first edition. What has been urged on the bishop's fide as rather favouring Mr. LOCKE, feems only to prove that all he acted against him might be done with fome degree of reluctance; but yet notwithstanding the respect and kindnefs which he bore toward Mr. LOCKE, Bp. Fell, it feems, on the clearest conviction of his inoffenfiveness, under fo many trials, had no thoughts of ferving him fo far as to run the leaft hazard of fuffering for him, or with him. His candor towards Mr. LOCKE on a former occafion, when application was making for his being admitted to a doctor's degree at Oxon, on a vifit from the prince of Orange, will appear fufficiently from lord Shaftesbury's letter to the faid Dr. Fell, annexed in Vol. IV. of this edition.

After the death of king Charles II. Mr. William Penn, who had known our author at the univerfity, ufed his intereft with king James to procure a pardon for him; and would have obtained it, if Mr. LOCKE had not answered, that he had no occafion for a pardon, fince he had not been guilty of any

crime.

In the year 1685, when the duke of Monmouth and his party were making preparations in Holland for his unfortunate enterprize, the English envoy at the Hague had orders to demand Mr. LOCKE and eighty-three other perfons to be delivered up by the states general; upon which he lay concealed to the year following *.

During this concealment, our author wrote his "Letter of Toleration," in Latin, in 1685; which was printed in duodecimo, at Gouda †, in 1689, under the following title, Epiftola de Tolerantia; ad Clariffimum Virum, T.A. R. P. T. O. L. A. [Theologiæ apud Remonftrantes Profefforem, Tyran

ST PURIDSH

Mr. Le Clerc obferves, that Mr. LOCKE had no correspondence with the duke of Monmouth, having no great opinion of his undertaking. Befides, his natural temper was timorous, not refolute, and he was far from being fond of commotions. He had been at the end of the year 1684 Utrecht and returned in the fpring to Amfterdam, with a defign to go again to Utrecht, as he actually did, to avoid being charged with having any fhare in the duke of Monmouth's enterprize. He had before fome inclination to lodge with his friend Mr. Guenelon, but he excufed himself, it not being the cuffom of that city to admit ftrangers to lodge, though he received Mr. LOCKE with great civility. But when Mr. Guenelon faw that his friend was in real danger, he ferved him with great generofity. He fpoke to Mr. Veen, his father-in-law, and engaged him to receive Mr. LOCKE into his houfe. Upon this Mr. LOCKE came to Amfterdam, where he lay concealed at Mr. Veen's two or three months. In the mean time, Mr. Limborch took care to deliver him the letters which were written to him, and had the cuftody of Mr. LOCKE's will, who defired him to fend it to fome of his relations, whom he named, if he fhould die. One of the principal magiftrates of the city was confulted, whether he might continue there in fafety? That magiftrate answered, They could not protect him, if the king of England fhould demand him; but he fhould not be betrayed, and his landlord fhould have timely notice when there fhould be occafion." This gave him confidence; and he continued with Mr. Veen for fome time, without going abroad, except at night, for fear of being known. In the mean time, he was perfuaded to go to Cleves, but returned in about two months, and lodged again at Mr. Veen's. At the end of the year he went to lodge with Mr. Guenelon, where he was likewife the year following. In 1686, he began to appear again in public, becaufe it was fufficiently known, that he had no fhare in the Juke of Monmouth's invafion. In autumn he went to Utrecht, and at the end of the year returned to Amfterdam, and lodged at Mr. Guenelon's as before.

fuct. In the fol. edit. of 1714 it is faid to have been printed at Tergaw.

OF

nidis Oforem, Limburgium, Amftelodamenfem:] fcripta a pln.blo.LAN [Pacis Amico; Perfecutionis Ofore, Joanne Lockio Anglor]*beltsvo

At Amfterdam he formed a weekly affembly, confifting of Mr. Limborch,, Mr. Le Clerc, and others, for converfation upon important fubjects, and had drawn up in Latin fome rules to be obferved by them: but these conferences were much interrupted by the frequent changes he was forced to make of the places of his refidence. e tortuslado, ebam.ead doudw

Our author's great work, the "Effay concerning human Understanding," he had been employed about for fome years, and he finished it in Holland about the end of the year 1687.. He made an abridgment of it himself,. which his friend Mr. Le Clerc tranflated into French, and inferted in one of his Bibliotheques +." This abridgment was fo highly approved of by all perfons of understanding, and fincere lovers of truth, that they expreffed the ftrongest defire to fee the whole work.. th englobydish oili difw-tastiftroo no About the fame time, as Le Clerc informs us, he made feveral extracts of books, as that of Boyle on Specific Medicines, which is inferted in the fe-cond volume of Bibliotheque Univerfelle; and fome others in the following

volume.

pro

hos At length the happy revolution in 1688, effected by the courage and good conduct of the prince of Orange, opened a way for Mr. LOCKE's return into his own country; whither he came in the fleet which conveyed the princefs: of Orange. And upon the restoration of public liberty, he thought. it per to affert his own private rights. He endeavoured therefore to procure lais reftoration to his place of ftudent of Christ-Church; not that he defigned. to return thither, but only that it might appear from thence, that he had. difbed Uicid to towoɔ28

*This letter was tranflated into English by Mr. Popple, (who was nephew to Andrew Marvel,, and author of the "Rational Catechifm") licenfed 1689; and printed twice in London: the firft: time, in 1689 in quarto,, and again in 1690, in duodecimo..

