lefs than an intire deftruction of all the favourite Domefticks of the Family; whilft you, with a chearful compofure of Mind and Countenance, infeparable from good Nature and good Senfe, fat smiling at the empty Harangue of the Orator, and the fantaftical Sufferings of the Audience.

Well! home I went, full of this abfurd, unphilofophical Scheme, wondering how my learned Friend, who, with very moderate Talents, affects to be thought a very great Scholar, and profound Philofopher, could ever fall into this uncommon way of thinking. But as I chanced a few days after to ftrole into a Bookfeller's Shop, I fpyed a little Pamphlet lying upon the Counter, entitled, A Philofophical Amusement; concerning the Language of Birds and Beafts. Written originally in French by Father Bougeant, a learned Jefuit, &c. I quickly perceived where my learned Friend had pick'd up his new Philofophy, from what Fountain all this profound Erudition was drawn. The honest Man has a very: prepofterous Ambition to be famous; and as he is confcious that he has no chance to attain any degree of Distinction from the proper and regular use of his intellec tual Faculties, he therefore attempts a nearer cut to Fame, by engaging the Attention of the Unlearned to fomething that has a new and mar vellous Appearance: This has given him an itch after Novelty, and an affection for uncom→ mon Notions, more than common Senfe. No wonder, therefore, he was immediately ftruck B 2 with

with this furprizing Sentiment, which he refolved to put off at the next Tea-table for his own, affuring himself, that neither the Ladies, nor myself, (whose Obscurity he heartily despises) fhould ever find him out, but admire him for a most profound Philofopher. I took my Pamphlet home with me, and read it over and over, with the greatest Care and Candour; and upon the whole muft needs fay, that I fhould never have fufpected the Author (if he had not told us fo himself) to be a Jefuit, much lefs a Famous Jefuit. He has done no credit to his Order; the Gentlemen of that Society owe him but little Thanks; they generally acquit themfelves much better upon any Subject they undertake. He has treated a noble Subject loosely and fuperficially, to fay no worfe; for I might add, idly and profanely; and had I been his proper Superiour, I fhould have changed his Confinement at La Fleche, for a more proper Habitation at Moorfields.

But this (fay you) is libelling without Proof, condemning at random: Let us come to Particulars; make good your Charge, fhew us, you can, the Defects of his Scheme, and try you can ftrike us out a better.

if

if

With all my heart, Madam. But before I proceed to a more particular Examination of his Scheme, I muft freely acknowledge, that there are a great many juft and fprightly things fcattered up and down through his whole Performance; but favouring more of the vivacity of the Frenchman, than the piety and folidity of a Chri

ftian Philofopher. He juftly and fmartly ridicules the unintelligible trumpery of Mechanism, Instinct, Substantial Forms, and what not of the Ariftotelian and Cartefian Philofophy, which, like occult qualities, are hard Words without a Meaning, intended only as a thin difguife for Ignorance and Affectation: But what has he advanced in the room of them? Why, fomething equally abfurd, but not equally innocent; fomething fhocking to a Philofopher, and offenfive to a Chriftian, in direct contradiction to Reafon and Revelation, as I fhall endeavour to make appear. Nor is he lefs offenfive in point of Delicacy, his Ideas and Sentiments are often fo low, his Images fo indecent, his Expreffions fo coarse, as could hardly be expected from a polite Frenchman, and an Ecclefiaftic to a fine Lady, whom, at the fame time, he seems to confider as a Perfon of Discernment and Diftinction. Let us now follow him his own way. His first Chapter is

Of the Understanding of Brutes.

He begins with this Queftion; Have Brutes any Understanding? I am convinced (fays he) that you will not fo much as befitate upon this Question: farely prefuming she would answer in the Affirmative, and as I dare venture to affirm that his fair Correspondent had not a better Understanding than mine, I will venture to prefume the fame for you. An Understanding they certainly have of fuch a kind or degree, at least as is fufficient for their state and rank in the

univerfal

univerfal System, and the feveral duties and offices for which they were intended by their Creator. Lefs than this I think cannot be faid, and who prefumes to fay more? Though I have known many an honeft Fellow that made a good figure in his Neighbourhood, who yet has hardly discovered more Reafon, a better Under-" ftanding, or half fo much Virtue as the Beaft he rode on. Take any Man of a plain, natural good Understanding without the prejudices of Philofophy, and propofe the fame Question to him: I dare fay he would ftare at you, and think you were bantering him; or if he thought you were in earnest, he would not fo much as demur upon it. In fhort, however we may affect to puzzle ourselves or others with learned Objections proceeding from downright Ignorance, we all own it, we prefume upon it, as a firft Principle, we reafon upon it, and act agreeably, as we make it an unerring Rule to direct us in the Treatment and Management of our domestick Animals; this it is that guides us in the education of our Dogs and Horfes, to train them up by Correction and Discipline to the feveral Offices for which they are intended, and the Services which we expect to receive from them. This it is that directs us to carefs and reward them when they do well, and to correct and punish them, when they are vicious and difobedient. Did we confider them as meer Machines, as Creatures that had no Senfe, Underftanding, or Reflection; this Conduct would be as abfurd and ridiculous, as it would be to carefs

carefs and reward your Clock or your Watch for going well, or correct and punish them with a Whip or Cudgel for going wrong. On the other hand, we discover in Brutes plain and evident marks of Senfe and Understanding. They are fenfible what we do to them, and what they do to us. When for instance I fee a Dog haftening to me when I call him, carefs me when I ftroke him, tremble when I rate him, run away from me when I beat him: nay, further, when I fee him reflecting and reasoning upon my Conduct towards him, I muft conclude he is acted by fome higher Principle than meer Mechanism. Be pleased, Madam, to try this Experiment with your beloved Veny, (though upon fecond Thoughts he has been too much and too long a Favourite to apprehend any danger from your Hands,) or call any other Dog of the Family, whofe Hunger may make him leap at a good Morfel, fhew him a Piece of Meat in your Left Hand, and hide your Right Hand behind you, and fee how he will behave; efpecially, if he knows he has been guilty of a Fault, or been rated or punished for fome Mifdemeanour. He will either not come near you at all, unless urged by the violence of his Hunger, or approach you with the utmost Diffidence and Caution: for thus I hear him reasoning with himfelf; Surely, this is not the Hand that used to feed me, and why is that other Hand hid from me? That Hand, from which I have received many a fore Stripe, when I have offended, bas now, I fear, fome fecret Vengeance, fome Whip, or

Cudgel