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ftand our Signs and. Motions
what in Modify can we do more
to open their Eyes?
A. Alas. poor Lady! your
cafe is very hard:

fuppofing one must perish? Your aufwer is, A Miftrefs: I defive to know your Reafon for it, (Jetting by the Bonds of Inclination) fince we are in Duty rather bound to preferve our Pa-pull 'em by the Nofe, write to

rents?

4. In that Anfwer, we queftion'd, whether any fuch thing might really fallour; and therefore the Refolution feems not of fo very great moment. It's true, on the fuppofition, we feem'd to carry it rather for the Mistress than the Mother; but this, not only in Point of Inclination but Duty, fuppofing a Contract had interven'd; Otherwife we were of Opinion, and ftill are, That the Mother ought firft to be taken care of; tho' we still believe the Miitrefs would be moft regarded, Inclination being fo much stronger than Duty, in cafes of that

nature.

why,

'em; or if neither of thefe will do, (as you have been formerly adviled) fhov 'em this Queftion and Answer in the 4thenian Oracle.

Q. A Minifter near Cyrencefter in the Country of Gcefter, having fworn not to marry any Perfons clandeftinely in n houfe, or any other unlawful place, but in the Church, with Banes or Licenfe, did notes the lefs marry feveral People in an Alehoufe without. Banes or Licenfe; and being afk'd whether he was not for fworn,aufwer'd nɔ5 for fays he, I was to many none clandeftinely in an Alehouse, but a Couple coming to me to be Married is fome- Upan

Q. Whether there be fuch Peo-this Equivocation he thinks himpleas Cannibals? felf not forfworn, Iwould defire your Opini n of it!

A. Yes, amongst the Indians at this day, who not only eat) one another, but allo Sacrifice their Children to the Devil.

A.SeveralLetters are come to our hands upon this Subject, which we have been willing to wave,as being very tender of the Reputation of that Cloath: But fince by other Letters we are inform'd, that the Confequence of this Action terminates in a very great Fraud and Injustice about an Eltate, we out of refpect to Truth and Justice, have thought fit to return our Anfwer, which fince a Scholar is concern'din't, we fhall firft give him the Definition or Axiom of Perjury, which the Schoolmen have laid down Q. When we are in Love, and viz. Perjurium eft di&tum bum:

Q. Whether there be fuch a fort of People as have Eyes in their Breafts and no Heads?

A. Our beft Authority is too weak for our own Faith, tho' if the World can believe Mandeville in his Difcovery, they m y; but it looks to be a fort of itrange Figure for a Rational Soul; perhaps Phyficians will Tay not only strange,but impoffi

bie:

nione, jure jurando affeveratum, to what he would have it, to cujus modi affeveratio divina ad- wit, that he is Perjur'd, (supverfatur reverentia, imo Dei pofing the relation be Truth,) contemptum implicatum habit,ob-'tis fuppos'd he wou'd have

idque merito inter lethalia refenfetur peccata; liceret nibilominus perfone publicum Munus adminiftranti, alterius poftulatu, ab eo quem perjuratum fcieret, jusjurandum exigere, quod idem in privato homine Crimen effet Graviffimum, poffet tamen privatus, ad rei dubia confirmationem, ab co de cujus perjurio nihil certi baberet, fine culpa jusjurandum poftulare. Upon a Suppofition that the Account we have re-being married, ceived is true, which we are as willing as we can to disbelieve, we fhall in Examination prove that the two effential parts of Perjury must be grounded upon this Action, viz. Falfity of the Oath, and falfity in the Opinion of the Swearer, tho' a truth. To the first, that it is A. Before I return a Negaeffentially falfe, appears both tive Anfwer where a pofitive from the Manner the Law re-Oath has already been pafs'd, quires in an Oath, as alfo to as the Letters by me affirm, I the Orthography of the words: fhall premife, that other differAs to the Manner the Law re- ent Oaths were taken, as that quires, The Swearer is to use the the Man was made Drunk; for words inthat fenfe that the ten-proof of which they alledg'd, derer of the Oath gives it in, and not in his own. A dreadful Inftance of Equivocation we have in the Inftance of Arrius the Heretick, who fwore to the Tenets in his own Book he had under his Coat, and not to thole that were offer'd to him, and as he return'd home, voided out his Guts in a Houfe of Office: But as to this Equivocation, that a Marrying none was noted the Matrimonial Office to be a Marrying fome. 'Tis the ufed upon a Suppofition, that meaneit Subterfuge that ever the Words in't are to be offer'd knew, and proves juil contrar to fuch perfons as know what

faid, that the not Marrying none had been a Marrying fome, for here not and none being two Negatives, make an Affirmative, to wit, fome. We cannot by this place fuppofe him any thing buta Scholar, and if any Scholar at all, then he is Perjur'd in his Opinion, as well as in the effential falfity of his Oath, both which are fully prov'd by the fecondOath he took of their

