And that fome of the writers on the fide of the country party, as it was called, particularly in the Craftsman, were men of this character, is certain. Amhurst, the oftenfible author of the paper, was expelled his univerfity, and was, moreover, a friend and affociate of Strutt, an attorney of the temple, who wrote feveral letters or effays in his paper, and a treatise with fome fuch title as, A philofophical enquiry into

the nature of human liberty,' wherein the freedom of the human will is denied, and the actions of men are made to refult from an irresistible neceffity. This tract I have heard Whitehead commend and affert that it contained a full refutation of all that Dr. Clarke, in his controverfy with Leibnitz, has advanced in favour of the contrary opinion, and at the fame time fpeak of the author as one whom the greatnefs of his parts, had he lived, would have raifed to the dignity of lordchancellor; but of whofe moral and religious principles a judgment may be formed, by means of the following letter, which, for the atheistical expreffions contained therein, was the ground for the expulfion of the writer of it from the university of Cambridge. I forbear remarking on this blafphemous epiftle, farther than, that the regret I have often felt in the perufal of it has been not a little increased by the figure that my friend Paul makes in it, and the intimacy between hun and Strutt which it difclofes.

To Mr. STEPHEN G

• Dear Stephen,

-BBS.

Oct. 3, 1734.

• I received yours, with the guinea and the partridges, ⚫ for which I return you many thanks, and need not

fay how much I should rejoice in your company at

the

the eating of them. But we not only fuffer the lofs ⚫ of that, but of P▬▬▬▬▬ B▬▬▬▬▬▬'s too, who went to London incog. laft Monday, and it is uncertain ⚫ when he'll have power to break from the arms of his charmer, but V will supply his place at the Tuns to-day, who is as great a hero in the cause ⚫ of truth.

' I am very glad to hear W▬▬▬▬ B——— ap< fo well in the world again, and when you fee pears him, beg you would remember my kind refpects to him, wishing him all joy. And as to any farther progrefs in atheism, I was arriv'd at the top, the ne ⚫ plus ultra, before I enjoyed the beatifick vifion (the night I was born in the spirit from you) being fixed and immoveable in the knowledge of the truth, to which I attained by means of that infallible guide the Philofophical Enquiry; and I am glad to hear, what I did not at all doubt of, that it would equally enlighten your understanding; and am perfuaded that you fee the neceffary connection between every ⚫ propofition, and confequently, that the points now ⚫ in debate are strictly demonftrated. If any material objection fhould arife (which is barely a poffible fuppofition) I beg you will confult me, or fome • other able minister of the word of truth, to the <quieting of your confcience, and avoiding all scruple ⚫ and doubt.

I was inexpreffibly happy with the most adorable • and omniscient Father Strutt, his brother Whitehead, W, &c. completely fulfilling the fcene proposed in his letter.

On Saturday we came to Cambridge, where we had the full enjoyment of their's till Tuesday, when

they return'd to Bury; and laft Saturday I went thither again by appointment, but they were obliged ⚫ to fet out that day for London, and I went with them < to Sudbury, where we lay. You'll imagine I was transported with their company, and would not have ⚫ left them before they got to London, but that I was ⚫ obliged to return to college to pray.

I've fent you one fong as a taste of our mirth*. I • receiv'd a letter from the prefident yesterday, which obliges me to return to Horkfley next Tuesday.I hope I fhall have the pleasure of feeing you in college about the 5th of November. In the mean time I fhall be glad of a line or two from you, < and am

Your fincere friend

and humble fervant,

'T. D-CK-T.’

P. S. Strutt was the author of the three letters in the laft Craftsmen, except laft Saturday's, and will write in defence of them in anfwer to the minifterial writers. I intend myself the pleasure of drinking tea with Polly this afternoon. My fervice < to Mr. G, Miss Nanny, and all friends.'

The political principles of Whitehead recommended him to Mr. Dodington, whofe oftentation was gratified, and his ambitious views in a way to be advanced, by a connection with a man who had abilities to write, and the boldness to publish whatever might ferve the purposes of a party, and whofe zeal for its interefts was fubject to any direction.

Dodington admired the keenness of Whitehead's wit, and the fpirit of his fatires, and his commendations were repaid by the latter, with encomiums on his patron's political wisdom and qualifications for ftate employments, which, as they feemed to have no foundation in principle, Paul was as little able to inveftigate as to delineate the path of a comet. In his converfation there was little to praife: it was defultory, vociferous, and profane. He had contracted a habit of fwearing in his younger years, which he retained to his lateft. At Twickenham he never frequented divine fervice; and when preffed by one of his friends there to fhew himself at church, excufed himself by faying he was not fettled. He was vifited by very few of the inhabitants of the village; but his house was open to all his London friends, among whom were Mr. Hogarth, Ifaac Ware the architect, George Lambert, and Hayman the painters, and Mr. Havard the player, men who had spent all their lives in and about Covent-garden, and looked upon it as the school of manners, and an epitome of the world.

Paul was endowed with a great portion of wit, but, it was altogether of the fatyrical kind, and ferved to little purpose, other than to expofe to ridicule or contempt the objects to which it was directed. In concert with one Carey a furgeon, he planned and exhibited a proceffion along the Strand, of perfons on foot and on horfeback, dreffed for the occafion, carrying mock enfigns, and the fymbols of free-mafonry*; the defign of which was, to expofe to laughter the infignia and ceremonies of that mysterious institution,

A print of the proceffion, defigned and engraved by Benoist, was published about the time,

and

and it was not till thirty years after, that the fraternity recovered the difgrace which fo ludicrous a reprefentation had brought on it.

After enumerating these his exceptionable qualities, it is but justice to say of Whitehead, that he was by nature a friendly and kind-hearted man, well acquainted with vulgar manners and the town, but little fkilled in the knowledge of the world, and, by confequence, little able to refift the arts of defigning men; and of this defect he gave a melancholy proof in fubmitting to be engaged for Fleetwood, the patentee of Drurylane theatre, in a bond for 3000l; for failure in the payment whereof he fuftained imprisonment in the Fleet for fome of the best years of his life. He had married a woman of a good family and fortune, whom, though homely in her perfon, and little better than an idiot, he treated not only with humanity, but with tenderness, hiding, as well as he was able, thofe defects in her understanding, which are oftener the subjects of ridicule than of compaffion. After his enlargement, fome money fell to him, with which, and the profits of the place of deputy-treasurer of the chamber, which he held for fome time under lord Le Defpenfer, he purchased a cottage on Twickenham common, and from a defign and under the infpection of his friend Ifaac Ware, at a small expence improved it into an elegant dwelling. Here he manifefted the goodness of his nature in the exercise of kind offices, in healing breaches, and compofing differences between his poor neighbours; and living to fee, as he did at the commencement of his prefent majefty's reign, power lodged in the hands of fuch as he thought friends of their country, and above all temptations to abuse it,

he