lous Tartuffism; ridiculous because without the power to perfecute: otherwife, fufficiently serious, as it was encouraged by men, at that time, in eminence of place*. For falfe Zeal and unbelieving Politics always concur, and often find their account in fuppreffing

NOVELTIES.

But things, unnaturally kept up in a state of violence, in a little time subfide: And tho' the first Writers, let loose against me, came on as if they would devour; yet the defign of those who, at fpring and fall, have ever fince annually fucceeded them, has been, I think, only to eat. The imputation that yet sticks to my notions, amongst many well-meaning men, is, that they are PARADOXICAL. And tho' this be now made the characteristic of my Writings, yet, whether from the amusement which Paradoxes afford, or from

whatever other caufe of malice or curicfity, the Public seem still sufficiently eager to see what, in spite of the Arguiment, and perhaps in spite to it, they are pleased to call my CONCLUSION. And as in your Lordship's progress thro❜ your high Stations (for I will not take my comparison lower while my subject is public favour) men no fooner found you in one than they saw you neceffary for a higher; fo every preceeding Volume feemed to excite a stronger appetite for the following; till, as I am told, it came to a kind of impatience for the laft: which must have been frangely obftinate if in all this time it has not fubfided. And yet it is very poffible it may not: For the good natured pleasure of seeing an Author fill up the measure of his Paradoxes is worth waiting for. Of all men, I would not appear vain before your Lordship; fince, of all men, You beft know how ill it would become my pride. Nor am I indeed in much dan

ger

ger to have my head turned by this Aattering circumftance, while I remember that RABELAIS tells us, and I dare fay he tells us truth, that the Public of his times were full as impatient for the conclufion of the unfinished ftory of the giant Gargantua and his fon Pantagruel.

I have now, both leifure and inclination to gratify this Public fancy, after having put my laft hand to these two Volumes: A work of reafoning; and tho' fairly pursued, and, as I thought, brought home to its CONCLUSION, yet interspersed with variety of Philologic differtations: For I had to do with a fort of Readers not lefs delicate than that faftidious Frenchman, who tells us in fo many words, that--La REASON a tort des qu'elle ENNUYE. As my purpose therefore was to bring Reafon into good Company, I faw it proper now and then, to make her VOL. III. a 3 wait

wait without, left by her conftant prefence she should happen to be thought tiresome. Yet ftill I was careful not to betray her rights: and the Differtations brought in to relieve the oppreffed attention of the Reader, was not more for his fake than for hers. If I was large in my difcourfe concerning the nature and end of the Grecian MYSTERIES, it was to fhew the fense the ancient Lawgivers had of the ufe of Religion to Society: and if I expatiated on the origine and use of the Egyptian HIEROGLYPHICS, it was to vindicate the logical propriety of the Prophetic language and fentiment. For I fhould have been afhamed to waste so much time in claffical amusements, and at laft to join them to your Lordship's Name, had they not had an intimate relation to the things moft connected with Man and his interefts.

I have detained your Lordship with a tedious Story; and still I must beg your patience

t

patience a little longer. We are not yet got to the end of a bad prospect

While I, and others of my Order, have been thus vainly contending pro Aris with the unequal arms of Reason, we had the further difpleasure to find, that our Rulers ( who, as I observed above, had needlessly suffered those ties of Religion to be unloosed, by which, till of late, the pasfions of the People had been restrained) were struggling, almost as unsuccessfully, pro Focis with a corrupt and debauched Community.

General History, in its Records of the rise and decay of States, hath delivered down to us, amongst the more important of its lessons, a faithful detail of every symptom, which is wont to forerun and to prognosticate their approaching ruin. It might be justly deemed the extravagance of folly to believe, that those very Signs, which have

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CON