call ,self-liking1 
that just ,esteem which ,men have       
naturally for themselves1 is moderate1  
and spurs them on to good ,actions1 it  
is very laudable1 and is call'd the     
,love of ,praise or a ,desire of the    
,applause of others4 ,why can't you take
 up with either of these ,names8  ,cleo4
 ,because ,i would not confound the     
,effect with the ,cause4 ,that ,men are 
desirous of ,praise1 and love to be     
applauded by others1 is the ,result1 a  
palpable ,consequence1 of that          
,self-liking which reigns in ,human     
,nature1 and is felt in every one's     
,breast before we have ,time or         
,capacity to reflect and think of ,any  

body else4 ,what ,moralists have taught 
us concerning the ,passions1 is very    
superficial and defective4 ,their great 
,aim was the ,publick ,peace1 and the   
,welfare of the ,civil ,society2 to make
 ,men governable1 and unite ,multitudes 
in one common ,interest4  ,hor4 ,and is 
it possible that ,men can have a more   
noble ,aim in ,temporals8  ,cleo4 ,i    
don't deny that2 but as all their       
,labours were only tending to those     
,purposes1 they neglected all the rest2 
and if they could but make ,men useful  
to each other and easy to themselves1   
they had no ,scruple about the ,means   
they did it by1 nor any ,regard to      
,truth or the ,reality of ,things2 as is
 evident from the gross ,absurdities    
they have made ,men swallow concerning  
their own ,nature1 in spight of what    
,all felt within4 ,in the ,culture of   
,gardens1 whatever comes up in the      
,paths is weeded out as offensive and   
flung upon the ,dunghill2 out among the 
,vegetables that are all thus           

promiscously thrown away for ,weeds1    
there may be many curious ,plants1 on   
the ,use and ,beauty of which a         
,botanist would read long ,lectures4    
,the ,moralists have endeavour'd to rout
 ,vice1 and clear the ,heart of all     
hurtful ,appetites and ,inclinations3   
,we are beholden to them for this in the
 same ,manner as we are to ,those who   
destroy ,vermin1 and clear the          
,countries of all noxious ,creatures4   
,but may not a ,naturalist dissect      
,moles1 try ,experiments upon them1 and 
enquire into the ,nature of their       
,handicraft1 without ,offence to the    
,mole-catchers1 whose ,business it is   
only to kill them as fast as they can8  
,hor4 ,what ,fault is it you find with  
the ,moralists8 ,i can't see what you   
drive at4  ,cleo4 ,i would shew you1    
that the ,want of ,accuracy in them1    
when they have treated of ,human        
,nature1 makes it extremely difficult to
 speak intelligibly of the different    
,faculties of our intellectual ,part4   

,some ,things are very essential1 and   
yet have no ,name1 as ,i have given an  
,instance in that ,esteem which ,men    
have naturally for themselves1 abstract 
from ,self-love1 and which ,i have been 
forced to coin the ,word ,self-liking   
for3 ,others are miscall'd and said to  
be what they are not4 ,so most of the   
,passions are counted to be ,weaknesses1
 and commonly call'd ,frailties2 whereas
 they are the very ,powers that govern  
the whole ,machine2 and1 whether they   
are perceived or not1 determine or      
rather create ,the ,will that           
immediately precedes every deliberate   
,action4  ,hor4 ,i now understand       
perfectly well what you mean by         
,self-liking4 ,you are of ,opinion1 that
 we are all born with a ,passion        
manifestly distinct from ,self-love2    
that1 when it is moderate and well      
regulated1 excites in us the ,love of   
,praise1 and a ,desire to be applauded  
and thought well of by others1 and stirs
 us up to good ,actions3 but that the   

same ,passion1 when it is excessive1 or 
ill turn'd1 whatever it excites in our  
,selves1 gives ,offence to others1      
renders us odious1 and is call'd ,pride4
 ,as there is no ,word or ,expression   
that comprehends all the different      
,effects of this same ,cause1 this      
,passion1 you have made one1 viz4       
,self-liking1 by which you mean the     
,passion in general1 the whole ,extent  
of it1 whether it produces laudable     
,actions1 and gains us ,applause1 or    
such as we are blamed for and draw upon 
us the ill ,will of others4  ,cleo4 ,you
 are extremely right2 this was my       
,design in coining the ,word            
,self-liking4  ,hor4 ,but you said1 that
 ,honour owes its ,birth to this        
,passion2 which ,i don't understand1 and
 wish you would explain to me4  ,cleo4  
,to comprehend this well1 we ought to   
consider1 that as all ,human ,creatures 
are born with this ,passion1 so the     
,operations of it are manifestly        
observed in ,infants2 as soon as they   

begin to be conscious and to reflect1   
often before they can speak or go4      
,hor4 ,as how8  ,cleo4 ,if they are     
praised1 or commended1 tho' they don't  
deserve it1 and good ,things are said of
 them1 tho' they are not true1 we see1  
that ,joy is raised in them1 and they   
are pleased3 ,on the ,contrary1 when    
they are reproved and blamed1 tho' they 
know themselves to be in ,fault1 and bad
 ,things are said of them1 tho' ,nothing
 but ,truth1 we see it excites ,sorrow  
in them and often ,anger4 ,this ,passion
 of ,self-liking1 then1 manifesting it  
self so early in all ,children that are 
not ,idiots1 it is inconceivable that   
,men should not be sensible1 and plainly
 feel1 that they have it long before    
they are grown up3 ,and all ,men feeling
 themselves to be affected with it1 tho'
 they know no ,name for the ,thing it   
self1 it is impossible1 that they should
 long converse together in ,society     
without finding out1 not only that      
others are influenced with it as well as

 themselves1 but likewise which ,way to 
please or displease one another on      
,account of this ,passion4  ,hor4 ,but  
what is all this to ,honour8  ,cleo4    
,i'll shew you4 ,when ,a performs an    
,action which1 in the ,eyes of ,b1 is   
laudable1 ,b wishes well to ,a2 and1 to 
shew him his ,satisfaction1 tells him1  
that such an ,action is an ,honour to   
,him1 or that ,he ought to be ,honoured 
for it3 ,by saying this1 ,b1 who knows  
that all ,men are affected with         
,self-liking1 intends to acquaint ,a1   
that he thinks him in the ,right to     
gratify and indulge himself in the      
,passion of ,self-liking4 ,in this      
,sense the ,word ,honour1 whether it is 
used as a ,noun or a ,verb1 is always a 
,compliment we make to ,those who act1  
have1 or are what we approve of2 it is a
 ,term of ,art to express our           
,concurrence with others1 our ,agreement
 with them in their ,sentiments         
concerning the ,esteem and ,value they  
have for themselves4 ,from what ,i have 

said1 it must follow1 that the greater  
the ,multitudes are that express this   
,concurrence1 and the more expensive1   
the more operose1 and the more humble   
the ,demonstrations of it are1 the more 
openly likewise they are made1 the      
longer they last1 and the higher the    
,quality is of ,those who join and      
assist in this ,concurrence1 this       
,compliment2 the greater1 without all   
,dispute1 is the ,honour which is done  
to the ,person in whose ,favour these   
,marks of ,esteem are displayed3 ,so    
that the highest ,honour which ,men can 
give to ,mortals1 whilst alive1 is in   
,substance no more1 than the most likely
 and most effectual ,means that ,human  
,wit can invent to gratify1 stir up1 and
 encrease in ,him1 to whom that ,honour 
is paid1 the ,passion of ,self-liking4  
,hor4 ,i am afraid it is true4  ,cleo4  
,to render what ,i have advanced more   
conspicuous1 we need only look into the 
,reverse of ,honour1 which is ,dishonour
 or ,shame1 and we shall find1 that this

 could have had no ,existence any more  
than ,honour1 if there had not been such
 a ,passion in our ,nature as           
,self-liking4 ,when we see ,others      
commit such ,actions1 as are vile and   
odious in our ,opinion1 we say1 that    
such ,actions are a ,shame to them1 or  
that they ought to be ashamed of them4  
,by this we shew1 that we differ from   
them in their ,sentiments concerning the
 ,value which we know1 that they1 as    
well as all ,mankind1 have for their own
 ,persons2 and are endeavouring to make 
them have an ill ,opinion of themselves1
 and raise in them that sincere ,sorrow1
 which always attends ,man's reflecting 
on his own ,unworthiness4 ,i desire1 you
 would mind1 that the ,actions which we 
thus condemn as vile and odious1 need   
not to be so but in our own ,opinion2   
for what ,i have said happens among the 
worst of ,rogues1 as well as among the  
better ,sort of ,people4 ,if one        
,villain should neglect picking a       
,pocket1 when he might have done it with

 ,ease1 another of the same ,gang1 who  
was near him and saw this1 would upbraid
 him with it in good ,earnest1 and tell 
him1 that he ought to be ashamed of     
having slipt so fair an ,opportunity4   
,sometimes ,shame signifies the visible 
,disorders that are the ,symptoms of    
this sorrowful ,reflection on our own   
,unworthiness2 at others1 we give that  
,name to the ,punishments that are      
inflicted to raise those ,disorders2 but
 the more you will examine into the     
,nature of either1 the more you will see
 the ,truth of what ,i have asserted on 
this ,head2 and all the ,marks of       
,ignominy1 that can be thought of2 have 
a plain ,tendency to mortify ,pride2    
which1 in other ,words1 is to disturb1  
take away and extirpate every ,thought  
of ,self-liking4  ,hor4 ,the ,author of 
the ,fable of the ,bees1 ,i think1      
pretends somewhere to set down the      
different ,symptoms of ,pride and       
,shame4  ,cleo4 ,i believe they are     
faithfully copied from ,nature4 ----    

,here is the ,passage2 pray read it4    
,hor4 #c ,when a ,man is overwhelm'd    
with ,shame1 he observes a ,sinking of  
the ,spirits2 the ,heart feels cold and 
condensed1 and the ,blood flies from it 
to the ,circumference of the ,body2 the 
,face glows2 the ,neck and part of the  
,breast partake of the ,fire3 ,he is    
heavy as ,lead2 the ,head is hung down2 
and the ,eyes through a ,mist of        
,confusion are fix'd on the ,ground3 ,no
 ,injuries can move him2 he is weary of 
his ,being1 and heartily wishes he could
 make himself invisible3 ,but when1     
gratifying his ,vanity1 he exults in his
 ,pride1 he discovers quite contrary    
,symptoms2 his ,spirits swell and fan   
the ,arterial ,blood2 a more than       
ordinary ,warmth strengthens and dilates
 the ,hear2 the ,extremities are cool2  
he feels ,light to himself1 and imagines
 he could tread on ,air2 his ,head is   
held up2 his ,eyes are roll'd about with
 ,sprightliness2 he rejoices at his     
,being1 is prone to ,anger1 and would be

 glad that all the ,world could take    
,notice of him4  ,footnote #c3 ,fable of
 the ,bees1 ,page #eg4  ,cleo4 ,that's  
all4  ,hor4 ,but you see1 he took ,pride
 and ,shame to be two distinct          
,passions2 nay1 in another ,place he has
 call'd them so4  ,cleo4 ,he did2 but it
 was an ,errour1 which ,i know he is    
willing to own4  ,hor4 what he is       
willing to own ,i don't know2 but ,i    
think he is in the ,right in what he    
says of them in his ,book4 ,the         
,symptoms of ,pride and ,shame are so   
vastly different1 that to me it is      
inconceivable1 they should proceed from 
the fame ,passion4  ,cleo4 ,pray think  
again with ,attention1 and you'll be of 
my ,opinion4 ,my ,friend compares the   
,symptoms that are observed in ,human   
,creatures when they exult in their     
,pride1 with those of the ,mortification
 they feel when they are overwhelm'd    
with ,shame4 ,the ,symptoms1 and if you 
will the ,sensations1 that are felt in  
the ,two ,cases1 are1 as you say1 vastly

 different from one another2 but no ,man
 could be affected with either1 if he   
had not such a ,passion in his ,nature1 
as ,i call ,self-liking4 ,therefore they
 are different ,affections of one and   
the same ,passion1 that are differently 
observed in us1 according as we either  
enjoy ,pleasure1 or are aggriev'd on    
,account of that ,passion2 in the same  
,manner as the most happy and the most  
miserable ,lovers are happy and         
miserable on the ,score of the same     
,passion4 ,do but compare the ,pleasure 
of a ,man1 who with an extraordinary    
,appetite is feasting on what is        
delicious to him1 to the ,torment of    
another1 who is extremely hungry1 and   
can get ,nothing to eat4 ,no ,two       
,things in the ,world can be more       
different1 than the ,pleasure of the    
,one is from the ,torment of the other2 
yet ,nothing is more evident1 than that 
both are derived from and owing to the  
same craving principle in our nature1   
the ,desire of ,food2 for when this is  

entirely lost1 it is more vexatious to  
eat1 than it is to let it alone1 tho'   
the whole ,body languishes1 and we are  
ready to expire for ,want of            
,sustenance4 ,hitherto ,i have spoken of
 honour in its first literal ,sense1 in 
which it is a ,technic ,word in the ,art
 of ,civility1 and signifies a ,means   
which ,men by ,conversing together have 
found out to please and gratify one     
another on ,account of a palpable       
,passion in our ,nature1 that has no    
,name1 and which therefore ,i call      
,self-liking4 ,in this ,sense ,i believe
 the ,word ,honour1 both as a ,verb and 
a ,noun1 to be as ,ancient as the oldest
 ,language4 ,but there is another       
,meaning besides1 belonging to the same 
,sound2 and ,honour signifies likewise a
 principle of ,courage1 ,virtue1 and    
,fidelity1 which some men are said to   
act from1 and to be aw'd by1 as others  
are by ,religion4 ,in this latter       
,sense1 it is much more modern1 and ,i  
don't believe to be met with a ,thousand

 ,years ago in any ,language4  ,hor4    
,how6 ,is it but within these ,thousand 
,years that there have been men of      
,bravery and ,virtue8 ,have not the     
,greeks and ,romans had great ,numbers  
of them8 ,were not the ,horatii and     
,curiatii ,men of ,honour8  ,cleo4 ,they
 never were call'd so4 ,all ,ages and   
most ,countries have produced ,men of   
,virtue and ,bravery2 but this ,i do not
 enquire into now3 ,what ,i assert to be
 modern is the ,phrase1 the ,term of    
,art2 it is that which the ,ancients    
knew ,nothing of2 nor can you with ,ten 
,words1 in either ,greek or ,latin1     
express the entire ,idea which is       
annex'd to the ,word ,honour when it    
signifies a ,principle4 ,to be a ,man of
 ,honour1 it is not sufficient1 that he1
 who assumes that ,title1 is brave in   
,war1 and dares to fight against the    
,enemies of his ,country2 but he must   
likewise be ready to engage in private  
,quarrels1 tho' the ,laws of ,god and   
his ,country forbid it4 ,he must bear no

 ,affront without resenting it1 nor     
refuse a ,challenge1 if it be sent to   
him in a proper ,manner by a ,man of    
,honour4 ,i make no ,doubt1 but this    
,signification of the ,word ,honour is  
entirely ,gothick1 and sprung up in some
 of the most ignorant ,ages of          
,christianity4 ,it seems to have been   
,invention to influence ,men1 whom      
,religion had no ,power over4 ,all      
,human ,creatures have a restless       
,desire of mending their ,condition2 and
 in all ,civil ,societies and           
,communions of ,men there seems to be a 
,spirit at ,work1 that1 in ,spight of   
the continual ,opposition it receives   
from ,vice and ,misfortunes1 is always  
labouring for1 and seeking after what   
can never be obtain'd whilst the ,world 
stands4  ,hor4 ,what is that pray8      
,cleo4 ,to make ,men compleatly ,happy  
upon ,earth4 ,thus ,men make ,laws to   
obviate every ,inconveniency they meet  
with2 and as ,times discover to them the
 ,insufficiency of those ,laws1 they    

make others with an ,intent to enforce1 
mend1 explain or repeal the former2 till
 the ,body of ,laws grows to such an    
enormous ,bulk1 that to understand it is
 a tedious prolix ,study1 and the       
,numbers that follow and belong to the  
,practise of it1 come to be a ,grievance
 almost as great as could be fear'd from
 ,injustice and ,oppression4 ,nothing is
 more necessary than that ,property     
should be secured2 and it is impossible 
but on many ,occasions ,men must trust  
one another in the ,civil ,society4 ,now
 ,nothing has ever been thought to be   
more obligatory or a greater ,tie upon  
,man than ,religion4  ,hor4 ,this ,i    
have often wonder'd at3 ,considering the
 ,absurdities on the ,religion of the   
,greeks and ,romans1 the bad ,examples  
and ,immoralities of their ,deities1 the
 ridiculous ,fables of a ,charon1 a     
,styx1 a ,cerberus1 c1 and the obscenity
 display'd in several of their          
,festivals1 ,i cannot conceive how ,men 
could expect1 that such ,religions      

should make ,men ,honest1 or do any good
 to their ,morals2 and yet1 which is    
amazing to me1 most wise men in all     
,ages have agreed1 that1 without some   
,religion or other1 it would be         
impossible to govern any considerable   
,nation4 ,however1 ,i believe it is     
,fact1 that it never was done4  ,cleo4  
,that no large ,society of ,men can be  
well govern'd without ,religion1 and    
that there never was a ,nation that had 
not some ,worship1 and did not believe  
in some ,deity or other1 is most        
certain3 ,but what do you think is the  
,reason of that8  ,hor4 ,because        
,multitudes must be aw'd by ,something  
that is terrible1 as ,flames of ,hell1  
and ,fire everlasting2 and it is        
evident1 that if it was not for the     
,fear of an ,after-,reckoning1 some ,men
 would be so wicked1 that there would be
 no living with them4  ,cleo4 ,pray1 how
 wicked would they be8 ,what ,crimes    
would they commit8  ,hor4 ,robbing1     
,murdering1 ,ravishing4  ,cleo4 ,and are

 not often here1 as well as in other    
,nations1 ,people convicted of1 and     
punished for those ,crimes8  ,hor4 ,i am
 satisfied1 the ,vulgar could not be    
managed without ,religion of some ,sort 
or other2 for the ,fear of ,futurity    
keeps ,thousands in ,awe1 who1 without  
that ,reflection1 would all be guilty of
 those ,crimes which are now committed  
only by a ,few4  ,cleo4 ,this is a      
,surmise without any ,foundation4 ,it   
has been said a ,thousand ,times by     
,divines of all ,sects2 but ,no body has
 ever shewn the least ,probability of   
its being true2 and daily ,experience   
gives us all the ,reason in the ,world  
to think the ,contrary2 for there are   
,thousands1 who1 throughout the ,course 
of their ,lives1 seem not to have the   
least ,regard to a future ,state1 tho'  
they are ,believers1 and yet these very 
,people are very cautious of committing 
any ,thing which the ,law would punish4 
,you'll give me ,leave to observe by the
 ,by1 that to believe what you say1 a   

,man must have a worse ,opinion of his  
,species1 than ever the ,author of the  
,fable of the ,bees appears to have had 
yet4  ,hor4 ,don't mistake me3 ,i am far
 from believing1 that ,men of ,sense and
 ,education are to be frighten'd with   
those ,bugbears4  ,cleo4 ,and what ,i   
say1 ,i don't mean of ,libertines or    
,deist2 but ,men1 that to all outward   
,appearance are ,believers1 that go to  
,church1 receive the ,sacrament1 and at 
the ,approach of ,death are observed to 
be really afraid of ,hell4 ,and yet of  
these1 many are ,drunkards1             
,whoremasters1 ,adulterers1 and not a   
,few of them betray their ,trust1 rob   
their ,country1 defraud ,widows and     
,orphans1 and make wronging their       
,neighbours their daily ,practice4      
,hor4 ,what ,temporal ,benefit can      
,religion be of to the ,civil ,society1 
if it don't keep ,people in ,awe8       
,cleo4 ,that's another ,question4 ,we   
both agree1 that no ,nation or large    
,society can be well govern'd without   

,religion4 ,i ask'd you the ,reason of  
this3 ,you tell me1 because the ,vulgar 
could not be kept in ,awe without it4   
,in ,reply to this1 ,i point at a       
,thousand ,instances1 where ,religion is
 not of the ,efficacy1 and shew you     
withal that this ,end of keeping ,men in
 ,awe is much better obtain'd by the    
,laws and temporal ,punishment2 and that
 it is the ,fear of them1 which actually
 restrains great ,numbers of wicked     
,people2 ,i might say ,all1 without     
,exception1 of whom there is any ,hope  
or ,possibility1 that they can be curb'd
 at all1 or restrain'd by any ,thing    
whatever3 ,for such ,reprobates as can  
make a ,jest of the ,gallows1 and are   
not afraid of ,hanging1 will laugh      
likewise at ,hell and defy ,damnation4  
,hor4 ,if the ,reason ,i alledge is     
insufficient1 pray give me a better4    
,cleo4 ,i'll endeavour it4 ,the ,first  
,business of all ,governments1 ,i mean  
the ,task which all ,rulers must begin  
with1 is1 to make ,men tractable and    

obedient1 which is not to be perform'd  
unless we can make them believe1 that   
the ,instructions and ,commands we give 
them have a plain ,tendency to the ,good
 of every ,individual1 and that we say  
,nothing to them1 but what we know to be
 true4 ,to do this effectually1 ,human  
,nature ought to be humour'd as well as 
studied3 ,whoever therefore takes upon  
him to govern a ,multitude1 ought to    
inform himself of those ,sentiments that
 are the natural ,result of the         
,passions and ,frailties which every    
,human ,creature is born with4  ,hor4 ,i
 don't understand what ,sentiments you  
speak of4  ,cleo4 ,i'll explain my self4
 ,all ,men are born with ,fear2 and as  
they are likewise born with a ,desire of
 ,happiness and ,self-,preservation1 it 
is natural for them to avoid ,pain and  
every ,thing that makes them uneasy2 and
 which1 by a general ,word1 is call'd   
,evil4 ,fear being that ,passion which  
inspires us with a strong ,aversion to  
,evil1 it is very natural to think that 

it will put us up on enquiring into the 
means to shun it4 ,i have told you      
already1 in our ,fifth ,conversation1   
how this ,aversion to ,evil1 and        
,endeavour to shun it1 this ,principle  
of ,fear1 would always naturally dispose
 ,human ,creatures to suspect the       
,existence of an intelligent ,cause that
 is invisible1 whenever any ,evil       
happen'd to them1 which came they knew  
not whence1 and of which the ,author was
 not to be seen4 ,if you remember what  
,i said then1 the ,reasons why no       
,nations can be govern'd without        
,religion1 will be obvious4 ,every      
,individual1 whether he is a ,savage1 or
 is born in a ,civil ,society1 is       
persuaded within1 that there is such an 
invisible ,cause2 and should any ,mortal
 contradict this1 no ,multitude would   
believe a ,word of what he said4        
,whereas1 on the other ,hand1 if a      
,ruler humours this ,fear1 and puts it  
out of all ,doubt1 that there is such an
 invisible ,cause1 he may say of it what

 he pleases2 and no ,multitude1 that was
 never taught any ,thing to the         
contrary1 will ever dispute it with him4
 ,he may say1 that it is a ,crocodile or
 a ,monkey1 an ,ox1 or a ,dog1 an       
,onion1 or a ,wafer4 ,and as to the     
,essence and the ,qualities of the      
invisible ,cause1 he is at ,liberty to  
call it very good or very bad4 ,he many 
say of it1 that it is an envious1       
malicious1 and the most cruel ,being    
that can be imagin'd2 that it loves     
,blood and delights in ,human           
,sacrifices3 ,or he may say that there  
are two invisible ,causes2 one the      
,author of ,good1 the other of ,evil2 or
 that there are ,three2 or that there is
 really but ,one1 tho' seemingly there  
are ,three1 or else that there are      
,fifty ,thousand4 ,the many ,calamities 
we are liable to1 from ,thunder and     
,lightning1 ,hurricanes and             
,earthquakes1 ,plagues and ,inundations1
 will always make ignorant and untaught 
,men more prone to believe1 that the    

invisible ,cause is a bad mischievous   
,being1 than that it is a good benign   
one2 as ,i shew'd you then in that      
,fifth ,conversation4  ,hor4 ,on this   
,head ,i own ,i must give up ,mankind1  
and cannot maintain the ,excellency of  
,human ,nature2 for the absurdities in  
,idolatrous ,worship1 that have been and
 are still committed by some of our own 
,species1 are such as no ,creatures of  
any other could out-do them in4  ,cleo4 
,the ,protestant and the ,mahometan are 
the only ,national ,religions now1 that 
are free from ,idolatry2 and therefore  
the ,absurdities in the ,worship of all 
the ,rest are pretty much alike2 at     
least1 the ,difference in the ,degrees  
of ,mens ,folly1 as ,idolaters1 is very 
inconsiderable4 ,for how unknown soever 
an invisible ,cause1 ,power1 or ,being  
may be1 that is incomprehensible1 this  
is certain of it1 that no clear         
intelligible ,idea can be form'd of it2 
and that no ,figure can describe it4    
,all ,attempts then1 to represent the   

,deity1 being equally vain and          
frivolous1 no ,one ,shape or ,form can  
be imagin'd of it1 that can justly be   
said to be more or less absurd than     
another4 ,as to the temporal ,benefit   
which ,religion can be of to the ,civil 
,society1 or the ,political ,view which 
,lawgivers and ,governours may have in  
promoting it1 the chief ,use of it is in
 ,promises of ,allegiance and ,loyalty1 
and all solemn ,engagements and         
,asseverations1 in which the invisible  
,power1 that1 in every ,country1 is the 
,object of the ,publick ,worship1 is    
involved or appeal'd to4 ,for these     
,purposes all ,religions are equally    
serrviceable2 and the worst is better   
than none3 ,for without the belief of an
 invisible ,cause1 no ,man's ,word is to
 be relied upon1 no ,vows or            
,protestations can be depended upon2 but
 as soon as a ,man believes1 that there 
is a ,power somewhere1 that will        
certainly punish him1 if he forswears   
himself2 as soon1 ,i say1 as a ,man     

believes this1 we have ,reason to trust 
to his ,oath2 at least1 it is a better  
,test than any other ,verbal ,assurance4
 ,but what this same ,person believes   
further1 concerning the ,nature and the 
,essence of that ,power he swears by1   
the ,worship it requires1 or whether he 
conceives it in the singular or plural  
,number1 may be very material to        
himself1 but the ,socicty has ,nothing  
to do with it3 ,because it can make no  
,alteration in the ,security which his  
,swearing gives us4 ,i don't deny the   
,usefulness which even the worst        
,religion that can be1 may be of to     
,politicians and the ,civil ,society3   
,but what ,i insist upon1 is1 that the  
temporal ,benefit of it1 or the         
,contrivance of ,oaths and ,swearing1   
could never have enter'd into the the   
,heads of ,politician1 if the ,fear of  
an invisible ,cause had not pre-existed 
and been supposed to be universal1 any  
more than they would have contrived     
matrimony1 if the ,desire of            

,procreation had not been planted in    
,human ,nature and visible in both      
,sexes4 ,passions don't affect us1 but  
when they are provoked3 ,the ,fear of   
,death is a ,reality in our ,nature3    
,but the greatest ,cowards may1 and     
often do1 live ,forty ,years and longer1
 without being disturb'd by it4 ,the    
,fear of an invisible ,cause is as real 
in our ,nature1 as the ,fear of ,death2 
either of them may be conquer'd perhaps2
 but so may ,lust2 and ,experience      
teaches us1 that how violent soever the 
,desire of ,propagating our ,species may
 be whilst we are young1 it goes off1   
and is often entirely lost in old ,age4 
,when ,i hear a ,man say1 that he never 
felt any ,fear of an invisible ,cause1  
that was not owing to ,education1 ,i    
believe him as much as ,i do a young    
married ,woman in ,health and ,vigour1  
who tells me1 that she never felt any   
,love to a ,man1 that did not proceed   
from a ,sense of her ,duty4  ,hor4 ,does
 this ,fear1 this ,acknowledgment of an 

invisible ,cause1 dispose or excite men 
any more to the true ,religion1 than it 
does to the grossest and most abominable
 ,idolatry8  ,cleo4 ,i don't say it     
does4 ,but there is no ,passion in      
,human ,nature so beneficial1 that1     
according as it is managed1 may not do  
,mischief as well as good4 ,what do you 
think of ,love8 ,if this ,fear had not  
been common to the whole ,species1 none 
could have been influenc'd by it2 the   
,consequence of which must have been1   
that ,men would have rejected the true  
,religion as well as the false4 ,there  
is ,nothing that ,men may differ in1 in 
which they will ever be all of the same 
,opinion3 ,and abstruse ,truths do often
 seem to be less probable than well     
dress'd ,fables1 when they are skilfully
 accommodated to our ,understanding1 and
 agreeable to our own ,way of thinking4 
,that there is but one ,god1 the        
,creator of ,heaven and ,earth1 that is 
an all-wise and perfectly good ,being1  
without any ,mixture of ,evil1 would    

have been a most rational ,opinion1 tho'
 it had not been reveal'd4 ,but         
,reasoning and ,metaphysicks must have  
been carried on to a great ,height of   
,perfection1 before this ,truth could be
 penetrated into by the ,light of       
,nature4 ,plutarch1 who was a ,man of   
great ,learning1 and has in many ,things
 display'd good ,sense and ,capacity1   
thought it impossible1 that one ,being  
should have been the ,cause of the      
,whole1 and was therefore of ,opinion1  
that there must have been ,two          
,principles2 the one to produce all the 
,good2 and the other all the ,evil that 
is in the ,world4 ,and ,some of the     
greatest men have been of this ,opinion1
 both before and since the ,promulgation
 of the ,gospel4 ,but whatever          
,philosophers and men of ,letters may   
have advanced1 there never was an ,age  
or a ,country where the ,vulgar would   
ever come into an ,opinion that         
contradicted that ,fear1 which all men  
are born with1 of an invisible ,cause1  

that meddles and interferes in ,human   
,affairs2 and there is a greater        
,possibility1 that the most ,senseless  
,enthusiast should make a knowing and   
polite ,nation believe the most         
incredible ,falsities1 or that the most 
odious ,tyrant should persuade them to  
the grossest ,idolatry1 than that the   
most artful ,politician1 or the most    
popular ,prince1 should make ,atheism to
 be universally received among the      
,vulgar of any considerable ,state or   
,kingdom1 tho' there were no ,temples or
 ,priests to be seen4 ,from all which ,i
 would shew1 that1 on the one ,hand1 you
 can make no ,multitudes believe        
contrary to what they feel1 or what     
contradicts a ,passion inherent in their
 ,nature1 and that1 on the other1 if you
 humour that ,passion1 and allow it to  
be just1 you may regulate it as you     
please4 ,how unanimous soever1          
therefore1 all ,rulers and ,magistrates 
have seem'd to be in promoting some     
,religion or other1 the ,principle of it

 was not of their ,invention4 ,they     
found it in ,man2 and the ,fear of an   
invisible ,cause being universal1 if    
,governours had said nothing of it1     
every ,man in his own ,breast would have
 found ,fault with them1 and had a      
,superstition of his own to himself4 ,it
 has often been seen1 that the most     
subtle ,unbelievers among ,politicians  
have been forced1 for their own ,quiet1 
to counterfeit their ,attachment to     
religion1 when they would a ,thousand   
,times rather have done without it4     
,hor4 ,it is not in the ,power then1 you
 think1 of ,politicians1 to contradict  
the ,passions1 or deny the ,existence of
 them1 but that1 when once they have    
allow'd them to be just and natural1    
they may guide ,men in the ,indulgence  
of them1 as they please4  ,cleo4 ,i do  
so2 and the ,truth of this is evident   
likewise in another ,passion1 7viz7 that
 of ,love1 which ,i hinted at before2   
and ,marriage was not invented to make  
,men procreate2 they had that ,desire   

before2 but it was instituted to        
regulate a strong ,passion1 and prevent 
the innumerable ,mischiefs that would   
ensue1 if ,men and ,women should        
converse together promiscuosly1 and love
 and leave one another as ,caprice and  
their unruly ,fancy led them4 ,thus we  
see1 that every ,legislator has         
regulated ,matrimony in that ,way1      
which1 to the best of his ,skill1 he    
imagin'd would be the most proper to    
promote the ,peace ,felicity in general 
of ,those he govern'd3 ,and how great an
 ,imposter soever ,mahomet was1 ,i can  
never believe1 that he would have       
allow'd his ,mussulmen ,three or ,four  
,wives a piece1 if he had thought it    
better1 than one2 ,man should be        
contented with and confin'd to ,one     
,woman2 ,i mean better upon the ,whole1 
more beneficial to the ,civil ,society1 
as well in ,consideration of the        
,climate he lived in--1 as the ,nature  
and the ,temperament of those ,arabians 
he gave his ,laws to4  ,hor4 ,but what  

is all this to the ,origin of ,honour8  
,what ,reason have you to think it to be
 of ,gothick ,extraction8  ,cleo4 ,my   
,conjecture concerning ,honour1 as it   
signifies a ,principle from which ,men  
act1 is1 that it is an ,invention of    
,politicians1 to keep ,men close to     
their ,promises and ,engagements1 when  
all other ,ties prov'd ineffectual2 and 
the ,christian ,religion itself was     
often found insufficient for that       
,purpose4  ,hor4 ,but the ,belief of an 
over-ruling ,power1 that will certainly 
punish ,perjury and ,injustice1 being   
common to all ,religions1 what          
pre-eminence has the ,christian over the
 ,rest1 as to the ,civil ,society in    
,temporals8  ,cleo4 ,it shews and       
insists upon the ,necessity of that     
,belief more amply and more emphatically
 than any other4 ,besides1 the          
,strictness of its ,morality1 and the   
exemplary ,lives of ,those who preach'd 
it1 gain'd vast ,credit to the          
mysterious ,part of it2 and there never 

had been a ,doctrine or ,philosophy from
 which it was so likely to expect1 that 
it would produce ,honesty1 mutual ,love 
and ,faithfulness in the ,discharge of  
all ,duties and ,engagements as the     
,christian ,religion4 ,the wisest       
,moralists1 before that ,time1 has laid 
the greatest ,stress on the             
,reasonableness of their precepts2 and  
appeal'd to ,human ,understanding for   
the ,truth of their ,opinions4 ,but the 
,gospel1 soaring beyond the ,reach of   
,reason1 teaches us many ,things1 which 
no ,mortal could ever have known1 unless
 they had been reveal'd to him2 and     
several that must always remain         
incomprehensible to finite ,capacities2 
and this is the ,reason1 that the       
,gospel presses and enjoins ,nothing    
with more ,earnestness than ,faith and  
,believing4  ,hor4 ,but would ,men be   
more sway'd by ,things they believed    
only1 than they would be by those they  
understood8  ,cleo4 ,all ,human         
,creatures are sway'd and wholly        

govern'd by their ,passions1 whatever   
fine ,notions we may flatter our ,selves
 with2 even those who act suitably to   
their ,knowledge1 and strictly follow   
the ,dictates of their ,reason1 are not 
less compell'd so to do by some ,passion
 or other1 that sets them to ,work1 than
 others1 who bid ,defiance and act      
contrary to ,both1 and whom we call     
,slaves to their ,passions4 ,to love    
,virtue for the ,beauty of it1 and curb 
one's ,appetites because it is most     
reasonable so to do1 are very good      
,things in ,theory2 but whoever         
understands our ,nature1 and consults   
the ,practice of ,human ,creatures1     
would sooner expect from them1 that they
 should abstain from ,vice1 for ,fear of
 ,punishment1 and do good1 in ,hopes of 
being rewarded for it4  ,hor4 ,would you
 prefer that ,goodness1 built upon      
,selfishness and ,mercenary ,principles1
 to that which proceeds from a          
,rectitude of ,thinking1 and a real     
,love of ,virtue and ,reasonableness of 

,mens ,actions8  ,cleo4 ,we can give no 
better ,proof of our ,reasonableness1   
than by judging rightly4 ,when a ,man   
wavers in his ,choice1 between present  
,enjoyments of ,ease and ,pleasure1 and 
the ,discharge of ,duties that are      
troublesome1 he weighs what ,damage or  
benefit will accrue to him upon the     
,whole1 as well from the ,neglect as the
 ,observence of the ,duties that are    
prescrib'd to him2 and the greater the  
,punishment is he fears from the        
,neglect1 and the more transcendent the 
,reward is which he hopes for from the  
,observance1 the more reasonably he     
acts1 when he sides with his ,duty4 ,to 
bear with ,inconveniencies1 ,pain and   
,sorrow1 in ,hopes of being eternally   
,happy1 and refuse the ,enjoyments of   
,pleasure1 for ,fear of being ,miserable
 for ever1 are more justifiable to      
,reason1 and more consonant to good     
,sense1 than it is to do it for         
,nothing4  ,hor4 ,but our ,divines will 
tell you1 that this ,slavish ,fear is   

unacceptable1 and that the ,love of ,god
 ought to be the ,motive of good        
,actions4  ,cleo4 ,i have ,nothing      
against the refin'd ,notions of the     
,love of ,god1 but this is not what ,i  
would now speak of4 ,my ,design was only
 to prove1 that the more firmly ,men    
believe ,rewards and ,punishments from  
an invisible ,cause1 and the more this  
,belief always influences them in all   
their ,actions1 the closer they'll keep 
to ,justice and all ,promises and       
,engagements4 ,it is this that was      
always most wanted in the ,civil        
,society2 and1 before the ,coming of    
,christ1 ,nothing had appear'd upon     
,earth1 from which this grand           
,desideratum1 this ,blessing1 might so  
reasonably be expected as it might from 
his ,doctrine4 ,in the ,beginning of    
,christianity1 and whilst the ,gospel   
was explain'd without any ,regard to    
,wordly ,views1 to be a ,soldier was    
thought inconsistent with the           
,profession of a ,christian2 but this   

