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client; and discovered all the method of that impofture, in the fame form I delivered it a while ago; advifing the folicitor to put his friend upon obtaining a pardon from the king *. In the midft 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 fcurrilities 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.

V.

A Digrefion in the modern kind.

WE

E, whom the world is pleafed to honour with the title of modern authors, fhould never have been able to compass our great defign of an everlasting remembrance, and never-dying fame, if our endeavours had not been fo highly ferviceable

* Directed penitents not to truft to pardons and abfolutions procured for money; but fent them to implore the mercy of God, from whence alone remiffion is to be obtained.

By Peter's dragoons is meant the civil power, which thofe princes, who were bigotted to the Romish fuperftition, employed against the reformers.

The Pope fhuts all who diffent from him out of the church.

Bell Sculp

ferviceable to the general good of mankind. This, O Univerfe! is the adventurous attempt of me thy secretary;

-Quemvis perferre laborem

Suadet, et inducit noctes vigilare ferenas.`

To this end, I have fome time fince, with a world of pains and art, diffected the carcafe of human nature, and read many useful lectures upon the feveral parts, both containing and contained; till at last it smelt fo ftrong, I could preserve it no longer. Upon which, I have been at a great expence to fit up all the bones with exact contexture, and in due fymmetry; fo that I am ready to fhew a very complete anatomy thereof, to all curious gentlemen and others. But, not to digrefs farther in the midst of a digreffion, as I have known fome authors inclofe digreffions in one another, like a neft of boxes; I do affirm, that having carefully cut up human nature, I have found a very strange, new, and important difcovery; that the public good of mankind is performed by two ways, inflruction 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 any certain gentleman of my admirers, to be very importunate), that, as mankind is now disposed, he receives much greater advantage by being diverted than inftructed; his epidemical difcafes being faftidiofity, amorphy, and ofcitation ; whereas,

Cc 2

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 ikilfully kneaded up both together, with a layer of utile, and a layer of dulce.

When I confider how exceedingly our illuftrious moderns have eclipfed the weak glimmering lights of the ancients, and turned them out of the road of all fashionable commerce, to a degree, that our choice town-wits, of most refined accomplishments, are in grave difpute, whether there have been ever any ancients or no *; in which point we are like to receive wonderful fatisfaction from the most useful labours and lucubrations of that worthy modern, Dr Bentley: I fay, when I confider all this, I cannot but bewail, that no famous modern hath ever yet attempted an univerfal fyftem, 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 fuch an enterprife was thought on fome time ago, by a great philofopher of O. Brazil t. The method, he propofed, was by a

certain

*The learned perfon here meant by our author, hath been endeavouring to annihilate fo many ancient writers, that, until he is pleased to ftop his hand, it will be dangerous to affirm, whether there have been any ancients in the world.

This is an imaginary island, of kin to that which is called the Painters wives ifland, placed in fome unknown part of the ocean, mercly at the fancy of the map-maker.

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