did institute a weekly affembly of divers worthy men at the rofe and crown ale-house, over whom myself, though unworthy, did prefide. Yea, I did read to them the postboy of Mr Roper, and the written letter of Mr Dyer, upon which we communed afterwards among ourfelves. OUR fociety was compofed of the following perfons: Robert Jenkins, farrier; Amos Turner, collar-maker;" George Pilcocks, late excife-man; Thomas White, wheelwright; and myfelf. Firft, of the firft, Robert Jenkins.

He was a man of bright parts and fhrewd conceit, for he never fhoed an horfe of a whig or a fanatic, but he lamed him forely.

AMOS Turner, a worthy perfon, rightly efteemed among us for his fufferings, in that he had been honoured in the stocks for wearing an oaken bough.

GEORGE Pilcocks, a sufferer alfo; of zealous and laudable freedom of speech, infomuch that his occupation had been taken from him.

THOMAS White of good repute likewife, for that his uncle by the mother's fide had formerly been fervitor at Maudlin-college, where the glorious Sacheverel was edu

cated.

Now were the eyes of all the parish upon these our weekly councils. In a fhort space the minifter came among us; he spake concerning us and our councils to a multitude of other ministers at the vifitation, and they fpake thereof unto the minifters at London, fo that even the bishops heard and marvelled thereat. Moreover, Sir Thomas, member of parliament, spake of the fame unto other members of parliament, who spake thereof unto the peers of the realm. Lo! thus did our counfels enter into the hearts of our generals and our lawgivers; and from henceforth, even as we devifed, thus did they.

After this, the book is turned on a fudden from his own life to a history of all the public transactions of Europe, compiled from the news-papers of those times. I 'could not comprehend the meaning of this, till I

ceived at last, to my no small astonishment, that all the permeasures of the four laft years of the Queen, together with the peace of Utrecht, which have been usually attri buted to the Earl of Oxford, Duke of Ormond, Lords VOL. VIII. • Harcourt

Harcourt and Bolingbroke, and other great men, do here moft plainly appear to have been wholly owing tó Robert Jenkins, Amos Turner, George Pilcocks, • Thomas White, but above all, P. P.

The reader may be fure I was very inquifitive after this extraordinary writer, whofe work I have here abftracted. I took a journey into the country on purpose ; but could not find the least trace of him: till by accident I met one old clergyman, who said he could not be pofitive, but thought it might be one Paul Philips, who had • been dead about twelve years. And upon enquiry, all < we could learn of that perfon from the neighbourhood, was, that he had been taken notice of for fwallowing loaches, and remembered by fome people by a black and white cur with one ear, that conftantly followed him.

In the church-yard I read his epitaph, faid to be written by himself.

O reader, if that thou canst read,
Look down upon this ftone;

Do all we can, death is a man
That never fpareth none.

THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS on VARIOUS SUBJECTS.

I.

P

ARTY is the madness of many, for the gain of
RTY
a few.

II.

THERE never was any party, faction, fect, or cabal whatsoever, in which the most ignorant were not the most violent for a bee is not a bufier animal than a blockhead. However, fuch inftruments are neceffary to politicians; and perhaps it may be with ftates as with docks, which must have fome dead weight hanging at them to help and regulate the motion of the finer and more useful parts.

III.

To endeavour to work upon the vulgar with fine sense, is like attempting to hew blocks with a razor.

IV.

FINE fenfe and exalted fenfe are not half fo ufeful as common fenfe: there are forty men of wit for one man of fense; and he, that will carry nothing about him but gold, will be every day at a loss for want of readier. change.

LEARNING is like mercury, one of the moft powerful and excellent things in the world in skilful hands; in unfkilful, the most mischievous.

VI.

THE nicest constitutions of government are often like the finest pieces of clock work; which depending on fo many motions, are therefore more fubject to be out of order.

VII. Every

1

VII.

EVERY man haft just as much vanity, as he wants understanding.

VIII.

MODESTY, if it were to be recommended for nothing elfe, this were enough, that the pretending to little leaves a man at ease, whereas boafting requires a perpetual labour to appear what he is not. If we have fenfe, modefty beft proves it to others; if we have none, it beft hides our want of it. For, as blushing will fometimes make a whore pafs for a virtuous woman, fo raodesty may make a fool feem a man of fenfe.

IX.

It is not fo much the being exempt from faults, as the having overcome them, that is an advantage to us: it being with the follies of the mind as with the weeds of a field, which if destroyed and confumed upon the place of their birth, enrich and improve it more, than if none had ever fprung there.

X.

To pardon thofe abfurdities in ourselves, which we cannot fuffer in others, is neither better nor worse than to be more willing to be fools ourselves, than to have others fo.'

XI.

A man fhould never be afhamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wifer to-day, than he was yesterday.

XII.

OUR paffions are like convulfion fits, which, though they make us ftronger for the time, leave us weaker ever after.

XIII.

To be angry, is to revenge the fault of others upon Qurfelves.

ト

XIV.

A brave man thinks no one his fuperior, who does him an injury, for he has it then in his power to make himself fuperior to the other, by forgiving it.

XV.

To relieve the oppreffed is the moft glorious act a man is capable of; it is in fome measure doing the bufinefs of God and providence.

XVI.

SUPERSTITION is the spleen of the foul.

XVII.

ATHEISTS put on a falfe courage and alacrity in the midft of their darkness and apprehenfions; like children, who when they go in the dark will fing for fear.

XVIII.

An atheist is but a mad ridiculous derider of piety, but a hypocrite makes a fober jeft of God and religion. He finds it easier to be upon his knees than to rife to do a good action; like an impudent debtor, who goes every day and talks familiarly to his creditor without ever paying what he owes.

XIX.

WHAT Tully fays of war, may be applied to difputing; it fhould be always fo managed as to remember, that the only end of it is peace: but generally true difputants are like true fportfmen, their whole delight is in the purfuit; and a difputant no more cares for the truth, than the fportsman for the hare.

XX.

THE fcripture, in time of difputes, is like an open town in time of war, which serves indifferently the occafions of both parties; each makes use of it for the prefent turn, and then refigns it to the next comer to do the fame.