,strictness of the ,gospel-,principles  
began to be disapproved of in the       
,second ,century4 ,the ,divines of those
 ,days were most of them become arrant  
,priests1 and saw plainly1 that a       
,religion1 which would not allow its    
,votaries to assist at ,courts or       
,armies1 and comply with the vain       
,world1 could never be made ,national2  
consequently1 the ,clergy of it could   
never acquire any considerable ,power   
upon ,earth4 ,in ,spirituals they were  
the ,successors of the ,apostles1 but in
 ,temporals they wanted to succeed the  
,pagan ,priests1 whose ,possessions they
 look'd upon with wishful ,eyes2 and    
,worldly ,strength and ,authority being 
absolutely necessary to establish       
,dominion1 it was agreed1 that          
,christians might be ,soldiers1 and in a
 just ,war fight with the ,enemies of   
their ,country4 ,but ,experience soon   
taught them1 that those ,christians1    
whose ,consciences would suffer them to 
be ,soldiers1 and to act contrary to the

 ,doctrine of ,peace1 were not more     
strict ,observers of other ,duties2 that
 ,pride1 ,avarice and ,revenge ranged   
among them as they did among the        
,heathens1 and that many of them were   
guilty of ,drunkenness and              
,incontinence1 ,fraud and ,injustice1 at
 the same ,time that they pretended to  
great ,zeal1 and were great ,sticklers  
for their ,religion4 ,this made it      
evident1 that there could be no         
,religion so strict1 no ,system of      
,morality so refin'd1 nor ,theory so    
well meaning1 but some ,people might    
pretend to profess and follow it1 and   
yet be loose ,livers1 and wicked in     
their ,practice4  ,hor4 ,those who      
profess to be of a ,theory1 which they  
contradict by their ,practice1 are1     
without ,doubt1 hypocrites4  ,cleo4 ,i  
have more ,charity than to think so4    
,there are real ,believers that lead    
,wicked ,lives2 and ,many stick not at  
,crimes1 which they never would have    
dared to commit1 if the ,terrors of the 

,divine ,justice1 and the ,flames of    
,hell1 had struck their ,imagination1   
and been before them in the same ,manner
 as they really believe they shall be2  
or if at that ,time their ,fears had    
made the same ,impression upon them1    
which they do at others1 when the ,evil 
dreaded seems to be near4 ,things at a  
,distance1 tho' we are sure that they   
are to come1 make little ,impression    
upon us in ,comparison with those that  
are present and immediately before us4  
,this is evident in the ,affair of      
,death3 ,there is ,no ,body who does not
 believe1 that he must die1 ,mr4 ,asgil 
perhaps excepted2 yet it hardly ever    
employs ,people's ,thoughts1 even of    
,those who are most terribly afraid of  
it whilst they are in perfect ,health1  
and have every ,thing they like4 ,man is
 never better pleas'd than when he is   
employ'd in procuring ,ease and         
,pleasure1 in thinking on his own       
,worth1 and mending his ,condition upon 
,earth4 ,whether ,this is laid on the   

,devil or our ,attachment to the ,world1
 it is plain to me1 that it flows from  
,man's ,nature1 always to mind to       
,flatter1 ,love1 and take ,delight in   
himself2 and that he cares as little as 
possible ever to be interupted in this  
grand ,employment4 ,as every organ1 and 
every part of ,man1 seems to be made and
 wisely contriv'd for the ,functions of 
this ,life only1 so his ,nature prompts 
him1 not to have any ,sollicitude for   
,things beyond this ,world4 ,the ,care  
of ,self-,preservation we are born with1
 does not extend it self beyond this    
,life2 therefore every ,creature dreads 
,death as the ,dissolution of its       
,being1 the ,term not to be exceeded1   
the ,end of ,all4 ,how various and      
unreasonable soever our ,wishes may be1 
and how enormous the ,multiplicity of   
our ,desires1 they terminate in ,life1  
and all the ,objects of them are on this
 ,side the ,grave4  ,hor4 ,has not a    
,man ,desires beyond the ,grave1 who    
buys an ,estate1 not to be enjoy'd but  

by his ,heirs1 and enters into          
,agreements that shall be binding for a 
,thousand ,years4  ,cleo4 ,all the      
,pleasure and ,satisfaction that can    
arise from the ,reflection on our       
,heirs1 is enjoy'd in this ,life3 ,and  
the ,benefits and ,advantages we wish to
 our ,posterity are of the same ,nature 
with those which we would wish to our   
,selves if we were to live2 and what we 
take ,care of is1 that they shall be    
,rich1 keep their ,possessions1 and that
 their ,estates1 ,authority and         
,prerogatives shall never diminish1 but 
rather encrease4 ,we look upon          
,posterity as the ,effect of which we   
are the ,cause1 and we reckon our       
,selves as it were to continue in them4 
,hor4 ,but the ,ambitious that are in   
,pursuit of ,glory1 and sacrifise their 
,lives to ,fame and a lasting           
,reputation1 sure they have ,wishes     
beyond the ,grave4  ,cleo4 ,tho' a ,man 
should stretch and carry his ,ambition  
to the ,end of the ,world1 and desire   

not to be forgot as long as that stood1 
yet the ,pleasure that arises from the  
,reflection on what shall be said of him
 ,thousands and ,thousand of ,years     
after1 can only be enjoy'd in this      
,life4 ,if a vain ,coxcomb1 whose       
,memory shall die with him1 can be but  
firmly persuaded1 that he shall leave an
 eternal ,name1 the ,reflection may give
 him as much ,pleasure as the greatest  
,hero can receive from reflecting on    
what shall really render him immortal4  
,a ,man1 who is not regenerated1 can    
have no ,notion of another ,world1 or   
future happiness2 therefore his ,longing
 after it cannot be very strong4        
,nothing can affect us forcibly but what
 strikes the ,senses1 or such ,things   
which we are conscious of within4 ,by   
the ,light of ,nature only1 we are      
capable of demonstrating to our ,selves 
the necessity of a ,first ,cause1 a     
,supreme ,being2 but the ,existence of a
 ,deity cannot be render'd more manifest
 to our ,reason1 than his ,essence is   

unknown and incomprehensible to our     
,understanding4  ,hor4 ,i don't see what
 you drive at4  ,cleo4 ,i am            
endeavouring to account for the small   
,effect and little ,force1 which        
,religion1 and the ,belief of future    
,punishments1 may be of to mere ,man1   
unassisted with the ,divine ,grace4 ,the
 ,practice of nominal ,christians is    
perpetually clashing with the ,theory   
they profess4 ,innumerable ,sins are    
committed in private1 which the         
,presence of a ,child1 or the most      
insignificant ,person1 might have       
hinder'd1 by ,men who believe ,god to be
 omniscient1 and never question'd his   
,ubiquity4  ,hor4 ,but pray1 come to the
 ,point1 the ,origin of ,honour4  ,cleo4
 ,if we consider1 that men are always   
endeavouring to mend their ,condition   
and render ,society more happy as to    
this ,world we may easily conceive1 when
 it was evident that ,nothing could be a
 ,check upon ,man that was absent1 or at
 least appear'd not to be present1 how  

,moralists and ,politicians came to look
 for ,something in ,man himself1 to keep
 him in ,awe4 ,the more they examin'd   
into ,human ,nature1 the more they must 
have been convinced1 that ,man is so    
,selfish a ,creature1 that1 whilst he is
 at ,liberty1 the greatest ,part of his 
,time will always be bestow'd upon      
himself2 and that whatever ,fear or     
,revenerence he might have for an       
invisible ,cause1 that ,thought was     
often jostled out by others1 more nearly
 relating to himself4 ,it is obvious    
likewise1 that he neither loves nor     
esteems any ,thing so well as he does   
his own ,individual2 and that here is   
,nothing1 which he has so constantly    
before his ,eyes1 as his own dear ,self4
 ,it is highly probable1 that skilful   
,rulers1 having made these observations 
for some ,time1 would be tempted to try 
if ,man could not be made an ,object of 
,reverence to himself4  ,hor4 ,you have 
only named ,love and ,esteem2 they alone
 cannot produce ,reverence by your own  

,maxim2 how could they make a man afraid
 of himself8  ,cleo4 ,by improving upon 
his ,dread of ,shame2 and this1 ,i am   
persuaded1 was the ,case3 ,for as soon  
as it was found out1 that many vicious1 
quarrelsome1 and undaunted ,men1 that   
fear'd neither ,god nor ,devil1 were yet
 often curb'd and visibly with-held by  
the ,fear of ,shame2 and likewise that  
this ,fear of ,shame might be greatly   
encreas'd by an artful ,education1 and  
be made superiour even to that of       
,death1 they had made a ,discovery of a 
real ,tie1 that would serve many noble  
,purposes in the ,society4 ,this ,i take
 to have been the ,origin of ,honour1   
the ,principle of which has its         
,foundation in ,self-liking2 and no ,art
 could ever have fix'd or rais'd it in  
any ,breast1 if that ,passion had not   
pre-existed and been predominant there4 
,hor4 ,but1 how are you sure1 that this 
was the ,work of ,moralists and         
,politicians1 as you seem to insinuate8 
,cleo4 ,i give those ,names             

promiscuously to ,all that1 having      
studied ,human ,nature1 have endeavour'd
 to civilize ,men1 and render them more 
and more tractable1 either for the ,ease
 of ,governours and ,magistrates1 or    
else for the ,temporal ,happiness of    
,society in general4 ,i think of all    
,inventions of this ,sort1 the same     
which told #d you of ,politeness1 that  
they are the joint ,labour of ,many1    
,human ,wisdom is the ,child of ,time4  
,it was not the ,contrivance of one     
,man1 nor could it have been the        
,business of a few ,years1 to establish 
a ,notion1 by which a rational ,creature
 is kept in ,awe for ,fear of it ,self1 
and an ,idol is set up1 that shall be   
its own ,worshiper4  ,footnote #d3      
,fable of the ,bees1 ,part4 ,,ii4 page  
#acb4  ,hor4 ,but ,i deny1 that in the  
,fear of ,shame we are afraid of our    
,selves4 ,what we fear1 is the judgment 
of others1 and the ill ,opinion they    
will justly have of us4  ,cleo4 ,examine
 this thoroughly1 and you'll find1 that 

when we covet ,glory1 or dread ,infamy1 
it is not the good or bad ,opinion of   
others that affects us with ,joy or     
,sorrow1 ,pleasure or ,pain2 but it is  
the ,notion we form of that ,opinion of 
theirs1 and must proceed from the       
,regard and ,value we have for it4 ,if  
it was otherwise1 the most ,shameless   
,fellow would suffer as much in his     
,mind from publick ,disgrace and        
,infamy1 as a ,man that values his      
,reputation4 ,therefore it is the       
,notion we have of ,things1 our own     
,thought and ,something within our      
,selves1 that creates the ,fear of      
,shame3 ,for if ,i have a ,reason1 why  
,i forbear to do a ,thing to ,day1 which
 it is impossible should be known before
 to ,morrow1 ,i must be with-held by    
,something that exists already2 for     
,nothing can act upon me the ,day before
 it has its ,being4  ,hor4 ,the ,upshot 
is ,i find1 that ,honour is of the same 
,origin with ,virtue4  ,cleo4 ,but the  
,invention of ,honour1 as a ,principle1 

is of a much later ,date2 and ,i look   
upon it as the greater ,atchievement by 
far4 ,it was an ,improvement in the ,art
 of ,flattery1 by which the ,excellency 
of our ,species is raised to such a     
,height1 that it becomes the ,object of 
our own ,adoration1 and ,man is taught  
in good ,earnest to worship himself4    
,hor4 ,but granting you1 that both      
,virtue and ,honour are of ,human       
,contrivance1 why do you look upon the  
,invention of the ,one to be a greater  
,atchievement than that of the other8   
,cleo4 ,because the ,one is more        
skilfully adapted to our inward ,make4  
,men are better paid for their          
,adherence to ,honour1 than they are for
 their ,adherence to ,virtue3 ,the      
,first requires less ,self-denial2 and  
the ,rewards they receive for that      
,little are not imaginary but real and  
palpable4 ,but ,experience confirms what
 ,i say3 ,the ,invention of ,honour has 
been far more beneficial to the ,civil  
,society than that of ,virtue1 and much 

better answer'd the ,end for which they 
were invented4 ,for ever since the      
,notion of ,honour has been receiv'd    
among ,christians1 there have always    
been1 in the same ,number of ,people1   
,twenty ,men of real ,honour1 to ,one of
 real ,virtue4 ,the ,reason is obvious4 
,the ,persuasions to ,virtue make no    
,allowances1 nor have any ,allurements  
that are clashing with the ,principle of
 it2 whereas the ,men of ,pleasure1 the 
,passionate and the ,malicious1 may all 
in their ,turns meet with ,opportunities
 of indulging their darling ,appetites  
without trespassing against the         
,principle of ,honour4 ,a virtuous ,man 
thinks himself obliged to obey the ,laws
 of his ,country2 but a ,man of ,honour 
acts from a ,principle which he is bound
 to believe ,superiour to all ,laws4 ,do
 but consider the ,instinct of          
,sovereignty that all ,men are born     
with1 and you'll find1 that in the      
closest ,attachment to the ,principle of
 ,honour there are ,enjoyments that are 

ravishing to ,human ,nature4 ,a virtuous
 ,man expects no ,acknowledgments from  
others2 and if they won't believe him to
 be virtuous1 his ,business is not to   
force them to it2 but a ,man of ,honour 
has the ,liberty openly to proclaim     
himself to be such1 and call to an      
,account ,every body who dares to doubt 
of it3 ,nay1 such is the inestimable    
,value he sets upon himself1 that he    
often endeavours to punish with ,death  
the most insignificant ,trespass that's 
committed against him1 the least ,word1 
,look1 or ,motion1 if he can find but   
any far-fetch'd reason to suspect a     
,design in it to under-value him2 and of
 this ,no body is allow'd to be a ,judge
 but himself4 ,the ,enjoyments that     
arise from being virtuous are of that   
,nicety1 that every ordinary ,capacity  
cannot relish them3 ,as1 without ,doubt1
 there is a noble ,pleasure in forgiving
 of ,injuries1 to ,speculative ,men that
 have refin'd ,notions of ,virtue2 but  
it is more ,natural to resent them2 and 

in revenging one's self1 there is a     
,pleasure which the meanest             
,understanding is capable of tasting4   
,it is manifest then1 that there are    
,allurements in the ,principle of       
,honour1 to draw in ,men of the lowest  
,capacity1 and even the vicious1 which  
,virtue has not4  ,hor4 ,i can't see1   
how a ,man can be really virtuous1 who  
is not likewise a ,man of ,honour4 ,a   
,person may desire to be ,honest1 and   
have an ,aversion to ,injustice1 but    
unless he has ,courage1 he will not     
always dare to be just1 and may on many 
,occasions be afraid to do his ,duty4   
,there is no ,dependance to be had on a 
,coward1 who may be bully'd into vicious
 ,actions1 and every ,moment be         
frighten'd from his ,principle4  ,cleo4 
,it never was pretended1 that a ,man    
could be ,virtuous and a ,coward at the 
same ,time1 since ,fortitude is the very
 ,first of the ,four ,cardinal ,virtues4
 ,as much ,courage and ,intrepidity as  
you please2 but a virtuous ,man will    

never display his ,valour with          
,ostentation1 where the ,laws of ,god   
and ,men forbid him to make ,use of it4 
,what ,i would demonstrate1 is1 that    
there are many ,allowances1 gross       
,indulgences to ,human ,nature in the   
,principle of ,honour1 especially of    
modern ,honour1 that are always         
exclaim'd against by the ,voice of      
,virtue1 and diametrically opposite to  
the ,doctrine of ,christ4  ,hor4 ,yet   
the further we look back for these      
,seven or ,eight ,hundred years1 the    
more we shall find ,honour and ,religion
 blended together4  ,cleo4 ,when        
,ignorance1 for several ,ages1 had been 
successfully encouraged and was         
designedly introduced to make ,way for  
,credulity1 the ,simplicity of the      
,gospel and the ,doctrine of ,christ    
were turn'd into ,gaudy ,foppery and    
vile ,superstition4 ,it was then1 that  
the ,church of ,rome began openly to    
execute her deep-laid ,plot for         
enslaving the ,laity4 ,knowing1 that no 

,power or ,authority can be established 
or long maintain'd upon ,earth without  
real ,strength and ,force of ,arms1 she 
very early coax'd the ,soldiery1 and    
made all ,men of ,valour her ,tools by  
,three ,maxims1 that1 if skilfully      
follow'd1 will never fail of engaging   
,mankind in our ,favour4  ,hor4 ,what   
are those1 pray4  ,cleo4 ,indulging     
,some in their ,vices1 ,humouring       
,others in their ,folly1 and ,flattering
 the ,pride of ,all4 ,the various       
,orders of ,knighthood were so many     
,bulwarks to defend the ,temporals of   
the ,church1 as well against the        
,encroachments of her ,friends1 as the  
,invasions of her ,enemies4 ,it was in  
the ,institutions of these ,orders1 that
 ,pains were taken by the grand         
,architects of the ,church1 to          
reconcile1 in outward ,shew1 the        
,principle of ,honour with that of the  
,christian ,religion1 and make ,men     
stupidly believe1 that the ,height of   
,pride is not inconsistent with the     

greatest ,humility4 ,in these           
,solemnities the jugling ,priests       
resolved to be kept out no where2 had   
commonly the greatest ,share2           
continually blending ,rites seemingly   
,sacred with the ,emblems of vain       
,glory1 which made all of them an       
eternal ,mixture of ,pomp and           
,superstition4  ,hor4 ,i don't believe1 
that ever ,any body set those ,things in
 such a ,light besides your ,self2 but  
,i see no ,design1 and the ,priests gave
 themselves a great ,deal of ,trouble   
for ,nothing4  ,cleo4 ,yet it is        
certain1 that1 by this and other ,arts1 
they made themselves sure of the most   
dangerous ,men2 for by this ,means the  
boldest and even the most wicked became 
,bigots4 ,the less ,religion they had1  
the more they stood in ,need of the     
,church2 and the farther they went from 
,god1 the more closely they stuck to the
 ,priests1 whose ,power over the ,laity 
was then the most absolute and          
uncontroul'd when the ,crimes of ,these 

were most flagrant and enormous4  ,hor4 
,i believe1 that among the ,men of      
,honour ,many were tainted with ,pride  
and ,superstition at the same ,time2 but
 there were others in whom superlative  
,bravery was united with the strictest  
,virtue4  ,cleo4 ,all ,ages have had    
,men of ,courage1 and all ,ages have had
 ,men of ,virtue2 but the ,examples of  
,those you speak of1 in whom superlative
 ,bravery was united with the strictest 
,virtue1 were always extremely scarce1  
and are rarely to be met with1 but in   
,legends and ,romances1 the ,writers of 
both which ,i take to have been the     
greatest ,enemies to ,truth and sober   
,sense the ,world ever produc'd4 ,i     
don't deny1 that by perusing them ,some 
might have fallen in ,love with ,courage
 and ,heroism1 others with ,chastity and
 ,temperance1 but the ,design of both   
was to serve the ,church of ,rome1 and  
with wonderful ,stories to gain the     
,attention of the ,readers1 whilst they 
taught ,bigotry1 and inured them to     

believe ,impossibilities4 ,but what ,i  
intended was to point at the ,people    
that had the greatest ,hand in          
reconciling1 to outward ,appearance1 the
 ,principle of ,honour with that of the 
,christian ,religion1 the ,ages ,this   
was done in1 and the ,reasons for which 
it was attempted4 ,for it is certain1   
that by the ,maxims ,i named1 the       
,church made her self sure of ,those who
 were most to be fear'd4 ,do but cast   
your ,eyes on the childish ,farces1 some
 ,popes have made great ,men the chief  
,actors in1 and the apish ,tricks they  
made them play1 when they found them    
intoxicated with ,pride1 and that at the
 same ,time they were ,believers without
 ,reserve4 ,what ,impertinence of       
tedious ,ceremonies have they made the  
greatest ,princes submit to1 even such  
as were noted for being cholerick and   
impatient6 ,what ,absurdities in ,dress 
have they made them swallow for         
,ornaments and ,marks of ,dignity6 ,if  
in all these the ,passion of            

,self-liking had not been highly        
gratify'd as well as play'd upon1 ,men  
of ,sense could never have been fond of 
them1 nor could they have been of that  
,duration2 for many of them are still   
remaining even in ,protestant           
,countries1 where all the ,frauds of    
,popery have been detected long ago2 and
 such ,veneration is paid to some of    
them1 that it would hardly be safe to   
ridicule them4 ,it is amazing to think1 
what immense ,multitudes of ,badges of  
,honour have been invented by ,popery1  
that are all distinct from the ,rest1   
and yet have ,something or other to     
shew1 that they have a ,relation to     
,christianity4 ,what a vast ,variety of 
,shapes1 not resembling the ,original1  
has the poor ,cross ,cross been tortur'd
 into6 ,how differently has it been     
placed and represented on the ,garments 
of ,men and ,women1 from ,head to ,foot6
 ,how inconsiderable are all other      
,frauds that ,lay-,rogues now and then  
have been secretly guilty of1 if you    

compare them to the bare-fac'd ,cheats  
and impudent ,forgeries1 with which the 
,church of ,rome has constantly imposed 
upon ,mankind in a triumphant ,manner6  
,what contemptible ,baubles has that    
,holy ,toy-shop put off in the ,face of 
the ,sun for the richest ,merchandize6  
,she has bribed the most ,selfish and   
penetrating ,statesmen1 with empty      
,sounds1 and ,titles without ,meaning4  
,the most resolute ,warriours ,she has  
forced to desist from their ,purposes1  
and do her dirty ,work against their own
 ,interest4 ,i shall say ,nothing of the
 ,holy ,war2 how often the ,church has  
kindled and renew'd it1 or what a       
,handle ,she made of it to raise and    
establish her own ,power1 and to weaken 
and undermine that of the ,temporal     
,princes in ,christendom4 ,the          
,authority of the ,church has made the  
greatest ,princes and most haughty      
,sovereigns fall prostrate before1 and  
pay ,adoration to the vilest ,trumpery1 
and accept of1 as ,presents of          

inestimable ,worth1 despicable ,trifles1
 that had no ,value at all but what was 
set upon them by the ,gigantick         
,impudence of the donors1 and the       
childish ,credulity of the ,receivers1  
the ,church misled the ,vulgar1 and then
 made ,money of their ,errors4 ,there is
 not an ,attribute of ,god1 and hardly a
 ,word in the ,bible1 to which she gave 
not some ,turn or other1 to serve her   
,worldly ,interest4 ,the ,relief of     
,witch-craft was the ,fore-runner of    
,exorcisms2 and the ,priests forged     
,apparitions to shew the ,power they    
pretended to1 of laying ,spirits1 and   
casting out ,devils4 ,to make accused   
,persons1 sometimes by ,ordeal1 at      
others by single ,combat1 try the       
,justice of their ,cause1 were both     
,arrows out of her ,quiver2 and it is   
from the latter1 that the ,fashion of   
,duelling took its ,rise4 ,but those    
single ,combats at first were only      
fought by ,persons of great ,quality1   
and on some considerable ,quarrel1 when 

they ask'd ,leave of the ,sovereign to  
decide the ,difference between them by  
,feats of ,arms2 which being obtain'd1  
,judges of the ,combat were appointed1  
and the ,champions enter'd the ,list    
with great ,pomp1 and in a very solemn  
,manner4 ,but as the ,principle of      
,honour came to be very useful1 the     
,notions of it1 by ,degrees1 were       
industriously spread among the          
,multitude1 till at last all ,swords-men
 took it in their ,heads1 that they had 
a right to decide their own ,quarrels1  
without asking any ,body's ,leave4 ,two 
,hundred ,years ago----  ,hor4 ,pardon  
my ,rudeness1 ,i cannot stay one        
,moment4 ,an ,affair of ,importance     
requires my ,presence4 ,it is an        
,appointment which ,i had entirely      
forgot when ,i came hither4 ,i am sure  
,i have been staid for this ,half ,hour4
  ,cleo4 ,pray1 ,horatio1 make no       
,apologies4 ,there is no ,company ,i    
love better than ,i do yours when you   
are at ,leisure2 but----  ,hor4 ,you    

don't stir out ,i know2 ,i shall be back
 again in ,two ,hours ,time4  ,cleo4    
,and ,i shall be at ,home for ,no body  
but your ,self4     ,the ,second        
,dialogue ,between ,horatio and         
,cleomenes4   ,horatio4 ,i ,believe ,i  
am within my ,time4  ,cleo4 ,by above   
,ten ,minutes4  ,hor4 ,when ,i came back
 in the ,chair1 ,i was thinking how     
artfully1 all this ,afternoon1 you      
avoided saying any ,thing of ,honour1 as
 it relates to the ,fair ,sex4 ,their   
,honour1 you know1 consists in their    
,chastity1 which is a real ,virtue in   
your own ,sense1 not to be practis'd    
without palpable ,self-denial4 ,to make 
a ,vow of perpetual ,virginity1 and to  
be resolute enough1 never to break it1  
is a ,task not to be perform'd without  
the utmost ,mortification to ,flesh and 
,blood1 especially in handsome clever   
,women that seem to be made for ,love1  
as you and ,i have seen a great many in 
the ,nunneries in ,flanders4            
,self-liking or ,pride have ,nothing to 

do there2 for the more powerfully that  
,passion operates in either ,men or     
,women1 the less ,inclination they'll   
shew to be mew'd up in a ,cloyster1     
where they can have ,none but their own 
,sex to converse with4  ,cleo4 ,the     
,reason why ,i said ,nothing of ,honour 
as it relates to the fair ,sex1 was     
because we had spoke of it already in a 
former ,conversation2 by the same       
,token1 that ,i told you then1 that #e  
the ,word ,honour1 ,i mean1 the ,sence  
of it1 was very whimsical1 and the      
,difference in the ,signification so    
prodigious1 according as the ,attribute 
was either applied to a ,man1 or to a   
,woman1 that neither shall forfeit their
 ,honour1 tho' each should be guilty1   
and openly boast of what would be the   
other's greatest ,shame4  ,footnote #e3 
,fable of the ,bees1 part ,,ii4 page    
#abh4  ,hor4 ,i remember it1 and it is  
true4 ,gallantry with ,women1 is no     
,discredit to the ,men1 any more than   
,want of ,courage is a ,reproach to the 

,ladies4 ,but do you think this is an   
,answer to what ,i said8  ,cleo4 ,it is 
an ,answer to your ,charge against me of
 making ,use of an ,artifice1 which1 ,i 
declare to you1 never enter'd into my   
,head4 ,that the ,honour of ,women in   
general1 is allow'd to consist in their 
,chastity1 is very true2 the ,words     
themselves have been made ,use of as    
,synonimous even among the ,ancients3   
,but this1 strictly speaking1 ought only
 to be understood of ,worldly ,women1   
who act from ,political ,views1 and at  
best from a ,principle of ,heathen      
,virtue4 ,but the ,women you speak of   
among the ,christians1 who1 having vow'd
 a perpetual ,virginity1 debar          
themselves from sensual ,pleasures1 must
 be set on1 and animated by a higher    
,principle than that of ,honour4 ,those 
who can voluntarily make this ,vow in   
good ,humour and ,prosperity1 as well as
 ,health and ,vigour1 and keep it with  
,strictness1 tho' it is in their ,power 
to break it1 have1 ,i own with you1 a   

,task to perform1 than which ,nothing   
can be more mortifying to ,flesh and    
,blood4 ,self-liking or ,pride1 as you  
say1 have ,nothing to do there4 ,but    
where are these ,women to be found8     
,hor4 ,i told you2 in the ,religious    
,houses4  ,cleo4 ,i don't believe there 
is one in a ,thousand that answers the  
,character you gave of them4 ,most ,nuns
 are made whilst they are very young1   
and under the ,tuition of others2 and   
oftner by ,compulsion than their own    
,choice4  ,hor4 ,but there are ,women   
grown1 who take the ,veil voluntarily1  
when they are at their own ,disposal4   
,cleo4 ,not many1 who have not some     
substantial ,reason or other for it1    
that has no ,relation to ,piety or      
,devotion2 such as the ,want of a       
,portion suitable to their ,quality2    
,disappointments or other ,misfortunes  
in the ,world4 ,but to come to the      
,point4 ,there are but two ,things      
which1 in ,celibacy1 can make ,men or   
,women1 in ,youth and ,health1 strictly 

comply with the ,rules of ,chastity2 and
 these are ,religion1 and the ,fear of  
,shame4 ,good ,christians1 that are     
wholly sway'd by the ,sense of a        
,religious ,duty1 must be supernaturally
 assisted1 and are ,proof against all   
,temptations4 ,but ,these have always   
been very scarce1 and there are no      
,numbers of them any where1 that one can
 readily go to4 ,it would perhaps be an 
odious ,disquisition1 whether1 among all
 the young and middle-aged ,women who   
lead a ,monastick ,life1 and are        
secluded from the ,world1 there are ,any
 that have1 abstract from all other     
,motives1 ,religion enough to secure    
them from the ,frailty of the ,flesh1 if
 they had an ,opportunity to gratify it 
to their ,liking with ,impunity4 ,this  
is certain1 that their ,superiors1 and  
,those under whose ,care these ,nuns    
are1 seem not to entertain that ,opinion
 of the ,generality of them4 ,they      
always keep them lock'd up and barr'd2  
suffer no ,men to converse with them    

even in ,publick1 but where there are   
,grates between them1 and not even then 
within ,reach of one another3 ,and tho' 
hardly a ,male ,creature of any ,kind is
 allow'd to come near them1 yet they are
 ever suspicious of them1 pry into their
 most ,secret ,thoughts1 and keep       
constantly a watchful ,eye over them4   
,hor4 ,don't you think this must be a   
great ,mortification to young ,women8   
,cleo4 ,yes1 a forc'd one2 but there is 
no voluntary ,self-denial1 which was the
 ,thing you spoke of4 ,the              
,mortifitation which they feel is like  
that of ,vagabonds in a ,work-,house3   
,there is no ,virtue in the ,confinement
 of either4 ,both are dissatisfied1     
without ,doubt1 but it is because they  
are not employ'd to their ,liking2 and  
what they grieve at1 is1 that they can't
 help themselves4 ,but there are        
,thousands of vain ,women1 whom no      
,thoughts of ,futurity ever made any    
,impression upon1 that lead single      
,lives by ,choice1 and are at the same  

,time careful of their ,honour to the   
greatest ,nicety1 in the ,midst of      
,temptations1 gay sprightly ,women1 of  
amorous ,complexions1 that can deny a   
passionate1 deserving ,lover1 whose     
,person they approve of and admire1 when
 they are alone with him in the dark2   
and all this from no better ,principle  
than the ,fear of ,shame1 which has its 
,foundation in ,self-liking1 and is so  
manifesty derived from that and no other
 ,passion4 ,you and ,i are acquainted   
with ,women1 that have refused          
,honourable ,matches with the ,men they 
loved1 and with whom they might have    
been ,happy1 if they themselves had been
 less intoxicated with ,vanity4  ,hor4  
,but when a ,woman can marry1 and be    
maintain'd suitably to her ,quality1 and
 she refuses a ,man upon no other       
,score1 than that his ,fortune1 or his  
,estate1 are not equal to her           
unreasonable ,desires1 the ,passion she 
acts from is ,covetousness4  ,cleo4     
,would you call a ,woman covetous1 who  

visibly takes ,delight in ,lavishness1  
and never shew'd any ,value for ,money  
when ,she had it3 ,one that would not   
have a ,shilling left at the ,year's    
,end1 tho' she had ,fifty ,thousand     
,pounds coming in8 ,all ,women consult  
not what is befitting their ,quality3   
,what many of them want is to be        
maintain'd suitably to their ,merit1    
their own ,worth1 which with great      
,sincerity they think inestimable and   
which consequently no ,price can be     
equal to4 ,the ,motive therefore of     
these ,women is no other1 than what ,i  
have call'd it1 their ,vanity1 the      
undoubted ,offspring of ,self-liking1 a 
palpable ,excess1 an extravagant ,degree
 of the ,passion1 that is able to stifle
 the loudest ,calls of ,nature1 and with
 a high ,hand triumphs over all other   
,appetites and ,inclinations4 ,what     
,sort of ,education now do you think the
 fittest to furnish and fill young      
,ladies with this high ,esteem for      
themselves and their ,reputation1 which1

 whilst it subsists and reigns in them1 
is an ever-watchful and incorruptible   
,guardian of their ,honour8 ,would you  
mortify or flatter2 lessen or increase  
in them the ,passion of ,self-liking1 in
 order to preserve their ,chastity8 ,in 
short1 which of the ,two is it1 you     
would stir up and cultivate in them if  
you could1 ,humility or ,pride8  ,hor4  
,i should not try to make them ,humble1 
,i own3 ,and now ,i remember1 that in   
our ,third ,conversation1 speaking of   
raising the ,principle ,honour in both  
,sexes1 you gave some plausible ,reasons
 why #f ,pride should be more encourag'd
 in ,women than in ,men4 ,so much for   
the ,ladies4 ,i shall now be glad to    
hear what you have to add further       
concerning ,honour1 as it relates to    
,men only1 and requires ,courage4 ,when 
,i took the ,freedom to interupt you1   
you was saying ,something of ,two       
,hundred ,years ago4  ,footnote #f3     
,fable of the ,bees part ,,ii4 p4 #abf4 
,cleo4 ,i was then going to put you in  

,mind1 that ,two ,hundred ,years ago and
 upward1 as all ,gentlemen were train'd 
up to ,arms1 the ,notions of ,honour    
were of great ,use to them2 and it was  
manifest1 that never any ,thing had been
 invented before1 that was half so      
effectual to create artificial ,courage 
among ,military ,men4 ,for which ,reason
 it was the ,interest of all            
politicians1 among the ,clergy1 as well 
as the ,laity1 to cultivate these       
,notions of ,honour with the utmost     
,care1 and leave no stone unturn'd to   
make ,every body believe the ,existence 
and ,reality of such a ,principle2 not  
among ,mechanicks1 or any of the        
,vulgar1 but in ,persons of high ,birth1
 ,knights1 and others of ,heroick       
,spirit and exalted ,nature4 ,i can     
easily imagine1 how1 in a credulous1    
ignorant ,age1 this might be swallow'd  
and generally receiv'd for ,truth2 nor  
is it more difficult to conceive1 how   
illiterate ,men and rude ,warriours1    
altogether unacquainted with ,human     

,nature1 should be so far imposed upon  
by such ,assertions1 as to be fully     
persuaded1 that they were really        
posses'd of2 and actually animated by   
such a ,principle1 constantly ascribing 
to the ,force and ,influence of it every
 ,effort and ,suggestion they felt from 
the ,passion of ,self-liking4 ,the ,idol
 it self was finely dress'd up1 made a  
beautiful ,figure1 and the ,worship of  
it seem'd to require ,nothing1 that was 
not highly commendable and most         
beneficial to ,society4 ,those who      
pretended to pay their ,adoration to it1
 and to be true ,votaries of ,honour1   
had a hard ,task to perform4 ,they were 
to be ,brave and yet ,courteous1 ,just1 
,loyal1 and the ,protectors of          
,innocence against ,malice and          
,oppression4 ,they were to be the       
profess'd ,guardians of the ,fair2 and  
chaste1 as well as profound ,admirers of
 the ,sex3 ,but above all1 they were to 
be ,stanch to the ,church1 implicite    
,believers1 zealous ,champions of the   

,christian ,faith1 and implacable       
,enemies to all ,infidels and           
,hereticks4  ,hor4 ,i believe1 that     
between ,two and ,three ,hundred ,years 
ago1 ,bigotry was at the greatest       
,height4  ,cleo4 ,the ,church of ,rome  
had1 long before that ,time1 gain'd such
 an ,ascendant over the ,laity1 that    
,men of the highest ,quality stood in   
,awe of the least ,parish-,priest4 ,this
 made ,superstition fashionable2 and the
 most resolute ,heroes were not ashamed 
to pay a blind ,veneration to every     
,thing which the ,clergy was pleased to 
call ,sacred4 ,men had an entire        
,confidence in the ,pope's ,power2 his  
blessing of ,swords1 ,armours1 ,colours 
and ,standards2 and ,no body doubted of 
the ,influence1 which ,saints and       
,angels had upon ,earth1 the miraculous 
,virtue of ,relicks1 the ,reality of    
,witches and ,enchantments1 the ,black  
,art1 or that ,men might be made        
invulnerable4  ,hor4 ,but the ,ignorance
 of those ,days notwithstanding1 you    

believe1 that there were ,men of that   
strict ,honour1 you have been speaking  
of4  ,cleo4 ,men of ,honour1 ,i told    
you1 were required and supposed to be   
possess'd of those ,qualities2 and ,i   
believe1 that several endeavour'd to be1
 and some actually were such1 as far as 
,human ,frailty would let them2 but ,i  
believe likewise1 that there were       
others1 who gain'd the ,title1 by their 
,undauntedness only1 and had but a small
 ,stock of any other ,virtue besides2   
and that the ,number of these was always
 far the greatest4 ,courage and         
,intrepidity always were1 and ever will 
be the grand ,characteristick of a ,man 
of ,honour3 ,it is this ,part of the    
,character only1 which it is always in  
our ,power to demonstrate4 ,the best    
,friend a ,king has1 may want an        
,opportunity to shew his ,loyalty3 ,so a
 ,man may be just and chaste1 and yet   
not be able to convince the ,world that 
he is so2 but he may pick a ,quarrel1   
and shew1 that he dares to ,fight when  

he pleases1 especially if he converses  
with ,men of the ,sword4 ,where the     
,principle of ,honour was in high       
,esteem1 ,vanity and ,impatience must   
have always prompted the most proud and 
forward to seek after ,opportunities of 
,signalizing themselves1 in order to be 
stiled ,men of ,honour4 ,this would     
naturally occasion ,quarrelling and     
,fighting1 as it did and had frequently 
done before the ,time ,i speak of4 ,as  
,duelling was made a ,fashion1 the      
,point of ,honour became1 of ,course1 a 
common ,topick of ,discourse among the  
best bred ,men3 ,by this ,means the     
,rules for ,quarrelling and ,ponctilio  
in ,behaviour1 which at first were very 
uncertain and precarious1 came to be    
better understood1 and refin'd upon from
 ,time to ,time1 till1 in the ,beginning
 of the last ,century1 the ,sence of    
,honour was arrived to such a ,degree of
 ,nicety all over ,europe1 especially in
 ,france1 that barely looking upon a    
,man was often taken for an ,affront4   

