there were no other inftance of what I have too frequently obferved, that many of that reverend body are not always very nice in diftinguishing between their enemies and their friends.

Had the author's intentions met with a more candid interpretation from fome, whom out of respect he forbears to name, he might have been encouraged to an examination of books written by fome of those authors above defcribed, whose errors, ignorance, dulnefs, and villany he thinks he could have detected and expofed in fuch a manner, that the perfons, who are most conceived to be infected by them, would foon lay them afide and be ashamed: but he has now given over those thoughts; fince the weightiest men in the weightieft stations are pleased to think it a more dangerous point to laugh at those corruptions in religion, which they themselves must disapprove, than to endeavour pulling up thofe very foundations, wherein all chriftians have agreed.

с

He thinks it no fair proceeding, that any

Alluding to Dr. Sharp the archbishop of York's reprefentation of the author,

perfon

perfon fhould offer determinately to fix a name upon the author of this discourse, who hath all along concealed himself from moft of his nearest friends: yet several have gone a farther step, and pronounced another book to have been the work of the fame hand with this: which the author directly affirms to be a thorough mistake; he having yet never fo much as read that discourse: a plain inftance how little truth there often is in general furmifes, or in conjectures drawn from a fimilitude of ftyle, or way of thinking.

Had the author written a book to expose the abuses in law, or in phyfic, he believes the learned profeffors in either faculty would have been fo far from refenting it, as to have given him thanks for his pains, especially if he had made an honourable refervation for the true practice of either science: but religion, they tell us, ought not to be ridiculed; and, they tell us truth: yet furely the corruptions in it may; for we are taught by the triteft maxim in the world, that, religion being

Letter of enthufiafm, fup- to him, in the last of these vopofed to have been written by lumes. Col, Hunter: fee Swift's letter

the

the beft of things, its corruptions are likely to be the worst.

There is one thing which the judicious reader cannot but have obferved, that fome of those paffages in this discourse, which appear moft liable to objection, are what they call parodies, where the author perfonates the ftyle and manner of other writers, whom he has a mind to expose. I fhall produce one inftance; it is in the 61ft page. Dryden, L'Eftrange, and some others I fhall not name, are here levelled at, who having spent their lives in faction, and apoftacies, and all manner of vice, pretended to be fufferers for loyalty and religion. So Dryden tells us in one of his prefaces of his merits and fufferings, thanks God that he poffeffes his foul in patience; in other places he talks at the fame rate; and L'Eftrange often uses the like style; and I believe the reader may find more perfons to give that paffage an application: but this is enough to direct thofe, who may have overlooked the author's intention.

There are three or four other paffages, which prejudiced or ignorant readers have drawn by great force to hint at ill mean

ings; as if they glanced at some tenets in religion. In answer to all which, the author folemnly protefts, he is intirely innocent; and never had it once in his thoughts, that any thing he faid would in the least be capable of fuch interpretations, which he will engage to deduce full as fairly from the most innocent book in the world. And it will be obvious to every reader, that this was not any part of his fcheme or defign, the abuses he notes being such as all Church-of-England men agree in; nor was it proper for his fubject to meddle with other points, than fuch as have been perpetually controverted fince the reformation.

To instance only in that paffage about the three wooden machines mentioned in the introduction: in the original manufcript there was a defcription of a fourth, which those, who had the papers in their power, blotted out, as having fomething in it of fatyr, that I fuppofe they thought was too particular; and therefore they were forced to change it to the number three, from whence fome have endeavoured to squeeze out a dangerous meaning,

that

that was never thought on. And indeed the conceit was half spoiled by changing the numbers; that of four being much more cabalistic, and therefore better expofing the pretended virtue of numbers, a fuperftition there intended to be ridiculed.

Another thing to be observed is, that there generally runs an irony through the thread of the whole book, which the men of taste will obferve and distingush, and which will render fome objections, that have been made, very weak and infignificant.

This apology being chiefly intended for the fatisfaction of future readers, it may be thought unnecessary to take any notice of fuch treatifes as have been written against the ensuing discourse, which are already funk into wafte paper and oblivion, after the ufual fate of common answerers to books, which are allowed to have any merit: they are indeed like annuals, that grow about a young tree, and feem to vie with it for a fummer, but fall and die with the leaves in autumn, and are never heard of any more. When Dr. Eachard writ his book about the contempt of the

clergy,