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of by ministers to their friends, and ladies to their husbands.

The smoked glass, that darkens even the lustre of the sun, must, of course, throw the blackest dye upon all other objects. This, though the most infernal invention of all, is far from being unpractised; and I knew a gentlewoman, who, in order to keep her husband at home, and in her own power, had his whole house glazed with it, so that the poor gentleman shut up his door, and neither went abroad, nor let any body in, for fear of conversing, as he thought, with so many devils.

The dangers that may one day threaten our constitution in general, as well as particular persons, from the variety of these mischievous inventions, are so obvious, that they hardly 3 need be pointed out: however, as my countrymen cannot be too much warned against it, I shall hint at those that terrify me most.

Suppose we should ever have a short-sighted prince upon the throne, though otherwise just, brave, and wise: who can answer for his glassgrinder, and, consequently, who can tell through what medium, and in what light, he may view the most important objects? or who can answer for the persons that are to take care of his glasses, and present them to him upon occasion? May not they change them, and slip a wrong one upon him, as their interest may require, and thus magnify, lessen, multiply, deform, or blacken, as they think proper; nay,

and by means of the oblique glass above-mentioned, show him even one object for another? Where would the eye of the master be then? Where would be that eye divinely deputed to watch over? but shrunk and contracted within the narrow circle of a deceitful tube.

On the other hand, should future parliaments, by arts of a designing minister, with the help of a corrupted glass-grinder, have delusive and perversive glasses slipped upon them, what might they see? or what might they not see? Nobody can tell. I am sure every body ought to fear they might possibly behold a numerous standing army in time of peace, as an inoffensive and pleasing object, nay, as a security to our liberties and properties. They might see our riches increase by new debts, and our trade by high duties; and they might look upon the corrupt surrender of their own power to the crown, as the best protection of the rights of the people. Should this ever happen to be the case, we may be sure it must be by the interposition of some strange medium, since these objects were never viewed in this light by the naked and unassisted eyes of our ancestors.

In this general consideration, there is a particular one that affects me more than all the rest, as the consequence of it would be the worst. There is a body of men, who, by the wisdom and for the happiness of our constitution, make a considerable part of our parliament: all, or at least most of these ven

erable persons, are, by great age, long study, or a low, mortified way of living, reduced to have recourse to glasses. Now, should their media be abused, and political translative ones be slipped upon them, what scandal would their innocent but misguided conduct bring upon ts, religion, and what joy would it give, at this p time, particularly, to the dissenters! Such as, nd I am sure, no true member of our church can hat think of without horror! I am the more ape prehensive of this, from the late revival of an art that flourished with idolatry, and that had o expired with it, I mean the staining of glass.

That medium, which throws strange and various ou colours upon all objects, was formerly sacred ou to our churches, and consequently may, for beaught I know, in the intended revival of our or true church discipline, be thought a candidate nworthy of our favour and reception, and so a lel stained medium be established as the true, orthodox, and canonical one.

I have found it much easier to point out the mischiefs I apprehend, than the means of obviating or remedying them, though I have turned it every way in my thoughts.

To have a certain number of persons appointed to examine and license all the glasses, be that should be used in this kingdom, would be lodging so great a trust in those persons, that the temptations to betray it would be exceedingly great too; and it is to be feared that people of quality would not take the trouble of

it, so that, Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (By whom will these keepers be kept?)

I once thought of proposing, that a commit tee of both houses of parliament should be vested with that power; but I immediately laid that aside, for reasons which I am not obliged to communicate to the public.

At last, despairing to find out any legal method that should prove effectual, I resolved to content myself with an earnest exhortation to all my country folks, of whatsoever rank or sex, to see with their own eyes, or not see at all, blindness being preferable to error.

See then with your own eyes, ye princes, though weak or dim: they will still give you a fairer and truer representation of objects, than you will ever have by the interposition of any medium whatsoever. Your subjects are placed in their proper point of view for your natural sight: viewing them in that point, you will see that your happiness consists in theirs, your greatness in their riches, and your power in their affections.

See likewise with your own eyes, ye people, and reject all proffered media: view even your princes with your natural sight; the true rays of majesty are friendly to the weakest eye, or, if they dazzle and scorch, it is owing to the interposition of burning glasses. Destroy those pernicious media, and you will be pleased with the sight of one another.

In short, let the natural eyes retrieve their credit, and resume their power, we shall then see things as they really are, which must end in the confusion of those, whose hopes and in terests are founded upon misrepresentations and deceit.

POWER OF EDUCATION.

I hold for the force of education, though I allow that natural disposition has some share in what we are. Education certainly does not give wit, where nature has refused common sense; but education gives a right turn to the sense we have, and even influences the heart, which is not indeed created, but fashioned by education. To that it is undoubtedly owing, that butchers, executioners, and inquisitors, have less sensibility, and are more bloody-minded, than other men. As for those fine sentiments of natural affection, which we meet with in novels, tragedies, and even in your modern weeping comedies, nothing can be more absurd. A father, a mother, a husband, a wife, children, who have never seen one another, know each other, at once, by a certain emotion, a thrilling, a-whatever you please, occasioned by that sympathy at the sight of the object. If such a sentiment did really exist, what discoveries, and consequently what confusion, would it not occasion in Paris and London! How many citizens would change fathers, and shed those