,the ,custom of ,duelling1 by this1 was 
become to universal in that ,kingdom1   
that the ,judges themselves thought it  
dishonourable to refuse a ,challenge4   
,henry ,i,vth4 seeing the best ,blood of
 ,france so often sacrific'd to this    
,idol1 endeavour'd to put a ,stop to it1
 but was not able2 and the several      
,edicts made in #afjb and #afji were    
fruitless4 ,the ,resolutions of         
,parliament likewise1 made in the ,reign
 of ,lewis ,x,i,i,ith4 were as          
ineffectual3 the ,first ,check that was 
given to ,duelling1 was in the ,minority
 of ,lewis ,x,i,vth1 and from the       
,method by which it was prevented at    
last1 it is evident1 that ,honour is an 
,idol1 by ,human ,contrivance1 rais'd on
 the ,basis of ,human ,pride4  ,hor4    
,the ,method by which a ,stop was put to
 it1 was strictly to punish and never to
 pardon ,any that either sent or        
accepted of ,challenges1 whether they   
fought or not4  ,cleo4 ,this was not    
trusted to only4 ,an ,edict was         

publish'd in the ,year #afea1 by which  
,courts of ,honour were erected         
throughout the ,kingdom1 with ,gentlemen
 ,commissioners in every ,bailiwick1    
that were to have ,advice of1 and       
immediately to interpose in all         
,differences that might arise between   
,gentlemen4 ,the ,difficulty they       
labour'd under was1 that they would     
abolish the ,custom of ,duelling without
 parting with the ,notions of ,honour2  
destroying of which must have been      
certain ,ruin to a warlike ,nation1 that
 once had received them2 and therefore  
they never design'd1 that the ,worship  
of the ,idol should cease1 but they only
 try'd1 whether it was not to be        
satisfied with less valuable ,victims1  
and other ,sacrifices besides human     
,blood4 ,in the ,year #afec1 ,lewis     
,,xiv4 set forth another ,declaration   
against ,duels2 in which having made    
some ,additions to his former ,edict1 he
 commands the ,marshals of ,france to   
draw up a ,regulation touching the      

,satisfactions and ,reparations of      
,honour1 which they should think        
necessary for the several ,sorts of     
,offences4 ,this ,order was immediately 
obey'd1 and nineteen ,articles were     
drawn up and publish'd accordingly4 ,in 
these1 calling a ,man ,fool1 ,coward1 or
 the ,like1 was punish'd with a ,month's
 ,imprisonment2 and after being         
released1 the ,offender was to declare  
to the ,party so offended1 that he had  
wrongfully and impertinently injur'd him
 by outragious ,words1 which he own'd to
 be false1 and ask'd him to forgive4    
,giving one the ,lie1 or threatning to  
beat him1 was two ,month's              
,imprisonment1 and the ,submission to be
 made afterwards yet more humble than   
the foregoing4 ,for ,blows1 as striking 
with the ,hand1 and other ,injuries of  
the same ,nature1 the ,offender was to  
lye in ,prison ,six ,months1 unless1 at 
the ,request of the offended1 half of   
that ,time was chang'd into a pecuniary 
,mulct1 that might not be under ,fifteen

 ,hundred ,livres1 to be paid before he 
was set at ,liberty1 for the ,use of the
 ,nearest ,hospital to the ,abode of the
 offended2 after which1 the ,offender   
was to submit to the same ,blows from   
the offended1 and to declare by ,word of
 ,mouth1 and in ,writing1 that he had   
struck him in a ,brutish ,manner1 and   
beg'd him to pardon and forget that     
,offence4  ,hor4 ,what ,mortal could    
submit to such ,condescensions8  ,cleo4 
,for ,caning1 or ,blows given with a    
,stick1 the ,punishment was still more  
severe2 and the ,offender was to beg    
pardon upon his ,knees4  ,hor4 ,i should
 have no great ,opinion of a ,man's     
,honour1 who would not chuse to ,die    
rather than comply with such ,demands4  
,cleo4 ,several thought as you do1 and  
were hang'd for their ,pains4 ,but what 
,need a ,man come to those ,extremes1   
when he could have ,satisfaction for any
 real ,offence that might provoke him8  
,for the ,articles took ,notice of1 and 
made ample ,provisions against all      

,manner of ,injuries1 from the most     
trifling ,offences to the highest       
,outrages1 and were very severe against 
all those that should refuse to submit  
to the ,penalties imposed4 ,the         
,marshals of ,france remain'd the       
,supreme ,judges in all these ,matters2 
and under them acted the ,governours and
 ,lieutenants ,general of ,provinces1 in
 whose ,absence the ,gentlemen          
,commissioners in every ,bailiwick1     
having ,power to call the ,officers of  
,justice to their ,assistance1 were to  
take all provisional ,care imaginable2  
so that no ,lawyers or ,mechanicks had a
 ,hand in composing any ,differences    
concerning the ,point of ,honour4  ,hor4
 ,all these ,things1 we'll say1 are     
wisely contriv'd2 but in complaining    
first there is a meanness which a ,man  
of ,honour cannot stoop to4  ,cleo4     
,that the ,instinct of ,sovereignty will
 always bid ,men revenge their own      
,wrongs1 and do ,justice to themselves1 
is certain4 ,but ,i wanted1 to shew you 

the ,equivalent1 that wise ,men         
substituted in the ,room of ,dueling1   
and which ,men of unqueston'd ,honour   
took up with4 ,the ,scheme was contrived
 by ,men of tried ,valour1 whose        
,example is always of great ,weight3    
,besides1 from the ,nature of the       
,remedies that were applied to the      
,evil1 it must always follow1 that those
 who had given the greatest ,proofs of  
their ,courage1 would be the most ready 
to subscribe to those ,articles4  ,hor4 
,in our last ,conversation but one you  
told me1 that #g all ,laws pointed at1  
and tally'd with some ,frailty or       
,passion in our ,nature2 pray1 what is  
it that these ,laws of ,honour tally    
with8  ,footnote #g3 ,fable of the      
,bees1 part ,,ii4 page #cah4  ,cleo4 ,it
 is self-evident1 that they point at    
,self-liking and the ,instinct of       
,sovereignty4 ,but what is singular in  
these ,laws is1 that in their ,operation
 they are the reverse of all others4    
,hor4 ,i don't understand you4  ,cleo4  

,all other ,precepts and ,commandments  
are visibly labouring to restrain the   
,passions1 and cure the ,imperfections  
of our ,nature2 but these ,regulations  
of ,honour are endeavouring to prevent  
,mischief1 by soothing and flattering   
the ,frailties they point at4 ,in       
,offences against a ,man's ,honour1     
,pardon is not ask'd of ,god or the     
,king1 but of him who receiv'd the      
,affront4 ,it is he1 therefore1 whom all
 the ,address and ,homage are paid to3  
,he is the ,idol that is kneel'd to1 and
 the only ,sovereign that can forgive   
the ,trespasses committed against       
himself4 ,the ,punishment of the first  
,aggressor1 you see1 is altogether a    
,compliment to the ,person offended1    
whose ,wrath the ,law is so far from    
blaming1 that it justifies it1 and gives
 him an ,opportunity of indulging it by 
the ,indignity it puts upon the         
,offender4 ,the real ,mischief is not   
apprehended from the ,offender1 but the 
,person offended2 and therefore it is   

him1 whom the ,law coaxes and wheedles  
into good ,humour1 by offering him a    
,reparation that shall be equally       
honourable with what he would chuse1    
tho' less prejudicial to the ,society4  
,what the ,law promises is a ,tribute to
 the same ,passion which he wants to    
gratify1 a ,sacrifice to the ,idol which
 he himself adores4 ,should ,any one    
personate these ,laws1 and1 representing
 the ,sentiments on those who made them1
 speak to a ,man of ,honour1 who had    
receiv'd an ,affront1 an ,officer of the
 ,guards1 we'll say1 who had been call'd
 ,fool by his ,equal1 the ,purport of   
the ,discourse would be this3 ,you are  
very much in the ,right1 ,sir1 to be    
highly incensed against the ,man who    
dared to call you ,fool1 you that are a 
,man of ,honour1 to whom1 as such1 the  
whole ,world ought to pay the highest   
,esteem4 ,you have not only an undoubted
 ,right to do your ,self justice1 and   
revenge the ,affront that has been given
 you2 but there is likewise such a      

,necessity of your resenting it1 that if
 you could tamely put up the ,injury you
 have receiv'd1 and neglect demanding   
,satisfaction1 you would deserve to be  
branded with ,ignominy1 and all ,men of 
,honour would justly refuse ever to     
converse with you for the future4 ,but  
the ,person1 whom you have this ,affair 
with1 being likewise a ,man of ,honour1 
it is greatly to be fear'd1 that upon   
your demanding ,satisfaction of him1 a  
,battle will ensue1 which1 between two  
,persons who value their ,honours a     
,thousand ,times more than their ,lives1
 will probably be fatal to one1 if not  
to both2 you are therefore earnestly    
desired by the ,king himself1 that for  
his ,sake you would make some           
,alteration in the ,manner of taking    
that ,satisfaction which you ought to   
receive2 and the ,marshals of ,france   
have not only given it under their      
,hands1 that the ,equivalents1 which    
they have proposed for ,fighting1 will  
be as entire a ,reparation to your      

,honour as can be obtain'd by ,arms2 but
 moreover they have promised and engaged
 their ,honours1 that in ,cases of      
,affronts they will take up and content 
themselves with the same ,equivalents1  
and on all ,occasions submit to the same
 ,regulations1 which you are now desired
 to follow4 ,and that it may appear1 how
 highly reasonable this ,request is2 you
 are likewise desired to take the       
following ,remonstrance into your       
,consideration3 ,that the ,valour and   
,steadiness of ,men of ,honour3 are the 
grand ,support of all ,states and       
,kingdoms1 is a ,truth not to be denied2
 and that not only the ,peace and       
,tranquility1 and all the ,blessings we 
enjoy1 but likewise the ,king's ,crown  
and ,safety would be precarious without 
them1 is as unquestionable4 ,for this   
,reason all wise ,princes1 ,magistrates 
and ,governours1 will ever take all     
imaginable ,care1 on the one ,hand1 to  
cultivate and encourage the most noble  
,principle of ,honour1 and1 on the      

other1 to encrease the ,numbers of the  
worthy ,posessors of it1 by favouring   
and on all ,occasions shewing them the  
most tender ,affection1 as well as      
highest ,esteem4 ,it is easy then to be 
imagin'd1 that a ,monarch1 who loves his
 ,people1 and has the ,interest of his  
,nation at ,heart1 must be sensibly     
afflicted to see it become a common     
,practice for such valuable ,men to     
destroy one another1 and behold that    
,bravery and ,spirit1 which should only 
be made ,use of against the ,enemies of 
the ,country1 hourly employ'd and       
lavish'd away in private ,quarrels1 that
 can have no other ,tendency that the   
weakening of the ,kingdom1 and which1 if
 suffer'd to go on1 must compleat its   
,ruin4  ,hor4 ,you make these ,laws     
speak very notably4  ,cleo4 ,i have said
 ,nothing but what is certainly imply'd 
in them4 ,every ,man in ,france knew1   
that the chief ,motive of all those     
,edicts against ,duelling1 was the ,loss
 of the brave ,men that was sustain'd by

 that ,custom4 ,the ,sinfulness of it   
was the least ,consideration4  ,hor4    
,there1 ,i believe1 you wrong them1 for 
,i have seen some of these ,edicts1     
where ,duelling is call'd an            
,antichristian ,practice1 which ,god was
 highly offended at4  ,cleo4 ,in wording
 of the ,edicts1 indeed1 some such      
,thing was put in for ,form's ,sake2 but
 the ,regulations themselves1 by which  
the ,men of ,honour were to walk1 were  
openly ,antichristian2 and in some      
,cases1 instead of ,teaching ,men to    
forgive those that had trespas'd against
 them1 they obliged and forced the      
,offended to shew their ,resentment1    
tho' they would rather not1 and desired 
to be excused4  ,hor4 ,where the        
,affront was very heinous1 ,i know what 
you say is true4 ,but you set these     
,things in a strange ,light4 ,i can make
 the same ,glosses upon our ,laws1 which
 oblige me to prosecute a ,man that has 
robb'd me1 if ,i can catch him1 whether 
,i will or not2 and he shall be hang'd1 

tho' ,i forgive him the ,injury1 and    
even would beg his ,life4  ,cleo4 ,there
 is a vast ,difference between the two  
,cases1 a ,robbery1 and an ,affront3 ,no
 body hinders you from forgiving a ,man 
that robb'd you2 but notwithstanding    
your pardoning him1 he is punish'd for  
acting against the ,laws2 therefore his 
,offence is against the ,king1 who is   
the ,guardian and ,superintendant of    
them4 ,and ,no body but the ,king can   
pardon the ,trespasses that are         
committed against his ,crown and        
,dignity4 ,whoever robs you1 must be    
hang'd1 because he robb'd1 not because  
he robb'd ,,you in particular3 ,tho' you
 are bound to prosecute him for ,robbing
 you1 yet the ,injury is reckon'd as    
done to the ,publick2 and you become a  
,criminal your ,self1 if you connive at 
his ,escape1 tho' he restor'd to you    
what he had robb'd you of4 ,but in the  
,case of an ,affront the ,injury is     
reckon'd to be done to him only who     
receiv'd it4 ,his ,anger1 as ,i said    

before1 is thought to be just1 and his  
,resentment reasonable1 till an ample   
,satisfaction be made him2 therefore it 
is ,he who is to be appeas'd1 and ,he   
only who is to be applied to4 ,the ,laws
 that were compiled by the ,marshals of 
,france1 don't pretend to mend the      
,heart1 and lay no greater ,restraint on
 the ,spirit of ,revenge1 than          
,matrimony does on the ,desire of       
,procreation2 on the ,contrary1 they    
flatter the ,frailty1 and are           
administring to the ,haughtiness of the 
offended3 ,they are so far from denying 
him his ,demands1 or refusing to give   
him ,satisfaction for the ,affront1 that
 they appoint it by ,authority2 in the  
ordering of which they make such ample  
,provisions for the ,gratification of   
his ,pride1 as no reasonable ,man could 
ever think of without blushing4 ,the    
only ,thing they oblige him to is1 that 
he shall take the ,satisfaction in such 
a ,manner1 as shall be most safe to     
himself1 and least detrimental to the   

,publick4 ,now if you will consider     
first1 that those who made these        
,regulations were ,men of undoubted     
,honour1 who hourly feeling the ,force  
of it within themselves1 were perfectly 
well acquainted with the ,principle     
which it is built upon2 and secondly1   
that the profound ,humility of the      
,offender1 and his asking ,pardon of the
 offended1 are two main ,points in the  
repairing of ,honour1 necessary         
postulata1 without which those knowing  
,judges thought it impossible1 that an  
,affront could be forgiven3 ,if1 ,i say1
 you'll consider these two ,things1     
you'll see plainly1 what ,passion in    
,human ,nature it is1 which those ,laws 
of ,honour tally'd with1 and likewise   
that it is true1 what ,i have asserted  
of them1 that instead of reproving1     
curbing1 or diminishing the ,frailty    
that is offensive1 which seems to be the
 ,intention of all other ,laws1 their   
,aim is to prevent ,mischief and do     
,service to the ,civil ,society1 by     

approving of1 cherishing1 and indulging 
that very ,passion1 from which the ,evil
 they would prevent can only proceed4   
,hor4 ,you think those ,regulations were
 effectual1 and yet you seem to dislike 
them4  ,cleo4 ,i dislike them because   
they are destructive to ,religion2 and  
if a ,minister of the ,gospel was to    
dissuade and deter ,men from ,duelling  
he would do it in quite another ,manner4
 ,by a ,minister of the ,gospel ,i don't
 mean a ,philosophizing ,divine1 or a   
polite ,preacher1 but a sincere         
,follower of the ,apostles1 a down-right
 ,christian4 ,he would1 in the ,first   
,place1 insist upon it1 that ,forgiving 
of ,injuries was a ,christian ,duty     
never to be dispens'd with2 because it  
is made the ,condition on which we are  
taught to beg ,pardon for our own       
,offences4 ,in the ,second1 he would    
demonstrate that no ,man is ever to     
revenge himself1 how highly and how     
atrociously soever he might have been   
injured4 ,if ever he heard of a ,man's  

sending a ,challenge for having been    
call'd ,fool1 or other verbal ,injuries1
 he would reprove his ,frowardness and  
,want of ,temper1 for resenting such    
,trifles as the ,law of his ,country    
thought it not worthy to take ,notice   
of4 ,he would appeal to his ,reason1 and
 ask him1 whether he could think1 that  
the ,affront he complain'd of1 was a    
sufficient ,cause to take away a ,man's 
,life4 ,he would represent to him the   
,heinousnesss of ,murder1 ,god's express
 ,command against it2 his ,justice1 his 
,wrath1 his ,vengeance when provok'd4   
,but if all these could not divert the  
,dueller from his ,purpose1 he would    
attack his stubborn ,heart in its inmost
 ,recesses1 and forget ,nothing of what 
,i told you on the ,subject in our      
,second and ,third ,conversation4 ,he   
would recommend to him the ,fable of the
 ,bees1 and1 like that1 he'd dissect and
 lay open to him the ,principle of      
,honour1 and shew him1 how diametrically
 opposite the ,worship of that ,idol was

 to the ,christian ,religion2 the ,first
 consisting in openly cherishing and    
feeding that very ,frailty in our       
,nature1 which the latter strictly      
commands us with all our ,might to      
conquer and destroy4 ,having convinced  
him of the substantial ,difference and  
,contrariety between these ,two         
,principles1 he would display to him1 on
 the one ,hand1 the ,vanity of ,earthly 
,glory1 and the ,folly of ,coveting the 
,applause of a ,sinful ,world2 and1 on  
the other1 the ,certainty of a ,future  
,state1 and the ,transcendency of       
everlasting ,happiness over every ,thing
 that is perishable4 ,from such         
,remonstrances as these the good1 pious 
,man would take an ,opportunity of      
exhorting him to a ,christian           
,self-denial1 and the ,practice of real 
,virtue1 and he would earnestly         
endeavour to make him sensible of the   
,peace of ,conscience and solid         
,comforts that are to be found in       
,meekness and ,humility1 ,patience1 and 

an entire ,resignation to the ,will of  
,god4  ,hor4 ,how long1 pray1 do you    
intend to go on with this ,cant8  ,cleo4
 ,if ,i am to personate a ,christian    
,divine1 who is a sincere ,believer1 you
 must give me ,leave to speak his       
,language4  ,hor4 ,but if a ,man had    
really such an ,affair upon his ,hands1 
and he knew the ,person1 he had to do   
with1 to be a resolute ,man that        
understood the ,sword1 do you think he  
would have ,patience or be at ,leisure  
to hearken to all that puritanical      
,stuff1 which you have been heaping     
together8 ,do you think 7for that is the
 ,point7 it would have any ,influence   
over his ,actions8  ,cleo4 ,if he       
believ'd the ,gospel1 and consequently  
future ,rewards and ,punishments1 and he
 likewise acted consistently with what  
he believ'd1 it would put an entire     
,stop to all1 and it would certainly    
hinder him from fending or accepting of 
,challenges1 or ever engaging in any    
,thing relating to a ,duel4  ,hor4 ,pray

 now1 among all the ,gentlemen of your  
,acquaintance1 and such as you your     
,self should care to converse with1 how 
many are there1 do you think1 on whom   
the ,thoughts of ,religion would have   
that ,effect8  ,cleo4 ,a great many1 ,i 
hope4  ,hor4 ,you can hardly forbear    
laughing1 ,i see1 when you say it2 and  
,i am sure1 you your ,self would have no
 ,value for a ,man whom you should see  
tamely put up a gross ,affront3 ,nay1 ,i
 have seen and heard ,parsons and       
,bishops themselves laugh at1 and speak 
with ,contempt of pretended ,gentlemen1 
that had suffer'd themselves to be ill  
treated without resenting it4  ,cleo4   
,what you say of my self1 ,i own to be  
true2 and ,i believe the same of others1
 ,clergymen as well as ,laymen4 ,but the
 ,reason why ,men1 who bear ,affronts   
with ,patience1 ,are so generally       
despised is1 because ,every body        
imagines1 that their ,forbearance does  
not proceed from a ,motive of ,religion1
 but a ,principle of ,cowardice4 ,what  

chiefly induces us to believe this1 is  
the ,knowledge we have of our selves3   
,we are conscious within of the little  
,power which ,christianity has over our 
,hearts1 and the small ,influence it has
 over our ,actions4 ,finding our own    
,incapacity of subduing strong          
,passions1 but by the ,help of others   
that are more violent1 we judge of      
others in the same ,manner3 ,and        
therefore when we see a vain1 worldly   
,man gain such a ,conquest over his     
known and well establish'd ,pride1 we   
presently suspect it to be a ,sacrifice 
which he makes to his ,fear2 not the    
,fear of ,god1 or ,punishment in another
 ,world1 but the ,fear of ,death1 the   
strongest ,passion in our ,nature1 the  
,fear that his ,adversary1 the ,man who 
has affronted him1 will kill him1 if he 
fights him4 ,what confirms us in this   
,opinion is1 that ,poltrons shew no     
greater ,piety or ,devotion than other  
,people1 but live as voluptuously and   
indulge their ,pleasures as much1 at    

least1 as any other of the beau monde4  
,whereas a good ,christian is all of a  
,piece2 his ,life is uniform2 and       
whoever should scruple to send or to    
accept of a ,challenge for the ,love of 
,god1 or but from a ,fear of his        
,vengeance1 depend upon it1 he would    
have that same ,fear before his ,eyes on
 other ,occasions likewise3 ,and it is  
impossible that a ,religious ,principle1
 which is once of that ,force1 that it  
can make a ,man chuse to be despis'd by 
the ,world1 rather than he would offend 
,god1 should not only not be conspicuous
 throughout his ,behaviour1 but likewise
 never influences the ,rest of his      
,actions at any other ,time4  ,hor4     
,from all this it is very plain1 that   
there are very few sincere ,christians4 
,cleo4 ,i don't think so1 as to ,faith  
and ,theory2 and ,i am persuaded1 that  
there are great ,numbers in all         
,christian ,countries1 who sincerely    
believe the ,bible to be the ,word of   
,god1 and the old as well as new        

,testament to be a ,revelation from     
,heaven3 ,but as to ,works and ,practice
 ,i am of your ,opinion2 and ,i not only
 believe1 that there are very few       
sincere and real ,christians in their   
,lives and ,conversation1 for that is a 
difficult ,task1 but ,i believe         
likewise1 that there are very ,few who  
are sincere in endeavouring to be so1 or
 even in desiring to be real            
,christians4 ,but this is no ,argument  
against ,christianity1 or the           
,reasonableness of its ,doctrine4  ,hor4
 ,i don't say it is4 ,but as the        
,principle of ,honour1 whatever ,origin 
it had1 teaches ,men to be just in all  
their ,dealings1 and true to their      
,engagements1 and there are considerable
 ,numbers in every civiliz'd ,nation1   
who really take ,delight in this        
,principle1 and in all their ,actions   
are sway'd and govern'd by it1 must you 
not allow1 that such a ,principle1 let  
it be owing to ,education1 to ,flattery1
 to ,pride1 or what you please1 is more 

useful to ,society than the best        
,doctrine in the ,world1 which ,none can
 live up to1 and but ,few endeavour to  
follow8  ,cleo4 ,tho' those who are     
deem'd to be ,men of ,honour1 are far   
from being all really virtuous1 yet ,i  
can't disprove1 that the ,principle of  
,honour1 such as it is1 does not fully  
as much ,good to ,society as            
,christianity1 as it is practised2 ,i   
say1 to ,society1 and only in respect to
 ,temporals2 but it is altogether       
destructive as to another ,world3 ,and  
as the greatest ,happiness upon ,earth  
to a good ,christian1 is a firm ,belief1
 and well grounded ,hope1 that he shall 
be ,happy in ,heaven1 so a ,man who     
believes the ,gospel1 and pretends to   
value everlasting ,happiness beyond any 
,thing of shorter ,duration1 must act   
inconsistently with himself unless he   
adheres to the ,precepts of             
,christianity1 and at the same ,time    
explodes the ,principle of ,honour1     
which is the very ,reverse of it4  ,hor4

 ,i own1 that in the ,light you have put
 them1 they seem to be1 as you say1     
diametrically opposite4  ,cleo4 ,you    
see1 that those who act from a          
,principle of ,religion1 fairly attack  
the ,heart1 and would abolish ,duelling 
and all other ,mischief1 by restraining1
 conquering1 and destroying of ,pride1  
,anger1 and the ,spirit of ,revenge2 but
 these ,passions are so necessary to    
,society for the ,advancement of        
,dominion and worldly ,glory1 that the  
,great and ,ambitious could not do      
without them in a ,warlike ,nation4     
,those who compiled in ,france the      
,regulations we have been speaking of1  
were well aware of this3 ,they judged   
from what they felt within1 and knew    
full well1 that take away ,pride1 and   
you spoil the ,soldier2 for it is as    
impossible to strip a ,man of that      
,passion1 and preserve in him his       
,principle of ,honour1 as you can leave 
him his ,bed after you have taken away  
the ,feathers4 ,a peaceful ,disposition 

and ,humility are not ,qualities more   
promising in the ,day of ,battle1 than a
 contrite ,heart an broken ,spirit are  
,preparatives for ,fighting4 ,in these  
,regulations1 so often mention'd1 it is 
plainly to be seen1 what ,pains and     
,care were taken1 not to arraign1 or lay
 the least ,blame upon the ,principle of
 ,honour1 tho' the ,kingdom groan'd     
under a ,calamity which visibly arose   
from1 and could be the ,effect of no    
other ,cause than that very ,principle4 
,hor4 ,all the ,fault1 in my ,opinion1  
ought to be laid on the ,tyranny of     
,custom2 and therefore the ,marshals of 
,france were in the ,right not to       
depreciate or run the least ,risque of  
destroying or lessening the ,principle  
of ,honour1 which1 ,i am confident1 has 
been a greater ,tie upon ,men than any  
,religion whatever4  ,cleo4 ,it is      
impossible that there should be a       
greater ,tie1 a stronger ,barrier       
against ,injustice1 than the ,christian 
,religion1 where it is sincerely        

believ'd1 and ,men live up to that      
,belief4 ,but if you mean1 that the     
,number of ,men1 who have stuck to the  
,principle of ,honour1 and strictly     
follow'd the ,dictates of it1 has been  
greater than that of ,christians1 who1  
with equal ,strictness1 have obey'd the 
,precepts of the ,gospel2 if1 ,i say1   
you mean this1 ,i don't know how to     
contradict you4 ,but ,i thought1 that ,i
 had given you a very good ,reason for  
that1 when ,i shew'd you1 that in the   
,notions of ,honour there are many      
,allurements to draw-in vain worldly    
,men1 which the ,christian ,religion has
 not2 and that the ,severity of this is 
more mortifying and disagreable to      
,human ,nature1 than the ,self-denial   
which is required in the other4 ,there  
are other ,reasons besides1 which ,i    
have likewise hinted at more than once4 
,a ,man may believe the ,torments of    
,hell1 and stand in great ,dread of     
them1 whilst they are the ,object of his
 serious ,reflection2 but he does not   

always think of them1 nor will they     
always make the same ,impression upon   
him1 when he does4 ,but in worshiping   
,honour1 a ,man adores himself1 which is
 ever dear to him1 never absent1 never  
out of ,sight4 ,a ,man is easily induced
 to reverence what he loves so entirely4
  ,hor4 ,the ,fear of ,shame cannot     
restrain ,men in ,things that are done  
in ,secret1 and can never be known4 ,men
 of ,honour are true to their ,trust1   
where it is impossible they should be   
discover'd4  ,cleo4 ,that is not        
universally true2 tho'1 without doubt1  
there are many such4 ,the grand         
,characteristick of a ,man of ,honour1  
at least of ,modern ,honour1 is1 that he
 takes no ,affront without resenting it1
 and dares fight ,any body without      
,exception2 and such there are that have
 not common ,honesty1 and are noted     
,sharpers4 ,besides1 by ,education and  
conversing constantly with ,men of      
,honour1 and some of real ,honour and   
,probity1 ,persons may contract a strong

 ,aversion to every ,thing that is      
dishonourable4 ,the most effectual      
method to breed ,men of ,honour1 is to  
inspire them with lofty and romantick   
,sentiments concerning the ,excellency  
of their ,nature1 and the superlative   
,merit there is in being a ,man of      
,honour4 ,the higher you can raise a    
,man's ,pride1 the more refin'd you may 
render his ,notions of ,honour4  ,hon4  
,the ,substance of this you have said   
twenty ,times2 but ,i don't understand  
your adoring of one's self4  ,cleo4     
,i'll endeavour to explain it to you4 ,i
 am acquainted with ,men of ,honour1 who
 seem to have a very slender ,belief1 if
 any1 of future ,rewards and            
,punishiments1 and whom yet ,i believe  
to be very just ,men4 ,of these there   
are several1 whom ,i could entirely     
confide in1 and whose ,words ,i would   
much rather take in ,business of ,moment
 than any ,bishop's1 whom ,i know       
,nothing of4 ,what is it that keeps     
these ,men in ,awe8 ,what keeps them    

true to their ,word1 and steady to their
 ,engagements1 tho' they should be      
,losers by it8  ,hor4 ,i don't know any 
,thing but the ,principle of ,honour1   
that is deeply rooted in them4  ,cleo4  
,still the ,thing1 whatever it be1 which
 a ,man loves1 fears1 esteems1 and      
consequently reverences1 is not without1
 but within himself4 ,the ,object then  
of ,reverence1 and the ,worshiper1 who  
pays it1 meeting and remaining in the   
same ,person1 maynot such a ,person be  
justly said to adore himself3 ,nay1 it  
seems to be the common ,opinion1 that   
this is true2 for unless some ,sort of  
,divinity was supposed1 to reside in    
,men of ,honour1 their affirming and    
denying ,things upon that ,principle    
could never be thought an ,equivalent   
for an ,oath1 as to ,some it is allow'd 
to be4 ,pray1 when a ,man asserts a     
,thing upon his ,honour1 is it not a    
,kind of ,swearing by himself1 as others
 do by ,god8 ,if it was not so1 and     
there was supposed to be the least      

,danger1 that ,men1 endued with the     
,principle of ,honour1 could deceive or 
prevaricate1 ,i would fain know1 why it 
should be binding and acquiesc'd in4    
,hor4 ,you may say the same of the      
,quakers2 and that there must be        
supposed to be some ,divinity in them1  
that their solemn ,affirmation should be
 thought equivalent to an ,oath4  ,cleo4
 ,that's quite another ,thing4 ,the     
,quakers take all ,oaths whatever1      
whether they are made before a          
,magistrate or otherwise1 to be sinful1 
and for that ,reason they refuse to     
,swear at all4 ,but as it is their      
avow'd ,opinion1 that a wilful notorious
 ,lie is not less ,criminal in the      
,sight of ,heaven than we take ,perjury 
to be1 it is evident1 that in giving    
their ,testimony1 they stake their      
,salvation equally with other ,people   
that make ,oath4 ,whereas those who1    
with us1 are credited upon their        
,honour1 have no such ,scruples1 and    
make ,oath themselves on other          

,occasions3 ,the ,reason therefore why  
they don't try ,criminals and pronounce 
their ,judgment upon ,oath1 as other    
,judges and ,juries do1 is not1 that    
they think appealing to ,god or         
,swearing by his ,name to be ,sinful1   
which is the ,case of the ,quakers2 but 
because they are supposed to be         
altogether as credible without it1 as if
 they did4 ,and if there was not some   
,adoration1 some ,worship1 which ,men of
 ,honour pay to themselves1 the         
,principle they act from could not have 
produced the visible ,effects it has in 
so many different ,nations4  ,hor4 ,you 
have said several ,things which ,i      
cannot disprove1 and some of them1 ,i   
own1 are probable enough2 but you are   
like to leave me as you found me4 ,the  
,principle of ,honour has lost no       
,ground in my ,esteem2 and ,i shall     
continue to act from it as ,i did       
before4 ,but since you imagine to have  
so plainly proved1 that we are ,idols to
 our ,selves1 and that ,honour is       

diametrically opposite to ,christianity1
 ,i wonder you don't call it the ,beast 
in the ,apocalypse1 and say1 that it is 
the ,whore of ,babylon4 ,this would be a
 notable ,conceit1 and suit ,papists as 
well as ,protestants2 nay1 ,i fancy1    
that the ,colour of the ,whore1 and her 
,thirst after ,blood1 might be better   
accounted for from ,duelling1 than any  
other ,way that has been tried yet4     
,cleo4 ,the ,revelations of ,st4 ,john  
are above my ,comprehension2 and ,i     
shall never laugh at ,mysteries for not 
understanding them4  ,hor4 ,what you say
 of ,mysteries1 ,i think1 ought to be   
more justly applied to the ,principle of
 ,honour1 which we do understand2 for   
whatever it may be derived from1 the    
,advantages the ,civil ,society receives
 from it1 both in ,peace and ,war1 are  
so many and so manifest1 that the       
,usefulness of it ought to exempt and   
preserve it from being ridicul'd4 ,i    
hate to hear a ,man talk of its being   
more or less portable1 the melting of it

 over again1 and reducing it to a new   
,standard4  ,cleo4 ,i know1 you dislike 
this in the ,fable of the ,bees2 but if 
you'll examine into what you have read  
there1 you'll find1 that my ,friend has 
ridicul'd ,nothing but what deserves it4
 ,there is certainly a great ,difference
 between the ,men of ,honour in former  
,ages and many of those1 who now-a-days 
assume the ,title4 ,a ,man in whom      
,justice1 ,integrity1 ,temperance and   
,chastity are join'd with ,fortitude1 is
 worthy of the highest ,esteem2 but that
 a debauch'd ,fellow1 who runs in every 
,tradesman's ,debt1 and thinks himself  
not obliged to pay any ,thing but what  
is borrow'd or lost at ,play1 should    
claim the same ,regard from us1 for no  
other ,reason than because he dares to  
,fight1 is very unreasonable4  ,hor4    
,but is he serious1 when he speaks of   
the ,men of ancient ,honour1 of whom he 
thinks ,don ,quixot to have been the    
last8  ,cleo4 ,when the                 
,romance-,writers had carried the       

,prowess and ,atchievements of their    
heroes to an incredible ,pitch1 was it  
not ridiculous to see ,men in their     
,senses1 not only believe those         
,extravagancies in good ,earnest1 but   
likewise endeavour to imitate those     
fabulous ,exploits1 and set about       
copying after those imaginary ,patterns8
 ,for it was that which ,cervantes      
exposed in ,don ,quixot4  ,hor4 ,in the 
,fifteenth and ,sixteenth ,century1 the 
,spaniards were the best ,soldiers in   
the ,world2 they shew'd themselves on   
many ,emergencies to be a grave and wise
 ,nation1 and had many real ,patterns of
 strict ,honour and great ,virtue among 
them4 ,things are as often over-done in 
,satyrs as they are in ,panegyricks2 and
 the ,likeness of a ,caricatura is no   
more to be trusted to than that of the  
most flattering ,pencil4  ,cleo4 ,i     
shall always bear the highest ,esteem   
for ,men of strict ,honour and real     
,virtue1 and will never ridicule what is
 approved of by ,custom1 and the        