It was too much to be expected, that fuch a performance fhould pafs without animadverfion... Accordingly, there iffued from Oxford,, printed at the Theatre, 1690, in quarto, a fmall tract, intitled, The argument of the Letter concerning Toleration, briefly confidered and anfwered. Imprimatur, Jonathan Edwards, Vice-Can. Oxon." hid.

A., Wood, in his "Athene Oxonienfes," tells us, that the author was Jonas Proaft, M. A. of Queen's College, Oxford; and he is elfewhere mentioned as Archdeacon.

In the fame year Mr. LOCKE publifhed,. in quarto, A fecond Letter concerning Toleration. To the Author of The Argument of the Letter concerning Toleration briefly confidered and anfwered.

To this Mr. Proaft replied, under a perplexing title,, in "A third Letter concerning Toleration; in defence of the Argument of the Letter concerning Toleration, briefly confidered and an-fwered." Printed at Oxford, 1691,, in quarto.

Author to is

In aufwer to it, in 1692, Mr. LOCKE published "A third Letter for Toleration. To the Author of the third Letter concerning Toleration."In quarto.

After twelve years filence, another tract appeared, written by Mr. Proaft,, intitled, "A fecond Letter to the Author of the three Letters for Toleration. From the Author of the Argument of the Letter concerning Toleration, briefly confidered and anfwered. 19 of the defence of it... With a Poftfcript, taking fome notice of two paffages in The Rights of the Proteftant Diffenters.' Printed at Oxford, 1704, in quarto. Imprimatur, Timo Halton, Pro-Vice-Can. Oxon." Mr. LOCKE began a reply, which was left unfinished, and published in his Pofthumous Works. Preface to the 4to edition of the Letters concerning Toleration.

+ Bibliotheque Univerfelle, for January, 1.688.

been unjustly deprived of it. But when he found, that the college could not be prevailed on to difpoffefs the perfon who had been elected in his room, and that they would only admit him as a fupernumerary ftudent, he defifted from his claim.

dto bre

49 He was now at full liberty to purfue his fpeculations, and accordingly, in the year 1689, he published his " Effay on human Understanding." This work, which has made our author's name immortal, and which does honour to our country, gave great offence to many people at the first publication. It was propofed at a meeting of the heads of houfes of the univerfity of Oxford, to cenfure and difcourage the reading of it; and after various debates. among themfelves, it was concluded, that each head of an houfe should endeavour to prevent its being read in his college *. The reafon of this is obvious; Mr.LOCKE had let in more light upon the minds of men,. than was confiftent with the dark defigns of fome perfons. ab fognost

In the fame year Mr. LOCKE alfo published his " Two. Treatifes on Government;" in which he fully vindicated the principles upon which the revolution was founded, and entirely overturned all the doctrines of lavery.

boddis writings had now procured him fuch high efteem,, and he had merited: fo much of the government, that it would have been eafy for him to have ob-tained a very confiderable poft; but he contented himself with that of commiffioner of appeals, worth about 200 1. per annum. He was offered to go. abroad in a public character, and it was left to his choice whether he would be envoy at the court of the emperor, the elector of Brandenbourg, or any other, where he thought the air moft fuitable to him; but he declined it on account of his ill health.

About this time the public coin was very bad, having been fo much clipped, and no care ufed to remedy it, that it wanted above a third of its due value.. The effect of this of this was, that the people thought themfelves a great deal richer than deed they were; for though the coin was not raifed in its value by public authority, it was put off in trade for above a third part more than it weighed. Mr. LOCKE had obferved this diforder ever. fince his return to England; and he frequently fpoke of it, that fome measures might be taken to prevent it. He faid, " that the nation was in greater danger from a fecret unobferved. abufe, than from all thofe other evils of which perfons were fo generally apprehenfive; and that if care was not taken to rectify the coin,. "that irregularity alone would prove fatal to us, though we fhould fuc"ceed in every thing else." One day, when he seemed very much difturbed. about this m matter, fome perfons rallied him, as if he tormented himfelf with a groundlefs fear: he anfwered, "that perfons might laugh if they pleafed, but they would find, in a very fhort time, that if care was not taken,. "we fhould want money in England to buy bread." And accordingly there were fuch diforders on this account, that the parliament took the matter into the most ferious confideration.. To affift the great men at the head of affairs,

who are not always the best judges, to form a right understanding of this matter, and to excite them to rectify this fhameful abufe, Mr. LOCKE published a little treatise, intitled, "Some Confiderations of the Confequence of the lowering of the Intereft, and raifing the Value of Money;" in which there are many nice and curious obfervations on both those subjects, as well as on trade in general. This treatise was shortly followed by two more upon the fame fubject, in which he obviated all objections, and confuted all his oppofers.

