curiously emboffed with a Triumph, while the Back-part, that lay more out of Sight, was filled with Gibbets and Axes.. This dreadful Idol is worfhipped, like feveral of old, with human Sacrifices, and his Votaries were confulting among themselves, how to gratify him with Hecatombs ; when on a fudden they were furprised with the Alarm of a great Light which appeared in the Southern Part of the Heavens, and made its Progress directly towards them. This Light appeared as a great Mafs of Flame, or rather Glory, like that of the Sun in its Strength. There were three Figures in the midft of it, who were known, by their feveral Hieroglyphicks, to be Religion, Loyalty, and Valour. The laft had a graceful Air, a blooming Countenance, and a Star upon its Breaft, which fhot forth feveral pointed Beams of a peculiar Luftre. The Glory which encompaffed them covered the Place, and darted its Rays with fo much Strength, that the whole Fabrick and all its Ornaments began to melt. The feveral Emblems of Honour, which were wrought on the Front in the brittle Materials above-mentioned, trickled away under the firft Impreffions of the Heat. In short, the Thaw was fo violent, that the Temple and Statues ran off in a fudden Torrent, and the whole Winter-Piece was diffolved. The covered Walks were laid open by the Light which shone through every part of them, and the Dream-Tree wither'd like the famous Gourd, that was smitten by the Noon-Day Sun. As for the Votaries, they left the Place with the greatest Precipitation, and difperfed themselves by Flight into a Thoufand different Paths among the Mountains. Monday, >SACHS6300ZISK N° 28 Monday, March 26. Incendia lumen Prabebant; aliquifque malo fuit ufus in illo. The burning Ruins, with a fainter Ray, that peaceable Times are the best to live in, though not fo proper to furnish Materials for a Writer: As hilly Countries afford the most entertaining Profpects, though a Man would choose to travel through a plain one. To this we may add, That the Times, which are full of Disorders and Tumults, are likewife the fullest of Instructions. History indeed furnishes us with very diftinct Accounts of Factions, Confpiracies, Civil Wars and Rebellions, with the fatal Confequences that attend them: But they do not make fuch deep and lafting Impreffions on our Minds, as Events of the fame nature, to which we have ourselves been Witneffes, and in which we or our Friends and Acquaintance have been Sufferers. As Adverfity makes a Man Wife in his private Affairs, civil Calamities give him Prudence and Circumfpection in his publick Conduct. The Miseries of the Civil War under the Reign of King Charles the Firft, and the Confequences. which enfued upon them, did, for many Years, deter H 5 deter the Inhabitants of our Island from the Thoughts of engaging anew in fuch desperate Undertakings; and convinced them by fatal Experience, that nothing could be fo pernicious to the English, and fo oppofite to the Genius of the People, as the Subverfion of Monarchy. In the like manner we may hope that the great Expences brought upon the Nation by the present Rebellion; the Sufferings of innocent People, who have lived in that Place, which was the Scene of it; with that dreadful Prospect of Ruin and Confufion which must have followed its Succefs; will fecure us from the like Attempts for the future, and fix His Majefty upon the Throne of Great Britain; especially, when those who are prompted to fuch wicked Practices reflect upon the Punishments to which the Criminals have expofed themselves, and the Miseries in which they have involved their Relations, Friends, and Families. It will be likewife worth their while to confider, how fuch Tumults and Riots, as have been encouraged by many, who, we may hope, did not propofe to themselves fuch fatal Confequences, lead to a Civil War: and, how naturally that feditious kind of Converfation, which many feem to think confiftent with their Religion and Morality, ends in an open Rebellion. I question not but the more virtuous and confiderate Part of our Malecontents are now ftung with a very just Remorfe for this their Manner of Proceeding, which has fo vifibly tended to the Deftruction of their Friends, and the Sufferings of their Country. This may, at the fame time, prove an inftructive Leffon to the Boldeft and Braveft among the Difaffected, not to build any Hopes upon the talkative Zealots of their Party; who have fhewn by their whole Behaviour, that their Hearts are equally filled with Treafon Treafon and Cowardife. An Army of Trumpeters would give as great a Strength to a Cause, as this Confederacy of Tongue-Warriors; who, like those military Muficians, content themfelves with animating their Friends to Battle, and run out of the Engagement upon the firft Onfet. But one of the most useful Maxims we can learn from the present Rebellion, is, That nothing can be more contemptible and infignificant, than the Scum of a People, when they are inftigated against a King, who is fupported by the Two Branches of the Legiflature. A Man may pull down a Meeting-house, but will never be able to overturn a Government, which has a courageous and wife Prince at the Head of it, and one who is zealously affifted by the great Council of the Nation, that best know the Value of him. The Authority of the Lords and Commons of GreatBritain, in conjunction with that of their Sovereign, is not to be controll'd by a tumultuary Rabble. It is big with Fleets and Armies, can fortify itself with what Laws it shall judge proper for its own Defence, can command the Wealth of the Kingdom for the Security of the People, and engage the whole Proteftant Interest of Europe in fo good and juft a Cause. A diforderly Multitude, contending with the Body of the Legiflature, is like a Man in a Fit under the Conduct of one in the Fulness of his Health and Strength. Such a one is fure to be over-ruled in a little time, though he deals about his Blows, and exerts himself in the most furious Convulfions while the Distemper is upon him. We may farther learn from the Courfe of the present Rebellion, who among the Foreign States in our Neighbourhood are the true and natural Friends of Great - Britain, if we obferve which of of them gave us their Affiftance in reducing our Country to a State of Peace and Tranquillity, and which of them used their Endeavours to heighten our Confufions, and plunge us into all the Evils of a Civil War. I fhall only take notice under this Head, that in former Ages it was the conftant Policy of France to raise and cherish inteftine Feuds and Difcords in the Ifle of GreatBritain, that we might either fall a Prey into their Hands, or that they might profecute their Designs upon the Continent with lefs Interruption. Innumerable Inftances of this nature occur in Hiftory. The most remarkable one was that in the Reign of King Charles the Firft. Though that Prince was married to a Daughter of France, and was perfonally beloved and esteemed in the French Court, it is well known that they abetted both Parties in the Civil War, and always furnifhed Supplies to the weaker Side, left there should be an end put to those fatal Divifions. We might also obferve, that this Rebellion has been a means of discovering to His Majesty, how much he may depend upon the Profeffions and Principles of the feveral Parties among his own Subjects; who are those Persons that have espoused his Interests with Zeal or Indifference; and who among them are influenced to their Allegiance by Places, Duty, or Affection. But as these, and feveral other Confiderations, are obvious to the Thoughts of every Reader, I fhall conclude, with obferving how naturally many of those, who diftinguish themselves by the Name of the HighChurch, unite themselves to the Caufe of Popery; fince it is manifeft, that all the Proteftants concerned in the Rebellion were such as gloried in this Diftinction. |