,consent of several ,ages has render'd  
valuable2 but no ,title or ,dignity1 no 
,name or ,distinction can be so         
honourable1 or so eminent1 that a       
serious ,enquirer may not have ,leave to
 trace it to the ,bottom4 ,i have       
acknowledged1 that the ,word ,honour1 in
 its first and genuine ,sense1 is as    
ancient as the oldest ,language in the  
,world4 ,as to my ,conjecture concerning
 the same ,word1 as it signifies a      
,principle which ,men act from1 ,i leave
 it entirely to your ,judgment3 ,but    
whatever the ,origin may be of either1  
it is certain1 that whatever the ,words 
,honour and ,honourable are join'd with1
 added or applied to1 there is plain    
,design in them of pleasing and         
gratifying those it concerns1 on        
,account of the ,passion of             
,self-liking1 and a palpable ,tendency  
to humour1 approve of1 or encrease the  
good ,opinion ,man has of himself3 ,as  
you'll find1 on the ,contrary1 that in  
the ,words ,dishonour ,shame1 ,ignominy1

 and whatever is dishonourable1 there is
 an ,intention1 or ,something imply'd1  
to displease and mortify those it       
concerns1 on ,account of that same      
,passion of ,self-liking1 and an        
,endeavour to lessen1 contradict or     
destroy ,self-,esteem1 which is that    
good ,opinion which ,man has of himself 
from ,nature4  ,hor4 ,that the ,words   
,honour and ,shame are either literally 
made ,use of1 as you say1 or            
metaphorically applied to other         
,creatures or ,things inanimate1 ,i     
believe3 ,i allow likewise1 that the    
,principle of ,honour is found in no    
,breast that is not possess'd of        
,self-liking to an eminent ,degree2 but 
,i don't think that a ,fault4  ,cleo4   
,the only ,fault ,i have found with the 
,principle of ,honour1 is1 it's clashing
 with the ,christian ,religion4 ,i have 
told you the ,reasons1 why the ,church  
of ,rome thought it her ,interest to    
reconcile them1 and make ,people        
believe1 that they did not interfere    

with one another4 ,she has always       
consulted ,human ,nature1 and ever      
join'd gay ,shew and ,pomp1 as ,i have  
hinted before1 to ,superstition2 well   
knowing1 that1 as to keep ,man under and
 in ,subjection1 you must work upon his 
,fear1 so1 to make him act with         
,alacrity1 and obey with ,pleasure1     
where ,lucre is out of ,question1 you   
must flatter his ,pride4 ,it is from    
this ,policy of hers1 that all ,names of
 ,dignity and ,distinction among        
,christians1 as ,earl1 ,baron1 ,duke1   
,marquis1 c4 had originally their ,rise 
as ,hereditary ,titles4 ,to the same    
have been owing all the various         
,ceremonies of ,institutions and        
,instalments2 and ,coronations1 as well 
as ,inthronizations4 ,of the ,orders of 
,knighthood1 and the vast ,multiplicity 
of them1 ,i have spoke already4  ,hor4  
,you give more to the ,church of ,rome  
than her ,due3 ,most ,countries in      
,christendom have ,orders of ,knighthood
 peculiar to themselves1 and of which it

 is evident1 that they were instituted  
by their own ,sovereigns4  ,cleo4 ,but  
look into the ,ceremonial of those      
,institutions1 and the great ,share the 
,clergy has in most of them1 and you'll 
easily see1 what ,stock they sprung     
from4 ,and tho' the ,sovereign1 in every
 ,country1 is deem'd to be the ,fountain
 of ,honour1 yet the ,sovereigns        
themselves had their ,titles1 as well as
 ,coats of arms1 from the ,popes2 nor   
had they ever any ,ensign of ,honour1   
,power or ,authority1 which they could  
depend upon1 unless it had first been   
granted1 or confirm'd and ratify'd1 by  
the ,see of ,rome4  ,hor4 ,i take the   
,insignia1 which the ,proconsuls and    
,proprietors had in the different       
,provinces of the ,roman ,empire1 and   
which ,pancirolus has wrote of so amply1
 to have been much after the ,nature of 
,coats of ,arms4  ,cleo4 ,those         
,insignia belong'd to the ,office2 and a
 ,governour could only make ,use of     
them1 whilst he was in it3 ,but         

hereditary ,coats of arms1 that were    
given to particular ,men or ,societies1 
by ,way of ,reward for ,services        
perform'd1 were never known2 and        
,heraldry it ,self had no ,existence1   
before the ,pope's ,supremacy had been  
acknowledged by the ,christian ,world4  
,and if we consider the fine            
,opportunities1 which the most idle and 
indolent1 the most insignificant and    
unworthy of the ,society1 often meet    
with from this ,invention of valuing    
themselves upon ,actions that were      
perform'd several ,ages before they were
 born1 and bespeak a ,merit which they  
know in their ,consciences that they are
 destitute of2 if1 ,i say1 we consider  
what ,i have now mention'd1 we shall be 
forc'd to confess1 that1 of all ,arts   
and ,sciences1 ,heraldry has been the   
most effectual to stir up and excite in 
,men the ,passion of ,self-liking1 on   
the finallest ,foundation2 and daily    
,experience teaches us1 that ,persons of
 ,education and ,politeness can taste no

 ,pleasure in any ,thing at ,home or    
,abroad1 at ,church or the ,play-,house1
 where the ,gratification of this       
,passion is entirely excluded4 ,of all  
the ,shews and ,solemnities that are    
exhibited at ,rome1 the greatest and    
most expensive1 next to a ,jubilee1 is  
the ,canonization of a ,saint4 ,for one 
that has never seen it1 the ,pomp is    
incredible4 ,the ,stateliness of the    
,processions1 the ,richness of          
,vestments and sacred ,utensils that are
 display'd1 the fine ,painting and      
,sculpture that are expos'd at that     
,time1 the ,variety of good ,voices and 
,musical ,instruments that are heard1   
the ,profusion of ,wax-,candles1 the    
,magnificence which the ,whole is       
perform'd with1 and the vast ,concourse 
of ,people1 that is occasion'd by those 
,solemnities1 are all such1 that it is  
impossible to describe them4  ,hor4 ,it 
is astonishing1 ,i own2 but what would  
you infer from them8  ,cleo4 ,i would   
desire you to observe1 how vastly       

different some of the ,ends and         
,purposes are1 that ,canonizations may  
be made to serve at the same ,time4 ,it 
is pretended1 in the ,first ,place1 that
 they are perform'd to do ,justice and  
pay ,veneration to the ,memory of those 
,holy ,persons3 ,secondly1 that by      
,men's worshiping them1 they may be     
induced1 among the ,rest of the ,saints1
 to intercede with ,god for the the     
,sins of their ,votaries3 ,and lastly1  
because it is to be hoped1 that among   
such ,numbers as assist at those        
,solemnities1 there are many who will be
 affected by them1 and endeavour to     
imitate1 in their ,lives1 the holy      
,examples that are set before them3 ,for
 there is no ,time more seasonable to   
stir ,men up to ,devotion and           
,sentiments of ,piety1 than when        
,rapture and high ,admiration have been 
rais'd in them first4  ,hor4 ,besides   
,canonizations keep up the ,reputation  
of the ,roman ,catholick ,faith2 for the
 new ,saints1 that are made from ,time  

to ,time1 are always fresh ,witnesses1  
that ,miracles are not ceas'd1 and      
consequently that the ,church of ,rome  
continues to be the same ,church which  
,christ and his ,apostles first         
establish'd4  ,cleo4 ,you are in the    
,right2 and whilst we consider and give 
,credit to those ,pretences1 the ,design
 must seem to be religious2 and every   
,roman ,catholick1 who is firm in his   
,belief2 is obliged to think1 that      
whatever ,cost is bestow'd upon         
,canonizations1 no ,money could be laid 
out better4 ,but if we mind1 on the     
other ,side1 the strong ,sollicitations 
of the great ,men1 that either are1 or  
pretend to be the ,relations of the     
venerable ,person1 whose ,holiness they 
vouch for2 the vast ,pains that are     
taken1 the ,intrigues that are carried  
on for ,years together1 to procure this 
high ,favour of the ,sacred ,college2   
and when it is obtain'd1 what an ,honour
 it is to the whole ,family2 the ,visits
 that are paid from all ,parts to every 

,rich ,man that belongs to it1 and the  
,compliments that are made on ,account  
of it2 besides the ,privileges they     
receive from it ever after2 ,if1 ,i say1
 we mind these ,things on the other     
,side1 we shall find1 that in the       
,motives from which ,men sue for this   
,honour1 there is not a ,grain of       
,religion to an ,ounce of ,pride1 and   
that what seems to be a ,solemnity to   
celebrate the ,sanctity of the ,dead1 is
 in ,reality a ,stratagem of the ,church
 to gratify the ,ambition of the        
,living4 ,the ,church of ,rome has never
 made a ,step without ,regard to her    
,temporal ,interest1 and an             
,after-,thought on her ,successors1     
,luther and ,calvin1 and some ,others of
 the chief ,adversaries of ,rome1 were  
,men of great ,parts1 that have gain'd  
themselves ,immortal ,names2 but it must
 be confess'd1 that they rais'd         
themselves altogether at the ,expence of
 their ,brethren4 ,they gave up both the
 ,patrimony and ,dominion of the        

,church1 and made ,presents of them to  
the ,secular ,powers1 that would espouse
 their respective ,causes1 and establish
 their ,doctrines2 by which1 and the    
destroying of ,purgatory1 they not only 
stript the ,clergy of their ,wealth and 
,power for the present1 but likewise    
took away the ,means by which1 one ,day 
or other1 it might have been possible   
for their ,successors to retrieve them4 
,it is well for the ,protestant ,cause1 
that the ,multitude can't hear or know  
the ,wishes1 that are made in ,secret by
 many of the ,clergy1 nor the hearty    
,ejaculations1 which the ,men of ,spirit
 among them are often sending after the 
,memory of the first ,reformers1 for    
having left their ,order in that        
,pickle1 and almost at the ,mercy of the
 ,laity1 after they had been made       
dependent on the ,clergy4 ,if those     
pious ,leaders had understood1 or at    
least consulted ,human ,nature1 they    
would have known1 that strict ,lives and
 ,austerity of ,manners don't go by     

,inheritance1 and must have foreseen1   
that as soon as the ,zeal of the        
,reformation should begin to cool both  
the ,clergy and the ,laity would relax  
in their ,morals2 and consequently1 that
 their ,successors1 after ,two or ,three
 ,generations1 would make wretched      
,figures1 if they were still to continue
 to preach ,christianity without ,deceit
 or ,evasions1 and pretend to live      
conformably to the ,rules of it3 ,if    
they had but reflected on what had      
happen'd in the ,infancy of their       
,religion1 they must have easily        
foreseen what ,i say4  ,hor4 ,what is it
 that happen'd then8  ,cleo4 ,that      
,christ and his ,apostles taught by     
,example as well as ,precepts the       
,practice of ,humility and the ,contempt
 of ,riches2 to renounce the ,pomp and  
,vanity of the ,world1 and mortify the  
,flesh1 is certain3 ,and that this was  
striking at the very ,fundamentals of   
,human ,nature1 is as certain4 ,this    
could only be perform'd by ,men         

preternaturally affected2 and therefore 
the ,founders of ,christianity being    
gone1 it could not be expected1 that the
 same ,austerity of ,life and           
,self-denial should be continued among  
the ,successors of them1 as soon as the 
,ministry of the ,gospel became a       
,calling1 that ,men were brought up to  
for a ,livelihood2 and considering how  
essential those mortifying ,principles  
are to ,christianity1 it is not easy to 
conceive1 how the one could be made     
still to subsist1 when the other should 
cease to be4 ,but ,nothing seems more   
impracticable than that the ,gospel1    
which those ,principles are evidently   
taught1 should ever be turn'd into an   
inexhaustible ,fund of ,worldly         
,comforts1 ,gain1 ,honour1 and          
,authority2 yet this has been perform'd 
by the ,skill and ,industry of the      
,architects1 who have built that        
,master-,piece of ,human ,policy1 the   
,church of ,rome4 ,they have treated    
,religion as if it was a ,manufacture1  

and the ,church a ,set of ,workmen1     
,labourers and ,artificers1 of different
 ,employments1 that all contribute and  
cooperate to produce one entire         
,fabrick4 ,in the great ,variety of     
their ,religious ,houses1 you have all  
the ,severity of ,manners and ,rigour of
 ,discipline1 which the ,gospel         
requires1 improved upon4 ,there you have
 perpetual ,chastity1 and ,virgins      
wedded to ,christ3 ,there is            
,abstinence1 and ,fasting2 there is     
,mortifying of the flesh1 ,watching1    
,praying1 the ,contempt of ,money and   
,worldly ,honour2 a literal ,retirement 
from the ,world1 and every ,thing you   
can ask for1 relating to ,self-denial1  
as to ,carnal ,enjoyments and the       
renouncing of ,pomp and ,vanity1 at     
least to all outward ,appearance4 ,when 
,men see that ,strictness of ,morals1   
and that ,christian ,self-denial1 which 
are so manifestly taught in the ,gospel1
 own'd by the ,clergy1 and some where or
 other actually comply'd with1 they will

 easily give ,ear to any ,thing that is 
said to them besides4 ,this grand ,point
 concerning the ,austerity of ,life1 and
 mortifying the ,flesh1 being literally 
understood1 and acknowledged by the     
,clergy to be such1 as the ,apostles    
have deliver'd them without             
,prevarication1 it will not be difficult
 to make the ,laity believe1 not only   
mysterious ,contradictions1 but likewise
 the most palpable ,absurdities1 such as
 ,transubstantiation2 that the ,pope is 
infallible1 and has the ,power of       
,thundering out ,anathema's and granting
 ,absolutions2 and consequently of      
damning and saving whom he pleases2 that
 the ,pomp and ,magnificence of the     
,sacred ,college1 and even the ,luxury  
of a ,court1 are laudable ,means1 and   
absolutely necessary to keep up the     
,dignity and outward ,luster of the     
visible ,church2 and that the ,spiritual
 ,welfare of it depends upon ,temporal  
,authority1 and cannot be duely taken   
,care of without large ,revenues1       

,princely ,power1 ,politicks1 and       
,military ,force4 ,no ,set of ,men have 
deserv'd better of the ,church of ,rome1
 than the ,writers of ,legends and the  
,forgers of ,miracles4 ,in the ,lives of
 the ,saints1 there is a plausible      
,representation of the ,church          
,militant2 and considering how naural it
 is for ,man to be superstitious1 and to
 love the ,merveilleux1 ,nothing could  
be thought of more agreeable or edifying
 than to read of such ,numbers of ,holy 
,men and ,women1 that did not flinch    
from ,combating themselves1 and to see  
the noble ,victories that have been     
obtain'd over the ,world1 the ,flesh and
 the ,devil1 in a literal ,sense1 as are
 to be met with in those judicious      
,relations4  ,hor4 ,but what ,analogy is
 there between the ,roman ,catholick    
,religion1 and a ,manufacture1 as you   
insinuated8  ,cleo4 ,the ,division of   
the whole into so many different        
,branches4 ,the great ,prelates1 of whom
 not many have any ,religion at all1 are

 yet for ,worldly ,ends continually     
watching over the ,temporal ,interest of
 it4 ,the little ,bishops and ordinary  
,priests take ,care of the ,mystical    
,part of it2 whilst the ,religious      
,orders contribute meritorious ,works1  
and seem actually to comply with the    
harshest ,precepts of ,christianity1    
often in a more rigid ,construction than
 the ,words themselves will bear4  ,hor4
 ,then have the ,laity no ,share in it8 
,cleo4 ,yes2 but their ,task is the     
easiest1 and what they club towards     
,religion chiefly consists in ,faith and
 ,money4 ,but when ,men pretend to be   
,christians1 and ,nothing is to be met  
with in any ,part of their ,religion1   
but what is easy and pleasant1 and      
,nothing is required either of the      
,laity or the ,clergy1 that is difficult
 to perform1 or disagreeable to ,human  
,nature1 there is ,room to suspect1 that
 such a ,set of ,people lay claim to a  
,title1 that does not belong to them4   
,when ,ministers of the ,gospel take    

,pains to undermine it themselves1 and  
flatly deny the ,strictness of          
,behaviour1 and ,severity of ,manners1  
that are so manifestly inculcated in    
every ,part of it1 ,i don't wonder1 that
 ,men of ,sincerity1 who can read1      
should refuse to give ,credit to every  
,thing that is said by such ,ministers4 
,it is easier to speak with ,contempt of
 the recluse ,lives of the ,carthusians1
 and to laugh at the ,austerities of ,la
 ,trappe1 than it is to refute what     
might be alledg'd from the ,gospel to   
prove the ,necessity there is1 that to  
be acceptable to ,god1 ,men should fly  
from ,lust1 make ,war with themselves1  
and mortify the ,flesh4 ,when ,ministers
 of ,christ assure their ,hearers1 that 
to indulge themselves in all earthly    
,pleasures and ,sensualities1 that are  
not clashing with the ,laws of the      
,country1 or the ,fashion of the ,age   
they live in1 will be no ,bar to their  
future ,happiness1 if they enjoy them   
with ,moderation2 that ,nothing ought to

 be deem'd ,luxury1 that is suitable to 
a ,person's ,rank and ,quality1 and     
which he can purchase without hurting   
his ,estate1 or injuring his ,neighbour2
 that no ,buildings or ,gardens can be  
so profusely sumptuous1 no ,furniture so
 curious or magnificent1 no ,inventions 
for ,ease so extravagant1 no ,cookery so
 operose1 no ,diet so delicious1 no     
,entertainments or ,way of ,living so   
expensive as to be ,sinful in the ,sight
 of ,god1 if a man can afford them2 and 
they are the same1 as others of the same
 ,birth or ,quality either do or would  
make ,use of1 if they could3 ,that a    
,man may study and be sollicitous about 
,modes and ,fashions1 assist at ,courts1
 hunt after ,worldly ,honour1 and       
partake of all the ,diversions of the   
beau monde1 and at the same ,time be a  
very good ,christian2 when ,ministers of
 ,christ1 ,i say1 assure their ,hearers 
of this1 they certainly teach what they 
have no ,warrant for from his ,doctrine4
 ,for it is in ,effect the same as to   

assert1 that the strictest ,attachment  
to the ,world is not inconsistent with a
 ,man's ,promise of renouncing the ,pomp
 and ,vanity of it4  ,hor4 ,but what    
signify the ,austerity of ,life and     
,forbearance of ,nuns and ,friars1 if   
they were real1 to all the ,rest who    
don't practise them8 ,and what ,service 
can their ,self-denial and              
,mortification be of to the ,vain and   
,sensual1 who gratify every ,appetite   
that comes uppermost8  ,cleo4 ,the      
,laity of the ,roman ,communion are     
taught and assured1 that they may be of 
great ,service even to the ,wicked2 nay1
 it may be proved from ,scripture1 that 
the ,intercession of the ,righteous and 
,innocent1 is sometimes capable of      
averting ,god's ,vengence from the      
,guilty4 ,this only wants to be         
believed2 and it is the easiest ,thing  
in the ,world to make the ,multitude    
believe any ,assertion1 in which there  
is ,nothing that contradicts receiv'd   
,opinions1 and the common notions which 

,men have of ,things4 ,there is no      
,truth1 that has hitherto been more     
unanimously believed among all ,sects   
and ,opinions of ,christians in all     
,ages1 than that the gospel warns ,men  
against ,carnal ,pleasures1 and requires
 of them ,humility1 the ,contempt of    
,earthly ,glory1 and such a ,strictness 
of ,manners and ,morality1 as is        
difficult for ,human ,nature to comply  
with4 ,now when a clergyman1 who        
pretends to preach the ,gospel1 puts    
such ,constructions on the plainest     
texts1 in which the ,doctrine ,i spoke  
of is literally taught1 as can only tend
 to extenuate and diminish the ,force of
 them1 and when moreover he leaves no   
,shifts or ,evasions untied1 till he has
 destroy'd the ,observance of those     
,precepts2 when a ,clergyman1 ,i say1 is
 thus employ'd1 it is no ,wonder that   
his ,doctrine should raise ,doubts and  
,scruples in his hearers1 when they     
compare it with the common ,notions ,men
 have of ,christianity4  ,hor4 ,i am no 

,admirer1 you know1 of ,priests of any  
,sort2 but of the ,two1 ,i would prefer 
a ,man of ,learning and good ,sense1 who
 treats me with good ,manners1          
recommends ,virtue1 and a reasonable    
,way of ,living1 to an ill bred sour    
,pedant1 that entertains me with        
fanatical ,cant1 and would make me      
believe1 that it is a ,sin to wear good 
,cloaths1 and fill my ,belly with what  
,i like4  ,cleo4 ,there is no ,doubt1   
but the beau monde1 and all well bred   
,people1 that desire to be judged of    
from outward ,appearance1 will always   
chuse the most easy ,casuists2 and the  
more ample the ,allowances are1 which   
,clergymen give them1 of enjoying the   
,world1 the more they'll be pleas'd with
 them4 ,but this can only be of ,service
 among the ,fashionable and the ,polite1
 whose ,religion is commonly very       
,superficial1 and whose ,virtue is      
seldom extended beyond good ,manners4   
,but what will it do to ,men of greater 
,sincerity1 that can and dare examine   

themselves8 ,what will it do to serious 
and able ,enquirers1 that refuse to     
trust to ,outsides1 and will not be     
barr'd from searching into the ,bottom  
of ,things8 ,if this was only a ,matter 
of ,speculation1 a disputable ,point in 
a ,ceremony1 as whether ,men are to sit 
or to stand at the ,performance of it1  
the ,thing might easily be given up3 but
 it plainly appears to be a ,theory     
skilfully raised by ,clergymen1 to build
 a ,practice upon in their ,favour4     
,those easie ,divines don't make such   
large ,allowances to others for         
,nothing3 ,they speak one ,word for the 
,laity1 and two for themselves1 and seem
 to have ,nothing more at ,heart than to
 enjoy the ,benefit of their own        
,doctrine4 ,it is no ,wonder therefore1 
that so many of the ,clergy are always  
desirous to converse with the beau      
monde4 ,among the best bred ,people     
there is seldom any ,difference to be   
seen between ,believers and             
,unbelievers2 neither of them give any  

,trouble to their ,pastors1 and they are
 all equally cautious of offending4     
,polite ,people contradict ,no body1 but
 conform to all ,ceremonies that are    
fashionable with ,regard to the ,time   
and the ,places they are in2 and a      
courtly ,infidel will observe ,decency  
at ,church1 and a becoming ,carriage    
there1 for the same ,reason that he does
 it at a ,ball1 or in the               
,drawing-,room4  ,hor4 ,as to           
,indulgences and large ,allowances1 the 
,roman ,catholicks out-do us far1       
especially the ,jesuits1 who certainly  
are the most easy ,casuists in the      
,world4  ,cleo4 ,they are so2 but it is 
only in the ,management of those1 whose 
,consciences are under their ,direction4
 ,a ,jesuit may tell a ,man such or such
 ,things are allow'd to ,him in         
particular1 and give him ,reasons for it
 from his ,quality1 or the ,post he is  
in1 from the ,state of his ,health1 his 
,temperament1 his ,age1 or his          
,circumstances3 ,but he'll not deny or  

explain away the ,self-denial and the   
,mortification in general1 that are     
commanded in the ,gospel4 ,when you come
 to this ,point1 he'll not lessen the   
,difficulty and ,irksomeness of         
,christian ,duties to ,human ,nature and
 the ,flesh2 but he'll refer you to the 
,founder of his ,order1 and the great   
,self-denial he practis'd3 ,perhaps     
he'll relate to you1 how that ,saint    
watch'd his ,arms all ,night1 after he  
had dedicated them1 together with his   
,life1 to the ,virgin ,mary4 ,but that  
the ,gospel requires a literal          
,mortification of the ,flesh1 and other 
hard ,tasks from us1 is the very ,basis 
which the ,pope's ,exchequer is built   
upon4 ,he could have no ,colour for     
enjoining ,fasting and ,abstinence1 if  
it was not supposed1 that he had a      
,warrant for it from the ,new           
,testament4 ,it is this ,supposition1   
that brings all the ,grist to his ,mill2
 and thus a ,man may eat ,flesh in      
,lent1 without a ,sin2 but tho' he can  

get the ,meat perhaps for ,nothing1 he  
shall pay for the ,liberty of ,eating   
it4 ,buying ,absolutions implies the    
,consciousness of having committed a    
,crime2 and ,no body would give ,money  
for ,indulgences1 if he thought1 that   
what he desires to be indulged in1 was  
lawful without them4 ,all ,multitudes   
will sooner believe a ,man to come from 
,god1 who leads an ,austere ,life       
himself1 and preaches ,abstinence and   
,self-denial to others tho' they        
themselves1 ,i mean the ,hearers1 don't 
practice it1 or take any ,pains to      
comply with his ,precepts1 than they    
will another1 who takes greater         
,liberties himself1 and whose ,doctrine 
is less severe4 ,this the wise          
,architects of the ,church of ,rome1 who
 were thoroughly skill'd in ,human      
,nature1 were well aware of2 and        
accordingly they have improved upon the 
,scriptures1 and added ,lustre to all   
those ,precepts1 which is most difficult
 to comply with2 and in commenting on   

the severest ,duties of ,christianity1  
they have been so far from extenuating  
and explaining away our ,obligations to 
perform them1 that they have heighten'd 
and magnify'd them1 not only by ,words  
and in ,theory1 but the ,practice and   
,example2 as is so manifest from the    
hard and almost incredible ,tasks1 which
 many of them have actually impos'd upon
 themselves1 and gone through4 ,they    
have flinch'd at ,nothing on this ,head4
  ,hor4 ,a ,man must be very stupid to  
believe1 that his close ,attachment to  
the ,world1 and the ,loosness of his own
 ,morals can be atton'd for by the      
recluse and strict ,lives that are led  
in some ,religious ,houses4  ,cleo4 ,not
 so stupid as you imagine3 ,there is    
,nothing in it that clashes with the    
common ,notions of ,mankind4 ,ceremonies
 are perform'd by ,proxy2 ,men are      
,security for one another2 and a ,debt  
is not more effectually discharg'd1 when
 we receive the ,money from him who     
borrow'd it1 than when it is paid by his

 ,bail1 tho' the ,principal himself runs
 away4 ,if there is but real            
,self-denial to be met with any where in
 a ,religion1 it is no difficult ,matter
 to make ,multitudes believe1 that they 
have1 or may buy1 a ,share in it3       
,besides1 all ,roman ,catholicks are    
brought up in the firm ,belief of the   
,necessity there is of ,self-denial4    
,they are strictly forbid to eat ,flesh 
on ,fridays2 and ,pains are taken to    
inspire them from their very ,childhood 
with a ,honour against the breaking of  
this ,commandment4 ,it is incredible1   
what ,force such a ,precept is of1 and  
how closely the ,influence of it sticks 
to men1 when it has been earnestly      
inculcated to them from their early     
,youth4 ,there is no ,difficulty in the 
,thing when they are grown up2 and ,i'll
 engage1 that a ,roman ,catholick1 who  
always has been accustom'd to this      
,piece of ,observance till he is ,five  
and ,twenty ,years of ,age1 will find it
 more easy afterwards to continue than  

to leave it off1 tho' he should turn    
,protestant1 or even ,turk4  ,hor4 ,i   
have often admired at the great ,force  
this senseless ,piece of ,superstition  
is of2 for ,i have seen great           
,reprobates and very loose ,fellows     
among the ,roman ,catholicks1 who stuck 
at no ,manner of ,debauchery1 and would 
often talk prophanely1 that yet refused 
to eat ,flesh on a ,friday1 and could   
not be laugh'd out of their ,folly2 tho'
 at the same ,time ,i could see1 that   
they were actually ashamed of it4       
,cleo4 ,no ,set of ,people have so      
artfully play'd upon ,mankind as the    
,church of ,rome4 ,in the ,use they have
 made of ,scripture1 they have consulted
 all our ,frailties2 and in their own   
,interpretations of it1 most dextrously 
adapted themselves to the common        
,notions of all ,multitudes4 ,they knew 
perfectly well1 not only1 that all ,men 
are born with the ,fear of an invisible 
,cause1 but likewise that it is more    
natural1 or1 at least1 that the rude and

 ignorant of our ,species are always    
more apt to suspect1 that this invisible
 ,cause is their ,enemy1 than they are  
to think it to be their ,friend1 and    
will sooner believe it to be an evil and
 malicious1 than a good beneficent      
,being4 ,to turn this to their          
,advantage1 they made ,use of all their 
,skill and ,cunning to magnify the      
,devil1 and cry up his ,force and       
,subtlety1 his supernatural ,art1 his   
implacable ,hatred to ,mankind1 and     
great ,influence over ,human ,affairs4  
,all the strange ,stories they have     
spread1 the monstrous ,fables they have 
invented1 and the gross ,lies they have 
maintain'd1 of ,spirits1 of ,witchcraft1
 and ,apparitions1 never had any other  
,tendency than to manifest the ,works of
 ,satan1 and make ,every body afraid of 
his ,power and ,stratagems at all       
,times1 and in all ,places2 which has   
been a prodigious ,gain to them4 ,they  
never taught any ,thing that            
contradicted ,vulgar ,opinions1 and     

never gave ,men any ,ideas of ,heaven1  
that were not borrow'd from ,something  
on ,earth4 ,that ,courts of ,princes are
 not deem'd to be compleat without      
,women1 has advanced the ,virgin ,mary  
to be ,queen of ,heaven4 ,from the      
,influence of ,mothers1 and the         
,authority they are known to exercise of
 their ,infants1 they have drawn the    
most childish ,conclusions to raise     
,superstition2 for to that ,notion1 and 
the great ,honour which is every where  
allow'd to be due to ,parents1 it has   
been owing1 that the ,mother of ,god in 
the ,roman ,communion has been all along
 more address'd and pray'd to1 than her 
,son2 and of the ,two ,she seems to be  
the more venerable ,person4 ,all        
,patrons in ancient ,rome had their     
,clients1 whom the protected2 and all   
,favourites of ,princes have their      
,creatures1 whose ,interests they       
espouse upon ,occasion3 ,this has       
produced the ,invocation of ,saints and 
,angels2 and that no ,advocates might be

 wanting in the ,celestial ,court on any
 ,emergency1 the ,church has provided1  
that there is no ,town or ,country1 no  
,handicraft or ,profession1 no ,pain or 
,disease1 ,danger or ,distress1 but     
there is a kind ,saint for that         
particular ,affair1 whose peculiar      
,province is to preside over and take   
,care of every ,thing that relates to   
it2 which has made the ,number of them  
equal with1 if not superiour to that of 
the ,pagan ,deities4 ,she knew1 that the
 ,incredibility of ,things is no        
,obstacle to ,faith among ,multitudes2  
and that in believing of ,mysteries1    
,propositions will not be the less      
swallow'd for being contradictory to    
,reason4  ,hor4 ,but ,i thought you was 
not for keeping ,men in ,ignorance4     
,cleo4 ,what ,i am for1 is not the      
,question4 ,priests who would bear an   
absolute ,sway over the ,laity1 and live
 luxuriously at their ,cost1 ought      
,first to make them believe ,implicitly3
 ,whereas an honest ,clergy1 that will  

teach ,nothing concerning ,religion1 but
 what is consistent with good ,sense1   
and becoming a rational ,creature to    
believe1 ought to deal uprightly with   
,men throughout the ,whole1 and not     
impose upon their ,understandings in one
 ,point more than they do in another4   
,from the real ,incomprehensibility of  
,god1 just ,arguments must be drawn for 
believing of ,mysteries that surpass our
 ,capacities4 ,but when a ,man has good 
,reason to suspect1 that he who         
instructed him in these ,mysteries1 does
 not believe them himself1 it must      
stagger and obstruct his ,faith1 tho' he
 had no ,scruples before1 and the       
,things he had been made to believe1 are
 no ,ways clashing with his ,reason4 ,it
 is not difficult for a ,protestant     
,divine to make a ,man of ,sense see the
 many ,absurdities that are taught by   
the ,church of ,rome1 the little ,claim 
which ,popes can lay to ,infallibility1 
and the ,priestcraft there is in what   
they say of purgatory and all that      

belongs to it4 ,but to persuade him     
likewise1 that the ,gospel requires no  
,self-denial1 nor any ,thing that is    
irksome to ,nature1 and that the        
,generality of the ,clergy of ,england  
are sincerely endeavouring1 in their    
,lives and ,doctrine1 to imitate the    
,apostles1 as nearly as ,human ,frailty 
will let them1 and is consistent with   
the ,difference of the ,age and ,manners
 between their ,time and ours2 to       
persuade1 ,i say1 a ,man of ,sense1 that
 these ,things are likewise true1 would 
not be so easy a ,task4 ,by a ,man of   
,sense1 ,i mean a ,man likewise of some 
,knowledge1 who1 in the ,first ,place1  
has read the ,bible1 and believes the   
,scripture to be the sole ,rule of      
,faith2 and1 in the ,second1 is no      
,stranger to our ,church1 or any ,thing 
that is openly to be seen relating to   
her ,clergy1 especially the ,heads of   
them1 the ,bishops2 such as their       
,palaces and ,manner of ,living2 their  
,translations1 ,revenues and ,earthly   

,power1 together with the ,worldly      
,honours1 ,precedency and other         
,privileges1 which our ,spiritual ,lords
 insist upon to be their ,due4  ,hor4 ,i
 have often laugh'd my ,self at         
,apostles in ,coaches and ,six2 but what
 must at that ,rate the ,men of ,sense  
and ,sincerity among the ,roman         
,catholicks think of their ,prelates1   
who live in much greater ,splendour and 
,luxury than ours8 ,what must they think
 of the ,cardinals and the ,pope        
himself8  ,cleo4 ,think of them8 ,what  
they please1 so they dare not to open   
their ,lips against them1 or any ,thing 
which the ,clergy are pleas'd to call   
,sacred4 ,in all ,roman ,catholick      
,countries1 you know1 no ,books or      
,pamphlets may be publish'd1 but what   
are ,licensed2 and no ,man is allow'd to
 divulge any ,sentiments concerning     
,religion1 that are not entirely        
,orthodox2 which in all ,countries1 so  
regulated1 is a vast ,ease and an       
unspeakable ,comfort to the ,clergy of  

the establish'd ,church4  ,hor4 ,i never
 thought to hear you speak against the  
,liberty of the ,press4  ,cleo4 ,and you
 never will2 for tho' ,orthodoxy and the
 ,national ,clergy are always the       
,gainers by these ,curbs and            
,prohibitions1 yet ,truth and ,religion 
are ever the ,sufferers by them4 ,but   
all prudent ,men ought to behave        
according to the ,condition they are in1
 and the ,principles as well as         
,privileges they lay claim to4 ,reform'd
 ,divines own themselves to be fallible3
 ,they appeal to our ,reason1 and exhort
 us to peruse the ,scripture ,ourselves4
 ,we live in a ,country where the ,press
 is open2 where all ,men are at full    
,liberty to expose ,error and ,falshood1
 where they can find them2 and ,no body 
is debarr'd from ,writing almost any    
,thing1 but ,blasphemy and ,treason4 ,a 
,protestant ,clergy ought always to     
remember the ,reasons1 which their      
,predecessors alledg'd for separating   
themselves from the ,roman ,communion1  

and never to forget1 that the           
,haughtiness and ,luxury of the         
,prelates1 as well as the ,covetousness1
 the ,insolence1 and barefac'd          
,encroachments of the ,clergy1 were a   
considerable ,part of the ,complaints   
against ,popery4 ,no equitable ,guides1 
that have open'd our ,eyes to see the   
,frailties of others1 ought to expect   
from us1 that in ,regard to themselves  
we should keep them shut close1 and     
never look upon their ,behaviour4 ,the  
,roman ,pastors1 who keep their flocks  
in the ,dark1 teach them blind          
,obedience1 and never vouchsafe to argue
 with 'em any more than if they were    
real ,sheep4 ,they don't advise ,men to 
read the ,bible1 but such ,books of     
,devotion as their ,priests shall think 
proper for them2 and are so far from    
appealing to their ,judgment1 that they 
conjure them1 on ,pain of ,damnation1   
never to trust their ,reason1 but       
implicitly to believe whatever the      
,church shall require of them4  ,hor4   

,you put me in ,mind of ,father ,canaye1
 the ,jesuit in ,st4 ,evremond4 ,no     
,reason6 ,no ,reason at all6  ,cleo4    
,where the ,clergy are possess'd of1 and
 keep up this ,authority over the       
,laity1 and the ,secular ,arm is at     
their ,devotion1 to punish whom they    
condemn1 they need not be nice or       
circumspect in their ,manner of ,living2
 and no ,pomp or ,luxury will easily    
lessen them in the ,esteem of the       
,multitude4 ,no ,protestant ,clergy have
 wrote better in ,defence of the        
,reformation than ours2 but others have 
certainly gone greater ,lengths in it1  
as to ,worship and ,discipline in       
outward ,appearance4 ,the ,difference   
between the ,roman ,catholicks and us   
seems to be less irreconcilable1 than it
 is between them and the ,reformed      
,churches of the united ,netherlands and
 ,switzerland2 and ,i am fully          
persuaded1 that the ,mother ,church     
despairs not of bringing back to her    
,bosom this run-away ,daughter of hers1 

and making this ,island one ,day or     
other repay with ,interest the ,losses  
she has sustain'd by its long           
,disobedience4 ,arguments alone will    
never keep out ,popery2 and ,great      
,britain being once reconciled to the   
,church of ,rome1 would add such a      
,weight to her ,power1 that it would not
 be difficult for her in a little ,time 
to reduce all the ,rest of the          
,protestants by main ,force1 and        
entirely to ,triumph over what ,she     
calls the ,northern ,heresy4  ,hor4 ,we 
have very good ,laws to secure us from  
the ,usurpation of ,rome2 and the ,abbey
 ,lands1 that are in the ,possession of 
the ,laity1 ,i believe1 are a better1 ,i
 mean1 a stronger ,argument against the 
,return of ,popery1 than ever will be   
shewn in ,print4  ,cleo4 ,i believe so  
too2 but it is not easy to determine1   
what ,difficulties and ,discouragements 
true ,politicks and never ceasing       
,industry may not surmount in ,time4    
,the ,church of ,rome is never without  

,men of great ,parts and ,application2  
she entertains ,numbers of them2 and    
there is no ,government1 without        
,exception1 of which the true ,interest 
is so well understood1 or so steadily   
pursued without ,interruption1 as hers4 
,hor4 ,but why may not ,protestants have
 ,men of good ,sense and ,capacity among
 them1 as well as ,roman ,catholicks8   
,do not other ,countries produce ,men of
 ,genius as well as ,italy8  ,cleo4     
,perhaps they do2 tho' none more4 ,the  
,italians are a subtle ,people2 and ,i  
believe1 that consummate ,knowledge in  
,state ,affairs1 and ,worldly ,wisdom   
are less precarious at ,rome1 than in   
any other ,place you can name4 ,men of  
uncommon ,genius are not born every     
,day1 no more in ,italy than any where  
else2 but when in other ,countries a    
good ,politician goes off the ,stage1   
either of ,life or ,business1 it is     
often seen that a ,bungler succeeds him1
 who in a few ,years does more ,hurt to 
the ,nation1 that the other had ,time to

 do them good in a long ,administration4
 ,this never happens at ,rome2 and there
 is no ,court in the ,universe so       
constantly supplied with able ,managers 
and crafty ,statemen as hers3 ,for how  
short soever the ,lives of most ,popes  
may be1 the ,sacred ,college never dies4
 ,tell me now pray1 what unlikely       
,change1 what ,improbability can you    
imagine1 of which we have not ,reason to
 fear1 that1 if it be possible at all1  
it may be brought about by such a ,set  
of ,men2 when every one's private       
,interest1 as well as that of the       
,common ,cause1 are highly concern'd in 
it1 and they are not stinted in ,time8  
,hor4 ,assiduity and ,patience1 ,i know1
 will do strange ,things1 and overcome  
great ,obstacles4 ,that the ,church of  
,rome is more diligent and sollicitous  
to make ,proselytes1 than the           
,protestants generally are1 ,i have long
 observed4  ,cleo4 ,there is no common  
,cause among the ,reformed3 ,the        
,princes and ,laity of different        