Q. Whether a Perfon made Drunk, fo that he is incapble to return pertinent Answers to the Minifter,(either of his own, or as dictated to him) can at such a time be properly faid to be married according to the Law of GOD?

that being ask'd, Wilt thou have this Woman to thy wedded Wife? He made no other Aniwer but this, I must go to pifs: But upon a Suppofition, that by feveral times afking, he made ufe of all his proper Refponfes, it won't follow that the Law of GOD will look upon this as a Marriage; for the Wisdom of our Church appoint

they

they fay. The Words of Ma- | skill'd both in the Greek and
trimony are not the effential act
Latin Tongues: So that it
of Marriage, but a publick Sign was written on him by Bellarmin,
or Solemnization of a Legal
Legal Hic ftupor eft mundi qui fribile
Contract made between the difcutit omne. He was to true
Parties beforehand. Now Words a Student, and fo conftant in
being only the Index of our fitting to it, that with Dydimus
Minds, and when words are of Alexandria he was thought
forced upon us by undue means, to have a Body of Braf, and
the fenfe of which we neither fo much he wrote and publish'd,
understand nor will, 'tis a Sa- that if three Leaves were
crilegious Rape committed up- allowed to every day of his
on the Soul, which by how Life from his very Birth, there
much it is of a more excellent wou'd be fome to spare.
Nature than of the Body, by
fo much greater is theInjustice,
and deferves a severer Inquifi-
tion than what our Law re-
quires for the Satisfaction of
bodily Rapes, and all Perfon's
concern'd in fuch Actions are a
fort of Spiritual Pimps.

Q. Whether a young Man be a fit hearer of Philofophy?

4. The general practice of the Learned part of the World, abound with Inftances of Youth above Age, ten to one and more, but at the fame tlme 'tis confefs'd fome Perfons are never fit hearers, especially when they come ro be old: Senem erudere & mortuum curare idem eft. Youth is flexible, tender and capable of Impreffions, when Age is peevish, morofe, and conceited; or if none of thefe, yet so afham'd generally to learn, that they will not be counfell'd. We read Hakewil's Apol. 1. 3. c. 5.) That Toftatus Bishop of Abulum at the Age of two and twenty years, attain'd to the Knowledge of all Arts and Sciences; but befides Philofophy and Divinity, Canon and Civil Laws, Hiftory, and the Mathematicks, ne was well

Q. Which is the greatest Sin, to be a Night-walker, or to rebel against ones Parents?

4. Either of 'em big enough for Damnation; nor doth the greater at all excufe the leffer, as 'tis often defign'd in fuch Comparisons; but to return a direct anlwer, we refer you to the order of their feting down in the ten Commandments, where Duty to Parents is prefs'd, before Adultery is forbid.

Q. Whether Pipifts ought not to be Banish'd the Nation?

A, The Law is a little more proper Judge than either the Querift, or the Athenian Oracle. The Wisdom of the Nation has not thought fit to Banish 'em, and he must be a bold Man who will pretend to lay down better Meatures. But to come to the Reafon of the thing, tho' they are Papifts, they are Englishmen, and as fuch have a right to their Country and Eitates as well as others, while they don't render themselves obnoxious to the Government, without which their Banishment wou'd be as unjuft as impolitick;and impolitick 'twou'd

