THE goddefs, who is decked with treafures, jewels, and the various offerings of the world, manifeftly alludes to the Lady of Loretto. You have perfumes breathing from the incenfe pot in the following line.

And all Arabia breathes from yonder box.

THE character of Belinda, as we take it in this third 'view, reprefents the popish religion, or the whore of Babylon; who is defcribed in the ftate this malevolent author wishes for, coming forth in all her glory upon the Thames, and overfpreading the whole nation with cere

monies.

Not with more glories in th' ætherial plain
The fun firft rifes o'er the purple main,
Than iffuing forth, the rival of his beams
Launch'd on the bofom of the filver Thames.

SHE is dreffed with a crofs on her breaft, the enfign of popery, the adoration of which is plainly recommended in the following lines:

On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore,
Which Jews might kifs, and infidels adore.

NEXT he reprefents her as the univerfal church, according to the boafts of the papifts:

And like the fun fhe shines on all alike.

After which he tells us,

If to her fhare fome female errors fall,

Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.

Though it fhould be granted fome errors fall to her hare, look on the pompous figure the makes throughout the world, and they are not worth regarding. In the facri fice following you have thefe two lines:

For this, ere Phoebus rofe, he had implor'd
Propitious heav'n, and ev'ry pow'r ador'd.

In the first of them he plainly hints at their rifing to ma

N 2

tins

tins; in the fecond, by adoring every power, the invocation of faints.

BELINDA'S vifits are defcribed with numerous waxlights, which are always used in the ceremonial part of the Romish worship.

Vifits fhall be paid on folemn days,

When num'rous wax-lights in bright order blaze .

THE lunar sphere he mentions, opens to us their purga tory, which is feen in the following line:

Since all things loft on earth are treafur'd there.

It is a popish doctrine, that scarce any perfon quits this world, but he muft touch at purgatory in his way to heaven; and it is here alfo reprefented as the treasury of the Romish church. Nor is it much to be wondered at, that the moon fhould be purgatory, when a learned divine hath in a late treatife proved the fun to be hell †.

I fhall now, before I conclude, defire the reader to compare this key with thofe upon any other pieces, which are fuppofed to have been fecret fatires upon the ftate, either, antient or modern; in particular with the keys to Petronius Arbiter, Lucian's true Hiftory, Barclay's Argenis, and Rabelais's Garagantua; and I doubt not he will do me the juftice to acknowledge, that the explanations here laid down, are deduced as naturally, and with as little violence, both from the general scope and bent of the work, and from the feveral particulars: furthermore, that they are every way as confiftent and undeniable, every way as candid, as any modern interpretations of either party on the conduct and writings of the other. And I appeal to the moft eminent and able flate decypherers themfelves, if, according to their art, any thing can be more fully proved, or more fafely worn to?

To fum up my whole charge against this author in a few words: he has ridiculed both the prefent ministry and the last; abused great ftatesmen and great generals; nay, the treaties of whole nations have not escaped him, nor has the royal dignity itself been omitted in the progress

The Reverend Dr Swinden.

of

of his fatire; and all this he has done juft at the meeting of a new parliament. I hope a proper authority may be made ufe of to bring him to condign punishment. In the mean while I doubt not, if the perfons moft concerned would but order Mr Bernard Lintot, the printer and publisher of this dangerous piece, to be taken into cuftody and examined, many farther discoveries might be made both of his poet's and abettor's fecret defigns, which are doubtless of the utmost importance to the government.

The original of the following extraordinary treatife confifted of two large volumes in folio; which might justly be intitled, The importance of a man to himfelf: but, as it can be of very little ufe to any body befides, I have contented myself to give only this fhort abstract of it, as a taste of the true fpirit of memoir-writers.

I

N the name of the LORD. Amen. I P. P. by the grace of God, clerk of this parish, writeth this hiftory.

EVER fince I arrived at the age of difcretion, I had a call to take upon me the function of a parish-clerk: and to that end, it seemed unto me meet and profitable to affociate myself with the parish-clerks of this land; fuch I mean as were right worthy in their calling, men of a clear and fweet voice, and of becoming gravity.

Now, it came to pass, that I was born in the year of our Lord, Anno domini 1655, the year wherein our worthy benefactor, Efquire Bret, did add one bell to the ring of this parish. So that it hath been wittily faid,

66

"that

one and the fame day did give to this our church two rare gifts, its great bell and its clerk.”

EVEN when I was at school, my mistress did ever extol me above the reft of the youth, in that I had a laudable voice. And it was furthermore obferved, that I took a kindly affection unto that black letter, in which our bibles are printed. Yea, often did I exercife myself in finging godly ballads, fuch as the lady and death, the children in the wood, and chevy-chace; and not like other children, in lewd and trivial ditties. Moreover, while I was a boy, I always adventured to lead the pfalm next after master William Harris, my predeceffor, who

(it

(it must be confeffed to the glory of God) was a most excellent parish clerk in that his day.

YET be it acknowledged, that at the age of fixteen I became a company-keeper, being led into idle converfation by my extraordinary love to ringing; infomuch, that in a fort time I was acquainted with every fett of bells in the whole country: neither could I be prevailed upon to abfent myfelf from wakes, being called thereun to by the harmony of the fteeple. While I was in thefe focieties, I gave myself up to unfpiritual paftimes, fuch as wrefling, dancing, and cudgel-playing; fo that I often returned to my father's houfe with a broken pate. I had my head broken at Milton by Thomas Wyat, as we played a bout or two for an hat, that was edged with filver gallon but in the year following I broke the head of Henry Stubbs, and obtained a hat not inferior to the for mer. At Yelverton I encountered George Cummins weaver, and behold my head was broken a fecond time! At the wake of Waybrook I engaged William Simkins tanner, when lo, thus was my head broken a third time, and much blood trickled therefrom. But I adminiftred to my comfort, faying within myself, what man is there,

་་་

howfoever dextrous in any craft, who is for aye on his "guard "A week after I had a base-born child laid unto me; for in the days of my youth I was looked upon as a follower of venereal fantasies; thus was I led into fin by the comelinefs of Sufanna Smith, who first tempted me, and then put me to fhame; for indeed the was a maiden of a feducing eye, and pleasant feature. I humbled myself before the juftice, I acknowledged my crime to our curate, and to do away mine offences, and make her fome atonement, was joined to her in holy wedlock on the Sabbath-day following.

How often do those things which feem unto us misfortunes, redound to our advantage! for the minifter (who had long looked on Sufanna as the most lovely of his parishioners) liked fo well of my demeanour, that he recommended me to the honour of being his clerk, which was then become vacant by the decease of good master William Harris.

"HERE ends the first chapter; after which follow