,persuasions would have been firmly     
united long ago1 if the ,clergy would   
have suffer'd it2 but ,divines1 who     
differ1 are implacable1 and never known 
to treat any ,adversary with ,temper or 
,moderation2 and it has never been seen 
yet1 that ,two ,sects of ,christians did
 agree1 and join heartily in one        
,interest1 unless they were oppress'd1  
or in immediate ,danger of suffering by 
a common ,enemy to both4 ,as soon as    
that is over1 you always see their      
former ,animosities revive4 ,if the     
,church of ,rome had no ,hopes left1 and
 given over all ,thoughts of ever       
bringing this ,kingdom back within her  
,pales1 you would see the ,english      
,seminaries abroad neglected and dropt  
by ,degrees2 which she now cultivates   
with the utmost ,care3 ,for it is from  
them only1 that ,she can be furnish'd   
with the proper ,instruments to keep    
,popery alive in ,england1 and buoy up  
the drooping ,spirits of the distress'd 
,catholicks1 among the many ,hardships  

and ,discouragements1 they labour under 
beyond the ,rest of their               
,fellow-,subjects4 ,such ,offices as    
these1 are every where best perform'd by
 ,natives3 ,whatever ,persuasion ,people
 are of1 if the ,national ,church of    
their ,country1 be not of their         
,religion1 it is natural the them to    
wish it was2 and that all imaginable    
,care is taken in the ,english          
,seminaries to encourage1 and with the  
utmost ,skill to heighten and encrease  
this ,natural ,desire in those under    
their ,care1 no ,man can doubt who      
considers the ,abilities of the ,tutors 
that are employ'd in them1 and the vast 
,advantage the ,reduction of ,great     
,britain would be to the ,see of ,rome4 
,whilst those ,colleges are constant    
supply'd with ,english and ,irish       
,youth1 the ,popish ,interest can never 
die in this ,realm1 nor the ,church of  
,rome want insinuating ,priests1 or     
hearty ,zealots1 that will act any part1
 put on any ,disguise1 and run any      

,risque for their ,cause1 either in     
,strengthening the ,roman ,catholicks   
that are among us in their ,faith1 or   
seducing ,protestants from theirs4 ,no  
,foreigners could do us half the        
,mischief4 ,people love their own       
,language from the same ,motives as they
 love their ,country2 and there are no  
,priests or ,clergy1 whom ,men will     
sooner hearken to and confide in1 than  
such1 as take great ,pains and express  
an uncommon ,zeal in their ,function1 at
 the same ,time that they exercise it at
 the ,hazard of their ,liberty or their 
,lives4 ,the ,church of ,rome has fit   
,tools for every ,work and every        
,purpose2 and no other ,power upon      
,earth has such a ,number of ,creatures 
to serve it1 nor such a ,fund to reward 
them when they do4 ,that the ,protestant
 ,interest lost ,ground soon after it   
was well establish'd1 and is still      
declining more and more every ,day1 is  
undeniable4 ,to one ,roman ,catholick1  
that is converted to the ,reform'd      

,religion1 ,ten ,protestants turn       
,papists1 among the highest ,quality as 
well as the ,vulgar4 ,what can be the   
,reason of this ,change8 ,what is it    
that this ,evil ought to be imputed to8 
,hor4 ,either the ,church of ,rome is   
grown more vigilant and mindful of her  
,cause since the ,reformation1 than ,she
 was in ,luther's ,days1 or the         
,protestants are become more negligent  
and careless of theirs4  ,cleo4 ,i      
believe both to be true1 but especially 
the latter2 for if the ,maxims1 that    
were most instrumental in bringing about
 the ,reformation1 had been continued1  
they certainly would have prevented1 at 
least in a great ,measure1 not only this
 ,evil1 but likewise another1 which is  
worse1 ,i mean the ,growth of           
,irreligion and ,impiety3 ,nay1 ,i don't
 question but the same ,maxims1 if they 
were to be tried again would have that  
,effect still4  ,hor4 ,this is a fine   
,secret1 and what1 ,i dare say1 the     
,clergy would be glad to know4 ,pray1   

which are those ,maxims4  ,cleo4 ,the   
,sanctity of ,manners and exemplary     
,lives of the ,reformers1 their         
,application and unwearied ,diligence in
 their ,calling2 their ,zeal for        
,religion1 and ,disregard of ,wealth and
 ,worldly ,enjoyments1 either real or   
counterfeited1 for that ,god only knows4
  ,hor4 ,i did not expect this4 ,the    
,bench of ,bishops won't thank you for  
your ,prescription3 ,they would call it 
an ,attempt to cure the ,patients by    
blistering the ,physicians4  ,cleo4     
,those who would call it so1 must be    
strange ,protestant ,divines4  ,hor4 ,i 
am sure1 that some1 if not most of them1
 would think the ,remedy worse than the 
,disease4  ,cleo4 ,yet there is none    
equal to it1 no ,remedy so effectual1   
either to cure us of those ,evils1 and  
put an entire ,stop to1 or to hinder and
 obstruct the ,encrease as well of      
,atheism and ,prophaneness1 as of       
,popery and ,superstition4 ,and ,i defy 
all the ,powers of ,priestcraft to name 

such another1 a practicable ,remedy1 of 
which there is any ,probability1 that it
 would go down or could be made use of  
in a clear-sighted ,age1 and among a    
knowing ,people1 that have a ,sense of  
,liberty1 and refuse to be ,priest-rid4 
,it is amazing1 that so many fine       
,writers among the ,clergy1 so many ,men
 of ,parts and ,erudition should seem   
very earnestly to enquire into the      
,causes of ,libertinism and ,infidelity1
 and never think on their own ,conduct4 
,hor4 ,but they'll tell you1 that you   
make the ,doctrine of the ,gospel       
stricter than it really is2 and ,i think
 so too2 and that you take several      
,things literally1 that ought to be     
figuratively understood4  ,cleo4 ,when  
,words are plain and intelligible1 and  
what is meant by them in a literal sense
 is agreeable to the ,tenour and the    
whole ,scope of the ,book in which we   
meet with those ,words1 it is reasonable
 to think1 that they ought to be        
literally understood4 ,but if1          

notwithstanding this1 there are others1 
who are of ,opinion1 that these ,words  
are to be taken in a figurative ,sense1 
and this figurative ,sense is more      
forced than the literal1 and likewise   
clashing with the ,doctrine and the     
,design of the ,book1 we have great     
,reason not to side with their ,opinion3
 ,but if it appears moreover1 that those
 who contend for the forced1 figurative 
,sense1 should be ,gainers by it1 if    
their ,opinion prevail'd1 and it would  
bring them ,profit1 ,honour1 ,pleasure1 
or ,ease1 then we ought to suspect them 
to be partial1 and the figurative ,sense
 is to be rejected4  ,hor4 ,i don't know
 what to make of you to ,day4 ,you have 
shewn the ,roman ,catholick ,religion to
 be a bare-faced ,imposture2 and at the 
same ,time you seem to blame the        
,protestants for having left it4  ,cleo4
 ,i am very consistent with my ,self4 ,i
 have laid open to you the ,politicks1  
,penetration and ,worldly ,wisdom of the
 ,church of ,rome1 and the ,want of them

 in the ,reformers1 who exposed the     
,frauds of their ,adversaries1 without  
considering the ,hardships and          
,difficulties1 which such a ,discovery  
would entail upon their ,successors4    
,when they parted with their ,power1 and
 gave up their ,infallibility1 they     
should have foreseen the necessary      
,consequences of the ,honesty and       
,candour4 ,a ,reform'd ,church1 that    
will own she may err1 must prepare for  
,heresies and ,schisms1 look upon them  
as unavoidable1 and never be angry with 
those who dissent from her4 ,they ought 
likewise to have known1 that no         
,divines1 who will preach the ,gospel in
 its ,purity1 and teach ,nothing but    
,apostolick ,truths without ,craft or   
,deceit1 will ever be believ'd long1 if 
they appeal to ,men's ,reason1 unless   
they will likewise lead1 or at least    
endeavour or seem to lead ,apostolick   
,lives4 ,in all ,sects and ,schisms it  
has always been and will ever be        
observed1 that the ,founders of them    

either are1 or pretend to be ,men of    
,piety and good ,lives2 but as there    
never was a ,principle of ,morality that
 ,men have set out from1 so strict yet1 
that in ,tract of ,time ,human ,nature  
has not got the better of it1 so the    
,successors of those ,founders always   
become more remiss by ,degrees1 and look
 out for ,ways and ,means to render the 
,practice of their ,doctrine1 or the    
,exercise of their ,function1 more      
comfortable and commodious3 ,and all    
,persuasions have ever lost ,ground1 and
 been sunk in their ,reputation in      
proportion1 as the ,teachers of them    
have relax'd their ,manners4 ,no        
,doctrine ever prevail'd or got any     
,advantage over the establish'd         
,religion in any ,country1 that was not 
accompanied with a real ,austerity of   
,life1 or a ,pretence at least to a     
stricter ,morality1 and greater         
,forbearance1 than was generally to be  
seen in the ,national ,church1 at the   
,time in which the ,doctrine was        

advanced4 ,these are eternal ,truths1   
that must flow from the ,fabrick1 the   
very ,essence of ,human ,nature4        
,therefore the ,clergy may write and    
preach as they please3 ,they may have   
all the ,skill and ,learning that       
,mortals can be possess'd of1 and all   
the assistance into the ,bargain1 that  
the secular ,power can give them in a   
free ,nation1 they will never be able   
long to keep up their ,credit with a    
mixed ,multitude1 if no ,show is made of
 ,self-denial1 and they will totally    
neglect those ,means1 without which that
 ,credit was never acquired4     ,the   
,third ,dialogue ,between ,horatio and  
,cleomenes4   ,horatio4 ,tho' it is but 
,two ,days ago that ,i troubled you     
almost a whole ,afternoon1 ,i am come   
again to spend the ,remainder of this1  
and sup with you1 if you are at         
,leisure4  ,cleo4 ,this is exceeding    
kind4 ,i am no ,ways engaged2 and you   
give me a vast ,deal of ,pleasure4      
,hor4 ,the more ,i have thought and     

reflected on what you said of ,honour   
last ,tuesday1 the more ,i have         
perceiv'd and felt the ,truth of it in  
,spight of my ,teeth4 ,but ,i shall     
never dare to speak of so wretched an   
,origin4  ,cleo4 ,the ,beginning of all 
,things relating to ,human ,affairs was 
ever small and mean3 ,man himself was   
made of a ,lump of ,earth4 ,why should  
we be ashamed of this8 ,what could be   
meaner than the ,origin of ,ancient     
,rome8 ,yet her own ,historians1 proud  
as they were1 scrupled not to mention   
it1 after she was arrived at the ,height
 of her ,glory1 and become a ,goddess1  
,dea ,roma1 to whom ,divine ,honours    
were paid throughout the ,empire1 and a 
stately ,temple was erected within her  
own ,walls4  ,hor4 ,i have often        
wonder'd at that ,dea ,roma1 and her    
,statues resembling those of ,pallas4   
,what could they pretend her ,divinity  
to consist in8  ,cleo4 ,in her vast     
,power1 which every ,freeman had the    
,privilege to imagine1 he had a ,share  

in4  ,hor4 ,what a ,bizar1 what a       
monstrous ,humour must it have been1    
that could make a wife ,people suppose  
that to be a ,goddess1 which they knew  
to be a ,city6  ,cleo4 ,nothing in the  
,universe1 but the ,pride of the        
,citizens4 ,but ,i don't think1 that the
 ,humour1 which you seem to be so much  
astonish'd at1 is altogether worn off   
yet4 ,in ,poetry1 ,painting and         
,sculpture1 you see ,rivers1 ,towns1 and
 ,countries continue to be represented  
under the ,images of ,men and ,women as 
much as ever4 ,look upon the ,marble    
,figures about the ,pedestal of ,queen  
,anne's ,statue at ,st4 ,paul's4  ,hor4 
,but ,no body is so silly as to worship 
them4  ,cleo4 ,not in outward ,shew1    
because it is out of ,fashion2 but the  
inward ,veneration1 which is paid by    
many to the ,things represented by those
 ,images1 is the very same as it was    
formerly1 and owing to the same ,cause4 
,hor4 ,in what ,part of the ,world is   
it1 that you have observed this8  ,cleo4

 ,in ,christendom2 ,here4 ,if you was to
 hear a vain ,man1 that is a            
considerable ,inhabitant of any large   
,capital1 when he is speaking on the    
,part and in ,behalf of his ,city1      
,london for example1 ,paris or          
,amsterdam1 you would find the ,honour1 
the high ,esteem1 and the ,deference1   
which in his ,opinion are due to it1 far
 superiour to any1 that are now paid to 
,mortal ,creatures4  ,hor4 ,i believe   
there is a great ,deal in what you say4 
,cleo4 ,it is worth your ,observation1  
what ,i am going to mention4 ,wherever  
you see great ,power and ,authority     
lodged in a considerable ,number of     
,men1 mind the profound ,respect and    
,submission1 each ,member pays to the   
whole1 and you'll find1 that there is   
great ,plenty1 throughout the ,world1 of
 what you said1 two ,days ago1 was      
inconceivable to you4  ,hor4 ,what is   
that1 pray8  ,cleo4 ,idols1 that are    
their own ,worshipers1 and sincerely    
adore themselves4  ,hor4 ,i don't know  

but there may be1 in your ,way of       
construing ,things3 ,but ,i came with a 
,design to discourse with you on another
 ,subject4 ,when you said in our last   
,conversation1 that a peaceful          
,disposition and ,humility were not     
,qualities more promising in the ,day of
 ,battle1 than a contrite ,heart and a  
broken ,spirit are ,preparatives for    
,fighting1 ,i could not help agreeing   
with your ,sentiments2 yet it is a      
common ,notion1 even among ,men of very 
good ,sense1 that the best ,christians  
make the best ,soldiers4  ,cleo4 ,i     
verily believe1 that there are no better
 ,soldiers1 than there are among the    
,christians2 and ,i believe the same of 
,painters2 but ,i am well assured1 that 
the best in either ,calling are often   
far from being the best ,christians4    
,the ,doctrine of ,christ does not teach
 ,men to ,fight1 any more than it does  
to ,paint4 ,that ,englishmen fight well 
is not owing to their ,christianity4    
,the ,fear of ,shame is able to make    

most ,men brave4 ,soldiers are made by  
,discipline4 ,to make them proud of     
their ,profession1 and inspire them with
 the ,love of ,glory1 are the surest    
,arts to make them valiant3 ,religion   
has ,nothing to do with it4 ,the        
,alcoran bids its ,followers fight and  
propagate their ,faith by ,arms and     
,violence2 nay1 it promises ,paradise to
 ,all1 who die in ,battle against       
,infidels2 yet1 you see1 how often the  
,turks have turn'd ,tail to the         
,germans1 when the latter have been     
inferiour in ,number4  ,hor4 ,yet ,men  
never fight with greater ,obstinacy than
 in ,religious ,wars4 ,if it had not    
been taken for granted1 that ,men were  
animated to ,battle by ,preaching1      
,butler would never have call'd the     
,pulpit1 ,drum ,ecclesiastick4  ,cleo4  
,that ,clergymen may be made ,use of as 
,incendiaries1 and by perverting the    
,duties of their ,function1 set ,men    
together by the ,ears1 is very true2 but
 no ,man was ever made to fight by      

having the ,gospel preach'd to him4     
,from what ,i have said of ,self-liking 
and ,human ,nature1 the ,reason is      
manifest1 why among ,people1 that are   
indifferent to one another1 it is a     
difficult ,task to make a ,man sincerely
 love his ,neighbour1 at the same ,time1
 that it is the easiest ,thing in the   
,world to make him hate his ,neighbour  
with all his ,heart4 ,it is impossible  
that ,two distinct ,persons or ,things  
should be the same2 therefore they must 
all differ in ,something4  ,hor4 ,cannot
 ,two ,things be so exactly alike1 that 
they shall differ in ,nothing8  ,cleo4  
,no3 ,for if they are ,two1 they must   
differ in ,situation1 ,east and ,west1  
the ,right and the ,left2 and there is  
,nothing so small1 so innocent1 or so   
insignificant1 that ,individuals of our 
,species can differ in1 but ,self-liking
 may make a ,handle of it for           
,quarrelling4 ,this close ,attachment   
and ,partiality of every ,man to        
himself1 the very ,word1 ,difference1   

points at1 and upbraids us with3 ,for   
tho' literally it is only a ,term1 to   
express that ,things are not the same2  
yet1 in its figurative ,sense1          
,difference between ,men signifies      
,disagreement in ,opinions1 and ,want of
 ,concord4 ,for not only different      
,nations1 but different ,cities in the  
same ,kingdom1 different ,wards1        
different ,parishes1 different          
,families1 different ,persons1 tho' they
 are ,twins1 or the best ,friends in the
 ,world1 are all in a fair ,way of      
,quarrelling1 whenever the ,difference1 
that is between them1 be that what it   
will1 comes to be look'd into and       
discuss'd2 if both act with ,sincerity1 
and each ,party will speak from the     
,bottom of their ,hearts4  ,hor4 ,self  
is never forgot2 and ,i believe1 that   
many love their ,country very sincerely 
for the ,sake of ,one4  ,cleo4 ,nay1    
what is all the ,world to the meanest   
,beggar1 if he is not to be consider'd  
as a ,part of it8  ,hor4 ,this is a     

little too openly inculcated at ,church2
 and ,i have often wonder'd1 how a      
,parson1 preaching before a few ,clowns 
in a pitiful ,village1 should1 after he 
has named all the great ,people in the  
,nation1 pray ,god to bless more        
especially the ,congregation there      
assembled2 and this at the same ,time   
that the ,king and the ,royal ,family   
are at ,prayers likewise2 and the ,house
 of ,lords at one ,church1 and the      
,house of ,commons at another4 ,i think 
it is an impudent ,thing for a ,parcel  
of ,country ,boobies to desire to be    
serv'd first1 or better1 than so many   
,hundred ,congregations1 that are       
superiour to them in ,number and        
,knowledge1 as well as ,wealth and      
,quality4  ,cleo4 ,men always join most 
heartily in ,petitions1 in which they   
manifestly have a ,share2 and that the  
,especially1 you find ,fault with was   
put in from that ,consideration1 ,i     
believe ,no body denies4  ,hor4 ,but    
there seems to be a low ,artifice1 a    

crafty ,design1 by which the ,compilers 
of those ,prayers1 knowingly made       
,people lay a ,stress upon a ,thing1 in 
which there is no ,reality4 ,when ,i    
hear a ,man pray for ,blessings on ,all1
 especially the ,congregation where ,i  
am present1 it pleases me well enough1  
and the ,word ,especially1 has its      
,effect upon me whilst ,i think no      
further2 but when ,i consider1 that the 
same ,words are said to every audience  
of the same ,church throughout the      
,kingdom1 ,i plainly find that ,i was   
pleas'd with ,nothing4  ,cleo4 ,suppose 
,i should own1 that it was a            
,contrivance of those1 who composed the 
,prayers1 to raise ,devotion1 and that  
this ,contrivance had been the ,effect  
of a thorough ,knowledge of ,human      
,nature2 where would be the ,harm1 since
 ,no body can be injured by it8 ,but to 
return to our ,subject4 ,if ,difference 
in the least ,things is capable of      
raising ,anger1 there is no ,doubt1 but 
it will do it most in ,things that are  

very material1 and of the highest       
,concern3 ,and that ,religion in all    
,countries is an ,affair of the greatest
 ,concern1 is taken for granted by all  
good ,men1 and seldom denied by the bad4
 ,this is the ,reason1 that in          
,religious ,wars ,men are more          
inveterate1 and commit more ,cruelties1 
than when they fight upon other         
,account4 ,here the worst and most      
vicious ,men have fine ,opportunities of
 gratifying their natural ,malice and   
,rancour of ,heart1 without being blamed
 for it2 and placing a ,merit in doing  
,mischief4 ,therefore we see1 that      
those1 who are most neglectful of their 
,duty1 and act most contrary to the     
,dictates of their ,religion1 are so    
often the most zealous in fighting for  
it4 ,there are other ,things that help1 
and all contribute1 to make ,religious  
,wars the most bloody4 ,men are commonly
 sure of ,nothing so much1 as they are  
of the ,truth of the ,religion they     
profess2 so that in all ,religious      

,quarrels1 ,every body is satisfied that
 he has ,justice on his ,side3 ,this    
must make ,man obstinate4 ,the          
,multitude in all ,countries ascribe to 
the ,deities they worship the same      
,passions which they feel themselves2   
and knowing how well pleas'd they are   
with ,every body that is on their ,side1
 and will take their ,part1 they expect 
their ,reward from ,heaven1 which they  
seem to defend2 and on that ,score they 
think with ,delight on the ,losses and  
,calamities which they make others      
suffer2 whether ,churchmen fight with   
,presbyterians1 ,papists with           
,protestants1 or ,mahometans with       
,christians of any ,sort4 ,those who are
 of ,opinion1 that the best ,christians 
make the best ,soldiers1 have commonly  
their ,eyes on the ,civil ,wars both in 
,france and in  ,england4  ,hor4 ,and if
 you compare the ,prince of ,conde's    
,army with that of the ,league there1 or
 ,cromwell's ,troops with the ,king's   
,forces here1 the ,whigs will tell you1 

that in either ,nation you may meet with
 sufficient ,proofs1 to confirm the     
,opinion you speak of4  ,cleo4 ,i have  
,nothing to do with ,whigs or ,tories2  
but let us narrowly look into this      
,affair1 and examine it impartially4    
,religion was brought into the ,quarrel1
 you know1 in both ,kingdoms1 and the   
,cases between the ,adversaries here and
 there were much the same4 ,the         
,huguenots and ,roundheads on the one   
,side said1 that they had ,nothing so   
much at ,heart as ,religion2 that the   
,national ,worship was ,idolatry2 that  
,christianity required no outward ,shew 
of ,altars or ,vestments1 but the       
,sacrifice of the ,heart to be seen in  
,men's ,lives2 that ,god was to be      
serv'd with greater ,strictness1 than   
was observed by the ,national ,clergy2  
that they fought his ,cause1 and did not
 question1 but by his ,help to obtain   
the ,victory4 ,the ,leaguers and        
,cavaliers said on the other ,side1 that
 ,lay-men1 especially ,soldiers1 where  

improper ,judges in ,matters of         
,religion2 that themselves were honest  
,men1 loyal ,subjects1 who fought for   
the establish'd ,church1 their ,king and
 ,country2 and as to their ,adversaries1
 that they were under a ,parcel of      
,hypocritical ,rascals1 that under the  
,mask of ,sanctity carried on an open   
,rebellion1 and had no other ,design    
than to dethrone the ,king1 and get the 
,government into their own ,clutches4   
,let us see the ,consequence that would 
naturally follow from this ,difference4 
,the ,first1 to support their ,cause1   
would think it necessary not to be too  
glaringly inconsistent with themselves2 
therefore they would display somewhat   
more of ,devotion1 and by praying often1
 and perhaps singing of ,psalms1 make a 
greater ,shew of ,religion1 than is     
commonly seen in ,armies4 ,should the   
,chief of such ,troops1 and the great   
,men under him1 who are most likely to  
get by the ,quarrel1 be more circumspect
 in their ,actions1 and attend ,divine  

,worship oftner than is usual for       
,persons of ,quality1 their ,example    
would influence the inferiour ,officers1
 and these would take ,care1 that the   
,soldiers should comply1 whether they   
would or not4 ,if this was well         
perform'd on one ,side1 it is very      
natural to suppose1 that the other1     
knowing the first to be no better ,men  
than themselves1 and believing them to  
be ,hypocrites1 would not only be       
offended at their ,behaviour1 but       
likewise1 in ,opposition to their       
,enemies1 be more neglectful of         
,religious ,duties1 than well           
disciplin'd ,armies generally are1 and  
the ,soldiers allow'd to be more        
dissolute in their ,lives than is usual4
 ,by this ,means the ,contrast between  
two such ,armies1 would be very         
conspicuous4 ,a good ,politician may add
 to1 or take from the ,principle of     
,honour1 what ,virtue or ,qualifications
 he pleases2 and a skillful ,general1   
who can guard his own ,actions1 and will

 be at some ,trouble in ,self-denial    
where he may be observed1 may model an  
,army as he thinks fit4 ,all ,superiors1
 in ,camps as well as ,courts1 will ever
 serve for ,patterns to their           
,inferiours2 and should ,officers       
unanimously resolve to render ,swearing 
unfashionable1 and in good ,earnest set 
about this ,task1 by ,example as well as
 ,precept and ,discipline1 it would not 
be difficult to manage ,soldiers in such
 a ,manner1 that in less than ,half a   
,year not an ,oath should be heard among
 them4 ,if there were ,two ,armies in   
the ,same ,country1 and of the same     
,nation1 in one of which the ,soldiers  
should curse and swear1 as much as is   
commonly done among all loose1 and      
ill-bred ,people1 and in the other the  
,men should have been cured of that bad 
,custom1 it is incredible what          
,reputation of being ,good and          
,religious1 those1 who would only       
forbear ,swearing1 would gain beyond    
their ,adversaries1 tho' they were      

equally guilty with them of ,whoring1   
,drinking1 ,gaming1 and every other     
,vice except that one4 ,therefore if one
 ,general1 to please and keep in with a 
,party1 should think it his ,interest   
that his ,troops should make a greater  
,appearance of ,godliness1 than is      
commonly observed among ,military ,men2 
and another1 to please a contrary       
,party1 should take it to be his        
,interest to act as contrary as it was  
possible to what his ,enemies did1 and  
endeavour to be the ,reverse of them1   
the ,difference would be prodigious4    
,hor4 ,then if in one ,army they were   
,valiant1 the ,general of the other     
would endeavour to make his ,men        
,cowards4  ,cleo4 ,they would differ in 
every ,thing that ,soldiers can differ  
in3 ,the ,observance of the ,point of   
,honour and ,hatred to their ,enemies   
are inseparable from their ,calling2    
therefore resenting of ,affronts among  
themselves1 and cruel ,usage to their   
,enemies1 were not more banish'd from   

the ,armies of the ,huguenots and       
,roundheads1 than they were from those  
of the ,leaguers and ,cavaliers4  ,hor4 
,the true ,reason of the ,difference1 in
 the ,lives and ,morals of the          
,soldiers1 between the ,king's ,forces  
and the ,rebels1 was the ,difference of 
their ,circumstances1 and the ,care that
 was taken of them4 ,the ,parliament's  
,army was regularly provided for1 and   
always able to pay for what they had4   
,but the others1 who were most commonly 
in ,want1 were forced to live upon the  
,country1 and take their ,provisions    
where they could get them2 and this will
 make all ,troops more dissolute and    
disorderly1 than is consistent with the 
,service1 tho' they had the best        
,officers in the ,world4  ,cleo4 ,the   
,misfortune you speak of1 and which the 
,king's ,army labour'd under1 must every
 where be a great ,hinderance to        
,discipline2 and ,i verily believe1 that
 his ,soldiers suffer'd very much in    
their ,morals on ,account of it2 but ,i 

am persuaded1 that the ,contrariety of  
,principles1 which ,i hinted at1 was an 
,addition to that ,misfortune1 and made 
it worse2 for that the ,cavaliers       
laughed at the ,roundheads for their    
praying so long and so often1 and the   
great ,shew they made of ,devotion1 is  
certain2 and there is always a ,pleasure
 in appearing to be the ,reverse of what
 we ridicule in our ,enemies4 ,but      
whatever was then1 or might at any other
 ,time1 be the true ,reason of the      
,difference in the ,shew of ,piety and  
,goodness between two such ,armies1 let 
us see the ,consequence of it1 and the  
,effect it would naturally have on the  
sober ,party4 ,all ,multitudes are      
superstitious2 and among great ,numbers1
 there are always ,men prone to         
,enthusiasm2 and if the ,pretenders to  
,godliness had skilful ,divines 7as no  
doubt1 they would have7 that knew1 how  
to extol the ,goodness and ,piety of the
 ,general and the ,soldiers1 declaim    
against the ,wickedness and reprobate   

,lives of the ,enemies1 and remonstrate 
to their ,hearers1 how ,god must love   
the first1 and1 from his known          
,attributes1 hate the latter1 it would  
in all ,probability produce every ,thing
 we read of in the ,armies of the       
,prince of ,conde and the ,parliament4  
,some ,colonels would preach1 and some  
,soldiers would learn ,prayers and      
,scraps of ,psalms by ,heart1 and many  
of them would grow more circumspect in  
indulging their ,vices1 than is common  
to ,men of their ,function4 ,this latter
 would make the ,men more governable1   
and consequently better ,troops1 and all
 together would make a great ,noise4    
,besides1 ,mankind are so given to      
flatter themselves1 that they'll believe
 any ,thing1 that is said in their      
,praise2 and should1 in any ,regiment of
 such an ,army1 the ,chaplain display   
his ,eloquence before a ,battle1 exhort 
the ,men to ,bravery1 speak in          
,commendation of the ,zeal and ,piety of
 the ,officers and the ,troops in       

general1 and find out some particular   
,reason1 why ,god should love and have  
,regard for that ,regiment beyond any   
other1 it might have a very good ,effect
 upon the most ,wicked1 as well as the  
better ,sort4 ,and if this ,chaplain1   
from what he knew of them1 should       
pathetically encourage them1 and promise
 them the ,victory1 ,enthusiasm is so   
catching1 that a ,fellow1 who lay with a
 ,whore over ,night1 and was drunk the  
,day before1 if he saw his ,comrades    
moved1 might be transported with ,joy   
and ,eagerness to fight1 and be stupid  
enough to think1 that he had a ,share in
 ,god's ,favour4 ,the ,greek and ,roman 
,histories abound with ,instances of the
 immense ,use that may be made in ,war  
of ,superstition well turn'd3 ,the      
grossest1 if skilfully managed1 may make
 the fearful1 undaunted1 and the loosest
 ,livers exert themselves to the utmost 
of their ,power1 from a firm ,belief1   
that ,heaven is on their ,side4 ,that   
,superstition has had this ,effect upon 

,men of almost every ,persuasion1 as    
well as ,heathen ,idolaters1 is certain2
 but he must be a notable ,divine1 that 
can expect the same from the ,doctrine  
of ,christ1 faithfully deliver'd1 and   
preach'd in its ,purity4 ,it is possible
 therefore that any ,number of ,troops  
may1 by crafty ,declamations and other  
,arts1 be made ,zealots and             
,enthusiasts1 that shall fight and pray1
 sing ,psalms one ,hour1 and demolish an
 ,hospital the next2 but you'll as soon 
meet with an ,army of ,generals or of   
,emperours1 as you will with1 ,i won't  
say an ,army1 but a ,regiment1 or even a
 ,company of good ,christians among     
,military ,men4 ,there never were better
 ,troops1 or ,men that behaved with     
greater ,gallantry and ,chearfulness1   
than we had in the two last ,wars2      
,officers as well as common ,soldiers2  
but ,i would as soon believe1 that it   
was ,witchcraft that made them brave1 as
 that it was their ,religion4  ,hor4    
,yet ,i have often heard it from        

experienc'd ,officers1 that the most    
virtuous1 the soberest1 and the most    
civiliz'd ,fellows made the best        
,soldiers1 and were those whom they     
could most depend upon4  ,cleo4 ,i      
heartily believe that to be true for the
 ,generality2 for ,i know1 that by      
,virtuous1 you don't mean much more than
 tolerably ,honest1 such as are not     
given to wrong or decieve ,any body2 or 
else among the ,officers themselves1 you
 know1 that very ,few of them are       
possess'd of many ,christian ,virtues1  
or would be fond of the ,character4 ,do 
but consider what is required of a      
,soldier4 ,there are ,three ,things     
which the officers are chiefly afraid of
 in their ,men3 ,the ,first is1 that    
they may desert1 which is so much ,money
 lost3 ,the ,second1 that they may rob  
or steal1 and so come to be hang'd3 ,the
 ,third is1 that they may be sick1 and  
consequently incapable of doing ,duty4  
,any middling ,honest secures them      
entirely as to the two ,first2 and1     

without ,doubt1 the less vicious2 that  
is1 the more sober and temperate the    
,men are1 the more likely they are to   
preserve their ,health4 ,as for the     
,rest1 ,military ,men are easy ,casuists
 for the ,generality1 and are used to   
give1 as well as take1 large ,grains of 
,allowance4 ,a ,soldier1 who minds his  
,business1 is seldom reproved for taking
 any ,pleasure he can come at1 without  
being complain'd of3 ,and if he be      
brave1 and understands his ,exercise1   
takes ,care always to be sober when he  
is upon ,duty1 pays a profound ,respect 
to his ,officers1 as well as a strict   
,obedience to their ,commands1 watches  
their ,eyes1 and flies at a ,nod1 he can
 never fail of being beloved4 ,and if   
moreover he keeps himself clean1 and his
 ,hair powder'd1 is neat in his         
,cloaths1 and takes ,care not to be     
pox'd2 let him do what he pleases for   
the ,rest1 he'll be counted a very      
valuable ,fellow4 ,a ,man may do all    
this without ,christianity1 as well as  

he can do it without having an ,estate4 
,there are ,thousands that are less     
circumspect and not half so well        
accomplish'd1 who yet are well esteem'd 
in that ,station4 ,and as ,i have       
allow'd on the one ,hand1 that the      
soberest and the civiliz'd ,fellows make
 the best ,soldiers1 and are1 generally 
speaking1 the most to be depended upon  
in an ,army1 so it is undeniable on the 
other1 that1 if not the major1 at least 
a very considerable ,part of our best   
,troops1 that had the greatest ,share in
 the ,victories we obtain'd1 was made up
 of loose and immoral1 if not debauch'd 
and wicked ,fellows4 ,nay1 ,i insist    
upon it1 that ,jayl-birds1 ,rogues1 who 
had been guilty of the worst of ,crimes1
 and some that had been saved from the  
,gallows to recruit our ,forces1 did on 
many ,occasions both in ,spain1 and     
,flanders1 fight with as much           
,intrepidity1 and were as indefatigable1
 as the most ,virtuous amongst them4    
,nor was this any ,thing strange or     

unexpected2 or else the recruiting      
,officers ought to have been punish'd1  
for lifting and giving the ,money of the
 ,publick to ,men1 of whom there was no 
,probability that they could be made    
,soldiers4 ,but to make it evident1 how 
little the ,religion and ,morality of a 
,soldier are minded by his ,superiours1 
and what great ,care is taken to keep up
 and cultivate his ,pride ----4  ,hor4  
,that latter ,i have seen enough of in  
the ,fable of the ,bees4 ,you would     
speak about the ,cloaths and            
,accoutrements4  ,cleo4 ,i wave them2   
tho' there it is likewise very          
conspicuous4 ,i only desire you to      
compare the ,things he is indulg'd in1  
and which1 if he pleases1 he may brag   
of1 with what he is taught to be ashamed
 of1 the grand ,offence1 which1 if once 
committed1 is never to be pardon'd4 ,if 
he has but ,courage1 and knows how to   
please his ,officers1 he may get drunk  
,two or ,three ,times a ,week1 have a   
fresh ,whore every ,day1 and swear an   

