the midst of all this Clutter and Revolution, in comes Peter with a File of Dragoons at his Heels, and gathering from all Hands what was in the Wind, He and his Gang, after feveral Millions of Scurrilities and Curfes, not very important here to repeat, by main Force, very fairly kicks them both out of Doors, and would never let them come under his Roof from that Day to this.

SECT.

SECT. V.

A Digreffion in the Modern Kind.

W

E whom the World is pleafed to honor with the Title of Modern Authors, fhould never have been able to compafs our great De fign of an everlasting Remembrance, and never-dying Fame, if our Endeavours had not been fo highly ferviceable to the general Good of Mankind. This, O Univerfe, is the Adventurous Attempt of me thy Secretary;

Quemvis perferre laborem

Suadet, & inducit noctes vigilare ferenas.

To this End, I have fome Time fince, with a World of Pains and Art, diffected the Carcafs of Humane Nature, and read many useful Lectures upon the several Parts, both Containing and Contained ; till at last it smelt fo ftrong, I could preferve it no longer. Upon which, I have been at a great Expence to fit up all the Bones with exact Contexture, and in due Symmetry;

Symmetry; fo that I am ready to fhew a very compleat Anatomy thereof to all curious Gentlemen and others. But not to Digress farther in the midft of a Digref fion, as I have known fome Authors inclofe Digreffions in one another, like a Neft of Boxes; I do affirm, that having carefully cut up Humane Nature, I have found a very strange, new, and important Discovery; That the Publick Good of Mankind is performed by two Ways, Inftruction, and Diverfion. And I have farther proved in my faid feveral Readings, (which, perhaps, the World may one day fee, if I can prevail on any Friend to steal a Copy, or on certain Gentlemen of my Admirers, to be very Importunate) that, as Mankind is now difpofed, he receives much greater Advantage by being Diverted than Inftructed; His Epidemical Diseases being Faftidiofity, Amorphy, and Ofcitation; whereas in the prefent univerfal Empire of Wit and Learning, there feems but little Matter left for Inftruction. However, in Compliance with a Leffon of Great Age and Authority, I have attempted carrying the Point in all its Heights; and accordingly throughout this Divine Treatife, have skilfully kneaded

up both together with a Layer of Utile and a Layer of Dulce.

WHEN I Confider how exceedingly our Illuftrious Moderns have eclipsed the weak glimmering Lights of the Ancients, and turned them out of the Road of all fa fhionable Commerce, to a degree, that our choice Town-Wits of moft refined Accomplishments, are in grave Difpute, whether there have been ever any Ancients or no: In which Point we are like to receive wonderful Satisfaction from the most useful Labours and Lucubrations of that Wor thy Modern, Dr. B-tly: 1 fay, when I confider all this, I cannot but bewail, that no famous Modern hath ever yet attempted an univerfal Syftem in a small portable Volume, of all Things that are to be Known, or Believed, or Imagined, or Practifed in Life. I am, however, forced to acknowledge, that such an enterprise was thought on fome Time ago by a great Philofopher of O. Brazile. The Method he propofed, was by a certain curious Receipt, a Noftrum, which after his untimely Death, I found among his Papers; and do here out of my great Affection to the Modern Learned, prefent them with it, not doubt

ing, it may one Day encourage fome wor thy Undertaker.

Tou take fair correct Copies, well bound in Calfs Skin, and Lettered at the Back, of all Modern Bodies of Arts and Sciences whatfoever, and in what Language you please. These you diftil in balneo Mariæ, infufing Quinteflence of Poppy Q. S. together with three Pints of Lethe, to be had from the Apothecaries. Tou cleanse away carefully the Sordes and Caput mortuum, letting all that is volatile evaporate. Tou preferve onely the first Running, which is again to be diftilled Seventeen times, till what remains will amount to about two Drams. This you keep in a Glass Viol Hermetically fealed, for one and twenty Days. Then you begin your Catbolick Treatife, taking every Morning fafting, first baking the Viol) three Drops of this Elixir, fnuffing it strongly up your Nofe. It will dilate it felf about the Brain (where there is any) in fourteen Minutes, and you immediately perceive in your Head an infinite Number of Abstracts, Summa ries, Compendiums, Extracts, Collections, Medulla's, Excerpta quædam's, Florilega's and the like, all difpofed into greas Order, and reducible upon Paper.