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be with a Witness, to do fuch thers to it here; and between a thing as muit unavoidably our denying them the Liberty exafperate all Popish Princes, of Religion, and forcing 'em who wou'd think they had juft to embrace ours. As for their Reafon for Retaliation, and Principles directly leading 'em banishing all the Proteftants as to Rebellion, and hence our we the Papifts; befides the not being fafe without their Breach of the Confederacy, remove, we are to remember which wou'd hereby be imme-that their Councils never obligé diately ruin'd. But what are 'em to extirpate Herefie, but all these prudential Confidera- when they are able. They tions to an indifpenfible Duty? have fmarted fufficiently alThey are Idolaters, and as fuch ready,and fhou'd be wifer now, not to be fuffer'd in the Land, and fenfible of the ease they whatever Inconveniences may enjoy under the prefent attend their removal. Befides, Government, more than e'er they are always plotting, their they had before fince the ReReligion won't let them let us formation, as well as grateful alone, and we can't be iafe till for the Deliverance they receiv'd we are fairly rid of 'em. by their prefent Majesties, as In anfwer, tho' we wou'd not well as we, they being in as be thought Advocates for Po-much danger of the little Mob pery, but Truth and Reafon ; as we of the great, who began as for their being Idolaters, tho' with 'em as if they were in earby their worshipping GOD by neft, and had not the GovernImages, we really think with ment ftrenuously interpofed,and all Proteftants, they are guilty fettled all things, had in a few of what may not improperly be weeks rooted up the veryFounterm'd by that Name, yet all dations of them and their know there are fevetal forts of Houfes throughout all the Idolatry, of which, though bad Kingdom.. enough, this is not the moit Q. Some time before the Death hainous. Befides, we know of King Charles the First, there no Warrant for removing Ido-was a very ftrange Appearance in laters, tho' we do Idols out of a Land: For if they stay here, they may by GOD's Grace be converted, if we fend 'em away into Popish Countries, they and their Children muftly there was a Head united to inevitably continue in that dark the Body, and thereupon both Religion, till the downfal of Armies immediately vanished Babylon. Tho' ftill there's a Your Thoughts are defired upon great difference between our the whole, and what are we to fending 'em all out of our think of fuch ftrange PhanoCountry, and fuffering the pub-mena? lick Exercife of their idolatrous A. We have read many fuch worship, and their feducing o- ftrange Stories as this in Books

the Air feen here in England, viz, The Effigies of two Armies in Array one against the other, the General of one of 'em being Headlefs for fome time, when fudden

of

Q. Whether after the King and Queen had each of them declared their earnell Defire of a General Reformation of the Manners of the People of this Nation: And the Justices of the Peace for the Country of Middlefex, in purfuance of Her Majeflies Letter, had caufed

of Prodigies, but with most of ance) was too faroff; tho'per'em better attefted than we find haps if it had een hearer, the 'em. We wou'd fain know of Apparition might have been the Gentleman who propofes Air,or Clouds condens'd into fuch the Question what good Au- Reprefentations, by Commiffion'd thor there is relates it? Whe-Monitors, Angels or Spirits: ther he has it only from fome But we only offer this as a Conof the Diurnals or Mercuriesjecture, and leave every body then printed, or whether he at their liberty. affirms it of his own knowledge? But fuppofing it true, the Event of things has long fince fufficiently fuperfeded any Interpretation of ours. Upon the whole,granting that, and several other things of the fame Nature to have really happen'd, as we believe fometimes they have done, it can be re-an Order of Seffions for the ferr'd to nothing elfe but the Execution of the Laws againt kind Warnings of fome invifible divers fcandalous Sins, and parMonitors, thofe Ferhaps ticularly against unlawful Plays who prefide over the Fates of and Sports, to be Printed, Pubparticular Kingdoms and Nati- lifhed, and Affixed in proper ons,(if any fuch there be)in or- Publick Places; and the Lord der by fuch ftrange Tokens to Mayor and Court of Aldermen perfwade men to Repentance, had likewife fet out an Order that thofe Judgments may be to like purpofe; and had moreaverted which are just hanging over, upon the Petitioning of over their Heads. Or we feveral Inhabitants of the admight add, fuppofing this pre-jacent Parishes, fetting forth fent Relation of our Querit the Lewdnets and Debauchery, true, it nearly reprefented what follow'd, as to that unhappy Prince's Decollation, his Sons Succeffion, and immediate Peace upon't. What thofe Phænomena's were, we dare not offer to decide, fince we can underftand nothing,but either by our Senfes,which convey the Rationary large nefs for Stage-Plays, or Quiddity of Objects to our Mufick and Tipling, contrary Understanding, ot elfe by im- to the Law, being fo many mediate Infpirations. The laft Receptacles of vicious and is not expected of us, and the diforderly Perfons, and wherefirit is impoffible, because the by the Trade of the faid Fair Eye (which in this Inftance hath been very much interruptwas all the Medium of Convey-led; had published and poited

which hath apparently encreafed, Tumults, the Bloodthed and Diforders frequently committed; and the continual Danger of Fire to the Houles and Estates of the faid Inhabitants, at the Fair of St. Bartholomew, by reafon of Booths of extraordi

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