,oath at every ,word he speaks1 little  
or no ,notice shall be taken of him to  
his ,dishonour2 and1 if he be good      
humour'd1 and forbears stealing among   
his ,comrades1 he'll be counted a very  
honest ,fellow4 ,but if1 what ,christ   
and his ,apostles would have justify'd  
him in and exhorted him to do1 he takes 
a ,slap in the ,face1 or any other gross
 ,affront before ,company1 without      
resenting it1 tho' from his intimate    
,friend1 it cannot be endured2 and tho' 
he was the soberest1 and the most       
chaste1 the most discreet1 tractable and
 best temper'd ,man in the ,world1 his  
,business is done4 ,no body will serve  
with a noted ,coward2 nay1 it would be  
an ,affront to desire it of ,gentlemen  
,soldiers1 who wear the ,king's ,cloth2 
and the ,officers are forc'd to turn him
 out of the ,regiment4 ,those who are   
unacquainted with ,military ,affairs and
 ,chaplains of ,regiments1 would not    
imagine1 what a small ,portion of       
,virtue and ,forbearance a ,soldier     

stands in ,need of1 to have the         
,reputation of a good ,religious ,man   
among those he converses with4          
,clergymen1 that are employ'd in        
,armies1 are seldom rigid ,casuists2 and
 ,few of them are ,saints themselves4   
,if a ,soldier seems to be less fond of 
strong ,liquors than others generally   
are2 if he is seldom heard to swear2 if 
he is cautious in ,love-,affairs1 and   
not openly vicious that ,way2 if he is  
not known to ,steal or ,pilfer1 he'll be
 stiled a very honest1 sober ,fellow4   
,but if1 moreover1 such a one should    
behave with ,decency at ,devine         
,service1 and seem now and then to be   
attentive to what is spoken2 if ever he 
had been seen with a ,book in his ,hand1
 either open or shut2 if he was         
respectful to the ,clergy1 and zealous  
against those1 who are not of the same  
,religion which he professes to be of1  
he would be call'd a very ,religious    
,man2 and half a ,dozen of them in a    
,regiment would1 in a little ,time1     

procure a mighty ,character to the      
whole1 and great ,honour to the         
,chaplain4  ,hor4 ,i dare say1 that on  
some ,occasions he would take the       
,liberty from it to brag1 that there    
were no better ,christians in the       
,world1 than a great many were1 whom he 
had under his ,care4  ,cleo4            
,considering how ,things are often      
magnify'd without ,regard to ,truth or  
,merit1 and what ,advantages some ,men  
will take1 right or wrong1 to advance as
 well as maintain the ,cause they get   
by2 it is not improbable1 that three or 
four score thousand ,men1 that were kept
 in good ,discipline1 tho' they were all
 taken at ,random from the lowest and   
idlest of the ,vulgar1 might be stiled  
an ,army of good ,christians1 if they   
had a ,chaplain to every ,regiment1 and 
but ,two or ,three such orderly         
,soldiers1 as ,i have describ'd1 in     
every ,thousand3 ,and ,i am persuaded1  
that the sect or ,religion1 which they  
pretended to follow and profess1 would1 

by the ,help of able and active         
,divines1 acquire more ,credit and      
,reputation from those ,few1 than all   
the ,loosness1 ,debauchery and gross    
,vices of the ,rest would ever be able  
to take away from them4  ,hor4 ,but from
 what you have said1 ,i should think1   
that the ,gospel must do ,hurt among    
fighting ,men4 ,as such they must be    
animated by another ,spirit1 and can    
receive no ,benefit from the ,doctrine  
of ,peace4 ,what ,occasion is there for 
,divines in an ,army8  ,cleo4 ,i have   
hinted to you several ,times1 that in   
the ,management of ,human ,creatures1   
the ,fear of an invincible ,cause1 which
 they are all born with1 was always to  
be consulted2 and that no ,multitudes   
can ever be govern'd1 so as to be made  
useful to any one ,purpose1 if those1   
who attempt to rule over them1 should   
neglect to take ,notice of1 or but any  
,ways seem to slight the ,principle of  
that ,fear4 ,the worst of ,men are often
 as much influenc'd by it as the best2  

or else ,highwaymen and ,house-breakers 
would not swear ,fidelity to one        
another4 ,god is call'd upon as a       
,witness to the mutual ,promises of the 
greatest ,miscreants1 that they will    
persevere in their ,crimes and          
,villanies1 and to the last ,drop of    
their ,blood be unalterably ,wicked4    
,this1 you know1 has been done in       
,massacres1 the blackest ,treasons1 and 
the most horrid ,conspiracies2 tho' the 
,persons concern'd in them1 perhaps1    
gave other ,names to their              
,undertakings4 ,by this we may see1 what
 absurd ,notions ,men may have of the   
,deity1 who undoubtedly believe his     
,existence3 ,for how flagitious soever  
,men are1 none can be deem'd ,atheists  
but those1 who pretend to have          
absolutely conquer'd1 or never been     
influenced by the ,fear of an invisible 
,cause1 that over-rules ,human ,affairs2
 and what ,i say now has been and ever  
will be true in all ,countries1 and in  
all ,ages1 let the ,religion or ,worship

 of the ,people be what they will4      
,hor4 ,it is better to have no          
,religion1 than to worship the ,devil4  
,cleo4 ,in what ,respect is it better8  
,hor4 ,it is not so great an ,affront to
 the ,deity not to believe his          
,existence1 as it is to believe him to  
be the most ,cruel and the most         
,malicious ,being that can be imagin'd4 
,cleo4 ,that is a subtle ,argument1     
seldom made ,use of but by ,unbelievers4
  ,hor4 ,don't you think1 that many     
,believers have been worse ,men1 than   
some ,atheists8  ,cleo4 ,as to          
,morality1 there have been good and bad 
,men of all ,sects and all ,persuasions2
 but before we know any ,thing of ,men's
 ,lives1 ,nothing can be worse in the   
,civil ,society1 than an ,atheist1      
caeteris paribus4 ,for it would be      
ridiculous to say1 that it is less safe 
to trust to a ,man's ,principle1 of whom
 we have some ,reason to hope1 that he  
may be with-held by the ,fear of        
,something1 than it is to trust to one  

who absolutely denies1 that he is       
withheld by the ,fear of any ,thing4    
,the old ,mexicans worship'd            
,vitzliputzli1 at the same ,time that   
they own'd his ,malice1 and execrated   
his ,cruelty2 yet it is highly probable1
 that some of them were deterr'd from   
,perjury for ,fear of being punish'd by 
,vitzliputzli2 who would have been      
guilty of it1 if they had not been      
afraid of any ,thing at all4  ,hor4     
,then not to have believed the          
,existence of that chimerical ,monster  
was ,atheism in ,mexico4  ,cleo4 ,it    
certainly was among ,people that knew of
 no other invisible ,cause4  ,hor4 ,but 
why should ,i wonder at the ,mexicans8  
,there are ,christians enough1 of whom1 
to judge from their ,sentiments and     
,behaviour1 it is hard to determine1    
which it is they are more afraid of1    
,god or the ,devil4  ,cleo4 ,i don't    
question1 but among the ,vulgar1 more   
,persons have been deterr'd from doing  
,evil1 by what they had heard of the    

,torments of ,hell1 than have been made 
virtuous by what had been told them of  
the ,joys of ,heaven1 tho' both had been
 represented to them as equally infinite
 and unutterable4  ,hor4 ,but to return 
to my ,question4 ,when ,i ask'd what    
,occasion there was for ,divines in an  
,army1 ,i was not ignorant of the       
,necessity there is of having ,religion 
and ,priests of some ,sort or other1 to 
humour as well as awe the ,multitude2   
but ,i wanted to know the ,mystery1 and 
be let into the ,secret1 by which the   
,doctrine of ,peace is made serviceable 
to the carrying on of ,war2 for that    
,preachers of the ,gospel have not only 
exhorted ,men to ,battle1 but likewise  
that they have done it effectually2 and 
that ,soldiers have been inspired with  
,courage1 and made to fight with        
,obstinacy by their ,sermons1 the       
,history of almost every ,country can   
witness4  ,cleo4 ,a little ,accuracy    
will set us to ,rights4 ,that what you  
say has been1 and is often done by      

,sermons and ,preachers1 both           
,protestant and ,popish1 is certainly   
true4 ,but ,i deny1 that ever it was    
once done by a ,preacher of the ,gospel4
  ,hor4 ,i don't understand your        
,distinction4 ,are not all ,christian   
,divines call'd ,preachers1 as well as  
,ministers of the ,gospel8  ,cleo4 ,but 
many ,people are call'd1 what1 strictly 
speaking1 they are not4 ,the ,reason ,i 
have for what ,i say is1 that there is  
,nothing contain'd in the ,gospel1 that 
can have the least ,tendency to promote 
or justify ,war or ,discord1 ,foreign or
 ,domestic1 ,publick or ,private2 nor is
 there any the least ,expression to be  
found in it1 from which it is possible  
to excite or set ,people on to quarrel  
with1 do ,hurt to1 or any ways offend   
one another1 on any ,account whatever4  
,hor4 ,but this encreases the mystery1  
and makes the facts less intelligible4  
,cleo4 ,i will unfold it to you4 ,as all
 ,priests have ever maintain'd1 that    
they were the ,interpreters of the will 

of the deity they pretended to serve1   
and had an undoubted ,right of          
construing and explaining the ,doctrine 
and the ,meaning of the ,religion they  
taught and presided over3 ,as1 ,i say1  
all priests have ever maintain'd this1  
so the ,christian ,clergy1 as soon as   
they took it in their ,heads to be      
priests likewise1 claim'd the same      
,privilege2 and finding several things1 
which they had a ,mind to1 denied them  
in the ,gospel2 and that many           
,conveniencies1 which all other ,priests
 had ever1 not only been fond of1 but   
likewise enjoy'd1 were in express words 
forbid1 and absolutely prohibited in the
 ,new ,testament1 they had recourse to  
the ,old1 and providently took ,care    
from thence to supply the ,deficiency of
 the ,new4  ,hor4 ,so1 when they had no 
settled ,revenue or ,pomp of ,dress from
 the ,gospel1 they took up with the     
,tithes and ,sacerdotal ,ornaments of   
the ,levites1 and borrow'd from the     
,jewish ,priests and ,prophets every    

,thing that was worth having4  ,cleo4   
,this would open too large a ,field1 and
 therefore ,i would look into the       
,clergy's ,behaviour no farther1 than as
 it relates to ,armies and military     
,men1 and take ,notice1 that whenever   
,pillage or shedding of ,blood are to be
 justified or encouraged by a ,sermon1  
or ,men are to be exhorted to ,battle1  
to the ,sacking of a ,city or the       
,devastation of a ,country1 by a        
pathetick ,discourse1 the ,text is      
always taken from the ,old ,testament2  
which is an inexhaustible ,fund for     
,declamation on almost every ,subject   
and every ,occasion3 ,and there is no   
worldly ,end1 which the most ambitious  
,man1 or the most cruel ,tyrant can have
 to serve1 but from some ,part or other 
of that ,book a ,divine of middling     
,capacity may find out a proper ,text to
 harangue upon1 that shall answer the   
,purpose4 ,but to make it evident1 that 
,divines may be useful to all ,fighting 
,men1 without preaching of the ,gospel1 

we need but to consider1 that among all 
the ,wars and ,dissentions1 which       
,christians have had with one another on
 innumerable ,accounts1 there never was 
a ,cause yet1 so unreasonable or absurd1
 so unjust or openly wicked1 if it had  
an army to back it1 that has not found  
,christian ,divines1 or at least such as
 stiled themselves so1 who have espoused
 and call'd it ,righteous4 ,no rebellion
 was ever so unnatural1 nor ,tyranny so 
cruel1 but if there were men who would  
fight for it1 there were ,priests who   
would pray for it1 and loudly maintain1 
that it was the ,cause of ,god4 ,nothing
 is more necessary to an ,army1 than to 
have this latter strenously insisted    
upon1 and skilfully unculcated to the   
soldiers4 ,no body fights heartily1 who 
believes himself to be in the wrong1 and
 that ,god is against him1 ,whereas a   
firm persuasion of the ,contrary1       
inspires ,men with ,courage and         
,intrepidity2 it furnishes them with    
arguments to justify the ,malice of     

their ,hearts1 and the implacable       
,hatred they bear their ,enemies2 it    
confirms them in the ill opinion they   
have of them1 and makes them confident  
of victory2 si ,deus pro nobis quis     
contra nos8 ,in all wars it is an       
everlasting ,maxim in ,politicks1 that  
whenever ,religion can be brought into  
the ,quarrel1 it ought never to be      
neglected1 and that how small soever the
 ,difference may be between the         
contending ,parties1 the ,divines on    
each ,side1 ought to magnify and make   
the most of it2 for ,nothing is more    
comfortable to ,men1 than the ,thought1 
that their ,enemies are likewise the    
,enemies of ,god4  ,hor4 ,but to make   
,soldiers laborious as well as          
governable1 would it not be useful to   
exhort them to ,virtue1 and a close     
,attachment to the ,principle of        
,honour8  ,cleo4 ,the principle of      
,honour is never forgot2 and as to      
,virtue1 what is required of them is    
,fortitude1 and to do as they are bid4  

,and if you'll consider what ,pains are 
taken to make them ashamed of ,cowardice
 above all other ,vices2 and how prompt1
 as well as severe1 the ,punishment for 
,disobedience is in the least ,trifles  
among ,soldiers1 beyond what it is any  
where else2 if1 ,i say1 you'll consider 
these ,things on the one ,hand1 and on  
the other the great ,latitude that is   
given them as to ,morals1 in what has no
 ,regard to the ,service1 you'll find1  
that for the ,first1 ,divines are not   
wanted1 and that for the other they can 
do but little ,good4 ,however ,morality 
is often preach'd to them1 and even the 
,gospel at seasonable ,times1 when they 
are in ,winter ,quarters1 or in an idle 
summer1 when there is no ,enemy near1   
and the ,troops perhaps are encamped in 
a ,country1 where no ,hostilities should
 be committed4 ,but when they are to    
enter upon ,action1 to besiege a large  
,town1 or ravage a rich ,country1 it    
would be very impertinent to talk to    
them of ,christian ,virtues2 doing as   

they would be done by2 loving their     
enemies1 and extending their ,charity to
 all ,mankind4 ,when the ,foe is at     
,hand1 the ,men have ,skirmishes with   
him every ,day1 and perhaps a main      
battle is expected2 then the mask is    
flung off2 not a ,word of the ,gospel1  
nor of ,meekness or ,humility2 and all  
,thoughts of ,christianity are laid     
aside entirely4 ,the men are prais'd and
 buoy'd up in the high value they have  
for themselves3 their ,officers call    
them ,gentlemen and ,fellow-,soldiers2  
,generals pull off their ,hats to them2 
and no ,artifice is neglected that can  
flatter their ,pride1 or inspire them   
with the ,love of ,glory4 ,the ,clergy  
themselves take ,care at such ,times1   
not to mention to them their ,sins1 or  
any ,thing that is melancholy or        
disheartning3 ,on the ,contrary1 they   
speak chearfully to them1 encourage and 
assure them of ,god's ,favour4 ,they    
take ,pains to justify1 and endeavour to
 encrease the ,animosities and          

,aversion1 which those under their ,care
 have against their ,enemies1 whom to   
blacken and render odious1 they leave no
 ,art untried1 no ,stone unturn'd2 and  
no ,calumny can be more malicious1 no   
,story more incredible1 nor ,falsity    
more notorious1 than have been made ,use
 of knowingly for that ,purpose by      
,christian ,divines1 both ,protestants1 
and ,papists4  ,hor4 ,i don't use to be 
an ,advocate for ,bigots of any sort1   
much less for ,fanaticks1 whom ,i hate2 
but facts are stubborn things4 ,it is   
impossible to reflect on the sharp and  
bloody ,engagements in the ,rebellion1  
and the ,devotion of ,cromwell's army1  
without being convinced1 that there must
 have been ,men at that ,time1 that were
 both ,valiant and ,religious4 ,it is   
certain1 that the ,rebels fought well1  
and that they had more ,days of ,fasting
 and ,humiliation1 than ever were known 
among any other ,soldiers4  ,cleo4 ,that
 there was a greater ,appearance of     
,religion among them1 than ever was     

among any other regular ,troops1 ,i     
allow2 but that none of it could proceed
 from a ,principle of ,christianity is  
demonstrable4  ,hor4 ,they had ,men of  
unquestionable ,honour among them2 and  
some of them must have been sincere4    
,cleo4 ,a great many1 ,i verily believe1
 were sincere2 but let us look into this
 ,affair a little more narrowly4 ,what  
do you think of the ,general8 ,do you   
think1 that ,cromwell was a good        
,christian and a pious ,man1 who had    
,nothing so much at ,heart as ,religion 
and ,liberty1 and1 void of ,selfishness1
 had devoted himself to procure         
,happiness ,eternal as well as ,temporal
 to the ,people of ,england8 ,or that he
 was a vile wicked ,hypocrite1 who1     
under the ,cloak of ,sanctity1 broke    
through all ,human and ,divine ,laws to 
aggrandize himself1 and sacrifis'd every
 ,thing to his own ,ambition1 and the   
,interest of his ,family8  ,hor4 ,there 
is no ,doubt1 but all impartial ,men    
must believe the latter4 ,but then he   

understood ,mankind very well2 his very 
,enemies1 that were his ,contemporaries1
 allow'd him to be a ,man of great      
,parts4 ,if he had had the the same     
,opinion of ,christianity1 which you    
have1 and the ,unfitness of it to make  
,men quarrel and fight with ,obstinacy1 
he would never have made ,use of it     
among his ,soldiers4  ,cleo4 ,and it is 
clear as the sun1 that he never did4    
,hor4 ,that his pretences to religion   
were no more than ,hypocrisy1 ,i have   
allow'd2 but it does not appear1 that he
 desired others to be ,hypocrites too3  
,on the ,contrary1 he took ,pains1 or at
 least made ,use of all possible ,means 
to promote ,christianity among his ,men1
 and make them sincerely ,religious4    
,cleo4 ,you will never distinguish      
between ,christianity1 that is1 the     
,doctrine of ,christ1 and the           
,interpretations1 that are made of it by
 ,clergymen2 tho' ,i have often shew'd  
you the great ,difference there is      
between them4 ,cromwell was a ,man of   

admirable good ,sense1 and thoroughly   
well acquainted with ,human ,nature2 he 
knew the mighty ,force of ,enthusiasm1  
and made ,use of it accordingly4 ,as to 
,strictness of ,religion and the ,love  
of ,liberty1 they had all along been the
 darling ,pretences of the party he     
engaged in4 ,the complaints of the      
,puritans against ,episcopacy1 and that 
the ,church of ,england was not         
sufficiently reformed1 began in ,queen  
,elizabeth's ,time1 and were very near  
as old as the ,reformation itself4 ,the 
people's ,murmurings and ,struggles for 
,liberty were of some ,standing1 when   
,king ,charles the ,first came to the   
,throne3 ,the ,jealousies1 which        
,parliaments had of the ,regal ,power   
and ,prerogative1 had been openly shewn 
in his ,father's ,reign1 and1 throughout
 the ,course of it1 been troublesome to 
his ,ministers4 ,that the ,clergy of the
 ,church of ,england had enjoin'd       
,things1 and taught what they had no    
,warrant for from the ,gospel1 and that 

,king ,james the ,first1 as well as his 
,son1 who succeeded him1 laid ,claim to 
a more absolute ,power1 than was        
consistent with the privileges of       
,parliament and the ,constitution1 in   
undeniable4 ,religion then and ,liberty1
 being two topicks1 that ,abundance was 
to be said upon in those ,days1 became  
the ,subject and ,foundation of the     
,quarrels between the ,king and         
,parliament1 that afterwards broke out  
into a ,civil ,war4  ,hor4 ,i was not   
born in ,china or ,lapland3 there is not
 a ,boy of ,twelve ,years old1 that is  
ignorant of the ,causes of that ,civil  
,war4  ,cleo4 ,i don't question your    
,knowledge2 but only mention these      
,things1 that from the ,nature of the   
,dissentions1 and the mischiefs that    
ensued upon them1 we might see the      
,impossibility1 that either ,party      
should have acted from a ,principle of  
,christianity4 ,i shall now endeavor to 
demonstrate to you ,two ,things2 the    
,first is1 that ,clergymen1 by a small  

,deviation from the ,gospel1 may so     
egregiously impose upon their ,hearers1 
as to make even sincere ,men act quite  
contrary to the ,precepts of it1 at the 
same ,time that those subtle ,declaimers
 shall seem to be full of ,zeal1 and to 
have the highest ,value for             
,christianity4 ,the ,other is1 that in a
 well disciplin'd ,army1 ,acts of       
,devotion1 and an outward ,shew of      
,religion may do vast ,service for the  
obtaining of ,victory1 tho' the ,general
 who appointed and order'd them1 was an 
,atheist2 the greatest part of the      
,clergy1 who perform'd and assisted in  
them1 were ,hypocrites1 and the         
,generality of the ,men were wicked     
,livers4 ,as to the ,first1 ,i call a   
,man sincere in his ,religion1 who      
believes the ,bible to be the ,word of  
,god1 and acknowledging the ,difficulty 
he finds in obeying the ,dictates of the
 ,gospel1 wishes with all his heart1    
that he could practice the self-denial  
that is required in it2 and is sorry1   

that he has not the ,power to govern and
 subdue his stubborn ,passions so well  
as he could wish4 ,if to such a one1 a  
,clergyman should preach the ,strictness
 of ,morality1 and the ,necessity of    
,repentance1 that are taught in the     
,gospel1 and moreover inculcate to him1 
that as to ,divine ,worship the         
,ceremonial was abrogated2 that what was
 required of us1 was the ,sacrifice of  
the ,heart and the ,conquest over our   
darling ,lusts2 and that in short the   
,religious ,duties of a ,christian were 
summ'd up in loving ,god as his         
,neighbour2 this ,doctrine being every  
,way agreeable to that of ,christ1 a    
sincere man1 who had read the ,new      
,testament1 would easily give ,ear to a 
,divine1 who should preach it to him2   
and it is highly probable1 that in      
,matters of ,conscience1 and every      
,thing relating to his ,deportment1 he  
should be glad of his ,counsel4 ,suppose
 now1 that there was another ,clergyman 
in the same city1 who likewise          

pretending to preach the ,gospel1       
should1 on the one ,hand1 represent the 
,doctrine of it as very indulging to    
,human ,nature1 and the ,practice of it 
easily comply'd with1 and1 on the other1
 lay a great ,stress on the ,honour to  
be paid to his own ,person1 and the     
,performances of a ,set of ,ceremonies1 
no where mention'd in the ,gospel2 it is
 not likely1 that our sincere ,man      
should approve of his ,sermons2 but if  
this ,second ,divine should moreover    
call them ,enemies to ,god1 who should  
refuse to comply with every ,part of    
these ,ceremonies1 and give the ,name of
 ,hypocrite to ,every body1 who should  
assert1 that the ,gospel required       
stricter ,morality than what he taught2 
if he should sollicite the ,magistrate  
to have all ,persons punish'd1 who were 
not of his ,opinion2 and if1 by his     
,instigation1 our sincere ,man should   
actually be persecuted and plagued by   
his ,fellow-,subjects2 to judge from    
what we know of ,human ,nature1 such    

,usage would fill the sincere ,man with 
,indignation1 and raise his ,anger      
against all those1 who were the         
,occasion of his ,sufferings4 ,let us   
suppose like-wise1 that this ,man1      
besides his ,sincerity1 had ,temper and 
,goodness enough to consider1 that1 tho'
 he had been unjustly dealt with1 and   
was highly provok'd1 yet his ,religion  
taught and commanded him not to resent  
,injuries1 but to forgive his ,enemies1 
and to ,love them that hated him2 it is 
reasonable to think1 that this ,clashing
 between ,nature and ,principle would   
perplex him1 and himself stand in ,need 
of good ,advice1 what to do in this     
,dilemma4 ,if in this ,case1 the        
,clergyman1 who first preached to him   
the ,purity of the ,christian ,religion1
 and the ,severity of its ,morals1 and  
whom he often went to hear1 should      
persist in the same ,sentiments2 and1   
continuing to recommend to him the      
,doctrine of ,peace1 make ,use of all   
the ,arguments1 which the ,gospel could 

furnish him with1 either to warn him    
against ,anger and all sinful ,passions1
 ,malice of ,heart1 ,hatred and         
,resentment2 or to exhort him to        
,fortitude in ,afflictions1 ,heroick    
,patience in ,sufferings1 and on all    
,emergencies an entire ,resignation to  
the ,will of ,god2 ,if1 ,i say1 the     
,clergyman ,i mention'd should do this1 
whatever might be the ,success he did it
 with1 he would have acted the good     
,shepherd1 and his ,sermons could never 
be made a ,handle of for ,war or        
,rebellion4 ,but if instead of it1 he   
should seem to approve of the other's   
,anger1 and1 to justify it1 enter into  
the ,merits of the ,cause2 if he should 
endeavour to demonstrate1 that all      
,ceremonies of ,human ,invention were   
superstitious1 and that ,kneeling down1 
where there were ,pictures and          
,sculpture1 was a manifest ,token of    
,idolatry2 if after this1 by an easy    
,transition1 he should go over to the   
,old ,testament1 expatiate on the       

,second ,commandment1 and produce       
several ,instances of ,god's ,vengeance 
on ,idolaters1 and the utter            
,destruction1 that had often been       
brought upon them by ,god's own ,people1
 fighting under his ,banner1 and acting 
by his special ,commission2 ,if a       
,preacher should do this1 and have      
,mischief in his ,heart1 it would not be
 difficult for him insensibly to mislead
 his ,hearers1 extinguish their         
,charity1 and1 working upon the         
,passions1 make a sincere ,man1 who had 
really been ill treated1 mistake in his 
own ,breast the ,spirit of ,revenge for 
,religious ,zeal1 and1 to maintain the  
,truth of the ,gospel1 act directly     
contrary to the ,precepts of it4 ,and   
the more regular the ,life was of such a
 ,divine1 and the greater the ,austerity
 of his ,manners1 the fitter ,instrument
 would he be to sow ,sedition1 enflame  
an ,audience1 and make ,tools of them   
for the ,ambitious4  ,hor4 ,the ,first  
you have made out beyond my             

,expectations2 but it has been at the   
,expence of your                        
,revolution-,principles2 ,i hope you'll 
never take them up again4  ,cleo4 ,i    
hope ,i shall have no ,occasion for it3 
but what ,i have advanced has ,nothing  
to do with the ,controversy you point   
at4 ,the illegal ,sway of ,magistrates  
is not to be justified from the ,gospel1
 any more than the ,resistance of the   
,people4 ,where ,two ,parties quarrel1  
and open ,animosities are to be seen on 
both ,sides1 it is ridiculous for either
 to appeal to the ,gospel4 ,the ,right1 
which ,princes have to enjoy their      
,prerogative1 is not more divine1 than  
that which ,subjects have to enjoy their
 ,privileges2 and if ,tyrants will think
 themselves more justifiable before ,god
 than ,rebels1 they ought first to be   
satisfied1 that ,oppression is less     
heinous in his ,sight than ,revenge4    
,hor4 ,but ,no body owns himself to be a
 ,tyrant4  ,cleo4 ,nor did ever any     
,malecontents own themselves to be      

,rebels4  ,hor4 ,i can't give this up1  
and must talk with you about it another 
,time4 ,but now ,i long to hear you     
demonstrate the ,second of your         
,assertions1 and make that as evident to
 me1 as you have done the ,first4       
,cleo4 ,i'll endeavour it1 if you'll    
give me ,leave1 and can have but        
,patience to hear me1 for you'll stand  
in ,need of it4  ,hor4 ,you are to      
prove1 that ,acts of ,devotion1 and an  
outward ,shew of ,religion1 may make an 
,army ,victorious1 tho' the ,general was
 an ,atheist1 the ,clergy were          
,hypocrites1 and the ,generality of the 
,men wicked ,livers4  ,cleo4 ,a little  
more ,accuracy1 if you please4 ,i said1 
that they might do vast ,service for the
 obtaining of ,victory2 the ,service ,i 
mean1 consists in rousing the ,courage  
of the ,men1 and throwing them into an  
,enthusiasm1 that shall dissipate their 
,fears1 and make them despise the       
greatest ,dangers4 ,there is no greater 
,art to make ,men fight with ,obstinacy1

 than to make them trust to1 and rely   
with ,confidence on the ,assistance of  
the invisible ,cause1 they ,fear4  ,hor4
 ,but how can wicked ,men be made to do 
this8 ,what ,reasons can they be        
furnish'd with1 to hope for the         
,assistance of ,heaven8  ,cleo4 ,if you 
can assure ,men of the ,justice of their
 ,cause1 and render that evident and    
unquestionable1 the ,business is done1  
and their own ,wickedness will be no    
,obstacle to it4 ,therefore this1 you   
see1 is the ,grand ,point1 which        
,priests have ever labour'd to gain     
among ,fighting ,men in all ,countries  
and in all ,ages4 ,how immensely soever 
they have differ'd from one another in  
,religion and ,worship1 in this they    
have all agreed4 ,we were speaking1 you 
know1 of ,cromwell's ,army2 do but      
recollect what you have heard and read  
of those ,times1 and you'll find1 that  
the ,notions and ,sentiments1 that were 
industriously instill'd into the minds  
of the soldiers1 had a manifest tendency

 to obtain this end1 and that all their 
preaching and praying were made         
serviceable to the same purpose4 ,the   
,credenda1 which the whole army1 and    
every individual were imbued with1 even 
by the most moderate of their preachers1
 were generally these3 that the ,king   
gave ear to his evil counsellours2 that 
he was govern'd by his ,queen1 who was a
 rank ,papist1 bigotted to her own      
superstition2 that all his ministers    
were wicked men1 who endeavour'd to     
subvert the constitution1 and aim'd at  
nothing more than to render him         
absolute1 that by his arbitrary power   
they might be skreen'd from justice1 and
 the resentment of an injured nation3   
that the bishops were in the same       
interest2 that1 tho' they had abjured   
the ,pope's supremacy1 and found fault  
with the luxury of the court of ,rome1  
they wanted as much to lord it over the 
laity themselves1 and were as fond of   
worldly honour1 power1 and authority1 of
 pomp and splendour1 and a distinguish'd

 manner of living1 as any ,popish       
prelates3 that the worship of the church
 of ,england was above half ,popery2    
that most of the clergy were idle       
drones1 who lived upon the ,fat of the  
,land1 and perverted the ,end of their  
,function3 ,that by this ,means         
,religion it self was neglected1 and1   
instead of it1 ,rights and ,ceremonies  
were obstinately insisted upon1 that    
were notoriousy borrow'd from the       
,heathen and ,jewish ,priests4 ,that    
preaching ,non-resistance was justifying
 ,tyranny1 and could have no other      
,meaning than to encourage ,princes to  
be wicked1 and tie the ,peoples ,hands1 
whilst they should have their ,throats  
cut3 ,that in ,pursuance of this        
,doctrine1 ,he1 who should have been the
 ,guardian of their ,laws1 had already  
trampled upon them and broken his       
,coronation-,oath1 and1 instead of being
 a ,father to his ,people1 had openly   
proclaim'd himself their ,enemy1        
invited1 a ,foreign ,force into the     

,land1 and was now actually making ,war 
against the ,parliament1 the undoubted  
,representatives of the ,nation4 ,whilst
 these ,things were said of the ,adverse
 ,party1 their own was extoll'd to the  
,skies2 and loud ,encomiums were made on
 the ,patriotism of their ,superiours1  
the ,sanctity and ,disinterestedness as 
well as ,wisdom and ,capacity of those  
,asserters of ,liberty1 who had rescued 
them from ,bondage4 ,sometimes they     
spoke of the ,care1 that was taken of   
,religion1 and a ,pains-taking          
,ministry1 that preach'd not themselves 
but ,christ1 and1 by their ,example as  
well as ,precept1 taught the ,purity of 
the ,gospel1 and the strict ,morality   
that is contain'd in it1 without        
,superstition or ,allowances to please  
,sinners3 ,at others1 they represented  
to their ,hearers the exemplary ,lives  
of the ,generals1 the ,sobriety of the  
,soldiers1 and the ,goodness and ,piety1
 as well as ,zeal and ,heroism of the   
whole ,army4  ,hor4 ,but what is all    

this to what you was to prove8 ,i want  
to know the vast ,service an outward    
,shew of ,religion can be of to wicked  
,men1 for the obtaining of ,victory3    
,when shall ,i see that8  ,cleo4        
,presently2 but you must give me ,leave 
to prove it my own ,way4 ,in what ,i    
have said hitherto1 ,i have only laid   
before you the ,artifice1 which ,every  
body knows was made ,use of by the      
,roundheads haranguing their own        
,troops1 to render the ,cavaliers and   
the ,king's ,cause odious and detestable
 to them on the one ,hand1 and to make  
them1 on the other1 have an high        
,opinion of their own1 and firmly       
believe1 that ,god could not but favour 
it4 ,now let us call to ,mind the       
,situation of ,affairs in the ,times ,i 
speak of1 and the ,politicks of those1  
who opposed the ,king1 and then         
consider1 what a crafty designing       
,general ought to have done to make the 
most of the ,conjuncture he lived in1   
and the ,zeal and ,spirit that were then

 reigning among the ,party he was       
engaged in2 if he had ,nothing at       
,heart1 but to advance1 per fas aut     
nefas1 his own worldly ,interest and his
 own ,glory3 ,in the ,first ,place1 it  
would never have been believed that the 
,presbyters were in ,earnest1 who found 
,fault with and rail'd at the ,luxury   
and loose ,morals1 as well as ,laziness 
of the ,national ,clergy1 if they had   
not been more diligent in their         
,calling1 and led stricter ,lives       
themselves4 ,this therefore was complied
 with1 and the dissenting ,clergy took  
vast ,pains in ,praying and ,preaching  
without ,book for ,hours together1 and  
practis'd much greater ,self-denial1 at 
least to outward ,appearance1 than their
 ,adversaries4 ,the ,laity of the same  
,side1 to compass their ,end1 were      
obliged to follow the ,example of their 
,teachers in ,severity of ,manners1 and 
,pretences to ,religion3 ,accordingly   
they did1 at least well enough1 you see1
 to acquire the ,name of the ,sober     

,party4  ,hor4 ,then you must think1    
that they had none but ,hypocrites among
 them4  ,cleo4 ,indeed ,i don't2 but ,i 
believe1 that most of the ,ring-leaders 
who began the quarrel with the ,king had
 ,temporal ,advantages in ,view1 or     
other private ,ends to serve1 that had  
no ,relation either to the ,service of  
,god or the ,welfare of the ,people2 and
 yet ,i believe likewise1 that many     
sincere and well-meaning ,men were drawn
 into their ,measures4 ,when a          
,reformation of ,manners is once set on 
,foot1 and strict ,morality is well     
spoken of1 and countenanc'd by the      
better ,sort of ,people1 the very       
,fashion will make ,proselytes to       
,virtue4 ,swearing and not ,swearing in 
,conversation depend upon ,mode and     
,custom4 ,nothing is more reasonable1   
than ,temperance and ,honesty to ,men   
that consult their ,health and their    
,interest2 where ,men are not debarr'd  
from ,marriage1 ,chastity is easily     
comply'd with1 and prevents a ,thousand 

,mischiefs4 ,there is ,nothing more     
universal than the ,love of ,liberty2   
and there is ,something engaging in the 
,sound of the ,words4 ,the ,love of     
one's ,country is natural and very bad  
,men may feel it as warm about them1 as 
very good ,men2 and it is a ,principle1 
which a ,man may as sincerely act from1 
who ,fights against his ,king1 as he who
 ,fights for him4 ,but these sincere and
 well-meaning ,people1 that can pray and
 fight1 sing ,psalms and do ,mischief   
with a good ,conscience1 may in many    
,respects be ,morally good1 and yet want
 most of the ,virtues1 that are peculiar
 to ,christianity1 and1 if the ,gospel  
speaks ,truth1 necessary to ,salvation4 
,a ,man may be continent and likewise   
never drink to ,excess1 and yet be      
haughty and insupportable in his        
,carriage1 a litigious ,neighbour1 an   
unnatural ,father1 and a barbarous      
,husband4 ,he may be just in his        
,dealings1 and wrong ,no body in his    
,property1 yet he may be full of ,envy1 

take ,delight in ,slander1 be revengeful
 in his ,heart1 and never known to have 
forgiven an ,injury4 ,he may abstain    
from ,cursing and all idle as well as   
prophane ,swearing1 and at the same     
,time be uncharitable and wish ,evil to 
all1 that are not of his ,opinion2 nay1 
he may mortally hate1 and take ,pleasure
 in persecuting and doing ,mischief to1 
all those who differ from him in        
,religion4  ,hor4 ,i see plainly now1   
how ,men may be sincere in their        
,religion1 and by ,art be made to act   
quite contrary to the ,precepts of it3  
,and your ,manner of accounting for     
this1 does not only render the ,sober   
,party less odious1 than the ,orthodox  
have represented them2 but there is     
likewise greater ,probability in it1    
than there is in what they generally say
 of them3 ,for that an ,army of a great 
many ,thousand ,men should consist of   
,none but ,hypocrites1 who yet should   
fight well1 is an inconceivable ,thing4 
,but what is it you would say of the    

,general8  ,cleo4 ,i would shew you1 how
 an obscure ,man1 of an active ,spirit  
and boundless ,ambition1 might raise    
himself among such a ,set of ,people to 
the higher ,post2 and having once got   
the ,supreme ,command of the ,army1 what
 ,method1 and what ,arts it is most     
probable he would make ,use of to model 
such ,troops to his ,purpose1 and make  
them serviceable to the ,advancement of 
his own ,greatness4  ,hor4 ,but remember
 he must be an ,atheist4  ,cleo4 ,he    
shall be so1 in the ,vulgar ,acceptation
 of the ,word2 that is1 he shall have no
 ,religion or ,conscience2 fear neither 
,god nor ,devil1 and not believe either 
a ,providence in this ,world1 or any    
,thing that is said of another3 ,but he 
must be a great ,genius1 daring to the  
highest ,degree1 indefatigable1 supple  
to his ,interest1 and ready as well as  
capable to act any ,part1 and put on any
 ,disguise1 that shall be required to   
serve or promote it4 ,every brisk1      
forward ,man1 who pretends to an        

extraordinary ,zeal for his ,party1 and 
the ,cause he is engaged in1 and who    
shews ,eagerness for ,action1 and       
behaves with ,intrepidity in ,danger1   
cannot remain long unknown1 where ,men  
have frequent ,opportunities of         
signalizing themselves4 ,but if he be   
likewise a ,man of ,sense1 who          
understands his ,business1 and has      
,conduct as well as ,courage1 he can't  
fail of ,preferment in an ,army1 where  
the ,interest of the common ,cause is   
taken ,care of4 ,if he serves among     
,puritans1 who pretend to a stricter    
,morality1 and to be more religious than
 their ,neighbours1 and himself is an   
artful ,man1 as soon as he is taken     
,notice of1 he'll fall in with the ,cant
 in ,fashion1 talk of ,grace and        
,regeneration1 counterfeit ,piety1 and  
seem to be sincerely ,devout4 ,if he can
 do this well1 put on a sanctify'd      
,face1 and abstain from being openly    
vicious1 it is incredible what ,lustre  
it will add to the ,rest of his         

,qualifications1 in such a ,conjuncture3
 ,and if moreover he is a ,man of       
,address1 and can get the ,reputation of
 being disinterested and a ,soldier's   
,friend1 in a short ,time he'll become  
the ,darling of the ,army2 and it would 
hardly be safe long to deny him any     
,post1 he can reasonably pretend to4 ,in
 all ,wars1 where the contending        
,parties are in good ,earnest1 and the  
,animosities between them run high1     
,campaigns are always active1 and many  
brave ,men must fall on both ,sides2 and
 where there should be much ,room for   
,advancement1 it is highly probable1    
that such a ,man as ,i have describ'd1  
if at his first setting out he was      
,captain of ,horse1 and had raised an   
entire ,troop at his own ,charge1 should
 in a few ,years come to be a ,general  
,officer1 and of great ,weight in all   
,councils and ,debates4 ,being thus far 
preferr'd1 if he would make the most of 
his ,talents1 he might be of infinite   
,service to his ,party4 ,an aspiring    

