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LETTERS

TO THE

AUTHOR.

T

HE Variety of Humours and Sentiments an Author has to deal with, are very elegantly compared, in the Verses that adorn my Title, to the different Palates and Relishes of Men at a Feaft. 'Tis hard to know either what to provide, or what not to provide: One calling for that which Another rejects; and He again, defiring what may be accounted moft ungrateful to those on each hand. This the following Letters will exemplify; and, I hope, will provoke fome of my wife and good temper'd Readers to grant me more of their Help, when they see how I am befet.

One of my Correfpondents has found out a Way of entertaining himself, with the three first Papers, fo very different from what was imagin'd at the writing of them, that it may ferve to put my Reader into fomething of the fame pleasant Temper, with that humorous Gentleman, to communicate it: And I fhall hope to gain the more favourable Reception of what follows, if the First Letter may but promote any thing of Good Humour.

To the Author of the Occafional Paper.

SIR,

Take my felf to be intended with others, in

I your Ad felfen he, inste

Letters, Effays, &c. Therefore, without any more Ceremony, I fend you this Effay on your own Performances. I allow many Things in them to be very good, for they hit my own Humour, and that is a very honeft Reafon for it. Nor am I much difpleafed at other Things, which as a Critick I can find fault with. If you write thus on purpose, you are a judicious Writer, and fure to gratify the popular Taste of the Town.

You would represent Bigottry as a very faulty and dangerous Thing. Is it your View,.Sir, to overturn the Foundations of Polity and Societies, and deftroy the very Soul and Spirit that acts them? Re confider your own Reafons. Is that unmanly, without which no Man can make now-adays a good Figure in the World, in any Bufinefs, or Profeffion? Is that ungenteel, which the best bred Part of the Nation has long fince made, and does ftill continue a general Fashion? Sure, morofely to oppose an establish'd Fashion, is none of that Complaifance, which you fay becomes good Breeding, and a liberal Education. But how, I be feech you, can it be unchriftian, when it has been generally receiv'd in almost all Churches, and bids as fair as moft Practices for an antient and uninterrupted Tradition ? Sure you are in jeft, when you tell us 'tis unphilofophical. Did you ever confider how many Systems of Philofophy are entire. ly fupported by it? Has not Philofophy a great Share in your Friendship, when you are, at one Stroke,

Stroke, about to deftroy feven Eighths of all the Philofophy in the World? To add that it is im politick, is the most whimsical Reason of all: One would imagine you liv'd in a filent Grove, remote from Human Kind, not to observe 'tis the most fuccessful Policy of our Day. Can any one thing more recommend a Man to popular Favour among us? This Quality alone can make a Man a bright Ornament of the Church, without any other Pretence to it: And procure him more Votes insa County, than his Estate, his Sense, or all his o ther Virtues put together.

You next pretend to give us the Character of a Proteftant. 'Tis well you tell us you defcribe the Old Proteftants, who, good Souls, are all dead long fince. For ought I know, you may have fome Likeness of theirs in your Picture; but what is that to us Proteftants now? Muft we be drawn in Ruffs, because it was a Fashion in the Days of Queen Befs? Do you your felf think your Character will fute the prefent Times? I would not be un charitable, and imagine you are a Jefuit in Difguife: But fuppofe fome body fhould write a Sup plement to your Character; might he not infinuate, upon your Principles, it would be hard among the Proteftants to fhew a vifible Church? What if you should write a Supplement your felf, and, as a Spaniard can, fhew to an Eighth, how much of old Chriftian each Perfon has in him, you fhould let us know how many Decimal Parts of old Proteftant does ftill remain among us?

You have not yet done with Proteftant Principles. They must be brought in to determine the Nature of Civil Government: But pray, Sir, why were not the Oxford Decrees thought worthy to come in, with the reft of the authentick Deci fions of Proteftant Churches? Do you think that Learned Body, which is one of the Eyes of

Europe,

Europe, and has fo much Intereft in the greatest Proteftant Church in the World, does not deferve as much Confideration as your old Confeffions? especially when fome of them (by the By) were made by Presbyterians They would have fhewn you, your Confeffions are fuperannuated, and that we are much better inftructed now, from that pure Fountain of Learning and Loyalty.

The next Form I find you or your Correfpondent in, is a Projector. Really, Sir, I have feldom obferv'd any great Advantage from Expedients, and least of all do expect any from an Expedient for Peace among all Proteftants. If you could find out fuch a thing, I deny not but it might be near upon as good, as a Discovery of the Longitude; but it seems at prefent, unless you have referved Part of your Expedient in Petto, as unlikely and impracticable as that Invention.

You

would have Men agree to differ: An admirable Invention! But how do you defign to effect it? Make a Tryal; get an Act for three Years to make Men honeft; fee what good Effect it will have, and proceed as you like it. But, every Man fhall be allowed to think and act, according to his own Judgment, if he hurt not his Neighbour, or the Government in their Civil Rights. Say you fo, Sir? But what then will become of Order, the Power to decree Rights and Ceremonies, and Authority in Matters of Faith? What will be then the Ufe of Canons and Conftitutions, of Synods and Convocations? I can affure you, Sir, these are more numerous and formidable Enemies than Don Quixot's Windmill, or Puppets. I fancy, at laft, you must do with your Expedient, as moft Projectors do with theirs; keep it to your felf. You may poffibly meet with half a Dozen, or fo, that may join with you in permitting others to differ from you; but you will be put to it to

find