now grown to fuch an enormous gigantic fize, as to be incapable of spreading further or rifing higher, seems to be a complaint peculiar to these our days; and, I am apt to believe, rather flows from a hafty impatient fpirit, than to be the refult of a cool difpaffionate enquiry into the various occurrences of human life. In which charge if there be any thing of truth, as fome perhaps may think there is, (or whence fhould it be fo frequent in the mouths and writings of men?) it is owing to the little of real RELIGION remaining in us: fince, when this once gradually loses its force and energy, an infolent contemptuous neglect of all focial duties immediately begins to appear amongst individuals, which ever encreases and diffufes itself wider, as the other declines and gives way; till one finally quitting its hold of the hu man mind, the other takes full poffeffion, and the whole man becomes corrupt and abandoned. For, notwithstanding the mighty wonder-working power afcribed to Moral Principles, they cannot in fact avail any thing, but when they are grounded on, and, as their influences are enlarged, refined and fupported by a belief in a God and Providence : reafon clearly pointing out, and common hiftory of nations abundantly exemplifying it, that the wickedness and, its immediate confequence, mifery of every diftinct particular kingdom, will be greater or lefs according to the different degrees of Irreligion in it, or rather in proportion to the various impreffions it makes upon the members thereof. But what will furprize every intelligent perfon, is, that men hould be publickly taught, how they might live fecurely either in or out of fociety, if there were no fuperiour invifible Agent, taking cognizance of actions, and resenting them, as they agree or disagree with the Rule of Right; and that the political establishment of Religion, or an union of religious with civil fociety on terms mutually agreed to by their respective sovereigns, is a direct manifeft invafion of mens natural rights; injurious in a high degree to their temporal interefts; with much more to the like purport and effect. affect. Thofe doctrines, tho' but lately sprung up, yet grow and thrive fo well amongst us, and meet with fuch diftinguishing tokens of esteem and applause, as if the reality of them were of the last importance to mankind, eminently beneficial to the cause of publick virtue, and admirably well fitted to further the views and promote the ends of civil government. But whatever be the opinion of fome moderns, very differently thought the wife and great among the ancients, whose first and continued concern seems to have been the making provisions to preserve a reverence for the system of worship openly profefs'd amongst them; the outward actions of men being ever found conformable to the religious caft of their minds. Of this they were thoroughly sensible, and fram'd their inftitutes accordingly. Now to confute thefe doctrines, the method I fhall obferve, and the courfe I defign to take in the following letters, is to lay before the reader a chain of argumentation founded on certain, plain, universally acknowledg'd principles, and from thence to deduce fuch conclufions, as will irrefragably prove the abfolute neceffity of the sense of a Deity's animadverfion to the reducing and continuing the world of mankind in order; in fome cafes exciting them to action; in others to reftrain them from it; as circumstances shall require. And I will endeavour to remove an objection usually offered on this head, which is, that human laws, prudently drawn up and equitably executed, will seasonably serve in the room of Religion. I thought it might not be amiss to say thus much by way of introduction. When I fee this in your Miscellany, you fhall hear further from Your well-wisher, &c. R FIDDLING confidered, as far as it regards an UNIVERSITY. -inopes rerum, nugæque canoræ. HORAT. S the following differtation may poffibly hurt the sale A of Rofin and Catgut, it is proper to premise, that it does not proceed from any malicious defign against Mr. Lamborne or his fraternity, but merely from a principle of promoting the welfare and honour of the University. I fuppofe I may advance, without being reckon'd a Prig, that the real bufinefs of young fellows admitted into this learned body, are laborious pursuits after knowledge, and ftudies as well important as fevere. Muft we not therefore with fome concern fee fo many Etudents, who are equally deftin'd to the common task of learning, debauch'd by Sound, neglecting LOCKE and NEWTON for PURCELL and HANDEL, and instead of Philofophers commencing (O ridicule ! O fhame to common fenfe!) downright FIDDLERS. There are many inconveniences which naturally arise from this pernicious practice, many habits which stick so fast, as never after to be fhaken off; fome of which I fhall take the freedom to enumerate in general, without making any particular application. And And firft I fhall observe that an Academical SCRAPER is in great danger of becoming an incurable PEDANT; I mean a Pedant in Fiddling: and fiddling Pedants are furely the worst of Pedants; as their whole converfation is entirely made up of an unintelligible jargon of musical terms, which they oftentatiously produce in all companies. In the next place, 'tis certain that FIDDLING frequently turns the fober SCHOLAR into a pert CoxCOMB. To support the elegance of a FIDDLER, a white Hand is abfolutely requifite, this being the fame to a FIDDLER as japan'd pumps are to a DANCER: and as DANCING centers in the toes, fo does FIDDLING in the fingers. To the white Hand I must add a Sleeve cut in the most jaunty fashion, as the Sleeve in FIDDLING is more eminently diftinguish'd than any other part of the drefs. Not but the whole apparel of a compleat FIDDLER ought to be of the gayeft and genteelest order. When I mention'd the white Hand, I forgot to obferve, that your FIDDLERS of fortune often difplay a ftriking decoration on the little finger, call'd a Brilliant, which is faid to have fometimes a furprizing effect on the female part of the audience. I could here too take notice of the Ruffle, which, if it be lac'd, or curiously work'd, will, as it waves with the motions of the Fiddlestick, denote the player to be a FIDDLER of fome rank and confequence. But of all the various qualifications requifite to compose a true FIDDLER, Impudence is the most notorious. As FIDDLERS are men who entertain the publick, Mr. Student, they think themselves entitled to the fame degree of Affurance, which you Authors generally have. But this inference can by no means be allowed, as it pre-fuppofes Scraping at least equal to Scribbling. FIDDLERS therefore have no more pretenfions to extraordinary Impudence than other common men, tho' they are fo vain as to arrogate it to themselves. Again, fince Mufick and Poetry are Sifter-Arts, our Univerfity FIDDLERS are very apt to mistake their talents, and commence Dabblers alfo in Rhyming; tho', 'tis true, their am bition never foars beyond a Love-fong, a Ballad, or a Catch; and indeed, to do them juftice, the words and the notes are in fuch a cafe excellently adapted to each other. An acquaintance of mine, (a good fenfible man otherwise) after having tweedled away a confiderable part of is time to no purpose, once in a despairing fit, after his return from the musickmeeting, burst out into the following poetic pathetic foliloquy: At concerts lo! an expletive I ftand, But here my gentleman broke off in raptures, and refuming his late-difcarded inftrument, grated harsh difcord to the grievous annoyance both of the ears and teeth of his turbed neighbours. poor dif To conclude,-I know not what the ftate of Catgut may be among you: but it would well become the prudence of our wife ALMA-MATER to prevent our young gentry, by fome wholsome restrictions, from trifling away their time over octaves and femi-quavers, and neglecting logick for airs, or fyllogifms for cantatas. In a word, brother Student, if this fcraping Cacoethes, this fol-fa-la Infection be suffered to fpread further in this place, our books, I expect, will be changed into fiddles, our schools will be turned into mufickreons, and ARISTOTLE kick'd out for CORELLI, |