,man1 whose grand ,aim was to thrive by 
,hypocrisy1 would study the ,scripture1 
learn the ,languages of it1 and         
occasionally mix it with his ,discourse4
 ,he would cajole the ,clergy of his    
,party1 and often do good ,offices to   
those of them that were most popular4 ,a
 ,man of his ,parts would preach ex     
tempore himself1 and get the ,knack of  
,praying for as many ,hours as there    
should be ,occasion4 ,whoever is well   
skill'd in these ,exercises may         
counterfeit ,enthusiasm when he pleases1
 and pretend on some ,emergencies to    
receive ,directions from ,god himself2  
and that he is manifestly influenc'd by 
his ,spirit4 ,a ,general ,officer1 who  
has once got this ,reputation1 may carry
 almost any ,thing2 for ,few that are   
wise will venture to oppose what such a 
,man1 pretending to have sought the     
,lord1 declares to be his ,opinion4     
,whatever ,victories might be obtain'd1 
and in all ,successes under his         
,command1 a skilful ,hypocrite would    

make a ,shew of ,modesty1 refuse to hear
 the ,praises that are his due1 and seem
 with great ,humility to give all the   
,glory to ,god only2 not forgetting1 at 
the same ,time1 to flatter the ,pride of
 his ,troops1 highly to commend and     
magnify1 first the ,goodness and        
,bravery of the ,soldiers1 and then the 
,care and ,vigilance of the ,officers   
under him4 ,to be well serv'd1 he would 
reward ,merit1 punish and discountenance
 ,vice1 always speak well and           
magnificently of ,virtue1 and seem to be
 just himself4 ,but as to ,christianity 
it self1 he would not suffer any ,thing 
to be taught of it1 that could interfere
 with the ,principle of ,honour1 or any 
of the ,artifices to keep up the ,ill   
,will1 and ,hatred which military ,men  
are to be inspired with against their   
,enemies4 ,the ,christian ,duties1 which
 he would chiefly take ,care of and see 
perform'd1 would be outward ,acts of    
,devotion1 and that ,part of ,religion  
which is easily comply'd with1 and yet  

taken ,notice of by all the ,world2 such
 as frequent ,prayers1 long and         
pathetick ,sermons1 singing of ,psalms1 
and the keeping of the ,sabbath with    
great ,strictness2 all which ,men may   
assist at and employ themselves in1 tho'
 their ,hearts are otherwise engag'd4   
,it is certain1 that a ,man of vast     
,parts and superlative ,ambition might1 
by the ,divine ,permission1 perform1    
take ,care of1 and compass all this1    
tho' he was an ,atheist2 and that he    
might live and die with the ,reputation 
of a ,saint1 if he was but circumspect  
and wise enough to conceal himself so   
entirely well1 that no ,penetration or  
,watchfulness of ,mortals could ever    
discover his real ,sentiments4 ,there is
 no ,atchievement to be expected from   
,soldiers1 which they would not perform 
for such a ,general2 and his ,name would
 be sufficient to fill the greatest     
,profligate in an ,army with a          
,religious ,enthusiasm1 if he           
disbelieved not an invisible ,cause4    

,hor4 ,there lies the ,difficulty2 it is
 that which ,i cannot comprehend4       
,cleo4 ,wickedness1 ,i have hinted to   
you before1 is no ,bar to ,superstition2
 and a great ,profligate may at the same
 ,time be a silly ,fellow1 believe      
,absurdities1 and rely on ,trifles1     
which a ,man of ,sense and ,virtue could
 not be influenc'd or affected by4 ,it  
is easily imagin'd1 that in such an     
,army1 under such a ,general as ,i have 
been speaking of1 the ,men would be kept
 under strict ,discipline2 and that they
 would not only be compell'd1 whether   
they would or not1 to assist at all     
their ,exercises of outward ,devotion   
and ,publick ,worship2 but likewise that
 the loosest ,livers among them should  
be obliged to be more cautious and      
circumspect in their ,behaviour1 than   
,soldiers generally are4 ,now suppose a 
,man so wicked1 that1 tho' he has no    
,doubt of ,future ,state1 the ,belief of
 ,rewards and ,punishments in another   
,world made no impression upon him2 but 

that he indulged every vicious          
,inclination as far as he dared1 lay    
with every ,woman that would let him1   
and got drunk as often as he could get  
an ,opportunity to do it2 one that would
 stick at ,nothing1 rob or steal1 kill a
 ,man that should anger him1 if he was  
not with-held by the ,law1 and the ,fear
 of ,temporal ,punishment3 ,suppose     
likewise1 that this was one of the      
lowest ,mob1 who being in ,want1 and too
 lazy to work1 should lift himself in   
some ,regiment or other of this ,army4  
,there is no ,doubt1 but this ,man would
 be forc'd immediately to have a greater
 ,guard upon his ,actions1 and reform1  
at least outwardly1 more than would suit
 with his ,inclinations1 and therefore  
it is not unlikely1 that1 what ,duties  
soever he might comply with1 and        
whatever ,appearance he might make among
 the ,rest1 in his ,heart he should     
remain the same he was before4 ,yet     
notwithstanding all this1 in a little   
,time he might make a very good         

,soldier4 ,i can easily conceive1 how   
the ,wearing of a ,sword and ,regimental
 ,cloaths1 and always conversing with   
resolute and well disciplin'd ,men1     
among whom ,arms and ,gallantry are in  
the highest ,esteem1 might so far       
encrease a wicked ,fellow's ,pride1 that
 he should wish to be brave1 and in a   
few ,months think ,nothing more really  
dreadful1 than to be thought a ,coward4 
,the ,fear of ,shame may act as         
powerfully upon bad ,men1 as it can upon
 good2 and the ,wickedness of his ,heart
 would not hinder him from having a good
 ,opinion of himself1 and the ,cause he 
served2 nor yet from hating his ,enemies
 or taking ,delight in destroying1      
plundering1 and doing all ,manner of    
,mischief4  ,hor4 ,but having no ,regard
 to ,godliness or ,religion1 it is      
impossible1 that he should be influenc'd
 or affected by the ,prayers or other   
,exercises of ,devotion1 which he might 
assist at and which1 in all             
,probability1 he would never come near1 

unless he was compell'd to it4  ,cleo4  
,i don't suppose1 that he would be      
influenced or affected by them at all   
himself2 but he might easily believe1   
that others were4 ,i take it for        
granted1 that in such an ,army there    
might have been ,abundance of           
well-meaning ,men1 that were really     
honest1 and sincere in their ,religion1 
tho' they had been misled in what       
concern'd the ,duties of it4 ,from the  
,behaviour of these1 and the ,imitation 
of others1 from the ,exemplary ,lives1  
which our ,reprobate should see among   
them1 and the establish'd ,reputation of
 so many ,men of ,honour1 he would have 
all the ,reason in the ,world to think1 
that at least the greatest ,part of them
 were in good ,earnest2 that they relied
 upon ,god2 and that the fervent ,zeal1 
with which they seem'd to implore his   
assistance1 was real and unfeign'd4 ,all
 wicked ,men are not inflexible2 and    
there are great ,sinners1 whom this     
,consideration would move to the quick2 

and tho' perhaps it would not be of     
,force enough to reclaim them1 there are
 many1 who1 by means of it1 would be    
made to relent1 and wish that they were 
better4 ,but ,i don't want this help2   
and we'll suppose our ,profligate such a
 stubborn ,wretch1 and so obstinately   
vicious1 that the most moving           
,discourses1 and the most fervent       
,prayers1 tho' he is forc'd to assist at
 them1 have not the least ,power to make
 him reflect either on his ,sins or his 
,duty2 and that notwithstanding what he 
hears and sees of others1 his ,heart    
remains as bad as ever1 and himself as  
immoral as he dares to be for ,fear of  
his ,officers4 ,we'll suppose1 ,i say1  
all this2 but as it is taken for        
granted1 that he believes the ,world to 
be govern'd by ,providence ----4  ,hor4 
,but why should that be taken for       
granted1 of a fellow so thoroughly      
wicked8  ,cleo4 ,because it is included 
in his ,belief of a ,future ,state1     
which1 in his ,character1 ,i supposed   

him not to doubt of4  ,hor4 ,i know it2 
but what ,reason had you to suppose this
 at ,first1 in a ,man who never gave any
 ,signs1 nor ever did insinuate1 for    
ought you know1 that he had such a      
,belief8  ,cleo4 ,because he never gave 
any ,signs to the contrary2 and in a    
,christian ,country1 ,i suppose all ,men
 to believe the ,existence of a ,god and
 a ,future ,state1 who1 by speaking or  
writing1 never declared1 that they did  
not4 ,wickedness consisting in an       
unreasonable ,gratification of every    
,passion that comes uppermost1 it is so 
far from implying ,unbelief1 or what is 
call'd ,atheism1 that it rather excludes
 it4 ,because the ,fear of an invisible 
,cause is as much a ,passion in our     
,nature1 as the ,fear of ,death4 ,i have
 hinted to you before1 that great       
,cowards1 whilst they are in ,health and
 ,safety1 may live many ,years without  
discovering the least ,symptom of the   
,fear of ,death1 so as to be visibly    
affected by it2 but that this is no     

,sign1 that they have it not1 is evident
 when they are in ,danger4 ,it is the   
same with the ,fear of an invisible     
,cause2 the one is as much born with us 
as the other1 and to conquer either1 is 
more difficult than is easily imagin'd4 
,the ,fear of an invisible ,cause is    
universal1 how widely soever men may    
differ in the worship of it2 and it was 
never observed among a ,multitude1 that 
the worst were more backward than the   
best in believing whatever from their   
,infancy they had heard concerning this 
invisible ,cause2 how absurd or shocking
 soever that might have been4 ,the most 
,wicked are often the most              
,superstitious1 and as ready as any to  
believe ,witchcraft1 consult            
,fortune-tellers1 and make ,use of      
,charms4 ,and tho' among the most       
brutish ,part of the ,mob1 we should    
meet with ,some1 that neither pray nor  
pay ,worship to any ,thing1 laugh at    
,things sacred1 and openly disclaim all 
,religion1 we could have no ,reason to  

think1 even from these1 that they acted 
from ,principles of ,infidelity1 when   
from their ,behaviour and many of their 
,actions1 it should be manifest1 that   
they apprehended ,something or other1   
that could do them ,good or ,hurt1 and  
yet is invisible4 ,but as to the vilest 
,reprobates among the ,vulgar1 from     
their very ,curses and the most prophane
 of their ,oaths and ,imprecations1 it  
is plain1 that they are ,believers4     
,hor4 ,that's far fetch'd4  ,cleo4 ,i   
don't think so4 ,can a ,man with himself
 damn'd1 without supposing1 that there  
is such a ,thing as ,damnation4 ,believe
 me1 ,horatio1 there are no ,atheists   
among the ,common ,people3 ,you never   
knew any of them entirely free from     
,superstition1 which always implies     
,belief3 and whoever lays any ,stress   
upon ,predictions1 upon good or bad     
,omens2 or does but think1 that some    
,things are lucky and others unlucky1   
must believe1 that there is an          
over-ruling ,power1 which meddles with1 

and interferes in ,human ,affairs4      
,hor4 ,i must yield this to you1 ,i     
think4  ,cleo4 ,if then our wicked1     
obdurate ,soldier believes1 that there  
is a ,god1 and that the ,world is       
govern'd by ,providence1 it is          
impossible1 when ,two ,armies are to    
engage1 but he must think1 that it is   
very material1 and a ,thing of the      
highest ,importance1 which of them ,god 
will be pleas'd to favour1 and wish with
 all his ,heart1 that ,heaven would be  
of his ,side4 ,now1 if he knows that the
 ,troops1 he serves among1 have gain'd  
several ,advantages over their ,enemies1
 and that he has been an ,eye-witness of
 this himself1 he must necessarily      
think1 that ,god has a greater ,regard  
to them1 than he has to those that are  
beaten by them4 ,it is certain1 that a  
,man1 who is strongly persuaded of this1
 will be more undaunted1 and with the   
,same ,degree of ,skill1 ,malice and    
,strength1 fight better than he could   
do1 if he believ'd the ,contrary4 ,it is

 evident then1 that the most abandon'd  
,rascal in a ,christian ,army may be    
made a valuable ,man on the ,score of   
,fighting1 as soon as he can be         
persuaded1 that ,god takes his ,part1   
tho' he never made any further          
,reflection3 ,but it is inconceivable1  
that a ,man should firmly believe what  
,i have said without reflecting one     
,time or other on what might be the     
,cause of this particular ,favour1 this 
visible ,assistance of ,heaven2 and if  
ever he did1 could he help thinking on  
the ,preaching and ,praying1 which he   
was daily present at2 and would he not  
be forced from all the ,circumstances to
 believe1 that those ,things were       
acceptable to ,god2 and conclude upon   
the whole1 that those ,religious        
,exercises were a proper ,means to      
obtain ,god's ,friendship8 ,would he not
 be very much confirm'd in this         
,opinion1 if he saw or but heard of     
credible ,people1 that1 in the ,enemy's 
,army1 the men were more cold and remiss

 in their ,worship1 or at least1 that   
they made a less outward ,shew of       
,devotion1 which is all that he should  
be able to judge by8  ,hor4 ,but why    
should you think1 that such an          
abandon'd1 obdurate ,fellow1 as you have
 supposed him to be1 should ever trouble
 his ,head with the ,difference in      
,worship between one ,army and another1 
or ever think at all on any ,thing      
relating to ,devotion8  ,cleo4 ,because 
it would be impossible for him to help  
it4 ,i have not supposed1 that he was   
either ,deaf or ,blind3 ,the ,things ,i 
named1 and which ,i imagin'd he would be
 forc'd to believe1 would be run in his 
,ears1 and repeated to him over and over
 from every ,quarter3 ,the ,soldiers    
would be full of them2 the ,officers    
would talk of them4 ,he would be present
 at the solemn ,thanksgivings1 they paid
 to ,heaven4 ,the ,preachers would often
 be loud in commending the ,godliness as
 well as ,bravery of the ,army1 and roar
 out the ,praises of their ,general1    

that sanctify'd ,vessel1 whom they would
 call a ,gideon1 a ,joshua1 a ,moses1   
that glorious ,instrument1 which ,god   
had raised and made ,use of to rescue   
his ,church from ,idolatry and          
,superstition1 and his ,saints from     
,tyranny and ,oppression4 ,they would   
exclaim against the ,wickedness and     
,immorality of their ,enemies1 inveigh  
against ,lawn-,sleeves and ,surplices1  
,altar-,pieces1 and ,common-,prayers2   
call the ,orthodox ,clergy1 the ,priests
 of ,baal1 and assure their ,hearers1   
that the ,lord hated the ,cavaliers2    
that they were an ,abomination to him1  
and that he would certainly deliver them
 into the ,hands of his chosen ,people4 
,when a ,man is obliged to hear all     
this1 and sees moreover the ,spirit and 
,alacrity that is raised in his         
,comrades after a moving extemporary    
,prayer1 the real ,enthusiasm the ,men  
are thrown into by the ,singing of a    
,psalm1 and the ,tears of ,zeal and ,joy
 run down the ,cheeks of ,men1 whom he  

knows to be ,faithful and ,sincere1 as  
well as ,resolute and ,daring4 ,when    
,man1 ,i say1 such a one as ,i have     
describ'd1 should be forc'd to hear and 
see all this1 it would hardly be        
possible for him1 not to believe1 in the
 first ,place1 that ,god actually       
assisted this ,army2 and in the ,second1
 that the ,means1 by which that         
,assistance was procured1 were the      
,strictness of the ,discipline and the  
,religious ,duties1 that were observed  
in it2 tho' he himself should never     
,join in the one1 or ,submit to the     
other1 but against his ,will1 and with  
the utmost ,reluctancy4 ,i am persuaded1
 that such an ,opinion1 well rivetted in
 a ,man1 would1 in such an ,army as ,i  
am speaking of1 be of vast ,use to him  
in all ,adventures and ,expeditions of  
,war2 and that1 if he was fit at all to 
be made a soldier1 it would in the ,day 
of ,battle inspire him with a           
,confidence and ,undauntedness1 which   
the same man could never have acquired1 

,cteris ,paribus1 if he had served among
 other troops1 where ,divine ,worship   
had been little insisted upon1 or but   
slightly perform'd4 ,and if this be     
true1 ,i have proved to you1 that ,acts 
of ,devotion1 and an outward ,shew of   
,religion1 may be serviceable to the    
greatest ,profligate for the obtaining  
of ,victory1 tho' the ,general should be
 an ,atheist1 most of the ,clergy       
,hypocrites1 and the greatest ,part of  
the ,army wicked ,men4  ,hor4 ,i can see
 very well the ,possibility1 that a few 
,profligates1 among a great many others1
 that were not so1 might be kept in ,awe
 by strict ,discipline1 and that ,acts  
of ,devotion might be serviceable even  
to those1 who were present at them      
against their ,wills4 ,but this         
,possibility is only built upon a       
,supposition1 that the ,rest of the     
,army should be better disposed3 ,for if
 the ,generality of them were not in    
,earnest1 you could have no outward     
,shew of ,religion2 and the ,things     

which you say the obdurate wretch should
 be forced to hear and see1 could have  
no ,existence4 ,no ,preaching or        
,praying can be moving to those1 that   
are harden'd and inattentive2 and no    
,man can be thrown into an ,enthusiasm  
upon the ,singing of ,psalms1 and shed  
,tears of ,zeal and ,joy in any ,part of
 ,divine ,worship1 unless they give     
,heed to it1 and are really ,devout4    
,cleo4 ,i am glad you start this        
,objection2 for it puts me in ,mind of  
,something1 that will serve to          
illustrate this whole ,matter1 and      
which1 if you had not mention'd this1 ,i
 should have had no ,opportunity to     
speak of4 ,i took for granted1 you know1
 that in the ,quarrel between ,king and 
the ,people1 there had been many honest 
well meaning ,men1 among the ,sober     
,party1 that by ,artifice were drawn    
into the ,measures of cunning           
,hypocrites1 who1 under specious        
,pretences1 carried on the ,rebellion   
with no other ,view than their own      

,advantage4 ,but if you recollect what  
,i said then1 you'll find1 that many of 
those honest well-meaning ,men might    
have been very bad ,christians4 ,a ,man 
may be a fair ,dealer1 and wish well to 
his ,country1 and yet be very wicked in 
many other ,respects4 ,but whatever     
,vices he may be guilty of1 if he       
believes the ,scriptures without        
,reserve1 is sorry for his ,sins1 and   
sometimes really afraid1 that he shall  
be punish'd for them in another ,world1 
he is certainly sincere in his          
,religion1 tho' he never mends4 ,some of
 the most wicked in the ,world have been
 great ,believers4 ,consider all the    
,money1 that has been given to pray     
,souls out of ,purgatory1 and who they  
were1 that left the greatest ,legacies  
to the ,church4 ,the ,generality of     
,mankind believe what they were taught  
in their ,youth1 let that be what it    
will1 and there is no ,superstition so  
gross or absurd1 nor any ,thing so      
improbable or contradictory in any      

,religion1 but ,men may be sincere in   
the ,belief of it4 ,what ,i say all this
 for is to shew you1 that an honest     
well-meaning ,man may believe the ,bible
 and be ,sincere in his ,religion1 when 
he is yet very remote from being a good 
,christian4 ,what ,i understand then by 
,sincere is evident3 ,now give me ,leave
 to tell you what ,i mean by ,wicked1   
and to put you in ,mind of what ,i have 
said of it already2 viz that ,i gave    
that ,name to those1 who indulge their  
,passions as they come uppermost1       
without ,regard to the ,good or ,hurt1  
which the ,gratification of their       
,appetites may do to the ,society4 ,but 
all wicked ,men are not equally         
neglectful of ,religious ,duties1 nor   
equally inflexible2 and you won't meet  
with one in a ,hundred so stubborn and  
averse to all ,sense of ,divine         
,worship1 as ,i have supposed our       
,profligate to be4 ,my ,reason for      
drawing so bad a ,character1 was to     
convince you1 that1 if an outward ,shew 

of ,religion could be made serviceable  
to the most stubborn ,reprobate1 it     
could never fail of having a good       
,effect upon all others1 that should be 
more relenting1 and assist at it with   
less ,reluctancy4 ,few ,men are wicked  
for ,want of good ,will to be better3   
,the greatest ,villains have ,remorses2 
and hardly any of them are so bad1 that 
the ,fear of an invisible ,cause and    
future ,punishment should never make any
 ,impression upon them2 if not in       
,health1 at least in ,sickness4 ,if we  
look narrowly into the ,sentiments1 as  
well as ,actions even of those that     
persist in evil ,courses for many       
,years1 and spend their whole ,lives in 
,debaucheries1 we shall hardly ever     
find1 that it is because they are       
obstinately bent to be ,wicked2 but     
because they want either the ,power to  
govern their ,passions1 or else the     
,resolution to set about it2 that they  
have often wish'd1 that they could lead 
better ,lives2 that they hope1 ,god will

 forgive them2 and that ,several ,times 
they have fix'd a ,time for their       
,repentance1 but that always ,something 
or other interven'd1 that has hinder'd  
them1 till at last they died without    
having ever met with the ,opportunity   
they wish'd for4 ,such ,men as these    
perhaps would never go to ,prayers1 or  
to hear a ,sermon as long as they lived1
 if they could help it3 ,but most of    
them1 if they were forc'd to it1 would  
behave very well1 and actually receive  
,benefit from being there2 especially in
 ,armies1 where ,nothing being less     
wanted than contrite ,hearts and broken 
,spirits1 ,nothing is mention'd that is 
mortifying1 or would depress the ,mind2 
and if ever any thing melancholy is     
slightly touch'd upon1 it is done with  
great ,art1 and only to make a ,contrast
 with something reviving1 that is       
immediately to follow1 which will       
flatter their ,pride1 and make them     
highly delighted with themselves4 ,all  
,exhortations to ,battle should be      

chearful and pleasing4 ,what is required
 of the ,men1 is1 that they should      
,fight undauntedly and obstinately4     
,therefore all ,arts are made use of to 
raise and keep up their ,spirits on the 
one ,hand1 and their ,hatred to their   
,enemies on the other4 ,to dissipate    
their ,fears1 they are assured of the   
,justice and ,goodness of their ,cause1 
that ,god himself is engaged1 and his   
,honour concern'd in it2 and that       
therefore1 if they can but shew ,zeal   
enough for him1 and are not wanting to  
themselves1 they need not doubt of the  
,victory4  ,hor4 ,it is amazing1 that   
,believers1 who are so conscious of     
their own ,wickedness1 should be so     
easily persuaded1 that ,god would do any
 ,thing in their ,favour4  ,cleo4 ,the  
great ,propensity we have in our ,nature
 to flatter our selves1 makes us easy   
,casuists in our own ,concerns4 ,every  
body knows1 that ,god is merciful1 and  
that all ,men are ,sinners4 ,the        
,thought of this has often been a great 

,comfort to very bad ,livers1 especially
 if they could remember1 that ever they 
wish'd to be better2 which1 among       
,believers1 there is not ,one in a      
,hundred1 but can4 ,this good           
,disposition of ,mind a wicked ,man may 
make a notable ,construction of1 and    
magnify the ,merit of it1 till the      
,reflection of it is sufficient to make 
his ,conscience easy1 and he absolves   
himself without the ,trouble of         
,repentance4 ,i can easily conceive1 how
 one of the ,vulgar1 no better          
qualify'd1 may assist at ,publick       
,worship with ,satisfaction1 and even   
,pleasure2 if ,preaching and ,praying   
are managed in the ,manner ,i have      
hinted at3 ,and it is not difficult to  
imagine1 how by a little paultry        
,eloquence1 and ,violence of ,gestures1 
a ,man in this ,situation may be hurried
 away from his ,reason1 and have his    
,passions so artfully play'd upon2 that 
feeling himself thoroughly moved1 he    
shall mistake the ,malice of his ,heart1

 and perhaps the ,resentment of a great 
,wound received1 for the ,love of ,god  
and ,zeal for ,religion4 ,there is      
another ,class of wicked ,men1 that ,i  
have not touch'd upon yet2 and of which 
there would always be great ,numbers    
among such ,troops as we have been      
speaking of1 viz4 ,soldiers of the      
,sober ,party1 where ,swearing1         
,prophaneness1 and all open ,immorality 
are actually punish'd2 where a grave    
,deportment and strict ,behaviour are   
encouraged1 and where                   
,scripture-,language and ,pretences to  
,holiness are in ,fashion2 in an ,army  
of which the ,general is firmly believed
 to be a ,saint1 and acts his part to   
,admiration4  ,hor4 ,it is reasonable to
 think1 ,i own1 that in such an ,army1  
to one sincere ,man1 there would always 
be three or four ,hypocrites2 for these 
,i suppose are the ,class you mean4     
,cleo4 ,they are so4 ,and considering1  
that1 to save ,appearances1 ,hypocrites 
are at least as good as the sincere ,men

 ,i have spoken of1 it is impossible1   
that there should not be a great ,shew  
of ,religion among them1 if there were  
but eight or ten of them sincere in     
every ,hundred3 ,and where such ,pains  
should be taken to make the ,men seem to
 be ,godly2 and this ,point of outward  
,worship should be labour'd with so much
 ,diligence and ,assiduity1 ,i am       
persuaded1 that many even of those1 who 
should be too wicked to be ,hypocrites1 
and to counterfeit long1 would          
sometimes1 not only pray in good        
,earnest1 but likewise1 set on by the   
,examples before them1 be transported   
with real ,zeal for the ,good of their  
,cause4  ,hor4 ,there is no ,doubt but  
,enthusiasm among a ,multitude is as    
catching as ,yawning3 ,but ,i don't     
understand very well what you mean by   
too wicked to be ,hypocrites2 for ,i    
look upon them to be the worst of all   
,men4  ,cleo4 ,i am very glad you named 
this4 ,there are two ,sorts of          
,hypocrites1 that differ very much from 

one another4 ,to distinguish them by    
,names1 the ,one ,i would call the      
,malicious1 and the ,other the          
,fashionable4 ,by malicious ,hypocrites1
 ,i mean ,such as pretend to a great    
,deal of ,religion1 when they know their
 ,pretensions to be false2 who take     
,pains to appear ,pious and ,devout1 in 
order to be ,villains1 and in ,hopes    
that they shall be trusted to get an    
,opportunity of deceiving those1 who    
believe them to be sincere4 ,fashionable
 ,hypocrites ,i call those1 who1 without
 any ,motive of ,religion1 or ,sense of 
,duty1 go to ,church1 in ,imitation of  
their ,neighbours2 counterfeit          
,devotion1 and1 without any ,design upon
 others1 comply occasionally with all   
the ,rites and ,ceremonies of ,publick  
,worship1 from no other ,principle than 
an ,aversion to ,singularity1 and a     
,desire of being in the ,fashion4 ,the  
first are1 as you say1 the worst of     
,men3 but the other are rather          
beneficial to ,society1 and can only be 

injurious to themselves4  ,hor4 ,your   
,distinction is very just1 if these     
latter deserve to be call'd ,hypocrites 
at all4  ,cleo4 ,to make a ,shew        
outwardly of what is not felt within1   
and counterfeit what is not real1 is    
certainly ,hypocrisy1 whether it does   
,good or ,hurt4  ,hor4 ,then1 strictly  
speaking1 good ,manners and ,politeness 
must come under the same ,denomination4 
,cleo4 ,i remember the ,time you would  
by no ,means have allow'd this4  ,hor4  
,now1 you see ,i do1 and freely own1    
that you have given me great            
,satisfaction this afternoon2 only there
 is one ,thing you said five or six     
,minutes ago1 that has raised a         
,difficulty which ,i don't know how to  
get over4  ,cleo4 ,what is it1 pray8    
,hor4 ,i don't think we shall have ,time
 ----  ,cleo4 ,supper1 ,i see1 is going 
in4     ,the ,fourth ,dialogue ,between 
,horatio and ,cleomenes4   ,horatio4 ,i 
am glad my little ,dinner pleased you4  
,i don't love large ,pieces of ,meat for

 a small ,company2 especially in warm   
,weather3 ,they heat the ,room1 and are 
offensive even upon a ,side-board4      
,cleo4 ,it was very handsome indeed2 and
 ,horatio is elegant in every ,thing4   
,your ,favours of ,yesterday1 your      
,coming without ,form1 was so engaging1 
that ,i was resolved to repay the       
,compliment without ,delay4  ,hor4      
,assure your self1 that your ,payment is
 not more prompt1 than it is welcome4   
,cleo4 ,i know no higher ,enjoyment1    
than that of your ,friendship4 ,but     
pray1 what was the ,difficulty you      
hinted at last ,night1 when ,supper     
broke off our ,discourse8  ,hor4 ,when  
you spoke of ,preaching and ,praying in 
,armies1 you said1 that ,nothing was    
ever mention'd to them1 that was        
mortifying1 or would depress the ,mind4 
,i had heard the same from you in       
,substance more than once before2 and ,i
 own1 that the ,nature of the ,thing    
seems to require1 that ,soldiers should 
be indulg'd in their ,pride1 and that   

all ,exhortations to ,battle should be  
cheerful and pleasing4 ,but the last    
,time you was speaking of this1 ,i      
recollected what ,i had read of the     
,solemn ,fasts1 that were so frequently 
observed in ,oliver's ,days2 and        
presently ,i was puzled1 and no ways    
able to account for the ,usefulness of  
them in ,war1 by the ,system which you  
had made appear to be very rational4    
,the ,fact it self1 that ,cromwell      
appointed many ,days of ,fasting and    
,humiliation1 and made them be strictly 
kept1 is undeniable2 but it is          
impossible1 they should promote         
,chearfulness2 and what ,purpose they   
could have been made to serve1 that was 
not religious1 ,i can not conceive4 ,the
 mechanical ,effect1 which ,fasting can 
have upon the ,spirits1 is to lower1    
flatten1 and depress them2 and the very 
,essence of ,humiliation is the         
,mortification of ,pride4 ,you have     
own'd1 that ,cromwell understood ,human 
,nature1 and was a crafty ,politician2  

but you would never allow1 that he had  
the least ,intention of promoting       
,piety1 or rendring his ,men good       
,christians4  ,cleo4 ,the ,objection you
 have started seems to be of great      
,weight at first ,view2 but if we look  
more narrowly into it1 and examine this 
,affair1 as we have done some other     
,things1 the ,difficulty you labour     
under will soon disappear4 ,from the    
,nature of ,man and ,society it must    
follow1 that whatever particular ,vices 
may be more or less predominant in      
different ,climates and different ,ages1
 ,luxury and ,pride will always be      
reigning ,sins in all civiliz'd         
,nations3 ,against these two stubborn1  
and always epidemic ,maladies1 the great
 ,physician of the ,soul has1 in his    
,gospel ,dispensation1 left us two      
sovereign ,remedies1 ,fasting and       
,humiliation2 which1 when rightly used1 
and duely assisted with the ,exercise of
 ,prayer1 never fail to cure the        
,diseases ,i named in the most desperate

 ,cases4 ,no method likewise is more    
reasonable2 for1 tho' ,jesus ,christ had
 not recommended it himself1 it is      
impossible to think on any              
,prescription1 more judiciously adapted 
to an ,ailment1 than ,fasting and       
,humiliation1 accompany'd with fervent  
,prayer1 are to ,luxury and ,pride4     
,this is the ,reason1 that in private as
 well as public ,disasters1 and all     
,adversities in which is was thought    
that the divine ,anger was visible1 all 
,believers in ,christ have1 ever since  
the ,promulgation of the ,gospel1 made  
use of the aforesaid ,remedies1 as the  
most proper ,means to obtain ,pardon for
 their ,offences1 and render heaven     
propitious to them4 ,all ,magistrates   
likewise1 where the ,christian ,religion
 has been national1 have in general     
,misfortunes and all great ,calamities  
7whenever they happen'd7 appointed ,days
 to be solemnly kept1 and set aside for 
,prayer1 for ,fasting and ,humiliation4 
,if on these ,days ,men should be       

sincere in their ,devotion2 if a        
pains-taking ,clergy1 of ,apostolic     
,lives1 on the one ,hand1 should preach 
,repentance to their ,hearers1 and shew 
them the ,difference between the        
temporal ,evils1 which they complain'd  
of1 tho' they were less afflicting than 
they had deserv'd1 and the eternal      
,miseries1 which impenitent ,sinners    
would unavoidably meet with1 tho' now   
they thought little of them2 if the     
,hearers1 on the other1 searching their 
,consciences without ,reserve1 should   
reflect upon their past ,conduct2 if    
both the ,clergy and the ,laity should  
thus join in religious ,exercises1 and1 
adding real ,fasting to ardent ,prayer1 
humble themselves before the ,throne of 
,mercy1 with ,sorrow and ,contrition2   
if1 ,i say1 the ,days you speak of were 
to be spent in this ,manner1 they would 
be of use in no ,war1 but against the   
,world1 the ,flesh1 or the ,devil1 the  
only ,enemies a ,christian ,hero is not 
oblig'd to love1 and over which the     

,triumph is the darling ,object of his  
,ambition1 and the glorious ,end of his 
,warfare4 ,on the ,contrary1 such       
,fast-days would be hurtful to a        
,soldier1 in the literal ,sense of the  
,word1 and destructive to the           
,intentions of all ,armies2 and ,i would
 as soon expect from them1 that they    
should turn ,men into ,trees or ,stones1
 as that they should inspire them with  
martial ,courage1 or make them eager to 
fight4 ,but skilful ,politicians make an
 ,advantage of every ,thing1 and often  
turn into useful ,tools the seeming     
,obstacles to their ,ambition4 ,the most
 resolute ,unbeliever1 if he is a good  
,hypocrite1 may pretend to as much      
,superstition and hold ,fear1 as the    
most timorous ,bigot can be really      
possess'd with2 and the ,first often    
gains his ,point by making use of the   
,religion of others1 where the ,latter  
is undone by being hamper'd with his    
own4  ,hor4 ,this was very evident in   
,oliver ,cromwel and ,king ,james the   

,second4 ,but what would you infer from 
it in ,relation to ,fast-,days8  ,cleo4 
,the most sacred ,institutions of       
,christianity may1 by the ,assistance of
 pliable ,divines1 be made serviceable  
to the most anti-christian ,purposes of 
,tyrants and ,usuerpers3 ,recollect1    
pray1 what ,i have said concerning      
,sermons and ,prayers1 and what is done 
by some ,clergymen under ,pretence of   
,preaching the ,gospel4  ,hor4 ,i do1   
and can easily see1 how ,preachers1 by a
 small ,deviation from the ,doctrine of 
,peace1 may insensibly seduce their     
,hearers1 and1 perverting the ,end of   
their ,function1 set them on to ,enmity1
 ,hatred1 and all ,manner of ,mischief3 
,but ,i can't understand how ,fasting   
and ,humiliation should further1 or be  
made any ways instrumental to that      
,design4  ,cleo4 ,you have allow'd1 that
 the ,grand ,point in ,armies1 and what 
has been ever most labour'd among       
military ,men1 was to make them believe1
 that ,heaven1 that is1 the ,deity they 

adore1 was of their ,side2 and it is    
certain1 7as ,i have hinted before7 that
 how widely soever ,men had differ'd in 
their ,sentiments concerning the        
invisible ,cause1 or the ,worship it    
requires1 they have all agreed in this2 
and the ,use that has been made of      
,religion in ,war has ever had a        
palpable ,tendency this way4 ,the ,word 
,fasting1 indefinitely spoken1 sounds   
very harshly to a ,man of a good        
,stomach2 but1 as practis'd religiously 
among ,protestants1 it is hardly an     
,emblem of the ,thing it self1 and      
rather a ,joke than any grievous        
,penance3 ,at least in ,england1 by     
keeping a ,fast-,day1 ,men mean no more1
 than ,eating their ,dinners three or   
four ,hours later than they used to do1 
and perhaps no ,supper that ,night3     
,which is a ,piece of ,abstinence1 that 
is so far from being likely to have an  
ill ,effect upon the ,strength or       
,spirits of ,men in ,health and ,vigour1
 that there is not ,one in ,fifty1 whom 

it will not render more brisk and lively
 in the next ,day4 ,i speak of ,people  
that are not in ,want1 and who1 of      
dainty or courser ,fate1 eat as much    
much every ,day as their ,appetite      
requires4 ,as for ,humiliation1 it is a 
,word of ,course4 ,fast-,days1 bar the  
,abstinence already mention'd1 are kept 
no otherwise1 than the ,sunday is4 ,in  
the ,army of the ,rebels1 the ,chaplains
 perhaps preach'd and pray'd somewhat   
longer on those ,days1 and read a few   
,chapters more in the ,bible1 than was  
usual for them to do on a ,sabbath-,day4
 ,but that was all4  ,hor4 ,but you have
 allow'd1 that many of the ,roundheads  
were sincere in their ,religion1 and    
that most of the ,soldiers1 tho' they   
were bad ,christians1 were still        
,believers4 ,it is unreasonable to      
think1 that the ,solemnity of those     
,days1 and the continual ,shew of       
,devotion they were spent in1 should    
have made no ,impression upon a         
considerable ,part of such a ,multitude1

 as you your self suppose their ,army to
 have been4 ,where a great ,number of   
the ,vulgar1 who believe ,hell-,torments
 and ,fire ,everlasting1 are forced to  
hear1 first their ,lives laid open1 and 
their ,iniquities display'd1 and1 after 
that1 all the terrible ,things1 that the
 ,parson can say of ,eternal ,misery1 it
 is impossible1 that many of them should
 not be affected with ,fear and ,sorrow1
 at least for that ,time3 ,however1 this
 is beyond all ,dispute1 that the       
mildest ,remonstrances that can be made 
on that ,head1 will sooner dispose ,men 
to ,melancholy1 than they will to       
,chearfulness4  ,cleo4 ,all this while  
you take that for granted1 which ,i told
 you long ago was notoriously false2    
viz4 ,that in camps and ,armies1 the    
plain ,doctrine of ,christ is delivered 
without ,disguise or ,dissimulation3    
,nay1 ,i hinted to you just now1 that if
 ,repentance was preach'd among         
,military ,men1 as might be expected    
from ,christian ,divines1 ,solders would

 be in ,danger of being spoil'd by it1  
and render'd unfit for their ,business4 
,all knowing ,clergymen1 at first       
,setting out1 suit themselves and their 
,doctrine to the ,occupations1 as well  
as ,capacities of their ,hearers3 ,and  
as ,court ,preachers speak in ,praise of
 the ,government1 and applaud the       
,measures of it1 shade the ,vices of    
,princes and their ,favourites1 and     
place their ,merit in the handsomest    
,light it can be seen in so ,divines in 
,armies speak up for the ,justice of the
 ,cause they are engaged in1 and extol  
the ,generals to the ,skies2 cajole and 
curry ,favour with the ,troops1 and     
flatter more particularly the respective
 ,regiments they belong to4 ,there is   
not a ,chaplain in an ,army1 who is not 
perfectly well acquainted with the ,duty
 of a ,soldier1 and what is required of 
him4 ,therefore they preach             
,christianity to them1 as far as it is  
consistent with that ,duty1 and no      
farther4 ,where they interfere1 and are 

clashing with one another1 the ,gospel  
is set aside4 ,the ,politician must have
 his ,business done3 ,necessity is      
pleaded1 and ,religion ever made to give
 ,way to the ,urgency of ,affairs4      
,there is a vast ,latitude in           
,preaching2 and ,clergymen often take   
great ,liberties3 ,being as much subject
 to ,errour and ,passion as other       
,people1 they can give bad ,counsel as  
well as good4 ,those1 who are pleas'd   
with a ,government1 we see1 preach one  
way2 and those who are not1 another4    
,above ,half the ,time of the last      
,reign1 a considerable ,part of the     
,english ,clergy exhorted their ,hearers
 to ,sedition1 and in a ,contempt for   
the ,royal ,family1 either openly or by 
sly ,inuendo's1 in ever ,sermon they    
preach'd3 ,and every ,thirtieth of      
,january ,the same ,church furnishes us 
with two contrary ,doctrines3 ,for      
whilst the more prudent and moderate of 
the ,clergy are shifting and trimming   
between two ,parties1 the hot ones of   

one side assert with ,vehemence1 that it
 is meritorious as well as lawful for   
the people1 to put their ,king to ,death
 whenever he deserves it2 and that of   
this ,demerit1 the ,majority of the same
 ,people are the only ,judges4 ,the     
,zealots on the other1 are as positive1 
that ,kings are not accountable for     
their ,actions1 but to ,god only2 and   
that1 whatever ,enormities they may     
commit1 it is a damnable ,sin for       
,subjects to resist them4 ,and if an    
impartial ,man1 tho' he was the wisest  
in the ,world1 was to judge of the      
,monarch1 whose unfortunate ,end is the 
common ,topick of the ,discourses held  
on that ,day1 and he had no other ,light
 to guide him1 but the ,sermons of both 
,parties1 it would be impossible for him
 to decide1 whether the ,prince in      
,question had been a spotless ,saint1 or
 the greatest ,tyrant4 ,i name these    
obvious ,facts1 because they are        
familiar ,instances of our own ,time1 to
 convince us1 that the ,gospel is no    

,clog which ,divines think themselves   
strictly tied to4 ,a skilful ,preacher1 
whether it be a ,fast1 or a ,day of     
,rejoycing1 always finds ,ways to pursue
 his ,end1 instills into his ,hearers   
whatever he pleases1 and never dismisses
 an ,audience1 before he has acquainted 
them with what he would have them know2 
let the ,subject1 or the ,occasion he   
preaches upon1 be what they will4       
,besides1 an artful ,orator may mention 
frightful ,things without giving        
,uneasiness to his ,hearers4 ,he may set
 forth the ,enormity of any great ,sin1 
and the ,certainty of the ,punishment1  
that is to follow it4 ,he may display   
and dwell upon the ,terrors of the      
,divine ,vengeance for a considerable   
,time1 and turn at last all the ,weight 
of it upon their ,adversaries2 and      
having demonstrated to his ,audience1   
that those whom they are to fight       
against1 or else the great ,grandfathers
 of them1 have been notoriously guilty  
of that ,wickedness1 which is so heinous

 in the ,sight of ,heaven1 he may easily
 convince ,believers1 that their        
,enemies must of ,necessity be likewise 
the ,enemies of ,god4 ,if any ,disgrace 
has happen'd to an ,army1 or some of the
 ,men have misbehaved1 a wary ,preacher1
 instead of calling them ,cowards1 will 
lay all the ,fault on their little      
,faith1 their trusting too much to the  
,arm of the ,flesh1 and assure them1    
that they would have conquer'd1 if they 
had put greater ,confidence in ,god2 and
 more entirely rely'd on his            
,assistance4  ,hor4 ,and so not have    
fought at all4  ,cleo4 ,the ,coherence  
of these ,things is never examin'd into4
 ,it is possible likewise for a crafty  
,divine1 in order to rouse a listless   
and dejected ,audience1 first to awaken 
them with lively ,images of the         
,torments of ,hell and the ,state of    
,damnation1 and afterwards seem happily 
to light on an ,expedient1 that shall   
create new ,hopes1 and revive the       
drooping ,spirits of a ,multitude2 and  

by this ,means the ,courage of ,soldiers
 may often be wrought up to a higher    
,pitch than it could have been rais'd1  
if they had not been terrify'd at all4  
,i have heard of an ,instance1 where    
this was perform'd with great ,success4 
,provisions had been scarce for some    
,time2 and the ,enemy was just at ,hand2
 and ,abundance of the ,men seem'd to   
have little ,mind to fight2 when a      
,preacher1 much esteem'd among the      
,soldiers1 took the following ,method3  
,first1 he set faithfully before them   
their ,sins and ,wickedness1 the many   
,warnings that they had received to     
repent1 and ,god's long ,forbearance1 as
 well as great ,mercy1 in not having    
totally destroy'd them long ago4 ,he    
represented their ,wants1 and ,scarcity 
of ,provision1 as a certain ,token of   
the ,divine ,wrath1 and shew'd them     
plainly1 that labouring already under   
the ,weight of his ,displeasure1 they   
had no ,reason to think1 that ,god would
 connive longer at their manifold       

,neglects and ,transgressions4 ,having  
convinced them1 that ,heaven was angry  
with them1 he enumerated many           
,calamities1 which1 he said1 would befal
 them2 and several of them being such1  
as they had actually to fear1 he was    
hearken'd to as a ,prophet4 ,he then    
told them1 that what they could suffer  
in this ,world1 was of no great ,moment1
 if they could but escape ,eternal      
,punishment2 but that of this 7as they  
had lived7 he saw not the least         
,probablity1 they should4 ,having shewn 
an extraordinary ,concern for their     
deplorable ,condition1 and seeing many  
of them touch'd with ,remorse1 and      
overwhelm'd with ,sorrow1 he chang'd his
 ,note on a ,sudden1 and with an ,air of
 ,certainty told them1 that there was   
still one ,way left1 and but that one1  
to retrieve all1 and avert the ,miseries
 they were threaten'd with2 which1 in   
short1 was to ,fight well1 and beat     
their ,enemies2 and that they had       
,nothing else for it4 ,having thus      

disclosed his ,mind to them1 with all   
the ,appearances of ,sincerity1 he      
assumed chearful ,countenance1 shew'd   
them the many ,advantages1 that would   
attend the ,victory2 assured them of it1
 if they would but exert themselves2    
named the ,times and ,places in which   
they had behaved well1 not without      
,exaggeration1 and work'd upon their    
,pride so powerfully1 that they took    
,courage1 fought like ,lions1 and got   
the ,day4  ,hor4 ,a very good story2 and
 whether this was preaching the ,gospel 
or not1 it was of great ,use to that    
,army4  ,cleo4 ,it was so1 politically  
speaking4 ,but to act such a ,part well1
 requires great ,skill1 and ought not to
 be attempted by an ordinary ,orator2   
nor is it to be tried but in desperate  
,cases4  ,hor4 ,you have sufficiently   
shewn1 and ,i am satisfied1 that as     
,fasting is practiced1 and ,preaching   
and ,praying may be managed by wary     
,divines1 ,care may be taken1 that      
neither the ,strictness of ,behaviour   

observed1 nor the ,religious ,exercises 
perform'd on those ,days1 shall be the  
least ,hindrance to military ,affairs1  
or any ways mortify or dispirit the     
,soldiers2 but ,i cannot see1 what ,good
 they can do where ,religion is out of  
the ,question4 ,what ,service would an  
,atheist1 who knew himself to be an     
,arch-,hypocrite and a ,rebel 7for such 
you allow ,cromwell to have been7 expect
 from them for his ,purpose8  ,cleo4 ,i 
thought1 that we had agreed1 that to    
please the ,party he was engaged in1 it 
was his ,interest to make a great ,shew 
of ,piety among his ,troops1 and seem to
 be religious himself4  ,hor4 ,i grant  
it2 as ,i do likewise1 that he throve by
 ,hypocrisy1 raised ,enthusiasm in      
others by ,counterfeiting it himself1   
and that the ,craft of his ,clergy was  
many ways instrumental to his           
,successes3 ,but a skilful ,hypocrite1  
and able ,politician1 would have made no
 more ,rout about ,religion1 than there 
was ,occasion for4 ,they had ,praying   

and ,singing of ,psalms every ,day2 and 
the ,sabbath was kept with great        
,strictness4 ,the ,clergy of that ,army 
had ,opportunities enough to talk their 
,fill to the ,soldiers1 and harangue    
them on what ,subject they pleased4     
,they had such a ,plenty of ,religious  
,exercises1 that it is highly probable1 
the greatest ,part of the ,soldiers were
 glutted with them3 ,and if they were   
tired with what they had in ,ordinary1  
what good effect could be expected from 
still more ,devotion ,extraordinary8    
,cleo4 ,what you named last is a great  
,matter4 ,what is done every ,day is    
soon turn'd into a ,habit2 and the more 
,men are accustomed to ,things1 the less
 they mind them2 but any ,thing         
extraordinary rouses their ,spirits and 
raises their ,attention4 ,but to form a 
clear ,idea of the ,use and ,advantage1 
a mere ,politician1 tho' he is an       
,unbeliever1 may reasonably expect from 
,fast-,days1 let us take into           
,consideration these two ,things3       

,first1 the ,grand ,desideratum in      
armies1 that is aim'd at by ,religion1  
and which all ,generals labour to obtain
 by ,means of their ,clergy3 ,secondly1 
the common ,notions among ,christians1  
both of ,religion and of ,war4 ,the     
,first is to persuade the ,soldiers1 and
 make them firmly believe1 that their   
,cause is ,just1 and that ,heaven will  
certainly be on their ,side2 unless by  
their ,offences they themselves should  
provoke it to be against them4 ,all     
,prayers for ,success1 ,thanksgivings   
for ,victories obtain'd1 and            
,humiliations after ,losses received1   
are so many different ,means to         
strengthen the ,truth of that           
,persuasion1 and confirm ,men in the    
,belief of it4 ,as to the second1       
,christians believe1 that all ,men are  
,sinners2 that ,god is ,just1 and will  
punish1 here or hereafter1 all          
,trespasses committed against him1      
unless they are atton'd for before we   
die2 but that he is likewise very       

merciful1 and ever willing to forgive   
those1 who sincerely repent4 ,and as to 
,war1 that it is1 as all human ,affairs 
are1 entirely under his ,direction1 and 
that the side whom he is pleased to     
favour1 beats the other4 ,this is the   
general ,opinion1 as well of those who  
hold a ,free-agency1 as of those who are
 for ,predestination4 ,a cursory ,view  
of these two ,things1 the ,notions ,men 
have of ,providence and the ,grand      
,point to be obtain'd in ,armies1 will  
give us a clear ,idea of a ,clergyman's 
,task among ,military ,men1 and shew us 
both the ,design of ,fast-,days1 and the
 ,effect they are like to produce4      
,hor4 ,the design of them is to gain the
 ,divine ,favour and ,assistance2 that's
 plain enough2 but how you are sure1    
they will have that ,effect1 ,i can't   
see4  ,cleo4 ,you mistake the thing4    
,the ,politician may have no ,thoughts  
of ,heaven3 ,the ,effect ,i speak of    
relates to the ,soldiers2 and is the    
,influence1 which1 in all ,probablility1

 ,fast-,days will have upon ,believers1 
that assist in the keeping of them4     
,hor4 ,what ,influence is that1 pray1 if
 it be not ,religious8  ,cleo4 ,that    
they will inspire1 and fill the ,men    
with fresh ,hopes1 that ,god will favour
 them and be of their ,side4 ,the       
,reputation of those ,days1 that they   
avert the ,divine ,wrath1 and are       
acceptable to ,heaven1 is1 in a great   
,measure1 the ,cause1 that they have    
this ,influence upon the ,men4 ,the     
,heathens harbour'd the same ,sentiments
 of their ,publick ,supplications2 and  
it has been the ,opinion of all ,ages1  
that the more ,solemn and ,respectful   
the ,addresses are1 which ,men put up to
 the ,deity1 and the greater the        
,numbers are that join in them1 the more
 probable it is1 that their ,petitions  
shall be granted4 ,it is possible       
therefore1 that a ,politician may       
appoint ,extraordinary ,days of         
,devotion1 with no other ,view than to  
chear up the ,soldier1 revive his       

,hopes1 and make him confident of       
,success4 ,men are ready enough to      
flatter themselves1 and willing to      
believe1 that ,heaven is on their ,side1
 whenever it is told them1 tho' they    
have little ,reason to think so4 ,but   
then they are unsteady1 and naturally   
prone to ,superstition1 which often     
raises new ,doubts and ,fears in them4  
,therefore ,common ,soldiers are        
continually to be buoy'd up in the good 
,opinion they have of themselves2 and   
the ,hopes they were made to conceive1  
ought often to be stirr'd up in them    
afresh4 ,the ,benefit that accrues from 
those ,extraordinary ,days of ,devotion1
 and the ,advantages expected from them1
 are of longer ,duration1 than just the 
,time they are kept in4 ,with a little  
,help of the ,clergy1 they are made to  
do ,good when they are over2 and two or 
three ,days or a ,week after1 the       
,usefulness of them is more conspicuous 
than it was before4 ,it is in the ,power
 of the ,general1 or any ,government    

whatever1 to have those ,days as        
strictly kept1 to outward ,appearance1  
as they please4 ,all ,shops may be      
order'd to be shut1 and ,exercises of   
,devotion to be continued from ,morning 
till ,night2 nothing suffer'd to be     
bought1 or sold during the ,time of     
,divine ,service2 and all ,labour as    
well as ,diversion be strictly          
prohibited4 ,this having been well      
executed makes an admirable ,topick for 
a ,preacher1 when the ,day is over1     
especially among ,military ,men2 and    
,nothing can furnish a ,divine with a   
finer ,opportunity of commending1 and   
highly praising his ,audience1 without  
,suspicion of ,flattery1 than the       
,solemnity of such a ,day4 ,he may set  
forth the outward ,face of it in a      
lively ,manner1 expatiate on the various
 ,decorums1 and ,religious ,beauties of 
it2 and by faithfully representing what 
,every body remembers of it1 gain       
,credit to every ,thing he says besides4
 ,he may magnify and safely enlarge on  

the ,self-denial1 that was practised on 
that ,day2 and1 ascribing to the        
,goodness and ,piety of the ,soldiers1  
what in his ,heart he knows to have been
 altogether owing to ,discipline1 and   
the strict ,commands of the ,general1 he
 may easily make them believe1 that     
greater ,godliness and a more general   
,humiliation never had been seen in an  
,army4 ,if he has ,wit1 and is a ,man of
 ,parts1 he'll find out ,quaint         
,similes1 ,happy ,turns1 and ,plausible 
,arguments1 to illustrate his           
,assertions1 and give an ,air of ,truth 
to every ,thing he advances4 ,if it     
suits with the ,times1 he'll work       
himself up into ,rapture and            
,enthusiasm1 congratulate his ,regiment1
 if not the whole ,army1 on the         
undeniable ,proofs they have given of   
being good ,christians1 and with ,tears 
in his ,eyes wish them ,joy of their    
,conversion1 and the infallible ,tokens 
they have received of the ,divine       
,mercy4 ,if a grave ,divine1 of good    

,repute1 acts this1 as he should do1    
with an artful ,innocence and           
,chearfulness in his ,countenance1 it is
 incredible what an ,effect it may have 
upon the greater part of a ,multitude1  
amongst whom ,christianity is not       
scoff'd at1 and ,pretences to ,purity   
are in ,fashion4 ,those who were any    
ways devout on that ,day1 which he      
points at1 or can but remember that they
 wish'd to be ,godly1 will swallow with 
,greediness whatever such a ,preacher   
delivers to them2 and applauding every  
,sentence before it is quite finish'd1  
imagine1 that in their ,hearts they feel
 the ,truth of every ,word he utters4   
,we are naturally so prone to think well
 of our ,selves1 that an artful ,man1   
who is thought to be serious1 and       
harangues a vulgar ,audience1 can hardly
 say any ,thing in their ,behalf1 which 
they will not believe4 ,one would       
imagine1 that ,men1 who gave but little 
,heed to the ,religious ,exercises they 
assisted at1 could receive no great     

,comfort from their ,reflection on that 
,day2 such1 ,i mean1 as were tired to   
,death with the ,length of the ,prayers1
 and almost slept as they stood the     
greatest ,part of the ,sermon2 yet many 
of these1 hearing the ,behaviour of the 
,army in ,general well spoken of1 would 
be stupid enough to take ,share in the  
,praise2 and remembring the ,uneasiness 
they felt1 make a ,merit of the very    
,fatigue they then bore with            
,impatience4 ,most of the ,vulgar1 that 
are not averse to ,religion1 have a wild
 ,notion of ,debtor and ,creditor betwen
 themselves and ,heaven4 ,natural       
gratitude teaches them1 that some       
returns must be due for the good ,things
 they receive2 and they look upon       
,divine ,service as the only ,payment   
they are able to make4 ,thousands have  
made this ,acknowledgment in their      
,hearts1 that never after cared to think
 on the vast ,debt they owed4 ,but how  
careless and neglectful soever most of  
them may be in the ,discharge of their  

,duty1 yet they never forget to place to
 their ,accounts1 and magnify in their  
,minds1 what little ,time they spend1   
and the least ,trouble they are at in   
performing what can but seem to have any
 ,relation to ,religious ,worship2 and1 
what is astonishing1 draw a ,comfort    
from them by barely shutting their ,eyes
 against the frightful ,balance4 ,many  
of these are very well pleased with     
themselves after a sound ,nap at        
,church1 whole ,consciences would be    
less easy1 if they had stay'd from it4  
,nay1 so extensive is the ,usefulness of
 those ,extraordinary ,devotions1       
appointed by ,authority1 in ,politicks  
only1 that the most inattentive ,wretch1
 and the greatest ,reprobate1 that can  
be in such an ,army1 may receive        
,benefit from them2 and the ,reflection 
on a ,fast-,day1 may be an ,advantage to
 him as a ,soldier4 ,for tho' he cursed 
the ,chaplain in his ,heart1 for        
preaching such a tedious while as he    
did1 and wish'd the ,general damn'd1 by 

whose ,order he was kept from ,strong   
,liquor such an unreasonable ,time2 yet 
he recollects1 the ,nothing went forward
 but ,acts of ,devotion all the ,day    
long2 that every ,sutler's ,tent was    
shut2 and that it was ,six a ,clock     
before he could get a ,drop of ,drink4  
,whilst these ,things are fresh in his  
,memory1 it is hardly possible1 that he 
should ever think of the ,enemy1 of     
,battles1 or of ,sieges1 without        
receiving real ,comfort from what he    
remembers of that ,day4 ,it is          
incredible what a strong ,impression the
 ,face1 the outward ,appearance only of 
such a ,day1 may make upon a loose      
wicked ,fellow1 who hardly ever had a   
,religious ,thought in his ,life2 and   
how powerfully the ,remembrance of it   
may inspire him with ,courage and       
,confidence of ,triumph1 if he is not an
 ,unbeliever4  ,hor4 ,i have not forgot 
what you said ,yesterday of the obdurate
 ,soldier2 and ,i believe heartily1 that
 the greatest ,rogue may build ,hopes of

 ,success on the ,devotion of others1   
whom he thinks to be ,sincere1  ,cleo4  
,and if the bare outward ,shew of such a
 ,day1 can any ways affect the worst of 
an ,army1 there is no ,doubt1 but the   
better ,sort of them may get infinitely 
more ,benefit by keeping it1 and giving 
,attention to the greatest ,part of the 
,preaching and ,praying that are        
perform'd upon it4 ,and tho' in ,camps1 
there are not many ,men of real         
,probity1 any more than in ,courts2 and 
,soldiers1 who are sincere in their     
,religion1 and only misled in the       
,duties of it1 are very scarce2 yet in  
most ,multitudes1 especially of the     
sober ,party1 there are ignorant        
,well-wishers to ,religion1 that1 by    
proper ,means1 may be raised to         
,devotion for a ,time and of whom ,i    
have said1 that tho' they were bad      
,livers1 they often desired to repent2  
and would sometimes actually set about  
it1 if their ,passions would let them4  
,all these an artful ,preacher may      

persuade to any ,thing1 and do with them
 almost what he pleases4 ,a bold        
,assurance of ,victory1 emphatically    
pronounc'd by a popular ,preacher1 has  
often been as little doubted of among   
such1 as if it had been a ,voice from   
,heaven4  ,hor4 ,i now plainly see the  
vast ,use that may be made of           
,fast-,days1 as well afterwards when    
they are over1 as during the ,time they 
are kept4  ,cleo4 ,the ,days of         
,supplication among the ,heathens1 as ,i
 hinted before1 were celebrated for the 
same ,purpose2 but their ,arts to make  
,people believe1 that the ,deity was on 
their side1 and ,heaven espoused their  
,cause1 were very trifling in           
,comparison to those of ,christian      
,divines4 ,when the ,pagan ,priests had 
told the ,people1 that the ,chickens had
 eat their ,meat very well1 and the     
,entrails of the ,victim were found1 and
 that the ,rest of the ,omens were      
lucky1 they had done1 and were forced to
 leave the ,belief of those ,things to  

the ,soldiers4 ,but--  ,hor4 ,you need  
not to say any more1 for ,i am          
convinced1 and have now so clear an     
,idea of the ,usefulness of             
,extraordinary ,devotions1 and a great  
,shew of ,piety1 among military ,men2 ,i
 mean the ,political ,usefulness of     
them1 abstract from all ,thoughts of    
,religion2 that ,i begin to think them  
necessary1 and wonder1 how great and    
wise ,generals ever would or could do   
without them4 ,for it is evident1 that  
since the ,prince of ,conde's and       
,cromwel's ,armies1 such a ,shew of     
,godliness has not been seen among any  
regular ,troops1 in any considerable    
,body of ,men4 ,why did not ,luxemburg1 
,king ,william1 ,prince ,eugene1 and the
 ,duke of ,marlborough follow those     
great ,examples1 in modelling their     
,armies after a ,manner that had bred   
such good ,soldiers8  ,cleo4 ,we are to 
consider1 that such a ,shew of ,piety   
and outward ,devotion1 as we have been  
speaking of1 is not to be created and   

started up at once1 nor indeed to be    
made practicable but among such ,troops 
as the ,huguenots in ,france1 and the   
,roundheads in ,england were4 ,their    
,quarrels with their ,adversaries were  
chiefly ,religious2 and the greatest    
,complaints of the ,malecontents in both
 ,nations were made against the         
,establish'd ,church4 ,they exclaim'd   
against the ,ceremonies and             
,superstition of it2 the ,lives of the  
,clergy1 the ,haughtiness of the        
,prelates1 and the little ,care that was
 taken of ,christianity it self and good
 ,morals4 ,people1 who advance these    
,things1 must be thought very           
inconsistent with themselves1 unless    
they are more upon their ,guard1 and    
lead stricter ,lives than those1 whom   
they find ,fault with4 ,all ,ministers  
likewise1 who pretend to dissent from a 
,communion1 must make a sad ,figure1    
unless they will reform1 or at least    
seem to reform every ,thing they blame  
in their ,adversaries4 ,if you'll duely 

weigh what ,i have said1 you will find  
it impossible to have an ,army1 in which
 outward ,godliness shall be so         
conspicuous1 as it was in the ,prince of
 ,conde's or ,oliver ,cromwel's1 unless 
that ,godliness suited with the times4  
,hor4 ,what peculiar ,conjuncture1 pray1
 does that require4  ,cleo4 ,when a     
considerable ,part of a ,nation1 for    
some ,end or other1 seem to mend1 and   
set up for ,reformation2 when ,virtue   
and ,sobriety are countenanced by many  
of the better ,sort2 and to appear      
,religious is made ,fashionable4 ,such  
was the ,time in which ,cromwell enter'd
 himself into the ,parliament's         
,service4 ,what he aim'd at first was   
,applause2 and skilfully suiting himself
 in every ,respect to the ,spirit of his
 party1 he studied ,day and ,night to   
gain the good ,opinion of the ,army4 ,he
 would have done the same1 if he had    
been on the other ,side4 ,the ,chief    
,motive of all his ,actions was         
,ambition1 and what he wanted was       

immortal ,fame4 ,this ,end he steadily  
pursued3 ,all his ,faculties were made  
subservient to it2 and no ,genius was   
ever more supple to his ,interest4 ,he  
could take ,delight in being ,just1     
,humane and ,munificent1 and with equal 
,pleasure he could oppress1 persecute   
and plunder1 if it served his ,purpose4 
,in the most ,treacherous ,contrivance  
to hasten the ,execution of his blackest
 ,design1 he could counterfeit          
,enthusiasm1 and seem to be a ,saint4   
,but the most enormous of his ,crimes   
proceeded from no worse ,principle1 than
 the best of his ,atchievements4 ,in the
 ,midst of his ,villanies he was a      
,slave to ,business2 and the most       
disinterested ,patriot never watch'd    
over the ,publick ,welfare1 both at     
,home and ,abroad1 with greater ,care   
and ,assiduity1 or retriev'd the fallen 
,credit of a ,nation in less ,time than 
this ,usurper3 ,but all was for himself2
 and he never had a ,thought on the     
,glory of ,england1 before he had made  

it inseparable from his own4  ,hor4 ,i  
don't wonder you dwell so long upon     
,cromwell1 for ,nothing can be more     
serviceable to your ,system1 than his   
,life and ,actions4  ,cleo4 ,you will   
pardon the ,excursion1 when ,i own1 that
 you have hit upon the ,reason4 ,what ,i
 intended to shew1 when ,i ran away from
 my ,subject1 was1 that able            
,politicians consult the ,humour of the 
,age1 and the ,conjuncture they live in1
 and that ,cromwell made the most of    
his4 ,i don't question1 but he would    
have done the same1 if he had been born 
three or four score ,years later4 ,and  
if he had been to command an ,english   
,army abroad1 when the ,duke of         
,marlborough did1 ,i am persuaded1 that 
he would sooner have endeavoured to make
 all his ,soldiers dancing ,masters1    
than he would have attempted to make    
them ,bigots4 ,there are more ways than 
one1 to make ,people brave and obstinate
 in ,fighting4 ,what in ,oliver's ,days 
was intended by a ,mask of ,religion and

 a ,shew of ,sanctity1 is now aim'd at  
by the ,height of ,politeness1 and a    
perpetual ,attachment to the ,principle 
of modern ,honour4 ,there is a ,spirit  
of ,gentility introduced among military 
,men1 both ,officers and ,soldiers1 of  
which there was yet little to be seen in
 the last ,century1 in any ,part of     
,europe1 and which now shines through   
all their ,vices and ,debaucheries4     
,hor4 ,this is a new ,discovery2 pray1  
what does it consist in8  ,cleo4        
,officers are less rough and boisterous 
in their ,manners1 and not only more    
careful of themselves1 and their own    
,behaviour1 but they likewise oblige and
 force their ,men under severe          
,penalties to be ,neat1 and keep        
themselves ,clean3 ,and a much greater  
,stress is laid upon this1 than was     
,forty or ,fifty ,years ago4  ,hor4 ,i  
believe there is1 and approve of it very
 much2 white ,gaiters are a vast        
,addition to a clever ,fellow in        
,regimental ,cloaths2 but what mighty   

,matters can you expect from a          
,soldier's being obliged to be clean4   
,cleo4 ,i look upon it as a great       
,improvement in the ,art of ,flattery1  
and a finer ,stratagem to raise the     
,passion of ,self-liking in ,men1 than  
had been invented yet2 for by this      
,means the ,gratification of their      
,vanity is made ,part of the            
,discipline2 and their ,pride must      
encrease in ,proportion to the          
,strictness1 with which they observe    
this ,duty4  ,hor4 ,it may be of greater
 ,weight than ,i can see at ,present4   
,but ,i have another ,question to ask4  
,the main ,things1 that in raising      
,troops1 and making ,war1 ,politicians  
are solicitous about1 and which they    
seem altogether to rely upon1 are       
,money1 great ,numbers1 ,art and        
,discipline4 ,i want to know1 why       
,generals1 who can have no ,hopes1 from 
the ,age they live in1 of thriving by   
,bigotry1 should yet put themselves to  
such an ,expence1 on ,account of        

,religion in their ,armies1 as they all 
do4 ,why should they pay for ,preaching 
for ,praying at all1 if they laid no    
,stress upon them8  ,cleo4 ,i never     
said1 that the great ,generals1 you     
nam'd1 laid no ,stress on ,preaching or 
,praying4  ,hor4 ,but ,yesterday1       
speaking of the ,gallantry of our ,men  
in ,spain and ,flanders1 you said1 that 
you would as soon believe1 that it was  
,witchcraft that made them ,brave1 as   
that it was their ,religion4 ,you could 
mean ,nothing else by this1 than that1  
whatever it was1 you was very sure1 it  
was not their ,religion that made them  
,brave4 ,how come you to be so very sure
 of that8  ,cleo4 ,i judge from         
undeniable ,facts1 the loose and wicked 
,lives1 the ,generality of them led1 and
 the ,courage and ,intrepidity they were
 on many ,occasions4 ,for of ,thousands 
of them it was as evident as the ,sun1  
that they were very ,vicious1 at the    
same ,time that they were very ,brave4  
,hor4 ,but they had ,divine ,service    

among them2 every ,regiment had a       
,chaplain2 and ,religion was certainly  
taken care of4  ,cleo4 ,it was1 ,i know 
it2 but not more than was absolutely    
necessary to hinder the ,vulgar from    
suspecting1 that ,religion was neglected
 by their ,superiours2 which would be of
 dangerous ,consequence to all          
,governments4 ,there are no great       
,numbers of ,men without ,superstition2 
and if it was to be tried1 and the most 
skilful ,unbelievers were to labour at  
it1 with all imaginable ,cunning and    
,industry1 it would be altogether as    
impossible to get an ,army of all       
,atheists1 as it would be to have an    
,army of good ,christians4 ,therefore no
 ,multitudes can be so universally      
wicked1 that there should not be some   
among them1 upon whom the ,suspicion1 ,i
 hinted at1 would have a bad ,effect4   
,it is inconceiveable1 how ,wickedness1 
,ignorance1 and ,folly are often blended
 together4 ,there are1 among all ,mobs1 
vicious ,fellows1 that boggle at no     

,sin2 and whilst they know ,nothing to  
the ,contrary1 but that ,divine ,service
 is taken care of as it used to be1 tho'
 they never come near it1 are perfectly 
easy in their ,evil ,courses1 who yet   
would be extremely shock'd1 should ,any 
body tell them seriously1 that there was
 no ,devil4  ,hor4 ,i have known such my
 self2 and ,i see plainly1 that the     
,use1 which ,politicians may make of    
,christianity in ,armies1 is the same as
 ever was made of all other ,religions  
on the same ,occasion1 viz4 ,that the   
,preists1 who preside over them1 should 
humour and make the most of the ,natural
 ,superstition of all ,multitudes1 and  
take great ,care1 that on all           
,emergencies1 the ,fear of an invisible 
,cause1 which ,every body is born with1 
should never be turn'd against the      
,interest those1 who employ them4       
,cleo4 ,it is certain1 that             
,christianity being once stript of the  
,severity of its ,discipline1 and its   
most essential ,precepts1 the ,design of

 it may be so skilfully perverted from  
its real and original ,scope1 as to be  
made subservient to any worldly ,end or 
,purpose1 a ,politician can have        
,occasion for4  ,hor4 ,i love to hear   
you2 and to shew you1 that ,i have not  
been altogether inattentive1 ,i believe 
,i can repeat to you most of the ,heads 
of your ,discourse1 since you finish'd  
what you had to say concerning the      
,origin of ,honour4 ,you have proved to 
my ,satisfaction1 that no ,preaching of 
the ,gospel1 or strict ,adherence to the
 ,precepts of it1 will make men good    
,soldiers1 any more than they will make 
them good ,painters1 or any thing else  
the most remote from the ,design of it4 
,that good ,christians1 strictly        
speaking1 can never presume or submit to
 be ,soldiers4 ,that ,clergymen under   
,pretence of ,preaching the ,gospel1 by 
a small ,deviation from it1 may easily  
misguide their ,hearers1 and not only   
make them fight in a just ,cause1 and   
against the ,enemies of their ,country1 

but likewise incite them to civil       
,discord and all ,manner of ,mischief4  
,that by the ,artifices of such         
,divines1 even honest and well-meaning  
,men have often been seduced from their 
,duty1 and1 tho' they were sincere in   
their ,religion1 been made to act quite 
contrary to the ,precepts of it4 ,you   
have given me a full ,view of the       
,latitude1 that may be taken in         
,preaching1 by putting me in ,mind of an
 undeniable ,truth2 viz4 ,that in all   
the ,quarrels among ,christians1 there  
never yet was a ,cause so bad1 but1 if  
it could find an ,army to back it1 there
 were always ,clergymen ready to justify
 and maintain it4 ,you have made it     
plain to me1 that ,divine ,service and  
,religious ,exercises may be ordered and
 strictly enjoin'd with no other than   
,political ,views2 that by ,preaching   
and ,praying1 bad ,christians may be    
inspired with ,hatred to their ,enemies1
 and ,confidence in the ,divine ,favour2
 that in order to obtain the ,victory1  

,godliness and an outward ,shew of      
,piety among ,soldiers may be made      
serviceble to the greatest ,profligates1
 who never join in ,prayer1 have no     
,thoughts of ,religion1 or ever assist  
at any ,publick ,worship1 but by        
,compulsion and with ,reluctancy2 and   
that they may have this effect in an    
,army1 of which the ,general is an      
,atheist1 most of the ,clergy are       
,hypocrites1 and the ,generality of the 
,soldiers wicked ,men4 ,you have made it
 evident1 that neither the ,huguenots in
 ,france1 nor the ,roundheads in        
,england could have been animated by the
 ,spirit of ,christianity2 and shewn me 
the true ,reason1 why ,acts of ,devotion
 were more frequent1 and ,religion      
seemingly more taken care of in both    
those ,armies1 than otherwise is usual  
among military ,men4  ,cleo4 ,you have a
 good ,memory4  ,hor4 ,i must have a    
very bad one1 if ,i could not remember  
thus much4 ,in all the ,things ,i nam'd1
 ,i am very clear4 ,the solution        

likewise1 which you have given of the   
,difficulty ,i proposed this ,afternoon1
 ,i have ,nothing to object to2 and ,i  
believe1 that skilful ,preachers consult
 the ,occupations as well as the        
,capacities of their ,hearers2 that     
therefore in ,armies they always        
encourage and chear up their ,audiences2
 and that whatever the ,day or the      
,occasion may be1 upon which they       
harangue them1 they seldom touch upon   
mortifying ,truths1 and take great ,care
 never to leave them in a ,melancholy   
,humour1 or such an ,opinion of         
themselves or their ,affairs as might   
lower their ,spirits1 or depress their  
,minds4 ,i am likewise of your ,opinion1
 as to artful ,politicians2 that they   
fall in with the ,humour of their       
,party1 and make the most of the        
,conjuncture they live in2 and ,i       
believe1 that1 if ,cromwell had been to 
,command the ,duke of ,marlborough's    
,army1 he would have taken quite other  
,measures1 than he did in his own ,time4

 ,upon the whole1 you have given me a   
clear ,idea1 and laid open to me the    
real ,principle of that great wicked    
,man4 ,i can now reconcile the ,bravest 
and most ,gallant of his ,atchievements1
 with his vilest and the most           
treacherous of his ,actions2 and tracing
 every ,thing1 he did1 from one and the 
same ,motive1 ,i can solve several      
,difficulties concerning his ,character1
 that would be inexplicable1 if that    
vast ,genius had been govern'd by any   
,thing but his ,ambition2 and1 if       
following the common ,opinion1 we       
suppose him to have been a ,compound of 
a daring ,villain and an ,enthusiastical
 ,bigot4  ,cleo4 ,i am not a little     
proud of your ,concurrence with me4     
,hor4 ,you have made out1 with          
,perspicuity1 every ,thing you have     
advanced both ,yesterday and to ,day1   
concerning the ,political ,use1 that may
 be made of ,clergymen in ,war2 but1    
after all1 ,i can't see what ,honour you
 have done to the ,christian ,religion1 

which yet you ever seem strenuously to  
contend for1 whilst you are treating    
every ,thing else with the utmost       
,freedom4 ,i am not prepared to reply to
 several ,things1 which1 ,i know1 you   
might answer3 ,therefore ,i desire1 that
 we may break off our ,discourse here4  
,i will think on it1 and wait on you in 
a few ,days2 for ,i shall long to be set
 to ,rights in this ,point4  ,cleo4     
,whenever you please2 and ,i will shew  
you1 that no ,discovery of the ,craft1  
or ,insincerity of ,men can ever bring  
any ,dishonour upon the ,christian      
,religion it self1 ,i mean the ,doctrine
 of ,christ1 which can only be learn'd  
from the ,new ,testament1 where it will 
ever remain in its ,purity and ,lustre4