He fully fhewed to the world by thefe difcourfes, that he was as able to reafon on trade and bufinefs, as on the most abstract parts of science; and that he was none of those philofophers, who spent their lives in fearch of truths merely fpeculative, and who by their ignorance of those things which concern the public good, are incapable of ferving their country. These writings recommended him to the notice of the greateft perfons, with whom he used to converfe very freely. He held weekly conferences with the earl of Pembroke, then lord keeper of the privy feal; and when the air of London began to affect his lungs, he went for fome days to the earl of Peterborough's feat near Fulham, where he always met with the most friendly reception: but he was obliged afterward entirely to leave London, at leaft all the winter feafon, and to go to a greater diftance. He had made frequent visits at at Oates, in Effex; where he found the air fo good, fo agreeable to his conftitution, and the fociety fo delightful, that he was easily prevailed with to become one of the family, and to fettle there during his life. He was received upon his own terms, that he might have his entire liberty, and look upon himself as at his houfe. Here he applied himself to his ftudies as much as his weak health would allow, being feldom abfent, because the air of London grew more and more troublefome to him. He came to town only in the fummer for three or four months, and if he returned to Oates any thing indifpofed, the air of that place foon recovered him.

different times to Sir Francis Maham Sution,

In 1693 he published his "Thoughts concerning the Education of Children," which he improved confiderably afterward.

In 1695 Mr. LOCKE publifhed his treatife of "The Reasonableness of Christianity, as delivered in the Scriptures:" written, it is faid, in order to promote the fcheme which king William III. had much at heart, of a comprehenfion with the diffenters. In this he has proved, that the Chriftian religion, as delivered in the fcriptures, and free from all corrupt mixtures, is the moft reafonable inftitution in the world. This book was attacked by an ignorant, but zealous divine, Dr. Edwards, in a very rude and fcurrilous manner. Mr. LOCKE anfwered Edwards, and defended his answer with such strength of reafon, that he might juftly have expected from his adversary a public acknowledgment of his error, if he had not been one of thofe writers who have no more shame than reafon in them. Mr. LOCKE was alfo obliged to Mr. Bold, a worthy and pious clergyman, for vindicating his principles against the cavils of Edwards.

Some

na

Some time before this, Mr. Toland published a book, intitled, Chriftianity not myfterious," in which he endeavoured to prove," that there is nothing in the Chriftian religion, not only contrary to reafon, but even nothing above it." Mr. Toland, in explaining fome of his notions, ufed feveral arguments from Mr. LOCKE'S "Effay on human Understanding." Some Unitarians alfo about this time published feveral treatifes, in which they affirmed, that there was nothing in the Chriftian religion but what was rational and intelligible; and Mr. LOCKE having afferted in his writings, that revelation delivers nothing contrary to reafon; thefe things engaged Dr. Stillingfleet, the learned bishop of Worcester, to publish a treatife, in which he endeavoured to defend the doctrine of the trinity, against Mr. Toland and the Unitarians. In this treatise the bishop oppofed fome of Mr. LOCKE'S principles, judging them heretical, and favouring the above-mentioned writers. Mr. LOCKE anfwered him, and the bishop replied the fame year. This reply was confuted, by a fecond letter of Mr. LOCKE'S, which drew a fecond anfwer from the bishop in 1698; and Mr. LOCKE again replied in third letter, wherein he treated more largely of "the certainty of reafon by ideas, of the certainty of faith, of the refurrection of the fame body, and the immateriality of the foul." He fhewed the perfect agreement of his principles with the Chriftian religion, and that he had advanced nothing which had the leaft tendency to fcepticifm, which the bifhop had very ignorantly charged him with. But the bishop dying fome time after this, the difpute ended. In this controverfy every body admired the strength of Mr. LOCKE'S reafoning, his great clearnefs and exactnefs, both in explaining his own notions and principles, and confuting thofe of his adverfary: nor were men of understanding lefs furprifed, that fo learned a man as the bishop fhould engage in a controverfy, wherein he had all the disadvantages poffible; for he was by no means able to maintain his opinions againft Mr. LOCKE, whofe reafoning he neither understood, nor the thing itfelf about which he dif puted. This learned bishop had fpent the greateft part of his time in the tudy of ecclefiaftical antiquities, and reading a prodigious number of books, but was no great philofopher; nor had he ever accustomed himfelf to that clofe way of thinking and reafoning, in which Mr. LOCKE did fo highly excel. However, though our philofopher had fo great a victory over the bifhop, and had reafon to complain of the bishop's unjuft charges against him,, and for his writing on fubjects of which he was fo grofsly ignorant; yet he did not make an infolent triumph over his ignorance, but in the confutation of his errors treated him with great refpect. He fhews, indeed, that the bishop did not understand the fubject he wrote about, and that he was very incor-rect and inaccurate in his expreffions; but he rather infinuates this by producing the bishop's own words, and leaving his readers to judge, than reflects on him for it. In fhort,. never was a controverfy managed with fo much art and kill on one fide; nor, on the other, fo unjustly, confufedly, or fo little to the credit of the author. Time, which is the best judge of things, has abundantly manifefted this. The bishop's writings on

that: