business to persuade men they are erroneous, than doctors do that they are sick; only that they may magnify their own cure, and triumph over an imaginary distemper. The simile objected to in my Essay,

(Thus wit, like faith, by each man is apply'd

To one small sect, and all are damn'd beside),

plainly concludes at this second line, where stands a full stop and what follows, (Meanly they seek, etc.) speaks only of wit, (which is meant by that blessing, and that sun,) for how can the sun of faith be said to sublime the southern wits, and to ripen the genius's of northern climates? I fear, these gentlemen understand grammar as little as they do criticism; and, perhaps out of good-nature to the monks, are willing to take from them the censure of ignorance, and to have it to themselves. The word they refers (as I am sure, I meant, and as I thought every one must have known) to those Critics there spoken of, who are partial to some particular set of writers, to the prejudice of all others. And the very simile itself, it twice read, may convince them, that the censure here of damning, lies not on our church at all, unless they call our church one small sect: and the cautious words (by each man) manifestly show it a general reflection on all such (whoever they are) who entertain those narrow and limited notions of the mercy of the Almighty which the reformed ministers and Presbyterians are as guilty of as any people living.

Yet after all, I promise you, Sir, if the alteration of a word or two will gratify any man of sound faith, though weak understanding, I will (though it were

from no other principle than that of common goodnature) comply with it. And if you please but to particularize the spot where their objection lies, (for it is in a very narrow compass,) that stumbling-block, though it be but a little pebble, shall be removed out of their way. If the heat of these good disputants (who, I am afraid, being bred up to wrangle in the schools, cannot get rid of the humour all their lives) should proceed so far as to personal reflections upon me, I assure you, notwithstanding, I will do or say nothing, however provoked, (for some people can no more provoke than oblige,) that it is unbecoming the true character of a Catholic. I will set before me the example of that great man, and great saint, Erasmus; who in the midst of calumny proceeded

The author of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, who has unhappily blemished his History by many irreligious Sarcasms, after having liberally praised Erasmus as one of the chief instruments of the Reformation, adds, "that, at the Reformation, the loss of the mystery of transubstantiation was amply compensated by the stupendous doctrines of original sin, redemption, faith, grace, and predestination: which have been strained from the Epistles of St. Paul."-It is mortifying to hear such a man as Bossuet declare in his famous History of the Variations, that Erasmus was an Infidel.

Jortin speaks on this subject with his usual candour and ingenuity. See also Essay on Criticism.

"Le Clerc often censures Erasmus for his lukewarmness, timidity, and unfairness, in the matter of the Reformation; and I, as a translator, have adopted these censures, only softening them a little here and there: for I am, in the main, of the same opinion with Le Clerc as to this point. As Protestants, we are certainly much obliged to Erasmus; yet we are more obliged to the authors of the Reformation, to Luther, Melancthon, Zuinglius, Ecolampadius, Cranmer, Bucer, &c. But here I would observe, once for all, that many arguments may be plausibly urged on the other side, excuse, or at least to ex

with all the calmness of innocence, and the unrevenging spirit of primitive Christianity. However,

tenuate very much that conduct of Erasmus which offended the Protestant party. Erasmus, as you may see in this account of his life, was not entirely free from prejudices of education, and had some indistinct and confused notions about the authority of the Church Catholic. He talks much of submitting his own opinions and his own judgment to her by an act of implicit faith and unlimited obedience. He thought it not lawful to depart from the Church of Rome, corrupted as she was. He was afterward shocked also at the violent quarrels, which arose about the Lord's Supper amongst the Reformers, the Zuinglians, and the Lutherans; for in those days, Zuinglius and his adherents were the only men who talked reasonably upon that subject. He was no less shocked at the pestilent tumults and rebellions of the Rustics, the Fanatics, and Anabaptists. I cannot believe, that the fear of losing his pensions and of coming to want, made him say and do things which he thought to be unlawful: but it may be fairly supposed, that he was afraid of disobliging several of his oldest and best friends, who were against the Lutheran reformation; of offending, not only Henry VIII. and Charles V. and the Popes, and George of Saxony, and Wolsey, &c. but even his Patrons Warham, Montjoy, More, Tonstal, Fisher, Campegius, Bembus, Sadolet, and many others whom he loved entirely, and to some of whom he was much obliged. These things might influence his judgment, though he himself was not. at all aware of it. There is no necessity to suppose that he acted against his conscience in adhering to the Church of Rome. No: he persuaded himself that he did as much as piety and prudence required from him, in freely censuring her defects."

I doubt this is not strictly true. See his answers to Lee, archbishop of York. Though it must be owned this miserable prelate had provoked the incomparable man, by the most infamous scurrilities and abuse. W.

Dr. Warburton, methinks, could not, with propriety, object to Erasmus, that he had answered an opponent with warmth, and even vehemence of spirit. The liberal sentiments of Erasmus, are in no parts of his works more striking, than in the Dedication prefixed to St. Hilary, and his fine Preface to the Enchiridion Militis Christiani.

I would advise them to suffer the mention of him to pass unregarded, lest I should be forced to do that for his reputation which I would never do for my own; I mean to vindicate so great a light of our church from the malice of past times, and the ignorance of the present, in a language which may extend farther than that which the trifle about criticism is written. I wish these gentlemen would be contented with finding fault with me only, who will submit to them right or wrong, as far as I only am concerned; I have a greater regard to the quiet of mankind than to disturb it for things of so little consequence as my credit and my sense. A little humility can do a poet no hurt, and a little charity would do a priest none: for, as St. Austin finely says, Ubi caritas, ibi humilitas; ubi humilitas, ibi pax.

Your, etc.

LETTER III.

TO THE SAME.

July 19, 1711.

THE concern which you more than seem to be affected with for my reputation, by the several accounts you have so obligingly given of what reports and censures the holy Vandals have thought fit to pass upon me, makes me desirous of telling so good

a friend the thoughts of this matter; and of setting before you, in a clear light, the true state of it.

I have ever believed the best piece of service one could do to our religion, was openly to express our detestation and scorn of all those mean artifices and

pia fraudes, which it stands so little in need of, and which have laid it under so great a scandal among its enemies.

Nothing has been so much a scarecrow to them, as that too peremptory and uncharitable assertion of an utter impossibility of salvation to all but ourselves; invincible ignorance excepted, which indeed some people define under so great limitations, and with such exclusions, that it seems as if that word were rather invented as a salvo, or expedient, not to be thought to be too bold with the thunder-bolts of God, (which are hurled about so freely on almost all

In a letter written January 8, 1782, to the President Henault, Voltaire thus attempts to defend the freedom of his opinions; "Je ne crois pas qu'il me soit echappé un seul trait contre la Religion: les fureurs du Calvanisme, les querelles du Jansenisme, les illusions mystiques de Quietisme, ne sont pas la religion. J'ai cru que c'était rendre service à l'esprit humain de rendre le fanatisme exécrable, et les disputes théologiques ridicules." If he had confined his wit to these topics, he would not have fallen under the just and severe censure that has been passed on many of his works; in which he forgot his own striking maxim:

"Si Dieu n'existait pas, il faudrait l'inventer."

This is a sentiment full of liberality and universal benevolence; and directly opposite to a fundamental, unchristian, narrow tenet of the Church of Rome. A zealot, we see, had suspected our Author's orthodoxy; he repels this attack with energy, ability, and truth. The whole letter does honour to the liberality, honesty, and candour, of his sentiments; and deserves the most attentive perusal.