WITHOUT the leaft Intention to offend the Clergy, I cannot but think, that through à miftaken Notion and Practice, they prevent themfelves from doing much Service, which o therwise might lie in their Power, to Religion and Virtue: I mean, by affecting fo much to Converfe with each-other, and caring fo little to mingle with the Laity. They have their particular Clubs, and particular Coffee-Houfes, where they generally appear in Clufters: A fingle Divine dares, hardly fhew his Perfon among Numbers of Fine Gentlemen; or if he happens to fall into fuch Company, he is filent and fufpicious, in continual Apprehenfion, that fome pert Man of Pleafure fhould break an unmannerly Jeft, and render him ridiculous. Now, I take this Behaviour of the Clergy, to be just as reasonable, as if the Phyficians fhould agree to fpend their Time in vifiting one another, or their feveral Apothecaries, and leave their Patients to fhift for themselves. In my humble Opinion, the Clergy's Bufinefs lies entirely among the Laity; neither is there perhaps a more effectual Way to forward the Salvation of Mens Souls, than for Spiritual Perfons to make themfelves as agreeable as they can in the Converfations of the World, for which a Learned Education gives them great Advantage, if they would pleafe to improve and apply it. It fo happens, that the Men of Pleasure, who never go to Church, nor amufe themselves to read Books of Devotion, form their Ideas of the Clergy, from a few poor Strolers, they often obferve in the Streets, or fneaking out of fome Perfon of Quality's Houfe, where they are hired by the Lady at Ten Shitlings a Month; while thofe of better Figure

and

and Parts do feldom appear to correct thefe Notions. And let fome Reafoners think what they pleafe, 'tis certain, that Men must be brought to efteem and love the Clergy, before they can be perfwaded to be in love with Religion. No Man values the beft Medicine, if adminiftred by a Phyfician, whofe Perfon he hates or defpifes. If the Clergy were as forward to appear in all Companies, as other Gentlemen, and would a little ftudy the Arts of Converfation, to make themfelves agreeable, they might be welcome at every Party, where there was the leaft Regard for Politeness or good Senfe, and confe quently prevent a thoufand vicious or prophane Difcourfes, as well as Actions Neither would Men of Underftanding complain, that a Clergy man was a Conftraint upon the Company, be saufe they could not fpeak Blafphemy or ob fcene Jefts before him. While the People are To jealous of the Clergy's Ambition, as to abhor all Thoughts of the Return of Ecclefiaftick Difcipline among them, I do not fee any other Method left for Men of that Function to take, in arder to reform the World, than by ufing all honeft Arts to make themfelves acceptable to the Laity. This, no doubt, is Part of that Wifdom of the Serpent, which the Author of Christianity directs, and is the very Method ufell by St. Paul, who became all things to all' Men, the Jews a few, and a Greek to the Greeks.

How to remedy thefe Inconveniences, may be a Matter of fome Difficulty, fince the Clergy feem to be of an Opinion, that this Humour of fequeftring themfelves is a Part of their Duty';

as I remember, they have been told fo by fome of their Bishops in their Paftoral

Letters,

"1

Letters, particularly by one among them of great Merit and Distinction, who yet in his own Practice hath all his Life-time taken a Courfe directly contrary. But I am deceived, if an awkward Shame, and Fear of ill_Ufage from the Laity, have not a greater fhare in the mistaken Conduct, than their own Inclinations! However, if the outward Profeffion of Religion and Virtue, were once in Practice and Counte nance at Court, as well as among all Men in Office, or who have any Hopes or Dependance for Preferment a good Treatment of the Clergy would be the neceffary Confequence of fuch a Res formation and they would foon be wife enough to fee their own Duty and Intereft in qualifying themfelvers for Lay-Converfation, when once they were outs of Fears of being chocqued by Ribaldry or Prophaneness,

C

THERE is one further Circumftance upon this Occafion, which I know not whether it will be very Orthodox to mention: The Clergy are the only Set of Men among us, who conftantly wear a diftinct Habit from others The Confequence of which not in Reafon, but in Fact) is this, that as long as any fcandalous Perfons appear in that Drefs, it will continue in fome degree a general Mark of Contempt. Whoever happens to fee a Scoundrel in a Gown, reeling home at Mid night, (Sight neither frequent nor miraculous) apt to entertain an ill Idea of the whole Or der, and at the fame time to be extreamly com forted in his own, Vices Some Remedy migh be put to this, if thofe ftraggling Gentlemen, who come up to Town to feek their Fortunes, were fairly difmits'd to the Weft-Indies, where there is work enough, and where fome better Provifion

Should

fhould be made for them, than I doubt there is at prefent. Or, what if no Perfon were allowed to wear the Habit, who had not fome Prefer ment in the Church, or at leaft fome temporal Fortune fufficient to keep him out of Contempt? Though in my Opinion, it were infinitely better, if all the Clergy (except the Bishops) were permitted to appear like other Men of the graver Sort, unless at thofe Seafons, when they are doing the Bufinefs of their Functione

THERE is one Abuse in this Town which wonderfully contributes to the Promotion of Vice; that fuch Men are often put into the Commit fion of the Peace, whofe Intereft it is, that Virtué fhould be utterly banished from among us; who maintain, or at leaft enrich themselves by en couraging the groffeft Immoralitiesgoto whom all the Bawds of the Ward pay Contribution for Shel ter and Protection from theLaws. Thus thefe worthy Magiftrates, inftead of leffening Enormities, are the Occafion of juft twice as much Débauch ery as there would be without them. For those Infamous Women are forced upon doubling their Work and Industry, to answer double Charges of paying the Juftice and fupporting themfelves. Like Thieves, who 'fcape the Gallows, and are let out to steal in order to discharge the Jaylor's Fees,

It is not to be queftion'd, but the Queen and Ministry might eafily redrefs this nabominable Grievance, by enlarging the Number of Justices of the Peace, by endeavouring too chufe Men of virtuous Principles, by admitting none, who have not confiderable Fortunes, perhaps by receiving into the Number fome of the most eminent Clergy: Then, by forcing all of them upon

fe.

vere Penalties, to act when there is occafion, and not permitting any, who are offered, to refufe the Commiffion, but in these two laft Cafes, which are very material, I doubt there will be need of the Legillature.

1

THE Reformation of the Stage is entirely in the Power of the Queen and in the Confe quences it hath upon the Minds of younger People, does very well deferve the ftricteit Care. Befide the undecent and prophane Paffages; befide the perpetual turning into Ridicule the very! Function of the Priesthood, with other Irregu larities, in moft modern Comedies, which have been often objected to them; it is worth obferv-, ing the diftributive Juftice of the Authors, which is conftantly applied to the Punishment of Virtue, and the Reward of Vice; directly oppofite to the Rules of their beft Criticks, as well as to the Practice of Dramatick Poets in all other Ages and Countries. For Example, a Country who is reprefented with no other Vice but that of being a Clown, and having the Pro vincial Accent upon his Tongue, which is nei ther a Fault nor in his Power to remedy, muft be condemned to marry a caft Wench, or a ON crack'd Chamber-Maid. On the other fide, Rake-hell of the Town, whofe Character is fet

न

off with no other Acco but exceffive

Prodigality, Prophanenels, Intemperance and Luft, is rewarded with the Lady of great Fortune, to repair his own, which his Vices had almoft ruined. And as in a Tragedy, the Hero is reprefented to have obtained many Victories, in order to raife his Character in the Minds of the Spectators, fo the Hero of a Comedy is reprefented to have been Victorious in all his InK

treagues