choir I faw it fill'd with a vaft crowd of people, who exprefs'd the utmost attention, for there was scarce a murmur to be heard, fo abfolute was the filence. The novelty of the fight made me immediately join the multitude; and on my enquiring the cause of there being fo great a concourfe, I was inform'd in a low whisper, by a grave elderly man, who ftood near me, "That the merits of the Free "and Candid Difquifitions were inftantly to be determined." At the eaft end of the choir, on a thione of pure gold, a perfonage of a most venerable afpect fat as judge: on her forehead was wrote in large capitals, The Sacramental Test. I immediately knew her to be the CHURCH OF ENGLAND. On her right hand fat a matron who fhew'd the greatest chearf...nefs, and at the fame time the utmoft condefcenfion and humility in her countenance: her name was ORTHODOXY. On her breast, next her leart, was placed fomething of a globular form, which emitted a light far fuperior to the luftre of our modern fars, or the most fparkling diamonds, fo that my eyes were almoft dazzled with beholding it. After viewing it as fieadiaftly as I could, I discover'd the following words written under it by way of motto, viz. The eye of Faith. At the left fide was CEREMONY, decently habited in a furplice, and bearing in her hand the cross in baptifm.

On a signal given, immediately entered an odd fantastic figure, who feem'd to be very captious, difcontented, and self-conceited. The garment fhe wore was of fo notable a contexture that it never appeared one ininute to be the fame, but continually diverfified itself into every form and colour that imagination can fuggeft. The name of this perfon was ALTERATION. The *** and ***, and the Well-wishers to the University of Oxford, and rosy justices, and fat pluralifts followed her as partizans and attendants. In her arms fhe held a motley book, intitled, The Free and Candid Difquifitions, of which the appear'd extremely fond,

by

by turning over the leaves, reading aloud the title-page, and exhibiting the gilded binding to the gazing crowd. I perceived too all along that she affected great popularity. On her nearer approach fhe threw off her former grimace, and began to compose herself with great affiduity and art. She gave figns of the utmost fubmiffion, by making three obeifances to the lady who fat on the bench as judge; yet she could not help fending some oblique malevolent glances at ORTHODOXY; and the cross that CEREMONY held feem'd to give her great offence; but this disgust she endeavour'd as much as poffible to conceal. On fo great a change in her behaviour, the whole affembly express'd the highest satisfaction. The lady on the bench indeed seem'd to be but little affected with it, and with a nod gave leave for an audience. ALTERATION then fpoke, but as the whole harangue was nothing but an abstract from the well-known book fhe held in her hand, the repeating it would be needlefs. I fhall only therefore mention some circumftances that happen'd during the harrangue. When the frequent use of the Lord's Prayer in the Liturgy was ftrenuously objected to, ORTHODOXY who had till then been tolerably attentive, exprefs'd how much she regarded fuch an objection by a smile; whilft CEREMONY, as being plainly aim'd at, look'd pale with refentment. Again, when a certain notorious vice was pronounc'd to be no deadly fin,joy was immediately diffus'd over the face of every partizan. The propofal for contracting the liturgy, because it took up too much time, was also receiv'd with the highest marks of approbation, and particularly fo by the whole herd of pluralifts. When ALTERATION had finish'd her harangue, the lady on the bench pronounc'd with a loud voice, MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PREVALEBIT; when lo! drefs'd in an antique garb, more white than fnow, more transparent than chryftal, DEVOTION enter'd: humble was her deportment, her eyes were lifted up to heaven. Her

retinue

retinue was fmall; nay to fome it appeared even mean, for it confifted only of a few undignify'd divines, drefs'd in rufty wigs, and tatter'd crape; but how badly foever they appear'd to be habited, the refolution each perfon exprefs'd plainly intimated, that they wanted neither the heart nor the head to support the cause they had fo bravely undertaken. On a fudden with extended arms DEVOTION held out on high The Book of Common Prayer; the covers of it were adamant, on which in indelible characters were ftamp'd the illustrious names of Edward the fixth, Queen Elizabeth, Archbishop Laud, King Charles the Martyr, and the noble Septemvirate of tower'd Prelates; the leaves were of ivory, the letters were of gold. On beholding this glorious fight, the whole affembly were ftruck with a religious awe: but after fome minutes, nothing could be heard but the loudeft shouts of applause. The partizans of the Free and Candid Difquifitions were driven to despair, whilft ALTERATION, when the shouting ceased, endeavour'd to fpeak, but whatever fhe utter'd appear'd to be nothing but Cant. At length the lady on the bench plac'd DEVOTION on a stool next to ORTHODOXY. Her retinue were order'd to follow her, when to my most agreeable furprize I faw each venerable divine rob'd with lawn. After they were all feated in order, ORTHODOXY ftood up to read a decree, but at that inftant the college bell rung for prayers: the found of it awaken'd me: I arose from my bed, went to the chapel, and addrefs'd my creator in a Form of Prayer, one tittle of which not the utmost machinations of the deceitful, nay not even the powers of darkness will ever be able to alter.

PHILO-CHRISTUS.

Oxford, Sept. 22. 1750.

4

A notable CRITICIS M

On a special piece of MORALITY.

Amoto quæramus feria ludo.

LET US

MAN

MORALIZE.

ANY wife philofophers have learnedly spinned out their voluminous tracts in pathetically complaining of the curtailed brevity of human life; and have elegantly illuftrated its mifery by many juft fimilitudes. Some of them have compared it to a fhadow, others to a dream, and others again to a mist on the mountain top. none of them all have so emphatically display'd its transitory ftate as the learned and ingenious author of the following diftich

OH MAN! OH MAN! THY LIFE IS LIKE

A CANDLE IN A CANDLE-STEICK

-But

Let us take a small view of the beauty of the whole fimile. And first here is a doubling or iteration of the oh and man. Oh man! oh man! a fort of reverberation (fi ita loqui liceat) very expreffive in ejaculation, exclamation, lamentation, &c. borrowed from the most celebrated authors of all languages. The Greeks have their ow, the Latins have hei and va; and we often cry out alas! alas! exactly parallel to oh! oh; and the Arabians, Chaldeans, Syrians, and Chinese have their X X Þ ¤ í íz.

But to go on, in the next place we have life and like, two L's together, which make a moft beantiful alliter

ation, a figure in rhetoric the most engaging, and which wonderfully promotes the pathos.The last line, A Candle, &c. is inconceivably elegant, which it would be throwing away time, words, and ink, to take notice of,—only we'll just remark the poetick licence fplendidly refulgent in the laft word CANDLE-STEICK; how happily has the author fegregated the letters in the last fyllable, by the figure diærefis-Steick for fiick, harmonious turn ineffable! So OVID evoluiffe for which HOMER, the prince of poets, is fo defervedly celebrated by the critics in the firft verfe of the Iliad Πηληιαρεω ΑχιληοςHim no doubt our author had in his eye.- Upon the whole, there is an extraordinary neatness in the fimile.— We have an idea of the clean mould candle in a filver candle-ftick, gently wafting away its tallowy substance, and mildly decaying its wooly wick; this the other fimilitudes above-cited fall far fhort of, therefore we conclude that ours exceeds them all, and fhines and glitters amongst them-velut inter ignes